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How long had it been since Annabelle had left Haster Island? She had to think harder than she should have to recall when she left the Island she once, reluctantly, called home. Four years? It had to have been somewhere close to that. Maybe five? She wasn’t sure, but there it was, just visible on the horizon. The dual lighthouses that flanked the cove housing the docks shone brightly in the night, as they always have. It would still be several hours until the ship she had bought passage on arrived on the Island. The trip had been a long one and her only option was to attempt to convince a bunch of pirates to let her join them on their trip to Haster. Trade ships very rarely made stops at the Island and she knew nobody savory [i]wanted[/i] to go there, so the likelihood of her being able to buy passage from them anyway was slim to none. 

“Oi girly, why you headed to this Island anyway, you a bounty hunter?” One of the crew members of the ship slid over to stand behind her watching the lights from the shore in the distance flicker. Annabelle was certain this man was the first mate, but she had never really taken the time to get to know any of the crew. She mostly stuck to herself and they seemed content to let her do so, as long as she helped out a little and or stayed out of the way. 

[color=6ecff6]“Something like that, I guess.”[/color] She muttered not really wanting to elaborate more. From the corner of her eye she could see the man’s one eyebrow furrow. It seemed the other was too heavily scarred for the hair to grow back. Luckily for him, whatever injury he had sustained seemed to have missed his eye. The red-head wondered how she had almost missed that detail. Maybe it was because other than the singular eyebrow and the mustache he was virtually hairless. 

The man opened his mouth to say more but Annabelle moved away from him before he could get anything out of his mouth. She was aware he could follow her if he really wanted but he seemed to become distracted with Jazz. The raven had been perched on the railing beside her and hadn’t bothered to move when she did. Seeming to continue to watch the island get closer and closer. 

[center][h3][u]Several Hours Later[/u][/h3][/center] 

Annabelle was woken to the sound of a bell ringing. She had been on enough ships to know that meant they were about to start docking. She didn’t remember falling asleep but apparently the easy rocking of the ship had lulled her to sleep. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she headed to the deck of the ship where the crew was going through the docking procedures. Annabelle stayed out of the way as they worked, seeming to have conversations about all the things they planned to get up to on Haster Island.

Blue eyes landed finally on the port of Haster Island. She dreaded stepping foot back on her home island. What if she wasn’t able to leave? What if she was stuck here again? A shiver ran up her spine at the thought. She turned her attention to who she thought was the captain of the ship. Despite spending so much time on it she had honestly not thought to find out the name of the ship and its crew. She briefly looked up at the Jolly Roger for any clues. The only thing that would give her any sort of clue was the singular eyebrow on the face of the skull. Was the man from last night the Captain? Was she that confused? She scanned the crew once more and quickly spotted the man she had briefly spoken to last night. He was strikingly similar to the man she had assumed was the captain. Twins? Brothers? She wasn’t totally sure but one thing was for sure. The man who appeared to be the captain seemed to have deliberately shaved his left eyebrow, whereas the other man had scarring on his right eyebrow. She furrowed her brow at the choice but shook her head eventually and walked toward the Captain. 

[color=6ecff6]“E-excuse me. How long are you planning on staying on Haster? I could use a lift off as well.”[/color] Her voice was soft and seemed to be drowned out by the sound of the crew working. 

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear ya, speak up.” The man replied when he finally realized the red-head was standing beside him. 

Annabelle sighed and repeated her question once more, louder this time and more confidently, to ensure she was heard.

“Ah, we will be here a few days, headed to that Sun place next, though we will be makin a few stops on the way.” He replied as the ship was fully docked. “Yur welcome to hitch a ride for the same price, but we won’t be waitin for ya.” 

All things considered these pirates weren’t too bad, they at least left her alone so if she could get off the island the same way she came it would make things easier. Nodding she spoke again, [color=6ecff6]“Fine, I will pay you at cast off, if you won’t wait I am not pre-paying.”[/color] There was more confidence in her voice now. Knowing she would have a way off as long as she didn’t miss them made things a lot easier.

With that knowledge she quickly gathered her things and whistled to Jazz to join her. The bird flew down from the crow’s nest and landed on her shoulder as she walked off the ship and stepped onto Haster Island. ‘Alright, time to see how things are going here, hopefully nobody recognizes me.’ She thought as she walked through The Red District to an Inn that bordered The White District. It would be more expensive to stay but at least it would be filled with less trouble, as long as she didn’t get mistaken for one of the working women in the area.