[Video] 001

[aquanimity]

[Having been here a few days now, Aqua has mostly acclimated to being around people again, and simply sitting idle doesn't suit her. She's had enough of aimless wandering with no direction to last her a long while.]

Hello, my name is Aqua, and I arrived here a few days ago. Things have been mostly explained to me, and I'd like to help out in any way I can. I'm not sure where to start looking, though, so I'd be grateful for some direction. I know a fair number of spells, but I'm not sure how useful they would be here. [She hasn't seen Unversed or any other sort of monster around, so she doubts being able to summon a bolt of lightning upon a target would be of much help to the general population.]

[A brief pause while she considers whether or not to ask her other question, given that she's just offered to help, but decides to go ahead anyway.]

And... I understand that how we are brought here is not fully known, or how we could leave, but if anyone has an idea, please let me know. I've been away from my home too long.

[She's worried about both Ven and Terra. The former is safe, but what if he has awoken in her absence? And the latter... she doesn't know at all.]

I'd truly appreciate any advice. Thank you.

[End video.]

Comments

[video]

[strokeofgenis]

Oh I seemed to manage pretty well! I mean, maybe I was a little bit nervous the first couple of times after I got banished from my home, but even the big monsters couldn't hold me back after a while!

[He sounds practically proud of that accomplishment, really. Nothing's going to bring him down. Sure, you might think he needs protection and let's be honest, he probably does because he can't actually get spells off if monsters are up in his grill casting, but he's still wields some pretty nasty punches.]

Well I suppose I know how that kind of goes. Once you get kicked out of your school in order to go on a several-month long adventure, you kind of forget what day of the week it is. Suddenly weekends look a lot like any other day of the week.

Re: [video]

[aquanimity]

You were banished? That's awful...!

[She couldn't imagine being banished from her home. What happened was terrible, but to be banished?

The boy, however, is surprisingly unconcerned. He is a bit off the mark with his second statement.]

Yes, it is something like that.

[A light (and just a smidge sad) smile; she won't burden this child with the dark reality of where she came from.]

[video]

[strokeofgenis]

[Don't get him wrong, it's not that Genis is completely unconcerned about being banished. It's just that, in that context, he's much more excited about the beating down of monsters. And his concern over that decision to be banished should be much more apparent here:]

Well, I kind of did ask to be banished. But that was only after... [Sigh, it's all too complicated.]

I kind of violated a peace treaty with some of the Desians next to our hometown, and I convinced my friend Lloyd to help stop them from beating one of my friends. I just couldn't stand to see her get hurt for something that I had caused. But it was him who got caught for it, and after they came and set all of the houses on fire, my friend was blamed and was asked to leave the town, which I still feel was really unfair. So I asked them to banish me too since it was really my fault.

They were still kind of terrible for doing that to begin with though, even if it meant that we ended up joining our friends to help join our two worlds together.

Re: [video]

[aquanimity]

[Aqua listens to the complex account with sympathy for the young boy. Even if he had asked to be banished, he was still a child. And, though she herself would not normally go so far as to violate a peace treaty, if done for the sake of her friends...]

It sounds like you've been through quite a bit. But it also sounds like things turned out for the best in the end, too.

Have you since been allowed to return home?

[Surely deeds of that caliber warrant a reversal of banishment?]

[video]

[strokeofgenis]

Well, yeah, we were, though... not because of that. Despite being banished, we... were kind of forced to return because a friend of ours who was also from Iselia got really sick. We sneaked into the tow, but the mayor found out we'd returned and started to yell at us, but all of the townspeople ended up sticking up for us, so he just kind of gave up on it.

You should have seen the look on his face. He probably could have exploded if he'd gotten any more red.

Re: [video]

[aquanimity]

That must have been a sight! [She's seen something like that before: the hook-handed pirate in Neverland, who had nearly matched his coat's color in rage upon discovering what the Lost Boys had done with his treasure.]

Your town must be very nice, even with a hot-headed mayor.

[video]

[strokeofgenis]

Well, it's the only town that was ever willing to keep us after discovering we were half-elves instead of real elves, so in that sense it was rather nice.

And besides, it was about time someone finally recognised me for knowing more factorisations than the mayor.

Re: [video]

[aquanimity]

What good is a mayor who doesn't know his factorizations? [Her voice is playful. There is something that was said that has her attention, now.

Half-elves? Hadn't Raine mentioned something along those lines...?]

You're a half-elf? Do you by any chance know Raine Sage?

[A long shot, perhaps, given the number of worlds people seem to have been brought here from.

Or was it? Now that she's thinking about it, the boy does seem to share some resemblance to Raine....]

[video]

[strokeofgenis]

No kidding. The guy wasn't really all that smart if you ask me. Humph.

[Genis playfully pouts at that, though it's really more a mocking pout.]

And yeah, I do now Raine. She's my big sister.

[Ordinarily, he would have been ecstatic to tell Aqua all about that. However, at the moment, he says this rather matter-of-factly instead of with the normal glowing satisfaction. It almost seems like he's a little pained by that, to be honest.]

Re: [video]

[aquanimity]

Your sister!

[Well, that is a bit of a surprise. She had thought, at most, they'd have come from the same world.]

I've spoken with her as well. Having family here must be nice. [She says this wistfully; several people she's spoken to have friends or family here. It's something she'd like as well.]

I'm sorry, did you ever mention your name?

[video] I have failed in giving my name! *sob*

[strokeofgenis]

Oh! Did I forget to do that. I'm Genis, Genis Sage.

[Embarrassing!]

Well, I'll admit that it is kind of nice to have family here...

[He trails off a bit, and a rather annoyed expression crosses his lips.]

But my sister has been here for a lot longer than I have, and... she's got other friends that important to her now.

[video] It's okay Genis it's slipped several people's minds already

[aquanimity]

[And Genis has activated the caring big sister mode!

Aqua has taken on a kind expression.]

I'm sure you're still important to her, Genis. Just because she has found other friends in the time she's been here doesn't make you any less important.

[It's something she truly believes.]

[video] I am so aware of this.

[strokeofgenis]

Oh I know she still cares about me. And worries about me.

But... she's the only person I know from here. Like, really know. I've never had all that many friends until very recently, and then... I get sent here... into a world full of mean people who treat me like most everyone used to treat me back home.

I just don't know what to do.

[video] At this rate Genis is going to end up in the Aqua Flock™

[aquanimity]

It must be very lonely.

[Aqua sympathizes with Genis. Being torn away from friends, thrown into a world where you know no one (or almost no one), where hostilities are all around... she understands that loneliness.]

It's not really my place, but maybe... maybe I could speak to Raine for you. [She understands if there's a reluctance on Genis's part to directly such a thing up with his sister.] I'm going to the Healer's Guild later today to meet with her.

Only if you'd want me to, though.

[video] happy-genis-stick-figure.jpg Aqua Flock!

[strokeofgenis]

Yeah, it is, having to start from scratch all over again. It kind of reminds me of the times when I was younger, when we'd have to move villages because I accidentally told someone I was a half-elf.

But you'd do that for me? I mean... uh, sure, if you want to, that'd be alright.

[He doesn't know if it'll do any good or really what he wants. In many ways, the problem right now is in Genis' mind, though he certainly isn't aware of it.]

Re: [video]

[aquanimity]

Of course. [Aqua smiles sweetly.] Being distant from loved ones, even if they are nearby, is never easy.

[And she knows that well enough.]

[video]

[strokeofgenis]

[Well, if there was any distrust in Genis' mind of Aqua, it's definitely started to fade just a little bit. There are definitely people around his age that he doesn't trust, but first impressions affect Genis tons, and so he can't help but like Aqua now.]

Thanks, Aqua. You're the best.

[video]

[aquanimity]

[Aqua is quite flattered by Genis's words. She's going to do her best to not let him down.

She chuckles a bit.]

That's very kind of you to say. And, you're welcome, Genis.