At first it might seem their transaction is to be no different from any other day, and it might not be a surprise -- pirates don't generally celebrate the holiday (and why would a patron celebrate his escort?). Nonetheless as he rises with boots freshly pulled on, he is careful to mask the hand that dips into his pocket, that masks the silver chain he cups in his palm as he takes her hand to kiss her fingers goodnight. ' Happy heartseekers', he murmurs against her flesh, before taking his leave.
When the light from the large windows finally warms her enough to bring her to wake, she rises with a yawn and a question--was it a dream? She had imagined her Admiral’s lips grazing her fingers, his voice low and soft reaching her ears as sleep tugged at the edges of her mind. She had thought, too, that she had asked him not to go, though it seemed the latter was very clearly confirmed to have been her imagination. But the former...
She felt something in her palm and curiously she unravelled her fingers to reveal what could have been kept inside. The chain was beautiful; simple, but elegant, and it brought her to smile so hard her cheeks began to hurt. It was a delight to receive gifts, as always, but even the Queen was aware of what this special day was.
(It made her even happier to realize that not all of what she had remember had been fake.)









