It must have been morning. The light that came down into the sloop's hold did so at an angle; it wasn't too late. He did not feel ill and was not too sore for what he recalled from the previous day, so Z made himself sit up, groaning as he stretched carefully. It was not a bad morning.

Now that he was more awake, he could start recalling things more clearly. First, he was disappointed in himself for falling asleep as easily as he had. Then again, in a way, this was also his sloop, if only temporarily. Still, to drink and fall asleep as he had showed such poor discipline… Well, at least he could give up the notion of Blue turning on him while he slept. She had also patched him up without being asked, too…

Speaking of the lady, he could hear her somewhere above him. He swore he heard her humming so he hoped that she was in a good mood. The splashing, though — he wasn't sure what that was about.

Pulling himself so that he could slide off the bed, Z paused, grimacing. Though it had been a boon, yesterday had been a hard day, and sleeping with his prosthetic on had done him no favours. A dull ache constantly throbbed up his leg. He found himself wishing that he had asked Blue to look at it last night; no way was he going to find the chance to do so now. He tested his leg and forced himself to stand.

Going up the first set of stairs, Z spotted the pile of clothing he'd left near the map table. He fished through it, found the shirt he had planned to wear last night, and finally put it on with minor difficulty. It was much better than it had been, but his arm still complained; it would need a few days to heal fully. His head felt fine, if messy with its bandaging.

Next to the starboard cannon stood Blue, fishing pole beside her. In one hand was a banana and in the other, a common voting dagger. The fruit was unceremoniously cut up and tossed into the water, peel and all, and then she cast her line out. He wasn't sure what to make of it and made his way to the other side of the cannon.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

She was reeling a fish in a moment later and Z wasn't sure if he should press for a conversation. He wanted to, he wanted an excuse to ask what exactly she was doing, but he wasn't sure if now was the time. It probably wouldn't have been a problem if he had, for she was bringing the fish out of the sea moments later, a little yellow splashtail. He was surprised to see her take it off the hook, to touch it at all, but just last night she did have her fingers in his arm.

"Hold this," she said without looking at him, fish held out to him.

Awkwardly, he took it by the mouth, its flailing growing weaker by the second. "Uh…" He glanced between her and the fish a few times, unsure of what he was to do. Another fish was at the end of her line and he was, again, unsure if he should speak while she fought it.

This one took longer to bring in. It seemed like a proper fight between Blue and this fish. Though a struggle, she won and now reeled the line in to show a much larger fish. It futilely thrashed about in the air.

Finally, Blue turned to face him. She said nothing, however, and only plucked the now lifeless fish from him and headed down the stairs. Z was at a loss for words. For as prim and proper as she seemed, he never would have expected to see her fishing. The sound of sizzling on the stove reconfirmed what he had witnessed. Unsure of what to do with himself, he went up to the quarter-deck and sat on the canvas. The blanket that Blue had stolen away with was nearby so he didn't doubt that she slept up here.

When she reappeared, he was very surprised that she had two plates in her hands and that she came up to join him. Each plate had a fish and mug of grog on it; a coconut accompanied the bigger fish, as well as a dagger, while the smaller one had a small pomegranate with it. He was even more surprised when he was given the plate with the larger fish.

Z stared at the plate in his hands for a moment before he looked back at his shipmate. She had scooted away a little, a respectable distance for two people who weren't friends. "Shouldn't you be eatin' this?" he asked only after he tore into his meal, half of the fish disappearing in no time.

Blue gave him a thoughtful hum. "I am not the one that got the shit beat out of him yesterday, got drunk, and failed to eat before going to bed."

He narrowed his eyes at her but didn't stop chewing to comment; they both knew she was right. He would've been content with a piece of fruit or few, but this was leagues better. After another bite, something compelled him to look over again. Blue was picking at her fish, being dainty, eating the crispy bits first. He tried to speak and almost choked. She rose a brow while he swallowed.

"Somethin' the matter?"

"I forgot a knife." She sounded annoyed.

"Here," he started, grabbing the dagger off his plate. He didn't need it; she was the fancy one. When he looked back to hand it to her, he paused. The two of them exchanged curious looks. Blue, most certainly, was wondering why he looked so dumbfounded. Z, on the other hand, was wondering where the pretty dagger he had been chewing on last night came from. She hadn't quite pulled it from its sheath and he was disappointed when she put the blade fully back away and set it down.

She reached over and took the unremarkable knife from him, stating, "Thank you." The robe across her shoulders was slanted now when it had been worn properly just a moment ago.

"Where'd y get that from?" Z couldn't help asking.

Midway through cutting her pomegranate, Blue paused. She looked down at the plain knife, to the one that hadn't been there before, to her plate, and then finally back to him. She shrugged, clearly feigning ignorance.

Z was torn. He had been so busy yesterday, and between the trip to the Ferry and his injuries, the fish he had been given was nearly impossible to pull himself from, an exhaustion he didn't know he had fading away with each bite. Blue's dagger was a matter of great curiosity, though.

"No, no, not—" He mimicked her shrug. Then he gestured to the weapon in question. "Where did that come from?"

"I always have it."

Having eaten so much so fast and getting so worked up, Z almost made himself throw up. He put the fish down, exchanging it for small sips of grog. "Where? I had a perfect view of y' there—" he gestured to where she had stood while fishing "—and when y' came up here. You did not have that thing on yer hip!"

Blue was busy cutting her fish up; she definitely preferred the crispy outside. As he ranted, she kept her head tilted so she didn't have to look at him, unable to help a small smile of amusement. She seemed very pleased with this.

"And yer sirt— skir— shit— YER SHIRT is 'bout fallin' off!"

Now she had to look at him, a brow raised. She was struggling to not laugh at his vocal fumbling; a small chuckle could not be helped.

"I am not wearing a shirt, it is a robe." He almost screamed. She almost guffawed. "And I am still wearing my robe just as well."

"But-but-BUT— y're not." Z leaned towards her, eyes narrow. He pointed at her and reiterated, "Y're not. You had yer ponytail on yer other shoulder and yer robe wrapped tight around yer middle when y' came up here. Now yer hair's on the other side and yer robe's all loose like y' jus' can't wait t' take it off."

Blue's brow was raised so high it threatened to fly away. "Are you trying to insinuate something?" She tried to make her tone accusatory but couldn't quite manage it. It seemed that his meltdown was greatly amusing to her.

"That you have knives hidden under yer clothes!"

Failing to keep her cool entirely, Blue chuckled at him.

"You do!"

She laughed a little more, flinching and forcing herself to calm so that she wasn't laughing so much with a full mouth.

Something else crossed Z's mind. Before his trip to the Ferry yesterday, he had been shot. The sound and following sensation were unmistakable, but there had been something else. His eyes widened.

"You stabbed me!"

"It is quite the surprise, is it not?"

Z made an exasperated noise, narrowing his eyes at her. His suspicions were correct: she had killed him back at the outpost. This revelation was hilarious to him, ironic, and it gave him an idea. Putting his plate and drink aside, he slid off the canvas and hurried downstairs to where he had stashed his things. He already felt better after eating, quite grateful for the fish; of course, if Blue hadn't been at the outpost in the first place, he wouldn't need it.

Z made his way back up to the top of the sloop's deck, his lantern held high for easy viewing. Its pink hue annoyed him more than it previously had. He came close enough to her that it was initially concern that crossed her face, though it then gave way to curiosity as he held the light out to her.

"This is from you," he stated, offering the lantern for her to take.

"This is from me?" she repeated. She didn't take it, but she leaned forward to inspect it closely.

"Uh huh. Did y' notice on the Ferry that there was a big ol' floatin' torch?" He smirked as he watched the expression on her face change ever so slightly while she thought. "If y' dip yer lantern into it when y' visit, ye'll get a coloured Flame to show how you died."

"Hmm." Blue seemed to get the idea but she didn't get ahead of herself. She ate, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"There are six colours. Red for those who die t' burnin' or volcano rain. Blue for shark-bite. Purple for snake-bite. Green for skeletons. White for lightning. And then there's pink for them that die t' other pirates."

Blue finished the last of her fish as he spoke. "Well, that would make sense then, would it not?"

"Aye, it does, doesn't it?" He shook his head, chuckling. He made his way over to the helm, or specifically the mounted lantern beside it. It wasn't lit but that didn't stop him from holding his lamp up to it, causing its light to burst into existence, now sharing the same hue. He doused it before returning to his shipmate.

"Is there any point to that?"

He shrugged as he sat back down so he could finish eating. "Not really. It looks nice. Sometimes party boats are mistaken for skelly ships; that's funny."

"Party boats?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. It was pretty silly, even for this place. "One year, Duke, the guy in the taverns here 'nd there, had the lot of us grabbin' Flames and lightin' our ships up for the Bilge Rats in honour of the Ferryman. He called those coloured ships 'party boats'." Blue stared at him for a moment before she very deliberately looked down at her plate, unsure of what to make of his words.

"So, no, there's no point t' that. It doesn't do anythin', it jus'…" Voice trailing, Z stared at his lantern for a long moment before he doused it, too, and set it on the planks below. "The Flames jus' show how you died last time." What a strange thing to say.

The two sat there and ate. When Blue had plunged her knife into his belly, she truly had not expected to ever see him again, he realised. How very strange. Z found that the subject had put him in something of a mood.

"These lights do nothing but denote the cause of one's death and look nice?" Blue's voice pulled him from his thoughts. Whatever her thought process, he wasn't sure, though her tone did suggest there might be something more to it. He didn't push the matter.

"That's it. Nothin' more, nothin' less."

"Hmm." Blue gave a thoughtful hum before taking in their surroundings. By now, it was mid-morning. His shipmate stood and handed him what remained of her pomegranate — he happily accepted it, eating purely for the pleasure of it now — before she made her way below deck to put her plate and whatnot away.

It was a while before Z was finished eating and decided he should move. He appreciated starting the day with a big meal, but it was wasting away if they sat at this island. The rinds of the pomegranate were chucked into the water — much to the splashtails' appreciation — and he made his way to the stairs. He didn't have to wonder where Blue had gone for long, finding her sat at the table underneath the helm with the book from last night. Leaning against the frame of the entryway, he waited for her to acknowledge him.

"So where are you heading?"

That was very on the nose… "When did I say I was headin' somewhere?"

"You did not. You stated that you needed a ship. This place is large enough that anyone going anywhere needs a ship." Blue finally looked up from her book and at him. She shrugged. "Well, that is how I feel. You did say that swimming would get you somewhere. Eventually."

He stared back at her, annoyed, contemplating his options. She was clever.

"Galleon's Grave."

"All the way north?"

"That'd be the one."

She sat up more straight, shifting as though she were considering saying more. Instead, his shipmate held an expression of mild annoyance that he took silent delight in. Then the book was pushed away and she withdrew another from the shelf, thumbing through it. This one had drawings in it. Maps? He couldn't tell its contents for sure, only that there was much less writing in this one.

"Well, you had better get the sail down, then."

Z blinked at her words, surprised she was so forward. It took another look from her before he recoiled, sheepishly turning and making his way to the helm to get the ship moving.

Travelling east had been decided partially due to the wind conditions at the time and partially because that took them further from the galleon of yesterday. After stopping for the night, there had been no more east to go without going off-course; now they had to head north.

"We have not travelled very far," Blue commented as she stepped out onto the deck, curious of why they were slowing down.

"No, we haven't." The sail halfway reefed, Z finished securing the ropes in their new position. She looked ridiculous in her day clothes to him.

"I dunno about you," he continued, situating himself at the wheel, "but my pockets are pretty full'a gold. Too full."

Without turning to face him, Blue held a hand up. "Very well." She didn't sound like she disagreed with stopping at Ancient Spire Outpost just ahead; they hadn't spent very long at the previous one. But… "You do see that ship there, yes?"

"Aye. It's why we're comin' in slow."

There was another sloop at the docks, nestled in real good. It was situated as though its owner had been there a while.

"Do you have a plan?" she inquired.

"I always have a plan."

When he didn't continue, Blue turned to look at him, a brow raised. "And your plan is…?"

Z leaned casually against the wheel, rolling his shoulders. He was glad his arm barely complained. "I'm more in'erested in yer plan, actually." That seemed to catch her off guard.

"Well, I normally avoid other ships and their crews."

"That's smart," he said, unable to help interjecting right away.

Blue gave him a look of slight annoyance. She took a moment, considering what he wanted of her. "If I must cross paths with them, I will wait and see what they do first, minding that I do not put myself at a disadvantage should it come to violence. I am patient. If I cannot keep my distance, diplomacy works well for me. And the few times I have not been able to avoid others or pacify them, I make sure I win the fight."

"Can't argue with that…" Though he would never admit it, Z was upset that he had been stabbed like that. He was incredibly lucky that underestimating her had not cost him more than a trip to the Ferry; it sounded like it had cost others much more. Still, her words suggested she behaved more reactionary than he liked, even if he did appreciate the caution.

"That's fine fer you, but I don't like waitin'. We can try talkin', but these guys were here first and might want t' fight jus' for that reason alone." She tilted her head at him before nodding. "And we should get our story straight—"

"I came here to put my family's meagre fortune to shame and you are my hired guard." Z recoiled. His shipmate's tone was very straightforward, as was this story. "Anything more is no one's business, is it?" When he couldn't come up with a rebuttal, she nodded and made her way below deck.

"I guess not. Pretty borin', though…" He heard her chuckle down low and rolled his eyes.

Stepping away from the helm, Z stood on the sloop's canvas so as to re-examine the outpost. They were closer now and yet he could still see no one out of the ordinary, not even up the hill by the tavern. He made sure that the ship's path was true before passing Blue on the mid-deck and heading further down to grab his kit. She had been stood next to the armoury box fiddling with her shirt and he wondered just what she had hidden today.

Weapons were his first concern. Sword and blunderbuss on either hip, Z turned his attention to the food barrels. A quick bite always made a bullet wound sting less and he was pleased to find a few pineapples stored away; he grabbed one and a mango that wasn't too soft and pocketed them.

Looking to make his way to the main-deck, he ran into Blue, who was still stood by the armoury. She had adorned herself with a large round hat and light coat now; they were the additional pieces her outfit needed to make her stand out. At least, he decided, it also made her look as though she could afford to pay him for his work.

"Are you steppin' off-ship unarmed?" There were no weapons on her belt, nor a gun slung on her back like when he had met her. Considering their earlier conversation and the look she gave him… "Stupid question." She made a noise of confirmation and he continued up the stairs back to the helm so he could take the ship to the dock.

In the entire time it took for their sloop to politely come to a stop at the end of the dock, they spotted no one to greet them besides the shipwright. Whoever else was visiting the outpost had either not spotted them, was busy elsewhere, or didn't care about them; Z wasn't sure what he preferred. Blue seemed unconcerned.

"Check the tavern," he told her as they stepped onto the boardwalk, his voice low. "Figure out where these guys are and what they're about 'fore you do anythin' else." She nodded before heading up the spire.

Z carried himself as neutrally as he could while he stepped around to the other sloop. If he went undetected, that was a bonus, but neither did he want to appear openly up to no good. He would have much preferred for this crew to have met him on the open water, cannons blasting — at least then there would be no questions about anyone's intentions.

The other ship was positioned so well that he could reach out and touch it. He could have easily slipped onto the ship without being noticed. Or that would have been the case had its sole crew member on board been awake. He could discern nothing about the pirate who was slumped over the map table except that they had drunk quite a lot if the empty bottles at their feet were anything to judge by. Even the bookcase over by the captain's table was full of bottles, some more or less full.

Carefully, Z stepped aboard, just behind the map table. He beelined it for the hold, inspecting the sloop's supplies and looking to see if any treasures were hidden. The ship was as standard as they came, with hardly any personal effects from her crew to be found. It was woefully understocked, too; there were very few spare planks, hardly enough for a rainstorm. In one of the food barrels there was a single banana and a few worms. Had this ship come out to meet them, it would not have even been a fight.

The pirate on board the ship weighed on his mind. He could risk restraining them, or he could simply kill them and hope their visit to the Ferry would be a long one. Or he could do nothing at all. Z took the long route back to the dock via this sloop's raised canvas back; the sole occupant didn't rouse despite his footfalls. Now his attention went to the tavern high up as Blue had not come back down yet.

Ancient Spire's tavern had a couple of routes to it; the ladders that rested against the rocky cliff face were the quickest way. They were also very exposed. The way around the back was very long. Instead, Z decided to take a path in between, going to the side of the island's peak and climbing when he saw an easy path but avoiding any that were too predictable.

As he had climbed, he could hear bits and pieces of a conversation. One voice he recognised immediately as Blue's; the other was new. Near the tavern, he was careful on his approach, making sure he wasn't spotted. He pressed himself against the wall beside the door.

Inside, he could hear Blue speaking with someone. He couldn't clearly hear what they discussed, but he heard enough to figure that her company was another pirate who was very heavily suggesting that she hire him — and likely his crewmate — instead. The tone the man had made him doubt that it was a genuine offer, but that didn't stop Z's mind from deciding that he alone was worth double what the two of them were.

Z pulled himself away from the tavern's door, ducking under the window. He paced along the side of the building, unsure of how to proceed. This other pirate could be an issue. Blue had spoken as though she could handle a situation like this, but now that the time came for her to do so, he was worried. There was movement in his peripheral vision, out in the distance, that made him pause and look to the cluster of giant rocks towards the west. Using that landmark as a shield, the galleon from yesterday had travelled a huge distance unnoticed and was now nearly upon Ancient Spire.

Hurrying back to the front of the building, he peered through the window. He'd been right: Blue was sat at a table with another pirate he'd never seen before. She noticed him immediately, smoothly looking past the other without raising suspicion. He was surprised that she gave up any niceties when he waved at her, choosing to stand and walk past her company despite the noise he made.

"Our friends from yesterday are on their way. Fast."

"Ah." Blue followed the direction of his gesturing to spy the ship for herself. She was calmer than he was. "This is unexpected."

"Yeah, it is," Z retorted. The battle at Plunder Outpost had been chaos that he and she both wove into their individual favours. His arm still needed to heal and his leg wouldn't be reliable, not that she knew that. Between his state and the two of them not knowing how the other fought, he didn't like their chances. A third crew being here just frustrated him more, the only benefit this time was that he was aware of it. It was unlikely that a second round with this galleon would go as well.

"They will recognise the both of us…" Blue's words affirmed that they would have to fight.

"Got a problem out 'ere, lass?" the other voice drawled.

"Four of them, if I recall," Blue stated as she made her way to the wooden bridge that linked the lower spire to the one they stood on.

He could recognise that she was getting a feel for their surroundings, plotting what they could do; he did as well. There was little time, though. To Z's dismay, the other pirate joined her on that side. Without a longer-ranged weapon, he couldn't take out either of that sloop's crew members as he would have preferred. Then again, Blue had insisted that she was a sweet talker; maybe he could expect a couple of extra hands in this fight. He doubted it, but it was a nice thought. He started his way down to the dock.

With its turn around the northern side of the island complete, most of the galleon's sails were raised. The stern end sail was only partially reefed, helping the fussocky ship keep its low momentum. Her whole crew was visible on the deck now, scurrying about as they prepared to stop. Perhaps they were surprised by two sloops already sat still, the sail being pulled even more despite the distance to the dock. Whatever the case, it was unmistakably the same ship and crew.

Back on the ground, Z was considering his options. If the galleon really wanted to stop here, they would drop the anchor on their own. Jumping in the water to surprise them could still be a good idea, or should he prioritise moving his own sloop to fight? He couldn't decide what he wanted to do as the inevitable fight drew closer. Deep down, he was glad when he didn't have to make the choice on his own.

A shot rang out and the galleon burst into flames. Z froze, stunned, and looked back up at the top of the island. She hadn't left with one, so the Eye of Reach that Blue now held must have come from her acquaintance. Now he found himself wondering if he had somehow missed the big ship's cargo in the crow's nest during his initial fight with them or if they had gone back for the barrels later yesterday. Whatever the case, it didn't matter.

Like a shark to a wounded fish, Z closed the distance between him and the crippled ship until he stopped at the edge of the dock. Before he leaped into the water, he felt compelled to look back up at his shipmate, turning just in time to see her drop to the ground below the bridge. He winced at the noise and appreciated that she didn't move after. This fight might not be over once the galleon's crew was dead.

With that, Z unsheathed his cutlass and lifted it above his head, launching himself towards the critically wounded ship.