"Yeah, best to get checked out," agreed Jiraiya, hefting the jinki. "If I find a place to get rid of this we can resume the journey then."
Poff! went the toad.
"Okay, now we figure out where we are," said Jiraiya.
"I don't think we're in the Land of Fire," summed up Naruto, looking at the fog-shrouded land that ended in a scene he'd never seen before.
"I've seen that before," said Jiraiya thoughtfully. "There's a place atop a mountain in Cloud where they study the sky through a series of lenses. Now if I could remember what its called."
"A galaxy," said Nina. "Specifically a galaxy of a type known as a 'Spiral Galaxy' though this one looks a bit different. You're also not supposed to be able to see one with the naked eye like that."
"It's kind of hard to miss," noted Ikki.
"The only other thing besides mist is that inn," pointed out Kazehana.
"Then that's where we'll start," said Jiraiya, hiking up a backpack by one strap.
"Odd that it looks like some sprawling European manor," noted Nina.
"What are you talking about?" asked Ikki. "It's clearly a ryokan."
"Interesting," said Jiraiya, turning his full attention to it now himself. "I see a large building which is obviously a monastery. Kai!"
"What was that?" asked Kazehana.
"Trying to dispel a genjutsu," said Jiraiya. "Even more interesting - I got a message. 'Caution: N-Dimensional Construct, Viewing Without Reality Filters May Cause Psychological Damage.' What does everyone else see?"
"I see Hogwarts," said Katsuragi.
"Okay," said Jiraiya, scratching his head at that one. Lesions on a pig's skin?
"Oh, that place in the Harry Potter movies?" asked Nina.
"You mean nobody else sees a castle?" asked Naruto.
"What about you, Akitsu?" asked Jiraiya when it was obvious that the ice Sekirei wasn't speaking.
"Ah. A building made of ice," said Akitsu finally.
"Okay, time to investigate further since we don't have another way of getting home that I can see," said Jiraiya.
"Damn, we're getting a lot of visitors today," said the guy just in past the doors.
Jiraiya glanced at the short man, then around the room. "Stone walls, lighting from chandeliers, common room with what looks like a cafe mixed with a library just beyond it."
"That's what I see as well," said Kazehana, followed by agreement from the various others.
"Short guy, maybe four feet in height, heavy build, wearing some sort of armor," said Jiraiya, glancing at the greeter. "Heavy beard, deep red hair."
"So we see the same thing there as well," said Kazehana.
"I see a dwarf in plate armor," said Katsuragi.
"That you do, lass," said the dwarf affably. "The interior of the complex is stabilized space. You should all be seeing the same thing. Outside, that's another matter. Are you travelers or refugees?"
Jiraiya considered how to answer that question.
"What's the difference?" asked Naruto.
"Travelers are those who are going from one reality or universe to another and end up here," explained the dwarf. "Refugees are those who are fleeing the destruction of their world or universe and end up here without intending to at all."
"Travelers," decided Jiraiya. "So where exactly is 'here'?"
"This is known by a number of names but the Eclectic Sanctuary is one," said the dwarf. "Another is the Reality Eddy, as we're essentially in a stabilized area between the various forms of existence."
"Jiraiya?" asked a voice.
That brought a round of blinking and seeking out the voice - which was pinpointed by the speaker getting up at the table and waving.
"Okay, this might be interesting," said Jiraiya as he made his way towards the table.
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(Posted Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:12)
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