She just stared at Kai for a moment. Then she sighed. "You have a way with words, don’t you?" Before he could respond, she cut him off with a shake of her head. "A terrible way with words."
"That’s why you’re the Captain and I’m not."
Ginah snorted, her mood momentarily lightened after this talk with Kai. But she knew that once this moment was over, she would have to return to worrying— to planning what to do next. She hesitated, looking up at Kai.
"What if I decide to…" she trailed off, not finishing the thought. It was a stupid thought, one she always had whenever the stakes were raised— whenever the pressure was at its highest. What if I decide to give up? To just leave and stop caring about others?
She knew it was just her tired self talking. But she didn’t even dare vocalize those words, for it she did, she feared that Kai and the others would just go along with her.
"Yes, Ginah?" Kai looked at her curiously. She was tempted to give in— admit her worries. But before she could make a decision or even open her mouth, a figure approached the doorway.
Three figures, actually. Lisa, Gennady, and… Melas.
Ginah bit her tongue as she saw the young girl return to the room. Why was she back so soon? Kai was confused as well. He turned to Melas and cocked his head.
"Leaving already?"
"No," she said, responding instantly. Ginah narrowed her eyes, looking over the little girl once more. Just earlier she had been timid and hesitant— refusing to answer most of the questions Ginah had for her. And yet now, she was… more like her usual self. The same defiant masked girl Ginah had gotten to know for the last month.
Melas folded her arms. "I changed my mind."
Ginah felt her hands balling up into a fist. She was changing her mind to now? Just after Ginah had thought it had already been settled, Melas now came back to bring it up once more? The pirate Captain forced her hands to unclench, trying to calm herself down. "You already made your decision, didn’t you? You said you were going to leave."
"I didn’t decide anything." She turned to face Ginah, defiance in her gaze. "You made your decision to leave me on your own. I am simply coming back to clear things up."
"Clear things up?" Ginah replied coolly, suppressing her mild annoyance at having more problems on her plate once again. "How will you do that?"
"By telling you the truth," Melas said simply. She walked over to the table, stopping just in front of Ginah. She looked up at the pirate Captain, not averting her gaze as she spoke. "You made a lot of false assumptions about me. And you asked me a lot of questions— which I did not answer. So I am here to tell you everything."
"Everything?"
"Yes, everything about me." The girl did not hesitate. She did not back down. Despite having been so secretive for the entirety of the time Ginah knew her, she was now choosing to spill it all out?
Ginah frowned. "If you’re trying to guilt trip us—"
"I’m not," Melas cut her off. "This is more for me to finally say, than it is for you to hear. Once I’m done explaining myself, I will put my offer on the table. Then you can decide whether you want to help me or not."
Ginah considered this, chewing her lower lip. She wanted to say ‘no’, to simply reject whatever offer before it was made. But Kai was obviously interested in hearing what Melas had to say. Braz and Jack had returned too, just for this. So she acquiesced. "Fine."
Nodding, Melas cast her gaze around the room, regarding her audience. She seemed apprehensive, almost unwilling to speak. It was almost familiar to Ginah. The pirate Captain recognized that feeling. And yet, unlike Ginah, Melas shook aside her worries and began her admission.
"Earlier, you asked me whether I knew the Church was after me. The simple answer to that is this: I did." Before anyone could say anything, Melas put up her hand and continued. "However, the situation is more complicated than it seems.
"It’s quite obvious to all of you from the moment you’ve met me that I don’t necessarily believe in the Church. The very fact that I’m a heretic is enough of a clue into this. But I am not just any ordinary ‘heretic’. I am the daughter of the Fiend— Valeria Aimy Corinna. Or Aria, as I knew my mom."
Ginah straightened. The Fiend? she thought, feeling her brows crease. She had grown up hearing of the Fiend’s crimes, and despite trying to approach the topic of magic with an open mind, she had always condemned the Fiend for her actions. "You do realize this isn’t winning you any points, right?"
"I told you, I’m not trying to win any pity points." Melas rolled her eyes. "And whatever you think of my mom— yes, you’re probably right. I realize now that you know her as this terrible and evil person, and that there’s some truth to it."
The black haired girl closed her eyes, as if reminiscing for a moment. She continued slowly.
"But I didn’t know her like that. To me, my mom was the kindest person in the world. And she raised me that way. She refused to teach me magic— she didn’t want me to live the way she did before she gave birth to me. And yet, still they came for her.
"I’m not going to be the one to say whether it was justice or not, because I know that we’ll disagree on the answer. And that’s not why I’m here. But even after killing my mother, they came for me, because I was my
