[The Docks] Slaves for the Cage (Dieter)

[Kaie]

54th of Winter, 514 AV
17th Bell



"Oi, ya must be tha' savage Tall Johnny done told me 'bout. Says ya know this kind o' work?" Came the pragmatic growl of a sailor standing on the forecastle deck of the docked ship. Slender fingers plucked the fat cigar from his teeth. A quick stream of smoke spouted from between his thick lips. "Ya do speak Common, aye?" The Myrian walked down the length of the dock toward the loading board. Her greeter made a likewise gesture. The tawny skinned woman gave the modestly built man a stiff nod.
"Aye. I do," Kaie replied steadily as the man strode down from the ship to meet her. The gladius at the woman's hip gave her side a loyal pat when her own walking halted.
"Aye to which?"
"Both I suppose."
"Good! Very good!" The seaworthy man grinned at her and went back to puffing on his cigar. The clothes he wore were certainly for a man twice his size, but despite their bagginess, they suited his grand persona well enough. Kaie's amber eyes drifted to study that of the wooden beast he'd dismounted, letting them rove the length.

"Ya like Gilly, eh?"
"Who?"
"Tha' bloody ship, woman! Gods. Ne'er set foot on a deck before?" He reached his big hand around to clap her on the back jovially, chewing on the cigar like a fiend as he laughed heartily. The Myrian's focus divided itself cleanly for the tick between man and vessel.
"Once or twice," She murmured back off-handedly, catching the glimpse of an obvious Svefra man tooling his way back toward the stern.
"Well, she's a tough bitch this Gilly I tells ya! Winter came quick on us. Sea fought us like Hai! Cold as Morwen out there, too. This here girl roughed it out, go' us back to the Ole 'Berth 'fore it could freeze us out. Lucky sons o' bitches we are. Don't matter now. We gots us a job, no? Come aboard."

He led her up onto the ship deck with all the pride a man displaying his mansion might. Already was he rattling off some of the modest ship's attributes, regurgitating old stories of adventure on the vessel irrelevant to the Myrian's purpose that day. Polite habits learned in Syliras brought her to nod now and then in response to his tellings, but her focus was reserved for her environment. Already was she tuning herself in to the sound of flapping mast fabric hanging limp in the chilly wind. The creaking of the wood beneath her bladed boots soon became almost comforting. Once or twice the man quit his storytelling to holler at one of his shiphands in broken Fratava. Soon enough he'd wrapped up his spiel and got down to the business that had sent the Myrian to see his company.

"Betcha wanna know what it is yer guardin'. Come 'ere and I'll show ya," the sailor baited her with a grin and another puff on his cigar. He stopped before covered hole in the ship deck that led down below. "Ya know what makes a good casino go 'round besides them games? Wha' keeps 'em all so excited?" Kaie considered his riddle for a moment before a few not-so-distant memories collided with her. She'd been in Tall Johnny's several times. Not always for the same reason of course. Yet a few of those times boiled down to one. "The fights?"Her companion clapped his hands together, the ashy end of the cigar sprinkling down upon the wooden floor. His brown eyed twinkled with delight. "Aye! Tall Johnny needs to put on a good show. Brough' these poor bastards in from Nyka. Some o' them are criminals. All of 'em are brutes. Jus' wha' our buddy Tall Johnny's lookin' fer." He gave a good stomp upon the deck with his boots. Kaie thought she heard a murmur down below.

"You've got a crew. What do you need a guard for?" To that the old sailor offered her another hearty laugh and strode toward the bowsprit. The Myrian was close at his heels.
"Aye. Got me self a crew. Good crew, too. None o' them are fighters though. Good slaves make clever slavers raise a brow. Get their attention? Got us a raid. Don't want tha'. Bad fer business."
"Makes sense. Seems easy enough. Keep them off the deck and the slaves on lock."
"Outta be. Won't be workin' it alone though, savage. Got a man comin' any tick now. We'll be ready ta' deliver the cargo by Syna rise. Jus' need ta' make it through tha' night. Tall Johnny sent one o' his own to work with ya, make sure the job's done right. You understand."
"I get how it works. Shouldn't be an issue."
"Good! Captain Swiftwind by the way. Lemme see if I can find our guy," he concluded with a shaking of her hand before disappearing back down to the docks.

Maybe the other mercenary is here, She thought to herself with a shrug of her narrow shoulders. Beneath her winter cloak she could feel the weight of the kukri harness about her back and the gladius hanging from her hip. There was a rock upon her bladed boots as she spun to take in the scene once again. The chilly air of an ocean breeze whipped through her brown curls, and sent a gentle shiver down her spine. Let's hope this night goes by quick.

[Dieter Hauer]

Dieter arrived at the docks a bit later than he would have liked but still on time to begin his shift, if you could call it that, on the boat. He had been sent by Tall Johnny to protect an incoming shipment of slaves for the cage fights instead of showing up to the casino to work. This should be… interesting, to say the least. Dieter thought , he had not spent much time out on the docks in Sunberth, he had not had reason to be down there before today. He took a little bit of time to look at the surroundings of the docks while walking, he had always appreciated knowing his surroundings at all times, especially so when he expected a fight to be somewhere on the horizon. The docks seemed to still be fairly busy despite the bad weather that Sunberth had been experiencing lately.

“ ’Ey, lad! You the one Tall Johnny sent out ta me? ” a booming voice came from someone nearby Dieter, giving him a bit of a surprise. "O’ course you are, nobody else ou’ here who don’ know ‘is way aroun’. Now don’ be shy, come on up ‘ere. We’re waiting fer ya.” The shout came from a man that Dieter had been passing at the time, a stout man and clearly a seafaring man who was smoking a large cigar. "Yes, I was sent by Tall Johnny. You’re the ship with our… shipment?” Dieter responded walking towards the ship and the man, a strong weather-worn man as is quite common amongst the ship captains in the area and through most of the world. “Aye, we ‘ave yer slaves ‘ere. Come on, I’ll introduce you to your partner fer the night. Captain Swiftwind by the way.” The man said, and made a hand motion beckoning Dieter to follow him up to the ship. Dieter took a moment to admire the ship; it was large and well cared for, this man’s pride and livelihood wrapped in one.

"Gilly’s a beauty, ain’t she?” The captain said when he saw Dieter looking at the boat. Dieter was a bit confused by the name; it was not often that people who weren’t seafarers heard ships referred to by name, so he did not respond to the question except with a nod. “By the Gods, the ship’s Gilly.” Swiftwind turned and nearly yelled before saying the second half in a laughing tone, as though he had explained it recently “ ‘S like you people haven’t seen a ship in yer lives.” Turning about he started bragging about the ship, “Gilly ‘ere is one of the toughest ships you’ll lay your damn eyes on, ain’t no ship better than Gilly. Should ‘a seen the way she held up in these winter storms. None better than Gilly I tell ya.” This continued well after they reached the deck of the ship, Dieter mostly ignored this bragging and used the time to look about the deck for anything of note. There was nothing to be seen that looked out of the ordinary, but Dieter didn't know boats all too well.

He took a look around the deck and saw the person that was clearly his 'partner', as the captain put it, for the night. She was a fair bit shorter than Dieter and had a skin tone that was foreign in Sunberth, but she did seem to be a well-muscled woman, if a bit young. She seemed to have a gladius on her hip but no other weapons in the open, anything concealed was concealed well. When he saw her Dieter put his left hand on the hilt of his sword for no real reason and quickly took his hand off of the hilt again.

Even with his coat on Dieter could feel the cold seeping through, Tonight won’t be comfortable, that’s for sure thought Dieter. If it were this cold now, this early in the evening he could only imagine what it would be like in the dead of the night up on the deck where the wind was sweeping in over the bay. " ’Ey there woman, I told you I’d find him for ya! Well ‘ere he is. Get yourself introduced, yer gonna ‘ave to spend some time together." This loud semi-introduction was a bit odd but not unexpected from a man like this, it fit that he would be abrupt in this way. Dieter approached the dark skinned woman, giving a brief introduction as he walked, ”Hello, my name’s Dieter. Tall Johnny’s man, nice to meet you.”

With any luck nothing bad would happen tonight, all would go well, and time would pass quickly. This was unlikely to happen and Dieter would have preferred another shift in the casino to standing out in the cold all night waiting for a raid, but you have to do what you're told and this is the job that the boss had given him.

[Kaie]

Not an awful ship. No holes in the deck. Nothing growing on the rails, She thought to herself as the boisterous captain bounded away from her to receive her new partner. Bladed boots crept across the wooden deck toward the hatch closer to the main mast. From the corner of her eye she caught a couple remaining crew members stealing glances at her. No expression was offered with their wandering stares, and just as quickly as they eyed her, they looked away. For the time being the Myrian paid them no mind. She had a job to do and a ship to secure. The first order of business was taking a look at what exactly she was protecting.

She stopped before the hatch, amber eyes drifting toward to inspect it. It was a simple thing, really. Nothing special about it. She gave a tap at it with her boot, testing to see how easily it was to lift. It hardly budged at her simple, lazy manipulation. Its hinges gave a moan in protest. Heavier. And noisy. Good. "Didn't think your lot left the jungle."
Kaie whirled on her heels to face the speaker, the hatch forgotten. She furrowed her brow as she studied the man before her. He was gaunt but not in a sickly way. Cheekbones were pronounced in the presence of sucked in cheeks. Blonde hair braided upon his head and beard reminded her of the Svefra she'd met years ago. His attire, much like the captain's, hung loosely off his body as if scavenged or handed down.
"I could ask the same of you. I thought Svefra stayed in their own groups. What do you call them again?" She shot back after once-ing him over, offering a crooked half-smile. For a tick she was stuck on the striking blue of his race's trademark eyes.
"Pods. We call them pods."

He returned her smile with one of his own. In his hand he held a knife, which caught her attention immediately. Her eyes glanced from him to it, and then back again. Seeming to catch her line of thought, his brow rose and the knife blade was quickly put back in its scabbard at his hip. "No threat" he seemed to try to say. Back toward the docks Kaie heard the booming voice of Swiftwind. Looks like Johnny's man has arrived. The Svefra crew must've come to the same conclusion. He stole a glance their way, out toward the street, and back to her again.
"Let's hope the old tales they tell about you and your people are true. These streets are mean and the people cruel. Makes me long for Zeltiva. Good luck, girl." And with that he ducked down to lift the hatch, which offered its protesting groan, and dropped down below with a shut of it behind him. She wandered back toward her previous post. The captain's calls for her arrived no more than a moment afterward.

The man had arrived right on time. Syna had just begun to set over the slummy city, and as night gathered, so did the conspirators. The Myrian appraised him as he was presented to her by their overseer. He was certainly built like a man in the trade he claimed to be in. Through the scruff and somewhat long hair atop his head, his brown eyes were almost calculating in all the right ways. Seems like the type that can use his head. Their exchange was an odd one to be sure. Stiff with pragmatism. It was hard to be much else when the winter was already shaping up to be a cold one.
"Likewise. I'm Kaie." Her hand rested on her sword out of habit. There was a clearing of her throat and a gesture toward the average size ship they were assigned to. "I'm assuming Tall Johnny told you what you need to know. Keep the merchandise safe."
"Oi! And us too!"
She had to smile at the captain's outburst, apparently having heard her voice in his retreat. Her brow raised and there was a shrug of her shoulders as she looked to Dieter.
"How many is 'us'?"
"Five includin' me!"
"Guard the slaves and the ship with its five men," She corrected herself with an amused grin, shaking her head all the same. At least the latter of the two could protect themselves to some extent.

"I took a look around. Everything seems sturdy because, you know, Gilly's the best damned ship there ever was apparently."
"Ya better petchin' believe it's true! Ask any damned one o' us! Rightly made, tough as nails, takes on Laviku like a petchin'..." The old captain's voice trailed off the further he walked from the two mercenaries, until he found his way into his cabin. The Myrian merely paused in her discussion until he was finished before attempting again.
"As I was saying...looks like any approach anyone makes would have to be pretty straight forward. Unless they're dumb enough to swim in water this cold, they're coming up from the docks. One way in, one way out. Just how I like it." Kaie took a moment to reflect on the facts she presented, giving a look back out toward the docks and the city beyond. Still she could hear the bustling foot traffic as people went about their daily life.

"Did Tall Johnny have any specific instructions for us? If not I figured we could alternate. Someone guards the loading docks while the other patrols the deck."

[Dieter Hauer]

The sun was starting to set over Sunberth , hiding some of the grime of the streets and the scum that would soon be emerging to take advantage of the innocent, if anyone in Sunberth could be considered that. It was also the beginning of the time that Dieter and his partner really needed to start watching out for anyone that was going to attempt to disrupt the shipment, as they were going to start coming out. The city could really become a nasty place when the sun went down; At night you always need to watch your back in this place.

The ship around him was well constructed and well kept, giving it a good look in the docks of Sunberth. She had been kept relatively clean, reflecting the captain’s pride in his ship, and the crew was just finishing up their cleaning now. Dieter could see the woman looking him over when he arrived, the same as he had done to her. It was common practice in Dieter’s experience as a mercenary, a small amount of time in Kenash and most of his time in Sunberth, to investigate the other person upon meeting them. Dieter also noticed her and was being kept on her sword, a convenient and comfortable rest for most sword users.

When Kaie introduced herself Dieter made sure to memorize her name, he didn’t want to seem incompetent by doing something as simple as forgetting her name. When asked if he knew what they were doing Dieter nodded briefly without interrupting her, which Switwind did in a moment anyways. They were now expected to keep the crew of the ship safe as well as the slaves that they had originally been brought out to protect. It shouldn’t be an issue though, I’m doing the same thing as before, and maybe the crew would try to fight for themselves if they have to. It seemed unlikely that they’d fight though, if they could Dieter and Kaie wouldn’t be there right now. Dieter couldn’t help but to smile as Captain Swiftwind went off about Gilly again, this time prompted by Kaie, and looked down at the deck of the ship while shaking his head.

Kaie, once finished with Swiftwind, returned to the business at hand, defending the ship. She made good sense when stating that the only way in was over the docks unless, of course, they came from the water. “It was definitely too cold for them to swim, but a small rowboat could be used if they were to avoid the chunks of ice in the water.” Dieter replied, looking to point out another possible threat and nothing more.

"Did Tall Johnny have any specific instructions for us? If not I figured we could alternate. Someone guards the loading docks while the other patrols the deck." Kaie continued, offering a good plan for the one entrance style of defending a ship.

“In the way of instructions, make sure the slaves don’t escape or get stolen or badly injured. That is about it. Alternating patrols sound good, we need stay within ear-shot of each other though. I don't want to be caught in a group of people alone.” Dieter said, recalling what he was told earlier. It seemed to be a simple task to get right but there were many factors outside of their control that they might have to fight if they were to succeed tonight.

Dieter was glad to be working with a real professional; it makes things much easier to work when the other person is competent. Johnny seemed to be good at choosing people that were good to work with, the others at the casino were all reliable and it seemed that his choice of external hiring was equally as informed. Probably comes with living here for so long, you get reliable contacts and ideas of what to look for in an employee.

[Kaie]

The Myrian gave a sure nod of her head. So their instructions were just as simple as they seemed, though if she knew anything from her time in the city, nothing was ever so easy as it should've been. With conditions so appalling, it was no surprise that even the common citizen would go so far as put themselves on a suicide mission if success would yield a better standing. No one was safe. Everyone was dangerous, and she'd be dead the day she ever forgot it. Keeping close isn't such a bad idea, she thought to herself carefully as she eyed her partner. When there's only two guards, collapsing on one at a time is easy with distance.

"Sounds good to me. We'll give each other a holler if even something small feels out of place. No idiot storms a guarded zone without a game plan, unless they're petching desperate," Kaie returned with amber eyes staring back out toward the streets. Another chill raced down her skin, giving rise to goose flesh. The Myrian grit her teeth against the cool. "I'll take first patrol if you like. I've never been on a ship like this. It'll give me a chance to see what kind of space we're working with." The hatch was thrown open just then, one of the gritty sailors pulled himself aboard. He slammed the hatch back down and went back to knotting the rope in his hand. For what, she couldn't quite say. A nervous habit? If only she knew a thing about ships and their sailors. "I'll be back in a few chimes and they can switch. Give us both a chance to keep warm moving around."

The savage mercenary turned on her heels and began to walk along the length of the ship. Her hand stretched out to slide gently along the ship railing, doing her best to avoid splinters where the old ship was no longer sanded well. Each step of her bladed boots gave way to echoes and creaks along the deck boards. She could almost feel the gentle swell of the freezing water jostling beneath the hull. All the while her hand rested loyally on her gladius hilt, prepared to yank it free at the slightest disturbance. Yet for now all seemed relatively quiet. Calm, even. Walking along the rails brought her around to the other half of the ship. Sitting upon the steps leading up to the navigation deck was the old Svefra man again. He was humming while he whittled a small piece of wood with his knife.

"It's about to be a long night for you, lass."
"Probably right, but a job's a job. Still have to do it," She sighed as she paused before him, surveyed the area about them before resting her eyes on his craft. "What's that for?"
"What, this? Keeps my hands nimble. They get stiff in this kind of cold. Been meanin' to retire maybe. Find somewhere warm to rest. Can't keep away from the sea though. A Svefra curse." The Myrian watched him in silence for a few ticks before her eyes returned to the deck once more. It was a small ship to be sure. However, it still had its share of blind spots. From the opposite side of the ship she couldn't see Deiter and the dock, and vice versa. A tick with her back turned and someone could've rushed them. Any delay could result in their failure as well as their death.
"You know this ship. Where's the best spot for keeping an eye out? Somewhere I can see everything?" To that the Svefra chuckled and merely pointed his finger upward.
"Crow's Nest, girl. Better scurry up the rat lines before it gets any cold."

Crow's Nest? Kaie turned to where the man pointed an spied the small lookout platform high above. One either side of the ship a long netting ran up to it. It was high, high as the smaller trees in Falyndar's jungle. An even longer fall with no branches to slow her crashing. Shyke. She made her way to the lines with a knot within her stomach, a small voice of reason scorning her for attempting a climb. And yet she needed a better look. So she climbed. One foot at a time she jammed them against the ropes, one foot at a time she stepped higher and higher. Her hands clenched the cold rope tightly. Once or twice one of her feet missed the rope and slipped through a hole, the lines twisting as she tried to keep her balance. Eventually she made it to the top and hauled herself inside the wooden nest. Kaie peeked over the sides before she was brave enough to stand, feeling the height in its entirety when she dared look down. The savage swallowed hard, but the pride in her success lingered quietly. Now what's there to see?

Amber eyes gazed through the wintry night, scanning the docks first. She spied Deiter going about his own business. One of the Svefra crewmen strode his way. She then swept to the other side of the ship, noticing the old man still working away at the piece of wood. Far below she thought she heard the hearty bellow of the captain, but the wind drowned that noise of with ease. As she gripped the wooden siding she noticed a redness coming to her hands, which only worsened each time Morwen's breath blew. She set her jaw despite the rosiness in her cheeks and looked outward toward the city. Candle lights filled some of the windows of nearby buildings. Only a few walked along the cold streets, even then bustling with coats wrapped around them. All seemed well and fine...until she noticed something strange. In one of the alleyways barely light by a tavern's outdoor lantern, she noticed a few silhouettes ducked in the shadows. Why stay out at night if not conspiring? For the moment they seemed to only be huddling together suspicious. The elevation was more than the Myrian wanted to deal with at the moment anyway.

Back down she climbed from the Crow's Nest, making the perilous and messy trip back down the rat lines. Her boots hit the deck with a sound thud. Teeth all but clattering, she shoved her hands inside her cloak and made her way back toward Deiter. "I didn't see much. Ship's clear. Just an odd bunch huddled in some alleyway despite the cold out just past our dock. Nothing to worry about yet. Keep an eye out anyways."

[Dieter Hauer]

Splitting up was not a real issue for Dieter, kind of expected and the easiest way to guard something with only one way on or off. After she agreed to keep close enough to be easily called out to and offered to watch the boat for the first few chimes, he gave a nod and walked down to the docks. Dieter was going to have to keep an eye out because she was right, no one would try to storm the ship unless they had a solid plan. They'd have to feel that they had either a numerical or strategic advantage to even consider trying to attack a shipment that they would have to know was defended.

The docks were mostly empty at this time of night and anything that was on the docks was boxes and crates from the handful of ships, like Gilly, that had made it into the docks despite the frozen water and the bad weather, but even those didn't seem to have had too much on them. There were a few stacks of crates on the pier that Dieter was on, and this seemed to be the most used one at the time. Could be good cover if it's needed, with any luck we won't, but always nice to know your possibilities.

After a few chimes of looking around on the pier just around the front of the ship one of the Svefra crew members came down to the pier. " 'Ey there guard, anything on the go out 'ere or every been boring tonight" he asked, "I ain't seen much out here, if that makes you feel any better." the Svefra deck hand continued. "I've seen nothing out here either, it looks good so far but it is still early in the night. A lot of chance for someone to come out of the woodwork yet." Dieter replied, absent-mindedly while looking at some of the crates that were on the docks, trying to look at what was in them. Most of them were unlabelled entirely, which was interesting, but not something that was uncommon from the appearance of things.

"You ever been on a shiaptain's bragging is barely exaggerated." The Svefra continued questioning. "Yes, for a short while between Syliras to Kenash. It was a nice place but things didn't work out for me there." Again, Dieter was focusing less on the conversation than looking around for things that could be used if a fight broke out. There were a few piles of rope lying around the dock that could be used to trip people up if need be. It would also be easy enough for someone to fall between a boat and the pier into the freezing water.

There was a soft creaking of wood and some footsteps coming down the ramp that led up to the deck of the ship, looking over his shoulder Dieter saw Kaie coming down to the pier. Kaie looked particularly red and cold, like she had been exposed to the wind more brutally than the rest of the people out here. He listened to her report on what she had seen, a few people out in an alleyway in this cold suspicious but nothing to worry about. "Alright, they're probably nothing to worry about but it's something to keep an eye on. Where have you been? Looks like you've been taking the full brunt of the wind for a long while up there."

[Kaie]

The Myrian gave a huff of misty breath into the winter air. It came out in one sharp plume, drifting upward afterward until it disappeared into the wind. Bronze hands rubbed at her arms beneath her cloak. I've really gotta start investing in seasonal clothes... To her companion's questioning, she gave a guilty and almost apologetic grin.
"Up there," She pointed toward the height of the Crow's Nest, the flag at its top whipping violently in the wind. "I figured it'd give me a better look. Technically I was still in earshot...if you called loudly." Kaie shrugged and strode toward the railing nearby. Amber eyes peered through the gentle snowfall. Down toward the docks she could just make out the cluster of the suspicious mob. Much to her relief (or was it panic?) they suddenly were on the move. Cloaks and coats billowed behind them as the group split. Each seemed to part their separate ways in opposite directions. Soon enough they'd disappeared into the thick of the Dock traffic. All but one.

She watched him for a good few ticks, the lone man. There was something eerie about his position, the way he stood there like a marble statue against the wind. The petch is that? He was squared toward their ship despite his distance. An odd black hat sat upon his head, like a wrapping she'd seen in strange foreigners claiming to come from a world of intense heat and little water. His hands were firmly in his pockets. The savage turned back toward Dieter. "Looks like they've moved on anyway. Let's just stay sharp. Why don't you head on your round? See what the crew's up to and what not. Keep everyone accounted for. I'll take up your spot." She give him one last reassuring flash of teeth before she wandered to take his old post.

Leaning against the side railing at the ship's opening, she furrowed her brow at the plank that linked ship to dock. The Myrian crouched down and gripped the ends closest to her. Stepping back, she tugged the plank aboard and stowed it beside the railing. Swiftwind, like some sort of mind-reader, huffed his way over with his hands thrown up. "OI! The petch do ya think yer doin'?!"
"Destroying a point of access," Kaie replied rather simply. Amber eyes stared down into the watery gap that now separated ship from wooden platform. "And how are we 'pose to get our stuff off the ship?"
"You're not. Not tonight anyway."
"Now ya listen here--!" Kaie whipped around on her heel and gave a growl, teeth bared in frustration. A tawny index finger prodded the man in the chest, the other hand gripping her sword firmly. "You listen to me. You're being paid for those slaves, yes? Well Dieter and I are paid for keeping them secured on this petching ship. No one gets on. No one gets off. Not until morning. We're locking this place down, so go back to your other duties, Captain. Certainly there are other preparations to be made for the morning?" The proud Svefra's jaw went slack, lips working to speak but no sound logic seemed to arise quick enough. He grumbled something in agreement and trudged away, cursing foully and mentioning something about a chain gang.

The Myrian's gaze looked back out toward the docks. That's when she saw it. That solo figures was slowly walking at the most leisurely pace she'd seen from such a bold man. He strutted along the docks from the street. Step by step past one ship, then another. Soon enough he'd be toward their dock's opening, and it would be a test to see if he dared turn down their way. Shyke... She hoped all was well on Dieter's end. At least with the plank gone she wouldn't have to worry about anyone boarding the ship, right?