Encroaching darkness was not was Zell had anticipated seeing when he stepped outside for his morning jog. It had been maybe two days since he and the others ventured to the future to defeat Ultimecia and already the fear that somehow she survived made his heart leap into his throat. It only grew progressively worse when Zell woke up in the middle of an unfamiliar town with a start and a loud yell. He was on his feet in less than a second, whipping around wildly for any sign of hostility.
After a moment, it sunk in that his friends weren't here either. He called out their names and wandered around, but it only got him the attention of a... moogle?
Poor thing did its best to explain, but it really only resulted in Zell blowing up more: "The hell do you MEAN my world was destroyed?! How?! Who's ass do I have to kick?!"
Apparently Darkness had no tangible source, as it existed everywhere... and that made Zell's heart drop about a mile and then some. The only thing he could think to be thankful for was that it really wasn't Ultimecia
( ... )
Yuiko was lost and very, very confused. Last think she remembered was talking about a school trip and now she was here. Walking around Yuiko was keeping an eye out for anyone she knew, or Ritsuka who she hadn't seen in a good day or so, she lost count
( ... )
(...Huh?) Slowly, Zell cracked his fingers open and peeked out to look at the origin of the voice. He stayed there for a long moment, staring. Did she have cat ears? And pink ones no less. ...And pink hair... Whoa. What the hell did he eat before he went to bed last night?
He sat up suddenly, swiveling around to face her after he put his hands down and blinked. Still not waking up. ...Damn.
She watched for the good portion of the time the adult was getting up, she was still a little nervous around him since she had no idea who exactly he was, or even in her head how he might have lost his ears.
"Yes, I am. I don't know where I am and I was hoping that someone could help me."
Although she knew she shouldn't talk to strangers, it seemed to be the only option she had in front of her right now.
"If we're bein' perfectly honest, I don't really know my way around either. Just got here myself," Zell replied, giving her an apologetic look. "But if y'like, we could try and figure our way around together. Kids shouldn't be wanderin' around on their own."
With all this talk about Darkness and monsters, the last thing he'd want is her to run into one or the other on her own. Did she even have a means to protect herself? Not something Zell wanted to test. He jumped to his feet.
Oh, so he was also someone who had just arrived here himself. She had to wonder just what exactly was going on because right now, it was about as confusing as it had been five minutes ago.
Her cat ears had started to settle slightly on her head, going down as she looked down, was the Moogles one of those weird looking things she kept seeing around town? Well, at least that was some form of help in a way.
"Are the Moogles those things that I've been seeing often around where ever it is we are?" Her ears had perked up slightly at saying this, her hopes starting to be lifted. Maybe if she got the help, she would know this place better and hopefully find someone that she knew from her home.
"Yep! Those are the ones. With the little pom-poms on their heads and all."
They were pretty common, weren't they? That meant they'd be easier to find, right? "Let's find a moogle, then," Zell declared. Probably better than he got out of the middle of the street anyway. Like Yuiko, he needed a better grasp of his surroundings and he had hopes that he'd run into one of his friends.
Of he started in one direction, looking back to make sure the girl was following him.
It wasn't hard to spot someone sitting in the middle of the street, or guess why they were with the recent news. Aerith didn't want to believe it, but the teenager's tattoo was something she'd never seen before ... and besides that, his posture was painfully reminiscent of past refugees.
"Are you new?" She walked over to him with careful steps and crouched by his side. Her arms wrapped around her knees as she looked over to see his face. "I was new here once, too."
The sudden soft voice broke Zell out of his quiet mantra (it did little to solve his problem anyway) and he blinked at the woman several times in surprise. He supposed sitting in the middle of the street probably brought attention to oneself.
"Really...? Did you get your home back?" he prompted, looking hopeful. And then he frowned again, groaning at his own train of thought.
(Of course not. She wouldn't still be here if she did! Sheesh...)
"I did," she said. "It took a while, but we really did it." She laughed quietly. "Well, Sora did a lot of it." She tilted her head toward the dark sky of Traverse Town, picking out a star that had once gone missing for ten years. "That one."
At that, Zell perked and looked to the sky, trying to follow where Aerith pointed. It occurred to him in that moment how different the sky looked, becoming increasingly aware that he couldn't pick out any of the constellations he remembered in his world. (So weird...) Still, he smiled a little and looked back at her.
"There's hope, then!"
He and the others had survived to unreal odds before. They could do it again!
"But... why are you here, then? Shouldn't you be back home?"
"That's right!" His declaration instantly made her happier, her smile brightening for that moment; it was always important to keep up hope, and if the refugees had it, it'd make things easier to bear for them.
At his question, though, she shook her head.
"My friends and I came here to see what was going on. The worlds may be separate, but they are still all connected. If darkness is claiming more worlds, it can't be ignored."
And in turn, Aerith's smile infectiously brought a small, optimistic grin to Zell's face. It turned quickly into astonishment when she explained her situation and he sat even more upright.
"You can travel from world to world? How?!"
He probably should have been listening to that moogle instead of yelling at it, but panic and fear rose pretty high on his list of emotions in that moment and it couldn't be helped. Even so, this lady had a soothing presence about her and seemed willing enough to answer questions. Maybe she even knew where he might be able to go to look for his friends.
"Ah --" The exclamation was quiet, but she really hadn't expected Zell's sudden reaction, her eyes widening in surprise. She calmed down with a soft sigh and stood up, leaning down to address Zell. "Gummi ships. That's how. Many worlds have their own stations now to make travel easier."
There was only a brief pause before she continued. "But the darkness tries to reach these worlds, too. So you have to know about where you're headed." No one should be caught by Heartless unprepared.
Of all the stupid things... Zell pictured giant ships made out of gummies and that just sounded ridiculous on all levels. He, too, rose to his feet and rubbed the side of his head, frowning. "This has to be a dream," he thought aloud, groaning.
Maybe he'd better stick to what he knew, first. Like finding his friends on this world.
"...Have you met any other newcomers here, by chance?"
She frowned to herself when he wrote everything off as a dream, but she didn't try to correct him. This wasn't something most people could accept at once.
"You're the first I've met, but there are more. We've been hearing a lot about this. Are you looking for friends?"
After a moment, it sunk in that his friends weren't here either. He called out their names and wandered around, but it only got him the attention of a... moogle?
Poor thing did its best to explain, but it really only resulted in Zell blowing up more: "The hell do you MEAN my world was destroyed?! How?! Who's ass do I have to kick?!"
Apparently Darkness had no tangible source, as it existed everywhere... and that made Zell's heart drop about a mile and then some. The only thing he could think to be thankful for was that it really wasn't Ultimecia ( ... )
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(...Huh?) Slowly, Zell cracked his fingers open and peeked out to look at the origin of the voice. He stayed there for a long moment, staring. Did she have cat ears? And pink ones no less. ...And pink hair... Whoa. What the hell did he eat before he went to bed last night?
He sat up suddenly, swiveling around to face her after he put his hands down and blinked. Still not waking up. ...Damn.
"Uh. Yo! You lost, too?"
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"Yes, I am. I don't know where I am and I was hoping that someone could help me."
Although she knew she shouldn't talk to strangers, it seemed to be the only option she had in front of her right now.
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With all this talk about Darkness and monsters, the last thing he'd want is her to run into one or the other on her own. Did she even have a means to protect herself? Not something Zell wanted to test. He jumped to his feet.
"I was told to look for a moogle if I got lost."
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Her cat ears had started to settle slightly on her head, going down as she looked down, was the Moogles one of those weird looking things she kept seeing around town? Well, at least that was some form of help in a way.
"Are the Moogles those things that I've been seeing often around where ever it is we are?" Her ears had perked up slightly at saying this, her hopes starting to be lifted. Maybe if she got the help, she would know this place better and hopefully find someone that she knew from her home.
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They were pretty common, weren't they? That meant they'd be easier to find, right? "Let's find a moogle, then," Zell declared. Probably better than he got out of the middle of the street anyway. Like Yuiko, he needed a better grasp of his surroundings and he had hopes that he'd run into one of his friends.
Of he started in one direction, looking back to make sure the girl was following him.
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"Are you new?" She walked over to him with careful steps and crouched by his side. Her arms wrapped around her knees as she looked over to see his face. "I was new here once, too."
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"Really...? Did you get your home back?" he prompted, looking hopeful. And then he frowned again, groaning at his own train of thought.
(Of course not. She wouldn't still be here if she did! Sheesh...)
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"There's hope, then!"
He and the others had survived to unreal odds before. They could do it again!
"But... why are you here, then? Shouldn't you be back home?"
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At his question, though, she shook her head.
"My friends and I came here to see what was going on. The worlds may be separate, but they are still all connected. If darkness is claiming more worlds, it can't be ignored."
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"You can travel from world to world? How?!"
He probably should have been listening to that moogle instead of yelling at it, but panic and fear rose pretty high on his list of emotions in that moment and it couldn't be helped. Even so, this lady had a soothing presence about her and seemed willing enough to answer questions. Maybe she even knew where he might be able to go to look for his friends.
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There was only a brief pause before she continued. "But the darkness tries to reach these worlds, too. So you have to know about where you're headed." No one should be caught by Heartless unprepared.
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Of all the stupid things... Zell pictured giant ships made out of gummies and that just sounded ridiculous on all levels. He, too, rose to his feet and rubbed the side of his head, frowning. "This has to be a dream," he thought aloud, groaning.
Maybe he'd better stick to what he knew, first. Like finding his friends on this world.
"...Have you met any other newcomers here, by chance?"
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"You're the first I've met, but there are more. We've been hearing a lot about this. Are you looking for friends?"
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