Okay, now seems a really good time to remind readers that my account is less than a week old at this point. I'm learning as a go. One of those recently learned things is that when I want to update doesn't have supreme power over when I update.

Shout out to Reviewers Deutschland3 and Angy! If you think I'm slow now, you should see what happens when I don't think anyone is enjoying my work :)

That said, enjoy!

The crew appeared to be hung-over as a general rule, more interested in scowling grouchily and shuffling about their duties than bothering her. The other two ships were flaking the Delfín Rojo, though both were slightly smaller in size.

Lovina picked her way across the deck to the rail on the starboard side. No matter how much she strained, she couldn't see a trace of land in any direction. When she move to the rail on the portside, she got the same result.

"Damn it," she muttered, hitting the rail. Now she'd have to wait until they made another stop or raid before she could make a break for it.

"I know you might not enjoy this."

Lovina started, swinging around to glower at the captain. He just smiled sweetly and continued, "But the sea is beautiful, sì? She is both a cruel mistress and an enchanting one. It would be very hard for me to leave her."

"You say that like I give a damn, bastardo," growled Lovina

The captain just continued to smile. "If you are biding your time I'm afraid I must disappoint you, señorita. I don't let treasures slip through my fingers so easily."

With that he turned and walked away, making his way up to the helm where a crew member stood at the wheel. The wind made his red coat ripple around him, the feather in his hat bending against it. He took out a bronze spy glass and started scanning the horizon, ignoring the wind that pulled their sails taunt.

Lovina shook herself off, stalking to the front of the ship. She'd been sailing before, on her grandfather's ships. The Delfín Rojo was hardly the newly made, top-of-the-line ships her Nonno used to transport people and goods. She was sleeker, as were the two that flanked her, built as much for speed as they were hauling booty. While both seemed a bit run down, Lovina knew good ships when she saw them. These would weather the worst of storms if captained right. She was reluctantly glad of that, as while she wouldn't mind seeing Carriedo go down she most defiantly did not want to go down with him.

She turned away from the rail, but as she did Lovina found her hair billowing into her face. Muttering curses, she grabbed at the copper locks, trying to shove them behind her face. After a minute of trying to get her hair under control, with no apparent success, she turned back into the wind so that it blew the strands behind her again.

Lovina looked down at her dress for a moment, studying it. Then she selected the ribbon stitched around the right cuff, and started ripping it from the fabric as neatly as she could. Despite her efforts the results were somewhat ragged, but she did manage to get the ribbon free.

Muttering under her breath, Lovina faced into the wind, gathering her hair behind her. She tied it back as best she could with the ribbon, and while there were at least a dozen strands still free to tickle her face most of it was held in check. She'd seen some fabric among the gold and other booty, but she doubted even lethargic pirates would appreciate her going near their take, no matter what the reason.

Shoving the flyaway's behind her ears in a fruitless attempt to get them to stay put, Lovina looked back up at the captain. He was bent over a table now, a thoughtful frown on his face. Realizing he was plotting their course, Lovina stomped back towards the helm.

"Where the hell are we going?" she asked as she climbed up. The crewman at the wheel glanced at her, but then went back to his daydreaming.

The captain glanced up at her, and then started rolling up the map. "You do remember the part about not being allowed off the ship, yes?"

Lovina glared at him. "Of course I do, but I still want to know where this damn ship is going. You owe me that much, bastardo."

Smiling cheerfully, he said, "I will tell you, but only if you promise to start calling me Antonio."

Reasoning that she barely called him by name anyway, she said, "Fine."

Slipping the map into an inner pocket of his long cloak, Antonio said, "We are going to Tortuga. My men like to celebrate after a good haul."

Lovina frowned. "What's Tortuga?"

"A simple port town. A pirate haven, if you will. Not very nice if you're not a pirate. It's four days sailing from Port Diego, but if the weather stays like this we should make it in three."

"How long are we going to be staying there?" asked Lovina wearily. The idea of being docked at a place known to be a pirate haven didn't sit well with her. While she had a shaky trust that Antonio wouldn't try anything sober, the same didn't go for a horde of drunk pirates.

Antonio shrugged, going to stand by the rail. "We stay until I decide on our next heading, or the crew go through their spoils. Whichever happens first." Smiling wryly he said, "You would be amazed how quickly they go through gold. It's why the raids have to produce so much. If I don't let them take as much as they can, then they'll be demanding a new heading in less than a week."

"It ain't our fault, captain," protested the man standing at the wheel. "Rum is cheap, but the ladies ain't."

Captain Carriedo turned to regard the man coolly. "Juan, you are in the presence of a lady. Keep your tongue civil or I will cut it out."

Lovina didn't believe the threat. Though judging by the way the color left the man's face, he didn't agree. She frowned at Antonio, who had turned back to the sea. She genuinely didn't believe he would do it...right? Then again this man had, presumably, sailed with Antonio long enough to know whether or not this was true. And hadn't she been faced with that same iciness just last night? For all his smiles and cheer, captain Carriedo wasn't to be taken lightly.

"What the hell do you expect me to do?" she demanded, fists on hips. "I'm not going to spend the rest of my life doing nothing on a stupid ship, idiota."

Antonio cocked his head. "We will find something for you to do, don't worry señorita. Do you not find freedom from work enjoyable?"

Lovina huffed, folding her arms. "Depends on the work, bastardo."

The crewman turned, opening his mouth, but quickly snapped it shut and faced forward again when he saw Antonio still had an eye on him.

"You really shouldn't give them openings like that, Lovi. Now, what kind of work do you have in mind?"

"Well, do- Lovi? Where the hell did that come from?"

"It is cute, sì?" asked Antonio, smiling brightly.

"No. Don't call me that," growled Lovina.

"Then what should I call you?"

"How about my name, idiota."

"Only if you return the favor, Lovi."

Lovina glowered at him. Antonio continued to smile. Finally she growled, "Fine, Antonio."

"See? Was that so hard?"

One advantage of living in a port city was that, in ditching lessons and functions, Lovina had found herself among sailing folk most of the time. It was where she had learned her creative vocabulary, as well as several useful hand gestures. Now seemed like an opportune time to use one of her favorites. It indicated the person to whom it was directed should attempt something physically impossible.

Antonio arched an eyebrow. "Where did you learn that, Lovi?"

"I thought you said you wouldn't call me that!"

"Only if you call me Antonio, and I would appreciate it if you would stop making rude hand gestures, Lovi. It's not ladylike."

"I'll be ladylike when I want to be bast- Antonio," Lovina corrected at the last minute. She didn't want to give him any more excuses to call her by that irritating nickname. "Do you know what being a lady means?"

The pirate considered this, and then leaned back against the side of the ship, folding his arms. "Enlighten me, Lady Vargas. Just what does being nobility entail?"

Temper spiking, Lovina found herself growling out her answer. "It means, Antonio, that while the lords get to frolic the damned grounds and get lessons in sword fighting and horseback riding, we're stuck inside that damned house getting hit with switches. Every time you don't do what that bitch of a governess told you to perfectly, she'd find something to hit with a switch. 'Keep your back straight! Don't slouch!', have you ever spent an entire afternoon sitting in a chair with your back tied to a board? 'Get out of the kitchens! Ladies don't cook! Get back to that embroidery!' Then when I stabbed myself so much with that damned needle she'd switch me for getting blood on the cloth! 'Ladies are always conscious of the latest fashions and dress accordingly.' On top of everything else she made me wear a corset every day from breakfast to dinner until Nonno made her leave. Let me tell you, you don't know pain until you put on a corset. If you try to do anything besides sit daintily in a corner your at risk of passing out because you can't breathe."

By the end of her rant Lovina had gone from growling to yelling. She made herself stop, panting as she waited for Antonio to react. She half expected a lecture of some sort, or worse, a reappearance of that chilling, merciless persona.

Instead, shocking her, he smiled as sweetly as before and asked, "You like to cook?"

Lovina blinked a few times, but said carefully, "Yes?"

"Maravilloso! I haven't been able to find a real cook willing to sail with me yet. I could force one, of course, but I'd rather not worry about poison. Come, come, I will show you the kitchen. It's never been used, though. It will be a little messy. Are you coming, Lovina?"

"I...sì," said Lovina, slowly trialing after him. Was he serious? There was no way the pirate was honest about this, he was tricking her. The only reason Nonno hadn't kept the twins from the kitchens was because he hadn't the heart. Lovina was fully aware anyone else would have banned them from it, but he had indulged them. On the other hand, people liked food, especially men she'd found. Perhaps he didn't care who prepared it so long as it was prepared.

"You'll let me cook?" she clarified, trialing the captain below.

Antonio smiled at her over his shoulder. "Of course. It makes you happy, and we get to eat good food. Everyone wins, sì?"

Lovina opened her mouth, and then closed it. What was she supposed to say to that? What's more, the words 'it makes you happy' repeated in her mind over and over. No one had said that before...

Then Antonio opened the door to the small kitchen, and Lovina groaned. "Buon Dio, qualcuno ha mai pulito qui?"

"Eh, not really. I'm afraid you will need to clean it before you can use it."

Lovina glared at him, but started rolling up her sleeves. "Where's the damned mop?

Maravilloso- wonderful

Buon Dio, qualcuno ha mai pulito qui?- Good God, has anyone ever cleaned in here?

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