CYRON (Completed)

Chapter 33 -W. & S.

Mayu let out a choked sob as she and Zoe wrapped each other in a tight hug. They stayed like that for a long time. Time seemed to have stopped for the both of them. Things seemed to be going in slow motion around them, sounds were a blur, and anything that wasn't Zoe was out of focus. Finally, they loosened a bit; no longer in a hug, but still holding hands. Their knees had buckled during their hug, so they were both kneeling.

"Zoe, what are you doing here?!" Asked Mayu with a mixture of fear for her friend, happy to see her, and relief that there was someone she knew from Earth there.

Zoe laughed, tears coming out of her eyes.

"I'm so happy you're okay!"

Mayu thought of something.

"Uhm, Zoe? When I heard the commotion outside, I heard a few of the dwarves mention a "Shaman", but it couldn't have been ours because she's just a kid, and both of you were too tall..."

Zoe got serious, looking into Mayu's eyes.

"We have a lot to talk about."

There was a moment of seriousness.

"Uhh, hello? I'm here too!" Said the Arab-looking guy, interrupting.

Zoe snapped her attention back to the guy.

"Right, uhh... Mayu, this is Gokan." She introduced. "He's proven to be quite useful to me."

To most other people, it would've seemed to them that Zoe was being arrogant. But Mayu thought she caught a hint of something else.

"Hey! Don't say it like that. You make it sound like I'm just a tool or a toy!" Gokan exclaimed, exasperatedly.

Mayu didn't think he sounded hurt, though. To her, it seemed like he was playing along with the joke. She thought she caught a hint of a smile from Zoe. These two must have gone through a lot. Just like her and Chidum... The sadness and worry began to settle on her again. Disappointment washed over her. Apparently, it showed on her face; Zoe got worried.

"Are you all right, what's wrong?"

"I'm just... Some friends of mine and I got separated. I'm really worried about them. I mean, this is CYRON!"

Gokan watched Mayu with interest.

"Would one of those friends happen to be Chidum? An African half-elf that talks as if he were from the 18th century?"

Mayu quickly raised her gaze to stare at him.

"Yes! Have you seen him?" She asked excitedly.

"No! Yes, well... I met him back on earth, during my trip to Biafra. I helped him get to the portal that brought him here."

Mayu felt disappointed, but she could tell that Gokan had never thought he'd end up here as well.

"Where are you from, Gokan?" Mayu asked.

"I'm Turkish-American!" He grinned at Mayu's facial expression. "You guessed, didn't you? Just like Chidum."

"Yeah, well... Not really." Mayu laughed nervously.

They all stood there for a while, nervous. You could tell that they had a lot to say, but didn't quite know how.

"Uhm, would you like to come in? We can talk more in my room." She motioned for them to follow.

Mayu started leading them to the building when a dwarf blocked their way. Mayu frowned.

"What?"

"The girl is a shaman, and the young man is her accomplice, why should I trust them?"