'Wh-What?' Leoh winced.
'Where the hell are we?!' Olivier stood up instantly and dusted himself off before being pushed back onto the ground, landing back into dirt and rocks. 'Oi!'
'Did you just 'Oi' me, ya' filthy foozler!' the man bellowed before kicking Olivier in the leg and walking off, Acelore stood up and silently watched the man pass them.
'Help him up,' Acelore demanded after placing the black leather trench coat on as he also dusted himself off and lifted Olivier's head up and Leoh got the memo quickly before turning them on their back and heaving his little body up, both of his arms around Leoh's and Acelore's neck.
'Thanks, guys...' they rasped out before coughing horrendously as both Leoh and Acelore escorted him slowly into a narrow alley, sitting them down on a crate and Leoh had lifted his shirt up to examine his stomach which was severely bruised but Olivier's face told the two that he was and would be fine.
'If anything hurts, just tell us, I can carry you on my back,'
'Nah...' they chuckled and responded back rather quickly as if he didn't want Acelore's help nor Leoh's, but anyway, Olivier was always strong, he could handle God's punch and still smile otherwise, he wouldn't be by Acelore's side today.
'Acelore,' Leoh looked up to Acelore and moved closer to them. 'Where are we? What happened? What did you do?!' they shook them like they shook Olivier, but Olivier wasn't smiling anymore, he was pretty concerned about this too, and not to mention, they looked completely different from what the people from before looked like.
Acelore took out the stopwatch, opening it and seeing that the hands have snapped, the numbers kept changing and never stopped and the silver from the middle of the watch started to slowly crack.
'I should've told you guys before this all happened...' he acted if this was all his fault. 'I'm sorry.' he sighed before Leoh looked down at the watch in their hands.
'Yes, but where are we?' Leoh questioned them and looked back out to the alleyway from where they came in.
'We're in the Victorian Era, and if I am right,' he paused and looked on the walls before seeing a poster on the wall, a date, information about beer and the company. 'The year 1866, well, around that year, meaning; I've been here before,' he crossed his arms, thinking about all the people his father had introduced him to, the carpenters, blacksmiths, inventors, doctors, philosophers, and nobles, yet all he remembers is a merchant who gave him this coat.
'I have an idea.' Acelore thought that if he found that merchant, they could give him some clothes to hide the modern-ness in Leoh and Olivier, and finally, they'd look like any normal Young Adult.
'So, we should help you find this merchant? And then we could find someone to fix the watch?' Leoh explained as he thought for a bit, Acelore answering with a 'Yes'. 'That sounds like the most suitable plan we have, for now, any information of the merchant? You said you know him from the docks?' Leoh took out his phone from his pocket, but he then remembered that phones and laptops wouldn't work in this time.
'No, but something distinct about them, their eyes were ivory-green, that's all I know,' Leoh sighed before looking back to Olivier. 'Olivier, can you manage-?!' by the time Acelore looked at Olivier they were standing up and stretching as if nothing had happened to him.
'All's good, what's all this about a merchant though? And how do you know this Acelore?' Leoh then nodded agreeing with Olivier's question, how did they know about this all?
Acelore stayed quiet before walking past the two and looking out the alley. 'Well, my father gave me this watch, I was only eight at the time when he brought me here,' then Olivier cut in.
'But you have a step-father now, right?' Acelore nodded as he placed the watch back inside the inner pocket of his coat.
'Then he gave it's ownership to me when I was in my first year of high school, he told me whenever I was stressed, I should go to London because that's the only place where I'd see my Great (Great) Grandfather, and he'd be able to give me shelter and food for whenever I decided to stay here for a day or two.'
'Then... What's happening in 2018?' Olivier looked up to Acelore in fear that chaos could break. 'Dot hey know that we're gone? Do they think we're missing?'
'No,' they answered back quickly. 'Time will continue on as if we were never alive until we come back of course, but as long as we stay in this time, the more we'll disappear from our current time, and we'll never go back to where we used to be.' Leoh gave a grim gulp and Olivier took Leoh by the arm and went beside Acelore smiling.
'Then we'd better find this merchant of yours,' Oliver passed Acelore whilst dragging Leoh away but then Leoh caught Acelore's arm and started to drag him off. 'We'll need a map.' Olivier looked around until seeing a very familiar structure.
Oliver hastily crossed the road as a carriage stopped to let him cross. 'Olivier!' Leoh shouted out before following after them, but before being hit by a less hesitant driver, Acelore came behind from behind them and pushed them forward, jumping over them and somersaulting before kneeling up and turning around to help Leoh up.
'Careful now,'
'Charing Cross Station!'
'What?!' Acelore and Leoh both after dusting themselves off and getting back into reality, had both walked over to the station entrance which Olivier was standing in front of.
'We're in the Strand,' Leoh taking a look at the station plate name. 'That means this Train takes us to Waterloo station in Lambeth and Southwark.'
'Look who's been wandering around in their history books?' Acelore smiled before patting them on the back. 'Well, if we get to Waterloo we could get to those docks,' Acelore stepped back and pointed to the other side of the train bridge, showing that there was a massive deposit of ships and boats coming in and leaving from time to time.
'Great, but how do we pay for tickets?' Leoh emptied out his pockets, he had his wallet which was full of American dollars and his credit cards, but this was London, 19th century and with steam trains and child labour.
'Pick-Pocketing?'
'No need,' Acelore remembering his three bundles of pounds in his pockets, he told the two stay as he stepped closer to the tracks to see if a train was coming by, he heard a loud horn in the distance but nothing else. Quickly getting the three tickets, he whistled to get the two to come as they silently waited together, playing rock-paper-scissors, eye-spy, and making jokes out of everyone's fashion, but what could others say about theirs?
'Oliver, that white collar shirt,' Oliver pulled it out and looked down at it tilting their head, Acelore came closer to them to grab their shirt and pull them closer. 'It smells like lemon...' Olivier grabbed their arm and pulled them up.
'I used a citrus honey fabric softener, what, you hate the smell of it?'
'No, I don't like honey. The closer I came to you the more citrusy it smelt,' he scoffed and pushed them back before pinching their nose.
'You don't like honey? Leoh queried before sniffing the air in front of them instead of coming close to Olivier, yet he smelt the pleasant smell of the shirt.
'It's too sweet for me, so then it just tastes salty and bitter,' he pouted, not because of the scent around in the air but when he also smelt the air clearly it smelt like a salty ocean close into his nose, and because he actually was fond of the taste of honey.
'Our train,' Olivier stood up as he watched the train slowly arrive. 'Let's go quickly,' and quickly did they go as Acelore was already inside waiting for the two to stop looking around and sit down with him.
'Once we're at Waterloo, we'll take a detour down to the docks if they aren't there we'll have to go to another dock, hopefully,' Leoh looks to Acelore who's at his side. 'we'll still have enough money,' Acelore leant on his elbow and faced the window, as the train moved backwards from the direction Acelore was facing.
'Leoh, your glasses are cracked,' Leoh gave them a little-shocked look but then a chuckle came out.
'I know,' Then it became quiet again.
'Then you 'know' that you still have your bags on your backs...?' his eyes looked towards Olivier as he stopped leaning on the windowsill and crossed his arms and legs.
Both shouted out in surprise before slapping a hand on their mouths. 'That means my books and laptop are still in my bag,' Leoh placed his bag on his la and so did Olivier, then Leoh looked to Acelore.
'Ah, Ace, you-'
'Don't say anything, I'm used to coming here without anything, it gives me a fresh start,' he breathed before Leoh started to unzip his bag, his notes and books were all in his bag.
'Ah, Also, how long are we allowed to stay here until we're trapped. Forever?' Olivier added on Forever just to justify his question. 'We do need a deadline,'
'Yes...' He cleared his throat. 'Six Months, give or take I think.' Leoh flinched and Olivier answered back with a loud 'HAH?!' before sitting back down and sliding down under the table.
'I don't remember what my father said 'exactly', but it was 'six' something,' he coughed and looked out the window again as the train had entered the station. 'Ah, we're here...' Acelore stood up and pushed Leoh a bit before they zipped up their bag and quickly stood up to let Acelore get out and as they walked past they merged with the crowd which was also getting off the train.
As the two others came out they were greeted by Acelore standing in front of them, both taller than him which made him a little pissed to let them look down on him like that, so in order to show tell them to stop looking down at him, he stepped on Leoh's foot and punched Olivier's stomach, turning around as the two both bowed down in pain.
'Hurry up,' Acelore was walking away as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and bit his lip.
'Wait, Acelore!' both getting used to the pain as they ran up to Acelore and apologised to him for 'whatever they did that seemed to piss him off', but all Acelore responded with was;
'Fuck you guys,' he sniffed and his eyes started to tear up for some 'irrelevant reason', which he didn't know.
'Hey!... A-Are you- Crying?' Olivier then flinched and looked at Leoh then to Acelore before, Leoh was then punched in the stomach, fortunately, they were able to dodge them, they were at the docks by the time Acelore started to attack Leoh.
'I'm not crying idiot,'
'Well if you were,' then a strange deep masculine voice cooed into Acelore's ear from the side. ' That's utterly adorable,' Acelore slowly turning around as he jumped and then his frown became a smile before looking up to the man and lunging into them with a hug, both Leoh and Olivier were a bit envious but jealous as they watched Acelore hug this person who was completely unknown to the both of them.
'Acelore! It's so good to see you again! You know, after you left I thought that you had pushed us away entirely, or you died,' then Acelore punched them too, they groaned and chuckled after the punch but smiled afterwards.
'Your friends, I presume?' once Acelore looked into their eyes memories started to build up into his mind, this great-(great)-grandfather who was actually a user of the watch and a noble in London, the carpenter who made him toys when he was young, and a doctor who cured him when his father was too busy to afford a doctor in the modern times.
'Yes, Leoh Keyrick and Olivier Landford,' Acelore's hair was ruffled before he could look up to the merchant. 'Leoh, Olivier, meet Christopher, my... my cousin,' both of them flinched yet smiled to meet Christopher, both shaking his hands before giving Acelore a proud look.
'When you were young you always came alone or with your father, even when he said that it would be fine to bring others with you if you thought it would be fun, but I see you've upgraded?' Acelore nodded as the four were all sitting down at a table in a boat Christopher had managed to rent for himself and his travels.
'You need disguises until you can find someone who could fix it,' Acelore placed it down in the middle of the table as Christopher carefully picked it up and examined it with one of his knives, trying to move the hour hand upwards to turn away from the nine, before he lifted the tip of his blade away and the hand flung back to nine, the glass which covered the dial, had cracked to bits.
'Wooh! What did you do to this thing?' just before Acelore was about to answer they gave them back the watch and snapped his fingers in his face. 'You broke it by what; sitting on it?' Acelore gave them a clap and chuckled before also standing up and flicking their head.
'Well the weight of these two certainly pressured onto me,' he scowled before turning his head down to the two who were eating cake, you could see how annoyed Leoh was with Olivier's unpleasantries whilst stuffing the cake into his mouth.
'What?! I haven't eaten for a day!'