Lusine Fiala's Story

A soft sort of frost formed every single time she allowed a breath to slip from her chapped and rosy lips. The cold was murder to her and her appearance—it made her nose raw and red, and her cheeks always became flushed while she was forced to talk in a nasal voice thanks to the temperature making her nose all runny. . . . She looked and sounded like she was suffering from a perpetual cold during the winter, which was just one of the reasons she had come to hate it. Maybe she had always hated it. . . . Had she? The fact of the matter was that she simply did not know.

Snow fell from the monochrome colored skies, clouds were covering the sun up like a thick blanket. The world was dim that day, unpleasant and all around just depressing to behold. But then . . . days during the winter were often like this, cloudy and just ick.

People walked down the streets, bundled up in coats and scarves as usual, the only noises filling the air were the ones of the ordinary, cars passing by the sidewalks on the streets, the occasional honk of a horn, footfalls softly crunching in the snow below. The day was a normal day, it was something that she had grown used to in the last months, the cold, and hating it, that is. But, there were a great deal many things she was simply not used to, and also, there were a lot of questions she held. Who was she really? Where did she come from? What had happened to her to make her memory vanish away as it had?

Those were a simple few questions she had regarding herself and her past. Even after months of raiding her mind for the truth, for the missing answers about herself and her past, she couldn’t come up with anything, not even a name. . . . Her own age even, that was a mystery to her as well. She knew she looked rather young, like a child, but if anything else, she was certain that she was not nearly as young as she appeared to be. Age was but one factor in the mystery that was she. She had no name, no age, no birth date, and not a single trace of an identity. Yet still, she could not help but maintain this sense of . . . superiority she felt that she had going for her, something she felt like she had to uphold—a certain face that showed strength despite her form and situation. It had always felt like she needed to be strong, to make everyone around her think of her as a powerful person who didn’t need any help, even if she truly did require aid.

And despite her situation, she maintained that show of power, of certainty even though she still had no clue to who she was. . . . She had woken up utterly alone months ago, her small and bony body curled up into a ball under a tree in the city’s park, her skin was marred with the markings of what seemed to be a struggle which was long ago, the once wounds were all but healed, and only traces of their true horrors remained as scars. Her head had hurt, and her body felt like it was too heavy for her to even move around in, in truth, the flesh and bones she settled in felt foreign to her, wrong. Then, there was the fact that she had no memory where it should have been. No matter how hard she tried to remember anything about herself, nothing came to her—it was like she hit some giant block. Her name, her situation, there was nothing there. Sure, she remembered things about everyday life, like how to read, write, and do math, and such things, but personal information had been utterly wiped from her mind.

The first thing she had done upon regaining full control over herself and coming to think clearly again was to go to the police, and report her situation—to see if she were perhaps a missing person. She thought that maybe she may’ve had a family who was looking for her, even if she couldn’t recall them, at least she might be able to find someone who knew her. However, going to them proved to be useless, as she did not fit the descriptions of anyone reported as missing. It seemed like no one was looking for her at all. From there, she was directed to a hospital, she evidently had amnesia after all.

Again, such an action was pointless, because other than the memory loss, she was a healthy thing despite being underweight. She had been interviewed by several psychologists while there, and differing techniques had been used to try to recover her memory, none of which had obviously even stirred anything up in her mind, because she still obviously did not remember anything at all. Eventually, she had resorted to just checking herself out of the place when she got annoyed with all of the failings—she felt like she could help herself out better than anyone else could at that point. Since she had no name and no identity, there was no way to charge her bills for her stay there.

So, if she didn’t remember anything from her past, not her name or even a birthday, how was it she had managed to continue on surviving in the last months?

As luck would have had it going for her, it appeared as if she retained skills from her unknown past . . . as, she found herself able to sing quite well despite not seeming as someone who would have a good voice. For the sake of her survival, she put this talent to use, and began to perform in the very same park she had found herself waking up in. Each day, she would wonder to it and sing her heart out for the people there, and many would often leave money for her as they passed on through. Time passed on, and the season began to change as she continued doing what she did. Eventually, she began to earn enough money from singing in order to rent out a cheap room in a nearby motel room, and to get enough food to survive off of.

This was how she had come to live, singing and acting as if she were a princess without a name. Even if her situation was not ideal, something always felt like it was pushing her forward. Without a name, she progressed onward, living no matter how hard things felt, even if a memory was something vital she lacked . . . life was still going on around her. And it was something she needed to take part in.

She sang all day, and slept at night after eating meager meals, she dressed in simple clothing she could barely afford. That was her life. She had no name and no clue about her age, so what else could she have done? Nothing, there was nothing else she could have done in order to get by in the world.

And it just so happened that she had finished up singing for the day. . . . All she intended on doing was going back to her motel room on that snowy day, she hadn’t been planning on doing anything else. She’d collected her money for the day, and it was as simple as that, she had what she needed to live on for the time being, with or without a memory, she was getting by in the world. So, she had managed to begin to come to terms with the notion of never knowing who she really was, or anything of the sort. As long as she could survive, then what did a memory matter? Whether or not she had amnesia, she had begun to not give a damn, in some ways, it was better to not have a past she could recall, after all, pasts could just weigh someone down, couldn’t they?

That sort of thing was a weakness after all, and weak was something she was not. She couldn’t be weak.

Still, there was a part of her which nagged at her, and asked the question of why it was she always had to be so strong, to make herself seem so perfect to others. . . . What reason was there for her to act as she did? Deep inside of herself, she could not at all deny the fact that it felt like she weren’t doing it for herself, but for someone else, a person she did not of course remember or know. It almost felt like there was someone there . . . a figure locked deep within her memory that was more important to her than anything else, but like everything, that person was nothing more than something she had forgotten.

Even if she had begun to be contented with the idea of never knowing who she once was, she couldn’t deny the notion of wanting to know who this person she felt as if she moved forward for. . . . Maybe because she was lost in her thoughts, that was why she wandered into the cemetery when she was simply aiming to head back to the motel to sleep and to recover from the cold she had so come to hate. Really, the cemetery was the last place she wanted to be on a dreary, winter eve.

It took her more than a moment to actively realize where she was, or how deep it was that she had managed to get herself into the place. Against the snowy backdrop, she stood out like a sore thumb with that orangey hair of hers . . . she began to panic upon realizing she had no idea where she was exactly, or how she could get out of the place. The idea of cemeteries had always freaked her out, ever since she’d woken up under that tree. Though that wasn’t something she wanted to admit to anyone at all.

With a rather flighty look upon her face, she had turned on her heel and attempted to followed the snow covered pathway back to any entrance, or exit. Getting out of there, not matter the way was something she would have liked very much, with her heart beating frantically in her chest, she tried to maintain a sense of calm upon her face, though the attempt resulted in her looking like she was just frustrated. She took no one direct route, as she didn’t know her way around the grounds, so, she couldn’t have meant to wind up where she had. . . .

Her breath still formed mist as it exited her lips, feeling entranced for some strange reason by a particular site before her—a rather intricately carved marble angel stood in a desolate part of the grounds. Flowers were scattered about it, some dead, some still brightly alive, they were freshly placed. Uncertain of even why it was she suddenly felt so calm, so collected upon seeing the grave, she compelled herself forward in the cold. Halting before the statue, she simply gazed at it for a time, not thinking anything, not understanding why.

After a time, she moved her odd eyes down to view the inscription upon the stone, though, she found it covered by snow. As if acting against her natural will, she knelt down into the cold snow and brushed away the white fluff which had gathered over the stone to see whose grave she was now at. However, as soon as her hand made contact with that freezing stone, it all came to her, an influx of memories, of knowledge. . . . It was almost painful, being made to remember so much at a time when her mind had been nothing but blank beforehand. She remembered everything, her name, her age, her life . . . and her death.

Upon this realization, and remembering her name was Lusine Fiala, Lulu quickly retracted her hand in horror, breath taken from her lungs as she could only gaze upon her own gravestone and half-covered name upon it. Understanding she was dead, Lulu began to breathe rapidly, eyes wide as tears began to form in them, her heart raced in her chest as she could only begin to hear blood pounding in her ears from the horror. Her body quivered and she broke down from the knowing and the confusion of it all, she didn’t understand any of this now. How could she be . . . dead when she was sitting there in front of her own grave, breathing, and crying—her own tears falling from her eyes and freezing onto her headstone?

Part of her didn’t believe it, but she had to, because she could remember dying, but coming back to life, living again. . . ? It was too much to try and understand. There was just too much confusion, too much to take in all at once. Breathing quickly to the point of nearly hyperventilating, Lulu looked up at the angel statue that stood as a guardian over her grave, and found her vision blurring in and out. Her body suddenly felt so heavy, like it was again too much for her to handle as she was. Tears still falling from her eyes, Lulu’s small form lolled a bit to the side before tipping back to the opposite side, her eyes still transfixed upon the angel as her mind blanked and everything just faded away.

With her eyes shutting, heart sinking into her stomach, Lulu tipped to the side, and fell into the clutches of unconsciousness there in the cold snow, the last thought in her mind being, I’m tired, I’m just too tired. . . .

Jack's eyes drifted from the knight to his former students slowly appearing on the floor. As far as he was concerned, angels around the city had informed him that they shouldn't remember anything about either their past lives or what happened afterwards. Hopefully, they'd be able to recall their training if anything. The 'humans' sort of appeared out of nowhere, materialising into the white floor in front of him. They were still out.

The first to arrive was little Dove. He still remembered his reckless personality, and how he would squeal when someone touched his hair. Second was Joss, the hard worker who never gave up his training, rarely resting and exceeding Jack's expectations. After that was Aquaea, who'd been a despaired soul when he first met her. She'd trained, believing she had to save the humans even if it killed her. Then it was Relic, his cute little priest. He'd been trying to save someone when he died, and even when he did, he felt no hate for her. Amoretta got there next. She'd always been full of kindness, but seemed to have some sort of father problem. Lusine, or rather, Lulu. The girl who was against going until he finally explained he was going to train her to fight. That took some effort. The last there was Zyanya, the girl who really loved her brother. Jack had always admired them all, despite their quirks and tantrums, especially Dove and Lulu who both seemed adamant in getting the last say. The others just stood up for things they felt for strongly.

"Are you never gonna tell me your name then?" Jack asked, a happy grin on his face.

The knight turned to look at him, her blonde hair swooshing. "Get behind that pillar, angel." she said, finally tired of his attempts to get to know her. He'd been visiting her every now and then, and she still hadn't told him her name. What the hell did he expect?

Jack sighed as he trudged over behind the pillar, not one inch of him visible. Well, that's what he thought.



Dove sat up quickly. His eyes darted around the place as he found himself trembling a bit. It was cold as hell here. Was he really dead? The place he was in seemed unreal, never-ending stretches of white, not stopping. Even the floor he was standing on was that perfect shade of white. There was an array of pillars, stood in the ground and ending at a random space. Maybe it was a ceiling? This could just be one giant prank. No, he doubted it. Though he could still remember none of his past, he remembered he was dead. He didn't remember how though, and what happened afterwards which made him wake up out of nowhere and think he had amnesia.

Weapons were halfway through the ground, like a graveyard of weaponry. Graveyard. . . he thought, his eyes looking around. The boy saw a staff, white marble, and it drew his attention in. Suddenly, he blanked everything else out, ignoring all the other weapons. That one was his. He just knew it. How, Dove did not know. But he recognised it, he was sure he knew how to use it. He stood up, his whole body aching. Probably because his true body was still lying in the freezing snow. He felt numb. He should have worn more clothes that day, but he never expected any of this to happen.

His goggles hung loosely around his neck, he moved them so they were on top of his head. The white-haired boy was about to touch the staff, when his hand hesitated. The last time he'd reached out and touched something without thinking, he'd tumbled to the ground. His body was getting warmer now. The elderly priest had probably carried him inside the church or something. The instant warmth relieved him, as well as shocking him. He looked around more, deciding to pick up the white staff later.

It was then he saw the knight, her blonde hair covering her eyes. She sat with her golden sword, and even though he couldn't see her eyes, he was sure she was looking at him. She sat on a coffin, surrounded by the weapons dug into the ground. Dove wandered who was in the coffin, but that wasn't his primary concern. The thing which intrigued him most was the coat from behind one of the pillars. He couldn't see it before, but being at this angle, he could see the edge of a coat. There wouldn't be a coat stand here, surely? His curiosity led him towards the pillar, seeing a person.

This person looked familiar, but Dove couldn't work out who he was. "Hey! What's your-" he said loudly, and the person pulled Dove towards him, covering his mouth.

"Shush," he said, pausing. ", the others aren't awake yet." Dove looked, seeing other people lying on the floor. This was the first time he'd noticed them. He got weird feeling again, as he felt like he recognised them. Maybe he knew them before his amnesia kicked in? But wouldn't it be a coincidence if people he knew from before were all in the void of white around him. He looked at them, remembering nothing. But when he looked up at the person practically hugging him with a goofy smile on his face, he remembered things. His little sister, his bullying older sisters, his nickname 'The Snow Queen', and being stepped on by this person at his funeral. Funeral?! What the heck? Why would I be at my own funeral? he thought, his elbow going forwards and back in one quick motion, whacking the person behind him.

The thing which shocked him most was what he said next. "Get off me, Jack!" he shouted, pulling away. 'Jack' smiled as his eyes twinkled, happy about being remembered. Dove, however, became even more confused as his hands flew up to his head, grabbing his snowy white hair tightly. Who is this person? Why? Why do I know his name?! Why am I here? Argh! His icy glare got shot in the direction of this Jack person, who raised one eyebrow.

"I see the Snow Queen still had that look which could freeze hearts?" he asked rhetorically. Dove glared even more at hearing his annoying nickname, and he stomped off in the direction of his staff when he heard the person laugh at him, covering his mouth to stay quiet behind the pillar. Dove looked at the people there, arranged on the floor. He knew their names, but he couldn't remember them at all. Let's see. Joss, Aquaea, that's Relic, Amoretta, Lulu the shortie, and Zyanya. he thought, his eyes looking over them.

His feet next took him to the knight. "Why am I here?" he asked, and the knight shrugged, a smile on her face.

"I don't know Dove. Why are you here?" the knight said, tilting her head.

Dove sighed. "Everyone knows me, but I don't know everyone. It's slightly annoying." he said, sitting on the floor with a sigh. It seems the others were waking up anyways. Maybe then, everything would be explained and the puzzle will be solved. Probably not. . .

She still felt really cold, while she did indeed feel warmer than she had before, a persisting chill gnawed away at her bones as she lay there. In response to the coolness, Lulu attempted to form her small body into a tight little ball, trying to force her legs against her chest with as much pressure as she could—she wanted to be warm, she desired simple warmth. Her mind still lost to the clutches of unconsciousness and the confusion which came with it, the reality of her existence, the learned truth which had shocked her into fainting before was forgotten for a moment as all she remembered before was the life she led with her parents. It was because of this, thinking she was still living with her mom and dad, that Lulu allowed a soft moan to slip from her throat before she murmured a simple request, “Mm, mom, could you turn the heat up please. . . ? I’m cold. . . .”

Lulu didn’t stir for another moment, her body remained curled up in the fetal position, her expression a peaceful one as she attempted to return to the clutches of sweet sleep. However, when there was no response to her request, the girl moved, shaking her head just a bit as she allowed her eyes to slowly open, confusion glinting within them, “Mom. . . ?” Lulu’s voice slipped from her throat, cracking just a bit as fear seemed to seep into that one word. As those strange eyes of hers opened to the world around her, they widened as Lulu’s heart fluttered to life in her chest. Letting a sudden rush of air escape from her lips, Lulu abruptly forced herself to sit up, the upper half of her body supported by her toothpick thin arms.

Dizziness set in upon her senses from her suddenly sitting up so fast, but the utter shock at finding herself not in her bed, but lying in a world of white, surrounded by an odd assortment of . . . things, it was enough to circumvent the lightheadedness. Bewilderment attacked at her brain as she struggled to make sense of everything, to remember. The matter of finding her own grave was temporarily wiped from her mind as sleep had drawn it away. I-I, she started, trying to form a coherent thought. Even stuttering in her own head, Lulu sighed harshly and set a hand to her forehead as she shook her cranium back and forth. An expression of annoyance happened over her features, What the hell happened to me, and where am I? she silently questioned, drawing her hand down over her eyes as she brought them to shut, thinking back, trying to draw some answer from the murky depths of her memory.

For the moment, things were silent; the only sound Lulu could make out was the uneven sound of her own heart fluttering away in her chest, urging her form to quiver from a sentiment of fear at not knowing where she was. Even though she did indeed feel the poison known as terror trying to creep in upon her, Lulu refused to let it show against her outside. No, being scared and showing such a thing was a weakness, something that would make her look feeble. She wasn’t anything of the sort, no, she was a strong girl who didn’t suffer from such things.

After a moment or two more of struggling with her haphazard memory, it came back to her. Well, enough of it did to make sense of things . . . sort of.

It came crashing back to her, what had happened, in front of her . . . grave, she had fainted. “M-My grave. . . ?” she whispered to herself, the hand she had over her eyes dropped to gravity’s pull all of a sudden, revealing the wide and shocked expression laying over the face of one Lusine Fiala. Her life, everything, it played back through her mind, and she could recall it all. She was dead, or, she was suppose to have been.

But, she wasn’t, she’d been living for the last odd number of months without a memory. In those amnesia ridden months, she had been breathing, feeling, sleeping, singing, living. There was no way she was dead but. . . . If I’m really suppose to be alive right now, why can I remember my own funeral?

Drawing her lips back together, Lulu bit down upon the both of them, drawing them inward to form her mouth into a thin line as her flesh turned pallor from the puzzlement and utter shock she felt. She blinked and allowed a shaky exhale to come from her nose as she attempted to relax her tense body, and to keep herself from shaking. Even if she really was feeling afraid for the simple fact she could remember her own funeral, that didn’t mean she wanted to show it. Tilting her head skyward, Lulu turned her head to each side slowly, scanning her odd surroundings with her eyes, taking it all in, and trying to understand it.

A world of white littered with broken pillars, rusted and newer weapons emerging from the firm fog-covered ground . . . as well as figures off a short distance away, close enough for her to make them out, yet far enough for her to not figure out any details. So, she wasn’t alone? There were people in this strange place. . . ? No matter what my memories might tell me, even if I seem to remember dying and my own funeral, I’m not dead right now. And I haven’t been dead for the last few months! Lulu told herself, bringing herself to pout as her face flushed a bit, Maybe I’m not the only person experiencing this weirdness. . . .

Uncertain of what else she was suppose to do, Lulu placed her small hands upon the ground carefully, and used her arms to push herself upward, getting to her feet in a somewhat clunky manner. As she steadied herself, Lulu’s gaze caught upon her attire for the first time, and an expression of disgust passed over it. Ugh, what was she wearing exactly. . . ? Black flats, black leggings underneath denim shorts and a white tee-shirt that looked like it was unisex, and was way too big for her body. Whenever I figure out what the hell is going on, I am SO going to try to find something better to wear than this mess. she huffed while shaking her head back and forth.

Crossing her arms over her diaphragm, a terse expression played over Lulu’s face as she quietly moved forward ready to demand some answers from whoever else was in this freaky place. As she traipsed on ahead, her eyes happened along the forms of a couple of other people who were collapsed into heaps against the murky ground below them . . . and despite the memories associated with them being utter blanks, Lulu realized something quite disturbing, though it was not as disturbing as supposedly remembering her own funeral. The redhead realized that they seemed familiar to her—she felt like she knew them for some reason when she was utterly certain of her memories telling her otherwise.

Shaking the doubt from her mind, and the unsettling feelings she was experiencing, Lulu wrenched her gaze away from their sleeping faces and looked ahead, a tinge of insecurity remained upon her features however. I know that I haven’t met those people before, but I feel like I ought to know them, if anything else, I should at least know their names.

Lost in her own mind, Lulu brought herself to a sudden halt when she realized that she was now standing before several other people who left that same sense of doubt within her heart upon seeing their faces. Like she needed to know their names, but for the life of her she couldn’t pull them from her memories again. Mmph! Is it amnesia again?! she thought to herself, face reddening from the very notion that she was suffering from something again.

Blinking, Lulu looked to the people around her, at a loss for their names . . . doing her best to ignore the urge to freak out at seeing a woman dressed in armor, wielding a short that was probably larger than Lulu herself.

These people, all of them, why do I feel like I should know who they are?! Why can’t I remember simple names? Trying to look at her feet through the thick white fog which covered the ground, Lulu shut her eyes, feeling embarrassment and utter annoyance gnawing away at her innards for forgetting names. With a red face she forced it away, refusing to show any more weakness to these people she felt like she was suppose to know.

Tightening her small hands up into bony little fists at her sides, Lulu turned her gaze back upward before she opened her mouth to speak, to try to garner some information about this situation from the lot of these familiar strangers when something sort of felt like it snapped inside her mind. The expression upon Lulu’s face changed in an instant as her eyes went wide and she went still. I-I remember their names. . . . she realized, I don’t know who any of these people are, but I know their names.

A rather innocent expression lit Lulu’s face up as the normal terse look she kept left for the time being, remembering everyone’s names she turned her head back and forth with her mouth slightly agape, looking at them all, matching the name to the face. Remaining quiet for a moment, forgetting about the things she intended on questioning them about before, Lulu lifted an arm upward, and curled a few of her fingers up on her hand as she formed it to point.

“All of you . . . I know all of your names. . . .” she said quietly, voice shaking a bit. Slowly enough, Lulu moved her arm to point at the first person she matched a name with, “You’re Dove, and you are Aquaea, your name’s Relic . . . then, you’re Joss. And the two girls who are still out cold back there are Amoretta and Zyanya. . . .” she said rather quietly, letting her hand drop back to her side. “Wh-Why do I know everyone’s names. . . ? And where am I?”

"Hey, you!" Dove turned his head to see some girl with weird hair (like he was one to talk) shouting at him. He cocked his eyebrow at her. Oi. Since when was my name 'you'? "Where am I? What's going on? And who exactly is it watching me from behind that pillar over there?" He looked to the pillar, hearing a giggle come from behind it. Was there even any point in trying to answer? He felt he'd respected this person at some point, but he could remember or even work out why. He saw the priest guy, Relic, make his way over to the girl who was giving him cold looks.

"Excuse me, but yelling at the poor child won't help. Calm yourself and tell us who you are before you go about demanding an explanation." Dove started glaring at him. Poor child? Poor child?! The priest-like boy lifted his hand, and Dove stared at him, shaking his hand. He didn't want to, but his instinct kicked in before he could think. "I'm Relic."

Okay, sure, he was the shortest boy there. And yeah, the only one who appeared shorter than him was Lusine. But calling him a poor child was just really unfair. For god's sake, he somehow felt he'd had this conversation before, and his eyes locked with the other boy's, staying silent and trying to compose himself. The knight looked at him, before almost laughing at his nonchalant face, knowing his anger was probably bubbling up inside. Dove just stared at Joss, who'd now gotten up too.

Oh god, please, no more. . . "Hey. You, Dovey kid." Joss said, walking over to him. Dove felt incredibly short compared to him. He was more than a foot shorter. That was not reassuring him at all. Considering the state she was already in, he just got angrier. "Mind getting dude behind you to explain?"

What were these people thinking? Did he look like the sort of person who'd have all the answers? Sure, he was first up, and looked calm at first. He managed to keep his mask on, somehow, and just stared at them. What the heck? He looked down at himself, noticing his clothes. A gradient from white to blue shirt. And capris. Why the hell would he wear capris in the winter? The capris had this strange attachment, as if they were dungarees, and were held up by bright blue straps. His headphones were on his ears, and his goggles were dangling around his neck. He carefully adjusted them so they were on his head. And blue boots. The clothes really would never had suited anyone taller, but they were practically perfect for this little Snow Queen.

"All of you . . . I know all of your names. . . .” Now Lusine, or Lulu, was talking and Dove felt like screaming. Or just giving up completely and retreating back to be behind a pillar so he could hide himself from these people. “You’re Dove, and you are Aquaea, your name’s Relic . . . then, you’re Joss. And the two girls who are still out cold back there are Amoretta and Zyanya. . . ." His mind blanked out the rest of what Aquaea was saying, trying to concentrate on staying quiet.

Finally, Dove snapped, making an "Argh!" sound. He snatched his staff out of the ground, he knew it was his, and started pointing it at people with it. To be honest, he was putting it dangerously close to their faces, but even if he didn't know it, he was a master of the weapon. He knew how to use it. Even angry, he maintained his overall grace. It went to Aquaea first. "Oi! What the hell? It that how you start a conversation? By shouting? God, do you have no manners?" He shouted, his yelling voice echoing in the white space. The knight was slightly shocked, since he seemed to be doing so well with keeping his thoughts in. "And Relic, for God's sakes, I'm bloody older than you! Yeah, sure, I'm shorter, But calling me a 'poor child' is just going way over the line! We've had this conversation, even if I'm not sure where. If you have questions, ask Knight!"

Knight was slightly surprised. He hadn't added a 'the', so did that mean he'd guessed that was her name? She didn't really have a name, to be honest. . .

"And my name isn't Dovey!" he finished, slamming the bottom or his staff on the floor. It made a sound that wind would make when it was really fast, and he looked down, seeing ice growing around the base. But for some reason, that seemed normal. Maybe a bit too normal. When he looked down again, he saw the ice was now melted, but there was ice crawling up his hand. He wasn't even scared, it felt like it happened everyday. He was already used to this weapon, so everything was fine. Fine. . .

Dove looked up toward the white void, taking a deep breath and somewhat calming down. He still looked like he'd blow a fuse if someone else approached him with dumb questions. "Jack!" That Aquaea girl said it, and Dove sighed. He missed the momentary silent which followed his outburst. It didn't last very long. "Why don't you get out here and explain what's going on before I go insane? It's bad enough being stuck here in a den of lunacy, but you waiting until you can be all dramatic about your reappearance really doesn't help anything."

He suddenly turned so he was facing the pillar. "You're fooling no one, you goon." he said clearly, swinging his staff round. His volume was normal, but there was a angry tone hidden in his voice. A head peeked out from behind the pillar, looking slightly upset.

Jack came out from behind the pillar, not at all shocked by Dove's outburst. He sat on the grave, next to the knight and put his arm around her. However, it was taken away when the golden sword was right at his neck, and he made a "D'accord, d'accord!" out of nowhere. Where the french came from, Dove and Knight did not know. He crossed his legs. "I am Jack!" he said, smiling. The Pumpkin King he thought, a grin coming over his face as he basically spaced out, remembering the whole of the song for a moment, before returning to the conversation.

"Dove, you never change, sweetheart." He said, chuckling. He saw Dove's grip on his staff tighten at the word 'sweetheart', but he carried on. "Ah~! My little priest is awake!" he said, stretching his arms out. "And hello Joss! Seems you're awake too, honey." Yes. Jack had a tendency to add in 'sweetheart' and 'honey', like the kind elderly people in the town when you were younger. "Still asking as many questions, Lulu? Well, I can't blame you, sweetheart. We're very questionable." he pointed to him and Knight, before realising something.

"Hey, hey, is your name actually Knight?"

"I don't know. Ask Dove. I think it's. . . what's it called. . . A nickname?" she said, tilting he head. Even so, her blonde hair continued covering her face. Jack shrugged.

"So! Questions? Any?" Jack said, looking at Amoretta and Zyanya. Poor dears, still out cold.

All of these people, how the blasted hell did she know the names of people like them?! Just as soon as innocence seemed to overtake Lulu’s face, it was gone, quickly replaced by an expression of utter aggravation. Okay, so like it wasn’t bad enough that she was confused as could be about everything that was happening to her, about apparently dying, winding up in some godforsaken place with a lot of people whose names she knew, but whom she did not recall knowing. . . . It just had to turn out that they were all weird and jerky too?! Seriously, could this get any damn worse for me? All I want is to know what the freaking hell is going on! she thought to herself, the expression on her face harshening as Lulu shakily allowed her head to tilt downward, her bangs hiding the look upon her features.

Something between a hiss and a huff slipped from between the girl’s teeth as she tried to quell her fluttering heart, which was beating quickly in her chest from the creeping anger she felt consuming her.

But it felt like too much, all of these people and their attitudes. . . . God, it was pissing her off. Yes, she felt like complaining her head off too about whatever was going on with herself and everyone, but she wasn’t was she? No, no, she wasn’t, but she had every right to do so didn’t she? So then, why was it that she wasn’t going ahead and just letting her jaws flap? Lulu knew that at any other point in her life she would have just gone ahead and done so, and kvetched on and on about everything until someone blatantly told her to shut up or something.

But, even as spoiled and easily irked as she was, Lulu wasn’t stupid enough to go and just gripe about the situation at the moment, no, what mattered most right now was getting some straight answers . . . not being a whiny thing. After she got some certainty about everything around her, then she’d go ahead and return to her regularly scheduled bouts of complaint. All she wanted were answers, not more of people’s . . . problems. Everyone was complaining or in a bad mood—or it seemed. Isn’t that normally my thing? Lulu sarcastically remarked to herself.

Even if these people did indeed feel familiar to her, the redhead couldn’t deny the fact that . . . well, they all were nothing but tedious to her! Putting it bluntly, she didn’t care for any single one of them. People like this were of the sort she held loathing in herself for, in a word, they were nothing but sheer nuisances who just got in the way when events took a turn for the worse in her mind. Lulu didn’t know what was going on, why she was where she was, or how she’d even gotten to be wherever this strange place was. She didn’t understand how it seemed she had died a time ago, but was now standing about, breathing and speaking as if there were nothing at all wrong with her. No matter what her memories told her, she knew that she was at least alive for the time being, the angry, fluttering heart in her chest told her as much.

Getting the answers to her questions, about where she was and about how she’d even gotten there in the first place, well, they just weren’t worth this headache or nightmare. Y’know what? Just forget all of this, forget all of it, even if I want my answers, all of this junk is annoying and completely a waste of my valuable time. No matter what my memories are telling me, I’m not dead, I couldn’t have died because I’m breathing right now and I can feel, and hear. . . . I’m not dead and I never died.

Without a warning, Lulu turned her gaze back up, the irritation she felt was clearly displayed upon that young face of hers. “All of you are just . . . ugh!” she started, “No matter what the hell happened to me, no matter why I know the names of people I know I haven’t met, and even if they know my name, getting answers to it all just is not worth the headache I know all of this is going to be!”

Lulu promptly huffed after this, her cheeks a touch red as she released a breath, looking around at everyone, “I’m confused as can be, all I wanted were answers and instead of that, I wind up wasting my good time by encountering a load of people who are of horrid temperaments and moods, and are doing nothing but sniping about everything. Well, I’ve had my share of this all.” With those words, Lulu spun on the heel of her shoes and turned around completely before beginning to walk away. Even if she didn’t know where she was, she figured she’d be better off wandering around lost than stuck with people who were just going to be nothing more than complaints and bad moods . . . even if she weren’t in a much better mindset herself.

Dove sighed at Aquaea. "Can you just shut up already? We know we're dead, and if you think you're higher than any of us, in any way, I have to say you are one conceited human being." Dove said calmly, sitting on the floor and pulling out a mini-sketchbook, drawing the outline of the place and drawing Lulu walking off, before actually noticing she was leaving. His eyes rested on her, before he rolled them, returning to his drawing of the place. Some people never change. he thought, sighing. But, wouldn't it be hilarious if this 'world' had walls and she walked right into it. He suppressed a giggle when he thought of her walking flat out into a wall.

But Jack decided he was going to speak up about this. "Sweetheart, walking off somewhere in this dimension means you'll either end up in the afterlife, or lost for centuries. This is the Between, so I suggest you don't wander around too much. Even I don't really know much about this place. Unless, of course, you'd rather die than get another chance at life, sweetheart. But I'll tell you now, you probably won't get a high chance of becoming an Angel with that attitude. Right, when Amoretta and Zyanya wake up, I'll tell you why you're here."

Dove looked at Jack, before looking away, his 'sketch' (it looked like a full drawing) was completed and he moved on to observing his staff quietly. He looked at the part floating slightly above the weapon, a blue glow in the centre of a prism made of ice. How bizarre. He looked at Aquaea, who looked oddly proud of herself and her little speech, and he burst out laughing with that thought and the one of Lulu walking into a wall. He stopped himself halfway through, but his shoulders still shook as he looked down, his hair covering his face as he tried not to laugh. His small body still shook, even as he tried to draw but his hand kept trembling.

"Oh, Aquaea." He said breathily and slowly, drawing out her name patronisingly with a wide grin on his face. She seemed to think she was the most important person there. To be honest, he didn't care. He wanted to get home and eat those instant noodles with his roommate. They'd promised they'd eat together tonight, since they'd both get home earlier that night. Seems that wasn't going to happen. There was a silence, and Jack sighed.

"You guys never change." he said, a small smile on his face, and Dove just began laughing more. Jack seemed to be happy that Dove was enjoying this, drawing all kinds of things with his bright blue goggles now on his eyes. On his page, he already had a sketch of Joss smoking, Aquaea looking proud with stars flying around her, Jack peering out from behind the pillar, Knight with her sword at Jack's neck, Amoretta and Zyanya sleeping, and Lulu stomping off. They were all small and on the same page, but you could tell the difference between them. He also drew a cartoony sketch of Aquaea with everyone there kneeling around her in a worshipping pose. It was ridiculous how quick he'd sketched them, and his hand only paused when he looked to see if Amoretta and Zyanya were awake yet. He stashed the sketchbook back in his pocket, when Jack decided he might as well answer Aquaea's questions.

"Well, you because I spent years training you, and I'm not starting that all over again. Plus, at first, it was your choice. Nothing's in this for you, apart from another chance at life. If you decline, off to the afterlife! And you, like Lulu, won't be able to come back to Earth without becoming an angel. And I'm not dysfunctional, I just have a happier grasp on life than. . . some people." Jack stood up, stretching. "Dove, do you have candy~?" he asked, and Dove looked at him.

He brought a pack of turquoise sweets, ones he hadn't eaten in ages. They had this weird substance in the middle which tasted like banana ice-cream. It was cold too. Jack took one and grinned. "Merci~!" he laughed, and Dove raised his eyebrow, eating one himself. He missed the sweets his sister used to make. Oh well. He'd just have to savour these ones.

"Good answer," Aquaea noted, giving a half smirk to Jack. She had already remembered, now. She had chosen this. She had wanted to be a hero, and, consequently, had become something even she would have never believed possible. Did that make her a monster? A god? Well, it didn't matter. She wasn't Human anymore. "As for being conceited, well, I don't really care if I am, so long as I don't have to deal with certain imbeciles and fools any more than I absolutely must. But don't stop on my account! If you want to keep trying to insult me, go ahead! It'll be a good source of laughs hearing all of you getting worked up over a few words." The hero chuckled, brushing a strand of silvery hair from her eyes and giving another of her trademark glances across the entire room. Dorky kid with goggles who seemed to find laughing at nothing to be an amusing pastime? Check. Chain smoking hobo who had probably never worked a day in his life? Check. Little priest with the condescending attitude - funny for her to call someone else condescending, given the proud facade she usually presented to the world in general - of a man 7 times his age? Check, although Aquaea did recall him to be one of the more useful members of the group, so she refrained from insulting him further on that count, even if he couldn't hear her. Then there were the others, namely the real spoiled brat, the incredibly naive nice girl - Aquaea was certain she'd get betrayed by someone she'd been fool enough to trust, and would probably die again - and the shy one, who Aquaea did not really care about anyway.

Oh, what a wonderfully dysfunctional ensemble they comprised. Aquaea was not looking forward to the days ahead of her. Teamwork was overrated, their boss was insane, and they were all so mutually bizarre that she doubted they'd last a day before they started getting at each other's throats. Well, that didn't really matter. As long as she could see them coming, she could cut them down. Even if it made her more enemies on the path ahead, she walked alone. There would never be someone by her side again. She would not be betrayed, ever, ever again.

Struck a nerve, did I? Aqua seemed to be in a rather snotty mood today, which made Joss sigh in discontent. This would be a long meeting, he could tell that for sure. What he really wanted to say straight out loud and in her face was a NOOO... but he really didn't have the time because, like Aqua, she just steamrolled over him like she ususally did to most others. Joss never understood why she felt like she had to be the top dog all the time, or why she felt the need to run her mouth off like that, but at this point Joss' cig was finished and he stomped it out. While she continued her snide remarks at his expense, he flicked his lighter open, then closed it causing a clinking sound. He was simply that bored with the situation already.

I think you'll find you need to relax more than I do. Joss couldn't help but nearly laugh at her remark. Him? Relax?! If he relaxed anymore, he probably wouldn't be conscious. Actually, it's because we're all dead that I'm hurrying things along so quickly. Are you too lazy to wonder exactly how we're all still here, or are you too stupid to care? If you made me choose... I would pick the first one thanks. Joss thought to himself, not really wanting to hear the rest of her retort to his simple and blunt statement. He really needed to stop speaking in general, it made people like Aqua believe it was their right to babble with their 'wit' and make fun of others.

Well, it hardly matters either way, because it's as you've said, dear Joss. We're dead. If it's the former, then your slacking isn't likely to have much of an effect on things anyway, and if it's the latter, well, then maybe there's a reason you're here with us instead of alive and doing whatever it is a chain smoking bum like you does to eke out a miserable existence among his fellow bits of trash He gave a grunt of disapproval at that last comment. Sure, he could handle being called a bum, chain smoker, miserable, anything you threw at him. But it totally wasn't cool that she was bring in his friends and such just to make herself feel better. He could feel a retort slowly forming, and he cooled it down just as fast as it started to heat up. What got you into this mess was thinking that she would respond in a civilized manner dude. Speaking again isn't going to help the situation.

He ignored her the rest of the time that the bantering continued. He could sense that their team was based on shakey foundations, that much was clear. He usually wasn't very good at this whole 'perception thing' and usually refrained from subtly and that sort of bullshit, however he was picking up something that if he could understand, so should everybody else. For one, Dovey was good in Joss' book. He didn't need to be rude to get his point across, so Joss would put his faith in him. Aqua, on the other hand, wanted to be a loner, thought she was better than everybody else - hell, he would pick Lulu over her anyday - and had a misguided sense of pride. Then we moved to Relic, who wasn't bad - not much to say - and Lulu was just herself. He could forgive basically everybody.

While Jack was speaking about how he trained them - Joss remembered that already - and Aqua was being all 'I'm better than you just because my name is stupidly hard to say' Joss groaned in slight annoyance. "Is it alright if we leave her here for a year or two?" Joss mumbled his usual, monotone voice in Jack's direction, which Dovey was also in the same area as well. Today was supposed to be a normal friggin day, and he was probably missing his workout session just to listen to ranting of other people. So not cool.

Distance, she needed some distance. Being around people was not something she wanted right now, not at all. No matter what she wanted to believe, even if she wished to deny it with her whole being, Lulu was beginning to grasp upon the fact that she really remembered her own funeral, her own death—plummeting ten stories out of a broken window thanks to some ass with a temper problem who couldn’t handle being shot down. It can’t be true . . . all of this can’t. . . . she thought to herself as she continued to walk away from the group, even hearing Jack’s words about not being able to return to Earth, or how she might wander for centuries if she wasn’t careful. Lulu just continued walking repeating the statement of, ‘None of this can be true.’ to herself.

Sincerely, she didn’t want to believe it, she didn’t want to believe she really had died, though so much weighed against it not being true, Lulu wanted it to be a lie. The months of amnesia, finding her own headstone in a graveyard, waking up and finding people who seemed to be in a situation much like her own. . . . It was just too much for her. The breaths the redhead was taking in were heavy ones, strained and quick, the reflected the hasty beatings of the small girl’s heart as her form began to quiver from anxiety.

Memories played back through her mind, causing her to halt where she was, her neck limply going forward. She could remember it. The moment she so wanted to deny as being nothing more than a dream . . . the moment she had died. The sound of shattering glass, her body feeling weightless for but a moment as she tipped over the edge; the utter confusion she felt while her body seemed to go numb. A sharp ringing played through her head as all she was able to see were buildings stretching up toward the blue-blue sky, before. . . . Before the weight returned to her body in a sudden instant that is, the ringing in her head stopped as pain took its place all too quickly. It shot through her as quick as an arrow, sharp and well aimed, and with that ache came the heaviness. The whole world seemed to go silent, as she’d lost sensation in her whole being, the pain was gone as her vision had flittered in and out, finally submerging her in what seemed like perpetual darkness.

The heaviness of her body was gone, and she returned to being weightless again . . . it was from there things blurred, memories were little better than fragmented dreams, yet she could remember things that she shouldn’t have, there was a latent knowledge lodged within that mind of hers that she shouldn’t have possessed if she really had not died. And that was something she could not deny, no matter how much she wanted to. Lulu knew, deep down . . . she knew she was dead.

The confusion, the questions, and the realization weighed upon that small girl’s shoulders as her heart felt like it was sinking into the deep depths of her stomach. The girl’s odd eyes seemed to go vacant as tears began to spill over their rims. There was so much she didn’t understand still. She felt . . . isolated again. The façade she carried, the one of strength faded from her being for the moment as her true emotions revealed themselves in those tears of hers. No matter what I wanted to say to anyone, I was always alone wasn’t I? I always tried to show I was strong until he would return for me, but, it looks like there’s no point in that anymore. I-I’m a dead girl.

That was it, she was dead. It was as simple as that, Lusine Fiala was dead! The whole reason for her mannerisms, for her acting strong and like she was ahead of others, she wasn’t going to be seeing him again, so there was no point in it. A shiver ran up Lulu’s spine without warning, and she lifted her head up and looked up to the blank white sky, a forlorn expression upon her young features. She wasn’t alone in this situation, those other people, the ones she knew the names of. . . . They seemed to be in the same boat as her, dead and here for some reason, gathered for a purpose some seemed to understand while others did not. But, did she really even care? Her whole reason for being in the first place was for the sake of the promise that had been made to her years ago, the one that ensured to her that she would never have to be alone again at some point in the distant future.

Yet, that promise was severed by death itself, and that was something there was no overcoming. Even if Jack had said there was a chance for her to return to Earth . . . what was the point? Upon that planet, she was dead to the world. To all she knew, to her parents, and to the boy she had made the promise too. . . . To them, Lusine Fiala was dead.

It doesn’t matter, if I got lost here forever, then . . . it wouldn’t make a difference. she thought to herself, a deep sigh coming from her lips while she sniffled, finding that her nose had begun to run from her silent crying. Lulu shut her eyes and let her head drop forward, heart heavy. Why was she here. . . ? Without making a single noise, the redhead allowed her odd eyes to open slightly, to gaze at the mist covered ground without a single thought. However, as she allowed her eyes to just come open a touch, she spotted something before her feet that she had not seen there before.

Partly consumed by the white fog that obscured the ground, laying face up, was something that quite surprised Lulu. Sniffling again, she merely looked upon it as one of the remaining tears rolled down the remnants of her face, and fell to land upon the black, beaded eye of a strange stuffed animal. What a stuffed animal of any sort would be doing in a world such as this, Lulu didn’t know, but seeing it gave her feelings of nostalgia. It brought her back to the days of her childhood, of when her only friends were her toys and dolls. In a way, the memories were sweet, but also bitter—because she was reminded of how utterly alone she was, even in those early days. For a moment more, she stared at it before finding herself sighing heavily and bearing a rather melancholy smile upon her lips, “. . . .I guess old habits die hard, don’t they? Even though I’m eighteen, I can’t go and leave a stuffed animal lying around because I feel like it’d be lonesome otherwise.” She murmured to herself quietly, stooping down before the toy. “C’mon, I don’t know where I’m going or what’s ahead of me now Mr. Penguin, but at least with me you won’t be alone. . . .”

And without hesitating a single bit, Lulu reach her small arms out, and took hold of the toy by its sides before it all came back to her. A sharp gasp resounded from her as her body tensed up, eyes going wide as she remained knelt down. . . . .I remember. she thought, beginning to shake, Everything, it-it, I-I. . . .

“. . . .with everyone, I remember being with everyone, how I know them.” She murmured, blinking suddenly before she looked back down to the toy she had a light grasp upon. “And I remember you, Pepen.” A look of sorrow happened over Lulu’s face as she quickly brought the toy off up the ground and brought it to her chest, embracing it to her tightly. “I’m so sorry I left you all alone.”

Relic raised his eyes to the white expanse above him, releasing a sigh filled with stress and the need for peace. It was unusually calming to stare at such a seemingly endless color, helping to detach himself from the arguements of those who had been brought to this strange place. Memories from the graveyard still lingered in the back of his mind: the discovery of his grave, the realization, the darkness that had decended upon him. Though he still felt shocked from discovering the truth of why there was such a large hole in his memory, something far more important had taken priority of his thoughts.

He was still alive.

That brief moment of hopelessness upon touching his grave reminded him of how lucky he was to still be standing. Because of Jack, he still was able to walk the earth in his own flesh. Yes, he may have gave each of them life in order for them to fulfill a purpose, whatever it was, but that only made Relic feel even more blessed to have been choosen by the angel. He had died. His original body was still rotting in the ground. Relic had done everything in his power to complete the purpose he had given himself in life, to bring those walking the road of darkness back to the light. Now, here he was, after Death, given a new meaning to his existence.

Without meaning to, his left hand came up and rapped its fingers around the necklace he had found when he awoke, drawing his eyes to the pristine crystal. This crystal- this was his new purpose. It embodied it. Without it, Relic's new goal was lost. Somehow, his resolve was centered on this.

Whatever this necklace is- or does, I know for a fact that it shall help me achieve my new goal and to help whoever got dragged into this with me.

Taking in a small breath, Relic coughed in his throat to make himself known once again. "Pardon for interupting, but firing off insults between eachother won't change one simple fact, which I'm sure that everyone is aware of by now. We have died. we are alive again, and it was through the good grace of Jack that we all stand here at this moment instead of having our souls trapped in the Afterlife and our bodies rotting in the ground." Stopping for a brief moment, Relic turned to Jack, smiled, bowed his head slightly, then returned to his "speech". "Sure, the later is still true, but we're all stille alive. I don't know whats in store for us, but we should all act a little more greatful instead of complaining. Let us wait for anyone else to come and then we can let Jack explain. I'm surprised he's still all smiles, because he's been put up with you're cold remarks." At his last comment, Relic let his eyes rest on Aquaea, disapproval radiating from his deep purple eyes.