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Sabe tried to help yank it off as well, hopelessly, until the little pest broke into his skull and slipped a few tentacles in. He fell to the floor, babbling until the octopus-thing was the one in control. It stuck about halfway out of Sabe's skull like a big tumor.

---


Fairly soon a cloaked duo entered HQ, scaring the hell out of Tracy while Waffle was once again not paying attention as they made their way to the source of the psychic signal, the octopus thing. Oddly enough, the octopus thing closely resembled the squid-human and could emit the same signals.

The one in the blue cloak scowled at the fight-ready Raph. "Hmph."

He stretched out his hand at Raph and muttered something. Raph was swept off his feet and was now floating in midair. He ignored everyone else as he and the squid-humanoid made their way to Sabe and stood there, examining him. The two conversed with each other, although it seemed like only the unhealthily gray dark elf was talking, and in an archaic form of Drow language. "Althid, you need to keep your larva to yourself or you end with situations like this."
What is so important?
"You do realize this boy is..."

The conversation appeared to end, but in reality it became telepathic.
...next in line for the crown, right? Prevent him from turning to an illithid.
Why should I? Illithids make the best rulers.
Let's just...say that it would help if he looked more like me, Althid. See if you can't make it so he has the power of one yet still looks as he does.
Bern...you're asking me to sabotage the creation of my own kind. You are insane.
Oh, trust me. I don't think he'll survive at this rate. Look at him.

Althid, the mind flayer, watched the larva trying to take over Sabe's body.

Luciano didn't recognize the woman at all until he saw the scar of her face, he looked harder and he said, ". . . Pen?" Michelle was stunned by the whole thing. She looked around and she said, "Uhhh. . . If Pen's here, and there's one there. . . Does this mean--?" "-- We're in the future? Possibly."

Luciano gave Pen a nod,. . but then he also looked towards the playground, Michelle then asked, "What happens to all of us in the future, though?- Are we still friends? Are we still part of the group?"
Luciano was afraid Michelle might ask, and the thing was that he didn't want to know; He didn't want to know the possible deaths, possible fallouts,. . . None of it. Luciano said, "Michelle, don't ask."
"Oh, so you can change the past, but I can't know the future?"
Luciano sighed and walked far enough away so that he wasn't within earshot.

Althid picked up Sabe and carried him out of the room as Bern cancelled that levitation spell that he had on Raph. Those three seemed too frightened of them to attack anyway.

Not too much later, Sabe was back on his bed, unconcious and fast asleep. The larva failed to assimilate him, but still remained halfway in his skull like if it was now part of him instead of a separate creature.

Waffle and Tracy on the other hand, were receiving a lecture from Bern on being careful with a fragile Sabe from now on. Tracy took it very seriously and listened, partly because it was her job to make sure he was safe. Waffle passively heard the old man as she was given the almost exact same earful from his father and her parents. She couldn't help but notice Bern had a striking resemblance to Sabe; the only differences were his large bent nose that wasn't too far off from Colbur's, his unhealthily grey skin tone, and sunken ghoulish eyes.

Shortly before Bern and his companion left, they left a package on the nightstand with a note attached. Waffle looked intently at it, but Bern stepped in. "It's not for you, it's for him," he said, pointing at the lump under the pillows and covers. He had a small, unnerving smirk on his face as he talked, and it only fueled her curiosity as to what was in the box. Bern and his friend left the building, leaving Waffle, Tracy, a knocked-out Sabe, and that package in the room.

Older Pen looked at the group and became slightly bored by their passive moods. They were in the future for crying out loud how could they sit there and do nothing. Aren't they curious at all, she wondered.

"You guys.... I don't remember you all being such sad sacks. With everything that has happened until now, really made you this apprehensive?" Older Pen sounded a little annoyed but sighed. She looked over at Jade and smiled before addressing the group again.

"You have the chance to take your destiny by the horns. Go. Find what is waiting for you."

"Well, forgive me for lacking further interest in your present...I'm sure that there is plenty to be interested in. However I'm tired and would much rather..." she paused in the middle of her dry comment to notice a shadow passing over them.

For a moment she under the impression of some sort of air ship, but when she noticed the size of the shadow she glanced up. Startled she blinked, floating islands were normal in her time. However most stay away from drifting over cities. Most of her times floating cities and towns were natural, existing do to a set of circumstances and/or magical combination. These could not have been natural...The city council wouldn't allow such a thing unless they were sure those pieces of land would remain up there...So how-?

She stared at the bit of land harder, in till she noticed the 'how'. She took in breath feeling revived suddenly,energy and ideas flooded her as one concept spurred another then another. Swirling above the mix ideas, was one solid idea that this new technology would be...No, must be done by the Crescents.

"While I am still eager to leave. I..." she said as she turned her gaze back down, she gave a small smile and continued "will take you up on the offer and...investigate a few...family matters."

With that, she walked off in search of a newspaper stand or at least something close to it.

Michelle took what Pen said as a 'Find out for yourself', so she bit her lip and slowly began to walk away. She could see Luciano standing not too far away staring up at the sky, "What's he staring at?" she thought to herself and looked up, and sure enough she saw the floating islands; One of them had his family's banner on it. "I guess I'll start there. . ." And then she walked onward; Looking for a way up there.
Meanwhile Luciano kept looking at the sky a little while longer. As much as he wanted to see his family, he knew he had already seen too much as it is. He rubbed his neck, then looked around at the Park. What looked to be right in the middle of the park, he saw Johnny K. Gambino's statue which was also a fountain. Luciano walked to it and read the Gold plate screwed to it, "In Loving Memory Of Gaia's Most Beloved Member Of The Community. May He Rest In Peace." Luciano folded his arms as he stared at the statue, ". . . Well, this just proves that even idiots like Gambino get a Statue in the middle of a Park. Hm." And with that he began to walk away.
Meanwhile Michelle was walking about the town. It seemed a slight bit bigger than she knew it to be, but that didn't bother her too much. As she walked around, she saw how lively the town was, people seemed pretty happy. "Good God, if this place is another Barton, I will not be happy," She said out loud as she stumbled upon a large circular object; Judging from what she saw in Sci-Fi movies, this looked like a Transporter Pad. . . Maybe?
"What the hell-?"
"Hello, Miss- Oh my!" Said a woman to Michelle, "Miss Lenchantin! I didn't recognize you in these. . . Clothes- A little outside of what you wear." Michelle's eyes went big and looked down at her clothes, then she smacked her forehead. "RIGHT! These clothes are the latest trend in MY day. DUH!" The woman smiled and she said, "Did you want to go up?" Michelle was hesitant at first, but then she said, "Uhh. . . Yes! Yes, I do! Thank you!" The woman smiled as Michelle stepped on, and then the woman said, "Oh! And tell Horatio Thanks for the flowers! They're beautiful!" Michelle was confused, then again everything in this time seemed to confuse her, so she nodded and said, "Uh, Ok! I'll let him know!" And with that she was teleported up to one of the Floating Islands.