[CENTER][B]Zaiden[/B][/CENTER] A sudden hard blow to my face snaps me back to reality. I blink, glaring at Jace and reaching to grab his arm, ready to twist it. "I'm meeting Dwyer here. And I [I]have[/I] my crossbow." I shifted the strap on my shoulder where I'd tucked my crossbow in to prove it was still there, and I still had plenty of bolts in my pocket, sticking out and clear to see. I don't know why Jace feels the need to start a fight nearly every time he sees me. Still insisting I was different. Insisting that they broke me. How could they? I don't remember anything happening. Whatever. He can think what he wants. I haven't been broken. And I wasn't spacing out. I was thinking. Maybe Jace should try that some time if he's so quick to judge. I'm getting pretty sick of this... but I don't want to fight it. What's the point? What do they want me to do? Become some mindless shoot-first 'rebel' attacking everything that moves? Kill one of those people in the 'lab' or whatever it is? What then? What would that accomplish? We're stuck here anyway. There's just no point. And finally Dwyer returns.... plus two. Some tall, lanky guy with dyed hair and a girl who, for whatever reason, was sopping wet. Never judge a book by its cover, though. You never know what to expect from people here... Everyone takes it differently. I let Dwyer take this one, he'll introduce me when he wants. I leave Jace where he is. I don't feel like fighting him. Instead, I take my crossbow out and scan the trees. When I catch sight of a bird on a low branch relatively close I load the bow quickly, aim and shoot. Right through the neck. And it's a fair size... probably not enough, but it was something. A big, black thing with four wings and a sharp beak. I know these birds. They're perfectly safe to eat. Carefully removing the bolt from its bloodied neck, I take our 'dinner' over to where I'd stored the water. I'll leave it here for now. Skin it later. Just then another person crashes through the bushes, face red, panting like he'd just run a mile. He probably had, knowing this place. I walk over to him slowly, studying him, then readying my crossbow. I have a feeling whatever he was running from isn't done with him. ---- [CENTER][B]Dwyer[/B][/CENTER] I stop suddenly when I hear the splash, then spin on my heel to stare at the girl who had just fallen from the sky. "Whoa! This place must be lucky... or unlucky depending on your perspective... Two in one day." I grin, thrusting my hand over to her, intending her to shake it. Instead, she makes a fist and uses it to fold my own fingers down so she can fist-bump me. I like this girl. "What's your name?" Then I turn back to the other guy. "Hold it! I didn't ask your name, did I? You first, then her." "Um.. Alec," he murmurs, looking a little distant. He probably still can't comprehend it all. It [I]is[/I] a lot to take in all at once. I turn to the girl. "And you are...?" She ducks her head a little, looking shy and maybe a little nervous or something, I can't tell. Then she seems to brighten up a little bit and moves closer to me. "Ashe, you?" I grin wide again. "Dwyer. I know it's weird, but I don't have a better one. Anyway, we should get going before anything decides to eat us--" I stop, realizing that might have freaked them out. "I mean... we should get to the clearing. Because... there's food there. Maybe." Alec seems hesitant, looking around nervously. It was probably really hitting him now, just how different and bizarre this place really is. I don't blame him for not trusting me. He will when he gets to know me, but right now I'm a stranger. But not for long. "Yeah... the things here aren't too friendly," Ashe says and I have to agree with her. They are pretty interesting, though. I start leading them back, weaving through the trees and bounding over undergrowth until we get to the clearing, where I catch sight of Jace punching Zaiden, probably because he was frustrated. I don't need to help, though. Zaiden can take it... sometimes I wish that just once one of Jace's hits really [I]would[/I] bring back the old Zaiden. It would be nice to have him back... Then Lacie offers an introduction that I'm not really sure how the newbies will react to. Well... guess they need to get used to this stuff. It's like that a lot here. ----- [CENTER][B]Alec[/B][/CENTER] When we arrive at the clearing Dwyer was talking about, the first thing I notice is some pissed-off-looking guy in formal clothes waltzing over to another guy with dark hair and a trenchcoat, and punching him in the face. ...I'm seriously starting to doubt my initial 'there's no way I've been drinking' thought. Some girl in... I'm not sure what that is, a kimono? Gives us a brilliant introduction that certainly calmed [I]my[/I] nerves. Potential killing. Exactly my idea of 'safe'. I glance at Dwyer and he shrugs. Then I sigh and look back to the girl. After a moment, I shake her hand. "I'm Alec," I say slowly, still pretty unsure about this whole situation. It feels like I'm having some kind of vivid hallucination or something. And, honestly, I'm kind of hoping that's all it is, but I start coughing when I notice someone with a [I]cigarette[/I], let alone trying anything heavier myself. There's no way I'd try anything that would cause something [I]this[/I] trippy. None of it makes sense. "I'm going to guess you don't know much about this place either..." I sigh, being pessimistic because I'm pretty much expecting some kind of monster to emerge from the bushes at this point and eat us. One of [I]those[/I] moods. And, sure enough, something [I]does[/I] emerge from the bushes. Only it's another 'one of us'. A shorter guy with his face all red, breathing heavily from running. Then the trenchcoat guy who was initially punched at the end of the clearing walks up, pulling out a [I]crossbow[/I] and getting into a ready stance, not saying a word. I stiffen. I'm right, aren't I? There [I]is[/I] a monster out there...