Story Untold: Trade Secrets

Instructions

{Setting: Sol Dimension, Aedrift} Ruby: *eyes slowly open. For a second she thinks she's in her bed drearily listening to Marian call her name as he tries to wake her up. Finally, with a few blinks, her consciousness returns back to reality and she's aware that she is filthy, injured, on the ground, with an agitated Allister shaking her* ? Mephiles: Finally. Get up. We're close. Ruby: *tries, but falls down* Ow! *looks at her leg and sees that it's much more injured. She looks to Mephiles for help, but doesn't get any. Mephiles didn't even turn when she fell* >-_- *struggles and wobbles to her feet, being used to having someone else help her when she got hurt* Allister, we have to get back up there! Can we climb? Mephiles: *still doesn't turn to her. He looks around the area nearby; full of rolling hills and loop-de-loops* Too high. We need to move on. They'll catch up. Ruby: Is this fun? Mephiles: A little. *snickers quietly, knowing the girl is distraught* Ruby: Well, not to me! Why'd you have to run? Mephiles: Your guards were moving a little slow for me. Either way, I've found our first gem. It's somewhere here. *gestures to the hilly landscape around them* Ruby: Wow. How'd you find it? Mephiles: Trade secrets. Come on. *walks off, letting Ruby limp behind* Some times passes with them walking across the hilly terrain in every direction. Finally, Ruby gets bored. Ruby: So....*looks over at Mephiles, trying to pick out something to talk about* Is your world as pretty as this? Mephiles: Yes. Unfortunately. Ruby: ? Mephiles: ...Nothing. Ruby: Oh. *stops for a few seconds before restarting another conversation* Why are you so colorless? You know, gray all over? Mephiles: *rolls eyes* Let's just say I've spent some time in someone's shadow. *finally looks over at her and decides to add a little question of his own* That gem. *points at the red gem on her forehead* Were you born with it? Ruby: ? This? *holds a finger up to her forehead* Oh, yeah. It's the mark of the royal family. My father, the king, has it too. Mephiles: He seemed very welcoming. Ruby: He's nice! Just... a little mistrusting, is all. Mephiles: Is the gem what gave you the power to heal me? From before? Ruby: What? Oh, um...*cheeks go red and she searches for something to say, before she can only think to reply with* Trade Secrets. Why so curious about me? *changes the subject* Um....how do you know where the sol emeralds are? Mephiles: Back home I could sense the gems I needed to find. It seems yours bears a similar trace I can follow. *stops and then looks around* It's somewhere nearby. Ruby: Where? Mephiles: ... *looks ahead and spots a faint purple glow. He walks over to it and before Ruby could get there first he picks up the emerald and feels it. It felt familiar, but in two different ways. He could recognize the power of a chaos emerald, but also flames that couldn't quite lick him but were certainly trying. He latched onto it despite Ruby's attempts to snatch it, inspecting it from every angle. Then, he lifts it up, expecting the rest to come to him, but he soon realized it wouldn't work* Quit it, will you? Ruby: *stops reaching for it* Mephiles: I'm holding onto this for now. But it's evening, and you've had a big day. Get some sleep. Ruby: But I- Mephiles: Get some sleep. I'll make sure no one tries to threaten us. Ruby: *reluctantly lies down on the grass and closes her eyes. Mephiles realizes that Ruby somewhat trusts him* Mephiles: .... *stares at her more intently* Let's see how long that lasts.