Soon enough, a man stepped into view, and Lightning eyed him cautiously. Well. He didn't look like a monster from Pulse, and Lightning had seen a fair few. Nor did he look like PSICOM or the Corps, but that didn't mean she was going to let her guard down for a second.
Lightning's hand closed around the handle of her gunblade, but she didn't draw it from its holster. Not just yet.
"I know that," said Lightning dryly. "I just didn't expect to find anyone else down here."
This was Pulse, after all. Hell on earth. Or so they said. So far, it seemed a little warm, but nowhere near the fire and brimstone the Sanctum had led the people of Cocoon to expect.
Even though there weren't any monsters on the island, at least not ones that could find you unless you went looking for them, Riku still carried his Keyblade with him almost everywhere he went. He was especially glad he'd brought it with him on today's foray into the jungle when he unexpectedly came across another of the island's residents. He didn't recognize the young woman but he did recognize the gunblade held readily at her side.
In a flash Way to the Dawn was in his hands and angled protectively across his torso. Whoever this woman was she was obviously a warrior, and while he didn't want to provoke her Riku didn't want to leave himself open to attack either. Until he got a better feel for her mental state he figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I didn't expect to see anyone else this deep in the jungle. Everything okay?" he asked cautiously, eying the gunblade warily through his blindfold.
Drawing a blade probably wasn't the best way not to provoke Lightning. She unfolded her own blade, spread her feet, falling into a defensive stance, ready for battle.
"You tell me," she said to the blindfolded man, narrowing her eyes at him.
Riku grinned. Yeah, there was nothing wrong with her, either mentally or physically, if her reaction was anything to go by. It was just what he would have expected from a seasoned warrior and it put him oddly at ease. He slowly lowered his Keyblade until it was resting loosely at his side, its tip pointing harmlessly at the ground, making it clear that he wasn't looking for a fight but was still able to defend himself.
"Yeah, it's cool. I just wasn't expecting to come across someone wielding a gunblade." He kept his voice calm and even. "There aren't many weapons here, and even fewer gunblades, so when someone I don't recognize shows up with one I just automatically go into defensive mode, you know?" He relaxed his stance but made no move to return Way to the Dawn to the harness on his back.
Cable could appreciate a ridiculously over-sized weapon. He had one of his own, a gun so big it was practically a hand cannon, strapped to his back.
He stopped when he saw her, noting absently that she bore a slight resemblance to the first person he'd met on Tabula Rasa, and then took a step towards her just to show that he wasn't afraid.
"Nice weapon," he greeted her casually. It looked a bit like the one Squall used.
"It's not for decoration," Lightning told the man. But she didn't lift it fully out of its sheath. He wasn't drawing his own weapon, and he didn't seem raring for a fight. Of course, things like that were bound to change on a whim, but Lightning would be ready.
She'd prefer more information about her present situation, though, first.
"That's not an answer." Certainly not a direct one, in any case. Lightning wasn't often forthcoming with information about herself, and she didn't usually care if other people were the same, but in this instance...
She was out of her element, annoyed, and it showed.
I'd always been a little alarmed to see someone holding a sword, especially since that maniac had pulled one on Coraline. Having that sword holder be a woman was no less disturbing, although the fact that she had it at the ready rather than on the attack made it easier to handle.
The woman also looked perturbed and confused, and I hadn't seen her before, and I understood what that meant. If I were more used to swinging weapons around, I'd have had one at the ready when I came here.
I approached carefully, keeping my distance and keeping my hands where she could see them. "Hello, there," I said. "Are you all right?"
Lightning looked the girl over. She was just a kid, probably not much older than Vanille. She pushed her gunblade back into its sheath and dropped her arms by her sides.
"I don't know yet," she said honestly. "Who are you?" She didn't look like she was from Pulse. Or Cocoon. She was beginning to think none of the people here were from either.
"I'm Polly. Polly O'Keefe," I said, patiently, preparing "the speech" if, indeed, she needed it. "I've been on this island for a year and a half, now. I originally came here from Connecticut, the United States." I gave her a hopeful smile. "You?"
"Never heard of it." Lightning looked away from this Polly, gazing up through the treetops as if she expected to see something, and looking back at the girl when she evidently didn't.
Zelda had tried to avoid the jungle as much as possible, its depths simply far too much of a risk to take at this time. She did like to walk along the edges of it though, take a look at the beautiful flora that grew there and wonder at what must be inside.
She hadn't expected another woman and she watched her, head tilted, as she walked from the jungle.
"You ventured inside all alone? You must be incredibly brave, heedless of caution or possibly some combination of the two."
"Ah," Zelda said quietly, tapping her lips. That did make a good deal more sense and while Zelda might have hoped for a softer landing on her own arrival, at least she'd not been thrown into the jungle to fend for herself.
"The goddesses were kinder to me, to some extent. I am called Zelda and, while I wish I could be more helpful and gracious, I'm afraid I'm fairly new myself."
Lightning doubted goddesses had anything to do with it. Fal'Cie, maybe.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "Nobody I've met so far has been any more or less helpful than you, so far." She sighed and put a hand on her hip, sticking out the other. Couldn't hurt to be polite, in this case. "Name's Lightning."
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Lightning's hand closed around the handle of her gunblade, but she didn't draw it from its holster. Not just yet.
"Who are you?" she demanded, without preamble.
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This was Pulse, after all. Hell on earth. Or so they said. So far, it seemed a little warm, but nowhere near the fire and brimstone the Sanctum had led the people of Cocoon to expect.
Somehow, she wasn't really surprised.
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In a flash Way to the Dawn was in his hands and angled protectively across his torso. Whoever this woman was she was obviously a warrior, and while he didn't want to provoke her Riku didn't want to leave himself open to attack either. Until he got a better feel for her mental state he figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I didn't expect to see anyone else this deep in the jungle. Everything okay?" he asked cautiously, eying the gunblade warily through his blindfold.
[OOC: A new SE pup! *squee!* :D]
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"You tell me," she said to the blindfolded man, narrowing her eyes at him.
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"Yeah, it's cool. I just wasn't expecting to come across someone wielding a gunblade." He kept his voice calm and even. "There aren't many weapons here, and even fewer gunblades, so when someone I don't recognize shows up with one I just automatically go into defensive mode, you know?" He relaxed his stance but made no move to return Way to the Dawn to the harness on his back.
"Who are you anyway?" Riku asked curiously.
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She relaxed a little when he lowered his blade, but her gaze was sharp as she looked him over.
"Nobody special," she said. "Who are you?"
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He stopped when he saw her, noting absently that she bore a slight resemblance to the first person he'd met on Tabula Rasa, and then took a step towards her just to show that he wasn't afraid.
"Nice weapon," he greeted her casually. It looked a bit like the one Squall used.
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She'd prefer more information about her present situation, though, first.
"You from around here?"
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She was out of her element, annoyed, and it showed.
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The woman also looked perturbed and confused, and I hadn't seen her before, and I understood what that meant. If I were more used to swinging weapons around, I'd have had one at the ready when I came here.
I approached carefully, keeping my distance and keeping my hands where she could see them. "Hello, there," I said. "Are you all right?"
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"I don't know yet," she said honestly. "Who are you?" She didn't look like she was from Pulse. Or Cocoon. She was beginning to think none of the people here were from either.
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"Lightning," she said.
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She hadn't expected another woman and she watched her, head tilted, as she walked from the jungle.
"You ventured inside all alone? You must be incredibly brave, heedless of caution or possibly some combination of the two."
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She looked the girl over for a moment before she spoke again. "Besides, I didn't have a choice. That's where I landed."
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"The goddesses were kinder to me, to some extent. I am called Zelda and, while I wish I could be more helpful and gracious, I'm afraid I'm fairly new myself."
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"Don't worry about it," she said. "Nobody I've met so far has been any more or less helpful than you, so far." She sighed and put a hand on her hip, sticking out the other. Couldn't hurt to be polite, in this case. "Name's Lightning."
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