"You are allowed to roam the deck today," Amelia said and Lunette frowned. "Was there an actual reason before?" Amelia fixed the collar of her coat and nodded. "We were still in waters that were monitored by the academy. We have now flown over waters that are intergalactic," Amelia explained. Then she asked, "Will you need help getting dressed?" Lunette pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat in the bed and she shook her head. "I can put myself in my corset." Amelia nodded and said, "Well, I will see you out and about today." Lunette smiled for Amelia and when she left Lunette's smile disappeared and she fell back into the bed and laid there.

What had happened between her and Jim last night? Why had she said what she had? She covered her face with her hands. She had flirted with him! And she was so opaque about it and terribly blunt. Dear lord, her father had been right that she was far too forthcoming when it came to men. She sighed and slid her hands away from her face before she eased up and stretched. She dressed slowly and instead of dressing in her fine dress, she slipped into a simple dress that she had made the summer before. It was a basic fitted cotton dress, with a small bustle, and a flowing skirt. It was a summer dress truthfully, but for travel it was simple enough to look lovely.

She craned her neck and pulled her hair out of its braid, and wrapped it up into its coiffed bun before she eased outside onto the deck. Men were bustling about, the cabin boy, she saw, yawned and she heard Jim say, "Go below. Sleep." And the young man nodded and smiled sleepily. Lunette felt laughter bubble past her lips for a moment until she heard Ryker say, "You know he's happier without you though." She rolled her eyes and turned to look at him as he hung from the rope ladder. She sighed and said, "Ryker, I am happy for him, truly I am. I'm sorry for my poor attitude yesterday." Ryker's eyes widened and as much as her pride broke in those moments that she was nice to him, she saw him frown and he eyed her. "Really?" he groused and she nodded sweetly. "Really, what happened between him and I was years ago." And he pulled himself further up and said, "You're a strange woman Lunette." Her chest tightened at those words. And how right he really was.

She took in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh as she turned back around and her eyes went wide at the sight of the tip of a sword pointed in her face. Her eyes followed up the blade and found Jim wielding it. "Can you protect yourself?" Jim pondered and Lunette frowned, "What do you mean?" "If something happens and I can't help you, I need to know you'll be safe." She arched a brow, "I will be perfectly fine if anything were to happen."

"I want you to show me," he ordered and she rolled her eyes. "I don't have time to be playing games Lieutenant Hawkins." And she tried to walk about him, but he took the sword and smacked her shoulder. She whipped around and glared at him, how dare he?! "I do not have time to be rescuing a damsel in distress," he countered gruffly. Her eyes widened and Amelia's voice interrupted them. "Prove him wrong dearie, I would love to see the look on his face," Amelia said teasingly. Lunette nodded and walked down into the Captain's quarters. She revealed herself once more and her own sword. And he stared at her before he looked up at Amelia. "Is that sword yours?" he asked. Amelia chuckled as she braced herself on the stern. "No, she brought it herself."

"I am not afraid of you," she stated as she took a firm stance. She held her sword out to him and he noted, by the way she stood, and how she held her arms, she was rather well-trained in the fashion of sword fighting. "Fencing classes will not be enough to prove you can protect yourself," he forewarned as he pulled his blade to touch hers. "My step-father is an excellent swordsman, he gladly passed his skills onto me," she said. And with that the thrust herself forward into an attack. He deflected it easily, and then he charged her, but she too deflected and brushed his attack off, well enough to side-step him and escape him.

And they danced like this, one attacking the other counter-attacking, another attacking and vise versa. She realized in short time that he was looking to tire her out, to see how long she would last before faltering in her attacks and defense against him. But suddenly she rushed her weight forward and struck his hand, just enough to have his grip falter and have her sling his sword up and away from him. She turned, just in time to catch the fallen sword before swinging back around and taking aim. Jim was running at her and stopped dead as the blades were now pressed tightly against his throat.

"This is unfair to do in a corset," she panted. Lunette watched his eyes suddenly dance with life, as his boot shoved its way to her skirts and he knocked her back. Her eyes went wide as she stumbled, dropping a sword to allow the other to strike down into the deck catching her. "Do not announce your weaknesses," he said firmly. She whipped back around to glare at him and her eyes went wider feeling his blade slip along the column of her throat. He chuckled as he let it lower to slice cleanly through her chemise, but suddenly his eyes went wide as she knocked his blade away with the top of her shoulder hitting the flat of the blade and lunged at him. The tip of her blade caught his collar, twisting just enough for her to pull it down leaving his chest suddenly bare. The galaxy wind caused it to billow and he huffed in a strong breath, she raised her blade once more and gulped as she blushed madly. Embarrassment shone brightly on her face, but she refused to be underestimated. And she took her move, she lunged once more, his blade smacked haughtily against hers and she kept up her attack.

She chased him back to the edge of the ship and the crowd that had formed around them went quiet. Jim chuckled at her rather distinguished face looking so stern and focused, although she was blushing madly. How unfortunate would it be if he could sweep the expression right off her face? Her blade pressed up to his once more and he leaned his close into his chest and as her face inched closer and closer a smile delicately traced her lips. Until. Until he leaned in and kissed her. She froze and pulled away.

Her guard fell and he pressed his attack into her, knocking her back, until she slipped and fell to the deck with a solid thud. She looked at him in confusion and he chuckled, "You are a woman Lunette, never let your guard down." And with that he reached down for her and she refused his help. "That was not fair," she whispered softly, as she eased herself up to her feet. "Pirates do not play fair," he said darkly. The hair stood up on the back of her neck. She watched him lick his lips, before he stepped away from her and took his leave. She watched him until he disappeared into the bellows of the ship and Amelia's hand touched Lunette's shoulder. "You should mend your dress," Amelia reasoned. She threw her sword into the deck out of frustration, much like a young girl would stomp her foot, before she turned away and headed for the Captain's quarters. She threw open the door and huffed inside before slamming it in her wake.

She peered about the room before she tossed herself onto the bed and screamed into the pillows. And she pulled away and yelled, "How dare he toy with me!" She heard Amelia's laughter and she faced the woman. "Why would he do such a thing?" she asked. Amelia smiled and walked over to her and cupped the young girl's face in her hands. She looked upon her young face and said, "How like a child you are, you must remember that my children are not much younger than you, perhaps he sees you this way too?" Lunette blushed and shook her head. Her hands covered Amelia's wrists and she said, "He looks at me much in the same fashion that Jackson does. Possessively. It's why he had been keeping Ryker away from me." Amelia's eyes widened and Lunette admitted, "Amelia I am not a stranger to a man's lust, nor my own. And what I felt just then when he kissed me was like nothing before." Amelia smiled and rolled her face into Lunette's. "How cute you are Lunette. For now though, you need to sleep, for we will arrive to Tortucana in the morning." And Lunette felt how tired she was. She stretched her hands over her head and took in a deep breath. She rubbed her faced and sighed, "Why would he kiss me?" she murmured and Amelia said, "You heard him, pirates don't play fair."