Unyielding Search (Malakai, closed)

[hoffman]

Circumstances couldn't have turned out much more worse.

At least in Leiz's mind, who failed to see the positives in a situation that wasn't all that dire to start with. For one reason or another, Zephyrus eluded him. Despite his best efforts to find his acquaintance, he just couldn't manage it. He knew all three districts like the back of his hand and yet - even though he thoroughly searched two of the three districts, not one hint turned up.

However, he did find something in the Third District, though it was nothing resembling his target.

The sounds of battle drew him close to the end of the Third District's main terrace, hinting at something sinister happening deep within. As he came to the end of the terrace and peered over, Leiz observed just what he had imagined - an almost hopeless battle ... a horde of heartles surrounding a man in the center of the courtyard, just barely fending them off due to their sheer numbers.

It was then that he was faced with an executive decision - to fight ... or walk away. Battle troubled him not, but the possibility of running past Zephyrus did. Though usually neutral and somewhat careless in his endeavors, Leiz did have a few scraps of morality, realizing that it probably wouldn't be good for his karma if he left someone to die.

Huffing, Leiz hopped over the platform's fence swiftly, dropping to the courtyard's floor in a blinding moment. Glaring out into the crowd of soldiers and shadows, he pulled out his side-arm and fired off a few plasma blasts into the crowd, making sure not to hit the warrior encapsulated within.

The shambling beings began to disperse and gravitate away, noting the emerald-haired boy's assault. One warrior had turned to two ... and now, this battle was no longer hopeless.

[Larxene]

This situation with the Heartless was getting ridiculous.

In the beginning they were a minor annoyance. They frightened him a bit – made his skin scrawl at the very sight of their unnatural, twitching forms – but otherwise they did not prove much of a problem. They came in small groups of twos and threes, sometimes fours, and were easily enough dispatched with the proper application of force. The locals he conferred with on the matter assured him that the Heartless bothered everyone in that town and that being harassed by small packs of Heartless was the worst he should expect during his stay there.

But each time he wandered out of his flat in the First District, be it for a small walk or to go to work, Malakai could have sworn that the number of Heartless that stalked his shadow grew and grew with each passing day.

Now he was beginning to suspect that they were purposely out to get him.

Like moths to a flame, they came after him in ever-growing droves, and Malakai, for the life of him, could not figure out why.

As per usual course of action he fought them off with fist and foot – and, if the resources were available to him, with spears of earth and lashes of air – but as the hordes grew in size and the battles wore on he found it more and more difficult to hold his ground alone. Today was no exception.

He came to the Third District with the soul intention of passing through. The shop he currently worked at in the Second District needed him to deliver a few things to a customer in the First, but overwhelmed by the glaring neon lights and many twisting alleys, as he always was, Malakai took a wrong turn and ended up in the Third. Not that much of an issue, he had supposed: the Third District was, more or less, a straight shot to the First. He could put up with having taken the longer route… until the Heartless entered the picture.

Package tucked under one arm he quickly did away with the offending Shadow with a swift kick between the eyes. What started as one little Shadow, however, quickly grew into a massive, writhing mob. Initially he planned to kick and punch a path through and make a run for the First District doors, but when the mob proved too thick to do so he had no other choice but to abandon flight and fight.

He did the best he could kicking the Shadows away and planting his free fist into the faces of Soldiers too close for comfort; when the Heartless started getting close enough to grab at his clothes, though, the battle became desperate. He freed his other hand by lobbing his package into the horde, and out of the corner of his eye he spotted a something he had not noticed before, distracted by the Heartless assault: a small fountain tucked away in the corner of the courtyard.

It took only a small twitch of his hand to cause a stream of water to leap up from the fountain and surge towards him, coiling around his arms like a cerulean serpent upon arrival. In this town of iron and stone he had little opportunity to exhibit his element manipulating powers without causing significant destruction, but thankfully the fountain provided him with an easily accessible resource that he had hoped would turn the tide of the battle. Malakai’s slightest movements commanded the water, having it lash out at the Heartless like a whip, striking some down and forcing others back, but he knew that he would not be able to keep this up forever. He hoped he would be able to fight them all off before his strength failed him. How quickly the mob continued to grow left him with little hope…

And then he heard what sounded like shots being fired off; out of the corner of his eye he saw Shadows and Soldiers fade away into wisps of darkness. Through the horde he caught glimpses of green, and he could only guess someone else had entered the fray, a number of the Heartless turning towards the source of gunfire. Whoever this person was, they had at least bettered their odds for victory, something Malakai was grateful for. Though… this person was putting themselves in harm’s way to help him, endangering their own life to help a complete stranger.

They were still massively outnumbered, and this mysterious aid could get themselves horribly injured trying to help. Malakai would not allow that.

With renewed vigor he continued to fight, spinning the watery stream around him in massive arcs as he lashed out at the Heartless horde, striking down the Heartless that turned their backs on him for the new target and kicking away any inky claws that tried to catch him.

(Post number 1000! > *hipthrust*)

[hoffman]

A steadfast kick from the teenager's right leg would result in one of the Shadows being catapulted back into another - into another - and into a Soldier. All four disintegrated into a fine, black mist, leaving the fate of their remains much to the imagination. Despite their best attempts to spread out, clustered attacks were all too easy to carry out on the heartless ... they were still very compacted in some segments of the crowd, making it somewhat clear that that their mobility was not going to improve that much.

This was clearly evidenced by the maroon-haired male's success in harnessing the water from a nearby fountain to lash out at the swarm. Like a whip, it curled and flung around, cutting through a sizeable portion of the dark beings with ease. Only for a moment, Leiz took his attention off nearby shadows to observe this, taking interest in the man's abilities. His brief period of adoration was quickly cut off, however, as he felt a claw rake against his arm, cutting through cotton and flesh. He seemed almost unphased, but it wasn't long before a crimson liquid began to trickle from his wound, staining his long-sleeved shirt.

Irked at this brutal reminder of his mortality, Leiz did a quick step to the right and lifted his leg, sweeping it round full-circle to dispatch his assailants. Some Shadows were disposed of, some brutally wounded - but the numerous Soldiers surrouding his being were merely delayed in their assault. It would take a concentrated attack to completely destroy them.

Stepping back and holstering his Bruiser, Leiz prepared to engage in close combat ... long-ranged tactics were now useless.

[Larxene]

Malakai continued to swing the azure ribbon about, striking down Heartless after Heartless that dared to come close. It was exhilarating, to not be completely powerless for once in that town of cobbles and neon signs -- he almost did not notice that the sound of gunfire had ceased. After slicing another Soldier in two he craned his head around towards where he had last heard shots. What little he could see of the green-haired boy between the writhing forms of the Heartless told him that quite possibly he was in trouble, and Malakai could have sworn he saw blood. He hissed a curse under his breath.

“Wretched beasts!” he practically snarled out to the assailing Heartless. “You’re after me, aren’t you? Let the boy be!”

He took a step towards the boy only to find that his momentary lapse of attention permitted the Heartless a chance to regroup and amass around him. This was severely getting out of hand.

He needed to get to the boy… but to do that he needed room, a path. And then a thought occurred to him. He knew something that most certainly would work.

The small bell around his neck chimed shrilly as he flourished his hand overhead. The fountain practically emptied when more streams of water erupted up from its basin, surging towards the geomancer. They began to circle around his form like a tight, winding wheel of watery snakes. Quickly they gathered speed, fusing into one another until they formed a vicious gyre.

Malakai swept his arm downward in a grand arc and let the Whirlpool fly, water spiraling outward all around him and sweeping away any Heartless within reach.

He did not know how many the attack took out; he caught only glimpses of black tendrils out of the corner of his good eye as he was focused intently on the horde of Soldiers now bearing down upon his aid.

Releasing his power over the water – letting what was still airborne drop and drench the inky beasts -- Malakai charged forward, towards the boy now beset by the Heartless. When one Soldier broke away from the crowd and veered towards him he rammed his fist into the opening of its helmet. The Soldier staggered back from the blow and then keeled forward. Taking his chance, Malakai leaped up, planted his foot on the Heartless’ helmet, and kicked off. With one great bound and cleared the wall of Heartless and landed deftly beside the boy, spinning around and facing the opposing Heartless with fists balled.

He said nothing to the boy nor did he look at him, not daring to speak at risk of the Heartless sneaking a strike in, but instead nodded curtly to him. When faced with great numbers, fight with great numbers. Two was not exactly a great number, but he had hoped that fighting side by side would yield better results than fighting on opposite ends of the field.

[hoffman]

Blood continued to trickle from the wound without really stopping - worse enough, the boy with the emerald green hair didn't really have the time to at least apply pressure to the wound. His combative stance did not allow for much else to be done as the heartless encircled him, each limb of his deftly dealing blows and swats that effectively subdued a few Shadows and Soldiers from drawing near.

"Wretched beasts!" he heard over the commotion, the man's voice drenched with hints of sincerity and desparation. "You're after me, aren't you? Let the boy be!"

Blinding his eyes to what action unfolded a good ten feet away, the boy narrowed his focus on the dangers that lied within his personal space. Clenching a fist and hurtling it as hard as he possibly could into the face of a nearby Soldier, he himself was surprised to find that it went in through the surface and came out through the other side, effectually impaling it with his hand. Much to the boy's shock, however, it wasn't quite dead, but it was more or less preoccupied with trying to get the boy's hand out of its helmet.

Shrugging, Leiz used this as a rare opportunity to swing the Soldier's body around, smacking and destroying nearby Shadows with newfound yet disturbing ease. He indulged in this labor for what seemed like ten seconds before eventually lashing his arm out so hard that his fist came free, letting the Soldier fly through the air helplessly. It crashed into a cluster of heartless with a terrifying series of loud clinks and clanks, eventually culminating in the dissapation of one small group.

The boy's ears suddenly opened themselves to a new sound behind him, however, forcing him to briefly look behind him to see the very same man that he had entered the fray to save. No words were exchanged - only a simple gesture of understanding. Their situation was dire, and their spirits somewhat downtrodden. But now, as these two brave warriors fought back-to-back, the tide of battle would begin to shift in favor of those who fought with their heart, body and soul.

[Larxene]

Though Malakai did not know the boy he took comfort in the thought that he was no longer fighting alone. The battle should be easier, now with one watching the other’s back.

What remained of the horde surrounded them, but because the two were now together the circle had condensed, Heartless clawing and climbing over Heartless in their hungry attempt to get closer to the middle. The result was a seething wall of writhing black bodies and limbs, the movement of the Heartless restricted by their own number. The very sight of it unnerved Malakai for a moment, but quickly he shook the feeling off. Like this they would be easy targets.

Experimentally he lunged forward, throwing his arm back and then swinging it around driving his fist through a number of Heartless amongst the tangle of limbs. Some tumbled back from the blow while others dissipated into black mist. Though there was no room – not with the boy so close -- to utilize his elemental attacks, with how tightly knit together the Heartless had become… physical attacks seemed the better way to go. Steeling himself, he charged forward again swinging at the Shadows and the Soldiers with both fists.

Slowly but surely the mob began to disperse on his side. But as the mob thinned the Heartless that remained once more became mobile, skittering close and taking swipes at him with their hands. In a moment of fatigue one Soldier raked its claws across his leg. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain searing from the wound he viciously kicked the offending creature in the helmet, dislodging the metal carapace from the body that quickly melted away into dark fumes.

His hands and arms were bruised and cut from the effort, but Malakai continued his assault of brute force upon the creatures of Darkness, only looking away from the battle before him through the corner of his eye every so often to check on the boy, ready to leap to his aid should he appear to need it.

[hoffman]

The crowd slowly diffused and snapped back together in a formation that encircled the two warriors, encroaching on their position relentlessly. Leiz, perceiving how close the heartless were getting to catching their next meal, lost a bit of composure as he stepped slightly towards the shrinking circumference of heartless.

A flurry of fists manifested itself through his hands, almost a blur as palm-thrusts and punches were thrown at a multitude of Soldiers who dared to stand in the green-haired boy's path. Though by no means a person of immense strength, the young soldier's blows were more than enough to subdue his enemies, turning two into black plumes of smoke and leaving three of them incapable of actually posing a threat. Their almost-comical tin helms had been reduced to scrap metal that punctured their heads, covering their sight. Though they knew by instinct that a juicy heart laid within arm's reach, they knew not where it exactly lied.

As the two warrior's efforts continued, one fact was becoming clear: though outnumbered, they were reducing the heartless's main combative force. Very few Soldiers now existed amongst the fray and Shadows made up most of the attacking force. Their chances of survival had increased, though it was inherent that more Shadows could join their numbers at any time. An executive decision had to be made - would they risk their lives to wipe out their enemies completely, or would they flee to live another day?

As his commanding officer once put it, "there's no honor in running away from a fight, but what honor is there to be lost when running away from a creature that neither thinks nor feels?" ... trembling slightly while holding onto a strange charm that hung from around his neck, Leiz began to glow with a mysterious aura that could only be recognized as an endowment of magical power.

Looking upon his assailants with newfound resolve, Leiz held his hands out and let loose a torrent of water that seemingly materialized itself out of thin air ... it collapsed and crashed against a cluster of heartless that acted as a roadblock, though it was a roadblock no more. Save for a flailing Soldier in the onslaught of pouring water, no heartless remained, an exit having been made in the crowd.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Leiz murmured to his ally, fleeing from the messy flock of yellow-eyed, dark-skinned creatures as quickly as he could. If they were not swift, the cluster would reform itself.

[Larxene]

After striking down another group of Heartless with a swift, sweeping kick, Malakai craned his neck around when he felt the ether in the air quiver, and watched as the green-haired boy launched a watery gush from his hands –a magic spell no doubt. The attack blew through the crowd, clearing a path.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” he heard the boy say. The boy then took off, taking advantage of the rift in the shadowy forms.

A part of him wanted to stay though, a part of him that wanted to prove that he could overcome these shadow creatures and beat them all, but reason shoved such sentiments away: there was no outright winning against them for the time being; there was only survival. A way was provided, and he would take it.

“Right!” he called to the boy's retreating form. “I’ll cover you!”

With a flick of his wrist the water whip formed once more, rising from the moistened ground. He cracked it at the Heartless behind him, warding them back before charging after the boy, shooting glances over his shoulder as he ran, making sure the Heartless did not pursue too quickly. Coming upon the flailing Soldier the survived the boy’s torrential spell he cracked the water whip hard down upon its helm. The Soldier disappeared into coils of black wisps and her continued onward, escaping the encroaching shadows at long last.

[hoffman]

The boy paid the remaining creatures no mind as he ran past them and through the plume-filled opening, his lithe form creating a breeze that sent the smoke scattering and billowing. On the other side of the opening laid the First District's door, which Leiz prepared to open by outstretching his arms.

With a strong shove as he came into contact with the wooden doors, the boy pushed the large planks aside, making way for him and his comrade to enter on through to the First District. Concerned citizens looked on as the two males ran on through, trailed by the Shadows only for a brief moment - two good samaritians lended their aid by closing the doors for them, crushing one Shadow who had been fortunate enough to catch up with the maroon-haired man, but not fortunate enough to clear the gap before it completely shut on his head.

Hearing the loud thunk of the two doors, Leiz slowed to a stop, no longer treating the horde as a danger. Panting, but not quite out of breath, he looked over to the taller indivual, his violet gaze peering somewhat deeply - perhaps concernedly - into the bright blue iris that he could see. His stare didn't linger around long before he averted it, seemingly having obtained all he needed to know from the well-dressed man. His scars, though cleverly hidden behind a sweeped head of hair, told stories of battle, tragedy and anguish.

Though wise, Leiz hadn't fully contemplated these truths, yet he had known enough: the bruised-and-beaten man was prideful in a sense, much like him. He believed in something. A warrior.

"... Leiz," he spoke with a bit of sweat forming on his forehead, his breaths hurried, and yet ... slowed.

[Larxene]

Despite his best efforts Malakai could not watch his back completely. Looking behind and before quickly was difficult, being able to see clearly with just one eye, and he didn’t notice until the very last moment that a Shadow was upon him. He had no time to turn, to attack, so he kept speeding forward. He was fortunate that some of the townsfolk in the First District had seen them in danger and rushed to their aide. They shut the hefty wooden doors to the Third District just in time; he heard the Heartless get crushed in the shutting threshold’s maw.

His leather boots skid uneasily across the pavement as he stopped and turned to face the great doors he had just passed through, hunching over slightly – hands on his knees – as he gasped for breath.

The battle for him had been a long one, and tiring. He was so sure he would perish in that horde, be consumed by the Darkness from which they had sprung and never see the light of Elysium again. But that was all passed now. He was safe, alive, and the Heartless were gone, barred beyond the door. He had been saved from sharing the same fate as so many had met before him, and he owed it all to this boy that now stood beside him.

Breath caught and wiping his sweaty brow with his sleeve, Malakai stood up and looked down upon him, his eye meeting the boy’s briefly before the younger averted his gaze. He was young – younger than him by at least by ten years – but the boy held an air of maturity about him: strong, determined, and independent. Admirable qualities that he oft failed to see in older men.

The boy said something to him, one simple word between breathes: “Leiz.” Malakai puzzled over this for a moment before it occurred to him that it was not a word to which a definition could be applied, but a name. The boy’s name.

It looked that introductions were finally in order.

“Malakai,” the geomancer breathed back, bowing his head in greeting. “I must thank you for coming to my aide back there. I… ah… thought for sure the fight was lost. My life is indebted to you… Leiz.” His eye swept over the boy, checking over his entire being, seeing if he was alright. His gaze at last lingered on the boys arm. “How bad is it? You arm…”

[hoffman]

Leiz shut his eyes for a brief moment before looking over to his wounded arm, finally taking notice to the fact that he was still bleeding ... not profusely as before - but the wound needed to be treated. Putting pressure on the scarred area, he hefted a shrug as if disregarding what had been done to him.

"It'll be fine," he replied with a neutral tone, his breath gradually catching back up to him. With renewed vigor in his body, the space between his breaths seemed to decrease, no longer needing to take drawn-out gasps of air in order to sate his body's requirements for oxygen. Of course, it didn't change matters much. He was still quite wounded and nearly every limb in his body ached ... his endurance had faltered him, to an extent. "Not as if I haven't been scraped before."

Gesturing over to the man's scarred and bleeding leg with eyes pointed in that direction, Leiz made it a point to discuss that issue. Malakai was clearly interested in the boy's welfare, and so he decided that it was only common courtesy that he did the same ... even though courtesies were often hte type of things that the adolescent tended to avoid. They fell out of use for him over the months and years ... though maybe it was because he hardly had any friends or people to be civil with.

"I'm not the one you should worry about, though. Looks like one of them cut close to an artery," he scoffed with an uneasy chuckle, drips of blood hitting the cobblestone as he conversed with Malakai. "I know a bit of first aid, but I don't nearly know enough to deal with things like this. I'm probably going to go see a doc ... feel free to follow."

With that, Leiz meandered off in search of a person more equipped to deal with these kinds of injuries ... his bruises and wounds were too great to brush off.

[Larxene]

Malakai couldn’t help but frown a little when the boy shrugged off his wound, gestured to his own, and turned away, heading off in search of medical attention.

It was the first time he had spoke to him directly, unable to converse when they first encountered one another on account of the battle. He had thought this boy, Leiz, would have been more outgoing -- after all, Leiz had risked his life to save his own – but once that was done with, well…

He thought of the qualities of a cat: independent, standoffish, accepting kindness on some occasions, returning it on others, and rarely showing it of its own accord. For one reason or another, he felt this boy was more or less the same way. While the air he carried about him was almost noble, it was not necessarily a completely kind one.

Leiz seemed almost disinterested in conversing further with him, his “feel free to follow” not offering finality to their exchange but not enticing continuation either. The boy was leaving the ball in his court, inviting him to make the choice. The geomancer did not blame him for such sentiments though, if that is indeed how the boy felt. The boy did get injured in the process of saving him, leaping into a battle that did not concern him - that he did not even need to join. In a sense, Malakai was responsible for the boy’s injuries, so if the boy chose to be stand-offish with him he was full within his right to do so.

Malakai could have very well gone his own way then and there, but he wasn’t going to. He would indeed “follow.” He needed his leg looked at – he was at last feeling the terrible sting of the wound spreading through the limb like some caustic poison – but he also wanted to make sure the boy’s wounds were seen to first. Undesired company or not, the boy did save his life, and it was the least he could.

He followed the boy in silence for a short while, examining the youth intently from behind, before deciding to strike up conversation.

“So… I don’t recall seeing your face around town,” he said thoughtfully. “Usually a new face means either a passer-through or an unfortunate soul stranded here by the Heartless. If you don’t mind me asking… which might you be?”

He wondered what the boy would answer, or if he would answer at all.

[hoffman]

Though nonverbal about their new acquaintanceship, Leiz truthfully would have been somewhat distraught if Malakai hadn't followed. It took him a great amount of effort to dig the man out of an otherwise hopeless situation, and - if some sort of bond hadn't been procured from his effort - it might as well have been for nothing. He was set at ease, however, to know that his auburn-haired cohort had every intention of following.

"So ... I don't recall seeing your face around town," Malakai stated, his tone carrying a bit of curiosity that made the boy somewhat privy to how he felt at the moment. "Usually a new face means either a passer-through or an unfortunate soul stranded here by the Heartless. If you don't mind me asking ... which might you be?"

The green-haired adolescent looked over his shoulder as he continued to weakly stumble and approach the district's nearest clinic. He affirmed the former. "Fortunately, I'm not one of those spineless kids who just lost their world. I'm just passing through. ... of course, I'm not really all that new. I leave people well enough alone, so I kinda don't build a reputation."

Soon, the two males reached a small General Store situated amongst the many little cottages of the First District, underlit by the warm, orange glow of a nearby streetlamp. Given Traverse Town's compacted nature, it also served as a small clinic to transients and residents alike. Giving a light knock to the small, glass-paned door, Leiz stood by and waited for someone within the building's walls to allow the two in.

[Larxene]

“Spineless kids…” Malakai parroted the boy in a soft voice. He found the statement… cold.

The geomancer had always felt some sympathy for the children thrown across the space between by the obliteration of their worlds. All things considered he was more or less in the same boat as them: a fish out of water struggling to survive on the smallest drops of precious life water. It wasn’t as if these children were accountable for the loss of their homes… not like he was.

Leiz’s comment stuck a sore spot and it took Malakai a moment to register that his lips were creased into a disapproving frown. Quickly he righted his expression, his countenance solemn once more. He decided to not hold the boy’s cold proclamation against him: he was tired and he was hurt.

Malakai pondered on the rest of the boy’s answer.

“So you’ve come here before have you,” he mused aloud. “Keep to yourself, too. Heh… now that I think on it, I really don’t blame you. Quite an alarming number of… ah… individuals of questionable sanity prowling about. Unfavorable attention to attract from them.” He stopped a few paces behind the boy – standing on his one, uninjured leg - when they reach the General Store, an establishment he recognized and one not too far from his flat in town. As Leiz knocked on the door, another thought occurred to him. “Since you’ve been here before, I can only assume you have a method of travel amongst the ‘worlds’ as people put it. Magical protection, a teleportation spell, or - I wonder – do you happen to be in possession of what people around here call a ‘gummi ship’?”

His intention was not one of prying, but of curiosity. Malakai was eager to know more of how this boy traveled – how people set adrift in these worlds get from place to place. He hoped that any answers the boy had to offer would in time help his own departure from that place. He had much to learn, much to atone for, and a brother to find and face.

[hoffman]

To Leiz, it simply wasn't a matter of being cold - in his perspective, it was the truth. A great majority of the individuals who ended up in Traverse Town were cowardly and defenseless. However, a very small portion that knew how to fight did exist, but their remarkable qualities were far and few between ... it suddenly dawned on the green-haired boy that Malakai had made an accurate observation - another sizeable fraction of Twilight Town newcomers happened to be lacking in mental stability.

Helena came to mind In lieu of that one instance when he saw her blowing up entire district doors with fireballs. Was she simply the type of person that could be easily aggravated, or did she have deeply-rooted problems with restraint? And there was Seed - well - he obviously wasn't someone who went through the trite, tragic cycle of losing his world, but the topic on insanity concluded in this connection being made.

Leiz had known that heartless for some time now, even way before they started ... hanging out. Though there was an undeniable shred of humanity left in the heartless's grip, his vices were less than admirable in the public's eye; moreover, the boy still hadn't completely let go of the fact that his propensity to do evil resulted in something important having been stolen.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that there's a couple of nuts walking around," he eventually responded, nodding to Malakai as they waited for the General Store's owner to open the door. Raising an eyebrow at Malakai's assumption, he wondered if it was worth spilling the truth. He didn't have an actual reason not to, though - and it seemed as if XMR wasn't going to open up its trade circuit again for a while. "You bet. I pilot a small Gummi freighter. Mind you, business has actually slowed down, though, so I've got a handful of people riding with me for a bit. ... it's bound to change in a couple of days, though. My ship's not big enough for more than a couple of people."