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[Kay'la : Agrabah : Bazaar]

Kay'la was about to continue her departure when the bazaar suddenly one of the guards screamed like a girl. Then the whole area went into a panic. The bard looked over her shoulder to try and see what was going on only to get bumped into by few people in the panic. She was barely was able to stay on her feet, though the cloth she had on her head to hide her ears came off. To top it off a portion of her skirt somehow ripped allowing her tail be freed as well.

"Just what the hell was that about?" Kay'la asked with annoyance as her ears wiggled on their own accord, now that they were free. Her eyes narrowed upon the bull-man who stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd.

[Luther .: Second District :. Traverse Town]

Luther opened his eyes slowly and stared at what seemed to be a business district. The lights of every window were lit with a warm yellow glow, but there were no sounds coming from any of the buildings. A peculiar sign labeled “Dress and Suit” dominated the building he was leaning on.

Alright so… I’m dead…?

Around him people walked by briskly walking in and out of the various shops around him. He had no idea how long he had been laying there up against the building. Luther slowly got up and stretched his aching muscles. A family a three passed by him and he waved them down to get there attention.

“Excuse me, sir, where exactly am I?” Luther began trying to steady his legs.

“Ah,” the man began, a smile across his face, “A fresh one then? You’re lucky you landed here and not up in Third District. You are in Traverse Town, friend, the city of refugees, merchants, and adventurer’s alike.”

Traverse town…

”And what of Fallen London? What of my family?” Luther continued, his words hastening.

The man’s smile quickly dissipated at Luther’s words. He looked to his wife and back to Luther and said, “They may still yet be alive… though, nothing is certain…”

At that the family quickly left, leaving Luther alone and stunned staring at them as they passed into the distance. He felt the welling of tears in his eyes, which quickly was followed by a surge of anger and anguish. Luther let out a loud primal yell and slumped back down to the side of the building feeling mentally drained. He sat there for a good ten minutes before deciding to move on from his thoughts.

Luther got up once more and checked himself to see if anything had changed. Feeling a pain in his chest, he opened his coat, lifted his shirt and was shocked to see three burn marks spelling out SALT, STONE, and STORM.

”The gods’ last gift…” he muttered getting redressed.

He checked his holster for his pistol and his scabbard for his cutlass. Both were intact and functioning properly. No one seemed bothered that he was armed. If anything the people that passed Luther seemed happy when he unsheathed his weapons.

A dangerous land it seems…

[Luther .:Traverse Town :. Second District]

Luther’s attention quickly focused on a blonde haired woman. Initially, he would have been interested in her choice of clothing, but now was not the time for such trivialities. At her statement Luther looked down, and breathed in sharply to catch himself from saying something nasty. Her words stung. There was no doubt about that. However, he would not

He met her eyes with a cold steely stare and stated, “Madam, I assure you, I am no pirate. Though, I have cut down many a man in my time who has called himself a… “pirate”.

Luther’s gaze calmed as he looked more at the woman. Now he saw she was but a girl, young and naïve. Her mannerisms showed that she was apprehensive to approach him to begin with, but was not hostile or demeaning.

Softly, he said, “My name is Luther. I was a captain in my world… who are you?”

[Luther .: Traverse Town :. Second District]

His assumption was correct. The girl meant no harm, and he would have been daft to think otherwise. His eyes continued a calm gaze and he smiled at her mistake. She was young, and tact was obviously not her strong suit. Nevertheless, they were both in a strange world far from their homes. Her question on what kind of town this was proved that.

Her gesture of a hand shake was odd to him, but charming. He had never shaken the hand of a lady, as his dealings with women often led him to butt heads with the upper-crust aristocracy. Luther dealt with 3 types of women: the harlot, the shipmate, and his wife. No more, no less. When he was home, he was there to spend a day with his wife and child to rest. He wasn’t to be bothered by trivial means such as seeing the neighbors. Before he met his wife, he’d have his fair share of escapades with harlots down at the Wolfstack Docks, but those days were long gone. Finally, his crew consisted of whatever dog he could find willing to risk his or her or its life for a paltry sum of money. He had never once shaken a lady’s hand.

This little change of life was nice for Luther. He firmly grasped her hand and kept a small smile on his mouth. “A pleasure to meet you, Ciel.

He let go of her hand and continued, ”I assume that is your home, yes? Destiny Islands as you call it? Mine is Fallen London, a port city…

Luther paused, his smile slowly vanishing. He said”She was consumed by a large dark storm… I assumed it was the Gods up to something, but now I think that might be incorrect. You say this is another world… mine is gone then… to answer your question, though, I have no idea what this ‘world’ is. I just got here actually.

Luther chuckled at the fact that they both were completely lost here. The girl’s face was beaming with curiosity, so he caved and said, “Your face gives away your curiosity. I’ll humor you. Ask away… I don’t have much to do anyways at the moment…”

He was unsure what kind of can of worms he opened with the last statement, but he was sure it couldn’t be too bad. After all, the girl looked at least the age to be able to bear children, so there wouldn’t be too many trivial questions to answer.

[Luther .: Traverse Town :. Second District]

Not sure what I expected…

Luther wasn’t sure where to begin so he just stood there a bit dumbfounded by the girl’s ability to talk… forever. As she was speaking, he was making mental notes of everything that he could tell her, and everything that he would rather not tell her. Some things he knew, some things he could only speculate about. He did appreciate her curiosity, though. It was nice to be able to talk to someone from obviously a different world.

So if this is hell, then I suppose it’s not too bad…

“Well you’d be a fine journalist…” he began, ”London is a large industrial port city in ‘The Neath’. It’s fallen because…

Luther paused, realizing that the next words that would come out of his mouth would be a bit ridiculous sounding to a person who did not understand his world.

”It’s fallen because it was stolen… by bats… from space. Now you may think that is insane, but there are many ‘insane’ aspects to it. I, myself, never fully understood the area, but I’ll do my best to answer your questions. I have seen my fair share of sea monsters: from crabs the size of a boat to ancient creatures that never die by the hands of mortals…"

Luther paused, recalling his encounters with the monsters of the deep. He recalled the Giant Eye, and his body stiffened and his face tightened.

”Anyway, you ask of our Gods.he continued “We have three that I am acquainted with: Salt, Storm, and Stone. Their ways are mysterious, but are not unlike the pagan Gods of old you speak of. They have no power outside the Neath that I know of, but have both aided and destroyed many a captain. I have been fortunate enough to have gained their aide. The branded me before I was sent here almost as a last effort to continue their legacy. My world is gone, yes. The storm you speak of must have been the same that swallowed my ship, my crew, and my world. I can always hope, though…”

Luther stood there in silence for a small while, looking away from the girl, thinking of his family. He caught himself, and quickly went on with answering the girl’s questions in a more cheery attitude.

”Now, you may call me Luther. As I have no ship left, and no crew, I do not think it would be necessary to call me Captain. I was also planning on retiring anyway, so there’s no need for it. That life is long gone. I have no idea what a moogle or a cho-co-bo are… and yes I was captain of a sea ship.

Thinking of her pirate statement, Luther was reminded of the incomprehensibly immoral acts of the Pirate King and those at Gaider’s Mourn.

He began again, ”Now, let me just say this… the ‘pirates’ I knew when I was younger do not even compare to the horrific acts of the pirates of The Neath. Do well not to remind me of what I have seen.. onward then. My ship…”

Luther smiled at the thought of his old ship. His hard work over years of sailing bought him the best ship money could buy.

She was indeed a beauty she was… 40 crew, forward and aft cannons hand crafted by the finest of engineers, an engine that could outrace any Zee monster or ship out there… and fuel efficient to boot! Ah, by the end there, we were an unstoppable force we were. Probably could have taken on a whole Khanate fleet if we had to… I do not recall any stained glass. My trip here was merely darkness followed by a coma and waking up outside this Clothing shop

Luther gestured to the shop with the Mad Hatter on the main sign.

”Strange looking if you ask me… and you want a story then. Well…”he mused, thinking of the tales he could tell. She looked like any would please, but if he were to keep her company it would have to be good.

Luther thought for a little bit about, which one to tell the girl, and finally cleared his throat.

He began, ”It’s been said that ‘strange truths are told of the waves and what lies beneath. The lies are even stranger.’ This one is a truth. I’m going to let you know of Polythreme and the Clay Men. Polythreme is an island, and on it the city is alive. ‘Roads roll, bricks quiver. The windows of all the buildings flash like eyes. The palace above the city swells and roars. This convulsion is how the Clay Men are born. Even now, somewhere below, they open their blind-seeming grey eyes.’ Well… they did before it was swallowed whole. The whole city is alive that way, which caused a problem for me and my men when we were sent to pick up a handful of clay men for work back in London. We went to a tavern and ordered soup… but since everything is alive, the soup was as well… and it screamed. One man was so terrified we couldn’t get a word out of him for three days… The Clay Men themselves are a strange breed. They are created by their King imagining them, and his dreams become what the Clay men are. They are born to do one task, which is marked on their bodies…

Luther, shifted uncomfortably after pausing for a little bit.

”However,” he continued, ”The King may have nightmares sometimes, and these nightmares make Unfinished Clay Men. Those without faces, missing limbs, hands, what have you. While normal Clay Men will never harm people, these ones, for whatever reason, are not bound by the same rules. I’ve had my troubles with them in the past… but I’ve also felt sympathetic to them. I’ve seen them protect women from thieves only to be shunned away for their disfigurement. They existed only to serve, but had no true purpose…”

[Ciel : Traverse Town : Second District]

Ciel was beyond excited. Then, apparently, there was a bonus story after the first story (Luther's explanation of his own home and life), which made her even more excited,

Bats? From outer space? Sure! Why not?! Ciel accepted that! She'd grown up on stories featuring even more impossible stories, stories of worlds that were completely real: an underwater city of mermaids, an island where no one aged and people could fly with the help of a fairy, a world of pirates and oceans where dead men could tell tales, and a town wholly dedicated to Halloween to name just a few. Bats from space stealing a city? Aw yeah. You bet she was going to believe it. In fact, it's impossibility only sharpened Ciel's curiosity.

Bats proved to be just the beginning, and Ciel paid avid attention to everything Luther mention. For all her excitement, however, she was deathly silent. Like Luther who told the story, Ciel felt her own shifts in emotion as she listened. Everything from shock and awe to apology and sympathy showed clearly on her face, but they did not break the silence of her avid listening. She felt awe at Luther's tales of the Neath. Even as she felt sorry for bringing up a sensitive topic when he stiffened or something similar from some unknown horror, she could not help but let her imagination run wild as to the fantastic reasons for such reaction.

There were more reactions than just those, of course, just as the captain had spoken about more than what was just described. In short, learning about a new culture was exciting to Ciel. Regardless of how much of it she would actually be able to remember, at that very moment, she was feeling so very fulfilled and happy. She really was trying her best to remember it all, too. Every now and then, her mouth could be caught moving silently, repeating the words that the captain had just said. Gods, ships, the names of places, the types of people, the monsters. There was just so much new.

By the end of Luther's story about Clay Men, the only thing that could be read from Ciel's face was pure awe. There was so much and only one way to express what she was feeling. Breathlessly, Ciel commented, "That's amazing…" before she added more force to her words, "Really, really amazing! I've never heard about anywhere like the Neath! And I've heard stories about a lot of places! Lots of oceans! Oceans with mermaids! The oceans with my islands in it. Oceans with pirates! All sorts! But I guess I might not have heard about the Neath because your place doesn't have any moogles. Living a life on the high seas surrounded by monsters, evil pirates, and all other types of known and unknown danger must be terrifying but anyone that lives through all that sounds so awesome."

As always seemed to be the case, the end of the answers only fueled more questions for Ciel. She would have asked these too, if Luther's retelling hadn't reminded Ciel more than once about her own situation. She, like he, was stuck away from home in some foreign land after having lost everything. Her old life, while much more peaceful and with more chocobos and moogles, was about as gone as Luther's old life was. Even Ciel had to admit that maybe now wasn't the time to be chasing every question she had. It was a weird feeling. A depressing feeling. .

Depressing or not, she gulped down her questions, literally gulping to reinforce her resolve. "Everything you said is so very interesting, and I have even more questions I'd like to ask now. I really, really want to ask more questions, but I guess right now I should focus on more serious problems, like figuring out where I am and what I'll do from here on out," Ciel frankly relayed her way of thinking, "The way I came here was a lot like yours. A big storm and blackness then waking up here. Although, I spent a bit of time on a platform of stained glass, but that's probably nothing. Our situations are similar and, well, what I'm trying to say is, well, would you like someone to figure things out with? Even if all you care about is figuring out the name of this place? I think it'll be nice to make at least one friend in this unknown place." At least, to Ciel, having a companion felt like it would ease her mind greatly, and there was definitely a lot to figure out.

{Cupcake .:. Traverse Town .:. First District}

"How delightful," Princess Amanita exclaimed, clapping her hands together and smiling radiantly. "Of course I would be honored to be accompanied by a noble kitsune and a skilled chef! My good sir, I shan't object to you expanding your repertoire of delicious meals in the slightest. I have had the pleasure of experiencing the cuisine of your people a time or two, oh, decades ago." She tittered, demurely covering her mouth with one hand, followed by a dreamy sigh. "Simply marvelous. Of course, you weren't born yet, I don't think. Oh, having you both along on this journey will be such a joy! Would anyone else like to join us?"



{Wing .:. Twilight Town .:. Old Mansion}

"At this point, I’m mainly exploring," Wing admitted with a shrug. She looked around at the architecture of the mansion, noticing for the first time some of the unicorn-like decor. She burned with curiosity, and strode to a small shelving unit filled with trinkets, including a lovely carved marble unicorn head. She tilted her head from side to side, examining the statue minutely from every angle she could.

"I’m looking for somewhere that my archeological skills will be useful, actually," she continued as she examined the statue. "My homeworld is at war with itself, and my parents…" A memory flashed across her mind, of Lin and Zan standing arm-in-arm, waving at her as her ship took off. Wing had to pause for a moment as a completely unexpected pang of homesickness hit her. "When we discovered a means of interstellar travel, my parents insisted that I be the one to leave. … Hello, is that a hinge?"



{Azuria [Pet: Ted].:. Agrabah .:. Bazaar}

Azuria struggled for only a moment more before she gave in. She was nowhere near as strong as her brother, and she had learned that fighting against him when he was determined was an exercise in futility. She choked on a sob—dry-eyed as usual—and followed along, keeping as close to him as she could. Ted followed behind, striking at anyone that got too close to his master and her brother. Fortunately for him, the rattler boa was an expert at dodging feet, and had not problem navigating the stampede to keep up with Azuria and Mal.

"How can you be sure, big brother?" she asked. Her core pulsed, searching for her father, yearning for an echo from the disembodied core. "It’s a miracle we found him in the first place…"

{Wing .:. Twilight Town .:. Old Mansion}

"Don’t be ridiculous," Wing retorted, somewhat sharply. "I have no idea what that would do. The last thing we need is for me to open up a trap door and drop us on top of spikes, or into a den of snakes, or some other such nasty thing. Give me a bit to try to find out if there’s some sort of mechanism it’s supposed to activate."

She had none of her tools with her, she’d left those on the ship, but that didn’t mean she was without resources. She pulled on a pair of thick leather gloves, enough to hopefully protect her hands from poisoned needles as she felt around, trying to find some sort of switch or wire.

"Are you able to see anything?" she asked. "A switch, a wire, a seam. Something that would tell us why this unicorn statue is hinged."



{Azuria [Pet: Ted].:. Agrabah .:. Bazaar}

"You’re right," Zuri said with a sigh. Of course he was right. If they could find Dad once, they could find him again. Feeling more confident thanks to her brother’s presence and reassuring words, Azuria straightened up and put more pep into her steps. Ted took the opportunity to slither up to his favorite spot, draped around her shoulders. Her core continued to call out, and she was able to hear a faint, far-off echo back.

"That way, Mal," she exclaimed, pointing down an alleyway that they could clearly see from here ended in a blank wall.