Oliver had overlooked one small detail: Poli's translation amulet needed to analyze a language for a few minutes in order to work- thankfully, Ramsbottam was pretty cooperative on that point... Though he didn't really understand how hearing a language for a few minutes would allow someone to suddenly speak it.

Not that Oliver could explain it very well; he didn't actually understand how the amulet worked himself.

But, once Poli could speak and understand the language, Oliver was quickly impressed. Her ability to relate to a complete stranger- from a literal alien species- was nothing short of incredible. It made sense why she was such a good Police Officer...

From connecting over their shared nicknames, courtesy of their last names- Poli earned the nickname 'Ram' playing soccer in high school, due not just to her last name, but her tendency to violently butt heads with some of the nastier players...

Something Oliver didn't know of before now.

And, apparently, they had a similar game here- though it was mostly played by children, it was still another point of connection for them to build off of.

Before he knew it, they were chatting and laughing like best friends... and Oliver had to suppress the pang of sadness the sight sent through him, as it reminded him a lot of how easily he got along with Omi.

He could only hope his Rach friends were doing well...

When Ram finally left, needing to see to his own duties, he made sure to invite them to the galley for breakfast in a bit- and so they could be introduced to the crew.

"So, what do you think of this whole 'Demons versus Devils' thing that we walked in to?" Oliver chuckled once the door closed- apparently, the name for Ram's people translated to 'Demons' for them, which he found incredibly amusing... and the differences between the Demons and Devils wasn't a large one, really. Mostly ideological, and the only way to identify them on sight was by skin color: Demons were usually some shade of red, while Devils some shade of black or gray...

And, biologically, they were pretty similar, seeing as they could interbreed- though there was some stigma attached to that.

"Well, we aren't really in it." Poli shrugged. "We're just here as extra protection against pirates... and, since the mysterious cargo isn't a weapon and isn't something the Devil's have any sort of claim over, I think it's pretty safe."

"We're just defending, after all. If they attack... then what happens is on them, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose so." Oliver shrugged. "I just don't want to see us caught up in some sort of racial conflict; we don't have enough information to know which side would be the right side... Getting blindsided by this being a military operation and not just a merchant thing has kinda made me wary of taking a Bounty and ending up on the wrong side of things, you know?"

"Yeah, I can understand that." Poli nodded as she sat next to him, taking his hand. "I am curious, though... How did you tweak to this being a military thing? I mean, I can see some of the signs on Ram; he's definitely got that ex-military vibe to him..."

Oliver grimaced slightly, shaking his head. "I've told you a bit about my father, he was ex-military, though dishonorably discharged, so I've seen a bit of the type from him and his drinking buddies...and... well, I learned at a young age how to read him- to judge his mood and body language, figure out what was going on in his head..."

"Doing or saying the wrong thing was an easy way to elicit a violent reaction out of him..." He sighed, not meeting her eyes. "So, by the time I was... seven, I think? Something like that... I had figured him out well enough to avoid most of the beatings."

"That's... horrible, Oli. I'm so sorry..." Poli's voice was soft and laced with sadness as she leaned into him.

"Eh, I've mostly dealt with it." Oliver flashed a gentle smile. "And it had its benefits, in a way. Learning how to read him helped me to read people later on, so that I could kinda... imitate... how to act normal- though that part took me a while to really get; I was still the weird kid in high school, but I got better at it as I matured... and thanks to my therapist. She was a real life saver, in a way."

"Besides, between being around the 'military type', and learning how to read and judge people, it gave me a few hints here... and Then I just kinda leaned into the guess and let their reactions give me the real answer."

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"That's pretty clever... but it could have easily not worked, so maybe be careful with that next time? And forget being normal! That shit is boring anyway..." Poli chuckled and hopped to her feet. Grabbing his hands, she pulled on him until he rose as well. "Come on, lets head to the galley and see what Demon food is like. Then we can check out the ship!"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

The galley was fairly basic: tables and chairs, a small cooking area... and a line of Demons grabbing plates as food was spooned onto them. When the two of them entered, the entire room fell silent as everyone present studied the odd looking strangers that had joined them.

"Enough staring!" Ram snapped at the group from his seat. "These two are here to help us with security on the trip. The man glaring at everyone is Oliver; the other is his girlfriend, Polina. And yes, that is a warning- I'm talking to you, Jenkins!"

Jenkins was easy enough to pick out from the group, thanks to the innocent look he plastered on his face while pretending he hadn't been checking Poli out.

"They will be with us until we reach Bay Leis. While they are not part of our command, they will be working with us- with me, specifically, as decided by the Captain. If you have a problem with them, bring it to me- just as I hope they will bring any problems to me first."

"He is supposed to be security? He's tiny!" One of them said before braying in laughter.

Ram sighed, shaking his head. "Stop being a jackass, Jack- or at least wait until they know you're joking, ok?"

While he wasn't used to being called tiny- especially since he was six feet tall himself, even if a bit slim- most of the Demons were around seven feet tall... and Jack was nearly a foot taller than the rest, and broader in the shoulders than two of Oliver put together.

"Grab a plate and come join me." Ram said as he waved for the others to continue with their meal. "We'll be leaving port shortly, so I hope you have everything you need."

The two of them followed behind the line and grabbed plates- which appeared to be eggs and bacon, of all things, if the color was a bit off- before grabbing seats at the table with Ram.

Oliver stopped Poli as she grabbed her fork. "Let me try the food first and make sure it's safe."

"What, you think we would poison you or something?" A Demon at a nearby table asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Nope." Oliver said as he shoveled the first bite into his mouth. "You're a sailor, you should know that not all food is safe for everyone... And we come from a very different place; we have no idea if we can even eat your food."

"You don't seem to be worried about yourself, though." Ram cut in, not wanting there to be a problem this early.

"I mean, I'm fairly certain it should be safe. Also, I'm a fair bit... hardier, I guess you could say, than Poli." Oliver shrugged, then grinned impishly at the Demon that questioned him before. "Besides... I'm too pretty to die."

Chuckles ran through the galley at his statement, and even the grumpy Demon smiled at the joke.

Ram sighed to himself; he could understand why the Captain gave him the responsibility of dealing with their 'help', even if he didn't want the extra stress... Mostly the two seemed ok, but the strange things that Oliver was capable of... A shiver went down his spine; he didn't know how it was possible to blast a hole in something using just your mind... and worse, he had no idea how to protect against it.

Thankfully, they were on the same side.

"Well, while you two eat, I'll run through introductions real quick..."

Standing on the deck as the ship pulled away from port, Poli smiled- it was quite the liberating feeling, sailing off an adventure with her boyfriend. A mysterious job, the open sea, and the possibility of pirates... it almost felt unreal.

"What are you humming?" She asked with a smile, having just picked up on the sound. Oliver's embarrassed blush made her smirk- it was a rare thing for him.

"Um... 'Come Sail Away'...." He muttered with a shy smile.

"I bet you wish you had a piano right now." She chuckled, leaning into him. "You think the crew would appreciate a song right now?"

Seeing Oliver not meeting her eyes, she poked him in the side and mock scolded him. "Don't tell me you brought a piano with you!"

"What? Of course not!" He exclaimed- though the twinkle of laughter in his eyes was clear. "I mean, maybe I brought my keyboard..."

"Seriously?"

"And a guitar..."

"...and my violin."

Chuckling softly, Poli shook her head- she wasn't really surprised that he carried a few instruments everywhere. "Do you think they would appreciate 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia'?"

Oliver was nearly bouncing in place as he turned around, eyes searching for Ram. "I should definitely ask!"

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