The Helping Hand (Julian's Awakening)

    // Dammit, dad...// Julian's cheek twitched at the male voice, his mouth turning downwards in a slight frown. Couldn't his father be just a little quieter? He had asked him to keep it down and all, seeing as he went to bed so early... The teen yawned and reached out a hand for an extra pillow to shove over his ears. There was normally one right next...huh. Oh, it must've fallen on the ground. He reached out a hand, groping blindly at the floor. Alright...not there...must be farther... Julian stretched his arm as far as it would go, his frown deepening as his search ended in failure. Where was that stupid thing? Oh, great, his dad was talking to a wom-

    ...Woman?

    "Whoa-!" Whether it was the realization that his father, good old single Matthew, was talking to an actual girl, or the fact he was still really drowsy, Julian tumbled off the bed, just barely managing to throw a hand in front of his face before his nose collided with the floor. ...Ow...alright, not the best way to wake up...well, at least he was sort of coherent. Now he could get a look at this lady. Julian raised his head, blinking away some traces of sleep, only for his silver eyes to widen at the really unfamiliar room.

    // ...What the hell... // Alright, unless his dad was a magician, there was no way his room could change so drastically in such a short time. Meaning that there was either A) some weird place in his house that his dad hadn't bothered ot tell him about for who knows why, or B) this was a completely new place. And right now, he was strongly doubting it was A.

    His ears hadn't been wrong; there was a girl standing at the entrance of the room. And...and she was wlaking over. And Julian had absolutely no idea who she was. He pushed himself into a sitting position, and leaned back as she kneeled over him, so his back was just pressed into the bed frame. Oh...oh great, she's talking. Asking him if he's alright or something. ...And what did that mean, "she didn't want him brought here this way"? Much as he wanted to demand answers, he figured it was best to just wait and see what she wanted. For all he knew, she was the one who brought him to this place. "...Mind telling me where I am?" Kudos to him, he sounded more calm than he felt. Much more calm. He rested an arm across one of his knees as she started speaking again, listenign intently. ...Alright, this wasn't weird at all. 'Course not. But right now, he couldn't see much of a reason to try and shove her aside or something. He'd heard a guy's voice, right? Must mean she's got someone waiting outside. It'd be best to play along for now. "I'm listening."

    Julian followed her movements cautiously, watching to make sure she didn't do anything weird to him. So far it didn't seem like she had anything in her hands, but it'd be kind of stupid right now to trust her completely. Yeah, she seemed nice enough and whatever, but she was kinda tied to him being in a strange place with absolutely no idea of how he got there. That kinda puts a damper on the whole trust thing, in his opinion.

    ...Oooookay. This was great. He'd been dragged from him home and into the clutches of a girl who seemed to be a little lost upstairs. What she was saying was completely insane. Other worlds? Seriously? It sounded like a bad Sci-fi flick. Exhaling heavily, he halfheartedly returned her handshake, but looked at the ground as she continued. She seemed sincere enough, but this could easily be a trick or something. It was how a lot of people developed Stockholm Syndrome and weird stuff like that. It didn't hurt to have his guard up for now, until this girl presented some actual proof of these insane claims.

    His eyes followed her as she went to a locker. Instinctively his fingers curled against the floor, his body tensing should he have to get away fast. Oh...no weapon. Just food. Julian accepted the bread and water, mildly put off by her little comments. She hit the nail on the head; it was hard to trust her. But she was basically offering to let him go, too. This wasn't a freaky mind-game, was it? Luring him into a false sense of security before doing who knows what?

    Setting the water on the floor, the teen used his now free hand to comb his bangs back, letting his fingers rest for a moment before dropping his arm. "Alright..." He rubbed at his forehead for a minute, trying to go over all of the things she said. "So...just so I have this right...your name is Emilline," he began awkwardly ticking points off on his fingers, one hand still holding the bread, "I'm in some alternate dimension/alternate world of Penecia, this other world/dimension is connected to Penecia and other places via portals, and...I've been brought here without my prior consent or knowledge because of one of your...'subordinates'." There were air-quotations around that last word. Alright, repeating it all didn't make it sound less insane. But it did almost make it sound...10% plausible? After all, scientists have always talked about a countless number of dimensions existing; it was just no one had a way to actually access them.

    Julian was quiet for a few seconds. Emilline hadn't sounded crazy or anything when she was talking. And would a raving lunatic be able to hide all her lies so well? She would've let something slip, right? ...Of course, psychopaths were good at hiding things, so that really wasn't the point. But now he was actually kind of curious. Wary, but curious. He looked up at the girl, taking a deep breath before he said anything. "...You need to answer some things for me." If she agreed to his questions, he'd nod and start talking again. "Why am I here?" If she refused to answer anything, he'd shrug and look away. "Fine."

    // Looks like we're moving. // With a mild sigh Julian accepted the girl's hand, hauling himself to his feet. His head spun just a little, but that was easily taken care of after a second of staying still. Maybe it was a good thing he hadn't bothered changing when he went to sleep yesterday. Yeah, his shirt and jeans were kind rumpled, but they were better than the shorts he would've been wearing otherwise.  Plus he still had his converse on, which was another bonus. Who knew that being kinda lazy could come in handy when you're kidnapped?

    There wasn't really anything else he could besides follow Emilline. The only way out he could see was through the door anyways, so a mad dash for the exit was out of the question. And there was still the question of her guy friend still lurking around. No doubt if Julian did something to Emilline, that guy would be on him in two seconds flat. And who was to say he was the only one? The way Emilline was talking before made it sound like she had her own little group in...whatever place this was. Yeah, best not to try anything until he knew what he was up against.

    With his hands shoved into his pockets and his features relaxed, Julian looked completely at ease with his surroundings. He didn't even flinch when he saw what was outside the door, and he did nothing but look at the teen--"Alex" was his name, apparently--when Emilline requested he follow them. Oh great, he's got a tail. Or a guard. Whichever it was, it didn't matter; the point was that there was someone behind him, and that made it downright impossible to keep his eyes on both Alex and Emilline. Well, if he got stabbed in the back, he'd know it was Alex.

    Again Emilline started with her crazy talk, this time throwing Gods into the mix. Alright, this was definitely sounding like something out of a cheesy action movie. Or maybe one of those books his dad was really into. Her story was steadily getting harder and harder to swallow. But he listened anyways, nodding every so often so she'd know he was paying attention. Weird and senseless information indeed, but information was information. Who knows when this could come in handy?

    It didn't take too long to reach a pretty cramped looking elevator at the end of the hallway--actually, "tunnel" might be a better word. Emilline seemed like she was waiting for him to get in now, even though it looked like Alex was already taking up most of the space. ...This wasn't going to be pretty. With a resigned sigh, the teen walked into the elevator and waited for Emilline to join them. He was pretty sure this wasn't going to end well for him, but right now, there weren't a whole lot of other options that worked in his favor.

    It wasn't the most comfortable ride, but all things considered, it wasn't so bad. Thank goodness this girl was small enough to compensate for his height. And the fact that no one tried to knock him out or kill him or something was kind of a plus. Unless they were waiting until they got to their destination for that or something. Which was possible. Crazy people were kinda hard to predict.

    Finally they arrived at whatever place Emilline wanted and the doors slid open. It took some willpower not to practically jump out of Alex's reach and instead exit like a normal person. You know, not all panicked like. Keeping one hand in his pocket, Julian combed the fingers of his other hand through his loose hair and trailed after Emilline, glancing around the room for anything suspicious. Well, more suspicious than this already was, that is. The boxes around th room were big, but not big enough to hold a person. Hopefully no one would be pulling a Metal Gear today; he had enough to worry about as is. There wasn't any furniture that he could see, so he didn't have to worry about any surprises there. Now all that was left was to figure out where Emilline was he-

    ...

    "The hell...?" Julian murmured. As much as he knew he should still be on his guard, it was hard not to stare at the picture outside the window. It was...God, was there a word for this? It was just...awful? Bad? Terrible? ...No, those didn't do this justice. Almost as if in a trance, Julian just barely managed not to stagger as he started towards the glass, resting a hand against it and peering across the broad, dead expanse of land.

    And he thought hearing Emilline talk about Gods and other worlds was insane. Which it still was. It just wasn't as freaky as this.

   Throughout Emilline's speech, all the teen did was stare out the window. How could a whole city be just...leveled like this? Maybe an army or something could do this--hell, didn't they do that in World Wars?--but even then, this looked even worse. Like someone had ripped the soul out of this whole place. Yeah, he wanted proof that this girl wasn't a nut job, but...not this. Statistics or a demonstration or something, but...this was kind of a lot.

   Julian passed a hand across his face, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to get rid of the headache that might be coming on. Information dump indeed. "What happened here...is it going to happen in, uh...my world?" Now he was struggling to use the right terms here. Guess paying attention really did come in handy. He lowered his hand slightly so he could look at Emilline as she gave her answer. "And if I say yes to your offer and something happens to you--which, of course, I don't want--would I still be able to get my...Ego back? As in, acquire it myself over time?"

    If the answer to the first question was yes, Julian would glance one more time out the window before looking back at the girl. "So where do I sign?"

    Julian kept his eyes locked on Emilline's, nodding slightly at her condition. It was fair enough. No one should have to deal with his mistakes or take credit for his glory. His decisions were his own. So long as he kept that in mind, there would be no trouble following the stipulation.

    For a second, he thought the girl was going to get something from a box. Instead she just walked so far away and stared at him. What was he supposed to do now? Recite something or-? Oh, wow. She was quick. Had that card been up her sleeve this whole time? Julian narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to peer closely at what Emilline was holding. ...A tarot card? He couldn't think of any other card that would have such an ornate face. // ...Please don't tell me she's going to try and have me make a contract with the cards or something... //

    He couldn't help flinch at the shattering sound. What just happened? He didn't see anything crash or fall. Maybe something in a box? After a quick glance behind him, it was relatively clear that nothing there had moved. ...It couldn't have been the card, could it...? He didn't have much time to consider the possibility before the floor lit up. Immediately he jerked back, widening his eyes at the sudden design on the ground. Where did this come from? A quick glance at the ceiling proved there were no lights doing this, and he couldn't see a projector or candles or anything. Unless they had some really high-tech stuff here--which he doubted, since the city was pretty much gone--there was really no logical answer for this besides all that God stuff Emilline mentioned. Before, he was just worried about keeping his home safe, so he agreed to the whole "persona" thing without a second thought. But now he couldn't help but wonder if he'd made the wrong choice here. What had he gotten himself into...?

    Another card floated down. It was closer than the other one had been, so the design was easier to see. Not that it was any more comforting. What a weird picture. Just as soon as it came, the card was gone, leaving a person in its place.

    Maybe he should've been scared. Or freaked out. After all, the guy staring at him had really freaky features and was taller than Julian by a couple of inches. The latter was enough to be a little worried about, actually. But all Julian could do was look up and meet the figure's gaze, smiling slightly at his words. "No problem."

    Was he supposed to feel...drained? As the lights and everything else disappeared, Julian bent over, resting his hands on his knees and trying to stay still so the sudden light-headedness would go away. ...Weird. What happened? What was all of that? Magic? Theough his disheveled thoughts, he could hear Emilline talking about...devils? "I'm just full of surprises." He raised his head so he could look up at the girl, grinning slightly. "So...what now?" The light show and voodoo were over. Was this the part where they initiate him into their organization (or cult, whichever worked...they served Gods or whatever anyways, right?), or was there still something else to do? He hoped not; he might pass out or something otherwise.

    Bracing himself for Emilline's "surprise", Julian sighed slightly and hung his head. Best to try and get rid of most of this dizziness before he did whatever- huh? The warmth was a little odd, but the feeling of something cold sliding over the edge of his right ear was more concerning. His hand flew to his ear, tugging at the object that suddenly appeared. It came off easily enough, thank God. He brought it close to his face so he could inspect it. ...An ear cuff? It wasn't that big, maybe half an inch or so, and molded so that whenever he wore it, it would look like a three-clawed hand gripping the edge of his ear. So this was supposed to keep him alive for a bit longer, huh? He wasn't sure how that worked, but it looked to be made out of pure silver. That could come in handy, he guessed. Julian put the ear cuff back on, smiling lightly at Emilline. "Thanks." How she could have faith in him, he had no clue; they'd just met, after all. But if she wanted to put her trust in him, that was her choice.

    Just as Julian composed himself and straightened, that guy Alex burst back into the room. Whoa, what was his problem? Julian turned and pushed his hands into his pockets, just managing to catch some of what the other teen was saying.  Portals? Raising an eyebrow curiously, Julian kept quiet and tuned into the conversation. So Alex couldn't see the portals? Strange. Apparently Emilline could. And when he glanced in the direction she pointed, Julian could see them too, clear as crystal. Weird. Maybe it had something to do with the thing that just happened. It didn't take Emilline too long to placate her friend, and soon Alex was gone, leaving Julian and the girl alone once more. Oh good, at least they planned to return him home after all of this. For a while he was afraid he'd be stuck here for who knows how long. Frowning lightly at her question, Julian nodded his head. "Yeah, I do. It's a little hard not to." Seriously, it was a big glowing oval hovering in the air. Maybe he should be worried about Alex missing that.

    Heh. How ironic. Just a few minutes before he was worried because these people believed they could see portals. Things change quickly, apparently. Like the topic. Already the girl was talking about that blue door and where it led. Helpful people, huh? He'd keep that in mind. It couldn't hurt to take a peek in there later. That is, if it was still around when he got home.

    "...Can I ask you something?" He kept his eyes on the portal, watching the Galaxy Park Ferris wheel slowly rotate. "Out of all the random people in Azores, what made you decide to pick me?" Was there a specific reason or did they do it on a whim? He didn't want to know so he could warn them or anything like that. They wouldn't believe him anyways. It was simply to sate his own curiosity.

    "Oh, and this...'persona'. How am I supposed to use it, exactly?" If there were going to be monsters and Shadows and Gods coming after him, it might be nice to know how to protect himself.  

    So he was picked up because Emilline thought he had potential. How she determined that, he had no clue; so it looked like his well-intended abduction really was nothing more than a whim. With maybe some hope sprinkled in there that he'd be able to "resolve" everything. Resolve what, though? This world? Corruption in Penecia? A conspiracy in San Malarus? The possibilities were endless. ...Sigh. Looks like there were lots of things he'd have to look up on his own. At least he had some idea now of how to summon that persona she'd given him. Thinking about his power didn't produce any more tarot cards, so it looked like that "evoker" method was the way he'd have to go. Now the only thing he had to do was figure out what that object...

     Besides trying to memorize what led where, Julian hadn't paid much attention to the tunnels he'd walked through. Now since he was relatively sure his life wasn't in danger, he took a little time to glance around. This place was seriously huge. Well, he guessed it would have to be to hold the dozens of people they passed on their way to wherever. Were they all refugees or something? And Emilline their leader? She was pretty young to be heading something like this, in his opinion. Not to mention she was practically like a mother to every single person here, be they younger or older. That was kind of a lot to shove on her shoulders. Was there really no one else here to care for kids or provide morale and comfort? Sure, by the looks of the city, they'd been through something pretty bad, but Emilline was doing her best, and she was from the same place they were, right? Maybe that was part of why she was looking for someone from the other world. Someone who was actually motivated to help and do something productive. ...Wow, that was actually kind of a depressing thought. And kind of scary. What exactly happened to turn the city into this, to make these people hide underground?

    After a while of walking then pausing to let Emilline comfort someone, they finally made it to a room that looked vaguely familiar. It was sorta like the place he'd had his rude awakening, but just a little bit more...jazzed up. Not by much though, since it was hard to be luxurious underground and all, but it had a few things that other room didn't.

    ...Yeeeah, he was starting to feel a little out of place. Was it just him, or did this new kid and Emilline have sort of a brother/sister vibe going on? That right there was enough to make him want to back out of the room and give them some privacy. But then it sounded like Emilline was going to deal with some business stuff now. Should he really be listening to it? Yeah, she was broadcasting the thing throughout the entire compound or whatever, but it was still for this group. Even if he walked through the halls and met a couple of people here, he still felt like an outsider.

    Wait wait wait, what was that about his name? The teen couldn't help but stare at the girl with wide eyes, worried about what exactly she meant. "New hope"? Like a savior? Whoa, wasn't she getting a little ahead of herself here? ...Damn, not even a few hours and suddenly his life was turned upside down. One second, he's an ordinary senior, now he's...whatever it was being a "new hope" in an alternate reality/dimension meant. Which wasn't exactly normal. As far as he knew. Even the blond boy was getting all excited. Julian smiled softly at the kid, hiding the shock and concern Emilline's little announcement stirred up. "I hope so too." Thankfully the girl who kind of started all of this ushered the boy off to bed, saving him from answering any other questions.  

   Julian shook his head lightly at her apology, offering her a tired smile. It was kinda freaky near the beginning and long at the end, but it was, as far as he knew, over. For now he was mainly focused on trying to use that portal (however that was supposed to work) and get home to his bed (where he hopefully wouldn't get snatched again). The hint about where these things led was nice, though. Information was always nice. It just would be better appreciated after he'd had about 24 hours of sleep. "Nah, I think you've covered everything I need to know for now. Thanks."

    ....An interesting parting gift. She really was like a mother, wasn't she? It was kind of cute and sad at the same time. With that thought he waved and walked to the portal, reaching for it with a hand. If he dived in head-first, would he come out the same...? ...Ah, screw it, he wouldn't know unless he tried. Before his fingers came into contact with the moving picture of Penecia, he turned and smiled one last time at Emilline. "You take care too." Without much more than a deep breath, Julian pushed his way through the portal and left Alternate Penecia.