The pair found themselves at an uncharted island to the southeast of Hidden Spring Keep. The wind had not been as agreeable as they had hoped for in their travels to the fortress and they would instead spend the night here. It seemed as though the wind had taunted them all day, constantly shifting just out of the sail's reach. Though breakfast and their other interactions had been pleasant and polite, they had spoken little to one another throughout the day, only doing so to trade-off helm duty. Combined negligence in watching the wind and heading had brought them to the unmarked island at the K-9 coordinate to spend the night.

There was little on the island of K-9. Some signs of life did exist: an old hammock or two, some barrels here and there, a shipwreck in the middle of the island that was mocked by a rowboat, but that was about it. Though he had not said it, Blue knew that her shipmate was scrutinising her exploration of the island. She knew that he had likely been here many times before, yet she had not. She had never had any reason to visit this place; even still there were none.

The two discussed the island when they ate dinner. As far as Z knew, there had never been anything of interest at this island, confirming Blue's suspicions. It was a lovely island that no one had yet to find any use to. Its location was a curse and a boon, easily accessed as it was nestled in the middle of the Sea of Thieves, but also a number of skeleton fortresses, and thus their ships. Taking and holding such an island would require many resources.

The two gave the matter little more discussion the rest of that night. When morning came, they set out once again, a little more realistic about how the wind and waves were treating them. Hidden Spring Keep was well within their reach today. As they got closer, there was one thing Blue couldn't help being concerned about.

"May I ask you something?"

Z lifted his head from his position at the base of the bowsprit where he was laid out. "What?"

"How can you be so certain that a fortress will be free of hostiles before you even get there?"

"Check the sky out. It's perfectly clear all 'round us as far as y' can see now besides that storm in the Wilds. Ain't nothin' goin' on 'round here."

Blue made a point to take his words seriously, scanning the horizon around them. He was right: the sky was clear with only a few stray clouds. But… "And what exactly does that mean?"

"It means there's no one up t' no good. Skellies can't help showin' off where they are whenever they've… eh, what's a word? Grouped up?"

"Congregated."

"Sure."

"To group up in large numbers. They do that."

"They do."

"So your point is that one can simply look up and see whether a fortress will be occupied, whether a patch of great open sea is safe of a fleet lurking below or not…"

"Yes."

"Fair."

Z let his head rest back down on the bowsprit. "Any more questions?"

"None."

Blue's curiosity was satiated for the moment. It still only did so much to quell the anxiety she felt about knowingly heading towards a skeleton fortress, however. She took them in close.

The southeastern end of the island was at sea level. There were plenty of fortifications to protect the beach from attacks, including walls, strategically placed punji sticks, and two turret towers in the south shallow waters. The area was complete with a quaint dock that was serviceable for a ship with a small draft like the sloop; a galleon's crew would have to get creative. The back of the island was a mess with great boulders that sharply raised its level. From the middle of the island, moving water could be heard and freshwater smelled.

Blue decided that, had this not been a known skeleton fortress she probably would have liked this place. Perhaps she liked it anyway.

"There is literally a spring here?"

"Uh huh."

"I suppose it was a waste to have you buy a keg of water then."

"Eh, not really. Rainwater tastes better anyway."

Z had yet to move. They had traded the cold of the Wilds for the warmth of the Shores of Plenty and in his all-black clothing, that was impressive.

"Uh, can I help you?"

Blue had stepped over to inspect him more closely. "You are going to look ridiculous when you shave that beard off."

"Oh." He brought a hand to his chin.

Blue wasn't wrong about that no matter how she looked at it. It was terribly messy, he had been laying in the sun all morning, and she had grown used to his face being a mess. Still, what he had sported the day they met had been very presentable…

Finally, he sat up. "Y' got a razor and mirror? Or at least a razor I can use?"

"I have a particularly sharp knife. I might have a silver spoon that you can shine sufficiently into a mirror if you really need it."

"I can do without the mirror…" Z had an incredulous look on his face, the one that she had grown to hate the accompanying words to. She was very thankful when all he did was stand.

"Excellent. Would you prefer to manage your face before or after bathing?"

He rolled his eyes. "After, I guess. We can bathe and then do whatever until… uh?"

He must have noticed that she had turned her back to him. Blue turned her head and waved him off. "I will take my turn after you. I would like to write first, anyhow."

She didn't bother to wait to see his pouting before turning her attention back to the west horizon. She knew where Sanctuary Outpost was from here, though it was far and perhaps only visible to her mental eye. Slightly south was a cluster of giant rocks that blocked her view of anything useful; if any trouble would come to them, it would be from there. It was something of a similar story to the southeast: rocks were plentiful, though that cluster was not quite so tight.

"Alright, you know what?" Z had come back up to the deck with such a presence that she couldn't help turning to see what his problem was. "Y' might be a prude, but I'm not. If y' want to write yer fancy paperwork, do it later by lantern light. Get somethin' useful done with the sun in the sky."

Blue's only choice was to catch the laundry board and armful of clothes that were thrown at her. She was more than a little surprised by this. Judging by the thud on the dock, Z had jumped over and was heading onto the island. Whatever he might have taken with him, she had not seen through everything in her arms. She should… probably just get this over with instead of fighting with him, she figured. That would be easiest for both of them.

With a great sigh, Blue kicked her boots off by the table. She grabbed a chunk of soap — there would be no excuses for her to need to be anywhere near Z right now — and glanced at what she may or may not have already in her grasp that needed cleaning. He wasn't wrong: this was a better use of the daylight than anything that she wanted to do right now, but she would only begrudgingly acknowledge this.

Z had already made himself comfortable within the spring, clothes tossed aside with little care as he sat in the shallow water, scrubbing at his skin. No, no he did not care, annoyingly so. Blue took up position on a rock on the other side of the water, a tiny one that was shielded by a much larger boulder right beside it. She would focus on cleaning the clothes she had been tasked with, which were primarily hers. As soon as she had gotten comfortable, Z had taken to swimming about the little pond.

He was very annoying, she decided. He was especially annoying when she decided that he was, albeit subtly, trying to get her attention.

Across from them, movement behind a turret on the island caught her attention. Movement? Or was it just a shadow of a palm leaf in the breeze? Up the hill, it was hard to tell.

"Oi, what are you starin' at? I'm over here."

Blue now realised that she had been staring very hard at that location and ignored something else he said. She relaxed, slowly letting her gaze drift to Z, complete with a slight glare. They had already had this conversation, and that one, too.

"There is nothing of note here but old supplies? Just like the last fort?"

He rose a brow. "Yeah."

"Mm." Blue dipped her chin back down and went back to cleaning.

Z made a small noise back at her, one she took to be acknowledgement as he said nothing more. For someone who had spoken lowly of others peacocking about, he sure was doing a lot of it now, swimming about as he was. He never came very close, though, and for that reason alone she wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to do. She focused on cleaning.

"If y're worried about skellies—"

"I am not," she said, cutting him off immediately. She didn't bother glaring at him, too busy applying soap to a particularly stubborn blotch. "You said before it is very clear when these forts are and are not inhabited. The sailors here avoid them anyway because they are spineless blaggards who have more brawn than sense in their heads." That shirt finally looked clean to her liking. She set it aside and finally looked up at Z. "Is that sufficient?"

He somehow looked offended and ashamed at the same time. "Jesus, fine."

"There is nothing here but the gulls and rotting fruit. There are no skellies — we would see their ships come and go, or be nearby at least. Anyone without a ship would certainly not be dumb enough to make camp on one of these islands."

"Uh…"

Blue sighed. "Right, I am talking about pirates. Shall I fetch my musket?"

"No, I just think y're being jumpy's all. Look, if—"

"Being jumpy is what has kept me alive, kept me alive in a world where I thought I could draw my last breath at any moment. Forgive me if I am a little skittish."

"Shit, woman, y' done?" They glared at each other, but Blue refrained from speaking. "I was goin' t' say that if y' wanted t' head back t' the ship t' go ahead. I didn't know you were goin' t' be so… so… so.. whatever this is if I made you come out here. If y' want t' head back and do yer fancy paperwork, go ahead."

"I simply prefer to be alone."

He looked frustrated but said no more, swimming back to his rock. Perhaps all he had been doing was enjoying the water. Now he was drying off, his mood soured. Blue, however, had not forgotten their earlier conversation.

It was only when she stood just before him that Z seemed to realise that yes, she had come over to him. He paused in drying his face off, letting the towel rest over his shoulders and down his arms like a wet blanket. It was her hand he stared at.

"What do you…"

"It is the smallest and the sharpest blade I have," she said, examining her dagger more closely. "Well, perhaps we ought to compare your sword, but that would be unwieldy for such a task."

"… right." He moved slightly as though he expected her to hand it over to him. "So are you goin' t' let me have it or not?"

"Are you used to the way it is shaped? Its curves and sharpness?"

His eyes narrowed and she closed the distance between them, both knowing and hating how this was about to go.

"I thought I might let you enjoy your bath before—"

"Before y' skin me like a pig?"

"Yes, something like that," she chuckled. She placed a finger on the underside of his chin, encouraging him to look up proper.

"It's my turn to kick you if y' cut me."

"I make no promises."

Without waiting for a response, Blue brought the blade's edge to his skin. He was anxious and that would make this work more difficult. All she needed was for him to stay still; she pressed his skin flat when needed rather than ask him to do anything to help. She worked from the outside in so that she could worry about his beard's original shape later.

"Relax. What am I going to do, send you to the Ferry?"

It was only when he was sure that she wouldn't cut more that he made a small mocking noise at her. Blue rolled her eyes. After rinsing the dagger clean, she once again placed a finger under his chin. "Chin up."

Cleaning up his neck was an uneasy task for the both of them. It took the longest. And the closer she got to his mouth, the more care Blue took to see what hair was too long and needed to be saved. Judging by that and her memory, it was all around the chin.

"Right, this is supposed to be like that, yeah?" she asked, pointing out the longest hair on the tip of his chin.

"Right."

There was a patch above it, too. "And this?"

"Yeah."

She made a noise of affirmation and finally cleaned up around his mouth. Since she had first started, Z finally relaxed; she held his chin steady to keep his head still, just in case. Both of them had made good on their threats before and she was not interested in being kicked for something that was not her fault.

"Much too long…" The beard that was supposed to be there had become quite unruly, at least in her eyes. If Blue had to guess, it was because he was too lazy to regularly trim it. She cut it a little straighter, a little shorter, than was necessary. That his facial hair had been groomed in any manner in the first place was somewhat surprising to her. She supposed it was one thing that most men had in common, the one thing about themselves they were vain about…

"That looks better." Sharply trimmed, his well-groomed beard still called attention to itself without being a mess now. She finished cleaning up around his mouth — he was twitchy about his upper lip being touched — and decided that he looked very presentable now. Dagger Tooth had been full of the ruffian looking sorts, what with everyone taking refuge from the storm, and he had been no different. That would not be the case at Sanctuary.

"My face kinda burns now."

"Rinse your face with water. I am certain I can find aloe on this island if it persists." She gave his cheek a small pat before stepping away from him, wiping her blade clean and dry before putting it away. There was plenty of the island that was yet to be explored, and what was the view from the top like? Blue needed to investigate that.

A well-worn path led to the island's peak from either side of the water; she chose the western path. Walls and more punji sticks lined the trail and eventually a turret roost was to be found on each side. Curiously, there was no cannon on this side, but there was an abandoned ammunition box that she made a mental note of. Just a little further up the hill was the main structure that every fortress had. She spared a glance at the open vault before heading up.

Once she found the highest point she could walk up to, Blue began to climb. The building was probably never in great condition, sturdy, but ramshackle at best. That made it perfect for scaling up.

At the very top, there was a fairly flat roof with a… chair of sorts. She decided it was best to not sit on it and ignored it. The view wasn't bad. It was no Old Boot, but it was better than what the crow's nest of the sloop had to offer. There was nothing of interest to spot now but Blue knew what she could see here if need be. She had also spotted a few aloe plants and made note of their location if they were needed.

"Well? Still burning?" she inquired after coming back down to the pond.

Z, now fully dry and dressed, made a noise. "A bit. I'll live."

"Of course you will."

Blue stepped back over to her rock to work on the laundry as it did need finishing still, expecting that they were done speaking. Z, on the other hand, looked a little lost.

"Y' want me to take over that?"

She could strike him. He was too far for that. However… she started to get her grip ready. "You know, generally I do not like to throw my dagger, but—"

"Alright, fine! Fine, I'm going." His feet quietly took him back to the ship.

Blue smiled to herself and enjoyed the quiet.

The Shores of Plenty was warm. On a warmer day like this that was just slightly uncomfortable, Blue appreciated the pond all the more. In fact, as she ran the towel through her hair, she decided that this was her favourite island because of it. She had not visited the whole of the Sea of Thieves, but of all the islands that she had, this was the best one. Had it not been a fort-island, it—

A rat ran by.

Blue stared at the rodent as it scurried by. That seemed… odd and she didn't know what to make of it, only knew that she didn't like it. Done with her bath, she pulled her clean pant legs up to her knees and made her way back to the dock. The sand stuck to her feet so she rinsed them in the seawater before climbing aboard the sloop and heading downstairs.

Laid on the bed, Z had propped himself up on his side, looking quite uncomfortable. Whether he had been like that the whole time or only just moved into that position when he heard her, she didn't bother to wonder, only fished a hairbrush out of a chest at the very front of the ship's hold.

"Y're back early."

"Am I?" She shook her head. "No matter. I did not feel like having my toes bitten off by rats."

"Rats?"

"Rats."

She paused in freeing her hair of tangles to finally look at him properly. He seemed confused.

"I am finished out there anyway. Unless you have procured more laundry somehow?"

"No."

"Good."

"Do y' want some help with that?"

Blue paused mid-wince in her brushing to stare at him. He just wouldn't keep his mouth shut. This time she couldn't quite find it in herself to tell him off.

"Fine. Here." She handed the brush to him and sat with her back facing him. With Z occupied, she could thoroughly dry her feet off and get a pair of good boots on.

"I thought you were…?"

"I will scavenge for supplies while there is still daylight after I put on shoes that are good for stepping on rats," she explained.

Z went quiet, focusing on brushing for a long moment. Then; "Alrighty then. … Is this supposed to be straight or…?"

She wanted to shake him. Had he never seen wavy hair before? "Just untangle it."

He made a noise. Blue ignored it and went about lacing her boots up. A task such as his might have been easier had he not insisted on wearing gloves, strands of hair getting caught on the fabric. One boot was done and she began working on the other.

"You would have an easier time at it if you would take your gloves off."

"I'm good."

She paused and considered scolding him. It was not worth the effort.

"Then are you about done?"

"I think so."

Close enough, she decided. She finished lacing her boot and gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow. "Good. I will finish later." She took the brush from him and stood, feeling the weight of her newly added boots. Everything felt good as she made her way to the table, setting the brush down and then heading up to the main-deck to scan the horizon. The sound of Z's footsteps behind her caught her attention.

"I'll help."

Blue found no issue in this; he had been incapacitated at the last fort so this would be an interesting exercise. "Very well." She could teach him how to find coconuts worth harvesting.

The two made their way through the island, taking separate paths up to the peak. Blue found that there was a cannon on the opposite turret to the one she had checked earlier. As they went, they pocketed as many planks and cannon shots as they were comfortable carrying — they were in no hurry — and plucked the best fruits they found. Between them, they had picked up five pineapples; Z seemed especially talented at finding those. Blue gave him the one she had found to hold onto.

One tree on the island had coconuts on it. Only one large coconut lay on the ground beside it, the rest still small and bunched together in the tree. She pointed this out and picked the fallen one up.

"We will check this when we get back to the ship. It may have a heart to it, or it may have simply fallen early."

"Fallen coconuts are the good ones?"

"I did say that your ilk were too impatient for them."

He made a face.

"The others… hm." The fruit on the tree seemed quite young. "Hold this."

Blue haphazardly shoved the coconut into his arms, making him yelp, then she started to climb. There was a dip about halfway up that made climbing the tree all that much easier. At this point, she expected that Z might say something, but he stayed quiet. Perhaps he was too curious to speak. Perhaps he only offered aid when he was bored. It could have been any number of things.

Interlocking her ankles, Blue inched her way to the cluster of fruit. "Do you see how much smaller these are compared to that one?"

"No."

She cut one loose.

"… yes."

She cut two more loose and decided that would be good. Gripping the tree trunk, she let her legs swing off it, swung her body down, then finally let go and fell in an organised manner the rest of the way. It stung horribly and she staggered as she stood upright. In hindsight, it had been too far to drop, but… it was fine. It was still strange to think about that, the Sea and Ferry of the Damned. She would be fine; she was already starting to feel markedly better. Blue gathered up the freshly dropped coconuts and the two of them headed back to the ship.

At the table, Z seemed at a loss for words. "So… how do you…?"

"Have you ever seen a coconut like this?"

He scowled. "Yeah. It's jus' been a while."

She laughed; that she could believe. "I will shuck this one," she said, pointing out the largest one. "The others do not get shucked."

He made a face. He said nothing and yet…

"What, do you want to?"

"I'd like y' t' show me."

"Go get a dull sword from the barrel and a damp towel."

He rose a brow but went to do as told. While he did that, Blue cut a hole into one of the other coconuts with her dagger. When Z came back, they traded items.

"Try drinking from that," she suggested. She wrapped the sword from hilt to the last few inches before the point, which she left exposed. Judging by the look on her shipmate's face… "I take it you like it?"

"It's diff'rent. Not as good as the other thing y' showed me, but—" he gave it a small shake "—there's a lot more water in here than usual. I like it."

"Now, as for this one…"

The negated sword was held firmly between her knees, point up. After being handed the largest coconut, she gave it a good whack on the point, wiggled it, and the husk began to peel. More careful wiggles forced more of the husk to peel away and soon enough the last of it could be pulled away by hand.

"Well, that's easy enough."

"I would not recommend it with your sword," Blue said. He laughed. Then Blue worked on the shell of the coconut with the dull side of her dagger's blade, a task that he was keen to watch. Something seemed off, and before she could voice her thoughts…

"Y'know you can jus'—" He twisted his hand and made a biting motion.

"… Just what?" He was not suggesting…

"You can jus' bite it open. Have you never—"

"No! Why would I?"

Now the two just stared at each other, realising that this was another moment of conflicting knowledge. Z ducked down to the food barrel and Blue followed him, partially so that she could put her tools away, partially due to painful curiosity.

"I need a coconut you don't care about."

She sighed and stood beside him, fishing through the barrel. She found one that was the right size and weight, made the right noise when knocked, and handed it to him.

He laughed very loudly after she watched him snap it open with his teeth.

"You've never done that after gettin' cut or shot?" he asked, chewing at his snack, albeit mostly out of habit.

Blue's flabbergasted expression didn't let up, though neither did it worsen. She took a deep breath. "And why would I do that?"

"Hmm… Mm! Mm. Y' eat a lot of fish, don't you?" When she nodded, he continued: "That makes sense. Yer wounds heal extra fast. Everyone that eats right sees this, but meat-eaters say they 'specially see it. Some of them don't take any food to a fight at all—"

"Why would you take food to a fight?"

"Because if you eat somethin' right after gettin' hit, it fixes you up. To a point."

Blue had a hard time believing this. Yet, everything he had told her outside of his jests had been true. He wasn't pulling her leg.

"So those guys take extra shots, a big hammer, or somethin' else with that freedom. Somethin' about meat is better than fruit. … I don't remember where I was goin' with this."

"Apologies. You must realise how… strange this sounds."

Z looked like he had something to say, then his face twisted into that small grin she was accustomed to seeing whenever he had a horrible idea that he thought was so very funny. Blue just barely dodged a halfhearted punch from him, pulling back out of the way. One hand went to his wrist, aiming to shove him away. Instead, she found herself to be the one shoved back, her back pressed against the supporting beam of the sloop's lower deck by his hand on her collarbone. He kept her other arm at her side.

"God damn y're fast."

Blue glared at him, futilely digging her fingers into his forearm.

"Now, c'mere."

She yelped when he pulled her close against him, lifted her and just carried her. Offended would mildly describe how she felt about the arm he had around her waist while he took her back over to the table. He was so quick about it that Blue wasn't allowed enough time to decide how to best strike him, finding herself being sat down in the chair. One of her arms was still held, much more loosely now and at the wrist, palm up.

"Cut yerself."

"What?"

"Cut yerself," he insisted, gesturing to the blade she'd left on the table. "Practical examples, right?"

Blue glared at him. It was incredible how quickly he soured her mood. She was certainly not cutting herself, either. She would just believe him, and she would have said this if he hadn't cut her palm open for her.

The scream and swearing that followed were anything but ladylike. There was definitely a tear or two.

Hunched over holding her palm, Blue was more than a little mad. When she finally looked back up to direct her swearing at a certain someone, he was holding a pineapple out for her to take.

"You're kidding me."

Z rolled his eyes. He wiped the blood from her dagger off on his pant leg and cut the pineapple in half. He offered it to her again. She took the top half, holding it by the… the stem? The leaves? Either way, something compelled her to chew at it and eat all that she could. Upon later reflection, she would find that even some of the rind had been eaten.

For now, she looked down. There was still blood all over her hands, spilt onto the floor and all over herself, but the pain had subsided. As she inspected the injury, she found that there was not even a mark left on her palm.

"Fuck."

Z laughed. He laughed hard, boisterously until he fell backwards on his ass, and even then he still laughed some.

"Still don't believe me?"

"What the hell?"

"There's somethin' about pineapples. No matter how hard y've been hit, they'll make y' almost good as new, and there's too much t' eat in one go. You get two tries at whatever y're doin' with one pineapple. Y'know, as long as y' don't get killed."

"Incredible."

The both of them now eyed the remainder of the pineapple that Z had dropped on the table before falling.

"All I have ever done is eat them because they taste good."

"You— what?" Now it was Z's turn to look incredulous.

"Mhm." Blue looked at her hands and lap again. There was no salvaging that. She wiped her hands off on her pant legs as best she could and took the bottom half of the pineapple down to the stove.

"What do y' think y're doin'?"

"It will simply spoil if left like this, yes?" He grumbled an affirmation. Blue continued: "Then there is no problem with this practical example of mine."

The pineapple bottom was placed in the pan and Blue looked about in the bottom food barrel. A small box was withdrawn and from it, sea salt was sprinkled upon the pineapple's flesh. Then it was flipped over and allowed to heat more thoroughly before finally being removed from the pan.

"Try this."

He looked like a petulant child, so much so that she was surprised that he accepted it. He took a bite of the fruit's flesh and very quickly did his sour face melt away.

Z only ever ate when he needed to, she realised.

Blue didn't wait for him to speak his opinion before walking away.

The rest of the night had been quiet. It seemed that Z was getting better at understanding when his company was wholly intolerable to Blue, allowing her to consider just what sort she was keeping. She did not mind teaching someone who simply did not know any better how to forage for fruit or how to fish, but he had acted as though he had never scavenged for anything good to eat. The grilled pineapple had been the last straw.

He couldn't read — she knew that much. If he could, he would have had some choice words for her after the initial note she had left for him. When Blue had finally sat down to write that night, she took her time, going over her older writing and cross-referencing her thoughts. The things that he had said, the way he voiced his ideas, the peak of Shipwreck Bay, the nonchalant nature in which he handled skeleton fortresses — she got the feeling that he was not entirely honest with her. She couldn't blame him; if he had been, she probably never would have accepted the deal they had made. Instead she was now sailing across the Sea of Thieves for some knowledge that would ultimately be pointless to her in exchange for someone continuing their own trivial life.

Coming to that conclusion had bothered her quite a lot. As fascinating as this place was, she had no desire to stay any longer than was necessary. She guessed that the same could not be said for Z.

Sleep did not come easily that night. Like usual, Blue had curled up on the sloop's canvas under a light blanket. For a long time she laid there, trying to clear her mind until she dozed off. Then she was awake again, mind stirring with lingering thoughts. It was an endless cycle that got worse the later into the night it got, fatigue failing to take her in earnest. At one point, she considered just getting up and doing something productive; before she could, she fell asleep again. The thought was considered again as she awoke, bleary eyed and groggy. A footfall roused her more.

As Blue rolled over to face him and ask Z what he wanted, the sound of a thunk and fabric tearing behind her caught her attention. That was strange. She looked up to examine just what that was and definitely screamed at the skeleton that had tried to kill her. Old habits proved useful and she was able to parry the next swing with her dagger, finding the time to scramble out of the way of the next one thanks to it.

Besides the one focused on her, there were two more skeletons: one stood by the mast and one was currently climbing the starboard ladder.

There was a bigger problem at hand: Blue couldn't fight the skeleton keeping her at the canvas. The black bones, the shimmer — she had no way to make the shadow skeleton vulnerable until she got past it. Skellies were slow, she just had to find an opening and remember that she could take a hit or two as long as it didn't cripple her.

Z's information was about to be tested. Then she was going to kill him.

He complained that she was fast — or maybe it was a compliment — and surely this skeleton would have done the same if it had a tongue in which to do so with. Blue waited for it to strike at her again, then rolled aside, dashing past it to the lantern mounted by the wheel. She lit it and threw herself towards the side of the ship, a burning sensation going down her arm as she did that. Blood dripped off her elbow but the wound didn't seem too bad; the skeleton was stunned and screeched its own grievances from being exposed to a light source. Taking this moment of opportunity, Blue rushed it and shoved it off the ship just as the next one came aboard to take its place on the quarter-deck.

A commotion downstairs momentarily caught her attention. The skeleton at the mast didn't seem to know whether to go up or down the stairs. So there was more than the three she had spotted.

On her feet and ready, Blue was able to strike first against the skeleton on the same level as her. It guarded heavily against her blows and she regretted not being able to fight better — the wound was not serious, but it fatigued her arm quickly and she was not ambidextrous. It finally made a swing at her and she had to hop backwards to avoid it. Reversing her grip on her dagger, she parried the following blows, now finding the next moves easier and easier to perform.

With a great crash, Z came barrelling up the stairs and collided with the skeleton on the main-deck, sword in hand. It was rendered inert and in the moment that Blue and the skeleton she was fighting took to look at him, he shot himself up the next set of stairs took that one's head off with a stabbing motion of his weapon.

Blue looked from her shipmate to the crumbled mess of bones on the floor. A brief moment of relief ran over her until she recalled the one she had thrown overboard; she kicked it off the ladder.

"Let's go!"

Z didn't wait before lowering the sail to get them moving.

Blue headed downstairs to survey the damage. There were two more 'corpses' to be cleaned up and the lower decks were just a general mess now, her tidy spaces dishevelled by the intruders.

More than a little overwhelmed, she sat at the foot of the bed, considering what had just transpired. Her arm still hurt a little, though not as much as expected. When she held it, she found that there was hardly a wound underneath the blood that was beginning to dry.

Z had made a point about her eating a lot of fish.

Breathing deep, Blue worked to calm herself. Despite the jitters, knowing that they were already away from that accursed island helped a lot, and she found that she was quite tired. The worse she had to worry about after all that was a tear in her sleeve.

"Hey, y' good?"

Had she not been resting her face in the palm of her unoccupied hand to control the shaking, Blue might have struck him. As it were, she only lifted her head to look at him, reconsidering the idea. He looked…

"I am fine. You?"

"Nothin' that can't be helped." He looked like he had taken a blow to the head — probably how he had been woken.

"Take us to Lone Cove—"

"Lonely's closer."

She paused, holding back the urge to strike him yet again. Lonely Isle was quite a lot closer than Lone Cove. The waves were more agreeable and the sloop could manage the wind. Then… "You're right."

Z nodded. He started to make for the upper decks and caught himself, looking her over. "You look like hell. D'you—"

"I am fine. Just… go." She waved him off and despite the sigh, Z made himself scarce.

Both of them were fine and the ship was moving. They were fine. Despite her fatigue, Blue couldn't sit still quite yet. She got to her feet and found a scrap of cloth to wipe the blood off her arm with. Perhaps all that was left underneath the blood would scar; perhaps not.

The bones on the floor bothered her greatly. She set about picking them up by the armfuls and throwing them overboard. After a couple of trips, she spotted Z doing the same thing above her and it took just a few more to rid the hold of the eyesores.

If anyone looked like hell, it was him. Maybe it was an outward appearance thing.

Blue ducked back down to the lowest deck, wondering what the hell to do with herself. Her shipmate didn't need her help to sail, and if she stayed up, they could just go to Sanctuary, but she was becoming so tired…

That was it, she was going back to sleep. With the ship moving, she would have to use the bed — or curl up in a corner somewhere very uncomfortable and she was not doing that — and why not? It was hers anyway.

It was just after pulling a blanket over herself that Blue was aware of just how much the bed smelled like her new shipmate, even after washing the linens. She'd have to fix that. After sleeping. And if Z had any problems with that, he'd just have to curl up next to her or in a corner. Maybe she didn't actually want to deal with that.

Whether or not she would tolerate such a thing, Blue was too tired to make a decision before falling asleep.

Many hours later, Blue awoke to quite an odd sight. Before her stood her shipmate. He held the lid of one food barrel in one hand, his other hand primed as though to strike at something. It was such a strange sight that she didn't move herself, curious and just a little concerned.

Finally, he lunged forward and withdrew a crab from the barrel with a triumphant — if subdued — "Ha!"

Blue had a couple of questions. Almost every single one was easily answered by last night's skeletal ambush. She knew one more thing, too: "I am not cooking that."

He yelped and jumped, turning to look at her. It was slightly amusing, though all she did was roll over.

Z tried to say something, then yelped again. There was a small thud and she knew what happened. She still felt the need to ask.

"Did you drop it?"

"No! … Yes."

She took a deep breath, one that required her to ignore the faint scent of rum. That sounded good right now but was absolutely not proper this early in the day. She froze momentarily when he sat at the foot of the bed, mucking about with something in his hands.

"You look better than y' did last night."

"Of that I am certain." She humoured him, well rested now but still annoyed to be denied an opportunity to doze a little more. She twisted slightly to get a look at what he was doing and wondered why he was removing his peg leg. The question was answered when he leaned down, using it to fish under the bed for the crab.

"Are you about to be outwitted by a crustacean?"

"Not outwitted — out-pinched."

Blue didn't even know what she was supposed to say to that. She was even more dumbfounded when he dragged the crab out from under the bed by having coaxed it into latching onto the end of his replacement leg with its pincers. The toothy grin he gave her was entirely too prideful.

"… like I said, I am not cooking it. Nor do I have a pot anywhere that it will fit in."

"Fine, I'll throw it over."

Z moved to stand, then paused. There was no way he could do as he said with only one good leg. Blue had no idea where the walking stick she had gotten for him previously had gone — or why he hadn't used it for this task.

He slowly looked at her, a little lost.

"Can you—"

"I will not."

"I need both my hands t' put this back on."

"So you have been outwitted by a crab?"

The expression he wore had shifted to a scowl and she swore that she could see him biting the inside of his cheek. Then he dropped the crab with a shrug. Blue lurched forward, pressing the blanket down and around the skittering thing so that it didn't crawl into bed with her proper.

"You…!" Oh, the things she might say to him. Blue couldn't begin to decide where to start.

"Yea?" He looked very proud of himself, working on putting his prosthetic back on now.

The crab futilely poked at the point where the blanket folded.

Of course, perhaps Z might turn this around on her. This one had no honour at all. "I presume you are quite pleased with yourself?"

"Uh huh."

"Mhm," she repeated after him. Carefully, she ran a hand under the blanket, grabbing the crab by the body. If he wouldn't dispose of it, she would. Of course, this was a feisty, flexible thing and it managed to grab her back before she had even stood up. The difference between them was that she only grumbled.

Up at the mid-deck, Blue leaned over the half-wall. She would have dropped the crab if it had agreed. Now it seemed to want to stay, refusing to let go of her fingers. Her still free hand had no hope of prying its pincers loose, though that didn't stop her from trying. If only it had grabbed her other hand…

Z finally joined her, fake-foot situated back onto what remained of that real one. He still looked quite pleased with himself, though he did quirk a brow at the crab's newfound hold on her. Blue doubted that he would help, but she'd give it a shot anyway.

"On your side, below my knee — retrieve my dagger, would you?"

It took a moment, but he understood what she was asking.

"Really? You want me to—"

"I could kick you instead."

He sighed, then carefully went about doing as asked. She didn't complain and stayed still, though Blue was surprised that he didn't let his hand wander. The blade was daintily offered to her and she accepted it. The tip of the knife was wedged between the crab's pincers and then twisted, forcing the little thing to release her hand so it could fall into the ocean.

"You are ridiculous."

Z just chuckled.

With that mess settled, Blue headed back downstairs so she could get dressed; a fish was placed in the pan to heat while she did that. When she was finished and it was heated enough but still manageable by hand, the fish was cut in half. Blue took the tail-end and gave her shipmate the other half as she passed him on the way up to the main-deck. From there, she took a good look at their surroundings.

Had the rock cluster not been there, Sanctuary Outpost would have been in view. This ordeal was nearly over. The wind was good, too, a fair crosswind. The sooner they left, the more likely they were to keep that condition the entire trip.

"We should go before the wind changes."

His head was tilted, perhaps doing the same as she was. "Y' sound eager to get rid of me."

"I am eager to rid of you," she confirmed as she stepped up to the helm-deck. It hadn't been said venomously, but Blue's mind was already gathering reasons to argue this.

"How could you?" he asked in jest.

"Well, for one," she started, somewhat annoyed, "I have never been so close to having a crab for a bedmate before today."

Blue simply rolled her eyes and got the ship moving while he guffawed.