Laughter was not the expected response, which only served to piss the captain off. But he made a consideration of her, and he might as well stick to it. Watching her bow politely was like watching a grown man slit his own throat. It was out of place and misapplied in his presence. He was so absorbed in his confusion at the gesture that he had almost missed her name.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4d4dff"><i>Santos...the king's daughter...did he even </i>have</span><i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4d4dff"> one of those?</span> </i>His thoughts got the better of him once again as she placed her ornaments down on the desk in front of him. It made sense now where she got her training from, and her clothes, but something about her didn't speak to the name of a princess. Caleb learned to pick out sailors on sight, and this woman could have been a better captain than even Ophelia in his absence.<br/><br/>Caleb's mind immediately wondered to the thought of selling her away again.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4d4dff"><i> Just how much could this woman go for? What kind of ransom would the King pay for her? And how much more would the foreign nobles pay for her to have her in their beds? </i></span>His attention drew back as she nervously brushed her hair behind her ears. The gesture was a quick one, but it was filled with such delicate care that it stirred his heart in a way he wished it wouldn't. He silently chastised his father for being such a hopeless romantic as he tried to clear his mind of the mental image he had been drawing of her face, wishing all the more that he had just shot her in the first place. What was this woman going to end up doing to him if he let her stay on...?<br/><br/>Caleb made to follow after her towards the stern windows, looking out at the sea as it passed gently underneath them. Along the way, he picked up the golden ornaments, noticing a shine of aquamarine adorning the pieces with a hint of satisfaction. He slipped the pieces of metal into a pocket inside of his vest quietly, listening as she driveled on and on about the sea. In all honesty, to him it was boring. Was this a reenactment of a famous ship crash? Maybe he had been a little too soft-spoken for her that she now thought her company was docile. As much as that thought seemed advantageous, he could already hear the jeering disbelief of his crew that would truly grate on his nerves. His voice was found, and, once again, lost as she turned to stand face to face with him, the setting sun glancing off of her softly angled face. Her seafoam green eyes now glowed against the yellow ball that was slowly taking on a more golden hue as it neared the horizon. His heart skipped, but ultimately fell back into rhythm, although not without it's affect on Caleb's stern facade.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4d4dff">"I'm not some cabin boy you can gossip with. As I said above deck, you shall refer to me as captain or sir until I deem otherwise."</span><br/><br/>The captain turned and stepped away to gather his thoughts before speaking again.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4d4dff">"You will be treated as a spare hand on this ship so long that you can provide ample payment. You will assist in any way I or the first mate may command, and you will be given free reign of movement. You will have the ability to come ashore when we make port, but you are not allowed to leave my side without my say-so..."</span>He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he would regret what he was about to say.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4d4dff">"...For the time being, I give you the permission to sleep in my quarters, otherwise this cabin is off-limits unless summoned. If you so much as <i>think</i> about abandoning these rules, I will have you shackled and thrown below deck for so long, even your recollection by your father will seem bittersweet. Am I understood?"</span>He turned to face her, his eyes were cold and stern, placing every single ounce of threat he had into his final statement to truly stress how severe her punishment would be. Hopefully the point got through.