Hidden Desires [Unknown/Private]

Laura stood in front of Kai's legendary Starfall Shrine, her mind conflicted. Grabbing a passport to the Kingdom of Kai had certainly been the right idea; the Kingdom was one of the most beautiful places she'd ever seen, with the stars constantly shining brightly overhead. Bloom was enjoying it as well; although he wouldn't admit it, Laura could feel the night-loving monster's joy at being able to experience the eternal midnight. Laura was enjoying the night as well; it gave the entire Kingdom a peaceful, resting feeling, the kind that made anger and resentment fade away into sweet dreams.

The anger burning inside Laura's heart, however, had been stoked for far too long for a simple night's sky to extinguish it. Out there were the two Monster Trainers responsible for killing Vion, Laura and Bloom's friend; how could she be wasting time sightseeing when they still roamed freely? She didn't even know if they had survived the cataclysm that had rocked Kanto and liberated Laura from her academic prison; as long as there was the slightest chance that they were still alive, however, Laura would hunt them down.

On the other hand, there was also the issue of Laura's muteness. Once the fragments of Kanto had connected itself with this much larger world that she now knew was called Pandora, magic became a commonplace occurrence. Despite her efforts, however, Laura could not find herself a magician who could return her speech. Either her vocal chords had been entirely destroyed by the illness that had afflicted her as a baby, or there was some magical lock within Laura's throat that prevented her from making noise. Either way, there had to be somebody, somewhere in the wide world Pandora who could restore her speech. She was torn; she wasn't sure whether to avenge Vion or help herself. One was selfless vengeance, which Laura prized above all else, but restoring her voice would be invaluable in finding her targets.

That was why she had gravitated here, to this shrine. The First Saiyan, the man to whom this shrine was dedicated, was the closest thing Kai had to a legendary figure; Laura did not believe in gods, but she had learned in her short time in Pandora that legends tended to be very real here. Kanto's legendary figures were all Monster Trainers, who she did not trust in the slightest; those who shared a profession with Vion's murderers could very well share the bloodlust. So she had come here to ask for guidance. Kneeling before the shrine, Laura clasped her hands in a semblance of prayer. Please, show me the beginning of the next path I must follow, Laura thought, hoping that something would answer her call.

Laura's eyes snapped open as she heard the voice, looking towards the source. Bloom, having better night vision than the young girl, saw the outline of the hooded figure first and threw himself into a position between the enigmatic being and his friend. He eyed the figure warily, trying to determine if he (the gender was determinable by the voice) was a threat to Laura or not; he certainly gave off an intimidating aura, but it didn't seem to be directed at either of them. Rather, he was staring off behind Laura, as if daydreaming. Bloom found this behavior rather suspicious, but he didn't dare get farther away from Laura than he was; he had no idea what abilities the strange man might have, so he wanted to be able to pull Laura out of harm's way with his vines.

Laura, meanwhile, was staring at the outline of the figure that she could see, eyes squinted in thought. She had asked for a way to see the beginning of her next path, and this man had appeared; she couldn't help but assume that he had something to do with her wish. Not just that, but his comment lead her to believe that the man knew of her condition; either he had some sort of superhuman analysis skill, or they had known each other at one point. Still, he didn't seem hostile; if anything, he seemed curious, like he was observing and studying Laura and her partner.

All of these factors combined to lead her to a conclusion: Whatever this man was, he was not currently an enemy. Laura slowly moved towards the hooded figure, causing Bloom to give her an alarming notice; when he saw her resolve, however, he backed down. He still stuck to his friend like glue, however, as the pair cautiously moved closer to the figure, trying to get a glimpse under the hood.

The gears of Laura's mind were turning furiously, trying to decipher the bizarre man's comment. Did he know what she wanted, or just guessing at her desire? Was he referring to his own, snakelike movements as peculiar, or was he speaking about Laura or even Bloom? He was an enigma, his motives completely undecipherable at this point in time. Still, he had reached Laura. He didn't seem to have negative intentions, at least not towards Laura; a quick check with Bloom confirmed that he had noticed the same thing. Whether he was good or not, he certainly gave off a knowledgeable aura; spending time with him would likely allow Laura to learn more about the huge world known as Pandora.

How would she show her curiosity, though, without a voice? She had no way to get her message across; she had no voice, and she had never bothered to learn how to write due to her years in the wilderness and her hatred of the Academy from whence she came. Even if she knew how to write, she had no writing materials; there had been no pencils or paper in the ruins of the Academy, and the only thing she had was canvas and watercolor, which would not produce legible writing anyway. She did have something, though, she realized with a start. Bloom sensed her idea and assisted her in completing it, pulling a battered book from her bag. Laura grabbed it and showed the cover to the man; although is was battered and slightly singed, the title of the book was still readable: "Identity". She held up the silver medallion with her name on it as well, her message clear: Laura Pinesdottir was her. She then released the medallion and gestured to the man, asking him to reveal his own identity.

Laura was simultaneously saddened and curious by the man's declaration of his identity not being important. That was completely insane, at least in her opinion. How are you supposed to form bonds with others if the others do not know who you are? To a person like Laura who valued her bonds over everything else, this type of thinking was completely illogical and insane. Laura could sense that Bloom felt this way as well as he placed the book back into Laura's bag, albeit his process was colored with more suspicion than Laura's. A person who refused to form bonds, he felt, could not be trusted. Laura had been on the verge of agreeing with him...

...Until he said he knew how to help her communicate.

Laura's eyes lit up, sparkling like the stars in the sky above them. She was positive that this was fate now; she had plead for guidance, and a man appeared and claimed to know how to help her speak? It was too much of a coincidence to be true. She was so elated that Bloom's doubts were completely shoved aside; if it meant being able to speak, she would go through hell and back, even into the depths of evil. She gave the man a large smile, hoping that her excitement and anticipation would get through; right now, she would do almost anything he asked of her.

When the man asked if she was going to follow him, there was no hesitation on Laura's part. She gave her new companion a determined nod, signifying her intentions; as long as he made good on his promise to help her communicate, she would follow him to the ends of the earth. Bloom was still doubtful, but he restrained his ideas once he realized how excited Laura was. He hadn't seen her this happy in years; even if this turned out to be a bad decision in the long term, he would let her experience this happiness for at least a little while in the short-term.

With hearts full of hope and somber happiness, the pair made their intentions clear: They would follow this unknown man.