Dea grabbed her pistol and fired a warning shot in the direction of their oncoming enemies. This surprised them, as a couple men momentarily lost their footing. The unaffected one charged forward and launched an axe at Deacon's head. He dodged it and the weapon lodged in the wall behind them. He aimed the barrel of his gun straight at the unarmed man's forehead, who stepped back cautiously.

"You are harboring a criminal of the Armada," He spoke, eyes flickering among the three that stood before him and Dea. "Surrender him now , or you all will be arrested."

"Like Hell we'll let you take him!" The archer spat. He straightened his back and tightened his grip on the bow.

"Drop your weapons." Dea added threateningly, adjusting her aim at him. His gaze turned as he slowly loaded his bow, unphased by her warning.

" Stai fermo! " The spymaster snapped, taking a bold step forward. "We will not hesitate to kill you."

Grins spread on their faces. They accepted the challenge. "Likewise."

The gunman in the back raised his weapon. Deacon only had a second to push him and Dea down to the floor, avoiding the spray of oncoming bullets and arrows. Once they paused to reload, he climbed to his knees and fired in their direction, successfully shooting one of them in the shoulder. They wasted no time jumping from their position - attacking whoever was closest. Deacon pistol-whipped the axeman, incapacitating him, while Dea wrestled with the archer.

The man was bigger than her, successfully pinning her to the ground with his bow pressed against her throat. Her eyes bulged as they moved to Deacon, but he wasn't there anymore. She looked around as much as she could in her state, and spotted the end of his cape retreating into the house. The gunman was bleeding out a few feet away from them, clutching his chest and wheezing heavily.

" Deacon! " She cried.

She attempted to kick her foe, but to no avail. He was choking her painfully . She was losing more oxygen as the seconds passed by. A rush of adrenaline overcame Dea as she kneed him roughly in the chest. It knocked the air out of him. She fired a bullet into one of his legs, making him scream and fall to his knees.

She ran to the house, wasting no time. Just as she reached the doorway, a large woman pushed past her, wailing as she fled. Dea rushed inside. She found Deacon restraining a small, balding man in handcuffs. He was shaking in his grasp - several tears streaming down his face as he was forcefully brought to his feet. He tugged him forward and spared his partner a quick glance as they walked by.

"We need to go." Was all he said. He walked off before she could say anything back.

She chased after him, clenching the handle of her gun tightly. She felt furious ! "That's all you have to say to me!?"

"Our witness ran before I could stop her," He paused to scoff at their prisoner fighting against his grip. He pulled on the cuffs with no effort. "We have to leave before she alarms anyone of what we've done."

"I - I can't believe you! Did you even see me getting choked back there?"

She was having trouble breathing right. Her chest felt tight and her throat was still aching. Her gloved hand reached upwards and clutched it without second thought.

"I assumed you could handle it."

They started on a secret path leading to the docks. They needed to avoid detection. He lied about their reasoning for being here. Officially chasing after his guilty party would've only required more paperwork, and he didn't have the time for it. So being caught with this convict would bring trouble he wanted to avoid. Dea apparently didn't care, as she continued to scream at him while they went.

" ¡Cómo te atreves! I could've died! Why did we even march out there without a plan!? We could've easily been outnumbered, and-"

"-I had a plan." He interrupted. "There was a clear escape, in case things got carried away."

Her mouth opened and closed several times. "You knew and didn't tell me? Oh, so you would've been just fine? And what about me?"

Her tone increased with each word she spoke. Anyone nearby could hear them. He stopped and whispered in alarm. "Keep your voice down! Someone will hear you."

She pointed a gloved finger at him, prepared to deliver the loudest outburst she could manage, but stopped herself. She couldn't let her emotions get the best of her - not *now*. Still. She was absolutely seething inside. This wouldn't be the last he'd hear of it. With an aggravated 'hmph' , she stomped right past him and rushed through the rest of the route, not uttering another word to her 'co-captain'.

When they arrived at the Executioner, the prisoner was promptly secured in a cell down in the brig. They made haste in leaving - not wasting another moment in Monquista. They swiftly traveled through the nearest stormgate. Deacon wanted to play it safe and hang low through the night, to ensure their little stir would pass by quietly. Since they already obtained their first runaway, he could start looking into completing the businesses Kane listed for him tomorrow.

Their ship sailed quietly in the waters. Night fell upon them only an hour after they left. All was silent beyond the splash of the waves hitting the boat. It was a dark evening, which was fortunate for the crew, as they wished not to be spotted by any nearby vessels at this time.

One of the soldiers posed for watchstanding offered Deacon a lantern to guide his way, but he declined. It wouldn't be long before he would retire to his quarters.

He stood on the quarter deck, resting against the railing. He inhaled the familiar end of a cigarette before slowly exhaling the smoke. He was working off his stress in the most efficient way he knew. He raised his head to admire the dim moon far off in the sky. Stars were beginning to appear - and although it was a calming sight, nothing could distract him from the amount of thoughts plaguing his head right now.

For their first day, it was more than successful. Not only had they located their first target, but apprehended him as well. He should be proud of what they accomplished. But he couldn't shake the guilt churning in his stomach. How angry Dea had sounded - and the small trace of betrayal when she called out his name…He left her there without a second thought, in the impression that she could easily free herself and take care of that man. That he didn't need to * worry * about her.

Apparently, he misjudged.

Could he be blamed? He didn't know anything about her - and that included her experience with fighting. Perhaps they hadn't communicated properly…after all, he chose not to reveal his plan to her, thinking that if he did, she would only challenge it and complicate things. This was what he despised about being assigned a partner. He could've handled the entire ordeal on his own without worrying about anyone weighing him down.

Then again…it's not like * she * asked for this, either. He was sure Dea was only chosen as an afterthought, after it was determined that he needed someone to team up with. He was proven inept before she ever came into the picture.

Maybe he was doing something wrong…

He felt disgusted and wanted to retire to bed already. Deacon safely extinguished his cigarette, but hesitated to move anywhere. He was sure she was already waiting in their shared room. Dea had been avoiding him ever since they boarded their ship. He imagined the ear-full he'd be receiving in a few minutes from now.

Sharing a cabin with her was not going to be easy…

Beep! Beep!

The spymaster looked down in surprise when his communicator began to ring. He checked who was calling and held his breath when he read the name. He mentally prepared himself before accepting it with the press of a button.

Kane's voice sounded quietly from the device. "Buona sera. How did your first day go?"

He attempted to sound confident. "We have already re-captured our first fugitive."

"Really?" He sounded unconvinced. It slightly hurt his ego. "Where did you go? Was there any trouble?"

"...Monquista," He sighed. "We may have aroused a little suspicion. A witness escaped before I could detain her. It may cause a little trouble, if word is known-"

"-That can easily be taken care of."

He felt reassured, relaxing as his gaze came back to the ocean surrounding him. He missed this view, after being held back from duty for so long. He almost felt free. This was where he belonged. Out in his field of work, traveling from island-to-island. Imprisoning undesirables. Proving himself worthy to the Armada, and in his father's eyes. He was grateful to be given this opportunity again. Even more so that he hadn't disappointed his superior right away.

For a moment, he felt proud.

"Tell me. How are things otherwise?"

Kane's tone changed into something more…curious. But not in an accusing way. Rarely would he ever spare the minute to ask how he was personally doing. He arched an eyebrow in confusion as he considered the question.

"...Fine. Perché ?"

He decided to get to the point. "Are you getting along with your fellow 'captain'?"

'Ah. That's why.' His jaw unwillingly locked itself as he thought on how to answer. He didn't want to reveal the ugly truth right away. But he'd rather not lie to Kane, either. Doing so always came back to bite him. It was a tough mental battle he found himself in for a few seconds.

"I will work to make things better."

"...Not so well, then?"

"She is difficult to get along with," Deacon finally spilled. He held a hand to his mask, pressing it against his forehead. "I think Queen did this on purpose."

"Regardless. You need to learn to work with her - no matter how you feel about it. You two are partners, which means you need to respect each other."

His eyes came to the floor, thinking heavily on his words. Was it respect that they were missing between them?

"The sooner you come to terms with it, the better." The deep voice resumed, pulling him from his thoughts. " I do not want any failure caused by you two butting heads. Am I clear?"

"Of course."

"Have a good night. Travel safely."

The call ended. Deacon stared at his wrist before slowly lowering it, moving both hands to clutch at his cane. There was still a terrible amount on his mind - but one thing needed to be addressed first. He'd have to approach Dea in their cabin tonight and apologize for what he'd done today.