Oliver hopped over the rail with a bright smile on his face, glad to be back on the Isadora. While he had very much enjoyed their little scouting expedition, and had gathered a number of things for his next auction, he was eager to move on. Though exploring the islands more would have been exciting in its own right, he wouldn't delay the job without a good enough reason...

And Ram had already mentioned that no ancient ruins had yet been discovered in the Maze Islands, much to Oliver's disappointment.

"Hey stranger." Poli said as she made her way over to him, passing Ram who was already hurrying to report to the Captain. Wrapping her arms around her boyfriend, she leaned into him with a relieved sigh. "I'm not really a fan of us splitting up like that, but it was the right call... Though it sounded like you guys had quite the adventure..."

"Yeah, you could say that." Oliver chuckled.

"Dad!" Was all the warning he got, as the Devil child slammed into his side, clinging tightly to him. "I was so worried! Mom said you were fighting pirates and blowing stuff up!"

"It's nice to see you too, Jal." He laughed softly, an odd warmth blooming in his chest at the girl's affection. It was... uncomfortable. But... nice? For a moment, it reminded him of his mom, and how things had been before...

Shaking his head to clear away the old memories, he smiled down at the girl. "And, as you can see, I'm fine. No problem, really- just blew up a pirate ship, then had this epic sword fight! It was awesome! You should have seen how-"

Poli cleared her throat, interrupting him before he got lost in the story- and struggled to hide her smile at Oliver's sheepish expression. "Maybe the full story should wait, seeing as you said there were things to talk about... You know, like why the Captain is looking uncomfortable from whatever Ram is telling him?"

Opening his mouth to answer, Oliver hesitated for a second as an idea occurred to him. Focusing his mind on what he wanted, he spoke slowly. "Yeah, the Elf told me a few things." A grin flashed briefly across his face at Polina's surprise- and Jal's confusion- his idea having worked: all he had to do was focus on wanting to use a specific language, namely English, and the System wouldn't translate his words...

Which, unfortunately, Polina's enchanted translator couldn't do.

"You were right about the new member of the crew being someone important. He's a Prince, apparently. And, if the Elf was telling the truth- which I think he was- then we're on the right side of things. The Devil's are the aggressors in a big war, and the Prince is on his way to ask their allies for aid."

"Well... shit." Poli huffed in surprise, shaking her head. "Ok, so how do you want to play this? It might be a good idea to reassure the Captain, just so he doesn't freak out. I imagine he's already working through the possibilities..."

"Like the chance that we could screw them over for a bigger payout?" Oliver muttered, looking thoughtful. "Yeah, that's fair. Not that we would, really, but reassuring him is a good idea. He's been pretty decent, mostly, so I would prefer if we stayed on good terms."

Switching back to the local language-which Oliver still hadn't learned the name for- he gave Jal a quick hug as he spoke. "Why don't you wait in our cabin for us while we talk to the Captain? I promise I'll tell you about my crazy adventure later."

"Can't I come with you?" Jal whined, clinging to him. "I promise I'll be quiet while you talk!"

Oliver sighed softly, squatting down to eye level with the girl. "I know you would be, but I'm pretty sure the Captain will want to talk privately..."

"And, something you'll have to think about..." He spoke hesitantly, wanting her to understand but not wishing to crush her dreams. "If you did go back with us, we wouldn't always be there. You know that, right? Sometimes we would take jobs like this one, where we go to other worlds to help people... And we wouldn't be able to bring you with us."

"But... why not?" Jal pouted. "I can help! I know how to shoot, and Poli has been teaching me a lot of stuff! I could-"

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"It's not about how helpful you would be, or what you can do."Oliver cut her off gently. "It's about us wanting you to be safe and have a good life. The jobs I take are usually dangerous, and we wouldn't want you in the middle of that..."

"And we wouldn't be leaving you alone, I promise you that. We could-" He paused, freezing in place as it really hit him: he was considering adopting the girl. He wanted her to have a better life, and to be safe and happy... Glancing at Poli, he saw a small smile of encouragement on her face- not pushing him to do anything, just encouraging him... And maybe a touch of hope in her eyes.

"I'm sure Poli's mom- which I guess you'll end up calling grandma- would be happy to look after you while we work. And- oh! Oh, that would be fun..." Amusement danced in his eyes, and a hint of humor entered his voice as he glance at Poli. "Remind me later to tell her about her new Uncles: Gary, Ed, Marty, and Tyrone. I'm sure they would be happy to keep an eye out, too."

"A grandma!? And Uncles?" Jal squealed in joy, hugging Oliver tightly. "I can't wait! Thank you, Dad!"

Polina smiled tenderly down at Jal. It wasn't how she expected to start a family... but even she had to admit that she had gotten attached to the excitable girl- and it was obvious, to her at least, that Oliver was as well. "That's for later, sweetheart. For now, the two of us need to go talk to the Captain. You go wait in our Cabin, ok?"

"I'm sure your father will tell you all about his adventure once we're through."

Oliver missed the girl's response, having frozen in place at the word 'father'- for such a simple word, it stirred up a mix of emotions that he had no idea how to process. Fear and pain at memories of his own father... Hope, that maybe he could be different...

And a lot of worry. He had no idea how to even start at being a parent.

"Don't over think it, Oli." Poli said softly after Jal left, taking his hand and gently tugging him towards the Captain. "You'll be a great dad; I could see that just from how you two have been since we saved her... and your little boat trip with her. That was incredibly cute, by the way."

"Yeah..." He muttered, still trying to wrap his mind around what he had just done. He was going to be a dad... Hell, he already was one, as far as Jal was concerned...

"Come on and focus up, Oli." Poli chuckled. "The Captain is waiting."

Neither were surprised when the Captain insisted on talking in his cabin, having already figured that most of the crew were kept in the dark about their passenger. It was a short, but silent, walk to his room, and Sterling waited until they were seated before he spoke.

"So... what now?" He asked hesitantly.

"We're adopting Jal..." Oliver said suddenly, his mind having been circling around what he had said and what he needed to do moving forward. Blinking rapidly, he was quick to refocus on what was in front of him. "I'm... a dad?"

Captain Sterling's mouth hung open, shocked at the unexpected declaration, before he closed it with a snap. Shaking his head, he quickly cleared his throat to speak. "Well, congratulations. I'm glad she'll have a home... But... that isn't what I meant."

Smiling brightly, Polina patted Oliver's hand before turning to face the Captain. "Thank you, Captain. Oliver is... still processing his decision. But, to answer what you really want to know... Nothing has changed, other than us having more details. You hired us for a job, and we plan to see it through."

"Seriously?" Sterling asked in surprise. "I figured he would be at least a little upset with me right now..."

"Nah, we're good." Oliver said with a shrug, finally having pushed off the swirling thoughts. "Honestly, I don't blame you for trying to keep it secret. Word getting out would just make him a target- more of a target, I guess..."

"Since the damned pirates already know." Sterling nodded, forehead creased from worry. "But the only way for them to know..." Snorting in frustration and anger, he shrugged. "Nothing we can do about that. Ram's already sending a warning to someone we trust, so hopefully that will be enough."

Before anything else could be said, a knock at the door interrupted them and Ram strode in looking grim. "Since it's already out there, they are insisting on being a part of the conversation..."

A silent conversation seemed to pass quickly between the two Demons, and both looked uncertainly at the two humans. The silence stretched on for a moment... until Oliver chuckled.

"I'm guessing that we're about to meet the Prince, aren't we?" He grinned impishly at them, which slowly faded to a frown. "But you said 'they'. More than one person... Who is the other?"

The question hung in the air, a silent tension building... Until the door opened, and two Demons strode in.

Sighing in resignation, the Captain stood up to face the arriving duo and spoke reluctantly. "Oliver, Polina... Allow me to introduce Prince Dorrim'ban'Strus', heir to the Kingdom of Strus'den'Cald, and his sister, Princess Lilina'vix'Strus'."

"A prince and a princess..." Oliver muttered as he considered the implication, figuring it likely that the kingdom had sent both of them in the hopes of ensuring their safety- not that it was working as planned, really, but he imagined it was a consideration.

"Wait... Lilina'vix'Strus'?" Poli choked out, eyes wide with alarm as the pieces slotted together in her mind. She remembered that name, even if -based on the look of confusion he turned her way- Oliver didn't.

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