We heard Zenos before we saw it. Arthur steered his ship around some large rocks into a small harbor, and then dropped anchor next to one of the docks. There was some kind of celebration going on in the town, and it was hard to hear anything above all the noise. I sat on deck with Peter watching the gentle breeze spin the pinwheel he had given me in Okonfo. There was nothing particularly impressive about the little toy, but it was fascinating to watch nonetheless.

"I wonder what's going on?" the young boy asked me.

"It's hard to say, little one. Maybe if you ask Arthur nicely he'll let you come."

"Yes!" He jumped up and grabbed my hand. "You should come ask with me too, (y/n)!"

I laughed. "Okay, if you insist." I handed him the spinning pinwheel and stood up. "Where is he?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Peter wiggled his large eyebrows suggestively.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, since you and Uncle are obviously snogging behind everyone's backs..."

I picked the young boy up with ease and walked to the edge of the deck. "What was that?"

"(Y/n) and Uncle sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Want to sing it again?" I asked as I flipped him so I was holding him by the ankles over the edge of the deck. One wrong move, and he would plummet head first into the icy waves below.

"Okay, okay! I'm just kidding!"

"Really?"

"Yes, yes! Don't let me fall!" I turned him right side up and set him down on the deck. Peter crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at me. "That was mean!"

I knelt down next to him and put a hand on his head. "Don't worry, little one. I'd never let you fall." I gave him a quick little kiss on his forehead, which earned me a smile from him. "Now, let's go find Arthur."

The Captain didn't dislike festivals, but he wasn't particularly fond of loud noises. People crowded around him on all sides and shouted as men wearing strange costumes paraded down the street. Zenos wasn't as large as Xerux due to it being so far north, but there were still tons of people who had come out to line the streets for this festival. Large men carried things that looked like miniature shrines on poles, which the people bowed to and threw offerings.

Arthur had to turn around occasionally to make sure the mermaid and Peter were still nearby. He had a tough time keeping them close ever since they left the ship together. The boy kept begging to go see something, and the mermaid was a complete pushover when it came to saying no. The Captain was the same way when it came to Peter, but he was annoyed regardless.

"Can we go over there?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe if Arthur isn't looking."

"Don't try to sneak off," Arthur called over his shoulder in a strict voice. "We have something more important to do, remember?"

"Right." The mermaid smiled apologetically to Peter. "Maybe later," she mouthed.

Captain Kirkland sighed and shook his head. She was such a free spirit, but he supped that's what he liked about her. He became a pirate to escape his terrible father, but also because the sea called to him. It was everything he wished he could be. Free. Strong. Untamable. Wild. He realized part of the reason he loved the mermaid was because she was all of those things. She was his ocean, yet at the same time she was its opposite. Gentle, caring, and considerate. Maybe that's why her hold on him was so strong.

"So, what is it that we're looking for, Uncle?"

Arthur looked down at the young boy. The strange relationship between the three here was somewhat amusing to the Captain. Both he and the mermaid were completely enamored with Peter, who adored both in return. Then there was the feelings between Arthur and the mermaid that almost made them slaves to each other. It was the most selfless and selfish thing Arthur had ever seen.

"Hello, Arthur? Anyone home?"

"Wha-?" He was startled by the hand waving in front of his face.

"You just spaced out all of a sudden," the mermaid said with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just trying to figure out where to find this person that we're looking for." It wasn't the truth, but the Captain didn't think they needed to know what he had actually been contemplating.

"Who is this person?" Peter asked.

"We don't know. That's the problem."

"Should we ask around?" the mermaid questioned.

"I suppose..." Arthur wasn't keen on talking to strangers, but he didn't have any other options at this point. "I'll ask that person over there."

He approached a taller man with curly brown hair. The man had a rather sleepy expression on his face, and it seemed like would fall asleep on his feet even with the cacophony around him. The Captain had picked this man on purpose because of the way he looked. Usually, the people who looked the most clueless knew the most.

"Excuse me. I was wondering if you could help me find someone."

"Hmm?" The man's eyes moved down toward Arthur and stared at him sleepily.

"I'm looking for someone," the Captain repeated.

"Oh, I'm looking for someone too," the man replied. He smiled lazily. "Have you seen him?"

Arthur's eyebrows twitched in frustration. He wasn't getting anywhere with this idiot. Maybe he was as clueless as he looked. "No, I'm not from around here."

"Neither am I. I'm visiting my friend Kiku. Do you know Kiku?"

Arthur was about to reply when a short man with black hair pushed his way through the crowd toward them. "Heracles! You can't just disappear like that!" He seemed to notice the Captain for the first time and bowed respectfully. "Excuse me. I'm sorry for interrupting."

"It's fine," Arthur said with a wave of his hand.

"Hey Kiku, this guy is looking for someone. Maybe you know who it is," Heracles suggested.

"Um, perhaps." Kiku averted his eyes uncomfortably.

"I'm looking for a relative of Yao Wang. You wouldn't happen to know anyone like that, would you?"

Kiku's eyes went wide. "O-oh! But that's..." He stopped short and motioned to the Captain to follow. "This way please. My house is nearby."

Arthur nodded and turned to tell Peter and the mermaid that they were moving, but the two were nowhere to be seen. "Bloody perfect..."

"Is there a problem?" Kiku asked nervously.

"No, nothing at all," the Captain replied as he turned to follow the dark haired man. He didn't want to leave the other two behind, but this man seemed so nervous that Arthur was afraid if he said something it would scare Kiku away.

Kiku led him and Heracles to a small house away from the commotion of the festival. He took his shoes off before entering, so Arthur did the same to prevent offending anyone. The people of the Eastern Continent have strange traditions compared to people in other places. The Captain had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the doorway as he entered the house since it was built for people who were much shorter than him. Heracles didn't seem to notice and ended up running head first into the wood frame.

"Ow," he said without much emotion.

"Please have a seat," Kiku said. He brought out some green tea and crackers flavored with soy sauce on a tray and placed it on a low table.

Captain Kirkland sat cross legged on a cushion across from the short man while Heracles plopped down on the floor and began to snore. Apparently, he was as sleepy as he seemed. The room was sparsely furnished with the table and cushions being the largest pieces of furniture in the room. A few scrolls similar to the ones in Yao's tea shop hung on the walls, and a small bookcase containing a few odds and ends stood in one corner of the room. Arthur took all of this in before addressing Kiku.

"I'm here because I need to know how to get through the mists surrounding the Lunar Islands."

Kiku paled, which was hard to notice since his skin was already so pale to begin with. "And Yao told you I know how to do that."

"Yes."

He nodded slowly with his eyes on the table. "Would you like some tea?"

"That sounds perfect right now," Arthur answered with a sigh. This whole business of chasing people down was more tiring than he realized.

Kiku placed a steaming cup of tea in front of the Captain and took a sip out of a cup of his own. "I don't understand why Yao would send you to me," he said after a pause. "I do not know anything of the sort."

The Captain's grip on his cup tightened, and he had to set it down before he broke it. "So he lied?"

"It would seems so," Kiku agreed with a nod. "Yao is a business man, not a saint. He's only interested in making a profit."

Arthur swore loud enough to wake Heracles. The tall man shifted on the floor and went right back to sleep. "Well, that's bloody brilliant. What am I supposed to do now?" He didn't want to tell the mermaid they were back to square one.

"I, um...I've heard a rumor..." Kiku trailed off when he saw the intense light in Arthur's eyes.

"What rumor?"

"T-that there's a man on the N-Northern Continent that has sailed to t-the Lunar Islands and made it back alive. It's only a rumor but..."

"Where?!" the Captain demanded. "Where does this man live?"

"In B-Berd, or somewhere near there," Kiku stuttered.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"I have not asked you f-for anything. I have nothing to gain or lose by t-telling you."

There was a silence as Arthur studied the dark haired man's face. A small laugh escaped him. "I suppose you're right."

Kiku seemed relieved. "However, I would be very careful. I have heard that this man is very big and very frightening. The only reason he made it out alive is because death itself will not go near this man. Very frightening indeed."

The Captain thought that sounded exaggerated, but made a mental note to be wary just in case. "I'm sorry to bother you and run, but the sooner I leave for the Northern Continent the better."

"But it's just a rumor!" Kiku said in surprise.

"It's all I have to go off of right now," Arthur replied. "It's better than nothing."

The dark haired man nodded his head in understanding. "I suppose you are right." His dark eyes gleamed with a hint of curiosity. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you need to go to the Lunar Islands so badly? It is not an easy task."

The Captain took a moment to come up with the best answer. "I need to save someone very dear to me."

A smile tugged at the corner of Kiku's lips. "It was that girl, yes?" Arthur was surprised by how quickly he came to that conclusion. "I can tell you care about her quite a bit. She must be very special."

Arthur nodded. "Yes, she is." He couldn't help but smile as he thought of her bright and happy face. She really was the sunshine in his life.

"Ah, what it's like to be young. Seeing you young people makes me feel so old."

The Captain didn't know what to say since Kiku didn't look that old in his opinion. Instead, he stood up to take his leave. "I shouldn't impose any further on you."

"Oh, please don't worry! I am glad to have been of help." Kiku stood up as well and bowed.

"Farewell," Arthur said as he offered his hand. Kiku hesitantly reached out for it and gave it a quick shake.

"I do not quite understand your Western traditions," he admitted sheepishly. "But I wish you luck on your journey."

The Captain just smiled. He had thought the same thing about the Easterners before. Something told him that he and Kiku could be good friends if given the chance.

"Uncle Arthur is going to kill us," Peter said as we wandered around what was left of the festival. Most of the people had dispersed once the parade ended.

"Yeah, no kidding." I put another honey roasted chestnut into my mouth as we walked. It had been the nuts that distracted us and got us separated from the pirate in the first place. Now, there was no sign of him anywhere.

"It's been almost an hour. Do you think he went back to the ship?"

"Maybe," I murmured, my voice full of worry. "Maybe he's in trouble."

The two of us looked at each other and laughed. "No way!" Peter said between laughs.

"I guess that was silly," I replied as I wiped away a tear. "But seriously, where did he go?"

"Right here."

We turned to see Arthur strolling toward us with a strangely happy expression on his face. I thought he'd be furious that we'd wandered off. He actually looked like he had a pretty good time on his own, which made me curious as to what he had been up to.

"Uncle..." Peter looked around nervously. "We didn't mean to disappear, honest."

Arthur smiled and ruffled his hair. "I know." The pirate nabbed some of the roasted chestnuts out of the bag in Peter's hands and popped them into his mouth. "What? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said to me.

"I'm just surprised to see you in such a good mood, I guess."

"Am I not allowed to be in a good mood?"

"No, it's not like that." I really didn't know how to explain it. It seemed so out of character for him. I didn't dislike it though.

"Then what is it?"

"It's just different. What happened to make you so happy?"

"I don't know. Maybe I just missed you." He gave me a quick peck on the cheek before turning to head back to the ship. "Hurry up! We're leaving for Berd as soon as we get back aboard the ship."

"What was that?" Peter asked with wide eyes after Arthur was a fair distance ahead of us.

"I have no idea," I said completely mystified.