The question caught her off guard; her breath stifling and catching in her throat to the point of nearly sending her into a coughing fit, though she held it back. Her hands clutched tighter onto the shirt hanging from her fingertips, and she took into a deep breath with downcast eyes. A shake of her head was all she could muster, but then she quickly remembered what she had overheard earlier when he was speaking to those three boys.
"I want to—I want to make a better life for myself. I only have my mother, and she can barely keep herself afloat financially. I want to help her, to take away some of those burdens that's she's gone through her entire life." Margeaux's voice wavered, cracked, and she found herself tearing up at the thought of her mother back home.
"Hey! She'll be fine." It was the young boy that snapped her from her thoughts, and she found herself blinking repeatedly, trying to rid herself of the tears. Lips curled into a smile at the sight of him; he was smiling widely—almost cheekily—and she found herself fighting back a small laugh when he hugged her. She felt small against him; even though she was sure he was younger than her—much younger at that. But she returned the hug, wet shirt hitting his back and all as she let a giggle leave her lips.
"Thank you—" Her voice seemed to fade off at that, unsure of the boy's name, and she had to nearly look up at the green clad boy; mouth opening and closing in loss of his name.
"Gon! I'm Gon Freecs," Gon; it seemed to fit him somehow. Was it because of how simple he seemed to be? Maybe. Though she didn't let the thought remain too long before she was repeating it with a smile.
"Gon found himself a girlfriend." She could hear the whispers from where she was, and it caused her eyes to narrow towards the tallest man. After shoving her shirt into Gon's semi-willing hands, she made her way to him; a sharp nail poking him in his stomach—only given she couldn't reach his chest.
"Excuse you. I happen to be older than you think." She did seem to look younger—quite a bit younger actually, and she could partially understand the misjudgment.
"Wha—What?" The tallest—Leorio, if her memory served her right—seemed baffled, as well as the boy next to him—Kurapika if she heard Gon correct earlier—and even the captain.
"I'm eighteen." The words were straight to the point, though it gained another baffled reaction from Leorio, but she had turned away before she could see his eyes falling over her form, and she had taken the shirt back into her hands, pulling it over her shoulders despite it still being the slightest bit damp. A small huff leaves her petite frame as she takes the skirt, shoes, and socks off the deck, throwing a glance over to the captain. "I'm going to use your cabin to change. It shouldn't take me long."
"Uh—" She didn't wait for a reply from the stunned man before she had entered into the door, and once inside, she set her things down on the small table in the corner. It only took her a moment to pull the skirt on. Even though it may have been viewed as silly, she didn't want those boys to see her pulling her skirt on over the shorts. Opting against the shoes and socks for now and until they dried, she let her feet carry her outside with the items in her hands, and she was met with an empty deck. They didn't take long…
"Margeaux!" The boy's voice already was a bit familiar to her, and she looked up to find Gon atop the masts, waving down to her with that same cheeky smile; it had earned him another giggle and smile, as well as a single wave of her left hand. She would've stayed to spend time with him, but she was tired, whether it was from watching him run about or her "adventure" earlier, she couldn't tell. Soon she was lying in the hammock she had hung from a few days before, and her backpack—black and adorned with small pink angel wings—atop her stomach, just to assure no one would try to steal from her.
It wasn't long before she could hear people moving about around her, and it stirred her awake. Sitting up, she found herself nearly alone in the room, and she quickly slipped her socks and shoes on, her backpack on her back within seconds. Outside the room, she found herself facing a town, and her eyes immediately fell to Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika who were all waving to her—and they seemed to be waiting.
"Margeaux, come on!" A wide grin spread across her face at those words—it seemed like she wasn't going to be alone for once.