Chapter 6: Awakening -------------------- Locke groaned as he opened his eyes. He found himself lying on a bed in a small but cozy-looking room. He felt dizzy. He watched the swirling dust dance in the sunbeam that lanced into the room through the half-open window for a moment, then turned his head slowly to take in the rest of the room. The room was similar to many of those he'd stayed at during his time as an adventurer. A bed, a table, and a pair of chairs were the only furnishings; a vase of flowers rested on the table, and a framed picture of a ship at sea hung on the wall nearest the bed. he thought, automatically assessing the artwork with a practiced eye. He realized that he missed his companions. The charming young artist; poor King Edgar, who missed being a perfect gentleman only because he tried so hard to fit the ideal; the energetic Moogle; Terra, who finally discovered what love was; even the enigmatic mercenary Shadow. And most of all Celes. He shook off his reverie when he realized he was not alone. Instinctively, he reached for Valiant, to find it gone! No, there it was, on the table. And the person with him was the brown-haired woman he had nearly run over on his way here. He was still weak, but that was due to his wounds, he surmised. And she obviously hadn't meant him harm; he must have been helpless for some time. Locke levered himself up onto one elbow, somehow managing not to groan at the effort. "Hello. I'm Locke Cole. You're the one who brought me here, I take it? Thank you..." He smiled cheerfully and waited for the woman to respond.