The hour was growing late. In the course of one day, the party gained a weird army courtesy of the bandits, got game-over'ed twice, defeated Galaria, lost 4 members of the party and gained one additional member. The sun was setting. The party remained mostly quiet during dusk. By this time, the party was nearly wiped out. So they abandoned the barge, and set it along the trail. Rather than find an Inn to ensure safe quarter, they instead set up camp near the river trail at the suggestion of TRITHAL who made everyone aware of the fact that their GP was dangerously low.
The wind had picked up substantially, and with the setting sun, it had become quite chilly. THRAX used 1 SP to light a fire. The nine-membered party gathered around the fire in a somewhat disorganized fashion. CHRIS wanted to do something useful after being gone for so long so he offered to cook everyone a hot meal with the food that TRITHAL and THRAX had saved from an earlier visit to town. To everyone's amazement, CHRIS' prepared meal was quite edible. Even TRITHAL had to applaud CHRIS for a job well done. As CHRIS' was cleaning up and whatnot, Aelle had been noticing that TRITHAL was mellowing out quite a bit.
Aelle: "Tsutaru, have you been puffing on the magic dragon?"
TRITHAL: "No, mother!"
Aelle: "...'cause I have noticed a change in mood. What troubles you?"
TRITHAL: "Well, this whole thing with Axem is definately fucking with me. I guess you could say that it finally hit me that Axem is gone when the sun was setting...and then when I didn't hear his phone going off or anything, that is when it took it's toll on me. Add that and the fact that it has been a long day and all of that is more than enough to wear me out."
Aelle: "I guess Axem kinda means alot to you guys, huh?"
TRITHAL: "Well, yeah. I mean, in some cases, he leads the quartet and assumes leadership."
THRAX was over-hearing the part about AXEM. THRAX had also managed to siphon out his anger by playing his little "hatchet" that he brought for the trip. Obviously TRITHAL commented that he is playing it right-handed when he is a "lefty." THRAX joins Aelle and TRITHAL.
THRAX: "I never thought it would be this shitty to lose Axem."
TRITHAL: "Y...yeah! I mean, it sucked when you were gone, too."
THRAX: "Yeah, but I usually characteristicly get up and leave without you guys knowing. We SAW Axem's departure...orchestrated by that bitch, Ali."
The other Saibotian Wizards decided to join in the conversation.
Palledoris: "Lord Thrax, don't be quick to judge her. She must've did what she did for a reason."
THRAX: "She can't have him arrested for hitting on her, so fuck that! Unless that is punishable by law, she is a bitch! She is fucking with a stomp mothafucker!"
CHRIS: "Yeah, I don't know about you dudes, but Axem was like family to me. I remember the first time we met........."
<*flashback>
We pan to see a cafeteria full of high schoolers eating, chatting, and socializing. Sitting at one of the tables is a very young and skinny-looking AXEM wearing a geeky shirt his parents bought him several birthday's ago. He is wearing some cheesy Walmart-style black jeans, a pair of cheap-ass shoes complete with his faceful of acne. Obviously this is an extreme stretch from the AXEM everyone is now familiar with. He is at the table alone eating a generic-brand slice of pizza and sipping on one of those silly little pint milk cartons. AXEM is having lunch in what looks like the cafeteria at the academy the quartet went to back in Dale Gorge. A very young and equally scrawny-looking CHRIS practically heads straight for that table as if he knew this guy was about to be one of his best friends. As AXEM looks at him noticing that he is quite a strange kid because he was carrying a binder that was twice the size of his head, he also takes note that he is wearing a stained pair of the same black jeans that AXEM is wearing complete with a stupid-looking camoflauge shirt that says, "Ha, now you can't see me!"
CHRIS (out of nowhere): "I saw the funniest thing on TV last night! It was an episode of the SIMPSONS. HA-HA-HA-HA......"
CHRIS then preceeded to yakk his ass off to AXEM who barely acknowledged that CHRIS was talking. The lunch period was over and AXEM got up and walked away. Chris followed him while continuing to yakk his ass off.
</flashback>
CHRIS: "...and from that day on, we have been friends."
TRITHAL and THRAX along with the Saibotian Wizards begin showing a restrained laughing over the silly circumstances of his meeting with AXEM.
CHRIS: "What's so funny? I know you had to have heard that story from Axem at one point or another!"
TRITHAL (as he is chortling): "Yeah, but coming from you, it's fucking funnier!"
THRAX: "Yeah, well, my first encounter with Axem is not something I am too proud of either. It was at this (pointing at CHRIS) dipshit's graduation from the academy."
<*flashback>
A number of people are standing and sitting in a very plain-looking house chatting and cavorting about. Among these people are some of CHRIS' relatives and acquantinces. CHRIS and AXEM walk into the room and sit down on a couch. A very-young looking THRAX is sitting on the couch opposite from the other couch at a 90 degree angle. THRAX looks like he is about 12 years old with his baby-face, his goofy glasses, trimmed hair, and preppy clothes.
CHRIS: "Well, Axem, this is that guy I was telling you about. This is Thrax."
THRAX: "'Sup."
AXEM waves his hand in THRAX direction.
CHRIS: "He taught me alot about being silly. You know, Thrax, Axem here is silly, too. Just take a look at this amusing short story he wrote the other day."
THRAX (as he is reading it): "...'Commander S. Saturn, what did you do during the last session? We kept sitting around complaining about how we kept fucking up on our paper mache creations--"
THRAX then tosses the story to the side, and is quick to proclaim, "That is fucking stupid!"
AXEM, thinking what a total dickhead THRAX is for insulting his creativity, tries to ignore it.
</flashback>
THRAX: "I never would have thought we would have grown into being practically soul mates."
TRITHAL: "Well, my first encounter with Axem was not something I wish to discuss because it involved a version of me that I have been trying to get rid of, so I will tell you about the time I met Axem officially, a story I am NOT so ashamed to tell."
<*flashback>
We pan to see AXEM sitting in a classroom with several other classmates at the academy. One of them is a very nerdy-looking TRITHAL. One would notice that he also is a complete walk off-the-map from the TRITHAL everyone knows today what with his silly misshapen head, extremely goofy glasses, short-ass hair, dollar-store clothing and peach-fuzz mustache. TRITHAL sits there staring off into space while the rest of the class socializes, something TRITHAL was not very good at. TRITHAL had received quite a verbal bashing from some of his classmates earlier that hour. AXEM decided he was gonna go over and say "hey" since he is non-judgmental about people.
AXEM: "Hey, what's up?"
TRITHAL: "Not much."
AXEM: "Don't let those pricks say that shit, man."
TRITHAL: "Well, I don't have a choice. I can't do anything about it. I am the outcast."
AXEM: "Well, don't take that shit from them. They are just being assholes."
The two seem to pal around each other for the rest of the school day eventually ending with TRITHAL giving AXEM a ride home from the academy, something that certainly would continue to be common place as the two became friends.
</flashback>
TRITHAL: "I didn't know it, but I was also meeting the guy who turned out to be one of my best friends. It's weird to think about that stuff now."
The Saibotian Wizards are almost in tears to hear these stories about AXEM because they now know how closely-knit the quartet is.
THRAX: "Axem is totally responsible for bringing US together."
CHRIS: "Yup. The four of us would not be friends collectively if it wasn't for Axem."
TRITHAL: "It is so weird! We are totally different people now."
Everyone's eyes eventually arrive in CHRIS' direction who is laughably wearing the same exact camo shirt from nearly 10 years ago and basically looking the same as he did back then.
TRITHAL: "...Well, maybe not all of us."
THRAX: "I remember the first time that I would consider my first real encounter with Axem...."
<*flashback>
We pan to see what looks like a general store where persons would go to buy groceries and whatnot. TRITHAL and AXEM, who better resemble the TRITHAL and AXEM currently, are clocking out and are about ready to head home because they work at this general store. When they reach the doorway, they are greeted by a more aged THRAX who is coming to work.
AXEM: "Whoa, Thrax, is that you?"
THRAX: "Yeah, 'sup?"
AXEM: "Not much. Man, whats been going on? Chris told me that you were wanting to play drums in my band. Is Chris full of shit or are you for real?"
THRAX: "No, he is telling the truth. I am interested in playing drums for ya."
AXEM: "Well, lets get together and jam sometime, OK?"
THRAX: "Yeah, sure."
AXEM: "Allright, well, I see you later then, man."
THRAX: "Allright, laterz."
</flashback>
THRAX: "That was stomp. That was when I first realized that he was a stomp mudda'. Sometimes he was too stomp."
<*flashback>
We pan to see a houseful of partying young people ranging in ages from 17-25. Amongst the party animals, drunkards, and stoners, were THRAX and AXEM, who happen to look remarkably similiar to their current appearances. THRAX is seen hitting on an attractive girl. AXEM is seen hitting on a different girl of extreme attractiveness which was silly at the time because, according to AXEM, he was going steady with another girl at the time.
THRAX had persisted to lay his mack-down hard on this girl, but eventually arrived over to AXEM. Within that hour, AXEM was having a threesome with the girl he was with and the girl THRAX was trying to bag. THRAX was kinda pissed and learned that AXEM lured the two hotties with his mutant pheromones. The night ended with AXEM being abandoned by the two hotties.
</flashback>
Danika: "Yeah, and it's stories like that that make me pity your captured comrade while at the same time, feeling more and more concerned and worried for him. The AXEM in that story sounds alot like the AXEM we know. How long ago was this Lord Thrax?"
THRAX: "Uh...bout 2 years ago."
There is an odd silence abound while the crackling of the fire soothes the serenity of the moment.
Palledoris: "That is very interesting."
TRITHAL: "Interesting? Yes. Important? No."
And with that, the party just leaves it at that. The party is even more exhausted than before and after deciding to get some sleep, they fell asleep within minutes.
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