paixaorpg | New Friends [Active]

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New Friends [Active]

Character(s): Refia and Lenne.
Content: After Refia's MB post, Lenne comes and finds her.
Setting: Joutenheim Gate.
Time: Afternoon.
Warnings: None.

Refia had been grateful for a friendly voice, even if it was unfamiliar. She had been confused, even frightened (although she didn't like admitting that, even to herself) upon waking up in such a strange place without her friends, and after her initial impulsive bout of anger, she had been all too happy for help - and had all but jumped at it. Sure, she'd run away from home before, but she had been traveling with her friends to save the world - and having that interrupted, right when they had been about to fight Xande and stop him once and for all was downright disorienting.

Still, Refia hadn't seen any signs of the darkness destroying everything, and everyone here seemed happy enough - almost eerily so, in fact. Maybe everything would be alright. Sighing, the redhead closed the sky blue journal she had been given and stretched idly, admiring her surroundings. This city was certainly beautiful, at least. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here.

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Lenne was not a fan of the trains. She preferred to stay in her own little corner of the city where everything she needed was within walking distance. However, it seemed that lately she couldn't ignore the signs of a potential friend in need. She'd fallen very quickly back into old habits.

So, she boarded the train, and about a half hour or so later, found herself walking into the station near the Joutenheim gate. This was the right place, wasn't it? The girl she'd spoken with over the journals... what was her name? She hadn't even asked, had she? Good going. Anyway, she'd said she had red hair, and would be near the gates. That should make her easy enough to find, considering the pale, nondescript appearance of the majority of the other residents in Paixao.

Lenne walked amidst the pale blondes, eyes searching for a shock of red amongst them. Ah! There she was! She slowed her pace a bit, not wanting to startle the poor girl, showing up in this place was jarring enough for most, and approached her with a small wave a bright smile.

"Hi there! I'm Lenne, we spoke on the journals..."

Refia had been watching the crowd, cupping her face in her hands thoughtfully, when she noticed someone who looked nothing at all like everyone else here heading towards her. She didn't know who that person was... until she spoke and Refia recognized her voice. "Hello!" she replied happily, giving a little wave. "It's nice to meet you. I appreciate your coming here." Refia may be a simple blacksmith's daughter, but she knew that Lenne had gone out of her way to help her, and that warmed her up to the older woman immediately.

Lenne waved her hand in a politely dismissive gesture, still smiling brightly at Refia as she suddenly remembered she did know her name.

"I'm glad to help! Though I don't know if I'm really going to be any help at all," she added.

"I'm a terrible tour guide, but I can tell you the map feature in these journals," she tapped hers for emphasis, "is very useful, especially if you're prone to getting lost... goddess only knows where I would have ended up without it," she rambled on. She paused for a moment.

"Well, is there anything you need? Hungry at all? We should probably head inside for a bit, the weather here has been very unpredictable lately," she explained, unsure of where to start, really, but food was usually as good a place as any.

"You already showed up," Refia laughed. "That's helping." The girl nodded thoughtfully as she listened to Lenne's explanation; although Refia had a good sense of direction, she would certainly be making use of the map until she knew her way around the city more. It would be a good idea to play it safe in such a strange new place.

And yes, Refia, realized, she was hungry. Ingus and Luneth had hunted in the forest for game the night before -and there hadn't been much, what with all the monsters infesting the area. Nevertheless, they'd had enough at the time, and Refia almost wished she knew how to hunt (but Arc had never been very good at hunting, from what Refia had gathered and she certainly hadn't been about to leave him alone) now, but surely there had to be a market somewhere. "I am hungry," she told the other, smiling a little sheepishly.

"I'm a bit hungry, too. There's a cafe about 15 minutes walk from here, sound good?" She smiled and started to walk in that direction without really waiting for a response, smiling at Refia over her shoulder. After a few moments of walking, she figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to try to get to know the girl a bit better, and started trying to think of reasonable questions to ask that weren't too prying.

"Well, tell me about yourself?" She asked after a bit, then shook her head. That was a very broad question. "I mean, where are you from? You seem to be handling this very well for just arriving," she noted. She hadn't minded arriving here at all, really. It was the many things that happened in the first few hours of her arrival that she was prone to purposely forgetting.

Well, Refia didn't know what a cafe was, being that there weren't any (or even so much as a restaurant) in her own world - but she was sure to find out soon. "All right!" she responded cheerily, following Lenne as she walked. She was enjoying the weather for the moment, but it seemed as though a storm might be brewing - the air was terribly still. Even so, how could any storms reach inside the dome? That just seemed silly.

Refia chuckled. "Well," she began, "I'm from the village of Kazus. Takka the blacksmith raised me..." she trailed off a little, unsure of how to continue. It wasn't as though the Light Warriors hadn't been known extensively in her world, and although it had been a little embarrassing, she had been grateful, in a way - it had been easier to help people that way, somehow. "And since I was traveling with some friends before, it's not that scary being here. Just strange."

Lenne smiled encouragingly and nodded, knowing that Refia must be leaving something out, but it was none of her business anyhow, and the girl seemed trustworthy, so it wasn't her place to pry. A village... and an orphan? No, that was jumping to far too many conclusions.

"You have an optimistic way of seeing things. I'm glad to hear that," she complimented. Lenne didn't feel the need to tell Refia that there may be plenty to be afraid of here between bored underworld gods and nightmarish shadows. She'd find out in time, but hopefully not until she had a hold of things.

She turned another corner, and they were almost to the cafe, as far as she could tell. "Now, oddly enough, money here is as simple as... well, see all these jewels, flowers?" she pointed out some of the gilded flora around them. "The citizens here will take that as payment. So, it really is as easy as picking things from the trees to pay for anything you need to purchase. Odd, isn't it?"

Refia didn't want to bring up being a Warrior of Light just yet. While she definitely wasn't ashamed of it, it seemed a little excessive to bring up at to begin with. She'd tell Lenne later, maybe, when the time was right, if it ever was. And Lenne's thoughts about her were definitely right; she and the others were orphans, thanks to that airship crash so many years ago. Refia couldn't remember any of it, but she didn't mind - it was probably better that she couldn't, anyway.

Refia grinned at the compliment. "Thanks!" she replied. "It's helped me a lot." She noticed the odd little building that looked something like a shop and looked around at the plants Lenne indicated. "It makes my life easier," she laughed, nodding nevertheless. Why did they have something so simple as this as payment? Oh, well. Refia wouldn't complain, even though she had plenty of Gil with her, with all the monsters she had been fighting.

Lenne was still baffled at the monetary system of the city, but why fight it? She kept a few leaves or gems on her at most times, just because it still felt so strange, almost rude, to pick something off a tree as you were entering a restaurant or store.

"Ah, here we are," Lenne surmised, reading the sign above the door of the Cafe Ersesat, and opened the door, motioning for Refia to enter. She knew how to be a gentleman when one was absent, or gentlewoman, rather.

"Anywhere in particular you want to sit?"

Refia, in the meantime, looked about her with wonder. This city was the most beautiful place she had ever seen in her life. If only the others could see it! She knew their reactions, and the girl thought of them with a smile to herself. She knew that Luneth would exclaim in wonder, that Arc would immediately begin to try studying everything and try to figure out where it had come from and how old it was and the history behind it. And Ingus would... probably treat this place like anywhere else, albeit with surprise. Refia bit her lip, hoping they were alright. Had they defeated Xande? Did they need her now? Were they looking for her?

She was jerked out of her thoughts when she realized they were at their destination, and smiled gratefully at Lenne when she opened the door. "Thank you!" she told her, picking a sunny, cheerful place. "How about right here?"

Lenne nodded her approval, "This is perfect," she assured Refia, taking a seat then prying open the menu on the table. She wasn't really that hungry, but no matter what she was in the mood for, it always managed to be on the menu. And it if wasn't, they could still make it. It was almost too convenient, to the point of disconcerting, but, so was just about everything else about Paixao.

"If you don't see anything you like on the menu, they can make anything you want, special," she shared, voicing her thoughts out loud. Hmmm... let's be boring and go with a salad. Can't go wrong, there. Nothing like dancing your little heart out in a battle against a god to remind you how out of shape you've become. Now to wait for a someone to take their orders.

Refia, in the meantime, was quite hungry. She looked at the menu curiously; people back home simply grew, caught, or bought what they needed, then cooked it themselves (unless they were at an inn, of course). Nevertheless, the girl picked up the menu and looked through it, unable to recognize half of the dishes described on them. "That sounds nice," she told Lenne with a smile.

She decided on having chicken and some vegetables, along with a glass of milk. She'd need to keep her strength up in such a place - and with the rigorous training she'd gone through with her father, along with the journey she had been taking up with her friends, it was a good thing Refia was a hearty eater.

When the server arrived Lenne let Refia order, then added her own selection to the bill. She tried to think of things to talk about, but it was always so much easier to just talk instead of thinking about it.

She wondered where Refia would end up staying. If she asked, she'd offer her a place in her small apartment, but it seemed almost rude to ask so soon after just meeting her. She'd always been a bit to trusting, she supposed. It was hard to explain why she was so drawn to the girl, a mothering instinct, perhaps? Or maybe just a sense of a kindred spirit. It was such a nice to change to be around someone so full of light and a cheerful outlook.

"So..." Lenne began awkwardly, smiling apologetically at Refia as she searched for an icebreaker question. "What were you doing before you found yourself here?" she asked, smiling in a way that would hopefully let Refia know that she wouldn't hold it against her if she'd rather not answer.

Refia inwardly wondered what she'd do here and where she'd end up staying. Although it was reassuring that she didn't have to scrounge for money (although she had plenty of gil now, it would have, of course, run out eventually), she was still worried, although she did her best not to show it. After all, what kind of guest looked sad in front of her hostess (of sorts)?

"Oh, I was on the way to fighting an evil wizard with my friends," Refia replied, rather matter-of-factly. Having had quite some time to deal with it, she was no longer as afraid or nervous as she had been in the beginning (although she would never admit it to anyone if she could help it - but saving the world was a daunting task indeed).

"Oh my," Lenne said, wondering aloud. "I think I would be much more upset about arriving here than you seem to be," she laughed. So, Refia had already seen fighting and evil. It was so unfortunate that the saving of the world seemed to so often fall to the youth, protecting themselves from the elders that have been corrupted over time. Lenne knew that all too well, and if very carefully observed her eyes might appear a little heavier than before. Memories of her own final facing of evil, and and the price she paid attempting to prevent more.

Lenne shook her head, realizing she had drifted off in thought. How rude! She set a sincere smile on her face and was very grateful that the server returned with their food at that moment. She was glad to have a real excuse for not talking other than rudely zoning out. Mmm, mmm salad.

"To tell you the truth," Refia confided, "I'm a little annoyed. I was supposed to help save the world before this happened." She worried about Xande, not to mention her friends. What if Xande had enveloped the world in darkness and...? No. It was best not to think about this right now, especially when there was nothing she could do about it, for the moment. And besides, Refia had some very capable friends. She was sure they'd be able to take care of it.

Refia smiled at the waiter as he brought their food, gratefully digging in (albeit as politely as possible; being hungry was no excuse for eating like a pig). It was delicious, better than anything the boys had usually caught on their travels. Then again, they'd been in the wild, and in a place like this, it was probably easier to be creative, where there were no apparent threats.

Lenne picked at her food absently, not really that hungry, but it always felt awkward not to eat when someone else was. She could understand Refia's annoyance. Most people Lenne had met had perfectly good reasons for not wanting to be here, in fact, she could think of very few that actually would benefit from being pulled here. Actually, the only person she could think of was herself. Aside from maybe those who were doing their best to corrupt Paixao.

She smiled sympathetically at Refia, wishing there was something she could do to help the girl. She couldn't send her home, and not knowing her friends, she couldn't make any promises as to their success without her.

"Umm, I hope you don't think I'm being rude, but..." she started. What an awful way to set up a question! What was she thinking?

"Er, I mean, seeing as people tend to spend a while here... well, I have space at my apartment if you need somewhere to stay? Just until you get the hang of this place, maybe?" Well, here's hoping she doesn't make Refia choke in her attempts to escape the awkwardness.

Had Refia not been pulled into the city at such a crucial time, she certainly wouldn't have minded it. It was beautiful here, and there was so much to do, from what she could tell; any other time Refia would have been delighted to find herself in such a wondrous place. Unfortunately, that was not the case now, and here Refia was, worrying over her friends rather than enjoying the moment - although she was doing her best now not to show it. That wouldn't be a very good way to repay Lenne, who was being so kind and showing her around.

She nearly choked on her food in surprise when Lenne asked her that question and barely forced herself to swallow, staring at Lenne almost incredulously. "You would do that for me?" she asked her. "Wouldn't that be troublesome?"

Lenne blushed almost unnoticeably, truly embarrassed that she had, indeed, made Refia choke.

"Oh, I knew I should have waited 'til you'd swallowed to ask," she apologized in her way, heavily veiled sarcasm just barely present. She couldn't help it, her sense of humor came out more as she became comfortable. However, many people had absolutely no sarcasm-detection, so she was usually very careful with it.

"No, Refia, it would be no trouble at all, I'm practically a hermit," she laughed. That was the truth, sadly. "I would be truly grateful for your company, and you don't have to stay any longer than you want, I just figured it might help you out if you didn't have that to worry about..."

Refia laughed, catching the sarcasm. "I'm sorry," she replied, frankly, "I guess I really wasn't expecting that." Far from being embarrassed, she was amused at her own faux pas. "But I would really like that. Thank you." She smiled brightly at Lenne. She was truly grateful to this woman, who had already done so much for her, by way of showing her the ropes, and now she was offering to take her in.

Even in Refia's world, there weren't many people who were willing to do that to a total stranger. Perhaps there was some way Refia could repay her in the future.

Lenne smiled apologetically, "It is abnormal of me to ask, I'm sure, but what's the fun in being predictable?"

She'd been given the most amazing gift imaginable in being alive again. The very least she could do was try to help anyone in need, if it was within her power. She owed some sort of cosmic debt, she supposed. But that wasn't it. She just couldn't help but help.

"Well, whenever you're ready, we can head out and pick up anything you might need?" she offered, pushing the remains of her salad off to the side. She wasn't trying to rush Refia at all, just giving options.

Refia smiled. "You sound like my friend, Luneth," she replied with another chuckle. "He's always running off and getting himself into trouble." Well, as much as a Light Warrior could, anyway. She nodded and resumed eating, doing her best without eating like a pig - something Luneth did sometimes. It took her a few more minutes, but she finally finished, and she stood up.

"Well," she told Lenne, feeling shy, "I lost all my armor and weapons when I came here. I'm afraid I don't even have so much as a potion with me, so if something happens..." she bit her lip, then brightened. "I still have my spells, at least!"

Mm, I'm being compared to a man, charming. Lenne grinned all the same, though, truly flattered to already be compared to a friend that Refia seemed to admire.

"Ah! Well, then, we'll have to get you outfitted again. You can't be too careful, here," she stated, gripping her staff absently. She never went anywhere without it, anymore, even though it was rather ungainly and generally unnecessary.

"Besides, I could probably use something a little less, well, obvious," she laughed. While her staff was useful for summoning and general thwacking of slow things, it wasn't really effective in close combat. She had been debating purchasing a dagger or another small blade. Maybe she'd do a bit of window-shopping while helping Refia out.

Refia nodded. "My father's a blacksmith," she informed Lenne. "I can help you pick out a good weapon, if you'd like." Even if I can't really forge them yet. Not really. She could do some basic forging, but not much. "What kind of trouble is there here?" she asked, brushing herself off and coming up to Lenne's side. Maybe it she knew what was going on, she could learn what she had to focus on. Sure, she didn't particularly like using magic, as she found it rather boring, but she could do what was needed - there was a reason she'd chosen to learn summoning.

If Lenne had a staff, that likely meant that she was a mage, which meant it would be a good idea for Refia to focus on improving her skills in physical fighting. She decided against buying too much armor, at the moment - it would be cumbersome and not exactly good for walking around a city - but getting some weapons was sounding better and better by the minute.

Lenne nodded enthusiastically, "I'd appreciate that very much," she told Refia sincerely as she stood. She left her payment for the food on the table, and took her staff. Then she had to go an ask about trouble.

"Well... honestly, I'm not sure of the specifics, but... there are a few powerful people holed up in the City Hall, and they seem bent on taking over the city... also, from what little I've been able to gather, there appears to be another organization bent on the same thing... but unaffiliated with the other." She really didn't know a lot of details, and she suddenly felt guilty about it. Surely Refia would figure out plenty in time, though.

Lenne was glad to be back outside, though there was something hanging in the air that was not quite... right. Something was going to happen soon, she wagered, but she couldn't begin to speculate what. Oh well, no use worrying.

"This city seems to draw in all sorts of people, good, evil, ambiguous," she trailed off. It really was amazing how they had a little bit of everything here.

Refia's eyes narrowed at Lenne's description. She wouldn't stand for something like that, even in a place she'd never been before, or even heard of. It was her destiny, however; the Crystals had chosen her and her friends as Light Warriors, which meant she was one of those charged with keeping the balance between light and darkness in check - and right now, it was darkness that disturbed that balance.

She followed Lenne out, chewing on this latest piece of information. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

Lenne smiled at Refia admiringly, and nodded, a smile playing at her lips. "Just keep on being you. Yes, it's cliche, but really," she laughed lightly, patting Refia on the shoulder in a friendly matter, looking into her eyes for the moment. "Do what you feel is right at all times, and you will already have helped out more than many others can," she told her honestly.

"If confronted with evil, with darkness, do what you know to be right in the face of it, and it will be an improvement. It's not like it's lurking around every corner waiting to ambush you, but you will encounter it," she added with a sigh. And I definitely don't recommend going looking for it... she thought morosely.

"Now let's see..." she poked at her journal, a very slight frown on her face. "Hmm, I was going to suggest shopping, but it's getting dark even quicker that usual... maybe we should just make out way back to my apartment for the night, and save the shopping for tomorrow?"

Refia laughed along with Lenne and nodded. "Alright," she replied. She usually did what she felt was right (although running away from home on multiple occasions somewhat diminished that - but hey, she always came back, right?) anyway, and even if she was separated from her home world, she was still a Light Warrior, and that mean restoring the balance whenever the darkness got out of hand.

The blacksmith's daughter nodded in agreement at Lenne. "I would appreciate that," she told the older girl. "THank you very much."

"No need for any more thanks," Lenne laughed, smiling sincerely. "It's the least I can do, I think," she finished.

"Alright, well, the train station is back that way," Lenne gestured, after checking her map just to make sure. She was getting better at finding her way around the city, which never ceased to surprise her. "We should probably get on that and head back over to Iriela, where my apartment is. With nightfall intent on encroaching, we should probably hurry a bit," she laughed.

Not that she was afraid of the dark. She just couldn't shake the odd feeling that there would be more to this nightfall than usual. And she always found it better to err on the side of her cautions.

The least she could do? Refia blinked. It was nice, however, to find someone so kind and helpful, especially after what had to have been months of traveling around the world fighting countless monsters and solving various people's problems. She hadn't minded helping out, however; in fact, Refia had rather enjoyed it, despite the occasional lecture she'd given Luneth and some of their traveling companions that had come along. Oh, well. At least Arc and Ingus had known how to behave themselves.

The red-haired girl nodded and moved to follow Lenne. "All right," she said. She wouldn't mind, truth be told, a nice, hot bath and a place to sleep that wasn't near the boys. She liked them well enough, of course, but it couldn't hurt to be around other girls sometimes, could it?

It truly was the least she could do, Lenne felt. She'd been given so much, she could only hope to help others as much as she had been.

The two made their way to the train station, and fortunately did not have to wait long before it made its rounds back, and in a half hour's time found themselves at the station nearest the Iriela apartments. After another bit of a walk, they arrived just in time for the darkness to close in around them.

Little did they know it would be a little more than a day before they would go on that shopping spree. Perhaps procrastination isn't always the best solution.

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New Friends [Active]

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