Thomas welcomed the first glimpse of the sun’s face with a smile. From his position leaning against the railing of the [i]Dusk Skate’s[/i] aft castle, the red glow of the dawn mixed beautifully with the lingering blue of the night. The singular moment of stunning transition from light to dark conjured memories of the equally beautiful moments from the hours before. There was a pleasant soreness to his muscles to accompany these memories, and Thomas sighed with a contented tilt of his head.

The pirate captain wondered if Antonia was even now still slumbering in the tangle of bed covers in his cabin, or if she had awoken to find the single Amazon Lily that he had placed beside her head. Thomas had considered it quite the feat to slip from his cabin, acquire the flower from an early rising dock vendor, and return to Antonia’s side to place the small token near her, and all without the rogue discovering him. That notion took his smile to a smirk. More than likely, Antonia had full knowledge of his comings and goings, and she was just humoring the romantic whims of her Silverfish.

“How did I manage such good fortune?” Thomas said to the dawn. The morning replied with only its splendor, and Thomas thought that such an answer was more than satisfactory.

Thomas stood from the ship’s railing, and turned to walk slowly to the helm. His hands caressed the worn wood of the wheel, and Thomas’ thoughts of the night before morphed into wondering after what had come of Jax and Nicolette. He had no notion of what had transpired after the First Mate’s flight from the party, and Thomas hoped that whatever had occurred was pleasant. He trusted that it had, though he could not say why he felt as such. Thomas supposed that he would soon enough know, though perhaps not in detail, at least a notion at what had transpired with his crewmates. 

The slight bob of the [i]Dusk Skate[/i] tugging at her moorings brought Thomas back to the moment. The tide was in, and the slight breeze that attended it was out of the west. It was a simple sign of good tidings if Thomas was ever to find one amidst the qualities of a new day. 

The time had come.

Thomas brought his fingers to his mouth, and blew a hard and jubilant whistle. The relative quiet of the young morning broke as the pirate captain called out to his crew, heralding the coming adventure.

“Awake! Awake you scoundrels and cutthroats!” Thomas yelled across the deck, his voice loud and tremulous with laughter. “To your stations, and make ready to sail. Fortune is calling to us this fine morning, and we shan’t keep her waiting.”