001.st Fragment: A Soaked Arrival [action]

[shred_the_sky]

[ A new arrival might seem unusual so late in the month, but there is one in town today. Visit the clothing store today and you might see a tall young man hanging out near one of the shelves. He's dressed in usual New Feather pants, except their color and the way they sit on him is a tad unusual. Coming up closer reveals why: the newcomer is

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Two for two!

[seleniahymn]

[Even with the ongoing experiment Tear attempted to continue her daily routine, which includes picking up the groceries for dinner. While she successfully averts making eye contact with others passing through the plaza, she finds herself drawn to Aether; there was something distinctly familiar about him, even if it had been months since she had last heard from him.]

[shred_the_sky]

[ Aether is used to simply drifting past people whenever he walks down the street. As long as he doesn't make eye contact, all it takes is to simply move forward. Soon enough, he would blend with the scenery or the crowd and fade out of attention of anyone who passes.

But this time is different. This time, the passerby locks her gaze on him for several moments too long and Aether soon finds himself looking back.

It feels like it has been years, but her face is familiar. The knight's footsteps slow down to give him some time and look her over, even if only for a few seconds longer. ]

[seleniahymn]

[It almost surprises her that Aether is returning her gaze, though the emotion doesn't translate to her face. Instead she puts on a small smile, searching for a means of properly apologizing for such rude behaviour.]

I'm sorry, are you new here?

[shred_the_sky]

Yes and no.

[ The smile is returned, but his is faint and almost distracted. This place is filled with both memories and unfamiliar things; even her face reminds him of someone he met a very long time ago, but cannot quite remember the name of. ]

It's strange, no? [ His gaze slowly drifts away from her and upward, as if seeking out the town's meager skyline. ] It may feel like years have passed, but the sky in this place is still the same old color.

[seleniahymn]

The sky? [Her own gaze follows his upward, taking note of the mostly clouded sky while knowing that that the barrier was nestled somewhere between them and the true open air. Somewhere in the back of her mind she senses that there is a familiarity to this conversation, as though she had had it once before.]

... Tell me, what is the sky of your world like?

[shred_the_sky]

The sky? [ What an odd question. He feels as if he had answered it once, a very long time ago. Was it her? Faces are blurred, but something in her voice reminds him of that time.

Perhaps, if they talk just a little longer... ]

It is a clear, beautiful sky of a peaceful blue color. [ Beat. ] In places where it remains whole, that is.

[seleniahymn]

[In places where it remained whole? The way he phrased it made it seem as though it were destroyed, or a patchwork of mismatching pieces. The thought would almost enough to send a chill down her spine if she had never been denied the privilege of seeing the sky of her world beyond the underground abyss of the Qliphoth.

'... the sky I've known until this place always looked like cracked glass.] Would you say that the sky of your world appears broken?

[shred_the_sky]

Broken..? No. Cracked in places, yes.

[ If it was broken, what would happen to the world itself? They were having enough trouble holding it together under the cracked sky they were given. But if it broke, there is no doubt in his mind that Laplace itself would follow. ]

But it's going to get better. Such things always do.

[seleniahymn]

... Yes, they do. [She has not yet experienced the results of her journey back in Auldrant, but she has to believe that things were all right in the end. That all those sacrifices were worth it.]

Someone here once told me that the sky of his world took on the appearance of broken glass. Tell me, would that person have been you?

[shred_the_sky]

[ The conversation she speaks of is a distant memory, faded like an old parchments and painted over with numerous experiences. Still, much like many other things he experienced back then, it isn't something he can merely abandon. Aether closes his eyes for a second, considers...

Finally, he smiles. ]

A fleeting conversation from so many months ago, yet you remember it like yesterday. Should I be honored?

[seleniahymn]

It was a conversation that was on my mind for quite some time afterward. [Attempting to make it seem like she wasn't flattered in return by his question? Perhaps, even if what she replied with was true.]

You said it was getting better?

[shred_the_sky]

[ For something he said back then to be actually pondered for that long... Aether cannot decide if he should be impressed with himself from back then or completely and utterly flustered.

He settles on looking away, an awkward smile on his lips and his hand rising up to fix his coat. When he does speak, his voice is a little distant. ]

It shall get better. I know it shall. [ He'll do something about it if needed. ]

[seleniahymn]

Indeed, we can only hope for the best and use our own strength to ensure that what we wish for comes to pass. [As much as she liked to base her beliefs in reality, her companions, Luke in particular, had shown her that sometimes it was necessary to simply believe things would get better.]

You mentioned when I asked you that you are both new yet not at the same time. Is it wrong to assume that at some point in time, you returned to your own world?

[shred_the_sky]

[ The only answer he has for such hopeful words is a quiet nod. Hope for the best, hm..? It would be nice if someone like him could do that. Yet, as the one responsible for the state of his world in the first place, the only thing a person like him can do is fight until everything is better.

It's a depressive thought, however, one he is all too eager to discard with a shake of his head. When he speaks again, it is only to address her question. ]

You're right. I have been gone from this place for several months. [ A pause. ] Granted, the time I spent back home felt like a little longer.

[seleniahymn]

You've grown. [The changes in his appearance could account for why she didn't recognize him at first, in addition to the amount of time he was gone. It served as a reminder of how easily things could be ripped out of their control not just here, but in their own worlds. It brought about a quiet anger inside, though it won't show on her face.

I apologize for not recognizing you...

[shred_the_sky]

'Tis quite fine.

[ It is an honor to be recognized at all. But rather than explain that, Aether chooses to simply shrug it off with a... ]

It has been some time and I was told I can be quite forgettable.