"I will not suffer the embarrassment of running from one who could end me at any moment! If you must, then kill me now."
-Heard by the engineer Gorden on number 978.
Green screamed, waking up in a cold sweat.
He glanced back and forth, breathing heavily. He was laying on something soft. His right eyes spotted a figure in the corner.
Startled, Green shot up off the bed he'd been laying in, trying to reach for his knife. He felt an immediate pain shock through his side. He looked down for a split second, noting the bandage that covered a hole in his side.
The Pteranodon had stabbed him with its beak right before he and Carrie had… Carrie. Green's mind caught up, he was in some kind of village. He had broken through the morphel vines while running from a flock of Pteranodons. He had asked someone for help.
Green looked up at a stranger who had her hands held up disarmingly.
"Ye're a jumpy yin, eh?" The girl said, or asked? Green couldn't tell. He'd never heard that accent.
Green's eyes darted from one side of the room to the other. He was in a small dome-like building with what looked to be a circled opening into the wall. Morphel vines hung from the ceiling, providing enough light to see.
Not that his Elven eye needed it.
He quickly inspected the girl who was there with him. "Who are you?" Green asked, warily moving to the small hole in the wall.
"Ah'm nae gonnae hurt ye," the girl replied. "Ah jist want tae see whit yer lassie said."
Green inspected the girl, "what?"
"Yer lassie. Th' wee hen ye cam in here wi'." Green raised an eyebrow. "Ye hopped her in wi' ye… uhh, lang hair, bricht green eyes, like yersel'."
"Carrie!? She's here!?" Green walked to the hole and started climbing through.
"Whit are ye gaun oot the windae for? The door's richt here."
The girl pushed the wall, a section of it shifted, then crumbled to dust. Green looked at the wall, then back at the girl. She smiled.
The girl ducked out, leaving Green to his own bafflement. Eventually, Green stepped out of the dome-like building, stopping for a moment to inspect the hole.
Green jumped slightly when the dust surrounding the dome gathered, filling in the hole. Green leaned down to find two glyphs on the ground. Around the dome-like building
The first was black with a decay pulx, and the second was silvery with a reverse pulx. Green's ear twitched. A time pulx? And one that had been attached not to an item, but a general area.
"Whit are ye thinkin' aboot?" The girl asked.
Green turned, "what?" He asked, still unable to pick apart her accent.
"Whit are ye thinkin' aboot?" she repeated
Aboot? Green thought, trying to pick apart the accent. About? So is she asking what I'm thinking about? Where did she get her lingo?
"Do you mean 'what am I thinking about?'" Green asked.
"Aye."
"How did you put a time pulx here?" Green asked. "And how can you maintain it? Do you have a mana source somewhere around here?" The girl looked at him befuddled. "Mana storage, you know like a CP."
"Ah dinnae ken whit yer talkin' aboot."
"Nevermind, you said you know where Carrie is?"
"Yer lassie, come wi' me."
Green followed the girl down what sounded to be a paved path. Green looked up, the only thing that's lighting this place is the morphel, he thought. Though the vines did lighten things up, it wouldn't be enough to see by, for a normal person. How can these people see?
Though Green could see perfectly well, that was mainly due to his Elven eye. These people didn't have the metallic-like hair, the bright gem-like eyes, and their ears were rounded.
They're obviously human, Green thought.
Surrounding the girl and Green was an entire village of dome-like buildings. People around them hustled and bustled, though quietly, there were still a tidy sum walking around market-like stands. Some people even seemed to be on dates.
This place looked to be like any other civilization. And was more like a small city than a village.
"Ah'd dae that, honest." A voice said.
"Wow."
Green glanced over when he heard that voice. It was familiar. He made his way over, then grabbed the figure's shoulder.
The person gasped, turning. "Green?" Carrie said.
"Are you alright, do you know where we are?" Green asked, but paused when he looked down.
She was wearing a gray button down shirt, some long tight jeans, and very sturdy looking boots. Green was about to speak again when Carrie suddenly hugged him, taking him by surprise.
When he looked up, he could see a boy holding a poorly crafted ring made of morphel vines. And for one reason or another, he seemed annoyed and even angry at Green's presence. Green looked back down at Carrie, who had her face buried in his chest.
She acts more like a toddler than a child, he thought. Though intellectually, she was like a teenager. Not something he would expect from someone her age.
"A-all right now," Green said, grabbing Carrie's shoulders and forcing her off him. "I see that you are ok so… do you know where we are?"
"I'm not sure," Carrie responded, quickly gathering her wits. "When I woke up Vicky introduced me to the chief of the town. He told me to stay until you woke up."
Carrie looked down, then put her hand on his stomach where the bandage was wrapped.
"How are you feeling?" Carrie asked, her voice suddenly very soft.
Green froze for a moment. She sounds so much like her too, Green thought. What kind of mimicry is this? He shook his head, then patted her head.
"I'm alright," he said flatly.
The woman Green was led by caught up with them, and smiled at Carrie.
"This is Vicky," Carrie said, gesturing to the woman. "She's the one who introduced me and just made me feel welcome."
"Guild tae meet ye," Vicky held out a hand.
Green took it hesitantly. Vicky tried to pull Green, but Green tensed, keeping himself from moving. Green quickly slid his hand from Vicky's and scowled.
"What was that?" Green asked.
"Jist want tae see them." Vicky replied, moving in closer, staring Green in the eyes. She smiled, bringing out some kind of note book. "They glimmer, but no ower bricht." She looked up, "yer een were britcher afore, an' they glimmered a bit mai."
"What are you…"
"Vicky's a scholar." Carrie said, interrupting Green. "We're the first Elves she's seen so she's been… curious."
"Whit fur aye haud yer left ee shut?" Vicky said.
Green looked at Carrie with a raised eyebrow, "She asked why you always have your left eye closed… You pick up their lingo quickly."
When she asked, Green noticed it. His left eye was closed, he hadn't even thought about it. Ever since he got his glasses he could always tell when his eyes were being revealed. Green paused, then groaned.
"What?" Carrie asked.
"My glasses," Green replied, "they were left on the train."
"Oh, sorry."
"It's not your fault," Green gasped, then felt his belt for… "My Pistol!" He shouted. Getting the attention of everyone around them.
"The one you used to kill the Septaroth?" Carrie asked.
Green nodded, going pale. "Mark's going to kill me," Green looked up, "I have to go back for it."
"What?" Careless asked, "Green, we almost died in there, I don't think."
Green cut her off. "I need it, even if I broke… nevermind, that doesn't count as full."
"What doesn't?"
"Nevermind that either. Look, I need that gun. I want you to stay here. I don't know how this place stays safe but it does, that's all that matters. I'm going back out there."
Green turned to leave when Careless grabbed his arm.
"Hold on Green," Careless said, seeming overwhelmed. "I don't think it's worth risking your life for something that can be replaced."
Green grabbed Careless's arm in return, looking into her eyes.
"It's more than just a gun to me Careless, It's my life-line." Green sighed, "it's my last life-line."
Green turned again, moving to leave, Careless let him go. His last life-line? She questioned.
"I thocht yer name wis Careless." Vicky said.
"Aye," Careless responded, watching Green leave through the starlight's grace. "It's a byename."
Carrie turned back to the hobble she and Vicky shared. When she walked in, she was again amazed by the decor. Starlight's grace hung from the ceiling and ran down the walls.
There were several pictures on the walls, though Carrie's eyes weren't good enough to see what or who was on them, the frame's visibility was enough.
Vicky walked in a few minutes later, holding a small pan of stew. She put it on a knee level counter, and took out a couple bowls.
Carrie sat on the soft dirt, looking up at the starlight's grace. Though it was beautiful, she wanted to see the real stars. But when she had asked Vicky, or anyone for that matter, they had all rejected her. Saying; those who do so always end up food for the Nebby. Whatever that was.
After they finished the meal, Carrie laid on a bed that was next to Vicky's. That reminded her of something.
"Hey Vicky?" Carrie asked.
"Hm?" Vicky replied.
"This is yer hame, richt?"
"Mhm."
"Whit fur dae ye hae twa beds?"
"Nae reason in particular?"
Carrie opened her mouth to ask about other oddities. Like why she kept her clothing when she was a baby, or why she already had a table for two. The mere fact that she had a hobble all to herself was strange.
Hobbles were hard to get, and the work Vicky did didn't explain her being able to afford one. But Carrie was beginning to realize it was rude to ask too many personal questions, so she let it go, falling asleep.