“That’s a well-respected career path here,” Stede points out, but he’s mostly distracted following Ed’s gaze downward. This is far more of skin than he’s ever seen of his former co-captain. He could sit and trace those tattoos with his eyes all afternoon… though he’d rather do it with his fingertips. Any scars too. He wants to catalog each of them, in detail, as far down as they might—

—and he doesn’t even have lotion to thank for the bawdier thoughts that brings about. He clears his throat, looking away and nodding before he’s even really processed Ed’s suggestion.

“Oh, that’s right. You'd have that, wouldn't you? That would be perfect. I can lead us to the Up, but you’ll have to take it from there.”