It all happened in a blur.

Helping open the café had been so wonderful and meeting the princess had been a nice surprise. For her. Maybe not for Veliky… After all once she had seen the magnificence and wonder of the Blixt^TM café for herself the princess had charged Veliky and Cirice with spreading cafes all across the isles. It had been a sudden and unexpected cost for Veliky, an investment she hadn’t foreseen but one that would be supplemented by the crown. All they had to do was get everything set up. It was no secret that the society of the Shita Eodum-Taiyang was not easy for outsiders to ingratiate themselves into, but with the princess to speak on Veliky’s behalf many more doors had been opened to the quarterling than ever before.

For Cirice this all meant she not only got to help her homeland, but she also got to do so with one of her best friends and see Veliky’s famous ship! So it was that she was hanging off the railing of the Nin Hloth headed for the small port of Kagoshima. The Luna Sea's waters were rough today, oddly that didn't seem to deter the Nin Hloth whatsoever. In fact the calmness of the ship compared to the waters around it only seemed to bolster Cirice's good mood.

"Veliky! How long until we get there?"

"Fuck if I know. The princess gave us a direction and that's about it." Veliky's mood is a contrast, so stark in comparison to Cirice's, that she looks nearly as grumpy as the daruma doll that now sits in the captain's quarters. If Cirice is red bean paste, Veliky is spicy tofu. "But if I had to guess? We're probably four minutes closer than the last time you asked."

Veliky lets out a deep breath, tinged with sea-salt. It's a different scent than the one of Sol City, somehow. Warmer, and different in a way that she doesn't have a word for. Is this what umami is?

She runs a hand through her hair. She'd barely been in Starlight City for a day before she was sent off again. She didn't get any proper rest in that time. Of course, she rarely gets any rest, but she barely even sat down. All at the behest of a princess who, on complete whim, decided that this was a good idea for some reason.

'Hell, an ally's an ally, I guess.' she acquiesces to herself before turning to Cirice. "Is this... normal? I'm not too familiar with the culture in the Crescent Isles, but it isn't exactly usual in Sol City that the royalty would take a business and force them to open an entire chain."

“I have no idea!” Cirice replies in a chipper voice, “I’ve never met the princess before! I had heard she was quite young and impulsive and I guess those rumors were true! We’re a much tighter-knit community here, the government is much more in tune with the people than in other places I think. Maybe that’s why.”

Cirice gives Veliky a lopsided smile, “Orrrr maybe the Bubblixt^TM was just so good she wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to try it!” She giggles, blinking behind Veliky and throwing her arms around her small friend in a hug¹.

“It’s a compliment! You know how hard you fought to open just one cafe here and now they want many! You’re building your capitalist empire!” She jokes, letting Veliky go with a gentle kiss on her head. “Cheer up! Aren’t you even a little bit excited, Vel? I know its sudden and it wasn’t your plan, but you’re doing a great job rolling with the punches and there is nothing you can’t handle!”

Cirice gives her friend all the encouragement she can, knowing full well that the businesswoman had plenty of reason to be on edge, but wanting to lower her anxiety all the same. This was a risky venture, but she had faith it would all work out for the best.

---

1 Blink

"Tight-knight, huh?" Veliky comments sarcastically, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes at the notion. "If Solarian came into my cafe and started ordering me around, I'd punch him in the j-! Wha- hey!" Her attitude rapidly deteriorates as she finds herself wrapped in the (relatively) massive arms of Cirice. I should startle her moreso, since she hadn't even seen Cirice move, but she is familiar enough with this feeling by now. Of course, that w ill not stop her from thrashing about like a feline as the silken embrace grows tighter.

"Wh-When I'm building something, I generally want there to be a plan first!" she strains as she tries to pry Cirice's arms away. "Not just have someone march in and start making decisions with no-"

And then she receives a little smooch atop her little flaxen head. She goes stiff and silent; and utterly, utterly red. Futile though it may be, she tries to subtly hide her embarrassment behind a gloved hand. But even seeing her is not necessary; she radiates shameful heat.

In changing her attitude, it succeeds wildly -- even if only temporarily -- as all she manages to utter after a mildly panicked silence is "...Th-Thank you."

“Of course, building my friend up and reminding her that she’s amazing and lovely and wonderful is my favorite pastime!” Cirice sing-songs, “I know it must seem really daunting, but try to enjoy the challenge! After all, the princess wouldn’t give us a task she didn’t think we could handle. There is no one in the world better suited to opening a massive undertaking of cafes like this than you!”

Before Veliky can gather her wits enough after the shock of the kiss to offer a curt reply, Cirice squeals with delight. “Look! I see the island! What do sailors say again? OH! LAND HOE! The port should be to the eastern side according to what the princess said! I can help unload the crates with magic and Hitia can pull one of the wagons! I hate that I left my library behind but I can always summon him to me for help!”

The Nin Hloth slides into port gracefully despite the choppy waves and the swaying dock. Its slightly ominous that there aren't any dock workers that greet them as they start tying the moorings to the dock, but the Blixtbots^TM are more than capable of handling the work without outside assistance. 

Veliky's still cooling off and fidgeting with her gloves by the time they're stepping out and onto the dock. As they land, Cirice's boots come with a pair of thumps while Veliky's land with a couple of thumps. She looks around, left and right down the docks, but...

"Nobody's here." Her comment comes across as spoken obviousness, but it certainly isn't untrue. "If we were pirates or invading soldiers, we'd've just taken land. Is this normal?"

"I don't think I've ever even been to this island before, but our port at home usually is teeming with people... its really weird."

At that, her eyes narrow. Remote village on the outskirts of the nation; little contact with the outside world; suspiciously silent when they arrive? Sounds to her like the textbook foundation of something gone horribly, horribly wrong.

"...Keep your eyes open. I don't like this." Her tone has changed drastically, and that flustered redness from before has all but vanished. Indeed, while she claims to not like this situation, it *is* a welcome venture from the barrage of affection that she has had to endure for nearly the entire trip. Now it's *really* time for business.

That said, she's never done something like this with Cirice before. She knows that Cirice is capable, given the absolute destruction that the Red Rogue rendered on her warehouse, but... She murmurs to a few bots to stay close to Cirice, just to be safe. Then turns to Cirice herself.

"Come on. Let's not waste any time."

For once Cirice seems serious, nodding as Veliky suggests they not waste time. Whatever is going on seems to not have been good for the locals, perhaps that was the real reason the princess had sent two capable adventurers out to this remote island so suddenly, perhaps she really knew there was something wrong here. Cirice’s sword appears in her hand in a flash of soft violet light.

“I don’t like it either… Maybe there’s something else going on rather than us just coming for a cafe… Maybe the princess was secretly asking us to handle whatever is going on here!”

Could that be...? Veliky's mind flashes back to the princess' eyes when she made that decision. The wonderment, the enthusiasm... Could there have been more behind that guise?

"...No, I doubt it."

Cirice frowns at the dismissal but accepts it. “I’m pretty sneaky, that’s the harbormaster’s office I think. I’ll go in and see if I can find anything strange inside.”

Before Veliky can assign a bot to escort her, Cirice disappears from view. Teleporting into the office of the harbormaster and clinging to the shadows to stay hidden, Cirice starts looking around for anything suspicious^1,2. There’s a desk covered with papers in neat stacks that she thumbs through quickly, noticing that most of the last recorded dates were from some weeks ago and the contents seemed slightly sketchy. She rifles through the papers and writes a small note of her own, leaving the harbormaster a note for whenever he returns.

She slinks around looking for any signs of life but finding none she returns to Veliky. “No one was inside and it looks like they haven’t gotten any shipments or ships in in a couple weeks. Whatever happened, it happened recently.”

---

1 Blink
2 Cloak of Shadows

Two weeks without shipments, incoming or outgoing... That isn't too unusual for a village of this size, but Veliky can't help but feel offput by it. So much can happen in two weeks. A monarch could die, and it could still take two weeks -- more, even -- for the news to reach some places. And while this certainly shouldn't be anything as serious as that, they truly have no idea what they're walking into. Another unknown...

Veliky grunts. She hates not knowing things. That said, this isn't exactly their problem; sure, they'd be remiss not to investigate, but they should at least make contact with the Princess before going forward. Fortunately, Veliky accounted for exactly this sort of situation. From her belt, she takes the little device that's served her well on so many occasions and speaks into it^[1]. Only now, it isn't a bot on the other side.

"Your majesty? Are you there?"

...

There's a sound, but it isn't a voice. Instead, it sounds like a faint crunching. Chewing?

"Princess? Are you there?"

"...Hmm? Who said that?" There it is. It's now a familiar voice, but it's muffled by something apparently in the princess' mouth.

Veliky has to groan, though she makes sure to distance the device from herself as she does. She explicitly explained to the Princess how it functions, and yet...

Well, she supposes she can't be too surprised. She brings the device back to her lips. "It's me, Veliky. I'm talking to you through the device, like I told you. Remember?"

"Oh!" There's a sound of scrambling and an occasional, noisy bump as the device on the other side is apparently battered carelessly about. "I didn't think this would really work! Can you... Can you hear me, Veliky-san?"

"Why would I give you something if it didn't-..." She cuts herself off, deciding it to be a pyrrhic question. "Nevermind. Yes, I can hear you. We have a situation in Kagoshima. It's a ghost town out here."

"Wha- Ghosts?! Are the villagers alright?!" she genuine panic in her voice hurts Veliky's ears.

"No, no, it's just empty. Nobody greeted us at the dock, and everyone here is either hiding or gone. It's quieter than a funeral."

"O-Osoroshi!" The embarrassment at her mistake, though present, is eclipsed by concern. "That isn't good! I hope you are able to find them."

"Yeah, me-... Wait, what?" In fairness, she'd been planning to find them, but the Princess' assertion that they *should* put themselves at risk comes as a shock nonetheless.

"Yes! I will await your... hōkoku..." She hunts for the Common translation. "Report! Yes, I will await your report! Good luck, Veliky-san."

...

She's gone. Well, not entirely; Veliky can still hear that crunching sound from the other side. But the conversation's over, regardless.

"Royalty..." Veliky groans as she puts the device away. "Well, guess it's our mission to find out what happened." She turns to Cirice. "Are you ready to go? Though I guess I know the answer well enough." she adds, gesturing to the blade that Cirice has conjured from nowhere at all.

---

1. Talking Heads

“Okay I guess we’re going to go find any survivors…” Cirice says, holding her sword tighter, turning the ring on the hilt to have it become a whip of blades. “Stay behind me, if there’s something dangerous I don’t want you to get hurt. You like my sword? It’s pretty cool, I think.”

Veliky's eyes widen slightly at the sight of the segmented blade, whose slithering fragments each promise pain. It's... quite a bit more violent-looking than Veliky would've expected of the innocent elf. And it's also somewhat...

She isn't sure how to describe it. She looks up to Cirice's face, whose violet glee seems rather more... sinister. But not in a bad way. It's oddly unbefitting of Cirice, but maybe for someone like Sylva-

She shakes the thought away. 'Focus, Veliky.'

Finally, she answers. "It's certainly innovative. I didn't realize you were trained."

“Well Cyran and Gerhart taught me a little so I could defend myself better, but I don’t like getting too close to things if I can help it, so I have the whip to keep things at a distance. I can also cast through it so that’s helpful! Months ago the three of us went into a dungeon and nearly died and ever since then I wanted to get stronger so they don’t have to protect me as much.”

She gives Veliky a small, almost apologetic smile and takes a deep breath, taking point as they cautiously step into the town proper. There seemingly isn’t any movement ahead of them, not from the streets at least. As they walk through with the bots the silence is deafening and eerie. They make it through the main street a ways before Cirice spots something in the corner of her eye. In one of the windows a curtain swings as if it had just been let go suddenly. Not wasting any time Cirice runs over towards it and tries the door.

“Hello? Is anyone there? We aren’t going to hurt you, not as long as you aren’t hostile. We were sent by the crown!”

There is no answer at the door for a long moment and then… “Please, get back on your boat and leave before it’s too late.” The voice is scared and quiet, a frantic whisper.

The movement of Veliky and her entourage through the village is a military operation. Under her command, they know where to look and where to tread in order to minimize all risk. In the eerily silent village, with hutch windows leering like eyes, their clockwork march is the only consistent sound. It only adds to that unwelcoming feeling, like their presence is an insult to the silence.

As Cirice goes to knock on the door, Veliky waits, hardly breathing. And when that voice comes hushed through, it only raises greater concerns.

She steps forward. "We're equipped to deal with whatever's going on here. Just come out and we'll get you somewhere safe." Her voice is edged with vexation. She's with enough panicked civilians to view it less as a concern and more of an arbitrary obstacle.

But the response that comes through is concerning, even to her.

"Your weapons won't help you. You aren't safe. You have to leave!"

...Footfalls sound away from the door. She's gone. And somehow, her departure makes the air feel even colder. Veliky and Cirice are left alone, outside the door and amidst the reeds.

Veliky lets in a deep breath. The air here smells... sour.

"Come on. It sounds like our work's cut out for us."