MUG

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

The one guide Est was clearly going to be a personal favorite of Inadi's to be around. The guy seemed almost oblivious to everything going on around him and would just jump at the nearest thing that interested him. He was a seven year old it seemed like. The way he went after Lesley's hair just proved his point to him and Inadi could only let out a chuckle as he continued listening to the rest of the plans from the guides.

They needed to do something to pass the time, and it was clear everyone had their own personal choice as to what it was they wanted to do. It was either paintball or hover boarding. Inadi rolled his eyes slightly as it was clear he was going to be stuck doing either but he really didn't feel up for it with his leg being shot as it was. He was that way until the pink haired boy who was in the same group as he was when they joined this adventure seemingly challenged him. At least it seemed like a challenge the way he took it. That lit a fire underneath Inadi as he continued staring at Lesley.

Back in Sol, Inadi remembered the moment Haku called him out as well. Calling him a coward and that he was afraid of the world around him. It made him feel like less of a man every time he thought back to it. And every time Inadi trained with his spear, that speech and how it made him feel echoed in every movement he did. He wanted to make sure that no one could question his bravery ever again. And true, a paintball game was not the same as what was happening in Sol, yet it still generated the same feeling deep in his gut.

Just as he was about to retort, Jasper clung to his waist and began whispering to him. She even mentioned that she would protect him. Looking down at her and a sly grin appeared on his face. Leaning in to her ear and whispering back, Inadi let a small chuckle escape his throat as he did so. “I didn't realize we changed roles since we landed from the ship,” He whispered as he reached his arm around her shoulder and down to her hand. He gripped it slightly and shot her a smile. “I think you suit it very well.”

Shooting her a quick smile, Inadi turned his attention back to Lesley and showed a cocky yet determined grin. “Alright then Les, I'll take you on in a game of paintball. And I say we make this a bit of a wager as well. Me and you will be on opposite teams, and the winner's team gets to force the loser to do something of the winner's choice,” Inadi announced as he gave a quick point to the pink haired man. “And it can be literally anything. No holds barred.”

Just as Inadi was finishing his challenge the other guide began shooting signals at him to try and buy Jasper something. A small blush later turned into a much larger one as Harper decided to elbow him and joke that it was the perfect time to do so. Harper was lucky Inadi liked him so much otherwise he would have given him a hard jab with his own elbow as a retort. Instead he decided it was best to just follow the rest of the group out of the room and onto the streets of the city.

As they walked, Est tried to ask Inadi how he was doing. Though he didn't want to admit it but a quick trip to the clinic wouldn't be all that bad. However, he didn't want the group to look at him with like he was complaining about his leg in the end. Perhaps it was his persona he was trying to build or the fact that he was growing stubborn now with his new found dedication to be a leader of the group, he wasn't sure what to blame. Est as he was talking ended up tripping over a stack of metal in the walkway they were using. Suddenly the pile changed into a dog and it began barking at them. Inadi's eyes went wide as he immediately dropped, albeit gingerly, to a knee and looked at the creation. The dog let out a slight whimper as it was unsure of what Inadi wanted to do. The boy held out his hand and the dog walked over slowly and gave it a quick sniff. The sniff was then followed by a quick lick which prompted Inadi to pull his hand back slowly. Metallic clinking was heard as it walked up as if to try and get one more lick on the hand but it was just out of it's reach.

Inadi saw that his hand was wet with what looked like some kind of oil or something. It was a little rough to smell and sticky to the touch, but it was amazing to see something so sophisticated as this just lying in the sidewalk as a pile of metal. Inadi looked over to Est and gave a quick chuckle. “Are all the animal's here like this? I mean, are there any animals that are real? Or are they all mechanical like this little guy here? And the name is Inadi by the way, though Glasses is fine if that is easier for you I guess.” He asked and explained to the guide as the dog suddenly let out a rather loud bark. The cranking of gears could be heard as the dog opened its mouth and Inadi decided to put his hand back down again. The dog quickly maneuvered himself so that the hand was directly above it's ear. Inadi took this a sign to start scratching and once he started, the same oil covered tongue that licked his hand was now hanging out, showing that the dog seemed to enjoy it. Even though his hand couldn't possibly really scratch metal, the spear holding man decided it was best to just continue what he was doing since the dog seemed to like it so much.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

I wish it was a picture book. Haha! I'm a journalism major (which is why I laugh reading how Riley is so excited to do news stories on Nowhere. XD) so I gotta make stories in relation to my campus. I'm currently doing a profile piece on my school's new starting running back and I had to take pictures and stuff for the story. I'm just hoping I can get my rough draft done before tomorrow since I've also gotta work the PA announcing for a soccer tournament thing going on tomorrow. :(

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Watching Jasper let go of his hand made Inadi smile. She gained a lot of confidence it seemed from how shaky she looked before they dropped off the side of the ship. While she floated away, Inadi decided to keep up his course and continued riding the spear down the way. He seemed to be falling a little bit faster than some of the others because his body wasn't being pushed back against the wind so much. Yet as he dropped he felt the wind begin turning the spear head up a little bit and Inadi began feeling his head drop back somewhat. He was now spinning a little bit in the air, and he was not feeling very comfortable doing so.

With him spinning on down he only caught glimpses of what else was going on with the others. Then again many of them were already landing so there wasn't much to see. Hearing the Nobody on the ground begin telling them how to land made him realize that he was nearing the destination if he could already hear someone from down on the ground. Quickly shifting his body so that he was in a proper chute release position he looked over to Jasper and saw her land. She had perfect form it seemed and Inadi tried his best to mimic how she did it.

He pulled the chute string and felt it pull back his shoulders. It was a sudden jerk but nothing terrible. Bending his knees he began waiting for contact with the ground. Sadly when he did so his ankle caught a divot in the stone and it twisted on him. A quick hiss escaped Inadi's throat and a sudden screech soon followed. With the twist of his ankle his knee also buckled and he began rolling very quickly on the stone path. Grunts and groans followed as he continued hitting the stone ground with a bit of force until he eventually came to a complete stop. He landed in a bush next to the tree Harper had found himself in earlier.

Inadi picked himself up very gingerly from his fall and quickly threw the chute off from on top of him. Keeping his right ankle off the ground he leaned against the tree and let out a scoff as he smiled at the others. “I just have the worst luck with being thrown around I think.” He said, trying to make light on the situation. In the end he really hated this place already and he had only just landed. Then again, as Riley probably would have said, at least he started the journey on a roll. Inadi showed disgust on his face at the pun he had made in his mind. Luckily no one would ever know he was just as bad as the red head.

When Jasper began pointing out the hover boards and Ace getting giddy like a school girl they were quickly ushered towards the museum. Hobbling somewhat along with the group, using Kain as a crutch now for the most part, Ace seemed not to have an idea as to what a USB was. Inadi desperately wanted to flick the girl in the head. How could she have gone through her whole life and not known what a USB was? Inadi took it upon himself to answer the girl's question. “A USB is a small hard drive of sorts. It maintains digital information. Mostly I used my collection for small sets of photos of to transport documents from devices,” He explained in a very matter of fact tone. A smug face almost appeared on the boy's mug, but it was stopped as he felt the pain in his leg again. “It's a lot more accessible than a mobile hard drive.”

As the guides began explaining the plan for the USB the idea of enjoying the city seemed nice for a change. Though the mentioning of a suspicious figure was not something he wanted to hear, let alone that there were multiple ones. Inadi began suspecting the hooded figures, but he didn't want to make anyone else worry and distracted. Last thing the group needed was to be stressed again. Then the guide who had a last name that rhymed with Inadi's offered a gun to the group to...spit on he supposed. Something about their spit dissolving metal. Last time he checked he spat out water, not acid. Trying to oblige the new guide he decided to hobble over to the gun. There was no way Inadi was going to stick his mouth on the barrel of a weapon, so he decided to lick his hand quickly and rubbed the spit off on the gun. Watching the gun, it appeared that nothing was happening so it prompted a shrug from Inadi. “Sorry there sir. I guess that's a bet you won't win.” He joked as he tapped the guide on the shoulder with his still damp hand, which Inadi quickly dried off using the guide's shirt. Good times all around he figured with a smile.

Ace began suggesting the hover board race and Inadi shook his head slowly. Considering he wasn't feeling all that great he would have fallen off the contraption before he could even get on. “I think I'll just avoid that one entirely. Maybe I'll go as a spectator but definitely not a participant,” Inadi said as he looked at the flier himself. It said something about a park, which peeked his interest. “Though a walk in a park would be a nice change of pace....or in my case a hobble in the park.” He joked lightly as he looked down at this leg with a chuckle. It seemed like he was always the one getting hurt on these adventures. Hopefully it wouldn't come back to bite him while they stayed here in the City of Cogs.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Will be getting a post up tonight once I finish taking pictures for a story I am doing for a class tonight. Inadi will finally land I promise. XD

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Edit: And Inadi has landed.....hard. Haha! I figured I kinda deserve that for being so bad recently with the updates. Sorry about that guys. I'm getting as much work done as I can so that these silences are null later on. Gotta get ahead of the game here.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

I'm gonna follow Kimchi's role here and finally get around to posting a real life picture of my character. Haha!

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Post is up and tried to add as much exposition as possible with everyone who was still on the ship. Hope to see you all on the ground in a few! XD

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Inadi watched as Ran performed his moves for everyone and laughed a bit at some of the others. Overall the show was quite impressive. At least compared to anything Inadi could do. The spear holding boy could at times barely perform a classic prom dance where you just hold the girl's hips and sway back and forth. Doing all that leaning and everything seemed well beyond his own personal grasp. While everyone gave the man props it seemed as though Harper came out holding bags of some kind.

Of course it wouldn't be as simple as just landing the ship and hopping over the railing. Now they were all expected to just fall over and hope for the best as they began falling to either a landing pad or imminent doom. The whole thing reeked of bad news. Then again it was a smell that Inadi had gotten used to at this point. A sigh escaped his throat and he took one of the parachutes on his back with a bit of a frustrated tone. Looking over to Jasper, he had a feeling she would be a little more iffy on the idea of jumping off of the ship. While everyone else got excited for the adventure, Inadi took an extra chute and took it over to Jasper.

He gave her a quick smile and asked her to turn around with his finger, making a small circle to give her the hint. Once she did he lifted her braid and began pulling off the smaller backpack that was still on her shoulders. “I've never done sky diving before, but I imagine it would be better with one of these things on properly.” Inadi joked as he referenced the parachute he began placing on the girl. Once the straps were set on her shoulders he passed the teddy bear back to the girl. Jasper was a brave girl, but at times she needed coaxing into an idea. This one definitely seemed like one that would take some convincing. Inadi figured it should be him doing the reassuring if anyone was going to do it. After all, like Ace had said earlier, she was his girlfriend now.

Putting on his own chute he walked back to the railing with Harper and the others. Right as he got there Harper decided to take the lead on the dive, thought he wasn't sure if it was by choice or accident. Either way it seemed he enjoyed the feeling of the wind. Ace began spouting off pairs for each and everyone to use while diving. She threw him and Jasper together which made a small blush appear on his face, but the chuckle he let out was far more noticeable. Ace then took Leila and began saluted the group as she fell and then went into what Inadi could only describe as theatrics. Shaking his head he shouted over the railing at the red head. “Don't spin too quickly there Ace! I'd hate to see you get dizzy and pull the wrong string on your chute before I get down there!” He joked as he laughed to himself.

Lesley shortly after followed with Ran in grip and jumped off. Watching the two disappear into the clouds below seemed frightening at first glance, yet also strangely majestic a the same time. Watching Toby still get his gear on, Inadi walked over to him and gave him a quick tap on the shoulder with the back end of his spear, the blade pointing back at the wielder. “Don't take too much time getting ready for the jump. I would think the longer you take, the more fear gets a hold of you,” He tried telling the boy with confidence to try and boost his cautious spirit. He then gave a quick look at Riley and began chuckled. “Besides, I'm sure that one wants nothing more than to get down to the city and start planning out some kind of report on how everything works there.” He joked as he went back to the railing.

He began planning out his drop with Jasper with a few details in mind. Or rather just one detail. His spear. It would be impossible to sky dive with it just hanging over his head. It would potentially throw him way off course and put he and Jasper at risk. Looking at the hook of the blade he got an idea. Pointing the spear head downwards, Inadi placed his foot in the groove and began seeing how it would fit. Luckily the blade wasn't sharp enough to cut straight through his shoe and it fit it perfectly as well. It would be like sliding down a fireman's pole that went on for a little longer than he would have liked personally. Shrugging at the thought, he looked back to Jasper and gave her a nod. “Ready when you are Jasper,” He told her with a reassuring smile on his face. “I'll make sure we get down there as safe as a feather.” The frame faced boy had no idea what he was doing or if his idea would work, but in the end a stupid plan was better than no plan at all. He just hoped that nothing would fly by his face once they broke the cloud cover. Though the others wouldn't be able to sense his concerns as he continued wearing the sincere smile he still had.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Hey all! Sorry for being so quiet. I should be able to get a post up by the end of the night so no worries. School is putting a lot on me at the start. :(

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Inadi quickly ended his training and set his weapon off to the side as he began hearing a new sound over the roaring of the wind around him. Looking over to the railing where he saw the others standing at, he realized it was Ran and a few others cheering him on it would seem after his little show he put on. A flush of red went over his face as he quickly began fumbling the spear in his hands. A shy smile appeared on his face as he laughed somewhat half-heartedly.

He walked over to the others and tried regaining some of his composure. “I didn't realize you all were watching. Had I known that I would have gone someplace else so none of you would have seen that.” Inadi told them all as he gripped the railing lightly. Truth be told he was not comfortable letting others watch his training exercises. Back at the castle he and Harper had been constantly going to the training room they had picked out and locked the door behind them. The boy just felt like his skill with the weapon wasn't up to par with what he wanted it to be quite yet, and for the others to see him practicing was like being caught in a bath. He was exposed to everyone and he definitely didn't like that idea.

Ran was the one who had been hollering the loudest when he finished up. The new member of the group was the oldest among all of them, so when Jasper referred to him as Gramps it made him laugh a little bit. Granted Ran was older than them, but by no means was he a grandparent in age. If anything he was an uncle or something similar to that. Jasper eventually got next to the rest of the group just as Inadi did and began pressing Ran to try and show them all his dance moves he supposedly had.

Inadi had almost completely forgotten about that dance competition months ago. He so desperately was hoping to join in on the fun but was caught up taking care of his wardrobe problem. Ran eventually ended up winning the whole thing and it made the boy curious as to what all he did to win it. Inadi had even tried asking Ran about teaching him how to dance after he found out, but never really had the time to do so with all the other things going on.

“Yeah come on Ran! I showed you my dance of sorts. Now it's time for you to show us yours,” He teased a bit as he pointed back towards the part of the deck that Inadi used for his practice session. “Heck maybe you can even teach some of us a thing or two about dancing while you do so. Like lessons or something.” Inadi mentioned, hoping that the man would accept the request. Inadi had always seen himself as someone with two left feet so the opportunity to watch someone else and learn was a chance he didn't want to pass up on. It might even help him when and if Jasper ever wanted to dance, though he wasn't sure if Jasper was the dancing type. Then again, she had surprised him before. Better to be ready than unprepared. He waited for Ran to respond and leaned on the railing behind him, the wind still blowing past the humans like a small hurricane.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Inadi looked at the glass beneath his feet and couldn't help but feel uneasy, the grip on his spear tightening as his nerves grew. He had argued with a few of the people on the airship about bringing it with him, but throwing his weight around he was able to get it on the ship with only a few withstanding objections. He had almost grown attached at the hip to the thing after all the training he had done with it over the human's time in the Queen's castle with Harper also working on his swordsmanship. He felt much more confident with the weapon in his hand now then before, thus prompting him to bring it with him.

His nerves aside though, Inadi had to marvel at the sight before him. The glass floor exposed amazing buildings that he had only seen in his mind while reading fantasy novels as a child. Now here stood skyscrapers and other massive structures that were surrounded by amazing scenes of green and lights. In the sky around them flew airships of a modest design that looked as if they should not have been able to get off the ground. It was truly a something that he was taking in with a smile beaming on his face.

Riley's astonishment at the city brought the framed face of Inadi back to the room and watched as the Nobody that tried to get them out to enjoy the deck left with his pet in his arms. It could be assumed that there were probably much larger things of similar nature in the city of Cogs and Gears, but to what end made Inadi almost a little hesitant. Perhaps giant goliaths powered by steam and moving with the sound of grinding metal made him wonder what kinds of challenges would await them all. This was supposed to be a simple fetch and go kind of visit though. Perhaps they would be lucky enough to escape this place without so much as a moment of excitement.

Birds flew by as Inadi looked over at Ace wanting one for herself. Laughing next to Jasper, he shook his head at the red head girl that he could only say was acting like a child going to the pet store for the first time. “I doubt that Ace. Frankly I don't know how much good a mechanical bird would do you in the end. It would rust every time it tried to use the bird bath,” Inadi joked as he stood up from his seat and gave a quick look to Jasper.

The two had decided to try and....Inadi decided the best term for it was to 'go steady' in this instance. He and Jasper had grown to have a mutual attraction and rather than simply ignore it and continue to be awkward about it, they decided to step up and see if it could work. Now they were acknowledging it, yet they were still a very awkward duo it seemed. Most of the blame Inadi took upon himself as he always seemed to out think his actions. Maybe he had read too many romance novels and thought about the right and wrong ways character's he had read about approached the idea of dating. It could also just be that he was slightly nervous with all the slight jabs he had received from some in the group over the time they had announced their intent and now. Either way, he enjoyed his time whenever he was with Jasper. It helped ease his mind and worries whenever she was around now. How odd such a simple act can make one's very existence all the more helpful to his own.

“Jasper, I'm going to head out to the deck for a little while. I've been meaning to get a little bit of extra practice with Kain for a while now. I'll be back before you know it,” He told the girl next to him as he took the spear, which he had now named with the insistence of soldiers back at Queen Delirium's castle, off the wall and out towards the deck of the ship. Before leaving the door the boy turned to Harper and gave a quick nod of the head. A silent gesture, but one Inadi had been shooting towards the leader of the group to tell him the option to join ins his training was there. Knowing Harper had just said he would rather stay in, Inadi didn't wait up but still felt that setting the offer down was a good gesture to make.

As he exited the door, he saw Toby, Riley and Ran out near the railing of the ship, taking in the view with the wind blowing by. Lesley was also there and Inadi watched as each person in the group looked as if their hair was starting to take a life of their own. Each strand danced in the wind and Inadi was forced to hold onto his glasses as he began adjusting to the breeze. Quietly walking towards an open area of the deck, Inadi began adjusting to the movement of the ship and the wind in his stance. He gripped the spear tightly and let out a slow breath to ease his muscles. It was as if he was trying to merge with the spear, Kain, itself.

Quickly he began swinging the weapon in many directions and showed his own unique style with spear. Because he had decided on sharpening the edge of the weapon as well as the tip it was now so versatile that it was not much different to that of a sickle or a naginata. His grunts and quick breaths while maintaining his speed and balance caught the eyes of more than a few deckhands on the ship, who were now trying to avoid getting anywhere near the man. The man training on the deck was blind to their stares and uncertainty as he quickly came to a stop, his breathing heavy and sweat beginning to build on his brow.

Inadi had grown much more devoted to the cause of defending those around him and it showed on his face. His eyebrows scrunched together, the determined look in his eyes. Both of which looking at Lesley's arm as the man stood next to the railing. Every injury he had been around to see, Inadi had been blaming on himself for most of his sleepless nights back in the Queen's castle. He was tired of seeing the pain and death. He was determined to strike down the next foe who tried to harm those he had grown attached too. The thought of another friend being hurt made him grind his teeth together and Kain to begin slicing at the wind again. Each swing of the steel making the whistling wind turn into a screech as it fought against the breeze created by the ship flying against it.