Calls to Anolia: A Decentralized Yuri/Adventure

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☆Luna☆

Little Fighter
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. One post per day
  3. 1-3 posts per week
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Female
  2. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Anything with magic, though I'm open to just about anything.
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Oh, hello there traveler. My name is Anolia, and well, I'm a goddess in charge of watching over the earth. I'm still kinda new at this, and I haven't really gotten used to doing this all alone by myself. Just recently, the earth sort of got destroyed, and Dad never really helped me with this kind of problem. This being a goddess stuff is pretty tough since there isn't really a guide for it. In human terms, I'd probably be considered a trainee. Despite that, I did something really amazing today. Remember how the world got all destroyed? I fixed it! Plus, I made a few changes, so it shouldn't be blowing up anytime soon, and everyone should be super happy with how I've prettied it up. I can't wait to show Dad when he gets back. I made a really pretty world. Right now, everyone on that planet is being reborn. I've never really understood the human concept of time, but I think that the new world is about a week old now. People are still being spawned though. I bet they are all like, "Wow, I'm alive! Where am I? Who am I?" And stuff like that. I kinda dumped them there without telling them all the rules. I wish I could say it was intentional, but really I just forgot, and then realized after the fact it is all mysterious and cool that way. Oh right, I shouldn't get distracted. It seems some of my extra special creations have started to meet each other. I really shouldn't mettle, but they are just too much fun to watch. So, cheers to a new world, and to the new lives of our adventurers! Their new story begins now!

@Sailor Moon @Infinity @i3flames @dragonesper @Shattered♦Secrets™ @Dubs of Stigma @york @Saito Hajime @Jakers
 
[BCOLOR=transparent]B[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]link groaned, as her neon-blue eyes awakened to the sight of an ethereal sky for the first time. Sirens. Sirens blaring. And now... peace?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Foggy. Everything was... foggy. Her head hurt, her back hurt from her ungraceful sprawl unto the grass below her; the once average-man by the name of Jay was beyond confused. Yellowish leaves atop tall, chestnut-brown trunks surrounded Blink's prone body like bandits, and the sound of running water overlapped with the humming wind. The surface...? How had she got to... the surface?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The last thing she remembered, everything was going wrong back before she'd somehow got here. The sounds of sirens, screaming, and generally everything going to shit according to desperate announcements. And now, in the blink of an eye, she was here - in the middle of some forest, as if she'd been thrown unceremoniously into some random spot in the world. Shuffling into a sitting position, Blink narrowed her eyes as she looked around a little. This place... it didn't ring any bells whatsoever. To be honest, it didn't seem real - wouldn't everything on the surface be destroyed? Or 'rekt', as she liked to put it. None of this made any sense...[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]And she, who was unaware that she wasn't a man anymore, was in for one hell of a surprise. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]<> <> <> <> <> <> <>[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Where the fu[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]uu[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]u[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]-[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]?![/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink paused mid-sentence, clasping a hand to her mouth. That was[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] not[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]the voice she was used to. She loudly cleared her throat and coughed, before speaking to herself some more, convinced something had got stuck in her throat.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Testing t[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]esting test...[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]...ing." [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She paused, beyond confused. But there was no doubt about it - that was her voice.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] "[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Oh God. W-What?![/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]This wasn't her voice. Her once pretty normal... male voice... was now girly as hell.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]For some reason, she hadn't noticed the long pink hair flowing down her shoulders, and the additions and losses of some other things until now. Eyes shrinking in bewilderment, Blink looked down at her chest, before yelping in terror and scuttling back into a tree, panting heavily.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] GAH![/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]This wasn't happening! None of this could be happening! One moment a guy in the middle of some chaos in a bunker, and now... this?! Blink bit her lip, looking around herself a few times. A few purplish butterflies flew past her, brushing past her magenta hair, causing her to pant even heavier. At this point, Blink was pretty convinced she was tripping balls. Or having another crazy dream. Or both.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Usually, pinching yourself was the way to wake yourself up. Right? Ow. Ow. Ow! Blink stopped at the point where she gave a girly squeal, to which she clasped her hand to her mouth again in embarrassment. Jesus… five minutes of looking like woman, and she was already acting like one. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]All of this was just so absurd, she didn’t know where to begin… even her non-serious, joking mind struggled pull out anything positive from this situation. ...Her pink hair was cool, she guessed?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She couldn’t accept any of this was for real, even if she apparently wasn’t dreaming - either way, she was going to get to the bottom of it. She should’ve probably been dead - let alone in the middle of fancy dreamland. Collecting herself, Blink gave a trio of deep breaths, before getting to a wobbly standing position from her slump against a tree. Okay… ah… this body made her lightheaded, to say the least; Blink was surprised she didn’t faint when she realised… that… was missing. Anyway - running water was the first place to go check, she guessed…?[/BCOLOR]

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[BCOLOR=transparent]The forest ended for a moment, leading into lush, long grasslands. Blink clumsily waded through the swaying field of green, as the sounds of water became clearer and clearer. For some reason… everything sounded clearer to her in this body. She could hear her own heartbeat, as if it were a bass drum steadily giving the backing beat of a song. Eventually, the source of the sound came into view, and as expected, a river was in sight. ...Good start? It wasn’t like she knew what she was doing here, dehydrating was still a thing, especially when all she had were the clothes on her back, and a pair of headphones plugged into nothing. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Crouching over to the gentle flow of water, Blink got a look of herself for the first time.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“...Oh, wow…” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She whispered in disbelief. She looked… surreal. Big, blue eyes. Long, (and admittedly pretty awesome) pink hair… pale skin, and a small body. It was like something from one of those animes. Only… that person in the reflection, was [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]her[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Speechless, Blink watched her reflection for a long while. She… she didn’t… she didn’t even right now. Biting her lip, Blink flusteredly splashed cold water over her face, demanding to wake up from this dreamland, but nothing happened. And now her face was wet. Defeatedly folding her legs into a sitting position, she wasn’t sure what to do anymore. All she could do was stare at her new self in utter bewilderment.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Pausing suddenly, Blink jolted upright. She could hear something. A gentle thump in the distance. ...Another heartbeat? Looking around herself as she scrambled to her feet, Blink armed herself with a stick on the ground. God only knew what other things awaited her. She wouldn’t be surprised if killer robot unicorns jumped out from the bushes at this point.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“Uhhhm…? Hello…?”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink called out quietly. Following the direction of the sound of gentle thumps, she could make out a figure in the distance, in the trees. Tightening the grip on her stick, Blink took a few cautious steps back as she bit her lip.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]None of this could be real.[/BCOLOR]
 
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Sitting from her perch from atop the trees, Matsuri was enjoying her view of the sky while leaning against the bark of the tree. It had been a chaotic week for her since she found herself in this strange world, and not without a few adverse encounters. For Matsuri, the idea of being a thing that exists was in itself a foreign concept, much less all the people she ran into claiming that the world had been destroyed, and now they were in a completely different body. Matsuri in particular remembered a certain Favored that went around helping everyone understand what had happened. She was an extremely beautiful girl, not for having any symmetrical features nor anything traditionally beautiful, but there was something unforgettable about the good feelings Matsuri felt simply by being in her presence. Matsuri approached her when she was still uncoordinated, and confused about the very basics. Since the girl had helped so many other girls, surely she couldn’t be an exception. However, somehow Matsuri did end up being an exception. Although Matsuri quickly picked up the specifics of the 10 rules, the question of what she is doing here and where she came from was still up in the air. Matsuri wanted to follow the Favored, but ultimately the Favored told Matsuri that if she was simply kind to others, everything would be solved in time. Yet somehow, six days later, Matsuri found herself daydreaming about that girl. For some reason, no matter how times she approaches girls, they keep running off, trying to fend her off with rocks or sticks, or worst yet when they actually had weapons.

Though Matsuri would not be discouraged. Since she knows nothing about anything, she was only more motivated to try to learn to enjoy this strange world. Matsuri began to stir from her catnap due to someone’s girlish squeal. Although not at the height of alertness, Matsuri could tell with easy the source due to the obvious purple contrasting with the surrounding forest. Based purely on the way she was moving, and the context, the person seemed obviously distressed. Matsuri thought to herself about seeing a lot of other girls have that kind of reaction, and began observing closely as to discern the motivation behind it. The look on her face reminded Matsuri of her first time opening her eyes. In a strange way, even though she had been reborn as a 17 year old, those first moments are like waking up an infant. There are so many sights and sensations both from within and outside of your body that you haven’t come to understand that you stumble around with nothing but wonder for the beauty of the world. Even now, Matsuri wishes she could re-experience the way she felt when she opened her eyes to the blue sky. Then, Matsuri saw a behavior that interested her even more. The girl stared at herself in amazement, just looking into the water. Matsuri understood that the water was very calm, cleansing, and cool from her experiences with it, but she never looked at the water quite as passionately as this purple haired beauty. Matsuri thought that it wouldn’t hurt to try to make a new friend.

However, suddenly there was a marked change in the girl’s behavior. Her movements were much less fluid becoming very jagged, and she didn’t have the same aura about her. Matsuri couldn’t understand, though she know that the girl was probably scared, judging by the fact she frantically found whatever she could for a weapon, and immediately drew it to her guard. Matsuri felt a sense of disappointment, since she never had any luck dealing with people while they were scared. She didn’t want another girl to throw a rock at her, as she remembered how much it hurt. Even still, Matsuri wanted to learn, so dropped down from the tree, using care to make sure she didn’t land on uneven ground. Matsuri tried to convey with her eyes that she didn’t mean any harm, but ultimately it just made her seem more reserved, almost as if she were embarrassed about something. Matsuri calls back, revealing her hauntingly pure, silk-like, somewhat quiet voice, “Hi. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
 
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The last thing Jun could remember was holding his wife and child before the end. Now, there was nothing. Nothing but him, and the bizarre new landscape that filled his vision. The green grass and tall trees made it clear that he was no longer huddling in a bunker in Busan. Everything was wrong. He even felt wrong. He noticed his skin had changed pigments. As he noticed this, he also noticed his...chest was not shaped correctly anymore. Beginning to form a conclusion in his mind, his hands reach down instinctively. He soon found that something that defined his gender was noticeably absent. He had become a she.

Her confusion over her new circumstances quickly gave way to the realisation that her family was gone. She could see no one in the immediate vicinity. "Hyo-Rin-!" She attempted to call out to her wife, but the words wouldn't form in her mouth. The more she tried, the more she realised she was thinking in English. She couldn't even recall how to say 'where are you?' in any other tongue. The Korean language, the one she had spoken for 42 years, had vanished from her mind. She could remember names, but she couldn't even fathom a single phrase from her mother tongue. Speaking English was not so foreign to her, though; she had learnt it young and spoke it fluently. But nonetheless, it seemed Korean had been deleted from her memory.

Searching around, calling to both her wife and son, Jun found that she was definitely alone here. All alone in an alien world, with no knowledge of what had become of her home, her family, or even the world at large. But there had to be something here. Perhaps all she knew and loved was gone, but there had to be something in this vast expanse. Jun resolved to find out what laid out in this world, and perhaps as she searched, she would be fortunate enough to find her family, or even a way back to normalcy. Anything was possible, but for now, all Jun could do was search for something...
 
Squatting and hunched over an icy blue pool of water, in a damp cave illuminated by a crevice of a collapsed portion of bedrock above exposed to the open air and letting in rays of sun, Ravenna was wiping rivulets of miscible monster blood off of Happy Fist, cleaning the robo phalanges in the cenote. Tropical vines that looked like they were from prehistory twisted down from the shaft of sunlight along the stone cathedral walls, and these are what allowed Ravenna access into this natural waterhole after hours of training. The water was sifted so thoroughly by the earth that it was pristine, making the small ribbons of crimson uniquely captivating as they danced into dissipation. Ravenna shivered in an energetic ecstasy that enveloped her body, but the odd sensation confused her. Why was she excited?
"You know what they say! Maiming your dentist with a lion a day, will keep the dentist away! And the lion!"
"Shut up," Ravenna mumbled, "That's not how it goes anyways. Stupid Fist." She couldn't even remember where she had heard it.
The fist went mute as Ravenna used the edge of her shirt to polish the large yellow smiley face adorning forehand of the large red robo-glove.


"There. All clean. Keep quiet for a moment will ya!" Her voice of deep purple velvet echoed off the acoustics of the cavern as she shouted. She shouted once more and then again for the sake of hearing her own voice powered by new and powerful lungs. She slurred out slanders and boisterously bragged about her daily heroics of defeating monsters and helping people in need. Her buoyant laughter signaled the removal of her clothing followed by a subsequent splash! as she dove headfirst into the water.
She streamlined under, and glided in the absolute freedom of this naturally formed sacred well. It was here in the sanctity of the water she collected herself and her thoughts. Ravenna had been visiting this place quite often after she found Happy Fist. Her daily regimen normally involved beating a lot of monsters to a pulp, training her body, and resting and healing at her new found Sanctuary, as she called it.
Since arriving in this world, things were crazy, but also intriguing. The memories of her old life were beginning to become more blurry and less real, like a some tedious never ending nightmare. Even after only one week, Ravenna's recollection of her old life were assimilated into this new reality, as in, she couldn't remember her old self properly without likening it in the context of this world. It was all bizarre, but Ravenna was beginning to think that her old life happened a long time ago, and that she's been here for a while, but something had made her forget. This Nolan character she used to be, served more as the backdrop for her own inspiration. For who she wanted to be. Nolan had a pure heart, and a wild ambition to help others because the world he knew was depraved and filled with evil. But he was so powerless and trapped. Doomed from the start.
Now Ravenna had ability, and determination, and this world was much more simple, even though she still had a difficult time grasping it all until she met... someone. Damnit! Anyways, she obtained the knowledge of who she was in that time, and what she was here for. Ravenna learned about her powers and how to become better and stronger. With this ability she also discovered that she had become closer to Nolan than she had been when she was Nolan. But it wasn't even just her powers. Her form too. Everything she had become was complimentary to her past life's genuine desires, the flame of his will preserved by this odd turn of karma in this new life.


Ravenna broke the surface of the water, flipping her short dark strands of hair back, squirt! and spiting water out of her mouth at Happy Fist, as if it was the blowhole of a whale. Then she shifted to plank on her back, staring up at the sunlight bleeding through the eclipsing granite, complete in gratitude for this new and exciting life. She wasn't enjoying it at first after she saw something that now she can't remember, but...
"Thank the.... Goddess. Thank you." Ravenna had no idea why those words drifted from her lips floating in the moist air. But they seemed appropriate.
After a while, she decides to end her relaxing bath and clamber onto the hard wet rock she was perched upon before while cleaning Happy Fist. Standing naked, she idled a moment longer to examine her naked form. She had already accepted the fact that she was a woman, so her genitalia no longer made her uncomfortable, and her physique was top notch, female or not, she couldn't complain. Even though she couldn't remember much of what it was like to be Nolan, she knew he wasn't carved from the powerful substance she had been. He was frail, and wouldn't have ever lasted more than a day in this world. Ravenna lifted her forearm and examined her hand, turning it over and back again, as if she was discovering herself for the first time. Her fingers curled into a fist and clenched, every small muscle orchestrating to produce torque that could twist metal. This strength was exhilarating.
"Excellent!" Now she was geeked and wanted to go pummel some more monsters.
Ravenna garbed herself and pulled on her Pack, with Happy Fist tethered tightly to the back of the Pack. She leaped and grabbed hold of the fine, hoisting her weight and the pack with just her arms until she reached high enough to plant her feet on solid rock, climbing the rest of the way until she breached the surface. She crawled out of the gaping crevice like some cave dweller shunned by the magnanimous sun, and entered into a clearing kept remote by both the rainforest and fact it was located at the bottom of a difficult to descend ravine. She figured she could get back to the open plains and set up camp and even train some more before nightfall, since it was only midday and she could navigate safely out of this gorge in a few hours.
Ravenna began her trek wondering if she would meet anyone. So far she hasn't, but she's sure there are other people here like herself.

"I hope the next thing we punch bleeds butterflies! So I can punch them too! Alright!"
Happy Fist made things seem more lonely sometimes.
 
[BCOLOR=transparent]Strawberry. Apple. Peach. Kiwi. Some time ago, Valerie couldn’t fathom seeing, let alone eating, any sort of fruit. When apocalypse was imminent, who would be concerned with distributing fruit anyways? Now, with a flick of the wrist, some good intentions and a few seconds of waiting, Valerie could produce delicious fruits with ease from nothing. It’s been several days since she’s woken up. Her initial reaction was one of curiosity. Her appearance regressed to a less mature one. She wasn’t complaining. It could have been far worse. It was much worse before. When she she woke up, at first, she woke up cold, hungry and alone in the very same forest she currently treads. Unbeknownst to her, she was reborn into the world several days prior, but slept for a long, long time until then. The forest was devoid of life, save for the plants. Pangs of hunger ate away Valerie’s thoughts from the inside. She could hardly think of her existential conundrum when a pressing primal need consumed her. She searched about the forest in desperation for what seemed like a very long time. Endless corridors of tall winding trees and orange leaves surrounded her. She dug at the floor, examined the vegetation and even the flowers about, until she found a large stalk, poking out of the floor, far, far away from where she first woke. She tugged at the stalk, praying it would be something she could eat. The earth shifted and the stalk plopped out, along with a couple of round red vegetables; radishes. Ecstatic and voracious, Valerie immediately bit into the crisp red blessing, expecting it to satiate her present predicament. She sat, for a little while, near the enclosure of stalks, still shaded by the tall, well-spaced trees of the forest, waiting for her stomach’s discomfort to fade away. A sudden agitation made her shiver. She holds her hand up to her mouth and, within moments, she regurgitated the red radishes back into the hole they came from. Coughing and distressed, Valerie laid down, ready to die. She lifted her hands near her face and stared into them. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kiwi. Peach. Apple. Strawberry. She imagined the fruits she would eat as a child. A feeling of nostalgia washed over her. She dreams of the fruit she enjoyed the most. Strawberries. Especially the ones from the market. The ones the old man would give her. She can’t remember his name. She opened her eyes from her day-dream to find a batch of strawberries in her hands. She kneaded her fingers over their texture. They were real. She pulls herself up to a sitting position and examines the little pile of fruit. She supposes, if she were hallucinating, she probably wouldn’t have asked herself if she were hallucinating. She placed the first strawberry into her mouth, graciously. It was real. It was definitely real. With little hesitation, she consumed the rest of them, curing her tired body. It was then that she realized she could procure fruit at will. She began to will several kinds of fruit into existence, one by one. Eventually, a large disordinate pile formed in front of her. She sampled each of them, as the feeling of ecstasy came to her again. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It’s been a few days since then. Valerie didn’t bother to keep count. She had more pressing issues to solve. The forest seems endless in every direction. No matter where she walked or where she looked, there were still simply more tall trees, orange leaves and green grass. She ambles on and on, wishing to eventually find something else to look at and, more importantly, another human. Valerie stops to look behind her. A trail of red stained the grass behind her, unbeknownst to her. She follows the trail to its source; her feet. With the tremendous amount of walking, her feet began to cut and blister. She hadn’t noticed, being that she’d been so caught up in her lonesome thoughts. She turns back towards her direction and starts to traipse on again. She squints. At a distance, there seems to be an enclosure of open space before the forest thickens again. Valerie sighs. She doesn’t get her hopes up, suspecting her eyes are just tired. That is, until she sees something in the distance move. Something fell out of a tree. She’s certain it isn’t a fluke. She starts to run, to catch up to whatever it is that is out there, praying that it is another person.[/BCOLOR]
 
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A collaborative effort with Jakers. *Side note*, you don't have to read anything that isn't directed at you. If this is too long, no shame in just skipping it.

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Hi. I didn’t mean to scare you.”[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]B[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]link blinked, squinting a little to make sure she was seeing the girl in front of her correctly. Stood in front of a backdrop of green-yellow leaves, a small girl adorning little more than underwear and a bikini, with her cocoa hair tied with a neat yellow bow. Not only did this sight cause Blink’s cheeks to become a little red, but she backed up a little, unsure what to say. Not because she was scared, but she was confused on how to reply to such a ‘kawaii’ kind of girl. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“...Yo?” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Blink finally stammered in reply, her fingers slowly releasing hold of the stick as it slumped back into the grass. Blink bit her lip a little harder as her cheeks returned to a normal colour at the sight of the small, curious-sounding girl. Her heartbeat was steady… and seemed to echo in an ethereal way, like a bass drum with reverb effects. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Had she come to explain to her what was going on? Because answers would be lovely right now. For now, Blink didn’t want to splutter out the fact that she used to be a boy. Because she thought that’d be weird. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“Uhm… s-sorry, but… where am I?” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Blink asked, trying her best not to look like a dork, or walk backwards into the river. Her eyes were still a little cautious of this stranger, but she certainly looked harmless. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]...Unless robot killer uniforms came disguised as cute girls… [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri approached with slight caution, knowing full well what backing up in a defensive posture meant. If she approached too quickly, they’d just go into full flight mode. Though, Matsuri did want to get closer, so this time she tried a slow approach. Armed with a soft, shy, little smile, Matsuri was at the very least at the peak of how innocent she could appear. Often she looks so indifferent that she could reasonably be confused for a number of unsavory types. This smile widened, although so slightly as to potentially be missed, as the purple haired girl responded back. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Now, Matsuri had no idea what this ‘yo’ was supposed to mean. For all she knows, it could be the worst of insults, but the girl said it while loosening her grip on her makeshift weapon, so she thought that maybe this time would be different. Matsuri presses on, still at a steady pace without making any sudden movements. Then, just as she is about 20 feet away, the purple haired girl speak again.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri actually stopped in her movements because this question was so difficult to answer. In a world which constantly changes, where are you indeed. Even though it was completely impossible that the girl meant it like this, Matsuri’s mind couldn’t help but recognize what a difficult thing that would be to answer. So instead, Matsuri gave an answer that might not be helpful, but was the most correct thing she knew to say, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“The new world.”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Matsuri then began to continue moving slowly towards this person. She was dressed so differently, and there was so many things she wanted to know. Could it happen?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“...Oh.”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink plainly said in reply. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“Well… um…” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]She continued awkwardly, before clearing her throat, her big blue eyes watching the girl as she got closer. That wasn’t helpful. But did that mean Blink was in heaven, or some sort of afterlife? This fantasy of a world… the unreal trees… and the fact that she’d been transformed into a young lady. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As for the stranger… her smile was adorable, but Blink couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy as the girl kept slowly approaching her, as if she was about to pounce. Blink could hear her heartbeat’s tempo increasing. She spoke somewhat creepily too… but Blink couldn’t back up, otherwise she’d take a tumble into cold water. She just had to hope she was friendly; in the case that she wasn’t, Blink didn’t really want to bring herself to hitting her, especially when she was barely clothed and unarmed. Well, smiles were good, right? Blink belatedly returned a smile, although hers was awkward and very shy.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri looked puzzled as she approached the girl. At this close distance, she got her first good look at those beautiful blue eyes. They were so big, but they were also filled with anxiety. Was meeting someone for the first time really this hard? Even though she wanted to make a friend very badly, Matsuri noticed for the first time that she had backed the poor girl up against the riverbank with no form of retreat. And her own posture was becoming less smooth as she began to feel the pressures of anxiety. Although she answered the question, she couldn’t tell if she answered unclearly, or if the poor girl had started panicking. She started smiling, but it was very clearly not a usual type of smile. Matsuri began to think that maybe she just came off as creepy.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Maybe she messed it up again, Matsuri thought as that soft little smile of hers was replaced with a gloomy small frown that could easily be mistaken for indifference. Matsuri turns away from the girl to hide the fact she was red with humiliation that she couldn’t do something as simple as this correctly. With small breaks in the consistency of her speech tempo, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“I’m sorry for bothering you.” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri walks back towards her tree, wanting to go back to day dreaming.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Oh no… as soon as Blink had seen that frown, her face trembled with guilt. It was clear to her now: the girl was just curious, not aggressive, and now Blink had gone and made her upset. Even in the body of a pink-haired woman, he still somehow managed to be a massive jerk... [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“Hey…”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink quietly said as the girl began to walk away. Biting her lip, Blink finally decided to man up for once, and follow after her. She could sense by the stranger’s speech that she’d upset her, and after all, Blink didn’t want to be alone in this weird world… only now she’d realised the severity of her mistake.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Hey![/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]W-wait up![/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink finally said, louder this time, as she broke into a little jog after the girl. Clumsily wading through the long grass, Blink’s magenta hair flickered behind her as she followed, almost desperately. She couldn’t be alone - not here! She had no idea what to do, and even if the world looked pretty, the cowardly side of her personality still remained. She didn’t want to die. Blink inevitably tripped on the snare of the thick grass, landing on her side with a yelp. Blink kept a gaze to the floor as if grovelling, with a face beyond embarrassed as a few pieces of grass were snared in her hair.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“Please don’t go!”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink pleaded, maybe a little louder than she meant to, after a long pause. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“I don’t know how I got here, and I don’t know what to do… and… and...” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Blink spluttered, all of her confusion bursting out of her somewhat emotionally. Although she’d probably blew it by now. What was the point?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri had already resigned herself to having failed once again. However, she was more than a little bit surprised when the girl called out to her. She wasn’t ready to show her face, so she just stood still, debating if it would be ok to turn around. She felt so vulnerable like this, she didn’t want to expose herself. Though before she could complete that mental discourse, the girl had called to her again, this time running in her direction. She didn’t know how fast she was running due to the fact that she remained turned around, so Matsuri turned to face the blue eyed girl, and what she saw made her just about turn white.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The girl was desperately running after her like a madman with a vendetta. Without time to process the situation, Matsuri immediately was overcome with terror, as she thought the girl was going to run up and attack her while her guard was down. Moved to tears, Matsuri suddenly bursts into a purple flash of light, moving up to the spot on the treetop that she was before with a flash step. Matsuri, from this angle looks over to find that the poor girl tripped, and looked to be in a lot of pain. She was, groveling to her. Begging her to stay and help her figure out what kind of world this was, and how she could be safe. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri still had a few stray tears, and her calm had yet to return to her since she thought she was under attack, but she confronted these feelings on the other girl’s face and confirmed them to not be unlike her own. Matsuri didn’t know what to do anymore. She could easily flee from this point because she was scared, and didn’t want to trust this person anymore, but to run away would be to definitely lose out on a friend who understood the kind of fears she had. Someone she could share the world with. And for this reason, Matsuri stood still, in a state of even greater uncertainty. She had not even one rational thought about what to do in this situation since her whole body was telling her to flee. So instead, she waited in place, hoping for the answer to come.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Blink looked up from her spot on the ground, her heart sinking even further with guilt when she noticed she’d made the poor girl cry, and… well, Blink might’ve been hallucinating, but she seemed to teleport back to the position where she’d first seen her. Although nothing surprised her at this point.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]All the stranger had done was approach her smiling, and now look what she’d done to her. If she was going to help her, Blink knew she probably didn’t deserve it. She’d been too paranoid when she clearly needed help in this new world. She’d been a jerk. As usual... [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“I…” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Blink began, clearly guilty. She was usually cheerful and non-serious, and solved problems with jokes and playful banter, but her emotions were completely bending her personality at this point.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“I’m sorry, I just…”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] A part of her wanted to run away at this point, but brooding in her guilt and missed opportunity wouldn’t do her any good. She at least needed to try.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] “...I woke up ten minutes ago in this place. I’ve never even heard of somewhere like this before, let alone seen it. I don’t know why I’m here.” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Blink paused. Should she mention that she used to be a dude? No, not yet… she couldn’t bring herself to spill that out.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Blink pulled a strand of grass from her hair, and looked at the floor guiltily.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Sorry for making you cry.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink whispered. Amidst confusion, fear and guilt, her lip began to tremble a little as soon as she stopped biting it.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri managed to stay long enough to hear the poor girl out long enough to know that she wasn’t her enemy. Matsuri was still very new to existing, but she felt as though she understood what this terrified, regretful girl was going through. After all, she felt it many times before. No matter how hard you try, when you are new to the world, you can’t help but not understand the way others feel. Sometimes, that feeling inside you that you need to protect yourself gets in the way. And if someone like Matsuri, who has yet to learn what to live for doesn’t want to die, then it is probably something that all people feel. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]In sharing this pain, Matsuri, though thoroughly embarrassed, came down from her tree. She flash stepped just five feet in front of Blink, looking at her with eyes that just could not settle on one definite emotion to convey. She was scared witless, but she declared with her soft, fragile, but beautiful voice, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“I just wanted to be friends.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“...Friends? Ohh…”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink replied quietly, mentally punching herself. Each word spoken by that girl tugged on Blink’s heartstrings from the cuteness and beauty to it, especially with this new enhanced hearing in this body. Every word was spoken like a beautiful tune in Blink’s ears. ...Perhaps this really was an afterlife of some sort. Another purple butterfly brushed into Blink’s grass-stained hair, but she didn’t flinch this time.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]So that was why the girl was approaching… she was just curious and alone, that was all. Blink was thankful that this girl hadn’t turned away and left her, but judging by the nervous heartbeat or the girl, she was still scared from her rushed advance towards her earlier. [/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“...I didn’t realise that was what you wanted. I thought you were going to push me in the river… o-or something…” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Blink ended with a nervous giggle, wiping her somewhat teary eyes with her sleeve jacket. If she had some form of musical instrument, she could maybe calm the girl down. But all she had were these useless headphones plugged into nothingness…[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“W-we just misunderstood each other. I didn’t mean to look like I wanted to hurt you… running at you like that. Ah… this is my fault.” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Blink continued, looking into the frightened, green eyes as reassuring as she could. At this point, all Blink wanted to do was make her smile. She felt awful; turning an adorable smile into terrified tears.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] “I’ll let you push me in the river for being a jerk, i-if that makes you feel any better…”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink continued with her shy smile becoming a little more warm and open as she gestured to the flowing water behind her jokingly. If it got rid of those scared eyes, Blink didn’t mind doing anything at this point. She didn’t have her music to stave away loneliness if it ever came, and… who knew what she’d do at that point? [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri smiled, genuinely amused by the girl’s attempts at making amends. While it was true that the idea of pushing her into the river hadn’t occurred to Matsuri, the thought that the girl would allow her to do the very thing she had feared happening as punishment for fearing it in the first place was just too amusing. Matsuri walks over to the cusp just before the river, then does a half twirl to face Blink. Putting forth the same smile she had before, Matsuri chimes, [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]“Ok, then stand closer.” [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Blink seemed reluctant at first, but she obliged, slowly shuffling closer to the girl with a somewhat goofy smile. She was too relieved to see the girl’s smile to care at this point, although perhaps the girl was just joking as well…? Now that she thought about it, Blink wasn’t all that up for getting soaked. Perhaps she’d just lightly fall in or something, such a small girl would do little more than poke her.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“Didn’t think you’d want to… but fine. Bet you’re not strong enough to push me in anyway~.”[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Blink playfully added. Blink stood ready by the river; surely the small girl couldn’t push her i-[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri, looking rather eager to show what she trained this small body of her’s to do, shoves out her arms with easily enough force to shove Blink off of such a perilous grounding; however, as her shove is about to make contact, Matsuri pulls back on the force, and encircles her arms around Blink’s waist. Hugging her body close to Blink’s Matsuri whispers,[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]“As if I could.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Blink’s face shot to a similar colour to her hair at the small girl’s gesture, before her cheeks flushed into a bright red. Ohh... this girl was so adorable, that Blink’s heart literally throbbed. Probably because she was actually a little scared about getting shoved into cold water. This sudden change of events was such a relief that it changed how she’d normally act completely.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“D’awww…”[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Blink hummed quietly in reply to those words. She tried to hold her girliness back, but she knew it was no use. Ohhh… she was scared she was actually going to get [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]used[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] to being a grill at this rate. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Blink couldn’t help herself but nuzzle against the girl’s hair, whilst cuddling her back. Even in her past life, nobody had done anything like that to her before… and it felt so soothing that Blink acted in a way that she didn’t even know she could act. Blink made a happy smiling sound, before loosening her hug on the poor thing before she squeezed her to death, and looked down at the girl.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent][/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]You’re just too… kawai- uhm, cute.” [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Blink giggled, before seeming rather embarassed about something. It was only then she realised how girly she was acting… almost as if she was getting used to this body already. But she definetely wasn’t used to this just yet! Ah… all of this was just so weird. Nonetheless, Blink’s smile quickly returned.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]“Call me Blink.”[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Blink whispered quietly. Even if she didn’t have her music anymore, she still wanted to go by her DJ name here. Because ‘Jay’ just sounded dorky for a girl… and might give away the fact that she used to be a dude.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Matsuri didn’t fully expect for Blink to go so quickly from scared of being pushed into the river to totally gushing all over her. Honestly, Matsuri wanted that to be a playful joke that Blink might not even be comfortable with at first. Maybe she expected more of an, “Oh, you got me,” reaction than a, “You are the most precious thing,” reaction. Even though it wasn’t quite what she expected, Matsuri found it extremely pleasant. Blink’s body pressing up tightly against her’s, the feeling of Blink’s nuzzling her hair, the feeling of Blink’s hands brushing against her back, and the general smallness she felt within herself; all of this fueled something within Matsuri that she didn’t understand, but knew she wanted more of. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Upon release, Matsuri felt a bit euphoric, and had slight difficulty snapping back to reality. Once she did however, she recognized that it was time for introductions. Pondering,[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]“Blink…”[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]Seemingly satisfied with this answer,[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]“I’m Matsuri. Matsuri Uragi.” [/BCOLOR]
 
Each step that she took was harder than the last. Her chest rose and fell with each short, labored breath, and before long she had to sit down, resting on the grass that fluttered in the breeze. No matter where she walked, she couldn't find any other signs of life. Where was she? Where was everyone?

After a short while, collecting her breath, she unsteadily rose to her feet, placing a hand on the grass to steady herself. The sun hid behind a cloud, the gentle breeze making her feel quite refreshed. Umoura started walking again, in the same direction, scanning the trees around her for any signs of life, the same thing she had done the last two days. There was just nothing. No life, no people, nothing but the grass and the trees.

A blur of movement behind one tree stopped her. She almost hadn't seen it, and most likely would not have if her gaze hadn't been over there at that exact moment. "H-hello?" she called out to it. "Are you a person? Who's there?" There wasn't any other signs of movement, and she briefly wondered if she had imagined it. Still, it was worth checking out, the alternative was to simply keep walking mindlessly down the path for another day or five.

Soon Umoura had reached the tree. It wasn't any different than the others around her, being out in the open fields as she was, the occasional tree wasn't that mysterious. Still, looking around the trunk, there didn't seem to be anything at all. She turned her back to head on her way when...

*snap!* A branch from above her broke, and reflexively, she dove out of the way. A little creature looked up from the ground, having fallen from above, and quickly stood up, pulling out a stone knife and growling at her. Umoura got back on her feet as the thing advanced on her. "Wh-what are you? G-go away!" She picked up a rock and threw it at the thing, scoring a direct hit on its face. The thing yelped and put a hand to where the rock landed, but kept walking forward, holding out the knife. She turned and ran from the goblin-y looking thing, and the goblin proceeded to follow her.

They ran a short way, but it was much faster than her and used to running, and soon she was running directly into a small grove of trees, the thing right on her tail. Taking shelter in the pack of trees was a mistake, her foot catching on an exposed root, causing her to plummet face first onto the hard dirt ground. "F-fuck! Get away from me!" She turned around, the goblin smiling wickedly. It jumped, knife held out, aiming it right for her chest...

...And then it was on the ground, writhing in pain. Her hands were held out, and she felt... something coming from them. Looking over, the goblin twitched, large shards of ice coming out of its chest, its blood dripping down onto the floor as it twitched a bit, before its eyes closed and it stopped moving. "Wh-what was that?" She looked at her own hands, then back at the goblin. "Did I do that...? What's going on here?"

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Two days later, Umoura stood on the edge of a gorge, looking down into it. She placed her meager pack, fashioned out of sticks and leaves, on the ground, pulling out the goblin's sharp knife and looking at it. She hadn't seen any other creatures since then, and hadn't tried experimenting with whatever strange powers she had. All she wanted to do was find someone, anybody, but she was resigned to the fact that there just might not be any other living humans left. She sighed a bit, getting ready to leave once again, ready to wander around for many more days.
 
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Chryseis sat cross legged atop a bolder overlooking the grassy plane and tall trees in the area. From there she could see everything, however, her eyes were closed in a deep meditation. The day time wasn't her favorite, but she spent that time searching for answers. Ever since arriving a week ago, she had felt a strange emptiness, like something was missing. Chryseis knew that something was out of place, yet had no recollection of her previous life. It was literally as if she had only just opened her eyes for the very first time. Was reincarnation a thing? Chryseis wasn't quite sure of anything anymore, but she didn't linger on it for much longer as the the faint calling of someone drew closer to her.

When the voice sounded like it was only a few feet away, Chryseis peeked out of one eye curiously. She had been waiting for this person to find her, and wanted to avoid adding to their distress. The astrologist had quickly surmised that this person was new, and probably upset over that fact that she had been hurled into Anolia with little to go on. Sadly, Chryseis had no one to miss, but she could tell that this girl was searching too. Did that mean she remembered things from her past life?

Both eyes finally opened after her brief moment of inspecting the newcomer, and she planted her hands on the smooth surface of the rock before pushing off. Chryseis landed on her feet without missing a beat, a small curse of the lips brightening her face as she faced the stranger. "Hello," Chryseis greeted, her voice smooth and calm as she approached. She walked slowly, and stopped just within arms reach of the black-haired girl. "Fear not, I come in peace." There was no telling what was going through this woman's head, or what she was capable of. "It seems you've lost your way in this forest..." Chryseis tilted her head to the side slightly, taking in the sight of the woman once more. "Or, had you no way to begin with?"

@Saito Hajime
 
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Jun had finally found something other than trees and grass and rocks in this place. She noted the irony that of all things to find noteworthy, it was simply another person. This encounter would have been half as important if Jun hadn't been flung into this strange situation without a clue as to how she got here. This woman that had greeted her was rather unique looking, as far as Jun was concerned. Long silvery hair, much darker skin than her own, and....noticeably well endowed in the chest region. But the real question was who this person really was. Could they be another who had simply found themselves suddenly in this place? Had they too undergone a physical transformation? Or perhaps this one was the reason Jun was here? Any thoughts she had right now were mere speculation. At the very least, this woman was telling her she was no threat, so Jun could only hope it was true.

"I suppose the latter is the most accurate." Jun replied. She was acting on impulse for the most part, and had no real idea what she was doing. Even now, she was just hoping that stumbling around would provide answers. "I'm....you can call me Jun." She would have said Jun-Young, but the last thing she needed was someone stumbling over the pronunciation of her name. Jun was usually easy enough for foreigners to pronounce, so it would suffice no matter where this woman had come from. "Frankly, I have no idea where I am, or even how I got here. Uh, I don't suppose you....know anything about what's going on here? If that makes sense..." It was an odd question to ask someone, but this was an odd situation to be in to begin with. While Jun had yet to panic, truth was she was desperate to know where she was, why she was here, and if there was any way to return to normal. It was probably too optimistic of Jun to expect the first person she stumbled across to know any more than she did, but she had to hope for something. Perhaps fate would be kind.
 
Belinda groaned... Where was she? It was completely silent outside for once, nothing falling, or breaking, or blowing up... And no-one was saying a word. It was then that she opened her eyes, and immediately closed them as a bright ray of sunlight obscured her vision right away... Since when was there sunlight in the shelter? Wait, actually, she... Wasn't even in a shelter, nor was she anywhere she could remember, trees obscured her view of the sky for the most part making it rather obvious that she was in some sort of forest... Her head throbbed a little, as if she had been- well, actually, she WAS laying on a rock, she stood up abruptly groaning a little as she rubbed the back of her head, what in the world had happened? Where was she? And, wait a second, something about her body felt... Different. She was a little less bottom-heavy and her top felt like it stuck out a bit more than usual, but, she wasn't quite sure why.

It was then that she caught her reflection in a small waterhole nearby, and, she blinked... The person staring back at her was hardly recognizeable, but, it quickly dawned on her that her appearance had changed; she wasn't a boy any longer, and, wait a minute... She didn't remember her name being Belinda; it was Blair! So, what had caused this sudden change in her gender and name? It couldn't have been that she had swapped bodies; the body she possessed still felt and looked almost identical to her own, except if the gender was switched around. The slight weight difference was probably from noticing this sudden change, but, who caused it? And why? Who knew... But, she couldn't possibly be the only one in this situation right? There had been dozens upon dozens of people around her, and, she couldn't have been the only one who had been thrown into this new world... Or at least, Belinda didn't want to believe it at first.

As she started to wander on and on through the forest, she had yet to spot anyone else though, which was a bit disheartening... Eventually, she started to brood, as she usually did even before this little incident; it was a habbit of hers whenever she was left to her own devices, she wondered if it was indeed true that she was the only one thrown here, but, that still wouldn't answer why this was the case. Could it have been someone's strange prospect of entertainment brought here? Some sort of crazy alien experiment perhaps? Or, had the world she had grown up and known for her whole life suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced by this foreign, but, more peacefull world... And, really, did she want things to go back to the way they once were? She did miss the few people she could have called friends back there, but, well, not much else... The gender change didn't seem to bother her too much, but, at the same time, it just felt... Odd. Belinda wasn't sure where she was going, or how long she had been walking, but, right now, her mind wasn't on such seemingly trivial things, though, there was this deep, incessant yearning to find answers, or at least, a clearing in this seemingly endless forest.
 
"Mnn..." Waking up Michaela's eyes fluttered open and she sat up. 'Did I fall asleep while reading again?' Musing softly she shivered as something felt off, and huddling up she found the first wrong thing. 'Where are my clothes?' Panicking she looked around and found herself in a clearing in the midst of the woods.

Huddling up further she called out, uncertain and afraid. "Hey! This is not a good joke! Give me back my clothes!" Hearing no answer she called out even more uncertainly. "Umm, hello? Are you there? Whoever you are. I want my clothes back. Now. Please?" Hearing no answer she pulled herself even more into herself while gazing among the trees. There was no sign of life.

Though huddled up another strange sensation began sinking into the panicked mind. 'Huh? Somehow...' Looking down at her legs she was finding a third surprise of the day. Her shriveled up legs looked... Fine. And somehow, someway... She could feel them? Carefully she attempted to get up, slowly, slowly testing her limits. As the suspicion got confirmed she grew happier as the thoughts took precedence over her current nudity.
Wobbly, but happy she began walking, her smile radiant with joy as she worked on her balance with each and every step. She could walk! She could walk!
 
Jun had finally found something other than trees and grass and rocks in this place. She noted the irony that of all things to find noteworthy, it was simply another person. This encounter would have been half as important if Jun hadn't been flung into this strange situation without a clue as to how she got here. This woman that had greeted her was rather unique looking, as far as Jun was concerned. Long silvery hair, much darker skin than her own, and....noticeably well endowed in the chest region. But the real question was who this person really was. Could they be another who had simply found themselves suddenly in this place? Had they too undergone a physical transformation? Or perhaps this one was the reason Jun was here? Any thoughts she had right now were mere speculation. At the very least, this woman was telling her she was no threat, so Jun could only hope it was true.

"I suppose the latter is the most accurate." Jun replied. She was acting on impulse for the most part, and had no real idea what she was doing. Even now, she was just hoping that stumbling around would provide answers. "I'm....you can call me Jun." She would have said Jun-Young, but the last thing she needed was someone stumbling over the pronunciation of her name. Jun was usually easy enough for foreigners to pronounce, so it would suffice no matter where this woman had come from. "Frankly, I have no idea where I am, or even how I got here. Uh, I don't suppose you....know anything about what's going on here? If that makes sense..." It was an odd question to ask someone, but this was an odd situation to be in to begin with. While Jun had yet to panic, truth was she was desperate to know where she was, why she was here, and if there was any way to return to normal. It was probably too optimistic of Jun to expect the first person she stumbled across to know any more than she did, but she had to hope for something. Perhaps fate would be kind.

"Of course it is," Chryseis said softly, smiling in understanding. As the woman - who she soon learned was named Jun - began to speak, Chryseis moved to close some of the distance between them. "Nice to meet you, Jun. I'm Chryseis." Chryseis paused for a moment to ponder on the origins of that name, but she couldn't come up with anything...Still, it felt like there was something there. Either way, it was still a lot easier to pronounce than her own name.

Not to Chryseis' surprise, Jun was confused and seeking answers on their whereabouts. She was uncertain about what to say, but she wanted to offer what little she knew about the place. "Well, I can't exactly say much, but I can say that it's different than anything you've ever experienced. Really, I'm about as confused as you are," Chryseis said, almost sounding defeated as she said that last sentence. "I woke up one day with only my name. It's sort of like being reborn, I suppose. I say 'reborn', because I am certain I was someone else before all of this happened."

Sadly, all the white haired girl had to offer were more words. There was nothing concrete that she could say, and that hurt Chryseis. She really wanted to help, and to be helped. "I have an idea," Chryseis said, raising her index finger towards the sky. Really, that gesture meant nothing."How about we find the answers to our questions...together?"
 
It's raining? Those were her first thoughts after dormant blackness, the cognitive activity stirred her still body to convulse and cough up fluids. Its black. Luci hadn't opened her eyes yet, but her fingers began to twitch minutely like cricket legs. Its cold. Her body was exposed to the open air, goosebumps began to ripple up her arms and chest, causing the nipples on her bare breasts to erect, and then she shivered for the first time with the arrival of a rise in her sternum to indicate she was breathing and blood was circulating.

Was I.... dead?

Her eyes opened slowly to a bloated blanket of clouds in the sky the color of the hostas flower, blue with gray overtones. She struggled to pick up her head to descry her surroundings. Her core shook as she lifted herself up, propping up on her weakened left arm. This was when she noticed the pommel of a dagger plunged into her chest, the blood that had coalesced from the wound was running down her torso being cleansed by the rain. Luci immediately panicked, seeing the blade, and anxiety choked her and caused a swelling in her stomach, she wanted to vomit, but something told her she didn't have anything to offer. However, there was this dominating force, that took over her right arm and caused it to just graze the pommel with her finger tips, and the blade disintegrated into ash, as if it was consumed. A deeper hunger, like the thirst of the soul, wracked her body with pain, the penance for power.

This other force remained, and steadied her, filling her body with warmth, but augmented the pain to beat with her heart. "Red XIII?" The intuitive notion was brought forth via inception from this force that lingered at the far shore of reality, tethered to Luci through no fault of her own. It covered her body in a shadowy dress that sheltered her from the rain completely, the droplets turning into steam as soon as they made contact with the shadow fabric, as if it exuded heat. Luci stood, and the rigamortis was burned out of her body almost completely. This accommodating energy vampire that could both give and demand, seemed to take her by the hand to help her stand.

She surveyed her surroundings and realized she was standing on muddied gray rocks in a shallow creek. Luci calculated she must have floated down the river and arrived here. The rest of her environment was more bare, in a haunting wood scarce with trees that looked dead and rotted. The filter over everything made it appear gray. Luci knelt down and checked her reflection in the water, getting her first contrast from neutrals when she spotted her crimson stained face, and the rubies set in the throne of gorgeous regal eyes. She touched her face and shuddered at her own reflection. Then she began to use the water of the creek to wipe off the scabbed blood from her temple, and under her philtrum. When she was done, her face wasn't marred, let alone scratched. This force inside her, was keeping her in good condition.

The Demon flashed a few images through her mind to help her puzzle the pieces of shattered events. First, the face of a girl, cold with despair yet alight with fury, she appeared young, dark haired, fair skinned with full lips twisted out of sorrow. She held the jeweled dagger and raised it over her tear stained face. Luci recalled being drunk on pure ecstasy at the moment in the back seat of her own mind, not capable of defending herself properly, the girl closes the distance with the flash of her step. She was unnaturally fast. The screaming steel plunged into her sternum, lodged between her rib, but only shallowly, her assailant was forced to wrench it deeper with a shrieking "You bitch!". XIII had already taken over, forcing her to the size of a peanut inside her own head to watch. The possessed Luci and the girl crash to the ground in an instant, the dagger gaining more depth into her ribs, grinding through the sternum still, as she gets pinned. Luci watched as the Demon grabbed a large rock and attempted to bludgeon their attacker, but, with blinding speed again, she caught her wrist, applying animal weight on Luci's weakening frame and the dagger, as the assailant wrenched the rock from her hand, and turned the weapon against Luci. The very last thing she recalls is the slowest second she's ever experienced, of a rock being driven into her nose.

Then it all goes black, Red XIII had nothing more to show Luci. "That bitch!" she growled through grit teeth, and everything she had just witnessed conjured her own rage- but even more so- her sadness. She couldn't understand why that girl had murdered her, did she deserve it? What had she possibly done to make that girl hate her to the point of using a stone to crush the bones in her face, like how an alchemist would ground powder for his magical phylacteries. She walked up the creek bed further, until she noticed she was wading into a deeper pool of water. The rocks between her toes were smooth and small, tenderly kissing her soles. The shadow cloak unraveled, slipped into the pores of her own body, and she crouched into the water to begin washing herself. The entire time, her mind was festering, spiraling into designs of mercy or vengeance. But the force inside her urged her towards vengeance. She didn't know why, but every time her mind glanced over raged induced imagery of inflicting injury on the girl who killed her, Red XIII filled her with a satisfaction. It's thirst needing.

In the thigh high water, she stooped down and hugged her knees, and sobbed. The air around her smoldered and sparks of crackling embers began to permeate in an aura of despair around Luci, remnants of the skeletal houses she had burned down in the previous life.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The past 10 hours for Luci was spent focused on the single goal of hunting her prey, retracing the steps on the path of scattered memories, trekking miles through the woods at the expense of her feet. Consequently, she had also spent a portion of this time experimenting with the abilities Red XIII had bestowed her with, the chains with which bereft, she would be normal. She practiced on a singular tree, to feel out how long she could sustain the ecstasy of her dark touch before the demon consumed her. Luci could push it to the threshold of a mere 15 seconds, and found that the tree didn't satisfy the demands of the Demon. She found a spider and experimented with the small insect. To no effect, it was too insignificant to fill XIII's hunger. Then she found a scampering little... Scrib? That was the best name she had for the insect like monster that seemed to be the infant form that could undergo metamorphosis to become something more menacing. She had the creature flat on its back, inflicting her Blight Touch, which rendered it unable from even fighting back. In the small intervals she could withstand, the creature seemed to suffer no physical injuries due to the touch, only a debilitating pain rendering any chance for counter-attack unlikely. Even in the periods of her respite, the creature still was wracked with pain, and also the innate fear of knowing it's imminent doom. Luci didn't enjoy the torture, but she could feel the jaws of Red XIII salivating with delight.

Another thing Luci discovered, is that she could manifest fibrous twine that she fashioned into rope, after 2 hours of focusing. It would materialize as if singed into reality, going through a molecular construction through the fires of energy. Or Magic? Luci had no idea, only that it worked, and aligned with her goals. It was at hour 10 that she had found her prey, and made sure her prepped restraint was taught, grinding her teeth in desperation against herself as she wrung the rope between her grip. For the next few hours she hawked her prey as Red XIII boiled in her blood and rattled in her bones.

Night descended upon the land in silence, and Luci struggled with watching her target from afar in the darkness. More than anything, she was terrified of the night. But she was unable to move from that spot, the Demon anchoring her frame firmly in place. At that point, the notion of fleeing wasn't in the cards, the beast stirring inside of her made her aware of that much. Luci's fear began to outweigh her willingness for vengeance, but was unable to wrestle with Red XIII, hanging onto sanity by a sliver. Relief lifted the weight of the iron-fist tyrant of hunger pulsating in her core when the girl she was hunting fell asleep on the earth around some fire that seemed magically produced. Luci was more enticed at entering into the fire's luminous embrace, where it staved off her nyctophobia in therapeutic hues of red-orange. But Red XIII's desire lay by the fire, sound asleep, completely vulnerable, entirely susceptible to the cowardly tactics of a Demon that sought any measure to sustain the being it was forced to exist inside. It reminded Luci of the consequences of staying her hand with a pang of pain. Reluctantly, she began to unwind the rope from around her fist.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Luci at least had the will to sit around the fire and become enraptured by the embers. Drifting off towards the flame like a moth, in the eye of her mind, provided momentary relapse from the thirsting. It was as if the fascination for fire was the one thing that kept them both quiet and content. The consumptive capacity of fire is what quelled the beast, but it was the warm embrace and light that helped Luci to find a better place. Of course, reality pulled her back when the girl lying, bound at her hands, arms and ankles by the rope Luci had fashioned, began stirring at the Fallen's feet.

Her eyes rolled open, lazily at first, her orbitals adjusting to being disoriented as her brows knit in confusion and then her eyes snapped open in panic when she realized she tugged at what was around her wrists. Then there was the terrified recognition when she spotted Luci. "How?" As quickly as she had spoke, Luci cupped her mouth with her hand, infecting the girl's face with her blighted touch, a pain so intense that it caused her mind to blank and her eyes to roll back into their sockets.
"You shut the fuck up!" She hissed through a maniacal grin, half possessed by the ugliness of the act and the relief afforded from satiating the Demon. It was if her jaws had become the jaws of the primal animal inside. "You have no right to speak you fucking bitch! You killed me! Bashed my face in with a fucking rock! FUCK YOU!" She began to laugh hysterically, "I'm going to fuckin' enjoy this."
Luci was caught up in all of it, she couldn't pull from the carousel of chaos at this point, and the ride was anointed with the deliverance of pleasure unimaginable. But at 15 seconds, she was able to willfully remove her hand, and sat back on her haunches, twisted against the backdrop of the fire that silhouetted her beauty in depraved shadows. When the girl's eyes finally adjusted again after a quick 4 seconds of recuperation, she realized she was trapped in the hauntingly exquisite red sentinel eyes of the Fallen that was about to inevitably kill her.

She attempted to choke something else out, but again, Luci was on her, hand on her mouth, cursing through a tormented expression. This time she could only hold out for 10 seconds, not taking enough of a break to afford using Blight Touch longer. She backed off for a second time, and the girl's resilience would make this an uphill battle for Luci if she didn't end it quickly, and especially if she didn't want to hear her speak. Quicker in her second wind, the girl squealed with something that stopped Luci in her tracks.
"Why did you do this to us!?"
Us? Luci didn't know whom was missing from the equation, but the simple pronoun shattered the foundation for vengeance since it posed a serious plot hole in her motivation.
"What do you mean?" she whispered, afflicted by her human essence, "I only remember you."
Tears began streaking down this girl's face, "Rumi! She was already stabbed by a monster, bleeding out, I went to go find some herbs to stop the bleeding," she sobbed in hatred, "And that's when I came back to you with your fucking hands on her, digging the blade deeper, you twisted bitch! You were laughing... like a demon..." She couldn't choke out anymore details, helpless against her terror and tears. She had even pissed herself.

Luci's world had crashed around her. She did deserve to die. But here she was, already too deep within the savagery of self-preservation. And what's worse, she realized, it's what Red XIII wouldn't let her know, that would kill her. The keys to who she was lied within the depths and embrace of a Demon, and in order to get there, she had to step into hell. She stood, shadows wrapping around in what this time looked to be a robe with a hood to obscure most of Luci's human features, except for those blood-red eyes. The fire light twisted around her like she was the reaper and she had hell at her heels, and it was made real with the smoldering licks of a razing ember. She could feel XIII in her arm, gesturing for her acceptance, just one more time. So he can help her carry the burden. Luci reaches down and picks up a large stone.

"I'm sorry."
______________________________________________________________________

The shadow dress was tattered, hanging loosely from her frame. She had sat there, made weightless like ash, by a void of hungry sin. She hugged her knees desperately, the bloody mess still at her feet, but Luci at least had the decency to cover her victim with a blanket found from the girl's effects. XIII was satisfied, and his presence had become almost non-existence, which troubled Luci. Now she was here all to herself, frozen with shock, the morning sun rising slowly to bear witness at the tragedy which occurred upon her soil.
 
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Jun was disappointed by the response she received. Not that this Chryseis had said anything wrong, but it was clear she was as clueless as Jun was. However, it was comforting to know that she was not alone in this place, even if it meant others would be suffering in confusion and bewilderment just like Jun. It also meant there was some hope of finding even more people in this place, and more importantly hope of finding her wife and child. Though she did not relish the idea of them being stranded alone with no idea of what was going on, especially her son, at least there was a chance they could all find each other in this place. All she could do was keep searching as she had already been.

As she pondered her next move, Chryseis offered for them to search for answers together. It made sense; as two people that found themselves whisked away into bizarre new circumstances, it was only right for them to band together. It was definitely safer than wandering around alone, and Jun had to admit that she would hate to have to stumble around this new environment without company. She was sure she wouldn't be a burden, since in this situation they were equally unsure of what was going on. "Very well, Chryseis. We shall travel this strange new world together."

Jun then made a move to begin travelling, but stopped upon realising something important; she didn't actually have a clue about where to go or what to do. "Um...do you have any idea where we should start?" Chances were that Chryseis, being no less aware of what was going on, didn't have any better ideas on what to do than Jun did, but it didn't hurt to ask. At the end of the day, perhaps they would just have to wander around just as Jun had been before.

@Sailor Moon
 
Lots of Text ahead.
@Infinity


“Damn. That had taken longer than I wanted.” Ravenna scratched behind her ear and then smoothed a strand of hair behind it. It was odd, but the habitual tick would stir something from her previous life that was clinging for it’s claim to existence at the edge of her cognizance. Regardless, Nolan had never had hair this long. Just having long silky thick strands of black hair to push back was an entirely new experience.
The sun was setting behind crepuscular columns of clouds ranging from violet to soupy orange. Ravenna hadn’t quite made the time she wanted. She was sure that she had navigated the trail correctly, and avoided monster encounters. Maybe she had just misjudged the distance? The puzzle posed by constant survival was a new and daily effort for Ravenna. Nature had its own rhythms that could be difficult to plug into, but Ravenna aimed to try.
The path snaked vertical in a treacherous steep climb, ascending towards the ridge, and the beginning of a forest on the other side. Two days ago she had fashioned some makeshift rope to hold onto in case her footing slipped. Descending into the gorge from this direction wasn’t the easiest, but it’s much faster on the way down.
She finally treks onto a gradual upgrade, the rock beneath her becoming softer and posing less resistance into the soles of her bare feet. As her vision slowly rises above to scour the edge of the Forest, Ravenna freezes.
Standing at the edge and overlooking the gorge is a young looking girl with glasses, dark hair in a… school uniform? What Ravenna immediately noticed was the stone knife in her hand, which reminded her of the simple weapons young goblins carry. Ravenna’s right arm twitched instinctively, urging her to lower her pack, and put on Happy Fist. But the tightness in her chest, not out of fear, but out of a sense of potential regret, caused her to still her hand. She was sure the young girl would notice her immediately.
“Oh boy! Let’s get all messy in the viscera of our foes! Yippeee!!”
Ravenna winced. This was the worst time possible. Stupid fist.


She heard the voice before she noticed the presence, standing alone at the edge of the gorge. The sun was descending, but she was still able to discern the other girl standing at the end of the trail leading down. Though, what did it say about viscera…? She gripped her makeshift knife reflexively, though she wasn’t sure if she’d need to use it, or even have the stomach to do so, especially with what appeared to be the one and only person she’d seen since waking up.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” She called out. This was the first time she had seen another person since waking up on that first day, and everything about this stranger screamed ‘Danger’ to her. Tall, with piercings, and carting around a giant iron fist, there was not a single thing about the other girl that Umoura cared about, and she made it clear with the way she held her knife. “Tell me what you want, and don’t come any closer than that, I’m armed!”

Her speech and manner, her red alert reaction. Ravenna could never feel that type of fear anymore, since being born in this world. The young girl was half her size anyways, but Ravenna wasn’t the arrogant type. And she was calm as a viper with the fluidity to strike at any time from any direction if need be. She straightened out her posture and let her bag fall with a loud thud, immediately opening her palms and holding her hands up, possibly making her appear even larger, but hopefully non-threatening. This level of engagement or simple assessment of another human caused a toothy grin to spread out on Ravenna’s face. “Jeez, my name is Ravenna. I was taking a bath down in the gorge. It was nice and refreshing actually,” her grin spread even further, and she cocks her head a bit to the side playfully, “And, my desires only entail getting camp ready so I can eat. I’m feeling a bit peckish.” With one last glance at the knife she gathered that the girl had defeated a monster and taken it. This meant that she was strong. A sliver of excitement runs up Ravenna’s spine.

She didn’t trust her… but she wasn’t about to get into a fight here. She put the knife back and stepped forward once, taking her pack and placing it on the ground, as a gesture of somewhat peacefulness. “Ravenna huh? Where are we exactly? What’s up with this world… No, nevermind, that’s probably not the right question to ask now. A better question, why are you the only person I’ve seen in the last few days? Something is seriously wrong here, it’s not how I used to remember it.” She wanted answers more than anything else, and even talking with a stranger that she didn’t trust was better than nothing. Her hands moved to adjust her glasses back to her head, though it made her wonder why she even had them in the first place. “Are you camped around here? Why are you in such a remote place?” Her thirst for answers was overwhelming, she felt like she HAD to understand the situation, no matter the cost, meeting the other girl’s stare with one of her own, her own much more inquisitive.

Upon hearing her flurry of questions, Ravenna lost her smirk, and it softened into a genuine smile. Ravenna had been so caught up in just exploring, and really enjoying this new world, that she had never considered to stop and ask the bigger questions. Ravenna was simple like that. And it was the sincerity of the other girl that touched her heart in an odd way. Something she hadn’t felt since arriving because Ravenna too had not met anyone, or so she had thought, but there was the nagging suspicion that there was something… almost diabolical behind that.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you why. I haven’t seen anyone else either… I think,” she chuckled, and since Ravenna had already decided she wouldn’t try and fight this girl, she squatted and placed her elbow on her thigh, propping up her face with her fist looking down, her expression becomes sullen, “Something is seriously wrong here.”
“I was training, and gathering supplies. My campsite is maybe an hours walk from here. I’m not too sure. My ability to judge distance is apparently imprecise.” Ravenna’s thoughts acrobatically tumbled into feeling more morose about not being able to make the time she wanted.
Her features perked up and she turned back towards the glasses school-girl. “You can tag along with me though if you want!” The request was genuine and served with a smile.


Umoura had to take a second to think. Was she sure she could trust this person? She had already been attacked once by the denizens of this place, but, if the other girl had been hostile, she would have most likely attacked her by now. “Alright… I don’t have any better options. Have you seen any of those… creatures or whatever roaming about?” She asked curiously, picking her stuff back up and walking closer to the other girl, being careful not to trip on the rocks so close to the edge of the ravine. “And have you noticed anything, I dunno, weird about us?” She glanced over at the fist that had apparently talked. “Well, I guess you probably have by now.”

Ravenna caught the other girl’s glance at Happy Fist which prompted a chuckle. “This world is indeed very strange,” she scratches her chin, “There’s not much rhyme or reason to it from what I can see.” Ravenna then smooths another dangling strand of hair behind her ear, “As for the monsters, I’ve been pummeling a lot of em lately. I’ve even tried to name ‘em so I remember, but mostly I call ‘em all little fuggers.” She taps her nose with her thumb, tracing the black line tattooed across its bridge, “Lemme, guess, you woke up here spontaneously too, right? With hazy memories of a past where all of this,” she waves her muscly forearm at the sky to gesture at the world around them, “Wasn’t this. There were buildings, and more people, and monsters didn’t exist…” All this talk soured Ravenna’s mood, and it was becoming apparent. She didn’t like thinking about the bigger picture, it frustrated her, because it was entirely outside of her control. Destiny wasn’t something she could feel, like the rush of battle.

She nods at everything but one comment. “Well… I don’t even remember a past. I mean, I think there was something in my past, and I can remember it having things like buildings, I think… But as for specifics, I can’t remember anything.” She frowns, and looks at the floor, her slightly tough exterior gone and a worried girl appearing in its place. “I don’t know anything about what’s going on, who I am, all I remember is my name and I don’t even know if that’s right… It’s Umoura by the way, Umoura Weynsfield, though how I know it I’m not even sure.” She looked back at the taller girl, and shook her head. “Should we just get going back to your camp? I could use a more decent place to sleep, where there’s not things trying to attack me all the time. We can talk more about this later.” A gentle breeze rolled by, her skirt fluttering, Umoura wondering if she even had a past to begin with.

Ravenna’s face quickly jumped from morose to worried when she notices the demeanor change of Umoura, but then her visage became a beam of light when she heard her name. “That’s a pretty name.” Ravenna grinned and stood up, dwarfing Umoura in her small school-girl outfit, which, standing next to Ravenna, made Umoura appear as if she was actually a child. “Of course! Let’s leave these festering questions behind,” she performs an exaggerated fist pump, and then holds out her right fist to Umoura, prompting her new ally for a fist bump, “Let’s get going.”
“School is a place for learning… and beatings!” Happy Fist chimed.
“Ehh…. it does that from time to time. You may get used to it,” she sighs and shrugs, “Or maybe not. Stupid Fist. She punctuates her sentence with an apologetic smile.


Umoura looks at the fist curiously, but rather than start another barrage of questions (and ignoring the fist bump), she walks with her new companion, following Ravenna’s lead as they head off into the woods towards camp.
 
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Jun was disappointed by the response she received. Not that this Chryseis had said anything wrong, but it was clear she was as clueless as Jun was. However, it was comforting to know that she was not alone in this place, even if it meant others would be suffering in confusion and bewilderment just like Jun. It also meant there was some hope of finding even more people in this place, and more importantly hope of finding her wife and child. Though she did not relish the idea of them being stranded alone with no idea of what was going on, especially her son, at least there was a chance they could all find each other in this place. All she could do was keep searching as she had already been.

As she pondered her next move, Chryseis offered for them to search for answers together. It made sense; as two people that found themselves whisked away into bizarre new circumstances, it was only right for them to band together. It was definitely safer than wandering around alone, and Jun had to admit that she would hate to have to stumble around this new environment without company. She was sure she wouldn't be a burden, since in this situation they were equally unsure of what was going on. "Very well, Chryseis. We shall travel this strange new world together."

Jun then made a move to begin travelling, but stopped upon realising something important; she didn't actually have a clue about where to go or what to do. "Um...do you have any idea where we should start?" Chances were that Chryseis, being no less aware of what was going on, didn't have any better ideas on what to do than Jun did, but it didn't hurt to ask. At the end of the day, perhaps they would just have to wander around just as Jun had been before.

@Sailor Moon
Chryseis wasn't the type to express excitement in an obnoxious way, but the fact that Jun had accepted her offer made her feel all 'giddy' inside. She realized it was too soon to call the new woman a friend, but there was something in the stars that told her this was the right choice to make. "Excellent," Chryseis commented, clasping her hands together as if to seal the deal. She then looked to Jun, who seemed about ready to take off on their journey. Chryseis moved to follow her companion, and paused in step as she had.

"Ah. Well," Chryseis said quietly, gazing off into the distance. Grass, trees, and more trees. She used her hand to block out the sun and looked around, before sighing and turning her attention back to Jun. "We should head into the forest." Chryseis wasn't exactly looking for Jun's approval, but she wanted to at least be considerate.
 
Chryseis wasn't the type to express excitement in an obnoxious way, but the fact that Jun had accepted her offer made her feel all 'giddy' inside. She realized it was too soon to call the new woman a friend, but there was something in the stars that told her this was the right choice to make. "Excellent," Chryseis commented, clasping her hands together as if to seal the deal. She then looked to Jun, who seemed about ready to take off on their journey. Chryseis moved to follow her companion, and paused in step as she had.

"Ah. Well," Chryseis said quietly, gazing off into the distance. Grass, trees, and more trees. She used her hand to block out the sun and looked around, before sighing and turning her attention back to Jun. "We should head into the forest." Chryseis wasn't exactly looking for Jun's approval, but she wanted to at least be considerate.
"Very well." Jun replied. She didn't really know why Chryseis thought going into the forest specifically was a good idea, but it wasn't as though she had a better one. They would make their way into the forest and be off on their way. Jun had to admit that this place was rather pretty; a perfectly natural environment of green trees and greener grass. The more she thought about it, the more she figured it probably wasn't somewhere on earth. The earth she knew had become more and more of a polluted cesspool, especially when the war began and no one had time to worry about conservation. She was also fairly certain none of the few parks or reserves that still existed were this large. Perhaps this was another planet? Or were they in a different dimension or something? She could hardly answer these questions herself.

Her thoughts and the pair's trek into the forest were rather quickly interrupted by a rather grisly scene. A pair of dead creatures lay on the ground before them. There was a copious amount of blood, and the wounds of the creatures were still oozing. It was enough to make Jun feel quite ill. She hoped that Chryseis had a strong stomach, else the scene might get even messier. "I'm going to check this out. You can too if you're up for it." Jun wouldn't mind if Chryseis would rather stand back, as it was a disgusting sight, and it smelt awful too. But Jun felt some compulsion to look closer at the creatures. The one that caught her eye the most, strangely enough, was the one most familiar to her. It was a wolf, an animal that anyone from earth could probably pick out at a glance. It was strangely comforting to see something she could recognise, even if it was bringing her close to retching as the same time. The other creature was something bizarre. A deformed humanoid of some kind. If this really was a different planet, maybe this thing was a native?

She assumed from the wounds on the creatures that they had killed each other. The humanoid had a savage wound on it's side, which was riddled with tooth marks. Jun was no professional, but she could guess the wolf had seen to that. The wolf had a single, small wound on it's belly. The humanoid creature was clutching a knife in it's hand, which was probably the cause of the wound. Then a strange thought came to Jun. She decided to pluck the fangs and largest claws from the wolf's body. It was surprisingly easy, as Jun had expected it to be harder to tear things off an animal with one's bare hands. Placing the appendages between her knuckles, she made a very crude claw-like weapon. It was odd; in Jun's head, she thought the logical thing would be to take the knife off the other creature, and yet she felt instinctively drawn to the idea of having a claw weapon instead.

Having finished pouring over the two creatures, Jun turned to Chryseis. "You alright?" She asked. Hopefully, she wouldn't have been too disturbed by this encounter and they could simply be on their way.
 
A collab between Dubs and York.
@york

The walk continued for who knows how long… And, slowly but surely, Belinda’s mind started to wander out of habit. It was like the forest refused to yield to anything remotely different, and, slowly but surely, she grew disinterested in her surroundings… Starting to wonder more about how she had gotten here, and, why her gender had suddenly switched from male to female. It wasn’t too hard to get the hang of her new body, but… It would be rather strange to say the least to adjust to the different responsibilities that came with it. A sudden, large object in her way brought her back to reality, and, she stopped quickly, realizing she had nearly run into a tree just now. Though, then again, it wasn’t all bad; there was a slight change in her surroundings, and, it was better than nothing. It was then that she found there was a decent sized clearing right in front of her… However, the giant tree in the way didn’t exactly give her the best of views. Carefully, and as quietly as she could, she peered around the tree to try and see what lay ahead of her…

It was icy cold, and screamed at her like a freight train two feet from her face. The shuffling just beyond the clearing brought Luci to the surface from the depths of her emptiness, because, she specifically noticed a pair of eyes, the color of clay, peer around a tree. Reality compressed her lungs, wrought with anxiety; someone was there and here she was, with someone else dead at her hands. A repeat of last night’s events could be inevitable, and that made Luci feel sick. She scrambled to her feet, the shadow garb wistfully flowing, almost unnaturally, like a whisper silk cloak. Hoarsely she called out, “Stay away! I don’t… I didn’t mean to!” Her yell was desperate and half choked by a rush of tears.

Belinda rubbed her eyes once, then twice… What she saw made her stand still for a few moments, someone was dead…Or at least it looked that way from what she could tell, a white fabric of some sort covered the body. The hoarse shout of someone else nearby almost made her jump “Who are you?” she asked, trying to sound as calm as possible… She was wary, but, uncertain if this person was a threat to her or not. While she was thrilled to see that others had indeed arrived here, she wasn’t so thrilled about the more or less now confirmed cadaver sitting merely a few meters in front of her.

“Who am I?” she whispered almost inaudibly, echoing the question mirroring her shattered self, “Who am I?.... My name. Is Luci.” No one had asked her name since she had been here. So far, she was only known as “bitch” to anyone that met her, and, in their defence, with good reason. But this person was willing to talk, and not just attack, which prompted Luci to relax, if only slightly, in order to try and relay the situation. “She. This girl,” she couldn’t bring herself to look at the white sheet draped around the inanimate frame, “She made me do it. If I hadn’t, I would’ve died. I didn’t want to. I swear I didn’t want to.” The admittance of such a thing to another person broke the dam against her own wall of emotion, and tears began running down her face, dribbling from her chin, slowly but consistently. She kept repeating, “I didn’t want to”, as she crouched again and hugged her knees in torment.

Though she still had her guard up, Belinda decided to risk it and approach Luci “I’m Belinda.” she said simply… She glanced towards the body once more time, but, due to the white sheet obscuring most of her view, she couldn’t figure out how the girl was killed. Looking back towards Luci, despite still feeling rather cautious, she moved a bit closer again, reaching out a hand ever so slowly “I’ll take your word for it.” she said carefully… She felt a distinct sense of pity for her as she moved a little closer. It took her a few moments, but, she finally tried reaching out her hand, putting it on Luci’s shoulder gently. Though, she wasn’t too sure what she was supposed to say.

Luci felt the hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at Belinda through tear stained eyes in total shock. Then she felt something else, the stirrings, a salivating demon from the other side of hell, whom wanted Luci to reach up, and grab the girl’s wrist, to inflict pain on her in exchange for pleasure. Red XIII pulsed in Luci’s body, tempting her right arm. She began to reach up to grasp for Belinda’s wrist, to give the beast it’s meal. Instead, her hand faltered and she reached for her own face, wiping away her tears. Luci sincerely didn’t want to hurt anyone, although the body near her feet spoke to the contrary.
“Can we… go away from here? I don’t want to be here anymore.” She asked in a whisper.

It took Belinda only a mere moment to consider as she looked at the body uneasily “I wouldn’t mind.” she said. Though, she had yet to move from the spot, instead, she stayed there for the time being, trying to decide where to go next. The forest seemed to stretch almost endlessly in all directions as far as she knw. However, they had to head somewhere… And, maybe if they kept walking, they would stumble across more people? Well… Then again, it would be preferable that they didn’t stumble across too many people at once. Belinda didn’t mind crowds, but, she prefered to have a good amount of personal space.

Belinda’s hesitation induced paranoia inside of Luci, but it sparked the rage of Red XIII, as if the Demon was insulted. Was she rethinking the situation, possibly plotting to get rid of Luci along their travels, or maybe just until they found someone else? The body at her feet became less of an obstacle, and she realized it was the living bodies she’d have to worry about from now on. Her eyes flickered, a spark obscuring the vision and clouding her mind. Luci had acknowledged Red XIII as a part of her, she trusted what was inside. And he was telling her that this girl Belinda was weak. To exploit her when she wasn’t looking. Luci’s expression turned with a particular blankness, as she stood to her feet. “This way.” She proceeded into the woods, taking the lead, tracing back her steps towards the place where she had died almost 24 hours ago.
 
Yay collabs!

Ravenna wore a gloomy glower as they trekked through the woods, still stewing on the fact that Umoura wouldn’t fist bump her. During their walk she would take tentative glances at her fist, as if she was checking whether they were worthy or not for dusting against a friend’s knuckle bones. It was funny how she could get caught up on such a small thing.
It took maybe an hour or two, but they ended up in a large clearing nestled on the shore of a small babbling brook that eventually would empty into the gorge in a series of waterfalls. This was also how Ravenna navigated back and forth. Upon arrival at her home base, she removed her camping gear from her Equip Pack. For now it could provide up to two tents! with a small jar of lightning bugs (complementary!) to complete the Camping experience! Once the two tents were set up, she sat on a log after pulling up an adjacent one for Umoura to sit on. All of this was done in silence, and once Ravenna had sat down, she produced strips of monster filet, which was usually harvested on the spot with said monster’s crude tools.
“So, you said you remember your name, yeh? But not anything else?” Ravenna’s expression was quizzical tinged with the glum attitude she had earlier, which made her seem slightly disinterested in the first place. But she was also tired.

During the walk, Umoura kept watching her companion. She noticed she was being stared at… but as for why, she couldn’t say. The walk was uneventful and filled with silence, but eventually they reached Ravenna’s camp. She had to admit, the view was nice, the water running down the brook, the waterfalls filling the air with a subtle background noise. She simply watched as Ravenna quickly set up the tents, and accepted the seat, though she turned her nose up at the offerings of monster flesh. “I, uh, think I’ll pass.” Still, with the offer of camp, she felt it was at least somewhat reciprocal of her to answer the questions.
“I don’t remember anything at all. Bits and pieces float by, for example, of how everything used to be… but everything is just a blank slate. I mean, I remember how to walk and talk and breathe, obviously, but other than that, I have nothing but my name…” She didn’t really sense the tone and attitude that the other girl had, but she was quite tired herself, and looking forward to sleeping somewhere other than under a tree (though with the monsters running around, often it was more on top of the tree than under it).

The yellow-green glow from the jar of lightning bugs helped to create an ambience of peace complemented by the sound of water rushing over smooth stones. It was if Ravenna was subconsciously attracted to locations which promoted good feng shui. “Hmmm…,” Ravenna rubbed her chin, perplexed at how this girl could remember nothing at all, “Well. I’ve had some serious cases of amnesia since waking up in this world, and I’m pretty positive I used to be a boy in that past life we can hardly remember.” She stroked her chin again, this time more imperatively, as if maybe rubbing the bottom of her jaw would cause a genie to appear and grant her a wish returning her the complete state of hre memories. Then it hit her, although she couldn’t quite recall how she remembered this tid-bit, but it would help Umoura, she knew it. “I think I remember… There are some girls here. Capable of removing memory to help people forget what they were. Damnit!” Contrary to her tired vibe moments before, Ravenna gripped her face in frustration with a burst of energy, “I wish it wasn’t so hazy, I’m sorry.” She shook her head, puzzled by the fragmented accounts she could hardly recall with any real veracity. For all she knew, what she just said was utter bullshit. But there was one more thing to go off of, “I think they were called… the Favored? Or something.”

“I don’t think I’ve met anyone before… though if I did, I dunno if I’d even remember it.” She sighed, leaning back slightly, yet not enough to topple over. As it grew more dim, she kept her gaze on the sky, watching the sun slowly setting as they talked. “You used to be a boy? That seems odd somehow. It’s like the world’s rules aren’t even the same anymore. I don’t know why that is, but it’s something we’ll probably just have to accept.” She didn’t seem as worried as Ravenna did over the information, but she still processed it all the same. “We all woke up, with hazy or nonexistent memories of our past lives. The world filled with strange creatures, people aren’t the same as they used to be, something is seriously off with this place, and it’d be nice to know what it is. Do you know any of those, umm, ‘Favored’ people?”

Ravenna’s eyebrow perched higher inquisitively. We all? If all the Earth’s people had come to this world, wouldn’t there be more of them? Or were they forced to separate? It was an interesting notion and it was as if the absence of their memories could somehow lead them towards finding that truth again. All this talk of the past caused Ravenna to take a regretful glance at the space between her legs. She returned her gaze back to Umoura and responded quickly with, “I can’t say I “know” any, but I think I’ve met one before. My memory, like yours, is shot to hell.” She bites off a small portion of monster meat, savoring the meal with some sense of refinement.
“So what are you going to do here then?”

Umoura looked down at the ground, kicking her feet slightly, knocking aside a small clump of dirt. “Well, I just… I really don’t have any idea. I have nothing that tells me who I am, or what’s going on. I was originally trying to find other people who would have an idea, but I did find another person, and if you don’t know, I don’t think anyone will.” She let out a long sigh, adjusting herself so she could lay back on the log, staring directly up into the sky. “Other than the strange creatures, everything feels like its the same. Sometimes I wonder if nothing happened, and I’ve just gone completely crazy, seeing things that aren’t even there. That sort of thing. Still, that doesn’t mean I should give up completely, maybe there is someone out there who has an idea, and if so, I should find them.”

“To me. It just feels like I’ve been born again,” she pivoted her body away from Umoura to watch the flowing water reflecting the dying tones of red orange, as the sun drowns in the horizon, “I feel like I was given another chance to do something amazing. I don’t really care how all this happened” Ravenna took another bite of the strip of flesh in her hand. She pondered how she could make these strips more tasty… which reminded her of the other presence in her vicinity. She had forgotten how used to her solitary days she had been. She stands abruptly, walking off a distance into the forest, and coming back with some moss, some flower petals and herbs. She holds the contents out for Umoura to observe in her palm, “You should eat these. Together. They’re edible at least, and they actually taste good in combination.” Ravenna smiled broadly as she offered this tiny bit of sustenance to her new companion.

Umoura took them, and nibbled on them while she lay there. “Thank you. They’re not bad.” She kept chewing a bit, and went back to staring at the sky in silence. Soon the colors faded from the sky, the last little bits of orange and red clearing from the horizon as the night fell. “Should we get to sleep? Tomorrow we can try and figure out what we’re going to do… or at least what I’m going to do.” A yawn escaped her lips, and she figured that maybe having company wasn’t so bad after all. “It’s nice knowing I’m not the only person left in the world though…” That was muttered a little lower than the rest of her words, but after speaking it she stood up, let out a stretch, and moved to the tent set up for her.

Ravenna managed to slip in a smile and goodnight after explaining she’d be staying up for a bit longer to keep watch. As the night descended, Ravenna sat quiet in contemplation, her face alit with the glow from the jar, a source of dim light that wouldn’t fetch too much attention from any creatures nearby. During this time she caught herself looking back at the tent Umoura was sleeping in, sometimes mistakenly thinking she had heard her squirm or cough over the noise of the brook. It turned out that she was actually worried for something once. In this world, she would often act with reckless abandon, going to sleep in the black of night hoping that she would wake to a chance dance with death. But now, she was staying up lke a worried old lady, humming a midnight croon.

Umoura was soon fast asleep, not even minutes after laying down. For the first time since waking up here, her sleep was completely uneventful, not a single dream, just the pure blackness of unconsciousness.
 
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