Vyctori: I've seen the picture in your bio. After looking at so many "Proxans are evil!" things, that was refreshing. Yeah, I'm Pro For Proxans or PFP as I like to call it.
"EE-ee-ee!"? Prepare for a lot more "EE-ee-ee"ing because the Proxans are popping in, and Math is going to figure out why he keeps writing about little 'Miss Violet Eyes'.
Call him Piers all you like! I've got no problems with that. Piers, Picard, (or in my case) Picard Piers, he's still the same guy.
Sorry about the bad spelling. My Spell Checker's…weird and doesn't know what a Lemurian is, so when I impatiently pushed the wrong button, I turned all "Lemurian"s into "Lemuroid"s. I guess I didn't fix it too well. But hey, at least he's not reads from dictionary "resembling lemurs".
Vilya: You're OBHL?!?!?!? Can I join? Please!
Alexditto: I'm sorry but I've nothing to really respond to.
Brennend: See? His hair wasn't cut! I never expected so many people would be ticked off at the hair thing.
End of Response Section
For Menardi's name I only got two votes after a week, so being the impacient person that I am I flipped a coin, Makrina as heads, Mana as tails. Makrina came up two out of three.
Wait a sec… a week?! That's freakily the longest I've taken to update yet! I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing though…
Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, museums, fits of laughter, stalkers, displays, stupid benches, rings of blue light, a red blur or a ship.
………
"Matthew, why are we here again?" Jen asked him. Again.
"I am meeting up with my 'brother' from my foster family in Russia and his girlfriend. You are tagging along for an unknown reason," he shot back, still looking around, balanced on his tip-toes for the added view. Not that there was a crowd to see over.
Who in their right minds would chose to come here, let alone meet up with someone? Jen leaned against the wall between the 'ancient tunic' and the 'chest of valuables' displays. "What're they like?"
"Well, Satornil is a bit weird. He likes to argue a lot. Do you know what time it is?"
"So do you. It's around quarter pass two," she said checking her watch. "Hey, that rhymed!"
"With him, anything you say can be turned against you, but he doesn't really mean anything at all. Arguing for the sake of arguing. Besides that he's cool." Matthew immediately went back to searching. "C'mon, let's see if they're down here." He started walking down a hallway labeled "Chamber of the Sun - "
Man, he's changed. He'd never shut up before and now I'm the one that has to keep conversation going! "And his girlfriend?"
"Makrina Zoshchenko? She's not really his girlfriend; he just wishes she was. 'Course he'd never admit it, but I can tell. I don't really know her that well. I hung out with her sister a bit though."
He what?! Jen burst out laughing. "You- you went out-" that was all she could say before fits of laughter took over.
Matthew turned a bright red. "Did not! I said I hung out, not went out! Kaleriia isn't the kind of person you go out with!" Jen's laughter continued. "It's like how you go out with Ian." The laughter stopped.
"Do not! I don't even see him around anymore! Wait- oh." Stupid psychology! Hate it when he does that. At least he hasn't brought up Gary. How am I going to explain that?!
Jen was suddenly finding her cousin's silence a good thing. For the first time, she gave her surroundings more than a passing glance. None of it deserved it. Boring, dull, duller. She saw a doorway with strings of beads hanging down from the top, creating a golden sun on a blue background and acting rather door-like. Next room, let's go!
The pair stepped through . . ."Wow!" . . . into an amazingly realistic display. Realistic of what, they had yet to find out.
Everywhere else was crammed with stuff seemingly to just take up space. This was different. It was as if they had stepped into a sacred temple. The lights were positioned in a way that cast shadows over the ancient relics, making it easy to imagine that feeling into a reality. The walls weren't painted but instead covered with a rock-like substance that made the room feel like a cavern. The floor was greenish stone. Jen couldn't see were one slab stopped and another began. Is it all one piece? she thought, tapping it with her foot.
In each corner was a statue, only one looking even mostly complete. That one was missing its head and an entire shoulder along with everything attached to it. The one armed figure was holding a badly cracked orb in its remaining hand.
In the center of the room was yet another statue, somehow appearing undamaged except for a few cracks and missing chunks here and there. It was of a robed woman with her hands outstretched as if offering the items placed in them. The details of her face were completely worn away, but she seemed to be glaring a Jen for daring to interrupt the holy silence with her exclamation.
This all looks . . . so familiar.
The statue wasn't the only one looking at her. Surrounded by this wonderment, she hadn't noticed the others inside the chamber. Their was a man on the opposite side of the room. He was rather nondescript and didn't hold her interest for long. It was the pair in the middle, inspecting the disapproving sculpture that did.
"Satornil! Makrina!" Matthew called out in a whisper. He too had realized how wrong it felt to speak loudly.
Satornil turned around with a grin and beckoned him over, not wanting to speak unless needed either.
Her cousin had definitely changed. Always including her in the past, he paid her nearly no mind at all now, going straight to his new friends. Jen stood by herself, feeling rather out of place. It wasn't something she enjoyed.
She tried not listening to what the black haired man was saying to Matthew, but in the quiet room even their whispers were loud. As much as she wanted to stay in the chamber, the feeling of being excluded drove her out though the other door. He won't even notice. It was a bitter thought. He spends all year with them and doesn't miss me a bit, but as soon as he gets back he can't wait to see them again?! Fine! Those were angry thoughts.
Bam!
That was a stupid bench some moron put in the middle of the hallway. It was stupid, but Jen sat down on it anyway, massaging her knee, muttering her "angry words".
Someone put their hand on her shoulder. She tensed up so fast, she couldn't breathe. "Are you alright, miss?" Great, I nearly jump out of my skin because of him, and he just wants to know if I'm alright. A shiver went down her spine.
She quickly brushed his hand off and hurriedly stood up. "I'm fine," she replied, turning to face him. And saw the most amazing pair of eyes. Got to be contacts. Only cats have eyes that color. She had expected an old guy because of the "miss" but Satornil looked older than him, and he was twenty-one.
"Well, it certainly looks like you are." What…? Hey, the pain's gone! "Alright then, bye," he said before walking away to join his companion who actually was an old guy. She studied the pair scrutinizing over a pair of tablets, talking with muted voices.
What was his deal? He had been looking at her as if he knew her. Not a "Haven't I seen you in science class?" knowing, a big knowing. But she sure as heck didn't know him. There was no way she would forget a guy with blue hair. Maybe he was stalking her! I have got to stop thinking. I'm creeping myself out.
"Jen!" Matthew cried out, bursting through the doorway and dashing to her side. "You should go off like that; Mom would kill me if I lost you!"
Even though she was scowling, she grinned inwardly. Some things never change. "It's not like I'm going to get kidnapped here."
He took a long look at the blue haired guy before replying in a hushed voice, "I've seen him before. He's . . . weird. He was at Doc- uh, Dr. Crade's library and pulled some funny stuff. Stay away from him."
Was he trying to frighten her or something? "Ok, ok."
"Promise me." There was a look in his eyes she had never seen there before. Matthew was scared. And if Matthew was scared of this guy, then she should be too.
"Promise," she pledged, studying the person that could make her cousin freak out like this. Wait a sec. "Hey, isn't that Ol' Crade he's talking to?"
"What?! It is him. How…?"
Crade turned from the tablet he had been studying as the other spoke to him. "Hey, Matthew."
What the? Crade knows him by name?
Stranger still was how Matthew answered. "Hey, Doc." Doc?! "What's, uh, going on?" he asked with a nod at Crade's new friend.
Crade and his friend gave each other a look before answering in unison: "It's complicated."
"I'd still like to hear it," her cousin persisted.
"Hear about what?" asked a woman with a strong accent. Great. Jen turned to face the pair and got her first real look at them.
The first thing that she thought of when she saw Makrina was: If her sister looks half as beautiful as she does, I wouldn't blame Matthew for going out with her just for that. With long, flowing blond hair curling lightly at the ends, her over-all frame, close-to-perfect face and impressive eyes, it was a wonder why she wasn't a model. Jen knew at least one reason why Satornil liked her.
Speaking of Satornil, he was . . . tall. Standing beside Makrina, he looked tall. Makrina was a good three inches taller than Jen. And Makrina came up to his chin at best. His slightly curly brown-black hair rose up a little, like a natural mohawk, giving him even more height or at least the illusion of it. His black eyes swept from face to face, trying to see who would answer his crush's question. His gaze finally landed on the blue haired guy.
Who was looking like he was arguing with someone inside his head. That's . . . freaky. He gave a slight nod, as if he agreed with the voice or voices. "Who are you?"
………
Satornil was rather taken aback by the man's behavior. Even so, he answered. "Satornil Dolgorukii. Who are you?"
"I am Picard Piers." Piers went back to his mental debate, his eyes never leaving Sat's face.
That's . . . unnerving.
Piers appeared to have come to some sort of conclusion. "I wish to keep this conversation private. If you and your companion would excuse us?"
Satornil's mind raced, trying to find a reason for staying. He came up empty. Makrina's silence proved she had nothing too. Reluctantly, he nodded. "Meet us back inside when you're done," he told Math. With that, the pair turned about and went back into the exhibit.
Two quick steps inside, the pain hit him again. He instinctually grabbed at his left shoulder, its temporary tenderness turning the protective contact into an assault. A gasp escaped him through gritted teeth. "Dolgorukii, what's wrong?" He transferred his grip to his elbows, hoping the tenseness in his crossed arms would stop the pain. It'll stop, it'll stop, it'll stop…
"Stay there. Don't move." That did not sound good. Sat turned his head slightly for a view of the man ordering them. Definitely not good. He had a gun. And less importantly, in the other hand was a glass-cutter. A thief!
And of course Matthew chose that moment to come on in. "Wha- aah!" From there things only got worse. And it happened fast.
The old man and the girl followed in before taking notice of the metal weapon. Piers, who had been right behind them, either unaware or unafraid of the gun, kept walking towards the man, trying to calm him down.
The group was set up like this: Satornil, Makrina, Matthew, the old guy and the girl were clustered by one door with Satornil very much in pain. Piers and the theif were on opposite sides of the center statue. Piers made to go around –
Bang!
The man fired.
The girl screamed.
Piers fell to the floor with a gasp of breath.
And… glowed.
A red blur zoomed out of him, racing to get behind the attacker. Once behind, it did a 180° and blasted back. To miss by a millimeter as the man moved ever so slightly, completely unaware of the close shave.
Its momentum carried it forward. It crashed into the relic that immediately broke at the place of impact. Both statue and blur continued their movement, the blur landing on the girl's head and the statue heavily tumbled onto Piers' legs.
An alarm went off. Matthew's cousin was yelling, "Get it off! Get it off!" The gunman fled as the sound of a security guard's pounding footsteps met his ears.
Over all the noise of panic and the alarm, plus his own pain, it was a wonder that Satornil heard it. It was one word, choked out by Piers, drained and light-headed from blood-loss. "Lemuria…"
Blue rings of light surrounded him, spreading outwards. The floor lurched under Satornil's feet as the loops enveloped the group and fromed a glowing sphere. With a cry, he fell onto the wooden floor. He squezed his eyes shut.
Despite that fact that it seemed to be spinning around him, the world went eerily calm. There was a smell though. One that he couldn't recognize immediately.
Then the sound came back: "What the…?" "Oh. My. God. Where the heck are we?!" "Picard! Picard, wake up!" "Get it off of me!"
Despite himself, Satornil opened his eyes. He saw the sky. The open clear sky. And the smell… He smelled salt water. He sat up and saw the wooden floor for what it really was: a deck. He was on a ship. In not even thirty seconds, he had gone from a peaceful day, to being shot at, to being on a boat in the middle of the ocean!
A quick look told him that everyone else, minus the robber was there. Whereever here is.
Matthew was attempting to get whatever it was off of his cousin without actually touching it. Makrina and the old man were inspecting Piers who still had the statue ontop of him. Besides that he looked fine… Until Makrina stopped blocking his view.
He ran to the side and puked up what felt like everything he had ever eaten. It could've been that Satornil got seasick easily.
It also could've been the blood seeping of out of Piers' body.