Phase 69: Wandering and wondering

{Lamico City has turned into a war zone.}

Colin wondered about that as he walked through an empty plain, thinking. He sat down in the middle of a big empty field with his back to the burning airport and wondered. {How did I get into this?}

Well, he was out now. Colin's instructions were very clear.

{Stay out of trouble, and stay out of sight. Don't let any news people interview you.}

"Wonder what everyone else is doing?" Colin asked Shiro, again on his shoulder.

"Yip." Shiro shrugged.

Foxie and Sonia were running around happily enjoying the open plains. Raiki was sitting on Kirin again, with Ardent right behind her. Eclipse was somewhere high overhead, with Glide, scouting around for possible dangers.

Colin walked straight ahead and didn't know where to go or what to do. {Is this what Justice Knights should really be doing…? What IS justice, anyway?}

"I want to go home." Colin told Shiro. "Back to the Forest of Legends. I want to leave this whole mess."

"Yip." Shiro regarded him seriously. "Yip?"

"We can't." Colin explained. "The airport's destroyed. Once we leave, getting back would be much more difficult."

"Yip." Shiro agreed, lowering his head. He sighed.

The Protectorate people had gone away peacefully. The Republic people had gone back to their towns to celebrate.

But then the Union came along and started attacking Lamico City. Satrox and Sandy were defending it while letting Henry and Rita recover. Tam was nowhere to be found.

If the rising smoke was any clue, Lamico City was going the same way as the airport; getting destroyed in the fighting.

"We should head north-west." Colin said to Shiro. "If we keep heading north-east, we'll end up at Windy Plains."

Was that really so bad? Not many people knew his face around here, right? They knew Satrox and knew Satrox brought someone with him, but they didn't know Colin by face. Did they even know his name?

"I should ask." Colin figured. "Or… something."

[Feeling a little lost, Colin?] Lynn asked him.

[Lynn?! Where are you? How did you reach me from so far away?] Colin jumped.

[Actually, I was about to ask you what happened to the airport. I don't have anywhere to land.] Lynn told him, mind to mind.

Colin sent her his memories of Satrox's plan and the battle for the airport in a single thought.

[Brilliant… but annoying.] Lynn half-laughed. [Now what am I going to do? I came to take a look at the Dark Forest and I can't even land the plane.]

[Why do you need a plane when you can fly on Nightwind?] Colin asked.

[I don't want to tire him out.] Lynn explained. [And besides, I'm already here. I could just call Nightwind and fly down on his back, but what am I going to do with my plane in the meantime?]

Colin thought about it. [Can it land at Iylara's place?]

[IYLARA?!] Lynn burst out. [What did she do to you?!]

[She made me the same offer you did. I told her I already took yours.] Colin said, sending her those memories.

[I… see.] Lynn fell quiet. [Colin…]

[Hmm?]

[Thank you.] Lynn said simply.

[You're welcome.] Colin said, just as simply.

[I'll… go see if she'll let me leave my plane there a while.] Lynn said, and her presence vanished from his mind.

"Yip?" Shiro questioned.

"Lynn's around. She wants to take a look at the Dark Forest. She is the Forest Princess, after all." Colin said. "Maybe we can hang out with her."

"Yip." Shiro grinned. He liked the idea.

[Hey, Lynn? Can we hang out with you?]

***

Five minutes later, Colin was sitting on Nightwind's back, following Lynn as she swooped down on the West Lamico Forest, heading straight for the center of it, the simple but deadly maze known as the Dark Forest.

"I'm surprised, Colin." Lynn mentioned. "You seem rather lonely today."

"Lonely?" Colin blinked. "Even with all my Comrades around? What makes you think that?"

"It's just a sense I'm getting." Lynn said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know." Colin summarized.

Lynn paused. "Care to share your memories?"

Colin thought about that. "Well… I guess it's okay. Maybe you can help me figure it out."

So he shared his memories of the past two nights, all of them this time, rather than focusing on any one event. Even his awe at Lynn's edict, even his frustration when he heard Katrin's giggle.

All of it, in a single moment.

When he was done, Lynn was silent. She said nothing as they landed in the forest, walked without a word as she approached the main entrance of the Dark Forest.

"Lynn…?" Colin hesitated.

"I know." Lynn said softly. "It's a lot to go through in just two nights, isn't it?"

"It is." Colin agreed. "Everything here is so complicated! Even with Satrox explaining things to me, I still feel that it's too complex!"

"I don't blame you." Lynn said. "You could learn quite a good bit from Satrox, but he's caught up in his own trouble."

"What do I do?" Colin groaned.

"Leave them." Lynn told him simply. "Your quest doesn't have a time limit. You can always come back after the war's over and try the tournaments then. Right now, you've got something more important to worry about."

"My Comrades' risk of going Frenzied?" Colin guessed.

"That's important too, but it'll solve itself in time. Besides, Comrades don't normally go Frenzied on the first death. Especially not Comrades like yours." Lynn said. "Your friends are being over-protective."

"Really…?"

"But there's something even more important than that." Lynn went on.

"Really?!" Colin stared "What is it? The Green Men?"

"Even more." Lynn said, and fell silent.

Colin froze. There was only one thing left on his mind that he'd consider important, and it was the one thing he didn't want to think about. "Katrin."

Lynn nodded. "I know how you feel, Colin, because I've shared your memories, but have you considered how she feels? At a time like this, she's left alone on Crabby Island."

"What? But the breeder's there and all her Comrades…"

"It's not the same. Just like you're feeling lonely without her, she's feeling that too."

"But… if I…" Colin gulped.

Lynn glanced at him. "Would it really be so bad? What are you so afraid of?"

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know!" Colin spluttered.

"Even if you don't want to couple up yet, you don't have to leave her in the dark." Lynn poked him. "You used to talk and play with her all the time, didn't you? Why should you avoid her now, when she's going through so much?"

"But…" Colin began.

Lynn held out her hand. "Relax, Colin, I'm not blaming you or scolding you. I'm just giving you a few ideas to think about. I personally think you'd be happier caring for her than avoiding her, whether it's as a good friend or more. You already care enough to worry whether or not you'll admit it. Why not just do what you really want to do?"

"What I… really want…?" Colin stared at his feet. "I just want to go back… to the time when everything was so much simpler, and more fun, and I didn't have to worry about so many things."

Lynn gave him a serious look then.

"Why don't you?"

***

"Hey… Katrin?"

"Colin! I was wondering when you'd call!"

Colin felt the shock to the ends of his hair. Katrin sounded like she'd been crying.

"I'm sorry. I've been busy and… I… I'm sorry."

"It's okay…" Katrin said softly."It's okay."

There was a pause in which neither of them said anything for a while. Colin didn't feel that he needed to say anything, and just felt her there, on the other side of the comms link.

"Are you… all right?" Katrin asked, still in that soft voice.

"Yeah." Colin said, matching that voice for softness.

"What happened?" she asked next.

"There's a war going on, and it's all very complicated." Colin said. "Henry and Rita died defending the airport. It's been destroyed."

"Oh no! How are you going to get back?"

"There's still the seaport. And Lynn's here, keeping an eye on the Dark Forest. She's giving me a lift back to Crabby Island later tonight."

"Oh! That's good." Katrin sounded relieved. "How's the Tournament?"

Colin winced. "I'm going to have to explain a few things before I get into that."

So he told her. Told her about arriving to find himself in the middle of a civil war and in a very awkward position. Told her what happened, what was said, what was done, all the way until he left the city and wandered around northwards.

"Colin, those tournaments sound really hard." Katrin mentioned. "Are you really going to stay around there until you win them?"

Colin paused. "I don't know, Kat. I mean, I'd like to go back to the Forest of Legends, and build up my home base. I'd love to go around doing normal jobs like before. But that's not possible back there… and I don't want to leave everyone here hanging. I think they still need me around. Even though I don't like it, I shouldn't just leave them all of a sudden."

"But you said the city's been attacked, and probably destroyed by now." Katrin pointed out. "Next time you die or Wake Up and return, you'd be back at your Home Base anyway."

"About that…" Colin took a deep breath. "Lynn's asked me to watch out for West Lamico Forest. She's letting me use the Forester's Hut while I'm here."

"That's another thing I wanted to ask you." Katrin said, and this time she sounded troubled.

"Can I meet Lynn?"