It was nighttime and Alanna and Aimil went out onto the deck. Alanna planned to go for a swim and she'd even spoken to Leomaris about it who pointed her to a perfect spot on the side of the ship and arranged for Sergius to look out for them. She'd brought a woolen coat and a cloth to dry herself once she was done as did Aimil. Most of the passengers had retired to their cabin and the crew were in the galley having mead after their supper. She shimmied out of her dress and jumped into the water in her chemise and Aimil followed suit in his braies. The sea was calm and the water was cool but not too cold. For a moment, Alanna's body emitted a golden glow and her lower body transformed into a beautiful iridescent tail. That was new for her as it was for Aimil, he'd never seen anything like it with any of the Dunators he'd met before who could shape-shift. It was simply breathtaking. Alanna giggled as she flapped her tail about and started swimming around the ship while Aimil struggled to keep up. She was faster than he'd ever seen. After a couple of laps Alanna disappeared into the water and for a moment Aimil started to panic before she came up behind him giggling as he jumped. They swam together for a few more minutes with Alanna occasionally disappearing and coming up behind him, splashing water into his face as they laughed. Once they were done, Sergius appeared as if he'd sensed they were finished and helped them back up onto the deck, his eyes widening as he caught Alanna's tail before she transformed back to her usual legs. Aimil and Alanna went back into their cabin to change before they headed back out onto the deck. Alanna wanted to sit under the stars for a little while longer before they went back to their cabin.

A strong gush of wind blew past them as they sat watching the stars followed by a loud groaning sound. The hairs on the back of Alanna's neck instantly rose and she couldn't help but feel something was off. She found herself reaching for Aimil's hand next to her. "Did you feel that?" She asked in alarm. "Yes, I did," Aimil answered looking around for the source of the noise. He suddenly found himself utterly unnerved and he started to get up, still holding on to Alanna's hand, "Let's get back to the cabin, we'll be safer there." As they walked down the hallways making their way back to their cabin hand-in-hand, Aimil saw a red orb flash by them rattling the doors along the hallway as it did. He suddenly felt the urge to put his arm around Alanna and pull her closer. Just then several more orbs zoomed past them rattling the doors even louder this time around. The wooden floor squeaked loudly behind them as if there was someone walking closely towards them. Alanna jumped slightly in Aimil's arms, startled by the sound in the otherwise quiet hallway. She didn't see orbs, she saw the ghosts floating around them with one particular gnarly looking ghost circling around like a predator about to go in for the kill. This one wasn't like Claire, this particular ghost dressed in black with a long coat and a round hat evoked feelings of terror deep within her. The gnarly ghost floated ahead and then paused at the end of the hallway they were in, staring at her with glowing blood-red eyes with his head tilted to the side as if he was inspecting her, sizing her up. She really didn't like this specific ghost, the air around him was dark. She looked around noticing that there were more ghosts now, some of them looking like they'd been brutally murdered, others charred like they'd been burned, some were just children and some looked a lot like Claire-not very scary. Their groans were loud. She noticed some of them were circling her and Aimil, but they didn't feel predatory, more like protective and the would float around and swat some of the ones that looked as if they were harmful. Aimil's stomach turned uncomfortably, he could feel their energies, the air was dripping with ripples of fear, determination and rage. He picked up the pace as they rushed to turn the final corner. "He wants you!" A raspy voice whispered beside Alanna and she turned her head to find an elderly woman with kind eyes inna blood-stained nightgown, her hand stretched out pointing towards the gnarly ghost with those eery blood-red eyes. "He's not alone," the elderly woman rasped again before floating ahead of Alanna and Aimil as if guiding the way.

"Oh dear! There you are, I've been looking for you!" Claire's voice rang in Alanna's ear as she appeared beside Alanna, one step ahead of her. "What's happening?" Alanna asked, terrified at that point. "Let's get you to your cabin safely first and I will explain everything if you let me in," Claire said before rushing forward. Alanna didn't even notice where she was until she found herself standing in front of her cabin door with Aimil hurriedly pushing his key in and unlocking it. "Claire! Come in with me," Alanna called to her friend who zoomed in just as Aimil pushed the door shut and locked it. Aimil was shaken but it didn't show save for the grave expression on his face as he lead Alanna to her bed and sat her down, still holding her tight. He felt another presence in the cabin with them but this one felt friendly, he figured that must've been Claire, as Alanna called her. "What's going on? Who was that?" Alanna asked Claire who only appeared as a glowing blue orb to Aimil. "That my dear, was Domino. He's more powerful than the ghosts here and much, much older than most of us," Claire explained with a sigh. "From what I've gathered, he's not just a ghost, he's something more. He harvests energy from the ghosts around and sometimes when he's taken enough, he can easily harm those in the corporeal plane, draining them of their energy until they're gone. He's not attached to anyone on the ship but he likes to skulk around, he uses it as his feeding ground and he's got other ghosts on his side," Claire explained. This must be what Orin was so worried about, Alanna couldn't help but wonder if Orin knew about Domino.

"What's she saying?" Aimil asked Alanna, worry written across his face. Alanna raised her hand and wiped her thumb across his forehead and suddenly Aimil could see Claire clearly. Alanna's memory of the conversation she had with Claire rushing into his mind at once. He swayed a little and used his free hand to stabilize himself on the bed as a lump lodged itself in his throat. "Are you alright?" Alanna asked him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath looking back at Alanna wondering how in inferna she'd done that. "Yes, yes, I'm okay. That was a lot," he answered sounding a little out of breath. "H-how?" He rasped. "I don't know, I just sort of knew what to do and I did it," Alanna answered. Her eyes searched his face for a moment while his eyes searched hers as if trying to figure something out. She had awoken something in him and he got the sense seeing ghosts wasn't all it was. After a few minutes, Alanna suddenly remembered Claire was in the room with them and turned back to her. "Is he alright?" Claire asked jutting her chin towards Aimil with a worried look. "Yes, he is," Alanna breathed out shakily, as if she too, was uncertain.

"So, this Domino, what does he want with me?" Alanna asked shaking her head in confusion. "Well that's simple deary, he wants your power. He knows who you are, who you truly are, and he wants to absorb your power so he can have a corporeal form again," Claire said with a strange look on her face before adding, "You must not let him get that power! Whatever you do, you must remember who you are! You know how to fight him, you must remember!" Claire iterated firmly with emphasis. She paused and then looked into Aimil's eyes, floating closer to him until her face almost touched his. "You must also remember, only you can protect Alanna. This isn't the first time you've faced this kind of threat. You're her protector, you've always been her protector in each life. You've found each other again for a reason, don't mess it up this time," she said with a seriousness that felt like it was turning him inside out. "Wait, how do you know so much about me?" Alanna asked bringing Claire's attention back to her. "We've been friends in most of your incarnations deary, except in this one. Better late than never, huh?" Claire muttered that last part mostly to herself with a warm smile. She reached out her hand to clasp Alanna's shoulder without realizing it. Both her and Alanna gasped as they both felt a spark shocked them at the point of contact. Claire certainly didn't expect that and neither did Alanna. "Huh! It seems you've cone back stronger this time," Claire smiled warmly. "Use that strength, you'll know what to do when the time comes. See you tomorrow and don't forget your dreams tonight," she added then turned floated out of the cabin leaving Alanna and Aimil to the pregnant silence between them.

"Well, that was something," Alanna muttered leaning her head on Aimil's shoulder. Aimil grunted in response as his mind raced wondering what Claire meant when she told him not to mess it up again. Just what did he do before? After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Alanna let out a loud sigh. "Well, I'm exhausted, I better get to sleep," she muttered standing up to grab a change of clothes from her satchel before disappearing behind the stall. Aimil shook his head and quickly changed before Alanna could come back out. When Alanna reappeared, she immediately went to her bed and plopped down, dragging herself under her blanket. Aimil sat on his bed in silence for a moment before he spoke again, "Do you- is it alright with you if I join you?" He asked hesitantly. He wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight without her by his side. Alanna didn't mind, in fact she wasn't sure she'd sleep without him either and she raised her head and nodded silently in response at the risk of coming off desperate. She moved over to give him space and held the corner of her blanket up as he walked to her bed. He curled up beside her his large arm sliding under her head as he curled his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Her cheeks flushed and her skin tingled where his arm rested, spreading all over her body. She had never felt this way with anyone, she hated it when people got too close to her, let alone touched her, but this felt different, this felt like home. They laid there in silence and in no time Aimil could hear Alanna's soft snores. He gently kissed the back of her head before he too drifted off into a deep slumber.