Vic was at first surprised at the feeling of her sword being drawn from her waist, but as Nita held it above her head, she grabbed her wrist firmly and used her other hand to retrieve it from her. She quickly put it back in her scabbard, still holding her wrist with a tight grasp. “Well, I don’t know if this is the first [i]pirate[/i] vessel you’ve had the pleasure of sailing on,” Vic said in a smoky voice, “but unsheathing a captain’s sword is surely asking to meet your maker.” She let go of her wrist and moved the stray pieces of hair that had fallen out of her bandanna away from her face. “Let me show you around.” There was no room, in Vic's mind, to be playful anymore. Although she was only 27, she felt old. Tired. Hardened. The little magical moments of life only came to her through gold and blood. That, and a beautiful woman she'd never see again. She didn't want to seem cruel, but she also didn't see a point in pretending to be something she wasn't.

Vic showed her the various parts of the ship, including the galley, the hull, the crow’s nest and the bow. She led her to her room, which Vic immediately began straightening up her hand drawn maps and bottles of rum as they entered. “These are my quarters. You’ll usually find Darrell passed out there,” she said as she pointed to a spot on the floor, making herself laugh. “He’s my best mate. The best mate a captain could ask for.” She looked around and rubbed her hands together. “I don’t really trust my men enough to let you sleep down there with them. You can sleep in my bed for now, I’ll make do on the floor.” Vic grabbed at the bandanna on her head and let her brunette hair flow freely past her shoulders, shaking it out with her fingers. 

Her room was simple. Half-melted, unlit candles littered the room, with empty bottles of unmarked rum lining the shelves. There was a small window that looked out over the sea, closed by a brass latch. A simple desk held mounds of papers and a quill. A picture of Vic’s mother sat on a shelf, collecting dust. “So,” Vic started, turning back around to Nita, “Now that I’ve introduced you to Sully, feel free to go down there when you’re ready. Hope you’re fine with working in the kitchen. Like I said, no one travels for free.” Vic smiled as she turned back around to her desk, marking off the amount they had traveled that morning so far on a delicately drawn out map. “Feel free to change or clean up. I’m quite a bit taller than you, you’ll probably be swimming in my clothes, but by all means, take a look.” She lifted her hand to point to where her clothes were hanging. She reached for a pipe filled with tobacco and lit it, holding the smoke in her lungs for a moment before exhaling the milky smoke out slowly and watching it dance in the sunlight pouring through the window.