Not In Kansas Anymore [Open to the Lost]

[Zaxal]

He woke coughing, his lungs trying desperately to clear all of the sand out of them. He knew there was sand -- he could feel it beneath his hands and knees as he knelt up, coughing and trying to shield his face from the wind that kept pushing even more of the damned stuff at him.

He thought he knew where he was -- he could remember that he'd gotten drunk enough that he shouldn't be able to remember the previous night and how his ex-wife had unfurled the divorce papers on top of the table just after he had confessed that he wanted to try again. His problem was that he could remember that.

The other was that he had apparently passed out at the beach which was the only reason he could come up with why there'd be sand in his face and a warm gust of air trying to push more at him.

The moment he blinked his eyes open, Carlton Lassiter realized that he was very, very wrong.

He pushed himself to his feet and looked out over the expanse of desert that seemed to stretch on around him for ages. He turned in place, trying to get a good look at his surroundings, trying to get some sort of bearing on his current position, but there was nothing familiar about any of this.

Carlton brushed the sand off his slacks and jacket as best he could, trying to retain some sense of normalcy in spite of his confusion. He snorted, coughed again, and began to consider his options and formulate a plan of attack. One, get back to civilization -- he was guessing Vegas or Reno would be the closest city he could find. Two, find out how he'd gotten here. Step three was a little more vague than he liked, but somehow, he had to find the person responsible. Then he'd charge them. With what, exactly, he wasn't sure, but he was certain there was something illegal about kidnapping an officer of the law and dropping them off in the middle of the desert. His mind was too hazy to bring up anything more specific than that.

Carlton was so busy thinking that he neglected to realize that he wasn't alone.

[Avon]

It wasn't the first time Nathan had passed out after a bender, but he'd never woken up in a desert before. He took a moment to orient himself, blinking as he stared up at the sun. He was lying on his back, the hot sand burning through his tuxedo jacket. His head ached, but he didn't really feel like he had a hangover. He only had a few drinks at the casino. Coppers must have knocked him out and dropped him in the desert to die.

He had to get back to Marnie and the baby. Nathan sat up, then shakily got to his feet, brushing sand off his trousers. Squinting, he looked around. Nothing but sand, everywhere. Surely Vegas was somewhere, though.

Then, his gaze landed on something else. Another person. He didn't take the time to consider whether the man might be dangerous, he was just glad that he wasn't alone. "Hey! Hey you!" Nathan waved and jogged towards the man. "Do you know the way to Vegas?" He asked. If he knew the direction, maybe he could teleport there, or something.

[Zaxal]

A sudden voice pulled Carlton out of his thoughts. He hadn't heard that accent in a very long time, since his grandparents from Ireland had visited when he'd been a kid. His natural instinct was to reach for his gun, but other than a brief tensing, he didn't move for it. Whoever this person was, they were obviously just a kid. While that didn't make them any less dangerous, Carlton doubted any type of intelligent assailant would come up to a frustrated and confused cop without any backup on hand.

He gave the kid a cold glance before looking up towards the sky, squinting at the sun. He reached for his pocket only to find that he didn't have his aviators before bringing it up to shield his eyes from the direct blaze of light. "If it's morning, then that's east. Vegas should be west of here, I'd think. Maybe north or south some depending on where we were dropped."

Carlton turned back to the kid, putting his hands on his hips as he looked the younger man over. He growled, hoping to convey enough confidence that the kid wouldn't turn the question back around on him, "What're you doing out here?"

[Raine Lily]

The first thing he noticed was that it was bright, which probably meant that Sebastian had opened the blinds again in order to wake him up. However, it wasn't often that it was hot while the sun was shining, because honestly it had been winter last he had checked. A groan slipped past his lips as he turned over, only to gasp as sand fell into his mouth. He sputtered, sitting up and wiping at his mouth with a look of utter disgust plastered across his features.

Why on Earth was he in the sand? And why was it hot? Where was all the snow? Where was Sebastian for that matter?

"Sebastian!" he called, sitting back on his knees and looking around. All he saw was endless sand... a desert then? He didn't know of any deserts in England though... of course it could just be that he had slacked off in his studies again. But he knew that it was winter when he had fallen asleep the night before, but it felt like summer here.

"Sebastian, this is an order-"

He cut himself short as he heard voices coming from somewhere to the right of him. He turned his head, swiping his hand through his hair in order to make sure that it covered his eyepatch. He caught the glint of the sun off of his ring on his thumb and let out a sigh of relief. At least he hadn't lost that in the trip to where ever he was.

He heard the people talking again and stumbled to his feet, grateful that he was dressed in his everyday clothing instead of in his night shirt. He made his way over towards the shadowy figures, watching as they wavered slightly in his view. Now what was it that caused that? He shook the thought from his mind and narrowed his eye, keeping an eye on the oddly dressed men as he neared them.

"Pardon me," he called, hoping they could hear him despite their talking. "Do either of you know where we are, per chance?" he asked. Because it certainly is not England, he thought with a mental grimace.

[Shiri Lark]

It was all just how she liked it. The warmth of a summer afternoon. The beautiful dappled sunlight coming through the leaves on an apple tree. The comfort of home and family. The itchy sand that got into every crack and cre-

"Sand?!" That was what she meant to say, though the word came out something like, "saaaaayurnd?" Waking up from her afternoon nap in the orchards wasn't usually a problem, but sand in places that sand ought not to be was a rude way to wake. She groaned and yawned in protest. Didn't everyone know to leave a napping pony in peace?! Some folks and their manners; there was just no reasoning with them. "Rainbow Dash, if this is one of yer pranks again, Ah swear..." she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes with strangely-soft hooves before looking about to see where the devil-making pegasus had gone off to.

The sight of an empty sky and the lack of laughter made her jump to her hooves in alarm, a move that just as quickly put her facedown on the shifting ground. The sand helpfully flooded her mouth and nose, and she spat several times for good measure. "Of all the devilry..." she grumbled, trying unsuccessfully to get back to her feet. When had her balance become so bad, and what was it with the sand everywhere?! She had just set herself down for a quick nap in the middle of applebucking. It was hard work catering a royal wedding, and recovering from all of that changeling nonsense took time!

And now this? Somepony was in for an earful when she got 'hold of them. If she got hold of them, that was, because her legs all seemed rather unwilling to do what she told them too. "Ah swear when Ah catch up to that pony, Ah'm gonna-- mah hooves!"

They weren't hooves anymore but were instead strange blobs with five mini-legs sticking out of them. She stayed there, sprawled on her stomach, flipping her not-hooves over and over again to try to make sense of them. That explained why they felt funny, and a quick glance toward her hind hooves confirmed that they were changed too, long and flat with more wiggly digits. Her cutie mark stood out on each flank, but her beautiful tail was suspiciously missing.

It was all wrong, all but the hat that lay beside her in the sand where it had tumbled off her head in her flailing. She seized it with her funny new hooves and shoved it back on her head. "Can't be happenin'. This is some of Discord's magic. Or that crystal unicorn feller!" Her next two attempts at standing failed. Again. "Gotta find Twilight. She knows all about magical...stuff!" She spat into the sand again, wincing at the way the dry air burned her nose when she inhaled. Land sakes...was she out in buffalo territory again?!

The faint sound of voices reached her ears, and she froze in mid-motion, perking up instantly at the sound of fellow ponies. They had to know what was going on. She didn't trust anything in front of her nose, but a fellow pony had to be a friend. Maybe they were unicorns? They could fix her hooves and put back her tail! "Hey! Hey, where y'all at?" Her first leap on all fours sent her nosediving into the sand again. That was getting old mighty fast. "What happened?! Twilight? Big Macintosh?"

Her second graceless leap gave her just enough time to see a few tall figures nearby before the sand met her again with just as much force. It was starting to hurt even her tough self, and she lifted her head and growled at the unfairness of it all. "Are y'all from 'round here? What in Equestria is goin' on?!"

[Avon]

Nathan nodded, easily accepting the man's grasp of directions. He turned to the west, looking out into the great emptiness. Yeah, he was going to have to try teleporting. No way he was going to walk all that way. He'd never teleported before, but it was magic, right? The question was whether to just blink out of existence or try to help the guy out too.

Maybe not, considering that he seemed kinda grumpy. "Uh...Just woke up here," he said lamely. Much as he wanted to complain about being arrested, he didn't want this guy to know about it.

Then someone else appeared. Nathan was grateful for the interruption for a second before the absurdity of yet another person in the desert struck him. And a kid, no less. Nathan bristled at the sound of a prattish English accent. He wasn't sure what to say--it was starting to seem like maybe they weren't outside Vegas after all. But before he could answer, yet another lost soul popped up.

Nathan held back a laugh. Forgetting everyone else, he focused on the woman, staring at her rather rudely. She was pretty, even flopping around like that, with long blonde hair and a strong build, and...other things. Stop it, you've got Marnie... If he ever found his way back to Marnie.

She was going on about magic and strange names, but that didn't seem so out of place to him. This was beginning to feel more and more like a storm-related incident. "Let me help you up, sweetheart." He offered her a hand, take another good look as he got closer. This was a lot better than some weird kid in fancy dress. "Equestria? Isn't that in the middle east?" He looked around dubiously. Maybe they had all been dropped in an completely different desert.

[Zaxal]

Another voice attracted his attention. Carlton turned to look as another kid -- with another accent he faintly recognized but wasn't as familiar with -- stumbled through the sand. The costume, he thought, was odd. "I'm guessing the Mojave Desert in California or Nevada. Probably near Vegas."

He could understand drugging himself and the tuxedo-wearing Irishman. They both had the opportunity to have enemies, especially if the other one came from Vegas himself. But this kid? Carlton immediately thought the worst, pinching the bridge of his nose. Oh dear God. He could see the headlines now. Head Detective Found Outside of Vegas With Costume-Wearing Minor. Probably something more snappy than that, but that's why he wasn't a journalist.

"Supposing you don't know why you're here either," he said to the kid, his tone unchanged from when he'd addressed the other before. Carlton knew some might have wanted him to soften his snippy, frustrated tone, but his patience was at his limit.

The next person to come barreling through the sand pushed him even farther over the edge. There was a naked woman -- no, not quite naked, she had a hat at least -- scrambling on all fours through the desert while speaking what sounded to him like total nonsense.

This wasn't making Carlton feel any better about him being set up for some scandal. Naked young woman, clearly on drugs -- it didn't lift his spirit. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that even though they were out of his jurisdiction, he took an oath to protect and serve quite seriously.

He pulled off his suit jacket and walked towards the young man and the woman he was offering to help up. "Here, miss." Carlton held it out for her, hoping to give her at least some dignity. And then get it cleaned before he wore it himself again.

[Raine Lily]

Ciel was relieved that one of the men seemed to know where they were, even if he wasn't quite sure where this... California or Nevada was... or this Vegas. Wasn't California in the United States of America? He could dimly remember Sebastian telling him of a gold rush in his studies... but he was right in guessing that he had been dropped into a desert of some sort. Now the question was where was the Mojave Desert and how fast could his demon butler get to him. Yet, despite his relief, he did not show it and instead nodded his head formally at the strange looking man in thanks to the location. He may lower himself to asking another question shortly if he couldn't figure out what was going on.

It was then that he caught what looked like an expression of obvious distaste on the face of the man in a suit. He furrowed his brow, but then immediately smoothed it out into a look of apathy and uncaring. Why should he worry about why a man would not like him? After all, he was probably a much higher ranking man than these two in front of him.

Speaking of which, the one that had answered his previous question was talking to him.

His eyes flickered back over to the man and a frown tugged at his lips again. "I am afraid so, sir," he said, casting his eyes to the side to look out over the endless amounts of sand - something told him that he would have to get used to it for a while - and he bit down an annoyed sigh. This was positively grand. He, Earl Ciel Phantomhive, was stuck in a desert with two others - three now - with no way out... wait, three?

He looked over at the third person that was... what in the name of the Queen was that person doing? Surely that wasn't their version of walking...? It took a few seconds for him to realize that the person was female, and another for him to notice that was openly staring at a stark naked woman and that was hardly proper!

The child turned abruptly, facing away from the woman even as the men from earlier approached her. Had they no shame? Could they not see that she was severely under dressed and therefore should look away from her? It was only proper to do so...

He couldn't help himself as he chanced a look to see that the man who had answered his questions was offering the lady something to cover herself with and he relaxed. She would still be under dressed, but at least she wouldn't be in full sight. He could hear the man that didn't like him - or at least he assumed he didn't like him due to some flicker on his features - talking to the girl. He wanted to open his mouth to say that there was no such place as Equestria - as Sebastian had drilled these things into his head even if they didn't all stick - but he found quickly that he could not speak very well. Croaks kept coming out...

A hot and furious blush worked up the back of his neck but he pushed away with an eerie calm. He would not be embarrassed over being caught with a naked woman... he just had to hope that word did not reach Lizzy. Now that was something he didn't want to have to face, an angry or upset fiance was something he never wanted to deal with. With a deep breath he steeled himself and turned around to speak with the others.

It took him a few tries to get his feet to move, but once they did he approached them and showed none of his discomfort for being around the woman - who still had yet to cover up. His eyes flickered over to the man who had spoken about Equestria being in the East and he studied him for a moment before choosing to speak. "I believe we can safely assume that none of us are from this area in particular, m'lady," he said, looking back over at the woman. He figured it was safer to call her a lady than have to risk the wrath of a woman who's title had been forgotten. "And as for Equestria being in the East, sir, there is no Equestria on any of the maps that I have studied."

There was no harm in answering a question, right? Well, not like Ciel cared what they thought anyway... right about now he just wanted out of the heat.

[Shiri Lark]

They were quick to come to her aid, but there was something odd about them all. Their fancy get-up gave them away; they must have been more of those Manehattan or Canterlot uppercrust gentlecolts. She noted with mild dismay that they had the same funny-looking hooves that she now did, and they walked easily on their hindlegs without tripping like foals. At least they didn't weren't laughing at her. Matter of fact, they looked as lost as she did.

Well, maybe one of them was a unicorn and could use a spell to get them out.

The first one to approach her seemed nice enough for a Manehattanite. It stung at her Apple family pride to need help from another pony, but this one didn't seem to be laughing at her. Besides, if this was one of those funny magic spells, she'd need all the help she could get. She nodded her head, grasped his funny hoof with hers, and offered him an affable smile. "Why, thank ye kindly, sir." Getting onto her hindfeet was less challenging than she imagined. The sand didn't make for very good footing, but her body seemed to know it was supposed to be up and straight like this.

Still, she wobbled for a bit, only releasing her grip on her rescuer once she was suitably upright. It felt...odd. The ends of her new hooves wriggled in the sand. Was this how it was supposed to work? "Middle East? Ye mean like Saddle Arabia? Shoot. That makes me a real long way from home. Ah s'pose that's closer to Equestria than that crystal place." She nodded at the stallion that had helped her, brushing the itchy sand off herself with both not-hoof-things.

Then she heard the little colt say something and scowled in his direction. "None o' y'all know this place? Shoot. There goes that idear." She yanked off her hat and beat the sand out of it, muttering all the while about Manehattanites with no sense o' direction. "And Ah am from Equestria, young feller, so don't you go thinkin' that Ah can't hear your silly mutterings. Equestria is mah home. Ah'm a Ponyville pony. Have been all mah life, and ye can't get more real a place than that." Silly foal and his fancy book-learning, thinking he knew everything.

She irritably jammed her hat back on her head, green eyes glaring at the little one before the offer of some sort of clothing distracted her. It was the tall man with the attitude, and she waved a hoof dismissively in his direction. "In this heat, sugar? Shoot. I'll roast like corn in a fire wearing that." Why were they all wearing so many layers when it was this hot out?! They were more impractical than Rarity. That thought brought with it so many memories of home and friends that her grumblings were brought up short. This wasn't like her, to be so rude. She should be ashamed of herself.

"Ah'm sorry. Think we all got off on the wrong hoof. M'name's Applejack." She swept her hat off to bow and nearly tumbled facefirst into the sand. It took a moment of stumbling to regain her balance, but she managed it, standing pigeon-toed with her knees pressed together and her arms outstretched. Ah ha! She had done it! "Do any of y'all know why in Equestria we look like this? Ah mean, where are y'all's hooves? And mah tail?! This don't seem natural at all."

[kthehuman]

Samuel pressed his hand onto the blood sigil, and Castiel felt his body being expelled backward through empty space. The first thought he had was of what would happen to Dean. Before he could think much on that, though, he felt a shift in the space around him. It was no longer the gray nothing that he often traveled through, but was now filling with wind. Harsh, erratic wind buffered him to and fro, catching easily on his wings. He felt his power, his Grace, his connection to Heaven, draining. Even as he realized what was happening, he knew it was too late. Father, no! Have I not endured enough? he prayed. Then the gray, harsh winds turned hot and filled with sand. His Grace gone completely, he felt the change in temperature and the gritty uncomfortable feeling of sand across his skin more heavily than he was accustomed. The wind spun him 'round and 'round, twisting his tie around his face and nearly ripping his trench coat from his body. Then, just as he thought he may never be released from the accursed winds, he was thrown downward, landing heavily on his back. Even though sand was there to meet him, he was knocked out from the force of the fall, sand flying up around him.

[Pocket]

The smell of dragon oil permeated throughout the personal weyr, baking back to a background smell in the midday heat. Riklith lay in a lazy coil around her rider, thrumming low in her throat as warm oil was worked into her scar tissue and helped to lubricate some of the irritating pull/tug of the seized hide. The white of threadscore shimmered like the stars in the night sky, as the burn mark higher up glittered like the ocean on a clear night. Haelyn was careful to keep her anguish at finding the blemishes she had caused her dragon to be of any value of beauty from their bond, instead throwing herself into massaging the tense hide loose once more.

"How does that feel, Rikky?"

Wonderful, Hae. Her mental voice was slow, practically purring over their bond.

"I'm sorry I did not attend to this sooner."

Riklith's blunt nose poked her in the stomach. There were more pressing matters at the time, 'mine. I survived just fine for one day without an oil rub.

It hadn't helped to ease Haelyn's guilt, however. She had felt the veiled discomfort from Riklith, but it hadn't registered until she had moved to stretch herself out. Cleaning up the mess of oil and ointment, the rider watched her dragon as she moved towards the ledge, watching the Weyr bowl activity. Her light wings rustled at her side, and it was easy to see her eagerness to go enjoy the day.

Well, the healer had said more time in the sun would be beneficial to them both...

"How about we go out for a trip?"

Riklith's large eyes turned towards Haelyn, spinning a bright green. Are you sure? We might get sand in the ointment. It wasn't a dissuasion, rather her not wanting her rider's hard work to get ruined.

"It'll dry before we get that far." The woman beamed at the excited chirrup. She changed to her riding leathers in a decent time, thankfully having one of her less painful days. After shuffling a sleepy Chevron off her saddle, she slipped it onto her shoulders. Riklith, for her part, did her best to not squirm around like a hatchling as the straps were tightened and secured. With some assistance from her bonded, Haelyn secured herself into place, before patting the left side of her neck. "Shall we?"

We shall! Taking a hop-step, Riklith eased herself into the air, wings spread wide under the sun. They clipped a rising current, riding the wave easily until the Weyr was but a smudge on the horizon behind them.

The dragon settled into an easy glide, riding some of the stronger currents over the ridges of the Igen mountain range, foliage and fauna passing by quickly beneath them. Mountains soon bled into scrubland, which eventually gave way to the vastness of the Igen desert. An ocean of golden white sand, it was easy to feel the difference in heat, even from a higher vantage point. It was a lovely sight to see --

"Hang on, Riklith." A group had caught her eye, a good handful of people as they sailed further and further into the desert. Holdless, perhaps? But in the middle of the desert, with nothing to protect them from the elements or fall? Perhaps they were headed towards the mountain cliffs -- there, at least, would suffice as shelter from thread.

Should we go investigate? Riklith asked, gently. She'd come to a slower pace, nearly hovering. They may require help. There is also one laying down.

The implications weren't lost on Haelyn, who patted her dragon's neck gently. "You're right, love. Take us down easy, and see if they're all okay."

Riklith chirped, with an easy flap sent them coasting once more as she looked for a place to land that wouldn't cover the people in a tidal wave of sand. She broadcasted down to the small group, letting herself be heard by anyone in the near vicinity. Hello down there! Are you all alright? She had tried to go for a formal tone, as other dragons had, as well as Haelyn had when meeting on business. However, she came across as more of an exuberant child, than a mature dragon.

[kthehuman]

Castiel's mind was muddled as he came up out of darkness. He tried to remember what had happened, but his thoughts weren't making any sense in his aching head. He laid there for a few moments, taking long, slow breaths. He felt sand in his hair and over his face, and felt the sun baking him from above. Then he remembered: he had lost his Grace.

He groaned, wondering what he had done to deserve such a punishment. He was praying, asking for guidance, when he heard the voice. Hello down there! Are you all alright? His eyes snapped open, and he rolled over onto his hand and knees.

I am unharmed, he urgently sent back, but I know not where I am. Have you come in answer to my prayer?

Now that eyes had adjusted to the bright sunlight, he looked around. He seemed to be in a vast desert, and was surprised to see that he wasn't alone. His brows knit together as he surveyed a group of four other humanoids. There was an man that appeared to be in his 30's or 40's and young man that must be in his 20's, both dressed in a manner that would be mostly appropriate for the current year.

The other two of the group were...disconcerting. There was a young boy in his early teen years, dressed in clothing that vaguely reminded him of humans from the 1800's. This immediately labeled him as a possible threat. Some monsters that had been alive for centuries like to keep old sets of clothing to remind them of their original era. Then there was a young woman, who was completely naked. She also seemed somewhat unsteady on her feet. Castiel was unsure of how to make sense of her. The three males were surrounding her, though, so he labeled her as possibly being in danger.

He rose to his feet then, intent on observing. He did another search of the area, and saw something golden shining high above. He squinted, trying to discern it's shape.

[Avon]

Nathan grinned as the woman refused the jacket Carlton offered her. "I like your way of thinking...Applejack. I'm Nathan." Weird name; she'd probably made it up herself. Maybe she was a runaway. Whatever. Then, she started going on about how she was missing hooves and a tail.

"I knew a gorilla that got turned into a man once," Nathan observed, wondering if Applejack had also been turned human by the storm. Back then, he'd thought Kelly was insane for falling in love with an animal, but now that it was happening in a female form, he could kind of understand it.

There was a thump and another person landed in the sand nearby. Nathan opened his mouth to say something but then, suddenly, there was a little girl in his head.

"Shit!" He swore out of surprise, whirling around. He did expect to see a girl standing there--maybe she had the power of telepathy. He hadn't seen that yet, but the storm had probably given someone that power. But there was no one new there. "Uh..." he followed the new guy's gaze upwards. "What the hell is that?"

[Zaxal]

Carlton's Catholic upbringing demanded that he shield the child who was now facing the fully nudity of one miss Applejack -- odd name for a stripper or prostitute, really, but it was infinitely better than the repetitive ones he'd gotten used to over his years of working in the police force. Maybe the friends with the odd names she mentioned earlier were her cohorts? He filed that away for investigation once he got back to civilization, and firmly ignored the little voice in his head that told him to cover the child's eyes.

He was not this kid's mother or father or anything else, and if there was some journalist waiting for a scandalous view, the very last thing Carlton needed to do was put his hands on the minor. No way. Not happening.

Carlton took a deep breath as the woman proclaimed herself to be a pony, hoping that it would clear the light-headed rage that was threatening to burst out of him. This had to be a joke, a trick. Spencer, somehow, had found people as shameless as he was and was now watching from over the nearest dune to see if Carlton would take the bait. That had to be it -- had to be.

"You'd be warmer, but you'd also be covered." They all had to be in on it. Probably being paid. He shrugged his jacket back on welcoming the heat it added. He wouldn't be taken by surprise. In a tone that was struggling to sound calm, he said, "Your loss."

"I'm Carlton Lassiter, Head Detective of the SBPD," he announced. "And, unlike you, I don't believe any of us are ponies." He glared at the youth -- Nathan -- who seemed to be leering at the young woman. Being paid to pull a prank or not, that wasn't polite. At least, Carlton thought, he was keeping his clothes on.

He might have been able to keep up the facade of knowing derision if not for the sudden thump of someone landing quite heavily nearby. Carlton turned towards the sound, eyes wide. That had sounded painful.

Just another trick, he reminded himself sternly. Nothing to be impressed by.

That was, of course, before the voice began speaking in his head. It sounded like a girl which was a drastic change from any of the voices he normally imagined he'd heard, and this one hurt. Like it was real and not something he'd imagined. Carlton brought his hand up to his head, gritting his teeth as he pressed his palm against his temple. Not quite a headache, but something -- faint realization of the truth he steadfastly continued to deny -- had him reeling.

When his eyes opened, he found himself following Nathan and the new guy's eyes upward. There was a dark shadow above, too big to be a vulture and movements too... god help him, organic to be a small plane.

Unless he was imagining that. And if this was, as he assumed it was, a huge prank meant to catch him off guard, then he could hardly trust his own eyes. "I've been drugged," he realized softly before his expression firmed up and he turned to face the group again. "All right. Fun time's over. Which one of you is responsible?"

[Raine Lily]

Ciel officially did not know what to think. The woman was very clear in her thought that she was from Equestria, even though the child had absolutely, positively, no clue where that was at. But he would let the lady believe what she'd like... if only she'd put on the damned coat that was offered. He closed his eyes again and bent his head down to lightly pinch the bridge of his nose. Really, this was very unladylike and improper to a high degree. He could almost feel the wrath of his fiance now if she ever managed to find out... and he still wanted Sebastian. Yet as he was on his own for now he would find his own way out of this mess.

He couldn't help but open his eyes again as the woman - Applejack - started insisting she was a pony... and missing her hooves and tail. Then his eyebrows rose precariously high as the man that didn't like him - Nathan was it? - mentioned a gorilla turning into a human. Where on Earth was he...? He supposed as long as introductions were going around, since he had just heard Carlton introduce himself, he might as well join in. So he schooled his facial expression into a polite mask before speaking. "I'm sorry to have offended you, Lady Applejack. I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive, Head of the Funtom toy Company and Guard Dog to the Queen of England, Queen Victoria." He swept her a polite bow, after all he had not forgotten his manners.

An explosion of sand stole his attention, causing him to turn his head and look in shock at a man that was laying there. Heaven help him, this was worse than prying answers out of Lau or the Undertaker. But at least this man wasn't Grell, that was something he could be thankful for. That flamboyant man was possibly the last person he'd ever want to see here. He could almost hear his whining in his head...

A wrinkle of his nose sent those thoughts away before something else invaded his mind, covering his thoughts with the voice of a girl that stood his hair on end. That was not normal, not in the slightest. He had heard Sebastian in his head when he had first summoned him, but he'd never had something like that happen afterwards. The voice was asking if they were alright, and he wasn't quite certain how to answer that. If it was in his head... he should respond in his thoughts...? That seemed to be the most logical answer, and that way if it was his imagination he wouldn't be seen as daft in front of the others. It was worth a try anyway.

I am well. I believe we are all merely lost and are trying to find out where we are, he thought, hoping somewhat that the little girl in his head would hear him and talk to him. Perhaps he was going mad here? It wouldn't surprise him, after all the desert and the heat could muck with someone's brain.

Movement caught his eye, the man from earlier was standing now and looking up. He followed his gaze as a shadow swept over him, his eyes growing large at the shape that was taking up the sky with a golden glow. That was... no. Impossible. They only existed in fairy tales. Just like demons, death gods, and angels, Ciel, he mocked himself, how hard is it to believe in dragons too.

He glanced over at Carlton as he spoke before growing mildly offended. "Pardon me, detective, but if one of us were to blame I doubt they would still be here." He'd said it with a droll tone, as if it were obvious, but then he always pointed things out that way. After all, he didn't want to give away how long it took him to figure some things out. He was still probably smarter than most of these people here though.