Joci: Snow has become such a downer, ugh.
Crys: It's so pretty when it falls.
Kuro: Yeah, until you have to shovel it.
Joci: Come on, we need to catch up on the time we missed. Go have the manager let the audience in okay.
Crys & Kuro: Okay.
Crys waved to the manager who then cued her isle attendants to open the doors.
Once opened, the audience trickled in, bundled up in jackets, scarfs and hats, shaking off the soft snow that clung to them before entering the theater and finding a seat.
Crys: Hello everyone, we are so happy to see you all here today. I'd like to take this moment to remind you all t please stop at our Comment/Review table at the end of the reading and leave a little note for us to read please. Also, Joci has another image that follows along with today's reading. wolfgirl17591. deviantart art/Pub-of-Jade-324475693 (Copy and Paste link to view after removing space bar).
Kuro: Having removed the original publishing of 'The Lost Children' posted back in 2006, this newly edited 'The Lost Children' has since been republished for you all to view and enjoy.
Joci: How about an applause for these two. What do you say.
As the audience applauded for the three on stage, the crew, on instinct dimmed the lights, closed the curtains and had the spotlight trained on the three now sitting on stools in front of a microphone without the manager having to cue her crew.
Joci: These few days have been a rough and tough few, I'm slowly losing my love of snow, but I don't think I ever will. Are we all ready for the reading today?
Crys & Kuro: Yes.
Joci: All right then. Today we have for you Jade Act 1 Chap 13 of 'The Lost Children'...
Previously in 'The Lost Children'...
...
"So, where the hell are we now?" Asked Kurogane.
"By a really big lake, I'd say. I don't see any houses of the sorts around." Stated Fai as he took in the surroundings.
"I can't see any sign of humanity." Said Syaoran.
"The fog is rising, so it's either early morning or late in the night." Said Kuro.
...
"We should set up camp here. I want to check the water since Mokona senses something down there." Offered Syaoran.
"Not a bad idea. Kuro-pon and Kuro-kun can go collect firewood. Crystal-chan, find some stones that we can use for the fire pit." Fai instructed.
"Would you stop it with the nick name!" Growled Kurogane before he stomped off after Kuro whom helped rest Sakura up against a tree with Crystal's help.
"Mokona, want to come find some rocks with me?" Asked Crystal.
"Mokona will come!" She smiled hopping over and landing on Crystal's head before Crystal began to look around for stones.
...
Crystal sat and watched as Kurogane clicked two little metal pieces together, causing a spark every now and then, hoping to catch the timber. "What is that?" Asked Crystal.
"Flint and Steel. Scrape them against each other, you create a spark." Kurogane explained.
"And it'll catch on fire?" Asked Crystal.
"Not necessarily. It takes time to build up to a fire. You need to work with the small stuff first, and gradually build from there." He explained.
"That's amazing."
...
"Do you think there's anything actually in the lake?" Asked Kuro.
"There could be something down there." Crystal voiced. "We won't know though until Syaoran-kun comes back though."
"I could go help him look. It'd make searching for the power source less time." Said Kuro.
"You know how to swim?" Asked Crystal.
"Of course, why would I offer if I didn't know how to swim?" Asked Kuro as he stood up.
"C-cause I don't." Whispered Crystal.
...
"What's going on?!" Asked Crystal.
"It's coming from the lake!" Yelled Kuro shielding his eyes momentarily before dropping his wood and making Crystal drop her own before taking her hand and leading her back to the camp site where they saw Syaoran diving back into the water and Sakura stumbled at the edge of the lake, collapsing.
"Sakura-chan!" Called out Crystal as she hurried over and found her dazed.
"That boy, who was he?" She whispered and proceeded to pass out.
"She's passed out." Crystal stated as Kuro took Fai's jacket and put it back over her body as Kurogane and Fai hurried onto the campsite.
...
As Syaoran put on his shoes, gloves and cloak, Kurogane and Kuro put out the fire and Fai covered the ashes with dirt and water so as it wouldn't start back up. "What do you suppose we should do with this?" Wondered Crystal as she looked at the scale.
"Let's take it!" Mokona floated in the air and sucked it up into her mouth. "There." She smiled.
"Where-"
"This is another one of Mokona's 108 secret techniques. Storage Space! Mokona can take anything thing and store it for safe keeping until we need it." She explained as she landed in Crystal's palms.
...
"Oh, I wonder where we'll end up going next Kuro-chi." Smiled Fai.
"Don't ask me, ask the damn Manju! And stop butchering my name!" Growled Kurogane.
Crystal looked over at Kuro and smiled at him for he stood on Kurogane's right while she took place at Fai's left. Kuro smiled back once he noticed her and then they were off, onto the next world of their journey.
...
Jade Act 1 Chap 13
*County of Jade*
"I do believe we are being stared at." Chuckled Fai.
"Our clothes don't fit in, is that it?" Questioned Syaoran.
"It's completely different from what everyone else it wearing. Especially Kuro-tan and Kuro-kuns look." Grinned Fai.
"Huh?" Kurogane had completely managed to miss the entire conversation for he was trying to figure out how to eat with utensils as Crystal had told him what they were.
It was a tight fit, but they managed to all sit at the round table together, with the exception of Crystal whom was sitting on Kurogane's lap since the pub was crowded and was short on chair's. Kuro was situated between Kurogane and Sakura, then to her left was Syaoran and Fai on his left. Kuro looked to Mokona whom was sitting in Crystal's lap acting like a doll, but Crystal was feeding her some of her food so as she wouldn't keep stealing Kurogane's food.
"Will everything be all right?" Asked Syaoran.
"Hm?" Inquired Fai.
"We don't have any money for this world." Panic sounded from Syaoran in a hushed voice.
"We'll be just fine." Smiled Fai. "Won't we, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura looked confused as she sat in Fai's jacket to keep herself warm.
"Crystal-chan, why don't you give Kuro-pon a break and take my seat to eat while Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan go and join that wonderful card game at the next table over, okay." Smiled Fai as he lifted her off of Kurogane's lap and placed her in his own chair before pushing her in.
"Okay." She smiled and put Mokona down on the table as Fai escorted Sakura over to the card table and Syaoran followed to watch.
Every now and then Kuro would glance at the card table as Kurogane continued to eat his meal and Crystal snuck more pieces of her dinner to Mokona. "Sakura-chan's winning a lot."
"She's lucky." Smiled Crystal before continuing to eat her potatoes and humming to a song as she did do.
An enraged voice shouted, "No matter how many hands she plays, she never loses! What the heck is going on?!"
"Maybe you're cheating!" Voiced the other player.
"She had no opportunity to cheat." Stated Fai as he collected the winnings. "Of course, if you have any complaints, the man in black over there would be more than happy to hear them."
"I think Fai-san's talking about you." Offered Kuro as he looked to the table.
"Huh?" Kurogane turned and looked at the table with a menacing look.
"Er, No. Nothing."
"S-sorry we ever doubted you!" The men gathered their belongings and left the pub in a hurry.
"Thank you Sakura-chan. That was well done. Our war treasury is now well stocked." Smiled Fai as he escorted her back to her seat. "Did you finish eating?" Asked Fai.
"I shared with Mokona." Smiled Crystal as Fai lifted her out of the chair and put her on his lap as he himself sat back down as Syaoran too took his seat.
"Young lady, I'm impressed!" Smiled a jolly big man in an apron.
"I still don't quite really understand the rules. Did I do okay?" Asked Sakura.
The jolly man laughed, "You're quite good with jokes too." He laughed once more before calming down. "Your clothes are unusual. Are you folks travelers?"
"Yes. We've been searching for something, and it's taken us a long way." Replied Syaoran.
"And you're next destination?" Asked the jolly man.
"We're not sure yet" Stated Syaoran as he offered his glass to the man to take away.
"Then I have some good advice for you! If you're thinking of traveling north, choose another direction instead." The man stated in a deep monotone voice.
"Why would that be?" Asked Fai.
"There's a town to the north with a frightening legend connect to it."
"What legend is that?" Asked Syaoran.
"Long ago in a castle just outside that town to the north, there was a beautiful princess with locks of gold. One day, a bird with a feather in its beak flew down to where the princess stood. It gave the feather to the princess and said this, 'This feather is power, a strange and wonderful power, and I give it to you.' The princess took the feather, and soon after, the king and queen died and the castle was passed to the princess. With that, the children of the castles town began to disappear one by one, as if they were drawn to the feather. And the children never returned." The man recited.
"That's a fairy tale you're telling us." Fai commented.
"I'm afraid it's all true."
"So, the northern town and the castle all really exist?" Asked Syaoran curious of the legend.
"It's been more than three hundred years. They must be in ruins now." Commented the man.
"But with a scary story like that connected to it…" Syaoran paused in thought.
"So nobody can go to the northern town anymore?" Asked Fai.
"No." The man shook his head and looked from Kuro to Crystal. "It's because children have started to disappear again, just like in the legend." The man stated.
"No trace of them?" Asked Fai.
"Not one." Said the man. "Can I get you folks anything else?" He asked as he cleared some of the empty plats and glass.
"I think we're fine for now, thanks." Waved Fai.
As the man walked off Syaoran stared at the table in thought. "We need to go north."
"Then we should find some clothes, supplies and transportation to go." Offered Fai.
"Will there be a place open this late at night?" Questioned Sakura.
"Excuse me, miss waitress." Fai called over a young woman with long, brown hair. "You wouldn't happen to know where we could possibly find some clothes, a few supplies and possible transportation?" Fai asked.
"Oh! The tailor will have some clothing. The local market just down the road you could find supplies of the sorts. And the stables on the edge of town to the north has a lot of horses. For a fair price or trade, you could get a horse or two." The woman explained.
"Wonderful! Thank you so much for the helpful information. We're just about ready to go, so should I pay you or find the waiter whom served us?" Asked Fai.
"You can go to the man at the bar there. He takes our orders and give them to the cooks, so he knows how much your meal cost you." Explained the woman.
"Wonderful, thank you so much." Smiled Fai.
"You're welcome." Curtsied the woman before turning to check on her tables.
"Shall we go?" Asked Fai.
"Yes." Said Syaoran.
They stood and put on their coats/cloaks and waited for Fai and Syaoran to pay for the meal by the door. Crystal held onto Mokona in one arm, and the other she used to hold onto Sakura's hand. Kuro held open the door as they exited the pub and closed it behind him after they all stepped out. Syaoran spotted the tailors shop, so they walked across the snow covered street to the tailors.
Once inside, Sakura and Crystal shook off the bottom of their jackets for they had collected snow as the boys kicked their boots together to shake off the snow. "Hello, is anyone around?" Asked Syaoran as he approached a desk with a bell on it.
"Ring the bell Syaoran!" Voiced Mokona before continuing to play a doll.
Syaoran ran the bell and waited for a response when slow footsteps came from the back room. "Is someone there?"
"Y-yes. This is the tailor's store, yes?" Asked Syaoran.
"Of course, the only one in town." Chuckled an elder man as he stepped from the back room. "Sorry for the wait, I'm beginning to loose my hearing and these old bones don't quite act well in the cold." He chuckled as he put on his glasses. "Oh! Travelers! What marvelous clothes you have. S-sorry, I'm getting carried away. What can I do for you folks?" He asked.
"We need some clothes. Preferably ones that are layered and can keep in body heat. We're also traveling further north of here, if that helps." Smiled Fai.
"Oh, you don't want to be heading up there with a sweet little thing like her." Frowned the old man as he gazed at Crystal whom stepped behind Fai after he singled her out.
"Because of what's happening with the children up there all ready?" Questioned Fai.
"Yes. It's mainly the really small and young ones, but that lad there could also fall under that spell as well." He frowned looking over at Kuro whom stood beside Kurogane.
"We'll worry about the safety of our children. Can you help us with clothes or not?" Asked Kurogane as he crossed his arms.
"Oh Kuro-puu, there's no need to be intimidating, he's just worried for the kids." Waved Fai.
"Yes, I may be able to help. There's a lot more men then women, so I'll have plenty for sizes for you gentlemen and the lad. For you young lady, I have just the dress, but the little one, I don't have anything quite as small as her. I'd have to take a dress a little larger than her and hem it in order to fit her properly." The old man explained.
"We can do that." Agreed Syaoran.
"Very well. Let's start with you gentlemen first." The man gestured to the back where Syaoran walked first followed by Fai than Kurogane. "Come on lad, you too." The man called Kuro to follow and after a gentle push from Sakura, Kuro followed the men into the back room.
Sakura and Crystal waited on a small couch with Mokona. "Mokona, do you sense Sakura-chan's feather?" Asked Crystal.
"Mokona can't sense any sort of power, but if the story is true, there is definitely a feather, but in town to the north." Said Mokona.
"Right. We'll find it for Sakura-chan." Agreed Crystal.
"Yes!" Smiled Mokona before pretending to be a stuffed animal once more.
One after the other, the guys stepped out of the back room in their new outfits and jackets while carrying their own clothing and putting them on the table in front of Crystal and Sakura. Kurogane was dressed in all black with a red scarf at the collar of his suit. Fai was dressed in a more formal attire in blue and white and donned with a hat. Syaoran stuck with his earth tone colors. Brown dress pants, a hunter green dress shirt with a lighter green scarf at the collar with an olive colored coat. Kuro dressed himself in black pants, a black under shirt, a red vest with red scarf around the collar, and he too had a black jacket.
"It's the ladies turn now, yes?" Asked Fai.
"Course. The little lass may take a while though." Said the old man as he pulled out scissors, thread and a long tape measure.
"Would it be possible for us to gather the rest of the supplies we need while you tend to Sakura-chan and Crystal-chan?" Asked Fai.
"Of course. By the time you get done gathering all you need, I may still be working on the lass's dress." He said.
"Wonderful. Kuro-kun, you stay with Sakura-chan and Crystal-chan while Syaoan-kun, Kuro-pon and I gather what we need." Smiled Fai.
"It's Kurogane!" Growled Kurogane before he stomped out of the shop.
"Ah! Kurogane-san, wait!" Syaoran hurried after him.
"Yeah, I'll stay." Agreed Kuro.
"Good. Behave and watch Mokona for Crystal-chan, you know how she is about her toys." Smiled Fai before following the other two out of the shop.
"All right then ladies, right this way."
Sakura stood to follow the man and Crystal did the same after handing Mokona over to Kuro. "Mokona, think you can store our clothes away while we're here?"
"'Course!" Mokona opened her mouth wide and sucked in the clothing and gear. "All store away."
"Thanks Mokona."
It wasn't long before Sakura stepped from the back room in a simple, yet elegant dress. It was different shades of pink with ruffles on the bottom of the dress, as well as the colored areas and the ends of the sleeves. Sakura coat consisted of a hood and a rose broach that held it together. "You look nice Sakura-chan."
"Thank you Kuro-san." Smiled Sakura as she put her clothing and belongings down on the table which Mokona proceeded to take in and store.
"Did the tailor find something for Crystal-chan?" Asked Kuro.
"Crystal-chan was still looking through his selection of dresses when I finished changing." Vouched Sakura as she took her seat next to Kuro.
Minuets later, Crystal hopped into the front of the shop still in her usual dress. "The tailor is fixing the dress so that it fits me better." Crystal explained walking over and putting her jacket on the table. Mokona sucked it into her storage compartment before sitting still once more.
Syaoran returned to the shop with a bag over his shoulder and plopped it down on the floor. "Where are Kurogane-san and Fai-san?" Asked Kuro.
"They went to the stable to get the horses." Said Syaoran. "Kurogane-san appears to know a lot about them, and Fai-san has the money."
"Lass, if you don't mind, I think I may have it ready for you." Voiced the tailor in the door way to the back room. Crystal hurried after him into the back room to change. "Now, you may need the young lady to help you when you changing. It still is big on you, but it fits in all the right places now, yes?"
"Yes, thank you very much." Bowed Crystal.
"Now just like the young lady, this dress too comes with hair barrettes. Like so." He gently slipped them onto her hair, holding the bangs out of her face. "And, this coat." He smiled and helped her into the white coat.
"Thank you very much."
"You've very welcome." Smiled the tailor as he escorted Crystal back to the front of the room.
Fai and Kurogane had returned sometime while she was changing, so Syaoran and Kuro went to help Kurogane pack the supplies onto the horses carry-bags, while Sakura waited inside with Fai. "My, look how beautiful you are." Smiled Fai as he held out his hand and Crystal gently took it into her own. "Thank you so much. How much do we owe you?" Asked Fai.
"If you step up to the counter, we can figure out a deal." Said the man as he took a seat and pulled out a pad and pen. As Fai was handling that, Crystal held out the rest of her belonging's to Mokona to store, before taking the offered gloves.
"Syaoran-kun bought these at the store, but they're too small for me." Smiled Sakura.
"Oh, thank you." Crystal took them from her and put them on. They were black and they matched the black edging around the ends of her dress. It was very much similar to Sakura's but without the ruffles, and the body of the dress was built like a corset, so the back of the dress had to be tied and untied to either keep on or take off.
"All right, we're all set to go." Smiled Fai escorting the two girls outside.
"Wow! They're so big!" Exclaimed Crystal as she gazed upon the horses. One was a chestnut color, another was gray with white freckles over its hind legs, and the other was pure black. Crystal approached the black one, but Kuro held her back as the horse stopped his hooves and huffed.
"That one's not as friendly as the other two." Explained Kuro.
"Oh."
"Crystal-chan, you'll be riding with me." Smiled Fai as he mounted the gray mare.
Before Crystal could even ask how she would be getting on the horse, Kurogane had handed over the reigns to Kuro to hold the black horse in check before lifting Crystal onto the saddle in front of Fai as he kept the mare calm and steady as another rider was seated upon its back. Crystal looked over as Syaoran helped Sakura onto the chestnut stallion before he mounted the horse himself. Kuro mounted the black stallion himself, then Kurogane mounted it soon after and settling himself behind Kuro.
"A feather that shines and 'is power'… It certainly sounds like Sakura-chan's feather to me." Smiled Fai as he gripped the reigns to start walking the horse to follow Syaoran and Sakura as Kurogane and Kuro brought up the rear.
"Mokona doesn't feel any strong power." Mokona replied in Crystal's hands, hiding herself beneath Crystal's jacket to keep warm.
"But you can't be certain it isn't here, right?" Questioned Fai. "There may be some special conditions surrounding it."
"They said that it was a very old legend, but that was true in Chu'nyan-chan's country as well." Reminded Kuro.
"So, we're going?" Asked Kurogane.
"Yes. To the northern town." Replied Syaoran before continuing down the path with overgrown trees lining the path on both sides with rather large and long, bare limbs.
End Chapter 13
The audience applauded as soon as the reading finished and the lights were turned on.
Joci: Thank you, thank you.
Crys: We would love to hear what you thought of this new Act that we have for you, so please stop at our Comment/Review table on you your way out today please.
Kuro: Share with your friends and be sure to bring them along to the next reading of Act 2.
Joci: And again, I thank you all for joining us for this reading. We can't wait to see you all again. Have a great night!
The manager watched as the audience filed out of the theater and her isle attendants bowed to the guest who acknowledged them. After checking that the building was cleared, she shut down for the night until the next reading.