001 [Video]

[tinderfoot]

[The video turns on to show a confused-looking axe-wielding redhead standing smack bang in the middle of the baseball diamond. At least it's light out!]

You - you fiends! What have you done with them!? This better not be another trap -- I'm sick and tired of being used all the time, sheesh!

[His voice is increasing in both frustration and

Comments

[video]

[flowerofthesand]

[She looks concerned, although the fireball doesn't seem to phase her at all.]

Are you alright?

[Leave it to Vivi to ask the obvious.]

[video]

[tinderfoot]

Ack!

[He's startled; his NV -- a palm-sized crystal ball -- starts to roll along the ground.]

How did you do that!?

[A puff of breath; there's the sound of him jumping to his feet.]

What did you do with them?

[video]

[flowerofthesand]

I'm not sure how the NVs work, you'd have to ask an expert, but it allows people to communicate.

And who are you talking about?

[video]

[tinderfoot]

[The voice ... the voice is coming from the ball! Where had that come from, anyway? He scrambles towards it; picks it up -- there's a girl's face in it. Weird. Yet, she doesn't look like she's one of the Tuaparang, or indeed, any of the adversaries they'd faced on their journey.]

My friends. They were right beside me and everything!

[video]

[flowerofthesand]

[She tries to keep her voice calm, she remembers how terrifying it was when she first landed.]

Were they alright a moment ago, when you last saw them?

[video]

[tinderfoot]

Well, yeah! But then they just disappeared!

[video]

[flowerofthesand]

[A sigh of relief]

I'm glad to hear that. They're probably alright still then. I don't know how it works, exactly, but it seems like something on this island pulls people from their own world into this one, but our worlds back home are still the same as we left them.

I'm Vivi, by the way. What's your name? And where are you from?

[video]

[tinderfoot]

Wait, so you're saying I'm the one who's been brought someplace else?