As Alice questioned him, he came to a complete halt on the street. He had not planned on telling her why, and he figured with how reserved she was, she would not ask. But, he could also not find a reason to keep it from her. He turned to face her with a stone cold expression locked on his face. “Well, Miss Rohan,” he began in a hushed tone, as he did not want others to hear, “it seems as though a hex of sorts has been cast upon me. I was thinking that, uh, maybe your father was related in some way, seeing as he is the biggest threat to me and my crew currently, but Esmeralda confirmed, by your presence, it was not him.” 

Victor laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder and met her gaze. “This means I have an enemy I am not aware of, which is a danger to my crew and…” his voice trailed off and his eyes lingered softly on her for a moment. He didn’t want to frighten her; she had already faced enough turmoil since she had been in his possession. “I shall be fine, I just need to get to the bottom of it!” He nearly shouted in a positive manner, almost to convince himself everything would be okay. “She says that they may be on the island, so later in the evening, I’ll need to sneak off as to a wee bit of investigating.” He removed the hand from her shoulder and began to walk again. “The boys and I will be down near the Inn, getting rid of the last bit of merchandise. If you would like, you can go to the shops and pick something out that you would like to bring back on the boat. But if you would wait for me to finish so I can accompany you, that is quite alright.” He pulled a small leather pouch that jingled with coins and placed it in her hand. “Please,” he smirked, “no ball gowns.” 

He noted in his mind that he had to stop at George’s soon to see if the long awaited letter had arrived from the Governor. Victor was confused by his thoughts – he would be ecstatic to receive news that he would be allowed access to the port, but that would mean that Alice would return home to the posh lifestyle she belonged to, but he would never see her again. It is not like he and his motley crew would be invited to dinner. The Governor may even want retaliation for the kidnapping of his daughter. On the other hand, a letter of rejection could start a war between the pirates and the port’s government. He sighed at the thought, trying not to get himself too worked up before he even received it. 

“Actually,” he began as he turned back around to face the woman, “I would like to show you something I think you may enjoy.” He grabbed her hand and led her off the street into a grassy field with a beaten path that cut through the middle. Vic released her hand as they followed the trail that ended with dense trees and the roar of the ocean. “Watch your step,” he warned as he held out an arm in case she slipped on the now rocky terrain beneath them. The last time he had said that to her, it was completely sarcastic, and now here he was, deeply concerned that she may hurt herself. Strange.

The roar of waves crashing grew closer as they cleared the trees and approached a grassy clearing that only had a wall of blue after it. A cliff. Victor’s favorite spot on the island, which until now, had only been inhabited by him. “For ten years,” he explain with a loud tone so she could hear him over the wind and waves, “I come here every time I visit the island to think or relax. Be careful near the edge though, quite a steep drop." He smiled as he brought her closer carefully so that she could take a peak.