It took two days of putting up with Talia's shouting to find the Nosferatu; two days of tortuous boredom and anxiety, for some. Sarah, personally was more intrigued as to what the Nosferatu meant to Talia and why she was going after it in the first place.

The morning after the dance, Sarah sat on a crate near the side of the ship, watching one of the invisibles get scolded by the captain, who was spotting mistakes with renewed vigor now that her goal was in sight.

Across from her, Ryan, who never seemed to be doing anything when she looked, was playing Solitaire with a tired look and watching him with very little interest, was Chess.

Not too far to her left was Asher, who was pretending to work (since Talia was preoccupied, his effort in making his pretending look convincing was lacking). Sarah looked over at him and contemplated for a moment, then spoke;

"Asher,"

"Yeah?"

"What's up with Talia and the Nosferatu?"

He heard this and stopped working, then he sauntered over and took a seat on another nearby crate. "Ahh…the Nosferatu…they killed her father." He stopped 'working' to tell me that??

"She's after revenge?"

"No, they kidnapped her twin brother."

Sarah looked up at Talia, who was now screaming the ears off of a different invisible. The previous one was standing a little ways off, rubbing his hears a bit mournfully. "She has a twin?" She returned her gaze to Asher, who nodded. "Is that a well known fact?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"Oh." Ignoring the twinge of irony that she felt when she realized that she was in the middle of a deal that had to do with something she knew nothing about, yet everyone else knew, she rested her head in one hand. "So that's why she was so hot to get out to sea."

"That's the general idea--but don't think that revenge's got nothin' to do with it." Asher looked at Talia, who had, again, found a new victim. "Oh, a word of warning. If she takes you along to rescue her brother, be prepared for madness." He stood then and returned to pretending. Sarah felt confused and, to be honest, a little frightened at his last statement, but she was soon distracted by Jack, who was standing near Ryan.

"Jack?" How in the world does he get on board everyday?? He seemed to hear her say his name, and he turned to look at her.

"Wot?" He asked, walking over.

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

In an odd sort of coincidence, both of them looked up at the same time. The sun was hidden behind several clouds and it had been that way all morning, yet the sky stayed its lovely and energetic blue. "So what would you say about the sky today?"

"…Um…I guess…something important will happen tomorrow." She shrugged, still looking up.

"You just made that up now."

"…Yeah, well…so? Besides, it makes sense."

Their eyes returned to the ground and they both heard Talia shout something loudly. Yet another new invisible to yell at. She'll never stop, honestly. Jack laughed a little. "Well, yeah, it does make sense, I'll give you that. I hope something important happens tomorrow--it'll probably be finding that ship, the Nosfu…Nosfos…ah, Nosferatu, and that'll distract Miss Frost from pointlessly roaring at every crew member who so much as moves his finger the wrong way."

She laughed in reply. At the moment, she was on pretty good terms with him, though it may have just been her unconscious mind reminding her of the impending end of the bargain--since Jack hadn't done much along the way, she was fairly certain she'd be staying on the Death Lily. Then again maybe she just had, for once, no reason to be angry with him.

Nothing else of note happened that day, and the next morning brought nothing, either. It wasn't until late afternoon, when they were nearing an island that looked uninhabited, that they spotted another ship that had dropped anchor nearby. Given, the strange ship was about two Death Lily-lengths away, but Talia commanded the crew to drop anchor, as well, and Jack followed suit on the Black Pearl.

"That's the Nosferatu!" She exclaimed, facing it and glaring, hands gripping the railing at the side of the ship. Many, if not all, of the invisibles, as well as Asher, Sarah, Jack (who had recently come aboard again), and Chess, went to look just as she said this. Ryan, however, looked up briefly, then began a new game of Solitaire, sighing.

"Here we go…" He muttered.

"What now, cap'n?" One of the invisibles shouted (It was not one of the ones she had yelled at. Most of them were too afraid to say anything to her anymore.). Talia turned around to face the crew.

"We wait!" She replied. Several people nodded, then took a double-take. Murmurs of 'wait?' 'what does she mean by wait?' and 'for how long?' could be heard all about the ship. "Shut up! We wait until a time that is yet to be determined, ye scabrous dogs!" She hollered. That quieted most everyone.

It had turned dark by the time Talia announced that she and a small group of people would be going aboard the Nosferatu.

"The group will consist of Asher, Ryan, Mr. Chess, Pandora, and myself," She said, gathering the attention of the mentioned people…and Jack.

"Wh-what about me?" He stammered, a little put-off and insulted. He had made a deal with her, hadn't he?

"You're staying on your own dem ship," She replied haughtily. When he demanded to know the reason, she answered, "Because; our negotiation dealt not with you coming with me when we found the ship, but that you would help me to my satisfaction." She nodded to the people accompanying her, drawing them over in a clump. Talia crossed her arms. "We'll discuss our deal later."

Asher, now that Talia was finished rebuking Jack, leaned over and asked, "Ah--Talia? We're not doing what we usually do…are we?" She gave him a look that she commonly gave Sarah--a goodness-gracious-what-happened-to-your-brain-cells look.

"Of course we're doing what we usually do!"

"Huh?" Sarah said, bemused. What did they mean by 'what we usually do?' Talia glanced at her and smiled.

- - - - -

A few minutes later, the five were cold, wet, and swimming to the Nosferatu. When Sarah had questioned why, she got an answer not from Talia, but from Chess, who 'kindly' explained that Talia seemed to like being stealthy when boarding a ship. Sure, she enjoyed killing people, given they were stupid, but being sneaky just seemed to trip her trigger, to put it bluntly. "Maybe she just doesn't like the hassle of firing at an enemy ship and using grappling hooks and whatnot--or maybe she just covets the Death Lily, no one's really sure." He finished.

It took between twenty and forty minutes to arrive at the Nosferatu, and at least ten to climb up the side and hide behind a grouping of conveniently placed barrels and crates (for those of you who cannot do the math, that is at least thirty minutes, most likely more, though).

Talia was staring intently at the stairs almost directly across from where the group crouched. "Uhh…Talia? What now?" Ryan, who was having difficulty staying below the sight-line of the top of the crates, asked her quietly. She didn't reply at first, instead, she just continued to focus on the stairs. He had to poke her three times for her to finally register that he was talking to her.

"…Make a run for it." She answered in an equally quiet voice. Asher, Chess, and Sarah all swiveled to look at her (Ryan was already looking at her, he didn't turn around then turn back just to make it dramatic). Realizing that she was serious, not being traditionally sarcastic, they all begrudgingly looked out at the stairs.

Several crew members were walking past the stairs, and it looked as if it would be difficult to rush to the stairs with them patrolling so near to the goal. Talia didn't seem to agree, however, so she inched her way closer to the exit of their hiding spot. "If all o' ye are finished doubting me, ye can follow me lead." She said, glancing back at the somewhat fearing group. Talia was very rash.

With reflexes similar to that of a cat's, she darted out from behind the crates, barrels, etc. and toward the stairs. By some strange stroke of luck, not a single man saw her, and she rushed down the steps safely.

The remainder of the group flashed horrified looks and looked out from their spot again. Now she waited for them, not watching to see if they screwed it up.

Ryan turned to Asher and stared for a moment. "Asher, you go first," He whispered, ducking his head a little lower for fear of being spotted. Asher turned to him and his jaw dropped.

"Wh-what?? Why me??" He stammered.

Instead of Ryan, Sarah replied. "You're the first mate," She offered. He looked at her with an appalled expression, then he swallowed hard, inched toward the outlet of the concealing location, and then dashed out toward the steps.

In another display of God's apparent rare favoritism for the clueless group following the Devil herself, he made it securely to the stairs, leaving the three behind the crates with sighs of relief and gasps of anxiety.

Ryan seemed about ready to suggest that Chess ran, but the latter intercepted him before he was able. "Ryan, it's your turn." He hissed, causing Ryan to bare his teeth and animate his face with a look of despair. Since he couldn't find an excuse as to why he couldn't go yet, he turned to look at the objective and took a deep breath, then he made a run for it.

When he, too, arrived at the opening that led below deck without harm, he not only astonished the two still in hiding, both of them reasoning that their luck couldn't hold out too much longer, but it also surprised the people waiting. It was not at all expected that three of them would make it without being seen.

"…I'll go," Sarah ventured. Chess turned to stare at her for a moment, then he placed his hands together, palms facing each other as if praying, and smiled uneasily.

"God be with ye, mate."

She nodded a little jerkily then sluggishly moved to the side of the crates. Luck, I know you're bad, but just this once, do something for me…and work for once. She thought, sighing. A second or two later, she ran out into the open.

Clearly, her luck had listened to her, because a few seconds later she arrived on the stairs, the safe-haven, her adreneline kicking her stiffly in the chest. A minute later, Chess joined them and they, once again, set off, this time down the passage to the brig.

"Now, if we pass anyone and they see ye…very likely…do not hesitate to kill 'em," Talia instructed as they traversed through the route. The four tagging along behind her were struggling to listen, walk without tripping, and watch for people at the same time. The majority of them had heard the speech before, so they were mostly just listening to see if she changed anything at the last moment.

As if called, a man happened to come up the stairs and see the group walking furtively down the steps. He immediately drew his sword, and Talia, since she was closest, pulled out a knife and swiftly slit his throat.

As he fell to the ground, Sarah cringed at the noise and murmured, "I'll bet someone heard that…" Ryan, who was in front of her, nodded and watched as Talia replaced her dagger.

The captain turned to face her groupies and frowned. "You know, if ye all stand in a line like that, I'll be the only one killin' people. You probably want that, don't ye?" Asher, who was standing closest to her, rolled his eyes as she turned her back.

From that point on, the group spread out along the width of the stairs, ready to, concisely, kill anyone who approached them, although, to be frank, they only ran into about three more people, all of whom they killed with the quickness of a frog catching a fly.

By the time they reached the holding area, they had traveled down three flights of stairs and had left several bodies lying on them, almost as evidence that they had been through there--which wasn't exactly smart, but they mostly figured that they would end up having to fight half the ship in the end anyway.

To their advantage, as they came down the final steps, there was a wall that hid them from whoever was around the corner, probably the jail keeper. Talia, again, turned to face her comrades.

"Stay here. Kill anyone who comes down," She commanded, staring them all down. As soon as her back was turned, they all sighed and rolled their eyes. No, when someone came down, they would all kindly direct them to where Talia was, and while they were at it, they would explain what exactly they were doing and how they had gotten there and where they were from.

What did she think they were, morons?

Probably.

She stuck her head around the corner, her eyes falling upon two interesting things--one being the jail cell that held her twin, and the other being a woman that she was somewhat surprised to see--Alley.

Hey, I know you. She really wanted to shout that, but she didn't. Instead, she closed her eyes, gathered serenity, then stepped out from her hiding spot. It took several seconds for Alley to notice her, but when she did, she lost all interest that she had previously had in the prisoner.

"Alley."

"Talia."

"Long time, no see."

"What a pleasure that long time was."

"Indeed."

Alley was tallish, though a little shorter than Talia, and she had brownish red hair that fell, twisting madly, near her shoulders. Her eyes were a dulling green color that seemed to reflect her cold voice. They had known each other when they were little, then they went their separate ways and never saw each other again--that is, until Talia saw Alley on the Nosferatu when they killed her father. Now there's a new enemy, if she ever saw one

"Should we start this?" The jail keeper asked.

"No--" Talia answered, a smirk slowly developing on her face, accenting the thin scar on her cheek. "--we should finish it."

Alley unsheathed her sword, and Talia's hand dropped to where hers should have been--however, the spot that generally held her blade was empty. As her opponents saber drew nearer, she rapidly pulled out three knives with each hand and swung a hand forward, blocking Alley's attack. I knew I should have brought that dem thing…augh!! The farther the battle progressed, the more she wished she hadn't carelessly forgotten her sword.

"Missing something, dear Miss Frost?"

"Yeah, I'm missing the peaceful silence there'll be once you're dead!" She used one dagger-clawed hand to force Alley's hand and weapon into the cell across from her brothers (which made an oh-so-lovely clang sound that was likely heard by the crew on deck), then with her other hand, she lunged forward and slashed at her adversary, which left a long gash across Alley's midsection.

Alley fell in a heap, leaving Talia alone in the silence. After glancing around and listening to hear if anyone was coming, she knelt down and started to search the pockets of the jail keeper for the keys to her brother's cell. Time was of the essence--it was impossible to tell when people would start coming down to investigate.

"Talia?" She looked up. Her brother was standing with his fingers curled around the bars on the door of his cell, staring at her. Slowly, a look of realization appeared on his face.

"Adrian!" She exclaimed, standing up. She smiled, which was a rare occurrence. Of course, it was only a split second after she said this that she demanded to know where the keys to his cell were held. He laughed a little, thinking that she never would change, and replied,

"Uhh, they're in her left pocket on the inside of her vest." Adrian pointed to her body on the floor and watched as Talia rummaged around in her fallen contender's vest pocket.

As soon as she found them, she stood and tried the keys to find which one was the key that matched his door. The fourth key she tried clicked and the barred door swung open--the sound it produced almost assured that people would be coming soon.

The twins returned to the four, who were standing guard, looking tired and bored, though sort of alert at the same time, which caused an immense paradox, story-wise, but we'll be returning to the plot now. They turned to look at her and the total six of them stood in silence for near a half a minute.

"Well? Are we going to just stand here and wait for them to come and slaughter us as we do nothing?" The captain inquired forcefully. Another audible sigh of exasperated expectancy, then the four watchmen turned and began to head up the stairs, Talia and Adrian, for a change, trailing behind.

Not too astoundingly, there was an ambush waiting for them when they arrived on deck. Since they had anticipated it, however, it was far less effective. All of the Death Lily crew had their weapons already drawn when they emerged from below, and so the 'ambush' became a hack-and-slash fest, mostly.

Talia and co. managed to force themselves to the side of the ship and, as they were in the brief calm before they would be attacked again, they all took a cautious look over the side.

"What now?" Sarah asked, looking over at Talia, who was staring quite intently at the water.

A loud roar from behind them, and they all turned to view a large mass of people heading toward them. Oh geez, we're so ready to face a congregation of that size with six people. Great. Sarah thought dismally, frowning and turning back to Talia, who raised her eyebrows, put one foot on the railing, and then dived into the water.

Had any of her partners been drinking, they would have either coughed it up or spit it in someone's face. "Not again…" Asher moaned. He was obviously sick of having to swim everywhere.

Ryan clapped a hand on his shoulder and grinned falsely. "Welcome to piracy," He said, watching Asher close his eyes and sigh. Ryan followed suit to Talia and dived into the sea, leaving Adrian (who, a millisecond later, jumped in, as well), Chess, Asher, and Sarah to stare wide-eyed at the oncoming assemblage of people.

"I've changed me mind--I'd much rather swim than face that. See you on the Death Lily, mates!" Chess cried, mimicking the three before him and landing with a splash in the cold water. Asher and Sarah looked at each other, looked at the group, looked at each other again, then Asher turned at leaped off the ship.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not staying!" Sarah shouted after him, also jumping off the side and landing hard in the chilling sea.

And it was a very long trip back.