Kalistos

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

"Okay, Winsley ... Just stay calm and think. Due to your surroundings and from the descriptions in the book that Cole's grandfather has left you, you are somewhere in the odd, other world that he spoke of. You have a bit of an idea where, but are not positive. You know no one in the direct vicinity, you haven't a clue as to where your friends are, and you're alone, with no way to buy food, water, or a place to stay. From the position of the sun in the sky, you can reason that it was late morning, early afternoon, and you have only just awoken from what was undoubtedly an uncomfortable, unconscious sleep. Now, what can you do about that?"

Throughout the entirety of her little speech to herself, she paced slowly back and forth, until one could see a permanent indent of her footsteps in the grass. She clenched and relaxed her jaw, rubbing at her temples with her index and middle fingers, and kept her face towards the ground.

She finally stopped and sighed, shaking her head just a bit.

"The best I can do for now is find somewhere to think," she suddenly said, tilting her head back to look up at the sky, her pink hair cascading down her back.

Spinning on her heel, she made her way in the direction of some place known as Kalistos, as mentioned in Cole's book and and on a sign.

It took her approximately ten minuets to reach the town - city? - and by the time she did, her feet were no doubt blistered, as hinted at by the soreness in them. She paused to lean against a building and adjust her boots, before she continued on.

Winsley was bumped and shoved throughout what was undoubtedly a marketplace, and she mumbled apologies each time, receiving odd stares when she did. She took in the fact that she had an odd coloring in comparison with the people milling throughout the marketplace, and listened to their voices. She attempted to ask different people questions, but whether it was her accent, her unfamiliar face, or her appearance, they would only shy away and brush her off.

Finally, she stopped at the edge of the marketplace, now somewhere in the middle of the city, surrounded by what was undoubtedly houses. With a baffled look on her face, obviously lost in several different ways, she slowly began to make her way down different streets, until she was completely and utterly lost.

Having decided that getting herself lost probably hadn't been the best idea, she let out a huff and gave up, dropping onto a nearby bench. She leaned forward, placed her elbows on her knees, and dropped her face into her hands, ignoring the whispers of the people that passed by her; whispers of her appearance, whispers of her clothes ... Whispers that included everything about her.

Her lower lip began to tremble a little and she sniffed, peaking up at the people that walked by, who only then began to whisper of her three, dotted tattoos on her forehead. With dropped her head back into her hands with a soft groan.

"What am I supposed to do ...?" she mumbled, a soft sniffing sound coming from her.

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))

---

"You quite obviously aren't."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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.

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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."

---

"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?"

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))

---

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."

The princess was still upset, but the girl named Alis assured her that she didn't think ill of them. This cheered her up a bit and she smiled, thanking her. Before another word could be put in though, a boy rushed in and embraced the two. She assumed this was the missing member of their trio as they had described it. Cole, as Alis confirmed. He then looked over at her, Micheal, and Martin and greeted them. "Hello Cole!" she said cheerily, her mood brightening again. "My name is Valencia and I'm here to help you."

Upon glancing behind him, she noticed that somebody was leaving. Whoever it was had successfully saved Cole from any trouble and guided him to his friends. So where were they going? She was about to speak up when Martin walked over to stand closer to her and Micheal.

Valencia was displeased with his lack of trust as well. She honestly couldn't tell him the whole truth if she wanted to, which had been fine up until now. There hadn't be an event of this size when they were traveling before. She had bothered a few people, yes, but none of them seemed to have the care to question them. "Why?" she whined softly as Micheal began to explain to the best of his abilities. His explanation of her innocent guess that these people were from a far off world, for their seemed no possible way that they were from some uncharted country, was on the ball. He also knew her well enough to say that she was a curious child, if not a benevolent one. Her position in Thania allowed her to help whom she wanted and most in her country did not shy away. She loved her people and they loved her and her family.

She nodded as Micheal finished. "I like adventure and traveling," she added. "I can see why you wouldn't trust us, as we are but strangers to you and to them. But every stranger has a tale to tell, and a quest to accomplish. I haven't found my quest yet, so I wish to help others fulfill theirs. Do you do the same?" She was curious to know more about him as well, as to why he had decided to help these girls as well when he could have easily walked away and discredited them as demons or insane.