Ah-hah! You stole that phrase from Gaelan Bayle! (Hope I spelled his name right. xP) I knew it! *Victory dance* Yeah, I used to be a big BG 2 player, actually, (Have been planning to run through it at least once more for old times' sake) and when I saw Jasper's notorious line here it just struck me that he was just like Gaelan and Saemon Haverian mixed, but I figured nah...couldn't be. xD Just goes to show ya', the world is a decidedly weird place. ^^ But yeah, good thing about the 'coo's...they're at the beginning of just about every bloody sound clip he has, so there's no way of skipping past it without turning the sounds off, no matter how fast you klick. It's like the 'you must gather your party' sound...ahh...they're pure evil! >.< Still, good times...good times. ^_^
I didn't steal, think of it as an easter egg. ;) There were others too, but no one seemed to notice /lil' angel/. Hehe, BG2 is, like, my fave game - EVEEEER! I started playing it since it came out and, thanks to all the awesome mods, I'm
still playing it! XD
*gets smacked with a rubber chicken* Wha? Oh, right! Off-topicness ^.^'
*Twitch* Tweaked moves? *Twitch* That sounds awfully suspect...but yeah, wait and see...since you said so. ^^
Oh, no, no, no! Don't worry, I know it sounds horrible but it's really, honestly not. I mean, it's quite possible that you wouldn't even notice if I hadn't told you..well, maybe
you would, but most people wouldn't, so - relax, deeeep, cleansing breath. Small little, teeny, tiny tweaks, remember? I mean, how big a change is a pokemon's head falling off after performing Aerial Ace?
...
Kidding, btw ;)
Aww...but writing a less-than-full review goes against my religious principles. xD Besides, it's good practice for me as it sharpens my skills for lit. analysis and suchlike. ^^
In that case, review anew, mesieur...that sucked XD I meant to say, fire away...argh! I can't stop!!! O.O'
Nyah, yes, it would be very much like Jasper to steal the spotlight. No worries, though, I'll let you know if the story takes a turn towards becoming the Jasper road show...well, unless the Jasper road show is more entertaining than the original course of the plot, that is. xD
Oy! Jasper will get his spotlight soon enough, but this is Fay's story. XD
Yup, the heavy dictionary is a formidable weapon, but of course, it's not in the same league as the red herring of quality (Mine, all mine. Don't even try to steal it! <.<),
You do realise you've just implied that people would
want to steal it? XD No, no, just kidding, it's lovely, honestly XD
Chapter XV: "The Sanctum"
Fay stared at her crossed-out name in utter astonishment. She tried, in vain, to phantom
why on Earth would she be treated like all the less-presentable members of the Longfellow family. As far as she could remember, she hadn't done anything especially unforgivable lately.
"Maybe it was a mistake?" Fred pointed out helpfully.
Fay looked at him and then stared at her name again. It didn't seem like a mistake to her. There it was, still visible, but purposefully scored out just like many others.
Jasper shrugged slightly as he studied the large tapestry.
"Let's not jump to conclusions, now." he said objectively, "How do you know the poor chaps did something wrong anyway? I mean, if no one ever
talks about them..."
There was a sulky mutter near Fay's feet.
"
Maybe they only cross-out tightfisted TM-grabbers." Luno growled tartly.
Fay glared at her pokemon briefly before looking up at Jasper.
"Maybe you're right." she conceded, "Eru would never cross me out because of something like that."
She studied the familiar pattern again, but this time searching for anything she might have in common with her crossed-out relatives. The number of scored out Longfellows diminished from generation to generation. In the first line only one name was clear; Brutus K. Longfellow. As Fay searched lower and lower on the family tree, she found more and more clear names.
"Looks like the only remaining crossed-out Longefellows are my uncle and me." she said eventually, studying the only two scored out names which didn't have a year of death under them, "It's still hard to believe he hasn't done anything wrong. Dad would always get upset if I asked him about his brother."
"Maybe that's your clue?" Fred offered, "I mean, maybe Eru scratched your name out to draw your attention?"
Fay paled suddenly and stared back at Fred in utter shock.
"Wow..." she said incredulously, "You're
right!"
The boy shot her an annoyed look.
"You don't have to look so surprised." he muttered, "I mean, I
do have
some brief flashes of intelligence every now and then."
The girl rolled her eyes fondly.
"Oh, pack it in, that's not what I meant." she snickered, "I just can't believe
I didn't think of that."
She gave the tapestry one last, pensive look before cheering up suddenly.
"Well, looks like I'll have to pay Uncle Cain a family visit." she concluded readily, "I must admit that I've always wanted to meet him."
Jasper suddenly looked nervous.
"Er." he said, "Are you sure about that? I-uh...I mean, maybe I was wrong, you know? What if he did do something bad? Er...what if he's a raving maniac? Yeah, that could be it! What if there's a history of mental demention in your family?"
He pronounced that last remark in such an optimistic tone that Fay actually stared at him open-mouthed and lost in utter disbelief.
"Somehow you feel that would be a
better option?" she asked pointedly, "
I'm crossed-out too, in case you forgot!"
"It holds water, if you ask me." Luno remarked idly.
Fred shook his head jadedly.
"That just might be the most ridiculous thing I've heard all week." he muttered, "I think we should go see him. I'm a bit curious about him too."
Fay brightened up immidiately.
"Yes, thank you for that vote for reason." she grinned, "Now let's go and find Ilvire. I want to say goodbye to him before we leave."
As soon as they stepped outside it became obvious that something was going on. The silence was still unbroken, but the monks seemed nervous now. They stood in little groups exchanging worried looks and gesticulating wildly.
The source of all confusion seemed to be waiting for them right outside Eru's home. Two young men stood there patiently, accompanied by a pair of Medichams.
"Miss Longfellow?" one of them asked formally, "My name is Gevin and this is my brother Kent."
The other young man nodded politely.
"Good day, miss." he said, "We've been sent to deliver an invitation from the leader of Mirage Gym, Ursula."
The girl stared at them. She had shared every one of her siblings' victories and defeats throughout their journey towards the League, but not once did she hear either Eru or Lea mention a Mirage Gym. She glanced at Fred quizzically, but he seemed as confused as she was.
"There's not one Gym registered under such a name in Rylan." he answered her look.
Jasper shrugged.
"I hear lots of stuff, but I've never heard anything about this." he said, his cobalt eyes glittering with interest, "Let's go check it out!"
"You can talk on the way there." Gevin interjected impatiently, "We shouldn't leave Ursula waiting."
His brother nodded with assent.
"Please follow us and keep close." he said, "We'll lead you safely through the mist."
Fay looked up at Jasper helplessly.
"Should we?" she asked in the absence of anything better to say.
Jasper looked around the gathered monks and exchanged a look with Lev who nodded with a somewhat nervous smile.
"Well, if ol' Lev says they're okay, then they're okay." the boy concluded with a slight shrug.
"Well...alright, then." Fay relented, "But make it quick, we still have work to do."
They followed the brothers up the rugged path away from the village. There was an odd moment when Fay suddenly looked around and realised that they were surrounded by thick fog, even though it seemed far away just a minute ago.
"What the...?" she muttered, trailing off with a nervous look.
Fred seemed fascinated as he looked around eagerly.
"Amazing!" he gasped, "It
was true after all!"
He spotted the odd look Fay was giving him.
"There's this story I loved when I was a kid about how no one has ever climbed Mount Pearl to the very top because the fog is tricky and you end up going in circles for ages." he explained quickly, "It looks like it was true."
Fay appeared as calmly nauseated as one could possibly be without being on a rolling ship.
"You don't say...?" she managed to press out.
Kent glanced back at them suddenly.
"Oh, don't worry." he assured Fay with a friendly smile, "Our Medichams know the way very well, we won't get lost."
The girl relaxed a bit, but her eyes flew to her pokemon immidiately.
"Stay close, Luno." she warned, but the Eevee was already practically glued to her leg.
"Way ahead of ya." he muttered nervously, "I don't like this place, the stupid fog makes my nose itch, I can't smell a thing."
The girl smiled a bit before glancing up at their guides.
"So...what type of Gym is this?" she asked, "And why doesn't anyone know about it?"
Gevin didn't even bother to look at her when he spoke.
"Any questions you might have, you can address to Ursula herself." he retorted curtly.
His brother gave him a mildly admonishing look.
"Don't be uncouth, Gev." he chided gently before speaking to Fay again, "Don't mind him, he's like that with everyone. Mirage Gym trains the Fighting type, but our insignia is Medicham. It represents the unity of power and intellect. All our trainers raise one to honour the Creed. I'm afraid that's all I can say, but I'm sure Ursula would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Don't worry, she's a very powerful trainer, but she's rather nice."
Jasper glanced between Kent and Gevin in bemusement.
"Are you sure you two are brothers?" he asked with a cheesy grin.
Neither of them dignified him with an answer.
After a while the fog seemed to clear as abruptly as it had appeared and Fay suddenly froze in her tracks, gaping at the awesome sight that appeared in front of them.
In short words - it was a wall. Expanding the description would involve words such as 'majestic', 'colossal', 'terrifying', 'disturbing' and maybe even 'endless'. The awesome structure stretched as far as they could see and a heavy silence seemed to linger about, so very different from the one in Lotus.
The Wall was thoroughly decorated with carvings, if you could call the unsettling details 'decoration' at all. It was divided into countless, even squares, each of which depicted a head, carved out of stone. They were all different. Some were beautiful, some were grotesque, some male, some female. They also depicted a seemingly endless myriad of moods, ranging from happiness to sorrow, anger and even insanity.
Noting the way Fay, Fred and Jasper gaped at the structure, Kent decided to explain.
"That's just the Wall of Ancients." he said assuredly, "The Sancum is a bit farther down this side. If we hurry, we'll be there in five minutes or less."
The brothers led the way and Jasper and Fred followed them hesitantly, but Fay stood frozen where she was, staring at the wall in utter horror.
"Oy, Fay!" Jasper called, "Get a move on, will you?"
Everyone stopped, staring at the girl who shook her head suddenly.
"I'm not going near that thing." she said before she even had the time to wonder why she felt that way.
Luno growled impatiently.
"Oh, come on!" he snapped, "It's just a stupid wall. An
ugly, stupid wall for that matter. Seriously, someone should strangle the artist. Let's get out of here, already!"
But Fay didn't move an inch. The very sight of the hideous structure filled her with terror and she felt the need to be as far away from this place as possible.
"I am
not going near that thing." she repeated, her eyes traveling across the stone features in morbid fascination.
It was hard to explain why she felt that way. Odd images seemed to swarm in her head, coming from somewhere deep within. Images of these same heads, moving, screaming, ground shaking and immense dread consuming all sanity as everything around fell apart.
The brothers exchanged looks silently.
"I...suppose we could walk in parallel from a distance." Kent said hesitantly, "Er...well, let's get a move on, then."
Fay gave one last, long look to the frightening wall before following after the rest of the group, eager to lose sight of the structure.
It took them longer this way, but eventually they arrived in front of a large monastery. It was a refreshing sight after that disturbing wall, even though they could still make it out through the sparse trees. When Gevin opened the doors to let them through, Fay practically burst inside, happy to finally not have to fight the morbid urge to stare at any of the heads anymore.
She blushed a bit when she realised that everyone were staring at her quizzically.
"I'm fine!" she snapped defensively, "Er. Can we just get this over with?"
Kent seemed a bit worried.
"Are you quite sure you're alright?" he clucked maternally, "You look a bit peckish, maybe you ought to have some nice tea-"
"Oh, would you cut the nonsense?" Gevin snapped at his brother suddenly, "The sooner they talk to Ursula, the sooner they can be on their way. I don't like strangers in the Sanctum."
He turned suddenly and strode through the courtyard where many trainers were practicing. They halted in their exercise to study the newcomers, which made Fay feel a bit uncomfortable. She glanced over her shoulder to see how the boys were doing only to find Jasper dawdling several steps behind them, talking to a small group of curious trainers.
"Brick Break, my black belt friends!" he babbled cheerfully while spinning a reddish disc in his hand for all of them to see, "Not only is it a reliable fighting move, ideal for your less human comrades, but it can also shatter them annoying little barriers those pesky psychic pokemon use – no offense to our Medicham friends, of course."
Fred stared at him in utter fascination.
"Try saying that last sentence quickly twenty times." he muttered.
Fay rolled her eyes exasperatingly.
"Jasper!" she snapped, "Can't you do that later?"
The boy flinched.
"What?" he said defensively before glancing at the TM he was holding, "Oh! This isn't the best time for this, is it?"
Fay gave a quiet groan and turned to the baffled brothers.
"Don't ask." she grit out edgily, "Let's just go."
Jasper shrugged and tossed the TM back into his bag, much to the disappointment of his audience.
"No worries, my friends." he grinned at them disarmingly as he hurried after the others, "It'll still be here when I come back! Limited amount, though, so sit tight! I take orders, by the way-"
"Jasper!"
The boy beamed sunnily as he caught up with them inside the monastery.
"There, there, here I am." he said charmingly, "No need to pine for me."
Fay and Fred exchanged stoic glances, but didn't comment. They followed the brothers through the large hall. On their way they passed a large door which had a Gym sign carved into the stone beacons supporting it on each side.
"I can't believe it." Fay murmured, "It really
is a Gym."
"It looks so old." Fred asserted pensively, "It's possible that it was one of the first..."
Jasper glanced between their guides and the door they had just passed.
"Oy!" he called, "Aren't we going inside to meet that Gym leader of yours?"
Kent flashed them a quick smile.
"You'll meet Ursula in her quarters." he said, halting in front of a large door at the far end of the hall, "Well, here we are. In you go, then. And be nice, won't you?"
When they passed through the door, they found themselves on a narrow path leading just inches above a surface which was glittering in the dimly lit hallway. Upon closer inspection Fay revealed it to be water. There was no way to tell the exact depth, but she could just make out vague shadows moving somewhere under the surface.
There was a crisp scent in the air which complimented the pleasant chilliness of the room nicely and Fay suddenly realised that it came from beautiful white water lilies, scattered here and there on the calm, clear surface.
Fred glanced around eagerly, trying to spot the Gym leader first.
"Say, what do you think she looks like?" he wondered aloud.
"Ursula?" Jasper mused, "I dunno. Some burly crush-girl, I'd wager."
Suddenly pleasant laughter chimed and all eyes flew to the end of the pathway where someone was waiting for them.
"Not all strength is in the body, dear boy." the person said smilingly.
When they approached, Fay and the boys found themselves at a loss for words. A woman was patiently waiting for them, sitting in a wheel-chair. There was an IV bag perched on a pole which was attached to her vehicle and the flexible tube which served to transfer the liquid snuck and disappeared under the white sleeve which hung from a slim, pallid arm.
The woman obviously wasn't a day over thirty, but her smile was tired and her warm, blue eyes were almost too large for her face, making it hard to tell her exact age. The only thing that appeared healthy on her was her lovely, shining hair which fell down her shoulders in slopes of pale gold adding a translucent quality to her entire appearance along with her white dress and pale complexion.
Fay stared at her for a long second before she remembered that it would probably be polite to say something right about now.
"Er." she managed lamely, "Ursula?"
The woman nodded warmly.
"Mm." she smiled and moved her chair so that the company could step onto the widening stone platform the path ended into, "Please, do have a seat."
They each took a chair on the raised area which was actually sort of a living room. There was a crammed bookshelf next to a small table which held a tea set and a plate of biscuits. The sparse furniture sank snugly into the thick, beige carpet and soft, pleasant music came from an old record player next to the bookcase.
Ursula smiled prettily as she poured everyone a cup of tea, including some for Luno in a small bowl along with some biscuits.
"Welcome to my humble home." she said amiably, "I hope the trip to here wasn't too much of a bother."
Fay practically snatched the teacup and gulped down more than half of its contents. It was very well-made dry yellow tea. She tried to think of something to say, anything that could possibly make sense.
"Er." she pressed out, "So...you wanted to see us, miss? Er-ma'am?"
The woman smiled at them again, revealing beautiful, white teeth.
"Ursula will do." she said gently, "Yes, we shouldn't stall the issue. I wanted to see you, Fay, because I've had word that you possess certain...abilities when it comes to communicating with pokemon. Is that true?"
Fay almost coughed her tea out from shock. How the bloody hell did she know
that!?
"One of my regular correspondents mentioned it to me." she explained serenely, "Our mutual acquaintance, madam Kveroslava.
Fay froze.
"Oh!" she gasped, "I see! She must have seen me and Luno talk...but how did she contact you? Bird pokemon? A Xatu, maybe, they could find their way through the fog..."
Ursula smiled a bit.
"Actually, she e-mailed me." she said prettily, "She's quite attached to her laptop ever since she found out she could make all her planetary calculations on it."
Fay stared.
"Oh" she said, "Of course."
Fred seemed rather shocked by something else.
"Hang on!" he said suddenly, "Talking to
pokemon?"
He glanced down at Luno who was munching on the biscuits.
"Maybe you had a point with that demented family comment." he told Jasper.
Fay glared at him toxically.
"See, this is
exactly why I didn't want to tell anyone." she grit out.
Ursula gazed at her pensively.
"So it's true." she mused.
Fay returned her look gratefully.
"You don't think I'm nuts?" she asked desperately.
"On, no, not at all." Ursula laughed, "My dear friend here can affirm you're telling the truth."
She motioned to their left and Fay suddenly spotted an oddly-coloured Abra, even though she could swear that he wasn't there just a second ago.
"Oh, he was there." Ursula answered her surprised look, "He was just using his powers to make sure you didn't notice him."
Jasper studied the strange pokemon curiously.
"I thought you were the leader of a fighting Gym." he said, "What are you doing with this little nipper?"
Ursula caressed the yellow pokemon's shiny head.
"Mosca is more of a friend, really." she said, "And I'd like to ask you to bring him along, if it wouldn't be too much of a bother. He's not your ordinary Abra, you see, I'm sure he can help you. Plus, he's young, it would be a shame for him to spend his entire life cooped up in here."
She handed a white pokeball to Fay who accepted it hesitantly.
"Well...if you're sure." the girl said slowly, before pointing the ball towards the psychic pokemon, "Come back, Mosca."
Ursula gave a slightly sad smile.
"Good." she sighed before cheering up, "So, do you have any idea where your ability comes from, Fay?"
The girl spread her arms helplessly.
"No!" she said desperately, happy to finally have someone to talk about this, "And the thing is, I can only understand Luno. And I couldn't even do it from the start! I could only understand him after I..."
She trailed off suddenly and her hand flew to the silver locket she'd gotten from Seraph.
"Wait..." she gasped, "Could it be this? It was Eru's and Seraph had it...of
course!"
Ursula extended her hand to Fay.
"May I see it?" she asked gently and waited for the girl to take it off and hand it to her.
She studied it briefly, but eventually a slightly sad smile crossed her lips.
"It's very pretty." she said, "But it's only a trinket."
The girl blushed a bit when her theory was foiled.
"How do you know?" she asked defensively.
Ursula smiled pointedly.
"It's off." she said, "Try talking to your pokemon."
Fay flinched and glanced at her Eevee who was halfway through his fifth biscuit.
"Er...Luno?" she called carefully, causing her pokemon to glare up at her for disturbing his eating.
"What?" he snapped, "Can't you see I'm busy?"
Fay rolled her eyes defeatedly.
"You're right, I guess." she mumbled to Ursula, "I suppose it would've been too easy."
The girl took the pendant from Ursula and put it on again.
"We were going to see my uncle, Cain, before we got your invitation." she said pensively, "I just have a feeling he might know something."
The woman smiled nostalgically.
"Mm. Cain Longfellow." she mused, "Yes, I suppose he could. He knows much."
Fay jumped slightly in surprise.
"You know him!?" she asked eagerly.
This was perfect! She could finally clear out the dilemma on whether her uncle had done something unforgivable or not.
When she opened her mouth to speak, Ursula's face indicated the second option, but her voice was drowned in a sudden explosion of noise. The stone gate at the entrance crumpled as a huge, dark creature burst through the door with a terrifying roar.
Fay jumped to her feet, pale with horror.
"Benedict!" she gasped and her eyes darted around the room, searching for a way they could possibly get away safely.
She had hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with Milly's baby for a while since it had turned on its trainer, but it looked like he was controlling it again.
Fay had just decided to give up and panic, when Ursula's calm voice soothed her.
"Don't worry." she said, "I'll take care of this."
To Be Continued: Can Ursula do something? Or will Fay be forced to run again? How did Benedict find his way to the Sanctum anyway? Read in the next chapter:"In Search of Kin"
Phew...another long one. O.O' Well, that's about it. Next chapter will be up on 19th of October, so - see ya then! :D
/wallows in own malicious deviousness/ :D