Days continued to pass at sea. The ship had sustained some minor damage in the skirmish with the merchant vessel and needed repairs. Additionally those members of the merchant vessel's crew who had declined the offer to join the Bonnie Bounty would need to be exchanged at proper hostage rates to the thieve's guild to be ransomed to the appropriate families. With those two tasks the Bonnie Bounty headed for, and a week after the battle put in at the nearest friendly port, Turtle Harbor.

Turtle Harbor lay only slightly further down the coast from where they had started in Goldhaven. They had been sailing for weeks when the journey over land would have taken a month. The seas around the continent were treacherous with beasts and pirates but were so much swifter than land that it was a risk nearly every merchant took to transport their goods. With such risks merchant ship owners were well insensitiveized to take out insurance on their voyages and goods and encouraged their sailors to do the same. What this meant was a tidy insurance market which of course paid a small stipend to the various pirate captains for providing the fear that kept them in business. Turtle Harbor was the seat of one such business and was a glittering front for all manner of dirty and unlawful business.

The Bonnie Bounty pulled into harbor and waiting on the quay was a representative of the local thieve's guild. Captain Esmerelda disembarked first.

“Johnathan!” she called out and embraced him “it is so good to see you again.”

“Yes captain it had been too long since we have met. Though I have had some most mutual, profitable dealings with your over lander, Bethany, no thats the cow, whats the name, Curtis!”

“Yes he is exceptional for all the dirt work.” Esmerelda laughed matching his energy.

“Yes well we can't all just spend our lives at sea like you and my dear twin.” Johnathan said.

“More is the pity for you.” Esmerelda replied.

“Yes well dear Esmerelda what do you have for me?” He asked.

“I have a rich crop of merchant sailors from the Endeavor. And their cargo of fine goods and various magical components.”

“So you'll need the ransom prices for the crew, a fair price for the goods, and then we'll have to get dear Curtis and Bethany down here for any magical goods so that will need to be factored into the price.”

“Aren't you forgetting something?” Esmerelda asked

“Ah yes of course” he snapped his fingers and another man carried up a small chest and deposited it at the captain's feet. “Your terror keeps us in business my pirate queen so please keep terrorizing, with our complements.”

Esmerelda smiled and said “You have to add that last part because...”

“The contents of that chest are a gift between friends. We are an upright business that deals with honest merchant sailors, we certainly don't pay pirates to help incentivize our various insurance services.”

Both laughed uproariously.

“We really should negotiate rates.” Esmerelda pushed.

“Yes right this way captain. My associate will board your ship to inspect all goods for trade and we will see that you are properly paid. Do please come.” He lead the captain down the docks to his office in the port.

###

Back on board Petrianna Stood leaning over the gunwale playing with her fire ball looking into the bustling port city.

“Petra!” Dimitri called as he walked up to her.

“Dima.” she answered with a smile.

“It is good to see you out with the sunshine in your hair. We have had far too much fog this voyage.” he reached up and stroked her braid.

She held his hands. “every day I wake up it is the farthest I have been from home. Does it ever get old?” she asked excitedly.

“Eventually you go as far as you can, and then there is a different sort of excitement.” he answered

“How far have you gone? What have you seen? What kind of magic is there?” Petra had been becoming increasingly excited as they headed for port. She was anxious to see if this place was so different from places she had been before, and especially to see what magic she could find here. Mostly she was happy that she could discuss this with Dimitri and that she did not need to keep her secret from him.

“Slow down Petsha,” Dmitri said laughing and putting his hand up “lets see, farthest south is the Corsaña, I've yet to cross the monstrous sea. But all along the west of the coast so that counts as farther from home. What have I seen? Wonders. And simple strange things. You notice the days they still start so early compared to this time of year back home? The closer you get to the great divide the more like day and night are year round. The seasons they do not shift so much. Also I'm sure you know it is much warmer down here. You can tell already.”

“I know it is so light so early and so late and we are already past the equinox.” Petra interjected.

“You know whats amazing?” Dimitri asked.

Petra looked at him expectantly.

“They say that when you cross over the great center the stars at night change.” Dimitri finished.

“'I cannot wait to see it.” Petra said smiling “I wonder what the druids down there are like, the nature must be so different.”

“I will love to see it with you Petsha. There is such a wonder in you” he tucked stray strand of hair behind her ear.

She blushed as she smiled and turned her head down.

“Come, we should go into port, you can see all the new and marvelous things.” Dimitri offered her his arm.

“Yes, I would love to but, I have to go and check the messenger first to see if there is anything from my family.” Petra said.

“Of course, we can do that first. I forget sometimes that some people actually have families back home.” He chuckled.

“You do not have a family back home? I've never even asked you where you are from. Where are you from?” Petra asked.

“I'm sure you have lots of questions for me Petsha, lets go find somewhere to sit down a talk hmm?”

He offered her is arm again. Petra was reaching out to take it when Lark appeared.

“Petra! Glad I found you.” he huffed panting as if he had been running “Could you help me with this?” he held up his hand covered in blood. “Oh hi Dimitri.”

“Lark! What did you, how did you, just let me see.” Petra said yanking his hand towards her.

“Let me see” she repeated and squinted her eyes, she waved her hand seeming to flick away all the excess blood to reveal a deep cut.

“Now how did you manage to do that boy?” Dimitri asked.

“well” Lark began.

“It is really not important” Petra cut him off she lit her fingertip with healing fire and closed the wound. “whatever it is you did, do not do it again and you will not have the same problem.” Petra concluded.

“Ha ha yeah, words to live by Petra” Lark chuckled awkwardly. “Where are you two off to? Mind if I join you?”

“We are going into the port, together.” Dimitri responded and took Petra by the arm and turned.

“Well I'm headed in too so I guess I'll just split off as soon as I can.”

“That is your choice” Dimitri said dismissively, then in Petra's ear “I apologize for the tag along puppy, he makes it much less romantic I think.” he said in Northern.

Petra did not have a response. Her mind was occupied. Petra did not like being touched and she did not like to be so close to people. But Dimitri, she was starting to like Dimitri. Maybe she could convince herself to like his touching her. She could learn to be ok with how close he stood to her. Walking with him, arm in arm, this wasn't so bad. She felt like she had to keep her arms more still. She had to control all of her movements so none would disturb the handsome man she was walking with. She had practiced this before. It wasn't really so hard she just had to focus. It was easier now, she thought, that she was doing it for someone she might like. Someone that actually liked her. It had been much more difficult with Viktor.