"I was expecting you!" Azura spread her arms out, walking up to him and giving a tight hug, leaving Rogue speechless.

"I mean, I wasn't expecting us to meet like THIS," she giggled, brushing off the dust from Rogue's coat. Rogue was left speechless, he held the sling bag tightly. "How... did I get here?"

"One of my friends' must've left you here by accident. Welp! You're here now!" She laughed, a bright smile still plastered onto her face. Rogue looked at his surroundings. This was the same room Rogue had snuck into.

Azura then began to remove her earrings, keeping them a small container. She hummed a song, facing a makeup set with a large mirror. She noticed Rogue staring in the mirror, jumping with realization. "Whoops! Where are my manners?"

She laughed nervously, rushing to Rogue and shaking his hand. She bowed, holding her dress up barely. "I'm Lady Azura. But I'm sure you knew that," she smiled.

"But please, call me Azura!" She tilted her head jokingly, still holding onto his hand firmly. Rogue smiled back. He didn't expect to meet her like this either. She is way too friendly than people make her out to be.

"O-Okay, Azura, I... uhm," he lost his words, watching as she awaited his answer. "Save your voice! I know everything about you!"

"You... do?" He muttered, raising an eyebrow. She nodded quickly, returning to the mirror. She began untying her hair, letting it fall gracefully onto her curved shoulders. "I was a fan of you for quite a time!"

"So you've heard of me?" He was now invested in the conversation, putting his guard down. He released his hands from the bag. Azura giggled, humming as a response. She then walked behind a room divider, removing her outfit and changing into a night gown. Rogue turned away, blushing.

"Of course I have! Your father was a great pirate. I looked up to him  just as everybody else did. I followed on about his adventures, how he met your beautiful mother when he set up a crew. Who knew you would follow his same exact steps?" She was finishing up, adjusting her outfit.

"Yeah, who knew?" He muttered, seeing Azura walk out from behind the divider. She saw a small frown on his face, walking up to him and taking his hands. She held them gently, meeting his eye. "I heard about the fire. I'm so sorry about your parents." She said genuinely.

"It's... fine," for some reason, he didn't pull his hands away. He felt too emotional, taken aback of the task at hand. "It wasn't your fault."

Azura smiled warmly, nodding slowly. "Would it be a bad time to tell you now that I did have a tiny crush on you?"

"Yes, very highly," he pulled his hands away now, blushing. "Especially since I... already have someone in mind."

"Oh? Who is she? I bet she's a sweetie!" Azura inched forward with interest. Rogue backed away. "Her name is Peri. She used to be a crew member but then I went 'missing.' She's captain now."

"Oh, oh!" Azura tried to hold her smile. "She wouldn't happen to be Captain Peri, would she?" She tilted her head. Rogue met her eyes. How long have I been gone that everyone knows each other already?

"Actually, yes." He nodded nervously, but he decided to take pride in it. "She's a good captain. Better than I could have ever been."

"Sadly, she has been stopping me from delivering a certain artifact back to it's place..." Azura turned away, gripping onto her arms. "She has sabotaged my plans and even took my blueprints!"

Rogue hunched down, afraid she'll find out. Azura glanced back at him with sad eyes. Then a question lit up in his head. "Wait... did you say something about an artifact?"

"Yes, it's an orb known as The Heart of the Sea. The ocean waters has been furious without it lately. Storms and floods have invaded Athena ever since it has gone missing. Me and my group have been searching the orb for weeks. I only want what's best for me and my people, my family..."

She walked up to him, their eyes meeting once more but with much more emotion. Azura's eyes were filled with empathy and compassion.

"You would understand, right?"

"Of course," Rogue replied, the weight of guilt weighing him down. Azura smiled, crying softly.

"But you see, me and... Captain Peri were meant to work together in search for the orb. That was when she refused and decided that we were better off separated. Rogue, I need that orb badly or else my people will suffer."

Rogue was in a state of silence, he couldn't think straight. He held the sling of the bag tightly, turning away. "I'll... think about it. I'll have a talk with Peri."

"Oh, thank you Rogue!" She took him in her arms, holding him tightly. He patted her back, frowning. He muttered. "I won't let you down."

He took her hands this time, eyeing her seriously. "I promise."

"I can't thank you enough, Rogue," she cried happily. "I'll tell my people to send you off safely. You're in good hands, Captain."

Rogue was now outside the bar, awaiting Peri. Then he heard her being kicked out. He glanced up and saw Peri knocking at the door. "Wait! My friend is in there! Is he? Please, uh, let me back in!"

"Peri."

She turned around, seeing his figure. She gasped, running up to him and hugging him tightly. Rogue didn't move a muscle, he glanced away, gripping the bag much tighter. Peri panted, pulling away to see a frown on his face. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No, no, it's fine. I was... able to get out safely," he told her, keeping his hands to himself. Peri nodded. "I'm glad. C'mon, we should head back."

She took his hand anyway, pulling him back to Weaver's home. When they arrived, Peri let him go and approached the crew. She told them the information she was able to get, telling them to pack and leave Athena as soon as possible. Rogue was gathering all the pieces mentally, his heart aching every second every time he glanced at her.

Nira waved goodbye to Weaver, heading to the ship. The crew thanked Weaver as well for keeping them in. When the crew was all packed up, they began climbing up back to the ship. Peri was finishing up, packing her things quickly. Rogue stood there the entire time, worrying Peri.

When Peri was now all set up, everything in her backpack, she smiled. She walked up to Weaver, thanking her for everything. Then Peri approached Rogue, taking his hand. "C'mon, Rogue! We should head out, everything can go back as the way it was!"

She dragged him to the plank that led to the entrance of the ship, the sun rising up on the horizon. Rogue paused, his thoughts now gathered. He made a decision, each word tempting to say out loud. Rogue pulled his hand away from her, standing his ground. Peri was left dumbfounded, turning back to him on the plank. "Ro, what's wrong?"

"I... I can't go." He met her eyes, lifting his head up. He stood straight up, his hands shaking. "We need to talk."

"Why talk now? We can talk on the ship!" She nodded assuringly, holding her hand out. Rogue denied it, focusing his eyes on hers.

"Athena is my home. The people on this island are human, too. I can't leave them," he felt every atom in his body suffer. His words felt painful to let out. He saw the expression on Peri's face dramatically change.

"They have been suffering for WEEKS! Because of this!" He pulled out the orb, his fingers wrapped around it. It had a red glow. Rogue scowled. "You have been lying to me."

"What... what are you talking about?" Peri eyed him up and down, furrowing her eyebrows. She took a step down, walking up closer to him. Out of nowhere, the wind began to strengthen. The skies turned grey and the clouds blocked the sun.

"I had a talk with Azura," Rogue admitted, gritting his teeth gently. "She has good intentions. Her AND her team. They only did their job to protect the citizens of Athena while you act like this is all of a game!"

"Hey, what happened to 'The Crew always comes first' rule?! You trust a complete stranger rather than your own friend?" Her voice broke, taking the orb in her hand. "Does this thing really have to ruin everything we had?"

"... Apparently, it does." He took it back from her, putting it away in the bag. The waters became strong, the waves loud as the thunder. Peri backed away, heading closer to the ship.

"You used me?" Rogue asked sincerely, refusing the urge to cry. Peri remained quiet, turning away. Rogue sighed. "Figures."

"Rogue, listen to me—"

"No, not this time." He began to walk away, trying to ignore everything else that Peri would say. This isn't right.

Peri faced his back now, memories fading in. Tears began forming in her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?! When have you EVER listened to me? Here you are again, your back against me, keeping yourself locked in like you always do."

Rogue stopped in his tracks, tightening his grip on the bag. He needed to reply to her so badly, but he didn't know how. He sighed. "Goodbye, Peri."

He continued to walk away as Peri watched. She wiped the tears away from her eyes and scoffed. "Frida was right. I never needed him at all." She finally entered the ship and set sailed, hearing the strong waves roar. She stared them down, calling out to the crew to prepare themselves. In her mind, she couldn't help but think. Rogue, whatever you do... I hope you make the right choice.