Prodigal Monkey

He wasn’t… whole.

That was the only explanation he could come up with. He didn’t know if that was exactly correct – but he wasn’t a scientist. He was a fighter. He’d give anything to have August here with him – the odd Burmecian-Vieran creature that he’d grown so attached to. August would be able to hook him up to a few devices and have an answer in a few hours, if not sooner. But no matter what Asher did, he couldn’t… understand.

Something was missing, and he wasn’t sure what.

He remembered the Gate. Reaching it, making the decision to go through it… and then nothing.

Now he was here, and Rena had said something disconcerting. She was glad he had joined them on the New World – though he’d wasn't so sure he was glad of the cost. Not to mention, he’d arrived late… what did that mean for him now? Where had he gone? He wasn’t sure, but he only knew one place that would be truly familiar to him.

Balamb Garden had been his home for years. It was the one place he felt truly comfortable, truly capable of relaxing. That and August’s ship, of course. Either way, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He still had his SeeD ID card, of course – he wasn’t going to misplace something so important. But he knew that if he could find an answer, it would be here - or at least, he prayed he could find one.

The question, though, was… well, if he wasn’t from this world, what would he find when he got there? Would his room be intact, or would it be gone? All of his possessions, all of his memories – they were abandoned to Old Gaia, as far as he knew. He hadn’t had the presence of mind to grab anything. His old weapons, his favorite collectables. He had had a ribbon, but that hadn’t survived the wild rapids of tentaclepus. Not to mention, after his meeting with Squall, it seemed as though... well, there was no Asher the SeeD here. Something had been done differently, and he didn't know what that meant for him, going forward.

Rubbing his chin uncertainly, he approached, the outer edge of it – he’d teleported most of the way here, but he figured it would be best of him to actually walk. If his ID wasn’t functioning right, he certainly didn’t want to set off any alarms. His tail swayed back and forth, slow and forlorn, and for a moment he wished he had the dress uniform he was supposed to wear on official business. Even if it was a little tight on his tail, it’d be another show that he belonged.

Things were so familiar. There were trees he was used to climbing – canopies he was familiar with. He was all but sure that if he went looking, he’d find a birds nest exactly where he thought it should be. So if that was the same, why wouldn’t everything be the same?

He shook his head, tired of trying to wrap his brain about concepts that were too big for him. Trying to understand what he was supposed to do without all of the people that mattered to him. So far, he'd done his best to force those emotions to the background, so he wouldn't just break down into tears.

His plan was simple: He’d get to the Garden, visit with Headmaster Cid, and… hopefully they’d come up with some idea of what happened, and how Asher could fill in this… hole in him.

( WC - 632 )