Noel stepped out in the early morning light and sneaked around the other side of the inn, then ran to the woods, down the trail to the Mosaic Rosetta, and rested her hand on it.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5cNb3XhMx
"What did I know about myself before now?" her thoughts raced as she peered into the world inside. There were four portraits, one of Maria, one of Kokoso, one of Byrd, and one of Cathryn, with another four, the two that were filled were the Seasons, followed by one of Mother Goose, one on another side of Historia, and then four others, one of herself, but the other three were a mystery. Noel's portrait had no words under it, besides the Maria gave her the name.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSNilRK1yg
Noel stepped away, backed up, and sat across from it, "Why can't you just show me who I am, what I was?"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7kGNUL4Hk
She alone, trying to remember until she heard footsteps racing toward her.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGWS4vL2EX
"Noel!" Noel stared at the ground and closed her eyes and she heard Maria approach, "We thought you ran away again."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnTcDRfcl1
"Not even the Mosaic Rosetta can tell me what I knew about myself, back before...anything." Noel sighed and stood back up, "Sorry, I guess I was just here so long, sulking, I forgot to come back."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbcdTQsfc7
"Why didn't you ask someone to join you?" Spring whined.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0uKO0IeN6
"It's dangerous to step foot inside the woods by yourself." Byrd added.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡeb3TUXmEQf
"I know...I told myself I wouldn't be here long," Noel turned to the others, but not looking up at their faces, "but there was this nagging doubt, that if I found something, I...I don't know, if I'd found out that I was with them, I think I might have ran away...confront them...but I had this idea in my head, that if I looked, I'd see there was something reassuring, but there was nothing, just a few words, 'Noel, the name Maria gave you', that was it...nothing else."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzrF2zxu08
"Well, you don't need the Mosaic Rosetta to tell you that we're your friends, right?" Kokoso crossed his arms, grinning, "Don't worry about what it doesn't tell you; take heart in what we've told you."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAQANpq4BV
"Kokoso's maxim of the day?" Spring teased.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCUmXtJirn
"And you giggled like an idiot when I said what I did last night," Byrd pointed out, "and I gave you a warning that it'd be sappy and cliched! This takes the cake."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡULCTcvEdya
"And the milk, too." Cathryn added.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzWHIIsZwS
"And the coffee?" Spring ventured, "Oh, please let there be coffee!"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoFaAceeIP
"You don't need coffee." Autumn smirked.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WwI7XIsgu
Noel looked up at her friends, smiling, "Thanks, guys!" she said quietly as she embraced Maria.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmdoMa3ew9
"What a contrast to how she first interacted with us!" Kokoso marveled, "I do believe we've all grown close-" he stumbled back as Noel wrapped her arms around him and turned to Byrd, who was snickering for a few seconds, before it was his turn.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLRzHQaWUu
"Kokoso, want to call it?" Spring asked, crossing her arms.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLl9XVXbgH
"You don't mean to say team hug, do you?" Kokoso wondered.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8z7n61vvZ
"No, let's skip that and just eat." Byrd suggested.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡSl02osFMxF
"Too awkward for you?" Kokoso challenged.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUoYKVlf8P
"Don't start it." Byrd warned.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡox4xVhmBlb
"Ha, ha, fine, fine, I'm pretty hungry anyways." Kokoso relented.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZXjKmeMjK
"Team's dad isn't one for hugs," Cathryn acknowledged, "everyone keep that in mind."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLKkHvmi1o
"So, guys, last night I had this really weird dream," Kokoso began, "you want to hear it? So, I was a fruit-"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLmxr6uxAz
"No one said they wanted to hear it!" Byrd admonished.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5bXQkxP7N
"He's got a point." Maria said, smiling, "So, what was this about being a fruit?"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPezhvo0wT
"Wait, what?!" Byrd turned to Maria, shocked, but otherwise stayed quiet as Kokoso continued.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8drn5WlOJt
"So, I was just hanging there on a limb, and then Byrd swooped over and tore me right off the limb, and all of a sudden...I was the limb!"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaPwR81SUk
"And then?!" Spring leaned forward, exaggerating enthusiasm.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dwKXTqmyz
"And then nothing, I was the limb, and the tree, and the ground...it was actually quite strange...at the end I was myself again, under the tree, except I was a bunny."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgJnRzLnE3
"That actually reminds me of my dream." Cathryn remarked, "So, I was me, sitting by the fishing pond, and when I cast my line, I was the fishing rod, and then I was the fish when it bit, and then I was me again, eating the fish."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgKjFVIHoJ
"Oh, cannibalistic." Spring rubbed her hands together, "Now we're getting dark."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vfmRRUELP
"Ha, nothing compares to when Byrd pulled Kokoso off the tree." Maria laughed.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡuc3uHNSHVV
"I had a dream it was my birthday," Spring sighed, "all I wanted was a pony, and for a minute, I had one, but then it was an ox when I looked at it...I guess I pretended it as a pony?"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXFdjldReM
"I had a dream I was a dragon." Autumn smiled, "It was nice."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrTK9onDzY
"Well, while we're at it," Byrd leaned back in his chair and took a pause, "in my dream...my wings were gone. It was so weird, as weird as when I first had wings, to be honest, I had an unsettling feeling that everything we've been through was a dream."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhAaLGssL8
"I had a dream I was a werewolf." Maria shrugged, "Big lumbering arms, swinging them like a yeti."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0s8Ko33j5
"We do share the claw weapons," Autumn nodded, "but it's highly unlikely you'll ever be a werewolf."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2G2e6kUEB
"How about you, Noel?" Maria watched her friend curiously.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡnI5sE6qwlv
"I...uh...I didn't have any dreams." Noel admitted.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TgfVFUJsO
"No dreams, really?" Maria drummed the table under her hand, "How about...well, look, these don't have to be recent dreams, just one you remember."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuNKxU3Amh
"No...nothing." Noel shook her head and sighed, "Guess I'm not normal, huh?"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7wLuddMwO
"Well...I'm sure it's not completely unheard of," Maria said hopefully, "and even if it is completely unheard of, our standard for normalcy is on a low bar anyways."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iq3HAFdkf
"Yeah," Kokoso laugh, "I tripped on that bar, didn't I? Still made it over."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡGX6AaRTPhc
"Just barely!" Spring teased.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFD6GMj54E
"What do you know, you weren't even there, yet!" Kokoso laughed.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRSNguVwVB
"So, when are we taking a test run into the city?" Noel inquired.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fZN336Dyp
"I was thinking at dawn, so we can do the usual routine, get some sleep, and show up at a time when we can see well." Maria proposed.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHZgCIx7rO
"That works." Kokoso raised his hand, followed by the others.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCH6ARgx2r
"Then we'll go on our test run tonight, after Spring, Kokoso, Noel, and I bring back Cathryn's shopping list of materials." Maria stood up and Spring, Kokoso, and Noel stood to follow her.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoP8Q1y1nV
"Okay, I woke Maria up." Noel informed, approaching the others on the beach. Kokoso had his hat, and Maria mentioned a hat before Noel ran back out.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzZTwc7m3K
"So, we'll all be going, since we're just going to go and hang out for a bit?" Spring wondered.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡjX4lvURdzA
"That's the idea." Noel sighed, "It's been a while...guess this is kind of my home, might bring back some memories."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nctXIGve4
"You're home right now." Byrd reminded her, "Don't forget that."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFJAmKH9fY
"Right...this is only a former prison for me, then?" Noel wondered.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoyI5Aa79e
"That sounds about right." Byrd folded his arms and stared past Noel, "About time you showed up, Maria."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUnmw6fjqi
"Ha, yeah, I was having good dreams, though." Maria laughed.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡAI9EhYh61E
"I...I wish I had dreams," Noel sighed, "I wonder if I've always never had dreams...they sound like they'd be a lot of fun. I guess before I met you, I hadn't smiled either, my face is used to it now."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpPcz1FBSx
"There's more than one way to have a dream," Noel flinched in mild surprise to find Maria's hand on her shoulder, "it can just be something you really want to do, or something you want to happen, like getting your memories back."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8CqSpANrL
"Then...I have more dreams than I thought." Noel stared at Maria for a few moments before turning to the others, "Now, we have two flyers and five passengers."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡB92jVSr9g5
"I guess that means I'll finally have to piggyback someone." Spring stretched out her wings and gazed over the ocean, "It feels like we're taking a really big step here."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbcPOE9Bse
"We are." Kokoso sighed, "Well, time to see how long we can stand around before we run out of magic."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhQ3gypBHr
"What happens if we run into ships?" Noel wondered.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0hGeLYNNU
"We outrun them, outmaneuver them," Byrd shrugged, "same as whenever Kokoso brought someone back to the village, I'd carry him and the newcomer, with Cathryn on my back...cumbersome, but it worked."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0W3CmkYuP
I don't think I could carry three people." Spring frowned, "I don't have talons like you."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2zoUcaOAA
"True, but you can carry two people, right?" Byrd inquired.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhbg8DPpEy
"Yeah...maybe, only one way to know!" Spring started flying up and pointed at Noel, "You're probably the lightest here, an obvious choice for piggybacking...and Autumn."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KYPbwdztb
"Okay," Byrd sighed, "Cat, hop on."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2lYo56qEN
The slow rising sun painted the sky a rosy color as the seven friends flew across the ocean, in the distance they could see several battleships.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3stn9YszSz
Noel watched the city's skyline and distant ships intently, trying to remember anything related to the current sights, but found nothing. When they landed she still found nothing interesting around them.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxJCE6gibg
"Byrd and I will hover," Cathryn decided, "we've been spotted before, I've no doubt someone will recognize us, everyone should stay in groups threes or twos, to avoid undue suspicion."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡT12KLdU8oZ
"I got dibs on Autumn!" Spring announced, "You and I have lots to catch up on."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvwFIpNUkr
"Hmm, now you're making me hungry." Autumn hummed, walking away alongside Spring, "I wonder if we can find a restaurant, I could go for some fries and ketchup."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LhPbUT231
"I'll stick with Maria," Kokoso decided, "we haven't been around recently, but there's no way they can instantly recognize us and our lack of presence, even though His Majesty likes to think he's watching us every second of every day."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrXln3Rhrd
"Um, I would join you guys," Noel swallowed and backed away, "but if someone recognizes me, I'm sure they'll know that I stole this suit...I hope I stole the suit, but if I did, that means they won't be happy to see me."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡPayJGkUnMj
"There's plenty of buildings to hide in," Kokoso waved for her and Maria to follow him, "apparently Maria and I both found an abandoned store, books and random oddities were all over the place, but we never met there, she scrounged around during the day but I spent my nights there, I wonder if it's still around."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKAQ4EZr78
"It was to the right." Maria pointed and Kokoso chuckled as he started down that way. The doorway had fallen in, leaving a narrow opening between the floor and the door, and inside the place was covered in dust.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡXx2R7n7I8x
"Okay, nothing suspicious in here." Kokoso called from within.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGnvzz9Jpm
"I'll watch the street," Maria pointed at the hole, "you go on ahead."copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFKzfQ73f4
Noel nodded and crouched down, sliding an arm in, balanced on her other hand, she squeezed inside, "Okay, I'm in." Noel sighed, leaning against a wall. She watched as Maria slithered in with practiced ease.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6G17skfqE
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"It's safer in deeper." Maria stood up and started for a dark tunnel.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaDx9oY2vH
"U-um," Noel raced over and grabbed Maria's hand, "we're not even staying long, wouldn't it be better to stay out here?"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tsOOXSRW4
"I guess, but we brought our weapons, may as well enchant them, the dark is the best to do that, in case someone decides to peek in." realization crossed Maria's face as she stared at Noel, who stood gazing at the aged floorboards, "Noel, are you scared of the dark?"344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwh585sD9K
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"I don't know why...but I am." Noel looked up at Maria anxiously, "You can't even see where you're going, you don't know what might be there, waiting to pounce on you!"344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBX1sg7Xqf
copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmt4qeyOsL
"Noel...I'll go first and-" Maria started forward but Noel pulled her back.copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGzIhXgpeV
"Look, I'll go first, but give me room if something jumps on me." Noel shuddered before taking a step into the darkness. She took several small steps before finding and sliding down against a wall, "Okay, I'm here."344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkbtri3Mov
copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUbWwyprz1
Maria stepped into the room and walked ahead, "Where are you?"copyright protection340ＰＥＮＡＮＡhk7zWTvNlu
"Against a wall just ahead of the doorway. Ah!" Noel sprang away from the wall, "There was something on my face!"344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HN2YXJ3il
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"That was probably my hair, I was going to sit next to you."344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpr9BoaH6ke
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"O-oh...sorry." Noel crawled back over, shaking as she sat next to Maria.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdj8szFNrky
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"Here's some light." Kokoso sat in front of Noel and flame erupted from his shield.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CuKkV0i82
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"That's much better, huh?" Maria remarked.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgWOgGnL3i
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"Yeah...I just want to fall asleep." Noel sighed, leaning against Maria.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvAoysLywm
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"Ha, ha, I think the only way you're leaving is if you crawl out by yourself." Kokoso noted.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmclcdUNGtV
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"Oh, right...I guess I'll try to dream."344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEGkA2E0cb
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"That's daydreaming." Maria informed quietly.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdpmQnfNKF
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"Daydreaming." Noel parroted softly, "Sounds...fun."344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLffoLPL6on
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