Alessandra Lyra's Story

---

Alis opened her eyes only to be greeted by dirt and grass. Confused, she picked herself up on wobbly arms and spat out dirt and grass, cussing silently under her breath as she wiped her face off. "Cole, if this is your idea of a joke.." She called out but fell silent before finishing. Usually at this point she would have heard some sort of chuckling but it was silent. Alessandra finally looked around her and realized that she didn't recognize where she was at.

Panic welled up inside of her, she was alone. She buried her face in her hands and tried desperately to remember what had happened but her mind was foggy and her head was throbbing. The thought that she couldn't remember anything only worsened her fears and she quickly tried to put that out of her mind.

I can't panic.. She told herself, I just need to find people and water. With a goal on her mind, the red head willed herself onto her feet and tried to regain her senses. It was hot, she knew that much. She was also thirsty, suggesting she had been out for a while. She wondered where Cole and Winsley were but quickly pushed that thought out of her mind. She doubted they were out here, they were probably fine at home.

Alis dusted off her clothes, a purple blouse with a pair of black shorts and black flip flops. They weren't exactly conventional walking shoes, but they'd have to do seeing as Alis didn't see any shoe stores around. She took a moment to calm her heart, which was racing so fast that her stomach had begun to ache, before taking her first step... then realizing she had no where to go.

As soon as it had come, Alessandra's burst of confidence abandoned her and she sunk to the ground with a sudden wave of grief and self-pity.

She just wished her friends were with her, though she believed they were probably better off wherever they were.

Martin groaned wearily as he slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted by the sight of a grotty, wooden ceiling that looked dangerously close to falling down on him. He dragged himself out of bed sluggishly and put on his jacket, boots, belt, scarf and gloves. He strapped his sword across his back and pushed against the door; in his half asleep state he had forgotten it was locked. Or it should have been. It creaked slowly open, the rusty hinges resisting Martin's pushing. The hinges lost the fight, and Martin left the room, with the few possessions he owned.

He plodded down the stairs, gripping tightly onto the banister as he descended. He knew his senses were dull, and he wasn't about to risk falling down the stairs. The rest of the inn was just as badly-kept as his room. If he had had more money, he would have stayed somewhere where his biggest concern wasn't being crushed by falling ceiling-beams.

The bar on the ground floor was filled with all manner of characters Martin would never associate himself with; they were all dressed in ragged clothing, dirty and spoke in strong accents at which the nobility would have turned up their noses. Had Martin not been armed (and penniless) he would likely have left the inn covered in blood. In reality, they just stared at him as he walked past; he didn't fit in, and they didn't want him here. One other person who didn't quite seem to fit in was the innkeeper. He was a short, podgy man with a bald head and a bushy, ginger beard. His sleeves were always rolled up, revealing his hairy, leather-skinned arms. He always seemed jolly, despite the shady customers he received and the poor state of his inn. The chubby, little man nodded to Martin as he left, so he nodded back.

The streets that greeted Martin outside were more welcoming, but not all that much so. He had fresh air to breathe and the cobbled street wasn't filled with characters who looked like they had never earned and honest penny in their life. However, it was still fairly shabby and grimy. Martin retreated to his thoughts as he walked down the street, wondering what he would do now. Thoughts of how grim or bright his future could be swirled around his head as he travelled down the streets and eventually out of Kalistos.

Something would work out. Something always did. He'd have to find good work somewhere, maybe as a bodyguard for some paranoid noble or a guard in a small village. He would have to run into some opportunity eventually.

And so came the opportunity. While Martin didn't realise it at first, he certainly would come to. As he trudged down the dust path, kicking stones along just for the sake of watching them skitter down the path, he saw a girl on her knees by the roadside. She appeared to be on the verge of crying, and it certainly wasn't out of happiness.
"Miss?" Martin asked cautiously as he approached her, "Are you all right, Miss?"

---

It was beginning to come back now.

As Alessandra sat, hugging her legs to her chest and resting her head on her knees, the fog slowly began clearing and her memory of the events was still lacking some important information. She didn't try to remember too hard, though, it hurt her head too much and the young girl was smart enough to be patient and let the rest of the gaps fill themselves. She remembered being with Cole and Winsley and Cole's grandfather's journal...



"This is so dumb." The red head whined to Winsley's back. The pink haired girl shushed her and leaned deeper into the book, still trying to uncover more of the secrets to the mysterious journal.

"I think I'm getting to something big." Winsley explained, her voice almost a whisper as excitement welled up inside of her.

Alis rolled her eyes, "That's stupid," she insisted, "there's nothing 'big' about that dumb diary. It's probably just a cute little riddle for some sort of scavenger hunt for a birthday party or something."

Winsley shook her head but said nothing more, too focused on her work. Alessandra shut up and came up behind her friend to look over her shoulder, curious despite herself. "How'd you figure out all these markings?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. Winsley still didn't answer and Alis sighed. Just then, Cole stepped in, grinning and carrying juice boxes for the three of them.

The red head snatched one and poked the straw in and took a sip while pulling out her phone and checking the time. "Ah! I gotta go home, mom's gonna go berserk if I'm not home by 9 again."

She turned and began out, but didn't get out of the room before hearing Winsley shout out. She whirled around only to get a face full of purple light...



And that's where it ended and she woke up in the dirt.

Alis squeezed her eyes shut and willed the tears that were beginning to come to the corners of her eyes to go away. It was all so confusing and she could only guess at what the glow and amnesia were all about. The memories were only bringing up new questions.

She sniffled loudly and brought up her head so she could wipe her eyes with her sleeve. However, her arm stopped abruptly at the sound of footsteps approaching behind the young girl.

She quieted her breathing and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the sound and where it was coming from. By the sound of it it seemed to be coming towards her. What if it was a murderer? What if she had been kidnapped and the kidnapper was coming back to finish what he had started? Alessandra hugged her knees tighter and tried to keep herself from hyperventilating as her heart rate shot up.

"Miss? Are you all right, Miss?"

Her back arched reflexively, awaiting the gunshot or the feeling of a knife in her back. Alis never had a very reliable fight or flight reflex, it was more of a 'wait for the blow and then take it from there' type of thing. She held her breath but the blow never came. Slowly, curiosity overcame her and she wondered why a murderer would ask her if she was okay before he killed her, unless he was the insane type, which did nothing to relive the poor girl's anxiety.

As much as it pained her, she realized that just sitting there would do her no good since the person did not leave or kill her yet. If she was going to die anyway, she might as well answer him and get it over with.

Alessandra tried her best to straighten up and look as confident as possible before nervously clearing her through. "I-I'm f-f-fine." She whispered, "why are you h-here?" She dared ask, flinching as she waited for the blow once more.

As Martin got closer to the girl she began to weep and sniffle loudly. Once she realised he was approaching, she hugged her knees in a vice-like grip and sat there, motionless.
"Miss? Are you all right, Miss?"
She curled up into an even tighter ball once she had heard him and stopped breathing. It was as if she was waiting for him to strike her. She was obviously in a terrible state, most likely insane. Still, that didn't mean that Martin should leave her curled up in a ball and crying by the roadside.

She remained silent for a while, and Martin was beginning to wonder if she had not heard him or if she was simply ignoring him. He was just about to ask her again, but she did eventually reply.
"I-I'm f-f-fine. Why are you h-here?"
She spoke in a hushed voice and seemed to have great difficulty pushing the words out of her mouth; her jaw shook uncontrollably as she spoke, causing her to stutter. She had a very peculiar accent, unlike any other Martin had over heard before. Maybe she was Dharan. Martin quickly threw away the thought, while he had never spoken to a Dharan and so had no idea of what they sounded like, he knew they had much darker complexions, and they certainly didn't have hair as bright as hers.

The peculiar way in which the girl spoke almost made Martin forget what she had actually said. It took him a second or so to remember. She had told him she was fine, and asked why he was there. What funny thing to ask. The fact that she had just blatantly lied to him didn't make him think any more of her, either.
"You quite obviously aren't." Martin replied, "And I'm on my way out of Kalistos."
She was still hugging her knees tightly and not looking at him, so he walked around and knelt down in front of her in an attempt to get her to make eye contact with him. Maybe she would realise he wasn't to be scared of. He tried to get a look at her face, but she was still hiding it with her legs.
"I think I could ask you the same question." Martin told her, "What are you doing by the roadside, crying to yourself like a scared child who's lost her mother? It isn't safe, you could get attacked and robbed; you're obviously an easy target."

---

"You quite obviously aren't."

Alis flinched, not realizing the stranger was still there. He had fallen silent for a while and she hoped he had lost interest in the strange girl by the road and left. She sighed, he was right, she wasn't fine. But saying that you are fine when you're not is something that people just say. She had never been reprimanded because of it before.

"And I'm on my way out of Kalistos."

It took her a while to realize that he was answering her first question, and longer yet to wrap her head around what he had said. Kalistos? She thought, confused, where the hell is Kalistos? Surely I would have heard of a place with such a strange name before? Her ribs ached with grief, where was she? Where was this Kalistos that the strange man was talking about? She clutched her clothes tightly, trying to keep hold of a shred of sanity.

Anyway, silence was getting her no where once again, and she finally raised her head and wiped her eyes on her sleeves. Alessandra sniffled, "Kalistos? Where's that?" Her voice was small and she still didn't look at the man who was talking to her, not ready to face him after how she was acting.

He didn't answer her immediately, instead, he walked around and knelt in front of her. She shrunk back a little, but finally gave in and gave him her attention. She immediately regretted it, it only stressed her out more.

He looked like he had just stepped out of a Lord of the Rings movie or something. However, that didn't freak her out as much as what was strapped to his back. A sword.

Her crimson eyes widened at the sight of the weapon. Maybe this man was there to kill her. She would have said something, maybe asked him about it, but her mouth had gone dry and she had lost her words. Death was upon Alessandra Marie Lyra. She still tried to understand why he was dressed in such a way. Was there a strange satisfaction for him, cutting down his victims dressed as his favorite hero from a fantasy film?

"I think I could ask you the same question." She jumped, "What are you doing by the roadside, crying to yourself like a scared child who's lost her mother? It isn't safe, you could get attacked and robbed; you're obviously an easy target."

A shiver ran up her spine and she cringed, an easy target? To who? She didn't see any dangerous person around except for him. He was the one with the sword! Scared that he'd hurt her if she didn't answer, Alis swallowed the bile the came up from the fear and said quietly, "I'm lost, I don't know why I'm here."

It took a while before the girl uncurled herself from her "shell". The girl and Martin looked each other up and down, curious as to who the other was and what they looked like. The girl looked very strange; her clothing definitely wasn't from Akhar. She wore a loose, purple top, black trousers that ended before her knees, no socks and a rather flimsy pair of sandals. Her sandals were made of an odd material, the likes of which Martin had never seen before. Her face seemed normal enough, but her hair looked dyed and her eyes were a deep shade of crimson. Where could she be from? What if she wasn't even from Taakeira?

She spoke soon after she had unravelled herself, in her strange, rhotic accent.
"Kalistos? Where's that?"
Martin looked at her incredulously; how could she not know where Kalistos was? By the sound of it, she probably didn't know what it was, either. Perhaps she was joking. Yes, that was it, she was trying to calm her nerves by joking to herself.

"I think I could ask you the same question. What are you doing by the roadside, crying to yourself like a scared child who's lost her mother? It isn't safe, you could get attacked and robbed; you're obviously an easy target."
The girl jumped back as he spoke and stared at him in fear, much like a trapped beast does when it is surrounded by hunters. He half expected her to spring up and run from him in terror, but she stayed still, sat down and shaking in fright. She answered him though, her voice hoarse and quiet.
"I'm lost, I don't know why I'm here."

Martin was half inclined to scoff at her, nobody just wakes up by the roadside without any memory. Not with their belongings, at least. However, he realised that she was serious. A sudden wave of pity engulfed him, this poor girl didn't have a clue where she was or what was going on.

Martin noticed that she seemed to be staring at his sword, that seemed to be the cause of her fear. So, he stood up, reached over his shoulder and drew his sword. He considered brandishing it to tease the girl, but brushed the thought aside and felt ashamed that he'd ever considered getting a laugh out of such a vulnerable target. He raised the sword, causing the sunlight to glint weakly off the worn blade, then drove it into the ground. It wasn't a particularly good sword, the blade was rather dull and starting to rust, and the leather was beginning to come off the hilt. It looked more appropriate for beating someone to death with that stabbing or slashing.

Martin walked over to the girl, leaving his sword behind him, so that she could be sure he wasn't going to kill her with it. However, he no intention of just leaving it in the ground; he needed something to defend himself with. If he managed to earn a bit more money, perhaps he could buy himself a new sword; one that sparkled like ice and could sever flesh neatly and with a single swipe. Martin held out his hand to the girl, so that she could pull herself up from the ground. She couldn't sit there all day.
"I suppose you weren't joking when you asked about Kalistos." Martin smiled down at her, "Kalistos is one of the largest and most important cities in the whole of Taakeira. It's ten minutes or so up the road, on foot. If you really are lost, you should probably head to Kalistos. I can take you there, if you want. I'm Martin, by the way. What about you? Do you at least know who you are?"

---

The man in the strange attire seemed to look at Alessandra, the lost girl, with pity. She noticed him calculating her every move, it seemed he was just trying to figure how he should go about working with her. He seemed just as clueless and confused about her desperate situation as she and it brought the girl some comfort. When he realized what was causing her fears, the sword sheathed on his back, he quickly understood and went about trying to fix the situation. Slowly, so he wouldn't spook the poor girl, he removed the battered thing from the sheath and raised it up.

To Alis, cowering on the ground, it was seen almost as a threat. As the sword hovered in the air above her, she shrank back and considered running. However before she could, he stuck it in the ground. She huffed out a sigh of relief and pressed her hand over her forehead, trying to chase away the stress-induced headache that she felt coming on. Slowly, she removed her hand from her head and combed her fingers through her loose hair. Normally she'd have it tied up, but it seemed it had been removed between the time she was with her friends to now. To her horror, Alis could only imagine was state it was in.

She had been too busy worrying about her hair that she hadn't noticed that the strange man had approached her. She was relieved to see that he had left his sword in the dirt behind him, though she still panicked as he came closer. He stopped in front of her and held out his hand. Half expecting it to be another attack, Alessandra flinched at the movement, however, a look at his face revealed better motives. Reluctantly, she reached out and grabbed it, using it to help hoist herself up onto her feet.

"I suppose you weren't joking when you asked about Kalistos" he began. Alis still hadn't found her voice and only nodded as she dusted herself off. When she looked up, the man was smiling at her and she took a step back, still unsure of his standing in the whole situation, though he seemed harmless enough. "Kalistos is one of the largest and most important cities in the whole of Taakeira. It's ten minutes or so up the road, on foot. If you really are lost, you should probably head to Kalistos. I can take you there, if you want. I'm Martin, by the way. What about you? Do you at least know who you are?"

Alis sighed, what on Earth was Taakeira? She wondered if she had just stepped into the territory of some strange roleplaying game that she hadn't known about. Taakeira. Taakeira. She searched her mind for any hint of recognition, though she came up blank. She didn't want to appear stupid to the man, though, so she just nodded as if she understood. Maybe it would be best if she just played along. "Kalistos. Large, important city. Got it." She whispered under her breath, trying to commit the information to memory, just in case she'd need it later. He offered escorting her before giving her his name. Alis was shocked and wondered if she should take him up on his offer. A quick search around her revealed that there didn't seem to be many people and the people she did see didn't exactly look like decent characters. It would probably be best to go towards a city, maybe she could find a phone or something there. Or maybe Cole or Winsley were there. "Uh, okay. It would be good to have help finding my way around, thank you." She said, running her fingers through her red mane again, nervously. "My name is Alessandra. Though, my friends call me Alis." She added, quickly. "I've lost my friends, too. Winsley, a girl with long pink hair and tattoos on her forehead and Cole, a boy with brown hair, he's small and kind of girly. Maybe we can find them in Kalistos?" She offered, hope flooding through her, maybe Martin had seen them already.

Martin pulled the girl to her feet with one quick and forceful pull; she wasn't too heavy so it wasn't very hard. She staggered backwards soon after getting up and then dusted herself off. She spoke again, but sounded more confident than she had done before.
"Uh, okay. It would be good to have help finding my way around, thank you. My name is Alessandra. Though, my friends call me Alis. I've lost my friends, too. Winsley, a girl with long pink hair and tattoos on her forehead and Cole, a boy with brown hair, he's small and kind of girly. Maybe we can find them in Kalistos?"
"Well then, Alis, it's nice to meet you." Martin began, "I don't think I've seen either of your friends, but if they have any sense, they will have found their way to Kalistos. If they're in the area, that is. You might want to stay close to me in the city and try to draw as little attention to yourself as possible. I don't mean to be rude, it's just we don't get very many people dressed in such a funny manner around here. In fact, you are literally the only person I've ever seen dressed in clothing like that. Well then, shall we be off?"

Martin turned and gestured for Alis to follow him. He walked back towards the road and with one swift movement pulled his sword from the ground and returned it to its scabbard. He stepped back onto path again and walked straight back in the direction he had just come. He wasn't going to find much work at this rate, but he couldn't just leave Alis by herself.

After about ten more minutes of walking, the pair had finally reached Kalistos. Huge, granite walls encircled the city, and Martin and Alis had come to one of the four gates. The gates were left open until the sun had set, and opened again in the morning when it was once again light.
"Well, here it is." Martin smiled, "Kalistos, the city of beauty. I'm surprised you managed to miss it. But never mind that, let's see what we can do about your predicament."
Martin continued walking and kept constantly checking that Alis was nearby, it wouldn't be hard to lose her in the crowds that were to come.

Kalistos was teeming with life, as usual. People were bustling up and down the streets, going about their daily business, children were running around, playing games, and the sound of human voices filled the air. Martin checked his money pouch to see how much he had left, but to his dismay, it was devoid of cash. Martin slumped down on a bench and stared around the street.
"Well, now what?" Martin asked, "We're here, but I can't really see what we're going to do next. I suppose we go and look for your friends. Do you have any idea of what kind of place they would go to upon getting here?"

After several minutes of her sitting there, waiting for the boy to stop staring at her and respond in some way, she pushed herself up from the bench and gave him a glare. Shockingly, her speech impediment did not appear, and she felt oddly brave, in some odd way.

"It is very rude to stare, and even more rude to offer help to someone, and then not act upon that offer and completely ignore a person's questions," she snapped. Winsley gave him a scowl, turned, and walked away from him, her jaw clenched in anger.

It completely astounded her as to how rude and inconsiderate some people could be to others. What and annoying little ... She scowled further, her anger evident and her irritation prominent on her face.

She stifled a sigh and reached into the pocket of her skirt, where she removed a small wallet and flipped it open. Nothing inside of it had changed; she still had her gift cards to various stores - Cold Stone, Burger King, Wet Seal -, and she also had her library cards and her driver's license. She opened the part with her cash inside of it, and found that that, though, had changed. The bills were now changed to what she would imagine was Kalistos's currency, adding a bonus to her. At least she had money to buy food, water, and perhaps eventually a place to stay.

She stumbled to the side and caught herself on a wall, as someone large and burly slammed into her, nearly knocking her completely off of her feet. She tucked her wallet back into her skirt and looked over at the man that had bumped into her, her eyes wide.

The man glared at her and slowly began to move in her direction, causing her to take several steps back in order to avoid coming into contact with him again. A chill swept across her skin, goosebumps rising, and her blood ran cold.

"Stay away," she whispered, instantly recognizing the man's motives, due to the threatening aura he gave off.

He chuckled and narrowed his eyes at her. "Now why would I do that?" he asked quietly, snickering a little.

She clenched her jaw and balled her hands into fists. "Let's just say, I tried to warn you," she said in a soft growl.

With that, she struck out with her leg, her foot coming into contact with the surprised man's side. He let out a choked sound and stumbled to the side, before launching in her direction, his meaty palms up and stretched out to grab her. She ducked under and out of his grasp, threw herself in his direction, and tackled him from the waist - and directly into the marketplace.

Rolling off of him, Winsley flipped up mid-roll and spun around to face the man again, cracking her neck in the process. "Fifteen years of jujitsu, kung fu, and other various forms of karate, makes me determined to not allow an overweight sleaze-bag like you overcome me," she snarled.

The man pushed himself up, a lot more slowly and in more of stumble then she had, before fixing a glare on her and clenching his hands. As soon as he was up, he threw himself at her again, which only earned him a quick knee to the groin. He doubled over in pain, his hands protecting the 'family jewels', and she kicked out her leg once more, her foot slamming into the side of his head. He flew in the direction of a tomato cart and crashed into it, his howl of pain now gone due to his unconscious state.

"You pick a fight with the wrong Italian girl, ingannare," she muttered, her eyes narrowed.

Just then, something hard came into contact with her back, knocking her to the ground. The wind slammed out of her body, and she felt her arms restrained behind her back. "Lay still or face the consequences," somebody ordered in her ear.

The cold metal of the cuffs were shocking against the soft skin of her wrists.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Look, that man attacked me. I'm not lying! He cornered me in the alleyway, and for all I knew was going to kill me, so I defended myself. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because for some odd reason, nothing about you checks out, little girl. I've also never heard your accent before, in my entire life, and you do not have the coloring of any race of people I have ever met. Your ID is not one that anyone here has ever seen before, nor have we ever heard of any of the stores or the library that you have cards to. Now, I will give you one last chance. Who are you and where did you come from?"

"I'm telling you the truth! My name is Winsley, and I'm from Ghaliar. My mother and father are merchants at the local marketplace there. They sell bread. Why is that so hard to believe?" she asked, her expression sincere. "I was here traveling with my brother, and we were separated when we entered town. I was looking for him in the marketplace when that man slammed into me. He cornered me in the alleyway, I defended myself, and then you idiotas tackled and brought me here," she snapped.

The woman threw her hands in the air, her frustration evident. "Foreigners ..." she muttered, rubbing at her temples. Her partner, a young male only a few years older then Winsley, offered her a kind smile and slid a glass of ice-cold water across the table they sat at. "Here. Ignore her, she's been stressed lately and is taking it out on you. You hungry? I can run and get you something to eat," he offered.

Winsley began to shake her head, for she accepted the water and nodded a little. "I am a bit hungry ..." she murmured. The man smiled and looked over at his partner. "Can you run and get her some food? I'll stay here and watch her," he offered. His partner sighed, glared at the two for a moment, before she turned and left the small interrogation from.

Winsley shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked down at her water glass.

Cole ... Alessandra ... Where are you when I need you the most ...?

---

"I don't think I've seen either of your friends, but if they have any sense, they will have found their way to Kalistos. If they're in the area, that is. You might want to stay close to me in the city and try to draw as little attention to yourself as possible. I don't mean to be rude, it's just we don't get very many people dressed in such a funny manner around here. In fact, you are literally the only person I've ever seen dressed in clothing like that. Well then, shall we be off?"

Alis drooped a bit when the boy who introduced himself as Martin told her that he hadn't seen her friends at all. There was a small part of her that knew that he wouldn't, but she had allowed herself to hope all the same. She listened as he told her that she should try to stay low and that she was dressed funny. She was confused about the fact the strange boy had never seen normal clothes before, but she didn't press the subject, not wanting to look stupid in front of him.

"I guess so." She responded, her courage slowly draining out of her once more as she wondered again where on earth she could possibly be and if her friends were in the same predicament. He motioned for her to follow him as he began to walk and, reluctantly, she did. When Martin slid his sword back into its sheath, she jumped and stepped back a bit, but regained herself and jogged to catch up with him again. He didn't seem to be too violent, so there was no reason to doubt his trustworthiness, at least not yet.

They weren't walking for too long when the walls of the city known as Kalistos came into view. Alessandra couldn't help but gape at the sight. If it was for some sort of cosplaying game as she had originally believed, it was one seriously elaborate game. She quickly snapped her jaw shut as Martin led her to a gate. He turned to her and smiled widely.

"Well, here it is. Kalistos, the city of beauty. I'm surprised you managed to miss it. But never mind that, let's see what we can do about your predicament."

Alis was about to agree with him, it was pretty ridiculous that she hadn't seen the wall, it was pretty hard to look past, however, the boy was already walking again and she tried to keep pace with him. She noticed him looking back to check on her and each time she'd send him a weak, reassuring smile. Internally, the poor girl was hyperventilating. She had never been somewhere so jam packed with strangers, and it was setting her on the edge of a panic attack. There were people everywhere, children and adults, all in costume, all with the same general fantasy theme. A little boy running after a ball ran into Alis's leg and looked up at her, his eyes wide and his mouth agape before he remembered his ball and ran off. She wondered why everyone seemed so captivated and confused by her appearance. Blending in wasn't exactly working, it seemed that everywhere she looked people were staring. She felt extremely overexposed.

Finally, Martin paused and looked at her, "Well, now what? We're here, but I can't really see what we're going to do next. I suppose we go and look for your friends. Do you have any idea of what kind of place they would go to upon getting here?"

Alessandra shrugged, what she really wanted to do was change or something, all of the attention she was getting was making her feel uncomfortable. She would have asked if they could go shopping, but she had noticed Martin checking his pockets to no avail and she doubted the twenty dollar bill in her back pocket would get them anywhere. "Honestly, I have no clear if they're even here." She sighed, reaching up and tying her hair up into a ponytail. "I suppose we should probably just find somewhere to stay and some way to get money. If they are here I know that at least Winsley will be smart enough to come here. Hopefully we'll run into each other." Alis groaned, even if her friends were in Kalistos, she had no idea where to start looking, the place was huge and so full of people.

Martin could tell by the look on Alessandra's face that she wasn't enjoying her time in Kalistos in the slightest. She didn't fit in, and she knew it.
"Honestly, I have no clear if they're even here. I suppose we should probably just find somewhere to stay and some way to get money. If they are here I know that at least Winsley will be smart enough to come here. Hopefully we'll run into each other."
"You don't seem too confident." Martin commented, but quickly turned his attention to more pressing matters, "Well, I don't know of anywhere we could stay without any money, and at the moment, I can't think of anything that could earn us more than a few pennies."
Martin sighed and tilted his head back to look upwards at the sky, but he saw something far more interesting than the clouds. Pasted to the wall behind him was a wanted poster, and onto it was printed the face of a man who looked to be in his mid forties. He had a scraggy, bristly beard, a single eye and many scars across his face. Martin knew this wasn't the first time he had seen that face, but where had he seen it before. Wracking his brain, he quickly remembered that he had seen the man in the inn he had stayed in. He wasn't likely to have gone far, and that man had a fairly hefty price on his head. A hefty reward was just what Martin needed. Martin stood up and began to move again, ushering for Alis to follow.
"I think I've just found our source of income." he grinned, "Follow me, and stay quiet."

A short trek through the streets brought them back to the grimy streets near the inn Martin had stayed in. As luck would have it, the very man Martin was after had just passed them and moved down an alleyway, hacking and spluttering into his dirty fist.
"Stay here, and stay silent." Martin ordered Alis, "You'll know when you can get going again."
Martin tip-toed after the man as silently as he could. He seemed to be silent enough, because the man didn't notice him until it was too late. Martin grabbed the man's head and slammed it against the alley wall before he had a chance to react. The man slumped to the floor like a sack of spuds, not dead, only knocked out. A small stream of blood trickled from the point on his forehead where Martin had slammed it against the wall. Martin knew how much easier it would have been to stick the man there and then, but he felt killing him was needless. He searched the man's body and found a sword and a knife concealed within his grubby trench coat. Martin drew the sword from its scabbard so he could get a good look at it. It wasn't the finest sword he had ever seen, but it looked like it could do its job well. He unbuckled his sword and replaced it with the one he had just found.
"Catch." Martin called to Alis just before tossing her the knife, "You'll need something to defend yourself with."
Martin then took the man's loose belt and tied his hands together with it, so that if he woke up while being taken the guards he wouldn't be able to anything about it. Martin grasped the belt and began to drag the man behind him, and ushered for Alis to follow him again.

The walk to the city jail wouldn't usually take very long, but the bulky man Martin was dragging after him wasn't making his journey any easier. When they arrived, they saw two people entering the jail, both of whom looked very well-off. One was a short young girl wearing an expensive-looking dress, the other was a Ghalian man wearing a long, silver coat. Martin could hear them talking to a guard, but couldn't make out what they were saying.

It wasn't long until Martin himself was talking to the same guard.
"Whaddya want?" the guard grumbled.
"I've come to collect the bounty on this man's head." Martin told him.
"That I can see, but what does your friend want?" the guard asked.
"She's looking around for her friends." Martin quickly replied, lest Alis blurt out some confusing nonsense like she had before, "Have you seen a girl with long, pink hair and tattoos or an effeminate young man with long, brown hair?"
"There's a girl fittin' your description who's just been apprehended." the guard told him, "'Aven't seen the boy. Just find somewhere to sit inside, I'll go and get your bounty for you."
Martin did as the man said once he was allowed inside. Sure enough, there was a funny-looking girl with unnatural, pink hair and tattoos on her forehead sat at a table inside. The people he'd seen earlier were also in the room. Martin just sat down, he didn't know any of them, so he might as well just wait for the guard to bring him his money.

---

"You don't seem too confident." Martin had pointed out. Alis shook her head honestly, only to realize that he wasn't paying attention anymore, his mind back on the fact that they needed money and a place to stay. As he looked up to the sky, she saw that something had caught his eye.

A wanted poster.

Alessandra shook her head furiously, "I'm not going to go chasing after criminals." She said, her voice hoarse with anxiety. Martin either didn't hear her or just wasn't listening, a look of recognition crossed his features and a determined look came into his eyes. Alis knew no amount of refusal was going to keep him from that reward. He started to walk again and motioned for her to do the same.

"I think I've just found our source of income." he grinned, "Follow me, and stay quiet."

Alis groaned, it was just as she had feared. She followed, though, not knowing what other choice she had. He quickly led her do what she would call that side of town, and she drew closer and closer to Martin for protection. There were less people, but the stares she was getting there were much more uncomfortable. A man walked past the pair and Alis recognized him as the man from the wanted sign. Wringing her hands nervously, she could only watch as Martin followed after him down an alley, ordering her to stay put and quiet.

Alis was quick to oblige to the first part, she had no interest in entering an alley with a known criminal. She held her breath and soon heard a sickening crack and then a thud as the person fell in a heap to the ground. Alis hadn't realized that she had her eyes shut until she opened them and saw Martin looting the man's body. He tossed her a knife and she gripped the sheath tightly, her eyes going from the man to Martin. "Is he..ya know?" She asked, nodding to the limp body.

Martin didn't respond, too caught up in binding the man to answer. She noticed the man's stomach rising and falling as he breathed and she let out a sigh of relief. Not dead, unconscious. When he was finished, he motioned for her to follow him and she nodded quickly, scurrying after him as he pulled the man towards their next destination.

Alis immediately recognized the place to be a jail and relaxed considerably. When they entered, they had to first wait as another pair spoke to the guard. When they were done, Martin made his way to the man and presented the wanted man to him, asking for the prize money.

The guard seemed to be suspicious of Alis and asked what she wanted. Martin quickly explained that she was looking for her friends and offered a description of them both.

"There's a girl fittin' your description who's just been apprehended."

Alessandra's eyes shot to the man in disbelief. Was Winsley there? Was it really going to be this easy? Her heart thudded and her feet worked on their own as she followed the guard and Martin inside.

A flash of pink caught Alis's eye.

Winsley.

Tears welled in the red head's eyes, she wasn't alone anymore! She couldn't hold herself back and as Martin sat down calmly, Alis threw herself at her friend, throwing her arms around her and sobbing into her shoulder.

"Princess, what have I told you again about being overly curious?" Michael toned down his voice so only the princess can hear. His sight focused on searching the jailed woman as her face and appearance had been burnt into his mind. "I shall allow it just this time, but when we get back, be prepared for a long scolding from me." Even though he wasn't looking at her, his voice emitted dangerous aura. Even the workers that they had just walked beside could feel the killing intent.

A pair came in after them. Michael quickly scanned the whole area to check for this girl they were looking for, and no sooner than after a few minutes of walk, they had already their target. The rare hair color that nobody would have believed to be able to have, and the foreign clothes that even the knowledgeable Michael could not comprehend. Before he informed the princess of this, who was looking around the area, with sparkles in her eyes, Michael had to confirm whether this was true.

They passed by a guard, who was sleeping on duty, and this was when Michael took the chance to 'ask' for information. With the princess still moving forward and swinging her head around, she must have not notice Michael stopped, clouded by pure curiosity. Quietly, Michael covered the guard's body with his huge figure, and when the guard woke up, he was terrified. The eyes Michael possess was more terrifying that the guard never knew, and he trembled. "Tell me. Where is the girl with pink hair? She was brought in recently." His voice threatening, and his eyes saying that he would kill the guard if he lied. With his voice shaking, the guard pointed towards where three people was gathered, and two of them - who one of them held a pink hair - were hugging each other.

He thanked the guard, and rushed to inform the princess, however, the guard was still trembling. He could do nothing but stare at the back of the man who attempted to threaten him. Michael finally reached the princess, who was still engulfed by curiosity, and quickly patted he shoulders. She turned around, with her eyes still sparkling. "She is there, princess." He pointed towards the three people, and the next moment the princess was flying towards the three, leaving Michael still walking from the behind.

The princess chuckled a bit at Michael's warning. She had been expecting as much from her guardian. It wasn't anything new now, was it? She was only trying to help these strangers, wasn't that expected of her? Being a royal was very confusing sometimes, but the advantages certainly outweighed the negatives at this point in time, mainly because nobody knew who she was.

No sooner than the two entered, another strange looking pair came in. They were obviously companions of the girl with pink hair, as they were both dressed rather oddly and the girl had red hair. Was she missing something here, or were these people completely insane? Valencia proceeded down the hall in order to find her "sister", but soon was called back by Michael who pointed to the hugging group. Splendid!

Her feet carried her quickly to the group, where she waited for them to let go of each other. She tapped the nearest one on the shoulder and smiled up at them. "Hello there, my name is Valencia. I see that you aren't from around here. If I may ask, where are you from? Your clothes are strikingly odd, as is your hair. You may want to change that in order to avoid detection from others. As you can see, strangers are frowned upon here." She chuckled a bit, seeing as she really had no idea what life around here was like.

The princess turned and motioned to Michael to come say hello to their new friends. At least, they would be friends until they proved themselves otherwise. "Do you need any help, my guardian and I will gladly assist you in your travels, as we don't have anywhere in particular we need to be."

After the female officer left, no doubt to fetch her some food - she only hoped it wasn't something like squid tentacles with dog kidneys - and Winsley was left alone with the male officer.

"Well, now that she's gone, we can relax. So, what's the real story?" he asked, leaning back in his chair. He crossed one ankle over his knee and crossed his arms, bouncing his knee, a patient look on his face.

She stared at him unblinkingly, her lips firmly pressed together.

The room was deadly silent until she heard the man that had been standing guard at the front of the precinct. Softer voices followed, unrecognizable, and all of them were incomprehensible.

It was moments later that Alessandra burst through the door and hurled herself at Winsley, who managed to catch her without flying from her chair.

The girl was practically sobbing in her arms. Winsley relaxed and hugged her back, gently moving her hand over Alessandra's hair, smoothing it down. "It's alright, miel. I'm here now," she murmured, softly petting her head, looking over the mess of red hair and at the three people that stood just inside and outside of the door to the room.

When the young girl approached them, Winsley gently and slowly pushed Alessandra away. She listened to what she had to say, before giving the girl a slightly weary look.

"And why, exactly, is it that you would like to 'help' us?" she asked, always hesitant to trust others, even more so in a world that she did not know everything about.

As soon as Martin had sat himself down, Alis charged and hurled herself into the pink-haired girl's embrace. She was certainly happy to be reunited with her friend. Martin smiled slightly to himself, happy that he'd been able to reunite the two of them. The pink-haired girl said something in a strange language: "miel". Martin wondered what it meant, and where they spoke that language. What confused him even more was the fact that she was splicing languages together. He would have to ask her later.

It wasn't long before the pair he had seen coming into the keep came rushing towards them. Martin now got a better look at them, the girl looked to be roughly twelve or thirteen, and the man in the silver coat appeared to be in his mid-twenties. The girl seemed fairly normal for an aristocrat or wealthy merchant's daughter, but it was her companion who unnerved him. He had normal complexion for a Ghalian wore a long, silver coat, steel boots and an armguard. He carried with him an unusually large sword that Martin would have assumed was a claymore if it had been the right shape. He wasn't particularly big, he was only the same height as Martin, but he was obviously fit and healthy. His stern expression never took its gaze off the young girl. He was obviously her bodyguard; most likely paid for by the girl's father.

The small, brown-haired girl piped up suddenly:
"Hello there, my name is Valencia. I see that you aren't from around here. If I may ask, where are you from? Your clothes are strikingly odd, as is your hair. You may want to change that in order to avoid detection from others. As you can see, strangers are frowned upon here."
She ushered her bodyguard over before speaking again.
"Do you need any help, my guardian and I will gladly assist you in your travels, as we don't have anywhere in particular we need to be."

Martin was rather surprised by the stranger's offer, but not particularly suspicious of it, unlike Alis' friend.
"And why, exactly, is it that you would like to 'help' us?"
Alis, however, had a different opinion.
"She's right about one thing, Wins, we need to try to blend in more. When I was out in the city I got so many strange looks, we'd at least be a bit safer if we didn't stick out so much."
She then turned to Martin for his opinion.

Martin honestly wasn't sure what to say. He didn't think ill of Valencia, but her guardian worried him.
"Well, you certainly have a point about sticking out." Martin replied, "A change of outfit would do you both some good. While I understand why your friend is suspicious, I think we can trust these people." Martin then turned to the Valencia and her bodyguard, "But why do you want to help them, and who exactly are you?"

From the surface, he looked as if like a man with intentions to kill or a bodyguard with absolutely bad attitudes. The party of three seemed to have been suspicious of him for a while now, and even one of them, specifically, the red-haired one, hid behind one of their companion. That had how he was interpreted by other people throughout his life, and even the guard at the entrance had been questioning the need for him to be here. Although he knows very well that given his gaze and glares paired with the menace shadow he emits and the long blade he carries always somehow finds its way to misunderstandings, Michael had encountered greetings more weird than this, so he forgot about it.

"Let me do the introducing, Valencia." Implying that they still needed to hide their true identities, Michael decided to play along the act the princess had putted up during the entering of the prison. Michael quickly bowed down, his hands at his belly, his head staring down on the floor. "My name is Michael. I hail from Ghaliar like you would have expected, young man, and this refined and young lady here is my sister, Valencia. We have came to rescue the pink haired girl who might have been in trouble and was innocently tossed into prison." He gently lifted his head back up. A number of silver hair slightly moved, as it stopped right before crossing the eyes.

"I never would have thought that this young foreigner had friends, however. But I am glad that you have reunited with your friend, miss." He cast his glance over to the pink-haired girl. "My sister would like to help you in your cause in an attempt to calm the fiery blazes of the feeling to help someone, and as her brother, I am obliged to help my sister, therefore, I shall help you, should you not make any suspicious moves on my sister." His eyes suddenly switched from the gently gaze to the deadly eyes he used to have. But those only stayed a moment, as it quickly reverted back to it's original state. "I am sure you will need help from someone, so my sister has now offered her help." He then took a step back, before ending his sentence. "Her kindness might be her weakness, but I do hope you will be friends with her."

Winsley kept her gaze on the young girl for several moments, but turned it over to 'Martin' - if that was really his name - as he responded to Alis's question. She flicked a glance back to the girl and the tall man, before looking over at Alis, and then 'Martin'.

"Fine," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "But I still don't trust them," she snapped, turning back to 'Valencia' and 'Michael'. "I don't believe that you two are siblings, though. First of all, you really do need to improve your lying, 'Michael'," she said, doing air quotes around his name. "Second of all, a brother does not look at his sister in the way that you look at her. Perhaps a father, but not a brother. However, I will not challenge your story, nor do I believe that you shall challenge mine," she told him, rising from her seat. She turned to the male officer that had sat quietly in the room throughout their exchanges. "May I leave?" she asked him, her voice quiet. Receiving a slightly frazzled nod in return, Winsley turned and gripped Alessandra's arm, gently urging the girl up.

She turned back to the group. "My name is Winsley. Winsley Winters. I, too, am from Ghaliar, and I was traveling with my brother and good friend here, Alessandra, Alis for short, until we were separated. One thing happened, and then another thing happened ... To cut it short, a man attempted to assault, and for all I know, rape and kill, me, and I defended myself. Apparently kicking an elder man's ass is a crime here," she muttered the ending, grumbling slightly. "Excuse me for trying to keep from dying," she rolled her eyes.

Winsley shook her head. "However, I would like to be going now, with Alessandra. We need to find my brother as soon as possible. New clothes would be a grand idea, but I'm afraid that I haven't very much money," she murmured, removing her wallet from her skirt pocket and flipping it open. It was true; there definitely wasn't enough money for them to buy nourishment, a place to stay, and clothes. Let alone if anything else came up. A doctor, depending on the condition that Cole was in when they found him; transportation in order to find Cole; anything, really. She glanced over at Alessandra. "Alis, how much money do you have on you?"

((NOTE: Cole was only mentioned in this post, not actually interacted with))

Valencia was a bit offended by the first girl, who didn't seem to trust them. She had just tried to bail her out, what was wrong with that? She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the friends discussing amongst themselves. At least one of them agreed with her. She offered a kind smile and was about to explain herself as best she could when Micheal stepped forward. She rolled her eyes as Micheal insisted that he do the introductions here.

Her mouth shifted to a smile as he took up her original back story from only a few moments ago. They could pull off being siblings, especially since they had grown up together and he was a sort of older brother to her. Their connection was strong enough to be family, and she truly considered him to be. She wasn't sure what her parents would say to this, but they weren't here so now was not the time to worry.

The princess in disguise nodded in agreement as he spoke. Valencia was again dismayed by the pink haired girl's lack of trust towards them. What had they done to deserve that? The girl's story seemed to be the truth, but it gave her no excuse to act so arrogant. She pouted and stepped forward, looking up at her, challenging her even. She was sure this stranger could not use magic and she had become quite comfortable with her capabilities. She was momentarily distracted by the strange currency Winsley pulled form her pocket, but then her attention turned back to the ungrateful girl. "You come from another world and perhaps that world has been hostile to you. But I haven't done anything to you. I'm only trying to help, with no benefit for myself. The human heart is not always wicked and I will tell you now that neither of ours are tainted by the slightest darkness that can rule others."

Her lip quivered as she wished to say more to this rude outsider, but her mind wouldn't let her. It would be unwise to speak up anymore than she had, lest she start a battle between Winsley, Alessandra, and Martin and themselves. She didn't want that. "Micheal..." she said in a low voice, not wanting him to lunge at them.

She gulped and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply to calm herself down. She didn't like when things didn't go her way, so she would attempt to steer them in her favor. She stepped away from Winsley and curtsied. "Please excuse me for my behaviour. My name is Valencia and this is my brother Micheal. We wish to help you get to wherever you need to go and we will help you find your brother. I would be happy to give you money to use to buy a new wardrobe and any other accommodations you may need while you are visiting our land." The young girl opened her eyes and looked at the ground, scared that one of them was going to hit her. It was seldom that she spoke out of anger and this scared her. She did not wish to become a ruthless tyrant.

---

Sute looked at Cole in wonder. Not from Taakeira at all? The boy was from another world. She had never heard of such a thing. Zelig on the other hand had and frowned slightly. "You're quite a story, child. Well, we'll help you to the best of our abilities! We have nothing better to do anyways so we'll just accompany you!" The snake hissed, pleased with himself. Sute glared at the snake but then huffed and gave Cole a half shrug. She wasn't totally against it.

One of the shadows returned, looking pleased for an unfeeling mass of magic. "Ah, we have results, come on then!" Zelig used his long body to take Sute's hand into Cole's. Sute looked back at the boy for an okay before she slowly led through the crowds into a very familiar building. Sute sighed and let Zelig turn into a cloak again. She had been detained here once because she had tried to stop a drunken fight. Though Zelig's loud and moronic mouth started it so she felt inclined to end it. Big mistake. She was blamed for it and held. She was released eventually but she hated it.

"Ah, they're in here!" Zelig cooed happily as they stood in a doorway. Many figures were inside, three females, one younger than the two and two males. She could see the bright pink and red hair so she knew they were in the right room. The shadow recognized the squire easily. After all, a shadow never forgets anything that may hurt its host. But the boy was low priority now. Sute reluctantly released Cole's hand and tucked in back under the cloak. Her voice was faint and slightly hoarse but only Cole could hear her, which is what she wanted.

"Go. I know you missed them." She whispered, pushing him into the room, though she stayed just outside the light of the doorway. She smiled gently before turning to walk towards the door. She'd wait elsewhere outside, she didn't want to be in the building longer than needed.