The world turned to a pale sea as the space went silent. A water wash of lush leafed Momiji shifted to waning rolling earthen hued hills buried behind points of dense haar. It was bright, bright enough that no obscuration cast in any place. Sounds and senses rushed without connection; a windless breeze, chilled warmth, dry fog, voiceless words, a weightless heavy.
Hakk blinked, his eyes studied the range about. A space empty but filled at his feet a drifting muddle rolled by masking the representation of the area.
One foot before the other, loose rocks crunched and withdrew under the motion. Sounds of clanking plunging rocks echoed in out of sight valleys. Drifting on past and falling to nothingness. The steps behind removed to the haze before them.
One direction to another, the view out of reach, the illusion of a hillside buried in the forenoon dew befuddlement remained unobtained.
Moments unaccounted passed as Hakk continued to journey. Before him a clearing in the haze raised. Umbrae of forms, their white hollowed eyes bathed in a deep aubergine figure that static'ed vanishing to repeat. Their movements ad nauseam to one another firmly unbroken. Hakk looked down, his hands and frame too, their edges bore equal hues as they faintly dissolved into the world.
A mighty breath stole from far off as it trailed past sweeping around him. The forms faded received away in its tides.
Before Hakk a bright afternoon unveiled the peaks of arid limestone ridges reaching just above the banks of fog below. Distantly others capped with trees and greenery, with some even reached higher climbing through the haze and disappearing into white skies overhead.
A dim din pervaded his spirit, placing his hands over his ears the experience about washed away in the stroke of a brush.
-----
Tap tap, a finger hit across Hakka forehead in uneven intervals.
“Wake up-wake up wakity upity..” Ayumi's voice filled over the sound of the tides as she leaned over the stern of the boat arms folded looking down at the form of Hakk sprawled out inside the ship's bowels.
Hakk's eyes squinted and trembled open as the world came into focus. A blur of purplish haze and golden light. Brushing aside the unwelcomed motion he let rested his hand upon his temples shutting his eyes.
His arm slowly lifted up from the pinky as he squinted the form whirled before his perception.
"Welcome back."
-----
The swell of waves licked at the treebank upon a fine beach line. Hakk sat hunched over in its sands. Some distance from him Ayumi and Glei weaved about slowly advancing towards him.
Ayumi carried the large wooden box on her back with satchel along her hip and a wooden bucket held tight in her to her chest in her arms, as water splashed over the sides with the more uneven of her steps. Behind walked Glei his hair bound in a loose bun that rested about his shoulder line in either hand large sweet potato bundles tied together with vine.
Ayumi's hair was now down past her elbows, it's split ends throwing a wild look when the gusts caught it. Edges and seams frayed at the bottoms of their clothes as their faded colors were water washed in the afternoon hour.
Glei's eyes furrowed as he caught Hakk form, walking by him the two continued to the boat before him.
"That's everything!" Ayumi dusted her hands across her clothes and arched her back extending.
"Neither of you had much." His vision centered on Hakk as ice slipped from his gaze. Hakk returned the silent communication with a blanket stare.
Ayumi looked amid the two as a distance engulfed them and advanced in silence. "Where we headed?"
Hakk lifted himself slowly from the beach his eyes sinking in their place as they surveyed the horizon line, he raised a hand and pointed beyond them kitty wumpus from the shoreline.
"There, about, two or three days if weather holds, maybe" His voice held without raising.
"And if it doesn't?" Glei gripped the edge of the boat with his hand wringing it against the pitting wood.
"Than we make camp and continue when we can." Hakk head turned facing the other as he approached the edge of the boat slowly.
"What about food or water, it's not like you brought back anything we could carry sufficient water in, and food, well aside from some stuff it's not like this area really is succeeding in anything."
"But you don't eat right?" Ayumi tilted her head.
"But you do! and well look at you!" Glei shifted to Ayumi his voice grew as he caught a breath.
"I'm good you don't have to bother about me Glei" Ayumi smiled somewhat as she climbing into the boat and took a post at the bow of the craft.
His eye line swiftly met hers with brows raised. "Why? That is reckless."
"We have a little." Ayumi gestured to the bucket.
"That isn't enough for the distance or if it goes bad."
"If it rains we'll be safe."
"You joke, right?" His frame sunk as his back arched, some of his bound hair escaping to cover his face as he scratched at his head furiously.
Hakk walked by Glei to the boat's side. "Tides heading out if we want to make good time, you in?"
He looked to Hakk as they locked sights. A red heat arose upon his cheeks as his brow narrowed.
"You can sit in front of-"
"No." He stepped back from the boat as he released his grip his hands fell to his sides loosely, his fingers clenching.
Ayumi stood partially up as she rested her hand on the side of the boat but then sat down.
"I see." Her voice lingered off.
Hakk looked back between the two, Ayumi's smile maintained and Glei's expression became obscure.
"Where will you go to?" Ayumi looked out to the direction of their destination.
Glei took another step back and cast aside his vision even further as his shoulders shrunk up about his head. "I- you can- if you'd like, stay here with me."
"You know this is an island. If you stay leaving will be difficult." Hakk dug the paddles to one side of the boat as he tucked some of the cargo inside a small built-in chest.
Glei took a deep breath and dug his feet into the sands.
"I will do all in my capability to get to the destination safely. If you wish to leave you may find a safer place to stay there."
"I can't stand you." Glei gritted his teeth. "Don't you care about your friend!"
"Hakk cares."
"How can you say that we waited for an-"
Ayumi stood before Glei her hand extended toward him.
"Please."
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