Unfolding World [Azecreth & Mystearica]

[Azecreth]

Ivalice.

A strange land, a kingdom lost to time and space, one that was home to many beings and a vibrant civilization. Humans, Bangaa, Moogles, Viera, all made this place home and interacted with each other. They traded, fought, traveled, all under the auspices of the ruling kingdom, who maintained order via the Judges that served to regulate the various guilds that existed.

But Ivalice wasn't simply a place that you could walk to, or travel to by boat. No, it was a magical land that existed in the deepest fantasies, a charmed world that ensnared those who entered it, the few individuals that it based itself off of. And in return it gave them what they wanted, their hopes and inner desires, so that they would never have a reason to leave and return it to dormancy. Yet the people of this world were unaware of that. They merely lived their lives, and let come what may in turn.

And now the time had come again for a new character to enter that world, drawn from another by a magical artifact. It had tapped into her mind, and while she slept the world had been rewritten, changed all around her, until her old world was gone and Ivalice was all that remained. Even she had been changed, slightly, to reflect the new world that existed now.

It was a new world, for her. A world in which the sun dawned people went about their business like nothing was the matter, like they had not sprung from the aether all of half a day ago but rather had lived there their entire lives, with their own histories and struggles. And a woman would awaken in a somewhat dirty, dusty, and empty alleyway, to confront what had happened to her and what she would do about it.

 

[Mystearica]

There were artifacts in this world that men were not meant to mess with. Books and spheres and all manner of thing that could end poorly for those that took such unassuming power into their own hands and did as they desired with them.

The sphere had seemed harmless enough, a simple trinket in the ruins. The young woman had been separated from her two friends when she had activated it, sure that it would simply be some manner of historical record or somesuch.

Paine had been wrong.

She awoke in a dusty and shaded alleyway, her body cramped up and her head feeling like it had been packed to the brim with cotton. Other women might have been very concerned about what had happened. Had they had a drugged drink? Had they been the victim of some type of attack?

Paine, however...

"Eugh... what fresh hell is this?" she muttered to herself as she slowly dragged herself up the wall behind her. She felt... different somehow. Warmer, like she was still wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket that hit all the right spots. Her body was caressed by the wind herself, and she groaned audibly as she stretched out tired and cramped muscles.

"... now. Where're the others?" she muttered under her breath. "Yuna! Rikku! You two screwin' around?" Paine called down the alleyway.

 

[Azecreth]

As Paine called out for her friends, the only answer that she would get to that question was the wind. If either Yuna or Rikku were in this place, they most certainly were not with her at the moment. And perhaps they were, trapped elsewhere in the world like she had been, and now subjected to their own desires and fantasies, the trap of Ivalice made manifest once more. Only time would tell.

Of course, even standing there she might be able to tell some things about where she was. It was a bit warmer than a temperate climate, with the sun not yet fully overhead. The buildings were of browns and yellows, made from stone and brick, and far from the sort of thing that one would expect of a more major city, at least as far as appearances went. At least it was well maintained.

Still, just because of Yuna and Rikku didn't answer, didn't mean that anyone else would in their place. Indeed silence remained at least for a little bit, leaving Paine to stew and wonder where she was. In the end for her, there would be two outcomes to her current situation.

If she chose to walk on she would soon find herself emerging into thoroughfares, dusty and ground streets that weren't cobbled, but still hosted a bevy of creatures. There were the lizardlike Bangaa, the average human, the small Moogles, even a few long eared and dark skinned Viera walking and going about their business, none of them giving her even an odd look. It had to be odd, to say the least.

If she chose to wait, well, nothing would happen immediately. But if she kept doing so perhaps someone would stumble across her, someone who could provide answers. One could only hope, in this strange and unusual situation.

 

[Mystearica]

Paine regarded her surroundings. The architecture was just... so different here. Everything in Spira was made of solid materials, crafted with ancient architectural techniques that lent everything a sort of roundness to it. Round stadiums, swooping temple arches, all of that. But here everything was just... blockier. "Great. Well, guess I'm not going to find anything just standing around," came the thought.

And so Paine made her way out into the thoroughfare, filled with...

... moogles.

Sure, there were the lizardlike folk, the bunny people, but... moogles were a mascot in her world. And moreover, there was the occasional chocobo that was hitched to a cart or ridden by a rider of any given race. This was surrealism itself, a world like hers but rather unalike at the same time. With the ronso, guado, and other races at least the bangaa and the viera didn't throw her off TOO much.

There was only one thing she could think to do. One thing she had gotten good at all these years.

"Hey! Anyone need a sword for hire?" Paine called to the street.

She had to start somewhere, and a blade in hand seemed to be her default state these days.

 

[Azecreth]

Until that moment the crowd had been relatively unaware of Paine's presence, as if she didn't exist in the first place. As far as they were concerned, she was merely another human, an adventurer in the uniform of a warrior, and nothing otherwise significant. After all, if this world had been made around her, then why would they find her odd in being here?

Her call though did earn attention, eyes swinging to regard her as the cry died away on the air. And thus heard, there was silence for a few moments before they began moving again, as if rejecting whatever subconscious offer she had made to them in the first place.

Fortunately the world knew what she wanted, and someone would respond before her hopes should be entirely dashed upon the stone. "Hey, you know you can't do that right?"

The speaker approaching her was a human, tan, black hair, green eyes, clad in the garb of an Archer. He was decently built, though melee combat was hardly his forte, as one might expect of a bow user. He came to a stop in front of her before elaborating, to provide some explanation. "I mean, there are rules, regulations in place for this sort of thing. You don't want the Judges coming down on you."

And so, the world provided.

 

[Mystearica]

"... damn it," Paine muttered to herself as the crowd paid attention for a split second... and then just as quickly dispersed back into their daily routines. Did she have to get up on that cart over there and change into a songstress or similar to get everyone's attention? She was half considering it when the archer approached her, all tan skin, dark hair, and green eyes -- a polar opposite to her pale skin, hair, and red eyes.

"Yeah?" Paine asked, turning to regard him. He was a handsome sort, though that was one thing she tried to ignore for now. Questions first. "Well, no one had told me. Didn't seem like anyone was paying much attention in any event," Paine said.

Judges? Rules and regulations? For being a sword for hire? Wherever she was, this wasn't Spira, something she'd cottoned onto fairly quickly. They'd traveled the world in the Celsius, so she was fairly certain she'd know by now.

"Who're you? Paine," she said, gesturing to herself. "Mind filling me in?"

 

[Azecreth]

The archer gave Paine a curious look, as if he found it odd that she should be asking stuff like that. Then again such things seemed natural to him just like this world was, though there was no way for her to know that. It did not, however, serve to resolve the situation at hand. That would have to be handled in another way.

"Better safe than sorry," he pointed out with a shrug, hands resting at his sides while a wooden bow remained strapped to his back. "Prison isn't a fun place, much less paying fines."

That said he nodded to the introduction before giving her a bow in return. "I'm Venge. A pleasure to meet you Paine."

With the business of naming done, he turned to her question, or rather the statement that he took to be a question. "Well, the Clan system means that individual warriors generally don't get very far by themselves, and since the clans are a pretty powerful force here, naturally there's a lot of regulation over what they can and can't do. Judges uphold that regulation."

He gave her another curious look then, tilting his head slightly as he rubbed his chin. "I'm surprised you didn't know that."

 

[Mystearica]

Yep, definitely not Spira. Mercenaries did just fine over there. It had been the groups that got into trouble. The Gullwings was really just a three-girl group and they had often done much better than the enormous factions running around. It didn't hurt to have people like Yuna and Rikku on your side when it came to that though.

"Let's just say I took a nasty spill recently," Paine said coolly. "Not everything's as I remember it." Both technically accurate while being a whole bunch of lies.

"So, you part of a clan Venge?" Paine asked. The sooner she got around a whole bunch of people the sooner she would be able to get some answers to her particular predicament. If she had to knock a few heads in the meanwhile, she was fine with that. Of course, in her heart of hearts--

But she didn't think about that. It had been a good long while since she'd entertained those thoughts.

 

[Azecreth]

"Ah, I see. My apologies," Venge said with a slight bow as Paine explained that she was recovering from some sort of head injury, which had affected her memory. He had to assume it had happen in the jagds, or else he didn't see how that sort of thing could have happened. But the lack of law enforcers would explain it.

Faced with her next question, he nodded to confirm that he was, though it was more a tricky situation than he liked to think about. His Clan wasn't in the best of shape right now, but as it stood it seemed like she might be interested. And if she was, then that would provide the sort of opportunity they hadn't had in a while.

"I am," he confirmed then, smiling as he did his best to earn her goodwill. "We're a small Clan, but I have high hopes. I can take you to meet with everyone, if you're interested." Well, one could hope. It would be up to her to make it a reality though, at least for him.

 

[Mystearica]

Phew, bought it. She could probably get a good bit of mileage out of pretending that her lack of knowledge in this world came from a head injury. Not that she intended to be hee long enough for it to really matter in the long run.

A small clan suited her just fine. Besides, she had a sneaking suspicion that she would have a leg up on the competition. She could still feel the power thrumming inside of her, that of the abilities bequeathed to her by the dresspheres. Whatever this was, she had been transferred in her entirety. That she could even speak the common language here was a mystery in and of itself but it was yet another question to address later.

"Well, let's get going then. I'll have a talk with your people. Maybe something will work itself out," she said, gesturing for Venge to lead the way back to his clan.

 

[Azecreth]

"Alright, follow me," Venge said, grinning to himself as she agreed to go along. That was an immense relief, to be sure, since it meant that he had more of a chance to convince her to join, and in the end that would only work out for him andhis group. Perhaps things were looking up now.

With that said he led her along, moving past the flow of people and around buildings. She would get a good look at the city, confirming more that it was in a more desert-esque locale, with all of the trappings and design that that meant. Yet no one seemed to be really suffering in this place either. All in all it was a nice city, different from Spira, and maybe Paine would appreciate it as well. If she was to live here for now, it couldn't hurt.

At last he arrived at an inn, stepping inside and proceeding along to the common room. "Hey everyone, I'm back," he called as he entered the room, leading Paine along as well. "I brought someone who might be interested in joining."

"Really?" The three already there looked up, turning their attention to the two arrivals. The first was a female Viera, dressed in the black garb of a ninja, and she gave Paine a curious, slightly distrustful look. The next was a male Bangaa, dressed as a warrior, and he merely nodded to her before going back to what he was doing. The third was a human female, who smiled as she remained seated in white mages robes. Time for some introductions then, as Paine held the attention of the room for the moment.

 

[Mystearica]

It was a nicer city than she had perhaps expected. One that was free of strife from all that she could see. Spira, for as long as Paine had lived, had been wracked with sorrow and destruction. Even destroying Sin and bringing about the Eternal Calm had done little to rectify the land's deeper issues. Sin had been a distraction -- now they all had to truly learn to not just survive together, but to coexist together.

She could possibly grow to like such a peaceful place, as much as her life had been defined by bloodshed in recent years.

When they finally arrived at the inn and met Venge's group, Paine gave the three of them a curt nod. "Afternoon. I'm Paine. And..." They looked so much like her dresspheres. A ninja, a warrior, and a white mage. "I guess I'm joining up with you bunch. Doesn't look like a bad group. Got the basics covered. Except offensive magic. Here--" Paine held her hand out, and the world around her flashed white for a brief second.

There were more conservative black mages in the world, and it was with a faint smile that Paine lofted her scepter up to her shoulder. "This could do. Or whatever. I'm whatever the group needs," she said with a roll of one shoulder, baring deliciously pale skin that motion.

 

[Azecreth]

An eyebrow or two rose as Paine introduced before shifting into the outfit of a Black Mage, before offering to be anything that the group might need. That was an unusual statement to be sure, and it basically demanded to be explained, sooner or later. But, one priority at a time.

"Well, you already know me," Venge noted before gesturing to the rest of the group. "And her we have Sonja-" The white mage gave Paine a short wave. "Roland-" The Bangaa nodded. "-And Odette." The ninja tilted her head forwards. With them all introduced, Venge looked to his new companion once more, doing his best to keep his eyes from wandering. "We're Clan Camilia."

The white mage smiled, rising as she bowed to their new companion. "It's a pleasure to meet you Paine. I hope we'll work well together." For how things seemed to stand, she would gladly accept any help that might be provided. Anything to save them from the fate that they could all see coming.

There was a slight scoff from Odette, though she kept from looking at any of them. "You sure," she asked in a low voice. "She doesn't seem like the kind of person we need, much less look like anyone an innocent white mage like yourself should associate with."

"Odette, be nice" Venge scolded sharply, before looking over to Paine. "Ignore her. I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually." He hoped, anyway. The last thing they needed would be more tension in the group. That said, he addressed the other matter at hand. "You should be fine as a black mage." Though he would admit that the dress was a bit distracting. But he wouldn't say anything about it, and risk this chance he had. He couldn't afford to.

 

[Mystearica]

Clan Camilia. Perhaps it was the nature of this world or just a massive coincidence that the name Camilia held a special place to Paine. The name of a childhood friend. It had to be a coincidence, right? It wasn't like Camilia was going to walk around the corner over there and wave hello.

Not since Sin.

"Nice to meet the three of you," Paine said. She heard the less-than-subtle ninja's jab, and she pointed the scepter at the tall bunny girl. "I can more than pull my weight around here," Paine said, her voice resonant with confidence. She spun the scepter to let it lean on her shoulder and turned her attention back onto Venge.

"Just let me know. I also got everything from guns to white magic," Paine said. "... so are clans usually this small?" she asked.

 

[Azecreth]

"Not what I meant," Odette shot back as she found herself at the business end of a scepter, only to react completely unperturbed. And why not? This place was protected by the Judges after all, and if she tried something then they would intervene to stop it. This was hardly a Jagd after all. So she felt perfectly fine in blowing off the new member of the Clan. If that was what she said, then she'd prove it later.

Venge winced as she asked about their clan, though really it was to be expected. He had braced for this, and now he would have to go through with it. She deserved to know after all.

"Not really. Only the starter clans," he replied with evident chagrin. "We've had some hard times in the past couple months, lost some fights. So it's just us left now." But hopefully things would begin to turn around now that they had a new member. It was the first member in a long time, and he hoped that it meant that things would turn around.