[76]

[silversnowfall]

[On the 21st, Nephry wakes up young. Not so young as to know nothing of the world, but young enough that no real cracks have appeared in her beautiful vision of it.

Much of her day is spent navigating the strange and empty-feeling village without snow. Very few people seem to know what's going on, helpful signs or not. Nephry is not without the courage to ask around, but that's what everyone is doing. There must be a better way. That's how she gets lost in the library for much of the day, finding solace in stories from- other worlds? Other worlds really?

On the 22nd though she has found the only thing that really matters to her - the chance to be with Peony again, no matter how unusual the circumstances. Expect to see her exerting minimal effort to get him to go with her on a picnic. It's a thing she's read about.

Later on in the week, when she isn't spending every waking moment with her beloved or trying to avoid that other person from Auldrant on her trail, Nephry remembers something else she read about, never mind the few people who seem cognizant of mentioning it. Spirits. They sounded so much like the fonon sentiences, just with different names, and less...mystical and unreachable.

So Nephry finds herself both by the river in the southern part of the village, and north of her temporary home near a large important-seeming tree, sitting quietly and waiting for something to happen. When nothing does, it's hard to keep quiet.]

Hello? Is anyone there?

[[ooc: At the tender age of almost-23, Nephry is a romantic at heart and believes good things about the world and ties her hair up with a big ribbon. She is so in love with Peony that it might rot your teeth how sweet they are. And she's lost almost all of her cool diplomatic self.

Other days/times are totally cool in this post as well!]]

Comments

[fatheringfomicry]

[The library? Jade is right outside of it, looking over one of the Sage signs posted there.]

[silversnowfall]

[She doesn't see him right away, too caught up in working out the purpose of each building she passes. It is only once the library catches her attention that the man standing in front of it does, too.

The last time she saw him, he didn't look like this. Nephry finds her feet will not move one more step.]

Is this Kaitzur, then? [Not that she would know - the signs all list another name, but who is she to make sense of the way other cities work?]

[fatheringfomicry]

[He recognizes the voice - one he hadn't heard in years. Jade turns towards his sister with a frown. He hadn't intended to see or make contact with her - or with the young prince - until he'd accomplished this goal.

Whatever was happening here, it was certainly making a mess of his plans.]

No. This isn't any location in Malkuth.

[silversnowfall]

[It is him. The voice seals it. The amount of fear she still carries surprises her.]

Kimlasca? [Which comes with its own set of concerns.]

[fatheringfomicry]

[He adjusts his glasses slightly as he faces her down.]

I sincerely doubt that Kimlasca has developed the means to surgically implement wings in such a large variety of subjects with any degree of success.

[Jade rips the sign off of the wall and holds it out towards Nephry. He doesn't move any closer, however.]

This sign paints a different picture. I've never seen any records of any town known as 'Luceti', not even in the most up-to-date maps.

[silversnowfall]

[Kimlasca is the land of fontechnology. One never does know with them. She has to step closer to take the paper and she does, with a healthy amount of hesitation.]

I just...woke here. As though I was in my own house.

[fatheringfomicry]

[As advanced as they may be with their fontech, Jade is confident that they haven't developed anything as revolutionary as fomicry in forms of biological technology - and these wings seem to be on a whole other level altogether. He gives her a moment to read it.]

I've experienced a similar phenomenon. [He pinches at the bridge of his nose.] It's as if we've been kidnapped, but desposited in inns rather than jail cells. I'm loath to admit that I'm failing to realize a rational explanation for all of this.

[Action]

[elongatedsmile_dragon]

[A tiny dragon only a few days out of her egg is not who Nephry was hoping would hear her call. The small creature, small enough to fit within a hand, had never before heard a human's voice before. If Nephry is looking closely at the water, a blue snake shaped head is carefully peeking up at her.

Not too far out of the water though. The tiny dragon needs water to breath and she's not so sure yet what this strange thing wants. Is it dangerous? If only her mother was here to tell her.]

[Action]

[silversnowfall]

[No one is talking to her in the way she imagines spirits would talk, and she's a bit bored and disheartened. So she looks around - and spots eyes in the water, watching her. Unfamiliar with temperate-climate creatures, Nephry's breath catches. Whatever it is, it's so tiny.]

Ah- hello there? [Maybe this was a spirit.]

[Action]

[elongatedsmile_dragon]

[Xzana freezes when the strange creature she had found looks right at her! Then it made a noise! Even stranger she understood what was said! It had said hello!

Speaking was not something Xzana has mastered in her few short days of life. Speaking out of the water not even crossing her mind. As Nephry says hello Xzana instead offers up a high pitched squeak before ducking her head back under the water. Her tail flicking back and forth as she works on trying to float and stay still in the river.

It was harder than it looked! It wasn't like the pond she had spent the first days of her life in. This water moved! Yet her eyes say on Nephry who at the moment was much more interesting then the moving water.]

[Action]

[silversnowfall]

Are you a- a water spirit?

[She thought they ought to look more impressive, but if this was really a different world...]

Re: [Action]

[elongatedsmile_dragon]

[A spirit? Xzana hasn't learned much of the world yet. The concept of spirit she doesn't quite grasp. She lives in the water, she got that much right! Is that what she means?

For her efforts Nephry gets a happy little squeak before Xzana spins in the water. Chasing after her own tail.]

[Action]

[silversnowfall]

So you do talk- [And now it's acting like a puppy. Nephry giggles.] How cute you are!

[renouncesfate]

[He'd do anything to make her happy, so of course he'd go on a picnic with with her. At her request, he's even taken it upon himself to set it up on the hill with the cherry blossom tree and find her to lead her there when he is done.

The set up is simple, though, with a blue blanket and her favorite lunch foods.]

[silversnowfall]

[She walks beside him to the spot he chose, holding onto his arm with both of hers, head against his shoulder. This way of walking feels much more intimate without layers of cold-resistant clothes between them.]

Oh, look how sweet this is! [Nephry giggles at the blanket in the half-shade of the tree.] How did you know exactly how I wanted it to look?

[renouncesfate]

Of course I know what you'd want! This place is like the tree by your house and there's more perfect than there. [That, and he did the research and ground work to get it all right. But it's no big deal, really! Or at least this is how he is acting it's like.

It's cute how she has her head rested against his arm and he's almost reluctant to do so, but as soon as they reach the blanket, he leans his head to the side to rest it on top of hers for a second before offering his palm out for her to take.] Her Highness should sit first~ ♥

[silversnowfall]

[Though she blushes, she also smiles and takes his hand with a little half-twirl.]

Only if His Highness sits beside me.

[renouncesfate]

But of course. [Only after she sits first, though. So, in the spirit of her twirl, he raises their entwined hands forward with a gentle swing.]

After you~

[silversnowfall]

[In sitting, she keeps her grasp on his hand so she can tug him down beside her right away. This togetherness is everything; she doesn't ever want to be apart. As soon as he's near enough, one hand reaches for his long yellow hair to tuck it behind an ear.]

Did I tell you yet that I missed you?

[wise_maiden]

[At some point during Nephry's travels through the village she may spot a particularly familiar hair color, here and there. And she may even have the opportunity to approach it, when the woman stops by a large building that could only be a school building, briefly kneeling to check on the plants there.]

[silversnowfall]

[Professor Nebilim is looking at plants on the ground.

Nephry stops mid-step, almost losing her balance. Does she approach? What if that's not really her at all, but- but the wrong Nebilim instead, somehow?]

[wise_maiden]

[She doesn't notice Nephry just yet, just humming a little bit - Nephry may notice that some of the plants that were looking dry and wilted no longer seem to be that way, all becoming greener and livelier as the woman moves on to check another stretch of flowers.]

[silversnowfall]

[She didn't know the Professor could do that with plants, but there weren't many gardens in Keterburg to practice on, either. Still, something seems off about this whole thing, and Nephry catches her breath before speaking.]

Professor?

[wise_maiden]

- Hm? [Even amongst her current students, not all of them choose to address her in this way - though the voice accompanying it is certainly more than familiar.

She had seen the way Jade - and even Peony - had looked at her - to know what prompted this confusion. It gives her pause, though she rises slowly, and turns. A much younger woman than Nephry expects greets her. Better to start off on even ground than jumping to assumptions, however.]

[silversnowfall]

[Oh. She's...oh.]

I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else.