The night came and went, bringing a pleasant morn. With the Forlorn Phoenix fully hidden behind Smuggler's Bay, Z passed the vast majority of the time by sitting on the island. The southern point of it was made up of two tall peaks that came together, forming a towering opening of the bay. Between those peeks was a rickety bridge; beside it, he had slept in the grass. Now, as the sun rose, he stirred and reattached his pegleg so that he could stand and observe the horizon.

He wanted to scream. The galleon they had been watching was close to Sanctuary Outpost now, so much so that it was already in the process of reefing its sails in preparation to stop.

It was with a deep sigh that Z supposed, At least it isn't coming here.

As good of a hiding spot as they had, they had unfortunately backed themselves into a corner. Short of leaving the Sea of Thieves entirely or backtracking, there was nowhere that they could go to put more distance between them and the galleon. A ship leaving the safety of cover of such an island was bound to rouse suspicion, too…

While Z contemplated what they could or should do, the sound of a cannon firing from behind him caught his attention. That was quite odd, but even stranger was that it sounded close. He turned around just in time to see a cannonball go flying past.

Well, that removed all doubt from his mind. Just a short time ago, a skeleton had roused and taken to the cannon in the middle of the island. Some, like this one, were especially enthusiastic about attacking pirates. Shooting at him from across the island with a cannon, though… what a brazen fool.

Sprinting from the southern edge of the island to head inland was not the most difficult task in the world for Z — cannonballs flew rather slowly, but there was always the worry of What if? Taking a shot to the face was a sure way to visit the Sea of the Damned, but that wasn't the concern; indirect hits were the worrisome ones — a pirate could lose a limb to that and Z had already lost more than his fair share.

A cannonball clipping a tree and taking a chunk out of its trunk only solidified his concerns.

As he got closer to the skeletal cannoneer, he spied two more of them with cutlasses in hand, lingering without purpose. When he got close enough that the cannoneer no longer felt safe on the gun, it brandished its pistol at him. Dashing past its friends, Z took his sword to it first — most skellies may have been limp-wristed, but a gunshot was the same no matter who wielded it.

With the gunner taken care of, Z turned his attention to the other two that were now rushing him in earnest. He brought his cutlass over his head and lunged forward, obliterating them in one fluid motion.

With a small sigh, he looked over his handiwork, then decided he ought to see if the commotion had woken Blue up. The trek up to the highest point of the island's north side was something he did at a comfortable pace. From the platform with the two ladders, he spotted her on the main-deck of the ship, sword in hand. Still, she looked calmer than he had expected.

When he made his way down there and climbed the ladder onto the quarter-deck, they exchanged looks. When Blue didn't adjust her gaze, he explained, "Jus' a skelly."

"Right… The cannon on the island…" She sounded better than she did last night. "Did… did it shoot at you with the cannon?"

Z made a little 'snrk' sort of noise. "Uh huh."

"How… peculiar."

"Yeah, they're little shits." He took a moment to look her over. "How y' feelin'?"

"Better," she said. "Not completely back to normal, but better."

He nodded to that.

"I take it you are hungry?"

Considering how pissy Blue had been the last time he brought up food, he decided to just shrug his shoulders. "I can jus' eat a pom' or somethin' when I get hungry."

She made a noise of discontent but didn't argue. "Fine. I am uncertain I could stomach anything right now anyway."

"Still that sick, eh?"

She mustered up an annoyed expression for a moment before changing the subject. "Is the island safe again?"

"Safe as it can be, I guess."

"Anything more?"

"The gally's at Sanctuary."

She sighed and looked as frustrated as he had been about it.

"So I'm thinkin' we jus' wait and see what it does."

"There is not much else we can do without being spotted, is there?"

Z shook his head. "Not really. 'Sides, if y're still too sick t' eat, y' should rest another day."

Once more she twisted her expression into one of aggravation for just a moment. She managed to only look slightly annoyed now. "I suppose you are not wrong."

Z chuckled with satisfaction. "Go lay back down."

She made a disgruntled noise but ducked down low to do just that.

Z spent the rest of the day on the island. No other skellies rose from the earth to pester him; the galleon loitered about Sanctuary Outpost. As far as he could tell, Blue spent the day upon the Forlorn Phoenix, hopefully resting. When the sun began to sink towards the horizon, he made his way back to the ship to see if his suspicions were correct.

He found her at the table, eyes shut and head leaned upon the palm of a bent arm. It was impossible to deduce if she had been reading or writing, a quill pen discarded just beyond her reach, half of a pomegranate closer. She shifted slightly as he approached and he tapped his pegleg to get her attention.

"How ya feelin'?"

"Like I was bitten by a snake a day ago."

He chuckled. Judging by the colour of her face, her snark, and that she had eaten, she must have been feeling better. That bit of fruit was far from a hearty meal, though.

"I take it y're feelin' better then. Hungry?"

She shook her head.

"Eh, I didn't think so. I had a coconut earlier," he stated, sitting on the edge of the table. "Y' still tired, too?"

"Yes, even after sleeping so much. I think I will sleep through the night still."

Z nodded. No doubt she was pleased about that, if only for her routine. "It's not like there's anythin' else t' do anyway."

"I take it then that the galleon has not moved?"

He shook his head.

"But of course."

Z didn't mind the prospect of fighting a galleon. As unlikely as their chances of success, it was a challenge he didn't shy away from. The problem was with them at the outpost, they were no doubt selling whatever goods they had collected — his bargaining material for his case to fight them.

It seemed he was destined to spend another night sleeping on the island.

"If y' don't need anythin', I'm gonna head back ont' the island, keep an eye on the gally and get a bit'a sleep."

She eyed him warily. "You would do that even after a skeleton shot at you with a cannon?"

He shrugged. "Comes with the territ'ry."

She hesitated, but then said nothing more. They nodded to each other before he disembarked. It was another long walk to the southern peaks of the island to observe the galleon for a time.

When the darkness had been a constant and his eyelids became heavy, Z made himself comfortable in the grass once again and slept the remainder of the night.

In the morning, Blue and Z shared a coconut and splashtail for breakfast when Z reported that the galleon had just left Sanctuary.

"What might they be doing?" Blue inquired.

It was with great effort that Z suppressed the urge to be resentful that he didn't know what the galleon was up to. He could have, but alas, that was not the path chosen.

"No idea. Whatever it is, they're too skittish t' go far from an outpost."

"Well, if they are moving away, then we are free to move as well, correct?"

He nodded. Finally, they could go to Sanctuary.

"Y feelin' up t' sailin' today?"

"Yes. I am mostly better. Food is making me feel less nauseous now."

"Good." She'd be back to normal tomorrow for sure. Today, though, Z knew that he would probably end up doing most of the work sailing. That was fine with him. "Why don't y' sit yerself in the crow's nest again today and keep an eye on the gally?"

She visibly considered his words. "I can do that," she said with some amount of distrust. He noticed that.

"I jus' don't want y' over-doin' it too soon, y' know?"

Blue wrinkled her nose, failing to fight off a smirk. "Y' know, if I do get sick up there, I cannot simply lean over a railing to keep the deck clean."

It took him a long moment to realise that she was making a gross joke. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Well, don't get sick then."

She wouldn't. He was sure of that. It didn't stop Blue from coughing now and again while she was up there just to keep him on his toes, however.

Sanctuary Outpost was a pleasant little island situated in a beautiful part of the Sea of Thieves. When the galleon had started south, Blue and Z were able to fully enjoy the island without the worry of other crews. They spent some time apart in separate areas of the outpost before reconvening in the tavern for dinner.

"Find anythin' in'erestin'?" Z asked once he felt like they could speak with each other.

Blue made a thoughtful expression while she cut her pork chop into bite-sized pieces. "Not especially. I did manage to glean some information about the galleon, though."

He leaned forward.

"They are working some sort of business for the Order of Souls. Not the usual skeletal bounties, but no one would say exactly what. The clothing store's shopkeeper should not have said anything at all if it were such a sensitive topic and the witch just about threatened me when I tried to press her for more information. The gall of the little thing."

Z smirked. That was interesting and Blue's annoyance towards the representative was more than a little funny. It was almost like that of a frustrated mother. More importantly, the information she had been able to gather was a nudge in the right direction.

"So they're doin' somethin' for the Order?" It was more a statement than a question. "That might be worth checkin' out."

Blue sighed and rolled her eyes at him, thoroughly unenthused. "The Order is not to be taken lightly. If they have secret business with a crew, it ought to stay between them."

He had some choice words for Blue's skittishness, but he refrained from voicing them. "Fiiine."

She poked at her food some more before putting the fork down. "It may not be a bad idea to shadow them, but only from a great distance. Tomorrow morning we will see if we cannot find them."

Z pondered the idea. "That sounds good t' me… though, why the change'a heart?"

"Secret business for the Order is very interesting, as you have put it. While we were apart, I helped another witch in the Isles by retrieving a skull for her."

"That's jus' normal Souls business."

She shook her head. "No, she did not send me on a bounty hunt. She sent me to find the skull."

It took Z a moment to fully understand what she was saying. It was a literal statement. That was very odd. "Wait, like… they already knew the skelly was dead? Err, deader?" Blue nodded. "And all y' had t' do was go get it?" She nodded again. "That's… weird."

"That is what I thought as well."

Teasing, he added, "It's also pretty weird that y' decided yer best bet fer comp'ny were a bunch'a heads."

"They do not back-talk very much."

Z narrowed his eyes at her, unable to help something of a smarmy grin. Blue paid him no mind as she ate her meal. They focused on dinner until they were finishing up, plates nearly cleaned. Something lingered on his mind…

"What made y' do work with the Order?"

"I strive to make coin."

"Yeah, but weren't y' workin' for the Merchant Alliance before?"

"It is that line of work that took me to Plunder Outpost."

He snickered. "Tryin' somethin' new then, eh?"

"They pay better, too."

Blue leaned back, tapping the fingertips of one hand on the table. Z waited for her to speak.

"The Merchant Alliance pays good, steady coin for the moving of cargo. They pay better for recovered goods. The Order, however, pays better overall. They care not where you get your heads from."

She was quiet for a long moment before she grunted, her expression as though she were unable to figure out how to word herself. "Simply put, I did little work for them before because I was ignorant of the magic in this place."

"Ah." Z nodded. "So y' didn't work with 'em 'cause y' didn't know about the healing and the Ferry?"

"Mm, I noticed the accelerated healing here. I was not aware of the Ferry, however." She paused. "And I was… inspired by our performance at Hidden Spring Keep."

Z was proud to display a haughty grin. "Well, y're very welcome."

She rolled her eyes. "I said our performance. I never would have considered facing such a horde of skeletons before then on my own."

"Uh huh. Y're quite a lot welcome then," he snickered.

Blue gave a defeated sigh. "I am going back to the ship to work on the logbook," she declared, standing. "I am behind."

That she was. He nodded, taking a big swig of grog as she passed by him. Z was quite content to stay in the tavern and drink. It wasn't until long after the sun and Blue had both gone down for the night that he came stumbling back to the ship to get some sleep.

It must have been late in the morning when Z woke up because he almost fell out of bed when the ship rolled over a particularly large wave. Why Blue hadn't just gotten him up… He stifled his complaints and sat up, hanging onto the edge of the mattress as he looked for his pegleg. It had shifted out from under the bed and was now against the barrel of swords. He silently thanked no one in particular that it had not rolled further as he set it in place.

Stepping onto the deck, Z looked about. He immediately recognised the tiny island they had reached as Rapier Cay. It must have been later into the day than he thought.

"About time you got up," Blue chimed from the helm as she pulled the sail up.

"What, didn't feel like gettin' me up?"

"You refused to get up."

"Oh." He snickered.

Ignoring him, Blue changed the subject. "The wind has been agreeable today." That was an understatement — the sloop had flown across the waves to get here that fast.

Z nodded. "Is this as far as we're goin'?"

"The wind is coming from the southeast — if we turn south we are against it and that much slower. I would rather not sail after dark while we follow a galleon."

He considered this. Sailing at night meant they would be harder to notice, but then so too would the galleon. He knew very well that such a scenario could be quite problematic. Perhaps she was right to be wary.

Still, it surely couldn't be that late in the day… "Hey, uh, what time is it?"

She sighed and checked her pocket watch. "It is closer to supper time than it is not."

"Oh." Yes, it was much later than he thought it to be.

"What did you even do last night?" she inquired in quite an accusatory tone.

"Uh, I drank."

She stared at him for a long moment, an uncomfortable expression of disapproval across her face. Then she looked away and shook her head.

"Before the galleon disappeared in the south, it turned somewhat westerly. It would seem that they intend to go to Mermaid's Hideaway, or perhaps leave entirely. The Devil's Shroud is a shifting entity, correct?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it changes around. It's how people get in an' out."

"So it is just as I have heard."

He nodded again. "Say, why don't we go t' Crescent? We might be able t' spot 'em from there and it's still plenty far?"

Blue's hands went to her hips as she considered his words. "Perhaps. Do you plant to stay up all night and tomorrow?"

"I'll get a few hours sleep in the mornin'."

She gave him an unimpressed glare but relented. "Fine then. We will rest for a few hours before continuing."

Z thought that was a good idea. They were starting to make a habit out of this, of taking turns sleeping while the other kept them going somewhere. It was a great way of working together, he decided.

They spent much of the evening apart until it was time to eat. They split a pineapple that Blue heated and salted. Tankards of grog were also shared, enough so that not too long after they ate, Blue chose to go to sleep instead of working in her logbook. More steady on his feet than she was, Z got the little ship moving southwest.

Crescent Isle wasn't too far away and the wind was still reasonable, albeit blowing more from behind the ship now. It wasn't very late into the night when they arrived. Z took the ship to the west side of the island and nestled it in close to it, using the island's height to hide the mast from most angles.

Far from keen to repeat the incident at Smuggler's Bay, Z disembarked to scour the island. There were no cannons on this island at all, and there was a total lack of skeletons and their signs. The previous island was such a large, dense island that they hadn't been able to sweep it entirely. This was a pleasing change. There were, however, snakes here, too.

From the top of the island, Z peered about. Even with all the light from the stars and moon, he could not spot any other vessels, including the gallon that they had shared a visual space with for so long.

Satisfied with his horizon check, Z made his way back to the ship. Just as he had told Blue, he intended to get a bit of sleep. He sat himself down on the quarter-deck, leaned against the canopy structure, and did just that.

Z wasn't shocked when his next bout of consciousness began with a kick to his foot. He'd removed his pegleg before sleeping, so he wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve it, though it had been a gentle kick. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he was offered a freshly fried splashtail, albeit with missing fins.

"Oh. Thanks."

Right, he had hardly eaten yesterday. Half a pineapple hadn't been very substantial for an entire day and the splashtail's disappearing act was a testament to that.

Blue leaned against the ship's railing beside him. "What of last night?"

He considered her question and paused in his greedy munching to swallow and clear his mouth. "I didn't see the gally before I sat down. Didn't see anythin', actually."

"They are at Mermaid's Hideaway, at the back of the island just as we are."

"Ah."

"There is another galleon coming in from the south."

He almost choked. "Shit, what?"

She smirked. "It would seem that they are to have company soon."

"Or we're goin' t'. If we can see 'em, they can see us and we're an easier target."

"Or perhaps that," Blue conceded. "Judging by their angle, however, it looks as though they intend to go to Mermaid's."

That was interesting. A galleon alliance? As fun an idea fighting two galleons for their loot sounded, they simply stood no chance and Z knew it.

"So we sit tight an' watch."

"Mm. I see nothing else for us to do. Unless we would like to Golden Sands?"

"Nnn… I don't see why."

"There may be more information to discover about the galleon. Galleons? My point is that it may be worthwhile. We may also find worthwhile supplies."

Z made a thoughtful noise. The only reason they were even following the first galleon was because Blue had discovered that it was on some sort of mission for the Order of Souls and both of them were too curious for their own good. At Golden Sands, it was very likely that they would find good supplies just as she said, but more attractive right now was the prospect of information. If they looked as though they had sold any loot they might have had, they could also make themselves an uninteresting target to the larger ships. A good tavern-cooked meal didn't hurt, either.

"It's not the worst idea y've ever had."

She tilted her head. They looked at each other for a moment.

"Shall we?"

Something about Golden Sands didn't sit well with Z. There was nothing wrong with the outpost, it wasn't hard to navigate, the tavern offered good food, though it was easy to confuse with Sanctuary Outpost… he just kind of didn't like it.

Blue clearly thought he was crazy, but neither did she speak further about the matter. Instead, while they sat at a table just outside the tavern, they ate dinner and discussed the matter of the two galleons and how they found out nothing more about them.

"It would see that my eye was right — the new galleon is still set making way to Mermaid's Hideaway."

Z gave her a long, curious look. He took another bite out of one of his chicken legs before responding. "Really?"

She nodded. "All day I watched it move towards the other. I do not get the feeling that they are looking for a fight."

"How's that?"

She tapped the table with a single index finger. "They way they are moving… steady and direct — does that seem aggressive or shy to you?"

He shook his head. "Could be either."

She shrugged. "It is a very long time to move so purposefully, and a very long time to simply sit and wait for a fight to come to you."

"So y're sayin' that they planned t' meet up there?"

She nodded.

A galleon alliance — what a treat. At least, that was partially how Z felt about it. He also recognised that attacking more than one ship was a difficult prospect, especially if one were a galleon. Two galleons… an interesting idea, but he preferred to stay on Blue's good side for now.

"That's a shame."

She gave him a look and he knew they were of the same mind. And yet…

"What?"

"I would expect you to want to go into that mess with guns loaded."

Yep, they were of the same inclination. He was starting to really enjoy this synergy they shared.

"It ain't often I see this, but I ain't about t' go runnin' int' cer'ain death, neither." He shifted some. "Besides, knowin' y're gonna lose a fight takes some'a the fun out of it."

She made a noise that he took for approval. "That is very thoughtful of you."

He shrugged.

"Now, where do we go from here?"

That was a good question that took Z by surprise. They had gone through the Shores of Plenty and found nothing interesting. They had followed a galleon and it led them to another… That made him curious.

"Y' think the new gally's the one y' spotted in the Isles?"

Blue took a moment to think on that. "Probably."

"Then why don't we go down there next?"

"I see no reason not to." She thought for another moment. "We will go to Wanderer's Refuge tomorrow, then to Plunder Valley?"

Wanderer's wasn't too far from Golden Sands; it would be a long day of sailing, but it was doable. Wanderer's to Plunder was a bit further… that suggestion surprised him.

"That's a long way t' go."

"It is. It is a long way to go, but is it not within reason if we trade stations and continue to alternate the times we sleep?"

He chewed up another mouthful of drumstick, hiding his amusement. "It's doable… What, y' startin' t' like sleepin' in the bed?"

The irritation on her face was vague, but there was enough to amuse him further. "I do not mind it. More importantly, we can get more done. Besides, always having someone on watch is not a bad idea with all these galleons lurking about."

"Mm, it's not the worst idea…"

"Then you have no qualms with this plan?"

He shook his head. "Nah. But where do we go from there?"

"Hopefully, we spy something of interest by then."