[Fabled Countryside] - Be Our Guest, Chapter 2

[Kat]

(OOC: New chapter, which means a new world! Please check our character list to see if any BATB charries are still available. If so, please feel free to take them...they need to be cast! Thanks.)

Emitting a small moan, Epsei forced her eyes open slowly, blinking against the blinding sunlight. What...what had just happened? She forced herself into a sitting position, gazing around. All the other students were thrown about as well, all over the grassy field -- a field she didn't recognize. Where were they? What was going on? She remembered the garage, the rats...and then...wait! A cloud had covered the sun, accompanied with an awful wind, and then...a dragon. A fire-breathing dragon. And then darkness...lots of darkness.

Chelela was already on her feet, gazing around their new surroundings, watching for any potential enemy or danger. She heard Epsei stir and glanced back at her to see if she was alright, then looked back towards the woods again. Being one of the eldest of all the students at the Academy (and the only one currently awake, at that), she felt as if it were her responsiblity to make sure the area was clear and safe...

She saw Chelela and offered her a slight smile before pulling herself to her knees. At least Lela and the others were there, and she wasn't alone in this new and strange place... She crawled over to the closest person to her, giving them a gentle shake. "Hey, you ok?"

[Starlight]

It was all happening again...

Though the creature was not the same as the one she had encountered on the island, Mirai still had every reason to be frightened. She gasped sharply at the sight of the ferocious dragon. As the beast exhaled a blast of fire, Mirai braced herself, crossing her forearms above her head in a futile attempt to protect herself from the flames. However, she did not feel the pain of flame's scorching her flesh, instead Mirai felt stifling warmth and the curious sensation of floating on air. And then she was faced with her worst fear--total darkness. Mirai screamed as the nothingness closed in around her, but her own echos were the only response to her frightened cries.

And if that weren't enough...

She found herself there again, back on the island on that fateful night, with her parents. Heartless ran rampant. The wind whipped, the lightening flashed, and the thunder clapped. Small patches of fire (caused by the lightening) were hungrily consuming the island's dry vegetation in the rainless storm. A large, shadowy figure appeared, ensnared her parents, and quickly vanished, leaving Mirai alone to face the horde of Heartless. She shrieked as she felt a claw reach out and grab her arm.

Mirai's blue eyes suddenly flashed open and were presented with the image of Epsei looking down at her. The shy girl's cheeks burned an intense red. Just perfect! Here I am, finally making friends, and I scream in Epsei's face! She quickly stood and gave the violet-haired girl an apologetic look, before glancing down at the ground. "I am so very sorry!"

[Nova]

Immediately following Mirai's scream came another, but more of a yell that sounded like the beginning of a word. And as he yelled, Felix sat straight up, his eyes shooting open. "MY SHIP!" He blinked a few more times, his eyes focusing and his thoughts coming back to him. Ok, so it techincally wasn't -his- ship, but it was one of the ones he had been working on, and it had been STOLEN! Right out of the garage! Who in their right mind would steal a gummi ship right from the garage?!
Now where were they? Oo;
Oh yea, there had been a dragon, fire, and some sort of vortex...Which had actually taken a little longer than the others to suck him up. So basically it looks like they were in someplace foreign...'Cause Felix sure didn't recognize it. And blast it all, how was he supposed to get his ship back if he didn't even know where he was?! Bloody...
What a day.

Never. Again. This was just too much.
First he's dragged to the Market, a place he didn't care for in the first place.
Next he and Chelela almost loose the younger students.
Next he trips over rats.
Then the air changes, and somebody bloody YELLS "DIE".
Then it becomes very, uncomfortably hot.
And he's sucked into some sort of wind tunnel...Thing.
And then he passes out.
And NOW he's awake with absolutely NO idea where he is, or what's going on.
Jian was never going to the Market again. >>

Laying somewhere in long grasses nearby, a pair of feet shot into the air then plumeted down, shooting up a torso. With a grin on her face and sparkle in her eyes, Kiku cheerfully plucked a few leaves out of her hair. Ok, so it wasn't the most fun way to travel, but hey, it started an adventure!
Oh wait, she was supposed to be serious about this.
...
Nah.
With a bounce, Kiku got onto her feet and brushed some dirt off then stretched a little. "Morning, all!" :3

Kiku should NOT sound so happy. ><
Jian was just gonna...lay there...for a while. Oi. >>

[Kat]

Epsei leapt backwards as Mirai came to, startled by her sudden screaming. Though, she wasn't the only one to scream or yell, she realized, so it was all good. Offering the girl a smile, she shrugged. "It's okay...understandable, after whatever THAT was..." That dragon was freaky. ._.

Chelela deemed the area safe for the time being, turning back to help whoever needed it - and Jian looked like he needed it. She bent down to help him up, glancing around at the group. "Everybody okay?" Stupid question, but still.

She nodded, then glanced over to Kiku. O_o Woah. She was acting like nothing at all had happened! How could she be so...insanely happy?

[Starlight]

"Um...o-okay," she stuttered to Epsei, her cheeks still flushed from embarrassment. Mirai turned to Chelela and nodded in response to her question, thought she wasn't quite sure she was "okay." This is was the fourth time she had had this dream, yet it made her feel no less rattled than it had the first time she had dreamed it. So what did it all mean? That something bad was going to happen? Well, something bad had all ready happened, right? She along with the other Academy students had been whisked away to some unknown place, and they had no idea if the other citizens in Trinity City had survived the dragon's attack. Still, she couldn't help thinking, Was the worse yet to come? However, Mirai's worried thoughts were suddenly wiped away when she remembered something. Where is Meeko? she thought frantically. Just then, Mirai felt a light tug on the back of her pant leg. Looking behind her, there was Meeko, his usual human-like smile planted upon his face. Smiling in relief, Mirai bent down to stroke the raccoon's head, only to notice he was no longer paying attention to her. Meeko was, once again, busy sniffing the air with his nose, his eyes darting around in excitement. For the first time, Mirai noticed their surroundings. They were in the middle of a wide open field, edged with trees and dotted with hundreds of wildflowers. The more she looked the more she realized that they couldn't possibly be in Trinity City any more. Were they in another world?! A wide grin spread across Mirai's face and her eyes twinkled merrily. Despite the circumstances upon which they had arrived, Mirai was looking forward to exploring this place. So much for being worried!

[Nova]

Jian, who had been lying still with his eyes closed, started slightly when Chelela appeared near him to help him up. With a small sigh, he leaned up slowly, making sure not to give himself a headrush. For a moment he sat on the ground, holding onto Chelela's arm, waiting for his thoughts to jump start. He shook his head lightly, then finally looked up, his sightless eyes looking straight in front of him. "...Do you recognize where we are?" he whispered, hoping not to scare the younger students too much. He figured if they were still nearby Academy grounds, or even Trinity city, Chelela would recognize it.

In response to Chelela's question, Kiku stretched her arms upward, making a few joints pop. "Yup, I'm fine! Think I landed on a rock though..." And she was sporting a small headache...But small stuff like that didn't bother her. She was more interested in exploring their surroundings! Glancing over at Meeko, who led her eyes to Mirai, Kiku noticed that she wasn't the only one excited. Cool. An exploring buddy. >3

Standing up slowly, Felix began to examine his metal arm, looking for any malfunctions or dirt in his joints. It would be a pain to fix or clean, especially without his lab. But no, it seemed alright. Just a leaf or two. Still, just to be safe...
With a small click, his metal hand came out of it's socket and with his other hand he pulled it out then looked into his contraption of an arm. All gears were still working, just a few scratches and dents. That was good then.

...Dude just took his hand off. oo;

[Kat]

Chelela sighed softly, glancing around again. "I'm afraid I don't." she replied quietly. It wasn't part of Trinity, she knew that much. They had been dumped into another world, this she was sure of. It was simply that they didn't know what world it might be...or what dangers it held.

Epsei decided that she would be excited like Kiku and Mirai if she just knew where she was. Then they could do all the exploring they wanted, but she just wanted to know what this strange place was called...who lived there...

A rumble of thunder sounded in the sky, and Chelela glanced up in time to see some rather big rainclouds rolling in. "We'd better find some shelter, guys. Looks like rain." And she didn't care to be caught in it.

[Starlight]

The loud rumble of thunder startled Mirai a bit, and she cast a wary eye to the rapidly darkening sky. Mirai wasn't normally apprehesive of storms, in fact she rather liked them. But with everything that had happened to her lately, and the dream... Well, she just hoped there would be... Suddenly, she felt a water droplet hit the tip of her up-turned nose. Blinking, Mirai released a sigh of relief. Everything would be okay. As her gaze fell, she noticed, in the distance, an object peaking above the tall trees that resembled a spire. "Everyone," she said turning to the group and raising a pointed finger to to the point just above the treeline, "I believe there may be a structure in the forest. Perhaps we can find shelter there." Just as she was finishing her last sentence, big rain drops began to pepper down rapidly upon the students.

[Nova]

Oh no. This was not good. Noooot good. Within seconds, the excited, adventurous look slid off of Kiku's face, being replaced one of infinite worry - and concealed fear. Kiku could handle almost -anything- else that life could toss, throw, or beam at her, but thunderstorms were not one of them. Or, to be more specific, lightning.
Pushing down the chill that was crawling up her back, Kiku turned with statue-esque movements towards the group. "S-shall we get going then?"

After clicking his hand back into his mechanical limb, Felix turned in the direction Mirai pointed at, his right eye going orange. Zooming in on the structure and x-raying through obstructing trees, he deemed to be a castle, one that looked almost abandoned. "I think it's a castle... And it looks close enough to walk to, just a ways through these woods." His words stopped abruptly as the rain came falling from the sky, and inwardly he groaned. He haaaaaated getting wet. Oh well. With another small noise, a small umbrella popped out of his arm, from somewhere in those vast, incomprehensible mines, and with one button pushed, it 'phwooshed' open into an umbrella just his size. "Sorry I don't have any more, guys. Try leaves...?"

When he was finally standing up, the feeling of cold water startled him again, but he remained standing. He didn't mind getting wet, persay, it just weighed his clothes down and made it harder to walk. As if walking wasn't hard enough already. Gently yet firmly, he gripped Chelela's arm. "Let's get to that castle."

[Kat]

Chelela's gaze followed Mirai's out in the direction of the structure in the woods, It looked absolutely huge, even from this distance... and Felix's announcement gave explaination why - it was a castle. Well, she hoped it wasn't ABANDONED, for they needed directions and information. But on the other hand, if the possible owners weren't kind and didn't allow them to stay..well...

They would just have to try anyway.

Putting a hand over Jian's, ready to assist him, she nodded to the others. "Lets head in that direction, then. Towards the castle. Maybe whoever lives there will be kind enough to give us food and shelter until we figure out what to do next."

Nodding slowly, Epsei lifted her gaze towards the castle in the distance. It looked so big...and so dark... did monsters live there? She hoped not... but at least some of the older students could defend them...maybe.

Rain was starting to fall heavier now. "Come on guys, lets hussle before it gets any worse!"

[Starlight]

Mirai turned back in the direction of the tall spire. A castle? How amazing!she thought wistfully. I wander who, if anyone, lives there? Upon hearing Chelela and the others' words of urgency, she turned and gave a serious nod. "Yes, let's."

Meeko nodded as well. And always willing to be the leader, he gave a comical salute, before scampering off toward the forest.

Mirai was about to follow her furry friend's lead, when she caught a glace at Kiku's face. Something seemed to be bothering her. With a warm smile, Mirai reached out with her gloved hand and gently took hold of Kiku's arm. Giving her a nod of understanding, Mirai quickly started off, leading her toward the trees.

Anything for a friend. ^_^

[Nova]

Kiku's heart promptly melted at the kindness from Mirai and it took every ounce of control for her not to go, "DAAAAAAAAW!" and hug the girl. Instead, she mustered up the biggest smile she could, even though her eyebrows were still creased with worry, and tightened her arm around Mirai. Ok, so normally, she hated people knowing her weaknesses, however few there were. But it didn't seem too bad if Mirai knew...She'd only known the girl for a short while, but she already felt a bond. And Kiku was one to trust her instincts, and she wasn't about to stop, since they'd been mostly right all her life. Still...that didn't stop Kiku from wincing every time thunder rolled by. As long as she could see the lightning, she wouldn't have a break down though...

Ahead of them, Felix was holding his umbrella with his skin-grafted arm, and cutting through obstructing branches with his other, making a pretty much harmless path for the other students. Soon, they would reach the castle, he could tell. "Just a bit further!"

Trying not to growl as another leaf smacked his face, Jian kept his steady pace with Chelela, trying not to hurry. The sooner they got out of here and to the castle, the better. The rain was already weighing down his clothes and making him stumble, and there was mud everywhere. Baaah. ><

[Kat]

After what seemed like forever, but was really only a few minutes more, they reached the gates of the tall, looming castle. Chelela studied the gate as Epsei stared up at the huge fortress, nearly tipping over backwards because she had to tilt her head back so far to see the top. It looked so...scary! And huge!

It most certainly did seem foreboding, but what could they do? She managed to push the gate open after asking Epsei to hold onto Jian for a moment, then resumed her position once it was open wide enough for them to pass. "Come on guys...we're almost out of this rain."

Nodding and wrapping her arms around her shivering self, Epsei followed Chelela and Jian through the open gate onto the bridge. The huge door was in sight now, thank goodness...almost there. As they finally reached it, she noticed the knockers on the door and stepped back in surprise. They were frightening looking! Shaped like...monsters. "Somebody uh...needs a new decorator."

Smiling slightly at this, Chelela reached out and took the knocker, lifting it and letting it fall once, then twice. The noise echoed over the stone. After several moments, however, no one had come to the door. She tried again, to the same result. "Maybe it really IS deserted then..." she pondered aloud. Knowing they had to get inside before someone caught a cold, she switched Jian over to Epsei again, then pulled open the large wooden door, revealing a great hall with a huge staircase at the end.

"Wow..." o_o

[Starlight]

It heartened Mirai to see Kiku smile. When others were happy, she was happy. Thus encourage, she trudge onward through the forest with a renewed vigor The further inward the group went, the darker their surroundings became (but thank goodness not too dark!), and all the sounds of wildlife subsided. In that part of the forest, the lack of sufficient sunlight had caused the vegetation to be stunted, crooked, and knarled, like little monsters, with arms, reaching out to grab their victims.

Not normally being the bravest of creatures, Meeko was thoroughly spooked! His ears were perked and rapidly twiching in an effort to detect the movements of a would-be attacker, his masked-eyes were open wide, and he kept hopping to face various directions to keep said "attacker" from sneaking up on him and the others. Finally deciding he could better "protect" Mirai and the rest of the student from an aerial view, deftly leapt to his friend's shoulder (the one opposite of Kiku) and wrapped his little, black paws around her neck, just so as not to fall. ;)

Mirai shivered violently both because she was soaked to the skin and freezing and because of the creepiness of the environment. The group of students continued onward through the labyrinth of trees and shrubs until sight caused Meeko and Mirai to stop dead in their tracks. An enormous and foreboding castle loomed above the students. Mirai inclined her head till she was looking straight up, just to see the tops of the roof. Menacing-looking gargoyles were perched on the roof's edges, and a rusting wrought iron gate stood before the entrance to the dark castle. However, despite the castle's ominous feel, Mirai had an odd curiosity to see inside the building that she couldn't explain. What she did know is that they needed to get out of the storm, and that the creepy-looking castle in front of them was their only form of shelter. Her tennis shoes make a wet squishing sound, Mirai followed the others through the gate, onto the bridge, and to the large front doors, all the while silently hoping it was warm and well-lit inside the castle. As Chelela opened the grand doors and the students began filing inside, released a response similar to Epesi's. "Oh..." she whispered in awe, her round blue eyes widened as they roved over every surface in the enormous and elaborate entrance hall. Though everything was cast in shadow (the frequent lighting blots keep a constant light source from the floor-to-ceiling windows), Mirai was able to make out the contents of the hall. Gently, she plucked the thoroughly soaked and perturbed raccoon from her shoulder and cradled him in her arms as she stared around the seemingly deserted foyer.

[Nova]

This already spectacular day just kept getting better and better. Now was he soaked to his body, muddy, AND being passed around like a DOLL. Brilliant. Still, he wouldn't say anything or complain, that just wouldn't be done. But he -was- throughouly grumpy and couldn't stop the sigh of relief emitting from his lips when they finally entered into the seemingly deserted castle.

Kiku, who by this time was gripping Mirai's arm with almost painful force and walking with her eyes squeezed shut, reacted quickly when they entered the castle. Releasing Mirai's arm, she spun around and, after making sure everyone was inside, shoved the huge door shut. "Finally," she breathed, turning back around and leaning her back against the door. Instantly she could make out a difference in the sound from the storm. She didn't even mind that it was dark and cold inside. Once she recovered from the storm, she'd probably want to explore and maybe try to find a change of clothes, or at least a fire to warm up by.

At the top of the stairs, a large figure appeared, cloaked in shadows though exuding an aura of threatened defense. He watched the storm-logged students at the entrance with narrowed eyes and fangs bared. Still, they didn't smell like a threat...yet. "What," he growled, just loud enough for the group to hear him, "are you doing in my castle?"
The Beast was here.