His eyes follow the sound of someone bursting into the room, but Ed doesn't fully turn to face them until he hears his name repeated.

Here's the thing about Blackbeard: his legend precedes him in every way. He doesn't even need to be present to strike fear into the hearts of any passing sailor. He knows this... it's what spoils the fun. Despite the frustration of finding himself aboard this unthinkable vessel, there is a certain level of excitement that comes with it. Opportunity. Drama. Life. He hasn’t decided yet if anyone knowing who he is impacts that positively or not. Time will tell.

Edward looks the part of Blackbeard- almost anyway. He's wearing Blackbeard's clothes. He's holding Blackbeard's gun. There's one problem of course- he doesn't have a beard.

'You can't be Blackbeard without your black beard!'

Stede's words ring through the back of his mind, haunting him. The first rejection of many. The one that made him paint the beard back on his face with kohl and try to reassume the title he'd nearly lost. Ed grunts, confused by the person before him. Not what he'd expected. Nothing ever is, here.

"Who's asking?"