001 // [action; lobby]

[outstandings]

[Hermione? Is very, very confused. She's read the letter over and over again until the paper has been nearly worn down from how hard her hold on it had been. The course catalog is clenched in the same hand, her bag held tightly in the other as her wand had been stuffed into the back pocket of her jeans as soon as she had read the warning about '

Comments

[flirtninja]

[Ninja art of appearing and making sagacious observations!]

Not at all.

[That from the -- well, by wizarding OR Muggle terms, rather outlandishly-garbed ninja leaning casually nearby.]

But if there's anything I can help with, I'd be happy to.

[outstandings]

[There's a gasp of surprise when the stranger addresses her-- she hadn't seen him at all, so it's a bit alarming to Hermione when someone appears out of nowhere, especially with how jittery she already was due to being on the run for quite some months. Seeing that the male isn't out to attack her or anything, though, Hermione calms down before addressing him, a troubled expression on her face.]

I think there's been a mistake-- I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not even sure how I got here, but I can't stay. Is there... is there really no way out of here?

[flirtninja]

Nothing that anyone knows. Nothing reliable. I'm sorry.

[She's a cute girl. He's allowed to offer sympathy under than condition.]

Since you're stuck here, would you consider helping this world out? It needs it.

[outstandings]

[That's a rather strange request for someone who has just popped into this foreign world. Her brows are knit with confusion, obviously unsure of what he means.]

Help the world? What's happening?

[flirtninja]

[Strange, perhaps, but a good way to judge people in his mind. The world was in danger -- what could be the proper response but to deal with that danger? Even if the only way is to go through training and become a SeeD... who would walk away?]

Time compression, global political crises, threats of a Sorceress, and everything resulting. You don't know the story, I guess, if you're this new here?

[outstandings]

['Threats of a Sorceress'? That causes Hermione to momentarily freeze up, before she tries her best to seem relaxed and calm, though she's anything but.]

I'm afraid I don't know what you speak of. Could you please explain? I really don't know anything about this world or the state of things, considering how I've just... arrived.

[flirtninja]

I'll do the best I can. I'm not of this world myself either.

[He straightens up from his generally awesome pose to a more comfortable one, clearing his throat.]

In this world, there are certain people called Sorceresses. They have the gift of magic, and pass it on from woman to woman. Twenty years ago, an incredibly powerful Sorceress cast a spell that would compress time. Squish together the past, the present, and the future. A group of heroes defeated her... but time compression is still affecting the world. It's pulling in people like you and me.

[With him so far?]

[outstandings]

[Fascinating. Hermione hangs onto his every word, absorbing all the information; of course the little bit about magic and passing on sorcery from women to women makes her uneasy, hitting a little close to home, but she tries her best to not let it show.]

But if the heroes defeated her, why is Time Compression still in affect? Shouldn't it have ended after her defeat?

[flirtninja]

Ah, but the spell affected time itself! That one casting touched all points in time. So the spell hasn't really 'ended' because it never really had a proper beginning or end as we know it. Like crumpling a piece of paper. Even if you stop what's crumpling it, the paper won't ever be quite smoothed out again.