I feel like I've been exhausted for so long now... this is our first real break in a long time. I don't necessarily mind it, but I've been enjoying taking a breather. It's something I've missed. Nothing trying to kill me, nobody having a desire to sink us, nothing messing with my mind. Just me and the ocean breeze.

Am I the only person that feels this way? It feels like we've been so busy, these last few months. I've changed in more than a few ways since I first got here, and I'm still trying to figure out what those changes are. And if I'm comfortable with them.

Sorry, I'm being a little dramatic. I just... this is new to me. The things I've experienced here, I would have never done at home. And it's hard to reconcile that, especially with all the fighting we've had to do.

Anyway, in the interest of trying not to be too gloomy on such a nice day, how is everyone else?

Setting down her pen and snapping the journal shut with a sigh, Rikka curls her toes into the sand. It's... hard to think about the last time she was on a beach other than Isla Empieza's, but... no. Gotta push past that. She can't be haunted by her past forever, right?

So she'll be sitting back in the sand, looking out at the sea and at their new ship, debating a run into town to explore, and generally just... trying not to think too much.

How would ye rate yer experience sailin' fer Davy Jones?

If ye could be any kind 'o bug, what would ye be and why?

What do you think be the air speed velocity of a coconut laden whooping crane?

What do ye really plan to do with the shards in th' end?

Be ye male or female? Single, engaged, other?

Species?

Have ye any suggestions how th' Dog can help ye pester her any more with insipid questions?

Thank'ee and have a nice day.

[The voice coming over the journal sounds strained, rough, tired, and a lot of other things that imply its owner should really be in bed and not talking to people. But... it's also a little cheerier than it's been, and maybe that's enough.]

I know everyone's already started to chime in about being okay, and everything that's happened since the attack on the fortress the other day. So... I guess I should start by saying that I'm fine. Really, really tired, and I took a bad blow to my back that will take some time to heal, but I'm mostly okay. It's nothing some bandages and rest won't heal. [Probably.]

After that, though, I think I need to apologize. I said some... kind of careless things earlier. I wasn't really thinking straight, after... some things happened, and I'm afraid I worried a few people. So... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone straight to the journal after everything, and I kind of regret it now. N-not the part about telling everyone that the people had disappeared. Something else. Um... I'm just going to stop rambling about that for now.

I guess I'm just really burned out, and that's a hard feeling to deal with right now. I'm worried, and I'm exhausted, and I hurt, and there's nothing I can really do about it. I shouldn't be restless right now, but... here I am. So if anyone has any advice on not feeling like you've messed up really badly after everything that's happened, I would love it - I kind of need it.

[A short time after this goes up, Rikka's crewmates can find her out on the deck, looking out at the water. That, or preparing to make social calls to make sure her friends are okay.]

[action - open to crewmates]
( The night wasn't long enough. )

[voice]
It's several minutes later, after she's realized the horrible truth, that she turns the journal to a new page and removes the lock. It was something she could confirm, now. Had to confirm, because this didn't need to happen to anyone else. "This is Rikka, aboard Shepherd. Several members of our crew... the possessed among them are gone, without a trace. My best friends, Mana and Alice... Gaius... Hubert. All of them are gone."

Her voice is dead. The words are coming out, but there's no emotion to them. She doesn't care, beyond the illusion of having a duty to make sure the others were alert. But Rikka... she's lost everything that was important to her. That duty was all she had left to cling to for now.

"In the Captain's absence, Colonel Curtiss has assumed command of the ship. I'm... still recovering, so I'm not much good for anything. I hope everyone else's people are safe. In the meantime, we're preparing ourselves for the attack on the fortress in a little over a week's time. Until then, I'll be... ah, what does it matter?" A hollow laugh. "Nobody's going to be looking for me. Nobody needs anything from me. So I'll just be going now. Good night, everyone."

She closes the book lightly, hugging it to her chest before throwing it against the cabin wall, picking it back up after a moment and glaring at it before tucking it under her arm and returning to her room. All the while, there's one strong thought in her head: 'I will get them back. I'll save them, and they'll never be hurt again. Whatever the cost.' There's a black feeling, a need to hurt and destroy that's so unlike her, and yet it fits her black mood just fine. She's not sure if she wants to go break something, or just lie on her bed and never move. Tired as she is now, it's sounding like the latter; she heads back to her room, puts her head on her pillow, hugs Mana's pillow for dear life, and tries to motivate herself to cry. But the tears aren't coming anymore, and she's not sure what that means.

Calling all able and willing ships.

Since it has been apparent that multiple ships will be raiding Isla Empieza, I find it imperative that we have a proper strategy. Even with all of us, we are outnumbered and, very likely, outgunned.

The strategy I have proposed is using magics and other talents to create a foggy mass, possibly stormlike in appearance, that will disguise our approach and fool the Navy into not firing a single shot until we are already behind them and at the advantage.

Though I am open to other ideas. Anything beyond a full frontal assault has some merit, but if you're going to suggest some suicidal blazing guns routine, I'm going to politely ask you to shove it and let the real strategists talk.

So. Suggestions?

Rikka's running around the Shepherd, and the dock where it remains moored, like a girl possessed. She looks like a completely different young woman than she did a week ago; friends and a long bath have breathed new life into her after the events leading up to Halloween. But, whatever happened, it's got her scared again, and both her own crew and anyone else on the island are likely to notice - she's usually a little more collected than this, vampiric shenanigans aside. Catching herself for a moment and realizing there's a better way, she stops, take a moment to get her breath back, and opens her journal.

"If anyone on the Shepherd is reading this, we need to move now. We're in danger if we stay here any longer. If anyone's joining us, get aboard. Alice, Mana, we need to start making preparations; meet me on the deck. Whoever else is left, you should probably meet me on the deck, too. I am not going to see us killed today, if there's anything I can do about it.

Anyone else that's on Isla Empieza, I think it's a good idea if you do the same thing - if the Navy comes here, we're going to be stuck, and I don't want to think about what's going to happen to us. Please... everyone be careful."

Satisfied as the journal finishes recording her handwriting, she snaps it shut, and starts up the gangplank at a brisk walk. And when she's on the deck:

"MARIBELLE!"

Ugh... I shouldn't still be so tired, but after everything that happened, I'm almost afraid to go outside, and I'm sure that's not really... helping. Um, for anyone that cares, I was a vampire for a while there, but I'm better now, except for a pretty big hit to my pride. I never, ever want to do something like that again. I'm pretty much feeling well enough to leave the ship, at least, so that's something.

Anyway, it looks like we've got new people washing ashore again - sorry, pun not intended - so... I'm Rikka; I'm currently on the Shepherd's crew, docked at Isla Empieza. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them, though I can't promise I'll have all the answers. I'm definitely happy to just talk to people, too. Failing that, I wish all the newcomers luck finding a crew, and... I think that's it.

[You'll probably catch a faint sigh, which the journal decides to be cheeky and transcribe in small print anyway, before she snaps the book shut.]

[Mami stares at the page for the longest time. She's been meaning to do this for days but... Even today she's still not sure it's such a good idea but since it's not something she could manage to talk about with her crew, even with Madoka and Homura then...]

I would like to ask all of you here a few questions.

The first one is: If you were given the opportunity to make one wish, one single wish, would it be about yourself or about someone else?

And the second one is: Did you ever regret wishing for something to happen once it had actually become true and it was too late for you to do anything about it?

I undestand those could be seen as very personal questions. So feel free to answer anonymously if you prefer.

Thank you very much in advance for your time.

[She sighs, re-reading what she's just written. Well all what's left for her to do now is wait.]

The sun... didn't rise today. I mean, I'm sure everyone saw already, and it's hard to even see that much through the fog, but... is this what we were warned about? Something in the fog that's going to get us hurt? I don't understand at all. The moon's pretty like this, but... it's ominous. I... wait, what's-?

[Seems like she saw something... what's going on? There's a brief clack of shoes on stone, but only a few seconds pass before she continues.]

He's... something's wrong... hey, wait, what are you doing? Don't- ah!

[The shriek comes out plenty loud enough to be heard by anyone hanging out near the fountain that afternoon; there's a thud over the journal as it hits the ground, then a second thud as Rikka slumps to the cobblestone; the journal stops recording a few seconds later.]

((Journal responses will come about fifteen minutes after.))

Yo-ho, yo-ho and all that piratey bullshit. Getting that aside, how does one volunteer themselves for a crew? I'm already good to go. Not a sailor, but anybody willing to take me will get a hard-working, quick-learning gal looking for a way to get the hell out of here.

Is that enough of a resumé?

Seriously, though. This island is not a place I want to stay. I'm definitely willing to work and I could use some friendly acquaintances or good conversation while I work on getting my bearings. All takers should respond here directly and/or include crude doodles at your own childish discretion.

[ ooc: Please take a look at Misha's permissions, too! ]

[ Here, have yet another audio entry from another female newcomer to your lovely sea. Despite what you'd think, however, she's rather...calm? If she's nervous, it certainly doesn't show in her voice. ]

Hello, everyone. I do hope I'm using this correctly. My name is Chiaki Nanami, and I... Mm, I was originally on an island with other Hope's Peak Academy students. Please send me a private message if that means anything to you. I'd really, really appreciate it.

[ Now that that bit of important business is out of the way, time to move on to the next thing on the to-do list. ]

As for why we were brought here...I understand what's expected of us. ...I think. We're supposed to put together that broken gem, right? And to do that, we need to sail around the ocean to find its shards. Just like collecting Power Stars. Enough of them, and we can move on to the next level.

[ That thought makes her pause for a moment. ]

...I wonder if they're actually shards? Like, could they be embedded somewhere? There are games where animals were corrupted by a shard of such a gem, turning them against the party. That...wouldn't be pleasant. I hope that's not the case.

[ ...Right, to-do list. She clears her throat once before continuing. ]

I'm going to add to the number of people asking if they can join a ship's crew. I don't have any experience on ships, but I can draw maps and keeps detailed logs and records as necessary. I also know how to clean rooms and search areas thoroughly. And...I'll leave at that for now, since this is getting rather long. Please feel free to contact me for more information.

[ And with that said, she closes the journal. ]

I think it goes without saying, but Scurvey Dog wasn't kidding about the natives having serious problems with us if we hadn't left in time. Perhaps pitchforks were a little bit of an exaggeration for the moment, but I'm getting a lot of glares from everyone. If I'm here much longer, I'm afraid there might be blood - he wasn't kidding that they're on edge about their missing person. I'm going to finish gathering supplies and keep a low profile until I can get off this island. If there's anyone left on Isla Empieza, I advise you do the same - they might not be so kind to anyone that looks like they could take some abuse.

Mana, do we have a plan yet? The clock's ticking, and fast.

Hello, everyone. This is Rikka Hishikawa; I've met a few of you already, but to those of you I haven't, I'm looking forward to it.

Today, I'm looking for a crew. I know everyone else is doing this already, but I'd be interested to find out who's searching for crewmates still. I can offer myself and one other; we're hardworking and upbeat, and in a pinch we're skilled in close combat. I know few of you will want to make a decision based on just my say-so without at least seeing me first, and that's fine; I just want to see what my options are so I can make an educated decision.

I hope everyone's doing okay - it's disorienting to be thrown into an unknown place all of a sudden, but if we work together, there's bound to be some way home for us all. I'm putting everything into that belief. So regardless of whose crew I end up on, or whatever else happens, I want to wish save travels to everyone.

...As an addendum, I'll go ahead and add my own list of people I'm searching for: Alice, Makoto, Aguri, or anyone familiar with the word "Precure," please contact me as soon as possible.

Hello, everyone! Or... hmm, should I introduce myself with an "Arrr, matey!" instead?

In any case, hello! My name is Aida Mana, and it seems I'm going to be here with all of you. I have to say, it's not what I expected, but I suppose I'll do my best to make the most of it! If there's anything I could do to help anyone out, just name it!

That said... I'm thinking I want to be one of those people who sets out on the ocean themselves. Figuring this sailing thing out can't be too hard, right? And there's no reason we sailors can't be looking out for each other even if we aren't all on the same ship!

If anyone would be willing to help me get started, just let me know! And if anyone wants to introduce themselves, feel free! I want to get to know as many people as possible!