vatheon | Enter the Summoner

Entry tags:

Enter the Summoner

Who: Sheen and Vatheon! ...-Zelos
When: Thursday morning
Where: Plaza~
Style: I'll follow
Status: Open!

Sheena Fujibayashi: summoner, Mizuho's next chief, and emissary of peace to the country of Sylvarant. Someone with a challenging future ahead of her, but who'd already come from many more trying challenges before. She faced trials daily, particularly when associating with certain redheads and maybe briefly just shortly lamenting an unrequited crush. Just a little. It wasn't unreasonable, after all. It was hardly the most difficult of things she had to deal with, anyway.

...

Sheena Fujibayashi: well-acquainted with falling down holes.

Truth be told, she should have expected this. With a groan, the young woman gingerly sat up, hand to her head as she surveyed her surroundings. This... didn't look like any pit-at-the-bottom-of-a-hole she'd ever seen before. Maybe it'd been some kind of an entrance. Except... that... That was a fish. And so was that. And that was a much bigger fish. And that was a sea jelly. And she was definitely underwater, and her clothes and hair were definitely soaked.

With a yelp, Sheena threw herself back, mind reeling, and managed to miss her feet entirely when she landed. So that left her staring at the wall of seawater, on her ass. She didn't have a phobia of the water like some people she knew (funny, because she could be a real cold fish at times--not that Sheena really had a problem with her anymore), but discovering yourself in an underwater location was definitely unnerving. Especially since it didn't look like there was any way she could have fallen down here. No vertical tunnel or anything!

"I really hope this isn't some kinda angel base." Because warp pads were all that came to mind to explain how she got here. "Since without Derris-Kharlan, there's probably not enough mana here to get me back..." That was a frightening thought. She didn't want to be stuck here without any way to get home. She had people to protect and lead! Peace to help keep up! She couldn't just... be stuck here... "Th-there's probably a way back," she mumbled, standing up and absently dusting herself off (which didn't help much with water). "There's gotta be."

And so for about 20 minutes, she wandered around the plaza she'd found herself in. All it got her was a lot of vague answers from the locals, a couple towels, and a brochure. Real helpful. She hadn't bothered looking through the brochure yet, more interested in being grumpy for the moment. Stupid holes, stupid clumsiness, stupid underwater city. She had things she needed to be doing! ...and not here...

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If Sheena was hoping that this was not some sort of angel base, seeing Kratos was probably quite unpleasant for her. He wasn't exactly camping at the plaza, but knowing that new arrivals were coming through, well - he was keeping an eye on the area, just in case.

Not that he was holding out much hope.

With things going as well as they have been with Lloyd, the seraph doesn't think much of calling out to Sheena when he sees her wandering around looking confused. Colette and Raine hadn't reacted to him in a hostile manner either, and Zelos was... well, best to just not think about Zelos.

"Sheena?"

It definitely left her feeling confused; why was Kratos here? Lloyd had said he'd gone off with Derris-Kharlan, and this place was definitely not the comet. She kept silent for a moment, baffled, just trying to make even an ounce of sense out of this mess. Sheena pressed one of the towels around her shoulders against her hair, brows furrowing with uncertainty.

"Kratos?"

Right, echoing the same basic question with a change in name use wasn't going to change anything. So she decided to start with the obvious, repeating immediate thoughts out loud.

"Aren't you supposed to be on Derris-Kharlan?" Because figuring out where this was would be easier once it's established it wasn't any kind of Cruxis base.

Kratos was more than a little surprised to hear her say that. Yes, Dhaos claimed that was what he chose in the end, and he'd decided to do it on his own, but hearing someone he actually knows confirm it is a little upsetting. So he truly would leave Lloyd again...

"This is not our world. It is a location that sits outside of the normal flow of time. Even Mithos is here." Should he explain to her that Mithos does not yet know that he betrayed him? It seemed prudent, otherwise it might get out. He didn't want to imagine the consequences if Mithos were to find out.

"Mithos is here?" The name set her on edge, shoulders starting to angle almost as they did in combative stance, left foot sliding back--unaware of the minute shift, herself. "But we beat him!" We killed him. It would probably be best to explain things, Kratos; Sheena already fumbled around to think if maybe something hadn't worked out the way it was supposed to have worked. If the final blow hadn't been fatal, if destroying the Cruxis crystal hadn't truly eliminated Mithos... A small part of her pitied the idea that it hadn't; he'd been so... tired, she thought. It was easily outweighed by the rest of her, by her own morality. Nothing could justify what he'd done.

Then what he'd said before that name registered, though she didn't relax.

"What do you mean, outside of time? That doesn't make any sense."

"I mean exactly that. Time is not a linear construct. Though we are from the same world, we are from different points in time. The last thing I recall is releasing Origin's seal." He paused before continuing, making sure to look Sheena right in the eye.

"Mithos is from before even that. He does not yet know what has occurred. Since he's been fairly calm while in this city, I would ask that you do not tell him."

In some ways, it was almost like having his friend back. Yes, Mithos was despondent and frequently irritable, but he hadn't ordered Kratos to do much of anything during their stay here. He was even interacting with some of the humans without that look of disgust on his face. It gave him hope.

Well, the whole world was just basically blown out from under every scholar recently, so why not a universal concept? The summoner stood upright, arms crossed as Kratos continued; the eye contact was a little unnerving, but she wouldn't be the first to break it. She wasn't sure how much she trusted Kratos, even with all he'd done for Lloyd in the end.

And if time was as flexible as that, then... Kratos' most recent memories were of that willingness to sacrifice himself. But that still sounded crazy; you can't just break the flow of time when the past has already happened, can you? Unless they're like all lined up right next to each other or something. Removing something like that--she still remembered Yuan coming in out of nowhere to keep Kratos from dying. The frustration and lack of comprehension was evident with the way her features drew together, brows knit and lips pursed.

That expression changed with Kratos' request. Not tell Mithos? Not tell him everything that had happened? Well, if this wasn't just some messed up dream, it made sense; no point in telling someone their future, right? But then...

"Wouldn't... all of this break the way time flows? I mean, Origin's seal is long past, for me. The worlds are reunited, the people of Mizuho have moved, and I'm running around Sylvarant and Tethe'alla." She leaned back to set her weight on one foot. "Wouldn't changing what you guys know mean my future will change, too?"

Edited 2012-08-23 20:41 (UTC)

"You have no need to fear that. People do not remember their time in Vatheon when they return to their own world. Even if we did, it would simply cause a separate timeline to form. Your own future would not change. However... since Mithos bears the Eternal Sword, I do not want to count on this city alone to protect us. Take care with what you say to him."

All it would take is Mithos remembering his time here in the city when he returns and knowing that Kratos and Yuan had both betrayed him to essentially doom an entire timeline, and Kratos didn't want to take that chance - even if it meant being direct with someone instead of withholding information as was his usual method of communication. Kratos didn't seem to be bothered at holding eye contact with Sheena. Instead, he maintained it, trying to gauge her reaction and if he could trust her to keep her mouth shut.

Colette had just been in the plaza to go get more dog food, but...That was Sheena! Colette didn't even really register that Sheena looked unhappy as she ran over to the older girl, smiling. "Sheena! You're here!" Hope you don't mind the hug!

Now it's only Genis, Regal, and Presea that are missing of the party...But first things first- "Do you want to go to my apartment to dry off? I can explain this place to you."

Telling her about the others can wait. They'll find out eventually, and right now settling Sheena in seems much more important.

Colette? Colette! Sheena didn't mind the hug at all! It... was a little awkward since she was soaking wet, but having a friend show up in this place was nothing shy of a miracle. And if Colette was here, it could mean one of two things: this place wasn't so bad since she was running around on her own, or it was so bad and Colette was just being Colette. Not very telling.

But Colette offering an explanation? Yes please.

"Yeah, an explanation would be great." Sheena pushed at damn skin and clothes with the towel again, kind of willing it to dry. "The people around here aren't very good with them," she groused. But. Wait. "Apartment? You live here?" What about Iselia and finding the exspheres and all?

Well that's a relief. Sheena scratched the back of her head, frowning still; it didn't really solve anything, though. Unless this place just didn't allow time for them to pass, things would still be irrevocably changed once they left. Not to mention, she still wasn't entirely sure she believed Kratos. It could just be a supposition rather than absolute fact, and in that case... Gaaah, but Mithos.

"Yeah. Him not being angry and magic-hurl-y would be best." She didn't really feel like dodging numerous area spells as part of her daily routine. The statement gave her opportunity to break eye contact, though, twisting and closing her eyes with a flat hum. Opening them again, her hands set on her hips. "Has... he actually gotten along with anyone?" She didn't want to sympathize. She didn't want to be weak against Mithos, not after they've already done so much. But maybe indulging in a little sympathy wouldn't hurt. It's... It's not much, after all.

Right, Sheena's still wet. Colette releases her from the hug and offers Sheena her hand. May as well start with that... "Those were probably the Locals. I don't think they've ever been much help. And...I've been here for around nine months. Maybe it's closer to ten now...?" She shakes her head. The exact number doesn't really matter anyway. "I've been here for a while, either way. So I have an apartment. You can stay there too, if you want. There's another bedroom."

She hasn't said what this place is yet, has she... "This place is called Vatheon, it's a bubble under the sea and there's an artificial island you can get to from the elevator. You'll have a mark somewhere on you, and if you show the store owners it, they'll give you what you want for free. Unless you're in the Nostalgia Nook, then you have to pay Starfish Tokens. No one knows how to leave on their own, but sometimes people do leave. Sometimes they come back only a couple of days later too. And...people don't stay dead here. They come back in five days."

She takes a breath. "Does that make sense?"

"He does not have any close friends if that is what you are asking. There are a few people who seem to care for him, though. If there is a chance of him redeeming himself, he will find it here."

He tries to not hope for that turn of events too much. After all, hoping often ends in despair - it's better to simply not hope in the first place. But after seeing Mithos question his own actions after speaking with Lloyd, Kratos can't help but hope just a little that his friend will find some peace here.

"Ten months?" Sheena stares disbelieving; but they hadn't even...! "No way, that's not possible!" But the offer's appreciated, and she might well take Colette up on it. While she's trying to process, she forces her attention to stay on Colette enough to take in the rest of what she says. Vatheon, under the sea... A mark? Okay, she'd look for that later. But... None of this really makes sense.

"H-How did I get here? How did you get here? And so long ago! It's only been like a year since..." The summoner trails off and just kind of stands flabbergasted by everything, bringing a hand to her forehead. "I think... I think maybe we should go somewhere I can sit down and try this again." Separate worlds aren't that unusual--Tethe'alla and Sylvarant had been cleaved in two, Nifelheim existed... But... But this was different.

Something in her relaxes at his answer; there are people who seem to care about him. Even if only here, in a place that might erase itself from their memories, he can have a little peace... Mithos' story truly is heartbreaking in its first part. But what he did after losing Martel can never be forgiven, in her mind. It's hard to lose the only family you've got, but you can't just... take other people's families away instead. It isn't right and it doesn't fix anything.

"Maybe..." Sheena sighs, immediately dismissing the thought; no, she can't think like that. Arms fold beneath her breasts and Sheena shifts her weight to one foot. "Well, I'm not gonna be starting any fights with 'im."

"Heheh, yeah. I thought so too, but some of the others are here from in the middle of our journey, even though I'm at the end of it. And they can't have just forgotten about it. As for me, I don't think it's been a year since we reunited the worlds yet." Colette smiles brightly at her and points over to one of the benches. There is no way she'll be even slightly sad about Sheena arriving. "We could sit here. Unless you want to dry off first."

She shakes her head a little. "We don't think anyone really knows how we got here, but I think the coral might be the reason we were pulled. I just sorta arrived like you did, just a while ago. We don't know why people go back either."

"That is all that I would ask." He doesn't expect forgiveness for their actions. He doesn't even want it. Kratos knows that they deserve to face the consequences of what they've done, but in a place like Vatheon where someone can't die for good... allowing Mithos to fight Lloyd and his friends would end in their deaths many times.

"Have you been to that Welcome Center yet? They carry brochures explaining the basics of this city."

She's grateful for the change of topic; they'd just lapse into some kind of uneasy (mostly on Sheena's part--Kratos is good at it) silence. She's never liked those. And either Kratos' powers of observation are suffering, or he really is just diverting to more neutral ground. Whatever the case, Sheena takes the damp towel around her neck to squeeze at her hair. Retained water like a champ.

"Yeah. I haven't really looked at it yet, though. Seems kinda weird that they'd even have 'em, though. Does this kinda thing happen often?" The locals sure seemed unbothered by it.

Edited (really, i remember what i covered in her intro--honest) 2012-09-07 18:05 (UTC)

The older girl is simply silent for a moment, trying to mash some sense into that in her head. It sounds like some kind of weird fiction novel, to her. They've seen magitechnology and crossed mana-linked worlds and discovered those worlds were one split in two, but...

"I don't think I'm ever gonna understand that. But drying off more sounds like a good idea; it's kinda cold, being all wet like this." She smiles at Colette, a little awkward. It's also kinda rough, like salt or sand. Bringing a gauntlet sleeve closer to nose confirms it's salt. She should've guessed that, though, what with her surroundings. "Is there anywhere I can change and clean my clothes, actually?"

He had indeed merely been trying to change the subject. Kratos isn't out to make Sheena uncomfortable, and if she'd wanted, she could have used that as an out and gone over to the Welcome Center. Honestly, he'd kind of hoped that she would. Idle conversation is not exactly his strong point.

"Monthly, in fact."

"I don't think my clothes will fit you, but like I said, all the items but the things in the Nostalgia Nook are free, so we can get you something here and you could wear that until we clean your clothes!" She tilts her head and frowns a little, thinking. "I'm not sure if there's someplace out here where you can clean them; I've just been using the machines in my apartment. They aren't magitechnology, but they work kinda like it..." She's not even really sure what they'd call a place to do your laundry here.

She points over at a clothing shop. "We might be able to get something that fits over there! The Welcoming Center's nearby and you can bathe there after we get you clean clothes."

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