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mattmanganon
lostandfoundmeAs Hoshi told Launchpad to put Leon down. He untucked the Lilty from under his arm and held him in front of him. Much like a cat, Launchpad's huge hands were under his armpits with his small body hanging down. "Nah, i think he's fine." They stood for a second while Hoshi suggested heading straight for Olympus.
"It doesn't make much sense that you train yourself at a tournament..."
“Tournaments have rules though,” Hoshi retorted. Her voice mused with memories of the brackets Tsu and Levi would draw up once a week, and the duels with clear restrictions to keep everyone safe from real harm, and the non-combatants that judged matches to ensure no one cheated. She had walked away from at least one of the events as the ‘Champion,’ though she always suspected Tsu hadn’t gone all-out against her out of fear of what their parents would say. “So it should be a safe way to get some practice in. Especially if there’s gonna be fighters from other worlds there. Wouldn’t it be better to get a feel for what’s out there in that sort of setting?”
Leon sighed, before remembering something. "That being said, I remember there being a trainer of Heroes on Olympus. Trained some of the greatest there ever were... We could institute his help in preparing you for the tournament.
"Yeah, the Dossier that-" The hand reached out and grabbed Launchpad's bill again to shut him up before he revealed anything. The pair stared at each other for a second, Leon angrily, Launchpad seemed actually rather bemused by the situation, before a small smile crept across the grabbed bill. "We gonna sing the song?" He asked. The Lilties frown turned to disgust. "I think he wants the song." He said, looking at Hoshi. He then put Leon down and pulled out his backpack, throwing a number of strange objects out, before finally finding a Ukulele. Strumming it gently, he looked at Hoshi. "One time when Leon got a little too much of the Happy Sauce, he sang this. Told us that it was a tradition of his people to sing it before they left on Pilgrimage to wish them luck. And i think we're gonna need all the luck we can get."
Leon stared Daggers at Launchpad. "And I haven't touched a drop since."
"See, all sorts of great things happen when you close your eyes and open your heart." Strumming again, he opened his bill and music seemed to sprout from all around them.
Leon walked over and put his hand out as if offering to dance with him. Launchpad took Leon’s hand.
As he did so, Leon grabbed the Ukulele and smashed it on the ground. He then looked at Hoshi, seeing a contradictory combination of both relief and disappointment in her eyes.
This… Is gonna be a long adventure. The Keybearer’s face mirrored her conflicting feelings. The chemistry, or lack thereof, between her new companions, could, put lightly, be a concern.
"Trust me… That was for the best." Launchpad looked at his broken guitar for a second.
"You know, you could have just asked nicely." He said, before looking at Hoshi "Well, since Mr Grumpy-Pants says no music, let’s be off!" He grabbed Leon and tucked him under his arm once again. "ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!!" He then thought for a second. "Hey, that wouldn’t make a half bad catchphrase for someone." He chuckled.
“It’s OK.” Hoshi said, trying to smile. “Maybe not the best time for a sing-along. We should be getting a move on… She began to walk onward towards their vessel; she hoped the others’ journeys were taking off more conventionally. She stopped, looked back at the pair, and said, “I just want to get to my friend before it’s too late,” before continuing in the direction of the ship.
"See, that’s why I like you, Hoshi. When you’re right, you’re right. And boy are you right. We can’t be messing around right now, there’s people to save!" Launchpad said, Getting to the ship, he jumped into the cockpit and was about to sit in the pilot's seat when Leon jumped in the way and pushed him back. "What’s wrong? I’m the pilot, you know that!" He chuckled. Leon stared at Hoshi with a look of pure terror in his eyes.
"Do not let him fly… There is no vehicle created that this duck cannot crash." Launchpad raised a finger to object, before thinking for a second.
"Crash, BUT… Survive!" He said, looking very proud of himself.
The look of terror on Leon's face indicated this was NOT something he should be proud of. Leon thought quickly. ”Maybe… We should let the Keybearer fly the ship? It’s something that she will need to get used to as quickly as possible." He said, staring at her, begging for her to say yes with his eyes as he desperately fought to keep the big galoot away from the controls.
“Errr…” Hoshi rubbed the back of her head, and diverted her eyes to the floor. “I… uh… I’ve never even seen a ship like this, or seen someone fly one… let alone fly myself.” She eyed the pilot’s seat, and the tools and gadgets surrounding it; she wouldn’t even know how to start it. “Maybe I should watch one of you first? Unless you think you can teach me as we go along.”
"Oh sure, of course i ca-!" At that point, Leon shoved Launchpad into the back seat, before quickly strapping as many seatbelts across him as possible, effectively making sure he couldn’t move. He whispered into Launchpad’s ear, ”Remember what Commander Nebula said about flying..."
Launchpad looked up at him. "But I'm only 353 garnished wage packets away from paying that off." He replied with big puppy dog eyes.
Leon got down and walked over to the co-pilots seat.
”You have nothing to fear Keybarer, Gummiships practically fly themselves" He was glad they didn’t have a proper Star Cruiser. That would have been much harder to teach her. ”Just sit at the controls and feel them out." He motioned for Hoshi to sit in the seat.
“Errr… OK then.” Hoshi slid herself into the seat at the main control modules. At a glance, it seemed simple enough. She settled into the seat, and wrapped her hands around something that resembled a wheel; she felt it turn slightly in her hands. “So I’m guessing this is how I steer?” She questioned. “Left and right… that’s easy… but if we’re flying then we need up and down… and diagonals… and that won’t even matter if I don’t know how to get the ship off the ground.”
Leon nodded, then emphasized the control panel. ”Ignition is here, status gauges are here." Leon looked at Launchpad. ”Why don’t you man the Damage Report station?"
Launchpad beamed, before throwing up a salute and sitting down. "BOY CAN I?!" He yelled, before throwing himself into the chair, spinning around and pressing a few buttons.
”The first thing we do before take-off is ensure all the pre-flight checks have been-"
"ALL SYSTEMS SHOW IN THE GREEN!!!" Launchpad yelled with all of the enthusiasm and gusto he could manage.
Leon’s eye twitched a little, before he shook his head and looked at Hoshi again. ”Right, now that the ship is checked, pull back on the controls to bring us up, then gently push this-" He motioned to a stick between the pilot and co-pilots seats ”To control the speed. Once we are high enough over Traverse town, push it as far as you want and we should set off. It’s your first time, take it as fast or slow as you want." He tried to stay reassuring, but Launchpad’s presence was always offputting.
“All right.” Hoshi eyed the various meters and controls as Leon pointed them out. “This shouldn’t be too difficult.” She shrugged, then left a single nod. She had been looking forward to handling the raft back on the island; flying a ship across an ocean of stars had to be more exciting than even that. Now eager to try her hands behind the wheel, she found and fastened the straps that would secure her into her seat.
She took a second glance around the controls, and then to Leon and Launchpad before engaging the ignition. The ship came to life with a gentle whirring of mechanical sounds, it rose off of the ground, hovering in a neutral suspension several feet up from the world’s surface. She pulled back on the wheel, the initial rise rocking the ship like a boat catching the first waves out at sea. Her hand nearest the stick between hers and Leon’s seats began to push forward, the ship lurching and bucking slightly as she acclimated to the feel of the acceleration. She settled into the process as the vessel ascended above the highest rooftops of Traverse Town.
“Feels good,” she said with a grin, half to herself, half to Leon. The ship hung in the air over the town for a moment. Hoshi looked down at the others as their vessels took flight. She reached for the crystal, hung by a leather thread around her neck. “Stay safe everyone,” she said, hoping that the others would feel the sentiment, even without hearing her speak. “We’ll be whole soon enough.” She felt the inside of her pocket, where she had placed a second crystal (after some difficulty of convincing everyone to let her be the one to deliver it) for safekeeping. Then we can all adventure together.
She pushed the stick further forward, and pressed the ship onward, gaining speed as they broke through the sky into the space beyond Traverse Town. The world fell into their rearview until it nearly vanished entirely.
This was it. Hoshi was finally on the journey she had longed for.
"It doesn't make much sense that you train yourself at a tournament..."
“Tournaments have rules though,” Hoshi retorted. Her voice mused with memories of the brackets Tsu and Levi would draw up once a week, and the duels with clear restrictions to keep everyone safe from real harm, and the non-combatants that judged matches to ensure no one cheated. She had walked away from at least one of the events as the ‘Champion,’ though she always suspected Tsu hadn’t gone all-out against her out of fear of what their parents would say. “So it should be a safe way to get some practice in. Especially if there’s gonna be fighters from other worlds there. Wouldn’t it be better to get a feel for what’s out there in that sort of setting?”
Leon sighed, before remembering something. "That being said, I remember there being a trainer of Heroes on Olympus. Trained some of the greatest there ever were... We could institute his help in preparing you for the tournament.
"Yeah, the Dossier that-" The hand reached out and grabbed Launchpad's bill again to shut him up before he revealed anything. The pair stared at each other for a second, Leon angrily, Launchpad seemed actually rather bemused by the situation, before a small smile crept across the grabbed bill. "We gonna sing the song?" He asked. The Lilties frown turned to disgust. "I think he wants the song." He said, looking at Hoshi. He then put Leon down and pulled out his backpack, throwing a number of strange objects out, before finally finding a Ukulele. Strumming it gently, he looked at Hoshi. "One time when Leon got a little too much of the Happy Sauce, he sang this. Told us that it was a tradition of his people to sing it before they left on Pilgrimage to wish them luck. And i think we're gonna need all the luck we can get."
Leon stared Daggers at Launchpad. "And I haven't touched a drop since."
"See, all sorts of great things happen when you close your eyes and open your heart." Strumming again, he opened his bill and music seemed to sprout from all around them.
"Dreaming of the stars on high,
that speak to me in secret sighs,”
that speak to me in secret sighs,”
Leon walked over and put his hand out as if offering to dance with him. Launchpad took Leon’s hand.
Drifting on a breeze only I can-"
As he did so, Leon grabbed the Ukulele and smashed it on the ground. He then looked at Hoshi, seeing a contradictory combination of both relief and disappointment in her eyes.
This… Is gonna be a long adventure. The Keybearer’s face mirrored her conflicting feelings. The chemistry, or lack thereof, between her new companions, could, put lightly, be a concern.
"Trust me… That was for the best." Launchpad looked at his broken guitar for a second.
"You know, you could have just asked nicely." He said, before looking at Hoshi "Well, since Mr Grumpy-Pants says no music, let’s be off!" He grabbed Leon and tucked him under his arm once again. "ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!!!" He then thought for a second. "Hey, that wouldn’t make a half bad catchphrase for someone." He chuckled.
“It’s OK.” Hoshi said, trying to smile. “Maybe not the best time for a sing-along. We should be getting a move on… She began to walk onward towards their vessel; she hoped the others’ journeys were taking off more conventionally. She stopped, looked back at the pair, and said, “I just want to get to my friend before it’s too late,” before continuing in the direction of the ship.
"See, that’s why I like you, Hoshi. When you’re right, you’re right. And boy are you right. We can’t be messing around right now, there’s people to save!" Launchpad said, Getting to the ship, he jumped into the cockpit and was about to sit in the pilot's seat when Leon jumped in the way and pushed him back. "What’s wrong? I’m the pilot, you know that!" He chuckled. Leon stared at Hoshi with a look of pure terror in his eyes.
"Do not let him fly… There is no vehicle created that this duck cannot crash." Launchpad raised a finger to object, before thinking for a second.
"Crash, BUT… Survive!" He said, looking very proud of himself.
The look of terror on Leon's face indicated this was NOT something he should be proud of. Leon thought quickly. ”Maybe… We should let the Keybearer fly the ship? It’s something that she will need to get used to as quickly as possible." He said, staring at her, begging for her to say yes with his eyes as he desperately fought to keep the big galoot away from the controls.
“Errr…” Hoshi rubbed the back of her head, and diverted her eyes to the floor. “I… uh… I’ve never even seen a ship like this, or seen someone fly one… let alone fly myself.” She eyed the pilot’s seat, and the tools and gadgets surrounding it; she wouldn’t even know how to start it. “Maybe I should watch one of you first? Unless you think you can teach me as we go along.”
"Oh sure, of course i ca-!" At that point, Leon shoved Launchpad into the back seat, before quickly strapping as many seatbelts across him as possible, effectively making sure he couldn’t move. He whispered into Launchpad’s ear, ”Remember what Commander Nebula said about flying..."
Launchpad looked up at him. "But I'm only 353 garnished wage packets away from paying that off." He replied with big puppy dog eyes.
Leon got down and walked over to the co-pilots seat.
”You have nothing to fear Keybarer, Gummiships practically fly themselves" He was glad they didn’t have a proper Star Cruiser. That would have been much harder to teach her. ”Just sit at the controls and feel them out." He motioned for Hoshi to sit in the seat.
“Errr… OK then.” Hoshi slid herself into the seat at the main control modules. At a glance, it seemed simple enough. She settled into the seat, and wrapped her hands around something that resembled a wheel; she felt it turn slightly in her hands. “So I’m guessing this is how I steer?” She questioned. “Left and right… that’s easy… but if we’re flying then we need up and down… and diagonals… and that won’t even matter if I don’t know how to get the ship off the ground.”
Leon nodded, then emphasized the control panel. ”Ignition is here, status gauges are here." Leon looked at Launchpad. ”Why don’t you man the Damage Report station?"
Launchpad beamed, before throwing up a salute and sitting down. "BOY CAN I?!" He yelled, before throwing himself into the chair, spinning around and pressing a few buttons.
”The first thing we do before take-off is ensure all the pre-flight checks have been-"
"ALL SYSTEMS SHOW IN THE GREEN!!!" Launchpad yelled with all of the enthusiasm and gusto he could manage.
Leon’s eye twitched a little, before he shook his head and looked at Hoshi again. ”Right, now that the ship is checked, pull back on the controls to bring us up, then gently push this-" He motioned to a stick between the pilot and co-pilots seats ”To control the speed. Once we are high enough over Traverse town, push it as far as you want and we should set off. It’s your first time, take it as fast or slow as you want." He tried to stay reassuring, but Launchpad’s presence was always offputting.
“All right.” Hoshi eyed the various meters and controls as Leon pointed them out. “This shouldn’t be too difficult.” She shrugged, then left a single nod. She had been looking forward to handling the raft back on the island; flying a ship across an ocean of stars had to be more exciting than even that. Now eager to try her hands behind the wheel, she found and fastened the straps that would secure her into her seat.
She took a second glance around the controls, and then to Leon and Launchpad before engaging the ignition. The ship came to life with a gentle whirring of mechanical sounds, it rose off of the ground, hovering in a neutral suspension several feet up from the world’s surface. She pulled back on the wheel, the initial rise rocking the ship like a boat catching the first waves out at sea. Her hand nearest the stick between hers and Leon’s seats began to push forward, the ship lurching and bucking slightly as she acclimated to the feel of the acceleration. She settled into the process as the vessel ascended above the highest rooftops of Traverse Town.
“Feels good,” she said with a grin, half to herself, half to Leon. The ship hung in the air over the town for a moment. Hoshi looked down at the others as their vessels took flight. She reached for the crystal, hung by a leather thread around her neck. “Stay safe everyone,” she said, hoping that the others would feel the sentiment, even without hearing her speak. “We’ll be whole soon enough.” She felt the inside of her pocket, where she had placed a second crystal (after some difficulty of convincing everyone to let her be the one to deliver it) for safekeeping. Then we can all adventure together.
She pushed the stick further forward, and pressed the ship onward, gaining speed as they broke through the sky into the space beyond Traverse Town. The world fell into their rearview until it nearly vanished entirely.
This was it. Hoshi was finally on the journey she had longed for.
