Where Our Origins Lie...

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Present Time

Fox hadn't left her room for days. She was currently in what had become known as "shut-in status" (something that happened sometimes for various lengths of time that were frequently vaguely long, one time almost going on for a month until Zash had came knocking at the window halfway through the third week to snap her out of it), focusing all her energy into some form of something that was usually research. This time, however, it wasn't alchemy-related, at least not to her knowledge.

No, this time Fox was deeply sunk into a practically-ancient book (not that she wasn't already sinking lots of time into ancient books already) that she had found in some old lock-box that had just somehow appeared in her room.

Literally.

She had no memories of where it could have possibly come from. The librarian and the bookstore owner both had said that they hadn't seen her come in for anything like the book in any state; fugue or otherwise. Her friend at the historical institute had said he had said she hadn't requsting something of that nature from him... ever.

So where had this box, which she had found lying under a stack of research notes in her "myths and legends" pile, come from?

She had her suspicions as to its original whereabouts. By that it was implied that she had already figured out that she had probably dragged it back in a fugue state and then not noticed it up until now, but it was figuring out where she had wandered during the state that was giving her a hard time. She had obviously wandered way off from her usual routes she would walk on by habit...

The evening light was dwindling now as Fox's research on the book continued. A few of the night's first stars were now peaking out at the dimming landscape. Neighborhood children who had gone back out after dinner to see their friends once more were now being called in for the final time, and everywhere the town had a sense of preparation for the night to call upon it, bringing quietness and sleep in it's wake.

This is when Fox operated the best.

Nighttime allowed her to sneak out without worry of her parents discovering her missing. It allowed her to avoid her family and the terror they brought her; allowed her to break whatever rules she wanted and/or study in complete peace. Nighttime offered her complete and unappaposed freedom.

A cool breeze broke the dulling midsummer heat and blew in through Fox's slightly-opened window, another sign they night was fast approaching. Without even looking up from the page she was studying, Fox leaned over and turned her table lamp on (she assumed it was safe to having not heard from any of her family members in a while), flooding her room with the artificial light produced.

Her room had originally been pretty shabby, considering how her parents treated her. She could have fixed it up with alchemy a long long time ago, but it was already all she really needed. She had fixed it up some by hanging her research and other things over the damaged parts of the pale blue walls (even though she mostly kept her research under wraps), but things like cracks in the windows and small stains on the time-worn carpet remained.

Fox did have a few relics and trinkets from her adventures set out in various places around her room as well, including an artifact from her springtime journey to the Sinjoh Ruins sitting innocently on her windowsill. Looking at it would often cause her to think back to that that journey and the friend she had made it with; after causing her to wonder where he was and how he was doing...

Fox raised an eyebrow. Her eyes stare to flash; the irises and pupils of her eyes occasionally disappearing and leaving nothing but white for short amounts of time.

"Quam stultum putas sum, Pyromancer Annuli? I know you knew Ziau; I was there you positum stultum. Maybe numquam occurrit personaliter, but I know. As a high scholar, I must know." Fox spoke in a distorted voice. Fox blinked, here eyes turning back to normal.

"...Sorry, I blacked out a little bit there..." Fox apologized. She was quiet for a moment; her ears twitching as if to hear something nobody else could. "Man, the little voice in my head sounds offended now. ...What did you guys do?" she questioned scoldingly; crossing her arms and looking around at her company.

Pika heard the voice coming from Fox distort but didn't really react to it. After their last field trip he had gotten pretty us to all sorts of paranormal stuff happening to Fox at bad times.
"I blame Zash, she said something about a pyromancer." Pika declared once Fox asked what they did, not looking up from the water as he crouched in front of it.

" I didn't say a thing!" Zash snapped colors cordinating to his as he took over for the instant in his body. " Yes it was my fault I'll be taking the blame. " Poshie said and sighed. " I see she hasn't stopped being meddlesome and all knowing in her old age. " Poshie sighed. " And will you stay in your head already Zash!" Poshie snapped as the hair and eye colors of Zash started to change from light to dark constantly.

"Whooooo?" Fox asked forlornly, cocking her head to the side and folding her ears down into a sad flattened-out type position. She was still unaware of the fact that it was the spirit of High Scholar Taiga Fortuna Di'AFiraluces that was leading them, indirectly, through Fox.

"I guess you could say you're having an identity crisis, huh Posh Zash? Well anyways, you guys are giving a lot of cryptic BS answers so here's what I say. Let's go into the ominous cave and continue to talk until we find what we're looking for. If we get a plausible answer before we get there, hey, that's great! If not we get an answer when we get there." Pika suggested to the group, starting to get tired of the standing around and not doing anything. Something's rustled you jimmies, eh? Nothing has done that, my jimmies are perfectly unrustled, screw you, goodnight.

" Well I'll have to follow considering I can't let you all very well travel by yourselves and I'm sure Zash won't allow me to leave." Poshie sighed. It seemed that his body had finally settled to the lighter scheme meaning Poshie must have convinced Zash to let him have the body for the time being " I warn you all now I'll probably be of no help I'll be doing nothing but traversing with you all expect no help." Poshie informed them all.

Fox/Taiga whirled her head around suddenly, staring straight into the cavernous mouth of the Cave of Origin. She had a surprised yet pained look on her face.

"Mi carissime ... Can it really be you?" Fox whispered breathlessly, walking slowly into the cave without any heed or concern for safety. She seemed to have noticed something... or SOMEONE in the cave that she somehow recognized...

"Eh, Fox? Hello? Hey, fancy pants, do you speak that language? What the hell's her carissime?" Pika bombarded Poshie with questions, trying to figure out what was going on as he followed Fox into the cave. It seemed like everywhere he went everyone knew so much more then he did about what was going on. Always out of the loop...Maybe if you read more you wouldn't be. Oh like you read. I do if the person I'm stuck in isn't an uncultured dirtbag.
"Huh. You're a new lot. I haven't seen new people in ages, and believe me you have no idea how surprised I am about that since, you know, this place is kind of in plain site." A voice spoke from inside the cave, belonging to a figure wearing a Greek toga and what looked to Pika like some kind of body suit underneath it. Dumbass clothing, stupid sounding voice, he could only be related to you. You're the spitting image of idiocracy personified! Funny. Really, you're a comedian.
"Uh...Fox, do you know who this guy is?" Pika asked her, wanting to know what was going on. As usual.

" Oh dear gods." Poshie mumbled under his breath as he followed along ignoring Pika's questions hoping he wouldn't aid their search any though he feared that they might already be too far to turn back now.
Gods? is there a pyromancer religion? Zash asked Poshie.
" not now!" Poshie snapped the timing was qued with the voice though making it seem as though he was snapping at the voice that spoke to them. Wow seems the gangs all getting together now.
what what gang? Zash questioned suddenly.
" You know." Poshie spoke to Pika. " You and Zash both don't seem to know much as your both not stopping asking questions."

"Fox" was strangely thrilled, not really paying attention to anything other than the stranger in the Greek toga. She talked quickly and excitedly, and her Words were rather hard to follow.

"Priam!! Iisuus 'been diu! How have you been? Saecula: Non novi te!!!!" she chattered excitedly, like the stranger was her bestest buddy in the whole world.

"Ah, Αγαπητέ μου! How nice to see you!" Priam greeted "Fox", taking a few steps closer to you and giving her a hug, before backing away a step.
"You know I don't actually know you. And I don't really get to see a lot of people come here. Ποια είναι η συμφωνία σας;?" He said to her, still sounding as relaxed and friendly as he had originally been. Meanwhile Pika glanced over at Poshie with a dull expression on his face at his remark.
"Good job, you're correct! I have absolutely no clue as to what's going on here! Want a cookie for your amazing skills of observation?" He responded, earning a slight chuckle from inside his head.

" No but let me help you out here, high stress and frustration isn't a way to understand things why don't you calm down and take a few deep breaths after all isn't it best you remain calm or else someone may go on a little rampage." Poshie asked raising an eyebrow at Pika as though to say he knew something. He turned to the fellow in the Greek toga he was pretty sure he could stay under cover from him as long as he didn't get a good look in his eyes. Zash started to barrage POshie with questions. Maybe you should just sleep. Poshie replied and just like that Zash's awake mind slipped and Poshie was in total control.

Fox shook her head. "Okay, it's awesome that I can help you and all, but can I do the talking now? My friends are getting confused as all hell," she asked the voice in her mind, and after a short bout of inner negotiation, the voice agreed.

"M'kay, so lemme just explain everything I can to you guys," Fox commented, unsure of whether Zash was hearing of not. "That guy's Priam; he's old as hell. You look great for upwards of 50,000 years old, b t w," she commented as she gestured to the toga-clad guy standing before them. "Taiga's apparently real chummy with him, the two of them and one other guy were real chummy way back when. ...I guess. It's complicated. And what we're doing right now is searching for a set of specific coordinates that are gonna land our asses smack-dab in the center of Atlantis, baby." Fox's face held a crooked grin. "There's a key in these books somewhere that should clue us in to the coordinates... If only I could find it. Taiga's not telling," Fox frowned as she flipped through her book and started taking a few more absent-minded steps into the cave.

Pika stood still as Fox explained, ignoring Poshie and silently taking in everything she was saying to them. Well...this is probably one of the stranger things to happen to me. And that's saying something, all things considered.
"Well, that's great and all, but I've got a question. Didn't you call me Priam back when you were reading those books? What was that about?" He asked, following Fox into the cave. Everything seemed to be going on so suddenly, but then again, that was something he was starting to see he would have to get used to. Something told him the formula would repeat itself multiple times maybe, of Fox leading them off on some adventure with them out of the loop. Priam started to follow into the cave as well, staying silent.

Poshie was thankful Zash was staying back for now. He had landed himself in a very akward position though, with two out of the three old friends he had in front of him he could only ask that Ziau would not come up next. He supposed the best he could do would be assist Fox along the way to where she would like to go and then let Zash have the body back. That way he could avoid anything that may be incredibly influential to their adventure, he preferred not to affect what his "hosts" did not after his Ziau incident.