Screw It, I'm Going Out to Find It!

Chapter XXII: Party on Vearth

Sleep deprivation was a plague in Skypiea. While the faces of its denizens were kind, the dark bags under their eyes couldn't be missed. The cause, as they alluded, was an island across the small span of sea. Supposedly, loud music could be heard from it all night long, and those that couldn't cover their ears properly found trouble sleeping. Jaune had even experienced this himself. Despite the amazing ear plugs they were given, he could still hear the beats and even felt them from an island over.

While most of them had managed to get decent enough sleep, Cardin had struggled and chose to train in the night instead. Now, he was back at the ship resting while the rest of the crew explored. Ren went to the market, Ruby was messing around with the different types of clouds and something called dials, and Neo was off doing — something.

Jaune found himself with Blake, Sun, and Neptune at a cafe. The place was certainly crowded from the locals needing something to kick off their day. In Jaune's opinion, it was a bit much going on for some quaint cafe. Live performers serenaded them with string instruments, the coffee was served in china, and the waiters' attires resembled that of a butler more than their own. All in all, it made him feel like he was at some high class ball. The topic at hand, however, greatly diminished that.

"So, you're saying that Adam wanted to help us?" Blake had dragged them to a place to talk. Mainly, a comment that Neptune had made shocked her, but she hadn't had any time to address it yet. Jaune and Sun were merely there to be mediators.

"Yeah. Some revolutionary guy helped us out and said that he worked for him." Neptune summarized his meeting with the soldier and the vague details he had been given.

Blake shook her head, staring at her coffee instead of across the table. "That doesn't make sense. Adam isn't like that. He wouldn't just help a human. Are you sure that's the name he gave?"

The conversation never got much further than that. All Neptune had was a name and that it was connected to the Revolutionary Army, but Blake was positive that something was going on. When the talking died down, Jaune tried using his scroll to find any information — and maybe message Nora since it had been a while — but there was no connection. It seemed that the CCT wasn't designed to get through clouds from a weird fantasy world.

Sighing, he set his scroll down and looked around. "These people look miserable," he said aloud. He didn't get a response, but he didn't really need one. The faces around them spoke for themselves. Even the cheerful melody was in contrast to the dull stares of the musicians. "You think it has to do with that vile monster they were talking about?"

"It seems someone was partying too hard last night," Sun replied.

"That's putting it lightly." Someone from a table near theirs commented. They turned to see a woman, vexed and looking seaward. "Every night that rapscallion plays that obnoxious music, and everyone here is tired of it!"

"Have you talked to them?" Neptune asked.

The woman scoffed. "We have certainly tried, but they clearly have no interest in being civil about this."

Jaune thought over what she had said, and was about to respond when someone said, "You four, with us."

***

Ruby was, for all intents and purposes, a kid in a candy store. The clouds were one thing, but these dials were another. At first they appeared to be nothing more than shells, but they did so much more. Lights, bursts of wind, fire, and so much more. Sure, most technology could do that stuff too, but this was different. She had gone to the market with Ren after hearing about them. She had thought them interesting and wanted to open one and figure it out. Yet, when she did just that, it was like a foreign language of engineering. Nothing within the device resembled anything she knew.