Lucre Wishingmist Falls

[Cresselia92]

Oooh yeah, Jean had a very valid point! While Lyra was 153% positive in being able to pinpoint her Silver — Somehow? Maybe through the “power of heart” or with an “it’s-really-you” moment like in all those rom-com movies! — it would have been best if she gave some description to be extra sure they were talking about the same guy.

Except that, again, she had no idea what Silver looked like as a Pokémon! If only that world came with some online guide or questionnaire to figure out what species humans turned into… but then she realized: she didn’t need any of that! Persons might change bodies, but not their personalities!

“Ah, right! Does the Silver you know talk like this?”

Lyra placed her hat in the floor and ruffled the tips of her ears, making the tufts look spikier and wild. She rolled her left ear to cover part of her left eye and let the right ear fall on her back, mirroring a wild hairdo. Her expression turned into a scowl, definitely much more comical than threatening, and she crossed her arms.

“Hmmmmph! I hate the weak!” she muttered with an exaggerated grumbling tone, before shifting her expression into a overly defiant smirk. She pointed in a direction with one paw and held the other on her hip. “Today! Right here!! I’m gonna crush YOU!!!”

Whoa! What a COOL appeal! Lyra learned Imitate [Copycat]?! …Nope. That’s just a regular imitation!

Lyra dropped her glare with a snort and an amused giggle, and grinned at the others while keeping her last pose. “Something like that. Pretty good act, huh?”

Whistling merrily to herself, Lyra picked her hat again and glanced at a nearby tunnel, her ears twitching. “Anyway, hmmm, I don’t think I hear any wild cry from that direction, so that might be a safe path? We could check that out first and then… oh, dunno, see if we stumble upon something interesting?”

 

[Namohysip]

"A... superhero team," Mhynt echoed. "Yes, of course. I suppose that would make me... Batmon."

Her shadow morphed into a Lunala's outline, briefly, before returning to Owen's visage.

"Oh, that's a really cool comic!"

"I was hoping that wasn't real," Mhynt murmured.

"Staying around won't give us much," Zena said. "We can wander. Hopefully, whichever way we go will... get us to your companions?" She turned her body toward Mhynt and Owen.

"Hopefully. The first thing we need to figure out is what part of the world we're in. But based on the climate..." She glanced at the sky. "...Well. I don't really know anymore. Especially with what happened before..."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

“Y-you know Silver?!”

"How do you know Silver? Are you sure it's the same one?"

“Hmmmmph! I hate the weak!” she muttered with an exaggerated grumbling tone, before shifting her expression into a overly defiant smirk. She pointed in a direction with one paw and held the other on her hip. “Today! Right here!! I’m gonna crush YOU!!!”

The sudden rush of questions and the boundless energy these two had was starting to give Kimiko a headache. Gods, she was too tired for this. On the bright side, she had a little sister, so at least she knew how to hide it. And Lyra's impression was silly, if nothing else, which actually made her smile.

"W-well, I know a Silver, yes. Is it the same one?" She shrugged, as best a servine can. "Can't know for certain, but as far as I know, it's a rather unique name, so it's probably a safe bet. Doesn't sound like the one I know, though... he's actually a good guy, maybe kinda gruff and distant at first but a bit of a softie if you can get him to open up. Oh- has a feraligatr partner named Ordile?" It wouldn't be concrete evidence of being the same Silver, given how many other 'other-worldly' copies the Wayfarers had encountered in their time on Forlas, but it was a start. And maybe their Silver had been a cocky little shit before arriving on Forlas. The one she'd had a heart-to-heart with didn't sound like that punk Lyra was impersonating, but there were... traces if one squinted.

Meanwhile, Alex looked on with growing interest. Just how long had all these other 'mon been here? Kimiko, at least, sounded like she'd been living this life for some time if she'd been able to break down some barriers; he, at least, knew no one named Silver.

“Are you okay with walking? We can always take a few breaks whenever you need them.”

"Perfectly fine by me," Alex answered, oblivious to the fact that the question probably wasn't meant for him. "If we're gonna be here a while, I feel like I'm gonna need some time to get used to this, uh... form." He cast a curious glance at both Lyra and Jean. "...Either of you tried to use a technique yet?"

Behind him, Kimiko rolled her eyes. "I can walk," she added quietly.

Did the voice tell all of you to save the world? We should form a real superhero team!"

Alex looked back at her with interest. "Not me, I heard her calling me." He jerked a... thumb? Claw? Digit? at Kimiko behind him, before turning around to stare, a prompt to take over.

"Er, well... something like that," the servine replied, staring anywhere but at her boyfriend. Had to change the subject. "I dunno about superheroes, but we uh... there are a lot of us here, and you could call us a team of sorts." Wrong direction. Encouraging them was not the move; if anything, they'd need to get Betel to un-summon the newcomers. If that was something Betel could do. Kimiko had been assured she'd be returned home after their mission here was complete, after all... and they were surely going to be getting an earful for the whole 'fabric of reality' thing. They couldn't stay. As much as the thought of having Alex by her side was comforting.

"Hopefully. The first thing we need to figure out is what part of the world we're in. But based on the climate..." She glanced at the sky. "...Well. I don't really know anymore. Especially with what happened before..."

Right. Back to business. "I honestly couldn't say where we are," she said, turning to Mhynt. "Definitely not where we were... moments ago. Some sort of... portal, I guess? We could be pretty much anywhere." Hopefully still on Forlas, but she didn't say that part aloud. "I don't recognize... any of this, though." A glance towards the cavern Lyra had gestured towards. "Gotta start somewhere, and that sounds as good a suggestion as any."

Assuming no objections, she began making her way towards the cavern, keeping her eyes open for any possible threats - if any existed, it would be up to her and Mhynt to defend the newcomers, weak and inexperienced as they were... Well, at least grass-types had an advantage against most cave-dwelling 'mon. In theory. Kimiko sorely hoped beyond hope that there was at least one cavern in the universe where zubat did not roost.

Alex spared one more glance for Zena, making sure she'd be able to follow along, whether through hydrokinesis or being carried, before following, sparks playing along his head experimentally as he walked.

 

[Cresselia92]

"W-well, I know a Silver, yes. Is it the same one?" She shrugged, as best a servine can. "Can't know for certain, but as far as I know, it's a rather unique name, so it's probably a safe bet. Doesn't sound like the one I know, though... he's actually a good guy, maybe kinda gruff and distant at first but a bit of a softie if you can get him to open up. Oh- has a feraligatr partner named Ordile?"

“That’s him!” exclaimed Lyra, her eyes sparkling like the first stars of a summer sunset. “Ordile’s his first Pokémon and he is a Feraligatr! So that’s already three outta three — it’s definitely him!”

Lyra nodded vigorously, agreeing with the Servine’s assessment. “And I knooow! He’s such a great guy with a good heart, even if he often downplays that. Bitter and tough as nails outside but very soft and sweet deep inside. But shhh, never tell him that! He values greatly his reputation as a cool and levelheaded guy.”

The Buneary looked down, her smile turning sad. Something was definitely weighing her down, a truth we was unwilling to disclose, but soon that sadness faded and her smile regained its initial cheer. She placed her paws over her heart, sighing contentedly. “Still, I’m so glad he has found some friends here. He would’ve never showed that side of him to people he didn’t trust…”

"...Either of you tried to use a technique yet?"

Lyra glanced at the Elekid and motioned her head toward Jean. “Well, Jean here knows how to use Ember, but I’ve yet to see what I can actually do.”

She held her paws together over her mouth, a mischievous spark glinting in her chocolate eyes as she fantasized the myriads moves and combinations she could try with her new rabbit body.

“I’m sure I can figure something out! My grandparents are caretakers and taught me how to teach moves to all kinds of Pokémon. It’s gonna be lotsa fun to try teaching some of that sparkly stuff to myself~!”

"Gotta start somewhere, and that sounds as good a suggestion as any."

Lyra beamed encouragingly, before standing close to Jean. “Alright! Lead the way!”

And so the group started their journey into the cavern, with the Grass-types as the leads and guardians for the newcomers. A new adventure into the unknown awaited them…

---

The journey through the caverns proved to be equally quiet and long, but in the meantime Lyra got to learn everyone’s names and some information about Forlas. It turned out that the group was currently wandering something called a mystery dungeon, a location where the laws of space and physics were more fluid and fragile. How utterly fascinating: it felt like being the protagonists of some supernatural or sci-fi novel featuring a mystical or cursed location! Maybe they could have found some treasures, too!

The best way out of the dungeon involved finding its ‘heart’, the very essence that gave stability and tangibility to the entire place. For a split second Lyra wondered if it was a literal pulsing ‘heart’ (oh no, that’d be sooo scary!), but that thought was quickly crushed when the others revealed it was something less literal and more ‘symbolic.’

Hmm. Symbolic. What could be considered symbolic about some place filled with waterfalls and populated by fae and fish? As soon as the Wayfarers reached one of the upper levels, they stumbled upon something that might fit the criteria of symbolic.

“Whoooaaa!” Lyra squealed in awe, admiring the marvelous surroundings. “This is so pretty!”

A round rocky chamber welcomed the explorers, housing what seemed to be some stone tablet or maybe even a shrine, and surrounded by a patch of colorful flowers tended by a swarm of Flabébé and Floette. A massive waterfall poured into a medium-sized pond with pure, crystalline water, where Finneon and Lumineon swam placidly and shone their tails. Light filtered through a crack above the waterfall, creating a spectacle of multicolored lights amidst the mist floating at the base of the roaring water, and illuminating stray petals scattered on the surface of the pond.

Oh! Wait! Could that be a puzzle, a clue to find the heart, or maybe a simple yet mystical place of worship?

Time to think, think, think! Perhaps there was some connection between the shrine, the rainbow lights, and the swarm of fae tending to their symbiotic flowers…

 

[Namohysip]

"...You seem awfully contemplative for just seeing something that beautiful," Mhynt said, eyeing her. But then she took that time to admire it herself--she never got to see a waterfall like that before, not in a long while, at least.

"Oh, if only I still had my full water powers," Zena bemoaned, her little fins flapping in the water.

"Maybe we could ask the locals? They don't seem too hostile."

"Until they notice we're outsiders," Mhynt mumbled.

"You know, you could try being a little cheerful. Maybe you won't stand out as much," Zena said.

"What? I'm sure the most at-risk person would be you," Mhynt said.

"What? Why?"

Mhynt realized she'd cornered herself. She quickly faced the waterfall. "Well, because you're... Water."

"...And Owen is a blob under your feet. Wouldn't that stand out more?"

Mhynt glanced at the others to save her.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

“Still, I’m so glad he has found some friends here. He would’ve never showed that side of him to people he didn’t trust…”

"There's something about fighting for your lives with someone that sparks a bit of trust between them," Kimiko said completely nonchalantly. "We've all relied on each other, and Silver in particular has been a very good support for me."

“Well, Jean here knows how to use Ember, but I’ve yet to see what I can actually do.”

"Huh, nice. Picked it up quickly, did she?" Alex said, shooting a glance at the vulpix. "I'm a trainer back home, so I've done my fair share of teaching my 'mon how to work their moves, but... it's rather more difficult performing them myself." And that was as far as he needed to go with that admission.

Kimiko just laughed. "You'll get the hang of it, probably even faster than I did."

---

Throughout the trek, Kimiko regretted not setting up some grass earlier while everyone was sitting still, if only to restore a fraction of energy. She toyed with the idea of dropping a leech seed on some of the wild 'mon they passed by, but considering none seemed terribly aggressive, she decided it was probably a bad idea to initiate that aggression and invite retaliation in her current state. So she kept her mouth shut and slithered on in relative silence as Alex chatted with the others while they moved.

The idea that they might have been dumped off inside a dungeon hadn't occurred to her - their original summoning to Forlas hadn't been that difficult, all things considered - but the longer they walked, the more likely it felt.

"...And Owen is a blob under your feet. Wouldn't that stand out more?"

Mhynt glanced at the others to save her.

"Er... from what I know of feebas, they're not much more naturally powerful than the average magikarp," Kimiko added awkwardly. "But frankly, I think... any of us are going to stand out here." She gestured to the wide open area; it really was quite pretty, and she too might have considered simply curling up and taking in the sights were there not a dozen pending questions needing answers buzzing in her otherwise empty brain.

She'd been quietly, periodically trying to make contact with Betel, meeting the same static-y silence every time. They had no way of calling for help, no way of making sure everyone else was safe, to say nothing of what happened to Betel themself. They had to hope this was the heart... which left the question of, just what were they supposed to do?

"I dunno about asking around. Fae can be just as mischievous as ghosts, and sometimes all the more obnoxious. Then again... if our travels have taught us anything, its that we probably need to inspect that stone tablet. And doing that means either getting close to it, or bringing it to us." She paused momentarily, thinking. "I'm a grass-type, and flabebe are kind of... afficilated with them? Maybe they'd let me just walk up to it if I'm careful." And then what? she wondered.

Kimiko bit her lip, shooting a quick glance down at Owen. He could have perhaps retrieved it for them... but then, if he and Mhynt felt as tired as she did... and there was no telling how the fae would react to the tablet simply vanishing.

"Well, hold on a minute," Alex's voice broke through her thoughts. "You said these dungeon hearts tend to be like puzzles, right? And we've got some pieces here, don't we? Look... finneon are known for their colorful fins. Flabebe tend to different colored flowers, and evolve based on those. And the mist from that big waterfall is lighting up those floating leaves."

Kimiko stared at him, waiting for his solution, but that was apparently as far as his thought process went. "So... what? Do we need to match the leaves to the correct flabebe?"

She said it sarcastically, but for all she knew, gathering all the blue petals in one portion of the lake and the red ones in another like some kind of twisted take on a Rubik's Cube was exactly what they were meant to do. These dungeon puzzles didn't always follow logic and physics...

 

[Butterfree]

"A... superhero team," Mhynt echoed. "Yes, of course. I suppose that would make me... Batmon."

Her shadow morphed into a Lunala's outline, briefly, before returning to Owen's visage.

"Oh, that's a really cool comic!"

"I was hoping that wasn't real," Mhynt murmured.

Jean gasped in delight, bouncing around Mhynt. "Ooooh, how did you do that? Was that Lunala? The legendary Pokémon? Is that Owen's secret identity?"

She chattered away as they trekked through the dungeon, asking the others about their worlds and what they were like and whether they had any cool powers. Silver sounded so cool. The dark, tough guy with a secret heart of gold inside that he only let out with the people he trusted most... There were characters like that in many of Jean's favorite books and movies, and they were often the heroine's love interest, too. They had to find him, and she'd be rooting for him to realize his feelings for Lyra, too!

The rainbow light over the waterfall took her breath away when they reached it. She'd seen lots of beautiful places in photos, but her dad wasn't a huge nature lover, so she hadn't gotten to see a lot in person - mostly that time she got to go camping with Will's family. When Kimiko suggested sorting the petals by color, she eagerly joined in, carrying petals this way and that to the floating Flabébé.

 

[Cresselia92]

"...You seem awfully contemplative for just seeing something that beautiful," Mhynt said, eyeing her.

“I can’t really help it. I love spending time observing nature,” remarked Lyra with a smile, and she closed her eyes to better listen to the flowing of water. “It’s simply so… soothing, energizing, mesmerizing, and it feels so good to just let the worries flow away, if only for a fragment of time, and to not think about the stress and challenges of everyday’s life, and…”

Her eyes snapped open. Oh dear, she was letting her mind wander astray, and they had some business to finish! She chuckled with mirth. “Whoops, sorry! I guess I got a tad philosophical here, hehehe…”

The Buneary had to suppress another laugh as Mhynt shot her silent plea to spare her from her companions’ teasing. Those three really cared about each other as more-than-friends, didn’t they? Totally called it!!

Lyra shifted her attention to Kimiko and Alex, then glanced at the stone and the floating fae. Could they really be deceiving tricksters? But they looked so adorable, and it was a true delight to see them working on their ‘garden’. Still, that stone… something was carved on it…

Lyra blinked in surprise when Jean began gathering flowers and petals. Some fae tensed up at the presence of a Fire-type, but realizing that Jean had no ill intent, they relaxed and resumed their work. A few Flabébé approached her, intrigued by the fox’s actions, and began twirling around the tiny piles with their matching flowers.

“Oh, those Flabébé and Floette seem very chill and docile! They must’ve realized we mean no harm,” she said, tapping her chin. “Not sure if they are wild, but I’m gonna try and see if we can communicate with them!”

Lyra hopped close to the patch and waved her paw. “Hiii! I’m Lyra, and these here are my new dungeon friends! We’ve been wandering this place for quite some time looking for its heart. D’you know where we could find it?” The direct exclamation made the fae focus on her — some wary, some curious. Lyra pressed her paws over her chest rhythmically, emulating a heartbeat. “Heart! Ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum! Heeeart!”

A Floette with a blue flower tilted its head and looked at the Buneary and Vulpix, thoughtfully, then floated toward the rest of the group. Most of its attention went to Mhynt and Kimiko: was it because of some kind of affinity with them as Grass-types? Waving its flower, the Floette began reciting something, its voice reminiscent of a dinging glass bell. If Mhynt and Kimiko paid attention, they might have been able to feel words resonating within them…

𝔣𝔩𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔯𝔰, 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔶
𝔦𝔣 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔠𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔡𝔯𝔢𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔲𝔫
𝔡𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔢𝔱𝔴𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔯𝔞𝔦𝔫 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔡𝔯𝔞𝔴𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔦𝔫 𝔢𝔫𝔢𝔯𝔤𝔶
𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔲𝔱𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔡 𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔪𝔱𝔥

Lyra blinked and lifted one ear with a paw to listen better. “Um, forgive me, can you repeat that?”

The Floette continued, looking back and forth between the two Grass-types,

𝔬𝔭𝔢𝔫 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔱, 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬𝔤𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯
𝔦𝔱𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔪𝔰 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔰 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔞 𝔣𝔢𝔴 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡𝔰
𝔡𝔬𝔫’𝔱 𝔩𝔢𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔪 𝔟𝔢 𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔱
𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔫𝔬 𝔴𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔬𝔯 𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔢𝔯𝔰
𝔴𝔞𝔩𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔭𝔞𝔱𝔥𝔴𝔞𝔶 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔢𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔩𝔡

Lyra let her ear drop and nodded respectfully at the Floette as it floated by her side and back to the patch. “Thanks for your answer, Floette! You’ve been very helpful!” she said cheerfully, then looked at the others. Her smile turned from bright to sheepish. “Sooo, huh, did anyone get what she said? I might know a few lingos, but the language of the flowers isn’t one of them…”

 

[Namohysip]

"I've... never been very good at riddles," Owen said quietly.

"I don't know if it translated," Zena added.

Mhynt hummed, arms crossed. "With how lyrical it sounded, I practically heard it in a different kind of handwriting in my mind," she stated. "It seems to be some kind of poem about peace and plants. And then asking us to... speak our minds, plainly and simply. Though, for what, I'm not sure." And she felt guarded, giving away something like that.

 

[Butterfree]

Speak their minds? Jean looked up at the Flabébé, unsure. "Um, hi! I'm Jean! I want to be a hero and save the world!"

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Most of its attention went to Mhynt and Kimiko: was it because of some kind of affinity with them as Grass-types?

Still, that stone… something was carved on it…

Well, if nothing else, at least the fae here were- or, well, seemed peaceful enough.

But as for the riddle itself... Kimiko was at a loss. "If they want us to literally speak our minds, Lyra already did that," she said with a shrug. "We want to find the heart, and therefore, the exit."

Something about the first part got the gears turning in Alex's brain. "Drawing in energy... from light and warmth... maybe we're meant to make some kind of offering to the flowers?"

"I could grow some grass...?" Kimiko suggested. While she waited to get the opinions of the others on that, she turned to the floette, gesturing towards the tablet with a vine. "May we take a look at that?"

 

[Cresselia92]

Something about the first part got the gears turning in Alex's brain. "Drawing in energy... from light and warmth... maybe we're meant to make some kind of offering to the flowers?"

"I could grow some grass...?" Kimiko suggested.

Lyra pressed her paws together and nodded excitedly. Wowee, were they making actual progress?! That was sooo amazing and promising! Oh yeah, that puzzle-riddle of the mysterious dungeon-garden was as good as solved!!

“An offering! Yeah! That might be it! After all, this place seems some kinda… I dunno, a temple dedicated to something? And that whole ‘speak your mind’…” She paused as she tried to connect her friends’ theories together, only nodding to herself when she came up with a believable possibility. “Maybe we gotta add a prayer or a blessing to the offering, too! Like, ‘speak from our souls to connect to the dungeon’s heart’ kinda deal? It’s worth a shot, at least!”

"May we take a look at that?"

The Floette with the blue flower followed Kimiko’s vine with her gaze, and after pondering for a few seconds, she nodded and floated aside. That meant the group could take a look, but her scrutinizing expression implied that they should be careful while studying the stone — she was watching them closely!

Having noticed the Floette’s nervousness, Lyra gave a reassuring smile and thumped her chest. “Aw, dontcha worry! We aren’t going to damage your precious stone artifact thingy! Pinky promise~!”

The Floette narrowed her eyes, suspicious, and her gaze drifted to the Buneary’s ears. As innocuous as Lyra seemed, it was difficult to not be skeptical around a species that could break rocks with their bare ears. Perhaps the presence of at least another teammate by the stone could put the fairy at ease?

Meanwhile…

"Um, hi! I'm Jean! I want to be a hero and save the world!"

The group of Flabébé stopped their impromptu dance to focus again on Jean, their flowers swaying gently underneath them. They trilled something among themselves in their natural language — a soft and velvety tune, like a calm breeze blowing through a grassy field — then addressed the Vulpix.

“Hēŵō???” cried a male Flabébé holding an orange flower, in an attempt to imitate Jane’s spelling. Unlike the Floette, that one seemed less experienced at understanding other languages. Was he very young, or was he a wild fairy?

Another Flabébé, a female one who wielded a red flower, reacted with a sharp squeal and mimicked, “Ŵōǒď!?!”

By judging her delighted expression, perhaps she knew what that word meant? Although, the way she pronounced it sounded much closer to the word “wood”…

And then, the group of Flabébé chanted those same words joyously and twirled on their flowers. “Hēŵō!!! Ŵōǒď!!! Hēŵō!!! Ŵōǒď!!! Hēŵō!!! Ŵōǒď!!!“

ZWIIING—

A pale pile of white petals shone with a dazzling white flash, absorbing the pure desire of a future heroine who wants to help a struggling world. The stone shook but gave no other signals. And yet it waited — inert; patient; beckoning.

 

[Namohysip]

Perhaps the presence of at least another teammate by the stone could put the fairy at ease?

Mhynt noted the caution and then glanced at Zena. "You should be there to coach her on... care," she said. "You're weak to their element, and I doubt they'd deem you a threat, Zena."

"Right, I can help with that," she said, drifting closer in her hydromancy bubble.

"That seemed to work," Owen said. "Maybe you should try something, Mhynt."

Mhynt sighed to herself and stepped forward. "Being open about my feelings is not my strong suit, Owen," she muttered. "But... I see your point."

And so, facing the strange stone, she claimed, "My time here is short and fleeting. I'm here... so I can at least save one reality from darkness. And maybe, when I return home, that good deed will carry over... and I can help save mine next.

"I already saved it from one kind of darkness. But I think there are still more to defeat... even if they hide behind the light."

 

[Shadow Serenity]

“Maybe we gotta add a prayer or a blessing to the offering, too! Like, ‘speak from our souls to connect to the dungeon’s heart’ kinda deal? It’s worth a shot, at least!”

"My time here is short and fleeting. I'm here... so I can at least save one reality from darkness. And maybe, when I return home, that good deed will carry over... and I can help save mine next.

While she wandered in the direction of the stone tablet, a frown formed on Kimiko's face as she listened to Lyra speculate and Mhynt's admission. She turned to the elekid walking beside her. "Maybe you should handle this one. Your wants and desires are... easier to quantify."

But Alex, however, just crossed his arms. "Maybe that's why they're so insistent that it be you who speaks up. Why are you here?"

Kimiko resisted the urge to slap him upside the head with a vine. But just because he said it aloud didn't mean he was the one asking about her inner turmoil. Her attention drifted back towards the tablet, putting off answering giving herself more time to think by instead looking over the hunk of rock for any symbols, words, or other notable features she might recognize and consider useful.

After a few moments, regardless of what she found (or did not find), she sighed. "Truthfully? I came here to... escape the reality of what's going on back home. I didn't think anything could be worse than the ghost crisis, or that it would be just as... difficult a problem to handle. Hell, I hadn't even been entirely sure that the plea I was answering hadn't just been some weird dream.

"But in the time I've spent here... I've discovered a few things about this place, and myself besides. And I've come to care about it - the sights, the people I've met, both those native to this world and those without - as much as I do my actual home. And if there's still a way I can help save this place, I want to do it. I agreed to this arrangement, and I mean to see it through."

She wasn't sure that was the kind of thing the fae - or the dungeon? - were looking to hear, but what else could she offer?

"You enjoy looking out for people," Alex added, putting an arm around her. "That's why you're here. And, for the record, why I'm here, too. Once I heard you calling for me, I mean, you know I couldn't let that go."

Kimiko said nothing, but leaned into his touch. Gods, it was nice having him by her side again.