Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

[faileas]

Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

I. Boaltinn (1st - 3rd) Boaltinn comes around again. A handful of Mirrorbound will remember the holiday from last year, but for others, it will be brand new. In both Residential Districts, bonfires burn in central locations through the night, frequented by the residents celebrating another summer come to Aefenglom. Curiously, while last year the bonfires seemed quite segregated by human or Monster, this year, there is more of a noticeable mix at each, and Mirrorbound are invited to join the games and festivities quite happily. Characters are invited to try and jump through the bonfire's flames to burn away any poor relationship experiences, be it romantic or platonic, past or present; to aid them in this, those at the Eastern Bonfire will give those participating rune-etched accessories to protect them from the fire. The city has quite a bit to offer for this holiday: shared rose baths at public bathhouses and pleasure establishments that increase feelings of friendliness and talkativeness, poles draped in ribbons meant to be danced around, wrapping a ribbon around the pole to bring good luck for the summer, food stalls whose offerings are meant to be shared, and fortune-telling set up by Divination students of the Coven, who can tell your day is going to go. To see last year's Boaltinn prompts, you can take a glance right here! Much of it, including the bonfires, baths, and entertainments will be similar this year, so feel free to use those in your top levels.

II. An Unusual Arrival (3rd on) A full year from the arrival of the first group of Mirrorbound, the 1st passes quietly, with no one showing up in the mirror-lined halls of the Looking-Glass House. Dates and times are important in most kinds of magic, and this is strange enough that some Witches of the Coven get together on the night of the 3rd to try a probing ritual, attempting to gather some kind of clues that could be useful in prying out the cottage's secrets. Boaltinn is the best time for such things, when the boundaries are thinner, and magic is stronger. Those who are awake that night at 3 am might notice a pulse of harmless silvery light that spreads like ripples on water throughout the whole city, originating at the Looking-Glass House, but nothing further happens, and the Coven receives no answers. Well, nothing happens in the Looking-Glass House. Before long, the reports start coming in: people are emerging from mirrors, regular old mundane mirrors, all over the city. Anything with a particularly reflective surface could be an entry point for someone from another world! Inhabited homes, businesses closed and locked for the night, pools of still water in fountains or the river, these unorthodox Mirrorbound pop up anywhere and everywhere, causing chaos for the City Guard (folks aren't happy to find strangers in their bathrooms at 3 in the morning) and the Coven both. Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. If you are one of these unfortunate arrivals, it's likely a rude awakening for you, to find yourself somewhere inconvenient, somewhere other than where you've been. It only makes sense to be confused. Hopefully someone finds you and explains to you what's happened to you. Resident Mirrorbound will hear a message from Miss Nessie shortly after it begins, a call to arms: "Dears, I'm quite sorry to disturb you, but it seems your fellows are arriving elsewhere than the Looking-Glass House this month! We're trying to track them all down for the usual welcome, but we could use a hand or several! If you could just bring them by the Coven, the usual spot, that would be lovely." She'll give her usual orientation and pass out Watches, but no doubt the Mirrorbound will be more helpful in this regard, with so many arriving.

III. The Goblin Market (All Month) Life goes on in Aefenglom, despite the addition of so many new residents. With the City Guard decidedly busy dealing with the sudden flood of break-ins (or, more accurately, break-outs?), the vendors of the Goblin Market find opportunity to set up their stalls more openly than they have since the crack-downs some months ago. They pop up all over the city, but clustered more often in the Residential Districts and the Harbor District, where there are even fewer law enforcement agents out and about to run them off. These sellers, while not as devoid of morals as those major players of the Black Market, still have very few compunctions when it comes to lying, cheating, fencing stolen goods, and misrepresenting their wares to unsuspecting buyers. It's also the place to find those things that are- not quite legal, shall we say. They won't say a word if you don't. If confronted, they are quick to pack up their things and slip away, however; they know this city and its hiding places a lot better than you do. With a brand new batch of what the natives assume are Mirrorbound, many undergoing rapid transformations into their Monster forms, many of the wares on display are potions: supposed cure-alls for aches and itches, calming draughts for the full moon restlessness, some even claim their brews can halt changes entirely! Some concoctions are meant to increase a Witch's magical ability, or decrease it, or provide them a finer control. They offer potions that they say will eliminate the need for a Bond, or temporary Bonding potions of their own that they claim are more pure, stronger, than the ones offered by the Coven. Claims are only claims, though. A few remedies for the pain of changing or some regular temporary Bonding potions can be found here and there, but for every potion that works, there are twenty more that have less than pleasant side effects. A brew that will cause everything you touch to turn to solid gold for up to an hour; a potion that will invert your sense of direction - trying to turn right will make you turn left, trying to go forward will cause you to walk backward; a potion that will remove all traction from your feet, causing you to slide around as if cobblestone are the slickest ice. Worse, some shadier vendors sell things more sinister, including a potion that gives you the appearance of being moderately to heavily infected by the Cwyld. Even if you don't drink any, the vendors are not at all careful where they're sloshing those bottles around, trying to show them off, and they all activate on skin contact.

IV. A Wilde Hunt (7th - 22nd) All Mirrorbound, temporary or not, are likely to feel it. Monsters are always affected by the full moons, but this month, it is more. Stronger. Instincts rise to the surface as the Sisters emerge full and visible in the night sky, and for many Mirrorbound, they are undergoing rapid transformations into whatever type of Monster they are meant to be. Curiously, the natives get along like they usually do, noticing nothing out of the norm, other than the increased agitation and restlessness from Mirrorbound Monsters. Monsters' aggression fades when the Sisters start to wane, but as the new moons approach on the 22nd, Mirrorbound Witches will notice their magical reserves overfilling, and will find themselves stricken with the overwhelming urge to use it, until casting spells, pushing one's magical limits, is almost a compulsion. Those who are not in proper Witch-Monster Bonds will feel it even stronger, with no stabilizing magic to consume (for Monsters) or avenues to expend magic (for Witches) other than casting spells. (For those who are interested, the Coven does offer temporary Bonding potions which can be used to help alleviate the effects somewhat.) The Coven Witches notice the signs, and they take decisive action on the morning of the 6th, the day before the full moons. So many Mirrorbound, likely to be so heavily affected by the lunar cycle this month, many of them coming into new features and abilities at a breakneck pace, only spells danger for the city. They barricade off a massive chunk of Wilde outside Aefenglom, largely free of Cwyld and totally bereft of farms, homes, and Wilder outposts. They invite anyone who feels the effects of the moons too strongly to control to come out for a Hunt. The hunting grounds will be open nightly to anyone who needs to work off restless energy or overflowing magic; all participants will be warned that their safety cannot be guaranteed from others, but they won't be able to harm bystanders out here. The woods are thick, with the river cutting through them, and full of wildlife. There is room to run and chase prey, or room to play with your developing magic. Play cat and mouse with your friends or Bondmates, or stalk a stranger. If playing games isn't your thing, there is something else to hunt out here as well. With the deep Wilde entering into Winter, this patch of land so close to the city is much warmer, and fearsome Shades have emerged to search for prey. These were once living beings, Monsters, Witches, or animals, who have been overtaken by Cwyld infection long ago, leaving them dead but for the infection, white-eyed and seeking out sources of magic to consume and infect. Anything could become a Shade, but the most common out right now are the ferocious remains of bears, wolves, and nomadic Arachne and Turnskins. If not killed, these Shades threaten the people of the Outer City, when they inevitably escape the barricade. Careful to limit your contact, though; anyone infected upon their return to the gates will be escorted straight to the infirmary.

Welcome to May's Fourth Wall event, An Inauspicious Arrival! The comms are now open to comments from all registered users and will be until June 1st. Current players, if you don't want fourth wall characters tagging your posts, just say so in your text. Fourth wall characters can use this post for their own network top-levels, or this post for log top levels. This event is game canon; threads from this fourth wall can be used as application samples later and current players may use these threads for AC. As always, be courteous to each other! Let the mod team know if there are any problems and we will handle things.

As always, please direct your questions to this thread!

Comments

zack fair | final fantasy vii | chimera

[exsoldier]

an unusual arrival

[ Those wings... I want them too.

It's the last coherent thought Zack can remember before the darkness took over and he'd felt the hard ground beneath him and the burning pain in his chest all fade away. And then he was was floating, and then rising into the air. With it came a sense of calm, a realization that he could finally rest...

Some time passes. He has no idea how long. He sees a glint of his own reflection, as if mirrored in the clouds, but it's peaceful. It's subtle, but he's smiling. His reflection disappears soon after, however, and a sense of consciousness returns as everything becomes real and solid again.

His chest burns again. He thrashes, and realizes he's underwater.

Zack sits up and gasps for breath, a wheezing sound escaping him as he struggles to inhale. He's dripping wet, and after a few seconds he realizes he's woken up in a fountain, of all things. He hacks a few times, but it's water that comes up from his lungs, not blood. Once that realization hits, he forces his body to move (though he feels oddly weak) and drags himself out of the fountain, where his boots hit slick cobblestone.

It's dark. He's soaked, and he has no idea where he is, though he also knows he shouldn't really be anywhere. The memories are fuzzy, but he does recall the grueling fight he'd had with Shinra's army. He remembers giving his sword to Cloud, before everything had gone dark.

Glancing down at his chest, Zack sees no immediate wounds. Is this where a person goes after they die? Somehow, he doesn't think the Lifestream would look anything like this.

He draws both hands up and through his damp, black hair. There doesn't seem to be anyone around. Is it the middle of the night? Well, all he can really do is start walking and hope he'll run into someone who might know what's going on. Though he's still a bit unsteady on his feet, he gets moving. ]

the goblin market

[ Now that Zack has a somewhat clearer idea of what this place is, who's here with him, and the culture of Witches and Monsters and Bonds, he feels the need to get a better feel for the city. In truth, Aefenglom isn't really anything like the places he's visited on Gaia. The harbor district is likely the closest in appearance and general feel to the more rundown parts of Midgar under the plate, and even then the architecture and level of technology is different from what he knows.

The concept of a black market, though? That isn't so foreign. Neither is the concept of potions with purported healing effects. Zack's own transformations have not yet started, though he's been told at least a few times that it won't be long before he notices changes. After everything he'd experienced with the Jenova Project, with all the effects he'd seen of the G cells and how they could change and degrade a person's physical form, all this talk of being a Monster (with a capital M, apparently) feels like some joke at his expense.

Maybe it was only a matter of time before he found himself changed, too. Then again, Monsters almost seem to be commonplace around here. He's seen plenty of them wandering around the city already.

Either way, he hears out the vendors as they describe a number of different potions and their supposed effects. When someone else walks up, he's holding onto a glass bottle filled with a blue liquid. Apparently this one will forge a temporary Bond (again, with a capital B).

He glances over to the other person, head tilting one way and then the other. ]

Sounds a little too good to be true, doesn't it?

a wilde hunt

[ While Zack has not experienced changes as quickly as some of the other temporary visitors to this world, that doesn't mean he wants to pass up on the chance to see a sliver of the land outside of Aefenglom's walls. That restlessness that he's heard spoken of so frequently since he arrived has begun to manifest in him, an antsy feeling that's settled under his skin.

And there have been some physical changes. The feathers had been the first thing (because of course they were), and while they're only down around his shoulders and neck at the moment, it's clear they're coming in black rather than white.

His fingers have also become stiff, the skin around them weirdly firm and hard, but so far that's all he's had to worry about. From what he understands, it can get a whole lot worse.

His reason for coming out into the Wilde, though, isn't for the sake of hunting. He's heard plenty about the magical illness that everyone's so concerned with by now, and of the creatures that it creates. Shades. He needs to see it for himself, though, to get a proper sense of what they're up against. Maybe he won't be here for long, and maybe he should be spending this time enjoying the little bit of extra life that's been granted to him with those he holds dear, but Zack has always been a man of action, and of duty.

There'll be time for the rest. But he wants to spend at least one night on this.

He creeps through the wooded area with careful steps, hoping that he can find one of the Shades without having to actively engage it. He doesn't have a weapon to his name right now, primarily because he has little in the way of money to his name either. All he wants is a quick peek...

Except when he hears someone else in the brush, he goes still and turns in the direction of the noise. Speaking under his breath, he asks: ] Who's there?

wildcard

[ I am definitely open to other options! Hit me with anything you'd like. Otherwise, contact me at demonology or PM me if you'd like to discuss another scenario! ]

goblin market for a gremlin

[aremnant]

[ Well today is his LUCKY DAY! Not only does he get to meet a witch, but extended family as well. Zack, truly you have been favored by whatever false gods of this world. Rejoice!

But here's the thing. Kadaj doesn't really know Zack unlike the others that dear big brother Cloud has for friends. Not really. He seems... familiar? A blip of familiarity within the memories he carries of Sephiroth but not anyone he's had the pleasure of interacting with himself in any sort of capacity. A shame, really. He wants to meet ALL of big brother Cloud's friends!

So when Zack allows for his thoughts to be heard, the remnant cants his head to the side and looks to him with those bright green eyes of his... staring... wondering... so very curious! But, rather than answer the question asked of him, he slowly smiles as he rights himself, strands of silver brushing against his cheek. ]

Oh... you're speaking to me? That's so... unexpected.

[ His smile widens and he laughs a little to himself, curiously looking over that face. ]

But then again, so much of this place is unexpected, isn't it?

oh, this'll be fun

[exsoldier]

[ The truth is that Zack had sensed a presence near him, waiting in line or maybe just watching the interaction out of curiosity, and so it's only after he asks the question that he properly takes in the stranger. Except more than anything else, what he's met with is familiarity.

This isn't Sephiroth, that much is obvious. To say nothing of the difference in height, there's something too youthful in his features too. The hair and eyes, though, create an uncanny resemblance.

In all honesty, Zack hadn't fully understood what Aerith had explained to him of Kadaj. Something about him being a portion of Sephiroth's will and memories, born of the Lifestream, but that really raises more questions than it answers. Then again, that's how Zack had felt most of the time when the revelations about Angeal, Genesis, and the Jenova Project had been thrown at him in quick succession.

What it all amounts to is another headache. And yet he finds himself relieved that it isn't Sephiroth himself who he's faced with right now. He hasn't sought out Sephiroth himself thus far, wanting to take some time to process everything that Aerith told him. Kadaj's presence is perplexing, but also hopefully less complicated. ]

... Yeah, you can say that again.

[ There's a lot he could say or ask, but instead he jostles the bottle still in his hand. He can tell that the vendor is getting a little exasperated by having his time wasted. ]

But you didn't answer my question.

a new big brother to collect

[aremnant]

There's only one way to find out, isn't there?

[ And at that, he reaches into his coat and pulls out a small pouch filled with coin, tossing it over to the vendor without so much as a look to him. He's only looking to Zack. Only got that smile on his lips for Zack. ]

That should be enough. [ He lolls his head to the side then, lazily glancing to the vendor before he waves them off. ] More than enough really! Must be your lucky day.

[ His attention falls back onto Zack and he cants his head to the other side. Why are you so so so very familiar to him? He wonders... he really does wonder so much! Such a familiarity about him. If only he could piece it together... but he will. He always does! He always... does. ]

You're welcome. [ He says then, leaning in to peer up at Zack with those bright green eyes of his. ] So say thank you.

arrival

[evanescent]

[There is not the familiar tug of the Planet here, in this strange place. She is too far-flung from home to feel much of anything. No whispers, no singing, no crying out in pain. Occasionally though, she will feel the barest hint of something when she travels on certain streets, when it is dark and quiet like tonight was. A pull, barely there. It happened so rarely, and though she always took note of it, it was almost always nothing special. Sometimes it would lead her to someone's flowers in a window sill, a place where a river ran through with clear water. A child who needed the most minor of scrapes tended to.

She's on her way home when she feels it this time, and some part of her thinks to ignore it — this impulse so ingrained into her. But she never does, no matter how ultimately pointless it was to follow here, and turns away from home and in the direction of this odd feeling. Her feet echo on the cobblestone, and her pace stays sedate but focused.

The first thing she notices, just like before (like always) are his eyes. They glow bright electric-blue even in the gloom, a sky hyper magnified and uncanny. Her breath catches.

An illusion, perhaps? Something cruel, something meant to trick her. But she was not the only traveler that had found her way here through the Lifestream. She walks forward, then jogs, then breaks into a run without even realizing that she's doing it.]

Zack!

[exsoldier]

[ The first thing that Zack hears is rapid footsteps against the cobblestone. Still woozy and out of it, he's focusing primarily on making sure that he continues to put one foot in front of the other.

Then it's there. Her voice.

And there she is, running toward him.

Even in the dim light and even with the distance between them, Zack can see that she's older than he remembers. It can't be her, can it? If he's in a place that you go after you die, it would make no sense for Aerith to be here. This must be some illusion that his dying mind is dreaming up, a reunion that never actually came to be.

He'd promised he'd go back to her. He'd dragged himself and Cloud across two continents to try and make that happen. She'd waited, too. All those letters. And right before he could cross that final threshold, he'd failed. ]

Aerith—

[ His voice comes out hoarse and rough, like it hasn't been used in far too long. It'd felt the same when he'd come to in the Shinra mansion. He decides that it doesn't matter if this is a dream or not; he still wants to hold her. And so as she races closer, he stretches his arms out, half-ready to collapse against her. ]

[evanescent]

[It hasn't been long since she's seen him, truthfully. But here the both of them were alive in a way the Lifestream could not replicate. She all but falls into his arms, and for a moment settles there into the embrace. She doesn't laugh in relief; she doesn't cry. She only presses her cheek into his chest to feel the rise and fall of it, to hear his heartbeat.

She stays like that for a while.]

You're so late, [she finally says, her voice watery, and now she laughs some, just a little.] I thought you would never show.

[She doesn't want to move yet, which surprises her. She had thought herself more resolute than this. Eventually, though:]

You're soaked. Let me see —

[He's holding her so closely that she can barely pull back, but she does, eventually.] Where did you wake up?

Wilde hunt

[supersoldier]

[The Wilde is more than just its name. More than untamed land where Shades creep in parts unseen, revealing themselves only when they hope to set themselves on those unsuspecting. More than a place to be explored, uncovering flora and fauna that would excite any researcher worth their salt. No, to Sephiroth, the Wilde is emblematic of intent — it is a purpose given to him when he has none, uprooted from Gaia, providing a space for any number of missions picked up in the city. Escorting others. Quelling a pack of Shades. Keeping his own talents sharp in an open space where none would be under threat of the wide sweep of Masamune.

The Wilde provides focus where the city grants only listless distraction.

Today, though, it provides more than that. He hears someone approach, their footsteps cautious but not enough to dull the sound of loose dirt underfoot. Sephiroth turns to face the sound, Masamune gripped in his left hand, but nothing about his body language suggests he believes it to be a threat.

But that voice—

It freezes him, his brow furrowing. For a moment, the thick foliage of the brush and trees obscure the familiar frame, and he wonders if something may be playing a trick on him.

Still, Sephiroth is never one to wait and let a revelation come to him. He moves forward, and boldly reaches out to move aside a branch much like one would pull back a curtain, and—]

....Zack?

[exsoldier]

[ Zack should have expected this.

In a way, he's been bracing himself for this encounter ever since his first night in Aefenglom, when he and Aerith had talked until dawn as she'd confided in him while also catching him up on everything that this place had in store for him. That included a whole host of complications, and Sephiroth himself topped the list. Zack had purposefully avoided seeking Sephiroth out, unprepared to face an old friend who'd left a cut so deep.

Even if it's been five years since their last encounter, the memories are still fresh and sharp. The betrayal that had cut to the bone, deeper than even Masamune could. In many ways, the scar is still fresh, and made fresher by what Aerith had revealed to him.

This man, who speaks his name with both shock and recognition (muted as it might be), is going to go on to do even more terrible things. If there's one thing that Zack never wanted Aerith to follow in his footsteps on, it was an early death.

Despite the time Zack's had to process it, the anger still bubbles up in him when he sees Sephiroth's face. But Aerith had also explained that here, Sephiroth is still himself. That crack has yet to form in his mind, and he hasn't warped into some twisted version of himself. What was it that Zack had said in the reactor that fateful day?

No... you're not the Sephiroth I once knew!

He can't feel the relief of seeing a friend again, not when he knows as much as he does. Not yet, anyway. His outrage at Aerith's fate won't allow it.

Eventually Zack heaves out the breath he's been holding. In spite of himself, he's practically forgotten about the environment around him. All he can do is stare at that pale long hair, those turquoise eyes. ]

Sephiroth.

[ What else is there to say? ]

unusual arrival!

[bravers]

[Cloud, himself, was spending the early hours looking around the city. Really, he'd normally be home after a night's work by now- but the announcement for all mirrorbound had him doing circuits around the districts.

It wasn't like there was a financial incentive for extra work. Of course not- the Coven itself was probably too busy to note who brought in who, but... that wasn't the reason he was doing it. It was something more personal- more self-motivated than just helping who he could for helping's sake. More self-motivated than getting paid, too. His mind was lingering on his friends. Barret, Red, Cid, Yuffie. ...Even Cait Sith. If any of them were out there...

It's an easy thing to spot the new arrivals. The majority of their changes, for the moment at least, haven't come through, sure. But the looks of confusion that are on all of their faces, the uncertain way that they look at Aefenglom itself is all the confirmation he needs. Each he runs into are stopped. They're told, albeit reticently, that they need to get to the coven. Given directions. Some of them look unsure, like they could do with an escort. Some of them ask questions. He does his best to brush them off, to tell them all they need to do is go to the coven, then they'll get answers.

Then he moves on. ...Doesn't feel good to just leave them. But it's the only way he can keep looking. This policy isn't exactly great. Some seem pissed that they've woken up in this new world and some spiky-hared punk can't be bothered to actually take them, in an unfamiliar city, to where they need to go- just gives them vague directions and won't listen to why they can't be here, but he's moving on.

That is until he reaches his last for the night. Surprising, but that's... an understatement. A gross one. He's walking unsteadily as if trying to work through a limp. Pretty tall, too. Built, tanned,

and...

and...

His breath catches in his throat. He stumbles into a run, forgets to breathe. The only thought that enters his head is a simple one, why are his eyes wet? Why are his fists balled? Why...

Just breathe.]

Hey!

[He's going to turn around. Just like the people in his vicinity that have already. Or... He's going to keep on going, isn't he? No matter how he...

Just like that time.
Wait, what time?

His voice raises in pitch, desperate, as he shoves his way through people.]

Stop!

[exsoldier]

[ Some time has passed since Zack's unceremonious awakening in a fountain. Time enough to settle in with Aerith and get some information, though it isn't long before he's out on the streets again, feeling the need to get a lay of the land. He's supposed to go to the Coven and get processed properly, but with his head full of everything that Aerith revealed to him, all Zack really needs right now is some fresh air. A chance to clear his head, and let everything sink in.

He hasn't rested properly, and that's why he still feels like he's been hit by a truck. It goes to figure that you can't die and then bounce back feeling completely normal. Honestly, it'd be even weirder if he felt just fine.

At first, Zack doesn't fully register that the voice is calling out for him. In truth, it's been a while since he heard it. Cloud had been able to do little more than mumble incoherently after their escape from the mansion, and in those last fleeting moments, Zack had only barely been able to process what he was saying while he bled out.

That cry of stop, though, rings its way right through him, causing Zack to grind to a halt. Not that he'd been moving that fast in the first place. He slowly turns, and it's to see none other than Cloud Strife racing toward him at breakneck speed.

Aerith had told Zack he was here, but seeing him is a different story. The first thing that Zack can think is that he looks good. There's brightness in his eyes, colors in his cheek, and strength in his build. Not like the mako-poisoned kid he'd dragged with him all the way from Nibelheim to Midgar.

More than anything, it's good to see him again. To realize that he'd made it through okay, that he'd gone on to carry out Zack's dreams.

As Cloud approaches, Zack finds himself smiling despite the weariness that's settled into his bones. He feels a little more like himself. ]

Hey, Cloud.

[ Like with Aerith, he stretches his arms out. Time for a hug. He's pretty sure they both need it. ]

arrival - Lightning knows him from her previous stay, btw! if that's ok with you!

[sparkstrikes]

[It's thanks to Sephiroth (lol) that Lightning has had the chance to dry off, and that she has a towel slung around her neck – you know, just in case she somehow ends up in another dirty body of water because who knows with this world. From past experiences, she's learned to expect the unexpected.

That's not to say that she's prepared for everything, though.

For as much as she hates to admit it, the moment she spots him, the familiarity clicks almost instantly, faster than it did when she woke up and wondered where the hell she was. It shouldn't have, but maybe it's just the sense of relief that comes from bumping into a memorable face in a state of uncertainty.

Though, the shorter the distance between them, the more confused she is.]

Zack?

[Lightning calls to him before she realizes what she's doing, and suddenly wishes she could take it back; wait until she can come up with something cooler better to say than—] Why the hell are you all wet?

[Little does she know... he went home the same time she did...]

that's totally fine!! this'll be a good time

[exsoldier]

[ Given that Zack's in a completely unfamiliar place and considering how he got here, the last thing that he would expect would be that someone would recognize him. When he hears his name he actually looks around as if wondering if maybe it's meant for someone else (even though the streets are mainly empty this early in the morning), but as the woman approaches him and ask him a direct question, there's no denying what's going on.

She knows him. He doesn't know her. That's a new one.

He glances down at his damp clothes, as if taking them in for the first time, before looking up to meet her gaze. She seems impatient, awaiting his response. Zack doesn't usually get tongue-tied, but that's how he feels right now. ]

Sorry, uhh... kinda been a long night. [ A long day, a long week, a long month, a long five years. He blinks a few times, as if struggling to place her, and then draws a hand back through his still-wet hair. ] Have we met?

an unusual arrival

[lightblooming]

[ Aqua's heard of people arriving in a pattern that's been different from the one's she's become accustomed to. They usually arrive every other month, through the mirrors and then given an explanation of what was going on. However, these arrivals have been taken to this world earlier than what was the norm.

Aqua's taken it upon herself to see if there's anyone familiar who may find themselves here like she has. She still has some hope and fears that one day, she may find her other best friend here.

However, she finds herself stopping when she finds someone that she met in this world. Zack and Aqua had become close, but that's putting it lightly. ]

... Zack? Is that really you?

fudging the time a little for chronology's sake!

[exsoldier]

[ Not even a day has passed since Zack got here (in fact, it's only been a few hours), and yet this is the second time that he's had a complete stranger call out to him with recollection in her voice. Normally Zack might have been flattered to have the attention of so many lady callers, but it's safe to say that's not a thought near the front of his mind right now. Not when there's so much else to occupy him right now.

He's never been a rude person, though, and so he turns as soon as he realizes he's being addressed. He looks over the woman with the blue hair (kind of different, but the color looks nice on her), but it's like it was with Lightning. No memory. At least he has an idea of why this is happening now, and it sounds like he might need to get used to it. ]

Yep. The genuine article.

[ He nods, while gesturing down at himself. He has no intention of leading the young lady along, though. ]

I, uhh... don't remember you, though. [ Heaving out a sigh, he runs a hand through his hair. ] Someone else recognized me before you. She told me I was here before. I don't even know how that's possible, but...

[ Here's yet another piece of evidence saying it's true. ]

wilde hunt!

[meteodrives]

[ He isn't the only one out hunting for similar reasons. If there's a way Tifa can help people, she's going to do it, and this bubbling magic beneath her skin means she has to find a way to make all of that work too. It's one thing to use materia and another thing to cast spells from oneself, something she'll need to learn if she's going to adapt in this place.

She's no thief and she doesn't have the skill to sneak around like the best of them, but she's quiet as she flits through the dark, between the trees, and slips into the undergrowth when she thinks she sees a dark shadow nearby.

The voice is close and she's quick to turn her head, not even realizing how close she'd been to someone else. It takes her a moment through the shock of being discovered for her to recognize the voice, to realize who she's looking at. Tifa's mouth moves with no sound escaping at first, eyes wide, expression uncertain.

Then, softly: ]

It's okay. I'm... I'm just here to help.

[exsoldier]

[ "Who's there" turns out to be someone who Zack recognizes. It's dark and so it takes him a couple of seconds to place her face, especially since she's grown into her features a bit more than the last time they saw each other. She's not a teenage girl anymore, that's for sure.

It makes sense. Five years have passed since then. But this is someone Aerith hadn't mentioned during their long talk, and so Zack's more thrown off by her sudden appearance than he'd like to be. ]

Tifa. It's... been a while.

[ Does she know about what happened to him? Zack's gathered that the knowledge of his death isn't as widespread as he would have thought. Then again, his interaction with Tifa during the Nibelheim disaster had also been pretty limited. He'd mainly known of her as Cloud's childhood friend who he'd been too nervous to talk to, back then. ]

And yeah... [ He recovers from his shock in quick order as he takes a look at their surroundings. ] Just wanted to see these Shade things for myself.

goblin market;

[confectionerie]

[ Ann might be on the witch side of the equation, but her reasons for being here are very much the same. There's a strange, unfamiliar magic now coursing through her body, and unlike she was able to do with her Persona, she is unable to harness it. She knows that there's some kind of...process to it all, that she's supposed to study and learn and make bonds, but she's honestly still stuck on the fact that she's stuck here to begin with that she hasn't processed much else yet. These potions might be a quick fix to take the edge off while she settles in.

But geez, these peddlers sure do look sketchy, don't they? Ann lifts one of the bottles to inspect it, her eyes narrowing. ]

Yeah, like...are these labels blurry on purpose?

[ Can't complain about what's in it if you can't read the label! She huffs a sigh. ]

I know they say if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, but still...

[exsoldier]

[ Zack's relieved to have found someone who's open to his random conversation starter, rather than giving him a dirty look and moving on silently. He realizes that no one is really in the mood to socialize after everything that's happened, but he doesn't do well if he doesn't have some kind of outlet. Often that's just needing someone to talk to, and so he quickly turns to the blond girl when she speaks up. ]

Can't really cut corners when it comes to bonds, right? Those take hard work and trust and all that kind of stuff, at least where I come from.

[ Even then, bonds that Zack had thought were as hard as steel had been broken for reasons he still didn't fully understand. It's not the sort of thing you can just bottle and sell, right?

With a frustrated shrug, he places the bottle back down and shakes his head at the vendor to indicate he's not interested. Most of his attention is now on the girl who's come to join him. ]

You new here, too? I'm Zack.

[ He sticks his hand out to shake. ]

Wilde Hunt

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede liked to think she had a good handle over her Monstrous instincts these days. She knew what the Moon's whispers sounded like, and knew to reject them. She had an anchor, a Bond to settle her mind. She had places to live. She was doing better.

But sometimes those whispers became shouts, this time worse than before, and the whole city became a place full of targets. And she didn't want to trouble her Bonded with all of that.

This demarcated area felt a bit...controlled, for her taste. Like training wheels. But it was still somewhere Kaede could stretch her legs and chase shadows into the dawn, without a task that needed doing or a quest to distract her. She was stalking some birds this time; quail, they might have been once. Their wings ended in a light devouring blackness and their eyes were clouded with white; they pecked at nothing on the ground, a mechanical mimicry of the things they did in life. Normally Kaede wouldn't pursue animals—but these weren't. Not anymore.

The Chimera crouched in the dark and crept close, the Shade-tainted birds none the wiser—and the wind changed. Of course it would. Her sense of smell wasn't the greatest, especially compared to other Monsters. She could only pick up a trail when the wind, the stars, and the planets aligned in her favor. But this was...naggingly familiar. There was no scent of feathers, the keratin smell of horns, just...a person. She should know that person, and yet—

—he spoke, and all the speculative doubts she had vanished.]

Zack?

[The shadows asked, the bulk of the Chimera hidden between the trees still. A curve of an antler, the glow of her eyes—not quite enough to put together into a whole shape.]

What are you doing out here?

[Illusions could talk, of course—and there were quite a few Witches in this zone, a loose spell or ten wasn't out of the question. Illusions didn't always answer, though. At least not always in the expected way.]

[exsoldier]

[ Focused as Zack is on his surroundings, and with that sense of restlessness prickling under his skin, he's more on-edge than he would be normally. To have someone call out to him by name is startling at first, but this will now be the third time this has happened. Which means that he isn't immediately suspicious about someone recognizing him.

It's a little disconcerting that all he can see of the stranger is glowing eyes and what looks like an antler, but Zack's aware that his own eyes glow in the dark, so he isn't going to judge too immediately. While he's still tense, he doesn't think there's any reason to feel threatened right now. He's more concerned about them getting ambushed. ]

Could ask you the same question. Except... you didn't answer my first one.

[ If he's supposed to recognize whoever's there, he doesn't. It doesn't feel great to keep letting people down over and over again when they know him and he can't return the sentiment, but he also realizes it's entirely out of his control. ]

Wanna come a little closer?

[ He leans to one side and tilts his head, trying to get a better look from around the dense tree cover. ]

goblin market >.>

[kisskissboomboom]

Things that sound that way usually are.

[ Jessie hums thoughtfully when the guy addresses her. He's real cute and his outfit... it reminds her of Cloud's. She wonders if he's another mercenary like him? Or a SOLDIER, not that Cloud talks about that much. Or anything, for that matter. It's what had drawn her in this guy's direction in the first place, but she can admit to some curiosity about the wards being sold at this market.

She reaches out a fingertip to tap at the glass for a moment, watching the pretty liquid swirl within. ]

What's it supposed to do?

[exsoldier]

[ Well, Zack won't ever say no to the attention of pretty lady, and so he's quick to turn to her and hold up the bottle so that she can get a better look at its contents. The goblin vendor looks a bit concerned that he might run off with it, though Zack has no intention of that. ]

Apparently it can create a temporary Bond between two people... but you can't just fabricate something like that, right?

[ It takes hard work and mutual trust to forge a Bond, so the idea that some potion could instill that in two people seems wrong on every level.

After a pause, he hands the bottle back to the vendor and turns back to the woman to give her his undivided attention. ]

Zack Fair. [ He stretches his hand out toward her. ]

wilde hunt

[freeing]

[ The forest speaks a language Daenerys does not speak. She's began to get turned around – her hand heavy with her curved arakh and her violet eyes piercing through the shadows that dance across the rising moon. A dragon may find more confidence roaming through the wilds , but a girl with draconic features still pushed through with uncertainty.

Drogon, her dragon still a turbulent whelp, had strayed too far from her. It had been almost a day since she last saw the black beast, trying to balance allowing freedom and then keeping him in her watchful eye. The burden of most mothers, was it not?

Her shoes found no silence in them, how she pushes through trying to follow a bellowing smokecloud that could lead her to a hungry dragon roasting his prey.

Of course, that's when a 'Who's there?' slices the air and she freezes. ]

I bring no misfortune, I am traveling. [ Traveling, in the middle of a dangerous area. Got it. ] If you have weapons, lower them. I cannot see you, but I will strike if challenged.

[exsoldier]

[ The response that Zack gets is firm and direct, and he has no issue with that. In an area as dangerous as this, one can never be too careful, but it doesn't sound like he's found anyone who poses a threat. So long as he doesn't push her buttons, anyway. ]

No weapons here.

[ He moves closer to the sound of her voice, winding around trees until he spots her. As soon as he does, he lifts both his arms to show that he wasn't lying. His eyes are like glowing beacons in the dark of the wood, but it's hard to make out most of the stranger's features when there's barely any light around them. ]

Traveling where? Sounds like you shouldn't be out here alone.

[ Then again, neither should he. He'd come out here without even a sword to swing around. Granted, Zack can use his own body as a weapon if push came to shove, though he isn't actually out here for a fight so much as to get the lay of the land. ]