Exploration and Contemplation

[heavenslament]

Who: Terra Branford and OPEN
When: Now-ish? I'm flexible.
Where: Lunar Subterrane (Cosmos territory)
What: Scouting the area
Type: Log/Action (Both are welcome; I'll reply in whatever format you tag me with.)
Notes/Warnings: New threads okay, no limit to number of responses, separate threads for different characters

Comments

[bound_skyward]

Kain was finally doing some exploring of the place, having spent most of his time strictly in Chaos territory, particularly the area he'd arrived in. So now, looking around cautiously, he arrived on the Lunar Subterrane. The area was eerily reminiscent of the moon that he'd been to... in fact, it was so similar he could almost fool himself into believing he'd returned.

But he knew that thought was too good to be true. Not only that, he also had to be wary, mindful that the enemy might be nearby. Of course, he still had doubts about this entire war, but he was ready to defend himself if needed.

He continued walking slowly along, keeping an eye out for a threat.

[heavenslament]

At length, Terra tore her gaze away from the stars and realized she ought to continue her trek and remain alert. The area may seem peaceful, but like any other, it was a potential battleground. It would not do for her to be caught off-guard, especially as she was alone.

The green-haired woman peered around, perking up when the sound of armored footsteps reached her ears. It could be an ally...or someone on the other side, with the same intent as she. Curious but cautious, Terra leaped toward the noise, landing on the next cliff.

[bound_skyward]

Once he heard the sounds of someone leaping, Kain turned and looked around. He caught sight of motion nearby, a glimpse of green hair-

"Rydia?!"

But as soon as he said that, he realized that it couldn't be her. She wasn't dressed in her customary green, for one thing, and even from a distance there were enough other differences in her overall appearance. Still, it was surprising to see anyone with such hair, and he wondered whether she was a summoner from Mist as well. It was possible, here...

[heavenslament]

The dragon-esque armor caught Terra's attention and she would have stared for a moment, had he not interrupted her train of though by calling out the unfamiliar name. To be mistaken for someone else was a surprise, given her hair color...and a little nice. It meant there was someone else out there with a similar hue. As long as this Rydia wasn't a creepy version/copy of herself, like Tidus and that other person, she could live with that.

She shook her head slowly. "...I'm not sure who you mean, but I'm not Rydia. My name is Terra and I haven't seen anyone else here...until now." He was totally unfamiliar, which made her wonder uneasily if he was a new arrival to Cosmos' side or a pawn of Chaos.

[hopeandapromise]

Hope was... well, let's face it- he'd gone off to the Rift, had met Fang, and then tried to get back, and somehow had ended up here. The poor boy was a little lost and even more confused overall. Just how many places were there in this universe? It was one thing to move around on Cocoon, or even Gran Pulse- because that's what they were, Cocoon and Gran Pulse. This place changed landscapes and times so quickly it felt like they were all different worlds, all being shoved into one location at the same time.

Still, he wasn't about to give up hope or worry about where he was. No one had attacked him, so he was okay for now. And even if someone did, he had enough firepower to back himself up, at least for a while. He was thankful for having the ability to know so many spells at once.

So, off he went, carefully looking around and making sure he wouldn't be sabotaged while trying to get back to everyone else.

[heavenslament]

The stars were beautiful, but after a moment, something else caught Terra's attention. She straightened, tearing her gaze away from them as she glanced around. Her hand rested on her sword hilt, wary that she was being watched. Perhaps that seemed a bit paranoid but in this realm -and all the others- Terra had learned that one could never be too careful.

She waited for a tense moment...and then she heard footsteps heading in her direction. Turning, she stared and then below, along the lunar ground. It took her a moment to spot him but when she did, Terra relaxed at once. Relief, surprise and a little curiosity all mingled. "...Hope?"

[hopeandapromise]

"Terra!" Though he hadn't known her for very long, the sound of her voice was something Hope had already gotten used to. Thankful that she was the one he ran into in a place like this, he looked upwards, grinning a little and running forward to where she was. It was good to see a familiar face.

"You came here too? What is this place?"

[heavenslament]

Terra smiled warmly as Hope approached, leaping off where she was standing to land before him. That spot had afforded her a good view, but she had already seen enough of that today. Company -especially friendly company- was far more worth her time.

She glanced around briefly, then back at him. "This is the Lunar Subterrane. I'm glad this place is still here, as it's one of my favorite spots. It's almost...peaceful." That seemed a bit silly to say, as no place around here could ever really be there, but she wanted it to be true and that wistfulness in her expression said s much.

[pink_protector]

Aerith had slipped away from Tifa and Yuffie for a bit. She was a bit disappointed she hadn't yet found Cloud but was confident he couldn't hide for very long.

She had decided to do some exploring her own, not sure exactly where she was going exactly. Things just had a habit of working out, after all.

She paused as she came into the Lunar Subterrene, awe struck as she looked around. This world was so strange, yet so fascinating!

[heavenslament]

After a moment, Terra's attention was abruptly drawn away from the stars and she turned, scanning the area. There was no visible sign of an enemy, but even so...she had stayed still long enough. Remaining that way overlong outside her room or the sanctuary was just asking for trouble.

And so, she leaped onto the next cliff, and the one beyond that, before jumping down. Smoothing her dress, she straightened afterward...and that's when she spotted someone ahead. She tensed, wondering if her first fight was looming already...but a moment later, Aerith was recognized and she relaxed. As she approached, Terra lifted her hand and waved.

[pink_protector]

Aerith hadn't been expecting to see anyone else here so she was surprised to suddenly see Terra appear. But she gave a bright smile, glad to see her new friend here and waved back at the other.

"Hi there! I hope I didn't interrupt you or anything, I was just exploring and found this place!" she admitted with a light laugh. "It's so beautiful here!"

[heavenslament]

Terra smiled and headed over to join her. She glanced up at the sky again briefly, before nodding as she turned her gaze back to Aerith. "I'm glad it's still here. I was wondering if anything would be the same when I stepped outside the sanctuary, but it's exactly as it was, down to the cliffs and boulders. I know all this could be a battleground in due time...but right now, it's one of the most peaceful places I know."

[obsidian_chaos]

Thanks to Terra's assistance earlier, Shadow knew now how to travel from one area to the next. Understanding the territory would be beneficial during the war, especially since he soon discovered that not all the realms had been connected to each other

[heavenslament]

The familiar voice cut across Terra's thoughts, and she perked up, turning. Upon spotting him, she smiled and nodded. "I wanted to see what else had changed."

She glanced up to the sky again. "This place -the Lunar Subterrane- is exactly how I remember it, though, down to the last detail. Well, at least in appearance. I've noticed that the mannequins don't attack me, here. I'm not sure why that is."

[obsidian_chaos]

Shadow trusted her words, although normally he might have been much more skeptical. His eyes glanced around the cliffs, platforms, and back up at the stars once more just as she had done.

"The placement of the moon and stars is still the same?"

He had expected that it would be, among other things. The different realms had no reason to shift or change, no reason to orbit or be orbited by other satellites. Except for perhaps that moon, but it was difficult to tell. Did anything change permanently? Or was everything restored to its previous state after the war? Or was time only going in a loop? There really were too many questions.

"I've yet to be attacked by any of the mannequins either. I wouldn't put it past a god of discord to lull us into a false sense of security, and then go on the attack without warning once it happens."

[heavenslament]

"You could be right." Terra frowned, thinking that over. "Maybe it's a new tactic of his, though I suppose we'll find out soon enough if that's true. It's a good idea not to let your guard down around here, anyway. Even if the mannequins aren't attacking, Chaos' minions could be anywhere."

She tilted her head, glancing to him. "Have you encountered any, in person?"