Anime Portal Station (Actually it's more of a break room.)

Mana: ... *nonchalantly equips the robe and then casts a healing spell on everyone but Whip* Well, I suppose we should continue on our route~ c: *casually walks on the path, enjoying the cape*
Tanya: *stretches as she follows Mana, a happy expression on her face* Man, do I love healing spells~

Tempest: *seems a bit distracted as he watches the map with figurines move*
Terra: *nods* Tell us everything, Van.

*AU Whip continues along with the group, and Whip is left trailing after Mana*
Whip: "W-wait! Mana! I took the most hits in that battle! Mana wait! You have to heal me!!"

Van: "Everything?"
*Van puts his hand to his mouth in thought*
Van: "Well, we left the Kingdom and I think Mana and Whip got into a fight with ninjas, and we met two of our friends, Tanya and the other Whip, and then we ran into Shadow and the prince and his guards. I think I was supposed to be bait, but that backfired and we almost died-- Not Mana though! She wasn't with us at the time! Ah... and then we met back up again, and then there were these monsters in black the Homonculous and then- oh! But we met up with these two ninjas who Mana knew, I think, and then a third Homonculous, and we ran, and Whip sacrificed himself but Mana saved him, and then we managed to get to the save point and Mana wa-"
*Van's face suddenly plumes with vapor from how red it becomes in memory of what happened in the save point*
Van: "Um.. and then we got to the save point and I teleported here."

Mana: I am not obligated to do anything~ ^w^
Tanya: Mana should probably save her mana anyways~ <v<
Mana: Yes, I must-- *pauses, and her eyebrows furrow in confusion* ...Mana?
Tanya: *giggles* Hana wanted to poke fun at your name with magic. c:
Mana: *her mouth twists uncomfortably* It is Mah-na, not Man-a. *scowls* Hana knows this. I was bullied when I was younger with that joke.
Tanya: Yeah, Hana said she loved teasing you with that pronounciation, which is why she thought it was perfect.
Mana: *puffs her cheeks out in an upset manner, completely ignoring Whip's pleas for healing, albeit she's a bit distracted*

Tempest, Amy, and Tikal: ...
Terra: *nods in understanding* I see... *eyebrows knit* And were the homonculi after the chaos emeralds, or Mana?

Whip: "Tch, how would she like it if we called her Hana? Heal me if I'm right~?"
*Whip gives a grin that shows he's trying his best, but nowhere near well enough*

Van: "They..."
*Van thinks back hard, trying to remember himself*
Van: "They didn't say, but... They tried attacking Mana first, even though Tanya was the one carrying the emeralds at the time."
*He looks to the King and Queen curiously*
Van: "But... why would they have been targeting Mana?"

Mana: *gives Whip a slanted look* Perhaps you should simply try to deduce a magic word that would convince me instead.

Tempest: *runs his hand through his bangs out of stress* It's because it's very likely that the homonculi are from <<Generation Jurisdiction>>.

*Whip looks as though he's putting serious thought into it*
Whip: "...Alakazam?"

Van: "<<Generation Jurisdiction>>?"
*His look becomes concerned*
Van: "But why would the homonculous come after us, then? Why target Mana? Wouldn't it serve them better to come and attack the kingdom directly?"
*Van suddenly stutters*
Van: "N-not that I want them to!"

Mana: ... *puffs her cheeks out and crosses her arms, storming ahead of Whip*
Tanya: ...You're an idiot, Nii-san. -v-;

Terra: *expression darkens* Because if the homonculi, who we suspect being in league with the government <<Generation Jurisdiction>>, killed our daughter...
Tempest: *expression is also incredibly ruthless* ...we would personally ensure that there would be no soldier of <<Generation Jurisdiction>> left alive. If they really want us to engage in warfare, that's the best way to do it.
Tikal: *squirms uncomfortably, her eyes downcast, but she doesn't seem to want to comment*

*Whip cries out and chases Mana again*
Whip: "Wait! Abracadabra! Shazam! Ollie Ollie Oxen free!"

*Van seems horrified by the prospect*
Van: "Th-that's horrible! How could anyone want to initiate war like that?"
*But then Van's eyes drop to the Chaos Emeralds*
Van: "...If we collected the seven Chaos Emeralds for you... would you use them to defend your city? Just to defend your city?"

Mana: *turns around with an incredibly ticked expression and throws a potion at his head*

Terra: *seems a tad hurt or insulted at Van's words* Van, we very much do not want a war between our Kingdom and their home. *looks at the chaos emeralds* And we would not abuse these gems against their will.
Tikal: *shakes her head* Knuckles and I trust the King and Queen with the emeralds. They won't abuse them for destruction. *eyebrows furrow* If it can be helped, we'll avoid using them at all.
Amy: *playfully punches Van lightly on the arm* C'mon, they're Mana's parents. As if they would even think about doing such a thing.

*Whip is pegged by the potion, which may or may not have healed him upon contact. He still cries a weak whimper of thanks to Mana as AU Whip steps passed him, eyes rolling*
AU Whip: "If we can get back on target... Remember, we have to make it to the next save point before Van makes it to the one behind us."
*Whip hops to his feet*
Whip: "Blah blah blah~ You're just jealous because all that experience wasn't enough for you to level up~"
*AU Whip glares angrily at him*
AU Whip: "Yes. My impatience has nothing to do with our friends who may be in peril and everything to do with an arbitrary number next to my health meter."

Van: "Of course! Forgive me."
*Van bows low*
Van: "I've just seen the lengths some people are willing to go for their power. Prince Ling was almost willing to die just to obtain one..."

Mana: *sighs and glares at her Whip* Whip. Behave. *turns her glare on AU Whip* Both of you. *turns forward and continues walking* We are making our way, so there is no need to get upset so early in the journey.
Tanya: *cover her face with a hand as whispers to Whip* She's the one who has hat in a twist.

Terra: *shakes her head* From my understanding, Prince Ling's situation is more complicated than it seems. But it seems his heart is in the right place, last time we met with him.

*Whip covers his as well to whisper back*
Whip: "Yeah, and a stick up her-"
*AU Whip pushes him into the ground*
AU Whip: "I agree. Let's keep things civil, okay?"
*He offers his hand to Whip again, who begrudgingly takes it and stands back up while dusting off his skirt BELT*
Whip: "Yeah yeah, alright. Let's get a move on then~"

Van: "I agree..."
*Van has a small smile*
Van: "So... I suppose that's all I had to report, sir, madam."
*He bows the respective person with the titles*
Van: "Unless you needed something of me, I should be getting back to the rest of our group."

Tanya: *still walking* ...Is that being civil?
Mana: *walking and looking at her menu* Hmm...

Terra: Well, unless you'd like to hear an update of what's going on here, no, you may head on your way~ ^w^
Tikal and Amy: *share a conspiratorial smile*

*AU Whip grins in response to Tanya's quiet question, but then hums curiously at Mana's own hum*
AU Whip: "What is it, Mana?"

Van: "Oh!"
*Van bows a fourth time, causing the wonder of if his back is getting tired or not*
Van: "I'd love to! The others would appreciate knowing what's going on back at home, I'd assume.

Mana: *glances back at him* Do you recall how we had a combination technique while battling Rikku and Yuffie? *looks back at her screen, which reveals itself upon closer inspection to be the manual* It appears we can form combinations between teammates, and even make a team combination. *rolls her eyes, but is smiling nonetheless* It appears all we have to do is simply turn on the option in order to activate it. We will gain a gauge like we did previously in the battle.
Tanya: Ehhhh? Really? That wasn't there last time. =o
Mana: *gives Tanya a playful smile* Are you positive? *flicks her nose playfully, much to Tanya's indignant displeasure* Or perhaps have you simply did not read the manual~?
Tanya: *sticks her tongue out at Mana*

*Terra glances at her husband whose eyes are still on the board*
Tempest: (without looking up) We're still working out possible negotiations with <<Generation Jurisdiction>> in order to see whether or not we can settle this war before it even begins. Nonetheless, the knights are preparing just in case so we can protect the citizens.

*a sudden figure pops up magically on the board, and the male feline raises an eyebrow in interest* We have scouts surveying our lands, and I've gone ahead and sent one of our best team of knights off ahead near <<Generation Jurisdiction>>. *pauses, as if listening to something, before nodding* Luckily for us, Psyche hasn't picked up any huge movements for battle, and it sounds like the leaders of <<Generation Jurisdiction>> are still trying to rally the people's support.

*takes a deep breath and finally looks up at Van with a small smile* So basically you can tell Mana that everything's alright here. Her mom and I are fine, as well are the people of Arcana.
Terra: *sporting a playful smile* You can tell Whip that we've kept the war down to a minimum as requested~

Whip: "What kind of nerd reads the manual anyways~?"
AU Whip: "The kind that know about team attacks."
*With Whip safely arrowed through the head, AU Whip approaches and looks at Mana's menu*
AU Whip: "I suppose the gauge will fill up as the battle progresses? Are there any limitations that you can see?"

*Van blushes, almost like a second-hand embarrassment for AU Whip's earlier behavior towards the King and Queen, and nods graciously*
Van: "Yes! Of course!"
*He looks back up to Mana's parents with a compassionate smile*
Van: "Mana will be happy to know that you two are safe."
*His face grows brighter red, however, and he bows again nervously*
Van: "Th-thank you for your accommodations!"

Mana: *shakes her head* Not by my understanding. It seems, at most, there are simply some classes that are more compatible with others. I would assume that lends itself to teammates as well. Some things simply work well together.
Tanya: *sends a wicked smile at AU Whip* So Serious-Nii and his Mana would have a better combination attack than you and Whip, huh Mana~?
Mana: *also sends AU Whip a teasing grin* Naturally~ It is hard to compete with their chemistry~

Tempest: *eyes narrow perceptibly* ...Why are you blushing?

*AU Whip's face grows hot in return*
AU Whip: "Sh-shut up."
Whip: "Oooohoo hooo~ Scathing."
*The orange rabbit dodges his alternate's jab, and then proceeds to saunter around Mana in a way suspiciously similar to hiding*

*Van starts at the call, but shakes his still-bowed head*
Van: "I-I'm not! I, was, got... cold."
*In his defense, his blushing then had nothing to do with what it did before*

Mana: *giggles as she continues trekking, though a little bit of playfulness is notable in her steps* As you wish~
Tanya: *simply grins at AU Whip as they continue their way*

Tempest: *his scrutinizing glare intensifies* ...Cold.

*As they continue to traverse towards the mountains, a light mist sets upon the fields and the temperature dips a bit into the cool side. Whip holds his arms together and shivers*
Whip: "Ugh! I c-couldn't have a single class that wears warm clothing!?"
AU Whip: "We're getting closer to a mountainous region. It's only natural that it gets colder."
Whip: "S-still!"

Van: "Y-yessir. There must be a draft."
*He quickly darts back up*
Van: "Thank you for your assurances mi'lord. I will relay this information to the princess and our friends immediately! Th-thank you!"
*In his attempt not to rouse more suspicion, Van turns and walks towards the exit-ish area*

Mana: *quite comfortable in her robe but doesn't feel the need to rub that in Whip's face* Perhaps we should stop by a shop sometime to stock up on supplies...
Tanya: Nii-san, you could just change to a different class for now. =o

Tempest: *a scowl makes his way onto his face as he threatens to burn a hole in Van's back with his glare*
Terra: *nods to Amy and Tikal with a friendly smile* Will you two girls see Van out?
Tikal: *nods and curtseys* Yes, my Queen~
Amy: *nods with a smile* Sure!

*Tikal and Amy see Van out*

Terra: *flicks Tempest's ear*
Tempest: *winces* (almost whining) What?
Terra: *puffs out one of her cheeks* There's no need to glare like that.
Tempest: *glares at the door* He's being suspicious.
Terra: *glares at him*
Tempest: *grumbles as he returns his attention to the map*

Tikal: Are you alright Van?
Amy: *has a calculating and almost hopeful look as she gauges Van's reaction*

*The mist gradually becomes visibly thicker, and the temperature shifts ever so slightly, one degree after another colder every few moments*
Whip: "I only have levels in the Thief class and the Brawler class. Any other class will make me weaker than that lynx-puma-hyena thing we dropped off at Arcana."
AU Whip: "Nh-!"
Whip: "And I'm not getting caught in the middle of a battle with level one spells!"
*Whip stomps his feet on the floor*

*Van looks up at the hedgehog and echidna and gives a small smile*
Van: "I'm fine. I just... was thinking."
*He scratches his muzzle bashfully*

Mana: *covers Whip's mouth with her hand* Sh!
Tanya: *looks around* Serious-Ni?

Tikal: *blinks* If I may ask, of what?

*Whip struggles against Mana's hold indignantly, but is unable to break free. AU Whip, however, is eerily silent and invisible as the clouds of mist begin to soil the air with their white dye and make it impossible to see more than a few inches ahead*
Whip: "MPHPHMHPM!"

*Van doesn't answer immediately, but upon thinking about it, his expression softens a little bit*
Van: "How to keep Mana safe... I'm concerned for her, if she's being targeted..."

Mana: *grabs Tanya's hand and removes her hand from Whip's mouth and links his hand with Tanya's* Whip. We are under attack. Under no circumstances are you to let go of Tanya's hand.
Tanya: (worriedly) Mana-!
Mana: *pulls out her wand* I will attempt to clear this fog if possible. Stay close to me. *raises her wand to the sky* Aerora! *gusts of wind spiral out from her wand*

TIkal: I understand your concern. Mana is quite the budding mage, but there are some powerful enemies after her. *pauses, before smiling softly* However, she is quite resourceful, and seeing how you and your friends have achieved two chaos emeralds in the span of two days, I have hope that all of you will prevail.