The room was filled with bellows and laughs of pirates as they all welcomed their old crewmate back. Mead and whiskey was passed around the room until every last pirate had a bottle in his hairy hand. Chatter and excitement swept through the air as Dart made his way around the room, greeting all his friends. Eventually, they all seated themselves and eyed Dart with interest.

"So, tell us 'bout yer travels," called a pirate who wore a patch over his one of his eyes.

"Aye, what's it been like, bein' a land lubber?" hollered another. Laughs and snickers followed his comment.

"I missed the sea, I can tell ye that," Dart said with a grin. Men chortled and nodded in understanding. "Hell, I missed the damn lot o' ye, as much I don't wanna admit it."

"Wish we could say the same 'bout ye!" shouted a pirate from the back. This ensued a wave of snickers to go about the room.

"Oh, ye know ol' Blue's just kiddin'," said a redheaded pirate closest to Dart. He grinned widely. A golden tooth winked at Dart. "We all missed yer crazy arse."

"My arse was the finest thing aboard the ship," Dart pointed out, grinning.

"Not no more it ain't!" laughed a scruffy-looking pirate. "All 'em lovely lady friends o' yers are the finest things to ever walk across this 'ere ship!"

There were hoots and hollers of agreement.

"Alright, alright," Dart called out over the noise. "That's enough." The noise simmered down almost instantly.

"Apologies, mate. I didn't mean no offense," the scruffy pirate said guiltily, hanging his head.

"Oh, I know ye was only kiddin', mate," Dart smiled. "I just want ya'll to be careful when it comes to speakin' 'bout the lady knights. Don't want anybody gettin' the wrong impression."

"Aye, sir."

"Speakin' of women…" the redheaded pirate beside Dart wore a mischievous grin. "Ye claim one o' 'em fine ladies fer yerself?"

Dart's flushed face was a sufficient answer. The room was suddenly filled with roars and cheers and questions like,

"What's 'er name?"

"What's she like?"

"Thatta boy!"

"Stow it, the lot o' ye!" Dart shouted, his red face turning even redder from the exertion. They quickly simpered down, though many of them still wore silly grins. Dart sighed. "Now that the lot o' ye 'ave stopped actin' like a group of li'l schoolgirls…I can say that I don't have myself a woman yet."

"Yet," grinned the redhead. "So there's one you're interested in."

Dart cursed underneath his breath, the flush returning to his cheeks.

"C'mon, Dart, tell us 'bout 'er!" he urged. Many of the pirates resumed their questioning again, and Dart slapped a hand to his face in exasperation.

"Alright already! If the lot o' ye promise to stow it, I'll tell ya!"

The room instantly became silent. Realizing that the silence only made him more nervous and embarrassed, Dart tugged at the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat.

"She goes by Florina. Ya'll 'ave probably seen 'er around. Small, pretty lass with lavender hair and sapphire blue eyes." A few murmurs of recognition responded. "She's a Pegasus Knight" – men exchanged grins – "and even though she's real damn shy, she knows how to fend for herself on the battlefield." Dart's smile grew and became lopsided as his eyes sparkled. "She's the sweetest and cutest thing you'll ever meet. An angel she is, I tell ye, sent from St. Elimine 'erself. Mates, I…I think she's the one." He grinned, looking at the faces of men he had become so close to over the years. "I think I might love 'er."

A few men wolf-whistled and hollered as others shouted "congratulations!" Before Dart could get out another word, though, a gruff voice came from the doorway,

"Ye think? Either ye love the woman or ye don't; which is it?"

Everyone turned to see their Captain leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded across his hairy chest.

"Captain!" Dart cried out in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"I came 'ere tryin' to figure out why the lot o' ye were makin' so much damn noise. Hey, don't try changing the subject on me!" He took steps forth and pointed at Dart. "Ye answer my damn question! Ye love the girl, or ye don't?"

A silence fell across the room as everybody returned their attention to Dart. He had a faraway look on his face, a small smile on his lips, and when his eyes became focused again he was grinning like a buffoon.

"I love 'er. She's the one."

This ensued more wolf-whistle. Men clapped Dart on the back, congratulating "the lucky bastard" again. Fargus grinned, grabbing a nearby tankard and lifting it into the air. The foam from the ale fizzed over the side and dribbled down his hand.

"To Dart and Florina!" he roared. "I wish ye two the very best of luck!"

"To Dart and Florina!" his crewmates shouted in uniform, raising their mugs as well. Dart scratched his head sheepishly, and then grinned and lifted his own mug. Everyone downed their drinks.

"To Dart and Florina?" a female voice asked, her voice high in surprise. Everyone stopped cheering and clapping instantly, turning their heads toward the source of the sound. Farins stood by the doorway, her arms folded across her chest like Fargus had, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"F-Farina!" Dart sputtered, choking on his drink. He began coughing violently, and the pirate beside him patted him hard on the back. "Wh-what are ye doin' 'ere?!"

"I was wondering what all the noise was about." She glanced about the room. "Florina hasn't told me anything about courting you, Dart." The smirk she wore was sly.

"Aw, damn," Fargus muttered. "Yer gonna 'ave a honkin' load of trouble with a sister-in-name like that; ye best be watchin' yerself." Farina pursed her lips at him, as if offended, but her eyes glittered in amusement. Dart glared at his Captain as he sashayed his way out of the room.

"Thanks, Captain!" he shouted after him. "You've been a load o' help!"

"Anythin' fer ye, mate!" came the response, followed by a chortle, before he disappeared from the room altogether.

Dart rolled his eyes. "As helpful as Pegasus dung," he muttered.

Farina cleared her throat. "Dart? Do you have an explanation for this?"

"I don't got nothing to explain," he retorted, folding his arms across his chest defensively.

"Oh, is that so? Then I suppose I'll just go find Florina and ask her—" She began to turn.

"No!" Dart shouted, jumping to his feet. Farina paused, then turned back toward him. The smirk she wore was absolutely wicked.

"What's the problem?" she purred innocently.

"Farina," Dart growled, making his way toward her, "don't ye dare make a mess o' things."

She sighed, unfolding her arms. He stopped before her. "Fine. I'll keep your little secret…" Her eyes glinted. "…for a price."

Dart groaned, throwing back his head. Of course. "You're a damn witch, you know that?"

Her wicked grin only grew and she laughed. "No, just a good bargainer. Heck, I'll even let you say the starting price."

"I don't have no gold," he deadpanned. Farina's face dropped.

"Hmm…that could be a problem." She put a finger to her chin thoughtfully. She glanced about the room again. Her eyes lit up suddenly as if a revelation had come to her. Dart had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched her malicious smirk grow even wider. "Say…are any of your pirate friends up for a friendly bet?"

~-x-~-~-x-~-~-x-~-

"Jasmine."

Said tactician glanced up from her book and was surprised to see Raven leaned against one of the beams that held up her hammock.

"Raven." Her voice conveyed her mild surprise. "Is everything alright?"

He eyed her in concern, unfolding his arms and walking closer towards her. "You've been studying so hard lately," he said softly. "Don't you think it's about time you take a break?"

Jasmine frowned. "But…it's the most important time to be brushing up on my tactical skills!"

Raven shook his head. "It's the most important time for you to relax and clear your mind."

She pursed her lips at him. "You sound like Lyn," she muttered. But she sighed and drew herself up. "Fine, then. I reckon you want me to get some sleep."

"Actually," he replied, a little sparkle in his eyes, the corner of his lips curving up ever so slightly, "I was thinking we could take a stroll out on the deck. Like old times."

For a moment she just stared at him in surprise. Then she laughed gently. "Just like old times?" She took the hand he extended towards her and let him pull her up. They kept their hands entwined as they walked up to the deck. "If I recall correctly, we didn't exactly have the nicest time when we were last aboard the Davros."

"When did we ever have a nice time?" Raven teased.

"Hmm. Good point." She squeezed his hand affectionately. "It's hard to have a good time when you're around such a jerk." The corner of her lips curled up. He scowled at her.

"Should you really be talking?"

"Don't get me started."

They stopped by the railing. It was dark out, but there was still quite a bit of commotion from within one of the cabins – it sounded like the pirates were celebrating – and there were other members of the army walking quietly about the deck.

"Can you believe it?" Jasmine said softly, looking out toward the sea. "We're so close to finally defeating Nergal and finishing this war once and for all…just so close."

Raven stared at her for a moment before he spoke. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that." She turned toward him. He paused, suddenly feeling hesitant and awkward for bringing up the conversation. But it had to be done. "Once the war is over, what do you-"

"Why, if it isn't the lovely couple!" An arm draped around each of them, and Legault's face popped up between them. Jasmine laughed in surprise as Raven scowled. He pushed Legault's arm off of himself. Legault frowned at him, then walked his way around them so he stood beside Jasmine. He leaned over the railing so that he could see both of them clearly.

"Why, if it isn't the lovely Legault," Jasmine teased.

"Hear that, pretty boy? She called me lovely." He grinned widely at Raven. The redhead responded by rolling his eyes. "Taking a romantic walk around the ship together, are you?" Legault continued, grinning his carefree grin. Jasmine shot him a warning look as Raven absolutely glowered at him. "Aw, come now. I always knew from the start that there was something between you two – didn't I say so when we first met? – and now that the secret's actually out, you're going to act all coy about it?"

"The secret's out?" Raven repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What d'you mean?" He recalled his conversation with Sain. Word travels fast, my friend.

Legault raised an eyebrow in turn, though not in the questioning way Raven had done so. It was a 'how can you be so oblivious' raise of the eyebrow. "Public displays of affection usually mean that a man and woman have devoted themselves to one another."

The two blushed slightly as they glanced down at their entwined hands.

"Psh, you think that I'm talking about your hands?" Legault sighed and shook his head, as if he couldn't believe the stupidity of his companions. "I'm talking about all the smooching you two have been doing!"

They blushed harder. Most people wouldn't have been able to see their blushes through the dark, but Legault was not like most people.

"W-we haven't…done any of that in public!" Raven spluttered.

Legault smirked wickedly. "The way you say that makes me wonder how much you've been doing in private."

Jasmine gasped. "Legault!"

He winked. His face fell instantly as he saw that Raven was drawing up the sleeves of his shirt and flexing his fists.

"You won't let your boyfriend hurt me, will you?" He pouted at Jasmine. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"After what you just said? I think you deserve it." Though she tried to make her voice harsh, the smile on her lips gave her away.

"Oh, c'mon! Scar buddies before boyfriends, they say!"

"What?" Jasmine laughed, shaking her head. "I've never heard anybody say that before."

Legault frowned at her. "Really? It's quite the well-known saying."

Jasmine rolled her eyes, then glanced over at Raven, who was still glowering at Legault. She gently placed a hand against his arm. "You've scared him enough; be nice." He glared at her instead, and she rolled her eyes.

Legault watched their interaction with a small smile on his face. "Your friend Mark would be happy for you two, I would think."

They turned back to him in surprise. He merely flashed a grin in return.

"I suppose it's time for me to bid you two goodnight." He drew his cloak back in that mockingly dramatic way of his as he bowed. When he straightened up, he sent them both a quick wink. "Don't get in too much trouble." And he disappeared into the shadows before either of them could reply.

Jasmine chuckled softly and shook her head. "Oh, that Legault."

"I wish I was as amused as you," Raven grumbled.

"Oh, lighten up, Raven," she teased gently. "He wasn't being too bad."

"He interrupted our conversation!" he protested.

"Oh…right. What were we saying?" She frowned, trying to remember.

He stared at her for a quiet moment. "We were saying that it was getting late out," he lied. "We should head on back to get some sleep."

Jasmine's frown only deepened. "Really? But I thought we'd just gotten out here!"

"We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Raven replied. "C'mon, let's get some sleep."

Jasmine smiled after a moment, and together they walked back to their hammocks for a good night's rest. Although Jasmine would never know, Raven lay awake half of the night, staring at her sleeping figure and wondering just what she would've replied if he'd finished asking his question.

~-x-~-~-x-~-~-x-~-

Farina eyed the man before her through hazy eyes. All she could see was a blurry figure of red. Through the eyes of a sober person, he or she would've clearly seen that the blur was in fact a pudgy red-faced pirate. But since there wasn't a single sober person in the entire room, nobody could tell exactly who the blob of red was. Instead, they did the only thing they could: they cheered for him, regardless of who he was. As long as Farina lost, that was all they cared about.

Farina, however, wasn't going down without a fight. Dart placed a bottle in front of her and in front of the red-faced pirate, and then took a few steps back. Farina narrowed her eyes at the blur of red, making him even blurrier. There was no way that she was going to let a blob take that pile of gold that lay between them on the table.

"On your mark…get set…drink!" Dart shouted, throwing his arm down. He stumbled back a few steps, and a nearby pirate grabbed him. They glanced at each other and laughed like a pair of hyenas, apparently finding the moment hysterical.

Farina grasped the mug of ale in front of her and downed it without hesitation. Somebody threw her another mug, and she drank it all too. She and the pirate kept doing this until, finally, after about seven mugs, the red-faced pirate spluttered. The alcohol dribbled down his mouth as he slammed his nearly-fully mug back onto the table. Groaning, he yelled defeat right before his face fell forward onto the table. He was asleep instantly, and two pirates had to drag him out of his seat. Even then, he didn't stir. Rather, he snored the entire while, drool beginning to dribble down his mouth.

"I win again!" Farina squealed drunkenly, laughing. There were annoyed murmurs and cusses about the men as they eyed her with displeasure. Although Dart's secret may have been safe now, they couldn't help but be aggravated that they had lost so much of their hard-earned gold.

There was a sudden disruption from the rear of the room, where pirates were cursing and shouting in surprise. Frowning, Farina glanced up to see a teal blob heading her way.

Fiora stopped before her sister, placing her hands on her hips. This earned her many wolf-whistles, and she glanced sharply over her shoulder. Farina sniggered into her gold.

"Oi!" Dart shouted, staggering his way toward the center of the room so that everyone could hear him properly. "Enough o' that! I don't care 'ow damn drunk the lot o' ye be; ye be respectful!"

The pirates muttered in response, some in apology while others in annoyance, but the wolf-whistles ended there.

"Dart!" Fiora cried out in surprise, turning toward him. "Just what on earth is going on here?!"

Dart turned toward her sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. He may have had a few drinks himself, but he wasn't so inebriated that he couldn't tell who the blurry figure of teal was. "Uh…hey, Fiora." He chuckled uneasily. "Well, ye see 'ere, Farina came up with this idea to have a friendly bet amongst me and me shipmates…"

"Oh, for St. Elimine's sake!" Fiora exclaimed as she realized where this was going. "How could you let this get so out of control?!"

"Aw, c'mon," Farina moaned at her sister, realizing that the teal blob sounded and acted like Fiora, "lighten up, Sis. We were just havin' some fun. Besides, it was my idea; don't blame him."

Dart looked at Farina gratefully. Fiora frowned, turning her attention on her instead.

"Both of you are to blame for this," she said firmly. Dart's face fell as Farina scrunched her nose in annoyance. "We'll discuss this later. Now, c'mon, we need to get you to bed." She made a move to grab her arm, but Farina pulled her away, shaking her head furiously.

"Nuh-uh! I'm not done playing yet!" She pouted. "I mean, just look at how much gold I've already won!" She gestured to the overflowing pile of gold before her, a wide, drunken grin spilling across her lips. "Think about how much more I'd make if I kept drinking!"

Fiora sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Not everything's about money, Farina." Her sister stiffened, the drunken smile slipping off her face. "This is a stupid game and you're making a fool of yourself."

"Yeah? Well at least I'm having fun," she snarled defensively. "Do you even know what fun is, Sis?"

Fiora's face reddened. "Oh, I've had enough!" She grasped onto Farina's elbow and yanked her, but Farina tugged back, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around the gold.

"She's right, Farina," Dart mumbled. Though he was also inebriated, he didn't have it as bad as she did; he still had some sense of judgment. "We had our fun, don't yah think? It's 'bout time we get some sleep so we can at least try to make that blasted hangover we'll have tomorrow not as bad."

Farina pursed her lips, but then she hung her head in defeat. Fiora raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You're right," Farina hiccupped. "Kent and Lord Hector will kill me if they see how hung over I am tomorrow." She then tilted her head back to grin up at Dart. "Y'know, you're really not all that bad. I think you'll take good care of Florina."

Dart flushed as Fiora glanced at him sharply. "What? Florina? What're you talking about?" she questioned Farina, though her eyes were still trained on Dart. He seemed uncomfortable at her stare, and looked the other way.

"Oh, don't worry 'bout it." She waved her away. "Now, who's gonna carry me to my bed and who's gonna carry my gold to-" She cut herself off, a hand over her mouth.

"Oh shi-" started Dart. But it was too late. Farina leaned over her chair, lowered her hand, and upchucked all the ale she'd had. The pirates all about them moaned or laughed about what'd just happened, and some even toasted Farina. Fiora glared at them all as she leaned over her sister in concern, rubbing her back and asking her if she was okay.

Dart made a face at the mess. "I think the really question ought to be: who's gonna clean that up?"

Waves gently licked the ship, spraying salt water onto Sain's face. He looked unaffected, though, still staring contemplatively out at the sea. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the quiet patter of footsteps approaching him.

"Hey," came a voice from beside him. Sain jumped in surprise, turning quickly to see Jasmine leaned against the railing beside him. She smiled lightly up at him, though he saw a hint of apprehension in her eyes. He smiled back at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Winter flower," he greeted, "to what do I owe this surprise?"

"I saw you standing out here for a while," she replied. "Are you feeling okay? Maybe seasick?"

He shook his head, his smile softening. "I'm alright. As touched as I am that you would wrinkle that beautiful brow of yours out of concern for me, there's no need to worry."

She hesitated a moment, those brows of her still wrinkled in worry. "If there's something bothering you, you know you can always tell me anything. I'm your friend." She smiled, lightly placing a hand on his arm.

Something flickered in Sain's expression, and his smile became more genuine. "And an excellent friend at that." He paused, glancing back out toward the sea. "…Jasmine, I have a question for you."

She was surprised at his sudden seriousness. "Yes?"

He glanced at her. "What do you plan on doing after the war?"

His question seemed to have taken her aback. "What?" she asked, as if she hadn't heard properly. He raised his eyebrows in surprise at her, and then he softened.

"So you don't know yet either, huh?" He smiled slightly.

She shook her head sheepishly. "I haven't thought about it, to be honest." She paused. "Once the war is over, what do you-" Is that what Raven had wanted to ask her? "Actually…I think I've been trying to avoid thinking about it."

"You?" Sain said in surprise. "You never came off to me as the type to run away from such matters."

"You'd be surprised," she replied, rather darkly. "Sorry." She smiled apologetically at the shocked expression she received. "It's just…I'm scared," she admitted. "I'm scared of the unknown. Always have been, I guess. Even though I've been getting a lot at better at embracing whatever comes my way…I'm always a little afraid of what might just happen."

He offered a sympathetic look. "Being on the battlefield must rattle your nerves, then."

She laughed. "You can say that again. Remember what a nervous wreck I was when we first met?"

"You weren't a nervous wreck," he argued. "All I remember was a determined young woman trying her very best to keep her friends safe."

She nudged him gently. "You're sweet, y'know that?" She smiled up at him. "Priscilla's a lucky girl."

His response wasn't what she expected. Instead of lighting up, he saddened; his eyes misted over and his smile shrunk. "I'm not so sure about that," he murmured softly, looking away.

Jasmine frowned at him. "What do you mean? What has she said to make you think that?" she huffed, instantly feeling defensive of Sain.

He shook his head, sighing. "She only said what we both wanted to avoid speaking of." He hesitated, then looked back at Jasmine. "She asked about our future. She's under the impression that we'll never…that it's not possible for us to be together, let alone be wed. That our paths won't cross; I, a knight in Caelin, and she, a noble of Eutria."

Jasmine frowned deeper. "That doesn't sound like her to be so demeaning."

He shook his head again. "She wasn't being demeaning; she was merely pointing out the fact that, as a knight, I have sworn my loyalty to Caelin and would not be able to accompany her back to Eutria."

"But you love her," she replied, beginning to understand why he was so confused about what to do. "And you want to be with her."

He nodded and smiled painfully, though he said nothing. A long moment of silence followed as each got lost in their train of thought. Jasmine wondered what she would've told Raven if he'd finished his question and asked her if she had any plans after the war (that was, of course, assuming that they defeat Nergal).

Would she have responded in the same way she'd just responded to Sain? That she just didn't know? Or would she have told him that it didn't matter, as long as she was with him? Or maybe she would've-

Jasmine stopped herself, shaking her head. It was pointless, thinking what could've been. What was important was focusing on the now, of the choices she would make in the present.

"I think," she spoke at last, "that we should go by first instinct." She smiled at herself, realizing how silly she must've sounded, but how true it all was. "That's what we've all always relied on battle, after all, isn't it? Instinct. You haven't a moment to lose, because your life's on the line; you always have a quick decision you need to make. This is the same thing. We act, choosing the path we instinctively feel is right, and then we pray for the best."

She paused, smiling up at Sain. "Well, that's what I think, anyway."

He grinned back. "Don't you know by now that we all take your tactical advice – which is basically your thought process – very seriously? Really, though," he added as she opened her mouth to speak, "I think what you're saying makes sense. As a matter of a fact, it makes so much sense that I'm going to follow that advice." He smiled genuinely at her, one that finally reached his eyes.

"I think I'm going to follow my advice too," she said, laughing a little as she realized how cocky it must've made her.

"I'm proud of you, Jasmine." She raised her eyebrows in surprise; where had that come from? "You've become a lot more confident in yourself over the time I've known you," he explained, his smile widening. "Heck, I think you finally believe in yourself as much as we all believe in you."

She smiled back at him. "I think you're right." She paused. "Thank you, Sain. Thank you for always being there to support me and for always being there to put a smile on my face. I couldn't have made it this far without you." She opened her arms toward him, smiling even wider, and he grinned as he embraced her.

"I should be the one thanking you," he murmured to her. "You've always been there to keep me on my toes and have always been watching out for me. So thank you. You're the greatest sister a guy could ask for." He released her, grinning innocently down at her.

"You're being too darn sweet! I-" She suddenly cut herself short, her eyes turning wide as orbs. She shook her head. "Wait…did you just say sister?"

His grin broadened even more. "I sure did!"

It took a moment for her to fit the pieces together, but when she did, she began to laugh. "It seems like you've already made up your mind about what you're going to do after the war, huh?"

He grinned widely, nodding.

"And apparently what I'm doing too," she added, shaking her head and smiling. "But, hey, I actually kinda like the idea of having an older brother…"

"I've always wanted a younger sister," Sain admitted. "So that I could go and tell all the guys to back away from her!"

She raised an eyebrow, smiling in amusement. "So you're gonna tell Raven to back away from me?"

Sain's eyes widened in alarm and he tugged at the collar of the shirt. "Err…well…the situation's a bit different…"

She laughed and was about to tell him that she was only teasing when Kent shouted for Sain. They both turned to see the redheaded Paladin rushing their way.

"Oh, good morning, Jasmine," Kent greeted as he caught sight of the brunette. She smiled and politely greeted him in return. "Say…have either of you two seen Farina?"

"No, I haven't," Jasmine replied, shaking her head.

"I can't say I have either," Sain said. He was wearing a sly smirk. "Why're you looking for her, anyways?" Jasmine glanced at him questioningly.

"To lecture her," Kent deadpanned. He was frowning. "Fiora told me that Farina'd been up drinking with the pirates last night." He shook his head in disapproval, sighing. "Really, it's no time to fool around when we're so close to ending this war…we all need to keep our focus." He sighed again, and this time he rubbed his temple. "I have no idea what I'm going to do about that girl."

Sain's smirk became even slyer. "Why are you always so concerned about her? Farina this, Farina that…there are plenty of others causing mischief around the army." Here he looked pointedly at Jasmine, who gaped at him and then pursed her lips. He winked at her before returning his attention to his redheaded – and now red-faced – friend.

"You-" he started, but Sain cut him off, nodding toward other side of the ship.

"Say, isn't that the blue-haired beauty over there?"

Kent turned on his heels and caught sight of said Ilian knight. She was walking slowly, with a hand on her forehead, her face a ghostly pale. Kent's expression softened and he excused himself to the brunette pair before making his way toward Farina. Sain and Jasmine watched as he approached her. Farina instantly straightened up when she saw Kent heading her way, and they appeared to argue at first (Farina arguing more, it seemed) until Farina simpered down and let Kent walk her back down below deck.

"My boon companion's a lucky man, isn't he?" Sain said, grinning down at Jasmine. "To have found such a beautiful woman to fall in love with…sure, she might be some work, but I think they really bring out the best of each other."

"It's crazy, isn't it?" Jasmine shook her head. "Unbelievable, really, to think that we can all find love in the middle of a raging war…"

"I think," Sain argued, "in times of war people learn the most about each other. Even in a short period they know the habits of their comrades; what time they wake up, what their favorite meal is…so, honestly, I think that it's no wonder people bond and become close to one another – and yes, even close enough to fall in love."

Jasmine was quiet, contemplating his words. Then she smiled. "I think you might just be right about that." Sain smiled in return. "Say, speaking of favorite meals…do you think they're serving-"

"Carrot stew?" Sain interrupted, grinning widely. "I don't know, let's go take a look, shall we?" As they made their way towards the kitchen, he asked her, "But if they don't have carrot stew, do you think they might be serving-"

"Roasted chicken and potatoes?" Jasmine asked, smirking. "For breakfast…I'm not so sure, but let's hope so."

It turned out that neither of their favorites were being served. Rather, it was Marcus's favorite (which must've been why the Paladin was standing at the front of the line) – eggs and toast. Jasmine and Sain glanced at each other, laughed, and told Marcus that they hoped he would enjoy his meal, despite the strange look they received in return.

~-x-~-~-x-~-~-x-~-

She felt like she was flying.

This is what it felt like, being high up in the air, hearing the wind rush in her ears, taking in the deep and fresh air around her.

However, it wasn't quite the same. Instead of sitting on her soft and fluffy Huey, she was standing. And she didn't feel so almighty and powerful as she so often did when she flew – she always felt like she could take on the world, because it felt so miniscule in comparison – rather, she felt apprehensive. The reason that lay behind her nerves was, instead of Huey as her companion, she had Dart. The pirate stood by her side, and rather close at that. Though they weren't quite touching, all she had to do was move her hand a fraction of an inch and she would bump into him.

"Ye ain't scared, are ye?" Dart asked, catching her nervous look and thinking it was because of the height. "I assumed ye wouldn't mind that it's so high up 'ere since you're always up on your Pegasus in the sky, but if ye ain't comfortable-"

She shook her head, smiling up at him. "I-I'm alright," she said softly. It was sweet of him to worry.

Dart smiled in return. He had a really rather handsome smile. It was much softer and gentler than one would initially think he would have. "Okay, if ye say so." He returned his attention at the sea, relaxed. Whenever Dart got a hangover, he would have a cupful of the strongest tea and wobble up on to the crow's nest to relax. It always cleared his mind up there because it was so quiet and peaceful.

So it was a bit of a spur of the moment decision when asked Florina if she'd accompany him to the crow's nest. He'd thought that it might be nice to have a moment alone with her, but he'd assumed that she would probably decline his offer. He could say he had been quite surprised when the Falcon Knight had glanced away shyly, ducking her head and murmuring a barely audible, "O-okay..."

Florina peeked at Dart through the corner of her eye. Incidentally, Fiora had told Florina to stay clear of Dart this morning, muttering something about "gambling" and "bad influence." Then, right after Fiora had left in search of Heath, Farina had come by (perhaps she'd actually been waiting for Fiora to leave?), telling her lavender-haired sister (while looking sickly pale, much to Florina's dismay) to ignore Fiora's advice and to do what Florina felt was right. Dart was a good guy, after all. What was so wrong with spending some time with him? Florina was unable to reply or comment, because Farina had scrambled away when Lucius had arrived to tell her that Kent was looking for her.

Florina realized she could ask Dart if her sisters' strange behavior made any sense to him, but she didn't want to burden him with questions. Then she realized how much time they had spent in silence. She berated herself for being so silent; after all, he had invited her up here, and now here she was, being rude by knowingly ignoring him. But what would she say? What if she said something stupid and uninteresting? What if-

"D-Dart?" She didn't even realize that words were spilling out of her mouth before they were spoken. He turned to her, clearly surprised that she had spoken before being spoken to.

"Aye?" Instantly he looked concerned. "Ye alright?"

She smiled meekly, nodding. "I…I j-just wanted to…to thank you." His eyebrows shot up. "F-for…bringing me up here." She took in a deep breath. "It…it was very nice of you."

His cheeks tinged pink. He scratched the back of his bandana, smiling sheepishly. "Err…yeah, it's no problem at all. I'm glad you're enjoyin' it." He paused, trying to continue the conversation. "Is it kinda like flyin', bein' up here?"

Her smile widened, and she nodded. "B-but even better," she squeaked out, her face turning a bright shade of red.

"Better?" Dart asked questioningly. "How so?"

She fidgeted with her fingers, glancing down at her boots. It took a couple moments for her to respond, and at first it wasn't even by words. Dart felt something warm and soft loop through his fingers, and he looked down to see that Florina had taken his hand in hers. He felt his own face heat up.

"B-because…because…" She looked up at him, her eyes making contact with his. Although her voice shook and the fingers he held trembled, she made sure to maintain eye contact with him. "Because I'm with you."

Dart flushed a deep shade of red. Florina hadn't even realized that he could turn so red! Out of both surprise and anxiety, she let out a small laugh, unable to stop herself.

"Wh-what's funny?" Dart grumbled, feeling even more embarrassed.

"I-I'm so s-s-sorry!" Florina stuttered, feeling terrible. "It's…it's just…"

"Ye didn't think I could blush so hard, eh?" Dart grinned, though he was still blushing. "Well, I didn't know so either! Too bad I don't look as cute as you do when you blush!"

"D-Dart!" she squealed in embarrassment.

"What? It's true! Aw, to hell with it! I can't take this any longer!" Taking her other hand, he turned her so that they were directly looking at one another. Florina, flustered and aghast at his abruptness, simply gaped at him in shock. "Florina, there's something I've been wantin' to tell ye fer some time now. I-"

"FLORINA!" a voice shouted. They both turned to see Fiora, riding atop Makar, making her way toward them. Dart cursed underneath his breath. When she got closer to them, Dart could practically see the daggers she was shooting his way with her eyes. "What did I tell you about spending time with Dart?!"

"What?" Dart growled angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Fiora all but ignored him. Florina seemed too shocked to really say anything. "C'mon, Florina, we're about to dock. It's dangerous to stay up here." Here she shot another venomous look Dart's way.

Florina glanced back at Dart. "B-but Sis…!"

"No but's. C'mon." She extended her hand toward her youngest sister. Florina sighed.

"I…I'm sorry," she murmured to Dart, looking truly crestfallen. He smiled reassuringly at her, squeezing her hand.

"It's not your fault. Go on, now."

She offered him one last apologetic glance before taking her sister's hand and jumping on the back of Makar. Fiora threw Dart one last hateful glare before flying off. Dart watched them leave silently.

So Farina was not the sister he had to watch out for. No, it was that innocent-looking Fiora he had to keep an eye on…

"Game on," he smirked.

So, Chapter 26 is finally complete! I seriously had so much trouble writing this chapter for some reason...I kept working on and off at it for a good two months before I just ended doing the entire thing in one go yesterday. Hey, at least it worked out, right?

I realized that this chapter focused quite a lot on Dart and Florina, but I just can't help myself. Turns out I really like the idea of them together (and all the drama it brings having those sisters, of course!) :P I also realized that this is the longest interaction of Raven and Jasmine we've seen since they confessed their love for each other, so it was kinda interesting to show how they interacted afterwards. Still teasing towards each other, but in a more affectionate way.

So, there are only two chapters left. I've officially decided so. I just hope I can finish it before summer ends. O.O