//------------------------------// // Cause I'm Leaving // Story: Mother X: Father // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As Jeff led the way into the lower chamber where the Skyrunner had crashed, he was surprised to see it looking to be in rather good condition. A couple of the locals were there, and one offered the town's thanks for their work, and explained they'd scrubbed the ship clean in the hopes it would help. Nodding thanks, Jeff stepped into the ship to examine the actual damage. "So how bad is it?" Paula asked curiously. "...not nearly as bad as I'd thought," Jeff observed calmly. "All the internals seem to be working normally, and the external structure is still more or less intact. I wouldn't rate it against another crash landing, but our first stop will be my father's lab in Winters, and there's a landing pad there. A more complete fix will be possible there. For now, I'll just disable the PSI tracker, set the course for Home, and check over the Gravity Engine for leaks or other damage. The last thing we'd want is for something to go wrong there while mid-flight." "I know not what that means, but I would presume you are correct," Poo observed calmly. "Let us devoutly hope that anything that goes wrong with this vessel happens while it is on the ground...and we are not inside." "I'd honestly prefer nothing go wrong at all, but-" Jeff paused, then turned to Poo. "Was...was that a joke?" "An attempt," Poo offered apologetically. "I am still adjusting to your language, as I am used to thinking in the tongue of Dalaam. It is a difficult transition, and I suppose not everything will translate well." Jeff stared at Poo for a time, plainly uncertain how to respond. Eventually, he straightened his glasses. "R-right. Well, it should be sky worthy at least as far as Dad's lab. We'll just see what happens from there...once Ness, Moondancer, and Buzz Buzz get here, anyway-" "Hup!" Ness declared happily as he leapt in through the hole, flipping himself in the air as he came down and somehow negating his momentum in the process, coming in for a gentle landing. Moondancer floated down lightly beside him. "Did you say we were ready to go?" "That we are," Jeff confirmed as he began going through pre-flight checks. "And how did your trip to heal the Mole go?" Poo inquired diffidently as they all boarded the craft. Ness was silent for a time as he turned that over in his mind. "...enlightening." With that, the Skyrunner shook as the engine hummed to life, and it lifted gently into the sky. Moondancer smiled softly as she watched her friends reactions to flying through the sky in the Skyrunner. Ness was plastered to the window, practically trying to push his head through it as he stared out, down, and around at their flight, marveling at the experience of soaring so far above the ground. Paula was close behind him, but seemed to also be a bit nervous about the height...although that could have been an affectation as an excuse to cling to Ness, not that he seemed to notice. Poo stood calmly near another window as he also stared out and around. While his expression was calm and disciplined, every muscle in his body seemed tense as he looked around...though the fact that his hand was nowhere near his sword suggested this was from controlled excitement rather than controlled fear. It wasn't long before snow became visible, and Jeff spoke up. "We're almost there. I suggest everyone brace themselves, just in case something goes wrong. We're going in on autopilot, so be ready for anything." Moondancer rolled her eyes as that statement only seemed to get Ness all the more excited. However, nothing went wrong as they gently settled down on the landing pad after passing smoothly through the skylight. As they stepped off, Moondancer saw two monkeys waiting for them, one of them wearing a bow. "Bubble Monkey?" Jeff asked in surprise. The monkey not wearing a bow waved, while the one wearing a bow approached. Speaking in squeaks, chirps, ooks, and eeks, her meaning came through in thought form to all of them. "Congratulations!" Jeff offered happily as the Bubble Monkey approached, trying to look cool. he began awkwardly. "A starburst?" Ness asked excitedly. "A Sanctuary Guardian?" "Well, we know what we'll be doing while Dad works on the Skyrunner, if he's available," Jeff observed calmly. the Bubble Monkey offered happily. His wife covered her cheeks as she cheeped at him, and then they departed. As the group moved away from the Skyrunner, they saw Dr. Andonuts puttering around the lab. When he spotted them, he yelped in surprise, patting his chest. "Oh, you startled me," he managed to say, patting his chest. "So you're Ness." "That's me," Ness replied, struggling to keep a smile on his face as he pushed himself. "I...understand you know my parents?" Dr. Andonuts nodded. "Oh yes, we're old friends...." He frowned under his mustache, deep in thought. He then turned to look over the group. "You've all...grown," he observed awkwardly. "Jeff, you're...much more sure of yourself. And you too, Ness, from what your mother's said." His gaze hovered on Moondancer briefly in confusion, and even more so on Buzz Buzz, but then turned back to Ness. "I heard your discussion with the Bubble Monkey. I'll get started on the Skyrunner while you head north to...the locals call it Rainy Circle. Maybe we'll have time for tea and biscuits when you get back." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Of course, I don't actually have any tea...or biscuits...jerky maybe?" He gestured to an oversized caveman standing next to a revitalization device. "Big Foot over there makes a great jerky." "We'll...we'll see," Jeff began awkwardly. He rubbed his head nervously. "This isn't as easy as it was last time, is it?" Dr. Andonuts shrugged. "Ana has a way of making a lot of things easier," he allowed. "But...we'll figure things out." With no one quite sure what else to say, Jeff led the group out and towards the cave to the north.