Chapter 1-1: Craneport

One day, in the lounge of the Savanaclaw Dorm, Ruggie is waiting.

"I'm meeting Jack at 1 p.m., so I oughta be right on time—" Ruggie says.

Suddenly, he hears Jack's loud voice, "HEY, RUGGIE!"

"Gah!" Ruggie jumps as he cries out, and turns around to see Jack standing in the lounge, "Sheesh, how long have you been waiting here?"

"About 15 minutes," Jack answers, "What sort of guy would make an upperclassman wait around?"

"I mean, sure, but 15 whole minutes? Big waste of time if you ask me—and time is money. But whatevs, "Ruggie replies.

"So you wanna get going?" Jack asks.

"You bet! This tummy isn't gonna fill itself," Ruggie says eagerly.

The two then leave the Savanaclaw lounge to get to their destination. Soon, they are walking in the courtyard to get to their destination.

Jack soon notices a certain group, "Hey, check it out. It's Briar and Grim, and the others."

Briar and the group walk in the courtyard as well and soon see Jack and Ruggie."

"Hi Jack. Hi Ruggie," Briar says.

"Hello," Sereia says.

"Fancy runnin' into you guys. Where ya off to?" Grim asks.

"Us? We're…" Jack says.

And Ruggie says, "Gettin' our lunch on."

"Lunch?! That's the best idea I've heard since breakfast! Don't mind if I do!" Grim eagerly says.

"You and your stomach," Jack says with a sigh.

"You don't mind if we come?" Tanzanite asks.

"You don't mind, do you guys?" Briar asks.

"You're always down for anything, huh?" Ruggie says.

"No telling what Grim might do if we tried to keep him from food. Sure, you're welcome to come along," Jack says.

Soon, the group begins heading towards the destination,

"Awful nice of you to treat me to lunch, Jack!" Ruggie says.

"Did you just say free lunch?!" Grim asks.

"Grim," Briar sternly says.

Then Jack confirms, "For Ruggie, and Ruggie only. You two are on your own."

This has Grim shocked, "Mrah?! But why him?!"

"Because he watered my cactus for me while I was away at the Track Club training camp. He did me a solid, so I'm doing one for him," Jack answers.

"That makes sense. You're treating him today after he did you a favor," Tanzanite says.

"Lucky me, getting a freebie for somethin' so easy! Much appreciated, Jack! Shyeheehee…" Ruggie says with a snicker.

The group continues walking and soon leaves through the front gate of the school.

Ruggie turns to Jack and asks, "So, what kinda place are you takin' us to?"

"Glad you asked. So, I got a part-time job at a restaurant in Craneport during our last vacation," Jack says.

"Oh, over on the water, huh? That's pretty far, even by bus. Must've been a rough commute," Ruggie says.

"It ticked all the boxes, and it was only for a little while, so it worked out. Anyway, I want you to try the special there," Jack says.

This has Ruggie excited, "The special, you say? Now you're speakin' my language!"

"Yeah, get excited! It totally lives up to the hype!" Jack says.

Grim grumbles, "Hrgblbr... Rub it in some more, why don't you…"

"Looks like the bus is here. C'mon," Jack says, seeing the bus.

Everyone waits as the bus comes to a stop. Once it stops and opens the door, everyone climbs inside. Then the bus drives away once everyone is inside.

Sometime later…

Everyone arrives at a place called Craneport, and are now at the Warth. There are waves splashing in the water as seagulls chirp and fly in the sky. There are decorative boats on the wharf and brick buildings.

"Hello, Craneport! Okay, lead the way, Jack," Ruggie says.

"You got it!" Jack says.

The group then follows Jack's lead.

"Ahhh, the salty air, the sea breeze... This is great! And it's nice and warm in the sun," Ruggie says.

"I agree, and look how sparkly the water is," Sereia says.

Soon, they see a fish jump out of the water and dive back in.

"Yep. And I just saw a fish leap out of the water, too," Jack says.

"The fishing around here's amazing. I like to come by and cast a line from time to time," Ruggie says.

Jack turns to Briar and the others, "What about you all? Have you ever been to this area?"

"No. I never did," Briar says.

"Me neither," Sereia says.

"Not me either," Grim says.

"Tanzanite and I did once," Jasper says.

"Yes. Our parents took us here when we were kids," Tanzanite says.

"We don't got enough cash to be gallivantin' all over the place," Grim says.

Ruggie turns to Jack, "Maybe you oughta tell 'em a bit about Craneport, Jack."

Jack then explains, "Craneport is a port town located in the southwest of Sage's Island. There's another port on the east side of the island, but that's primarily used for passenger ships. This one's all about cargo and shipping goods. It was pretty big back in the day. I heard there used to be all these giant freighters moored up and down here."

Everyone takes an interest in it.

Jack continues, "In fact, the name Craneport comes from how the cargo ships all had cranes attached to 'em to move containers full of goods around. It was such a common sight, they named this place after 'em. I can just picture it now: all these ships lined up here with their huge cranes. But with fewer people and less cargo coming to the island, Craneport's turning into a ghost town."

"Sage's Island is pretty remote, I guess," Ruggie says.

"Now just a few small private ships dock here," Jack says.

"Okay, I gotcha. Sort of. I mean, not really," Grim says.

The group rolls their eyes in response.

"Well I understand," Briar says.

"Kinda surprising the restaurant you worked at manages to stay afloat, Jack," Ruggie says.

"It's a regular spot for people who work at the port. And on top of that, folks in the know flock there 'cause the food's so good. You can see it now, in fact," Jack says and points towards the restaurant, "Right over there."

"Ooh, they've got burgers and fries on the sign! My stomach is READY!" Ruggie happily says.

Soon, Jack notices someone ahead, "Hey, check out that guy walking on the other side of the road."

Ruggie also notices, "You could see that hat from space... It's gotta be Rook!"

Indeed, thanks to his hat, everyone walks over to see Rook.

Seeing them, Rook says, "Bonjour! Monsieurs Fier-à-bras and Dent-de-Lion, and of course Monsieur Peluche and Trickster. Have you come to partake in a bit of lunch?"

"Yeah," Jack answers, "You too?"

"Oui! I wished to enjoy the dazzling sunlight, and so came to have a meal by the seaside," Rook says.

Jack soon notices, "Oh, there's someone else in front of the restaurant too."

The group looks to see someone in front of the restaurant. To their shock, it's Floyd Leech.

Jasper says in concern, "Uh oh."

Jack is shocked, "Gah, it's Floyd, from Octavinelle."

"Why, if it isn't Monsieur Spontané. Have you plans to dine here as well?" Rook says, "How miraculous that six students from our prestigious académie should all chance to meet in front of the same establishment! We must give thanks for such a coincidence and enjoy our luncheon together!"

"I'm not exactly jumping at the chance to eat with a guy from Octavinelle…" Jack says.

"Great idea, Rook! Let's do it!" Grim happily says, "...And then SOMEONE will treat me for sure, myah hah hah!"

"Don't answer for us, Grim!" Jack angrily says.

"Grim, we're paying for our own meals, understand?" Briar sternly says.

Floyd remains silent, but has a frown.

Curious, Ruggie asks, "What's up, Floyd? You haven't said a word. And you don't look too thrilled either."

"The restaurant's closed," Floyd answers.

Jack exclaims in shock, "It's WHAT?!"