Tales of Symphonia: A New Tomorrow (FULL)

[ac-null3]

Lloyd and Azriel's mouths gaped into a small "o", and they blinked while they watched Rhone's wound close up. Sure, Lloyd has seen healers at work and Azriel knew healing magic herself, but to watch such a serious injury patch itself up until it was as if it wasn't even there was surely something.

They also stared intently while he told his story. The same could be said of the inhabitants of the Azriel's mind. Lloyd was especially intrigued while listening, since Rhone was still a pretty vague acquaintance to him—he was only introduced briefly by Zelos. He took it upon himself to monitor activity involving Exspheres, and it was still his ideal to eliminate the world of them, but Rhone didn't seem to be misusing them so he guessed he could let this slide...not to mention, he did provide the means for Sheena and Regal to extend their lives.

And perhaps it was just Azriel, but she perceived that Sol was starting to become a little snippy and nitpicky with Rhone. She assumed it was because he seemed to be running on such little sleep. It made her just a bit concerned...and tense, as she didn't feel like hearing this break into an argument.

Azriel scratched her head. "...It's like an accident gone right...kind of...sort of..." She perked up, realizing that she was about to go off on a tangent. "Oh! Sorry, it was just something Eloysio was saying. Not to, um, undermine how severe that situation was! Well, he and I have a few questions ourselves, but that could wait. We are lingering here a bit too long..."

Crossing his arms as the rest of the party gave their two cents, Lloyd added, "I can't help but be in agreement that, wow, that's pretty rough. And interesting too, especially if we put it in the perspective Sol did... I think I have a question or two as well, but yeah, what Azriel said." sweatdrop He made a bit of an embarrassed laugh. "Aheheh...right. Now where were we..." He first swept his glance left and right, then spun around as he contemplated the path he should lead the group onto. "...Dammit! The trail leading up to the fight and the fight itself made me lose track of the turns we were taking..." Sighing, he rubbed the back of his head.

As if to confirm Ilene's suspicions, there was a rustling nearby. Lloyd perked up and whirled back around in the direction of the sound. "Who's there?!" he demanded.

[intro music]

From the shadows stepped a pair of ninjas. One was fairly tall, though Rhone still had a foot over him. The other was shorter, by an even foot as well, and it was apparent by a bit of a prominent chest that she was female. Their attire resembled that of Kuchinawa`s, only it was a deep cobalt blue in color, and the way the plating was worn was as if they intentionally mirrored each other. Their eyes were yellow; the male had a scar over his right eye while the female had a scar over her left.

After pausing a moment, the female took out a scroll and went a step further forward. She opened the scroll and held it out before her, for all to read.

Our apologies for this mode of communication.
We are both mutes by disability.

Chief Fujibayashi was informed of unusual mana activity in the forest
by her Summon Spirits, so she sent out units to comb the Gaoracchia and observe.

The Dual Swordsman and the Priestess. You two are Lloyd Irving and Colette Brunel, correct?

Now, the male stepped forward with a scroll of his own.

As friends of the Chief, we are assuming you were on your way to meet her.

We are not sure about the others with you, but we shall trust such matters with the Chief herself.
They seem to be your allies, so we believe there will not be too much of a problem at all.

It appears you are a little lost, so we shall gladly escort you to Mizuho.
Please follow us.

After they put away their scrolls, they bent forward in a slight bow of respect, then straightened up and waited for the sign that they were ready to follow their lead.

Lloyd stared at them with a dumbfounded expression for a moment, especially at the male's eyes. There was a slight nagging feeling in the back of his mind, but for now, he couldn't fathom why. But now was not the time to dwell on it, so he shook his head and dismissed the thought for the time being.

Azriel was staring too, only with a purely blank expression. There was something about those eyes...

Lloyd broke the silence with a chuckle. "Heh...you guys are spot on! Thanks!" Looking back to the party, he concluded, "Well, let's go!"  

[Fedora Warrior]

Rhone locks eyes with the male ninja for a moment before they turn around. Max leans towards Rhone and talks quietly so the ninjas leading the party won't hear, but those close to Rhone and Max could.

"Hey Ro-ro, you sensing anything?"
"No. Can't get any sort of read on them. Not unusual.The warriors of Mizuho have been able to suppress everything about themselves to be as stealthy as possible. No big surprise I can't 'see' them..."

Rhone and Max walk with the group as Hunter bolts up to the front of the group with the ninjas, forcing himself between them.

"Hey, boss told me he got his first sword from your village! Think you could show me some of the weapons you guys use when we get there?"

Rhone chuckles to himself as the group walks and strokes his chin while pondering everything the group has said about his incident.

"Accident gone right isn't what I would say. It's a very mixed bag. People don't react well to my appearance and everyone I see either calls me a monster or they insult me because of my exsphere. As for your query, Sol, I have an educated guess for it. Given a supply of infinite mana, I would have to stay right in the spot to channel it constantly, but I would essentially be able to use my powers limitlessly. Right now, using my attacks draws energy directly from my life-force. It gives me a lot more resources for attacks, but the more I use, the closer to death I get. If anything, it's made combat much more interesting..."
"I could probably build something that wouldn't make infinite mana, but maybe could store it...see if your theory is right."  

[Evilweirdo 0]

Eduardo was once again easily distracted from his current focus by the arrival of the ninjas, as they also drew his attention. He observed the two closely. His head gradually tilted to the side, and he had a puzzled yet fascinated look on his face.
"Wow, it's like all these neat people and things just follow us around." The pair seemed strange to the half-elven weredragon as well, though he was having no luck figuring anything out about them.
"But man, they're just so spiraly... Just look at 'em..." He closed his eyes for a moment and put his index fingers over them (to hold them in place- his eyes were actually spinning from his efforts). Opening them again and looking rather dizzy, he gave a thumbs-up, either to nobody in particular or everyone present (he wasn't sure himself). He was looking forward to visiting Mizuho. He just hoped that the rest of the people weren't as "spiraly."  

[Krazy-Chibi]

"M-my it felt as though they came out of nowhere" exclaimed Kai

"Well they ARE ninja" Lilith shrugged following the others, though deep down she felt a nagging uneasiness.  

[Sirea Angelie]

Both Rin's and Sirea's ears perked up when they heard the sound of rustling nearby, which had them glance over to see the two ninja that appeared. Sirea and Colette stared at the two for a moment. There was something about them that seemed rather strange. Colette shook off the feeling, and gave a small friendly smile to them. "We appreciate your help."

Rin grinned a bit as he put his hands behind his head as he followed the group. "I'm really starting to like ninjas." Hearing Eduardo's comment, he couldn't help but laugh. "Considering what our group consists of, we'd probably attract more oddballs. In a good way that is."

Sirea blinked for a moment when she saw Eduardo looking dizzy and giving a thumbs up. "Are you okay, Ed?"

Rin then glanced over to Rhone. "I feel your pain with having a different appearance." He walked over to place his hand on Rhone's shoulder. "I may not know you all to well, but so far you're a pretty amazing guy, Rhone." His feline ears twitched as he made a smile.

Colette had listened to what Rhone had said in response to Sol's questions, which had her frown with concern.  

[Lord Lee Major]

Sol gave nodded in understanding at Rhone's explanation before the two newcomers came out of the forest greenery... 'or is it brown... bah I'll call it flora that's a good all encompassing word for it... no wait foliage, that's even better!' his little mind game was interrupted when the two gave the group their written response, he gave them a quizzical look before following after them. He by no means trusted them but he wouldn't say anything considering that the only other way to find a way out of the forest was up, through the tall trees, which blocked out the majority of the sunlight, and he didn't want things to get lodged in his feathers. Branches, leaves, needles and all other assortment of vegetation where a pain to get out.

Ilene looked around one more time still feeling as if she was being watched, before following after the group. High above the 'seemingly' oblivious group sat two Chirpees watched as they left.  

[ac-null3]

As if anticipating Hunter's move, the two ninja made space between each other before he could reach them so that he wouldn't end up shoving them apart. After hearing his question, the male took out his scroll again, and a charcoal pencil, and began writing on the blank side.

Individual clans do not disclose the weapons incorporated into their personal styles,
but perhaps the shop in town will suffice. It is called Toyama.

Below the word "Toyama", he additionally wrote its equivalent in traditional Mizuhoan lettering, implying that the shop's sign would display that instead of the standard script.

"Oh...I see. We see." Azriel then sighed in exasperation, and her wings drooped a bit as she frowned. "Augh. I hear you on that front, Rhone. As if it isn't enough that Aselian Wingfolk are thought of as mutant half-elves, people see the black wing and think I'm some kind of bad omen." She did not know what to say regarding the exchange between Rhone and Sol, but that frown remained out of concern.

Lloyd made a slightly worried expression, but lightened up a bit after what Max said. He favored that kind of thinking; to keep looking for a solution so that no one has to lose. Suddenly, he made a surprised look once what he overheard out of Hunter caught up to him. "...Wait, what? You got your first sword out of Mizuho? When was that, when you were introduced to Sheena, or...?" The whole prospect just sounded so...so rare. Mizuho was pretty tight when it comes to dealing with outsiders, after all.

((Waiting on Rhone's answers before finally bringing everyone to Mizuho.))  

[Fedora Warrior]

Hunter stares at the parchment for a moment and then nods.
"Well alright! I'll look forward to that!"

Rhone decides to address Azriel's statement before Lloyd's astonishment.
"Those who call it a mutation are fools. It's simply an adaptation brought on by the change in environment and likely hastened by the summon spirit that keeps your home afloat. As for your question, Lloyd, I got my blade far before your Sheena ever existed. I got it around 400 years ago when I was still a child. I wonder if anyone there has any elven blood so they could be alive from that time. I wouldn't mind seeing a familiar face..."  

[Evilweirdo 0]

Ed directed his raised thumb toward Sirea and Rin. "Yeah, I'm okay. You're okay? They're ninjas, I'm oddballs, we're good. Yep. Mana's back."
He tapped the knuckle of his thumb against his forehead, which apparently did wonders for spinning eyes, as he calmed down after doing so. His attention drawn to the discussion of the plight of the Wingfolk, he leaned his head slightly sideways in confusion at why anyone would possibly see such a gift as a bad omen. He spoke, starting to approach Azriel and Rhone.
"Wait a minute, it's not like you'll flip out and devour delicious flesh at people or anything!... Just because you can do cool stuff doesn't mean... Agh..." Looking befuddled and slightly upset, Ed turned around before reaching the two, standing back with his werefolk fellows, his eyes twitching ever-so-slightly again. "So, uh, Mizuho! Sounds fun, right? Maybe I can toss you at something again, Rin!"  

[ac-null3]

((WOOHOO THIS IS REALLY LONG, SORRY ))

Lloyd nodded. "I see. There probably are. Mizuhoans can go and come as they please, but they stick with their own company in the end. I think it's not that much a seclusion thing like the Elves, but more about family loyalty."

Azriel blinked. "I think you've said that once before, Rhone. Yes, they're fools...but it doesn't change the fact that they're not gonna change the way they think so quickly. Just...gotta weather through it, I guess."

Lloyd furrowed his brow and blushed a bit out of secondhand shame. "H-hey, we're working on it..."

"Oh I know. In a hundred years' time, you and your friends have done pretty good. A little progress is better than nothing. But things like this will always take longer than we expect to be fixed. The best we can do is have patience."

"Wow, Azriel...that sounded pretty wise."

"...It's not entirely me. That's just how Eloysio is putting it, ehehe."

At that point, she noticed Eduardo approaching and ending up blurting out something quite random. She looked back, tilting her head in puzzlement and unsure of how to react to what he did. Before she could, anyway, he seemed to turn right back around in dejection. Mentally shrugging, she faced forward again.

At last, the entry gate of the ninja village came into view. The two who were leading the group stopped; the female took out her scroll again and used a few moments to write.

Would you like to be escorted to the Chief's headquarters as well?

"Ah, it's fine. I still remember the way there," Lloyd replied, smiling.

The nodded and parted to stand at the sides of the gate, making way to let them through. Once everyone had passed, Lloyd began to turn around to address them.

"Hey, tha—"

The pair seemed to have vanished already, however.

"Eheheh....ninjas. lol Well, guys, I'm sure some rest is in order, but I'd like to report to Sheena right away. Just please bear it a little more, then we'll take as much of a break as we need."

He started leading everyone toward Sheena's place.

---

Meanwhile, back in the Gaoracchia Forest, the pair that led the party to Mizuho relaxedly sat close together in a clearing that was surely far from the village. But, were they really who they seemed to be...?

The female sighed. "Gods...even though we've been through this countless times, Ah can never really git used ta th' feel 'o ninja garb. It's jus' so...stuffy!"

"...Hm." was all the male uttered back.

In the time it would take to simply blink, their clothing shifted appearance. Their long blue hair spilled down their backs, and they now wore matching outfits of black, white, and blue. Only he wore pants and his accomplice wore a skirt. On their necks were cravats with broken timepieces affixed to the center—the broken look being half-intentional.

Detecting guilt in his utterance, she reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Darlin'—"

The man nodded. "Ah know, Ah know. It all works out in the end." Looking to her with a bit of a sad smile, he continued, "But playin' deception games with ol' 'quaintances'll always leave a kinda sour taste 'n mah mouth, it seems."

Silently, the woman slid her arm around to settle her hand upon his hip, and she leaned to rest her head against his shoulder. The gesture provided him comfort, and his smile went from the kind that was sad to that of lifted spirits just a bit.

After a few moments, she spoke up. "Now, shall we git on with breakin' one young man out 'f tort'rous confinement?"

"...Yeah, let's."

And in another blink, they literally vanished into thin air.

---

Now walking through the oriental palace-like Chief's Headquarters, the group (but mostly Lloyd and Colette, really) were greeted with silent bows of respect whenever they passed the attendants that paced about the place for various duties. Once they reached the doors of Sheena's office, they were told by the ninja standing guard that they could just walk right in, as she was already informed of their arrival.

At her desk, the Chief looked up from the reports she was reviewing, then stood. "Lloyd, Colette, it's always great to see you," she greeted her old friends fondly, with a warm smile. "Good to see you too, Rhone. Though I must admit, I'm surprised to see such a gathering. Who are you, and what's brought you all to travel together?"

After a round of introductions, Lloyd got down to spilling the information he gathered from Sol right away. By the end of it, Sheena's gaze was fixed on Lloyd, and she wore an austere expression.

"...I see. Yokai...Vanaheim...this should feel less surprising considering Aselia used to be split in two...but it isn't." She crossed her arms tensely. "This Midgard Empire must be...no, is a serious threat if it's been able to completely evade my information network. Especially since we've even allied ourselves with the Renegades and the Vanguard for the past century. This surely must be what Martel was talking about..."

Falling silent, she faced away from the group and appeared to fall into a state of concentration. After a couple of minutes, she turned to address the group again.

"I wish I could travel with you and fight by your side again. I really do. But by my duties as Chief, I'm bound to my village. And after I spread this information to my network, I'm going to expect an increase in field investigation calls. But I refuse to let you go on without giving you some kind of aid."

Taking a moment, she searched within her garments until she procured a small wooden case. Opening it, she revealed its velvet-lined interior...and that it was where she kept her Pact Rings.

"The Summon Spirits have agreed to forming temporary pacts with you. However, they're not going to consent so easily. Please understand. They request that you earn your pacts, and that requires visiting their temples and accepting their challenges. Sorry to lead your team around on a lot of detours, Lloyd."

While she spoke, the Pact Rings rose into the air, their gemstones glowing brightly. Once she was done speaking, a bright flash filled the room, and they were gone.

"Nah, that's fine, Sheena!" Lloyd interjected excitedly, "The Summon Spirits hold great power, so this is a huge help! I don't think we can thank you enough! And touring around like this might help us run into some leads. To be honest, we hardly know where to begin."

Sheena grinned. "Heh, don't mention it Lloyd. Against a force that threatens our world, we've gotta put up a fight dishing out everything we've got."

"Oh wait..." Azriel spoke up with a curious look, "So we...really don't need a single designated Summoner?"

The Chief shook her head. "Not really. To partake in the Summoning Arts, one just needs some Elven lineage in them. It doesn't matter how recent, just that it's there. And it looks like a lot of you, if not all, have got that covered." She stated it that way because, with the Werefolks' ears being those of animals', she wasn't sure what race they could have been before gaining such a condition.

"Ah, I see... And there's...no elaborate ritual involved or something like that?"

"That's the best thing!" Lloyd piped up, remembering the part of his and his friends' journey where they needed to seek the Summon Spirits. "See, 'accepting their challenge' just means fighting them! Of course, you have to win. Afterward, all you need to do is state your heartfelt reason behind seeking your pact."

Azriel's eyes widened in awe. "Woooooow, that sounds neat! In which case, um...if I may say...Eloysio thinks it'd be best to settle now who'll be forming a pact with which spirit. I mean, it'd save us a lot of time later, right?"

"Sounds like a good idea, Azriel. So...who would you like to call dibs on, guys?"

The female Wingfolk's eyes were practically starry in her excitement. "Oh myyyy...it's really a tough choice for me between water, ice, light, and darkness. I shouldn't be greedy, so I'll listen to you guys first and claim whoever's left."  

[Fedora Warrior]

Rhone barely lets Azriel finish speaking before crossing his arms and making his choice.

"I'm forging a pact with Origin. As a being made of pure mana and an elf born in Heimdall, I feel I should be the one tasked with convincing him to join our cause."

Max immediately takes notice and looks at Rhone with concern.

"But...are you really ready to face-"
"My family?...honestly, it's about time I do so. It's something I should have done a long time ago, and if I have to collect Origin, then I won't have an excuse to avoid it any longer."
"But they haven't even seen you since you last visited to inform them of your engagement, and-"
"I know. I need to own up to my failures. Maybe facing my family will help me atone a bit."

With that, Rhone walks outside the chief's house to find a secluded area to think, settling for sitting in the shade of one of the trees in town near the weapon shop, watching Hunter pester the shopkeeper about every weapon the poor man has in stock. Back in the house, Max makes her choice as well.

"I've lived on the seas most of my life, and I know how threatening a storm can be. I'd like to attempt Volt, to be honest. If I can face lightning given physical form, then I can sail the toughest waters."  

[Sirea Angelie]

Rin frowned a bit as he watched Azriel's wings droop a bit as she spoke with Rhone. "I know how it feels to be looked at differently. If it makes you feel any better, I think that wing of yours makes you unique." He said then gave her a wink. "If there were more people like you, I think I'd be getting alot more hugs." He laughed a bit when he thought about when Azriel hugged him after the feline werefolk had introduced himself the previous night.

Colette frowned a bit as she heard what Azriel had said regarding how people won't change the way they think so quickly. Her frown soon changed into a slight smile when the female wingfolk complimented on the efforts herself, Lloyd, and their friends have done. "We're doing all that we can."

"It's never easy to change the hearts of people. They quickly judge those who are different without really getting to know them." Sirea said, shaking her head slightly. Her heterochromic eyes gaze over to Eduardo as the dragon werefolk spoke random babble. She blinked a bit for a moment.

Rin scratched the back of his head sheepishly when he heard Eduardo's comment regarding him tossing the feline werefolk at something again. "You actually surprised me when you tossed me earlier. Gotta say that you got to be one of the craziest werefolk I've met." He said then held his hands up in defense. "Not that I mean any offense or anything." ^.^;

After arriving at the entrance gate of Mizuho, both Sirea and Rin looked around in awe as the group went through the gate. Colette turned to face the twin ninjas that were escorting them, though the pair had already seemed to have vanished.

"Those ninjas are really something, aren't they?" Rin spoke. He, as well as Colette and Sirea, glanced over to Lloyd when he mentioned that he wanted to report to Sheena first before taking a break. "I think we can bear it a little longer." He said with a grin as they followed the red-clad swordsman to Sheena's place.

Once they arrived at Sheena's office, Colette gave a warm smile to her old friend. "It's so good to see you again, Sheena." She said.

After introductions were made as well as the information from Sol were mentioned, the three listened to what Sheena had to say. Sirea watched curiously as Sheena took out a small wooden case and opened it to reveal the Pact Rings. Shiny.... She thought to herself when the gemstones glowed brightly as the rings rose into the air. After the bright flash filled the room, she saw that the rings were gone.

Colette smiled. "This is a very big help to us. We appreciate this very much, Sheena." She said then glanced over to Lloyd. "It'll be like old times, wouldn't it?" She recalled part of their journey where they seeked out the Summon Spirits.

Rin had a look of excitement as he listened how forming pacts are done. "Oh man, oh man! I'm getting excited thinking about it!" He said, his tail swishing back and forth behind him. He couldn't help but laugh a bit when he heard Azriel mention that she could claim the Summon Spirit that was left. "Isn't it proper for the ladies to go first?" He folded his arms over his chest. "Well if you insist, though I think I'll let the other ladies take their pick first." He smiled. His feline ears then perked up when Rhone made his choice. The mention of family did had him think about his older brother for a moment.

Sirea's fox ears twitched as she heard Rhone talk about facing his family. "Family...." She said softly to herself. It had her think about her own parents, and how she left them with leaving only a note for them. Would I have to confront my family as well? She thought to herself. There was a look of concern in her eyes as she watched Rhone walked out. Facing back to the group, she would make her choice. "I would like to make a pact with Luna if that's alright."  

[Krazy-Chibi]

"Summon spirits eh? I have some elven lineage, maybe i'll get lucky...heh heh" Lilith chuckled thinking about the experiments she could do with a summon spirit.


"When I was alive I was 100% human, and I doubt summon spirits make pacts with the dead, but I will do everything in my power to help everyone with their pacts".  

[Evilweirdo 0]

Ed didn't seem upset at being called crazy (or being blinked at), and actually excitedly nodded in agreement. "But you know what else is crazy? Ninjas!"

In Sheena's office, Ed tried to hang back and not interfere, as he knew he would somehow. Besides, it wasn't his job to plan these things, and what knowledge he had of Summon Spirits was mostly lost to him at the time. He did well in restraining himself until the Pact Rings were displayed and disappeared. "Dibs? Nice. Can I get one? Also, hi!" He made sure to give a little wave to Sheena; he didn't want to ignore his host. "Oh, oh! Maybe that gnomity-gnomish Gnome-type guy! He sounds fun. He spins, like ninjas!" Normally he would have made a comment on Rhone meeting with his family, but he was simply too excited.  

[Lord Lee Major]

Sol was unnaturally quiet traveling with the group to the village. Ninjas reminded him too much of his day's as an espionage agent, and how he ended up being for lack of a better term 'let go' when they deemed that he had no longer had any use. His spirit brightened slightly seeing the state of the village, It seemed much more humbled, yet still held an air of discipline. When the two 'escorts' disappeared he couldn't help but chuckle at Lloyd's attempt at humor.

During the meeting, Ilene mentally flinched upon hearing about the Vanguard. She hadn’t contacted her mother in some time, and was long overdue for it as well. ‘Maybe I should ask Sheena if I can send along a message after this meeting is over’ she thought.

After everything was explained and people started selecting spirits, he started thinking if he could even get a spirit, “I wonder if I have any elven in me. Cause if I do, I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at whoever the wind spirit is.”

“That’s wind spirit’s’, Sylph is made up triad of lesser wind spirits. And you’re a wingfolk, of course you have elven blood, all wingfolk are descendants of half elves.”

“All ‘Aselian’ wingfolk yes, I couldn’t tell you about ‘Vanaheim’ wingfolk. I was never much into genetic tracing and our race has been around as long as the others, so it would be really tough to trace back really far. I know my family tree back a few generations, none of which had much, if any, elven linage part in any way. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.” He looked back at Ilene, “What about you, interested in getting a ‘pact buddy’ so to speak?”

Ilene squirmed under the question, something just didn’t feel right with it. “No I’m fine, something about forming a pact, even if it’s temporary, feels… weird to me. And I have no idea why.”

Sol watched her for a moment before shrugging it off. “Suit yourself, more power for someone else.”