I have no excuses. I finally wrote this and I'm actually kinda happy with it. So there's that.

I.O.N.

Enjoy!

Alix glared at her desk as she let herself become lost in thought. "Well isn't this a sad sight." Charter said as he seemingly appeared from nowhere.

"Come any closer and I'll show you a sad sight." Alix snarled.

Charter sighs, "Temper temper. And after I came all this way to help you."

"Help me? HELP. ME?! IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I'M LIKE THIS!"

"Come now, Alix. You know as well as I that what others do with the resources I give them is completely up to them. It's all a fair trade."

"YOU RIP THEIR STORIES FROM THEM! PARTS OF THEMSELVES THEY WILL NEVER GET BACK THANKS TO YOU!" Alix huffs, "All for what?! A quick solution? The easy way out?!"

"I give people an option that wasn't present before. You know this. Tom and Sabine know this. Your adoptive family knows this." Charter paused as if weighing the words he was about to speak before saying, "Your parents knew it too." Alix started throwing things. Charter dodged them. "I can see how this situation would be upsetting to you. That's why I'm here."

"I don't want anything that you're offering. The price isn't worth it."

"It's free of charge. No stories required. No handshake. A gift if you will. To show my remorse."

"The day you show true remorse is the day I start looking for the next captain of Duusuu."

Charter shrugged before pulling out a medium-sized box and placing it on the ground, out of Alix's strike range of course, then turned to leave. "I have lived a very long time making these deals but believe it or not Captain Paon, I do regret the fact that my interference caused this." Then he was gone.

Alix glared at her door for a good minute more before going to look at the box he had left. After poking it with a sword a couple of times, she opened it to see the most beautifully crafted hook she had ever seen. Alix slammed the lid back down on the box.

She breathed in deeply to calm herself. 'Surely not.' she thought. 'There's no way that he actually made me a hook.' Now sufficiently calm Alix reopened the box, to see the exact same hook. 'Well #%$^.'

It's short but I have a plan!

Hope you enjoyed!

Comment what you thought!

See ya next time!