One look at the scene and Nova knew that it wouldn't end well. Peter could easily fly away whenever he chose to do so, but knowing him, he'd likely stay and pick a fight. Thankfully, he had the good sense to get out of the porthole and out of Black Stache's reach.

"Hello, Stache." Peter replied, glaring at his nemesis. "Let her go!" He demanded boldy, only to have Black Stache laugh in his face.

"You've got some nerve, Pan." Black Stache crossed his arms and stood in front of Nova. "She belongs to me now, until I have no use for her anymore, and no suspicions that your little friendship is related to starstuff."

"That's ridiculous!" Peter argued. "You can't just take her! Look, you hurt her!" The flow of blood from Nova's cuts, which were unintentionally deep, continued to steadily increase.

"But I can, and I have. The Stache takes what he wants when he wants it- don't you forget that, Peter." Black Stache strode over to the porthole, making fiery eye contact with Peter. He lowered his voice and leaned over the edge of the porthole. "And if memory serves, a certain someone gave me complete permission to take her." Peter looked to Nova, who wouldn't look at him. His hurt expression was soon replaced with the normal passionate anger that was granted by his short temper.

"That wasn't my fault!" Peter yelled, as Prentiss and Ted tried to pull him away from the porthole.

"Peter, let's go..." Ted whispered, not wanting to let Peter's anger get him in another worse situation.

"No!"

"If you knew what was good for you, Pan, you would leave." Black Stache stood his ground, as an infuriated Peter proved to be no match for a very calm and momentarily level-headed Black Stache.

"Peter, go." Nova said quietly, her sudden interjection surprising everybody.

"But-"

"You standing here and arguing with him isn't going to resolve anything. The more you argue the less he'll want to give me up. It's better if you go." After the slight shock wore off, Black Stache turned to Peter with a triumphant smirk on his face. Peter turned and left and Nova said no more- she oddly felt it wasn't her place to, even though it was technically her fate that they were discussing.

"Well, I'll be damned. You talked some sense into that boy!" Stache laughed amusedly to himself. He turned around to see Nova looking down at the ground, tear tracks evident down her cheeks. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I'll get the bandages." He muttered, leaving the room quickly.

Any pirates he passed along the way to the deck quickly cowered away in fear. It felt like they were the restoration he needed to feel scary again in the moment. It was all he could do to remind himself that he was a ruthless pirate, despised by all and afraid of no one. He was not someone who felt any sort of remorse for anything, not even leaving only the second girl he'd ever met alone in a room crying after he'd just cut her with his sword.

"Smee?" He called out to his shipmate. "Smee?!" He groaned audibly in frustration as he failed to find Smee. That meant he'd have to go back and bandage her himself. Normally he wouldn't give a damn if one of his prisoners was bleeding out in a cell, if they were dying down there- he could count on his fingers the number of times he'd told Pan to die. But as much as he was unwilling to admit it, Nova was different than a prisoner in a way that he hadn't quite figured out yet, and he didn't want her to die down there. So he begrudgingly grabbed the bandages that he had handy and made his way back downstairs.

Nova had not moved since he had last been in the room. Stache noticed that in his haste to leave he had foolishly forgotten to lock the door. She was staring right at it, and she must have noticed, yet Nova had made no effort to escape. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why, who wouldn't make an effort to Black Stache? And yet here she was.

"You're bleeding." Black Stache said matter-of-factly, for lack of a better conversation starter. "I brought bandages. I went looking for Smee so I could make him do this for me, but who knows where that incompetent being got to. So unfortunately, I'll have to do this myself." He picked up a stray rag and reached out the porthole, dipping it in the water. "This will sting, but it's all I have and I'm not bothering to find clean water." He said, purposely stressing his displeasure at the situation. He bent down so that he was eye level with Nova and shuffled around uncomfortably until he found a way to start. He dabbed first at the cut on her arm, and she flinched upon impact, squeezing her eyes shut as the unbearable stinging sensation spread across the length of her cut. She tried to focus on anything but the pain, or the certain pirate inches away from her tending to her 'wounds'. His unexpectedly light touch made goosebumps spread across her skin just as they had the last time.

The blood was soon washed away and the lengthy cut was revealed. Black Stache slowly wrapped the bandages around her arm, grimacing all the while. No matter what his thoughts on Nova were, this little scene, although unseen by anyone but the two it involved, was destroying his rough and tough personality and quite frankly, he couldn't stand it.

He finished bandaging her arm and moved on to her sliced cheek. He cleared his throat, reaching up to brush away a few strands of dark brown hair that had been matted with blood to the cut. He looked into her eyes momentarily; they were free of tears, unlike earlier. But they were red-rimmed and wide, although unmistakably tired, with faint bags underneath. Black Stache looked away, focusing on her cut once more. He brushed his thumb over it absentmindedly a few times, unaware of what he was doing until Nova winced and he suddenly realized. Stache repeatedly wiped the blood away in swift movements, until her face was mostly clear of the substance.

Black Stache unraveled the bandages and placed it over the cut on her cheek that, although slightly less lengthy than the one on her forearm, stretched from her chin to the side of her nose. Nova sincerely hoped it didn't scar. He stood back up as soon as he was finished and left the room promptly.

Black Stache had given Nova no notion of this, but he planned on returning soon, and with a blanket and pillow for her as well. Normally he wasn't so nice to prisoners, but he hadn't treated her like a normal prisoner at all thus far, save for him inflicting damage to her by way of his sword. He would be bringing her this to keep her warm and somewhat healthy. After all, his efforts to clean up her cuts would be wasted if she was hurt in some other way. There, that's all it is He told himself. That's the only reason.

Black Stache was finally able to locate Smee after minutes of wandering around the ship.

"Captain, there you are!" Smee exclaimed, running up to Black Stache in a clumsy manner. "Where have you been?"

"That's none of your buisness, Smee." Black Stache replied sternly.

"Sorry, sir." Smee apologized. "It's just that the whole crew has noticed your absence."

"Well I trust you to keep them in order for me then Smee. If you must know, and feel free to pass this on to the crew, I have been busy being delightfully evil to the new prisoner! Earlier today, I struck her twice with my sword!" He puffed out his chest as he shouted triumphantly. Smee clapped for his captain. Black Stache wasn't lying completely, he knew, but his pride felt almost fake. Thankfully, Smee wasn't the brightest sword in the sheath and he didn't notice his captain's faltering confidence. "Fetch me two thick blankets and two pillows, and don't ask why." Smee did as he was told and soon Black Stache had bid him goodnight and was on his way to Nova's room for the last time that evening.

When he got there, he found Nova sprawled out on the floor asleep, looking as though she had previously been staring up at the ceiling. Black Stache instinctively bent down and felt her wrist, her skin was cold and her pulse steady. Black Stache spread one of the blankets over Nova and lifted her head, sliding the pillow underneath it and moving her hair gently out of the way. He was only doing it so that his previous efforts weren't wasted- at least, that's what he kept repeating in his mind.

It suddenly occured to him that he had gotten two blankets and two pillows. Why was that? It had been an almost subconscious decision, and Black Stache couldn't think of a logical reason behind it- had he planned to stay here? He was tired, so perhaps it was a slip-up. But now that he was here, with another blanket and pillow, why not sleep here? The bench was uncomfortable, sure, but his bed was all the way on the other side of the ship...and something else that he couldn't place was pushing him to stay. So he kicked off his boots, laid out the blanket and pillow, and slipped underneath the woolen cover. He looked at Nova sleeping, and that was the last thing he saw before he too slipped into a confused and thoughtful dreamland.