- 12 -
"Come in." Nimbus opened the door, and went in. "Oh, hi Nimbus."
"Hi." She sat down. Looking around, Nimbus lowered her voice. "Has she given you an answer yet, Ash?"
Rubbing his temples, Ash frowned. "No. It's been a year already, and I'm starting to get worried...May hasn't said anything to you, has she?"
Nimbus shook her head. "No, sorry, she hasn't, except..." She frowned. "I promised not to say anything."
"What did she say?!" Nimbus shook her head.
"No, I can't say, I made a promise not to," she said. Ash frowned at her.
"Nothing? Not even a hint of what is up?"
Nimbus glanced around cautiously, then looked nervously at him. "Anyone else here, besides us?"
Ash put a hand up, and cocked his head to the side, listening carefully. He smiled. "Yes. Asleep, but here."
"Who?"
He gave her a stern look. "Who do you think lives here, besides me?" he asked.
"Oh. Are you sure...?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
Nimbus frowned. "Well, you being Dragonmaster worries her," she said.
"Why?"
"Because, the job of it could kill you." Nimbus replied, "And if there is one thing we both know, it's that she fears losing you. If I'm correct, that's what keeps that nice little 'yes' from coming out."
Ash stood up, and walked straight out of the room. Nimbus looked around, frowning slightly. "Follow me."
Nimbus got up, and turned toward the door. Ash was holding the front door open with his foot. "Why didn't you just wake May up, instead of carrying her around?" Nimbus asked, following him out.
"Didn't want to. Summon, Red Dragon." The little red dragon appeared on his shoulder.
"What do you need?" Ruby asked. Ash looked at her.
"Get into your adult form. We need to go to you-know-where." Ruby nodded, and glided off into the street. She transformed into the adult Red Dragon. Nimbus waited until given the instruction to get onto Ruby's back.
"Where are we going?" she asked, glancing down at the water far below them. Ash didn't answer her. It was about half an hour before they arrived at... "Althena's Tower."
"Should I stay here?" Ruby asked, as they got off her. Ash shook his head. Nimbus waited for him to get the giant doors open with a spell she never heard of, and nodded for her to enter.
"It's...beautiful in here," she gasped, seeing the crystal statues that lined the floors, the pictures that covered the walls, the way the wind made a soft tune in the isolated rooms.
"Lonely, too." Ash said, "And Althena is in here. Waiting, for the day she can be regenerated into a human, to join her children for, however short, a time, to see the world from their eyes.-" he smiled "-and be able to live without the immortality for a few years."
"It seems so serene in here, with no one to disturb the peace and quiet." Nimbus said, "How often do you come here?"
"Once a week. Just keep her company, let her babble on and on about just about anything..." Ash stared at the door they came to. It was made of crystal, with carvings on the whole face of it. But no way to open it.
"How do you open a door, with no handle?" Nimbus asked. Ash looked around.
"Release the seal upon this door." The crystal melted away, revealing the empty doorway. Ash led the way, the footsteps echoing multiple times in the wide hall.
They came up to a column of light whitish-blue light. "Althena?"
The form of the goddess appeared in the column, looking serenely at them. "Hello, young Dragonmaster." she said. Althena noticed the serious look she got. "What is wrong?"
"Althena, I'm not going to be Dragonmaster for any longer." Ash replied, looking at her, "I...I can't do those inch-from-death scenarios anymore."
Althena looked back at him. "Might I ask, what has happened for this sudden change in track?" she asked.
"Well, the thing is, I-" Ash started. He looked at the woman stirring out of sleep. She mumbled inaudibly into his shirt and the blanket. "You finally decided to wake up?"
"Where are we?" she asked, looking at Ash. He smiled, and glanced at Althena.
"Look around, May," he said. She looked around at the walls and ceiling, then at the goddess.
"We're at Althena's Tower." Ash nodded.
"Yes." He looked at Althena. "I don't want to be Dragonmaster anymore."
Althena let herself fall lightly to the floor. She dropped down onto the floor with him, folding her legs under her with grace. "Why have you changed your mind?"
"I don't want to worry her anymore."
"Who?" Althena questioned.
"May. She's my-"
"Fiancée." Ash looked at May. She smiled at him. "Althena, ignore him. He is *staying* Dragonmaster."
Ash gaped at her, stuttering. "W-w-what?!"
"You heard me. We are going to get married, and you are staying Dragonmaster!!!" May said. Ash shook his head.
"No, I am not. I've been doing this long enough!" he replied. Althena waited for the two to quiet down, before beginning.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes." Althena looked sadly at him.
"It will be incredibly lonely without someone to talk to," she admitted.
"I could still come see you!" Ash suggested. Althena smiled.
"Yes, you could..." she said, "I will see you later then?"
"Of course." He helped May up. Althena lifted herself up into her position again.
"Good day." The goddess disappeared. Nimbus looked at them.
"Why did you do that?" Nimbus asked.
"I have my reasons..." Ash said, walking out. May and Nimbus looked at each other, and followed.
"But what will do now?" May questioned. Ash stopped, and looked at them.
"Why!" he said, "I say, I want to see the rest of Lunar!"
Nimbus grinned at him along with May. "Lock up the house?" May asked.
"Find Heather?" Nimbus said.
"And leave!"
"Come in." Nimbus opened the door, and went in. "Oh, hi Nimbus."
"Hi." She sat down. Looking around, Nimbus lowered her voice. "Has she given you an answer yet, Ash?"
Rubbing his temples, Ash frowned. "No. It's been a year already, and I'm starting to get worried...May hasn't said anything to you, has she?"
Nimbus shook her head. "No, sorry, she hasn't, except..." She frowned. "I promised not to say anything."
"What did she say?!" Nimbus shook her head.
"No, I can't say, I made a promise not to," she said. Ash frowned at her.
"Nothing? Not even a hint of what is up?"
Nimbus glanced around cautiously, then looked nervously at him. "Anyone else here, besides us?"
Ash put a hand up, and cocked his head to the side, listening carefully. He smiled. "Yes. Asleep, but here."
"Who?"
He gave her a stern look. "Who do you think lives here, besides me?" he asked.
"Oh. Are you sure...?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
Nimbus frowned. "Well, you being Dragonmaster worries her," she said.
"Why?"
"Because, the job of it could kill you." Nimbus replied, "And if there is one thing we both know, it's that she fears losing you. If I'm correct, that's what keeps that nice little 'yes' from coming out."
Ash stood up, and walked straight out of the room. Nimbus looked around, frowning slightly. "Follow me."
Nimbus got up, and turned toward the door. Ash was holding the front door open with his foot. "Why didn't you just wake May up, instead of carrying her around?" Nimbus asked, following him out.
"Didn't want to. Summon, Red Dragon." The little red dragon appeared on his shoulder.
"What do you need?" Ruby asked. Ash looked at her.
"Get into your adult form. We need to go to you-know-where." Ruby nodded, and glided off into the street. She transformed into the adult Red Dragon. Nimbus waited until given the instruction to get onto Ruby's back.
"Where are we going?" she asked, glancing down at the water far below them. Ash didn't answer her. It was about half an hour before they arrived at... "Althena's Tower."
"Should I stay here?" Ruby asked, as they got off her. Ash shook his head. Nimbus waited for him to get the giant doors open with a spell she never heard of, and nodded for her to enter.
"It's...beautiful in here," she gasped, seeing the crystal statues that lined the floors, the pictures that covered the walls, the way the wind made a soft tune in the isolated rooms.
"Lonely, too." Ash said, "And Althena is in here. Waiting, for the day she can be regenerated into a human, to join her children for, however short, a time, to see the world from their eyes.-" he smiled "-and be able to live without the immortality for a few years."
"It seems so serene in here, with no one to disturb the peace and quiet." Nimbus said, "How often do you come here?"
"Once a week. Just keep her company, let her babble on and on about just about anything..." Ash stared at the door they came to. It was made of crystal, with carvings on the whole face of it. But no way to open it.
"How do you open a door, with no handle?" Nimbus asked. Ash looked around.
"Release the seal upon this door." The crystal melted away, revealing the empty doorway. Ash led the way, the footsteps echoing multiple times in the wide hall.
They came up to a column of light whitish-blue light. "Althena?"
The form of the goddess appeared in the column, looking serenely at them. "Hello, young Dragonmaster." she said. Althena noticed the serious look she got. "What is wrong?"
"Althena, I'm not going to be Dragonmaster for any longer." Ash replied, looking at her, "I...I can't do those inch-from-death scenarios anymore."
Althena looked back at him. "Might I ask, what has happened for this sudden change in track?" she asked.
"Well, the thing is, I-" Ash started. He looked at the woman stirring out of sleep. She mumbled inaudibly into his shirt and the blanket. "You finally decided to wake up?"
"Where are we?" she asked, looking at Ash. He smiled, and glanced at Althena.
"Look around, May," he said. She looked around at the walls and ceiling, then at the goddess.
"We're at Althena's Tower." Ash nodded.
"Yes." He looked at Althena. "I don't want to be Dragonmaster anymore."
Althena let herself fall lightly to the floor. She dropped down onto the floor with him, folding her legs under her with grace. "Why have you changed your mind?"
"I don't want to worry her anymore."
"Who?" Althena questioned.
"May. She's my-"
"Fiancée." Ash looked at May. She smiled at him. "Althena, ignore him. He is *staying* Dragonmaster."
Ash gaped at her, stuttering. "W-w-what?!"
"You heard me. We are going to get married, and you are staying Dragonmaster!!!" May said. Ash shook his head.
"No, I am not. I've been doing this long enough!" he replied. Althena waited for the two to quiet down, before beginning.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yes." Althena looked sadly at him.
"It will be incredibly lonely without someone to talk to," she admitted.
"I could still come see you!" Ash suggested. Althena smiled.
"Yes, you could..." she said, "I will see you later then?"
"Of course." He helped May up. Althena lifted herself up into her position again.
"Good day." The goddess disappeared. Nimbus looked at them.
"Why did you do that?" Nimbus asked.
"I have my reasons..." Ash said, walking out. May and Nimbus looked at each other, and followed.
"But what will do now?" May questioned. Ash stopped, and looked at them.
"Why!" he said, "I say, I want to see the rest of Lunar!"
Nimbus grinned at him along with May. "Lock up the house?" May asked.
"Find Heather?" Nimbus said.
"And leave!"