"Are you hurt?" He asked. "The bleeding's stopped, and my cheek is still hot. But the pain is almost all gone now." She said, lying. It still hurt a fair amount, but she didn't want to complain. His hard gaze burning into her eyes made her almost want to revoke what she'd said. "Please, Gabrielle, don't lie to me. I'm good at telling when people are lying. It still hurts, doesn't it?" He implored.
"No... Yes... I mean, yes. " She finally admitted, looking at the floor like a child who'd just been caught. The slap had reopened the sword cut, and it stung worse than ones given by paper. It had begun to heal over. "I'm sorry." He said genuinely. "I was acting... Strange. The thought of you being alone with Gatti just made me so... So..." He searched for the words. "Protective, angry, and jealous?" She offered. "Yes." He said. "Exactly."
"It was only as friends. He said he wanted to talk to me." She insisted. "I know that now. But, I didn't then, and I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It was supposed to be for Gatti." He said, and apologized again. "Hey, it's okay. I already accept." She said. He nervously hugged her. His arm, by accident, brushed the irritated cheek. "Ow," She said.
"Oh! Did I hurt you? Oh, no. I didn't mean to!" He started again, and she shushed him. "It's fine." She said. "But-" "It's fine, Dilandau. Really. It only hurt a little, and I know it was an accident. Now, I hate to brush you off, but I have to go. They've asked me to go to training again. I'll be back this evening." She said, and the door behind them opened, so he and she could leave.
"Are you sure it doesn't hurt that much?" He asked, concerned. "Yes, Dilandau. It's fine." She insisted. "You don't need anything." "No. I have to go now, I'll be back this evening, okay?" She finally said, and with a smile to him, she turned and was off. Migel had been walking down the hallway.
"Lord Dilandau, you are so whipped." He said, once Gabrielle was out of earshot. "Whipped?" He asked, but Migel was already down the hallway. Okay... He thought to himself. Now, time to speak with Gatti.
He started to walk down the same direction Gabrielle had, and he saw Gatti all the way down the hall. "Gatti!" He called to him, and Gatti froze in his tracks. Dilandau continued to walk until he reached him.
"S-sir, if this is about-" He started. "No. I'm here to tell you I'm letting you go with Gabrielle tonight. But, if you make any moves on her, I swear, I'll throw your flea-bitten carcass off the edge of the Fortress and laugh at you as you fall." He snarled. Gatti shrank away from him. "Y-yes sir. Acknowledged, sir. Thank you, sir." Gatti said. "And," Dilandau continued. "You're taking her to L'Atoille tonight." He added. Gatti blinked. "L'Atoille? That's all the way to the far West sector... And it'll eat a pretty nice chunk out of my pay." He mumbled. "Do I hear the sounds of complaining? Because if I do, I could change my mind and have you thrown off the edge anyways..." He practically hissed. "What am I going to wear?" Gatti asked himself. "Something that goes well with dark blue and silver. Something... How to put it... Sharp." He said to Gatti. "How do you know what she's going to wear, my Lord?" Gatti asked, curious. "Because I just know, that's why. Be at her quarters to pick her up at the hour when the rest of us are eating." Dilandau replied with an air of cockiness.
"Now go. You have to get something to wear. And remember, one move you put on her, and..." Dilandau made a gesture with his hand like a figure falling from a great height. "You'll take some flying lessons." He sneered. "Yes, sir!" Gatti replied enthusiastically, bowed, and turned and walked down the hall at a quicker pace.
Since I have nothing to do... I should get Gabrielle's clothes ready. He thought to himself, and he walked down to the local seamstress. He formulated ideas in his mind as he walked. He suddenly snapped his fingers. He finally thought of something absolutely brilliant. He walked into the room, knowing exactly what he wanted. He could get the clothes from here... And the jewelery... Down in the southernmost part of the massive floating city.
He swiftly placed the order to the seamstress, and he told her the time it needed to be ready by. He then weaved his way to the Rails, which were trains of cars that sped between the different sectors of the city. They rain along rails at the top of the cars, and could travel at impressive speeds. Some of the older models looked about as aerodynamic as a pillow, but even they could go at speeds of around seventy kilometres per hour. He could either use the Rails, or take a very long walk on the streets far below him, in the residential part of the fortress. He chose the Rails.
He stepped in the first car that was headed to the South. It was a newer model, and this particular was so new that the interior still smelled like it. The car was completely empty except for him. He chose a seat and let his head rest against the glass of the window, gazing at the outside city, waiting for the slight lurch that would signify the car had begun to move.
He was still jealous in a way of Gatti, but he kept in mind what Guimel had said to him. He didn't really know why he'd been so infuriated when Gatti had asked to be alone with Gabrielle. It had just made his blood boil with steaming anger. Come to think of it, he still didn't know how he felt about anything. It was all still a big, confusing labyrinth of a mystery to him.
There was a series of almost musical whirrs. Three, each sounding low but going high in frequency, the next note starting lower. The car shuddered slightly as it began to move forwards. He watched the scenery shift slightly, and then faster as the car accelerated.
The city was ugly in a beautiful way. Most of the colours were ranging browns and blacks, and a brownish light fog was covered over certain parts. The fog looked like it was poisonous, but it actually wasn't. It didn't smell any different than normal air, and there were no reaction to the people in the fortress to the gas.
The car started to climb, following the rails as they ascended in front of them. A vibration rocked the glass on the windows. Another car screamed past them, heading for the North sector. A 'swoosh' noise announced it's departure as the tail end of the other Railer disappeared. Dilandau's gaze turned back to the glittering lights of the brown city of Zaibach. It would be getting to evening in a matter of hours. He had better hurry. He thought for a moment of all the places in the South that sold jewelery. He remembered the name and whereabouts of a well-respected store. He figured he should go there to get the things. He knew exactly what kind of things he had in mind.
It's a pity I'll probably never see her in this outfit. He thought to himself sadly. Maybe... Maybe she'd go to a dinner with me... Then I could see her in it, He reasoned. Get a reservation at a ritzy kind of restaurant on the ground... He smiled to himself. Asturia has the best restaurants. Or so I've heard. we're flying over there... When was it? Two weeks ahead? I think so, because we pass Fanelia first.
The car slowed, and it eventually stopped at a platform. The door opened, and he stepped out into the South sector. That ride was an hour? He thought. It seemed shorter than that to him. No matter. He voiced in his mind as he headed for the direction of the store he'd been thinking of.
After a few minutes of walking the nearly empty streets, he finally came upon the jewelery store. He stepped into the store, and the person at the counter greeted him respectfully. He said hello, and then wandered over to the glass case with all of the necklaces in it. He found one that was absolutely perfect. "I'll take that one, please." He said, pointing at it. "Good choice, sir." The man said as he pulled it out. The man placed it in a small velvet lined box. Dilandau looked almost lazily at the rest of the things. Most were beautiful, but not beautiful enough.
He walked past the earrings, and a pair caught his eye. They were perfect for her. "These, too." Dilandau said finally, after admiring the earrings for a moment. The man at the counter took them out and placed them in a separate box. He assured himself that those were good. He had to get going back if he was going to pick up the dress and deliver it in time. "Those will do." He said. "How much?"
"Forty thousand credits." The man said. Most people would cringe at that cost, but Dilandau could make more than that in the space of time it took someone to go to the bathroom. "Okay." He said, and withdrew a small card. He placed it on the counter. The man took it and scanned the card, then passed it back. Dilandau put it back away. He took the two velvet boxes, thanked the man at the counter, and left, headed away. He still had two other stops to make.
Gabrielle lay in her quarters, fresh as she could be from a short cold shower. She was only supposed to be alotted three minutes, but she had been allowed six for some reason. She was reading a book, absorbed in it. It was about the culture of the Melchian people, who lived high up in the mountains, above the mist. In their own tongue, Melchia meant 'Wolves of the mist.' The book said they were covered in fur, wore clothes somewhat like humans, and their faces were almost just like that of wolves. Their stature was typically long and lanky, and their eyes were human-like. Unfortunately, a majority of the Melchian people had been hunted down and destroyed by superstitious townsfolk that lived across from the mountains. They had recently been accepted as a sentient race. They'd been given rights the same as humans, and their population was growing.
She was reading about the Melchian language and writing system when there was a buzz from the door. Her eyes flicked up from the book, which she placed a bookmark in, and she went to answer the door.
There was nobody there, but a small box with a note. She picked it up and examined the box, trying to read the writing on it, but it was in a foreign language she did not understand. The note read,
Wear this tonight. Gatti will be here to pick you up at the dinner hour. Sorry I didn't stay and talk, but I had to go. I'll see you tomorrow.
She stepped back into her quarters and shut the door. She opened the box. At first she only saw two velvet lined boxes on something. She picked up the smaller of the two boxes and opened it.
They were a pair of silver earrings. They were in the form of two phoenixes, their wings outspread. Their heads were turned to the side, and their eyes were of jet. In each of their beaks, they held small blue jewels that shone with bands of white when exposed to light. She gently closed the lid. Where had he gotten all this? She picked up the next box and opened it.
It was a choker necklace made of dark blue velvet, with a shining white jewel inside a silver lining. The velvet had small silver leaves drawn into the centre of the strap that fastened about the neck. She shut the box again, and then realized there was something else inside the box. She lifted it up. It was dress, made of the same velvet shade as the necklace. It was strapless.
There was also gloves that came up to her elbows, a slightly lighter blue in colour. A silk scarf the colour of the sky was also there, along with a tube of deep red lipstick and black boots that were the same size as her other boots. These went to just below the knee, and zipped up the side. The legs of the boots fit very nicely to her calves. She put all of this on, and did up her hair so that it was in a tight ponytail, and there was a small piece that hung gently curved and neatly tucked behind each ear. So, she sat like a proper lady on the chair beside the desk, and waited, politely reading her book.
Gatti was nervous. He had to walk by the place where the rest of the Dragonslayers ate, and he'd have to face theirs, and Dilandau's, criticism. He blinked his blue eyes as he gathered the courage to walk across the room and out the other side, in the direction of her quarters. He sighed and stepped out into the room, walking across.
"Looking sharp, Gatti!" Called Migel. "Yeah, it looks good, Gatti." Chesta seconded. Guimel nodded, and Dalet smiled at Gatti. Dilandau was silent, and as expressive as stone. Dilandau sat with his hands folded on the table, looking across at Gatti. Chesta turned and looked at Dilandau. "Well, my Lord, what is your judgement?"
Dilandau looked up warily. He looked at Gatti. "Contrasts well. Go. She is waiting." He said, and then continued at being unexpressive and silent. "Okay, I'll be back in a while, guys." Gatti said. "Later, Gatti." All of them said at once, all except Dilandau.
Gatti left the room, and headed down the hall. When he reached it, he pressed the button. After a few seconds, the door drew up, revealing her standing there. Gatti was speechless for a moment at the sight of her. My God, she's... Beyond words. Gatti thought as he blinked. Gabrielle was shy. "Um, where are we going? Why do I have to be dressed like this?" She asked very quietly, looking like a fantastically elegant bird afraid of it's plumage.
"We're going to the West sector, about forty minutes away. We have to take a Railer. There's a place there that I'm taking you to. Come on. The table's reserved and if we're not there in time, they'll give the table away." Gatti explained. Gabrielle stepped out of her quarters, sealing the door behind her. They walked together to the Rails.
"Gatti, what are these things you call 'Rails?'" She asked him. "They're a form of transport system. They're long strings of cars suspended by metal rails that span the distance from sector to sector. We call the cars Railers. The actual system is just called the 'Rails.'" He said as they stepped onto the platform. "L'Atoille has it's own Railer car. It should be here any minute." He added.
"L'Atoille? Doesn't that mean 'star' in French?" She asked herself. "Oh, it's one of the ancient languages. Nobody knows where it came from." He dismissed it. "I can speak it. We have to learn it in school." She told him. "You can speak it?" He laughed a little. "That's romantic."
"Um... Thank you?" She said, and Gatti laughed a bit. "Well, here's the car." He said as a fancy looking car screeched to a stop in front of them, the brakes at the top making a little shower of sparks. "Is it safe?" She asked as she looked at it. "Oh, yeah. Hasn't been an accident on one of these things in years. Some say it's safer than walking, where there's the danger of getting mugged."
They stepped inside, and they chose seats. The car was very nicely designed, with red seats and real gold designs on the interior walls. She got the window seat. She gazed out at the metropolis splayed out in front of her. There was a series of humming noises as the engines started, and the car lurched slightly. It began to slide forwards on the rails. It swiftly accelerated to a very high speed, moving so smoothly that it felt as if they were barely moving at all.
"So... How many languages can you speak?" Gatti asked, to make some conversation. "Four." She replied. "Which? You speak any more ancient languages?" He asked, very interested. "Well, I speak English, of course, and French, Norwegian, and I'm learning Japanese." She said. "Norwegian? I've never heard of it. I do know that Japanese is the second language here, all over the world. Though I've never heard of somewhere called Japan. Well, except for in myths and legends about the Mystic Moon."
"I came from there. It's actually called 'Earth.'" She said. "Are you okay?" He asked her. "There's only one other that I know of who supposedly came from there... Her name is Hitomi. She's with that cursed White Dragon." He said hatefully.
"No... Yes... I mean, yes. " She finally admitted, looking at the floor like a child who'd just been caught. The slap had reopened the sword cut, and it stung worse than ones given by paper. It had begun to heal over. "I'm sorry." He said genuinely. "I was acting... Strange. The thought of you being alone with Gatti just made me so... So..." He searched for the words. "Protective, angry, and jealous?" She offered. "Yes." He said. "Exactly."
"It was only as friends. He said he wanted to talk to me." She insisted. "I know that now. But, I didn't then, and I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It was supposed to be for Gatti." He said, and apologized again. "Hey, it's okay. I already accept." She said. He nervously hugged her. His arm, by accident, brushed the irritated cheek. "Ow," She said.
"Oh! Did I hurt you? Oh, no. I didn't mean to!" He started again, and she shushed him. "It's fine." She said. "But-" "It's fine, Dilandau. Really. It only hurt a little, and I know it was an accident. Now, I hate to brush you off, but I have to go. They've asked me to go to training again. I'll be back this evening." She said, and the door behind them opened, so he and she could leave.
"Are you sure it doesn't hurt that much?" He asked, concerned. "Yes, Dilandau. It's fine." She insisted. "You don't need anything." "No. I have to go now, I'll be back this evening, okay?" She finally said, and with a smile to him, she turned and was off. Migel had been walking down the hallway.
"Lord Dilandau, you are so whipped." He said, once Gabrielle was out of earshot. "Whipped?" He asked, but Migel was already down the hallway. Okay... He thought to himself. Now, time to speak with Gatti.
He started to walk down the same direction Gabrielle had, and he saw Gatti all the way down the hall. "Gatti!" He called to him, and Gatti froze in his tracks. Dilandau continued to walk until he reached him.
"S-sir, if this is about-" He started. "No. I'm here to tell you I'm letting you go with Gabrielle tonight. But, if you make any moves on her, I swear, I'll throw your flea-bitten carcass off the edge of the Fortress and laugh at you as you fall." He snarled. Gatti shrank away from him. "Y-yes sir. Acknowledged, sir. Thank you, sir." Gatti said. "And," Dilandau continued. "You're taking her to L'Atoille tonight." He added. Gatti blinked. "L'Atoille? That's all the way to the far West sector... And it'll eat a pretty nice chunk out of my pay." He mumbled. "Do I hear the sounds of complaining? Because if I do, I could change my mind and have you thrown off the edge anyways..." He practically hissed. "What am I going to wear?" Gatti asked himself. "Something that goes well with dark blue and silver. Something... How to put it... Sharp." He said to Gatti. "How do you know what she's going to wear, my Lord?" Gatti asked, curious. "Because I just know, that's why. Be at her quarters to pick her up at the hour when the rest of us are eating." Dilandau replied with an air of cockiness.
"Now go. You have to get something to wear. And remember, one move you put on her, and..." Dilandau made a gesture with his hand like a figure falling from a great height. "You'll take some flying lessons." He sneered. "Yes, sir!" Gatti replied enthusiastically, bowed, and turned and walked down the hall at a quicker pace.
Since I have nothing to do... I should get Gabrielle's clothes ready. He thought to himself, and he walked down to the local seamstress. He formulated ideas in his mind as he walked. He suddenly snapped his fingers. He finally thought of something absolutely brilliant. He walked into the room, knowing exactly what he wanted. He could get the clothes from here... And the jewelery... Down in the southernmost part of the massive floating city.
He swiftly placed the order to the seamstress, and he told her the time it needed to be ready by. He then weaved his way to the Rails, which were trains of cars that sped between the different sectors of the city. They rain along rails at the top of the cars, and could travel at impressive speeds. Some of the older models looked about as aerodynamic as a pillow, but even they could go at speeds of around seventy kilometres per hour. He could either use the Rails, or take a very long walk on the streets far below him, in the residential part of the fortress. He chose the Rails.
He stepped in the first car that was headed to the South. It was a newer model, and this particular was so new that the interior still smelled like it. The car was completely empty except for him. He chose a seat and let his head rest against the glass of the window, gazing at the outside city, waiting for the slight lurch that would signify the car had begun to move.
He was still jealous in a way of Gatti, but he kept in mind what Guimel had said to him. He didn't really know why he'd been so infuriated when Gatti had asked to be alone with Gabrielle. It had just made his blood boil with steaming anger. Come to think of it, he still didn't know how he felt about anything. It was all still a big, confusing labyrinth of a mystery to him.
There was a series of almost musical whirrs. Three, each sounding low but going high in frequency, the next note starting lower. The car shuddered slightly as it began to move forwards. He watched the scenery shift slightly, and then faster as the car accelerated.
The city was ugly in a beautiful way. Most of the colours were ranging browns and blacks, and a brownish light fog was covered over certain parts. The fog looked like it was poisonous, but it actually wasn't. It didn't smell any different than normal air, and there were no reaction to the people in the fortress to the gas.
The car started to climb, following the rails as they ascended in front of them. A vibration rocked the glass on the windows. Another car screamed past them, heading for the North sector. A 'swoosh' noise announced it's departure as the tail end of the other Railer disappeared. Dilandau's gaze turned back to the glittering lights of the brown city of Zaibach. It would be getting to evening in a matter of hours. He had better hurry. He thought for a moment of all the places in the South that sold jewelery. He remembered the name and whereabouts of a well-respected store. He figured he should go there to get the things. He knew exactly what kind of things he had in mind.
It's a pity I'll probably never see her in this outfit. He thought to himself sadly. Maybe... Maybe she'd go to a dinner with me... Then I could see her in it, He reasoned. Get a reservation at a ritzy kind of restaurant on the ground... He smiled to himself. Asturia has the best restaurants. Or so I've heard. we're flying over there... When was it? Two weeks ahead? I think so, because we pass Fanelia first.
The car slowed, and it eventually stopped at a platform. The door opened, and he stepped out into the South sector. That ride was an hour? He thought. It seemed shorter than that to him. No matter. He voiced in his mind as he headed for the direction of the store he'd been thinking of.
After a few minutes of walking the nearly empty streets, he finally came upon the jewelery store. He stepped into the store, and the person at the counter greeted him respectfully. He said hello, and then wandered over to the glass case with all of the necklaces in it. He found one that was absolutely perfect. "I'll take that one, please." He said, pointing at it. "Good choice, sir." The man said as he pulled it out. The man placed it in a small velvet lined box. Dilandau looked almost lazily at the rest of the things. Most were beautiful, but not beautiful enough.
He walked past the earrings, and a pair caught his eye. They were perfect for her. "These, too." Dilandau said finally, after admiring the earrings for a moment. The man at the counter took them out and placed them in a separate box. He assured himself that those were good. He had to get going back if he was going to pick up the dress and deliver it in time. "Those will do." He said. "How much?"
"Forty thousand credits." The man said. Most people would cringe at that cost, but Dilandau could make more than that in the space of time it took someone to go to the bathroom. "Okay." He said, and withdrew a small card. He placed it on the counter. The man took it and scanned the card, then passed it back. Dilandau put it back away. He took the two velvet boxes, thanked the man at the counter, and left, headed away. He still had two other stops to make.
Gabrielle lay in her quarters, fresh as she could be from a short cold shower. She was only supposed to be alotted three minutes, but she had been allowed six for some reason. She was reading a book, absorbed in it. It was about the culture of the Melchian people, who lived high up in the mountains, above the mist. In their own tongue, Melchia meant 'Wolves of the mist.' The book said they were covered in fur, wore clothes somewhat like humans, and their faces were almost just like that of wolves. Their stature was typically long and lanky, and their eyes were human-like. Unfortunately, a majority of the Melchian people had been hunted down and destroyed by superstitious townsfolk that lived across from the mountains. They had recently been accepted as a sentient race. They'd been given rights the same as humans, and their population was growing.
She was reading about the Melchian language and writing system when there was a buzz from the door. Her eyes flicked up from the book, which she placed a bookmark in, and she went to answer the door.
There was nobody there, but a small box with a note. She picked it up and examined the box, trying to read the writing on it, but it was in a foreign language she did not understand. The note read,
Wear this tonight. Gatti will be here to pick you up at the dinner hour. Sorry I didn't stay and talk, but I had to go. I'll see you tomorrow.
She stepped back into her quarters and shut the door. She opened the box. At first she only saw two velvet lined boxes on something. She picked up the smaller of the two boxes and opened it.
They were a pair of silver earrings. They were in the form of two phoenixes, their wings outspread. Their heads were turned to the side, and their eyes were of jet. In each of their beaks, they held small blue jewels that shone with bands of white when exposed to light. She gently closed the lid. Where had he gotten all this? She picked up the next box and opened it.
It was a choker necklace made of dark blue velvet, with a shining white jewel inside a silver lining. The velvet had small silver leaves drawn into the centre of the strap that fastened about the neck. She shut the box again, and then realized there was something else inside the box. She lifted it up. It was dress, made of the same velvet shade as the necklace. It was strapless.
There was also gloves that came up to her elbows, a slightly lighter blue in colour. A silk scarf the colour of the sky was also there, along with a tube of deep red lipstick and black boots that were the same size as her other boots. These went to just below the knee, and zipped up the side. The legs of the boots fit very nicely to her calves. She put all of this on, and did up her hair so that it was in a tight ponytail, and there was a small piece that hung gently curved and neatly tucked behind each ear. So, she sat like a proper lady on the chair beside the desk, and waited, politely reading her book.
Gatti was nervous. He had to walk by the place where the rest of the Dragonslayers ate, and he'd have to face theirs, and Dilandau's, criticism. He blinked his blue eyes as he gathered the courage to walk across the room and out the other side, in the direction of her quarters. He sighed and stepped out into the room, walking across.
"Looking sharp, Gatti!" Called Migel. "Yeah, it looks good, Gatti." Chesta seconded. Guimel nodded, and Dalet smiled at Gatti. Dilandau was silent, and as expressive as stone. Dilandau sat with his hands folded on the table, looking across at Gatti. Chesta turned and looked at Dilandau. "Well, my Lord, what is your judgement?"
Dilandau looked up warily. He looked at Gatti. "Contrasts well. Go. She is waiting." He said, and then continued at being unexpressive and silent. "Okay, I'll be back in a while, guys." Gatti said. "Later, Gatti." All of them said at once, all except Dilandau.
Gatti left the room, and headed down the hall. When he reached it, he pressed the button. After a few seconds, the door drew up, revealing her standing there. Gatti was speechless for a moment at the sight of her. My God, she's... Beyond words. Gatti thought as he blinked. Gabrielle was shy. "Um, where are we going? Why do I have to be dressed like this?" She asked very quietly, looking like a fantastically elegant bird afraid of it's plumage.
"We're going to the West sector, about forty minutes away. We have to take a Railer. There's a place there that I'm taking you to. Come on. The table's reserved and if we're not there in time, they'll give the table away." Gatti explained. Gabrielle stepped out of her quarters, sealing the door behind her. They walked together to the Rails.
"Gatti, what are these things you call 'Rails?'" She asked him. "They're a form of transport system. They're long strings of cars suspended by metal rails that span the distance from sector to sector. We call the cars Railers. The actual system is just called the 'Rails.'" He said as they stepped onto the platform. "L'Atoille has it's own Railer car. It should be here any minute." He added.
"L'Atoille? Doesn't that mean 'star' in French?" She asked herself. "Oh, it's one of the ancient languages. Nobody knows where it came from." He dismissed it. "I can speak it. We have to learn it in school." She told him. "You can speak it?" He laughed a little. "That's romantic."
"Um... Thank you?" She said, and Gatti laughed a bit. "Well, here's the car." He said as a fancy looking car screeched to a stop in front of them, the brakes at the top making a little shower of sparks. "Is it safe?" She asked as she looked at it. "Oh, yeah. Hasn't been an accident on one of these things in years. Some say it's safer than walking, where there's the danger of getting mugged."
They stepped inside, and they chose seats. The car was very nicely designed, with red seats and real gold designs on the interior walls. She got the window seat. She gazed out at the metropolis splayed out in front of her. There was a series of humming noises as the engines started, and the car lurched slightly. It began to slide forwards on the rails. It swiftly accelerated to a very high speed, moving so smoothly that it felt as if they were barely moving at all.
"So... How many languages can you speak?" Gatti asked, to make some conversation. "Four." She replied. "Which? You speak any more ancient languages?" He asked, very interested. "Well, I speak English, of course, and French, Norwegian, and I'm learning Japanese." She said. "Norwegian? I've never heard of it. I do know that Japanese is the second language here, all over the world. Though I've never heard of somewhere called Japan. Well, except for in myths and legends about the Mystic Moon."
"I came from there. It's actually called 'Earth.'" She said. "Are you okay?" He asked her. "There's only one other that I know of who supposedly came from there... Her name is Hitomi. She's with that cursed White Dragon." He said hatefully.