TEST DRIVE- [1/ Welcome to the world of Crystallis!]

[mugugu]

Edea felt a strongly cemented pit in the bottom of her stomach. That Crystal... This.. 'Moogle.' It was all too familiar in the worst way. Her teeth grit as she remembered the not so fond memories of her world's (and the many other worlds's) past. The last thing she remembered before being yanked from her own realm was her getting to bond with her father as well as make up for lost time with Alternis. 

"Kupo?"

A small voice pierced her deep thought. "What do you want?" Edea's voice was sharp and shallow. She wasn't having any of it.

"You don't need to be so tense, Edea, kupo." The fact of how well Ririsa, her moogle companion, knew her name made her very skin crawl.

"You can't tell me how I should feel. ESPECIALLY you." Edea had then shot Ririsa a strong glare. "I swear if you ask me to awaken ANY crystals I'm going to make it my life's mission to see you wiped out like the craven scum you are." Ririsa only frowned as she heard this. 

"I swear I'm only here to help, kupo! I can even send mail for you, kupo!" The angry blonde refused to look her companion in the face. She couldn't bear to be deceived. "You should look into meeting people. There are many more like you in town. I'm sure you could make some friends!"

"Yeah. Yeah. I guess that actually is a good idea..." As much as Edea hated to admit it, the white fluff-ball had a point. With that, Edea then took her leave and ventured out to meet some people and get a little more insight to the world and possibly find out if these Moogles could be trusted or not.

Comments

[myhomeisahole]

[OOC: Took him from the first Jump of Light.]

Tiz had a far better encounter with his moogle. She was nice and soft spoken reminding him of Agnès, though he wonders if it was only because the priestess was on his mind. He had given all of his friends names to the moogle but she hadn't recognized any of them. He wasn't about to let that stop him so he rose pocketing the strange crystal he woke up with and set to search.

Did this mean that it worked? Did they save the world? But then if they did, why did his moogle only talk of a calamity? That's what they had been trying to avoid.

He let out a slow breath taking a look around. This wasn't a place he recognized but then he couldn't imagine it would take to long to find the others. Tiz had a little to much faith. It didn't take him long to find Edea. Her hair and tone was unmistakable.

"Edea!"

[mugugu]

Edea's eyes widened as she spotted the messy haired sheep herder. She practically squealed as she ran to him and pulled him into a hug. She had not even noticed the Moogle floating right by him.

"Tiz!" She extended her arms pushing herself back from the hug to look him in the eyes. "It's been so long! How's Norende been?! And Til?"

Little did Edea know, that this was not her world's Tiz. She of all people should have known... Just then she saw the fluff monster looking over his shoulder. She grew wide-eyed and stepped back letting go. "Y-You too?! You have one of these.. Cretins?!"

[myhomeisahole]

Tiz was never very good at hiding how he felt, even more so towards a friend that he had traveled with and gotten to know like Edea. He tried to mask his pain but it was evident by his vacant stare.

"What are you talking about?" He wasn't going to cry but it felt like a knife stabbing at his heart.

His moogle floated behind him peeking over his shoulder like Edea was the big bad wolf. She didn't much care to be called a cretin but she wasn't going to correct the new hero.

[mugugu]

It only took a second of seeing the light from his face fade to realize at what she had said. Tiz was not the same from her world. She bit her lip. "Oh! No... I'm... I'm sorry Tiz! Y-you're... from another world then, it seems."

She could feel her own heart sinking into her stomach. How could she already make a familiar face feel so down?!

[myhomeisahole]

"What do you mean 'from another world'?" He was watching her now with renewed interest. Like she wasn't the girl that he remembered. He wondered if Agnès would be the same and his heart twisted a little more. He swallowed trying to bury his worry and uncertainty.

"Please tell me Edea? Is this not the result of the light? Airy's broach. It lit up and we saved the world.. didn't we?"

[mugugu]

Edea's heart sank to her stomach hearing his words. She felt his pain build up in her own chest.

"Oh Tiz..." She bit her lip nervously. "W-was that the first time you awoke the crystals?" Her eyes scrunched as she braced to hear his answer.

She couldn't even bare to see what would happen next.

[myhomeisahole]

"Of course. We are only suppose to awake the crystals once."

He wasn't shouting but she could probably hear the tension in his voice. Had it gone all wrong? Had they failed? But then she had asked about his brother.. did that mean that did it? His head was spinning and he wasn't sure what to think.

[mugugu]

"No... You can't go through this again." She mumbled slightly to herself all the while bringing her hands to her face. She buried her eyes into her palms.

"We did save the world... in my world." she took a deep breath then broke away from her palms to look him in the eyes. Edea's eyes were bright from the slight tears that had made their way out.

"Y-you're not there anymore so, I don't wan't to drag you down. So yes. The world is saved." Those words rang painfully in her mind. She was only slightly lying, but it was enough lying to hate herself for it.

Ririsa looked simply pained at Edea's slight lie. "Edea, I don't think this is right, Kupo." She mumbled to the blonde. Edea's shoulders jerked in reaction to the Moogle's words.

"Shut your trap, you cretin!" Ririsa only frowned as she watched her companion look away from the both of them quite bitterly. Edea then sighed, "Sorry, Ririsa. Tiz, do you want to know the 100% truth. It will be hard to hear."

[myhomeisahole]

"What are you talking about? Of course I want the truth!"

He wasn't yelling but his voice was strained, as if on edge. He couldn't follow what she was talking about even as his mind frantically tried to put the pieces together. His moogle floated out of the way and by the look on her face it was clear that she was starting to understand. The little moogles have heard of heroes from different times arriving and it appeared to her that this was the case once again. She wanted to say something but at Edea's shouts she fell silent, her little paws pressed to Tiz's back.

Tiz looked at Edea, his expression pleading as he watched her. "Please tell me."

[mugugu]

(OOC:sorry to make this tag so freakishly long)

"Well..."

Her eyes grew watery as she recalled all of those sad memories. The blonde shook her head and then took a deep breath. She then dried her eyes as she began to speak. "Tiz, the truth is that, yes, we did save the world." she bit her lip and finished with, "Eventually."

"You're from another world. It's very similar to mine. You even know another me from your world. Although, i'm not her." Edea's lips clenched tightly preparing for the next statement. "All of those things we thought we were doing right... were wrong. Every one of them. Awakening the crystals, the great pillar. All of it, wrong."

She eyed Tiz's stare, she could see the disbelief. "I don't blame you for seeing me as a crazy woman, but, let me assure you, as a friend, this is all truth." she finally had become comfortable with her speech and continued.

"Airy lied to us and tricked us all. She used us to link multiple worlds allowing her to summon a horrible beast. The darkness. The Chasm. All of it. Her doing." Edea felt her tears escape again. While she wiped her eyes she continued, "We luckily had some wonderful people help us... Lord DeRosso, Sage Yulyana, and of course." She smiled remembering Tiz's unspoken affections for the girl she mentioned next. "Agnès."

[myhomeisahole]

Tiz didn't really care if she was from another world or another time. Edea was still herself and she was still his friend. He listened trying to keep the pain from his expression as she spoke. It was hard to believe but then what would Edea gain by lying to him?

He felt his heart skin at the mention of Agnes and for a moment his mask of disbelief faltered, replaced with the paint that he felt. It had all been for nothing? Everything they worked for, everything that all of them gave up. Airy had been the reason that Agnes's friends were killed and yet she stayed with them, traveled with them. The betrayal was more than Tiz could process and for a long moment he was silent.

His moogle clung to his back hoping the pressure of someone else would ease his heart.

"Thank you Edea. For telling me." He swallowed hard trying to process everything. He didn't know what to do and he wasn't used to feeling so lost.

[mugugu]

Edea's eyes focused onto her friend's seeing his pain reflect through their own rich brown color. She paused only for a moment, "Tiz. It's all past now. It's over." She smiled weakly in attempts to comfort her counterpart from that past hardship. "Let's focus on what is now." Edea's mouth was weakly curled into a smile in hopes to lighten the mood, she looked at the shepard.

"Seriously, I can assure you from my world that i've been happy and safe..." She smiled with much more confidence. "You can take solace in that." she paused to put a light hand to his shoulder. Her smile was much brighter than any she had shown him. "Tiz, despite me not being 'your' Edea, I'm so happy to see you. More than you may possibly understand." She smiled in a very motherly way.

[myhomeisahole]

"I'm happy to see you to!" His response was quick, almost hurried. Of course he was happy to see her. Even if she wasn't the same she was still his treasured friend. He tried to smile though it was obvious that he wasn't completely alright. It would take time for him to adjust but he would and they would work together to over come whatever is thrown their way.

"This place isn't like our home, so I guess we have another adventure ahead of us. Have you seen Agnes or Ringabell?"

[mugugu]

She could see the boy's pain in his eyes. Tiz really wasn't one to hide his feelings well. "Don't worry, Tiz." Edea said calmly with warmth to her voice.

"As long as we've got each other, we'll be ok." She slapped her hand against his shoulder. Her fingers gripped slightly to reassure him.

"I'm sure we'll meet with them again! I mean, if you can find me here, I'm sure they can find us as well." She let out a small laugh.

[myhomeisahole]

He smiled softly as she clapped her hand against his back. She was right, of course, he shouldn't just be mopey. He staggered forward slightly and his moogle dodged from her hand as she was hiding behind his back.

"You're right. We'll find them. Then we can figure all this out." He looked around again trying to place where they were.

"Where do we start? Finding other heroes?"