They reported back to Kane's office in good time despite being in no hurry to. It was common sense not to keep the Supreme Commander waiting on them, but Deacon and Reyna were savoring this last trip together while they could.

They knew one thing for certain - they did not want to part from each other. They had come too close to that just yesterday.

It was hard to believe how much has happened since then. In the span of the night, they had their first date together and confessed their feelings to one another. In any other circumstance, this would all be happening too fast - but they had so little time left. They took every minute to their advantage, indulging in good things like having drinks, watching movies, and playing chess. Now that their comfortable bubble had been broken, they had to face their due consequences.

She gave his hand an assuring squeeze when they arrived. They didn't have to wait long at all, as a soldier escorted them right to Kane's door. The spymaster pushed it open to the sight of his father sitting at his desk with his hands folded. Rooke was leaning against one of the walls with his large axe resting beside him. That was his default way of 'sitting' - as none of the furniture in this room could properly support his immense frame.

Kane did not share any pleasantries and pointed expectantly to the two empty chairs in front of him. "Take a seat."

They were on the cushions in less than a second. Their superior sighed when his eyes met with theirs. He clearly wasn't in a good mood, but he didn't seem to be as mad as he was last time. Deacon didn't know how to read him and decided not to overthink anything just yet.

"As you can see, Rooke has returned from his venture. I will allow him to fill you in on what has happened."

The General took this opportunity to move into their view, standing tall and becoming animated with his hands. "It was an odd state of affairs at best. I found your ship sailing on Mooshu waters yesterday morning while I was on my way to the stormgates. When I attempted to hail you, my crew and I were bombarded with a pirate attack."

Reyna sat up in alarm while the Emissary remained unmoved. If Rooke was here in one piece, then he had little to worry about.

"It was a remarkable fight. The lawbreakers onboard were determined and fought my people admirably. We triumphed in the end…but not without some losses."

Kane spoke up from behind him. "A good majority of your crew is missing, and only a quarter of your prisoners were retrieved. The rest made another escape."

An audible groan came from Deacon as he buried his masked face in his hand. This meant that their chances of staying in the Armada were limited…All the work he and Reyna made was gone. They lost their team from one unfortunate battle. He wished he could melt into the floor to avoid his failure again.

She wasn't any happier hearing this news, sagging in her seat as the disappointment flooded her eyes. They knew what was coming and tried their best to keep strong.

Rooke continued, "They abandoned your ship, so I towed it back with me to Valencia. Those pirates plundered every inch of it. We found very little gold and any belongings left. It also suffered some damage from the battle. You can decide whether you want to repair it or to forgo it entirely."

He picked his head up in surprise. "We have a choice ?"

Kane acknowledged him with a sharp exhale through his nose. "I've decided it would be far too redundant to send you off after the same criminals again. We have more important matters to face now, and letting these prisoners go is the only reasonable compromise to make. We need to focus on stopping a bigger threat."

"...The Pirate," The Spymaster surmised.

"Yes. The longer we wait, the more of a threat they pose to our plans. Rooke and I discussed it and we believe focusing our efforts on thwarting them and their crew is the best course of action to take."

"I still don't believe they're that much of a menace, but it's never unwise to be too safe," The General added.

"So…we aren't discharged?"

" You aren't, Deacon. Your status as an Elite makes that quite unnecessary. But 'Dea'...your contract with the Armada is to be suspended today. As I said, you will be compensated for your aid in this mission and-"

"-I would like to enlist her on my crew." The Emissary quickly butted in. "As my first-mate."

Both Rooke and Kane looked up in surprise. Reyna bit her tongue. They hadn't come to a decision on this yet, but it was the most reasonable thing he could request right now. She had already made up her mind last night, and had no urge to fight him on it.

"Are you sure?" His father sounded skeptical. "You've never requested any permanent fixtures on your team before."

"I'm positive."

He turned his eyes to the woman sitting nervously in front of him. "-And you agree to this?"

Reyna nodded firmly, not even thinking twice.

"...Alright. It is technically a demotion, but I will allow it to happen." Kane's voice turned stern as he pointed to them in warning. "I will have high expectations of you two. There will be no more leniency if this is to happen again. And I mean it. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." They nodded their heads.

He leaned over to write something down and the silence was both relieving and daunting. Once he was finished, he stood from his seat and nodded to them. "Right. Deacon, your main objective now is to hunt down this Pirate and put a stop to them before they can seriously harm our plans. You are to fulfill your regular duties - but move all your focus onto apprehending this child once and for all."

"Of course. I promise I will not let you down."

"We'll see about that." He gestured over to the door. "The General will show you to your vessel so you can make your decision. If you choose not to repair it, then a new prison ship will be supplied to you. However, you will have to wait some time."

They agreed and followed the large man out of the room. He grabbed his axe and led them down to the docks. Deacon was rather quick in his step - eager to see the condition his ship was in. He was excited to have the option of getting a new one. That wasn't a common offer the Supreme Commander gave to just anyone . Not that he despised the one they had - but it meant he could get to rename it and could finally pay homage to The Erebus like he'd been wanting to.

…The vessel sitting there was in a poor state, several holes blown in its sides while its sails were completely torn. What existed on the previous clockwork insignia now had an abhorrent pirate symbol painted over it. It disgusted the spymaster just looking at it. He dreaded thinking of how the interior looked. It was a good thing he didn't carry many personal things with him onboard - he'd been able to save his journal - but he wondered just how much of Reyna's belongings had been stolen.

"There she is," Rooke motioned to it sadly. "I'm sorry for putting her through such a battle, but you know I had to."

"None of this is your fault. I'm in debt for what you did. Thank you for saving what you could."

He shouldered him playfully. "I'll add it to the list of the other things that you owe me for."

The Emissary led their way onboard while the others followed after him. They cringed at the sight of the deck, which was now littered with rubble and holes that anyone could easily fall through. The wheel had been torn off its post and lay sitting on the floorboards. When they peeked into the brig, they found many of the jail cells blown open and their iron bars twisted. This part of the ship looked particularly brutal, as the pirates had single-handedly dismantled their once-prison.

"It's just so sad…" The woman spoke up from beside them. "This happens a lot, doesn't it?"

"Unfortunately," Rooke shrugged in sympathy. "This can all be repaired, but it may take longer than retrieving a new ship for you two."

"We'll go with the latter," Deacon responded, heading up the stairs and moving towards the cabin. "It's probably for the best, anyway."

The condition of their lodging wasn't any better. The rogues must've found some pleasure in going through their warden's room, as all of their things had been thoroughly searched and destroyed. Their bookshelf was tipped over and all of its contents ripped and burned to ash. Their beds were damaged in a similar way. Reyna shuddered when she saw their drawers thrown open and her clothes clearly rummaged through. She loathed thinking what they could've done with them when she wasn't here…

Her partner leaned down to grab something from the floor and held it up to her eyes. She gasped at the sight. The bookends she bought for him were now broken into different pieces. It felt like her heart snapped into two as she took them from him and tears grew in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," The War Marshal offered from behind them quietly.

"They'll get what's coming to them." The Spymaster assured her. "Having you alive and with me is a much greater gift than anything else."

She threw the remnants of it back onto the floor and sighed sadly. She turned to embrace him and began crying onto his shoulder. He held her equally as strong and rubbed little circles on her back while Rooke moved himself elsewhere to give them some privacy. He turned his head to whisper gentle things beside her concealed ear as she sniffled on him.

"The crew might've been killed," She mumbled.

He winced under his bauta. It was incredibly likely, after all, there were many casualties when an Armada ship got plundered. It was part of working in this field, risking your life and understanding the danger. Despite it all, he'll miss them more deeply than the others he'd lost in his units before. He would forever have the memories of the first crew he ever shared with Dea.

"It'll be alright," He whispered back.

She pulled away, lifting her mask to wipe at her eyes. "I know you must go through this a lot, but…I didn't expect to be-" She sucked in a deep breath and regained her composure. "-What happens now?"

"We get a new crew, a new ship, and a new mission." He replied. "It doesn't get any easier, but we're doing all this for a reason."

"I know. I just…is this why you don't get close to them..? Your team?"

"What makes you think I don't ?" He asked, leading them out of the cabin.

"You've got to, right? That's why you never really joined our game nights or anything. I-It would break anyone to lose so many people all the time. Unless they didn't care, but...I know you do. How do you manage it?"

"I'm used to losing people," He answered softly. "I give them an honorable farewell and keep their names in one of my journals. We'll do the same with those we lost."

She nodded in agreement. She'd been so close with them, they were practically family to her. It hurt immensely to lose them. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to it. They met with Rooke out on the deck, who had been passing the time whistling a tune and admiring the sunny sky. When he caught sight of them, he planted his axe to his side and lifted his head.

"I assume I'll be telling Kane you'd like a new ship?"

"Yes. I think he'll be expecting that answer."

" Benissimo. I…truly am sorry for your loss." He bowed his head to both of them. "You had good people. I am sure they fought as much as they possibly could."

Deacon relaxed his shoulders and stepped forward. "If you have the free time tonight, we should have our usual again."

The General lit up. "Of course. Something to take the edge off."

He turned to Reyna. "You should join us."

She stammered at this unexpected invitation. "Oh, I,- I wouldn't want to intrude on your guy's time-"

"Nonsense!" Rooke exclaimed a little too loudly. "You are more than welcome to come."

Her eyes moved over to her boyfriend and found such calm and assurance in his gaze. It soothed her instantly. "I'll tag along, if you'll have me."

"Perfect; I'll see you two tonight. I'm going to send word off to Kane and salvage what I can."

They exchanged goodbyes before walking themselves from the dock and back to Valencia's streets. There was an air of relief after such a meeting; they were grateful it had gone so well. Things could have gone awfully awry. They sort of expected it to after their unfortunate luck as of late.

Reyna turned to him. "I forgot to ask, but - what is your guy's 'usual'?"

"Oh, we head to our favorite bar and play some games of pool and darts. It's a lot of fun, I promise."

"If you say so," She clicked her tongue and reached for his gloved hand. He was the one to squeeze her palm first - clearly in a good mood. "I guess we got pretty lucky back there?"

"We've been trying Kane's patience too much. I'm surprised he allowed me to keep you after all we've put him through."

"I don't think he views me too fondly after all of this…"

"He doesn't really view anyone 'too fondly'. So long as Queen adores you, you don't have much to worry about."

It occurred to her about the nature of their relationship. "Does the Armada have a fraternizing policy? Should they even know that we're-"

"-It's not that big of a deal. There have been regulations in the past, but things have become a little… lenient in recent years."

"Really? I would think Kane doesn't want anyone getting distracted or having soldiers mingling together."

Deacon snorted. "He would be a hypocrite."

Reyna's eyes became wide, trying to piece this together. Then she let out the most dramatic gasp, like he just told her a big secret she couldn't believe. " No.. ! He couldn't–!"

"Kane met Queen when she was a cadet. He did technically have to discharge her, but he's been looking the other way when it comes to relationships like these. So long as it doesn't affect our job or performance, he won't have to take any action."

She winced. "I think we're pushing that..."

"If we keep practicing with the chess, then you won't have anything to worry about-"

"- Deacon! " She laughed and slapped his arm lightly. Her smile fell and she narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "..Are you seriously not concerned about it?"

"No. It's a good sign he didn't separate us. If we don't mess up again, we should be fine."

She sighed in relief. "Then we won't."

He raised her gloved hand and tenderly kissed it under his bauta. "We'll make sure of that."

Reyna briefly returned to Monquista so she could begrudgingly send a letter off to her family. She didn't want to contact them, but thought it was wise to make it clear she wasn't returning home anytime soon and that she secured a long-time position in the Armada. She didn't really care if she got a response or not - if her parents would be outraged. She was making a new family where she was, and she adored the man she now had by her side.

Deacon told her to dress casual, so she slipped on a comfortable t-shirt and pair of pants. She wore a sweater over it and slipped off her gloves and mask for the occasion. Their extra company was only going to be Rooke, and since her partner deeply trusted him, she saw no reason to worry about her face. It was going to be a comfortable and fun night - she was sure of it.

She returned to Valencia that evening and met them at the bar. It wasn't as crowded as she expected. It made it easy to find the two outside and approach them. Her boyfriend embraced her the moment he saw her, absolutely beaming when he took his bauta off.

"You look beautiful," He complimented. She winced and pointed to the mask in his hand.

"You didn't have to take that off-"

"-It was only keeping my face warm." He chuckled.

Rooke led them inside. It was full but they still managed to find a table and seat themselves. She was situated comfortably against the wall while Deacon and Rooke perused their specials for the night. Someone came by to take their order and the General insisted dinner was on him that night. Deacon made it clear that he was covering their drinks in return. She was feeling particularly spoiled lately.

"I like your jacket!" She exclaimed to Rooke over the commotion of all the conversations inside.

Rooke was still wearing his bauta, but had changed out of his heavy armor and belts. His colors were still primarily black and red - which showed with his expensive jacket, carmine-colored shirt, and dark pants and boots. The clothes were a little tight against his muscular frame, earning appreciative glances from girls at nearby tables. She doubted it was intentional…maybe he had a hard time finding anything that fit right. Despite her sympathy, he was unbothered by the attention and tipped his head at her.

"They have a special on margaritas…do I dare buy you a drink?" Deacon asked knowingly.

She grinned at him. "Make sure it's a good one."

He rolled his eyes and moved himself from the table, promising Rooke to get his 'usual'. This left Reyna and him alone together. She shifted uncomfortably and felt her face getting hot remembering the last time she had spoken to him on her own accord. She owed him an apology after everything she learned about him.

"Rooke?" She earned his attention when she scooted in front of him. "I…. Dios mío, how do I say this …I-I'm sorry for the time we met."

He blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

She looked away in embarrassment. "When we met on that ship…I kind of acted…a little stupid around you? I remember I was stuttering a lot, and it's because I admired you a great deaI-"

She jumped when he started laughing. It was greater than she anticipated as he seemed to get a kick out of the memory. After a second, he waved it off and sat back in his seat, looking at her with clear amusement in his eyes.

"Nothing to apologize for." He insisted. This wasn't good enough and she scrambled for the words.

"No, no you completely deserve an apology! I shouldn't have acted like that when it could've made you uncomfortable."

"I get it all the time. As the General, there are many who are honored to meet me. And your case was nothing special…believe me, it's no big deal." He shrugged.

"But that's the thing..! Deacon told me you get complimented all the time, and if I'd known that, I would've never acted that way! Believe me, I know what it's like to get hit on and hear all these unwarranted comments…I just wanted to apologize for adding onto that for you. I'd like to be your friend more than anything."

His voice was warm and appreciative. It made her smile. "We'll get along just fine."

Deacon came back with their drinks at that second, passing a margarita to Reyna and a sazerac towards Rooke. He ordered a gin and tonic for himself, taking a good swig as he got comfortable beside her again. Their company he slammed a fist excitedly on the table, startling the small woman and making his brother perk up in interest. He regarded them both with intrigue.

"How did you two survive a plundering like that? You weren't onboard when I found your ship, and I heard that you made it back on land handcuffed together."

The Emissary sighed. "I don't really-"

"-Deacon here decided to engage with Boochbeard even though I told him not to," Reyna pointed to him with her thumb wearing a smirk. "We were outnumbered when they boarded us and the pirates tied us to our mast. He got us out of there by using the knife in his cane to cut the rope."

"It was quick thinking on my part," He defended.

Rooke blinked at them. "And how did you two get handcuffed together?"

They looked embarrassed. He took the liberty of explaining, "Boochbeard grabbed us and stole the pair from my pocket. Took my keys with him - so we had no way of freeing ourselves when we took that escape boat. Phule found us by chance and brought us back to Valencia."

"You're both lucky to be alive." He knew under any other circumstance Rooke would belittle his mistake, but in the presence of a woman, he held his tongue.

The two engaged in a friendly and familiar conversation while Reyna listened to them and sipped from her margarita. There was a lot they apparently had to catch up on, and she was continuously brought into their talk to offer her commentary and side of the story. She felt welcome and comfortable, and Rooke was both intelligent and insightful with what he had to say.

Their food came shortly afterwards. She ordered their taco special while Deacon had a burger and Rooke received a large order of wings. Halfway into their meal, Reyna excused herself to go powder her nose. The moment she was gone, his brother turned to him eagerly and pointed a wing accusingly in his direction.

"Why didn't you tell me!?" It was clear he was wearing the biggest grin under his mask.

"Don't get too upset - we just started seeing each other yesterday."

"I knew it. And I was right about her being cute, wasn't I?"

Deacon glared at him and he got the message, chuckling as he wiped his hands. He lowered his voice tenderly. "I'm happy for you, fratello . I can't believe it's finally happened."

"Oh? And when will you start seeing someone?" He drank from his glass with raised eyebrows.

"Hey, you got lucky, you know? You work with your girlfriend. I have no chance of that ever happening to me." He shook his head sadly. "I'd probably screw everything up, anyway. I'm too committed to my job."

"Look at me. I made it work. You can too, and I know you will. Even if you don't, you've got a hell of a lot of options to keep yourself busy."

" Busy! " He guffawed. "I'm with you at the bar every free minute I have!" He quieted down as it occurred to him. "...But you'll be engaged elsewhere now, won't you?" When his sibling nodded, he leaned back in his seat. "I'll take your advice."

He gave him a proud look. Reyna returned to the table and they took this cue to finish eating.

They were engaged in their third game of pool. Deacon lost to both Rooke and Reyna, who rejoiced in their victories while he mumbled something about the lighting throwing him off. She was now playing against the big General himself - the chances of winning were slim, but she was having a fun time anyways. They were playing music she liked and she hadn't been hit on once. She was sure that was due to her company right now, but it was a unique experience regardless, and she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"You're not bad," He complimented as he pocketed another ball. "Where did you learn to play?"

"In secret with a friend of mine," She attempted a back cut and frowned when it missed. "Have you played in any tournaments?"

He chuckled. "Any that I can make it to." He paused to chalk the end of his billiard. "We should shoot some darts after this - you'll be impressed to see what Deacon can do."

"I am actually good at something," He defended from beside them. Reyna kissed him on the cheek, earning his surprise and causing him to swoon a little.

"I'll believe it when I see it," She winked at him.

And believed she had!

He really was a good shot on the battlefield, and his precision came just as handy with a game of darts. It was Rooke and Dea's turn to feel the humiliation of defeat, but it was all in good fun. They were having their second round of drinks while the spymaster collected their darts after tallying up the scores. Since he was busy, Rooke took this opportunity to get to know her a little more in this brief period of waiting.

"So, what is it exactly about my brother that you fancy?"

She straightened at this question, having not expected it. She worried she would say the wrong thing. "I mean, he's smart and he knows all these things and places. Despite what's happened…he knows what he's doing, and I know I can rely on him. He's a really great guy. I haven't met many."

He nodded sincerely. She knew she had his approval - and for some reason, that meant a lot to her.

Deacon returned just to show off a little more. As they were playing, the General asked another question that she unknowingly dreaded:

"Are you any good at chess, by chance?"

"No, she's not," Her boyfriend answered for her as he launched his next dart. She gave him a sour look in return.

"That's not great," Rooke muttered under his breath. Reyna sputtered at this while the two men shook their heads in disapproval.

" What!? I swear, this family has a weird obsession-!"

They laughed it off and finished up their game. To her delighted surprise, there was an announcement that the bar's karaoke night was starting. A stage was set up with a microphone and speakers. A grin lit up her face while they took a seat at a nearby table to watch. She turned and tugged on Deacon's arm, attempting to urge him from his stool.

" ¡Espía! Come on! We have to sing!"

"Not a chance in Hell," He crossed his arms stubbornly, only to be smacked out of his seat by Rooke. His brother leaned back smugly as he was forced to follow her in line - listening to her as she excitedly listed their options of songs to do.

. . .

He had never felt so embarrassed when he stood there and did something he vowed he would never do in his life. But when the time came and he sang into the microphone as best as he could…he saw the wonder and amazement in Reyna's eyes, and it suddenly made the whole situation seem more bearable. With her enthusiasm and talent, the entire bar was entranced with her voice - and consequently - the sight of both of them. He wasn't by any means shy, but he wasn't sure if he appreciated all the attention doing something so out-of-character for himself.

Still. Her smile was worth it. He would give anything to see that excitement in her eyes again - so when the crowds cheered them on to do another song, he easily caved in.

Rooke was clapping loudly when they finally returned to the table - blue eyes wide in both disbelief and admiration. He clapped his hand on his brother's back, causing him to catch the edge of the circular table so he wouldn't fall off his stool.

" Meraviglioso ! You have an incredible voice," He complimented. "You weren't bad either, Deacon!"

"Thanks," He responded sarcastically.

Reyna scooted closer and hugged him from the side, distracting him from the unwanted attention and holding herself close to him. She whispered in his ear:

"Thank you for doing that. It won't be so hard teaching you, you know."

She kissed him adamantly on the lips, and he knew all of this had been worth it.