After taking down Prins, Edward and James (Mary?) went their separate ways. Edward was in search of more keys—both Templar and Mayan—and James was off to do God knows what. Edward preferred though to not know. It was safer that way.

Standing behind his helm yet again, Edward let his mind wander. How in the world had he not figured out on his own that "James" was in fact "Mary"? Sure, her appearance had been androgynous, but Edward had just assumed maybe "James" was still young, maybe 16 or 17 at the oldest, and was striking out on his own for the first time. And with all the stories of being William Kidd's bastard son, Edward never questioned James being so well acclimated to life at sea.

But that was probably the exact reaction Mary had gone for. It worked.

Of course now that Edward thought about it, he realized Mary had to be older than he assumed based on conversations they had. Mainly, how long she had been training with Ah-Tabai. Edward hoped, for Mary's sake, either no one caught her bluff, or if they did, they kept it to themselves. They probably knew better. Edward didn't doubt that Mary would "unman" anyone who crossed her. She was spirited, that's for sure. And that wasn't an assumption based on strictly being a woman. Most other pirates and assassins were surly, brooding, angry types. Tough, no doubt, but more apt to pissing and moaning and starting bar fights. Mary was always on the go. Edward's opinion of that remained whether he was talking to a "James" or a "Mary."

Edward couldn't let himself get too lost in the politics of the world around him. He knew what he had to do, it was just a matter of taking the initiative. He had to find the Observatory. It was that or nothing. He wanted to return to England a wealthy man, and, as far as Edward knew, the Observatory would achieve that end. That was what mattered. He wanted to return home a wealthy gentleman…

Yes, maybe one day…

Edward made a hard push for the Great Inagua, and made it home in a few hours. Hedocked his ship and disembarked, happy to be back on dry land again. He headed to his house, while his crew headed to the tavern, the brothel, or the sundry small shacks that lined the beach. The bonfire was glowing brightly already, and everyone was in lively spirits. It had been a good day.

As he walked into his home, he admired the surroundings, and got to thinking about where his thoughts had trailed off when he fell asleep the night before. He had quite the set up now: Stable income, men at his command, a home that would make any nobleman back home jealous, and the general setting was beautiful. Edward had finally found the life he had always wanted. He was finally a man of quality.

He got to his office, and sat down at his desk, looking at the various notes and letters that had piled up for him. A few special steamer trunks and paintings were nearby; most likely loot from recent missions. He looked over at the armor hanging in the mysterious cell to his left. He oddly pitied the soul whose bones were now hanging there. Edward wondered maybe if du Casse had killed the poor bastard himself, or if there was more of a story to the situation than he would ever know.

But, enough of that, Edward was positive he had all of the keys, but he was too tired to be bothered with that now. He'd figure that out later. He finished sorting through his things, and headed up to his room.

The hard push to sail back home wore Edward out, even though he slept quite late today. As he laid down in bed, he felt himself sink into the mattress and pillows. Du Casse had quite the taste, for sure. But, Edward couldn't fall asleep. His mind was racing.

Home…

Home was Bristol. Home was Caroline…

He hoped, truly, to bring her out here one day, to him. Bristol and Swansea might be the world he knew, but those parts of the world held nothing for him. Not anymore. No opportunity, no hope. Just slaving away for a pittance of a wage, and no quality of life. Out here, he was important, respected, and even wealthy. It was everything he had ever wanted in life.

Edward hoped beyond hope that eventually, Caroline would join him here, as a great lady, running the house, where they lived in leisure. Maybe they would be able to make a life together, finally, and start a family.

Edward didn't even know he was asleep until he woke up the next morning. He sat up, stretched, and looked out the window. Judging by the position of the sun, it had to be well past noon. He was definitely more tired than he had been aware. He eventually dressed, and headed back downstairs to see how business was going. Not all of his ships had returned yet, and for all he knew, they had returned in the wee hours of the dawn.

He had quite the set up now. Stable income, men at his command, a home that would make any nobleman back home jealous, and the general setting was beautiful. Edward had finally found the life he had always wanted. He was finally a man of quality.