Laughter couldn't help but bubble up from Kailani's throat, feeling the spray of sea salt against her face, the warmth of the sun on her head, and more than a few pairs of eyes at her back. The grain of wood beneath her hands was familiar, the rush of wind that had that hint of electricity fizzling in the air. It made a tendril of nerves curl through her, but at the same time...

"Ehhh! Kailani! If you survive, make sure to bring back that off-island food!"

"Don't be an idiot, of course she's going to survive with that demon at her back."

[color=DeepSkyBlue]"She's not a demon!"[/color] The words spilled from her dark lips almost as a knee-jerk reaction, having been saying them repeatedly over the past couple of days. Kailani glanced behind her, seeing the tribesmen who had come to see her off. Surprisingly the back and forth came from Ywa'n's cousins, [i]Mella's[/i] cousins, who had... well, even more shockingly helped with building the ship. Lua's sister seemed to have a fascination with Siobhan after the Tournament.

Her mother was there too. The Chieftain stood tall, proud on the beach, watching her only daughter drift off into the great black storm cloud. Kailani was too far away, but she liked to think that her mother's eyes were glistening.

"Be safe, Kailani."

At least, she didn't imagine that. Kailani blinked in surprise, her mother's words almost lost on the wind, but finally she raised her hand in a final goodbye to her tribe. Even as the heat of the sun faded under the great black clouds of Ka Li'Ai, the 'Devil's Tempest' as Siobhan called it, the warmth of her tribe remained. Finally, she turned her eyes forward, grip on the wheel tightening.

[color=DeepSkyblue]"Alright Siobhan, let's do this! We are the bosses!"[/color]

The roar of Ka Li’Ai began to drown out all other sounds as the small vessel drifted closer and closer to the edge. Rainfall was the first herald to increasingly turbulent seas beneath them, along with ever more harsher winds that beat at the sails with enough force to tear them. Deeper and deeper into the monstrous storm they sailed, and soon their little ship found itself being flung against the rocks that encircled Pekelo.

With each impact against the rocks, a layer of the ship peeled off: an intentional design that enabled it to survive what was the most common downfall of most vessels that had attempted to brave the storm.

Blow after blow against the rocks chipped more and more of the layers away, but their progress continued. Already [i]The Striker[/i] had made it further than the original ever had, and although the relentless downpour made it difficult to see, there was little doubt that they were on the right course.

The very first strike of the vicious outcroppings of rock against the thick hull had Kailani’s breath catching in her throat, hearing the groan of wood as it splintered - then fell to the water. [i]The Striker[/i] continued onward, relaxing that little bubbling unease that had been growing in her chest.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”... Wow, that actually worked.”[/color]

Any hint of sunlight had been utterly engulfed under Ka Li’Ai’s rage, the cold bite of rain that heralded the eternal storm beating against the two girls’ skin in a mockery of their earlier departure. Still, they moved forward. Bit by bit, blow by blow. It seemed as though every minute they lost more of their protective layering, until finally the vessel remained naked to the dangers of the sea, vulnerable and weak.

A wave rose up, taking the small ship with it, before crashing back at level. The vessel shuddered under the abuse, a sharp turn on the wheel narrowly avoiding another deadly rock, the tip barely seen in the dark skies and crashing waves. Further it crept, little by little-

[i]CRACK.[/i]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Well, fuck.”[/color]

There was a scrape along the hull, a sliver of missing wood from grazing along one of the sharp rocks. Kailani’s heart beat quickly against her chest, a war drum against her rib cage. One more hit and they’d be done for.

Cracking. Crimson. Cold.

Not again, not again, just a little bit further!

Sunlight.

Kailani’s breath once more caught in her throat, a parody of her earlier nerves. One final crashing wave set them down into the sea once more, propelling [i]The Striker[/i] forward. Away from Pekelo Island. Away from Ka Li’Ai.

There was so much sea.

The islander’s grip went slack against the ship, staring out across the expanse of blue. Unblocked by rolling dark clouds, sunlight [i]everywhere[/i] - were those clouds white?! She didn’t know clouds could come in white! How did the horizon even manage to stretch so far!

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”It’s beautiful…”[/color] The edges of her lips were tilted up, the smile on her face soft and wondering. It was more than she could dream of. There was just so much to explore, so much to see-

And there was water splashing against her ankles.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Oh, oh right! The hole! Don’t worry, I can fix that!”[/color]