The First Piece (Open)

The Sun and The Moon. Once long ago, they lived in a glorious city that sat by the sea. They ruled with gentle and loving hands over a people that were both fair and just. Everyone was said to help everyone and their technology was said to be above and beyond anything we’ve ever seen or made. The Sun, the Moon, and their kingdom, so much promise they had. Their future was bright and wonderous….

The white haired haired male lowered the beat up journal he was reading and looked out at the landscape before him from under his thick bangs. The place before him was a grass filled ruin with no sign of human life outside of himself. Everything else here was bug, insect, or beast of the world. This place was said to be the spot where the city spoken of in the journal once rested. All maps and hints pointed here and yet as strange colored eyes looked about, the male had to wonder if a city had truly been here or not? Nothing left here resembled what was in the colorful picture within the journal...Still maybe it was worth checking out.

Snapping the book shut with one hand, he would lean over and place the book back in the bag he had with him. Once he had re-closed the bag and secured it upon his back, the man would step forward moving to examining the ruins up close while above him the grey sky and clouds shifted moodily. It was time to find out the secret to this place.

The young man took a few steps forward into the serene calm of the area moving carefully over the large hidden stones within the ground. While he wore boots his feet, hardly made a sound outside of a light rustling as he moved. The wind would blow, tugging at his hair and clothing as he continued to move in sun lit field. The field would shift to a shady one as the young man came to a pause underneath a looming column of elegant art and strange words. He would approach the column, trying to make sense of the carvings that time had almost erased.

He would lean in close squinting his eyes at the faded imaginary, concentrating, and then…Pointy ears hidden under his long hair would twitch as they caught a sound that was somewhat different than the ones he had been hearing. He heard the flapping of wings from behind him and turned slightly to look over his shoulder taking note of the bird and the boy that seemed to trail along behind it.

How odd, he thought as he observed the pair for a second wondering why they had come here too. He did not expect others to be hunting for the ruin so what was that one’s story? Perhaps he would’ve approached the other and spoke, but right at that point something green and fast moving came zooming in from above.

While the thing was not super close, the young man instinctively, moved closer to the pillar and out of the way of whatever was trying to come in. Once the thing was passed, he cautiously came from behind the pillar and took notice of the thing. It was a strange winged girl with the color green as her theme.

Was this one of the sky people from above?

Curious, he came out further leaving one hand leaning against the pale white pillar. His naturally black nails a stark contrast to it all. The girl was speaking and asking questions while opening up many others within the mind. When she was done speaking, the young man blinked at her for a moment as he process all what was said before giving her a friendly smile.

“Furi-chan. What a pleasure to meet you. My name is  Deshi. I am a wanderer of the lands searching for clues to a lost civilization. I have traveled pretty far, but this is the first time I’ve found something this promising,” he said and then settling on other words that she had said, he would tilt his head curiously at her.

“You asked earlier if I was going to buy something. Are you perhaps a merchant or are you a resident of this place?” he asked as he moved a bit closer to the strange yet intriguing creature. He would give her a moment to answer or not before he took notice that the bird and the boy had gotten closer. Turning so that he could face both the boy, but not have his back to the girl. the white haired man nodded politely to the new comer.

“Greetings. A traveler too?” he would ask his voice friendly despite the calmness.

Deshi chuckled lightly at the girl’s words and the nickname he apparently had now. He didn’t mind the name, so he accepted it. When the girl mentioned the area and gave him a thumbs up, the friendly demeanor never changed as Deshi shifted in his spot.

"No. I suppose not. Not many go through the research needed to find such a place and usually don’t appreciate it when they find it by accident. Perhaps I am the only one mad enough to dedicate my life to such things,” he said with a grin before raising his eyebrows at the girl as she mentioned money.

“Oho?” he began amused. “Are you in need of money then?” he asked to see if she could give a valid reason for him to consider donating a sum to her. Being a drifter, Deshi was careful with his pennies and did not give them out unless the thing was worth the trade. Did this make him mean or shallow? No. But a trade was a trade and the way he survived in life.  Despite this way of looking at the world, Deshi would remain gentle with this friendly child and turn to face the boy when he approached.

While the mood remained light between the trio, Deshi would study the boy and the bird with him. While the bird seemed lively enough, it was hard to read the boy with it or understand why the other had such a large cage for such a small bird. As if that wasn’t peculiar enough, the boy’s way of acting and speaking added onto the oddness around him. Was this his way or was this one perhaps simply not a social butterfly? He seemed to be a bit out of it….so maybe there was something wrong with him? Hmmm...a curious matter indeed.

Regardless of this, Deshi would not judge as he nodded at the simple phrase. “Ah. Then let’s not be stranger’s anymore. I am Deshi and this Furi-chan,” he said gesturing to the girl in green before focusing back on the boy. “What is your name?” he would ask politely and then wait to see if he got an answer.

A second would pass by and then another before Furi-chan broke it by addressing the boy herself. Her words made the traveler smirk in amusement as he moved to the left and took a step forward to go pass the girl.

“I am actually looking for a door that acts like a gate to the place this ruins hides,” he paused as he dug in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it as he moved to show it to the girl and the boy if he wanted to see.

“If my notes are right, then this ruin would be the remains of a false city that hid another of vast power behind it. If we can find the door or some clue of this being either city. Then I can safely say I will be in business and content to go forward with my work. If not then...well....back to wandering for myself,” Deshi said a bit of excitement in his voice as he thought about that life long dream of studying the other worlds finally coming true. All he needed was a clue that it was all real and not fantasy….

“In any case, that is what I am going to do. If you want, you can help me look and while we are that perhaps tell me a bit more about yourselves. A lone boy and his bird and a winged child from a castle. Both tales sound wonderful to here,” Deshi said as he folded the paper back up and placed it within his pocket once more. From there he would shift and move further into the ruins in search of the door and clues.