The Centurion, or what was left of it, slowly sank beneath the waves. The captain quickly turned away from the burning wreckage and rubbed her eyes with thumb and forefinger. "Let's get out of here." She said quietly before shouting, "All hands to sail! Catch every scrap of wind!" The crew jumped to follow her orders and soon enough every sail was unfurled. The ship lurched forward as the wind gathered in the sails and the ship went flying out of the harbor.

The captain turned towards the captives and gave them a questioning look. Chloe could feel Aubrey grow tense and defensive as the captain walked towards them. She knelt down in front of the two friends, giving them a thorough examination. With the captain this close Chloe could make out more details. The earrings in her ear looked to be made out of silver, three were simple rings lining the cartilage. The other two hung from the lobe, each just simple pins about three inches long.

What was more interesting was her eyes. When she turned to look at Chloe the redhead could see just how deep of blue they really were, just like the ocean around them. They also had an intensity to them that Chloe couldn't quite understand. They seemed to study everything about her in a matter of seconds. And yet, when Chloe made eye contact she could see a bit of pain hidden behind the stare. She held eye contact for several seconds before the captain looked away.

She stood up and turned back to Conrad, "Put them in my quarters for now. I'll figure out what to do with them in the morning."

Conrad gave the captain a side eye glance, "Are you sure captain? Shouldn't we throw them in the brig?"

The captain shook her head, "Remember what happened with Lilly the last time we put someone in there?" Conrad's face blanched and nodded her head. "Besides, these are women of stature." The captain's tone turned from serious to sarcastic, almost sardonic. "They need a higher standard."

Conrad laughed before moving towards the captives. She drew her rapier which caused the girls to flinch but she only used it to cut the rope attached to the banister. Aubrey tried to resist when the woman grabbed her arm, glaring at the pirate in front of them. Conrad just looked at her before rolling her eyes, "Look princess, you can either make this easy or difficult. And trust me when I say you don't want to make this difficult."

For a second it looked like Aubrey was going to continue to struggle then her shoulders sagged. Since they were still bound together, Chloe and Aubrey struggled to stand up. Once they were on their feet Conrad grabbed the rope and led them down the stairs to the main deck. She turned around and headed to the door directly under the helm, unlocking it before dragging the girls inside.

"All right," Conrad started working on their bonds. "Before you get any ideas about escaping you should know that there are no firearms in here." The rope around Chloe's wrist came undone. The redhead rubbed her wrists as Conrad moved to work on Aubrey's restraints. "And if you think that any of the blades in here could help you, you are welcome to try." Aubrey's hands came free and the blonde glared at the pirate while she undid the gag in her mouth.

"My father will see you all hanged." Aubrey growled. Conrad looked unimpressed and simply shrugged.

"Actually the whole idea of having you on board is so that doesn't happen." Conrad took a step closer to Aubrey and the blonde straightened her back in defiance. Conrad smiled as she raked her eyes over Aubrey. "The bed is over there," She gestured to the far wall with her finger. "If that isn't comfortable enough for you you're more than welcome to come sleep in my hammock." Her voice had dropped to a more husky tone by the end of the sentence.

It was hard to see in the darkness of the cabin, but Chloe could have sworn she saw her friend glance down at the pirate's breasts, which were still uncovered, before quickly spinning on her heel. Conrad quietly laughed to herself before turning to Chloe, "There will be breakfast in the morning. Until then try not to break anything."

Conrad turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. Chloe could make out the soft click of a key and she realized that they were locked inside the cabin. She looked around the room but now that the door was shut there was very little light. She could hear Aubrey moving around but where the blonde actually was. After taking a few steps forward and managing not to step on anything she made her way in the direction that Conrad had said the bed was.

After stumbling around for several minutes her eyes finally managed to adjust to the darkness. She could make out the faint outline of a bed in the corner of the room so she made her way towards it. Holding out her hands so she wouldn't bump into anything, Chloe managed to make her way over to the bed without incident. Aubrey on the other hand seemed to be having a bit of trouble.

"Why are there no lanterns in here?" Aubrey grumbled as she struggled around the room.

"I don't know," Chloe said. "Just come over here and go to sleep."

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" Aubrey asked. "We've been kidnapped by a band of pirates and are being held hostage."

Chloe shrugged, not that Aubrey could see it in the dark. "There's nothing we can do about it now so we might as well rest. Who knows what we're in for tomorrow."

She heard Aubrey mumble something under her breath but couldn't make out what she was saying. After a little while Aubrey gave up her search for a lantern and stumbled over to the bed. She laid down next to Chloe, maneuvering around the wedding dress her friend was still stuck in.

Chloe laid there quietly waiting for her body to relax. It took longer than she would have liked but the gentle swaying of the ship and the sound of the waves against the hull helped to calm her down. She could hear the sounds of the crew moving around the ship and the creak of rigging being pulled. Despite her father owning a large trade empire Chloe was rarely ever on an actual ship. Her mother had always despised sailing so their family never made it out on the water. Now that she thought about it her mother hated most things that didn't involve drinking and gossiping with the other women in her social circle.

The adrenaline that resulted from her hectic day was wearing off and her body was feeling the fatigue of being kidnapped. She squirmed around on the bed to try and find a comfortable position, made rather difficult by the obnoxious wedding dress. After a mumbled complaint from Aubrey, Chloe finally managed to calm down and fall asleep.


Chloe awoke to the sound of the crew moving about the ship. She struggled to sit up, her body sore from sleeping in an awkward position. The room was much better light now that there was sunlight shining through the windows that lined the back wall of the cabin. A quick glance to her side told her that Aubrey was still sound asleep. Chloe smiled to herself, for all her blustering last night Aubrey had managed to fall asleep easily and was now dead to the world. Slowly, as not to disturb her friend, Chloe dragged herself out of bed and took a look around the quarters they had been given.

It was surprisingly clean, Chloe had figured that a pirate would care little for cleanliness but the cabin was quite tidy. She looked over the walls quickly, noting the dark wood that the cabin was composed of. Above the door was a black flag with an insignia she had never seen before. It appeared to be the face of a beautiful woman, with her eyes closed and her mouth open like she was speaking, or maybe singing. Framing the woman's face in a loose circle were what looked like stylized laurels. As she took a closer look Chloe couldn't help but notice the detail that had been put into the flag. The woman was wearing some sort of circlet and while the rest of the picture was white, the circlet was woven with beautiful treads made of gold. As far as Chloe knew most Jolly Rogers were simple so as to be more recognizable from a distance. This flag, however, was a work of art.

Chloe managed to pry her eyes away from the tapestry above the door and look at the rest of the room. There was a dresser in the corner that presumably held the captain's clothes, although Chloe had never heard of pirates needing more than one set of clothing. But then again this was a very peculiar pirate crew. On the wall above the dresser was a display of a wide range of bladed weapons. There were several swords that Chloe recognized, rapiers and larger broadswords, but there were several that she had never seen before. They were all oiled and gleaming, leading Chloe to believe that the captain was either just a clean person or that she was prolific with her swordplay.

Turning away from the impressive sword display, she noticed that there was a table that sat opposite the bed. On it were several maps of various areas and regions, some of which Chloe had never heard of. Above the desk was a framed map of the Caribbean, the various Islands listed and labeled clearly. As she looked closer Chloe noticed that the map appeared to be more complete and more detailed than any of the maps in her father's study. Looking even closer she saw that there were several islands that didn't appear on any of the maps she knew. One in particular stood out among the rest, north and east of the Bahamas, there was an Island that Chloe was fairly certain didn't exist.

Before she could investigate further the sound of the door unlocking stopped any snooping. The door opened to reveal the large blonde from yesterday carrying a tray with two platters. Each platter held what looked like a slice of ham and a hard biscuit slathered with gravy.

"Hello ginger, sleep alright did ya?" The blonde said in her strange accent while Chloe tried to keep her distance. The blonde shrugged, clearly not offended by Chloe's obvious mistrust. "Here's your food. If you proper ladies can't eat all that I'll be more than happy to take it off your hands." She set the tray on the desk, pushing a few maps onto the floor to make room. "Right, no idea what the captain has in store for you but we might as well introduce ourselves," the blonde held out her hand to Chloe. "Name's Fat Amy."

Chloe looked at the hand with a bit of apprehension, "Your name is Fat Amy?"

"Yeah, that way proper twig bitches like you don't do it behind me back." Amy kept her hand outstretched, smiling at her own joke. Chloe held out her own hand which Amy grabbed and shook with gusto. Once Chloe managed to pry her hand free she rolled her sore shoulder, making a mental note to not shake the blonde's hand again. The two were startled when Aubrey suddenly sat bolt upright in the bed.

She looked confused for a second before her face cleared and locked eyes with Chloe. "That wasn't a dream was it?"

Chloe shook her head before glancing at the pirate next to her. "Aubrey, this is…uhm."

"I told you girly, the name is Fat Amy. Didn't get bonked on your noggin did ye?" Amy made a show of reaching for Chloe's head to which the redhead ducked out of the way. "Right, well enjoy the food. If you need anything, ask someone else." Before they could say anything Amy was out the door, locking it behind her as she left.

"That was weird," Chloe mumbled to herself. She took the platters from the tray on the desk and walked back over to Aubrey. She sat down on the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to her so that Aubrey would join her. She looked down at the plate in her lap and tried not to cringe. The meal wasn't exactly appetizing, the biscuit, despite the gravy, wasn't much better than a rock. The meat, lucky, looked fine and Chloe decided to eat that first. Only then did she realize that they hadn't been provided utensils. Aubrey appeared even less impressed than Chloe, staring at the food with distaste.

"Well, this is lovely isn't it?" Aubrey picked up her bread, nibbling at it a little bit. Chloe hummed in agreement before picking up the ham with her fingers. It wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be, maybe a little salty but that was to be expected. Most ships, pirate or otherwise, couldn't afford to keep fresh food in stock.

They sat quietly eating their food. Neither could really bring themselves to talk about their situation since it appeared to be utterly hopeless. They didn't know where they were or how long they would be on the ship. For all they knew the captain could decide that they were too much trouble and throw them overboard.

Once they were done eating Chloe put the plates back on the tray. Unsure about what they were supposed to do now, the girls just sat down and waited. Well Chloe waited while Aubrey paced from one end of the room to the other. Watching your friend wear a hole in the deck gets old fast so Chloe went back to her exploration of the cabin. There wasn't much else to the room than what she had already seen but after a few minutes of scrutiny she made a discovery.

Under the bed was a wooden box filled with various books. Chloe gently ran her fingers over the hard leather covers, studying the names along the spines. There were a few she recognized, several works of Shakespeare, but there were a couple she had never heard of. Like a book called Don Quixote, probably Spanish, and there were several books that she couldn't even tell what language it was written in.

Aubrey took a look over Chloe's shoulder and scoffed. "Wonder which library they stole those from." She reached past Chloe and picked up one of the books that the redhead didn't recognize. "This is in Greek, I think it might be Homer."

Chloe looked back at her friend, "You read Greek?"

"Not really, I just recognize the alphabet." Aubrey put the book back where she found it.

"Good eye, but that one isn't Homer, it's Sophocles." The girls spun around to see the captain standing behind them, arms crossed across her chest. "Homer is the one next to it." The captain strode forward and kicked the box back under the bed. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to go rooting through someone else's things."

Probably the wrong thing to say to an angry Posen. "Oh and it's perfect etiquette to kidnap two innocent people and hold them for ransom?"

"Yeah innocent," the captain mumbled sarcastically. She looked them over again and cringed before moving to the dresser. After opening a few drawers she pulled out two sets of clothes and tossed them towards the girls. "Put those on. I doubt you're comfortable in well…that." She gestured to the pair's dresses. Aubrey huffed but Chloe looked down at the simple cotton pants and shirt. They looked infinitely more comfortable than the wedding dress she was trapped in.

Chloe put the clothes on the bed before she started working on the laces in the front of her dress. The captain's eyes went wide and she spun around before Chloe could get any farther. Aubrey was equally scandalized, reaching out and grabbing Chloe's hands. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I am not going to be stuck in this stupid dress for however long we're here." Chloe went back to the laces, only to have Aubrey slap her hands again.

"You can't just go around undressing in front of people!" Aubrey whispered harshly.

"It's not like there's a changing room on board Bree."

"That still doesn't mean you need to strip in front of the enemy." She gestured with her eyes to the pirate.

Chloe looked at the captain who's back was still turned to them. "She's a woman, it's not like she hasn't seen any of this before." She gestured to her body. "Besides you saw the way that Conrad girl walked around."

The captain chuckled, gaining the girls' attention. "Stacie is a bit of a strange one. But don't worry Ms. Posen I'll leave you two to change." She left the room and Chloe went back to taking off her dress. Aubrey scoffed before giving her set of clothes a disdainful look.

"You can either stand there and glare the clothes into submission or put them on but before you do that could you please help me out of this thing?" Chloe had managed to get the front laces undone but the dress was made in such a way that the back needed to be untied as well. Aubrey moved to stand behind her and after several minutes they managed to get the dress loose enough for Chloe to wiggle out. Now that she was only in her undergarments Chloe took a deep breath. The dress had been rather constricting so she relished the opportunity to breathe.

She quickly donned the clothes given to her, a simple pair of pants, a shirt, and a belt to go around her waist. When putting on the pants she noticed that they were a tad too short for her. 'That captain really is small,' She thought.

Just as she finished strapping on the belt there was a knock at the door. Half a second later the captain walked back into the room. She looked Chloe up and down, giving an almost imperceptible nod of approval. When she looked at Aubrey the sarcastic smirk returned, "You're welcome to keep wearing that Miss Posen, but I wouldn't recommend it."

Aubrey glared at the captain before snatching the clothes and throwing them back at the pirate. The captain just caught the bundle and shrugged, she moved back to the dresser and returned the clothing. "Suit yourself."

The captain looked to the empty platters on the table before turning to the girls. "Was breakfast alright? Sorry if it's not up to your usual standards but Amy isn't exactly the best cook around." Her voice made it clear that the pirate wasn't actually apologetic.

"If you two will follow me." It sounded more like a command than a suggestion. The girls share an uneasy look. Aubrey clearly didn't want to leave the cabin but Chloe wanted to at least get some fresh air into her lungs. They had a silent debate for almost a full minute before Aubrey caved and they followed the captain out to the main deck.

It was surprising how much noise the doors had kept from the outside. The ship was alive with movement as crewmen busied themselves at their stations. Ropes were flying everywhere and people were shouting from bow to stern. The captain moved up the stairs to the helm, calling out greetings to the crew as she passed.

They made it to the back of the ship where the Rose woman was still manning the helm. "How goes it Cynthia?" the captain asked.

The helmsman looked at the girls behind the captain before answering. "There's a fair wind at our backs captain, should be in Nassau day after tomorrow."

"So long as there's no more delay's right?" Cynthia's shoulders slumped at the captain's words.

"I'm sorry, alright." Cynthia said. "How long am I going to have to apologize?"

"Until the British navy stops following us." There was a slight smirk on the captain's face, letting Chloe think that the pirate was already forgiven, this was just friendly banter.

Cynthia rolled her eyes before turning back to the helm, "What are those two doing out here?"

"They need to earn their keep." The captain turned to the girls. "There aren't a lot of rules on board this ship but one is that if you want to eat you need to work." She brushed past the girls and picked up a bucket full of water and two hand brushes. "Welcome aboard."


Chloe plunged her brush into the bucket of sea water, her arm throbbing from overuse. The stiff bristles of the brush scraped against the floorboards as Chloe put her whole body weight into cleaning the deck. It felt like it had been hours since the captain had given them this menial task. And in truth it had been but they had only managed to clean a small portion of the deck in that time. There were so many people moving about that scrubbing certain areas was impossible unless the crew was on a break. Aubrey had protested the work at first but the captain had made it clear that if they didn't work they would be thrown overboard. So, while still grumbling, Aubrey had joined Chloe in the scrubbing of the deck.

The captain had watched them for only the first fifteen minutes before disappearing into her cabin, leaving Cynthia in charge of the two captives. They toiled around the helm until Cynthia declared it good enough. Now they were working on the lower deck, dodging out of the way of the busy crew so as not to be trampled.

"Oh come on doc, give me another chance. I've really improved since the last match." Chloe perked her ears up as Conrad walked past her, a crewman hot on her heels.

"I told you John, I won't duel anyone more than once a month. It gets boring after a while." Conrad said, her tone of voice making it clear that she was bored with the conversation.

"Yeah, well I think you're just scared." The crewman, John, proclaimed. Conrad looked over her shoulder at the man and let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Fine, it's a duel. But when I win, you have to clean the larder. Amy's been complaining about some sort of smell in there." Conrad said. John rushed to grab a pair of swords from below deck, returning after only a minute. He tossed one to Conrad who caught it with ease. She stripped off her shirt entirely, revealing a couple of tattoos along her arms and abdomen. To Chloe it looked like there was a name on the inside of the pirates forearm but she couldn't quite make out what it said.

The doctor drew her blade, swinging it from side to side experimentally before placing her free hand on her hip. John drew his blade as well but it was clear that he was distracted by Conrad's…assets.

The crew gathered around the pair cheering and catcalling as the two circled each other. Chloe glanced at Aubrey to see that the blonde was also watching in rapt attention. Chloe was about to ask Aubrey what was going on but the clash of steel drew her attention back to the two duelists.

John had started things with a thrust from his rapier, which Conrad easily deflected with her own blade. John kept up his offensive, switching between slashes and thrusts, all of which Conrad either parried or dodged entirely. The farce of a fight lasted for a couple of minutes but it was clear that John was severely outmatched. After one last desperate thrust John's blade was knocked from his hand and clattered across the deck. The crowd cheered and Chloe saw several crew members exchange money. John picked up his blade, grumbling to himself and sheathed the weapon. Conrad was laughing to herself as she did the same.

"Maybe next time focus more on thrusting with your sword than with your cock." The crew all laughed, to which John just rolled his eyes. Conrad looked around and shouted at the top of her voice, "Enough lollygaggin, get back to work."

The crew dissipated as everyone returned to their stations. Conrad tossed her blade back to John and was about to leave when she noticed the two women scrubbing the deck. She smiled at the pair and made her way over to them. Chloe tensed a little, after all this was the woman who captured them, but the pirate's easy going smile eased Chloe's concerns a little bit. Aubrey on the other hand went back to scrubbing the deck, much more aggressively than before.

Conrad sat on top of a nearby barrel and stretched her arms over her head. "Bet you're wondering what that was all about."

She had directed the question at Aubrey but the blonde dutifully ignored her. So Chloe decided to respond, "Some sort of sparring practice?"

Conrad smiled, "Close Red, but not quite. Little Johnny was trying to get into my pants." Aubrey slipped on her brush and just about crashed onto the deck.

"Must you be so vulgar?" Aubrey grumbled, glaring at the pirate out of the corner of her eye.

"Sorry princess. No one ever taught me to be a lady." Conrad held out her arms and Chloe managed to see that the tattoo on the forearm was the name "Bella".

"You could at least put your shirt back on." Aubrey said as she kept her head down, away from the half naked pirate.

"I could, but you see I like to feel the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair." She shook her head to emphasize her point. "But I kind of like this whole," she gestured to Aubrey. "Kept woman thing you got going on, leaves a lot to the imagination."

Chloe could practically see her friend bristle at the statement. Aubrey stood up and rounded on the pirate, her face flushed red in anger. "Just because I choose not to strut around naked doesn't mean I'm a kept woman."

Conrad held up her hands apologetically, "Sorry princess, didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh bollocks, if you didn't mean to offend me then you shouldn't have kidnapped us." Aubrey threw her brush at the pirate, who managed to catch it but she didn't look happy.

"I'd be more careful with who you throw things at." Conrad's voice had dropped to a more serious tone as she eyed Aubrey wearily.

"Please,"Aubrey scoffed. "I'm not scared of you. If I had been armed you never would have made it inside that church."

Conrad's eyebrows rose dramatically, "Really? Figured the only blade you've ever held was made of silver." Calling over Aubrey's shoulder, "John, give the lady a sword." Chloe looked to see that the man was still standing off to the side, silently watching the exchange. She strode forward, almost nose to nose with Aubrey. "Let's see what you can do princess.

Chloe fidgeted off to the side as Aubrey and the pirate reached for their swords. Aubrey gave her blade a few swings to get a feel for the blade. Conrad just sat back and waited for the blonde to ready herself. Which struck Chloe as surprisingly courteous for a pirate.

Aubrey finished swinging her sword around and turned to the woman. She fell into a ready stance with the tip of the sword held low and her body relaxed, saying gently to the role of the ship. Conrad looked over her opponent with a cautious eye, Aubrey was clearly a better swordsman than John.

A crowd had started to form again and Chloe had to jostle a few to the side in order to see. Conrad took a playful swing at Aubrey who easily deflected it with a twist of her wrist. The two circled each other warily, neither taking their eyes off the other.

"You know, the usual bet for one of these duels is that if you win I have to treat you to a night of fun." Conrad said as she took another swipe. Aubrey, who had been holding a solid defense, stuttered in her step and Conrad managed to cut through the shoulder of Aubrey's dress.

Aubrey looked down at the wound. It was superficial, barely even a scratch but it represented an error in judgment. She had watched Conrad's fight earlier and came to the conclusion that the pirate wasn't all that skilled. Something that she was deeply regretting. Conrad was actually very talented with a blade and as they dueled Aubrey realized that the pirate had been holding back during her fight with John.

They exchanged a few more blows, neither managing to gain ground on the other. Chloe watched to exchange with growing anxiety. She knew that Aubrey had taken fencing lessons as a child but this was different from the training bouts the blonde was used to. Plus, any instructor Aubrey ever had would have been cautious about injuring Admiral Possen's daughter. Conrad had no such fear.

The two continued their dance for several minutes. And despite Chloe's trepidation about Aubrey's skills, the blonde was holding her own. But as the match went on the difference in experience began to show. Conrad had been sailing for who knows how long and had probably been in countless fights. And ultimately it was that experience that led to Aubrey's downfall.

The ship made a sudden lurch as a larger than normal wave passed beneath them. Conrad, used to sudden shifts in the sea, accounted for the sudden tilt of the deck while Aubrey went fumbling backwards. Seizing the opportunity, Conrad reached out with her left hand and grabbed Aubrey's wrist. At the same time she brought her right leg out and swept it behind Aubrey's legs, which managed to get tangled in her dress and sent her sprawling on the deck. Conrad was quick to straddle Aubrey's hips and removed the sword from Aubrey's hand.

Aubrey was furious and tried to buck the pirate off of her but Conrad had her securely pinned to the deck. "Easy now. Know when you've lost."

"You cheated." Aubrey spat back. "Where's the honor in grabbing someone during a duel?"

A cocky smirk grew across Conrad's face, "All's fair in love and war, princess." She very quickly leaned down and pecked Aubrey on the lips before standing up and walking away, the crowd walking with her. Aubrey laid there for a full five seconds before she seemed to register what had happened. Chloe could see the rage building on her friend's face as she struggled to rise. Chloe held out her hand which Aubrey latched onto and managed to stand up. She whipped at her mouth and ran to the side of the ship to spit into the ocean.

"Did you see what she did!?" Aubrey asked, spitting into the ocean again.

"Be glad that's all she did."

Chloe jumped a bit when the captain seemed to just appear behind her. "Must you keep doing that?"

The captain shrugged, "It's my ship I can do what I want. If you two are done having fun I'll take you back to my cabin."

Chloe was confused for a second before she realized just how late it had gotten. The sun was already starting to set on the horizon. How had the entire day passed so quickly when all they had been doing was scrubbing the deck, and they didn't even get that far.

The Captain must have noticed her confusion because she laughed and gestured for the pair to follow her. "Time flies when you actually do something with your day."

Chloe wasn't sure if the captain was making fun of them or not. The Conrad woman had made similar remarks about their wealthy background. Which Chloe thought was a bit rich since these people pillaged and plundered for a living.

As they walked across the deck Chloe noticed that lanterns across the ship were starting to be lit. Only some were being lit while no one was nearby. She was about to ask how that happened when a creaking noise came from behind her. There was a woosh of air and a person holding a torch went flying by, lighting the lanterns on this side of the ship.

Chloe nearly jumped out of her boots when this happened. And while her boots managed to stay on she did sort of lurch towards the captain, who caught Chloe with one arm and held her steady.

"You alright there red?" she asked.

Chloe straightened and composed herself. She looked down at the pirate and gave her a small smile, "I'm fine, just startled."

"Yeah, I don't know why Lilly feels the need to do that." They stood there awkwardly as the captain still had a tight grip around Chloe's waist. Chloe tried to look into the other woman's eyes but the captain was intensely watching the torch fly around the ship in the dark. Chloe could see a few twitches in the captain's face, like she was trying to keep her face neutral.

Aubrey made a coughing noise and the two split apart. Chloe continued to watch the captain but she seemed to have gotten control over herself. Before Chloe could ask what was wrong the captain started moving towards the stern of the ship again. Aubrey gave Chloe a confused look but Chloe just dismissed it with a wave of her hand. They made it back to the cabin door, which the captain opened with a key and held for the two women.

"Your supper is on the desk." The captain said and shut the door before Chloe could thank her. The abrupt departure was a bit jarring but she could hear the key in the lock and they were once again locked inside.

"Great," Chloe turned to vaguely see Aubrey stumbling around in the dark. "Now all we have to do is find the table."


A/N: Fun fact, redheads are often refereed to as "gingers" because of the character Ginger on Gilligan's Island. But there's actually an older explanation that makes more sense for this story. When Britain began occupying parts of southern Asia, especially Malaysia, they discovered the Red Ginger plant which has beautiful red flowers.