{ KI }

"Not fair!"

"What do you mean not fair? I hit the jackpot," Aht snaps with a harrumph. "Deal with it."

"You must have used an expensive bait."

"We have the same bait, Bert!"

I haven't looked up from my book, The Adventures of Peter Pan, when they're arguing as the sun shines among the thick blue clouds. Bertha couldn't comprehend that her fishing student had caught a bigger catch than she ever did. It's impossible for me to stop smiling because of their ridiculous bickering.

A month is up. Aht and I are being careful from getting too close to the sailors here. We had fun talking, cooking, and fishing, but we had enough of severed attachments... Bertha makes it difficult, making me feel like I have a sister.

Damn it, I should focus on our next issue. By tomorrow evening, we'll arrive in Australia. Another struggle will begin. Legal struggle.

"No no no no, don't slander me." Aht raises a finger. "I didn't crush the chicken sandwich into my bait bucket."

"Can you back up your defense?" Bertha retaliates.

"Can you back up your claim!?"

I set the book on my chair, walk over, sit behind him, and hug him without a word. Kissing his head, I then stretch my legs and set them on top of his. In an instant, he drops the subject.

Bertha blinks rapidly. "I don't know how you do it, Ki."

Aht scowls and opens his mouth to counter. Haha! Not again. I say, "How about we use Aht's fish for dinner?" I rest my cheek against his.

"Deal!" She throws her fish back to the sea, tidies up her tools, and skips back to her station.

Aht and I share an amused look.

"Always count on you to solve anything," he chuckles softly.

"Flatterer."

He leans back and rests on my shoulder, gazing up at me... "You're so warm."

"We are both warm."

"I mean, warmer than me."

I look at him in the eyes and play with his hair. He hums, smiling in serenity. Good. "What makes you say that, Aht?"

"Did you feel cold? Before banishment?"

"I'm doing okay. Why?"

"I did feel cold all the time until you." Odd. He kisses my concerned frown away, but it returns. "Do you feel dry after the meadow becomes...?"

"No. Your case is so strange. The snow on your volcano is out of the question?"

His eyes turn pensive while his smile remains. "Maybe because I was a Calamity." Massaging our hands together, he blows a breath on them.

I choke out, "Heavier punishment?" I can't accept it if that's the case.

"Not really a punishment? The Highness often throws me out of the loop. Because when I was the volcano, I was on fire all the time. The cold feels like... a rest. You being near me is as if me coming out of hibernation."

Warmth blooms in my chest from that notion. "Cute." It truly is, oh my God, more so when he turns sheepish and blushes.

"Kiii."

"Like a beaarrr."

"Goodness, Ki. Please don't."

I kiss him with my coos in between, coaxing giggles out of him. Until we hear footsteps.

Bertha's. "Lovebirds! Lunchtime!"

____________________

"Chocolate cookies? I made a batch from an hour ago."

"No, thank you, Alice. I'm stuffed," Aht sighs.

"Not me. Bring it here. Eat with us." I beam up at Alice.

She flashes a grin and heads in to get the cookies. All of us are having dinner in the wheelhouse. Above the quiet waves, the canvas of the night glimmers, unruined by the ship's lights. Bertha is munching on her dinner while Terence turns the wheel. Aht massages his stomach with a pinched look.

"I told you to go easy on the fish." I throw him a lopsided smirk.

He grumbles, "I know." Alice brings the cookies and we dig in again. My poor Aht stares longingly at them.

Smacking her lips, Bertha asks, "Are you two ready for Australian life?" Within a beat, Aht and I have the same wince. She frowns in question.

I tell her, "At one point, we questioned ourselves whether Australia is the second America or not—it isn't bad! Only... We had to scour for good people."

Bertha looks out through the window. "Everywhere in the world, racialists will be there. Unfortunately." Aht's brow creases, waiting for her point. "I can't guarantee you'll have a peaceful life," she says and turns to us with a smile. "But the way you two handled problems on the very first day here, no doubt that people will be the least of your problems."

"...Thanks for having faith in us." I remember three years ago. Do Fomu and Taq have faith in me? An answer I'll never know. Shaking my head, I then utter, "Bert—"

"You'll never call me captain again, do you?"

Aht throws his head back and guffaws when my lips curl down. He follows me along about this title matter. Bert has a long way to go regarding dismissals and building up a backbone against the unknown.

I know I'm being judgemental but I don't care. Aht shouldn't gotten hurt at all. "You didn't act as one when you tried begging to Cthulhu." She scoffs from disdain despite her cheeks becoming rosier. I hand her a small paper bag from my side, brought from our room before dinner. "Aht and I decided to give you something."

Pinching her brows together, she takes and opens it. A gasp, and her head snaps up our way. Her mouth is moving like a fish. "I-I cannot accept this!"

"What is it, captain?" Alice approaches her.

"They gave us money. Lots of them, Al."

Terence perks up. "How much?" He ignores Bert's glare.

"Two grand," Aht answers. The others gape at the bag. "Accept it. It's the least we can do when you provide a way for us. We'll put a good word about your ship to others."

Bertha stammers. "It's even when you two solved the haunting!"

"Insulting if you don't accept it, Bert."

"How about this? I give you my address and you send letters if you both want to travel wherever and whenever."

What?? "You're joking?" I blink a few times as Aht glances at me wide-eyed.

"Do I sound like I'm joking?"

Aht snorts. "Do you want us to answer?"

"Don't make me regret my offer."

"Whoops, okay."

"Why so much trouble?" I inquire.

Chewing her lip, she grabs her bonnet and places it on her lap. Wow. She'd never taken it off before and ardently stood by it. "Michael was in bad shape before you two arrived."

Tensing, I ask, "What happened?"

"Family problems. Friends were all gone. He felt alone. I want to comfort him because I was in the same boat, but I feel I'm too loud for him."

"Michael doesn't really mind it. Aht here often talked his ear off."

With an unashamed grin, Aht watches the sky and mutters, "Hehe." A titter escapes from my throat and my muscles relax. The poor boy had to keep up with his ramblings.

"The reason why I go through this trouble." Bert carves a faint smirk. "The night before we sailed away, he called me and spoke highly of you two. At the docks, he was a little sad, but I had never seen him look peaceful until you two."

I smile despite the twinge of bittersweet. Hm. She has this gentleness whenever she talks about him. Aht noticed this first and told me. Now that I see it, she's like Aht when he first talked to me. When love has yet to bloom. "We accept your deal," I agreed.

Aht snaps down and stares at me. "We do?"

"We do." I secure Bertha's hand in mine. "Just promise me. When you three go back to L.A., help Michael for a while. He's understaffed and you need income for the time being."

"Yeah, cap. My cherry pies were sold like hotcakes last time." Alice claps Terence's shoulder with excitement as he shakes his head fondly. "Maybe our Hartshorne name will make a mark there."

Aht catches up, slyly grins, and winks at me.

Bert chews her lip. "I don't want to impose on him."

"It's a win-win. Trust us, captain," he laughs.

"You called me—!"

"This once. Don't get comfy."

____________________

We sneak into Circular Quay when Bert quietly lets us off on a secret spot between docks, hidden among crowding ships. Ensuring things are clear, we emerge and blend in with the public. Well, trying.

Aht takes a lungful of air and— "AAAAH THE SYDNEY AIR!"

I, instead, sniff the air. "I'm curious what kinds of food they sell."

He guffaws while wrapping his arm around my shoulders, turning us around in every direction with joy. What a cutie. "Come on!"

For the first time in a long time, my worries and thoughts are washed away when I explore the new land with Aht. Doesn't mean I'm unaware of the stares, but my curiosity helps me overcome this minor problem. And Aht... He either doesn't care, isn't aware, or pushes through the public, which makes him more endearing.

Soon after dinner, we walk through many streets without caring how tired our legs are... When he is awestruck by something behind me, my giggle bursts out as my head tilts. Closing his mouth, I turn to see what he is s— Oh my word.

"Pretty."

He nods in agreement, speechless. Right across the bustling road, a huge building bright up in its splendor. People crowd its entrances, but strangely, they don't hinder anyone's movement. Based on the map, this is Flinders station!

"Can we visit there, my Aht?"

He tugs my sleeve and pulls me along toward it. "I want to go there as—" He pauses when we step on the asphalt.

I sense it. He does. A huge aura comes from that station. Familiar, although I haven't encountered one like it since last year. "I don't think it's a wild spirit."

"No, it's not, Ki." He hauls me to the nearest shop instead and we hide inside, earning strange looks from other people. "A higher one."

When we are tucked in the far corner of the room, I'm trying my best to suppress my aura while he does the same, where the sensations are as if we have to inhale air one minute at a time. I hope they won't detect us.

"How come a higher spirit is there?" I whisper.

"I assume an ancient one because their aura seems extremely old... Maybe before the station was built."

That's terrible... "I wonder how they feel when their place is—"

"Filled with humans and stone walls?" His forehead crinkles from pity. "I hope they're at peace with it. Anyway, we have to focus on our true destination."

I sigh on his shoulder and wait for our auras to stop leaking out. Despite my annoyance for hiding ourselves from higher spirits and how half of them are snobs, I don't bear them any ill will.

Aht and I pace out together and down to the streets. No time to waste.

Before Bert, Alice, and Ter wished us farewell, they left us with a map. We know Theo's address, though uhm... not how to get there. She informed us that it's best to take trains or hitchhike because if it's on foot, it could take a week to reach Melbourne.

______________________

{ AHT }

Gently, I say, "Sweetheart."

"Mm?" Ki burrows herself further into my embrace.

"We are here."

In a flash, she goes over my lap and to the window beside me.

For thirty hours, we hopped on different trains and hitchhiked two cars. Currently, we're on the last train to Melbourne city. We talked and joked around last night, causing a few complaints from neighbouring passengers.

So what we both did in the end was watch the moving night sky through our window, conversing through whispers. I love when the world needs a rest and we enjoy the calm.

"How can you come up with this?"

"Inspirations are everywhere, my Ki."

Later, she was tired of stargazing and gazed at me instead, braiding and playing with my hair. If I am still able to shift into lava, I'd be crystals from her touch. She snuggled to me so close and tried to keep me from breaking apart. To ease my pain. I reassured her that after I confided in her, the pain was nearly unnoticeable. I'm glad her pain is receding too.

She gushes, "It's pretty!"

"Mhm." I peer over her shoulder. Melbourne looks nice enough. "Let's see if the rest is pretty as well."

She smirks at my distrust. Hey, you can't be too careful nowadays. But Flinders station was damn impressive, I must admit.

Carrying our bags, we hop off when the train stops. Out to the city we go. Ki is in charge of the map since I'm a helpless bitch in memorising.

We walk.

And walk.

And waalllkk.

Until we reach a certain neighbourhood, Northcote. A part of me is relieved despite I'd like to see more of the city. Because the stares we received weren't different from those in America.

I stretch my leg when Ki stops. "Have we reached?" I hope we are.

"The house number is 101, so let's search."

Aaaand we walk again. Actually, I'm proud of my human legs. They even carried me to Ki before. To her meadow...

Tears well up and I try to blink them away.

My beloved doesn't miss that and links our hands. "Want a rest?"

"No. Reminiscing about how far we've come."

Her face scrunches up and she kisses me delicately. As we march down the pavement, her eyes are like mine.

Haih.

I hope Theo has enough food for us. I've been hearing Ki's stomach doing the samba for a while. Speaking of the brat, we have found the house.

A very homely house! Clean and warm-coloured walls. The roof is enough to cover the whole house. The porch's floor is made... hmm oak wood. Gee, the ceiling porch is low and we have to slouch a bit. Sharing a comforting look, we ascend to the door. She rings the doorbell and we wait.

Faint footsteps... There he is—he has a beard?? He's in pyjamas too. Mussy hair sticks out at the ends. Ki lifts an eyebrow and smiles while I'm struggling to hold in laughter.

Theo frowns and attempts to open his eyes wider. He mumbles, "What can I help you with?"

"Don't tell me that is how your wife has to see every morning, albeit it's afternoon now," I snigger.

Theeen, he's wide awake and—! Jumps on us. Hugs us, tight. Our arms curl around each other in a disorderly fashion.

"You two are here." His voice is muffled.

"Yes." My love grins with smugness.

"Really?"

Scowling, I huff, "Yes."

"This isn't some illusion—?" His back head is smacked by me. "Okay, that answers it."

We laugh out loud on the front porch on a lazy afternoon. Finally. He drags us inside and never stops beaming. "Come in, come in! You can put your bags in the living room."

He proceeds to tell us that he got over a fever and is recovering after taking drugs, a much-needed sleep, and two days off. Ki and I sit near the kitchen island when he prepares tea for us.

"You could've told me in advance! I would have prepared dishes and cleaned the house—" His teeth grit with grimace. "Fortunate that my mother seldom comes here, even though she lives at the end of the street."

I wave his worry off. "Your house is fine. It's normal when you have a kid. Where's your Angel?"

"She's sleeping upstairs with Portia. The little teapot is difficult to wean off. Tried cow's milk. Made very little progress." As in cue, the eight-month-old baby is crying upstairs. He says, "They're waking up. What do you like to ea—?"

"Anything! Can I see them?" Ki asks in haste.

Theo blinks at her excitement and laughs. He nods, and quick as lightning, she dashes upstairs. I hear the ladies scream.

"You're here!??"

"And Aht's downstairs!"

The baby is crying louder. I exchange chuckles with Theo when Angeline apologises to her baby.

His expression, however, turns a tad sad. "Ki's excited. Still can't?"

...Mm. I inhale and shake my head. He slowly prepares and cooks. Based on what I've seen on the kitchen table, the ingredients consist of Aunt Jac's fish curry recipe.

I huff, "There was also a time we wanted to adopt kids but that won't do."

"Why not?"

"For starters, do we look like we aged a day? You could be our uncle with the beard you're sporting."

"Hey!" His lips purse, and he rubs his beard proudly. A moment later, his brow wrinkles. "You two do look like you're in your early twenties."

Goodness, he has grown up. The faint lines on the forehead and under the eyes. With heavy body movements. We have to see him die six or eight decades later.

Shake off the depressing thought. I state, "But I know we're not immortal. Hair and nails are growing. Our cells have expiry dates and so must come decay, right? Those are parts of Nature's law."

"Hair, nails, decay. I'm cooking here."

"Sorry."

"Longevity perhaps?"

Propping up my chin on one elbow on the island, I say, "Who knows? Nevertheless, no parent wants to outlive their kids." I don't want to outlive anyone I care about. I can't get this wish for Theo. Angeline. Michael.

Theo's body slouches a tad. "I understand."

"Aht!!"

Oof! Angeline's arms go around my shoulders from behind. Theo shakes his head with a lopsided smirk.

"Hello, fellow chilli," I greet her.

Ki came up with chilli duo for Angeline and me after they first met. Because of her hair and I'm me. The chilli term has stuck since then.

...Speaking of Ki, she sits near the island with Portia cradled in her arms. The little kid takes a liking to my beloved, gripping Ki's cheeks and cooing. Ki gazes up at me, tender.

She is a natural.

"Aht?" Angeline watches me with concern.

My beloved gives me a wobbly smile, teary-eyed. My cheeks are wet. Damn it...

"Are you alright? Is there anything I can help with?" Theo worries.

Time's changing. All of you are changing and we are desperately trying to catch up. This, of course, I'll never tell him. Ki knew. She always knows.

"I'm fine," I answer. "And hungry. Can I hold her?"

Angeline nods and beams. "She hasn't met her uncle yet."

Ki passes Portia to me carefully. God, she is so tiny. As if a fragile doll. Black hair with a slight copper tone. Her nose has the same sharp tip as Theo's. I can tell she's a happy baby because she laughs at my grumpy face and does a bubble drool thing. Even her temperament is similar to his.

"You both would've made great parents," Theo comments out of the blue. Ki and I stare at him long before he turns away from the stove and flashes a consoling smile.

"Thank you." She smirks weakly.

"Thanks..." Bubble drooler tries to bite my palm. "You silly."

____________________

{ KI }

Theodore waves his hand everywhere. "Let me process this." His head soon buries into his palms after he listens to our adventures and misadventures.

The tiny teapot has been asleep with chili since hours ago. We're having a nightcap on the back porch after dinner, overlooking Angeline's garden despite Aht and I couldn't get drunk. Storytelling ensued.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I scratch my nape, a bit guilty. "You have your own family to think about, Theo."

"Doesn't matter! I would've done something. I know about the stupid airport segregation, but I could have sent you money—"

Aht claps Theo's back. "Both of us are here and that's what matters. Besides, we don't have passports."

"...Right." Theo exhales deeply and drinks more wine. "Cthulhu. Ha!"

"Infuriates me to this day." Words seethe through my clenching teeth.

Aht groans, "Rightfully so."

"You two will stay here?" Theo drops the big question without warning.

"We are. For now. Not forever."

"Why? If not, why come here?"

"Are you that dumb?"

Snickering, I take Aht's hands onto my lap. "We missed you, Theo. Angeline. Even your family."

"Oh." Theo glances down at the bottle. "Aht, I see Ki isn't able to wear down your meanness." Haha! Even for years, they are still shy with their affections.

"Hmph. You asked why, correct?" Aht rolls his eyes.

"Yes, what's your plan?"

I exchange a look with Aht, ready to inform. "We listened to news from Bertha, right before the trip ended. Horrible news about other countries..."

"Big bad war only stops between big empires," he mutters. "We decided... that we will travel and help those in need."

Aht and I are not ready for a permanent stay in Australia, not because the environment here is possibly similar to America... The whole world is a mess. Messier than we can tolerate. Might as well put our skills and abilities to use.

Theo's eyebrows rise. "You don't work, I assume it's not financial help. Fighting? Joining the army?"

"No. We'll fight in secret," I clarify.

He gapes. "Like superheroes!"

Aht shoots a weird look at Theo. "Huh?? No! She meant—"

"You both have superpowers."

"Powers we can't use."

"Heal fast, fight fast, in peak human condition, and massively tall."

"More to superhumans."

"Yes! Superhuman vigilantes?"

Suddenly, I remember something and laugh, surprising them. "Unorthodox traveling exorcizing vigilant superhumans."

"Abominable!" Aht laughs, shaking our hands together.

Theo grins, sleepy. "That's the worst thing I've ever heard."

"Which one should we pick?"

"Vigilantes. Sounds classier."

"Vigilantes we will be."

With abrupt taps of his feet on the porch, Theo speaks, "While you two stay here, you need identity cards and other—"

"Ughh..."

"Travelling as vigilantes, I don't encourage you to have passports now since you will sneak into places."

"Traveling isn't a problem because Bert will help us." My feet tap along with Theo's. "Living here is another matter. We need a place to rent and jobs first."

"I know someone who forges documents. Has a nice family, but crude like you foul-mouthed speakers."

Aht and I lean closer to him, anticipating his solution. He's holding up a palm and finishing the entire bottle of wine.

"Don't tell me you're an alcoholic!" Aht reproves.

"I'm reeling over your stories. Give my mortal mind some rest." Theo burps. "The Shcherbakov family was kind enough to travel and help immigrants. Helped us when we came here. Gave a cheap price. Any kind of document, you name it." He scratches his jaw and seems thoughtful. "You better come up with suitable nationalities. If you're from Australia, it will be a wreck. Police will look you up through the government's database."

Hmm. "Why would they?"

"People talk and you two are..." His hand vaguely gestures at us.

"Too big?" Aht frowns.

"You both combined create an air of... royalty? Ethereal is the word. People will bother you, legal-wise too I'm sure. Remember the Vivian problem? Will it be jealousy or admiration? Maybe both."

Maybe for worse reasons too, thinking back to what Aht had faced before I came into the picture. I've experienced similar for the past three years. Whenever there is divinity, there will be disgusting forces of nature that want to overpower it. Post-war was infested with this kind. Aht is a huge, stubborn marble, placed in a jungle. Then another marble joined in.

Me.

"Well, I'm from Philippines," Aht utters.

"Why not Indonesia?" Theo throws him a curious look.

"I want a clean slate away from that place. Too painful of a history."

I hum. "I don't know what to choose."

"As Mrs Rrrrotherham questioned." Theo is tipsier than ever, and we're laughing at him. "Not black enough, not quite a native American. Where did you come from?"

My dear Aht caresses my cheek when he examines my features. I wiggle my eyebrows, making him chuckle. "Hawaii," he answers.

"Oh yes! Suits her!"

"I look Hawaiian?" My head tilts to the left.

"You're unique," Aht remarks, "The most accurate features that I can see on you are Hawaiian."

Aht and I express our thanks and help Theo out of his chair. He burps again, says goodnight, and returns to his room as we're staying outside. We have never gotten bored of gazing at the stars and bright planets. The darling moon...

Something tells me that we will remain feeling the same in many eras to come. By then, I hope we'll catch on to changes. Changes we're trying to adapt to.