>Guess there's nothing left but to enjoy the ride to the big city.
>Along the way, let's make sure we find the time to say hello to Chisato, and make sure the irascible human is staying in bed as she should.
>And keep a discreet eye on Miyuki as well, and make sure she knows our hands are available for kitchen duty again. It may not be the kind of thing we'd do on a daily basis, under normal circumstances, but it was kinda fun. Due to the company we keep, no doubt.
>Given that there seems to be nothing else pressing to take care of, you try to settle back and enjoy the ride. Were it not for the circumstances, you think it would actually be fairly pleasant, if a touch idle. You pitch in with minor tasks here and there, helping to scrub your own blood off the floors and giving Miyuki another hand in the kitchen, and otherwise enjoy the skies and the fact that no further disasters seem to be occurring.
>On the plus side, your injuries heal quickly, and before too long are only dull reminders of the other day's battle. The same cannot be said for all members of the crew, however.
>Predictably, Chisato is back on her feet later that day, pain and good sense be damned. And she really
does damn them, among a list of other things. You and Miyuki -
especially Miyuki - manage to ring a few concessions from her, but she absolutely insists on having a proper lunch in the galley instead of her room, and spending some time above deck. While she can't fully disguise the fact that it still hurts for her to move, she is pointedly silent on the topic. You keep your word to Miyuki and make no mention of her spellcasting ? Chisato is pointedly silent on this topic, as well.
>As one might expect, she's a bit testy, but you genuinely wonder if this has more to do with how people keep making her swear off work than her injuries themselves. Still, she's not entirely unpleasant, and keeping a friendly watch on her at least gives you something to do.
>While the two of you are on deck, you catch sight of a few small forms swirling among the clouds in the distance. At first you think they're a small flock of birds migrating from one isolated islet to another, but something about them doesn't look quite right. They're too... long - almost sinuous.
>"Dragonfish," Chisato says. "Rare as hell. S'posed to bring good luck if you spot 'em." She shakes her head. "Where the fuck were you guys yesterday?" she mutters.
>Though they never approach close to the ship, the Maiden's course draws just near enough to afford you a better view of their display; you note you're not the only person watching, either. Their movements are fluid and graceful, almost dance-like, with each weaving in and around the other in a complex and ever-changing pattern; the sunlight scintillates brilliantly off their iridescent scales with each movement, creating an illusion of rainbows trailing in their wake. And then, barely after coming into view, they disappear back into the clouds. You can still hear them being talked about at supper that night.
>Later that evening, Natsumi comes to your room to thank you for likely saving her life. She is still a bit unsteady on her feet, and her speech is slow and deliberately at times, but she otherwise seems coherent and lucid. You brush off her gratitude as best you can without being disrespectful and the two of you end up talking for a while. Apparently she's also from Hanashibara, though a much more populated region than Miyuki. She talks a little about her family - sailors for several generations, it seems - and asks after yours. You answer as best you can without being too specific about what brought you to the Maiden; she seems to have missed the whole fuss about your affliction, and you're in no hurry to needlessly inform her. She seems nice enough, though, and reasonably sharp for someone who had their forehead split open by a piece of blunt metal just yesterday. She'll be alright, you think, and it brings you some comfort to know you had a hand in that, at least.
>Ishi finally reappears the following afternoon, looking even more bedraggled than the first time you saw her wander into the galley. Her overalls are splattered with oil and grime and what appear to be several burn marks. She insists on having rabbit stew for supper and is surprisingly undeterred by Miyuki's insistence that they don't
have any rabbit. In fact, Miyuki nearly shoos her out of the galley entirely with stern orders to clean up before coming back. Eventually they reach a compromise in the form of roast turkey; Ishi insists on carving her own portion. You can't quite decide which is more unsettling: the oversized and wildly reciprocating blade which she applies to the bird, or the glint in her eye as she does so. You prefer not to think about what was going through mind at that particular moment.
>There's one thing you can say about this trip, at least: you don't need to worry about being underfed. It's not exactly 5-star restaurant fare, but it's tasty and filling, and probably better than you have any right to expect on a cargo ship. Another day passes.
>One of the downsides of the inactivity is that it leaves you with a lot of time for introspection. Well, perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing in ordinary times, but much of what you find yourself ruminating on at the moment is unpleasant. The Blighted marks upon you grow visibly each day; the large one on your leg will soon extend beyond the edge of your skirt, you think. Perhaps you'll need to invest in some new clothes....
>You continue to take Minoriko's medicine each morning and night; on the plus side, you've only made a small dent in the total volume, so it looks like you should have more than you'll ever need. One way or the other. Though you find yourself wondering if you're feeling just a little bit wearier as the days pass - quicker to tire, and weaker on your feet. It's not enough to be sure that it's anything at all, or at least anything beyond the fatigue you'd expect after all you've been through, but it's just enough to compound to the worries on your mind, whenever they come up for reexamination.
>It is now the afternoon of the fourth day since the Maiden set sail from Braston. You've been assured that you're still making good time despite the damage the ship sustained in the battle with the pirates, but the journey has really begun to drag. You've done your best to keep occupied, but there's only so much that busywork can do to distract you from the fact that four more days have passed ? four more days of the precious few remaining to you. As a youkai, it's a strange thing to realize that
time, of all things, has now become one of the very scarcest and most valuable commodities in the world to you.
>After running out of minor tasks within your expertise to do, you spent an hour or so pacing the Maiden's deck and then returned to your room. You're not precisely trying to nap, but simply lying down for want of anything else to do. An indeterminate amount of time passes while you watch the clouds drift by your window. Every now and again you hear Chisato's mouse chitter something from across the hall. She's not exactly the greatest conversationalist, but it's still a distraction from ruminating. And you suppose her innocent cheerfulness isn't such a bad thing right now, either. Your leg itches a little.
>There is a knock at the door.
