Elenia

Audra narrowed her eyes in annoyance as she mused over what the winged boy had said. Something about them not being from Elenia. What in the world was this Elenia that he was talking about? Was it the name of this place - Audra didn’t quite understand what in the world it was about, but it just went to show her that her subconscious was fully capable of creating strange worlds.

“Well, perhaps a compromise, my dearest ray of sunshine. If you’re looking for civilization, then I can escort you and your companion to Sora Academy for the Gifted. And answer any questions that you may have.” Audra nearly ended up losing her temper at that simple word - Gifted. It was such a disappointing word. There had been too many occasions when she had met someone who was ‘gifted’ but ended up being nothing but a simple bore. Answers seemed nice, but they weren’t helpful anyways.

Wasn’t it almost time for her to wake up from her dream already? The presentation must have started by now, so either time was messed up or there was something wrong with her. It didn’t matter. All that was needed was a bit of a shock and she’d wake up sooner or later. An adrenaline rush never failed to remove her from her dreams whenever she was about to die or something anyways.

“Look… I don’t know who you are.. but you’re nuts if you think I’m willing to follow some random, winged, Casanova freak to a place that I’ve never even heard of,” stated the darker-haired boy with a voice that made it seem as though he was annoyed. Giacomo Casanova - the famous womanizer. It did make sense perhaps in that context, but she preferred to think that his words were given to her, and her only.

She stopped in her tracks to try and respond to the winged boy, before the other boy directed some of his ire her way. “I’m not to fond of you trying to act like the boss all of a sudden, but I’m only following you ‘cause you’re the only normal thing in sight.” Audra allowed a little smile to creep up on her face when she took in the implications of these words. Usually, people were all too willing to leave the decisions to someone else, especially in a place far from their comfort zone. How nice of this one to want to have some say.

Audra continued to walk forward, before turning her head to address the winged boy. “No thanks, flyboy. Don’t care too much for this academy of yours.” Then, in a deadpan voice, she turned towards the darker-haired boy, before shrugging. “And if you ever thought that your opinions would mean anything to me, you were mistaken. If you’re upset about it, then deal with the implications of being alone yourself.”

It seemed like hours.

Mayah had been stumbling through the endless sand dunes for what seemed like forever. Her pink lips were dry and already chapped from the westerly wind that assaulted the plains relentlessly. Grit filled her mouth, but she didn't have the saliva to spit it out. Her golden locks blew like a shimmering waterfall behind her, her blue eyes darting for some form of life. There was none. The blazing sun beat down upon her slender frame, never giving in with its death rays. And soon her legs would give way from exhaustion and her body would give up from dehydration. But still, she walked, opening her mouth to call out whenever she composed herself enough to. Energy was seeping slowly away from her body. What had conspired to leave her in such a situation? She had been safely at the Assembly Hall and now somehow she was struggling to walk through heaps of sand.

"Anyone out there?" It was one last attempt to get attention. Drawing to a halt, she glanced around. Everything seemed fuzzy, like she was looking and hearing through water. Water. What she would do for water at that moment. Wait, was that a figure on the horizon. Or was she simply imagining it in her distressed state. Squinting against the violent sun's rays, she stepped forwards. Yes, there was someone there. A female by the looks of it. Swallowing hard, Mayah staggered towards her, happy that there was at least someone in this awful place. The red-haired girl spoke to her, though Mayah only caught a handful of words. Shaking her head, she tried to clear it of the fuzzy feeling. She walked forwards to meet this girl.

"I'm Mayah," She practically shouted it, though in her mind it sounded to be a reasonable noise level. "Do you live here?" She looked around, a disbelieving look on her face as she surveyed the landscape. "Because I have no idea how I came to be here. In fact, I'm pretty sure this isn't on Earth...Of course if you know what Earth is..." Her little rant tailed off and as she stared curiously at Suki. She looked like a normal teen. But was she?

The moment Kaen offered to take the first shift, Nobu immediately raised his hand and opened his mouth in protest but was cut off by Kaen right after. As young as the boy seemed, he said nothing but truth as much as Nobu would have liked to disagree. His mind grasped for any excuse to take the first shift and let Kaen rest. After all, the boy had seemed so exhausted earlier from merely talking. However, he decided to concede to Kaen's wishes and motioned his hand as a sign of agreement. Nobu raised his head and offered an ultimatum.

"You have to agree, however, that if you become too tired or cold, that you immediately wake me up to take over. Don't be stubborn, not here. Agreed?"

Though he seriously doubted any living creature could live out in this frozen tundra void of life, he had heard stories in the past of wolves and polar bears and such being able to survive in such an environment. He leaned his head back to against the icy wall, curling his legs up close to his body, putting himself in a position where he could quickly get up and react if anything were to happen to Kaen. Fatigue quickly caught up to him, his eyelids becoming heavier as each moment passed...

((OOC: sorry i was away for a while... busy weekend :) ))

Felix sighed, letting the girl walk off with the other boy. It wasn't until he heard the slight whisper from her companion that the winged teen decided to take a slightly different approach.

“I’m not to fond of you trying to act like the boss all of a sudden, but I’m only following you ‘cause you’re the only normal thing in sight.” He wasn't the kind of person to let things anger him like this statement did but it couldn't be helped. Striding quickly to catch up with the two teenagers, Felix grabbed the black haired boy's arm, spun him around, and did something very unmasculine; Felix slapped the other youth lightly but with enough sting to get his point across.

"I don't know where you came from nor do I particularly care. But as you can see, you are not dreaming. This isn't some figment of you imagination and neither is it a ploy by the people you know. You're on my home planet of Elenia. If you insist on travelling, I've no choice but to accompany you; seeing as you know nothing of this place or its inhabitants," he stated. Continuing on, he bowed. "Consider it my obligation to work for such knuckleheads." As soon as he was done with his short monologue, Felix regretted it. However, he had come to the conclusion that his usual nice and polite personality wasn't going to do much given the situation. Whether the two chose to continue on to Terra or be escorted to Sora, Felix felt a pressure in the back of his mind that urged him to remain with the two.

Suki coughed sand from her mouth and licked her dry lips, a mistake she realized almost immediately as sand began to stick to them. The other girl looked far worse off than Suki herself. She'd have to save her questions until they were back at the oasis... if they could find it again.

"My name's Suki," she stated, half yelling in order to get her voice to even work. "Let's save our energy for getting to the oasis that I came from!" She didn't even wait for the blond haired girl to reply, but turned around and began heading toward her destination. The sand was again burning her feet as it overflowed into her sandals and it stung her eyes when it drifted through her eyelashes. It would seem like forever until they would reach the little haven.

Desolax lay on the sand. His arms folded up behind his head. The leather boots and gloves lay beside him as he allowed his dark blue fins bask in the sunlight. A cigarette hung loosely in his mouth, simply burning down towards the mans mouth. His hat was flicked down so it covered his eyes and a thin smile was spread across his face. "So Hannah. Another day passes..." he sighed quietly before sitting up and fastening his boots back on and sliding his leather gloves back onto his hands.
"Desolax! Desolax you no good dirty lazy ass! Get back here!" A voice boomed out across the beach. The dock master. Flicking his cap back up onto his head Desolax stood up and jogged quickly across the sand, the cigarette falling to the ground and resting peacefully.
He stood there grabbing his knees, panting ferociously. "I told you plenty a time! Don't leave the dock during work!" The dock master screamed as he slapped the back of Desolax's head.
"Hey it was my lunch!" Des yelled back as he straightened himself up.
The large man placed his hands on his waists and shook his head. "Well don't think you are getting paid for the last two hours... But anyway i have a special job for you. Special as in extra pay but a long distance journey. Think you are up for it? Good!" The man said it in a rather demanding way before he turned and stormed over to a small podium on the dock. "We have had a special recommendation. A small hut up in the mountains, this shipment of mining equipment has come in for them. Of course its come from one of the other sea faring towns now its gotta be taken to them. Here take the map. I have taken up the pleasure of loading a Mule up with the equipment you will need." The man stretched out his left hand holding the map out for Des whilst he scribbled down something onto another piece of parchment.
"Brilliant..." He mumbled as he took the map.
"The mule is on the outskirts of town. Oh and by the way boy... The mountains are not safe. you got one of the rifles you were transporting earlier in with the equipment." The large man said with a nod before returning to what ever business he had left to do that day.
Desolax stood still rather dumbstruck with what he had been asked to do. All in all he couldn't complain, a day away from work and on the road. What else could he ask for!

He stood on the edge of the town, his gaze fixed on the old mule. Its dark grey fur was patchy and it had a number of scratches down its side. The hooves were old and worn and it looked like it only had a few days left to live. A couple of sacks were strapped over its back along with an axe and a black powder rifle. A number of water bottle were strapped onto the side and a single note was pinned onto a large sack. Des moved over to it quickly and smirked at the paper with a plain note scribbled down. "Clothing. Food. Survival stuff."
"And so here we go old nessy!" He shouted at the mule before picking up the simple rope that hung from the donkeys neck and beginning to slowly make his out across the fields that led from his town. The mountains towering up in the distance.

Mayah didn't need telling twice. If there was a beautiful oasis nearby, then they needed to find it, or else they weren't going to last much longer out in the relentless desert. As the red-haired girl turned and lead the way, the young woman fell into step behind her. Well, step probably wasn't the correct work. Stumble, stagger or dragged her feet through the sand were closer to what happened. Sand was beginning to seep into her boots, which made everything that much more uncomfortable. Sand was everywhere actually. It stung her face and her eyes and itched in her hair. But this oasis had to be close. It had to be.

It seemed like hours, but it probably wasn't indeed that long. After a while on the horizon, trees come into view. Mayah let out a sigh of relief, picking up the pace to get to their destination quicker. The brilliant greens looked beautiful against the desert oranges and yellows. Life. There was life in this barren place. And water. Mayah could see the reflection of the sun, glinting on the surface of crystal clear water. Her mouth became drier than ever before. The moment they entered the shade of the trees, the difference could easily be defined. It was far cooler in the shaded area, protected from the blistering heat of the sun. Sinking to her knees, the blonde girl drank handfuls of water, trying to quench her thirst. Ripples danced across the surface of pool, their depths welcoming for anyone lost within the desert. It was pure bliss there. As soon as she had drank her fill, Mayah's attention was returned to her saviour.

"I cannot thank you enough," She gushed, climbing to her feet with a bright smile. Her wind swept hair was tugged over one shoulder, but apart from that, she ignored it. "I could have been out there walking for days. I'm Mayah. Mayah Reid by the way. Your name is Suki right? It's really nice to meet you. But can you tell me anything about this place? I shouldn't be here." Her smile faded to a look of pure worry. Chewing her bottom lip, she cast a look around, before her blue eyes fell upon the girl once again. Hopefully she would have some answers, but from the look of her clothing, she too was not meant to be here. Her heart sunk slightly.

"You have to agree, however, that if you become too tired or cold, that you immediately wake me up to take over. Don't be stubborn, not here. Agreed?" Nobu spoke and Kaen nodded his head silently but offered no real answer. He looked at the man's form as he curled up and was asleep seconds later. Kaen rolled his eyes and shook his head slightly. And the man told him he wasn't tired? He looked at the clock and sat there, waiting for the time to pass. But whenever people wanted time to run faster, it always ran slower and whenever people wanted it to run slower, it ran like it had never run before.

The night came and ended slowly to Kaen but he never once woke Nobu up. The man was too tired and he didn't want to disrupt Nobu's precious sleep. And so, Kaen voluntarily took over two shifts as well without a complain. His mind was too...fulled of thoughts right now to sleep properly. He pondered about many things. About his life, his lost love, his friends, how he got here and most importantly, what he could do to get out of here. As the first sun ray hit his face, Kaen was startled as he didn't even realize the morning had come. It had been too fast for his liking. He peered outside and checked the sky. The storm had ended hours ago and the sun was shining quite brightly now. He could make out some shapes from the distance. It seemed luck was not on his side. He could only see endless, snow-covered wasteland. Kaen sighed. Just his luck! But he supposed if he went now, he might come across a village or something to ask for directions and helps.

Made up his mind, Kaen walked next to Nobu and gently shook the man "...Nobu-san...It's morning...wake up..."

Just as quickly as it had taken Nobu to fall asleep, he woke with a shudder, getting to his feet immediately. It seemed to have been all but five minutes that he had been asleep for when in actuality, he had slept through the night. The bright sun glistened off the thick layer of snow outside, almost blinding Nobu as he shielded his eyes. He instantly knew that Kaen had not awakened him for his shift. The interesting thing was the fact that his sleep had contained no dreams. He always dreamed when he slept that heavily but not that night. Only darkness and solitude. He rubbed his eyes and stretched his aching body as he walked towards the mouth of the cave. To his dismay, the vast plain of snow seemed to stretch into the horizon with no end. He looked up into the sky and saw that the sun was rising from a certain direction. He quickly turned to Kaen and noted,

"Look! The sun is rising from that direction. Now that means if we travel this direction, we'll be going south.... unless of course we're on the southern hemisphere of the earth... in which case we would have to travel north....hmm.."

It was at that moment that Nobu's stomach growled with ferocity. It had been a while since he had had any food or water. He knew that Kaen would have to be feeling the same thing at the moment as well.

Just when she had finished her little speech towards her darker-haired companion, the winged guy grabbed him, spun him around and gave him a hard slap in the face. Audra turned around as well to see just what had happened - especially to learn what had set the boy off into doing such a thing. Before, he had seemed to be quite well-mannered, even chivalrous, but apparently, the black-haired boy had done something that had gotten on his nerves.

“I don’t know where you came from nor do I particularly care. But as you can see, you are not dreaming. This isn’t some figment of your imagination, and neither is it a ploy by the people you know. You’re on my home planet of Elenia. If you insist on traveling, I’ve no choice but to accompany you; seeing as you know nothing of this place or its inhabitants.” He gave a slight bow that just served to allow Audra to take a closer look at his wings. They didn’t seem to be some thing that was strapped on to his back - to the best of her knowledge, it appeared as though they were seriously attached to the boy’s back directly. “Consider it my obligation to work for such knuckleheads.”

Audra hoped that the boy wasn’t addressing her in any way, but as there was no possibility that his rage wasn’t directed just at the boy - in her opinion. Her grey eyes flashed with anger; no one insulted her reasoning, even if they were winged people. “Excuse me!” she spat out, with a slight tinge of injured pride. “Exactly what is your reasoning behind calling me a knucklehead.” Then, knowing that she really shouldn’t be losing her temper - not in whatever this place was - in front of people, her voice became quieter, but still brought with it an aura of anger. “If you’ll insist on doing such distasteful things such as insulting someone, do you really think that your information would be helpful? Do you think that I’d believe you?”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “Let’s put it this way so that even someone like you can understand it. There is no way according to the laws of physics as we, humans, know them that we can be on a different planet without actually traveling. We can’t be on this planet - Elenia, you called it - because about just a little while ago, we were on Earth. How do you suppose that we’ve ended up here then? If something is impossible, then do not have the impudence to suggest it like an everyday occurrence. Now, Flyboy, what kind of reasoning did you use to come up with your ridiculous conclusion because I have to say that your reasoning makes no sense whatsoever. You might as well go and get a new brain implant with the way that you think.” That berating of the sheer idiocy of that winged boy seemed to make her a bit more pleased than before, but she still looked, almost glared, at the boy.