and followed his leader, not without a grumble of contempt or two.

In the distance, set in the shadow of a large mountainous hill, lay a small, dusty township; their intended destination. As the two pirates walked, their pace matching, they remained quiet, for both were deep in thought and genuinely thankful for the feel of solid earth beneath their feet. It was a rare occasion that both Morrigan and Yonyon chose to keep their individual thoughts to themselves, yet the sheer relief of being out of immediate danger for the first time in weeks exhausted their will for sarcastic banter. It didn't take long for the distant town to become less so; soon, the pirates were attracting more attention than they would have liked but couldn't have helpedas the inhabitants stopped in the streets to stare at the outsiders. It took even less time for them to vacate the area and seek cover from the strangers in the assorted buildings to either side of them. Morrigan smiled, spotting a building with an aged, rickety sign amongst the various shops and houses.

''Vacancies...'' Morrigan muttered, suddenly coming to an abrupt halt, yanking Yonyon back in the process.

''Huh?'' Yonyon yelped as he almost tripped over his skirt. He scowled as he squinted over to the sign that had caught Morrigan's attention, his bad mood vanishing in an instant. ''Okay, we're staying there.''

This time, it was the young Captain's turn to yelp suddenly as the Okama dragged him forwards by the arm towards the motel. It wasn't much to