One benefit to dumping all his potions into wounded pirates was that there were always more potions to be made, and Ambrose threw himself into the long list immediately. Once the cauldrons were bubbling and all that was left to do was stir, he settled down on a stool and used the time to think.

He’d have to address it some point, wouldn’t he? They had come dangerously close to…to doing something, and it wouldn’t do to spend the next several months in a cloud of awkwardness. Unless the captain never wanted to speak it of again, in which case Ambrose shouldn’t bring it up at all, lest he only make everything worse…

He let out a long, slow breath and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. Yes, the captain was attractive. And yes, it seemed the captain was attracted to him. That was already one step further than he had ever dared hope for.

But Eli didn’t…commit to people, as far as Ambrose could tell. He met them, he bedded them, he left for the next port, like so many other pirates.

And in that way, Ambrose was very much not a pirate.

“Ames,” Eli’s call sent him reeling off the stool as he walked in, “Dawn’s got a—“

“I should explain myself!” Ambrose blurted, ladle in hand. Eli stared at him.

“Explain what?” He looked around. “Have you done something?”

“No.” Ambrose dropped the ladle back in the cauldron. “I haven’t—I mean, we didn’t, and…”

“Ah.” Eli closed the door behind him. “You don’t have to explain.”

“No, I think I do,” Ambrose said firmly. “I’m flattered, captain, I truly am, but I’m afraid I’m not suited for what you want. For…casual dalliances, that is. Affairs that don’t mean anything. If I’m to be with someone, then I’d want to…to be with them, if that makes sense.”

He dropped his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. Out loud, it sounded ridiculous. He barely had any friends before boarding the ship. Who was he to seek anything beyond that? “I apologize, I—“

“No apologies.” Eli’s voice was soft. “I completely understand.”

Ambrose looked up. “You do?”

“Of course I do. Like Dawn said, you’re a dedicated man.” He smiled. “It’s an admirable trait.”

Ambrose nodded. Admirable, and incompatible. “Speaking of Dawn…you mentioned something about her?”

“Oh. Yes.” Eli opened the door and gestured out. “The captain has a message for us.”

#

Ambrose emerged to find the Sunset floating right next to the Griffin’s Claw, a gangplank forming a bridge between the two ships. Dawn herself was already in the navigation room, along with Sherry, Grim, Banneker, and the first mate of the Sunset. Eli and Ambrose were last to arrive, Eli sitting next to Dawn, Ambrose ducking into a spot next to Sherry. Dawn smirked when he entered, but that quickly fell away when Eli gave a tiny shake of his head.

“Alright, Captain,” Eli adjusted his coat, “you had something important for all of us?”

“Yes.” Dawn stood, an oversized roll of parchment in her hand. As she unfurled it and black ink bloomed across the paper, Ambrose realized the room was too somber for a group of old friends. Not even Banneker was smiling.

“I received a message from Captain Rune this morning,” Dawn continued. The table all nodded knowingly, while Ambrose kept still. He had heard of Rune every now and then, though his stories were nowhere near as widespread as Dawn’s or Eli’s. “He’s just sailed into Shelstrop, and found Captain Jae and her crew swinging from the gallows.”

Gasps skittered around the room. Eli’s face fell immediately. “How?” he asked. “Jae’s ship was one of the fastest, no one in the Navy could ever catch her.”

“Well, it seems Commodore Pearce found a way.” Dawn rolled up the paper with a snap, the venom in her voice bubbling over at the name. “Surrounded her near the harbor with three ships, maybe more. Rune’s heard different numbers in every tavern. Either way, the crew was dead by morning.”

The table fell silent, letting the news sink in. Then Eli grabbed a bottle of rum in the corner and began to pour glasses out for everyone.

“She was a good pirate,” he said, passing glasses down, “an excellent captain, and a better person than any of us.” He raised the last glass in front of him. “To Jae and her crew.”

The table repeated the toast and drank in their honor—but the rum did nothing to soothe anyone, particularly Eli and Dawn. They were sharing looks over their glasses, deep in a silent argument.

“No,” Dawn finally said, letting everyone else in on their scuffle. “I’m not leaving my ship.”

Eli set down his glass. “I’m not telling you to leave your ship, I’m just saying that people in this profession don’t last long—“

“Speak for yourself—“

“And it’s worth thinking about what might come next,” Eli finished, then held up his hands. “I know, I never thought I’d be saying it, either. But Jae could easily have been any of us.”

“Captain’s right,” Grim said quietly. “Neither the Sunset nor the Griffin’s Claw could have taken on Pearce’s fleet alone. Not even together. And you know he’ll be after us next.”

Ambrose stiffened, and he looked to Sherry for confirmation. She pressed her lips together and gave a small nod. “We escaped Pearce one too many times, before you joined his crew. He’s not a man who forgets.”

The scars on his back flared. He didn’t need Sherry to tell him that.

“Don’t worry.” Banneker patted him on the shoulder. “Pearce isn’t going to catch up to us. We won’t let him.”