The Princess of Aysesreve was still docked at Longport. Silas Noble hadn't returned. If he had, he would have come back for his ship. Sabik didn't know a lot about Silas Noble, but he knew that he wasn't the kind of man to abandon his crew or his ship. The Pirate Syndicate had kidnapped Silas Noble, or at least that was the conclusion Sabik had come to when Aiden showed him the empty vial. Helioflorum, and some other mystery components, were used to create a drug that completely erased the memories of people. Naqi was one of them.

The deckhouse was small. It had six benches that had been used as cots. There was a small galley area and a little table that butted up against one of the cots. Everything was made of polished wood the color of amber. It was pretty; much sturdier looking than the old Coronis, but much less comfortable.

Sabik carefully set the pot of helioflorum on the galley counter and slid his bags of clothing and medical supplies off his aching shoulder. The helioflorum plant was sprouting. It looked less green than he had hoped, but he didn't know the first thing about cultivating drugs. He pushed it under the skylight. That might be better.

"Can you help me?" Jade grunted from the main deck. She lowered a few bags into the cabin. Sabik stowed them away. She hopped down the ladder with his medical kit. After setting it on the counter, she poked at the Helioflorum sprout. Grimacing, she pushed a loose piece of red hair out of her face.

"Do not touch that," Sabik said, pushing the plant away from her. She quirked a brow. He never knew what she was thinking. Her face always looked like she was judging him too harshly. Recently though, after much observation, he had come to determine that this was just the way she happened to look. After all, he had a long list of misdemeanors. Surely she hadn't the time to judge him for all that.

Sabik crossed his arms and stayed where he had stowed the bags, in the far corner of the room. He had been hoping there was a way that he could leave without speaking with her. It was probably easier that way.

Jade ran her hand across the inner side of the hull and looked out of the porthole. On a ship this small, the waves crashed right up against the porthole when it sailed. It was a clear day and the ship was still docked, so he didn't feel claustrophobic yet. "She's beautiful," Jade said. "Are you sure you can sail her by yourself?"

Sabik's face softened for only a minute before he pulled his countenance back into something more serious and grounded. What was she suggesting? That he was incompetent? "I will manage." If he was telling himself the truth, he was a little worried. "Do not worry about--"

"Amelia Rose is just gathering her things. She'll be over shortly," she said. Sabik rose his eyebrows at the interruption. She unbuttoned the cuffs of her shirt and rolled them up to her elbows. "The figurehead looks like her, does it?"

He scratched the back of his head, pulling his fingers through his wavy short hair. He pulled at a tangle. "I noticed that." He stepped towards her but stopped to point at the ladder. "I must start prepping for the departure. I should say goodbye."

Her hip holsters had slid sideways. She tugged at them, straightening them back out. He'd never seen her without her weapons, not even when she came barging into the infirmary in the middle of night, after drinking too much. "You're leaving," she said.

"That is why I'm here, yes."

Jade rolled her eyes. "You're such a prick." She stepped back, looking away. "You just never told me why."

Sabik grimaced, turning around to busy himself with filling the pantry with food. He started loading jars into the cabinet, his pace matching his anxiety. "Um...," he paused trying to collect his thoughts. "I just miss my brother."

"You made it sound like you had other reasons." Jade leaned on the countertop so she could see his face. He didn't look at her. "Me, specifically."

Sabik stopped filling up the cabinet and glanced at her. He felt a knot in his throat. He didn't know if he could say it. "I..."

Jade made a noise at the back of her throat. Something like disappointment or derision. "It's fine. You don't have to tell me why you're leaving."

"Um," Sabik was relieved, if anything, but still embarrassed. She felt nothing? Maybe he was crazy to think she was just as attracted to him as he was to her. Would she even admit it? Did it matter? It's not like there was anything they could do about it. Whatever it was, Sabik refused to let himself slip. There was nothing more useless or distracting than caring for someone. That was why he was here after all--because he cared too much about his brother. Romantic love was different. Maybe even more controlling. Familial love was expected, it was duty. It wasn't irrational. It couldn't just sneak up on you. He didn't know how he felt about Jade, but he knew he felt something. "So you will come to Janwala when you are done at..."

"Yes, once I go request Tranan Naval aide from Govenor Oriol," she nodded. After everything Captain Robert Fairburn had done to them back in Aydesreve, and on their voyage, it was safe to say that he was not only an enemy of theirs but to all of the Tranan Union.

Sabik examined a stain of dust on the bottom of his kurta. "That shouldn't take long. Rafaele can manage without me." He looked up at her. "That is what you are worried about, no? Because if there is something else on your mind, I would be--"

"No, it's--" She cut herself off and shifted in place. "Rafaele is inexperienced. But you're right. I mustn't underestimate him."

"It is good to be cautious," he said. "You are a great captain. I do not think your father would be surprised at all."

She brushed off the compliment by looking away. "Looks like we've got our own ships to sail." She stepped close enough that he could see the freckles on her cheeks. He wondered how long it would take to count them all. "Goodbye."

"I will see you in a few months,"

"Four or five." They stood for a moment, not saying much at all. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking. Sabik was wondering what she would say if she knew the real reason he was leaving. The night she got drunk put a lot of things in perspective. Sabik didn't want to stay around long enough to figure out whether she actually cared for him. He needed to know as much as he needed a knife in his throat. Not much. Not very much at all.

She reached her hand out and Sabik reciprocated. Her hands were calloused and rough, a testament to how long she'd been sailing. Handshakes weren't something they did in the Jhataran States. This was a strange tradition, but Jade was the first person who didn't attempt to make him lose balance with a tight grip. He wondered why that was when she was ready to prove her dominance any way she could. She pulled away from him when Haworth came sliding down the ladder. Jade spun around to face him.

"Oh, man," he said, scratching the corner of his jaw, stubbled with red hair. "I've stumbled on something, haven't I? You've got yourself a catch," he said, but it was hard to tell who he was winking at. He moved throughout the room with Amelia Rose's bags and plopped them onto a cot. Sabik followed to stow them away. He liked to keep an organized space.

"We were just saying goodbye," Jade said, paying more attention to a rip in her sleeve.

Haworth didn't look like he believed her, but he threw himself down on one of the cots, and stretched out. "I'm gonna miss you, Sawbones. You're not like those other Doctors telling me I should pay more attention to my health and this and that. I thought you'd be a real monkey ward cowboy, but I've got to say, I feel your oats, kid."

Sabik looked at Jade. "What is he saying to me?"

Jade laughed under her breath. "Something about your oats," she muttered.

"You're not bad, Sawbones, not'a bit." Haworth said. As Amelia Rose finally climbed down the ladder with her last bag, he looked at all of them. Sabik sighed. "Alright, We're leaving." He looked at Jade as Haworth made his way over to force Amelia Rose into a hug that she didn't ask for.

"Mail me in Aydesreve if you have anything important to say," Jade said.

"Yes, uh," Sabik paused. "Wonderful. Perfect. Mataam."

She looked over at Haworth and pulled him by the back of his collar. He stumbled back, pointing at Amelia Rose. "You be a little gallnipper, alright?"

"I will," she said with conviction. He winked back and clicked his tongue as Jade forced him up the ladder. Jade waved at Amelia Rose, smiling warmly at her. She nodded one last time at Sabik before going up the ladder herself. Once she was gone, Sabik followed.

"Are you ready to set sail?" he asked Amelia Rose. She ignored him, but he saw her moving toward her bag to look for her navigational gear.

As Sabik untied the ship from the dock, he watched Jade and Haworth walk away. He couldn't help feeling like he was making a mistake. Despite his insecurities, he and Amelia Rose unfurled the sails and slowly navigated out of the dockyard.