[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/k5wLfMQd/Kid-s-Hat-Faded.png[/img] [color=darkgray]Level 1[/color] - (0 -> 2/10) EXP [color=darkgray]Location:[/color] Scrapyard - Endzone [color=darkgray]Word Count:[/color] 1193 (+2 EXP) [/center] How did she ever arrive at this? What happened leading up to the present moment for this cute, stylishly behatted adolescent to find herself being chased down by a digitally corrupted semi-chelonian dragon king who had sent her space-worthy glorified clubhouse (which one could technically refer to as a “mobile home”) on a downward collision course towards an already wreckage littered knoll outside of what looked to be an apparent house of royalty? Had she any recollection of her previous exploits, this might not have sounded like such a strange start to a new adventure; just a more dramatic one. She wasn't exactly sure what she did to make herself an enemy to the terrifyingly powerful aberration that was the MegaDragon, but given her circumstance and the creature's obviously malevolent nature, it probably didn't make much difference to either of them. The hasty pressing of buttons on the console and clumsy attempts to steer from the seat of a swivelling chair in a ship on an uncontrolled descent, unsurprisingly, yielded no favorable results. The force of the vessel’s impact against the castle tower closest to it caused the child to be violently flung from her seat and left at the mercy of the careening spacecraft to tumble haplessly about its interior. As she fell forward from the back wall of the cabin, Rumbi, her trusty, overworked vacuum bot/unwilling mobile pedestal, was helpless to stop himself sailing through the air and striking his master in the forehead like a projectiled hockey puck, knocking her end over end. She bounced face-up against the ceiling then off the floor before finally planting cheek-first into the glass as the ship crash landed straight into the waters below. Fortunately, its wooden build kept it from remaining submerged, and the windshield, while cracked, managed to somehow stay intact well enough to keep most of the water out and prevent further interior damage. For the window to have survived everything it had just went through, it would make one wonder about the strength of the last guy who broke it. The battered child peeled herself off the window as she reached for the handle to its door and swung it wide open, collapsing to the floor from dizziness with her motion. She then pulled herself up over the lip of the open glass and out of the cabin, unable to do much more than daintily fall forward into moat with naught the energy to so much as doggy paddle her way to shore. For all of her outstanding traversal ability, she already wasn’t the most proficient or long-lasting swimmer to begin with. Thankfully, a young, kindly ranger who just happened to be nearby rushed to lend her aid, towing the child from the blue onto land and tending to her as best she could before summoning help. To answer her question, no, she wasn’t okay; not really. She lay just outside of her now wrecked ship soaked and concussed on her side coughing up a faceful of water, all the while not even being present within her own mind to give her volunteer caregiver anything resembling an answer. Appearances would suggest as much about the latter part, for if the scarlet shine in her eyes and desaturated colors everywhere else were any indication, she was still under Galeem’s influence… whatever that may entail. All things considered, though, she was still alive and healthy, even if she didn't quite feel like it. Her condition, however manageable, was relieved somewhat when a medical/repair droid showed up to administer some minor healing, which rejuvenated her at least enough to help her senses readjust more quickly, if nothing else. She sat up and began to survey her surroundings, but she could scarcely get a half decent look at anything before being alerted by the sudden, thunderous appearance of her draconic aggressor making good on his declaration of dominance. It was made abundantly clear in no time at all that he didn't see anyone in attendance as an honest threat, but if that was the case, why did he bother taking her ship down? Was that simply his idea of a demonstration, or just added flair for his grand entrance? Talk about demeaning! To make matters doubly confusing, it turns out there was two of him, only he was (slightly) less imposing and dressed more sharply (or at all)--adorned with a nice hat not much unlike her own. Of course, he seemed no less shaken by the occurrence than any of the others, and who could blame them. Needless to say, Kid wanted nothing to do with any of it. For all she knew, one of them may very well have made ready to offer her up as tribute in accordance with his demands for possible lack of having any better ideas for appeasing or subverting him. Had she retained her sense of rational thought, she would have outright dismissed the notion as unlikely. However, her mind wasn't her own here, nor was her body, soul, [url=https://www.khwiki.com/Heart]“heart”[/url], nor any other aspect of her being. In essence, the foundations of her very existence were utterly compromised, leaving her hopelessly at the dominating whims of blind instinct with no reliable sense of guidance in an unfamiliar and seemingly unforgiving world, where she was now but a hollow, lesser facsimile of her true self. Understandably frightened by the prospect of all but certain doom that the encounter looked to promise, Kid started to back away from the scene, crawling in reverse on the flats of her palms as however fast (or slow) her her tiny limbs would move her in her seated position before righting herself to her feet to take off in a proper run. She barely made it three steps intp her retreat before stopping herself mid-sprint from almost bumping into a short, portly, red and overall clad Italian man (also with a nice hat) to observe him curiously as he passed by, heading in the opposite direction [i]towards[/i] the threat. He bore a countenance and demeanor of bold intent that betrayed no sign of fear or intimidation, and chances were that he was the only one among them who actually meant it (initially, that is). If there was anything that might compel the rest of them to try something heroic, it would probably be whatever [i]he[/i] decided to do first. Normally, Kid would look at this and second guess if it was something she really wanted to bail on, but normally, she was still herself. She had no clear objectives or priorities at present beyond self-preservation, and was conflicted with the possibilities presented to her. Fight, or flee? Band together with the ragtag group of heroes to take down a tyrant, or leave them to their devices and escape with her life while none would notice? Both options hosted fairly equal odds of success or failure, so there really was no “better” option in here eyes; it was just a matter of which chance she'd rather take. Either way, she would have to come to a decision now. Into the fray, or out of it… Which way would her hat lead her?