songerein | { Saving Oz }

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{ Saving Oz }

SAVING OZ

After a month of increasingly windy weather, it all comes to a head when a giant book appears right above the town of Reverein. It opens its pages facing the town and a large tornado emerges, descending down to cover the entire town. Miraculously, no buildings are destroyed, but the entire population is sucked up into the air and into the pages of the book. It's a wild, twisting ride until everyone crash lands into a strange city all in emerald green. The tapirs make their usual rare appearance and look around before gasping, "Oh! It's the Emerald City from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! Looks like a mess though… And so do you!"

As pointed out, everyone will find themselves dressed or transformed into some semblance of one of the five main characters: Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman (Tinman), and the Cowardly Lion. They could be wearing authentic costumes, have an almost complete appearance change, partial transformation, and anywhere in-between. While they are mostly stuck in whichever "role" they've been initially cast in, they can temporarily change if a different role would work better. They gain additional abilities fitting of the character, such as the Scarecrow unable to bleed as they are now made of straw, the Tinman always wearing or made of some kind of metallic armor, the Lion have wind blasting roars and the strength of a real lion, Toto able to become a real dog, and Dorothy has their charisma stat shot up through the roof. Everyone will be able to use their dreamotion and original abilities as well, so they can be even more creative. While there are no complete personality changes, some may feel some "adjustments" to fit their role at times. Some roles will be more effective for certain tasks and objectives, and they will receive additional buff bonuses to help clear it.

With the help of local citizens who have formed their own rebel force, everyone must now help push back the nightmare force that has taken over this story and lure out the mysterious new "Wizard" that is the source of all this chaos. If they can fill a giant emerald with positive dreams and launch it at the "Wizard," then it'll be a mission success.

For any questions, refer to the Game Notes and comment there.

I. HELPING THE CITY

Emerald City is a mess, but not lost. The rebel force has a base set up to help direct everyone and serves as the main camp for aid and rest. There's plenty to do, and now that they have "Dorothy and her friends" again, they may be able to win back their proud city. Oh, if only they could find the Princess Ozma...

A. Porcelain Rubble. Aside from the usual physical destruction, large portions of the city have turned into porcelain and broken apart. A special glue is available and becomes more potent with dreamotion infused into it, and as soon as pieces are glued back together the structure will return to its original form. However, there is a risk of someone turning into porcelain the longer they remain in the area and will need to be glued back together if broken (fortunately no one can die, just lie helplessly in pieces). Perhaps those who are cast as Toto can help sniff out trapped individuals, while the Scarecrow's straw would make for excellent padding for those broken pieces.

B. Statued. Many citizens have been turned into statues, scattered all over the city and outside the walls. They need to be moved to safety first before a cure can be used as it takes time to fully work. Special sleighs fashioned after the Gump are available to help carry any statued citizen to safety; just be careful when driving it as they are very unpredictable. Once in a safe spot, a few drops of the potion will start the curing process. The many witches that cursed everyone to begin with are still out and about, ready to turn anyone unaware into statues. Strangely, the spell bounces off metal, so those cast as the Tinman will be great in offering support and could even try and reflect the spell back onto the witches to turn them to statues instead.

C. Into the Poppy Field. The dangerous poppy field known for its ability to lull any who are flesh and blood to sleep until their dying days has been inching closer towards the city, perhaps drawn by the nightmare energy flowing out from it. To make matters worse, they now can move their roots and leaves to try and ensnare people. A special plant killer diffuser has been developed, but it requires anyone cast as Dorothy, the Lion, or Toto to take the diffuser and run into the field as deep as they can before they succumb to the pollen, which will activate the diffuser. Either the Tinman or the Scarecrow must then make their way through to fetch them. Those who volunteered to run in can use their ability to dreamwalk and appear as a little wisp to help guide their would be rescuer to their slumbering body, even give them some help with the snares. (Mod: for threading purposes, characters can either partner up as the sleeper and rescuer, or both can be rescuing an NPC that served as the role of sleeper instead).

D. First Aid. For any who prefer to stay out of combat and help the wounded and scared, the base camp is stocked with medical supplies, food, and other necessities to help weather out the attack. They do need to be resupplied, however, so those more daring to venture either into the city or outside the walls to get items should take someone capable of defending just in case. Some places include an orchard of lunch pail trees that grow fully stocked lunch pails filled with various foods. Lions will be great at climbing them while Scarecrows can shoo away annoying crows. Another is gathering wood in a cursed forest where the trees have become Fighting Trees. The Tinman's ax is lethal against them and will chop through them easily.

E. Yellow Brick Road. The famous golden yellow brick road has been broken apart and needs to be repaired so additional support from neighboring areas can come in. Because it's a magical road, it needs to be fixed in a magical way—which is reliving the whimsical, iconic, song and dance of Dorothy and her friends. The Munchkins have created special silver shoes that anyone of the cast can wear and it has the magic to inform the wearer how the musical rendition goes. It will also "help" their movements to skip and dance along the broken spaces. Should they be successful, the broken and missing bricks will be repaired and the road will start to shine. So partner up, link arms, and belt out those vocal chords because they're off to see the Wizard!

II. FIGHTING FOES

There are numerous enemies attacking the city, but while some are original to the story, many are abnormal creations or noctasers, the unholy union of noctaere and the Story Eater's minions, Erasers. Of course the Story Eater would have a hand in this! But with the advantages gained by the roles, they can be defeated.

A. Wheeling Monkeys. The Wheelers and the Winged Monkeys have been ensorceled and are creating havoc within the city. However, instead of violence their actions are more…goofy. They're throwing rotten eggs, colored water balloons, creamed pies, and other strange pranks to hinder everyone's movements. They're relatively easy to capture and even prank back. The more aggressive ones, however, are actually noctasers and will need to be destroyed via dreamotion. Those cast as Dorothy will be able to distinguish those who are original to the book and the disguised noctasers as well as inflict extra damage to weaken the noctasers. Everyone in the cast is strong against noctasers.

» BONUS: THE GOLDEN CAP. The Winged Monkeys were once free but after the Golden Cap was ripped apart to steal its magic and now many are once again enslaved. Dorothy can convince the originals to join their side, if they have some Golden Cap fragments that appear when a noctaser is defeated. The more noctasers defeated, the more fragments collected and the more Wheelers and Winged Monkeys will join their side!

B. Meeeelllttiiiinng! Those witches are causing the most problems, and they are abnormal creations that need to go. Because they were fashioned after the Wicked Witch, they are weak to water, especially dreamotion infused water. The trick is actually getting to them as they are often found flying high above. There are numerous small hot air balloons that can be used to fly up and to either hose the witches or dump giant buckets of water, both tools already attached to the balloon basket. Just be careful because it just takes one giant tear to pop the balloon and send everyone into a crazy spinning crash to the ground. Having a Tinman to help deflect spells off their armor will be a great help.

III. SWEET DREAMS

The Projector of Dreams has been set up and several beds with the magical headsets are available to those who wish to volunteer and produce positive dreams that will be used against the Wizard. These dreams will be funneled into a giant emerald that will be launched from a cannon at the Wizard once lured out.

A. Positive Dreams. To help the Projector, positive dreams are needed. These dreams will briefly be projected onto the emerald so those nearby monitoring things may catch a glimpse of the dream. Perhaps those who are dreaming will have theirs be more interactive to try and get others in and create a stronger positive experience.

B. Luring out the Wizard. The Wizard is holed up in the Throne Room of the castle and needs to be lured out before the dream infused emerald can be hurtled into it. The methods to do so might seem a bit unorthodox, but it will work and may give a hint on who the "Wizard" really is. Everyone is told to play various children's games within the Emerald City's castle. Tea parties, hide and seek, tag, games—whatever they can think of. As they play, a strange shadow that looks like a young princess will emerge to either watch or join in. Players can either incorporate the shadow playing or just focus on their characters, but the shadow will always be happy and laughing. The goal is to produce happy, positive fun feelings, so there are no dangers. Unless someone wants to throw in a noctaser or something to spice things up.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That is, in all due honesty, a decent question. ]

Hm?

[ Her gaze falls back on him, eyes wide and eyebrows raised in surprise. Come to think of it, who is this guy? Is this actually Eustace? She gives him a quick once over before deciding there is just no way, and with a shake of her head, she laughs. ]

No, Eustace is a... friend of a friend? [ She's not spilling Tifa's secret, even if Eustace already kind of did. ] Taught me a little bit about a trick he was working on.

[ The monkey was a watermelon in her mind. ]

I'm Aerith. [ Simple, quick, and served with a side of marking: Her scepter shoots out one more shock of light that singes monkey fur. The rest all laugh at it's impending doom. Yikes, she thinks. ]

Ah. [ She was thanking Eustace to herself. Not to him. His eyes drift upwards in slight embarrassment. This is what he gets for not paying attention, isn't it.

But he regains his composure rather quickly once she introduces herself and marks another monkey for him. ]

Trahearne. It's a pleasure, Aerith, despite the circumstances.

[ He whips his own scepter out towards the marked monkey, dark red-black energy causing magical lacerations to riddle its body, but it's not enough to subdue the creature. Then again, he's not fully concentrating. Talking to keep his mind off this terrifying whirlwind around them. ]

Eustace is a friend of mine as well. [ Then maybe he knows Aerith's friend? ] You're lucky--he's a good teacher.

[ Trahearne's compliment is Eustace earns a good natured laugh out of Aerith. She's not above bantering during combat: The monkeys aren't exactly the hardest opponents in her book, and he's got the firepower to hand them himself. If anything, playing bloodhound is the easy part of it all. ] He's something, alright. [ He picked her on a bit, she knows it. Still, she doesn't mind it, and it shows in her voice; someone Tifa likes has to be kind.

He may not fully subdue it, but it's enough for her to reach out and finish the job. Aerith raises the Arcane Scepter and casts Tempest once more, and it is with that strike of holy magic that the beast falls. Again, in it's place is a golden fragment; this time, her gaze lingers on it. ]

Now you've got me wondering. Is it very common for him to teach in Reverein?

[ She kind of just forced him into it, actually. ]

[ Trahearne chuckles at that remark. Eustace is, indeed, something. Another of the many here in Songerein who disguised their deep caring for things with a cold demeanor, though the baker's dozen of dogs is a clear giveaway. Enigmatic, but someone he readily calls an ally and friend.

That's neither here nor there, though.

The golden glint catches Trahearne's eye, but Aerith's question draws his attention away from it. He relaxes his stance, despite the monkeys swirling all around him, and turns to look at her. ]

I can't speak for everyone. But he was the first to teach me the basics of dreamotion when I first arr--

[ Trahearne is not paying attention, and a very easy target.

A water balloon collides with the back of his head, spraying colored water all over him. And hopefully not too much on Aerith. ]

--Ow.

[ When the water balloon lands, it bursts, cascading diluted blue paint everywhere. While Trahearne is hit worst, Aerith is a casualty, too: Her dress is splattered with blue patches that bleed deeper into the fabric. Thankfully, Dorothy's dress is already blue, for the most part, however... ]

Oh, no! [ Her immediate reaction is to try to help, coming to him as if to console him through it, expression twisted and pinched into concern and worry as she leans to the side to look up at all six feet of him. He towers over her, but it doesn't frighten her in the moment; he strikes Aerith as only slightly more harmful than an overgrown bush now. ]

You poor thing... they're picking on you!

[ To be fair, it's the pair of them who had come under fire from the monkeys, but it's only him who has truly felt the sting of it. It is no huge ordeal, but the promise of more is looming quite heavily over them. Wet and cold in the eye of the monkey-born storm, they're assaulted next with a curious array of white feathers.

Scepter still in hand, she places a hand upon his arm. The storm rages still, feathers falling like snow dust. ]

You okay? [ This doesn't seem like enough of an issue yet for her to cast a spell, she thinks, but there is something in her back pocket. ]

Edited (hold on. idk how to spell.) 2022-08-21 01:09 (UTC)

Yes. Just...stunned.

[ Trahearne makes the mistake of gingerly reaching up to touch the spot where the balloon landed, and his hand comes away bright blue. As he stares at it in dismay, a feather lands square in his palm. He tries to shake it off, but it seems it's sticking to the colored water.

Ugh.

Maybe he should have just stayed home. He really isn't cut out for any of this. He is completely out of his element, and he--

Wait. None of this is true. That's just the lion talking. He is perfectly capable of handling a few monkeys, and backing out now would leave Aerith out in the proverbial cold.

His vine tail swishes in defiance, and he adjusts his grip on his scepter, trying not to let the blue splotches that now stain his weapon get to him. ]

Never mind that. I'll be fine. We cannot let them get to us. Mark the next one that doesn't belong, and I'll do my best to strike it down.

[ Those gold things were sure something. They'll probably figure it out in time. ]

[ He reroutes himself, she notes, picks out the seconds while he drowns in fear or self-doubt, and while she's ready for a pep-talk, if necessary, it's not needed. Aerith nods— back on track, it is. With one more flourish, she pins the nail on a bewinged monkey with a gaze that makes her spine shiver with how wrong it is. It's fur is singed, again, marked with a flash from her cast of Tempest. ]

Right there! Keep it up, you've got this!

I do have this!

[ As it turns out, the verbal encouragement is exactly what he needs to solidify his resolve as not-being-the-lion. Trahearne's eyes dart from the monkey back to Aerith briefly before he whips his focus forward, with more momentum this time, and the dark hand shoots out. It grapples the creature, squeezing tightly, and a follow-up whip with his scepter casts out a darkened arc that slices it cleanly in half. Yes!

And another golden glint...?

He glances at her again. ]

What do you think those are?

Wonderful!

[ It happens quick as the flutter of hummingbird wings. The monkey falls, cleaved in half as if a cleaver cutting through bone, and it disappears in a puff. The only remnant of it's existence that is left behind is a glimmering golden trinket piece, and that falls to the ground without much ceremony at all. Aerith kneels to pluck it from the ground, and holds the others out, too, palms together and turned upward as if cupping something precious. They glisten in no light at all, as if something of great importance has befallen them. ]

These? Well, who knows. Could be... nothing at all.

[ The cheeky way she says it implies she thinks otherwise, of course. ]

How about we take them back to the rebellion? Or... you got an idea?

[ Trahearne relaxes his stance as Aerith retrieves the piece; he leans over to get a better look, curiously eyeing the glint.

They came from the ones she had picked out as wrong, which meant they obviously had some significance (Not that...they'd killed any of the others? Maybe they would drop something else? Perhaps that's worth testing.). And so her cheeky remark earns a little chuckle.

As she poses her last question, he straightens himself again, but still keeping his eyes on the gold pieces. ]

My other thought was currency, but they're clearly not coins. So, no. None any better than that. [ He directs his attention to her with a smile. ] If anyone could make use of strange gold pieces, it would be the rebellion.

[ You know, discounting the fact that the monkeys that are still whirling in circles around them. ]

[ For now, the best place for these trinkets is one of their pockets. She supposes it'll have to be her for now, though pockets are the last thing she has on this dress. The glinting golden pieces get slipped into her blue and white pinafore, hopefully where they'll stay. As Trahearne considers taking another one of the monkeys down, Aerith holds his gaze with an inquisitive raise of her brow. ]

Maybe... but they could still be worth something, right? You never know what someone will trade for them!

[ She's imagining a bag of coffee, though, perhaps some soap. She's not well-versed in identifying precious metals, though this one feels rather heavy and curious. ]

So, how many more you think we got to deal with before this group lets up?

[ Staff in hand, she's ready for it— though she's wondering if it's possible to shield the two of them and bail for now. ]

[ They are definitely worth something. Nothing worthless shines like that. There's a glint of agreement in his eyes as she brings it up, but he's honestly not too keen on trading them. He wants to find out what they do first...

There are more pressing matters, though. When Aerith offers her question, he steps back and turns his attention to the whirling monkeys, grip readjusting on his scepter. ]

No telling. But then again, I can't see what you see.

[ Does her role as...the girl (?) give her this special power? It must do. All the monkeys look the same to him. ]

We can speed this up, though. Mark whatever ones you see are wrong, but don't wait for me to follow up. I'll do what I can to eliminate all of them.

[ At least, it seems his cowardly role doesn't have an effect on his analytical mind. He can at least come up with good ideas. As for pulling them off? Well...perhaps they'll find out.

--No, he will do it. Aerith has stated her belief in him, which means he can't disappoint her.

But if he does, then. Well. Then they can bail. ]

[ This is a thought that hadn't struck her, but now that he's offered it up, she thinks that he's a bit of a genius for it. If he can handle the work, they can get it done without issue, she's sure of it. ]

You got it! [ The Arcane Scepter blinks to life, the stones within it working together to cast a spell. This time, it's a long, drawn out flash of magical energy that even lifts Aerith from the ground, briefly, as she whips it from monkey to monkey. Though beads of sweat are forming on her face now, she makes it look easy— perhaps it is, for her. ]

How's that? [ When the bright white light is sucked back into place, zipping out of existence, it leaves behind it the scent of scorched fur, and the cries of numerous monkeys. It's three more, marked for execution, and they all whirl round and round while the rest laugh. Aerith's feet touch the ground as she breathes out, deep and elegant. ]

You got this, keep it up!

[ Trahearne nods at the ready, expecting much of the same as he'd seen before when--

His jaw essentially drops and his gaze snaps to her when she starts casting. He did not think there could be an upgraded version of marking monkeys. He thought she was wielding a scepter much at the same level as he was, but now it's clear that she was holding back. More powerful than he. Couldn't she just take care of this herself...? ]

That was--

[ He's about to answer her (clearly rhetorical) question when she puts him back on track. With a nod, he sets his jaw, and returns his attention to the monkey tornado.

He whips out his off-hand, vines lashing out through the air to strangle one of them in mid-air, and he follows up with a slice of darkness. Monkey, dead. He sees the next one coming around, and he whips his scepter at it, lacerations all but making it minced meat. And when the last one comes into view, he sends out another slice of darkness, cutting it clean in third.

Laughter erupts from the monkeys as the last one falls, gold glimmering from within the corpses. And Trahearne, in the meanwhile, peers over at Aerith, as though looking for approval. ]

[ He doesn't have to wait long for praise. Aerith, being as open as she is, doesn't hold back when something impresses her, or thrills her. While Trahearne makes chicken nuggets out of the monkey meat she's marked, she's dazzled by how quickly he disposes of them. Her expression lights up, the smile on her lips widening as she cheers. When he's finished, the gold falls to the ground. She does go to gather them first, giving him ample time to wonder just how well he's done.

...But not for long. After pocketing them with the rest, Aerith holds up her hands, palm up, for a high-five. She's beaming, pleased as punch, and standing on the tips of her toes so that he might be able to see better what she's up to. ]

Fantastic! Great job, give it up!

[ The light on her face is good enough approval. His posture eases as he slots his scepter and focus back into their places at his hip, and he rolls his shoulders to relax himself as she goes off to collect the mysterious gold pieces.

He isn't expecting, however, both verbal praise and an offer of a double high five when she whirls around back to him. Her enthusiasm is infectious--he can't help a smile cross his own face as she beams, though it's a touch confused. ]

Ah... Thank you?

[ Duly, he brings up both hands and lightly smacks them against hers. ]

I could say the same for you. [ Ever allergic to praise, he deflects. As his hands drop, he tilts his head. Trahearne, too, is always the type to voice positives and compliments when he sees it's appropriate. And now that it seems it's...over (?), he sends it right back to her. ] That was spectacular, Aerith. I'm impressed.

[ Their hands connect together, delighting her further. When it ends, Aerith swings her arms behind her back, holding them there as one hand grips the other's wrist. Without an ounce of shyness, she kicks her foot back and forth— the monkey tornado that had encircled them moments before disintegrates as, one by one, each of the winged monkeys leaves them be. It's not quite as fun to mess with people when they're happy, and praising one another, you see.

In contrast to him, she takes compliments well enough. Shaking her head, she speaks with a playful little tone. ] It's more like you kept me on my toes out there, Trahearne. We make a good team! Where'd you get the skills to pull all that off? Not a SOLDIER, are you?

[ As the monkeys leave, Trahearne's gaze drifts briefly to watch them go. They...they did it! And he helped! Relief colors his face and his smile widens, proud of himself to have worked past the gnawing cowardice in tandem with a stranger.

She speaks up just as he looks back at her, and he nods with enthusiasm. ]

We do make a good team. [ There are only a handful of people with whom he's had the same thought, but never on a first meeting like this. He wonders if they'll get the chance to do this again. When he's fully confident in his abilities and not dressed like a cat. ]

I am a soldier, of sorts. [ He does not hear the all caps. ] But my necromantic skills are mostly self-taught over many years of refinement.

[ He doesn't let his own explanation breathe for very long before moving on. Now that she's asked, he's taking that as permission to satisfy his own curiosity. ] ...Which means that is a high compliment coming from someone of such high calibre as yourself. I must know how you learned to fight like that.

[ Were she a less honest person, Aerith might feel bad about the answer he gets. She shakes her head and parrots him, laughing a little bit. On one hand, she thinks that Hojo might be inclined to agree with him, but on the other, she thinks that Shinra higher ups would be deeply amused to hear "the subject" praised in such a way, by someone with actual combat experience. Trahearne is not a SOLDIER, not in the sense of what it is to Aerith, but he admits to something similar. Then again, she's been keeping up with Cloud all this time...

You know, Cloud could benefit to take a leaf out of Trahearne's book, now that Aerith thinks about it. He's even willingly worked with her, respected her own skill, and relied on her as much as she relied on him. She's pretty sure he would never tell her to 'watch out' because monsters prey on the 'weak targets.' Hah. ]

Monsters. [ She says, voice lilting as if it's no big deal. ] In the slums, if you want to get around, you learn to protect yourself. They were getting pretty close to the city, before I got... here! So, I learned a few tricks. Happy to hear you like them so much!

[ A leaf out of his book...

In his eyes, he's worked with an equal, if not more powerful, partner. She doesn't strike him as weak at all. If anything, he might even come to her for protection or an escort if that sort of situation were to ever arise...though that might also be the cowardice talking. ]

I see. Like myself, in a way. [ There is a positive tone to his voice, despite the somewhat neutral statement. ] In all honesty, I believe learning in the field is the best way to hone one's skills. And I can see that method didn't fail you either.

[ This is the second person he's met from a slum, too... He really doesn't know how to address that, considering his people happily slept in the dirt and among the foliage and--

Oh, right! ]

That reminds me, I wanted to ask you before I was so rudely interrupted. [ He tilts his head in curiosity. ] Who is this friend of yours that knows Eustace?

[ Perhaps he knows them, too! ~~because he's aPPARENTLY OFFICIATING THE WEDDING NOW~~ ]

[ This is, in truth, a very reasonable question, and Aerith fills the silence by rolling back and forth on her feet, humming thoughtfully. It covers up the fact she is mulling over how no one has really given her this kind of respect before— maybe Zack had, once upon a time, having wanted to see her succeed in business. ]

Thanks, Trahearne. [ Really. Most people treat her like she needs to be coddled; this is the first time she's really been independent, the more she thinks on it. Even her mother's coddled her, held her back from the world she's wanted to be part of...

Ahem. ]

I met him at the beach. He taught me how to slice things like that with dreamotion. Could be great for making a lot of bouquets at once! [ Now that she thinks about it, though. ]

Another friend of mine mentioned you to me that night, too. Susato.

[ At her thanks, Trahearne smiles a touch, and dips his head in a nod. She needn't even thank him, in his mind. He thought he was just stating the obvious.

That's right--she did mention, in the initial chaos, that it was Eustace who taught her some dreamotion tricks, didn't she? Eustace really is a good teacher...though he isn't sure he would attribute all of her skill to Eustace, because that would be an insult to what he sees as proficiency she honed herself.

He is not, however, ready for the statement that comes after that. His mouth is open, about to ask about bouquets when she surprises him. ]

Susato mentioned me? The Mikotoba girl? [ He had literally only met her that very same day, at the beach. Had he really left that big of an impression on her to talk about him to another stranger? His smile grows a touch confused, and he asks with some trepidation, ] ...What did she say?

Mhm. The very one. [ After all, she makes such an impression. Could any other Mikotoba girl be in question? ] She's friends with Eustace, I think. And Tifa— [ "his fiancée," she almost says, but it's not her business to share so Aerith snaps her mouth shut and smiles, lips thin. ] She's a friend of mine. From home. You know, her other home.

[ She's seen her little home with Eustace, after all, come to collect her in the morning just to hang out, and steal her away from him for a few hours. It's great fun imagining it as being so mischievous. ]

Susato told me about you. How you're from another planet, and you're Syvlari, or something like that. Sorry, did I get it wrong?

[ He chuckles a little bit. ] Aren't we all from different planets, in a way? [ Very technical, but he thinks it's funny that's one of the distinguishing markers he's been assigned. ] Susato was correct, and you remembered well. I am sylvari.

[ He's...kind of impressed she remembers this fact about a total stranger from weeks ago. He can't imagine what sort of conversation it must have been to let that fact stick in her mind...aaand you know what, he's not going to try and guess what that might be. Other people's conversations are not his business and he still doesn't understand why people talk about him.

There's a more important matter, after all. ]

You're a friend of Tifa's! From her home realm? [ This is exciting! Trahearne lights up. Tifa is kind and gentle, so Aerith must be a good person, too. ] It's no wonder, then. She and Eustace are--very close.

[ The idea that they're all from different planets is quite true, though she supposes he has no way of knowing how that one statement manages to assuage the sense of worry that keeps finding her. Aerith looks at him with her expression falling for a moment, considering his words, and she knows she'll think about them later. For the moment, though, she just listens to him, turning towards him to face Trahearne with her complete attention. They should start walking, she realizes, but Aerith could not imagine not listening to him right now. She's fascinated by him; for her own personal reasons and for the simple fact she really is talking to a tree person. Goodness! She never thought they'd actually talk back. ]

They are. You must know, too, then?

[ The engagement? Or... their relationship, just in general? Hm. Maybe she shouldn't open her mouth too wide for now. ]

He's a little bit of a jerk, but I see why she likes him. [ Their love is genuine, you see. Aerith can see that. ] Although, I'd bet he would hate to hear that, don't you?

{ Saving Oz }

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