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[i][b]It's been so long. How long has it been?[/b][/i]

It was dark out and the only visible lights came from the buildings in the distance. Oddly, the night was starless and the moon was hidden behind a thick blanket of clouds. It was a gloomy evening, and it looked like it would rain soon. There were three more hours before New Year's eve, but instead of being bundled up and warm in their homes the teens trudged through the icy snow, making their way towards the abandoned train station not too far from town.

"We're really going, huh?" The boy asked with a slight grin. He was in a thick snow coat but he hugged his arms to his chest to save as much body heat as possible. It was darned cold and to be honest he would have sold his soul for a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate. He sniffled, his nose and face flushed due to the weather.

The girl in front of him was bundled up too. She braved through the snow with long, determined strides, but she looked cold too. He watched as she huffed and puffed and stared at her white and icy breath. Darn, it really was a cold evening. "You know," she muttered through chattering teeth. "You didn't have to come with me, Luke." The station could be seen in the distance now and a wave of relief washed over him. His legs were starting to feel stiff and his entire body wanted nothing more than to get away from the chilly snow.

"Pfft, and let you brave the snowstorm on your own? Puhlease, that'd be pretty ungentlemanly of me." Luke hopped forward so they were walking side by side. He didn't believe in the Midnight Train to Nowhere, but if it made her feel any better then he'd accompany her to the station. It wasn't like his parents were ever home, anyways, and celebrating the New Year by himself would have been pretty lame and lonely. "C'mon we're almost there. I brought a mug of hot chocolate with me, we can split it when we get there."

The look in her eyes was unreadable. She didn't know why he hadn't decided to just stay home...he really was her best friend. "Okay," she gave Luke a grin. "That sounds great, and you know...I bet I can make it to the station before you do." She ran off as fast as she could in the knee-deep snow. He was taller and easily outran her, but it was fun, running through the icy outskirts of town. It was different and for some reason he had felt so alive.

He felt his heart fluttering inside his chest, for some reason he could never forget that night. Cycle after cycle would pass, but that was something he always managed to remember. The events after that were a hazy blur, but he remembered a train of flashing lights, of bunny soldiers, and of fleeting stars. He remembered a pristine castle of white perched high in the clouds, a list of some sort, the feeling of soft lips on his own, a golden crown, and dreadfully sweet whispers. The latter still made him shudder, but the words that had been uttered were forever buried beneath the sands of time along with the rest of his memories.

"Luke, we'll meet the humans soon enough. They'll come to us...but before that, call [b][i]them[/b][/i] and tell those two to hurry up. We cannot fail."

Grey eyes blinked several times in a quick succession and he snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, of course, of course. I'll make sure to go get S and G. We can't waste any more time." He gave her an uncertain smile. Nowadays, he was sure of almost nothing. He just knew that they had to escape her, save the others, and leave this pastel painted hell.

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[b]Yonder's Field - Mission Briefing[/b]

First Martini, then Jasper. The kindness everyone was showing made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, it made him want to make sure the others were alright too.

Harper went through the morning like a robot, eating and doing what was necessary, but he felt empty. It made him wonder if the others were doing the same thing and a part of him just wanted to pull everyone into a tight embrace. Here, in Nowhere, they were family because they didn't have anyone else. Sure, they had the nobodies, and the guides were great, but they weren't from earth and they didn't understand the loss that the humans felt for their own world.

The boy had looked around to see everyone at the dining table, the only one missing was Iro who was sick in bed. Serenade said something about sending the magician to the town square by boat and Harper had protested, worried for his friends safety. However, the black rabbit reassured him, stating that a guide named "Froggy" would pick the magician up. They ate their breakfast, dropped Iro off at the docks then made their way towards the field. It was empty and Harper wondered if Cello would be late, the same way he had been at the party. The lost souls waited for a bit before a smaller group began approaching from the distance. The twins waved and Harper did the same.

Cello's group was a small one that consisted of only two people, but all the same Harper wondered if they'd stay or if they'd vanish off the face of the earth like Numair or Emily.

"Cello!" The white rabbit squealed. "It's good to see you again."

"Dissonance, Serenade, Songbird, Brandy, Martini and Two-thirds, pleasure to see you folks again." He gave the ladies a wink before grinning broadly at both Songbird and Brandy. He then gave Two a polite nod, he didn't know the tea shop owner that well, but he knew the nobody was one helluva tea brewer. The cat placed a reassuring hand on Ace's and Leon's shoulders then ushered them towards the others. "This here is Leon and Ace." He stated even though the two had already introduced themselves.

"It's good to meet you pasty skinned humans." Dissonance grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm glad you could make it. We were expecting you back at the castle, but I'm happy Stephen managed to keep you occupied." She was one of the few nobodies who referred to Froggy by his real name. "I'm Serenade and it's nice to meet you Ace and Elliot. Cello, it's good to see you again."

Harper waved sheepishly from beside Jasper and Mado. "Nice to meet you guys," he greeted with a smile. Not long after Mado walked up to Cello and yanked him by the ear.

"Ow, oh...it's you." He stared at Mado then laughed. She had almost killed him back on the Shakespearean, not to mention she busted the ship. He stilled owed the pirates hundreds and hundreds of stars...but at least she was alright. He chuckled awkwardly, removed her hand from his ear then gave her a pat on the head. "It's good to see you to stabby girl." He didn't really remember her name. On the ship he had been to terrified to remember much. 

"Cello," Serenade called, interrupting all the greetings that were taking place. "Would you mind if I sent you on another task?"

"Nah, what's up?" He raised both eyebrows and waited.

"I need you to go to the mayor's office, snoop around for old files and whatnot. I want to know something about the incident long ago and I need you to speak with the mayor. Mind if you go?" She asked with a sigh, she'd go herself but after last night the mayor refused to talk with either Two-Thirds or herself.

"I don't mind at all." He gave Ace and Leon a hesitant look. "Will you two be alright?" He had grown fond of them and just wanted to make sure they'd be fine. "I mean, I'll go, just look after them for me will ya, they're sweet kids." He flashed a grin at the other guides and Serenade smiled back.

"Oh, oh, sis, can I go with Cello?" Dissonance hopped in place. "As back up? Please?"

"Good idea, I'd get lonely all by myself." The cat stated with a laugh.

Serenade shrugged. "Go ahead you two, we'll meet up again tonight at the cabin. Take care." The black rabbit gave them both a wave then smiled kindly at Ace and Elliot.

"Ace, Elliot, see you guys later." Cello called out while Dissonance waved goodbye to the others, specifically Haku and Leila. The duo walked off, eventually disappearing down the dirt road.

Serenade nodded at the remaining humans and guides. "We'll be investigating the lake and the nearby caves today, so I'll be splitting you all into groups, but for now relax. I'll need to talk with Brandy, Martini and Two for a little while." She motioned for the guides to follow her and made her way towards a nearby tree not too far from where the humans were at.

Meanwhile, Harper approached the duo and offered them a smile. "I'm Harper," he stuck out his hand in a friendly gesture. "Did you both take the train too?"