Hi all! A bit of news, first: I'm running out of pre-written chapters to post and it'll be November soon (NaNoWriMo) so the updating may or may not become more sporadic. Fingers crossed I find the inspiration to write the next section soon!

This picks up with Sheena, who we left on Aifread's boat heading for Palmacosta. Enjoy!

((SHEENA POV)

I yawned and sat up when Corrine nudged me awake.

"The sun is rising." Corrine said.

I nodded, standing. "Thanks, Corrine."

Corrine nodded and his bell jingled as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I grabbed my pack and headed above deck.

"Morning." Aifread grunted.

I walked up to where he was standing at the wheel of the ship. "Did you sleep at all?"

He shrugged. "I'll sleep when we dock. Almost there."

I glanced ahead of us, and could make out the line of the shore and the tops of the buildings.

I nodded. "Thanks for this."

Aifread grunted. "I was going anyway – makes no difference if you hitched a ride."

I smiled. "What's the name of the city we're docking in?"

Aifread gave me a look. "Palmacosta."

"Ah. What's it like?" I asked.

Aifread snorted. "You really ain't from around here. It's the largest city ever built, for starters. Got a militia and everything. Even got some fancy-pants boats or so I hear."

I nodded, wondering what was 'fancy' to the people of Sylvarant.

"Where'd you say you were from again?" He asked me, eyes narrowed.

I smiled sweetly. "I didn't."

He stared at me for a few seconds before barking out a laugh. "Damn, you're all right. Most people ain't gonna take that for an answer, though. Tell 'em you're from Luin and your friends with Aifread – it'll keep you safer than any other lie you come up with."

I stared at him.

"Whatcha looking at?" He sneered.

"I… nothing. Thank you." I said with a smile.

He snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Make sure you got all your stuff, 'cause we're about to dock!"

Aifread maneuvered the boat smoothly next to an empty dock and secured the ship. I hopped off and looked around, not that impressed. Hopefully the city itself was more impressive.

"C'mon, I'll give ya a tour." Aifread said, striding past me on the wooden dock.

I ran to catch up. "You don't have to."

He gave me a look. "What're your plans? Heading out or staying here?"

"I was going to check out the city, leave first thing tomorrow morning." I told him.

He nodded. "Then you need a tour or else you'll walk right into trouble."

I frowned. "I can take care of myself."

He snorted. "I don't doubt that. But I got a feeling you'd rather not attract attention to yourself, right?"

It was my turn to give him a look. "That might be true. Why are you helping me?"

Aifread shrugged. "I think you're a good person. I'm a good judge of character usually and my gut says ta help ya, so I will."

"Thank you." I murmured. Are all the people of this world this friendly? How can I do something that will kill their planet and all of them with it when they haven't done anything wrong?

"Right, so here's the market. Only good thing here is the food – everything else is overpriced junk." Aifread said.

A few merchant's scowled at him and he just grinned.

"If you're from Luin, how do you know about this city?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Luin's my hometown, but I love to travel."

I nodded.

"Right, if you need gels, go to Marble's Item Shop. They'll give ya the best deals. I know the owner's daughter, Cacao. She might be willing to put you up for the night, as there's only one Inn here and it ain't cheap." He said as we left the market.

"Thank you." I said. "I have a feeling I'll owe you for more than the boat ride when the day's over."

He grinned. "Nah, I ain't going out of my way for you – you don't owe me nothing."

I raised an eyebrow. "You typically walk around a city you've been to before and make sleeping arrangements when you're not staying?"

"I haven't been back in a while, so yeah I would walk around. And like I said, Cacao's a friend. I'd stop in to say hi anyway, might as well get you a bunk. Of course, if you'd rather pay for the Inn, it's no skin off my back." Aifread said.

"No, no. I didn't mean it like that." I hurriedly said.

He chuckled. "Thought so."

We came to the center of town and Aifread stopped to point out the main buildings to me. "Right, so that's the Governor-General's house, he's in charge here. That's the Cathedral – the largest worship place of the Goddess Martel. And over there is the one and only Palmacosta Academy, the best institute in the whole world."

I looked over each building carefully. The Governor-General's place looked middle class, at best – Zelos's mansion was bigger, never mind the castle. The Academy was nothing compared to Meltokio's Elemental Research Lab, either. The Cathedral, though. That was impressive. I'd never seen that big of a place of worship before in Tethe'alla.

"That's the Inn, which you'll be avoiding." Aifread added as we walked past another building.

I nodded. "Okay, thanks."

He nodded, looking up at the sun. "Right, it's getting close to noon. Lunch?"

"Sure." I grinned.

I followed Aifread around the back of the Academy and into a small café. "Best place to eat in the whole damn city." He said to me.

We took our seats and a frazzled waitress came over, Aifread just ordering two of the daily specials.

"The staff looks busy." I commented as the waitress practically ran to the next table.

Aifread shrugged. "It's always hectic in here. The manager'll usually hire students or random citizens to pick up the slack for a day."

I nodded and soon we were brought two steaming plates heaped with fresh fish and rice.

I dug in, pleasantly surprised to find it delicious. I search in my pack for the gald Yuan had given me, but Aifread waved a hand, pulling out enough to cover both.

"I have gald, you know." I said.

"I figured as much, but it looks like you're on some kind of mission and could probably use all the help you can get." Aifread said with a smirk.

I shook my head at him and we left the café, wandering through the streets.

I yawned and Aifread chuckled. "Still tired, eh? No one would ever guess that I'm the one who was up all night."

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"No worries. Let's get to the Item Shop, then." He said.

He led me towards the city's entrance, where Marble's Item Shop was nestled among residential buildings.

"Cacao!" Aifread grinned, walking over to the brown haired woman behind the counter.

"Aifread! What are you doing here?" The woman responded, ducking under the counter and giving him a tight hug.

"I'm on my way home for a few days." He answered her.

"Ah, so you're just passing through, then?" Cacao asked.

He nodded. "Afraid so. I'd like you to meet Sheena. Sheena, this is Cacao."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled.

Cacao smiled back. "Hello."

"She was traveling with me for a bit but isn't ready to head home just yet. Could she stay for the rest of the day and night here?" Aifread asked.

"Oh, you're from Luin, too?" Cacao asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"How nice! Of course you can stay here!" She said.

"Really? Thank you so much!" I said.

Aifread grinned. "Well, ladies, it's been a pleasure, but I'm gonna head out."

"Thank you for everything." I said sincerely.

"Don't mention it. Good luck on your journey. Look me up in Luin if you get the chance." He winked.

I smiled. "I will."

"Be safe traveling. One day you must stay for more than a few minutes!" Cacao said, hugging him again.

"All right, all right, I will. Keep yourself safe. See you later!" Aifread waved and left the shop.

Cacao sighed then turned to me. "He's a handful."

I laughed and nodded before yawning again.

"Oh my, I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were tired from traveling. How about I show you to the guest room upstairs and you can get some rest?" Cacao said, locking the door and leading me to a set of stairs.

"Thank you." I said, following her up and to a spare room simply furnished.

"It's not much, but it is a quiet place to rest." She said from the doorway.

I put my pack down and smiled at her. "It's perfect. Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I'll knock when we have dinner – my daughter and I. You're more than welcome to join us." She said.

I thanked her again and she left, closing the door behind her. Corrine poofed onto the floor next to the bed, hopping up once I had lain down.

"These people are really nice!" He said.

I petted him. "I know."

"What are you gonna do, Sheena?" Corrine asked.

I frowned. "I'm gonna try really hard to make it so everyone can live happily. The journey ends at the Tower of Salvation, right? Maybe I can just follow this Chosen's group around until then, and somehow stop him from reaching the Tower?"

"What if they hurt you?" Corrine asked worriedly.

"I don't think they will. The Chosen could've killed me at Ossa, but he held back." I said, closing my eyes.

"Are you still tired, Sheena?" Corrine asked.

I nodded. "I guess fighting took more out of me than I thought."

"Okay. You should sleep then!" He snuggled into me.

"Night…" I mumbled.

"Sheena? Are you hungry?" Cacao said, knocking on the door.

I sat up and blinked bleary eyes, my stomach growling.

"Yeah. I'll be right out." I said, and heard Cacao walk away from the door.

"Corrine, wake up." I nudged his sleeping form.

"Mhmm… Sheena?" He blinked up at me.

"I'm going to eat dinner now. Stay here and sleep." I said, covering him up so no one could see him.

"Okay." He mumbled sleepily.

Smiling, I adjusted my clothes and walked to the door, stepping out into the hallway and following my nose into a kitchen.

"Did you sleep well?" Cacao asked with a smile. "This is my daughter, Chocolat."

"I did, thank you. It's nice to meet you." I smiled at the younger woman who looked just like her mother.

"Hi! Mom tells me you're friend with Aifread?" Chocolat asked.

"Ah, yes." I said.

"That's so cool!" She grinned.

"Aifread has been a longtime friend of the family." Cacao explained. "I went to school with him."

"Oh, so you're from Luin, too?" I asked.

Cacao nodded, grabbing plates of food and leading me to a table, Chocolat right behind us.

"Yes, when I was very little, we lived there. Then, when my father died, my mother and I moved here, to Palmacosta, and she started this Item Shop." Cacao explained.

We all sat down and it was quite for a few minutes as everyone ate. It was some kind of fish stew, and it was really good!

"Then Mom met Dad and they had me." Chocolat grinned and Cacao smiled at her.

"Ah, if you don't mind me asking… what happen to your husband?" I asked Cacao.

"He joined the militia and was killed in a battle with the Desians." She said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I said.

"Then those bastards took Grandma! But Governor-General Dorr will save her! Right, Mom?" Chocolat said.

Cacao tried to smile. "He'll try."

"Jeez, these Desians around here are really causing trouble, huh?" I asked.

"We're lucky to have the militia. I'm sure Luin has a much harder time, with the Desian's having their ranch so close to their town." Cacao said.

"Ah, yes. I've haven't been home in a while, though…" I said.

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure everything is fine." Cacao reassured.

I nodded and the rest of the meal was uneventful – Chocolat talked about her job as a Martel pilgrimage tour guide.

I stood. "Thank you very much for the meal. I think I'm going to take a walk."

Cacao frowned. "It's dark out now. Please be careful."

I nodded. "I will."

I walked down the stairs and out the door, noticing that there were hardly any people on the streets.

Shrugging, I headed to the docks, wanting to see if Aifread really had left.

I walked along the wooden planks of the docks and noticed his boat was gone. Ah, well. I wandered a bit, looking at all the ancient looking sailboats when I came to a really big boat – well, big for their standards.

One of the crewmen was explaining to some other onlooker: "The pride of the Palmacosta militia, the Isabelle. She's the first ship this big to run on steam power."

I snorted. "You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe they're still using steam as a power source!"

Whoever was next to me suddenly started stammering as the crewman cursed me for talking disrespectfully about his vessel.

I turned and noticed the guy next to me was none other than this world's Chosen – so they had made it here, after all. I blushed lightly.

"I'm Lloyd." He said, offering me his hand.

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe this guy! I had tried to kill him and he offers me his hand?

"Are you stupid? Next time we meet, you're dead Chosen." I spat, pulling out a transportation card and disappearing with a puff of smoke. I was aiming for the spare room in the Item Shop but ended up outside it. Close enough.

I hurried inside and grabbed my pack, waking Corrine.

"Corrine! Wake up, it's time to go." I said.

Corrine woke up. "What happened?"

"I ran into the Chosen – Lloyd – at the docks. They're here. Probably leaving in the morning. I want to stay ahead of them if I can." I explained.

"Okay." Corrine said, hopping onto my shoulder.

I scribbled a note to Cacao thanking her for letting me stay and the food and left it on the bed before hurrying outside.

Corrine shifted on my shoulder as I left the city and headed along the path.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

I pulled out the map Yuan had given me. "Looks like there's a House of Guidance at the midpoint between here and the Hakonesia Peak. There's also some kind of dock to the east, and the Desian ranch."

"Where will they go?" Corrine asked.

I chewed on my lower lip. "I'm not sure. No matter where they go, they have to pass through the House of Guidance. Let's get there and wait for them to see what their plans are."

Corrine nodded, bell jingling.

Since it was nighttime, I didn't run into any other travelers, but I also didn't have to fight any monsters or bandits, for which I was thankful.

I made it to a river, which was the halfway point according to the map, just as the sun was rising. Corrine wanted me to stop but I didn't want to sleep in such an open area, so I pushed onwards.

"Corrine, I'm fine." I said as I walked over the small bridge.

"I still think you need to rest." Corrine said stubbornly.

"By nightfall, I'll be at the House of Guidance. I'll rest once I get there. It'll take time for them to catch up, anyway, as I doubt they travel at night. They're probably just leaving now, so when I reach the House, they'll just be reaching the river. I'll have all of tonight as well as all day tomorrow before they reach the House." I explained.

Corrine grumbled but let the subject drop and I grinned.

Around noon, I dug in my pack and pulled out a sandwich, eating quickly. I passed a few groups of people heading to Palmacosta, but no one gave me any hard times. I also ran into a large insect-type monster, but it just watched me walk by. Probably didn't see me as a threat.

"Whatever." I muttered as I kept moving.

The sun was setting and my eyes were dropping. My feet were killing me and the muscles in my legs were screaming in protest but I ignored everything, pushing on.

I saw the House come into view as the last rays of sunlight disappeared and I hurried up to make it inside, Corrine poofing away right before I entered.

"Ah, welcome weary traveler!" A priest said as I entered.

I sighed. "Do you have rooms for rent?" I tiredly asked.

"This is a House of Salvation – we don't charge travelers for a good night's rest." The priest smiled kindly.

"Thank you." I murmured, swaying a little on my feet.

"Oh, my. You must have traveled far. Please, follow me." He said, heading upstairs.

I followed the priest and sat down on the empty bed he pointed me to.

"May the Goddess grant you a peaceful rest." He said before leaving.

I managed to nod and drop my pack to the floor before stretching out on the bed.

Corrine. I thought to him. Wake me by noon, okay?

I will. Sleep, Sheena. Corrine said in my head, and I smiled and gladly did as he said.

Well, what'd you think?

There's a bit of a time overlap in this chapter, hence the Lloyd scene towards the end by the steamboat - if you'll recall, that was in the last chapter as well, but from Lloyd's POV. Was it super repetitive / annoying to have that scene in this chapter, do you think? Please let me know!

Next chapter is back to Lloyd. I know his chapters are longer, but only because he's doing so much more than Sheena right now. It'll eventually even out.

Until next Saturday! :D Review?