Living Room - Crossroads' Home
This room seems less like a modern construction and instead is much more
like a cave. Pipes, fashioned to look like roots, cross back and forth over
the ceiling of this room, with small lamps resembling glowing plants curled
around them. The walls resemble roughly hewn stone. Several pieces of
furniture are scattered around the room somewhat nonchalantly, all tying in
with the room's 'theme'.

Crossroads climbed down from the ladder that lead to the attic happy to have the box of baby clothes out of sight and out of mind for the moment. Its not that she didn't want kids, but being a wishborn made settling down and starting a family difficult. Not to mention, even if she wasn't a wishborn she didn't think she was quite ready to be someone's mother. She had just turned 20 a couple days ago, and while many girls in her world were married off and with or having families at this age, she still felt that she still felt that she had a lot of life she needed to experience yet.

Lorastine was practicing a new dish in front of the stove. Something to experiment with since she wanted to try new things. In a pot next to her was a crab lifting its claw over the rim of the pot. The hylian glanced at it from the corner of her eye and pushed it back into its container. She heard the attic door open, and the sound of Cross coming down from the ladder. "Maybe Cross will be my guiena pig for this..." she said to herself with a slightly worrying grin.

All of a sudden, there's a loud couple of knocks coming from the front door! Not, perhaps, intentionally loud, but it definitely sounds like someone's using a fist. "Hey! Cross, Lora! Are you guys home?" Mollianne's vibrant voice rang out from just outside the door, sounding a little on the urgent side.

Crossroads pushed the stairs back up to the ceiling. If Lorastine asked, she would just say she was clearing away some clutter. She caught the knocking and Mollianne's call at the door just as she stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Brows knit in worry, she hurried to the door to answer it. She didn't know what would suddenly bring the siren to this side of the continent without any word or message over the radio, but based on the girls tone it sounded like some sort of emergency.

Lorastine looked back slightly from the stove, currently adding seasonings. "Is that Molly?" she asked as she caught a glimpse of Crossroads making her way to the door. While Lora's attention was turned away the crab attempted a second escape.

Mollianne stands in the door as Crossroads opens it up for her, and blinks a couple of times, beaming a happy smile up at Crossroads. "Hi! I am happy to report that you were, so far, incorrect." The obnoxious tone of her voice is a bit on the unnerving side, but she seems genuinely happy to see Crossroads. "I guess I lied about calling you back when we went to your mama's house, too. That was my fault; I kinda lost track of... a lot of things."

Mollianne grins a little sheepishly, one fang poking out from her upper lip. A fair bit of redness cascades across her cheeks and upper nose, though she doesn't seem embarassed about anything. Well, not too much.

"It is! Better set up another place at the table, Lora!" Crossroads yelled towards the kitchen, then blinked down at the siren and stepped aside to let her in. "Yeah. It seems as though I was incorrect, at least with the events timing. I told you I can't really tell exactly when these events I see are going to occur so when you mentioned Ambience being there for a visit I got a little worried. I'm sorry." She was frowning despite your smile. She really couldn't see any reason to joke over such a vision. "I haven't felt it come to pass yet, nor have I felt it change."

Lorastine felt a grin grow on her face, she hadn't seen Mollianne in a while and now she gets to serve dinner for her. "Oh great! I'm sure we'll have enough" she called back before turning to retrieve the crab from the pot, but blinks when she finds it empty. She suddenly looked around franticlly for the rouge crustation, "Crabby? Where are you?" she asked quietly, not wanting to embarrass herself if someone heard her.

All of a sudden, the ground begins to shake; not violently, but in a tremor that feels as if the surface of the entire Cleft of Dimensions was being shifted in some location! A flash of white light brightens the sky from all directions for the most fractional of seconds!

Mollianne opens her mouth to say something in response, but then stops as the tremor hits, frowning visibly. "What the..? Cross, are we having an earthquake?"

She would have guessed that they were excpet earthquakes were not usually accompannied by bright flashes of light. Crossroads stood still for breath of a second, stunned by the sudden event. Without answering she squeezed past you to look outside for the source or... something. Really she had no idea what to expect upon looking outside but if there was anything to see, then it certainly couldn't be seen indoors.

Lorastine had just found the crab that had escaped when the earthquake struck, the staredown had ended when the crab started to shake as the tremors were a bit too much for its tiny body. The flash was a surprise to Lorastine as well causing her to ignore the crab for a moment but it seemed just as stunned as her. "Cross! What was that?" she asked as she went to the window to look outside.

The rumbling persists at a consistent state, continuing to rattle the floors of establishments and the very earth at one's feet! Gradually, however, it subsides... only to be followed by a global, piercing keen not unlike metal being scraped against metal, as the tip of something huge suddenly appears at the surface of the Manawyden ocean, slowly rising out of it!

Mollianne lets Cross past, scanning what horizon she can see; for some reason, the metal-on-metal doesn't seem to phase her at all, and she seems set on just trying to figure out where it came from. "I do not think it was an earthquake... or if it was, it was just a little one. But what the heck DID happen?" Given her diminutive height, she can't really see anything from where she is, at this time. Especially not THAT far away.

Crossroads turned back to the house as the tremors continued and called back to Mollianne and Lorastine, feeling a rise in fear and paranoia she had not felt since she lived in her own world. "Out of the house! Both of you!" She called to the two of them as the shaking subsided. Then the sound came and she cringed, feeling her hair rise. Instinctively her hands went to her ears to protect them.

Lorastine quickly moved the crab back to its container and quickly made her way outside. The sound caught her pointed ears and caused her to wince in pain at the piecing sound, they even tilted downward. "What is that sound?" she complained as she covered her ears with her hands. "What is going on?!"

Slow at first, then gradually picking up speed and sending waves of displaced water crashing down upon the shores of Phendrana's northern coast, the object rises out of the ocean; a massive, black fortress set upon a chunk of land not much bigger than the construct itself, eerie in design like some twisted mass of metallic circuitry.

As it rises into the air, lights begin to illuminate its exterior; pale, flickering blue lights crossed with violet, darkly casting a gloomy aura around the floating fortress as it ascends high into the sky... and then stops suddenly, merely hanging there in suspended air. An obnoxious crack of thunder roars across the Cleft of Dimensions, signaling its arrival!

Mollianne frowns softly as the object gradually comes within their ability to see, floating high up into the sky over all things. She turns toward the north, aquamarine eyes wide. "Cr.. Crossroads..?"

Crossroads wraps her arms about herself, taking a couple slow deep breaths. It was just a small earthquake. Nothing to be afraid of. No buildings were going to come crashing down on them. Her eyes follow the siren's gaze, widening as she saw the floating ominous object hanging in the sky above them. What... What was that? Frowning and still shaking somewhat, she turns to her future sight hoping to get some answers; staring vacantly ahead. There were three people in the vision. Molly, Ambience, and the man who had threatened her. He was angry, and she can hear pieces of conversation involving a sword. The vision changes and she can see the Angry scruffy man flying on the back of a giant beast with Ambience.. then nothing. Crossroads blinked, then peered at the siren, "Um..." The young woman tilted her head to the side. How was she going to explain this to her?

Lorastine looked between the girls then at the rising structure in the distance. Her voice was muted by cracking thunderous sound that virberated through the air causing her to visually flinch. Why was all this happening? What was going on? There was so many questions she wanted to ask, but couldn't find a way to vocalize them clearly.

Mollianne doesn't really wait for a response from Crossroads; instead, she ujnfurls her wings and takes to the sky, issuing a large blast of wind in all directions from the force of her ascent, beating at the air several tens of feet above Crossroads' house so that she can get a look at it from an unobstructed viewpoint. "Something... that thing is flying. Cross, we--" Her statement is cut short suddenly, as a column if flickering white light suddenly beams down from the sky above them, landing next to Crossroads and Lorastine! As the light hits the ground, it disperses rapidly, leaving a young male behind with a large sword sheathed across his back. His short midnight-blue hair rustles slightly, and a frown is embedded deeply into his features. He looks around quickly, not seeming to know where he is. "Hey, uh. Have you guys seen a girl with big, big wings?"

Crossroads was about to say something when the siren took to the sky to get a better look at the thing. She looked up at her, shielding her eyes only to let out a small scream a moment later as another burst of light right next to her and Lorastine. When it disapates... Crossroads could only stare at the boy, looking a lot older than the last time she saw him about a year or so ago. She takes a couple steps backwards, looking over him. He was almost a teenager already?

Lorastine blinks at the sudden new guest, a bit dumbfounded, this guy didn't seem dangerous, but instead he seemed almost confused as she was. He was a complete stranger to the hylian, but Cross wasn't saying anything to him. "Umm... who are you?" she asked curiously taking a large step. She had wings but they weren't real so he couldnt be talking about her. Maybe Mollianne?

The boy tilts his head between the Hylian and the other girl, looking even more concerned. "Oh, sorry. I'm Ambience, should'a said something when I came down." He offered a quick, halfhearted salute to the both of them, pearls glinting off the hilt of his slung weapon. "I was jus' wonderin' if you guys saw a--!" His sentence is sut short as Mollianne aerial-pounces on him from above, with a disarming squeal! "Hey! I somehow -knew- you were gonna show up!" The two of them sprawl out into the cobbles in front of Crossroads and Lorastine, Mollianne giggling as the boy attempts to pick himself up.

Crossroads remains silent, staring wordlessly at Ambience. He was aging so quickly. She thought she had more time before... before... But the vision had changed, hadn't it? She had felt it so it didn't mean he would succeed anymore in killing her. But without checking who knew exactly what had changed in the vision? Nothing she had tried to do had any effect on anything so she had no idea what had changed. Seeing him now though, so close to the age he was in her vision though felt like a punch in the stomach. It was because of these thoughts that it took a while for the boy's introduction to sink in. Why was he introducing himself? He knew who she was, didn't he?

Lorastine feels a little at ease when Mollianne reappears and tackles into Ambience. She had a weird feeling she had met this person before but his appearance didn't ring a single bell in her mind. It felt like everything was a bad memory surrounding that feeling. She smiled slightly as she watches Mollianne and Ambience interact. "I guess she found you before you could find her." she said looking back at the structure. "Hey... do you know whats up with the creepy events happening?"

Ambience hauls himself up, smiling faintly at Mollianne before pulling himself up into a standing position, dusting himself off. "Yeah, and it's not good. It's why I came back." He looks at Molly for a moment, then at Crossroads, seeing him looking him up and down in a scrutinizing manner. "Er, is everythin' okay?" He puts a hand over his face, checking to see if he missed some dirt or something.

Mollianne looks up to follow Lorastine's gaze at the airborne island, frowning. "It just came from out of nowhere. Do you.." The siren stops, eyes widening. "Is THAT it? Is THAT going to be what.. what..?" Mollianne looks frantically between Crossroads and Lorastine. She had suddenly remembered, now, why she actually came here tonight. She'd wanted to ask Cross about the discussion they had over the tranceiver that night!

Arms still wrapped about herself Crossroads squeezed her shoulders tightly, still trying to calm her nerves and push back various memories she did not like to remember. "Y-yeah." She said, nodding at Ambience's inquery. She looked back up to the island floating in the sky hoping that she'd have an easier time paying attention to that than her worries on the ground.

Lorastine looks confused at Molly as she suddenly seemed to worried about something. Putting an emphazise on the word 'that', made her a little anxious again. "What's going on? I can't follow whatever is going on."

Lorastine looks between everyone trying to read their expressions. Crossroads looks really freaked out about something, Molly looked to be a bit frantic and Ambience seemed kinda cool in comparison.

Ambience furrows his brow, pulling on Mollianne's arm somewhat to try and get her to settle down. "Guys, listen to me for a second. The Holyland is in an uproar; that thing, up there, is known as the Mana Fortress. It's... it's hard to explain what it is. BUt it wasn't ever supposed to show up here again; something brought it back. Something was able to..." He trails off, wondering just how much he could even go on and still have understood. "Uh. Well, it's not good, to say the least. But you guys need to be calm, okay? I, uh." Ambience pauses, inclining his head. "I don't think I know you two, by the way. Are you friends of Molly?" Mollianne herself looked down from the fortress as Ambience pulled on her arm, looking fairly uneasy, herself, at this time. Her wings twitched incessantly, which could be seens as something of a nervous fidget.

"Mana Fortress?" She kept staring up at the sky, "I l-looked...When it showed up. You two were talking to someone about a sword I think." She looked to Lorastine, "The one that came into the cafe that I brought back to the house. He seemed angry." Crossroads realized that this told the two of them nothing. Really, nothing about the vision seemed all that important or worth sharing. "I'm sorry. I guess I could try looking again and see if I can get more. I know he and the woman he was woman he was with was looking for a sword to fight some group called the sinistrals."

Lorastine looked at Crossroads as she started to talk about the fortress and things involving the people from the cafe that one day. She frowned a little, wondering why she didn't learn about this till now. She wanted to say something but right now wasn't the time or place. Instead she turned her attention to Ambience. "Yes, we are Molly's good friends." She replied to his inquiry, "I'm Lorastine, and this is Crossroads." she introduced even though she had a feeling Cross already knew him from somewhe

Sword... did she mean the Mana Sword? How could she know about that? And what did she mean by 'looked'? Ambience gave Crossroads a puzzled look, but at this point in time, it didn't behoove any of them to stand there and contemplate the unknown. Unfortunately, though, if the tales Aura told him were true... he was about to add something, but Mollianne jumped all of a sudden, startling him. "Hey, do you hear that ringing noise?"

Mollianne looks Ambience up and down, interestedly, as his puzzled expression only deepened. He didn't hear anything; just the occasional breeze going by. What was she talking about? His attention returned on the present all of a sudden, realizing Lorastine had answered his question. He half-bowed, a bit curtly. "Well, it's nice t'meet both of you. I'm just sorry it's under bad circumstances like this." He glanced sidelong. "And no, I don't hear anythin'. No ringing, anyway."

Crossroads shook her head at Mollianne's question. She hadn't heard any unusual sounds since the fortress' appearance. Ambience's words brought her attention back to him for a moment. With the introduction she couldn't put off asking any longer. "We've met under better. Do you... not remember me?" He used to be afraid of her and what she was, but now it was like she was talking to a completely different person. It was as if the lack of soul in her body didn't matter at all. And why did he not remember her? It seemed odd.

"Ringing?" Lorastine asked as her ears perked up as if trying to listen for something. With all that was going on, it was a bit difficult to pinpoint one sound from another let along a soft ringing. "I... I can't hear anything, Molly." she replied. Maybe your hearing was a lot more acute then her own. She was getting that weird feeling, it sent a shiver down her spine. She fiddled with her necklace a little bit, mostly out of nervousness. The slight clink between the empty shell and her own soul gem was a result of her playing with them between her fingers.

Mollianne seems to shrink away at Crossroads' comment, but doesn't make it seem too obvious; instead, she merely hides (with those wings? Yeah, right) behind him, still finding her attention drawn to that fortress in the sky. She seemed a bit standoffish since Ambience had arrived, anyway. Ambience himself shook his head, not recollecting any familiarity with the woman claiming that they knew each other.

"I'm afraid not. But that's okay; if you're friends of Mollianne's, then we can be friends, too. But right now, I just wanted to let you guys know that you need to try and lay low for right now; The Elders and mama are trying to decide what to do about what's happened, but the problem is that we don't know who, or what, is runnin' the Fortress. And 'cause it happened all-of-a-sudden, everyone was caught by s'prise." Ambience frowned at something, then nodded. "Mama will prob'ly be along eventually, to let us know what they decide. Then we can figure out what t'do about it. But for now, just try an' keep your heads down." Mollianne grinned, hugging him around his neck from behind, with elicited a smirk from him. "I'm from th' Holyland, by the way. I'm here to try an' help you guys out. But y'prob'ly already guessed that, I think."

"I see." Crossroads said squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. In a way, the fact that he didn't know who she was hurt. The child was her first friend here... or at least she had thought so. When she was facing that witch at the monastery, her corruption was slowed because of him and his help. His dryads seemed to be starting to trust her too but now they appeared to be gone now. Perhaps they were hiding from her again. Crossroads shoulders sagged. After she looked into her death and saw that he was going to be the one to kill her, all her attempts to change the vision had failed. She didn't know exactly what was going to happen now, if he was still going to be the one to kill her or not. But in either case, maybe this was for the better. It didn't make her feel any less sad though.

"Hmm... was all Lorastine said as she observed Crossroads' behavior. you atleast seemed to relax a bit, but Cross had been the same way ever since this guy had arrived. She was getting the vibe that there was a connection between them. She walked over and put her hand on Cross's shoulder with a slight smile in an attempt to try and get her to smile. "Don't look so worried, I have your back no matter what happens. We're a team, I won't let anything bad happen so don't look so glum."

"Actually, speaking of teams, I think that we need to get back to Viorar and make sure the Twins are okay." Mollianne piped up suddenly, glancing again at the hovering fortress. "I bet they see it, too, and if it really is supposed to be... y'know, the thing, we need to keep them away from Monstro Town. Far, far away. And... maybe I need to go see if I can convince the people who're left to leave, too. I ought to try."

Mollianne nuzzles the back of Ambience's neck, which causes him to squirm somewhat. "Hey, cut that out. But I think you're right. Maybe we should find them and bring 'em here, so we're all in one spot. But.. er. Well, no, maybe that's not a good idea. One thing at a time, I guess."

Mollianne Ambience looks up at Crossroads and Lorastine, with a tilt of his head. "Will you two be okay? I'm really sorry to put you guys through this." He seemed pretty sincere about it, even with Mollianne hanging off of his neck.

Crossroads simply nodded to Lorastine and her attempt to cheer her up, but she did not smile. She appriciated the gesture though. To Mollianne and Ambience she said "You guys should do what you can, but be careful. While I agree it is important to try to make everyone leave, you guys need to make sure you all are safe too. I'm pretty sure the twins..." Crossroads hesitated, shuddering as she remembered Jillian's words before she left, "...In the visions I believe the twins were lost in the midst of everything."

Lorastine looks at Crossroads with a frown now when she said the twins were lost in her vision. "We can't think like that. It doesn't matter what your visions see. It doesn't mean it will always be true." she declared. These visions were probably the reason she's been acting so weird for a while.

Mollianne's eyes go wide at that revelation, she herself knowing what Crossroads was capable of as a seer. Ambience just looks confused. "What visions? What's she talking about?" He turns to give Mollianne a questioning look, but she just seems uneasy. "Well, I think it would be easier to explain on the way there. But if this is true, we really need to keep them away from Monstro Town. I got everything I wanted out of the bunker anyway; if I went back, it would only be as a last attempt to convince the residents to evacuate." Mollianne and Ambienc look at each other uneasily for a moment, then at the other two, and Ambience nods. "But standing around here and not doing anything won't help. So we need to get going; I'm sure we'll came back and see you again pretty soon. Just be careful!"

Crossroads rubbed the back of her neck, squinting as something just occured to her. "If Monstro falling into the ocean is connected to this Mana Fortress, then maybe Crysta is too. Both seem like pretty destructive events and similar too. I remember some words being said; 'Crysta will be the first to fall'. Maybe we should try to get everyone to leave Crysta too in case that is about to happen." There was still the issue of not knowing how much time they had. And would anyone even listen to them is they to leave?

"Evacuate entire towns? Would we even be able to do such a thing?" Lorastine asked wondering how much time they actually had if the towns were already targets and this fortress was already in the air. She was a bit worried now, how would she be able to manage protecting people from this threat. Its not like she would just stand idly by.

Ambience nods again. "That's a good idea, if you feel like it's something you want to try'n do. But use your best judgment; don't put yourself in any extra danger, either. If it seems like somethin's about to happen, get outta there right away." Mollianne winces, frowning softly. Ambience glances over his shoulder, and gives a little sigh. "Yeah. Anyway, we gotta go do our thing, too. Do whatever you feel you should, but jus' be careful. Don't need another reason for Molly to be worried. We'll come back and let you know what's goin' on as soon as we find out anything, too." And with that, a soft sparkling light envelopes Ambience's body, surrounding both him and Mollianne before they are whisked off in a quick flash of light, disappearing from view!

Crossroads looks to Lora as Mollianne and Ambience both depart. "I don't know if we can manage to evacuate the entire town, but we have to at least try." She said, looking at the house worriedly, "I should leave Tyr a note telling him whats going on and where we went incase no one is home when he gets back." She wished he was here right now, but hopefully wherever he was, he was alright.