Notes: Part four of the 'Travels of a Ryassophore' one-shot series. I would suggest reading the stories previous to get a basic gist of how this'll be going, though it's certainly not needed.

Warnings: This story contains various plot devices, and if it ends up being continued/finished... There is gender-bending and will have eventual slash. While it will not be hardcore anything (a kiss and hug at most, surely), be forewarned. Any criticisms of this or flames will be looked at and promptly posted for others to mock at.

Finally, any reviews are appreciated, especially those which contain constructive criticism. Thank you!

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The Land Under the Grasses

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Innocent Exploration

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/Travels of a Ryassophore/

Al was sitting on the top of a boulder, overlooking a tall grass prairie. He had been watching the soft looking clouds float across the sky, enjoying the peaceful air of the scenery. He was about to begin to search for a place to shield himself from the harsh sun when there was a light stirring of the wind. A couple leaves passed by his face, and as the wind started to pick up, it blew right in his face, making it near impossible to keep his eyes open.

The sound of a feminine cry and the thud of something hitting the ground were heard just as the wind died down. A few feet ahead and below of Al, a woman laid on the ground. She wore a long, flowing white dress and had equally long and flowing blonde hair that splayed out on the grassy field. She moaned softly, though she didn't open her eyes, simply shifting some, as if to see if anything was broken.

"Ah, miss!" Al quickly jumped to the ground, and hustled over, crouching down by her side and awkwardly unsure of where to put his hands. "Miss, are you alright?"

Her eyes fluttered open after another groan and she stared up at him with bright, curious blue eyes. She jerked up and away from him, the curious eyes becoming wide with startlement, her lips slightly parted. All that came past them was a, "Y... yooou..." She fumbled some before she sat on her knees to be in a better position to bow deeply. "... I-I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I..." she trailed off with uncertainty, lifting her head some to peer up at him. What had the fairy done?! Why was he a woman?!

He smiled kindly and offered her a hand. "Please do not fear a humble man such as myself, my child. If anything, I should think I have more to fear from a beauty who drops from the sky so suddenly."

She took the hand, but ducked her head and flushed heavily at his words. "No, no... I just..." When she was standing, she clasped both of her hands around his, turning her head to try and get her bearings, but she didn't recognize any of the landscape. She trembled slightly at this and looked back up at him. "May I... travel... with you? I'm a little lost, I th-think..."

"Of course." He adjusted his knapsack inside his robes. "I have been traveling from the north, and the last band of wanderers told me that there was a collection of towns further down this path. In fact, I'm sure that I see the roofs just beyond that next hill. Perhaps you can gain your bearings there." He paused for a second. "You can call me Al if you wish."

"A...l..." She smiled gently. "Is it short for something?" She turned her head as she asked the question to gaze at the hills with a hopeful look on her face, though there was no hope in her heart that she'd recognize anything. It didn't matter to her as she looked back up at him, the smile still in place.

The Ryassophore laughed as he began to walk. "Whether it is or not is of no consequence. Now come, child, what do you remember last? Do you remember who you are?"

She paused thoughtfully, though she continued walking. She knew quite well who she was... She smiled faintly. "I... I don't remember much." She chewed on her lower lip nervously. "I hope I'm not missing..."

"Oh, goodness..." Al frowned worriedly. "Please do not worry. I will make sure you are safe until your memories return." The frown faded as they topped a hill, showing little but more tall grass. "I would enjoy finding why you appeared like you did. I'm sure it would be very entertaining... Though... I wonder where the buildings are?"

He surveyed what lay before them, seeing nothing but wisps of mist fading into the stiff breeze. While behind him, some rocky mountains jutted out from the flat grassland, before him lay nothing by gently rolling hills, carpeted with the golden grass waved back and forth in the wind that constantly blew across the plains. The sun was getting high in the blue-up sky above, and the heat of day was rapidly reaching its peak. He'd learned that it was typically best to find shelter during such times in this sort of climate.

She looked around, clasping one hand to her cheek in worried thought as the hot air blew against it. "Oh, dear..." She sighed whimsically. "This doesn't look too good." Her gaze returned to him. "I'm afraid none of this is looking familiar to me... and I don't see a town... what are we going to do now?"

"Well... I suppose there's little point in worrying about it. Perhaps there will be some clue further down..." Al slowly started down the hill, looking around him for some sort of sign. "Surely the travelers wouldn't have lied to me..."

As the two followed the worn path, the streams of mist became more clearly formed. In fact, they seemed to pour out from the ground. "What is this? Are we over a thermal spring by any chance? No, wait..." Pulling away from the girl, he peered down at the ground by the closest smoke-column. Sprouting up from the soil was a rusted copper-colored pipe from which the mist poured out. "Is the town under us?"

"How cool!" She clapped her hands and looked down at the ground, her expression lit with excitement. "I wonder what it looks like! Are we going to enter it? I hope so!" She paused, looking around. "Though, how do we get in..."

The man puzzled over this for a long while before grinning suddenly. "I've an idea..." Looking much like a boy who'd just figured out a splendid trick to play, he got onto his hands and knees before finding a few well-sized pebbles in the dirt. "And then we just..." With a merry little laugh, he raised a hand over the nearest smokestack and dropped the pebbled down it, one at a time.

Standing back up, he turned and beamed at the girl. "And now we wait for a moment."

She giggled and crouched down beside the smokestack, her hands clasped neatly in her lap. "This is exciting!" She did her best to keep from leaning over the smokestack, just in case something came back up. "I wonder what the people are like..."

After a few more seconds, there was the rustling of grass as a small hole opened up on the next hill, the tall grass opening up around it. A flat head poked out and peered at the man and girl for a long while before disappearing back again.

"Come on, my dear. I think we've found out answer." Taking her hand within his own, he pulled her behind him until they reached where the tall grass was bent down around in a circle. Fingering around with his thumb, Al chuckled when he found a small loophole made of twine. Pulling it up, upwards came a small trapdoor of sod.

Ushering his new-found friend before him, the man went down first, staring steadfastly down into the darkness, as the door above fell shut above them. After many a foot, Al finally touched onto ground, stepping to the side to allow the girl off the ladder. Pausing for a moment to let his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Here, child, follow me, just in case the people here prove to be unwary of strangers."

She smiled and took his hand in her own, though for whose comfort was blurry. "I don't think anything bad will happen. Neither of us look very threatening, if you ask me."

Al laughed. "I should hope not."

The tunnel was vaguely rectangular in shape and, as they walked further down, held small frames of glowing moss fixed to the sides, providing a soft, moody purple light. After a fair ways, the passage curved to the left, leading to a cavernous, empty room.

"Well, how curious this place is..." Al rubbed his head curiously as he looked around before noticing some movement in the far corner. "You there! Excuse me!"

A flat-head, similar to that of the one who peeked out from the ground, peered out from the gloom. "Yes?" It was a thin wavery sort of voice.

"Good afternoon." Al opened his arms in peace. "I am but a simple traveler. I and my friend would like to stay for a night's lodging. I am more than willing to work off the debts."

"N-night?" The head moved into view, revealing a short, squaty body. "P-please only l-leave us in p-p-peace."

"Us?"

The small man nodded jerkily.

"Ah..." She leaned to the side to peer out from behind Al, a gentle smile on her lips. "We are Al and C..." She blinked, then quickly feigned surprise. "Ah, that's my name... Cloe..." The smile returned to her lips. "Al and Cloe. We don't mean either of you any harm."

"If I g-give you a room, w-while you leave us b-b-be?" The being wrung his hands anxiously.

Frowning sorrowfully, the Ryassophore stepped forward. The little man stepped back against the wall. "My poor man..." The man said softly, as if he were speaking to a small child. "Please do not fear us, we mean no harm. If I may, what is troubling you? I wish only to help you. Please, allow me." He reached out a hand, but this only made it worse.

With a terrified shriek, the man ran crying from the room, through a door that had been previously hidden by the darkness. Al remained where he stood, hand still out-stretched. "I..." He blinked confusedly and slowly turned to the floor. "I... I suppose we... we could sleep here, if that's alright with you... Atleast until the sun goes down enough to allow us to walk without burning."

Cloe placed her hand on Al's arm in a comforting gesture, smiling softly. "You did your best." She retracted the hand to put both of hers on her hips. "Now, about sleeping here..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, surveying the room. "It should be interesting to sleep, but I have no complaints." She returned her smile to him. "What about you?"

"I... I suppose." He shuffled to the side. "Atleast the soil is soft... Though, I apologize. I have nothing to give you to keep your dress clean. I've only my robe..."

She laughed delicately and made herself comfortable. "I don't remember any attachment to it, so it's okay." She laid down with her back facing him so that she could express her true feelings to the wall ahead of her. She... he... had told that little fairy thing that he wanted to see Al again. He wasn't quite sure how that ended up with him as a woman and traveling with Al...

She closed her eyes and curled up slightly. It made it worse, honestly (and a lot more confusing for both him). Now that he was so close she could actually touch him, she wanted more than she could have, which made her hate herself more for thinking that way...

She quietly clasped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from whimpering aloud. She couldn't deny, though, that it was nice to see and hear him, for however long it lasted before he wanted to go his separate way...

Beside her, Al made himself comfortable in the dirt, lightly creating a mound to lay his head on. It was truly soft, much like goose down; certainly much nicer to sleep on that rock. It would only be a few hours, surely before the sun went down enough for the heat to die down. Then they would be able to leave and not trouble these poor people any longer.

He tried to close his eyes and drift to sleep, but the tighter he shut his eyelids the more he felt slumber leave him. Finally he sat up, as it was clear rest would not come. He glanced around the room, noting that it was quite easy to see now. His gaze drifted over to his new travel-mate. She was asleep, her chest lightly rising up and down. The Ryassophore hunched over, letting his chin rest on his open palm as he studied her.

She did look familiar somewhat, but not enough to be readily recognized. She was a tall slender girl who looked like she had seen soft labor, though it only enhanced her looks. Her pale skin covering well formed arms, and the long pale hair... Poor girl, losing her memories and being dropped in an unfamiliar place such as this. The man wondered what had happened. Had she been cursed or dealt a harsh hand by fate? Wouldn't that make the two of them...

The thought brought his mind to full circle, thinking about the people in whose housing they were sleeping in. What had caused the flat-headed man to be so frightened? Had the travelers from before been unkind perhaps? Was there a sickness perhaps, or were they merely superstitious?

Or was it due to traveling soldiers from the Holy capitol on there way to quell more rebellions in the South? Who knew?

He frowned worriedly. He had never been openly feared like that before. Hated, yes, but never feared. It was a rather terrible feeling. Making up his mind, Al stood, dusting off his robes and walked over to where the man had disappeared. The wall had opened up like a secret door. Somewhere along here... He ran his hands along the soil before there was a muffled click, and he fell forward, the wall opening up before him with a shower of dirt. It clicked back shut behind him.

Al coughed, trying to keep quiet by covering his face with his hands. Here it was much lighter, the passage more narrow with a lower ceiling that just brushed the man's hair. As he peered down it, he noted that it split into two separate tunnels which, he saw when he looked down the two, split into many, many other small passages.

Curiosity nagged at him and while he wanted to travel down and see where each led, Al knew that he had nothing to mark his path, and he couldn't wander helter-skelter when he had a young girl traveling with him now. He would have to be careful to be back before she woke and grew worried. Perhaps traveling down only the tunnels to his left would be safe. That way, he had only to make right turns to his way safely back. With this plan in mind, he smiled and began his journey. Traveling was so much fun!

It was the seventh left turn that took him to it.

"Oh my goodness...!" Al gasp as his eyes were near blinded with the bright glimmers of shining crystal glass. Shielding his face with a sleeve, the man stepped forward and picked up a piece of the crystal.

A short stubby chunk, it was perfectly clear. He raised it to his eyes, wincing. While the glass wasn't harshly lit by themselves, the large pile magnified and enhanced the meager light given off by the phosphorescent moss on the walls.

Exploring the pile a bit more extensively, he found nothing but crystal chunks of various sized and shapes and thicknesses. All were perfectly transparent. "How wondrous!" He stuck the small bit into his pocket and began his way back to get his new companion. She was sure to love this!

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Cloe had woken up while he was away and fretted for a small while, but after thinking things through -- that Al surely wouldn't leave her here alone, that the people seems too frightened to kidnap him, and that she was pretty sure she didn't see any signs of a struggle in the dirt -- she returned to where she had been lying and sat down. With how curious he was about everything, it didn't really surprise her that he'd probably wandered out to explore.

She contented herself with that thought and started to run her fingers through her hair to work out any dirt she could find. Time passed by and still no sign of him... she sighed and pulled her hair over her shoulder. Well, it would get in the way of traveling, she thought to herself, so she should braid it.

She hummed to herself as she started to, forgetting for a moment that she had no clue how to, and after a long while she had a lock of hair in one hand, a lock in the other, and looked as if she were trying to tie it into a bow. How did woman do this so easily?

Beyond her, the wall opened up, and Al fell forward to the ground with a grunt. He rubbed his chest as he stood and noticed Cloe sitting up, looking at her hair in puzzlement. "Oh my... You should be sleeping, my child. You need the rest."

Cloe looked at him, dropping the hair she held. It fell, unkotting itself, and swished about her shoulders before settling against her back. "What about you?" She smiled, standing and clasping her hands behind her. "You're the one who is traveling the most, and you're off wandering this place..." The smile faded into an almost scolding frown. "What if the people are afraid of a monster that lives underground, and it ate you!"

The man laughed, rubbing his head. "Oh, I'm sorry for worrying you. It was just that I was unable to sleep, so I thought there would be no harm in exploring a bit..."

"All this 'my child' business..." She tilted her head up and tapped on her chin. Her brow furrowed in thought. "I know you're a Holy man, but I didn't grow this old to still be called that." She lowered her gaze back to him with a soft but playful smile. "Do I look like a little girl to you?"

Looking properly chastised, Al raised his hands in weak defense. "That's not what I mean at all!" He tried to smile as best he could and try to placate her. "Perhaps you would prefer 'sister' then? I could call you that if you would prefer..."

"Why not just Co-- er, Cloe?" Her smile widened to a cheerful one despite the near mistake. "It is the name I was given and raised with, after all." She figured that this was a safe enough white lie.

"But..." He furrowed his brow. "That would be far too inappropriate, for a girl I've only just met..."

She tilted her head, the smile wavering slightly. "It's how it usually goes, though... I would say, 'Hello there, stranger.' and they would reply, 'Ah, hello, my name's Reitan Bijou.' From then on, I'd call them Reitan if he were my age, or Mr. Bijou if he were older..." The smile regained its cheerfulness and she nodded in agreeance with herself. "I don't see why it should be any different for us. Besides..." Her eyes gained an almost distant quality, though it was hard to make out in the current lighting. "... don't you get that feeling that we've met somewhere before? Perhaps on one of your travels, we ran into one another..."

"Even so, I..." He looked down for a moment when his eyes widened. "Oh, yes! This talk made me forget about it, but look!" Smiling widely, he pulled out the bit of glass and held it out. "Look at this! Isn't it amazing? Down a few tunnels is this large stack of glass! Taller and wider than a man's height, I can't imagine where it would have come from!"

Cloe's eyes widened and she took the glass, holding it up to look at it with a child's curiosity. "Uwaa! This must be why they don't want us here..." She giggled, turning it slowly in her hand. "I wonder if they had to hide all of it so it wouldn't be stolen? But what are they for, I wonder..." She giggled again when she discovered the magnifying properties it had when held up at an angle.

"Isn't it curious? I've never seen such a glass that had the ability to be so thick, yet so clear." He took it back from her and hid it selfishly on his person. "It makes me wonder how this town functions and more questions! I wish the flat-headed man from before would allow me to talk to him."

Cloe gave a melodic laugh as she shook her head. "I suppose this is why you're a traveler and I'm pretty sure I'm not..." She sighed wistfully. "I'd rather see things and daydream about them than learn the truth at the risk of ruining the magic." She paused, then looked back at him, specifically at where he had hidden the glass. "... but I really, really do want to know what that glass is for!"

He laughed. "Well then, would you like to look with me? I would feel much better knowing that you weren't alone by yourself."

"Being left behind is rather lonely, so it appears I don't have much of a choice..." She delicately placed her arm around his, her hand barely resting against his own, as if trying to touch him as little as possible. "Which way should we head toward first? It all looks the same to me."

"Well..." Al smiled as he thought of this. "It would be a shame to go somewhere I've already been to, so... perhaps we can go right, right, left, left, and repeat the pattern until we reach an ending. Then we can just retrace our steps by going backwards."

"Don't worry, I've become very adept at escaping things." He pushed on the spot on the wall, this time managing to stay on his feet long enough to hold the wall open for her to pass through before following himself.

Following the tunnels according to plan, right, right, left, left and repeat, the two began to slow as it seemed the underground paths would never end.

Finally, Al stopped and wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. It had been a fair while since the last time they had reached a split. Had they reached the end of their meandering, stuck on a relatively straight path? Where was it going to lead? "I wonder where we are?"

"Well, we're not lost, at least..." She touched the wall softly with one hand. "Do you think it feels any colder to you? That might indicate whether we're going down or not." She laughed, keeping her palm against the wall. "Falling into the center of the earth, I don't believe, is on my list of things to do."

"I doubt that would happen. I have been told that the middle of the earth is molten fire, so I would think that it would only get warmer as we went deeper down and neared it, but it is instead getting cooler." He shrugged absently. "I admit I am not a learned man of the sciences, though I have close companions who are scholars and would probably know the answer." He paused and glanced at her. "Are you growing chill?"

Cloe waved a dismissive hand. "I've been through much worse than this." She smiled reassuringly. "I can handle a fair bit of cold, so don't worry..." Her gaze returned to the dark path ahead. "You've met and know so many people, though... how do you remember them all?"

"Oh, rest assured, I do not. I only remember those who interested me. Mostly, I remember the places I have been, for I find them much more unique." He laughed. "I am sure that makes me sound like a sinful man, but I cannot hide the truth."

"As long as you're honest, I don't see anything wrong with it." Her smile widened. "I prefer people... as beautiful or unique a landscape might be, I'd get lonely if that was all that I had. People can comfort you or make you laugh, but scenery will rarely pay you any attention..." She laughed. "But maybe I just haven't met the right area. Just because I haven't seen a friendly landscape doesn't mean it's not out there!"

Al laughed as well. "To each their own, for sure, for sure." He felt along the wall as they walked, noting that the soil was rapidly turning rocky, and the air was rapidly cooling. "I am actually on my way to one of my friends. He lives in a city to the south, and enjoys collecting items from my travels. I'm sure he would enjoy the bit of glass."

Cloe, since she was walking just slightly behind him, allowed her expression to drop some, though she gave small comments of acknowledgment as he spoke. She questioned why she had wanted to see him so badly. He saw so many people... the only thing he probably remembered was the trenches around Cole's hometown. She lowered her head some, suddenly feeling homesick. There was no point in staying... A small sigh escaped her and she lifted her head. "What do you think is down here? It must be important, to have dug all of this for it."

"You think so?" Al furrowed his brow in thought. "Well, maybe they were curious to see how far it could go? I know I would be." He smiled. "In any case, the further we go, the more I wonder if this is still a tunnel or if it one of those underground caves I've heard so much about."

"Underground caves...?" She increased her pace to stand beside him, looking up at him quizzically. Her child-like curiosity got the best of her and she asked, "What do you mean? What have you heard?" Al might be exploring-happy, but she was more than content to listen to his stories.

Happy to chatter about what he had heard, Al launched into a soft tone. "Tunnels that are underground. Some are wide as a carriage roadway, and others are mere cracks in the rocks that extend for miles upon miles. Some lead to vast cavernous rooms and split and join in a labyrinth of passages. I've heard tales of people finding remarkable things of stone, such a icicles and waterfalls made of smoothed rock and of hollow tubes extending from the ceiling that drip water to the floor.

Then there are entire waterways, canals and rivers and even seas under the surface of the earth. From what I've heard, they are the clearest water you will ever see in your life, appearing like glass. There are also tales of eyeless beasts that live in them and feed on the dead.

I have also been told frightening stories of children exploring openings in the local mountains and being swallowed up by vast crevices and fissures in the rock, falling to their death and never being found again." He laughed. "Of course, I am sure that fact and fiction have been mixed together, and surely not all of it could possibly be true."

"Uwaaaow..." She rubbed her arms and shivered. "That sounds kind of... ah!" She perked up, looking at him with wide eyes. "If there is an underground cave, do you think that's where all the glass came from?"

Al's eyes lit up at the idea. "Oh! What a fascinating thought!" He grinned and patted her head. "That's prefect reasoning for a fellow traveler. You're very smart indeed! I hadn't thought of that possibility at all!"

Cloe flushed lightly, but laughed despite. "I hope it's true! Imagine what it could be! A whole river or lake with a bed of glass! It's beautiful to think of..." She sighed dreamily and clasped her hands to her cheeks at the thought. "I wonder if we'll hear water soon, or see some glowing light!"

Equally excited by the prospect, the Ryassophore puffed up his chest and picked up his pace. "I almost hope so, for that would surely be a sight to behold! Come on Cloe! My blood's gotten hot for travel!"

Cloe followed after him like an obedient puppy. "Just watch your feet! I can't carry you back up if you fall and hurt yourself." She giggled at the prospect of her attempting to do so. Cole would have been able to, but as a woman, not so much.

And both tramped merrily into the dark.

/from the traveling diary of a wandering Ryassophore/

...to be continued as we please (signed, kris-et-dan)