FicWad

Another part of being in the Crew was working at the shop. One day, when Quinn came into the shop for her shift, she found Jax, Saoirse, and Seamus in a heated argument with two people she did not recognize.

“…gotta be a better way we can settle this,” Jax said, managing a calm voice even though Quinn could see his frustration.

“We’ve had to make some new considerations, move some things around,” said a young woman with short dark hair and chestnut skin.

“What kind of considerations, Fabienne?” Seamus demanded. “We have not broken any of the agreements we made with Maleficent. She has no reason to change the terms.”

“Maleficent needs no reason to change the terms,” Fabienne said, haughtily.

“Yes, she can do as she pleases,” piped up the smaller redhaired girl beside her.

“Hush, Winnie,” Fabienne said. “You’re here to observe how negotiations work.”

“This is hardly a negotiation,” Saoirse muttered.

“So, what are the new terms?” Jax asked.

“You pay 75% of full price for supplies, stay off the shipping docks and not attack Maleficent’s castle or any of her associates or allies, and we won’t attack you either.”

Jax’s jaw clenched. “That’s hardly a fair deal.”

“Would you rather pay full price?” Fabienne asked. “And start a war between us?”

“No,” he said firmly. “Very well, it seems I have no choice.” He smiled stiffly and held out his hand. “It’s a deal.”

Fabienne shook his hand firmly, a triumphant look on her face. With a nod at Saoirse and Seamus, she and Winne turned to leave. “Pleasure doing business with you,” she tossed over her shoulder.

Neither spared half a glance for Quinn, which she was grateful for because Fabienne emulated Maleficent to a nearly uncanny degree. And while a lot of the VKs here were alright, the old footage of Maleficent shown to them at Auradon Prep still haunted her.

Jax leant against the counter looking frustrated and exhausted, brow furrowed. “Alright, Seamus, go to Tuka, see if the Defiant Doom also had a change in agreement. Try and negotiate supplies through our alliance. Saoirse, look at the numbers and rationing. Send Cyrus here to plan with me. And have Jukes go out scouting so we know how exactly Maleficent has moved things around.”

They nodded and quickly left the shop. Quinn quietly approached the counter, hanging her jacket on the coat rack. Jax looked up at her, his expression softening into very nearly a smile.

“And, so, your education on the inner workings of the Isle continues,” he said.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Quinn asked.

“Not unless they taught you about how to negotiate with unreasonable magic-less witches at your princess school,” he said.

“I’m afraid not,” Quinn said.

He nodded. “Didn’t think so,” They stood in silence for a moment. “But I could use someone to brainstorm with until Cyrus gets here.”

Quinn sat on the counter beside him. “So Maleficent controls the docks,” she said slowly. “And so, although she may not have more people has more negotiating power.”

Jax nodded, watching her with interest.

“The only way to even the scales is with some kind of leverage or new variable between us and Maleficent.”

She heard Jax inhale sharply and looked over at him. A grin was growing over his face. He hopped off the counter and faced her. “Quinn, you are a genius.” He kissed her cheek quickly and hurried out of the store.

For a moment, Quinn sat frozen on the counter, biting her lip to stifle the wide grin beaming over her features. “No problem,” she whispered.

•••

When her shift ended a few hours later, it was Corinna who came to take her place instead of her brother.

“Where’s Cai?” Quinn asked.

“Apparently something important’s happening,” the little Powder Monkey said. “Everyone has to report to the Jolly Roger immediately.”

Quinn nodded and shrugged on her jacket as she headed out the door. Arriving on the Jolly Roger, the meeting had just ended belowdecks. In the center of the space was a large table with a map depicting the entire island with figures representing important players in the various gangs.

Jax turned and saw her. “Did no one call Quinn for the meeting?” he demanded.

No one said anything.

He sighed. “Alright, Quinn you’re with me, we’ll brief you as we go.”

Everyone headed out in small groups of two or three. Jax, Cai, and Hugo stayed behind for a few minutes.

“So, what’s the plan?” Quinn asked Hugo.

“Our group is going to sneak into Maleficent’s castle and kidnap Mal for leverage over her,” he said quickly.

“And what’s everyone else doing?”

“The duos are watching the Faciliers, Weseltons, and Shan Yu’s kids,” he said. “Cyrus, Jukes, and Blake I don’t know – their mission is secret; I’m pretty sure only Jax and Saoirse know.

Quinn nodded.

“Alright, guys,” Jax said and they all gathered around him. “Everyone else has had enough time to get into position, time for us to go.”

They walked casually through the city, staying mostly in the shadows, but not so much to seem suspicious. They passed Seamus and Nia, standing across the street from the Weseltons. Jax nodded discretely at them as they continued.

“What about Yzma’s kids?” she whispered to Hugo. “Who’s watching them?”

“Only Yoyotli and Ynes are with Maleficent,” he explained. “Yolanda and Yesenia are with Defiant Doom and they agreed to keep them occupied tonight.”

They neared Maleficent’s castle, looming over the rest of the city like a bad omen. In addition to its size, its gothic architecture set it apart from the ramshackle urban jungle of the rest of the Isle.

The four crouched behind a pile of empty crates near the main entrance. A troll stood on either side of the huge doors.

“We’re going through the front door?” Quinn whispered.

“All the others lead to a maze of passages,” Jax whispered. “We’d never find our way out.”

They watched the trolls a few moments more. They did not patrol back and forth, just stood still.

“Quinn,” Jax said. “If I get you up to that ledge,” he pointed at one about eight feet up. “Can you climb up to the window?”

Quinn looked up the wall, noting where bricks stuck out. The window was about twelve feet up. Trees were more her thing, but… “Yeah,” she said.

“While Cai and Hugo distract the guards, you climb up there and let this rope down. Cai and I will climb up. Once we’re all inside, you,” he turned to Hugo. “run and help where it’s needed.”

Hugo stepped out into the street and walked toward the trolls. “Good evening, gentlemen!” he called pompously. “I was hoping to ask a few questions.” He beamed up at them. “Do you enjoy working for Maleficent?” he asked. “I mean, I know there’s not a great job market for. Ogres? Are you ogres? Or, tall dwarves?”

Quinn looked over at Jax and Cai. This was the plan?

“He can be very annoying when he wants to be,” Cai said.

It seemed to be working too. Quinn saw how their jaws clenched as they both turned to look at him. Cai slipped from behind the crates and in the shadows of the street. He did a spectacularly bad job sneaking behind the trolls and was easily spotted. A troll spotted him, grabbed his arm and shoved him over to where Hugo was still chatting away.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked gruffly.

“Oh, no,” Cai gasped melodramatically.

Jax nodded at Quinn and they snuck out behind the trolls while they focused on Cai and Hugo. Rope slung over her shoulder, Quinn looked up at the wall. Its sheerness was much more daunting up close.

Jax knelt and laced his fingers together for Quinn to step on. Lifted up, she got a firm grip on the ledge with both hands and began to scramble up as quickly as possible. She was briefly reminded of the tree climbing races they used to have in Sherwood. She had never been the fastest – Ada Dale and her lanky limbs could climb absurdly fast – but she had been decently good. It was often considered the least practical of all their games but was coming to good use now.

She reached the window with a sigh of relief and tumbled inside. It was a very bare small room, only a table and a fireplace inside. But the table looked heavy and Quinn quickly tied the rope to it. Running back to the window, she saw Hugo had annoyed the trolls so much that they were slashing their spears at him. He jumped and ducked out of the way, still taunting them. She let the rope down the wall to Jax, who was watching the encounter with a slight grin. Just as he began to climb, Hugo managed to steal a hat right off of one of the trolls’ heads.

“Hey!” he boomed as Hugo scampered further down the street. The troll charged for him, calling for the other to follow. With a grin, Hugo sprinted down the street, trolls in hot pursuit.

When Jax reached the top, he was laughing. “Nothing like talking to Hugo to get you in a murderous rage.”

They both looked out the window, where Cai was starting to climb the rope. Quinn noticed a girl approaching the castle.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

“Shit,” Jax said. “Yoyotli’s the runner, she warns Maleficent’s people when she’s attacked.”

The girl stopped in front of the castle, having spotted them. Then she turned and ran back in the direction she had come from.

“Cai!” Jax called down to him. “Yoyo’s spotted us, make sure she doesn’t get to the others!”

Cai nodded and quickly scrambled down.

“We’ve got to hurry now,” Jax said and they ran out the wooden door into the dark corridor.

If the main entrance was the most straightforward way, Quinn would hate to see the maze-like parts. The corridor curved and split constantly, but Jax seemed to know the way. In a few minutes, they stopped in front of a wooden door, spray painted green and purple. The main design was Keep out! in all caps.

Jax motioned for them to be quiet as he carefully opened the door. The room was fairly dark, but Quinn could make out the shapes of the furniture and the designs covering the walls. She was a talented artist.

Then she noticed that the bed was empty.

“Didn’t you read the sign?” a voice asked, and Quinn was suddenly tackled from the side and fell to the ground. She caught a glimpse of purple hair as she struggled to get her off. She managed to shove the girl away, and quickly rose to her feet, dagger out.

“Wait, you’re just a kid,” Quinn said, staring at the girl who could not be more than ten or eleven.

“Yeah? What’s your point?” she said. “I could still take both of you.” She charged at Quinn, but before she was withing reach, Jax had stepped behind her and grabbed her arms. Mal struggled but it was useless, and she glared at them.



“You didn’t say she was a little kid,” Quinn whispered to Jax. Mal was sitting tied to a chair across the room.

“We’re not going to hurt her,” Jax said. “When Maleficent gives us a better deal, we’ll let her go.”

“And if she doesn’t?” Quinn asked, even quieter so Mal did not hear her. “Villains don’t seem to be too fond of their kids.”

“No, but they do need their kids,” Jax said. “They’re heirs, means to ends, whatever.”

Quinn sighed. “Alright. What was your plan for getting her out of here, because she definitely isn’t going to come quietly.”

Jax walked over to her and knocked her head with the butt of his dagger.

“What the hell!” Quinn exclaimed. “You could have killed her.”

“She’s just unconscious,” he said. “She’ll be fine.”

Mal carried between them, they had nearly reached the little room again, when they heard running footsteps. They echoed in the stone halls so much that it was impossibly to know where they were coming from. They ran faster, glancing behind but not seeing anything.

A boy and a girl, both with red hair, suddenly stepped out into their path.

“Willa, Wesley,” Jax said, smiling winningly. “What can we do for you?”

“I think we’ll take that off your hands,” Willa said.

Quinn looked over at Jax to see how they were going to get out of this. She could see his mind going over the variables of the situations. “Hold this,” he said, letting go of Mal so all her weight was on Quinn. He drew his sword and charged at the Weseltons.

Quinn realized that she had never seen Jax really fight before, only in training. Like every other move he made, it was graceful, effortless. He made it seem almost elegant. And since she had some training, she could appreciate it more. At no point was he unaware of his opponent’s movements, at no point was there an opening for them to exploit.

She understood even more how he was captain. Not only could he explain strategies and plan attacks, but he was an active participant, the reason they could succeed. She remembered the something that Dad used to say, that a true king led his people into battle.

She was so mesmerized by Jax’s swordplay that she almost did not notice when Mal moved. Before she could do anything, the girl had slipped from her grasp and stolen the dagger from her belt. With it, she cut the rope binding her wrists and feet. Quinn unsheathed her sword.

Mal smiled sweetly. “We both know you’re not going to fight a little kid like me.”

Quinn hesitated. She was right. She did not want to fight a ten-year-old.

Taking advantage of her hesitation, Mal ducked under her sword and barrelled into Jax, throwing him off balance. He managed not to fall but caught the elbow of Willa in the jaw.

Quinn rushed forward. They just had to make it to the little room and the door was only a few steps away. She sprinted and pounced on the back of Wesley, who stumbled under her weight, crashing into Willa. Quinn tumbled off his back, disoriented for a moment before Jax grabbed her hand and pulled her along the corridor. They stumbled into the room, slamming and barring the door behind them.

Jax ran to the window, looking out at the city. Quinn joined him. “What are you looking for?”

He pointed and Quinn followed his gaze. Flying from the main mast of the Jolly Roger was a green flag.

“We did it,” he said, out of breath.

“What?”

Jax lowered his voice, glancing over at the door. “This was all a big distraction,” he said. “the real mission was to make a secret entrance to the supply warehouse; that’s what Cyrus, Jukes and Blake were doing. That flag means they were successful.”

“So we have food and supplies?” Quinn asked, a smile spreading over her features.

He grinned. “We have access to all the supplies we need.”

The moment was interrupted by a loud crash. The door rattled on its hinges.

“Guess we’d better go,” Jax said. “Princesses first.”

Quinn rolled her eyes and started down the rope, Jax right behind her. They were halfway down when a louder crash told them the door had just been broken down. Willa and Wesley appeared at the window above them, wasting no time in climbing after them.

Jax and Quinn jumped the last few feet and sprinted into the dark streets.

•••

They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, hearing the pounding footsteps behind hem. Jax looked over at Quinn, his adrenaline-inspired grin mirroring hers. They turned into a narrow alleyway that twisted and turned between decrepit buildings.

Suddenly, he pulled them into a small alcove and they waited for the Weseltons chasing them to speed past. They stood very close to each other, Jax’s hand still gripping Quinn’s arm. They both were still out of breath from running and Quinn’s heart raced.

Quinn almost spoke but Jax gestured for her not to, as Willa and Wesley came past. Once they were gone, Quinn looked back up at Jax and found something in his eyes she had not seen before – or perhaps she had, but not with this intensity. He pulled her closer still and she inhaled sharply, unsure of what to do.

Then he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers and Quinn felt her heart hammering more than ever. It was not like it was entirely out of the blue. They had both quite clearly expressed interest over the past few weeks. What did surprise her was that he decided to do this now, in a chase situation.

What surprised her even more was that she quite liked the idea of doing this now.

Their chapped lips created a certain friction and Quinn could not help but think how wonderful it felt.

His hands, which had been on the small of her back, pulling her even closer to him, now moved to her waist as he pushed her backwards until she bumped into the wall behind her. Cautiously, Quinn slipped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his long hair.

Soon they had to break apart due to lack of air, and Quinn looked at Jax, slightly breathless, a smile involuntarily growing over her face. “Why…?”

He flashed her his nonchalant, mischievous grin. “Don’t overthink it.” After checking that the coast was clear, he motioned for her to follow him. Trying to collect her thoughts, Quinn hurried after him.

••
By the time Quinn and Jax returned to the Jolly Roger, the party was in full swing. Everyone was laughing and speaking loudly over the blaring music, drinks in hand. At the centre of the deck was a table laden with bread, slightly overripe fruit, and other scraps from Auradon, presumably straight from the warehouse.

Jax quickly disappeared into the crowd with Saoirse and Cyrus, briefing them on what happened. Quinn found Nia, Nabil, Hugo, and Clove standing to the side and joined them.

“Lead the trolls on a good chase?” she asked Hugo.

He grinned. “Yup, I led them all around the Isle. Even went past the shipping docks and picked up a few more.” He looked over to where Jax stood in the corner speaking seriously with Saoirse and Cyrus. “So what happened? Why didn’t you get Mal?”

“I thought it was all a distraction,” Quinn said. “The goal wasn’t to kidnap her.”

“Saoirse told me that they’d hoped they could do both,” Clove said. “The warehouse was the priority but Mal as a hostage would have been a nice plus.”

“Well, anyway, Willa and Wesley showed up,” Quinn said.

Nabil looked over at Nia, who was quieter than usual. “You and Seamus were watching the Weseltons, right?”

She nodded. “Yeah, they managed to slip by us somehow. We didn’t realize they’d gotten word of the attack until they were gone. Seamus told me to stay and watch Winnie and that he’d go warn you guys, but I guess he was too late.”

“Well, at least we got the warehouse,” Quinn said smiling, trying to cheer Nia up. “And that’s what we really needed.”

“Cheers to that,” Clove said, holding up their cup. They all touched cups and took a swig. Quinn’s face screwed up at the bitter sour taste and she tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a cough.

Hugo snorted.

“Have you never had beer before?” Nia asked.

Quinn blushed a little. “No, my dad was strict about that.”

Clove grinned. “Well then, tonight should be fun.”

Soon Cai appeared and pulled Clove into a dance. Then Corinna, the oldest of the Powder Monkeys, blushingly asked Nia if she wanted to dance and she agreed.

Quinn stood with the two guys for a few minutes before turning to them. “So, are you two gonna buck up and ask someone to dance?” she asked them.

They looked at her in surprise.

“Nah,” Hugo said, dismissively.

Nabil was quick to agree. “Yeah, dancing’s lame anyway.”

His foot tapping and Hugo’s slight swaying to the beat betrayed them.

Quinn rolled her eyes and stepped in front of them, holding out both hands. “Come on.”

In the dense tangle of bodies moving to the music, the three spun and turned, laughing and trying to shout-sing along. Jukes joined them for a moment before pulling Quinn away, so they were dancing together.

“I heard you did good,” they shouted over the music. “You and Jax work well together.”

Did she know? Was that a knowing smile? Quinn suddenly thought. Jukes did always seem to read her too well. She just nodded. “Yeah.”

Quinn had been trying not to think about the kiss – or, at least, not to overthink the kiss. She was prone to overthink things after they happened, especially reckless things. And a kiss in an alley with a pirate while being chased definitely counted as reckless.

So she let herself get lost in the music and the pounding bassline that she could feel in her bones and the rest of the Crew dancing around her. It was a kind of belonging – though much different than any one she had felt before.

Amid the slight chaos of limbs and torsos, Quinn caught sight of Jax, watching her with a slight smile. And she liked him. She really liked him. So she beamed at him – a type of smile only possible with the happiness that comes with loud music, friends and one and a half beers.

And as the crowd engulfed her again, she saw his lips curl into a different smile – more to himself than her. It was a soft smile, one that comes with a warm heart and tender eyes.

•••

While tipsy Quinn could avoid overthinking, sober Quinn had a harder time. Throughout their pickpocket training with Sheela, she could not help but let her mind drift back to Jax. It was not that she had any qualms about being with him, or that she was uncertain of either of their feelings.

But she did not know how all of that worked on the Isle. There were romantic relationships, but she had never heard anyone referred to as a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or partner, or even that they were dating. The only word that seemed to be used was ‘fling’.

VKs don’t date. Jukes told her this during a scouting mission that night. While the mission against Maleficent had guaranteed the Crew supplies, it did mean that she was likely to retaliate.

“Okay,” Quinn said. “Then what about Blake and Seamus?”

“They’re a fling,” they said.

“So it’s a short-term thing?”

“Not necessarily. It can last for a long time,” They turned to her. “It’s an alliance of sorts, but more than a regular one. You trust each other more and...” They grinned. “you get a little fun on the side.”

Quinn looked out again and shifted so she was sitting on the edge of the roof.

“You and Jax are a fling, aren’t you?” Jukes asked after a moment.

After a pause, Quinn said, “From what you described, I think so – or, nearly.” Quinn glanced over at them. “Is that good? Bad?”

“That depends,” they said, grinning a little. “How is he at kissing?”

Quinn snorted and shook her head, rolling her eyes as she looked out at the city again.

“That good, huh?” they said. “Well, then it’s good. As long as you’re enjoying it, it’s good.”

•••

Quinn was just heading to the guest cabin on the Jolly Roger where Seamus was staying temporarily so she could change his bandages when she heard arguing voices from inside.

“...don’t see how I could have prevented –” Jax exclaimed.

“If you had listened to my advice about a truce with them this wouldn’t have happened!” Seamus shouted.

“We can’t just bow our heads to some smaller gang just because they threaten to attack us,” Jax said.

“That smaller gang did attack us and nearly won too.”

“But they didn’t and no one was too badly injured.” Jax spotted Quinn in the doorway. “He’s well on his way to recovering, right?”

Quinn did not want to barge in on this, but perhaps her presence would calm the situation. She stepped into the room. “Yes, but you do need to rest a little longer.”

Seamus was looking better; he was less pale and, judging from the argument, getting his energy back. But he did not look happy. He eyed Jax angrily.

“We’ll, uh, talk later, Seamus,” said Jax, giving Quinn a nod before leaving the room.

Quinn set about removing the old bandages. They were really just strips of cloth that she had washed as best she could. The wound was looking good, no discolouring or other signs of infection. “I would recommend not exerting yourself too much – in shouting matches, for example – or you might pop your stitches,” she remarked.

“Yeah, well, he’s the reason I was wounded in the first place,” Seamus muttered, wincing a little.

Quinn said nothing and continued with her work. She did not know enough about the situation to comment, but she hoped that Jax was in the right here.

Fortunately, Seamus’ attitude got improved as he did, and Quinn heard no more arguments between them.

•••

The next day, when Quinn came into the shop for her shift, she smiled at Jax. “Horrible morning,” she said, cheerfully.

He grinned. “Catching on are you, princess?”

Quinn grinned in return as she tossed her coat onto the coatrack. “Don’t call me that.”

“As you wish, your highness,” he said with an exaggerated bow.

“Okay,” Quinn said, rolling her eyes at him. “I am nowhere near royalty.”

“Closest there is around here.”

She glanced around. “Are you sure you should be saying stuff like that?” She stepped towards him. “Isn’t it supposed to be a secret?”

Shrugging, he said, “I told them you were homeschooled, remember? The only other homeschooled VK is the daughter of the Evil Queen. They’d assume I was referring to her.”

“Why is she homeschooled?”

“Some spat with the all-powerful Maleficent,” he said in an exaggerated tone.

Quinn giggled and he raised his eyebrows at her.

“I’m working on the laugh, okay,” she said, pushing him lightly.

“Good, because that makes you sound,” he leaned in and whispered, “like a princess.”

She pushed him again, grinning. “Funny.”

As Quinn turned away, he grabbed her arm gently and she looked at him again. “You were out of it the past couple days,” he said. “What changed?”

After thinking about it for a second, she gave him her most mischievous grin. “I feel... bad.”

A grin spread over his features and he pulled her closer. “About damn time.”

•••

Quinn had never actually dated anyone before. She had kissed Winston, Will Scarlet’s son, when she was sixteen, but that had been about it.

She was willing to bet, however, that dating in Auradon and flings on the Isle were different. In Auradon, it was all chaste cheek kisses before going to class, hand-holding in the hallways, and maybe a make-out session under the bleachers. Boys and girls were magically prevented from visiting each other’s dorms after sundown, so if anything was happening, it had to be pretty sneaky. It was not that they were expressly told not to have sex, it was just kind of understood. Many kids got married not too long after high school anyway.

But on the Isle, everything was passionate, unashamed, and entangled in fight training – at least, that was what it was like with Jax. Sparring turned into making out and back again just as quickly. It certainly taught her to be on guard at all times, but also added an element of thrill and adrenaline to their time together.

And there was no judgement. Quinn had already walked into the room above the shop with the other sailors to find Cai and Clove or Blake and Seamus multiple times. The others had kind of rolled their eyes and turned to leave. So, when the same thing happened to her and Jax, she was not as embarrassed as she otherwise would have been.

Jukes found it all very amusing. “Of course, you two ended up together!”

“Was it that predictable?” Quinn asked. They both had the night off and were sitting at the bar.

“No, it’s that unpredictable,” she said. “Jax has never had a fling with anyone on the Crew before.”

“People have flings between gangs?” Quinn asked in surprise.

Jukes shrugged, taking a swig of her beer. “Not often, but it happens. People used to swear he was with Harriet, but now that we’ve actually seen her, she looks too old for him. He definitely had something with Francoise though. It didn’t last long because her dad, Frollo, found out, and was furious.” She laughed. “So I guess we just never knew what his type was. I mean, he also made out with Tuka once at a party, but I think that was just a one-time thing. Although,” she looked at Quinn. “Now that he’s with you, maybe we at least know his type in girls.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Francoise’s dad is the leader of the Innocents, and you were homeschooled, and you’re, you know, you,” she said, matter-of-factly. “You’re softer types.”

“What do you mean, soft?” Quinn said, defensively.

“It’s not always a bad thing,” Jukes reassured her. “Sheela’s soft too, and she’s great.” She grinned. “And, I mean, if Jax is into it…”

Quinn rolled her eyes and threw back the last of her beer.

“You know what’s another great thing about all this?” Jukes continued. “It drives Blake absolutely nuts. It’s all he talks about at home.” She lowered her voice to imitate Blake, “She’ll get special privileges. She’ll be sleeping in his cabin before we know it. And being with the newest recruit? As a leader, he should know better.” Jukes snorted. “And then Dad and I roll our eyes, cause, I mean, holy shit, how’s he supposed to have a fling if he has to make sure everything is fair between the Crew?”

Quinn felt herself blush slightly at the mention of Jax’s cabin. “So, what about you?” she asked, leaning back in her chair. “Any notable flings?”

“Oh, you have no idea,” she said with a grin. “Cai, for a few months last year, before he was with Clove. I also kissed Cyrus once,” she mused. “and I know that was a bad idea, cause they’re brothers and all, but hopefully Cai doesn’t know. Also, Florian.”

“Francoise’s brother?”

“What can I say, the Innocents get around.”