9 - Brief Encounters

"I can't believe I haven't gotten the chance to berate you sooner," Mer said as the five of them settled into the plush coach. He had claimed one window seat, with Kiih claiming the one on the far end of the bench, and Ro had settled between them. "Seriously, a real live Worldwalker and you just failed to mention it to me ( Read more... )

8 - A VisitLen greeted her with a grin, having changed into a pair of black slacks and a blue shirt to match the one Yuri wore. He had also donned all of the jewelry he'd taken from the dresser, which seemed to include multiple earrings, a couple of discrete silver rings on each hand, and at least one necklace that had been tucked into his shirt ( Read more... )

7 - WalkaboutThis time was different. She never lost consciousness and was keenly aware of the exact moment where her feet touched the ground. She felt a strange pressure in her chest and a crackling of static electricity as her feet landed softly on the cobblestone street. She opened her eyes to see her hair and Corwyn's floating around them as ( Read more... )

6 - Home Again

Between Sil's apartment and the Kitazawa residence stretched about half an hour of uncomfortable silence interspersed with Yuri describing, somewhat awkwardly, her second experience in the darkness.

( Read more under the cut. )

5 - SpiresShe hadn't known exactly what she'd expected when the spindly towers in the distance became less distant, but she knew that she hadn't quite believed Len's description of the heart of the city practically being carved from the bedrock. At first, it seemed she had been right: the first few layers of the city seemed like a cross between an ( Read more... )

4 - A Brief HistoryLen made a short detour behind the counter, preparing two more cups of tea and a plate with four more delightful pastries before leading Yuri gently to the patio in front of the Sunset Cafe. Through some seemingly miraculous equilibristic feat, he managed to balance both cups (on saucers), a small pitcher of cream, a tiny pot of ( Read more... )

3 - Tea and HoneyLunch was good, as Ro had declared it would be, and it passed relatively amicably. Briefly, Yuri wondered how lasagna could taste so anal-retentive, but she decided it was a subject better left for some other time. Once the dishes had been piled in the sink and Kiih had changed into more presentable clothing (which constituted a ( Read more... )

2 - Strange LandWhen next she opened her eyes, she saw grass and very little else. She could discern that it was daytime, though, and that her body seemed to be totally intact. Upon a little more observation, she seemed to still be in possession of her helmet and her bag, and (judging by the weight of it on her back) all of the items it contained ( Read more... )

1 - Eight MonthsHer story began eight months earlier, with Reese and Yuri sitting in the same apartment, bingeing on soda, snack food, and a deadly cocktail of Japanese television (both animated and live-action), American and British science-fiction shows, and the occasional hilariously terrible Soul Calibur death-match. It was a tradition that ( Read more... )

Prologue - HonestyThe girl whom Yuri Kitazawa saw in the mirror looked far too little like herself for comfort. Her cheekbones were high, her chin delicate and pointed, her face shaped a bit like a heart, like Yuri's were. Her hair looked rather like Yuri's did: a shade between violet and royal purple, shoulder-length, and with a few oddly-placed ( Read more... )