Hovering over the boy, Kaela felt for a pulse. When she pressed her fingers into his soft flesh, she was surprised to find the soft beating beneath her fingers not slowed in the slightest. If anything, the blood ran strong, no change to if he had just finished shopping in the market. Her hand moved to just below his nose, feeling to see if there was the soft whistle of air escaping him.

Breathing was a different matter, it seemed, as she didn't feel anything. No hesitation in her movements, Kaela pinched the boy's nose before pressing her lips to his, forcing the air from her lungs into his. After another two breaths, she turned him on his side, pounding his back. No response. She repeated her movements, and this time around a cough erupted out of him. He stayed on his side until the coughing fit slowly died down.

It was a few moments, but slowly he became aware of a soft rubbing motion on his back, tracing circles in a comforting manner. By the stiffening of his shoulders, Kaela could tell he was anything but comforted. When he suddenly rolled away from her touch to sit up and stare at her, she wasn't too offended.

"Nice to see you're still among the living." Kaela smiled easily, trying to take the edge off the situation. "My name is Kaela. I haven't seen you around, what's your name?"

He stared at her. His mouth opened slightly, then he paused as he seemed to remember something. Instead of responding, he looked about him. Kaela watched him run his hands through the sand on the beach, staring at it curiously. About to repeat the question, her attention was drawn to his fingers, as they dug divots into ground.

"Roy? Is that your name?" A nod from him confirmed her suspicions. "Why were you up in that contraption earlier? What was that thing?"

After thinking for a bit Roy started to gesture with his hands. Kaela tried to follow any meaning that might come from it, but failed.

"Wait, please, I can't understand you at all." Roy paused mid-motion before rubbing the back of his head in an awkward manner. She smiled slightly as she saw a slight disappointment in his green eyes. "Come on, there is someone where I live who might be able to keep up with you. Can you stand?"

Nodding, he stood, hope glimmering in his eyes. As Kaela retrieved her bag and sword from the rocks, Roy reached behind him. He saw that he still had his pouch of tools on him, and after a swift inspection he saw that, for the most part, the water resistant material had done its job. Water had still seeped in, and he knew that if he wanted to use them later he would need to dry them soon.

Looking off into the distance, Roy was still put off by how strange it all seemed. It was obvious that they were outside, and yet the wind was mild. The trees stood up straight, and beyond that the water to the side seemed to stretch on with no end. Turning his attention back to what was happening before him, he walked up to Kaela who was waiting patiently at the head of a trail.

It was silent as the two made their way through the trees, Kaela was burning with questions, but with no way to understand him she would have to exercise patience. It was actually pleasant, hearing the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot, birds chirping as they searched out their mates. She found herself almost hyper-aware of all the sounds. Glancing behind her briefly, she saw Roy looking around in wonder.

The abundance of life was shocking to him. There was nothing like this in the clouds. Roy looked ahead as he and Kaela crested a rise. Below them there was a small valley between the hills, where structures dotted an expansive field, a greater area of buildings collected in about the center.

"This is where I live, it isn't a big town, but it's home." Kaela half gestured to the village as she said this. Roy simply nodded with a smile. Silence stretched again and Roy shifted uncomfortably before shrugging. Kaela realized that was the most she would be able to understand and started off again, "Let's get to the old man."

She could feel Roy follow behind her as they continued on.

As they arrived at the village, Kaela started off down the valley. She knew her father would have found out about earlier by now and wanted to try and avoid him at all costs. They made their way to a small hutch at the other end of the village with no problems. Two soft raps on the door yielded a gentle creak as the door opened.

"Ah, Kaela, I haven't seen you since you were much younger. What brings you here today?" The voice was aged, but still strong. The man was hunched over slightly, a sign of someone that spent much of their time hovering over books.

Kaela entered as the old man stepped aside. "Well you see Gus, I was at the beach when Roy," as she said this there was a gesture directed toward the boy, "came from nowhere and fell into the sea."

"Fell into the sea? While that is quite strange, it doesn't explain why you came to me specifically."

"He can't speak, and I can't understand him."

At this point both of them turned their gazes to Roy, who just waved briefly in reply, a blush dusting his cheeks.

"That does seem quite the problem. How is it you communicate young Roy?" Hesitantly, the boy raised his hands, moving them in deliberate motions. "I see! What an old way of communication this is! How did you learn this?"

A smile broke out over Roy's face, it was obvious that he was delighted to be understood. His hands kept a slow pace, making sure that Gus could read his motions.

"Really, and how is it that they still know this?"

"Wait!" Kaela spoke hurriedly before they went further, "Feel like cluing me in? You may understand but I would like to as well."

"That's right, how about we take a seat? I'll put on some tea."

/\

It's been awhile since the last update, but school is finally over, so I'll be doing some serious editing on chapters now. I'm hoping to post another chapter sometime this month, job allowing me to actually think. Anyway, I'm glad I had time for this! As you can see, the beating of wiffle bats let up.

Anyway, if you were curious, I was heavily inspired by Hayao Miyazaki and his films to write this. The video above was sent to me by OfCloves and though a bit long, it pretty much explains why I LOVE the films he helps to create.

RQ: What are your dreams for the future?

See you next chapter! I want to make longer chapters one day, but we'll see if that happens.

-Nicky~