- Vendor: I can't believe it...
- Vendor: It's my precious golden vase!
- Anne: And all in one piece!
- Kaji: That's damn right, lady!
- Anne: And... that's the culprit right here in front of our eyes.
- Meimona: ...Hmph.
- Vendor: Well, I never... Kajiboy really did it, huh?
- Kaji: Heh heh heh, damn RIGHT!
- Kaji: Listen up, y'all!
- Kaji: This here thief will never be botherin' any of ya again.
- Kaji: And these here wares are gonna be returned to their owners!
- Kaji: As for wares that we can't get back...
- Kaji: Just write me up a good formal letter, and the price will be refunded for ya.
- Kaji: Oh, and don't be writin' any swearwords.
- Kaji: Me superiors' are gonna be seein' those letters!
Kaji: Tell Mei of the fine she'll have to pay for all that stolen property.
- Anne: Ooooh...!
- Vendor: Anne, I can't believe what I'm hearin' right now.
- Vendor: This useless guy... he really did it?
- Anne: I can't believe my eyes either, but this is really good, sister!
- Anne: Ahem, we're so sorry for doubting you, good sir!
- Anne: Thank you for watching over our humble little place!
- Kaji: Well, I am a man of me words, friends.
- Kaji: Caught that thief fair n' square, just as promised.
- Gossiping girl: Wow, looks like she really was stealing just for the attention!
- Meimona: (H-huh?)
- Meimona: (As if Kaji's not the one drunk on THIS attention right now...!)
- Tattling girl: And she really was all just talk, huh!
- Gossiping girl: Causing problems for everyone just to get their eyes on her!
- Tattling girl: She's the woooorst.
- Meimona: Hey, no...! It's not like that!
- Meimona: I had my reasons...
- Tattling girl: Oh, and are you going to explain?
- Gossiping girl: Heehee, do you think anyone's going to listen to a thief?
- Anne: The little ladies are right.
- Anne: You've caused us 'nough problems.
- Vendor: That's right. You're really gonna pay for it now.
- Meimona: B-but I...!
- Meimona: I gave you back your things, didn't I!?
- Vendor: Nothin' but cold punishment can pay for my emotional damages, little girl!
- Kaji: Whoa, whoa, hey.
- Kaji: Leave the criminals for the law to deal with, alright?
- Vendor: Oh, you're bein' too nice, captain.
- Vendor: A thief doesn't deserve any sympathy!
- Kaji: I'll make sure she reflects well on all the trouble she's caused...
- Kaji: And she'll pay for it with service for our nice little community here.
- Kaji: But do watch what you say.
- Kaji: This here was someone homeless lookin' for a way to get food, is all.
- Anne: Eh, what... really?
- Gossiping girl: A winged, yet homeless... that sounds soooo fishy!
- Vendor: If it's as you say, captain...
- Vendor: Then by lettin' her go, ain't she just gonna to return to stealin' to survive sooner or later?
- Vendor: Don't tell me this was all for nothin'!
- Kaji: Now now... I said she "was" homeless.
- Kaji: But she's with the sea patrol now!
- Kaji: Directly under me supreme, unforgiving supervision, in fact!
- Anne: Ooooh, what...?
- Vendor: With the patrol keepin' an eye that closely, she won't dare try anythin'!
- Vendor: Amazin' work, captain...!
- Vendor: I'm seein' you in a whole new light!
- Anne: And with an income, that means she can be paying back for what she took.
- Anne: So we have nothing to worry about, do we!
- Kaji: That's right!
- Anne: Oh...
- Anne: Sister, do you think it'll be fine?
- Vendor: Hm.
- Vendor: Listen here, little girl.
- Vendor: My shop doesn't take kindly to thieves.
- Meimona: I know, I...
- Meimona: I won't bother you again, so don't worry...
- Vendor: Let me continue, girl.
- Vendor: No shop allows in thieves...
- Vendor: But we all welcome payin' customers just fine.
- Meimona: ...Oh.
- Barkeeper: Oh, miss!
- Barkeeper: Now, I'm not saying I'll be giving drinks to a minor, but...
- Barkeeper: If you do just want food, you can eat in my bar.
- Librarian: The library's open to all.
- Librarian: Not that you look like you're interested in reading...
- Librarian: But if you were looking for a quiet place to spend the day, we're open.
- Librarian: Just don't try to sleep there during after hours.
- Penguin: Winged should... get big room to sleep in, instead!
- Penguin: Sleep on warm bed, not cold floor!
- Penguin: Inn is open for everyone nice!!!
- Spa Owner: ...Just make sure you have something in those pockets if you'll come asking for anything, okay?
- Spa Owner: And if you've got nothing...
- Spa Owner: Try asking nicely still, not playing tricks!
- Spa Owner: Now that we know all this, no one will kick you out if you're not here to steal or cause trouble...
- Meimona: O-oh...
- Spa Owner: You got that clear!?
- Meimona: Yeah, I got it...
- Vendor: Louder, girl!
- Meimona: I-I GOT IT, I got it!
- Vendor: There ya go!
- Vendor: Now that's a better attitude of someone livin' on Icicle Bay.
Nino: Observe Mei and Kaji.
So that's how it is now.
Everyone is saying that the captain is being way too nice to a thief, but that seems to only improve his reputation further. He knew exactly what he was doing here!
Under the pretense of "reflecting on wrongdoings" and "paying back"... Mei has received a new job with the sea patrol, and a home in Icicle Bay.
A while ago...
Before Kaji agreed to sail you all here, the two of them struck this deal.
It allowed you all to receive "full pardon", so to speak.
It allowed you all to receive "full pardon", so to speak.
- Kaji: Mei girl, tell me, why were ya stealin'?
- Kaji: Ya see, I don't really care about some grand thing like world peace.
- Kaji: I care more about these islands and this sea.
- Kaji: So... I can look the other way for people wantin' a place that accepts 'em.
- Kaji: I can understand that feelin'.
- Kaji: But the way things are, a thief is a threat to me Icicle Bay.
- Kaji: I can't feel good lettin' y'all go, unless I REALLY got nothin' to worry about.
Mei: Be honest?
- Meimona: ...Hmph, well...
- Meimona: You guys are too mean.
- Meimona: First of all, you should all stop saying I'm a bad person!
- Kaji: Give 'em a reason to, then.
- Kaji: Ya must have somethin', if yer bein' so insistent.
- Meimona: ...
- Nino: Why were you stealing, Mei?
- Meimona: L-look! I don't just... take anything.
- Meimona: I was doing it only because I had to, okay!
- Meimona: Of course, some puny humans like you wouldn't understand.
- Nino: Wow, that's uncalled for...
- Meimona: I can't not-steal, because...
- Meimona: If I don't, then... Boyfriend can't eat.
- Meimona: And I can't eat either.
- Meimona: And I can't LIVE without FOOD!
- Meimona: And you guys literally CAN NOT refute this!!!!
- Nino: Oh, wow.
- Nino: Your reasoning is like a child's.
- Aria: Don't be that way, Nino!
- Aria: The poor thing just wanted to-
- Reed: Quit calling this cat your boyfriend already.
- Reed: That's actual animal abuse.
- Meimona: What-
- Meimona: Wait- hey-
- Meimona: Give him back!
- Meimona: It's not like that! You're misunderstanding, you dummy!
- Nino: Reed...
- Nino: Boyfriend is just his name.
- Reed: ...
- Reed: You have the worst naming sense out of all living beings.
- Meimona: W-whatever, just give me back my boy! He's all I have left from home!
Mei and Boyfriend: Recall your first few days in the world of humans.
- Meimona: I had to eat, but I had no money.
- Meimona: And I took a little food without permission...
- Meimona: But, I'm a good angel, I don't do wrong things like stealing!
- Meimona: So I... I always...
- Meimona: Came back and put something in exchange for what I took later!
- Meimona: I used to loiter from place to place in the capital...
- Meimona: But doing that sneaky stuff in a place so close to the prince and his guards was scary. So I snuck onto a ship to find somewhere more lenient, and...
- Meimona: I ended up on Icicle Bay.
- Meimona: But before I realized it...
- Meimona: Everyone was calling me nothing but a petty thief here, too.
- Aria: Awh. You must have felt really pressured to help your pet.
- Nino: ...But your internal logic is all kinds of messed up.
- Meimona: Ooooh, wow, look at you Nino.
- Meimona: So smart and have everything figured out already, don't you?
- Nino: W-what?
- Meimona: This was the only way I could survive, you DUMMY!
- Nino: No, I-I do understand where you're coming from...
- Nino: I'm just saying it's still not a wholly legal way of getting food on the table.
- Nino: That's where the problem lies for the sea cops.
- Reed: Easy fix.
- Reed: Get a job. Make money. Buy food.
- Reed: Done. All legal.
- Meimona: Whoa!!! That's not as easy as you're making it out to be!!!
- Meimona: A job, I... I can't do that.
- Aria: Why not?
- Aria: There should be some kind of work you're capable of around here!
- Meimona: I can't, because... I...!
- Meimona: I...I dunno how to get a job.
- Aria: Oh.
- Reed: ...That's entirely fair, actually.
- Meimona: Still, I don't really fit in with all these humans around...
- Meimona: And now, nobody's gonna take kindly to a thief, even if I stopped.
- Meimona: You can ask me to promise that I'll quit stealing...
- Meimona: But to me, that's just like asking me to never eat again!
- Meimona: And my bad reputation... I know that's all my own doing.
- Meimona: But that's how it is now! I can't change it!
- Meimona: No one's gonna take a thief to work with them.
- Kaji: No one, huh.
- Kaji: Well, I'm someone.
- Kaji: Do you want to be a sea patrol?
Mei: Ask Kaji to elaborate.
Mei: Consider the prospects of an honest job. Stability, comfort, no more running, no more living on the edge.
You, Aria, and Reed, simply observed as the two winged conversed.
Somehow, it just didn't feel right for humans to jump in.
Somehow, it just didn't feel right for humans to jump in.
But just like that, you were all graciously let off the hook.
People who stand out, who feel like outcasts...
It seems that they have to band together in the world of humans, lest they be shunned by the majority. That's what the sea patrol accomplished, didn't they? Seafolk and other "odd" beings now stand on equal ground with humans, even becoming known as the very protectors of their shared community.
It's funny, the ones Mei ran away from may turn out to be her best bet for survival!
And so, currently...
- Aria: This place is amazing, Reed!
- Aria: Look at how many humans there are!
- Reed: Uh huh.
- Aria: I've never seen so many in one spot!
- Aria: Every person here looks different from the other, too!
- Aria: My gosh, this is a dream come true!
- Reed: Mhm.
- Aria: Hey, hey... can I buy stuff from the humans here?
- Aria: Would you pay just a little for it, if I can't cover it with what I have?
- Reed: No.
- Aria: Please, Reed?
- Aria: I want to own something from another human!
- Reed: No.
- Aria: I'll buy something for you too if you let me!
- Reed: But I'm still paying for it.
- Reed: Then it'll be like I bought it for myself, you idiot.
- Aria: How about one of those gemstones?
- Aria: Shiny things make for nice ornaments!
- Reed: Stop. I don't need that.
- Aria: Let me go ask about the prices!
- Reed: Are you even listening to me...
- Aria: I hope it's something affordable with what I have!
- Reed: This is breaking my brain.
Aria: Talk to other human beings!
- Aria: Hello! I like your shop!!
- Vendor: Why hello, little beauty! You're a new face!
- Aria: My name is Aria!
- Aria: I'm a human!!
- Vendor: Oh, uh... nice to meet ya?
- Five: Hello!!! Five is Five!!
- Five: And Five is a...
- Aria: S-she's a human too!
- Aria: Five, don't be so rowdy now...
- Five: ?
- Anne: (Oh my. How cute.)
- Vendor: (Is this some kinda new prank for kids, or what...)
- Nino: Ahaha, wow. That's adorable.
- Reed: Nino. Dude.
- Reed: I'm so tired.
- Reed: She's been doing that for way too long.
- Nino: What, were you two on a date or something?
- Reed: Oh, shut it. I'm not in the mood for more nonsense.
- Nino: Hmm, yeah, on second thought... she's way outta your league.
- Reed: Oh my god.
- Reed: Cut out the fucking jokes.
- Nino: Heh, sorry, sorry!
- Nino: But why not let them have some fun?
- Nino: Isn't it nice when things are this peaceful?
- Reed: No.
- Nino: I missed this feeling of safety, man!
- Nino: We can finally go around without anyone on our tail here!
- Reed: Why does your peace have to be so noisy and crowded...
- Reed: Well, whatever. What happened to the arrangement you had with the pirate?
- Nino: Oh, right!
When Kaji brought you all here, he was unexpectedly nicer than expected.
Or perhaps, you should say that he was generous.
His words were definitely not nice, they were full of swears in fact. But, he generously said that he'd arrange for you a place to stay at for the rest of the night! A very generous deal, since it's terribly late right now, and you won't be able to leave the island for a good while.
Now then, there should be a temporary room under your name in the penguins' inn.
Nino: Begin to have your suspicions. You suppose that offer extends to whoever you choose to bring along, as well... and it seems like Reed has already counted himself into it, for one. Well, you don't mind any or all of them coming in, actually.
They're all probably as desperate as you are to get some hard-earned rest, after all.
This is also your chance to talk to Kaji, or ask him about anything you have on your mind, as well. You'd better make the best of this peaceful outcome!
Nino: Say to best boy that he is amazing and deserves love for what he did for the sea people and your friend Mei of course!
Everyone but mostly Nino: Make unknowing references about Mei’s luck but Nino be knowing.
Nino: Begin to have your suspicions.
How come it was all that easy? I mean, you all practically walked away scot-free for an offense that Kaji was wanting to throw a whole wave at you for. Now she's paying for a room at an inn for you guys? Isn't the easiest way to hold someone prisoner to not know they're a prisoner? If you believe they're a friend you'll stick around rather than try to escape. What if Kaji is just holding you at icicle bay while she waits for royal soldiers to arrive and arrest all of you?
Nino: Inform the most sensible member of your new party of your suspicions.
Reed: Contact family.
Aria: Be suspiciously human like you never could before.
Nino: Still, it’s unlikely that he’d risk the townspeople’s reactions for one small victory over long term gain…right?
Nino: Ask Kaji about why he let you go despite what you and the other humans did. Ask how did these people change their minds so easily about both him and Mei. Tell Kaji you’re sorry for what you did. Ask him what he meant about you looking like a noble, because in your eyes you just seemed normal, and in that question, make a joke about what do you look like, and then ask seriously what do you think I am so as not to tip him off to your amnesia. Ask Kaji why he was reckless with Aria and that girl, and his opinion on all of your companions. Ask Kaji the requirements for leaning the one handed eagle style or to be a soldier, and ask him to inspect your sword. Ask him if there’s any way to repay him and consider asking it so you can get money, as you too need funding. Tell him that you didn’t want to go to jail because you thought you were gonna die, and then brush it off by saying you panicked. Ask Kaji about his superiors. Show him the two-sided note. Ask him about parties and stats.
Someone who remembers the note! Hooray!
This might be the most surprising way things could've gone, to me. I had figured the party being on the lam was gonna be the thing driving the plot for the foreseeable future. If they actually are out of the woods here, it'll be interesting to see them have a chance to relax a bit.
Though, I am a bit surprised Kaji was willing to let everything go that easily. He seemed like the type to hold a grudge, and even if he wasn't that's still a lot of bad blood to be able to forgive. Maybe this is a trick? Or maybe I'm just looking a gift horse in the mouth.
I actually didn't expect this outcome to be that surprising, but I'm seeing here that this is a common sentiment! I guess I'm gradually learning how being in the writing seat causes unexpected oversights sometimes.
However, I do want to say that Kaji's personal reasons for his decision get to be better expanded upon in the next update, largely thanks to the commands submitted in the comments so far. So for now and until then, feel free to draw your own conclusions on our pirate boy here!
Personally the sticking up for the ocean-people part was good foreshadowing, though maybe more mentions of the tension between the humans and the sea-people would have helped in that regard.
nino: ask kaji about the two-sided note
Loved this update :D
Nino: Recall the librarian mentioned Kaji might know about memory-recovering methods.
Nino: Ask Kaji about it.
Kaji: Be AMAZED at how the FAME of your REVOLUTIONARY memory-recovery techniques has spread far and wide.
Kaji: Illustrate this pleb.
Nino & Kaji: Get wasted.
Good memory.
aria and five are the two highest reasons i read oceanfalls (not in that order) their just so adorable