Chapter 3: Mimigas

Quote's rapid descent only lasted a few seconds, but that didn't help him much when he landed with a violent thud in a patch of soft dirt. He supposed he should be grateful for surviving, but this day was already not turning out much in his favor. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have been seriously injured in the fall.

Brushing some dirt off his clothes, he sat up and looked around. He was in yet another cave, apparently, but this one wasn't quite like the former. Here, things somehow felt more calming. The rocks around him were mostly colored a light tan in contrast to the dark and gloomy tunnels he'd just been through, and there were even patches of grass to add more color to it. Maybe it was just the more vibrant appearance, but somehow Quote felt like this cavern was easier to see in than the other one.

The Polar Star had landed somewhere to the right of him, half-buried in the dirt. Digging it out, Quote looked back up from where he'd fallen in dismay. The hole was visible even from that far down, but there was no way he could jump or climb up to it. It seemed he wouldn't be able to return the gun to that old hermit after all.

"…who knows, though? Maybe it'll come in handy."

He stood up and continued surveying his surroundings. His eyes practically lit up at the sight of buildings nearby. Short buildings, made of carved and weathered bricks, but buildings nonetheless. At last, a sign of habitation! Maybe now he could start finding some answers.

As Quote began to wade through a particularly tall patch of grass- taller than him, even- he realized that he could hear voices coming from nearby. One was that of a young female, the other of an adolescent male. Perhaps against his better judgement, he decided to listen in on the conversation from his hiding spot in the shrubbery.

"Give me the key!" the boy demanded, clearly impatient.

"No! I'm not giving it away!" came the stubborn-sounding girl's reply.

A restrained sigh could be heard.

"Are you doing this to protect Sue? Toroko, you know she isn't one of us."

"She's a good person! I won't let you put her in danger!"

Quote wondered what the fuss was about. It sounded serious based on the mutual aggravation in the two voices. The male, as if trying to be more reasonable, softened his tone somewhat.

"Toroko… you know that someone is going to be taken away the next time the Doctor comes by. If we don't give Sue up to him, he could take you or me instead. Don't you understand?"

"But… but…"

"Just give me the key!"

Although he'd attempted to be inconspicuous as he walked through the grass, a bad step caused Quote to stumble forwards until he broke free of it and into the open. Luckily he didn't fall over this time. As he tried to reorient himself, he realized that the two people speaking were mere yards away from him, and it was clear they'd figured out they weren't alone. One of them had let out a shriek at his sudden appearance and ran off toward the buildings, accidentally knocking over the other in the process. Whoever it was had moved too quickly for Quote to get a good look at.

"Urgh… damn it, Toroko…"

The other person he'd heard talking, who was apparently the male, got to his feet and looked around for her. When she was nowhere to be seen, he turned to face the newcomer again, narrowing his light pink eyes suspiciously. Under his purple robes, his paw-like fists could be seen tightly clenching

"You! Who are you?! If you're with the Doctor, you'd better not take Toroko away! Take Sue instead!"

Quote stared down at the strange growling creature. He couldn't tell if the white-furred being looked more like a dog or a rabbit due to his snout and long, floppy ears (he also couldn't tell how he knew what a dog and a rabbit were, but that seemed less important at the moment). He stood on his hind legs at a height of about four feet, compared to Quote's five and a half, but the size difference didn't seem to intimidate him. If anything, he only looked more aggressively at the unexpected visitor. A jagged scar on his snout added to the fierce look.

"What?" Quote replied at last, processing the creature's behavior. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm, uh, kind of lost. What is this place?"

The small being almost looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. Given his frustration moments earlier, that was understandable.

"Guess you're not with them… this is Mimiga Village. I'm King, the number-one Mimiga around here. Not that it means a whole lot; there's only six of us left. Seven counting Sue, but I don't count her… how about you, stranger? Where did you even come from?" The explanation was spoken quite snidely; King didn't seem to take very well to his sudden arrival.

Mentally registering the name of his species, he pointed toward the ceiling of the cave.

"My name's Quote. I fell from a tunnel system up there. A little while ago, I woke up with no memory and now I'm trying to figure out who I am."

A somewhat vaguely-worded answer, even if it was true. Regardless, King seemed to have tuned him out anyway and was now walking off in search of the other person he'd been talking with.

"I have to go find Toroko. Stay out of trouble, got it?"

Quote, having heard both Mimiga mention someone named Sue, decided to go looking for her. She sounded important if they would speak so urgently about her, and it wasn't like he had any other leads to go on regarding his identity. Holstering the Polar Star, he set off through the village.

King obviously wasn't joking when he said there were hardly any Mimiga left; the place was practically deserted. While the initial descent left Quote with a more upbeat vibe, seeing the abandoned homes and empty streets was rather depressing for him. On exactly two occasions did he catch a glimpse of other inhabitants, but neither seemed particularly interested in speaking and carried about their business. The village was cold and lonely, and he could see that in the worried expressions worn by the two Mimiga he passed.

It also didn't help that he'd gained even more questions in the short time he'd been there. Who and where was Sue? Could she help him uncover his identity? Who was this Doctor that King mentioned? What happened to the other Mimiga?

Quote had a sinking feeling that this was just the prelude to something much bigger than he could have anticipated.