Jaehwan slept fitfully, with images of fire and drowning once again filling his dreams. He saw his village catch fire, a roaring monster sweeping through the sky trailing flames and setting his skin ablaze. But when he would jump into the bay to try and douse the flames, something caught him about the ankles to drag him down until everything went black- and then the dream started again. When an unfamiliar sailor awakened him for dinner, Jaehwan felt as if he hadn't slept at all, and from the pitying look the woman gave him, he probably looked as bad as he felt.

She turned away from his cubby hole to set a bowl and a cup onto the table. He climbed out awkwardly, his limbs aching from the treatment they had gone through for the last several days, and stumbled to her side as he drew the laces on his shirt closed. He stood head and shoulders taller than her, but he didn't doubt that she was tough enough to take him down with her smallest finger. His sister was smaller than him too, and she had taught him the ferocity of the fairer . But the thought of his sister brought pain to his heart, so he pushed those thoughts away and focused on finding a comfortable way to sit. 

The ship, never fully still, gave a particularly hard lurch, and he looked with surprise at the stationary bowl and cup on the tabletop. They hadn't moved at all even when he had almost fallen! The small woman saw his look and laughed, slight dimples appearing in her slender cheeks. "The table is magicked," she explained. "Anything set on it will not move unless picked up by a living thing." She gave another laugh at his shocked expression as she moved to the wall beside the main door to open a small cabinet.

"Here," she said, retrieving a wide, flat cushion from the closet before securing it again. "Sit on this, it's much more comfortable than the bare floor."

He took the offered cushion, noting the rough fabric and guessing that it was made like that so as not to easily slip around, and thanked her. "Am I the only one eating dinner?" he asked sheepishly as he folded his long limbs and settled at the table, realizing the emptiness of the chamber.

She grimaced in answer and gave a small shrug. "To be honest, no one has had time yet. There is a storm raging out there and all hands are needed on deck to fight our way through. In fact, I need to get back out there, I was just supposed to bring you something to fill your belly." And before he could answer any of that, she slipped out the door. The roar of rain filled the air for a moment before the portal was closed behind her, leaving Jaehwan alone again.

He hadn't realized how cold it was in the room, and the knowledge that it was storming only brought that fact to the forefront of his mind. He debated between food and warmth for only a brief moment before he decided on the former first, and dug into the meal. Once again, just like on the slaver's ship, it was a sort of broth, but this broth had a deeper, richer flavor that actually had Jaehwan finishing off his bowl and wishing for more. The cup was merely water, but he drank gratefully.

When he was finished, he left his things on the table, unsure what to do with them. He figured that someone would be able to tell him, so he stood with the intent to see if he could find out...

And doubled over with the sudden and strong urge to vomit, his sea-sickness catching up with him due to the storm and a full belly. No no no, he begged his rebelling stomach. He made it back to his bed without giving in to the desire, and drew the blankets about him tightly, holding on as if they were a lifeline. He finally fell asleep once more, curled tightly into a ball, and didn't wake again until the next morning.

And this was to the grim smile of the slender crewman from before. Joe leaned over him with his teeth gritted into what he must have thought was a smile, his eyes flashing in annoyance as he pulled Jaehwan from sleep. "Rise and shine, stranger," he said grumpily, stepping back when he saw Jaehwan's eyes open and focus on him.

He did as he was asked, gingerly stretching out his sore body and trying to detect if he was still nauseous. He seemed fine, so he sat up and slid off of the bed, standing up to tower over the shorter man. At least it seemed that the deck wasn't moving so violently as it was last night...

Joe scowled and took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest as he took in Jaehwan's new clothing. "You're wearing-" he cut off with a shake  of the head and an indescipherable grumble. "Come on, the Captain wants you," he said instead, and motioned for Jaehwan to follow him. 

They went up the stairs that Jaehwan's cabin was closest to, Joe climbing them gracefully and Jaehwan doing more of a scramble. But when they reached the top of the stairs and Joe shoved a hatch out of the way, Jaehwan was shocked with the glow of sunlight. He hadn't seen the sun in what felt like forever! As he climbed out onto the deck, he reveled in the feel of the warm rays on his face, a smile lifting on his lips without even trying. The Captain's deceptively sweet voice broke through his moment. "You look better this morning, Jae... Jaehwan."

Krystal was pulling back from what appeared to be whispering in the Captain's ear when Jaehwan turned to face them. The small Captain had her arms crossed in front of her over a wide black belt that secured the long white shirt that almost reached her knees. She wore black trousers underneath it, and the same soft shoes that Daniel had worn the night prior. Her deep brown hair was gathered into a tail at the base of her neck, her sharp eyes focused on Jaehwan like a predator looked at prey.

It was that look that made him remember to bow, and he did so, bending at the waist and giving her the kind of deference he would have given his own father. "Good morning, Captain," he said, his voice coming out as a terrible croak that made him wince when he heard it.

The Captain raised a  delicate brow and gave a tiny smile. "You think it's still- never mind. We need to talk, Jaehwan. Come with me, please." She didn't wait for his agreement, merely turned and entered a door behind her.

Krystal followed, her own figure fitted in a brown leather shirt with long black fabric sleeves, her legs clad in plain black trousers, her own dark hair tied at her neck too. She held the door behind her and looked to Jaehwan, obviously waiting for him. Loathe as he was to leave the bright warmth of the sun, he didn't argue and followed the two women immediately.

They entered a large cabin, much more like what he had read about, with a half wall in the middle that he guessed was hiding the bed chamber. Several trunks lined the walls, tied down to rings in the floor, all secured with padlocks. A large table stood in the middle of the floor, covered with papers and maps in neat, orderly stacks, and it was to this table that the Captain moved to. He wondered for a brief moment about the fact that the two women were the only ones there with him, but he remembered well Krystal's actions on the slaver's ship and didn't doubt that they were unafraid of him.

"Sit," the Captain said, motioning at the floor in front of the table. He raised a brow at the thought of sitting on the floor in front of such a high table, but before he could think too much about it, he saw Krystal reach under the table. She