It was late morning when a finger-like ray of sunlight finished it's two-hour long journey to the face of a slumbering blizzarian, irritating her closed eyelids and drawing her from dreams of frozen meat pie, and extreme winter sports. She woke up finding her teeth sunk into a strangely deflated pillow soaked with saliva, and her mouth full of chicken feathers. Lucy-Lu gagged, and spat the offending objects out of her mouth, and began to wipe her tongue clean of the smaller ones.
After she recovered, Lucy-Lu looked mournfully at her ruined pillow, and the many feathers that littered her side of the bed. She has always had this problem when it came to 'food dreams', she would unconsciously chew on anything in reach like a teething pup, and it embarrassed her to no end.
Her cousin Suzy-Lu had often joked that if she ever married, she would likely eat her mate alive if he ever chose to sleep in the same bed as her.
A dull ache in her head reminded her of the last night's activities, which she herself had instigated. She like just about every other Blizzarian enjoyed intense activities and partying hard, and last night while not even close to what she considered a proper roof raiser, still involved plentiful amounts of awkwardness and alcohol. She frowned slightly as she relived last night.
(Yesterday night)
Lucy-Lu, Gorman, and Rayner walked arm in arm through the street's of Termina Town. The three had loosened up considerably after drinking several shots of Fire Brandy, which true to it's name filled every part of her body with a pleasant inebriated warmth; which lead her to stripping off her winter coat and leaving it in her room.
Despite being a rather small settlement, Termina Town had a lot to offer it's visitors. There were game houses, casinos, music bars, market stalls, and night clubs. Terra Termina definitely ranked high in her list of favorite Terras, her number one favorite, of course being tied with Terra Blizzaris and Terra Neon. But Termina had this simple cultured beauty, it's inhabitants were colorful and not afraid to speak their minds.
They were at this moment gazing upon the trio with perplexed expressions, not used to seeing two humans and a blizzarian locking arms and singing a jaunty tune as they went along.
'Duck! Duck! Duck!
Here comes the Cyclonians!
They will take everything you have, and run when the Sky Knights ride!
If you see, their rickety skimmers
Just stand up and give them lip and they'll scream and hide!
Watch! Watch! Watch out!
Here comes the Cyclonians!
These honorless curs pollute the skies, with foul language and swarms of flies!
If you see them up to no good
Scold them hard and make them clean out your styes!
Shout! Shout! Shout!
Here comes the Cyclonians!
When they come, they bragger and swagger, and stamp on the floor!
If you see a Talon flying in the sky
Shoot him down and make him swear to bother us no more!
Lucy-Lu knew they were singing off key, and Rayner did not know all the words. But still the looks on the faces of people they passed made it worthwhile all the same. She giggled when she lost balance and leaned into Rayner for support. The Sky Knight was and always has been one of her closest friends, she owed him a lot, and had volunteered to join his yet-to-be-formed squadron the moment he brought it up to her three months ago. She had been toying around with the idea of joining her eldest cousin Suzy-Lu's squadron the Absolute Zeroes before then, but when Rayner's offer came up she had figured she would have more fun helping to found an entirely new squadron with her two friends.
Besides, the Zeroes already had a crystal mage in the form of Suzy-Lu, who was also a Sky Knight. Lucy-Lu knew she was competent, she had been trained for combat and could hold her own with the best of them. But in the end, she knew that she would never be able to stand living in her cousin's shadow.
And furthermore, as stated before she owed him. He had saved not only her own life, but the lives of her family and friends. Sure he may still kick himself over the decisions he made before that day, but he was still a tried and true hero in her book. She would follow him to the Wastelands and back.
"Hey guys, this looks like a good place to hang out," Gorman piped up, interrupting the song. Lucy-Lu looked in the direction he was indicating and then glared at him with a warning growl.
"That's a brothel Gorman," Rayner pointed out.
"So? Come on you two, live a little! It will be my treat!" It was clear that Gorman probably had too much to drink at this point. No correction, this was the Gorman she always knew, she had never known a moment since today she had actually seen him sober, and she had to admit he was a lot more comfortable to be around when he was drunk.
"I tink ya have had too many mickeys tonight Gorm'," Lucy-Lu said, "And I don' bend dat way."
"I'm sure they got guys too..." Gorman said suggestively, waggling his brows.
"I don' go for cross-species eitha'," she said sternly.
"And I am uh... waiting for my one true love?" Rayner said with a shrug while trying and failing to stop a blush from staining his face.
"Suit yourself queer," Gorman said before walking towards the brothel, guided by his drunken libido; leaving her alone with Rayner in uncomfortable silence.
"Well at least that wasn't weird," he joked with a lighthearted laugh, "Just when I was getting used to him being dry for a change."
"For sure," the blizzarian replied, "So are we waitin' for him or what?"
"He will be in there until he either runs out of money or until he exhausts all those poor girls."
"For a virgin, ya sure know how ta talk dirty," Lucy-Lu said with a sideways glance, "So we ditchin' him?"
"You know it," he said back to her with a smile.
Lucy-Lu and Rayner walked around a bit until they found a gaffi bar tended by a kindly old man, since they were the only two there it gave them a nice amount of privacy. While Lucy-Lu being the more outgoing of the pair did not need a secluded environment to hold a conversation, but Rayner was a little more reserved than that. So she held her tongue until the bar owner stepped into the kitchen to prepare their orders.
"So Rayner, you never really told me much about this Garth guy," she said to him.
"Yeah, well he is kind of... complicated," he said before looking back at her, "He's a raptor Luce, and an ex-assassin."
"Oh..." Lucy-Lu said, raptors were a race of vicious piratical reptilians native to Terra Bogaton, they were mean spirited, cruel, and unsavory people and she had yet to hear anything positive about their kind. She knew Rayner would not ask this guy to join the team if he couldn't be trusted, but she had to make her concerns known.
"Rayner... how do ya' know this raptor can be trusted? they ain't exactly the friendly type. Those sickos have killed a lot of my people, for nothing more than our skins to decorate their livin' rooms with. So if yer gonna expect me ta work with a raptor, ya better have a damn good reason for bringin' him along," she said crossly.
"I won't lie to you Lucy most raptors would kill people like us on sight before ransacking our corpses, but Garth is... different to say the least. He saved my life when I was running with the Ghost Claws, and one year later he helped me out again. Trust me, this guy is probably one of the few personable raptors in Atmos. Well most of the time he is anyway, he may be a little nuts but he'll be a real asset to the team." Rayner said reassuringly. The blizzarian remained skeptical.
"I'll believe it when I see it... he tries anythin' funny I am puttin' him on ice." she said, gesturing to the bladed crystal staff on her back, which had an ice crystal already in place. She had designed the weapon herself and it was her most prized possession, every inch had been painstakingly tuned to her preferences, and she was always looking for ways to upgrade it.
The bar owner returned with two steaming bowls of gaffi, he placed the bowls on the counter and left again. Lucy-Lu sniffed in the aroma of her meal with a contented smile, the broth smelled absolutely fantastic, as did the chunks of chicken meat mixed in with the noodles. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began a short battle of trying to figure out how to use them, after a few moments she figured out a way to operate them with her four digits.
They ate in silence, Rayner who was more practiced in eating gaffi finished before she did, and waited patiently for her to finish her meal. Gaffi had quickly become one of her favorite foods, the salty taste of the broth, the noodles cooked to perfection, and the chicken soft enough to simply dissolve in her mouth was a completely new culinary experience for her.
When she set the chopsticks down Rayner spoke to her.
"So have you thought on what we talked about two months ago?" he asked her.
Lucy-Lu dried the broth out of the fur on her chin before looking at him, "Yeah, I thought it over."
"And?" he pressed.
"I don' tink I have what it takes," she said, "Bein' a crystal mage is one thing... but bein' a Sky Knight on top of all that..." she gazed down into her lap. It was a very sensitive topic, Rayner had it in his head that she had the chops for Sky Knight training, something that took years of structured study and conditioning to complete. Heck Rayner only just got knighted a month ago, and while she respected him immensely, she did not think that made him qualified to measure aptitude for this sort of thing, in the end she was just fine being who she was. Lucy-Lu, the crystal mage and fun loving thrill seeker.
"That's a shame, I think you would make a great Sky Knight if you put your mind to it."
"Crystals an' gizmos is all I gots goin' for me Rayner; anythin' else an' I bungle it up for sure," she replied. And that was the truth, Lucy-Lu's genius ended with crystals and a degree of engineering, she could fly a skimmer competently, and even take one into combat situations. But in any other subject, whether it's cooking, history, science, or tactics she hasn't got a clue. To her it felt like as if her life had been predetermined at birth, and fate was a word that pissed off any proper Blizzarian.
"That's got to be frustrating," Rayner commented.
"Damn right it's frustratin', I feel like I can't be anythin' more than what I am today, like there is no more room for this noggin of mine ta grow, it totally sucks!" her head pounded on the table, her four fingered hands clenched into fists on either side. "Stupid brain..."
"So you feel like you have reached your full potential early?" Rayner asked.
"Bingo," Lucy-Lu mumbled, then she chuckled darkly, "Listen ta' me; actin' like one of them 'special snowflakes' from a bad soap opera."
"You aren't a special snowflake, Luce. You just have different problems than most people, but the real issue that you have in common with me and a whole bunch of people is that you are too critical of yourself, you don't need to justify yourself to me or anybody, trust me years from now you will look back and see how much you have changed since today, heck two years ago you knew nothing about crystals," Rayner said, squeezing her right shoulder, his fingers brushing the skin beneath the light grey fur.
"Yer smarta than I thought, Sky Knight," said Lucy-Lu, picking her head up off the hard surface, "I know this is a ridiculous thin ta fret about, and I am grateful that I have somethin' that marks me apart from other people, but when ya have someone like my cousin in the family, it kinda makes me feel... redundant y'know?"
"In what way?" Rayner asked.
"I love my cousin Suzy-Lu, don'cha get me wrong about dat; she's been like my big sista ever since I was a pup. But she's always been so far ahead of me, she'sa Crystal Mage and a Sky Knight for cryin' out loud... I am good with crystals an' I know my way around a workshop, but in the end I don' have anythin' that makes me stand out."
"This is why you didn't join the Absolute Zeroes." Rayner commented. He did not know how to really handle this situation, Lucy-Lu had never been one for drama like this, and while he had come to suspect that she might have had some feelings of inadequacy in regards to her cousin, she had never opened up about it before now.
"Yes," she replied looking down.
"Have you talked to Suzy-Lu about this?" He asked her.
Lucy-Lu looked back at him, feeling ashamed of herself. This problem of hers had to seem trivial to someone like Rayner. The guy had gone through many painful hardships to get here, and he was still haunted by many of them. Lucy-Lu had few issues growing up until three years ago when everything started turning sour. And while she didn't know his full story beyond what Gorman had let slip, it was clear Rayner had been subjected to trials and torments throughout his life. She had no right to foist her problems on him when he already had a full plate of his own.
"No, and I shouldn't. Damn it all, I shouldn't 'ave burdened you with this eitha', can we just forget this conversation?" she asked him almost pleadingly.
Rayner sighed, "This is obviously eating at you Lucy, and forgetting about your problems won't make them go away, believe me I tried."
Lucy-Lu looked at him questioningly, wondering if Rayner was going to disclose details of his past to her. He already knew the gist of her life before they had met, and was also aware of what she had been going through since then. She almost felt like she was getting gypped.
"What'cha mean by that?" she asked him.
He closed his eyes and smiled, "Now that would be telling. How about we head back now and see if the innkeeper still has any more of the good stuff?"
(back to present)
That night had ended of course, with another round of fire brandy sans Gorman, both of them had gotten shitfaced drunk and stumbled back to bed. Thankfully Lucy had her naturally strong constitution to fall back upon, neither Rayner nor Gorman would be so fortunate.
But that conversation in the gaffi bar still bothered her, Rayner despite their friendship still did not trust her enough to share his past. He seemed intent on handling the things bothering him alone, he never talked it out with anyone. He had advised her to talk about her inferiority complex with Suzy-Lu, so didn't that make him a hypocrite? But then again, it had taken her years to work up the courage to tell someone that much about herself, and Rayner still did not know the whole story. So for now she might as well consider setting up a date with Suzy-Lu.
Lucy-Lu shifted off the bed, placing her clawed feet on the hard plank floor. She unsteadily rose to a standing position, she wished she could sleep in for a few more hours but alas, today was the day they went to pick up the 'carrier' which she had already seen, along with Gorman. It was not quite what they were looking for, but with a little work she would be perfect. That was assuming Rayner ever went for it. She really did not want to resort to using the puppy eyes if she could possibly avoid it, while potent they scarred her dignity, and thus it was best used by Blizzarian males, but females could do it too. 'No! Fuck that, no! Not in a million years will I ever use that stupid trick! If he says no, fine; we'll find another one!'
Snarling quietly at her own thoughts, Lucy-Lu busied herself by changing out of her white t-shirt and red boxers and into her everyday apparel, her mauve colored fur-lined winter jacket, and dark purple cut-off pants. She also put on her metal thigh plates and bracers, and her crystal satchel, which was belted to her hip. With a flick of the wrist, she summoned her staff from where it was leaning against the wall near the closet, catching the weapon in her hand.
Deciding fresh air would help clear her head, Lucy-Lu left her room and headed downstairs towards the common room. When she got there, she noticed the co-innkeeper Gretta talking to a human with plum colored hair, bearing an elaborate reflex bow on her back. She quickly identified the girl as Anju from Rayner's description.
Walking over she hailed the woman, "Heya you! Your Anju the Sky Knight right?"
The woman turned around in her seat, and leaned back against the table as she gave the approaching Blizzarian a once over, "Yep, that's my name and occupation. And you must be Lucy-Lu; the crystal mage. Where's Rayner?"
"Heh, he and Gorm had a lil' too much of the good stuff last night, so he's probably got the hangover; so it's just you an' me for now, eh?"
"Wait, you're a crystal mage, can't you just use a mending crystal to flush the stuff out of their system?" Anju asked her with a raised brow.
"Shh! Not so loud, if them boys learn there is an easy way of curin' a hangover it'll be the end of the world for sure, well mine anyways." Lucy-Lu said in exasperation.
"You enjoy watching them suffer?" Anju asked with a smirk on her face, "Glad to see we have a common ground."
"Huh? No, if I giv'em an easy way out, they'll plaster em'selves all da time. Dem boys needs ta be domesticated, an' hangovers are a helluva good edja'cator."
"You mean educator," Anju corrected.
"That's wat I said, you musta not 'erd me correctly," Lucy-Lu defended. Why did everyone have to treat her like some kind of head case? Was her behavior really that odd to other people?
"Sorry," Anju replied, "I don't talk to many of your people and your accent threw me for a loop a moment there. And I do applaud you for your training initiative."
Lucy-Lu's mood did a one-eighty on the spot, and Anju yelped when she leaned down and embraced the archer with a gigantic bear hug, with a look of pure cherubic joy on her face. "Thank ya Anju! We're gonna be bestest friends, I jus' know it!"
Meanwhile above the terra, an old gray skimmer with red accents made it's final approach to Termina Town. The rider was a man of middling height, with short brown hair, pale skin, and his eyes were concealed by a pair of tinted aviation goggles. His uniform was patched together from a collection of gray and brown leather panels with a loose arrangement of metal plates for added protection. His name was Darius. Pilot. Scoundrel. Smuggler. But he preferred to be called a legitimate businessman.
Darius was not a complicated man, he was driven by excitement and profit, especially both at the same time which made his decision to help found a Sky Knight squadron easier to understand. Turning the responsibility of safeguarding Atmos into a business venture was something he had been toying with for a while now, while the more conservative squadrons would balk at such an idea, Rayner due to his upbringing was far more pragmatic, he was willing to bend the rules to suit his needs.
The others were a bit harder to read. Gorman being constantly inebriated was difficult to understand at times, but it was clear that he was only here for the thrills. Anju was probably a little less complicated than Rayner, she was a Sky Knight who loved killing Talons, so long as she got to frag some of those from time to time, she was invested. Lucy-Lu, the most morally upstanding member of the team did not care for money or battle, she was in it for the adventure, and the chance to discover new and exotic crystals, and it seemed she was trying to make a name for herself among her own people. Garth the raptor, who had yet to make an appearance was the real problem, the lizard was extremely eccentric and his patterns of behavior went beyond bizarre, he was one of only a few people Darius had ever failed to get a read on after a few conversations.
How such a maladjusted lineup could ever function as a cohesive fighting force Darius could not fathom. Everyone, including Rayner had a degree of instability, excluding himself of course. But if they did work together, this squadron could be a real bread winner.
He angled down for his decent towards the landing field just outside the walls of Termina town, all the time thinking of the fortunes to be made.
Atmospedia
Blizzarians: A race of sentient bipedal mammals inhabiting the northern regions of Atmos, where the climate ranges from cool to freezing, which is just the way they like it. Blizzarians were the first race to truly recover from the effects of the Great Cataclysm, their hardy nature and ability to thrive in the most inhospitable climates enabled them to weather through what they call 'The Long Night', the period in which an ash cloud blanketed the entire world.
In the present day, the Blizzarians inhabit several terras centered around Terra Blizzaris, each terra acts as a semi-autonomous state being part of a larger commonwealth that is linked together by trade, competitive events, and a sense of racial unity. Recently the Cyclonians have been taking advantage of the Blizzarians lack of organization and have raided several of their peripheral territories, it is only a matter of time before the Blizzaris Commonwealth is invaded in force.
As a people Blizzarians are for the most part universally highly social, and outgoing. They enjoy competitive events, particularly ones that involve great personal risk; in fact the Blizzaris Annual Olympiad has been rated the #1 most dangerous sporting event in the Atmos. While their extreme and borderline reckless behavior may make them appear uncivilized, Blizzarians simply have an unusually large zest for life, and their terras have the lowest crime rates of any other race. But when their homes and loved ones are threatened, their friendly nature quickly becomes hostile, and they will gladly sell their lives in order to protect both.
As a species they are split into two ethnic groups, the dominant group are the standard Blizzarians who are the most frequently seen of the species. The minority group is the Kwebuk Blizzarians who make up 16% of the total population and live on a large terra that they are named for, Terra Kwebuk. These Blizzarians tend to be more ordered, cultured, and sophisticated than their counterparts, and also speak a different language. (Since the Blizzarians were portrayed as English Canadians in the show, I felt that they should have French Canadian cousins to complete the stereotype.) Blizzarians tend to look down on the Kwebukians for their differences, and vice verca.
There have also been unconfirmed reports of male Blizzarians possessing some form of hypnotic ability nicknamed the 'puppy eyes' which is used to coerce their female counterparts and other Atmosian citizens. It is unknown if the females also possess this potent pacifying ability or not, as all inquiries on the matter have been firmly shut down.
Gaffi: The Atmos equivalent of ramen. It is a culinary export of Terra Tendosia.
A/N: And there is chapter two. We have now seen more details of the relationship between Rayner and Lucy-Lu, as well as some of the problems they both face and the enigmatic Darius has been briefly introduced. Next chapter, more exposition work will be done on Rayner, Anju, and Gorman, as well as introducing the carrier the Black Legion will be using.