Dominique watched her crew moving about the ship, preparing for departure. Everyone was awake and assisting, having been briefed on their circumstances. The atmosphere was grim, nearly everyone tired, angry or both. But they did their jobs without complaint, even the ones who would almost certainly want to have a word with Dominique later about what had happened. Despite the foul mood of everyone on board there was a certain excitement about getting back on the move after being docked for multiple days on end. They didn't often keep still and most of the crew had developed a preference for being at sea.

When they had finished preparations half of the crew went below decks to sleep, and to allow everyone else to take the first watch. The watch had been changed to better suit everyone's physical capabilities so some were being forced to miss out on sleep that should have been getting otherwise. Still, no one uttered any protest, realising the potentially dire consequences of causing trouble when they were all in a precarious position. Dominique took up position at the helm of the ship, though it was not usually her duty. The captain's job was to ensure that everything was running smoothly so usually a helmsman would have responsibility while the captain supervised the entire ship, but Dominique wanted to be alone with her thoughts for a while. And being allowed to simply focus on steering the ship while she felt the wind in her hair and the spray of the ocean was what she needed for that. Besides, they were a pirate vessel, no one necessarily had to stick militaristically to their assigned roles as long as someone else was picking up the slack.

La Baleine glided through the water smoothly, the wind on their side and the skies bright. They had gotten lucky with the weather and Dominique beyond was grateful. It seemed they would arrive at Silverbay on time. Perhaps even ahead of time if the weather held. That was likely wishful thinking though, Dominique could sense it in the air, a storm was coming within the next few days, she was sure of it. Her years at sea had given her a sixth sense for it and she hadn't been wrong for a long time. She only hoped it would hold off long enough for her crew to be safe, they didn't need bad weather on top of their water troubles.

***

They docked at Silverbay after a little over two days. It was a well-hidden place inside a vast subterranean cave system. The crew was exhausted, but everyone was holding up well. Vanitas had done well making sure that everyone was as healthy as they could possibly be. And, thankfully, the weather had remained mostly clear for the entire journey with only a small rough patch that hadn't lasted long. The moment their boat was secured at the wharf all the pirates who were still asleep were roused from their sleep and gathered on the top deck. Dominique stood before them all, looking the most tired of anyone, with dark bags under her eyes and a pallid complexion. Even after their two long days at sea their work was not finished though. Dominique ordered the strongest men still standing to accompany her and they travelled into the surprisingly large ramshackle town, to purchase barrels full of water and carry them back to the ship. They brought back as much as they could; enough that everyone could drink their fill and they could replenish their supplies. Once everyone had finished rehydrating themselves Dominique called for quiet so she could speak to them. Everyone gave her their full attention.

"You have all been incredibly courageous over the past few days and I am in your debt. It has been a long few days and every one of you has performed amazingly under pressure, so I thank you. Now! We must celebrate to our hearts' content! We are in Silverbay, a place free from worry and strife for outlaws and pirates! We shall be staying here for two days to rest, relax and enjoy ourselves so please use your time as you see fit. You have all earned it."

There was a somewhat subdued cheer in response, the pirates too tired to raise as much of an uproar as usual. But they all began to make preparations to disembark, grouping up with people who wanted to visit similar places. Dominique stopped Vanitas before he could scuttle off, grabbing him by the arm as he was about to follow Dante.

"Wait a moment, I have a job for you."

"Noooo," he groaned. "I'm going to hate this, aren't I?"

"Almost certainly," Dominique confirmed. "Because you got special privileges as the ship's doctor and were well-hydrated through this voyage, I think you owe us all a favour. Stay here and keep an eye on my boat while the rest of us are in town, to make sure that no one tries to steal it, and please take some water to our prisoner while you're at it."

"If someone tried to steal it, what do you expect me to do on my own?" Vanitas scoffed.

"Here," Dominique handed him a flare. "Use that. I'll be able to either see or hear it from anywhere in town so I can come running if you get yourself in trouble."

"When can I expect you to relieve me of my duty?"

"Only a few hours. I'll be back in less than five, I promise."

"Just get out of here. And come back in less than five hours!"

Dominique waved him off approaching Louis, Noé, Amelia, Mina and Fred who were all waiting for her. Together they descended the gangplank and made their way down the short, flame-lit path into the town of Silverbay. It was a messy place that had been built up haphazardly over time so there were all kinds of winding alleyways and nonsensical dead-ends. Aside from the confusing layout it was filled with criminals, some of which weren't the good kind. It was a place that should never be travelled through alone and if the place a path lead was unknown it was always best to avoid it altogether. Dominique and her group trod down a street that they had all been down half a million times before, eventually arriving at a bar that they frequented. It was called The Wolf and Gully and sat in a derelict corner that was incredibly hard to find. The bar itself was reasonably well-maintained though. It was a sturdily built with dark wood and reddish brick that made sure it didn't stand out too much. The owners didn't like outsiders so it near impossible to discover without prior knowledge of its existence, which made it a reasonably safe place for those in the know.

Upon entering, Dominique's party immediately headed for one of the many round tables scattered around the room - the one that in the corner closest to the bar, which they almost always sat at. The Wolf and Gully was lit with soft candlelight and the windows were sealed with tight curtains, which gave it an atmosphere of cosiness and privacy. The short lady who was one of the tavern's owners quickly brought them all the drinks they usually ordered, swiftly collecting payment, before again leaving them to their own devices.

"Dominique!" An overly cheery voice called.
Dominique turned her head to see a man with a face like a gargoyle approaching from where he'd been sitting elsewhere in the bar.

"Gano." She nodded curtly in acknowledgement, fighting down the frown that was beginning to form on her face.

"I have matters to discuss with you." He slid into the chair opposite her and kicked his feet up onto the table. "Alone, if you'll oblige me."

"Domi-" Louis started.

Dominique held up a hand. "It's quite all right, he's not that much of a threat." She turned her attention back to Gano. "Will you be all right if my crew moves to another table out of earshot where they can still see me?"

"Of course! It would be unreasonable for me to reject such a proposal. Your brother can stay if he likes though, he'll probably be just as interested in what I have to say."

"No. I'll fill Louis in later."

"You shouldn't make these decisions for me," Louis objected.

"Trust me on this. It's better if I hear what he has to say first."

"Okay, fine. I'll keep everyone else out of trouble in the meantime."

"Thank you, Louis."

Louis and the others stood up and made their way to a far-off corner where they had no chance of overhearing Dominique and Gano's conversation. Even so, the moment they were gone Gano removed his legs from the table and leaned forward conspiratorially.

"She is after you right now."

"And that's news? She's been after me for quite some time now."

"True, but it's different right now. She's actually directly on your trail and she's working with Lord Ruthven."

"With Ruthven? I was under the impression she hated him."

"Oh, she does, but their interests happen to align. Also, they've put a rather hefty bounty on your head. Though that offer is only open to a few select conspirators."

"And how do you know about it?"

"I thought that would be obvious," Gano smirked, "The offer is open to me. So, Dominique, want me to hand you over to them?"

"I think you're a bit too confident in your ability to take me down."

"If I made the bounty on your head public knowledge then I'm sure plenty of the ne'er-do-wells around here would be very eager to help me - or to get to you first."
Dominique raised an eyebrow, "You know working with her will piss off a lot of people."

"I'm not exactly popular anyway so I think I'll manage. Everyone's either too afraid or finds me too useful to actually get rid of me despite my dealing under the table."

"Slimy bastard." Dominique's lip curled in disgust. "Get to the point. What do you want?"

"Pay me. Twice what she's offering, and I'll leave you alone."

"Trying to extort me, old man?"

"Nothing quite so diabolical, little girl. It's just a business transaction. Surely someone of your... standing can afford it?"

"I should kill you for such impertinence." Dominique pushed her jacket slightly to the side so Gano had a good view of her pistol.

"You aren't going to shoot me," Gano said condescendingly, leaning back in his chair. "I know that you have to at least present a veneer of strength as captain of your little band of outcasts, but in this situation it's better to cooperate quietly. You aren't well respected enough to be killing someone like me where everyone can see you. I may be a hated man, but I am convenient to a lot of people. They won't be happy if a nobody like you takes my head."

Dominique sighed and moved her hand away from her gun. "How much exactly am I worth? I'd like some proof of how much you were offered too if you please. I don't want you lying to get more from me than you deserve. Oh, and I'm not paying double. I'll give you ten percent more than she was offering."

"Fifty."

"Fifteen."

"Thirty."

"Twenty-five."

"You've got yourself a deal Dominique." Gano extended a hand, which Dominique shook as quickly as she reasonably could get away with before retracting her hand. Gano reached into his pocket, retrieving a folded piece of paper and handing it to Dominique. "That's her handwriting, you should recognise it. Get me my money within the day."

"I will," Dominique smiled sourly as she looked at the amount on the paper he'd given her. "You wanted double this? You really are a scumbag."

"Never claimed otherwise," Gano shrugged, standing from his chair. "Meet me in the usual spot, yeah? I'll be waiting."

"Goodbye, Gano. Careful no accidents befall you before then."

"That's a cute threat!" Gano laughed as he headed for the door. "You'll be able to play with the big boys in no time, Dominique."

When he was gone Louis left the others and returned to her side. "So, what did he want?"

"Money, what else? A bounty has been put on our heads is the basic gist of it, likely due in part to the lovely lady we're transporting at present. He'll keep quiet about it if we pay him off, so I agreed. We can't really afford more trouble right now. After we've paid Gano it's best if we leave as soon as possible, apparently the person who put the bounty on us is on our trail. Best not lead them to Silverbay."

"And who did put this bounty out?"

"No one important. Just a noble whose name I don't really recognise. Hey! Maybe they're related to Jeanne?" Dominique grinned, and Louis narrowed his eyes at her.

"We'd better get going then. I'll find everyone else and meet you back at the ship. You take this lot," Louis waved a hand at the crewmembers still sitting in the corner. "Don't meet with Gano alone, understand?"

"I'll take Noé with me so no need to worry. We'll pay him and be back at the ship before you and it will be like we were never gone at all."

"I'd rather you take more than just Noé."

"It's a secret meeting! I can't have the whole crew trailing after me! Noé and I are perfectly sufficient."

"I am begging you to be careful."

"And you're a lovely little brother for doing so." Dominique ruffled his hair.

"We're the same age." Louis slapped her hand away. "And, if we're being technical, I'm still older."

Dominique ignored him. "About time we get going. See you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, see you soon. You better be back at La Baleine when I arrive or I'm coming after you."

Dominique and Louis went their separate ways.

***

The moment Dominique left, Vanitas descended into the bowels of the ship, a cup of water in hand. He took little care, so it sloshed over the brim and half the contents spilled across the floor as he walked. Reaching the brig, Vanitas kicked the bars of the cell housed within.

"Oi! Wake up!"

The ragged figure curled up on the floor rose slowly and groaned, blinking at him uncomprehendingly. Vanitas scowled in response, thrusting the water through the bars and placing it on the floor in front of her, letting a little more of the liquid fall out of the cup and onto the ground. Jeanne snatched the water quickly and brought it to her lips to take a desperate drink. She drank so fast that some leaked from her mouth and ran down her neck.

"You look pathetic," Vanitas said.

Jeanne glared in response. "We've stopped moving. I assume we're at port?"

"Very astute, yes, we have. Otherwise, you wouldn't be getting anything to drink. In a day or two we'll be back at sea and your little stunt will have accomplished nothing. Besides getting yourself thrown in a stinking cell anyway."

"Funny," Jeanne replied dryly. "How's everyone else doing? Alive at least, considering Dominique hasn't come to kill me."

"They're having fun; drinking, or gambling, or whatever else they enjoy doing. Meanwhile I'm stuck here, alone, with you, to watch the ship."

"We're alone," Jeanne surged forward, gripping onto the bars of her cage with a mighty rattle, causing Vanitas to jump. "So, no one's on deck?"

"No. That's not any of your business though."

"I beg to differ. You still owe me a favour, Vanitas. And I want to cash it in."

"I'm not keeping that deal," Vanitas recoiled. "I said before that you can't ask for anything unreasonable and I can see in your eyes that you're about to ask for something unreasonable."

"Take me outside."

"No!"

"I just want some fresh air. I'm not a threat to you, my leg is still injured and you know I'm telling the truth. You're a doctor and it's obvious it can't have healed, especially in this environment. Give me what you owe." Jeanne could see the conflict playing across his face. "I'll walk ahead of you and you can keep a gun to my back the entire time. Can't exactly run, can I?"

That did it. With an expression that made it seem he was already regretting what he was about to do Vanitas removed a key from his coat and freed Jeanne. She stepped out on shaky legs and began to limp forward. When she reached the stairs she felt something poking at her from behind and turned to see Vanitas holding a dagger out towards her.

"Sorry, I don't have a gun. Knifepoint will have to suffice."

Jeanne shook her head in exasperation and began her long climb upwards. It was more painful than she had been expecting. On the way down a few days before she had still been filled with adrenaline and with Noé helping it hadn't pained her too much. Climbing up the stairs was a completely different story. Her injured leg was screaming in agony with every step, but she grit her teeth and carried on. She'd had worse injuries before and done much more difficult tasks than climbing a few flights of stairs.

"Where in the world are we?" Jeanne said the moment she reached the top deck and her eyes adjusted to the light.

All around stone walls rose, meeting high above at a rocky ceiling that loomed ominously with wicked-looking stalactites hanging menacingly from it. The cave walls were blocking off every direction, so Jeanne had no idea how their ship had entered the chamber in the first place. The cave was made of a dark grey stone but within that stone was another material, something that gleamed bright silver and lit up their surroundings. Shining pinpricks in the sea of darkness. It was like the stars had been trapped on Earth. Jeanne had to tear her eyes away from the walls.

Their ship was docked at a wharf, alongside boats of all shapes and sizes, all bobbing gently in dark water. It had to be remarkably deep just from the size of some of the vessels moored close by. Occasionally the surface would be disturbed by ripples as a colourful fish darted quickly by the surface before instantly diving lower again. The wharf was connected to a path that led away into the cave system, lit by fiery torches each with glistening white skulls attached to them. It was impossible to see where the path was leading, it extended too deep into what appeared to be a cave system, but the faint sounds of a bustling community drifted outwards toward the ship.

"Welcome to Silverbay," Vanitas announced.

"This wasn't what I was expecting when you said we were at port," Jeanne swallowed thickly.

"You'll never see it again so appreciate it while you can. This is a den of criminals, pirates, revolutionaries and villains. Extraordinary, right?"

"I'd like to see it up close."

"It really is too bad you'll have to settle for this distance," Vanitas said sympathetically.

"No, I meant, let me see it up close."

"Hah? Don't be daft. I'm not taking you down there."

"You seemed jealous of everyone else getting to leave the ship so why not? As long as we get back before Dominique and the others it should be fine."

"That's not how this works! I could get in trouble just for bringing you this far. I've paid back the one favour I owed you already."

"You think you can't handle an injured woman for long enough to give her a small look around? I'd already figured you were weak from my last encounter with you, but I had no idea you were this cowardly and soft. There's no helping it though if you have so little confidence in your own power, it's probably for the best."

Vanitas's eye twitched, "You know what? Okay, we can go down there for half an hour, but you are not going like that. You smell awful for a start, so you have to change clothes. Besides that, everyone in Silverbay knows each other and they'll absolutely want to mess with fresh blood like you, so we need to cover your face. Finally, you listen to my every instruction while we're down there. If you run off in hopes of escaping it will only get you killed - and I'm not just saying that to scare you."

Jeanne agreed to his terms and they found her something else to wear. It was pretty similar to the outfit she had already been wearing, except she now had a heavy blue cloak that she pulled over her head. Vanitas told her to keep her head down and they left together, Vanitas sticking close to her back so it would be near impossible for onlookers to see the dagger he was holding to her.

***

Dominique arrived back at La Baleine and was immediately irritated that Vanitas was nowhere in sight. "Noé go check down in the brig for Vanitas and bring him back up here, he can't perform his role of protecting the ship if he spends the whole time with Jeanne."

Noé did as she said and while he did that Dominique headed to her quarters to collect the money she owed Gano. She wasn't particularly concerned with costs, they always had more than enough, and it was easy enough to steal more if need be, but there was a certain humiliation in being forced to pay someone off because of a threat. Dominique filled a small bag with the coin that she needed and affixed it to her belt before heading back onto deck. Noé appeared within a minute, racing up the stairs with a panicked look in his eyes.

"Vanitas isn't down there! And Jeanne! She's gone!"

"What!?" Dominique's brows knitted together. "What the hell did Vanitas do!? I'm going to kill that man!"

"Domi, they can't have gone far. Vanitas wouldn't just leave and Jeanne doesn't even know her way around Silverbay."

Dominique growled in frustration. "Noé, you start to search for Jeanne and Vanitas. I'll go to Gano for now. If you see Louis inform him about what's going on, I'll join the search after I've dealt with our debts." Dominique turned to the others who were on deck, "All of you, stay here! If anyone else arrives tell them that we're looking for Vanitas and that they should wait here until we return."

With that, Dominique and Noé ran off. Dominique broke away from Noé down an alleyway that led to an apparently dead end. However, low to the ground, there was a narrow gap in the rocky wall. Dominique crouched down and squeezed through it, coming into a chamber so dark she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Silverbay was filled with labyrinthine caves like this but most were either unused or filled with traps so that in the event Silverbay was discovered by the authorities all the criminals who knew their way around could escape while their enemies were lost or dying in the caves. This particular cave was especially hidden and a favourite spot of Gano's.

Dominique took three long steps forward before stopping and crouching down to feel the ground in front of her. She had stopped just in front of a pit in the floor, and she could feel the edge with her fingers. Reaching into her jacket, Dominique pulled out a small tinderbox. She lit one of her sulphur matches and threw it in front of her, watching it light up the darkness for a brief moment before tumbling into oblivion. She had seen the path, reminded herself of it, and that was all she'd needed. Carefully, Dominique rose and took a couple of steps backwards. Then she ran forward two steps and jumped, stomach twisting sickeningly with anxiety, before landing on top of a thick stalagmite rising from the pit that had had its top sawed off to leave a rounded platform. She jumped again, this time diagonally to her left, and landed atop another stalagmite just like the last except a little smaller. The next jump was the most difficult. The round platform she was aiming for was only about the size of a grapefruit, so she'd have to land on one foot. Aiming for it in the dark purely from muscle memory was an incredibly dangerous and foolish task. But she had done it many times before, so she jumped again. It was in front of the platform she had been on, just the tiniest bit to the right. Dominique's foot landed on it slightly off-centre, throwing off her balance, and to avoid falling she had to make the next - and final - jump immediately. Fortunately, the final jump wasn't a matter of aim but distance and she managed to launch herself with enough force to land roughly on solid ground, tumbling slightly as she did.

Dominique stood and brushed herself off before continuing forward. Within a few steps she could see a light ahead of her and, turning a corner, she came face-to-face with Gano. He was lounging on an outcropping of rock, waiting for her. He was alone but Dominique was sure that his goons were waiting for him somewhere nearby, probably back out of the cave in the light. His eyes tracked her as she moved but he made no other effort to acknowledge her presence. Dominique unhooked the bag of coins from her belt and tossed it at him, taking a small amount of joy in the 'oof!' he let out when it hit him in the chest.

"Are you going to count it or are we done here?" Dominique asked bluntly.

Gano held the bag in his palm, moving it up and down as it he was weighing it, "It feels about right at least. I can count it later and make you pay later if it's not right. But, before you go, I'd like to open further negotiations actually."

"I don't think so. I have nothing else I wish to discuss with you, goodbye." Dominique turned to leave.

The was a click that echoed through the chamber. "How about negotiating for your life?"

Dominique looked back at him to see a gun pointed her way. In a flash she'd drawn her own pistol and was pointing it right back at him. "What are you playing at, Gano?"

"You're the idiot that came here alone. I could carry your corpse to my benefactors and be paid once more for the bounty you already gave me."

"Your benefactors definitely want me alive. Especially Her. Aside from that I expect they want my whole crew, not just me."

"As long as I obtain Jeanne the rest of your crew doesn't matter."

"Jeanne?"

"Didn't think I knew about her?" Gano said snidely. "Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I know more about her than you do, and you've bitten off way more than you can chew. So, why should I let you live?"

Rather than reply Dominique pointed her pistol high above Gano and shot towards the ceiling. There was a mighty crash as a stalactite tumbled down to Earth but Dominique didn't wait to see how bad the damage was, choosing instead to flee before Gano recovered. She reached the pit trap in no time and leapt across it without taking any of the care she had on the way in. None of her landings were quite right and she nearly toppled to her death more times than she would have liked, but she made it across and that was all that mattered. Dominique scrambled out of the tiny entrance to Gano's secret passage and raced into a more crowded street. Gano wasn't going to make an attempt on her in broad daylight, and it was possible he'd give up entirely since he wouldn't have made the same play if she'd only brought Noé with her. So, she stopped to catch her breath. Only to see a bright red flare raise over the Silverbay buildings. Vanitas.

"You've got to be fucking kidding."

***

"Keep your head down!" Vanitas grumbled in Jeanne's ear, using his hand to shove her eyes down to the ground.

"I can't see anything if you keep making me look at the floor!" Jeanne protested.

"Are you trying to attract attention!? You can't just gawp at everything you see like a little kid!"

"Vanitas! That you?" A male voice slurred, and they turned towards it. "It is! How are you? It's been so long!"

"It's been so long I don't even remember your name! Aha, I'll be on my way now," Vanitas shoved Jeanne to prompt her to move.

"Wait a minute!" He said. "Who's your friend? I don't think I recognise her?"

"Then you don't pay enough attention! She's been part of my crew for a very long time."

"Are you sure? You certainly don't hang around her that much. You're always with... y'know the tall one? Or your captain? And that lightweight guy - Dante! Never with her though."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, I have to go to Captain Dominique. Goodbye."

"What's the rush? Why don't you two have a drink with me?"

Vanitas faltered, "One drink then we have to get going."

Then man grinned in response and crooked his finger to invite them into the rowdy tavern that he was standing outside of. They followed.

"What are you doing?" Jeanne whispered.

"Making a scene will cause more problems in the long run, one drink should be fine. With any luck it will knock that man out considering he's already stumbling like a newborn faun."

The tavern was filled to the brim with people of all shapes and sizes, many of whom had very visible, very dangerous looking weapons on their person. Jeanne pulled her hood further down to hide her face. They approached the main bar and sat at the stools that had been neglected by the other patrons in favour of the tables or standing room. Vanitas ordered the drinks for himself and Jeanne, two pints of mead. Jeanne wanted to recoil from the foul taste, but she downed it with as much enthusiasm as she could muster so as to not attract any undue attention because of her relative inexperience with such strong alcohol. Vanitas didn't have any visible reaction to the taste, but he was drinking slower than Jeanne, so she wondered if he disliked it as well.

"Hey," Vanitas leaned closer to her, "Look slowly but in the corner, there's a group of men watching us. I think I know whose crew they're from and they're nothing but trouble. We'd better finish up here quickly."

Taking the order seriously, Jeanne took a deep breath, picked up her pint of mead and downed the remainder in a single massive gulp. "Ugh. If you can't finish yours, give it to me."

Vanitas slid his over to her without complaint and she repeated the motion. She set the empty tankard down and both of them slid out of their seats. Vanitas thanked the man who had invited them inside and they began to hurry away. Jeanne saw out of her peripheral vision that the men from the corner were starting to move after them.

"We're being followed," Jeanne said as they exited back onto the street.

"I noticed," Vanitas replied, taking great strides as they moved away from the tavern. "I don't know what they want but I know who they are. We're too far from the ship to get back before they catch up and if they catch up, we're dead. I'm going to do something stupid but before I do, can you fight? We're going to need to buy ourselves some time."

"I can fight," Jeanne affirmed. "Not as well as usual given my condition but, with the right motivation, I'm sure that won't matter."

"Good. I hope your life is enough motivation," Vanitas handed her a dagger, keeping a second one in his own hand. "Now cover your ears."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it. Ugh, Dominique is going to murder me," Vanitas sighed before pulling the flare she had given him from his coat and firing it into the air.

***
Dominique raced through the winding streets, trying to get to the place she had seen the flare come from. Navigating Silverbay was all well and good when you had a specific destination in mind but when you were only trying to go in a general direction the warren of poorly built taverns and brothels and gambling houses and dens of wickedness got constantly rose to block your path. Giving up on any semblance of discretion Dominique skidded to a stop at the nearest building with a solid pole supporting and used that to ascend to the roof so she could run across the rooftops instead. Because of how close together everything was constructed it was easy to leap from building to building, though she had to make greater efforts when the rooves were occasionally sitting at wildly different heights.

As Dominique approached the area she had seen Vanitas's flare she began to hear multiple voices mixing together in what sounded unmistakably like a fight. Soon she could see it as well. Vanitas and Jeanne were surrounded by at least twenty men, clad in black and brandishing weapons. Gano's men. Vanitas and Jeanne were back-to-back, each with a single dagger in hand. Dominique took her own pistol from its holster and crouched low on the roof, taking aim. She waited until the closest men started to engage with Jeanne and Vanitas, they were using blades despite the fact that they had guns, so it appeared they weren't fighting to kill, just to injure. As one man was about to get Vanitas in the shoulder while he was fending off another, Dominique fired, and it went right through the man's brain. The blood splattered on Vanitas's face, but he barely flinched, simply sending a grateful look in Dominique's direction while the men he and Jeanne were facing looked at her in shock.

Dominique jumped down from the roof, letting off another shot that took a man down as she did so. The men seemed to regain their composure and while most of them went back to fighting Vanitas and Jeanne a few peeled off to deal with Dominique. Dominique tossed her gun into her left hand so she could pull her cutlass free from its sheath with her right. She met the nearest man with her sword, parrying his blade until she gained the opportunity to sink hers into his chest. While her sword was still stuck inside him, she shot his nearest companion as he began to close in. Although they seemed reluctant to kill Jeanne, they were not giving Dominique the same courtesy and were approaching her with everything they had. In a blaze of steel and fire Dominique fought towards her companions, paying no mind to the carnage she was leaving behind until she had reached their sides. It seemed they were doing just fine; Jeanne was doing a significant portion of the work in keeping them both safe, but Vanitas wasn't being completely useless either. At least neither of them had been injured.

"We'll talk about what the hell you two think you're doing later!" Dominique yelled as she fired another shot. "For now, we'll focus on getting out of here alive."

"Give me your sword and protect Vanitas!" Jeanne demanded, kicking a man away from her and slashing at another one's face.

"Huh?"

"I'm not used to using daggers!" Jeanne explained. "And I can take all of these guys down if I don't have to worry about anyone else."

Dominique hesitated, continuing to fend off Gano's men without a word before deciding on her reply. Eventually Dominique relented, holding the sword out to Jeanne, allowing Vanitas to reclaim his second dagger. "I'm putting my faith in you."

"Thank you," Jeanne said, taking the sword from her hands.

Dominique reloaded her pistol, keeping one eye on Vanitas and only firing when she was absolutely sure the shot would hit its mark so she wouldn't run out of bullets. Then, Jeanne sprang into action. She moved with more than just practised skill but raw, wild talent. Jeanne ducked and weaved past enemy swords like they were nothing, her own blade dancing in her hand as she cut down man after man. No one could touch her as she raced across the battlefield, dark cloak flowing around her in an ominous cloud. It was barely a fight; it was a slaughter. So, it was no surprise when one of the men, in desperation, pulled his gun from his belt and aimed it at Jeanne. But Jeanne didn't see him, too busy with close combat to even consider that someone might attack from behind at a distance. But Dominique saw it and without thinking she jumped in front of Jeanne's back and fired at the man. He got his shot off before he fell, and it hit Dominique in the shoulder. Dominique let out an angry cry of pain but otherwise remained unfazed, reloading her gun immediately.

"Dominique!" An overly cheery voice called.

Dominique whipped her head around to see Gano approaching, finally coming to join his goons. He had a wicked sword mounted on his arm and he looked positively delighted at the prospect of getting to use it. Dominique shot at him. The bullet bounced off the sword, which he had somehow raised to protect his face in time to block it. He smiled his crooked smile and continued to approach, absolutely confident even as his men continued to scream and die at the hands of Vanitas and, more significantly, Jeanne. Dominique shot again, this time nothing blocked it, but the bullet still came away from his chest harmlessly. He was evidently wearing something under his clothes, so the best place to aim was his head. Gano stopped a few metres away from the battle.

"I can't believe you've taken so many good men from me, do you know how hard it will be to get more?"

"Please, you'll take anyone as long as you can control them," Dominique sneered.
"As any good captain should! Now, I'm here for the girl. It seems my men tracked her down but they're rather incompetent when it comes to the taking her from you part. I mean, honestly! Here they are, dying at her hands as we speak. Nevertheless, please hand her over or you'll regret it."

Dominique shot another of Gano's men as he tried to sneak up on her while she was speaking with his boss. "Come and take her!" Dominique growled.

Gano took that invitation gladly. He darted forward; sword aimed for Dominique's chest. She rolled out of the way, coming up with her gun pointed outwards, but before she could decide on whether it was wise to shoot, Gano was slicing towards her again and she had to scramble out of the way and in her panic her shot went incredibly wide. She continued to dodge out of the way of his great, arcing strikes but it was wearing her down and she couldn't find any openings to shoot. She couldn't even focus on anything but him and had no idea how Jeanne and Vanitas were doing anymore. Gano's next strike just barely missed caving in her skull, and she was almost certain his blade sliced through a few very fine hairs. Getting frantic, Dominique fired off two shots, but both were deflected uselessly by Gano's armour. Gano took the opportunity to close the distance while she was addled, thinking it was the perfect opportunity to finish her off. But Dominique saw him coming and moved into the strike to meet him. She stepped in and to the side of his blade, close enough that his sword was all but useless. He couldn't course correct to move away and into a better position because he had committed to rushing forward and his momentum kept carrying him that way. Dominique grabbed his collar and pointed her pistol at his head.

"Say goodbye."

Click

Her gun was empty! She hadn't been counting but since she had last reloaded, she had used all her bullets. Gano realised it before even she did and he shoved her off of him and kicked her in the leg, causing her to crumple to the ground. Dominique tried to regain her feet but Gano kicked her again, keeping her down. And suddenly there was a huge sword in her face.

"Say goodbye," Gano mocked, looking down his nose at her in triumph.

Dominique closed her eyes tightly, frustrated at how shameful an ending her life was about to have. But rather than feeling cold metal invading her chest and prying her open there was a rush of wind and a harsh crunch. Dominique opened her eyes to see Jeanne standing above her, blood-soaked and breathing hard. Dominique followed her gaze to see Gano struggling to his feet not far away. He was cradling his arm to his chest and Dominique realise with a start that that was the cause of the crunch she had heard.

"Well," Gano huffed, "I guess that's what I get for picking a fight with the Hellfire Witch. This endeavour isn't worth it anymore, so I'll be taking my leave. I look forward to working with you again Dominique."

Gano retreated and so did his few followers who had managed to survive. Dominique pushed herself to her feet and watched him leave. She was irritated that he could just give up like it was nothing and expect no consequences, but it would be unwise to chase him down in her current state. As Dominique was lost in thought, looking at her enemies' retreating backs, she saw a flash of steel in the corner of her eye. Instinctively, Dominique readied her gun and pointed it in the direction of the movement only to freeze, gun pointed at Jeanne's head. Jeanne was holding her sword out to her, with the hilt directed towards her in a clearly non-threatening gesture. Jeanne froze as well, eyeing the weapon they both knew wasn't loaded.

"Sorry," Dominique said, lowering her gun and taking the sword from Jeanne, grimacing a little as her hand slipped in the blood the had flowed down the blade to the handle during Jeanne's fighting. Jeanne's fighting... Gano had called her the Hellfire Witch. But surely that couldn't be right. Dominique shook her head and filed that away to discuss at a later date. For now, she was simply too tired to think about it.

"You two!" Vanitas yelled accusingly at them as he approached. "Are you trying to make my life difficult? You!" He pointed at Dominique. "Just couldn't help getting shot, could you? And you!" He pointed at Jeanne. "I can tell you've reopened the wound in your leg! What kind of buffoon fights like that when she can hardly walk!? Can you even make it back to the wharf?"

"We can go to The Wolf and Gully for now since we're already quite close. They have rooms we can stay in and we are on decent terms with the owners, they will help us treat our wounds." Dominique suggested.
Vanitas ran a hand through his hair, "All right. What about everyone else?"

"Jeanne and I can stay the night at The Wolf, you go back to La Baleine and fill everyone in once our first aid is taken care of. We'll meet you all there tomorrow after we've had a good rest."

"Let's get going then," Vanitas clicked his tongue in irritation. "I'll help Jeanne walk since she's no doubt destroyed her leg."

The three of them stumbled into The Wolf and Gully after a few painful minutes of walking and dealing with a few too many unwanted stares. Luckily the tavern was almost completely deserted when they entered so there was no one to gawk at them as they entered.

"Excuse me!" Dominique called. "My companion and I got hurt, we'd like some help if possible and also some rooms to stay in!"

"Honestly, Dominique," The woman behind the bar sighed turning to face them, "You always bring trou- Jeanne!?"

"Chloé!?"