Shopping with the Black Glove Pirates was always an adventure in and of itself. Even though Cassandra wasn't technically in charge, she couldn't help but try to keep them in line. It also didn't help that her presence gave Lyn no reason to behave properly, and the artist was all over the place. The only times she wasn't hyperactively bouncing around were when she was chattering with her nakama. She also insisted on dragging them through every parade and festival that she could find. More than once she mentioned Alexander's musical prowess to the entertainers, and the alchemist was helplessly roped into participating. For all of his grumbling, it was evident he was enjoying himself.

Morgan was still showing his excitement for his raised clothing price limit. Although nobody missed his longing glances at expensive clothes or jewelry stores, he didn't look as depressed when he saw the prices. Cassandra chalked it up to his realization that his punishments were not permanent and could be lightened by good behavior. She didn't know how long his good mood would last, but she hoped it would help him in the long run. Although she wanted to help him reach his goal by methods other than bribery and punishments, the end result might be the same. Only time would tell.

Cain didn't complain as he slowly became burdened with groceries and supplies, but the baggage also didn't slow him in the slightest. He had no shortage of adventurous children running up to him in awe and greeted them all kindly. When he had announced that he and Morgan had to return home to prepare food, Cassandra had to order him back before the children's obvious disappointment changed his mind. Damien had been surprisingly cooperative, only knocking two shopkeepers through walls and overturning one food stand. Most of the time he just wandered in the general vicinity as his crewmates, idly munching on the haunch of some dead animal. He had also completely ignored Lyn tying balloons to his dreadlocks, which made him look completely ridiculous and caused the other pirates to nearly die of laughter.

After being sidetracked in a concert that all of the pirates at least mildly enjoyed themselves, they finished their shopping and returned to the Howling Knave as the sun began to set. Cain had already constructed a bonfire with the dismantled stand and gladly rowed Alexander to the ship bobbing some distance from the shore. Damien made himself useful by staying out of the way and taking a nap in the fire pit while Cain created makeshift tables and benches. When he finished making the furniture, he rowed tirelessly back and forth from the ship as he brought the food ashore.

By the time all traces of daylight had vanished from the sky, their party was complete. The food was prepared, and the pirates were all gathered around. Cassandra didn't even have time to take a bite before she detected people moving towards them. She got to her feet with her pistols drawn, only pausing when Lyn put a hand on her belt. "I invited them! Be nice!"

"Who did you invite?"

"Some of the casino people!" Lyn said brightly. All of the pirates looked at her as if she were insane. "What? I wanted to make it up to them for making a mistake. Isn't that right?"

Cassandra was surprised at who had arrived. Meili strode surely at the front of the small group, his suit impeccable and a tall bespectacled woman at his side. A few people that Cassandra thought she recognized as servers were hastening to keep up with Constance, who towered over them all. Meili pulled his sword sheath from his side and held it out to Cassandra. She raised an eyebrow at the offered weapon, unsure about what she was supposed to do. Realization dawned when he also extended a length of string.

"A peace bond," Meili said smoothly, "to show there is no ill will between us."

The pirate captain bowed her head and handed the weapon off to Lyn. She drew her pistols one at a time and emptied them in plain sight. She pulled the triggers to demonstrate she had left no bullets inside them, choosing not to show how quickly she could reload them if she needed to. As Lyn gave Meili back his sword, Cassandra looked at the gathered casino employees. "Lyn didn't tell me you were coming."

"On Juhla, it is considered impolite to turn down an invitation."

"They attacked us," Constance reminded him. "We could stand being impolite."

"Nevertheless, Ms. Lyn did show genuine remorse over her actions. We also reasoned you would have no motivation to attack us outside of the Mint State Casino."

"Hey, I'm not sorry we did what we did," Lyn clarified. "I'd do it again a thousand times over. I just wanted to show you that we only wanted to get Captain out. I'm sorry that we had to smash up your place and hurt your friends, but not that we tried to help her out."

Meili nodded. "Indeed. Thank you for your honesty. I believe introductions are in order. You may call me Meili, and this is Ms. Jeanne."

The woman beside him bowed deeply, a single strand of hair slipping from her tight bun. "Good evening."

"I believe you are all acquainted with Madame Constance, and Ms. Gracie and Ms. Floss are accompanying her this evening."

"But you can call me Candy!" The woman leapt forward and seized Cassandra's hand in a painfully strong grip. "I know all about you!"

"Thanks, I think." Cassandra managed to extract her hand, flexing to regain feeling in her fingers. "I'm Cassandra, and I bet all of you know Lyn."

"Hiya!"

"Next to him is Alexander, and the big one over there is Cain. Morgan's the one making food, and Damien's the one eating it- Hey! Couldn't you wait a goddamn minute?"

The navigator glanced up from his massive hunk of meat. "Fuck off, Cap'n."

"You're going to make yourself sick if you don't pace yourself," Alexander told him. "You can't just eat nonstop after not eating anything for six days."

"Watchu talkin' about, slut? I 'aven' been eatin' nonstop."

"Not literally, but still."

Meili's eyes roved around for a moment before focusing on Cassandra. "You seem to be missing a crewmember."

The pirate captain rubbed her forehead. "Yeah, well, he's being a coward and not coming back right now. I have a few words for him that he doesn't want to hear. He's undoubtedly off getting smashed somewhere, so I don't care about him. He can take care of himself."

"Very well. Make yourselves comfortable," he told his fellow employees. "We brought some food and drinks of our own."

Morgan hastily hobbled over to look at the boxes Constance placed before him. "I asked for sour cherries. What are these?"

"Bilberries, raspberries, goldberries, and some others," Constance said, crossing her arms defiantly. "We couldn't find as many sour cherries as you wanted. If you don't know how to use them, Gracie will help you."

The chef gritted his teeth as he turned to the smug server. "What will you need to prepare whatever dessert you insist on inflicting upon us?"

"Water, sugar, starch, a huge pan, and a huge freezer."

"We don't have a huge freezer. Perhaps you should have factored that in when you made your decision to deviate from my request."

"We are going to provide you with a Juhlan staple. Deal with it."

"Unless Juhlan staples involve conjuring large blocks of ice from the ether, I don't see how your dish will be completed."

"That's a cool tattoo!" Lyn exclaimed. "Can I see the rest of it?"

Jeanne undid the top buttons of her suit and pulled her shirt aside enough to expose the lionfish covering her upper chest, shoulder, and neck. "It covers up a scar I got from a drunken whale who smashed a bottle on me."

Lyn cocked her head to the side. "How could a whale hit you with a bottle? Did you run into it with a boat?"

The tall woman looked like she wasn't sure whether Lyn was being serious or not. "Whale as in high rollers at the casino."

"Oh!" Lyn cocked her head to the other side. "Why are they called whales?"

"Oi." Constance looked down to see Damien staring up at her. "Biggun said some 'uge bint 'eld 'im back. That you?"

"You need to watch your mouth, boy. Did your mother never teach you manners?" His straight jab knocked her leg out from beneath her, forcing her to kneel. She blocked his upward punch with her hand, and her face darkened. Damien hopped backwards and burst into the air, only to be smacked clear across the beach by Cain.

"Sorry about that," the enormous pirate said sheepishly. "He has his moments. Please don't hold that against the rest of us."

Cassandra swore beneath her breath as she sprinted to confront the navigator charging back at them. It was fortunate Cain hadn't held back, giving her plenty of time to reach Damien. He bulled right into her, forcing her to cling to him as she shouted, "What the fuck will it take for you to cooperate for five seconds?"

"I 'aven't 'ad a good fight in ages," he snarled.

"All those blows to your head must have fucked up your memory. You took on one of Raven's family members, fought for four days against Jay, then woke from the dead to wipe out half a Marine crew, kill their commander, and drive off their captain, and after that fought all of us, survived nevermeltice keeping your spirits from sustaining you, and staved off starvation for nearly a week. Even for you, that's ridiculous. Calm the fuck down! Constance is stronger than Cain, but she's about as fast and she hasn't had formal training. I could take her down. You wouldn't have any trouble. Now listen, listen!"

He finally slowed to a stop, still some distance from the bonfire. "Fuckin' wha'?"

"You need to slow down. Remember- hey!" She moved in front of him as he began to walk forward. "Remember Fyuchrzend? You took two weeks to rest, that time after Reverse Mountain and that time when you went around the island. Bear in mind this after you kicked the crap out of me and took on all those enemies on Reichmann Island. I know you live to fight, but you need to heal up. Get that through your fucking head. If you do this one thing - avoid frivolous fights like this - I'll give you the best fight you've had so far."

This certainly attracted his attention. His list of opponents he had faced was filled with absurdly tough fighters. His glare intensified as it shifted from the bonfire to her. "And wha' might tha' be?"

"When Raven comes back, I'll let her fight you for thirty seconds."

"Thirty seconds? Are you outta yer fuckin'-"

"In that time, I will give her authorization to kill you."

Cassandra had absolutely no intention of doing anything of the sort, but he didn't have to know that. A crazed grin spread across his face as he realized the implications. Damien was not quite as good as Raven when it came to fighting, but the small assassin was unfathomably better at killing. Despite the doctor's threats, she had always aimed to incapacitate him. There was a difference between fighting and assassination, a difference she knew Damien fully appreciated. Cassandra wasn't sure Damien would be able to survive thirty seconds. She had doubts he could last ten.

"All righ'." His grin continued to widen, his teeth gleaming dangerously. "All righ'. Tha's fair. Yahahahar! Blackie best be ready! This is gonna be fun!"

"You know you can beat Constance. I can beat Constance. Cain might be able to beat her. It doesn't matter. Unless someone too strong comes along and we need your help, focus on healing. If you do, I'll give you your thirty seconds." This entirely depended on Damien not telling Raven about it. Even if she explained the situation to Raven, she had a feeling that Raven would side with Damien. The youngest Moon Sister's devotion was unmatched, but Cassandra also knew what lengths Raven went through to remove those she perceived as threats.

When the pair arrived back at the bonfire, it was impossible not to miss the guarded looks that the Mint State Casino employees cast in their direction. Cain and Alexander helped alleviate the tension by offering Damien food and conversation, which he readily accepted. Morgan glanced over with a concerned expression much like Cassandra would have worn if she were ignorant to the situation. Damien's unbridled happiness was never a good sign.

"He's untamed," she explained to the employees. It was slightly amusing that the World Government had given her an official excuse about his actions. "Useful in a fight and not much else."

"A curious ally," Meili said. "But then, allies are not always as obvious as they seem."

Cassandra didn't like the subtext hidden in his words, mostly because she didn't know what he was insinuating. "He's a monster who should be put to death for everything he's done, but he's my monster, my nakama. As you saw earlier, he doesn't always need to be let off his leash to help me out."

The swordsman looked at the people gathered around the bonfire. Lyn was clambering on top of Constance, ignoring Cain's repeated remonstrations. Morgan was arguing heatedly with Jeanne, whose rosy cheeks were explained by the empty bottle of wine in her free hand. Candy sat awestruck in front of Alexander while he played a saxophone he had picked up somewhere. Despite his earlier words, Damien had engaged Gracie in a strange drinking game that involved slugging the other in the face after finishing each shot.

"You have assembled quite an eclectic crew, Captain Libera," Meili said at last.

"The spice of life. They're also handy in a pinch. No sense having six hammers instead of a full toolkit."

"So you view your crewmembers as simply tools."

"No," she said sharply. "They are my nakama. I would not be here without them. They're like family to me."

"Forgive me. I meant no offense. I was just clarifying."

She grunted as she caught the bottle of cider Lyn tossed over and took a swig. Meili hesitated as she passed him the bottle, but eventually took a drink as well. Cassandra didn't miss Lyn's obvious wink before the first mate returned to chattering with Constance. Gracie dug a furrow in the sand as she flew backwards and instantly got to her feet when she stopped sliding. She cracked her neck and ran back to smash her fist into Damien's face.

"The combat skills demonstrated by your crew are quite impressive," Meili noted. "Do you only recruit based on physical prowess?"

Cassandra couldn't help but chuckle at this. "I should say not. I'm certainly glad they can defend themselves if the need arises - being a pirate is dangerous, after all - but it wasn't a necessity. Also, I never asked any of them to join my crew. Well, except for Lyn. I had to start somewhere. The rest decided to join on their own."

"You allow strangers to freely join?"

"Why not? At first, I needed a crew. I found a man who could turn metal into water and a man who almost single-handedly razed a Marine outpost, two men who had piracy in their blood. Of course, just because they joined doesn't mean I trusted them immediately. I had to depend on them due to my relative lack of crewmembers, but they proved themselves readily enough. The others I knew well enough to know who they were when they joined."

"Why do you favor a small crew?"

The pirate captain shrugged. "Mass recruiting can be a pain, and I have enough troubles on my plate as it is. Did you know that Morgan and Damien both tried to kill me on Brickwork?" Meili only blinked. "Yeah, a real pain to deal with. I have my hands full enough with them. There were a few people I had hoped would show interest in joining, but they wanted to do their own thing. I don't like asking if I don't think they'll join. I won't bind any of the Black Glove Pirates here unwillingly." She briefly reflected upon Morgan's decision to stay on the crew despite his attempted assassination. "No matter what they do."

Meili stared into the fire. "An interesting philosophy. Do you have any restrictions on who may join?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" She leaned in slightly. "Are you interested in joining?"

"No." She hadn't expected such a blunt response. "Although I was let go from the Mint State Casino, I already have a job waiting at the Storm's Port."

"You were fired? Why?"

"Mr. Mint believes I mishandled your situation. He also believes that our repeated encounters with Mr. Bovic indicate a lack of vigilance on my part."

"That's ridiculous. Jadou's sneaky as all hell. You should try to hire him."

"The offer has been extended more than once. Besides, I was hired for my skills which are no longer required. I am lucky to have been hired by Ms. Gio and Mr. Assam. I am not the head of security, but my new position is financially secure. My situation is not so bad."

"So my crew-"

He gave the faintest of smiles. "You and your crew were simply the last straw. Mr. Mint has been dissatisfied with my service for quite some time."

"Really? I can't imagine why. Were you skimming money off the top or something?"

"I do not embezzle. Thank you, Ms. Floss." He bowed his head as Candy gave him and Cassandra plates heaped with food. "He believed I was not managing my resources as efficiently as possible to maximize profit."

Cassandra frowned as she took a bite of meat. "Were you?"

"Truthfully not. I did not take full advantage of the abilities of my employees."

"How so?"

"Even though I am no longer employed at the Mint State Casino, I cannot reveal any of Mr. Mint's business practices."

"Suit yourself. Are you barred from telling me where Mint's from? I've never heard that tongue before."

"Many of the casino owners hail from Probta, a large rich island in North Blue. Juhla is but one of their primary islands with money-making ventures. They have at least one major island in each ocean with several more in the Grand Line. I do not believe there are any more on this path to Sabaody Archipelago, but you may encounter a few on the other side of the Red Line if you venture that far."

"Oh, I intend to reach the end of the Line. I will become Pirate Queen."

Meili's look of faint surprise gave Cassandra the feeling that he would be gaping in shock if he were anyone else. "Why do you wish to become Pirate Queen?"

"Why not? It'll be fun. Besides, Damien and Lyn have dreams that need me to traverse the entire Line, so there's no stopping."

"Do you realize the magnitude of your ambitions?"

"Of course I do. I was a princess of sorts. My family deals with world leaders quite frequently." Usually with a gun or a knife. "I'm not afraid any more of the World Government coming after me. What my crew can't handle now, they'll be able to handle when the time comes. After all, not all fights are won by force alone."

"That is true. I-"

She sat up straight and held up her hand. There was a small group of people coming towards them, probably attracted by the bonfire and loud conversations. She stealthily got up and dashed for the treeline, intending to intercept them before she reached the beach. Meili was instantly on her tail, his long hair flying behind him as he followed. She crouched in the undergrowth while he hid behind a tree. She didn't think his senses were as keen as hers, but there was no mistaking the sounds of people going towards the beach.

When she jumped out in front of the trio, they froze in their tracks, fear choking off their screams. "This is a private party," Cassandra told them. "You aren't welcome here."

"Now hold on, Cici, I-"

Cassandra's fingers tightened so hard that she was glad she had emptied her pistols previously. Even then, she wished she could shoot Jordan without having to reload. The assassin could always take her power and heal the wounds away. "You never fail to ruin a moment, do you, Jay?"

"Look I swear, I was only trying to-"

"Cici." Meili stepped out from behind his tree, his hand on his sword. "Only one of Captain Libera's crewmembers does not refer to her by her title: the shapeshifter who took Mr. Mint hostage."

"Oh, it's... you! The sexy one!" Jordan's eyes went from him to Cassandra. "Is that what you meant by moment? Attagirl! I knew you wouldn't be able to resist-"

Her sentence was cut short by the bullet that skimmed her ear. Meili only glanced at the smoking pistol once before focusing on Jordan once more. "I am not in the mood to deal with you right now. I was supposed to be enjoying one goddamn evening with my crew, but you won't even give me that."

"He isn't on your crew, is he?"

"No. He has a job. He and a few others were invited over in an attempt to make amends."

"Well, that's why I'm here!"

That threw Cassandra for a loop. "Come again?"

"I wanted to talk to you! That's why I came back!"

Cassandra looked at the two men with their arms around Jordan. "Did you think to bribe me with them?"

"Huh?" Jordan looked at her companions as if seeing them for the first time. "Oh! No, they just wanted to tag along! I was gonna ditch them before now, but they go down like deep-sea divers and-"

"Meili, would it be too much to ask for you to escort these fine gentlemen away while I talk with my Sister?" Cassandra asked with all the false sweetness she could muster.

"Certainly, Captain Libera. Would you like them to join the others or return to Valeglen?"

"Up to you." The swordsman bowed his head and gestured for the other two men to follow him to the bonfire. They hesitated at first, but hastened to leave when Cassandra trained her pistols at them. She waited until they were suitably far away before holstering her weapons. She would deal with them later.

Jordan lowered her hands slightly as she tentatively approached the pirate captain. "Now, Cici-" The sound of Cassandra's fist slamming into Jordan's jaw echoed through the trees. The androgyne staggered against a trunk, massaging her sore chin. Cassandra wrung out her hand as it repaired itself. She had put all of her weight in that punch. She certainly felt better after the blow, but she hadn't fully cooled off. Jordan gingerly tested a tooth before looking at her older Sister. "Fucking ow."

"Oh, don't pretend like you didn't deserve it. If I had your Fruit, I would have used Constance's strength to knock you across the woods. You wanted to talk. Talk."

"When you open up with a punch like that, don't you think I should get off a little more lightly?" Cassandra did not have the patience to deal with Jordan's antics at the moment. She turned away, but Jordan shouted before she could take a second step. "Wait, Cici, wait! I was just kidding, kidding! C'mon, give me a chance to explain, all right?"

Cassandra stared at the bonfire where her nakama were waiting before sighing and leaning against a tree. "Make your words count."

"Thanks." Jordan paused for a moment with her mouth wide open. "Uh..." Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"Was that a question?"

"No! I really am sorry!"

"For what?"

"For... everything!"

Cassandra crossed her arms. "Everything is pretty generic."

"I don't know, whatever I did! Wait!" Jordan reached out and grabbed the pirate captain as she turned away again. "Okay, look. I'm no good at this shit, all right? Just give me a minute."

"How in the hell did you get chosen over Tracy with an attitude like this?"

"Hey, I have way more successful missions than xe does, and I have the Waza Waza Fruit!"

"And Miyagino has twice as much experience as Shi does, but you said Shi's the new Hotblood. Personality counts."

"Yeah, if you're an Oshu! Mayflies live longer than they do! They want someone who won't go off and get herself killed like a total fucking idiot, and you know Mimi is a billion times more hotblooded than Shishi is. I don't even know how she's still alive."

"Don't sidetrack me with nostalgia, Jordan. You have an apology to make."

Cassandra could honestly say she had never seen Jordan look so uncomfortable. The androgyne had physically shrunk past Raven's height, and her fingers changed colors as she passed her thumb over them repeatedly. "Okay, how about I try to say where I'm coming from? It's kind of hard to explain because you're you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm Hundred Face, so I don't get time off. You get to prance about doing whatever you want. If it weren't for the promise we made before you left, the five of us would have come with Raerae to join your crew. I'm so glad to get away from my family and spend time with you. It really is a vacation. I was just trying to help you have fun too, but it seemed like you didn't need us any more. You have your crewlings, you have Lynlyn, and you're on your way to become Queen of the Pirates."

"Don't be silly. You know I care about you all as much as I do my own sister. I'm happy to see you, but that doesn't give you a free pass to act like a complete asshat."

"Okay, okay, so I may have gone a bit overboard, but come on! I was just trying to have fun!"

"I have no problem with you having your fun. You can fuck every person from here to the Red Line and back as far as I care. You know I've never had any problems with Yin's sex life besides keeping track of who she was with at any given time. I told you before that I have problems when you try to force your attitude onto my nakama. You're right; you're not one of my pirates. I can't order you around. I am, however, your older Sister. I am allowed to be concerned about your behavior."

"And I said I'm sorry! I thought your crewlings could handle a little fun!"

"They all have their own ideas of fun. Do you see Lyn throwing women at Alexander? No. She understands and respects his sex life. If he were unsatisfied, he would do something about it. Instead, they find common ground to share. You want to have fun with them? Take Alexander to a concert. Scheme with Morgan. Get smashed with Damien. It's when you make them feel uncomfortable that I draw the line."

"Okay, I will do my best not to do any of that to your friends! Happy?"

Cassandra gave a slight frown. "Was that an apology?"

"Look, I'm really sorry, honest! What do I have to do?"

"Stop being a nuisance to us. You can even be like Damien. As chaotic as he is, he makes sure to let loose away from the crew. I truly don't care if he burns an island to the ground so long as that doesn't impact the rest of us and preferably if the others don't learn about it. You really want to make things up to me? Show me that you are fit to be Hundred Face. I could definitely use your help on Rime Island."

"My help?" Jordan looked completely nonplussed. "With what?"

"As you know, I have issues with feeling completely comfortable when I don't know much about my surroundings. Paranoid, as Lyn likes to say."

The shapeshifter scoffed. "She doesn't know what it was like to be kids like us."

"Thank you." Cassandra had forgotten she was not the only one who knew what it was like to grow up as an assassin. "Anyway, Raven was not only the doctor of my crew."

"A fact that amuses us to no end," Jordan interjected. "Yinyin nearly died laughing when Jenjen told us."

"She also did reconnaissance in and around the city we docked in. Now, I'm not asking you to do everything she did; that would be impossible. I'm just saying you know how to get information. I don't care how you do it or who you kill. Just find out what I need to know."

Jordan waited until she was sure Cassandra was done. "That's it? That's all I have to do to make it up to you?"

"That's a good first step. You're not off the hook. Besides, don't forget that I'm not the only Sister you're going to have to apologize to."

"Don't remind me," she grumbled. "So… Sisters?"

"Always." Cassandra welcomed the embrace, squeezing the androgyne tightly. She believed Jordan's apology was sincere regardless of how badly it had been phrased. She knew she had to take what she could get. As they broke apart, they exchanged broad smiles. Jordan was completely unprepared for the uppercut that knocked her into a bush. "And fix that sexist attitude of yours. You of all people should know how that feels."

"Okay ow… when the hell did you get so strong?"

"I didn't. You just have some weakling's power. Whose do you have?"

"Dunno. Can't remember. And why me of all people?"

"You've been men, women, and others. Plus, your Academy nickname was particularly offensive."

Jordan winced. "Oh. Right. Like yours was better."

"Mine wasn't a slur."

"Basically was at the Academy." Cassandra grunted in acknowledgement as she extended her hand to her downed Sister. Jordan looked at it cautiously. "You're not gonna hit me again, are you?"

"Of course not." She laughed as Jordan tensed after being pulled up. "I was going to, but you did help resolve that casino fiasco relatively bloodlessly. Why did you do it? Lyn said you volunteered."

"I wanted to help you, of course!"

"I don't believe that for a second."

"It's the truth."

"Don't make me hit you again."

Jordan laughed as she grew large enough to throw her arm around the pirate captain. "What, don't you trust me?"

"With my life? You know it. Otherwise? Not a chance."

"That's my Cici!" She planted a sloppy kiss on Cassandra's cheek. "Just watch out for when one of us stabs you in the back!"

Cassandra grabbed Jordan in a strong headlock. "If it's any of my Sisters, it's gonna be you. I don't have to look out for the others."

Their mock struggle took them back to the fire, where the festivities were as loud as ever. Lyn, Candy, Damien, and Jeanne were all attempting to sing along with Alexander's saxophone and Candy's guitar, but they were obviously too intoxicated to do much more than shout unintelligibly. Constance and Cain were lying at the edge of the ocean, letting the water rush past them as they stared up at the sky. Cassandra stepped over a sleeping Gracie to find Meili and Morgan somberly conversing by the grilling area.

The head of security bowed his head as she approached. "You did not tell me one of your crewmembers was royalty, Captain Libera. Prince Zematsal has some very interesting stories about you."

"Is that so." Cassandra gave her chef a flat look. "Any falsehoods I should be aware of?"

"He has nothing but praise for you."

Now Cassandra was even more skeptical. "He praised me shooting off one of his fingers?"

"He did mention that it was a much lighter punishment than he expected," Meili said.

"I can always take another one," Cassandra said. "And don't forget you still have to tell Damien what you did. Not now; I told him not to have unnecessary fights."

The prince's eyes and face paled. "Of course, Captain."

"Your crewmembers don't all know of his attempted assassination?"

"Damien's been busy trying to get himself killed, and I don't want to ruin the mood. It'd be a real pain in the ass to have him beaten to a pulp and consequently delay our departure. Plus, the bastard's trying to get drunk right now. He might forget to hold back, and I really don't want to have to kill him for killing Morgan."

"It's nice to know you have my best interests at heart, Captain. I only tried to kill you once. That abomination has tried multiple times."

"He wasn't trying that hard," Cassandra dismissed. "Besides, it's a lot easier to meet might with might than detangle whatever plot you've come up with to kill me next."

Morgan scowled. "I've learned my lesson, thank you very much."

"That doesn't mean I won't be keeping an eye out for any suspiciously well-informed attacks. Say what you will about Damien, if he wants to try to kill me, it'll be in a situation where I can put up a fight, not suddenly backstabbed without warning. Plus, don't we have Mark III for the next time he goes off?"

"We never actually got around to discussing it."

"Oh. Remind me to do that later." She still had to figure out how best to incapacitate him, but barring any unfortunate run-ins with the Marines, there was still time before he was likely to attack them again. "Anyway, let's liven things up. It's no use sitting around dejectedly. Meili, how does a true Juhlan celebrate living through a fight?"

The corners of Meili's lips curled up ever so slightly. "Drinking, dancing, and singing, Captain Libera. Life is a celebration. It doesn't take a Juhlan to show you how to live."