Midnight stared at Yumi, wide eyed. "You- Really- You- WHAT?" Stuttered out Midnight. Strawberry chuckled behind him and Midnight whipped around and glared at her.
"Oi! The elf who wants to join the gang is over here! She is most definitely not the wit – mage behind you." Midnight turned back to Yumi. She had sounded like she was going to say . . . well not say mage. But what word begins with- oh. Midnight just got it. Yumi was going to call Berry witch.
He grit his teeth and smiled. "You wanna join? Awesome!" He pulled Yumi's wrist into the house and before she could fully recover he whispered in her ear "But first things first, Berry is not a witch."
He pulled away and waved over Strawberry "Hey Berry"-She glared at him-"Time to go." Strawberry nodded and pulled on the white jacket.
As she walked over, Midnight noticed the jacket was torn and frayed, but still wearable. Yumi regarded Berry with stern eyes, then smiled and lead them back to town.
"Your, I mean our first mission is to find the source of the power outages that happen randomly throughout town. Easy 'nough anyone have any ideas?" Berry signed to Yumi 'me.' "No? Okay. Guess we'll just have to take a shot in the dark then." Yumi sighed out.
Midnight tried not to show it but the elf ticked him off at that moment. As Yumi day dreamed about where the heck the problem was originating from, Berry pulled on Midnight's shirt. He turned to her and she signed 'The Nasod Mines. . . Add could never get a good signal to the rest of the gang when we were there.'
Midnight smiled at her and pat her head. "Yumi, what about the nasod mines. . .?"
"Oh yes! That's a great idea!"
"It's not my idea. Berry remembered that Add could never get a signal to the rest of the gang while they were there."
Yumi turned around with an angry expression and Berry flinched back, still holding on to his shirt. "Let's just . . . go. . ." Midnight said in barely over a whisper. "Berry lead the way, you've been to the mines before right?" Berry nodded and walked in front of the knight and the ranger.
"How, do you stand her?" Midnight glared at Yumi and held a flame to her chin, it licked her skin in what Midnight assumed was pain. He extinguished the flame and followed after Berry, Yumi on his heels.
~x0x~
Strawberry looked around the mines and Midnight saw disgust painted on her face. He walked up to her side, Yumi only a little bit behind her on her other side.
"Nasods? Please? The only things here are rusted or corrupted." Yumi said glaring in disgust at a vine that dripped . . . oil? That's oil.
Berry walked slowly in to the mines, Yumi stayed behind glaring at the mining cavern. Midnight stepped on something that sounded like metal under his feet. "Eugh, a nasod." Strawberry looked behind her and signed 'Itsa' healer. Good thing it's out, if any of these things are still activated, this mission would be a lot harder.'
"How so?"
'It's in their name Night, they would heal the miners. Pesky things they are.'
She signed chuckling. "I see . . . So, you fought these with . . . Divide . . .?" Berry glared at Midnight. 'Add.'
"Oh yeah . . . Add . . ."
Midnight didn't know why he was upset because Berry hung out with some long dead maniac, but he just cared.
Berry ran straight through the mines, she must have an idea of what's causing the power outages.
"Yumi! I think Berrys' onto somethin'!" Midnight called across the cave and soon the elf joined him.
"Which way?"
Midnight ran in the same direction as Berry, Yumi hot on his heels.
~x0x~
They reached the end of the mines in what felt like forever to the Magic Knight. At the end of the mines were huge double doors that were a dark, navy green and were rusted closed.
"No way we're getting these open . . ." Yumi said.
'We sorta have to, the dynamos say the electric current is coming from here.'
"Welp, Witch, no way we getting those doors open."
Berry made a little humming noise in her throat and snapped. The doors open immediately and now the three could see a huge robot at least five times Midnight's height, it looked pretty old fashioned.
Sparks were flying out of it, that didn't seem to stop Berry though. She walked right up to it and commanded the little flying box things to do something.
After a minute all the lights in the mines went off and a small light lit up where Berry was standing.
She walked over to where Midnight supposed Yumi was and then walked over to Midnight himself. She grabbed the sleeve of his coat and a bright flash of light blinded him momentarily.
When he opened his eyes again, they were in front of the sheriff's home. Berry bent over clutching her stomach.
"Did . . . Did you just teleport?" Yumi said looking at Berry's hunched over form. Berry swallowed something, stood up straight and nodded.
"Cool."
Berry smiled at Yumi and knocked on Luna's door. She must have just gotten out of bed, she was in her pajamas.
"Oh my, did you solve the problem already?" She said looking around at the three teens.
'Yes, we did. Wally No. 8 MK2 was trying to power on and the mines were short circuiting, so all we had to do was shut the mines down using a transmitter that gave off electrical waves that could over power the original coding in his mother board. The amount of data in the electric wave made the mother board overcapacitate and well, explode.'
"English Strawberry! Do you speak it?!" Groaned out Yumi.
"What'd she say?"
"Um, we made it explode?"
"It looked a lot longer than that . . ."
"Don't worry about it!"
"Hmph, well that's our biggest and main problem, so you can do whatever you want."
Luna said waving them off and slamming the door shut.
"She can be a real female dog sometimes. Don't worry about her." Said Yumi smiling at Berry. Her mood just did a 180o degree flip.
"Come on then! We have to get to . . ."
'Altera.'
"Right! There!"
Berry giggled and pulled Yumi back to the house they were all living in for now. At dawn tomorrow, they will disembark for Altera.
~0~
Berry opened the door to the small shack and Midnight and Yumi plopped down on the couch.
She opened the cabinets and seemed to growl.
She turned around towards Midnight, 'YOU ATE THE JERKY?!'
"Yep! It was good too."
'What will I ever do you with you Night . . .'
"Kiss me cause Imma cool guy."
"Ha, in your dreams." Said Yumi and signed Berry at the same time.
"You injure me."
"Yep, we don't care."
"Haha! Don't be like that."
~x0x~
Yumi was asleep on the couch, Midnight was wrapped up like a burrito in his sleeping bag, and Berry? Berry wasn't in the house.
Ever since she started training in Henir, it became nightly tradition to sing a song or lullaby, sometimes even two, Glave wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise.
The night wind blew through her hair, it was cold and calming. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth.
Once I was seven years old, my mama told me,
"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely."
Once I was seven years old
It was a big big world, but we thought we were bigger
Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker
By eleven smoking herb and drinking burning liquor
Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure
Once I was eleven years old, my daddy told me,
"Go get yourself a wife or you'll be lonely."
Once I was eleven years old
I always had that dream, like my daddy before me
So I started writing songs, I started writing stories
Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me
'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me
Once I was twenty years old, my story got told
Before the morning sun, when life was lonely
Once I was twenty years old
(Lukas Graham!)
I only see my goals, I don't believe in failure
'Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it major
I got my boys with me, at least those in favor
And if we don't meet before I leave, I hope I'll see you later
Once I was twenty years old, my story got told
I was writing about everything I saw before me
Once I was twenty years old
Soon we'll be thirty years old, our songs have been sold
We've traveled around the world and we're still roaming
Soon we'll be thirty years old
I'm still learning about life
My woman brought children for me
So I can sing them all my songs
And I can tell them stories
Most of my boys are with me
Some are still out seeking glory
And some I had to leave behind
My brother, I'm still sorry
Soon I'll be sixty years old, my daddy got sixty-one
Remember life, and then your life becomes a better one
I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once
I hope my children come and visit once or twice a month
Soon I'll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?
Soon I'll be sixty years old
Soon I'll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?
Soon I'll be sixty years old
Once I was seven years old, my mama told me,
"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely."
Once I was seven years old
Once I was seven years old
A dead bush behind her bristled in the wind. Berry turned around towards the source of noise and saw Midnight.
"Uh, Hi. I thought I'd join you . . . in the cold . . . out here."
Berry giggled and took his hand in hers. She tugged him to the peak of the cliff where the breeze felt the best.
She turned her head to Midnight. Just tonight, just tonight, she will sing two songs.
Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the Shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky Shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the Shepard boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
"What song was that?" Midnight asked, tilting his head.
'It's a song called 'Do You Hear What I hear?' As you can tell, I use it as a lullaby. It's quite calming . . .'
"Yeah, it seems like it . . . We should go back inside. It's cold out here. We don't want to catch a cold."
Berry nodded and followed Midnight in to the house.
"Good night Berry."
Midnight wasn't sure, because he was half asleep but he swore he heard a soft "'Night."