When he'd opened his eyes in the morning, he found the kitten still curled up on his chest. His hand was draped over her like a blanket, and he pet behind her ear until she woke up. Once he was dressed, he got a bowl of oatmeal from the galley. Scooping a few spoonfuls into her dish, he sat on the floor and ate the rest himself. When she was finished, she walked up to Izzy with her tail swishing. Taking his thumb, he wiped a bit of oatmeal off her nose. She took advantage of this and leaned into his hand, all but forcing him to pet her.

When his own bowl was empty, he took his homemade cat toy out of his dresser drawer and started to play with her. Part of Izzy wanted to stay where he was and watch the kitten zip around all day. But work had to be done, and he knew that hiding away would only add to Ed's suspicions. With that in mind, he collected his bowl and left the room, hoping nothing would go wrong today. That hope was dashed almost immediately when he entered the galley.

"I don't know how that's possible," Roach explained. "I cleaned everything from top to bottom yesterday."

"All I know is that three people found some kind of hair in their food this morning," said Stede. Cat fur, Izzy realized. Shit. "I'm just asking you to be a little more thorough."

"And I'm just telling you that I cleaned the kitchen yesterday and didn't see any hair."

Izzy put his bowl with the rest of the morning's dishes and left the room, undetected. He did his best to put what he'd heard out of his mind.

I'll just need to make sure she doesn't get out again, he told himself. Maybe once Edward takes his target off my back, I can suggest adding a lock to the door. Making his way around the ship, he checked everything over, making sure all the tasks from yesterday were done correctly. Frankly, he was no longer surprised to find that many of them weren't.

The day felt somewhat normal, really, as it slipped into the afternoon. Stede was occupying Ed with who-knew-what, and Izzy found he was almost thankful for that. As for the crew, they'd been sent to task. Izzy occupied himself by making rounds, ensuring everything was done up to his standards this time. "Mr. Boodhari," he called across the deck. Oluwande, who was currently at the helm, looked over to him. "Where the hell's Jimenez?"

"Not sure, to be honest. I haven't seen them around much today."

Izzy grumbled a little at that. He liked knowing where everyone was, especially when they were meant to be working. Heading below deck, he started to search for Jim, but paused in the galley once again. The same room that had been spotless just hours before had been defiled with some sort of pink goo. "The hell's all this?"

"Frosting," Roach said, cleaning off a counter. "Captain Bonnet asked me to make cupcakes. I just gave them to him a few minutes ago. But don't touch them, they—"

"Like I'd ever touch something that looks like a fuckin' flamingo threw up on it," Izzy told him shortly. "Just clean this shit up."

Cupcakes, he thought sourly, It's a damn pirate ship, and we've got pink bloody cupcakes. Meandering around below deck, he approached his bedroom and decided to pause his search for Jim. Opening his door just enough to slip inside, his eyes immediately looked to the floor, expecting the kitten to greet him. But she didn't walk up to him this time. Looking around, he didn't spot her anywhere. Kneeling down, he started to peer under the bed. There's nothing even under here, why does she always—

There was, in fact, nothing under there.

. . . No fucking way. Izzy brought his head out from under the bed and looked around. She's got to be in here. The door was closed! Where could she be?! He started to search in the bed, pulling away the sheets, just in case she'd finally managed to jump into it.

"All hands on deck, right now!"

Blackbeard's voice echoed loudly from above, turning Izzy to a statue.

He found her.

His boots raced up to the main deck, nearly crashing into Wee John on the way there. The second he got up to the deck, he looked to his captain, who was standing with his arms folded across his chest. The cat was nowhere to be seen, and Izzy wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. "What's going on, boss?" he asked, still catching his breath.

"I'll explain once everyone's here," he said. The tone of his voice was the most serious it had been in weeks. So Izzy stood, trying not to panic, as the rest of the crew meandered up on deck. Useless twats don't even know what the word "now" means, he thought impatiently.

After what felt like forever, almost everyone was standing on deck. Even Jim had magically appeared. The only missing member of the Revenge was Stede. But Blackbeard began anyway, his dark eyes looking at the crowd before him.

"Something's on this ship that doesn't belong," he told them. Izzy's body tensed even more, his glove gripping his sleeve. "Been here for a while now, I think. There's been a few signs. Pete, you heard that funny scratching sound a few days ago." He gestured to the man, who nodded quickly. "Then yesterday, while checking for storm damage, I found claw marks on some of the walls." Izzy kicked himself, mentally. Should've checked for that after she got out. "This morning, we had weird hair in the food. And now I found this." Unfolding his arm, he opened his first to reveal a clump of white hair in the palm of his glove. Apparently, the cat had hacked up a hairball during her outing as well. "You know what all that means?" Black Pete's hand went up, even though the question had clearly been rhetorical. When the captain spoke again, it was in the deadly tone that Izzy had been used to before Stede Bonnet came into their lives.

"There's a fuckin' rat on the ship."

Izzy's nails dug into his palm.

"You know what rat's come with?" Again, Pete's hand went up. "Fleas. And fleas come with diseases: typhus, worms, the bloody plague! I didn't become a pirate just to die at the hands of a bug I can't even see." That got an echo of agreement from almost everyone but Izzy, who was frozen once again. "I need everyone on this. To hell with the chores, everything else, this is our priority. I want that thing dead as soon as bloody possible, you hear me?" A louder round of agreement from the crowd now.

Someone—surprisingly not Black Pete—brought up a hand. "When we catch the rat," Wee John began timidly, "can we set it on fire?"

"Course you can!" Blackbeard told him. "Just do it in an open area, that shit's gonna smell when it burns."

"No worries, Cap'n," Oluwande said. "With Jim on board, that thing's as good as dead. Jim can hear and see better than anyone I've ever met. Could track down a bloody ghost, really. Think that rat'll have a knife in it before the day's over. Maybe within the hour!"

A dagger suddenly flew through the air. It went through the hairball in Blackbeard's hand before landing in a nearby wall. "Adios, rata," said Jim in a sing-song, almost mermaid-like tone.

Izzy felt like he was sinking. There was an anchor in his chest, and it was weighing him where he stood. Everything he heard dragged lower and lower. Through the floor, through the ship, into the ocean he sank. Anything the crew suggested was a new wave of water. His lips were tight and he was holding his breath in his chest. Something in him wanted to shout out, to confess, but he wasn't sure if he'd be taking in seawater or air. If he stayed quiet, the crew would hunt that cat down and likely kill her before they realized she wasn't a rat. But if he told Blackbeard, she may be killed anyway.

"If you don't mess it up too much," Roach began. "I might be able to make something out of it."

"Love the resourcefulness," Ed said. "Never had rat before. We'll just have to make sure it didn't get into the poison first, though. Don't wanna ingest that shit."

"Poison?" Frenchie echoed.

"Yeah, I'm having Stede set some out around the ship right now," Ed explained. "Thought it might be a good back up plan in case no one can spot it. Plus, it kinda warms him up to the idea of killing somethin—Iz! We're not done here! Izzy!"

Izzy vaguely registered his captain calling after him, but he kept running. Both his legs and his brain were going as quick as they could, his whole body in a complete panic. Where was Stede? Where had he put the poison? Had the cat found some of it? Would it make her sick again? Would it ki— oh, he couldn't even finish that thought! So many questions were flooding his mind, but all he knew was that he had to find either Stede or the kitten, and he had to do it fast.

A shadow moved on the wall and Izzy quickly followed it. Stede was down the hall, turned away from him. He was on one knee, placing something down in the corner. The blonde man stood up and began to turn, crying out as Izzy collided with him. He tackled Stede to the floor, pressing something strange up against him as they fell. Izzy's glove quickly seized the front of the man's jacket. "Where did you put it?!"

"Put what?" Stede sputtered in a high-pitched, fearful voice.

"The poison, where the fuck did you put it?! If you've killed her, I'll—"

"Her who?"

"—your tongue out with my bare hands and stuff it up your—"

"What are you talking about?!"

"—until you can taste your own fuckin' liver, you twa—" He choked on that last word as someone grabbed the back of his vest. He was yanked onto his feet before another hand pressed him against the wall. Blackbeard stared down at him, his eyes like a storm, threatening and dark.

"Stede," the captain began, not taking his gaze off of Izzy. "You alright, mate?"

"I most certainly am not," said Stede, sitting up. "Look at me! Do you have any idea how hard it'll be to get frosting out of this? It's pink on my white jacket!"

"Frosting?" Blackbeard looked towards him, as did Izzy. Apparently, Stede had been holding a tray of cupcakes when Izzy had tackled him. The frosting was smeared all down his front. The only cupcake still intact was the one placed in the corner. "The hell are you doing with those? I told you to lay the rat poison out."

"I am!" the blonde man defended. Rising to his feet, he picked up the cupcake and held it up. "This is the rat poison. Here, look on top. See those gray flakes? Arsenic. I had Roach make these earlier. They've got the poison baked inside of them, too. One bite, and our rat problem is solved!"

"Why'd you have him do all that? You could've just spread it around the ship."

"Yes, but this felt more humane. I know the rat's dangerous and could get us all quite sick, but. . . well at least it gets a nice treat before it dies, right?"

Izzy was still too out of breath to tell Stede how utterly ridiculous that was.

"I was just putting them out, when Izzy came at me like a madman! He ran down the hall and practically jumped on me. Then he threatened to do some rather. . . vulgar things with my tongue."

"Yeah, I caught some of that." Izzy felt Blackbeard push him further into the wall as he turned back to him. "What the fuck was that? An unprovoked, blatant attack on Stede?! I told you what would happen if you pulled that shit again!" Izzy swallowed with difficulty, seeing the situation was growing more severe by the moment. "I gave you another shot to shape up and you're blowing it, mate! You've been sulking around all quiet, trying to keep a low profile, but I've kept my eye on you. Yesterday, you lied right to my bloody face! How the hell am I supposed to trust you again when you do this shit? The next words out of your mouth better be a bloody good explanation for all of this—an honest one—or I'll toss you straight off this ship and never look back."

Izzy had been steadily shrinking under Blackbeard's gaze the entire time. He could see in his face, the man was dead serious. Anger was flashing in his eyes, like lightning. Fear was choking Izzy, preventing him from saying a word. In the mood he was in, he thought that even if he told the truth, Blackbeard may kill the cat anyhow to punish him. Any answer he gave was a risk, one he really didn't want to take. But he was, quite literally, cornered.

Blackbeard's hand grabbed the front on Izzy's shirt, roughly. "You're trying my patience here, mate, and I don't have much left."

"What were you talking about when you jumped on me?" asked Stede.

"Start makin' sense, or I'm gonna—"

"Perdoname."

Izzy's eyes darted to Jim, who was suddenly standing in the hall along with them. They were holding their hat upside down in their hands and had a large smirk on their lips. "As much as I like watching this gilipollas sweat," they began, "I think I've got the answer you're looking for."

As if on cue, the kitten's head popped up from inside Jim's hat.

Izzy's eyes widened at the sight. A grin nearly came to his face, but it was extinguished quickly, like a dying flame. Blackbeard had seen her now, and that meant she was only safe for the moment.

"Is that a fuckin' cat?" Edward asked in a tone of genuine confusion.

"How in the world did it get on the ship?" Stede added.

Jim scooped her out of their hat and set her onto the floor. The kitten immediately bounded up to Izzy, circling his leg and leaning against him. Blackbeard took his hand off of his chest and looked down at her, arching a brow. Quickly, Izzy bent down and picked her up before either captain could grab her.

"There's your rat for you, Capitáns,'' Jim said with a nod toward the kitten. "No fleas on her, just a noisy pair of claws. Izzy picked her up when he went ashore a couple weeks ago."

"You brought a cat on my ship?" Blackbeard asked quickly.

"No!" Izzy told him, finally finding his voice again. "She stowed away! Crawled into my supply bag last time we docked. I had no idea she was there until we were already in open water."

"Why didn't you say something?" Stede piped. "Either of you?"

Jim snickered. "Because watching him try to keep her under wraps was the funniest shit I've seen in a long time." Their eyes traveled back to Izzy, who suddenly felt naked under their gaze. "Kept her quiet for a while, I'll give you that. But once she started scratching shit, I knew something got on board."

Izzy was somewhat stunned for a moment, processing everything. "Boodhari put you on my trail" he realized, recalling Oluwande spotting him in the galley after the storm. Jim nodded proudly and Izzy mentally chided himself for not being more careful. He'd been questioning the Swede while totally underestimating Jim. Should've been watching them more closely, he thought, still spinning his brain in circles. Couldn't even find them today. Then the cat got out, and— "You took her," he said suddenly, his tone accusing. "Stole her out of my room this morning."

"De nada, pendejo," they said. "I overheard the captains' talking about killing the 'rat' and figured someone should keep an eye on her. Kept her in my room with me until that meeting was called."

"And this is what's been causing all the fuss? The scratching, and the fur?" Stede asked. "Well, I suppose we should be glad it's not a rat, at least! Though it does seem to be causing a bit of trouble."

"That's exactly why I have a 'no pets' policy," Ed told him. "In fact, Izzy brought that very policy up to me fairly recently. The night of your duel. Isn't that right, Iz?" His dark eyes flicked to him again. "Believe you said the best thing to do would be to 'end it qui—'"

"No."

The word erupted out of Izzy like a cannonball, one he'd never expected to fire. "I wasn't trying to go against your authority," he said quickly. "I was going to bring her back to shore next time we docked!"

"And what are you going to do now?" Stede asked.

Izzy looked at him, irritated by the question. "I said I was going to bring her back, didn't you hear me?"

"Yes, I heard you," the blonde man told him. "You said you were going to bring the cat back. Which implies that that's no longer your plan. Hence, I'm asking what you're going to do with it now."

Izzy opened his mouth but closed it quickly.

He didn't have a plan. Not anymore.

A conflict brewed in his head as he tried to figure out what to do. He knew he couldn't go against Edward and his rules. But he couldn't go back to how things were. Back to that cold, empty feeling as he wandered the ship without purpose.

Izzy wracked his brain for some kind of solution. He needed a way to fix all of this, a way that meant everyone came out alright. He needed . . . another way to resolve things.

Fuck me.

"I don't suppose you'd be open to a . . . compromise?" he asked. The last word felt like a foreign language on his tongue, and tasted like an arsenic-laced cupcake.

Ed arched a black brow in confusion, but Izzy had expected that. To be honest, he wasn't the captain he'd been talking to. Daring to glance over at Stede, he saw the man staring at him, eyes wide with surprise. But that surprise suddenly shifted into something different, something Izzy had seen on Stede before. The man looked downright devious. He watched Stede place a hand on Ed's shoulder, giving him a look, before turning back to him. "We're listening," he said with a smirk.

"If you would allow the cat to remain onboard, I would be more . . .open to the way things are now. Be less . . ."

"Of a dick?" Ed suggested.

"Harsh on the crew," Izzy finished.

"You think you could?" Stede asked. "You would shout less? Not always use violence and threats to get them to do what you want?"

Izzy bit the inside of his cheek. "I would . . . try."

Stede's eyes were glowing like lanterns, threatening to blind Izzy the longer he had to look at them. "And what about you and I? I would need you to be more respectful towards me. After all, I may not be your captain, but I am a captain just the same. And this is still my ship."

All Izzy could do was nod at that.

"We could start with an apology for tackling me. And staining my shirt."

". . . I'm . . . sorry," he hissed.

"Apology accepted." Stede smiled. "Anything you want to add, Ed?"

Ed shifted a little. "Not really used to compromises," he admitted. "Long as you keep your word and the cat under control, this could be . . . an exception to the rule, I s'pose."

"Then it's a deal?" Izzy asked.

"Well, those would be our conditions," Stede told him. "But we aren't the only ones on this ship. Having a cat onboard means she'd be around everyone. It's only fair to get the crew's input as well."

Jim's laughter filled the hall, reminding Izzy that they were still there. "This'll be a sight to see," they said.

"Oh, come now," Stede began. "I'm sure they'll be reasonable."

Like hell they will, Izzy thought bitterly. But if this was what he had to do, so be it. After all, he was in no position to argue.

Stede led them down the hallway, back to the main deck. Ed placed a firm hand on Izzy's shoulder, walking at his side like an executioner leading a prisoner to the gallows. As he stepped, he thought of all the times he'd yelled at the crew or smacked them around. Useless twats deserved it, he told himself. But that shit's gonna make it harder to convince them. None of 'em owe me any kind of favors, and I doubt Bonnet will allow me to bribe them into agreeing. This isn't going to be easy.

The rest of the Revenge crew was right where they'd left them, talking amongst themselves. Jim swaggered back over to Oluwande, while Ed, Izzy, and Stede got in front of the crowd. "Good news everyone," Stede said, regaining everyone's attention. "We don't have a rat problem! What we actually have is . . . well." He gestured over to Izzy, who held up the cat a little. "Apparently Mr. Hands here found a little stowaway and has been harboring it on the ship. He's decided he'd like to hang onto it. Now, Ed and I have agreed to let him keep it so long as he treats everyone here with a little more respect. But since putting an animal onboard would impact everyone, the final decision goes to you. So, let's talk this through . . . " He paused like he was waiting for something, before saying, "as a crew, yes!"

The moment hung in the air as Izzy looked them over. Frenchie backed up, like he was trying to escape from something. The rest of them were looking around or just staring, clearly confused by the situation. No one said a word.

Izzy seized the opportunity to call on the person he thought hated him the least. "What do you say, Ivan?"

Ivan seemed surprised he'd been acknowledged. ". . . Always thought the no pet rule was kinda harsh, t'be honest. No offense, boss," he added quickly. Edward only shrugged, like even he knew it was true. "Don't really have an opinion on cats myself, but I'm a'right with it, I guess. What 'bout you, Fang?"

Izzy tensed a bit as Fang met his eyes. "You were there when Blackbeard made me put my dog down," he said. "You didn't have a problem with the rule back then." Izzy felt himself shrink under his gaze as he stared him down. Suddenly, a large smile covered the man's face. "Glad to see you've come around, boss. I'd love to have a pet on the ship."

Izzy let go of the breath he'd been holding, but his body remained tense. Stede's crew remained silent, and he knew that's where the real battle would be. Frenchie was growing paler by the second, and Lucius had flipped open his sketchbook for some reason. They stood there, an awkward fog filling the air.

"Okay," Oluwande said, hitting his sides with his arms. "Guess I'll go then. I think it's a good idea, honestly. We just talked about how rats and such spread diseases, right? Well, cats catch rats. If we get a cat onboard, we eliminate having a rodent issue in the future."

"That's a very good point," Stede commented. "Hadn't even thought of it that way."

"I'm fine with it," Jim said.

Instead, he saw a hand go into the air. "Yes, Mr. Feeney?"

"If we let you keep the cat," Wee John began. How such a large man could be so quiet, he'd never understand it. "Can we. . . play with it?"

Izzy managed a grin and exclaimed, "Of course you can!" with as much enthusiasm as he could. "Yeah, she, she loves to play! Anytime you want to."

Wee John returned the smile and looked at the rest of the crew. "I really don't see how we're losin' here, guys."

". . . So it's a girl?" Black Pete asked. Izzy nodded and the bald man got an arrogant look to him. "I see. I'm kinda surprised a pirate with your experience doesn't know this, Izzy, but women are historically bad luck on ships."

"Don't start with this shit again," Jim ordered, annoyed. "She's been on the ship for over a week and nothing bad has happened."

"What about that thunderstorm?" Pete countered. "Came out of absolutely nowhere, right? That proves the cat's bad luck."

"No, it doesn't," Oluwande told him. "Because I can say the cat's good luck because no one got hurt in that storm. You can't prove anything with that because there's no logic behind it, mate."

"Okay, why are you taking Izzy's side with this?" Pete accused.

"I'm not taking a side! All I'm saying is that we need to have a logical, rational discussion about this."

Izzy made a mental note to give Oluwande and Jim their pick of ship duties for the next few days.

"Course it's bad luck!" Frenchie said, apparently finding his voice. "I told you, cats are witches! They've got knives in their feet, and they attract demons."

". . . What?" Izzy asked flatly.

The young man pointed a finger at the kitten. "That thing you're holding is evil!"

"Right, logic's gone overboard," Oluwande said with a sigh.

"The cat isn't a witch," Izzy told him. Can't believe I just had to say that.

"Prove it!" Frenchie challenged.

"I can't prove anything, and neither can you. That's exactly what Mr. Boodhari was saying."

"On the contrary," began Buttons. He was standing on the side of the crowd, next to Karl. "I know a thing or two abou' witchcraft. If that cat is a witch, it means she'll have put Mr. Hands under her spell."

For fuck's sake. Izzy could feel his temper rising, but he knew he couldn't lose it. "I'm not under any spell."

"That's exactly what the witch would tell you to say!" shouted Frenchie.

Izzy grunted and looked at the sky, almost hoping a bolt of lightning would end all of this. Unfortunately, the sky was blue. "Fine, fine! How can I prove that I'm not under a spell?"

"There are a few tests we could do to prove you've nay been hexed. You'll need to set the alleged witch down, though."

Izzy set the kitten—who had somehow managed to fall asleep during all of this—on the deck. Buttons stood in front of him now with a serious look in his eye. "Place yer hand on yer nose." Izzy did it and tried not to feel absolutely ridiculous. "Now stand on one foot." He raised the right one and Buttons looked surprised. How the hell am I supposed to know what's proving what? This is insane! "Hop in a circle."

"In what direction?"

"I cannah say."

Izzy glanced over to the two captains, hoping for some help. Stede looked to be taking this seriously, and Ed looked highly entertained. Sighing, he chose clockwise, making sure not to step on the cat as he hopped. He did his best to ignore the crew's laughter as he did a full circle.

"Spell yer first name in reverse."

"L-E-A-R-S-I."

"He forgot his name!" Frenchie exclaimed. "The witch messed with his mind!"

"Actually, mate, that's what 'Izzy''s short for," explained Ed, who had apparently decided to be somewhat helpful.

"Fer yer last test," Buttons started. He brought a hand behind his back and asked in a deathly serious voice, ". . . How many fingers am I holdin' up?"

He waited for a moment and hoped the man was joking. He wasn't. Izzy tried to study Buttons, looking for any kind of tell, but he had a surprisingly good poker face. It was a total shot in the dark, a lucky guess. And Izzy didn't consider himself lucky. With no other option, he tossed out, "Four."

Some of the crew gasped. Slowly, Buttons brought his hand forward, revealing . . . two fingers.

"Fucking bullshit!" Izzy shouted, bringing his foot down onto the deck. His temper had finally boiled over, like a long forgotten tea kettle. "That's a load of shit, and you all bloody know it. There was no way in Hell I was gonna get that right, and it doesn't matter anyhow! I'm not under any magical mumbo jumbo, no matter what his dumbass tests say!" He pointed at Buttons sharply, his jaw tight. "And what the fuck are you grinnin' about?!"

The man was wearing a satisfied smile, and Izzy fought himself to keep from smacking it off of him. "Congratulations, Mr. Hands. Yee've proven yerself."

"'Course I fuckin' did, you . . . what?"

Buttons nodded. "If yee'd guessed correctly, it would have meant that the witch had told yee the answer telepathically." Turning back to the crew, he pointed down to the kitten and announced,"In my professional opinion, this . . . is a cat."

Izzy bit back the various forms of "I told you so"s that spring to his mind and focused on the main issue. "Does that mean you'll let her stay then, Mr. Buttons?"

The long-haired man got a thoughtful look and turned to his seagull. "What say ye, Karl? Can we make room fer one more?" The bird blinked and Buttons nodded. "She's a'right with us."

"Thank you."

". . . He just say 'thank you'?" Frenchie asked. "Test him again, there's somethin' wrong with him. And there's no way that cat's not a witch! It's been cursing me! That's why I've been feelin' weird."

"In what way?" Izzy asked.

"You saw me sneezing! And my eyes were getting teary, and then my throat was all scratchy. It's trying to kill me, I'm telling you!"

". . . Hold on." Izzy walked over to the wall, where Jim's knife was still holding the hairball in place. Removing it, he caught the ball of fur and walked over to Frenchie.

"What are you doing?" the younger man asked, his eyes widening. "Get that away from me! It's probably got its evil magic all ove— choo!" Frenchie brought his head back and sneezed again, then again. "See?! It's cursed!"

"You're cursed," Izzy said. "With allergies."

". . . What?"

"Cat hair makes you feel sick," he explained, tossing the furball overboard. "There's herbal treatments for it. I'll get them for you."

Frenchie stared, processing all of that. He looked around at the others, like he was looking for someone to back him up.

"Aw, c'mon, French," said Wee Jon. "We'll make sure it stays away from you if you're scared of it. Please?"

Frenchie met the larger man's look for a moment before throwing up his hands in defeat. "Okay, fine. I won't be the guy to ruin it for everyone else. Even if I think you've all gone nuts."

Izzy allowed a smirk to come to face as he handed Jim their knife back.

"Wait a minute," Roach started. "So the hair in the food was cat fur. She got into the galley?"

"Yes," he confessed. "She got out yesterday."

"And does that explain how that pile of dishes magically tipped over?"

". . . It does."

"But you didn't come and help me clean them back up. Doesn't sound like a very responsible pet owner to me," said the cook, lighting a cigarette.

"And you yelled at me yesterday," Swede said. "For cleaning your room. How was I supposed to know there was a cat in there?"

You weren't. That was the whole bloody point. He took a deep sigh before saying, "I'm sorry for yellin'. And for not helping you clean up the mess she made. I'll do the dishes for the rest of the week."

Roach took a long drag and smiled wickedly. "Make it all of next week, too."

"Fine."

"You've got a deal. Try to keep her out of the galley, hm?"

"And I accept your apology." Swede smiled. "She is a very cute cat!"

Izzy's confidence was starting to grow. Between cat allergies and witch trials, he figured the worst of this was behind him. "What about you, then, Black Pete?" he asked. "Still think she's bad luck?"

Pete looked around before shrugging. "Guess I'm fine with it if Lucius is."

Izzy glanced at the young scribe, now the last person he needed to win over. Lucius finally looked up from his book, smirking boldly. "Never thought I'd see the day Izzy Hands would need to ask me for a favor."

"Just tell me what you want me to do, Spriggs."

"Oh, don't worry. You don't need to hop around for this one. All you have to do is read this—" He tore a page out of the book and held it out with a flourish. "—to the crew."

Izzy walked over, slowly, skeptically. Grabbing the paper, probably rougher than necessary, he skimmed the first few words, looking for the trap he knew was laid somewhere.

"It's a contract," Lucius told him. "So you can't go back on what we all discussed here."

Some strange mix of grumbling and clearing his throat came out of Izzy, and he began to read. "'I, Izzy Hands, do solemnly swear to uphold the promises I have made here today. From this point forward, I will be kinder and more understanding towards those aboard this vessel." So long as they're not bein' complete morons. "I will clean the dishes after every meal in accordance with the deal struck with Roach. I shall also ensure that my cat does not disturb those aboard the Revenge nor cause damage to the ship itself. Should any damage occur, I will be responsible for the necessary repairs. Finally, I shall allow'. . . I'm not sayin' that."

"Oh, come on, let me hear it just once," the young man said, batting his eyes.

Izzy sneered before sighing. "'I shall allow the extremely talented artist, Lucius Spriggs, to—' His eyes widened in horror. "Fuck no. I'm not doing that, you pervert!"

"Keep your pants on, Iggy," Lucius said. "Literally. You can keep your clothes on. I don't need that image of you in my brain, thanks."

"Wasn't corrupting Fang enough?"

"You're the only one I haven't sketched yet apart from the captains!" Lucius argued. "I need to have at least one of everyone. Come on, after everything else you did, is this really the hill you're gonna die on?"

Izzy opened his mouth but snapped it shut quickly. He held his gaze for a moment, but Lucius only smiled. Gritting his teeth, he raised his index finger. "One time. That's it!"

"Fine . . . unless you change your mind, of course."

"Don't push it, Spriggs. I read your damn contract, that means you've all agreed."

Lucius held out his quill, waving the feathered end at him. "Contract's no good till it's signed."

"Oh, for fucks—" He snatched the quill and slammed the paper onto the side of the ship, scribbling his name at the bottom. "There. Satisfied?"

Lucius took the paper and kissed it, dramatically. "Very much so. Hope you realize I'll be getting a frame for this next time we dock."

"I believe that's everyone, then. A unanimous 'yes' it is!" Stede said brightly. He bent down and looked at the cat, who was now awake and looking around. "Welcome aboard the Revenge, little kitten! I'm terribly sorry for nearly poisoning you."

Izzy rolled his eyes and went over to collect his cat.

A/N: The cat is officially out of the bag!

Well, technically, she's been out of the bag since chapter one, BUT-

With the secret out, that's as much suspense as this sorry gets, haha. One more chapter to wrap things up!

Thanks for reading!