The boat made harbor with the group looking at the coasts. Bonnie was eager to see these new lands, excitedly pulling them self up over the edge to get a better look. Isabeau and Loop made small talk. Loop's puns felt familiar in a way he couldn't quite place. He joked about Loop having a "big mouth", gently inquiring about the new feature.

Loop deflected, "Oh nothing to worry yourself with."

Isabeau chose not to pry, taking the hint not to dig further. Mirabelle looked eagerly at the coasts of the new nation, but stopped to pull Bonnie down and reminded them they were headed right back home.

Odile stayed back however, a resentment in her eyes. She knew she would have to tell them about some of her... gripes with her homeland.

She would do so one by one. The biggest unfortunately applies to Isabeau. She pulled him aside, "Can we speak for a moment?"

"Yeah sure," Isabeau replied stepping back to speak to Odile. "What's up?"

"Don't mention you've done Bodycraft," Odile stated firmly.

"Oh..." Isabeau sighed and looked away solemnly. "I... I'm well aware of Ka Bu's..."

"Let's call it like we see it, they're bigoted," Odile growled.

"Woah!" Isabeau exclaimed. "Odile that's your home!"

"And I have the right to judge it," Odile retorted. "And I'm not letting them hurt you."

Isabeau clammed up, he look away and sighed under your breath. "...you've changed."

"What was that?" Odile demanded, glaring.

Isabeau considered backing down, but stood his ground. He should have stood his ground with Siffrin, he told himself. He never got to tell them he loved them. He wouldn't repeat that mistake. "You've changed Odile." He declared. "And frankly it worries me. All of us. I was talking to Loop and they said Bonnie stowed away cause they're worried about you. You won't talk to any of us. You're so angry and... thinking on it now you're the one who told Bonnie we could even revive Sif right? What are you gonna tell them if we can't? What are you going to do if we can't?"

"We are going to," Odile retorted. "End of discussion."

"That's not..." Isabeau sighed. "When was the last time you tried to destress or feel anything but anger. You know this wasn't your fault right? Just cause they called you mom doesn't mean you're to blame! We all knew something was wrong. We can't blame ourselves because none of us understood the severity of-"

"That's enough," Odile interjected.

"No it isn't," Isabeau retorted.

"I've heard enough," Odile insisted. "If we must continue this discussion let us do so later." The boat came to a stop, the air filled with the bustling of the harbor and the waves gently lapping against the wooden hull. "We're here."

Two officers clad in metal armor walked onto the boat, one holding a clipboard, each with sheathed swords. The first was a woman a year or two Odile's senior, with hair of a fairly light shade, freckles, and a fit but lean build. She took one look at Odile. Odile starred back.

Odile looked with annoyance at the ordeal she was to soon endure.

The woman looked with warmth. She smiled, "Odile it's been to long! Your last letter was a month ago dear!"

"Dear?" Mirabelle demanded.

"I told you Yancy our bond should be... platonic for now." Odile reminded firmly, looking away in a mix of embarrassment and disinterest. She cared about Yancy, but this was not the time for figuring out what form that care took.

"Can we talk about where we stand?" Yancy requested.

"You'll always be my friend isn't that enough for now?" Odile retorted.

"Yeah but I just wanna clarify if that's where we intend to stay," Yancy requested.

"I don't have time for this," Odile snapped. "You're doing a standard random inspection? No none of us intent to use Bodycraft within Ka Bu borders. No, we do not have any foreign plants on us. No, we do not intend to stay longer than three months. I am the only one who's a legal citizen of Ka Bu. Is that all?"

"No actually," Yancy replied. She took out a letter and handed it to Odile. "I'm supposed to deliver this to the "heroes of Vangard." That's you guys right?"

Odile examined the letter. The paper was a dark shade with light stars decorating it, a design not unlike the night sky. She opened it and read allowed. "Heroes of Vangard! You are invited to this year's annual Fortune Festival! This invitation extends to all four living members of your group. Collectively. As in I will only speak to you if all four of you come.

P.S. I know Wishcraft. ; )."

"What about Bonnie?" Loop demanded.

Bonnie exclaimed eagerly, "Ka Bu adventure! Ka Bu adventure!"

"No!" Loop exclaimed. "You're going home!"

"If they need all four of us they need all four," Odile declared. "Simple as that."

"Hey what about Bonnie's sister? She's gonna miss them," Mirabelle gently tried to protest.

"This is our only lead," Odile retorted. "We can't throw that away."

Isabeau tensed up before conceding. "She's right."

"Traitor!" Loop joked. "But no seriously I hate everything about this."

"No one asked," Odile growled.

"Don't be mean to Loop!" Bonnie interjected.

Odile sighed. She didn't care much for Loop, but upsetting Bonnie was out of the question. She rubbed the sides of her head. "Ugh. Fine. Sorry whatever. Yancy? Who is this from?"

"You don't know about the seer?" Yancy inquired. "The host of the Fortune Festival?"

"I don't even know what that is," Odile replied. "Can't be older than ten years. Has to have started after I left."

"Wait you've been gone that long?" Loop inquired.

"Not much left for me here since my old man passed," Odile admitted.

Yancy looked away, hurt by the implications of that statement, but added, not ready to confront Odile, "Yeah it happens once a year. The king's head advisor hosts it. Once a year he grants a single wish. Started eight years ago."

"You visited me in Vangard two years ago," Odile reminded. "How did this never come up?"

"You never asked," Yancy replied. "I mentioned it but you said you had "had your fill of Ka Bu.""

"Anyways so tell us more about-" Mirabelle began to request.

There was yelling, a guard called from down the docks. "Yancy! Yancy! Come quick! It's him!"

"Something New?" Yancy demanded, much to the bewilderment of Odile and co.

"Yancy it's fresh he has to be close!" The guard replied.

"Block all the exists to town!" Yancy ordered rushing off the boat. "Odile I'll be back! Keep the kid on the blinding boat!"

Loop froze when Yancy used that swear. "How... how did she know that expression?" They muttered to themself. They scratched their head and a chunk...

Fell off.

They tossed it into the water while everyone else ran after Yancy. Their scalp began to itch horribly. So Loop scratched. They scratched and scratched and scratched as their head fell apart. The shape of a star chipped away like a statue out of stone until...

Their face looked... to familiar. The reflection was distorted on the water, but if they squinted they almost looked like-

"Loop!" Bonnie called. "I'm gonna go see what Something New is!"

"You are BLINDING not!" Loop declared grabbing Bonnie by the shirt collar. They turned Bonnie around to make eye contact. But Bonnie's face twisted into shock and horror.

"Why..." Bonnie demanded. "Why do you look like my sibling?"

"I..." Loop's voice shook. "I don't know..."

The gang followed Yancy to an alleyway behind an inn, where they saw something horrible. It was horrible and wrong and broken.

It was red...