(Sorry this one is a day late. I had it done yesterday, but I wasn't feeling well and couldn't get it to you, sorry about that. Thanks going out again to MarbleAngel and darkmetaldragonfangs for reviews, and a special thanks going out to Sirilithiel (sp? sorry!) because I forgot to thank her the first time she reviewed. Without futher ado, here's chapter five!)
Chapter 5: Forty-Two Degrees South, One Hundred Forty-Seven Degrees East
She knew where she was. The way the people spoke told her that much. But then, she didn't know exactly where she was.
Yes, she was in Australia, she knew that. The people talked oddly, and with a strange accent. But she wasn't in any city she'd ever heard of. She'd asked someone passing by what city they were in, and was answered with 'Launceston'. But she did not know where that was.
Well, maybe she didn't know she was in Australia. She figured she was, but if she'd never heard of the city before... mayhap she was someplace else.
She'd awoken a few hours ago, lying on a bench near the pier. People weren't paying any attention to her, just walking by and continuing on with their on conversations. She'd had to hail someone simply to ask where she was.
This she found odd. Her appearance was by no means commonplace, and yet these people didn't seem to care. Perhaps she had been flung somewhere beyond the parameters of Earth.
But that didn't make sense. It just didn't. She understood what the people were saying , and they understood her. Within an alien colony or some other such thing, that just wouldn't be a possibility.
'I must be going mad.' Isis thought dully to herself, standing up and smoothing the linen of her dress, 'I've surely never thought up anything so ludicrous in my entire life.'
She looked in both directions, wondering who might be able to help her. She wanted to know where she was, and she wanted to get back to Japan. That's where everyone else was, as far as she knew. A knowledgeable-looking person walked past her briskly; Isis hurried after him and tapped him on the shoulder, saying, "Please sir, I don't know where I am."
The man stopped and regarded her with a look of calculation, "Why, you're in Launceston."
"And where is that?" Isis pressed with urgency; it looked like a boat was coming in and she was concerned that she may have to travel on it. The organization of that could take some time.
"Tasmania." The man replied, raising his eyebrows at her tone of concern, "Are you lost?"
Tasmania! That was the island off south of Australia. "No sir, thank you. Would that boat get me back to Australia?" Isis gestured to the incoming ferry.
The man nodded, and began to walk away, shaking his head and muttering something about 'foreigners'.
Isis placed a hand on her heart and thanked Ra for her good fortune, then hurried into the port, hoping she could get this done right.
Interlude 5.1 Cold-town
"Oh man, what a hard day at work! Glad it's over!" José sighed and stretched his arms out above his head.
Jenna sighed and whacked him on the back of the head, "You say that every day, you moron! And every morning you come back all joyous and ready to work your butt off again!"
"Isn't that the asset of a good employee?" José pouted, rubbing the back of his head gingerly, "Anywho, come on Felix, I'll show you my place!" He grabbed Yami by the hand and began dragging him towards the door.
Jenna smiled at them while they were leaving, calling to Yami, "Be careful! That place is dangerous!"
Once they were outside, -Yami still didn't know what that white stuff falling from the sky was- José turned to Yami with a grin, saying, "Pretty fun day, huh?"
Yami nodded, about twenty questions burbling on the end of his tongue but none being able to decide whether to come forth or not. He must have looked like he had something to ask (either that, or José was psychic) because the red-headed teen suddenly said, "You know, I know dick all about you. Why don't we play twenty questions? You know how that game works?" Yami shook his head, so José continued, "Well, we take turns asking each other questions, until we've both asked and answered twenty... It usually doesn't get that far, but who knows! It might happen! I mean we know dick all about each other right?"
"I... suppose." Yami answered cautiously, figuring this 'dick all' mean 'nothing at all'. What odd terminology.
"Okay, then I'll go first! Where are you from?"
Oh great, this question. "Originally, or where I live now?" Yami questioned, thinking to himself that, honestly, both answers would be quite complex.
"Oh, originally. I've always been one for the past!" José waved his hand, winking at Yami as he did so.
Yami swallowed, took a deep breath, then said quite calmly, "I was born and raised in Ancient Egypt."
José took one look at him and burst out laughing. When he could catch his breath to some extent, he gasped, "Okay man, I understand if you don't trust people, but you can tell me the truth, I'm not going to use it against you or anything."
Yami bristled slightly. "I'm not kidding."
José raised an eyebrow at him, as likely in relation to the statement as well as the tone of voice, but then shrugged and said, "One question, one answer. It's your turn now, ask me anything! I, the great José, shall answer!"
Yami cast around his mind, trying to find something that wasn't too outlandishly stupid. Finally, he said, "Where are we? What city?"
"Ste. Sault Marie, eh! Canada all the way!" José punched the air with his fist, then made a peace sign, accompanying it with a grin.
Canada. Well, that was helpful. Figuring he may as well push this a little, he said, "Your turn."
José nodded, then put a hand on his chin, appearing to think for a moment. Finally, he asked, "Where do you live now?"
"Domino City, Japan. It's actually a district in Tokyo, but we still label it a ctiy." Yami replied simply; José looked as if it made no sense to him how one could be born in ancient Egypt and now be living in Japan –heck, that he could still be living was a pretty big accomplishment.
Yami's turn to ask a question. Finding nothing else remotely relevant, he asked, "What's this white stuff falling from the sky?"
"Oh that? It's snow. People ski on it all the time, but I guess there's not much in a district of Tokyo, eh?"
Yami shook his head, glad he could finally put a name to the fluffy cold flakes.
"Okay, I've got a big one for you." José cracked his knuckles. "How in the world did you get from ancient Egypt to modern-day Japan without shrivelling into nothingness?"
Yami actually felt a smile tug at the his mouth. "It's a long story."