Jacquotte sat at a small open tavern on the isle of Guadeloupe with a half empty bottle of rum in her hand. She glanced out across the sand which was as white as snow to the seas which were crystal clear. The wind was blowing from west to east, making her blood red hair dance on top of her head. From a distance you would think her head was on fire, it wasn't until you got closer that you just realized it was a hair and nothing else. It couldn't have been a nicer day but then again as long as the sun was out you really couldn't have a bad day while in the Caribbean.

She closed her eyes, tilted her head up let the sun radiate across it and took in a slow but deep breath. 

"This is the life!"

Taking the bottle of rum in her hand, she wrapped her lips around the open bottle and took another swig. The rum was starting to take its effect on her, now she was no lush but with her small petite build it didn't take a lot to do the job. She was about to take another swig when she felt a tug at the bottle. Placing her hand on her hip where she kept her pistol she was about to unclasp the holder. No one messes with her rum. That's when she heard that familiar deep voice.

"Hey! Let me get a swig of that."

Glancing to her right, there he was Greybeard. It was in that moment she remembered she wasn't drinking alone. With a small chuckle she let the death grip on the bottle go and watched as he took a drink.

"I must have been day dreaming again.... Hey! Don't drink all of it."

She reached for the bottle but that sneaky Greybeard saw it coming and turned away from her. Jacquotte missed the bottle completely and with the combination of the rum, she lost her balance on her stool and fell into the sand. She could hear the immediate burst of laughter coming from Greybeard's mouth as she was spitting sand out of hers. She rolled over on her back looking up at the sporadic clouds in the sky while still trying to get the gritty taste of sand out of her mouth. 

Greybeard looked down at her with a smile still upon his face.

"Got to be a bit faster then that Red"

She watched with dagger eyes as he took another swig. It took her another minute to sit up, once sitting up she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and reached up with her other hand. He got the hint and handed her the bottle of rum, though the bottle was just about empty. Putting the bottle back up to her lips she finished the contents then handed him the bottle. The sip of rum was enough to get the taste of sand out of her mouth and was enough to top her limit off. Any more rum at this point would result in someone carrying her back to her ship.

Greybeard cleared his throat to get her attention, Jacquotte slowly looked up.

"What?"

"You gonna come back up here?"

She shook her head from side to side. The motion making her a bit dizzy before answering.

"Nope, that seems like a lot of effort. Plus the sand is soft."

She placed her hands into the sand, grabbing two big handfuls then lifted them up letting the sand slowly leave her grasp.

"You know we should go plunder and pillage something, somewhere. It's been a couple days now that we've been here and my craving for havoc is growing. What do you think?"

Greybeard looked at her in silence for a minute. Laying where she dropped, playing arround with her red hair covering a large part of  the sand.

"If people only knew that rum turned the Red terror of the sea into a clumsy girls." he thought and the smile in his face became bigger. He planned on telling her about the stories he heard recently about the Americas. He was told  there were cities with so many people that no one knew you and you knew no one. Buildings as high as the sky and cars and trucks were cruising the roads with their merchandise ready for the taking.

He took a look arround the place and it looked nothing like that. His gut was telling him that sailing there was the right choice. They were meant for bigger things and the Americas offered them in the plater according to the stories. 

He looked back to Jacquotte as she was still playing with the sand. He grabbed her right arm and picked her up and put her on her stool agian.

"Wheee" she let a sound of surprise come out of her

"There we go" Greybeard said while placing Jacquotte to her sit.

"You talked about doing something." his phrase got interrupted by her head dropping on the counter. He feared that she passed out for a moment but she then raised her arm up in the air making a fist showing that she liked the idea of pillaging.

Greybeard knew his time to make his suggestion was limitted so he started telling Jacquotte all about the places he heard of. The opportunities that would present for them there and the different way of life but he got interrupted again. This time Jacquotte raised her head, looking at him and her face was serious.

"Will there be rum?" 

"Yes, more rum than you ever dreamt off." Greybeard said and continue telling her about the stories he heard. It was only a couple of minutes later that he understood she had passed out by her snoring. With a sigh coming out of him, he looked up in the sky and then his gaze dropped down to the sea. 

He looked back at Jacquotte and a thought crossed his mind. "That was a good enough yes, I guess" he thought and stood up. He lift Jacquotte up, placed her over his right shoulder and carried her on their ship. 

Placing her in her bed, he had a thought that violence might come when she would wake up, so he removed all the weapons he could find on her. He left a bottle of rum next to her and went up on the deck. He untied the ropes, raised the mail sail and went behind the wheel. Thoughts of the new life that awaited them flood his head and excitement overwhelmed him. It was time for them to join the modern era.

Jacquotte slowly opened her eyes, last thing she remembered was putting her head on the bar. What was only meant to be a long blink turned out to be quite the lengthy nap. Almost instantly she felt the pounding inside her head, it felt like someone had smacked her upside the head with a large stick. With a groan she looked upwards at some wooden planks, it took her a moment for her brain to process the familiar looking wood. She was in bed, her bed but how did she get there? 

Slowly sitting up she wiped the sleep from her and the crusted up drool from the corner of her mouth. The morning after being drunk was never her finest of moments but it didn't matter, she wasn't trying to impress anyone. Tossing her legs to the side, she sat at the edge of her bed still trying to remember what had happened at the bar. The only thing she could remember is playing in the sand, that's when she looked to her left and noticed the bottle of rum.

With a half smile she reached for the bottle, popped open the top and took a small swig. Sloshing the tasty liquid around in her mouth for a moment to kill whatever bad breath she had a quick rush of memories went through her head. It was at that moment bits and pieces of the afternoon/evening of drinking came back to her. She remembered the bar that was on the water with the white sandy beach, she remembered the bottle of rum and she remembered falling off her stool while reaching for the bottle.

"Greybeard... I don't know why I insist drinking with him."

Looking around with a bit more detail, she noticed she was in her chambers. With her head still pounding she stood up from the bed and ran her hand down her side. Her weapons were gone, with a head shake and sigh she knew what had happened. It wasn't the first time she had found herself in this situation, in fact it was kind of a normal situation.

Greybeard and herself would start drinking, she would try to keep up with him but she was never able to drink as much. She gave it her all every time though but often passed out and every time found herself in this exact position. Now the removal of the weapons was clearly a safety issue, it only took Greybeard one single mid night drunken gunfire show to know to take away her toys until she had a clear head.  

Grabbing the bottle of rum off of the table she took another small swig, the best way to cure a hangover is to have a couple more sips of rum in the morning. Now she wasn't sure if that was true but it seemed to work for her. Slowly she made her way over to her vanity, giving herself a glance over in the mirror. She looked like she was hit by a train, she took a couple minutes to fix up her hair with as much of it she had it was a process just to keep it brushed. After feeling somewhat presentable, she grabbed the bottle of rum and her hat then made her way up the stairs to the main deck. 

It was almost instantly when she opened the door the go up the final staircase that something was different. The air had that certain aroma to it, they weren't docked anymore. Her eyes opened a bit wider, that was until the sun beamed directly in them. She turned her head to the head and blinked a couple times trying to stop seeing the spots. Once her eyes adjusted she finished her walk to the deck and immediately did a 360 to see ocean every which way. Well every which way but where Greybeard was standing, at the wheel as he stood there with a big smile on his face. 

"Where the hell are we going?"

Jacquotte said in an inquisitive voice.

Greybeard smiled and motioned for her to come up near him. She looked around once more before making her way over to him.

"Where are we going?"

"Do you not remember our conversation yesterday?"

Jacquotte looked at him with a puzzled look, then scratched the back of her head.

"Uhm.... how about you refresh my memory. Oh and while you're at it why don't you give me back my pistol and my knife. You know I feel lost without them."

He pointed to the crate sitting behind her.

"They're right over there. You know with as drunk as you were last night I wasn't going to take the risk of you waking up and thinking it was okay for you to shoot me in the foot again."

With a chuckle she walked over to the crate, grabbed her things and placed them back where they belonged.

"Hey, I was doing you a favor. That gull looked vicious, could have swore he was gonna try and eat one of your toes."

"Gull? What gull? That was my shoe, see and this is why I did it."

With a shrug and a smile Jacquotte, stood against the side of the boat. 

"So, where we going?"

Greybeard smiled at Jacquotte as she asked for a second time. He took a look at her, seeing all her weapons on her. He wished he have given them back after that little talk that was about to come but it was too late for that. He had to find a clever and inspiring way to give her the news.

"You really don't remember anything from our talk last night, Jacquotte?" Greybeard asked only to see her noding positively.

"I heard some stories, Red. The story goes that in the Americas, people live a better life than Guadelope. The cities are vast and full with people of all kinds. The buildings are as tall as the sky and made of metal, not just wood. Lights give life to the nights and the bars have cheap and endless liquor to offer. The riches in those cities are nothing like we have ever see, Red." he stopped and took his gaze from the sea back on her "And it is all up for the taking." he said with a smile in his face.

Jacquotte looked serious as she hadn't said a word for all the time he was speaking. That was surely not her usual way. She always spoke her mind without hesitation. This silence started worrying him so he thought it was time to add some more logic to their trip.

"Guadelope is too small for us Red. I know you love the freedom there, the beach and the ocean but I think we are destined for greater things. It's time for us to have an adventure. A really big one this time." He said and turned his head towards the sea again.

Jacquotte let a sigh leave her lips and turned looking towards the front of the ship.

"I think you are right. I do like adventures. And where is our final destination?" 

Greybeard felt a weight lifted off him with Jacquotte's positive reaction to the whole plan. 

"This is the best part" he said with a smile in his face. "Come at the wheel for a bit" he said and motioned to her to come over. 

She took the wheel while Greybeard moved inside the cabin of the ship. he had a map of the Americas in there and he planned on leaving the choice of their destination entirely up to Jacquotte. He went in the little room that they used as a warehouse, took the map out of a drawer and moved back out on the deck. 

Approaching Jacquotte, he opened the map and left it on the deck and motioned to her to approach him.

"This is the best part, Red. You get to decide where we go" he said with a smile on his face as he looked at her while she seemed to be examining the map, probably weighting the positives and negatives of each region.

Jacquotte glared down at the map then back up at Greybeard. She had never seen this map before, yes she had heard tales of the America's but this map was new to her. Staring at it she tried to get her bearings at first placing her finger on the bottom corner until finding Guadeloupe. 

"So, you're talking about the America's as in what people call the United States?"

Greybeard gave her a nod before answering.

"Yes! That's where I'm talking about."

Jacquotte gave it some thought for a moment before taking her finger moving it upwards onto the map. She landed her pointer finger onto one of the British Virgin Islands. A little place called Tortola, it was one that she knew all too well. She had a contact on that island, someone that helped keep her way of life happy.

"Well I'm not sure about this strange land, wouldn't even know where to start with it. Though I tell you where we truly need to start this journey."

She grabbed the bottle of rum that she had placed down earlier and shook it in front of him.

"We only have a couple bottles left and well this won't be a short trip. If we are going to be out to sea for as long as I think, we will need to pick up a couple of cases. Plus I'm sure we will need some fresh water and food."

Greybeard quickly grabbed the bottle out of her hand and down the contents remaining in the bottle. It was merely just a mouthful but the thought of very little rum remaining must had triggered his want for it. 

"Whoa! What the hell! See and this is why we need more rum, you get all crazy when we are running low."

She snatched the bottle back from him and broke it over the railing before tossing the remainder of the neck into the ocean.

"You're lucky we still have a couple of bottles left, otherwise I would have tossed your ass overboard just like I did with that bottle."

She gave him a semi evil glare while shaking her head then looked back down at the map.

"You know where Tortola is, get us there."

She could see that he wanted to say something but decided to hold his tongue for the moment. She did have her weapons back and he wouldn't put it against her to pull her pistol out. Not that she would ever shoot him while sober but it was a risk he wasn't willing to take right now. Greybeard pulled out his compass and gave the wheel a bit of a turn to the right.

A couple days had passed, Jacquotte was propped up in the crows nest checking out the open ocean. Suddenly she saw a bit of land on the horizon.

"Tortola ahead!"

She yelled down to him. It was a welcoming sight, they only just over a bottle of rum left and their food supply was next to nothing. It took them another hour to get into the port where they docked their ship. Immediately they were welcomed with a familiar face.

"Intrigue! Just the person I wanted to see."

Intrigue was down at the docks in Road Town of Tortola, the capital of the island. She was down there to get stock that has not long made the port from a supply ship for the bar that she worked for nearby. She had worked for the Marina Inn for some time now and had met people from all walks of life, who often frequented the island. She was starting to feel as if she was the one missing out on all the adventures that life could offer, even though she was surrounded by the beauty of the island and the clear seas, she craved for more excitement. 

She had just signed for the crates and paid up for the stock when she took a long look around the Road Harbour as she spotted a familiar ship coming into port.

"That can't be?" 

Intrigue said as she stood there with her jaw dropped before she started to jump up and down in excitement as she spotted the hair, that blood red hair at the top of the mast. She turned to the guys standing beside the crates and told them to get the stock to the Marina Inn as fast they could. 

"Tell the chef to get a hearty feast made up for three and the rum flowing"

She also told them as she made her way over towards where the ship was being docked. She had not felt as excited as she was then in a long time. It had been a while since that ship made dock there and catching up with the two on board was well overdue. Intrigue waited for them to disembark the ship whilst grinning from ear to ear.

As JacquotteDelahaye and Greybeard made their way onto the dock she called over to them...

"Well look what the tide brought in!"

she said as she was greeted by JacquotteDelahaye and then Greybeard as she checked them both over. 

"Can see you're living to your name well Grey and as for your Miss Red, striking as ever" 

Intrigue continued to say as she tugged at Greybeard beard. She then insisted that they make their way to the Inn to catch up. She could not believe they have come into land and was looking forward to the evening ahead.

As they got to Marina Inn, Intrigue went into the kitchen to check on the food and explained they would be dining in the private room for them. She expected her guests to be fed well.

"Once the food is served, please do not disturb us"

She told the staff as she went back to the bar to get a few bottles of rum to take to the room. She got her friends to follow her and closed the door.

"Sit, relax, tell me what is new?" 

Intrigue inquired as she began to pour the rum into their goblets, to get on with the drinking.

Greybeard picked his drink and had a sip. That was good rum he thought while looking at his glass with happiness. Looking back at Jacquotte, she had already drink hers and Intrigue was pouring another one in the glass.

"The news are that we are going on an adventure, Intrigue" Greybeard said with excitement in his voice as he grabbed a bottle and filled his goblet.

"We are going to the United States and joining the modern world. The word is that the opportunities are endless there."

Jacquotte's face became serious and after looking at him, she turned towards Intrigue.

"Can you believe what he did? He just start sailing the ship almost without asking me. I woke up in the middle of the ocean..."

"You agreed!" greybeard interrupted Jacquotte. 

"I was drunk!"

"You are always drunk!" Greybeard said and Jacquotte rolled her eyes before turning towards Intrigue while raising her hand in Greybeard'd direction 

"Can you please just enjoy your drink while women are talking?" she said and Jacquotte continued her conversation with Intrigue.

The bottles were emptying one after another as the two women kept talking. Greybeard was kist looking around the place while the words of the conversation that was happeing next to him, were starting to fade as time was passing. He noticed many people were having parrots or monkeys with them. Surely they were used as a helping hand to pick a pocket or deliver a smal item if needed. He thought about getting one for himself but not being sure if this would work in their new destination, he quickly disregarded the thought. 

Suddenly he felt a kick on his leg only to turn arround and see the two women staring at him with annoyance painted in their faces.

"What are you doing?" He asked Jacquotte.

"Have you not been listening? Intrigue wants to join us. Isn't that wonderful?" Jacquotte said with excitement.

Greybeard turned towards Intrigue with a smile on his face "Welcome aboard! Things are getting more interesting now." he said and took a fast look on both women. Both their faces red from the liquor with their eyes sparkling. A clear intication that they both went over their limits. 

"I will go arrange for more supplies to go on the ship. You ladies can continue." He said and stood up but Intrigued interrupted him

"No! Leave it to me. This is my place and I will make the arrangements" she said and stood up. She took a big sip out of her goblet to empty it and made a quick turn arround herself. One step later and she dropped down losing her balance. Greybeard made a motion to see if Intrigue was ok but laughter came from her direction which reassured him of her being well. Jacquotte stood up and tried to walk towards Intrigue to help her up but clumsy as she was from the drinks, she triped and landed right next to Intrigue. Both women turned on their backs without making an effort to stand up while laughing and debating about how the floor wasn't as uncomfortable as it seemed to be. 

Greybeard knew what was coming. He took two bottles, removed the corks and handed one to each girl. "Enjoy ladies. I am going to see that the ship is loaded." he said and left.

After finding the right person and arranging for food, water and rum to be loaded in the ship, he turned back to where he left the two women. he found them in the exact spot he left them. Laying on the floor with a bottle in their hands. He couldn't wait for them to wake up since the sunrise was near so he picked them up in the best way possible and carried them to the ship. The wind was in their favor and it looked like the next day, they would travel fast.

One bottle of rum turned into two, then two turned into three and then three turned into floor. At least that is all that Jacquotte remembered before passing out on the floor.

Thinking she was still on the floor Jacquotte rolled to her right, trying to get a bit more comfortable. Though she wasn't on the floor anymore, in fact she was in a bed... her bed. The roll to the right landed her right onto the floor as she landed on her shoulder. She let out a slight groan as she slowly opened her left eye, noticing she wasn't at the inn anymore. Also instantly the pounding in her head started, closing her eye then rolling over onto her back she lifted her hands up to her head giving her temples a slight rub. It was a temporary relief for a mire moment, that was until she heard the snores coming from the other side of the room. 

"Ugh, rum. You got me once again I see."

The sound of the snores pique her interest as she slowly sat up from the floor. It took her a couple seconds to get her bearings, didn't take long to realize she was once again in her room. Reaching down to her sides, she realized her weapons were once again gone. A smile immediately went upon her face. Greybeard once again took it upon himself to make sure she was care for. There was something to be said about the guy, she wasn't really sure why he took a liking to her but always made sure she was cared for. She'd never actually come out and say anything nice but always made sure to give him sass for it. It was just her style of things.

The snore from across the room got a bit louder, which made Jacquotte glance up to the direction it was coming from. It was Intrigue, she too was passed out from the rum. It made her chuckle but the chuckling made her head hurt so she quickly stopped. So she just sat there for a moment, wiped the sleep from her eyes and the crusty stuff from the corner of her mouth before trying to stand up. It was a bit of an effort, she could tell they were out to sea once again cause the waves were a bit rough today.

Once standing on two legs the ship hit another wave, which sent her flying to the other side of the room. The side where Intrigue was sound asleep. Though she wasn't asleep for much longer, as the wave sent Jacquotte onto where she was sleeping. Basically landing directly on top of her. Intrigue shot up in a panic and glanced down, seeing only the backside of someone.

"What the... get the hell off of me!"

Jacquotte could hear her speaking but couldn't get the balance to sit up.

"I'm trying but I just can't seem to.."

"Jacquotte?"

"Yeah, that's me and I'm a bit stuck right now. I think I may still be drunk." She said with a chuckle before continuing. "Oh good morning by the way, at least I think it's morning."

Intrigue was in the land of nod blissfully unaware of where she was, that was until Jacquotte abruptly woke her up by landing on her, due with the sway of the ship. She woke up with a panic to find Jacquotte face within an inch of hers and within the same panic, she insisted that she got off her. Still confused to what was happening, the ship moved to the side again making some items roll across the floor as Jacquotte wished her a good morning.

"Err, Good Morning?" Intrigue replied to her as she tried to get her bearings.

She helped Jacquoette get up and sat up properly herself as she tried to focus around the room. She recognised it and have been aboard the ship in the past but never while it was swaying so much. She has never been out to sea.

"Okay this is not my room above the Inn, this is your cabin," she said to Jacquotte, who quick-wittedly replied, "Nope, I am sure you can make your room move, but not like this!" she said chuckling with a wink for Intrigue to then finally catch on. 

The two ladies helped one another up onto their feet as they went to peak out of the porthole, to try and get themselves up to speed. Jacquotte was not new to finding herself out in the middle of the ocean. Intrigue however was, nor was she use to the seas when they were being a bit temperamental. 

"Jacquotte, why no land? why do I see no land?!" Intrigue said as she couldn't help but wonder how the hell they even got back to the ship the night before. The last thing she could remember was that they were on the floor at the inn, drinking. The bit between then and waking up in Jackquotte's cabin she had no recollection to it. "Grey must have pulled anchor" came the reply from Jacquotte as they both slumped down onto the bed to sit for a moment. They tried to piece the last moments together, but they could not get any further than opening that last bottle each at the inn. 

"Come on," Jackquotte said as she stood up and got Intrigue to follow her, out of the cabin and up to the deck. 

"GOOD MORNING LADIES" 

Came from the oddly over cheerfull Greybeard, as they arrived up on deck to get splashed a little from the sea. 'Just what is his secret' Intrigue thought to herself, as for sure, Greybeard threw his share of the rum down his throat the night before, yet here he was as if he has not taken a single drop. 

"Not so loud", Jackquotte said at the same time as Intrigue shouted "Oh god", whilst the ship swayed some more. Jackquotte may have had pirate roots to her but even she was finding it hard going as they both tried to get to grips of their hangover on choppy seas.

"Jackquotte, come, take the helm, I will sort you ladies out some breakfast," Greybeard said as Jackquotte went to take charge of the ship. "Not sure I can eat" Intrigue spoke up as she went on to query them both "What the hell happen, how did I end up on this ship and where the hell are we going?" she said as she then folded her arms firmly and awaited answers whilst tapping her left foot.

Greybeard went inside the cabins to get the girls a treat he kept as a surprise. He had brought with him some coffee withouth the girls knowing and in times like this, a cup of coffee could do wonders to a hangovered mind. He have heard about the way people in the far east prepare it, so he planned on doing the same. A little pot, sinked inside hot sand for the mixture to get heated in a more even way, seemed to be the secret but in anyway, he was about to find out if that technique was better or not, judging by the reactions it would cause.

He pured the coffee in two mugs, grabbed a couple of fruits that were laying around and went back out on the deck where he saw the two girls just sitting there, having their battle with the waking up proccess. He called them towards him and placed the mugs and the fruits on a crate they used as table.

"There you go ladies. Coffee a la Greybeard to help you wake up. Eat some fruit too. Rum can't be the only thing you put in your stomach"

As Jacquotte and Intrigue sat around the crate, he could see their eyes waking up even by the first smell of the coffee's aroma. He needed them both fuctioning because he had a long night and he had to sleep too at some point.

He went back to the wheel while the two women enjoyed their coffees and only approached them after some time passed and he was certain they were both well awake by then.

"Red, Intrigue, I am going to sleep now. the ship is on your hands." he said and pulled out a map.

"If you could also decide for our next destination, that would be great" he said with a smile in his face as he left near them the same map Jacquotte has used to pick their destination before. 

He entered the cabins feeling safe and sure about the skills the two women had, both in string the ship and making the best choice possible as to where they weould be heading. He layed on a bed and it didn't took him more than a minute to fall asleep. 

He was lost in the comfortable land of dreams when a kick on his leg followed by a familiar voice woke him up.

"Wake up sleepyhead" Jacquotte's voice ringed in his ears.

He turned the other way letting only a noise out of his mouth "Mhmmmm"

"Wake up! We are almost there" Jacquotte said in a louder voice which was followed by another kick.

The words "almost there" got in his brain and he opened his eyes as he had no idea where that was. 

" Where is there, Jacquotte?" he asked still laying.

"If you get up, you will find out. There is coffee ready too." she said and left the cabin.

Greybeard stood up rubbing his face in a try to wake up a bit faster. he grabbed the mug Jacquotte left him in the room and went outside on the deck. It was still day which means that he was probably sleeping for the whole night too. 

"You are finally up. We were afraid you would scare the dolphins away with your snoring" Intrigued said to welcome him.

He took a look around and saw they were closing to a port and turned towards the girls. "Where are we?"

"This is Miami. Our last destination. Sit and we will explain" Jacquotte said.

He looked towards the port. It was a few miles away so there was still time for them to explain their plan to him.

"Miami? Why are we going to Miami?" Jacquotte asked in an inquisitive tone.

From what she had remembered, in between the drunken nights and hangovers, was that they were setting sail to Seattle. Now she only looked at the map once or twice or maybe it was three times, regardless though she remembered Seattle being no where near Miami. Without another word she stood up and walked right past Greybeard, he gave her a bit of an odd look but didn't question her.

She made her way to his room, dug through his maps until she found the one of the states. She opened it up and placed it on the floor giving it a look over.

"Hmm, Miami..."

She located it on the map then looked for Seattle, remembering it was on the west coast but not exactly where. So she started from the bottom of California and worked her way up, finally coming across it up in the north west corner of the map.

"Ah, there it is."

She placed her right finger back on Miami and tried to figure out a way to get there with their ship but there was no way to cut through the states. The only way to get to Seattle from the ocean was either through the Panama Canal or go all the way up north, where the Penguins lived and that wasn't going to happen.

Rolling up the maps and getting off the floor she headed back to where she had left the pair. With the map in her hand she cocked it back in her stance and smacked Greybeard upside the head with it.

"How are we going to get the ship to Seattle if Miami is our final destination?"

The smack to the back of his head didn't have much of an effect on him. As he gripped his map from her.

"Well if you were listening when we talked about it a while back. We would make landfall in Miami, hide the ship in a secluded cove. In a spot only we would know of it's whereabouts. From Miami we would take modern transportation out to Seattle."

Jacquotte interrupted him before he could continue.

"What kind of modern transportation? Are you talking about one of those things that fly???"

With a chuckle he nodded.

"Yes an airplane, I already have it mapped out in my head. Just trust me Red."

"Trust you? You want me to trust you?"

"When have I ever led you a stray."

She paused to think about it for a moment but couldn't think of a time he had.

"Ok, I guess we will be taking one of those airplane thingies..."

Intrigue paid attention to the conversation between Jacquotte and Greybeard and found their little quarrel to be somewhat amusing. You could see the care even if they were acting like they wanted to shoot one another sometimes. They never would. As they continued to bicker a little bit Intrigue took the map off Jacquotte and sat down to unravel it to have a look herself. She could see why Jacquotte was concerned, but also could see what Greybeard was trying to accomplish.

For Intrigue it was the first time travelling with them on a ship, she has never flown before either but she was prepared to give it a go. She was more used to being on land longer than they were however and dealing with day to day people. Even though she did find some to be odd if they didn't have the taste buds for rum. As she studied the map she spotted a tiny cove not far from Miami, 

"Here look", she said, making the duo stop with their bickering to come and look at what she was pointing. How about hiding the ship up in that cave. Seems pretty straightforward to her, there weren't rocks in the way to get into it. 

"Sorry, I know I am no sailor, nor have the expertise of ship manoeuvring" she went on to say as she started to doubt herself. But she didn't need to doubt herself at all.

"That's perfect, what do you say Red?" Greybeard said with a grin as he turned to look at Jacquotte. Intrigue did too and could see Jacquotee brain ticking like there were little cogs spinning around in it. She nodded, she could not find a fault anywhere. "Is perfect" Jacquotte finally said as she went to get the ship ready to sail in the direction of the cove. 

Intrigue got up, rolled the map back up and handed it back to Jacquotte at the wheel "Well last few hours aboard, why not say we have a few rums to show our respects to the old girl" Intrigue said, meaning the ship, as she went to get the rum. 

Jacquotte and Greybeard grinned as one of them said "You're definitely one of us now", as the bottles got passed around to enjoy.

They were deep into the night when they finished securing and hidding the ship. They left most things on it except some supplies since Miami was a few miles away from them and they would use the night to reach the city. Hours passed and they finally start seeing the city's lights. Greybeard nudged Jacquotte with his elbow and pointed towards the city.

"There it is Red. Our new lifes are close" he said with excitement. 

"I have eyes, you know" she replied.

It was clear for the whole walk they made that she was bothered by the thought of leaving the ship alone, unprotected and so far from their final destination. But Greybeard knew that once they would get settled in, all the things of the past would stop being an issue. Pirates were learning not to get too attached to things anyway.

As the three were entering the city, it became clear to them that they needed a few things sorted out before being able to fly. Their clothes were wet and way out of the city's fashion. It was a funny moment when they passed by a clothing store and they all burst into laughs when they realised how out of the norm they actually looked.

So, a plan was made. The two girls would go around the city, finding somewhere to clean up and some clothes that would draw less attention to them. Greybeard, on the other hand, would have to go and arrange a flight for the three of them to catch in the following days. Thankfully, they had enough gold to go by for a few days and they wouldn't find themselves into financial issues.

After taking their own ways, Greybeard tried to find an open shop to ask around about directions to the airport. he walked around the city a bit before finding one. He saw people openning up their shops. All kind of things were availiable in the city and in much variety. Shops for tobacco, women clothing, men clothing, tools, shoes. His eyes were looking all around the place. No matter where he looked, something new and impressive was there. He shook his head ans thought that there would be enough time for admiring a modern city after he got his mission done.

He entered a shop that appeared to sell shovels, rakes, hoses and all kind of things that someone could use to work the earth.He approached the person inside and after greeting him, he inquired him about the direction of the airport. With some chat they had, Greybeard told the man about how they were coming from Guadeloupe and were planning on joining the modern way of life. The man gave Greybeard directions to the airport and also suggested that he should take a car fair there since it would take him many hours to reach the place. 

Greybeard took the man's advice and took a taxi all the way to the airport. The whole procedure of getting three tickets for Seattle, took him less than he imagined. Thankfully, it didn;t take him too long to find a taxi back to the city either. It seemed that you could have anything you wanted in the matter of minutes here. The pace of life seemed so fast compared to his usual ways.

The cab left him in the city's central square. He was supposed to meet the girls there once they were all done. He found a bench and sat while reaching into his pocket and taking his flask out to take a sip of rum. He looked up and saw the sun's position. He was sure that the girls wouldn't be over there for at least a few more hours so he sat, enjoying his rum and watching, almsot studying, the city and its people going through their day.