Baskia: "Come on, hurry up, we need to get off the boat."
Theo: "Stop! Who are you guys?"
Raion: "What is this?!"
Theo: "You? You're a Shadow?!"
Raion: "Ah, I'm just.."
Baskia: "He's not a shadow, he's just a normal boy."
Theo: "How could I have thought he was a shadow? My apologies. Now again, who are the two of you?"
Baskia: "My name is Baskia, and this is my friend Raion. We were heading towards the mountains. Our boat got caught in the storm."
Raion: "Yeah, we hit a rock! We lost Fourth! Tell me, how do we get him back!?"
Baskia: "Fourth, our friend got pulled into the water."
Theo: " Calm down, just calm down. Let's just figure this out. How far offshore did your friend get dragged in?"
Baskia: "Like ten meters out."
Raion: "Yeah, he mentioned someone grabbing his shoulders, but we are too occupied with everything else. We should have been there for him, Baskia! It's our fault."
Baskia: "Raion, it's none of our faults. We couldn't have predicted this would happen. We will find him."
Theo: "Your friend is right. If he got pulled in, it means that there's something or someone down there."
Raion: "But how do you know what those waters can do to you!"
Theo: "I know these waters better than anyone. I've seen the things it can do. I witnessed firsthand one of my shipmates fall overboard, and instantly he turned to dust."
Baskia: "How long ago was this?"
Theo: "Two years ago."
Baskia: "I'm sorry for your loss."
Raion: "So am I."
Theo: "That is in the past. I have mourned him well. We must search for your friend. But even if he managed to survive, we still cannot go out there. We will need to wait till morning when it's cleared out."
Raion: "Will he be alright, Baskia?"
Baskia: "It's Fourth, he will be fine."
They all headed more inland.
Theo: "This is my home. Please make yourself at home. Don't mind the people, we haven't had many visitors around."
Baskia: "It's alright, we're quite used to big crowds, aren't we, Raion?"
Raion is staring down a banana cream pie
Baskia: "Raion? Are you listening?"
Raion: "Yeah, huh, people… home."
Baskia: "Please forgive him, he seems to be hungry for that pie."
Theo, "I see, I see, would he care to have a slice. It's the best pie around."
Baskia: "Are you sure we don't want to intrude on our welcome?"
Theo: "Nonsense, I insist. Please."
Baskia turns around to tell Raion.
Baskia: "Raion, you can go… well, never mind, it looks like he heard us."
Theo laughs out loud.
Baskia runs after Raion, shouting, "Don't you dare eat all that pie!"
In the distance, you can hear Raion yelling, "It's not my fault you're slow!"
Baskia: "What did you just say to me?!"
Raion: "You heard me."
Raion turns his head around and then quickly turns it back. He ends up running into the 🍌 cream pie.
Raion: "What in the world! How did this happen?"
Theo eventually catches up with the two.
Theo: "It appears that you ran right into the pie."
Baskia: "Why Raion, why?"
Raion: "I mean, it tastes delicious, and you want to know something else, Baskia?"
Baskia: "And what may that be?"
Raion: "You didn't get to have any."
Baskia runs over to Raion and pushes the pie more in his face.
Baskia: "You want to say that again?!"
Raion: "No! I'm done!"
Theo: "Excuse me? But it seems like you two have made quite the crowd."
Baskia and Raion both slowly look up and see a bunch of people surrounding them. Some are in shock, while others are laughing.
Little boy: "Who are these strange people?"
Raion: "Strange? Who are you calling strange? Do you see what you look like?"
Baskia kicks Raion and gives him a look.
Baskia: "My apologies for my friend here. He's a little exhausted from the long trip we had."
Theo: "Let's head in and rest from a long day."
Raion and Baskia followed behind
Theo: "Here we are. I hope everything is to your liking?"
Raion: "Well, now that you mention it, these sheets seem a tad rough."
Baskia slaps Raion on the head.
Baskia: "What he meant to say is no thank you, everything is perfect. Isn't that right, Raion?"
Raion: "Yes, sorry, it's perfect."
Theo: "Alright, I'll leave it to you guys. We will find your friend at daybreak."
Theo leaves and shuts the door.
Raion: "Baskia, what was that earlier?"
Baskia: "What was what?"
Raion: "When we got off the boat, how did you convince Everyone here that I'm not a shadow? Theo seemed to realize that something was off."
Baskia: "It's nothing. Nothing to be discussed right now. Let's focus on rescuing Fourth."
Raion: "No, you both always tell me, save it for another time. This is happening now. How did you convince them?"
Baskia: "Raion, not now, I said!"
Raion: "If not now, then when?!"
Baskia sits at the edge of the bed. "Okay, I'll tell you, but it's just between the two of us, or I'll have to turn you into the High guards of Skala. Where they brutally torture you day in and day out, bringing in skin biters to gnaw away at your flesh. Until there's nothing left but bones. Of course, after we get you back to normal."
Raion laughs out loud, "You're hilarious, Baskia."
Baskia: "I'm serious."
Raion sits quietly and stares at Baskia.
Baskia: "Alright, the reason that Theo and everyone else don't realize you're a shadow is because I implanted it in their minds to see you as normal."
Raion: "How though?"
Baskia: "Just as you have your ability, I have mine. Mine, though, is the only one around. I'm part of The Five, a group of people sworn to protect the rock of Angfel."
Raion: "Then why are you here?
Baskia: "To answer your question, I'm going to see Wen just like Fourth and you. I had no means of knowing how I would find her until I met both of you."
Raion: "Why didn't you tell us that in the first place?"
Baskia: "High guards of Skala remember."
Raion: "Oh yeah, oh Baskia, last thing. How come your ability didn't work on me this time around? It's the same thing that happened with Fourth when he tried to turn me back. His ability didn't work on me."
Baskia lies down on the bed and shuts the lights off. "That I am not sure about."
Raion and Baskia both fall asleep