Chapter 181 - To Sail a Ship

"Hear ye, hear ye~!"

A silver utensil is being tapped repeatedly on the surface of a glass goblet. And the clanging sound reverberates all around the cabin, gradually appeasing the little commotion.

"This is your Captain Joshua speaking...!" Joshua introduced himself with a grin before placing the items back on the table, a look of contentment splattered across his expression.

"We have gathered here today to celebrate and congratulate every one of you for all the efforts and dedication that you have done on this fleet! That despite those tragic years of patience and frustrations, we can safely assume that our sacrifices were paid off! That everything was worth the wait because our vessel, the S.S. Cassian, would finally be sailing again!"

"Cassian?" Hugo blurted out and tilted his head quizzically.

"It's Cass for Cassidy, and Ian for Adrian, bro."

"Oh! I see!"

He beamed at the realization while their other two companions only grunted beside him. 

The four of them decided to stay in their cabin after eating lunch together. The a.d.u.l.ts are still out there somewhere, and in their absence, the children have come up with the idea of holding this discussion. 

"Like any other newly emerged sh.i.p.s, the S.S. Cassian doesn't have a base yet. It also doesn't have a mission or a plan to explore other territories. It is a vessel that sails in no direction..." Joshua continued on with his theatrical opening remark.

"As one of its loyal crew members as well as the pioneer of this fleet, it is my life mission to set our beloved ship to still waters - averting it from horrendous storms and icebergs that might destroy and sink it like the infamous Titanic!"

"I don't want Aunty and Uncle Bossman to end up like Rose and Jack..." Hugo sniffled.

"I don't want their love story to become a tragedy."

"You've heard Ensign Hugo, mates! The time has come for the tides to be turned! We pledge to the flagship of S.S. Cassian that we will protect their purity for the world - by hook or by crook. That's why we declared this operation as SOS. Also known as operation Save Our Sanity!"

Thunderous claps roared with enthusiasm, which were all coming from Hugo and Aira. On the other hand, Damien remained awkwardly silent on his seat, though he could not help but grin in amus.e.m.e.nt the whole time.

"Admiral Damien, the floor is yours now," Joshua said for the last time before stepping aside for the next speaker to take the spotlight.

"Years ago, a certain species named Adrian Millicent came to the world brimming with icy-cold confidence and smiles that were of rare jewels. His sainthood was misunderstood by many at first..." Damien started and stood, deciding to play along. 

"And one of them went by the name of Cassidy Eleanor who first fell head-over-heels for him until she began throwing spitballs of fire to mankind two years ago. That was when the table was turned, and things were reversed! And that's how the Cassidy Curse was born. Oh, how he regretted!"

"Little did he know that the lady he infected with his graces had transmitted him a poison - a mysterious agent acquired by a certain percentage of the male population," Aira chimed in with a small giggle. 

"Indeed! A poison that underwent dormancy due to the his oblivious nature and some other things that muddled his insights about love and hate. It was all a first for him, so he was only bamboozled. "

At this point, Damien is already getting carried away. They can see how much he is enjoying his narration.

"It took years - years, mates, for the poison to be triggered! Unfortunately, it was all too late. The poison was already infused into his bloodstream and destroyed his immune system without him knowing. Thus, Adrian Millicent, was diagnosed with a terminal stage of Cassidy's Charms."

"More like Cassidy's Syndrome," Joshua snorted.

"Before we proceed to our agenda, I'm giving the honors to Lieutenant Aira on cascading our proceeds."

"Greetings, my fellow shipmates..." Aira began and made a curtsy.

"As of this moment, we have two open betting pools for the canonization of Cassian. However, all bets related to this are placed on hold due to some undisclosed information. There was also the fact that the two confirmed that they weren't getting back together. Everything will probably be validated in an indefinite time frame."

"I have my full respects on Uncle Bossman for being a gentleman...!" Hugo remarked.

"So, then, how much is the overall money pot, Lieutenant?"

Aira blinked at that in puzzlement. She had no idea what Hugo was talking about, bu she had gained the impression that they were actually serious about this all along.

"Wait a minute. Money pot...?" Aira blurted out with a raised brow.

"Why do you sound like you're selling the soul of my big sis to the devil?"

"Excuse me. But the devil you're referring to is our uncle," Joshua deadpanned.

"Oh, oh! Hear this! I once heard Aunty calling Uncle demon lord!" Hugo chirped, oblivious as to what the topic was really about.

"In any case, everyone, we have but one mission to accomplish here..." Damien trailed off before clearing his throat.

"For this trip, we're going to give them time together - alone, okay? So, don't go dragging Aunt Cassidy whenever and wherever you want, Hugo. They need space."

"Aye, aye, Admiral!" 

And with that, their meeting was adjourned.

---

After getting a not-so urgent phone call from Adrian the other day, Irish found a reason to take a break from film-making and went back to her home country after two years.

Apparently, he was in distress for something as small as getting caught by the woman he was stalking for two whole years - or at least, that was how he described the situation. But when she heard the entire story, it was not like that at all. He was only overreacting.

'Still, I had a feeling that it would not just end there. And as I thought, they would get another one. They officially had their reunion today - thanks to our nephews, that is...' she though while she recalled the phone call that she received from her younger brother that morning.

'As soon as I learned that they would be heading to a campsite in order to accompany the kids in a school event, I decided to make a detour and follow them!'

However, instead of going straight home, she made a last-minute arrangement to join the fun. She was also getting the feeling that Adrian would need her there at some point. But at most, she planned to simply observe from the side. 

'This was kind of my responsibility, anyway. He had actually followed my advice back then. So, if something bad were to happen as a result, I needed to do some damage control at least.'

As soon as Irish stepped inside the grocery store to buy some other things she would be needing for the trip, people began to turn in her direction and behold her in fascination. 

Customers and staff alike - they all can't peel their captivated gazes away from this beauty. Not only does her attire catch attention as it perfectly tones her curvaceous, smooth-looking figure, but her striking aura stands out as well. Even more so when she continues to walk further into the store as if gracing the place with her transcendental presence.

At that moment, they couldn't help but think that some goddess had descended from heaven. 

'Let's get this done as soon as possible. Their ship will arrive soon. Fortunately, the airport is near that place, and so is this grocery store.'

Iris decided not to pay her audience any mind unlike in the past - she is no longer the narcissistic, attention-seeker that she used to be. With that said, she only carries on with her endeavor there. 

During this time, everything still seems to be normal. She doesn't sense anything out of place as she proceeds to move from one aisle to another. That is all until a moment later - right when she arrives at one of the last sections she will be exploring. 

Irish is still being stared at by the other shoppers when she stands on her toes and reaches out to a particular item at the highest part of that row of shelves.

'Gahhh...! I forgot to wear high heels today! This sucks!' she bolted out inside her head while she continued to struggle with her height. 

"Here, Ma'am. I'll get that for you."

Then, all of the sudden, someone stood behind her and reached for the item she had been trying to get.

She took it without hesitation the moment it had been offered to her. With a smile, she then turned around to express her gratitude to the person who helped her out - 

But only to find herself thunderstruck and speechless by the one who greeted her.

"Oh, look who we have here~ Long time no see, princess."