Despite the mid-morning sky being obscured, beams of sunlight lanced the wool-like cumulus clouds, seeming to beat down precisely on her shoulders as Liv of animal entrails from one area of the camp to the next. It was too damn hot.

With another 5-gallon bucket emptied, Liv groaned in annoyance and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a scrap of cloth. Day two of being a pirate was no better than the first; the only upside was that she was getting to explore the camp more, albeit there was always someone watching her. Today it was Carlos' turn. He didn't speak to her much because of the fight, but at least he wasn't calling her a bitch or poking her in the back with his gun anymore. Perhaps Vaas ordered him not to or maybe he was afraid Liv would kick him in the balls again if he started something with her. Either way, she was thankful. It made things easier.

With a sigh, she pushed the cloth into her back pocket and sauntered back into the camp; Carlos silently followed her. Liv took her time as she made her way back to the area where Barto was waiting, humming 'Video Games' under her breath as she attempted to memorize the layout of the camp. The pirates were not as sporadic as she assumed; some of them had the same jobs and took the same paths. Barto for instance was mostly in charge of hunting and gutting the animals he caught; boars were the primary food source on the island. He left the camp for hours at a time, so Liv reckoned that he was her best bet to escape; the second was to sneak from the camp, but having someone on her ass at all times was making the latter harder to accomplish. If she could somehow sway Vaas into letting her hunt with Barto then maybe she could take his gun and escape.

All I need to do is work on Vaas.

Halting the tune, Liv snorted in doubt. Convincing the pirate was easier said than done. It annoyed her that she simplified the entire plan to encourage herself to move forward. It was a bad habit of hers and honestly, she was scared that she had bit off more than she could chew, but it was far too late to back out. Her hopes had been stirred.

Worry about the details when you see the man.

Yesterday was the last time she saw him. Yada and Carlos were the ones who woke her this morning, ushering her from her cell. The latter didn't say much, but according to Yada, before he sauntered off to start his work, Vaas had his hands tied. Jason Brody was causing a mess on the Northern island and in the process, he was stealing his sunshine - as Vaas would say. Liv was a little upset to hear this. For her plan to work, she needed Vaas to be in a good mood. She wanted Jason to be safe, but unbeknownst to him, he was throwing a kink into her plan.

Liv wasn't sure what to do about this, but the next time she and Vaas had the chance to speak, she needed to worm her way into his brain somehow. Or at least move his focus onto her long enough to forward her plan.

Walking back into the small area where Barto was working, she curled her nose at the metallic scent of blood in the air. It wasn't her first time witnessing an animal being gutted, but she could never get used to the scent.

"Tell me all the things you want to do," Liv sang beneath her breath as she sat the bucket down next to Barto. The one he was working on wasn't full yet, so she sat down on the spare she had turned over and waited. "I heard that you like the bad girls, honey, is that true? It's better––"

"Who sings the song you are chanting, princesa (princess)?" Barto asked, looking over his shoulder at her for a brief moment. Drops of blood from the boar had splattered across his sweaty face; either he wasn't aware or he didn't care.

Liv was taken off guard a moment, then grinned.

"Lana del Ray. Have you heard of her?"

"No, but let her sing it," Barto retorted.

Carlos snorted in response and Liv narrowed her eyes. Fuck them. There was nothing wrong with her singing; she was just trying to make the time go by faster by entertaining herself as she worked. It was a shame she didn't have her phone.

"Careful hermano (brother). She might tell El jefe (the boss) that you are poking fun at her," Carlos mentioned.

"Forgive me, princesa (princess)," Barto teased, returning to his work.

Liv turned up her eyes. This had gotten old quickly.

"Can we just focus on the job? It's too damn hot for this."

"That's something we can agree on," Barto mentioned.

Carlos snorted and lowered his gun.

"It could be worse. You could be out there chasing down that fucking rich boy that's causing all this trouble for us. He freed the outpost near Amanaki Village yesterday and this morning he freed the Medusa. El jefe (the boss) is cabreado (pissed off)."

"Mierda (shit)! The Medusa?" Barto exclaimed. He stopped working and turned his attention to Carlos. "I heard about Amanaki Outpost but how did a little fuck like him manage to take the Medusa?"

Liv was so lost, but the information they were leaking was noteworthy. She pretended to stare at the blisters on her hands from hours of hauling the bucket around and listened to them talk amongst themselves.

"Vaas thinks that the Rakyat is helping him for some reason," Carlos answered.

Were the Rakyat the pirates had spoken about the true natives? Perhaps they had no choice but to initiate Jason to liberate them. By why? More importantly, she wondered if they'd help her escape the island. It was worth a shot if she ever came across them.

"But he's got something big planned for the Americano (American). The poor bastardo (bastard)," Carlos furthered.

Liv widened her eyes. Was this why she hadn't seen Vaas today? Her heart went out to Jason. Why did he not run when he had the chance?

He must have a good reason.

She wasn't going to make the same mistake though.

"¡Oye (hey)! Princesa (princess)! Time to move. We're almost done," Barto exclaimed.

Liv came to and turned her curious eyes to the said man. Break time was over. She stood with a tired groan; it was time to get back to work.

Soothing warm water poured down her shoulders as Liv quickly washed the soap from her hair. It wouldn't last forever, the PVC bag attached to the corner of the shower - a make-do structure made of corrugated sheet metal and wood - held 20 liters and she had been in there for a few minutes. Whoever the person was next in line to bathe was going to be mad at her; they would have to refill the bag and wait for the sun to reheat the water. But she didn't care. She needed this. Her hands were stained in dry flaky blood and her body was damp with almost a week's worth of dirt and sweat.

Removing it was a blessing.

Once she was clean enough for her liking, enough so that her pale skin was tented red, she stood beneath the water a moment longer in peace before she reached up and turned the switch on the nozzle off. Liv bunched her hair up and squeezed the water from it then walked over to her soiled clothes. As much as she opposed wearing them now that she just had a bath she had no choice but to. She dressed and then sauntered from the make-do structure, putting on her shoes that she sat outside; the clothes stuck to her wet body but she paid them no mind as she walked over to Carlos.

"I'm done," she uttered.

The said man hummed and motioned her forward. To where, she assumed, was her cage.

As much as she disliked Carlos for the trouble he had caused her, Liv hated the silent treatment much worse. There was no reason she and he could not be civil with one another; she wasn't causing him any stress, or at least she thought so.

"I'm ready for lunch and then a nap," Liv mentioned, trying to make light of the situation.

"You're eating with El jefe (the boss) today," Carlos stated.

She halted and looked over her shoulder at the man; her eyes were wide.

"What sort of mood is he in?"

"Hard to say," Carlos answered.

For fuck's sake. Liv took an uneasy breath.

"I don't know where he's staying. Can you show me?"

The pirate lowered his gun and motioned for her to follow him. He led her across the camp to one of the buildings that Liv had walked passed several times before and took her to the door. Before he knocked, he cleared his voice and turned to her.

"Word of advice, I'd put that ribbon back around your neck; Barto said he gave it to you."

"It's just a torn section of his shirt that he tied around my neck," Liv corrected him.

Carlos motioned to her neck.

"Where is it? Put it on."

Reaching into her back pocket she took the cloth out and tied it into a bow around her neck. She took it off to shower, and honestly, she didn't understand what it mattered. It was only given to her to show that she was a pirate.

Unless it wasn't And he gave it to me for another reason.

Liv grunted in annoyance. Vaas was too hard to read. There was no way that she not going to exacerbate his mood. She really should thank Carlos.

"I appreciate it. Without you, I'd be in trouble."

The said man snorted.

"You are extraño (strange)."

"I'll take that as a compliment, I suppose," Liv mentioned. She wasn't sure what he called her, but anything was better than bitch. "And no hard feelings for the beating you gave me. Barto says that a bruise or two makes me look feroz (fierce), whatever that means."

There was no doubt about it, she was insane. Or getting there.

"You have big cajones (testicles), princesa (princess). But don't misjudge me. I respect that you put up a fight, but if you ever try to run, I will be the first one to hunt you down and put a bullet in your head," he stated in a serious tone.

Liv agreed. She understood that he wasn't just trying to scare her; he was serious.

Carlos knocked on the door. A moment later it came open and Vaas walked out not wearing a shirt; Liv averted her eyes.

"Where the fuck have you been, hermano (brother)?"

"Ask her," Carlos retorted as he motioned toward Liv.

The said woman took an uneasy breath. It's not like she knew she'd be eating with Vaas today.

"I wanted to clean up."

The pirate eyed her critically for a moment noting her shy expression then hummed and ordered her to come inside.

Liv sauntered past him and took a quick look around as he spoke to Carlos. The setup reminded her of the one he had in the former outpost; there was a small bed and a desk with a laptop sitting on it. The room size and the pile of suitcases tossed against the far wall were new, however. Some were unzipped; their contents were spilled out on the floor. Had Vaas been looking through them?

Hearing the door slam closed the man in question sauntered over to the bed and sat down. He stretched his back and groaned then turned his eyes to her.

"Come here."

Liv tried not to show hesitancy as she walked over to the bed and sat down beside him.

"Do you know how to give good masajes (massages)?" Vaas asked.

"I can try," she retorted.

Was her comprehension of the word was correct?

I'm sure it is.

Vaas grinned and lay on his stomach.

"Make me feel good, querida (darling)."

Liv's face warmed up. Had he no idea how suggestive he sounded? Of course, he did. She took an uneasy breath and sat beside him, removing her shoes to bring her legs up under her on the bed. She had done this a few times for Noah in the past and he never complained, so perhaps this wouldn't be so bad. Clearing her throat, she uttered his name.

"Do you mind if I straddle you?"

"Are you gonna rub my shoulders or fuck me, querida (darling)?" Vaas retorted with a snort.

She tightened her jaw. Did he have to toy with her like this? She honestly didn't know what to say.

"Move your ass," he ordered.

With an uneasy breath, Liv leaned up on her knees and slid a leg over his waist. When in position, she tried to refrain from sitting on him, opting to hover instead. Some sort of lotion or oil would be ideal, but without it, she placed her hands on his back and began to gently massage him. Her eyes averted to his waist, at the empty holsters connected to his belt. It wasn't a smart idea, but drawing a weapon on him did cross her mind.

Stick to the plan.

"Don't be lazy. Put some effort into it," Vaas ordered.

Why is this happening to me?

Perhaps she was looking at the situation wrong. She had been searching for a moment alone with him to work on him, so maybe this was it. Liv pressed her weight into her hands.

"Let me know if you want it harder."

A grin graced the pirate's face but he said nothing. Liv worked her way up, kneading his muscles and taking her time on areas that felt tense beneath her fingers. Various scars etched into his skin caught her attention and she lightly ran her fingers over them; his warm skin was soothing her a bit.

"I've heard that scars carry stories."

Vaas hummed.

"Interested in getting to know me? Hmm?"

"I know next to nothing about you but your name while you know where I was born, my occupation, and the things I'm scared of. Is it wrong to be curious about someone?"

She honestly hoped that she wasn't prying too much. After a moment of silence, her face turned red.

"I'm sorry, Vaas. Forget I––"

"I like movies; all genres," the said man interrupted.

At least she was getting an answer. Liv grinned.

"Me too. Though horror is my favorite genre. Some of the movies are extremely predictable, but I love the concept nonetheless."

"Is this what it takes to get you talking, querida (darling)?" Vaas asked.

She hummed and slid her fingers up his spine to his shoulders and kneaded the muscles there.

"If it interests me I tend to ramble. You've been warned."

Vaas snorted.

"So long as you're not staring at me with those big fucking scared eyes."

This she could not help. He was unnerving and every time she spoke she felt like she was walking on thin ice. Was it smart to tell him this, however?

"I can... Try to talk more. I just don't want to exacerbate your mood."

"I'm already fucking pissed but you are talking to me," Vaas mentioned.

It's because of Jason.

Liv sighed.

"In that case, I won't stop until you want me to. And maybe you can tell me about some of these scars."

"You won't get it out of me that easily, querida (darling)," he stated.

She feigned a pout.

"Por favor (please)."

"Who the fuck is teaching you Spanish?" Vaas asked with a grunt.

He leaned up on his arms and glanced at her over his shoulder.

"I ask questions. Words will get me a long way with you, no?" Liv asked with a wink.

"Some scars are not worth the story, querida (darling)," he argued.

As if the universe was pushing her to stop prying, a knock on the door ended the conversation. Vaas grunted in annoyance and shouted for the person to enter. Yada came in moments later with two trays and grinned at Liv. The said woman turned up her eyes in protest; she knew what the pirates were going to taunt her about the next time she saw them.

For fuck's sake.

"Hop off," Vaas ordered.

She was thankful to move, sitting on the bed with her feet beneath her as Yada sat the trays on the desk, leaving a moment to bring back in a glass of wine and a bottle of water - how considerate. Vaas sent him away then stood and brought one of the trays to Liv.

"Thank you," the said woman uttered. As she expected, the boar from earlier was the main course. There were some vegetables on the plate as well.

Vaas grinned and sat beside her.

"Do I earn my happy ending now?"

For a moment she wasn't certain what he meant, but like a ton of bricks, the realization quickly hit her. Liv felt her face heat up.

"I'm not easy," she retorted quietly as she picked at her food.

"No, you are not. You are a fucking unpretentious woman until you kick one of my pirates in the cojones (testacles)," he mentioned.

Carlos had it coming. She needed to move away from this conversation quickly. Turning her eyes to the suitcases on the floor, she hummed.

"Did those belong to the hostages you brought here?"

"Unpretentious you are," Vaas teased. He took a drink of wine and answered her question with a nod. "You want something?"

Liv widened her eyes. Was he serious? She felt bad about tsking from someone else, but they had no use for the suitcases or their contents anymore.

"More clothes and... Feminine things."

"Want to look nice for your buyer, no?" He asked with a grin.

She knew that he was teasing her, but she shook her head regardless.

"I just want to look and feel nice, for me."

"You can look after you eat. You need the fucking protein," Vaas mentioned.

Liv was grateful. She took a deep sigh and poked at a piece of meat with her fork.

"But is it true? Do I have a buyer?"

Vaas grinned, a notion that made her uneasy.

"Don't ruin the surprise, querida (darling)."

Liv frowned in protest. How many times did she have to tell him that she didn't like surprises? He could have at least told her about the person.

Don't get upset. I'll be long gone from here before the buyer can take me.

She marked today as a victory. Even if it was a tiny bit, she managed to worm her way into Vaas' head despite him being pissed about Jason. She could do this; she could win him over. It felt right to put her bet on the pirate.

Her shot at the stars didn't seem as distant and unobtainable as she thought.