Mirabelle looked at a small statue of the Change god she fashioned having gotten up early in the morning due to restless slumber. The air was cool, and the first leaves began to change in shade with the arriving Autumn.

She looked at the statue as she thought about what the Housemaiden did. Messing with a power that she didn't understand. A power that ultimately prevented changed for... well Change knows how long. What gave her the right? What gave anyone the right to...

And what of what's become of them? Her friends? Her family? She didn't Odile as a mom. More like a big sister. It made sense Siffrin did however, even if she hated being called that. Something in Odile had changed since yesterday. It was like something had broken. Odile wasn't as composed and calm. She was rash and irritable.

Something was wrong.

"Lot of..." Mirabelle trailed, trying to be respectful to the divine being despite her growing resentment. "Negative changes recently. I... negative change is supposed to be opportunity for greater growth in the world but... this isn't an opportunity. Bonnie is devastated. Isabeau is putting on a brave face but I'm sure he's not doing well. Loop seems... weird. Like they know something and Odile is..." Mirabelle started crying, she grabbed the statue and clenched it tight in anger and despair, yelling. "My brother is dead. Why did you do this to us!?!"

The statue cracked in her grip. She gasped and set it down, covering her mouth with her hands in shame and shock. "Oh Change I'm sorry..."

The statue merely smiled with its drawn on face. It seemed... mocking to her now. That smile that brought such warmth. Yes death is a form of change but this wasn't fair this...

Mirabelle sighed and reminded herself. "Any statue that can't be repaired has to be destroyed. Like is the Change God changes in its end."

Mirabelle slammed the hilt of her blade into the statue, reducing it to rubble. She wiped a tear from her eye and returned to camp to find Loop preparing breakfast with Bonnie. Loop looked... different. They wore an eyepatch now. Mirabelle thought to ask about it but they were having fun so she decided she would ask later.

"Hey where's Odile?" Isabeau inquired stepping out from his tent.

"She fell asleep under the stars," Loop explained. "I'll go check on her. Remember Bonnie, low heat."

"I know how to make syrup," Bonnie assured.

Loop smiled and rustled their hair. "You're such a talented kid."

Loop went to wake Odile, only to find she had already awoken and gotten ready for the day. She had bags under her eyes of a dark shade. She let out a yawn.

"You OK?" Loop inquired.

Odile evaded answering with her own question. "What happened to your eye?"

Loop shrugged. "Who even knows at this point? It just... fell out."

"Are you OK?" Odile inquired as her and Loop and her began to walk back to camp.

"I mean," Loop shrugged. "It didn't hurt."

"We should be ready to explain to Bonnie that they will not be coming with us," Odile decided to drop the matter to focus on what was more important. Their mission.

"I got this don't worry," Loop assured. "I know Bonnie."

"How do you seem to know so much?" Odile demanded.

"Call it a knack for reading you guys," Loop smiled. "I did see... a lot of loops after all."

"It feels like more than that," Odile shook her head and leered with suspicion. "Yeah you saw us do the same day over and over sure, but that can only tell you so much."

"Do you want answers or my help," Loop snapped back, glaring.

"As long as we get Siffrin back," Odile shrugged.

She returned to camp for breakfast with the others. Breakfast was livelier than expected, but every word and laugh at a joke was tinged with a sadness. Something, no, someone was still missing. There were no puns or dagger tricks. No short rouge with a tall hat. No... he was still missing.

Odile lost her appetite as this set in and the journey to meet Bonnie's sister continued. Bonnie ran in front of the group, eagerly rambling about how they were going to love his sister. Claiming it'll be nice to "show her my other siblings."

Bonnie continued, running back to Odile with a wide grin. "And then we're gonna head to Ka Bu and revive Siffrin so she can meet my brother!"

"Yeah..." Odile evaded. "Yeah..." She exchanged a look with Loop who gave a reassuring smile. (Did they always have a mouth? It didn't seem to open.)

Loop suddenly turned away and felt at their face. That wasn't there before. Whatever was going on was getting worse.

They felt something they hadn't felt for a long time...

Hunger...

At least they arrived to see a young woman watering a garden of rice and feeding some pigs. She dropped the watering can, and it spilled into the dark shaded mud. She rushed over, Bonnie rushing to her in turn. "Bonnie! There you are!"

"Sis!" Bonnie exclaimed.

She was fit, and a young adult. Her hair was shoulder length and typed in a ponytail. The same shade as Bonnie's. Bonnie started talking a mile a minute. Only their sister seemed to understand. Nodding along, appearing shocked at points, before Bonnie slowed down. Solemnly, "And... that's why we gotta go. We have to go to Ka Bu."

"Oh are you going with them?" She inquired.

Bonnie nodded, but she looked up at the group. Isabeau mouthed the words, "Crab no."

"We'll talk more about that later," she nodded before placing Bonnie on her shoulders and offering a handshake to the group. "I'm Petronille. You can call me Nille. Thanks for looking after Bonnie. Being family to him."

"Happy to!" Mirabelle smiled. "They're cute as a button!"

"I'm not crabbing cute!" Bonnie adorably whined.

"Who taught them swears," Nille demanded.

Everyone tensed up and fell silent. Nille soon realized that the one responsible was no longer with them. "Oh... I'm sorry."

"We'll fix that," Odile assured with confidence masking her pain and bitterness at the situation. "Anyways, Bonnie. Go make sure your room is OK and stuff."

"OK!" Bonnie replied running into their home.

"They're not actually going with you right?" Nille demanded.

"Of course not," Isabeau assured. "They had no one to take care of them last time. Lesser of two evils before. Now, there's no reason to endanger our little sibling."

Nille nodded, but demanded. "How do we tell them that?"

"I'll do it," Loop assured.

Bonnie's room was modest but cozy, with a bed and a bookshelf, it seemed empty but was quickly filled by Bonnie placing cookbooks upon the shelf they had brought back home.

"Hey Bon Bon," Loop greeted.

"No you don't call me that," Bonnie snapped back. "You don't get to call me that. We aren't family. You're not Siffrin."

"Oh you wound me Bonnie," Loop joked. They entered and spoke in a calm down. Gentle and kind, yet stern. "Bonnie. You're not coming with us."

"What?" Bonnie demanded. "Yes I am! You need someone to cook for you and-"

"Bonnie..." Loop sighed. They already knew what to say but it was still difficult to see Bonnie upset. "You remember how worried you were for your sister?"

"Yeah," Bonnie replied. "Gave me nightmares."

"Well if you leave her alone she'll feel that way about you," Loop continued. "Sometimes... family needs space. That doesn't mean they're not family. We'll be back. OK?"

"With Siffrin?" Bonnie demanded.

"With... yes," Loop evaded eye contact. They couldn't bring themself to say that with confidence.

Bonnie pretended not to notice, and played along. "OK... OK. You better... write or something or... wait!"

Bonnie put their hand to their face in the shape of a phone. "You can tell me like this. Should probably teach it to Nille too!"

"I will," Loop assured. "Stay safe Bonnie."

Loop left Bonnie alone. Bonnie muttered, "Tell me not to come along. They're not the boss of me." Bonnie took a couple cookbooks back and sneered. "Not like they can turn a whole boat around."

As Nille got to know Isabeau and Mirabelle, Loop joined the trio, asking, "Hey where's Odile?"

"She's arranging the boat," Isabeau replied. "Sorry if seemed... standoffish Nille. She's not normally this intense. It's just... losing Siffrin."

"I understand," Nille assured. "But... I think you two should talk to her. She doesn't seem well. I'd love to get to know her better when she's not so... tense."

Mirabelle nodded, "Yeah. I... I'll talk to her."

"Maybe we both should," Isabeau suggested.

"I think it's best we do so one at a time," Mirabelle suggested. "We could overwhelm her. She's stressed enough. We can't... we can't make her feel cornered."

"Yeah you're right," Isabeau sighed. "Just... I'm worried Mirabelle."

"I am too," Mirabelle sighed.

"What do you mean three days?" Odile demanded to the captain of a boat.

"We just got unfrozen miss," the captain sighed. "I must check on my wife in the next town over. I-"

Odile grabbed the captain. "If not for me you'd still BE frozen you useless sea rat. We leave. Tonight. My family died for you. Show some crabbing gratitude."

The captain's breathing shook. "I... I can make that work. Please just put me down."

"Good," Odile glared. "Stay in your lane. Don't test me."

As Odile went to get the others a sailor asked her captain. "Capn, is that really one of the heroes? Doesn't seem very heroic."

"Ai," the captain agreed. "But if she truly lost someone lassie, she may not be her usual self."

"That don't make it right capn," the sailor reminded.

"Ai," the captain agreed. "But it may allow forgiveness lassie.

That night, the boat left for Ka Bu, unaware of a young stowaway as it sailed under the stars.

Odile lay in her bed, the gentle waves rocking her to sleep.

Sleep would be restless.

As she seemed to sink into the bed and into a nightmare...