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"There's a grotto with a beautiful reef, just over there, Ki," Natsuki said, pausing and motioning in the direction of a small rocky crag area close by. "Is that where our little friend, awaits us?"

Considering the nature of their mission, Natsuki brought long a first aid kit, in the event of a repeat performance. When Ki joined her outside, they made their way to the beach. The sky was clear and beautiful, too bad, it will be painted in a faint shade of murder. Granted, their duos victim would be a fish, but her own apprehension grew when Natsuki realized this beach in particular, was of great consequence to her.

Not too long ago, Natsuki filled Ki's shoes, posed with the challenge of finding a suitable soul to weave with her own fel essence. She hadn't visited that section of the beach since the full moonlit night when she took Noor's soul. Unfortunately, returning to the location was unavoidable, as she promised Ki she'd help serve up a healthy, heaping platter of revenge sashimi.

"It's a bit ironic really, Ki," Natsuki mused, while powdwery sand crunched soft beneath their feet. "I caputured my the soul for my raevan on this beach as well. I didn'd figure I would be visiting here again, so soon."

"I was born and raised around here, Ki. My parents own a Traditional Hot Springs Resort, not too far from here. Though one doesn't find many djinneyeh laying here on the beach. I came upon her lamp purely by chance. She wanted to be free of her lamp, and I needed a soul," Natsuki said, scooting down the sand toward the craggy inlet. She hadn't realized it, but lately, more and more of her time was spent handling guardians and discussing raevans, and truth be told, Natsuki didn't know too much about the entire process. The part-time volunteer decided a little self-study on her own might help her become more useful to the community in general.

"I am probably leaving all the juicy details out, but the long and the short of it is, that I she needed to be released, and by released-- I mean killed on a night with a full moon. She wanted to see the ocean for the first and last time in her life," Natsuki said, feeling a tightness in her chest. She'd casually mentioned the capture of Noor's soul to other guardians, but she'd never really gone into detail with anyone before. Again, Fate had a unique sense of humor, seeing as Natsuki started disclosing rather personal information to a woman she'd met less than a few hours ago. "Sorry, Ki, I hope you don't think less of me. Sometimes, I think that's one of the finite details they gloss over in the fine print when we sign up for this adventure."

A flush swept her cheeks, as Natsuki heard a stab of frustration rang clearly in her voice. Shaking her head, she scooped up some salt water and splashed it on her face. "Sorry, that sounded way more catty than I intended," Natsuki apologized, hoisting herself up onto a rock beside the pool. Slipping on a pair of gloves, she handed Ki her spare pair. Looking down into the pool below, she saw beautiful corals and colorful fish swimming about. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of brown and white lingering near one of the rocks.

"Ki, my dear, I do believe we've got company," Natsuki grinned, pointing down at the banded fish floundering near the rock. "They move rather slowly, don't they? Any idea how we're going to catch him, aside from using out bare hands?"

"Well, turning him into shikebab will be our plan B, then. Have BBQ Pit. Can Grill!" Natsuki cackled appreciatively of she-pirate's surprising bold and adventurous thinking. The practicality of the suggestion made her smile wickedly. "Great minds think alike. I love where your head's at, Ki. That'll come in handy," she continued motioning to the shirt while the piratess disrobed. Looking down at the rocks and coral, she pictured the best places to step without disrupting the coral or members of the marine community. Her eyes widened at the sight of the soul bottle bobbing along the water. Thankfully, it hadn't strayed from the small alcove while Ki was in the cafe getting her wounds tended to.

"Tie off the sleeves and make a knot in the collar, Ki. I think that'll help catch the little b*****d. We can worry about catching the soul once we are inside. The lionfish will have to die, and you'll have to capture the soul, before we slice him up" Natsuki said, gingerly slipping her feet into the water. Sliding herself down into the chilly water, she sat on a smooth rock. Splashing lightly in the water, she took a stick to poke around at the rogue fish, in an attempt to corral him toward Ki's makeshift net.

Natsuki practically held her breath as she poked around the water, more so when the lion fish wriggled its way from it safe haven and swam directly at Ki. 'Don't get stung! Don't get stung!' she chanted to herself, wading through the water. Any real fisherman would have fallen off his boat had he'd taken one glance at the piratess and the cafe owner's master plan. Then, the fish simply swam directly into Ki's shirt. Talk about luck!

Natsuki didn't release her breath until Ki hoisted the wet shirt out of the water. "Yes! Great job, Ki! Next step is the soul bottle. It might be best to take the soul here, with nobody around instead of near the cafe where I know people will be watching," Natsuki advised, climbing out of the water and sitting down on a rock. She slipped off her sandals and stuck her feet in the sand. Considering all the trouble the fish gave Ki, Natsuki expected it to be much larger. Then again, poisonous fish weren't famed for their size but their potency.

"Plus, it'll make it easier to transport him back to the shop. I think I have a nice wine that will go well with fish. All you need to do is take off the top and lay the bottle near the fish. Just make sure its not close to you or I. Don't want the wrong soul getting taken!" Natsuki said, toweling her feet off and drying her sandals.

"It shouldn't take long because a fish can't breath outside of water, right? The soul bottle will help speed up the process, and that guy's also injured. Don't think we'll need to wait long," Natsuki said thoughtfully. Her skin crept a little. Unlike when she took Noor's soul, this time she actually sat there to watch something die. It's not that she hadn't seen a dead fish before, she'd just never watched one die by suffocation. All the fish that she'd ever bought from the Gambino Market, were fresh and dead.

"Honestly, I don't think there is a specific collection time. When I caught mine, I couldn't be near the site after I killed her, since a genie has a human form, it felt more like murder than anything else," she said, in a soft voice, rubbing her arm gentle. Color slightly drained from her fair complexion. Months later, she still felt the haunting remnants of that painful night. "I've been told that souls have colors, so I'd be curious to see what color this guy has. Perhaps, its brown and white like his bold stripes?"

"Ya know, Ki, I was glad to share this experience with you. I know it might sound a bit childish, but its nice to know that not all these soul captures are utterly emotionally scarring events," Natsuki confided in the pirate lass. For all her hard-nosed management techniques, there were still some situations where the young cafe manager wilted like a rose in the desert.

An opalescent smoke danced in the bottom of the bottle. As it grew denser and denser, bands of glittering chocolate brown emerged. After a few minutes, the final swirls of soul and life traveled from the lion fish to settle inside the soul bottle. Natsuki watched with the same interest as Ki, seeing as she missed her own soul capture experience. All she could remember were the floating amethyst swirls after she took Noor's soul.

"Just stick the stopper back in, and that's all she wrote. I'll deliver the materials to Dr. Kyou after I close up tonight," Natsuki said, carefully picking up the fish with her thick gloves and placing it in a plastic bag. Not one to go back on an offer, she mused over her fish recipes, thinking up an ideal menu fit for Pirate Queen. "All that's left is our little dinner date!"