FAM, MEET FAM

"You doing alright?" Dolan asks Trita as she coughs into her sleeve. "See, this is one of the major reasons I️ hate sand."

He can't quite manage a lighthearted moment like he wants to right now, but once she seems recovered, he holds his arm up to shield her face from the wind.

"In the absence of something better, this'll have to do I️ guess....also, I'm kind of glad you have those throwing cards on you now. At least one of us is somewhat prepared. Meanwhile, my family members struggle to tolerate each other and would rather bicker than make smart life-saving choices. I️ just love people, so much."

"He can do anything he wants?" Lunath asks, clearly off his previous train of thought. He doesn't have a chance to continue with it, though, because Kvanne cuts in.

He shoots a rather offended look Ploy's way before speaking. "We have some unwelcome guests coming this way, and I'm taking everyone further inland so as to be off this shore when they all come aground. We need to move quickly, so I'd appreciate as little nonsense as possible. Does everyone understand?"

Shand huffs a bit as he picks himself up off the ground, clearly used to Nameless's sudden physical displays.

"Why can't your interference just be in my favor." Shand gives Nameless a cutting but harmless look as he dusts himself off, knowing full well that he's whining but not caring enough to change his tune.

When the fox more or less ignores him, Shand sighs. "Fine. Let's just meet up with my father and see what needs to be done about all of this joy and happiness I've created."

"Thanks..."

She is completely embarrassed by Dolan feeling the need to shield her from the sand but also grateful he's doing it regardless.

"Well, when the people you're surrounded by are always prepared because they're super-powered freaks, you feel the need to step up your game a bit."

Despite the jab, her tone is light-hearted. There's truth in what she's saying, but she isn't upset with any of the others or mocking any of them for being the way they are. She wonders if she should tell Dolan how many knives she has on her. It couldn't hurt to give him one should he need it, though he seems capable on his own.

"... Ten."

She mutters without explanation, getting distracted by the sight of the giant white fox standing off not too far away.

"Nameless, where have you been?"

The creature looks over at Shand with a smug expression.

"I don't owe you my allegiance. You should probably remember that. Anyways, time to meet the happy couple."

His wording is very intentional, meaning to annoy Shand and get under his skin. Without waiting for a response, he trots over to Dolan and Trita with a happy gait.

"Shand and I have been bonding. Good to see you too, though."

Ploy cuts her eyes at Kvanne over her shoulder but she doesn't say anything, just takes a step closer to Lunath protectively.

Luna stands, unclipping a large white staff from the holder on her back, twirling it around over her shoulder, at the ready to fight without a word.

Ivor tugs on her sleeve and shakes his head as if to tell her that's probably not the best action to take from reading the air of the other.

Quietly, Luna looks around at the tense people in the grove and her eyebrow twitches in irritation at their motionlessness.

"So... What's the plan?"

"Ten...?" Dolan asks, perplexed, as if that's the most important piece of information to address beyond anything Nameless has said so far.

When he doesn't get an immediate response, he directs his attention to Shand, the concern he's had for his son's welfare all this time completely evaporated now. "The whole running off and leaving us wondering where you were while a storm threatens to tear the island apart and Keiran's closing in, real character move. Thanks for that."

Shand rolls his eyes, pulled into their clear and well-worn pattern of interaction. "I've been pouring my heart out to a spirit-fox who beats me about the head with his tail when I️ annoy him, so I'm recovering from my upbringing and adjusting pretty well, and I️ appreciate you asking, especially while you're on a sweet little date."

Dolan ignores his statement and looks back out to sea at the approaching ship. "Between you and your bully fox, you better come up with a way to fix this, or so help me. I️ don't know what I'll do to you, but it will be cathartic."

As Kvanne works to round the group up like an enthusiastic sheepdog, he mulls over possibilities in his head. "I️ don't want us staying and engaging them on this beach. Nothing good can come of that. Honestly, they don't know you and you don't know them, and while your help would be appreciated, I️ hesitate to accept it under such unusual conditions."

To punctuate his sentence, Kvanne looks around at their environment, and then back to Luna and her large staff.

"How does Nameless work, then?" Lunath completely ignores the scale of the situation unfolding around him and the growth of the chaos as he pulls on Ploy's sleeve. "Is he like a fairy godmother, do I️ just wish for something and he comes, or like a well where I️ have to throw things in? Or do I️ rub him, like a genie, and he does what I️ want?"

Trita sighs, looking over at the fox again for some sort of answer.

“Listen, I know I’m not Luna or your new friend Shand here, but can you at least tell me what you can do to help?”

She moves on from her comment about “ten” now even though she hears Dolan repeat it in confusion. She’s sure it sounded ominous but now is not the time to explain when their easy ways out of this situation are in front of them acting like children.

“Well, I could uproot us to a completely different dimension if that would help but Shand may mess all of that up if we try.”

Nameless sits down in front of them, mentioning how Shand is a detriment to their safety ever so casually and without looking at the man as if he isn’t standing right beside him.

“See, I could create a new safe space but Shand may lose his cool and cause another island to appear with another ocean and another path for these people to find us again. So, while it could buy us time, I can’t promise it’ll solve all our problems.”

Finally, he looks at Shand.

“Unless we find a way to render Shand and his odd powers helpless. Not sure what that would look like. Maybe knocking him out cold but he may dream us into a different situation. Seems like the best option so far.”

Luna sighs, clicking the staff back into place on her back, looking back off at the sea.

“Well, it’s your call. You’re the ones who know what we’re up against. Hope you know what you’re doing.”

Her eyes hold an air of irritation with Kvanne but she doesn’t push the matter further, not wanting to start any unnecessary fights in the group.

“U-Uh….”

Ploy is unsure of what to do. The threatening glare of Kvanne burns in her mind but the innocent question from Lunath begs for attention. Deciding to screw the consequences, she leans down with a patient smile.

“Nameless kind of does whatever he feels? If you want something, it’s kind of at the whim of if he thinks it’s worth his time so he can be pretty inconsistent. I’m sure if you get Luna on your side, his chances of agreeing would increase. He may not be able to feel but he has a softer spot for her than he does for most people for whatever reason.”

Hearing her name, Luna’s eyes snap over to the conversation but it’s clear she doesn’t understand why she was randomly brought up.

“I️ really appreciate your staggering faith in me.” Shand nods, processing all of Nameless’s options.

“What do you mean, knock him out?” Dolan’s eyes narrow ever so slightly at Nameless. Not enough to make him look like he cares a burdensome amount, but enough to show that the option gives him some pause.

“Yeah, what do you mean, knock me out.” Shand jumps on that train with some enthusiasm. “Like, please fix all my problems and cover my tracks so no one dies, but do I️ have to get knocked out to achieve this?”

Dolan has moved on, though, and has been thinking quietly. He turns now to Trita with an odd, hopeful look on his face.

“Do you have ten weapons on your person currently? Is that what you meant?”

“Oh my GOD. Please just have your moment and dance on my ashes like I’m already gone.” Shand complains, folding his arms tight across his chest. It pulls his shirt sideways so that his pearl necklace falls it from the fabric.

“For the love of everything holy, put that away,” Dolan hisses, his attention suddenly snapped back again. “If Keiron and Hadrian actually step foot on this beach, what do you think they’re coming for?” Dolan stabs at the air in a dramatic point at the necklace.

“So much effort for a little bling,” Shand nearly yawns.

Kvanne continues in his interaction with Luna, assuring her that they would do all they could, naturally. “I️ just hope it will be enough. And that somewhere Dolan is coming up with a better plan.”

Meanwhile, Lunath watches Luna after Ploy mentions her. He clearly needs to befriend her in order to get Nameless to help him, but as Luna hasn’t commanded much attention in the group before, Lunath is surprised to see how pretty she is and how awesome she looks with her staff across her back.

Nameless chuckles into a yawn, clearly not too invested into this conversation, his mind having moved on to whatever it deems a more interesting topic though he still extends courtesy and answers the question.

"Well, if Shand is unconscious, in theory, he is less likely to mess up my transporting us to a different, safer dimension. Of course, you never know with him. He's just full of surprises. He could actually mess it up more that way... Willing to take the risk?"

This is the topic Nameless's mind has wandered to as his tone clearly shifts to be more playful and daring. He knows there's a gamble but he's interested in the outcome.

Trita looks at Dolan, having briefly forgotten she had brought that up.

"What... Oh! Oh yeah, that's what I meant."

She lowers her voice, holding her chin in her hand thinking.

"Ten knives: Two throwing, eight daggers, plus my throwing cards."

She's more muttering to herself, staring hard down at the ground, taking quiet stock of what's on her person.

Ploy looks back and forth between Luna and Lunath for a few seconds.

"Why are you staring...?"

"Hey, kid, close your mouth, you're going to catch flies."

Eidolon interrupts, poking Lunath's cheek with a smirk.

Luna frowns at how hands-off Kvanne is being.

"Did you not say you have some sort of commander type roll or something to do with armies? We shouldn't be waiting for a plan to fall in our laps but think of one for ourselves so we're prepared."

"I️ might need one of those," Dolan mumbles to Trita, then turns toward Shand hesitantly.

"I️ wasn't going to tell you this, but I️ figure you'll hear it eventually from someone and it might as well be from me, but Dakara's missing."

Shand's face freezes for a second like he's trying to comprehend what his father has said. Then, his eyes widen, absolutely wild, and it's obvious that out of everything that's happened to him today, he considers this the most nightmarish by far.

"She was at the bar with you guys when I️ left!" There's no hiding the panic in Shand's voice. "How the hell did you manage to lose her! You lost Dakara!"

"It probably had something to do with the way you jostled us all around and threw us here so haphazardly!" Dolan defends himself, holding back slightly in his tone.

Shand lets all the air in his lungs rush out of his mouth as he surveys the ocean and the growing waves. He turns to Nameless. "Knock me out. If you promise to find Dakara and take her safely to wherever it is you're gonna put all of us, then just do it."

Shand takes a breath and adds: "I️ can't promise I️ won't dream. Actually, I️ can probably promise you that I️ will because, I️ don't know why really but that's just how it works. But I'll do my best not to mess anything up. Just please find her."

Kvanne steps back slightly, as if that's the most gentlemanly response he knows to something that's offended him.

"Yes, I️ am the commander, in our world. And yes, if I️ had several armies at my disposal now, my response to this alarm would be much different. If you think that what I'm doing now is waiting for a plan to fall in my lap, then you are sorely mistaken. Our enemies must be dealt with, of course, but there are ones in our charge currently who need no part in that." Kvanne glances over at Lunath, then back to Luna to make his point.

Lunath watches Luna glance at him, and his stomach starts to flip-flop. He's not sure what Eidolon means about catching flies in his mouth, but his stomach feels like he might have swallowed a few.

"I️ don't feel so good," he looks up at Ploy with a pained look on his face. "Maybe I️ was thinking too much about s'mores and all the sugar in my head made my stomach hurt."

"Nameless, do you know what you're doing?"

Trita looks up from the ground quickly, cutting the creature a look that would make a bear run in fear. It's obvious she doesn't trust him, not the way Luna and now Shand do.

But Nameless stares up at Shand, ignoring any and all threat.

"That's your only condition? She probably won't like that much but alright."

Nameless turns to Dolan with a pleased expression, circling his long tail like a snare around Shand.

"You may want to take your new girlfriend a little ways away. Creating dimensions is risky business."

"Nameless."

Trita hisses through her teeth.

"I'm not going to kill him. He won't even get hurt. He's quite literally just going to sleep while I can sort out his mess. Now, step back please. As his babysitter, I have a lot of work to do."

Something about his overconfident tone tells her that he knows something she doesn't but she's not in a place she can argue, seeing as the ship is steadily getting closer and closer.

Luna's eyes narrow and she steps forward boldly, hands on her hips, completely done with the man in front of her.

"You think I'm so foolish as to send the boy to fight? I'm not that heartless. I don't want to see him or anyone hurt either."

She holds up her hand and points a finger at him, posture very demanding for barely being average height.

"All I was suggesting is that you send a couple of capable people to distract while the rest of you hide or figure out some plan. This is a tiny island, without some sort of stalling, they'll find us immediately and, if they're really as dangerous as you're making us believe, we don't want that, now do we? That would be worse for us and Lunath in the end."

Sighing, she lowers her hand and steps back to where she started, Ivor staring up at her nervously. She continues with much more of a mumbled shy tone.

"I was offering to be the distraction anyways... It's not like I wanted to put someone else in that position."

Eidolon snickers, ruffling Lunath's hair rather aggressively.

"You believe in love at first sight?"

He jokes, earning a rather harsh scowl from Ploy, clearly not approving of mocking the boy and his crush.

"She got ya bad, didn't she? Who would've thought Luna of all people..."

Luna's deep blue eyes wander over to the trio again, looking at each of them with obvious confusion from hearing them say her name yet again. Ploy waves her hands in front of her to try to dismiss any concern.

"S-Sorry, we were just thinking about what you two were talking about, that's all."

Luna seems to take this excuse and turns, not before chancing another look at Lunath with a worried frown. Kvanne is right and she doesn't want to put him in danger and, though she hasn't spoken to him, she can only hope he doesn't think of her as the mean, heartless adult of the group.

Shand takes a deep breath to steady himself. "I️ mean, do I️ need to add as a stipulation that I'd also like to wake up when this is over? That I️, too, would like to be transported to safety along with everyone else? Like, how technical do you need me to be? You've got shifty eyes going on and it looks like you're hunting for experimentation loopholes."

Dolan is fidgeting with his hands, folding his arms first, then rubbing his arms, then scratching at his neck. "Am I️ the only one who's really really uncomfortable with this?"

"Aw, Pops." Shand sends a wicked smile his way. "I️ think there's a little something stuck on your sleeve, lemme get it... oh, it's just your sweet little heart."

"Hit him hard when you knock him out, will you, fox?" Dolan mutters, but doesn't stop rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Fine, have it your way." Kvanne waves his hand dismissively at Luna, his tone even and cool. "Goodbye."

"Kvaaaanne," Aleric moans in embarrassment. "Can't you be a little more flexible here? Not to mention, civil?"

"You heard her. She said she was volunteering to be the 'distraction'. Well, go on. Distract away. I️ won't stop you. We'll just be heading inland. Don't let anyone follow you when you're done with your distracting."

"What?" Lunath asks Eidolon in confusion. "Love at first sight? No, my tummy just feels funny. I️ mean, Luna is... she's..." Lunath glances over at her quickly.

"She seems pretty cool. I️ like how she yelled at Uncle Kvanne like that. I️ wish I️ could do that."

Just as Lunath's starting to mull that over further in his mind, a strong gust of wind charges in from the sea, leaving them all struggling to not be blown over.

Lunath actually does get knocked over, and falls to his hands and knees in the sand. When he hits the ground, though, something jolts- and hard. He visibly shivers- his whole body trembling for several seconds before it stops.

When it does, he starts looking around him frantically, as if he's trying to locate someone who had been there only moments before.

"There's no loophole to be had. Anything I do will be safe. I'd be more considered about anything you do or someone else may do while you're taking your nap."

Nameless's glowing white fur begins to get brighter and brighter, almost blindingly so as if he is the new source of light in this small world. It quickly envelopes Shand until the two of them are no longer visible.

Trita quickly grabs Dolan's arm and tugs him several steps away, turning him at the same time to try and shield his eyes from the light. The rest of the island, from the ground to the trees and even the water begins to softly glow to match the now formless Nameless.

Luna sighs, reading her staff again as she turns towards the sea to set off on her solo mission. As she does, the ground glows just as the strong gust sweeps through the area.

Everything shields their eyes from the loose sand kicking up in their faces. When they can see again, Ploy leans down quickly, hands hovering over Lunath's shoulders frantically.

"Lunath! Are you ok?"

Everyone turns their attention to Lunath when Ploy calls for him, including Luna. The young mage blinks away the sand to focus on the boy's searching expression.

"Is something wrong?"

"Is this your distraction?" Kvanne asks with some unhappiness in his tone, also trying to reach across the distance to put yet another stable hand on Lunath.

"What about Dolan and Trita- and Shand? And Dakara?" Aleric asks, his voice getting drowned out in the sounds of the howling winds and everything shaking around them.

Lunath continues looking around for a few seconds before answering, and when he does, he turns to Ploy and whispers. "He's gone. He's always here but he's gone! What's happening?"

Lunath looks down at his hands and notice that they look different. His voice sounds different and he feels... bigger? He tries to stand up, and the wind is whipping too strongly, but his legs feel strange under him, like they're much longer than he's used to. When he looks up at Ploy, her eyes are round and she's staring at him like she's seeing a ghost.

"What...what's wrong?"

"I️ change my mind!" Dolan yells, trying to turn to where he'd last seen Shand, despite Trita holding him back. "It's not a good idea- don't- just come back!"

The light glows blindingly bright, and Shand feels like he's staring into the sun, or that maybe the sun is growing and encompassing him. There is a warm, static feeling fanning out in the center of his chest, working also down his arms.

He can't see much, but he can see the faint glow of blue through his arms, and then it suddenly stops- the warm feeling, the light, the glow in his arms.

Everything is dark suddenly, and he is standing in a space now that he can't identify. When he calls out, his voice echoes. "Nameless?"

"L-Lunath...?"

Ploy can't believe what she's seeing and her hands pause just above him. No one speaks as they stare at.

All they can do is just stare. They've never seen anything like this before. Hopping dimensions, whole islands glowing, these things all now seem normal in comparison. Even the usually collected Eidolon is frozen in place, standing above him.

It takes several long seconds before anyone interrupts the silence.

"You've... Aged?"

Luna's mouth hangs open a bit and her eyes scan every feature of his. Her hand is so relaxed out of shock that holding her staff is an afterthought and she nearly drops it.

But they all lose sight of each other as the light envelopes everything.

Trita manages to keep Dolan back during this transition but, in the blindingness, she eventually loses him. She can't see him, hear him, or feel him. All senses are just gone now.

"Yeah, Shand?"

Nameless's voice echoes from nowhere.

"It's time to sleep for a bit. You won't be asleep any longer than an average night, you have my word. Just long enough to find Dakara and get everyone away to safety. I know I'm a sociopathic fox so my word may mean little, but, like I said: You have it."

What feels like an eternity seems to pass in the light when, in reality, it's probably no more than five minutes. Concrete feelings and substances finally begin to appear around everyone.

As the light fades, small cottage like buildings begin to take shape all close together, looking to be the setting of a small town.

Dolan's eyes have been shut tight against the light and against the reality that this is happening now and he can do nothing to stop it. When he opens them, he and Trita are standing in the middle of a cobblestone street.

"Is...is this where we're supposed to be?" He asks her, taking stock of their surroundings but also unable to push down the ill feeling that's come over him.

"Aged?" Lunath's heart drops into his stomach and now that he can finally stand, he does. All of a sudden, Ploy is much shorter than she had been only a few minutes before. And Luna is not just pretty, she is mesmerizing.

"I️, uh, well, uh..." Lunath's hands suddenly feel out of place on his body, like they're imposters, and he can't find anything to do with them to make them look like they belong. "I️ feel that way a little bit..."

Amidst all the confusion, Lunath stops and remembers that something else has also changed.

"Ploy," he hisses, not wanting the rest of the group to overhear. "Something is really, really wrong. Beyond the whole aging thing. Lu- the weird guy, the one that was, well, him- he's gone. I️ don't know what it means. He's always said that he was never going to leave and I'm kind of worried."

In the background, Kvanne's neck is swinging every way, trying to figure out where they are, if they are safe, and what should be done about their new situation.

"Okay," Shand answers, feeling like something heavy is sitting on his chest and like he's being lulled into a deep sleep by some outside force. Even though it's already black all around him, he closes his eyes.

However, when he closes his eyes, the world is brighter than it had been when Nameless had taken them, well, who knew where. Once Shand's eyes adjust, he sees that he's standing in tall, swaying grass dappled by tree-filtered sunlight and he knows that he's already dreaming.

He silently curses his inability to be normal and to follow simple instruction, and to sleep peacefully. In the same breath, he resolves to tread as lightly as possible, and to do whatever he can to make no dents in the real reality.

Even though he has no clue how that all works.

He looks up from where he is standing and the color drains out of his face. He's back in the clearing from his recurring nightmare, surrounded by the animal corpses, with the wolf staring at him, bloody fangs bared.

This is normally where the vision ends. By this point, Shand can usually breath a sigh of relief because it's all over, and he knows he'll be waking up any second now.

But this time is different. Everything seems so much more permanent and there are so many more sensory details that just feel real. Shand swallows and tries to stand ever so still.

"My my, are you ever a hard one to catch on the back foot."

The wolf is speaking to him now in a gravelly gurgling voice, its eyes glowing yellow and its tail swinging low back and forth. It moves slowly, one limber leg after the other with its neck down, like it's stalking Shand in the high grass.

"Who are you?" Shand demands, trying to keep his tone even, reminding himself that the last thing he can do is let the real world be affected in any way. Let anything cause any possible danger for his father, for Dakara. He stands stock still.

"Oh, we've never met officially. But you know me. Anyways, we'll be getting rather familiar with each other with very soon. You can thank your fox friend for that."

"Lu--?"

Ploy's brow furrows as she listens to Lunath's frantic words, trying her ever-loving darndest to ignore the fact she has to slightly look up at him now.

"How can he just leave you suddenly? That doesn't seem like that's how curses should work."

It's a mixed bag of emotions: One one-hand, she's happy for Lunath and that he's free for whatever reason. But, other than that, she's very afraid about where the spirit may be. Her eyes sweep around the group, as if she's expecting any sign of it even though she's aware that's not really how it works.

"Ploy."

Luna hisses, walking over to the two quickly. She steps beside Lunath, tugging on the other woman's arm.

"Is this an illusion?"

Ploy huffs and shakes her head.

"I need to stop being everyone's failsafe answer for this weird stuff. Nameless and, now apparently Shand, have way more power than I do."

Sighing, Luna frowns looking around, tapping her finger worriedly on her staff.

Trita rubs her eyes, slowly looking around. Nameless stands in front of a nearby building with its door wide open.

"What..."

Nameless motions to the door.

"Shand's asleep on a bed in this inn. He's fine. All tucked in like a good child."

With a sigh of relief, Trita turns to Dolan with a small smile.

"You should go check on him, yeah? I know you want to. It's fine. I'll stay out here with Nameless if you want."

"Just, is all this over? Is it done? Is he going to wake up now?" Dolan asks, his nerves making his voice tremble slightly. His hands are trembling now, too, and he doesn't want to admit that if Shand is in there dreaming, he doesn't think he can face what he's seen of it before alone, with the way that things are unfolding now.

Lunath glances around the group with some paranoia in his eyes. This was never something he wanted to happen, to have to tell. He could go along with it, of course, and never tell anyone the truth. But they may very well still be in danger, and he couldn't deal with the blame of knowing he played a part should anything go wrong.

"It's not-" he clears his throat, surprised at the new low sound of the voice coming from his own mouth. "It's not a curse, really. It's... nobody knows this, but my dad, my real father, is the one who's out to get everyone. Keiron is my dad. And Lu, Lu was like his way of keeping tabs on me. My dad is into some dark stuff, and Lu's proof of that. He's not something to mess with, and that's why I've kept him to myself. So don't tell anyone- and please, please don't tell Dolan. I️ have to find him myself and fix this."

Shand focuses all his energy on suppressing a shiver that's running down his spine.

"Nameless?" He hisses quietly out the side of his mouth, hoping the fox might be nearby.

The wolf laughs in a raucous, ear-grating way that ends in a snarl. "Your friend isn't here, and even if he was, there's nothing he can do now. His cooperation was unanticipated, but appreciated."

The wolf gets closer and closer, until Shand could reach out and touch it. The thing is huge, and where it is standing now Shand looks it in its massive, glowing eyes and can feel its breath on his face.

Some of the blood staining the mane-like tufts of fur across its chest drip, roll off and splatter onto Shand. He closes his eyes for a brief moment, but does not flinch. He pictures Dakara's face in his mind and tries to breathe normally.

Still, panic wells up inside of him and he starts to feel the tingling in his fingers- usually a forewarning that blue lightning is going to strike somewhere.

"Ah-ah-ah!" The wolf shakes its head slowly, amusedly at Shand. "You have no clue how this works, do you. You're not in control any more, boy. As if you ever were. No, that won't help you at all now. But... it can be of great use to me."

Without warning, the wolf snarls and its teeth penetrate deeply into Shand's forearm. He feels blistering, searing pain, like the teeth have impaled his arm completely.

He looks down to see veins that normally glow light blue pulsating with a hideous, sickly yellow green.

"Back to sleep now, boy."

"No, Shand will sleep for the normal length of a night. Eight hours. That's how long it will take for me to secure this space to make sure that, when he wakes up, he can't create another ocean as a means for your good ol'friends to find us again."

Noticing Dolan take a second to look back at Trita, Nameless glances at the open door, his tail swishing. His game of observation cat and mouse has begun. His main task is to make sure Shand is not completely lost but, for this current moment, now is his chance to come to further grips with what is happening with the dimension of people he's just met and a world he's never seen.

"Nameless, is Shand ok?"

He looks back at the two that are now looking at him again. Trita watches him especially close, her eyes scrutinizing his every movement. Something about his motions are slowed in comparison to how he acted before, as if everything is a second thought and his mind is elsewhere.

Because it is. Unknown to the two in front of him, he is focusing a large amount of energy on keeping this new space stable and with keeping tabs on Shand's heart and innermost mind. He has to conserve energy to keep up with these grueling tasks.

"As ok as someone like him can be after creating a reality completely by accident. His peachy friend Dakara is alright as well. She's asleep in a different room in the inn. She should be waking up any second. I'm nothing if not a fox of my word."

Ploy looks down at the ground, deep in thought.

"So how do we find-"

"Excuse me?"

Luna turns frantically back and forth between the two, having heard more of that conversation than either of them had planned.

"Wanna fill me in here?"

Ploy's eyes snap to the other woman.

"Luna, don't go repeating that. Honestly, Lunath didn't mean to have you know either but I guess it's too late now."

It's not Lunath's fault, really. He's not used to his voice carrying further, being at the same speaking level as other adults, or the adults taking his words more seriously. It's a whole knew world for him quite literally.

Luna glances at Lunath from the side, sizing him and his new form up, but she hesitantly nods in agreement.

"...Okay, sure. But I could still use some more explanation here."

Dolan glances back toward the open door hesitantly. "I️...I️ won't go in there just yet then. I️ should just let him rest." He nods to cement his own decision, and yet can't stop glancing back at the open door.

Dolan inhales deeply and tries to calm himself. "You know, it's funny.. all he wanted when he went in the back at the bar was a good long nap. I️ guess he's finally getting what he asked for."

Lunath's face goes beet red as Luna questions him. It's hard enough to come to terms that she, too, is now shorter than him and, lo and behold, he finds her even more attractive from this angle. It's suddenly as if his mouth and mind don't work.

"I️, UH, WELL REALLY." Lunath stops for a moment and swallows, willing his voice to get more quiet and soft. "I️.. YOU'RE BREAKING MY BRAIN." His eyes widen a bit in the realization that yes, he has said that out loud. He wants to die. He wants to find a hole, crawl in it, and never come out. Mortification doesn't even begin to cover it.

Kvanne and Aleric have flagged Dolan and Trita down near the open door of a building, where Nameless also stands with his swishing tail and his self-satisfied smirk.

"Does he have Shand?" Kvanne asks matter of factly, as if he's inventorying all his weapons.

"Yeah." Dolan says briefly and without his usual level of snark. He rubs at the back of his head and keeps his eyes trained down. "And Dakara's fine. She's in there, too."

"That's good... right?" Aleric asks tentatively, reading the emotions on his twin's face. Something is very, very off.

"Well, while you're celebrating our deliverance, you should also be aware that a situation has developed in your absence." Kvanne averts his eyes over to where a now very tall Lunath stands with Ploy, Eidolon, and Luna. His features are different, yet he's still recognizable. Just as a sixteen year old instead of a nine year old.

The pain feels like it's draining Shand- of blood, of energy, of will- of everything, really, and he feels that pull that originally lulled him to sleep return and close his eyelids for him.

The pain does not fade, however, and suddenly he is wide awake and back in that chair, strapped down to the hilt with some sort of needle taped in a haphazard way to his arm.

As he struggles to free himself, he can feel the long needle move inside his vein. The needle is attached to some tubing, and the tubing to a large clear bag hanging overhead, full of neon green liquid that drips consistently through the tubing and into his veins.

With each drop that he can see fall into the tubing, a new wave of pain hits him so hard that he can feel the foundations of the white-walled room shake, and dust fall from the ceiling.

But whatever he does, he cannot free himself and he seems utterly alone with this dripping bag and unpredictable waves of pain.

"Dad??" He yells out desperately, snark and wit and facades gone. Something on the inside of him feels hollow and aching, like there's a space where something has been removed.

No one answers him.

"Oh. My. GOD."

Eidolon coughs out a laugh, having to turn and walk several feet away and lean against a building for support, completely losing it at Lunath's honest statement.

Ploy seems equally surprised but doesn't openly laugh in his face about it. She just stares, blinking for a few seconds, trying to think of anyway to save the poor boy in the situation he's created.

Closing her eyes, Luna clears her throat, trying to mask the rising blush on her face and also trying to remind herself that Lunath was literally almost ten years younger not even five minutes ago.

"I... I, uh... If you need me to walk away I can?"

She seems a little confused about what to do in this situation for an entire list of reasons and her question is filled with complete uncertainty, wondering if that was even an appropriate response.

Every couple of seconds she steals shy, embarrassed glances at him.

Eidolon doesn't stop laughing.

Trita watches from where she stands with the other group, a slow, but confused, smirk pulling at her lips as her ears visibly twitch, catching the loud proclamation.

"That was... Bold."

She turns back to Dolan, a hand on one hip, the other motioning to the entire surrounding area. To the door where Nameless stands guard and then back to Lunath and the others.

"This isn't normal for your group, is it?"

As everyone talks, Nameless closes his eyes slowly, his features falling expressionless and his fur stops glowing like a lighthouse. The small town finally completely fades into view and all unnatural light is gone. With a yawn and last flicker of light, Nameless fades from view, vanishing to who knows where.

Ivor looks over just in time to catch the fox disappear and frowns, making a mental note of the moment so he can tell Luna when she's no longer... Preoccupied.

"I️ mean, you could like turn around or something, I️ think that would help." Lunath clears his throat again, like something is stuck in it and he exhales deeply like he's just fed up with life because, really, who can be expected to put up with this.

"Hold up, no no no, on second thought, don't actually turn around. I'm SO sorry, that would DEFINITELY not help." Lunath's face feels like it's going to be permanently red and he can't figure out why he suddenly has no tact and his overshare seems to be stuck in the on position.

"What is going onnnnn," he moans toward the sky and no one in particular. He's so embarrassed that he barely even remembers that he's still got a much bigger problem on his hands.

"Is that..." Dolan's face goes instantly blank and then his eyes widen in horror. "Nope, I️ did not sign up for this. My hands were full enough and I️ have several good years left. This has got to be a joke." Dolan turns to where Nameless had been standing to find that he's vanished. With that option exhausted, he turns to Trita.

"I️ mean, weird things happen to us all the time, but this crosses a line. A very thick, very personal, very not okay line." Dolan is in the middle of a particularly deep sigh when he hears a yell come from the inn, from one of the upstairs rooms.

He squints his eyes and asks Trita, "Did you hear that?"

Shand continues to yell, to scream, anything to get himself out of this place that he swore he'd never go back to. He keeps yelling until he's hoarse and his voice has given out completely. His mouth is so dry, and the ache that pulsates throughout his body every few seconds without rest has made him lightheaded and weak.

He wants to call for Nameless again, but his throat is gravelly to the point that no sound will come out. He lays his head back against the hard steel of the chair and stares straight up into the ceiling where there is a blinding bright light coming from nowhere he an discern.

This is hell. It's pure hell, but he closes his eyes against the pain, forces himself to stay conscious, and tells himself that he has to trust that Nameless will wake him up when everything is safe again.

Because at this point, he has no other option and no other hope.

Luna's hands start shaking like she is struggling to keep any and all thoughts and feelings buried deep down but they keep wanting to crawl back up. To stop them, she freezes, but they won't stop there. So her hands shake. She's definitely not used to this kind of attention and it only confuses her already panicked mind because of who it's coming from.

"Can I face you? Is facing you the best option? Should I just leave, like, go all the way across town? What. Do. You. Want?"

Her face is redder than anyone in her group of companions has ever seen it before and she doesn't know what to do to hide that fact other than hang her head so the brim of her large hat shadows her eyes, but it doesn't keep parts of her cheeks from being visible.

Eidolon pushes himself from the wall, laughing the entire way back over. It claps his hand on Lunath's back, shooting him a teasing wink.

"Play it cool."

Ploy's mind finally returns to her body, blinking herself back to reality. The sight of Lunath is oddly the weirdest thing she's seen all day and then for him to openly struggle with being attracted to someone who was just thirteen years older than him one moment but is now only six years older, which is really not all that much once you hit adulthood... It's almost too much to take in. Her eyes look at Luna who seems to equally be struggling with the situation but her expression is unreadable under the protection of her large hat.

Trita watches the awkward little group, about to make another sarcastic comment about Dolan's family when she hears the scream. She's already looking at the inn before Dolan can even ask her if she heard it.

She now notices Nameless's lack of presence with them and the seriousness of the situation only seems to begin to grow, knowing he wouldn't vanish away from them completely unless he absolutely had to for some reason.

Things aren't adding up.

She flicks her red eyes to Dolan's to confirm further that she heard the scream but also hoping to find some sort of puzzle piece to the answer of what is going on here.

Unfortunately, she doesn't see anything.

She purses her lips in a thin line.

“Umm, just, stand behind Eidolon maybe since he’s dealing with this so much better than I️ am.”

Lunath sends Eidolon a wry look and, what the actual hell, has he grown up and suddenly become Dolan? He shakes his head to try and shake that thought off.

“Okay, as awkward as all this is, before all this happened, I️ was telling Ploy about this... this spirit that we need to find, and fast. He can mess things up faster than you even know.”

Dolan had been listening in on Lunath’s struggles before, but as Trita confirms that she’s heard the voice too, Dolan doesn’t even think twice before bolting through the open door and up the stairs. He peers in on each room until he finds the one Shand sleeps in.

He’s on his back in the bed, arms and legs rigid and almost posed looking. Like dead people are laid out. Dolan fights a disturbed shiver and notices immediately that Shand is dreaming, his eyes wide open and unblinking, fixed on the ceiling and darting slightly from left to right at intervals.

It’s a relief to know he’s here, that he’s safe- and Dolan feels some of his alarm wash off him as he sinks into a chair near the bedside.

“Shand, buddy,” he says quietly. “Sometimes I️ feel like you’re trying extra hard to make me old before my time.”

Suddenly, Shand blinks one time and sits up stiffly, a lopsided smile on his face. “Pops. So nice of you to join us.”

In his cold white prison, Shand hears his father’s voice overhead, like it’s traveling through tunnels to get to him. He can hear every word clearly.

He tries to yell, to answer back, to tell Dolan where he is and what’s going on, but his voice is torn to shreds.

He also hears his own voice, sharp and clipped, answer Dolan and it sinks in that he’s not dreaming like normal anymore and that something has gone terribly, horribly wrong.

Eidolon gradually stops laughing at the shift in the conversation and Luna manages to get over her initial embarrassment, turning to Lunath without caring about his newfound struggle with his feelings.

"Wait, hold on... You have a spirit that has just been following you around all this time and it just up and vanished?"

Eidolon folds his arms in front of him, looking eye-to-eye with the now taller Lunath, head tilted to the side.

Luna chews on her lip, hearing this new and utterly surprisingly news.

"Possession..."

She mumbles quietly, her hand gripping her staff just a little too tight, noticeably so. Realizing her obvious personal discomfort at the thought, she quickly lets go of the end of it she had been holding and folds her arms, mimicking Eidolon's pose to make her reaction less obvious.

"How do we... Find this spirit, Lunath?"

Ploy glances at Luna but shakes her focus away to listen intently to Lunath. They need a plan of action and he's the only one that has dealt with something like this.

Noticing no one his going after Dolan, Trita quickly follows, seeming to be the only one besides him who heard the scream.

She's not too far behind him but she does stop a foot or two back from the open door into the inn's room, not wanting to get in the way of their conversation. She even considers turning around and leaving. It seems like the smart thing to do.

As she begins to turn, Shand speaks. The tone is off and makes her want to stay where she is, but she can't quite place why. Her legs stay grounded, refusing to take another step away despite mentally begging them to move and take her from the building.

Lunath swallows hard as he notices the discomfort he’s caused Luna by telling them about Lu. He wonders if it was the best choice after all, but since the part about his real father being a deranged villain has seemingly gotten swept under the rug, he’ll take it.

“I️... I️ don’t really know how to find him. He’s always just kind of... followed me around. Stuck really close, bothered me a lot and sometimes possessed me and I️ couldn’t do anything or tell anyone about it.”

Lunath’s lips twitch as he thinks, as he tries to come up with something, anything useful.
“But I️ know he is connected to my father, how I️ don’t know exactly, but it can’t be coincidence that they showed up sailing right for us on the island before and now, Lu’s just gone. Just, there’s some piece I’m missing.”

Dolan feels his blood turn cold at the sound of Shand’s voice- odd, precise, much more formal than Shand has ever been with him.

“Son, are you alright?” Dolan asks, his voice saturated with concern. “You didn’t sleep as long as Nameless said you should, but we’re all here safe.”

Strapped to the chair, all Shand can do is listen and shred his voice even further with more desperate attempts to yell out for help, to break through to his father, to find Nameless somehow. But no sound comes out as he continues to hear the nightmare play out.

“Nameless, hmm?” The strange version of Shand hums to himself and chuckles.

“Isn’t he in for a treat. And yes, Dolan, your son is fine, mostly. At least, for the time being. But the degree to which you try to prevent me from this point on will play a pivotal role in whether or not he stays that way. It’s all up to you.”

"Lunath..."

Luna begins quietly, almost under her breath.

"When he possessed you, what did it feel like?"

Her tone seems to go beyond basic curiosity but she doesn't allow herself to portray anything more than that.

"Seems like kind of a sensitive question."

Ploy eyes Luna, worried the curiosity will bring up some bad memories for Lunath, though it's already a little too late for that.

Before they can continue, Ivor walks over, standing behind Luna. He taps on her shoulder and she jumps at the sudden touch, hugging herself tighter. She turns quickly, flaring her extremely long hair out to the point it swishes against Lunath.

"What?"

Ivor frowns, looking around at the different segregated groups as he speaks.

"Nameless faded a few minutes ago."

Her eyes widen and she tenses up even more if that was even physically possible.

"Now of all times? He- What if we need him? We're in a bit of a situation."

She wants to say more but she looks back at Lunath, remembering how he nearly begged Ploy to not tell anyone. After several seconds of staring at him, she drops her eyes and falls quiet, thinking over her wording and thoughts very carefully.

Trita's breath hitches in her throat and she has to place her hand on the wall to keep her stable.

Should she run out and tell the others what she just heard?

Suddenly, her feet decided to move, taking slow intentional steps down the hall but everything feels like she's trying to pull bags of sand behind her. Is Nameless aware of what's going on? Where did he go all of a sudden?

Lunath is a bit taken back by Luna’s question, but the look on her face intrigues him and Lu has been a fact of life so long for him, that it strangely doesn’t feel odd or painful to talk about him.

“Well, it was awful at first, but in time I️ could feel it coming on. Most times I️ could always see him around me, even though no one else could. And then all of a sudden he’d be gone, and I’d feel like I was being shoved down and I️ couldn’t get back to the top of me, if that makes sense. I️ could feel and see and hear and everything like I️ was still in control, but I️ wouldn’t be. I️ know that sounds crazy.”

Dolan stands slowly from his chair, all the color drained from his face. “What are you,” he asks, his voice a deep and tremulous growl.  His sons face stares back at him, but he knows it’s not really Shand anymore.

“You don’t even recognize me! Well, understandable, I️ suppose.” Shand’s voice feigns being hurt, but breaks into a wide smile in the next moment as he gets up from the bed and stretches.

“You have no clue. Well you have no excuse, Dolan. I️ told you I️ was coming back for him, that day I️ freed your sweet wife’s soul, and now here I️ am, back and ready to collect- a man of my word always- and you act like this is all new to you. Tsk tsk. Time has come, Dolan. Time to pay up.”

Shand’s eyes get wide and wildly enthused. ”Aren’t you excited to see what this baby can really do when you put him through his paces? I️ know I’m dyyyyyying to find out.”