Day (afternoon) Seven: In which supplies are bought and a true adventure is started.

Chapter 11

They returned to the docks that afternoon. As before, it was busy, loud and typical of any sea-faring establishment. Upon reaching the port, Arthur, Francis and Antonio seemed to stand a little straighter, taking deep breaths of the salty air with their eyes closed and inhaling the familiar scent.

Alfred characteristically broke the former sailors (of a sort) from their reverie.

"So, this is cool and all, but why are we here again?" he asked.

Annoyed with the interruption, Arthur frowned at him. "We went over the plan at lunch," he said a little crossly. "At this point, we've more or less found everyone from our side of the world, at least those likely to be. Those of us we have yet to locate are, if this world makes any sense, likely to be a little too far away for the influence to reach. Which means we need to travel. For which, we will need to procure some form of transport. Unless you perhaps wish to try and swim the distance?"

Alfred's eyes lit up for a moment, his face bright. "So we're gonna buy a ship! Aw, man, and I totally called it as well!" He winked at Peter, who grinned back.

"Wait, that means we're gonna need to have a captain. Can I, please Artie? I'm the hero, so I could totally be a wicked captain!"

"I think you'll find mon cherie has quite enough experience of that!" Francis quipped, just loud enough for the rest to hear.

He winced as the Englishman's hand landed a solid blow to the back of his head.

"Oh, shut it, you damn frog. You're a fine one to talk."

Antonio laughed, egging Francis on. The Frenchman took this as encouragement, and continued;

"Ah, the good old days. The open sea, the wind in our sails, the sound of cannon fire and the clash of…swords." His eyes gleamed with mirth, making the other laugh at his veiled joke. "Ah, to be a pirate again. It was a brilliant time, was it not?"

Arthur glared at him haughtily. "I was a privateer. In the service of the crown, damn you." He turned to Antonio, who was holding back laughter. His voice took on a sadistic tone.

"And as for you. Has your memory completely deserted you? Or do you perhaps need to be reminded of the finer points of history? The Armada, say?" His eyes shone with a wicked gleam, earning a ferocious glare from the Spaniard, who started muttering under his breath until Lovino elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"You're all damn bastards, whatever you were. Now are you gonna go and get a stupid ship or not?"

"Loviiiiiiii, be nice," Feliciano chided. His brother ignored him. His face looked slightly pale under the tan of his skin. Antonio laughed. "Lovi, are you scared of the ocean? Boss wont' let anything happen to you, you know?"

Lovino's face darkened in rage. "What the hell! I am not scared!" He folded his arms, refusing to look at any of them.

"Ve, but boats are so fun! Lovi, big brother Toni is right. Luddy will protect us too! And Big brother Francis, and Gil, and I suppose Arthur as long as he stays out of the ship's kitchen, because then we really would all die before we get to see the others, and then we wouldn't be able to go home and that would really suck!"

Lovino didn't bother responding to his brother, staring angrily out at the waves lapping gently against the dock. The only sign of his emotion was the faintest twitch of a muscle in his jaw.

"Lovi? Mi tomate, are you really scared of the ocean? I promise there is nothing to be scared of. Tell Boss what you are scared of?"

"I'm not scared of any damn boat," he muttered.

Antonio looked puzzled. "Then, what is it you are afraid of, Romanito?"

For once, Lovino didn't protest the Spaniard's affectionate title. It seemed as if he wasn't going to answer at all, until he suddenly whirled around, his eyes glinting with anger as he yelled "I've never been on the damn ocean, alright? So it's not my damn fault for being scared!"

He glared at the ground, refusing to look up. Feliciano gave him a look of confusion. "Ve, but fratello, we have thousands of ships! Luddy does too!"

Lovino raised his head, directing his anger at the other. "You do, you mean. I never did."

Feliciano still looked confused. "Huh? What do you mean, fratello? We shared them, didn't we?"

Lovino gave him a withering look. He glanced over to Bella and Lars before turning away sharply. Bella gave him a knowing smile, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, forget it. You're too stupid to understand anyway. Just forget it. All of you. You're all bastards and I hate the lot of you." He stormed off in the direction of the town. Feliciano made as if to follow him, but Ludwig caught his arm, motioning him to stop.

Antonio sighed. "I suppose that is really my fault," he admitted. The rest of the group turned to him. He rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "I never let Lovi come with me on any of my journeys." He looked pleadingly at Bella, who returned his gaze sympathetically.

He sighed, continuing. "When I came back, I was usually injured in some way' -he shot a glare to Arthur, who looked away in embarrassed anger – 'so he probably didn't have the best image of seafaring. I never told him about what had happened, either. I just didn't want to worry him. He was so little and helpless, how could I take him with me? He was only a child. I couldn't have taken him on board with me, what would have happened to him if we were attacked? He wouldn't have been able to defend himself, and I wouldn't have been able to protect him if I was fighting someone else." He directed the last words to Arthur, who glared at him.

"What, you think I would have hurt a kid? My conduct may have been…less than stellar at times, but I do have standards, you damn Spaniard. No harm would have come to the boy."

"Ve, me and Lovi are older than you, Arthur," Feliciano quipped.

The Englishman turned a suffering glance on him, rolling his eyes. Feliciano merely smiled at him, his gaze turning slightly thoughtful. "Hey, Arthur, grandpa Rome invaded you, si? You could be one of us!"

Arthur's face darkened, his brows drawing together dangerously. "That is not something I wish to think about," he said flatly. He turned his heel on them, making his way towards the buildings at the end of the dock.

Francis waited a moment, then hurried after him. Antonio shook his head despairingly, then ran after him, saying something quickly and then running off, obviously to find Lovino.

Feliciano looked hurt, turning to the others sadly. "Ve? What did I say?" he asked plaintively.

Sebastian sighed quietly. "Never mind, Feli. Grandpa Rome invaded a lot of places. Some…were better than others."

Gilbert, who had been listening to the exchange in uncharacteristic silence, raised an eyebrow at that. "I'll say," he muttered, remembering his father and the wounds he himself had tended countless times. Sebastian, if he had heard him, ignored that.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but this is totally boring. While Artie's handling all that boring stuff, I say we go check some of these boats out! What d'you say, Mattie?"

Matthew had been looking off into the distance. "What? Eh, I really think it would be better to wait for Arthur and Francis to return," he said quietly. "They have more experience with this kind of thing, after all."

"Aww, man, you're no fun. Anyone else in for it?"

Ludwig stood straight, looking towards the buildings. "I will wait for the others' return. I admit I am not entirely comfortable with this plan."

Gilbert rolled his eyes affectionately. "Aw, don't worry, baby bruder. The awesome me is here, and I could captain a ship with my eyes closed! This is gonna be totally awesome!"

Ludwig looked rather less than impressed with that. Feliciano giggled. "Ve, Luddy likes dreadnaughts and submarines, don't you Luddy!" His face fell. "But that didn't work very well."

The tall German looked as if he was seriously contemplating throwing himself into the harbour. For once, Feliciano took the hint, and fell silent. He stared off into the distance, before brightening suddenly.

"Hey, Lars, you're really good at selling stuff, right? You can go and buy a boat for us! I bet you'd be able to get a really good deal!"

Lars rolled his eyes imperceptibly at the suggestion. Erzsébet laughed lightly. "I think that's the idea, sweetie," she said gently. Looking back at Lars, she smiled at him and Vash. "You know, you two really are the best at it, since Antonio is otherwise occupied. You go and get us the ship. If you need more money, Roderich has plenty."

He looked vaguely affronted at that, but a glance from her and he backed down. "W-well, I suppose we didn't really have much use for it," he admitted.

"Precisely. Now, off you go, boys. Myself, Bella and Lilli will get the other supplies, and we'll meet back here in no less than two hours, or back at the inn at sundown. Any disagreements?"

The men all shook their heads, bar Vash, who looked suspicious. "Why take Lilli with you?" he inquired. "She is just fine with me."

Erzsébet shot him a motherly glance. "Dear Vash, I know you mean well, but is this really the type of place you want someone so delicate to be? This is a very rough area, you know."

Vash's face darkened, but he nodded in agreement. "That sounds sensible." He turned to his little sister, who looked up at him hopefully. "Don't go anywhere without them, and don't listen to anything anyone tries to tell you. Don't let them sell you anything you don't want, and don't let them spend too much either. I don't like it, but I trust that Erzsébet won't let anything happen to you. I'll see you in two hours, alright?"

Lilli bore his tirade with remarkable fortitude. "Yes, big brother. I understand. I won't."

Vash nodded, mollified. "Good girl." He turned to look up at Lars. "Well, if that's settled, we shouldn't waste any time. I trust you have some idea of what vessel would be best?"

Lars merely nodded. The two of them left, leaving the others. Feliciano had wandered off, followed by Ludwig trying to chase him down. Gilbert stood staring out at the sea with a distant expression, seemingly in a world of his own. Erzsébet glanced at him, but decided to leave him to his reverie.

"I guess I'm coming with you then?" a quiet voice asked.

Erzsébet turned to see Henri standing with a faintly amused look.

"Of course you're coming with us, silly! We need a big strong man to carry everything for us!" Bella giggled.

Roderich looked vaguely affronted at the slight, making Erzsébet giggle.

Henri smiled tersely at his sister. "Of course, sis. Where would you be without me."

Bella mock-glared at him. She whirled round in a flurry of skirts, almost skipping off. Erzsébet smiled, rolling her eyes. She held out an arm to Lilli, linking together when the smaller girl stepped towards her shyly.

"I would have been ok with staying with big brother," she offered.

Erzsébet giggled. "I know, darling, but I really do need you for this. See, what your brother doesn't realise is that you have a very special talent."

Lilli looked confused. "I do?"

"M-hmm. You and Hans are our secret weapons. One look at you two and the vendors will fall over themselves to sell us whatever we need!"

Hans looked up briefly, hearing his name. Lilli didn't look convinced. "But big brother always says I look too naïve. He doesn't let me go anywhere by myself because he says people will try to take advantage of me. He buys me whatever I want, though."

"Exactly. But he's not here now, and we have plenty of money, and if what Arthur said is true at all, then this whole world isn't really real. So, we're free to buy whatever we want!"

"That's an interesting way of looking at it," Henri quipped. His eyes lit up with an idea. "So, if we were to sell something, we could bargain for as much as we wanted. If this world isn't 'real', then the monetary system could be entirely different." His gaze drifted off as he thought. "I wonder how the economy works here. Any potential loans or fees would be entirely waived when we return, as they would have never really existed. Potentially, we could make a fortune!" His face fell slightly. "But then I suppose that means we won't be able to take any of it back with us. That's a shame."

Bella turned back to him, amused. "Oh dear. It seems you listened to Lars's lessons a little too much."

She turned her head to the others. "I left all of that side of his education to our brother. It seems as though he took to it far to quickly, and now the poor thing is simply obsessed with money and economics. It's useful to know, but at this rate he'll turn into an awful bore."

Henri flushed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I-I got a bit carried away there, didn't I?" he chuckled, self-deprecatingly.

"I think it's nice that you're passionate about it," Lilli spoke up. "Big brother always tells me that our economy is the most important part of us. We get sick if it goes bad, and healthy if it's good. So it's good to know about what's happening with the economy, not just our own, but globally."

Roderich nodded seriously. "Quite right. It's good to know Vash taught you about the important matters of our positions."

Lilli flushed pink with the praise, looking down and trying to hide her face with her hair. As she looked up again tentatively, her gaze caught Henri's, making her squeak and lower her head again. Erzsébet and Bella shared a knowing look, laughing at Henri, who had turned his head away, his face flushed the same delicate shade.

Bella raised an eyebrow, her face knowing. Erzsébet twisted her lips, trying not to laugh.

"Well, at any rate, we'd better get going, or we'll never be able to buy everything in time!"

"Hans, hold Roddy's hand," Erzsébet ordered, almost as an afterthought. The child looked up at her, questioning.

"Darling, don't argue with me. Roddy's sense of direction is terrible, so I need someone I can trust to make sure he doesn't wander off, alright?"

Hans' lips twisted in a faint smile. He reached up and gripped Roderich's hand tightly, smiling in uncharacteristic glee. Roderich's face darkened with anger, opening his mouth to complain, but closed it again at a sharp look from his ex-wife.

They set off back towards the town, the two women building a list of the supplies they needed. Henri and Lilli offered suggestions when asked, eyes meeting in tentative glances each time, which Erzsébet and Bella pretended not to notice.

Once there, they met up with Lukas, Matthias, Emil and Vlad, who had elected to stay in favour of procuring supplies of their own. The atmosphere was somewhat tense with Erzsébet and Vlad pointedly ignoring each other as usual, but with Hans and Alexandru in attendance they seemed to have reached a mutual agreement not to antagonise each other too fiercely.

Lukas had bought a collection of medicines and healing supplies, and was showing a bored Emil the basics of first aid when they arrived, his own head wound having healed nicely. Emil was half-heartedly listening while Matthias was sat on the edge of the fountain with his battleaxe resting on his knees, polishing it carefully.

Emil looked up at their approach. He took the opportunity to step away from his brother, looking towards them expectantly.

"Did Arthur send you back?" he asked.

"In a way," Erzsébet replied. "The others are all off finding a suitable ship for us, so it falls to us to get supplies. Have you got everything you need?"

Lukas nodded. "Pretty much. I take it everything will have to be transported down to the docks then?"

Erzsébet nodded. "They should be done in a few hours. We'll all stay in town tonight and hopefully be ready to set sail tomorrow."

Matthias looked excited at the prospect. "Aw, man, I can't wait! Bet you're excited too, huh Norge?"

Lukas looked less than impressed. "It's necessary."

Matthias' face fell. "Come on, Norge, you love the sea! All of us do! Ice, back me up here!"

The teenager shot a glare at him. "No I don't. It's inconvenient, it takes too long, and it makes me sick. We have planes for a reason."

"You're no fun," he pouted.

Emil simply rolled his eyes at him.

"Do you need any help?" he asked Erzsébet politely.

The Hungarian smiled at him. "Thank you, sweetie, that would be lovely." She turned to Lukas. "Do you have a spare roll of paper for a list?"

He nodded, opening his bag and handing one to her along with a pencil. "We've made a rough idea already, but you'll probably want to add to it."

Erzsébet nodded, taking it and scanning it quickly. "This looks brilliant. You're really good at organising, Lukas."

Lukas shot a glance to Matthias. "Someone had to be."

The Dane merely laughed. "Ah, you know you're better at all that house stuff than me, Norge. I do the fights, you do the cooking. And, uh, the budget. And cleaning. And, all the other stuff…"

Lukas raised an eyebrow at him. Matthias faltered. "Yeah, I guess I ought to do more around the house. I get it. Stop glaring at me. Ice doesn't do anything either."

"Lillebrør is a teenager, I expect him to be lazy."

Emil scoffed angrily. "I am not lazy! I have my own house. I do everything for myself at home."

Lukas regarded him coolly. "Home delivery shopping?"

The Icelander flushed, glaring. "It's not my fault I can't drive!" he retorted angrily. "It's your fault I don't look older. If you hadn't babied me so much perhaps I'd look as old as you do now!"

Lukas raised an eyebrow at him with a look of fond condescension. Emil stood his ground, glaring with as much anger as he could muster.

They were interrupted with a faint giggle. Emil whirled round to see Lilli and Henri holding their hands over their mouths, controlling their laughter. Henri smiled at him, his face understanding.

"W-what's so funny?" Emil stuttered.

Henri composed himself. "Nothing. We all know what it's like to have older brothers, that's all. He may annoy you sometimes, but he really does mean the best for you. Right, Lilli?"

The girl looked up at him, her face tinting delicately. "M-hmm. Big brother says when I'm happy, he's happy. And when he's happy, I'm happy too. So please don't fight."

Emil flushed darker. "A-alright." He avoided Lukas' face, not wanting to see his triumphant smirk.

"Um, if you're all done fighting, can we get sweets, please?" Alexandru piped up.

Bella and Erzsébet burst into laughter. "Of course, sweetie," Erzsébet said. "Hans, take Alexandru to the stall over there. Choose whatever you want, and remember to get some for Peter too." She handed him a small pouch with some money in.

Hans took it with his free hand. Alexandru let go of Vlad's coat and ran over to him, his eyes wide with excitement. "Wow! We can get so much with this!" he cried. "Hey, Hans, what kind is your favourite?"

The boy considered the question thoughtfully. "Whatever takes the greatest skill to make," he concluded. "There's a reason cooking is called the 'culinary arts', after all. Confectionary has very high standards, although probably not nearly as much here as at home."

He looked up at Roderich. "In that respect, brother is quite good at baking," he said flippantly.

Roderich arched an eyebrow. "That's damning with faint praise, but at least you think I'm good for something."

"Mm. Let's go." Hans tugged Roderich's hand, drawing him towards the stall. Alexandru skipped beside them, his eyes gleaming as they drew nearer to the goods on display.

Bella and Erzsébet watched them for a moment, their faces motherly.

"Well, I trust Roddy won't let them get too carried away. Though he's such a spendthrift, and they're only young. Anyway, we really should get going or we'll never buy anything," Erzsébet stated. "Any preferences for where we start?"

The others shook their heads. They decided to work their way through the market, reasoning that they were bound to think of more things needed as they went.

All in all, it took rather longer than anticipated, and they returned to the docks almost three hours later. Gilbert had evidently grown bored at some point, and held a bag out to Peter, who was taking pieces of bread or pastries from it and throwing them into the air for the gulls to catch. Alfred and Matthew stood to the side, Matthew chatting quietly with Gilbert and Sebastian. Ludwig and Feliciano were nowhere to be seen, and the others evidently hadn't returned yet.

"Peter! We're back! And we got sweets!" Alexandru yelled excitedly.

Hearing his call, Peter threw the rest of the bread onto the water, where it was immediately snatched up by the waiting birds. He ran over to Hans and Alexandru, his eyes wide and curious.

"Really? What kinds?"

The three of them stood together, admiring their haul. Gilbert and Alfred laughed, Matthew rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

Seeing Peter's attention was quite clearly elsewhere, Gilbert threw the rest of the bread onto the water, then brushed his hands of crumbs, his red eyes glinting.

"Oooh, watcha got, Liz?"

She held the bag in her arms away from him. "Nothing for you," she said. "This is all to be stored away. Now, shut up and carry this." She shoved the bag at him, making him stumble. He tried to peer into it, shifting it as though to take something out, but retracted his hand guiltily as Erzsébet coughed pointedly.

Whatever he was going to reply with was lost as Bella clapped her hands happily, Henri and Lilli both smiling.

"Oh, look, they're back!" she exclaimed.

They turned to see Arthur, Francis and Antonio walking towards them, along with Ludwig and Feliciano, who was all but dragging a reluctant Lovino in tow. Lars and Vash followed, looking inscrutable as always, but with an air of satisfaction. With them was a short, balding man who was dressed in rather official robes and carrying a scroll of some sort.

"Yes, yes, I assure it's quite in order. No need to worry about anything, gentlemen. I assure you she's quite fit for seafaring, all our ships are held to the highest standards. I quite understand if you would like to take a tour before making a final decision. As I have shown you, we have several excellent vessels to choose from, all for a most reasonable price. I-oh, are these gentlemen part of your party as well?"

The man stopped short at the others, his gaze flitting across everyone.

"Yes, we're a rather large group in total," Arthur said smoothly. "I trust that won't be a problem?"

"No, none at all," the man squeaked. He looked over to where Erzsébet and Bella stood with the children, his face turning down.

"Surely you will not be taking the women and children with you as well?" he asked incredulously. "Sea travel is not a suitable environment for the delicate."

Erzsébet bristled at that, but Roderich placed a hand on her arm warningly. Peter and Hans folded therir arms and huffed in annoyance.

"We're not stupid, you know. Or delicate," Peter shot. At a warning glare from Arthur, he backed down reluctantly, fuming silently. Hans matched his anger, frowning. Alexandru seemed unconcerned, although he looked out at the water with a face of vague apprehension.

"But of course," Francis cut in. "Varied experience is the very key to expanding a child's view of the world, and what better way for them to learn discipline and order than on the confines of a ship? I assure you, monsieur, they will be in the most excellent care in our hands, and under the control of one of the finest captains." He neglected that they had yet to decide which exactly that would be, continuing smoothly, "there is no cause for concern, I assure you, sir." He treated the man to a winning smile, turning up his natural charm to the max.

The man bowed under the pressure of the Frenchman's dazzling aura, wilting. "Well, of course, I suppose so, yes…" he trailed off.

"Anyway, we have the deeds to all vessels currently available. I will leave you gentlemen to make a decision. Please do not hesitate to call upon me if you have need of any further assistance." With that, he turned and practically fled back to the dock buildings.

Francis raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "Gone so soon? Mon dieu, and he was such a delight as well."

A ripple of laughter went around the group. "I take it you used most of it then," Lukas stated quietly.

Arthur smirked, drawing out a gold coin and flicking it between his fingers.

"Turns out having hundreds of these little things comes in rather handy," he gloated. "Poor little man was practically falling over backwards to help."

Antonio laughed. "I don't think he liked Lovi glaring at him. Romanito, you need to learn to be a little nicer, hey?"

Lovino glared at him, unimpressed. "Whatever, bastard."

"Lovi!" Feliciano tried to hug his brother again, making Lovino shove him away harshly in disgust. "Get off me, you idiot."

"Ve, Loviiiiii."

"Get off me. Bastard, get him off." This was directed to Antonio, who cheerfully ignored him. "Lovi, be nice to your brother," he chided.

Lovino raised an eyebrow. "The hell? You're a fine example of that, you bastard," he retorted.

Antonio's eyes narrowed slightly, the only sign that the topic was a touchy one with him.

"Lovino," he warned.

Hearing Antonio's tone, the older Italian backed down, muttering under his breath. He sullenly glanced up at Ludwig, his eyes ordering him. Ludwig took the hint, hauling Feliciano off his brother like he was weightless. Feliciano let out a playful cry of defeat.

"Could have done that earlier, macho potato bastard," he muttered angrily. Ludwig ignored him, turning to Arthur and the others.

"I take it that was securing a ship for us all?" he inquired. Lars nodded. "Whichever we want, we buy. For a good price, too. It appears money makes the world go round no matter where you are." He looked rather satisfied at the thought, as did Vash.

"Anyway, we might have to make a few sacrifices, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. If needs be, Lukas, Vlad and myself can make any…adjustments to the interior. Temporarily, of course. Besides, I'm fairly certain it won't be too much of a problem anyway," Arthur stated cryptically.

He didn't elaborate on that, leaving Ludwig to raise an eyebrow at him suspiciously. "I don't suppose any of us are to be allowed in whatever you're thinking?" he asked sharply.

Arthur returned the glance coolly. He turned to the rest of the group. "If any of you want to come along, by all means, do."

Peter seemed fascinated by the prospect, having never been on what he called a 'true' ship. Being made of a steel, iron and concrete, that wasn't surprising. Hans had no interest in it, seeming far more interested in the view of the horizon, and was quite content to sit on the harbour wall drawing on some paper Arthur had given him. Erzsébet watched over him indulgently, praising his skills and making sure he didn't lean over too far and fall into the harbour.

Alexandru seemed rather unsure of the ships, staying close to his brother's side for a while before running out and going to sit with Hans. Being a landlocked country, he had never had need to develop any kind of navy or shipping, and looked up at the tall ships with an unsure expression.

Somehow, likely due to the stringent investigation Lars and Ludwig applied to each and every vessel, one was eventually deemed worthy. The two went back to the office to seal the deal, returning a short time later.

"Thank goodness I decided to focus on amassing funds instead of spending," Arthur muttered, seeing the deflated purse.

Francis didn't seem bothered. "Ah, mon amie, but this is just a game, non? You can simply earn more, or however it is done."

Arthur glared at him. "That is not the point." He looked away, annoyed, then sighed. "I suppose I should be glad he accepted a bribe at all. Something to be said for medieval society, after all." He sighed. "Anyway, the lease is signed. The ship is ours for however long it takes. As long as the weather holds we can sail tomorrow."

"I hate to ask, but you do know where you're going?" Ludwig asked.

Arthur shot him a disdainful look. "Do you think I've been carrying this map around for show?" he asked acidly, waving it at the German. "Even without that, it would be a simple enough matter. We simply sail east, after all. This world is based on our own. We're bound to make landfall soon, regardless."

Ludwig didn't look particularly mollified, but reluctantly agreed.

With their transport procured, the rest of the day was spent hauling the supplies on and arranging as much as possible of the interior. After that, there was nothing to do but wait for the next day. Weather depending, they would be off on a true adventure.

A/N Wow, this was the longest chapter so far. Yay!

And so, the boat is bought. Well done, Lars. Intimidation tactics work well. That and a very large purse. Go money!

So, now things are really starting to pick up. Who will be found next? Guesses and questions abound. Feel free to place your votes and I shall neither confirm nor deny any of them.

I do have a small confession to make. As far as I can think, the only character I won't be able to include is Cuba, purely because he wouldn't really fit. See, during the medieval period (13th-16th centuries) which this is very loosely set in, it was owned by, variously, the Spanish, French and British, but since I've focused more on Pirate!FrUK and Spain, I'm not really sure how to work that in. Sorry for anyone who wanted to see him. (In a blatant display of self-promotion, he's fairly prominent in my other fic Second Chances. I'd really love if anyone wanted to check that out as well.) As for everyone else, it's all worked out. I will be playing rather fast and loose with what constitutes 'historical fact', though, so please don't flame me for interweaving different periods of history. I'm fairly certain everything is tied in to roughly the same time, but if not, oh well.

Well, that about wraps it up for this chapter. Sorry for rambling. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next! I'm off to rewatch Voltron: Legendary Defenders before catching up with season 5. Trying to avoid spoilers, but that'll teach me not to look at memes before I've actually seen it. Whoops.

Up next: The trials and tribulations of group travel. What fun.