After my talk with Jack, I spent the next few days stewing over how I should approach Arabella. Oddly, I found the idea of revealing my sex to her more daunting than I had the idea of revealing it to Jack. Then again, with him, I had had little choice but to tell him thanks to my father having let my real name slip.

Eventually, I decided to tell her the day after we docked at a small port town, since we would have to split up and to go ashore for provisions anyway. I could speak with her in private instead of having to worry about the lads possibly overhearing us. I'm sure she could have done with some time away from the lads, regardless—especially Fitzy, who had made no effort to hide his flirtations towards her.

Ironic, given that he had apparently ran off to sea to avoid women…

Jack, being captain, had taken it upon himself to pair us up and assign us various supplies to fetch throughout our stay. He had also taken a small portion of the treasure and divvied it up so we would all have the same amount of gold to spend. Both these tasks were usually left to the first mate, quartermaster, or bosun, but he had had everything ready before any of us had woken up that morning.

"Jean and Tumen, you'll be in charge o' gettin' supplies for the ship itself," he stated, handing a coin purse to Tumen and a list of goods to Jean. "Things such as wood, rope, spare canvas, tar—that sort o' stuff." He then paused, a bit of a thoughtful expression coming to his face as he looked at Jean. "I suppose I should have asked this ahead o' time, but you do know how t' read, aye?"

Jean wore an almost indignant look. "Oui, I know how to read," he replied. "The question should be whether or not I can read your handwriting."

I snorted at that, earning a small pout from Jack, who then handed me a sheet of paper as well. "Drystan an' Bell, you two will fetch supplies for us crew members. Mostly food an' drink, but also medicines, bandages…those sorts of things." As he said 'bandages', he gave me a rather pointed look before handing Arabella the coin purse. I knew that was his way of 'subtly' hinting at me to tell her my secret.

Shaking my head, I looked down at the list only to find myself surprised: Jack had extremely neat handwriting. Better than mine, even, and I had prided myself on my neat writing when I was younger. Reading over the list, I found it to consist of fairly normal things. "Should be easy enough to find all of this," I mumbled to myself.

Jack turned away from us and marched to the center of the ship, his hands now clasped behind his back. "Fitzy an' me will be fetching munitions and firearms. If we learned anything from that run in with Torrents, it's that we're severely underprepared should we run into trouble," he stated. "While we're gone, Constance shall be given the most esteemed task o' guarding the ship."

We all glanced over at Constance, finding her sprawled out on the deck near the wheel. It was hard to tell if she had heard (or even cared about, for that matter) what Jack had said or if she hadn't.

Clapping his hands together to return our attention to him, Jack then cleared his throat. "I'd like t' see you all back before supper," he stated. "Then we can take a quick inventory o' things. Also, if you lads an' lass can ask around t' see where the best place t' grab a bite t' eat is at, that'd be good, too. We can go there an' have ourselves a proper supper."

"Sounds good to me," Fitzy said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who'll be paying for that meal, though?"

"We'll use whatever's leftover from buyin' supplies, o' course," Jack replied, matter-of-fact. He then proudly puffed out his chest. "I'll have ye know, I was quite generous when I was divvyin' things up betwixt those coin purses, so there should be plenty left."

Tumen lightly tossed his coin purse into the air before catching it again. "It doesn't feel like you were generous."

Once again, I snorted, earning another pout from Jack. "I'll have you know, I packed those purses full o' guineas an' doubloons!" he retorted.

Arabella opened our purse, her brow rising as she looked over its contents. "Oh, aye, they're just full. We've a whopping equivalent o' seven pounds in a mixture o' guineas, doubloons, an' shillings," she said, her voice a bit dry. Seven pounds was no small amount of money, of course, but given that we had an entire treasure chest filled with money below deck…it could be considered a bit of a miserly allowance.

"Between three purses, that should get us enough supplies to last at least a few days while out at sea," Fitzy said, his brow rising in amusement. "Unless Emil and Arabella were to purchase a bakery's worth of hardtack—then we might last a week or two."

"That's if they'll even be able to afford enough water for us to soak the hardtack in, mon amie," Jean added with a small nod.

Jack pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips. "We're not a very big crew on a not very big ship! We don't need two tons o' food, half a ton o' timber, an' a quarter ton o' water like larger ships," he scolded, genuinely frustrated. "Ungrateful. That's what you lot are. Simply ungrateful."

I shook my head. "He's right," I sighed. "We can't risk buying too much of anything—not only do we have a limited amount of space in our hold, but we don't want t' accidentally buy things that'll just end up going to waste. And we need to be a bit conservative with our spending, considering that what money we have in that chest isn't going t' last forever."

He flung his arms out, gesturing towards me. "Thank you, Drystan!" he cried, more than a little exasperated. "We need t' be smart about this! We don't know how long our adventure is going t' be or when we'll get our hands on more treasure. It's best t' be careful for the time being."

"I'm surprised at you, Jack," Fitzy said with a small laugh, his brow still raised. "You're actually being quite the responsible captain right now."

Jack looked unimpressed by his compliment, though I couldn't tell if it was because it was delivered by Fitzy or if it was the simple fact it had been a backhanded compliment. Shaking his head, he started to make his way towards the gangplank.

We followed after him, splitting off into our pairs once we reached the dock. Arabella followed along behind me as I started to guide her towards the market, which was within view of the port.

"What should we be gettin' first?" she asked. When I glanced over my shoulder, I could see her looking around curiously.

"Trousers," I replied, chuckling when I saw the confusion come to her face.

"Trousers?" she repeated. "Jack put trousers on the list?"

"No." I walked a bit slower, allowing her to fall into step with me. "But you're going to be sailing and adventuring with us, you'll need a decent pair of trousers. Your dress already suffered quite a bit on Isla Esquelética. We don't need it falling apart next time we run into a bit of trouble."

Her cheeks had reddened when I looked over at her again. "But…I've never worn trousers before. What if I don't like them? An' how would I even go about wearin' them? If I wore them under my dress, I'd overheat!"

"Then we'll get you a linen shirt and a waistcoat to go with your trousers. You can keep your stays, if you'd like, or we can find you some wide bandages to use in their place."

She gave me a dry look, her cheeks turning even more red at my suggestion. "Emil, I'm a young woman. I can't just go gallivanting around in men's clothing! Even if I'm goin' t' be on an adventure." Shaking her head, she let out a heavy sigh. "How would ye even use bandages in place o' stays? Wouldn't they be too loose?" She paused, her brows furrowing in confusion before she shook her head once more. "No. Never mind. Yer a lad; ye wouldn't know a thing about a woman's anatomy or how things stay on it…"

I cleared my throat. "Actually, Arabella…I've been meaning t' talk with you about that."

"…Yer handsome an' charming, Emil, but I'm not goin' t' share a hammock with ye so you can learn a woman's anatomy," she told me flatly.

Her response took me by surprise and I stared at her in shock…only to burst out laughing half a moment later. "N-No, that's not it at all!" I managed to get out. "Don't get me wrong—you're a lovely young woman, but I prefer my lasses to be my age or a wee bit older."

To my relief, she seemed relieved by my words. "Good. Because I am not a lass who can easily be swayed into someone's bed. It'd take a weddin' ring an' some vows t' do that." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave an affirmative nod. "Now, then, just what is it that ye were wantin' t' talk about?"

As we drew nearer to the market, I instead took her down an empty alley; I had no idea where I was going, but I knew I wanted to be in an area that wasn't as crowded. "What I wanted to talk to you about was…well, it's more that I wanted to tell you something."

"And what is that something?" She sounded both hesitant and skeptical—rightly so.

I exhaled a small sigh as I tried to steel myself for what I was about to tell her. "First, I need you to promise you won't repeat what I'm about t' tell you to anyone except Jack."

"…Alright," she said, voice even more hesitant now. I didn't need to see her to know that her brow had risen. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

Swallowing a bit hard, I kept my eyes on the path ahead; why did purposefully telling someone have to be so much harder than having to do it out of accidental coincidence? "I…I'm not an Emil," I finally stated, my voice just loud enough for her to hear. No one else was in the alley, but I didn't want to risk being overheard—even if I knew the chances of me coming back to this port were slim. "Not physically, anyway. I'm actually an Emilianna."

She stopped in her tracks, her brows practically knitted together as she stared at me. "…Yer not a bloke?"

I shook my head.

"Yer…yer a lass?"

I nodded.

Arabella was silent for a moment, looking me over in complete and utter confusion. "But…but yer so…Well, yer not the most masculine o' men, but yer certainly not feminine, either."

"Androgynous," I said. "It means a person looks neither male nor female."

She nodded slowly in understanding, looking me over again once more. "Aye, I suppose that's a fitting word for it, because now I'm noticin' that ye do have a bit o' a feminine face shape."

"If I were to take off my baggy shirt and vest as well as unbind my chest, then it'd be a lot easier to tell that I'm a woman," I said with a small laugh.

With her arms still crossed over her chest, she leaned against the wall of a building. "Well, I suppose this explains a few things," she said. "An' here I thought you were just a lad who really cared 'bout his sisters an' their well-beings." She then paused. "…Do ye even have sisters or did ye just say ye did t' make it seem less odd that a bloke knows girly things?"

I pouted slightly. "The only thing I've lied about this whole time is what's down my trousers."

She gave me a look that was a mix between wariness and intrigue. "What did ye mean when you said yer not physically an Emil?"

"I'm…not really sure how to explain it," I admitted. "Jack kind of figured out a way to put it into words, but even that isn't quite right. But, basically, there are stretches of time where I feel either like Emil—such as right now, when I'm more masculine—or times when I'm feeling more like Emilianna. There are even times where I feel like I'm both of them or neither of them. While I'm at sea, though, even when I feel like Emilianna, I have t' keep acting and looking like Emil to keep up my disguise." I knew I had to have sounded insane, but Arabella slowly nodded in understanding.

"So…even though yer body's that o' a lass, up here—" She tapped her temple, "—yer different sexes?"

"Aye."

She went quiet for a moment, her expression turning to one of contemplation. "I've heard o' people dressin' and actin' like the sex they're not," she said, speaking a bit slowly as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "But I've never heard o' it being done outside o' a house o' ill repute an' it's almost always men dressin' up like women."

"It's harder for men to get away with wearing dresses and acting feminine in public. Not only are they lacking in the chest area, but a great many of them have to deal with facial hair. Even when cleanshaven, that part o' their face is usually slightly different in color."

"Not t' mention, their voices." She pushed herself off the wall and we started to walk again. "Though…I have t' ask: Why did ye decide t' tell me about—well, ye—instead o' continuing t' keep it a secret?"

"To be honest, it was Jack's idea. I had been debating it, but he suggested I tell you because you're the lone lass on a boat filled with men. And given that I've been at this longer than you, I'd be able to help you should womanly issues arise."

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't let much more of her embarrassment show. "Which would be greatly appreciated." She let out a small sigh and looked around once more as we walked. "T' be honest, something tells me one of those womanly problems will be rearing its ugly head soon."

"Then it's a good thing we'll be getting some supplies for that, too."

"…Would Jack be alright with that? He wanted us t' get food, drink, an' medicine. Not…that sort o' stuff and trousers."

I raised my hand and wiggled my finger back and forth. "He said we're to get things for the crew," I corrected, a small grin on my lips. "And are you not a part of the crew?"

She smiled. "Aye, I am."

"Then he'll be fine with it. Anyway, why else would he pair you with me? Other than to spare you from Fitzy's insufferable flirting, I mean." I gave her a mischievous wink, which made her snort. "In all seriousness, though, Jack knows what he's doing, even if it doesn't seem like it most of the time."

Arabella nodded in understanding, still chuckling. "I'll take yer word for it," she said.


Our first stop, as previously mentioned, was to get Arabella some trousers and shirts. The tailor was left rather confused by this; we made no effort to hide the fact that the clothing would be for her, after all. At first, he had been hesitant to sell to us, given that the clothes were for a young lady, but after telling him that she was my little sister and she had no choice but to join me on a fishing vessel destined for the coasts of la Florida, he finally relented.

The rest of our afternoon was spent haggling over prices for food and water. It was no surprise to either of us that we garnered odd looks from the vendors we spoke to. Given that I was the older of us, I did the majority of the haggling while Arabella stood beside me, looking unimpressed at the prices that were presented to us. I knew she had wanted to get the prices even lower than what I managed to get, but I also knew that I couldn't go too low, lest we risk the vendors being insulted and sending us rotten product.

In addition to the edible supplies, we also stopped by an apothecary to stock up on plenty of medicinal tinctures, herbs, and teas as well as both wide and thin bandages. It took us a bit of guesswork to figure out which items we would need most, however. By this point, we didn't have very much left in our purse and the prices at the apothecary were quite steep.

It was quite lucky that we hadn't had any need for medicine or bandages just yet.

"How long d'ye think it'll take for them t' get the food t' the Barnacle?" Arabella asked. "A few hours?" By that point, several hours had passed and the two of us were now sitting on a low, stone wall and sharing a half dozen guava.

"That's being quite optimistic," I replied with a small laugh. "More than likely, it'll be delivered sometime tomorrow. They need time t' get things gathered up and—hopefully—they'll be inspecting it for quality."

Her nose scrunched up slightly as she picked up a guava. "That makes sense, I suppose." She bit right into the fruit.

I picked up one of the guavas and, using my knife, carefully peeled the skin from the fruit's flesh. "We'll just have to make sure that someone other than Constance is on the boat to accept the delivery and pay the other half of their fee." Cutting myself a bite-sized bit of fruit, I popped it into my mouth.

"I just hope that they will be bringin' us quality foodstuffs," she sighed. "Not only is findin' rotten food disgusting, but it's a pain in the hindquarters, havin' t' send it back and scold the vendor."

"I take it you've had to do that a time or three?" I asked, amused.

"Just about three, aye. But it's mostly my da' who had to do that." She shook her head, sighing again. "Not that we ever ordered much food; the Bride was always more o' a drinking establishment than drinking an' eating one, since our cook wasn't very good." She took another bite of guava, using her sleeve to wipe away the bit of juice that trailed down her chin.

I nodded in understanding, having taken another bite of fruit myself. When I had swallowed it, I glanced over at her. "Are you missing him at all?"

Arabella went quiet for some minutes, a contemplative expression on her face as she took yet another bite of guava. Just when I thought she was going to shrug my inquiry off and not answer, though, she finally spoke up. "I do miss him," she answered. "Probably not as much as I should, though." A halfhearted smile came to her lips, though there was guilt in her eyes.

"After my mum was killed, he took t' the drink. It gave him quite a temper at times, but he never got violent—towards me, at least. He yelled plenty, but never got violent. An' he did try his best t' at least keep a roof over our heads with the Bride, as ramshackle a place as it is." Closing her eyes, she let her head fall forward slightly. "Things could have been a lot worse for me, but I know they could have also been a lot better."

Her eyes opening slightly, she looked over at me. "Ye said ye hated yer stepda'," she said, "but what about your blood da'? Or have ye not met him?"

"I know my blood father and I'm quite fond of him," I answered with a small shrug. I started to peel more of the guava, dropping the peels onto the ground. "I've known him practically my whole life, but it was just a few years ago that I was told who he was." Taking another bite, I tossed the last bit of skin over my shoulder. "I used t' think he was just a fisherman who my mum was good friends with."

"Is she still friends with him? Or has she married him by now?"

"Still friends, but they're not married, nor will they ever be."

Her brows furrowed. "Why not? With yer stepda' out o' the picture, they should be able t' get married, right?"

"Aye, technically they could," I said. Not wanting to get into the details and politics of it all, I continued, "But me and Tabbi didn't come about due to extramarital romance. Our conceptions were more the result of moments of drunken comfort."

She nodded in understanding. "Well, it's good that they're at least friends, aye? An' from the sounds o' it, he still had a hand in raisin' ye an' yer sister, even if the two o' ye weren't aware o' him bein' yer father."

"More me than Tabbi, though. Tabbi was the good child—she never wanted to learn how t' sword fight or how to walk and talk like a man." Quietly laughing, I shook my head. "No, she would just sit on a piece of driftwood and laugh when I got my arse handed to me or told me when I looked too ridiculous when trying to learn how to stop my hips from swaying…"

"That must've been quite an amusin' sight t' see," she laughed, her brow rising. "But I'm sure yer happy that ye don't get knocked on yer ass very easily anymore. Every time I've seen ye an' Fitzwilliam sparrin', ye two manage t' stay upright. Can't quite say the same for me yet, though."

"You're still learning," I reminded her, picking up the last guava. "We've been teaching you for just a few weeks whereas he and I have been learning how to swordfight for years now. Even now, though, I'm having to adapt my fighting style to be less proper and more…well, uncivilized."

Her head tilted. "Why's that?" She reached for another guava, but found that they were gone.

Cutting the guava in half, I offered her the larger of the two halves and she thanked me as she took it. "Fitzy and I learned how to fight like gentlemen. However, it won't always be gentlemen we end up having to fight. At this rate, it won't always be humans we have to fight, either." I sliced off a bit of fruit and popped it into my mouth.

"…Do ye really think there are monsters out there we'll have t' fight?"

I nodded, chewing the fruit. After swallowing, I told her, "Given how Torrents is cursed t' always have that storm with him and how Constance was turned into a cat, I have no doubts that there will be some sort of sea serpent or mermaid or—or giant mollusk that we'll have to go up against."

She snorted at that. "A giant mollusk?" she repeated.

"You never know what lurks beneath the ocean's surface," I chuckled. "The sea's as deep as it is vast. Whatever's hiding in the dark depths is a mystery to everyone but the gods."


A/N: Hey everyone, I'm sorry the chapter's late. It couldn't be helped though. My mother succumbed to her illnesses and passed away a few weeks ago, so my mind just has not been in the right place for writing.

For those of you who read my hobbit fics, the next chapter of Nightmares will go up next weeks, as I've got a bit of a buffer for that. As for Azying...That's anyone's guess. I'm easing myself back into writing, though, and started with this chapter. So if it's not the best thing I've uploaded recently...Sorry. As I said, it can't really be helped.