Chrono Trigger Resurrection

Tempas stayed, watching the whole exchange between his passengers take place, as he began fueling up his near-empty craft.

I wonder why Skia's been so obtuse? I'd say it's unusual, but I never really knew her.

As the other two "normal" people walked away, Tempas let the pump rest on the injection port, and leaned over to talk to Skia.

"Hey, you know, Ryk was kinda put off by your curtness. It was a bit of a damper on the kindness she was trying to show."

"I don't want to accept others charity," Skia said, not looking at Tempas. She had lived by this code since she was small; she has always worked to provide for herself without needing others to help her out because if she couldn't even support herself, how the hell was she supposed to support a country when it really mattered? It didn't need to be with money; it was the principal which counted.

"I don't do things to be rewarded; I do them because they are right and they are what Crono would have done," she continued. She paused for a moment before getting to the main issue which was bugging her. "Besides, how would you like it knowing that somebody had money burning a hole in their pocket while you barely have enough to feed yourself each month? It sucks."

Tempas was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Skia was that poor. Suddenly, her actions made sense. She used Crono as a role model to give herself meaning, to keep herself from degenerating into a lowlife.

"Well, we're working as a team right now. Crono had to rely on his team a lot during battle, even to save him. Do you think he could have gone against Lavos alone? He would have died. In fact, that's how he did die, the first time. I'm not asking you to go against what you believe, but just to... lighten up a bit. We all come from different backgrounds, and some people have it better than others. It's Fate. Ryk offered to share some of that with you, and that was quite a nice thing for her to do."

The pump clicked as it finished filling the tank.

"Anyways, I gotta go in and pay for the fuel and get a few things. You're an expert on Crono, right? Come in and help me get stuff that'll be useful for battle, why don't you?"

Skia remained quiet. She didn't really believe in fate because if it was to be her fate, she would carve her own destiny. Something like the "stars foreordained it" was something for people who were too full of themselves or people who simply accepted their lot in life and complained about it instead of trying to do something about it.

Skia was neither. (Although, to say she didn't have a tad of an ego would be a lie.)

"You're an expert on Crono, right? Come in and help me get stuff that'll be useful for battle, why don't you?"

Skia smiled a bit. While she wasn't an expert, she knew a hell of a lot on the legendary hero.

"All right," she acquitted.

While Ryk was hardly thrown away by the cuisine options the stop had, she was happy enough that there were options at all. Making sure she could still see the hovercar as she ordered her combo meal, she thanked the kind vendor and waited for her accompanying companion to order.

Tempas led Skia into the nearby shop. Inside, they found a middle-aged woman standing behind a counter, with a cash register on top.

Tempas casually walked up, leaning on the counter. "Do you guys have any potions, ethers, or shelters?"

The woman looked at him from behind a pointy nose and thin glasses, peering intently, as if into his soul. She was scrutinizing him, though he didn't know for what. Probably just to be a freak.

"Yeah. How many ya want?"

"Well, is there anything else you have?"

The woman sighed and flipped a catalogue onto the counter, with much irritation. She obviously hated her job and didn't want to help them.

Tempas took the catalogue in his hands, and gave it a look over.

"I'll take ten potions, three ethers, one shelter, and an Athenian Water, please."

The woman sighed again, responding with, "Well why dontcha just order our whole stock, while yer attit, huh?"

He simply smiled and stared at her. She gave him the stink eye, and got up to get his order. While her back was turned, Tempas nudged Skia, and mimicked the woman's expression, exaggerating it for humor.

Skia snickered at Tempas making fun of the woman. It probably wasn't very heroic, but Skia didn't think of that. She was a shop owner trying to do a business. Last thing she should do is be ♥♥♥♥♥ing about making sales.

Serin stared at the vendor before him. He had never been to a place such as this. His experience limited to cooking more basic meals for himself.

Serin glanced over at Ryk who had since made her order. She knew this place far better than him so he hoped he could trust her tastes. Approaching the vendor he quickly told them he'd have exactly what she ordered and followed it with a quiet 'Thank you' before turning back to his companion.

"I hope this is not too much."

As soon as the cranky woman turned back around with their things, Tempas assumed a stoic face and graciously accepted his purchases. The woman stared at the snickering Skia with beady eyes, trying to figure out if she could snap at her for some reason.

"An what's so funny to you, missy?!" she sneered.

"Come on, Skia, let's go." Tempas said, doing his best to ignore the glare he was receiving for his comparative kindness, and started to walk out.

"Just the fact you are so pissy that we are buying your wares," Skia answered simply. Most people would have said nothing, but Skia was the type to speak her mind, especially when she wouldn't. At least people knew what she actually thought.

"Come on, Skia, she's not worth our time." Without waiting for her, Tempas escaped the woman's icy glare and returned outside. Whatever her deal was, it certainly wasn't improving with their presence. He put his purchases in the trunk, and went back to the driver's seat to patiently wait for everyone's return. They shouldn't be too much longer, he thought.

They weren't. As it turned out, the two combo meals were too much, at least for Ryk. The to-go-bags were a bit more full than she'd expected, although the price had been decent and she was sure the other guy could eat it all anyway. Besides, it smelled delicious, and she was already anticipating eating whatever she needed back in the hovercar. A meal on the go! An archaeologist's delight! A bright sensual burst of ecstasy surrounded by an unsure quest! A soft but pervading light in the chaotic sea of her future!

Ryk was in a good mood.

Although she was surprised to see that Tempas and Skia weren't. "Old lady give you problems, I guess?"

"Yeah, she did. I'm not bothered by it too much, Skia told her off though," Tempas said. "You guys ready to go, or do we need anything else?"

Serin took one of the rather large bags from Ryk, still surprised at the sheer amount of food that was fit into them for the price they paid. He glanced over at his other two companions who seemed in a slightly worse mood since he had left. "You guys ready to go, or do we need anything else?"

Serin looked back to Ryk who seemed rather pleased with what she had and he was in no need of supplies. "I am fine, a little food is all I needed." He held up the bag to prove his point before walking to the hovercraft.

"I'm good, too," Ryk said simply. It was all that was necessary in this situation, really.

She wasn't surprised that Skia had caused - or retaliated to - trouble, so she decided to leave that topic alone. Instead, she yawned, opened her bag, and sat herself back down in the hovercar. "I get front seat to navigate, I guess."

Tempas waited for everyone to get in and close the doors before turning on the engine. He pulled out of the fueling station, and with more speed than was probably necessary, he zipped onto the main street. Within a short time they had exited Bangor Dome and were now in the countryside again.

"Ok, Ryk, tell us where to go," he said, looking ahead at the mountain looming over them.

Ryk scrunched her nose a bit at the reference to a mountain. "That's Death Peak. You may want to, um, give it a nice curve 'round it. Don't get too close, you know? The ancients used to see it as a haunted place. Well, at first it wasn't, but history's complicated and the point is no one likes it much now. I mean, c'mon. Death Peak?" She clamped her mouth shut over the facts and figures behind the name and its superstitions, but as a follower of said superstitions she thought it best just to remain vague on the subject. Childhood folklore aside, there was plenty not to like about the place, and if they needed a utilitarian reason to go around it from a distance, the water was usually chaotic and dangerous around those parts. Probably had something to do with the geography, but she wasn't sure.

A snatch of poem occured to her, silently: The seasons prayed around his knees,/Like children round a sire:/Grandfather of the days is he,/Of dawn the ancestor.

Creepy-♥♥♥ lines for a creepy-♥♥♥ place, really, although the poem only seemed creepy in this alien context. It finally struck Ryk just how out-of-hand everything had gotten, and she didn't like it.

((OOC: Blatant world-building and/or foreshadowing is okay, right? I mean I don't actually know if Death Peak is bad in this storyline. But, I mean, c'mon. Death Peak? ))

"Alright, I'll go around it," he said. Didn't make much of a difference the first time we passed it.

"So, where to go from here?" he asked.

It took him, with Ryk's help, no more than a matter of minutes to locate the Observatory. The structure was around ten stories tall, five of those making up the giant telescope dome. Two shorter wings branched off, obviously living quarters and supply depots. There was a landing pad in front, where Tempas parked. Getting out, he could see the large doors leading into the building, and a control panel nearby.

"Alright guys, this is it. Igor'll get us in." Tempas said, slinging the bag of supplies he had bought over his shoulder. Igor hesitantly got out of the car, but stayed near the group. Evidently he knew more than they what lay inside.

Ooc: You guys are more than welcome to take a little control and use Igor how you see fit. Get us inside if you want, I'm really lax concerning what happens right now, so what you say goes, as long as its within good reason. You've got wide boundaries.

Serin walked at the front of the group, slightly off to the side. He turned his head left and right as he scanned the area for anything unusual but so far there was nothing. They approached the large doors with Igor in tow, looking nervous as ever. Serin looked at the control panel, it seemed rather simple as far as he could tell as in there weren't more than a dozen or so buttons with what appeared to be a small lever.

When they stopped in front of the doors Igor crept over to it. "Give me a moment." So far Serin knew nothing about what was beyond the doors and it didn't sit well with him.

"How far in before we meet the security?" He eyed the assistant at the panel warily.

"Don't worry about security," Skia said confidently, resting her hand on the hilt of the sword. "I'll take care of them."

How much harder could they be then Gato?