~Character Chat~

Peter: (shaking his head in disbelief) I've fought against and alongside aliens. I've traveled to other universes, and I've bent fire to my will. I've seen the lights leave the eyes of people I've killed, and I've heard the echoes of their screams as they went. I've touched the Center of the Planar Universe! I thought I'd seen it all. I was wrong.
Senet: ...What 'ee said.

Riddle:YAY! I'M A SHINY NEW THING!!!(is all smiley.) That is a good thing right?

Peter: I have no bloody clue.

Riddle: oh. I'm going to go ahead and say its a neutural thing then. Good because- hey I'm IMMORTAL. and that's neat. but bad 'cause I end up participating in a lot of target practice...and using alot of duct tape to hold myself together...And...MAGGOTS.(Shivers at the thought.)
T.Mor: You really barely notice it until she says something funny. like about food...or maggots...or formaldehyde...or not sleeping for two weeks because her bed smelt funny. It's not always emotionally scarring.(is reassuring.)
Riddle: I personally think it's pretty scarring...see- I have one here....and here....and---
T.Mor: don't scare them any more than you already have. It's rude. And they're being so nice as to give us a lift home.

Peter: (is beginning to slowly accept things) Scars are nothing to us, T.Mor. You don't have to worry about that freaking us out.
Senet: (starting to get a devilish smile) 'Ee has a razer nasty one hright 'eere. (In a swift motion, he grabs Peter's shirt and lifts it up a part of the way, revealing two things: one, Peter is quite physically fit, and two, there's a sizeable scarred area to the right of his abdomen.)
Peter: Hey! (He yanks his shirt back down.)
Senet: (with the same grin) 'Ee cautehrized 'ees own injury when 'ee was twelve. Eet wasn't fun to watch ohr leesten to, I'll tell you zat.
Peter: (annoyed) Go ahead and violate my privacy, why don't you. You have some scars, yourself. Remember that water type? That water type?

Riddle: I bet I can out-scar all of ya'll.(smiles devilishly.) see, this one- (points at neck)is from my first decapitation...and this...(turns around and rolls down the collar of her shirt )is where Some guard dude forcefully removed my spine...that actually was really unpleasant to be conscious through...

Peter: I can imagine. And I'd rather not show all of my scars, thanks.
Senet: Besides, you'hre immohrtal, Hreedle. Eet's kind of an unfaihr advantage.

Riddle:oh...yeah. (Arm randomly falls back off.) OH CRAP. hold on.... (Re attaches angrily) And you stay on you bloody arm- if you know what's good for you! or else I'll set you on fire like that brick! AND THIS TIME IT'LL WORK!
T.Mor:...And she's insane again. (sigh) Riddle don't do that.
Riddle: It's probably not flammable either. You're right.
T.Mor: Thank you.
Riddle: So..are you recharged? or do I have to wait 7-10 hours for that sleeping stuff?
T. Mor: you sound so excited to go back home.
Riddle: No, I wanna go see A-3. it sounds exciting...and future flavored.(grins.)

Senet: Actualment, youhr ahrm ees flamma--umph!
Peter: (slapping his hand to Senet's mouth) Don't tell her that!
Senet: (pulling Peter's hand off) Right. Desolé.
Peter: And yes, I think we're ready to go now. Shifting someone else requires contact; don't be alarmed.
(Peter places a hand on Riddle's good arm while Senet puts his hand on T.Mor's shoulder.)
Peter: Senet, you head to that plane you picked out. Leave your signature unmasked for exactly two seconds. I'll follow.
Senet: Okay! Trois...deux...un! (He and T.Mor vanish in a blast of blue and white light and an earsplitting crack!)
Peter: (pauses before speaking) Our turn. Three...two...one. (He and Riddle vanish in the same way.)

Plane B-457
The four appear in an empty alley in a bustling city. Peter and Senet both collapse immediately upon arrival, breathing rapidly and heavily.

Senet: (with an exhausted smile, pulling himself into a sitting position) Everyzing een wohrkeeng ohrdehr?
Peter: (attempting to sit up as well) I'm not dead, and that's always good.
Senet: (to T.Mor and Riddle) We'hre about halfway zere. Zees plane has a waypoint to A-3, but we'll need to walk. Eet's not too far, zough. Zjust geeve us a few moments to be able to walk.

Riddle: That was AWESOME! We were there...and now FOOSH! we're...uhh...where ever here is. That's like...uhm. I dunno. Blindfolding yoyrself before leaving your house in the morning then running through the streets REALLY fast and then after some time taking the blindfold off and realising that your in front of some random fish market! (Didn't breathe at all while saying that sentence.)
T.Mor: (Has been in awe at the skyscrapers just across the street.) It's all so...clean. It's georgeous.
Riddle: (laughs at T.Mor's reaction.) Clean? how can a city be--(sees the shinyness.) OH. IT'S SO SHINY. I'm going to get a can of shiny-paint here so I can paint the world at home.(Is quite satisfied with this plan.)
T.Mor: I don't think it works that way...(Snaps out of it.)
Riddle: (Has turned back to Peter and Senet, still sitting.) Man- you guys need like soul caffeine or something...
T.Mor: Be patient, Riddle.
Riddle: But...why wait ten minutes for something that can be achieved RIGHT NOW with enough willpower and CAFFEINE?
T.Mor: (Rolls eyes.)

Peter: (standing up) I'm afraid it doesn't quite work that way. (He helps Senet to his feet.) Alright, take us to that waypoint.
Senet: Right. (He begins walking.)
Peter: (to T.Mor and Riddle as he starts to follow Senet) I should tell you now that shifting is like sending up a flare; if there were any attentive Sybek on any nearby planes, they'll know we're here. Let's move quickly so they don't find us, alright?

T. Mor: Got it. (Follows Senet briskly) Riddle, Come on.
Riddle: Just no running. I hate running.
T.Mor: (From down the street a ways.) Just listen to the nice people getting us home. Come ON!
Riddle: (Is now far enough behind that she has to run to catch up.) I HATE THIS... I hate this I hate this I hate this...ok.(Has caught up. To Peter) So these Sybek dudes...What happens if they catch us?

Peter: In a nutshell, we die painfully and slowly.
Senet: Eef you don't want zat 'appeneeng, you'd best move along!

Riddle: Oh. You can't just set them on fire?
T. Mor: That's not the solution to everything Riddle.
Riddle: Oh yeah.(Brightly) T.Mor could shoot 'em!

Peter: I can set them on fire; I've done it before. In fact, we only die if they touch us. Remember how Senet and I shifted you? That's what they do. Even so, if they come in large numbers, there's not much we can do to fight them off. We wouldn't be able to shift again without putting ourselves in serious risk of dying...but if it came to it, we'd shift just to kill ourselves and stay out of their hands.
Senet: "Bettehr to die fhrom a bhreak zan die fhrom a 'bek!" Zat's a bondehr sayeeng.

Riddle: Oh. (Clearly entertained hopes of some kung fu fire battle.) If you took us with you if that happened would T.Mor die too?
T.Mor: (hasn't thought of that.) What. Riddle- that's crazy.(nervously.) That is crazy right?(Asks Senet.)

Senet: Eet eez. Only we would die, because we'd be ze ones doeeng ze sheefteeng. Eef we took you, eet would even hraise ouhr chances of successfully suicideeng.
Peter: (thinking out loud) But what would be worse for them? Bringing them with us, or leaving them with the Sybek? The Sybek would certainly be interested in anyone who shifted, even if they didn't do it on their own, and they might go after them. At the same time, if they stayed, the Sybek might not kill them because they aren't bonders.
Senet: Zey could always tuhrn zem eento bondehrs, like what zey deed to u--
Peter: (cutting him off, and speaking just a little too quickly at first) Yeah, I was considering that, too. In fact, that's probably what would happen. Hell, it's probably what would happen if we did shift with them and the Sybek followed.
Senet: (Having known Peter for as long as he has, he perceived the action and knew that it was no accident.) Why ahre you always so touchy about talking about ouhr past? (This is, in fact, a question he's asked before, though he's never gotten a straight answer.)
Peter: I don't want to bore them with that sad story.
Senet: (with a frown, not an expression that often plays on his face) I zeenk eet's pretty exciteeng.

Riddle:I'll trade you for T.Mor's life story. (Wants to hear more.)
T.Mor: No. You can't do that. You can't just go around trading my life story like that!(also doesn't want to talk about it.)
Riddle: why not? It's not MY problems.
T.Mor: Exactly!
Riddle: (ignores it beautifully.) So, T. Mor's life story for wonderful storytime from Peter and Senet. Is it a deal?
T.Mor:(almost to himself) I think you ought to give them your life story.
Riddle: But it's not as DEPRESSING and ANGST FILLED as yours. just unnecessarily gory.(Smiling at the thought.) So? Storytime?(she does her best puppy dog face which is more disturbing than endearing, due to her big red eyes.)

Senet: Suhre!
Peter: (betrayed) Hey! And I thought we were brothers!
Senet: (grinning, giving Peter a playful punch in the shoulder) We ahre, frèro!

((Not by blood; this isn't a soap opera They consider each other to be brothers, though. You'll know why soon enough. Oh, and fun fact: what Senet said is the French equivalent of "bro"...only, I'm not sure if it's spelled with two R's or one. I think it's just one, though.))

(I envy your french abilities. Also, Senet's accent is lovely to read- I can hear him saying it in my brain!)

Riddle: Ok...Should I start or do you want to?
T. Mor: Peter should go first.(Does NOT want to hear the Riddle-ised version of his life.)
Riddle: Let him decide! Manners, T.Mor!
T.Mor: And THAT isn't the pot calling the kettle black.

((Thanks I've been taking French for a few years now, I watch French shows, and I play French games, so...yeah, it helps. Anyway, I was hoping his dialogue would have that effect, so yay! ))

Peter: (hurriedly) Riddle should go first! (He gives an uncomfortable cough.)
Senet: (still grinning) Alhright, let's 'eere eet, Hreedle!

Riddle: Once upon a time in uhh...at home, there lived a quiet little dude named T.Morbid Namechov.(T.Mor cringes.) His parents apparently named him that of their own free will. When he was 8 my dad's hostile governmental take over demolished the economy of his town place, and basically turned the joint into slums. He got home from school one day and FOOSH...actually I don't know what sort of comic book sound effect he heard...We'll call it FOOSH. He discovered that his parental units had been brutally killed off by my dad's dudes. (T.Mor is hiding behind his hands. Clearly unhappy that this all has been brought up.)
So, he and his sister- Ana Namechov- Seriously, who names these children? were thrown forcefully out of schooling and into the completely screwed up economy to try and fend for them selves. Only Ana was all "I wanna keep our parents' lovely house" -And it is pretty...- and was basically all whiny and useless about it, forcing T.Mor to pick up the highest paying job he could when he was like...I dunno...9? Which was Ironically working for my father as one of his guard dudes.
And, my dad likes to uhh...eat kids I guess? I dunno- He doesn't really talk to me much. So, He had to lie about his age...and actually theres a funny story about that...
Uhh...He got promoted last year to basically imprisoning, torturing and killing off innocent people. But hey- he can afford his rent.
T.Mor:(at this point sorta distraught.) WELL, SHE WAS THE POSTERCHILD FOR THIS NEW GOVERNMENT AND LIED TO ALL OF OUR FACES! I WENT INTO ALL THIS THINKING IT WAS TEMPORARY! AND ...and...I dunno.
Riddle: Gosh. when you put it THAT way it makes me seem like a terrible person. (To Peter and Senet) Really though- being the only face in the whole government wasn't my thing, and my dad and I ....Sorta--I don't wanna talk about that. I kinda want to set HIM on fire. (is clearly all conflicted)

(Tell me what you thought of that, It won't be thrown out that way in the book- so T.Mor won't be a wreck as much, but yeah. Comments/Criticisms would be good.)

((Sorry for the late reply. I had to go do something that took waaaaaay longer than I thought it would, not to mention that this post took waaaaaay longer than I thought it would >.<

That's an interesting story. I'd like to see the full version of that, non-Riddle-ized (though I did enjoy the Riddle Edition xD). Seriously, Riddle should make Abridged Series of shows

Anyway, now it's my turn! You might wanna sit down with a cup of tea and a blanket, 'cause it ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated... o3o; ))

Senet: Zat sounds 'ohrreeble...(quietly)...zough I was wondehreeng what "T.Mohr" stood fohr...
Peter: (He was wondering as well, but he doesn't voice this.) Life turned upside-down when you were eight? (He laughs bitterly.) What a coincidence.
Senet: Ooh, hright! Eet's time fohr ouhr tale now! And zjust wait, I bet we can out-sob stohry you!
Peter: (disbelieving) How can you possibly be acting like this?! It's not a competition! That's a terrible thing to say!
Senet: I, unlike you, am only sad on ze eenside. Besides, I find eet fahr mohre beahrable zees way. (He claps his hands once.) Okay! Onto ze stohry!
Peter: (pinching the bridge of his nose in a "just make it stop now" sort of way) It's a long one. Maybe you don't want to hear it after all, right?
Senet: (persistently) Eet was a nice sphreeng day. I was eight yeahrs old, and I was comeeng to Amehrica fohr ze fihrst time wiz my mom to veeseet my oldehr couseen, Amélie, who had moved 'eehre. She was teacheeng français to Amehrican students, coinceedentally een ze elementahry school zat Petehr was going to.
Peter: (grumpily, because he knows he can't stop Senet from telling the story at this point) I was eight, too. I was in third grade.
Senet: My mom and I went to ze school as eet was getteeng out to see Amélie. She and my mom wehre talkeeng zjust outside ze buildeeng when I saw zees weihrd light achross ze way. I was cuhrious, and I snuck off. Best and wohrst meestake of my life.
Peter: (dryly) Curiosity killed the Frenchman.
Senet: (intensely, because he's getting to the action and he knows it) Zehre wehre Sybek zehre. Zey wehre roundeeng up ze cheeldhren and sheefteeng away wiz zem, zough I 'ad no idea what eet was at ze time. Petehr was zehre, too; I deedn't know 'eem zen, of couhrse.
(Peter says nothing, but has a remorseful look on his face.)
Senet: Befohre I knew eet, a Sybek ghrabbed me and sheefted away wiz me, too. All of us keeds found ouhrselves een zees dahrk, tehrreeble place. Ze students wehre talkeeng to each ozehr, but back zen, I deedn't speak a wohrd of Eengleesh, besides ze ones ze Fhrench use, like "week-end," anyway.
Peter: He didn't miss much. None of us had a clue what was going on, and that's what we were trying to figure out.
Senet: Ze Sybek left us fohr a while. When zey came back, we wehre 'ehrded outside to a beeg, fenced-off, open ahrea. Zey shoved us eenside and closed ze fence. (His intensity is growing; he's getting to the really good part.) Suddenly, ze students stahrted vaneesheeng.
Peter: The area was that plane's connection to the Center of the Planar Universe.
Senet: Petehr and I sohrt of stumbled eento each ozehr, and we vaneeshed togezehr. So zehre we wehre, falleeng to ze Centehr. Eet was...was...incroyable. I...
Peter: It was this incredible ball of impossible size, monstrous and stretching off in all directions. We couldn't see where it curved away, it was so gargantuan. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that it made us feel microscopic. Sub-atomic.
(Senet nods.)
Peter: It was filled with blue and white light, shining and pulsating with a life of its own, a breathing energy. Of course, that's what it's made of: life and energy. Time seemed to slow down as we fell to its surface. The maelstrom swirled and glowed, bombarding us with its light as soon as we left the plane we had been taken to. It was like... It felt like the Center would consume us. Senet actually grabbed my hand.
Senet: Non, you ghrabbed mine!
Peter: It was probably both.
Senet: ...Admeettedly, eet scahred ze sheet out of boz of us.
Peter: ...Yeah.
Senet: (expectantly) Go on! You wehre telleeng eet hreally well.
Peter: (sighs) Fine. Will you pick it up at the Abandoned City part?
Senet: Non, you'hre a way bettehr stohrytellehr zan I am.
Peter: (grumbles before continuing) It could've been a few seconds or an eternity we spent there. Time lost all meaning. (He's actually beginning to get really into this.) The Center was at the same time both a glorious thing to behold and an absolute, mind-numbing terror. We might as well have been facing the High God. (snorts) For all we knew, we were. We were eventually--or rapidly? Like I said, I don't know--shot off along the surface of the Center to some other plane. It actually wasn't until then that we even got a glimpse of what the planes looked like from the outside.

They were like shimmers in the air set against a pitch black...sky? Maybe that's not the appropirate word, but whatever. They were moving about, warping and twisting around and through each other. They would glow blue and white when the lights from the Center hit them, which was countless times every second. When we looked out to the planes, they were like an immeasurable sea of glittering, sparkling stars. We, like the lights, found ourselves headed towards one in particular. It's important to note that we were, in fact, holding hands, because we were sent off together the same way we fell in together. It was the contact that did it, just like a shift. We entered the plane, but we both blacked out the second we hit it. I only know about him because he told me, by the way.

When we woke up again, we found ourselves by an old road with cracked pavement. Our heads were pounding, and we felt different. We didn't know it at the time, but when we touched the Center, it awoke long-forgotten abilities in us. We had become bonders. We could now see and talk to our souls, and though we weren't aware of it just then, we unlocked powers of both elemental and energy control. We saw a city in the distance, so we, being as sensible as eight-year-olds can get, headed to it. And I'll say it right now: at this time, we had no clue that we had even left our home plane, our Plane of Origin. For all we knew, when the Sybek kidnapped us, we just teleported. We had no frickin' idea what the Center was, or that different universes existed. We were expecting this city to be a part of our world, though of course we know now that it wasn't.

When we got to the city, we found that it was deserted. Abandoned. Cars were left in the streets, long dead. Stray papers blew in the breeze. Some buildings were beginning to fall into disrepair. It was just...eerie. It was getting dark, and we ended up spending the rest of the day sort of wandering around and looking for gods-know-what. Maybe we were just trying to find some form of life. Our search was uneventful. We ended up breaking into someone's house through the window...which we broke to get in. It wasn't like anyone was going to be using it any time soon. We stayed the night there. It was funny, really. I mean, there we were, just two kids who couldn't even talk to each other. No parents, no people around. It was just us, and the only thing we were able to express to each other so far were our names. Beyond that, nothing.

Anyway, we ended up spending two years in this city of ours, living off of the nonperishable foods we took from stores, teaching each other our languages, sleeping wherever we damned pleased, and learning to use our new bonder powers.
Senet: You make eet sound like eet was a good time! What about ze wild aneemals and ze earzquakes and zat passeeng gang and ze bombeengs, all of zat?
Peter: "Zat" is a story for another day. (back to what he was saying) After those two years, we happened to run into some reasearchers from the Organization of Bonders. They took us in, gave us a place to live at A-3, and taught us all about the Planar Universe, souls, everything. They trained us to use our powers, too. Lost, bonder kids like us are nicknamed Children of the Reasearch Center, because we're effectively raised by the reaserchers. Eventually, when Senet and I grew old enough, we became Scouts. We still report back to these reasearchers, and they're like our family. A-3 is our home.
Senet: (thinking out loud) Eet's been almost nine yeahrs seence we've seen ouhr hreal families. As much as Sahrah, Nike, and ze hreseahrchehrs ahre family, eet would be nice to see ouhr true pahrents again.
Peter: (wistfully) Yeah. I have two older sisters, too. And Mom and Dad... I wish I could see them all. (to T.Mor and Riddle) We don't know what plane we come from, so we can't go back.
Senet: I steell 'old on to ze hope zat we can find eet. Eet's out zehre, somewhehre. Zat's why I don't feel so down when I zeenk about eet. (He gives Peter a pointed look.)
Peter: Hey! I still think so, too! You know that I spend my "breaks" from duty looking for it, just like you do. I was looking for it the day I first met Sarah, actually. (recalling the memory with a short laugh) It was hot as hell on the plane I was exploring when I sensed her. (He looks back to T.Mor and Riddle, embarrassed.) Well, I think we've bored these poor people enough for one lifetime. That's our story. Two confused, pathetic kids with "magic" powers.

((Hot as hell, eh? Now you're caught up to the Prologue So, what did you think? It was long, I know. I didn't really mean for that to happen, but it just sorta got away from me >.<))

(Riddle abridged....that would be hysterical! I can see it now... Even though yours was long, while I was reading, it didn't FEEL long, and I really liked the ideaof an abandoned city. Where did all the other school children go? Also, I envy Senet's optimism. I'm also surprised Peter was so active despite originally not wanting to talk!)
Riddle: Man. You guys win it the special effects department. I think I have you beat in body count though.
T.Mor: (is still a bit of a wreck.) But they're doomed to not knowing about their families forever. I mean- at least I ...(Has trouble completing this sentence.) At least I know. (Searches for comprehension in Riddle's pale face. there is none.) AND YOU CAN'T EVEN RELATE CAN YOU?
Riddle: Nope. Umm...But I am kinda ...I don't...(Has forgotten the word again, but doesnt think that asking T.Mor right now would be a good Idea.) What If I don't know my plane number? You said that's why you can't get home. If I can't get home...Actually...(is processing this.) home sucks. Screw home.
T.Mor: Riddle. Not this again. We are going home. (firmly)
Riddle: Give them a number then. Go on. Because I sure can't.
T.Mor:You never even let them answer you.

((

The other kids were scattered to different planes. Guess I forgot to mention that.

And yeah, Peter warmed up to it eventually xD He does like stories, and he has an affinity for languages. He's fluent in both French and Pedla. Had things worked out differently, he probably would've gone on to become a language major.))

Senet: Like I said, I steell zeenk we can find zem. Anyway, we couldn't find ouhr plane een ze ahrchives because eizehr eet was undeescovehred, ohr zehre zjust wasn't enough eenfohrmation about eet fohr us to hrecognize eet as ouhr own when we looked. Zees could be ze case fohr youhr plane as well, but I 'ope eet eesn't.