Gin sensed the tiny cracks in the wood, the dampness that seeped in, and the sturdy structure that made up the Opal--all under his palm as he swiped his hand over the railing on the main deck. It gave him a familiar feel as if he was shaking hands with an old friend. 

He moved from the back end of the ship to the middle where he stood in the shadow of the main mast. It was his job to keep the Opal in good shape. His eyes closed as he focused his concretostringere, extending his sense as far as it can go.

His father had taught him that every ship was alive, and keeping their health was crucial. "You don't want her breaking beneath you in the middle of the ocean now," he had said. So much passion grew in his eyes when he'd spoken about it. Gin remembered him that way, even at the end when he fell depressed and withered away.

Gin opened his eyes, taking in the calm bright ocean--nothing but water surrounding the Opal--and biting back that last memory. With his hand still on the railing, he moved toward the front of the ship.

"I'm worried about you," a deep voice came from above--Migal.

When Gin looked up, Migal stood on the forecastle deck with Ria. They arced toward each other, whispering, too immersed in their conversation to notice him. He moved closer under the stairs to listen.

"I know. And I'm grateful that you're here now, but you don't have to worry." Ria's voice came soft.

"You don't have to go through with this." Migal sounded urgent. "We can ask your brother--"

"No," Ria cut him before he could finish what he was about to say. "You know we can't," she said firmly.

"Lily, please," Migal begged.

"Don't call me that," Ria snapped and both of them fell silent until she spoke again, changing back to a soft tone. "I'm sorry."

Gin had heard that name before. But where? He wondered if that was Ria's true name. 

A creak in the floorboards came above Gin and he imagined them moving closer to each other, filling the space between them. He shook his head and cursed silently. What was he doing listening to their private conversation? And he walked out from under the stairs, going back the way he came without looking up, and pretending to not know that they were there. Again, they didn't seem to notice him.

He strode across the deck until he came to the mizzenmast. 

"Where' you off to?"

Gin nearly jumped at the voice. He looked down and found Juli behind the post, sitting on a pile of ropes and polishing her pistol. 

"I thought you were in the boiler room," Gin said, stopping and crossing his arms at her.

"Switched with Mari," Juli said.

"So what are you supposed to be doing now?" Gin asked.

"Not sure. I think it was something about scrubbing toilets." Juli stuck her tongue out and made gagging sounds. "We've got high waves. Sea water's going to clean those so I don't need to."

Gin chuckled as he watched Juli continue to wipe a cloth over her pistol. She had always put forward a strong and clever front--quick to make quips. But Gin knew when something bothered his cousin, and the way she dipped her chin low, how her shoulders slumped, and the saddened bowing of her brows concerned him.

"Are you alright?" Gin asked, relaxing the knot of his arms.

"What do you mean?" Juli kept her eyes on the pistol. Her mechanical fingers tapped at the metal rim every now and then. 

"You're avoiding Enzo," Gin said.

"None of your business, Gin," Juli said through gritted teeth.

"You're my cousin. It's my business to know when you're hurting."

Juli stood up and shoved her pistol in the holster on her belt. "For the sea mother's sake. I'm not hurting. Not for that eel." She waved her hands around in the air. "I'm just--I'm angry. I don't even know why or how I ever fell for him."

"I know," Gin said as Juli shook her fists and looked away. "Just let me know if you need me to cut off his fingers."

That made Juli smirk and shake her head. She sighed, releasing tension and looking at him. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Gin asked.

"That landborn lady seems to be bothering you." Juli jerked her head toward the forecastle deck where Ria and Migal were still talking.

Gin stared at the way Ria craned her neck to look up at Migal--the way her shoulders lifted. In the past days, most of their encounters were in the captain's cabin to plan for the heist. He had noted many things about her then and he realized he'd been observing her.

Gin looked away. "She's not bothering me." It was true, she wasn't but Ria and Migal's nearness seemed to be.

"Attracted to her then?" Juli teased.

Gin's brows rose. He wondered if there was any truth to that. Was he attracted to Ria? He admitted that she was pretty but that didn't mean that he liked her, did it? Besides he knew nothing about the secretive highborn lady from inland. 

"Well, here she comes now." Juli lifted her chin and Gin looked.

Ria strode toward them and Migal was gone.

"Guess I'll give you two some privacy," Juli said, moving to go the other way.

"Wait, what--" Gin looked back at Juli but she already had her back to him.

"I need to talk to you," Ria said.

When Gin turned, Ria stood in front of him. He clenched his jaw and tried to relax, dropping his arms at his sides. "What do you want?" He asked.

Dark rims formed under Ria's tired eyes. "The captain trusts you. He relies on you."

"Still don't know what you want, princess."

"Don't--" Ria bit her lip and Gin glanced at her mouth. "I just want to make sure that you're not a mistake."

Gin's gaze shot back up to her eyes. "I'm a mistake?"

Ria stiffened. "That was wrong. I meant--Captain Zalez always invites you when we're planning, while the rest of the crew is working the ship. I understand why Enzo needs to be there, but you?"

Aside from Gin's expertise in structure that he inherited from his father, he had a talent for strategy. The captain trusted him.

"You don't need to worry about me. Worry about yourself," Gin said.

"What do you mean by that?" Ria asked.

"You seem more on edge everyday about this job."

"It's important," Ria said.

"Well, my father once said that worrying will kill you slowly." Gin paused and remembered. His father had given him many life lessons--proverbs--but at the end of his life, they all came ironic to Gin. "He knew that but he still died young. So I guess words of wisdom don't really work. Even if I tell you, you won't stop worrying." 

Ria's features softened and her lips parted. She leaned forward as if she wanted to come closer. "I'm so sorry. About your father. I lost my parents at a young age. I can't even remember them."

Gin was ready to taunt her about it. Were they sharing depressing life stories now? But her eyes gave a sincerity he'd never seen before and his chest warmed. He glanced down at her waist where the waterskin he'd given her hung from her belt. "I don't have credentials," he said, staring at the bag before looking back up at her face. "I'm not licensed for anything. I'm not a captain or a first mate. I'm just a crewman on a ship. But I've been on the Opal for five years now, I've worked on dozens of jobs. Mostly successful. That's why we have a reputation. The captain trusted me to work on bits of the plans for every job we worked on for the last--" he shrugged, "--three or four years. He trusts me now to work on this too. As far as experience goes, I am reliable." 

Ria held his gaze then eases, dropping the weight of her shoulders and nodding. "Alright." She stared at him for a moment, taking him in. "But if we get caught, getting shot at is not a good way to die." She turned away and started to walk but Gin spoke again.

"What's a good way to die then?" He asked. For some reason, he wanted to keep her there--to keep her talking with him.

Ria stopped and lifted her chin toward the sea. The wind brushed over her face, catching the strands that escaped the knot of her hair. "Drowning," she said. "In the ocean. To look into that vast darkness and know that the sea is claiming you." She nodded then looked over her shoulder to him. "Drowning."

If you enjoyed this chapter, I'd appreciate it if you could let me know your thoughts in the comments, or give this a vote. Thanks!

-Heide