Despite Polina's attempts to ease the situation, Captain Sterling could feel the tension mounting. The threat of the pirates chasing them, his duty to the Prince... And Oliver, their protector for this trip, and a man capable of great violence- who had also made it absolutely clear that he wouldn't have a problem killing Sterling himself if there was sufficient reason...

"I can't do that." He spoke into the momentary silence, face grim as all eyes turned his way- mostly in surprise, though the threat of imminent danger in Oliver's eyes was crystal clear. "I understand that, despite her being an animal, you value your companions safety. Truthfully, I respect it, and would feel the same for any of my crew..."

"But my duty is to see the Prince safely to Olam." He said softly, but with a solemn dignity. "Even if it costs the lives of my crew, or even my own. As much as you wish to retrieve Henrietta, letting them catch up to us poses a significant threat to Prince Dorrim's life and our mission."

"And I can't do that."

Oliver stared at the captain, his gaze seeming to pierce through to the Demon's very soul- and the captain stared back without flinching. He knew Sterling was a man of duty and principle, and was fiercely loyal to his crew... and that there was no way that he would do as Oliver asked. If Oliver tried to force it, the captain would fight him on it, even if it cost him his life.

And the crew would follow suit, as they were just as loyal in return... And slaughtering the crew, some of which he even got along with, would only result in the mission failing- there was just no way that Oli and Poli could sail the ship the rest of the way alone, to say nothing of how Dorrim would respond.

Turning his gaze back to the chasing pirate ship, Oliver carefully gauged the shrinking gap between them. He knew if they continued to run, they could drag the chase out for perhaps another hour. But, even now, he could make out individual Devils on the deck of the Inexorable without needing his binoculars.

Likely the pirates could see them just as well- to say nothing of the spyglass he assumed was locked on them even now.

"Fine." He said suddenly, surprising everyone- none more so than the captain. Chuckling softly, he shrugged at their curious gazes. "Don't be so surprised. I may not really agree with your decision, but I get it. And I don't blame you..."

Just as the captain started to relax, Oliver smiled brightly and clapped his hands. "But I'm not leaving Henrietta behind. I can't do that." He said, echoing the captain's words. "So, plan B it is!"

The Captain tensed once more, wondering what this madman would propose next, and spoke through gritted teeth. "And what, exactly, is plan B?"

"I'm glad you asked." Oliver laughed. "Poli, you're on defense. If you get a shot at the mage, I want you to take it- though I expect him to be protected."

"You're going to do something crazy, aren't you?" Poli sighed even as she smiled lovingly at her boyfriend. Before he could answer, she spoke again. "I don't even know why I asked that. Just... don't go too crazy, ok? You're still my ride out of here and back home."

"Of course, dear!" Oliver reassured her, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. Turning to Lily, he smiled gently at the Demon Princess. "Would you mind going below and staying with Jal? I want to keep her far away from things if they start to go bad..."

Left unsaid was the fact that he didn't want the princess anywhere near violence either- she was far too gentle for that, inspiring protective feelings even in him.

"I would be happy to." Lily smiled, her gaze turned down shyly as the finished in a quieter voice. "Do... do I get a kiss too?"

Oliver hesitated, still not having figured out how he was going to handle the 'princess situation' as he thought of it. Did he really want a second wife? Sure, he liked Lily. She was kind and gentle, carrying herself with a noble grace- and her curiosity and excitement for learning about things from beyond her world was adorable...

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Though, if he wasn't already in a relationship, he would certainly consider getting closer to the lovely demon.

Before he could hesitate long, a hand on his back shoved him towards the princess. Glancing over his shoulder, his questioning gaze was met by Polina's smirk.

"You put her up to this, didn't you?" He asked, unsure when she could have managed it- his new plan was completely spur of the moment, so how had she done it? From her grin, it was almost a certainty...

He really didn't understand women... and was starting to think he never would.

"If you don't want to..." Lily muttered, looking downtrodden- until, on impulse, Oliver grabbed her horn and gently pulled the seven foot tall demoness down to his level and briefly kissed her cheek.

"You do know that my life is just as crazy as I am, right?" He asked, staring into the inky pools of her eyes. "And that going with us means that it is unlikely you will ever see your home or family again?"

"You do know..." Lily gasped- practically a moan, really- as she gazed at him with wide eyes. "That grabbing a ladies horns is...ah... a very intimate act, right?"

Oliver froze in shock at that particular fact, never having even considered it. After a moment, his fingers slowly uncurled, releasing his grip on her.

Lily straightened, a small shiver running down her spine at the brief contact. Brushing her hand nervously over the hips of her dress, she carefully ignored the shocked looks directed her way and smiled down at her future husband- assuming that sudden revelation didn't scare him off... "And... I am aware that returning would be difficult. But I have faith that a man of your abilities will find a way- if for no other reason than to make me happy."

Oliver watched the Lily's swaying hips as she turned and headed below, his thoughts a riot at what had just happened. Without turning to look at Poli- as he already expected her to be wearing a knowing smirk- he sighed softly. "Please try not to look so smug, hon."

"You didn't even look at me!" Polina laughed teasingly.

Shaking his head, Oliver turned to the stunned demons standing nearby. "Ok, now that I'm done embarrassing myself, it's time to focus up and get to it."

"What do you need us to do?" Ram asked, awkwardly looking at anything but Oliver.

A mischievous smile flashed across Oliver's face as he stepped in front of the three demons, pulling a small glass bottle from his warehouse. "I just need the three of you to stand there and block line of sight while I pull a disappearing act."

"Disappearing act?"

"Yep!" Holding up the bottle, Oliver's eyes twitched slightly as he thought about how much it cost. "This... is an invisibility potion- and, let me tell you, they are not cheap!"

"Really cutting into my profits on this job..."

"But that's not the point." He shrugged off the expense- Henrietta was worth more... And he would still make plenty on this job, anyway. "Once I drink this, I'll be completely invisibly for ten minutes... Or until I do something crazy, like shooting someone... Or blowing something up..."

"Anyway." He moved on quickly, ignoring their looks of curiosity and disbelief. "After I drink this, I'm going to jump overboard, swim over to the pirate ship... and, hopefully, fuck things up enough over there to disable their ship and allow Henrietta and I to use my raft to rejoin you."

"That... is a terrible plan." Captain Sterling sighed, knowing his words would do nothing to dissuade this madman. "But... good luck."

"Thanks!" Oliver grinned, raising the bottle to his lips and drinking its contents down in one long gulp- and vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"I'll see you all in a bit!" His voice echoed from nowhere, just moments before they heard water splashing behind them.

"Be safe, Oli." Poli said softly, before turning to face the demons with a slightly manic grin. "Man, I almost feel bad for those assholes..."

"You know..." Ram said slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm willing to bet that bottle of rum I've been saving that he blows their ship up."

Captain Sterling snorted derisively, shaking his head. "That's a sucker's bet if I ever heard one."

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