There was plenty of logic to tell him that going back to the wonder awaiting him on Neptune was quite safe. The fact it was an old structure that had lasted for hundreds of years without any crack forming in the glass was sure sign it was safe. Otherwise, his first visit would have truly been underwater. There was also the fact that his wonder, Nysa, was his responsibility. He could not just ignore it and expect it to go away. He could ignore it, but having at least half an ounce of a conscious, he'd feel the guilt.
The lad paced back and forth in his dorm room, already in uniform, pacing back and forth nervously.
...try to think of it as if it were an Aquarium... only it is filled with water... nothing else is...
He was trying to delude himself, and he knew it was an absolutely transparent effort on his own part. Nysa closed his eyes and took several long deep breaths in an effort to soothe himself. His pulse seemed to slow down slightly with his efforts, despite how his mind did not want to cooperate.
...just an Aquarium...
Eventually, he attempted the words aloud again, his pledge to the wonder.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his dorm room. Fortunately, this time he knew that he was being transported to this place. Certainly, he wasn't a native to this place, but he was able to move along without staring like a timid creature in a new place. He was inspecting more thoroughly as he made his rounds, a trembling finger touching his lip.
"...this will never do..." he uttered against his gloved finger as he passed several pieces of tipped over furniture. It was one of the first things he had noticed about this place, this responsibility of his. It needed to get organized, and unless the chairs, desks, and bookcases were going to sprout limbs and put themselves into their proper place, it meant that the Page had found a project to keep him occupied.
After making one walk through the space (and making certain to avoid looking through the overly large "window" towards the water), he decided on exactly which areas to tend to first.
Nysa could never be accused of being a power house, but he was certainly strong enough to move furniture about. Gradually, he began to right the fallen pieces, starting with the book shelves and chairs. Underneath many of the shelves were books, pages torn, creased, and nearly disintegrating from years. Many would be intimidated by the condition of the books to even attempt touching the books. However, Nysa knew he had a rather delicate touch. Once several of the shelves were righted, he began to start lifting books up, barely touching the edges before he set them back in the shelves. The symbols were not remotely recognizable to him, which the Page did not seem to find bothersome at all. Languages changed over time. Seeing as this was technically an alien world, it made even more sense for him to be unable to figure out the written language easily.
He had already lifted up a minimum of 20 books or so before he lifted up what was a faded black book with golden trim. Upon lifting it, he managed to uncover something that had been hidden underneath its rectangular form.
"...what might you be...?" Had he been a bit more impulsive, he might have leaned down to pick up the small golden object up off the ground right then and there. Instead, he stood there for a moment, as if he was debating whether or not to touch what seemed like a trinket. Eventually, he moved towards the shelf and set the book down first before making his way back to the golden object and lifting it up between his fingers. He turned it about between his fingers.
It was a ring. On the top it had the same symbol that he had seen upon his pocket watch he had received this past Christmas holiday from Father. Upon further inspection, he noted the interior of the band had four familiar characters carved into them in elegant form.
Nysa
"...it would be a shame to lose such a lovely piece of jewelry..."
Momentarily, he paused from his cleaning efforts to walk to the thrashed desk he had passed out near upon his first visit, and set the ring upon one of the clawed in grooves. He paused in place, as if inspecting the spot he placed the ring, making certain it was truly adequate. Eventually, he stepped back, then resumed work.
He continued to work until he felt exhausted. By the time he was ready to turn in, he had managed to move all of the furniture into upright positions, and even organized them into seemingly proper places in the room. There were several picture frames he had managed to locate, the varying pieces of artwork torn through from whatever disaster had ruined this workspace.
As he was moving the last piece towards a wall, the Page ran his fingers over the flapping portions of the canvas, pushing the pieces to the proper place so he could look over the subject of the artwork.
It was merely a painting, but it was a painting of the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen in his life. She was even more stunning than Amelia, the young lady who had managed to steal Howl's attentions at one point. She had hair that seemed the color of the ocean itself, forming into loose waves. Her painted smile was kind, soft, and absolutely enchanting. She wore a sleeveless gown that flowed to the ground, with tasteful accents in gold.
The oddest thing he did manage to notice upon the painting was the fact this young lady seemed to have a tattoo upon her forehead in the symbol of Neptune. He stood there, gazing upon this piece of artwork for far longer than he should have. However, his hand eventually started to tingle from holding the canvas up for so long to the point he had to withdraw it. The flaps of the painting fell back, masking the true image once more.
"...I need to go back..." he uttered softly, almost as if he was speaking to the painting. "...but I will be back... to tend to Nysa..." Stepping back, he closed his eyes, and after clearing his mind a bit, he recited his oath once more.
He'd be back. He had to come back.
