ESE

[Adira]

The lake was crazy peaceful. It looked like it had never been touched. As Koero reached down to touch the water it felt silky, different then any other water she had ever felt. The clear lake looked like it was sparkling the way the sun was hitting the water and when Nimfa asked. "Do you want to go for a swim?" Koero nodded her head up and down. "Yes, Yes, Yes!" She dove forward and bathed herself in the clear blue water. She felt so at home and she couldn't help but think her family would love this.

Her pink hair followed her as she doggy paddled from place to place. Looking over at Nimfa she smiled. "So, what do you like to do back home?" She asked her new found.. friend? Could they be considered friends? Koero would have to see as time went on. As she stood up the clear water fell from her dress like tears. Her hair stuck to her face in odd places and Koero giggled as she pulled it from her face and neck. She wondered how it would dry and that intrigued her, what was different about this world besides magic? She couldn't wait to find out.

 

[upscalerat]

"Wait.... Meet up? Like... everyone travelling from all over the world? To get together just to meet dream buddies?" Kimi asked, and Bantay nodded.

"Sure. Well, running on the assumption that this is actually a thing that's happening... And, well, I don't know, it seems like we're all speaking English. Maybe that's just some dream thing, or maybe we're all hearing our own native languages, but, Maybe we're all really speaking English, so, it may not be so far for us to travel," the swordsman offered. He would have continued but then the girl was doubled over, and laughing again. He couldn't help himself- he had to grin at her sillyness. She was just, happy, he decided, and like other emotions, it spread.

"I'm...I'm sorry. I'm just thinking... mermaids... oh I could have fun with that!" The winded girl explained, and Bantay nodded. He opened his mouth to say it was okay, and to say that she might as well, but Kimi was talking again. "But unless people agreed to meet me on my turf, I couldn't go. Now, I think it's my turn to wield the sword, Master Swordsman." She was walking again, and Bantay followed. "What's one secret about yourself you've never told anyone before?"

This caused him to slow. Obviously, she was asking about Neil, and that was tough. With his group of stoners, Neil didn't talk about himself a lot. That question was a fairly open one. In fact, he wasn't sure what he had told others... And on one hand, Neil probably could have said something simple like, "My mother is never home," but after what Kimi had shared with him, that didn't seem particularly fair. Not without explanation, or something. But perhaps it would do as a starting point, the swordsman decided, and took a couple of quick steps to catch up with Kimi.

"I've got these two younger siblings, they're twins. Joshua and Madison. I love them to death, but, I'm not... I'm kinda like, their dad. And their mom. Our parents-" No. That didn't matter. "-had no right to have children," he finished. "And-" Oh, that was unexpected. And? 'And, I wish they hadn't. And, I want to get out of there before Josh and Maddy are going to be even sort of ready to,' he guilted, to himself. But that wasn't going to be said allowed. "I think you've got another question, to match my two," he amended, and looked back at Kimi, doing his best to keep the resentment he had towards his family away frrom his face, away from this sweet girl.

 

[Lady Alainn]

Kimi's hands clasped behind her back again, her face pensive as her companion spoke, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth at the thought of adorable little twin Bantays. That he had at least a younger sister, she already guessed. His hands had touched her with the gentle caress of a brother and his consoling words had tumbled as someone used to performing the action. Of course, the twins would look nothing like Bantay did here in ESE. It was highly unlikely Bantay had not been subject to an extreme make-over like hers. Or the girls with the unnaturally coloured hair. But still, it was an endearing image and a desire to meet this young man's family stirred in her breast.

"I love them to death, but, I'm not... I'm kinda like, their dad. And their mom. Our parents had no right to have children."

Kimi's eyes raised to his with a look of deep respect and appreciation. He was raising his siblings? And if this was something he hadn't told anybody.... he was raising them alone. It was hard enough for a single parent, she couldn't imagine how heavily the responsibility sat on his shoulders. No wonder he had exploded after Tiwala's unnerving performance. He was trying so hard to keep his feelings stuffed inside a bottle, away from the prying eyes of the world. A bottle, though temporarily effective, could only hold so much. Her reflections were broken into by Bantay's next statement.

"I think you've got another question, to match my two."

She opened her mouth to say something positive or reaffirming-- anything-- but caught herself with a low chuckle. Wasn't she bemoaning clumsy words only moments ago? Instead, she opted for another strategy and sought Bantay's hand with her own, giving it a squeeze. Not a squeeze out of sympathy or pretend understanding, but one of companionship. A quiet 'thank you' for opening himself up to her. She did her best to communicate that with her eyes. Since he'd played the brother, she would reciprocate as the sister.

As far as her next question, Kimi would ask an easy one. She briefly glanced down at her hand in his, content to leave it there for as long as Bantay wanted to hold it. Speaking, or rather thinking, of siblings, Kyla now determined to meet this young man and his little darlings if this hallucination was actually real. The next logical question slipped from her lips.

"Where do you live?"

 

[Nay'ar]

As soon as Kidlat hugged her, she stiffened and crouched on herself more; usually she would have shoved away whoever dared to do something like that but now, in her eyes, Naoto was hugging her, and fear made her react, not logic. He was gentle but firm; a kindness somewhat nostalgic for Ren, something she remembered feeling when his dad read her fairytales, when her mother cooked breakfast in the morning, when Mamoru smiled to her; something she lost during her first year of High school. Something she craved to get once again but was too scared to reach.

What broke inside of her some minutes earlier was something big and important: her steady self control; the awareness of not being able to be alone, of being at the mercy of people's wills, not being able to know for sure if she was safe or not, her constant fear of betrayal, her fear of the unknown, all those reasons played a part in triggering a full-blown panic attack. And that warmth... that 'Someone' hugging her was trying, somehow very clumsily, to get her back, to drive her fears in their own cages. Deep inside her. Under control.

"Shhh, It's okay." Ok? How could anything be ok? It was Naoto hugging her... he wanted to hurt her... or not? Maybe it wasn't him... Naoto never conveyed that type of warmth, well... Naoto never let her feel any warmth except the one given by her blood dripping wrist. Then maybe... Mamoru...? He did transmit her warmth and kindness. Did he finally arrive to save her from her classmate, again? But, wait... Mamoru didn't hug her that time... he simply immobilized Naoto, entrusting him to a teacher. Then smiled. It was a tired, slightly sad smile. She remembered it well. He reached out his hand, maybe to help her, but gave up the thought "You'd better have that arm fixed up... it seems pretty bad" he said in a cold voice dropping his arm and going away. Ren had felt a sharp pain in her chest hearing him speak those words 'Oh, right... we just broke up... of course he wouldn't want to touch me...' and there she was... hoping so hard something impossible... But that touch... it WAS real... how couldn't it be?

A finger brushing through her hair once, twice, followed by a third time, made her shiver instinctively, cracking lightly her memory-world. Then a kind, light hand petted her scalp, whispering softly to her ear "I'm here, it's okay. I won't hurt you.". He couldn't possibly be Mamoru he wouldn't have been so... scared...? That hand was unsure yet kind, scared yet firm. It couldn't be his... then again he was already gone from her life. A shard of that world broke and fell. Didn't her father made her move all the way to America... wait... America? The cracks widened. Slowly but steadily she started to calm down. Her vision widened again. And the most recent past started to catch up to her. Aruta? Her shivers stopped. ESE? That question shattered to pieces that broken glass world. She opened her eyes again, still dropping tears. She tried to look around her but failed. Something held her head on something soft, a vest of some sort. She felt a hand on her back and a second one on her head keeping her against a shoulder, and she, counterwise, had a head on her shoulder.

The girl tried to go through everything she did... and said... and thought... trying to make sense of what she remembered; too bad she actually recalled every little detail of her attack but didn't remember who was actually hugging her... she saw Mamoru and Naoto and at some time in between she lost sight of her surroundings. She indulged in that warmth for some more seconds, trying to figure out who might that person be, but that brown vest could be owned by a person alone... she switched back to English and asked just to make sure: "K--Kidlat?" her voice was still broken but she got over the attack... side effects would last a bit more though. But the worst had passed.

 

[FiliaFlammae]

Tiwala stiffened and shook a little bit in his arms. Kidlat had expected that. But slowly, slowly, he could feel her relax. As he waited, his thoughts wandered. Now he was intensely aware of exactly what he was doing. He was hugging a girl he'd only known for an hour, who in all likelihood was not particularly mentally stable, and on top of that they had met in this strange dream fantasy game world in which they were still trapped. Oh, it felt real now, but a part of his mind was starting to wonder once again if this really was just a vivid dream. The slap to the face he seemed to remember Aria giving him was long past, and memory was a fickle thing.

"K-Kidlat?"

His heart gave a little flutter as she spoke again after that period of long silence. He smiled sadly. She was back. "That's me," he said. He pulled away from the hug and looked her in the eyes, unaware that his face had a caring, vulnerable look to it that he hadn't shown on his face since he was little. "You okay now? You had me worried. Can't have our only archer and diviner out of commission, now can we?" He grinned and clapped her on the shoulder before he stood up. "Well, we've checked all the rooms. I just claimed my bunk...that one." He turned and pointed to the one in the corner that had a pile of black fabric crumpled atop it. "Pick yours if you want, I guess. Or not. No rush." He wasn't sure what they should do next, but his eyes returned to Tiwala, intending to keep a close watch on her. This girl had proven to be much deeper than he had given her credit for, and he did not doubt that there was more darkness buried deep within her, waiting to spill out. He wanted to be on the alert for that.

Yes, they'd only known each other for an hour. But somehow, after that ordeal...he couldn't help but feel that maybe they'd grown a bit closer. His eyes tried to tell her silently that he understood, that he respected her and her needs.

 

[Ray C]

Koero's dive elicited a large splash, the spray flying into Nimfa. She laughed, but looking at the wet spots on her dress brought a small frown. She didn't have anything else to change into, and she didn't want to wear a wet dress for the rest of the day. Just to be sure (or maybe to satisfy a sense of paranoia), Nimfa scanned the surrounding area once more. Then she tugged the dress over her head and set it down on the beach. She breathed out in relief when she found the modest, blue undergarments underneath to her liking; they almost seemed designed to swim in.

The water wouldn't wait any longer. Nimfa dove in head first, slipping under the surface and opening her eyes wide. She laughed twice; she could indeed see the bottom, at least nearby. Visibility was a good fifty meters in any direction. She had to come back up for air quickly, but her happy smile didn't fade in the slightest.

"So, what do you like to do back home?"

Nimfa rolled onto her back and floated along. "I like the beach. And the mountains. And the woods. Heh, I guess I like to do anything as long as it's away from town. And Johnny's. I love Johnny's Cafe in town." It wasn't all that popular, but Rebecca had never been disappointed with Johnny and his small restaurant. He could cook anything--literally anything, even nasty dishes that should never have been invented. The cafe might have been more popular if he wouldn't cook dishes like that (some smells are simply unbearable), but every time somebody said, "Surprise me," he would pick the most exotic dish imaginable. Johnny's motto was "Whatever you ask for," and those daring customers were certainly surprised. With its infamy on par with its fame, anyone who spoke of Johnny's did so in glowing terms: half spoke in shining praise, and half spoke in flaming disdain.

In fact, Nimfa realized, anyone from Aruta could have heard of it. She rolled over and looked at Koero curiously. "Have you ever been to Johnny's?" Or, do you actually live somewhere near me? The idea that Koero might not be a complete stranger... felt good.

 

[Nay'ar]

"That's me," 'What's with that vulnerable look? I understand that I have gotten you worried... maybe... but it's nothing to be so concerned about...' Tiwala smiled weakly, drying her tears with the back of her hand "I'm afraid I got your vest wet, I'm sorry" she said pointing at it and then dropping her arm as if tired. She was much better now, the shaking had subsided and she wasn't cold anymore, but she was very tired: panic 'Panic is a tiresome emotion to feel'. "You okay now? You had me worried." she felt guilty about the worry Kidlat had to feel. She just wanted to live without having to suffer from lies and betrayal not to live worrying others. She sighed and prepared to explain what happened 'For as much as I don't want to... he did help out' she thought before talking in a low voice "Tha-thank you... I... suppose I owe you an exp--" but she was interrupteed by his next statement "Can't have our only archer and diviner out of commission, now can we?" Ren was at a loss and remained with her mouth open as he got up 'What... did you expect something different? Of course he would have wanted to help the archer... not the girl... they just NEED your abilities' her eyes started moistening again 'No, Ren. You won't cry from something like this: you felt it again, right? Just because you deluded yourself again... you should know how the world goes around... now send those tears back and smile. Everyone likes when the other smiles.' "Indeed" she said with a smile as bright as fake.

"Well, we've checked all the rooms. I just claimed my bunk... that one." she changed her position, sitting on the floor instead of kneeling and looked at the bed the boy just pointed out "Pick yours if you want, I guess. Or not. No rush." She thought for a bit about beds positions, missing his understanding gaze; if there were 8 beds, it meant that one was bound to be empty as there were just 7 of them. If Ako didn't return that made it down to 6. There was to be at least a bed which was farther from the others or at least one which had an empty bed in between. She would have taken that one. "I think I'll just take mine after everyone has decided on theirs" her voice came out colder than expected but it was easy to blame the side effects for it.

She was so tired... she just wanted to take a bath and sleep for the longest time. But she couldn't, she had to deal with strange people who just wanted to make use of her abilities, as much as she would have used them for theirs.

"How about going around the building? Maybe we'll find a sort of something to bathe with..." she suggested in a tired voice, then got up, massaging her eyes, and walked toward the entrance door not waiting for Kidlat to follow her 'He'll follow me... he has to look after me so no need to worry...' but then again it didn't really matter whether he would have done it or not.

 

[FiliaFlammae]

"I think I'll just take mine after everyone has decided on theirs," Tiwala said. Her voice had a dull chill to it. He couldn't blame her; that fit looked like it had taken a lot out of her. Poor thing. "Fair enough," he said with a polite nod. Ah, and she made a suggestion that he hadn't considered: that there might be more to their camp than this single building. "Oh, good point!" he chimed in, brightening a bit. "Since the bathroom didn't have a tub...I can't imagine we wouldn't have any way to get clean whatsoever. Imagine how gross we'd feel after a few days. Ha ha." He laughed, but as he worked himself up to a light jog to catch up to her, his face fell. She seemed cold and distant now. Of course, he couldn't see her face, so maybe he was imagining it. But hadn't she been distant this entire time? Not trying to be cold, no, quite the opposite...but distant all the same. He slowed his pace as he caught up with her. He gave her a sidelong glance, noting her smile, which he at least imagined looked strained and unnatural. He swallowed in discomfort. No, he couldn't expect her to feel sunny and cheerful so soon after she had recovered, he knew that, but still...

He looked ahead again, but he nudged the back of her hand with his own. "You're welcome, by the way," he murmured. "Sorry I didn't say that sooner."

 

[Adira]

Koero was swimming on her back as she looked up into the bright blue sky. The dazzling sun was shining down on the lake and she felt the suns rays soak into her pale white skin. She was so relaxed she felt like she could almost fall asleep, except for the fact that she already was, by all technical means, asleep back in her bed on earth. When her body fell into a relaxed state she felt her body begin to sink under the water. Before she could react her body was plunged under the clear lake. As she fought to get back to the top for air she opened her eyes under the water. Nimfa was right, you could see everything under the clear water. She looked around and saw the beautiful lake in it's natural state she began to feel light headed from her lack of air and decide it was probably time to go back to the surface.

She swam back up and when she reached the top she took in the fresh air that her lungs needed so badly. As she kept breathing in the air so her lungs, that felt like they were on fire, could relax. She noticed the Nimfa had joined her in the cool lake and was smart enough to have taken her cloth dress off. Koero hadn't thought to taken her dress off so that she would have something dry to walk back in. She noticed that Nimfa had began speaking, it seemed that she was like any other girl. She liked the beach, the mountains, and the woods. And wait did she mention Johnny's? Wasn't that the cafe that was in town?

Koero stuttered slightly before she could speak clearly. "Johnny's Cafe? Isn't that the little restaurant in town.. that can make almost anything? I've seen it but never had the time.. or really guts to go in.." Koero began to say but then stopped as the realization that Nimfa lived in her town began to hit her. "Wait.. Nimfa.. Do you live in the same town as me?" She asked. 'If Nimfa lives in the same town as me.. Maybe I've seen her before... Maybe I've seen the others as well!' Koero thought to herself before she shook her head. If she knew Nimfa and the others, then., maybe they'd get the chance to see each other outside of ESE.

 

[Nay'ar]

"Imagine how gross we'd feel after a few days. Ha ha." "No, thank you. I'm Japanese... I bath at least twice a day. In fact as of now, I'm missing my one, true love." She let some suspance in and then: "My shower" she finished with a forced laugh. 'See? He followed me' Tiwala let him reach her and noticed his glance "It's ok, I won't break down ever again." she said determined more to herself than to Kidlat.

He apologized, brushing her hand, and she met the sun again. Its warmth was calming, relaxing almost curative. She breathed in deeply and started going around the Guild. The forest extended almost all around it exept for a couple of paths that seemed to line out its borders. As she thought, the Guild, from the outside, was quite tall and unexpectedly imposing though the inside were so simple. She went all the way to the back with a hand on the wall, making it slide as she walked. Once she got in the rear, she found herself to face a little bath house. Her eyes lightened up: it was the best thing that happened since her falling asleep. "I really hope you could pick on that lock... at least it meant it could be locked well... not like that shabby... thing" she said setting on the thing to describe the bathroom and it's lock and getting chills on the while.

She looked up to the sun shielding her eyes with a hand letting some rays in between, she liked that world, but Tokyo was another thing altogether, she thought sadly.

 

[FiliaFlammae]

Tiwala promised never to have a breakdown again. Kidlat decided not to call her out on that. He personally loathed the notion of making promises he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep. But he wasn't Tiwala. He did hope she wouldn't, though, not because of any notions about promises, but for her own sake.

They did indeed find a small building behind the guild hall, and with any luck, this was a bath rather than a storage shed. Interestingly enough, this one had a keyhole. His eyes lit up at the sight. "Aha! Now we're talking!" He pulled his journal from his neck and flipped to the inventory page. Sure enough, he found a set of lockpicks within. He extracted them from the book and sent the book away, but his excitement dwindled when he looked at the mysterious picks and then back at the keyhole. He had no idea what he was doing. But he reminded himself that he had felt at ease with the dagger, even though he had never used one before. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

At last he approached the lock. "All right, sucker," he talked the inanimate object down, a fierce but admittedly pointless grin on his face. "Prepare your innards." And he began to work. His tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth as he tinkered with the contraption. He sure felt like he didn't know what he was doing, and yet he had a sense of which tool would do what. It seemed intuitive. He needed this one now. He needed that there, and should bend that there... It took him a minute, a few grunts, and one frustrated "Dagnabbit..." somewhere in the middle, but at last there was a satisfying click, and he felt the door begin to swing open. "Ha ha!" he crowed in triumph. "Thought you could keep out the mighty Kidlat, did you, y'little—"

He cut himself off in shock. The tools in his hands had started glowing, of all things. He felt them grow warm in his hands, give off a good handful of sparkles, and then...he couldn't describe it very well, but his hands felt just a little bit energized. The spectacle was over after a few more seconds. He wasn't sure what that had been about, but he had a nagging suspicion. He transferred the tools into one hand and reopened his journal with his free hand. He located his profile page with some difficulty, considering his hands were full, and there it was.

Lock-picking. Level Two.

"Oooooh," he uttered in glee. "Lock-picking level up! Wonder when I get a full level up..." He managed to thumb over to the inventory and put the lockpicks away, and after that was done he snapped the book shut. "Well, Tiwala, there's your bath. I'll go see if I can find the key we're actually supposed to use with this door, ha ha. Can't expect only thieves to get clean, that's hardly fair. Though I wouldn't mind." He said the last bit with a smug little grin before he spun on his heel and headed back towards the front door.

 

[upscalerat]

Kimi had taken his hand, grasped it, and squeezed it. He blinked, and didn't react for a moment, unsure how to proceed. Then, he gave a quick squeeze back- a 'I acknowledge that this happened, and I'm okay with it' sort of message, he hoped. Kimi would have made an excellent friend, he noted- Neil would have loved to know the wheelchair-bound girl behind the winged minstrel. But that was absurd: Neil certainly could ave used someone like that in his life, but he couldn't see how the two ever would have amounted to friends, had they actually been near each other. The swordsman withheld a sigh at the thought, which he suddenly found draining. Maybe he'd been running on adrenaline- but the new world, the fights, the sharing of secrets, it all just, got to him.

And as quickly as the feeling came, it went again. Or maybe Bantay just shoved it aside. Perhaps it was one of Neil's thoughts, something that Bantay the fighter had no room for. Not to say that Neil would have abided for such tiredness, either- but between the two of them, Bantay decided, it was gone, forgotten, ignored, or something. Then, he realized that he was still holding onto her hand, and let go, gently. They were still strangers, after all- hand holding was only so appropriate. And in all of the trees, it made it hard to walk around.

"Where do you live?"

'Oh, good. Either she's lying about being in a wheelchair, and she's a dream version of an internet predator, or it's just an easy question.'

"California. USA." He paused, and figured, what the hell. "Aruta, California. But, hopefully not for long. I should be heading off to college next year," he explained. Then, before he looked to see how Kimi may have taken the news that he would have been a surfer boy, had he surfed, Bantay continued. "What about you? Don't suppose there's any chance you're near by, is there? Maybe meeting up could happen, I can drive..." he mused, his voice trailing off. Then the swordsman finally turned towards Kimi, awaiting her answer, and her third question.

 

[Nay'ar]

Tiwala looked at him politely, silent while he practiced his lock picking skill. True enough he seemed already used to them 'These 'skills' are really something else...' she thought while playing absentmindedly with her pendants. She chuckled softly when he claimed something about the door trying to keep him from going inside and was surprised by the glowing thingy before a level up... "It could be dangerous to level up in the middle of a stealth mission, wouldn't it?" she mumbled looking at Kidlat struggling with too many things in his hands and deciding not to help him. But, she rejoiced with relief when she saw it was indeed a bathroom-sorta thing: she would be able to take baths, at least once a day... or so she hoped.

"Well, Tiwala, there's your bath. I'll go see if I can find the key we're actually supposed to use with this door, ha ha. Can't expect only thieves to get clean, that's hardly fair. Though I wouldn't mind." she stuck out her tongue to his smug grin as a kid would do "You're soooo not cute.. not one bit" she said pouting jokingly 'Not that I care though' she thought next.

She gazed at him as he went back inside but didn't follow him. "At least... alone" murmured the girl feeling the quiet and the calm of being alone again. She stretched a bit and massaged her eyes again, she was more tired than she thought. She closed the bath house's door and sit on the ground, her back on the door. Tiwala pulled her journal and read again her profile, browsed through her skills once more and grazed the 'Bow' one with a loving smile "Thank goodness I picked it" she sighed in relief 'Does that mean that if we don't have the cooking skill... we all suck at cooking even in in real life we can?' "Man... will that be exhilarating" she chuckled and browsed to the messages page, ignoring her empty inbox, and started writing her Guildmates names in the 'Recipient' spot, waiting for the guy to return.

 

[FiliaFlammae]

It didn't take too long for Kidlat to saunter back around to the main door of the hall. Once he was inside the building, he looked around, wondering where he might find a key to the bath. Since the hall hadn't seemed to sport a closet, attic, or basement anywhere, he could only imagine the variety of places where it might have been kept. In the bathroom made some amount of sense, but then no one could bathe if someone was using the latrine. But as his eyes drifted over to the latrine door as he thought this, they caught sight of just the kind of thing he'd been looking for: a hook on the wall, a foot or two away from the door, with a brass key hanging from it. Score! He trotted over to the key and plucked it from its hook. He inspected the object as he walked back outside. It seemed to him that it was about the right shape that would fit into and turn the lock he'd just picked. I hope this is the right key. If Tiwala wants to take a bath, the faster the better. I've been getting hungry...

Some small part of him had noticed the slight hunger pang in his gut over the past few minutes, but right at that moment, he finally heard and felt a growl come from his middle, and only then did the force of the thought hit him fully. His pace slowed and his eyes widened. He was hungry. This game had a hunger mechanic. Or rather, as he forced himself to think instead, this place worked just like the real world on Earth did. His mind raced as he picked up the pace around the building again. We're going to go hungry here if we don't eat. What is there to eat? We don't have a pantry or anything, and I seriously doubt there's a Safeway at the foot of the mountain!

The bathhouse was in sight again. Kidlat was surprised to see that Tiwala was still outside, sitting against the now-closed door. "You didn't have to wait for me," he called to her as he approached. "That's why I left the door open for you." He tossed her the key once he had her attention, figuring it made the most sense for her to hold it. And then, voicing his concerns as an afterthought, he added, "You wouldn't happen to be feeling hungry, would you?"

 

[Nay'ar]

Tiwala was writing on her journal when Kidlat returned "You didn't have to wait for me," he said. She kept on writing while answering "In fact I wasn't. I was about to notify the others of what we found out." her message was about done Hi everyone :)! Tiwala reporting news ^.^ the Guild is on a single floor even if it could hold a couple other... rather lazy from aria, right? There is a latrine... yeah, a latrine -_-, and our common bedroom with 8 beds, we have a fire pit a well and yes, we have a bath house... what else... oh yeah, - she added with a chuckle hearing Kidlat's stomach growl - on your way back... can someone catch something to eat? Much obliged. Byyyyeeee ;) "That's why I left the door open for you." Tiwala sent the message to everyone except the one standing in front of her, caught the key he threw her and raised her eyes from the journal, shutting it and put it back on her neck. "Yep... what a great idea, me bathing and you keep the key... true enough you wouldn't need it, would you?" her voice was teasing and she was smiling on the while.

"You wouldn't happen to be feeling hungry, would you?" hunger? How much time had passed from the last time she ate together with someone? How much from when she started skipping launch? "Hungry? I don't feel hungry, no. But I'm not the right one to ask to... after all I do skip launch almost everyday..." she covered her mouth while laughing softly, then she got up and opened the door "Don't you try anything... have made myself clear?" she said with a cunning look before entering and locking the door. Not trusting enough she put some of her clothes on the key hole. "It will take a while, but I can hear you." she added implying that if he wanted to talk she wasn't against it.

 

[FiliaFlammae]

Tiwala seemed to be in a better mood now. Maybe sitting for a minute or two by herself had done her some good. She made a couple of comments about how fishy it was that Kidlat was the only member of the guild who could bypass the bathhouse door, and he couldn't help but grin in amusement at the insinuations. Already he could feel his own mood lightening once again. "Oh, goodness, do you think me so low?" he cajoled. "As tempting as the notion is, I have standards, thank you." He stepped to the side, turned, and leaned back against the bathhouse wall with his arms folded across his chest. Now to wait for Tiwala to wash up.

As he stood there, his thoughts returned to the matter of nourishment. He did not know how long he would be here in ESE, but he was of no mind to starve. He pulled his journal from his neck and flipped to the messaging page. After addressing a note to Nimfa, Kimi, Bantay, and Koero, he then wrote:

Anyone else starting to feel ready for lunch? We may need to go full hunter-gatherer out here. Keep your eyes out for fish and game and berries and stuff.​

He sent the message off, but since the topic of proper nourishment was on his mind now, he returned mentally to what Tiwala had said about skipping lunch regularly. The thought of going hungry through midday made him frown in dislike, and he spoke up, hoping to be heard through the wall. "Hey, make sure you're at least getting good breakfasts in you, okay?" he said. "Don't want you hurting yourself."

He looked back at the messaging page. He'd sent it to the other four who had wandered off. But what had happened to their seventh ranger that hadn't said a word to them before disappearing? Figuring he might as well be responsible, and since he still had the page open, he wrote a new note, addressed to Ako:

Don't die out there, dude. See you tonight?​

He sent it and closed the book. That would do for now.

 

[Nay'ar]

"As tempting as the notion is, I have standards, thank you." how rude could that be? "Thank you, Kidlat, you just made my day... or night... or whatever" she said sarcastically. She washed away her fatigue and in merely 10 minutes was ready to dry. The sole problem was: with what? There were no towels in the bath house and she couldn't dry herself with her clothes... she needed them! Tiwala got underwater to think 'What to do... if only Ihad a hair dryer!' then it hit her 'Wait... I have a dryer!' she emerged, got up, put on the leather bracelet and murmured "Calm wind which grazes everything on the earth I command thee, blow softly on me and dry, my body!" a calm and warm gust of wind started blowing from the gleaming green gem, drying her body and ignoring her hair... 'Now that I think of it I did ask just for my body... well I'll be more careful from now on'.

She got dressed just in time to hear "Hey, make sure you're at least getting good breakfasts in you, okay? Don't want you hurting yourself." she chuckled, that answer was so terribly mainstream... 'You're starting failing to amaze me... little Kidlat' she thought tightening the last laces. She squeezed her hair to drop some water and got out answering to him "Yes mum... the archer won't hurt herself not eating, mum." again in a sarcastic tone. When she got out she was passing her fingers through her long jet black, dripping wet hair; willingly or not, some water got to the clothes creating some darker spots on the leather. She looked at him and then, point-blank, asked with dead serious face and voice "Not a word about earlier with the others... ok?" then a smile got on her lips (of course not reaching her eyes this time either) "Where do you llive? You're free to lie, it's just to keep the conversation running" she added.

 

[FiliaFlammae]

"Yes mum... the archer won't hurt herself not eating, mum," he could hear Tiwala retort from inside. Kidlat gave a single, somewhat weak laugh. He was at least somewhat amused by what she'd said, of course, but he also realized that his initial words had been an odd thing for him to feel compelled to say. Her dietary habits were none of his concern. And yet he'd felt enough of...well, something that he'd felt the urge to comment on it. Ah, well. He shrugged the matter off as him overthinking things. Who wouldn't overthink things in this situation? They'd all woken up in foreign bodies in a foreign land. They couldn't exactly be blamed for being on edge.

After another minute Tiwala emerged, fully dressed as she had been but now with sopping wet hair. Kidlat pushed away from the side of the building, ready to do whatever they would do next. Tiwala looked at him with a stern expression, and in a cold voice, she admonished him, "Not a word about earlier with the others... ok?" He felt his insides chill from the seriousness of her words. The strange ordeal Tiwala had been through mere minutes ago was still fresh in his mind, and he understood perfectly why she wouldn't want word of that getting around. He nodded solemnly to her. "My lips are sealed," he said. He meant that as a promise, and Chris was not one who took promises lightly.

She changed the subject shortly afterward, however. So they were both allowed to ask each other questions, but the answers were to be taken with a grain of salt unless they agreed otherwise? He allowed himself to chuckle at the notion, though he too didn't feel the amusement quite reach his eyes. "Heh. My generic American accent isn't enough for you?" He hooked his thumbs on his belt and looked idly off into the distance. "I'm from California. Hometown's a nice little place on the coast..." He hesitated for a moment, wondering if any harm would come from naming his city, and decided it was small and little-known enough of a place that he didn't really care. "It's called Aruta. You probably haven't heard of it."

 

[Nay'ar]

She nodded as he promised not to tell anyone what happened and listened to his answer looking at the sky: "Heh. My generic American accent isn't enough for you?" she smiled and answered half jokingly "Come on... bear with me... I'm Japanese, I can't really recognize every single English accent on Earth face... can I?" then he specified a bit more "I'm from California. Hometown's a nice little place on the coast...". Tiwala froze for a second and lowered her gaze on him 'California? A little town on the coast? Naaah, you're imagining things' she thought as he went on "It's called Aruta. You probably haven't heard of it." 'Typical, just my luck...' she didn't want to lie openly as nothing good is born from lies, but she didn't want to reveal where she lived either. If she did, she was afraid of him coming to her school (better said, THEIR school seen as in Aruta there was just one High school) asking left and right for some Japanese Ren girl. What if they were in some same course? She did attend first year courses for story, geography and English but she attended the second year courses as per the other subjects... and what year was he in? No. He couldn't know she lived in Aruta too.

Tiwala took a breath and answered enigmatic: "Who knows... maybe I do, maybe I don't..." she then tilted her head and added "So you're the surfing type? From your words, you have to like it, there" her eyes weren't focused as she remembered when her father came home and announced that the two of them would move to Aruta: a cute little town in California US. She had looked at her mother just to get a sterile "I'll miss you, Ren... but I have my work here" and so she had moved and started attending that school, and stopped doing archery. If she were to be honest, no... she didn't like it there... not one bit.

She shook her head a little to get on earth again and talked "Well... you're turn, I guess... we have to wait for the others to return, and I already have informed them about what we found". She stood there, playing with her wet hair, not being used to that length anymore and waiting for him to either ask something or decide on something to do or somewhere to go.

 

[FiliaFlammae]

There was some sort of troubled element in Tiwala's facial expression by this point. Kidlat had no idea what it was. All he'd said was where he lived. The name of his hometown had nothing to do with her...

"Who knows... maybe I do, maybe I don't..." she said. His brow furrowed. That was quite possibly the most obvious question-dodge he'd ever heard. It wasn't even a question that should've needed dodging. Had a person not known of Aruta, Kidlat imagined they would just say so, and that would be that. Heck, even a person who had heard of it would probably admit it and not think much of it. Either "Nope, haven't heard of it" or "Oh yeah, I know where that is." The only other possibility was...

Ah, but she'd changed the subject. Something about surfing. He actually guffawed at that before he could help it. "Is that seriously what everyone thinks of Californians? All we do is surf?" He shook his head with a defeated chuckle. "I'd much rather go hiking or camping, personally. I'm more of a woodsy guy." He cast his gaze around them for a moment, indicating their surroundings. Even though this was a strange place, a forest was a forest, and he felt quite comfortable here so far. His favorite color being dark green probably had something to do with why he found being out in the woods so calming. Nor did he doubt that had been a factor in Aria's selection of his current shirt. Well, that and the fact that the color also happened to roughly match his eyes. But that had been mostly a coincidence.

Then Tiwala turned the conversation back to their question game. He looked back at her as his thoughts returned to what he'd noticed before. It was true that they didn't need to answer honestly, but he wanted to see how she could try to weasel out of this one. His gaze on her was firm and serious. "Oh, you want me to ask you another question? Then I've got one: you are from Aruta, aren't you?" If his hunch about this was right, it changed things. He and Ren would most likely go to the same high school. And if such a crazy coincidence as this was true, it could very well be the case that their guild wasn't just a gang of American teenagers, but a gang of Arutan teenagers, all at the same school, or at the very least a gang of teenagers from the same county. They could meet up for lunch or start a club if they wanted! The thought was surreal.