[Voice]

Just a few weeks. Yeah. I can do this. No problem...



[Half an hour later...]
[Written]



[Shipmates, feel free to find the poor guy sprawled out by the table in the galley. Unfortunately, don't expect much response from him over the journal. Someone's going through sugar withdrawal.]

ATTENTION EVERYONE!

[Yes, that is Codi putting her face in the journal and yelling at it. It's not...terribly necessary, as the tranquil beachfront of Phantasia is far from noisy enough to cause interference, but Codi won't pass up the chance to make a lot of noise. At least she keeps a more consistent indoor voice for the rest of the message.]

This is a message from Captain Dakota Perkins, head of the Welcome Committee! Perhaps you've seen our posters on Empieza, or been approached by one of our many representatives upon your arrival, and you've been wondering, "what exactly is the Welcome Committee? How can they help me and my crew survive in this strange new world?"

[...heaven help us all, it's a sales pitch.]

Wonder no further! The Welcome Committee, established this past January, is a collective effort from members of many crews to gather new arrivals, inform them of the situation, and start them on the journey to get sailing and gather shards as quickly and as safely as possible. Our goal is a broad one that can be accomplished many ways--and we are always expanding our horizons--but the willingness to help and work together is universal!

If you're interested in being a part of this noble mission, we are currently accepting new recruits! Please contact the head of the Committee--yours truly--or one of our answering members, include a brief description of why you want to help and how you're capable of helping, and then you, too, can proudly declare your intent to assist the new arrivals to the oceans of Empieza!

Thanks for your time!

[She signs it in black ink, flourished and a bit smudged from the wind--but she's not done yet.]

( Closed to current Welcome Committee members )

( Closed to Elissa Cousland )

The Navy.

What do they intend for us? Imprisonment? Death? Are they simply trying to preserve order by harassing us, or do they want us gone for the sake of their own power?

And how can we oppose something that wouldn't be causing trouble if we weren't here to begin with? The easiest answer is that since we didn't have a choice, it's just fine, but I'm not sure I like an easy answer. Not when I haven't fought in weeks, and part of me is going crazy with the urge...

Can it go on like this forever, or will a reckoning day come at last?

[Aboard the ship, Dust shuts the journal with a sigh, tucking it away into his cloak. He's taken to sitting on the raised stern, watching their wake trail behind them and seeing where they'd been, but not where they're going. Restlessness is taking its toll.]

Japan feels more and more distant to me. I have been on these wide, enchanted seas for so many months now that they feel like home, even as they both give and take away precious new family members.

[Someone's missing his 'children.' It's hard not to wonder about how they are doing and whether they've made progress or not, especially when it comes to Rin. Mitsuhide misses that young man more than he'll ever express explicitly.]

I suppose we can do naught but keep moving forward, even when it hurts to do so. Every moment of simple joy is precious, even if many of those moments are also filled with unique decorating attempts, mishaps with instruments, unnecessary fuss or pointless rebelling against recipes.

Certain people should never be allowed to cook.

[The entry initially ends there, but a short time later Mitsuhide adds in a more hurried script than before:]

The Koumyou has arrived on a most welcoming and peaceful island. I thank the heavens for this blessing; such a place is surely rare in this world.