"We have only had it for a few days," Douken did comment in. As far as they know, the flower had rested within a pocket dimension, waiting for someone to perform the "act of sacrifice" knowing they would come back to retrieve it, meaning the item had slept for ages without anything to really act upon. Either way, a feeling in his gut told him that it did not simply turn on to entertain the pair with its light show. "What it means, I am not too sure, but I do get a feeling it was reaction to… us…" Douken's cheeks shined red outside the glow of the flower, making itself much more noted when it was placed away.

"When we land, I can see about us getting an audience with Professor Zuuli at the College. While her head may be full of crazy, abstract theories, she is an expert when it comes to people and how their bodies react… Trust me, give her a meter, and she will go a mile on how a hormone would react in nearly every single instance…" He knew the lecture was coming, but maybe it was for the best. After all, while what they did would not have really been as extreme as their drunk night, it would give some possible clues.

Still, with the offer to call things a night, Douken could not help but smile and nod his head, watching her step away to swap out of the swimsuit, leaving him to do the same in the room itself, having her return to him with lighter shorts and a sleeveless top. She was first to take to the covers, leaving him to follow up and taking the vacant side, the glow of the room filling their cabin. Still, the room felt a bit chillier than it should have been. Even with the thermal blanket on top, it felt like there was some missing heat. Breaking an eye lightly open, he could sort of see Mazerine suffering the same issue, and scooted up to her side, closing the gap. There was not a reaction of shock from it, at least from what he could tell, but could feel her curl up in acceptance of his choice. With a final kiss to her forehead, Douken wrapped an arm around her, holding her close as the two slept the night away to the morning of the third day's flight.

After the pair had discussed the happenings with the artifact and could come to no conclusion, and Douken had suggested they meet with this Professor Zuuli when they arrived in Iria, calling it a night had been the best bet. When she was cold in the night, Douken had wrapped his arm around her, the two sleeping through the remainder of the night nestled into one another.

Morning came and the sun was shining brightly through the large windows of their suite. Mazerine snuck herself out from underneath Douken’s arm, miraculously without waking, and climbed out of bed. She paused for a moment, turning to glance back at him, a small smile on her face. She took a moment to recall what had taken place before they had turned in, and she found herself rather glad that the two had shared such a moment while neither of them had been under any sort of influence, other than perhaps their proximity.

She took a while to get dressed, in a pair of leggings and a tunic - she was dressing for comfort rather than glamor this day. She pulled her hair into a simple braid, pulled her somewhat worn yet still very comfortable boots on, and made her way back into the bedroom where her companion was still asleep. She gently woke him, and gave him a few minutes to ready himself for the day, waiting for him in the common area of the suite.

When he met her, the pair went off to have a simple breakfast. After the previous day’s rather trying difficulties, Mazerine suggested that maybe the pair just have a simple stroll around the different decks for a while. Thanks to her strike from the previous day’s events, they were not able to enter any other suites, but that didn’t hinder the type of walk that Mazerine wanted to go on. They had seen a lot of the ship already, but she was sure there was still more to be seen.

They made their way to the main deck with the glass dome, and Mazerine basked in the sunshine for a bit, the warmth feeling rather delightful on her skin. Neither of them had mentioned the passionate moment they had shared the night before, but as they left the domed area, Mazerine reached over and laced her fingers in his, not looking at him or saying anything, but she smiled softly as she felt his hand interlock with her own.

The pair rounded a corner into an empty hallway, one of the alternate routes to get to the lounge area. “Maybe some tea?” she suggested, and they began to make their way toward the lounge - that is, until a familiar yet unwelcome face stepped out from one of the doorways. Karma, the man who had caused them so much trouble the day before, looked at the pair with an expression of intermingled disgust and anger.

Mazerine gripped Douken’s hand a bit tightly, clearly uncomfortable with the duke’s appearance. “Well, well, well,” Karma began, sneering slightly at them. “Perfect for each other, I suspect. A worthless explorer and a damnable whore,” he said, nearly spitting the words at them. “Fortunately for me, I’ll never have to see your wretched likes again,” he said, simrking.

Before Mazerine could open her mouth to say anything, Karma made a sudden motion with his hands, and the floor below the pair began to swirl - the duke had cast a gate spell on them. Mazerine wrenched her hand from Douken’s, attempting to counteract the spell - but it was too late.

The gate had pulled them from the ship and transported them to a location near one of the shores of Nyella Ocean, fortunately dropping them only a couple of feet before they splashed into the water. Either Karma hadn’t intended for the fall into the water to kill them, or his aim had been off… Or perhaps he expected them to survive the drop, only for the creatures of Nyella to do them in… Either way, they were no longer aboard the ship, and it seemed they had much bigger problems to deal with than the artifact now.