Passing Through

Pira looks out at the ship in awe as they slowly descend onto a rather sinister looking planet... at least to Frank.

After waking up from his nap, he was rather surprised when a black ball of mass covered all the light in the ship. It looks a lot like a black hole or something that it definitely not good but the others didn't seem worried, even the driver, Gretal was calm.

"What is that?" Frank asks.

"A barrier," Merquri replies, Gretal didn't seem to want to give a better answer either. Frank sniffs disdainfully but a barrier that conceals a planet's look and instead looks like a monster that can eat up ships is not unheard of.

Also that and monstrous planets that eat up ships also exists...

"So, is this the planet that will protect them from enforcers? Looks rather precarious doesn't it?" Frank asks.

Finally, Gretal gives him a look that is not a glare or a look of distain.

"I mean," he continues," there are people who can destroy barriers aren't there?" He asks.

Merquri looks from the planet to Gretal, she seems to agree with him.

"Yes... only this isn't an ordinary planet," they reply as the ship jerks from the gravity of the planet, they return to their own seats and buckle up as the ship shakes as it lands closer and closer to the ground.

Through the black smoke, a sound of wings flapping could be heard before their eyes were attacked by a blinding white light.

The ship gave a more violent jerk as it feels as if though it squeezed through something, it lands onto something solid rather smoothly. The ship huffs softly as the engine lets out some steam.

"Looks like it'll need some rest," Frank muses, waving the light smoke away from his face.

Gretal says nothing, as usual, and walks out of the ship. Since the light before was so bright, their eyes had already adjusted to the bright land.

"Hm... I can't see..."

Unlike the other two, seems that Merquri and Pira was still squinting. Prepared, Gretal gave them both sunglasses.

"Ooo, can I have one?" He asks with a grin. Gretal ignores him and leads them out of the purple grass they were standing on.

The Sky is green in colour unlike the pitch black that they were greeted with, in the distance, it's a green ocean.

At where they were walking to however is a city. The city from afar looks like a common utopia, rings hover over buildings that look like they could touch the clouds. They might as well seeing the bird-like creatures flying around it.

The buildings are all lit up and Frank bet that none of the houses would ever go below the 4th floor.

It was just a short walk, yet it's as if the building got bigger very step they take by an unusual bunch.

In the city, there are only one type of creatures that roam the streets. They look a little translucent, a little over Frank's height, with abstract shaped bodies.

A little star run passes him, he looks at it in a daze as the echo-like giggles sends chills down his spine.

"What the hell, this looks like the underworld," he mutters. The others ignored him and walks ahead, Merquri not letting her lose sight of Gretal, while Pira not losing sight of Merquri.

A tall wide creature passes directly through Frank, an echo of 'excuse me' sounds into his head and he whips over to the creature that just pass through him and into the building's wall.

"How are they not phasing through the floor?" He asks.

"Do they eat?"

"Can they -ahem- grow old?"

"How many are there?"

"Does the smaller the person the younger it is? Or is it the other way round?"

"I need food man,"

"How come I've never seen them before?"

Gretal looks at Frank with a stop, Merquri bumping into them, Pira to Merquri and Frank tilts his head to look at Gretal who seems rather annoyed at the questions. They seem to have reached though, in front of them is the tallest building in the city.

"These are called Aileorps*," Frank snorts at the name, Gretal continues as if they didn't hear anything," they are a lost species that have been thriving for centuries they can pass through things at will and so can the planet hence why it has been hidden from the universe for a long time," they add.

"So the planet has reached conscious then," Merquri replies.

Frank frowns, for planet to reach conscious... the fact that they or the inhabitants weren't disintegrated or kicked out of the planet was alien among aliens. Either the inhabitants were so good to the planet that they were deemed not a threat or it doesn't... care.

"How are we still alive then?" Merquri added a question, seemingly to have already sound out his thoughts.

"This planet doesn't decide for itself," Gretal replies as they continue to walk across the road where Aileorps on the other side stopped and waited. Like a civil crossing rather than a vehicle one.

"It has a nanny then?" Frank snorts.

"Something like that," Gretal replies, they enter the tall building, the building has little to no guards, a few people were move here and there but other than that, the building seems void of life.

'No curious potted plants then...' Frank muses. They walk over to the counter and Gretal speaks in a language none of the others can understand. Around the secretary, a dotted line points towards the teleporter at the side.

Gretal replies in what they assume was thanks and goes towards the device. The teleporter manages to fit even Merquri as they disappeared and reappeared in a purple light just as quick as Frank's blink.

They were at the top most levels, Pira looks rather scared and huddled closer to Merquri as they navigate what seems to be an office just without tables and chairs, just floating plates in the air.

Only one table was occupied, this Aileorp was rather dashing, sporting a long cloud for what Frank can only describe as a snout and a string of transparent mass, swinging left and right from the bottom.

"Casper," Gretal greets in a language that can be translated.

The Aileorp looks at them and seems to be saying in the same language as the others talked.

"I've bought new refugees, they'll need a place to stay," Gretal replies.

It says something again, in an agitated tone.

"Trust me, they'll be fine," Gretal sighs arms on their waist.

"Hey," Frank can't help to interrupt," refugees don't include me right?" He asks.

"You'll be better off here," Gretal simply says.

"Hey, I'm no refugee, I still got a place of my own to go back to, besides, I ain't doing no office job here," he replies.

Gretal rolls their eyes exasperated.

"It's not only office work, they have bodyguard jobs as well, lumberjack, engineers, warriors are all welcome," they add.

"This place seems peaceful enough, why would any one want to attack each other?" He asks.

The Aileorp seem to understand them and tapping away on the plate with a single blop of mass bouncing onto the plate, emitting light every time and a hologram appears showing them a dome like structure.

"This is a gladiator arena, they don't have many warriors but it's a place of great entertainment," Gretal explains." The pay there is high and so is the death rate," they add nonchalantly.

Merquri seems to tremble a little in excitement he bet. Frank looks at the hologram with a frown.

"No you don't get it, I have someone at home..." he replies, they seem rather surprised at that, Merquri a little mournful.

"What's with that look?" He asks in confusion.

"I'll... have to bring you back then," Gretal replies after a little bit of hesitation.

Seriously, why do they sound like they don't believe me... I just made that up???

-

Aileorp(s) - a creature that has an abstract form, with an average height of 175 for adults. It can pass through objects at will and is a living creature. Though there is no meaning in any earth languages it means 'Passing through' 'bystander' or 'hardworking one' in Unige.