Feeling down? Putting your life in danger helps.

[umslay]

Who: Ales Mansay and OPEN
Where: The tall buildings around Aqures Ixen
When: March 2nd, all day
Summary: After two months of work, Ales finally completes his minicopter and flies everywhere.
Warnings: Possible Teensie falling on you.

It had been a difficult month. There were few Heroes Ales could say he trusted after the vision of the future, and he holed himself up in his lab for a month for that very reason, working on redesigning the personal portable minicopter when he wasn't flying. His Moogle was getting worried that he never spoke to anyone that didn't come see him at the lab, but he assured her that it was for a good cause.

Meeting Ganondorf was a welcome reprieve. That man knew that improving the world meant making difficult choices, and he had a lot of grand plans that brought life back into Ales' eyes. Then he was gone, and so was one of the few Heroes Ales could call an ally. But who cared about being upset? All the more reason to complete his project and test it out!

The lightweight machine didn't have much to it: handlebars with a rubber coating for an easy grip, a crystal-powered motor and its housing, and retractable propeller blades. It felt different than the Lum-powered one he based it off of, but worked just the same in a lab setting. To check if he could reasonable use it while traveling, he ran outside, stood in front of a single story store, and turned it on.

The motor whirred to life, and the Teensie was lifted into the air. Above the heads of confused onlookers, then high enough to peer over the rooftop. There was a limited time that he could turn it on, and the copter was reaching its limit. He was high enough to grab the ledge with a hand, but he had to wait. Then high enough to roll onto it. The engine slowed down just as his feet when over the ledge and he jumped onto the rooftop.

"Success!" He cheered from up top. The shopkeeper yelled something, but Ales didn't care enough to pay attention. "Now to hop over to the next one!"

Throughout the whole day, he gently jumped off of rooftops, slowly climbed his way higher, resting while waiting for the engine to cool down.

Comments

[vonspielburg]

Ellie was on her way toward the town gates, ready for another day of monster hunting, when the sight of Ales strapped into his minicopter caught her eye. She tipped her head back, following his flight. He seemed happy, which brought a crooked smile to her face. Good. She remembered nothing about the Sage's vision save what others had told her, which wasn't much. Honestly, if she hadn't gone to Mysidia and blacked out, she would have questioned if she'd been part of it at all. But why she remembered nothing while others retained vivid memories was unclear to her.

Too bad she didn't really care enough to dig into it. There were too many other things to be done, preparations that needed to be made.

Many of the Heroes had been affected by that vision, and given Ales's sudden shy streak, she had to assume that he was one of them. Ellie gave him his space, assuming he simply didn't wish to be bothered while he sorted things out for himself. It was what she would have wanted in his position.

If he was out now, however, then he was surely feeling better. In that case, slaying monsters could wait. Their numbers were starting to thin out near her favorite hunting ground in any case. She changed direction and followed his flight path until he came down. Onto a building? Well, whatever worked, she supposed.

"Greetings!" she called up at him, one hand shielded against the brightness of the sun as she remained rooted to the ground. If he called her up, then she'd join him, but not until she was sure he wasn't adverse to having some company around.

[umslay]

His piloting was getting better, but he landed too far from his intended target. Further testing was required, not that he minded at all. A familiar voice drew his attention away from the thrill of the flight. It had been a long time since Ellie contacted him over the radio and pleaded for him to change his ways, as if she were some goody two-shoes hero who believed that keeping things the same was the only way to live.

What could have happened during those two years that caused such a change?

He had a good mind to ignore her calls and continue on his way, but he'd be stuck on the roof for a good time waiting for the motor to recharge. Besides, she already saw him. There was no point in avoiding her anymore, he admitted as he walked to the edge of the roof. Ales put that particular smile he used around strangers and people he wasn't fond of and waved back at her. Even if she could see his face clearly from that distance, that smile was an instinctive defense.

"Good afternoon! I didn't see you from up there!" She was always good at staying hidden among a crowd. "How do you like my minicopter? I just finished it yesterday!"

[vonspielburg]

"You made it?" Color her impressed. She stood with her hands on her hips, brows raised. Already her mind was working out ways this could be used in a tactical situation, but it seemed as if the copter couldn't be used over long distances. Spying was probably out of the picture. Still, it did provide Ales a way to gain great height, and quickly at that. Perhaps as a means of reaching a camouflaged outpost or blind?

"I had wondered what it was that kept you shut away all these weeks." If he was just working on an experiment, it explained plenty. But something told her there was more to it than that. As she wasn't a mind reader, however, she couldn't truly be sure.

"...That reminds me. There is something I would show you as well, when you have a day you can dedicate to travel. It will be well worth your while."

[umslay]

It had helped him escape from the group of do-gooders that attacked his air fortress. They may have destroyed it all in the end, but at the least it gave him a head start. All that was missing were better lackeys and plans, which Ellie and her contacts provided more than enough. Things would be better in Crystallis.

"Building it from my old blueprints was easy. Remodeling the engine to run on crystals took far longer." The extra time he spent away from his associates quickened the process, but much time was lost on fiddling with the machinery for no reason other than to drive his trust insecurities out of his mind. Ellie was right in that regard.

His smile lessened at the offer. Was it another mission? A trap? A vacation? Ellie wasn't displaying any disdain for him, but things might be different in private. If her goal really was to talk change into him...he wasn't in immediate danger, was he?

"How soon do you need to show me?" He had an airship flight scheduled the next day.

[vonspielburg]

All right, enough was enough. Ellie could only give the benefit of the doubt for so long, no more beating around the bush. There was a definite shift in attitude and demeanor that she wasn't sure she liked. Did he mean to throw Ellie and her plans to the wolves?

"You've been acting strangely," she bluntly remarked, tipping her head to the side with a small frown. "As far as I am aware, I haven't done anything to directly offend you. So what is it?" If she'd made some sort of faux pas, then she'd rather he be upfront about it and tell her why he was suddenly so reclusive and eager to avoid her. He'd done a good job of finding a way to recruit those alchemists, so he was definitely someone she wanted on her side. If that wasn't the case, she wouldn't bother pestering him right now.

[umslay]

Ales looked down at the contraption in his hand instead of answering. He had an answer, but it wasn't something that was meant to be shouted from a rooftop. Two minutes passed. Not enough to fully recharge the minicopeter, but enough to get him down safely. He held the device above his head, slipped his thumb over the release button, and the propellers slowly turned. He stepped off the roof and floated onto the street.

"You remember," he said first at the ground, then looking at Ellie. "How am I supposed to know what your intentions are after that vision?"

[vonspielburg]

That was a long time to wait for silence. Ellie was patient, but by the time he spoke, she was wondering if he planned to just ignore her entirely, or run away. Just a short time ago they'd made a great team infiltrating the prison. So what drastic event would have changed his reactions so intensely?

...Ah, the damned vision. Ellie heaved a heavy sigh, allowing her face to show her frustration. "To be perfectly honest? I remember nothing. I have thought to ask others as to what happened, but given the dejection and drama, I decided against it." She folded her arms across her chest, looking up at him once more.

"But if it will settle your reservations, I will ask you plainly. What was this vision about that has you so concerned about my intentions?" Did she raze the land with dragon's fire? Marry Garland? This was ridiculous.

[dragonflame]

Bloom had been out of crystal status for not very long as she rubbed the front of her head with her fingers. She didn't even remember going into status, but it made her wonder what she had missed and what had been going on since she did. Or better yet how long it had been since.

So instead of trying to find out, she instead started to walk around, on patrol for work. Best to get back into things after all.

As she turned the corner, she could see a really familiar face. One she had spoken to a couple times before. So looking at what he was standing by, she made her way over with a smile.

"Such an interesting contraption she have there."

[umslay]

Ales clutched his machine in surprise when he saw Bloom suddenly appear next to him. He trusted her - well, more like he had a favorable opinion of her compared to the others - but the events of January hung fresh in his mind. Bloom was fighting against him. In the end, she would be aligned with whatever was considered to be a "good guy" thing, even if it opposed what Ales believed to be right.

A smile slowly appeared on his face. Not entirely relaxed, but not a mask of cheeriness.

"Do you like it? I redesigned my model to run on crystal energy. So far, I haven't crashed once!"

[dragonflame]

Bloom's eyes trailed over the whole thing, apart from the airships she hadn't really seen much in the form of flying machines, so seeing something like this was in her mind rather impressive to say the least.

"It's really food and you made it yourself is ever more impressive." When she heard about what it was run on, she had to admit that was pretty cool. Using the worlds energy to run something that might not have excited some months ago.

"Well I guess if it hasn't crashed, it means you've been successful so congratulations."

[umslay]

"I am an inventor back home, after all," he said with a smirk. It was good to be recognized for something. "I take it that you're, uh, feeling better after all that?"

He waved a hand behind him to indicate something long in the past.

"That is to say, I think I have. A dream like that isn't something easily forgotten." He had not expected Bloom to forgive him so easily. Was he worried for nothing?

[dragonflame]

"Yeah..." She moved on, knowing full well that the future could probably be changed somehow. At least she had very high hope for it to say the least.

She smiled slightly, before moving to kneel down if only for a moment. "True, but that's all it was in my mind, a possible future, but one that can be changed. So if your wondering if I hold grudges, I have no reason to."

[umslay]

Bloom was too kind to forgive a power hungry Teensie, just as Betilla was too kind to befriend a magical creature that failed at magic, the one thing his kind were expected to do. Fairies were too good in general.

"Well, I guess I could say the same. I don't feel like that future me was any different from what I am now, but hopefully circumstances won't lead to the same situation." He gave her a smile. "Right?"

There was no need to explain that his plan to take over Mysidia was born form his failures to control his homeland. Bloom was best kept in the dark of his true nature.

[bright_and_blue]

At one point, Ales crosses overhead of Graham, who was on his way home from work. He stops and stares for a moment, his sleepy eyes wide with wonder. Graham is never stunned into silence for long, however.

"Ales! Ales!? Is that you, or did I just hallucinate that? Unless I'm dreamin' up some sort of device I never even thought of before, I think this might actually be happening!"

He points up at him dramatically with his wrench, grinning wide.

"Ales! I wanna hear all about this!"

[umslay]

Ales folds the propellers back down before answering. He was in a good mood before, but he never thought hearing Graham would ever lift his spirits higher.

"Graham, my good man! You didn't hallucinate anything!" He held out his hand and sat on the edge of the store rooftop. A small group of children pointed up at the strange creature that flew there and gawked at him.

"I'm come down there once the engine cools down. It's been far too long since we last spoke. How have you been holding up this whole time?"

As annoyed he may have been with the mad mechanic last year, the vision assured Ales that there was something worth trusting deep within Graham. Among the countless Heroes of this world, his was a welcome sight after two months of locking himself indoors.

[bright_and_blue]

Ales doesn't have to wait to come down. Graham's an Assassin, and parkours his way up to the roof in a flash. He sits down with his legs dangling over the edge.

"Is that what you've been doing this entire time? I was starting to wonder if I needed to look for you in the crystallization ward. But going in there is too depressing, that the very idea starts making my heart freeze over. So I didn't."

Truly, Graham cares.

"You're asking how I am? Does that mean you actually care about my well being? I'm a hundred thousand million times better, now that I've been asked."

[umslay]

Well. He should have thought of that first, but it's a welcome change to shouting conversations at each other. Ales instinctively tightens his grip on his device. Whether to make sure it doesn't drop or fall into Graham's destructive hands, he doesn't know.

"You might say that. Working on something so complex helps take of my mind off of trivial matters, and it leads to guaranteed results." Certainly reminded him that he's good enough even without anyone's help.

Of course, asking Graham how he was doing is expected of anyone decent, but Ales is also curious. That poor man was doing his best, even if his antics were grating at best. Now, not antics. This enthusiasm is what Ales needs after last week.

"That's good to know! The last time I saw you, well, I doubt any of us were feeling any good about ourselves." That was obvious. "Ah, but it's good to be out and about again." He closed his eyes and let the cool air chill the excitement stirring in him.

[bright_and_blue]

"A machine like this is the first step. The first step in moving this world into a new era of technology!"

Graham flipped his wrench around in his hands, his feelings on this subject still fresh after his conversation with Lydia the other day.

"I think a real difference can be made in this world! Drag it right into the Industrial Revolution, kick it right into the twentieth century. Let people here get their hands on cars and motorcycles and airplanes and steam engines. They don't know what they're missing, but let them get behind the wheel of a speeding Lea-Francis 1496S that will get their heart racing and blood pumping! They'll learn what their souls have been yearning for all these years without them!"

[umslay]

"Slow down, one step at a time," Ales interjected. "I have my own mechas to rebuild first and that ballpoint pen to reinvent. Lea-Francis...cars will come later."

He had no idea what that even was, but if he could rebuild a motorcycle and airship, cars shouldn't be too difficult to make. Imagine the advantage the Heroes would have if they had this technology on their side!

"Ideally, I would build something that can combat the Ultima Weapon, but this is a first step."

[not_most_days]

Ales wasn't the only one up on the rooftops of course. Even without her more agile jobs equipped Mary was still fairly well trained in parkour. If anything, her time mage and illusionist skills were letting her try a new an interesting sort of pathing, making use of levitation, time spells and short range teleportation.

She had a prime spot to watch the testing of his new equipment and after he had bounced a few rooftops and waited for his device to rest she teleported to a nearby chimney. "That's an interesting toy you have there. Never seen anything of the like."

[umslay]

Ales jumped a foot when Mary popped out of nowhere. Of all places, he didn't expect to meet anyone else on the roof of one of the tallest houses in the city, much less another Hero.

And one who tried to kill him in the vision.

"Excuse--" There was no point in getting angry. At least Mary didn't accidentally knock him off the building, and that was better than most of Ales' surprise encounters. "This is no mere toy. I have rebuilt my personal helicopter to run on crystals! The opportunities to use this and my other inventions on the battlefield will be endless!"

[not_most_days]

Whatever Ales is reading into this, it is largely in his own mind. Mary has been willing to give the other Heroes the benefit of the doubt considering what everyone had done in this vision. Not only was it of future events yet to occur but she wasn't entirely sure that the Sage was the most trustworthy source.

And trying to kill him in the vision wasn't personal, merely what needed to be done to complete her own mission.

Still, ranting about his inventions and the battlefield did get a raised eyebrow out of her. This was a side of him she hadn't seen before. "Easy there. I meant nothin' by it. Like I said I've never seen the like, apart from stories I've been told about the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci.

[umslay]

"Leonardo who?" An unfamiliar name in his world. Granted, the nature of Ales' machinations would make him a bit of a renaissance man (minus the artistic skill) in his time.

He made sure not to let his pride show when confirming Mary's implication. "Well, airships aren't unheard of in my world, but I've only seen them used by lands populated by robots. But...yes, most of my creations are unique. This is only the simplest and smallest of what I've made."

He would delve farther, but the lack of enthusiasm stemmed from his continued uncertainty of Mary's allegiance. The other Heroes may have denied their actions, but Ales was only acting as he would normally. Those who fought with and against him saw for what he truly was.

"I don't know if the airships in that vision count, but they were also designed by yours truly."

[not_most_days]

Mary was briefly surprised at the question, but only because it was a name that was so well known in her home world, not to mention the Brotherhood. She had to remind herself that of course he might not know the name in his own world.

"Simple it may be, but something like that would be a wonder where I'm from. I imagine many people would do a lot for one." The Templars and Assassins would likely kill for supremacy over such a device.

She wasn't going to bring up the Vision, but since he did she did have a question on her mind. "I'm curious. What was it you were after in that future. Do you know? I don't mean to accuse you of anything, but I'd like to know what your goal was." Why he took a fleet to attack a city that contained some of the few innocents left caught in the middle of the conflict.

War was war, but there had to be a line.

[umslay]

Ales adjusted his grip on his contraption, subconsciously drawn a bit more attention to his pride. "Your people sound like they have a good head on their shoulders." There were so many worlds that regarded technology with respect. Maybe his world was just exceptionally dumb.

When Mary asked her question, he turned away and walked to the edge of the roof. He knew why he attacked Mysidia: it was the base of operations for the opposing side, and controlling a city of civilians would only make it better. It would be nice to have control over something, anything. Ales needed to feel triumphant over his own achievements.

"It was for greater control. We decided that attacking their base of operations would be the best course of action." Mary didn't need to know that the plan was mostly for his benefit.