Alanna had woken up on the second morning of her voyage to a familiar sight, Aimil curled up against her in her bed. This had become something of a routine for them both after that first time she woke up in his arms. She didn't mind it though, she felt safe with him. She quietly and swiftly slid out of his arms and out of bed, locking the cabin behind her in desperate need of the privy chamber again, this was becoming a habit for her. Once she was finished she decided to take a walk on the deck and breathe in that fresh sea air, and feel the sun on her face. She felt so free in the breeze and safer than she'd ever felt since the war at home knowing that she wasn't alone. The sea called out to her but she knew she had to stay hidden so she made a mental note to go out into the sea later that night when she knew no mundanes would be snooping around the deck. She went to get some water for the day's wash, giddy with an excitement she hadn't felt for a long time.

Aimil was going out of his mind with worry when he woke up to an empty bed, Alanna nowhere in sight. He wondered if he should go out looking for her. But what if she came back while he was out looking? Was she okay? Had something happened to her? He felt like the soles of his feet were wearing thin with all the pacing he was doing, along with his patience. Alanna unlocked the door and walked in just as Aimil started walking towards the door. She didn't have her hood on, she looked more relaxed than he'd ever seen. "Good morning, Aimil, how'd you sleep?" She chirped with a blinding smile. Today the gold rings in her eyes were more prominent, Aimil found himself completely tongue-tied, his eyes drinking her in while his heart leaped and lodged itself into his throat, or so it felt. It took him a few minutes to regain his bearings and get himself seated on his usual chair while Alanna disappeared into the bathing stall in their cabin. "Uh-I- my sleep w-was alright," he scrambled for words. Alanna was humming as she prepared for her bath and he could tell she had a beautiful voice, he could hear her smile through her humming. Why was she so happy today? On the other side of the stall, already armed with a change of clothes, Alanna took off her clothes in a rush and got into the bathtub. The water felt amazing and the temperature was just right. Her mind couldn't help but go back to Aimil's handsome face covered in confusion, his deep husky morning voice and his perfectly messy bed-hair. She was all the more curious about him after the conversation they'd had the previous day. She wanted to invite him to join her for a swim that night, she felt like she could be herself around him without him running for the hills. She had no idea how much he wanted to run for the hills just at the way she made him feel, but he couldn't. He figured even if he tried to run his feet would always lead him right back to her. This softhearted part of him was new, he was never much of a romantic. Lost in his thoughts of Alanna, it felt like no time had passed before she emerged from behind the stall fully dressed.

Once Aimil was ready, Alanna dragged him onto the deck, savoring the she breeze before she dragged him into the galley, insistent on exploring what kind of food was served there. Inside, Emilia called to Alanna and Aimil, waving vigorously calling them over with a broad smile. Today the ghosts were less daunting to Alanna, save for the eery stares they directed at her while she maneuvered around the tables. Aimil couldn't help but groan loudly as Alanna grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her to Emilia's table. Emilia and her husband Lorence said their hellos, Emilia's eyes throwing a quick glance to Alanna and Aimil's interlaced fingers as she motioned for them to sit. "So, how's your voyage so far? Anything exciting?" Emilia cheerfully asked with a funny wiggle of her eyebrows at Alanna. "Uh, so far so good, I like being at sea. How's your honeymoon?" Alanna answered not wanting to give too many details about her voyage. "Oh, it's been just marvelous!" Emilia gushed with a clap of her hands, she looked like she was about to leap from her seat and break out in song and dance. Lorence, her husband simply stared at her beaming face with adoration. Alanna's heart melted a little at the sight, Emilia and Lorence seemed to really love each other, she hadn't seen that kind of union in a long time.

"Oh dear! Did you hear the loud sounds of groaning and scraping from the halls last night? I told Lorence this ship was haunted but he paid it no mind!" Emilia whispered loudly to Alanna, well, attempted to whisper because Lorence and Aimil heard her loud and clear. "Come now darling, you're going to scare our new friends away with that ghost nonsense. It was probably just the sails and the wind," Lorence chuckled playfully nudging Emilia's side. "Well don't say I didn't warn you when some poor ghost decides to accost you in the hallways one of these nights," Emilia laughed out loud, standing up to go put in a request with one of the ship servers. Alanna couldn't help but laugh at Emilia and Lorence's interaction. Soon enough Emilia and the ship server she was speaking to returned with bowls of what looked and smelled like delicious stew. Huh, this wasn't as bad as Alanna had thought it would be. Just then, as if on cue, a woman's disfigured face appeared peeking from behind Emilia and Alanna's hands instinctively gripped the sides of her chair to keep from keeling over. She had certainly not been expecting that. Aimil must have noticed because she felt his hand gently clasp hers and give a reassuring squeeze. Another face appeared to be peeking behind Lorence but Alanna couldn't tell if the ghost was male or female. She squeezed Aimil's hand and used the other to pick at her stew while Emilia and her husband made idle chatter. "You can see me, can't you?" Alanna head the woman's voice ring in her head and darted her eyes to her then quickly returned to her bowl. "You can hear me too, can't you? You must be one of them," the woman muttered floating closer to Alanna as if to inspect her. Alanna stole a glance at her momentarily and quickly looked away, the woman's face was quite disturbing up close and Alanna didn't want to be rude. "Oh, you poor thing, I must have scared you," the woman gasped before she continued, "There we go. You can look now." When Alanna turned her gaze towards the woman again, the woman's face was transformed, no longer disfigured, and she was no longer hiding behind Emilia but standing beside Alanna in full length. Alanna felt Aimil squeeze her hand and she quickly turned towards her new companions, her face flushing when she realized both Emilia and her husband's eyes were fixed on her, waiting for her to say something. "Sorry, what did I miss?" She said quickly taking another bite of her delicious stew. "I was asking if you two would like to join us for dinner this evening," Emilia chirped staring at her in anticipation. "Yes." "No." Alanna and Aimil both answered at the same time. "Um, maybe tomorrow?" Alanna asked her gaze still firmly on Aimil who nodded slowly, squeezing her hand again. From the corner of Alanna's eye, Lorence seemed to be holding in a laugh and quickly took a spoonful of his stew to that effect. Emilia smirked knowingly, her eyes stealing a quick glance at Alanna and Aimil's interlaced fingers before cheerfully giving her agreement and waving over the ship server she'd spoken to earlier.

"Can you please meet me on the deck outside the galley?" The woman whispered to Alanna with an urgency in her voice before adding, "I can't go too far away from Emilia but we'll at least have some privacy. Please, before she leaves the galley." Alanna excused herself and quickly walked out onto the deck with a promise to be back shortly. The woman now stood proud and beautiful, albeit translucent. Her skin was pale but beautiful, her face dainty, her floral blue dress cinched at the waist with a thin golden belt and her blonde bun covered by a lopsided blue hat that matched her dress. "You must be one of them, the Donatus. But something else, you're different," the woman spoke quickly looking Alanna up and down as if she was looking for something. Alanna tilted her head inquisitively as she sat. "Ah, I see!" The woman excitedly exclaimed as if she'd found what she was looking for. "So you're her, the girl of the prophecy," she whispered sitting next to Alanna. "So I hear," Alanna answered. "You didn't go through the initiation?" The woman asked. "Uh, no, my people were attacked and my home burned to the ground before the time came," Alanna said sadness washing over her as she looked out into the sea, her fingers instinctively fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Oh! I'm sorry, young one, I can't believe people are still so hateful," the woman breathed out, her voice trembling with emotion. "Anyway, what's the all the ghosts?" Alanna asked wanting to change the subject. "Oh, it's sort of a karmic thing. Most people on the ship has some kind of karmic debt to pay, mostly tied to people who already passed on, the ghosts attached to them. The remaining few simply have passed on loved ones looking for them, waiting for them to learn some kind of lesson before they can move on," the woman explained. That made sense to Alanna. "What about you? And what was that back there?" Alanna asked. "Well, I'm Emilia's grandmother, I was murdered when her mother was young by those cursed Venators. Just looking out for her, waiting for her to learn about who she is before I can move on," the woman said her voice dripping with the clear adoration she had for a granddaughter. "That's why I need your help," she added quickly. "I don't know what I can do, and it's really not safe for people like us," Alanna said turning her gaze to the woman. "I'll guide you, don't you worry about that. I know a thing or two about how to stay out of trouble," the woman winked at Alanna playfully before adding, "Oh, by the way my name is Claire, I'd shake your hand but I'm clearly inept. It's nice to make your acquaintance, Alanna." Alanna found herself smiling, she had a feeling she was going to like Claire. "Well, we better get going, Claire. We don't want them to discover me sitting here talking to ghosts now, do we?" Alanna said jokingly as she got up and started walking back to find her companions.

"I was just about to come looking for you," Aimil whispered to Alanna as she sat beside him. She answered him with a gentle smile and squeezed his hand as if to let him know they'd talk later. The translucent figure hiding behind Lorence was still mostly hidden but most definitely peeking at Alanna, to which Alanna momentarily stared back into its eyes before going back to finishing her stew. After the wonderful meal and casual conversation, Aimil bid farewell to their new companions and took Alanna by the hand, excusing them both. "I spoke to one of them, Aimil, turns out they're not so bad," Alanna excitedly whispered to Aimil as they walked out onto the deck and found a quiet place to sit. Aimil was glad she wasn't as frightened as she had been the first time she saw them. He had so much to say to her but sitting there with her hand in his watching her beautiful face while she watched the sea, words seemed to escape him. He still had some time, he reassured himself, as they passed the afternoon on the deck.