Travelers (IC)

Honey & Scylla
 
The muscular woman turned to look at Thukr jumped a bit when she saw how close the monster was, and then immediately abandoned any indication that she’d been startled. “Ah, someone happened to pass through a portal just now?” She nodded, and looked over at Therese and the crab-creature, Il-Sych “I’ll be back in a moment. We’ve got another arrival, human, at least by the looks of it, but no telling with what we see.” She said, looking at the girl who had just shown up. She then glanced up at Thukr, “Thank you for telling me, I was so distracted with the current situation, I wouldn’t have noticed.”
 
She walked over to the girl who had just arrived, “Alright…so…you seem a bit dazed, I imagine this is your first time coming through a portal?” She waved a hand slightly as if grasping for words, deciding this person seemed particularly shell-shocked for some reason. She was also staring at the bestial-looking Traveler that had been speaking to her a moment ago. There was an awkward silence, before she sighed, “Alright, so…first-timer, I’m guessing. Long story short, you are a person with a special gift that allows you to pass through portals that form in your world and in others. You are something called a Traveler, and what just happened, a portal opened up, you walked through it, and the portal has disappeared behind you. You are currently without a way back home, and are presently in my gym, which began experiencing irregularly high amounts of portal activity a few years ago. We are currently in a world known for having a lot of portal activity, and in addition to you, there are many other people in the same exact situation.”
 
The woman spoke slowly, but it was still a lot to take in at once. She sighed, “I am aware you only asked for me to tell you where you were, but most people have more questions than just that, so I tend to give long introductions. Now, that in mind, my name is Gwen, and I am your Greeter. I am a resident of this world, I am not a Traveler, but aside from me, most other people in this gym, if not all, have the power.”
 
At this point, Honey, the creature Gwen had been talking to, slowly walked up, looking at the new arrival, “You’re lucky, you just got here when the bus arrived to pick people up. My friend and I, though, arrived through a portal in a café. We were the stop prior to this one.” One ear moved in Gwen’s direction, “A thing…I think he called it a Demarik…showed up and trashed the entire place. We were trying to pick up some of the debris when Humpback, Gill, and Snell came to get us.”
 
Gwen flinched, “A Demarik in Valentine’s café? That poor man! He works so hard on that place. Hopefully I won’t get one today, also. The hotspot time interval is almost over, and I’m still trying to fix this place after the last one ruined the finish on the floors…well…um…”
 
She glanced at the limestone trails left by Thukr, “Well…never mind…some of it needs to be replaced, waxing them can come later.”
 
Honey chuckled slightly, “Can’t get mad or outraged, can you?”
 
“Ah…no, she’s too nice…doesn’t mean a thing by it.”
 
Honey’s tail twitched slightly, “Well, it seems to me like those Demariks cause more trouble for Greeters than Travelers do, usually. Must be a tough job.”
 
“It is, most people say it shortens your life by a few years. All the more reason to care about your health though, right?” She flexed her arm, “Let’s see Valentine do this!” She said jokingly, “That guy took all the defense training courses I did, but I bet you he’s still got the long, flowing hair and the lack of a build.”
 
“Well…he did disarm that mage over there,” She looked in the direction of Lynn, who had taken to looking at the limestone trails with an expression of wonder. Honey’s eyes were too poor to clearly make out most things, but the bright colors of his robes were easy to spot. Lynn, though, was a rather tall, athletic-looking young man, and someone would probably take for granted he’d be stronger than Valentine was.
 
“…well, maybe I’m being too hard on the guy.”
 
“Probably, someone who can rip a dagger out of a guy’s hand that fast has my respect.” Honey said, before turning to look at the girl who had just arrived, “Hey, you okay? I guess seeing something like me or some of the others in this place is a little…scary…but we were just comforting a screaming crab-thing, so really, there’s a lot of people who feel just as weird seeing you.” Her ears lowered slightly, “Well, my own world was mostly human-like people, like you, so technically, I’m weird regardless of setting.”
 
At this moment, Scylla walked into the gym, wincing every time he set down his left leg, and limping slightly, “Hey, guys, the screaming stopped, is it okay for Dr. Gill to come and talk to everyone now? He didn’t want to make things worse. I think Humpback is going to yell at us, though, for all rushing off the bus.” He stumbled a bit and caught himself, “Sheesh!” He flinched.
 
Honey turned towards the sound of Scylla’s voice, “Scylla, you okay?” She hurriedly went over to where he was, and she looked like she wanted to help, but her hands hesitated somewhat, as if she was afraid to physically touch him. The plant on her shoulder rustled slightly, despite the absence of wind in the gym. “Ah…I know you have a thing about touching…” She said.
 
“It’s fine, it’s fine, thank you for worrying, though.” Scylla straightened, “It hurts, but I count myself lucky. I’m sure in a realm of existence somewhere, there’s bound to be a person who can just blink three times and magic this thing away, and then I won’t even need the stitches.” He noted Honey seemed to snicker at the statement, “Heh, I’ve got a lot of stupid jokes like that one.” He smiled a bit, even though he was still clenching his jaw, somewhat. “Seriously, though, it’d be great if someone had some fancy device or magical power to heal.”
 
“Well, if you magic away your cut, then I’m going to ask them to fix my tail, too.” Honey swished her tail forward a bit, indicating a spot where the fur was singed off, the skin underneath red, irritated, and shiny from some sort of ointment.
 
Konrad Lochward
 
Around the time that Honey and Scylla were jokingly discussing healing magic and their injuries, Mr. Snell appeared through the door, “Ah, Scylla, what’s the news from Gwen?” He asked.
 
He was cut off by the appearance of someone else coming through a portal, directly next to him. Out of the faint ripple, appeared a gigantic figure that was probably over nine feet in height. The Traveler who appeared had the head of what looked like an eastern dragon, right down to the nose, whiskers, and eyebrows, save for the fact that their entire body seemed to be covered with iridescent grey-blue fur—no, feathers, and his mane was more like a lion’s, covering his entire neck. He was dressed as strangely as he looked, silken garments for trousers and a medieval-looking tunic. Over this, though, he wore a simple trench-coat that seemed to be from a more modern-looking era. All of his clothing was covered with patches and stitch-lines, as if it had been mended repeatedly. The homeless look, though, was further made strange by the fact that he wore what looked like expensive, carved bangles on his wrists, a carved line of spherical beads around his neck, and what seemed to be a signet ring.
 
A faint odor of tobacco followed this Traveler, and he seemed to be holding what looked like a pipe carved from jade in one hand. He blinked once, scanned the group of people in the room with surprisingly human-looking blue eyes, and then quickly hid the pipe in his pocket, a long, fluffy tail swishing behind him.
 
One couldn’t help but notice the sheer length of this person’s claws, which made the talons of an eagle look small. Even among people who recognized claws as a feature among people, they were truly long, and the claws on the stranger’s hands matched equally-long claws on his feet.
 
“No smoking indoors, I believe,” He murmured, his voice soft and more like a human male with a particularly smooth-sounding voice. It was surprisingly pleasant, and unusual, coming from a creature that looked so large and terrifying.
 
Snell looked up at the Traveler and backed away, “Yikes that was right on top of me!” He exclaimed.
 
“It was? Sorry for that. I am guessing this is Cavitrum?” The Traveler asked, scanning the gym, “Looks like it, a bunch of people look quite confused, the qi here is in some form of disarray, it seems.”
 
Although he looked like an oriental dragon and was discussing Chinese concepts, his accent sounded more like a very watered-down version of French.
 
“Ah…yes? Have you…been here before?” Snell asked, looking up at the massive Traveler.
 
“I was escorting some people back home, but some unfortunate circumstances forced me off the ideal path. I had to randomly look for a means of reaching this world again. Wandering aimlessly though portals was, unfortunately, the only option.”
 
“So…you…work for us?” He asked, “I’ve…never met you before…”
 
The massive Traveler shrugged his shoulders, “Probably a long amount of time has passed. A year….three…maybe…” He sighed, “I don’t usually think much about it. I got back here, though.”
 
He didn’t seem to care much about the fact that he couldn’t remember the time-frame for his absence.

Riley’s eyes had no choice  but to settle on the sickly green thing that spoke to her. She knew she had not seen a freak like that at Legerman, and was grateful for such, as well; it distracted her from the moment of self-loathing and guilt, directing her emotions the changeling that was more creature than human as it trailed limestone along the ground. Riley could only guess that it was a “she”. It was then that her tensed smile relaxed into a more blank expression as she quietly parroted one of the phrases the green freak told her. “Soft seed...?”

Her eyes shifted towards the muscular woman who stood before her. How long had she been there? Riley was unsure, and slowly spaced in on what the woman was saying. “Uh huh… I’m Riley” was all she responded with, her tensed body visibly loosening and calming down. The image of Chance, a Fellowship member who could teleport, crossed her mind. Maybe his ability was similar? Her mind was filled with questions, but none were of returning home. Rather, the knowledge that Riley was in a different world filled her with a mocking sense of glee. She could stay here and thumb her nose at the Primacy and Fellowship, escaping every responsibility laid on her, and forget about - she felt chills pass through her in reflecting the event, and quickly turned her thoughts elsewhere. It would have been easy, had it not been for the freak talking to her - the one who reminded her of Legerman. No, the one who was from Legerman, if what Gwen said regarding Travelers was true. The words from the changeling were nice - reassuring, even - but they made Riley’s unsteady emotions deflate, once again. Even so, she managed a weak smile followed with a, “No, it’s fine - some people look like you where I’m from, too.” The response was natural and masked the guilt that grew, especially when she found out that there was yet another changeling Traveler, this one she guessed was the boy addressed as “Scylla”. Riley winced when she noticed his wound and, now that she studied the duo, the various wounds covering them. None were life-threatening, but they were a tell-tale sign of the events Riley had helped effect.

They did not know where she was from - apparently many thought she wasn’t used to the setting - but Riley knew they would ask at some point. Then what? If she were to lie, who knows how long she would have to keep up the lie - and who knows what some of these freaks could do, anyway? One of them could probably spot any lie in some way or another. Riley concluded that she would have to act like she was another victim at Legerman, then (she believed she was, to an extent). She could not confess to being of the Fellowship with two other changelings here. She was their “bad guy,” and her reasons for being such would make no sense. They didn’t even make sense to her own mind. So what would someone who experienced whatever was at Legerman do if they were a mere Primacy student with no knowledge of what was behind the attack? Riley racked her brain for an answer before settling on confusion. Confusion and not guilt.

Riley’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of another Traveler, this one looming over the others. While she was normally not  threatened by the appearances (there’s no need to feel threatened by appearance if you sense emotions), this one’s height made her anxious. Riley stared for a moment before looking around the room, then became amused. Many of the others in the room seemed to be in brooding moods of distrust. It was to be expected, of course, but the fact that a handful of them held such emotions was rather amusing, and the change in atmosphere from Legerman was certainly preferred. Riley moved to the back of the group, taking note of each of the Travelers. Her eyes fell on one who looked normal aside from his strange eyes (Goose), and she smiled slightly upon noticing his emotions. He was cautious, wasn’t he? She moved towards him and offered a greeting. “Nice to meet you,” she mumbled before adding as a poor attempt to show she wasn't dangerous, “Your eyes look neat.” They did, but then they didn’t - in fact, they unnerved her more than anything. She searched for a way to start a conversation. "Erm... where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?" Even now, Riley tried to avoid looking at the fellow changelings.

Goose smirked and said jokingly, "I knew I should have brought a guide. I'm from a small island called Triviis. The ocean around the island literally goes on forever, so it's nice to be somewhere else for once." There was a hint of doubt in his voice, almost like there was something that needed doing back on his home island.

There was a sudden screech as a sickle was shot out of a newly manifested portal, along with what looked like a little bit of hellfire. The hellfire dissipated as soon as it came into contact with the air around it however, so nothing was burnt. The sickle stuck into the ground while some incomprehensible screaming went on. Five hearts simply fell out of the portal and rolled towards the sickle. "KRE ESAT NO WANT TER BUE HERE." There were many more screams following the phrase stated. Then, it almost seemed as if some sort of invisible being ripped the sickle out of the ground and whipped it around, even though that wasn't the case. The hearts followed it up into the air and looped around it. The sickle stilled itself and then shouted, panicked, "KREEE ESAT? ESAT ESAT AWAY. YES? YES!?"

Having been mostly disinterested in things up until this point, merely just observing while remaining rather bored, Desin's head turned abruptly at the loud scream emitted by the flying sickle as it arrived. An eyebrow was raised as it started to hover and speak with a thick accent, surrounded by the circling hearts.
What in the name of the Void?... he thought to himself. He had seen many things, but as of yet a sentient half of the communist crest was not one of them (although the communist part was again lost on him).

He sighed and approached the...thing, keeping about eight feet away from it however. "There's no need to scream stranger, however its unlikely that you will be able to get back to wherever it was you came from right now"

The sickle heard those words that the man had said. The floating hearts trembled, and the sickle did not know how to respond. He could sense hiss surroundings. There was no suffering, there was no screaming, there was no pain. There was only one pata, and even then, the pata didn't seem wholly evil, it was sentient even. Where was this terrifyingly beautiful place? Was the sickle experiencing one of those dreams that his master had told him about? He could sense an abundance of light, so surely he wasn't in section Du anymore. The sickle spoke in a scratchy voice, trying to recall what he knew of the language that the strange man had spoke in, "Esat sun black? I... Need tus know." The sickle almost sounded terrified.

Therese took one look at this weird thing that had just emerged from the portal, and instantly felt her stomach roiling. This. . . sickle-thing . . . it just wasn't right. Therese had been doing the best she could to be open-minded about everything she saw; undoubtedly, she herself, with her feathers and her legs and wings was odd-looking to some. The sight of those levitating hearts, combined the surrealism of all that had happened so far, broke the camel's back for her, however. Turning aside, being careful not to hit Il-Sychi, she spotted a sink, rushed to it and threw up.

Il-Sychi, for his part, cast a glance at her for a moment, silent and thoughtful for the first time. When he had first come through the portal, running from the ones who had pursued him, he had found himself in a place of freaks, creatures that were nothing like anything he had ever known. The island on which the portal he had come through had been rumored to from times immemorial to be the haunting grounds of demons and monsters, which was part of the reason he had fled there. He had not believed the legends himself, but was counting on others doing so, lessening the chances that he would be followed. However, he had underestimated the fear that Teras Vasilia was capable of invoking in his henchmen, a fear that as stronger than that of the unknown. And so Il-Sychi had found himself pursued even to the Isle of Mageia, pursued ruthlessly by the tyrant's cronies. To add to this, Il-Sychi found himself surrounded by numerous strange luminous apparitions that seemed to glimmer all around him on the island, and into one of which he fell, to land in this strange place. This reduced him to a state of panic and hysteria, hence his screaming fit earlier. Therese had managed to earn his trust a bit; but now, seeing her like this, Il-Sychi began to grasp what this might be like for her, not to mention everyone else who had appeared here, or arrived from outside.

Il-Sychi would have liked to give Therese something to comfort her, a small repayment for what she had done for him so far, but he had nothing for that condition. However, he couldn't help but notice the injury on the leg of Scylla. Carefully skirting his way around the talking sickle thing, he approached the Changeling in the way one might approach a dangerous animal.

"Um . . . um," he said, the two appendages on his face a vibrating blur as they generated the sound of his speech. "I . . . um . . . ccan . . . um . . . cannn help wwwwith thattt." As he spoke, he un-shouldered his pack and began to rummage inside.

Riley managed to let out a weak chuckle upon hearing the cat-eyed man's response, even managing to be slightly amused. "Yeah, I'm glad to be away from mine - it was a bit hectic." He must want to go back home, even if it was a slight yearning, considering his voice could not even hide the fact. His, er... world (she was still trying to figure out the whole "Travelers" bit) sounded strange, however. What would the people or whatever there was on his island do if overpopulation took place? How big is this Triviis place, anyway?

Riley's thoughts were interrupted by the newest arrival. A... screaming... sickle? The emotions in the room quickly devolved to a mixture of confusion, disgust, and heightened caution. Riley's own emotions, while including the trio, also held amusement. Of all the freaks, this one was the most ridiculous. The corners of her lips twitched as she held back a snicker, mumbling something about its probably being used for the gardens of Hades. It did at least look like if the devil got into the hobby of agriculture. It passed through her mind for a moment that she could possibly help this situation with her ability, but decided not to do so unless a legitimate emergency arose. It would be best to have less questions asked about her.

“Run, run run, run, run!”

“I am running!”

“Run faster! They’re on to us.”

“We can’t all run as fast as you!”

“I just have longer legs.”

“Stop talking! We’re almost there.”

The hull of a spaceship gleamed through the trees twenty yards out. It was hard to spot through the thick jungle, creeping vines and thick leaves obscuring the vision of even the sharpest of journeymen, but there was no way Thray would ever forget where he parked the stupid thing. The howl of jungle beasts behind him prompted both he and his companion to run faster. Maybe abducting a Stveka pup hadn’t been such a good idea. The thing whined pitifully in his companion’s arms, and Thray glanced over at her with a half-smile as they booked it to the ship. His dear wife had wanted a pet. Naturally they went looking for something dangerous.

They reached the side of the ship, the boarding ramp deploying automatically as it sensed Thray’s presence. His wife went up the ramp effortlessly, lugging the pup with a joyful screech. He slowed down and neared the top of the ramp behind her, unaware of the faint shimmering that had closed the gap between them at the last possible moment. He quite literally tripped straight through a portal, landing ungracefully on his face in… in…?

What.

Thray jumped to his feet, instantly confused. There was suddenly a lot of noise, and it wasn’t even the terrifying howls of the Stvekas anymore. Just… talking. Screaming? Yelling. Questions. He cringed, especially as a foul smell washed over him, bright yellow eyes flitting around the room to take everything in as quickly as possible. Black slit pupils gave everyone present only a moment’s glance.

He didn’t like this. No, not one bit. Too many people. And for once, he wasn’t the tallest one present. Standing at seven and a half feet tall, he was very used to towering over most of the aliens he encountered, and that still seemed to be the norm here, except for the few abnormalities that he identified quickly. Some of them were very odd, others, not so much. Actually the most familiar being here was the feline-looking thing that seemed busy talking to… something… else… but even she seemed strange somehow.

Thray resisted the urge to pull his hood down over his face and instead stared at his olive-green hands in order to calm himself. Alright. Well, this wasn’t too unusual. Though, usually when he found himself in an unexpected place there was a dragon to fault, and he didn’t see one here—wait. No. That thing over there was definitely a dragon. Well, at least now he had someone to blame. He said nothing, slowly backing into the nearest corner with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Only one coherent thought flitted through his mind as he stared now.

Oh stars, not again.

Konrad Lochward
 
Konrad had spent much of his life dealing with portals. He had passed through many different worlds, and encountered an enormous variety of races, cultures, environments, technology, and magic. Even so, he stuck closely to the old things that were familiar, as was a force a habit; Konrad often clung to what reminded him of his humanity.
 
Nobody would believe that Konrad was human, but he was. He was once a rich noble from a country similar to Earth’s France, but as a person, he had been cruel at heart. He had refused to shelter travelers and merchants as they sought shelter from the rain, even though his large home was the sole structure in a vast wilderness. He never contemplated the consequences of his actions, that someone might grow sick and pass away from the cold, though he often reflected on that now. One night, a hideous old woman had come and begged him for shelter, claiming she might die, but as he had always done, Konrad refused. The old woman promised him a powerful blessing in exchange for hospitality for one night, but even with this offered gift, Konrad still refused, believing the woman had nothing, without any sympathy for her state.
 
For this lack of kindness, the powerful sorceress from the far East placed a curse on him, transforming him into a gigantic, dragon-like beast, claiming that until he mended his ways, a beast he would remain, until he could prove to her and her descendants that he had changed. For years after this encounter, Konrad secluded himself in the manor, sometimes letting in people who found his home and needed shelter for the night, though he had always remained hidden, instead commanding his servants to attend to their needs, the only people who knew of his condition. Over time, Konrad discovered that he did not age, and one by one, his servants and family passed away, until he was the sole resident in an empty, desolate house, slowly falling into disrepair, and the travelers that would visit dwindling as the forest grew increasingly dense and menacing.
 
Finally, Konrad, unable to take the loneliness anymore, set out on the Silk Roads himself, searching for the elderly sorceress, but when he finally found where her family had resided, he discovered the small village burned to the ground, invaders from northern territories having slaughtered them all. The sorceress had long-since passed away, and only a handful of stragglers who knew why Konrad had appeared could explain to him the story, despite their fear of his monstrous form. They gave Konrad their sincere sympathies, but there was no way to reverse his curse. Remaining survivors of the village gave Konrad the old woman’s necklace of jade and onyx, naming him a member of her family and tasking him with preserving her memory in her children’s stead.
 
Konrad, grieving the permanent loss of his humanity, returned home, and shut himself inside his abandoned manor, until one day children discovered his home. Retreating, Konrad entered a room that had been locked since his childhood, and there, he found a portal, and that was how his life as a Traveler began. Gradually, the places he visited and the people he saw restored his sense of worth, and he found purpose using his power to help others, his beast form far more ideal than a human body, strong enough to fend off threats, and immune to disease or age. His body mattered very little, when many worlds did not contain humans, or magical beings could exist so easily. In a way, the curse, while not broken, was not as horrible a fate as he had once believed.
 
 
Even so, Konrad was regardless, a gigantic being, towering overs at a height that exceeded nine feet. Despite many beings possessing claws and recognizing them as a feature that was not strange, Konrad’s claws were extremely long, and many people focused excessively on their size, though he had no intention of using them to inflict harm. His body was lighter than it might have looked, and thus Konrad’s movements were fluid and graceful, but this sometimes caused alarm, because he moved far faster than anything someone would expect. His appearance and actions were inconsistent, and amongst those who could sense energy, Konrad’s very aura seemed disorienting and strange, the curse having twisted it in bizarre ways.
 
 
Konrad, knowing that his appearance could extract negative responses from others, was extremely aware of his surroundings, constantly watching the expressions of those around him for the slightest hint of hostility. Despite the strangeness of Cavitrum’s portal hot spots, even though chaos was expected here, and there was low risk of harm directed at any one person, Konrad sensed something like danger in the person who had just arrived, a green-skinned being who seemed to have his hand resting over the hilt of a sheathed sword. Perhaps that might have been nothing to worry over, as first-time Travelers often did react with fear and terror, but for Konrad, it was an immediate concern, as this stranger was clearly staring directly at Konrad, and no one else. There was an imminent threat of conflict, and Konrad had already seen what would happen to those that became violent soon after arrival. Punishment was swift, and though their life might be spared, if they continued to resist, lethal force was permitted.
 
Konrad kept his hands in his pockets, hiding his claws, and looked over across the room where alien was staring at him, meeting the stranger’s gaze, and shook his head slowly, a clear warning in the expression. ‘Don’t draw your weapons’, he mouthed silently, the words slowly formed so they could easily be read on his lips, even across the room. He slowly lifted one hand from his pocket, and pointed subtly at a hallway to his left. The hallway was abnormally dark and lead to the locker rooms, but nobody could see anything at the end of it. Konrad could feel a presence there, surely, hidden in the shadows, a Traveler whose sole purpose was to deal with anyone who behaved in an unsavory fashion. Not everyone could sense presences, or had learned to pay close attention to such a thing, but the way the darkness seemed to completely conceal that hallway, almost in defiance of the ambient lighting, was sufficient to seem alarming.
 
The warning was clear and obvious.
 
Honey & Scylla
 
Scylla looked at Il-Sychi, noting that the crab-like creature had calmed down, though he seemed nervous, and perhaps very shy, also. Scylla smiled a bit, though he didn’t show his teeth, not sure if the gesture would be seen as a friendly one. He didn’t know where this person came from, but to be so terrified of a human-like being, bared teeth might be taken more as a sign of hostility. “If you can help with my leg, then I’d appreciate it a bunch.” He replied. “It’s a relatively new injury, it hasn’t even been a full day since I got it, so maybe that’ll help. I’m not a doctor, though.”
 
Honey’s ears swiveled towards Il-Sychi, “So you’re feeling better? That’s great to hear. I’m guessing all this stuff is still pretty weird for you, though.” She thought she heard the sound of someone gagging somewhere, “My eyesight is pretty poor….someone’s throwing up…” She said, not sure what was happening since the event was too far away, “Does this have something to deal with the weird accent person?” She asked.
 
“It’s a floating sickle with multiple beating hearts floating around it.” Scylla looked at the farming tool, noting how the hearts were shaking a bit, as if it were anxious or tense.
 
Honey smoothed a lock of her mane from her face, raising one eyebrow, “Okay, what now? Did I just hear that properly?” She didn’t wait for an answer, “Ah, yeah, probably did…well, it’s official, we’ve probably all finally descended into the depths of madness. Pretty soon we’ll be questioning if the grass is really green or not, and not just a figment of our imagination.”
 
“I’d rather not think about it.” Scylla responded, “We’ve already been told that ‘normal’ is a relative term. I think the two of us are doing pretty well, given that we’re Changelings and portals are like a fact of life. We also know that looks don’t exactly dictate what’s classified as a ‘person’.”
 
Honey sighed, “Yeah, well, sentient objects, that’s a stretch even by our definitions. It’s probably not healthy for us to obsess over it, though. Even if it’s a tool, though, I guess we can’t say it’s not a person. Clearly, it is.” She winced a bit at the gagging sounds. “I think this might be too much for someone, though.” She said.
 
 
Scylla sighed, “Yeah, it’s Therese. People tend to get stressed when their accepted ideas about reality are questioned. The more those ideas are violated or proven wrong, the worse it is. She’s probably seen too many things that are considered impossible in her mind without getting a chance to recover from it, given that all of this is happening in less than a day. She’s going into a state of emotional shock, and the stress is making her sick.”
 
Honey’s tail swished lightly, “You study psychology, Scylla?” She asked.
 
Scylla shrugged, “Sometimes, though really, it’s more like a philosophical conclusion.”
 


 
At this time, Mr. Humpback came into the room, baring his teeth, Dr. Gill following close behind, “Gwen! Time to go! We’re loading up the bus, we’re running twenty minutes behind schedule!” The bipedal crocodile barked. Meanwhile, Dr. Gill, the cute, adorable purple frog that he was, clasped his suction-cupped fingers together, froggy smile on his face, eyes closed, “Hello, everyone!” He said, the extreme cheerfulness wildly different from his partner’s. “Alright, so, I know this might all seem strange, but we’re going to be scolded by our boss. This is very bad.” He said this as if it were a problem, but his expression didn’t quite match his tone.
 
“We need all Travelers to get on the buses waiting outside and come with us to Central. We’re going to see if we can locate your worlds and help you get back, or we can hire you, if you’d rather not return home. Regardless, we’re running terribly late, and our supervisor is very much a stickler when a strict schedule is not maintained.”

At the sight of Dr. Gill, Callisto felt a sudden sense of the strangest childlike wonder. The frog-man was so comical, so cartoonish, so unreal. It was ridiculous. Her helm an eternal thousand-yard state, it seemed rather off to hear a sudden muffled chortling sound come from her throat - or rather, the steel collar below her helm. It was hard not to, with his adorable bulging eyes, his dumb frog-grin, his fat little cheeks... No. Just focus.

The bubbly amusement soon died back down, and the wight contently let it go. She felt incredibly exhausted just being conscious for so long, to be honest to herself. Being as focused as she was at the moment was no easy feat for her, especially not for a full hour or more, as she expected she'd have to be. Her loud, drumming thoughts had suddenly become subtle flavors and dim lights dancing just behind her line of sight as her attention was once again shifted back to the real world. To the new travelers.

More bright souls had joined them in the past minute or so, though Callisto wasted no energy in trying to determine who the newcomers were. She suddenly longed for Goose's company again as she felt a sudden cold loneliness wash over her, in a deep contrast to her preference of solitude mere minutes ago. She gripped the fabric around her waist tightly in her sudden sense of emptiness, mindlessly tugging on it, feeling each thread and each bolt keeping the material in place on her body, as she shifted her weight forward until she was once again on her own two feet, no longer supported by the wall against her back. Her vision darkened and unfocused. She was no longer looking at her fellow travelers.

And then her mind was quiet again, lucidity slipping from her grasp like water from a woven basket. The orchestration of thoughts in her head slowed to a dead, monotonous crawl, and Callisto felt a flood of thick, suffocating content washing over her. She was alright if she didn't talk to anyone. She didn't care about the company of others. The bus waited. That was more important.

Thray had a weird relationship with dragons. Of the few he’d met before, one of them was overly snarky, but friendly enough and had actually provided help to himself and his wife when they’d needed it most. The second had been monstrous and attempted to siphon his soul from his body on some strange, prison asteroid full of superbeings. The third was nothing more than an obnoxious kid who didn’t know that giving nightmares to people wasn’t a very kind thing to do. The fourth, and final dragon excluding the one standing in the room with him, had been a narcoleptic idiot who accidentally killed people while she slept, and was blissfully unaware of all her murders.

Consequently, Thray figured he had a fifty-fifty chance with this fifth dragon. To him, it was mid-sized, and in his experience the bigger the dragon, the likelier it was that it was powerful and may or may not be pure evil. Maybe it’d be horrible. Maybe it wouldn’t be. Still, it was talking to him and—oh stars it was talking to him. Still squished in the corner, Thray rapidly wondered if this dragon could read minds; the larger ones he’d encountered definitely could. Had he managed to offend it already? No, no, pay attention. It took him a moment to understand what the beast was saying and his gaze flitted to the dark hallway the dragon seemed to indicate. He couldn’t make anything out in the shadows, but the barely veiled threat was clear enough.

Well, that didn’t bode well. Still, nothing had attempted to kill him yet and he’d already been standing here for at least a minute. Everyone else seemed… distracted… with each other. Hm. Maybe that was for the best. People tended to hate Kyreniens pretty instantly, and he’d much rather avoid recognition. Hesitantly he took his hand off the hilt, though he’d never had the intention of attacking anyone unless he was attacked first. It had been such a gut reflex he’d barely noticed the metallic object beneath his fingers.

When the two other beings came into the room shouting… some semblance of sense, he supposed, he listened intently. Locate other worlds? Return home? Travelers? This was just getting more confusing by the second. He edged along the wall carefully, trying to keep track of where everyone was. He definitely wanted to go home. What would—

He blinked in alarm. Wyvlen. His wife. He’d left her running from those angry Stevekas. He needed to get back now. She couldn’t fly the ship by herself, even though he’d tried a thousand times to teach her. She would be stranded on that jungle rock until he returned! Hissing softly as he breathed in through his sharp, triangular teeth, he glanced again at the dragon as if beseeching some higher power, and then stared at the door and the two figures that had come through it. Buses? To where? “Central”, whatever that meant. Maybe it was a spaceport. Maybe this was all a vast hallucination. Yeah, that seemed likely.

Goose noticed the newcomers. A green dude that had a sword that looked awfully familiar to one he's seen before, a floating sickle that had an overpowering hellish aura, and some sort of dragon who's sense of spirit confused him to no end. There were no surefire answers to what the dragon's aura was, which Goose hated. The sickle was almost cool, but he couldn't understand it's accent, which Goose also hated. The bird girl had puked, which he thought was funny, but other than that, there wasn't much of interest. Oh well. It was back to the bus.

As Goose approached the door of the gym, he stopped by Desin and mentioned the sickle simply by the way he moved his eyes. He then chuckled.

Thukr slid over to Therese, "I get the feeling that you do not like the tool with hearts. I would not like it either if I were a soft seed." Soft seed was in no way an insult to Therese. The term "soft seed" referred to anyone that isn't a biprimae like Thukr. "It is okay that you are not fond of it. It does not seem very friendly." Thukr huffed, and then began towards the door, "We are going to the bus, birdy friend."

The sickle, still waiting for someone to answer it, still nervous beyond belief, noticed that there was a bus being referred to. "Esat no want ter go ter the bus! Esat need ter know if the black sun esat here!" These words were directed at mainly at Humpback and Gill.

As everyone started to move out to the waiting buses outside, Desin answered the scythe's question "No, the sun is yellow-white. I suggest you come with us, you might get more answers"
With that he turned to go, nodding in response to Goose but likewise saying nothing. With all the influx of new beings, he planned to continue observing, and waiting to see what everyone could do. And of course he was interested in what was at this "central" that had been spoken of.

The room was becoming increasingly hectic, both in terms of arrivals and emotions. It was strange how the emotions came to her; it was a literal sixth scent, not being seen, smelt, heard, tasted, or felt, and yet such senses could describe how she recognized others' emotions. They would be rancid, then cloudy, then sweet, sometimes making her nauseous and sometimes enforcing a string of empathy from Riley. Currently, the emotions were contrasting one another, making the situation slightly confusing - there was slight amusement followed by the disinterest of one freak; of another, loneliness followed by a strange... contentedness? Riley glanced over at the source of the emotion, noting the figure in armor who began to head towards the bus. She could not see the face of the Traveler, so she couldn't try to find any hints towards the reason for the emotion.

She shrugged it off and began leaving for the bus, as well, her eyes quickly skipping past the changelings. The number of freaks was growing. Once she gets on the bus, Riley decided that she would find a seat near the entrance and hope that the Legerman duo does not want to sit near her.

Mr. Humpback simply stared at the sickle for a moment, before snorting gruffly and turning to leave, “Just hurry up and get on the bus, we will explain later!” He shouted, as he left Gill standing by Snell.
 
“Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?” Dr. Gill asked pleasantly, his smile disarming, but also, vaguely unnerving, how calm he seemed despite what was going on. He opened one eye and looked over at Konrad, “Nice seeing you again, Lochward.” He commented, “It’s been four years since we sent you off with that group. I trust they all made it home in one piece?” He asked.
 
Konrad turned towards Dr. Gill, “All alive and accounted for, Gill. Pleasure to be back in Cavitrum again, though I doubt for very long.” He breathed deeply, closing his eyes, and then letting it out, before opening them once more, “So four years, how the time passes without my notice.” He said calmly, brows furrowing.
 
“The passage of time is something that most humans would acknowledge as only the transition between day and night, moon phases, and seasons, some sort of change you can track in a pattern. Precise time was not a concept until society grew more structured,” Gill began, “But for you, who has jumped between worlds and seen them at varying times, and whose very body does not age since the spell was cast, that perception is disoriented by the aloofness of an immortal.” He had the faintest of a frown on his face, “Many Travelers find themselves disoriented, but at least, as mortals, their very bodies would be a reference. For you, however, there is none. A timepiece is meaningless, the worlds are all at different times of day.”
 
Konrad sighed, “So it would seem. Disturbing, that I have been gone for so long.” He raised a claw to touch one of the carved beads on his necklace, “Four years wandering back here, those years are so precious, but it’s constantly slipping away.”
 
He turned and walked out the door, “Be cautious, Gill, the qi is not balanced here.”
 
“Yes, there is much anxiety and worry. The emotions make for an alarming situation.” Gill replied, allowing himself to smile again, “But qi, that is not what I call it myself. It is energy, though, and you have the better sense of it than I do.”
 
He stared for a moment, before turning to leave, “Come along, everyone!”

Seeing that everyone was leaving this strange room, Thray felt an odd sort of obligation to not be left behind… and yet… he had questions and answers weren’t just going to appear out of thin air. Was this a bus station? He didn’t have a bus pass. He kept stealing glances at the dragon and the doorway. This was definitely different from the last times he’d been summoned. Very chaotic.

Wait, no—the dragon was leaving. Hissing again through his teeth, Thray edged further along the wall and followed it outside into more unfamiliar territory. He spotted the vehicles that he assumed were buses, though he was alarmed that they appeared to be dreadfully primitive. Rubber wheels, for ground transportation? He could smell the exhaust from the engines too. How marvelously inefficient. He’d never seen something like this in person, though he knew they existed at some point thanks to historical records and the like.

Agh, forget he buses. They weren’t important yet.

“Ah—um—excuse me,” Thray called, sounding distinctly uncomfortable. Normally dragons talked first. Was this bad etiquette? Well, he supposed it had warned him about the shadowy hall, whatever that had been. Technically it had spoken to him first. That counted, right? He shoved his manic thoughts aside and tried to form more coherent sentences. “Um. Are you—where— hss. Did you summon me here?”

Konrad Lochward
 
Konrad heard a voice from someone approaching from behind, and looked to see that it was the tall green Traveler from before, the one he’d warned not to draw his sword. It seemed that for whatever reason, he had mistaken Konrad for someone who had the power to summon people from wherever they were. Konrad frowned, perplexed for a moment, and shook his head slowly, “It is not by my power, or by anyone else that you are here. Portals naturally lay scattered throughout worlds, and Travelers, people with the ability to pass through, often fall into them by accident. Most portals are unstable, they appear briefly, and vanish soon after, often stranding people in the wrong place. This is your current situation, first-timer. Whatever you were doing, a temporary portal stranded you in the realm of Cavitrum. What the people here are attempting to do is take you to Central, where officials will try to figure out what your original world is based on descriptions, and possibly chart a way of getting you back home, if you wish to go back.”
 
He grabbed the railing on the old white bus as he put a foot on one of the steps, preparing to board it, “My advice to you would be that it is unwise to dwell too heavily on what you witness, or to try to make logical sense of it. Many people grow physically ill from the stress, so for now, try to remain calm if you can, though that may seem difficult, given what I have just told you.” Konrad ascended the final steps and began making his way to the very back of the bus.

Having done her business at the sink, Therese took several deep breaths, and began to move towards the bus, flashing what she hoped was an encouraging look at Thray; however, due to her just having been sick, it was understandably forced-looking.

Menawhile, Il-Sychi had been dealing with Scylla's injury with several items he had had in his pack. Despite the clumsy appearance of his chelipeds, he worked with astonishing preciseness and dexterity. First, he brushed something on to the spot that seemed to numb the area, while also weakening the stitches, it seemed, which he snipped and removed swiftly with a tool that looked to be a hybrid of tweezers and scissors. He then sprayed what seemed to be some sort of antiseptic, judging by the slight stinging sensation, and then added the final touch; added a rather viscous substance that came out of tube, and was then smoothed with a separate brush. After a few seconds, this solidified into a stretchy, rubbery, translucent sealant, that, while adhering firmly to the skin, was elastic enough to allow free movement with the minimum of discomfort.

"That should stay put for abbout a week," he said, with a surprisingly small amount of stammering, "then it will . . . um . . . start to ccome loose. Ssshould be . . . um . . . healed by then. Cccan always add more if not." Then noticing the general movement towards, the bus, he quickly gathered his pack, and made his way over cautiously, seeking Therese.

"You alright, Birdy?" asked Zhesta'kai, as Therese reboarded the bus. "There was quite a bit o' racket out there." He sniffed, and made a face. "Did you throw your lunch? You smell odd."

"Yeah, I kind of lost it when one of the Travelers came," she admitted, "but I'm alright."

"So we got some more Spirit Walkers comin', eh?" said Zhesta'kai, glancing over as Konrad boarded, followed by Il-Sychi. "Sheesh, we got some weirdos this time, that's fer sure. What are you starin' at, Crabby?" Il-Sychi was looking at the aging Cher'pakha the way someone might who had just discovered a unicorn.

"Ttthe island . . . where I cccame here . . . um  . . . from. Llllegends tell of creatures like yyou being . . . um . . . seen there."

"Is that right?" chuckled Zhesta'kai. "Well, from what I hear, travelin' runs in my family, so I suppose it's possible your types have laid their glims on the likes of mine." Then he noticed the sickle with the hearts revolving around it, and swore. "Don't tell me THAT'S a Traveler," he said incredulously.

It sounded like the sickle was going to say something but Goose interrupted. "You're one to talk, Master Oogway. There are some strange things out there in the multiverse and you're one of them."

Thukr had trouble going into the bus. She could barely fit through the door, so she had to morph her body through the door by distorting her contour. When she reached the back of the bus, the light pouring through the window seemed to energize her. She was more mobile and less stiff, more jittery too. Along with that, her smell went away nearly entirely.

Desin chuckled at Goose's remark, not understanding the reference but appreciating the sharp tongue that he had. If nothing else, the man would provide some amusement.

He then addressed the floating construct, asking "So what is your name, and where do you come from?" in an attempt to ascertain some more information about this strange screaming thing which, despite Goose's commentary, probably was one of the stranger things in the room, although he certainly wasn't planning on agreeing verbally with the overgrown walking tortoise. In fact come to think of it, the giant reptile was slightly irritating.

The dragon’s answer was less than satisfactory and Thray stood outside the bus contemplating what it had said with a growing scowl. The idea that this might all be some hallucination tugged at him. Maybe he’d tripped and fallen in the jungle and this was the last thing his mind had conjured up for him before he was devoured by Stvekas. What a way to go.

No. It didn’t feel like a hallucination. It was too real. He caught the sickly smile from the feathered girl, but didn’t return it. The pungent scent of… something… passing by as it boarded the bus was too visceral. Eyes watering, he unconsciously took a step back. Thray didn’t think himself a creative person; this kind of mad wonderland wasn’t something he could dream up. So what was the alternative? Accept blindly that this was his fate?

Portals. He’d heard of portals before, though he hadn’t thought them to be possible, at least not in the fantasy sense. Teleporters on the other hand were reasonable. Perhaps they were similar? He’d seen no machine to generate such a thing, though. The dragon had told him not to try to logic things out. Dragons, in his experience, usually gave good advice when they so deigned to do so. Even though this one seemed different, maybe it would be wise to listen. He didn’t have other options.

Silently Thray took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Focus. He needed to get home, and if boarding this bus would help get him there, he’d do it. This was not the time to lose his temper. If what had been explained to him was true, there was no witch to fight, no higher power to scream at. It was all just one giant accident. He opened his eyes and glared at the ground. He would’ve rather fought something than just step blindly forward, but there wasn’t anything to fight. Just the universe, with its endless tricks. Shaking his head, he ducked and boarded the bus, though he had a hard time getting up the stairs thanks to his height. Already uncomfortable, he sat down in the first available seat at the very front and crossed his arms over his chest. All aspects of his face were lost in the dark shadow of his hood, save the gleaming of his yellow eyes.

The mossy sickle answered Desin, his voice a quiet scream, "Esat would say that my name esat none of your business, but since kre aren't under black sun, perhaps esat could tell you." He considered the option, and could sense the legitimacy of the sun up in the sky. It was a good sun, warm and calming, nothing like the demon that watched over his world. "Hmm.. My name esat Du-Gant. Esat come from a long line of slaves in Devil's Haven. More specifically, esat come from the Du section of Devil's Haven. Also, Esat apologize for language barrier."

"The language barrier is not so bad. Perhaps we can speak further on the bus?" Desin replied, turning to go to the bus.  Out of everyone he had spoken to so far, Du-Gant was probably the most interesting.

He then turned his thoughts towards the fact that it was taking an annoying amount of time to get anywhere, including to this "Central" place that seemed so important.

With that, Desin boarded the same bus that they had ridden to the gym area and sat midway back in the same area where he had sat before.

Honey & Scylla
 
Honey and Scylla returned to the bus, Honey’s ears faintly lowering at the usage of the phrase ‘weirdos’ coming from Zhesta’kai. Given that the majority of Travelers boarding the bus weren’t actually freaks at all, but merely members of a species that dominated other worlds, that somehow made the usage far more offensive. Even if they were somehow oddities, the few individuals that weren’t exactly a normal ‘species’, like the sickle, probably wouldn’t consider themselves weird if they came from a place where something like sentient objects was commonplace. Not only that, but few people probably took kindly to hearing that sort of word-usage coming from a gigantic turtle-like being. Even if someone was thinking it, it should have been an unspoken rule that saying such things aloud was probably not appropriate.
 
Of course, there was a quick response from Goose, which was probably a very thankful thing, but as poor as her eyes were, Honey could almost sense the shift of mood. If she’d seen the same things as Scylla, she would have noticed the barely-perceptible downturn of smiles, and then how they quickly returned to normal after that.
 
 
Scylla flinched visibly, wondering if anyone realized the subtle, almost hostile wave passing through some of the Travelers. There were a lot of people from the Gym, enough that more than one bus was now needed to hold them. Tensions were extremely bad, some people looked anxious, and others looked like they might turn violent with the slightest provocation. Mentally, Scylla awarded some points to Goose for quickly defusing any potential escalation, and quietly deducted a few from how he’d initially viewed Zhesta’kai. It was already emphasized multiple times by various people, over and over again, that ‘normal was a relative term’, and that if you were too quick to judge people based on your own standards, it might not end well.
 
Scylla couldn’t help but feel uneasy, as he heard a serpentine hiss, something that could only be described as a living teardrop of flames floating past. Little blue dots that he supposed were eyes narrowed almost hatefully, and as Scylla quietly wondered if the creature was some sort of demonic entity, it quietly went to the other bus, suddenly deciding it didn’t want to be on the first one it had gone to.
 
Scylla could only pray that nothing disastrous happened on their way to Central, as he and Honey quietly got back onto the bus. Scylla took his seat back next to Edward, who had opted to remain where he was versus going into the building, while Honey slid into an empty seat, quietly waiting to see who would join her, whether it be Lynn who was lagging some distance behind the others, or someone new.
 
 
Mouse, Elysia, & Lynn
 
Lynn was perhaps one of the final people to board the bus, slowly lagging behind the others, his initial, wonder-filled gaze finally settling into something like a sense of serious reality. Perhaps he’d thought he was dreaming at first, and only just now was he starting to feel the impact of what had happened. He had passed through a portal chasing the shapeshifter, and it had closed behind them both. There was no guarantee that they would ever see their world again. The shapeshifter likely didn’t care, knowing that she would never be hunted down if she stayed out of it completely, but Lynn could only feel a touch of panic at the realization that he knew almost nothing about these other worlds, which all seemed far more advanced than his own. The limestone trails left by the one creature, as Honey had mentioned, did not contain any traces of mana in any form, and when he realized it, that was the final piece to the puzzle before the reality began to dawn on him.
 
“Oh, so you didn’t get eaten by anything while you were in the building? I was starting to wonder, how slow can you be?” Elysia, still in the form of a cat, second seat from the front, still in her place next to the desert-dwelling person, opened one eye and looked at him, almost lazily.
 
“I imagine you would be happy, were that the case, because then there would be nobody to tell anyone you are a wanted fugitive in our world.” Lynn evenly replied, trying not to show much anger beyond a scowl on his face. He was positive that, not only did this person consider herself better than him at magic (Though she probably was, Lynn thought, ruefully), but she probably considered him stupid, as well. Her words dripped with sarcasm, and Lynn was positive that she had no concern at all, and perhaps was even hoping he would get himself killed out of curiosity. He would have to make a mental note to watch this person, and keep his wits about him for anything else that might pose a threat.
 
“You don’t even know why I’m a fugitive in the first place. Sit down, you’re blocking the few remaining people who haven’t boarded one of these ‘buses’ yet.”
 
“This conversation is far from finished. We are going to have a serious discussion when we get to this ‘Central’ place.” Lynn warned, winding up having to sit in one of the first two seats, where the second-tallest person to arrive, a green-skinned being, seemed to intimidate most people into not joining him. The other person across from the aisle looked like a normal human.
 
Lynn huffed sighed, something like frustration in the gesture, and leaned his head against the back of the seat, wondering why, of all the people from his world that he had to be stranded with, it was someone who happened to be an enemy that absolutely hated him.
 
 
Elysia looked at the Traveler next to her, who had hardly spoken at all, “You are very quiet…” She murmured. “Are you taking this well? Is the pup alright?” She questioned.
 
“….Whisker is fine….” Came the sparse reply.
 
“Hm….” Elysia slowly flicked her tail, wondering what she could do to make this person talk. She was too quiet. Elysia wasn’t one for conversation, but everything had its extremes.
 
 
….
 
The sky slowly began to darken, turning into a color like that of an old, rusted blade as the sun set. The bus engine may have normally lulled someone to sleep, but in the circumstances, few people were able to rest, knowing that their worlds had been suddenly taken from them, with no guarantee of going back.
 
…slowly, the buses rolled up to a gigantic structure protected by high concrete walls on all sides, metal gates opening to allow access. An enormous building formed from bricks the color of a sun-bleached skull loomed, its height so dizzying that one felt disoriented trying to find the top of it. All throughout asphalt-paved lots surrounding it, more buses and vehicles of various forms opened their doors, one-by-one, Travelers filing out.
 
Although one would have expected more life in this place, surprisingly, it felt more like a funeral, people crying, people wailing over losses, and not as many as one might expect found smiling or positive. The structure, with its sparse, chipping paint, once again reminded them of their hopes hitching on the people inside to find them a way home.
 
As soon as the buses unloaded, however, a flurry of activity began, people of every form and shape rushing from the massive structure to meet the new arrivals.
 
The moment of despair was gone, lost in the frenzy…

Riley's eyes avoided Honey and Scylla as they boarded the bus, but went back to studying its passengers as others stepped on. She noted the green-skinned newcomer who arrived shortly after she did. He appeared like he did not want to talk, but Riley knew he was only uncomfortable. A Traveler who appeared normal aside from his clothing then stepped on. His appearance made her smile, slightly. To think that it was not that long ago mere clothing made her designate someone as a freak. With how many "super-freaks" she's seen in less than twelve hours, clothing was nothing. The sickle, however - that was freaky.

Riley spent the ride in silence, feeling her nerves fluctuate as she was left to her thoughts. Her thoughts wandered between this world and her own, and she wondered about the students at Legerman, feeling her stomach twist at the thought. It's amazing that she had yet to lose any food - when was the last time she had eaten, again? She couldn't remember what seemed so trivial, at this point.

When they finally arrived at the building that was the color of bleached skull, Riley inwardly winced. These people were going to work to try to get them home. Home. Thankfully, she didn't have to go back, but there was still the question of how long it would take for them to return. How long will it take the others to find out about her? How many lies can she tell? What if someone can read minds? The thoughts flooded her mind as though the metal gates were floodgates.

Calm down, Ry - distract yourself or something.

Riley looked across the isle at the guy (Lynn) who was irritated by the other traveler earlier and spoke up, gesturing to the greeters. Her smile was one of feigned amusement. "Are you as excited to get to your world as they are to greet us?" The emotions outside contrasted those felt just seconds earlier.