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Time… it all came down to time. Finding the time to be stronger, having the time to practice, taking the time to sort out all the thoughts flying through her head. It was true that for a while after the Carnevil Pompeii took a break but she did her best to avoid thoughts of what had happened. Even after she started to take up patrolling she shied away from deeper thoughts and she found that now she really needed to take the time and sort it all out. Or at least quiet the inner voices so Pompeii could think clearly again.

After a week of shuffling things around and setting things to right she was able to slip out of her apartment and after wandering as the city settled down for the night she found an old park on the edges of town. The swings were rusty and the sandbox was losing its battle with the weeds. If there was once a slide it must have rusted away to nothing since she couldn’t see one. The closest occupied house was two blocks away and it looked like it needed more than a coat of paint to make it presentable. It was as if this part of town had been prosperous at one time but as the city changed so did this little suburb. People moved, houses degraded, life changed, and now Pompeii stood in the center of a empty park, no lights that she could see, the grass weed strewn, and the bushes and trees in serious need of trimming.

Here were prey was few and far between Pompeii was hoping to have enough time to ‘look within’ as a guardian cat once told her. If Pompeii was able to calm her body and mind she might very well get some of the answers she was looking for. All it would take is some time and in this place Pompeii hoped to find it. So with a sigh she spread the picnic cloth she brought from home and settled down cross legged and tried to meditate.

It had taken Pompeii a long while to quite the various thoughts floating through her mind. I wonder if it really is safe here? My foot itches. Will the new books come in tomorrow? I’m bored. What exactly am I looking for? The questions had swirled and tumbled upon each other only to be swallowed into the quiet recesses of her mind as everything turned inward to a single point of light. Such a pretty ball of light, almost like her ball of yarn. Floating in a sea of darkness lighting it and yet being cradled by it. Nothing could disturb it or her while she just watched it glow. Objectively she knew that this was all a focus, something her mind created to quiet her random thoughts. A place where she could find mental silence. It was nothing more than a construct of her own mind right?

Dimly she was aware of another presence but the light didn’t flicker and a part of her whispered, ‘friend’. Pompeii drifted closer to the light and noticed there was something on it, something written in the glow and she felt compelled to read it. It was there in the very center of her being, watching a glowing ball of yarn that she saw the words.



Those few words felt so right. Pompeii couldn’t help but say them out loud… just as Luxor’s hand landed on her shoulder and the world dropped out from under them.

Pompeii was startled by the hand on her shoulder but that was quickly replaced by the sense of her stomach dropping out like it did at the end of a long assent in an elevator. Her eye’s popped open and she blinked slowly at the room around them and then looked sharper… they were in a room and it was softly lit, better lit then the old playground was at night. Shocked at the change she looked at Luxor, surprised it was him but not terribly surprised that she had someone with her. After all she had sensed someone before all this happened. “I… I don’t… I don’t know.”

“I was trying to meditate. There were these words… then we were here.” She gestured around them and focused more on the room. Pompeii spotted the windows high up on the walls where the soft light was filtering down the carved pillars to splash on the dark gray stone floor and fade before it reached the walls, leaving them in shadows once more. Dark openings had to have been doorways and it seemed they were in the back of a long gallery since the faded into a wall of darkness a few yards away. Where were they?

It was by chance that she glanced at the stone beneath her and saw the purple mosaic. It was dirty and dusty but she could see one thing clearly and that was the symbol that was echoed in her own outfit, the symbol for Saturn. Could they be on Saturn? But how? “Where are we?” It came out as a whisper but it echoed down the hall to be lost to the shadows.

“Why you’re in Pompeii, Pompeii. Where else would you be when you called?” The voice came from directly behind them and when Pompeii spun around she saw a faded figure standing against the dark wall.

“I didn’t know I could.” Pompeii looked around at the shadowy hall and briefly wondered what it would look like with lights shining down on the gray stone. Would there be mosaics on the walls or tapestries? A combination of both possibly? This place was surreal. “Camelot said something about going to my wonder but I had no clue this is what he meant”

When the figure confirmed Pompeii’s idea she wasn’t terribly surprised but having a figure appear from behind them when she was sure it was a blank wall did scare the pants off of her. “Who are you?” As the figure came closer she saw that it… he?... was shadowy and quite see through, as if someone had projected a hologram on smoke. “What are you?”

“Ahh. Both questions are easily answered and yet I sense there are more where they come from.” The figure walked closer and a outfit could be made out, one very much like the uniform that Pompeii wore now except it was a bit more dated and the colors were gray… gray… and gray.

“You’re a ghost aren’t you?” After all that she had been through meeting a ghost was just one more thing to add to the ‘weird’ meter. It fell below youma but above talking cats.

“Not quite. You are right in surmising that once long ago I too was Pompeii, you may call me Aralias to prevent any confusion. I am your ancestor dear girl.” He gave her a quick bow and turned to Luxor. “Terribly sorry for the surprise trip. You are welcome as well sir Knight.” He was polite, that was for sure.

Pompeii was only partially aware that Luxor had stepped protectively forward, trying to keep her from harm shortly before the figure, Aralias, spoke. No one had done something like that other than her parents, it left an odd feeling that she shoved deep in the recesses of her mind to deal with later. She didn’t really know what to say anymore, Aralias didn’t actually answer as to what he was but he said he was her ancestor…. Pompeii didn’t have any ancestors. Family history was nonexistent for her. Would this person be able to fill in some blanks? As her mind wandered, trying to grasp everything that was happening, Aralias talked to Luxor.

“It is nothing to worry about. Pompeii welcomes all allies.” Aralias gave a short bow before continuing. “You are correct. You both are at Pompeii, a city here on Saturn that Pompeii was named after.” He eyed Luxor before adding, “Just like you are named after your own wonder.” He shook his head sadly as if asking what were the Knights being taught in this day and age. Pompeii snapped back in enough time to catch that look on his face.

She gave him a look before deciding to change the subject. Getting into an argument with a ghost, who was not a ghost maybe, in a place that she was named after, with no idea how to get home, was not a good idea. “So, um, if we are in Pompeii, where exactly are we?” Aralias looked at her before gesturing to the building around them. “You are in your home.” He smiled before elaborating, “This is the residence of the Knight of Pompeii. It also contains the guest suits for the allied Knights and Senshi. They have all been closed up since long ago.” His face was sad, as if he was remembering a time when this building was full of people.

Pompeii looked around the darkened hall with new eyes. This dark and shadowy place was her home… rather the home of the Knights of Pompeii and their allies. She glanced at Luxor and wondered if long ago his ancestor had a suite here in Pompeii. Shaking her head she focused on more immediate concerns. Even the fact that they were on Saturn didn’t truly penetrate into her mind, the main question was now one of much greater importance.

“Aralias, how do we get home?” This was one of the main questions bothering Pompeii. She had inadvertently brought them here and now had no clue how to take them back. When the ghostly figured opened his mouth to say something sarcastic Pompeii just glared at him, he was a bit like teenage boy… always trying to get a rise out of someone. With a sigh Aralias explained, “It is rather simple. You just focus on returning. It is not something to be done in a rush, just as you can not arrive here in a rush. But that can be done later. There is a whole city to explore.” With that Aralias walked passed them down the hall to fade into the shadows.

Pompeii was torn, she wanted to see the city but she wasn’t sure if Luxor would as well and since she brought him here she felt as if she needed to take him home. Could he go home on his own? Did he need an escort home? Oddly she felt the strange need to call Aralias back to ask him more questions but there was time enough for that later. Instead she turned to Luxor, “Do you want to go back?” It was his decision to make, not hers.

Pompeii watched Luxor’s face and even though she was horrible at reading others she felt that he too wanted to explore, a feeling that was given credence when he agreed to spend more time looking around. With a smile Pompeii nodded, “I think it would be best to explore outside. I don’t know if it any of the rooms in here would have anything in them to see by.” Pompeii had done some reading on Greek architecture when she first became a knight but she was under the impression that most of the buildings were very airy and bright, natural light filtering in to even the center most rooms. But this place seemed to be the exact opposite. Could it be because of the weather or was it more something to do with the fact that this place might be called Pompeii but was build differently than its Earthly namesake?

Pulling herself out of her thoughts Pompeii started down the hall where Aralias had faded into the darkness. After a few steps the darkness seemed to lighten but it wasn’t until she had completely left the shadowed light of the purple mosaic that she reached the end. Through some trick of building the entrance was shadowed but a few steps in front the stone was bathed in bright light, as if a curtain of sunlight blocked off the building. Without hesitation Pompeii stepped out of the shadows into the brighter light of the city proper.

It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust before she could see clearly at the wonder in front of her. A dozen steps lead down into a cobbled…. Courtyard? That couldn’t be right since it was too large for such a term. It was more like a marketplace devoid of any booths or structures to mark it as such, only a waterless fountain sat forlornly in the center. Pompeii approached it and even standing closer she couldn’t clearly make out the sculptures and carvings on the fountain, it had to be even older then the city itself since it seemed weathered by both time and the elements where as the buildings that Pompeii could see seemed to be in great repair. No tumbling walls, no roof tiles littering the stone, no real destruction. With her hand resting on the rim of the fountain Pompeii turned to look at Luxor, “What happened here? Why is it like this?”

Pompeii stepped away from the fountain and walked over to a building. A peek inside reviled a room full of furniture, murals on the wall, curtains, and baskets. Everything that said this was a well used space and there was no damage to anything… a bit of dirt and dust but other than a few baskets that had fallen there was nothing to indicate where the inhabitants went. She looked back at Luxor and shrugged, “it might be something as simple as calm weather. Pompeii on earth was preserved by the ash fall that buried the city and smothered its people.” She twitched as if to brush off the ash that she imagined falling on her before continuing, “it might be beautiful in its emptiness but it also is quite creepy since it seems like one day there were people living out their lives and the next they were gone.”

She started down the road before adding, “I wonder if there will be any indication of what happened here.” Why was this place empty? Why was it here in the first place? What exactly happened? No one would just hand them the answers, it will take exploring to even come up with a shadow of an idea and time was passing. Soon they would have to return home, but not just yet.