[All in all? Rogue's not in a hurry.

She knows what day it is, and she's eager to go back, but she doesn't rush. There's nothing to pack since, well, she didn't have time to bring anything.

The only addition to her person is the card she has tucked away in her boot. Really, it's Gambit's own fault. Leaving her alone with his coat after giving her a present of a deck of cards without the Queen of Hearts.

Besides, it's his last resort. He won't miss the card from his deck.

About noon, she addresses the journal.]

[Private to the Spades:]

Hey y'all. Jus' wanted t' let y' know I'm coming h-- back.

["Home." She'd almost said "I'm coming home."

The Institute was barely "home," but that set of ships had become it quickly.

In a way? That's unsettling.]

Didn' wanna surprise anyone.

[Especially trigger-happy jackasses. Crocker.

Not more than a few minutes later, Rogue is back on the Sun, no worse for wear from her little excursion.

A few hours later (after catching up with her chores), she has her journal again.]

[Public:]

Those of y'all who use weapons -- what d'ya use? 'M lookin' to try t' pick up a few new things, an' I'm just curious.

[Speaking of which, after the evening meal, Rogue can be found on Little Dipper with a small sign attached to the mast.

Training - Do Not Touch

And, sure enough, she's stripped down on the upper layer to just her tanktop. She has a bo staff in her hand and... Well. Anyone who saw her training with Haruta when she first arrived?

The movements are far more fluid now, more precise, and much more dangerous. She knows very, very well how to use it now.]

I never realized how hard it would be to try and maintain a list of everyone's birthdays..

[Haruka frowned as she looked down at the sheet before her. People were always leaving and arriving. There was no way this list was still accurate. It was serving more as a reminder of their loss than a means to celebrate the lives of those still here.]

It looks like this month.. there are no birthdays though. Is that accurate? I wonder if there's a better way to do this.... Does anyone have any suggestions? For one, I think I want to include last names. [The list only used first names before and sometimes people did have the same names. Shoot. That still wouldn't have cleared anything up when both Motochika's had been here] Or.. maybe include the ship name? ... but people change ships..

[A sigh escaped her lips]

Aside from that, how has everyone been doing?

Things seem to be back to normal here.

[The message seemed to be more for his own records than for anything else. He'd given it a few extra days in case anything more came of it, but nothing had.]

I can now see all the crew members clearly, and all the memories are no longer hazy.

[He clarified. He wasn't going into much detail, but just enough to reference it]

[A soft sigh is heard through the pages, one that belongs to a viking that pops up on occasion. Except he hasn't been perusing the journal of late. But tonight, he feels like talking a bit.]

...You know how there's always some realizations that like to slide in and make you aware that something's different? Like, you know, you're just...minding your own business, not bothering anyone, and then suddenly 'Oh, hey – let's just think about this right now. Because why not, right? You're not doing anything important.'

Because...it's been a thing. Lately. I mean, shipmates come and go. We all know how that is, and that alone gets hectic. But sometimes they come back.

[The sardonic tone in Hiccup's voice weakens, disappearing completely after the pause.]


And sometimes...you're just left waiting for them to come back.


[Aboard the ship, Toothless ambles over to where the teenager sits, sniffing at him before resting his head over Hiccup's thin shoulder.

Low dragon rumblings make Hiccup laugh a little as he places his hands over that black snout. His hair gets blown back with each Night Fury snort.]

You miss them, too, huh? Yeah. Me too.