Some I have known have a ship
Where they sleep with sounds of rocks on the coast
They sail over oceans five fathoms deep
But can't find what they want the most
— Home by Vanessa Carlton
Bella really had no interest in ships or expeditions or anything of that nature; she'd grown up reading fairy tales filled with princesses, knights in shining armour, and kingdoms far away, not pirates and adventures. Still, there was something magical about watching two large ships sail off into the unknown, and it was a different sort of magical than the world she lived in. It was sort of representative, she thought, of her current place in the world: breaking out of her shell and becoming her own person, even if that person wasn't one society approved of. It was scary, and where she would end up was definitely unknown to her, but that didn't stop her from moving forward. Just like Captain Darrow's ships, really.

She was there without a chaperon, which wasn't anything surprising; being alone on the streets was a staple of her reputation, and being seen without one from now forward would likely have little impact on anything. Merlin, if anyone saw her with a chaperon they'd probably assume something important was happening!

At least she was alone in that spot, until footsteps approached from behind.

It was a gentleman, and one that looked both familiar and unfamiliar. She'd seen him somewhere, but she was almost positive she'd never met him. She cocked a single brow at him, almost if asking why he was entering her personal bubble.

Arthur Pettigrew