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A couple of days later, Luna was napping on the topdeck of the ship, her back against the port gunwale. It was late afternoon and the gunwale gave her just enough shade to avoid the worst of the sun. Her nap, however, was interrupted by a firm kick to the thigh. She opened her eyes to see Rufus standing there, looking down at her. “Sleeping well, princess?” he asked. “Nothing else for you to do?”

[color=lightblue]”Hey, I’ve tried,”[/color] Luna replied as she stretched her arms over her head. [color=lightblue]”Up until now, the only thing I’ve ever sailed in was a little boat. It was about all I could do to make sure I was going in the right direction. Working on a full-sized ship is completely different. I don’t really feel like getting laughed at when I end up tangled up in the shrouds, again, and Erik’s already banned me from helping in the kitchen. You start one little fire and you’re suddenly not allowed within sight of any pots or pans.”[/color]

“Way I hear it, it took three people to put out that fire,” Rufus muttered, before quickly shutting up when he caught Luna’s glare. He crouched next to her and said, “Alright, Erik and his kitchen notwithstanding, you know it’ll only take a little bit of practice to get used to doing everything else, right?”

[color=lightblue]”Of course I do,”[/color] the half-Mink captain sighed. [color=lightblue]”And I promise, I will. It’s just better for everyone if I take some time to myself when I get frustrated. Otherwise, I tend to get zappy…or punchy…or both…”[/color]

Whatever Rufus was going to say was lost when Luna suddenly jumped to her feet, her nose tilted upward as she sniffed the air. She ran toward the bow of the ship and continued to smell the air. [color=lightblue]”I think I smell…grapes?”[/color] she muttered. A moment later, she realized that was exactly it; the scent of grapes, warming in the afternoon sun. Something about it brought a powerful sense of nostalgia.

“That’s some nose you’ve got,” Rufus said as he joined Luna at the bow. “We must be getting close.” He turned back toward the crew and shouted, “Start getting ready to pull into port! The captain’s smelling Bacchus!”

Not too long afterward, a landmass gradually began to appear over the horizon. It wasn’t a small island, but it wasn’t large, either. Rocky cliffs rose above the water and a collection of buildings could soon be seen around a rather large port, relative to the island’s size, where a few ships were docked. One in particular stood out to Luna, due to its size, but because of the distance, she couldn’t make out anything else about it.

The rest of the island was covered in rolling green hills, the verdancy interrupted by the facades of buildings and walls, which Luna assumed were the vineyards. At the very top of the hill, sitting above the town and the vineyards, was what appeared to be a large complex, almost a palace, as if whoever lived there wanted everyone to know just how much more important they were than everyone else.

[color=lightblue]“So, that’s Bacchus, huh?”[/color] Luna muttered. [color=lightblue]”It doesn’t look too bad…”[/color]

“Just wait,” Galen replied, having appeared behind Luna and Rufus. “After we’ve docked, you and Rufus can look around town while the rest of us stock up on supplies. Get an idea of just how bad things are.”

Luna nodded and turned back toward the island. As they drew closer, she realized she could smell something else with the grapes. Something all too familiar to her.

[color=lightblue][i]Smoke…?[/i][/color]