Pandin, Ghzan, and Helger see the broken door of their cabin and rush inside, getting stuck in the doorframe as they try to push against each other. Once inside, they see Jozou face down on the bed.

“Aaaah! Jozou!” They scream.

“Hiya-uh?!” Jozou jolts up from his pillow, “huh? Wha-?” He turns around just in time to see his friends leap onto him. “Khah!”

“Are you okay?!”

“I knew we shouldn’t have left you alone with that monster!”

“Jo! Are you dead!?”

Jozou frowns and struggles, “n-no, I’m not dead! Fool!” He finally pushes them off the bed. “What happened? What day is it? Is Ki okay?”

Ghzan speaks, but her voice is overpowered by the others’, “it’s the next day. We stayed with Kizhan all night since the doctor needed our help since his knee was shattered.”

Helger and Pandin yell over each other, but while their word choice is different, they’re conveying the same message. “Ki’s leg is totally messed up, it’s really bad, but that piece of trash doctor gave her some medicine, set it, and gave her a cast. With the right nutrition or whatever, it’ll be like three months before she can take the cast off and start walking. But after that, it’ll be at least a few months after that before she can dance again.”

A wave of nausea passes over Jozou, and he falls back on his pillow. “So… half a year before we can perform again. That’s… really not good.” It’s a struggle to hold back frustration tears.

“So… what do we do?” Pandin gulps.

“Yeah, and how’d things go with that monster?” Helger asks.

“I saw how much money she had, is that good?” Ghzan says.

Jozou springs upright, not a hint of his previous worry. “Okay, so I practiced dancing set B with her all night. It sucked, but she’s actually pretty good! We’re going to play tonight as planned, then she’ll give us all that cash.”

The three tighten their faces and nod, listening intently.

“I guess tomorrow I’ll practice set A with her, and for the final day we’ll do set C, just as planed on that front too. We’ll get as much money as possible, and with the money she gives us we’ll make it last. It’s not impossible! Some cuts here, street performances there, we’ll even take jobs if we have too. We just need survive half a year, then Kizhan will be back up and moving, and it’ll all work out, okay? It’ll all work out!”

“Yeah!” The three raise their fists.

Jozou jumps to his feet, and the three follow. “Now! I’m gonna sleep since I was up all night, but you three practice set B for tonight! We’re gonna play our hearts out!”

“Woo!”

Jozou quickly falls back asleep as the other three practice. The high energy of their flutes make the perfect lullaby.

They get about five hours of practice in, stopping for bit between each set to drink and chat. Jozou sleeps like a baby but is soon awoken by Ghzan’s shriek.

“Ahh?!” He jolts from his pillow, looking out to see the three on guard, shouting random curses and expletives.

“Get out of here!”

“Beast!”

“You ruined everything!”

Jozou steels himself, then stands.

That girl is back.

She was sweating last Jozou saw her, even if her face didn’t express exhaustion. But now, she looks clean, well-rested, and with a fresh set of clothes. A poofy white shirt with two buttons undone on the collar, and tightened fabric at the wrists. She’s wearing a stunning, thick black skirt with red and white threading that mimics the night sky. Beneath her skirt is a pair of white pants underneath, open at the ankles, with silky white socks and black dress shoes. Her black bangs swoop across her forehead, complimenting her ruby eyes and fair skin, with the rest of her thick hair forming a decorative braid over her right shoulder. She’s adorable. Nobody—save for the four who saw her snap the doctor’s leg like a twig—could deny that she looks like an angel.

She stares at Jozou.

“A-ah. You’ve returned. It’s not time for us to perform yet. Or, do you want more practice?”

She puts her right hand on her hip and sticks her elbow out.

“…What does that mean?”

She nods to the door.

Ghzan gulps, “does she want you to go with her?”

“Go where?”

“Well… I don’t know, ask her.”

“How? We can’t talk!”

The girl, her face still expressionless, marches to Jozou and forcibly intertwines their elbows. Then she pulls him to the door.

“H-hey!” He tries to pull against her, but she’s far too strong. Helger and Ghzan rush to their friend to help him pull against her, but it doesn’t work. Once Pandin grips her wrist, she’s forced to stop and look back at them all.

Pandin frowns, “you can’t just take-“

The girl raises her leg and kicks, but slows her foot so she just taps his knee. The threat couldn’t be clearer.

“…S-sorry, Jo.” Pandin releases her wrist, and she’s free to continue pulling.

“Tr-traitor!” Jozou yells. “At least come with me!”

“Ah, smart!” Pandin and the other two follow behind, with Jozou walking at the girl’s side.

She leads them up a flight of stairs, then down more hallways, and finally they reach a shower room. There are a few other passengers coming and going from the male and female showers, but they know to mind their business. The girl releases Jozou’s hand and points to the boy’s shower.

“You want me to shower?”

Her large red eyes don’t blink.

Jozou sighs, “can one of you go back and grab me a change of clothes?” He heads into the showers.

“Got it!” Helger runs off, with Pandin and Ghzan folding their arms to try and look intimidating. Ghzan looks more like a terrified little girl trying to imitate her big brother, but even Pandin isn’t so scary considering that the girl is more than willing to snap his leg.

“You’re a monster, you know that?” Pandin says with a deep-set frown.

“Yeah!” Ghzan adds with her fragile bravery.

“What’s even your end game here?”

“It doesn’t make sense!” Ghzan’s comments are more like echoes that follow Pandin’s stronger words.

“This could have been done better a thousand ways.”

“You monster!”

“Or was breaking my friend’s leg part of your goal?”

“Monster-psycho!”

“It’s disgusting. And you’re a rich girl?” He shakes his head.

“Nobody’s less deserving of their wealth than you!”

“And we have to play with you tonight. How gross, I can’t stand it.”

“Gross! Gross!”

The girl says something in her alien tongue. Her voice is deeper and raspier than her cute face would suggest. Each syllable is given extra emphasis to convey her displeasure.

There’s something about her tone that transcends the language barrier, and the two musicians stop talking.

A threatening silence follows as the three stand at the side of the hallway, letting other passengers come and go.

Helger returns with Jozou’s clothes before long and goes into the showers. A few minutes later, the boys exit. Jozou’s wet, black hair is swept back, and he’s wearing stretchy, fitted pants perfect for dancing. He has a fitted suit jacket that he’ll remove when it’s time to perform, and his undershirt is fitted to his toned body, tucked into his pants. “Happy now? What do you want?”

The girl steps forward and hooks her arm around his, dragging him along. For a brief second, a wicked smile flashes across her face.

He turns his head as he’s forced to walk at her side, “help me,” he pleads.

The three musicians follow their leader, of course. There’s not much they can do against her, but it’s for morale support.

Down the hallways, up more stairs, the girl starts giggling silently to herself. Her shoulders tremble, the corners of her mouth curl upwards, her eyes are fierce.

Jozou looks back and whispers, “she’s going to kill me!”

Pandin nods and cracks his knuckles, Helger rolls his shoulders, and Ghzan starts clearing her throat so she can scream at the top of her lungs. As evidenced by her breaking the doctor’s leg and nobody caring, the only guards on this ship are private security. But maybe if someone sees the monster acting violent somebody will take her out?

The girl grips the doorknob of one final door and yanks it open.

A woman’s soft, smooth voice is projected across the dining hall and down the staircase. “-who have been sponsored by the impeccable judgement of Sir Erden Kracken.” A polite, gentlemanly applause spreads down the staircase and into the hallway. The girl drags Jozou up to the dining hall. “It’s the musicians Catala Pengrove and Samuel Parabba.”

They get up top just in time for their ears to be blessed by a beautiful singing voice and the incredible notes from some wonderous instrument. It’s a shock to the band members who had no idea such skilled musicians were onboard.

The dining hall is packed, with almost everyone pausing their meals and conversations to listen. The beautiful song, slow and somber, demands the attention of everyone within ear shot. The acoustics are perfect, and every human in the Gurant Empire can, at some level, relate to the lyrics.

The girl on the circular stage is a pretty redhead in a maid outfit. The boy, with his eyes closed as he strums away on his wooden instrument, is wearing an outfit not too different from the psycho girl’s.

The monster pulls Jozou to the side of the dining hall, standing against the glass wall on the port side so they don’t block anyone’s view. For the same reason, the waitresses have paused out of respect. Footsteps, the clattering of utensils and plates, nobody wants to cause a single disruption.

Jozou looks at the girl. Her face is soft, but not exactly happy. Her face is almost twisted into a frown, but the expression isn’t quite sadness either.

Jozou turns his attention back to the stage.

Seemingly without any prompting, the boy on stage opens his eyes. His strumming is far too confident to make a mistake, but he takes a step back and twists his torso. He locks eyes with the girl and smiles warmly. The girl, in turn, tightens her hold on Jozou’s arm. When Jozou looks down at her, she’s smiling viciously. Looking back to the stage, the boy sharpens his eyes and gives a nod full of determination, moving back into place a moment later.

The girl starts trembling. Her heartbeat races, she’s breathing hard through her nose, and her face goes back to the expressionless look that Jozou’s gotten used to.

Jozou thinks. “Boy… wearing similar clothes. Her face… She’s sort of pouting? Did she… Was this all done to make that boy jealous? That’s what it feels like. What the hell? That’s absolutely what this is. Why isn’t she on stage with her little boyfriend? She probably wasn’t allowed for some reason, like she can’t sing, maybe, and that girl with the totally different outfit stepped in. So, she broke Kizhan’s leg, took her spot in our band, and…” Jozou takes a deep breath. “What a little psychopath. And it didn’t even work! Her plan failed! The boy clearly didn’t even give a shit!”

Jozou glances to his friends, but they’re too transfixed on the stage and the music. Jozou huffs, then starts listening as well. There’s nothing he can do about the monster on his arm. He’ll just have to put up with it. For now.