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[Third District : Merlin's House]




Merlin took the wing softly and shook, jovially laughing as he did so. "I say! Quite right, eh fellow?" This bird knew what a handshake was! Such an intelligent creature! Even after the handshake, Merlin was chuckling, thoroughly amused and impressed. "Well, then let's get going!"

With that, the trio vanished in a puff of blue smoke, leaving the Machina Mauler behind.

---

The trio appeared in the room, which though somewhat small, still seemed just large enough to fit everyone comfortably. Merlin immediately jumped into introductions. "Everybody, this is Byoki, a nice young mechanic. Byoki, you know Aerith, Youni, this is Artemis, Window, and... I say, where is Solaris?"

"He just went outside. Shall I go check on him?" Aerith offered, a gentle smile on her face. To be honest, she was somewhat worried as it was, and had been tempted to follow after him, but Merlin appeared shortly after.

"No no, he probably just needs some air, so many new faces and all," Merlin replied, wiggling his mustache somewhat as he stared at the curtain leading outside. He flicked his wand, and more tea appeared for Byoki, followed by a large basin of water on the table for Enyb.

~Window~

What had happened right before he ended up here? Window's hands placed themselves behind his back as he became pensive. He closed his eyes, the darkness helping him to concentrate. But everything was so...hazy. His skull pinged with pain as he reviewed his memory.

"I remember...something..."

What in the world had happened?

Window's head thudded, throbbed. This wasn't like how they said it was going to be at all...the words dragged themselves through his thoughts like a child trying to drag a body bag through molasses. Everyone was moving so fast around him, flashes of color and movement filtering through his half-lidded eyes. It's...kind of like ...how light...comes glowing down through the leaves on a tree...like that time I read in the eucalyptus grove last year. And now Window knew he was seriously hurt; poetic thoughts like that only came when his brain was on the fritz, like in the middle of an exam, right when he needed them least. Wasn't time supposed to move slowly when you get injured? he wondered.

"There was...pain. I had been injured by something. Something metal and fast. Oh, that would logically be a car."

Good. He was able to pick up his train of thought again. However, it was quickly lost when a man jarred his head to put on an oxygen mask and lift him up onto a stretcher. There was a rather large pool of blood left behind on the ground. Hmm. I would like that back soon.

"It had knocked me over. I was probably riding my bike. I had lost a lot of blood. But, there had been something else there which was unusual. It was...blue?"

The scattered remains of his broken helmet. What kind of helmet breaks upon impact? There seemed to be something very odd about one of the pieces in the debris...it was a weird metallic blue, almost otherworldly, like it had fallen out of the sky and hit him upon the head the split second after his body began to fly into the air. It looked rather like one of those strange pieces of meteorite that fell four years ago. Hm, maybe this piece...had come from a longer distance...or maybe it had circled around in the atmosphere for awhile...

The breeze. The darkness.

And a final sentence, echoing in his mind with a voice that was not his own.

"The door...i----

But what was it? What had it said?

Window's eyes snapped open as a searing pain cracked through his head. He winced and put his hand up to his temple, which was a significant gesture for one who was usually very composed. It passed after a moment, though, and Window looked up to see Merlin there with a younger man in a chair with wheels and...the green creature! Last time, it hadn't responded to Window's invitation of contact, so he supposed that maybe it just didn't like him. It was a pity, and so he kept his distance.

But, still, at least he remembered what had happened. But was there anything after that?

After the introductions, Window continued for Aerith, "So...it appears that I was rendered unconscious by the rather piercing trajectory of a falling meteor. From what I could gather from my blurred vision, it was reminiscent of strange meteor shower from 4 years previously. There is also...something else, but I cannot bring myself to recall it at this moment in time. Does my account aid you in any way?"

[---Nαlσ---]

Nalo blinked back sleep. He didn't dream, which wasn't unusual, but he wished he could. His friends always told him about their dreams, the places they went and the things they did. The adventures and stories. Just once Nalo wished he could experience something other than this. He slowly erected himself, like a statue. Solaris stood just in front of him, thinking deeply. He too, was pensive.

I just don't know anymore...Am I happier now that I'm far away from the wood? Was it better before, or now?

Doubt

Nalo was on Solaris in an instant. He couldn't tell if it was he who needed the hug, or the mage, but all he knew was that it felt nice. His hands met each other in front before Nalo finally let go. Solaris was indeed sad. Nalo could feel it. The ever familiar wark of happiness rang throughout the chamber, and Nalo's eyes lit up. Like a child, he pranced in front of Solaris and barged in the door. His eyes scanned Aerith, Window, Youni, Merlin, and ENYB! In a blur of speed and agility, Nalo maneuvered through the cluttered room to greet the mint colored bird with a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

[ Ϩ Ѳ Ʀ ¥ Ʉ ϑ Ʉ ]

{Ignorance is bliss... until reality throws a Heartless siege at you.}

[Traverse Town : Second District Alleyways]

As the blond male had turned to head down the alleyway, he came face to face with the female pirate, Nomaa, from Port Royal. He raised his eyebrows, having been wondering what happened to her. He managed to make note of Suzuran's response, planning the rooming arrangements. Kuumaru had silently reappeared, having walked through the alleyways, and stood next to Suzuran.

"Well, it's good to see you fair shape, Nomaa, good indeed," he began, thinking back to her meeting with Rufus. He was curious to her response; if she chose to go with Rufus, it meant one less person to keep track of. "If you don't mind me asking, how did your conversation with Rufus go? You know how mine went already, having been there."

☼~Ƞѳɱaa βli†ʓ ~☼

{Queen of the Spanish Main.}

[Traverse Town : Second District Streets]

She didn't flinch a bit as the eyes of all those in the alleyway turned to her, some less friendly than others. While she knew she had not given any of them an express reason to trust her, she felt like she hadn't given them any reason to assume otherwise. She could be a powerful enemy, true, but it would be much more advantageous for them in the long run if they took advantage of her momentarily generous mood. Sory's response was at least one of acceptance, the pirate queen's lips parting in a slight smile. His question was logical, her disappearance once they all left the meeting with Rufus surely causing them to question her whereabouts until her recent reappearance.

"Well, I was, and still am to some extent, intrigued. Still, I decided to try my own way for the time being. As a captain myself, it's difficult to sail under command of another, but as I'm sure you've guessed, my efforts have turned up relatively empty-handed," she explained with a slight shrug, watching as the strange creature in the group wandered off on it's own. It was a shame that she still found herself at a dead end, though at least fortune smiled on her enough to lead to her finding the group again. There were worse people she could have in her company.

"Anyways, here I am. Still on this spit of land and no closer to reuniting with my crew and ship," she said relatively quietly, her hands making their way to her hips. She was having a hard time reading if this question came from a wish to be rid of her to another group, or if he was sizing her up to see if she would be a good addition to his. It was interesting -- she couldn't care less either way so long as she had some time to collect information from him. While she knew relatively little about Sory and his group, she had a feeling all she needed to do was play nice and they would tell her everything she needed to know. If she ended up using them as a way tog et back to her own world, then so be it. There would be time to cross that river when it came time to make that decision.

"So, what have adventures have you and your crew been up to since we went our separate ways? I'd wager it'll make a good story on the way back to the inn."

~Window~

[Traverse Town::Merlin's House]

Window's eyes softened as Nalo bounded into the room, and while no one was looking he even allowed the corner of his mouth to twitch upward in a barely noticeable half-grin. Still standing, he thought for a moment and responded to Merlin, "Well, I believe that is a question you might have to pose to Nalo. I am not quite sure as to your abilities and resources, but my Viera friend apparently knows more about you. He is the one who suggested that we come to ask for your services. But...I guess that, if my world has not been consumed by Darkness, then I should perhaps return to it?" Window was loathe to leave this wide new universe unexplored, but it seemed almost expected of him to go back. Everyone else around him had lost their homes or their family. So, if he had a place to go back to, it appeared his duty to do so. Besides, what place did he have in this new reality? None. The man internally sighed, resigned to his fate. It was a shame--he who had a home was not eager to return, and those without it were condemned to yearn for it...

Wait a minute.

The mechanisms inside Window's brain halted from the inundation of new ideas. What if...there was a way to get what he wanted without feeling guilty and unintentionally hurting everyone?

"Alas, I do not know how I arrived here in Traverse Town, and so I have no way of knowing from what point in the sky I began my journey. Although it is a stretch of a hope, it would truly be a work of magic if you could implement some method to pinpoint my word's location.

"But...I also fear that my home may be lost to the Darkness sometime in my absence. Is there a way to save my world, or any of these worlds?" This was the beginning of an idea. Window waited to see what Merlin's response would be before proposing his plan.

[Enyb]

{Kweeeeeh...(Oh my...).}

[Traverse Town : Third District Streets]

The bird happily drank the water from the bowl. It was definitely what he needed, considering he never got anything to drink after that giant cloud of poison he was trapped in, earlier.

Of course, drinking became a problem when Nalo latched onto him. "War...Wark?[Do you...mind?]" he asked? reaching for the bowl that seemed just out of reach after getting surprised by the bunnyman.

[Shade : Land of Dragons : Bamboo Thicket]

Fang, in the form of Shade, stared silently at the woman, eyes narrowed and daggers ready. When the wind blades came, the wind went through the illusion.

Meanwhile, behind the woman, Shade ducked down to avoid the blades of wind. She dropped to her knees and kicked out her leg in attempt to trip the woman. As Fang, no longer enchanted by the illusion lunged at the woman teeth ready to go at her neck.

((I am so sorry for the long wait for me to post as Shade, Bard. >< I am too lazy with this character. Feel free to hit me or something, kay.))