Petra walked the deck. Already she had learned that there was a tremendous amount of down time on a ship. This was one way she could pass it. She stopped, leaned over the railing and began idly playing with a fire ball between her hands.

"Is this a hobby of yours?" Dimitri asked in Northern, walking up to her.

Petra wrinkled her eye brows not understanding the question.

"You walk around and you play with your fire ball. I've seen you do this every day."

Petra was a little taken aback. "Do you have a hobby of watching me?" She asked.

Dimitri laughed. "You are funny Petsha, I hadn't considered it that."

Petra felt her posture close in "Good funny or bad funny?"

"Good funny of course" he said smiling. "But I have made you unhappy. I apologize." He bowed his head. He looked up his smile returned. "How are you liking the ship so far Petsha."

Petra shrugged. "I like it. It is all very new still."

"New is good is it not? That is why I like the ship and sailing. There is always something new to see."

"I would like to see new things too" Petra smiled "but I have a question."

"I hope I can answer."

"Is the crew always like this."

"I am afraid I will need you to be more specific than that Petsha."

"I only mean, there are so few women on board. And nearly everyone is human."

"And yet you are a notable exception to one of those."

"To both in fact."

Dimitri looked surprised. "You're not human?"

"I am half human. A quarter elf and a quarter halfling."

Dimitri suppressed a laugh "wait, one of your parents is half a halfling? What does that make them?"

Petra hated this question, but she had enough experience with it to have a quick answer. "A war hero" she answered flatly.

Petra watched as the gears turned in his mind and clicked into place. Dimitri tried to hide his shock.

"Androvna. You're name is Androvna. As in the General Androvna"

Petra nodded.

Dimitri was visibly excited. "Your father is the general Androvna, battle of Ostroblag, The Teplitovy War, siege of Vyehorsk, General Androvna?"

Petra nodded again. Petra so rarely had the opportunity to feel smug so she relished this moment.

"You know he grew up in Troivda?" he stated rather than asked

"In a village outside." she replied

"And he came up from nothing." he said

"My grandparents had a good apothecary business." she corrected

"And he got a scholarship to the imperial military academy." he said

"The scholarship did not cover everything, my grandparents still had to save a great deal." she added.

"And he's your father? Whats he like?" he asked at last.

The conversation had taken a turn Petra was much less practiced with. "He is my father." She began. "He is good, he is strong, he is very smart which is why I think my babushka approves of him so. He loves me, he does not understand me but then neither does my mother. I miss him."

A momentary silence passed between them.

"I'm sorry Petsha I've forgotten entirely what we were talking about."

Petra smiled, her father as a topic of conversation had that effect on people.

"This ship is full of human men. Is that normal?" Petra said yanking the conversation back to where she wanted it to go.

"You are direct Petsha," Dimitri said. She looked to him to continue. He chuckled awkwardly and then spoke “well I can not speak for all ships but it certainly seems like most sailors are men. It does not matter whether a ship is from our North, anything along the outer or inner coast, even ships up from the South. Unless the ship is 'Aina there will be far fewer women than men.”

“But why?” Petra asked

“Well there are many that might say some nonsense about how the sea is a woman and a sailor must take her to wife. But there are plenty of women who would be happy with a wife that want nothing to do with life on a ship. Also plenty men, our shipwright for one, who would want nothing to do with a wife but are quite happy sailing the sea. No if you ask me I think it comes down really to one thing.” he paused for her to ask “what” but she only stared at him to continue. So he did “somehow or another men got to the boats first and now they are places of little hygiene and less privacy. At some point it doesn't matter how much you convince a woman of your respect for her and her safety around you she still wants to be able to have a bath and not have to change in front of you. So there are fewer women on ships.” he finished.

“That makes no sense to me in the slightest” Petra said. “both of those problems seem easily managed.”

“then maybe the problem is us men” he said teasingly.

“Ok but what about the races. Am a wrong to expect something more diverse?”

“You are from Troivda yes?” Dimitri asked.

“Yes but I also traveled to Goldhaven to be here.” Petra responded.

“Yes but I think your time in our capital made your expectations of the world...” he paused searching for the world “idealistically metropolitan.”

“I do not understand what you mean.”

Dimitri loved the opportunity to flex his experience. Small as it was to other crew members it was more than hers. “You won't find a dwarf on a boat for example.”

“No, their gods are of mountain and forge, they would have nothing to do with the sea that makes sense.” Petra said.

“Precisely” Dimitri continued “then the elves mostly keep to themselves and don't mix in with the us humans. Haflings you will find at sea. Honestly its an oddity that there aren't any on this voyage but we've only just set out I wouldn't be surprised if we pick up a few along the way. Gnomes,” he paused to take a breath thinking “I don't think I have met a gnome yet. Though I'd imagine they would be like the elves and if they sailed they would stick to themselves. Or maybe they are on the elvish boats who knows?” he enjoyed telling her this all it made him feel large. “Half orcs make great sailors but I don't think we have had many on our crew. And as far as dragonborn go Sezjeck is the only one I know. Though my understanding is that they are a reclusive bunch and tend to stick to their own.”

Petra furrowed her brow and thought for a moment. “It seems that there is more racism on boats than on land.”

“It is not racism it is just how things tend to be done” he replied.

“It still does not seem right.” Petra said.

“The sea is different than the land. There are somethings that can not be changed. Troivda is an ideal, a gleaming jewel of diversity. The rest of the world is less so.” Dimitri said.

Petrianna did not find this answer satisfying. But she did not want to upset Dimitri by pushing his answer so she remained silent.

Dimitri reached out and put his hand over hers on the rail. “You are very diverse. Does it bother you that we are not?”

Petra knit her fingers and considered for a moment. “Bother is not the right word. It puzzles me. I think it is a limitation. There is so much to be known to be shared to close oneself off for so arbitrary a reason is foolishness.”

“I think it is beautiful your lack of prejudice Petsha.” Dimitri fawned.

“it it just good sense.” she countered

He smiled. “You are a very practical person. It is an admirable trait.” he said.

Petra blushed “Thank you” looking quickly up at his eyes before darting her gaze back down.

“Of course.” Dimitri said taking one of her hands and bowing to place a light kiss against her knuckles. “I look forward to any more of your questions I can answer.” he stood up to look at her. “until then” he said. Petra watched him walk away.