It's Been a While...

[prayerslost.livejournal.com]

Who: Ness, Paula, and Poo. Huzzah.
Where: St. Peter's Church
When: May 10th, around 8:00 PM
Rating: PG-ness
Summary: URFBOWNZ UNITE! :B Paula and Poo meet Ness after a long absence while he rehabilitates in the church after his chip removal.
the log:
After collecting Poo off the streets in his mystified quest for allegiance, Paula and he managed to reach the church Ness had referred to Paula earlier. “Now, listen, Poo.” Paula gazed her friend solemnly in the eyes. “I want to inform you of something very important. You need to keep this in close consideration before we see Ness. Understood?” She made sure he was listening. He certainly appeared he was.

Poo blinked. "I understood," he said, and screwed up his face afterwards. "I mean, I understand," he corrected, his cheeks flushing just a little. He supposed this was a serious situation and felt bad because of his mistake.

A smile passed on Paula’s face before she continued. “Ness is not doing very well. You remember the microchip I talked about that can suppress supernatural powers. See, it was removed recently, he told me. While it sounds like the best move in the world, it’s got some nasty side effects. His control over his powers are totally berserk, so he might unintentionally hurt you. Do you read me?” Her hand rested upon his shoulder as she talked to him eye-to-eye.

Poo stayed silent for a moment, and nodded. "He had a chip removed which gives him back his powers, but his control isn't very good right now," he recited slowly, wondering where the 'chip' was located and why it was there. "I understand. So, it is best I keep my guard up?"

"Yes. If he starts acting up, you know the drill. Get OUT. He doesn't mean to hurt you, but we can't risk this." She turned to wrap her fingers around the door handle. "Ready?"

"Yes, I am ready," he said, nodding firmly. He walked closer to Paula, watching her.

Paula steadied herself and pried the door open with a groaning creak, greeted with the dusty odor of the church and peering inside. Her heart pumped with considerable speed, so much that it dared to challenge any of the frights she experienced with monsters sprawled on the streets.

Inside the room laid their old friend. Ness certainly looked a little worse for the wear from being sick, but sustained no visible injuries in the two weeks he had been in Discedo. Looking up to Paula and Poo, his eyes brightened significantly. He lifted himself out of bed, and made his way closer to them. "I missed you guys a lot,” was all he managed to say before holding his arms out around the two and pulling them into a tight hug.

Poo certainly hugged his friend back, actually coming close to tears but stiffiling them back. "As did I," he managed to say quietly. Paula's face contorted behind Ness' neck as she held him much too tightly. A short whimper escaped her throat and she murmured, "I missed you too."

Ness eventually eased his embrace, slipping away to wipe his eyes on his sleeves. "I was scared, to be honest. The last thing I remembered was being at the Fire Springs. I felt all light headed, and felt the resonance of the Sound Stone. I woke up, and I ended up here. I was terrified I was never going to see you guys again."

After the hug, Paula too rapidly wiped her eyes to discourage any free crying. "It's okay. It's... it's okay, what matters is we're all here." The pause after she expelled those words formed a sort of unfinished sort of air. "I mean... except Jeff."
A tear slipped. She fervently wiped it away.

Where is Jeff?" Poo asked, almost worried someone was going to tell him he had died. His eyes held no tears, but they held relief and fear at the same time.

Ness thought for a moment at that statement, before coming up with a response. "There's a reason. I had a chance to speak with one of the scientists who bring us here. They pick and choose who they bring here, and there might be times that some unpleasant things follow us here." He paused a moment, before continuing. "We don't know why they want us."

"They… aren't all bad, though. They brought us back together, didn't they?" He smiled at that last statement. "I really wish I had waited a little longer for the operation, if you guys were coming, but it couldn't be helped." He absentmindedly scratched the back of his head.

"It's all right... wherever Jeff is, I'm sure he's not in as testy a situation as we are." Another pause in her speech occured before she hung her head and said, "But he's all alone, wherever we left him. And we get to endure this together."

The prince held his elbow while he thought, wondering where Jeff could be. He then looked at his two psychic friends and smiled, glad that at least they were here.

"You never know. I never expected to see you guys here, either." He turned back and took his place back, sitting on the bed, grabbing his head for a moment with a slight wince. "Ow… I'll be happy when these darn headaches are over and done with. They suck like you wouldn't believe!" Ness paused a moment before the recollection of a memory flickered in his eye.

"Oh yeah. The scientist told me that time goes on as normal back in our world, even with us not in it. Knowing Jeff, he'd probably be working on a way to find us." He patted the bed, offering his friends a seat next to him.

Paula couldn't lift her head, pitying Jeff and torn between wishing him here and pleading his safety back home, where he belonged. Poo, however, accepted Ness' invitation and watched Paula's emotions flicker over her eyes. Even though he didn't have that sense in which he could read minds, he still felt the telepathic connection he had always felt between his friends, and could tell what Paula was thinking, or at least the basics. He looked at the floor along with her. Finally, Paula spoke again.

"It's funny. We all meet, yet we're all so sad." She lifted her head and tried a smile. "I know Jeff's not here right now, but wherever he is, he's not going to have to suffer. I missed you both, but mostly, I missed you, Ness. It's been a long time." She looked at Ness once more and felt the overwhelming urge to hug him tightly again.

"Yeah, it has." His gaze drifted over to her, a slight red tint on his cheeks. Ness couldn't help but blush before shaking his head rapidly, trying to hide it.

Poo watched the two, registering the situation going on between them quickly. He turned his head away, gazing at the ceiling of the foyer, taking in his surroundings.

Paula decided it was time to sit down. She took the side opposite to Poo, leaving Ness in the middle. "You don't seem unstable," she mentioned, looking him up and down.

"I'm just sick for now. It isn't as bad as it was earlier. The pain in my head went away enough that I can ignore it. I don't know how my PSI will behave later, through." He rubbed his forehead, apparently the pain wasn't as easy to ignore as he tried to play it off as.

"I'm not used to being a normal person," Paula admitted with a laugh. "I never knew it could be so frustrating. I mean, I feel like I've always had these powers with me, like they were my guide. Now I'm completely defenseless and I hate it."

The prince of Dalaam thought this over, remembering Paula's lack of physical offense. He knew that he could live without his psychic ability, but that certainly didn't mean he didn't want them back. His powers were something that set him apart, something that made him special to his country.

Ness shook his head and rested his hand on Paula's shoulders, trying to ease any worries she had. "There's a doctor in Latimir who could remove both your chips. He's a real nice guy. As for a place to stay, I've got room at my apartment."

Poo seemed interested. "Can you tell me where the chip is located, Ness?" he asked suddenly, wide-eyed and curious.

Ness tapped the back of his neck, turning his head away from Poo so he could see. "Right about here. That's where mine was, anyway."

Poo's hand subconsciously reached back to his own neck, feeling up and down slowly. "About... here..." he recited, slightly relieved that the chip wasn't in his head or anything.

Ness responded with a nod. "Yep, right there."

Something warm breathed over Paula. It was the feeling summoned when they were together, enduring the same type of hardship. All of a sudden she didn't mind having a chip in her neck, she didn't mind the absence of running water, she didn't care if there was no home to return to at the moment. All that mattered was that they were together. It secured her existence and incited her to make the best of things the way they were.

She craned over Ness to look at Poo, who still seemed to be fascinated by the alien chip in his neck. "Hey, Poo. When we get the chance, we should rent an apartment at Latimir together. That way, we will be in the same apartments and live closeby. Doesn't that sound great?"

Poo's hand stopped, and he seemed attentive. "Huh? Oh, rent an apartment? Kind of like a hotel room?" he responded, allowing his hand to return to his lap.

"Yeah, kinda. Only because we can't really get back home, it's a little more permanent." Her eyes darted to Ness. "Is it possible to establish roommates?" She was getting giddy with all these ideas popping every which way inside her head.

"That's just what I was hoping for. The apartment I grabbed is pretty big for one person. It'd work nicely, and I already settled into the place." Ness smiled at the thought of them all together again.

"It'd be like the hotel stays!" Paula chimed, nearly bouncing on the bed.

"Only without Jeff," Poo admitted without a thought. He shut his eyes. "I bet we'll see him again." He opened his eyes once again and smiled a little.

"I think that right now, it's for the best Jeff doesn't get mixed up in this," Paula said without switching to melancholy mode. "He's better off without any demons drooling over his neck."

"Yeah, no kidding." He nodded, "Just without the guy with the newspaper, or being kidnapped by zombies." He couldn't help but laugh at the memories. "Oh yeah, Poo! I just remembered.." Ness lifted himself from the bed, going into a mock Martial Arts stance.

"There's a really wise old man here, who teaches other people how to protect themselves. His name is Mr. Iroh. I think that class could benefit from the training you received in Dalaam."

Poo perked. "You think?" he asked, sounding excited. "Because I am capable of teaching my abilities well. I have gone through many years of training."

"You'd be perfect," Paula sighed, wishing she could do something useful in such a community.

Poo appeared proud of himself. "Well, of course," he said, his smile growing.

Ness seemed to pick up on Paula's feelings, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "You're plenty useful; don't ever think otherwise. Just having you here makes everything better."

Paula's smile brightened and her entire position picked itself up. Her knees kicked off the edge of the bed as she familiarized herself with Ness's face even more. "Thanks, Ness. I'm just so overwhelmed! There's all kinds of useful people here and all I can do so far is run around and get myself lost!" She giggled after that, not minding one bit for ridiculing herself over the past events.

Ness let out a small laugh, feeling the air around them clear up to their usual days on the road, laughing and joking around. "Aw, it's nothing! Besides, first impressions aren't everything. There's more to the three of us than just PSI, anyway. I'm sure there's plenty you could do if you asked someone! Even if you aren't given some sort of job, just having you around is encouragement enough for me to do my best!" His face was back to its usual shine. If one hadn't known, they would have never thought he was sick.

“Yeah! It doesn’t take wading around neck-deep in sewers to be a hero. Well… not that it hasn’t happened to us before, but you get my point!” After her eyes had grown accustomed to the dank atmosphere of the abandoned church, she watched a small figure scamper across the floor, cheeping as it ducked underneath a wooden bench. It barely shocked her, but did spark a thought. “Hey Ness. Isn’t this church here… a bit dangerous? I’ve heard rumors or something, but are you sure it’s detrimental to your health to be sick in such conditions?” Her head bobbed as she scoped the foyer out, vision ending at the beginning of a hallway. The unknown atmosphere spoke to her in a whisper and for a moment she swore she were psychic again.

"Dangerous? I'd say no worse than other parts of the city. What rumors did you hear? I figured Vexen had taken care of everything when he offered to take my chip out." Ness tapped her shoulder softly. "Something wrong?”

Her head shook slowly. "Mm-mmn. Nothing's wrong. I just... I dunno." She quit surveying the dark portions of the foyer and smiled at Ness. "I can't remember who told me because of all these new faces, but from what people were saying I assumed the church was a dangerous place."

Poo seemed to be concentrating. "Isn't a church the least place you would expect evil to be located?" He asked, remembering the purpose of a church as a religious building.

Ness scratched his head, looking around. He was barely able to reach his PSI by now, and hesitated to do so in case it started acting up. "You might be thinking of the Graveyard. That place isn't safe." He said to the two before returning to his seat on the bed.

"Graveyard? Ness, what are you talking about?" Paula questioned, rather mystified by the notion of a burial ground. She supposed he could be referring to something else, however.

"There's a nearby graveyard. I haven't been to see it myself, but I've been warned that it is extremely dangerous. Not that I look forward to dealing with zombies again without some Zombie Paper." He responded, pointing west, to the direction of the Graveyard.

"Too bad Apple Kid wasn't sucked up with the rest of us then," she said sarcastically. She noticed Poo probably didn't understand a word they were saying, but she didn't feel like explaining about such a contraption called Zombie Paper. Even she had no clue how such a thing worked, so interpreting would only give her a minor headache.

Poo looked down. "No, I do not know what you are talking about, but do not let my presence hinder your nostalgia," he declared, crossing his arms.

"Just be thankful you weren't around to deal with zombies. It's okay, Poo." The idea of a graveyard in a place like this chilled her. It ignited a deep curiosity within her, but she wouldn't dare tread on those grounds without company, and definitely without the help of psychic powers.

Poo thought. "Was Jeff there?" he questioned, pointing a finger.

"Yeah. He was. If it wasn't for him, we probably wouldn't have lived long enough for you to meet us,” Ness said, turning slightly pale at the thought of how close they came to dying.

"Uh-huh. That's the first and hopefully last time I've ever been kidnapped by zombies... oh great, reminiscing is making me miss Jeff even more." Paula pouted, resting her face on her palm and sulking.

Poo smiled. "Well, remembering memories is good," he said, and crossed his legs.

Paula watched as another rat scittered across the floor and once again became disgusted with the state of the establishment. "Don't tell me the apartments are like this."

"Heh, hardly! I took the time to clean up my place, so there shouldn't be any rats. All the supplies are at the high school, anyway." Ness said confidently. He had already taken the time to clean his own place. Even then, the cleaners who cleared out the building had done their job well.

"That's good to hear. Hey, wait a minute; did I just hear a cat?" She turned around to search for the source of the strangled noise, but to no avail. Her eyes fell upon the dark passage once more, but she quickly diverted her attention. “A girl named Kiki lost her cat. Do you think maybe it wound up in this church somehow?"

Poo's eyes widened. "Lost her cat? She has a pet cat around here?" he asked, surprised. "So even poor animals were brought here..."

"Well, I wouldn't know what to tell you." This time, the sound Paula had heard screamed faintly into the foyer, audible to all occupants of the room. Paula's eyes went wide as she froze into a rigamortis state. "W-whatever cat Kiki has... I'm sure it doesn't sound half as freaky as that just did."

Ness instinctively reached near his backpack, firmly gripping his bat with both hands. He let out a light hiss, the pain of his headache returning again. "That sounds like no cat I’ve ever heard of…" he said softly, knuckles turning white.

Poo stood. "Do not fear, you two. I will protect you both from anything," he offered, hands gripping the hilt of his sword. He seemed very able and confident.

Paula would have sighed were she not so scared, realizing that while she didn't possess her powers, she also didn't have possession of any sort of weapon. Frying pans didn't normally count on a universal level, but they had certainly worked for her. Her heart pulsed with the fear of something's presence growing in the darkness. What brought her sudden attention was Ness's stance. It reminded her that yes, Ness had his chip removed, so yeah, things could get messy, especially with the information he recently dealt her about abilities going haywire for the worst. She stayed on the bed, awaiting the arrival of an unpleasant visitor.

The sound of claws scraping along the ground echoed throughout the foyer. The church's front door slowly creaked open, an eyeless muzzle the source of the door moving. A lone Sniffer Dog made its approach, reeking of dead flesh. Ness held completely still, he had the opportunity, if one could call it that, of encountering one upon his initial entrance into Discedo. His breathing became slightly uneven, clutching his head with his left hand.

Paula's initial response was a shriek as she bunched up on the bed, backtracking a few while her wide blue eyes fixed on the canine creature. It was such a grotesque animal with rotting flesh and a long tongue that should belong to an anteater. Panic seized her and she could do nothing else.

Poo's eyes widened as well at the yellow-skinned creature, narrowing his eyes in disgust. He did not lower his guard, and took steps forward, ready to defend his friends with whatever it took. He unsheathed the Sword of Kings and held it ready.

The dog took notice of Paula's shriek, taking the chance to spring forward in the direction of the noise. Ness released his bat, both hands gripping his head. A familiar pressure filled the room while a blue glow overtook Ness' hands.

"R-Rockin'!" The boy yelled through gritted teeth. The glow left his hands, forming into a transparent bubble of psychic energy. The bubble collided with the dog before it could close the distance, and sent its body flying backwards, hitting the church doors with a harsh crack.

Poo was startled, unaware that Ness could use his PSI, as he had forgotten. "Uh?" he murmured, blinking several times and whirling around to view Ness. "...Ness! Are you alright?" He asked, worried.

"Peachy… Just… peachy," he whispered, standing up with awkward balance. "You remember the warning I gave you, Paula? I think now might be a good time." He sighed, rubbing his head.

While she was no longer paralyzed with the fear induced by the Sniffer Dog, a new disdain manifested itself inside of her. No. She did not want to leave Ness. Ness made her happy, made her motivated enough to stand firmly on her two feet and declare to herself that yes, she could stand up to anything this new world had to offer. She scrambled off the bed and rashly bounded for her friend, hands outstretched in order to correct his balance. "Ness..." she choked.

Poo stood, dumbfounded. "Paula... was the warning that thing you told me...?" he said slowly, holding his sword with one hand and letting the blade touch the ground. He didn't want to leave his friend, either, and wished hard that he had his powers back.

"I know..I know… I don't want you guys to go either." He paused. "That won't exactly change either of your minds, will it? No matter what I say?"

"I don't know. I can't say... I can't say I exactly feel good about leaving you with this monster, either," the blond girl confessed, reaching her arm over into an awkward embrace, standing Ness up more erect. She tilted her head to survey the dog's actions, feeling a zip of fear once it wobbled to its feet, stunned.

Poo realized that now he was to take care of the monsterous being, and sprinted off towards it with impressive speed, slashing at its neck and so on, allowing Paula and Ness time to say goodbye.

"Paula… Don't be sad. It'll only be a week. Less than that, in fact. Even if we're not next to each other, you'll always be able to talk to me over the communicator." Ness' balance was still a little off, but he still encircled his arms around Paula, hugging her tightly and leaning on her for support at the same time.

"But, I-" she couldn't utter any more words to properly express her feelings. She looked him in the eyes, reflecting a plea so devastating it spilled tears from her eyes.

Then, she shut them, pulling him closer and emitting a quiet sob. She never knew saying goodbye could be so heartrending.

"C'mon… No crying, ok?" He whispered softly, lightly running a hand through her hair. "It isn't like this is forever."

Poo looked over for a moment, breathing hard, and after seeing the two, turned away abruptly, deciding to act busy with the dying enemy, giving it an extra slash or two.

Ness pulled away from the embrace, shaking his head. It pained him as much to have to tell them to leave. He wanted more than anything for them to be around each other again, but it had to wait. He would never put his friends at risk.

"...Paula? Poo?" He spoke quietly.

"Y-yeah?" Paula barely moved.

"...Would it make you guys feel better to stay in the church with me?" Ness kept his eyes to the ground.

After the ambush made by the doglike beast, Paula wasn't so sure she could accept. Her other desires overruled that slight anxiousness, and she asked, "Are you sure it's all right? I mean... you told us... you warned us..."

He sighed and shook his head. "I did, but... We should stick together, in the end. And I can't stand to make you cry. I guess...We'll figure something out." Ness raised his eyes, smiling at the two. "It'll be ok."

Poo stopped attacking the monster and approached his friends, holding his sword taught. "I agree with you, Ness," he started, "we should stay together. I think, even with you in such a state, it would be safer to stay like this." He didn't know about staying in the church, though.

Paula's eyelids finally lifted. She turned to look at Poo, then back at Ness. "If things get worse, we'll... we'll go. I know I'm going against my word about leaving when things take a turn for the worst, but after that just happened, I don't know if I feel comfortable leaving you here." She stepped backwards, cutting the embrace and wiping her eyes. Finally, she broke the dismal face and a smile shone.

"We'll stay with you."