Freya Crescent

Heartless mulling around Radiant Garden was no real surprise. It kinda came with the territory; at least in the way he knew it. Hollow Bastion, it’s previous name, had always been a Heartless stomping ground as far as Sora knew. Leon and the others said at one point it was free from the Heartless’ grasp, but those times were pretty far away. All the Keyblade wielder could do would be focus his efforts with the Claymore defense system and flushing out whatever was left.

His Keyblade swung forward with ease, smashing into whatever Soldier Heartless were creeping around. Strike Raid definitely was easy for taking out the small fry. They burst into a flash of light and darkness before the Keyblade whipped itself back into Sora’s grip. With a bounce in his step, he turned to swipe at another one, until a spear from out of nowhere pierced itself into the Heartless. Surprise decorated his face, after all it’d only been him way out here, turning his attention to the newcomer pretty quickly.

He was about to say thanks, until she spoke up about the Keyblade. Sora straightened himself up from his fighting stance, now that they were in the clear, before swinging the blade behind his shoulders.

“Uh, thanks!” She probably didn’t mean strange in a good way but, “I kinda forget it’s really weird after usin’ it for so long! But, thanks for helpin’ out with that last guy! Your weapon’s pretty cool too!” The brunet grinned back at her. Sora definitely hadn’t seen her before, or if he did it wasn’t for very long.

The Burmecian thought it strange that he decided to immediately take it as a compliment, but she supposed that said more about his personality than any long talk would. It hadn’t been meant as an insult especially, so she was glad he hadn’t gotten offended. Still, she could understand how it wouldn’t seem too strange after being exposed to it for a longer period of time. That was essentially her relationship with Radiant Garden as it was.

She also hadn’t expected him to describe her weapon as ‘cool’, it was a fairly standard spear. But a compliment was a compliment.

❝ It’s not a problem. And I suppose so? It’s the     standard weapon for a Dragon Knight.     Though I’m glad you find it so interesting.     Thank you. ❞

A smile formed on her lips as she tried to appear more friendly, putting her spear away and looking to the side. She’d seen the denizens of Radiant Garden talking to him on more than one occasion, though he had grown quite a lot from the first time. Yet he always seemed to appear around the same time those creatures did. Interesting. It was about time she talked to him, really.

This one drives a hard bargain. But Locke was persistent. “You’re lookin’ at the best tour guide in the whole damn world, though. Whatever you’re lookin’ for, I’ll help you find it, huh?”

She had to have some kind of neat weapons on her, at the very least. She was just too unusual in looks to be ignored. “The name’s Locke, by the way. World’s Greatest Treasure Hunter.”

❝ I think I would need more than that. Nothing here seems     familiar to me. To the point where I’m not even sure I’m     on Gaia any more. ❞

She was at least pretty sure a tour guide wouldn’t be able to help with that. Nonetheless, it was rude not to introduce herself. Though, she could have sworn he looked as if he were a thief of some sort.

“Welp….” Locke rubbed his hands together with a smile.

“You got anything rare or unusual on ya?”

❝ No. And if I did, it’d hardly be worth giving for a tour.              That doesn’t sound at all cheap. ❞

“Oh…you must’ve been transported here.” That explains why she didn’t know the place. She didn’t look human to begin with, but that was irrelevant to him. She needed help, and he was going to see if he was truly able to get her back to her own realm. “Well, let’s figure out how to get you back to where you’re from.”

He made it sound so straightforward. He seemed like the type of person to set his mind on a goal and think about how to do it later. Nonetheless, that’s the only goal she had in mind as well. It was the only one she could pursue.

❝ I’m not sure how we’re going to do that, though. Unless you’re    aware of someone who’s able to use magic to transport me     back. ❞

She let out a quiet sigh, shaking herself off. Sand was all over her. Still, if he was going to be helping her.

dragxnknight started following you

“You need a guide? I work cheap.” Well, depending on who you ask.

❝ I do need a guide. But how cheap do you work? ❞ 

Her expression is set with awe as she peers up to the rather intimidating stranger, though the animalistic features that accompanied the intelligence behind her eyes, and it reminded her fondly of Nanaki. Though, of course, she could hardly compare the two as she was generally used to looking down at Nanaki, rather than craning her neck upwards as she had to then. She had, however, never met anyone of this peculiar race before, and she was trying her best to not seem as if she were staring outright.         “Are you lost, by chance?”

Freya was definitely lost. It seemed the spell that had been cast on her led her here. To... Wherever it was that she was currently situated. Everything was dull and drab, almost as if... Her suspicions were confirmed when she looked up. Was that a giant plate on top of everything? Where were all these lights coming from? The metal certainly didn’t look like a lantern of any sort.

As she looked around trying to figure everything out, she very clearly looked lost. Which is why she was glad when she heard a woman speak up, turning to face her. She was so confused that she hadn’t even seen her. Likely due to her smaller height.

That did not sound like a question that someone who hopped worlds frequently would pose. Had there been a great conflict, or some outlandish circumstance? Well…

“There are a few technologies, though they are not readily accessible to everyone. Some are enchanted crystals called Waystones. Others are simply complicated spells. A certain level of mastery over the Warp and Teleport spells in our world allows people to travel between realms… and to enchant objects that would open gates leading to them.”

Most people did not bother to tamper with old runes or attempt to master space navigating spells. These people were content with their lives, had no curiosity as to what lay beyond the horizon (or the stars). Others simply construed a certain level of curiosity to be dangerous and let well enough alone. Perhaps that was why Leonora had only known so few people to leave the Blue Planet, or else to visit it; but it had never hindered her own inquisitiveness.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

The pub was not far now.

This magic she was describing must have been what was used. If that was the case, perhaps she’d be able to find a way back. She was just lucky the first person she talked to happened to be a mage.

❝ The last thing I remember is a mage of some sort using magic     on me. And then I was here. I... Presume this isn’t Gaia,     then? I had my suspicions. ❞

Ah well, that seemed like a problem for another day. And she had someone to help her out now, so that problem could hopefully be solved. She didn’t want to be stuck here. She still had to find Sir Fratley. She had to make sure.

“You’re at the seaside city called Bodhum. Not sure if you’re around here or not, but always be careful. Monsters do show up around here and you can’t necessarily defend yourself when you’re takin’ a dirt nap.” He held out his hand for her to take.

She took his hand, standing up straight. Bodhum? She definitely didn’t know anywhere by that name. It was clear she was in an unfamiliar land.

★ Now, Tifa wasn’t sure if it was appropriate or not, those stares within the bar that customers seemed to give. But when the barmaid looked up and found long hair outlining a long snout and beaded eyes, the memory of Nanaki came to mind. Didn’t the customers do the same thing? Fire tail swirling in naturally movement brought worry to their eyes, and snarl to his jaw in contemplation that they should try to touch when not warranted. Like he an animal for experimentation; he would not suffer the same cruelty twice. But overall, Nanaki was a good friend who enjoyed company the same as any. While origins were still a mystery to apply to both, Tifa chose to not say anything at all, and give smile like any other customer would enjoy.

“Welcome to 7th Heaven. Would you like the house brew today? I recommend it as a powerful ale.”

❝ That sounds fine to me. ❞

She looked around, raising a brow at... Everything that seemed out of place. No, it was more than that. She felt out of place. Perhaps...

❝ Excuse me, but what year is it? ❞

She really was curious– Which, Riku supposed, was natural– He wasn’t going to deny; he’d be just as curious, if their positions were switched.

“… No,”

He could say that with certainty; it told her a bit, yet not too much–

“I haven’t.”

She raised a brow at how little he seemed to want to talk, though she decided to respect his silence. There was no reason to pry if he didn’t want her to. Clearly he didn’t, with answers like those.

Cocoon was a planet high above the sky, with the other world of Pulse below. Was that where this woman was from? Her clothes were extremely  different. Snow parted through the crowd, and  through his teammates to assess everything.  “Alright everyone, calm down.”

He looked at the woman next, kneeling down to her level. “You okay?”

Well, at the very least, he wasn’t just staring at her. Nor did he seem to be judging her for... Whatever reason the others were. It was clear she must have looked as strange to them as they did to her. She decided not to mention how odd the man’s clothing was, nodding.

“Oh…?” 

Come to think of it, Leonora had never encountered a Burmecian in Troia before–the people of Gaia did not tend to travel to the Blue Planet much at all (not that the reverse had been all that common, either). She wondered idly if the lady knight had simply wandered here aimlessly, but decided first to answer the query at hand as she started down the road. 

“This is Troia, the capital of a nation that shares the same name. If you know nothing of Troia, then I have to ask– are you into dancing girls at all?”

She smiled something private, but waved to a few women who happened to pass them by.

Troia? She hadn’t heard of that before. She looked at the women that passed them by, immediately realising why the other had asked the question she did.

❝ Dancing girls? I can’t say I’m opposed to them. ❞

She’d never watched them before, but she didn’t imagine that she’d dislike them. It was just women dancing, after all. Ah well, at least she had a guide... Or a friend, in this strange place. Or perhaps even strange world, seeing how different everything looked. It seemed like she wasn’t on Gaia any more.