Scribble, Scribble... [Open]

[Dante]

These people, although they're not really people, are driving me insane! No, I guess I can't really say that. Insane is such a strong word nowadays; I think they're just making me panic a little. I mean, even in the farthest reaches of Ro Cla, there wasn't a single cow that stood on two legs. We have minotaurs, but they're never as skinny as these people. They were unnaturally built and carried great axes that were made from the metal of killed travelers.

They were green and full of detail, but these citizens, the citizens of a place called Timeless River, are all gray and 2-D. Even I've become one of them! Except for the animal part, thank god. I've just never seen something like this before in my life! Honestly, I'd rather be near a group of our minotaurs than in a large, open field with these freaks.

Frantically scribbling down words into his journal was a young student, who came in the exact same color as everyone else; Black, gray, and white. He occasionally glanced over the pages of his book to check out his skin, or to see if anyone was staring at him. Travis wasn't afraid, of course. It was more on the line of him not wanting to be seen as he wrote stuff into his journal. It makes him stiff up when anyone glances at his person while he's scribbling nonsense onto a page.

Okay, so, maybe he felt a bit of unease while being around these lanky figures, but it wasn't anything he would get frightened over. Not like two people he knew from class. Both of them were twins from a prestigious family and they were of differing genders; one male and one female. They would stick close to each other, for fear of getting separated and would never stop prattling along with each other while they were on field trips. When they saw something like a Jinken Spider, which was nothing more than a giant, spider-shaped plant, mind you, they would shake and crawl up into a corner.

Now, this wouldn't normally pose a problem for Travis, but this wasn't normally. The twins wanted to be Field Alchemists, people who went out and collected samples of usually new and dangerous specimens from the outside world. Knowing those two, they'd probably soil themselves during a frequent run of the ooze crystal mines. It was sad, really, but who was Travis to judge his fellow classmates according to their personality? Travis wasn't here to dawdle idly as people crossed his path, no sir. Today, Travis was here to collect a sample of the plant life.

His theory was that if a piece of grass, or any other type of plant, were to be taken to the outside worlds, it would revert back to normal green, rather than retaining its dull grayness. It was worth the test, so why not prove himself correct.

[Mizan Asim]

((Sorry about the wait. This was the first week of the second semester of college for me, and I was busier than expected.))

"Okay... this is weird." Those were the first words out of Ziya's mouth when she arrived at Timeless River. Her brother, Mizan, snorted in amusement. "Way to state the obvious sis." Ziya pointedly ignored Mizan's comment and proceeded to run towards the village center. Mizan sighed and ran after her, only to find her stopped just outside a park.

Mizan looked into the park in concern, thinking that some Heartless or Nobody had appeared. Instead, a teenager with red hair and a mildly annoyed expression was sitting on the gray lawn frantically writing in a journal. Mizan looked over at his sister, who was now nudging him toward the stranger. Mizan sighed again, once more Ziya was trying to get him to be more sociable.

"Fine, but only if you come with me." Mizan whispered so that the teen shouldn't be able to hear, to which Ziya nodded happily. Mizan rolled his eyes at her excitable nature, then walked over to the teen. He and Ziya stopped just out of arm's reach. "Hello, I am Mizan Talec, and this is my sister Ziya Talec. We travel the worlds looking for survivors from our world, and helping anyone we can along the way. If you like, we can help with what you are doing, or at least offer protection."

[Dante]

Travis was still staring at his journal when these people had greeted themselves. His shoulders tensed up, along with the rest of his body, and he began to feel the drip of sweat roll down his neck. Citizens of this World have just spoken to me... What do I do!? Do I even dare look up? Maybe I should speak to them so they don't get suspicious about me. Crap, crap, crap, crap! The young alchemist began to feel his breaths getting harder.

He had to do this, one way or the other, so, with a faintly twitching eye, he focused his gaze on... two actual people!? With that, the young man's being quickly got up, a smile stretching across his face. "Greetings, Ziya and Mizan. The name's Travis, Travis Sykes. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Travis’s left hand began to rub the perspiration off the back of his neck as the right lifted up for a hand shake. It wasn’t every day that Travis would introduce himself so openly to someone, but these people were, well, people. No animalistic traits on any part of their body… where he could see, anyways.

”Oh, no, I’m just testing a theory I had about this World. I don’t think protection would be necessary at the moment. You can come along, if you want. I’ll only be here for a little bit.” That’s what he wanted to think. He needed to get a sample of a leaf and bark, a blade of grass, cloth and a sample of water. If time allowed it, he would also attempt for a small animal species, such as an ant. To do that, though, would be relatively difficult, since he had to find the right kind of thing to bring as to not be biased. ”Actually,” began the alchemist, ”I think I will need help. You see, I’m a student and I need to collect some items from this area. Could you help so I can complete my assignment?”

OOC: Don't worry. I know how you feel. Consider this topic the least of your worries.

[Mizan Asim]

Mizan and Ziya glanced at each other for a brief second, then Mizan shook Travis' hand, while Ziya began talking. "Just tell us what you need us to do, and we'll do it." At this Mizan crossed his arms and gave her a stern look. "Within reason." Ziya rolled her eyes and leaned forward with her arms behind her, looking remarkably like a young school girl in the process. "Don't mind Mizan too much. He's never been the talkative type, and he was alone on Radiant Garden for the better part of last year. He hung out with Leon too much, so he's still grouchy." Ziya finished this off with a wink and a grin.

Mizan sighed and shook his head, but couldn't hold back a small grin of his own. Ziya was right about him acting like Leon, but she failed to realize just how much she acted like Yuffie. "You failed to mention that I spent that year looking for you Ziya." Suddenly serious again, Mizan turned to Travis. "Alright, if we want to get done before dark we'd better start now. What types of items do you need?"

[Dante]

Travis nodded at this and took out his field journal. It was a relatively large book to be carrying around. It was about thirteen inches in width and length and was about an inch and a half thick. It had a leather cover, a strap for binding it all together, a pencil pocket on the front, and had strange markings, resembling circles, covering the leather. This was where he would use his magic to amaze the ones around him. With a single swipe of the hand, a marking began to shine red and, if looked at closely, also had a hint of yellow. There was something forming inside of the radiant shine, something flat and square in shape.

In no time at all, two sheets of lined paper were sitting on top of the book. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the items, so the alchemist began writing on them with the pencil from the book’s cover. ”I need just a few items for my assignment. I’m giving each of you a list of what’s needed, so be on the lookout while we walk around.” With that, Travis had finished his writing and handed both of them a list with his right hand, using his left hand to take a blade of grass from a patch beside him. ”Once you get your list, make sure to mark out ‘Blade of grass’, okay?”

• Blade of grass
  
• Leaf from a tree
  
• Bark from a different tree
  
• Pint of water
  
• Sample of cloth
  
• [Optional] Fire ant
  

"I know the list seems weird, but I'm trying my hardest to not be biased."

[Mizan Asim]

Mizan looked over the list and began mapping out where to go. The bark and leaf could come from the park, and the cloth and water we can get from town. Nodding once, Mizan told Ziya of his plan. "Alright sis, head over to that shop we passed and get some water and a hankerchief or something. I'll take care of the tree stuff." Ziya nodded once and ran off.

(Mizan's POV)
Once his sister ran off, Mizan pulled out his multi-tool and approached the nearest tree, which he identified as an oak. The bark of oak trees is rather tough, so Mizan just pulled a leaf off of a branch. Moving on, he spotted a tree that had bark peeling from it's trunk, so he walked over to it. As he pulled a piece of bark off, Mizan noticed ants marching across the branches. Turnng back to Travis, Mizan called out. "I don't think these are fire ants, but will they work?"

(Ziya's POV)
Ziya sprinted through the streets until she found the general store that she had passed when they first entered town. She entered with a nod and a cheery smile towards the cow that manned the counter. These people didn't bother her, as she had seen many strange things during her stay at Olympus Colusseum. She wasn't sure how there was bottled water if this was the past, but she wasn't about to question it. She grabbed the bottle and, in a flash of genius, grabbed a cloth bag. Ziya paid for these things, then ran out of the store with a "thanks." She got back just in time to hear Mizan ask about the ants.