Emeryl kept studying the girl closely. She had strange ears. They were cat-like, but different in a way. Instead of poking straight out at the top of her head, they tilted a bit to the side and had a gray tinge to them. Smooth raven black hair poured down her back like a soft river. Her shocking blue eyes caught the same amount of attention as an elephant hidden behind a sapling. In the same manner she carried herself she dressed herself extravagantly.
      Styled like a true pirate a tunic covered her top, snapped by several loose belts. A long black cape flowed over her shoulders. Her leggings were obviously thick and a dirty black in color while a pair of beige boots pulled over her shins.
      Carefully Emeryl stepped forward and ventured, "Bentora?"
      Her ear flicked back, "What?"
      "Nevermind, you reminded me of someone." Emeryl mentally scolded himself. Of course it wasn't Bentora, Bentora would be old if she could possibly even be alive.
      He could hear the others quarreling again. Whenever nothing else happened they'd start up in the background. One pirate would tease a member of the group, and one of the group would retaliate. For awhile they'd argue-almost playfully-until they ran out of points to make.
      The sorceress who set their boat on fire stood near him, keeping a keen eye fixated on him. A tiara-almost a crown-held her hair in place. Two oversized earrings that resembled ball bearings held her ears down. Emerald eyes constantly stared at him warily. He couldn't see her clothes under the black cape, but he knew from earlier she wore a dark blue tunic.
      Both ladies brightened as the captain finally emerged. Behind them the others quieted down. The captain approached slowly, long hair glistening. Several earrings of all shapes lined his left ear while half a dozen decorated the other ear.
      Before he came all the way over the catgirl caught him by the arm and whispered something.
      "Bentora?" Emeryl barely heard the captain's surprised whisper. Solemnly the girl nodded, letting loose his arm. Now the captain approached with a skeptical expression.
      A dagger flickered in the captain's black glove. The blunt side of the dirk bedded itself under Emeryl's chin and lifted his head.
      "What's your name?" he demanded right away.
      "Emeryl Tekutsu." He responded firmly against the cold blade.
      "Emeryl..." the blade slithered away, "Why didn't you just say so? Do you know who you're talking to?"
      Next to them the drow elf girl perked up, "Emeryl?"
      To the other side all the catgirl could say was, "Who's Emeryl?"
      "Pardon." Emeryl interrupted, "Ne, who are you?"
      In an uncomfortably friendly way the captain slapped Emeryl on the back, "Only the most famous hero known to elves, none other then Blake!"
      "Blake? You mean... Ne, it must be six hundred years since I've seen you!" Emeryl made a move to hug him but was pushed away.
      "I guess it's been awhile." Blake whipped his thumb across the tip of his nose, "This is Leiko," he motioned to the drow girl, "And my daughter, Valda." He gestured towards the catgirl. Emeryl studied the two females again.
      "Emeryl!" Leiko pounced on him, wrapping her arms over his shoulders, "It's been so long! We have to get to know each other again!"
      "Ne, we do. But I didn't float out here for no reason." Emeryl patted Leiko on the back gently.
      "Which brings us to the main question... Why did you sail out here, with humans?" Blake relaxed himself against a wall.
      "To inform you. Prism has died. He left his diary to Eric's great granddaughter, and now these few humans have come to retrieve the elves peacefully." Emeryl gestured to the group.
      "After all they've done?" Blake closed his eyes.
      "They didn't even know elves existed. It has been many generations for them, they don't know what they did." Emeryl explained as he pushed away the clinging Leiko.
      "Not many elves will care. But this is important news, we should tell the queen. She'll know what to do." Blake nodded, "Valda, turn the ship. We're going home."
      "Right, I'll explain to the others if you don't mind joining me." Emeryl tilted his head towards the captive humans.
      "Sure. Leiko, stop clinging." Blake swatted the girl off Emeryl.
      "But Emeryl and I have to catch up on old times." She smiled keenly.
      "Later." Blake firmly replied, turning his attention to their hostage humans, "Kichi! Bring them over here!"
      The drow nodded, leading the small group over.
      Remus glared coldly at the pirate captain. A quizzical look crossed Kern's face while Lirit folded her arms.
      "Ne, you three. This is Blake, an old friend of mine. He's going to take us to the queen." Emeryl explained.
      Fingering Emeryl's mantle, Leiko nudged him playfully, "Don't forget about me..."
      "Ne, I didn't. We have important matters to handle." Emeryl ignored her fingering.
      "Wait, this jerk who burnt down the ship is your friend?" Remus snarled.
      A wry smirk creased onto Blake's face, "What's wrong?"
      "That wasn't my ship! I'll have to pay for that!" Remus yelled.
      "Just tell them you were kidnapped, remember?" Kern winked, "I'm curious, how does this fly? Wings? Engines? Fans? Propellers?"
      "A little of each. You look more like a half elf..." Blake studied Kern. If the pointed ears weren't a big enough clue, he also had a strangely gray complexion. He couldn't figure out why Kern had two sharp, pointed teeth though.
      "Well..." Kern pulled a small pad out of his pocket, "My mother gave me a picture of my father but it's very old. I always thought he was a freak." The cracked black and white picture had a humanoid shape that vaguely resembled an elf.
      "How old are you?" Blake overlooked him, "You don't look very old."
      "He's twenty three." Lirit patted Kern on the back. Nervously, Kern smiled.
      "Oh, well, he's not anyone that I know of then. The last man I recruited was Kichi, over a hundred years ago." Blake shook his head, "No elves that I know of stayed behind any longer."
      "Ah, that's too bad." Kern nodded.
      Muttering loudly Remus paced back and forth, "I can't believe... they'll make me pay for it... it'll be my fault of course..."
      "Can someone gag him? And what exactly are we going to do?" Lirit placed a hand on her hip.
      "If humans know about us, then we must see the queen. This may be our only chance to integrate peacefully." Blake noted.
      "You guys still have a queen that rules you? We have a king, but he doesn't really do anything." Lirit replied.
      Adjusting his cap, Remus interrupted, "Not true. He works with military personal, at least."
      "How would you know something like that?" Lirit snorted.
      "My brother is in the military. He was just promoted by the king himself, he's a captain now." Remus answered.
      Blake snickered softly.
      "What? He had to drag himself through mud to get that promotion!" Remus glared at the captain.
      "That's cute..." Blake smirked arrogantly, "But he has quite a way to go before he can impress me."
      "Well excuse me, your majesty. Boot camp isn't easy. They have to carry equipment their size through swamps, it should be death camp." Remus retorted, pulling his cap roughly.
      "Yeah, yeah. Minor play." Blake brushed him off lightly as he stepped away. Before he left he snatched Remus' cap and shot it to the other side of the deck. His earrings chimed against each other as he made his exit.
      "What's his problem?" Remus huffed, going for his cap.
      "Ne..." Emeryl glanced at him, "You won't impress Blake easily. That man used to raise the dead and mold kingdoms out of dirt."
      "Don't forget, Emeryl..." Leiko leaned against the elf, "He was also declared a hero by the queen herself for single-handedly changing the future of the drow populace."
      "Ne, I just don't get what he's doing out here." Emeryl shrugged.
      Leiko wrapped her arms around him, "He's being brave like you. He decided to keep humans away from the island by 'haunting' the ocean, so he gathered up a crew of drow outcasts and they became the pirates. But he's not as brave as you Emeryl, he didn't stay alone."
      "Ne, I'm flattered, but to be fair Maskini and Spidey have been with me." Emeryl answered.
      "They're still with you? I..." Leiko was interrupted by Blake calling her, "I have to go... I'll have to tell you everything that's happened later. Bye, Emeryl!" Ignoring the others in the group she jogged off to take care of her chores.
      "That's the little girl you guys found in the cave?" Remus asked.
      "Yes," Emeryl nodded.
      "She grew up," Remus smiled smugly.