Feathers and Bones (Ace)

This place was strange. Very strange. He hadn’t been here for a long time, but he had discovered relatively quickly where his boundaries were. He had come in from the outside world and when he tried to go back the way he came? He was blocked, leaving him stuck in this seemingly infinite structure. He knew just from walking around through the Slums that the place seemed to stretch on for who knew how long. The place a mix of old and new. Like constant add-ons, but nothing ever dropping off. It was odd for sure and made the demon wonder how it all worked. It was this curiosity and something more that caused the demon to take interest in this place and in turn decide to stay to see if he could crack the riddles the place seemed to have.

Knowing he wasn’t going anywhere for a while, he took to observing the lower regions finding a system of transport along the way and upon getting on it found that this place had even more to it. There was a section below the slums, but he wasn’t sure how to get in there yet, so he decided to go upward instead. From his position on the tram, he observed a large middle section from a window before the transport moved again heading upward and to a upper section. It was at this upper section that the demon got off and after some wandering found himself in a large plaza like area. Due to the fact that it was still early morning there didn’t seemed to be too many people milling about, even if some time had passed since that announcement that he guess was to wake up the city had gone off.

Taking advantage of this quiet, the demon would move to a spot out of the way before taking off his bag and resting it next to him as he took a moment to look up at the sky. That red sky. He had seen it before and yet it wasn’t until now he discovered just how pretty it was. Perhaps it was because he felt closer to at this point that he felt that way. Or maybe it was all the buildings and structure below that did. Huh.

Wheee~! Well, okay, not really. It was still far too early to be feeling too excited just yet. Despite the fact that Ace could be happy about the fact that he was fitting the early bird label while being pretty much a bird. How cool, right? He kind of did like mornings though, but they could be a little boring at times. And today's morning walk was proving as such as well, due to the majority of people seemingly choosing to snooze and lose this time around. It was a somewhat interesting sight to see the local plaza as empty as that however. Typically, there was quite a bunch of people milling about after all. That would probably come true a little later in the day of course, but for now it sure looked to be pretty deserted.

Choosing to walk on the ground this time around, Ace would stroll around the area, whistling to himself slightly. ''Such a great sky view and everyone's sleeping instead. Such a shame...''

He remained quietly standing where he was observing the skies when his sense picked up the trace of another. The first sign was smell and shortly after that sound causing the demon to blink a few times before leveling his eyes with the world once more. He’d scan the area finding it easy enough to find the source of the disturbance within this deserted plaza. What he saw was a young man that had a pair of wings on his back. A demon, a flyer, a shifter, or some other species he wasn’t quite sure and honestly didn’t care too much about that detail at the moment. What did keep his attention was the words the other had spoken. Even from a distance, his ears had picked up on what the other had said well enough. The words had him turning his attention skyward once more, as his lips parted and he spoke.

“I wonder how many take into consideration a sky like this. Do they savor it like it would be the last time they’d see it? Or are they so use to it that they care not even look up and enjoy it anymore?” The demon would pause his eyes returning to the other as a small smile went across his lips. Granted the other wouldn’t be able to see it thanks to his mask, but one didn’t need to see to hear the friendliness in his voice. As he opened his mouth again, he would say hello in his own odd way: “Ah, but perhaps instead questions I should’ve used a greeting instead, no?”

''Hm...?'' Ace would pause his wandering as he heard a voice pop out all of a sudden. Frankly, he hadn't even noticed he wasn't alone at the moment. Guess he was too focused on the fact that it was rather empty here this morning. Oh well, nothing new really. Scratching the back of his head somewhat sheepishly, he would turn towards where the voice came from, taking a moment to take in the person. A masked guy, eh? Nice. He would chuckle slightly with a light shake of his head. ''Maybe they just don't care for the odd stuff anymore...though, ya new here pal? You know, this sky color...I'm pretty sure it actually is just temporary. Must be whatever place we're at right now. It's not always like that here.'' It was sure an odd concept...this realm hopping or whatever it was. And Ace usually did not pay much attention to where exactly they were at all times, but he would guess this strange sky came from that. It wasn't red here until recently after all. ''But yes, hi to you too.'', he would wave a hand at the guy.

The wolf would watch the other quietly as he waited for a response, taking in the way the other seemed oblivious to him until he spoke. Interesting. Did this one feel safe enough in his environment that he saw no need to be cautious? Or had this one simply been zoned out so much to not have noticed him? Then again, he supposed not everyone had senses like him that could alert them of newcomers before they were too close. Whatever the case, it probably mattered not since no one was being harmed in the end. In any case, curiosity would come to an end as the other focused on him and after a chuckle spoke. To what he heard, the demon would hum lightly from behind his mask.

“Perhaps I am just an odd one then to take such pleasure in these simple things.” he would begin and then nodding his head, he would continue. “Yes I just arrived in this place not too long ago. How about you?” Well he seemed friendly enough as he paused to give the other room to answer if he wanted to. Though whether or not he got a response, he would eventually tilt his head and speak again. “Though I am curious, you said this sky is not always like this? Does it change often?” He had traveled under a red sky for a long time with the only changes being weather, so did being in this city change that or was there something more going on here?

In any case, when he saw the wave the demon would give a light bow in turn. An old form of greeting, but a greeting nonetheless.

Well, he hadn't been paying a lot of attention no. That of course didn't mean he would let himself be an easy target, were someone to try to attack him all of a sudden. He wasn't that much of a zone out. He would notice if someone started moving about and coming at him in some way. Even more so when it was mostly quiet and empty around him otherwise.

''Well, who knows?'' Ace would shrug lightly. ''Though I mostly meant it as people simply being used to weird sights like this to the point where they don't feel the need to rush to observe each and every one of them anymore.'' Junction sure came with plenty strange stuff here and there, so it wouldn't surprise him that some residents were simply numb to it already. And then some either didn't even care....or just wanted to sleep the morning away. That was an option too, ye? ''About three years, give and take. I kinda don't remember the exact date I stepped foot in this place on.'' It's been a long while, and the first bunch of days were sure pretty disorienting, as they would be for anyone.

''Hmmm.....'' The winged demon would take a moment to consider the question that came after. ''Well, I'd say...as often as this place changes its location, which could be every few days or even weeks. As far as I know, some appearances may be affected by where Junction currently is. I'm guessing this one has a red sky. It's pretty cool I guess.'' One would think most places had a blue sky, but guess not this one whatever it was. He didn't catch its name, to be honest.

He would tilt his head a bit at the greeting. ''Sup? Or did you just want to chat?''

“Used to such sights you say….” the demon would pause as he looked up at the sky again before letting out a light snort. “If changing skies were the daily norm for me. I think I would want to see those changes.”But then again he was odd like that and so took interest in these other wise looked overlooked details That aside though, the demon would look back at the other. “You said you have been here for three years. Where then did you come from and do you miss your home?” Well the demon certainly seemed to have curiosity within him and one that went deep for after he gave the other time to answer those questions, he would absorb the rest of what was said before asking another. “It moves every few day or weeks? What determines that and how many times has it changed since you have been here?” How strange. In all of his travels, he had been the only thing to move from world to world, but an entire city that moved just like he could? Now that was something new. Well whatever came of that, the demon would eventually nod a bit at the comment about the sky.

“This place is called Abara and for as long as I walked have walked this place, I have known it to have a red sky. I wonder what the next location will bring or if I can leave this place to explore it.” He had to wonder considering he could not get out now. Perhaps it was just this world that barred him. Though why was a mystery. Anyway...Hm?

The demon would hum at the question posed as he bowed his head a bit and tapped the chin of his mask. Honestly, he hadn’t thought too much on that matter when he had spoke and now faced with a decision, he wasn’t sure how to answer at first. After a few seconds of consideration though, he would look back at the other. “I suppose chat. What is your name?”

‘’To each their own I guess. Some people don’t care about appearances as long as they can live a good life.’’ It kind of depended on what your focus in life was. There were those who would rather count their money all day instead of looking up at the sky for example. Was there a wrong way to live though? Perhaps, but there weren’t many. ‘’Neeeh, does that really matter? It’s unlikely I’d ever go back there anyway. I don’t really mind it though. I’ve never been the one to sit home much as was.’’ Did this place ever visit where it had once already been? No idea. It wasn’t really something he gave much thought most of the time however. It’s kind of like when you move far away from home…well, you live there now, right?

He would shrug lightly. ‘’I think even hours in some cases. I don’t know what determines it though. And I don’t write each flop down in my personal diary, so my apologies but I can only tell you that it’s a lot.’’, he would chuckle faintly. It’s not like he made special notes whenever it happened, and unless one did that, they were bound to just lose track even after a year already. ‘’Abara, eh? Is that where you came from? Anyway…I guess you could go out and explore, but if you time it wrong, you could end up stuck there on accident. I personally don’t risk my chances much.’’ He would rather not get stuck in a completely new place again. That would be a pain in the ass.

‘’Nice to meet you then. I’m Ace.’’ Guess he could stay and chat for a while. Not exactly the morning walk he was originally up to, but works anyway, right?

“I suppose so,” the demon would say as he folded his arms and tilted his head slightly. He suppose in the end, it mattered not how one enjoyed their life as long as they were enjoying it to the fullest. Granted there were some exceptions to said rule, but those were extreme cases he hoped the majority had the common decency and sense to avoid. That aside, the demon would find himself leveling his gaze with the other, his mask hiding the raised eyebrows as he heard the other’s response to his question about his original home. “It was a simple question is all. I didn’t mean to step on toes with it,” the demon began his calm tones never faltering. “Ah. So this place doesn’t do circles, eh?” So did that mean he would not be seeing this sky and land again when it moved? Hmm, then if he stayed how many worlds would he find and would the traveling ever end? Would the place ever come to a rest in the end? Or did it go from place to place endlessly collecting and adding? A curious phenomenon and one he would have to take notes on alongside exploring this place more to figure out the truth. It would seem this place would be keeping him busy after all. Even more so with the answer he received when he question the other about the workings of the place. “Well that is fine. That gives me something to poke at to try and unravel.” The demon seemed more amused by the situation than upset, but then again he always was excited for a challenge. This case was no different. Even so the demon kept his cool as the other decided to ask him some questions in turn, his head shaking lightly in response to what he heard.

“No. Abara is not my home,” was the simple response back before the demon shifted his attention to the rest of what was said as he continued. “That is a risk, but if this place has a pattern that can be followed then perhaps exploring outside will not be as risky.” The demon was used to being in various places, so being stuck wasn’t a problem he could adapt. The only thing he’d regret he’d have if he got stuck somewhere is if he missed his chance to study this place more. Anyway, introduction time?

“The pleasure is all mine. My name is Siku, but you are welcomed to call me Si,” the demon would say his eyes narrowing with the smile he was giving from behind his mask.

‘’Eeeeh, I don’t particularly mind. I just kinda think that this type of stuff doesn’t really matter. Telling people what my home world is called is pointless when they’re not from there themselves, and whether I miss it or not is kinda irrelevant in the long run as well.’’ Besides, he preferred to not ponder that topic for too long at a time. With the chances of actually getting back home being most likely nonexistent, being homesick would be a waste of time, and a bad condition to suffer from. It’s best to adapt to the current living situation and make the best out of it instead of mulling over the past constantly. That’s the rule of life, is it not? He would give the man a sheepish smile. ‘’Hell if I know man. I think I haven’t seen it do that during the time I’ve spent here. I’d assume that if it ever visits the same place twice, that it is a very rare occurrence.’’ Was there a chance? Maybe? He honestly didn’t know. It was something to maybe ask the info system here, but he had kinda never gone and done it. Perhaps one day…

‘’And if you do find out why…then what? It’s still gonna keep happening anyway…’’ And the hops seemed to be more or less random, so even if one knew why Junction travelled like that, they could still predict nothing. At least, that’s what Ace would think. He would blink. ‘’Neh? How’d you get there then?’’ Like…weren’t most of these worlds far apart, or maybe even not in the same galaxy or whatever? Unless the guy was from just a country away from Abara or something. Mneh, well not like Ace was a geography master. He would chuckle faintly at the next comment. ‘’I don’t think there’s a pattern you can rely on. They do give out announcements about jumps, but if it’s a really brief visit, or if you’re out while a warning happens, you could easily be out of luck. This place is a bit of a tough cookie methinks.’’ You could risk, but it was a mystery whether you’d always manage to make it back safe and sound.

‘’Cool. So, what are ya anyway? There are too many species here to count….’’ Might as well ask the basic question, since the answer was not always readily apparent, to be honest.

"Perhaps it is irrelevant to you, but maybe to someone else the information is relevant. Besides can you assume no one knows of your world even if you haven't seen them before? What if someone traveled through it by chance?" After all, he was a traveler of worlds, so could there not be others or perhaps someone from a different part of this one's world? Either way the demon was more curious about the others thoughts rather than a name of world. Though where that would go was yet to be seen. Anyway..."Oho, is that so? A city that can travel worlds and not repeat its stays. What a fascinating thing." It made him wonder just what made the city tick even more. Was it a machine or was this thing sentient and had a mind of its own? He wonder if he poked around enough he would get the answer to those questions. He was thoroughly amused and would remain that way as the other asked his next question.

Turning in his spot to fully face the other, the demon would hum in thought a bit before speaking. "If I found the source perhaps, I can find perhaps a way to get it to stay or even control this place myself. There are endless possibilities when one has knowledge at their back." And so it was true. Knowledge did give power though whether it would be to ruin or not just depend on the person using the knowledge. Regardless the demon would chuckle as he added onto his words. "Though I would record it for my records first and determine through study if what this place does is dangerous enough to be worth stopping. And if not at least my curiosity would be satisfied for the time being."

On the note of curiosity, the demon would tilt his head slightly at the other as he considered what was said. "I hop worlds. Just like this place. I don't know what number this one would make. I've been on the go for a long time now." Too long perhaps, but he wasn't going to get into that here. Even less so in front of a stranger. Anywho...Hm?

"Hmm. That random huh? I wonder though if there isn't a connecting piece you could rely on." The demon would rub his chin in thought on that one. This couldn't all be random. There had to be some form of logic behind this. Maybe it only seemed random because no one had figured said logic out yet. Hmmm...

The demon would blink at the next one before letting out a soft snort. "Straight to point I see. We are a shapeshifter of wolf clan, a demon by some standards. And you?" Well, was it not only right to give back something in equal weight to what was given? Was that not how all exchanges worked?

“Perhaps you are right, but then again perhaps not. Either I won’t push for what you wish not share. I only asked because it was just one of the basics when getting to know someone is all,” he would say with a light shrug. Most would easily answer that question or even mourn over the fact that they could not go back to the place they once were in. The fact this one was so resistance against giving such information meant he probably had secrets he too did not wish to share or maybe his home world left a bad memories in his mind. Whatever the case was, the demon would push it aside easily enough as he tilted his head towards the other as he heard the short answer back. To this, he would let out a small hum of thought. “Does it bother you when people bring up how fascinating this place is?” the demon would ask curious. Depending on how long the other had been here perhaps it was more of annoyance. Much like a broken record as many said similar lines over and over again.

That aside the demon would blink slowly at the other as his arms folded. “Not necessarily. Some choose to live in fear of the thing that poses a threat praying for others to save them. Some don’t care or notice cause they are blinded by being around it too long, but outsider perhaps could see something different. For example, have you been to lower wards. The ones made of so many things? Haven’t wondered with a thing such as this pulling huge chunks out of worlds? What were the consequences of it and how many lives were ruined because this place took them from their homes? I would say something like that is dangerous and perhaps needs to be stopped. As for taking over. Well that answer depends on how much one actually cares about the people or what they think. Sometimes selfish desires is all that matters to a person.” With great knowledge came great power and responsibility, but one could not control the hand that held it. They could only pray the one holding such power would do the right thing, but sometimes that wasn’t always the case now was it? Either way, the demon would leave that topic there for now as another topic rolled into sight.

To this one, the demon would would look off to the side as he contemplated this one. “Why? That is simple. This place is fascinating enough to study thoroughly. I cannot do that if I am world hopping.” Besides it was not like he could teleport all over the place anyway. He had tried that and well. He was still here so, yeah. It wasn’t working which made him even more curious as to how this place worked. On the note of interest, it seemed the other didn’t share his enthusiasm for research. “Ah. I see. So you prefer to settle with what you have then. I suppose that is fair enough.” And so it was. Couldn’t convince everyone to get on the boat of discovery now could ya? And besides even if the information seemed pointless to one not seeking to anything about it all, the truth and how it all work was something this demon valued. Besides making new discoveries could also help others. He was sure not everyone was content just to adapt and live here for however, long they were stuck. Though…”On that note, if you settle for life as is, then what do you do here if this place is now your home? What sort of job do you perform?” Might as well go for this basic one instead and see what happened. Well where ever that one went the demon would find himself giving a light snort at the next comment and action.

“Heh. Perhaps so,” he would say and then hearing the response he would nod. “Ah the bird folk. Very nice.” And perhaps that answer was satisfactory enough. It wasn’t like the wolf demon was poking any further at the moment.