Vincent looked at her and saw the pain that seem to now be in her face. "I could have been yours?" he asked, very quietly, a brow lifting. He could have blown her words off as an attempt to discredit her sister, but something very honest in her eyes told him that would be very unwise.

An ocean breeze gusted, and blew his hair around his face. He sighed, quietly, and brushed the rebellious strands away. "And you've kept this hidden, all this time?" he closed his eyes for a minute, not really expecting her to answer. "I didn't know Evewen. Though, I'm not sure if it would have made a difference." he wore a troubled look that reflected sudden inner turmoil

Evewen looked at his face and silently reprimanded herself for saying anything at all. The wind blew around her hair and she took it in her hands, twisting it so it would stay calm. She shook her head slowly, looking down. "This is why I didn't want to say anything..."

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Vincent..."

Vincent shook his head. "No, I'm glad you told me. It's better I know the truth now then years from now...." he trailed off, running a tanned hand through his hair. Suddenly, to him, it became imperative he found Isla. He wanted to hear her version of Evewen's story....but more than this, he wanted to hold her again like he had once before.

He walked to the wheel and placed a hand on it's polished surface. "Near which town did you pick up Isla's ring?"

Evewen shook her head. "I never saw Isla. The ring was given to me by a man, his name is Micah. He had originally mistook me for Isla and that was the only reason I had stopped to talk to him. I asked him a few questions about her, but he wasn't very helpful. He said Isla had met him in town, he didn't say which. That's when he showed me the ring, the ring Isla stole from my father years before. Unfortunately, being a thief by birth and trade, my only focus was on the ring at that point. I did as he asked, received the ring as a reward and then came here."

Her eyes narrowed a fraction. "That is all I know. If you intend to go after her...well, my father may have a few things to say about that..."

"Let him say whatever he wishes. He won't stop me...." Vincent said, his voice spiking with determination. He turned back to her with a little sigh. "After you have told me this Evewen, I can't stay. Not without Isla. I know she is alive, and I will not wait for to come to me." he looked down at the deck. "Plus, it will be better if I go away for awhile. Maybe if I'm not around we can both better cope."

Vincent locked eyes with her for a moment then turned and strode down the deck steps.

Evewen watched him go down the stairs, staying silent. Finally, she walked to the front and looked down at him. "I met Micah in Looter's Trench. The closest town is Miradai."

She leaned against the rail. "You might find her there."

Evewen flipped her hair behind her shoulder and frowned. If she couldn't make herself happy, she would make Vincent happy, even if it meant wounding herself more.

She made her way down the stairs, passed him and headed toward her father's cabin. He looked up and nodded, but he returned his attention to the maps laid out before him. Evewen sat down in one of the chairs and watched him.

Biting her lip, her mind floated back to the kiss. She had enjoyed it, and she knew Vincent had too, to a certain degree, but she knew the consequences would not be good. Her father ran a tight ship and he disapproved of anything slightly romantic. It wouldn't be much longer before her father found out. Something like that couldn't be hidden from the eyes of the sailors and they would talk. She had seen it all before and now she had repeated history.

Taking a deep breath, Evewen broke the silence with three words, "I kissed Vincent."

((OOC: Lonnie, you can post William's reaction. ))

William slowly looked up at her, a hard expression on his face. "What!?" he asked, his voice like a snapping cord. "Please, tell me my aging ears heard wrong." he said, straighenting from his position near his desk. He took a step forward, leaning one worn hand on the corner of the wooden piece of furniture. “Evewen! Just last night you were wishing me to never speak of your attraction to that….that….sailor!” he barked, his voice stern. “You are becoming as bad as your twin….Isla…what has come over you!? I thought you were sensible!” he threw his hands in the air. “Vincent is more trouble then he is worth…” he growled.

Evewen clenched her jaw, gripping the sides of the chair and leaning forward. "I may look like Isla, but I am nothing like her. Do not ever compare us again."

She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and said, "I'm already in more trouble than I can handle. Vincent wouldn't alter anything." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter anyway. He's determined to find Isla."

"He's not going to go after Isla!" William said, his voice laced with determination. "I marooned Isla once....I don't wish her back!" he sighed, looking at her. "And you are like Isla in some ways Evewen, though you don't wish to think so." he walked toward the door, pulling it open. "You are both, unfortunately, in love with that sea dog." he eyed her for a minute longer then strode out.

Evewen jumped up as her father strode toward the door. "Father, stop." She followed him out and said, "Don't say anything. Just let him go."

Viris waved a hand and his lieutenant stepped after him as he followed Grace from the main floor up the stairs to the rooms above. There were several, quite well in order, with nothing whatsoever out of place or conspicuous.

He and his soldier whispered for a few moments together after leaving the last room, disappeared back into a room or two, then came out again. Viris nodded, "Thank you ma'am... we'll go back down now...I can't find any evidence that what the young man says is true, but neither can I find anything that says it isn't." He frowned.

"Let him go!?" William demanded, turning back to her. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't. He's going to bring back Isla. And bringing back Isla will bring back the trouble I thought I had removed from my ship!" he sighed, releasing a bit of penned up anger. "Plus, if we sail soon I need him on my ship."

Evewen stopped in her tracks and took a step back when her father turned. "Isla's been missing for years, Father. I don't think she's the same person. Vincent will stop obsessing over her when he finds out for himself."

"And what if he doesn't, Evewen?" William asked, pointedly. "What if she hasn't changed? Have you met her, yet!? Can you tell Vincent, honestly, that she has changed!?" He shook his head. "I think not." He walked farther out on deck.

"Thank you for your concern, Evewen!" Vincent's voice called from above on the wheel deck. "And yours too, Captain." he mocked a bow to them both. He had returned to the deck to speak to the second mate about his possible departure, and was about to return to his cabin, but had been lucky enough to catch Father and Daughter's conversation. "I hardly need your concern." he said, sarcastically, then came down the steps, more serious. "I will find out if Isla has changed for myself, and I will not be stopped from leaving." he said, glaring at William.

Evewen held a hand to her forehead when she heard Vincent speak. She looked at him as he came down the steps, her eyes narrowed. "It's a fool's errand, Vincent."

She knew she had just tried to convince her father to let him go, but now she sided with her father, if only to stay out of trouble herself.