As the days passed, Angela had made her way around every book and cranny of the Splitstream, becoming quite the quick study in the process, picking up whatever the other crewmen put down upon her, save for the crow's nest, which she hadn't returned to since her first venture up there, which was all well and good in Lena's mind, not having to share her little hideaway. Jesse, in his turn, did as the Captain had ordered, having Angela shadow him on most of his assignments which, as a second mate, were quite broad.

While he and Lena often worked along the same lines, she was in charge of lookout duty, leaving Jesse in charge of her chores as well during those times; however, in addition to Lena's safety and security detail, Jesse oversaw the deck department, that usually being anything on the deck itself, which explained to Angela how this man could have so many stories involving fishing from the very deck he was to oversee.

"Junkie started throwing some explosives in the water, trying to stun the thing so I could reel it in; it was pretty nuts," Jesse recalled as he pulled a telescope up to his eye to check its calibration, "It didn't do much of anything to the fish, probably because it turned out to be a log. Still though, it was a blast."

"Hehe ha!" came Lena's voice from above the two of them.

Jesse merely shrugged as he fiddled with the tiny metal rod that stick out of the scope, calibrating it as he aimed toward a distant island in the distance, "Looks good. Adjustments seem to be in line with what they should be. Here."

He handed the telescope to Angela, who handing him a new one back before she returned the one that had just been tested back into a small chest that held the lot of them, returning to Jesse as he brought the next telescope to his eye once again, Angela sighing lightly, catching Jesse's attention as he spoke up, "Already bored?"

"N-No! I just-!"

Jesse shrugged, "Good thing about captaincy is that you get to delegate out all the boring stuff. Don't worry though; once we get to some of the duties above my rank, it'll be a bit more engaging."

Angela's brow curled, "Above… Oh, first mate? I was beginning to wonder who was the first mate- why are you both?"

"If you have to ask," Jesse began, pulling his hands away as his head turned toward his apprentice, "You haven't been paying much attention to this ship's history."

Suddenly, Angela's gut churned in a sickly realization, her voice lowering as she muttered, "Oh… Right."

"He offered, but- I ain't about to take a dead woman's spot, y'know? That's all kinds of bad juju right there. No offense," he apologized as he returned to his work.

"Oh, no, I understand."

"Besides, I always got the feelin' he didn't want it replaced. So I just sorta became the… What's the thing, de jure?"

Angela smiled politely as she offered, helpfully, "de facto."

"The de facto first mate," Jesse nodded in appreciation, "I just thought-"

"YO JESSE!" came Lena's massive voice that carried like her body zooming across the deck, "Net's needing to come up!"

He threw a thumbs up into the air before turning to Angela, putting away the telescope and the case as he instructed, "Well, for all the stuff you've taken to with so little effort, here's somethin' you probably can't."

Jesse smirked before walking across the deck toward the starboard side, cracking his knuckles as he continued, "You might be a prodigy alright, but there are some things everybody just can't do."

"We'll see about that," Angela contradicted with a smirk, though it only led to Jesse chuckling, amused by her spunk.

He came across the short wall that edged the ship, leaning over and dipping his arms along the boat's side, taking hold of a single rope that led down into the ocean waters, coiling it around his torso and along his arm until it grew taut. Digging a single knee into the ship's edging, Jesse yanked himself upward, gritting his teeth as he pulled at the rope, grabbing at the rope with both arms until the muscles along his entire body constructed mightily, Angela's eyes growing wide at the side. The man's body seemed more like a machine as he slowly climbed his arms along the thick rope, sending Angela's eyes overboard as she watch what he'd been pulling, a large bulb of netting gradually emerging from the ocean.

"Wow," was all she could mutter under her breath at the spectacle, Jesse grunting with a bestial sort of vigor as he gradually conquered the line, continuing from early through a strained voice, "I don't think your father wanted the vacancy filled, but at the same time, there's a lot of ship owners that'd pay me a killing to captain their boat. I think he was trying to keep me promoted to keep me aboard the Splitstream, though he must now be feeling guilty for preventing me from fulfilling what he believes to be my potential."

Still half in surprise by the sight of Jesse toting the heavy the line, Angela just managed, "Well, why do you stay? Why not captain elsewhere for more money?"

A cocky smirk stretched across Jesse's tanned face, redness setting in as he strained, "Be- cause… Captain Morrison gave me an opportunity when nobody else would've. That means more to me than any amount of money."

Jesse grunting mightily as he retrieved the seemingly endless line of rope, finally pulling the netting onboard before dropping onto the deck, sitting there with his arm hanging overtop his knee, gasping for breaths as he stared at the pile of netting and fish.

He huffed with a frown, critiquing their catch with a sigh, "And that's how we catch dinner. What little of it in this case; Lucio ain't gonna be much happy with it."

The sliding sound of Lena descending from the nest broke the air, the spry woman also wearing a dissatisfied look as she stopped with her fists on her waist, "Ouch. These waters have never been much good for fishing, but this is pitiful!"

Angela caught Jesse's distant stare as her brow curled in melancholy, Lena groaning as she began pulling at the large net to dump out the small amount of fish that began flopping atop the deck, "Don't worry! This net ain't goin' nowhere! We'll get 'em next time; those fish'll learn to fear the name of Lena Oxton, just wa- Ow! Spiny little devil, ain't ya? Ow! Bollocks!"

Jesse slowly pulled the lengthy rope from around his body, frowning still as he shook his head, allowing Lena to help remove the remaining bit so she could drop the line once again. He made it back to his feet before staring off into the distance with regretful eyes, Angela frowning in silent questioning as he began to walk off, her feet diligently working to catch up to him as she spoke up.

"What, you think this is about that albatross?" she asked incredulously.

He didn't reply immediately, merely beginning to toss the fish into a water-filled barrel for fresh keeping, "This is how it starts. I shouldn't have come."

"Oh come on, that was just a stupid little thing; just watch. Next time, there'll be plenty of fish!" she spoke with a lively voice.

Jesse eyed her, "I always appreciate youthful optimism, but your outlook won't do me any good, kid. I have a wife and kids to think about; I can't afford to be optimistic."

He grumbled along quietly to himself, though Angela absently helped collect the fish herself, cursing under her breath as they fluttered out of her hands and into the air. Jesse eyed her as she shifted along the deck, her feet flying each time she stood atop a slick patch of wood, her arms flying out to balance herself as she did so, the seadog barking out in instruction as he rose to his feet.

"By the teeth! They don't bite, y'know."

Angela nodded, circling the fish until she reached its front end, taking a deep breath before swooping her thumb into its mouth and raising it up in her hand as its tail flapped in the cool, salty air. Lena applauded as she returned, even whistling in admiration as Angela carefully dropped the creature into the watered barrel.

"Woo hoo!" she cheered, still applauding as she turned to Jesse, "Not bad, eh?"

Jesse nodded, "They usually chicken out if I admit to 'em that they bite."

"What?!" Angela cried out, whipping around to a chuckling Jesse.

Lena patted her hands together in finality as she spoke up in an orderly tone, "Alright Mr. McCree, the net its back in the waters! prepared ta take on its fill of hearty fishes once more!"

"At ease, Oxton," he replied, shaking his head, "You know I hate all that garbage."

Lena teased with her tongue stretched out past her lips, "Why'd'ya think I do it?"

Jesse sighed, running a hand across his face as Lucio's voice joined them, his feet plopping along speedily as his voice carried his excitement, "We got our catch in, J?!"

The second mate shrugged defeatedly, "I mean, we caught, yeah."

Lucio examines the fish still flopping on deck as well as what had already been tossed into the barrel, his fingers stroking the skin at either side of his lips as he spoke up, wearily, "Wow… Ain't ever seen it this low before."

Jesse gave Angela a glance that she quickly refuted with rolling eyes. Lucio proceeded to slap the wooden top of the container before raising his arms in the air in indifference, not quite admitting defeat as he hopefully spoke.

"We'll get 'em next time, though! These tiny ones, I can still work with, we'll just be havin' to eat a bit light is all," he explained, thinking of their stores, "Hopefully there'll be more on the horizon! Let's see… Grill the meat, whip up a broth with the bones and skins, add a roux… Maybe a seafood purée with some of the jerky we have and- Lena?"

The troupe turned to their third mate, whose arms were stretched out before her, her hands groping at the air as she drooled, her voice quivering longingly in reply, "Mmm… Sounds good…"

"Yeah it does!" Lucio shouted heroically, throwing a hand in the air with a wielded ladle from nowhere, earning him a critical glance from his superior.

Jesse sighed, "Alright, alright. You both, back to work. Angela, I'll get these fish up and you can head down into the hold and check our cargo."

"What?" she wondered with a pleading sort of voice, "You saw me; I can still help with the fish."

He nodded, "I did, good job. but I can't get in between those crates like you probably can. There's a reason primage gets thrown around, we have to make sure everything gets towed tip-top. We can't have a single thing out of line when they open those boxes, and after roiling, stormy seas, especially, we have to be vigilant. This will just be a quick thing though."

"Okay…" Angela muttered in reply, quietly going over his words in her head, "What do I do exactly?"

Jesse answered attentively, "Just check and see that they're not scuffin' up against one another, check for leaks from liquid cargo; just makin' sure it's all looking good down there. Jack has some actually sheets of paper he uses at checklists to give to the recipient, so probably find him first."

Still slightly perturbed at being relegated away from her newest success, Angela only nodded in acceptance before turning away to return to the hull, stepping down the flight of stairs and past Officer Song's 'closet', aiming a curious glance to find Hana still bent over the desk as if she hadn't moved since she last saw her there hours earlier. Continuing down, she passed the stairwell that broke away to lead to the true hull of the Splitstream, where she could hear some muffled laughter from Junkrat, who must have stumbled across a new use for the ship's store of gunpowder or something.

Before she could find her way down into the storage compartment, which, despite its name, was massive enough for most of their cargo to be lowered down through the two trap-doors, she stumbled across her father, who was so lost in the paperwork in his hand that the two nearly ran into one another, quickly leading to his apologizing.

"Sorry about that, dear," he quickly spoke up, reaching out to give an apologetic pat on her shoulder, "I get a bit focused when I'm charting navigation routes in case we need a quick pit-stop. What are you doing down here?"

She frowned, "Well, I was showing off my exceptional fish-grabbing skills when Jess-"

"Ahem," her father interrupted, clearing his throat dramatically.

"When Mr. McCree told me to come check the cargo? I don't know. He mentioned you had a checklist and stuff for it. I guess that primage really does include care, huh?"

Her father nodded, "Oh, definitely. It takes an immense level of trust to allow property to exchange hands like that; it's one of those things that separates us from the animals. Now, head on down there and I'll run up and get a cargo sheet for you to look at. Make sure everything is secure."

Angela nodded, taking a step down the stairs when her father spoke back up, "And Angela."

She paused, turning her head over her shoulder as he finished, "Don't touch that crate."

"Fath- Captain! I wasn't even thinking of that thing!" she complained, "What do you take me for?"

He smirked, "My daughter, for a start. I know you too well, sweetheart. Look, don't touch, alright? I have enough to go over without my daughter putting things out of place."

Angela groaned, rather perturbed by his mistrust, though she still agreed before making her way down the stairs, her mind now focused on the mystery crate when it truly had left her mind. She snuck a peek back over her shoulder before crossing the threshold into the cargo hold, walking around the giant boxes that greeted her and making her way deeper into the hold, catching a glimpse of the 'Far Away' box that sat just beside the gliding light that fell through the holed ceiling above from two floors up. She rounded it once, examining all four of its faces, keeping an ear out for any sign of her father's approach.

"Hmm," she hummed to herself quietly, reaching to massage her chin as she pondered, her curiosity building like a cup of liquid about to collapse over the brim.

She carefully reached out her hand, running it down the wooden face, her skin catching the jagged lines of woodcuts that ran along the various planks that made up its shape, her spine shivering at the touch. As she stepped slowly around, her hand trailing behind her, still massaging the wood as though attempting to ascertain the source of the lumber itself, her mind wandered to what might be held within. Perhaps it was just a prank? but maybe it wasn't? Perhaps it was gold, or Ancient Egyptian trinkets, or something far more outlandish?

She paused, suddenly, her eyes latching onto the sight of a knothole that sat empty, revealing a method at seeing within. A chill ran through her at the thought of doing so; not only was she deliberately disobeying her father and Captain, she had no idea what she might see… Still, her curiosity grew with thoughts of grandeur- it wasn't as though she were ruining anything, anyway; she was simply taking a lot after all.

Angela fell to her knee, leaning forward slightly before her neck creased, her single eye peeking through the knothole. She found nothing but darkness there, which she had expected, though she was still left unsatisfied. She pulled her head back to allow some light to enter the small hole, and sure enough, she found a golden brown sort of outline within the knothole, adding to her curiosity. It seemed like a gem or something, perhaps an opal surrounded by something else to protect it- it could be anything! Perhaps they had stumbled upon the motherlode! A trove of gemstones, sitting right in their hold, with nary an owner to claim them!

Angela's lips curled into a grin at the thought, figuring that she might could retire much earlier than she'd ever expected. Perhaps she could purchase her own ship? Maybe vacation around the world, seeing all the sights she had only ever seen in-

The gem blinked.

Angela gasped, her body immediately falling backward as she fell sitting against the crate behind her, her heart's beating quickening rapidly as she was left breathless. Someone was in there, she thought. She was choked as her airway constricted in horror, though she managed a subtle cry as she jumped to her feet, quickly starting a dash toward the entryway.

"F-Father!" she cried out in a freakish shout.

In a split second, her neck whipped around in utter shock at the sound of nails being torn from wood, the mystery crate's face falling open to revealing a person there, who'd emerged in a mad sprint to catch Angela, her eyes widening in astonishment as she rushed on, desperate to keep away, when a fierce clutch grasped around her arm, yanking her backward as Angela gasped frightfully, working up a blood-curdling scream, when a powerful hand covered her mouth, and arm wrapping around her waist, leaving Angela's shouting muffled as she let loose into her covered scream, tears pouring from her eyes from the sheer horror of it all.

"Hush!" came a quiet voice from behind her head, a surprisingly feminine sort of voice, "If you make another sound, I'll make sure it's your last!"

A/N: Sorry for the rushed chapter, but people were wondering where certain characters were, so...surprise! ;p