level_act27side_01_end

Who's there?

Me, me!

I thought you would have gotten used to me now, but then I remembered I haven't ever spoken to you like this before. Or have I? I don't remember.

Like a cloud drifting down from the night sky—

A furry creature appears before Adele, spinning slowly in the air.

It lands on a mailbox by the roadside, looking both graceful and comical.

Oh—

Hello? Good evening?

...Little Black Sheep?

You're calling me Little Black Sheep? Sure, I guess.

Why the look of surprise? We've met. I mean, we have, haven't we?

Sorry, I... I didn't know you could talk.

We don't talk often. I mean, I'm the only one who can. The rest of us, well, maybe they don't like interacting with people. Or maybe they haven't learned to yet?

Anyway, that's not important. I've found you now, so I can just talk to you.

You... you know me?

I guess you could say I watched you grow up?

Now, no, I don't peep at private lives. It's just, well, pure and simple companionship. Anyway, what I mean to say is, of course I know you.

I don't know if it's a coincidence that I ran into you here, but it's an opportunity.

I'm sorry... I don't quite understand.

Of course, puny humans always have so many questions. Don't worry, I'll answer.

Let's have a little chat. Do you have time for that? I'm not sure if girls your age need to be home by a certain time or not.

I'm not a kid anymore!

Good, then you have time. Want to go for a walk?

Water hole, hot springs, white smoke.

That's wrong! The smoke from the volcano is gray. Siesta isn't like this.

But that's not Siesta anymore.

Siesta is where we are right now. Those big tall buildings all have white smoke.

This is Siesta, but that Siesta is Siesta too.

I know, let's call it Old Siesta!

This Siesta is the child of Old Siesta.

Old Siesta is like Dad. It's far away from us right now... but it'll come back, and it'll bring gifts for us!

What would you want?

Enis!

Are you off work?

Shh, be quiet, Harley is sleeping.

Do you remember what I told you the last time, kids?

Don't go out at night, don't go to the plates outside the nomadic city...

And don't draw on anything but drawing paper...

Now, who's the great artist who painted the portrait of 'Herman Shell-Brain' on the restaurant's back wall?

But all the grown ups call him that...

Well... grown ups aren't always right. That's why it means something for the three of us to go on adventures. We find treasures that they don't.

Before that, though, we're going to clean the wall tomorrow, right?

Right...

Then, for good kids who admit their mistakes—

The young man extends a hand, three finely made clay dolls with lifelike expressions lying in his palm, just like the smiles in the family photo on the table.

One for each member of our adventure team.

Where did you get this?

I made it. Like I said, I know magic.

You don't like it?

(Liberi, Feline, Perro...)

(Why are all of them different?)

I wish I got a 'D32 Steel Warrior' instead.

Special gifts are for special days. Don't worry, all that you want is waiting in the future.

Now, it's bedtime.

When can we go back to Old Siesta, Enis?

Not yet. It gets really grumpy and breathes fire if you wake it up.

Give it time, and maybe it'll be in a better mood. Then we can go and find it together.

I want to be an adventurer like dad!

We're even better than that. We're an adventure team.

We're an adventure team! Enis, you should take us to dig up those black rocks!

Listen, you promised not to tell anyone that I went to dig up black rocks. That's a secret, you know.

Will you take us to Old Siesta's beach park?

I don't know if there will be much left of it... but I can take you to another amusement park.

There are water parks elsewhere too. You've seen them in Dad's photos, haven't you?

Volcano AND water park! It's a promise!

Yup, a promise between the members of the adventure team.

Goods from the Columbian partners have been loaded. On the Leithanien side...

And I have to survey the layout of the trade fair venue...

It's getting rather late, Young Master. You should get some rest. You don't have to do everything yourself.

I can't just sit around doing nothing...

The residents aren't too excited about a logistics hub. Maybe the international trade fair will change their attitude.

As an independent city state, Siesta has enormous potential in leveraging its position as a transportation hub.

It's hard for one in the middle of all this to understand one's place in changes like these. They have their minds full worrying about a new life in which they don't know what to expect.

I know. I remember how I cried when we moved from Minos when I was little.

Change is always scary. I want to make it easier on everyone.

I understand you met with Miss Swire today.

...I did.

We couldn't reach a consensus, but the conversation helped remind me...

Messenger or merchant, the power to change lives comes with great responsibility.

Are you sure this responsibility is yours to bear?

Your father has high hopes for you, but he did not ask you to shoulder such responsibility so early.

I will never leave his shadow if I only do what he wants me to.

The Siesta project is important to him. There's never been a better chance to realize the dream he had when he established MountainDash Logistics.

MountainDash is based in Lungmen, and bound by the rules of the Federation of Enterprises. He faces difficulty when it comes to the Siestan subsidiary.

Your father told me he expects you to be ready to take over his work in five years, and that he has already started planning his retirement in Rim Billiton.

Perhaps he should accelerate those plans.

Now you're just teasing me...

Still, it would be good for Father to spend more time with Mother.

Thanks, Butler. Don't worry about me. I want to get this done while I'm focused.

Enjoying yourself?

I had tons of local food and tried the artificial hot springs here! I guess they have the same effects as real volcanic hot springs. It was so good!

I didn't get to see the legendary Obsidian Festival, but I had a great time taking in the passionate atmosphere!

Very nice. Sounds like New Siesta has a lot of business potential.

Say, did you feel like you were being watched out there?

Watched?

No need to get anxious, just asking.

I completely understand if that wasn't exactly at the top of your mind.

A-Are you here in Siesta on a secret mission?

Mission? What mission? Like I said, I'm here on vacation.

I don't deal with the L.G.D. often, but I've heard stories about you, why you joined the L.G.D., and...

And your family... I can imagine how hard the decision was for you.

I shouldn't have talked to those reporters.

It's always the same thing. Getting kidnapped by terrorists when you're little is not exactly something you boast about.

I hear you've basically been in charge of the L.G.D. ever since Superintendent Ch'en left two years ago.

I don't exactly understand why you're here in Siesta now, representing your family as an investor.

And the people who followed us today were from Lungmen too, weren't they?

Well, you've got me there.

What do you think about Lungmen, Snowsant?

Well... it's my home.

I've seen how it changed from when I left Lungmen to study in Columbia, and in the years since I returned.

As an engineer, it makes me glad to see one skyscraper rise after another, firm and solid.

Firm and solid, yes... a little too much so.

It's hard for new life to get the sun and nutrition it needs when tall skyscrapers block the light.

Do you mean...?

Forget it. I'm just babbling.

Don't tell anyone what I just said to you.

It seemed a very long walk.

The massive creature plods forward slowly, quietly. Adele follows behind it, rubbing her eyes from time to time.

One step, two steps. Adele walks forward, stepping on her own shadow. The other passersby seem completely oblivious to the massive creature. Is this real, or just a dream?

What are you looking at, girl?

N-Nothing...

Aren't we going for a walk? To... where exactly?

We're almost there.

Look up.

One, two, three... a little creature stops and lifts its head in the light of the streetlamps.

Furry creatures leap and roll on the unfinished plate in the pale moonlight.

Four, five, six...

Little bits of wool drift in the air, under the scattered lamp light.

Almost like sparks, falling in this summer night that no one knows about.

Seven, eight, nine...

They leap across the container in orderly file, leaving marks on the metal with their hooves...

A-Are all these Little Black Sheep?

Mr. Little... I mean, Mr. Big Black Sheep...

Er...

Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?

I may be a lot older than you are, but you can call me by my name. It's Dolly.

Mr. Dolly...?

People in fairy tales always see strange things when they're about to die...

Really? How tasteless! That's the kind of stories parents tell their kids these days?

Don't worry, girl, it's not your time yet.

How have you been? Ah, maybe not the best question... I can see you're not too well. Not in terms of health, at least.

But there's nothing that can be done about it... I'm sorry.

Mutti said that the little sheep around me are a gift from her. Did she ask you to stay by my side?

Did you know my parents?

It's a little hard to explain just who these little guys are. Let's call them my clones.

They all have some special link to this world, and they have different personalities. The fact that they're willing to stay by your side means you're a likeable girl.

As for your parents, of course I knew them.

I remember that young couple from Leithanien, who wanted to conquer all the volcanoes across the globe.

I have to say that, for humans, trying to achieve something regarding 'everything' in the world is a fool's errand.

But it's different when it comes to volcanoes. It's a classy dream.

Stubborn, but smart, with a real eye for beauty! Especially your mother. I haven't met many people wiser than her.

Were you by their side when... at the end?

Ah, now that's a topic not to be spoken of lightly...

It was very much a surprise. No one knew the volcano would erupt there and then. But could puny humans really come to know everything about the globe?

Do you feel any sadness about it?

Thank goodness you aren't asking me why I didn't save them.

I love volcanoes, of course. Surfing on molten lava is the second best thing on the planet.

But volcanoes took the lives of two of my friends. It's the eleventh worst thing to happen in recent years.

We all want to prevent bad things from happening, but I'm not as omnipotent as I look. There are many things I can't do.

If you're really sad, though, you can rub yourself against my wool. That often helps when you're feeling down.

Thank you...

Anyway.

The past isn't truly over. They're always by your side, in one way or another.

Human and beast sit by the seashore, feeling the caress of the warm sea breeze, and listening to the soft clashing of the waves.

The furry pack of beasts quietly play their game, leaping back and forth on containers and scaffolds, humming contentedly from time to time.

One little beast tries to climb the container, following the herd in front, but fails repeatedly.

(Wistful moan)

Sorry, it's been so long since I've sat down for a chat with a human. My vocabulary is limited, so I'll dispense with the formalities.

Rather than ask questions that have obvious answers, what I want to ask is—are you happy, little one?

I... I'm trying to finish my parents' research. It's hard work, but it feels meaningful.

So you're not happy.

We met in Siesta, as fate would have it. Let's make a deal.

Wait, is that the right word in your language? 'Deal?' Maybe I should use a more friendly word... let's say, 'game.'

Anyway, I want you to find a few things for me that I lost in Siesta. Consider it a treasure hunt.

What is it that you lost?

Let me think. The North Wind, a seed, and a fur.

What... do you mean by those?

Where's the fun in a game if you know the solution beforehand? Don't be too eager to seek an answer. Feel it out.

It'll be worth your while, I promise. I'll have something for you when you find all three.

Hm... how about that which you have been seeking?

What I've been seeking?

'I just can't accept the mysterious circumstances surrounding their deaths.'

North Wind, seed, fur. Good hunting!