Eunwoo has never slept anywhere but her own bed in her life. Yes, she's a little sheltered—she'll admit it—but that was more her parent's fault then her own. 

Now, she's curled up between crates of mysterious wares and barrels of food, with just a blanket covering her, the splash of the sea just outside her ears, and she can't sleep at all. Not just because she's not under satin sheets, but because it's ing impossible for anyone to really sleep here. Yewon seems comfortable, somehow, wrapped in her cloak and snoring, and Eunwoo can't process how she could ever possibly do it.

In her novels and fantasy books, pirate life had seemed much more glamorous—it wasn't any castle by the sea, for sure, but she didn't expect to be sleeping on the floor of the storage cellar. She can't tell what time it is either, it feels like she's been down here for hours. Her eyes float to a close. She might as well attempt to rest, anyway. 

Yebin is always the first on the ship to wake. Having to cook means she's always up early, before the sun rises. Today, she sighs. After pulling off the dramatic gold heist last night, the ship had quickly departed away from Black Widow Island—and the crew members had held an impromptu party, which resulted in her having to clean up. But she had her duties.

She lights her candle, humming a sea shanty to herself, and begins her trip towards the cellar to pick up materials for this morning's breakfast. 

As she climbs down the ladder, she begins to swear she can hear noises—breathing? Yebin passes it off as rats or the rocking off the ship, and thunks to the ground, heading for the salted meats.

That's when she sees the sleeping girls. 

Of course, it's nothing short of a surprise. One, shivering under a flimsy cotton blanket, is wearing a gown that's probably worth more than Yebin's entire bounty, hair sprawled across the floor. The other is a smaller girl wrapped in a cloak, strands disconnecting from her braid and covering her face. 

Yebin yelps.

The girl in the gown's eyes shoot open. 

"Who are you!" Yebin practically yells. 

"!" the girl on the floor exclaims. "You're not Jieqiong!"

Yebin rolls her eyes. Just what has that Jieqiong kid gotten into now?

"You and your friend stay right there. I'm getting the captain."

The beams of sunlight rising with the impending dawn practically blind Eunwoo's eyes. However, the most annoying thing are the ropes, rough and chafing, around her waist and wrists.

"Do I really have to be bound like this?" Eunwoo scoffs at the rather intimidating group of girls surrounding her.

"You had a sword. It's for safety." remarks the girl with bangs and an elegant nose—with a closer look, Eunwoo can recognize her face from wanted posters—Roa the Devil.

She swallows, because that can only mean one thing—the captain is-

Click. Clack.

The ground rings with the noise of approaching heeled boots, and she looks up to face a woman—so tall that Eunwoo feels like a bug—a woman who any fearful kingdom noble and navy official will recognize immediately.

The Terror of the High Seas.

Captain Im Nayoung. 

"This is her?" Nayoung remarks. 

"Yes, captain. Found her in the cellar sleeping, with her friend here."

A girl with an eyepatch, who Eunwoo knows as Xiyeon the Bloodthirsty, crouches down to Eunwoo's eye level, fiddling with her dagger. 

She looks up at the captain. "How should we deal with her?" 

"Hey, wait!" Jieqiong steps forward from behind Roa. "This is my fault. I brought her here."

Xiyeon gives her a glare. "Do explain how you found the time to sneak some ing noblewoman onto our ship." 

"I may have... neglected guard duty." 

"And you just? Stumbled upon her?" 

"Well, sorta-"

Eunwoo finally butts in.

"I was escaping the castle. I'm Princess Jung Eunwoo. And this is my maid, Yewon."

Roa sneers. "Likely story."

"I have my family crest ring." She wiggles her fingers. "Just check my hands." 

Xiyeon reaches around and tugs a ring off her finger. 

", this actually seems legit." She passes it up to Nayoung, who's been watching stone-faced this whole time. 

"This looks authentic." she says, after holding it up to her eye.

"I'm sorry. I asked Jieqiong to sneak me onto the ship. Please don't blame her. You can just drop me off at the next island." 

The tall, quiet woman holding several rolled up maps that's standing next to Nayoung whispers in her ear.

"No." the captain announces.

"What?" Eunwoo feels her spine sharpen with anxiety. "Please don't make me walk the plank I swear I won't tell anyone-"

"Walk the plank!" Xiyeon says with a loud laugh. "We don't do that. That's for fake pirates." 

"We're not going to hold you." Nayoung says cooly. "You're free to roam—on this ship. We're holding onto you, for emergencies. I'm sure that your parents want you back, yes?"

"O-of course."

"You'll be our deal tool if we ever get in another navy stand-off." 

Eunwoo supposed that was better than being cooped up in the castle. She nods. 

"Okay."

"So where the hell are the newbies going to sleep?" says Yebin. Sleeping quarters are tight—just enough room for the six crew members, with separate rooms for the captain and the first mate.

Jieqiong can tell Eunwoo looks uncomfortable, fiddling with her fingers. 

"I'm fine with sleeping back in the cellar!" proposes Yewon with a bright smile on her face. 

Jieqiong puts her arms around Eunwoo's shoulders. "I'll have Eunwoo share with me!" 

"What?" Eunwoo exclaims.

"My bed has lots of room. I'm pretty scrawny, you'll fit!" 

"Yewon can share with me." says Sungyeon, who seems already bonded with the other smiley girl. 

"I'm not sure if—" Eunwoo starts, but Jieqiong pushes her down onto her bed. 

"Get under the covers." she demands. "You deserve some rest."

Kyla snuffs the light.

Eunwoo can't sleep again. It's not because of the hardened wood this time, it's because Zhou Jieqiong is currently spooning her—face resting in her neck, breath floating softly, and arms around her waist. Does she always spoon in her sleep? Is this just a thing she does? 

Jieqiong's fingers are gentle and wandering—tracing ghost patterns on Eunwoo's stomach. 

She wonders what she's dreaming about. 

Eventually, the toss of the sea ushers Eunwoo to sleep.

When Yebin wakes from a blurry dream at midnight, she can sense Minkyung is gone. She doesn't know how—she just knows. The floorboards creak, and she can see the door to Nayoung and Minkyung's room is open, Minkyung's bed is empty. She knows where the girl is.

Gently, she crawls up the ladder to the deck, quietly closing the trap door. 

Yebin gazes up—at the crow's nest, where she can see a figure silhouetted against the night sky. She's a little scared of climbing the rigging in her post sleep haze, but her worry for Minkyung seems to take over and she begins to grasp at the ropes. 

It doesn't take long for Minkyung to notice her.

"Don't come up here." she calls down. "Go back to sleep." 

Yebin hoists herself along the ropes. She's no longer afraid of heights like she can remember being when she was young—living on a ship changes that. 

"Not until you can sleep too." she calls up.

She crawls into the crow's nest, where Minkyung stands, wind whipping her hair. 

"Go away."

"Did you have a bad dream again?"

Minkyung doesn't say anything for a few seconds, just stares at the expanse of ocean curling over the horizon. 

"Yeah." she replies, finally. 

Yebin stands next to her. "I'm sorry."

"It's happening every night now."

"I wish I could help."

Minkyung awkwardly takes Yebin's hand into her own as they watch the night sky together. 

"Don't worry," she murmurs, "You already do."