• Alice smiled up at the sun, breathing in the salty air with excitement. Her simple white dress billowed with the wind as the ship split through the ocean. Her heart raced when she saw the island up ahead. They were going home to Water 7.

    Pin Joker hung over the railing, paler than usual. He hated sailing. It made him sea-sick. Alice came up to his side with a bright, happy face.

    "Take deep breaths," she said as she rubbed his back, "We're almost there, sweetheart."

    His stomach fluttered. Since this morning, she had been so sweet and kind to him. It was really odd. Did her experience with the mushrooms change her last night?

    Alice stood by Pin Joker, looked ahead at the island. It was getting bigger as they neared it. She could see a giant structure in the middle of it, spewing something out of it.

    "What is that?" she asked anyone who could answer.

    Chester the cat leaped up on top of Pin Joker's back, the sudden pressure caused him to hurl into the ocean again. Chester smiled and looked up at Alice. "It is the fountain of Water 7. Can you imagine how much effort it took to build such a thing?"

    Alice only stared in awe at the island, Chester assumed she wasn't listening and turned away.

    The island was like a large hill out of the water with a large fountain at the top. There were seven ports around it, each accompanied by a large canal. As they neared the island, Alice could see even more canals running through the whole city. The navigator took them in the back way because pirates shouldn't go in the front way, it was idiotic. When they anchored, Pin Joker rushed to get onto land. Alice laughed as she watched him leap over the rail in such a hurry.

    "Here, Alice. I'll catch you," he called to her from the ground. She peered over the railing at him. It was a long jump but she could make it if he could catch her.

    She sat on the railing and threw her legs over the edge so they were dangling. She wasn't ready for this at all. What if scrawny Pin Joker couldn't catch her? Alice shook her head. She had to trust him. This was Jorik, the man who seached for ten years, looking for her. She took a deep breath and made the leap of love.

    It was so quick and executed so well. He caught her and held her like she was weightless to him. One arm supporting her legs and the other arm holding her back up. Alice opened her eyes and looked deeply into his.

    "Excuse me, Alice," he said, quickly putting her down and running to puke into the sea.

    She gazed down at her feet, not wanting to watch the obnoxious event. She had had a romantic moment with him again but this time it had been postponed.

    Chester landed beside her on all four feet. Cats were so talented to be able to do that. He wore his usual Cheshire grin and cleaned himself.

    "Now, where were we?" Pin Joker grinned as he swept Alice off her feet, surprising her suddenly.

    She smiled sweetly, "You were about to carry me into the city?" she suggested even though she expected something else to happen.

    "Yes!" he smiled and began to walk towards one of the gates with Chester following at his feet.

    Alice gazed up at Pin Joker while he carried her. Borodo never carried her through town. That was one thing that made Pin Joker better. She relaxed and laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck.

    "We would like to rent a yagara bull please," Pin Joker said when he stopped. Alice opened her eyes and looked around.

    He was talking to a man at the end of the platform. The man had a goatee and stared at them over small, round spectacles. She looked to him like a money maker sort, like he would sell anything to get some money.

    "That will be 1,000 beri," the man held out his hand. Pin Joker grimaced as he held Alice up with one arm so he could pull out a couple of coins from a pouch hanging at his belt.

    "Is this your honeymoon?" the man asked curiously as he placed a small wooden boat with two seats into the water.

    Alice watched as something came up out of the water to be strapped onto the bottom of the boat. It reminded her of a sea horse, but bigger. It had large, bulging eyes and huge herbivorous teeth like a horse. On its head was a large blue fan. Its skin was slimy and pale green, on its back was a row of dark blue spots. She had seen something like this before. Was this a bull?

    "No, just a little trip together," Pin Joker said as he sat Alice in the back seat.

    "Oh, so are you already married?" he tried to create useless small talk.

    Chester jumped into Alice's lap and curled up like a kitten.

    "No, we're not married," Pin Joker stepped into the front seat and grabbed the reins. "Thank you for the bull."

    Alice stroked the purring cat in her lap while the bull swam downstream into the city. She gazed at all the buildings and the people passing by on their bulls. A lot of people were dressed in fancy clothes and wore masks. Alice was somewhat used to it even though it was slightly creepy, not able to see one's face. She saw that the buildings were built on top of arches. Water 7 was built completely on the water?

    "Alice, scratch behind my ear," Chester commanded her. She scratched his ear and he purred really loud and stretched out across her lap. "Water 7 is built on top of a sunken city. Can you guess what that old city is?"

    "I cannot say," Alice replied. Pin Joker concentrated on getting to the shipyard.

    "Where the Nereida originally came from, Oceanthys," Chester told her, rolling onto his back and allowing her to rub his belly. "To have lived during that time and to have seen the sea nymphs... Oh! Scratch my chin, will you?"

    "Oceanthys?" Alice obediantly scratched Chester's kitty chin as she gazed down into the water. It was under her.