Victor was shaken out of an almost trance like state at Alice’s touch on his back, which made goosebumps rise on his skin. He looked over to her as she sat closely on his side, and then his eyes scanned the rest of the room to assure that no one was watching. With his focus shifted back to her, he winked and nodded to her. He couldn’t tell the men about what had happened; they would think that his final decisions on the matter at hand would be swayed by his personal feelings. He knew he couldn’t let that happen. As a Captain, he would have to make the decision that was best for the crew and for the Blackstar. Not for him or even for Alice.

Once the entire crew was seated, Victor stood up and tapped a piece of silverware on his mug. “Aye, my respected, feared, [i]handsome[/i] men of the Blackstar. I have received news back from the Governor.” 
This caused murmurs to rattle throughout the dining room. 
“He gave us three options. Either we return Alice to the port but not gain our access back, a sort of forfeiture, we may meet him in battle tomorrow off the coast of Haruda with the outcome deciding our access to the port, or we run. We will obviously not choose option three – I will not have military trying to hunt us down. That would leave us with either surrendering Alice or fighting back. I would like to hear what you all think.” 

The room quickly grew with the roar of loud opinions and rebuttals as the men spoke their minds. 
“Give up the girl and let’s cut our losses! There are other ports to deal at!”
“Let’s blow the bloody Governor to bits!”
“The Blackstar can’t handle a battle! Give her back!”

The men were throwing around their opinions as Victor considered them all. Most of them didn’t want to fight a battle, and that Victor understood, but the thought of just forfeiting their beloved port and Alice just didn’t sit right with his pride. But maybe, just maybe, he was supposed to be the bigger person in this situation. He looked down to Alice for a moment before addressing his crew again.

“Alright, boys, alright,” he shouted over the crew to quiet them. “I will deliberate tonight and have an answer for you by first light. Now, calm down and start drinking, aye?” 
“Aye!” the men yelled back, easily distracted by the alcohol being brought out by the women. 
Victor plopped down in his chair and picked at the plate in front of him. He was not looking forward to the long night ahead. He took a large gulp from his mug and sighed quietly before continuing. He felt the warmth of Alice still next to him, and he fought the urges he had to grab her thigh or kiss her neck again. Instead, he took another big gulp from his mug. He did not want to think at all for the moment.