Lullaby for Midlight

by Blankscape

Chapter 1 - A Dullard

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That’s exactly what she was. All so rambunctious without a care in the world. She ran and frolicked through that meadow with the wind pressing against her as she passed one curtain of light after another. She really didn't have a clue. Yet all seriousness aside, I felt the urge to join her.

In fact, I wished I was more like her, yet why couldn't I...when I already was?

That lackadaisical grin breaking her face to the point it almost hurt to look at. Her barefoot jaunt through all that greenery in spite of the bruises beneath her feet. Blades of grass and confetti of petals clinging to her dress along the way, with the flecks that didn’t stick to her all taking to the breeze in a spectacular flurry. And yes, that cool breeze. It was a gust with more oomph than she was rowdy. One that only seemed to want to butt heads with her, had it ever a head to butt with in the first place. But its billowing force only had the opposite effect on her, refreshing and egging her on rather than weighing heavy and tiring her out. Such was the effect of nature on her. The myriad scent of spring and the brisk tang of salt drifting in from the sea wafted together in a lively waltz all over the place, and to not feel a twinge of emotion as much as it bled out from her, one would be mistaken as heartless and cruel...or for a corpse.

It really did look like she was enjoying all that. Even from afar as she fit in palm of my hand, I could tell that she did. She had been beaming that wide open grin around left and right, laughing the air out of her lungs for a while now… Was it wrong of me to want that for myself as well?

At the front, the meadowed grounds fell suddenly into a dark sea. And she kept pushing against the wind that blew in from the sea. The wind still blew strong as if coming off the tail of a raging squall. Even from where I stood, its howls felt as powerful as the waves below, crashing in and pushing us back as it told us, 'It's too dangerous here. Away with you from the edge!'

But from the winds behind me, I could hear it whisper a sigh, one that sounded exasperated at that. At this point, the wind seemed as though a hassled guardian, annoyed at the unruly bairn nipping at its heels. To think she managed to get a sign out of the winds itself no less! How much more unbelievable can a person get?

“AAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!!!”

And then she jumped… like what the hell!?

"Mergo!"

The dread that took hold of me squeezed the wind out of my lungs in this frantic run down the slope of the meadow. While the way was short enough, the angle of the slope made it a treacherous trek for me. The stones that lay hidden in the grass made sure it was no easy-going promenade either. A barefooted​ one at that. And while the rocks jutting forth from the ground were thoughtful enough to catch me, they did so earthily with their toughest of loves. How she had managed to get down there so blithely without a scratch in the first place!!...oh, I could worry about that later. Much, much later.

I touched to the final boulder and it greeted me with a thud. The last of over a dozen same greetings on the way down. Hindsight begun to nag at me for that reckless dash, but the thought was pushed aside, as was the tall grass brimming the cliff. Coming down to my knees I peered over the edge, anxious of what harrowing scene might pin my eyes open and grip my heart in a vice…

“It's ok! I'm alright, Midlight,” she yelled.

Her voice was barely audible through the howling of the wind that held her aloft and dry above the water and jagged rocks below. I let out a sigh of relief.

But then the pain came back at me full force, turning that relief into agony. Not that I was in much pain at all, no. It was just such a strange sensation to me, I could only seethe through my teeth at the experience. As I leaned against a boulder, it came in splotches of different sizes radiating all over my body, foretelling the tender black spots they would become later on and my regret for having ever worried over her. No matter how much I rubbed my skin, it remained incessantly. In fact, it only exacerbated the sensation.

"God...I hate pain." I had never wanted to leave such a beautiful place like this so quickly before. The sooner we get back home, the better. I was better off fluttering just over her shoulder anyway. Why oh why had I agreed to this in the first place?

Then a tempting thought slithered into mind, a slight consolation for me. If only I could reach over and wipe that smile off her face with a good slap, enough to make her cheeks throb red. It would finally put these hands to good use! Not to mention the lesson it would teach her, a dullard like her deserved it. Then again with the wind in her proverbial sails, my mistake was ever worrying about her in the first place. In short, we were both idiots. But for different reasons. Like I had any reason to worry anyway.

“Hey,” a voice called from over the edge.

Accompanying the voice was an outstretched hand peeking past the cliff, waiting for contact. “A little help would be nice, please?”

There she stood as I warily peeked over the edge once more, standing on a gust of wind that deftly saw to her safety. Astonishment struck me as hammer and the moments passed by.

“Well? The wind can’t carry me forever… well, it could, but that’s beside the point. I can't stand here forever, Midlight.” She waved her hand to punctuate, yet I couldn’t help but stare at her audacity.

"I wished you would. Maybe then I'd get some peace of mind..."

"Come on!" She puffed her princess cheeks at my snarkiness. Not wanting another peep from her, I pulled her back to solid ground. And for good measure, I pulled her a few more paces away from the relative possibility of falling to her certain death again.

"Thanks," was all she meagerly offered at which I shook my head before falling back into the lush.

Mergo panted as she fell on her bum, tuckered out amongst the grass and flowers though clearly not as exasperated as I was. And she gaffawed out so loudly for that lark. The thought of giving her that good slap she deserved crossed my mind again, and I willed my hand to do exactly that… But then again, I was too winded from my own trek down the slope and in pain from running into several boulders. So I didn’t bother. I would rather just take this time to rest. Yes, rest before she got her second wind, literally.

“Oh, looky-looky, I see hooky!” She exclaimed, quickly rising up to her feet as a ‘hooky’ something caught the glint in her eye.

All too soon, my moment's reprieve was over. I could almost cry. Where in the world was she getting this energy!? It’s like she never ran down he hill or fell down the cliff in the first place.

Mergo walked past my line of sight from where I lay, eager steps taken in strides over to whatever had caught her fancy.

“What is it?” I asked with what spare breath I had, yet she didn't bother to answer.

That was a straw right there fraying, but it wasn’t the last. There was still a bit of patience left in me, though I couldn’t help letting out a low grumble to drown out my words of complaint. Turning over, I patted the grass off my own dress. Taking note of it though I was no expert in fashion, I could tell that it was designed and made well. Maybe next time, I should ask her to throw in a pair of slippers too. Speaking of which, my feet ached immediately as I took to stand...

Hmm, why not now then?

With a yell, I called to Mergo, who had somehow covered half the hill in the time I took to turn around. “Hey, Mergo.” She turned to face me. “Do you mind?” I asked, gesturing to practically all of myself; a sorry collage of grassy mulch strewn over a disheveled head and a ruffled dress that hid the blemishes that would only deepen in blacks and blues with time.

She tilted her view as if the simple action would help make sense of the display in front of her without needing any explanation. Damnit, she should know what I mean by now!

“Mind what?”

Apparently she did need one. “Could you do something about this?” I clarified while again gesturing to my tousled appearance. To make it even more apparent, I lifted my dirt caked foot and wiggled my toes as they held grass and pebbles uncomfortably between them. Wouldn't want to go back up that incline barefoot again.

“That’s it? Aren’t you a big girl now? Like you need my help to fix yourself up,” she nonchalantly tossed before returning to her hike back up the hill.

The flippant response caught me off guard. With my stare turning so intense, I wished it could scorch her skin where she stood! No! Keep it cool...and calm. Straws were a trivial matter and I could always make more. A breakthrough was due anytime soon. Though one would think a person literally so close to me would make good guesses of my meaning. A twin thing, as Agatha would put it. Though if she had any idea, she'd know it was something entirely. The shock on her face if she did!

The thought calmed me down some, fumes dispersing in heavy yet hearty chuckles. “Just keep calm, it will pay off soon enough,” I whispered to myself.

As I caught up to her, my efforts to tidy myself up were middling but well enough. At least it no longer hurt that much to walk. Upon cresting the hill and leaving the aching barefoot trek behind me, I set foot on cobblestone road that cut across the place. Old broken pillars and equine themed statues lined the road left and right. The path was worn rough by the elements and time, though not so rough as to be too unkind on my bare feet.

Over by the long hedge that ran along the road, Mergo had stuck her head in, still looking. When she didn’t find whatever it was she was looking for, she took her head out and stuck it in the next section, all the while indifferent to the branches and twigs tugging on her clothes and hair.

“Can you help me?” She asked upon hearing me approach.

Her face scrunched in pensive thought with a hand to her chin when she pulled her head out of the bush. An errant twig stuck out from her hair with something else entirely hanging out from it. “I think I lost that thing I just saw… or was it someone…”

Doubt pulled down as a weight on the corners of her lips. She began to pace back and forth with a hand to her chin, completely missing the pink strands frayed and clumped up on a branch sticking from her head. It was almost like one of those old cartoons we had used to watch.

“Oh, so now you’re talking normally, aren’t you? Or maybe because this place isn't all it's cracked up to be? Nothing but stone, a nice breeze and a fall to certain death!” I quipped while taking notice of the oddity on her head. Making my annoyance apparent should help calm me down some. And after what just happened, I figured she deserved a bit of sass. “What was that thing you’re looking for again, some kind of hooky-hooky?”

“I will take that gladly on account of someone not having there fill of fun, even though the Breeze was kind enough to invite both of us. And that means you, if you didn't get that. Now will you help me look for it?... Or is it them...” Even trying to heckle her took more effort than it was worth. Could she be any more unapologetic while keeping up that vague front?

“That's it, Mergo. I’ve been playing lady-in-waiting to you since we got here--no, since I got here. From the very beginning!” I snapped at her while pulling her away. Still she was more concerned with finding whatever that thing was, rolling her eyes haughtily as I spoke. “We wouldn’t be here if I hadn't found that door, and you couldn’t even get up that hill without my help in the first place. So at least show some appreciation!”

Wincing and pressing fingers to her temple, it seemed my words finally found a chink in her armor. She turned to me looking miffed herself. “Only if second guesses count as intentionally finding lost magickal doorways, Midlight.” She chuckled at her riposte. “And maybe if you'd take the time to help me look for that thing, I’d appreciate you a little more!”

There was my chance, and I get to rub it in her face.

Reaching over her head, I plucked the twig out and showed her the small clump of pink snagged around it. "Oh, you mean this?"

"Where did this come from?" She was such a dullard. The fact she only stood there, scratching her head as she took the strands in her hand proved it.

Tracing her steps a few paces back, I soon found the bush where she had picked this up. Parting it's foliage was not effort, though its branches and leaves still pushed and pricked against my face. The hedge was thick and I stuck my hand in blind. Surprisingly, it didn't take me long to find the thing either.

“Where would you be without me?” I offered quite smugly, pulling out a small bag. The little was made of a fine velvet that shimmered even in faint light. She only stood there, dumbfounded and mouth agape. It seemed the ease with which I found the object of her interest had yet to sink in. "Take it! Before I literally rub it in your face!"

“Hmm…thanks.” Her gratitude was half-hearted, carried by a begrudging tone, but it hummed as sweetly as a tune.

Taking the bag from me, she made no note of its material as she uncinched it to peer into its contents. “What is this...hair? And pink of all colors!” Tilting her hand, a small lock of hair fell out from the bag and into her palm, to which she twiddled them between her fingers in fascination.

"Look! It's all pink!" She offered the clump to me, assuming I shared her curiosity. To the contrary, I was disgusted.

“Ugh, keep it away from me. Just toss it back in,” I reacted on impulse, shooing her hand away. Shivers crept under my skin at the though I ever held that thing in my hand.

“But what’s something so peculiar doing inside a hedge?”

As if on queue, there was faint rustle from the other side. In this case, curiosity got the best of both of us, and we parted the section of the hedge, which turned out to be not as thick as I thought it was.

There we saw… a someone, skulking around some ruins quite a stone's throw away. Ruins that completely passed our notice as they stood behind the overgrown hedge. Garbed in a thick cloak of assorted tatters, they tugged a shabby cart on rough worn wheels. Wearing such drab colored attire, the soft shade cast in the late afternoon hid the someone-in-question well, allowing them to blend with little effort into the forest backdrop. And even more so against the moss-covered rubble and stone. Had the day been cloudy or gray, I would have missed them entirely and mistaken the sounds for a ghost! Furtively they snuck under shade, close enough for us to observe. All the while their head turn left and right often, bearing an expression of focus, scrutiny...and distress. As if looking for something in the dirt and foliage like Mergo was some moments ago.

I turned to Mergo briefly, seeing her own gaze rapt with attention. “What do you suppose they’re up to here?”

“I can’t say for sure.” At least she deigned to answer me this time. “Though if I had to guess, it looks like she's a scavenger.”

Now, where did 'she' come from exactly? “How did you get all that in one glance?” I could only scratch my head at her inference. Most of the time, she was the one to let details fly by her.

Mergo raised her hand to her chin with a smug smile on her face. “Well she is carrying all that junk around on her cart.” I looked to the cart which she had pointed to, now parked partly in a spotlight that broke through the canopy. It was just a few paces away from us in fact, closer than she was to us. Hmm, I didn't notice that till now. There were shiny trinkets and rusty doodads sitting on top of it, things normal people would immediately dismiss as junk. Though like Mergo said, they might be wanting to salvage the materials and—hold the brakes, that’s not what I meant!

“No, not that. I mean how could you tell she’s a she? Well, not that I care about subtext people choose to be offended by.”

“Well for one, it takes her more effort to haul the heavier junk around, like when she just set down her cart just now. And it's mostly just smaller scrap she's gathered, things she can pick up with both hands. It's like she's sizing up the worth of each pick against the burden of lugging it around. Not only that, but the size of her shoulders and her general build… and her eyes, those pretty much gave it away. Not that I pegged these details as important from the get-go.” Wow, she was right. I've gotta hand it to her this time. “But really, does it matter?”

She was right about that too, I guess. Wait, did I miss something? “You saw her looking this way? When did she ever do that?”

“Just right now actually. It seems she's looking over here now,” Mergo answered without catching onto my concern. "I think she can hear us now." At her words, I brought my hand away from the hedge to let it close, yet Mergo reached in with her hand to keep it open, wanting to observe for longer. “It doesn’t seem like she cares about being watched all that much. So long as we don't come any closer.”

This was getting out of hand. Not that I ever considered meeting any of the locals, but it was probably not good to be viewed as a stalker. “So all suspicions aside, she’s just some nondescript passerby we've no business eavesdropping on, right?”

“Pretty much. Though there's nothing wrong with being a nondescript passerby… unless that means she's just poor.” Her expression turned perplexed at the complicating thought while somehow relishing it... I knew that look.

“Okay then, let’s head back,” I told her whilst turning around and hurrying back to the field. I yanked on her arm for her to follow, but she only shrugged it off.

"No," Mergo shot back without missing a beat.

Oh, no. “What do you mean, 'no'!?”

She raised the gross bag of hair, dangling them in my view to drive her point. “My oh my, what ever shall I do with this lost item that is clearly lost and in need of returning to its rightful owner?” She yelled to no one in particular with one foot already in the hedge. "If only said owner was still around, within earshot of reaching and looking for said lost item!"

Damnit, Mergo! You were making a racket on purpose!

“Don’t you dare take another step!” I warned sternly with a finger. Instead she took my warning as a challenge, savoring the distress she caused me while slowly creeping past to the other side.

Hollering a playful whisper in outright defiance, she disappeared into the brush.

“Adventure!”

I was fuming, seething where I stood. I wanted to shout out loud and vent my frustrations, but it was no use. She was always like this, even before the accident, dragging me into her shenanigans. I had no choice but to follow.

Laying a hesitant hand on the hedge, I parted foliage to find Mergo making a beeline for the someone in question, who had towed their cart away closer to the ruins. Her eagerness resounded with a fresh crunch for every footfall, and for the ruckus she was making, the scavenger was well alert by the time I made my own way over.

In moments, uncertainty and wariness settled in our midst, cloying the air thick. Our three-way standoff was off to a quiet start while the world still moved around us. With the air as tense as this, I kept my ears peered in a feeble attempt to be vigilant. From here I could tell that the someone reached back to her cart, her hand mere inches from a handle of a sickle. Meanwhile Mergo closed the distance between her and her destination still keen on making contact. Keeping herself open and unimposing, she made it clear to any who saw her she wasn't a threat. For the off chance they saw her as an easy target, the breath that caught in my throat kept me on edge. Looking past them both I saw the ruins of a derelict estate, from which not even a peep came. Was she here alone, or were there others in the ruins? Were they coordinating this scrap dive and watching out for each other, or was this a scavenger's melee? Mergo went on step by step, regardless of my apprehensions. Whatever the case, we were going to find out soon what lay in store for us.

"Hey there, stranger! Found a nice sweet spot for scavenging, huh?" Mergo began amicably. If only she didn't start with such a patronizing line, I wouldn't be so worried...or did she do that just to get on my nerves? "Um, hello?"

...

"Can you understand me?"

...

The stranger offered no response, remaining wary with her hand still inches away from the sickle on her cart.

No use in waiting for a bomb to set off. I might as well step in and defuse it before things got worse. "I'm so sorry about her! She can get too nosy for her own good. In fact, we were just leaving!" I hooked my arm around Mergo's arm to pull her away, but she only shrugged me off.

"Come on now, I'm just trying to break the ice. Don't be such a stick in the mud for once."

"Unbelievable!" Watching her talk our way into trouble was practically a pastime for me now. When she set her mind to something, even I couldn't stop her. Me of all people!

The scavenger stood by watching our exchange, then her attention fell on Mergo once more when addressed.

"So...great forest, huh? You won't have to worry about rain or sun coming down to bear over while you scrape by. Speaking of which, how are the pickings?"

Is she trying to lead this into something? Why bother drawing this out? "Just go and get us kidnapped or killed already!"

For that quip, she kicked up a pile of leaves back at me. Good thing they only landed at my feet. Any higher and I would've dragged her sorry but the back through the hedge anyway. I wouldn't care if she hated me. "Find anything good for that matter, or are you looking for something specific?"

Still the scavenger wouldn't budge and remained tight lipped. That was until...

"Is it something you lost?" Mergo lifted the gross bag up for her to see. Ugh.

A hand stretched out and a couple of step were taken, but she relented. Finally, she peeped in askance about the bag, recognizing its velvet material on sight. "Where did you find that?" The scavenger piped up passed the rags that covered her.

"Ohoho, so can understand us! And here I thought people spoke something else altogether. That would've been bad. Right, Midlight?" She turned to me, looking relieved for the fact.

"Just get on with it so we can go!"

"Alright, alright." She turned back to the scrapper. "So, funny story that. I saw you sticking your head through the hedge not too long ago. You were trying to get in, weren't you? Why didn't you come over? You could have broken through with that sickle of yours easily, and we were having so much fun!"

"You're not really answering my question."

"There's nothing much past the hedge, is there? Though seeing how things aren't so green on this side, it's a slice of paradise over there. Bright sun, the dew on the grass, and the tang of the breeze coming in from the sea? All so divine! Hmm, now that I noticed, when did it get so cloudy?" Oh, now she was just beating around the bush. Though some of the things she said did get the stranger's interest piqued even more.

"Get it over with!" I shouted.

My sudden volume startled the both of them, the scavenger more so than Mergo. "Okay! So yeah, you dropped this by the hedge, and I thought maybe you'd want it back." Lacking any further excuse to drag things on, she tossed the bag over to her.

The scavenger caught it in her hand and gave it a once over, after which she said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." As she puffed up with gratification and pride, I could almost hear her words monologuing in her mind, patting herself in the back with lines like, 'Yay, good deed done! Time for some well-deserved hot chocolate!' or 'Gosh, it sure feels good to help people in need. I sure hope there are other people in trouble so I can feel better about myself more.'

If only she felt the same about our needs as well.

"Oh, and for the record, Midlight was the one who found it." At the mention of my name, I turned to see Mergo pointing a thumb back at me, her innocent tone betrayed by the impish grin plastered on her face. "So if anything is missing in there, you should probably ask her if she went and hid something between those shifty fingers of hers. She's so eager to use them!"

Mischief simply seethed from the words she spouted, and while the lie was quite obvious to me, it wasn't so for our scruffy new acquaintance. "Shut it, you!" I had salvage what I could of this first impression, even just to save face.

"I'm sorry if she seems overbearing, but ever since we found our way here, Mergo's been more...erratic lately. She is considerably tamer, most times. Anyway, we have to get going." I turned around to Mergo, who patiently sat back for a change. With a satisfied grin on her face, I gave her a nod and we began walking back to the hedge. "I'm glad we helped you find it, and it was nice meeting you!" I waved back to the scavenger, nearly crossing over.

"Well, that was nice," I noted duly after we both broke through back to the meadowed side. "We returned a filthy bag full of hair to its rightful owner in record time. Considering we didn't get kidnapped or killed, I'd say that was a pretty awesome side quest. Thanks for reining it in, Mergo-"

And then there was another eager rustle as someone else came through the hedge to follow us.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyy, look who's here." At Mergo's words I turned to find our scavenger friend having joined us in a huff, looking past the thin veil of brush we just passed through. Committing to silence, she didn't even acknowledge us as her attention lay keenly on whatever was still on the other side.

Well so long as she wasn't bothering us then... "Come on, Mergo. It's time to go."

"Uh, hey… So is there something else you wanted to say?" And naturally she ignored me. "Or something you forgot-"

"Shhhh." With a stern finger of her own, she brought Mergo to silence with her... Who was this person, and what's her secret?

With a careful beckon, the scavenger bade us closer to her, closer to the opening in the hedge. The forceful pitch of voices echoed from the other side, throwing disgruntled orders and reports.

"Go on and check the other side!" One such order took us for a ride as three heartbeats raced with the approaching footsteps. As the rustling neared, we dove to the sides, hugging bushy walls in hopes of not being found. A pair of calloused hands wrapped in thick drab gloves parted the brush to reveal a toothy face not unlike a person's, though one firmly planted on the sharp head of some sort of reptile. His slitted eyes took scope each and every direction so as to be thorough.

"Nothing here, Tanzan," the brute reported gruffly, catching me by surprise. "Eh!?"

With a hand on my mouth as tight as a vice, Mergo put all effort into keeping a lid over me while laying as still as she could herself. Our guest on the other hand held her own bated breath as a couple of bandages came loose from their wraps on her hands.

"What was that, Sahmad?" Another gruff voice piped in.

After another cursory sweep with reptilian eyes, the one named Sahmad replied, "Nothing. Must be the wind." At his words, he brought his head back to the forested side of the hedge. "It's just a barren plain with cliff over there. A whole lot'a nothing."

Barren plain... How could he not see the beautifully overgrown meadow right in front of him, or even the vast open sea? Something was up.

"Then hurry your tail, and get over here. The night won't be long coming."

Their words receded to incomprehensible banter as the distance grew between us, though there was a lot more ruckus coming from where they stood. The sound of things clanging, twisting, and snapping... Oh no.

It was several minutes passing before we could no longer hear them and even decided on moving. Then and only then when we were certain, we crossed the hedge again and approached the remains of the scrap cart, a little more than scrap itself now. We stood a few paces away to give the scavenger room to take it in.

Moments passed one after the other, yet not too long before Mergo couldn't help but speak up. "I’m sorry they ransacked your stuff." And then she turned to me, hinting that I should offer my own words of condolence as well. She already said she was sorry, but here goes...

"It’s our fault. If only we didn’t waste your time, talking out in broad daylight. You could have gotten away." A nudge from Mergo and she glowered at my words which stung her somehow. What? I was only stating the obvious. "Who were those people anyway?"

"Sandata's chronies, a ragtag boodle of undesirables who somehow managed not to slit each other's throats yet," the scavenger explained on bended knee while examining the remains for her wagon. If she felt anything after that ordeal, she made no trace of it in voice or gesture. She was in disbelief I'd wager. "They’re essentially scavengers like me, only they've resorted to underhanded methods as you just saw. They roam the aerie, taking whatever they want rather than debasing themselves, as they put it, and working honestly for their share. I hadn't seen them in months, so like most decent folk, I assumed they moved shop."

Glancing to her, Mergo seemed to fester over her apparent fault. "How long did it take you to gather as much as you had?" I said, asking the question she didn't have the courage to ask herself.

"A week."

That long for all that junk? The revelation dourly affected Mergo even more, her gaze set down and fists curled. This time, it was Mergo who spoke up, unable to bottle her guilt. "We’re so sorry for causing all of this. If you’d like we can help you make up for all the things you lost."

As bothered as I felt for my dissented inclusion, I couldn't help but fall in with their pity. After all she needed those things to get by.

"Ah, no need for that. And to be honest, I actually have you two to thank for." She rummaged through what was left of her cart, breaking a band of metal that served as a lock. The sound took us unawares and echoed with the confusion that bounced between Mergo and I.

Mergo only looked to me with lack for words. In want of explanation as much as she was, for the both of us I asked, "How’d you figure that?"

"This thing right here." Taking a break from her salvage work, she proffered the thing we returned as part of her reason. That velvet bag full of pink hair. "Its worth is four times the scrap I can scrounge in a month. I was promised something of great value for its delivery, but then I started to panic when I realized I'd lost it." Her expression brooded briefly over prior realization of losing it, and the possibility of the mishap weighed heavily over her as a result. Then her face brightened up with a smirk. Turning to face us, she continued. "Then you two came along and pulled me away, just in time. If you hadn’t troubled yourselves at all to return it, those thugs would have caught me with my head to the ground. Then they would've wrung me for everything of worth before leaving me for dead... or actually dead. Last I heard they'd crossed that line some time ago." The scavenger touched her neck at the thought, sending a diminished chill down our spines. She visualized all that for us so well while sifting through her scrapped cart, bending warped metal and compromised wood. Her strong gestures and motions were all very helpful visual aids to say the least. "And this little thing here would be wasting away in the dirt. Its potential untapped, or so I’m told."

In spite of the mixed emotions that presentation imparted, the happy coincidence left Mergo beside herself. I couldn't help but prod just a bit more. "That..gross thing...has potential?" Janky voice actor would be proud of my inflection.

"Magick isn't my cup of tea, so I don't question what magefolk deem fit for their mumbo-jumbo." She commented in a shrug.

"And this 'thing of great value,' is it assured?"

"Well, I got to see the goods and a swell demonstration of it. So as far as I'm concerned, yes."

"But you still have hair as far as I can see. Why not use that instead?" I asked further, pointing meekly to the scruffy tuft sticking out of her hood.

"Well, the artificer I met with was especially particular about this bag. It has a spell of sorts upon that helps him verify the veracity of what I return. So if I didn't return it in this bag, the deal would've been off," she answered before returning to the work before her.

All that negativity reversed in a one-eighty and burst from Mergo in fits and giggles. "Woweewow! We are heroes after all, Midlight! We saved someone from getting mugged and got the mcguffin back safely too."

It irked me that she made light of a dangerous situation so nonchalantly. "And we nearly got ourselves killed along the way, too. Isn’t that a shame?"

"No, they would have kidnapped you both and sold you in the black market! Humes straight out of legend is nothing to scoff over."

At her clarification, I clutch myself in consolation for having narrowly avoided that fate.

"‘Almost’ being the operative word here. We’re safe and sound, and did something good!" She patted me on the back to chase my anxiety away. And as much as I hated to admit, she was right. In spite of the danger we missed, it was all so...exhilarating, and good to help someone.

"Isn’t that right…uh, what was your name again?" Now that she mentioned it, it flustered me that for all what we've been through, we at least didn't ask her name.

"Hmm? Oh yes, that’s right. We didn’t have the most conventional of introductions, didn’t we?" The scavenger chuckled and promptly stood to unwrap the tatters off her face, letting unkempt pink hair fall gradually from their scruffy bindings to relatively straight shoulder length. Just like the lizardman from before, her face eerily resembled that of a person's. Though instead of a replite, her general features matched that of a horse or...a pony maybe? Albeit a strawberry face and blue eyes more capable of expression as evidenced by that smirk. "Parnella’s the name, and don't wear it out," she said as she pulled back her decidedly more pink hair into a knot.

Just as I was surprised to hear that lizardman speak, I was nearly at a loss of words that I almost forgot to introduce Mergo and myself in return. “Uhh..my name’s Midlight. That’s just my nickname by the way, and this here is Mergo.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Midlight and Mergo." After introducing ourselves, she resumed sifting through her scrap cart.

"Woweewozaa," Mergo whispered, leaning in close.

Her volume betrayed by all her suppressed glee. I on the other hand, my own disbelief was as plain as much as my mouth was agape like a fish's.

"Woweewozaa!" Mergo repeated in a booming whisper while vigorously shaking me silly from my shoulders.

"We really are in another world, Mergo."

"Yes, we are! What was your first clue, silly. And of all people, you're the last person I'd expect to doubt things like this! Isn't it time to throw all that excess caution in the trash where it belongs?" I didn't know what was more perplexing now, the fact of our current, strange circumstance in another world, or Mergo making more sense by the minute. "Look, look, she coming round. So I'm gonna tell you what we're going to do; we're going to stop being so darn careful for awhile and go with the flow. Okay?"

I sighed...and nodded.

"Great! You won't regret this, I promise!" She finished with utmost surety as Parnella approached.

"What are you two talking about behind my back, huh?" She teased with a sizeable box in tow.

"Oh, nothing. Just a little pep talk to shake off these tourist inhibitions of hers." Mergo said on my behalf as I composed myself. She nodded knowingly, apparently satisfied with the answer. "Say, what's that you got there, Parnella?"

Her smirk widened as Mergo addressed the box she brought back from the heap. "Well, those thugs might have pinched me for all the scrap I salvaged. But it doesn’t mean they’ve taken everything of worth."

She opened the box to reveal...a tea set? "My only luxury in this world." The worn yet dainty affair clinked delicately in the wooden container as she made extra effort to set it down carefully.

"Hehehehe," I couldn't help but chuckle at the sedate and pleasant change of pace. Glancing to my side, Mergo could only restrain her disappointment behind a placating smile, which seemed enough to fool Parnella this first time round.

"Is something wrong?" Parnella asked.

Mergo kept mum, so I spoke, or rather snorted, up. "Ugh... No, nothing's wrong. Please continue."

"Mergo, Midlight... Consider this as thanks." She paused in noticing the evolving twilight, looking to the coming darkness. At the sight, a smile went wide on her face. "Mmm, auspicious timing. The night is coming to join us."

Having come back to the meadowed side, we had chosen to make camp in the middle of circular stone floor situated right before the slop, good, dry and parted from the dew sprinkled grass around us. She took a flint in hand to spark a fire with some tinder and wood she gathered. It illuminated the waning daylight as the stars themselves had yet to set in. Setting various china to their places, she took hold of those tea-making implements and began...well, making tea. She even had water carried in jug, though it looked a bit murky as she poured it in the dim light.

It didn't take long for her to finish brewing it, not long enough for Mergo to pipe in a grumbling complaint. It smelled good. The winds returned just in time, and seemed to agree with me in this case. They took the scent of mint in their breeze and carried it in a gentle waltz around the meadow. Then and there, the three of us savored the experience. A brisk and clear night opening to a glinting canvas of stars, the zesty aroma of the tea wafting in a playful dance with the scent of spring, and the lingering warmth of the drink itself running down to settle in our bellies that duly needed it. These moments were simply...good.

"Ooh...are these what stars look like?" Parnella wondered in amazement, breaking the silence and serenity.

What she said caught me off for a second. "Wait, you've never seen stars before?"

"No, not even a glint through the gray sky. It's almost perpetually dreary where I'm from... It's so beautiful..." The tear in her eye running down her face as she answered had caught me off as well. Seeing stars in the sky, it was a blessing. The thought of not being able to see them was a world one step closer to darkness, and I dreaded even being in her shoes.

"If memory serves right, there's an old legend to this place," Parnella spoke again in wiping the tear, before the silence could settle once more.

Oh, did I suddenly stop talking and make things awkward? Not that I minded talking more, but it had been dragging on for a while now.

"Legends told of these castle gardens in the cursed Pony capital, where a pact was made. A decision to forsake duty and leave behind the ways of yore..." She paused for a moment, either to recall the legend's exact detail or ponder it herself. "In any case, the gardens were special and not just anyone could enter. Might explain why the bangaa only ever saw barren grounds when they peeped through. Why I waived this place off myself in the first place. There must be some powerful wards protecting this place when you consider the stark difference of the sky. Though that wouldn't explain why it let two humes in for a fancy frolic through the flowers." Thoughts of the careless jaunt prior to meeting her caused me to hide an oncoming sneer. I didn't want to think about the grief she gave me, but listening to Parnella go on gave me some solace. "Not that anyone even remembers this place anyway, much less bygone legends. Though seeing you two here and that those lizards didn't get a whiff of us, I'd say there's some credence to those tales. All the more, I'm astonished I ever found my way her in the first place! A place lost to legend."

Lifting her cup to see it empty, she took the kettle in hand to refill it. It still struck me curious that a pony would stand on legs and have hands like us. But deep down, I somehow knew it wasn't curious at all. "But enough of that. So Midlight, how did you two end up here exactly?"

It was hard to come up with a straight answer to that, yet I managed my words so I wouldn't tell Mergo's secret.

"Well...simply put, Mergo was under a lot of pressure back home, and she just wanted to go away for a while. I suggested she leave for a short getaway at this secluded spot, supposedly sacred to our own local legend, and she ended up here. After making sure we wouldn’t be disturbed, I followed soon after to keep an eye on her." That was the gist of it, really, even when based upon half truths.

Speaking of Mergo, she seemed to have her interest in scraping rocks against the old relief on the stone, just within the fire's light. Looked like she had finally settled down to a more sedate pace.

"Is that so... Then are you two sisters? You both certainly act the part...and your faces, it's almost as if you were...reflections of each other," she commented, not short of questions herself. Her choice of word had put her off in some way, but she shook it off as she awaited my answer.

Hmm...this wasn't going to be easy.

"Well, not in the way you think... It’s hard to explain... I-I just get so caught up, trying to manage her on a day to day basis, I kinda… forget things. I guess the only one who can tell you that is Mergo--"

"Yes, we are!" The devil pounced when spoken of, butting in on our solemn conversation quite suddenly.

"Bwuh?"

"We’re sisters, and that’s that!" At her unabashed, no second thoughts answer, I couldn't help but blush. "And Mewt too!". And then she slumped back and fell on her bum, still feeling drowsy from the tea.

"What now?"

Ugh, is she talking gibberish again?

"Um, if you could repeat that please," Parnella asked.

"Ah, just some weird trendy card creature, and Mergo being weird in general. So never you mind."

Stifled levity hit critical mass, and her sniggers cascaded into robust laughter. "Hahahahaha, you two are so mundane! I like it!"

Mundane, huh… I guess I could take that as a complement. I actually preferred things that way.

The winds kept on blowing a calming breeze through the meadows. The grass rustled and swayed in the passing currents, filling the vacant night with a lush melody as only Mother Nature could sweetly sing.

"It’s so beautiful here," Parnella commented, downing the last of her tea.

"No scrounging through the wastes, no pervasive and oppressive smoggy gray, no derelict ruins past every corner..." These words didn't seem like some passing complaint about trivial inconveniences. "And most of all no ungrateful princesses to please... If only the rest of the world were like this too." While I didn't catch on too well to any of those things, everyone had some on-going hardships and struggles they wanted wished away. I could only fleetingly relate, yet still I had nothing to say.

"It’s going to be."

We turned around to see Mergo, hunkered down cozily with another cup of tea. It seemed she was answering Parnella's train of thought, so she asked, "Come again?"

"I just know it," she simply responded.

"Now, Mergo, don’t say things you don’t know for certain."

"Oh yeah?" There it was, her headbutting face. "Well I just said I do. What are you going to do about it?"

"Well first off, I’m going to laugh my face off when you prove yourself wrong! Then I'm going to put in a order for some high quality aloe, on account of you burning yourself!"

"We’ll just see then, won’t we?" That sounded like a challenge. This place was really getting her all riled up for some reason. But then she simmered down, finished her tea and stood. "It’s late now. We better get going."

At her words, my own legs tensed at the ready, eager and poised to stand. "What, are you joking?"

Parnella set down her cup. "Leaving already?"

"I guess we are. I'm just so surprised that Mergo’s the one to get up and go first. I'm the one who usually has to do the coaxing." As much as I scratched my head on her change of heart, there was no helping it. We hadn't been here that long, and yet already we'd been here long enough. Mergo was right, it was time to get going now.

"Oh, ok then... Will I ever see you sisters again?" She asked as we all stood up and patted grass off ourselves. Sisters... The word struck me odd, yet tickled a fanciful sentiment I never knew I held.

Mergo beamed with confidence, and beelined into the pony person, taking her in an unabashed hug. Her impertinence caused a slight ache to my head and I brought up a hand to pinch at the offended area. Though I really should have expected this, so I relented my annoyance and released it with a doted and knowing sigh.

"You can count on it, Parnella!" Both of them smiled, if a bit sad at this sudden parting.

Hand in hand, Mergo and I made for the meadow's edge, following directions as whispered to us when we first came here.

"Next time then," Parnella bade with a wave.

“Goodbye,” I said.

Parnella flew up along with the meadow in a blur as we fell headlong down the cliff. In the stead of unforgiving jagged rocks and turbulent waters, a shroud of darkness enveloped us.

---

A shroud of darkness pervaded around me as far I could see. It became dark around me so suddenly, I almost forgot the picturesque afternoon. The low-hanging sun that dipped in the the horizon and gave way to dazzling starlight. That beautiful meadow ending over a vast and dark sea below. The oddball stranger with the pony face... Wasn't I falling off a cliff just now? Weren't we falling off a cliff just now, Mergo and I? Of all people to see standing up, I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it was her.

Was I dreaming all that, or did I just die?

...

Of course I wasn’t dead. I imagined death would have been a lot colder and more silent than this clambered and disorganized void. No, not a void, but it was certainly black around me. I could make things out moving in the cover of dark. Not just indiscernible shapes and masses, but figures, silhouettes... and sounds. Two figures moving up and down as if walking on stairs. The rustling of paper and clothes, and the clinking of cases shut to a close.

Hmm, kinda boring. If I ever was still sleeping, then this definitely was nothing I'd be dreaming about. Nor would I be so aware.

A sharp clanging sound cracked into my ears, causing my world to tremble terribly. And in a wayside echo, brief sobs and the trickles of tears made their faintest way to my ears. Boredom wore away as I processed their meaning and felt the beginning of concern take root, but it was too late. Hidden seams made themselves known by coming apart and letting bright light flood in. It chased the brittle darkness, forcing it to recede, crumble away, and reveal the things it hid.

Now there was only sand, gross itchy sand. Ugh.

It clumped in the corner of my eyes, taking only an absent-minded scratch to flick away. I was sitting in bed, alone in the middle of my cluttered room. Light filtered through the curtains, and past the ray of sunshine cast over its reflective face, I was still able to tell the time from my digital clock. It was eight-thirty in the morning and the air was cold but only briskly so. I could have sworn someone came in earlier. I even remembered having closed the door shut last night, but now it peeked a slight crack open. Did someone come in before I woke up? Whatever, so long as they didn't touch my stuff. Now, first order of business of the day, relieving myself in the bathroom. With that out of the way, the second order of business came to mind.

“Mom! Dad!” I yelled for my parents while scratching my head. While our house wasn’t that big, all I got in response was an echo. Good thing I freshened up just now or I would have never been able to pick up on the car subtly humming to life in the garage.

“Hello! Hello, hello! Real mom! Real dad!” I yelled some more and playfully to get their attention. The things I do to stay awake.

After idly wandering downstairs and into the kitchen, mom popped out from the door that went into the garage. Her veined eyes and the bags under them betrayed the spick and span suit she had put on. “There’s no Beldam in this house, honey. Stop shouting like that.” The folder resting in her arms flew open in her slack grip, spilling out important looking documents on the floor. Maybe we shouldn’t have watched that movie so late.

“Oh, are you two leaving already? I thought that wasn't until tonight,” I wondered.

“Didn't you catch the note we left you in your room? Well anywho, our supervisor phoned in this morning. Literally on the crack of dawn, the savage... I mean who does that!” She recounted with a low growl. Going down on a knee to pick up her files, she went on talking. “The idiot mistook the departure time for evening when it was really scheduled at noon, so we barely have a couple of hours to make it in time for boarding. And this trip might take longer than usual too. Your dad is close to sealing the deal for the company.”

Coming out of the garage with an empty glass in one hand, Dad chimed in while securing his tie. “What your mom meant to say is that deal is as good a closed. I've got it all figure out, so nobody needs to worry about anything. And getting this new investor in means a raise for both of us. Smart people like us can always use more money, right?”

He was…exuberant today, if nothing else. That wide-eyed gaze and near pearly-white smile on his face exuded a confidence that contrasted mom’s and my own morning disposition. We were never both morning persons.

“Poor choice of words, Jerry,” Mom told him off with a pinch to the bridge of her nose. “You’re making us seem like neglectful corporate gears in front of our own daughter.”

“Well, it’s still true. After this raise, we’ll be able to afford so much more. We'll even have enough to afford trips to Balfonheim and visit Connie for a change.” Thoughts of the seaside resort state evoked a tangy invigoration mixed in with the salty breeze. “We can even bring Kirk with us if you want,” he went on to add with a know-it-all chuckle​.

"Oh. Sure, whatever," I merely replied while crossing my arms.

It was a very emotional and sensitive time for me, for all of us, but it annoyed me whenever he poked fun at my side of the ordeal! Ugh!...deep breath, deep breath, Agatha. You didn't have to deal with this in the morning, and Dad hadn't really meant anything by that. Just a playful jab. In any case, all this talk about raking in dough and family vacations, I had forgotten I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, which manifested as a low rumbling from my tummy.

"Are you sure you'll be fine without us?"

“I'm sure, Mom. More importantly, you two work super hard to bring the bacon. That means all I have to do is hold down the fort, and everything will be fine. Speaking of Kirk, he doesn’t get out of town much so he’ll jump at any chance to along for the ride,” I said while rummaging through the fridge and grabbing a carton of orange juice.

“Then go invite him. I’ll be doing one last check, honey,” he told me before addressing mom. I guessed dad was just in the zone today.

Mom huffed a tired sigh to shake off her usual morning dispositions. She turned to me with an appreciating smile. "It means so much to us that you understand. We’ll have Davis drop by once in a while to check on things. Take care of the house, honey." She kissed me goodbye on the forehead.

"Did you say something?" Dad asked popping back in from the garage.

"No, not you. The smaller honey, our daughter?"

Barring the hum of the car as it rolled out of the garage, that was the last I saw and heard of them. I was alone at home now. And it was boring! I stood there for awhile, at a loss for what to do with the free time I found on my hands. Then I remembered I actually had a schedule to keep today. It didn't make the goings any less dull though.

With a commencing sigh, I started off for the bathroom, hopeful that a cold shower would fully wake me and get me revving for the day. As I slipped into a casual white-t and fit jeans, I kept reminding myself not to lie down in bed. Mom was notorious for sleeping through damp hair in her younger years, a habit she occasionally fell back to when work would come down hard. Apparently a trait that was passed on to me. With hair soaked and skin cold but not shivering, I watched the bits of bacon and tomato swirl in the beaten egg, omelette it became sizzling into a golden brown while the heat wafting off the stove dried me off further. The drier had broken awhile back anyway, and I was already pressed for time, so this was quite a way to multitask. Kirk would be here soon. I just hoped he would smell this breakfast food coming off me. That would be kinda gross. With the addition of toast, some strawberry jam and a bit more orange juice, breakfast was checked away. Though as I left the dishes and cooking implements to soak in the sink and made way over to the TV, I recalled that I had yet to make my bed. Oh well, there was probably nothing on that I liked anyway, and so long as I didn't sit on the bed, it would be fine. It didn't take long to make my bed, and I figured since I'd be the only one here for half a week, I might as well give a damn and tidy the rest of my room as well. This didn't take long either, but the final scrap I found crunched underfoot.

Picking it up, I would've thrown it in the bin with all the other trash had I not glanced on the messaged scribbled on it. It was Mom's sticky note. The letters were smudged and felt faintly wet to touch... That's right, today was the day. A tear welled in the corner of my eye, though I convinced myself it wasn't wrung from sorrow. At least Mom didn't bawl over it so much anymore. If she was moving on, then so could I. Wiping the errant tear away, the bell at the front door rang out. Taking my jacket in hand, I hurried down to answer it, knowing who was here.

"Anyone home? Agatha? Mister and Misses Midlight?" A voice called as I neared and placed a hand on the knob.

"They already left, Kirk," I answered, swinging the door open. There Kirk stood, unabashed with that same cargo pants and green 'en garde' shirt combo I had seen him wearing when he updated his profile after a late party with his club last night. The only thing missing was the windbreaker he wore to stave off the cold, which I guessed he had just left in his car. And if that wasn't enough, his bed hair tousled up even more just to cover up the fact and the...musk both drove it home that he didn't even take a bath. Ugh, jocks.

"Oh. I thought it that was them stopping by my place a while ago," he added with an obstinate yawn that exuded morning breath. God, cover your mouth! "So you ready to go?"

"Uh, give me a minute. Need to make sure," I simply stated with a thumb pointed back, to which Kirk nodded.

After locking the house down, I rejoined Kirk and made mention of my parents' whereabouts as well as a bit of the earlier conversation. "This business trip is a big deal, but apparently my dad has it all under wraps now," I told, locking the front door behind me. "So much so, he told me to go ahead and invite you to come along."

"Wow, that’s really generous of him," Kirk noted with an earnest grin at the prospect of mooching off us. "Of course, I’ll take him up on that offer. The food, the beaches, the babes. A free trip to Balfonheim is just too good to pass." Hook, line, and sinker. I expected no less from this moocher.

"Ugh, boys. Come on, dummy. It’s time to meet up with Connie," I told him, leading the walk to his car.

The ride was relatively silent bar the passing of other cars, the backdrop noise of the beautifully sunny yet partly cloudy day, and the static of the buggy reception as Kirk tried to home into a station. When he finally found one, Kirk broke small talk...or what he considered as such anyway.

"I almost forgot to mention. My dad said he'd be dropping by sometime for the next few days. I guess that's what they were talking about when they dropped by, eh?"

I had almost dozed off when he chimed in, and it felt strange to reply almost automatically while coming out of my daze. Still, did that only click in his head now? Wasn't a fencing jock like him supposed to have a sharp mind? "My parents already told me about that. Doesn't your dad have work?"

"He sprained an ankle during one of his jobs, so the security firm is giving him a few days to keep off it. Though it looks like he's better for the most part. Yesterday he walked Clarence around for a few blocks, and after your parents went, he left for his shift in the neighborhood watch," he clarified, coming to a stop at an intersection, the one that marked the city limits.

"Ah, I see," I absentmindedly replied.

In my semi-conscious state, it took me awhile to notice we had just entered downtown Cyril. The place was as filthy as it usually was. Like a piece of modern art that had lost most of its shiny finish with some of the plaster chipping away. Not a complete mess like Sphrom next province over, but this was home. Not only that, the facade of this steadily growing concrete jungle was a source of pride for many Cyrilians. The city had its historic yet humble beginnings in the late golden age of Ivalice, but that wasn't the story you came to hear, was it? Don't whine, don't whine! This won't be too long.

Anywho, Cryil had been a small town ever since its founding and had only begun to catch up in the last eight decades or so. Back then, there had also been heaps of surrounding rubble, once old houses and castles at some point, all sitting where the city stood now. Not only that but tradition long held by elders told of the underground ruins the town had been built over, claims which were never proven yet still remembered fondly in legends. Regardless everyone agreed it was for the better. As the town and the surrounding landscape were swept up in a wave of modernization and became a city, its face had changed many times. So much so, not two decades after, everything was a jumbled mess, all scrunched and mushed up together. It wasn't pretty looking at old pictures. New buildings on top of old ones or next to each other, sometimes twisting, turning and even melding indiscernibly. At the time, seeing a demolition or two every month wasn't uncommon.

Those were the days, Dad would say. When he'd go and get in trouble with Mom, Uncle Eli and Aunt Bronagh, exploring the condemned buildings like the rascals they were. He even said they stumbled upon a spooky old timey gate complete with a seal! Neither of them remembered much about it though, and I doubted whatever they saw was still there now.

In any case, back then they had simply taken the rubble laying around and used them to build new structures, all of which were old now. Every brick, stone and tile churned and shaped from the refuse was unimpressively drab and of a brittle grey hue, looking like they were about to give and crumble in a matter of months. But somehow they lasted longer than anyone thought, in spite of the fears and lawsuits. They had even tried tearing down one recently, but it had proven more difficult to demolish than some 'better' buildings. And so, proudly as the old legend's claimed, Cyril kept those drab and grey building, earning the place the nickname 'Phoenix Downtown.' Some fogeys in the city council even had a vote to make every other building look take up the aesthetic. Not that I paid much attention to that. And not too ironic either given the fact that this place, uptown and the whole region in general kept to a stick-in-the-mud mindset. From the historic ashes of the old came a new old with far less flair and more corporate jargon, hence my parents' jobs. Not to mention the sort of trashy streets I've come to know in my younger years. Nothing too exciting ever happened here, but we were all still so proud for some reason.

Still pride accounted for nothing if nothing really happened. As poised and developing as this place was economy-wise, it was just as boring as the rest of the province. Even as thoughts of its apparently rich history zoomed through my mind, all I could really think was 'meh.'

A commercial plane roared just a few hundred feet above us, reminding me that the airport was close by. Thoughts returned and pondered over that earlier conversation with my parents and I realized something.

"You know, hearing them talk about the business trip and the vacation to Balfon is kinda depressing in retrospect," I mumbled over my slouched position, almost sinking into the seat.

"How so?"

A crick in my back threatened to snap, so I righted myself. "Well, it's only been a month, but it's almost like they've forgotten."

"About what?"

Come on, Kirk. A month is a month, but somethings just... "Well you know..."

"Oh, that." He finally remembered. "I know it's not easy dealing with both their younger siblings suddenly passing away in a freak accident, but isn't that ancient news at this point? Maybe working harder is your parents' way of channeling her loss."

Way too blunt for my liking, you dummy. But he still had a point. Tonight was the eve of 'that' anniversary, and of all days, Mom and Dad just so happened to leave for business today. "It's been six years to the day, Kirk. I suppose mom's been coping well enough, but she still cries at night. I heard her crying when she slipped a note in my room. And Dad's also been working his butt off picking up her slack when it gets too much for her. I guess he's just better at not showing it. But it's not just Uncle Eli and Aunt Bronagh I'm talking about. It's just that all this talk about vacations, Balfonheim, and inviting you along especially, you'd think a certain someone would cross their minds..." And sometimes even talking just didn't help with the healing. "You know what, nevermind."

"Uh, okay," Kirk acquiesced, not following my train of though at all.

The bozo. He'd been a fencing jock for most of the time I knew him, but he should know by now! It was almost like he never saw things my way. Even after my disastrously embarrassing introduction back in fourth grade... I guessed it couldn't be helped with these dense types. Man, was it tiring with only Kirk around. Wish Connie was here already.

The relative silence had now turned even more so as we crossed the intersection and joined more traffic. Noises came in from everywhere. It all congealed into an auditory mess that sounded muzzled from within the confines of the car, only to be topped by the soothing Chocotune jazz coming from the radio. The garbled mess of input and the lack of anything distinctly eye-catching gave reason for my breath to turn shallow and my eyes feel heavy-lidded, so I took the opportunity to take a nap.

There I slept lightly but dreamt longingly. A smile broke on my face unbidden in the brief and shallow wade through memory, though I indulged it nonetheless.

"Mergo! Wait up, will you?" I called to my cousin who ran into the forest eagerly and wide-eyed. We had only just met an hour or so ago, but it already felt like we knew each other for...a long, long time. And it was so tiring to know her.

The day blinked and turned gray as the biggest cloud I'd ever seen rolled in and overcast the sky. It drenched everything in a sudden downpour, yet she forged on without a care in the world. Like any good girl, I listened to my parents, who told me to keep well under the umbrella and not wander farther than the gazebo. Mergo on the other hand, she had another idea. The brick path that lead to the woods behind the house was too tempting for her, and I just couldn't leave her alone. And I did say I would look out for her, but the audacity of this girl was too much to not ignore, zooming and slipping and running circles around me, not caring about staying clean even after our parents explicitly told us otherwise. Well, it's her own fault if she got a stern talking-to later on!

Keeping myself clean here in this dirty backyard forest was already hard enough. But the moss that crept on the bricks and the slippery incline made it difficult for my dainty footing to find purchase. One misstep inevitably found me and I was impelled to tumble down terribly, probably into some rock or log, or perhaps all the way down the hill and hurt myself even more. Briefly the thought crossed my mind, that I would have to crawl my way back up the hill, covered in cuts and bruises while Mergo lackadaisically went on, leaving me to cry and sulk in my lonesome back at the cottage for the rest of the day. But then she came out of nowhere, holding my arm up with an entranced grin on her face before I could fall any further. The bottom half off of her raincoat was covered with mud. I swore I saw a worm crawling round her leg just now, and I cringed back at its sight.

"Come on, Midlight! It's not much further," She let go of me and jumped straight back into mud, sliding down the hill so recklessly and happy-go-lucky... It all looked so fun.

"What are you taking about, Mergo? And I have a proper name, you know! We're both Midlights!" I was eager to clarify, if only to get her to slow down for a second and listen to me.

"No, not you, Agatha. I mean Midlight, as in midlight," she yelled from the bottom of the small hill with her hands off to the side like she was presenting something or someone...with quite a bit of pride too.

It was a miracle any of that got through over the pouring rain. Speaking of which, I still had to be careful, as I was only just halfway down after all. "Well, if you don't mean 'Midlight' as in our dads' names, then what is a midlight?"

"She's my best friend in the whole world! It's what I named her!" Oh, this again. I had overheard Mom and Aunt Bronagh talking. It was one of the reason they came all this way from Bervenia. Everyone at her school had been picking on her for this. "I named her after the reflection of light."

"Hmm, a don't you mean that science word, 'refraction?'" I asked, finally touching down to the bottom and joining her.

My words caught her right before she was going to jump into a puddle. "Well sorta. But that word is boring so I chose better name." And with that, Mergo indulged, splashing muddy water all over me. I should have seen this coming, it was right in front of me! Oh well, at least I had a raincoat on myself. "That's an awfully big word for a six and a half year old."

Wiping off the water from my face, it honestly crossed my mind to push her back into the mud for getting me dirty! But thinking about, she would have liked thatanyway. And I really couldn't stay mad at her, seeing her own face covered in goofy muddy makeup. Dropping my umbrella, I giggled and joined her in the puddle, which caused her to tumble back into the mud with a splash. "Silly, we're both six and a half year olds!"

"Sister, you have no idea!" She sassed with a wag of her grimy finger.

We laughed our heart out in that muddy puddle, tiny voices drowned by the rain that poured down in the old forest that loomed all around us. The leaves falling off and sticking to out raincoats, the dirt clinging to our hands and feet, the smell of the rain on the ground, and the specks of midlight fluttering between the raindrops. I couldn't tell her she got me to use her lingo just like that, but it was just so fun being with her. Looking back, I hadn't given details of it notice then, but this single moment had become precious to me without my knowing.

The scene etched itself in my memory and here it remained in my dreams.

"Gah!" I braced myself, feeling my rump leave the seat a good inch. Had I not held my hand to the roof of the car in time, I would have bumped my head too. "Hey, easy on your clutch, will you? You've got a passenger here!"

"Oh, a thousand pardons, your highness! Please find it in your heart to forgive this lowly student driver!" Kirk even did that ye olde wave with his hand, the dork. "We've arrived, by the way."

In any case, that nap was well-deserved, and it felt I had caught up on another night's worth of rest. After a pleasant dream like that, who wouldn't? Though I wished I could have gone on sleeping and continued the dream. Hmm, maybe that explained why I wasn't a morning person.

Pulling on the handle, the amicable facade of the old Lhusu-Centurio train station opened up from behind the door. As the sun eased into the middle of the sky, we quickly strode in to avoid its harsh gaze. Stemming from one of the earliest established railroads in all of Ivalice, the station was already hard at work accommodating trains and passengers alike as diligent staff went about operating like clockwork. Unlike bigger cities such as Eagrose and Bervenia with their crowded and efficiently busy transit metros, our burg's humble station treated itself more like an airport, catering to a rustic and boisterous ambience that imparted progressive industry and the sentiment of journey. Just being at arrivals and departures was enough to evoke wanderlust. And it was here at one such arrival gate, that I spotted our dear friend, bearing the patience of an island in the middle a current of station goers coming to and fro. A chic-looking island that is.

It was hard not to spot her anyway. Seeing the crispness of her trendy red tailored coat, and the lack of ruffles on her baby blue turtle neck top and beige capri pants, it was as if she pulled them right out of her bags just before she stepped off the train. To top it off, the beret and sunglasses she sported on only made her stand out even more amongst the collar workers, students and station staff. Balfon may have changed her on the outside, but a painted stick was no less different when stuck in the mud. There were layers to peel. It was almost funny to watch her be so aloof in such a moving crowd, only to turn a one-eighty the moment she would see us.

"Oh my gosh! Aggie, Kirk! I’ve missed you guys so much!" And turn a one-eighty she did.

Her face practically lit up and so did ours, though more reservedly. The ruckus she caused caught the attention of everyone immediately around her, and following her line of sight, their gazes fell upon us as well. Putting two and two together, they all parted--in an almost biblical fashion, a straight path between us to avoid the bowling ball of energy that was Connie and unfortunate pinheads that we were as she beelined right for us. It didn't even occur to her that her hat had fallen off in her mad dash, and she nearly toppled me over on contact too, as Kirk caught the sizeable luggage she had in tow.

Regardless of the scene she made, we shrugged the glances off. Her embrace was almost vice-like, and though I returned the gesture, I couldn't quite reciprocate its intensity. "It feels like it’s been years, how've you been?" She asked, her face still buried into my chest.

"Pretty much the same, you know how it is here. Umm, is something wrong, Connie?" I asked as her hug tightened.

"It's nothing, just had a bad dream on the way. And it's just really good to see you." Though her hug grew warmer, her grip tightened again, and for that, a cracked snapped right in the midst off us. Lifting her head, it seemed the sunglasses she wore had suffered greatly for our intimate display and broke clean down the middle, half of it falling to the ground.

"Are you kidding me?" Kirk chimed in, picking up half the glasses and returning it along with her hat.

Realizing the beret was off her head, she blushed and shied away, tidying the bed head she had worn it for.

"And I'm here too, if you didn't notice. By the way, any tasty treats they served you along the way? I haven't eaten breakfast yet." Ugh, Kirk was practically grovelling in my eyes.

Her fluster forgotten, she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a bunch of iffy-looking train branded bars and nut snacks. "Got’cha covered. And don't worry about those. They do have thrift shops over there."

"Aw, sweet. Thanks, Connie," Kirk replied, not minding the broken eyewear any more. With his large hands, he pocketed the treats in his jacket like some gerbil before heading back to the car with her luggage.

"That guy never changes, does he," Connie mused smugly while zipping her bag. "If I could sneak them over from first class, he'd be stoked to have cold day old train food, wouldn't he?"

"He's a simple guy who thinks with his stomach. He'd be pleased with whatever we bring him." Being friends for years, she would have known that about Kirk. Though considering she had moved away three years ago yet still bothered to keep up with us since then, I should cut her some slack.

We talked about many things on our ride away from the station. Being in a developing city out in the country, the still water traffic of the late morning had caught us in its current straight away. The cars in front of us billowed trails of exhaust, giving Connie cause to make some on and off comments about the smog. Mostly about tasting smidgens of CO2 in the air-conditioning. After awhile they seemed less like comments and more like complaints, ones specifically about air pollution and emissions, things I couldn't give a crap about out of nowhere. Kirk however cared more to entertain her on the matter with his own thoughts as a student driver with more hours in. Looked like Balfonheim did some other number on her too. Though seeing as she still went out of her way to keep this much in touch, there was no denying where her true roots lied. Like the saying goes, Cyril at home, Cyril at heart.

We were halfway out of those slogging lanes by the time Connie finally lost some of her steam and dozed off. I on the other hand, having had my own nap earlier, couldn't really fall asleep at the moment, so I lazily watched everything inch by as indulgently as the traffic lights would allow. And to my annoyance they were egregiously generous about it. We sat in traffic for almost an hour before we were finally free to head back to the suburbs.

Trees and hills rolled by, coming to a crawl as we slowed down to turn into our subdivision's main gate. "So I was thinking, I did make express trips coming over and I'm really tired for it," Connie began after announcing her wakefulness from the back with a loud yawn. "But you know, I feel like I can just perk back up after a snack. Then we can go out on the town. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good, Connie. But we might have to take things slower this time round. We’ve got someone else pick up," I answered, peeling my gaze from the window to check my phone. It was a little more than half past eleven now.

"Oh…so when did we become a quartet?"

The little comment of hers got me to quirk my head. What was that supposed to mean...

"About a month ago," Kirk answered while making a turn.

"Is that so... Umm, isn't old Migelo’s place around here?" She asked not particularly interested as we made another turn into the old lone road, seeing we had passed my house.

"Well on paper, the property wasn't his for years now. He was only staying here as a tenant and moved out just awhile ago. The folks who bought the place, relatives of mine, had plans to spruce the place up. They had wanted to move here down the line." I can still remember that rainy day, meeting her for the first time. She had only waved back as I walked by the car with her, sitting idly in the back seat with an indifferent stare at whatever she looked. Then the mood had changed when she stepped out of the car and I had gotten to know her.

"So what, are they here now? I just hope they aren't those annoying relative types..."

"Yeah, about that..." I trailed off in a sheepish tone for the uphill battle I realized this encounter would become. I would have went on, but it seemed she didn't hear me. Oh well, they'll be meeting soon anyway. Whether they'd hate or love each other, I'll just have to see how the die would cast.

We exited the car and took in the sight of the homely two story cottage sitting in the middle of the woods. Off to the side was a plain shed with a shanty attached for cars to park under. The recent memory of helping clean that place out when old Migelo moved out crept up in mind. Even when he didn't own the place anymore, he still acted like it and lorded us over. The endearing geezer always knew how to push my buttons. Not to mention all the crazy stories he told us. I wondered where he was now...

Walking up to the cottage, I knocked on the front door while Connie and Kirk waited by the car. "Hey, it's Agatha. You up?" There was no answer, so I tried jiggling the doorknob, to which it resisted. Even the windows didn't budge. Strange, she usually doesn't lock up in the day...

"Mergo's not in, but she's probably over by the back."

Connie stepped forward. "Hey Aggie, I don't want to sound antsy..." Really now. In fact, you already did. "But if she isn't here, why don't we come back later?"

First she had wondered about this fourth addition to our tight knit circle, and now she was suggesting we bolt. Seemed my work was really cut out for me, undoing all the kinks Balfon's done on her. Again. "I'd rather not leave her alone. And besides we're already here. I promise it won't take long!" I pleaded to her with my hand clasped together.

"If you say so," she huffed, seeming placated before turning to Kirk. "Who's this Mergo again? She seems like a big deal to Aggie," she said to him in a haughty whisper as I rounded the corner, which I still heard anyway.

"She's Agatha's cousin." I could faintly hear Connie gasping over the little detail Kirk only began to tell her. "Apparently they were super close when they were young, even before us three were, well, a trio. And reason she's going out of her way is..."

Boy, to see the look on her face. But that was far behind me as far as my ears were concerned. Their words turned indiscernible as what traces of their voices I could still pick up were smothered by the ambience of the surrounding forest. Though the road that lead here wound several times around some very old trees, I always figured this place only lightly tucked into the forest perimeter, not too deep in. I guessed the familiarity of the cottage had always distracted me from the trees that loomed all around. It felt so dense standing in the middle of it all yet felt so open and at the same time... beguiling. I guessed I'd always known it but I only cared to process the thought just now. That if that gazebo didn't stand there a stone's throw away and I stared at woods for too long, I'd forget there was a house behind me at all. Skirting the edge what amounted to the mouth of the forest, the Rozarrian phrase 'call of the void' came to mind.

Looking toward the gazebo itself, there was no one there. Surely she couldn't have been much farther. Then again I should have checked the back door first. Though seeing as eventhe side windows were locked, it would've been locked too. Mergo never locked anything before night.

Nearing the rickety gazebo, the crackled paint of its facade was still welcoming inspire of years of neglect, and on touch the columns were yet sturdy and steadfast. But in passing through it, the creaking floor boards that groaned underfoot were telltale of the termite infestation that gnawed its foundation. Nothing I could do about that. That aside, simply looking around, it was obvious why she gravitated to this place. Quiet, unoppressive and far removed from any interruptions, just as Aunt Bronagh loved it. But I couldn't help but chuckle at the passing memory of the unruly rascals we had been, romping around, ripping up plants and trees, rolling boulders down the hill and disturbing the relative peace. Those times had been a long time ago now, and nothing ever happened here anymore aside from the seasonal mudslide. The moss-covered trail of bricks that lead to the old gazebo had unnoticed for a long time, and so did the trail that lead away from it. Both paths laid obscure beneath a light cover of leaves that crunched underfoot as I made my way. If it weren't for her comings and goings and my own frequent visits, this dipping path into the forest would be covered entirely, a dangerous camouflage for harrowing slope easily slipped upon. From here I looked down to the deep gully that often slicked horribly with mud. In spite of the dangers that nearly had the both of us that distant rainy day, I smiled.

Following the last of the moss-covered bricks, a short wall of bushes came up. Beyond them was a nearly fallen oak that loomed large across a small creek. Looking at its aged and awfully wrinkled bark, I briefly wondered what had almost toppled it over. It must have happened a long time ago when it was still young. Yet seeing the vines crawl along its bark and drop as a curtain over the entrance to its hollow, and watching the tree itself resile in its predicament, thriving even now to cast a lush awning over the creek--it was such an amazing sight to behold no matter how many times I saw it. It had been one of our secret bases when we younger.

Dumb Mergo, why would she ever think to come here in her condition? She wouldn't fit unless she got down and crawled up inside, and the simple act alone would be killer on her back. Dad would freak over the medical bill, and Mom would just freak. Peeking my head into the hollow of the tree, I found no one yet again. Which meant she was either out, which was highly unlikely, or she was further along the forest. Ugh, seriously. God be damned if she actually got the neighborhood watch to leave her alone here, that is if they ever were the ones who brought her here in the first place. They did put it in their schedule to checkup on her sometimes. But 'fun' as they were, Uncle Davis and his crew wouldn't be so brash as to humor her...would they? All this speculating didn't change that no one was here. Looking around, the place was relatively undisturbed save for a trail of footprints from across the creek that lead further into the forest.

From here, it was a light trek along an uphill path from this point. She couldn't have gotten farther than this...unless that princess ordered them to parade her across. Man.

The leaning oak was previously the farthest I had gone before and from here the walk and sights was completely new... Yet, why did I faintly recognize these steps? Or at least some inkling of familiarity in my legs told me so. If I did ever remember this place in the off chance, that meant that Mergo had brought me here before and gave me such a scare that I had forgotten all about it.

Cresting the hill, I came upon a line of incredibly rotund trees, ones that loomed much larger than those behind me. Thick bramble tucked themselves between their trunks and made passing through risky and painful. Looking left and right, the impasse they marshalled seemed unending until I found a break in their stalwart line, an dim entrance that lead deeper into the woods marked by an elder arch that formed from adjoining branches. If the area by the gazebo was the mouth of the forest, this right here seemed twisted and gnarled teeth. The fact that all the branches in the vicinity vaguely pointed to this entrance made it all the more strange. The mere look of them gave me chills. The air seemed to turn thick where I stood, and the warm breeze that drifted in only bade me to come inside. Then came a distant wail that faintly rung my ear, echoing from within as if whatever sat in the darkened shade eagerly awaited the fortuitous traipse of a hapless fool. The more I thought about it, the more I fitted the bill...

With a shake of my head, I set my delusions aside. This was just how things looked like in this neck of the woods, right? Allhad to do was check if Mergo was here. If she wasn't here, then I'd just have to check somewhere else... Or call the neighborhood watch. In and out, over and done with like a flu shot. That's all there was to it.

So...In I went, though the simple task of taking the first steps did necessitate several moments to muster courage on my part. The crunch of leaves, the chirping of birds and the lack of rustling in nearby bushes told me nothing stalked me or seemed out of the ordinary. But as the stretch between me and the entrance behind me grew, the atmosphere turned denser and felt more lived in...or rather it was these woods were alive as I was...in a way. There even was a discernible thrum in the air, along with the static or spark to go along with it. The more I focused on the sensations, the more it felt like I was in a place where I wasn't supposed to be, a world beyond me...

"Snap out of it!" I scolded myself with a wake up slap to my own face

This was ridiculous. I wasn't even that far in yet and I was already letting paranoia gnaw at me. I could still see the way in from here, partly obscured by the foliage down the winding path behind me, but the eerie thing of it was that I distinctly remembered having walked a straight line. The longer I stayed in these neck of the woods, the more I feared the trees themselves were closing in on me, funneling me into a corner. It didn't help at all that the shadows and the shapes that lurked in them were playing tricks with my eyes. My walk through these woods turned dimmer and dimmer with every step, and it came to the point that I was almost mistaking swaying branches for arms, deep hues for darkened eyes and faint moans in the wind for whispers. All these fears on top of my earlier paranoia gave cause for my pace to quicken, as adrenaline impended on trickling into my system.

In a glance back I realized I couldn't see the entrance anymore. It was dim wherever I turned. I was deep in these woods now. The possibility of being lost racked me anxious as I shifted about in search of something familiar. That was when I heard voices--not the wind howling in the distance but actual voices talking, and they were coming from up ahead. With every hesitant step closer, a conversation became discernible though the word were not quite so just yet. Part of me was glad to hear the voices, to meet someone who would tell me I wasn't lost at all. But chalking it up to either a gut feeling or the onset of paranoia, something told me I didn't want to be seen. Whichever it was I fell to my knees and settled into a crawl. Sneaking my way in the bushes on the side, I crept through the undergrowth, doing my best to not mind the scraping branches and stone's and the dirt. Minutes passed by, and I was beginning to tire in, but finally these last branches I parted opened into window at the edge of a furtive glade.

The place was well hidden by the high crowns of the trees which filtered out much of the midday light, and the small path of light in the made for a picturesque scene. But what caught my eye and my undivided attention stood by the light, walking along it. There in the middle of the glade, I caught sight of something unbelievable.

There were two girls taking a casual stroll this deep in the forest. I didn't recognize her at first, but after a good long look at them, there was no doubt she was right there in front of me. It was Mergo. There she was...standing, almost glowing in the light beside someone I didn't know. Surprised as I was, I wanted to shout, to scream over the ridiculousness, the sheer impossibility of what I saw. But seeing her laugh and smile, sharing a nice stroll with a stranger--a stranger who seemingly drew out this side of her so effortlessly as far as I knew, a feeling grated at me. Withstanding her subtleties, I could tell the mask she wore was completely different from the one she had shown in front of Uncle Davis and his buddies, in front of Mom and Dad when they'd come to visit...in front of me. No, not a mask, she wasn't wearing one. Mergo hadn't been like this since we were much younger, since before the accident. For all the things I wanted vented and off my chest, I couldn't make a fuss. I didn't say a peep. I only sat there, watching and wondering, what all this meant and why...why her, and why not me?

"Doesn't it hurt or even bother you in the slightest? We've been running and walking around so much for most of the afternoon." Her companion came to a stop and asked of her. Her voice was familiar yet somewhat distorted. As much as I squinted, I couldn't see this person's face, owing to the dim light that barely broke though swaying canopy high above.

"You know, just because we think alike doesn't mean I can guess your every thought, Midlight," Mergo answered, sounding annoyed.

She called her Midlight... We didn't have any other relatives though, even within Ivalice. Or at least ones our parents didn't tell us about. However I did remember she played around with our surname when we were younger. Who was this girl?

"Just tell me what you want plainly for once."

"Nevermind. It doesn't matter anymore." The girl sighed tiredly, resigning from pursuing her inquiry.

"Come on, you can tell me," Mergo egged on. "There's still a bit of time left."

"No, there isn't. You know there isn't much time left. She's coming tonight, and there are things that still need to be done. There's no running from this anymore." The girl turned away, taking a few steps away from the light. At her words, gloom cluttered in to stifle what cheer their conversation had, slumping Mergo's demeanor as a small dolorous weight.

"Listen, Mergo. You don't have to worry about me. I don't have to worry at all myself. I've thought this through over and over, and you!" She turned and came close to Mergo. The girl held her hands tight, yet I still couldn't see her face, cast dark by the shade. "You've been mulling over this for the longest time, but finally we're making the first steps. We're all moving forward. When she comes, she'll have her way but..." She paused for a moment, either looking for the words or hesitant to say them. "But I'll simply return to where it all started. I'll be there waiting for everyone to come."

Mergo fidgeted away from her hold, looking unsure. "What about Aggie? And Connie and Kirk?"

What the...

"I just told you, didn't I? Everyone is coming!" The girl shook her head, slightly frustrated at Mergo's own hesitance.

How the hell did they know about Connie!? Mergo hadn't even met her yet, let alone this stranger. As beads of sweat fell from my face while I sat in this stuffy bush, the deepening mystery carved another itch in my mind that I desperately wanted scratched.

"And Parnella, she'll be there too, won't she?"

And there came a name I didn't know, flying over the top of my head. Who's this Parnella now...

"She's already there, you dullard! She's been waiting on us for so long now and helping us for even longer. We just need to get up and go!" She held Mergo by her shoulders. "It will all fall into place, so long as we keep moving, and when the dust settles, everything will be better off."

Her eyes shifted around looking for anymore excuses. Mergo found none as she let out her own tired sigh. "We just know it... don't we?"

"It's going to be."

They stood there motionless as statues, ruminating on each other's words while the world moved around them. Moments passed one after the other, and it was only when they moved into a warm embrace in the shade that I realized I was just as stiff myself. The world yet moved around us, smothering us in its sonder. The birds chirped their singsong melody, greenery all around us rustled in the slight breeze, and thin streams of light meagerly filtered through the thick forest canopy, touching down around the two girls in a tactful display Mother Nature could only rightly arrange. The world moved around us and gave no care for neither their exchange nor the meaning behind it. But I wasn't. I wasn't in the know and it gnawed at me terribly.

"Hahaha, listen to you. It's like you're talking to a wall," Mergo broke out in laughter, dispelling the somber moment.

The girl joined her with a chuckle. "You know that doesn't apply to us."

"What about proving me wrong, huh? And all that talk about seeing me burn? And being in another world, huh?" It seemed the seriousness had bled out, this exchange now levelling down to playful banter.

"Oh, you will. I just won't be there to see it. Not like this at least," she replied, holding herself for a moment and shuddering at the thought. "And you know I couldn't help it! I've only ever seen other worlds in your dreams, and I almost didn't believe you..." Trailing off, she closed her eyes and listened to the breeze. The pleasant whispers of its passing put a smile on her face, prompting Mergo to follow suit. "That place was quite something, wasn't it?"

They both turned their heads back at the direction they came from, a wistful sigh escaping both of them one after the other. It was almost like hearing an echo. "It sure was... Hmm, more company would have been nice, to share the moment with. Wouldn't you say?

"Mhmm. Agatha would've liked it."

That mystery girl did it again. How did she know me exactly...unless Mergo told her about me. But why did she speak of me like she knew me?

A mild pout pursed Mergo's lips, replacing the smile on her face as she turned and crossed her arms. "Uh, you know how well that went! I told her to come, but she left us hanging! That flaker...should've asked someone else to come"

So Mergo had planned on letting me in on this? On the day I had to pick Connie up at the station? Of all times to go on an adventure, her timing's the worst!

"But you know very well why it can't be anyone else. And she did come anyway. Haven't you noticed?" A lump caught in my throat and nearly choked me.

"What?"

What?

The girl raised a finger at my general direction, causing me to stumble back into the bushes. "She's right there." How did she know I was here?! Oh, figures! If some stranger suddenly knew my name, she just had to have a sixth sense too, wouldn't she? So unfair!

"I guess we really don't have time left. Not for this at least." Mergo sighed. They continued to talk as I caught my breath from inside the bushes. "No worries. I'll get that sneaky beaky back for that before it all starts... For you."

The mystery girl chuckled before answering back.

"For us."

"For me."

The conversation fell silent from there. The more I thought about what had been said, the more confused I got. I was rightly frustrated now. How, when did they come to know each other? Where exactly did Mergo and that mystery girl go off to? What they hiding from me? Was she ever going to tell me about all this? I leaned back to peered into the glade, but they were gone. A cloud of dust blew over where they had stood, shimmering in the filtered streams of light.

"What? It's over?" I whispered with barely a voice, gritting my teeth and clenching a bunch of leaf in my hand vexingly. I missed it!

"There you are, Agatha. You're more than just a bit late you know," Mergo yelled out of nowhere, catching me by surprise as she dunked her mischievous mug right in front of me from an unexpected angle. "Fall asleep with your eyes glued to your phone again, didn't you? Though I don't think I need to tell you not to do that in a bush. You generally fall asleep in a warm bed."

The volume of her carefree guffaw just inches from me sent me to tumbling back into the bramble. But even as its prickly branches poked and prodded me all over, they were all ignored, taken as I was by her audacity. Mergo was giddy and bubbly, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Reaching a hand out to me, she was indifferent to the leaves and branches that snagged on the fancy dress she wore, attire straight out of fantasy.

"Come on, Agatha. You can't stay there all day. Well, you could, but that’s beside the point." I was awestruck, speechless for what happened, and absentmindedly I took her hand. After helping me up, she patted the leaves and dirt off me, not minding her own disheveled state. As she did so, I took note of the dress, vaguely similar to what the mystery girl wore now that it came to mind. Her toes wiggled just beneath her dress, and I couldn't help but be stunned. "Well, don't just stand there, hanging your mouth like a fish. Say something!"

"Uhhhh..."

"Can't you even manage a hello?" She shrugged and walked past me. "I know you're not a morning person, but it's already midday. Might as well wake yourself up for lunch now, you hear?"

Mergo turned around to the way back. That was my opportunity right there, walking away. It had outright dazed me to see her so indifferent to something so bizarre, even when she herself was so bizarre now. But this wasn't the time to be just standing around. After a bit of air to gather my bearings, I went on after her.

"Wait just a minute," I yelled as I turned to catch up. She was walking so fast, by the time I caught up to her, we had crossed the line of rotund trees and left the neck of that woods behind us.

"Out of the blue, you're suddenly taking a nice stroll in the forest and making plans with an absolute stranger, and you're acting like that wasn't a big deal. What's with you?!"

"Now where did I leave that thing?" She muttered to herself, flat out ignoring me. Mergo was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, which frustrated me even more!

As I moved closer to get her attention, a light shone into my face, and I stopped to rub my eyes. Banishing the speckles that pestered me, my vision cleared... For a moment my confusion seemed far away. Yet glancing into the murky corridors behind us, a voice from the back of my mind screamed, and those questions that demanded answering gnawed at me once more.

"Not only that, but y-you're...you're..."

"I'm what now?" She finally bothered to give me a passing moment of her attention.

Why is it when it seemed I could finally get my question out, my voice would just seize up? "That!" I could only point down to her bare feet. She took a few moments to ponder on my words, wriggling her toes as though they were a clue.

"Oh!"

This was it, she was finally going to spill.

"I get it now. She wanted some shoes! Midlight should have said so in the first place."

... No I wasn't.

"Who's Midlight exactly? Didn't you call me that back when we were younger?"

"Didn't I introduce you to her already? Shame on you for forgetting her!" Mergo tsk'd in disappointment.

I reached for her shoulder, maybe to get her to settle down with a firm hand. But she simply walked out of my reach. "Can you just stop being so confusing for one minute and explain what just happened!?"

"Where was it again..." She said, concentrating with a hand to her chin.

Just like that, my word entered one ear and flew out the other. Still I was in the dark as much as when I first laid eyes on all that just happened, and Mergo couldn't be any more unhelpful. Holding hands tight to my head, I felt a dozen straws fraying at once.

"Ah! Now I remember, I hid it over there."

Completely ignoring me again, she went on ahead to the fallen oak by the small creek. From the other side she pulled down a cover of branches and leaves, wheeling out the thing relevant to what I had just asked her earlier. How in the world did I miss that!? "Come on, lazy bones! I can't possibly cart myself back up from here!" She called while crossing the creek.

Meeting her from around the oak tree, I saw sit herself on her wheelchair without a care in the world. She had even changed out of that dress and put on her usual get up. How did she change so fast?! This was reaching levels of ridiculousness beyond what I could handle. "Well? Get to it! Mush, mush!"

Not knowing what else I could do about her, I let out a tired sigh. I remembered she was always like this when we were younger. She'd get my curiosity roused and lead me on for hours on end, sometimes even days, but I always got her to spill eventually. I knew this dance. It was just a matter of time. "Alright, I'll play your game--"

"Yeah, that's what I want to hear!" She interrupted, pumping a fist.

"But only if answer me this first. This one question." Mergo didn't say anything, silently nodding for my to get my words out. "You can stand now. Why don't you just walk by yourself?"

Her face lit up, not against answering my question entirely. I had to take baby steps. If I asked about it too soon, she'd just keep mum and lock me out. "Oh, you mean this? Well, you'll see soon enough," she answered, wiggling her feet.

...

I know I said I would go along with it, but it was only more vexing hearing her kite this simple question... "Is that a general answer, or are you just being cryptic?" I returned, pinching fingers to the bridge of my nose.

"I don't know. I'd have to go with both...and also neither. It won't matter soon enough."

Gah! More insensible answers. To think I once felt drawn to this playful and mysterious side of hers back when we were kids. More like lackadaisical and obscure.

"Well?" Mergo called my attention. "I answered your question, now mush!"

Baby steps were for naught, and I grumbled as I took hold of the handle bars and pushed her along. The way back was short enough and a relaxing walk by one's self, but the same could not be said while I carted a supposedly invalid--the most uncooperative person I knew along an uneven path that ran on an inclne. I had almost slipped from the moss a couple of times, and Mergo couldn't help but squeal excitedly. That smile on her face... There was no mask. It was almost as if she never left...as if she never changed.

Memories and daydreams aside, with a heavy huffed, I had finally carted her up within stone's throw of the gazebo. The cottage was well within sight now, but my patience was wearing thin at this point. And if it weren't​ for her speaking up, I would have heaved her off the wheelchair and told her to go walk on her fully functional legs.

"You know," Mergo said suddenly and my ears perked at her words, listening closely to what she had to say. "I did ask you to come early. Eight on the dot, I said, but you didn't show. You even promised you would." If only she could stop moaning about my tardiness, and focus on what really mattered, I wouldn't still be this clueless.

"So I did. But what was that promise when you had adventure right in front of you?" I begrudgingly replied. If she was opening up now so soon, it was too good to be true. "You went on ahead, running around who knows where with a complete stranger and had the time of your life. Why would you wait for me?"

"There wasn't much time, I couldn't wait anymore." She turned a looked me in the eye. With that childlike look of hers. An innocence and sincerity without compare, as obscure as her words were.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

I could only give in, even as I looked away. "Whatever, so long as you set the record straight later."

"I will." Were those words genuine, or merely said to set me on a loop? Either way, this was was how she was before. Better than moping around in her place all day.

The last leg of our hike ended silently save for the forest ambience echoing around us and the sound of leaves crunching in our wake. If only she would tell me what was going on, I would help her through it all whatever it was no matter what.

"Here's the threshold. Looks like this is as far these bones can go," Mergo said as we neared the old gazebo. Then her tone sharply changed from gloomy to giddy once more. "Look at them scatter, Agatha!"

Seeing her perk up so quickly, transition from one emotion to another so deftly, I wondered if I was dealing with the same person. Then again she was always like this. I let a small chuckle escape me, for the faintest glimmer that things would be better from now on. But I knew well, things would only get weirder from now. Boy, Connie and Kirk were in for it. Not to mention what shady plan she and her new friend had in store for us.

A breeze picked up and came our way, picking up leaves and scattering them about in a marvelous flurry. It was dazzling to look at, and I would have looked at it longer too, were it not for the wind pushing a cloud of dust toward us. After swatting the dust away with a wave of my hand, I nearly did a double take as I noticed Mergo rolling her pants sleeves up. Her legs had disappeared and were back to their stubby normal selves. Right then another round of speechlessness​ took hold of me, as I realized where the dust had come from, and I coughed and hacked at the thought of aerosolized flesh entering my airways.

In my fit of disgust, I barely caught sight of Mergo past the tears welling in my eyes, rustling in her seat and going up on her stubby legs to meet me eye to eye. Hacking at her flesh dust, I didn't care enough at the moment to ask what she was doing, and in a cursory motion she laid a light tap on my forehead, eliciting a static jolt.

"Oh geez, Mergo. You just can't help getting on my...nerves...can you..." I had trailed off, finding myself in a slight daze. Hmm, what was I doing again? Why was I coughing suddenly...

"Here, Agatha. You should really wipe that off your face," Mergo suggested while offering a small towel.

"Wipe what off my face, now?"

Mergo pointed up, and I only just recalled now that we were under the old gazebo.

"Wood grains are raining down. Those termites must be having a ball up there in. Now I don't know about you, but catching their by-products in your mouth? Ugh," she clarified to my horror, causing me to take the towel and vigorously clean my face.

Mergo laughed at my expense as she wheeled back into me from the slight incline. "That's what you get for not paying attention. The house is right in front of us, and you're making us lunch for flaking out on earlier, you hear," she imposed on me without my consent.

Flaking out on what now? This girl, she just loved to make things up.

"Quickly, Agatha. the game is afoot! Mush, I say! Mush!"

Her choice of words tickled me pink, even as I still reeled from breathing in termite crap. "Afoot my ass," I managed past my hacking and coughing.

"You're such a dullard, Mergo."

---

Author's Note:

AN[170610]

*This is an overhaul of my first story, Zodiac Brave Story. I've been steadily improving my writing while also going through at least a dozen premises, all worth at least 100k words in total. It was a heart breaking 3 years.

*Putting the Prologue in the long description was a 'testing the waters' move on my part. I don't have a good enough long description, though I could manage the tagline, which I thought was sweet enough. The rules/guidelines say I'm not supposed to do that, but I've read a lot of shit that's slipped through their nets. So I'm checking if who ever approves this will let it slide. The Prologue isn't too long after all, so yeah...

MEA MAXIMA CULPA, KYRIE ELEISON!!!

*So yeah, like any piece of (fan)fiction out there, feedback is greatly appreciated. Seeing as how my previous stories are deserts in the comment section, I'm actually much more keen to appreciate comments. Regardless this is a story I plan to finish completely, so a dose of shout-outs, talking and good vibes would totes help me along with writing. Don't forget also to comment wrong spelling/grammar when you see it. Pointing out wording/phrases you find weird or off would be greatly appreciated as well.

AN[172108]
*Latest edit, changes to a few minor details.

Comments

[Mirdalan]

Oooooooookay! I made it through Chapter 1: I'm a fairly slow reader.
Anyway I wanted to inform you that overall this work is interesting, perhaps a bit dull, but nothing that I couldn't handle. I am generally deeply concerned for what is occurring in the story and will have to come back for more. I suppose this is a rather elegantly designed introduction to what is going on.(my mind races with strange possibilities) It has been sometime since I have read something in first person, not since the Maximum Ride series actually so I had to readjust to this type of exposition and world building. Once I got going things were fine. There were no major hiccups or issues, any event was well explained in its time and place, but perhaps not its context, which for the way you are writing this seems appropriate.

Some criticism I have would be...what? What was that I just read? I looked over the description, looked at your other stories, I looked at your followers and people you follow! The only thing I've found is vague references to something that inspired this story. That's probably how it's supposed to be and it's not like I was not entertained nor hooked. I'm pretty freaking hooked! But...just...What??
I feel like there is this air of doom and despair that manifests itself when I read this. It's good. But is that what you are trying to convey? Are we purposely being lead down this path blindfolded? Like I said I need to read more but cannot at this time. Perhaps these questions will clear themselves up.

Also, If you didn't know, it appears the longer you wrote this; the sleepier you got, as silly errors in spelling, half-sentences, and word-tense became...weird, especially after the character break.

Anyway. It was a good read, and i look forward to more! Just wanted to get back to you as promptly as I could.

[WritingSpirit]

Hey ho, I'm here now. I'm gonna stop it right here for now, but here are my thoughts about it up to this point so far.

The wording is definitely intricate, more than most stories up here. Somewhat impressionistic too, I'd say. That being said, the atmosphere of gloom permeating from our narrator's point of view could certainly be felt. Behind it all, there's a lot of information being withheld which I'm certain would be brought up in future chapters. The shade of obscurity is extremely thick, which I think works for the prologue and certain parts of the first half of the chapter, and only for those portions. Hence, my major gripe for this chapter starts to come into play.

While I do enjoy vagueness in stories, I'd say so far there's too much information being held back for me to be able to sympathize with any of the characters, especially the ones that came later. I'd go as far as to say I couldn't immerse myself in the setting of the story as well. Not that there's a visible problem with character or setting; more like the character and setting aren't exactly visible to the mind's eye in their current forms. There needs to be a little more breathing room for the story to settle in and right now, I don't feel as though there's enough of that to keep a reader with a short attention span like myself invested.

Couple of ways I could think of that might help. Number one on the list is definitely reading it out loud. Doing first-person is akin to telling a story, so reading out loud would do wonders for that (unless you're like me and have the voices in my head do the reading for you).

Secondly, some aspects can certainly be strengthened with a bit of telling over showing. Sure, 'show, don't tell' is a golden rule of writing, but it'll do wonders if you find a perfect balance of both. There are some aspects of the gloominess that could end up be more hard-hitting if we know the narrator's reasoning behind what she sees as gloomy. Note that this might not work for everything, so it's a matter of decision.

Third one also ties in with the 'show, don't tell' thing as well. Show us more. I want to know more of your world, I want to know how vibrant or, in this case, not-vibrant it can possibly be. There's a lot of that going on in the first half of that chapter, but I think some of that splendor faded with the second half after their talk with Parnella.

Last but not least, some variation in dialogue. I think Mergo got off scot-free in this department, seeing how joyful she was, but everyone else seemed to be getting their words from the same vernacular. Seeing as you have a narrator already playing the gloomy one, there should be a little bit more emphasis on the mannerisms of everyone else to brighten up their character a little and set them apart from each other. Reading aloud also really helps out a lot for this one.

That's all I could think of for now, I guess. I don't like being specific on which sentence needs changing and all that (unless I'm being paid of it) but otherwise, if there's anything else or if you think I'm being unfair in certain parts, just lemme know.

[Blankscape]

8391489
That's quite a lot of feedback there, thanks It's all well and good. Everything you've pointed out is founded and valid. Though I'm not sure what I can add at this point to show more of Garriene in good taste.

When I first wrote this 1st chapter I didn't plan it out. As mentioned, this is an overhaul of my original story. They do share the same spirit and inspirations, but after I cancelled the original and began writing on a new premise, whatever I wrote started seeing contrived. I wanted something that held those inspirations well, but it seemed even planning didn't do much in convincing me of my own premises, that is. IIRC I have about 25k of scrap written down in 2 different chapter 1s which more or less go about the same as this chapter, and about 30k more of a dozen or so of like-intended premises. The beginning of chapter 3 was originally another new premise I started from Parnella's perspective, because I nearly gave up on chapter 1 halfway through it's writing.

Anywho this wasn't planned and I myself hadn't known what I had written at the time. I'm certain that where all the obscurity and gloom comes from too. They may not have been intentional at first, but they are now. I'd say I have about 55% of my whole story down on outline and I'm really eager to write it all down. But yeah, that doesn't change that it's slow to start. I'll admit you probably won't stop wading through words with an introductory feel to them until you get to chapter 3. But like I've said, I use this story to improve as a writer and understand myself as a person. So I find it fitting that the 1st couple of chapters are slow like me.

Also I might be able to add a bit of telling somehow, but I can't do away with how obscure it is. IMO the next chapters have really come out well in pacing and piecing out information, and half my story has been outlined based on revealing this obscurity. I believe in the technicality that authors are the first readers of their story, so I make it a criteria of quality that I reasonably enjoy what I write too. But yeah, I might need help on the dialogue. They do sound samey if not read aloud. But so far you're the only one to point that out. Still I did think that about the dialogue early on, so I'll look into it.

[David Silver]

I feel a bit disjointed. Despite the story not being marked as an AU or crossover, we appear to be in a world nothing like the show that this is supposedly based on. I am struck with nothing but new names after new names after new names.

I feel overwhelmed. I want to give this story a fair chance, but it is intimidating. I have arrived at the end of the first real chapter, and I do not feel like I have much of a grasp and what's actually going on. I do not understand what world we are in. It is clearly not Equestria.