Charlie charged across the dock, his pith helmet askew, his satchel bouncing against his hip. His eyes locked onto Emmet and Zola, and his face split into a grin wide enough that all you saw were teeth.
"Emmet! Zola!"
Emmet's head snapped toward the sound. His calculating expression softened into genuine warmth as he raised a hand in greeting.
"Charlie!" Emmet's voice carried across the dock. "It's good to see you!"
Zola beamed, her finger already pointing skyward. "Charlie! It is delightful to see you again! I have so many questions about—"
Charlie reached them, his words tumbling out in a breathless rush. "Same for me! I have so much to tell you! The discoveries we've made—the artifacts—the ancient script—you won't believe what we found!"
Emmet chuckled, his green eyes gleaming with amusement. "I am sure you do."
Master Gaius Vesper stood back from the crowd, his kiseru pipe trailing smoke. Silver stands of hair starting to fall away from his bun, and that familiar mischievous grin played at the corners of his mouth.
Jax noticed the expression. He stepped closer, his voice low. "What are you doing?"
Master Gaius blew out a plume of smoke, his eyes tracking the growing congregation on the dock. "Nothing. Just envisioning her response to all of this, is all."
He waved his arm at the groups already intermingling. The Heart Pirates had clustered around the Consortium engineers, discussing the repairs needed for the Pluton and Dreadnought Thalassa. Ikkaku gestured emphatically at a holographic schematic while Jean Bart nodded along. Bepo stood nearby, his ears perked with interest.
Emmet's eyes narrowed in contemplation, his fingers tapping a complex rhythm against his thigh. "I suspect it will not go as you think it will. The last time we saw her was on Ohara. She did not receive us well."
Master Gaius looked at him, his grin unwavering. "Yes, but you did walk away unscathed." He began walking toward the congregation, his pipe trailing smoke. "That means she doesn't attack without provocation."
Jax opened his mouth to respond, his scarred face set in that familiar expression of serious concern.
Master Gaius stopped in the center of the dock and raised his voice. "Okay, people!"
Everyone paused. Conversations died mid-sentence. Heads turned toward the silver-haired mentor.
"We have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time." Master Gaius's voice carried that unexpected weight that made even the most chaotic individuals fall silent. "Alistair Reginald Finch and Bianca will be assessing and coordinating repairs for the facility and the submarines. All you engineers, get to work!"
Alistair straightened his cravat, his chest puffing with self-importance. "An excellent assignment. I shall apply my considerable expertise to—"
Master Gaius cut him off with a wave. "Annabell Ellis will take the lead for the archaeologists, working with Charlie." He looked at Annabell, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Try not to wake anything up."
Annabell squared her shoulders, her hazel eyes flashing with indignation behind her oversized glasses. "I would never!"
Master Gaius chuckled, his pipe smoke curling around his face. "Yeah. Where have I heard that before?"
Annabell opened her mouth to retort, but Master Gaius was already moving on.
"I will oversee security with Aurélie." His voice carried that edge of command that made everyone pay attention. "All guardians, fall in so we can assess and assign. I don't want anyone going anywhere without a guardian. Understood!"
Heads nodded around the dock. Even Jax gave a curt nod of acknowledgment.
Master Gaius's grin returned. "Good."
He looked at Aurélie, who had moved to stand beside him, her silver hair swaying, her hand resting on Anathema's hilt. "Why don't you give me a lay of the land?"
Aurélie nodded, her voice flat and professional. "This way. There is a monitor with a blueprint of the facility."
---
Emily Aoi Zoku hovered at the edge of the archaeologist group, her notebook clutched to her chest like a lifeline. Her dark brown eyes tracked Charlie's movements with an intensity that bordered on obsessive.
Her cheeks burned red as she watched him gesture dramatically, his hands waving through the air as he talked with Emmet and Zola. His pith helmet had slipped slightly, and a strand of brown hair fell across his forehead.
She bit her lower lip, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Annabell noticed the younger woman's distress. She moved closer, her voice low and kind. "Is that him?"
Emily's breath caught in her throat. Her face went from pink to crimson in the span of a heartbeat. "I—yes—I mean, I think so—I mean—" She swallowed hard. "That's him. That's Charlie Leonard Wooley."
Annabell nodded, adjusting her satchel. "We should introduce ourselves. We don't have much time. My understanding is that once the submarines are serviceable, they will be departing once more."
Emily's eyes went wide. "Right now?"
Annabell didn't notice her hesitation. "Yes, of course!" She marched forward with the determination of a woman on a mission.
Emily scurried after her, her heart pounding so loudly she was certain everyone could hear it. Her fingers tightened on her notebook, crushing the pages.
Annabell stopped behind Charlie. He didn't notice her presence, too absorbed in his animated conversation with Emmet and Zola.
Annabell cleared her throat.
Nothing.
She cleared her throat again, louder this time.
Still nothing.
She tried a third time, her voice carrying that tone of practiced patience. "Charlie Leonard Wooley."
Charlie spun around, his pith helmet nearly flying off his head. His eyes landed on Annabell, then shifted to Emily, then back to Annabell.
Annabell extended her hand, her voice professional but warm. "I am Annabell Ellis. Lead archaeologist." She gestured toward Emily, who had frozen in place like a deer caught in a ship's searchlight. "And this is Emily Aoi Zoku."
Emily's face burned so hot she was certain she was glowing. She forced herself to meet Charlie's eyes for exactly half a second before looking away, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hello."
Charlie cleared his throat, composing himself. His eyes lingered on Emily for just a moment longer than necessary before he took Annabell's hand. "It is nice to meet you. Both of you."
Annabell nodded, her hazel eyes sharp behind her glasses. "I concur. We have much to discuss and coordinate. Shall we begin?"
Charlie nodded, his professional demeanor snapping back into place. "Yes, of course. Allow me to—"
Emmet's voice cut through the conversation. "Charlie! Zola and I have to go, but we will catch up more later."
Charlie's head snapped toward his friend, his expression shifting from professional to slightly disappointed. "Oh. Yes. Of course. Later."
Emmet and Zola waved as they followed Bianca toward the facility's interior. Charlie watched them go, then turned back to Annabell and Emily.
"Right." He cleared his throat. "Shall we?"
Annabell nodded. "We should start with the artifacts you discovered. I've read your preliminary reports, but I would like to see the actual objects."
Emily's voice came out in a breathless rush. "I've read all your papers on the Laconia inscriptions. Every single one. Multiple times. Not in a creepy way. Just—in a thorough-research way. I'm sorry. I'm rambling. I always ramble when I'm—" She stopped, her face somehow burning even brighter.
Charlie blinked. A slow smile spread across his face. "You've read my papers?"
Emily nodded frantically. "Yes. All of them. Well, all the ones I could find. I think there might be some earlier ones that aren't in the main archives, but I tracked down most of them through—" She stopped herself. "I should stop talking now."
Annabell shot her a look that was half-amused, half-exasperated. "Emily is one of our brightest young scholars. She has a particular interest in your work."
Charlie's smile widened. "I'm flattered. Truly." He extended his hand toward Emily. "It's an honor to meet someone who's actually read my work."
Emily stared at his hand for a moment, her brain short-circuiting. Then she reached out and shook it, her palm sweaty and her fingers trembling.
"The honor is mine," she breathed. "I mean—you're—I mean—" She took a deep breath. "I'm very excited to work with you."
Charlie's eyes held hers for just a moment too long. "I'm excited to work with you too."
Annabell watched the exchange with a knowing smile, then cleared her throat. "We should get started. There's much to do."
Charlie nodded, finally releasing Emily's hand. "Right. This way."
He turned and walked toward the facility's interior, Annabell falling into step beside him. Emily followed a half-step behind, her heart still racing, her fingers tingling where Charlie's hand had touched hers.
Behind them, Master Gaius Vesper watched the entire exchange with an amused glint in his eyes. He puffed on his pipe, smoke curling around his silver hair.
"Interesting," he murmured to himself. "Very interesting."
Jax appeared at his elbow, his scarred face set in that familiar expression of concern. "What's interesting?"
Master Gaius's grin widened. "Everything, my boy. Everything."
If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider giving Dracule Marya Zaleska a Power Stone! It helps the novel climb the rankings and get more eyes on our story!
Thank you for sailing with us! 🏴☠️ Your support means so much!
Want to see the Dreadnought Thalassa blueprints? Or unlock the true power of Goddess Achlys?
Join the Dracule Marya Zaleska crew on Patreon to get exclusive concept art, deep-dive lore notes, and access to our private Discord community! You make the New World adventure possible.
Become a Crewmate and Unlock the Lore:
https://patreon.com/An1m3N3rd?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
Thanks so much for your support and loving this story as much as I do!