Private Journey Without, Journey Within

[Ghorua the Shark]

Arm in arm with his friend, Ghorua smiled. It was just like old times. It was something he had missed dearly when he had first found Kay again. She hadn't known who he was, wasn't as comfortable with him. It was the trust he had missed most of all.

"I've been living out of my ship, mostly," Ghorua said, smiling. It was a quality star yacht, a good, portable home. He would be a fool not to use it. "Cabin's still on Bakura, but it's a bit empty, ever since Minna went her own way."

"I don't get too lonely, though. We talk on the holo every week." Like all children, eventually Minna Balin had to find herself apart from her father. They had left each other on amiable terms, although not without a few tears from both parties.

"You could use the cabin if you wanted to get back on your feet. Even if it's just for a few days." Ghorua squeezed Kay's arm comfortingly. "Or, you can continue going on grand adventures with me, although I'm not sure how well you would like my work."

He killed people for money. It wasn't for everyone.

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

Kay knew the Jawsome well. She had travelled in it a few times. So it didn't surprise her that Ghorua the Shark would spend a lot of time travelling in it.

She listened about Minna Balin and of Bakura. That cabin and planet held meaning for the both of them. But to go from one empty house to another didn't quite sit well with her. Ghorua had helped to pull her from despair just by holding out his hand and choosing not to leave her. She'd hate to be left alone now.

"I don't want to be alone. I think that I'd like your company for a little while, if that's alright. And wherever that may take us, I'll go."

That is if she could step out of the Nether with him.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"'Course it's alright," the Shark said, throwing out a small chuckle. "Until you want off the ride, my ship is your ship."

Letting go of his friend's arm, Ghorua pressed a button on his wrist. The exit ramp of the ship's cargo hold rumbled open. He stepped inside, beckoning Kay to follow, with a bit of haste. He didn't want to see if the Mist-Walkers came back to claim their prize.

On further reflection, he wasn't sure if they were ever real to begin with.

Sitting in his command chair on the bridge of the Jawsome, Ghorua began the pre-flight checks. He tossed a carefree grin back to Kay, trying not to appear as concerned as he was feeling.

"Think you can guide us out of here, Mi'lady? To a way back home?"

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

Kay offered Ghorua the Shark a small smile in thanks and appreciation as she gave his arm a squeeze. It was starting to feel like the good ol' days. Such a thing was greatly missed...

She looked over her shoulder before stepping up onto the ramp, hoping that nothing would stop her. But also hoping that she wouldn't disappear.

Seeing nothing Kay walked up the ramp behind the Herglic and into the ship. She knew where to go for the most part, so it allowed her a few spare seconds to take a peek down the corridors before taking a seat beside Ghorua.

"I don't even know how you got here. But I'll try..." She also didn't know how to fly. At least, not very well. But Ghorua was sure to be fully in control. Kay only needed to guide him. "Maybe just....turn around and go back the way that you came. Do you remember it?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua eased the Jawsome back into the air, noting how the controls were shaking a bit more than normal. It was as if the ship itself didn't like to be here any more than Ghorua did.

"I remember the way to the... wormhole-thing," the Shark said, trying to maintain his easy smile, despite his doubts. "It might be that easy." Probably won't be, he didn't say.

The star yacht rotated slowly in the air, and propelled itself toward the way they'd come, breaking out of the layer of fog. Once they were over the condensation, and travelling back to their point of entry, Ghorua let out a deep breath, turning in his chair.

"Still with me, Kay?"

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

"A wormhole thing.....Back when I was younger, I came into the Nether through a gate. But maybe something else happened..." Some kind of rift, that was all that she could think of. Although how and why it came to be, she couldn't fathom. It was beyond her expertise.

As Ghorua the Shark turned to see if she was still there, Kay looked down to her hands to see if she was still opaque. And she was. She didn't seem to be disappearing at all. At least, not at this point.

"I'm still here." She gave him a small smile, yet her eyes showed the Herglic that she was just as worried about disappearing as he was. But all that they could do was to keep pressing on.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"It didn't look much like a gate," Ghorua commented, once he was sure Kay was still alive and well. "Didn't look much like anything, to be honest. We just hit an invisible space anomaly, and boom. Floating continents." He made an explosion motion with his hands, to accentuate the point.

The Jawsome continued on it's way, that feeling of unease still permeating every inch of the ship. It was as if the yacht itself was shivering with fear, and wanted to be free of the Netherworld. Which Ghorua found incredibly relatable.

Ghorua's fingers flew across the console of the ship, engaging sensors, looking for whatever thing deposited them here. He frowned.

"I... ah, I don't see the way we came in. Sensors aren't picking anything up."

- NPC Treasury -

 

[NPC Treasury]

Kay furrowed her brows as she kept her eyes peeled on the transparasteel in front of them. She saw the same thing that the sensors were picking up, which was nothing. "Did your sensors pick up anything before? Or did your arrival here just happen?"

Even after being in the Netherworld for who knows how long, she still didn't understand it one bit. It was almost as though the Nether was a living thing itself. Maybe it was the Darkside of the Force in it's natural state....

Kay turned to Ghorua the Shark with an idea. "Maybe we're not out far enough. From what I can guess, this place manifests our fears. I know that I'm worried that we won't get out. Are you too? Maybe we should try to believe in something else...that your wormhole will appear and we can escape safely." It was worth a shot, anyways.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua was trying to keep an optimistic outlook, but the prospect of being, quite literally, stranded in hell did not make him feel entirely comfortable. He tried to suppress the fear for his friend's sake, staying focused on the task at hand, and banishing any fear of failure to the back of his mind.

"Sensors picked up an anomaly," Ghorua said, absently, "but it was sudden. Maybe we'll find it if we perform a search pattern." Anything to keep the hope alive.

Kay's next words weren't responded to immediately. The Shark thought about his response, letting loose a tired sigh, and dropping any pretense of happiness from his face. "Honestly? I'm terrified. I just got you again. I don't want to lose you. Not to this place." He didn't look at her, instead staring at the sensor data, hoping beyond hope.

"What is there to believe in?" Ghorua had a bit of bitterness. "The galaxy is in shambles, I'm a washed-up hunter, you were killed..." The Herglic's wide shoulders sagged.

"There ain't much worth hoping for these days."

- Kay-Larr -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay couldn't remember seeing Ghorua the Shark so down. More than likely it was due to the Netherworld and the strange continent she was stuck in for what felt like an eternity. In there she had become her despair. And if it weren't for the Herglic she'd of still been stuck there.

Standing from her chair, Kay stepped over to Ghorua and wrapped her arms around him as best as she could, kissing his cheek before resting her head against him. "But you're not a washed up hunter. Look at what you've just done! You found me when no one even dared to try. You rescued me from my pain, you showed me that I'm still of some worth. The Galaxy is always in a shambles. The best that we can do is count on eachother. You are my bestest friend and I love you. Please don't give up hope. The Netherworld has not even seen your wrath and you're already defeating it. Herglics probably make it tremble as you once made me when you first caught me."

Hopefully her peptalk would help him. She knew exactly how he felt, and how hard it was to get out of it.