Bella took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. She was exhausted. She’d been standing unmoving, concentrating fiercely for hours. Her whole body ached. Fighting to remain in one position while the ocean rocked the floor beneath her had been much more difficult than she expected. Her thighs were quivering. In spite of her fatigue, her eyes were glued to the mirror, watching the scene play out in her alcove.

Tonya was naked, sitting on Bella’s table, her legs spread wide and wrapped around Janie’s hips. Her apprentice’s heels rested on the backs of the taller woman’s thighs.

“That was incredible,” Tonya breathed between kisses. “You’ve really never done anything like that before?”

Janie giggled like a school girl. “No, never.”

“You had him in the palm of your hand the whole time! Even beat him with the pull cord for the curtain! I thought he was going to get mad, but he just… let you! Where did you learn all that?” Tonya was too busy talking to keep kissing. Bella chuckled to herself. Her apprentice had a real problem with trying to use her mouth for too many things at once.

“I used to be a Magistrate Acolyte. I just channeled all the priestesses who taught me. And a bit of my mother thrown in too.” Janie admitted a bit awkwardly. “I very much doubt they had this in mind when they were giving their lessons, but I’m discovering a lot of Magistrate skills translate well to other things.”

Bella blinked in confusion. What was Janie talking about? Why was she working at Mary’s? She continued to watch, her soreness and fatigue suddenly less at the front of her mind. The scene in the mirror was far too interesting.

“We need to get you an actual whip. You can’t keep using the pull cord,” Tonya giggled.

“I was terrified I might accidentally open the curtain!” Jaine laughed, her eyes wide beneath her veil.

“That wouldn't have been so bad. He was dressed. So were you. I’m the only naked one.” Tonya looked down at herself. Janie’s eyes followed. She very slowly ran her hands down the young witch’s body, down her shoulders, around the outside of her small breasts, along her ribs and her waist, coming to rest on her hips. Tonya shivered at Janie’s touch.

“If I were a real Sister I’d be flogging you for your wantonness.” Janie’s voice was full of heat and insinuation.

Tonya was torn between lust and worry. She’d been flogged before. It wasn’t something she wanted to repeat. On the other hand, the way Janie said it made Tonya kinda want to see what she had in mind. “Am I a bad acolyte?” she said, biting her lip and looking up at Janie thought her lashes.

“Very,” Janie smiled.

“I was just following the Sister’s orders,” Tonya did her best to look guilty. It wasn’t an expression that came naturally to her. “I was trying to be good.”

They both broke into laughter, unable to keep up the game, or the tension, any longer.

“I’m learning that it is very possible to be both good and bad at the same time,” Janie said, leaning in to kiss the brunette apprentice again.

Tonya squirmed on the table. “Mmm, I’ll say. Are all Magistrate folks like you? I might want to join up.”

Janie shook her head, half-horrified. “Oh no, I’m… well, there’s a reason I left. I don’t think you’d like a Cloister at all.”

“I don’t even like that word. Cloister. Ew,” Tonya’s nose wrinkled.

“Ew is an apt description,” Janie agreed. “I much prefer this one.” She looked around the alcove, thinking that it really was about the same size as the small chamber she’d lived in when she was younger. She’d shared it with another girl too. Now, the idea of forcing someone to live in a space so small seemed cruel to her. Even the room she was now sharing with Tonya was more than twice the size of the alcove, and it barely seemed big enough for two.

“Here,” Janie went and picked up the stack of coins that was sitting on the chair her first client had sat in. She turned and handed them to Tonya. “I want you to have these.”

Tonya’s eyes went wide and she held out her hands. “No, I can’t. You really earned that. I just sat here and got stared at while you berated him for staring. The hardest part for me was not laughing. You did all the work.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you. I wouldn’t have even known where to begin. I’d still be hiding in here,” Janie insisted. “I don’t need the money. I just wanted to see if I could do any of this.”

“Clearly you can. I’d say you even have a knack for it,” Tonya grinned. She reluctantly took the coins. “I appreciate it. Looks like he tipped you pretty well.”

“He did? I’m not even sure what price I was asking. I just said my rates were standard,” Janie said.

“Five crowns is pretty normal. We’re allowed to charge more or less depending on what we’re doing for a client. You just got paid for talking and hitting a guy what I usually get paid for fucking them. There’s another girl who works here who does kinda what you did, but she doesn’t to the religious thing, and she whips them and fucks them, so I’m not sure it’s comparable.”

“Maybe I’ll work my way up to that,” Janie mused. As soon as she said it she knew she wasn’t really interested. Having sex with someone she didn’t know, especially as a business transaction, really wasn’t something that excited her. She didn’t have any ethical problem with prostitution. Not anymore, obviously. She just wanted sex to be meaningful to her. Then she looked at Tonya on the table and realized she’d only known the young witch for a matter of hours and she’d already had thoughts of sex with her. That seemed fine, but the idea of sex with the man who’d just paid her was mildly repulsive. She didn’t know either of them terribly well, and the man hadn’t seemed like a bad sort. Why were they so different in her head? She’d put so much time into learning to diagnose motives. It rankled her to feel conflicted about her own. She’d have to think on it later.

Tonya tucked the coins away into her purse. “Should I get dressed, or are we going to be doing that again?”

“I think I am done for the night,” Janie said. “It was an exciting experience, but it was mostly for my own self discovery.”

“I don’t know about you, but I definitely discovered some things.” Tonya smirked.

“Oh?”

Tonya grinned. “Yeah. Before tonight I didn’t know it was possible to talk a guy into cumming in his pants!”

All three of them laughed.

Tonya and Janie’s laughter cut off abruptly, they whirled to face the mirror. Instead of their reflection, they saw Bella, nude, her face painted in white symbols. She was sitting on a large bed in a dimly lit room. She gave them a small wave. “Hi.”

_________________________

Captain Vex sat on the steps of the sterncastle, her first mate next to her. Mister North sat a few steps lower, leaning back on his wife's knees as she ran her fingers back and forth across his bald head. Together, the three of them were observing the crew's nightly revelry, now that the day was done. The sun had gone below the horizon, leaving only a strip of lighter purple at the western edge of the black sky, and the lanterns cast long shadows that moved with the swaying of the ship. Having enjoyed their supper and their rum ration, some of the crew were dancing to the music of a lively fiddle, while others played games of dice and cards on barrels and benches scattered across the deck. New and old lovers alike cuddled up to each other, whispering soft endearments, accompanied by the waves.

“Is th’ anchor down?” Belita asked.

“Aye, Colin did it right before he finally went to bed,” Danica said.

“That boy’s too damn stubborn by half,” her husband grouched.

“This is about as close tae quitting as I’ve e’er seen him,” Belita said with a small shake of her head. “I used tae think it was impressive, but now I wish he’d just… “

“Stop,” Danica finished. Belita nodded. They were quiet for a short time, listening to the music of the fiddle and the rhythm of the waves.

"I really thought that would take longer," commented Mister North in his rich baritone, gesturing to where Will Sterling, Jacqueline Hunter and Lace Webber were sitting side by side together, thick as thieves.

“I’m not. Lace is all thunder and no lightning,” Danica replied. “She gets mad easy, but I’ve never seen her hold a grudge.”

“I mostly meant Will and Miss Hunter,” her husband explained. “I thought they had a problem we were supposed to watch out for.”

“Aye, they do. Looks like they’re workin’ through it,” Belita said after taking a sip off her cup. She was pleasantly buzzed. “I ain’t an Inquisitor, but I can tell what folks are thinkin’ well enough when they ain’t tryin’ tae hide it. Those two’re lookin’ for any excuse not tae be mad at each other. They’re both just shit at talkin’ things out.”

Mister North chuckled. “Speaking of folks who don’t know how to talk, you’re doing that thing with your accent again.”

Captain Vex rolled her eyes. “Don’t ye be givin’ me none o’ yer sass, ye Mainlander gombeen.”

“Ouch, Captain, that hurts,” North said with over exaggerated shock.

Danica started laughing. “What the hell’s a gombeen?”

Vex had to pause to think about it. “A small time crook. A bloke who’s always lookin’ tae make a few extra coin, usually by cheatin.’

“Oh. Yep. He’s definitely a gombeen,” Danica said, rubbing her husband’s scalp.

“Oh sure, take her side.” North said with mock indignity. “She gets drunk and unintelligible, starts making up words, and my wife thinks it’s hilarious just because she’s right.”

“You poor, poor gombeen,” Danica mocked.

“Look what you’ve done?” North said to Belita. “You’ve taught her a new word, and I’m never going to hear the end of it.”

“Sounds like she dinnae have a problem understandin’ me,” Belita said taking another drink.

“It’s not my fault that when you get drunk you forget things like the ends of words and which vowels go where,” North snarked. “My wife’s just more fluent in drunken pirate than I am.”

Belita raised her middle finger and waved it back and forth in front of North’s face. “Ye fluent in this?”

“Absolutely. I might not be fluent in north islander gibberish, but I’m practically a scholar of rude gestures,” Mister North grinned.

“Have any of the new crew done anything stupid yet?” Danica asked. “I was a little worried after the announcement this morning about having a witch on board.”

“Not yet,” North said. “Give them a few days to settle in.”

“Ye think someone’s going tae do somethin’ daft?” the Captain asked.

“Probably.” Danica said. “We didn’t have time to vet the new crew quite as thoroughly as we usually do. They’re all competent sailors, but we weren’t as careful with figuring their temperament this time. I’m betting there’s one or two that aren’t really Kestrel material. Hopefully they’ll keep their mouths shut and just get off at the next port instead of causing a problem.”

“I trust ye tae handle it. Maybe we c’n change some minds,” Belita said.

“Ever the optimist, Captain,” Mister North said raising his cup. “Hope you’re right.”

“When is the next port, anyway?” Danica asked.

“Two weeks.” Belita replied. “We’re adding a stop on account’a having tae leave Bastard’s Bay wit’out our full load of supplies,” Belita said. “Should be easy sailing ‘til then. We’ll have tae follow th’ Akula buoys tae get through th’ Kinnet reef. Besides that it’s a pretty straight course. This time of year th’ waters are pretty calm, an’ there’s a lot o’ Magistrate patrols ‘round that passage. We might be stopped again, but I had that Lieutenant stamp our papers, so th’ next inspection ship we run intae should let us through wit’out much hassle.”

“Lace will like that news. That will give her time to sort out all this stuff with the smallboats and the new ladders,” Danica said looking at all the ropes that were still tacked down all over the deck.

“What’s all that about anyway? I had to bust my ass to get the rigging ladders she wanted, and now she’s just making new ones?” Mister North complained.

“They’re too big. They messed with the crossbeam,” Danica explained.

“We already cut the bottom twenty feet off the first ones she tried. No way I can sell those now,” North griped.

“Once she’s done with the new ladders I’ll have her splice the old ones back into working shape. You can sell them at a discount. We might not recoup everything, but you’ll find a buyer. You always do,” Danica rubbed her husband’s head again.

“Ye Gombeen,” Belita snorted.

All three of them laughed and Danica stood up. “Come on, gombeen. Take me to bed.”

“Duty calls,” North said with a look of exaggerated suffering on his face. He stood up with a groan.

“Good night,” Captain Vex said to the pair as they left. She sat on the steps for a few more minutes, then stood up too. Bed sounded pretty nice. Or a bath. Or both.

She made her way to her cabin, enjoying the floating sensation that the rum had given her. When she opened the door, Bella was naked and talking to the mirror.

_______________________

“Where’s your big green friend, anyway? Haven’t seen him since Lace tried to stab him,” Will asked Jack.

“Oh, he’s around. He doesn’t like people much, so he keeps to himself,” Jack answered. Her voice was a little tense.

“What?” Will asked, noticing Jack’s tone.

“I really don’t need to do that thing where the former man in my life tries to subtly learn about the new one,” Jack said flatly. Lace burst out laughing.

Will tried to backstep. “I wasn’t… alright, maybe I was a little. I’m mostly just curious. I’ve seen a few Asura before, but never met any of them up close before Quinn. He lives up to the reputation.”

“He’s not quite what the stories make them out to be,” Jack said.

“Well now you have to tell,” Lace said, nudging her with a shoulder.

It was a warm night, but after being trapped in the galley for so long, they were all enjoying the comparative coolness of the air.. Jack had put her wet shirt back on the right way. Will was still shirtless. Lace was wearing her usual nearly-topless outfit, and wasn’t wet in the slightest. How she’d managed that after the steam filled galley was a mystery. Jack’s shirt was slowly drying, but was still damp enough to hang heavy and cling, outlining her breasts nicely. Will was having trouble not looking. Jack had noticed and found it amusing, but hadn’t said anything about it.

“Asura are… servants. It’s a cultural thing, and I don’t actually know a lot about it.” Jack said. She swirled the rum in her cup and spoke as she thought about it. “So it’s not an equal relationship. It’s not even really a relationship at all. He does what I tell him to, and he looks out for my interests. He does it all on his own terms though. He’s not some obsequious footman. He speaks his mind, and he does things according to what he thinks is best for me, even if I disagree. If I ordered him to do something he didn’t want to do, he’d do it, but he’d probably do it in a way that made me regret my decision. I try to be careful not to do that.”

“Sounds like a relationship to me,” Will said. “You wouldn’t want an obsequious manservant anyway.”

“True. It took me a while to get used to the idea of having a servant at all. I haven’t had one since I was twelve. I didn’t really miss it,” Jack said. “I think of him more like a bodyguard than anything else. He looks out for me, and I care about him, but he never lets me forget that our involvement with each other is temporary and has very clear boundaries regarding the roles we play in regards to each other.”

“Temporary?” Lace asked. “Why? Don’t you pay him enough?”

“He’d be offended to hear you say that. Any payment he ever received for something I asked him to do, he’d accept on my behalf, not his own. If I ever personally tried to pay him for his service he’d never respect me again. To his people, service is sacred.” Jack sounded like she was having trouble finding the right words. “It’s a religious thing.”

“Work for other people and never get paid for it? Sounds like a shitty religion,” Lace scoffed.

“I won’t argue with you. I don’t really understand it, but so far asking questions has gotten me more confused, or been met with very polite non-answers,” Jack said into her cup.

“How’d you find him in the first place?” Will asked.

“It was… shortly after the… when I  cursed you,” Jack said guiltily. “I guess I’d done enough to get noticed.”

“Noticed?” Lace asked. “What, there’s someone who hands out Asura bodyguards? Where can I get one?”

“Essentially, yes. The Asura only serve… well, they use the term ‘great people.’ It’s some kind of meritocracy. That’s why all the stories are about Asura serving kings or leaders.”

“I’ve met a lot of great people who aren’t kings,” Will said. “Pretty much all of them.”

“I agree, actually,” Jack shrugged. “I don’t think I’m a great person, but when Quinn offered to serve me I wasn’t about to say no.”

“So why is it temporary?” Lace asked.

“Eventually the term of service ends,” Jack said simply.

“When?” Lace asked.

“I don’t really know,” Jack shrugged again.

“Doesn’t make any sense,” Lace rolled her eyes. “Hope the sex is good.”

Jack smiled and took another drink. “He can go forever. Asura don’t run out of stamina.”

Will coughed into his cup. Lace’s eyes went wide. “Damn,” she said. “Can I borrow him?”

“Sure,” Jack said.

Lace’s eyes went wider. “I was just joking.”

“I know. If you want some time with him though, just ask. He won’t say no. He’ll just ask me.” Jack stretched her legs out from the bench she was sitting at and crossed her ankles.

“That doesn’t seem right,” Will said. “Being able to say yes or no is pretty important.”

“To us, yeah. To Asura… well, I don’t know. I guess it’s a different kind of consent. When he consented to serve me he put me in charge of those kinds of decisions.” Jack continued. “It was one of the first things we talked about when I first agreed to be his master. I asked a lot of questions. Some of the answers unsettled me too, but that’s the way he is. He even... encouraged me to offer his services to people as a reward. I balked at it, but he said that I should consider him more as a tool to achieve my goals, rather than as a servant. He also said that power is only power if it is used.”

“I don’t know if I agree with any of that,” Will said.

“Me either,” Jack shrugged. “But ultimately it’s his choice. He doesn’t have to give me that kind of power over him. He isn’t some kind of brainwashed religious zealot who gave up their free will because of nonsense. There’s something deeper going on there, and I’m only starting to scratch the surface of it. I think he wants to see what I’ll do.”

“Like whether or not you’re the kind of person who would order him to have sex with someone, regardless of how he really felt about it?” Will asked, a bit flatly.

“No,” Jack shook her head. “You’re misunderstanding. I think he assumes that I am exactly that sort of person. What he wants to know is under what circumstances I’d make that choice, and what I’d be getting out of it in return.”

“That’s… pretty fucked up,” Lace said. Jack nodded and took a drink.

“So the Asura religion is all about giving humans control of their lives in order to… what? Test our morality?” Will was incredulous.

“I really don’t know,” Jack shrugged. “It seems that way from the outside, but I don’t think I have anywhere close to the whole picture.”

“But you’re still willing to have sex with him?” Will asked. “Even though you can’t really be sure if it’s what he wants or not?”

“I was honestly hesitant at first.” Jack said as she finished off her rum. “He brought it up, and offered the very first day. I guess that’s normal for them. I turned him down. Occasionally he’d offer again. Eventually I just decided why not?”

“Sounds like he was into it to me,” Lace grinned.

“That was my conclusion too,” Jack said with a wink.

“It still doesn’t seem right to me,” Will shook his head.

“When did you become uptight?” Jack side eyed her former lover.

“It isn’t that.” Will shook his head. “I’ve never cared who you slept with, before, during, or after me. I think I was always pretty clear about that. It just makes me uncomfortable. The idea of having sex with someone when you aren’t really sure if they’re doing it because they want to or because they feel obligated to makes the whole things seem…” He trailed off, unable to find the right words.

“But you’re fine with Bella working in a brothel?” Jack asked flatly.

“Yeah. That’s different. It’s business, and both sides are upfront about everything,” Will said, trying to explain.

“Doesn’t seem that different. At its core, Quinn and I’s relationship is business too,” Jack countered.

“So you’re comparing Quinn’s religion to prostitution?” Will argued.

“Wouldn’t be that strange. Sacred prostitution exists in a few different religions. His is just more... full service,” Jack smirked.

“Did you pay for that service?” Will asked pointedly.

“Yes,” Jack said firmly. “The price was quite steep.”

“Might as well enjoy it then,” Lace shrugged.

“Might as well,” Jack agreed. “I’ll let Quinn know that you’re so concerned about his well being though. He doesn’t laugh often, but that might do the trick.”

Will sipped his rum. “I guess it’s his life. He can do what he wants with it.”

“So when do I get to borrow him?” Lace looked like a cat with a canary in its mouth.

Jack laughed. “Quinn would be disappointed if I didn’t ask for something in trade. What are you offering?”

“What do you want? I’m a sailor. I don’t have much,” Lace shrugged.

“I want to know what the hell Will’s plan is.” Jack wasn’t even trying to hide her devious expression.

Lace looked to Will, who was looking at Jack with trepidation and exasperation. Then she looked back to Jack and shook her head. “Not my story to tell. You bargain with him for that.” Will looked relieved.

Jack shrugged. “Worth a shot. How about a favor? Sometime later.”

Lace’s brows went up. “I get right of refusal,” she said firmly.

“Done,” Jack smiled, offering her hand. The two women shook and Jack stood up. “Come on, let’s go get you laid.”

As Jack walked behind will she casually ran her hand through his hair, just like she always had. It was a habit. A small ritual. She hadn’t thought about it. She probably would have, but the alcohol in her system had dulled her forethought. Will’s eyes turned her way and met hers, and for a moment they both looked shocked and confused. Neither of them said anything, then Jack turned away as Lace hooked an arm through hers and pulled her in the direction of the stairs.

Will watched them leave until they disappeared below deck. Jack glanced over her shoulder just before she was out of sight. She still looked a bit bewildered. Will was sure he probably did too.

It was a small thing, somehow meaningless overloaded with complications at the same time. Tonight had been good. Cathartic, informative, healing. And also confusing and frustrating. He was usually pretty good at going with the flow of things, trusting that everything would work themselves out if he just kept his eyes on the horizon and adjusted course where he needed to. That small, familiar touch had felt like hitting a rock below the surface of the water. Unexpected. Jarring. It was hard to judge the extent of the damage, but he could tell right away that something was leaking.

Things he didn’t like thinking about were bubbling up. He suddenly found himself struck by what the years without Jack had been like, and who he’d become without her. Or perhaps because of her.

No, that wasn’t right. She’d been the catalyst, sure, but becoming a cynical shut-in had been because of his choices. He blamed the curse, but in truth that was an excuse. He’d been mourning and sulking and refusing to deal with how he really felt about losing Jack. The curse made it easy not to move on, so he hadn’t.

Bella had come to him and said that Jack was back, and that was all it had taken. He’d broken out his self-imposed hermitage so hard that he’d left the life he’d built in Jack’s wake in utter ruins, and it felt great. If not for what happened to Janie he’d have no regrets about any of it. He’d been wanting to destroy his life for years.

He wasn’t sure what he felt about Jack anymore, but it was impossible to ignore the fact that once again she’d been his reason for finally getting off his ass and doing something.

He was left feeling relieved, and also faced with the unavoidable realization that waiting for Jack to come along and give him a push every time he fell into a rut was a very bad habit.

_______________________

“Wait here a sec, I want to talk to him alone first,” Jack said to Lace right outside her cabin. Lace found a spot of wall and leaned against it as Jack went in and shut the door behind her.

Lace was already excited. She’d been called a xenophile in the past, and while she didn’t didn’t understand exactly what that meant, she was smart enough to infer from the context. Her mind was wandering back to the most intense sexual experience of her life so far, that time she got it on with an Akula Animist shaman. His totem had been a bear, and he’d been partially transformed. Not much, just enough to grow some fangs and fur, and about a hundred pounds of muscle.

Lace had a hard time with most men. She liked to be in control, which wasn’t something men tended to enjoy in her experience. It didn’t help that she was most attracted to to big, powerful, dominant types. That was the kicker for her. She instinctively found herself drawn to dangerous men, but she wanted to have them submit to her. In her whole life, she’d only found a few who were willing. Apparently, what she’d really needed was an Asura.

Hearing Jack talk about Quinn had gotten her attention like nothing else ever had. A strong, dangerous man who was spiritually driven to serve? How the hell had she never heard about that before? And where could she get one of her own?

She was surprised at how nervous she was. As she noticed, she scoffed at herself. If everything Jack had said was true, this was a sure a thing as there ever was. She didn’t have to worry about anything.

The door opened. “He’s all yours. I’ll be topside. Come find me when you can walk again,” Jack winked as she headed down the hall.

Lace looked at the open doorway with her heart pounding in her chest. She slowly smiled and walked through.
 

________________________

Belita sat on the bed next to the dark-haired witch staring at the mirror in wonderment. She’d been around magic before. She had her own hex bag, and a few other spellworked trinkets. She’d even employed a Ship’s Witch before to help trick the winds into being helpful. In her experience, magic was a fairly subtle thing that if you didn’t know better would be easily overlooked. Even when Bella had worked the illusion that saved them on top of the lighthouse, it had been invisible to everyone but the person seeing it. This was not like that at all. Bella had created a window from the captain’s cabin into a brothel in Bastard’s Bay.

“Aren’t you the drunk lady who barged in on us last night?” Tonya asked.

That shook Belita out of her reverie. She laughed. “Aren’t ye the girl who came so hard she fell offa her chair?”

“Sure am!” Tonya grinned proudly.

Bella laughed. “Captain, this is Tonya, my apprentice. Tonya, this Belita. She’s the captain of the ship we left on.”

“You know, I really should have guessed that. You look like a sea captain,” Tonya said.

“Please tae meet ye. Who’s yer friend?” Belita asked.

The woman next to Tonya tilted her head slightly, her expression mosty masked behind the white veil that covered her face from the lips up. “Captain…” the woman said. She lifted the veil and hooked it to her small hat.

Belita’s eyes went wide as Janie revealed herself. “Fuck me,” she muttered. “Damn lass, ye’re a whole different woman than ye were last time I saw ye.”

“I’m in disguise,” Janie smiled, slightly embarrassed.

“Aye, ye really are,” Belita nodded, standing up and getting closer to the mirror to see Janie more clearly. “I’m glad ye’re alright. That was a hell of a scrape we left ye in.”

“It was difficult at first, but I’m doing much better now,” Janie smiled. “How is the journey so far?”

“Smooth sailing,” Belita shrugged. “Will got intae a tiff with Miss Hunter an’ my Rigging Master, but it’s sorted now.”

“He does have a gift for finding trouble,” Janie sighed.

The cabin door opened.

“Speak o’ th’ Harvester and she’ll appear,” Belita chuckled as Will walked in.

“What?” he asked, seeing the two women sitting on the bed and looking at him.

“We were talking about ye,” Belita explained.

“That’s never good,” Will said walking over to sit down on the bed and start working on his shoes. Tonya laughed. Will stopped and slowly looked up at the mirror. He blinked, then looked at Bella. He started to speak, but then did a double-take back to the mirror and stood up like his pants had caught fire. He took two steps and put his hand on the mirror like he was trying to reach through it.

“Janie.”

_____________________


The thickly muscled green-skinned man watched her implacably with black eyes. He wore a thick belt and a sarong, and nothing else. His chest and shoulders were covered in raised markings, like thin ritual scars in a filigree pattern reminiscent of waves. He exuded an aura of calm, patient menace, like a resting tiger. She remembered what it had been like to be in his grip. She’d felt like a kitten trying pitifully to claw at the hand that held it by the scruff. He was stronger than he looked, and he looked like he could give Colin a run for his money. This exotic, inhuman man could kill her without half trying.

“Nice to see you again, Quinn,” she smiled.

Quinn said nothing.

“You know why I am here?” she asked him, starting to walk around him in a slow circle, prowling, looking over his broad back and bulky shoulders.

“I do,” he rumbled.

“Jack said you were all mine,” she said with exaggerated sweetness. “What’s that mean?”

“I am to pleasure you,” Quinn replied.

“You don’t seem to be doing a whole lot of pleasuring so far,” she said, coming around in front of him again.

“I am waiting for your command,” Quinn said, meeting her gaze unexpectedly.

He was amused.

That wasn’t what she expected. Of all the things he could have done, his aloof amusement was the thing that threw her off the most. Suddenly she was the kitten held by the scruff again, rendered off balance and feeling like she was flailing not by a strong arm, but with only a look.

She glared at him. “Something funny?”

“Many things,” Quinn replied. “You will need to be more specific.”

“About me? Is something funny, about me?” she said, her voice full of menace.

“Yes,” Quinn said simply.

“Why don’t you let me in on the joke?” she growled.

“No,” Quinn said, not moving.

“Are you refusing to do what I say?” Lace demanded.

“Yes,” Quinn repeated.

“Not a very good servant, are you?” Lace stepped forward, getting closer and looking up into his face.

He met her gaze calmly. “Not to you.”

“Jack said you were supposed to serve me tonight,” Lace said flatly.

“Mistress Jaqueline instructed that I was to provide you with sexual pleasure you tonight,” Quinn clarified. “Nothing more.”

Lace looked into his face for a long time, then stepped back. “Sterling’s right, this is bullshit. You don’t want this at all.”

Quinn said nothing.

Lace ground her teeth in frustration for a moment, then shook her head, pun on her heel and took a step toward the door.

“Miss Webber?”

Quinn’s voice managed to stop her. She looked over her shoulder at him with naked hostility in her eyes. “What? I’m not going to stick around and be laughed at. You don’t want this, I don’t either. Let’s just pretend this didn’t happen.”

“What do you want?” Quinn asked.

“Nothing from you,” she glared.

Quinn raised one green eyebrow.

“Look, this was supposed to be just some fun. Jack said you’d be into it. I don’t know why I believed her. Things that seem too good to be true always are.” Lace was at the end of her rope. This was twice in one day Quinn had humiliated her.

Quinn didn’t move. He simply stood there, waiting, the question still present on his face.

“I wanted you to make me feel good,” Lace shrugged.

“Is that all?” Quinn asked.

“No!” Lace snapped. “I wanted you to serve me, to want to serve me, to treat me like I’m a fucking queen and all you want in life is to make me happy! I know that it’s fucked up, alright! I’m not going to force you. It’s no fun if you don’t want it too.”

“That is the amusement. You want power, but only if it is freely given to you. You refuse to take what you want. Your conscience stands in the way of your desires,” Quinn still hadn’t moved. He stood there naked, but somehow Lace was the one who felt exposed.

“What, you’d rather I didn’t have a conscience?” Lace sneered. “You want me to fucking rape you? That’s pretty sick.”

“What I want is irrelevant,” Quinn said with a small shake of his head.

“The hell it is. I just told you it’s only fun if you want it too. Why don’t you tell me what the hell you want?” Lace snapped again.

“Is that a command?” Quinn asked.

“Yeah. What do you want?” Lace folded her arms across her chest.

“To serve those with clarity of purpose,” Quinn said.

“I gotta say, this is the worst foreplay in history,” Lace scoffed.

“I have no need of foreplay,” Quinn said.

Lace looked down at his flaccid green penis and gave him a smirk. “Looks like you’re raring to go alright.”

Quinn said nothing.

“You’re a really shitty conversationalist, Quinn,” Lace rolled her eyes.

“Are you here for conversation?” he countered.

“At this point I don’t know why I’m here!” Her hand went to her hip, challenging and mocking.

“It was my understanding that you were here for sexual pleasure,” Quinn explained with all the passion of a stone.

“How the hell can Jack fuck you?” she said in disbelief. “You’re impossible!”

“She tells me what she wants,” Quinn said.

“I want you to want to serve me and worship me and make me feel like I’m the most important thing in the entire world to you while you fuck me,” Lace said, her voice full of challenge.

Quinn gave her a small smile. “Yes mistress,”

___________________

Will’s hand was touching the cold mirror, marveling at it. Janie’s hand was on the other side, trying to touch his, so close, but with untold distance between them.

“Well that’s a bit cliché,” Captain Vex said with a small smile on her face.

Next to her on the bed, Bella was still naked save for the white paint on her face. The witch gave the Captain a gentle backhand on the arm. “It’s cute. Let them have this.” Belita had hung up her hat and coat and was unbuckling her boots. “And that’s my job.” Bella continued, swatting the Captain’s hands away from her buckles and sliding off the bed to one knee.

“You’re alright? Really?” Will asked, ignoring the women behind him.

Janie nodded. “Now, yes. I wasn’t doing well at all when Caine came to find me, but it’s amazing what a hot bath and a change of scenery will do.”

“Tell Caine I owe him another one,” Will smiled. “I’m sorry about what happened. I never should have let Morant let Cal go while Jakob still had ahold of you.”

“I will not let you blame yourself for this. It wasn’t your fault,” Janie said firmly. Her hand dropped from the mirror. Will’s followed. They simply looked at each other for a moment.

“If there had been more time, maybe-”

“No,” Janie cut him off. “There wasn’t. You did the best you could under impossible circumstances. Nobody died. Nobody even got hurt beyond a few scrapes. Things turned out as well as they could have.”

Will nodded. “I’m glad you see it that way. It’s hard not to blame myself.”

“Your guilty conscience is duly noted,” Janie said with a small smile on her face.

Will laughed. “Was that snark?” He looked at Tonya, who was sitting on the table behind Janie kicking her legs back and forth. “This is your fault, isn’t it?”

Tonya gave him an innocent look and a small shrug.

“No, Will. That was wit. I wouldn’t expect you to know the difference.” Janie’s small smile seemed to grow without actually widening.

Will’s eyes went wide, half surprised, half proud. Behind him Bella made a choking sound. Tonya covered her mouth with her hand.

“Who are you and what have you done with my Janie?” Will demanded, unable to hide his smile.

“She’s Evangelina now,” Tonya piped up.

“What?” Will asked. Janie suddenly looked less sure of herself. She turned around and gave Tonya a fierce look. Tonya shrugged again, clearly enjoying the trouble she was causing.

Janie turned back to Will and sighed. “I needed a name for my disguise. Things got a bit… carried away.”

“Evangelina?” Will said, trying the name out in his mouth. “Fancy.”

Janie looked down at herself. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“I like the disguise, by the way,” Will said.

“I’m sure you do,” Janie said with a small laugh. “I’m not quite sure how I feel about it yet, but everyone else seems to love it.”

“It’s actually still pretty much what you usually wear, just with a whole lot less fabric,” Will offered.

Janie sighed. “Yes. Well, that extra fabric is quite important. How would you feel if we removed three quarters of the fabric in your clothes?”

Will looked down at himself, imagining mostly see-through clothing on himself. “Alright, I see your point.”

“Sounds fine to me,” Bella quipped behind him.

“Aye,” Belita agreed.

“Same,” Tonya piped up.

“We’re surrounded by shameless harlots,” Will deadpanned.

“And somehow I’ve become one of them,” Janie admitted, looking down at herself again. “It is rather fun, all things considered.”

“I never thought I’d see the day when you’d say something like that,” Will smiled.

“Nor I,” Janie shrugged. Will’s gaze dropped to her chest as the simple movement of her shoulders did distracting things to her breasts. Janie scoffed, and caught his eye when he looked up again. Then with a small, mischievous look in her eye, she shrugged again, a little faster. Will laughed.

“Evangelina is obviously a bad influence,” Janie said, still smiling.

“She’s in good company,” Will grinned.

“Yes she is,” Janie agreed. She looked over Will’s shoulder. “Thank you,” she said to Bella. “If I can’t be there with you, this is the next best thing.”

“You’re welcome,” Bella said with a shrug of her own. “I should probably teach everyone how to work the mirror’s magic.” She stood up. “I don’t think you and Tonya can see it, but there’s a couple candles on this side. While they’re lit, the mirrors will act as a window to each other. There have to be two, one on each side. They light the path. When they go out, the mirror goes back to normal.”

“How long will the pattern hold?” Tonya asked.

“Forever, as long as it stays charged. Having the candles lit burns off the energy held in the pattern,  but it can be recharged from either side,” Bella explained.

“How do we recharge it?” Janie asked.

“Well, any kind of energy transfer ritual would work, but personally I prefer the fun ones,” Bella grinned.

“So, sex.” Will chuckled, not surprised at all.

“While the mirror is activated,” Bella clarified, slipping her arm around Will’s waist and giving him a playful bump with her hip. She winked at Janie. Janie’s eyes lit up as she realized the implications.

“There’s a few specific ritual things that have to be done,” Bella continued. “Tonya knows them already. Either one of us can set it up and do the transfer. Beyond that, yeah. Sex in front of the mirror.”

“I’m not sure I remember how to do it,” Tonya said hopping off the table. “I think you’re going to have to show me again.”

Bella arched an eyebrow. “Oh really? Forgetting your lessons already?”

“Hmmhmm,” Tonya said, slipping her arm around Janie’s waist, mirroring Bella and Will.

“I just spent the last few hours working one of the hardest spells I’ve ever tried, and I haven’t had a bath since yesterday. I’m a little gross right now,” Bella shook her head.

“Well that’s easy ‘nough,” Belita said. She stood up and padded into the small washroom.  A moment later they heard the sound of a slightly squeaky pump and the splash of running water.

“Sounds like this is happening,” Will said. He saw Janie try not to be noticed while she squirmed. He met her eyes to let her know she noticed. She squirmed more and looked away.

“Twist my arm,” Bella sighed. “Tonya, set up a containment circle in front of the mirror, draw a transfer pattern in white on your chest, and light two candles. Oh, and draw one on Janie too. I’ll be back after I wash up.”

“Me?” Janie asked, but no one answered her.

“Yes ma’am!” Tonya gave a goofy salute and skipped out of the mirror’s view. Bella followed Belita into the washroom.

Suddenly Will and Janie were alone.

“I wish you were here,” Will said sadly.

Janie nodded. “It’s amazing how much can change in just a few days.”

“Yeah,” Will sighed.

“It will change again, probably suddenly. This won’t last forever.”

Will nodded. “I’m going to come back for you. I meant it.”

“I know. I’ll be here when you do. And with Bella’s mirror, it will be almost like I’m there on the ship already.” Janie smiled.

“I wonder if Belita could teach you to be a Purser through the mirror,” Will mused.

“What’s that?” Janie asked.

“Something like an accountant, a notary, a scribe, and a moneychanger rolled into one. Basically, a Purser is a ship’s record keeper,” Will explained.

“Isn’t that essentially what I do for you?” Janie asked.

“Very similar,” Will smiled. “It should be easy for you to pick up.”

“And here I was worried I didn’t have any applicable skills for life on a boat,” Janie smiled.

“Ship,” Will corrected. Janie rolled her eyes.

They heard a splash. From the other room, Bella groaned in extacy. “How’d you heat the water?” her muffled voice carried into the bedroom.

“Th’ last ship’s witch I had made a trinket for me. It’s that rock there hanging from th’ spigot,” the Captain’s muffled voice explained. Then there was another splash.

“We aren’t both going to fit!” Bella squeaked.

There was another splash and the sounds of wet bodies sliding together. “Ye sure?”

Janie tried not to laugh. “Oh, to be a fly on that wall.”

Tonya came back into the mirror’s view and then ducked down below it, out of sight. Janie looked down and stepped back. “Hold this,” Tonya said, her hand coming up into the mirror’s view again holding a length of string. Janie took it, looking confused. “Now stand there, and turn yourself to keep facing me while I move,”  Tonya instructed. Janie tentatively backed up a couple of steps while holding the string. Tonya slowly came into view again, crawling on her knees, tracing a circle on the ground in chalk. The string was tied to the chalk, creating an arc as Tonya drew. Catching on, Janie turned with her. The alcove was not large, so the circle was only about four feet wide. “We’re going to need to move the mirror next time so we can make a bigger circle,” Tonya muttered. She stood up and dusted off her hands. Then she went to a shelf and pulled down a small ink pot. She unstoppered it, and walked back to the mirror, then stopped. “Well shoot. Usually I do this in the mirror.”

“I can blow out the candles. You can light yours on your side when you’re done,” Will suggested.

“Good idea,” Tonya nodded.

“See you soon,” Will said to Janie. She nodded quickly, expectantly, clearly worried that somehow the magic wouldn’t work again.

Will picked up the candle at the base of the mirror and held it up in front of his face. “It’s going to be alright.”

“I know,” Janie said, trying to let go of her apprehension. It was a silly thing to be nervous about, but after having just reconnected, she didn’t like the idea of losing that again even for a short time.

Will held her gaze for a few seconds, and she nodded. He blew out the candle. A strange fog rolled in from the edges of the frame leaving only his reflection in it’s wake. With Janie’s face gone again, Will felt hollow. Where did that come from? He shook his head to clear it. Her nervousness was rubbing off on him.

He pulled off his shirt, tossed it on top of his bags, and walked into the washroom.

_____________________________

Lace’s eyes rolled back in her head. Her arms were stretched up, holding onto the wooden headboard to brace herself as Quinn’s thick length stroked slowly into her.

He had one knee up on the bed, his other leg off of it with his foot on the floor. His strong hands held her hips. They were nearly big enough to encircle her waist. His thumbs pressed into her hip bones and his fingers dug firmly into the muscle of the upper curve of her butt. Her legs were spread wide and resting on his forearms, her feet dangling behind his elbows. The slight lift he gave her by supporting her legs and hips put his stroking cock at a fantastic angle to scrape against sensitive places inside her.

Jack hadn’t been kidding. Quinn had held that position, that pace, that measured, constant driving for longer than any human man could. He was surprisingly gentle. His eyes never left hers. He watched her like he was reading her, delving into her as she tensed and writhed beneath him. His strokes ended in firm pressure, which he held for just a moment, grinding before pulling out and doing it again. At first she wasn’t sure if it’s what she wanted, but the slow buildup had turned into something that she’d never experienced before.

There was no hunger to Quinn. No need. No underlying drive to reach his own orgasm. There was no desire to prove himself, or to challenge her. There was only the task, which he performed expertly, all for her.

This was what she’d wanted for as long she had been able to want like this. She’d mistaken many things for it, but now that she was experiencing it she knew everything else had been a shallow comparison.

“Harder,” she said, staring right back into his dark eyes. His intensity rose a notch, but his speed did not. He simply put a bit more power into the end of his thrusts. She felt herself moved, her whole body rocked from the impact of his hips hitting hers as his cock buried itself inside her.

He was quiet. His face was expressionless save for his eyes, which seemed only to be trying to draw out her thoughts. He wasn’t even breathing hard. She wasn’t sure he was breathing at all.

She was panting, writhing, groaning. Her hands clenched on the headboard and her toes curled. Her stomach and her butt clenched. Her insides squeezed. She could feel an orgasm building. “Faster,” she moaned.

His pace increased effortlessly. She’d seen contraptions built by mainlanders before. A two wheeled thing people could ride instead of a horse. The inventor selling it had made a lot of noise about how it had adjustable settings to make it go faster or go up hills easier. At the time she wondered why anyone would care about a machine like that. Now suddenly she understood. She laughed at the strange thoughts of the wheeled thing as some kind of pedal powered sex engine instead. Quinn kept looking at her like he was trying to read her thoughts, but his pace never wavered as she unexpectedly laughed. He didn’t ask. She smiled up at him. He really was a marvel.

The continuous thrusting built up the heat and pressure inside her quickly. “Oh, yesss,” she hissed in anticipation. Any other man would have sped up, or thrust harder. Quinn didn’t.

“Touch me. Use your hands. Show me how good you are at pleasing me,” she groaned. One of Quinn’s eyebrows twitched. He almost smiled. One of his hands let go of her hips. His thumb slid down between her legs and found the soft folds at the top of her cleft. It began to swirl gently, brushing that sensitive button with each pass. The pace of his circles matched the pace of his strokes. She felt like she was sinking down, down into a pool of bliss. The little sparks that stole her breath for a small moment with each pass of his thumb intensified the wave that rippled through her each time his cock drove fully in and his hips rocked hers.

Then something changed. It felt like a gentle tickle at first, right beneath his thumb. Her eyes slowly went wide in confusion as it built in intensity. It felt like something swirling. Wet and slightly cool. It felt like the pad of his thumb had become a tiny whirlpool. He continued the circling motion with his thumb, dragging the strange vortex in an orbit around her clit. It never quite lost contact with her most sensitive area. It brushed, and teased, and pulled like it was trying to tug her clit gently upward.

“What are you doing?!” she asked, hardly able to form the words.  

“What you asked me to. Would you like me to stop, or do something differently?” Quinn replied.

“No... Fuck no... Don’t you dare stop... That’s incredible,” she said between strained shudders.

“Yes mistress,” he rumbled.

“More. Whatever that is, can you do it more?” she asked.

The feeling intensified. The vortex grew stronger, and a bit bigger. Her hands flew from the headboard and slammed down on the bed, gripping into the sheets as the shock of pleasure hit her. Her back arched, driving her pelvis firmly upward into his thumb. “Oh, yessss!”

She stopped worrying about how he was doing it, stopped caring to ask and just let the feeling overtake her senses. The orgasm that washed over her was like nothing she’d experienced before. It wasn’t the most powerful she’d ever had, but it was strong. It didn’t come in waves like she’d heard other women talk about. It was simply intense and long. It seemed to drag on forever. At some point her body gave out and her arched back thumped back into the bed. She realized she’d been wailing a long keening cry. The change of position was enough to rock her out of the orgasm and let it finally fade. “Oh, fuck me,” she gasped.

Quinn was, in fact, still fucking her. He hadn’t stopped. His face was contorted with his own pleasure, but it faded as her orgasm did. The swirling continued, but she was suddenly too sensitive. It was too much. “Stop. Stop, no more. Too much.”

Quinn’s thumb lifted. Her clit felt like it was gasping as the swirling vortex was replaced by cooler air. His thrusting stopped but he didn’t pull out. He simply waited.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded.

“Pleasure, as you ordered. Was it not satisfactory?” Quinn asked.

“It was. Oh yeah, it was. I just want to know how you did it,” Lace asked.

“My people are tied to elemental forces. Mine is water. You felt a very small whirlpool, formed from the sweat of your body,” Quinn explained.

Lace took a deep breath, still not sure if she could really move. She was used to climbing rigging for hours a day. She was strong and rarely got fatigued, but that orgasm had left her feeling pleasantly spent. She probably could have moved, she just didn’t want to.

“That’s impressive, but also a little gross,” Lace chuckled. “My sweat?”

“It is only water and salt,” Quinn explained.

Lace laughed again. “Fine. I’m just not going to think about it too much. That was incredible.”

“Shall I continue?” Quinn asked.

“You can keep going? It looked like you came when I did,” Lace asked. He was definitely still hard within her. She didn’t know why she’d asked the question.

“I did. That does not mean I cannot continue,” Quinn said. She swore she heard a hit of pride in his voice. “I am not human.”

“Clearly,” she smiled. “Keep going. Careful of my clit though, it’s going to need some rest before you do the whirlpool thumb thing again.”

“Yes mistress.”

His steady, strong thrusts began again, just as they had started.