"Have you heard of the Captain Charles Vane?" Silver himself is leaning forward, though his good leg is gently next to Benedict's, tea placed to the side. Charles Vane, the legendary pirate captain responsible for the death of many--including almost an entire colony. Executed only to spark the movement of a resistance, a perfect pirate martyr. Silver leans forward, glancing exaggeratedly at Max and the girls, as if this is a tale that can't reach delicate feminine ears. It's more to amp up the excitement, more to make Gregory feel special.

"It just so happened that his crew didn't take kindly to ours in Charles Town," he says simply, "nor were they particularly fond of the fact that I sabotaged the ship they tried to steal from us. I hid below deck, snuck up, cut their topsail, but once Vane's crew discovered me... Well. Punishment was due."

His brows lift. "A cannonball would have been far more merciful than the axe Vane's quartermaster had." He omits how painful it was, of course--how being forced to stay still while a man hacks away at your leg can stay with you, about how he still has nightmares. About how it still hurts somehow, especially on rainy days.

"I survived, lost far too much blood, and the doctor aboard the ship had to amputate once we won the ship back."