Jacob didn't reply to her words. He wasn't looking for a fight. Not now, and not with her. Certainly she knew a thing or two about money, so he kept his mouth shut. Jacob watched as she pulled forwards, ahead of him. He didn't bother to chase her, since it would just seem like he was a persistent, rude man who had no boundaries. Especially when it came to women, he made sure he backed off. He hated men who used women, and even though this concept was quite common from what he'd seen, he swore that he'd never do such a vile thing, especially not after his mother was treated so poorly by his father. Her feelings were real. Her [i]tears[/i] were real.

Jacob suddenly wheeled back on his feet as he saw the princess get grabbed by two men, and then dragged into the alleyway. Jacob grabbed his cutlass, but hesitated. What was he waiting for? He ran many meters ahead, knowing that he'd been too involved in his thoughts to realize that she'd been walking way too fast. The people in front of his moved to the side quickly as he had his cutlass out, and he gripped the hilt tightly, ready to fight.

When he got there, however, he was shocked. He took a few steps back out of the alley as his eyes fixed on the two seemingly-dead men on the hard ground. Jacob slowly and carefully looked up at the princess, and closed his jaw. He swallowed loudly, and then slowly shook his head. He put his cutlass away, and then took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Jacob stepped into the alley, and met her gaze.

"I don't question you," Jacob said quietly. "I don't know where you learned that or why, but I'm glad those two are dealt with." He smiled, but not out of genuine happiness. It seemed like a way to break the mood. He put a finger against his mouth in a 'shhh!' gesture, and then shook his head. "I won't tell anybody." Jacob added, and then turned around, and began to walk out of the alley. He wasn't sure what he'd just witnessed, but it was none of his business. He had better things to worry about.

Jacob thought for a second as he walked out onto the street. His eyes got lost in the crowd of people as he began to ponder the girl. Why, certainly, she'd had experience fighting before. Otherwise, she would have frozen, and he'd have to help. But why did she learn such techniques? Jacob shook his head to himself, and dismissed every other possibility. Clearly, being the princess was dangerous. That's why she learned. There was no other way, right? Right.

With a small turn of his head, Jacob looked back at where the princess was. "I'll be going now, then." he said, and put his hands in his coat pockets. "If you need anything, I'll be at my ship for the rest of the day. My crew and I have decided that we'll be staying here a day or two more, perhaps longer. We have nothing better to do, in truth."

And with that, Jacob headed began to head back to his ship, walking slowly and casually. People on the street stared at him and backed off, worried that he'd attack them. But he didn't. He never would. Even though that was true, he felt some sort of sick pride in being able to walk through the streets freely. People knew him. They wouldn't dare stand in his way. And he liked that. After being pushed around his entire life and hurt by the big bosses of the world, Jacob stood tall and strong. He licked his teeth as he made his way down onto the docks, and onto the deck. He laid there, and watched the sky. It was at that moment that he decided he would stay on the dock all night that night. He'd already lost enough gold.