[CENTER][h1][color=B3ADAB][b]CATHERINE CORIANDER[/b][/color][/h1][/center][hr]The last dregs of light fading with dark clouds, elder Cicely struck down the names from his list of civilians as they shuffled into town hall. Inside, under lantern light, everyone shared from their bundles of food ensuring none were left hungry. Ryu Burnet kept watch, eyes and ears out for the more troublesome locals, and any navy men not where they were supposed to be. The first oddity of the night had already come, but Burnet was keeping it to himself. The second came when Hyssop voiced a concern to Cicely, about Coriander’s lack of presence.

“I’ll check it out,” Burnet promised, expecting her to be passed out at their house. Or less expected, and perhaps hoped. She had a penchant for getting into trouble, and the note he received was nudging him to keep on guard.

---

The general rumble on the boat began to quiet down as a dozen of the pirates has been sent off to Tune Town to pilfer. Those that remained struggled their way through the ramshackle repairs. Coriander, face pressed against the wall, meditated on the sounds of wind and rain, otherwise bored out of her mind in the nearly vacant cargo hold. The tall pirate Horace sat and busied himself with his armaments, ensuring each of them were worthy.

“You got a lot of heroes in that little town there?” Horace wondered. Coriander sat up, giving him a hard look, but didn’t answer. “Hey now, spilling blood randomly won’t get anyone anywhere. You’d rather lose a bit of food then a bit of life, no?”

Entertaining the thought, Coriander noted, [color=B3ADAB]“I know a 9 year old that could sink this ship with a punch of her little fist-”[/color]

Horace bust into a chortle. “You’ve got a cute sense of humor there. Shouldn’t you be more worried that no one’s coming to save you?”

Ignoring the crushing feeling in her chest, Coriander proclaimed, [color=B3ADAB]“...Then so be it.”[/color]

Horace let a dark grin take his face. “So, you’re fine with everyone here growing old, having kids, dying, without you being there to see any of it? Nah, that’d never happen. If not us then someone else. The East is full of lawless land: some pirate will do the job eventually. I guess what matters the most to you is if you get to see it or not.”

[color=B3ADAB]“It won’t happen!”[/color] Coriander said indignantly.  But even as she argued, she felt a mist of tears edging her eyes.