The Sharsen Continent

Evelyn and Laylee were basking in the ships bath as they awaited Jackson's return from replacing all their wanted posters. Fawn wasn't joining them since she would be with the other boys as they hail Yo-La-Lu's body out for display and parts to sell off to the highest bidder. It's a dirty job and Fawn knows that a bath would be pointless for how hard she would be sweating from the heat Sharsen gets on its coast. Aside from that, everyone was below deck anyway getting everything prepared. Evelyn no doubt knows Darla is giving them a hard time while they work, and she's still stuck in her cell.

 "So Darla is still shackled up down below?" Laylee asked.

 Evelyn looked down and said, "Unfortunately. Goob and I were down there earlier today and despite his efforts, none of the incantations he tried released the shackles."

 "Do you think he's just teasing her, or you?"

 "I've looked over the book to make sure he wasn't. The incantations he's trying have a picture of the shackles on the same page. Sure, the photo in the book is cleaner than what's on her and I'm guessing that had to do with the age of the shackles and the book but it's them alright." Evelyn took a deep breath. "But I'm okay with it since I think I will need a long talk with her once she's out. And we're about to make landfall soon."

"My real biggest concern is when she loses her shit when I activate her system actually," Evelyn thought.

 "Enough about me," Evelyn finally said. "How's Kanaka?"

 Laylee blushed and said, "Umm… Fine... Thank you. You and Fawn pushed me and now," She looked at Evelyn with joy in her eyes, "I'm really happy."

 "Fawn pushed you more than I did," Evelyn smiled at her. "I'm happier his feelings were mutual."

 "He's a liar thought, you know," Laylee then laughed. "Everything I thought he was into. He said those were his hints that he was into me. He pretended to be into purple haired women because he was into me for starters. Everything that I thought he liked were all in relation to me and my insecure ass didn't pick up on it, AT ALL!"

 Laylee and Evelyn were now laughing together. "I thought we as women are supposed to be the ones showing unclear signals," Evelyn said.

 "We've been outdone," Laylee giggled.

 Evelyn stood up in the bath and said, "I think you and I need to make a pact when we get to land."

Looking over Evelyn's body, Laylee looked down at herself and thought, "Why are you girls so small? Grow babies, grow!"

 "Are you listening?" Evelyn asked.

 "OH! Yeah! What is this pact?" Laylee responded.

 Evelyn pointed to her belly button and said, "Fawn said I can't get the girls pierced but we can at least get these pierced. I say we do it as sister pirates!"

 "I think it's a great idea," Laylee said with a smile.

 Evelyn sat back down in the bath and said, "You don't seem like your phased about getting your belly button pierced."

 Laylee let out a little chuckle and said, "I had my belly button pierced when I was younger but had to take it out when I was stuck in the lousy Navy I was in and the voyage where most of us died was so long that the hole closed up." Laylee stood up and pointed at the area where she used to be pierced. "See?"

 "Oh, yeah. I see," Evelyn said.

 Laylee leaned back in the bath and said, "The first stop Captain stopped out I went to a shop and saw the CUTEST little ring and lifted my shirt in a mirror to see how it would look, and I think I ran back to the ship and cried in my room. I didn't bother thinking about getting it re-pierced though."

 "Well let's hope we find something cuter this time around," Evelyn said.

 At that moment, Fawn walked in and stopped herself in her tracks. She was staring at them as she was fully dressed. A little dirty, white shirt drenched with sweat but with some grease and dirty stains to keep the wet shirt from exposing herself underneath.

 "Nude people only allowed here," Evelyn joked.

 Chocking on the joke, Laylee got out, "See something you fancy?"

 "Oh please, Laylee. You know I don't swing for both teams and neither do you," Fawn said.

"I do," Evelyn said cheerfully.

 They both shot a look in Evelyn's way, and she was just smiling like an idiot. And they looked away.

 Laughing, Laylee said, "So what are you staring at?"

 Fawn sighed and asked, "How good did a bath feel once my cousin saved you from that hellish island and your execution?"

 "Oh, almost as good as your first time," Laylee smiled.

 Fawn breathed in through her nose and slowly out through her mouth with her eyes closed. She opened them and spoke. "Jacksons on his way back so we'll make landfall soon. When all this is over, Mama is going to have some really long alone time in that bath." And closed the door and left.

 "I've seen people salivate over drinking water, but I think it the first time I've seen someone do it for a bath," Laylee said still looking at the door Fawn left through.

 Moving to the window and looking out, Evelyn said, "Fawn was a fancy councilwoman and used to be a noble before that. I can imagine how dirty she feels. She's working hard." Evelyn looked at Sharsen and thought, "Somewhere here, is another Siren."

[Attention: Siren Nearby]

[New Mission: Find the Siren]

[Rewards: Instant Level Up, New Title, 2 extra stat points]

"Sweet," she thought.

Evelyn was getting dressed when she heard a knock at her door and opened to see Jackson. He leaned into her, kissing her, and closed the door behind him. "Slow down, lover boy," she said.

 "What's up? We're alone and everyone else is too far below deck to hear us," He said.

 "And, apparently, I'm invisible," Laylee interjected from a chair in Evelyn's room.

 Jackson was shocked, looked down in shame and in embarrassment, "I'm sorry. I didn't notice you."

 "Clearly," Laylee smiled.

 "I… Uhh… I can wait," Jackson said.

 "Are you asking me to leave?" Laylee said with an appalled tone and accompanied appalled expression on her face.

 "No… I… Mean…"

 "He means he can wait until later," Evelyn filled in for him. "Anyway," she started again, "Since everyone else is busy, we're thinking we can all go into town. Do some light shopping. Regroup at the place Goob told us to tonight."

 "I like that idea," Jackson said. "When I was going around switching out the posters, I saw a few shops I'd like to pop in and look around. I don't have too many weapons as a technician and there are a few weapons like swords and axes that we can use as long as they are lightweight to fit into my mechromancing arts. All I really have are knives and daggers for close range and a loaned sword from Captain that is really too heavy for me."

 "Oh, so you're weak?" Laylee said.

 "Exac-" he stopped. "Hold on. Now wait a damn minute."

 "How about we get going? Yeah? Yeah," And rushed them both out the door and at the entrance of her room looked back to see Ember just sitting and looking at her. "You just going to sit there?" She pointed at a coin satchel she had at her hip and said, "You're part of me. Stop sitting around waiting for an invitation ya doofus." Jumping up in joy, Ember dived into the pouch and warmed it with its protection.

 They exited the ship and met up behind the mob of merchants and watched for a while as Kanaka is joking and laughing with the merchants on the goods from Yo-La-Lu. "So like, we kill the beast and sell it for money?" Evelyn asked Laylee.

 "Yup," she answered. "What makes us Pirates is the no care for the well being of where we got it and because we're pirates, that means we get more money because we can take it down in any way possible. So we're rough on it so it's technically pre-tenderized."

 "Were there other ways to take it down? And pre-tenderized?" Evelyn asked.

 "Yeah. There are Pirate Hunters employed by Nobles. They have to abide by laws and care for the wellbeing of where they're hunting beasts. They'd still be fighting the beast we took down from the moment it appeared to right now just so Waterworld could go straight back into operation once it's finished. I mean if the same thing happened to them that happened to us, whoever was on the scene would have been wiped out and dead. But aside from that, this is a Serpent type beast. As for as the meat goes, it's one of the best. But beast meat as well is very hard to tenderize compared to basic meats. The price of pirate hunted beast meat compared to Noble hunted beast meat is substantial but the thousands.."

"So all these people know we're pirates? Then why did Jackson replace all the posters?" Evelyn asked.

"Because merchants don't care," She answered. "It's for anyone else who comes around or see's our faces in public."

"Huh. But still, Serpent meat."

[New Mission: Try Serpent Grade Beast Food]

[Reward: Master Chef upgrades to Master Chef+]

[Master Chef+: Add skill upgrades from Master Chef title are increased by +1]

"Not really a helpful mission but the system just seems to have a mind of its own at all times. How come 'Master Chef' is seriously the only title I've gained as well as the only time a mission has awarded me," Evelyn thought with a pondering look. "At level 15 I'll have to ask King Neptune and Freya about it if I don't get anything before then."

 "You good there, love?" Jackson asked seeing the look on her face.

 Straightening up, she replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering what Serpent Grade Beast meat tastes like."

 "Always thinking about food," he laughs as he kisses Evelyn on the forehead.

 "Bloody hell. Did this bastard just call me fat?" She thought.

 "I'm going to head off to that weapon store I told you I saw. You girls have fun and I'll see you tonight!" Jackson said as he started to run off.

 "Does that leave just us?" Evelyn asked Laylee.

 "Yeah. I think s-" Laylee stopped when she was putting her hands in her pockets and pulls out a folded piece of paper and opens it and her jaw drops and looks over at Goob who was now staring her down with a smile.

 Noticing the exchange, Evelyn asked, "What is it?"

 "That bastard gave me a damn shopping list! What the fuck!" Laylee said out loud.

 Trying to contain her laughter, she then checked her pockets and turned them inside out, "Looks like I got nothing."

 "Yeah, no shit," Laylee said. "This shit is going to take up all day." She moaned and said, "We'll talk tonight and just get piercings tomorrow. This sucks!"

 "I guess I'll just do some window shopping," Evelyn smiled.

 "Evelyn," Laylee stopped her, "Please don't buy anything that's questionable before Captain, Wasabi, or Bobo has had a conversation with you. They're the best hagglers and have a bullshit detector."

 "Is that code for a knack to know if someone is pulling my leg on a price or what someone says something does?" she asked.

 "No," she laughed. "It's an actual device that Bobo named 'Bullshit Detector'." She turned as she said, "Well I'm off," And she disappeared at a turn into an alleyway.

 Evelyn turned to the city and thought to herself, "So where am I going to find this Siren?"

 A screen popped up in her view and then docked itself to the top lefthand side of her view. A message popped up and disappeared.

[Siren Detection Map has been Activated and added to your Heads-Up Display]

"Well, that's helpful," Evelyn smiled. "Oh, looks like she's closely. Guess I shouldn't be too obvious." And started down an alley. She saw the dot on the screen move and then stop. Then the dot started moving around at a quick speed that made Evelyn stop. "Are you fucking kidding me? I guess I'll have to use Flame Step to keep at her pace." Evelyn looked around to check if anyone was watching her and when she saw the coast was clear she jumped.

 The chase behind alleyways went on for several minutes until she could see the dot was looking like she was closing in on her and she just stopped and stayed in place and watched the dot dance around until it looked as if it was going to crash into her.

 In the blink of an eye a blonde haired girl appeared tumbling on the ground and then started screaming. "Holy hell! That burns!" She cried out. "What the hell was in that thing? Damn lava rocks?"

 Evelyn giggled a little as she walked up to her and said, "Not quite but it sure as hell feels like it doesn't it?" The girl on the ground looked at her and she said with a smile, "Nice to meet you! I'm Evelyn!"