((IC Collab Between Letter Bee and Lunarlors34))

While Avery worked the crystals, Alexander had finished his first batch of Oosagi curry, and had decided to carry a bowl with it to...Avery, who was either a very pretty girl or crossdressing boy; he didn't actually care. No, what he cared about was, well, talking to someone about how homesick he was, and it seemed that nobody else cared enough to listen to an eighteen-year old merc.

Avery had just finished summoning the second bird and sent it off, leaning against the carriage as to rest a little, and now just awaited the birds to return. He had chosen something with speed, but unfortunately they could only carry one of the small crystals at a time so there would be some coming and going by the flying creatures. But man he could use a bit to eat! Summoning creatures made a guy hungry you know! At that moment, he noticed....was it Alexander? Eh names weren't Avery's strong point, but he was pretty sure that this guy was from earth as well wasn't he? They had talked a little on the way here but Avery had spent most of his time with either Duncan, since he was so much fun to annoy, or Vesta.  But the most important thing was....he had food!

Alexander smiled as he neared Avery with his bowl, sitting beside the slightly older teen. He would then set the bowl of Oosagi curry beside Avery, before he said: "For you."

"By the way," he gambled, "I know your accent." Whether Alex was bluffing or not was uncertain.

"Thank you." Avery restrained himself in his response, taking the warm bowl gratefully. He had horrible table manners despite the Celestia's best efforts to 'civilize' him but if he really, really tried, especially around guests, he could at least put on a fairly good bluff that he did. Blowing softly on the curry, he placed a spoonful in his mouth before looking over at Alexander as he spoke. His accent?

"Oh? You do?" Avery asked slyly, taking the spoon and twirling it "Then pray tell. I've heard it a lot, but no one has ever gotten it."

"Let's just say I was a fan of certain...plays back in my homeland," Alex said. "[i]The Tribe[/i] - when it had reruns, [i]Round The Twist[/i], [i]Spellbinder[/i]...I watched all three of those after hearing about them from someone named 'Trope-tan'."

Avery sat there, sipping on curry and blinked at Alexander with a dead-set, blank face. The hell was he going on about? A Tribe? Spells?

Did his country really have something like that? His memories of the place were still very foggy, even after 8 years, but he was certain they didn't have magic. But one of those sounded familiar. Round The Twist, did it have something to do with Oliver Twist?

"What's a 'Trope-Tan'?" Avery asked, confident he had never remotely heard of that word before. Was it a person? He could guess it was by a honorific, but this guy was pretty confusing. "Why beat round the bush?" Avery set aside the bowl for a moment, leaning further back against the cart so he could look straight up.

"You're from Earth aren't you?"

Alexander looked at Avery warmly, and said, "Yes. And the shows I mentioned are Earth fiction."

A faint smile. "I needed to talk to you because I'm homesick and I haven't pissed you off yet."

"Aahh. Don't remember them. Think I hit my head [i]real[/i] hard when I first came here. Well at least, Vesta is convinced I did." Avery felt weird. He wasn't too sure what this feeling was...but it was reminiscent of longing, and it almost made him feel sick. Was this what one meant by 'home-sick'? That comment about pissing people off made Avery raise an eyebrow but decided not to question it too much. He was a master at doing that after all, so he was now under the impression that it was just a specialty of those who came from earth.

"Not sure what I can talk about. Been here so long that I grew my hair to this length." Avery joked, picking up some of his hair and allowing it to fair between his fingertips.

"I need someone to teach me to read," Alexander was blunt as well. "No, more than that, I need someone to teach me how to fight better. I have just reached the end of my capabilities and I cannot ignore that fact anymore. I'm just not good enough to pursue any wider dream and goal or even survive long-term in this world."(edited)

"I want to return home, to my Mom and Dad and my friends and the shitty political situation and I want to bring Magic to my world so that I can finally do something about the terrorism and the income gap and the changing climate," he continued.

The young man - no, boy - gazed up to the stars. "I want to fulfil my dreams and actually earn them this time instead of thinking everyone would just go along with me, but for that, I need help."

Looking at Avery again, Alexander firmly spoke, "And I know help isn't free, so I am prepared to use what I have left to pay for it. Do not just take pity on me, give me something to do to advance myself, [i]please[/i]."

Avery couldn't really do much but sit there and listen to Alexander admit to his short-comings and vent out his emotions. Avery wasn't too sure why he chose him specifically to open up to about this, but it was kind of an honor wasn't it? Having someone open up like this to you? Though Avery had a feeling it was more about them both being from earth than anything else, Avery still found it....amusing.

"Not sure what I can do about that sorry." Avery had to be honest with Alexander here, after all Avery didn't really have much standing in this world.
"Everything I learned...everything I've accomplished here...It's all thanks to Vesta." It was Avery's turn now to speak openly, something he had yet to speak to even Vesta about. I mean, how would she understand? The only one who had fully understood him since coming had been Shiro, and she wasn't even human.

"I would've died all those years ago if she hadn't happened to be there. I don't know where you appeared, but I appeared in the middle of a infested forest atop a mountain. Imagine. An 11 year old kid, finding themself in an unknown place, surrounded by strange and frightening plants and animals, even being chased and attacked by some." Avery's voice became soft as he thought back to eight years ago. The fear, the addrenaline flowing through him at the time.

"But...just as they were about to catch me, she appeared. Fear, adrenaline, running, falling, pain earthen spears, blood spilling and a silver haired girl. I only remember it in fragments." Avery took a deep breath "I still don't understand why they took me in. Master Tobias wanted nothing of it, but Vesta insisted and so did Lady Summer. That's how I became Vesta's attendent...." Avery paused, a sudden realisation dawning on him. It was obvious, Avery mightn't be able to help him...but...

"Vesta might be able to help you. If you tell her you're from earth as well, she has quite an interest in the subject. She's one of the few who will believe you in this world, especially if I can back up your story."

"You sound like you need a hug," was the first thing Alexander would say. "And, I actually have two things I can use as proof, although that Oni and Aleph tried to destroy one of them." He then took out the Kindle and Cell Phone from the rucksack from his back.

"Both are powered by the heat and light from the sun, and have something called a battery that stores the energy so that they can be used at night," Alexander then took out the Kindle and turned it on, deciding to select a small concise encyclopedia of Earth History. 

"Say," he said, "can you read English? I might teach the knowledge of how to read it, and thus the text contained in this device, to your Mistress in exchange for, well, her teaching me literacy in Lugnican."

Alexander really looked like he wanted to hug Avery, though in a genuinely platonic and friendly way.

"Sorry, but a hug is out of the question just yet." Avery winked suggestively, his usual, mischievous self returning in the blink of an eye.
Avery gave him a brief look of annoyance as he explained batteries. He knew what batteries were, but he wasn't familiar with the concept of this sunlight power. It reminded him of that one spirit Shiro had told him about, but he couldn't remember the name!

"English? If that's what the language was called, then yeah I could. I never really had a need to use it yet, so I might be a bit rusty." Avery leaned over to look at the kindle, tilting his head inquisitively at the sight. It was like a small computer in his hand! Or maybe an electronic book. Avery didn't remember such handy tech being around when he was on earth, but it had been 8 years.

"You know...that might work." Avery mumbled thoughtfully, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he did "You wouldn't know this, but she is quite interested in our world. Even learning such a small amount would at least get her interest."

Alexander chuckled at the suggestive wink, before apologizing to Avery, "Oh, right, you do know such basic stuff. Either way, thanks; I feel hope, for the first time since coming to this world, I feel genuine hope, not presumption."

At Avery's latest words, Alexander would say, "That's...actually a surprise! But yes, your lady does seem - is a decent person. We're both lucky that she's part of this group." The young man would then notice that the Oosagi curry was cooling.

"Anyway, once you've finished the curry, I think I'll just assume the others don't want any and spend the rest of the night teaching you how to use the Kindle - that's what the device is called. There's a lot I have to catch you up on," Alexander offered.

Brushing some hair out of the way, Avery picked up the curry once more at Alexander's mention of it and took another spoonful.

"Well if she wasn't here, I wouldn't be. Plain and simple. My role is to be by her side, and it's a role that I've been entrusted with so would rather not let Lady Summer down." The trap responded with a shrug. It might've sounded a bit rude, but it was true. He had rarely left Vesta's side the last eight years, it was his side of the deal that had gotten him into the Celestia family and he didn't plan on breaking it. Even if he wasn't by her side right now, he was still close enough to count it as such.

"I'm afraid I have other things I must do tonight." The feminine boy smiled softly as he declined Alexander's offer. At that same  moment, one of his birds returned. Reaching out a hand, the bird gently plucked the crystal that sat on the palm before taking off.

"Vesta is a slave-master is my only warning about wanting to work with her. She doesn't tolerate weaklings, whingers or quitters. She also isn't a fan of slackers."Avery polished off the remaining curry in a flurry of spoonfuls, wiping any that might've spilled on his face or around his mouth on his sleeve.

"She will expect me to return to her soon." Avery pushed off of the cart and threw another crystal into the air. The second bird had returned and now plucked it from the air, taking off immediately as Avery counted the remaining crystals in his hand. Another five or six should just about do it.

"All right," Alexander said. "Well, better serve the rest of the curry to the others as well, it seems. Thanks and bye for now, Avery; talk to you later."

And with that, the young man would depart...