The portal flashed and Ivor –disoriented- stumbled through. Looking back over his shoulder, he scratched the back of his head. "Alright, next time I see a sheep I'm running for the hills!" His sentence echoed in the hall, bouncing off the walls. His eyebrows creased as he looked down at the Atlas in his hands.
As he regained his senses, his stomach rumbled. Looking down at it in surprise, his face grew matter-of-fact. "Time for a lunch break." He mumbled, simultaneously wondering if it was abnormal that he talked to himself as much as he did.
He opened the chest he had plopped down in the middle of the hall some time ago. It was filled with his own personal treasures from worlds he had explored by himself. A potion of invulnerability from a world of potion-makers, a green enchanted flint and steel he had received from a grateful traveler he had escorted home, a stained iron ingot, and his most prized possession…
A poppy flower.
Ivor picked it up and looked at it for a moment. He had considered carrying it with him many times, but he didn't dare risk it in case he needed the inventory space or if he dropped it.
Maybe he should drop by Crown Mesa sometime, see how she was doing… But what would he say? What could he say? Shaking his head in annoyance, he gently placed the flower back into its special place in the chest. He'd think about this later, as he had told himself many times before.
He pulled a piece of bread from the chest and began to eat it. His thoughts were his own as he munched in silence. Once finished he stood up and brushed himself off. Ivor looked down the hall he had been calling home recently. He still hadn't explored much of it; there was still much adventure to be had for sure.
He flipped open the atlas, paging through it gingerly. The pages themselves were interesting enough, though not magical by any stretch of the imagination. Ivor silently sighed, and looked over at the chest. His chest felt a familiar tug and he growled, burying his nose in the Atlas to distract himself.
"What is this?" He growled inaudibly. Why was this sensation so… pleasantly incomprehensible? He hadn't much time to ponder, however, as he was blinded by a flash of light. Dropping the Atlas in surprise, he half-stumbled half-fell backwards to the ground. Staring at the Atlas, he watched the light symbols swirl in the air and dance into the creation of a path that led into a familiar Redstone portal. Ivor paled, not thinking to stand up as he gaped at the portal: Crown Mesa's portal.
Her portal.
Now any doubts that he had had been quelled. He had to go. He was being prompted by the Atlas itself. He had to know why the book was telling him to go through when he hadn't asked it to. Ivor looked back at the chest, in particular one red poppy flower.
Would she want it back? Did she even know he had it? Jesse was the one she gave it to, so she had no reason to think he had it. What would she say?
Honestly? He didn't want to give it back. It was his little treasure, his to remember back on fondly whenever he returned from a particularly nasty portal or just had a rough day in general. He could look on it and remember… remember when she walked up to him and told him he was alright. It wasn't the best compliment, but it meant so much coming from her.
He walked up to the portal, watching it carefully as if something might pop out of it. Ivor looked over his shoulder at the chest and, before he would think it over too much, took it with him. Taking a deep breath as he rolled his head back, he mustered up all the courage he could and stepped through the portal.