[IC] Toybox Memories

[MelodyNoir]

Green eyes peered open and up at the sky, as the youth raised a hand to cover his eyes with his fingers to peer between. The sun was high, peering through the forest tree's. Just where in the world was he and just when had he fallen a sleep? Ian thought to himself as he raised himself up to a sitting position with a slight grunt. It was then the brunette noticed the tickle off the grass on his legs and the terribly throbbing pain that coursed through his body, the green eyed gaze leaving the sky to study the aching body the boy was sure had most likely been hit by a truck at some point...

Starting with his arms, turning them over as much so the youth could have a better look, though there was nothing on the pale skin that stated anything of being injured. There was not even a small cut or a bruise in sight. Thunderstruck by the sight, it was then Ian took a look at his current outfit, a brow raising curiously at the hospital gown he was wearing.

Raising himself to his feet, Ian took the chance to study his surroundings better, as he decided that it was for the best to start heading home. The sight of greenery as far as the eye could see was the only thing that met the curious gaze that took a look around. Shaking his head, the brunette took another look up to the sky and by the looks of it, it must have been closing to mid-day. Just why had he been taking a nap in the middle of nowhere and why was he alone? It was then when it hit him that the question he should truly be asking himself wasn't why he was alone, or why he had fallen a sleep. The question he should have asked himself was, just where was home?

Shaking his head for the second time, Ian tried to push away the thoughts he felt creeping at him. First came first, the brunette was going to need to find out just where in the nether he was, and who he was? Who? Just why couldn't he remember anything, besides his own name? Just thinking about the fact that he didn't even know who he was, was actually more depressing then Ian could have imagined when he woke up. Surely, he had to be a somebody?

Taking careful steps, Ian's gaze lowered once more to his bare feet as he stretched his toes out to feel the grass slip between his toes as he walked. The aching body he had, along with the clear sensation the grass between the boys toes with each step, only really told him that he was very much there. Why had he chosen the word there instead of alive?

Shaking his head for the third time, Ian tried his best once more to push aside the thoughts that were not going to be getting him anywhere in his current situation. “Hello?” The boy called out in a hoarse voice before giving a slight cough into the back of his hand to clear his throat.

“Hello?” Ian called out a bit clearer the second time around, as he kept himself walking through the green woods. Ian had decided, getting out of the forest was his first priority, finding someone was his second, or which ever of the two came first. As for third? Well, the brunette was planning on thinking of the third priority when it came to it. For now, the boy continued to make his way, occasionally calling out in hopes of finding someone.

[karamonnom]

Emilie felt a soft breeze hitting her face gently, and began to stir. As she sat up, she noticed her body felt lighter than usual. Her eyes slowly focused on her surroundings and she found herself in the middle of a forest. "Where am I?" she thought out loud. She got on her feet and looked down at herself. She was wearing a school uniform but she couldn't remember much about herself. She didn't think much about it as she suddenly encountered a little squirrel.

"Hi Mr. Squirrel!" she greeted the animal with a big smile on her face. "Do you know happen to know where I am?"

The squirrel, started by the approach of the girl, ran up a tree. "W-wait! Mr. Squirrel!" Emilie called out after him but it was already too late. She frowned in disappointment. "Oh wells, I guess I'll go look for another new friend," she said, wandering around in the woods aimlessly.

Eventually she saw a brown-haired guy who was probably older than her. She ran up to try to catch up to him and shouted out, "Hello! I'm Emilie! Do you know where we are?" When she caught up to him, she offered him a hand, waiting for a handshake.

[KoL]

“Huh... so bright...” a girl with short black hair and pale skin groaned as her crimson colored right eye opened in a tiny slit before shutting close again because of the brightness induced dazzle. She tried to check on her left eye, which was covered by an eye patch, only to find a blurred vision and a pain so sharp that it was almost like someone were driving a metal spike trough her eye socket, straight into her brain.

As she straightened herself up, propping her back away from the grassy field where she laid, the couldn’t avoid to think the same that any other human being in her situation would. Where she were? How she got there? And why was she wearing nothing but a loose pajama?

However, a more significant question would be, who was she, anyway? As the only thing that the girl could recall about herself is that her name was supposed to be Kotori Tsubasa. Nothing other than that ringed any bells in the girl’s head and despite all that she found it surprising that she wasn’t panicking yet.

After asserting herself of her current situation, the girl looked around to see if she could find anything worthy of her attention, and, in fact, there was something.

A couple meters away from where she was, there were a sketchbook as well as a pencil and an eraser, lying above the grass. On the cover of the sketchbook, the name Kotori Tsubasa was clearly readable. “I guess that since this seems to belong to me, there’s no problem in looking whatever was drawn on it.” She said after flipping the cover to see whatever waited her inside the book’s pages.

For a minute or so, she couldn’t do anything other than gaze at the numerous dead natures and drawings of some many dolls that made her fell slightly more confident now.

In a situation such as this, the first thing to do is finding a place where other people live and trying to get help from there, Kotori, thought.

Then, after she had gotten to her bare feet, Kotori began walking away, trying to figure the best way to find a civilized area. It was only after a few minutes walking aimlessly that Kotori began to listen to the sound of someone yelling “Hello!” very high through the forest.

Weighting her current situation against the to the prospect of having to deal with other human beings, Kotori decided that the best course of action would be to go and meet whoever was out there.

A couple minutes later, and Kotori had found a couple walking around the forest. They didn’t look particularly important, specially the boy wearing a hospital gown, but probably, they knew more about this place than her.

“Hi…” Kotori said as she approached them cautiously.

[Crimmy]

It smelled. It smelled like ... like the ground. Like dirt. Fresh. Cold ... something wet ... water? Sharp too. Water. Yes. Water ... dirt below it ... something was poking at her. Blades of something. She couldn't see. What. Dirt? She? Yes ... she was a she. Maybe. She was she and she was ... smelling dirt. Face planted into the dirt. Plant? Yes, the blades were grass. Grass. Fresh-smelling grass. Water ... that meant it was dew. It meant ... mornings? Yes. Mornings. Mornings. Face planted in the dirt on a morning. That was what she (yes, she. She was a she.) was doing. What do-

She immediately rolled over. Light. Bright light. Arggh. Where was that coming from? Blue. Sky. Giant ball of light. Don't stare at the Sun that's not good for you. Yes. The Sun. She shouldn't stare and her eyes closed and the light was still hurting her. Why was she staring up ... wait she was lying down. That's why. She was lying down and was face-down in the dirt right before and now she was looking at the sky and it was sunny and she rolled over again.

It's dark and nice but her mouth feels weird.

Mouth. Yes. She tastes something. Peh. Tastes weird. Grainy. Oh it's dirt okay don't eat dirt.

Something's pressing into her face. It's cold. It's metal.

She rolls over halfway this time (not going to look at the Sun again nope nada nil) and reaches for it. She grabs awkwardly with her right hand. She takes it off.

Huh things are blurrier now.

In one eye.

Eye? Yes she has two eyes and one of them is blurry and ah she wears glasses. Why does she wear glasses. She doesn't seem to really need them she can see well hey look there's a tree in the distance she puts the glasses back on. It's clearer. She likes these glasses.

She's also lying in the dirt.

She sits up.

Neither the sunlight or the dirt is distracting her anymore. She can think. Yes, think. Her mouth still feels funny. That's because she tasted dirt. That's not hygienic, she remembers. Remembers? Wait, why is she here? Who is she? The questions come quickly. Questioning. Yes. Who what when where how ouch her head really hurts. Nothing comes to mind. Wait. What? Nothing she can remember? Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nil. That's not normal. Not normal at all. She's trying to think and nothing's turning up and that's not normal.

Deep breaths. Why? It makes her feel better.

Why is she feeling better with deep breaths?

So that's what her sighs sound like.

Okay keep breathing it seems to be working.

Who is she?

A name comes unbidden to the mind.

Brooklyn Bridges.

Brooklyn? The name nags at her is it a location her name or what she doesn't know. She knows what a bridge is. She's not a bridge is she? She looks down at the mess that she is. Mess? Yeah there's dirt and grass all over her coat and her red scarf is askew and hey she's wearing runners and those are some pants ... she feels them. What are they made of the word's denim yes denim. Denim pants. Also covered in dirt. Wooly coat, denim pants, red scarf. Woolen too.

It's hot, she realises.

Why is she wearing this stuff it's hot and she isn't cold and wait where is she?

Where is she?

Brooklyn Bridges? Is that where this is? It's the only thing she can dredge up. Is she near a bridge? Are there bridges here? She looks around. Grass, grass, grass, trees, trees. No bridges.

Okay all she can remember is Brooklyn Bridges and that's the only thing she can work off right now.

She stands up.

Ergh it feels wobbly. Also it's bright.

She's really out of it today.

What is today anyway?

No no no don't get distracted.

She takes another deep breath.

Okay.

She adjusts the glasses. She pats the dirt and grass off. She fixes up her scarf. Okay. She's hot, it's sunny and she's surrounded by grass. She doesn't remember anything but Brooklyn Bridges. Maybe that's her name. She's not sure for now, but she really wants to hit something.

She doesn't know where that comes from.

It's sunny. She decides to find some shade. Trees have shade. She takes a tentative step. She knows how to walk. Yes, walking. Gotta walk.

The nearest tree is too far away. Man, she wished it was closer.

Still, she doesn't want to be out in the sun.

"Here we go then," she says, then she realises that she's just spoken.

It's a nice voice, she thinks.

"So that's what I sound like."

Anyway, onwards to the tree.

[MelodyNoir]

Trees, grass, and all of natures beauties scattered across the scenery, as beautiful as it was, was rather confusing to wake up to and being the first thing to take in after waking up. Taking awkward, careful steps, the boy continued to call out in hopes of finding someone in the maze of a forest. Nothing remotely familiar sprung forth in the brunettes mind. It was almost like he was a newborn, but in an aged body... Perhaps, Ian thought to himself, thinking of his current situation as rebirth wouldn't be such a bad idea. A small sense of both questionable relief and unmistakable unnerving guilt began to sink itself into boy´s gut at the thought. The sound of a girl shouting snapped Ian back to reality, turning himself around, the youth found himself getting washed with relief as a huge, warm smile got plastered on his face.

"Well, hello there Emilie, I'm Ian." The brunette spoke calmly despite his overly excited body language, taking the offered hand and giving it perhaps one too many happy shakes. Really, if the boy had been born with a tail and dog ears, the ears would have perked right up as the tail swayed excitedly back and forth. But Ian didn't have a tail, nor the dog ears, though it seemed his body language just spoke for him. Though, before the brunette could find himself answering to the blond´s question of where they were, a third person joined the two. Letting go of Emilies hand, Ian found himself almost skipping happily towards the new girl, reaching his hands out to give her the same overly excited handshake he had just given the blond not that long ago.

"Another person! Hey, this it Emilie" Ian stated as he gave the hand a few more happy shakes before gesturing to the short blond. "I'm Ian... It seems we are horribly lost, you wouldn't happen to know a way out of the forest?" The brunette bluntly asked, not trying to sugarcoat his current situation at all. After all, he was lost, and by the sounds of it, so was the blond girl Emilie. Hopefully the second stranger for the day would know a bit more then he did. Something about spending the night in the woods didn't sound all that too appealing.

[KoL]

"I'm Ian... It seems we are horribly lost, you wouldn't happen to know a way out of the forest?" A brown haired boy dressed in what looked like a hospital gown came in Kotori`s direction and asked her this question without as much as a sign of hesitation.

Behind him there was a girl of about the same heigth as Kotori, which would be the Emilie that this Ian person was talking to until a second ago, or so Kotori thought.

However, given that current situation was exactly the same as those two, Kotori didn`t had much help to give them, "I'm sorry, but I'm just a little bird whose wings had been torn asunder... I'm condemned to thread the same earth as you."

Though she tried to be direct, stating her name and that she didn't knew more about this place them any of they, the words that left Kotori's mouth were nothing but riddle that served for little more than confusing the other two.

She tried to think of a better way to convey what she meant. Why was it so hard for her to talk normally? After a brief sigh, she tried again, "I meant, to say that I'm sorry, but I don't know anything more of this place than any of you. Also my name is Kotori Tsubasa."

After that, Kotori decided to join Ian and Emilie as the three of them searched for any signs of other people, who might know more about their situation.

---

As they walked, a sudden unrest hit Kotori, the sensation hang heavily at the back of her mind and before she knew it, Kotori had opened her sketchbook and was doing a rough draft of a girl wearing a doll's dress. As the form became clearer, it became obvious that the one that Kotori was drawing was Emilie.

[karamonnom]

Emilie tilted her head at the girl with a puzzled look on her face. But after she introduced herself as Kotori, she gave her a large smile. "Hi Kotori, you're kind of funny but you also seem really cool. I hope we will be good friends!" Emilie said in her usual somewhat louder than the average person's voice.

While they looked around for any clues of where they were and for others like them, Emilie was humming a tune. She didn't know what she was humming, but it was oddly familiar and nostalgic. As she was skipping, she felt her hands moving to the rhythm of the melody. She took the time to look at her new companions and thought about how nice it was to meet them. Ian seemed like the type of guy that would be like an older brother to her and Kotori was strange, but very interesting and definitely worth getting to know.

All in all, Emilie was in a fantastic mood and looked forward to the adventure. Even if they couldn't get out of the forest, there were a lot of animal friends to make and probably food they could eat and maybe even a river to drink from. It was going to be so much fun.

She decided to talk a little with Kotori because, well she didn't really have a reason except the fact that she wanted to. "Kotori, what's your favorite color?" she asked, mostly because she didn't have a better question in mind yet. It was still a start, and one could maybe tell a bit about a person's favorite color...right?

[Bleu Chess]

Aleric’s eyes slowly fluttered open, chestnut-colored pupils adjusting to the change in lighting. Steadily, everything came into focus as a curtain of leaves and branches filled his line of sight. What is this? Where is he? He stared at the branches, trying to understand where he was.

Finding that he had absolutely no idea, he simply rubbed his eyes, his limbs were stiffed and more sore than it had ever been. And he could see why.

Aleric stared at the ground with wide curious eyes. One of his legs dangled in the air as he felt rough bits of bark scratching through his white dress shirt. He slept in a tree? Why was he up here? Sure, he had read of these moments in books, but it was a lot less comfortable than they had made it out to be.

Wait… The young man blinked several times, grabbing the tree trunk to hold him steady. What book? Where was this book? How did he get here? No, wait. The blond quickly shook his head. He shouldn’t interrogate himself about things he knew he didn’t know. No matter how much he try to search through his mind for any hint of a memory, there was a dark void in its place with only his name floating in its depths. And yet…

His eyes flickered to every cranny of the tree, his mouth slowly moving as a calm contemplating voice spoke. “A white willow. Salix Alba – a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.” He breathed; his long slender fingers traced the crevices in the dark-colored bark. “The bark is used as medicine to relieve fevers and pain. Contains a substance known as salicylic acid that is used to make aspirins…“

His hand slowly dropped to his sides as Aleric suddenly pulled away. A thoughtful look took over with a tilt of his head. How is it that he knew what a willow tree was and its medical properties yet he can’t remember anything else about himself except for his name? “How peculiar.”

Despite how strange and confusing the whole situation was, Aleric couldn’t help but feel a little excited. There were questions on his lips yet no one to answer them. As much as he liked answers, the search for them made it all the more exciting.

Quickly, Aleric pulled himself up with vigor. Unfortunately, as he did so – BAM! - his head took a collision course with a branch he could’ve sworn wasn’t there before. Added to the fact that his body was still stiff and aching, it was no surprise as he tottered off the branch and – none too gracefully – fell. And, much to his dismay, there were even more branches waiting to make his first step of adventure even more miserable.

After a few smacks with five different – and fairly large – branches and a 15 feet fall, the bruised young man miraculously made it to the ground in one piece.

With a face full of soft grass, the young blond let out a muffled groan, counting his blessings that it wasn't sharp rocks.

[Onarax]

Wind.

The first thing I remember was the cool summer breeze gently brushing against my cheeks. It was an oddly soothing feeling, like a comforting hand waking me up after a long and unpleasant sleep. I don't know how, nor why, I've ended up lying here on the ground. No the grass, I was lying on grass still damp from the morning dew. I opened my eyes and the blinding sun forced me to shut them once more. I must have been sleeping for quite a while, but I still can't remember why. Indeed I can't seem to remember much of anything at all.

I tried opening my eyes again. Slowly, this time, no sense in repeating the same mistake. This time my eyes weren't taken by surprise and I was able to glimpse the serene blue sky above. Just as slowly my eyes began to take in the rest of the world, it would seem they were just as drowsy as my mind. I began to make out large stumps, no, I made out trees. I was surrounded by them, trees rising up all around. It was a jungle, no wait, it was a forest. That was the term.

Why couldn't I remember anything before the breeze?

It was far too surreal, when you lack a past, how do you move into the future and live in the present. To be ripped of my memories, after all I must have possessed them before right? I wasn't a newborn, at least I didn't think so, they word didn't feel like an apt descriptor of me. Then who was I and how did I lose my memory? Just how was I supposed to move forward without a past?

Stop and focus.

Right, I needed to breath, my mind was still intact so there must have been some sort of explanation. Focusing on what ifs and odd philosophies was useless to me, I needed information, I needed to find the proper approach. And for now, the first thing I needed to figure out was who I am.

Brock

Yes, Brock that was what would be considered to be my name, but that wasn't all right? I had a last name didn't I, my brain seemed to tell me that such a thing is the norm.

Warren

Right, it sounded right, I think. My name was Brock Warren then? In that case I needed to figure out the next piece of information. Questions like where I was from, where I was, what was my life is like, but nothing came. I waited and waited, but my mind remained blank. It seemed answers would not come that easy, so I'd set them aside for now and focus more on my surroundings. It was then that I saw some pieces of paper, no it wasn't quite paper they had a different name.

Cards.

Right, they were called playing cards, my sense of the world was slowly returning to me. So I reached out with my hand and took hold of the deck of cards. Somehow it just felt right, like these cards represented some part of me. However such ideals are rather nonsensical, so I instead preferred to focus on practical aspect of the cards. Finally sitting up, I played with the deck and it soon became apparent that my muscle memory was still very much intact. The cards flew through my fingertips as I practiced different shuffles and ways of making them disappear.

It wasn't until I was done with my experimentation that I finally resolved to stand up completely. There was little point in remaining in these unfamiliar woods for much longer, I needed to head out. So logically, I began walking away in a direction I hoped would lead to a clearing, and while that wish did not occur, I did find something just as interesting. Other human beings were clustered around and engaged in what I assumed to be idle and pointless chitchat.

Be polite.

Right, I needed to be polite, I couldn't forget that, the social aspects of human beings required the following of certain societal norms, even the ones that made no logical sense. "Hello there," I waved, "A pleasure to meet some fellow humans, would any of you perchance know where we are?"

[Crimmy]

It was far cooler beneath the tree branches, decided the girl. Protected from the glaring sun by all the leaves above her head, she could finally think. Or something. Yeah. She stretched out her arms, letting herself relax back against the hard, leathery surface of the tree trunk. It was nice being able to rest. Lying in the sun hadn't really been too comfortable, so being under the tree? That was pretty great. And cool as well. It was cool according to both definitions she knew.

Anyway. Name. Need one.

Her brain was no longer struggling to find memories that didn't exist. That was still sorta hard to really wrap her head around. No memories? That should have been impossible right? But it had still happened and she had no idea who she was, where she was, why she was here and why the only two things she could remember were the words "Brooklyn" and "Bridges". And there were no bridges around, so that didn't explain anything. Maybe it was her name or something. Yeah, maybe. It was getting pretty weird calling herself "herself". She could've gone for "me" but something about bad grammar was involved?

"Brooklyn," she said, letting the word sit on the tip of her tongue. "Brooklyn Bridges."

She looked down at her right, eyes watching the grass-covered dirt next to her. It seemed to fit. The name, that is. It was growing on her, like the grass. In the dirt. Yeah. And what else could she pick as a name? Tree Girl? Just because she was splayed against the tree trunk didn't mean she was going to pick a name relating to it.

"Hmmmmm."

The sound escaped her lips. Should she go for the name? It was going to be an important choice. She didn't really feel like it though.

Still.

She needed a name.

"Yeah, I think I'll get used to it," concluded the girl. "Maybe I can go by Brook or something."

[Rakurai]

Humming softly to himself as he scavenged for mushrooms by the base of large sturdy tree, a certain young man was completely oblivious to the presence of new arrivals in the lushy green forest today. Not too long ago the twin pair of canine-like ears perched above his head had flickered in confusion, puzzled by the sound of what sounded awfully like his own voice off in the distance. The notion was of course ridiculous as he’d never come across anyone in his entire life-time who’d been able to speak the same language as him. A long time ago he’d tried to decipher the language of the birds and wildlife, but the complexity… or was it the simplicity of their dialogue had made it impossible for him to decipher anything meaningful, perhaps more importantly Zeke had never been the type to sit still for too long, and within a few days he’d completely given up on his endeavour.

Finding a familiar looking mushroom a little to his left, he cautiously place the tip of one of his finger against the head, drawing a simple little circle over the top as he wracked his memory for how his stomach had reacted the last time he’d consumed the innocently purple colored mushroom with deep red spots. Though only a few moments later he shrugged it off, figuring that the contrasting colors were pretty enough for him to at least give it a shot, if he’d eaten it before it hadn’t killed him, and that was good enough for him.

Picking off three stalks and cradling them against his chest, it was his ears which first sensed something unfamiliar. The sound of someone breathing and shuffling above in the branches above him. At first he dismissed it as a large bird, but after giving the air a quick sniff and glancing up, his bright blue eyes widened. Something, or someone was high up in the tree’s above him, and the only thing that came to Zeke’s mind was the terrible screeching sounds made by those bird-like creatures that sporadically showed themselves in the forest. In fact one of those pesky Garuda birds had flown down and tried abducting him into the sky once. Zeke wasn’t afraid of heights, but there was a distinct difference between leaning over the rails from the third floor of the concrete building he lived in, and being launched up into the air with the possibility of falling to his death being a very imminent possibility.

Backing away slowly from the tree and quickly casting his eyes around for somewhere to shelter himself, the silver haired man was perhaps a bit too late as a split second later the ‘creature’ came diving towards him, startling him so much that he immediately scampered off behind the nearest tree. “Barbecue chicken, roasted turkey, peking duck” he murmured under his breath hoping the assurance would make the predator seem less intimidating. Unfortunately his mind trying to imagine a freshly cooked meal on a silver saucer chasing him through the winding tree’s wasn’t the least bit assuring.

What was assuring was the smacking thud of someone colliding into the sea of mushrooms and weedy grass, followed by an agonized groan of pain. If Zeke was a good Samaritan he’d have rushed over to check if the creature was okay. But Zeke wasn’t a good… whatever you call it, and instead of feeling concerned a small wry grin crossed his lips. Finding great humour in the image of a bird toppling off their branch and landing and face planting themselves onto the ground.

Creeping out from behind the knightly tree which had so willing protected him from danger in his time of need, the wolf man cautiously made his way back towards the scene. His curiosity being piqued when he noticed a blonde hair creatures sprawled ungracefully on the ground. It wasn’t a Garuda, nothing like the one Zeke had once encountered… but if it came from the sky it had to be some sort of bird right?

Licking his lips hungrily as he gradually gained confidence in the other’s lack of motion. He picked up a foot long branch that had fallen with the man, giving the man’s cheek an aggressive poke with the snapped and prickly side. His eyes glinting with a predatory hunger as the silver plated dish he’d imagined earlier now looked as if it’d settled on presenting itself on picnic mat, garnished generously with an assortment of colourful mushrooms. “Do you taste better boiled or roasted?”

[MelodyNoir]

Ian couldn't help but to find himself tilting his head to the girls little riddle of a wingless bird, curiously trying to think about how would be the best way to approach the situation the trio were in. So far it seems that the two he had come across were just as at loss as he was. Surely, there must someone be around who knew something? At least what forest they were in. Not that the brunette knew all that much about the names of places, but at least a name would be nice none the less. Tapping his finger to his lips, the boy found himself humming slightly before giving the new girl the same bright smile he had given Emilie before.

“Kotori Tsubasa, what a lovely name. It´s a pleasure to meet you, and you as well, Emilie.” Ian spoke, almost in a humming like tune before looking up to the sky. “I suppose, since we all seem to be terribly lost in this place, it wouldn't be a bad idea for us to stick together and see if we can't find ether a way out, or someone who might know the way.” With a smile, the green eyed gaze lowered once more to the two girls that were there, before he took a few more steps, carefully trying not to leave the two behind by just walking off on his own. At least there was someone there now, and something about the girls being just as lost as he was, got a rather familiar feeling to stir in his chest; yet at the same time a feeling Ian couldn't place a name on.

It didn't seem long for the brunette to absent minded humming a tune to himself as they walked, the green eyes occasionally looking to the two, almost as if to make sure that they were indeed still there. A soft smile found its way to the boys lips when he heard Emilie start a conversation with Kotori as he slowed down his pace just a bit so he could be a part of the conversation as well. Though, it did not seem to take long for the forth to join in. Turning to face the newcomer, Ian addressed the stranger with a smile and returning the wave with one of his own.

"Hey there! I sill say, we are just as lost as you are." Ian spoke with a lopsided smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a slight little chuckle. "I'm Ian, the blond here is Emilie" the brunette began, gesturing to himself with a hand to his chest, before gesturing to Emilie. "And her name is Kotori" Ian finished, gesturing to the dark haired girl as well, before making his way towards the new guy. "We are sort of hoping to find someone who might know where we are, or manage to find away out of the forest. "You are welcome to join us if you'd like. Perhaps we'd work better as a group." With a bright smile, Ian extended out his hand for the other to take and if the stranger dared to take it, Ian was not going to be able to hold back his excitement and give the hand a 'few', happy shakes.

[KoL]

"Kotori, what's your favorite color?" The girl called Emilie asked this question after they continued to walk around the forest aimlessly. While Kotori didn't found Emilie's cheerful voice unpleasant, this sudden question gave her a headache as she tried to recall this information.

Kotori stopped walking for a moment and placed her hand on her right temple, trying to sooth the pain. Indeed, she recalled a color, the only one that came to her mind when thinking about that question, but Kotori couldn't remember its significance to her. It was he same sensation as waking up alone in that forest clearing, but this time it was sharper and more pronounced, so whatever was it that she didn't remember, it probably was a very important thing.

When Kotori's eye met Emilie's again, she said, "I like the color of the fields of goldenrods swaying in breeze, it's nostalgic color like the sound of a loved one's voice calling for you..."

As Kotori finished her statement another person came in on them from the forest, based on Ian's exchange with the new boy, it was most obvious that he was as lost as any of they were. She wondered if he had lost his memories too, or for that matter if the other two that she was walking along could recall anything of their pasts. However she decided against questioning them, generating distrust and confusion would only be good to jeopardize their chances of survival.

The situation looked unnatural. Kotori couldn't help but feel a slight sense of things being wrong, as the wind in the forest whistled by, she felt that they should probably keep on moving. She wasn't sure of why but knew that the forest they were in wasn't a place they should be spending the night.

As the sensation of anxiety grew on her, so did Kotori's left eye began to ache painfully and as she tried to massage it with her left hand she dropped her sketchbook on the ground, the ominous wind turning its pages randomly, until it revealed a drawing that looked awfully familiar to Kotori herself dressed as one of the dolls she liked so much.

"We must not spend the night at this place, I feel like something is observing us even as we speak. I don't know what could happen if we spent the night at in these woods." Kotori said as she picked up sketchbook, still dazzled by that last drawing.

---

@MelodyNoir@Onarax@karamonnom

[karamonnom]

Emilie once again didn't understand Kotori's answer though she's assuming she meant yellow. Before she could ask Kotori to confirm her assumption, the rag tag group found another new person; well actually, he found them. She gave the newcomer a warm smile and cheered, "Yay, I hope we all will become great friends. I..." Emilie paused for a second. For some reason, she doesn't remember whether or not if she had friends before today. Well she thought she did, but she actually doesn't remember anything before waking up. That was really weird. Her train of thought was easily interrupted by the sight of Kotori's sketchbook, flapping in the wind.

"Wow, that's really good. Did you draw this?" she exclaimed. The pictures were very well-drawn, though Emilie didn't quite make the connection that the girl in the picture looked a lot like Kotori. As quickly as the sketchbook caught her attention, she soon lost interest when Kotori picked it up and it was no longer in her sights. "What do you mean something is observing us? Is this another one of your riddles?" she asked Kotori.

She then decided to talk to Ian since she had just talked to Kotori and she's really just all over the place, all the time. "I-I-I-Ian!" she called for him, for no reason at all. "Your hair is really long, like longer than mine...Can I touch it?" She stared at his long, orange-ish brown locks, with wide eyed filled with excitement and innocence. "Pleeeeeaaaaase?"
@KoL@MelodyNoir

[Bleu Chess]

Being poked by a pointy stick was not the greatest feeling to get after a major fall from a tree. And, with a pained groan, Aleric grabbed the offending stick and pushed it away. His head turned until his bruised and battered cheek was buried in the grass, and his eyes were directly on the stranger.

“I… just might taste better boiled,” Aleric answered after a moment of silence. His face shone with honesty and utter seriousness; although, a pleasantly amused tone had been used. He spitted out a few blades of grass, making a subtle face at the after-taste. “I don’t have enough meat to be roasted.” He lifted a hand to gesture toward his scrawny body. “So the most you can make out of me is soup. But please do that after I’m really dead.”

Before the stranger could answer in any way, Aleric slowly pushed himself up, slightly wincing at the sound of cracking joints. He dusted off his clothes before he approached the stranger with a smile.

“Ah, but you would be great as a steak flambé.” He joked; although, he has a sneaking suspicions that the person wasn’t playing around with the idea of cooking methods. Inwardly, he sighed. Hopefully, he doesn't seem too appetizing to the wolf-esque fellow. There was no telling how this wannabe cannibal might act, but there was no way he was going to back down. This could be his only chance of getting answers.

Pleasantly smiling, Aleric extended his hand for the other to take. “Hello, my name is Aleric. Who might you be? May I ask where we are? Do you know a way out of this forest? Oh, are those ears and tail real?” After rapid-firing a mouthful of questions, his eyes finally drifted to the pair of wolf-like ears perched top of the stranger’s silvery blue head, then towards the slow-swaying tail of similar color. Without warning, he gently poked one of the fuzzy ears.

[Rakurai]

Turning his lip downwards in disapproval when the branch he’d been poking Aleric with was pushed away, he’d originally poked Aleric to check for signs of life but after a poke he’d found himself quickly getting addicted to the playful unpleasantness of poking someone with the tip of a prickly branch. Seeing the blonde squirm and roll around a bit had been pretty fun, and somewhere deep in his mind Zeke made a note to try it again later if the chance presented itself.

“Boiled it is then, you’re a bit too big to fit in the pot, so I’ll cut you up into little pieces first, okay?” he asked, the serious tone of Aleric’s face in his own voice. The man’s argument of not having enough meat wasn’t much of an issue for the wolf-man seeing as how Zeke didn’t really understand the art of cooking. If anything the thought of roasting meat over the fire and having it cook pretty quickly made him salivate. Emphasizing his comment with a crazed cannibalistic look that genuinely seemed to view Alaric as nothing more than a juicy lump of steak.

Seeing the man get to his feet though, Zeke slowly backed away, the crazed look vanishingly instantly as Zeke realized that the man wasn’t as badly beaten as he looked. That made him dangerous. As far as Zeke knew there were two types of creatures in this world. Those that fled from you in fear, and those who preyed on you as a predator…. And seeing as how Aleric wasn’t trembling in fear, ogling him with wide-eyed terror, or sprinting off accompanied by a scream…. That made his intentions awfully clear… at least in Zeke’s mind.

Going stiff as the man approached him and bombarded him with a series of questions, Zeke’s mind had only started to decipher the words when he saw and felt the man poke at his ears…. Bad mistake. The next moment Zeke swung the branch vertically, and brought the rather hefty branch he’d been poking Aleric with earlier firmly down on the blonde head. Unfortunately it hadn’t been enough to knock the man unconscious, but the wolf-man’s expression had changed once more into something much more feral and unfriendly, brows furrowed and teeth exposed. He’d even managed a brief snarl before sprinting a safe distance from the other. The man clearly had no common sense. Touching a man’s ears like that was like walking up to a woman and lifting up her skirt, or walking up to some gangster on the street and rubbing a hand against their inner thigh.

Ears perked up and tail furiously bristled and lashing around to express his displeasure, he suddenly picked up the familiar sounds from earlier, a sound he’d failed to pick up earlier because of his concentration being diverted. But after hearing Aleric speak in a voice quite different to his own, Zeke could now decipher the sounds coming from not too far away to be the voice of… what sounded like a ditzy hyperactive high-pitched and squeaky version of his own voice. There was more than one of them around? Was Aleric the decoy, while others circled around him and guaranteed the kill? The blonde had mentioned something about eating Zeke hadn’t he?

“Nice try, but I’m too smart for you!” Zeke smugly smirked, triumphantly thinking he’d seen through the man’s deviously conniving plan. “I’m not telling you anything lunch” ” he added, turning tail and scampering off back towards the school, though before he gained any reasonable ground he paused to turn around and poke his tongue out childishly contradicting his message only moments prior “I’m going home before lunch decides to bite back, bye!”

And with that he was off again, it was unfortunate that his path of retreat intersected with the oncoming voices, but then again Aleric didn't look like he was too fast on his feet, so kin that were circling him couldn't be any better right?

[TrixyTrix]

Deep inside the forest, a teenage girl, in a school uniform which looked to belong to some rich private school, slowly opened her eyes awakened by the sun rays shining directly on her face. The girl got up her feet and stretched. She rubbed her eyes wondering where she was. She took a look around and saw nothing but many, many trees. She was in the middle of a forest and the girl wondered how she ended up there. She tried to remember but failed. Moreover, she found out she could not remember anything except her own name, Akiko Kiriya. Usually, most people would be cautious when in an unfamiliar environment but Akiko was not most people. She found herself overcame with curiosity and decided to explore the forest.

Akiko walked and ran past trees while also jumping over any roots or branches on the ground. She was disappointed that she was unable to find anything out of the ordinary and the animals she had seen roaming around looked like normal wildlife. She was expecting to find something alien in nature or maybe some abandoned ruins since the forest just gave that mysterious vibe. While she may be up to more exploring, Akiko restrained herself from doing so as she prioritizes finding decent shelter before nightfall. She looked up at the trees and pondered for a moment if she should climb up for a better view but realized it was a stupid idea.

It was then Akiko heard voices. She stopped to listen and realized whoever it was, they were not far from her present location. She was not alone after all however Akiko had no time to meet and greet with others. She went in a direction away from the voices and moments later, she heard the sounds of someone running. She stopped again and saw somebody ,not too far from her, running in opposite direction. Akiko rubbed her eyes and wondered if she was seeing things. Who...or whatever she saw...had a tail. It could just be some other lost soul in a costume but as Akiko was expecting something weird to come up, she was excited but what she had seen. However, another thought came to her mind.

"Just what was he running from?" Guessing she decided to play safe first, she ran in the direction she just walked, following behind the person she saw. Akiko was surprised how light her body was and how much energy she still had. She wondered if she was part of some sport club at school before she lost her memories. Pushing the thoughts aside, she ran full speed back following the person with a tail.

[Crimmy]

She knew who she was now. Sort of. Just a name wasn't really much to go off on, but when she had nothing else, it was good enough. It was a funny name, honestly; what type of person (not including her) would base their name off bridges? Brook rested her head back against the leathery bark of the tree trunk. Her eyes lazily watched light filter through the leaf cover above. There was no point in wondering about the name. It was all she had, and she wasn't really interested in ditching parts of her ... self/persona/identity just because she thought they sounded a bit weird. Too much of an effort, anyway.

Her breaths were more relaxed now. She could see her chest rising and falling with each one in the bottom of her eyes, the movement of her breasts and upper torso rather mesmerising. Isolation, she realised, now that her brain wasn't going kaplooey in attempts to find out more than just "Brooklyn Bridges" in her memories, was pretty boring, and she was focusing a lot on tangible things to distract herself. Like the texture of the tree behind her. Of the coldness of the dirt she was sitting on. Of the rustling leaves in the wind. Of her own breathing. Of the clouds lazily floating in the sky.

Maybe she should stop looking at nature and try and find out where she is.

But it was warm, the shade was protecting her from the sun, and the tree was comfortable.

Also she felt too lazy to move.

[Onarax]

Social etiquette dictated that it was my duty to receive the boy's, Ian's, hand and thus I did receive the handshake. Truth be told the rapid pace of the handshake was little annoying, but I neither voiced nor displayed such thoughts. It would do mean little good to go around creating enemies, especially when they all seemed as lost as I was. "Yes," I responded when the handshake finally stopped, "I do believe that it'd be in our best interests to work together for now. I sincerely look forward to it."

That's a lie.

I did take a minute to look over my newfound acquaintances. First off we had Ian, the man appeared to be rather friendly, if a little obnoxious. Perhaps excitable is a better turn, but at this point I was quite sure which was the dominating aspect of his personality. The next girl, Kotori, was rather mysterious. She struck me as the quieter sort, and her comment about being watched was a little too cryptic for my tastes. I should also note that she appeared to be an artist, but I doubt that would have much impact on her overall usefulness. Finally there was Emilie, another one of the friendly, ditzy sort. Much like the others, I needed more time to gauge her abilities. Although there was one thing that I needed to know, and tiptoeing around the subject would do no good.

"Forgive me for the blunt nature of my question," I began in an attempt to hopefully to get their attention, "But how much do you all remember?" If my hunch was correct we had all lost our memories and if that was true then there must be something even larger at work. I sincerely hoped that was not the case and that I'd merely hit my head on that tree and fallen unconscious, because if there was something larger at work than the odds of recovering my memories decreased dramatically and I wasn't sure if I appreciated that outcome. Whatever my past may be, I was certain that I wanted to remember it.

[MelodyNoir]

Emilie seemed even more all over the place then Ian was, the girl looking up at him all innocent and excited when she asked if she could touch his hair. "Uhmm, sure?" Ian spoke with a smile before moving his hand to pull out the rubber band that kept the long strands close together, allowing his long hair to drape over his shoulders as he placed the band around his wrist. Tilting his head slightly to the side to lower himself enough to ease the access to his hair for Emilie, Ian flashed her a goofy grin. "Go nuts!" The boy said with a chuckle before looking back to the stranger when Kotori began to speak. Staying in the woods at night from the start had never seemed to have been appealing to the brunette. Thinking things over, Ian decided that over thinking things and worrying about the possibility that someone was watching was not going to do anything other then to rile everyone into a panic.

"Perhaps so, Kotori. I think we should just focus on getting out of the forest for now..." Ian let his voice trail out a bit as his gaze went towards the trees, a thought forming in his mind, only to get interrupted as the stranger spoke once more. Remember? The boy blinked his eyes a few times, a poker face clearly did not seem like the brunettes strong point. Now that he thought about it even more, not even just a little memory was there. Almost like if someone had torn out the first few pages of an already written diary to make sure that it was obvious that they were missing. Parting his lips slightly, Ian settled with starting his answer with just shaking his head.

"The only thing I remember is my name..." Ian began as he collected the words. "First thing was just the blue sky, second thing that sank in was the pain, almost like I had been hit by a truck. And lastly? I stood up with the intention of finding my way home, only to realize I had no idea where that could possibly be. Though since you are asking that question, I am going to go on my hunch here and say that you don't remember anything ether?" It was clear, even though his last sentence hadn't really been a question, that the brunette was hoping that the stranger would tell him if he was wrong or not with his assumption. Looking at Emilie, Ian found himself raising his hand on top of her head, giving it a light pat on the head, whether she was playing with his hair or not. Were Emilie and Kotori on the same boat as well?

The sound of rattling leaves in the not so far distance got the boy to tense up, bringing Emilie almost protectively to his chest as his as his gaze went to the sound. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Ian let go of Emilie, giving her one more pat on the head before taking a few steps to the sound. "Uhm..." Ian began, wanting to protect his new 'friends' from any possibly harm. "I'll be back... Just stay here." With a rather awkward grin and a wave before he started to run towards where he had heard the sound. Though, perhaps running towards something possibly predatory in a hospital gown was not going to seem intimidating at all... It was then when it hit him, just what was he going to do if the thing he was closing in on actually was the predatory type? Shaking his head, Ian was going to need to think about that once the situation presented itself, for now? What mattered was that Kotori, Emilie and the new guy he hadn't gotten he name of were safe.