[center]
[color=f49ac2]Sakura Level 8: 30/80[/color] 
[color=fff200]Karin Level 3: 7/30[/color] 
Location: Alcamoth
Word Count: 1553
Points Gained: 3
New EXP Balance--- [color=f49ac2]Sakura Level 8: 33/80[/color]
[indent][color=fff200]Karin Level 3: 10/30[/color][/indent] [/center]

Sakura listened to the recap of the matches eagerly. She looked at Geralt, puzzled.  [color=f49ac2]”You lost?”[/color] She asked incredulously. [color=f49ac2]”I mean, hey, that’s okay! Nothing wrong with losing! As long as you learned something.”[/color] She backtracked, though it seemed like she still didn’t really believe it. Geralt lost? To some angel guy they didn’t even know? She’d have to take a crack at this Pit guy to see if he really was tough enough to beat Mister Geralt. 

 	[color=f49ac2]”Hey, good job, Mister King Bowser.”[/color] Sakura congratulated the king.  [color=f49ac2]”And you said you beat that Miss Dante person earlier? Guess they don’t just make anybody the king, huh?”[/color] Sakura said, smiling. Then a thought occurred to her.  [color=f49ac2]”...Then how come you keep losing to Mario? Isn’t Mario just some plumber guy that can jump pretty high?”[/color]

[color=fff200]”And aren’t you just an undereducated schoolgirl with a crush on a homeless man you’ve met four times?”[/color] Karin said suddenly, preemptively coming to Bowser’s defense, and perhaps the defense of villains everywhere.

Sakura blushed, her origin story outed for anyone who cared to pay attention. [color=f49ac2]”It-it- it’s been more than four times! And he’s not homeless! Geez! Why do you have to be so mean to me? Let’s just go!”[/color] Sakura hurried off, and Karin followed, pondering why indeed she felt the need to be so mean to Sakura sometimes. 


On the way there, Karin’s eyes opened wide in shock as someone committed suicide from the top of Alcamoth, exploding into a pile of blood in limbs. Sakura seemed nonplussed.  [color=f49ac2]”Don’t worry, Karin-san. That’s just Miss Nadia. She does that sometimes. Gross, huh?”[/color] Indeed, it was only a few moments later that the Seeker literally pulled herself together. Karin huffed, affronted by this uncouth display from Nadia. Some commoners truly did have no manners. Adjusting her coat and ruffled sleeves, she followed Sakura to the meeting. It turned out to be a race, and Sakura immediately participated, taking off as fast as she could to keep up with Nadia and Geralt. The three of them were quite the group of speedsters. 

Once there, Sakura listened to the speech. Her face fell, a sneer revealing her teeth. [color=f49ac2]”Boats? Again? I just got the last of the sea salt smell out of my hair.”[/color] Rubbing her brown hair, she huffed.

[color=fff200]”But Sakura-chan, you’re dressed for the occasion.”[/color] Karin teased lightly, flicking Sakura’s yellow tie into her face.

[color=f49ac2]”That…that is true. Hey, why aren’t you in your uniform, anyway?”[/color] Sakura asked.

[color=fff200]”Because we’ve been in this new world for more than one day and I own more than one pair of clothes.”[/color] Karin said snootily.

Sakura was defensive. [color=f49ac2]”Hey…I wash it!”[/color] She hugged herself. [color=f49ac2]”I- I meant to buy a new pair of clothes I just- forgot. PLus, this one was a gift from Miss Isabelle! So I actually have two pairs of clothes. The other one is…somewhere.”[/color] 

Karin scoffed. [color=fff200]”That’s what I get for leaving you alone. Upon our return to Limsa, Shibasaki-san and I will be escorting you on your next shopping trip.”[/color] Sakura giggled apologetically, rubbing the back of her head. 

Once there, they received a mini map and a boat from Steve, the weirdest looking person Sakura and Karin had ever seen. He was friendly enough, and definitely a part of the good guys, but Sakura in particular had a hard time not staring whenever she saw him. The guy was operating on a totally different wavelength than everyone else, and everyone else included every other person in existence. 

Karin stared at the boats in disbelief. [color=fff200]”What…this? This is our boat? This is not a boat. This is a glorified milk crate.”[/color] 

 [color=f49ac2]”Hey, be nice!”[/color] Sakura said, a laugh in her voice from Bowser’s blunder. She was already happily rowing around in her boat, marveling at its simple but highly effective design. She also thought the mini-map was wicked cool.  [color=f49ac2]”This is actually really cool! I feel like I’m a Ship Girl again!”[/color] She zipped around. 

Karin frowned, but relented, accepting a boat and mini map.  [color=fff200]”This is hardly befitting a woman of my stature…”[/color] She stated, stepping carefully into it and sitting very still as Alcamoth prepared itself to release them into the sea. Karin had rowed in bows before- competitively, of course- but only a part of sport or for leisure. And in Kanzuki Brand kayaks, of course.

Speaking of Ship Girls, Sakura cast a worried look over at Rika. Still, she was glad the Abyssal was joining them. But also a little sad she wasn’t finding a new path, like Bella was. She would just have to keep an eye on Rika with her new friends.

Soon they were on the way. The open ocean, with everyone in their own boats. Sakura compared it to the last time she was on the water. Both had pros and cons. On one hand, she felt pretty vulnerable. On the other, she had freedom of movement and wouldn’t be trapped on a big boat. While she wasn’t a Ship Girl anymore, she did have her original body back, which meant she was stronger and faster than before as long as she got on land. And their goal was land, so once they got there, Sakura would be more effective than she was in Ship Girl form. She really wanted to punch some evil goon right in the face.

	Karin, meanwhile, was ready to show the Seekers how it was done. They had done well thus far, certainly, but with her onboard things were bound to go a lot smoother. Karin was prepared to do what it takes to secure victory. Galeem would be destroyed, and the natural order of the universe would be restored. The Kanzuki Zaibatsu would ensure it.

	Sakura was happily rowing along when she saw some weird green stuff floating on the surface. It almost looked like a huge grass plain on the water. A large section of it, just to the left of the Seeker armada. Despite her uniform, Sakura was hardly an experienced sailor, so she attempted to plow right through it. Instead, it scraped against the green stuff, which was actually grass, and got all tangled up in it.

	 [color=fff200]”That didn’t take long.”[/color] Karin said, slowing down alongside Sakura.

	[color=f49ac2]”Shush shush.”[/color] Sakura said, thinking. [color=f49ac2]”I guess I’ll just get out and push.”[/color] 

	[color=fff200]”Miss Sakura, I really wouldn’t-”[/color] Karin began, but it was too late. The grass was merely kelp, greeting an illusory floor that Sakura immediately fell through. Karin covered her mouth, suppressing a smile. 

	Sakura flailed for a moment underwater, trying to get the icky kelp off of her. Underneath the surface though, the water was very clear, and Sakura opened one eye to look around. It was green, and hurt her eyes a little but, but under the grassy sea plain was a [url=https://imgur.com/oihoBOw]beautiful sight.[/url] The sky was green! There was a statue of sharks! So many verdent colors!

Under there, she saw a small group of [url=https://imgur.com/DsPJpij]dinosaur sea turtles[/url] swimming peacefully about among the rocks. As well as a host of other colorful fish. The view was almost literally breathtaking.

	Up on the surface, Karin watched the Sakura shaped hole in the kelp with mild disinterest, waiting for her companion to emerge from the water. As she did, her keen orange eyes spotted green on green movement. Narrowing in, she spotted some kind of beast slowly moving through the kelp, barely disturbing it. From Karin’s perspective, it almost looked like a   [url=https://imgur.com/pno1R1q]three-eyed alien crocodile.[/url]

She sensed its hostile intent. While Sakura was floating happily below the surface, Karin protected her friend. She and the creature made eye contact, and a hardened gleem passed through Karin’s eyes. She glared at it, tilting her head to the side questioningly. There was the universal [i]feeling[/i] of a blade being unsheathed. Or the feeling of walking near a cliff’s edge, or entering a dark cave where predators lay inside. Karin communicated with the creature in a language that could be understood by even the simplest of minds. Any nearby Seekers could feel it- even the kelp around Karin seemed to drift away from her boat. The beast’s will broke first, and startled, it turned around and dove back underneath the surface, swimming away from the Kanzuki. Satisfied, Karin relaxed in her boat. The blade was sheathed, the cliff smoothed, the cave lit once more. It was safe to pass.

	It was then that Sakura spotted the large creature as it swam away, quickly returning to her boat. She spat some water out. 

	[color=f49ac2]”I just saw some kinda alien reptile thing! And turtles! Oh, man, but Miss Karin, it’s beautiful down there! You should really see it!”[/color]  Sakura said, trying and failing to dry herself off. 

	 [color=fff200]”We’ve not left the port for ten minutes, and you’re already gotten yourself drenched in sea water and plant matter, rambling about sea turtles. Please, do not talk to me or look at me.”[/color] Karin said, before rowing off to keep up with the rest of the Seekers. She didn’t tell Sakura about the sheer amount of malice she projected on her behalf. Sakura brushed her short brain hair out of her eyes and laughed.

	[color=f49ac2]”Okaaay…but I just had a really cool adventure. So I’d say it was worth it. I saw some really big turtles.”[/color] With that she rowed off, trailing towards the rear of the Seekers little navy.