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[b]Growing Pains:[/b]

[i]Pain.[/i] That was all Hato felt for that split second. But he only caught a glimpse of the nerval sense, as the young man was out in an instant. Unfortunately, he didn’t have as much of a threshold for the feeling as he did for other human beings, and his mind went blank within a split second. Now the problem was at hand, and he would need to find a solution to it. But first, it would be required that said predicament faces him, and such an experience in impossible as long as he is knocked out. Over the years, Hato had faced many obstacles which were ridden within his path. Sleep deprivation, impudent competitors, and worst of all, envoys of the church who wished to preach and conform him under their imagined deity. During the time while he was awake, research took priority over all other aspects of life, which left no time to analyze the other ordeals he dealt with throughout the day. But while one is asleep, time can literally come to a halt, and bear no worth to one’s peace of mind.

To enable his productivity, Hato mastered lucid dreaming. With this skill, he basically had all the time in the world. [i]”Alright. First, let’s get something straight. I’m knocked out. I have no idea where I’m going or where I am, or who the hell did this to me. I’m in the unknown, and I can’t observe anything to become informed. Great.”[/i] Hopefully, he would regain his senses soon.

[i]"Hopefully."[/i]

After a few moments of debating the pros and cons of using a telescope as a bludgeoning tool, his body finally regained conscious. And of course, the first thing he felt was complete and utter soreness. His joints were stiff, as if cement had been poured into his bone marrow and his arms were coated in sticky resin. After the effects of the immense pain subsided, the other aspect of the scene began to gain color. Hato followed a preemptive procedure he had developed for occurrences such as this; a list of the five senses. The sweet taste on his tongue was a mixture chocolate and cinnamon, both items of food he lacked the palette for. [i]”Taste. Check.”[/i] The ground he was resting on was soothing, almost frighteningly calming. But there was something off about it. The lingering feeling of confusion and uneasiness slithered on his damp back. 

[i]”Wait a moment. Damp.”[/i] He thought to himself, feeling the cool dew seep into his robes. [i]”Interesting. Alright, next up. Hear.”[/i] Frantic movement and the shuffling of feet on the grass, and the squeaking of an animal. Most likely a rodent of some sort, given the pitch of the emitted sound. The sound of a contraption shrieking as its metallic internals churned also vibrated in his eardrum. [i]”Next up. Sight.”[/i] But, his eyes were sealed shut. [i]”Come on. Open!”[/i] The astronomer’s lids receded swiftly, and his irises were met with a vibrant star-spangled sky. Instantly, he was reminded why he had chosen the field he studied in. Such a calming display of lights, so close yet so far. But, he had no time to reminisce about his research, as there were more pressing matters to attend to. 

Woefully turning his head towards the sounds of the others, his line of sight focused on a set of white drapery. Rather than backing away in a startled manner, he kept a straight face and glanced up at the young man leaning over them. Perhaps he cared about their well-being, and was making sure they were alive. Hato was glad such people exist in this world. A few meters away was a taller individual, a giant of a human being, who was currently being assaulted by the source of the scritch a few moments prior. Next he took into account their hair color, all of them inheriting the common and generic black follicle. In contrast, his hair consisted of concise shades of teal, cyan, turquoise, and tipped off on the right side by a large patch of white. He was definitely the needle in the haystack.

It smelled like a bog, or maybe it was a cold forest. His eyes droned over to a nearby tree, where a lamp glowing with a red hue was attached to. Hato confirmed that this was the source of creaking sound of gears, but would leave the contraption for later exploration. He would need to reach out to the trio he woke up with. Focusing on the two, he tried to avert his eyes from a portion of the robes. 

[b]”Um. I’m not at the purest angle at the moment.”[/b] And with that, he got to his feet, pushing against the metallic surface. [b]”Hello.”[/b] He gave a quick nod of greeting, keeping a straight expression as he glanced past the two, taking a note on the man who’s being attacked by a rodent. The gleam of a silver box next to the man’s feet caught his attention. Hato slid past the two and reached for it, dodging the man as he stomped around, trying to rid himself of the mammalian adversary. He picked it up in his palm, but didn’t dare to open it. Not yet, at least. First, introductions were in order. Without flinching, he reached through the back of his elder’s shirt, wrenching the assailant by the tail. His eyes met those of the rodent, void and lacking sentience. Or, well, it appeared that way. It was probably just simple-minded. The astronomer placed the rodent on his shoulder, then poked at it with a jutted finger.

[b]”Stay. I’ll need you to be a witness.”[/b] After all, he was still in the dark about this whole shebang. Facing all three individuals, he took in a breath, then exhaled. [b]I’m Hato Shiruda. Astronomer. Pleased to be your acquaintance. Now, let’s exchange names, then get to the bottom of this. I have a cup of coffee awaiting me at home.”[/b]