Jhudora stood in her living room, feeling worried. She pet Xan who was laying in her arms. As she glanced at the clock, she started thinking.

This feels like it's taking too long. If something happened...I'd never be able to forgive myself. No no, Illusen's right. There's no reason anyone would be down there today. Unless...unless Fyora had a premonition. Gods how did I overlook that? What if-

Jhudora was unwound by the familiar sound and sight of electrical crackling in front of her. Oh thank goodness, she thought, breathing easier. Xan fearfully leaped onto the floor as Illusen blazingly materialized, holding the statue and throwing the shrink ray on the couch. Jhudora smiled in relief.

"Illusen, I was worri-"

"Hold this please!" Illusen said frantically, giving Jhudora the statue.

"I. Okay?" Jhudora managed to wrap her arms around it even though Illusen hadn't waited for her to get prepared. "Illusen, what's going- whoa!" Illusen suddenly pulled Jhudora by the waist with impressive ease. Holding her tightly, she pressed the button on the side of the Transporter Helmet with her free hand.

"My Glade!" Illusen shouted.

"What?" Was all Jhudora managed to get out before a cylinder of light overtook both of them and they were zapped away. When the yelling and light show had subsided, Xan crawled out from behind a curtain and approached the dwindling puff of smoke where his owner was just standing. He sniffed at the spot and gave a sad croak.

Meanwhile, Helena the Crokabek was napping peacefully on a pile of mostly eaten starberries. She got a little carried away during Illusen's day of absence, though she currently felt no regrets. In her dreams, she waddled through an entire field of all kinds of delicious fruit. The Sun shined brightly on her options. Then it shined a little brighter...and then much too bright. Then it started making a terribly loud crackling sound! And then it-

"Squak!" Helena was jolted awake by Illusen and Jhudora appearing in the living room. Though she didn't stay long enough to see exactly what the disturbance was. The poor bird was already running elsewhere before she was even fully conscious. Neither Faerie noticed, as they were preoccupied with other concerns.

"Illusen, what just happened? Why did you take us here?" Jhudora started questioning her the moment the two touched down.

"Becauuuse Fyora saw me!" Illusen leaped back and gave a tense pair of finger guns to Jhudora. "Sheee saw me. In the room. And I panicked and went back to your place. And I was still panicking so I took us both here and I don't know why!" Illusen was pacing now. "What do we do? Why was she in there? I don't know! What do we do?"

Jhudora rested Xandra's statue off to the side, then walked up to Illusen and held her shoulders. "Illusen. Look at me. You need to try to relax. Please tell me exactly what happened," she said, very calmly. "Take your time, take a breath."

Illusen deeply inhaled and exhaled as Jhudora released her. "Okay. So everything was fine. I was in the hidden room, right? Xandra's statue was just there in the middle of the room. I shrunk it down without any problem whatsoever. But then the moment I picked it up, Fyora was there. She was standing in a doorway that I don't even recall seeing when I first showed up. So I just clicked the button and went back to you. But I know she saw me first. She said my name and started approaching right when I was transporting."

Jhudora slowly sat on a nearby couch as Illusen's words connected to tangible meaning in her head. "Fuck," she said, impassively. Illusen was fleetingly taken out of the situation by the uncharacteristic expletive. She probably would have found it hilarious if things didn't feel so dire. Jhudora sat with her hands on her cheeks, staring blankly ahead. Illusen said nothing, so as not to disturb her train of thought. Finally, Jhudora stood up again and faced Illusen.

"Okay, first things first," she started, re-composed. "What exactly did you say before you transported back to my house?"

"I definitely didn't mention you by name. Let's see…" Illusen bit her bottom lip as she thought. "Oh! I said something vague like 'return back' or 'back to base'. My mind was running wild but I still managed to hide where I was going."

"Alright, well that's good. So Fyora might not even think you were the real you. We could even get lucky and she may think you were referring to a Kreludor base. That you were a crazed anarchist Grundo perhaps. Regardless, she'll have to take time to think, which is good. Okay." Jhudora seemed increasingly level-headed as she considered the scenario, no matter how silly it may have sounded without context. "We still need to expedite the plan that I originally had mapped out. I thought we'd have at least a day or two of down time, but now I fear that's too risky. Here, let me see the helmet." Jhudora put out her hands. Illusen undid the straps and handed the device to her. In all the excitement, she forgot she was still wearing it until that moment. Jhudora inspected the helmet closely, tapping a screen on the back of it.

"Shoot. I figured as much, it's low on power."

"How long does it take to recharge?" Illusen asked.

"At least a full 24 hours, but I fear we don't have that. At best all it has left is a round trip for one of us, or a one-way for both of us. And even then, there's no way we'd be able to get all the way to where we have to be." Jhudora sat back down, holding the helmet in her lap. Illusen sat next to her

"How far exactly were we originally supposed to go?" Illusen asked, expecting an inauspicious response.

"Immediately, Krawk Island..." Jhudora paused. She looked to Illusen who was patiently awaiting the rest. She let out a small breath through her nose. "Ultimately...Lutari Island."

One could have heard a pin drop. Jhudora focused her gaze on her lap. She expected this would be the final ridiculous request that made Illusen back down. This is most likely why she hadn't even brought it up yet. Two days to explain and get her on board were now seeming like wishful thinking in hindsight. But instead of disdain, she heard a soft chuckle coming from her friend. She looked over to see Illusen, her face in hand, slowly shaking her head with a subdued smile.

"Oh man, Jhudora. Lutari Island. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that," she said, feigning tiredness. This reaction confused Jhudora briefly.

"If you think I'm joking, I'm not…"

"Oh I know you're not joking," Illusen said, casually. "I wouldn't expect you to joke about something this serious. It's just like...yeah Lutari Island. Might as well be that, you know?" She giggled again. "I mean it makes sense. It's actually a really good plan on paper. Hard to track down an island that could be anywhere at any given time. And I've even heard Fyora openly speak about how afraid she is of ever attempting to go there. Safe to assume it's because of the whole 'always in the eye of a storm' thing."

"I'm not sure how to react to this," Jhudora said, squinting her eyes.

"What? Did you expect me to freak out or something?"

"I mean...maybe not freak out per se, but at least something. I understand this is a really dangerous or even downright foolish thing I'm suggesting here."

"On the surface, yes, it would seem to be that. But the fact that you specifically are the one saying it makes me feel a lot better." Illusen put a hand on Jhudora's knee and spoke calmly. "I know you're not foolish. I know you must have thought about this intensely for a very long time. So if this is the plan you came up with, then that means it's the best option. And by extension the safest, so I'm not worried."

"You really trust me that much." Jhudora said wistfully.

"Implicitly." Illusen responded in a similar tone. She was holding Jhudora's hand now and smiling. It was the sweet, warm, contagious smile that melted Jhudora away. She couldn't help but quickly look at it as it formed. She started feeling the same call from The Haunted Woods. The call to know what Illusen's lips felt like pressed against hers. Her heart quickened a bit and she felt herself gaining a small blush as she gazed into Illusen's deep, green eyes. She could have sworn she saw Illusen forming the slightest blush as well.

"Sorry if I'm...staring." Jhudora said quietly, although she didn't stop.

"It's alright. I don't mind." Illusen said shyly, pushing some hair behind her ear. Her heart, too, was going a little faster. She had the same feeling as when she was leaning on Jhudora on the train back to Faerieland. She absent-mindedly started holding Jhudora's hand a little tighter.

That small act, in turn, was as much as Jhudora could handle. Years of emotion burst through her subconscious in that instant. She squeezed Illusen's hand in reciprocation and felt herself slowly leaning in. She tilted her head and stopped when their faces were barely apart.

"You've always been so kind to me, Illusen," she whispered.

"Of course," Illusen whispered back, closing her eyes.

Then the space between them disappeared. Jhudora faintly brushed her lips against Illusen's. Then a real kiss, with more commitment. It felt like it lasted a lifetime, similar to how long it had been waiting to happen. Illusen's hand raised to the side of Jhudora's face. Jhudora held Illusen carefully at the small of her back. Their minds were cleared of all thoughts that weren't each other. When they broke apart, they rested their foreheads together, breathing softly. It was quiet as they both caught up mentally to what just happened.

"I...wow," was what Illusen managed to say.

"Yeah...me too," Jhudora replied.

Neither knew what to say beyond that. There was a whirlwind of different feelings running through them and it was difficult to decide which one to acknowledge first. They both didn't really feel a strong urge to say anything at all. Not right now. Just sitting in this way felt nice. They'd figure things out later.

"Squak!"

A newly courageous Crokabek called out from the other side of the room. The sudden, piercing caw efficiently brought the two faeries back to everyone else's reality. Illusen jumped at the sudden sound.

"Helena! Goodness, you scared me," she said, turning to the puffed up bird. Helena croaked again and flapped her wings once toward Jhudora.

"She's not a threat, Helena. See? Not hurting me." Illusen held up Jhudora's hand and waved it around. "It's okay, you emotional little bird." Helena gave a smaller croak and waddled back to her starberry pile, giving Jhudora a side eye.

"She's not nearly as well behaved as Xan," Illusen noted, turning back to Jhudora.

"I'd say that was fairly polite relative to how others have greeted me," Jhudora joked, then her face grew more contemplative. "Hmm. Speaking of, I think I need to use the Transporter Helmet's last charge to leave Xan out some food and then come back here."

"You could just bring him here!" Illusen clapped her hands together. "Helena is way better with other animals than people. And then Xan won't just be alone while we're...gone." Illusen's building excitement faded as she realized the world they were actually living in. It wasn't one where the two were having a fun animal play date as they ran errands. It wasn't one where they could sit on the couch for hours and work out their feelings. She looked over to the petrified Xandra still standing in her living room. No, they were in the Neopia where they were officially criminals on the run.

Fyora's mind was still racing as she began getting closer to the castle. However, she made a point to slow her run to a more leisurely pace. She couldn't risk someone on the grounds seeing her so erratic. This was one of the hardest parts of being Queen. The need to appear poised and collected while the world's safety was potentially being threatened. But it was because of the safety of that world she loved so much that she had to constantly keep her emotions in check. Someone was always watching, reading into her every action, worrying incessantly if anything seemed ever so slightly out of the ordinary. Carrying Neopia on her shoulders was an everyday battle. On days like this, the weight was prodigious.

Though maybe it wouldn't be so bad immediately. Fyora just had to get to her room, where Aethia was waiting. It wasn't too far. Perhaps she wouldn't even run into anyone on the way there. It was almost midday so the staff were presumably busy with other tasks. Perhaps there'd be no need for the fa?ade yet. Or perhaps that was Chef Bartholomew approaching her before she was even fully at the castle's entrance again. Incredible, she thought.

"Queen Fyora! Just the Neopian Queen I hoped to see," Bartholomew called out as they reached a conversing distance. They bowed slightly and Fyora did the same.

"I'd certainly hope I'm the only Neopian Queen being seen around here," Fyora joked.

"Ha! I suppose that's true, huh? There'd be lots more cooking to be done. And also the little detail of her being a possible evil spectre bent on world domination. But as a chef I have my priorities," Bartholomew joked back. Fyora got a laugh from that. It was a real one too. Bartholomew's humor was always genuinely entertaining to her. She was happy they were the one she ran into if it had to be anyone.

"Speaking of which," Bartholomew continued. "I had a culinary question for you, my queen. Don't mind the alliteration, that wasn't intentional. Do you prefer a sweeter or more savoury sauce, blast it I'm doing it again, to go along with your roast?" Bartholomew was chuckling by the time they reached the end of their question.

"I select the savoury sauce," Fyora answered, holding back a smile.

"Giving this old Yurble chef a hard time are you? For shame, my queen. Have you any honor?" Bartholomew crossed their arms and spoke with faux indignation. "Though you did select what I was hoping for. So I suppose I can let it slide this time," they smirked.

"I'm thankful to stay in your good graces, head chef." Fyora put a hand over her heart.

"And I'm thankful I get to cook wonderful meals for such a just kingdom." They pulled out a pocket watch as they said that. "And the latest meal is due very soon, it seems. Have to be going now. Good day then, Fyora!"

"Good day to you as well." The two gave a nod to one another and Bartholomew headed back inside in the direction of the royal kitchen. Fyora really was happy it was Bartholomew that she ran into. The pleasant conversation eased her at least a little, but it was time to get serious again. She resumed course to her room. Fortunately, no one else needed to flag her down on the way. Unfortunately, this gave her time to regain her intense anxiousness.

Aethia was leaning on the wall next to Fyora's bedroom door with her arms crossed. She could tell something had gone wrong just from looking at Fyora's face as she approached.

"That's not good," she said worriedly to Fyora once she was close.

"It's much worse than that." Fyora immediately went to unlock the door and essentially pulled Aethia in by the hand. She quickly shut the door and relocked it once they were both inside. After walking them over to a window on the far side of the room, she dropped Aethia's hand and closed the curtains. Still grasping the satin, she let out a sigh with her head bowed and eyes closed.

"Fyora…what happened in there?" Aethia put a hand on Fyora's shoulder. Fyora breathed in, opened her eyes again and turned to Aethia.

"I have no earthly idea," she answered solemnly. "I can tell you what I literally saw, but I don't know whether to believe it yet or not."

Normally, this would be the time when Aethia recommended that the two sit down. They would then have a nice, calm chat about what was bothering Fyora. Even when things took a turn for the worst in either of their lives, they would hold each other and work out what they were feeling. This felt decidedly abnormal though. Fyora's disposition, her voice, her sense of urgency. It had been a long time since Aethia had seen her like this. In fact, the last time might have been...no. It can't be that , she thought. Aethia held Fyora's hands in hers and stared at her with concern.

"What exactly did you see in there, Fyora?" Aethia tried to keep her conclusions at bay and remain calm. Fyora only stalled for a second before answering.

"I saw Illusen." She said it so plainly. Aethia was dumbfounded.

"What? Illusen?"

"Yes. I feel the same. 'Illusen' was in the holding room, stealing Xandra's statue. It looked like her. It even sounded like her. But it couldn't have been her, right?" Fyora was halfway asking herself that in addition to asking Aethia.

"What did you do?"

"I...nothing. I didn't do anything. I was frozen in disbelief. I just let her go and-and she escaped with Xandra and I just watched and what have I done Aethia, I could have killed us all!" Fyora grew more frantic the longer she spoke. She covered her mouth with her trembling hands and stepped aside. Aethia was left where she was, comprehending what was told to her. She didn't want to be right in her assumptions, but this wasn't the time for ignoring her instinct. Remaining still, she blankly asked the question she feared being answered.

"Do you think Jhudora might be back?"

Fyora turned back to face Aethia, her arms now crossed. She scanned the floor between them as if deep in thought, though her mind was empty. Fidgeting with her hands, she finally answered the question.

"I don't know what else it could be. I don't…I can't..." Fyora smally shook her head instead of finishing the sentence.

"Fyora…" Aethia stepped towards her.

"This is my fault."

"Fyora, you know that's not-"

"It is ! I'm the Queen and this happened under my watch! I always kept the possibility in my mind that Jhudora could return ever since her statue went missing. But...but I grew careless when nothing came up. I underestimated her. I believed she had to have perished during the fall. I grew careless with Xandra's statue as well...And now the fate of the world may be hanging in the balance." Fyora brought her interweaved hands up to her lips. Aethia came closer and lightly held Fyora's upper arms. She spoke with all the collectedness she could muster.

"Look...I know this seems bad. But we don't even know for sure if it is Jhudora."

"Who else could it be? It makes too much sense! Jhudora was freed when Xandra plummeted Faerieland to the ground. Now she's probably returning the favor. And I know her and Illusen had...a past together. So of course someone as insidious as her would abuse that to use her as an easy scapegoat. She's the only villain that could possibly know about the holding room as well." Fyora was counting on her fingers as she listed details. "It probably goes on!" What other options are there?"

Aethia dropped her hands from Fyora with a sigh. She walked over to Fyora's bed and sat on the edge. She leaned forward on her knees, contemplating. After some thought, she looked up at Fyora.

"This might not be what you want to hear. But what if it was just actually Illusen?"

Fyora was slightly taken aback. She blinked in confusion before walking over to sit next to Aethia.

"Aethia...that's absurd. There's no chance that it'd be the real Illusen before it was Jhudora masquerading as her."

"I still have no doubts that Jhudora is behind this, ultimately." Aethia responded quickly. "But I think we need to accept the possibility that Illusen could be as well."

"Illusen has shown nothing but loyalty to this kingdom. Do you realize what you're even saying?" Fyora was starting to show some apprehension.

"That's what we thought before Jhudora tried to take over Altador. And before Xandra froze every Faerie in stone. People can change, Fyora. It's uncomfortable, it's sad, but it's true. They can turn on you. We've both seen it and know it. We also know that Illusen and Jhudora were inseparable in the past. She's also the only Faerie ruler that mysteriously secludes herself away in a forest most of her days. Add that to the fact that she regularly visited Jhudora's statue when she was in your garden, and I believe that more of a case starts forming. Wouldn't you say?"

"I...yes. I can't deny that those factors make...sense. But then what? Do we just label Illusen a traitor? Is the answer to barge into her glade and arrest her? That can't be right. It's barbaric."

"So we won't do that. I'll just pay her a visit and tell her what you saw. Her being there at all would probably clear her of any potential guilt. And in that case, I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help us out. She probably knows more about Jhudora than we do. At the very least, this gives us a starting point." Aethia got up off the bed, seeming a bit more optimistic. "I can head over there right now."

"Wait!" Fyora stood up quickly and held Aethia's sleeve. "What if Jhudora's there? This could be a trap. Or what if Illusen is nursing her back to health? That may be why she was the one that had to steal the statue...if it was in fact her of course."

"That sounds like a bonus to me. Then Jhudora would be a sitting duck. I understand that this should be kept a secret this early, but I could bring a couple sorceresses with me. They could probably incapacitate her quite easily if she's in a weakened state. Then we bring her back here and you can seal her in stone again." Aethia recited the plan as if she was describing a casual day trip to the beach.

Fyora stared at the hand that was still holding Aethia's shirt. She gripped it tighter before letting go and standing up straight. "No," she said plainly. "If Jhudora might be there, you're not being sent with sorceresses. You're going to take the swords of fire and ice."

"Fyora...what are you meaning to say?"

"What I mean to say is that I've been a fool in how I've handled her up to this point. After this, I don't want Neopia to need worry about Jhudora ever again. If you reach Illusen's glade, and you see Jhudora, you're to kill her on sight. You can bring Illusen to me and we'll decide what to do with her." Aethia took a step back. Her jaw dropped slightly.

"My Queen, don't you think that's a bit-"

"No, Aethia, I think I'm thinking properly for the first time in a long time. You've hunted a Dark Faerie before. Now you're going to do it again. Just make sure no one sees you when you head out. Which does have to be now because I have another meeting coming up soon." Fyora walked over to the desk next to her bed and began gathering papers. Aethia just stood watching her, contemplating whether there was any point in even trying to continue the conversation.

"Yes, my Queen." She conceded, and left the room.

Fyora stopped collecting after she heard Aethia leave. She held the stack of papers close to her chest and observed her kingdom through the space between the curtains.

I've failed you too many times, Neopia, she thought. I won't fail you again now.

"Helena, dear. I'm going to be gone for a little while. I'm...not actually sure how long exactly. But I will be back! You have to keep watch over the house and be nice to Xan while I'm out. Okay?" Illusen was squatting in front of her feathered friend and petting her head delicately as she explained. Helena looked over at Xan and gave a small croak. Xan responded by licking at his right eye and making a short clicking sound. Helena faced Illusen again and nodded her head.

"Oh, you're such a good girl," Illusen said, her voice breaking a little. She scooped Helena up into a hug. Helena cawed quietly and rubbed her head against Illusen's neck. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise," Illusen continued, muffled by speaking into Helena's feathers.

Jhudora watched this from the couch, beginning to feel slightly emotional at the sight. She tried to shake it off by continuing to pack equipment for their journey. If she pondered on it for too long, she'd probably start to feel guilty, and then consider calling off the operation. That wasn't an option, so she continued stuffing items into two backpacks. This was only until she felt a tiny, cold hand tapping on her ankle. She looked down to see Xan looking up at her.

"What's up, bud?" she asked.

Xan looked over at Illusen and Helena, still hugging. He pointed at them as he turned back to Jhudora. He then opened his small arms and wrapped them around Jhudora's leg, closing his eyes. Jhudora subdued a gasp by bringing her hand to her mouth. She laid the back of her other hand flat on her leg so that Xan could climb onto it. When he did, she slowly raised him up to her shoulder. As she softly hugged him, she whispered "I'm gonna miss you too, bud. Very much."

After all of the unexpected emotional hugging was in order, Jhudora and Illusen were standing by the front door, backpacks on, going over last minute preparations.

"This may not be the best time to bring this up, but how can you be so sure there's someone in Krawk Island willing to sail to Lutari Island?" Illusen asked. "That seems like quite the heavy request."

"The more dangerous something is made out to be, the more likely it is that someone is dreaming of conquering it to become legendary. People's desire to be remembered drives so much of Neopia's discovery and advancement. This applies double to pirates. I'd bet everything that there are multiple Krawk captains just waiting for an excuse to make the expedition."

"I suppose we are talking about the people that decided to knowingly live in a town that's frighteningly close to a Krawken's den. Hmm...they even literally named the place Krawk island after it too as if they're proud of that. Yes, what you're saying makes a lot of sense." Illusen chuckled. "Disguises? You said I might like these in particular, I'm excited! Show me." Illusen tapped her fingers together like a child getting to pick a Halloween costume.

"Ah yes. I was just about to." Jhudora flipped her backpack around and dug into the front pocket. She produced two magic paint brushes that she held up.

"Steampunk paint brushes," she said, sounding very satisfied with herself. "We'll pose as Moltara travellers."

"Whoa really? Jhudora, how much did those-"

"We don't need to talk about that. Point is, I have them. And I did some tinkering with them to enhance their magic capability. These will last longer than your average paint brush by a long shot. They also produce a much more convincing and airtight disguise."

"Oh wow." Illusen said as she took one, still getting over her bewilderment. She carefully turned it over in her hand, then abruptly swished it over her face. Immediately, a thick magic light surrounded her, obscuring her from view.

"Agh! Illusen at least give a...warning." Jhudora had shielded her eyes from the sudden burst of blinding light. As it faded and she lowered her hand, she was given pause by the sight in front of her. The woman who had looked like Illusen just a moment ago.

"Haha, wow!" Illusen said giddily, studying her new features. Her long, auburn hair had become shoulder length and black. She had a new goggle eye patch over her left eye, and three belts strapped around a white blouse. A knee length, brown, ruffle skirt ended right above a pair of gladiator sandals. It was a bit jarring to Jhudora how quickly the intense change took place. She could have sworn her facial features even seemed a tad different. Her cheekbones were more pronounced maybe? Even her wings had visibly disappeared.

"These seem redundant." Illusen fiddled with one of the belts. "But how does it look?" she asked, striking a simple pose.

"Very convincing. These things really are incredible." Jhudora looked at the paint brush remaining in her hand.

"Now you! Use yours, I want to see what you look like!" Illusen said excitedly.

"Well alright." Jhudora hesitantly raised the brush to her face. She felt a little embarrassed but she wasn't sure why. With no time to dwell, and important work to do, she streaked the brush across her face much more lightly than Illusen had. As before, she was concealed from view by a bright light for a few moments. Helena and Xan had already fled to another room from the first occurrence. When the light faded, Illusen was awestruck.

Jhudora was now sporting a pair of knee high, wedge boots with an assortment of straps all the way up. A high-low handkerchief dress hung at mid-calf in the back, mid-thigh in the front. It extended into lace sleeves that stopped at her wrists. She also now had a leather corset with gold trimmings and tiny trinkets wrapped around her midsection. Various pieces of jewelry were strewn about her, including an emerald encrusted scrunchie that bound her hair in a messy low bun. Her wings, as with Illusen's, were no longer seen. In addition to all of that, her lilac skin was now a light brown.

"... Jhudora" is what Illusen managed to say with a blush forming on her face.

"Do I look silly? I probably do, huh?"

"No! No, quite the opposite. My Gods Jhudora, you look beautiful right now." Illusen assured her. "Oh! Uh, not that you don't look good normally! This is just, um, different. That didn't come out right..." Illusen was trying desperately to save herself.

"I understand, Illusen. You look different good too." Jhudora gave an entertained smile. She held out a hand to Illusen. "Come on, we've got a boat to catch".

Illusen smiled as well as she took Jhudora's hand. They gave a final goodbye to their respective pets as they exited the Glade. The two had no issues making it to the Faerieland docks on time, and without being stopped by anyone either. There was an occasional Neopian who looked their way, though that easily could have been attributed to curiosity as opposed to suspicion. It wasn't common for Moltaran travelers to find themselves in Faerieland, but it also wasn't unheard of. The only direct communication they had besides the ticket seller at the ferry was from a lone Skeith in passing. "Looks like I need to take a vacation to Moltara sometime", he said with a wink. It was undoubtedly an irritating interaction, but still the disguised faeries had to admit it wasn't the worst case scenario. Once they had their seats on the moderately filled boat, they both let out a low, simultaneous sigh. Illusen chuckled at that. Just then, an excited voice came crackling out from the speakers lining the top of the boat.

"Salutations, passengers! This is your captain speaking. We'll be shipping off in about 15 minutes or so. From there, it will only be a mere two hours and thirty five minutes to Krawk Island! For you all have the pleasure of sailing on the finest, most advanced commercial vessel in the Neopian seas! The illustrious Vantic-2707. I sure hope I know how to pilot this thing. Just started sailing dinghies yesterday. Ha! That's a joke of course. Captain humor". The speakers clicked off.

"Oh brother." Jhudora rolled her eyes. "I do hope that's not what we'll be listening to for this entire ride".

Illusen turned to her. "Oh I'm sure that won't-"

"Hey, cool customers! Captain again. Just thought I'd keep you all entertained with an anecdote I just recalled about ol' Krawk Island. About ten years ago…"

As the captain spoke, Jhudora silently stared at Illusen with a dissatisfied expression. Illusen on the other hand was pleasantly entertained by the situation and was trying to subdue her laughter. After a little while that proved to be contagious, and soon Jhudora too found herself trying to not audibly laugh. This turned into an unspoken game. There they sat, locking eyes with each other, seeing who would crack first. To some, it would be difficult to work out what strangeness was happening between the two from an outsider's perspective. To others more familiar with the sight, it was a very heartwarming thing to see.

A couple of hours later, the Vantic-2707 was docking at Krawk Island. One now sleeping "Moltaran traveller" was forced awake by a sudden, familiar sound.

"LAND HOOOO! We have just successfully docked at good ol' Krawk Island. Not too shabby if I say so myself. The doors will be opening soon for your departure and we thank you for choosing us as your travel companion!"

"Oh for the love of…" Jhudora mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "I would have rather flown here than deal with this vapid fool. Can you believe that I-" Turning, she realized Illusen was still fast asleep, her face resting gently on Jhudora's shoulder.

"I'm amazed." Jhudora whispered. She then started lightly tapping Illusen's cheek. "Hey. We're here".

"Mmmff" was what she received in return.

Jhudora formed a small grin. She took a deep breath and quickly blew it out at Illusen's forehead. That proved to be effective.

"Ah! Jhu..geez why, man…" The fragments poured out as Illusen shot awake and sat up straight, rubbing her eyes.

"I wanted to see if that still woke you up", Jhudora said, still grinning.

"Yeah it does, and I still hate it and also you".

"My heart is broken by your words", Jhudora dramatically brought a hand to her chest.

"You're such a loser" Illusen chuckled, finally waking fully up. "Alright, let's find a crazy pirate or whatever".

With that, the two exited the boat and surveyed the scene. It was a lively afternoon at Warf Wharf. Neopians were walking to and fro with purpose. There were groups having an energetic chat here, and lone people carrying equipment, food, or other things in and out of shops there. It was the complete opposite of the Faeries' time in the Haunted Woods. Every so often, someone would pass by lugging planks of wood or other construction material as well. Illusen took notice of this.

"That's right, didn't they have another Krawken attack recently? I feel I heard that somewhere."

"Doesn't seem to be worrying anyone if they did. What a staunch little town. And so active." Comments like that from Jhudora were usually laced with sarcasm. Though this time, as she looked out across the folks not seeming to have a care in the world, it was very genuine. "We better find a common area to scout for captains though. Don't want to lose too much time."

"True, very true." Illusen agreed. "But hey, Dora…" She continued. "When all of this is over, and things hopefully turn out okay, what say we actually visit a place like this. Just to visit you know? I'm not getting distracted right now or anything, just how about after. I think it'd be nice to do without having a greater purpose we're trying to accomplish. You know what I mean? Like...we used to?"

Jhudora's mind was flushed with a supercut of the travels her and Illusen used to go on. Their treks on terror mountain, their scientific excursions at Mystery Island, and everything in between. Things were so different then. She thought about those days a lot during the years she was alone. Illusen asking those questions brought the concept forward to Jhudora that there could be more of those moments in the future now. For so long she accepted they'd forever be the past. She felt the weight of where Xandra's statue lay hidden in her backpack.

"That sounds nice. Yes, I'd love that."

"Yay, cool." Illusen gave the smile that always killed Jhudora immediately. "Alright then! Let's find ourselves a pub or something. That's always a good common area to start, I feel." Illusen waved down an advancing Draik that was carrying two buckets of bricks.

"Excuse me, is there a pub nearby that-"

"Sorry ladies, gotta get these out quickly! G'day!" He said, not slowing.

"Well shoot." Illusen said, watching him fast-walk away.

"Yes, this might be tough if they're a bit too active." Jhudora added. But right after the words came out, a local Kacheek began to approach them.

"Excuse me ladies, but I did I hear you're looking for a pub?" She spoke with a silvery voice.

"Yes we are! One that's preferably a hit with locals." Illusen responded.

"I thought I heard correctly. Figured I'd help you out. People don't slow down very often on Krawk Island. Especially during a rebuilding phase. I had to learn that the hard way when I moved in...ten years ago now? Yeah, that seems right. Anyway, the place you're probably looking for is Swampy's Keep. You just head right down that road there and take a left once it forks. Nothing can keep a Krawkie from that place. Especially if they're a fisherman or captain."

"Sounds good to us then! Thanks for the tip miss…?"

"Claudine. And your names?"

In that moment, both Illusen and Jhudora realized a major part of their disguises that they overlooked. They never agreed on fake names. One of them had to think quickly as every half second not answering what your name is just screamed suspicious.

"Of course! I'm Noelle and this is Molly," Illusen managed to get out.

"Well then Noelle, Molly, I hope you both find what you're looking for in Krawk Island. Cheers!" Claudine started to walk back into the crowd.

"Thanks again!" Illusen said, grabbing Jhudora's hand to pull them away from the narrowly avoided disaster they just had. As they headed off in the direction they were pointed towards, Claudine stole a look at them over her shoulder.

"And I hope you escape whatever you're probably running from," she murmured to herself.

"Noelle and Molly?" Jhudora asked Illusen once they were far enough down the path.

"They were names I came up with on extremely short notice. And I didn't see you about to say anything! I can't believe out of all the stuff we thought out, we didn't think of names. Do you think Claudine was suspicious?"

"I think we'll be fine. She'd probably find us odd before anything else. No need to worry, Noelle." Jhudora patted Illusen's shoulder. "We should be coming up on Swampy's Keep soooon yes, there it is." She gestured towards the quaint, decently sized building they were now standing close to.

"You always soothe my fears, Molly," Illusen faked a typical 'old lady' voice and tapped the top of Jhudora's hand. "Now let's find someone insane in this pub."

"Sounds lovely." Jhudora smirked as they entered.

The inside was fairly spacious and just as populated as Claudine had described. There was even an upstairs area with extra tables and lounging space. The bartender behind the main bar area was the only person to acknowledge them with a nod as they entered. Everyone else seemed very occupied with their own groups. Illusen realised she almost expected the music to stop and for people to turn around like in the movies. She felt silly about that. Come to think of it there wasn't even any music playing to begin with. There was only the sound of silverware on plates, glasses clinking, and Neopians conversing.

Jhudora led them up to a couple open seats at the bar and they took a seat.

"Afternoon, ladies. What 're ya havin?" The Kyrii barkeep asked with a thick Krawk accent.

"Nothing at the moment. Actually looking for something. Captains come by here often, yeah?" Jhudora asked, perfectly mimicking a Moltaran cadence. Illusen was impressed but trying to not show it.

"That they do. Lookin fer any in particular?"

"Just any captain currently looking to be hired. And I'll be blunt. One willing to sail dangerous waters."

"Ha! Ev'ry boatman in this place'll tell ya he's the bravest of em all. How bout some more specifics?"

"Lutari Island."

The barkeep paused for a moment and put down the bottle he was opening.

"Well damn that does narrow things out. Why in Krawk's name are ya headin thar?"

"Research purposes. Do you know someone or not?"

"Ay be easy, miss. Just some understandable curiosities. Thar be one captain daft enough fer that. Captain Freebairn I'd say."

"Know where we might find him?"

"Aye, sitting right here next to ya."

The two Faeries turned to face the grizzled Eyrie that the barkeep gestured towards.

"Hello there!" He announced with his husky voice and held out his hand. "The daring, fearless Captain Freebairn at your service. Lutari Island you say?"