World Tree MUSH

     Currently Krystal is quietly sitting in the cockpit of her ship and drinking from a bottle of water while the ship's navigation system takes over for the moment on a route between Aquas and Corneria. Martin as far as she knows is sleeping in the rather cramped living quarters on her ship, which amounted to little more than a bed that folds out from a wall, and a closet with a full-length mirror.

     In spite of the cramped nature, this is still not the worst place Martin has slept. At least there /is/ a bed, with a pillow and a blanket. Not that he even uses the blanket, since it's plenty warm enough already for the north-born mouse. Despite how relatively comfortable it is though, he's still tossing and turning and murmuring in his sleep, mind troubled with dark dreams, nightmares that are too vivid to just be figments of his imagination. What could be troubling him so?

     As Krystal sits there while Martin sleeps, gazing out into the seemingly endless void of space, her thoughts begin to wander. It's not long before her telepathic senses pick up on the thoughts bubbling to the surface of Martin's mind as his slumber is gripped by nightmares. 

     She blinks and stands up, walking through the opening behind the cockpit to check on him. She debates on if she should wake him or not, but for now, just leans against the wall and watches, while also experiencing his nightmare almost second hand through her telepathy, it was enough to make her shudder at points.

     These nightmares come across as half-remembered memories, small jabs into a past only Martin has ever known. Brief flashes come to the surface: One, standing upon a chilly beach with an old iron sword in hand, swinging it about until an elderly mouse woman calls him on, his grandmother? Another, shackled in chains with that same elderly mouse, led in what appears to be a procession of slaves. Later, lashed to a walltop above a half-built fort, shouting furious defiance at his captors in spite of the lashing winds and bitter, stinging rain. Grief, anger, vengeful hatred, swirling about his thoughts...

     Krystal frowns at what she is experiencing through the thoughts of Martin's nightmare. She remembers him mentioning having a rough past at some point, but seeing pieces of it really nails that home. She turns to look out through the cockpit for a moment, before turning back to Martin and stepping closer. "Martin, wake up, you're having a nightmare." She calls to him as she gently nudges him on the shoulder with her hands.

     Martin, curled up in a ball on the bed, goes still as Krystal touches him. For a moment, those memories give way to more pleasant ones, laughing and feasting among friends in a quiet forest glade covered in soft moss and flowers. Most of the people gathered there are blurry, details difficult or impossible to make out, but one stands out among the rest, a beautiful mouse maiden whose very presence seems to make Martin feel at ease, someone he was very, very close to... However, it is then that he wakes, glancing over his shoulder at Krystal with the fur around his eyes matted and wet.

"Mrrg... Oh, hello, Krystal. I'm sorry if I bothered you, just some bad dreams. I think I ate something that disagreed with me." he says with an attempt at a reassuring smile as he shuffles into a sitting position, rubbing at his eyes.

     Krystal is almost sad that she awoke him after his nightmare turned to more pleasant dreams, but she lets that feeling go when he doesn't seem at all annoyed that she woke him up, instead apologizing to her. She smiles and shakes her head. "It just seemed like a rather rough one... Actually, there is something I don't think I've told you about, that you should really know about me. Any normal person would have known you were having a nightmare from the sound of you tossing and turning and murmuring in your sleep, but I'd have known even if I was wearing earplugs." She says with a pause, turning to look toward the mirror a moment.

     "You see, I'm a telepath, which means I can hear the thoughts of others, and even project my own into the minds of others to sort of speak through thoughts. It's been a very useful talent as a diplomat, but it also means that while I avoid trying to read deeper thoughts from my friends without asking first, surface thoughts are pretty much impossible for me to avoid eavesdropping on. So, as you were having your nightmare, I was almost having it replay in my own mind, even more so once I focused on it a little."

     Martin learns a little more about Krystal, and while listening to her explanation, leans against the wall and just sort of... takes the idea in. "...I see. In my world, vixens often claim to be gifted with special powers of healing and clairvoyance, especially in the wild tribes. I've never seen evidence that it was anything more than trickery, taking advantage of superstitious travelers and horde leaders for their own gain... but then, this isn't my world." He gives Krystal a curious look, then, and asks, "What did you see?"

     Krystal nods to Martins mentioning of being skeptical of the vixens of his world having similar powers. "Well, it's not terribly common among Cerinian foxes, though now that I'm the only one I guess that's a bit of a moot point. Not sure if other races of Lylat are known to have telepaths, but I've yet to meet one. As for what I saw, there were a few things that flashed quickly. One was of you on a beach with a sword, with some others chained together, as an elderly mouse calls out to you, though I didn't make out what she said. Then there was a scene where you were captured, and tied to a wall in the rain, shouting to those that apparently were your captors. After that I saw some more pleasant dreams, apparently when you were among friends."

     Martin sits in silence as Krystal recounts what she saw in his dreams, and when she's done, he nods. "Alright, I'll believe you. Admittedly a lot of it is really fuzzy for me, but... Those were less nightmares than they were memories. I was born in a series of caves on the northern shores. I was raised by my grandmother, Windred, but we were captured by slavers when I ventured too far from the caves. She... died, on the way to their fort. She was old and frail, and couldn't handle the march or the abuse they heaped on her.

A brief pause as the warrior shudders a little, a flash of that old anger returning for a moment. "I remember... Fort Marshank, it was called. Ruled by a cruel stoat called Badrang the Tyrant, who had us build it from the ground up. My sword... no, my father's sword, he took that as his prize when I was captured, and used it against innocent goodbeasts. I have never hated anyone more than him, and that hatred boiled for seasons upon seasons, until I was an adult. I tried to fight back, to protect... someone, I don't remember. The wall was my punishment."

He clenches his teeth, fist shaking in rage, but a deep breath soon calms him again. "I... I recall being rescued. I don't remember faces or names, but there was one, a mousemaid... Rose..." He trails off, falling silent.

     Krystal nods with a bit of a frown, gently putting an arm around Martin's back in a sort of half-hug if allowed. "I may have lost everyone I ever knew as a child, but I'm not sure if even losing my home planet is worse than having been there to witness a close family member like your grandmother die to the rough treatment of such beasts... And then having to be enslaved by the very same. My condolences. If a way back to your world is ever found, know this. I will gladly come with you and help save all the innocents from the tyrants who would beat them down."

     Martin leans into the half-hug, grateful for the comforting affection. Even just the warmth of another person seems to trigger a sense of peace within him as he lets out a small sigh. "I'd say either is worse than anyone should ever go through. Thankfully, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Badrang is dead, his horde scattered to the winds, and his slaves freed. I remember that much, and I remember it very well. After taking so much from me, after spreading so much torment to others, it felt good to take back my father's sword and plunge it into his cold, black heart."

However, despite those words, Martin's thoughts turn to feelings of anguish as he recalls something else. Rose's face appears again in his mind, but this time her eyes are lifeless, her body cold in his arms as he holds her. "Rose... didn't survive the battle. She fought as hard as anyone, and if not for her, Badrang may have escaped to start anew. But his fate was sealed when he slew her. My Rose, my beloved Laterose of Noonvale..."

The tears have started again, Martin's body shaking against Krystal as he sobs, trying to push those memories back. And yet he can't stop from thinking about her, that mousemaid with her pretty smile, her innocent yet adventurous spirit, those nights spent around a campfire with her and the friends he barely remembers. She stands out clearly amongst everything, no matter the scene.

     Krystal listens as Martin confirms that at least this tyrant was no more, but also recounts that it wasn't a victory that came easily. She pulls him into a hug once more and offers a cloth to sop up his tears. She could clearly tell even without reading his mind that he probably had feelings for Rose. "Sounds like she was a very special lady." She offers warmly, looking back at Martin with an attempt at a comforting smile.

     The tears dry up in time with or without the cloth, but Martin stays in Krystal's arms a little longer. "She... she was, yes. I loved her more than I've loved anyone before, and after she died, I couldn't bear to stay with her people. I know they forgave me for letting her die, but I've never forgiven myself. I don't really remember much after that, just seemingly endless wandering until I came to Mossflower, and I'm sure I've already told you what happened from there."

     Krystal nods. "Yes you did, and wandering I can certainly relate with. I spent a lot of time wandering the galaxy in search of answers for what happened to my planet. It's what led me to Sauria. I don't have rock-solid proof, but I have a strong feeling that the force that was tearing that planet apart, is the very same thing that destroyed mine. It can't just be a coincidence, and I'd bet my tail that it wasn't a natural phenomenon, that someone caused it. Though I couldn't tell you how, and just the thought that someone out there has the power to make a planet rip itself apart gives me chills, and makes me wonder why they haven't done it again since."

     Martin nods as well, silently wrapping an arm around Krystal to return the comforting gesture. "Like two peas in a pod, huh? Wanderers who lost everything, seeking answers... Well, I don't know if it's answers I seek. I don't know what I seek at all, but maybe, since I'm here... I can help you with your problem. I don't know much about planets or things that destroy them, but I'll lend a paw in any way I can."

     Krystal nods, smiling at the hug, gently squeezing Martin a bit as she returns with one of her own. "I have a lead that Panther is helping me with, but really at this point, while I'd like to know what happened, I'm mostly looking for the answer because I don't want to see it happen to anyone else. It won't bring my home back, and at this point, I'm content to help people in my travels, as long as I get enough paying jobs that I can keep myself fed, clothed, and my ship fueled up."

     Martin stays like that, enjoying the closeness of a friend as they discuss this problem. "I do remember that. Helping people, I mean. Everywhere I went, there was someone in need, and I always did what I could for them. Money wasn't really something that was widespread in my world, so I was usually 'paid' in food and a roof over my head for a night or two."

     Krystal smiles and chuckles a bit. "We really are quite alike for a blue space fox and a mouse from a land of swords and tyranny. There certainly doesn't seem to be any shortage of people that need help here among the various worlds, though sometimes it's a bit complicated and can be hard to figure out who's really on the right side of things when a world is vastly different from your own."

     "Yeah, funny how small the world seems after you get to know someone." Martin agrees, then leans his head against Krystal's shoulder and sighs again. "I'm still struggling to understand some things, but I try my best. It's all you can do, sometimes..."

Krystal nods, leaning back against the wall as Martin leans into her with a content smile. "Yeah, it's really all you can do. I can only imagine how it must be for you. I mean I'm used to technology and space ships, and even then some worlds are very strange. You must get that feeling a lot more often." She offers before being distracted by a warning alarm from the cockpit. "Oh, we're getting close to Corneria, I should probably head out to take over flying the ship, then we can get a hotel room so we don't have to share a bed so small we'd have to literally sleep on top of each other."

     Martin gives Krystal an extra squeeze before letting her go, getting up from the bed himself and gathering together his things. "It has been a nonstop parade of things I don't quite understand. You've made it much easier, though." he assures her, then chuckles a little at the mental image. "You say that, but that's hardly the worst way I've ever slept. The slaves at Marshank didn't have luxuries like blankets or pillows, so it was quite common for several to huddle together at once for both warmth and comfort."

Krystal nods as she takes the seat in the cockpit and guides the ship in for a landing at one of Corneria's main spaceports. They then take a shuttle to the nearest decent hotel and find that the only room available due to some concert event happening locally is a room with a single kingsize bed. "Well, guess we're sharing a bed anyway." Krystal comments before they head up to the room and she opens the door and walks inside before taking a seat on the bed and pulling off her sandals. She then lays back among the four pillows at the end of the bed. "Yeah, this is more comfortable than the bed on my ship anyway."

     Martin follows along the whole way, though he does have a small laugh at the irony of a single-bed room being the only thing available. As they enter, he goes over to a countertop and drops off his travelbag and sword, then hops up onto the bed to lay next to Krystal. "Mmm... Very soft. It's hard not to go right back to sleep." he agrees, rolling onto his side to face the vixen. "This is the sort of thing Rose and I would have shared if things had gone differently, or at least I like to think so. Noonvale was a happy, peaceful place, where I could have settled down and raised a family of my own... but not anymore."

Krystal rolls onto her side as well, facing Martin. She nods as he talks about Rose again. "It's too bad, I think I would have liked to meet her. I guess the question is that now that both of us can't go back home to the people we know, what will we do? I have really enjoyed taking you around Lylat and some other worlds, it's been fun, and also it's not every day you meet someone so selfless and courageous."

     "I think you would have liked her. In fact, I think she would have liked you too. A fox in Noonvale would attract attention, but they would have accepted you." Martin says with a smile, then blushes at the compliment.

"Oh... I mean, I just use my skills how my father taught me. He left when I was young, but he started me on the path of the warrior, just as his father did for him, and with the sword he also passed along Martin the Elder's wisdom. The sword is a tool for war, but war is sometimes necessary. I fight in service of the weak and defenseless, against those tyrants who abuse their power and rule through violence and fear. If ever I do settle somewhere, perhaps I could create a Noonvale of my own, but open to all rather than secluded from the world."

A moment or two of silence as the mouse warrior simply looks into Krystal's eyes, then he speaks up again. "I've had a wonderful time with you as well. Maybe, after we find the answers to your dilmma, you can help me build this new Noonvale? I don't know, it sounds like a fairy tale if anything, but surely no more of an undertaking than finding and stopping a destroyer of planets."

Krystal nods as Martin speaks of his training from his father and how his sword was passed down to him. "My staff was a gift from my parents when I was about to leave on my first diplomatic mission. It was 'just in case' things turned ugly. I'd trained with similar weapons before that of course, but nothing quite so fancy. It's a good weapon for an agent of peace I think, since without a blade it only leaves bruises unless you aim for certain vital weak spots where one could kill with a strong blow. Though mine does have features as you've probably seen which make it more deadly when the situation calls for it." She says as she stretches a bit, looking back to Martin when he mentions New Noonvale. "Build a new one huh? Sure, I'll help however I can. Where would you build it?"

     "Staves are very useful things. I have used them in my travels many times, both in combat and out. Many troublemakers I've come across are little more than bullies or common thieves, not worth staining my blade on. A sound drubbing usually sorts them out." Martin chatters a bit, a memory or two popping up that cause him to chuckle. As Krystal stretches, he can't help himself but admire her lean curves, eyes trailing a little... but he quickly snaps back to reality. "Hm, I'm not sure yet. Somewhere that's easy to access, able to accomodate travelers as well as keep the peace in a place that needs it. It'll need some more thought."

Yawning a little though, he rubs one of his eyes and lays on his back again. "Well... I suppose those nightmares prevented me from getting the rest I needed. If you don't mind, I'll lay here and try to make up for it. I enjoy your company, and... I think, when they turned to happier memories, I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. You don't need to stay, but maybe... maybe it'd help?"

Krystal nods and grins a little, scooting a little closer to Martin and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Well, seeing as this is the only room available, and I'd rather not sleep on the couch or the floor, nor would I ask you to do the same, looks like the choice is made for me, not that I mind at all." She offers with a wink as she stacks two of the pillows and lays her head atop them. "Sweet dreams my mousy warrior."