Chrono Continuum Chapter 12
Sunrise and Inquiries
By Cain
602 AD
Glenn opened his bedroom door groggily. He trudged over to the water basin in the center of the main room, and splashed water on his face. His eyes snapped open, and he shook his head slightly, flinging water droplets to his left and right. He stretched as he began to walk to the front door. The sun hadn't yet risen, and he was fond of seeing it bring the day whenever he happened to rise before it did. He pushed open the door, and breathed in the cool early morning air. It was very refreshing. He jumped at a sudden voice behind him.
"Frog used to like to see the sun rise as well, you know." He turned to see the woman, Lucca. He released the breath he had drawn in so suddenly as he remembered the previous day's activities. He saw that she was sitting on the two person swing on his porch. He moved forward and sat down beside her. He lifted his arms and set them in a triangular shape behind his head, and rested against them.
"No, madame, I knew not. And yet, very few things do I know of your situation. Thou hast told me very much, yet I senseth that thou hast told me only of a miniscule bit of thine adventures." He paused. "Would that I could meet this 'Frog' of yours. He soundeth liken to me, and yet he differs." Glenn smiled. "'Tis strange, that I hath used 'yet' so many a time in this dialogue, and yet I feareth that 'tis warranted." He stopped talking as the sun began to rise. He had seen it many times, yet he never tired of it. The place where his house was built, however, was especially gifted. He smiled again as the tip of the rising sun touched the Red Omen flashing a brilliant bright red. He wondered to himself if the lady, being from the future, knew the substance of the stars, the sun, and why the Red Omen floated. He decided to ask.
He turned to do such, but his brow creased in worry as he looked to Lucca. Her pretty little jaw was clenched tightly, and a look of fear mixed with anger could be seen in her eyes. It surprised him. Both that she would look this angry, and that she would look this angry during a sunrise. He inquired, "Lucca, what angereth thee? I hath not seen thee so enraged but for this gentle sunrise, which poses no threat." She turned to him, and pointed to the Red Omen.
"It would be much gentler if it weren't for that." He looked at it, not comprehending. He turned back to her and shrugged, indicating that perhaps he had misunderstood. Lucca sighed, and leaned back against the back of the swing.
"Perhaps you'd better understand if I told you a little story, about the original... the Black Omen."
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Same Time
A pinpoint. A small flash. An odd, unearthly sound. And it came. A small circle of purely white light began to grow, starting from that little pinpoint. It grew until a hand could fit through it, and then a man, and then large enough to encompass several people. A thump sounded as a man, seemingly from nowhere, was thrown from it, somersaulting in air to land roughly on his behind. He stood up, slightly painfully. As he stood, he brushed off his white robe, not using magic so as not to appear vain in front of his master, who soon came out as well, stepping out as if walking from one room to another. The man smiled as he saw Janus brushing himself off. He'd have to work on his stability. Janus looked up at him, asking with his eyes what the assignment would be.
"Janus, there are two, possibly three Travelers here. You must seek them out. They are my enemies. Use your Stream Sight, the skill that I taught you, to identify them. One has a strange aura, possibly indicating that he is in the same predicament as you. Send Clairdena as commander, and Drissom and Ledune as her subordinates. Don't endure any backtalk. I will return in three days to check your progress." The man in white bowed his head slightly. Ah, princely pride, the Almighty One mused. Many would bow at the waist, but Janus, while always loyal, had never, and would never, bow more than his head. Which was more than his arrogant counterpart would ever do. The Almighty One nodded once, satisfied, and stepped back into the portal, leaving Janus to his work. Janus took one breath, then spun and began to head toward the Kingdom Palace. After all, he had work to do.
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Same Time
Glenn sat, pondering things. There was still so much he didn't understand. But, from what he could tell, Lucca and her allies were in the right by far. And the way he saw it, it was his duty as a knight to help them. But, Lucca obviously didn't know much about his world. He'd have to inform her. An idea came into his head. P'raps she can help in the war! She knowest many a thing, that lady, and 'tis obvious she knowest the art of fighting. And she hath seen the days to come. Surely she knowest if any great battle impends. And he resolved to ask her. As soon as she finished bathing.
Lucca moaned, softly. It felt good to take a bath. Really good. She slowly sank down into the water, savoring the heat. She rose only when holding her breath became uncomfortable. Her dress hung, wet on a clothesline next to the "tub". It was actually a soup pot. Glenn had heated it over the fireplace and then set it outside, not saying a word about her unusual (to him) request of a bath in hot water. But soup pot or not, it still felt great to bathe. She looked around for soap, and then realized that it would be a rare, if existent, commodity. She'd have to invent it for these people. She leaned her head back, relaxing against the rim of the "tub". Good enough. A thought ocurred to her as she lied there, relaxed. Her head snapped up, and she jumped out of the tub, racing toward Glenn's front door.
She burst in, snapping her gaze across the room to search for the knight. She spied him with his back to the door, poring over a book as he chewed on a turkey leg. Lucca could see one on the table for her. She exclaimed breathlessly, "Glenn, I just thought of something." Glenn didn't turn. After a few moments, he noted, "Thou art dripping on mine floor." Lucca's eyes opened, and she glanced down at herself, dripping wet, sans clothes.
She blushed deeply, the blush extending quite a bit down, unseen by Glenn. She rushed back outside, hurriedly dressing, and ran back in. Only then did Glenn turn. The blush returned, though in less force, and Lucca tried to ignore it. She walked forward and sat down in front of her turkey leg, her wet hair making a smacking sound as it hit the back of the chair. She turned to Glenn, who was now looking as if nothing had happened. The blush tried to come back, but Lucca fought it back. She finally got out her idea, "Glenn, I've just realized that you have two important things to tell me, that I need to know." Glenn's eyebrows raised slightly.
"And what, fair lady, wouldst thou have me tell thee?" Lucca shot him an annoyed glance for the "fair lady". She had told him she hated that sort of thing last night. She told him, anyway, "One, I need to know what this 'Kingdom' is, and if it's your enemy, and two, how soon before we can get to the Denadoro Mountains." Glenn had seemed to expect the first question, but didn't understand the reason for the second.
"Well, the Denadoro Mountains art but a few miles from hither, yet they doth belong to the Kingdom." Lucca nodded, not really surprised. The Kingdom was almost certainly the enemy. She looked back at him, picking up the turkey leg and gesturing vaguely as she spoke, "So, like I said, tell me about the Kingdom." Glenn took a moment to consider where to start, and began.
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Same Time
Lucca sat, staring, at the scanner, searching for some clue as to what had happened. But she couldn't find any, could only see Glenn recounting the story of the relationship between the Kingdom, Guardia, and the Mystics. She had left the Epoch a few hours ago to bathe, coming back a few minutes ago. Ever since then, Melchior had been looking at her, somewhat cryptically, and Gaspar seemed to be trying his hardest not to look at her. Eventually, she could bear it no longer. She finally yelled out, "What's with you two!" Gaspar mumbled something incomprehensible, and Melchior just smiled, and replied, "You're very pretty, you know." She scowled, and accused, "You followed me to the lake, didn't you? You dirty old man, you watched me bathe didn't you!?" He merely smiled.
"I can barely walk. How could I do that?" But he didn't say that he hadn't. Lucca glanced toward the scanner. It had been centered on the other Lucca the whole time. It hadn't been altered to watch her. She sighed. She'd figure it out eventually. As she started watching the scanner closely, however, she noticed somenthing. Like her, the other Lucca had wet hair. Lucca's eyes widened. Wet hair!? She turned toward Melchior, her teeth gritted.
"What did you see...?" He fumbled for an answer, when suddenly Gaspar piped up, "You know, I think I'll excuse myself to get some fresh air. By the way, Lucca, I turned away when I realized what I was seeing. So long." And he opened the glass canopy, and jumped out, quickly, closing it and leaving Melchior to deal with the consequences.
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To the moon, Alice (substitute Melchior for Alice in this case)
Jackie Gleeson
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