As soon as Miki, Rana, and Flower caught a glimpse of my brother, they barreled him with questions. We had hardly just sat down at our table for dinner, but they were curious to know everything about him. Piko was a bit gentler with his questions, but kept demanding answers nonetheless.

"Is it true that you get unlimited drinks?" was the first question Miki brought up. "I mean, when you're off hours, of course."

"Technically yes, but I'm hardly ever off hours and don't have time for drinking."

"'No time,' hm?" Flower questioned, her expression dubious. "Looks more like 'first time' to me."

We all snickered at that, but Piko was unamused. "Oh please, he and Oliver are from England. I'm sure he drank all the time."

At this, the three girls burst out laughing uncontrollably, earning a "Hey, that's not funny!" from Yohio.

"Everyone knows that Brits drink a lot, it's no secret," Piko replied nonchalantly. Yohio shot him an irritated look, but made no comment.

Once we got our food, the table fell much quieter and the rest of the meal was peaceful. It was refreshing to have dinner with people other than my brother, and I was flooded with a satisfied warmth as we meandered through the halls and back towards our rooms.

We all agreed to sleep early tonight in hopes of welcoming everyone and forming a larger group tomorrow, on embarkation day. Flower wasn't keen on the idea of formalwear, but we assured her that it would be worth it in the evening when we'd go swimming since we hadn't gotten a chance to go today.

When Fukase and I passed through the bridge to get to our room, Yohio was already there, talking with other members of the captains' team. We passed quietly, both of us trying to go unnoticed although of course some of them turned their heads towards us anyway.

The rest of the night was quiet, although there was anticipation in the air as we awaited embarkation day. The moon hung serene and low in the sky, soft light filtering through the window in our room as we drifted off to sleep.

~~~

The next morning was brought by a loud knocking on the cabin door. I immediately heard Yohio stirring in the room beside us and the floorboards moving as he hurried to see who had come. Fukase was still in his bed beside me and the sky was barely light, so I checked the time on my nightstand.

5:00 A.M.

Who would be knocking on the door at this hour? On top of that, I was surprised Yohio was awake. He rarely woke up before me.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I peeked outside our room door, trying to see who had come to visit. Behind Yohio, I could faintly make out Flower's lavender hair tied in a high, wavy ponytail spiraling down to the nape of her neck. She was speaking to Yohio in her usual boisterous, flippant tone.

I ducked back into the room to freshen up and change. "Fukase, Flower and Piko are here," I said as I made a hasty effort to tame my blonde hair. He was still in bed, but I could tell that he was awake from the muffled noise outside.

Even still, all I earned from him was a mumbled "shut up," as I left to see what the commotion was about.

Flower and Piko had made themselves quite at home already and were sitting in the living room, sipping coffee and chattering with my brother.

"Oh, good afternoon, Oliver!" Flower said cheerfully when she saw me.

"Afternoon? Flower, it's hardly five in the morning."

"Close enough," she said, shrugging and sipping her coffee. "Where's the redhead?"

"Sleeping still, like a normal person." I bit my lip, stifling a yawn.

"The buffet is open if you guys are hungry," Yohio said suddenly. "I'm off to the bridge. Embarkation starts at noon, don't be late!" With that he left the room.

"Now that that's out of the way," Piko began, standing up, "I think it's about time we get to business."

"What does that mean, pray tell?" I rolled my eyes.

Just then, Fukase strode out of our room. As expected, he didn't say a word, but his expression was stormy. I felt a twinge of pity for him that he couldn't voice his frustration about our early start.

"Oh, Fukase! Good afternoon to you too!" Flower called loudly.

"Ahem," Piko grumbled, "I do assume that there will be an embarkation banquet?"

"Embarkation... banquet?"

"But of course. There's a special meal for all of the passengers who embark on embarkation day rather than the day of departure."

"I heard of no such thing," I said, embarrassment creeping across my face. Piko was obviously displeased, but didn't continue the conversation.

We were all silent for some time before we decided to look for Miki and Rana. Once we got to them, we went to the dining hall for breakfast where Miki, Rana, and Flower chattered endlessly. By noon, I was already exhausted, and I could tell that Fukase felt the same way.

I noticed people gathering outside the vessel as Fukase and I made our way to the main atrium. I trusted that Flower and Piko would have no trouble finding it, and they'd find their way to Rana and Miki as well.

"How many people are coming?" Fukase asked suddenly.

"I'm not entirely sure, probably at least two thousand though." I smiled at the impressed look Fukase wore.

"What was Piko saying about the embarkation banquet? Are we supposed to have one?"

"As far as I'm aware, no. There's no embarkation banquet," I said, rolling my eyes.

As we entered the main atrium, I couldn't help but gaze in awe at the new decorations since we'd seen it the previous day. It looked brighter, and more celebratory. I couldn't help but be impressed at how much better it seemed.

The chandelier was lit up, with light refracting off of the shimmering crystals and creating patterns on the walls. Golden balloons hung in bunches in the air, tied to balustrades on the balconies. Streamers were strung around them too, and glittered in the light.

All of the crewmembers were dressed in gold, bronze, and black, which were the cruise company Hime's colors. In the center of the atrium, a brass dolphin fountain stood regally.

I noticed Fukase eyeing the fountain with a puzzled expression. Finally, he turned to me and asked, "What's a dolphin's nose called?"

I blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Like, is it a snout? Or a beak?"

"Oh. It's called a rostrum," I said, suppressing a giggle.

"Ooooh," he mumbled with a fascinated expression.

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of bright pink hair from out of the corner of my eye. I turned towards it and found Miki and Rana walking over to us. They were dressed more formally now; both wore matching fitted dresses with skirts that flared out around them in a shower of pale pink.

Flower and Piko followed close behind them, dressed expensively as always. Flower had done her hair slightly neater, with her bangs tamed and her short ponytail bouncing behind her. She wore a lavender blouse tucked in silvery culottes, with tall, fluffy boots to finish the look. Piko wore his signature black and gray suit, with touches of silver outlining it that matched his hair.

I felt my face pale in embarrassment, thinking of the simple, plain dress shirt and jeans I wore. Then again, Fukase wasn't dressed much differently; almost identical to myself, except he wore a dark crimson vest. At least I didn't feel completely alone.

The six of us—save for Fukase—chattered amongst ourselves and greeted the guests boarding the ship for the following hours. The main atrium was crowded with colorful people; those from all over the world had come, in an assortment of outfits and styles that starkly contrasted from one another. It was nothing like the small crew and open deck that I had been used to from sailing on cargo ships.

For a while, even Yohio stopped by to greet some of the passengers. I had to constantly remind myself that this was a new experience for him, too. He seemed almost as if he was used to it, from the way he interacted with people.

From the longing look on Fukase's face, I could tell that he wanted to join in. But still, as usual, he said nothing.

If he wants to talk and interact, why doesn't he? I couldn't help but be just a little frustrated at him. Maybe he'd tell me at some point, maybe he never would. For some reason, the thought of the latter reality made me anxious.

Dinner wasn't too much unlike the previous day, except now, the tables surrounding us were filled with passengers. Most of them wore semi formal clothes ("I bet each of their outfits are worth enough to feed a family in Africa for a month," Piko commented) that brightened the room and made the atmosphere dazzle.

Fukase and I were terribly out of place.

Despite that, the hours flew by quickly and before we knew it, the day was over. Stars sparkled above the vessel, inviting sleep as we prepared for the next day.

As I got into bed and tossed the blanket over myself, I noticed that the moon was almost full. It glimmered brightly in the sky, with rivulets of light streaming through our bedroom window.

"Goodnight, Luna," I whispered, almost silently, as usual.

"Whadju say?" I heard Fukase mumble from the bed beside me.

"You heard that?" I shot back, incredulous.

"I mean, we're right next to each other, so yes?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's a bit childish, but every night I like to say goodnight to the moon. Sailors back in the olden days used the stars and constellations to guide their way, but since I obviously can't wish every star in the sky goodnight, I figured the moon would do."

Fukase was silent for a moment. "That's not childish at all," he said thoughtfully. "Well then, goodnight Luna."

A/N:

I'm so sorry for disappearing randomly! But I'm back, and I've got another chapter pre-written so that'll be out soon... hopefully. I don't plan on discontinuing this, I promise, I've just been really busy.

Anyway thank you for reading this and still existing!