Act 1, Scene 4: One Can Dream

In Cassandra's quarters, on the Abandoned Barnacle - Open Sea at night

Thomas: "Captain, no offense intended, but you're not at all how I imagined a pirate captain to be like."

Cassandra: "I wish you could have met my father. He used to be the real deal, one of the most well known privateers of Costa Moringa. Everything I know about ships and pirates and stuff, I learned from him. One time, he got hold of an entire shipment of books and letters meant for the Academy of South Delandroc. They had no way of selling it, and I was the only one on board except dad who could read. So they gave them to me. It was all kinds of stuff - poetry, novels, but also books about science and philosophy. I was young and curious, and I devoured those books. And it made me want to go to university, and learn even more."

Thomas: "And, did you?"

Cassandra: "Well, I tried!"

Thomas: "And?"

Cassandra: "They laughed at me and offered me a job as a nurse instead."

Thomas: "Ouch."

Cassandra: "Yeah, ouch. Little did I know that they'd only accept boys as students."

Thomas: "Damn! That's backwards!"

Cassandra: "But I still took the job!"

Thomas: "Even though that's not what you wanted at all?"

Cassandra: "At that point, I would have done anything to not having to stay on my dad's ships all the time. And they still allowed me to use the library!"

Thomas: "So you're actually HMFIC MD!"

Cassandra: "I wish. I wasn't much into treating students' paper cuts, so I ended up being more of a counselor. It paid well, and I got to meet a lot of sexy young boys!"

Thomas: "And how did you end up on a boat again?"

Cassandra: "One day my father's ship was found run aground near the coast by Ogerlagolin. When fishermen boarded the ship to see what's up, they found everyone dead, their throats cut open. And my father, the captain, gone without a trace."

Thomas: "DAMN! I'm so sorry to hear that."

Cassandra: "When the royal navy came to investigate the locals had already looted the ship. The only thing they found were a few notes left by the navigator, suggesting that they were just coming home home from the legendary Hissing Isles."

Thomas: "Legendary, you say. So, what's that legend about?"

Cassandra: "It is said that, when King Halibert the Fourth fled from the invaders during the War of Eternal Regret, he loaded all his royal treasures onto the last remaining ship and set to sea the night before the palace fell. With no chance to outpace his enemies, he went to a remote island where he had all his treasures hidden away in a cave. According to the legend, he put the entire island under a powerful curse so that his treasures may never be found by his enemies."

Thomas: "That's some great lore!"

Cassandra: "Yeah, unfortunately the people of Costa Moringa are a superstitious bunch. I've spent the better part of a decade to raise the funds and find a crew brave enough to go there. The navy couldn't be arsed to investigate any further. Since it wasn't one of their ships, they declared the massacre the result of King Halibert's curse and called it a day."

Thomas: "What if your father actually DID find the treasure and didn't want to share it?"

Cassandra: "That's what everyone thinks, right? But no ... I know he'd never have done anything like this. The whole situation stinks. Father might have been a pirate, but not a murderer. I won't rest until I've found out what really happened. And who knows? Maybe he's still out there somewhere. One can dream, right?"

Thomas: "*sigh* Yeah. One can dream."

Cassandra: "Never lose your hope. Look at everyone else on this ship. Nobody came here with a pirate diploma in their pocket. Not even Baldwin. His bark is worse than his bite. If these guys can be sailors, so can you."

Thomas: "Thank you, captain. I'll do my best. I promise."