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Rowan's words made him sigh out. Yes, Xian had it handled, but he ought to have it handled, not his first mate. Emghi stared at his desk as Rowan passed him by and sank back into the bed. At least Rowan wasn't stubborn about needing rest, as he feared she might be. With a sigh of defeat, Emghi pushed up too and followed in Rowan's wake, kicking off his shoes to get more comfortable.
"Oh, we will," Emghi said with confidence.
There was no way they wouldn't. Even death wouldn't stop the Captain of the Crow. Emghi settled down and chuckled. A baby on the Crow. If it was up to him, it wouldn't happen. Before Evis could reach her due date, Emghi hoped to have the lady on some solid ground, surrounded by other women who had the knowledge to deal with a woman in labour, rather than his stitch.

A young babe had no place on the Crow's Feather, though Emghi realized Evis wouldn't have it. The moment the young mother would have recovered enough, she would push her way back onto a ship. Emghi merely closed his eyes and breathed out softly.
"Get some rest," he soothed Rowan.
He wasn't far behind either. Emghi allowed himself to give in to the rest his body craved. Sleep came easily once he did.

He woke much later to darkness and quiet. For a moment Emghi wanted to reach for his pistols, but he caught on quick enough to relax back into the warmth of his bed and Rowan's embrace.
His shoulder felt somewhat better, though it still wasn't a hundred percent. An itch in his gut prevented him from sleeping. Emghi felt the need to move, to take revenge. To act.
Carefully, Emghi peeled from the sleeping Rowan and got dressed. In the depth of night, he moved outside and found Lyla.

"Xian said you might try tonight," she said calmly upon his approach.
Emghi raised a single eyebrow at her comment. Lyla put a hand to her hip, "he mentioned to say you shouldn't, for you to rest another day."
"Did he?"
"He also said you'd likely disregard any advice regarding your health."
"Xian is wise."
"I'll summon the crew," Lyla said plainly.

Rowan was grateful for the warm and filling meal, Evis and Emghi's cook had really outdone themselves on this one. She thought for a while in the quiet, the comfortable silence her and Smghi always managed to slip into somehow where neither of them needed to talk or converse to be at ease. He had become part of her every day life, he had fitted in perfectly and further more he was a pirate, a notorious one who understood the risks and yet for rhe love they shared, neither of them ever asked the other to stray from their life path. They existed in tandem and it was wonderful. She looked over to Emghi when he finished and realised she was eating painfully slow in comparison but sleep didn't seem to leave her alone. He looked exhausted and her eyes strayed over his injured shoulder. Would he sleep now?

Rowan pushed the bowl and the small amount of leftovers away and leaned back in the seat. She offered up a smile to him, they were going to leave the sanctuary of Longsun soon and then it would be open air as they travelled. It was going to be risky and she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Xian has it handled, Em." She murmured softly as she pushed herself up and gave his good shoulder a soft squeeze as she passed and sank back into the bed. She didn't need to be told she was losing the fight with her own body right then and after the infection and fever she had suffered with the Wyvern Tribe, she didn't want to revisit thag by overdoing it. She watched Emghi from her settled pose and hummed a little to herself.

"Do you think we'll really do this?" She asked him quietly. They had been close to paying the ultimate price a few times and Rowan knew their luck would run out at some point. She didn't want to keep trying their mortality like this but they were pirates, full of fury and passion and rage at the world, determined to live by their own rules and their children would follow the example set by them. A limitless life.
"A baby on the Crow, hard to imagine." Then again she had no doubt the crew would be smitten with a baby around for a while.

Emghi lazily slung his good arm around Rowan's shoulders and pulled her in a little closer, watching her move and grin at him. So close. He'd come so close to losing her. Perhaps the experience would leave Rowan a slight bit more cautious, but Emghi didn't hold high hopes for such a result. His fingers listlessly played with Rowan's long red locks of hair, letting out a soft hum. He did have a name now. All they needed to do was get into Boret and find our where the man was. Emghi was willing to bet finding the aurorite would be walking down a similar road. Something so precious was undoubtedly in good, greedy hands.

Evis knocked this time, which was a rare novelty in and of itself. Emghi dragged himself from his thoughts only after Rowan had already brushed her hair back and peeled away from resting against him.
"Thank you, Evis," Emghi said and waited for Rowan to make her way over before moving himself. Unlike Rowan, walking wasn't an issue, but eating with his non-dominant hand was awkward at best. Still, Emghi felt Rowan's healing process was robbing her of energy more so than his. He would pay mind to have her rest after their meal, but kept thinking about Boret, Peritua and his involvement.
The name still sounded familiar, perhaps his ancestors had claimed some Estellian province and as such passed on such riches to the latest dynasty. But why would a man who was already wealthy seek out a way to improve flight? To sell it?

Kingfisher wasn't exactly keen to making money. And him being a measly scribe, wouldn't live long before the invention was simply taken rather than purchased. No, Kingfisher hadn't just been sponsored by Peritua, he was set to profit from the continuation of the research. And rather than suicide, Emghi suspected Kingfisher had been unfortunate to become obsolete. But then who had hidden the plans to his invention?
His wife perhaps?

Emghi ate without really tasting the meal, though it was lovely. Knowing what had happened wouldn't change what was to come. Peritua would likely also betray Estellia, when it came to a head. That made the man hard to predict. They needed more information before going in, that much was certain. Perhaps he could send Derren, though Emghi still wasn't entirely sure of his magic in the afterlife. It had obviously changed, or perhaps his ability to create shields had become something more stealthy.
He sat back after his meal, watching Rowan eat, feeling every bit as tired as she was, but refusing to admit it.

Food did sound tempting but so did just laying down right then with him and she figured they had some time to kill. Her hand slid down and over his as it rested on her thigh.
"Careful Evis hasn't tampered with the food." She nestled down with a breathy laugh. She knew fine well that Evis wouldn't dare tamper with their food, the woman could be a firecracker but her stubbornness and outbursts were as far as she went. She looked to Emghi and pressed close to him, grinning softly. This was what it had all been for, was it not? The entire reason she had become some vagabond pirate, to have the freedom she so possessed now and to have the right to die as free as anyone else.

"You have a name at least, that's someone to look for." She remarked to him, half-asleep and only really staying awake so she could eat something. She knew fine well they would need to eat and rest as much as possible if they were to recoup the lost health they had both lost with everything going on recently. She didn't trust the Estellian's and she knew they could be sneaky and strange in their way and they were ruthless. Then again, so were Emghi and her. She smoothed her hair back and glanced up when Evis knocked and entered, carrying two meals for them. A hearty broth and she set them down and looked them both over.
"That should help." Rowan could tell the woman was sheepish about earlier but figured it was best not to bring it up for a second time and let it be over with.

Rowan forced herself to sit up, slow and steady so nothing pulled awkwardly at her hip and injury. It was proving much easier with less restrictive clothing to tug and rub in awkward places. Her gaze shifted to the food, it smelled and looked enticing and she shuffled over to the desk, slumping down like some jellyfish as her limbs just cried out for sleep and rest to rejuvenate herself. They were due to leave soon and she could barely see in the next hour let alone anything else in the future. The food was welcome and warm in her stomach and did little to shift the lingering sleepiness that tugged at her mind and coaxed her to just give in already, please and thank you.

After leaving Kingfisher to ruminate on his life's choices, Emghi set foot into the galley. Evis had taken up position there and she was more than a little surprised at his presence, near enough opening her mouth to tell him exactly that. Rather than the previous familiarity however, it seemed Evis was quickly caught on by his own cook that having a stern talking to their Captain in front of the crew was an honour befalling only first mates Lyla and Xian. And perhaps Rowan, on account of being Emghi's girl.
Emghi's eyes crossed with the Crow's chef and the man gave a lopsided grin.
"It was easier to say yes," he said with a half-hearted shrug.
Evis gave him a look, but Emghi waved away her concern. He looked around, but the galley was sparsely populated. More of the Crow's crew had returned from Longsun, but not all. After a moment's thought became a stare, Emghi admitted he might be convalescent still.
"Could you bring two meals to my quarters? Hearty, some meat," Emghi asked. Perhaps a decent meal would help him shake off the lack of energy he felt.
"Aye, C'ptain," the cook mock-saluted.
Emghi cast Evis one more look, eyes travelling to her stomach, but then dismissed the thought. She was as much of a pirate as any of them. It was her freedom, her choice, that put her in this place.
'Thank you," he said faintly and then left for his quarters.

Rowan seemed started when he entered, though not from surprise and more so from general annoyance. He chuckled at the sight of it.
"Kingfisher... he didn't seem to enjoy his arrangements," Emghi said with a smirk and peeled his coat off. "He gave me the name of the man who sponsored his research in exchange for funding." He put his coat across the back of his chair and moved his shoulder a little, trying to get the muscles to stop being as stiff. It didn't seem the gunshot wound had left damage to his muscles in particular however.
The pain felt deeper than that.

Rowan's soft voice tempted him back to the bed and Emghi sighed out.
"We'll have a meal brought around in a few," Emghi offered up, but didn't deny Rowan when she said his presence in the bed would quiet her. He approached and sank down, hazel eyes drinking in Rowan's image.
"You don't have to worry. I'm fine," Emghi promised her.
His hand rested on Rowan's leg, but didn't venture higher for fear of touching on the still healing site of her injury.
She'd be fine too, with time.

Rowan ran her fingers through her hair. There was so much going on, too much even, to comprehend in all honesty. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and tried to straighten out her line of thinking. They had to keep a clear goal in mind if they were going to succeed at this and they couldn't afford anymore slips. She sighed out, she had messed up last time by getting off her ass drunk and thinking she could take on the world alone. It had been her fault, in retrospect, she had been grief stricken and it had almost cost her and Emghi's life. She had been stupid and if they hadn't come across a good healer then they would both be in worse situations right then.

Rowan was lost in her own thoughts when the door clicked and she was about to snap at Derren for interrupting again but instead she was greeted by a troubled looking Emghi. She relaxed and sat up slowly. She was in a substantially less amount of pain like this and she eyed him over.
"How was Kingfisher?" She asked, curiously. Kingfisher was a strange creature, nervous with a brilliant mind but she always felt like he was keeping something from them, the way he skittered around like a mouse. Maybe a rat was more of a fair comparison, now that she thought of it.
"Come to bed, before we leave." She encouraged the man quietly. She didn't think any less of him because of his current state, part of her agreed with Xian that he ought to rest up more so he could take the Helm back at full power and be a force to be reckoned with.

She knew he was strong, in every aspect of the word but she wanted to make sure he rested and he didn't end up in real trouble. Healers were fantastic but they weren't miracle workers and he would need a couple days of rest just to recoup what he had lost. There had been so much blood, she remembered that much. It had been horrific to see and Rowan hated that the images burned into her mind of him, some of them were bloody and full of hurt. Some of them weren't though, they were full of excitement and tenderness that she had never believed she would see.
"Come on, you'll keep me quiet if you at least lay down and rest some." She murmured.

Kingfisher was staring out across Longsun in the end, somehow fearful, though Emghi wasn't sure of what. When he approached, the man spun around as if caught out. Emghi narrowed his eyes and tried to find what made Kingfisher nervous, but then the scribe had always been nervous from the getgo. Being a ghost didn't seem to sit well with the man.
"C-Captain," Kingfisher greeted and the man sighed out, trying to calm himself.
Emghi raised an eyebrow and leaned against the banister, "on edge?"
Kingfisher looked down and clutched his papers close to his chest. For a moment Emghi thought no reply would come, but then Kingfisher relaxed an inch.
"It's the- uhm, it's the room they gave me," he said at long last. "It's a nice room, but uhm. Close, close to lower deck."
Emghi snorted and shook his head. Close to Pettifer?
Close to guilt? Why would Pettifer concern himself with the scribe?
"I don't think it'll matter much, what deck you're on, if that's what you're implying. Bad dreams perhaps? A guilty conscience?" Emghi offered as potential cause for his troubles.
"I know- I... I'm very sorry for what happened to the Royal Raven, the ship, it..." Kingfisher took a breath, like a fish out of water, gasping for air as he tried to stifle his nerves. One hand was folding corners into the papers he was holding.
"If I hadn't invented the stupid thing..."
Emghi nodded slowly, staring in the same direction as Kingfisher was. Regret and guilt often walked hand in hand.
He left some silence. They were too far in for regrets.
"Who ordered it? The invention?"
Kingfisher shook his head, "no-one... well, no-one initially. I- once. I'm not proud of my choices." He took a steadying breath. "I took money to further my research. It was a deal; they would learn what I did so long as they funded my research."
"They?"
"Doray. Doray Peritua."
Emghi shifted. The name seemed familiar, somehow.
"Do you know him, Captain?"
Emghi looked at Kingfisher and thought for a moment, but then shook his head. "It sounds familiar."
"Doray is a man of repute, member of the Estellian legislate and holds quite some influence. It- it seemed like a safe thing to do."
Safe.
"Nothing is safe."
Emghi grit his teeth and walked away then. Let Pettifer eat at the man's guilt. Perhaps Kingfisher deserved it, all things considered.

Rowan wasn't going anywhere, watching Emghi with a smile. She was hardly going to exert herself when she had barely done anything that day. She nestled down in the chair beneath his chaste kiss to her cheek and she hummed a little,
"You as well." Emghi didn't seem to stop, she could tell he was struggling but he wouldn't admit it. She would soothe him tonight, when he returned to their bed. She got up slowly when Emghi left and peeled out of her clothing slowly, being careful as she set her clothes aside. She sank down in the bed and blankets. It would be nice to have a little child running around the Crow, reminding everyone that there was hope for a future at all times.

Rowan wondered for a while, could they keep them safe? They would have to do their best, Evis and Varris knew the risks and there was nothing anyone could do to sway their mindset. Evis was a tough cookie and Rowan knew the woman was stubborn and fierce. She sighed out and stretched her arms over her head. Of course the entire thing got her thinking about children, it wasn't a safe life up here but she supposed the Crow was the safest vessel in the skies when all was said and done. Rowan had never thought of motherhood, it wasn't like she had ever really had the time to think about it either. She rubbed the back of her neck and a hand slithered down to her injury. She wasn't wasn't sure if she could, the amount of scraps she had been in. She sighed a little, Enghi as a father seemed a bewildering thought. Not in an unkind fashion.

"Evis is staying?" Derren asked from the corner and Rowan just about leapt out of her skin. She hissed as she pulled her hip in the panic and eyed Derren over.
"Hells above, Derren. Yes, she's staying. So are you by the look of it." She remarked and eased back down.
"Still think this is a wise idea?" He asked her, he was worrying and Rowan could see it.
"Yes." Rowan answered flatly as she closed her eyes, "Why're you so worried?" She asked him.
"I know how dangerous this could get, Ro." Derren said and Rowan furrowed her brow before opening her eyes and seeing the man had vanished.

A dishevelled Evis barged into the Captain's quarters and Emghi raised his eyebrows at her arrival. Varris followed, helpless to stop the head-strong woman from stressing her point. Sure, Saithe would be great at delivering babies. Emghi coughed at the thought and tried to hold back a chuckle at imagining the old man trying to help Evis through labour. No, when Evis was near her due date, they would find suitable people to aid her delivery. Hopefully by then, La'Iuna would no longer be off limits.
Emghi splayed open his hands in a shrug he wouldn't make on account of his sore shoulder.
"Welcome aboard the Crow," was all Emghi said in response and he smirked at Evis and Varris. Evis stormed out again, leaving Varris to stammer an apology, something Emghi thought uncharacteristic of the large man.

"Well, aren't they charming together?" Emghi said with a languid smile before taking back up his book. Rather than read however, his thoughts were on what Xian had said earlier. Someone was spearheading the operation and it was pivotal to find out who. The trouble with Estellia and its legislate was that it could be anyone. Even a wealthy man with a knack for politics could get a lot done in a society so bogged down by their leaders' hunger for conquest. A lot of people stood to gain from Kingfisher's invention.
Of course, it was unlikely Kingfisher had ever heard a name drop, but it was perhaps worth it to ask. Any clue could guide them on the right path.

His head wasn't fit for reading today and Emghi put the book down.
Emghi carefully swung his legs from the side of the bed and stood, dropped the book on his desk and carefully draped his coat across the offended shoulder before wrestling the other arm through a sleeve.

"Don't over-exert yourself," Emghi warned Rowan. He hadn't failed to notice that moving around was difficult for Rowan, due to where the injury was located. In that regard, he had things easier.
"I want to have a chat with Kingfisher," he excused himself and pressed a kiss to Rowan's cheek. Sparrow would also go curious if she hadn't see the Crow's Captain at least greet Longsun on his passage. Going into Longsun was a step too far for now, but perhaps he could before they set out to depart once more.
It was quiet top deck. Xian must've given some of the crew leave to enter Longsun, due to the nature of their stay. Emghi felt more than a little frustrated that Xian would decide how long his recovery would take, but also knew Xian tended to be right about these things more often than he cared to remember.

Rowan could understand Xian's want to protect his family and frankly Rowan wouldn't forgive herself either if the man's family fell because of association. She nodded to him in understanding. La'Iuna was tricky to get to but if they were being watched then she supposed it wouldn't matter, if the Estellian's thought they could get to the Crow through blood and carnage then they would. She sighed out softly to Emghi as Xian left and she sank into a chair, standing was taxing and aggravating the dull ache on her hip. It was sore to remain upright for too long without good reason and she hummed a little to herself.

"Varris is going to speak to her, but by all accounts she wants to remain in the skies." Rowan explained and figured Evis was a pirate and a woman to make her own decisions.
"If she doesn't want to go then she will understand the risks, I suppose." She murmured and Rowan wanted to protect Evis and the unborn child she carried but she wouldn't go against the woman's wants and desires. She would do better wherever she was comfortable after all, it would avoid stress if she was separated from those she wanted to be around. Rowan sank down in the chair a little and knew that Evis was just as stubborn as she was when it came to setting her mind on things. Rowan moved some of her red hair from her face, trying to think of a proper way to go about all of this. It was complicated but she supposed it was up to Varris and Evis.

Rowan glanced up as the door flew open and she raised an eyebrow, getting to her feet to see a dishevelled Evis standing there.
"I'm not going anywhere." She said and folded her arms, "There's a stitch on board and I'm not going to become one of those ground walkers. And you can't make me, you're not my Captain here." Evis seethed and Varris appeared behind her, looking sheepish. Rowan raised an eyebrow, unsure about whether to be offended or amused and she looked to Emghi,
"I suppose that answers that." She murmured and chuckled a little, shaking her head. She figured Evis was going to stay then and Rowan supposed at least they could do their upmost to help her and keep a close eye on her.

"If things get too dangerous, you're first to leave, understand?" Rowan remarked and eased herself back to sit down, cringing slightly at the awkward pull here and there.
"Fine. Next time, ask what I want." Evis huffed but had won the battle and stormed out. Varris watched her go and then looked to Emghi and Rowan,
"Sorry- She's... Hormones, right?" He stammered before going after her in the hopes of calming her down and Rowan shook her head a little, relaxing and laughing a little.

Both men were quiet after Erden's name fell and Rowan came in to disrupt what would've otherwise been a slightly awkward moment. Emghi looked up when she spoke. Of course Varris would want Evis some place safe, but where that would be was still open for debate. Part of him wanted to force them to stay on the Crow's Feather as crew. It was the only way to ensure they would be safe. Longsun had too many prying eyes, other islands simply wouldn't offer any defence if the Raven hadn't.
"I agree, they cannot stay in Longsun," Emghi said. Xian looked pensive, but not for long. Rowan's question surprised Emghi's first mate.
He opened his mouth to speak, but then grew thoughtful and looked at Emghi, narrowing his eyes. "We're caught in this and I don't think-"
Xian was having doubts.

If the Raven had been shot down for its affiliation with the Crow, then who was to say that La'Iuna would be exempt? Only through obscurity did La'Iuna enjoy protection at the moment. "It's not about compensation," Xian dismissed Rowan's offer.
"We can't be sure the Royal Raven was shot down because it was sighted above Estellia that night. And we can't be sure our steps aren't traced. And if they trace to La'Iuna I don't- I wouldn't be able to forgive myself," Xian excused with a shake of his head. "They're better off here, on the Crow, where we can protect them."

Emghi took a deep breath, "there are other places..."
"Do you really want to take that chance?" Xian said. "After what happened to the Raven?" His eyes flicked from Rowan to Emghi and back.
"Get some rest, think it over," the first mate said and stood. To him, the conversation was over. He wouldn't risk his family, not with odds like these and Rowan shouldn't want her two old crewmembers at risk any where else either.

Emghi was quiet after Xian left his quarters. Xian was right, but that didn't mean having to hear those words was nice.
"He might still reconsider," Emghi said plainly and closed his eyes. The weariness that clung to him left his patience thin and thoughts too disjointed to come up with a decent plan and Xian knew that. It was why he'd wanted to have that talk.
"What does Evis want, do we know?" Emghi asked Rowan. If it was Rowan who was pregnant, he would still respect her wishes.

Rowan eyed Varris over and he nodded,
"Look, I'll speak with Eve but don't expect her to agree. Being on land might stress her even more and I owe you and the Captain my life, I couldn't just sit on an island and wait around." Varris made a fair point but Rowan preferred if they were both safe. If Evis wanted safety then it could be arranged and Rowan would much prefer that the woman had some sort of sanctuary to give birth in.
"I'll speak with Emghi. It's better she's somewhere safer and you don't owe me anything." Rowan remarked, "But if you feel you do then pay me back by making sure she has that child in safety and peace." Rowsn explained and Varris just nodded before getting up and Rowan followed, going to track down the wayward Captain. She found him in talks with Xian and looked between the two. She supposed it was no great secret that Evis needed somewhere safe.

"Varris wants Evis somewhere safe, and he'll join her. At least until the child is a few weeks old." Rowan remarked, it had taken some convincing but her former first mate wasn't nearly as stubborn as she was and she cringed slightly as she leaned on the table.
"I'm not sure where, they can't stay in Longsun." She commented, Longsun might well be the first place any scouts or spies checked out.
"Could they stay with your family? I'll give what I can for the trouble and Varris is a good worker." Rowan turned her attention to Xian. He was the only one she knew with family, a good family unit actually and she trusted they would look after Evis.

Rowan looked between the two, realising she must have disturbed them both somehow and she gave an awkward smile. There was so much going on right then and she supposed Boret was north and stopping by Xian's home, although freezing, wouldn't be terribly out of their way. Maybe they could spend a night there, it was a good place to recharge some and Rowan had to admit the njghts being kept warm by Emghi were nothing to complain about. She placed her hand over her hip and hummed a little to herself, they needed time but they didn't have it. They would need to get moving as soon as possible.

Xian smiled back at Rowan and gave her a subtle nod on passing before looking at Emghi, who was sat up on bed, dressed and washed. It was a relief to see both of them on the mend, more so than Xian thought. Xian looked away when Rowan showed Emghi affection, but pulled a stool close to sit and speak with Emghi.

"How are you feeling?" the Crow's first mate started.
Emghi took in a deep breath and lowered the book he was studying, "it only hurts when I breathe -don't tell Rowan I said that." Rowan had enough to worry about already without having to fuss about his aches and pains. He rather she focus on getting better herself first.
Xian chuckled and smirked, "they got you good," he noted and looked Emghi over. Like this, one could hardly tell that Emghi had been brushing by death awfully closely lately. Though their Captain was want to take a risk or two, this had been reckless.

"Boret?" Xian started, taking the book from Emghi's slack hands. Emghi didn't bother snatching the parchments back -it would only result in damaging the already worn leather pages.
"For the aurorite?"
"Old Dallen said so, yes," Emghi told Xian what they'd learned that night. "It was where the seal on my back was crafted too," he disclosed.
"Why Boret?" Xian said softly, studying the pages.
"I'm not sure," Emghi confessed, resting back watching Emghi read the book.
"When we were on the island, the spirit travel I did showed me the meridians mentioned by Kingfisher. Chances are, Boret is in a location that would make sense if one was to apply this science to them."
Xian drew up his eyebrows at Emghi's theorizing and studied the book some more.
"Well," he said after some reading, "what would it mean if they were?"
Emghi shook his head. "Perhaps magic is more potent there," he said, making a dismissive gesture.
"That works both ways, doesn't it?" Xian said with a slight grin. More magic for them and more magic for the Crow's Feather.

"You want to set sail for Boret?"
Emghi looked a bit twisted, but then nodded.
"They won't rest until they have all the puzzle pieces," Emghi said.
"Kingfisher... or you, or both," Xian said with a slight cringe. "So what good is bringing them all together, Ghi?"
"It could give Longsun the edge it needs, make the knowledge public or..."
"Or you would die trying, effectively making contact with Kingfisher impossible."
"Well," Emghi said, "unless they have another 'Spirit Talker' that is."
"Given they're going at you so fiercely, I somehow doubt that. We could destroy the blueprints."
"They'll simply rediscover the science with time," Emghi dismissed with a frustrated groan, rubbing at his face.
"We never really found out who is spearheading this endeavour, did we?" Xian said, putting the book back in Emghi's hands.
"I thought Erden, for sure, but no. It can't be him."

Rowan watched Emghi leave the sanctuary of the tub and sighed out softly. He was right, they ought to at least show their faces to the waking world otherwise people would truly believe them dead. She stood and exited the tub, draping herself in some towels to dry off as she found some clothing lying around. Emghi seemed distracted, something Rowan couldn't really put right. Everything seemed incredibly stressful right then, given their health states and the constant pull of the need to get back into the skies. She found her clothes and inched them on, pants dully ached at the sore spot and she figured she ought to go without a belt, leaving them loose around her hips.

Rowan buttoned her shirt and found her jacket, shrugging into it slowly and looking to Emghi and then Xian when he entered. She gave the man a soft smile, assuring him they were both fine, only tired and slightly sore. It could have been much worse. She ought to go and see Varris now she was awake, apologise perhaps for everything that happened. She grumbled slightly and pressed a kiss to Emghi's cheek before slipping out of the door and adjusting her damp hair.
"Ah, back in the land of the living?" Varris welcomed her on sight and she smiled to him.
"Only barely." She remarked to him and looked him over. He looked decent enough, evidently he had been smart enough to avoid trouble and keep Evis safe.
"What will you do now, the skies are no place for a pregnant woman?" Rowan asked him and sank down into a chair, standing was still taxing it seemed.

"I doubt Eve will want to leave, not after everything." Varris murmured as he took the seat opposite his former Captain, "We only got away through showmanship... The others..." He trailed off and Rowan just gave him a solemn nod. She couldn't imagine what they witnessed and she didn't judge him for trying to keep himself and his lady alive. They had survived and it was better than her entire crew being dead.
"How bad was it?" Rowan asked him and Varris hesitated, not wanting to cause the woman yet more grief.
"It was quick, Ro. I don't think many of them suffered a slow death." He eventually settled on a vague answer that would hopefully give her some closure. Rowan figured her feelings were being spared but she trusted Varris enough that her crew hadn't been subjected to torture or slow and painful deaths.

"We might have to find you and Evis somewhere to stay, at least until the child is born." Rowan said, "Give them a fighting chance." They would be safer on land than in the skies where everything was perilous and the Crow was a wanted target. The blood of a child was nothing to scoff at and she knew Evis and Varris would move the very stars to protect their own product of love.
"Where would we go?" Varris asked, Evis wouldn't agree, she would fight to remain a pirate for as long as possible.
"I can speak with the Captain, I'm sure there are safe places."

A hesitant nod of agreement to his proposal of departing tomorrow and Emghi sighed out. Staying wasn't an option either. Even barely recovered he could already feel the restlessness inside him demanding they took to the skies and conquer them. If Rowan wasn't exactly the same in that regard, Emghi would've feared for the longevity of their relationship. As it was, tender hands washed the accumulated sweat from his skin and Emghi relaxed in Rowan's presence.
Oh? A sorry set. Emghi snorted at the remark, but had to admit he was closer to sleep than wakefulness with nothing to show for his efforts. He hadn't even ventured outside today, though yesterday's attempt had been poor at best and today's didn't have the makings of something remarkably better.

"We should try to show our faces at least," Emghi said languidly, all but boneless in the hot water. When Rowan seemed thoughtful and quiet, Emghi opened his eyes to look at her from his lazy corner. Was she thinking of the crew that couldn't be saved? Though he hadn't known them for long, certainly the ones he did get to know didn't deserve a death like this. Emghi sighed out and hoisted himself from the tub. He'd like to tell Rowan not to think about it, to not feel sad, but it was only natural she grieve for those who were lost.

Emghi dried and found some fresh clothes to wear before sitting down on the bed. Now that all was said and done, he was physically worn, but his mind was still wired. His thoughts raced with the possible scenarios they could encounter at Boret, tried to recall whether the Estellians had taken him there to have the seal imprinted on his back to secure his magic. After a while of simply staring ahead, Emghi stood and walked to his book-case, peeling an old volume from its case. The parchment itself was leather and heavily scribbled on by the previous Captain of the Crow, it was old, but so was the island of Boret.

Perhaps he could find why Boret was more interesting a location than Estellia or even Endor's Plight, both islands that were more heavily guard to his knowledge. Emghi took the book and lounged back in the pillows of his bed, lazily leaving through the pages. Their solitude was interrupted before the old texts could send him back off to sleep however. It was Xian, no doubt to retry their conversation from before hoping for a greater measure of participation on his part.