Chapter 12: A bird's plight

The two sat quietly at the table, eating the food that Celite had made for them. Nothing was happening. It was dark, and the moonlight flooded through the open curtains on the wall, shinning on the candle in the center of the table. There were oil lanterns placed around the small hut in a pattern, which gave it a nice anesthetic. It was a small, simple house. Two floors with two beds on each floor, an oven, an anvil, a rack of spears, simple stuff. The last thing on that list caught Rex's attention for a bit.

"Sorry… about the candle." Celite said quietly.

"Hmm?" Rex looked towards her. "It's fine. Light source means no monsters, and no monsters are good." He realized a simple 'It's fine,' would have worked, and that he talked a lot, but who could really blame him? He's been traveling alone for a while. No one to talk to, no one to adventure with, he hated the idea of being alone. And he wasn't doing that absolute GREATEST at coping with it.

They continued to sit there for a few more minutes, which felt like an eternity to Rex. He had to converse with SOMEONE, and Celite seemed nice. Not only that, but that fact that her name meant something to him… In a sort of, familiar way…

Rex could see more of the Avian in the candle-light. She had a bit of... feather(?) over one eye, and the rest was brushed back and out to the sides. Her feather color consisted of a very light-blue and white, which Rex thought worked well together.

He took another bite of the pasta that she cooked, and swallowed. He never noticed before just how tasty the pasta was. It was covered in a sauce that was far tastier than tomato, and the meat was compact and juicy. "This is really good! Where did you learn to cook like this?" He asked.

"My parents taught me." She answered. Then she looked a bit sad after saying that. She tried to hide it, but it was a bit too obvious.

"Something wrong?" Rex asked.

"I-it's nothing…"

"Alright…"

This was followed by some more silence, and a few mouthfuls more of food.

"So it's just you here?" Rex asked, finally breaking the silence. "I noticed more than one bed over there."

"Oh, yeah, it's just me. My family use to live here, too, but They... left."

"Ah, alright." Rex understood that this was a sore subject, and that he should switch the subject. He didn't know what to switch it TO, though. Celite must have sensed this, though, and made an attempt to keep the conversation alive.

"So, a Floran? Way out here? I didn't even know there were any on the planet. Where did you come from, if I may ask?"

"Well, actually, this is a universe that's completely foreign to me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not really from here. Not planet wise, galaxy, universe, I'm pretty sure it's not even the same Reality as from where I come from." He realized how open he was being right now. Loneliness really had taken a toll on him.

"Really? So… you're from another reality? There are Florans in other realities?" Celite replied, apparently believe every word of it.

"Oh, er, no. I just, for some reason, woke up as a Floran when I came to this Universe. Not sure how I transformed, or came to this universe, or why, but I'm here now."

"Are you trying to find a way back?"

"Currently."

"So, you woke up on this planet?"

"No, actually. I've been in this universe for a few weeks, actually. I've explored a vast amount of planets and encountered quite a lot of wildlife. They, er, all tried to kill me, though."

"Huh? But how did you travel to different planets?"

"Spaceship. Naturally."

Suddenly Celite's eyes sparkled with excitement. "S-spaceship!? You have a Spaceship!?" She said, practically yelling.

Rex patted his leaf ears a bit. "Yeah, it's what I use to fly around."

"So you really are an adventurer! Have you met all of the different races? I've only seen Apex and a few floran. Are there really fish people out there? And hairless Apex?"

"This stuff interests you, huh?" Rex asked, surprised by the now-radiant Avian.

"Yeah. I've heard and read all about these different races and creatures and environments, but I've never seen any myself."

"Ah. Er, to answer your questions, Humans are those hairless Apex I believe you were talking about. And I'm friends with one of the Hylotl, the fish people."

"Wait, but I thought Florans and Hylotl hated each other?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure they do. But, we realized that nothing the previous Florans and Hylotl did involve us at all, so we made peace."

"Ah, I see."

The two ate a bit more before realizing that they had already eaten everything on their plates. Celite stood up and picked them up, walking over to the sink where she dropped them in and washed them. "You can take any of the beds on the second floor." She called back to him.

"Alright, thank you." Rex acknowledged, heading up to the second floor.

He laid his bag and strapped-on gear to the side of him as he lay down in the nest bed, which was much softer than it looked. He yawned once, before shutting his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

• • •

A small, faint sound made Rex wake up. He looked out of the blinds in the room that he occupied. The moon was still out, so he was curious as to what made the noise. Maybe more cultists? He only grabbed his bag and went to the main floor.

Apon arrival, he noticed Celite's absence. But this area, in no way, looked like the scene of a struggle. Then again, they could've kidnapped her while he was sleeping. But he heard the small sound only recently, so he ran out the door to look around. Once he got outside, he noticed nothing. The only footprints in the grass were his own except for feint ones that led to a ladder that, in turn, led to the roof. He climbed the ladder to the top to see Celite sitting up there, gazing at the stars.

"Thank gods you're okay…" Rex sight, quietly.

Celite noticed him, and looked apologetic. The moonlight shone brightly on her face. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Eh, it's fine." Rex said, trying not to make her feel bad. He walked over and sat on the roof next to the Avian. "Can I ask what you're doing up here at this hour?" Rex asked.

"I'm just staring at the stars." She replied. "I bet there are a bunch of adventures waiting up there for you, huh, Rex? So many places to explore… people to meet… things to uncover… You've got your work cut out for ya, huh?"

"Yup, and maybe each one will bring me closer to finding out why I'm here, and how to get back."

"I believe you'll get home, Rex." Celite smiled, looking over at the Floran, who returned the look.

Suddenly, Rex remembered. He remembered the dreams and events that happened, though he didn't know HOW he knew. He though telling her now was the best time. "Hey, uhm, Celite?" He started.

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember when you told me your name, how I sort of shocked?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Alright, well, er…" Rex was trying to figure a way to put this. "This is going to sound a bit… supernatural…"

"What is it?" Celite asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"I've- I've heard your name before." Rex said. "I've heard it in a Dream."

"Really? That's an odd thing to dream about."

"It goes more in depth than just your name. I never heard, or at least, I don't remember hearing your mom or your dad's name…"

"Wh-what do you mean…?" The curiosity was replaced by terror.

"I do remember ONE other name though…"

"…" Celite was silent, listening intently to what Rex had to say.

"…Martha."

Celite's expression went blank, mouthing the name Martha in a trance. Finally, she spoke. "H-how did you know that name…?" She asked.

"As I said before…" Rex replied. "Dreams."

"Y-you know what happened to them…?" She asked, beginning to tear up.

"…" Rex said nothing for a moment, before nodding.

After that, silence followed before Celite looked back up at the stars, wiping the tears from her eyes. "…I…" She began. "I…." She looked at Rex, managing a smile. "I-I'm okay now." She managed to say, as she stood up to climb down the ladder. "I'm going back to bed, see you in the morning." And with that, she climbed down the ladder.

"Hmm…"

• • •

Rex woke up and went to the main room. Celite was sitting at the table, seemingly waiting for him.

"Rex, can I ask you something…?" Celite requested, looking at the Floran.

"Sure." He replied, sitting down in the chair across from her.

"Uhm… remember last night when I was looking up at the stars and rambling on about adventure…?"

Rex nodded in agreement.

"Well… I… uh… I was… er… wondering… Oh Kluex why is this so hard to say…" The avian tugged at the clothing around her neck. "I… was wondering… If it… er… wouldn't be t-to much trouble… I-If I could… come… uhm… with you…?" She instantly looked down. "I'm sorry, it was just an idea! You don't have to feel inclined to say…"

"Sure." Rex said, casually.

She looked up slowly, until her eyes locked with his. She managed a great big smile, that didn't really look possible with a beak. "R-really?" She asked, breathlessly.

"Of course. I understand that those Cultists would still come after you if you stayed here, and there isn't much left here for you, is there? I would be delighted to have you join me!"

Celite stood up and walked over to him, embracing him in a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Rex couldn't help but smile, and even laugh a bit.

"Oh, uhm, could you step out for a bit. I have this adventuring attire that I never got to wear…"

"Alright." Rex understood, and stepped outside.

A while later, Celite stepped outside.

She had a large, white scarf that fit beautifully with her white and light-blue feathers color, and had a small piece of purple clothing that went around her shoulders. She had a long gray and black short-sleeved dress-shirt and a small skirt that went down to her 'knees.' You can never really tell, since her legs bent sorta backwards like a normal bird's. She also had a bag, similar to Rex's in function, strapped around her body.

"So?" She asked, twirling around a bit. "What do ya think?"

"You just had these unused clothes lying around?" Rex asked. They literally radiated 'Adventure!'

"Yeah! Do they look nice?"

"You look more like an adventurer than I do." Rex replied, scratching behind his head.

They both laughed a bit, before Rex looked at her. "Do you have everything you want to bring with you?" He asked.

"Well, it's not like I can carry my hand-crafted bed or anything with me, so, no, not really."

"Oh, that reminds me, I need to get something out of the house. Be back out in a sec."

Rex ran back inside and used his matter manipulator to turn it into a transportable capsule and put it in his bag. He ran back outside and stood in front of her.

"Alright, ready."

"Er… thanks again, Rex." She said, shyly. "This is really kind of you. I hope I won't be a burden."

"Oh, I doubt you will." Rex said, before smiling and saying the teleportation command. The two were engulfed by a red and white light, as they began there millisecond-long travel to the ship.

Author's Notes

I'm back! I mean, I never really left, but it took me a while to get back into the swing of things. But I did, and now I shall continue. Wish me luck!