"Get down on the ground!"

Wilhelm jumped the second that gruff voice exploded over the screams, but he wasn't even given a second to see who it was. Gray fabric swept across his vision the second he turned, Lorena had lunged forward, not at the person who had shouted the order, but at him. Her hands pushed against him and he found himself stumbling backwards just to try and keep up with Lorena. If that wasn't enough to add to the confusion, Lorena's voice had erupted into a high pitch wail from the very depths of her throat. The pitch, the volume and the proximity of her screech split right into Wilhelm's brain. "What the hell are you--"

Before Wilhelm could finish, an arm came out and hooked around the back of his neck, drawing him forward and thrust his face into who he assumed was Lorena. He had such a strong urge to push Lorena off of him, but the fear of touching Lorena in an offensive manner was just a strong, if not stronger, urge. His arms flailed wildly instead, while his brain went off in alarms.

"Shut up!!" Another man's voice, deeper than the first boomed over the screams, which was soon followed by an ear-piercing boom. The sound itself marked the end of the shrieks in the hallway. "Valuables, on the floor!"

W-Was that gunfire?!

"Quiet, wench! On the floor and I won't hurt you an your little one!" There was a bootstep, where Wilhelm assumed was the pirate already in his room moving closer. "Now, toss your gold on the floor!"

~~~

"Holy--" The pirate lurched forward as Mirrah's limp form nearly doubled in weight, sagging toward the floor.

"Dammit, Dusk, don't kill her!" The pirate with the sword stepped toward him. He knelt down, peering at Mirrah's bagged head underneath a pair of glasses. "We need her alive!"

The pirate named Dusk growled, tugging on Mirrah's arm in an effort to try and get a better hold on her body. "I didn't kill her! She's not dead! Okay? I just knocked her out!"

"You hit her head! Why couldn't you punch her stomach or something?"

"She'd see me comin, idiot!"

"You coulda caused amnesia! Or made her go crazy!"

"What does it matter?!" Dusk grunted, managing to wrap one muscled arm around Mirrah's waist. He pushed himself up to one knee. "Will you shut it and help me? She's about as heavy as a sack of sand!"

The pirate waved his hand, his sword coming dangerously close to shaving off Dusk's nose. "Hell no. You're the muscleman, you carry her."

"Rico! Dusk!" Both pirates threw their attention toward the bridge, where another man jogged over toward them. He was dressed in a black overcoat with a pirate's hat covering his head. "What the hell're you doing, standing around?!"

"Cap!" Both Dust and Rico saluted the man. Dusk's salute was short, as he was still trying to haul Mirrah up.

A small girl popped up from behind the hatted man, her bright face resembling his if not brighter and more cheerful. Her green eyes sparkled as she grinned widely at the two men before her. "Hey hey! Is that her?"

Rico glared down at the girl. "It's gotta be her, ain't no one else wearing fancy clothes on deck."

Dusk finally managed to shift Mirrah onto his shoulder, letting out a sigh. "Though a noble girl'd be lighter than this." He tossed her weight lightly, keeping one arm on her waist.

The captain swept one hand toward the adjacent ship. "Well, if you got her, then get the hell back to ship! We got no time to waste! Where are Shin and Julius?"

"Below deck, cap! Gettin the goods from the passengers."

The captain nodded. "Alright, Dusk, you get her back to the ship. Rico, go and get those two from below deck. We're settin off now!" Dusk nodded, and set off at a light jog toward the adjacent ship.

"Pa! Can I go with Rico?" The girl leapt out from behind him, effectively pulling all attention to her.

"No way!" Rico snapped.

The captain turned to the girl, a frown on his face. "No, Ava."

"But--"

"Go back to the ship and tell your mum to send the letter! I don't want you goin down there!"

Rico nodded vigorously. "Damn right. That there's big people's territory, no place for a squirt like you."

The captain glared at Rico. "Will you get going, boy!?"

"Y-yes sir!" Rico went off.

"Let's get going Ava."

"Aww, I wanted to go with Rico..."