When morning came, Blue found herself wondering just how much sleep she had gotten, feeling not too rested. She could hear that Z was already up, something sizzling on the stove. If she had to guess, she would have guessed it to be more megalodon meat, not entirely familiar with the scent.

On the best of days, she was slow to rise. Today, Blue stayed where she was on the canvas until her shipmate came to wake her. There was plenty of grumbling involved but she did slowly sit up, surprised by how sore she was.

"I thought the healing here was accelerated?"

"It is, in the kind of way that ya didn't die yesterday, did ya?"

Blue rolled her eyes at him, but she knew very well that he was right, that she was lucky to not be on the Ferry right now. It was becoming a strange habit to be glad she wasn't dead again.

Their sloop — another strange thought that was, their sloop — had seen better days. Z's quick ramshackle repairs did wonders for the stability of the canopy, and they hadn't slowly sunk overnight. If things had gone similarly and she had been alone, the sloop would be in a much different condition.

They made idle conversation about the repairs while more megalodon meat was cooked for breakfast. The dense meat took time to heat thoroughly and thus Z had plenty of time to direct the topic to her wound. No amount of emphasising that the worst she suffered now was a lingering soreness seemed to appease him, and that yes, she was very well capable of sailing.

After a breakfast of megalodon meat and coconut milk, they set out. Boulder Cay was their next destination as it was between them and the nearest outpost, Sanctuary. Blue wasn't excited about backtracking, but it was necessary: both of them agreed that the ship needed tending to by a shipwright and she was not about to start letting her sloop's general condition degrade.

Between fair winds and currents, it took little time to traverse the waters to the next island. It was only mid-day when the sail was pulled. Blue would have also dropped anchor if Z hadn't said anything about it.

"Y' don't need it when the sail's all the way up, y' see? The ship might turn a bit but it ain't goin' anywhere. That way if y' get snuck up on by somebody else y' can jus' lower yer sail and go."

It was a strange idea, she thought, stopping without lowering the anchor, but he was right. Words of wisdom spewing from his mouth was strange. Blue wasn't sure what to make of her shipmate's ability to plan further ahead than he had shown her before. She was also realising just how much tolerance he had shown towards her when she initially agreed to take him to meet his friends.

With the ship comfortably stopped, Blue found herself willing to explore this little island they were at. It was a real shame about the rowboat — she had appreciated not getting her feet wet every time she stepped off ship. Boots shaken and pant legs pulled up to just below her knees, she made the awkward wade onto shore.

Z didn't share her disdain for the water, opting to vault off the sloop and into the water without any precautions. She stared at him as he joined her on the beach.

"What?"

"Do you really have to do that?"

He didn't look like he had a good answer as to why his boots and pant leggings were now soaked. Blue shook her head and stepped forward.

"I presume this is just another little island with nothing of interest to it by your concerns?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he said as he caught up to her.

She made a thoughtful noise as they walked, and then spotted a palm tree with coconuts on it. Two had fallen on their own and they took note of this.

"Well, there is that," Blue commented. Z simply gave her a toothy grin.

Indeed, besides the prospect of coconut hearts, there was nothing of interest on this little island. Blue retrieved the fruit for them and they started back to the ship. Z drifted away, more towards the southern side. Rather than fight to get herself and their goods onto the ship alone, she followed him and his line of sight, now also curious about the trash in the water.

"What is it?"

"There's a wreck here."

Blue looked at him, to the water, and slowly back at him. "Is… is that a problem?"

"It's new," he explained after a moment. Then he stepped forward into the water and dove in.

Exasperated by the idea of two sets of soaked clothes, Blue simply stared at the ripples. Exploring a shipwreck was an attractive prospect if it was fresh; there could be goodies inside, free for the taking. With a sigh, she set the coconuts down and followed him in.

A trail of debris consisting of planks, barrels, boxes, and bits of ship led from the beach to the depths — or maybe it was the other way around. Once, in life, this was a huge galleon. Now it laid torn open on the shallow sea floor, nothing more than planks that only just resembled the inner decks of a ship. The sails had long since been ripped away, leaving naked masts strewn about each other, cannons that had fallen from their carriages, furniture thrown every which way. A chair had somehow ended up on the map table, which was now broken in half. Seaweed and grass had begun to grow in the middle of the ship.

Blue was most curious about the captain's cabin. Inside, the curtain was still a brilliant red; the furniture was less fortunate. There were still some books on the overturned shelf; she made a mental note of them. Nothing else caught her interest so she rose to the surface to breathe. Z breached nearby for the same reason; neither of them said anything and they dove back down.

On the way down, Blue glimpsed the ship's red crest: Morningstar. The name meant nothing to her but she dedicated it to memory nonetheless — she would have to ask around about it. For now, she returned to the cabin, opening the first book to see if any writing had survived the water. The most she was able to make out were a few letters here and there; the book was unsalvageable. The next one she picked up was in a similar condition. It was a safe bet that all of them were like that so she pulled her attention away from the cabin to explore the rest of the ship after surfacing for a fresh breath.

As she glanced over the ship's decks for anything of interest, she noticed Z doing the same thing. Both of them were undoubtedly looking for items of value now, but Blue would also have accepted anything that looked interesting. Nothing of either subject was showing up and she wasn't sure if it was because the wreck had already been picked through or because there was never anything in the first place.

This time, Blue stayed on the water's surface. When her shipmate popped up beside her, they exchanged glances.

"Find anythin'?"

"No. You?"

"Nothin'."

Blue hummed a noise of confirmation and made the swim back to the shore with Z close behind. The coconuts were regathered and tossed onto the deck of the ship so she could climb the ladder unhindered. Once on the main-deck, she paused and examined her soaked clothing.

"What a waste."

Z laughed from the quarter-deck. "What, y' don't like bein' a little wet?"

"No, not especially. If there had been something interesting in that wreck, anything at all, it would have been worth the while. Instead, here we are, none the wiser or richer." She sighed, trying to wring her hair out and failing. The coconuts were picked up from the deck and she commented, "At least these were there."

"Those're always nice!"

Of course he was excited about a treat. Blue tossed one his way.

"I am going to change. I trust you can open that yourself now."

"I'll figure it out."

A few times now he had watched her open them and she had given him a proper demonstration — of course, he would. With some amusement, Blue headed down to the hold to find herself a towel and a fresh set of clothing. Thankfully, leggings and shirts were in no short supply on the ship. She was also quite glad that she could hear Z playing with the coconut he had been given, the sound of it being knocked upon repeatedly filling the air before its scent did. The second one was stowed away for later.

When she went topside again, she wasn't surprised in the least to find Z leaning on the quarter-deck's railing, chewing on the heart. He'd already devoured a good portion of it yet he handed it to her anyway; it wasn't her preferred method of sharing but it was better than none at all.

For the rest of the day, the two spent it and much of the evening apart. Z didn't seem to do much, sunning himself dry before going downstairs for a time and then returning to the main-deck once more. Blue found plenty to do in her logbook, adding more to it and going over previous entries. She wasn't entirely sure that she had ever been to this island, but she was certain that the shipwreck was recent as per Z's word. It and its location were well documented for herself.

The night and morning passed swiftly. The second coconut was shared for breakfast before they set sail for Sanctuary Outpost. Conditions were again very good and they found themselves at their destination before evening. Once there, they allowed themselves to relax for they spotted no other ships at any islands or on the horizon. The resident shipwright was given their request and paid handsomely for a speedy job.

Not long after, they had dinner at The George and Kraken. The tavern was a far cry from the one at Dagger Tooth Outpost, as was the food. Something merely edible would have sufficed but it seemed the kitchen was wanting to serve its purpose with pride and so they appreciated the lovely meal, fresh biscuits and fish both.

"What is your plan for tonight?" Blue asked.

Z swallowed his mouthful of food and looked at her. "My plan?"

"The shipwright promised to work through the night for the price we paid. Do you plan to sleep through that?"

"Eh." He shrugged. "I can sleep anywhere."

"Right. Well, whatever the case, I will be getting a room for the night."

He gave her a look. She stared back.

"So you know. You can sleep wherever you like. Other than my room."

He snorted. "Fine, fine. I'll sleep on the roof."

Blue rose a brow at him. "… why?"

"'Cause I can."

She stared at him for a moment longer before tearing her eyes away, wholly uncertain what she was supposed to say to that.

And so her shipmate slept on the roof of the inn that night, rather than inside as any sane person would have. It bothered her more than she would have liked, but Blue found this behaviour to be absolutely ridiculous and yet also totally in line with what she expected out of Z now. There was no reason for him to not get a room for himself.

When morning came, Blue was up early. The shipwright would certainly still be busy with repairs and so she busied herself with the logbook for a time. Only when there was absolutely nothing more to be written did she go downstairs for breakfast. Another warm meal that she didn't have to make herself was nice, and it attracted Z's attention.

"I was not aware that you were capable of being up this early," she jested.

He shrugged. "I woke up and couldn't go back t' sleep."

She supposed hat made sense.

They loitered around the tavern, taking their time with breakfast and making light conversation. Blue insisted that yes, her side was feeling better today and that she was probably fully healed. It was a far cry from the certain death that the wound would have been outside of the Shroud.

When Blue could lollygag no more, she declared herself bored and decided it was worth checking in with the shipwright. True to her word, she had worked through the night and the Forlorn Phoenix looked as though she had never encountered the megalodon in the first place. A few minor blemishes — like the charred wood on the deck — had been removed, too. Blue tipped the shipwright for her outstanding services and they left Sanctuary.

It took a while before Z could no longer hold his tongue. "So where we goin'?"

"South. I have spent enough time in this area seeing the same sights and the Wilds over and over again."

"Then that sounds like a good idea."

Whether they headed to the southern end of the Shores of Plenty or made it all the way into the Ancient Isles made no difference to Blue. As long as they put more distance between them and the general vicinity of Hidden Spring Keep and Dagger Tooth Outpost, she was pleased.

After some time of sailing, Z piped up again. "You ever been t' Wanderer's?"

"I have. Why?"

"Jus' wonderin'."

There had been such thoughtfulness to his tone that Blue knew better than that. What he might have been trying to get at, however, was beyond her. When he didn't elaborate, she spoke: "Why do you ask?"

"I spotted a ship over in that direction earlier. Barely saw it, jus' the mast and a red flag. No idea what kinda ship it was."

"That is very far away." How did he even see it? "What concern is a ship that far to us?"

"If you can see 'em, they can see you."

"Fair." That was logical, but Blue could sense that there was still more to it.

"The wind is changing on us," she said, changing the subject. "We can make good time pass Rapier Cay and reach Crescent Isle by nightfall."

"Might as well."

Crescent Isle was a moderately sized island on the western edge of the known Sea of Thieves. Per its name, it was shaped like the moon in its last phase. The entirety of the island was hollow; it was inside the northern end that Blue had chosen to sit and rest for a time.

Curiously, despite a lack of sunlight, there was a palm tree down in it. It was quite peculiar and she had decided it was worth looking at for a time, clearing her mind of the last two days. Events had not been overly stressful, but throughout the first half of the day, her side had throbbed with a dull ache and made it impossible to relax until now. That and Z's pestering. If he knew how to read there would have been plenty of material to busy himself with, but no, he had to talk instead.

When she felt like moving again, Blue stepped out of the cave to the bay side of the island. She spied nothing of interest from where she stood so she began the trek up the hilly island. To her delight, Z had busied himself on the northern half of the island with drinking at a small pool with an even smaller waterfall. She had no idea before that there was a source of fresh water here.

"How quaint."

"Y' didn't know this was here?"

"I have never had reason to come here."

Z narrowed his eyes at her, thinking something he didn't speak aloud. Blue didn't push it, only dipped her hands in the water so she could splash her face. Z was about to ask something, she could see.

"Later, in the morning, after I have slept. Though, I think it is your turn to clean the laundry?"

He looked much less amused, then: "Fine then."

Blue only hid some of her amusement before heading further up along the verticality that the island had to offer. From the highest point, she had a good look at the Shores of Plenty. Golden Sands Outpost was the nearest island. Wanderer's Refuge couldn't be spied very well from here due to the massive rock by it, though; she still wondered what fascination Z might have had with the island, but it was less interesting than the outpost was right now, a brigantine stopped at it. Surely it could not be his friend.

Before he could say anything, Blue turned to look at her shipmate, raising a brow at his shirtlessness.

"What? I slipped."

He looked ridiculous. She almost commented on this, then decided that it wasn't worth it.

"Do you think that brigantine might be your friends?" she asked.

He gave a thoughtful hum as he followed her eyes. "Nah, I don't think so, it's flying a flag."

"Flying a flag?"

"Yeah. We us'ally don't remember to put one up."

Blue blinked at that statement, but she could see them doing that. "Now then, have we any use of that outpost?"

He hummed again. "They ain't gonna have anythin' for us to take and we have plenty'a supplies. I think we're good."

She was surprised by the thoughtfulness of his response but appreciated it nonetheless. She nodded, saying, "Then tomorrow we will start to follow the islands south until we must turn east."

"That works. Might even find a ship or two hiding behind an island or out near the Red Sea."

"Red Sea?"

"The Shr— the Devil's Shroud. It's a red mist?"

"Ah. Do you know this from stories or experience?"

"Both."

That raised more questions than it answered. Blue wasn't sure she wanted to have that discussion quite yet. "Fair enough. I will return to the ship now."

They nodded to each other and parted ways. Until they went to bed, they only briefly spoke again when Z collected the laundry, idly greeting each other. Later, it was Z again who couldn't hold his tongue like usual.

"So really, why d'ya sleep out here? It's cold tonight and there's a warm bed you could kick me out of."

Curled up on the canvas, Blue stared out to the west, taking in the dark abyss and considering kicking him into the water. She counted by fives up to sixty and felt better.

"It is habit, that is all."

"Alright, but how does a habit like that even start?"

Blue considered the smart-ass ways that she could respond to him, then decided on the simplest. "By being none of your business."

He groaned but got the message when she rolled over.

When morning came and the sky was only just being lit up by the rising sun, Blue found the near silence deafening. No birds sang, the water was still, and Z wasn't snoring. She slowly sat up on the canvas, looking about. A shark leapt from the water onto the quarter-deck.

Blue jerked and sat up again, looking around wildly.

A flock of parrots sang in the tree at the highest point of the island, the ocean lapped quietly at the ship's sides, and she could hear Z rustling downstairs. That felt right. What an odd and very unpleasant dream.

On her feet now, she stretched and made her way down to the hold. Z had shifted so that he lay very close to the edge of the bed, an arm stretched out so his fingers brushed the floor. Somehow, he looked very comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. At least he wasn't wearing his prosthetic to bed anymore.

Blue collected a towel and a set of clean clothes before hopping off the ship. An awkward wade was made to the shoreline once more and she made her way to the little rock pond. It was more than serviceable for her needs, though no one would be catching any fish from it. It was just when she had gotten comfortable beside the waterfall that she noticed the ship at Golden Sands had moved.

It was not a single brigantine but rather two of them. They must have been sat right next to each other for her and Z both to make that mistake. Had they been coming their way, this would have been much more alarming. As it was, Blue only found herself mildly annoyed for that could still happen in the meantime. Fighting two ships with only their single sloop was a ridiculous notion, and there would be no escape in that match-up, making the whole thing a lose-lose situation. Their best bet, she realised, would be to keep the ship where it was and hope that they avoided being noticed in the first place.

Keeping an eye on the brigantines meandering about the outpost, Blue finished her bath, cleaned her nightgown, then dressed and made her way to the island's highest point once more. Eventually, Z joined her up there and she was thankful that, for a while, he made no noise beyond an initial thoughtful hum.

"Have those guys done anythin'?" he asked after a time of his own observation.

"They move slowly about the outpost, but I believe they are readying themselves to leave."

"Eventually."

"Mhm, eventually."

He stood there with his hands on his hips for a few minutes and Blue was glad for the quiet. Then again…

He turned to her. "Breakfast in the meantime?"

She nodded, also hungry. Another chunk of megalodon was cooked, this time by Blue as she wanted the experience for herself. No matter how thin it was cut, it took longer to cook than expected. A coconut was split between them for its milk.

Throughout the morning, the brigantines stayed where they were. It was frustrating to be sat still, waiting on the actions of others to determine their own. It was Blue that got bored enough to strike up a conversation.

"So what is it that you do?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard. "What I do?" She nodded and motioned for him to continue from her seat on the canvas. He seemed at a loss for what to say.

"What is it that you do on your own?"

"Well, I wouldn't be sittin' here waitin' on those brigs. I'd just go by and if we fight, we fight."

"Really now? You would sail with reckless abandon in spite of the unlikely odds?"

"Yeah."

She blinked at the simplicity of his response. "And… if those brigs did want to fight us?"

He shrugged. "We could give it our best shot. That or we keep sittin' here with our thumbs up our asses."

She recoiled at his words. The exaggeration wasn't the worse, but it was overly crude. Then again, this conversation had become ridiculous. And yet…

"So that is it? That is your suggestion? That we simply go about our business, pass two brigantines that we most likely cannot win a fight against and surely cannot outpace should they give chase?"

He nodded.

Blue scoffed and let herself fall back against the canvas, staring at the sky. How ridiculous. And yet, the boredom was getting to her. She could feel Z watching her and she hated that. There was nothing for her to do, he never did anything, and despite the risk, getting a move on was an attractive prospect.

"Fine," she said, sitting up; "We do as we planned before: head south. If either ship shows interest, then we will just have to deal with it. How does that sound?"

He smirked. "Sounds good."

"And you will not deviate from this plan."

A chuckle. "Fine, fine."

Blue got the ship moving and did as they agreed upon. The wind and waves made southward travel easy. The brigantines stayed where they were on the far side of Golden Sands Outpost, their crews deciding that a single sloop wasn't worth the hassle or never noticing them. The only problem the two ran into was missing Sea Dog's Rest, a tiny little island, and not realising until they were closer to Mermaid's Hideaway than not. Turning around would be pointless despite the fading sun.

"Any words of wisdom about this island?" Blue asked at a point. Z seemed to seriously consider her words. Then he shrugged.

"Meh, I'll jus' show ya. You ever been?"

"A few of times. The Merchant Alliance often trades supplies between Golden Sands and this island, sometimes between it and Sanctuary, too."

"Mhmm… You ever explore the island?"

"It has never crossed my mind. I am aware of a pool in the centre of the island, and what looks to be a ruined watch post high on the southern end. Beside that—"

"So no."

She sighed. "No."

"Well, I hope you like swimming."

Blue rose a brow at the comment but didn't make one of her own. It was dark already and they would certainly wait until the morning to do anything. At least, she would. If Z wanted to run around in the dark, he was welcome to do so on his own.

Just like at Crescent, she pulled the ship in on the west side of the island, using it as a shield against any passing eyes. The brigantines of Golden Sands would certainly still be aware of them, but they seemed uninterested. That could change in the night, especially due to the swiftness of such a ship, but they had spent the entire day and then some sailing — she was tired.

Passing Z at the table and going down into the hold, Blue ignored something he asked. It didn't strike her as important. Grabbing a blanket and curling up on the canvas was much more appealing to her at this time, no matter what she wore, and he seemed to recognise that now. Still…

"No dinner?"

"Eat if you are hungry. I am tired."

He made a noise of annoyance but didn't fight the matter. Blue was glad for that as she got comfortable for the night.