Chapter 37 Outrigger

  When Plumeria's squad rode past Litleo's Hollow, Ian blushed as he remembered his first date night with Mina. They rode by at a pretty rapid pace with the wind at their backs so Ian's quick scan for a Zygarde Cell flicker proved fruitless. It had nearly been an hour of pedaling when Ian recognized a very specific spot along the side of the road with a bush that to his Alola-adjusted eye seemed out of place, leading into an overgrown wilderness. Holy shit, that's the way we took to The Gap on my fourth day. The day Deerling… Ian's bike came to a stop as a wave of emotion hit him.

  I've been here so long I'm starting to lose track of the days. I figure I've been in Alola for about two months, and the only reason we're not starving to death is because of Sawsbuck, is because of the events that happened here that day. Ian bowed his head reverently, remembering the person he was that day, and how so much had helped form him, change him since. Lastly, he whispered: "thank you Tapu Bulu. We'd be eating each other alive if it wasn't for your blessing."

  "Yo Ian!" Rapp's voice called to Ian as she strolled over to him. "What you stoppin' for?"

  Ian sighed. "Just remembering something."

  "Remembering what?" Rapp demanded bluntly.

  Ian gazed at the fake bush wistfully. "Probably the most important day in my life since I arrived here in Alola."

  "What, the day you and Mina…?"

  Ian chuckled. "No, not that. Although it's pretty close." Ian turned and lowered his head reverently as a grin came across his face. "The day Deerling and I encountered Tapu Bulu."

  "Oh shit, that's the fake bush!" Rapp exclaimed. "No wonder you're all weird about it. It was the day Sawsbuck got blessed and now some fuckers think you're destined to be the Kahuna or some shit, right?"

  Ian shook his head. "Ted Beaumont seemed to think so," he acknowledged. "But maybe Tapu Bulu was just looking out for us. Because of Tapu Bulu's blessing we're fed, we've won some pretty tough fights…"

  "And you got Irida goin' after your dick," Rapp teased.

  Ian rolled his eyes and wordlessly got his bike back into motion. "That too I guess."

  ***

  The junction wasn't that far off, and it was another half hour ride until the little town of Outrigger came into view on the horizon. Ian remembered looking at Mina's painted map of Ula'Ula in Guzma's throne room and noted the scale on the map was bigger than the actual town itself. It looked like there weren't even a hundred houses, but the town was much more spread out than Po Town on account of there being no need for a wall.

  To one direction, Mt. Hokulani loomed overhead, with a quarter mile of mostly flat land before a sharp incline. To the other side of the town lay the sea, with a defiant brown rock sticking out of the ocean a half mile out from the beach. "That's a gnarly rock," Ian observed from a distance.

  "They call it 'Breakwater Isle,'" Plumeria said.

  "'Isle?'" Ian asked with a hint of amusement.

  "Apparently it was a lot bigger years back. The waves and storms keep whittling away at it, so that rock is all that's left," Plumeria said. "There's supposed to be a lot of rock underneath the surface that disrupts the worst of the currents, making this the only place on the northern side of Ula'Ula where ships can dock safely."

  Ian nodded, eyeing the rock jutting out of the sea with a newfound respect. He noticed something on the rock he didn't expect to see, a structure of some sort he was too far away to make out.

  "Okay everyone, be cool when we get into town," Plumeria warned. "They're not hostile to us, but we're not exactly the most welcome group here either." Oh yeah, they do some business with Sinclair. "I'll do all of the talking when we get to the checkpoint. The bike shop's right next to the marina, so if we're allowed to buy the bikes we'll have Rapp go to the marina to find a boat mechanic on the down low."

  "You sure you wanna send just me?" Rapp asked.

  Plumeria shrugged. "Better chance you can sweet talk a mechanic. Also you're more likely to be believed if you get caught and say you got lost."

  "Why's that, Big Sis?" Rapp asked.

  Plumeria rolled her eyes, smiling wickedly. "Precisely."

  It took only a couple minutes of riding before they got to their destination. Dozens of stacked sandbags cut off two edges of the road, narrowing the entryway to a dozen feet or so, with a gate blocking that, and multiple guards on watch. After a quick conversation, the squad rode into town behind an escorting guard's pickup truck, who led them to the very center of the sleepy town.

  Ian saw maybe twenty people on the streets, and gasped when he saw a traffic light at the center of town, reminding himself he hadn't seen one since his arrival on Ula'Ula Island. Kinda crazy to believe there's a whole functioning society off this island. One day when things hopefully settle down I'll get to check it out.

  The escort truck pulled up to an imposing two story building, and Ian spied a sigh reading "Outrigger City Hall." Since this is civilization after all, I wonder if they have a mayor? When the escort hopped out of the truck and said a few words to the building's own guard, who then disappeared inside.

  "Who did you say was the leader here again?" Ian asked.

  "Leilani," Plumeria said.

  "Is she the mayor or something?" Ian asked.

  "She's the strongest trainer in the town," Plumeria said. "And she's also Keahi's youngest sister."

  Ian's eyebrows rose. Well that's interesting. Maybe Leilani knows where her sister went. "Was she in the Cinders with you guys?" Ian asked.

  Plumeria scoffed. "Nope," Plumeria said as she fixated on the door as it opened, where one of the security guards beckoned them inside.

  Once inside, the group was led into a recreation room where a number of town residents, mostly elderly, sat around tables playing various card games. Ian found a seat and tried to keep a low profile. Just in case Driftwood's bounty made it out here.

  Tupp cleared his throat and tapped Ian's shoulder. "Hey bro, is that Grimsley over there?"

  Ian turned around quickly, following the direction of Tupp's index finger only to recognize the dark haired man wearing a resplendent kimono. "Holy shit it is Grimsley," Ian said. Oh yeah, he did say he's been hanging around Outrigger for the war… and so does the Driftwood Guild.

  "Hey Plumeria, I gotta say hi to Grimsley," Ian said.

  "Okay," Plumeria said casually, but her expression told a very different story.

  "Thanks," Ian said, giving her a wink to try to tell him he understood. Ian approached Grimsley's table, the three elderly folks with him had to be at least twice his age, and Ian cleared his throat to announce his arrival. Grimsley looked up from his hand of cards and chuckled.

  "Well look who it is," Grimsley said with a smile. "Long time no see Ian."

  Ian nodded. "Yeah, good to see you Grimsley."

  "Sorry for the interruption, friends. I'd like you to introduce my student, Ian Cougar. They jokingly call him the Prince of Po Town," Grimsley said with a light chuckle.

  "If your teaching is as wicked as you when you play cards, it's no surprise your student's become a prince of scoundrels," a pale elderly woman with white hair and wrinkled face teased.

  "How is he as a Pokemon trainer?" An elderly man Ian could tell was of native descent.

  Grimsley smiled with pride. "Well, I heard through the rumor mill he singlehandedly won the battle of Atman's Point."

  "It wasn't singlehanded-"

  "Atman's Point?" Said the fourth and oldest looking member of the table with a titter. She had the dark skin of a native Alolan, but looked significantly more wrinkled than the other two elders of the table. "Surely you mean Adaman's Point?"

  "Who cares about the name?" The other elder woman commented.

  Ian realized his jaw had dropped and his heart jolted at the name the elderly native woman said. "Wait, ma'am, you said 'Adaman's Point,' right?" Ian asked.

  "Yes, where that little altar on Cape Pupuhi is?" The elderly native woman said.

  Adaman, like the leader of the Diamond Clan, Adaman? It can't be the same guy-

  "Kalele, it's your turn," the older man grumbled, turning to the elderly woman with dark skin.

  "What's trump?" Kalele asked.

  "Clubs," the elderly pale skinned woman said.

  "Oh let me see…" Kalele murmured as she eyed her cards.

  Ian looked at Grimsley intensely, pointing at Kalele and mouthing "I need to talk to her alone."

  Grimsley rolled his eyes but shrugged, digging into his pocket for something before leaning back in his chair, then suddenly gasping as the chair fell backwards, causing Grimsley to hit the floor and roll over. "Oh, my head!" Grimsley wailed in mock pain.

  The room's attention converged on the fallen Elite Four member, who wailed in pain once more before Ian noticed blood on his fingers. "You're bleeding?" Ian asked in shock.

  Grimsley overtly winked at Ian before wailing in pain some more. "I think I need a nurse…" He just carries around fake blood? What a guy.

  "Well, I guess the game's over for a bit," the elder man's voice from behind Ian said.

  "Good, I gotta go pee anyways," the female voice he knew wasn't Kalele's said.

  After the initial interest, the rec room had become surprisingly calm at Grimsley's seeming medical emergency. Or maybe it's because no one can hear anything. Ian noticed Plumeria getting up from her chair, concern on her face but he waved her off and mouthed "it's fine," to her, placating the squad leader.

  Ian helped the two elderly members of the table from their chairs and took one of the seats next to the elderly Kalele.

  "Excuse me, but aren't you going to help your cardshark friend?" Kalele said.

  "No, he's just being overdramatic. He does this when he loses," Ian said.

  "Oh, how cute," Kalele said bluntly before cackling at her own comment.

  Ian waited for her to finish, then moved in close. "Ma'am, your name's Kalele, right?"

  "Yes. And you are, young man?" Kalele asked.

  "Ian, Grimsley's student…" Ian paused, realizing she might be having some short term memory problems. "Ma'am, earlier you said something about Adaman's Point?"

  "Oh yes. Very beautiful," Kalele said. "But I haven't been to the altar for a while. I'm almost ninety you know."

  "But everyone calls it 'Atman's Point,'" Ian said.

  "Well that's because everyone nowadays shortens things, because they're lazy," Kalele said. "It was called Adaman's Point for the man who dwelled there, the same man who chiseled the altar there. He was quite chiseled himself-"

  "Wait he was there? When? How recently?" Ian asked desperately.

  Kalele grimaced sourly. "I know I am a slow speaker in my old age, but I ask you to not interrupt me, young man."

  Ian froze, shaking his head. "I'm terribly sorry ma'am… This is just really fascinating to me."

  "Good. Well, as I was saying… What was I saying?" Kalele asked.

  "Chiseled?"

  "Yes, chiseled. I heard it said he was the most handsome man the islands had ever seen, this Adaman. He wore a faded blue cloak wherever he went, and his hair was distinct; different colors that made him all the more exotic and alluring. But worry not young man, he won't be stealing any ladies from you now. He was in Alola before I was even born," Kalele explained.

  "Then how did you know what he looked like?" Ian asked.

  "My grandmother told me. If he had ended up staying here after carving his love letter into the altar, my grandmother wouldn't have married anyone else," Kalele continued.

  "Love letter?" Ian asked.

  "Yes… the man was from far away and had lost a great love. My grandmother thinks she came up with the name 'Weeping Ridge' overlooking Mahiki Bay because she saw him weeping on it a few times," Kalele explained. Holy…

  "Did he ever mention the name of the woman he loved?" Ian asked curiously.

  "Name? I think he put it in his love letter. Oh, it was such a pretty name. I believe it started with an 'I.' But my mind is so slippery…" Kalele said.

  The altar did have something carved into it. Why didn't I LOOK? Ian's mind raced, thinking of all the bizarre things adding up suddenly. Adaman was on Ula'Ula, he hung around Mahiki Bay, mourning losing Irida? Why there- Ian gasped. Momi Isle… Momi means "pearl" in Alolan. He was looking directly at the Pearl Isle mourning losing Irida… Holy shit!

  "Was it by chance 'Irida?'" Ian asked, afraid of the answer.

  "Yes! That was it, Irida…" Kalele's elderly voice brightened up as she said the name. "So you were able to read the unknown language?"

  "Unknown language? You mean the language isn't known?" Ian asked, suddenly confused.

  "No, young man. Not Unknown. Unown, like the symbol Pokemon," Kalele said.

  "Wow…" Ian said, realizing his mind couldn't even process that part.

  "Ian!" Plumeria's voice called over. "They're ready for us in the council room!"

  Ian nodded. "Just a minute!" He called over. Ian returned his attention to Kalele. "Ma'am, I have to go now, but I just want to say thank you so much for telling me this story."

  Kalele smiled. "You're very welcome young man. And thank you for listening so attentively."

  "It was my pleasure," Ian said sincerely.

  "It's rare to find a man engrossed in love stories like you. I'd tell one of my descendants about you, but you're too young for my granddaughters, and too old for my great granddaughter," Kalele said.

  "I'm honored by the offer ma'am, but I'll be alright," Ian said, chuckling lightly.

  "You're a handsome young man. I'm sure you'll find your Irida some day," Kalele said.

  Ian nearly choked on his own spit as he turned and headed out of the rec room, barely noticing the staff member tending to Grimsley. What the fuck was that conversation? Ian hurried to catch up, dashing down the hall to where he saw the doors Hyde entered into. He opened the door quickly, barging into the room he realized was more reminiscent of a court room, and the whole Team Skull squad glared at him in the silence of the chamber. Deeper into the room, Ian noticed three figures on the judge's benches glaring down at them, flanked by a half dozen trainers.

  "Of course the tardy one's the useful one," a familiar, older feminine voice said. Ian turned to her and his eyebrows rose, seeing councilwoman Nui from Makamae Town on one of the judge's benches.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Ian smiled nervously. "Sorry I'm late, I was listening to a fascinating story from this sweet woman named Kalele," Ian explained.

  "Kalele?" The feminine figure on the highest bench asked curiously. "My grandmother sure can go on."

  Ian gulped. Good thing I didn't say anything bad. Wait, did I just speak with Keahi's grandmother? Damn. "I didn't want to leave too quickly," Ian said.

  The head figure tittered. "Anyone who can withstand my grandmother's stories and be diplomatic about it is okay in my book. And what was your name, young man?"

  Councilwoman Nui chimed "His name is-"

  Leilani shot her cohort a disapproving look, shutting up the older native woman instantly. "My apologies young man, Nui here is still learning Outrigger's diplomatic decorum. What was your name again?"

  "Ian. Ian Cougar," Ian said. I'm glad someone put that bitch Nui in her place. Ian noticed the woman holding court scribble something on a paper he couldn't see.

  "As I told your comrades before, I am Leilani, the head trainer of Outrigger, and its protector. All of you in Team Skull are welcome here as long as you respect our strategic neutrality," Leilani explained. The native woman looked to be in her early thirties, but her sharp features and caramel colored skin made Ian blush slightly. He remembered to give a nod of respect and took a seat next to Tupp. Within a minute, Plumeria's request to purchase bicycles for the Pearl Clan turned into a debate on the strategic value of bicycles, which gave Ian time to let the revelations he'd just bore witness to simmer in his mind.

  Ian was still lost in thought when Plumeria came to his and Tupp's row of chairs and cleared her throat, indicating they needed to move down a spot to make room for her. Tupp slid over, with Ian following as Plumeria made room.

  "So is it over?" Ian asked.

  Plumeria eyed him strangely. "They just said they're going to deliberate, were you not listening?"

  Ian shook his head. "Sorry, just had my mind blown in there."

  "Sounds it like it wasn't in the fun way," Tupp joked.

  Plumeria glared daggers at Tupp, causing him to shrink in his seat. "So what was that thing in the rec room about? Grimsley okay?"

  Ian shook his head, grinning as he remembered the diversion Grimsley had pulled off to get Ian some alone time with Kalele. "It was fake blood so I could talk to Leilani's grandmother alone."

  Plumeria looked at him skeptically. "And what was so important about it that it needed a diversion like that?"

  "Hard to explain…"

  "Was it a Coogz thing?" Plumeria asked lowly.

  Ian grimaced. "Maybe."

  Plumeria maneuvered her head around Ian and pointed at Tupp, shooing him away with her hand.

  "Aw c'mon Big Sis," Tupp grumbled.

  "I don't care," Plumeria said bluntly, almost comically, making Ian grin. Don't start crushing on her again. Plumeria leaned in closely to Ian. "So what was it about?"

  "You ever hear the name of Irida's lost love? The guy from her time?" Ian asked.

  "No," Plumeria said. "Because someone didn't tell me."

  Ian rolled his eyes. "I didn't think it was important."

  "But it's important now?" Plumeria asked skeptically.

  "I said 'maybe' for a reason," Ian said.

  "So…?"

  "Her old boyfriend's name is Adaman," Ian said.

  "Okay," Plumeria said bluntly.

  "Apparently after the Pearl Clan disappeared, he came to Alola. Over a century ago though," Ian said.

  "I'm still not seeing the point," Plumeria whispered.

  Ian smirked. "Ever hear about how 'Atman's Point got its name?"

  "No," Plumeria said.

  "Kalele said its real name is 'Adaman's Point but it got shortened to 'Atman's' because people are lazy," Ian explained. "Apparently he made the altar overlooking Momi Isle and inscribed something on the altar itself, specifically mentioning Irida."

  Plumeria's eyebrows rose. "You're joking."

  "It's what she said," Ian whispered defensively. "But the thing that really hammered it home is where the altar's facing."

  "One of the islands…"

  "Momi Isle, meaning 'Pearl Isle," Ian finished.

  Plumeria gasped. "Woah…" She said under her breath. "That is… spooky." Plumeria pondered the revelation for half a minute before clearing her throat. "But Ian, how important is that to us right now? It doesn't explain the Ultra Rift, and it's not gonna help us against Sinclair."

  Ian grimaced. "Yeah I know, but I got a gut feeling on it. It matters. There's something to this."

  Plumeria nodded. "Fair enough. Just remember we still have a war going on."

  "Of course," Ian said.

  ***

  Once their request to purchase bicycles had been approved, the security guard in the pickup truck led the squad closer to the beach, where an old bike rental shop had fallen into slight disrepair. It was stocked with dozens of bikes, and Plumeria brought Tupp and Hyde in with her to make decisions about what they'd be buying, and Rapp went around the side to accidentally get lost and find her way to the marina, leaving Ian outside with Selene.

  Ian tried to distract himself from looking too hard at Plumeria in the shop, instead shifting his focus to Breakwater Isle. Having a closer look at it helped Ian identify the structure near the top of the island, a hut, maybe even a cottage resting on top. Ian's study of Breakwater Isle was soon interrupted by Selene approaching him. "Not so fun being an outsider again, is it?"

  Ian turned to her, slightly perturbed but also confused. "What do you mean by that? Me not being in the shop?"

  "No, not that," Selene clarified. "I meant back in Po Town. Like I've become in this squad, you're the odd guy out in town now."

  Ian paused, staring at Selene with great confusion. "In Po Town? Really?"

  "Yeah. Haven't you noticed?" Selene asked.

  "Not really…" Ian croaked. "I mean, I've noticed I'm getting some sour looks from folks because of the radio network making everyone work longer hours, but that's not a big deal."

  Selene shook her head. "It shouldn't be a big deal, but it is. Rook's always had a circle of people close to him, but it's gotten really shady recently."

  "Shady how?" Ian asked curiously, still not sure if Selene was feeding him a crock of shit.

  "He's been having everyone in his inner circle work shorter shifts when watching the wall, and everyone who's not in it works longer hours. I heard him say 'thank the Prince of Po Town for us being so understaffed' when someone complained to him about it."

  Ian grimaced. Rook really didn't like getting shown up in the strategy meeting… Or maybe there's something more to it. "With giving shorter shifts to loyalists and longer shifts to people he doesn't like, he's expanding his inner circle…" Ian speculated. Would he really try something like taking over Po Town? Cuz it sure is starting to seem like something's up with Rook. "Why haven't you brought this up with Plumeria?"

  Selene shook her head. "It can't be me. They'll think I'm just some bitter girl who's making stuff up to mess with Rook."

  Ian grimaced. Well that would make a lot of sense. "I see. But you're not exactly doing yourself any favors by pursuing Tupp now that Rook dumped you."

  It was Selene's turn to grimace. "Not that it matters, but I broke it off with Rook actually."

  "Really? Took you that long to figure out he was just a fuckboy?"

  "He asked me what I'd think if Guzma no longer ran Po Town," Selene explained. "He didn't mention anything specific, but I could tell. He wants to run Po Town. That's when I realized everything about him was all wrong…"

  "These are some pretty heavy accusations you're throwing at him," Ian said.

  "When we first started fooling around he kept saying something about a 'demoralization process,'" Selene continued. "I think he's finally found a way to put it into action."

  Ian gazed into Selene's dark eyes, not sure whether to believe her or not. Demoralization? That'd be the way to gain the loyalty of a good chunk of Team Skull members and displace Guzma… I remember in the strategy meeting I was thinking Rook's plan would basically kill our morale over time, just sitting back and letting Sinclair's goons attack us whenever they wanted to. Plus Rook had the latest strategy meeting with just the bones didn't he? Shit! Ian's body jolted as the realization hit him. He might've been planning this the entire time, like the key not being in the gate house on the night of their first attack.

  "Ian?" Selene asked, worry in her voice.

  Ian shook his head, sighing. "Selene, you might actually be right. Don't tell anyone about this yet. When we get back to Po Town, I'm gonna do some digging around. I'll mention this to Plumeria at some point, but just as speculation."

  Selene nodded. "Thank you Ian. Anything I can do to thank you?"

  Ian smirked. "Besides stop using Tupp as a rebound?"

  A flare of anger came over Selene's face before it drooped in defeat. "I know it seems like it, but realizing Rook's just been looking out for himself and causing problems made me realize how good of a guy Tupp is…"

  Ian shook his head. "Gonna take a lot more than that to win Tupp back," Ian said coldly.

  "I know…" Selene said dejectedly.

  Ian shook his head even more fiercely, anger rising in her voice. "I'm not sure you do though. You know what kind of guy Tupp is?" Ian asked rhetorically. "I've known him for two months, and he already wants to get matching tattoos that say 'bros for life.' The guy's saved my life multiple times and always has my back…" Ian paused. "He deserves a girl who loves him and appreciates that, not have him as a fucking rebound."

  Selene nodded, her eyes beginning to water. "I know, and I swear it's not that-"

  "It better not be," Ian said damningly. Having said what he needed to say, he turned away from Selene and made his way over to the bike shop's exterior, looking through the window, watching as their squad mates inspected the bike shop's wares. Out of the corner of his eye, Ian spotted a couple approaching figures, one being Leilani, and the other-

  His blood had only begun to simmer down from how his conversation with Selene had ended, but now his blood boiled once more as his eyes landed upon the pink haired Driftwood Guild member beside Leilani. "NEROLI!" Ian roared.

  The oncoming duo froze, completely taken aback. "We need to fucking talk, you and me!" Ian demanded as he began storming up the sidewalk.

  Leilani held her arm out in front of Neroli and stepped in front of the Driftwood Guild member. "Young man, need I remind you this is an area of strategic neutrality? Behavior like this will not be tolerated in this town," Leilani announced, a deathly serious look in her eyes.

  "Yeah I remember," Ian jabbed. "But I have a question for you. Does a one-hundred thousand dollar bounty on my head being offered to our enemies count as 'strategic neutrality' here?" Ian demanded calmly as he heard Selene dashing her way toward him.

  Leilani turned to Neroli, deeply perplexed. "Neroli, is there any veracity to his statement?"

  Neroli smiled nervously. "Well… kind of-"

  Leilani gasped, taking a dramatic step back. You bitch.

  "But let me explain! It's not like that," Neroli said, her hands up helplessly. "It wasn't his head, it was for him alive."

  Ian folded his arms, scowling. "Explain?"

  Neroli nodded, smiling even more nervously. "So, we hold no oaths above the island, that's our thing right? One of the things we do is trade food to independent groups, people not in any faction so they don't starve-"

  "Yet you stopped accepting payment for food for the Pearl Clan. And from Sinclair's faction as well," Ian accused.

  A nervous bead of sweat fell down Neroli's forehead. "Look, those decisions are made by my higher ups-"

  "And who the hell are they?" Ian demanded.

  "I can't say," Neroli said. "But they're looking out for you Ian, I promise. With that Sawsbuck, you can feed the island, you can help us survive no matter how bad this crisis gets. The island needs you two-"

  Ian shook his head, remaining silent as Neroli's statement ran through his mind.

  "Ian!" Plumeria barked as she dashed over, Hyde and Tupp on her heels. Plumeria stepped beside him, taking in the situation before looking at Ian to confirm.

  "So, the bounty thing's true?" Plumeria asked knowingly.

  "Kind of," Neroli said nervously, putting her hands up defensively again. "J-just for him… alive. They would've gotten nothing if he were… uh, killed."

  Plumeria growled under her breath. "Do you realize the target you put on my subordinate's back? The one keeping Po Town alive?"

  "It wasn't the higher ups' intention, I promise," Neroli said desperately.

  Plumeria scoffed as she took a step forward, her pink and yellow hair billowing in the wind. "And this is why I don't trust you fuckers. Underhanded snakes, the lot of you."

  Neroli quivered with fear. "I'm sorry this all went down this way, I really didn't intend on this to…" Neroli trailed off as she looked into Leilani's intimidating eyes.

  "Neroli, I think it's best you leave Outrigger," Leilani said coldly.

  "Yeah, I will. I'll get right on it…" Neroli said, staggering backwards before walking in a hurry away from the group.

  Leilani sighed, directing her attention to Plumeria and the rest of the crew. "On behalf of Outrigger, I deeply apologize for you having to endure that," Leilani said solemnly. "It was not our intention to harbor someone with designs against your side of the conflict."

  "We understand," Plumeria said coldly.

  Leilani nodded. "I thank you for your understanding, and for not escalating things within our territory. I understand why you would want to," Leilani explained.

  "You're welcome," Plumeria said. "Now that our business is concluded, it's probably best we get moving too, right?"

  Leilani shrugged. "Well, that depends. Someone has asked to see you all, and if you're interested, I would be happy to take you to them."

  Plumeria turned to her group, gauging the mood. "Sure why not? They up the street or something?"

  "Not quite," Leilani said, turning her head to the sea, with Ian realizing she was looking right at Breakwater Isle.

  "And who's this person who wants to speak to us?" Plumeria asked.

  Leilani turned her gaze back to Plumeria and Ian, a deeply serious look on her face.

  "Keahi."