( it's the middle of the ocean...

a girl lays still on a shoddy raft that's seen better days. there was a storm the night before... she must have had a bumpy ride. as the sun steadily rises, the sudden warmth is enough to get her to open her eyes.

it's a new day.

how long had she been floating now? it was getting difficult to remember. but it's been so long since she's even seen a ship. with her eyes half closed, if she squints just right... it's easy to imagine a ship in the distance -- being carried by the gentle breeze. the unforgiving waves had calmed a little. it was almost... peaceful.

mnemosyne closes her eyes for a moment, and draws in a breath. opening them again, she had thought that the ship in the distance would have disappeared -- it was just a figment of her imagination wasn't it?

no... it was getting closer! )

H... lp... He--lp!

The sound of the waves came before everything else. Slowly the view pulled back enough that a impressive ship of dark wood could be seen cutting through the ocean. Where it was headed was not obvious as there is currently no land within sight. On the ship is a crew which works like a well oiled machine, overseen by a tall woman accompanied by two men at either side of her. Out of the entire setting though, the woman seems to be the most lively one. She's dressed like the rest of her crew, if perhaps more elaborately. Her pale hair is bound back in a braid, except for her bangs which still frame her face.

Currently she's headed toward a certain area she's heard has become something of a death trap for their sort, the Navy laying ambushes on unsuspecting ships and taking their captains and crews under arrest...those that didn't die in the boarding of their ships anyway. Teaching the Navy a lesson sounds rather entertaining to her and a worthy challenge to her fighting abilities. She would show them once again that these waters belonged to her and her kin. Anyone who sought to argue the matter with her would have to argue with the six feet of steel she carried, as well as the swords of her first mates.

There was a reason after all, that she was considered the undisputed queen of these waters by the pirates which sailed them. Thus it was her duty to punish those who would attack her subjects in her territory.

[It's heavy, threatening, loud. The sound of waves chaotically sloshing around the open sea and rebelliously assaulting the tiny, wooden boat. The waves bend the small vessel to their will, and it joins the disarray of the waves as it is tossed and thrown into a directionless whirl. This goes on, the same pattern of waves with all the same sounds and sights.

The captain of this ship, however, stays glued to center of the deck. Despite the chaotic, unruly voyage, the invisible physics of this realm keep her held tightly down with her legs folded up like pretzels. She's cradling a small looking glass that extends to be much longer. Hesitantly, the girls lifts it to her eye, looking out on the thin layer of blue that covers the briny deep. Her examination doesn't last long, but she continues to do it in pendulum with the waves. Everything is a cycle, and it goes on for a long, long time before she breaks out.

Long, baggy white pantlegs scream as they transition into strips of black leather held tightly together by the metal zipper between them. It happens on her entire body, like a snake that shed its skin growing a new coat of ebony.]

There was something...[Her voice is soft and careful. Unsure and worrisome. Like hitting the wrong frequency might cause this whole ship to capsize. She speaks only to herself, vocalizing heavy thoughts and emotion.]

Something that I was doing. And I can't...I was supposed to go back...
That's right. Sora...[Becoming aware of her surroundings, the seas seem to shift at her subconscious whim. The waves settle into a gentle, rhythmic lap against the wooden exterior.]

He wanted to build a raft...Explore the sea and all the worlds. [It was a good wish. One the tide loving Xion could easily share herself. But in the wake of the end of her life, it's a bittersweet sensation to watch these tides glisten in the sun.]

Is this his wish? What's become of me now...? Now that...

[A heavy sigh of realization. Although the presence of anything to realize eludes her. Shde doesn't know where she is, why, or what to do.]

I don't understand.

[The girl is lost at sea.]

[ This is a nightmare. No really, this is a nightmare. It is a very... bizarre nightmare but a nightmare nonetheless. The dreamer is tied to the center of what is probably a pirate ship. Except that these pirates are quite strange as they are undoubtedly fish! Fish pirates with classic pirate features, including one with a tattoo of a heart bearing the word 'Mom.' ]

[ Kaito is physically shaking and trying to make himself as small as possible. He's sweating and paler than he's ever been in his life as he watches the fishy pirates roam about potentially harmlessly about the ship, stopping every now and again to move terrifying fishy lips in some form of communication. ]

I've never eaten fish in my life!

[ The sudden out burst has the attention of all the pirates for about two seconds before they go back to what they were doing. ]

"Captain Holmes!"  Conan knocked politely on the door.  "I have news.  You are in need of some new crew members. The cook took objection to the cadaver in the larder and quit.  Several of the more squeamish crewmembers left with him."

He sounded rather cheerful about the entire issue.  "But at least the state of putrefaction is proceeding nicely."

It had taken Conan a lot of effort to get taken on as a cabin boy by Captain Holmes.  Months of effort to track down the only pirate captain known to have had encounters with the leader of the Black Pirates.  The same pirates, Conan suspected, who had been responsble for his own poisoning and shrinking.  Weeks more of effort planning on how best to catch the captain's interest.  Conan knew quite well that the only reason he'd been hired and kept on the crew was because Sherlock Holmes found him to be interesting. 

And... at least it was not boring aboard this ship.  He'd found quite a few shared interests with the captain.  Until the day that he could destroy the Black Pirates and regain his life as Shinichi Kudo, this was not a bad life.  Exploration.  Treasure hunting and riddles.  Plenty of scientific inquiry.

Now if only they had an easier time keeping the other crew members around.

The beach was pristine when the young pirate stepped out on the shore, giving a slight hop to avoid the surf. He grabbed the rope attached to it and pulled it up on the sand to avoid it being swept out to sea. Yes, the beach was pristine, but would not remain for long, though. He was here looking for the stash of the infamous pirate, Old Gunner Longshanks, the most notorious pirate ever to live during the Adventure Era. The island was a fairly typical one of the greater Mideel islands. Full of monsters and dangerous plants, yet beautiful at the same time with the rich jungle and warm weather. The sky, however, was a completely different story.

A dark, blood colored orb hung in the clear blue, staining the blue and marring an otherwise beautiful day. Time was short, and he was determined to make his dream come true before that!

So that was all the more reason to hurry and find the treasure. Captain Reno would be the first to find it after so many years, and the prestige would be his. They would sing his praises in the taverns and cheer whenever he showed up, for he would be generous and order a round of drinks on him! That was definitely the life, and it would all be made possible if only he could find out where the marlboro shaped rock was. Searching all of these little islands was getting tiresome. His loyal crew was on board his ship in the little cove they had anchored in, ready to come ashore at his signal, but this was one thing he wanted to do alone.

So, with map at the ready, a compass and a telescope, Captain Reno set out to find that treasure.