#zero 01

He reaches out, grabbing the man by the scruff of his shirt as Lloyd forcibly yanks him backwards; just in time to save him from an onslaught of black ooze. It was rising and riding the streets like a tidal wave, and Zero seemed too disoriented to notice it growing closer to him-- but Lloyd was thankful that at least he had been in the right place at the right time to get him away from it.

“Are you alright?” it.. was probably a stupid question-- he looked exhausted, mirroring already what Lloyd was feeling, too. He gripped Zero’s shoulders a bit, trying to keep him grounded. “Can you hear me, Zero?”

It’s with great relief that Watanuki finds his shop seemingly unchanged from the last time he had seen it, though the coming of spring had unearthed the flowers in his garden from their winter slumber; green foliage quietly bursting as a heavy dose of rain began to fall from the sky. After spending some time indoors, opening the windows to let in some air, the shopkeeper took time to greet the plants he had long left behind; running his fingers over their leaves as they quietly, in voices only he could hear, asked him where he had been.

Everything seemed the same, and yet.. there was a presence near him that he had not been expecting; causing him to lift his head in its direction. He was unsure why he hadn’t noticed it before, but seeing the state the person was in soon answered his questions; drawing closer to a man that had fallen asleep under one of his larger cherry blossom trees.

Concern immediately filtered through the shopkeeper, kneeling down in the wet grass while shielding the both of them with his paper umbrella. A hand reached out, pushing the hair out of the man’s face.. and a sigh of relief left him, seeing his chest rise and fall in time with his heartbeat.

"... That's a beautiful blade."

He'd have to be a fool not to notice it, after all. The vibrant reds and golds of it's sheath are quick to draw his attention to it. It was a far cry from Raven's own; it's black metal and orange lights living little for the imagination of it's damaging potential. Nonetheless, he was happy to appreciate a far more refined style.

Margaret wasn’t one to visit the hospital too frequently- her life had been entrenched in quite enough death for her tastes, and none of her few loved ones were particularly sickly.  She wasn’t even sure if watching from a nearby rooftop should count as visiting in this case.  In spite of her minor experience with such places, however, she was quite certain that most who emerged alone shouldn’t have looked like they still needed to be there.  That this person seemed to be sneaking out was a source of intrigue for her, and, frankly, it had been far too long since she spoke with an intriguing stranger.

She faded to a closer rooftop once he had managed to extend the distance between himself and the hospital quite significantly.  Both legs hung off the edge of the building, her body leaned back and arms supporting her at an angle.  She watched him silently for a couple of moments before calling out.

He’d been tailing the man for blocks now. If he’d noticed him, he didn’t give a sign.

Cath Palug wasn’t sure why he’d taken up the chase, but the man had a mysterious air to him. In his experience, that either meant they were up to something interesting or a relative lunatic in human terms.

Either way, something told him he was likely to get something out of him one way or another.

So he kept following as the man turned into an alley. As he lighted on a dumpster to continue the pursuit, though, a startled cat jumped up at him, thinking the Beast to be a quick meal.

Just as quick as the creature had leaped at him, Cath Palug was gone, transporting himself away from the danger.

And right onto the man’s head.

“....fou.”

“Enough of this! Come out, rapscallion.” Placing a hand on his sheathed blade, Richard turns immediately. “I’ve nothing for you to steal but pocket change.”

“But if you so wish to take even that, prepare yourself! My fencing skills are formidable, despite my age. You shall not take this Prince lightly!”

The young noble was still unsure of this world she’d been so recklessly tossed into, finding the people and the sites very odd. It was good in her opinion that she got distracted by shopping in the Epsilon district, as it didn’t give her mind too much room to stray. She was determined to forget she had been kidnapped, in all honesty.

Lissa smiled and nodded as she took her bag from one of the merchants before turning and--

“Aw crap.” She rubbed at her head as she bumped straight on into another stranger, “Ah, I mean..Oh, who am I kidding, no one is around to chastise me for that curse word. Ahm...” Her eyes wandered up to the man in question and she tilted her head to the right some as she examined him. His appearance was rough around the edges and he even had an eye injury. She inhaled, backing away a bit, “You don’t look like a very nice man. Please tell me this is a case in which looks are deceiving...”

Sure enough, it was him. The man cut a rather distinct figure, if perhaps not for any good reasons, and so she had recognized him immediately. Even at a distance. That he was also a captive in this city, wasn’t enough to justify approaching him. Still...

As she drew near Charlotte lightly cleared her throat, hoping to get the familiar rogue’s attention. Not because she wanted to talk to him, but because she had to. It had to be him for such a matter. He would, after all, know better than anyone else. Even if anyone else among the former Nohrian army would have made vastly better company...

“Zero...” She began, forcing the brightest smile she could manage. “How charming to run into you here!” Her polite tone yet held the slightest traces of acid. Even this much, she felt, was far too great of an effort when dealing with him.