The Motley

While Senren's eyes widened with surprise, Sumire's lit up like the stars in the night sky.
She bore an indescribable expression of awe and jubilation, like a precious piece of her lost dream was being handed to her.

“I… for… for real..?”

Unremarkable words for a beyond remarkable feeling. The disbelief in Sumire's voice made Nanami's smile grow.

“I ain't a liar, Sumi,” he replied with the pride and tenderness of a father. “You’ve worked hard for this, I can see it. An’ anyone who works as hard as you've been at their dreams deserves a chance to chase ‘em. Besides, I can't think o’ anyone better suited to give the Motley a second life than you.”

Sumire's amethyst eye sparkled as if it were as crystalline as the one beneath her eyepatch. Without thinking, she lunged herself across the small kitchen table and tightly wrapped her arms around her uncle.

“Thank you so much, Uncle Nanami!”

Sumire felt like she could cry, but all Nanami did was laugh and pat her on the back. It was a heartwarming scene, one which Senren felt awful for interrupting.

“I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news,” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m thankful to have a ship at our disposal, especially under such touching circumstances. But we still need a crew to sail it, do we not?”

“Right,” Sumire retreated back to her seat, her excitement fading, though not yet discouraged. “Maybe now that we have a ship, we can convince some good sailors to join us.”

“Heheh. Ya know, this old pirate might have a lead for ya,” Nanami drew their attention, taking a sip of his awamori. “During my time on the high seas, I'd heard talk of a certain treasure called Koi Tears.”

“Koi Tears…?” Sumire repeated the phrase curiously. She looked to Senren in case he may have heard of it, but he merely shook his head.

“That's what they were called,” Nanami confirmed, nodding. “It's some ancient legend from way back. Talks ‘bout these perfectly round gems that come from koi. Can't recall the details, but legend says these li’l gems will grant the wishes o’ anyone tenacious enough to find one.”

“So, you're saying…” Sumire mused thoughtfully. Senren could practically see the gears turning in her mind, and quite frankly, he was concerned for their outcome. “That if we can find one of these Koi Tears… I could use it to wish for a crew!”

There it was, Senren's cue to set her on the right track. Or, at least, a more reasonable one.

“I think it would make more sense to wish for a way to sail our ship, rather than wishing for an entire crew.”

“Good thinking, Sen!” Sumire clapped his shoulder. “I knew there was a reason I made you quartermaster.”

“What—?”

“Guess that means we've got our first mission.”

“Wait, Sumi—”

“We're going to find a Koi Tear!”

“What!?”

Unfortunately for Senren, his incredulous protests were drowned out by the echoes of raucous pirate laughter. Part of him was regretting agreeing to stay with Sumire and join her crew. However, deep beneath the surface, he could feel the fires of exhilaration burning within him. Not even a jaded ronin could resist the throes of hope and adventure.

The sun was hanging low in the horizon by the time Sumire and Senren departed Uncle Nanami’s home. Their plan — or, rather, Sumire's plan — was to get a head-start on the day and begin their journey to find a Koi Tear. However, they decided to pay a visit to the Motley on their way to the inn.

Sitting in the port was where they found her, a small yet bold vessel. Her design was that of a moderately sized junk, making her perfect for maneuvering the waters around the Yamato Isles, however the finer details made the ship's namesake quite obvious. The Motley appeared to be made of a handful of mis-matched parts, and her hull was painted with an array of colors and symbols. Even her battened sails were a calico of red and white fabric, making her somewhat resemble a koi in pattern.

“Isn't she beautiful?” Sumire mused, admiring the eclectic ship in the glow of sunset. As they gazed at the Motley, complimented by the gradient of rich orange and star-speckled navy in the sky, Senren couldn't help but agree.

“Soon,” Sumire continued. “Soon we'll be sailing her all across the world, having all sorts of grand adventures. I can't wait… It's so close, I can practically taste it. We're going to be the coolest pirates in Yama history.”

Senren grinned at his companion. Nothing was more infectious than sharing a passionate dream.

“Yeah… I think I'm starting to see it too. Surely we'll go on many adventures together.”

A tear rolled down his cheek from beneath the leather eyepatch. It glittered delicately in the low light, catching Sumire's attention and fueling her wonder about the man beside her. The thought crossed her mind, however fleeting it may have been, that searching for the origin of his tears might be just as exhilarating as searching for the origin of koi ones…

The next morning, Sumire and Senren enjoyed one last breakfast at the inn before leaving Kojin City. From there they traveled to Mizuhashi, a village along the coast of the island which ran a ferry to the Mako Clan territory on the mainland.

“Traveling to the mainland should be where we start,” Sumire explained over tamagoyaki. “If an ancient Yama treasure is anywhere in this world, it's totally going to be somewhere in that direction.”

So, the first step in their quest was to cross the Wani Channel. While Senren had plenty of protests he could have voiced for this plan, he also didn't have any better ideas. In the end, even he had to concede that it was best to keep moving forward and let fate guide them. In the morning, this lack of direction made their journey feel less hopeful to him. But after spending a few hours beside Sumire's infectiously unperturbed attitude, and watching her face light up as they boarded the ferry in Mizuhashi, Senren's cynicism began to wash away.

Even if they never managed to find a Koi Tear, they were bound to have a memorable experience. That alone was worth smiling for.