22nd moon [video/action]

[puppet_paladin]

I've found Marcus and Seifer in my storage this morning.

[A pause. The feed shows the sky and nothing more, with small, regular movements hinting that it was not placed on a stable surface. The sounds of waves is very close by.]

My head hurts terribly, and my dreams make no sense, even though they're not quite dreams, even though-

[He interrupts

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[video]

[usedgatlinggun]

[ Quistis looks carefully composed, but the husky note in her voice betrays something melancholy. ]

... Seifer? [ Well, she assumes it's a Pokémon, which means - ] ... One of Squall's team?

[video]

[puppet_paladin]

...His Gyarados. [A pause.] His second Pokémon. He caught him back in August and he evolved in September. It was quite a sweet moment, in retrospect, though at the time I was too busy panicking-

I'm rambling. I apologize.

[video]

[usedgatlinggun]

[ She laughs a little, but it sounds sad, too. She glances away. ] That means he named a Magikarp 'Seifer.'

... No, it's... it's fine. I understand completely. [ Her smile is genuine, if rueful. ] I'll miss him, too.

[video]

[puppet_paladin]

He did. [He's smiling a little, even if no one can see it.] He named his Cyndaquil Zell, too. People from your world?

At least he'll be waiting for you at home. [An hesitant pause.] Will he... be fine, there? He won't have to fight Ultimecia again, will he?

[video]

[usedgatlinggun]

Yeah. [ It's said with a little laugh. She swallows hard. ] Zell is a friend, too.

I... don't know. [ She hesitates, too. ] I came from a time when we'd already beaten her, but... well, he was going to tell Rinoa and I something when we met up in Violet. I'm wondering if he was from a different point in time than we were.

[ For a second, she goes quiet. ] ... Even if he does, though... he'll be okay. I know he can do it. And he won't be alone.

[video]

[puppet_paladin]

Summons and friends. We all name our Pokémon in the same manner, sometimes.

...The rest of us had all fought our adversaries before. From the way he talked about her, I think he'd once fought her. At home. [That part seems important, somehow.] But if he's not alone, he'll definitely be fine.

[video]

[usedgatlinggun]

[ Confusion crosses her face briefly. ] What do you mean, 'the rest of us?' [ Maybe it's nothing, but she feels like it's something. ]

[video]

[puppet_paladin]

[Quistis, you actually get a look at Cecil's face, as he takes the Pokégear off his chest and stares in confusion.]

Warrior of Light, Firion, Onion Knight, Bartz, Terra, Cloud, Zidane, Tidus and myself. Squall never told you about the Conflict?

[video]

[usedgatlinggun]

[ They look like two very confused people. ]

The... Conflict? No... that... must have been what he was going to explain when he met up with us.

[ A pause, then: ] If... you don't mind, Mr. Harvey, would you enlighten me? I'm sure Squall meant for us to know, he just never got the chance....

[video]

[puppet_paladin]

...The goddess of harmony, Cosmos, and the god of discord, Chaos, were at war, with the safety of many worlds at stake. But gods cannot merely fight each other; thus they used champions. From your world, Cosmos chose Squall; Chaos chose Ultimecia. And-

[He interrupts himself. What was he about to say? Nevermind, he'd think about it later.]

For most of the war, Squall travelled either by himself or with Bartz and Zidane. ...But since Zidane also disappeared at some point during the last day, I suppose Bartz will be lonely.

[video]

[usedgatlinggun]

[ Quistis takes this all in with apparent comprehension. It's easy to imagine that he was pulled from their world, like they all were when they came here, to fight for Cosmos, tucked into a pocket of time in another dimension. ]

Was the war over for you? At the time that he came here, I mean?

[video]

[puppet_paladin]

I think we all appeared after it was over, but I'm not exactly the best source for that particular information. From my point of view, it took place seventeen years ago. But nothing Squall said made it sound as though he'd not yet seen Chaos' defeat.

[video]

[usedgatlinggun]

That's good, at least. ... I suppose the only concern, then, is whether he'd defeated Ultimecia in our world before the Conflict. Even if he hasn't, though - like I said, he's not alone. I've seen her defeated; I know we're capable.

[video]

[puppet_paladin]

...Knowing what others consider the future can be useful, I suppose. But even without that knowledge, I'd believe in him until the very end.