Well, it seems like a lot of you are interested in reading more. So I've decided to post at least a few chapters. Rereading it there are a lot of things I'm not particularly happy with or at the very least am unsure about. Rose and Albert is one of them. I really want to know what you think of how they are portrayed. Other than that, just enjoy.
When the clash of swords echo, the journey chasing the past ends and the journey to know today begins. One soul seeks another and pledges their sworn friendship to another. One mystery begets the next and the doors of fate are opened. 'You are free to sever the chains of fate that bind you…'
The city of Fletz was as alive as ever as the citizens bustled about to get where they needed to be. None suspected anything out of the ordinary in the least. It helped that time seemed to freeze as he popped out of nowhere at the center of the city.
Everyone's movements stopped immediately upon his appearance because he had no business standing out like a sore thumb. So before the spell wore off he gave a small smirk, a hand on one hip, and disappeared again, the city bursting with life once more as everything carried on like normal.
No one realized that a murderer and a manipulator had been among them. They didn't even know their time had been stopped. All they saw was an ordinary day where nothing had been interrupted.
Weeks had passed since then as the group entered the city of resplendent design, just as unaware of the fact Lloyd had already passed through as the townspeople.
The city had little to no tree or plant life in general, mostly sleek marble and stones making up the ground and buildings. To be more specific, the stone pathways were a tan color, designs of stars, the moon, and constellations scattered around on it in a blue color. The buildings were mostly all one level and perfectly flat with tables and chairs on the top, a white marble used to construct it with dark blue marble only on the bottom area of the buildings.
Walking a little further into the city, Dart saw that one woman had a garden by her home on the outer edges. However, it wasn't growing very well, most everything looking quite dead. But who was he to judge? If she wanted to grow things then she was free to, even in a desert like country.
There was a short, small bridge to their right passing over a stream of water which, as they passed over it, caught Shana's attention. She leaned over it, breathing in deeply. "I smell…the ocean from this river!" She sighed in content, smiling warmly.
Haschel trotted over next to her to look over the edge as well. "It's close to the sea." He nodded.
Dart thought it was an interesting tidbit that the stream led to the ocean, but he was more interested in what he spied down on the edge of the bridge. So he bent down on a knee to inspect it.
Albert noticed him down on the ground and perked. "Is something wrong with the bridge?" He hoped not, but he saw few other reasons for Dart to be doing as he was.
Everyone else turned toward him, wanting to know what was going on as well.
Dart shook his head faintly, running his fingers over the old, faded writing. "It says 'Claire Bridge.'" He muttered thoughtfully, rising to his feet as he thought back to a face he hadn't seen in eighteen years. "It's the same name as my mom."
Haschel laughed heartily, jumping over to Dart. "Oh! My runaway daughter is named Claire, too!" He slapped Dart on the shoulder. "There may be some secret connection between us!"
Rose rolled her eyes, scoffing at the idea. "It's impossible to have such a coincidence."
Albert stepped forward, nodding firmly. "I agree with you." He could barely believe he was saying this, but it was true. He then looked to Dart and Haschel. "Let's say the population of the Continent of Endiness is about a million and five hundred fifty thousand are women." He cleared his throat. "According to the statistics of the Royal Personnel Authority, four percent of all women have the name Claire."
They were all staring at him as if he were insane at this point. None of them would have guessed he was so good with statistics and the like.
Albert ignored their stupefied looks, explaining since they sadly did not understand. "It means from a statistical point of view-"
Rose jumped in, not able to handle this spout of information. She decided that she'd put it in a way a simpleton would understand. "Just looking tells it all." She did a scan to make sure, nodding as she was certain, "They don't look like each other at all."
Albert took to looking them over as well, hand cupping his chin as he thought. "Hmm…indeed." He nodded with life. "Cranioscopically speaking, the distance between their skull, eyeballs, and also their jawbones are-"
Dart and Haschel rubbed their heads in unease as he analyzed him so closely. It was rather uncomfortable, so they were glad when Rose jumped in.
Rose sighed irritably, cutting him off for a second time. "Let's go." She pointed ahead. "He won't finish talking until dusk."
Shana giggled softly at her even though she wasn't intending to be funny. Somehow Shana had learned to laugh at her sometimes harsh behavior as long as it wasn't seriously hurting any of them.
Albert chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Still, he couldn't complain about her eagerness to shut him up. Compared to earlier on she was being a saint right now.
As they went on up a few stairs and over strange constellations Dart barely registered a couple of two story buildings and one weird one with a blue planet atop it, but mostly he didn't have time to really take in the buildings. His mind and focus was jerked over to an open space at the foot of the castle as a sharp scream cut through the air.
Immediately after the scream a few people darted down the stairs just before them, zooming around Dart and his friends with a precision that was too good for this to be a one-time reaction.
This made Dart and the others even more interested and they went about halfway up the stairs to get close enough to view the event, but far enough away to stay out of the way.
What they saw was a group of men and women running frantically about in circles or ducking down behind their stands in pure terror. ""Shoot! Pri-Princess Emille is here!" One of the men stuttered, further showing his distress.
"It's too sudden!" Each said in unison. "It's scary!"
Most scurried over to the stands to try and squeeze in with the owner now, one of the few still out in the open crying, "Gods! Please help us through this!" She clasped her hands at her chest, jumping back into a stiff position instantly afterward as Princess Emille's figure became visible behind the guard at the entrance.
The guard promptly stepped aside, bowing slightly in respect as she passed.
Princess Emille had a fair complexion, light, long blonde hair which she lanced with soft pink flowers, a petite figure, and sea blue eyes. Her outfit was a stunning dress the framed her figure perfectly and spread out at the waist to reach to the ground. The chest area was a dark red as were the wrist cuffs and the bottom circle of the dress. The rest was light pink that faded to white the farther from the center it was.
Yet despite all this beauty there was an almost evil glimmer in her narrowed eyes and the way her mouth was turned down into a sharp frown. She did not move at all like a princess either. Albert especially couldn't understand these contradicting aspects.
Emille stomped to the center of the area where the picture of a star was. "I heard somebody say shoot." She hissed, eyes narrowing further. "Who was that!?" She demanded, turning slowly to each person still standing near enough.
Each time her eyes landed on a person they backed up quickly, cowering under her intense gaze. Even the dog that had been there shot into a sprint down the stairs as she glared at him for barking.
"Hey, I'm the princess in this country!" She reminded angrily as if they had really forgotten. "You have to be nice to me!" She stamped her foot, sighing irritably.
As Emille began pacing a brown haired woman in a blue dress timidly approached her, hands clasped around her stomach. "Ex-Excuse me your highness." She muttered, swallowing hard. "I would like you to name my soon to be born baby." She even offered a half smile.
Emille scoffed, giving a single syllable laugh of disgust. "I don't think so." She shook her head, crossing her arms firmly of her chest. "It's a hell on wheels."
The woman sucked in a sharp breath, hands raised to her mouth in horror. "Oh no…" It wasn't long before she was bawling, hands pressed over her face.
Emille growled loudly, anger evident. "Disgusting! Stop crying!" She ordered, pointing a warning finger at the woman.
The woman stifled her sobs and wiped at her eyes to rid them of tears. "S-Since my husband was killed by bandits…this, this baby has been my only hope." She foolishly thought explaining would make the princess ac with more understanding.
The princess started slightly, thinking on this a moment. "Bandits?" She repeated, quickly moving on. "Phooey!" She waved her hand in dismissal. "You bore me!" Emille quickly marched back to the entrance of the giant twin tower castle and up the stairs.
The woman took a few steps in the direction she had taken, falling to her knees once the guard moved back into place, blocking her way. "O-Oh no…"
None of them could tear their eyes from the scene that had just unfolded. But the horror that had played out hurt Albert most of all. He had known of her since he was a teenager and the things he had been told had been nothing like this. Something was terribly wrong.
Dart saw the pained disbelief written across Albert's face as he tore his gaze away from the castle. "You ok?" He murmured, not expecting an answer.
Albert shook his head absently, not doing so to answer Dart's question since he had not heard him in his daze. All he was thinking of was any way to explain this. "Is-Is that person Princess Emille?" He breathed blankly, shaking his head slowly again. "I heard she was very sweet."
Shana was looking at him now too and his words made her face fall further, a sadness in her eyes and a deep frown on her lips. "Albert?"
Still he ignored them. "If this is a dream…please wake me up!" He begged.
In the end it was Rose who was able to snap him out of it. "Albert!" She snapped harshly, eyes narrowed into slits as she stared him down.
Albert almost mechanically turned his face to look at her blankly.
"We can't sit here like this. We have to find Lloyd." She waited a moment to make sure he got this and then went on. "Once we do that, you'll have plenty of time to check out whatever is going on here." She motioned toward the castle.
Albert thought about it a little while before he decided he liked this idea. "Yeah, you're right." He was getting used to agreeing with her, strange as it sounded. Honestly their opinions weren't that different and the way they thought was crazy close as well. "Emille can wait."
Dart held up a hand to indicate they needed to wait a moment. "I know we need to get going." A micro expression of anger flickered across his face. "But it's been a long journey getting here. We should take a little break."
Haschel tapped his finger on his chin. "I think I saw a bar back by that funky house with the planet on top. Why don't we get a few drinks?"
Rose went to snap at him for suggesting such a thing, stopping herself as she realized she really didn't hate the idea all that much. It wasn't that she was a heavy drinker, but she enjoyed a few drinks every now and then in order to ease her mind of the things she did. "Sounds ok."
They all were mildly surprised by her willingness to take part, but not as much as Dart. "Rose…you…you drink?"
Rose shrugged her shoulders. "Occasionally." Her eyes narrowed instantly as she figured their minds would go to one thing. "But it's not like I'm a drunk or anything."
"I didn't say you were." Dart chuckled. "It just doesn't seem like you."
Rose looked away from him. "I guess I'm full of surprises."
Dart's brow furrowed and a frown formed in response to the way her words seemed pained more so than she meant for them to be. But he didn't ask what she really meant by it. He knew better. "Well, what are we waiting for?" He laughed lightly. "Let's go."
They backtracked to the area around the strange house, seeing the bar after a few seconds. It was one of the larger buildings, a set of stairs leading up to it since it ironically set atop a clinic. Dart supposed that was for a good reason.
As they walked in their eyes were met with a room of varying shades of the ocean, not quite green and not quite blue. And like every other part of this town stars seemed to be the prevailing theme. They were on the floor, walls, and ceiling in varying sizes. It gave the place a calming mood that was usually absent from a bar considering the kind of characters found in a bar. It was a nice change.
There were plenty of tables in the decent sized building and most all of them were empty. Dart wondered why. Most bars were full nearing sundown. Regardless of the reason, they took a seat around one of the tables near the back so as not to draw to much attention to themselves.
Dart sighed heavily after sitting down, letting his head fall down into his cupped hands.
Everyone looked to him, wondering what was the matter. Only Shana spoke. "Are you ok?"
Dart smiled warmly. "It's nothing." He assured. "I was just thinking about my parents and Neet."
Shana frowned for a fraction of a second before she found her smile again. "You mean you're thinking about the Black Monster then. Right?"
Dart cringed at how right she was. "Yes." He chuckled, smiling despite the fact he still dwelt on such unpleasantries. "I can't help it."
"It's ok." Shana shrugged her shoulders some. "It won't hurt you to remember."
Haschel nodded, smiling wistfully. "Indeed." He folded his hands together on the table. "I think of my daughter Claire all the time and, even though it hurts some, it also makes me feel happy."
Rose rolled her eyes at the whole lot of them. "You are wrong. All of you."
Their faces fell some as her words reached them. They then turned their confused eyes on her. What could she mean this time?
Rose sighed softly. "It's one thing to remember good times, like Haschel says, but another thing entirely to hold onto bitter moments." Her gaze intensified. "If you don't let go of your hatred then it will eventually consume you and you will no longer know yourself. Trust me."
Albert sighed. "It's true. Thinking about my father's death never helped me either. I only held on to the memories before that. I had to let go of the rest."
"Alright, Albert, stop being a suck up." Haschel teased.
"Excuse me?" Rose and Albert said in unison.
"Oh, come on." Haschel laughed. "Ever since we got here he's been kissing your ass. I mean, no matter what, you agree. It's ridiculous to pretend just so she won't hate you."
"I'm not doing that-!"
"I don't hate him-!"
They shut their mouths quickly as they spoke at nearly the same time.
Dart shook his head. "Leave them alone Haschel." He had to admit it was pretty funny the way they'd shifted into harmony with one another so easily, especially after the fit Rose had had with him trying to replace Lavitz. But he wasn't about to complain. "It's better they act as twins than butt heads."
"Dart." Rose said through gritted teeth, a hint of amusement showing through the annoyance. "Don't be a hypocrite."
Shana laughed softly, looking up to see a guy approaching.
"How many drinks?" He asked dully.
Dart opened his mouth to answer, Rose beating him to it. "Ten." She said simply, quickly going back to ignoring the man.
The man sighed heavily, hating his job, before he trudged back to get them what they wanted.
"Anyway…" Rose started again. "Just find a balance. Remember your family and village, but don't dwell on what could have been." She eyes flashed over to a guy in a yellow outfit who was bouncing around before she looked back at Dart. "And if you can't do that…then just forget it all."
Dart shook his head slowly. "I can't do that…" he murmured sadly. "I can't forget them. But…I can't forget him either. I never will."
Rose bowed her head slightly, sighing softly. "You'll have to. Eventually." Otherwise his need for revenge would hurt him and everyone around him.
Dart remained silent, considering this more than most things. In a way he hoped she was right, but at the same time that she was wrong. He wanted it to be true that he'd be able to forget with or without revenge. However, he feared that this might not come to pass and he'd be consumed, as she said. He didn't want that. He could only imagine how Shana would cope.
Rose felt a twinge of guilt for bringing it up again after the topic had shifted to a more enjoyable subject, but he needed to be reminded. She didn't want to see him crash and burn like she had so many times.
The man sulked back, placing the drinks in a huddle at the center of the table. "Enjoy." He muttered halfheartedly, sighing in depression another time before leaving them.
Each grabbed a drink, some tipping it more hastily to their lips than others as they remained silent for a time. They really didn't know what to say in a normal situation. It had been so long since they had done anything 'normal.' Normal for them was closer to unnatural.
Shana was the last to take a sip and when she did she accidentally started up a conversation. She had never drunk before and wasn't used to the taste, immediately spitting the substance back out.
Dart burst out laughing at both her reaction and facial expression. "What's the matter?" He teased. "Not like the way it tastes?"
Shana rubbed her tongue with a hand as she answered. "It's awful! How can you drink it!?" She would have liked a response from any or all of them explaining what drew them to it.
Haschel was first. "If you drink enough of it you feel on cloud nine." He laughed. "Of course, you don't remember much the next day in that case. But still!"
Albert shook his head, grinning from ear to ear at this reasoning. "That, and for me at least it's not allowed most of the time. It gives it a thrill."
They were looking at Dart now for his answer.
Dart couldn't help but laugh as their gazes bore into him. "I don't know." He shrugged.
"Come on Dart." Shana pleaded. "I want to know why you drink?" Her eyes were wide in anticipation, hands clasped at her chest.
Dart rolled his eyes at her. "Nah, you don't want to hear it." He assured, waving her inquiry away with his hand. "It's stupid."
Rose could think of only one thing that Dart wouldn't want to say, especially to Shana. More so she figured it was because the mood would be ruined again with little hope of fixing itself a third time. Unfortunately she didn't think she could save him without saying what he refused to.
"It can't be any more stupid than ours." Haschel tried to coax him. "Besides, we're friends here. And we could use a good laugh."
Dart squirmed under their gazes, seeing what Rose had a moment before. He was trapped with no way to escape except burst their bubbles. But was that really escaping? "I…" he rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign of his nervousness. "I really don't…"
Rose was growing quite annoyed by the pressure they were putting on him. They had to see that he didn't want to answer. So she finally decided she couldn't take it anymore. "Would you leave him alone?" She snapped. "He obviously doesn't want to say. So bug off."
Dart breathed in deeply, relieved she'd saved him. "Rose, it's alright." He tried to convince her.
Rose growled beneath her breath. "Whatever."
Haschel smirked. "Well, since Dart is off limits, what about you?" He raised a brow at her, daring her to turn him down.
"It's none of your business." She scolded.
Shana could only image what Rose's reasons were. She was a rather dark person in many aspects. Although for a moment she wondered if perhaps her reason was the same as Dart's. And in that case she found herself wanting to know more than before.
Albert shook his head. "I don't think so." He wagged his finger at her. "Only one pass a day, and you used it on Dart." He smirked. "So out with it."
Rose's fists instinctively clenched and her lips parted to say something mean when suddenly another thought struck her. "Fine." She said smugly. "You asked for it."
Her tone caught Dart's attention more so than the prospect of knowing a little more about her. She sounded way too pleased to give away this information. That couldn't be good.
"I drink…" She trailed off to allow them to become more eager. "…to forget."
They all started, all but Dart. He knew it. One of the few reasons she would relieve him of having to tell the truth was because her reason was the same. Drinking to forget…what a bad habit. He'd eased up on it as of late considering he was back in Shana's life. He didn't want her to see such a side of him.
"Oh…" The three said in unison with varying tones of regret.
"Yeah." She quipped. "'Oh'." She hoped they felt as bad as they sounded. It's what they got for trying to pry into her life. They should have known better by now. She wasn't like everyone else. She was not an open book to be read as they pleased. She was a book that had been sealed off from prying eyes and shut tight with a lock that had no key. And maybe now that she answered like this they would never force her to partake in such games again.
They fell silent once more, pushing their glasses around to distract themselves since all the glasses on the table were empty, Dart having downed the most – four.
Albert used this as an excuse to get away, standing up quickly. "Anybody else want another drink? I can get us some more." The speed at which he spoke gave away the fact he was trying to get away from the dreariness as fast as possible.
Haschel hopped up with equal speed. "I'll go too! But it might take a while." He warned the other three. "I might try customizing my drink." He hurried away then.
Albert chuckled nervously before he quickly followed after him, thinking he might do the same and customize to buy time.
Shana sighed heavily, jumping up to try and bring them back. "Guys!" She called after them.
Rose and Dart were alone then, no one's eyes keeping tabs on their movements. Dart didn't know what to do with this. He was used to being alone with her in battle occasionally, actually a lot. For some reason it always ended up that way. But this was different.
Rose wasn't as bothered by the fact they were alone as she was the fact she knew Dart was nervous about it. She hated when people reacted that way to being stuck with her and only her. Usually it meant whoever it was was afraid of her and she didn't want to know Dart felt this way even if it was true.
Dart continued to push his collection of glasses around on the table as his nerves ate him alive. What was he supposed to say? She wasn't much for talking, kind of like him. So what was there left for them? He wanted to scream he was so frustrated.
Rose at first hoped he would remain silent, but after so long of watching him twitch like that she came to the conclusion she would rather hear him talk nonsense. "Do you have something to say?" She finally made herself say.
Dart started at the sound of her voice, smiling lamely. "Maybe…" he shrugged, searching for the right words in case the lack of proper wording would set her off. "I want to thank you for turning the limelight off of me." He chuckled faintly at his words.
Rose shrugged, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "It was nothing. They were bugging me is all."
"But…how did you know that it was…" He grimaced. "You know…the same as yours."
Rose allowed a slight smirk to play across her face. "It wasn't hard. I used context clues." She glanced back at the other three, Shana trying to pull the other two back. "They are just idiots. That's why they didn't get it."
"Rose." He warned with only a little bit of seriousness.
"It helped that I had the same reasoning too I suppose." She begrudgingly admitted. "I know how much I used to, and kind of still do, hate people knowing that. So it was obvious to me."
Dart nodded. "Well…I'm sorry."
Rose looked up, frowning and eyeing him with uncertainty. "Sorry?" She questioned. "About what?"
"Sorry that you have something that bad in your life that you have no way of forgetting, just like me." He sighed sadly, eyes sullen.
Rose sighed similar to him, placing her elbows on the table to rest her head in her hands. "Don't be. It's not worth it."
Dart wasn't sure what to say to this. He expected her to not want his pity or even condolences, but he had almost fooled himself into believing she would this once. "Alright." He shrugged, trying to force himself to look elsewhere.
Rose inwardly started hating herself for saying that. She should have thanked him instead of made him feel like he'd wasted his energy on trying to make her feel better. But it was too late now, just like always. She sighed again, "We should get the others."
Dart looked back at her, head cocked to the side some in question.
"We should get going. It'll be dark soon." She explained simply, shrugging her shoulders some. "Unless you prefer to stay and forget a little more." She surprised herself by suggesting this, it not really being in her nature to do this with someone else.
Dart appeared to be considering the idea more than he thought he would, but in the end all it took was one look at Shana and he knew he couldn't. "No, you're right. We need to get going." He stood up to get the others, not giving a second thought to Rose.
Rose sat there a minute longer than Dart, staring after him. It was sad that he had to be a victim of the devil. He didn't deserve it. Yet if he did not have the memory of this horrible past he would surely be dead. Nearly everyone perished when faced by the Black Monster. It was a miracle he had managed to avoid it, him, a five year old.
Dart snapped his fingers to get their attention. "Come on guys. It's time to go."
When Albert and Haschel spun around on their stools, Dart noticed that their smiles were a bit lopsided and their eyes were dulled. He knew instantly that they had managed to down quite a few more drinks, but weren't so drunk that they would be unable to function or realize what they were saying.
Still, Dart couldn't help but shake his head at them disapprovingly. If he had kept from getting drunk it should have been no problem for them. "You amaze me."
Haschel and Albert laughed at him, Albert scrambling to make himself seem normal and composed quickly after. "We…we are fine." He nodded as he said this.
Rose was by Dart now, just as disapproving. "I should throw the both of you out into a fight just to teach you a lesson."
Dart saw that she only meant to scare them with her words, so he didn't reprimand her. "Come on." He grabbed both of them to pull them into a standing position. "We don't have any more time to waste."
As they tried to hurry out the door, a teenager in a yellow outfit suddenly jumped in front of them. They doubted he meant harm by it, but he blocked their way.
"Kid, get out of the way." Dart waved him away, not wanting to deal with the random people that they somehow managed to draw to them. "We're kind of in a hurry."
The teen shook his head. "I've been watching you." He said with a creepy smile. "Now! Come on back to the back!" His eyes darted to bar where his boss was still missing from before he looked back to them.
"I told you, we don't have time-"
The teen remained undeterred, perky as ever. "All the way to the back!" He repeated, pushing Dart the way he wanted him to go.
Albert and Haschel didn't need convincing in their states; they simply followed Dart even though he obviously didn't want to be where he was right now.
"Oh, such slowpokes!" The teen laughed at the whole lot of them as they all finally were where he wanted them. He then quickly launched into what he wanted to say. "You guys are from out of town, aren't ya!?" His eyes were wide as bowling balls as he looked eagerly at all their faces.
Dart glanced over at Rose who looked just as displeased with the situation as he was. He needed to make sure that she wasn't going to hurt the kid just because she was annoyed and he rather hoped she would have something for him to say that could end this in one go.
Unfortunately Shana didn't share their feelings, answering cheerfully, "Yes, we are." She nodded.
"I knew it!" He did a fist pump in triumph. "I could immediately tell you are not from here! You guys…" he trailed of, leaning forward some as he inhaled deeply. "Mmm…smell like exotic foreigners!"
Dart and Rose simultaneously scooted back to further the distance between them and this weird kid. He reminded them of a stalker.
Shana, on the other hand, continued to be amused by the kid's excitement. "You're funny." She giggled. "What's your name anyway?"
"Kaffi!" He beamed. " I'm one of the workers here!"
"Oh. So you know the city then?" Shana thought it was a beautiful place. She just didn't understand it like she knew even this teenager must.
Kaffi nodded fervently. "Yep! I've lived here my whole life! So let me give ya a quick introduction to this town!"
Dart sighed heavily, not caring about the town. He would have said so too had it not been for the fact Shana was so eager. Sometimes he hated caring so much.
"You saw lots of star shapes in this town didn't ya?" Kaffi energetically motioned all around him to indicate the stars in here as an example. "There were decorations on top of roofs or mosaics on the street, right?" He waited hopefully for a response.
Shana nodded, smiling sweetly.
"It's 'cuz Tiberoans have faith in the stars." He explained, nodding matter of factly. "So, naturally, we have an advanced astronomy."
Rose rolled her eyes as the kid tried to impress Shana by seeming like a know it all. He should know that she wouldn't be into him no matter how smart he pretended to be.
Shana clasped her hands down at her waist, liking learning these things. "It's the study of stars isn't it? Sounds wonderful!" She grinned brightly, proud of herself for knowing something.
Kaffi nodded about ten times. "Right!"
Even Albert as out of it as he was started getting irritated by the pep and holdup. He had to wonder if Dart was planning on ending this any time soon. So he leaned over to whisper in Dart's ear, "We are here to pursue Lloyd!"
Dart nodded faintly, trying not to draw Kaffi's attention to them. "I know."
Kaffi had the eyes of a hawk and instantly noticed their shift. "Hey! Whadayasay?" He still did not lose his smile. "What are you two guys whispering about?" He moved over to where they were, leaning in with his hands on his hips and eyes squinted in suspicion.
Dart and Albert moved back to their former positions as they realized they weren't stealthy enough.
Rose snickered at them despite herself, eyes quickly shifting back to their annoyed look as she let them fall on Kaffi.
Kaffi jumped back away from them, laughing lightly at their reaction as he inquired. "Are you becoming more interested in stars?"
Dart rubbed the back of his head as he tried to appear regretful in saying, "I'm sorry, but…we are actually looking for a man named Lloyd."
Kaffi made a face. "A 'man'? Are you more interested in a man than stars!?"
Dart looked at Kaffi as if he were stupid. Of course he was. Normal people didn't think twice about the stars, they took them as they were.
"Just kidding!" Kaffi laughed, waving his hands in front of his face to signify defeat. "Hmm, Lloyd…?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I dunno!" He threw his hands into the air. "And if Kaffi the hipster doesn't know it means he probably isn't in this town." A pause. "So come on! Why not talk more about stars?"
Dart and Rose both went to say no as fast as was possible, Kaffi somehow still managing to beat them to the punch.
"You know what!" He clapped his hands together. "You should go see a person I think you would like! He's an astronomer named Fester!" He shook his head unconsciously as he thought about the wacky man. "He is crazy about the Moon That Never Sets and I think he can tell you lots of interesting things."
Dart perked, suddenly mildly intrigued by the mention of something in the sky he had never heard of before. "The Moon That Never Sets?" He repeated, slowly being pulled into this.
"Yeah, you know, the one over there." He pointed out the window just behind them to a moon set in sky. "The strange star in the sky all the time, day or night. I heard he is doing research about the relationship between a monster called the Black whatchamacallit and the Moon That Never Sets."
There was a collective intake of breath at the mention of the Black Monster. And they knew then that they would undoubtedly be going to visit this Fester person. Even if the others hadn't wanted to, Dart would have dragged them there anyway.
Kaffi inwardly laughed at their shift in interest. They were an odd bunch. "Why don't you drop by? He's next door."
The barkeeper, his boss, reappeared then with a dark scowl and deep frown on his face. "Hey! Kaffi! Stop goofing around! It's dark outside, so more people with be coming!"
Kaffi chuckled nervously, turning about. "Okay!" He chirped, rubbing his head. "Sorry." He glanced back at Dart and the others. "I gotta get back to work." And he ran off.
Haschel shook his head. "What a weird guy."
"Aw, but he was sweet." Shana giggled softly, not even thinking how this would affect Dart.
Dart's brow furrowed instantly and he eyed her strangely. "Sweet? Are you insane? He was a nutcase."
Shana laughed, grin almost evil as she looked at him. "Maybe." She shrugged, thrusting her head in the air as she walked slowly past him. "But at least I don't drink."
Dart started a bit. Really? She was really going to play that card? Even if he was being ridiculous, she shouldn't do that. He couldn't help that he was a little…dare he say, jealous?
"If we're going then let's go." Rose snapped them out of it. "We've been too long as it is."
Albert shrugged. "It's not like Fester's going anywhere. And besides, we aren't really going to leave at night are we? None of us know this land like we did Serdio. It could be dangerous."
Rose sighed irritably. "Dangerous or not, we're leaving tonight. Got it?"
Albert scowled at her, but he didn't say a word in return. He'd learned that picking a fight with Rose was like a death sentence –you just weren't going to win.
"Either way, we're seeing Fester first." Dart said this in a tone he rarely if even had used, one that said he would not tolerate or give heed to anyone wanting to do different. He was finally using his authority as the leader.
"Hurry up then." Rose growled, heading off with or without them.
Despite his status as leader he wasn't at the front as they left the building in search of Fester's home. Shana was at the lead, head held high.
Rose was irritated by how she appeared to be flaunting being at the front even though she probably wasn't meaning to look that way. Rose simply couldn't help it when it came to such things, especially when the one at the front didn't deserve to be there in the first place.
Shana halted a few paces from the bar, turning to face the entrance of the first building of by the bar. "This must be the house next door." She observed. It was the one with the strange plant like thing on top of it. "I wonder if Mr. Fester is in." She tapped her chin.
Dart stepped forward, tapping the doorbell on the house. As no one appeared immediately, Dart crossed his arms firmly over his chest in annoyance.
Shana frowned at his obvious impatience, waiting another minute before sighing. "Maybe not…" she murmured, shrugging her hands instead of her shoulders.
Dart shook his head in disagreement. "The lights are on though."
Shana quickly jumped at the opportunity to shine. "Let me see!" She hopped forward, pushing the doorbell another time. When it failed she took in a deep breath and yelled, "Mr. Festeeeer! Are you hoooome!?"
Finally there was a response. "Yes, yes I am! Sorry!" he hurried to the door, opening it wide for them. "I wasn't paying attention." He chuckled. "I was admiring the moon." Fester was a slim, tall man wearing a white hat, pants, and shirt; overtop which was a purple robe.
Dart stepped forward smile returning to his face, a light in his blue eyes. "Actually, we wanted to talk to you about that."
Fester perked. "Oh? Really? Well then, come on in! Let's talk inside." He beckoned them in, bringing them back into a cluttered room with an assortment of maps, papers, and odd gadgets littered on the floor.
It wasn't a very impressive home, there didn't even seem to be a bed. However there was a ladder in the center leading up to something. So maybe it was there.
"Now…" he settled back against a table. "What exactly is it you want to talk about?" He was fidgeting from the excitement swelling within him. No one ever wanted to talk about the moon or stars, at least not to him.
"We want ask you about the Moon That Never Sets." Dart was more specific this time, seeing that just saying moon could be any one of the two in the sky. Although, if there were two, Dart found it strange he'd never noticed this before.
"Oh!" Fester jumped for joy. "About the Moon That Never Sets!" He held up a finger. "Wait here for a minute. Let me get some materials."
They all nodded in unison, not wanting to rush the man.
Fester went to the corner of the room, bending down to dig for what he wanted. "You are interested in a weird matter." He chuckled. "Of course, I cannot make judgments about other people." He pulled out a book then, smile widening. "Ah-hah!" He hopped back to his feet, returning to them. "Please take a look at this."
They all gathered around closer so as to see what he had. It was a book with scribbled notes and drawings of his own and ones that had been in the book from the start. And it was all hard to understand.
Fester quickly saw their confusion and thought to explain a bit more about what it was about and the objects of his study. "In astronomy, a Moon That Never Sets cannot exist."
"Cannot exist?" Dart blurted out in disbelief. If it could not exist, how was it that it sat up in the sky as they spoke?
"That's right." Fester nodded, grinning faintly. "Stars travel the sky by catching the winds of time. But, this moon is not affected by time. It never moves, day or night. That's why it's called the Moon That Never Sets."
They all nodded albeit Rose. She didn't see the need. She already knew this thanks to her vast array of knowledge. There was little anyone could tell her that was new.
"After counting one hundred and eight years, when the Moon That Never Sets glows red, a moon child descends upon the earth to fill the world with holy bliss." He paused to let this sink in. "This is a poem of war, telling the fate given by the Moon."
They hung on to every word that passed his lips, eager to know this telling of fate. They especially wondered when the next one hundred and eight years would land.
Fester's perky expression died, turning stern as a deep frown formed and a fire sparked in his eyes. "However, what we really get is the spawning of destruction and fear that is…the Black Monster."
Dart's blood boiled at the mere mention of the name, his fists clenching instinctively. "Black…Monster!" He snarled through gritted teeth, an anger flaring in his usually calm blue eyes.
Everyone but Rose sucked in a soft breath at this revelation. So the one hundred and eight years had been back when Dart had lived in Neet. They should have known.
Rose stiffened at this part of the tale. True she'd known about it and seen it coming, but somehow saying it aloud was different. She supposed it was because she didn't like Dart when he was angry or tortured, especially about this.
Fester nodded solemnly. "Why a demon, not a blessing? What does it mean?" He paused for dramatic effect. "The mystery has yet to be resolved…"
None spoke for a time after the tale. But when they did it was Albert's voice which reached them. "I never imagined we would be able to get some information on the Black Monster here." He smiled faintly, not really happy about the circumstances, just glad that Dart might be brought closer to closure because of this.
Fester beamed. "Did you find this useful?"
Shana nodded fervently. "Yes!" She quickly looked to Dart. "You think so too, right Dart?" She smiled warmly at him.
Dart nodded slightly, a bit out of it.
"Very good." Fester was bursting with happiness inside. "It is a pleasure to be helpful to such a beautiful lady."
Dart raised a brow at Fester as he spoke of Shana. A devious smirk passed his lips after the initial displeasure. "You said who is beautiful?"
Shana's mouth went agape slightly. "Hey!"
Dart snickered, shrugging his hands. "I guess there are many ways to see things."
"Whatever!" Shana huffed, swatting at him to get him back.
Dart scowled playful, pushing her lightly back. "Stop it!"
Haschel chuckled at them, grinning from ear to ear. "Having a good friend is beautiful." He sighed. "It makes me envious."
The city bell chimed then, grabbing all their attentions and turning their heads in the general direction. "Oh, it's getting late!" Fester cried, worried. "I have to hurry up or I will be making the Princess wait!" He scrambled to pick up what he needed in his home. "It's hard to eat only by astronomy. And I'm acting as the governor of Princess Lisa as well."
They watched him scurry about not moving to leave.
As Fester hurried to the door he stopped himself. "Oh! If you want to take a good look at the Moon That Never Sets, go upstairs and take a look through the telescope. It's set in the direction of the Moon That Never Sets." He took a deep breath. "Now. I am heading to the castle!" And he disappeared through the door.
Dart chuckled as he stared at the empty doorway. "People in this city are so strange."
Shana hit him lightly on the head for the comment.
"Ow…" he grumbled, frowning at her.
"Don't call people strange." She scowled, glaring at him. "Just because they're different from you doesn't mean they are strange."
"Yeah, yeah…whatever."
"Let's go!" Rose interrupted their tiny squabble. "We need to start tracking Lloyd." A faint yawn passed her lips then even though she had tried to keep it down.
Dart chuckled. "I want to catch Lloyd just as much as anyone of you, but I think it'd be better if we found an inn and stayed there for the night" He gave Rose a look as he said the next part. "And I say that about everyone."
Rose scowled at him, quickly looking away. "I don't need to rest." She grumbled, running a foot in tiny circles on the floor. "All I need is to catch Lloyd."
"It doesn't matter." Dart frowned. "You don't have to sleep, but we're staying in an inn."
Rose growled under her breath, muttering profanities too softly for anyone but her to hear. She knew better than to say such things loudly.
"Well, we best be going." Haschel thought that the tension would have to be broken by either him or Albert since Dart didn't like to force her into doing things. "We'll need to leave soon after the sun rises.
There was a collective nod, even from a reluctant Rose, and they left to seek out an inn. It should have been pretty obvious since it was a necessity for a lot of people. At least, they hoped it would be.
It took them about five minutes to get to where they wanted to be and at that point the tiredness had hit them hard and they all were barely keeping their heads up. "Rooms for five." Dart yawned and he slapped an amount of money he figured would be right down on the counter.
The woman smiled sweetly at them before counting the money up. Amazingly it was spot on. "Alright, up the stairs. It's dealer's choice."
Dart nodded.
No one of them, not even Rose, needed prodding to go up the stairs and pick a room. They wandered almost zombie-like into the room they most preferred. Each room had two beds, so Albert and Haschel chose one, Shana and Dart picked the next, and Rose happily took a room for only her. She hated the idea of having someone watching her as she slept.
Albert, Haschel, and Rose plopped down in their beds, pulling the covers down and back over themselves. Shana, however, walked over to a row of plants lining the wall. She thought flowers were beautiful beyond compare. She always had and probably always would.
Dart went to sit down on his bed, noticing Shana an instant beforehand and instead moved over to where she stood. Her interest in such a trivial thing amused him, making a smile form on his lips. "Watching the buds?" He chuckled, standing directly behind her and looked over her shoulder at the flowers.
Shana glanced back at him, shrugging her shoulders faintly. "Maybe…" she breathed, going back to stare intently at the flowers. "They are some kind of flower buds. I've never seen anything like this either…" she shook her head at her lack of knowledge. "I wonder how they bloom."
Dart's smile spread further across his face. "You are excited about it, aren't you?"
Shana nodded, showing teeth in her smile. "Yes."
Dart took a step closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Talking about buds…you've always liked to see flowers blooming."
Shana felt a deep blush spread across her face, elated not only by the contact but his memory as well. "You remember that…" she murmured in content, leaning back some into him.
Dart nodded. "Of course."
Shana sighed happily, breathing in his scent for the first time in what felt like forever. He was never close enough for her to do this normally.
"I hope we can fill Seles with green someday." He thought aloud.
Shana nodded ever so slightly, her voice soft as she whispered. "Yes."
"Now get some rest." Dart muttered, taking her hand as he moved away from her to lead her to her bed. "You'll need it."
Shana was barely aware of what was going on at this point from a combination of sleepiness and being on cloud nine. So she absently followed him, letting him tuck her in as if she were a child even though she hated when he acted this way. Somehow…this was different.
"Goodnight Shana." He whispered, kissing her on the forehead without thinking about it.
Shana yawned sleepily. "Goodnight Dart…"
They both fell quickly into sleep, falling into dreams of each other in both romantic and sibling situations. And for once in his life the thought of them together didn't make him shudder. He couldn't say he loved the fact, but it wasn't a nightmare. And that almost scared him more.
I hope you liked it. The style isn't much different from the first one so many of the issues some of you had with the first one probably still exist in this one. Sorry about that. I don't have time to rewrite this monstrosity of a book. I'd like to, but it's just not realistic. Please review!