Test Drive Meme

[melodiesmods]

Reservations will open on August 25th at 00:00 GMT-4 (August 24th at 15:00 EST) and close on August 31st at 23:59 GMT-4 (August 31st at 14:59 EST)
Applications will open on September 01st at 00:00 GMT-4 (August 31st at 15:00 EST) and close on September 08th at 23:59 GMT-4 (September 08th at 14:59 EST)

— Reply with a character you wish to test in the game's setting.
— Feel free to use one of the prompt below or make one of your own!
— Tag around! This is a panfandom RP, so don't hesitate to tag both castmates and non-castmates.
— Most importantly, have fun!

1/ Welcome to the world of Crystallis!
You have seen reality shatter and collapse around you, in the depths of the void you found a Crystal and now you are in the city of Aqures Ixen, surrounded by Moogles and people as lost and confused as you are. On the bright side, everyone thinks you're a hero! On the downside, they expect you to save the world. Maybe their expectations are a bit too much. Thankfully, you're not abandoned to your fate as a Moogle explains to you everything you need to know. Maybe it's time to get to know your companions in misfortune. Besides, it seems this has occurred past month already-- Maybe some people who have been here for longer than you may help.

2/ Do you like your new life?
No? Well, either way, you better get used to it, to your new powers, to your new house, to the ball of fur that follows your every steps—Who knows, maybe you'll even make some friends here. Besides, even if everyone expects you to save the world, fighting isn't the only way to do so. Maybe you could open a shop to help and properly equip your friends who are actually eager to fight. Maybe you could try and gather people who think diplomacy can stop war, you could even start your own researches on the Crystals— Or you could make sure your house is the prettiest in all of Aqures Ixen. Anything is possible.

3/ Neighborhood woes
The government of Aqures Ixen is very sorry, but it seems there are too many of you Heroes of Light. Hence why there is no free houses left in district dedicated to housing you. This may also be why you're not alone in the house that was given to you. Hopefully you're not living with a mad villain plotting to take over the world late at night, and hopefully your neighbor isn't a singer who doesn't know how to sing. On the bright side, you may have someone very cool living with you and an artist next door! It's just not likely.

4/ Crystallis de Chocobo
Upon arrival, your Moogle gave you a map of Crystallis. This world may be a bit big for you to explore, so why not go to the Chocobo Farm and ask for a Chocobo? These big birds can't fly, but they're much more efficient than horses when it comes to travelling. Maybe it's your first time riding a Chocobo; it might be a good idea to have someone with you in case something goes wrong. Or maybe the old man at the farm didn't have any Chocobos left and gave you some Chocobo Lure© so you can go and capture your own. You can find details on Chocobo Capture here.

5/ A thing called Mognet
Hopefully you weren't used to Internet and cellphones back home. Otherwise, you might be a tiny bit confused when your Moogle returns to you with a stack of letters. Or maybe someone else's Moogle is coming to you with a voice message it learnt by heart and is now going to recite to you with a lot of Kupo. That's how the "network" works here.

6/ A thing called Strike
In spite of how old-fashioned it is, Mognet is very useful and odds are that you may have become dependent on it. Hopefully not, because one local tradition seems to be Mognet Strikes. Nobody knows any more whether the Moogles have legitimate reasons to go on strike or if they are just lazy. But today, Mognet is down, and to get information you have no choice but going to the public board in the third district or in taverns.

7/ I believe I can fly~
You are on an Airship! Airships regularly depart from Aqures Ixen and stop by most major cities in the world, so they're the perfect means of transportation for you to go and explore this world. You can go anywhere in a matter of hours — One can only hope you don’t have motion sickness.

8/ Exploration
Enough expository banter. Now is the time to explore. Maybe rather than spending most of your time in Aqures Ixen, you'd rather spend it living in Balicea, or betting on Chocobo Races in Trano Golsaucia. Or maybe you'd rather go and explore some ancient ruins that may hold some precious information. With Airships and Chocobos at your disposal, you can go nearly anywhere that isn't under imperial control; unless you have a death wish of course.

9/ Random Encounter
You were minding your own business walking around, and suddenly monsters attacked you! Time to put to use the skills you've learned with your Jobs! Alternatively, maybe this encounter isn't random at all, and you have been sent on a mission to kick some imperial asses in the war confronting the Heran Empire and the Republic of Esdham. Good luck!

10/ Getting Jobs is hard
It all started when you asked Jessie to give you a new Job. What could and should have been a formality, quickly turned into a trial. All you wanted was a Job, and here you are in the wild, hunting for a Malboro Vine. Or maybe you are in some ancient and decrepit ruins looking for an artifact. Or yet again, maybe she simply asked you to assist her in her researches on the Crystals. Getting new Jobs is not easy. Consider yourself happy though, at least you don't have to do that alone.

11/ The world is subject to unrelenting pain and suffering…
This is why you should play a game. After all, there are things a lot more important than saving the world: Blitzball is one of them. Triple Triad is another. Why don't you take a break and do something different for once; anyone wanting to play Blitzball is given a special potion allowing them to breath underwater, whereas someone who wants to play Triple Triad should have no difficulties finding veterans more than happy to get rid of their low level cards.

12/ Wild Card
Don't like the options offered here? Go crazy and choose what you want to do in this world!

Logs Community ♦ Mognet Community ♦ OOC Community ♦ Crack Community

Game	Players	World	Other
Premise	Applications	Jobs / Requests	Hospital
Rules	Reservations	Legends	Employment
FAQ	Taken Characters	NPCs / Contact	Races
Locations	Hiatus/Drop	Housing	Mod Contact
Mognet	Player Contact	Bestiary	Credits
Aqures Ixen	Player Plots	Eidolons

Comments

[desertbloomed]

"The Dawn Shard was indeed a treasure worth protection; however, with how little we know about Crystallis, we cannot be sure this grimoire's significance is unequal to even deifacted nethicite." Her tone of voice indicated her doubt, though. "Jessie has been more helpful than not, overall, but 'tis clear she sees little value in educating us in her ways. In some ways, she reminds me of Dr. Cid." Not necessarily a bad thing, but Ashe not trusting their hosts implicitly shouldn't exactly be news to the young sky pirate.

"Tread carefully. It could be activated by some panel on the floor..." Ashe warned as she took a hesitant step forward. When nothing happened, she walked somewhat more confidently, her back straightening to its usual posture. "You should have come to fetch me before setting out, Vaan." Her tone was soft, almost as if she was hurt that he hadn't. She knew they had drifted somewhat apart since the Battle over Rabanastre, but he still held a special place in her heart, along with the others. "You know I would have come with you. We are not at full strength here. Our technicks, magicks, the Scions, they have all left us."

[desertbloomed]

"Well met, Ramza. Simon." Ashelia began to walk once again, motioning with her head for Ramza to join her. "Let us walk. There are many sights to see in Aqures Ixen, and the sooner you do, the sooner you can turn your thoughts to more important matters." The queen adjusted the basket in her arms as Merlose floated behind them, chatting amicably with Simon.

"It has been more than a month." She didn't sound happy at that fact. "There were thirty or so of us, all appearing together at the Fire Crystal, just as you did. Four fell into Crystal Stasis not long ago, and shortly after more Heroes appeared." They way she said 'Heroes,' it was clear she used the term simply for convenience. "A month, almost to the day, I should think. I suppose, given enough time, we might see a pattern."

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza followed Ashelia, walking beside her but letting her lead the way. He made a quick gesture at the basket Ashelia carried, offering to carry it for her, but easy enough for her to wave it off if she preferred he didn't. "So more than a score each month? It would seem someone is amassing an army."

He took a quick glance back at the moogles, who seemed distracted enough by one another's company. He turned back to Ashelia and lowered his voice. "Have any of the Heroes actually met this Queen we are to serve? I dislike the thought of blindly obeying the whims of a monarch of unknown character."

[[Sorry, Queen Ashelia. If Ramza knew he was talking to a royal, he might phrase it a little more delicately.]]

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia politely declined Ramza's offer, though she was thoroughly impressed. She finally found a man who seemed, on the surface at least, a true gentleman. It only took her, what, a month or so? "My thoughts exactly."

Which leads right into Ramza's next question. "None have seen her. If our erstwhile hosts are to be believed - and I do think they are, at least on this point - she disappeared several weeks before we arrived. Apparently, she left behind a letter outlining our arrival and has not been seen since." The queen frowned, shaking her head. "Wedge, the most forthcoming of them, insists we are not here to fight for any Queen, but for Crystallis itself." Ashelia didn't seem to thrilled with that idea, either. She hadn't felt very thrilled by anything at all lately. "However, the fact remains that an Empire with weaponry and technology that far outclasses Aqures Ixen's stands at its doorstep, ready to invade at any moment."

[zodiac_brave]

An impending invasion as well? "It seems the making of a great bard's song," he mused. "I suppose this Empire will not be persuaded to aid in the battle against this mysterious Calamity?" That was more rhetorical than a question to his patient guide. If the creature truly threatened the whole world, it would seem in their best interest to band together, but people were not often logical when it came to seizing power.

Well, at least that gave Ramza an idea of what was expected of him. "Have any measures been employed to protect our borders? The army is small yet, but it should not be too difficult to set up a patrolling schedule." As wary as Ramza was of this absent queen and her crystals, he slipped quiet easily into the role of strategist. An invasion was an issue much more black and white than this 'Warrior of Light' plot, and it would not sit well with him to sit back and let the city be taken.

only the best for you :V

[empty_smile]

While Satoru's mind felt as though it were overloading, Shun's had moved to a standstill. He knew that, were he to over-think everything without having much to go off of, he would only wind up confusing himself. With that, he was focusing on what he did know:

They were not from this place. This place was drawing people in, from various...worlds, it seemed. Anyone with powers, prior to coming there, no longer had their powers or skills -- it even applied to skills such as physical strength, speed, and endurance. Everyone's bodies had, apparently, been altered. He assumed it had something to do with the Queen of Aqures Ixen, who had been the one to ask his moogle to "help" him -- someone that had been deemed a "legendary hero", even by the people of that world. The people who believed he would be aiding in saving the very world he'd been summoned to, against his will...

...And, surely, he'd been waking from the dream, eventually.

The comfort he was deriving from the close contact was enough to calm him, for the most part. That was his best friend -- someone he'd said things to, for the sake of chasing away. Someone he'd wounded, deeply, to ensure he never came looking for him. The embrace would never been enough to make up for that, but it was a start. He could feel himself relaxing into it, after a few seconds. But, then...he heard those words, and his chest was tightening right back up. Closing his eyes even more tightly, he fought against the stinging sensation. No...he wouldn't cry.

When he felt Satoru pulling away, it didn't help his battle. Even with how small the distance was, some of the comfort had been pulled away. His hands slowly lowered to his own sides as he subconsciously began withdrawing. Those...words. Jaw line tightening, he held a blink to hide the pain that threatened to shine through. The mask was up, just like that, too. He'd managed it for the past year, so it wasn't too difficult to manage...once more. When his eyes opened, the hint of a smile -- wry and, yet, another attempt at keeping the focus off of his own pain -- appeared, "In this world, I doubt I would get very far by blindly running away."

Then, green eyes averting to the ground, his expression turned more calm, than anything. He knew, perfectly well, what his ex-boyfriend meant by those words. After a soft exhale, he added, "Things are different, here, Satoru. There's little point in dwelling on the past, in a world where we don't even have our original abilities. Right now, it would be best to find out who else is here, and then figure out how we're going to go about dealing with this."

His voice was soft, almost gentle. In the end, he knew it wasn't something Satoru wanted to hear, right now...but Shun hadn't said he would run away. The other teen had been one of his dearest friends, even before they'd dated. The Karma Demon's reasons for pushing him away had- well...it...had nothing to do with the world they were in.

[desertbloomed]

"A great bard's song?" Ashelia shook her head, unable to keep herself from laughing lightly. "A dirge, more like. Aqures Ixen seems to be a house of very precariously stacked cards."

"None seem to know what shape this Calamity may take, or if it exists at all. The only concrete proof of its existence is our own presence here." The queen shook her head, sighing, as if suddenly tired. It was clear that she had been over and over all this in her own head, looking for loopholes or any angle that she hadn't already examined. She didn't seem annoyed at all by Ramza's questions, though. Perhaps by explaining this to him, I might find some insight lost to me previously.

"One Biggs is the commander of Aqures Ixen's armed forces. He is a...formidable man, in every aspect of the word. He is also not a believer of the Legend of the Heroes of Light. He distrusts us, as I might be wont to do in his situation. Still, it leaves those of us who desire to help with no way to do so."

[empty_smile]

[Listening quietly to her answer, his gaze lowers to the ground. A bitter thought enters his mind of, of course he doesn't recognize the name of the place.

The overly-logical part of his mind refuses to accept this as being true. There remains the fact that he's never been outside of his village, after all. Perhaps the strange, new knowledge and abilities could be brainwashed into them. It wouldn't be the first case he's seen of people being brainwashed.]

Spira...Besaid...Kilika... [His tone is soft as he commits the names to memory.]

Earth. A village called Kamisu 66, specifically. [A pause as he gains a more serious expression, before adding:] My name is Aonuma Shun.

[He doesn't appear to be fazed, at all, by her fairly intimidating appearance. In fact, he's offering her a faint (though...wry) smile.] Did you happen to have any abilities, prior to coming here? Abilities that are now replaced by new ones, perhaps?

[It's best to cover all the bases, yes?]

{12}

[no_dreams_for_you]

Sleep… was apparently still an elusive concept, even now.

It was late, but Gaara stayed awake in bed, staring up blankly at the ceiling. What a tedious and frustrating process. How did humans manage to accomplish this feat on a daily basis? He had only managed to sleep sporadically, whenever his body finally succumbed to exhaustion. This couldn’t possibly be the normal process. Briefly, he entertained the idea of contacting Luke to ask him for advice, but… now wasn’t a convenient time. Hopefully, he was asleep by now… though Gaara did recall his difficulty with nightmares, back in their previous world.

Throwing off the covers, he dressed into his white robes and stepped outside, staff in hand. Karura was asleep, and he didn’t want to awaken her. There was no need for her presence, or to disrupt her rest. He could heal himself, if it became necessary. While it wasn’t the wisest idea to conduct this type of training at night, there was also no guarantee that the warriors would never fight during the dark hours.

“......”

Without curious eyes watching him, he was able to climb up the tree in less time than before, when Naruto had been close by and observing. Carefully studying the distance between each branch, Gaara took his time in jumping from one to the next, traveling in a method he was much accustomed to. This was an easy task in his home world, with chakra to aid their feet in attaching the soles, but here… he needed to exercise much more caution.

Unfortunately, his left foot slipped on one of the branches, and he began to descend toward the earth. Gasping out loud, the ninja reached around blindly, in an attempt to grab a hold of something – anything.

[empty_smile]

Sleeping wasn't going to happen for him, either, apparently. He'd managed to nap, sure; it just happened that too many things were swarming his mind. With a sigh, he ran his hands through his hair to straight it out, dressed, and then proceeded to make his way to the door. After stepping into the night air, he held a blink to take in a deep breath. He'd had every intention of leaving Michiko to continue sleeping, but- ...Turning to close the door, he found the moogle outright staring at him, arms folded over her chest, "........."

And...that was how he wound up with his moogle friend tagging along.

A certain feeling of nostalgia had him smiling, in spite of the pain prodding at his chest. They chatted, quietly, along the way. She had a lot of interesting things to say about the world, too. He welcomed any and all information that she had to offer, smiling softly at some of the more interesting of facts. After nodding occasionally, he would add a comment regarding her last statement.

By the time he realized that they had walked...pretty far from the apartments, his steps came to a stop. Turning to glance back from where they came, he pondered if they should head back. As he started to turn to ask Michiko what she thought, he heard her speaking up, "K-kupo!" Which, apparently, meant "watch out".

Or...something to that effect.

Either way, he felt a hard yank to the back of his shirt, which resulted in him finding himself...flat on his back. Blinking up at the night sky, it took a moment for him to realize he'd been yanked to the ground. Instantly, the question of 'by what...or who?' came to mind, and he was scrambling to sit up and find out. As he spotted a redheaded young man, his eyes widened, briefly. Even as Michiko rushed to the stranger's side to check on him, Shun was asking in a concerned tone, "Are you alright...?"

Fortunately, his fall hadn't been that far...or hard. And, maybe his being grabbed had slowed the descent of the stranger?

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza looked around the street they walked down. The townspeople did not seem concerned. They simply went about their business. "Perhaps," he agreed. He knew nothing of their enemy. It might well be a hopeless endeavor. "But perhaps there is strength here, yet unseen. I have seen peaceful folk rise up to defend their lives, against great adversity." Blame it on growing up with a thoroughly optimist father, but Ramza didn't have it in him to quit without trying, in spite of all the suffering he'd seen.

He gave his head a little shake. "At least if the Calamity has not yet manifested, we...the army can focus on this other threat." As silver linings went, it was rather tarnished, but it was all he could offer up to his companion. He disliked the weariness that slipped over her as she spoke.

"And if you and the others here truly wish to render aid, this Commander Biggs would be foolish to ignore you. A group of foreigners could accomplish things that the army might not be able to without risking a declaration of war. If the commander cannot see our usefulness, perhaps we should meet with him and enlighten him." Ramza paused, and amended, "if you think it might help."

Perhaps he should wait until he'd spent more than a few hours in the place before he took on the general, he reminded himself.

[no_dreams_for_you]

The fall could have hurt him much worse, he supposed. Regardless, his rear end was far from happy with him for that display of clumsiness. Visibly wincing, Gaara propped himself up onto his elbows, and finally released his tight grip on… whatever that had been. Oh… a Moogle was asking him if he was all right. Not Karura, fortunately, which meant she was still asleep in his residence.

And a stranger was addressing him, as well. Was this the person he had fallen into?

“I apologize for the inconvenience,” Gaara was quick to tell him, pale cheeks flushing with vivid embarrassment. How fortunate that none of his allies had been around to witness this easily-preventable fall. He didn’t want Naruto to think any less of him, after all. And if he received any obvious injuries, Luke might become upset with him, for opting to train on his own. At night, no less.

His lower muscles were aching, and he contemplated casting a healing spell… for a couple of seconds. But how weak would he appear, if he were to do that? Instead, he focused his attention on the stranger, and inquired candidly, “Have you been injured? I can heal you, if needed.”

[empty_smile]

After his shirt was released, he was moving to stand. Without hesitation, he was reaching down to help the stranger to his feet. Shaking his head at the apology, Shun clearly didn't seem to find any fault in the person's actions- though, that didn't take away from his level of curiosity...

"I'm not injured. Though...do you mind if I ask why you were in the tree, in the first place? From the looks of it, you're in the Job Class known as the White Mage. Were you hoping to improve your physical skills?"

He'd been studying the different jobs, in hopes of...maybe finding a connection. Be it one between the different jobs in comparison to the worlds people come from...or between the skills people had in comparison to the new ones they're given. He was not one for just nodding in acceptance of the information given from the world, itself. Regardless, he knew that White Mages weren't ones with a gratuitous amount of physical capabilities.

[no_dreams_for_you]

He felt a twinge of surprise at the stranger’s kindness, particularly considering what he had just done. But Gaara accepted his help and rose to his feet, then immediately brushed the dirt off of his robes. Hard to hide that fact, given the white material. His staff… where had it fallen, when he slipped? He turned around and began to search for it, through the darkness.

“That is fortunate,” he replied, looking back briefly, “No, I do not mind. I was training. That is indeed my primary Job Class. What is yours?”

Yes, he did aim to improve his physical aptitude. But he didn’t need to tell a complete stranger exactly how inept he was. He had been a powerful, formidable ninja before. Now… he was reduced to having a frail, regular human body. It was… quite an adjustment to become accustomed to, against his will.

Regardless, Gaara was perfectly willing to answer his questions. He needed to compensate for his mistake, in causing someone undue harm. Though, it didn’t take much for him to accurately guess, based on the line of inquiries, “Did you arrive recently?”

[desertbloomed]

Ramza did strike Ashelia as the thoroughly optimistic type, but he wasn't necessarily wrong. She smiled slightly as she followed his gaze. She had been surprised again and again while observing Vaan and Penelo fight. They did fight for their own reasons, of course; they all had. But they were her people, in the end. She had seen her people's strength laid bare in her friends' actions. Why should it be so different for these? If Wedge is to be believed, the Queen left willingly. 'Tis not only her closest advisers she trusted. Maybe it was time for Ashelia to shift her perspective a bit.

"The war against the Empire is not ours to fight," Ashelia replied, though she carried on so as not to give the wrong impression. "I'll not leave innocent people undefended should events take a turn, but my first concern is with our contemporaries, the Heroes, as we've inevitably come to be called." Her tone was noticeably different from her explanation of the state of Crystallis. The queen had conviction. She was driven. "I intend to see us all home safely before we are drawn any further into politics that ought not concern us."

[empty_smile]

Michiko refused to sit idly by while her human friend did all the work. Tugging fiercely at Gaara's robes, she did what she could to assist the red-haired human in standing. Once he was to his feet, she smiled brightly, "You should really be more careful, kupo!"

Shun suppressed the urge to chuckle at his moogle's words, instead letting his lips curl into a soft smile. Then, as he watched the stranger begin looking around, green eyes immediately moved to scan the darkness. While his eye sight wasn't as keen as it had been, back in Kamisu 66, he still assumed the person was searching for something important to him. Going off of what he remembered seeing mages equipped with, he assumed it was a staff. As he heard the first question, he found his eyes landing on something.

Instantly, he recognized it as a type of weapon- a staff, just as he'd assumed it would be. After walking straight to it, he leaned down and picked it up. Turning, he held it out for Gaara, "Is this what you were looking for?" He started with a light smile, before adding, "I'm a Blacksmith. And, unlike most everyone I've encountered and spoken with, that's my only Job Class."

The second question had him nodding, "Today, in fact," he started, and then followed up with, "My name is Aonuma Shun."

[regretted]

My name is Lulu. [And she adds, perhaps in the hope that it may ring a bell:] Guardian to the Summoner Yuna, also of Besaid. I've never heard of this "Earth."

[Had he been poisoned by Sin, perhaps?] I have abilities. Magic, to damage fiends...but I admit I haven't tested them here. There's been no reason to. [Not yet.]

[no_dreams_for_you]

The tug startled him at first, simply because he didn’t understand the reason for it. Then, upon realizing the Moogle’s intentions, he nodded in acknowledgement of her smile. Her enthusiasm reminded him of his own Moogle, in fact. “Your concern is appreciated. What is your name?”

He had been searching in the opposite direction, when the stranger approached him with his staff in hand. Taking a hold of it, he nodded again. “Yes. Thank you.” His head tilted in mild curiosity; he had yet to meet a resident of that particular Job Class. “You may choose a secondary Job Class. Your skills will remain limited, otherwise.”

Well, he had suspected as much. Gaara presumed that his Moogle had told him most of the necessary information, upon immediate arrival. “I see.” Brief pause. “My name is Gaara. How do you prefer to be addressed?”

Gripping onto his staff tightly, he started to lean against it, using the grounding as support. He was feeling some pain in his backside, most likely from falling. But he was stubborn in not wanting to cast a healing spell for something so minor.

Maintaining a stoic expression, he turned his attention back to Shun. “It would be safer to explore this city during the daytime. Particularly if you are traveling alone.” He would feel partly responsible if Shun continued to wander around, and ran into enemies that he couldn’t defeat on his own. There weren’t very many healers present, in general.

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza turned his face away from Ashelia when she mentioned home. His hand reached, unbidden, to the crystal he'd tucked away inside his armor. It had emerged from inside of him as he had been brought here. Ramza had encountered only two types of crystals in his life: the 'Holy Stones' of legend, and the crystals that manifested out of a person's soul when they died. He was certain what he held was not a Holy Stone...

"You believe we will be able to return home?" he asked quietly.

When he turned back to face Ashelia, he had forced a smile on his face. No need to burden her with his overly grim suspicions on the nature of the Heroes' crystals. He could feel her determination and protectiveness for her charges, and it helped cheer him. "We are fortunate to have a leader such as you, Lady Ashelia. If there is aught I can do to aid you, you need only ask."

[empty_smile]

She gave a firm nod in response to his initial words, before responding with, "Michiko! According to Shun, part of my name means 'wisdom' or 'intelligence'! I never knew that my name had any special meaning within it, either..." The female moogle might have been blushing, just then.

"You're welcome," Shun said with the soft smile intact.

Then, he nodded to the stranger's suggestion. He had no intention of picking a Job Class until after learning all the details of each one. He wanted to know the weaknesses as well as the strengths. It was a matter of finding one that worked best with the one he'd already been equipped with, "I suppose you could say I'm already in the process of picking one. It also seems I've been blessed with a rare Job Class. I've yet to meet anyone that shares it."

Michiko was quite the chatterbox, honestly. In just a day of being there, Shun had learned of the world's history...as well as some information regarding everyone that had been there for a month's time. Apparently he wasn't far behind the world's initial recent guests, too.

"It's nice to meet you, Gaara," he said, and then appeared to think for a moment, "You may call me Shun."

The world didn't seem to follow the same rules as home. They were all in the same boat, as far as being declared unwilling 'heroes of light'. Not to mention the last time he was called by his family name- His expression almost faltered, but he quickly latched on to the next thing coming out of Gaara's mouth. The ghost of a smirk graced his lips, "Your advice is appreciated. On the contrary, I was heading back prior to your falling out of the tree."

Then, the smirk molded into a sheepish smile. He wasn't remotely upset, after all. He quickly realized how his words could seem, so he immediately made an attempt at backpedaling, "I hadn't intended to travel out this far, originally...and got lost in the conversation with Michiko. Perhaps this is what people mean when they say that two people meeting was fated. In any case, would you like to accompany me? I'm sure it would be safer, having a healer at my side."

[no_dreams_for_you]

Michiko. Gaara summoned a mental image of the characters, and then wondered if Shun spoke the same language as his original home world. Perhaps the written language was the same. In this world, everyone could understand each other, verbally. Only at the facility had there been times when the translations didn’t function properly, and people resorted to gestures and sign language… amongst various other techniques.

“A child of wisdom and beauty,” he quickly translated, not at all fazed by the sight of her blush, “I am certain you will uphold those traits.”

Karura would probably like to befriend her, he quietly speculated. They seemed to have a few traits in common. Ion, on the other hand, was much more quiet and demure. Gaara favored his company, simply because they were similar in some regards.

“Mmm. The majority of the residents seem to favor the Warrior class,” he deduced, after observing which classes the others had chosen. “Most fighters in general, prefer to specialize in offensive techniques.” Luke himself had expressed great disappointment in losing physical strength, after all. Despite the fact that no one else had chosen the Thief Job Class, to Gaara’s immediate knowledge.

“Likewise, Shun,” the redhead answered politely, keeping his tone intentionally light. He had a habit of falling back on his formality training, when it came to new or uncertain situations.

…That mention was quick to make Gaara lower his gaze, out of a mild sense of shame. He wasn’t normally so clumsy or careless, really. He had made a miscalculation, but that wouldn’t stop him from continuing to pursue his training. If anything, it proved that he needed to strengthen himself, both in physical force and agility. He wouldn’t be able to match Luke’s speed or reflexes, but he could… become less useless.

At Shun’s request, he lifted his head, expression seeming completely unaffected. He had no qualms with accompanying a new arrival on his journey. The White Mage possessed a few spells in his arsenal at present, with room to acquire more. “Very well. Where is your residence located?”

[empty_smile]

It's nice to meet you, Lulu.

[The lack of 'aha!' within his expression might answer that he doesn't...sooner than the next words out of his mouth does. He says them in a tone that's akin to the tone he'd used, earlier, while memorizing the names of those three places.] Summoner Yuna...

[Head tilting to the side just a bit, he does well to hide his disappointment.] Nor have I heard of anyone called Yuna. If they're not someone you've already come across -- are they someone you'd like me to notify you of, should I run across them?

[Looking to the side, he appears to think for a moment.] Fiends? [He lifts his brows.] As in evil spirits or demons?

[empty_smile]

"Oh! You must have the same language in your world, kupo! That's the same thing he said." But then...her cheeks puffed out just a tiny bit at his next words, and she was speaking while looking to the side and using a quieter tone, "K-kupo...That's really nice of you to say."

Nodding to his words, Shun's head tilted to the side, ever so slightly. Yes, he'd noticed that was a rather popular Job Class. Another thing he had noticed was that most White Mages were...female. Of course, he had no inclination to point that out. He didn't see it as an insult to Gaara, either -- it was more that he saw it as a casual observation. Shun hadn't grown up in a world where males and females were treated differently from one another. Everyone was...pretty much treated equally, aside from the fact that females could be expelled from school for getting pregnant.

"I know a few who would, upon coming here, appreciate having that class."

If Shun were to hear that Gaara found himself to be useless, he might be quick to point out the useful nature of those with healing abilities. Those with too much variety in skills wouldn't be able to dedicate their time to truly amplifying a single area of abilities. Shun turns in the direction of his home, lifting a finger to point towards it, "Thank you, Gaara. It's this way."

[desertbloomed]

"I am told we are to be returned upon our defeat of the Calamity from the Skies." Like most of this Heroes of Light business, Ashelia didn't sound too invested in this latest revelation. "There are versions of the legend that say one of the ancient Heroes of Light sacrificed his life to put a stop to the Calamity's rampage. They say it was the only way to save his love, the Princess." Ashelia looked at Ramza, jaw still set in her way. "What this means for our struggle, if there is to be one, I know not. But I stand by my convictions."

Ashelia coudln't hold back a full on laugh at Ramza's assumption. "I am far from the leader of this merry band, Ramza. The Heroes come from worlds unimaginable even to someone like myself, who has seen so much. Their independent streak runs as wide as a midsummer day is long. Some are merely children." Literally and figuratively, Ashelia thought wryly. "A Queen of Ivalice I may be, but here in Crystallis I am naught but another pawn caught unawares on this chessboard."

[no_dreams_for_you]

Perhaps not the exact same language, but he did recall people stating that it somewhat resembled a language called Japanese. If Shun was from the country Japan, he should be able to understand most of his native language.

How... endearing. Michiko exhibited signs of shyness, unlike Karura. Gaara felt a faint smile starting to tug at his lips. Despite that, he shook his head in disagreement. He wasn't nice. He was... simply trying to be encouraging. He had found out that most beings - humans or otherwise - responded better to positive reinforcement. Even if it wasn't an attribute he was personally accustomed to, he tried to adhere to what others considered to be suitable. After a moment of hesitation, he reached toward Michiko and gently patted her on the head with his open palm. Hopefully, that gesture was acceptable. He was... still learning a great deal about social interaction.

"From my original world as well," he muttered in agreement. There were never enough medical shinobi to go around, let alone to each individual team that needed one. Not all of them were as talented as Elder Chiyo or the Hokage, Tsunade, either.

Gaara inclined his head in a slight nod and began to walk in the indicated direction. The end of his staff touched the earth with each ensuing step. His pace was steady, as he still needed to walk off the lingering pain from the fall. He kept a curious eye on Michiko, silently observing her interaction with Shun. Having never owned a pet before, or even had experience with a summon animal, like his sister, he didn't always know what types of behaviors were appropriate.