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Journey Through the Down East
Aug. 21st, 2016 11:29 pmWhen the tall, blond man rolled over and flung his arm out, he felt grass instead of the fuzzy skin he was used to. Aiden Blaire's eyes popped open. He didn't remember falling asleep in grass, and when his vision cleared, he saw he was on his side in a large field. There were other bodies lying prone in the grass around him. With a soft groan, he pushed himself up and onto his feet. He took a closer look at the bodies around him.
He gasped and scrambled over to a familiar lump. He crouched down beside the brunette and put his hand on her shoulder. “Aunt Nika!”
He shook her shoulder gently. He let out a slow breath when he was cussed at in Symkarian and called Felicity.
“Don't have the chest for that, 叔母ちゃん.” He kept his four-fingered hand on her shoulder as he glanced out at other dark shapes lying in the grass. He squinted in the hopes he would see the other New Mutants. Instead, he spotted Stephanie's husband, Val's alternate half-brother, Sara's boyfriend's friend, a vaguely familiar teenager, and some Asian man he'd never seen.
“Ah-Aiden? What’re you doing here?” Nika asked sleepily. “... where’s here?”
“I dunno, but at least we have others with us.” He took his hand from her shoulder as she started to rouse. “They’re waking up, too.”
He rose smoothly to his feet to give her some space as he went to check on the others lying in the field. By his estimation, the other five were groggy but fine. Even the redheaded teen who screamed in his face and tried to scoot away across the grass.
“Whoa! It’s alright,” Aiden tried to soothingly shout over the panicked screams. He held up his hands to placate the kid, but that seemed to make it worse. “Uhh, calm down?”
Once the Mojoworlder had moved a few steps back the teen calmed down enough to stop the screaming. Rather than agitate the kid again, Aiden turned back to his aunt, whom was slowly getting onto her feet. He watched her squint around the surrounding grasslands they were in.
“No higher vantage point,” she said as she walked over to him.
“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Hold a second.”
He left his aunt’s side and went over to the sometimes angry Avenger. He offered his hand to the tall Native American. “Hi! I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Aiden, Dazzler’s son.”
Jay Walters-Wingfoot glanced him over before shaking the offered hand with a strong grip. “Sara’s friend, I remember. Know where we are?”
“No clue. Can I stand on your shoulders?”
Jay blinked. “...what?”
Aiden gestured to the open expanse around the slowly gathering group of people. “Not a lot of high points around here. You’re built like a tree and probably as strong as one. If I stand on your shoulders, I get a twelve foot view of our surroundings.”
The Avenger puffed out a breath. “Sure. May as well. Unless the Atlantean can fly up higher.”
They both looked over at Remi deNamor, who was looking down at his bare feet on the ground. His brows knit together as his shoulders jerked up and back. There was a long pause as the duo watched him. “I… can’t fly. I don’t think I have my powers.”
“Oh, boy,” Aiden whispered to himself as he scratched his cheek lightly. He turned to look back at Jay. “Better look around for a way out?”
Jay nodded and cupped his hands to help boost Aiden up. The Mojoworlder probably could have climbed up without the assist, but there was less chance of accidental groin punishment this way. He balanced easily with his feet on Jay’s shoulders. Even moreso when Jay held onto his feet.
Aiden put a hand over his eyes to block out the bright sky. He didn’t see a sun anywhere, but the sky itself was bright. He squinted to see anything in the distance than low grass.
“Any sign of water?” Remi asked as he walked over to be just outside of an arm’s distance from Jay.
No mention was made of the specific distance. Mostly because Aiden was squinting into the distance. “No shimmer of water, but… I think I see trees. Red trees?”
“My kind of trees,” Jay commented as he readjusted his hold on Aiden’s feet.
Aiden slipped his hand down from his brow to rub his eyes. He could barely make out the treeline in the distance, but there was something flickering that ran parallel to the trees. He squinted into the bright horizon and then swept his eyes down and around.
“Something else out there, too. Parallel to the treeline. It’s there and then kinda not.”
“‘Kinda not’?” The Atlantean asked as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Aiden looked down at him. He noticed his aunt and the Asian guy getting the skittish redhead to join the group. “Well, I see a black line of something, but flickers. Might just be a trick of the eye from the distance or something.”
“You done looking?” Jay asked ever-so-innocently.
“Yes. Oh! Leggo of my feet,” Aiden advised. Once Jay let go, Aiden flipped off his living platform’s shoulders and landed neatly on his feet. He tossed his arms up. “Tah dah!”
The lack of applause was disheartening. To both of them. He would have claimed double chest pains to lighten the confused mood, but he decided they needed a direction more than comedy relief.
“Impressive,” Nika commented lightly. “Anything else of interest besides the trees and flickering whatever?”
“Nothing but grass,” he confirmed. The endless field of grass disturbed him a little. He hadn’t seen a hint of mountain anywhere. He had grown up in Nagano and didn’t like large plains of flat. He shifted from foot to foot and rolled his shoulders. “Now, what?”
Everyone looked at each other for a moment. Then Aunt Nika spoke up: “We head for the trees.”
To Be Continued...
He gasped and scrambled over to a familiar lump. He crouched down beside the brunette and put his hand on her shoulder. “Aunt Nika!”
He shook her shoulder gently. He let out a slow breath when he was cussed at in Symkarian and called Felicity.
“Don't have the chest for that, 叔母ちゃん.” He kept his four-fingered hand on her shoulder as he glanced out at other dark shapes lying in the grass. He squinted in the hopes he would see the other New Mutants. Instead, he spotted Stephanie's husband, Val's alternate half-brother, Sara's boyfriend's friend, a vaguely familiar teenager, and some Asian man he'd never seen.
“Ah-Aiden? What’re you doing here?” Nika asked sleepily. “... where’s here?”
“I dunno, but at least we have others with us.” He took his hand from her shoulder as she started to rouse. “They’re waking up, too.”
He rose smoothly to his feet to give her some space as he went to check on the others lying in the field. By his estimation, the other five were groggy but fine. Even the redheaded teen who screamed in his face and tried to scoot away across the grass.
“Whoa! It’s alright,” Aiden tried to soothingly shout over the panicked screams. He held up his hands to placate the kid, but that seemed to make it worse. “Uhh, calm down?”
Once the Mojoworlder had moved a few steps back the teen calmed down enough to stop the screaming. Rather than agitate the kid again, Aiden turned back to his aunt, whom was slowly getting onto her feet. He watched her squint around the surrounding grasslands they were in.
“No higher vantage point,” she said as she walked over to him.
“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Hold a second.”
He left his aunt’s side and went over to the sometimes angry Avenger. He offered his hand to the tall Native American. “Hi! I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Aiden, Dazzler’s son.”
Jay Walters-Wingfoot glanced him over before shaking the offered hand with a strong grip. “Sara’s friend, I remember. Know where we are?”
“No clue. Can I stand on your shoulders?”
Jay blinked. “...what?”
Aiden gestured to the open expanse around the slowly gathering group of people. “Not a lot of high points around here. You’re built like a tree and probably as strong as one. If I stand on your shoulders, I get a twelve foot view of our surroundings.”
The Avenger puffed out a breath. “Sure. May as well. Unless the Atlantean can fly up higher.”
They both looked over at Remi deNamor, who was looking down at his bare feet on the ground. His brows knit together as his shoulders jerked up and back. There was a long pause as the duo watched him. “I… can’t fly. I don’t think I have my powers.”
“Oh, boy,” Aiden whispered to himself as he scratched his cheek lightly. He turned to look back at Jay. “Better look around for a way out?”
Jay nodded and cupped his hands to help boost Aiden up. The Mojoworlder probably could have climbed up without the assist, but there was less chance of accidental groin punishment this way. He balanced easily with his feet on Jay’s shoulders. Even moreso when Jay held onto his feet.
Aiden put a hand over his eyes to block out the bright sky. He didn’t see a sun anywhere, but the sky itself was bright. He squinted to see anything in the distance than low grass.
“Any sign of water?” Remi asked as he walked over to be just outside of an arm’s distance from Jay.
No mention was made of the specific distance. Mostly because Aiden was squinting into the distance. “No shimmer of water, but… I think I see trees. Red trees?”
“My kind of trees,” Jay commented as he readjusted his hold on Aiden’s feet.
Aiden slipped his hand down from his brow to rub his eyes. He could barely make out the treeline in the distance, but there was something flickering that ran parallel to the trees. He squinted into the bright horizon and then swept his eyes down and around.
“Something else out there, too. Parallel to the treeline. It’s there and then kinda not.”
“‘Kinda not’?” The Atlantean asked as he ran his fingers through his hair.
Aiden looked down at him. He noticed his aunt and the Asian guy getting the skittish redhead to join the group. “Well, I see a black line of something, but flickers. Might just be a trick of the eye from the distance or something.”
“You done looking?” Jay asked ever-so-innocently.
“Yes. Oh! Leggo of my feet,” Aiden advised. Once Jay let go, Aiden flipped off his living platform’s shoulders and landed neatly on his feet. He tossed his arms up. “Tah dah!”
The lack of applause was disheartening. To both of them. He would have claimed double chest pains to lighten the confused mood, but he decided they needed a direction more than comedy relief.
“Impressive,” Nika commented lightly. “Anything else of interest besides the trees and flickering whatever?”
“Nothing but grass,” he confirmed. The endless field of grass disturbed him a little. He hadn’t seen a hint of mountain anywhere. He had grown up in Nagano and didn’t like large plains of flat. He shifted from foot to foot and rolled his shoulders. “Now, what?”
Everyone looked at each other for a moment. Then Aunt Nika spoke up: “We head for the trees.”
To Be Continued...
