The ship that Servilia had booked their voyage to Tejko on was not a particularly large vessel. While it could not be considered luxurious, it did allow for each of them to have their own room and provided hot meals both in the morning, and evening, of the four-day cruise.

Still, Cross wouldn't have called it an enjoyable experience as his fingers continued the grasp the railing with a white-knuckled grip and his stomach flopped with every rise and fall of the ship against the swirling waves. Three days into the trip and he hadn't eaten much more than a few slices of bread and spent the majority of his time hanging over the side of the ship, letting the cool sea air wash over his feverish face.

"Almost there," Cross mumbled to himself. "Almost there."

"Do not forget the return trip," Misa said quietly, her body situated in a similar position. Her face was a darker hue of green than usual and her eyes had long ago gone glassy.

"Don't remind me."

"This is a foolish way to travel. I do not understand why we could not have travel by land."

"It's on a different continent, we would have to travel by boat eventually."

"We could have traveled the majority of this trip by land. Banksy showed me the map."

"The boat is faster."

"I do not care. It feels too unstable.”

"You sound scared." Cross tried to give her a playful grin, but his face couldn't quite muster it and he settled for a grimace.

"I am not scared," Misa said, a hint of anger in her soft voice, before they hit a particularly large wave and the entire boat shuddered. Misa's hand instantly found Cross's. Her fingers gripped his with enough force to bruise his skin as vines quickly spread across the back of her hand, knotting around and around until Cross couldn't even see his own flesh.

It took Cross a few moments to find his voice as his stomach had lodged itself somewhere in his throat and was making no effort to move back down. He gritted his teeth and willed his legs to stop shaking. "You alright?"

Misa did not respond immediately. "I do not like not being able to see the land. I feel very out of place here. Even more so than the city. At least there I could still sense the trees. There is nothing here for me to hear. Nothing to smell. I do not like it, but yes, I am… fine." The vines connecting them retreated and she released his hand. Cross had felt somewhat better when she was holding it, even with the slight pain that had accompanied.

The door that led below deck opened and Lexi strolled out, her scarf fluttering against the wind. She made her way over to the pair and dropped down beside Cross, letting her back rest and against the railing and the soft spray from the ocean kiss against her skin.

"Are you both still feeling sick?" Lexi said.

Cross and Misa nodded.

"Perhaps the deck isn't the best place for you, then?" Lexi mused, running her hand through her long hair and letting it catch against the sea breeze. "Maybe try to get some sleep?"

"It's worse below," Cross grumbled. "Feels like I'm moving more. Can't sleep when I'm moving."

"You sleep on the train all the time.”

"It's different," Cross's white-knuckle grip on the railing continued the boat hit another large wave. He heard the metal railing groan as Misa's vines began to constrict again. "Trains are normal. If the train crashes, I can just jump off. Same with a wagon or carriage. If I'm below deck and the ship sinks, I'll die."

"The ship isn't going to sink."

"You don't know that."

"Cross, this is the epitome of smooth sailing. There is barely a cloud in the sky and the seas are calm. The ship isn't going to sink."

Cross made a face at her. "I'm sure a lot of people who died at sea thought the same thing."

Lexi rolled her eyes. "You're being a brat."

Cross decided to change the subject. "Speaking of, where is Makina?"

"I am exactly where I should be." Makina said, seemingly appearing between Cross and Misa. "As I told you when we traveled to Ash, the spirits of the sea know better than to cause you injury, as you still belong to me. Even if you were to fall into the waters you would be perfectly safe."

"You can't imagine how safe and secure that makes me feel, really," Cross said. "But just for fun, I'm going to stay right here and hold tight."

Makina ignored him and cast an eye towards Misa. "The same does not go for you, however. I would advise that you remain where you are. Perhaps a bit further away, to be safe. You never know when my raw power could come unleashed."

"Maki, play nice," Lexi warned.

"Hmph," Makina pushed away from the group. "I am going to the front; I wish to feel the wind better."

"The Goddess seems angry," Misa said as Makina stomped away.

"She always seems angry," Cross slipped down until he was sitting on the ground beside Lexi, his grip on the railing still tight. "It's just how she is."

xXx

The cold wind rushed through Makina's hair as she stood at the Bow of the ship. She let out a deep breath out through her nose and held up her arms. From the tips of her fingers she conjured delicate tendrils of ice. They played across her skin for a moment before dispersing into nothingness. Making frowned and closed her eyes. She felt the ice begin to reform when a voice broke her concentration.

"That's pretty," Banksy said as he leaned on the railing beside her.

"It's a trifling of what I can do." Makina dropped her hands back down to her sides.

"Is it now?" Banksy yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "You looked like you were concentrating pretty hard."

"No, I…." Makina trailed off and turned her eyes back towards the sea. "With the Winds of Winter come my power. The Power of a Spirit God waves and wanes, myself with the seasons. Even so, I am weak. Loath as I am to admit it, the Elf girl is correct, my abilities are far beneath where they should be. My time imprisoned by the Knights… It is time I will never get back. Decades that I should have spent learning under Aria, preparing... You cannot possibly understand how frustrating it is to not be in complete control of your own power."

"Yeah, maybe." Banksy hung his arms over the edge of the railing and relaxed his body. "Did you know I used to be something of an indentured servant? I would say slave, but that isn't quite the right word."

Makina shook her head. "I did not."

"Yeah, I don't talk about it much. Wasn't really a fun time, ya know. They used to drag me around from one place to another, robbing people blind and disappearing before anyone had any idea we'd even been there. Never felt quite right, what we did. I don't mind stealing, it's what I do best, but it's who we were stealing from. Good people, people who didn’t have the means to recover what they… what I took." Banksy sighed and shook his head to dispel the bad memories. "You know why I'm telling you?"

Makina shook her head again.

"Because I'm free now," Banksy said with a small smile. "I get to use my skills any way I want. Same goes for you. If you want to become the most powerful Spirit Goddess ever, there is nothing that can stop you, cept for yourself. See?”

"I…" Makina silently nodded her head, her eyes falling down and watching the bow of the ship spilt through the water. She stayed like that for a long time before finally lifting her head up and catching Banksy's eye. "I will. I will become more powerful than any before. You can be sure of that. And you would do well to not forget that even at my weakest I am far more powerful than any mere mortal could ever hope to be."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Banksy said before he pushed himself back up and stretched out his arms. "Welp, I gotta go. Lots to prepare for still."

"Your prank war?" Makina asked. "Tell me, how is this any different than how you two usually act?

"Oh, that's easy." Banksy's smile was a little too wide. "The prank war includes everyone in the guild. That means Cross, Lexi, and you too, now. Keep a sharp eye out, Maki."

Makina's eyes narrowed as Banksy walked away laughing. "I will smite you, mortal. Guildmate or not."