The pirates happily enjoy their burritos and coffee. The cast iron is filled with a steaming mixture of ground sausage and scrambled eggs. Sebastian rolls a fourth burrito, then plates it. He hands it over to Dusty.

"Aren’t you going to eat?" she asks as she takes the plate.

"Patrons eat first. The chef always eats last." Sebastian recites a mantra that Chef Polard instilled on the Mare staff.

Dusty frowns. She looks down at the burrito. Her stomach rumbles loudly as the delicious smell fills the air around her. She sighs and puts the plate down.

"Then I'll wait, too." She picks up a cup of Olsa’s coffee and takes a slow sip.

Ringo enters the kitchen. "Morning, Tyrants."

He smells the coffee.

"That’s not Olsa’s is it?" He asks with a hint of concern.

Nobody answers.

"Oh boy. Was it ye, lune?" Ringo puts his hands on his hips.

"He didn’t know." Elaine speaks up, her mouth full of food.

"Well tell ‘im sooner then, ye daft instigators." Ringo says. He looks at Sebastian. "She’s gonna have a bone to pick with ye."

Dusty hands Ringo the plated burrito. "Here."

He immediately grabs it and takes a bite.

"Is that paprika I taste? Good work, lune! Is there any of the good coffee left?"

The pirates at the bar laugh and pass over the French Press.

"It’s great, Sebastian." Elaine says with a wink.

"Yeah man. I could get used to this." Banoy adds.

Heavy footsteps echo through the hallway.

"Attention, Tyrants." Ringo commands. Everyone in the room stands to their feet.

The warm atmosphere instantly freezes. It takes a moment because her pace is slow, but eventually, the Captain’s tall form fills the kitchen doorway as she walks in. The crew salutes, including Sebastian. He catches himself off guard with his subconscious conformity. June follows closely behind the Captain, staring down at the floor. She looks very tired. Her eyes are wet from recent tears.

"At ease, Tyrants." The Captain says calmly. She gently nudges June toward the bar.

Djinn helps her up onto a stool. Sebastian can feel the Captain’s imperceptible gaze upon him. As if responding to a glare from a head chef, he instinctively gets to work making a plate for June. Once the food is served, June takes a bite and smiles. Sebastian quickly fixes the Captain a plate and offers it to her. She takes a bite and smiles, too.

"Good work." She says quickly.

The Captain’s posture straightens, and her chest puffs outward; readying herself to address the room.

"We have a long trip ahead of us. Longer than we anticipated." She says. "The wine has had its way with us all, so take some time to enjoy this meal. We will leave for Donegal in an hour."

The Captain takes her plate and leaves the room.

"Right. You all heard her. The skies are filled with Lunar birds from here to the great dune of Sol. We’ll be over windward sands all the way through—no dust to cover us this time. Donegal's a day's journey at best. But I sincerely doubt we'll be getting the best, so sit down and enjoy your meals. This trip could take days." Ringo elaborates.

Sebastian realizes that while the Captain is in charge, Ringo takes care of most of the talking. Being more socially oriented, he seems to act as the Captain’s personability translator. It’s a surprisingly sincere dynamic, considering the context.

"…so what’s Doengal?" Sebastian whispers to Dusty.

"It’s a trading outpost. They’re mostly good folks." Ringo responds.

"Well, I can't wait to find the bad ones. The baddest." Banoy winks.

"We're trying to eat, asshole." Elaine shakes her head.

"That's what I'm saying." Banoy shrugs.

Everyone at the bar laughs. Elaine shakes her head again, but gives Banoy a high five.

"Same." She says.

"I can't be dining with ye delinquents. I'll see ye in an hour." Ringo picks up his plate and leaves the room.

"Don't act so high and mighty, old man! We could all use it!" Banoy yells out to him.

Aside from that devious exchange, the next hour is quiet. Heeding the Captain’s vague words of warning, the Dead Tyrants preciously use their allotted time of peace. Dusty shows Sebastian where the crew’s coffee supply is located; a large canvas bag filled with beans of an indiscernible age. He can feel the staleness of the coffee beans as he does his best to grind them. He is given a hand-cranked coffee grinder to handle the task—it’s a struggle to churn the aged roast into a brewable state. The pirates react in kind with winces and crooked looks upon their first sips. Once the room is cleared and the breakfast pan is empty, there is plenty of coffee left for Sebastian and Dusty. Upon first sip, Sebastian immediately understands the crew’s struggle.

"Like drinking out of an ashtray?" Dusty asks with a smile.

"It might be the worst I’ve ever tasted." Sebastian responds without any hesitation.

Dusty bellows out a short, loud giggle that ends with a little snort. She quickly stops herself and looks embarrassed. She avoids eye contact with Sebastian for the next few minutes. The two eat in silence. When she is finished, Dusty leaves her plate in the sink and makes her way towards the doorway. Instead of making a quick exit, as she is prone to doing, she stops and glances back towards Sebastian.

"The food was good."

Then she leaves.