Instead of replying, the blonde male found himself at one of the shipâ??s corner and playing with the ropes. They wrapped around randomly on his arms, being tugged and tied in strange knots that quickly unraveled themselves. Johnathan sighed at that, before turning to their third ship member and bowed his head at the woman.<b>â??Welcome to the Bastard, maâ??am. I hope Master Nao hasnâ??t been too much of a hassle toâ?¦ interact with.â?</b>more so than usual, that is. But he didnâ??t say that out loud.<b>â??If youâ??d like, I can show you to a temporary quarter that you may utilize until we find somewhere to drop you off.â?</b><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#8080ff">â??Sheâ??ll join us, Lukas. To Lingard~â?</span>the drunken tone came drifting through. The man that the tone was attached to was hanging off his body over the shipâ??s edge, swinging his legs as he balanced on the rail with his abdomen. They were quite high in the sky by this time, the clouds all but caressing the side of the ship, as they sailed smoothly towards their destination.<br/><br/><b>â??Sire-.â?</b><br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#8080ff">â??Wheee~!â?</span><br/><br/><b>â??SIRE!â?</b>the squire quickly left his position and moved to grab the drunken man before he flung himself out of the ship just for shits and giggles.<b>â??Please, keep yourself alive while I assist the guest.â?</b>with that, he turned and walked towards Itsuki. Johnathan motioned towards the stairs leading down, before waiting for her to follow him towards the room he was speaking of.<br/><br/>As they shuffled around the ship, the slight light that the Eclipse allowed through began to dim, signaling the darkening peek of evening. The squire had already migrated towards the kitchen, where he was preparing a simple meal for them to dine on, while the ship seemed to just know where to go. Johnathan still had to wonder about how they were going to reenter Lingard with the redheaded woman with them, since outsiders were magically prevented from enteringâ??unless Nao had a planâ??which he highly doubted.<br/><br/>Once the simple broth and bread with meat were done, he trekked his way up towards the deck; half wondering what Itsuki was doing at the moment, as he had left her to do as she pleased after showing her the room. Upon the deck, he paused, staring at the strange sight.<br/><br/>There, under the eerie light, the blonde male danced with a black haired red haired maiden. For a brief second, he had assumed it was Miss Itsuki he was with, but on closer inspection, he realized that it was someone taller, with longer hair and lighter skin. They danced together as if doing the waltz to a song that was only heard by one another, the wind smoothing over them as they glided in perfect synchronization.<br/><br/>It had been quite some time he had seen such clarity in the young masterâ??s eyes, the vibrant blue almost mellowed out with peace instead of the raging silver storm that had taken over in the last few years. No longer dulled with the drug of alcohol, Nao seemed almost normal and refined once more, his body poised as it danced with this maiden. Silver-blue eyes gazed at her with adoration and something akin to longing. It reminded him of something he couldnâ??t quite get a finger on, a figure that lingered in the past.<br/><br/>Andusk.<br/><br/>The name came so easy to his memory that it seemed like the wind had whispered it to him. Johnathan pressed his lips together and continued to watch them, wondering if he was going crazy as well. The man had little necromancy blood in him, so much in fact, that he was able to enter the city only by acceptance of those there, while he couldnâ??t perform any magic like they could, or see spirits beyond the simple nymphs and sprites. Andusk was a higher being than he was able to see, and yet, there she was, the former guard Dragon getting whisked off her feet by the noble once more. There was love in those eyes that reflected back, sparkling under the surface as if trying to be withheld.<br/><br/>So lost in his thoughts, the squire forgot about going to speak to Miss Itsuki as he had planned. Instead, he stood there, staring at the scene with awe. Andusk was beautiful, from her fiery hair that gave her element away, to the soft curves and powerful frame. The song must have slowed in their minds, as the maiden leaned in closer towards the blonde. Just scant centimeters away, two things happened. Johnathan realized that though she could have been a spirit, there was no shadow that was cast from where she stood. Secondly, Nao parted his own lips and gave out a command.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#8080ff">â??Donâ??t.â?</span><br/><br/>And just like that, the spell broke. Andusk took a step back and seemed to fuzz out of reality, blurring her lines and reforming, before seeping down the deck and disappearing.<i>Shadow</i>â?¦ of course, who else could create such a perfect image of another being? Johnathan watched as the young noble fingered the leather around his neck, briefly wondering why the creature had attempted to kiss, when knowing that it had no permission to do soâ??from what had just transpired.<br/><br/>The squire stared at Nao, unable to formulate a thought on the matter. He told himself he needed to stop staring, because surely Itsuki hadnâ??t stayed in one spot, and he would rather not be caught in either situation of staring or allowing the ogre free range on the ship.