Konichiwa.
YouJustGotRapedInTheTooth: My editor wants to know what's up with your name.
Phantom Meta-Human: You return! Don't you ever leave me alone? JK. Uber means... super, awesome...1337.
NOTE(S):
- Dominick says things funny. Contrary to my Editor's belief, I'm having major typos.
- I do not own SSBM, Fire Emblem, or any other Nintendo video games, or any of the characters, etc. in those games (IE: Marcus is a real character). But, I do own every Player in this story.
XXX
Chapter 2: Avatar Issues
XXX
"Snowy.... Here girl..." Ferrah made smacking noises with her lips, patting her lap. Her kitten bounded loyally onto her blue jean shorts in a chorus of high bells. Ferah leaned over her cat and took another sip of Earlgray tea.
"I thought her name was Fern." Selena mumbled, looked down through her own porcelain cup, wrapped between slim, silver-ringed fingers. She had never had tea before, even British tea. She pulled the tea-bag out by the string and put it on a small platter.
"Her full name is Snow Fern. Her fur is like snow, and her green eyes like a fern buried in the snow." Ferah at first didn't like the tea as well, but it was addictive, like chocolate, or in Selena's case, Pokemon.
Selena took a sip. It had a bland taste of some sort of flower, with sugar and a little flavoring in it. "Great." She said, as she spit it back into the cup subtly. She looked back up at Ferah as she dabbed her lipgloss with the tip of a napkin. "Snow Fern. That's lovely, isn't it."
Ferah shrugged. The ladies sat at the table, crossed legged and sipping tea, while Dominick was on the couch, doing something on his laptop, hitting keys and moving the mouse eloquently with his ebony hands. He sat next to Aaron, who was watching a baseball game on TV. Kaze was out on the balcony, sitting on a white lawn chair and reading a large Stephen King book.
"Achoo!" Aaron sneezed, and grabbed another tissue to blow his nose with. The TV table was littered with magazines and tissues.
"I'm not touching anything on that table until you sterilize it." Said Selene, fixing the twin clips on the right side of her head.
Ferah's hair was up in high, messy double buns. Her hair kept tumbling and poking out, but she didn't bother to fix it. "It's fine, Selene."
"Actually, it's better than fine." Said Aaron, a little stuffed up. "You look like a beautiful sunflower goddess."
"That's daisy goddess." Said Selene, fixing the other side.
Ferah turned to Aaron. "I'm really sorry about the cat thing... It's my fault. But I can't leave Fern home right now. I promise I'll go get some allergy medicine for you."
"We can go get it later when we go out for lunch." Said Selene.
"Mmm, lunch! I'm starving!" Said Dominick, looking up from his screen. He had been playing Halo online.
"Dominick, you can't always be starving, you know." Said Ferah, getting up to put her cat away in the girls' room. "Starving means when you're so hungry that you're close to death."
"Well, I em!" Said Dominick rather proudly.
Aaron laughed as he blew his nose in an over-used tissue.
"Remind me to get more tissues for you, too..." Ferah said.
There was a sudden BAM against the wall, followed by a lot of laughter and other commotion. Fern leaped from Ferah's arms and zipped through the doorway. Ferah closed the door behind her.
"Looks like the other teams have already activated their Avatars." Said Aaron, flipping the TV off as Ichiro stepped up to bat for the Seattle Mariners.
"I 'hink it's about time we should too." Said Dominick excitedly. He put his laptop in standby and set it on the table.
Selena stood up, and pulled back her golden hair so everyone could see that her Avatar band was already on her slim brown neck.
Aaron adjusted his as Dominick failed to get his own over his head.
"I'll go get Kaze." Said Ferah, opening the unlocked glass door to the balcony. She took a step onto the cold concrete with her bare feet, and felt noise and wind rush into her. It felt good, although she got a profound whiff of raw fish from somewhere upwind.
Kaze sat under the shadow of the next floor's balcony, absorbed in his book. His feet were laid out in front of him, balanced on the edge of a pot holding a fig. He was wearing small, long glasses that narrowed his Japanese eyes.
She leaned on the edge of the railing, the wind billowing through the ruffles of her shirt. "We're activating our Avatars. Come on in."
Kaze slowly got up, folding the edge of his page so as to book-mark his place. He carefully placed the book on the chair and followed Ferah inside.
Aaron, Dominick, and Selene had moved back the TV table and pivoted the couch so they had more room. They were spread out evenly at given points. Kaze closed the sliding door behind them. He took a spot with his back to the window. Ferah took her spot in front of the fire place, parallel to the big screen TV.
Carefully, she pulled out her band, and slipped it over her head, feeling it come down to her neck. The box felt smooth and cool against her bare skin.
"You guys ready?" Asked Aaron. Everyone was anticipating this moment, nodding or smiling or just fingering their chip box.
"CYC." Murmured Kaze, the first to venture.
"CYC!" Said Dominick, who could barely contain his excitement and a straight face.
"CYC." Whispered Selena, looking at the space in front of her like she was about to meet her grandmother's ghost.
"CYC!" Said Aaron, proudly, louder than Selena.
"...CYC." Said Ferrah at last, feeling a heat rise up in her throat. It felt tingly, like there was contemplation at work in that small little box. It spread through her chest and around her lips and slipped through her eyes.
A thin mist filled the room, starting in front of everyone and thickening as it reached the center of the five-point star. Ferah could hear a grandfather clock toll mischievously from the hotel's halls outside their suite, but could not care less.
It was the first time she had ever seen anyone quite like Roy.
He formed a little more than four inches away from her own face, and seemingly fell backwards, maybe tripping over the rug that was laid on top of the suite's carpet.
On the ground he looked around, his eyes still closed. His cloak fell softly after him, like something from a dramatic medieval story. It was draped around his shoulders and over his chest in a bundle of folds. He wore ornate green shoulder and chest armor, ringed golden and with many different panels for direct-combat support. His undershirt was brown, also touched with gold stripe down the middle, that ran into a thick, lazy belt. The buckle of the belt was a tiger, roaring at Ferah or whomever his adversary might be. His boots were large and rose up to his knees, where at his calves were triple-buckled. His sword was connected to his belt, slung horizontally between his back and his cloak.
As the mist disappeared, he opened his eyes.
They were like dark water crystals, like glass and like the sky between evening and midnight. He met her eyes first, but darted around as he looked at his surroundings. Where was he? His soft face brought out his chestnut and Macintosh-apple hair. He wore a headband that seemed to be merely decorative as he brushed his hair out of his eyes. It fell stubbornly back into place.
Ferah leaned over and extended her hand. He grabbed it thankfully and pulled himself up. She had to yank a little, he was heavy with such battle armor on. When he stood, he looked just as mystified as Ferah. She didn't know what to think.
He rose at least one head taller than her, so that she saw the reflection of her face in his chest armor. He backed up a little so he could examine the girl, at least two years younger than himself.
"Hello." The two turned around as they heard Princess Daisy introduce herself to a frozen Selena. There was a chorus of beeps from Mr. Game and Watch to Dominick, who firstly hugged him. Aaron was already showing Link how to bump fists. And Kaze and Fox... They just stared at each other. Finally, Fox was the first one to give in. He extended a hand, and they shook upon agreeing something. Probably that Aaron was an idiot.
"Hello." Said Roy, finally, the first one to stop watching the others. He kept his eye on Ferah, who was mystified at seeing a real Link. He was a little taller than Roy, and wore extensive weaponry.
Ferah turned back to Roy, at a loss of words. He had the clothes of a prince, but the face and voice of any young man. "Hello." She said, and folded her fingers at her lap like a schoolgirl.
"My name is Roy. I venture here forth and always by your side from Pharae Castle to become your Avatar. And you are...?" He said, in a slur of words, rather mechanical. Funny, he didn't seem like he could be CG or virtual or whatever at all.
"My name's Ferah." She didn't look up. She couldn't. It was weird to look into the eyes of a computer project and receive such attention.
"Lady Fell of..." He didn't seem to be looking directly at her. He was looking at the picture above the fireplace, the patterns on the carpet at their feet.
"Ferah of... Sacramento?" She said, kind of bewildered. Now that he wasn't looking directly at her, she could look up. He seemed a little short for his age, maybe sixteen, and fragile underneath his bulky armor. But he held his stature boldly, like a warrior.
"Ah." He looked back at her. Ferrah fidgeted and looked somewhere else again... at Selena, who was finally beginning to warm up to Princess Daisy. "Lady Ferah of Sacramento." He suddenly stooped into a bow. "Well met."
Ferah looked at the empty screen of the TV. Didn't she just see her brother playing Roy in SSBM a month ago? "Yes. Well... met, Lord Roy of Pharae."
"I swear. Intensive AI, he said. And it was the truth." Said Selena, feet neatly tucked under her as she sat on the floor. In her slim fingers were her GBA DS and Pokemon Leaf Green. Directly above her on the couch, Daisy was braiding her hair, her dainty white gloves discarded on the table.
Kaze had gone back out on the balcony to read his book. Fox had gone with him, to read the newspaper. None of the other Avatars seemed as inquisitive or startled as Roy about their new surroundings.
Dominick was playing Halo with Mr. Game and Watch. Ferah thought he was the strangest thing... this two-toned (black and white), two-dimensional stick figure with a large nose and no eyes, and yet it could see, think, learn, and kick Dominick's ass.
Aaron was sleeping on the couch, his allergies catching up with him again. Link could have stored himself in Aaron's cellphone, but just sat on Ferah's left as they watched the Halo Sidewinder match.
Ferah liked the idea of someone to get her mind off Roy. So far, all they had said to each other was their first introductions. Ferah felt uncomfortable around him, so she just sat on the couch, hugging a pillow (that Aaron hopefully hasn't sneezed onto).
"You're an elf, right?" She asked of Link.
"Uh... yeah, sorta..." Link said. He had very slanted, blue eyes, and his golden hair was more distressed than Roy's.
"Are you related to Legolas?" Ferah asked excitedly.
"Who?" Asked Link. "I haven't heard of..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
"Leave him alone." Said Selena. "He doesn't know what you're talking about."
"Oh... are you sure?" Persisted Ferah.
He raised his eyebrow and just stared at her. She stared back, leaning in closely.
"Leave me alone." He said, shaking his head slightly as he was afraid to take his eyes of Ferah. She could attack at any given moment.
"Do you make cookies? Like, Keeblercookies?"
"My God Ferah, leave him alone!" Selena wrapped the end of her braid with a rubber band. She switched places with Daisy, who took off her tiny crown and placed it with her gloves on the table. Selena handed over her GBA DS and pointed out that she "better not save". Selena then took her brush off the table and began combing through Daisy's wavy locks.
Link scooted away from Ferah as Ferah returned her attention to the match. Mr. Game and Watch was in the lead by quite a few kills.
Ferah remembered Link was the Hero of Time and was suddenly glad the team had decided to confiscate all weapons until it was necessary. Roy, Link, and Fox were a little reluctant to give throw their weaponry into a pile, but Kaze prompted them.
A short, loud purr announced the arrival of Fern as the kitten hopped onto Roy's lap. He looked a little shocked, but held out his hand timidly. She looked at it, gave it a whiff, and began licking his glove. Soon, she was rubbing her whisker roots against him, and tunneling herself in his lap.
"What? How did you get out?" Asked Ferah rhetorically.
Aaron sneezed. "Dammit..." He said, and rolled over, tugging the blanket with him.
"Oh, that reminds me." Said Ferah, getting up and taking Fern with her. She didn't know what Roy would do to her kitten. "We were gonna go out for lunch, weren't we?" She checked her cellphone. It was 12:34. "It's late. Let's go."
Roy looked a little sad to see Fern leave. Ferah unintentionally sent him a motherly defensive look.
"Yeah." Said Dominick, who was trying to steer away from ending the game with him in a sad second place. "I'm starving."
Aaron threw off the sheets and blew his nose in a wad of toilet paper, pulling up his hood. "You were starving a few hours ago." He said.
"And I still em!" he said, bundling up the controllers. Mr. GaW beeped in chorus. Dominick, although a little sour that he was losing, liked the idea of someone always agreeing with him. "See? MG is hungry too."
"How can you tell?" Asked Ferah, as soon as she was sure Fern was secure in the girl's room.
"We can't possibly take them out wearing clothes like these." Said Selena, as she finished up Daisy's hair wrap. Her hair was so impossibly thick, it looked a little over-proportionate to her head.
"Huh? What's wrong with my clothes?" Said Daisy.
Selena smiled peacefully. "Nothing. Just a little different, that's all."
Was that what Roy was? A little different?
"We could buy them normal clothes at the mall." Said Aaron, pulling the drawstrings of his hood so you couldn't see much of his hair.
"We don't have money for both new clothes and food for all eight of us. Do they need to eat or not?" Ferah asked, checking her cellphone for messages. "So... How is it?!" It was Dameon.
"Well, why are you asking me?" Questioned Selena as she watched Daisy put on her tiny, lace gloves, then her mini-crown.
Ferah turned around, summoning courage to ask Roy a simple question. She turned back around and searched everyone and their Avatars, her eyes widening. "Where is he?"
Ferah tore down the hall, followed closely by her team mates and their Avatars. As she turned the corner, she bumped into someone's broad chest and fell down. Wincing, she looked up. "Bloody..." She started.
Cassandra looked down on her, short hair poking out from behind her ears under her flat coffee-colored hat. She held a large brown bag with the McDonalds slogan on it and the smell of salty French Fries lofted around her. Ferah's stomach rumbled.
"What the hell?" Said the pale Madison from behind her, stopping short and almost running into Cassandra.
"Watch where you're going." Cassandra barked. Behind her stood a taller, slimmer and definitely more angelic Zelda, looking at Ferah sympathetically, although she did not step out of place.
"Sorry." Said Ferah unenthusiastically. Selena helped her up as the team caught up with her.
Link looked at Zelda. "Hello." He said, blushing and looking away awkwardly.
"Oh, hi Aaron." Said Cassandra, dropping her bitchy tone. "Where are you guys off to?"
Aaron sniffed and fiddled with his hood. "Roy's gone missing. Have you seen him?"
"Has Ferah here lost her Avatar? Has it run away?" Cassandra teased, looking at Ferah like a child.
"He's not a dog." Said Selena. Ferah found it difficult to completely disagree. He had run away, much like Van's Black Lab did when Van had been taken to the hospital.
"Whatever." Shrugged Cassandra.
"So, did you see him?" Asked Dominick, looking up at Cassandra.
"No, we didn't, sorry." Said Zelda peacefully from behind Cassandra. Cassandra shot her a glance.
Ferah dusted her shorts off. "Okay, thanks anyway." She said to Zelda. They hustled off the way they came.
"If you see him, tell us." Said Daisy, waving at Zelda as they followed after her.
Ferah sighed, and rested to catch her breath. The five of them had separated to search each floor of the hotel.
She took a seat on the thick, carpeted stairs. Was she so bad at this stupid game that she had lost her Avatar? She had already checked her cellphone and the rooms, as well as Dominick's laptop.
Selena caught up with her, also breathing heavily. "I just received a call from Kaze. He thinks Roy might have gone back to your Dreamscape."
Ferah sighed. She should have thought of that sooner. "Okay, let's head back."
"I thought we were all gonna go together." Said Aaron. They sat, scattered between chairs and the couch of their suite's main room.
"It doesn't matter. We'll start at different places." Said Kaze.
"Not if we use our adapter... we can start at our Training Grounds." Replied Aaron.
"It's okay. I'll just go by myself." Said Ferah, checking the clock. It was getting late. Her stomach hurt from hunger, and she was sure the others were hungry too. "You guys go get a late lunch."
"I don't know about letting you go by yourself." Said Selena, shaking her head.
"I thought you're supposed to go with your Avater...?" Said Dominick, checking the data from the disks on his laptop.
"I don't have much of a choice." Said Ferah. "Look, I can use my cellphone there, can't I, Dominick?"
He nodded.
"Then I'll just call you if something bad happens." She said, getting up. Without a response from the rest of the team, she left to the girls' room and shut the door tightly behind her.
Ferah took a deep breath, and looked down at her feet. They were bare. She had thrown off her black scandals in a rush when she had reentered the suite. Would she be barefoot in the virtual world?
She seized her cord off the mini-table and unbound it. She then inserted one end into an electrical outlet near the table and the other to the right side of her chip box.
Her body fell in a heap onto the floor with a thud, her eyes shut tightly.
Ferah felt the rushing of wind, water, and the heat of fire driving through her body like she was but a heron's feather. Her breathing was loud, as if she was having asthma, and her heartbeat was even louder.
When she found she could finally open her eyes, she found she was mid air, descending rapidly towards a small castle. Around the castle she could see forests and other castles, towns, valleys, snow-capped mountains. Above her was a starry, near space, where ships and space-stations floated peacefully.
She kept descending, the castle rapidly became larger and larger. Before she hit the earth of a perfectly green, grassy plain, she slowed, and neatly landed on one bare foot, then the other. As the wind blew from the mountains, she looked around, and checked herself. Her clothes, her cellphone, her shoe-less feet, and her Avatar band were all neatly in check, although she was no longer connected to an outlet by a wire.
She adjusted the spaghetti strap of her tank top, which had slipped down, and readjusted her hair. Everything felt so real. She could feel the sun shining on her bare shoulders, and hear the water of the lake flowing to the wind down the eastern bordering hills. By that lake were two small villages surrounded by wooden walls.
Ferah pulled a wisp of brown hair from her mouth and looked up at the castle. She heard clanging noises from nearby, so she snuck down the courtyard. Peeking from around the corner of a small building, she saw a large, stone, plateau-like platform, of which infantry and cavalry were fighting upon. Their armor was similar to Roy, but in their own ways varied.
Her attention was drawn to the corner as she saw a man fall off his steed. On the stone, he rubbed his elbow. "Damn." He looked up. His sparing partner stood in front of him on his horse. Both the rider and the steed appeared bored. His armor was deep purple, similar to his hair, which was a light violet. He was old and battle worn, perhaps of seventy years.
The man extended a gloved hand. The fallen man accepted it, rubbing his left forearm. "You need to watch your arms. Because they aren't coated in armor, they are a vulnerable spot that will be a target for your opponent." The elderly man said, like his opponent was but a child.
The man frowned. "Right." He said, as he scrambled back onto the saddle of his horse.
"Let's begin again." The elderly man said, and withdrew a long, silver lance. The younger man took out his axe and began striking. If Ferah had been familiar with Fire Emblem Weapon's Triangle, she would have known that the elderly man was giving the other man an exceptional advantage.
The men zipped through the air, maneuvering their horses as they had been their entire life. They were completely absorbed by their battle, although highly unaware of the infantry around them. However, they never trampled them or bumped into them.
Suddenly, those narrow eyes flashed Ferrah's way. She jumped backwards from behind the corner, and tripped on a sprouting root. She began scrambling backwards madly.
"You there! Show yourself!"
"Ohh..." She whined, mostly at herself for being so stupid. She tried to think of a good story real fast as he heard him jump from the saddle and come her way. Who was she? A friend of Roy? It didn't seem like it would work.
He turned the corner and picked her up by the shoulders. He had a tight grip, and since her shoulders were bare, he bruised her. She rubbed her shoulders, and looked down.
"Who are you, kid?" He seemed confused by her clothes. "What were you doing watching our matches?"
"Um... nothing." Stuttered Ferrah. "I was just wandering around the... yard... I'm... a friend of Roy's." She blurted out, uncontrolled.
"Lord Roy is not here right now. What business do you have, and from where are you from and when did Roy meet you?" He insisted. This man seemed to see right through her lie.
"I've come... to rest at Pharae. I met Roy... when he was traveling. To wherever he is right now. Or going to." She stumbled over the words, which she took the man's silence to examine. They were pathetic.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and hoisted her up as two soldiers retired from training and came to his aid. "You tell lies. Until we can confirm where you are from or what you're doing here, you can stay in the cells." He said, and shoved Ferrah over to the men with one strong arm. Her bare feet stumbled and she nearly fell, but one of the men grabbed her, unfortunately by the neck. She winced in pain. How could she feel pain here?
No match for their strength, Ferrah continued to struggle as they dragged her inside the castle.
Ferah could see the sun setting from behind her window's bars. It was the only light here. Her cell was dank and moist and smelt as if a man had perished here recently. She winced.
Hunger was beginning to surface again. Her stomach felt like the acid was burning through it. She sighed, and put her hand on it as she sulked over to the wall and slid down. As she dropped, her free hand touched something furry. It dashed away and slipped through a gap in the bricks of the outside wall. She screamed. Her scream echoed through the darkness. Someone told her to shut up.
She rubbed her hands on her shorts and hugged herself. She had dressed for the summer, but here, as the sun disappeared, the temperature dropped harshly. Her shorts and tank-top were no help for her now, and her feet were still bare. The only warmth she could feel was from the chip box on her Avatar band, humming gently.
She knew that if she turned the chip box to the left, she would awaken back in the hotel room. But she didn't like the idea of running. Ferah knew that running would only make it worse. It was the same with lying, and just look where that had gotten her. Would it have been better if she just explained everything?
Carefully, she touched her shoulders, then winced. They were black-and-blue. Feeling cold and pain in this world... it was real. Like the emotions she was feeling. That old brute. She stared at the stone flooring. Didn't he know he shouldn't treat girls that way? He had called her a child. Who would use a child as a spy, anyway? ...such a jerk...
She took out her red cellphone, and began cycling through her phonebook for Selene's number. Megan... Ren... Sean...
There was commotion in the corner, beyond her bars. She pocketed her cellphone and ran over to the cold bars. There was a light as someone stepped down the curved stairs and under the low ceiling. It was Roy.
"Roy!" Said Ferah, very glad to see him and embracing the light.
Behind him were the elderly warrior and the man who worked the cells. He seemed so in place with them. This is where he belonged. He was their prince.
The cell man went through some keys and found her cell's, then unlocked the door. She walked out, and he closed the door behind her. She looked at Roy, ashamedly. What was it like, to come home and find her in jail?
"I am sorry I did not believe you immediately." Said the violet-haired man, as if he had sudden thoughts to begin with. However, it was obvious he didn't totally trust Ferah. He slowly swooped into a graceful bow. "My name is Marcus."
So, Marcus is his name. Thought Ferah sinisterly.
Roy looked at Ferah expectantly.
"Oh." She whispered, and tried a curtsy. How was that supposed to work, without a dress?
Marcus got up and Ferah stiffened her back. The cell man went to attend other criminals. Ferah, Marcus, and Roy left the room, closing the thick wooden door behind them.
"Where the heck did you go?" Asked Ferrah. "We searched the entire hotel for you!" Roy had seen that she had gotten shoes. She looked at them now, instead of facing Roy. They were white boots that went up to her knees. The heels were about two inches high and narrowed to a mild point.
"I went after your pet. I thought that since the other room's door was open, that was why it was escaping." He said.
They were alone, in the darkening courtyard. The castle's lights were lovely, shining on the petals of the flowers. Ferah took no notice of this however, hovering over him like he was a child. He sat down on a stone bench and replied to her calmly.
"We looked in all of the rooms of our suite. You weren't there!" Ferah continued.
Roy shook his head. "When I went into one of your rooms, the windows were open, and your cat was on a ledge. I went out to get it."
"Why didn't you just tell me! I would have helped..."
Roy's clean face displayed close emotions of anger, but turned into frustration. "You seem to distrust me a lot. You seem to distrust the elf, too. I thought if I could get the cat back without your help, then you would trust me. I wanted to prove to you that I wouldn't hurt Fern."
When he said her cat's name, she felt suddenly ashamed. "Look, I don't have problems with Avatars. It's just that I don't get why I have to befriend a computer program to win this contest." She said, consoling down a little.
Roy felt the contrary. "I don't understand what this 'computer program' is and I don't know what by Elemine is going on! I don't know why I'm your Avatar, and I don't know why you're my Player! I don't even know how I know this information!" He rubbed his hair. "I've never seen a cat before, and I don't know if I eat your food, because I don't know what you eat!"
Ferah could do nothing but shake her head. AI could be dangerous if the computer was confused. "How can you not know why you are my Avatar? You're just... programmed that way."
"I don't understand this 'programmed'. What is it?" He shook his head. "I'm not some 'computer program', as far as I know. I'm just..." He paused. Just a prince, just a half-dragon. "I'm sorry, but I've got more important priorities than helping you win this game. My father is dying and I've got to rule the kingdom in his place."
"I'm not in this stupid contest because I want to. I don't even play video games! I'm here because it's my brother's last wish of me." She said, biting her lip. His problems seemed greater, but her conscience was telling her that her problems were more important. His were fake.
"I'm sorry about your brother." He said quietly.
"Then I'm sorry about your dad." Replied Ferah, taking a seat on the opposite side of the cold stone bench. In the silence, she stretched her legs and arms in pairs, then looked up.
She searched the sky and the nearby forest with her green eyes. Silence ensued as both of them wandered in their own thoughts.
Poor Roy. His father his dying. Then he'll have to run his kingdom by himself... No. How can I feel sorry about his dad? His dad isn't dying. His dad isn't living. He isn't living. Thought Ferah, staring unintentionally at the dark of the nearby forest.
Roy seemed to see her reconsideration in her eyes, and his mouth tightened. Straying from the idea, he too looked into the forest. "Kokiri Forest." He said.
"Yea, so I've heard." Said Ferah. Her stomach rumbled uncomfortably, so she stood up to exercise it. "I suppose I've got to head back." She said, checking her cellphone for the time. It was 8:13. She hadn't really come up with a solution to their problems, but she didn't really want to think about this anymore. She felt both real guilty and arrogant.
Roy stood up too. "Alright. I'll come too." He halfheartedly said.
Ferah assumed he was just trying to be a gentleman and shook her head. "Nah. You stay here." She said, smiling feebly. "And attend to your father."
Roy nodded. "Be sure to go back to your home, then. Don't linger here. It's dangerous." He said, before heading towards a door on the castle wall.
"Alright." Once he was out of sight, Ferah sat back down on the bench, and stretched out onto her back. It was still cold out, and the stone even icier against her almost-bare back.
It didn't make sense to her. Did Roy actually have a reality? Did he wake up, every day, and follow a schedule, just like she did? What was it like, to suddenly find yourself somewhere different, saying things you never knew you knew, and being expected to follow some kid around?
Her attention was suddenly drawn to very small, orbed lights in the distance of the gloomy trees. They were different neon and pastel colors, leaving a wake of glitter behind them as they flew in dance. The ringing of bells and the laughter of children crescendoed as the sun began to set.
Ferah sat up. Was that Fern's bell, on her collar? And the laughter, children teasing her? When Roy rescued Fern, did he take her back here instead of the suite? She started to walk over slowly. It was night time, and the dark was menacing. But the lights still danced, and the bells still rung. Ferah couldn't let Fern run around the forest, especially in a virtual world.
"Snowy..." She called as she explored further into the tree-cover, her light getting fainter and fainter.
"Snowy?" She beckoned, trying to use her own voice as assurance that she wasn't alone. She smacked her lips, and pat her lap. "...Snowy..." She sang.
All of a sudden, something rustled underneath her. As it surfaced, it threw her aside. She fell to her knees, and assumed it was nothing but an earthquake. But as the rustling continued, she scrambled back up onto her feet and slowly retreated, so her back was again a thin tree. In the dark, she couldn't see much more than silhouettes. More of the things moved by her feet. They were like tentacles, shoving themselves up from the leaf-covered earth. One of the tentacles grabbed her, and sharp teeth pierced her flesh. At first, she was suspended in shock, but as she was thrown into the tree she awoke and screamed in pain, tearing it off and backing further away. More of the tentacles were spouting out of the ground, coming for her with the razor teeth.
"Spear... Arrow." Someone said from a very dark nearby.
A blurr shot in front of Ferrah's face, striking one of the tentacles that were sneaking up behind her. More arrows shot by, striking more of the tentacles.
As the arrows struck their targets, the archer moved closer, jumping lightly from branch to branch, bringing with her one of the orbed lights Ferah had seen from the courtyard. In the neon pastel light, she could who her attackers actually were. They were thin roots, sprouting both leaves and a head of sharp teeth. One by one as the got hit, they shook their heads and shrank back into the earth.
"Brilliant..." Ferah breathed, her attention drawn to the floating orb and it's lovely light. The archer dropped to Ferah's right from a low branch of a near tree. She was but a child.
The girl dropped down, the blue of the orb throwing light against her face. She had dark green, curly hair flipping in and out around her face. The rest of her attire were different shades of green as well, a conservative mini dress and a sweater underneath. She wore high boots as well, and her eyes were a bright green.
"Oh my! Are you okay?" She asked, concern written all over her face.
Ferah was still in shock. She breathed a little more before answering. "Just... fine, thank you." She grabbed the girls shoulder's in a hug.
The girl seemed to tremble underneath her weakly. As Ferah let her go, the green-haired girl retired her bow and arrows back into a quiver slung on her back. The orb approached Ferah. She could now see luminescent, translucent butterfly wings. As the butterfly wings beat the air delicately, the glowing butterfly swerved around Ferah, examining her, and made a chorus of bell rings.
"Oh..." Said Ferah, as soon as the recognition that the bells were not Fern had reached her.
"You're right, Plui." The girl said. "I should know her, and I'm pretty sure I do."
Ferah gave her a quizzical look. She didn't recall ever meeting a girl with pointed ears. The other girl seemed to understand. "Survival." She said, the first she had said so strongly. A girl of about the same age as Ferah dropped out of the green-haired girl, stumbling a little. Ferah caught her by the shoulders and up righted her.
They smiled at each other, glad to see other Players about.
This new girl had orange-brownish hair, in messy pigtails that were lazily laid onto her shoulders. She had large, thin-rimmed glasses enlarging her small eyes.
"You're Ferah, right? The Roy Player." Her voice was very quiet and could barely be heard, even over the silence of the nighttime forest.
"Yeah. That's me. Who're you?" Ferah asked, watching the butterfly as it circled the three of them. A trail of glitter followed it.
"I'm Alice. This is Saria." She backed up, showing her the green-haired girl.
Saria smiled and waved cheerfully. "Hi!" She seemed to have a lot more freedom than Zelda under Cassandra.
"Hi..." Ferah replied.
Alice watched as Ferah's gaze followed the glowing orb. "This is Plui. He's my... or Saria's fairy."
"It's both of our's." Declared Saria loudly. She seemed very friendly and comfortable, unlike Alice, who was very quiet. Saria laid a gloved hand on Alice's shoulder.
Alice performed a weak smile for Saria, then turned back to Ferah. "How'd you end up here? This is my Dreamscape training ground. Taking a stroll around Pharae?" She searched the floor in case any more of the monsters came back up.
"I thought Plui's bells were my cat's. Kind of crazy, I know, but there's a reasoning to it." Said Ferah, shrugging.
Alice searched behind Ferah. "Where is your Avatar? Roy?"
Ferah looked down. "Back at the castle. I didn't really want him to come with me." She scratched her neck.
"Are you having troubles with him?" Asked Saria. "Is he treating you badly? Because if he's being a jerk I'll be sure to-"
"No, it's not that." Ferah tried to look up at the moon, but the tree cover was very thick. If there hadn't been light from Plui, she would have been utterly frightened, now that she knew there were things underneath her programmed to attack. "But what are you doing in the virtual world so late?" She asked, deciding she didn't really want to talk about the whole Roy's reality thing. Her head already hurt.
"Just hanging around Kokiri. Saria said I should come see what the fairies are like at night." Said Alice.
"That's cool." Ferah's stomach grumbled. "Look, I should go. I missed lunch and dinner. It was great meeting you guys though."
Alice smiled. "All right. Come visit me sometime, okay?"
Ferrah nodded, waved goodbye at the two girls, and then turned her chip box to the left.
Ferah awoke on her bed, on the sheets she didn't bother to fold earlier that morning. She scrambled for the lights and flicked them on. She was still wearing the white shoes, now caked with forest underbrush. Sitting back down on her bed, she fingered the stitching down the sides. So... real. However, the bite on her arm and the bruises on her shoulders had disappeared.
She opened the door to the main room. There was a dim light from the corner. Kaze was there, reading his book, with Fox, sprawled out on the couch, beginning to sleep. Daisy and Selena were there, snug in blankets and sitting back-to-back, playing Pokemon on twin GBA DSes. Aaron's snoring could be heard from the open door of the boy's room. Link, Dominick, and MG were gone as well.
The door creaked loudly, revealing her entry. Selena got up in a start. "Oh! Are you okay?" She asked, just like Alice. She could see Ferah was drained. Fox seemed to awaken, and Daisy gazed up from Pokemon, which was obviously beginning to bore her. Even Kaze looked up.
Ferah said nothing. There was left-over Chinese food on the TV table.
"How are you?" Asked Fox.
Everyone seemed to know of the matter. She didn't look their way, but felt their eyes tracing her to the table. She collapsed onto her knees and picked up a pair of wooden chopsticks, ravenously chowing down on the cold noodles.
XXX
Boy am I tired. And sad. Only two fans?
Special Thanx to my Editor, XaNGrrR.
-SK