"-ke up... Wake up!"

The woman lazily opened her eyes. Eduardo was looking down at her, already dressed. She yawned and got up.

"We're about to dock. Get dressed."

He stepped out of the room as she began unbuttoning her shirt. After slipping on her borrowed clothes, she followed the man up to the dining room. The rest of the crew were already eating. She took a seat between Eduardo and Thomas.

"Miss Clara, are you excited to be going home?"

"Uh, yes! Yes, I am." She smiled sweetly.

"We're gonna pick up some supplies. Do you have any recommendations?" Christopher questioned.

Clara shifted in her seat before answering.

"The market is always a safe bet. My uncle also runs a general goods store just a five minute walk away from the port."

"How about drinks?" The captain piped up.

"I-I'm not sure. I don't really drink much... My friend Willem would know, though! He works at a shop near the port, so I can ask him once we get there."

As she gave her answers, she could feel Eduardo watching her. She tried to keep herself busy with the others and with breakfast, but she couldn't help her fidgeting.

Just a few more hours... Just gotta wait a few more hours...

...

Clara rubbed her arms as she and the crew left the port. It was far colder than she had expected. She glanced at the men around her. They seemed fairly relaxed and unfazed. She stopped in front of a tailor's shop.

"This is where Willem works. If you wait here for just a moment, I'll go ask him about a good bar."

They agreed, though Eduardo was giving her a strange look. In response, she just smiled and walked inside. She caught sight of an old ascot cap. It was dark and worn, but it do. She pulled out some of the money the captain had given her, and took the cap to the clerk. As he was taking out her change, she spoke up.

"My friends and I were wondering if there was a good bar around here. We've been on our ship for a couple weeks, and we're getting a bit tired of what we have on board."

"Louis' place is good. You walk down this road and you'll see a sign with a seagull with a pipe. That'll be the place." He glanced at her. "What is it you and your crew do, if I'm not being too rude."

"My father's a fisherman. My brothers and my fiancee are part of the crew." She smiled as a light blush crept up her cheeks. "My love and I are looking for the best place to get married. I want somewhere with lots of flowers, and my honey wants to be married somewhere we can look over the ocean. I don't suppose this town has somewhere like that?"

"'Fraid not, dear," he smiled, "but I wish you two the best of luck."

"Oh, thank you!" She pocketed the change and took the cap. "My brother should like this. He's the crabby blond out there. He gets grumpy when it's cold."

The man laughed.

"My husband gets the same way. Here, take those gloves there, too. On the house, as congratulations on your wedding."

"You're too kind!"

She gave one last bright smile before turning and leaving.

When she stepped back out, Eduardo was staring at her gloves and cap. She stuck out her tongue at him and slipped on the gloves. She started walking and the crew followed her.

"Louis' place is the bar to be at. It has a seagull smoking a pipe." They were out of sight of the tailor's shop. She slipped the cap on. "I'm gonna run home real quick and change so I can finally return Thomas' clothes. I'll meet you there."

Before she could run off, Eduardo stopped her.

"What's with the hat and gloves?"

"... I'm cold?"

"Is your house far?"

"... It's a bit of a walk. You guys go ahead and start without me."

A sudden weight over her shoulders caught her off guard. She stared at the man.

"Won't you be cold? You don't need to give me your coat."

"Just be quick."

The woman stared at him for a few moments before slipping her arms through the sleeves. She smiled at each of the men.

"Thank you so much for your kindness. Really." She bowed her head and ran off.

The men watched her go before heading inside, out of the cold.

...

"She's sure takin' her time," Russell grumbled, picking up his mug.

"She said it was quite a ways away. I'm sure she's moving as quickly as possible," Christopher soothed.

The men were already seated. The bar was crowded and a bit loud, but the service was pretty good. One of the barmaids, a pretty redhead wandered over with some more mugs of beer.

"Who're you lads waiting for?" she questioned.

"A friend of ours. She lives around here," the captain replied before smirking, "Would a doll like you be able to help us?"

She giggled. "Maybe. What's her name?"

"Clara, sh-"

"Oh! She's a good friend of mine! A total darling. She's actually been here for a while. She's just been a bit busy." She turned away and shouted. "Clara! CLARA! A couple of your friends came to meet you!"

The crew frowned as a woman approached.

She was tall, curvaceous, and looked to be in her mid-thirties. Her eyes were light and she was missing a canine. She gave them a beautiful, albeit confused smile.

"I'm sorry lads, I don't think we've had a chance to meet."

"Sorry, we've got a different Clara. She's tiny, with long black hair, dark eyes... She's been missing from here for the past few months?" Christopher started to look uneasy as the women's faces remained confused.

"She's got a set of younger triplet sisters," Eduardo added. "Hope, Faith, and Charity. They're supposedly blonde, like their mother?"

The redhead and the other Clara exchanged looks. Clara smiled again, a sympathetic look in their eyes.

"I'm sorry, honey. It's a small town, and there're only two Claras. Myself, and Oswald's new baby. The woman you met... I don't think she's from around here."

...

The woman slung the sack over her shoulder. She'd rubbed some coal under her eyes, giving herself a sickly appearance, and her hair was bundled under the cap. She approached one of the ships at the port. An older woman stood by it.

"Ma'am, ma'am? Could I please board? I wanna get some'ere else. No luck here." She slurred her words and deepened her voice a touch. "I could work, if ya need. I been on a ship b'fore. I have some money, too."

"Boy, what's your name?" The other woman asked, "And what do you mean 'no luck here'?"

"M'name's Russell. I'm tryna find my uncle. He said I could 'prentice for him, but I guess he said it outta pity." She sniffled. "I can't go home, ma'am, but I gotta find work."

The woman gave him a pitiful look. She rested her hand on her shoulder.

"Russell, I was once in a similar spot. People thought I couldn't run a ship. Said it was bad luck to have women on board. A load of bullshit. Now I run one of the best merchant ships around." The captain smiled. "Climb aboard. Keep your money and you can work for your spot. You'll have to use an old cot, but a bed's a bed."

"Thank you, ma'am! Er- captain. I won't let ya down!"

Hahahhaha! The great reveal!