I know I should be typing up the next chapter of Tales of Wackidonia, but I was about to go to sleep when a plot bunny attacked me with this and wouldn't let me rest until it was done.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the Tales of Symphonia (Dawn of the New World/Knight of Ratatosk or otherwise) characters. They belong to Namco.

Just a Few?

"We all have to get back anyway, right?" A young brunette duel swordsman remarked. He and his best friend, Genis, had just caught up with their two newest friends: a pair of researchers from the techie city of Sybak.

The blond nodded in agreement, glancing slightly up at the redhead beside him. "It'll be nice to be back after what seems like forever...are you glad I'm back, Richter?" With nothing as a response except a minuscule nod of the other's head, he suddenly took a couple larger steps than normal and turned around to face his friends. At that moment, his lime eyes noticed a small nagging in his best friend's forward gaze. "Hey, Lloyd," he started, his head turning towards the brunette barely a year or two older than him. "Would you like to get a tour of Sybak before we all meet back in the lab?"

Before he could reply, the eldest of the four spoke up for a moment. "And what would the purpose of prolonging their journey be, Aster?" The redheaded half-elf's tone barely wavered from his usual emotionless way when he was annoyed by something...or in this case someone.

Nevertheless, the younger researcher grasped Lloyd's right wrist and pulled him along at a faster pace than the other two, the redheaded half-elf's words falling on deaf ears.

"W-wait! Aster! What about-?" Slowly, both figures disappeared into the distance, leaving Richter and Genis, the younger having tried to ask the blond a question. He then looked up for a moment to the elder male. "Now what? Should we run after them or just walk back as we have been?" No response from the other had the result of silencing the young, silver-haired half-elf. They continued on at the previous, gentle walk, only the rustling of their feet in the grass below making a sound.

"So you're Sylvaranti." It wasn't clear to Genis whether or not it was a question or merely a comment.

The young boy's blue eyes looked up at the question from his fellow kinsman. "Yeah, I am...uh. I'm sorry, but I don't think we've really been properly introduces."

Forest green orbs glanced momentarily towards Genis as their owner scoffed. "There's already something that could be said to be a difference between the two worlds."

Needless to say that confused the silver-haired youth. "Are you saying not everyone is taught proper manners here in Tethe'alla?" Richter nodded curtly. "Oh, then how-?"

"Aster."

"And this right over here is the best inn you could ever hope to find in all of Tethe'alla. Despite the size, its' owner runs a comfortable and well-kept place." Aster gestured to their right as the pair of humans casually walked by a rather small building. In the front by the door hung a sign with the universal image that designated it as an inn. The blond had been about to describe the next building when a young woman passed by the two, waving cheerfully in greeting with the hand that wasn't carrying a considerable stack of papers. Like Aster usually did, she wore a pure white lab coat over her normal clothes.

"Hey, I've been wondering." Aster paused to look back at the red-clad swordsman, his gaze attentive. "Why'd you leave Genis and Richter alone out there? Shouldn't we have all stayed together in one group?"

Nodding, Aster turned completely around to face Lloyd. "While that's true, I wanted to give them time to get to know each other; allow Richter the chance to make a friend other than me. You've probably noticed, but he doesn't exactly trust others all that easily. Besides, even though it's not all that easy to tell, the rest of our research team is much older than him. It seems that to them, we're both a pair of uppity children trying to do a grown-up's job."

Footsteps rustled through the grass steadily as the pair of half-elves walked along a faded path towards Sybak. "So in Sylvarant, half-elves are looked down upon for the sole reason of the Desians being said race." Genis nodded confidently in response. "But this...Lloyd, was it? He acts different from the other humans. From what you've said he doesn't care about differences in blood, but perhaps that's only because he and you were friends before he knew you were half-elven."

Genis shook his head, a foot rising to stomp upon the dirt as he stopped moving forward. "You're wrong! Lloyd's not like that! He treats me and my sister like he would anyone else, and that includes you too! Lloyd told me once that it doesn't matter if I have part elven and part human blood. I'm still me and that's all that matters to him!" The boy's young age shown through as he continued to throw what some may have called a mild temper tantrum. "We've been best friends for years. How dare you suggest he's-" His rant got cut short as a thought came to him mind. He almost immediately calmed down to look directly up at his acquaintance. "What about you and Aster then? In this world our kind is treated so poorly that you'd have to be insane to even think of trying to befriend a half-elf."

Instead of taking the boy's statement as an insult, Richter's expression slowly turned pensive. "Did you ever think that he very well may be less prejudice than the rest of his race? Aster is not that kind of man that would scorn someone for something they can't change. Those who do, he would say, are that way because they are scared of those differences."

"Well, yeah, I guess you could say that. But if you don't mind me saying, he seems to have a few screws loose." Genis' ears caught the low sound of something unusual, only to realize the elder of the pair was chuckling at his words. "Wh-what?" Clearly that was not the reaction the mage was expecting.

After a few minutes of his uncontrolled display of emotion, the researcher calmed down to his normal state. "There have been many names to describe Aster, but that might be the most accurate so far. Although if he wasn't as you say, there are many events that never would have happened."

As the two strode closer and closer to Sybak, they both unconsciously slowed down to allow more time to talk and learn more about their other-worldly kin's life.

"Now that I think about it, maybe there are people on each side who think the same way. I mean, Lloyd has said that it doesn't matter to him what blood someone has. It only matters that they try to be a good person. And Aster seems to be quite similar. So despite their different upbringing, I'd say they're both a bit insane." As the silver-haired male spoke, both pairs of feet set down atop the bricks of Sybak's streets.

"Heh, I guess you could say that."

Sights and sound of the town rushed the sensitive ears of the half-elves as they neared the center of Sybak. Although the main noises heard were quick tapping of boots on stone that continued to come closer and closer.

"Genis!"

"Richter!"

The two whose names had been called across a short distance paused right where they were, ideas of what was about to happen running through each of their minds. Gens thought the approaching humans were simply going to rush over while Richter had the feeling that, Aster at the very least, had other plans. So while the brunette had done as his best friend suspected, the blond dashed towards Richter with the intent to jump up and hug him. However, he ended up missing as the redhead side-stepped the boy as soon as both his feet left the ground.

These actions resulted in laughter erupting from three-fourths of the groups. The last fourth simply turned his gaze at the blond human calmly, only one person knowing him well enough to know he was shooting a 'what are you thinking?' at Aster with his dark green eyes. Richter then looked to his kinsman. "Yes, you are definitely correct."

So, what did you think? Like it? No? Tell me in a review, they're always welcome.