[center][u][b][color=518EDC]Alec Xu, Lapis Lazuli of Water
Forest Clearing[/color][/b][/u][/center]

	The golden haired girl followed his command to come closer without question, which presented a few concerns about trust, and it also revealed a little bit about her character. Alec didn't think about it too much, there was a far more pressing matter at hand. Lucy responded to his question about the forest clearing, he felt that it was too quiet, and that something was amiss. She said that it was creepy and unfriendly, which was about pretty close to what Alec had in mind. So it wasn't just him, he concluded. After he presented her with his tools, she responded and showed what she had. Painting supplies, she said, then unzipped her backpack to reveal the items. She wasn't sure if they were useful but Alec already began thinking on some ideas. He looked over to the forest, if they had to travel through the forest, Lucy could paint symbols on the trees to create a makeshift 'yarn through the labyrinth', like the ancient Greek myth. The canvas could also be part of a shelter, if they had to make one. Alec just cracked a little smile at the items, no need to speak up about his ideas, they were just about half baked right now anyways. He then talked about astronavigation. Lucy seemed surprised that he knew such a thing, Alec simply nodded with a short smile. He was definitely rusty, but he could use simple markers such as the north star and southern cross, if he saw either of them they could narrow down their location. Then the big question. Alec asked how she got here. She explained that it was a painting that sucked her in. [color=518EDC][i]A painting?[/i][/color] Alec thought to himself, he rubbed his chin. So the method of transportation was not standardized. She was sucked in, Alec simply walked through. It couldn't be random... right? He thought to himself, a door was easy for him at the time, so it was a door that transported him. Perhaps Lucy was in a place with no doors, or was unwilling to go through a door at the time, and an alternative method of transportation was required? That suggested that they were chosen to be here, selected for some reason, a trait they had perhaps? A skill set? 

His train of thought was interrupted by a new arrival. A girl taller than him, with familiar clothes as well. She greeted them casually and asked if they knew what was going on. Lucy spoke up, saying no. Strange, Alec thought to himself, [color=518EDC][i]Lucy has the blondest blonde hair I've ever seen and the redhead has the reddest hair I've ever seen.[/i][/color] He thought for a split second, [color=518EDC][i]following that trend... does that mean I have the blackest hair? No, that would be silly.[/i][/color] He tried to convince himself. What kind of selection by trait would that be? Another newcomer, a man this time wearing again, familiar clothing. He also casually asked what was going on. But the most important thing about this new arrival was that his hair was also dark. [color=518EDC][i]Thank god that trend of hair color is broken.[/i][/color] Alec thought to himself. He heard a thud, third new arrival? He leaned over, peering past the redheaded girl, seeing a woman in a gym outfit with the most platinum of platinum blonde hair he'd ever seen. She quickly got up and glanced around, checking her surroundings, that was good. She spotted them and simply said that she had been in a school gym. Alec wordlessly gestured for her to come over, then pointed towards an empty spot at their gathering, inviting her into the group. She also wore familiar clothing... it seemed like they all came from the same time period, which suggested that the something that pulled them to here had control over space, but less control over time. But more importantly, her hair. Alec glanced at the hair color of everyone else for a moment before settling his gaze on the other mans hair color... it wasn't entirely black, was it? It looked kind of navy blue-ish? Does that mean he has the most navy-blue hair out of everyone? Alec exhaled audibly and blinked a few times, out of billions of Asian people does this mean he had the blackest hair out of all of them? He shook his head slightly in disbelief, this had to be a coincidence. [i]It had to.[/i]

A clear voice cut the silence, [b]“Indeed, you were.”[/b] a woman spoke in response to the platinum blondes comment about the gym. [b]“Clearly you are no longer. You’ll find your previous locations a bit out of reach at this point, so allow me to welcome you all to Astoria.”[/b] She bowed, a formal curtsy that reminded Alec of nobility and royalty. [b]“It pleases me that you all have arrived safely, we have much to discuss.”[/b]
Alec blinked at her, [color=518EDC][b]"Astoria...?"[/b][/color] he mumbled to himself, Lucy spoke up first, asking the first questions as well. She questioned who the newcomer was, and what was going on. Not the questions Alec would have asked, but now would be a good time to listen to everyone else ask questions, to better gauge who his new companions were. Alec stayed crouched by his pack. Astoria. That was no place on Earth, as far as Alec knew. And she said that it pleased her to see that everyone arrived safely, so she knew that they were coming, reinforcing that this was not a random transportation. They were brought here for a purpose. He looked over the taller girl, she seemed rather comfortable being in dirty clothes, covered in grime and... blood? [color=518EDC][i]Oh no.[/i][/color] Alec thought to himself, the blood was dried, but she didn't wash them or change into new clothes. A recent conflict? No time to wash or change? Were they in danger? The fact that she was here with them now meant that she won one fight, but there could be more aggressors. He looked at her feet and noticed she had no shoes, lost in that conflict probably. Alec looked at his pack and remembered something, he had his diving shoes. He zipped his bag open and fished for his diving shoes, once grabbed he took a step towards her still crouched and placed them onto the floor towards her. Better than nothing and if they had to make a quick escape, they couldn't afford one of the group getting stabbed in the foot by some belligerent rock or piece of wood. He took a step back, confirming that they were for her.