The darkness that surrounded Lao was dispelled in a rush once he had both hands on the stick. In a rush, the void was painted into something he'd never seen before, something very different from the densely packed streets of New York. There where no buildings, no roads, cars or buses, he wasn't even inside anymore. This place had more trees in a single area than the entirety of Chinatown, and the only noises where the trickling stream and the chatter of birds. It horrified him, but at the same time, it felt more like home then his actual home, maybe even The Wishing Glass. The landscape around him finished painting itself, and a strange hooded figure stood before him.<br/><br/>"Who...where...what is this? Where is Mr. Roshi...?" Lao's voice trembled as he tried to take it all in.<br/><br/>The answer didn't come to him as he expected. He recognized the language, Ancient Chinese, Mei showed off her knowledge of it all the time, but he himself didn't have a clue what she was saying. It seems even the language here was foreign to him. Speaking of which, where even is "here"? He surely couldn't find his way to civilization without getting lost, so it seemed that this...person was his only hope whether they could be trusted or not. The person bowed to him, and he stepped back a bit, not used to the gesture.<br/><br/>"I don't get it..." He avoided eye contact with the person, "Where's home?"<br/><br/>It was now that he noticed that the stick changed shape. It was a bit heavier, and looked all sorts more expensive. Was Mr. Roshi planning to pawn this thing off or something? He couldn't have had enough money to buy it in the first place, where could he have got it? He looked back up at the figure, and offered the staff to them.<br/><br/>"Is this what you want? I don't need it, just tell me how to get home..."