Law couldn't shake the sense that something was off. Ash sounded as stubborn and spirited as always, and he was relieved to hear her voice again. He had missed her a great deal, but it couldn't be helped. Her expertise was in gathering intelligence and life aboard the Polar Tang was strictly general maintenance. At the time of his initial offer, he had convinced himself that having Ash work for him would keep her safe. But he knew he couldn't fully guarantee that, no one could. This line of work had an element of risk, so he couldn't ever ensure her well-being. And in some ways this arrangement was worse because any harm that befalls her would be his fault.

Something twisted in his gut about the snail call, but he couldn't separate it from his original anxiety. He took his responsibility as Captain very seriously. He valued his crew for both their work and loyalty, they were indispensable to him. But when it came to Ash, as always, it was more complicated than that. She was precious to him, absolutely priceless. But she was a person, not some treasure to be kept hidden. She had her own life to live, her own dreams and ambitions to act on independently from him. He was aware of the pressure she was putting on herself to "fit in." However, the transition had been a bit rough, but not due to any issues with her crewmates. She struggled with being a team-player and had a reckless tendency to take terribly unnecessary risks. So he both trusted her…and didn't either. It…he took a shaky breath as he walked out of the communications room…was a paradox he'd have to make peace with eventually.

Work had to be done, there was always something to do, but it wasn't as distracting as he needed it to be. He tried to push her from his mind, not wasting time with false positive thoughts either. He would see for himself in a few days' time. He kept busy during the day, but his dreams were filled with nightmares of worst-case scenarios. There wasn't much incentive to sleep any more than necessary, despite Penguin and Shachi scolding him otherwise. He hated to pull rank, but he wasn't going to be lectured by anyone lower.

The Polar Tang kept its distance as it drew closer to the portside switch point. It was swarming with both civilian and Marine passengers so they couldn't afford to surface. Anchored along the bottom, just underneath the port, a small transport sub was launched. Law had originally planned to drive it, but his increasingly exhaustive state made him reconsider. His bleary eyes would definitely slow down his reflexes. The last thing he wanted to do was make a crash landing, in either direction. He reluctantly let Penguin take command, and generously ignored his snotty "I-told-you-so" comment while he went to make himself another cup of strong coffee.

Shirazuki tipped a porter generously to help carry their bags, he didn't want Ash to strain herself with such a chore. She refused a direct offer of support but leaned in close enough for him to support her by the elbow. She had a limp still, it sucked, but she kept her pace slow enough that it wasn't very noticeable. They withdrew to the far end of the dock and kept their distance from the rest of the passengers who milled about. This switch point wasn't island-based, it was more of a cross-roads between travel routes. Ash decided to sit down on top of their luggage, not looking to strain herself while waiting.

"It's Thursday, so tonight they'll be serving your favorite for dinner," Shirazuki said brightly in an attempt at small talk.

She forced a bit of a side smile. "And which favorite is that?" She asked dryly.

Before he could answer, the transport bobbed up to the surface. Her smile slipped right off as she jumped up to attention. She couldn't see the driver through the thick, riveted, metal panels. It was too dangerous to install glass windows in such a small vessel. It was often dark and murky along the seafloor, so sonar-imaging helped to find the way. She swallowed hard as the top hatch clanked and clicked before swinging open. What if it was Law, come to meet them? Was he likely to; surely, he had missed her just as much as she'd missed him. But as Captain he did have much better things to do than to play taxi. Penguin's head popped out with a cheery salute and a wide smile to match. "Ahoy there mates!"

"Ahoy indeed," Shirazuki smiled in turn. "Let's get moving before we lose our sea legs altogether." He grunted as he grabbed hold of both bags and dragged them over towards the sub. Ash carefully walked over, hiding slightly behind her friend to disguise the limp. Penguin didn't really take any such notice as he took the bags from Shirazuki and put them inside. Shira stepped aside to allow Ash to enter first, reluctant to have her remain behind should she need assistance.

"Not one word," she hissed under her breath as she climbed past him. "Not one single word to anyone."

"Now don't be stubborn about this," he whispered at her back. "You really should-" He grunted as she elbowed him sharply in the chest. He knew better than to push it further. Once inside, they strapped into their seats while Penguin bolted the hatch closed and began to pressurize the transport slowly so they could acclimate to it without feeling dizzy. Ash still felt a little light-headed, but she closed her eyes to steady herself. The mini sub slipped below the surface and slowly sank to the bottom.

"So, you two have a good time?" Penguin asked with his back to them, bent over the sub's controls.

"We weren't on vacation, you know," Ash huffed slightly. "We were on a mission."

"All the more reason to make it a good time," he teased in turn. He reached over to flip a flashing switch and a voice crackled over the speaker. Bepo sounded the navigational mark, acknowledging their position in relation to the Polar Tang.

"Hear you loud and clear, starboard seven degrees," Penguin stated as he made the calculated change in his navigation.

"Is Ash there, with you?" Bepo's voice rose a bit in excitement.

"What, you haven't missed me at all?" Shirazuki protested in jest with a dramatic pout to match.

Bepo didn't respond to that, which made Ash laugh aloud. "Yes, I'm right here."

"I have a message for you, from the Captain," he said. His tone dropped a bit awkwardly, or maybe the connection crackled for a moment.

"Oh yeah?" She tried to keep her tone causal. Her heart pounded in her chest at the thought of a personal message. Hopefully it wasn't too private, something she wouldn't want the others to overhear.

"He says that he's s-ssorrry." The last word crackled and glitched before sorting out altogether.

"Wait, what?" She asked in confusion.

"We're nearly there," Penguin reassured her. "You can ask him yourself what that's about when we board. No doubt he's waiting in the Launch Bay, he's spent most of the morning there anyway," he grumbled a bit under his breath. It was weird to watch his Captain stew over this girl, he still didn't know why he was behaving so partially to her in the first place. Love may be blind, but surely it didn't have to be that complicated.

He brought the craft up slowly alongside the Polar Tang and waited for the chute hatch to open. Then he guided it inside and the craft shifted a bit as it was anchored within before the hatch sealed them in. Ash grimaced a bit as the sub lurched forward, pulled further inside the Polar Tang. She still wasn't so used to the shifting mechanics of the submarines hydraulic systems. She was more accustomed to a stream-lined, nearly seamless system but Law was less inclined to spoil his crew with such. His methods were sturdy and stable, with reliable mechanics that didn't require a specialist to maintain either. It jolted upward as it was sucked into the Launch Bay, and she closed her eyes as she felt a wave of nausea begin to swell within her stomach. Shira reached out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze which she swiftly swatted aside. He smirked at that and let her be. If she was this stubborn still, surely, she was well enough to face the Captain.

Penguin removed the seat restraints and stood up to open the top hatch. He crowed out a strange bird whistle with comedic flair. Ash stared in surprise at him and jumped when another answered his call. What the hell…was that all about? She knew that the Heart Pirates didn't take things so seriously sometimes, but this was practically Straw-Hat level of lunacy. Penguin laughed as he hefted their luggage and tossed it right out as if it were weightless. Then he climbed right up the ladder and out, his role done. Ash gripped the back of the seat to help pull herself up slowly. She let out a slow, steadying breath, as she braced herself at the prospect of climbing up the thin metal ladder.

"C'mon hurry it up already!" Shira teased as he grabbed under her arms and hefted her up. She cried out in surprise, but he was persistent. He put his shoulder into it, pushing her upwards as he climbed from behind. The support really helped but she still resented it a little too. "Don't rush me!" She snapped down at him.

"And keep the Captain waiting even longer?" He winked roguishly at her, enjoying the faint blush that simmered on her face.

Once outside, she expected to see Law among the welcome party…only he wasn't. Penguin and Shachi were talking privately, Oki gave a friendly smile and wave, and Bepo was there too. She wasn't expecting him at all, and his smile looked a little strained, which worried her.

She carefully climbed out and approached him. "Bepo! Is everything alright? What-"

"The Captain sends his apologies!" He burst out. "He really, really wanted to be here-"

"Is he alright? Is he safe?" She panicked in turn, tuning out the apology altogether.

"He's just fine," Shachi scoffed. "He's just getting some rest after running himself ragged like he always does. I wouldn't expect he'll debrief you until tomorrow at the earliest."

"Great!" Oki cheered as he took hold of Shirazuki's hand to pull him down. "Let's have some fun and catch up." He grinned his usual, but Shirazuki turned bright red. Ash smiled sympathetically at her friend. "Go on ahead, I think I'll rest up as well." He nodded and the pair set off down the west corridor. She turned towards Bepo. "Why the apology? He doesn't owe me anything that silly. It's not like I expected him to be here, he's got better things to do." She huffed.

Bepo's expression softened sympathetically. "But he's missed you, Ash," his tone dropped down to a whisper. He needn't have bothered because Penguin and Shachi were distracted with removing the sub to its proper holding chute and refueling it for next time. Law liked to have everything ready to go at all times in the event of an emergency. "And he wanted to be here."

She smiled a little at that, secretly pleased to hear it. "I'll see him later and it'll be just fine then too. Really, he shouldn't go to so much trouble for just one crew member."

"But I missed you even MORE!" He grinned as he reached out to give him a great big bear hug. She squeaked in surprise as she disappeared in his great arms. She felt a little light-headed when he finally set her down on her feet, but smiled to reassure him that she was fine. "Let me carry your luggage to your room," he offered as he reached out for it.

"You really don't have to, but thanks," she said as she followed him out of the Launch Bay. It was a challenge to keep up with his pace, her leg stiffly ached with the Mink's great stride.

"How was Whiteridge Bay? Do the cliffs really sparkle in the sunlight?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, the salt deposits were pretty impressive."

They continued with the small talk until they reached her room. He set the luggage by her door and gave her one last hug before saying goodbye. She took a deep breath before shoving the large metal bolt out of position to unlock her door. She braced her shoulder against it as she pulled hard to the right to slide it open. Normally it wasn't that difficult to operate, but she was out of practice after having been gone for a month. Her injury also wasn't helping things either. She desperately needed to rest again. She opened the door just far enough to get inside and nudge her luggage inside with her foot. She gritted her teeth and let out a low hiss of pain. She took a deep breath and shoved the door closed with a snarl.

She didn't bother to turn on the lights, the room was already set to night mode anyway with dim lighting along the edges of the floor. Throwing herself onto the bed, she cuddled up with her large pillow. She was surprised to recognize Law's scent and wondered why it would be there. Had he been visiting her room in her absence or was it because the Polar Tang's metallic scent made her think of him? She smiled as she rubbed her face in it. It didn't really matter which because any reminder of Law was a welcome one.

Her bed was small but heavenly soft with her burgundy silk sheets and it didn't take long for her to fall fast asleep within minutes.