Time Crush
Chapter 4
"Ok, I guess we're going to have to teach you something about how humans think, aren't we?" Dave said as he watched Xiao playing with a blade of grass.
"Why would we have to do that, master?" the cat-girl asked him.
"First off, it's Dave, not master. I hate subservient. Second, if you act like you do now, people are gonna get suspicious. At least Sara was sensible enough to put some stuff into Emma's bag, otherwise we'd be in a really embarrassing situation. Ok, how on earth am I gonna do this, then?" he said, half to himself, half to his new charge.
"Dave, am I going to stay human?" Xiao asked him.
"Depends. Do you want to?" He said.
"Um. I dunno. I want to experience it first. Then I'll decide." the little girl said to him.
"You know, you've got it all figured out, haven't you? Being human's really complicated. Listen…"
Dave sat up most of the night, teaching and talking to the half beast. They only stopped when Xiao was too tired to keep her eyes open.
"Get some sleep, girl. You'll need it." Dave whispered into Xiao's ear as he pulled a blanket onto her.
"Well, isn't this a fine turn up for the books?" Loki said, making the tall boy jump.
"God damn. You always do that, don't you?" Dave said to the girl who was almost two feet shorter than he was.
"Yep. I'm famous for it. So, the little kitty was actually a changeling. How interesting."
"You know, I'm still pissed at you. I don't want you telling people that Xiao is a cat."
"Oh, and I suppose that you've got a much better idea of how to disguise things?"
There was a moment of silence.
"Shut up. I've been teaching her all night. That is a fine detail. I'd have been able to blag my way through it, anyway. Why?" he asked, grinning, "Do you have a better idea?"
"Of course. I know you were training her, and I also saw the attitudes you have with each other. You weren't nasty or obscene with her at all. I think you're in love."
"You see, now this is exactly why I hate you. What was your idea?"
"She's the cat's owner, trying to find her way home. The cat ran off again, and all we can do now is get to the town."
"You know, I can see what Emma sees in you."
"What? She sees something in me?"
"Ignore what I said, I'm just babbling. Lack of sleep you know."
"Ok. Why again are you annoyed with me?" The short girl asked as she sat down next to the bandana'd boy.
"You left us in the lurch. With all those skeletons, there where thousands of them, and you just vanish."
"I had to. My time had run out. If it's any help, I was whisked straight here, and my travel stuff got broken. I wanted to go back, but I couldn't. I'm sorry."
"Ok. I forgive you, now get some sleep, I've got a hunch about something."
---------------------------------------------------------
Early the next morning, the whole group was wakened by the smell of nice things cooking. When people were awake enough to notice things, they saw Dave, Loki and Emma sitting around the fire, talking and cooking.
"What smells so good?" Paine asked. She was the first up, and was worried about the company she had kept last night.
"It's chocobo eggs and flame toasted home made bread." Emma said, as she tended to the pan on the fire. "You want some?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"MMMMM! What is that delicious smell?" Zell said, receiving a random pillow from someone who wanted to stay asleep for a bit longer.
"Chocobo eggs and toast."
"Sounds nice."
"Oh, if either of you want a shower, there's a little stream about five minutes walk into the glade" Loki said as she pointed south east, into a little clump of trees.
"Morning." Rikku called out to the crew around the fire. She then went to check on her patient.
A few minutes later, Squall and Rinoa woke up.
"Morning Rinoa, laughing boy." Dave called out as he poked at the eggs that he had just been given, "You two really rocked the kasbah last night."
Rinoa had the decency to look embarrassed. Squall merely scowled.
"Why do you call me laughing boy?" Squall asked.
"Dunno. Probably because of some hidden irony, but then, who knows?" was the reply.
"What's cooking?" Rinoa asked.
"Chocobo eggs and toast. You know, I'd be better just writing it down, cos everyone's gonna be asking me that, aren't they?" Emma said.
One by one, the various denizens of the group woke up and got a meal. the last one up was Xiao.
"What smells so nice, master?" She said, sitting up from Dave's sleeping bag.
"Who the hell is that?" Quistis asked.
"Here name's Xiao. The kitten we found was hers. She came looking for her last night, but the cat got away again. She's going to come with us to town. And Xiao, there's some breakfast here for you, and it's not master, it's Dave, ok?"
"Yes Dave"
"Come here, I'll introduce you. This is Quistis. That's Fujin, don't talk to her, she's scary. Exhibit C over there's Yuna. She's nice if you can stand constant world saving. This is Loki. The dude over there's Brid, and that's Irvine. Stay away from him. That's an order. Girls over there are Rikku and Yuffie. This is Emma, and that's Freya. Large thing eating all the leftovers is Quina, and the one buzzing over there is Selphie. That's Squall, that's Rinoa, and the lady over there, that's Paine. And last but not least, that's Zell."
"Hi everyone."
There was a chorus of hi's and hello's.
"Here girl. Have some breakfast."
"Thanks"
---------------------------------------------------------
After breakfast, the group gathered their things, and set out. After about ten minutes, they came across the railway lines.
"Ok, so which way do we go?" Emma said to Dave.
"Dunno. I say we flip a coin. Heads we go north, tails we go south" Dave said.
"Seems to me, you have no idea what you're doing." Rinoa said.
"Will you shut up." Dave said to her.
"So, which way do we go?" Yuna asked.
Dave got a coin out of his pocket, and flipped it into the air. It landed on the ground, and started spinning. Everyone crowded round to see what the coin would end up as. The coin stopped spinning, and didn't fall over.
"Hmm. Well that can't be good." Dave said.
He flipped the coin again, and this time he caught it, and covered it. It was revealed as a tails.
"South it is." Loki said.
As the group started to head south, Xiao picked up the coin, and looked at it. Both sides were tails.
"Dave, there's …" She started
"Xiao, I think it would be a good idea not to finish what you were about to say, ok?" Loki said.
"Why's that?" Xiao asked.
"Because Dave knows how stories go, and the story goes we head south. A lot of things Dave does are done for a reason. You just keep that coin, and keep quiet, ok hon?"
"Ok."
After an hours walking, people were getting on each others nerves.
"Are we there yet?"
"What?"
"I said, are we there yet?"
"Jesus Christ I am getting so sick of answering that question."
"Hey, we're all tired, and we don't know shit, so don't bitch at us, ok?"
"Alright. Selphie, we aren't there yet. You will know when we're there, because there will be buildings. Now shut the fuck up."
"Dave, we need to get some water soon, Yuffie's dehydrating." Rikku said.
And, because words are more than just a way of telling monkeys where food is, the clouds decided to empty everything they had on the band.
"AAGH! I hate water!" Xiao shouted.
"Don't we all. Man, what are we going to do?" Zell said.
"Hmm. Emma, you still any good with a needle?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Trees!" he said, grinning.
"Right." Emma said.
Dave walked up to one of the trees, and kicked it with his right foot. The tree fell over. He did this for ten trees.
"Ok. You sew, I'll cut, ok?"
"What are you doing?" Freya asked.
"Dave's an expert with mechanisms and mechanical processes. He can make working umbrella's from the wood of the trees, If I sew up the leaves, we'll have enough for everyone in about ten minutes."
"But it's raining now." Paine said.
"Better a little wet than soaked through." Dave said to the red eyed warrior.
---------------------------------------------------------
With the new umbrella's in hand, the group set off again. After another hour, the rain stopped. Half an hour after that, they reached the end of the line.
"All railways lead to somewhere. Nice move, fool." Squall said, sarcastically
"Shut the fuck up laughing boy. I'd intended for this. The coin I flipped was double tailed."
"Yeah, right, like we're going to believe that." Freya said
"It's true!" Xiao said. She pulled the coin out of her pocket and showed it to them.
"Ok, but how did you know?" Yuna asked.
"Because you never go north. It's always better to go south."
"So, where are we?" Irvine asked.
"Train graveyard. They take all the trains that are almost broken, and dump them out here." Squall said.
"Yep. Laughing boy got something right. And soon, we'll have our own train." Dave said.
"How do you mean?" Brid asked.
"Did you not hear Emma say expert with mechanical processes. A train is basically a big mechanical process. Even if there isn't a single working component here, I'll have a working train in about an hour."
"Do you need any help? Cos I work on the Ragnarok at Balamb." Irvine said.
"Sure. Everyone else, find decent bits of metal, sheets screws, anything that can be used again."
As the group spread out, Dave had a look at some of the train bodies around him.
"Xiao, stay here, we've still got some stuff to go through. Irvine," He said to the cowboy, "There's something you need to know about Xiao."
"She's the cat, I know." was all the cowboy said as he pulled the door of one of the dead trains.
"You know, I underestimated you. You're a lot more observant than I gave you credit for. Well done."
"Also, in case you haven't noticed, there's a bit of animosity in the group. If they find out this secret, spark are gonna fly."
"You don't say. Is that one going to be any good?"
"Nah. Boiler's banged up good."
"Damn."
"DAVE!!"
"Xiao, what's up?"
"Would this one work?" She said, as the two boys came up to the train.
"Man, it's perfect. No bodywork ruptures, the boiler's still in good nick." Dave said as he jumped up to join his feline companion.
"Um… it has no wheels." Irvine called up to them.
"Wheels can be fixed easier than engines."
"True."
Ten minutes later, progress was going on. All the detritus had been cleared, and Squall, Zell and Freya had even found an intact carriage. The train's engine was working, and all they had to do was put three wheels on and get the thing onto rails.
"Wow. I take back what I said. You aren't too bad," Selphie said as she dragged a wheel over to where Dave was working.
"You said that about me?" He said as he worked on the train's pistons.
"I…er… never mind" She said as she hurried off.
Five minutes later, the train was up and ready to go.
"EVERYONE IN!!" Dave called out as he jumped into the cab.
"The first ride of the indomitable begins now, yeehaw!" Irvine called out, jumping onto the train.
And with that, the train pulled out slowly, it's wheels squeaking slightly.
---------------------------------------------------------
(Authors note: nothing doing at the moment. It'll get more interesting soon. Please believe me!)
Chapter 4
"Ok, I guess we're going to have to teach you something about how humans think, aren't we?" Dave said as he watched Xiao playing with a blade of grass.
"Why would we have to do that, master?" the cat-girl asked him.
"First off, it's Dave, not master. I hate subservient. Second, if you act like you do now, people are gonna get suspicious. At least Sara was sensible enough to put some stuff into Emma's bag, otherwise we'd be in a really embarrassing situation. Ok, how on earth am I gonna do this, then?" he said, half to himself, half to his new charge.
"Dave, am I going to stay human?" Xiao asked him.
"Depends. Do you want to?" He said.
"Um. I dunno. I want to experience it first. Then I'll decide." the little girl said to him.
"You know, you've got it all figured out, haven't you? Being human's really complicated. Listen…"
Dave sat up most of the night, teaching and talking to the half beast. They only stopped when Xiao was too tired to keep her eyes open.
"Get some sleep, girl. You'll need it." Dave whispered into Xiao's ear as he pulled a blanket onto her.
"Well, isn't this a fine turn up for the books?" Loki said, making the tall boy jump.
"God damn. You always do that, don't you?" Dave said to the girl who was almost two feet shorter than he was.
"Yep. I'm famous for it. So, the little kitty was actually a changeling. How interesting."
"You know, I'm still pissed at you. I don't want you telling people that Xiao is a cat."
"Oh, and I suppose that you've got a much better idea of how to disguise things?"
There was a moment of silence.
"Shut up. I've been teaching her all night. That is a fine detail. I'd have been able to blag my way through it, anyway. Why?" he asked, grinning, "Do you have a better idea?"
"Of course. I know you were training her, and I also saw the attitudes you have with each other. You weren't nasty or obscene with her at all. I think you're in love."
"You see, now this is exactly why I hate you. What was your idea?"
"She's the cat's owner, trying to find her way home. The cat ran off again, and all we can do now is get to the town."
"You know, I can see what Emma sees in you."
"What? She sees something in me?"
"Ignore what I said, I'm just babbling. Lack of sleep you know."
"Ok. Why again are you annoyed with me?" The short girl asked as she sat down next to the bandana'd boy.
"You left us in the lurch. With all those skeletons, there where thousands of them, and you just vanish."
"I had to. My time had run out. If it's any help, I was whisked straight here, and my travel stuff got broken. I wanted to go back, but I couldn't. I'm sorry."
"Ok. I forgive you, now get some sleep, I've got a hunch about something."
---------------------------------------------------------
Early the next morning, the whole group was wakened by the smell of nice things cooking. When people were awake enough to notice things, they saw Dave, Loki and Emma sitting around the fire, talking and cooking.
"What smells so good?" Paine asked. She was the first up, and was worried about the company she had kept last night.
"It's chocobo eggs and flame toasted home made bread." Emma said, as she tended to the pan on the fire. "You want some?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"MMMMM! What is that delicious smell?" Zell said, receiving a random pillow from someone who wanted to stay asleep for a bit longer.
"Chocobo eggs and toast."
"Sounds nice."
"Oh, if either of you want a shower, there's a little stream about five minutes walk into the glade" Loki said as she pointed south east, into a little clump of trees.
"Morning." Rikku called out to the crew around the fire. She then went to check on her patient.
A few minutes later, Squall and Rinoa woke up.
"Morning Rinoa, laughing boy." Dave called out as he poked at the eggs that he had just been given, "You two really rocked the kasbah last night."
Rinoa had the decency to look embarrassed. Squall merely scowled.
"Why do you call me laughing boy?" Squall asked.
"Dunno. Probably because of some hidden irony, but then, who knows?" was the reply.
"What's cooking?" Rinoa asked.
"Chocobo eggs and toast. You know, I'd be better just writing it down, cos everyone's gonna be asking me that, aren't they?" Emma said.
One by one, the various denizens of the group woke up and got a meal. the last one up was Xiao.
"What smells so nice, master?" She said, sitting up from Dave's sleeping bag.
"Who the hell is that?" Quistis asked.
"Here name's Xiao. The kitten we found was hers. She came looking for her last night, but the cat got away again. She's going to come with us to town. And Xiao, there's some breakfast here for you, and it's not master, it's Dave, ok?"
"Yes Dave"
"Come here, I'll introduce you. This is Quistis. That's Fujin, don't talk to her, she's scary. Exhibit C over there's Yuna. She's nice if you can stand constant world saving. This is Loki. The dude over there's Brid, and that's Irvine. Stay away from him. That's an order. Girls over there are Rikku and Yuffie. This is Emma, and that's Freya. Large thing eating all the leftovers is Quina, and the one buzzing over there is Selphie. That's Squall, that's Rinoa, and the lady over there, that's Paine. And last but not least, that's Zell."
"Hi everyone."
There was a chorus of hi's and hello's.
"Here girl. Have some breakfast."
"Thanks"
---------------------------------------------------------
After breakfast, the group gathered their things, and set out. After about ten minutes, they came across the railway lines.
"Ok, so which way do we go?" Emma said to Dave.
"Dunno. I say we flip a coin. Heads we go north, tails we go south" Dave said.
"Seems to me, you have no idea what you're doing." Rinoa said.
"Will you shut up." Dave said to her.
"So, which way do we go?" Yuna asked.
Dave got a coin out of his pocket, and flipped it into the air. It landed on the ground, and started spinning. Everyone crowded round to see what the coin would end up as. The coin stopped spinning, and didn't fall over.
"Hmm. Well that can't be good." Dave said.
He flipped the coin again, and this time he caught it, and covered it. It was revealed as a tails.
"South it is." Loki said.
As the group started to head south, Xiao picked up the coin, and looked at it. Both sides were tails.
"Dave, there's …" She started
"Xiao, I think it would be a good idea not to finish what you were about to say, ok?" Loki said.
"Why's that?" Xiao asked.
"Because Dave knows how stories go, and the story goes we head south. A lot of things Dave does are done for a reason. You just keep that coin, and keep quiet, ok hon?"
"Ok."
After an hours walking, people were getting on each others nerves.
"Are we there yet?"
"What?"
"I said, are we there yet?"
"Jesus Christ I am getting so sick of answering that question."
"Hey, we're all tired, and we don't know shit, so don't bitch at us, ok?"
"Alright. Selphie, we aren't there yet. You will know when we're there, because there will be buildings. Now shut the fuck up."
"Dave, we need to get some water soon, Yuffie's dehydrating." Rikku said.
And, because words are more than just a way of telling monkeys where food is, the clouds decided to empty everything they had on the band.
"AAGH! I hate water!" Xiao shouted.
"Don't we all. Man, what are we going to do?" Zell said.
"Hmm. Emma, you still any good with a needle?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Trees!" he said, grinning.
"Right." Emma said.
Dave walked up to one of the trees, and kicked it with his right foot. The tree fell over. He did this for ten trees.
"Ok. You sew, I'll cut, ok?"
"What are you doing?" Freya asked.
"Dave's an expert with mechanisms and mechanical processes. He can make working umbrella's from the wood of the trees, If I sew up the leaves, we'll have enough for everyone in about ten minutes."
"But it's raining now." Paine said.
"Better a little wet than soaked through." Dave said to the red eyed warrior.
---------------------------------------------------------
With the new umbrella's in hand, the group set off again. After another hour, the rain stopped. Half an hour after that, they reached the end of the line.
"All railways lead to somewhere. Nice move, fool." Squall said, sarcastically
"Shut the fuck up laughing boy. I'd intended for this. The coin I flipped was double tailed."
"Yeah, right, like we're going to believe that." Freya said
"It's true!" Xiao said. She pulled the coin out of her pocket and showed it to them.
"Ok, but how did you know?" Yuna asked.
"Because you never go north. It's always better to go south."
"So, where are we?" Irvine asked.
"Train graveyard. They take all the trains that are almost broken, and dump them out here." Squall said.
"Yep. Laughing boy got something right. And soon, we'll have our own train." Dave said.
"How do you mean?" Brid asked.
"Did you not hear Emma say expert with mechanical processes. A train is basically a big mechanical process. Even if there isn't a single working component here, I'll have a working train in about an hour."
"Do you need any help? Cos I work on the Ragnarok at Balamb." Irvine said.
"Sure. Everyone else, find decent bits of metal, sheets screws, anything that can be used again."
As the group spread out, Dave had a look at some of the train bodies around him.
"Xiao, stay here, we've still got some stuff to go through. Irvine," He said to the cowboy, "There's something you need to know about Xiao."
"She's the cat, I know." was all the cowboy said as he pulled the door of one of the dead trains.
"You know, I underestimated you. You're a lot more observant than I gave you credit for. Well done."
"Also, in case you haven't noticed, there's a bit of animosity in the group. If they find out this secret, spark are gonna fly."
"You don't say. Is that one going to be any good?"
"Nah. Boiler's banged up good."
"Damn."
"DAVE!!"
"Xiao, what's up?"
"Would this one work?" She said, as the two boys came up to the train.
"Man, it's perfect. No bodywork ruptures, the boiler's still in good nick." Dave said as he jumped up to join his feline companion.
"Um… it has no wheels." Irvine called up to them.
"Wheels can be fixed easier than engines."
"True."
Ten minutes later, progress was going on. All the detritus had been cleared, and Squall, Zell and Freya had even found an intact carriage. The train's engine was working, and all they had to do was put three wheels on and get the thing onto rails.
"Wow. I take back what I said. You aren't too bad," Selphie said as she dragged a wheel over to where Dave was working.
"You said that about me?" He said as he worked on the train's pistons.
"I…er… never mind" She said as she hurried off.
Five minutes later, the train was up and ready to go.
"EVERYONE IN!!" Dave called out as he jumped into the cab.
"The first ride of the indomitable begins now, yeehaw!" Irvine called out, jumping onto the train.
And with that, the train pulled out slowly, it's wheels squeaking slightly.
---------------------------------------------------------
(Authors note: nothing doing at the moment. It'll get more interesting soon. Please believe me!)