The Midnight Train to Nowhere

[Warden]

​

Numair decided to pitch in on the relief efforts rather than just stand by and watch everybody get mauled by the angler fish. There was Gary in her rage-fueled fury, but he thought that Luke and the others could handle her since they were close, and she was subsequently joined by Leila then Toby. That didn't end well either.

"Toby! I'm coming for you!" He called out in alarm and began swimming towards the boy who fell from his hold on the fish. It was cutting it a little too close to be skirting in like this within Nemo's rage perimeter, but Numair was fast enough to make it- at least, fast enough to make it while only getting a few slashes on the shoulder. It wasn't a big deal compared to what would've happened to the kid if he just left him there, so he shrugged off the injuries prickling his nerves and made off to safety.

"Madeline, Leila, wait up! Are you two alright? Where do we put Toby? I think he hit his head pretty badly," Numair caught up with the two and shook his head at the boy he had slung over his back.

​

The children started dropping like flies and for a moment there Victoria thought they were dead. If they were, then… No big deal. The losses could be mourned later. Unfortunately (or the opposite, depending on how you look at it) she felt a twinge of relief in seeing one of her protégés still breathing, and the sensation was buoyed by their quickly approaching victory.

As the creature snapped and thrashed after Ace, Victoria launched herself at it, curling herself at the last moment into a ball. Her spiky spines inflated and were embedded into the monster's side, and on the reverse side, its multitude of scales tore into her exposed back.

She was stuck too, by the way, but she wasn't going to stay there like that. The nobody tried to pull herself out of the poisoned flesh, but that was easier said than done with cutting scales lacerating your palms with every tug as well as your entire back feeling numb and loose.

Gary could have complained all she liked, but she couldn't escape from Luke's death grip. That and she felt a little woozy from blood loss, having been rammed against a wall for like… three, no, four times? Maybe she had that fancy concushy thing too. Whatever. "Stop touching me," the girl struggled weakly then swatted her friend's hand with her free one. "Do something useful like save Sacchin."

"Where's pole?" she muttered restlessly and her eyes didn't seem to target anything specifically, just zoning in and out of focus on whatever managed to enter her field of vision. She was still holding the trusty metal rod she was searching for, but the fact seemed to be lost on her.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Somehow the initial plan didn't quite go like he intended. Mostly due to the shortage of tape. So Ran did the next best thing. He decided to leave Jasper who was acting way more docile by the lamp post bound by the shortest piece of tape possible then take the now struggling Riley with him. Again compromises. He wasn't quite too happy to do that, but he didn't have a choice. Sorry Jasper! I really owe you big time.

Niran kept as far away from Riley as it was (humanly) possible while he continued swimming forward like some lone sheriff in a zombie-filled city. It was not reassuring one bit that the empty-eyed fishes were flocking towards the loud screeching. He gulped as he thought of Roman spectators heading towards the Coliseum on fight day. The man was rounding pass the safer part of the school compound when he got a face full of red bouncy red tendrils and shark's teeth. He blinked and backed away slowly, but Ace was one step faster. The adult blinked slowly as he found himself with one kid round his neck and another latched to his waist. Not to mention the fact he was leading some very dangerous and soon-to-be-pissed-off orange head. Ran smiled once more when the boys spoke up.

"They call her the Crimson Justice. The lone shark swimming off to save the innocent fish folk of the ocean. Usually we can spot her by her red mask and bright red hair. But today, her mask was torn off during the first fight with big, mean fish. Now she's trying to low-key to stop people from panicking. So shhhh," he winked. "Don't tell anyone about her secret identity okay? If not, there won't be anyone to stop crime in Orion."

The two boys looked at him with really round eyes. Imagine a super hero! Neat-o! She was really REALLY REALLY COOL! Sensing the fries were about to ask more questions, Ran placed another finger on his lips, then dropped his voice into a hush-hush super spy type whisper. "We must be very vaaaaaary quiet, okay? And calm. You hear? CALM. These zombies are our enemies. They want to know who the Crimson Justice is."

He gave the two boys a jerky salute which they tried to imitate. "Good soldiers. Now we shall retreat back to the school. Our mission is to find Band-Aids. Loads and loads of Band-Aids and some blankets and things for the injured people. Roger?"

"Roger!" The boys said in a loudest whisper they can muster. Their shouts echoed in the empty streets, but thankfully the zombies were too intent on reaching the angler that they ignore the three tasty treats.

Ran resisted the urge to chuckle. With kids, you have to keep a firm hand, and be really poker-faced or they will think it is all fun and games. He wiggled his way through the huge crack in the way, dodged the smaller crowds of zombies (miraculously) and came to halt below a half-opened window. A few shoves indicated the window was jammed. Wasting no time Ran picked up a hockey stick and smashed the window in.

"Hey Mister! Mama said we …"

"Well son, Mama wants her little boy to come home, doesn't she?"

Both boys nodded slowly. They were unsure about breaking a window. It wasn't something they saw their parents and teachers do every day. They blinked in surprise when this strange man gave them a thumbs up. "At ease privates. Now we enter the building and start looking."

"Roger!" They said as seriously as they could while saluting him once more.

 

[Fox of Spades]

"Do something useful like save Sacchin."

Hurt flashed across Luke's face, and hot tears stung the corners of his eyes. "I am trying." He really, truly was. But he wasn't strong enough. Leonard. Gary. Sacha. C. The outcome was always the same, he could never really help any of them.

The world around Luke was a blur of screams and loud booms. He could hear the angler and he could hear Toby, but he just floated there, eyes fixed on the pink-haired girl in front of him. He noticed a familiar far-away look in her eyes and gained a moment of clarity. Sacha. Fish. Time. They were running out of time, they always had been.

"Ha! Come and get me you fat fish!"

Fragments of memories that had long been forgotten came crashing back, and the sheer weight of it all threatened to pull him under. Roasting marshmallows outside the hobbit hole, shopping for curtains, celebrating their birthdays together. They had been through hell and back. Gary, Sacha, C, they were his family. He loved them dearly, and now he could lose them—lose everything.

Loss. He didn't want anything to do with that cold feeling that ate away at one's insides and left people all hollow.

"Sacha," the boy shot towards the fighting without so much as a second thought. He was just in time to see Ace swimming away with a badly injured tail. Ace made it to safety, but just as she did, Victoria threw herself onto the fish and stabbed it with her tail. Even more blood mingled with the sea water and Luke made his way towards the ex dragoon and the dying fish. He wrapped his arms around the woman's waist and pulled, they tumbled away from the fish and the angler crashed into a nearby wall, its chest heaving.

The angler fish coughed and sputtered like a dying engine as blood poured from the wounds that Toby, Ace and Victoria had inflicted. It let out a gurgling noise and a grunt before Sacha was spit onto the warm and sandy sea floor. The fish thrashed about for a few more moments before a low whine left its throat and the last remnants of life left its battered body.

The groans of the emotionless were silenced, and all of Orion went still.

"We did it," Madeline let out a soft curse. "Celery, it's actually dead." She stared at the fish for a few good seconds before Numair snapped her out of little daze. "Your friend's a little injured, but she'll be okay. Hah, I've never met a jellyfish with as much backbone as her..." the woman's eyes flitted to the injured Toby. He was right, he and his friends were tiger sharks, each and everyone of them. "Well get you and your friends to a medic as soon as possible, we'll check tiger shark for any concussions and we can get you and Leila all bandaged up." Phillip cheered somewhere in the background and she couldn't help but laugh. "For a bunch of civilians, you guys are quite amazing."

"If we don't make it, I just want you to know—" Harper and Inadi were surrounded, and with each passing second the emotionless and their flailing limbs drew even closer. They were trapped. Up, down, there was just nowhere else to go. The boy braced himself for impact, but a deafening silence fell over them like a blanket and the emotionless just stopped, their eyes went blank and their heads drooped so their chins were pressed against their necks.

Two webbed hands reached to yank Inadi and Harper free from the center of the crowd and Phillip eyed them worriedly. Inadi was in bad shape, and while Harper looked alright, a gash ran across his side and he was covered in smaller scrapes and bruises. "We won," it was all he could say.

The emotionless, like broken puppets started to sink, and then a sliver of life flashed in their eyes and they started to come back.

 

[Capt. Blu]

Ace finally deemed it a little too complicated to swim. The pain was just a bit more noticeable than before- and by a bit, it was very, very noticeable. Instead of swimming all the way back to the others, she sort of floated with the current, watching Victoria take the final blow to end the angler's life. The redhead had decided to crash land into the sand below and lay there till the pain subsided. "Auuugggh!" It was a mixture of a yell and groan as she took a peek at her tail. "Aw man it was so nice...Poor tail...I hope this doesn't affect me later." The thought of turning human with bruised and battered legs made her stomach drop. She couldn't free run if she couldn't run! She couldn't do much of anything if she couldn't use her legs! "Oh man...what a world. I've done nothing wrong to deserve such a cruel, cruel fate..." Staring into the sky, or at least the upper surface of the sea, she just laid there, silently cheering her victory. "Oh good, that means Riley's awake. Meaning I can hit her for being so stupid- oh she's still taped! I gotta see-" Ace had leapt up, eager to see Riley's reaction to being taped to a pole. However, just as she moved, she winced and looked at her tail. "This is not cool. Not cool at all..."

She was glad that dumb fish was dead. "Let's see...with injuries you bandage them up. No, no, Boss said clean them and then bandage. But I don't think that's possible when you're underwater." Surprisingly- or what she didn't expect was for Sacha to be puked out of the angler before it died. He crash landed near her and she rolled to her stomach. "Whoaaa, you were eaten? Man, that must have been cramped!" Ace pushed herself off the ground and swam the few feet closer to him. "Boy, you get left with kids and you miss everything." She realized the octopus might not have been fully conscious after being upchucked so she inched closer to wave a hand in his face. "Heyyyy! Are you okay? How many tentacles do you have? Oh, oh, what's your name?" She posed questions she remembered hearing on tv (minus the tentacles thing) or hearing one of the gang members say when someone got hit too hard in the head. "I don't think the rest of [rainbow]The Crazies[/rainbow] would appreciate you dying on them..." Speaking of the others, Ace looked in their direction and whistled as loud as she could.

Sacha would have probably needed the help swimming about and Ace wasn't in any condition to help unfortunately. Patting one of his many tentacles, she put a thumbs up. "You missed a lot, but don't worry. We handled it. Just like we said we would." Sitting there and reflecting made her realize just how tiring all that swimming and not dying was. She sighed and went back to laying on the ground until the others came to collect Sacha and she could follow behind, or be dragged along with them. "Hmm..."

Laying there, she began to hum a song she remembered out of the blue.

Don't worry

About a thing

Because every little thing, is gonna be alright~

The song made her smile, and it was a good passing the time song while the two of them waited. For once, Ace had actually decided not to test how far over the limit she could go, by swimming with an injured tail. She'd have to try the peaceful thing and being still more often. It was somewhat relaxing.

 

[MixedUpGuy]

Inadi looked around himself and Harper, who had joined him in the chase while trying to give that gang affiliated shark some time to get the kids to safety. Inadi was in bad shape and he intended to make Ace hear about it at the end of all this. That was unless he didn't get out of this one. He looked over to Harper with a worried look. The swordfish's wounds were starting to pile up with his wraps beginning to slide off completely and the bite wounds now starting to really bleed out a bit there. How he was even still standing up was a miracle in it of itself.

Just as the group was about to collapse on them, Harper began spouting off some kind of last minute confession towards something or he wanted to tell him how great a guy he was. Real end of the world, death at the door kind of thing. Inadi just shook his head and kept quiet while he waited for the right time to push off the emotionless when they came upon him. However that never needed to happen. A silence deafened in his ear as the moaning finally stopped as did the screaming for a short poriton of time. Inadi just assumed that was the brain shutting down on him and his world finally coming to a close. Instead he opened his eyes and saw that the fish were all just floating in the sea.

He was confused. Why were they doing this? Was the fish doing something to them? Was it some kind of a defense mechanism if the.....wait a minute. Inadi began piecing it together and let out a sigh of relief. The others did it. The big nasty fish was dead. And now Phillip grabbing his shoulder only cemented that as fact to him. Looking back at the other fish in the crowd and seeing them all start returning to normal made the man slip to the ground and rest his head on the sand beneath him.

The bites suddenly stopped stinging for a second. The cuts didn't seem to be leaking as bad as before. The exhaustion in his chest was finally lifted for that brief moment in time. Another victory for the foolish humans and their stupid hooded friends. Inadi just laughed at the thought and looked up to Phillip and Harper. "I'm gonna sit here and wait for some medical help for the moment guys. I don't know about you, but I figure this old body could use a bit of a moment." He said to them as he saw his vision get a little blurry even with his glasses still hanging on by a thread.

That wasn't a good sign. But the smile on his face wouldn't disappear for whatever reason. Relief? Satisfaction? Pride? Whatever it was, something was swimming around in his head. "And I could use it quick if you don't mind. Things are starting to double in my line of sight here," Inadi joked to the two of them as he gave a quick wave. "And go get Ace for me too will ya? I figure she owes me for doing this for her. Then after her let Jasper know where I am so that she isn't worrying too much about me. I'd go chasing for her but I don't want to stain the water anymore than I have." He told the two as he just pushed his head into the somehow warm sand beneath his head. How was it warm? Maybe it was just his imagination, and most likely that was the case. But then again this was Nowhere. Where deserts were a main course and you could turn into a fish and defeat a giant hulking monster to save an entire city and give them their emotions back. Weirder things have happened than just warm sand he thought as Inadi's smile continued to beam on his face as he took in a deep breath, and then another. It was finally time to calm down again.

 

[Kimchi]

"Where am I?" she asked aloud in a pure white area. There was no floor nor sky and no walls, well at least that's what she thought. Walking forward, her feet made a light clinking sound against the surface she was walking on, but she couldn't tell if she was right side up or upside down. Everything was just completely white and empty space. Cupping her hands around her mouth she yelled: "HELLO! Is anybody out there?!" Voice echoing through the pallid vortex of nothingness, she suddenly began to pick up the pace of her feet as she broke into a jog, then a run, then suddenly into a never ending sprint to empty, blank space. Then after what seemed like eternity, she saw it, an exit. There was a glass door standing there and she scrambled towards it eagerly twisting the golden door knob then... BOOSH!

A white explosion blinded her and she had the sensation of free falling before her eyes blurred as it recovered from a splotchy darkness. A wave of nausea hit as she wobbled and her tail swished lifelessly underneath her before keeping her upright again with a gentle swish. Holding her forehead up, she groaned and blinked, the last thing she remembered was staring into the eyes of the fish, but once she opened them, she saw the body of the dead fish just a couple of feet away from her and a ton of other befuddled and pained looking fishes. Suddenly, one of them screamed out loud saying "I'm alive! I'm back! THANK CELERY!" he cheered as he swam in loops and circles.

Clutching her pounding head, she spotted the others and wondered what happened. They'd obviously killed it, but did she go potato on them or what? Swimming groggily towards her group mates while clutching her stomach she latched onto a humming Ace. "Isn't that Bob Marley?" her question was totally out of the blue but she appreciated that the tune soothed her head a little and totally fit their situation. It was over. But where was the pearl? But another thing she cared about more than that stupid pearl was where the heck her boyfriend was?

"Is Inadi ok? And where is he?" she asked Ace weakly after scanning the girl for damage as well. "How about Riley, she came back too right?" Jasper was honestly too tired to ask for the details of the battle right at this moment and she was sure the battered others weren't going to be too keen on retelling the story and reliving the moment.

 

[Cephalogod]

Even from inside the fish, Sacha could hear the screams and yells of the people outside as he desperately gripped at the inside of the fish's mouth, refusing to be pushed inside of its stomach. All the tumbling and thrashing made him feel sick to his stomach, but he wasn't going to give up here. He couldn't. His friends needed him, and if the fish thought eating him was all it took to get rid of him- well, let's just say he wasn't planning on breaking any promises to anyone soon.

He was going home, damn it.

Still, even as determined as he was, there wasn't much he could do from inside the fish. After all the tumbling around he couldn't even tell if he was facing up or down. Hopefully they hadn't forgotten he was still inside and were trying to rescue him, because Sacha didn't think he'd be able to keep his suction on the slippery fish insides too much longer.

Fortunately freedom came soon, accompanied by a loud hacking noise before he was dislodged forcefully from the fish's mouth, hitting and tumbling into the sand, landing face down and tentacles splayed all over the place. His head whirled, the poor guy thoroughly disorientated by the sudden ejection and for a while he just lay there, trying to comprehend what just happened. He was free? What happened to the fish?

"Whoaaa, you were eaten? Man, that must have been cramped!"

He recognized that voice. Ace was here and she didn't seem to be panicking, so that was good. A long string of questions followed and he could barely keep track of one sentence to the next and so merely groaned and flipped over onto his back, waiting patiently until she had stopped talking and patted one of his many limbs instead.

"You missed a lot, but don't worry. We handled it. Just like we said we would."

Ah.

Now he allowed himself to fully relax, flopping into the sand. If they had handled it, then everything would be alright. He just hoped Gary wouldn't be too upset with him for getting eaten- oh who was he kidding, he might as well enjoy Ace's singing while he still could.

"You sing well," he managed to comment before Jasper swam over. So the girl had been healed? Did that mean Riley and the rest of the townspeople would be alright as well? Oh, thank the Gods for allowing them a happy ending for once.

 

[Gossamer]

​

The indistinct sound of shouting and disorder echoed in the boys mind as he lay slung over the surfers back, eyes glazed over in a temporary daze.

Numair's worry, Luke's intimidation, Phillip's victory cry. All of these emotions and their sources echoed in the distance, without danger of being stolen from ones own body and soul. As Toby's eyes barely opened enough to make out a healthy Jasper floating towards a peaceful Ace, humming a tune besides their weak yet sensible caretaker.

The fish lay dead on the ocean floor. A disgusting mess of evil lying still not too far from where they were talking.

The moment was brief, and it required considerable effort for the boy to lift his head in everyones direction, but the feelings of triumph and tranquility that were felt within was well worth the strenuous throbbing of his head.

Their happiness had returned, and they could once more immerse themselves in this bittersweet world that they found themselves thrusted into without doubt or question.

It was all he had in him, for the moment. Toby allowed the exhaustion to take over and his head gently dropped back onto Nums back, his eyes slowly began to shut once more.

"Numh...Num,"

The boy was muttering incoherently as they swam along.

"Num-air," He finally said "Ri-ley... Where. Is. Ri-ley?"

Toby placed a hand on the hooded figures shoulder, pushing himself upwards so as to stare at Numair with pleading eyes that begged to know the fate of someone he held dear.

"Riley," He repeated himself, eyebrows furrowed in worry. They had managed to purge the evil within Orion, saving the city's civilians and children, but at what cost? Had they sacrificed one of their own for the benefit of strangers they had never met nor will ever meet again? Had he really been brought to such a wondrous land riddled with beautiful creatures and people begging to explore it only to have one of them ripped away forever?

"Riley,"

He was dying to know.​

 

[four]

"Your friend's a little injured, but she'll be okay. Hah, I've never met a jellyfish with as much backbone as her."

Leila blinked for a few times until her range of sight was no longer blurry. It took a little figuring out that she was looking upwards, into the ocean.

"Backbone." She repeated.

That was a terrible choice for a first word to say waking up.

Then was her instinctive attempt to jump up from the ground, like one would after one awakes from sleep and had just recalled all the things that one worried about before falling asleep. She was underwater, and the attempt resulted in a few seconds of wriggling at the end of which she still remained in Madeline's arms, only now upright.

She wanted to ask questions, to sputter out all the names of everyone in the group so that the responses would reassure her that everyone was there and everyone was alright. But she couldn't even decide which name to start with, so there was half a minute or so of her taking in everything in her sight.

Numair nearby, and a freshly awoken Toby. Gary swinging her pole around in mad gestures. The victory cries of the merfolk crew they met. The commotion in the background among the denizens of Orion with their emotions freshly restored. Ace humming a tune, a healthy Jasper and Ran.

The dust hadn't entirely settled, but the scent of blood that the water carried stung much less.

The slight swaying of the water still sent out pulses of stinging pain wherever it brushed across the openings of her wounds, but it didn't feel nearly as bad as she expected. Now only clinging to Madeline's arm for support, Leila coughed, blinked once more, and then mustered up the strength to sustain a smile.

She wanted to say something. Thank people, maybe. Or apologies. Also to tell Toby that Riley was with Ran and most certainly okay and he didn't have to worry. Or ask Sacha how he was, ask Jasper what it felt like to go through being deprived of emotions and back. Perhaps also to mention to Madeline how it was probably because jellyfish didn't usually have bones. She felt this urge to run up to every one of her companions and give them hugs that would last longer than hugs usually should.

But...later.

Now what she really wanted to do was to just rest for a while. Everyone comes out of it alive for once and Leila convinced herself that resting was a luxury that they could rightfully afford now.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Searching for medical supplies in an underwater fantasy city was not easy. Everything didn't look like they should. Even the labels were written in some weird hieroglyphic like language that made Ran scratched is head in confusion. Thankfully the two tiny tag-a-longs were just old enough to read. They read out the things on each of the labels of the packages and bottles in the nurses office and it was just enough for Ran to figure out what they were (hopefully). He added it to the things already found in the first-aid box he stole from the emergency case mounted near the fire escape. Ran muttered to himself as he laid out the additional supplies on the huge nurse's desk – Band-Aids, compression bandages, gauze, assortment of medications and disinfectants.

"Thanks men! You make mighty find soldiers for privates. Your future is indeed promising," he said glibly. Thomas and Jeffrey went wide-eyed again as they puffed up their chest with pride. He saluted them and they returned the gesture even more promptly than they did before. Ran faked wiping away happy tears as he stuck gold star stickers on each boy's shirt. "This is why I am now awarding you with your own medal of valor. Someday you two will get even better ones."

"Sir! Yessir …?" The boys looked confused for a moment as they realized their so-called drill sergeant was leaving the nurse's office along with the supplies and the hostage. They turned to follow him like two lost guppies, but Ran made them stand at attention once more. Thomas and Jeffery exchanged looks but complied. Ran cleared his throat and saluted the two boys. "Men! I have a new mission for you. Guard this office with your life. Do not unlock the door or open the windows until you hear the all's clear signal. Got?"

"Yessir!" They yelled. Ran nodded and told them to stand at ease. He looked at each of them in turn, thinking of the best thing to say. Something that would definitely keep them out of trouble. Then it clicked. The Lost Soul cleared his throat and the two boys scrambled back into position. "Keep each other safe. If the enemies start coming, you know what to do. Hide in the cupboards and keep very calm. Over and out."

"But…" Jeffery began suddenly feeling a lot less confident now that they were going to be alone. Ran was listening out intently to the fight between his companions and the deadly angler. He really wanted to go but he can't just flat out lock the two boys in when they are frightened. He squatted down and patted the tiny boy on his head. "Remember the Crimson Justice? I'm her side-kick. She needs me. Okay? Be good and I'll bring her over to give a present for your good behavior. She'd be proud the two of you were such good soldiers."

He then hugged each kid in turn and then bid them farewell as he locked the door and lead his two remaining charges through the empty corridors. Ran did a double take when he passed by a huge hall filled with tables, benches, food counters and fridges – refreshments! They'd need "water" he guess, so a pit stop wouldn't hurt. The man dashed over to the fridge and pulled the door open violently. Bottles and cans tumbled out and he stared at them in confusion. Errr…. What exactly are these? Never mind. He'd just start packing them into the sack and hopefully the fish folk assisting the rest of the group would know what they are. The man was so engrossed with amassing enough bottles or cans for each person on the newly formed kill team that he didn't notice Riley was trying to untangle herself. He heard a loud yelp and turned around.

"Celery nibs! Riley!" He yelled happily as he hugged his friend.

 

[Fox of Spades]

"Ran, what happened?" Riley asked as she struggled to free herself from all the tape. It was one hell of a sticky situation, and she didn't like it one bit. Her head was swimming and she felt sick to her stomach, but Riley Grayson was back, bad puns and all. "Is anyone hurt...are you, are you okay?" Oh shit, she didn't remember much aside from smacking the angler across the face, Ran getting hurt, screaming and then emptiness.

Had she turned into one of the emotionless? Was that why she was tied up? Guilt shot throughout her...oh, God.

And then Ran came running, he helped with the tape and pulled her into a hug. It was warm, and it was nice to actually feel again. Riley wrapped her arms around her friend and gave him a tight squeeze. "I thought you were dead...I was stupid, I'm sorry." Rushing at the angler was a dumb idea, she probably made everyone worry and someone had most likely put themselves at risk to get her to safety. It felt so wrong, putting her friends in danger like that. She needed to keep a calmer head like Sacha or Harper.

More voices floated around and she peeled herself away from Ran to stare at the countless faces all around.

Soldiers were rounding up the frightened civilians, merfolk were picking themselves up and Harper and Inadi were floating not too far from the school. Both boys looked tired, but she also noticed the relief plastered to their faces. Not too far from them were Madeline and Phillip and if she squinted, she could see a few more familiar faces in the distance. Everything was a mess, but right and left reunions were happening and the sound of cheerful and relieved voices helped ease her frayed nerves. "Who am I kidding, we always pull through, don't we?"

"Backbone," Madeline repeated Leila's first words. "Yeah, you're the toughest Jellyfish I've met, kid." Leila wriggled around in her arms and Madeline gave the girl a reassuring squeeze. Numair was trailing along beside her and it looked like Tigershark had woken up as well. "It'll be okay. Everyone's came back, Tigershark. Everyone. Also, you and Jellyfish should take it easy, else you'll be in for a world of hurt." She tried to sound reassuring. "Backup is on their way and you'll be reunited with your friends real soon."

Those in need of medical assistance, approach the fish in uniform. We'll be assisting the injured and evacuating people shortly.

Please stay calm, help has arrived. Those in need of medical assistance turn to your right.

It was hard to see the medics through the crowd, but if one swam up they'd see two ambulances and a small tent not too far from the school. The medics were setting up tables and were getting to work on patching up those who needed it the most.

Two soldiers were lifting the angler fish into a body bag not too far from them and another group had started to carry Sacha and Ace to one of the tents. It was finally over and once more, peace had returned to the city of Orion.

 

[Fox of Spades]

​

Outside the Hobbit Hole: Three Days After the Trip to Orion

"Color me hot pink all over, you fools actually did it." Japhet brought the living list to his face and gaped. Across the page, in bold, black letters was the word Complete. He couldn't believe he was helping these criminals, but after the fight with the turtle dragon, he and his fellow soldiers had wound up lost in the forest of the Ancients. They kept walking and walking and walking until they ran into Ise and Mr. Cuddles. Apparently, both nobodies had just left one of the hooded figure's tea parties or something. It was confusing as heck, and for a few moments, Japhet had considered arresting the two. But then Froggy and the other nobodies arrived and he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Humans turning into bunny guards. Rebels. A growing conflict.

Stories about the bunny guards were spreading here and there and Nobodies began to grow aware. Apparently the lost souls and the gang were now wanted criminals too, and while some Nobodies believed this news, others were starting to demand the truth.

It was always the same questions. What had happened to the humans before? Why were they all gone? How come none of them ever managed to go home? And where did the bunny guards come from? It was the last question that unnerved people the most.

​

​

"We lack one item." C mumbled from her place on the picnic mat. Her wounds had been bandaged, but moving still hurt. Thankfully, the hooded figures had a loose hospital gown lying around and she wore it under her cloak. Rainbowzilla was napping contentedly on the girl's lap and scattered around the checkered picnic mat were tarts and cakes that Mr. Cuddles sent as a get well present.

Japhet stared at the list with creased eyebrows then held it out for the hooded figures and the lost souls to see. "Naw, it says complete right here. See," Japhet pointed at dark letters. "C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E, complete."

Luke shook his head. "Essence of a chaotic star, they left it with queenie at the castle."

Japhet nearly choked on his donut while C stared at nothing.

"What are you guys gonna do about it then?" Japhet.

"Break into the castle and take it," C responded and made it sound like it was the easiest thing in the world.

The soldier shrugged. "What then?"

"We find the clockwork soldier. We get the last clock, open the portal and then we go home." The usually clueless hooded figures had been sobered up by their encounter with the angler fish. C spaced out more and Luke smiled less, they were so close to home, and there wasn't any room for messing up and getting hurt. They didn't want to lose anyone else....

"Right," to be honest, it didn't sound like much of a plan. Japhet's eyes flitted to the huge oak tree at the top of the hill and then to the ex-dragoon. Oh well, it was nice to know he wasn't the only soldier on the team. They would need plans if they wanted to win, luck wouldn't cut it. Up to this point, the lost souls and the hooded figures had all been relying on luck and Japhet was sure it would run out soon enough.
​

♠ ♠ ♠​

​

Field: Not too Far from Hobbit Hole

"I heard about what happened at Orion from Luke." Ise stood beside Sacha, she was frowning. "You okay?"

The boy behind Ise winced. "He got swallowed by a fish, Ise, I don't think we have to ask." Dune was another dragon rider in training, he was a tall and skinny blond and he wore a pair of goggles around his neck. "I'm really sorry to hear about all the celery that went down, but it could have been worse, and it's good to see you guys in one piece." Not too far from where they were standing Cobalt and Tasha (Dune's dragon) were pouncing on each other and tying to nibble on each other's wings. "I also heard about the whole breaking into the castle plan—"

Ise cut him off. "I'll be going with them. We'll be in and out of the castle in no time."

A few more riders were milling around and chatting with a few more familiar faces. Othello and a few of the SSF's crew were among the familiar faces. The riders and the pirates talked about the bunny guards and how more and more nobodies were now willing to help get the humans home.

"A'ight sounds good to me. Othello and the rest of us will be causing chaos for queenie while you're away."

Cobalt had managed to run away from the ever-energetic Tasha. The black dragon dove behind Sacha to hide and the red dragon, in search of something to do ran right into Ace's legs with a swoosh of its tail and a playful roar.

​

"Aw, you're a cute little dragon. Yes, you are!" Harper made a silly face and in a snap of a finger, Tasha was leaping around him and trying to nibble at his fingers. "Whoa, did I say cute? I meant fierce...you're very, very fierce."

The red dragon puffed out its chest in pride before letting out a puff of smoke and few glowing embers. It wasn't even a fire and Harper could already feel a rush of warm air. When these things reached their full size they would definitely be a force to reckon with.

"Oliver, Rainstar, come back!" Two more dragons came bounding after one another, the little tykes were so full of energy.​

 

[Warden]

Picnic
​

Numair squirmed in place and smoothed over the picnic mat. With how long his limbs were, he could knock down the baskets and drinks without even trying. Thankfully their group was spread out on a wide area by the base of a hill- he peeked up and saw Victoria and a few others lounging under a tree growing from the peak of the hill itself- and there was a lot of space for everyone; the people who would do training exercises were further off in a field so they can't disturb the others. Hopefully they wouldn't mind if he stretched or anything right?

"This is great, innit, Porkchop?" the surfer scratched the back of the tiny little winged pig that had wormed its way onto his lap. Shouldn't Gary be taking care of him? Huh. Well, the girl's been in a bad mood lately and wasn't taking shit from anyone ever since that incident with Sacha. He grimaced. Poor guy also got beaten up by his best friend as if getting swallowed by a monstrous fish wasn't enough for the day. "We've got tons of new supporters right now. It's like a tiny revolution! Next thing we know we'll be fighting a boss battle. Hope we get badass music themes, eh?"

Japhet and C were talking about the plan, so Numair struck up a conversation with the Lost Souls closest to him.

​

"Hey Toby, uh, is your head okay now? I don't remember what happened, but one of my girlfriends," Numair suddenly looked pained, but he shook the expression off, "hit me on the side of the head with her skating shoes. It was an accident… I think. Anyway I kind of blacked out after that. Just saying. So, uh…"

He wasn't sure Toby would respond positively, I mean, the boy was pretty much a wreck back in Orion. The youth bit his lip and glanced at the others. Maybe they could stop talking about the serious things now?

Shade​

Leaning against the chipped and sturdy trunk of the oak tree, the huntress didn't mind if a random bunny guard popped out of thin air and shot her in the stomach. Dear Celery on a stick, she wanted to die.

Victoria knew that her plan, joining the criminal organization called The Hooded Figures and exacting revenge on Queen Delirium, was far from easy. She had steeled herself for the rigorous wear and tear it would take on her physical and emotional well-being, resigned and extricated herself from any activity that would take even the tiniest percentage of her focus away from the mission. The fatigue, effort and injury- she winced and her hand covered part of her side- from helping the two groups of humans were on par with her expectations; what she couldn't just shrug off was how… how dragged out everything was. Nothing moved fast enough.

… Was that really her problem?

"Damn it," Victoria growled under her breath. No, that wasn't it. The nobody was tired, wounded, and… and… Oh, she was just tired of everything, damn it all! She fought and fought and fought, turned into a weapon of destruction that razed everything in its path, but what had that done? What did she achieve? Nothing! She was no closer to her goal than she was that day she embraced him to her chest, said "You can't go!" and "You can't leave me behind, A! You promised! I can't…"

"… I can't do this by myself," she sobbed out in a hoarse voice, but at the nick of time remembered that she was not alone and brought a hand to her face. Victoria forced out a raspy cough then straightened up from her slouch. She missed Avian. She felt alone. She didn't want to be alone. Dear Celery just end it now before the waterworks come. She can't cry, not in front of these humans and their impressionable consciences. She can't-

A lanky recruit stood in front of her and performed a salute. "Greetings, lady Sieghart! My name is Tomlin, I… I was your um… I was royal dragoon Avian Rider's apprentice. I just wanted to say that I… We all miss him very much and…" His cheerful voice faded and the young nobody wiped his brow. "We wish he was still with us. Sorry for taking up your time, milady. I'll go now!"

Victoria watched as the soldier trekked down the hill, then she turned her head towards the humans who had been watching the encounter. Wonderful. Just raise the topic, wouldn't you. Ugh. "So… Does anybody else want to talk about Avian or should we move on?" Her voice sounded steady. She hoped it was.

Training Field​

There was no time for mistakes. Gary stood away from the others, her right hand gripping tightly onto the pole while the other was clenched into a fist. She was going to train as if her very life depended on every inch her skill grew. The stormy expression on her face scared the dragons away and they chased each other ways off the brooding girl lest they caught her displeasure.

 

[Fox of Hearts]

Picnic Spot: Nums, Tobs, C and Japhet

"Badass music! I think we should have our own theme song. And you, my karaoke bro will be the one who shall give us those sweet beats." Ran piped up with a grin as he loaded some food onto two separate plates. One slightly bigger than the other. Based on what he saw, maybe Victoria may not be feeling up to fighting for food with Lesley nor Rils. "Speaking of which, you owe me a discussion session. We need to finish our half-written theme song for the Crimson Justice. That means more hot chocolate, marshmallows and a ton of bacon. Yeah! Chocolate and greasy bacon the best mix for intense jamming."

The adult hummed the opening bars they scribbled two nights before. It was really odd to be talking about theme songs and super heroes. It almost felt like he'd look up and see his mentor smoking by the window. Good old days. He was doing one last look around to make sure he got a reasonable sampling of all the pastries, sandwiches, chicken wings and other weirder looking food he can't identify, when Nums turned to speak to Toby.

Ran stiffened and gave the two conversing boys a sideways glance. Celery! When did Toby get here? This was really awkward. He and Tobs wonder hadn't talked at all since Orion. Maybe it was them missing each other? Or something else altogether. Well on his side he tried his best to keep out of the boy's way. No need to argue when everything ramping up. Hopefully, it would remain that way. Indifference is better than in-fighting. Because united we stand? Yeah. Probably.

"I'll nick up to check on Rils, Lesles and … Victoria. Maybe catch up with Ise and Colby afterwards. Thanks for the food!" The last bit was a white lie. He hadn't planned to talk to Ise either, because that would mean he had to answer questions about him and Toby. Questions he probably can't answer truthfully given that they weren't on speaking terms. He'd rather leave the girl with that happier impression of them. Well and Colby too. "So yeah! See you later, but do holler if you find any cups. I couldn't find any after unpacking things." Ran added a little too brightly as he walked off balancing one plate in each hand.

Up the Hill Under the Tree: Riley, Lesley and Victoria

Ran made his way up the hill using the longer but gentler path. He continued humming their designated half-finished theme for Ace. Crimson Justice – the red-masked shark with a heart. Wow! Maybe he should talk to Les. The two of them get down and do a comic cover. You know a surprise in case they celebrated her birthday or something. "Hey you two! I brought some refreshments. I don't know what you liked so I got you a little of everything. No just this plate." He said as he held the bigger of the two plates forward and then divested himself of the two soda bottles. "This is for Victoria. Have you guys seen her anywhere? And oh…"

He heard a steady crunching sound and his eyes trailed after the lone soldier heading towards the other side of the tree. The man got up slowly. He steadied the small plate filled with a few sandwiches, one or two chicken wings and several chocolate bonbons. He really hoped Victoria liked what he chose, because he wasn't sure what else to pick, and he didn't want to insult her with too much food. Ladies could be a bit picky. Weight issues and all. Well most ladies anyway. Like Mazu. His mind drew a blank as he tried to recall her face. All that he could see in his mind's eye was her familiar profile. Her long black hair and her chic clothing, but her face was this awfully blur. It annoyed him. She was supposed to be more special than that. Yet he can't remember her as clearly as he could his nephews and nieces.

"Oh hey Vicky… I mean Victoria." Ran's voice trailed off. He noticed the slight tears still welling in the Nobody's eyes. Even though she was standing there looking proud and tall, he felt really bad, seeing her looking strong yet vulnerable. A side that he never noticed before. She was one truly complex woman – a mourning widow set on vengeance, a woman (and quite a good looking one on hindsight) and now this teary, fragile lady.

"So… Does anybody else want to talk about Avian or should we move on?"

"I seem to have caught you at a bad time," he said quietly. "I mean we could talk about other things if you like, but I wouldn't mind talking about Avian … well even if I never had the honor of knowing him. He died helping us and deserved to be treated with same respect as any of the deceased Lost Souls, if not more."

That same feeling of protectiveness welled up inside of him. It was that same feeling that led him to go after her back in Orion. Honestly, he wasn't sure if that was the right way to approach Victoria, simply because she was confusing him. This strange divide – humans and Nobodies – was crumbling all around him. These were actual beings too. They had lives. Family. Friends. They probably suffered as much helping, no risking, their lives for each batch of humans. He was surprised that there were still volunteers. Well the Hooded Figures were once part of past batches too – what happened? Where did their guides go? He put all other thoughts aside and decided to focus on the one in front of him. Victoria. She – he hoped she won't push him away.

"I – I'm sorry, Victoria. I really don't want to intrude." He remained there three steps behind her with that plate of food in his hands. Ran wondered if he should approach her or not. Maybe not, but well, he wanted to show her that they cared about her too. She was part of their team and probably a huge part of their success in Orion. He gulped before breaking the distance between them and pulled her into a one armed hug. "I can just pass you the food I got and leave, if that makes you feel better."

 

[Cephalogod]

Training Field

"I heard about what happened at Orion from Luke. You okay?"

"He got swallowed by a fish, Ise, I don't think we have to ask."

The Riders' worry was rather flattering but Sacha just smiled sheepishly. "I'm very much alright. Others have gotten much more serious injuries, so you could even say I was the lucky one.

True that he had to be carried out of there by the medics after the fight with the giant fish, but that was mostly due to shock and fatigue more than anything else. He was more worried about Victoria and Ace and the others who had gotten all scraped up, as well as Riley and Jasper who had actually been deprived of their emotions and became zombies for a time.

Then there was Gary.

He could see the girl from where he was standing and he frowned as she swung her pole at a training dummy, knowing that her moves were erratic from her emotions. She had not been pleased with him- scratch that, she was quite furious- and he had apologized, but something told him that he wasn't the only one she was upset with. They'd have to sit down for a talk sometime, whether she wanted or not.

The baby dragons had approached their group, bounding and leaping. Cobalt leapt right behind Sacha, peeking his head out to make sure that the red dragon wasn't still chasing him.

"Hey there, little guy," The dragons were absolutely adorable, and he only wished that the lovely dragon couple and their baby was here as well. Sacha knelt down to give Cobalt a scratch and a pet, and the little guy cooed before flopping onto his belly and asking for rubs. What brought another frown to his face was the fact that all these people were willing to risk themselves to face the queen, and as much as he liked having the backup he didn't know how willing he was to sacrifice more people even though he did wish to go home. Perhaps he'd leave that train of thought for later.

Jasper was sat nearby, and Sacha turned to smile at the girl hesitantly.

"How are you feeling, Jasper? Are you- woah!"

Another dragon had pounced on him from behind, and from the flash of glittering blue scales he could tell that it was Rainstar who had decided to ambush him. Sacha fell over with the dragon on top of him, and Cobalt decided that the flailing pile of limbs looked like a lot of fun and jumped on Sacha as well.

"Ahaha- guys, what are you- you guys are heavy-"

 

[Capt. Blu]

If one was to ask Ace what was going on, she honestly couldn't say. After they had gotten their legs back, which Ace was thankful for, people had gotten moody. Not only that, but more and more of the Nobodies showed up. So...if she had to piece things together, Ace would have guessed that people were brooding and Nobodies were helping. Why? She had no idea. After all, they had completed the list! Why the heck were people sad now?! Man, she couldn't keep up with the emotions- but that was more so because of how she was raised. Even two of her Troublesome Trio were bummed out! So, someone had to keep lifted spirits and Ace was the perfect candidate for it. However...Ace also didn't know how to console people when they were sad or mopey- or brooding. So the redhead decided to stay out of their way and let others help them. That and there were dragons everywhere. It was like, one of Ace's dreams coming true! Never had she wanted something more in her life than a dragon- and Ace was perfectly fine for settling with simple things. But this was different! They didn't exist in the human realm! And don't forget the pirates she met! She couldn't forget them!

"I want them, I want them. I want all of them." Ace was too busy mesmerizing all the dragons to notice when Tasha ran right into her. "Huh?" But before she could admire the red dragon and play with it, it skittered off towards Harper. Seeing him get 'attacked', Ace laughed and walked over to the red dragon. Seeing the puffs of ember, Ace laughed. "Is that the best you got kid? Come on! You can do better than that I just know it!" Ace patted the dragon's head and then patted her pockets. She hadn't thought about it since...well since she hopped on the train, but she normally had a lighter on her. "Hmph, must have fallen out somewhere..." Ace hoped that she'd either be able to find a new one, and that her lighter was of use to someone somewhere in the vast place called Nowhere. "Alright tiny, let's see what you got! Try again- wait," She turned the dragon to face her so Tasha wouldn't attempt to roast Harper. "Alright! Now show me whatcha got!" Tasha took in a huge, dramatic breath as Ace leaned forward in anticipation. And then realizing that being in the line of fire might not have been the best idea, she hopped to the side. Tasha breathed in all the air it could and then!....Smoke and embers spewed. Ace huffed and sighed a bit. "It's alright...You'll get it eventually no worries. Just remember to keep practicing. Think big! Think...fire!" Ace pep talked Tasha while patting its head. She didn't know if the dragon understood her or not, but it was worth talking to it. That, and she loved the color.

There were a lot of baby dragons around, which was only a tiny fraction of disappointing. Ace didn't think she was allowed to ride on baby dragons- and she also didn't think the baby dragons were very capable...or large...well, there were obvious reasons why it wouldn't work. But, nonetheless, watching the little dragons play fight was fun. The next thing she needed to do was get them all to listen to her. Ace's new goal was to become the dragon queen. "...Queen of the Dragons...not a bad ring to it." Ace rubbed her hands together, preparing to walk over to the little huddle of dragons- only to spot Gary off on her own and well...to herself. With a clearing of her throat and a grin, she quite literally yelled across the way. "Hey! Short pink stuff! Are you going to be mopey forever?" At some point she decided to walk a bit closer in order to stop yelling. "Look Pinkie, you shouldn't be so upset. No one was lost. Hurt sure, but not lost. And we finished the list. If anything, you should be at least a liiittle optimistic about going home, ya know?" Alas, Ace was still no good with encouraging words and consolations. When one of the other dragons, Oliver, ran past her and nearly knocked her over Ace's attention was swayed. "Yeah, uh, I dunno. You just shouldn't be so sad, you know? Enjoy what you have before it's too late...or something like that." Then, like the typical ball of energy she was, Ace went to capture one of the baby dragons. Being Queen of Dragons was definitely an amazing idea she came up with.

With a whistle, Ace tried to get all of their attention, however only few would listen to her before jumping and playing around again. "Hmm...how could I get them to listen..." She studied them for a moment before sighing. "Ah, I don't know how babies work. Don't even know how baby humans work." Her gaze turned over to Harper and she smiled. "Hey, Harp do you know how to get little things to focus? Preferably little dragons? If anyone knows anything, I think it would be you! And of course all those trainers... but they're all busy talking so you're the next best thing!...Maybe food would work...."

 

[Gossamer]

Picnic​

​

Wedged neatly between Toby's finger and thumb was a rather appetizing and uneaten strawberry tart. He stared blankly at the treat as he sat lazily on the picnic blanket, a gloomy expression riddled on his face. A bandage wrapped around the boys forehead, as a result of the blow he had received directly in the back of the head.

If not for Numairs assistance, he would have wound up being fish food for sure. Gently he rubbed the outer layer of the tart, his gaze planted firmly on the piece of desert. There was a scar in the palm of his hand from having gripped the jagged rock so tightly.

Why didn't anything change. The fish was dead, so where was everyone's happiness? Where had it gone off to? They had spent the last three days sulky in their "Victory."

Toby did not regret having joined the hooded figures, but in no way could he get used to this state of melancholy. A week ago he was living a carefree life in the castle walls, stealing cookies and teasing bunnies with his fellow troublemakers. What was happening.

The sweets didn't taste as good, the jokes weren't as humorous, the games were now non-existent.

Was it already time to go back-

"home," C said. Get the last clock, open the portal, and go home. It sounded as easy as ABC. The boy began squeezing the strawberry in his fingers until it was nothing but a glop of fruit.
​

Hey Toby, uh, is your head okay now?​

"Hm?" Toby perked up, pulling his gaze from the sweet, listening attentively to the surfer beside him. The boy stared at Numair briefly, processing his words with a blank face before abruptly letting out a jovial laughter.

"I bet you musta' done something pretty rotten to get knocked out by a shoe. Or - well, maybe you're just kind of a dummy, Nums. Or maybe your girlfriend is a dummy. But, I mean that makes you a dummy for dating a dummy. Dummy." He remarked jokingly before wiping the mush of fruit off of his hands with a napkin and plopping a tart into his mouth.

"You know" The boy chewed as he spoke, "One time I forgot to put on my helmet during baseball practice. I got hit in the head and then uh, some other things happened and I had to go home for the day."

Swallowing the tart, he didn't hesitate to plop in another. "I'll be o-kay, I think."

Toby turned away from Numair and began to gaze at the napping Rainbowzilla as Niran began to speak. He waited patiently for the man to acquire his treats, daydreaming about the day they had first come to the hobbit hole. The sunflower on his cloak was beginning to fade from having been underwater so long.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to ask Niran to paint over it anytime soon. The thought alone only brought back the scent of Ran's blood, floating amongst the waters of City Hall, which brought back the image of Riley and Jaspers lifeless gaze, which brought back the sight of C's punctured abdomen, which brought back Gary's battered condition and Sacha swallowed whole and Leila's floating body and the aching in his forearm and the fatigue of combat. If only he had remained unconscious.

Where was the Nowhere he knew and loved?

He wanted to stay, and at the same time he didn't. He also wanted to go home, and at the same time he didn't. He couldn't run because then he would be alone, and he couldn't stay because that only meant more suffering. It's like there was pain and sorrow waiting around every corner.

The gloomy expression returned.​

 

[Kimchi]

Training Field

The following days of rest after the fight was filled with sleep, relaxation, and healing. The battle with the emotion stealing angler was rather one of the more difficult ones and many of her fellow companions had gotten critically injured. Lucky or unlucky for her, she had been turned emotionless before any real harm could be brought upon her. Riley and her mostly spent time asking questions and details about the battle once everyone was comfortable talking about it. for the most part, Jasper believed some higher being probably knew she was going to suffer more mental destruction if she were to go through the fight in a sane state of being and she was thankful that she had been turned zombie before the rest of the battle could play out.

They were all split up today into groups once again since some were ready fro more action again, like this bunch, while other wanted more rejuvenation. Talk of the list was all around and thought the magic list clearly stated that they had completed everything, without all the items in their possession, the dream of home wasn't ever going to be a reality. They were all wanted now, but she had faith in their relationships with their former guides. She thought that if they spoke to Queen Delirium in a civilized fashion, that she'd happily give them the essence of the Chaotic Star without much hesitation. The whole goal of her list was the get them home while obtaining her items right? And they'd done just that so she had no reason to deny them the right to get back to Earth.

"How are you feeling, Jasper? Are you- woah!"

A voice broke into her thoughts which was quickly cut off by a playful azure dragon which was the followed by another baby dragon as the two pounced and crawled all over Sacha. Giggling a bit, she beckoned for one of the younglings to come over and they happily complied after messing with Sacha for a little bit more. at first they were planning to tackle her down to the ground too, but Jasper quickly sensed the rascals intentions and with a sharp whistle between her lips, she made it clear that she was the boss here and the pair of dragons, ears slightly down, decided that they'd best rough around elsewhere.

Turning to Sacha, she dusted him off lightly before answering his question, "I'm great actually. How about you? I heard you were swallowed whole by that fish? How was it?" She imagined it smelled just as horrid as being in the whale's gut. Just the thought of the fishy stench set her stomach off a little in a grumbling protest. After turning back into their human forms, jasper never saw fish the same way again and shied away from the seafood platters when ever they were served any for meals.

Catching sight of Gary not too far from where they sat, she didn't seem like herself and she hasn't been since the fight. Jasper couldn't quite tell what was going on through Pinky's head since the girl was usually so energetic and crazy, but now she was being so grumpy and acting like a loner. "What's up with her? Aren't you two dating or something? You should go cheer her up. I think she's been mopping around long enough," Jasper suggested as she stood up and swatted down her pants of any dirt. Reaching a hand out, she helped Sacha up before approaching Gary who was getting some pep talk from Ace as well who then ran off to chase down a dragon elsewhere.

 

[MixedUpGuy]

Training Field

Inadi had been rather quiet since the return from Orion due to just how tired he had been from the fighting and all his injuries. All of which healed well enough and maybe a few marks left here and there but nothing worse than what he remembered having prior to the big dragon fixing his arm up proper over at Sol. One thing that he had been a little bit perturbed about was the fact that he lost Kain to the boat that the Hooded Figures seemingly lost among the waves.

It was just an item, a mass of wood with a bit of metal lining the tip but it had been such a good companion for the most part. It did things he couldn't do, like slice through an acid puking monster or swing and harm a great dragon. And with all this talk about going over to fight the Queen for the last item only made him long for the halberd again. When he first got the weapon it was just a simple spear. But with all the work he had done to it he had made it into a strong and capable evolved killing tool. Which he had done a pretty good job learning how to wield if he had to say so.

As everyone else went to relax and enjoy themselves he only wanted to find something to fill his hands with and feel of use. He had gone from place to place to try and find something that he could use as a replacement and eventually saw a halberd stashed away in the Hobbit Hole for some reason. He found out that Victoria had apparently brought but had yet to use herself. Shakily he asked her permission for it and she seemed to give it up, albeit begrudgingly. And it only seemed that way because all that was given to him was a hand movement to either leave her alone or take the thing.

In his hand he held that weapon now and began swinging it around with a bit of difficulty. The weight was much different compared to Kain and he had difficulty getting the movement he wanted out of the big hulking thing. At this point Inadi had to curse himself out because of his frame. He had no real muscle mass anymore. Albeit he never really had one in the first place but now it just seemed like he was leaner than he ever was. Perhaps that was his price to pay for all the movement he had focused himself into doing and that speed was what had kept him alive from what he remembered. Eventually he brought the weapon down hard into the grass beneath him and let out heavy breaths as he fell to the ground and crossed his legs looking at the group in front of him.

Seeing Jasper and Sacha talking as the little dragons went around and tried to get all the attention he could made Inadi smile. Picking himself up gingerly he felt a slight pain in his right shoulder where the bite had happened in Orion. Again, the wounds healed but there were still side effects. Perhaps he should have rested a bit more but considering what they were going to do he couldn't afford naps anymore these days. Eventually the sting went away and he plopped himself down next to Jasper and Sacha, who was getting dusted off by his girlfriend after the dragon babies left him on the ground in a display that showed just how attention hogging the little things were. As Jasper pointed out Gary and stood up Inadi could only help but sigh. He hated moving around so much these days. But like he had just said he didn't have time to relax anymore.

A little baby dragon plopped down next to Inadi and it made the boy chuckle a bit seeing how tired the little thing was. Laying its head down on the boy's knee he gave it a quick little pet and felt it curl up even closer than it had before. Hearing a slight cooing from above him, the frame faced boy saw another little dragon looking intently on the sharp spot of Inadi's new weapon. Quickly snapping his fingers he gave a quick wave of the hand and the mini dragon took off towards where Ace was located as she continued chasing down the dragons. Continuing his petting of the dragon underneath him he called out to Ace. "Perhaps just being a little more calm would do the trick there red head! This little one seems to be taking a liking to me as it is." He joked with her as the little one in his lap had suddenly started to snore. And seeing as how the head was directly in his lap, it seemed as though he wouldn't be moving any time soon.

He gave a quick look to Sacha and Jasper and shrugged. "I think the best thing to do with Pinky over there is just let her simmer for the while. It keeps her focused. She went off from what I heard on the fish after you got swallowed Sacha, so best she just get it out of her system in her own little way," Inadi tried to explain as his gaze then focused on Jasper. "If anybody knows what its like to go a little nuts when someone you care about gets hurt that'd be me. So if she wants to talk, talk. If she'd rather be alone, best to just do that for the mean time." Inadi said to them as he let out a sigh and laid the halberd down across from him as he began enjoying the sound of the light purrs of the dragon baby in his lap. He didn't know what all he was going to do at this point with the training and everything, but just knowing that home was only a little bit away from them made him feel a little peace enter his mind.

 

[Anonymous]

​

Shade

"Hey you two! I brought some refreshments. I don't know what you liked so I got you a little of everything. No just this plate."

Ran caught his attention as Lesley crawled out of his deep thinking. Happily accepting a plate of refreshments, he popped a tart into his mouth and chewed contently before scanning the surroundings for Victoria who was being spoken to by another soldier.

Catching bits and pieces of the conversation, or more like remembrance message, Lesley's heart stung a little from the memory of Avian and he quickly felt like comforting Victoria. The look on her face as she listened was heartbreaking. ran seemed to take notice and approached her first. Lesley kept his distance since he knew she must be quite sensitive at the moment. Seeing Ran hug Vicky from behind, Lesley couldn't help but smile. 'What's the perfect way to get overcome a loved ones death? Why, a distraction. A love distraction...' he thought slyly to himself as he eyed to the two under the shade of the tree.

Approaching them slowly, he wanted the hug to last as long as possible before he interrupted or if Victoria decided to punch Ran in the face, he would be close enough to intervene before anyone got a black eye or worse. Reaching them after a moment or two he swallowed what food was left in his mouth and spoke up, "We're here for you Victoria. Right here, right now, just pour out all your feelings. Holding it in and keeping it to yourself isn't going to do you any good ya'know?"