Winsley Lore Winters's Story

There were three of them. There had always been three of them, almost since the beginning, when she first moved to the States. They had always, always been there for her, just as she had always been there for them. It was a rare occurrence to see any of them apart, and when one did, in fact, see such a shocking event, one would know that something was not right. The three were as close as could possibly be, and with Winsley there to watch out for the other two, they would often find trouble, yet somehow remain unharmed and, well, not in trouble by their superiors.

The day that Cole received his grandfather's diary was the day that everything changed. She continued to insist that it was worth it to actually take the journal seriously, but he laughed her off for a few weeks, until finally he allowed her to translate the dialect that her grandfather had written in, and had allowed her to help him understand the riddles, maps, and other various, difficult items in the book. When she had finally gotten her hands on the journal, she wouldn't let it out of her sight. She took it home with her, and spent every second she could spare on it.

The night that they had finally broken through the entire journal, was the night that they followed the map, and the night everything went to shit.

They followed the map, and when they reached the end of the line, it was to find a gem, that captivated them. However, she retained her mental state, and attempted to explain to her friends that they should not act hastily, before they uncovered how the gem actually worked. Before she could do so, Cole had already hurried over to pick it up, sending them into an odd, otherworldly universe. That was the last thing she remembered.

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It was far too bright for it to still be night. As she slowly awoke, Winsley grew aware of this fact. It was night just a few minutes ago ... How long was I out? She shoved her arm over her eyes and rolled over with a groan, doing anything she could to block out the sunlight. Her head was pounding and her stomach flipped, causing her to swallow back bile. She grimaced at the taste, but kept her eyes closed, not ready to yet climb out of bed and face the world.

It was then that she noticed that she was not in bed, but was laying instead in what could only be grass.

"What in the Hell ...?" she murmured, slowly blinking open her eyes. Her face was in the soft blades, her nose pressing into dirt. She must have been really out of it not to notice that her face was shoved in dirt and grass. She coughed a little as she pushed herself onto her knees, rubbing her face with her arm, itching her nose and eyes, and she finally mustered up the courage to look around her.

And that was the largest mistake of her life, for as soon as she did, she felt panic swell up inside of her. Immediately her heart began to hammer in her chest, her breathing increased in speed, and she felt her body begin to tremble. She had no idea where she was.

Winsley pushed herself up and onto her feet, where she clenched her hands into fists at her sides and forced herself to calm down. "Calm ... Slow, deep breaths ... You are okay, Wins, you are okay ..." she murmured, beginning to pace and rubbing her temples in the process. Her red blouse with pink and black lace, along with black bows, only caused her to become warm far too quickly for her liking. She loosened the neckline and one of the bows. Luckily for her, she still wore her pink and black-laced mini-skirt, so her legs remained cool. Her mid-knee-high boots stuck to her skin from her sweat, and she lifted her hair in on hand, peeling it away from her neck in an attempt to cool the back of it.

"It is far too hot for me to think ... I am hot, I am hungry, I am thirsty, and I am thoroughly exhausted due to my headache. I haven't a clue as to where I am, or even what time it is. All I know is that I am lost, and the last thing I remember is Cole touching the gem and me screaming for him ... Not ... To ..." she trailed off and stopped her pacing, her eyes widening. "The diary! The gem!" she cried, her hands flying up to frame the sides of her face.

She dropped to her knees and let her forehead fall to the ground, her eyes closed, her fists beside her head, and she let out a groan. "No ... Cole ... Alessandra ..." she groaned the three words, her hands flattening out into the grass. "Sono così spaventato... Che cosa dovrei fare...?" she murmured.

She remained like that for quite a while, before she finally pulled herself up to stand. She wiped at her wet eyes and sniffed a little. "At least I remember everything from Cole's book, everything about this world," she said quietly.

((Sono così spaventato... Che cosa dovrei fare...? ~ I'm so scared ... What am I supposed to do ...?[/i]

It was a normal busy day in the city of Kalistos. Tidus had woken up not too long ago to the sound of a bustling market place and a furious fish seller who was yelling at a small child for stealing food. His 'home' was in between two tall houses that were close together but far enough apart to make a small alleyway, a place where he kept most of his belongings that he didn't take with him and where he slept comfortably in a torn and dusted matress with a tattered thin blanket that was useless in winter. It was much like a home to him, cardboard boxes were scattered around neatly, luminated at night with small broken lanterns that he scattered around and on top of the cardboard to make it comfortable and homely. With these lanterns little possesions that he had gained over the years sat on some of the boxes like a shelf of prized trophies. A pair of washed--but still dirty clothing containing of socks, shorts and shirts hung lazily on a small piece of wire connected from one building to the other. The brick tiles on the ground were dirty but not as dirty as other bits in the city as Tidus made sure to keep his house as clean as he could.

He stretched wearily after he threw on some clothing and picked up his back pack of handy tools that he used during his endevours throughout the town. His shoulders complained, not used to the weight of the back pack once more after two weeks of not having to search for any items and especially food. Two weeks ago he had hit the jackpot of finding a whole bag of rice thrown away because mice had gotten into it, but it was still perfectly fine and a wonderful find for a homeless boy. He boiled the rice with water in a small broken pot that he found and fixed quite some time ago and ate plain cooked rice for breakfst, lunch and tea for the last two weeks. The bag of rice was near empty now and he had to deal with rations again until he found another great find for food once more, though it was very rare and a special treat. He noted to himself to check the place where they threw out the rice in case they had done it again, even though Tidus was sick of rice now but food was food.

After walking through the crowds of people a short while he caught on to a few whispers of a strange girl in the market place. Customers were a great source for gossip and news and he learned to listen to them after the day when he heard the bakery was giving out free samples of their bread and he managed to sneak at least 10 free samples that afternoon.
Often new people meant money, sellers often bathed in the thought of new people because they generally were travellers and had a lot of money to spend in markets and shops. Tidus, of course, bathed in this thought as well. Not more than once had he tricked travellers into giving him quite a bit of money or some nice food. He sought out to find this mysterious girl, perhaps he would eat something different to rice tonight.

It wasn't long before the whispers became more common and peoples stares pointed in one direction. A girl of an age he wasn't sure of sat on a bench, long pink hair fell down to her waist and he was baffled; never seeing one quite like her before. This only meant one thing...she had to be loaded with money. His hopes pearked up and amidst the crowd of people he considered approaching her, asking if she needed any help and then asking for some coin in return. Yes, that would do.
Tidus approached the girl casually and looked down on her, him standing and her being seated. Her hands were covering her face and she seemed rather distressed; perfect! He refrained from smiling and gave his most polite voice, clearing his throat before he spoke.

"Hey there...uh...do you need some help?"

Of course, he looked rather shady (it wasn't mistaken that he was a homeless boy--or what he liked to call himself, a rogue) but people seemed to accept his offers because he was polite and his eyes were a lot different to the rest of him so most of the time they trusted him, though some were too smart and left him without a penny (on his bad days), so he tried to be on the best behaviour he could be when talking to potential 'customers'. He hoped this girl was the same.

Winsley didn't know how long she sat there for - seconds? Minutes? Hours? Highly unlikely, but still -, but when she finally registered that the whispers had died down, she realized it had only been a few minutes.

"Hey there ... Uh ... Do you need some help?"

She jumped, gasping aloud, and fell backwards off of the bench. She landed hard on the stone ground behind her, her legs over the bench, her back across the ground and her hair splayed around her. People stopped and stared, before they scurried away, their faces hidden by them turning them towards the ground.

Slowly, she pushed herself up, rubbing at her bottom as she did so. When she was finally standing, she fixed a slightly-annoyed gaze on the boy that had approached her, who appeared to be only a bit younger then her - and homeless. She could see that he was due to his appearance; his clothes, his uncut hair ... And merely the aura he gave off. He seemed to be trying far too hard. It was obviously a con to try and cheat her out of whatever money she had ... If that money was even any good in this new world. There had been nothing in Cole's book about the currency in this world, so she hadn't a clue.

After staring, in what could only be a stupid way, at the boy for several minutes, she finally mustered up the courage to speak, for fear of the new person had been the only reason why she had stared blankly at him.

"Help would be greatly appreciated," she murmured, attempting to speak quietly to shield her accent. She looked down, and then peered up at the boy through her eyelashes. "Can you tell me where I am? I saw a sign that said Kalistos on it, and I was just wondering if that is where I am currently. Also, is there a local police force of some kind here? I must speak with them immediately ..."

She trailed off, her lower lip wobbled, and thick blobs of tears appeared in her eyes. She blinked them back quickly. "My name is Winsley. I don't have much to give you ... But can you help me, per favore?"

((Per favore ~ please))

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.

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"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 ...?

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.

---

"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.

---

"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."