Valencia's Story

All the attention was locked onto him, as he walks the streets with his three bags of groceries. His white coat fluttered against the wind as he walked. Questions were softly asked, not directly at him, but still it has something to do with him. But Michael paid them no heed, as he continues along the tracks towards the city Inn.

He was supposedly out to gather groceries for their upcoming next trip, and the princess seemed to eager for the upcoming travel. She said they were going somewhere far this time, but she never told him where. Like every time. He dismissed it as his imaginations. He was very, very loyal to the princess, but at the same time strict. He would complain when she gets too curious and starts wondering off to some places that might be dangerous, and he would always be the one to drag her out of it, often ending up with some casualties to the enemy if there are. He doesn't know why she is always curious, but he also tries to respect that. But his worries tends to get over him, and he ends up giving her a scolding.

You must protect my daughter at all costs! Do not let harm come to her! is what the king said, and so he upheld it. It soon became his duty to guard his princess with all his life, even if it means throwing away his pride. Though he understands that he needs to stop being like a nagging father, he just can't stop worrying for her safety. It was not long in his daydreams that he finally reached the Inn's entrance.

He entered, still managing to close the door with his hands full, and approached the room where the princess resides. He knocked onto the door, hoping that she wouldn't runs off to somewhere again.

The princess sat, pondering what to do. Michal had gone out to fetch groceries and here she was, stuck in a room. It was for her own good apparently, but she hardly agreed to that. She was supposed to be learning about the other rulers of in the world of Taakeira. She wouldn't be able to that by sitting in a room all day. But if she left without warning Michal would have her head- figuratively of course. If he actually had her head her parents would do terrible things to him. She didn't want that to happen to him.

Sighing, Valencia rose from the bed and began looking through some of Michal's bags, wondering if she'd be able to find a sword to practice with. He'd promised to teach her sometime during their travels. Then again, she always wanted to be on the move and that left little down time for her to learn. Wait, why was she looking in this bag? Wouldn't he have any swords he owned with him? Valencia laughed a bit as soon as she realized her mistake.

Hmm, if she couldn't practice fighting she could at least practice her magic. It wasn't uncommon for people in her land to practice magic, but other countries varied. The small girl twirled around the room happily before carefully positioning her fingers. Her index finger was slightly raised, while her middle finger drooped down. Her ring finger and thumb hung in a ling with her hand. Her pinky twitched a bit before settling into place, raised higher than any of the other appendages. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep breath and flicked her wrist up. The furniture and decorations around her rose quickly. She opened her eyes and smiled, concentrating on moving the bed and then the vanity.

"Lovely!" she declared, setting the large pieces of furniture down as carefully as she could. Valencia then started to twist her wrist, making the candles she had floating turn in a circle. She began twirling them faster and faster until they looked like a fire tornado. She laughed happily and her smile widened.

Her joy was interrupted by an abrupt knock on the door. It shattered her concentration and the candles began to fall. Valencia reacted quickly, keeping the candles from setting the floor on fire, though a few drops of hot wax had dripped onto the floor. She groaned before turning to look at the door. "Yes? Michal is that you? You may come in," she called before setting the candles back in their place. She could only pray that he wouldn't punish her for this.

With the permission to enter from the princess, Michael twisted the doorknob, and what awaited him was something he could have guessed from the earlier thumps. "What have I told you about using magic in an Inn? It is dangerous and it might get you into trouble." He warned with a calm voice. He quickly settled the groceries down onto the table beside, and rushed to cleaned up the mess. The heat from the candle wax that dripped onto the carpet wasn't as dangerous, but it could have burnt the princess, thus harming her hands or legs or even worse, her face. If that happened, and she can't show her face anymore, surely he will be sentenced to death. Though that didn't mattered, the princess's safety is his first priority, so he must consider every possibilities before rushing into conclusions.

He walked towards his bag, which was obviously ransacked by someone, clearly the princess, and stuck his hands into the bag with the placements of items ever so confusing. With ease, he pulled out a cloth from the inside, carefully, without dragging out other irrelevant items that he doesn't need. He crouched beside the wax, and wiped it. Surprisingly, the wax was gone with just one wipe, and on the cloth, the wax was as if liquid, as it was deeply absorbed into the cloth. He stuffed the cloth back into the bag. Michael walked towards the slightly opened door, and close it with a quiet slam. He paced himself towards his bed, and removed his sword, placing it down on the soft cushion.

"I have brought the groceries you have asked for, princess. When will we be heading out?" He asked, while going through his backpack, checking whether he left anything or had any needs to restock on items he may need during the journey.

"What have I told you about using magic in an Inn? It is dangerous and it might get you into trouble." Michal scolding her was almost a sort of praise for the princess, who smiled and sat down on the bed. "I meant no harm," she told him honestly, thinking of all the other times her guardian had told her not to do this or that. But she was still alive and well, was she not? As far as she was concerned, she was no danger to herself and hardly to others. After all, she was still young and innocent.

Nonetheless, Valencia knew that Michal cared very much for her and she shouldn't over stress him. She was not fond of people dying, but she had seen plenty slain over mistakes that they had made. She knew it would be best for her to listen to him, but her childish curiosity pushed her deeper in to the realm of reality. Oh, she couldn't wait to zip away from here and off to another city! It was all so exciting, being on the mainland for the first time and experiencing something new. Plus, she was almost an average person now. Well, maybe.

Michal brought her back to the inn room, asking when they'd be departing Kalistos. "I think we'll leave tomorrow, but you'll have to wait to see where of course. I would like to see more of Kalistos while we're here. But first, I would like an apple." Valencia rose before he could beat her to it and delicately plucked an apple from one of the bags, not bothering to check if there was enough food for them and what she wanted. She trusted Michal with her life- food was nothing.

Taking a bite of the apple, she smiled and nodded at his sword. "Someday, you will need to teach me how to use that." She took another bite and approached the door, turning to make sure he was following her. Valencia opened the door and quietly walked out, eager to explore more of Kalistos. She had seen parts of the city, but for the most part it was nothing that was particularly interesting. The way of life here was different, yes, but she craved more of an adventure. She would soon find it.

"Someday, you will need to teach me how to use that."

"Of course, princess. But for now, you are safe with me. I shall teach you when the time comes." He smiled softly. He could not bear to see the princess covered in blood with her blade. He was afraid that when she learnt the ways of a sword, she might get her hands tainted with the death of thousands, just for the reason of 'self-protection', he wouldn't want to see her becoming like that. It's unbearable for him.

The princess seemed to have as if dragged Michael onto a trip of exploring the town, in which he didn't mind, as he might find some shops that might interest the princess; the princess's smile was all he need to do anything. Although their expenses were all there because of the bounties he always does in the night when the princess was deep asleep. He couldn't let the princess know how he was getting money, and he always manages to avoid the question by saying it's from a part-time job he sometime does when he's out.

They passed by a shop where a wanted poster was putted up. He told the princess to move on and went to get the poster. He stripped the poster down from the window and inspected it, to burn the image into his mind. A man with a brown beard and a face with many scars. One of the scars ran down across his right eye. "Must be one eyed, then." He mumbled. He stuffed the poster back into his pocket before catching up to the princess, whose attention wasn't directed towards the different types of stores, but rather the same eyes in which begged for an adventure that she always loved.

Once he caught up to her, he had realized that she wasn't out to explore the city, but rather an adventure enough to satisfied her one day of needs. He stopped and paced behind her, allowing her to have a full view to inspect the city. Even if he would have wanted to stop her and her curiosities, since they will be leaving tomorrow, he decided to let her do whatever she wants. Much like a souvenir to her from him for visiting this city of Kalisto.

That time could be a long ways away, but it satisfied her for now. Besides, the rest of the day was to be spent having fun. Fun for her that is, and half a heart attack for Michael. He was always so vigilant wherever he went, which was mainly where she went. She could only imagine what went through his mind every day concern her and her safety. She did not truly understand that he really did take every precaution he could when simply strolling down the street. Nevertheless, the young princess knew that she did and would always have a special connection with him, beyond that of a servant and protector, almost like an older brother.

A sudden crash and yell made her eyes light up at the potential adventure and chance to explore the world. Arrests and trials were a form of politics, perhaps she could learn something. Valencia quickly lifted the hem of her dress and started running towards the noise, just in time to see a peculiar looking female being handcuffed by the local crime force. Was she seeing things correctly, or was she losing her mind? "That girl, she had pink hair did she not?" she asked a man standing nearby, also drawn by the commotion. He nodded, about as dumbstruck as she was. She hadn't known it was possible to have one's hair color changed so drastically. She was struck by a sense of curiosity and fear as to who this stranger could be.

"We're going after her. She needs help," she commented to Michael. Valencia herself wasn't entirely sure if she'd rather save this girl or let her suffer whatever consequence deemed suitable for the situation, but either way it would teach her something. A student can never truly stop learning.

She began to trail the burly men until they arrived at a slightly imposing structure, clearly a holding tank in the town before the accused were hung or carted off to the main prison area right outside of Kalistos. Valencia looked up at the door, standing at a formidable 7 feet, it seemed to tower over her. It gave a sense of royalness about it, though she knew nothing of the sort lie behind it. She knocked carefully, as she was raised with manners and taught not to barge into another's space.

An older gentleman peered out at her. "Wad'da ya want?" he asked bluntly. Valencia did her best to look bewildered and confused. "I was looking for my friend. She recently hit her head and has been a bit well, different since the experience. Our parents are terribly worried and I've travelled the past few days looking for her. I believe she might be here. May we come in?" Her fabrication made perfect sense to her, as traumatic head damage could make a person act funny. She'd never seen it happen directly, but heard tales from others in Thania and her favourite librarian, who seemed to know every book on the island inside and out.

The man looked her over, then at Michael. "Who is he?" he asked. "My brother, I can't travel alone can I?" A grumbled reply came and the man grudgingly let them in, leaving to discuss the issues with his fellow workers. Valencia looked up at Michael, expecting to be scolded again.

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.

"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.

---

"It's alright, miel. I'm here now," Winsley's voice cut through the sound of Alessandra's sobbing and she tried to calm herself down as her friend comforted her. She wanted to tell Winsley about how scared she was and she wanted to ask her where they were and where Cole was and how they would get home, but something told her that not even their most intelligent friend knew those answers.

A young girl, by the sound of her voice, approached the two of them and Alis reluctantly allowed herself to be pushed off of Winsley's lap and settled for sitting next to her, hiccuping uncontrollably. The red head kept a firm grasp on her friend's arm, though, as if she was afraid Winsley would suddenly disappear.

"And why, exactly, is it that you would like to 'help' us?" The pinkette's voice was slightly harsh and distrusting. Alis tensed up, worried that Winsley was sensing danger from the two new people.

She wiped her eyes with her free hand, and with her vision clear of tears, took a good look at the strangers. The girl who had approached them was indeed very young, definitely no older than Alis herself. She was very small and cute looking. On the other hand, the man she had identified as her guardian looked much older and meaner. Alis found herself cowering closer to Winsley in an effort to stay away from his gaze.

"She's right about one thing, Wins, we need to try to blend in more." Alessandra whispered in her friend's ear. "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 suddenly remembered Martin and quickly turned to him, "Martin, what do you think? She asked, feeling a bit more bold now that Winsley was with her.

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.

"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!" .
Cole smiled and looked very relieved and hopeful again, he was so happy he met someone so nice as Sute and her friend, Zelig. He didn't want to think what will happen if he met someone not so nice. "Well...I won't mind at all, when I will be reunited with my friends I can introduce them to you". Suddenly a shadow that Zelig sent returned, "Ah, we have results, come on then!" . Cole didn't prevent Sute from taking his hand as she lead him to where his friends' wereabouts. They arrived quickly to a large building and they pointed to it saying this is the place where they are.
Cole looked from the windows, he couldn't much decipher the figures but he could see red and pink hair and Cole's eyes becomes bright and glowing, because he felt like some happy tears gathering in the corner of his eyes but he holds himself from not crying of joy. Sute left his hand, "Go. I know you missed them." . Cole walked two steps forward and looked back at Sute, "Aren't you coming with me? I want to introduce you to them....". Cole looked at her expression and it seems she is a bit scared of this place and she doesn't want to enter. "Never mind, when we get out I will let you meet them"
Than Cole entered the building and walked quite quickly towards Winsley and and Alis with a grin, "Thank god! I've found you! I am so happy you are not harmed and well....". He reached them both and gave each of them a big, warm hug. He looked at the young girl and the two young men and smiled to them politely, "Hello, nice to meet you".

---

The man that had come with the younger girl honestly creeped Alessandra out a little, but the girl couldn't help but smile when he asked that her and Winsley befriend his little sister. While she was more than a little wary of strangers, especially in such a strange place, she knew the value of friendship and she didn't see anything threatening in the 12 year old little girl.

Winsley seemed to have a different opinion and was quick to let everyone know that she wasn't going to trust the people they had met as easily as Alis was. She tried to say something to her friend about being nice, but quickly quieted herself when the pink haired girl explained how she ended up in the prison.

"Winsley.. Alis gasped before throwing her arms around her friend, "I'm so sorry, are you okay? She asked, releasing her friend so she could check her arms and face for injury. Satisfied that her friend wasn't too badly hurt, Alessandra relaxed a bit, but still kept close to her.

"Alis, how much money do you have on you?" Winsley asked. Alis looked at her friend's wallet before pulling the single bill out of her back jeans pocket.

"Only a twenty," she sighed, handing it to Winsley. Then, she turned and looked at Martin, "Martin just got a bunch of money, though, we were going to use it to find a place to stay tonight before we found you."

The little girl spoke up to Winsley and Alessandra turned her attention to her, realizing by the hurt in the girl's eyes that her friend had offended her. She told them that neither her or her 'brother' was bad in any way and Alis couldn't deny the sincerity in the young girl's voice.

Finally, Alis stood up and curtsied to the girl, not knowing what else would be appropriate in the strange world. "I don't think you two are bad." She admitted, smiling at Valencia, "But I just found my friend again and if she doesn't trust you guys, then I'm staying with her. Winsley already introduced me but my name's Alessandra Lyra, people usually call me Alis, though. That's my friend, Martin, over there."

"Thank god! I've found you! I am so happy you are not harmed and well..."

Alis's eyes widened when she recognized the voice. She went to turn around to him but he got to her first, wrapping her in a big hug. She squeezed him back, laughing. "The three musketeers are back together! How did you find us, Cole?"

Martin's comment didn't really make things better; Alis was still unsure of what to think, Winsley was still spitting poison at Michael and Valencia, and Valencia was still grovelling for them to take her with them. Martin sat back and sighed; he wanted no part in the argument. Martin feared that it would never end until an effeminate young man burst in and wrapped his arms around Alis and Winsley. Martin assumed that he must be their friend, but he didn't look particularly strange; his clothes didn't scream for unwanted attention like those of Winsley and Alis did, and his hair, while oddly long, wasn't particularly strange. The young man turned to Martin, Valencia and Michael once he was out of the embrace.
"Hello, nice to meet you.
"Likewise." Martin smiled back, "It's good to see that the three of you have been reunited."

Martin didn't say much else, he thought it would be best to leave them to themselves at a time like this. However, he worried that Valencia would interrupt their reunion, so Martin decided that he would distract them for a while, and get a few questions of his own answered. He walked over to Valencia and Michael and began to speak.
"Who are you really?" Martin asked quietly but forcefully, making sure to let them know that he wouldn't buy any lies they might feed him, "By the Divines, you aren't siblings. You look nothing like each other! And what's this about another world? What do you know about them that nobody else does? Why are you so willing to help complete strangers; if they really are strangers to you? If you want me to, I'll stay quiet about the truth, but maybe if you'd been more honest Winsley would have trusted you."

"Who are you really?"
"By the Divines, you aren't siblings. You look nothing like each other! And what's this about another world? What do you know about them that nobody else does? Why are you so willing to help complete strangers; if they really are strangers to you? If you want me to, I'll stay quiet about the truth, but maybe if you'd been more honest Winsley would have trusted you."

Questions threw to them by the young man named Martin had Michael bring his guard up. Any moment possible that he does something suspicious, he will have his sword up his throat. He threw a glance over to the princess, trying to tell her it'll be fine, as after that he returned his sight onto the man in front of them. His left hand already on the holsters to ready for a draw. He answered the questions in a low volume, a tone of voice that emitted precaution and a speed that says that Michael is choosing words enough to not let any of their deeper secrets to be known.

"I shall answer you questions, young man, so please calm down." He tried to calm the tension of the conversation. He breathed in a huge amount of oxygen, before proceeding to answer all the questions he was thrown at. "You can call us travelers of the world if you want to, as we travels around the world, hungering for knowledge." He placed a palm to his chest. "As a fellow traveler, we have already grasp the basic knowledge of the customs of each country, as we will need to blend in with the cultures in order to avoid attention. Judging with my small enough knowledge and the young lady's clothes, I can somehow assume that the young lady is from a different country, if not world." Slowly, his gentle smile dies. "Valencia here have the tendencies of helping people in need, as for her personality allows. This is but a fact that shows she has a great future ahead of her. As her brother, I have a duty to prevent any danger that might befall her, even if caused by her nature to help others." He let out all the breath remaining in his body in a sentence. "Any further information will require the permission from my sister in order for me to tell you anything."