(Untitled)

[blackwatermage]

Character(s): Neirenn and open.
Content: Neirenn's arrival in the city.
Setting: Promenade Terrace (H9)
Time: Morning, week eight (I think?)
Warnings: None.

Comments

[keep_my_promise]

With a place to stay, things were going a little better for Luke, except now he found himself restless and bored. He figured he had to do something to try to figure out a way to get out of here, but what exactly had eluded him. Perhaps looking for answers or just hoping to relieve boredom, he found himself wandering back towards the gate he himself had originally entered a week prior.

After passing countless blond citizens, the compartively dark haired girl really did stand out. Guess that's why he'd found himself being spoken a lot to by other outsiders as well.

Noticing the pamplets in her hands, it was easy to guess she must have arrived here just recently. Luke hadn't looked at them himself, since he couldn't read them at all, but looked like she was having better luck.

Feeling curious, Luke approached casually.

"Do those actually say anything interesting?"

[blackwatermage]

The voice itself was surprising enough; none of the passing residents had given Neirenn so much as a second glance. But it was obvious by one look at the stranger that he wasn't one of the city's willowy natives. His clothing style was really weird, too--or at least the fact that half of his shirt seemed to be missing.

"Wait, you're not from here either?" she said, standing up with an eager look on her face. "I've been trying to figure out how I got here, but these things don't say anything about it--just the train times and where the landmarks are and places to eat and shop. And even though this place seems really interesting, I'm sure I'm not supposed to be here--" She realized that she was starting to babble and quickly pulled herself in.

"I'm Neirenn. Who are you?"

[keep_my_promise]

It took a moment to even begin to process everything she'd said, but finally he just gave a friendly, albeit awkward, laugh. He'd definitely guessed right. She was new and as confused as he'd been - and still was to some extent.

"I'm Luke fon Fabre," he replied, pausing briefly then adding, "And, yeah, I'm not from here either."

He then raised his arm, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "I'm afraid I haven't had any luck figuring out how I got here either and from what I hear that goes for just about everyone."

At least from what he'd gathered from Ivan. That he wasn't the only one in this situation. It was kind of grim, but at the same time it was good to know he wasn't alone.

[blackwatermage]

"Nice to meet you," said Neirenn, with a faint smile that didn't last for very long. Well, knowing that she wasn't the only one in the predicament was good news. The fact that nobody knew what they were doing here, not so much.

But a friendly face was nice. "Well, can you tell me anything about it?" she asked. "It's full of magic, obviously... but I've never seen anything like these trees," she said, touching one of the silk leaves. "Or those animals wandering around, with the blue fur and glowing eyes. Those are definitely magic, but I'm not sure what kind."

"How long have you been here?" she said, turning back to Luke. He seemed nice enough. Maybe they could find things out together, or find people who knew more.

[keep_my_promise]

Where to even start? Luke decided to answer her last question first. "I've been here about a week now, I think," he said, folding his arms as he thought through what he had been able to figure out.

"I don't know much about magic, but apparently there IS some way to get back home, but the guy I talked to said he had no idea how he'd been able to get home much less end up back here," Luke explained, remembering what Ivan had told him.

"The people who actually live here are pretty weird. They'll take anything shiny as payment," he continued. It had been hard to believe when he'd been told that, but sure enough, he'd offered a shopkeeper a couple silvery leaves as payment, and they'd happily taken them. It was weird, but was making things a lot easier.

[blackwatermage]

"Well, that's good news," said Neirenn. Maybe not good that the person who'd left and come back had no idea how it had happened, but it was a starting point. People could leave.

"I kinda figured these people were strange," she said, watching one move past on some errand in the distance. "Somehow that doesn't sound too surprising--they don't really seem like they have a lot going on up there," she said, tapping the side of her head.

She looked up at the distant ceiling of the domes. "Hang on, I'm going to try something." Concentrating, she brought up an image of her house in her head, and gathered the magic from inside and around her. The regular spell this time, not the dark one... tendrils of light and insubstantial butterflies drifted around her, and she felt herself fading out--

--but there was a wall, and there was nothing, and blinding light--Neirenn felt as though she was tumbling through space for a moment before she landed back in her own body, which didn't seem to have moved at all. "Ah!" she gasped, staggering. Well...