"Are the rest of you here?" Innai asked her.
"Yes. They are waiting for you to...to give an order to your swamp," Serenica said.
"I'll see about that. Terribly rude of you to come around and start killing my reptiles."
Serenica felt awful. The lizard had probably been much like a beloved pet, a beloved pet that would have gobbled her like a date cake. She needed to compensate for the perceivedly senseless killing.
"I can do whatever you want me to do," she said.
"Can you stay here? I bet you can't," the old man said bitterly.
Suddenly Serenica realized how lonely he was on his little island. The swamp was the only thing keeping him company. It had to be extremely hard on him.
There were plenty of newer pirates aboard the Princess that she could use as a bargaining chip, though.
