paixaorpg | Unexpected Help [Complete]

Entry tags:

Unexpected Help [Complete]

Characters: Marona, Demyx and Jintetsu
Content: Marona gets help from someone unexpected.
Setting: Somewhere around Actua Are and Cid's Shop? J7
Time: Mid-day
Warnings: None!

After several days of waiting in the hotel hoping Ash might appear, Marona finally gave up waiting and cautiously had left the hotel to search the surrounding area, although she had a feeling it was in vain.

Like the problem she'd had before, she couldn't just ask anyone if they'd seen him, since no one could have possibly seen him, unless he'd chosen to be seen, but that was not very likely.

Ash... How Desperately she wanted to see her guardian again, but the truth of the matter that he was gone was slowly starting to sink in, and the realization that she was going to have to find some way to survive on her own. It was a daunting decision, that she didn't know even how to begin the first step of.

She couldn't surivive on her own, that much she knew, but Miss Karst had seemed busy, and Ed and Al she'd known had vanished. Only a Ed who didn't know her was here now, and that made her feel all the more lonely, although did give her hope that Ash was then safe and sound, if Ed had managed to get home, but... why didn't Ed remember being there before? It made no sense. Nothing about this place made sense.

She wandered the streets in silence, having nothing better to do, and really it was all that she could do. Sitting alone in the hotel room just led her to tears. Truthfully she was frightened, horribly so. This was not a place for a little girl to be on their own. She was lucky the hotel was allowing her to stay, but even she was not deaf to the whisperings of sending her to the orphanage, which was even more frightening for her. She'd spent a portion of her life in an orphanage, and really didn't want to experience it again. Marona had no idea what to do.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, this was all turning out to be a fine mess. Demyx happened to be wandering the streets in that area too, by coincidence. It was that or getting heckled by his coworkers, and he preferred wandering, thanks. His mind kept going back to the PR nightmare going on over the journals. If Vexen and the others just hadn't been so gosh-darn impatient (and if he hadn't caved to them; that almost always bugged him in retrospect), they might have been able to do this right, and it wouldn't even be an issue...

As it was, he caught himself looking over his shoulder more often than usual. He didn't have any street clothes yet, and unless he got some pretty soon, people were (correctly) going to keep identifying him with the Guys In Black Coats... This was one of those times he was very glad for being able to teleport.

After a little while walking and wondering how the heck they were supposed to clean up this mess, though, he spotted a little girl coming the opposite direction. She wasn't one of the natives (the green hair made that pretty obvious), but she looked pretty upset.

Well, that was understandable, he figured. He offhandedly hoped it wasn't at him, but again, that was what the teleporting was for. Once they were close enough, he waved and put on his best concerned face for her. "Hey, you okay there?" he asked.

Marona paused in her step to blink as she turned to look up at the blond haired man in the black coat. He wasn't like the others around here, and he was the first person to have really actually noticed her.

She was cautious to speak to a stranger, but at this point what choice did she really have? She'd probably have to rely on the kindness of a stranger. Ash would undoubtedly forgive her.

She fumbled silently with the bottom edge of her sundress a moment before finally replying his question, "Mnn... Not... really. Someone... important to me disapeared." She looked down at her feet again, "I can't find them."

Oh. Well, in that case, it probably was because of somebody he knew. The fact she wasn't running away from him was a good sign, though. Maybe she hadn't been keeping up with the journal drama.

A little more relaxed now, he scratched his head. "Oh. Sorry to hear that," he said, though it wasn't really true - any genuine sympathy had gone the way of his heart a long time ago. Still, it wouldn't hurt to fake it. "Any ideas where they might've gone?" he tried after a second.

Marona shook her head saddly, "I don't, but Ash wouldn't leave me by choice, and... I don't think anyone could have taken him..."

She didn't elaborate on why no one could of, but being a phantom would've given Ash quite the perk to avoiding capture. If anyone would have wanted to take him, the only real way would be through her.

"I... guess he's vanished like some people here do... the ones who just disapear and no one sees them again," she said with a quiet sigh, obviously trying to come to terms herself with it. She looked down at her feet saddly.

"I don't know what to do... I'm alone."

Demyx would be lying if he said this wasn't awkward as all get out. It was looking more and more like he'd have to actually do something to help, although he'd probably get in trouble for that (and everything else). Still, she was making him uncomfortable.

"Aww, I'm sure he's fine," he said. (He wasn't sure.) "He might've just ... accidentally found his way back to his world." (He had no idea how people kept doing that by accident.) He hesitated a second before the next part, but then decided he actually did want to say it. "Maybe we could find somebody else you know, or something."

He probably wouldn't get in trouble for only helping her a little bit.

"Really? So... maybe he's back in Ivoire..." she replied quietly, with a thoughtful look. "He... must be so worried though."

She could only imagine Ash being frantic at them being split appart like this. There was no way he couldn't not be, but at least if he was at home he was safe. That made her feel marginly better, but it didn't help her in the meanwhile. How would she ever get home?

"I don't think there's anyone else here I know," she then said softly, "Only Miss Karst, who helped me when I first arrived, but I think she's kind of busy."

She'd spoken to Karst briefly on the journals a few days ago, but hadn't tried again to get in touch with her. Perhaps she should... but she didn't want to become a burdan to someone. It was too bad the Ed she knew and Alphonse had vanished.

Karst... he didn't know offhand who went with the name, and he frankly didn't want to check, like if she turned out to be one of the natives. There were a ton and a half of those to sort through. And if she wasn't, well, that could be even worse where his personal well-being was concerned. No, Demyx wasn't going to pursue that route.

"Well, that's no good," he said, thoughtfully tapping his head. What to do?

He came up with an idea pretty soon, though. "You know, the train station's not too far from here, is it?" he commented, looking in its general direction. And it was even closer by portal. "Maybe there's some information, or something, so you could figure out where to go."

"It is? I haven't really paid attention..." she replied quietly. She knew she was towards the center of the city, but had not really put any thought into the trains that supposedly ran through the city. She didn't have anywhere to go, after all.

"Information? Mmm... Well... I don't know where I'd go, but... I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a little look around if I can find it," Marona then said, thoughtfully. She didn't want to get lost, so had been hesitant to wander anywhere, but if she was with someone, it should be okay, right?

"Would you take me there, maybe?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Uh, sure!" Demyx replied after a second. If she was okay with him taking her somewhere, then she definitely hadn't been keeping up with the drama, and that was good for him. It'd be kind of funny if he could make her think he wasn't the kind of guy who'd be involved with a super secret organization. She seemed trusting enough that he just might be able to pull it off, too.

"Oh! Hang on, though, I know a shortcut," he added, almost as an afterthought. With a quick gesture of his hand, he opened a darkness portal in the wall next to them, hopefully far enough from her that it wouldn't spook her too much. It led exactly where he'd said, this time, so he couldn't see why it would. "Ready?" he said, with a harmless-looking smile.

"R-ready? Um... I guess so?" she replied, a little bit thrown off by the sudden suggestion and the portal that followed it. What kind of shortcut was this? Was this okay? Should she be doing this?

She was worried, and really wasn't sure what to do... but, well, he seemed nice enough, but walking into some dark... thing made her hesitate.

"B-ut, what is that?" Marona asked, pointing at the portal, deciding she would like some explaination before she stepped into it.

It took Demyx a second to realize what she was asking about, and he unconsciously scratched his head. "Oh, that? It's just a portal. Totally safe," he added, even though that part teeeechnically wasn't usually true. But to demonstrate, he stepped halfway into it, the darkness obscuring that half of him completely. "See? Saves a lot of time."

Slowly Marona approached the portal, watching him step part way in. Well... it seemed to not be doing anything bad.

Hesitantly she reached out a hand slipped it into the portal, then back out. Still... nothing reall bad. It seemed awfully dark though, but glancing to Demyx, she nodded a little.

Well... she guessed it couldn't hurt to try. "Alright, I'm ready."

Heh, so she was going to trust him after all. Demyx was pretty amazed how well this was working; it looked like what they said about flies and honey was true after all. Satisfied, he stepped the rest of the way through, though he kept a hand on the little girl's side of the portal until she came through, just so she wouldn't think he was ditching her or anything.

The other side of the portal opened into an out-of-the-way corner of Paixao Central Station. Probably he could have gotten away with opening it anywhere without the citizens even noticing, but it never hurt to play it safe. Decently busy this time of day, but not so crowded he'd have to worry about losing anybody.

[ooc: I'll drop Jintetsu in after your next post if that's okay.]

Marona was still surprised to find herself in a completely different place in the city when she came out the other side. She looked around with curiousity, before looking back to Demyx. "That was amazing," she said in awe, "That must make it much much easier to get around this place!"

She knew all too well how large Paixao was. Just walking to the shop had taken sometime. Yoruichi's mode of travel had seemed remarkably fast to her, but Demyx's portal had beaten even that by a long shot.

"So... what now?" she asked softly.

The portal closed softly behind them, leaving them beside the station's whitewashed inner wall. It was true they were convenient, but Demyx chose not to elaborate on just how easy they made things, and responded to her comment only by looking somewhat proud of himself.

He did answer the second question, though he took a second to look around first. As he'd thought there might be, there was a wall-sized map of the city on the other side of the area they'd come into, and next to it, a small, unmanned kiosk full of brochures and labeled as such. He pointed generally in that direction, already starting to walk toward it. "Looks like there's something right there. Let's take a look."

Jintetsu was not in a terrific mood. It'd been all night and probably half the day since he'd been thrown across town to the Wild Ginger, and while he'd at least had the presence of mind to cut himself off before he got himself honestly drunk, he was still feeling it a little.

In reality, a slight headache was the least of his worries, but that was all the more reason to focus on it to the exclusion of everything else. If he didn't, his mind invariably started drifting back to sorcerers and worlds and skeletons and other places he didn't want it going. He'd tried contacting that rurouni guy from before, and asked him to meet him here. No response, but he'd gone ahead and ridden one of the trains in regardless.

The train stopped in the more-familiar Central Station with the hiss of steam, and Jintetsu stepped out onto the platform in a hurry; he still didn't like riding them. But when he looked out from under his hat, he stopped dead in his tracks. Just a handful of yards away, walking past without even looking at him, was one of the men in black.

His shock was quickly replaced with an equal amount of anger. As if by instinct, he began to follow as discreetly as he could -

"What are you doing? You're gonna get us killed!" Haganemaru hissed from his belt, but Jintetsu wasn't listening. Right now, he was just a little too pissed to care.

Wow, it really had worked! They were somewhere else now. Marona took a moment to look around at the inside of the station before she turned her gaze back to Demyx and followed his gaze towards the map and kiosk. "Alright," she agreed, following long beside the blond.

She stopped in front of the map first, eyes traveling over the various places. It seemed even bigger on a large map like this, rather than the small one on the journal screen. Ah, there was the gate she started at, and there was the hotel she'd been staying in, and Auntie Unde's where she'd met Ed... It hadn't really been that long since then, but... it felt like a long time ago now.

Ash... Where ever he was Marona was sure he'd try to find a way back to her as much as she wanted to find a way to him. Somehow she'd find him again.

The chroma finally turned to the kiosk, glancing over the brochures, not quiet sure what she needed to be looking for though.

Demyx pored over the giant map for a bit, his forefinger absently following his eyes around it. The orphanage on the west side and the academy up north both looked like pretty decent options for a girl her age, but he'd leave it up to her. One quick, silent round of eeny-meeny-miny-moe later, he pointed more definitively to the academy. "Hey, have you been to school before?" he asked.

Jintetsu halted just a couple yards behind the man, taking a moment to glance at the girl beside him. She was the second person with green hair he'd run into in the last few days; he wondered if that was common around here. Wouldn't surprise him anymore. He kept his attention on the taller of the two after that, though. That one, at least, he was sure was dangerous.

Well, he'd come this far. He took one further step toward them and stopped again. "Oi. Haven't we met somewhere?" he asked accusingly. The question wasn't for his own benefit; he knew they had. What he wanted was confirmation.

But then what? He wasn't sure.

Marona glanced back to Demyx, her eyes widening a bit. "S-school?" she echoed looking a bit surprised at the thought. For Chroma school was rarely an option available to them. "N-no... I've never been to school before," she admitted.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but paused when a voice came from behind. Marona spun about and blinked. She couldn't help looking somewhat curiously at Jintetsu. He reminded her a little of Mr. Canary, well, in terms of clothing and his hat rather.

"Um... H-hello..." she said quietly, despite not being address, but she couldn't help but try to be polite. Her gaze turned to Demyx curiously, wondering what was going on.

Demyx smiled a bit; somehow the ordinary got less and less ordinary the more worlds you ran into. "Well, there's that academy right up there if-" he began, but his suggestion was interrupted by some guy behind them.

He didn't recognize the voice, so he turned automatically - and instantly recognized the hat. Yeah, they had met before, this was one of the people who'd left the domes with Sora. Demyx had kicked him back inside not twelve hours prior.

An expression of acute panic crossed his face for a second as he realized the fatal flaw in their methods that time. They'd left witnesses.

Just as quickly, he turned back to the map on the wall, trying to make the lie a little less obvious. "Nope! Never seen you in my life."

Jintetsu left the girl's greeting unanswered; it wasn't her he was angry at. He hadn't failed to notice the surprise on the man in black's face before he turned away, and it cemented what he'd thought.

"I'm not stupid," he said. "You and two others attacked some travelers last night." It was an accusation only slightly less than it was a statement of fact, and Jintetsu kept his metal left hand visibly at Haganemaru's hilt as he spoke. He wasn't going to draw his sword in a crowded place like this if he didn't have to, but... the group he'd been shadowing had included women and at least one kid, so the same couldn't really be said for the guy who'd ambushed them.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"A-attacked?" she echo'd, looking rather worried now as she glanced to Demyx and Jintetsu.

What was going on? Marona looked lost and confused as ever as she stepped back a little, unsure of what this was all about. "I-is this true...?" she asked, settling her gaze on Demyx.

Oh, this was just great. If he told the truth, he was screwed, and if he lied, they weren't gonna buy it. The girl, maybe, but not Hatguy there. This was quickly getting to be more of a pickle than he liked.

Demyx glanced at the girl, not apologetically, but with an expression more resembling frustration. He was busted, and he knew it. All that was left was to jet. He sighed and shrugged. "What is it with you people and pointing fingers?" he asked.

Before they had time to answer, almost before he was done speaking, he vanished into the darkness, leaving only a swirl of black smoke where he'd been standing - and a second later, that was gone, too.

For a second, Jintetsu just stood there, staring at the place where the man had been. Of all the things he could have done, disappearing into thin air was about the last one he'd have expected, although as he realized it had happened, he also realized he very much should have seen it coming.

His expression didn't change much, though (it couldn't, after all), and he looked automatically to the girl, his steel face as stern as ever. Chances were good that she wasn't with the man in black, if he'd left her behind like that.

"Hey, kid," he said. "Watch out for those guys in the black coats, they're nothing but trouble."

Marona blinked in surprise and let out a cry as Demyx suddenly vanished. "W-wait... What about... but..." But he was gone. She'd been left behind, and she had no idea what exactly had just happened.

Staring for a moment at where he'd disapeared, she turned to Jintetsu, listening to his words. "T-trouble? Really? He... he seemed okay.. I... "

She shouldn't have ever let him talk her into coming here with him. She should have just gone back to the hotel. Now she was no further to finding Ash or a way home or anything than she'd started and she'd have to find her way back to the hotel on her own. Although she didn't know how much longer they'd allow her to stay... Well, she'd have to go back to get her belongings.

Tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. She was at an utter loss.

Jintetsu blinked, almost as surprised at her as he'd been at the disappearance itself. How could he have "seemed okay"? The last time he'd run into those people, he'd been nearly killed by a bunch of sorcerers and then chucked unceremoniously to the other side of the city in a split second. It was hard to believe they'd be playing nice.

... And now she was going to start crying, too. A knot of pity went off in his chest. What was he supposed to do about this? "You're not hurt, at least," he tried. "Just go home, and be more careful."

"I.. I can't go home... I don't know how to get back to Ivoire..." she explained as she tried to fight the tears threatening to fall.

"I'm not even sure how I got here, but people helped me and then I found Ash and I thought everything was going to be okay, but then he disapeared and ... I don't know what to do at all..." Marona gushed, the frustration and desperation pouring from her for a moment.

She then suddenly covered her face with her hands as she realized what she'd just said. "I'm sorry," she quickly spoke. Marona felt bad, she shouldn't be speaking her troubles to a complete stranger like that. "I'll... I'll be careful, thank you."

Jintetsu's typical glower softened a bit as the girl spoke. He hadn't had any idea she was stranded here the same way he was, and although he didn't know where Ivoire was or who she was talking about, it made him feel kind of bad for her nonetheless.

He glanced briefly at Haganemaru's eye, which was giving him a stern don't you even THINK about it look. And Jintetsu knew all the reasons he shouldn't, but he couldn't just leave the kid by herself in this state.

Whatever the sword thought, his mind was made up. He took a step nearer and hid his metal hand, and the hilt of his sword, back beneath his cloak. "What's your name?" he asked, tilting his head.

Marona had glanced back to the map, thinking she supposed she needed to try to figure out how to get back to the hotel, but blinked and turned back to Jintetsu when he spoke to her again.

"My name...?" she echoed, she hadn't expected to be asked that. "Ah, I'm Marona."

Marona, huh? Kind of an odd name, but not as odd as some he'd run across here. "Any relation to, uh, Morrigan?"

To tell the truth, he didn't want to go anywhere near the strange woman he'd met right after he'd arrived in town. But she and this Marona girl both had green hair, so it was worth asking.

"Morrigan...?" Marona echoed, a confused look on her face. She'd never heard of anyone named that.

"No... I don't know anyone by that name," she said, having turned back to Jintetsu, looking at him more curiously now. "Who's Morrigan?"

"Doesn't matter," said Jintetsu, not sounding half as relieved as he actually was. But he couldn't think what else he ought to say to her after that, so he was silent for a few seconds.

"Well, good luck," he said eventually, tilting his hat to her more or less respectfully, and he turned and started back in the general direction of the station's entrance.

"O-Oh... O-okay..." she replied awkwardly to him, still wondering a little bit what that had been about, but she wasn't going to press him.

Marona's heart then dropped from her chest, when he suddenly turned away. Good luck? What was she meant to do now? She'd have to find her way back to the hotel all on her own now somehow to get her belongings. She... wasn't sure she'd be able to stay there any longer. She'd been lucky the hotel staff had been as kind as they had to her. Then... she had no idea at all.

Ash... Why had this place decided to make Ash disapear?

She didn't want to be alone.

"W-Wait!" she suddenly found herself calling out. She then paused, embarrased a bit by her outburst but... "Um... You... you didn't tell me your name."

Jintetsu stopped and turned back to Marona when she called him. "Jintetsu of Steel," he said simply.

Then, a few seconds later, he added, "I'll walk you back, if you want. That guy might come back." After all, he must have wanted something from her, if he'd come after her before. What, he didn't know, but there had to be something.

Marona had never heard of a name quite like that, but she nodded as she clasped her hands, bowing a bit, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Jintetsu."

"Eh?" she then said, blinking at his sudden offer. "R-really?"

"I... I hate to trouble you, but if you would I'd be very grateful!" Marona stammered politely as she could. She could already hear in her head Ash telling her she was being too trusting - again, but what choice did she have? If she couldn't find some stranger to trust, she'd be alone.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Unexpected Help [Complete]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject