"Darling, be a woman who deals with business and not with drama."

                                                           -Anonymous

You tried to resist the urge to smirk to yourself as Bluebeard's beaten crewmate shakily placed a wooden mug in front of you, his body flinching as you moved your hand to grab the handle. 

His broken nose was a gruesome reminder of what exactly you were capable of. 

You eyed the drink wearily, the golden liquid swirling around in the wooden container. 

Deciding to forego the risk of dysentery, you gently nudged the drink away from you, opting to stare at the older man in front of you instead. 

"You don't drink?" He asked, chugging his own beverage.

You leaned back in your chair, the dim light of the candles lighting your face. 

"Stranger danger." You mused, crossing your arms. "You said you knew about marks...Why don't we talk about that instead of my rate of alcohol consumption?"

His brows jumped as he stared at you from over the rim of his cup, pausing mid gulp to stare at you. 

You watched as he wiped the ale from his face, a few drops getting caught in his black beard as he slammed the cup down onto the table. 

"I quite like you, woman." He laughed, slapping his knee. "You amuse me."

"Oh goodie." You deadpanned. "My name is Y/n. Not woman."

He raised his hands in mock surrender, nodding his head in understanding. 

"Apologies." He said, watching as a waitress refilled his glass. "I am not used to being in the company of women...at least not when their clothes do not come off."

"The marks." You snapped, brow twitching in annoyance. 

He hummed.

"Right." He mumbled, chugging his drink. "From the look of your eyes, I'd say that the mark had already been activated?"

You crossed your legs. 

"You're quite observant." 

Perhaps being sarcastic with a dangerous pirate wasn't the best idea, but you were beginning to grow more aggressive with every passing second.  You didn't appreciate haven't your time wasted. 

He let out a loud laugh at your tone, his eyes closing as he hugged his stomach. 

"Straight to the point then." He smiled. "I like you, Y/n...So, I'll let you in on a secret. That mating mark of yours it isn't as difficult to remove as most would have you believe."

Your ears perked up at that.

Finally. 

"No?" You asked. "I've heard that this mark is the most rare of any siren's mark. That it would be impossible to remove...yet you tell me not only can I get it off, but it isn't difficult to do so?"

He shook his head, leaning forward over the table. 

"I know of a treasure," He lowered his voice. "It would get that pesky mark right off."

You raised an eyebrow. 

"You've caught my interest," You said. "Continue."

"You've heard of the seven true sirens, yes?" He asked, smiling as you nodded your head. "Before the Great Loss, they were quite good friends with the humans."

You remained silent. 

"Believe it or not, sirens and man loved one another." He continued. "The seas were once full of monsters and treacherous waves. The sea was once an untamed mistress no one could sail...no one could find new lands or find new treasure...So, the seven siren brothers came together to forge a gift for the humans...A music box."

You leaned forward, completely invested in his story. 

"The song it played allowed men to tame the waves and banish the monsters..." He explained. "They traveled and found new lands--new treasures...but as time passed...the lust for power and money caused mankind to fight one another. They used the sea to fight, their ships meeting in great battle...polluting the sea with their blood."

You frowned. 

War ruins everything. 

You'd known that from experience. 

"The true sirens grew angry." He stated. "They began luring women to the sea, using their heartbreak as a way to transform them into sirens and force them to stay in the sea that their men had so carelessly tossed away...That was when the Great Loss happened...half of humanity...lost to the sirens."

You didn't show any emotion as you watched him take another swing of his drink. 

"The sirens took the music box back from the humans. They hid it somewhere that no man has ever been ever to reach...at least, until now."

"You know where it is?" You asked. 

He nodded. 

"Knowing where it is... that's the easy part." He laughed. "Getting there, that's something else entirely."

"What's your angle?" You deadpanned, grabbing your new dagger and playing with it's pearl hilt.  

"Angle?" He repeated rubbing his beard. "I'm not sure-"

"Come now," You laughed confidently. "We're both bargaining adults. Do not patronize me, Bluebeard."

He stared at you for a few moments before letting out another laugh. 

He laughed a lot. 

"I should have guessed that you'd catch on." He said. "You're quite sharp."

"I've learned two things about you since sitting down here," You started, spinning the dagger's hilt in your hand. "You're dressed like the king and people respect you, those that don't respect you fear you...on an island full of pirates that can only mean that you, yourself are a great pirate."

He smirked. 

"And the second thing?"

You pointing the blade in his direction. 

"You're a liar." You deadpanned.

He smiled, tilting his head. 

"One could say that the two are the same thing."

You shook your head. 

"Pirates are normally honest about what they want." You said. "They all have three goals; Treasure, glory and women. You're all extremely dull that way."

"You must have a little bit of faith in my words." He smiled, gripping his cup. "Or else you would not still be sitting here, would you?"

You smirked. 

"This music box..." You paused. "You need me to get it, don't you?"

He nodded his head. 

"A siren's mate would be the only one allowed passage onto the Isle." He explained. "Any normal human who goes there would be killed immediately."

You tilted your chin. 

"What would kill them?" You asked.

"Remember all those sea monsters that went away when the humans got the music box?" He asked. "Well, they had to be sent somewhere. The sirens hid the box there because no sane human would ever go there...and those that do wouldn't even get close to the box. Quite genius if you think about it."

"So, I get this music box for you and you get this mark off of me?" You asked. 

He nodded, giving you a big smile. 

"I'll take you there on my ship. We will have the strongest defenses."

"I thought I would be allowed passage since I was a siren's mate?"

He chuckled nervously, waving his hand. 

"Well, not until you're fully his mate," He said. "But, just having the mark will scare off the weaker monsters...we'd only need to worry about the few ones brave enough to risk the fury of the sirens."

"Let me make sure I understand this," You sighed. "I go with you, help you get the box and you take off this mark?"

He nodded, smiling. 

You scoffed, an annoyed laugh falling from your lips. 

"I thought you respected me," You smiled. "Offering me such a one-sided bargain is hardly respectful."

His eyes narrowed slightly at your words. 

"Not good enough?" He asked. 

You shook your head, face falling stoic. 

"Not hardly." You deadpanned. "Being the only woman on a vessel full of strange men would put me at quite the disadvantage, wouldn't you say? I'd bet money that you'd tie me up and hold me hostage as soon as I stepped on deck."

He smiled, clearly impressed by you. 

"And you would blame me?" He asked. "Look at it from my perspective. I get everything I want that way and you won't be able to protect me."

You nodded in understanding. 

"I respect that." You said. "I'd do the same thing if I were in your shoes...but, the fact of the matter is this: I'm not in your shoes and I don't particularly care about what's convenient for you."

He watched as you sheathed your dagger, leaning forward with your elbows on the table. 

"Right now I find myself in a bit of a hostage situation with the captain I am currently traveling with." You explained. "So, I have a preposition that will make the both of us happy."

He smiled. 

"I'm listening."

You hummed. 

"I'll help you get that music box," You said. "But, I want Park Jimin's ship and the crew secured."

Bluebeard's eyes widened at your words, mouth falling open in disbelief. 

"Your captor is Park and you're alive?" He laughed. "You are far more impressive now. Getting him and his crew to cooperate would prove to be impossible. Why would you want them? How does this benefit you?"

You smiled. 

"I'll have my own vessel." You said. "If you show even the slightest scent of betrayal, I'll use Park's ship to take you out and then I'll sail away as if nothing every happened. As for them no cooperating, you just leave that to me."

"You seem to have thought this through, Y/n."

"I'm just looking out for my own interests." You smiled falsely. "Do we have a deal?"

He hesitated, eyes boring into yours. 

"Let me ask you this," He said. "I just told you that the music box controls the entire sea that it could be the most powerful weapon on this planet...and yet, you'd let me have it with no question...You're smart, I know that you've considered why I want the box..."

You shrugged. 

"I don't particularly care." You deadpanned. "Save this world or destroy it...It doesn't matter to me. I won't be here long enough for it to effect me anyway."

You stared him down. 

"Do we have a deal, captain Bluebeard?"

He smirked, standing to his feet. 

"I believe we do

Captain Y/n."

A/N,

DOUBLE UPDATE!

WHOO WHOO!

I haven't done this in a while, but writing is a wonderful distraction. 

I hope you all have/had a wonderful day. 

I love you very much!

 I adore you very much!

I purple you very much!

I'm out very much!

-Max