Reflections

The smell of the wind is my greatest comfort these days. The crew is tense, my companions even more so. You'd think victory over such evil as the Oni would lift our spirits some. On the deck I stand, letting the wind fill my senses. While singing the songs is a therapy of sorts, there is much to be said for simply listening to Karia, the greatest vocalist of all.

My mind drifts with Karia's song, and I cannot help but feel awful for Una. I would reach out to her if I could but find the words. What does one say to someone who has lost her people? What solace could I offer her that would seem more than a mere pittance?

Then Kiyoshi, one of my charges. A smile crosses my face at the irony of thinking of him as someone who needed the protection of an old choir boy. A man of purpose and honor, but the disagreement over the pink-haired girl.... I would have thought him above threatening us, his companions, but then again, High-Dive was there. Perhaps it was a calculated risk on his part, to restrain High-Dive at the risk of estranging the rest of us. "He's a good boy, I'm sure he had his reasons."

Karia answers in her way. A symphony that only draws the inquisitor's gaze inward.

Moses... by far the strongest of us, but the one most dragged down by his burdens. I'm glad he and Zippora have taken a liking to each other. Nothing can lessen a burden like a companion. She's not a bad singer, either. "The boy's got taste, I'll give him that." I chuckle.

Karia gives a brief snort, spraying a whiff of the sea in my face. Apparently she got the joke.

Then there's Rei. A girl called Zero. I'm still not sure what to think about her. Sometimes she seems so vicious... heartless even. Then other times she seems... no, she IS vulnerable. I can't help but pity her. Far as I can tell, her mind is in shambles. Like a child forced to watch a massacre. Numbed even. The father in me wants to help her, but I doubt she's willing to just open up her thoughts to some old fox, however cunning. Maybe if she simply knew I would be willing to listen...

High-Dive... chaos incarnate. If myself and my companions are all so heavily involved in the coming fate of Karia, I cannot help but dread whatever role High-Dive will be playing. She seems hell-bent on destroying everything any sentient being would hold dear, save for her precious nuts. Perhaps she is meant as a balance to the rest of us, something to keep our heads about us. Whatever her role, I'll have to see it to the end. "I never thought a Zipsum would be the greatest test of my patience," I tell the wind.

Karia's gulls laugh in response.

The-One-Who-Opens-Doors said that The-One-Who-Unravels-Mysteries had gone mad and started this mess. The mask I now carried belonged to mad Dusk sage; left behind to guide us in the "right" direction. Hmph. What is the "right" way anyway? Peace. My goal is right. I know this deep in my soul. As for the directions the powers at be try to pull me... I cannot help but wonder. It is apparent my companions and I are pawns in some great game. I want to help guide them, to keep them on the right track, to steer them away from this looming... catastrophe. How can I know which Sage to trust? I want to believe the words of One-Who-Opens-Doors, but the words of the mad Sage bore into my mind. How can I trust one source over the other? The former seems more stable, but I cannot help but see myself in the place of The-One-Who-Unravels-Mysteries, judged by the Council of Elders who deemed my quest madness.

The Sealed Chamber...

Ben Hamur...

The mad guardian...

The BOOK!

My eyes snap open just in time to catch a spray of salt squarely. I scarcely even notice the searing burn. The book is the only sign related to the mad Sage I have yet to fully explore. I whirl around and run to my chambers, hoping for any shred of information that could point me in the "right" direction.

Seems my mind is full of hope these days.