Skyfall - Dual Skies

Knock, knock, knock.

The sounds at the door sound thrice, and the owner of the house promptly walks to the doorstep, where she clears the entryway and greets her guest with a smile. 

"Hello, darling!" Tulipa gently says, with a motherly tone of voice that is typical of her. She bows to the other lon, who seems excited and anxious to say something. 

"Hello, Tulipa! I hope you've been well. Forgive me for the sudden notice, you know how I usually go at these things. I'll explain everything." Cleo says, words coming out of her mouth faster than her own brain can process them. Tulipa slightly shakes her head at her antics, but still keeps a happy expression on her face. She beckons her guest to enter the house, moving aside. The other does, thanking her wordlessly with a nod. 

"It's quite alright. I was a little worried something might've happened, to be honest, but I can see you're as perky as ever." Tulipa laughs. Cleo looks a little flustered at that, but only for a moment. The host leads them to a coffee table, where there's a tray with hot cookies resting on top of it. The visitor observes how dainty it all looks - the cookies and the tea, specially made for a short-notice visit, and huffs. 

"Oh, you hadn't the need to!" Cleo chastises her, feigning indignation. Even still, she shoves a cookie into her mouth as primly as she can. After she finishes chewing and has drunk a few sips of the cranberry tea, she takes a breath, then speaks: 

"I want to visit Andras." 

"I can't believe you convinced me into cooperating with your shenanigans this time as well." Tulipa sighs. They're just a few steps from the entrance of the Temple that harbors The Rift, and Cleo looks a lot more excited about it than Tulipa. It hadn't been that hard to persuade her friend to come with her - she just mentioned all the new plants they could find in a totally different world like Andras, and that was enough to get Tulipa on board, ever the interested in flora. 

"Come on, it will be fun! Think of it as a school field trip, except the road to it is infested with corrupted entities." The pouf jokes around, trying to cover up the fact that she's a little scared of crossing over as well. She's been to The Rift before, hell, she's even fought a few gnuts herself, but going into another world is an entirely different story. She believes it will make a cool story to tell younger pouflons when she's old and weary, though, and that (apart from the amazing and unique experience as well, of course) is enough reason to make her go through with it. When they're almost on the entryway of the temple, Cleo spots a familiar face. 

"Auster!" She beckons, looking at Tulipa with excitement in her face, then running to meet the young knight, crossing over into The Bridge. Her companion looks a little bit nervous about it, but follows her into it. The atmosphere inside it is as dense as ever, as if to remind them that they're unwelcome here. Cleo finds him talking to two other poufs (which are actually ethereal beings made of light, a fact that never fails to impress her. Stars, talking and walking like it's nothing!). 

The pixie looks back from his conversation with Jishui and Tejat, taking a mere moment before he finally recognizes the pouf who called him. 

"Hey, Cleo! What brings you again into The Rift?" He answers back. She and Tulipa come to stand beside him. The latter takes a look at the twins, and is greeted with a small nod from Jishui and a frown from Tejat. 

"I've decided to visit Andras, and brought Tulipa to come with me!" She gestures with her head at the other pouf, who greets him. "I think that it's the coolest thing we can take from all this mess." 

"Oh, what a coincidence! I was just asking Jishui here for directions!" Auster perks up, grinning at both of them. 

"You should be more careful about how you treat this. This place is no playground - and the crashing of two worlds is no field trip, either." Tejat interjects. The jolly tone of the conversation is gone like a leaf in the wind (not that there's any wind, here in The Bridge). Cleo wonders if Tejat heard what she was saying to Tulipa before they passed through, and shudders. There's a few moments of acutely uncomfortable silence, until Jishui breaks it. 

"Come on, Tejat, don't be like that..." He pleads, looking at her dejectively. "The young one is right. If they can take something jolly from this situation, they should do so. Plus, I'd be good to gather intel." He argues. Auster nods and takes the cue to continue. 

"Which is exactly what I'm here to do, by the way. Miss Marleau let me come here again, only on the condition I'd travel accompanied. None of my peers wanted to come, so I was hoping one of you could-" 

"Under no circunstances! We're no tourist guides, mortal!" Tejat brisks up. Auster and the others look at her, apologetically. 

"We can go by ourselves. We were already planning to head in the same direction, anyways." Cleo timidly says, avoiding Tejat's irritated gaze. "Just give us directions..." Tulipa looks at her friend with a tint of sympathy in her eyes. They hear Jishui sigh. 

"The thing is, there's no certain direction to follow. The Bridge is an unique place in the way that it's pure fluidity - there's no set beginning or end to it - so you'll just have to roll your dice." He explains. "The good news is that I've come across quite a few pouflons, vespires and woolynes that crossed over sucessfully, so you shouldn't have that much trouble." Jishui smiles, his runic spots gleaming against the multifaceted light of the sky. 

"Thank you." Tulipa smiles back at him. "I think we can manage the rest of it ourselves." She looks back at the two others, and they both nod in determination. They part together, watched by two pairs of eyes from a place not this own. 

Jishui had been right, and it's not much time before they arrive into the other tip of The Rift, although they can't be sure. Time seems to stretch out and compress itself in this place, it's hard to explain. They wonderfully don't encounter any threats, and even pass by one or two pouflons with the same objective as them. 

"We're here!" Auster perks up. Cleo looks as ruffled as him, and they both hurry to cross over. They all stop for a moment, taking in their surroundings. 

"It's beautiful." They hear from behind them, Tulipa finally joining up and looking around as well. The party of three spends quite a few seconds just gazing into the vast landscape, until they're interrupted by an agitated yelp. 

"Newcomers!" A creature comes running in two hooves, practically floating into the air as he jumps and lands almost in front of them. 

"Titan, wait up!" Comes an exasperated shout from a few paces over. A two-legged creature pants as they meet up with the party as well, catching their breath. "How are you so fast with these tiny little legs?" They playfully mock the younger woolyne, still panting. 

"It's you who's slow. Plus, look! Even more pouflons!" He grins at the newcomers, who all grin back (although some of them look a little more taken aback then others). "Your hooves are always so funny to look at!" He says, bubbly, poking at Tulipa's feet. 

"Titan!" His older sibling chastises. "Don't be rude to our guests!" They finally seem to have steadied themselves from the small chase, and stands up properly. 

"Sorry about that. I'm Tiny, and this is Titan." They smile, and wave. "Is it your first time over in Andras?" The woolyne asks. It's a little bit awkward, because they have to look down, and the pouflons have to look up, constantly - but any of them crouching to meet their line of vision would be kind of rude, Tiny thinks.  

"Yes! I have a few questions, if you don't mind." Auster responds, a dutiful tone taking over him. This was a mission, after all, and he had to deliver. 

"And I'd like to know more about the local flora." Tulipa continues. 

"I'd just ought to know everything about Andras! What can you tell me about your magic? Have many pouflons visited already? What do you think of Bellacostians?" Cleo asks, in a turbillion of questions, as she tipically does.

Tiny only smiles, and Titan is already trying to come up with a way to answer all of the inquiries at the same time. 

"Come. I'll show you over." They smile, and the party gladly follows.