Time For the Real Adventure to Begin

[riverfox-237.livejournal.com]

Who: Jenn, Aria, Ria if she wants in?
What: Jenn finally gets picked up from Narnia! With, um, a few difficulties.
Where: Narnia
When: Midday?
Warnings: Tl;dr entry. >.>

It was time to go, and surprisingly, Jenn felt a little sad about the fact. As the girl looked around the forest clearing from the opening of the cave that had been her home this last month, she knew she would miss it. Had it really been four weeks since all of this craziness started? In that span of time, she'd gotten used to the sight of fauns, centaurs, dwarves, talking animals...dryads, nayads, and all sorts of other things, as well. It would be strange being back in the human world again, although she didn't deny that she would really appreciate having feet again.

Shouldering the small bag of supplies - food, medicinal herbs that Lily the dryad had shown her how to use, a few small presents from friends, and of course her laptop - and with her bow and staff in hand, Jenn walked up to where Glenstorm and her other friends were waiting for her.

"I'm ready to go," she said, not without a trace of sadness. "Someone is coming to get me and take me...wherever I'm supposed to go next."

Tamara, the lovely brown-and-black-flanked centauress who had been giving her archery lessons, smiled warmly. "We shall miss you, Jennifer. You were an wonderful student."

"Aye, ya were," her faun bo staff trainer said with a wink. "Try not to bop yourself on the head too often." Jenn laughed, slightly embarrassed at the reminder of one of her first training accidents.

"Are you sure you can't tell us where you're going?" one of the squirrels asked anxiously.

Jenn shook her head, smiling and looking at the ground between her hooves. "I wish, but I really can't. You guys have been great, though. I'll miss you." Stifling a small sigh, she walked up to Glenstorm and held out the bow, quiver, and staff she had been using during her stay.

To her surprise, the centaur held up his hands, refusing them. "Take them," he said; despite his reassuring smile, the girl thought she could sense a hint of concern in his expression. "A gift from all of us. You may very well need them."

The thought made her stomach turn. A reminder that she was heading out into something...unknown. Possibly dangerous. But she couldn't stay here forever, especially if she ever wanted to get home. Best to deal with problems as they came. Mustering up a smile, Jenn nodded. "Thank you."

Jenn said her goodbyes to everyone (including Zeti the cheetah, who tried to act aloof about the whole thing), then went to the entrance of the cave and waited. Aria would be here soon...as a fox, apparantly. Jenn had wanted to get all of the goodbyes out of the way first She was a little sad that she hadn't seen Silandro around; where had he gone off to? She would miss the noble mouse the most. He'd been determined to act as her 'gaurdian' ever since she had gotten here and had become her best Narnian friend.

Well, hopefully he would show up before she left. After all, no way to tell if she would be back this way again.

Comments

[riverfox-237.livejournal.com]

Jenn was too frustrated with Silandro to notice Aria's rather blindsided reaction to this. She snapped back, "It won't WORK, okay? Did you not hear me tell you that I'm a human? You don't even LIKE humans!"

Silandro gave her an irritatingly impassive stare. "If that is true - which I admit, is difficult for me to believe - nevertheless, you are obviously not as vile as those retched Telmarines, and so I cannot imagine that it would bother me greatly."

Jenn paused. She had to admit, she was kind of touched by the mouse's disregard for racial differences. But that still left the problem of whether he actually COULD come with them. "Look, let's ask her. It's her ship, and she probably knows more than I do about what's allowed." Turning to the fox named Aria, Jenn asked, "Is there any law that says he can't come with me if I absolutely can't get rid of him?" As an afterthought (because her mom DID actually teach her manners), she added, "And, well, would YOU mind? It's your ship, after all."

[ariakitsune.livejournal.com]

Aria made some incomprehensible noises before stopping and taking a few deep breaths.

After a few seconds she replied "Well, it's not that I mind exactly... wait, you told him?"

She thought for a minute Cloud enjoys Earth's pop culture, Maleficent has a split personality, Sora had a job at Disneyland at some point and Roxas was his own person before continuing "It's not really that there are rules against it but, it's strongly advised that we don't take people from their worlds. And I'm not even entirely sure that there isn't a rule against it."

Aria was starting to get a headache. She knew how stubborn Narnian mice could be once they made up their minds about something. She really couldn't think of anything to say that would stop him and the alternative would involve either attacking him or getting a bunch of others involved.

"Of course," she muttered. "We're not supposed to tell anyone about it either." She looked between them and sighed. "You do realize that you wouldn't just be dealing with one human who you know but a bunch that you don't?" She really didn't have any other arguments. And really, she didn't see much of a point in stopping him if he already knew about it.

[riverfox-237.livejournal.com]

Jenn looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, I only just told him RIGHT before you showed up...I couldn't think of any other way to get him to stay! And now even that hasn't worked." She sighed. When Aria made the comment about how many humans he would have to deal with, Jenn decided to just wait and see how he would respond.

Silandro was in a quandary. He had, truly, thought that perhaps Jenn was not in her right mind, assuming she was human. But now that her fox companion was cooberating her story, he felt he had no choice to believe it. For a moment, the remark about having to face many humans unsettled him. But just for a moment.

"Ladies," the mouse said solemnly. "I accept your warnings, and am touched by your concern. However, if I were to disregard my vow on something so trivial as facing my kind's most feared rival, surely I would give up my sword and leave these fair lands for the shame. To break a vow over something as simple as the possibility of harm at the hands of my enemies - and surely not all humans can be as foul as the Telmarines, if you ladies are an example to be considered - is to break the very honor by which a Narnian mouse stands. Not to mention, no mouse would be so cowardly as to turn down a new adventure!" Bowing to the two girls, the mouse drew his rapier and held it flat upon his paws, extended towards them. "I offer you my sword, and humbly plead that you allow me to keep the vow I have made, in the name of Aslan himself, to protect this fair maiden and all who travel with her on her journey."

Jenn blinked a few times, momentarily at a loss. She had to admit (at least to herself) that Silandro's speech was very touching. And kind of flattering, that he would be THIS determined to follow her. And, yes, very embarrassing, that he was carrying on like this in front of the person picking her up. This was probably kind of awkward for both of them.

But she finally sighed and smiled at Silandro. "Well...I can't really say no to that. I mean, if it's that important to you...and I really wouldn't mind having you along, you know, I was just worried about you." She grinned sheepishly and said, "If it's okay with Aria, it's okay with me. It's her ship."

Mouse and faun looked to Aria for the final verdict.

[ariakitsune.livejournal.com]

Aria was sure there was no way to convince him to stay behind willingly. She wouldn't feel right trying to use force to make him stay behind.

"If it's really that important to you, you can come," she paused briefly. "But, I just want to make sure you understand a couple of things. First, there is no telling how long this journey will last. Second, even if only a few months pass out there it's possible that when and if you return years or even centuries could have passed here."

She looked right at him as she asked, "Can you live with that possibility? That Narnia would be different or that something could happen to prevent you from returning?"

[riverfox-237.livejournal.com]

Aria's warning sent a wave of horrified realization over Jenn. She hadn't even thought of that! How could she let Silandro come with them if that was a possibility? "Silandro, she's right! Oh man, you can't come with us, Sil! Time moves differently here...faster than in other places. We could come back and everyone you ever knew might be dead and gone! And even THEN, we might not ever be able to come back at all!" The teenager looked pleadingly at him. "You CAN'T come! You might never see your family, your friends, ever again! I'm not worth that sort of sacrifice."

She shouldn't have made that last comment. No sir, that was the wrong thing to say. Silandro's dark mouse eyes lit with fire, and he quite suddenly marched over to a tree Jenn was standing next to, scaled it until he was at eye-level with her, and pointed a claw right in her face. "Do not ever let me hear those words, Miss Jennifer," he snapped sternly. "The very idea that you do not consider yourself worth such sacrifice! I will not hear of such degradation of your impeccable honor, even from yourself." Twitching his nose, he looked from Jenn to Aria and back, still hanging off the side of the tree with an impressive three-pawed grip. "The decision is mine, then."

Hopping to the ground, the mouse turned and nodded to the fox who was Aria. "Your warning is greatly appreciated, Lady F- ah, Miss Aria. Surely, if what you say is true, and my time is long past when we next return, then I might be temporarily saddened. But I have no more family than a brother, odd as that is for a mouse, and he would be ashamed of me for using him as an excuse. No, I must face these things like a mouse. It is what Aslan would wish, and his will his greater than mine." With a sharp nod, he picked up his small pack and stated with finality, "So my decision is final. I shall accompany you."

[ariakitsune.livejournal.com]

Aria was not the least bit surprised by his answer. "Well, I see you're ready to go. I see no reason to put if off any longer."

Feeling that there wasn't anything left to be said she started in the direction of her ship, pausing briefly to make sure they were following.

[ariaalways.livejournal.com]

Ria, thankfully no longer a meerkat, but instead a large reddish-brown squirrel, peered out the window of the ship.

"I'll wait twenty more minutes, then I'm going exploring for them, Pancake." She told the dreamhare.

[riverfox-237.livejournal.com]

Jenn hardly knew what to say. Silandro definitely wasn't like anyone she had ever known before. And honestly, a small part of her was really pleased that he truly wanted to come. She picked up her pack, and nodded to Aria. Then she finally turned a shy smile on the mouse and said, "Thanks, Sil."

The mouse nodded to her, seeminly still solemn. But she'd known him long enough now to catch the hidden smile on his face.

The pair followed the fox off into the trees, apparantly to where Aria's ship was parked. Jenn and Silandro cast one last look back towards the spot that had been Jenn's home for the last two weeks - and Silandro's for his whole life.

(OOC: I figure they'll be walking for a while and didn't want to bore everyone by writing it. XD Should be that they run into the monster somewhere between here and the ship. Please feel free to pick one, I don't know any good FF monsters! ^^; )

[ariakitsune.livejournal.com]

Aside from paying attention to where they were going, Aria had been spacing out a bit on the walk back to her ship.

They were almost within sight of it when she heard something rustling in the bushes to her left. She jumped back in surprise when something (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Sahagin_(Final_Fantasy_IX)) tried to skewer her from the bushes.

She wasn't confident that she could fight in this form and she really didn't want to find out what the ugly thing tasted like.

That left magic. She cast the first spell that came to mind. The offensive form of Aero... and she missed.