Keke struggled to keep her eyes open as she leaned into her palm. The murmurs of the Golden Dragon were still quiet. The gentle footsteps of patrons and the clinking of nearby dishes only served to send her back to sleep. How many times would it take before she could finally wake up at a reasonable hour like a normal catgirl?

“Where is Matt?” asked a firm voice from the opposite side of the table. “It is time we depart.”

“I’m here, I’m here,” came Matt’s soothing voice. His shoes thumped down the stairs, and Keke felt a tug at the corners of her mouth. “Just making sure I have everything.”

Keke curled and uncurled her fingers and toes. She envied the others for being able to wake up so early. Even Matt had her beat in that category. She would have felt a tinge of envy if she weren’t so overcome by drowsiness.

“Keke, it’s time to go.” Cannoli put a gentle hand on Keke’s shoulder and rubbed. “Are you awake yet?”

“Ye—” Keke yawned and stretched her arms above her head. “Yeah, I’m good. Let’s get going.”

Keke’s heart quickened as she and the others drew closer to Cailu’s vessel. Once they got on the ship, they’d be departing for Nyarlothep. Their arrival would mean the beginning of her [Hunter] training and the end of their Party. Despite Ravyn’s presence beside her, Keke could already feel the weight of her absence.

“This ship looks more impressive each time I see it,” Tristan marveled. “I wish I could join you.”

“You will eventually,” said Cailu. “I shall see to it that you are granted an audience with the queen when appropriate. At that time, we shall ferry you.”

“Well, I guess this is it,” Matt said, his arms crossed and his stare sharp. Keke had seen that look dozens of times. He wore it every time desire met obligation, and it pained her to see it. “Feels kinda strange to be splitting up like this.”

“I’ll be back in your hair before you know it. Just get on the boat,” chided Ravyn. To Keke, it sounded playful, and she was glad to hear it. Matt turned to her and smiled. For a rare moment in time, Ravyn flushed and furrowed her brow. “Boy.”

Keke stifled a laugh.

Matt’s smile widened. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“How will we know you arrived?” Destiny asked, her face racked with concern.

“Sir Cailu shall send a missive upon our arrival to Nyarlothep,” explained Ceres.

Matt rolled his eyes. “Best of luck, Tristan.” Matt extended his hand, and Tristan reciprocated. The two shook, and Matt added, “You’ll take good care of them, right, Ravyn?”

“Baka. Of course, I will. Who do you think I am?” Ravyn’s heels clicked against the stone as she approached Matt. She looked away for a moment, muttering something Keke couldn’t hear. Ravyn pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. “You take care of yourself. Don’t die while I’m gone.”

“I—” Matt paused. “I’ll try not to.”

“Good.”

“Wind is in a good mood this morning,” Lara said, her eyes half-open. “She is eager to whisk you away.”

“Hopefully that’s a good thing,” Matt chuckled, letting go of Tristan’s hand. He drew a deep breath as Keke took to his side, looking up at him.

“It’s going to be okay,” said Keke. “They’re tough.”

“Right.” Matt nodded. He looked like he was trying to affirm something to himself. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

“Keh,” Ravyn snickered.

“Shall we?” asked Cailu, his stare firm, resolute.

After saying their goodbyes, Keke and the others crossed the gangway onto the ship. There was a heavy, bittersweet feeling in Keke’s chest as the ship left the port. Ball flew circles above the ship for a time until returning to perch on Ravyn’s outstretched hand. Tristan and the others disappeared from view as the ship began to round the island’s coast.

It’s not forever. We’ll be back, thought Keke.

As Keke turned around, she noticed Matt had taken to the ship's opposite side. He was leaning over the ledge, a familiar device dangling from his hand.

I should see how he’s doing.

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Keke made her way over, gently touching his bicep as she approached. Matt glanced at her, and she was glad she hadn’t surprised him. Something she’d learned early on was that he appreciated slow and predictable touches. A sudden pat on the back or a poke on the shoulder was a great way to startle him.

“Oh. Hey, Keke,” said Matt. He rubbed the back of his neck, and although Keke knew nothing would come of it, she glanced at the iPaw anyway.

Yep, they still look like squiggly lines.

What she did notice, however, was Ravyn’s portrait on the screen.

“You okay?” asked Keke. She leaned over the ledge with him, admiring the ocean's tides.

“Yeah, I think so.” He sighed. “I think I should remove Ravyn from my Party.”

The thought had crossed Keke’s mind as well. She was looking for a gentle way to put it, but having Ravyn in Tristan’s Party could only help them.

“She’ll need the Experience,” Matt continued, “and it would just make things easier in general if, well, Tristan could add her to his Party.”

“I know it’s hard,” said Keke. “From what my mom told me, a catgirl can’t leave a Party unless the man removes her. So, this is up to you, Matt.”

His grip tightened around the iPaw. Turning around, he leaned against the railing and scrolled through the indecipherable options using his pointer finger. Keke relaxed her head against his arm and flicked her tail side to side. Three boxes appeared on his iPaw, with the largest taking up the top half of his screen. A few seconds passed before Matt pressed his finger against the small box to the left. Afterward, Ravyn’s portrait disappeared.

Matt sighed and cocked his head back. “Alright. She’s out.”

“She’s coming back,” said Keke. “We all will. That’s a promise.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey!” Portia exclaimed. Keke’s hairs raised at Portia’s sudden shout, and Matt fumbled for the iPaw before dropping it into the water behind him. Matt groaned while Keke watched Portia hang upside down from one of the ropes keeping the ship’s mast together. “Have you seen this baby? Hoo, wow! If only Pops could see me now. He’d be so jealous.”

Keke giggled while Matt called his iPaw back from the ocean.

“Enjoying yourself?” asked Keke.

“Are you kiddin’?” Portia gawked, flipping right side up and landing on the deck. “This is a dream come true!”

“Yeah, probably glad to be on your favorite type of boat,” Matt said as he shook the water from his iPaw.

“That’s ship, Matt. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Ship. Sorry. So what can this ship do?”

Portia crossed her arms, “This baby’s got a name. The Callisto.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “What can Callisto do?”

“The better question is, ‘what can’t it do?’” Portia stomped her foot on the deck. “You feel that? That’s quality! You see those?” She pointed at the mast. “That’s beauty! And that—”

A bell suddenly rang from atop the mast. As soon as Keke and Matt looked up, Portia raced across the deck and began climbing the frontmost mast.

“What’s going on?” asked Matt.

Keke knew it couldn’t be anything good. Moments later, Cailu and Ceres emerged from the cabin in their [Combat Mode] attire, marching across the deck with purpose. Keke and Matt switched into their appropriate [Combat Mode]s and followed them to the head of the ship. Cailu received a spyglass from a nearby catgirl and peered through.

Keke squinted at what she assumed was the Defiled in question. A collection of violet tentacles whipped about the surface on the horizon. From here, it looked as if it was already distracted with something. Keke briefly wondered if they could avoid it.

“Looks like a big one!” cried Portia.

“Defiled straight ahead,” said Cailu. He returned the spyglass and beckoned two other catgirls from behind him. “Vanille, Ariel, prepare the cannons.”

“Yes, Master Cailu!” the girls said in unison before running back.

“What should we do?” asked Matt.

“Fall below deck and stay there,” Cailu said, his gaze never veering from the tentacles slapping at the water’s surface. “If all goes to plan, then there should be no need to enter combat.”

“And if it doesn’t?” asked Keke. “We want to do what we can.”

Portia landed beside her, brushing her hands.

“Then I will call upon you.”

Matt opened his mouth to speak, but Keke interrupted. “Thank you, Cailu. Let’s go below, Matt.” Keke was sure Matt was looking for something to preoccupy his mind, but Cailu and his crew had been sailing the seas for years. He knew this could happen, and she wasn’t about to get in his way.

“Yeah, okay,” Matt said with a hint of irritation.

Keke led him by the hand and descended the stairs to the first floor of the ship. They hadn’t taken the time to organize who would be staying where, so she took the first room she saw and shut the door behind them, sliding the lock into place.

Matt took a seat on the bunk bed and leaned his head into his palm. “Feeling kind of useless.”

“Try to look at this as more of a ride than an adventure,” Keke said, sitting beside him. She wrapped her tail around the bend of his arm and relaxed her head on his shoulder. “Besides, it means we get a little bit of quality time together.”

Matt chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

A brief silence passed.

“Was it hard to remove Ravyn?”

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It just feels weird that she’s not here anymore.”

“It does. But this isn’t forever,” Keke assured him. She felt a tinge of jealousy, and a childish part of her hoped Matt would feel the same way when they parted. But her mother’s words came swiftly to remind her of her obligations. “It’s temporary.”

“I know. But it still hurts.” Matt fell back on the bed with a hand behind his head. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but Keke decided not to prod.

She still had plenty of time with him.

Right?

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