Chapter 2: Welcome to Republic City
When Luna finally managed to pry open her eyes, she was met with an assortment of blurry images that clouded her vision, it took a few minutes before the Moon Demoness was finally able to focus her eyes and she was finally able to see clearly again. When she looked around, she saw that she was sitting against a brick wall of an alley, several amount of garbage scattered about the place and filling the air with a slight stench, some of which piled up around her like a protective wall, clearly something Pascal did to shield her from prying eyes while she was out cold. Upon thinking of her loyal servant, Luna's mind snapped into action.
"Pascal?" she called out weakly, scanning the area for her servant in hopes that he was nearby.
Suddenly, as if responding to Luna's call, a large rat burst out of a pile of nearby garbage, at first Luna wanted to swat at the rat just out of pure instinct, however she restrained herself long enough to see the shiny piece of silver attached to the rat's back.
"Is that you Pascal?" she asked, gazing towards the rat.
The second she finished speaking, a magical light surrounded the rat and the masked demon known as Pascal took its place.
"Mistress!" he exclaimed, quickly kneeling down next to Luna. "Thank the stars, you're awake."
However gratitude aside Luna's head was too full of questions to just remain quiet.
"Where were you?" she asked.
"Scouting the area," Pascal answered, placing the Monkey Talisman back into his pants pocket. "It would seem that the portal spell worked."
Luna's eyes widened at that.
"How can you tell?" she asked curiously.
At those words, Pascal shifted a pile of garbage to the side, making sure that he and Luna we still hidden but just enough so that his Mistress could see clearly into the street just outside the alley. Needless to say, the sight alone was astounding, Luna and Pascal now seemed to be in another city, however this one looked more earth-coloured than San Francisco, what's more it looked less modern too, almost as though it were built in the early 1900s. Not only that, but the street itself was filled with a vast amount of people and vehicles that looked way too rustic to belong in a modern-day city, what's more the people themselves seem to be wearing an odd assortment of clothing, at first Luna thought they were of Asian design, but the closer she looked at them, the more they looked like they also had a western feel to them too. Needless to say Luna was baffled by where she and Pascal were.
"We're in the olden days?" she asked, not really knowing what else to ask.
Pascal couldn't help but smirk under his mask at that.
"Not exactly," he answered, shifting back the garbage. "We seem to be in some kind of alternate dimension where at least half of the populous have control of three basic elements."
Needless to say, Luna instantly became confused upon hearing that.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
But instead of giving her a straight answer Pascal merely looked all over the area, making sure that the two of them weren't seen.
"I'll have to explain later Mistress," he said, still keeping an eye out as he looked over his shoulder. "For the moment we need to find you somewhere safe."
However Luna saw this side of Pascal before, the only time he ever acted like this was when he was trying to avoid a certain topic of discussion or change the subject.
"Pascal," she said sternly. "What happened?"
At those words Pascal quickly sighed in defeat, he knew it was pointless to hide anything from his Mistress, she knew him for far too long to just be kept in the dark.
"After we jumped into the portal you lost consciousness," he explained. "I hoped you'd wake up as soon as your wound healed but for some reason neither of us seem to be recovering as we should."
Luna raised an eyebrow at that.
"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.
At first Pascal hesitated to answer, not really knowing the best choice of words to say.
"Mistress…" he said finally. "It's been 4 hours since our arrival."
At first Luna didn't really understand what Pascal meant by that, so what if it had been 4 hours? Luna knew she would be healed in less than one. However, finally taking a look down at her own body she was met with a horrifying sight, the wound that she had received from Volteer's Heat Beam Eye Attack had not healed at all, in fact it was still so bad that she seemed to have needed stitching up around her side. It was a wonder that Luna hadn't felt it when she woke up, but she figured that could have been the result of the adrenaline still coursing through her. Still that still begged the question as to why she wasn't healing,
"But how's that…?" she tried to say, only to be cut off by Pascal, who knew in an instant what she was about to ask.
"I don't know Mistress," he said. "But I had to do something otherwise you might have bled out right here in this alley."
Luna couldn't help but smile at that, albeit it was the smile of contentment, she figured that it was Pascal who would stitch her up in order to help her, it was crude on his part but still she appreciated it.
"Where'd you get this stitching anyway?" she asked, wondering how her servant was able to do such a task.
"I used part of my shoelaces for the thread and I had a fishhook in my pocket," Pascal answered, looking down at Luna's side to make sure the wound hadn't gotten worse. "But I think the better question is why aren't we healing like we should?"
That was indeed an excellent question, why weren't they healing like they should, after all, the healing process came from the magical aura both of them possessed deep within their bodies. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, what if something happened after the both of them had jumped into the portal? After all it took four demons with less than enough magical ability for the spell to be activated in the first place, perhaps this was a side effect of such a poor attempt to cast such a spell. To test her theory, Luna looked towards a small pile of garbage next to her and raised her lower left hand, she was attempting to affect the gravity of a can amongst the garbage but for some reason couldn't get it to lift it more than a few inches off the ground, even after attempting to do the same thing with two more of her arms combined with the first. After a few brief moments of struggle, Luna eventually gave up and let of a heavy sigh, knowing that her fears had been realised.
"This world we entered must be effecting our magic somehow," she admitted dejectedly. "Either that or the portal did something to us on the way here."
Pascal couldn't help but groan at that, if that was the case then hiding Luna amongst the public was going to be more difficult, if she can't appear human then she couldn't blend in with the crowd. Not only that, but Luna and Pascal's main method of defence has been taken away from them, which clearly included Luna's manipulation of gravity and Pascal's enhanced strength. The only up-side was the fact that the trip hadn't effected the talismans they had too. Suddenly another thought etched its way into the soldiers mind.
"Is it possible that Gust and the others were effected the same way?" he asked his Mistress, a curious look appearing on her face as he spoke.
"Maybe," she said, trying to get to her feet. "But we can't…"
However Luna wasn't able to finish her sentence due to the pain finally rushing back to her as she once again collapsed into the wall. Needless to say, her faithful servant instantly became worried.
"We need to get you some proper medicine," he said, nervously looking once again at Luna's wound. "Since we're not healing like we're supposed to then that wound is going to become infected faster that it's going to patch itself up."
"Well what do you suggest?" Luna asked impatiently. Because I don't see anything like that amongst the trash."
For a few moments Pascal didn't know how to answer that question, suddenly as though the hand of fate was answering their call for help, the sound of a door opening echoed through their ears, quite literally in fact. Peeking over the wall of garbage that surround him and Luna, Pascal saw an opportunity in the form of a young man who had entered the alley through a metal door in the wall, he appeared to be in his early twenties, with tanned skin, dirty blond hair style into a mass of points, and wore brown pants, a cream shirt underneath an earthy green jacket with gold trims, and a pair of round sunglasses with deep purple lenses. Clearly this man seemed to be an entertainer of some kind, undoubtedly coming into the alley to toss some garbage than had been piling up inside his building, a building Pascal hoped would have some form of medical supply, perhaps something he could use to disinfect Luna's wound. Seeing his chance, Pascal began to skulk his way towards the man while his back is turned.
"Stay here," he whispered, making sure his Mistress was still hidden.
"Very funny," Luna retorted sarcastically, but no less trusting Pascal completely in his attempt.
It may have been tricky to avoid making any sounds without the man's knowledge, but Pascal had spent a great chunk of his life training for such endeavours, if he wanted to he could slit a lion's throat and the beast would never know he was there. Just when he was within two feet of the young man, Pascal then pulled a small knife from the holder in his boot, a weapon he refrained from using, mostly due to typically using his enhanced strength for combat, but in this case Pascal knew it was the only choice he had. With one quick movement, Pascal placed the blade to the man's throat and covered his mouth to stop him from screaming.
"Do as I say, and you live," he growled, trying to sound as intimidating as possible, his yellow eyes glowing ferociously and his voice lowered to a demonic echo.
Needless to say the man was scared out of his mind the second the sharp knife touched his skin, so much so that Pascal could easily hear his heavy breathing as he dropped the bag of garbage in his hands.
"Now I'm gonna take my hand away from your mouth, and you are NOT going to scream, understood?" Pascal said, earning a frightened nod in response.
With that, Pascal gently took his large hand away from the man's mouth and allowed him the chance to speak.
"Wha… what do you want from me?" the man asked fearfully, not even daring to try to turn his head to see his attacker.
"My friend is injured," Pascal answered, making sure the man didn't do anything stupid as he spoke. "Do you have a medical supplies inside?"
At first the man didn't respond, too scared and confused to formulate the words.
"Answer me!" Pascal snapped furiously, not having any patience for this sort of thing.
"Yes, there's a First Aid kit in the bathroom!" the man answered quickly, not wanting to push Pascal's anger further. "Please don't kill me!"
Satisfied with the answer he received, Pascal sighed with relief and looked back over his shoulder.
"Can you walk Mistress? he said, loud enough for Luna to hear him but quite enough not to draw attention from anyone out on the street.
"More or less," Luna answered, grudgingly pulling herself to her feet and grasping her side in pain.
Giving a nod of understanding, Pascal then forced the man towards the open door, his Mistress soon following behind as all three of them entered and shut the door behind them. The inside of the building was certainly far better than sitting in the filthy alley outside, from the looks of it, the door Pascal and Luna had entered through with their hostage was obviously a back door to what appeared to be a club of some kind. The particular they entered was a large circular room with a stone dance floor in the middle with a series of tables and sofas surrounding it, save for large set of stairs in the front that led to a massive, curved stage that hugged the front of the room, if viewed from the ceiling, the entire room looked like a waxing crescent moon.
"Is there anyone else here?" Pascal asked the man who was still snivelling beneath his blade.
"No," the man whimpered. "My twin sister is out shopping, please don't…"
But before the man could finish his sentence, Pascal removed the blade from his throat and pushed him away.
"Oh stop your whining," he said sternly, once again sheathing his knife before turning his back to the man and placing his full attention on Luna. "I was never going to kill you."
Needless to say, the man was confused by that statement.
"You… you weren't?" he asked confusingly.
That was when Pascal picked up Luna in his arms and turned back towards the man, his gaze fixated on him as he held his Mistress close to ease her suffering.
"Would you have let us inside if I didn't persuade you?" he said stoically.
But the man didn't answer for he now finally managed to get a good look at the one who had a knife his throat, to say he was both confused and frightened would have been an understatement. As he gazed upon the muscular green man, wearing a metallic gas mask and holding a blue, four armed girl bridal style in his arms, the man was at a loss for words as Pascal once again began to lose his patience.
"Would you!?" he snapped, this time earning a nervous shrug from the man, it wasn't vocal but at least it was an answer he'd accept. "Then shut up and get that medical kit!"
Not wanted to rile up Pascal even further, the man then nervously made his way into the nearby bathroom while Pascal set Luna down on one of the sofas.
"That was a little harsh wasn't it?" Luna asked playfully as Pascal adjusted the pillows to make sure she was comfortable.
"Nothing is when it's for your sake Mistress," Pascal replied, causing Luna to blush, he can be a real charmer when he wants to be.
The both of them simply looked at each other for short while after that, for a few brief moments the both of them felt at ease, more so than they had within the last couple of days, however that was quickly ruined by the sudden return of green-clad young man with a small box full of medical materials.
"Here it is," he said, not really wanting to give it to the green-skinned man, but felt obliged to due to fear of what might happen if he didn't.
"Good lad," Pascal replied as he took the box from him, after which he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Thank you."
Needless to say, the young man was taken aback by Pascal's gentle words of gratitude, so much so that he felt obliged to stand back and watch as Pascal began rummaging through the First Aid Kit after setting out on the table. The amount of care that this… creature was showing for his companion seemed strange to him, but then again he felt like he shouldn't judge him by his appearance alone, even if Pascal's first impression was a knife to his throat. Soon enough Pascal managed to find a small glass bottle with clear liquid inside, at first glance it appeared to be merely water but anyone who has ever seen medical supplies would know that this was a medicinal spirit used to clean wounds, something Luna desperately needed at this point.
"I'm going to have to put some alcohol on…" Pascal tried to say as he used a clean cloth to wipe away the dried blood on Luna's wound, only to be quickly silenced by his Mistress mid-sentence.
"Just shut up and get it over with!" she snapped, knowing full well what was happening but not looking forward to it in the slightest.
Pascal didn't want to inflict any more pain that Luna was already feeling, but he knew what must be done. Not even bothering to use another cloth, Pascal uncorked the bottle in his hand and poured a small amount of the contents onto Luna's side, causing the Moon Demoness to scream in pain.
"Ahhhhh! Damn it, that stings!" she yelled, instantly giving Pascal a punch to his gut for his trouble. "Ugh you... you…"
"Be nice!" Pascal retorted before she could even finish, rubbing his belly after the strike he received. "You're in no position to give orders right now, nor give insults."
Luna couldn't help but laugh at the sheer irony of the current situation, normally it would be her giving the orders to Pascal like the soldier he is, and yet here he was giving the commands like an adult trying to control a fussy child. As the young man watched the two interact with each other, he couldn't help but feel intrigued, granted the fear was still there, but he felt it dwindling more and more as time went on, so much so that he felt brave enough to say a simple question.
"What the heck are you two?" he asked.
At those words, Luna and Pascal looked at the man with deep concern, both of them wondering what was the best way to handle this situation for this man had seen their true forms, and it wasn't like they could erase his memory either for that ability also drew from the magic that they no longer seem to have. Killing him was no option either, partly since they had no means to dispose of the body once they did, but mostly because the man was an innocent bystander that Pascal would never allow to be killed even if Luna didn't' share his opinion. Sighing with defeat Luna spoke up before Pascal could.
"You ever heard of demons?" she asked, earning a nervous nod from the young man in response. "Well let's just say we're they're spawn."
As expected the man stumbled back with fear upon hearing that, no human EVER wants to know that demons had just entered their home. However Pascal merely face-palmed upon seeing the young man's reaction.
"Oh relax!" Luna said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like we're in any condition to do anything anyway."
At those words, the man relaxed a little. Luna did bring up an excellent point, even if she wanted to she was obviously in no condition to do anything to him, and Pascal didn't seem to be in any better condition either, even if he was the one who pulled the knife. However despite that fact Pascal stood up from Luna side and turned to walk up to the man, soon standing close enough for the man to see the yellow eyes beneath the goggles of his mask.
"Look man, I'm sorry about the knife," he said sincerely. "But it's like I said, I didn't have a choice, perhaps we can start fresh?"
At those words Pascal then offered his hand towards the young man, hoping that he would be at least brave enough for a handshake. At first the young man didn't dare touch the green hand, however after a few moments his tenseness softened a little upon seeing the sincere look in Pascal's eyes. Granted he was on the receiving end of Pascal's knife threat but desperation can force people to do drastic things, perhaps there was more to these creatures than meets the eye, though hesitant at first the young man reached out and shook the soldier's hand.
"So… you guys have names?" he asked nervously, earning a slight chuckle from the two demons.
Pulling away from the handshake, Pascal then clicked his feet together and gave a respective salute.
"Pascal LeBlanc at your service," he said, before gesturing towards the other demon laying down on the sofa. "And this is Luna, the Moon Priestess or the Mistress of Gravity… and of me."
The young man raised an eyebrow at that last part , not really understanding what he meant by it but none the less going along with it.
"Excuse me if I don't stand up," Luna said sarcastically, hesitantly going along with Pascal's apparent plan. "So who are you, kid?"
At those words, the young man smirked as though he had never been asked a more flattering question, suddenly turning on the spot he then struck a pose
"The name's Yao," he said proudly. "Charmer, Party-goer and one of the best Music-men in Republic City."
If the Yao had been able to see underneath Pascal's gasmask, he would have noticed the green demon trying his best to hold in a laugh, clearly this young man's ego was almost has big as his body was. Luna on the other hand, took note of the last two words of Yao's sentence.
"Is that where we are now?" she asked, wanting to confirm the name of their location. "Republic City?"
Once again, Yao raised his eyebrow.
"You guys really don't know where you are?" he asked, slightly baffled, all traces of fear now next to none.
"Haven't exactly been here that long enough to find out," Pascal answered with a shrug, his tone suddenly turning serious again. "Listen Yao, I apologise for putting you in this position, but Mistress Luna obviously can't go anywhere in her condition. And it's not likely that we can go to some hospital either, so I must humbly ask for sanctuary for me and my Mistress at least until she's healed."
That was when the fear re-entered Yao's mind, only this time it was wasn't a fear of the demons before him, but of what they were asking him for. He had literally known these creatures for a few brief minutes and they were already asking a great deal from him, medical supplies was one thing, but a place to stay? That was a request far too complicated to give an answer to straight away, especially if a certain someone he knew ever found out about these two. Needless to say Luna shared in Yao's concern about Pascal's request, she may have been injured but she still had her pride as a demon and would never usually depend of humans for help, however she trusted Pascal with her life and always went along with his ideas if they were for her benefit.
"Look, I…" Yao tried to say, only to be cut off by another voice entering the room, a voice that he had hoped he wouldn't hear again for at least a couple more hours.
"Hey Bro!" it said, in an upbeat, feminine tone. "I got a whole new set of spirits for the gig tonight, we just have to…"
That was when the owner of the voice walked into the room and stopped mid-sentence at what she was seeing. She was a young woman roughly the same age as Yao was, only she was definitely a head shorter and seemed more energetic than him. Like Yao she had tanned skin, but she also had shoulder-length black hair with purple highlights, mossy-blue eyes, and wore a green fedora with a brown strap, an earth green tank-top with a darker shade skirt, finished off with emerald-green gloves and boot that reached up to her knees. Judging from what she said when she entered, this had to have been Yao's twin sister, though clearly she wasn't one of those identical twins as one would usually come to expect, if Yao hadn't said it himself neither Pascal nor Luna would have even considered she was his twin, younger sister maybe, but not his twin. Upon seeing the two demons next to her brother, the girl dropped the crate of alcohol she was carrying and her eyes widened with terror.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" she screamed, fearfully.
"Sapphire!" Yao exclaimed nervously, not liking the new situation in the slightest.
Needless to say Pascal and Luna shared in Yao's fear and while Luna may be incapacitated for the moment, Pascal instantly took a defence stance next to her.
"Yao, what are these things!?" the girl, now known as Sapphire asked agressivly, much to the insult of the two demons.
"Things?" Luna scoffed. "Is that anyway to treat a guest missy?"
But Sapphire merely ignored the Moon Demoness's sarcasm and narrowed her eyes at the two.
"Get out of our club freak!" she demanded.
However Pascal was not going to back down from a girl that was half his size, especially when his Mistress was not up for fighting herself.
"I like to see you try to make us," he said, cracking his knuckles as if threatening the girl.
The two then stared each other down for a few minutes after that, the tension building up between them growing rapidly as Luna and Yao looked at standoff with bot anticipation and fear. However if Pascal had been looking at Sapphire's feet instead of her face, he would have noticed her making a few small gestures towards the stone floor beneath the soldier's feet. Luckily Luna managed to spot it before Sapphire could make her move
"Look out!" she screamed, not really knowing what was going to happen.
But little knowledge on Luna's part aside, Pascal instantly reacted to his Mistress's words and jumped out of the way before Sapphire slammed her foot to the floor, somehow causing several cracks in the stone floor to force their way from her boot her Pascal, thus making a massive pillar of stone shoot up towards the high ceiling. Thankfully Pascal managed to avoid it before it could send him flying.
"Word of advice," Sapphire said playfully, a devious smile spreading across her face as he cracked her neck. "Never mess with an Earthbender with attitude."
Pascal glared at her upon hearing that, he may not have wanted to fight but if Sapphire wasn't going to back down then he may not have a choice, especially when the safety of his Mistress is concerned.
"You dare challenge me?" he snarled. "Well here's some advice for YOU, never mess with a demon who's had a rough day."
However before either of them could make a move, the entire room echoed with a loud piercing scream.
"ENOUGH!" Luna shouted. "Pascal, stand down!"
Needless to say Pascal was somewhat surprised at this, normally Luna would have been the first to start a fight. However she knew full well that while Pascal was a strong fight in his own right even without his enhanced strength, his recent injuries added to the fact that this girl can somehow manage to manipulate earth would put him a terrible disadvantage.
"But Mistress…" Pascal tried to protest.
"Stand down!" Luna repeated, instantly silencing her servant.
After a few brief moments of silence, Pascal sighed.
"Yes Mistress," he said finally, giving her a respectful salute.
Pascal may not have wanted to fight in the first place, he even felt somewhat glad that he didn't have to for the moment, but he still kept his guard up in case Sapphire tried anything else. However Sapphire was struggling with her own conflictions when Yao stood in front of her to try and shield the two demons, something that both Luna and Pascal were grateful for. The girl's hateful attitude aside, Luna also couldn't help but feel intrigued, was this the power of the elements that Pascal had mentioned earlier? Is so then how did everyone come by this power, was it magic? A hereditary talent that come natural here? These questions would have to be asked and answered later, for now there was still a conflict that needed to be quelled.
"Look, we didn't come here to cause trouble," she said, nauseatingly swallowing her pride as a demon as she spoke. "Normally that WOULD be the case given what we are, but right now Pascal and I simply need a place to crash until our injuries heal, as soon as we're healed up we're gone, okay?"
Needless to say, Sapphire was taken aback by this, she may have been unaware of what had happened before her arrival but that didn't make her put any more trust in Luna or Pascal than she already had. However given the fact that her brother seemed to be defending them by blocking her path, she figured that it was at least worth debating over.
"Yao, a word please?" she said, ushering her brother towards her.
Complying with his twin's request, Yao then joined her as they both turned and began to talk, all the while making sure neither of them weren't heard by the two demons behind them.
"We're not really considering letting them stay are we?" Sapphire asked both sceptically and nervously.
"We can't just throw them out on the street sis," Yao protested. "Who knows what'll happen to them?"
However Sapphire wasn't going to back down from her opinion so easily.
"Yao, think about this," she said sternly, giving her brother a slight whack across the shoulder. "They're not a pair of lost puppies you picked up off the street!"
"I know, but I have a strange feeling about them," Yao retorted gently, trying desperately to avoid being harsh as his sister was. "And it's telling me that helping them is the right thing to do."
Sapphire rolled her eyes at that.
"You sure that feeling isn't just anxiety?" she asked sarcastically.
As the two twins spoke, neither of them were aware that both Luna and Pascal were listening in to every word they say, they may not have had their magic but their sharp hearing was far from gone. As they listened, Pascal and Luna both took note that Yao was failing to let slip that Pascal had a knife to his throat earlier, they didn't know whether it was because he was afraid of what happen if he did, too nice for his own good, or just plain stupid, but for some reason this young man seem to be coming to their defence, something that wasn't exactly expected of a human but none the less appreciated.
"Sapphire," Yao said, now more sternly than ever. "Grandma Onji always told us to see the best in everyone no matter who they are, and these two obviously need help. Come on sis, what kind of people would we be if we didn't do anything?"
That was got to her, if there was one thing that Sapphire couldn't defend her actions against, it was the words of her and Yao's grandmother, words that they had sworn NEVER to go against. Taking another look at Pascal and Luna, Sapphire finally sighed in defeat, she just knew she was going to regret this.
#
After Sapphire finally agreed to let them stay, Pascal and Luna soon found themselves following Yao down a small flight of stairs that led from underneath the stage. What they had arrived at was another room far smaller than the one upstairs, but still pretty roomy, along the walls were shelves completely stocked with spirits save for a small areas where a bunch of other items more than likely used for the stage above them. One of these areas in particular was a small space in the corner with two cots, both having a small pillow on each of them, though Pascal did have to move a few other items before he or Luna would be able to lay down on them, this was undoubtedly the place Yao a and Sapphire used for storage for the nightclub upstairs, and the cots were probably something they had when they first moved in.
"I know it's not much," Yao said, as he placed some bedsheets one of the cots, something he had brought from his own bedroom. "But you guys can stay down here until you're all healed up."
Luna and Pascal smiled at that.
"We appreciate it Mister Yao," Luna said gratefully. "Thank you."
With those words Yao nodded with a slight smile of his own.
"I'll be back down to bring you guys some food later," he said, making his way back up the stairs. "Just please don't come back up here until tomorrow morning, okay?"
On that final note, Yao then disappeared back to the upper floor, leaving Luna and Pascal alone in the basement.
"How low have we sunk eh?" Luna sighed sarcastically, laying down on one of the cots as she rubbed the fresh bandages wrapped around her waist. "Our magic all but gone, hiding out in basements, depending on humans for survival while we heal from injuries, it's like we entered the twilight zone or something."
However that statement only made Pascal softly chuckle.
"Sometimes the best way to survive is to swallow one's pride and take what is given Mistress," he said.
"I suppose," Luna replied, though clearly not liking the situation in the slightest.
Never able to bare to see his Mistress in any sort of distress, Pascal exhaled and did his best to try and console her.
"There is a plus-side Mistress," he offered, taking a seat on the other cot.
"Oh?" Luna said, slightly intrigued to what her soldier had to say. "And what is that?"
"It would seem that the talismans still have their abilities at least," Pascal replied, taking out the Monkey Talisman from his pocket. "You may have noticed my use of this one earlier today?"
At those words, Luna's eyes widened with realisation as she sat up from the cot.
"That IS a good plus-side," she said with fresh smile on her face. "How many talismans do we have?"
Instantly reacting to his Mistress's question, Pascal then rummaged into his pockets again and pulled out the other talismans he had on his person, his breath quickening as he began to count them.
"Including the one we already had… three," he answered disappointedly, he was hoping that there was more.
If she had to be honest Luna also wished that there were more talismans in their possession, few in number aside, she was still glad that these silver relics still had their magic, and that would prove to be somewhat of an advantage given their situation.
"The Monkey, the Ox and the Pig," she said, examining each every one of the markings. "Not bad I suppose."
However Pascal felt like his Mistress was being far too understanding.
"I'm sorry Mistress," he apologised. "I failed in the mission, I should have gotten the talismans from Gust like I was supposed to…"
But Luna merely placed a hand on Pascal's shoulder, which in turn silenced him from speaking any more.
"Hey you gave up that chance to save me, remember?" she said reassuringly. "And personally I think that was the better option."
Pascal sighed at that, Luna always was so forgiving with any mistakes he had made over the time he had been in her service, and the fact that this particular mistake it was for her benefit only seemed to make her even more so.
"I only do what any a good Soldier does for his commander Mistress," he admitted, earning another smile from Luna in response, his tone abruptly turning serious as he suddenly remembered something else. "While we're on the subject, that new Talisman that Gust had, its power was certainly strange was it not?"
Luna was taken aback by that, in all honesty she hadn't really thought about the new talisman since they arrived, but once Pascal had brought it up, she couldn't help but ponder.
"Now that you mention it, it was," she said, scratching her chin with thought. "Turning fire into water and shooting it right back at Pyra like that? Just what kind of power was that?"
"Judging from what I saw on the battlefield, I'd say it was some kind of Reversal Talisman," Pascal replied, thinking back to when he saw the talisman being used by Gust before he dropped it into the portal. "Though we can't really be sure until we get it back."
Luna sighed at that.
"You mean IF we get it back," She said slumping back into the cot. "So far it hasn't been a good start, Gust and the others must be half way across the city by now."
Now Pascal couldn't help but feel worse, to see his Mistress in such a miserable state did not sit well with him in the slightest.
"Permission to speak freely Mistress?" he asked respectfully.
"Granted," Luna replied with a soft laugh, she always did find Pascal's soldier talk somewhat amusing.
Thinking hard on the best choice of words, Pascal let out a heavy sigh and began to speak.
"We may be in a dire situation Mistress, but occurs to me that it may be possible that Gust and the others are in the same situation, and are no less injured than us as far as we know," he said, instantly earning Luna's full attention. "We may have lost one battle, that doesn't necessarily mean that we've lost the war yet."
At those words, Luna felt herself trying to hold back a laugh, Pascal really can be reassuring when he wants to be, even if he didn't really have a clue as to how.
"Once again spoken like a true soldier," Luna said with a smile. "You certainly have the oddest way of trying to cheer someone up don't you?"
"Maybe," Pascal admitted, almost slightly embarrassed.
Seeing that he had at least lightened Luna's spirits a little, Pascal finally felt the urge to rest himself. Soon enough he found himself lying back onto his own cot, staring up at the stone ceiling as his breath echoed amongst the dim light of the basement.
"You know Pascal, the more I think about that new talisman, the more questions I have about it," Luna said, hoping to carry on the conversation a little longer. "Like why on earth would Pyra chose to make it a cat?"
Pascal couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"Well if memory serves correctly Mistress," he said. "According to the legend of the Chinese Zodiac, the cat was also part of the group of animals that raced across the river, but never made it onto the zodiac itself because it came in last. I suppose Pyra must have thought it was appropriate to use."
At those words Luna chuckled too, of course Pyra would use such a symbol for her work, she always did have an ironic way of thinking. However that was when another series of questions began to enter both Luna and Pascal's minds, both of whom laid there in silence as they thought them over, what happens from here? Were Gust and the other really in as bad of a condition as they were? But more importantly, just where exactly was the Cat Talisman now?
#
Many hours passed and the sun had just began to set over Republic City, it was then that the nightclub Pascal and Luna were hiding in suddenly began to come alive with music and laughter. As it turns out the Onji Lounge, the name of the building Luna and Pascal had recently learned they were in when Yao come back down with some food, was quite the popular establishment. During the last couple of hours, the Onji Lounge had been bustling with a small mass of people, all of whom were either having food and drinks at their tables or dancing on the stone dancefloor whilst listening to the band playing on the curved stage above them. Meanwhile Sapphire and Yao, both of whom were the owners the Onji Lounge, were busy acting as hosts for each individual act and tending to the needs of their customers. However there were two individuals who weren't enjoying themselves, for the past hour Pascal and Luna had been trying to get some shred of sleep but found it impossible since the ceiling above them wasn't vet soundproof, and Luna was NOT in the mood for music interrupting her beauty sleep.
"I am going to KILL those humans!" Luna exclaimed, throwing her pillow across the room in a slight tantrum.
"Well it IS a nightclub Mistress," Pascal pointed out, trying desperately to calm her down, though not liking the situation any more than she did.
"This is no nightclub!" Luna retorted. "I've heard dying cats that sounded better than that."
Pascal couldn't argue with that, the building itself seemed decent enough but the music being played was as corny as it could get, granted it had rhythm but it was being played on instruments that, in Luna's opinion, belonged in the museum. After a series of aggravated groans, Luna finally shot up from her cot.
"That's it!" she snapped, rising from her cot and stomping towards the stairs. "I can't take it anymore!"
Having more experience in this type of situation than he would care to recall, Pascal instantly knew what was going through Luna's head and instantly reacting, shot up from his own cot and quickly rushed ahead of her to block her path to the stairs.
"Not to sound too bold Mistress," he said, holding out his hands defensively. "But in our current state you can't just go up there shooting your mouth off or start attacking humans, because if you tried you'll have an angry mob after your head."
However Luna wasn't in the mood for Pascal's arguments either.
"You forget your place Pascal!" she snapped, her attitude worsening from the pounding of the drums above them.
Seeing that he had angered his Mistress, and by no means wish to suffer her wrath even if she didn't have the ability to inflict it at the moment, Pascal took a step back.
"I apologise Mistress," he sighed, earning a small nod from Luna in response. "But my point still stands, you can't go up there, you can't even magically disguise yourself anymore."
Indeed Pascal had a point, and a very good one at that, Luna may have been one to act rashly when she was angry much like anyone else, but even she wasn't without rational thinking. As far as either of them knew, the stairs were the only way back upstairs and it led directly to a crowd of humans that will more than likely attack them out of fear. Pondering the situation, Luna couldn't help but sigh, just what exactly was she going to do? She knew she couldn't go up there without being seen, and yet she couldn't just go back to sleep either with all the noise, and interfering with someone else's business was to enticing to avoid, after all that pretty much had summed up most of her life being a demon. Suddenly she spotted something else in the corner of the basement, a small trunk that, if Luna's hunch was correct, would prove beneficial.
"Who said I needed magic?" she asked with a devious grin as she approached the trunk.
"Mistress?" Pascal enquired, unsure as to what was going on through Luna's head.
"Help me with this," Luna commanded, pointing to the lock on the trunk.
It wasn't a difficult task for Pascal when he tore the lock off the trunk like he were ripping paper, he may not have had his usual strength but the Ox Talisman proved to be useful in that task. As it turned out, Luna's hunch was indeed correct for the trunk has a large assortment of colourful clothing, more than likely used as costumes for any performers that play in the Onji Lounge. After a few minutes of changing clothes, making sure Pascal had turned around so he couldn't see her, Luna soon donned a brilliant disguise that didn't need magic. When she was finished, Luna found herself wearing a long sleeved, green jacket, in which she placed two of her arms on either side, whilst hiding the hands inside a pair of sparkly gloves. She also wore a green fedora similar to Sapphire's, a pair of brown pants and a white mask that covered the top half of her face, should anyone who didn't know her already look upon Luna's image now, she looked like nothing more than a performer underneath blue makeup underneath her mask.
"So how do I look?" Luna asked, playfully doing a little twirl and causing Pascal to blush under his gasmask.
"Like a rock-star Mistress," he finally said, clearing his throat.
Luna couldn't help but smirk at that.
"Yes, don't I just?" she said smugly, admiring her disguise as if she had just created something spectacular. "Now are you coming with me or not?"
At those words Luna tossed another jacket and hat into Pascal's face, more than likely to conceal his green skin and the spikes in his shoulders. Seeing where this whole situation was going, Pascal couldn't help but make one final protest.
"But what about your injuries?" he asked, hoping that it would be enough to make Luna think twice about what she was planning.
However this came to no avail.
"It may have been slower than usual, but I'm already healed enough to move about," Luna replied, rubbing the spot on her jacket where here bandages were hidden, she DID seem to be feeling better. "Now come on."
And with that Luna started making her way up the stairs, leaving Pascal alone to sigh with aggravated defeat.
"How is THIS my life?" he moaned, placing the hat onto his head.
#
As the night continued, the Onji Lounge was completely full of life, however while all the customers were having a good time listening to the music, there was one particular person who wasn't getting into the festivities like everyone else, standing just beneath the stage, Sapphire seemed to be lost in thought. It was only when her brother walked up to her that she finally seemed to snap back into reality.
"Good crowd tonight, eh sis?" Yao said, not taking notice of his twin's blank stare at first. "Sapphire?"
"Hmm?" Sapphire responded, finally taking notice of her brother's arrival. "Oh sorry Yao, guess I'm just a little out of it."
Yao couldn't help but sigh at that.
"Is this about our… guests downstairs?" he asked, though he was positive he knew the answer to that already.
"Sort of," Sapphire admitted after a few moments of silence. "There's just something about them that puts me on edge, I think we should go to the cops."
However that was not what Yao wanted to hear.
"Oh come on sis," he argued "They aren't THAT bad, besides they were obviously desperate…"
That argument carried on between the two siblings for a short while after that, within a matter of minute the two became so involved with each other's conversation that they failed to notice two new figures entering the club via the basement stairs. As Pascal and Luna wandered within the shadows of the club, hidden beneath the jackets and hats of their disguises, both couldn't help but admire the popularity of the Onji Lounge. Bad music aside, the place did seem to have a happy vibe that had spread amongst the people attending, everywhere they looked there was always a smile or the occasional burst of laughter. In any other case, Luna would have been happy to spread a little anarchy just to make things interesting, however in this particular situation she was far too distracted by the music to even consider such a thing.
"Ugh this music is so ancient," she moaned. "I know I'm almost a thousand years old but even I know how to keep up with the times."
If Luna had been able to see through Pascal's goggles at the time, she would have seen him roll his eyes at that.
"No offence Mistress," he said respectfully. "But I believe this IS the times in this world."
As much as she hated to admit it, Luna couldn't argue with Pascal's point, given the rustic appearance to everything else, the music was bound to match the same setting. However with a smug grin and an idea popping into her head Luna intended to change that.
"Well I think it's time we brought things forward a bit," Looking up towards the band playing on the stage. "Hopefully my charm didn't get effected by our arrival."
Pascal chuckled at that.
"Doubtful mistress," he commented. "Your charm is irresistible."
Luna may have been a proud Demoness but even she couldn't help but blush from Pascal's flattery, luckily it was hidden beneath the mask she was wearing. Quickly regaining her composure Luna ushered Pascal closer and began to whisper.
"Okay, here's what I want you to do…"
As Luna began murmuring her plan to her soldier Pascal nodded with each word spoken, he didn't really understand as to why Luna would think up such a thing, but as her minion he knew he couldn't refuse. With one final nod, Pascal then followed Luna up the other set of stairs that led to the back of the stage, more than like used by the performers. Meanwhile Yao and Sapphire continued to argue.
"Look Yao, we've put too much into this nightclub to have it blow up in our faces because we let… creatures hide in our basement," Sapphire said sternly. "Believe me, I have the same concerns for them as you do but this is way over our heads."
Yao rolled his eyes at that.
"Oh come on sis," he said casually. "What could possibly happen?"
That was a sentence Yao soon came to regret saying, suddenly as though reacting to his words, the music abruptly stopped mid-song, causing everyone including to twins to look up to the stage. While everyone else were confused as to who the two new strangers were on stage, Sapphire and Yao could only look up in horror, the disguises may have worked on everyone else, but both of them knew the blue skin and gasmask anywhere.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Luna announced, speaking into the lead singers microphone. "Forgive us for interrupting your usual music but we at the Onji Lounge believe it's time you all had a taste of something fresh."
At those words Luna nodded to Pascal, who was standing behind her talking to the young woman playing the Reed Organ.
"If I may Miss?" he asked, gesturing towards her instrument.
The young woman understood completely to what this strange man was requesting, and though hesitant at first a combination of Pascal's manners and frightening gasmask made her decision to let Pascal sit down at her instrument clear. Thankfully the disguise seemed to be working and the woman just assumed he was just some strange man in a mask, a fact Pascal was thankful for when he place his hands over the organ's keyboard.
"Okay everyone," he said, looking towards the rest of the band. "This particular song isn't going to be part of the regular programming, so just follow my lead and play along to the song, okay?"
Needless to say the band's first reaction was that of confusion at the sudden arrival and hijacking of their music, but after a few thoughtful glances at each other, they all eventually nodded and prepared themselves for the new song. Satisfied, Pascal then gave a thumbs-up to Luna, who in turn smiled and looked back to the audience.
"HIT IT!" she cried.
At those words, Pascal quickly began to play, he may not have had much experience with an organ but he had played a lot of piano before he met Luna and some of those skills seemed to stick with him. Listening to the new form of music, the band stared in awe, it was unlike anything they had ever heard, with each beat that was played each band member soon began to play along. Before long the whole band was playing the strange, upbeat tune, and the reaction from both the audience and the two hosts below was nothing short of amazement for they had never heard such fast-paced, up beat music before in their lives. But what made it more interesting was when Luna began to sing:
They say we are what we are
But we don't have to be.
I'm bad behaviour but I do it in the best way.
I'll be the watcher (watcher) of the eternal flame.
I'll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams.
Oooooooh
I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass (glass, glass)
Oooooooh,
I try to picture me without you but I can't
'Cause we could be immortals, immortals
Just not for long, for long.
And live with me forever now,
You pull the blackout curtains down
Just not for long, for long.
We could be immooooooo- immortals,
Immooooooo- immortals,
Immooooooo- immortals,
Immooooooo- immortals.
Immortals,
As Luna continued the sing with her majestic voice she was met with an abundance of loud cheers, the crowd may not have heard this kind of music before but they were still loving every minute of it. Luna has even managed to entice the audience with a few dance moves as she sang, it may have been tricky to keep all four of her arms hidden beneath the sleeves and gloves, but has had more than enough experience to move two arms in unison enough to make it appear that she only HAD two. Watching from below the stage, Yao and Sapphire couldn't help but stare in awe at the spectacular display before them, with every note she sang Luna seemed to makes both their worries fade away. Before long, the twin couldn't help but dance along with everyone else as Luna continued:
Sometimes the only pay-off for having any faith
Is when it's tested again and again every day.
I'm still comparing your past to my future.
It might be your wound but they're my sutures.
Oooooooh
I am the sand in the bottom half of the hourglass (glass, glass)
Oooooooh,
I try to picture me without you but I can't
'Cause we could be immortals, immortals
Just not for long, for long.
And live with me forever now,
You pull the blackout curtains down
Just not for long, for long.
We could be immooooooo- immortals,
Immooooooo- immortals,
Immortals,
At this point the sheer emotion was too much for anyone to handle, not only was the crowd roaring with applause, but even the band was getting into the music and laughing their heads off with excitement. Not only that but even Pascal was getting mesmerised with each not Luna sang, granted he had heard her sing before but never in front of a live audience, this whole thing may have started out because she wanted to change the tune a bit but even Luna found herself enjoying the show. As for Sapphire and Yao, they became so enthralled by everything that was going on that they felt the need to chip into the festivities, before long Yao had adjusted the lights to a more vibrant purple while Sapphire Earthbended a few large pebbles from the dance floor to surround Luna in a mesmerising dance. As the last part of the song began the whole nightclub was bursting with life.
And live with me forever now,
Pull the blackout curtains down,
We could be immortals, immortals
Just not for long, for long.
We could be immooooooo- immortals,
Immooooooo- immortals,
Immooooooo- immortals,
Immooooooo- immortals,
Immortals
Finally the song ended and the Onji Lounge became engulfed with a series of applause and cries of excitement from the audience, she may have looked weird but as far as everyone knew Luna was just a strange human wearing makeup and costume who can sing like an angel and have the dance moves to make men collapse with affection. However there were three individuals who knew about her true demonic form, but they didn't care, Pascal merely clapped with everyone else at the sheer brilliance of his Mistress's performance, Sapphire and Yao on the other hand had a somewhat different reaction.
"Hail Luna!" Sapphire bellowed, dropping to her knees as she climbed up the big staircase to the stage with a large smile on her face.
"We are forever your slaves!" Yao added as he did the same.
Needless to say Luna was surprised by the reaction the twins gave, neither she nor Pascal knew why they were acting like this, maybe her performance gave her more charm than she expected? After all charm was a natural talent for most female demons, it usually gets mortal men to do whatever they want, and yet it seemed more than that. Perhaps Luna's performance really did hit them where it really felt, either way Luna couldn't help but smile for it may just be possible that she had just obtained two new servants to help her and Pascal in their endeavours.
#
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The featured song in this chapter was inspired by "Immortals" All credit goes to the original composer.