CiaHottie: Thank you for all the reviews, everyone! Sorry it's taken us so long to get done with chapter five, but at least we kept at it! Okay, so PianZoe will be writing this chapter, because she has some pretty good ideas for it. Alright?
PianZoe: It is and master of the wall of yellow rosafarbene writes this chapter, being to possess the bright thought that being for this chapter! I gave that to her, the proper. [ Haughtily Grinsen ]
CiaHottie: Ehh...I think that her random, insane minions are still controlling her..
PianZoe: [groans] YES, and I wish they weren't... Like you destiny of the black leather balloon where it presumed? We very are clear, that to the right due to us! See? [ On it covers them themselves, stare ]
CiaHottie: I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times, MY NAME IS NOT 'FATE OF THE BLACK LEATHER BALLOON!!' [exhales sharply]
PianZoe: Namely, why it was ' the destiny ' of the leather balloon where I am black, CiaHottie. Hectar and Hectar! Me who receive those there, am not? [ Now effect is produced on the raspberry,] explain renouncement to those, I am not moved by that way.
CiaHottie: Umm..What the hell did you just say?.............[scratches head]
PianZoe: I think I told you to... say the actual disclaimer... I called that it is which, that now say, did I how say?
CiaHottie: Umm...Well, PianZoe and I don't own any of the original WA3 characters, but we do own a lot of the characters in this story. Is that what you meant, PianZoe?
PianZoe: Yes, that's what I meant... Which that!! [ Innocently Grinsen ]
CiaHottie: W-well, on with the chapter! ....Heh...[glances to the side]
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...:::Four years later:::...
In Little Twister, in the Honey of Roses inn, sitting at a table, was a fifteen year old girl, staring into her plate of breakfast, frowning for no apparent reason. Her hair was dark auburn in color, came down about to her waist if let down, and was held up in a high ponytail, with a black headband through her hair, and her eyes were a deep violet. She wore a deep azure cardigan, with a black tight t-shirt, black leather gloves, a tight jean mini skirt with a black leather belt around it, with holsters holding an Effacez MLX34 and a Conciliateur 67 K/V (CiaHottie: I made up those), and even deeper azure than her cardigan leather boots. Her arms were crossed in front of her, and under the table her legs were stretched out, since she was alone at the table.
She was so immersed in her thoughts, that she didn't noticed someone standing beside her until they cleared their throat. She jumped, startled, and looked up at the person who had made her jump from her thoughts. It was a boy, about her age, with a mop of messy crimson hair, freckles, and brown eyes. She smiled, her face reddening upon seeing him, and chuckled. "Hello, Putnam! Uh... what is it?" she asked, and Putnam grinned - his face a bit flushed - back at her.
"I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes, Vedette. I was asking if you wanted anything to drink with your breakfast?" Putnam asked, and Vedette blinked, looking down at her plate of eggs, ham, and toast, then looking back up at him, smiling politely.
"Yes, actually! Milk sounds good." she said, and Putnam nodded, walking back into the back part of the inn. Vedette sat there a few moments longer, drumming her fingers on the table, and humming a pretty tune. She decided to sing to it, quietly, until Putnam got back with her milk. "I can still recall the smell of smoke from rusting guns, Lying here beneath this starry desert sky Tired from the fight, I fall into a slumber, With the memories of days gone by. What was the name I called out in my dream? Guess for now only heaven knows..." she stopped, one reason because that was the end of the song, and another because Putnam had come with her milk. She smiled once more up at him. "Thank you, Putnam."
"You're welcome, Vedette." he said, then began to head back towards the back part of the inn, but was suddenly stopped when he was pulled back by a couple hands on his wrist.
"Wait, Putnam, do you want to join me? At least until my comrades wake up and get down here?" she asked him, as politely as she could, and he bit his lip, looking back at her.
"But, what if my Dad and Grandma need help...?" he began, but was cut off by Vedette, who chuckled.
"I'm sure you can take a few minutes off just to sit with me... just five minutes, ok? Please?" she asked, her face contorting into a pout, which made Putnam laugh, shaking his head.
"Ok, ok, I give up. Five minutes." he chuckled, and sat down in the chair to the left of Vedette, making her smile. She then began to eat, staring at anything she could, feeling slightly awkward. "So..." Putnam's voice broke into her thoughts, making her turn her head to him, smiling again. 'At this rate, my mouth is gonna look like this forever...' she thought sarcastically, waiting for Putnam to continue.
"So...?" she urged, blinking at him.
"So... what should we talk about?" he asked, and Vedette shrugged, taking a bite of her ham, and chewing it up.
"Well... I dunno. How is your Grandma Angela doing?" she asked, causing Putnam to chuckle a bit and lean his head back, to stare at the ceiling.
"She's doing perfectly well. Except, she's been afraid that she's gonna have to move somewhere a little less dusty - claims that the dust is getting to her head."
"Ah, I see. So... have you served any interesting customers lately?"
"Eh, only you and your friends mostly all week."
"But we just came in yesterday?!"
"I know."
"Geez..."
"Oh, and the day before yesterday, a couple of Drifters came in - I didn't see their faces, though, they were wearing hooded cloaks - and were talking about some type of lead to a big gem or something. Another Drifter - a beautiful woman - was sitting at another table, and after the two cloaked Drifters finished speaking about the gem she left. They left soon after."
"Ooo, a lead? Hm... did they mention anything about where the gem might be?"
"No, they didn't... Why?"
"Well, Putnam, I AM a Drifter, you know."
"Oh, right, right, I forgot - I mean, you are only fifteen..."
Vedette stood up abruptly, glaring down at him. "How can you say that?! You're sixteen! There's not much difference! One year? Pff, one year is nothing." she exclaimed, sitting back down, and stuffing a bite of egg in her mouth, her eyes narrowed at Putnam, who was blinking at her in slight shock.
"No, that's not what I meant." he stated, shaking his head, and glancing towards the door of the inn. "What I meant, was, it's easy to forget that you're a Drifter, because most Drifters I've met have been at least eighteen."
As soon as that was out of his mouth, the sound of a door slamming was heard, then loud footsteps were heard from upstairs, obviously from someone running. Vedette automatically knew who those footsteps belonged to, and sighed, quickly stuffing the rest of her breakfast in her mouth before the owner of the footsteps got down their to steal it from her. "5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." she counted backwards, holding up a hand and putting a finger down for each number.
Just as she expected, a tall boy of about nineteen, standing at about six feet, came bounding down the stairs, and then plopped quickly into the chair across from her, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey Vedette! Hey Putnam, can you get me eggs, hash browns, ham, and toast? Thanks." he greeted, and Putnam nodded, standing up, pushing his chair in, and going back to the back of the inn once more.
"Good morning Razi." Vedette sighed irritably, glaring at the red-head, who hadn't changed much in appearance from when he was fifteen, except his hair was longer, and was held in a very, very loose ponytail.
Soon following the loud red head was two obvious siblings. They didn't look a thing alike in appearance, but the way they fought was proof. The male of the two stood at 5'11", had reddish brown hair that was spiky, and bright blue eyes. He wore a crimson tank top with a black leather jacket over it, black slacks, and black hiking boots. The female of the two stood ten inches shorter than the male, had emerald green hair that came down just a little below her shoulders but was pulled back in a low ponytail, her bangs hanging in her face, and light brown eyes. She wore a pair of glasses, a tight dark orange turtle neck t-shirt with a fringe around the bottom edge, a brown leather jacket that came down just below her posterior, tight black jeans with a belt of ammunition around her waist, and light orange boots. The male looked to be about seventeen, and the female looked to be about fourteen.
"Kevin, where did you put it?!" the female of the siblings shouted at the male, who just scoffed and rolled his eyes, walking down the stairs while loading an ARM - Orienteur JSC235, was the ARM's name (CiaHottie: I know, I know, he had a different ARM before, but it got destroyed in the Giovanna battle) - and then looked at the green haired female, who was giving him a look that, if looks could kill, he'd be shot through the head and lying, having bled to death, on the floor.
"Denae, I'm not giving it back to you until you stop obsessing over it. I mean, you should spend more of your time with your teammates, rather than with that stupid book." Kevin snorted, walking over to Vedette's table and sitting to her left, followed by Denae who sat down across from Kevin, not taking her glare off of her brother's face.
"If you would like for me to join you three in doing whatever it is that you do without my assistance, then why haven't you ever shown me?" Denae huffed, crossing her arms, and straightening her back. Kevin just rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead.
"Denae, we don't do anything without your help, and you know it! It's just that whenever we have nothing really to do, someone asks you if you want to do something, but you just ignore them and go off to read that book!" Kevin snapped, glaring right back at his sister.
As Denae was about to retort to that, an exclamation from Vedette cut her off. "SHUT UP!!" she glared evilly at the siblings - who looked back at her, sheepishly. She glanced at Razi out of the corner of her eyes, then back to Kevin, then Denae, and then she sat back down, seeing that everyone was quiet. "Heh... heh... sorry... I just wanted you guys to listen to me for a moment... unlike you WERE..."
"Sorry, Vedette..."
"I apologize..."
"Hey, I didn't say anythin', 'Dette! I was listenin'!"
Vedette turned to glare at Razi, playfully. "You would have."
Razi chuckled, and held up his hands in surrender. "Yeah, yeah, you're right, I woulda."
Vedette nodded at him, smirking, and then began to tell the others what Putnam told her just a little while before. "... and, so, do you guys think we should go after whatever those other three Drifters went after? I could ask Putnam's Dad, Grandma and sister if they heard anything from those two cloaked figures... you guys could go around town and see if anyone else heard anything. What do you think?" she finished, a grin spread across her face.
Denae looked at Kevin, then back to Vedette, a look of thought plastered on her face. "I think... yes, we should. This is the first lead we have found since we became a Drifter team... and who knows? Maybe one of those Drifters is in contact with Erica, or something..." she trailed off, glancing first at Razi, then at Kevin, who both seemed more interested in the idea now that Denae had stated the possibility that one of the Drifters could possibly know the whereabouts of Erica.
"Yeah! Hurry, let's go, maybe we can there before lunch!" Razi exclaimed, jumped to his feet, and rushed out the door, without even touching his breakfast. Denae, Kevin, and Vedette looked at each other with very deep shock playing across their faces, until Razi came rushing back in, gobbled down half of his food in about thirty seconds, then sprinted right back out, causing the two girls to burst into fits of giggles, and Kevin to scowl, then sprint right out the door behind Razi, not caring about his food at all.
"I cannot believe those two... still competing about Erica after four years of not seeing her! And she's not even here, either. Hilarious." Vedette giggled, and stood up as Denae nodded her head in agreement, walking out the door in an opposite direction than the one the boys were in. Vedette got herself under control, and walked towards the front desk, where Putnam's sister, Lyris, was standing, waiting to help someone. Lyris had dishwater blonde hair that came down just below her posterior that she always kept in a loose low braid, and copper colored eyes. As Vedette approached, Lyris glanced up at her, and smiled politely, placing her pen behind her ear.
"Hello, Vedette. What can I do for you?" Lyris asked, lacing her fingers together, and placing her hands down on the counter. Glancing at Lyris' face, then the door, then Lyris' face again, Vedette smiled and crossed her arms.
"Well... earlier I was speaking to your brother, Putnam, and he said that the day before yesterday I believe it was, a couple hooded Drifters came in, and were talking about a lead to a big gem or something, and I was wondering if you heard anything they said about it?" she asked, looking hopefully up at the girl who was five inches taller than herself, and who was now obviously deep in thought by the look on her face.
"Hm... day before yesterday? Um... yes, yes, I remember two hooded Drifters on that day... same day that the beautiful red head girl came in... the one that I served... yeah... they were sitting across from her, I heard them talking about that lead to whatever it was... one of them said something like, 'So, it's at that newly discovered ruin around here?' then the other one answered, 'Yeah, at the one only about an hour on foot from here,' and that's when the pretty red head stood up, paid me, and left... she never even got her coffee, I just remembered... I hope she comes back..." Lyris rambled, then noticed the strange look that Vedette was giving her - a mix of confusion and disgust - and her face flushed. "Just to give her the coffee she ordered but forgot, of course! Heh, heh... heh..."
Vedette rolled her eyes, snickered, and looked back at Lyris, crossing her arms. "Sure, and is that why you called her a 'beautiful redhead'?" she inquired, in mock-innocence, smiling with the same faux innocence. Her inquiry caused Lyris' face to flush a deeper magenta, and she looked down at the counter in front of her, her right hand playing with the pen behind her ear.
"Well... er... she... she was... beautiful... every one here would agree with me, 'Dette. Yeah... my Grandma agrees with me... just ask her! And it's... it's really the only way to describe her..." Lyris stuttered, a dreamy look floating across her flushed face. Vedette giggled at this, causing Lyris to snap out of her dream world, and her face to redden more.
"Come on, Lyris. I've only known you for a short time, and already I can very obviously tell that you're... well... you're not straight. You've sure given enough hints to it." Vedette stated, causing Lyris to look down, finding a sudden interest in her shoes. Vedette then turned, walking towards the door, and glanced over her shoulder, smiling. "I don't hold it against you. Just... PLEASE don't look at me like that, ok? Well, I've gotta go, the others are probably done checking around town..."
As Vedette as walking out the door, she bumped into Denae, who was just heading into the Inn. "Ah! 'Dette! I was looking for you! We were afraid Lyris had cornered you or something..." she snickered, at the horror stricken expression that crossed Vedette's features, as she froze on the spot, staring at Denae in complete horror. "Hehehehe... you know what I mean, right, 'Dette? She so obviously is attracted to you! The way she watches your-"
"PERVERT!! DENAE, YOU PERVERT!" Vedette shrieked, dissolving into a fit of hysterical laughter.
Denae just grinned, and placed her hands on her hips. "Yes, I know, I know, I am my Mother's daughter. So... did she corner you?" Denae questioned, using a similar fake innocent smile to Vedette's, trying her hardest not to snicker again. Vedette just looked at her, her eyes narrowed in annoyance, and her lips pursed, causing Denae to chuckle and turn around, heading towards another building. "Sorry, couldn't resist. I know she wouldn't corner you, she's too polite and knows you like her brother." at the mention of her crush on Putnam, Vedette's face reddened a bit. "Did you find anything out?"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact. There is a ruin only an hour's walk on foot from here. On horseback it would probably take a half hour, if we made them go fast enough." Vedette said, trying, but failing, to make her burning cheeks cool down, as she followed closely behind Denae.
"Okay, that helps. A whole lot. But in what direction, did anyone tell you?" Denae turned around, so she was walking backwards in the direction of the building, stumbling over rocks every once and a while.
"Um... Lyris didn't say. Should we ask someone else?" Vedette inquired, looking at Denae with a curious expression, as she followed her. Denae rolled her eyes, nodded her head, and turned around to walk normally, obviously getting tired of tripping over things she couldn't see. "But... who?"
"Well, I don't know! Maybe the boys found something out? We'll wait to ask until we find them, doesn't that make sense? ... Sometimes, I really wonder about you, Ved - oof!!" Denae, although she had been facing forward, had been looking over her shoulder at Vedette, so she had not been able to see that she was heading directly for a short, hooded, and cloaked figure, who had their back turned to her; which ended in both lying in a jumble on the ground. Denae, enraged by whoever dared to knocked over the great, gorgeous, genius Denae Kayla Lorelei, began shouting whatever came to mind. "HOW DARE YOU?! YOU KNOCKED ME OVER! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!? I AM THE BEAUTIFUL, GENIUS DENAE KAYLA LORELEI! HOW CAN YOU BE SO... SO... INCONSIDERATE?! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING NEXT TIME, YOU DAMN -"
"Uh hem." the small hooded figure cleared their throat, poking Denae in the shoulder. "I was just, I dunno, curious to see if you would like to move? I am sure, this isn't that comfortable for me, and it can't be for you. And, plus, this can't look too nice to the people around us. So, what do you say? Relieve me of your terrible weight, and stench, and relieve yourself from further humiliation?" the figure continued, in an overly sugar-coated syrupy sweet voice, that made Vedette scowl, and want to gag. It made Denae, however, snarl, and want to severely maim the figure, which, from the sound of it's voice, was a young girl.
"Ooooo... FIRST, you knock me over, THEN, you say I'm overweight and I stink?! I oughta be beating your face in you little-!!" Denae exclaimed, her face as red as a mega berry (A/n: I can't remember, are they red?), but was once again, cut off by the figure, who, this time, raised her arm - the long black sleeve falling from it, revealing a petite black-gloved hand - and wrapped her hand around Denae's mouth.
"I think you misunderstood me, Miss Lorelei. How can I make myself more clear, so your puny little brain can understand... hmm... oh, I know. Get. Off. Me. This. Instant. You. Fat. Cow." the girl drawled slowly, as if to a three year old. Denae did as the figure asked - but, as she did so, she grabbed the figure's cloak around it's neck, and lifted it off the ground. The hood did not fall from the figure's face, but from the sound of the sigh that emitted from underneath, Denae and Vedette could tell she was annoyed. "Look. I really don't have the time to waste with silly little hu-GIRLS like you, can you put me down?" the figure's bored tone questioned.
"Oh, I'll put you DOWN all right." Denae ground out, her hand balling into a fist, and she pulled it behind her, in a motion showing that she was just waiting for the chance to punch the short girl she was holding. "DOWN, six feet under!! Any last words?" she snarled, and the figure's hooded head just nodded once.
"Last words, last words... yes, I have some of those. But, I am sorry, I'm not scheduled to say them for another... hm... what was it... another thousand years? Yes, I am sorry to disappoint you, but you won't have the pleasure to hear them... now, kindly put me down, and you won't have to see your intestines today. Trust me, they're not that pretty." the figure said, reaching a hand around behind her, and pulling out a long, black, extremely sharp looking, blade, with a rose carved into the black handle.
Denae gulped, laughed nervously, and placed the figure back on the ground, gently. "Sorry to ha-have... bothered you. That-that's a nice... er, sword you ha-have... we-well, we have to be going now, see yo-you later!" she stuttered, walking backwards, grabbing Vedette's hand, and running, dragging her friend behind her. "That girl is CRAZY!!" she shrieked as she ran, stopping once she was inside the old police station, one of her hands resting over her racing heart.
Vedette, who had fallen flat on her face as soon as Denae had let go of her hand, propped herself up on her elbows, and glared up at the green haired female who seemed to be quite surprised at the reaction she got from the small girl. "Well gee, I wonder why? It CAN'T be because you threatened to kill HER. Who would threaten to kill someone who threatened to kill them? I sure wouldn't, I would just ask them to tea at my sister's house, then perhaps a good stroll through the sticker patch!" Vedette snapped, banging her fist on the dust-blanketed floor, which resulted in puffs of dust flying into the air, and into her face. "Really, Denaaaa... aaaaAACHOO!!" Vedette cut herself off with a sneeze, that made more dust fly into the air. "Aaa... aaaaa..." once again, Vedette found herself sneezing, which resulted in even MORE dust flying off the floor and into the air. Vedette did the only thing she could do other than sneeze - go into a fit of coughing.
Denae, after calming her racing pulse, snickered at Vedette's dust predicament. "Hah. That is what you get for being so cranky." she grinned, pushing her glasses up her nose.
After she was able to breathe again, Vedette tried to think of something to use to get even with Denae. 'Embarrass her? Nah. Hurt her? Possibly... Aha!' she thought, smirking up at her younger friend. Slowly, so Denae wouldn't notice the movement, she extended her arm in the direction of Denae's right ankle. As her hand reached it's destination, Vedette shouted out, "Oh, Denae, look! It's the figure and she brought her evil sword to chop you up!" which caused Denae to jerk her head towards the jail cells, giving Vedette the perfect opportunity to grab her ankle, and pull it out from under her. "Made ya' look!"
"He-oof!" Denae then found herself flat on her back, with puffs of dust floating around her, and her brother and Razi staring down at her. Blinking, she rolled over onto her stomach, and pushed herself up off the floor, followed by Vedette.
"Oh good! You're here! Have you... wait a minute, how did you find us?" Vedette questioned, narrowing one eye at them, and tapping her pursed lips with her left index finger.
"It was pretty easy. Everyone outside can hear both of your loud, annoying voices. Possibly could even hear it from two miles away." Kevin stated matter-of-factly, grinning at the two girls, who both flushed.
"Kevin, you're so... so... GAH! I don't know what to call you, but it's-" Vedette spluttered, dropping her arms to her sides and balling her fists when Kevin interrupted her.
"-irritating, you mean?" Kevin supplied, smirking once more. "You don't have to tell me, I know how you really feel..."
Vedette once more found her face flushing, but this time from a mixture of anger and very slight embarrassment. "Now listen here you! I would never fall for you, ONE, because you're a complete idiot, TWO, because I like Putnam, and THREE, because you're supposed to be with ERICA!"
After she was finished with her outburst, Denae snickered at the last line, Razi narrowed his eyes and scowled, and Kevin's face flushed crimson. "Kevin and Erica, sittin' in a tree..." Denae began singing, clasping her hands together and batting her eyelashes at her red-faced brother. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"Stop it!" Kevin exclaimed, his face reddening even more, and he stormed past Vedette and Denae, and out the door, hoping they would stop bugging him about his 'old' crush on Erica.
Much to his chagrin, Vedette and Denae came out, one arm around each other's shoulders, singing 'Kevin and Erica, sittin' in a tree' loudly.
Spinning around, and glaring around at the three - he just felt like glaring at everyone at the moment - he stated, "Why are you singing that!? Stop it! She and I can't do that yet, we haven't found her yet! Uh, I mean... er... we wouldn't even do it at all! I got over her a... LONG time ago!"
Vedette and Denae just smirked at him, and snickered under their breath, while Razi walked past Kevin, grumbling under his breath, Kevin catching only one sentence of it, "Let's just hope she's still alive..." immediately, Kevin's embarrassment switched to discouragement, and he hung his head, closing his eyes. 'Yeah... let's just... she can't be... don't listen to him, she can't be... dead...' he thought, and turned in the direction of their horses, trying his hardest to forget the possibility that Erica wasn't still among the living.
Kevin walked up to the horses, and looked up to see Razi sitting on a chocolate brown male horse with a couple large black spots, and black mane and tail. Razi was muttering to the horse, which he called Paard, and stroking it's mane. Turning back towards his own male horse, Fuilman, which was black with a silver mane and tail, Kevin walked to it's side, and pulled himself up. Vedette and Denae quietly walked up, and each climbed on their own female horses. Vedette's was a copper color with a black mane and tail, and named Fidelis. Denae's was white with a light brown shade of mane and tale, a few small dots sprinkled all over her, and named Giova, short for Giovane.
"So... what direction? Vedette found out that there's a ruin about a half an hour's ride on horseback from here. We think that might be it, but... we don't know in what direction." Denae declared, looking towards her brother, who blinked, and shrugged, turning Fuilman towards the North.
"Maybe that wa-" Kevin was quickly cut off by Razi.
"No. I heard from someone that they heard two cloaked figures taking about a ruin to the South of here. So, you're completely opposite to correct. Ha." Razi grinned at Kevin, who glared right back at him, turning Fuilman back towards the South. The rest turned their horses to the South, and off they went, towards the ruin - or, at least, where Razi's source said the ruin was.
As they rode, Kevin at the front, a voice began to float to his ears. And what it had to say, made him... blush. "Kevin and Erica, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Kevin pushing a baby carriage!"
Turning his head towards his sister, who was now innocently playing with Giova's mane, and grinning much to widely to be innocent, he hissed, "Stop it. I'm OVER her. And she never liked me in the first place!" Denae just snorted at that, raising her eyes to look at him, raising an eyebrow with a sarcastic smile on her face.
"Riiiiiight, and that's why she blushed every time she saw you, became flustered around you, muttered about you in her sleep, wrote about you in her journal, and hung around you more than me? Yeah, that must be it." she snorted again, snickering under her breath as Kevin's eyes widened abnormally, obviously in delight. 'Why are all the guys I know clueless idiots?' she wondered idly, smiling sugar-sweetly at her brother.
"Wh... wh-at?!" Kevin stuttered, making Denae want to roll her eyes and indicate that she thought her brother was a complete nutcase and idiot, but she stopped herself before she did and just smacked her forehead.
"Forget it, stupid." she rode past him, towards someone she caught a short glimpse of. "Hey! You!" she called to the person, who turned around, their shoulder length brown hair falling in their face as they looked up at Denae. "Who are you?" she asked, and the person - who was obviously female - blinked at her.
"Me?" she asked, her voice sounding high-pitched, like a child's, not fitting her thirty-year-old looks. "Um... Maike Hecate Ceridwen Alcippe Lockson, why?" she inquired, blinking once more at Denae, who looked at her quite strangely for giving her full name - and such a long full name, at that.
"Oh, um... I was just wondering what your name was, so I wouldn't have to call you 'you' when I asked if you knew where the ruin around here is. So, do you, Maike?" she asked, smiling politely at Maike, who at first looked confused, then seemed to register what the green haired teenager was asking. Making a slight 'oh!' sound, she looked around for a bit, her right fingertips covering her mouth.
"Um... I just came from there, actually... it's... well, it's not very far from here, in... that direction." she pointed towards the right, and the four young Drifters glanced in that direction. They all were a bit surprised to find that the ruin was only about a mile away. "Maison d'une Citation Élémentaire. That's the name of the ruin. It's said to house the most powerful thing in all of Filgaia. Even more so than the Guardians, I hear." she rambled on, catching all four's attention and dragging it away from the ruin itself.
"What!? More powerful than the Guardians? Rubbish!" Denae exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips and glaring daggers at Maike, who looked at her in startled interest. "That's just absurd! Plus, we've heard that it is a gemstone of some kind, not some kind of... power source."
"You mean, you haven't heard the story?" she murmured, her eyes large, and her right hand completely covering her mouth. The four all shook their heads, 'no'. Maike's eyebrows furrowed, and she lowered her hand, placing it on her hip, and tilting her head to the side. "Huh, I believe you're the first people I have seen that haven't heard of the Gemstone Subpoena. It's one of the more told children's stories around here. Except, most of the children don't know it's real. Most adults don't, either. Well, anyway, wanna know the story? I'll tell ya'. Several thousand years ago, the Shamans of Adlehyde and the Guardians decided to work together to make this beautiful, enormous gemstone with every one of the Guardians' elements in it. Whoever would invoke it, would get those powers, like a medium, but with all the powers.
"However, once they finished with this 'Gemstone Subpoena', news spread about it. It spread through gossipers who had heard straight from a spy that worked together with the Shamans and Guardians. The spy knew that the news would spread to everyone on Filgaia, and that included any demons. Including a certain Dream Demon named Nadya. Once she heard about it, she wanted it for her own. She wanted to claim it for her own, and went searching for it. She eventually found it, and stole it from the Shamans. And, to shorten the story somewhat, it took her forever, but she finally created it to fit her needs - wants, actually. She made it so that only pure demons could invoke it, or even touch it - anyone who wasn't pure demon that tried died a terrible death. And not to mention, she added a few extra forms and summons into the gemstone, as well.
"The Shamans, when they found out about this, were furious. They went and found her, and mutilated her, then took the gemstone - without touching it, of course - back to Adlehyde, to fix it. They tried, and tried, but they could only fix it very little. The only thing that they were able to change was the fact that whoever touched it that wasn't pure demon would die - now, they could have only a very, very slight bit of demon in them, and if the touched it, they wouldn't die. Because of the possibility that someone with no demon blood were to touch it, or anyone on the wrong side were to invoke it, they hid it away, in that very ruin. No one has found it, as of yet. Many, many have tried, no one has been successful. But, I've heard that there is some kind of prophecy or something about someone being half-demon finding and invoking the stone and being really powerful, powerful enough to stop some type of evil force or something around now. That's why I just came from there. I am a merchant, and with so many people going there, they need supplies, so that's a real hotspot. I was just going for more supplies, so, now, would you excuse me, I need to get to Little Twister." Maike finished, and walked past the four, towards the small town.
"Interesting story, but none of us are half-demon, so we can't be any of the right ones. Well, let's go, maybe Erica's there..." Kevin mumbled, continuing on, in the direction of Maison d'une Citation Élémentaire. The Denae and Vedette each exchanged a look, and continued behind their 'leader'. Razi, grumbling about Kevin and Erica, glaring at the back of Kevin's head.
It didn't take long for them to get to the ruin. As they approached it, they examined it's outside. It looked like any other ruin to them, except maybe a little cleaner. And taller even, maybe. The only thing that made this ruin look any different, was the fact that it was completely overrun with Drifters. After tying their horses to a pole next to the doorway, they walked in, and it was like a giant pillow smashed into them, there were so many people, and so many merchants, that it was almost impossible to breathe, let alone move.
"Oh geez, this is ridiculous..." Denae sighed, rolling her head backwards on her shoulders, covering her eyes with her right hand and shaking her head. 'What to do, what to do... hm... Ohh... I know!' she brought her head back up, and looked down at her pack, grinning. She opened the flap, and began to search through it.
"Um, Denae, what on Filgaia ARE you doing?" Vedette asked, looking over her friend's shoulder, raising a delicate auburn eyebrow.
"Searching."
"For what?"
"Something."
"Something?"
"Yes, something, now close your eyes, and tell my brother and Razi to do the same until I say to open them." Denae commanded, pulling out a small white gem from her pack. Vedette did as requested, and the four closed the eyes. Denae then brought her arm back, then brought it quickly forward and let the gem fly into the air, activating, and letting a extremely bright light engulf all of the ruin, momentarily blinding anyone who had their eyes open.
After a few moments, Denae chanced opening her eyes, and smiled when she saw that everyone that had had their eyes open were staring around in slight panic, obviously blinded, and the light was gone. "Ok, you can open your eyes now. And we can look around for anyone that looks like Erica." she stated, and began searching for Erica.
Vedette opened her eyes, and after blinking for a moment, began searching with Denae. "So... do you think she'll remember us?" Vedette asked casually, looking around for any female around fifteen, with black hair and violet eyes.
Denae turned someone with black hair around to face her, but, unfortunately, she had grey eyes. "Why do you ask that? Of course she will. Why wouldn't she?" she looked at Vedette with a strange look on her face - it looked like a mix between confusion and skepticism.
"Well, maybe she hit her head accidently, or, maybe someone erased her memory, or, maybe she forgot about us because she's been having a great life, or maybe she -" Vedette continued on her bombardment of suggestions, while Denae's concentration moved to her brother and Razi, who were making a contest out of finding Erica first. Rolling her eyes at their idiocy, and once more asking herself why she hung around with idiots, she realized that Vedette still wasn't done. "- or maybe she found someone to love and lives happily with him..."
"'Dette, she's only fifteen." Denae raised her eyebrow at the strange Enduro girl, who just grinned, shrugged, and continued to search for her niece. Denae brought her hand up to her right temple, and began to rub it in a circular motion. "... why, why did I say yes to join their team? WHY?" she mused to herself, looking around the group of people once more, when suddenly, a familiar voice that she hadn't heard in four years, reached her ears.
"Come on, now's our chance! We've got to take it now, Jacqui, or we'll never be able to have a chance to find the gemstone this century, and by then, someone else will have gotten to it!" the young, female voice hissed, to her right, and she turned in that direction, to see a black-hooded and cloaked figure pulling another hooded and cloaked figure in the direction of the opening at the back of the ruin. 'Could that be...?' Denae wondered, her eyes wide, as she took a few silent steps towards the two figures. "Come ON Jacqui!" the voice groaned, trying to get the taller hooded figure to walk faster, not so casually.
"I am coming, Erica. I don't think anyone will become among the seeing again too soon, we don't have much to worry about." the other hooded figure's silky voice floated to Denae's ears, and upon hearing the name, her eyes lit up, and she ran to get the others.
"I can't believe it - Vedette! Kevin! Razi! You GUYS! It's Erica! I-I've found her!" she stuttered, grinning like a maniac and grabbing each by the arm, then dragging in the direction Erica and the other hooded figure, Jacqui, went off in.
Behind them, unnoticed by everyone else, another cloaked figure following them, pulling it's hood tight around it's face.
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PianZoe: Ok, there's something about this chapter that you should know. Part of it is important to future fan-fics, I'll let you figure which part out on your own. And the next chapter will probably be out sooner than this one, because CiaHottie is writing it, and she's much faster than me in writing.