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Ghostly Leaf

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                                  "Valdis Uvet farnirer," he echoed her stupidly. He'd heard his share of unusual names, this one took the cake. Vaguely European, though just alien enough to be unrecognizable. It was no language he could recognize and while the chance of it being some incredibly rare dialect from some incredibly endangered tribe in the incredibly desolate African desert arriving in the form of a very modernized young woman was exactly as impossible as it seemed...what other explanation was there? She seemed unwilling or unable to give more information and Kyo regarded her a little more carefully. What other explanation...Another world? She had an unusual way of speaking, not considering the way her tongue seemed to be a little too large for her mouth. Like each word was carefully chosen and clipped before being delivered. 'Royalty,', came to mind and Kyo again had to rein himself back. The thought made his pulse quicken and he struggled to keep the curiosity from appearing. Another world! Wouldn't that be something? Perhaps she was some princess, or a hero. An envoy, sent from a dying land to find one last hope for her people. He smiled vaguely at the thought.

                                  Even as she spoke, she seemed to grow more confident, drawing some strength from within. She was handling herself very well considering the circumstances. If she really were who she said she was, then it was all the more amazing. Her posture was ramrod straight now, and though she kept wringing his handkerchief in her hands, the trembling had mostly stopped. He was impressed. Diplomatic and in control of their emotions. This just screamed princess.

                                  'Stop that,' he chided himself. He was often times prone to his dreams. Romanticizing every little thing was exactly what she had hated him for. Not a day went by when she had not scolded him, telling him off for being too dramatic or too useless or just too...not there. She wanted him to come back down to earth once in a while and give her the attention she needed. He couldn't blame her for that. He didn't. But she had asked him to be there and before he could even try, she was the one nowhere to be found.

                                  He caught himself thinking of her, abruptly changing his thoughts to something else, anything else. He had not yet been so grateful for a companion.

                                  He followed her gesture and then nodded, "I believe so, yes. He could vividly recall the sight of the plane against the bright sky, so close he could have counted the number of windows and how the wings trembled against the force of its fall. For some reason, that was the last thing he could remember before waking up. Again he was struck by a chord of unbalance. It was disconcerting to have a gap in his memory no matter how short said gap was. Clearing his throat to dislodge the uncomfortable lump there, he was filled with a rush of gratitude at her next words. He couldn't help but smile sincerely, relief etched on his face. Unintentionally, he spoke in a formal tone. "You're in Japan. Tokyo to be more specific." He paused for a moment, and then, added almost as an afterthought, "Earth, to be less specific." Surreptitiously, he cast a glance at her, but her expression hardly gave away much. Confusion, fear...in short, nothing new.

                                  He was not deterred. She was out of her element and he was a patient man. She seemed to have her body working properly under her command and so Kyo decided not to offer her a hand. Still however, he decided to pace their walk slowly. There were only a few hundred yards before they reached the giant forest in the middle of the city, if she seemed as if she would be unable to make it he would help. For now though, he remained at her side, taking one measured step for each of her wary ones. There was a lull in the conversation and Kyo found himself enjoying it. Walking made his head feel clear and the tiny bubble of terribly piercing heartache that had sunk in his chest like a arrow was disappearing.

                                  His fingers tingled from the cold and habitually, he checked his phone again to see if there was a signal by now. And then he noticed it. He wrinkled his nose. Cool spring air had been replaced by a whiff of smoke and burning rubber. That passed so quickly he thought perhaps he had imagined it. But then, they took another few steps and the full force hit him so suddenly it made his eyes water. "It's worse than I thought..." he murmured, pressing one hand to his face while the other unconsciously found her elbow. He gripped her, pulling her closer to him as if there was some threat looming beyond.

                                  The stone gate to the shrine rose high overhead, still elegantly unperturbed by the strange situation they were in. For some reason, that only served to unsettle him further. He could hear sirens somewhere amongst the trees and winding gravel paths. For a second, he dithered. Should they go in? Going any closer to a scene of a crash probably wasn't a good idea, was it? With one glance, he confirmed there were still no police which was still beyond any understanding. "Alright then," he said to no one in particular. He glanced sidelong at Valdis, "We're nearly there. A doctor can check you over if you need it there."

Hilarious Gekko

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                                          It was pretty clear this guy didn’t particularly like her, but that didn’t bother Amalie too much. Sure, everyone wanted to be liked, but she was used to being hated or ignored, so his dislike was of fairly low concern. At least he was talking to her. To her relief, the man was able to lie smoothly to the officer, and Amalie was happy to fall into the role of his niece for the time being. It certainly made their companionship less questionable, and she was glad he didn’t make up some excuse that would leave her in a troubling situation.

                                          The officer mentioned a crash. So that explains the smell, she thought, sniffing absent-mindedly. Since the site of the crash was implied to be in the park, it couldn’t be a motor vehicle or anything that was used on the roads. It had to be a flying machine. Her companion seemed hesitant to say the wrong thing, and it was a good thing he was. The technology here seemed to be inferior to her home land, so she kept her mouth shut too. Instead, she put that little question aside for later. She hoped they had the internet.

                                          The officer nodded, his interest quickly waning. He wanted to get in on the main action. He led them away, escorting them to the barricades where swarms of people stood, holding up their phones, trying to record the scene or take pictures of it. Amalie became aware of how small she was, still. She got another body, but it seemed almost identical in build to her original case. It was hard to tell how old she was. The crowd was daunting for her- all the faces seemed alive and looking, actively seeking the mystery beyond the barricade. Amalie’s eyes grew wide; this was a world without the dreaming. As she was pulled along, she realised that this world could be different. Maybe in this world people would listen to her. The hope was too precious to fully process. She tucked it away, leaving it for whenever they got out of their immediate situation.

                                          “I’ve got to get back to the site, but if you talk to one of the officers on the other side they can get you some help,” he said, passing them off as someone else’s problem. He then gestured for them to pass between the small slot in the barricade that two other officers had made for them at his request. They did so, and quickly disappeared amongst the crowd. She wondered idly if he would leave her now. It seemed likely. It seemed that the hallucinations were reducing though, and that was good. Her heart wasn’t beating so fast. They moved away from the crowd, finding solace outside a tobacco shop.

                                          “I have an address, I think my body lives there. Whoever’s body this is, it seems to be rich,” she said, grabbing her mobile and flipping it open, pleased to find it was capable of surfing the web. She searched the address in a delightfully coloured search engine, and clicked for directions. The phone had found her location and gave helpful directions to what would hopefully be her body’s home. The directions didn’t get read out, so she had to squint a little to read the small text. Quickly she memorised it and began walking in the correct direction. Her stomach gargled hungrily as they passed some fast food places, the smells wafting enticingly out at her. She hadn’t smelled anything like it. Swallowing, she walked faster, determined to get into a safe space.

                                          “It’s fine that you don’t like me,” she said, peering around at all the new things around them. “You don’t have to pretend to like me,” she assured honestly, spying the building that was meant to hold ‘her’ apartment. “I’d like you to stay because you may hold data you’re unaware of that could help me understand what has happened here, but if you leave I won’t cause any trouble. This world is less advanced than mine, so I will be more than capable of navigating it. I appreciate you taking care of the police officer back there. I am able to offer you shelter and possibly food in recompense, or whatever you want from whatever turns out to be upstairs. I don’t like having debts.” She looked at him briefly, seeing him properly for the first time. He was younger than she initially thought, but there was something off about his eyes. For a moment she felt a pang that she may have made a mistake of some kind, and found herself hoping he would decide to part ways. She looked away from him, attempting to hide her split second of doubt. She was overreacting; she was still on edge from her life in Candore. It pained her that she sounded so... pathetic. She had very little self worth, and it sickened her how obvious that was, but she just had to ignore it and focus on the problems in front of her. It was impossible for her to have a sense of worth when no one had ever taken any interest in her. Her brain was the only thing she was good for, she had to remember that. The rest was of no consequence.

                                          Amalie fished in her bag for the key before walking into the lobby of the apartment complex. It was very nice, but she didn’t have anything else to compare it with. It was better than anything at home, except for the dreaming rooms of course, or the Asus staff complexes. Confidently she walked up to the lift and scanned the list of rooms and levels, finding the correct one. Upon entering, she opened her mouth to speak the command, stopping when she spied the buttons. She pressed level 6, and stood back to admire herself in the mirrored walls of the elevator.

                                          This body was prettier, that was for sure. She had softer features with bright eyes. Her looks were quite feminine really, although her attitude might have stifled that impression. She did not look like most of the people in this new world though. Her skin looked a sicker white colour, and her features were markedly different. She was in the body of an outsider. Maybe even a freak. This concerned her, as it may affect her ability to communicate with the people should she continue on to try and live here. Amalie wasn’t sure of the implications of her difference, but it troubled her. In her experience, difference was a cause for fear for many people. Fear created anger. However, no one seemed to react to her too negatively, so maybe it wasn’t so bad. Maybe she could use this body to get what she wanted. She had a lot of web browsing to do before she could be certain of anything in this new world. Amalie didn’t want to end up in confinement again.

                                          The elevator dinged, and she stepped out into the corridor. She walked along until she found the right door, and slid the key into its lock. It opened immediately, as expected, and she pushed it open and ventured within. The place was messy, but not too bad. It was nice, really. A kitchen and a large living room appeared first, with a bedroom and bathroom further back. The living room was covered in paper, as was the kitchen bench. She walked up and scanned a few titles. They were all academic texts, some journals, or articles, from all kinds of research areas. Coffee stains and cans of empty drinks littered the papers. She walked behind the counter and opened the fridge, finding a few items within. On the front she noticed a card that looked important, it read VISA and had a series of numbers of the front. It was taped to a bunch of take-away menus. Looking through the cupboards, there were a lot of bright packages with pictures of noodles and soups on the front. She smiled, and picked out a handful, turning one over and reading the instructions. She prepared the food, and it took a little longer in a primitive microwave than it would have at home, but it smelt great. She took her bowl over and perched on the couch, slurping up noodles while looking out through the glass sliding doors of the balcony at the city. Her reality had changed so quickly, and it seemed for the better, but she couldn’t help but feel a sense of impending doom creeping up behind her.


Romantic Cleric

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                      It’d been a good fifteen minutes since Hin’ea had woken up alone in the field of flowers. Despite having spent almost all of it figuring what had just happened, she found herself only feeling more confused, rather than less.

                      She’d been scouting with the other Gisei, checking one of the more ravaged parts of the village for any survivors when she’d spotted movement and gone to investigate. Before she could find anything though, her eyes had grown heavy and she’d… fallen asleep most likely, because all she could remember next was things going dark and then waking up here. Wherever here was. It definitely wasn’t home, that was for sure.

                      She seemed to be in some kind of clearing next to a path. There was none of the solemn heaviness she associated with the forests around the village, no murmur of spirits lurking in the corner of her eye. If Hin’ea had to give a reason, it was that everything felt too… neat. The trees were all too young, the path too flat, the flowers too careful in their placements. It made her think of the flower arrangements they’d make on festival days, but on a much, much larger scale. And then there was the strange sound she could hear, sometimes the barest whisper, other times a persistent murmur. It was like nothing she’d ever heard before, and Hin’ea honed in on it, confused.

                      ‘A siren’ Hin’ea found herself thinking. Which didn’t make much sense because the noise sounded nothing like a Syren’s song, and she couldn’t see any sign of the winged spirits anywhere. Hin’ea tried to understand where that train of thought came from, but all she could come up with was a series of disjointed images: bright lights, strangely dressed men, a ear piercing sound that Hin’ea acknowledged could be a much, much louder version of what she was currently hearing. Trying to puzzle it apart any further simply made her head hurt, so instead Hin’ea shoved that topic away and tried to think of something else.

                      ‘Am I dead then?’ It was the first thing Hin’ea had thought of after realizing her last coherent memory was collapsing alone, far from (relative) safety. She’d rejected the idea as stupid since she didn’t feel very dead, but then what was being dead supposed to feel like? It’s not like she’d died before. Maybe this too neat meadow was some kind of heaven, and her new body was some kind of true reflection of her soul. Hin’ea frowned at that, not sure of how she felt about her soul being a young women with dawn-colored hair.

                      Afterlife or not, she couldn’t just sit around forever doing nothing. Pushing herself to her feet, Hin’ea took a moment to adjust to her sudden height off the ground before carefully making her way down the path. She hadn’t spotted anything dangerous so far, but spirits could be quite sneaky when hiding, and she was unarmed. Instinctively she reached for anseki, though of course the stone wasn’t there; she’d checked for it first thing after waking up. Hin’ea shook her head, doing her best to clear it of conflicting thoughts and focus on finding out just what was going on.

                      And so Hin’ea walked and walked, and the more she walked the more perplexed she became. The path she walked on grew wider and flatter, eventually merging with a stone road even larger than the one that ran through the village center. Strange buildings began to crop up, shaped a little bit like shrines, though the proportions and colors were off, and the occasional plaque dotted the landscape, covered with script she couldn’t, yet actually could read. Even the air felt wrong, tinged with the scent of smoke and something else. No, not something else. Something missing. With a start, Hin’ea realized the smell of the forest was already fading, even though there were still trees all around. Feeling very unsettled, Hin’ea took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She then opened them, glanced at the sky and flinched.

                      Mountains? Square mountains?

                      No. Just buildings. Skyscrapers.

                      Hin’ea nodded, as if that made sense. But it didn’t. She’d never heard of a ‘skyscraper’, and even if she had, and it was a building, how did it get that tall? Surely no human could build something that big. And why would they want to, it’d take forever to get to the top. But that didn’t make sense either. Of course she knew what a skyscraper was, sure Winter Harbor didn’t have many of them, but she’d still seen them before. These weren’t even that tall really, though maybe they just seemed that way because they were far off. Now New York, those were skyscrapers. They made her feel dizzy just trying to see the top—

                      No. Wait. What’s a New York?

                      New York was a city, she’d been there with her family a few times on vacation. Kara was always so excited when they went, always talking moving there someday or LA or someplace like it and living it up in the big city. She always shook her head and smiled, happy to listen, and what was going on where was she this wasn’t her room how did she get outside? Hin’ea clutched her head and moaned, except it was her head and she was Mia, and just what had happened? Last thing she remembered she was getting home after a date with Oliver, and she was sure she’d arrived in one piece. They hadn’t gotten drunk, had they? No, they’d gone straight back after the movie, when would they have had the time for that?

                      And that wasn’t her home, her home was the village not… not whatever that was! Her name was Hin’ea not Mia, she didn’t know any of the those people and they definitely weren’t her family, and and—

                      Mia looked around wildly until she spotted a couple staring at her. Staggering, Hin’ea tried to reach out and ask for help, but it was like her tongue was tying itself in knots, refusing to say what she wanted.

                      “I… who are…get out… my…!”

                      Letting out a strangled cry, she collapsed and everything went still.

Brethil24's Spouse

Benevolent Destroyer

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                                Her brow furrowed at his words, carefully pronouncing the names in her head. Tokyo, Japan, Earth. All foreign words, though she did her best to place them despite what little context she had. Was this Tokyo a district or city? It was in a larger area named Japan, which was was in an very large area named Earth. For now, she would commit the names to memory and ask more questions later. Azuma seemed willing to offer answers, but she couldn’t help but eye him warily. Nothing was free. That lesson was one she’d learned painfully over the last few months.

                                She didn’t know what this Azuma Kyo would ask of her, but that there was a debt that needed to be paid was fact. She could only hope that it would not be too much of a price.

                                Valdis was grateful for the slower pace, though part of her wanted to rush ahead. She glanced at him, vaguely surprised to notice that he was holding one of those smooth rectangular objects. She didn’t know why she would have assumed that it was anything but common, despite not knowing what it was. The one Azuma held lit up, making her flinch, but she shoved the surge of emotion aside. Her own thing was still in the back pocket of her trousers, and Valdis pulled it out with minimal fumbling, careful to not let it slip from her grip as she held it out.

                                ”Pardon my asking, but what is this? It seems similar to the--” The breath she took sent a wave of utterly foul air into her lungs, and she broke into a fit of coughing, doubling over in pain. The difference between this place and her own et Faeneror were drawn into sharp contrast. She could taste something in the air that wasn’t smoke, foul and bitter as she coughed and coughed. ’This is poisoned air,’ she thought. Long moments passed before she managed to pull in a ragged breath, and though the bitter air was no better, it seemed like her body had adjusted. She could still taste the poison, but the toxins didn’t hit as hard. All the same, she had a splitting headache and her eyes were watering from the force of her coughing. She would’ve stumbled, but there was a hand on her elbow that she was grateful for.

                                Through the filth she spotted a stone gate and Azuma slowed as well, though whether it was out of concern she couldn’t tell. Valdis sucked in a breath of somehow cleaner air, and forced herself fully upright.

                                ”I—am well,” she rasped, and then flinched at her ragged tone. Her throat hurt, and her chest was tight with pain. There was a slight ringing in her ears, though she could hear herself clearly enough. ”I am—well.” Another breath, to center herself, and then she made towards the stone gate.

                                ”There will be others? Past here?” Her voice was still strange to her ears, but that was only to be expected, and she was pleased to notice that it was mostly steady. Hoarse, but steady enough. Without waiting for much more of an answer, she moved through the gates, stumbling only once and catching herself on the smooth stone. The air was worse, here, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if her throat was caked in foul blackness. But there were trees aplenty, and once they got where they were supposed to be going, she could rest and try to put things together. But for now, she would keep moving forward.

Salty Glitch

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                      So her intuition about his situation was right, not surprisingly, for the man had hinted at his situation a few times. And as for trusting him, though he had hidden his name earlier and seemed rather hesitant in general, it was better than not confiding in him and thus having one less lead. “Thanks,” she said simply when he offered to help.

                      She listened intently as he expressed his surprise at their current surroundings, opened her mouth to answer his question and then clamped it shut when he began describing his own world. She noticed the way his body tensed and his eyes flitted nervously. Gauging by that reaction, these chimeras that drove them from the surface were nothing to take lightly. The whole idea of it was nearly unbelievable, almost fantastical, but then again, undeniably possible, as she too had come from a different world.

                      “I can’t imagine having to live beneath the earth,” she admitted, before continuing to describe her own world. “I’m from Ceneri. You could say my world is the opposite of yours—we have always reached towards the sky. It’s somewhat like this place, but more advanced, you could say? We have skyscrapers like those,” she said, pointing at the tallest buildings visible from where they were, “but they are taller and more densely packed. And I can’t be sure that it’s not the case here, but our cities have multiple levels of buildings, with bridges connecting everything. Our population is great and our land scarce so it is necessary,” she added, nodding matter-of-factly.

                      “I don’t think our people have considered living underground before. Though to be fair, we don’t have chimeras or whatever you mentioned lurking above ground either,” she mused. Only a disease that would destroy them no matter where they were, unless she could find a cure.

                      She cleared her throat, about to explain why she was so desperate to return home, but then, near the edge of the woods, a girl looking around frantically ahead of them caught her attention. Their eyes met and the girl staggered towards them, unsuccessfully attempting to speak coherently before uttering a cry and crumpling to the ground.

                      Nora broke into a sprint, her companion quick to follow. She crouched by the girl’s side, breathing a sigh of relief when she found the girl still breathing and relatively unharmed from her fall. “Maybe we should get medical—” she said, glancing up at Rowan hovering protectively over them, realizing that one, she did not have any device or other means of communication, and two, even if she did, would either of them know how to seek help with it?

                      Then she gasped, for there was a great plume of smoke that she had not noticed before, having been blocked from view by the forest earlier. A fire? Some kind of accident? The possibilities raced through her head. Certainly there would be police there, perhaps medical aid as well, or if not at least they could request some. More importantly, could it be that her arrival here on this world was correlated with whatever was happening with that column of gray?

                      Heart thumping wildly, with great effort she managed to lift the girl into a sitting position. “Here, take the girl,” she grunted, “I’m not strong enough to carry her.” Shifting the weight off of her carefully so that the girl was safely leaned against Rowan instead, she stood up, brushing the dust off her knees. “I’m going to look for help, but if I don’t come back in say, ten minutes, you might have to figure something out on your own.”

                      With that, she took off in a jog towards the smoke billowing through the sky.

Ghostly Leaf

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                                  Her reaction to the hazy air was almost volatile. He clutched her elbow harder than he intended to, but didn't let go until she was no longer bent over. If he was this bothered by it, living in the most populated city in the world, he could only imagine how terrible it must be for her. Casting her a sympathetic glance, he let her take her time.

                                  "There should be," he replied shortly. Voicing his fears--that there would be fires or...dead bodies strewn among the trees--was certainly not an option.

                                  His pocket beeped. Another welcome relief from his fraying thoughts.

                                  Finding his phone, he swiped it open and read the emergency alert aloud. "Public service down in Yoyogi area, tell me something I don't know. People have been asked to clear the scene while authorities get to the bottom of this. Then where are they? The area is very dangerous, please do not leave your homes or shelter." His brow furrowed. It was about time a message was released, considering the circumstances. Unfortunately, the relief he had at getting any sort of information was short-lived, thanks to the lack of anything useful. If anything, they seemed as confused as he was. Only...they hadn't woken up in the middle of an abandoned city with a girl who had no idea who she was.

                                  He gave her another look, only to catch her comparing the phones in their hands. Right, she had asked about it. "My cell--" Kyo started, then frowned. How do you explain colors to someone who is blind? "It lets me speak to other people, no matter where they are," he explained slowly. Unable to come up with more, he punctuated it with a shrug. "Basically, yours does that as well. Though it's a different style. Do you want me to show you how to use it?" The opportunity to hear her reply never came.

                                  All of a sudden, there was a loud crunching of gravel underfoot--under many feet. He turned just in time to see a troop of men, all wearing bright helmets and neon jackets hurry past, laden with heavy equipment. Kyo only had enough time to give Valdis a look that said to remain calm. They were probably just a team of rescue workers, that was all. No need to get worried. In truth, the majority seemed to hardly care, paying the two no attention, until the oldest man striding along in front, tall and weathered by many hours of labor under the sun, stopped to acknowledge them.

                                  "This area was cordoned off," he said, by way of interrogation. His skin was wrinkled and leathery, the uniform splattered with stained mud and grime. When he spoke, his voice was appropriately gruff and he looked as if he hadn't smiled a day in his life. Obviously, he was the head of whatever emergency caravan they were supposed to be; the other men fanned out around him, regarding the two with worry, curiosity, and worst of all, suspicion.

                                  "We need help. My friend here, she's not feeling well. I was hoping there would be doctors here, or someone to check on her at least." He didn't dare look at Valdis, but hoped she was selling the part. He put on his best pitiful face and was rewarded after a few seconds by a general disgruntlement that passed through the group.

                                  "Takahashi, assess the damage," The head barked the order and the men hurried off once more, leaving the three alone. With a gesture, he indicated for them to follow, heading in the same direction as his workers at a more leisurely pace.

                                  Kyo took his chance to check in with his companion. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do. Perhaps they believed us and will find us a doctor." He had somehow gotten accustomed to the smell by now. It was reduced to the smell of a bonfire, smoky and woodsy, though if he breathed too deeply he caught a whiff of something rubbery and unnatural. It was an odd sensation. He took this path so often; even now he could have convinced himself everything was but a strange dream. He'd wake up in just a second and find things were just the way he wanted--

                                  "Boss--" A burst of static came from the man's waist. Pushing back his jacket, Boss found a comm on his waist and spoke a few short lines that Kyo couldn't make sense of.

                                  He had used clipped words and spoke with a heavy dialect, but the response that came back was crystal clear: "Boss, this place is a ******** mess. There was--" A pause. "--there was no one on board the plane."

Lunatic

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                                    Letting out an exasperated sigh, the young doctor leaned back in his chair. Slipping his glasses off, Damien pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. A migraine was brewing. A pile of papers lay scattered across his desk, and regardless of how many painstaking hours he spent looking them over, the work didn't seem to diminish. Letting out a sigh, he rolled his chair back and stood. It was almost time. Slowly pacing over to a wooden bulletin board, his hand reached under the wooden border. With the click of a button the entire board slid to the side to reveal a series of pictures that were connected with colorful strings and thumb tacks. His eyes followed a particular red string, a glint of disinterest shown in his eyes. Another day, another soul who required his assistance. His gaze cast downwards towards his watch, and momentarily staring at the ticking of the hands, he returned the board to what it once was, and grabbed his coat. It wouldn't be wise to waste anymore time. Stopping in front of the freezer to get the product, he pulled out a cooler and left his home.

                                    - - -

                                    Theodyn let out a staggered breath, his steps taking him backwards until he felt his armor hit the trunk of a tree. Closing his eyes momentarily, he slid down to the ground. His left hand released the grip on his sword and instead found itself pressing against the wound on his side. Another errand sent by the king - unfortunately, this time he had not been so lucky. Although he had managed to slay the beast and rescue the child, nothing was without consequence. Opening his eyes, his blurry vision looked up to meet the small boy who stood a few feet away. He saw his mouth moving, but the young child's words were lost to him. He felt a sense of bitter accomplishment inside of him. He had been fooled, tricked into doing something he never would otherwise. Perhaps in this way, the fortune teller had been right. To save a child, he was forced to kill another. The king had got him to do something he would've never done had he the choice. Seconds passed, and he finally managed to speak, "Return from where you came, child." He saw the child back away, concerned eyes still staring at him. Hesitantly, he saw him turn and run into the darkness. Slowly but surely, the knight's eyes closed. He just needed to rest. Everything would be fine come daylight.

                                    - - -

                                    When his eyes opened, he did not meet the darkness of the forest. The light caused him to squint slightly, and he was met with an entirely different scenery. His hand instinctively reached for his side, but when he looked down he was met with no wound. Instead, he found himself in completely different apparel, the lack of armor instantly making him uncomfortable. What kind of sorcery was this? It was then that Theodyn noticed the man who was seated beside him. His eyes looked up to meet him, but the man did not seem to acknowledge his presence. His wardrobe was different too - but he knew the best thing to do in this type of situation was to stay calm. Shifting his gaze, his eyes fell on the cooler that was placed beside him. A strange contraption he had never seen before, he instantly reached out to touch it. His fingers had only just traced over the latch when he heard the man beside him speak, "We seem to be in the clear." Theodyn turned to look at him, "I beg your pardon?" The man took a moment before he stood, grabbing a nearly identical cooler that had been placed near his feet. Without another word, he placed it beside Theodyn, and picked up the one he had been previously examining. Before the former knight had a chance to inquire - about what was going on, where they were, anything, the man had strolled away, leaving him alone on the park bench.

Dapper Dabbler

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                                          Music : Combichrist - Throat Full Of Glass


                                          "Like a disease,
                                          I'm always in the wrong."



                                          He couldn’t help but greet his new supplicants with a renewed enthusiasm. Admittedly, there was a worry that he had ended up in a world with only a stupid girl and a government lapdog. But now, he could rest assured. Sure, he had promised to turn a new leaf- yet, he couldn’t deny the adoration of a hundred feasting eyes. In fact, tyrant days were behind him and the pleasant sight of the other side of the barricade convinced him of such.

                                          Merkurier had always been a gentleman of finesse and he prided himself in such. Unfortunately, a gentleman was still a man and Merkurier, like every man, was prone to making mistakes. Die Gottlosen Welt had succumbed to him too readily and instead of following his ideals, they had parroted him. Like a teenage girl in heat, the world, so infatuated with its man-made god, surrendered its virginity to him. And he accepted, a foolish adolescent himself.

                                          But.

                                          But this world. This new partner would not be another mistake. He would not rob it barren for he was no longer the blind robber baron in his youth. This false god, pieced together from Die Gottlosen’s shattered hymen, would make amends. Through his past failures, Merkurier had become enlightened. He would be a benevolent benefactor. He would no longer succumb to mortal cries for hope and guidance, he wouldn’t surrender himself to be the object of their idolatry. Instead, Merkurier would bring his self-realized good to this new world. He would show each and every soul the god that resided within themselves.

                                          The officer mumbled something half-heartedly before departing, to which Merkurier had replied with only a half-hearted nod. Instead, his attention was feasting on the hundreds of faces that had piled against the meager barricade walls. Ripe with excitement, the citizens of this frontier could barely resist the urge to climb over each other just for a view of the other side. Hundreds of camera flashes and hands extended, holding what seemed to be their mobile phones. As the pair of strangers entered into their crowd, eyes immediately shifted. The hunger was daunting.

                                          Their hunger.

                                          He could feel a sharp shock run through his head and his thoughts halted briefly to flinch from the pain. Perhaps he was still not fully used to this world. The man shrugged off the ephemeral discomfort and continued to observe as he aimlessly followed his companion. These people were a bit different. Just like his new body, these people with burrowed stares were mostly the same with a few physical deviances. Their eyes were smaller, skin slightly grayer- but not grey by any means, just enough to lend it a different flavor. Their builds for the most part resembled his new body as well, slim. Even the more muscular men seemed more compact than the usual hulks that he used to employ for jobs. Their faces were sleek and the hardened jawlines and cheekbones seemed less prevalent. There were a few like them back home, but not in this high density. In fact, he had never seen a population so homogenous in rare physical traits. It wasn’t so bad at least. It gave the women especially, an exotic feel. He winked to a group of girls watching on as he passed before turning his attention back to his companion.

                                          Come to think of it, why did Antoinette-lie look different than everyone else here. Her facial structure came off significantly more mundane. He wondered if she had taken note of the demographic. Instead, she seemed more preoccupied with the address she had found earlier. Her eyes buried deep inside the screen of her mobile, she continued walking as if apathetic to the people around them. He wondered why she had taken so much initiative with him then. Perhaps it just had to do with getting used to the body. She seemed much more focused now, no longer absorbed in random parts of her surroundings. No longer talkative either. Well whatever, it was better this way. He decided to at least scope this address out with her but not before admiring a few exposed thighs and derrieres left behind by the fabrics of skirts and dresses. As he turned back, she interrupted with a random statement.

                                          Ha. Observant at least. That was convenient. Rest assured, you tiny thing. He could’ve parted ways and took to the chore of seeing if he could find some place to stabilize but that sounded largely inconvenient. Especially since it seemed as if they were close to her address already. She continued absent mindedly spewing strings of words about her motives and his, to which he took little interest. It wasn’t until he noticed her observing him did he pay attention only to have her immediately look away. And it was in that moment of vulnerability he could finally sense her. The scent of fear reeked from her snap reaction and he could feel his focus returning. This girl had acted so clingy and annoying this whole time, as if she needed him for survival. Now, she seemed to have changed her mind. Her uncertainty was nostalgic. It had been a while since someone had misjudged him. His reputation in Die Gottlosen Welt wasn’t exactly rare knowledge. It was a fun feeling, watching someone suddenly feel vulnerable. There were two types of people back home: those who submitted themselves willingly and those who remained on their guard vigilantly.

                                          And though she had looked away, Merkurier walked closer to her before bending a little as they walked side by side. Slowly, he leaned towards her ear and whispered, “Don’t worry. I don’t enjoy being indebted to either. I’m glad we can be open with each other.” He made sure to be close enough so that she could feel his breath with the sensitive top of her ear. So close, in fact, that he could smell her. It was almost too in character- she lacked the usual scent of grooming. There was no smell of shampoo or perfume, there was just nothing, but for some reason, she smelled so edible. Before he pulled back away, he felt a temptation to lick her ear just to see her reaction. Perhaps next time.

                                          He looked up to the sight of an unseemly apartment complex. It was like one of the deserted ones in the old cities. Quietly, he followed his uncomfortable host up. He watched her observe with an awkward silence. It wasn’t until they entered the apartment room that she seemed to lower her guard down a bit. As she left to observe the rest of the rooms, he decided to stay around and observe what looked to be the kitchen and living room. The beansprout seemed too unconfident to be the type to retrieve a weapon first thing anyways.

                                          Gleaming over the rooms, the sight of papers, texts and scribbling was invasive. Yet, the girl seemed to show little surprise. In fact, what interested more when she returned was food. With complete disregard for his presence, she had quickly prepared food, as if it came naturally, and quickly found a seat to eat. Her habits were strange and he could guess that she must have come from a time with more troubles than his recent years. Merkurier could remember the days when food were things people didn’t know if they’d have enough of. Sure, he had never seen the days before the world’s future was already dictated, but in his youth the inevitability of doomsday was less obvious in people’s eyes. And so, he had the delightful privilege of witnessing the days of crime before he had mainstreamed it into a culture. This girl was probably from a worse off time. The strange containers of soup of food she had used seemed so unrefined to him. Even when he was younger, he had only noticed them in the slums. Most food had still been catered.

                                          Merkurier was content to leave the girl to her scraps and continued to flip through the scattered papers. Science wasn’t exactly a forte. Research was a thing only very few people indulged in. Academics had been long lost in Die Gottlosen Welt and in fact, Merkurier’s own heavy perusing of philosophy was considered almost obsessive in his world. He understand almost nothing of what he was able to read and so he quickly turned his attention to the balcony. The view was unimpressive but he could still observe the small, short buildings that riddled the neighborhood. He could still hear the commotion multiple blocks down near the barricades. The man had planned to gather resources and information before he began his entertainment but this was… too boring. The complex itself seemed starved of anything worthwhile outside of cheap food and furniture.

                                          His thoughts again went back to the crowd they had saw outside. He should’ve just stayed with them. They nostalgically reminded him of his own people back home. Back before they had turned their insatiable need for stimuli to him. He ought to do something. Things here were too orderly. Its inhabitants trapped. Screaming for him. Begging for release. He just had to be careful about how he went about freeing them. He didn’t need another group of lackeys tying him down. For a while, he thought about it to himself before the silence of dullness had gotten to him. Again, without shifting his gaze towards her, Merkurier spoke. “Say, you’re capable right? How long do you think you can figure things out?” She probably already had her own thoughts and guesses. He wasn’t a picky person, all he needed was a tiny bit of information and he was good. “How about we go back soon?”

                                          Slowly, he turned to her. Well he was going to go back regardless of what she wanted, he just wanted to see if she was willing to follow. He could use an extra set of eyes. His blank expression lightened; the edges of his mouth widening to a large, scheming smile.

                                          “Keeping all those people behind a flimsy wall seems almost unethical don’t you think? They seemed dressed up for a ball after all.”

                                          He always did have a soft spot for masquerade balls.





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