VERTILINE [ 1 ]

[lilyground]

Hello? Hellooooo?

[A fitting way to begin a post on ArtichokeNet. It's amazing Lily even found the right buttons. There's a whoosh of air when Lily shakes the communicator. That's obviously going to help! One can hear sniffles in the background. Lily just finished crying with joy (for now).]

Um, is anybody there? My name is Lily. [… Not Unit 67.

Comments

[bellator_lucis]

[The Warrior is out of his pod as soon as he hears this post. Chronic Hero Syndrome go! And after hearing about the creature in the fog from Zack, he's doubly reluctant to walk away from anyone in need of help.

His voice is calm, though.]

This is a world called Vertiline. We have been brought here in the hopes that we can defend the local inhabitants from the monsters that are attacking them. If you see fog, stay away from it. Dangerous creatures lurk within it.

The creature that is following you is called a capybara. They have been provided to us as pack animals, and they are not dangerous.

[The other stuff can wait.]

What do you look like, Lily?

[The Warrior is coming to find you.]

[bellator_lucis]

Better that it be fought in another world, with only warriors involved, than in a world with innocents that could fall prey to our foes.

[His voice is grim. He can imagine what the Emperor or Kefka might get up to if there had been innocents around, and it's a nasty picture indeed.]

[lilyground]

[Can't innocents defend themselves? The outside world is just so... wrong, in Lily's eyes. It makes sense, though. If everyone else could defend themselves, why would Lily be kept indoors?

... Don't answer that.]

Yeah. Innocents would be bad, I guess. Why were they fighting? The gods.

[bellator_lucis]

Chaos, the god of discord, wished to destroy the world. Cosmos, goddess of harmony -

[Do you hear that reverence, Lily?]

- was defending it.

[lilyground]

[She does. From his tone, Lily can deduce that this Cosmos lady was a total boss.]

Why would anybody want to destroy a world?

[bellator_lucis]

I do not know.

[As they enter the temple and the Warrior heads towards the dining hall, he adds:]

Both Cosmos and Chaos summoned warriors from different worlds to fight for them. Many of those summoned by Chaos also fought to destroy the world. Others wished to rule it.

[Naturally, those groups didn't get along.]

[lilyground]

[What the fuck is this? Is that how people on the outside act? Maybe the outside isn't as nice as she thought it would be.]

That's stupid. I don't think people should be fighting over things like that.

[Everyone should share!]

[bellator_lucis]

[Have a small smile!]

Cosmos, my comrades and I agree with you, Lily.

[Looks like they've arrived. What will Lily do?]

[lilyground]

[She is going to awkwardly stare at all the food. Lily has never seen so much food in one place before. This is crazy shit.]

... Can I just... take it? Or...

[Just taking it seems wrong.]

[bellator_lucis]

Yes. It has been provided for us.

[The Warrior is going to grab an apple so that Lily will hopefully feel less awkward. Fruit is awesome.]

[lilyground]

Oh.

[Okay. So it's free. Lily grabs some random fruit and sniffs it. It's a mango, and it smells awesome. She takes a bite, and...]

... This is the best thing ever.

[bellator_lucis]

It is very nice, isn't it?

[The Warrior has been free-ranging among the fruit over the last two weeks. So many new tastes.]

[lilyground]

[Lily finishes the mango, licks her fingers, and reaches for some other kind of fruit. It's a slice of watermelon!]

Oh man, this is good too. It's really good.

[She skips the apples - Lily's had apples before, they're alright - and grabs a clementine. She tries to bite into it, but the skin is too tough.]

...

[How the fuck do you -]

How do you even eat this thing?

[bellator_lucis]

[The Warrior hasn't tried one of those yet! He takes another one from the table and examines it. After a moment's thought, he goes away and gets a knife and proceeds to cut the thing in half.

...Gloves aren't made to peel things, alright.]

Here.

[He hands the cut one to Lily and puts the knife down beside the fruit. Someone else will doubtless need use of it.]

[lilyground]

Thanks.

[Lily picks the fruit out of that god damn skin and pretty much crams it in her mouth. This food is just so good, okay?]

What're these things called?

[bellator_lucis]

[The rate at which you're eating is slightly worrying, Lily.]

...The food is not going anywhere.

[As for your question...]

I do not know. But perhaps you could ask one of the kitchen staff.