"They were black, but they were still flames. Had I accepted this, I could've saved him."

What makes you think that?

"Had I realized there were flames behind his chaotic mask , I could've quelled it before it destroyed that poor boy. But I didn't... And so, it burned too greatly, dying down only when he was incinerated as well. And I called myself his caretaker too... What was I thinking...?"

Those flames incinerated indiscriminately. That's why you are now Ms. Nine instead of Mrs.

…

..

.

Ah... Are those tears? Perhaps I went too far... L-Let's just save your stories for another time then.

Stuck together in a ship under a mad sky, there was nothing to do but play parcheesi and wait for the inevitable demise of this untended ship that is somehow steering itself. No wait...

"Velvet Crowe. You should know that by now."

Or introductions. They could do that too. While no one is doing the thing with the ship.

"(So, Velvet Crowe. The first person I met in this world, and what a meeting it was. Unique appearance, unique name... Superficial identities...)"

As Hyoma's eyes turned analytical, Velvet squinted just a slight bit. She was quick to anger. All Hyoma could do is put up a smile to show her that everything was ok and nothing suspicious is happening.

"(Naïve, vengeful, traumatized... Hm... well, in her case, it's not much of a puzzle. Anyone can see the heart she wears on her sleeve. Dead set on revenge, full of emotion, and a maskless face.)"

Hyoma lowered his head for just a bit and his smile had disappeared. For just a flash of a moment, his eyes showed concern, knowing where these sorts of people ended up in.

"(I hope you know... what you're getting into, Velvet...)"

"Rokurou Rangetsu."

"(And this is your run-of-the-mill samurai. Ponytail, clothes, a Japanese-sounding name, a big sword. Quick to issue a duel, too. He has fire in his eyes, but it wasn't the kind of fire that intensifies Velvet's eyes. This one burned purely for the sake of fighting. Yet another individual without a mask.)"

Hyoma's analytical face was answered back with a big smile from Rokurou, as if he was proud to introduce himself.

"(By the way, when I first saw him, he didn't have that sword. Well, how and when he got it doesn't matter.)"

For some odd reason, Hyoma couldn't help but take a quick glance at Velvet. She looked just as confused as Hyoma was. Maybe there was a connection here?

"(Probably. And of course, there's no way I could forget her.)"

"Maggie-lou."

"That's Magilou! "Mah" with "soggy shoe" or "doggie doo"!

"Ahaha... Okay, then." Hyoma was quietly laughing, rubbing the back of his neck all the while. It was the basic "I'm innocent, I don't know anything" mask.

Throughout the whole introductions, Magilou never let Hyoma out of her sight. To the average observer, like these two over here, Hyoma was polite, nonchalant, and even a bit shy considering how he reacted when the spotlight shone on him. He was harmless and insignificant.

"(That simply isn't the case for this one. For a prism, all you have to do is change your perspectives and you can see them in a new light. He was just like that.)"

Magilou was anything but discreet when she began to analyze Hyoma like a living monument, for she, too, assumed that same Thinker pose. It's rare for someone to delve deep into their observations when it came to Hyoma because it was impossible to think of anything concrete about the man, so it just wasn't worth it. When Magilou casted a critical eye onto Hyoma, he could only laugh softly, scratch his cheek with one finger, and gaze at the rainy day that suddenly became interesting for an aquaphobic.

"(His soft, out-of-place laughters...that happy-go-lucky to nervous to self-deprecating smile... combine all of that with his eyes. Ah yes, his eyes. Eyes being the most important when it comes to people-watching!)"

Although he wasn't looking straight at her, still in that same nervous posture of his which he tried "desperately" to cover up with a sense of humor, which Magilou found pretty cute at his supposed shyness, she would never forget such unique eyes.

"(Hm... Those eyes...they are the mark of one who has truly seen all there is to see and for that reason, an aura of unpredictability veils him. A level of chaos, confusion, and exhaustion that could only be humanly attained if he's walked this earth since time immemorial.)"

Magilou turns her head to the side, her chin still resting on her hand.

…

...

"Um... are you done yet?"

The introduction of a new voice pulled Magilou out of her world in a rather small, but shocked fashion. No wait, it was just him. Right, right. Had she been that distracted? It never takes this long to solve a puzzle. Could a jester like her, the one who provides amusement, actually BE provided with genuine amusement? Well, well, this was getting fun! Even if the world burns, she would not stop to even care until her curiosity is sated!

"Yes, yes! You are permitted to look this way now, but beware not to lift up your eyes with such carefree effervescence, for a character of my magically marvelous mystique caliber will be singed into your eyes!"

"Haha... Can... I get some help here?"

Hyoma's seen a lot of strange people, but it's precisely because of that that even strange people can become normal in his eyes. Few can go beyond just being plain weird and Magilou has just joined those ranks, perhaps even serving as a baseline for what is considered weird beyond the weird. He looks to the other two for clarification. Was she always this weird?

"Sigh... Don't look at me."

Velvet turned her head away from the others, giving her the picture-perfect look of annoyance and Magilou was the source of that. If she was a permanent party member, Velvet might not make it to Arthur. Well...she might, but by then, she'd be the picture-perfect look of insanity. Maybe even forget entirely her reason for trying to murder the man.

"These two decided to tag along for their own reasons. One that wants to pay their debt, and one that wants to freeload. You decide which is which."

Oh...So that pretty much sums up their story.

"Ah! So it was Velvet that gave you your sword back, Mr. Samurai. How naturally honorable for one such as you to repay your debt towards something that small~."

The simplicity of solving their backstory stood in contrast to Hyoma's outward display of feeling a huge accomplishment, a victory smile to represent that. No surprises there. Just a small piece of information and the traveler manages to figure out this much. There was just one thing bothering a certain witch. How exactly did he know that Rokurou didn't have that sword before meeting up with Velvet? Could it be that...

"(Heheheee... So that was him after all. I see, I see~)"

Magilou felt slightly accomplished, but it seems that no matter how trivial, she would always form a big old smile. That makes it difficult to determine the gravity of her expressions. Which was the serious mask? The teasing mask?

"Gah, you're missing the point. Point is, Magilou is the freeloader."

"Oh right, that. So she's a freeloader."

"(Her? Hm...)"

Hyoma had put his slightly clenched fist over his mouth, signaling a short-lived thinking. He looked at the ground Magilou was standing on. Putting her figure into partial figure not only helps nonetheless with emphasizing the subject of his thinking, but in this way, Hyoma was hoping no one suspects his own suspicions on the witch. If anything, one would think he could just be experiencing one of those times someone just randomly looks at one point and stays at that point as if in a trance. Then a small, very fleeting smile appears on his face, covered by his hand.

"(No... She can wait. Unpredictable people like her are best solved until after they revealed all their cards.)"

So these are introductions. These are just names. Hyoma didn't care to ask beyond names, well, more like, he didn't care if anyone introduced themselves anyway. What they are however, will be something Hyoma will search on his own. People do lie about who they are and Hyoma wanted an uncensored version of people by means of an unbiased perspective.

"And you are?"

It was Rokurou that swings the pendulum of introductions towards Hyoma, and it was only natural and proper manners for the other party to introduce themselves as well. Manners huh... Hyoma can play along with manners for now. Velvet crossed her arms, anxiously awaiting the identity of this mysterious figure that is possibly immortal, considering the turn of events that happened back in that cell. Magilou meanwhile, was no stranger to lies when it came to introductions and it helped that she herself lies constantly. So, she anticipated nothing but lie after fabricated lie.

"Me? Aha...well, suddenly putting me in the spotlight. I can't help but be nervous."

Hyoma spoke with a light-hearted tone, ruffling his hair as yet another form of self-defense against nervousness, as if there was never a raging storm that demanded somberness of all forms. Because of that contrast, even Rokurou can sense a strange sort of... eeriness... coming from him. Maybe he was just strange, so Rokurou, armed with a plethora of combat knowledge, brushed this off as a harmless fly. After all, Magilou was pretty much the same, capable of coming up with a comedy routine on the fly even under such stressful situations. But even she didn't emit an unsettling aura.

"I'm just a simple traveler that enjoys taking in the-"

"Hyoma Hokulei."

Hyoma Hokulei.

Hyoma ...

Hyoma !

Hyoma Invictus!

Hokulei .

Hyoma-kun .

Teacher!

Dearest Hyoma ...

Darling!~

Ahn ...~ Hyoma-kun ...~

Supervisor!

Souly !

Sol Invictus !

Poor Hyoma ...

...

...Never heard of Hyoma in my life...

So sudden was her interruption that Hyoma couldn't even react in time. A smile was still plastered on his face and his hand was still burrowing in his hair. It was the same expression, really, except he's frozen. By interrupting him mid-sentence, the aftereffects would be more prominent. Velvet wanted to display to the world her impatience.

"That's your name. It says so on your coat's right sleeve."

Those weren't interrogative sentences. They were declarative. Proclamations. She had no doubts about her claims, even without confirmation. She was right through and through.

"You caught me?"

Hyoma covered his mouth with the palm of his hand, trying to put on a metaphorical display of catching and trapping the remains of his breath, breath that supposedly escaped from him after putting on an expression of "shock". Yes of course. He was unconscious when he was ungracefully thrown into that dark cylindrical cell with the claw girl and like any other curious cat, she searched him. Wait... did she look underneath the clothes...? Hyoma wasn't worried about those kinds of information leaking to the outside. They can have the knowledge of his name, his former affiliations, his positions, they can have all of that. But if they saw what was underneath the veil...

If only he had a physical heart and some floorboards...

"What else did you find about me?" Hyoma's smile was practically stapled to keep it from failing. It was quite rare for Hyoma to put in a lot of effort into smiling. He was a natural at it, but this one's smile just screams desperation.

What to do with her body if Velvet finds out?

Now the spotlight was on Velvet, who seems...less than composed. For one, it wasn't the face or expression Hyoma was expecting, so his little secret should be staying a secret if Velvet chose the right words. Repulsed. That's what she was feeling. Shock accompanied by repulsion. Her face was just too contorted and it was getting harder to contain the laughter. Look, look, her eyebrow is twitching. Her arm hovered over her midriff, presumably on a path to cover her mouth but stopped halfway. Must be the shock finally registering, halting initial reactions. She even took one step back. Geez, just what was she thinking?

"What exactly do you take me for?! A damn, lowly pervert?! Why the hell would I check beneath your clothes?!"

From shock, to disgust, to rage. Even if she wasn't proficient in the art of personas, she sure as hell can switch masks pretty quickly. But at the very least, none of those masks were the ones Hyoma feared. For now anyway.

"(Sigh...)"

Hyoma's hands were cold, so he had put them in his coat pockets. He sets his sights on the ground once again as a means to cover his genuine expressions. And now, his right shoe was in need of being refitted, so he starts kicking the ground with the tip. Now...he's bought enough time. How to react to this? Well first thing's first is to face her once again under the guise of another innocent, nervous mask.

"Haha...! Relax, Velvet. I was only asking."

So he says as he raises his open hands into the air, indicating that he has nothing to hide and that his question never meant any... perverted undertones. But behind that innocent smile with that innocent expression... "(What on earth was she thinking about?! It's great and all that I'm safe for now, but this reaction was just as bad! Was my face giving off all signs that point to me being a creep?! No, it was my smile! It was so terrible and desperate that she couldn't help but misinterpret it... Now she'll hate me forever...!)" A great and chaotic storm raged behind that veil of innocence. Someone who barely utters out 7 words per day is now uttering 70 words per minute with no brakes, no commas, no periods, nothing to stop his run-on sentences. It was far worse than the literal storm outside.

"Ohoho~ What's this? Why did you immediately jump to that conclusion, Velvet?~ Could it be...were you hoping for something more?!" That figures. Magilou of all people would never miss the chance to transform other people's words and then redirect them back as jokes. Selfish jokes. Jokes meant to laugh at them, not with them.

"Well, everyone's got their taste, I guess. I just didn't expect you to find one so quickly. I'm happy for you, Velvet." And he who is one-dimensional just follows the flow. Though the samurai did lack enthusiasm, so I'm sure even he is capable of sarcasm.

And she who is quick to anger is definitely angry now. Casting that death glare on those two jokers wasn't enough, now she's baring her shiny white fangs. Oh, and add the demonic claw, ready to lunge for their necks. Hyoma would be spared, but only just. Velvet did misinterpret him, so it was her fault. Even in her enraged state, she acknowledged this. Hyoma would be spared indeed.

And poor Hyoma, scratching his cheek upon his amused, widely smiling face, just stands there as a witness to the banter created by such a strange group dynamic.

"(...I really am unlucky!)"

The black sky continues to rain judgment upon the land and the sea continues to judge the persistence of these virgin seafarers.

Persistence that is slowly weakening as evident by this four-member party's overall exhausted mood.

Rokurou, who had been so eagerly active during the chaos of the prison break, was now unconscious on a couch. Judging from his crossed arms even in his sleep, he was probably trying to be vigilant of any crisis, but it wasn't very convincing now. Useless, then. He even said he would offer what little sailor's knowledge he has.

Now it was Velvet who had to do the lion's share of vigilance and navigation. Well, vigilance is a bit much. She was just standing and staring at the vast sea aimlessly through the castle's windows. But she has made a new friend in the form of a bizarre looking yellow compass, to which she occasionally looks at in between staring out into space. So she's at least got the navigation down, but as Magilou said, abandon any sense of direction once they delved into the heart of chaos. Surely Velvet remembered those words. So why was she looking at the compass with such intensity anyway? Was she reminiscing?

Then as expected of the freeloading witch, she was doing exceptionally well at doing nothing. After the violent banter they engaged in earlier, Magilou went straight to bed in a manner that was influenced by a "first come, first serve" basis. She was clearly putting trust into her "teammates" considering how outright laidback her posture and overall appearance was in bed. She was facing straight up, one side of her limbs dangling from the bed almost touching the floor, and her hat laid upon her face, giving everyone their first real look at the flowing mess that was Magilou's platinum blonde hair. Back to more important matters... How in the world was she able to sleep with all this noise and the rocking of the ship? Well there was Rokurou too, but exhaustion was a valid excuse for him, but not for the witch.

Even for an aquaphobic, Hyoma appreciated the rhythm of rain's pitter pattering. It was monotonous and predictable, a welcome break for a traveler who revels in far too much chaos and unpredictability. Now all he needed was a cup of coffee, a newspaper, and a café or an old school diner to finish the appearance of an ordinary member of society. But how ironic it is, that having the appearance of an ordinary member of society with such ordinary circumstances was actually a means of escaping society.

Well, Hyoma had none of those, so he turned to a different form of relaxation, but not before turning his head to check up on everyone. Such colorful expressions on them, he thought. Now, straddling a chair in the laziest way possible as his chin rested upon its back, he engages in fishing. Through a window. Well...there are worst ways to fish, but I don't think he should expect any big fishy fish or a grand feast comprised of sushi for now.

"(Not that food really matters to me anymore.)" Hyoma was tired even before setting up to fish, but after saying that, he seemed even more downcast, both literally as his gaze fell downwards and figuratively as per his mood.

If one looks at the castle from the ceiling, it seemed like these four chose their spots on purpose as they were situated in a way that attempted to be as far away from one another as possible, almost like they chose the corners of a square.

No wait...that's exactly what it looks like.

A brief transition from one character's face to another was in effect before finally stopping at Hyoma's face. And for a good reason. A short, quiet gasp escapes from his mouth, his tired, drooping eyelids shocked with enough energy to widened them for just a bit. Hyoma didn't have some fancy sixth sense like some other "special" people, but he did enjoy monotony as much as he enjoyed chaos and he knew exactly when something disturbs that monotony.

The water was violent, but not from the wind. Hyoma slowly got up from the chair, hands still somehow grasping the fishing rod for whatever reason as he walked towards the window.

"Hey..." Oh? Velvet was capable of emitting such softness in her words? Was her name truly befitting of her character after all? Oh stop it. "Wasn't someone supposed to steer this ship?" She was soft in her voice, alright, but her words dripped with apprehension. A predictable tone, now that the owner of the voice finally realized the grim reality of their "self-steering" ship.

Velvet's voice breaks the monotony for the two sleeping beauties, waking up with little effort, but their bodies were still in a state of disrepair. But reality has a way of energizing its victims no matter their situation, and a sprinting Rokurou was proof of that.

"What?! Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

Yes, yes, he can run as fast as he can towards the wheel, but all hope of navigation was gone. No, not a moment since he started running that tragedy strikes, enough to change the orientation of the boat in a traumatizing way even for experienced seafarers. Rokurou stopped in his tracks immediately, and rightfully so.

"Hah...!" Hyoma was facing the perfect direction to witness this tragedy up close.

"What is it, Hyoma?!"

Hyoma didn't even bother to listen to Velvet's voice as he sprints to the deck, finally letting go of his fishing rod, all the while keeping his head facing the right, not wanting to miss a second of the monster headed their way. It was common sense to follow him. The rain had the four drenched in seconds, but a dirty laundry was the least of their worries.

They all stood at the edge of the ship, looking towards Hyoma's line of sight, and there, under the water, was a silhouette of a sea monster of epic proportions.

"Haha...G-Guess it's your lucky day, fishies...!" Such an out-of-character tone for Magilou! A bona fide nervous laughter and stuttering!

And what a lucky day it is, for the monster finally leapt out of the ocean in such a spectacular fashion that it almost seemed like it was flaunting its gargantuan size. And if a "fish" with pride wasn't enough...

"It's heading our way! Abandon ship!"

And at Rokurou's sound advice, everyone made a break for the waters except for Hyoma, who stood his ground. No, it was more like he wanted to verify this monster's true identity. And what better way to do so than up close and personal?

"...An Epitaph...?"

And that was all he could manage to say before being pummeled along with the ship.

A/N - Epitaphs are the words of the dead. Wait... that can't be all to it...