Gentle Wind

Radiant Garden was bustling and busy as ever, people going about their daily lives and doing some shopping in the Marketplace. There were still some concerns regarding the mechanical bugs popping up here and there, but there hadn't been another attack since the last time they visited. For the most part, the Restoration Committee had been keeping watch on them in the case that were to happen again.

But for today, that wasn't a big concern for either of the winged heroes walking the streets. Other than having a discussion with the committee over the going ons and any information they may have had, Kalas and Xelha were looking to relax, the latter having come out of three and a half months of training, becoming a skilled fighter to go along with her magic ability, while the former had been taking the time to get used to the eyepiece made for him by Ratchet, having adjusted to the sight it'd given back to him. They had also gone to visit Rozalin for some adjustments to their garments, Xelha's [url=https://www.khwiki.com/images/9/9e/Player_(Female)_KHX.png]outift[/url] receiving an overhaul into something a little more suited for adventuring, while Kalas left his cape with her in order to make it less ominous-looking, his winglet left on the ship for now.

However, while they were taking the time off for the most part, there was another reason they took the time to visit this world. For a long time, Xelha had been debating with herself regarding the matters of the man they had found in the Deep Jungle, whom the committee managed to bring to this world and find him a place to stay. With all the mysteries surrounding who he was and how much he knew of her kingdom's matters, with the strong possibility of him being family, she knew she needed answers from him, only putting it off due to her uncertainty. But with encouragement from the one-winged boy, she once again found herself at the doorstep of the man's home, staring at the door for the longest time.

Though Kalas waited behind her, giving her the support that she needed, she just stood there, unable to bring herself to knock even after all this time. Too many scenarios ran through her mind, none of them good. What if she didn't like what she heard? What if the man was unwilling to even talk to her, whatever memories he had too much for him to even give the time? What if it was her own people that caused him to leave, painting them in a more negative light than what she grew up with?

She took a deep, shuddering breath, doing everything she could to hold back her apprehension. It wasn't like her to avoid something like this; whenever she was sure on something, she always set her mind on that goal and went after it. Here, however, she wasn't so sure, wanting some answers and possibly learning more of her family beyond their duty as protectors of the Ocean, but at the same time simply wanting to leave it be now that the man was out of the hazardous jungle and back to civilization.

She tried to keep her mind on the former, slowly bringing a hand up to knock. Her hand shook as it moved closer, just barely making contact with the door. She took a deep breath; she was going to do this...she had to...

....

She promptly pulled her hand back, turning away from the door almost instantly. "...I can't..."

Despite the concerned look he gave her, Kalas let out a frustrated sigh to her hesitance. "Xelha, it's been several months now. You can't put this off forever. And don't forget that this was [i]your[/i] idea."

"I-I know, but...what if he doesn't want anything to do with me? If he refused to return to our world, why would he want to--"

She was cut short by the blue-haired boy grabbing her by the shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. "Listen to yourself for a minute! After all this time, you're doubting yourself [i]now[/i]? Even if it's not what you expect, you can't let this eat away at you any longer. You gotta go talk to him, figure out what his deal is."

For the longest time, gold eyes stared into deep blue, his words sinking. However, all she could do was look down, her doubts and anxiety winning over her. "Kalas...I can't...I just can't, okay?!"

"Xelha--"

"I can't!" She pulled away from his grasp, running past him, even summoning her wings to fly further away. Kalas could only watch her go, unable to go after her while she was like this. He just sighed once more in frustration, running a hand through his hair.

This was not like Xelha to be acting like this. She was always so confident in her decisions, even if she didn't know what she was doing or if they wouldn't work out for her. But now she was acting like the time she had shone the Ocean Mirror on him, the pain she was causing him forcing her to stop and cry, putting the whole world at risk if not for his own will breaking out. While the stakes weren't as high as it was then, it was still a fairly serious situation that they needed to get sorted out.

But how could he get her to listen to reason this time? He'd been giving her support, encouraging her, reassuring her, and even that wasn't enough. What was it going to take for her to actually go in and confront her possible father?

Away from this scene, however, another world-hopping hero was spending the day amongst the streets, simply enjoying the downtime that was currently available for him. Ratchet, in a rather rare occurrence when it came to be roaming out of their home galaxies; was currently in a solo outing.

His trusty robotic partner Clank was at this very moment fulfilling one of his duties outside of hero work; Acting! Turns out, a new Secret Agent Clank holo-film was in production and as such, the small-yet-famous bot was asked to play his role for the upcoming flick. As usual, and despite his popularity as a galactic hero, the poor Lombax got the short end of the stick and was not needed in the slightest. He did not mind; After all, beat having to act as a bumbling chauffeur anyday...

Either way, Ratchet was on his way to grab a bite to eat and then bounce to another world when he heard a familiar pair of voices up ahead. Not really able to recognize who exactly, he took a few steps further only to see the sight of Xelha flying away with a distressed look in her face, after what seemed like a loud shout.

Wondering what had happened to his friend, he soon noticed the young man of blue hair nearby and walked towards him. "Hey Kalas." Ratchet greeted. "Sorry for barging in, but I just saw Xelha flying away and she seemed she was in a pretty bad mood. What happened?"