Jaehwan's legs felt like they weighed a hundred stone each as he climbed the stairs, emerging from the filthy hold to see chaos. A battle raged, though it was obvious that the slavers were losing. Their ugly, nocked swords were no match for the gleaming silver weapons of the attacking party, and the raiders went down in a swath of blood. Jaehwan felt a thrill of satisfaction roll through him when he saw the man who had captured him in his village fall and not rise again.

The slaver's ship was a ugly thing in Jaehwan's uneducated opinion, the deck worn and the railing looking like it needed repair thirty years ago. But it was really the comparison to the ship that accosted it that made up his mind in that area. The other ship was sleek and well-painted, with a set of three masts that stood tall into the gathering storm clouds and sails that were edged with tassels. There was no flag that he could make out, but he would guess that was because the sky was darkening rapidly, the sun already having fallen past the horizon. 

The woman paused at the top of the stairs, just in front of Jaehwan, and pulled another thick arrow from the quiver at her hip. She took next to no time at all to load her weapon, though Jaehwan had read that crossbows could be a pain to draw. She sighted in one of two raiders who were getting ready to cross to the ship next to them - what Jaehwan assumed was her ship - and shot him in the back just as he swung off of the rail. His grip faltered in his dying moment and he let loose a shriek as he fell into the ocean between the vessels.

"Retreat!" she shouted, a clear ringing tone in her voice that meant she was used to giving orders. She stepped out onto the filthy deck as her sailors disengaged as they could and drew back toward her. Jaehwan made to step out to follow, but just as he lifted his foot over the threshhold, the ship lurched to the side.

He fell, sliding several feet on the deck before he came to a stop against a sailpole. To his embarrassment, he found that he was the only one who had fallen: the rest of the woman's crew took the motion in stride and now a few looked at him in wry amusement.

And yet a man stepped up to Jaehwan, his eyes wrinkled with smile lines, and held a hand down for the younger man. "Not used to sea?" he asked, not unkindly, as he helped to steady Jaehwan on his feet again. "Come on, this old girl is sinking."

Jaehwan didn't need to be told twice: the woman and the rest of her crew were already swinging back to the beautiful ship. He took one last look around, noting the dead and wounded slavers, none of which were still standing, and felt a moment of pity for the fact that they would drown.  "They've led hundreds to the slave blocks," the man told him, seeming to note the pause within Jaehwan. "They deserve this fate. Now come, we need to disengage before true dark sets in. Our ship will be pulling back and I intend to be on it."

He caught one of the corssing lines and held the rope out to Jaehwan, an indication that he should take it and swing himself over, but when he noted the raw red wounds on his wrists the man frowned. "Here," he offered, as if to wrap an arm about the slender young man.

And while he was greatful for the offer, Jaehwan couldn't take it. "Thank you," he said earnestly, but took the rope into his own hands. He caught a slight smile on the other man's face as he steadied himself, took a deep breath and a firm grip, and shoved off. It wasn't unlike swinging into the waters off the shore with his brothers.

He landed and stumbled on the other deck, the only thing keeping him upright being the rope that he held firmly in hand. As he wavered, he heard a woman's voice come from his right side. "And who do we have here?"

He expected it to be the one who had saved him, but when he turned, it was a shorter, more delicate featured woman. The sharp expression on her face didn't look delicate at all, though, and he realized he might want to speak up before he got thrown overboard. Yet even as he opened his mouth, the man who had spoken to and helped him came up to his side. "Your sister found him in the hold, Captain. A prisoner. He was the only one," he added, and her face seemed to fall at those words.

She pushed aside whatever bothered her and focused on Jaehwan once again. "Very well, you are welcome about my ship. While here you must abide by my rules and..." she glanced at his wounded arms and seemed to change what she was going to say, "Stay out of the way. Daniel," she added, and the older man stood a bit straighter. 

"Captain."

"Take him to..." her brow furrowed as she obviously thought of what to do with him. He knew what he looked like - too tall, too slender, wounded and mal-nourished and seasick. He was about to open his mouth to say he could pull his weight, even if he didn't know the slightest thing about actually sailing, when someone interrupted.

"He can have my cabin. I'll stay in the map room." The woman who had saved him stepped up to the small gathering, brushing at a spot of blood on her dark clothing. When she looked up he was startled to see that she had removed her eyepatch. And she had both eyes, dark and sharply tilted over sharp cheekbones and small lips. He realized he was staring only when she raised one long, slender brow at him, and he dropped his gaze and flushed in embarrassment.

The shorter Captain nodded slowly. "Alright, that will do. Daniel, take him to Krystal's cabin. Joe!" she called sharply, catching the attention of a short and slender man who had been passing. "Make sure a hammock gets set up for Krystal in the map room."

The slender sailor saluted as he hurried away, and both women seemed satisfied, the small Cpatian giving a small nod. As they began to turn away and Daniel reached for Jaehwan's elbow, he figured this would be his only chance to speak up.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, reaching a hand toward the taller of the women - the one they called Krystal. He didn't touch her, though, knowing it wasn't a stranger's place to do so. "You saved my life, I'm sure. If you could somehow return me to my village I would be even more grateful, or even just to Arisan, I could make my way back." He didn't know exaactly where they were, but given that it hadn't been too long ago that he had been captured, maybe a week if he had gauged time correctly, they couldn't be too far from the Arisan shores. Or at least, that's what he assumed.

And yet the short Captain shook her head slowly, a grim look appearing on her face. "I'm sorry, ah...." she paused, raising one brow as if in inquiry of his name.

"Jaehwan," he supplied hurriedly.

She nodded and continued. "I'm sorry, Jaehwan." She stumbled a bit over the name as she spoke it. "We have important business to attend to and for now, you're just going to h