thirdtenkaistar | Welcome to Budehuc (Open)

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Welcome to Budehuc (Open)

The Castle next to the Lake had obviously seen better days - the walls around it are crumbling in place, and the castle itself is swathed in ivy, but it was the charm of a well-worn manor with the rich red brick, and fluted white columns.

Budehuc was by no means empty - if one enters by the main steps, they would see that several shops had formed a half-circle around an old fountain, as small groups of people milled about, chatting, bartering, and sight-seeing. There are white-feathered Duck folks, tall scaly yellow and green lizardmen, people of various skin tones and costumes, it looked almost like some place out of a children's story. The whole place gave off a very welcoming, open-arms feeling to anyone passing through, or looking for a place to get off their feet.

At the gate is a young girl in plate armor, hefting a spear, carefully watching for signs of trouble, with several bundle-carrying dogs resting by her feet.

The air has the fresh clean scent of the lake, a whiff of horses, vegetables ripening in the sun, and flowers blooming on the summer day.

((Budehuc is open to all visitors, but mind your manners. If anyone acts hostile in here without good cause, Thomas will try to evict you.))

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It wasn't particularly that I wanted to further cement my unfortunate position as being the apparent "slider" of the SOS Brigade. But there was still some healing left to do before I could head back without facing a mountain of unanswerable questions on the part of Haruhi. Not that I haven't found ways to deflect them before, but why put up with that sort of headache if I don't have to? Anyway, Thomas had invited me. And there was still something bugging me...

No, no, we'll not think of curses right now. It wasn't like it was always as Midna had described it.

That said, if the Nexus didn't already make me feel like I was in some weird storybook, this place sort of cemented it. Castles, and duck and lizardmen, and all sorts of stuff that was fun to fantasize about when I was a kid, and which I HAD put aside until I'd made that fateful decision to be the one to "test the doorway."

Why was it the more I wanted normal, the less it wanted me?

Anyway, it was time to seek out Thomas. That guard, though... she looks younger than I am. Is it really okay for her to be guarding a gate all by herself?

Come to think of it, would I have to make an appointment?

The girl walked over - one who have to say that she had to pretty strong to be carting around that platemail and spear.

"Who goes there?" The blond chirped as she tapped the butt of the spear against the cobblestone. "Are you here to open a business... or are you just visiting?" As she questioned, one of the dogs stretched and sniffed at him curiously.

There's a glimpse of brown and green up ahead, getting between a fair-skinned man in red and a yellow lizard.

Whup. It looked like I'd attracted her attention. Well, just play it casual. If she's a friend of Thomas's, she'd understand, right?

"Ah, visiting, I'm afraid... actually, I'm a friend of Thomas. Is he here?" I peered over her -- not that it was really such a feat in spite of that fancy helmet. Hey, I think I see him over there. Finally, something normal to latch onto. In a way. I didn't move towards him just yet, though; this girl looked like she might have a hair trigger.

"Really?" She exclaimed. "Just a second, lemme ge... no, wait follow me!" She called out, running surprisingly quick - the shield clang against the breastplate. She's pretty sure anyone who says they're a friend of of Thomas is telling the truth, but if they're not, watch out!

"He cheated me!" "Did not, you're just saying that because I'm Lizard Clan-"

"Calm... calm down, Pl-please, this is a peaceful zone," Thomas held his hands out as he squeezed between the two. "Look, if there is a pr..problem, er - go see Martha." He gestured. "You bring your ledger, and you bring your pouch - then we'll see." The young man sighed.

The two glared at him, eliciting a squeak, before they parted ways.

"I'm so not going to get used to that..." He muttered to himself as he rubbed his eyes.

"Master Thomas!" Cecile called out. "Someone's here to see you!"

I had to envy her energy, that she could run so fast in what had to be a pretty heavy suit of armor. Then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, considering the most energetic and hyper people I know in my life happen to be women. Maybe there was something in that extra X chromosome that provided the needed burst.

If I had any doubts that the figure ahead was Thomas, they were eased by his less than masculine dealings with the two, uh, guys. At least, I figured the lizard was a guy.

"Yo," I said, as a simple greeting.

Cecile bowed quickly. "Everything's well, Master Thomas!" She announced. "I'll see you later," she called out as she ran back to her post.

"I didn't expect to see you here so soon Kyon," Thomas smiled as he rubbed the back of his hand against his eyes (which had dark circles under them). "What do you think so far?"

I shrugged. "Well, you invited, and it's not like I have a lot better to do right now. So I figured I'd drop in on you, see how you were doing," I said. The circles under his eyes were bothering me some, but I figured maybe it was just the stress of running things to prevent lizards and humans from killing each other.

I'm really good at that denial thing, sometimes.

"Well, it's certainly beyond my wildest expectations," I replied honestly. Mind, my wildest expectations are pretty tame. Or were, before I met Haruhi, but that's neither here nor there. "But it looks like you guys have been doing a good job of making this place one that people would like to live in."

Thomas smiled broadly, quite pleased with the answer. "It's been a bit of a trial, especially when some conflicts started to crop up," He glances about, where should they head to first?

"And thanks for seeing how I'm doing," He added almost sheepishly. The young pushed a few thoughts about his nightmares aside, no need to make Kyon worry. "We have stables down the hill, the stores here, the castle itself, and the ship - is there anyplace you want see first?"

"Yeah, looks it," I agreed, looking back in the direction the lizard man had gone. I did not envy this guy's job for a second. It must've been like herding cats.

I shrugged. "It's no big deal. It's what friends do, right?" I resolved to ask him about his blatantly obvious lack of sleep later, but this wasn't the time for it. "I'm not picky. Honestly, all of this is pretty unusual for me, so anything you'd show me would be something interesting."

"Uhm... Master Thomas?" A blue-eyed man in vaguely Egyptian-like garb stopped in front of the two, he had a confounded look.

"Your Shop is all the down those steps, past two mulberry bushes and behind the elm tree." Thomas automatically stated as he pointed towards Cecile's direction - where there is neither mulberries or elm trees. With that, the man promptly went the other direction, towards the stores on the right side. "Well then, I'll take you to the stables first," He tilted his head as he started to lead the way down a slope. "Mamie had opened up a cafe close to the lake, so you can get something on our way to the rest of the place." He managed to put on a projection that everything is indeed okey-dokey.

I had to hand it to Thomas; he may look meek and unassuming, but he seemed to know what he was doing, at least. And, well, that had to account for something, right? "Does that happen a lot?" I asked, watching the guy go. Somehow, I suspected this was the guy he'd mentioned before with the worst sense of direction ever, but I wanted to confirm it.

I nodded, and let him lead. A cafe, eh? I wonder if I'd have to pay, though. Certainly if it were HARUHI we were talking about... but this was Thomas. Ah, wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about such things?

"Almost every day," He sighed as he waved to a blond girl in a pink... cowboy hat and vest. "Hey Karen! How's it going?"

"Quite well, been tryin' to break in some of the Karayan horses!" She answered with a charming drawl as she stroked the neck of an old-looking green gazelle-horse alike with a horn on the snout. "Takes some doing - but least they ain't the sort to be biting strangers. Who's the new guy?"

"This is Kyon, he's a friend... he's not from around here." He gestured. "This is Karen."

"How ya...oh, shoot! Sorry guys, nearly forgot - it's 'bout time to hose the boys downs!" She waved them off as she ducks around the back.

"Well, there's Bartz over there in garden, and you can have whatever you want at the Cafe, you don't have to pay." He added as he pulled out a sugar cube to hold out to a chocolate-colored horse.

I tried not to think too hard about the implications of someone so stereotypically American hanging around a place where America doesn't EXIST. If this is, in fact, the world of a video game as I suspect, chances are what I was seeing was a localization issue. Though it wouldn't explain the costume design... come to think of it, how was *I* being understood, or understanding people? Perhaps it's best if I don't think about it too hard.

I did nod to her, though. And Thomas spoke the magic words, which was an added bonus. A cafe where I didn't have to pay? Someone up there was finally rewarding me for my toils. "Thanks, I appreciate that," I said. I watched him feeding the horse. "A favorite of yours?" I asked.

"His name's Fudge... he's the horse Karen usually has out for course practices." He laughed as the Horse slobbered on his hand in it's snatching of the sugar. "I like horses, but I'm not too good riding them," Thomas admits with a shrug as he pushes off the fence. He stops to pull up a bucket of water from the well to wash his hands.

He straightened up. "Mamie tries to keep a variety of things on the menu, and it does change quite a bit." Thomas chatted as he lead the way - the edge of the lake appearing by the side - the wind blowing in that nice water smell. "Huuuu... too bad it's too cold to go swimming right now," The young man sighed in regret as he stopped near some white outdoor bistros in front of a pretty little stand. Must be the place, judging from the delicious smell of roast chicken, hot fudge, and curry wafting around.

I nodded. "I've never tried myself. Well, outside of the occasional pony ride. But in general? Not so much." I looked at the horse -- "Fudge," I guess. He seemed like a nice enough horse at any rate.

I nodded. Back home, it was nearly December; I wasn't sure what the season was here, but it sure felt a little nippy. The smell of the food, however, was definitely much more welcoming than the idea of a cold swim, and my rumbling stomach reminded me that I'd been more or less grazing the last few days on stuff I was certain was safe in the Sanctuary. "Well, it does smell good," I said, trying not to drool a bit. Good, nothing, it smelled fantastic. "Maybe I'll take a look."

It looked like late spring.

"Oh, Hello Master Thomas!" The girl who was currently glazing a rotisserie chicken with some sort of glaze looked up and smiled. "I'm getting ready for the lunch crowd - but I got a few things ready."

Once closer, there's a very strong smell of pickles from the booth. "Uh... Super Pickles?" Thomas questioned warily.

"It's in rotation, enough people buy it," Mamie shrugged. "Super Pickles, Karayan braised chicken, Clam Chowder, and Royal Tot dinner are on the menu. For desserts it's Strawberry Shortcake, Ice Cream, and Cheesecake."

"I'll have the shortcake," The young man answered as he gets his pouch. "What about you?"

I wondered what made a "super pickle" any better than a regular pickle. I wasn't sure i wanted to test it. The chicken, however, sounded good, as I hadn't had a proper meal in a bit. "Actually, that chicken sounds pretty good... and maybe the shortcake too, if I'm still hungry." Which was a distinct possibility. I'm still growing, after all! I think.

He gets the appropriate amount of potch out.

"Sure thing! Just give me a sec," Mamie flashes an okay sign before taking strips of peppered and spiced chicken off the grill, and a slice of shortcake. "Here ya go, if you still want the shortcake, you can come right back here."

Thomas immediately digs in, looking blissed out. "She does some good desserts."

I tried the chicken. Spicy, but at the same time of the sort that just melted in your mouth. "She does some good everything. This is pretty fantastic." Something told me I'd be wanting that shortcake as well. "You've got a pretty decent place set up around here, from the looks of things," I said, once I'd swallowed. "You haven't had any more trouble from... what was it you said, Zexay?"

"Vinay Del Zexay," Thomas corrected automatically. It really does sound like Pig Latin. He leaned against a metal door that looked like would lead to the basement of the castle - pushing it open.

"Nnnh, no - and the council always said they're busy." The young man had an unusual amount of skepticism in his voice. "Odd that the servant looked kind of familiar... nevermind," He goes back to get Kyon his shortcake. "Let's move on."

It sounded to me like these guys were giving Thomas the royal runaround. I suspected the poor guy was going to end up running into these guys really hard sometime soon. It'd make sense from a video game standpoint. Hell, even from a normal standpoint it's obvious things were going to move soon.

I accepted the shortcake -- admittedly, a little greedily, but it sure looked good -- and followed Thomas. "So where're we headed next?" I asked.

"We can stop by the ship on the way to the rest of the castle." Thomas is slowly savoring his dessert. "I tried asking for my father, but he 'always had something' going on."

Though now I think about it, he really wanted to get rid of me, didn't he....?

Well of COURSE he's got something going on. It's obvious you're the embarrassment to him, and he's probably trying to avoid you as much as possible. In fact, he probably shuttled you up here so you'd be so busy you'd never bother him again.

...is what I wanted to say, but I didn't, thankfully. "Sounds good to me. And I wouldn't think too hard about it. Just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine."

Thomas glanced back with an almost knowing look before leading him past what used to be prison cells. There's a young kid doing what looks like a cheap 'chemistry for kids' type experiments in one. The castle master quickly yanked Kyon past him.

"That's Kidd... don't ever let him accept a 'case', trust me." He whispered.

They passed by a cell that had been busted open, from the inside.

A child detective? Isn't that a little on the cliche side? Hell, he even LOOKED like a certain famous cartoon kid detective. Sounds like he was nowhere near as successful, though, if Thomas's warning was to be taken into account. Not that I ever PLANNED on giving the kid a case, but forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

The busted open jail cell was a bit unnerving. "Uh, I hope you weren't the guys who put whoever was in that cell in there to begin with," I said.

"Uhm... actually, no one in the castle has any idea what would've done that." He swallowed a bit nervously. The rusted on the broken bits of bars seem to confirm that this happened a long, long time ago.

"Maybe the library has something, but I rarely get a chance to check it out on my free time, oh well!" He quickly moves up the stairs. "Careful, the steps are a little uneven!"

All things considered, that was probably for the best. Whatever had managed to bust out of something like that, it was something I didn't want to meet even in my worst nightmares. Though Thomas could be a LITTLE less obvious about his OWN desire not to know.

I minded the step; good thing, as I could see how it'd catch someone off guard. "Where're we headed next?"

Have you seen some of the wild life, Kyon?

"Well, the ship of course!" On the next floor is a rather-friendly, but not that bright-looking dog-man searching in some jars.

Right by it... is a grave yard with an open hole that leads to a small bridge of sorts. There's even pale blue lights flickering around the area.

"It's right through here."

Wait, were those... hitodama? And Thomas was passing right by them as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with this scenario. Either this is a common as hell thing around here, or Thomas is slightly crazier than I gave him credit for. "Uh, this cemetery's kind of... creepy," I commented, watching the lights dance.

In the back of my mind, I could hear Haruhi grill me for details on this. Not that she'd believe me even if I DID tell her about all this. The saving grace, I guess.

He glances back. "Kyon?" Thomas cocked his head, and then followed his gaze. "Oh, the ghost lights, don't worry." He gives an assuring smile. "If you don't respect the dead, they don't bother you."

"I admit there could much better places for the bridge, but this was already here." The brown-haired boy walked carefully around the three graves and the half-dug pit. He wasn't about to knock another hole in the castle. "It'll be better once you get on board."

Respecting the dead was one thing, but I sort of preferred respecting the dead when they weren't all around me. It's not supposed to WORK like that.

...but I suppose the Nexus has already screwed with THAT idea thoroughly. I miss not knowing this stuff.

I just nodded a bit, not particularly wanting to air these thoughts. If it were Haruhi, I would've let fly in a heartbeat. But Thomas? Not so much. I followed him in, wondering why a ship would have access through a place like this.

Turns out the ship had ran aground (or was tossed up) onto the cliff - a similar gap in the hull that was big enough for one of the Lizard-men to bounce on their tails through like a certain tiger-like plushie. It looked like a galleon, and if there were any valuables in it - it had long been removed and retrofitted into storage and living quarters.

"There's a nice view of the lake on deck, as well as a bath house." Thomas started. "I've been told this ship wash up in a... Oh, Hi Belle, still having problems?" He questioned as he spotted a girl hammering on a barrel with wheels and metal bits.

"Oh! Yea, Gadget Z's still can't speak correcting." She frowned.

"BZZKT... VISITOR... BZZZKT... NOT FROM HERE...BZZKT!" The 'robot' stuttered.

"What is wrong with him now?" Belle pouted as Thomas gestured for Kyon to head up before questions are asked.

Well, it was a ship all right, but its seafaring days sure were over if the big gap in the side was anything to go by. "So you guys basically converted a capsized boat into part of the castle? I have to admit that's pretty resourceful," I commented. Once again: So very glad Haruhi's not here. She'd probably want there to be pirate ghosts or something, and before you know it? Pirate ghosts. And she'd be the only one not to see them, natch.

We passed by a young girl with a... robot? If it could be called as such. A WOODEN robot, no less. I'm not sure why of all the nonsense I've seen here THIS should stand out, but it did. One would think it's slightly unfeasible to have a robot made of something combustible...

Wait, did that robot just say what I think it just said?

Thomas heavily implied that I should follow him pronto, and I figured it probably wouldn't be such a bad idea. Last thing I needed was to get completely outed by a pile of gears and bolts. Please, let there not be anything else around here to make this more complicated!

"Sebastian told me that they think it was a smuggler's ship, and they decided to abandon it when a storm had ran it around." Thomas explained as he leaned against the deck.

"And is it me, or did Gadget Z...?"

"Well, that makes as much sense as anything," I conceded, looking off the deck out towards the lake. "Their loss is your gain, I guess." More Haruhi assertions ran through my mind -- hidden treasure! Dark secrets! -- which further reminded me that the SOS Brigade was really starting to get under my skin.

I winced a bit. "Let's just hope that gets chalked down as a malfunction in the robot or something," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. Hey, technical difficulties works on everything else, right?

"Probably... apparently it's been malfunctioning for a while," Thomas remarked as he watched a kid drop a message in a bottle overboard, smiling a little.

"Bathhouse is over there," He nodded towards that direction. "perhaps for another time. I like to come out here just to think."

Right. We could run with that. I'm not sure how people around here would respond to someone like me being an interdimensional traveler anyway, and it's not like I could defend myself if it wasn't a good reaction.

...why do I have to be the slider again?

I looked towards the bathhouse, then back to Thomas. "Oh? It certainly is calming out here," I admitted, looking out. And then, because might as well while we're out here: "So, uh, you don't look like you've been sleeping well. Is everything okay?"

Thomas glanced about wearily, and once a woman came up to collect her child and left, he visibly slumps - letting his exhaustion seep through his body.

He nervously pushed his bangs from his face. "Nnnhn...not really, the nightmares wouldn't go."

Nightmares? A little knot sat in the bottom of my stomach. Well, I mean, nightmares would be expected after what he went through, right? Certainly it wouldn't be a sign of an ongoing curse. Of course not. "What sort of nightmares?" I asked anyway, not really sure I was going to like the answer.

He rested his face in his hand, ignoring a brief wave of being lightheaded. "I was in the co-courtyard, but it was all monochrome, something was really weird about the buildings, li-like they were flat and not. Everyone I knew was there, even you."

Thomas swallow. "With that ring - wanting it, te-telling me what I missed out, even my Mother...." He shook, from anger of all things.

Okay, this was looking increasingly bad on the "curse not lingering" front. But what was a dream, really? ...okay, maybe on occasion it was in reality the last stand for everything you know not being drastically rewritten by a bored and self-centered teenage girl, but that was different, right?

"Well, I'm sure it was just a dream, right? The ring's buried now. It's not like it can do anything anymore," I said reassuringly, even though I wasn't really sure I believed it. Not after what I was told...

But let's not panic Thomas here, okay?

He swallowed - okay, calm down, Thomas - don't let the bad dreams get you down.

Thomas quickly seem to perk up - but it's just very good fakery. "Ye-yeah... I mean having yo...your memories uhm, tinkered with is pretty disturbing."

In a way, I could sympathize with Thomas. How many times was it that we had relived those two weeks of summer? Hadn't Nagato said it had been nearly 500 years worth of days, of which we only had a scant memory of each iteration? I suppose it wasn't quite the same, but memory is still a precious thing.

"I'll bet. No wonder you're having nightmares. That would've given ME nightmares. Hopefully, they'll fade soon enough."

I need to do something about this lying habit.

He frowned, "Hopefully - I'm... not sure how long I can do this." Thomas had let it slipped out before he even realized it.

"Uhm! I'll be fine, really. Thanks for the concern."

I paused. Was he having doubts about his ability to lead this castle? It seemed like he was doing a fairly decent job, but maybe I was missing something? "Do what?" I asked anyway.

I shook my head. "Hey, you're the first guy I could relate to in the craziness of the Nexus. I think that warrants a little concern for your welfare," I said, grinning.

"Keep maintaining things despite not sleeping well." He leaned back.

"Well... guess that comes with being relatively 'normal' in that place... for weird definition of normal."

Oh, so he wasn't having second thoughts about running the place in and of itself. That was something of a relief, as it was good for me to see someone like him handling this sort of responsibility. It was certainly a pleasant change of pace, at any rate! "Don't worry, I'm sure this will clear up soon enough," I said.

I shook my head. "In the Nexus? I take normal where I can get it." I chuckled. "And if it happens to come from a guy running a castle full of lizardmen and ducks, I'm not about to say no."

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Welcome to Budehuc (Open)

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