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

[empty_smile]

((ooc: Hope you don't mind a late reply!))


[Another calm face is this one...even if, in reality, he's anything but.

Arms folded over his chest, he listens to the rest of the explanation as told by the fascinating creature. He's carefully taking in each and every word, green eyes never leaving her face. According to the--currently still unnamed--female...moogle (well, that's what she'd called herself, anyway), all of his former abilities were gone.

She hadn't needed to tell him that, honestly. Shun had already felt...different, upon waking in this place. His thoughts take a somewhat bitter sense of irony as he realizes it's almost as though he's been sent back in time. To think it took him being spirited away...from home to b-]

...!

[He's snapped from his thoughts. The female moogle even looks surprised- but, well, she had been hovering not far from his head. She gives a surprised, squeaked out "k-kupo?!"

As he hears the "excuse me", Shun's already in the process of turning to look at the person. The older woman is given a soft blink, at first, in response. He attempts to ignore the feeling of disappointment at it not being a familiar face, though he'd already figured (the voice had already done him as much, after all).

He starts to reply to the woman, before hearing the moogle's apologetic "kupo". He finds it to be an interesting habitual word. Shaking his head, Shun offers the creature a polite smile -- obviously out of habit, rather than being genuine.]

It's bound to happen, considering how crowded this place is.

[Shun's moogle appears to pep right up, before flying right over to the young woman's moogle. Lifting one paw, in greeting, she offers a rather friendly "hello!"

Shun decides to leave his moogle to that; instead, glancing back to the woman with a curious tilt of his head.]

May I ask you something?

[regretted]

(it's fine!)

[Lulu's moogle waves back, but Lulu herself is considerably more frosty. Or perhaps just disinclined to discussion at the moment. But she can't particularly afford to be anything less than polite right now, so out of sorts, and with her Summoner missing, no less. The moogle was helpful, but searching alone would likely be fruitless and frustrating.

So instead of walking away, she turns toward the young man and offers a slight incline of her head. It isn't a smile, or anything like it, but she's at least receptive.]

Yes?

[empty_smile]

[As the female moogle turns back to Shun, she watches him with a curious expression, clearly interested to know what the humans are talking about. Shun, himself, appears to be, briefly, considering what he wants to ask. He doesn't seem fazed by the young woman's lack of smile, either. In fact, he's holding true to that practiced smile, with seemingly zero effort.]

Do you mind telling me the name of your home?

[He's not saying "world", because he's not sure whether, or not, he believes everyone is from separate worlds. Either way, this is part of his investigation -- he's already decided to search for a possible link between everyone that's been brought here.]

Shun Aonuma | From the New World

[empty_smile]

{1 & 12}

He hadn't been sure what to think, upon waking. Really, he would have thought he was dreaming...if not for the pain he felt in his right arm. Rubbing the indention left by the sharp rock, the teenager's brow tensed at the small creature that seemed obviously relieved. According to it, they had been waiting for him to wake up. The hint of a wry smirk appeared on his lips. Under any other circumstance, he might entertain the thought of, right, how silly of him to remain unconscious...

Right in that moment, however, he was more concerned with the fact that nothing felt right about that place (also, what was with the different clothing?). Standing slowly, green eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. Fortunately, it seemed the small creature was eager to give him a thorough explanation. So, arms folded over his chest, Shun took in each and every word. While his expression remained calm, that was not the case, internally. The once telekinetic just happened to be that good at forcing himself into being calm; practice at keeping himself calm, cantus threatening to destroy everything around him...

Well, it had given him adequate practice, regarding self-control, obviously.

When he was prompted for questions, he had very few to ask (he'd rather just hear what she had to say, first). The creature introduced itself as Michiko. According to the female...moogle (as she'd referred to herself), all of his former abilities were gone. She hadn't needed to tell him that, however. Shun had already noticed how considerably different he felt. If he were to have to describe it via example, it was almost as though he'd been thrust back in time, by two years. In that moment, his thoughts turned to ones filled with an air of bitter irony.

To think...it took him waking in a strange, unidentifiable place to be saved.

After receiving what information Michiko could provide, the young man thanked her with a soft smile- something which he felt like doing anything but. With a faint tensing of his brow, he finally braved a question regarding his friends. Was it just him, there? The fact that the female creature was unable to answer didn't, exactly, provide him with a feeling of reassurance. Ignoring the pain in his chest -- and blocking out the mental images of a certain pair of face -- Shun began walking.

~*~

Hours later, he was exploring the area. According to Michiko, he had been "granted" the skills of a...Blacksmith. Well, he wasn't sure how to feel about that. Nevertheless, he felt stronger. When he thought about a sword, he somehow knew what he needed to do to craft it. The same could be said about any type of armor -- which, he was somehow able to form a mental list of different types of.

With that, he continued his exploration. He made sure to take the time to speak to various people, asking them whatever questions they'd allow him to. This would continue until nighttime, when he'd make his way to the place he was, apparently, going to be living throughout the duration of his stay (how kind of his kidnapper to give him a place to live).

Re: Shun Aonuma | From the New World

[i_didnt_know]

The last thing Satoru recalled was falling asleep beside Saki within their makeshift igloo before they headed out to face the village leaders once more and report the "death" of their friends. But when he woke up it wasn't too a solid ice floor but rocks, the sun shining brightly down upon his face. And rather than feeling the heat of his friend curled up beside him he felt a small pressure against his chest. He opens his eyes slowly, only to shut them as the sun blinds him. He groans loudly and turns suddenly, the thing on his chest letting out a loud shout.

"....Huh?"

He blinks, his hand shielding his sensitive eyes from the evil sun as he glances down to examine what had been apparently been sitting on him as he slept. "...What the-" Okay he's seen plenty of weird things, and sure he probably hasn't seen it all, but not once has he ever heard of a creature like the thing currently rolling over and attempting to get up.

"kuuuupooo" It whines and the 14 year old can't help but blush a bit. Oh man, it's really cute for a...thing. It seems to notice him staring at it and instantly it's on its feet, the ball on top of his head standing on end. That would be how Satoru met the male moogle, Yuki. He listened closely as Yuki explained this world and his purpose in it. At first he tries to explain how this just couldn't be. He wasn't a hero, he was just a kid from a really messed up community. But he couldn't deny the proof in his hand, a rather extraordinary bow.

The conversation ended after Satoru demanded to know the location of whoever sent them here and was answered with a pitiful Kupo and a bunch of excuses that held no point. He sighs and scratches the back of his head. Now that he had nothing to distract himself with he couldn't help but notice something was strange about him. As a archer he still had incredible eyesight, perhaps even better than before, but...His eyes lower and he looks around until he finds a pebble and attempts to use his power to lift it in the air and toss it over the Moogle.

But it doesn't move, because his power was gone again. His heart skips a beat, his face slowly contorting from that of concentration to shock and then to mild horror. Yuki notices and places a small paw on his leg and he turns to the fluffy white creature, snapping him out of his daze. For a moment there he had been sent back, back to a time he would rather forget. He gets up, picking the bow up with him and holstering it as instructed against his back. At least he wasn't left with only his wit and a couple of haythatcher eggs this time.

He starts to move, exploring the local world as well as the people in it and some of the other creatures that littered the land. But he was also curious about his new power. The outfit he had woken up in was a little weird, and didn't appear to give him much protection, but he felt like that was fine. The next odd thing he noticed was just how easy he found using the bow. He's never shot an arrow before, but the knowledge on and stance to perform the act came almost as second nature. It was all highly interesting, and he would continue to target a deserted wall, moving back further and further as he did so until his back hit a wall. Once that was done he moved forward to retrieve the arrows.

Leaving the backstreets, Yuki on his shoulder now as if he was a cat, he considered heading towards their apparent living arrangements. But as he turned he came face to face with....who...

....

His eyes lower in confusion, he knew this person, but how and from where? His eye begins to twitch and he brings up a hand to rub it. Weird, that only happened whenever he thought about....about... and before his mind could catch up his body was already reacting the sight of the man he loved...the man he lost.

"Kupo? Master, why are you crying?" Satoru glances over at the moogle and gently lifts him up to put him on the ground, a distraction as his mind desperately tries to figure things out. "Don't worry." He whispers, gently petting the moogle on the head but being careful of that antenna. With a slow sigh he turns back to the other boy...the oh so familiar boy.

"What's your name?" He chokes out, his voice getting stuck in his throat. But then suddenly he's moving forward and grabbing him. "Are you...Shun?" Aonuma Shun, his best friend, his lover, and the one person that he would have done anything to see again. He couldn't even be sure if these tears still streaming down his face was from the sorrow of having lost him or from pure joy at seeing him again. Suddenly all their shared memories come flooding back, the false one's eradicated in the process.

...*revokes your RP license*

[empty_smile]

The mention of Shun being a "hero" had been met with a wry smile. He...isn't a hero. In fact, if they're looking for a hero, he could think of a handful of other people better suited to this. Even the new ability isn't something he's considering proof- he actually isn't sure what to classify that as. Regardless, not once had he voiced that to his newest, furry friend. Michiko apparently had noticed the look on Shun's face, however. Even at her curious "kupo?", Shun hadn't entertained her pondering. Breaking from his thoughts, green eyes lift from the ground to find-

...That's not a face he had expected to find. While there had been hope, regarding everyone he'd been friends with since he was a child...

"Sa-...?"

The sight of tears pouring down that face has his expression wavering, and then there's a look of pure confusion as he hears the other teen's first question. There's not even time for him to properly register the pain in his chest, before he's being grabbed. The other boy doesn't...remember him, yet he's crying and grabbing him. Shun's face slowly drifts to one of bewilderment.

"...Yes." That's, literally, all he can manage to say, at first.

It's all he can get out, because the pain in his chest is distracting. His brow tenses as he fights to maintain his composure, his breaths coming out just a bit less steady. This is...Satoru. The one he'd done everything within his means to shove away. The one he'd said terrible things to, simply to ensure he'd stay as far away as possible...and to not come looking for him.

Holding a blink, he forces a smile, though it looks anything but genuine, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it sounded as though you'd forgotten about me..."

It's his attempt to make light of the situation, in spite of the fact that he can feel his throat tightening. In spite of the fact that his chest feels...heavy. Everything in him is screaming to reach out, to pull Satoru closer. To...

...exactly what he's doing. Shun's always managed to keep himself composed. He's always managed to keep himself level-headed. Just for a moment- just for five seconds, at the least...he wants to wrap his arms around the other young man. To tell him he's sorry. To let himself feel the pain that had come with knowing he'd...killed his parents. His friends. Everyone in Pinewind. They're all dead, and he's the one that killed them all...

All because he'd been following a basic human instinct to survive. Slowly wrapping his arms around the other young man, he remains quiet. Not because he has nothing to say--because he's fighting to keep his own tears inside. He's also fighting to not get his hopes up. If Satoru's here, however, then...what about the others? Forcing that thought away, he focuses on the comfort he gains from the closer proximity. The relief that is the product of something ingrained within him since childhood.

[regretted]

[This boy was not dressed like a Spiran, but he looked out of place among whom Lulu could only assume were the natives of this strange place. She thinks of the boy from Zanarkand, considers the possibility of such a thing happening again. She hasn't quite accepted the idea that it may be happening to her.

After a second or two of mulling over this, she answers, not hesitating.] Spira. I hail from the island of Besaid, to the south. It's a stone's throw from the neighboring island of Kilika.

[She crosses her arms in front of her. It isn't necessarily meant to be intimidating, but it may come off that way anyway.] And you?

Getting a job is hard

[revenant_wing]

Of all the jobs he got, it was to find some old relic? Really? And not even something cool like an ancient sword or something, but a grimoire. A book. Vaan sighed and kicked at a loose rock in the dungeon. At least he was still able to be a thief, although having it labeled as a "job class" was a bit weird, but hey, if he could do it legally, then why not? Okay, so he still pick-pocketed people in the city but it wasn't his fault he had sticky fingers!

He sighed again, raising his arms to interlock his fingers and rest them behind his head. At least the dungeon was just some dusty old thing and not filled with-

Thump

"...uh oh."

Getting a job is hard

[servaturus]

Ironically, Caius was in the same place only to find a way back than to look for adventure. He hated that he couldn't feel anything without the Chaos that he had gotten used to over the centuries. He was used to surviving alone in the wilds and caves often were a place of refuge. Here, they were booby trapped and often led to places deep underground to other places linked through a complicated network.

The dark knight job class he was given had an edge to fight off monsters at the cost of his own life through spells which he was accustomed to but often draining. His own list of spells were no longer in his employ but his sword arm was still strong.

The loud thump alerted him and the echoing voice of a young man caught his attention and soon he sprang out of the adjacent tunnel to throw himself at the boy just as the blade swung above his head.

He removed himself from the man and looked up at the slit carved cleanly above their heads. "Foolish." Caius growled.

[desertbloomed]

"Vaan!" A firm hand grabbed the thief's upper arm and yanked him quickly backwards as blow darts shoot from the walls, filling the air for a good few seconds where the young man was standing moments before.

After a moment to recover from the adrenaline rush, Ashelia rounded on her friend. "You must exercise caution, Vaan. One does not simply waltz into an ancient dungeon!" She sighed, somewhat exasperated, but mostly just glad her friend seems to be okay. "Are you unharmed? Penelo would have my head if I allowed harm to come to yours."

Random Encounter

[flame_fossil]

[Noel didn't mind very much that he was considered a White Mage. He knew he could change jobs, courtesy of his moogle, Mochi. She was pretty informative, if a bit talkative. She really liked to chat it up, actually. Like right now, as they walked through the forest outside of Arques Ixen. Noel nodded at the right times as she babbled on but was quick to shush her when he heard something in the distance.

Actually, several somethings. Noel was suddenly faced with four Mandragoras and he had no way to fight. He went to grab Mochi and run, preferring an escape for now when all four began to scream. His hands went to his ears instead as he began to become disoriented and his vision swam. What was going on? Mochi flailed about a bit before collapsing next to him.]

Mochi!

Random Encounter

[servaturus]

[Caius is up in the trees to scout out what he's up against and seeing a blur of white running toward the hills was something that definitely seems a bit odd. Aqures Ixen proved a very interesting place indeed. With a grin, he drops out of the trees and brings his body low in a spring toward the mandragoras. He brings his sword out parallel to the ground and without so much as a shout, he cut two of them down in a hurry.

Lilika, his moogle stays far behind the frightening, purple headed dark knight. He spins around on his leading foot to switch sides to slice one in half with the last mandragora to see his wicked grin before death greets it with a shriek.]

I-I don't wanna be with you anymore! I-I quit...if I could, kupo.

[Caius stands up with a heavy sigh. He thinks it's a fair victory and replaces his sword. It's been a few days now in the wilderness that he thought that his moogle would be used to it by now. He cants his head to the side but says nothing.]

[flame_fossil]

The sudden stop in screams followed by death shrieks has Noel stumbling to his feet, Mochi carefully held in his arms. He's still a bit dizzy and he'll need a little time to clear his head but he hadn't expected anyone to be out here.

A small gasp left him at the sight of who it was that saved him. Different armor aside, there was no mistaking the large man with lavender hair.

"Caius?"

[revenant_wing]

Vaan grunted as he hit the floor, the large body above him not exactly soft. Still, he heard the crunch of stone and, when the other guy removed himself, he saw the slit on the wall. He sighed and stood up. "Hey, no one told me there would be booby traps in here. I was just told to come in and get some old book."

It's true. No one mentioned monsters or traps, so he thought it would just be easy. Of course, having it be easy would be a miracle. Of course there would be traps. With a muttered, "whatever", he brushed himself off.

"I'm Vaan."

[revenant_wing]

"Whoa!"

He was yanked back and he felt the air move as the darts shot passed his nose. He sighed with Ashe before frowned at her. "I'm fine, Ashe. I can take care of myself, even without Penelo."

Only not. But he wasn't going to admit that. Instead, he was going to ignore her chastising and move on. "Let's just get what we need. Not all ancient dungeons have to be booby trapped, maybe that's the last of it."

[servaturus]

He stood up just then and turned his head. With Chaos' Revenge in hand, he slipped it back onto the hook on his shoulder to hold it in place to turn and face the familiar voice that often shouted at him whenever something had gone wrong. This time was no different than the last and slowly he stepped forward.

"Yes." He nodded once.

The plains reminded him of Gran Pulse but the feel of the world was off. He had stayed in the woods which also had put his moogle on edge.

"Has the crystal brought you here as well?" Caius said calmly which was a far cry from his battle-ready attitude from moment before.

[desertbloomed]

"Clearly." Such sarcasm was usually relegated to Balthier, but in his absence, Ashe seemed willing to pick up the slack.

The queen waved a hand in front of them, testing the area Vaan had been in until her timely, if somewhat rough, rescue. There were no darts shot out. Perhaps the mechanism took time to rearm? "I had hoped our travels had done a better job educating you in the matters of ancient dungeons. Need I remind you of Raithwall's Tomb?" Now that had been a laugh and a half.

"At any rate, you have a point. The less time we spend here the better. Did Jessie send you? What did she tell you about this place?"

Ramza Beoulve | Final Fantasy Tactics

[zodiac_brave]

[1]
As helpful as the moogle creature had been to Ramza, explaining his presence here and hailing him a 'Warrior of Light', the young man was still a bit wary to accept it all.

"So, these 'Ancient Warriors' defeated the Calamity creature, so long ago that only the legends remain?" he pressed as the two made their way down the city streets.

"Yep, kupo! They did it ages ago," Simon the moogle agreed.

Ramza frowned. "So there are none now living who bore witness?" The moogle nodded.

"Then how do you know these things to be true? History is oft rewritten to serve the whims of those who keep the records."

Simon frowned, obviously not used to Warriors of Light questioning what he considered fact. Ramza felt a stab of guilt, bringing doubt upon a kind, innocent creature that had done nothing but aid him so far. But still, how could he trust what he was being told? The faith in which he'd been raised had told a similar story, and he'd discovered that to be lies propagated by the Church to gain power.

"And the other 'Warriors of Light'...they believe in this cause?" he asked tentatively, trying to move the conversation onward.

[Warriors, moogles, feel free to jump in and help a poor moogle convince his charge to help save the world. Or give Ramza more reason to doubt. Or just come and chat, I'm open to whatevs. Ramza is dressed in armor, well-worn, nothing fancy or expensive, but well cared for. There's a sheathed sword by his side, but he doesn't carry it threateningly. You might pick up traces of a noble upbringing in his speech and mannerisms, if you know what to look for.]

[4]
Well, however Ramza felt about the task he'd been assigned, he was here now. Much of this new city seemed strange to him. Chocobos, however, were familiar ground. As soon as Simon had mentioned that chocobos were available to catch and stable, Ramza had made plans to find his own.

Having faced the fierce avian creatures of Ivalice, the young man had prepared for battle. As he made his way to the chocobo's forest, he kept his sword at the ready.

Simon followed at a safe distance, nervous that his Warrior was venturing out on his own (and without a real job class assigned, to the moogle's great embarrassment).

And to tell the truth, Ramza would have welcomed an ally by his side.

[servaturus]

Armor was a rather painful thing to feel and he was already a bit on edge from the sprung trap. A growl from down the tunnel rumbled through and shook the walls of the cave that showered the area with loose dust from the ceiling.

"Hm." He nodded in response to the introduction. "Caius." He lifted his chin in his own way of introduction.

He drew Chaos' Revenge from his back and readied himself for a fight. Whatever was in this cave was large and imposing. He could already tell this was going to be a fight that might just end his life and he grinned. The Death Seeker was ready to die today and with abandon, he ran further into the tunnel.

"Today is a good day!" He shouted in his battle cry toward the beast.

Sorry about the wait, had to get a new license, thanks for that :V

[i_didnt_know]

Oh yes, how silly of him to think Shun would expect to have been forgotten, to have already known all of this as he looked down at them from beside Buddha, that he wouldn't have to explain a thing. But the fact of the matter was that in this very moment he felt like he had been shot back into one of his dreams, or maybe he was hallucinating his friend. Why would Shun be here of all places? How did they even arrive, none of it made sense, and the very purpose of their being brought here still just seemed so utterly preposterous.

His mind felt like it was over loading, this would be very bad if he still had his power, but perhaps even that had added to just the overall effect of the moment. He didn't even have that familiarity to turn too any longer, that weight that constantly reminded him of the rules and regulations and precautions placed on them when they reached puberty.

Everything caught him off guard and left him at a standstill. Even though he knew Shun was confused and hurt, he couldn't say anything or do anything other than stare at him. And as the bad memories started to come back along with the good well, for a moment he was hesitant on what he should do and what rights he held with the other. Even if they weren't dating any longer surely he still considered him a friend, but wasn't the entire purpose to keep him away, so Shun could be alone?

Was everything he said a lie or a hidden truth masked by a darker reasoning?

Gently his hands on the black haired boy loosen as his mind becomes drowned in doubt. That was, until Shun inadvertently pulled him in as he returns the embrace. His eyes widen for a moment, he hadn't expected that, and then...slowly he began to ease into a sort of calm. Their where a great many things he didn't agree with in this new system humanity followed. But this, this comfort by touch, time and time again it proved the most effective method in comforting his raging heart and that whirlwind of thought that plagued him whenever something unexpected hit.

He closes his eyes before his hands move from their position on his arms and returns the motion, pulling Shun in against him and burying his face into his neck. For a while he just stays like that, soaking up the comfort that this second body offered until he felt his heart rate go down and his storm of a mind ease into a sprinkle. Their where still certainly dark clouds that stuck around, but nothing the light haired young boy couldn't look past. All he needed to know right now was that Shun was hurting, and even if you discounted their past relationship, Shun was still his friend, and he would never let his friends suffer.

....Satoru only wished that such a thing was easy to avoid, but it seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he would always lose the battle and more and more of his friends would end up despaired and.....

Wine colored eyes open as he moves away from Shun enough to speak clearly. "I'm Sorry, I couldn't forget you." Even for the sake of the entire village, he couldn't stop thinking about him, about X. "So I just kept searching." He wanted to remember him, even if the attempt drove him mad, or worse. He glances towards the ground before moving away a bit more and then turning his eyes to meet Shun’s gaze.

And with tear stained cheeks and reddened eyes he softly smiles, a real one to counter that fake the other tried to pull earlier.

"I can't leave you alone, so please stop running."

No matter how much you hurt me, I will never let you go again. Was what he was thinking, because it was truly unbearable to know that in his world he would never again see Shun, so instead he'll cling onto this chance for dear life. He will be selfish, and rude, and forceful, but perhaps this time he could dream of him without regret.

…

I love you, Aonuma Shun.

[revenant_wing]

Vaan resisted the urge to make a face at her. Didn't she mellow out last time she saw her? Then again, this was a whole new place, so maybe she was just stressed. He relaxed and sighed at the thought of no more traps. For now.

"Yeah but Raithwall's Tomb housed the Dawn Shard. Seems a lot more important than some crusty old book. Jessie didn't tell me much, just that there was a rare grimoire here and that she wanted me to help it. Said it would be fairly easy for a thief like me."

[revenant_wing]

Vaan was on edge at the growl. Seriously? First a trap then monsters? Why didn't Jessie tell him about it?

"Whoa," Vaan did not expect such a huge sword. How the hells did that guy carry it around?! And then, the guy in purple was off. Vaan blinked and scratched the back of his head. "...does he want to die or something?"

Obviously, he had no idea how right he was about Caius, but ran ahead with his two daggers out. At least he wouldn't have to worry about traps now, Caius would be setting them all off by now.

[desertbloomed]

"We are not quite all of one mind," came an answer from nearby. Ashelia strolled toward the new Hero, her own moogle close behind her. The Queen of Dalmasca wore a simple peasant blouse and a long magenta skirt, a wicker basket draped over one arm. "Though thankfully more of us have the sense to question than not."

Ashelia nodded courteously at Ramza and his moogle. "I am the Lady Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca. This is my moogle attendant, Merlose."

"Kupo!"

"You are newly arrived, yes?"

[servaturus]

And right that Vaan was about those traps. Caius didn't seem to care as he set them off one by one. First, poisoned darts and they seemed to have bounced off his armor through his careless action. At the very least, Vaan wouldn't have to worry about getting caught in them.

Caius dove over another blade trap that was similar to the first which closed the gap even further between himself and the beast and rolled to his feet. "Keeping up?" Caius said over his shoulder and directed his response to Vaan.

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza returned her introduction with a nod of his own, not quite deep enough to be a bow.

"I am Ramza...Beoulve, my lady," he answered. There was only the slightest pause as he decided to offer up his true surname. In this strange land, there seemed no need of an alias. "And this is Simon," a gesture to his moogle. Simon parroted the nod to Ashelia and gave a less formal wave to Merlose.

"And it is as you believe. I arrived not a few hours past. Have you been here a long while?" he asked. "And the others you mentioned?" He tried to reign in his questions so as not to overwhelm the lady, but there was plenty more he wanted to learn from her, if she was willing to talk further.