melodiesoflife | Footsteps in the Snow (Central Lost Continent)

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Footsteps in the Snow (Central Lost Continent)

Characters:Saori Nakagawa, Ira, James Kidd, Lydia Deetz, and NPCs
Where: Lost Continent (Center)
When: March 5th
Summary: The four awaken in the chilly tundra of the Lost Continent without a sign of civilization nearby.

At impact, Ira had held out his hand in an attempt to summon another Corridor - at the very least, he wished to get those already injured to safety. Yet as he reached out, something far more inexplicable had reached back. He found himself falling, before oblivion accepted him. It was a sensation he hadn't felt in years, this sleep of stasis that had overwhelmed all of them - one that he thought would never be again. As it took hold, he didn't know if his hand had grabbed air or railing, but he knew, in the end, there was no fighting it any longer.

What he didn't expect, was suddenly finding his face hit with something so bitterly cold. Grunting, he shakily moved to place his hands beneath him, wincing as he felt the chill within his gloves. Why was it so cold? Hadn't they just been over the desert?

None of this made sense, but he... had to get moving.

Blearily looking around, he saw three others lying in the snow around him. Without much thought, he stumbled in the frigid clime to reach out to the one nearest to him in an effort to shake their shoulder and wake them.

"M-Mom, L-Lydia, Mary," he called out through his teeth chattering. Of all the times he was mad about inheriting shit from Riku the island kid- "We n-need to get moving."

Wait, why did his voice suddenly sound more matured? And when did his bangs get so long? "Ugh, the h-hell's going on?"

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Saori stirred awake, groaning as she sat up. She remembered being with Ales as assisting him at the last minute before impact, just looking back to see where Ira, Brigid and Bonnie were. Her heart sank when she didn't see those pom-poms with them. The Assassin hood barely kept her warm but her bangs were just in the way now. That voice though... "Wait, Ira, is that...Did you say Mary?!"

She looked around and when she spotted her girlfriend, Saori helped her up.

"I-I thought I'd never..." She couldn't even finish her sentence and just went in for an embrace. For the first time in five years, she could be at ease, even for just a brief moment.

Saori did another look around but with Eagle Vision. "It looks like we might be on our own."

Falling.

The last thing she remembered was falling.

She was running in for an attack and then a wave of force sent her flying through the air. She reached out towards Saori but everything went black before she could even do anything.

It wasn't like falling like she was used to. It was more sinking maybe. More falling through something than down.

And then she felt the cold ground and snow under her. She gasped as she jerked upright. The shock had her so heightened the cold hadn't hit her tropically acclimated body yet. "Where...what happened...Ira! Saori!" She scrambled to her feet, ready to run to them, but her foot bumped into Lydia.

Taking quick stock of the situation she pulled the teen from the snow and up to her feet. "Come on there, no time for a nap." Her halt gave Saori the time to close the distance and embrace her. She looked from her lover to their adopted charge questioningly, hoping for some explanation of what she missed. She didn't like the words she was hearing so far.

Lydia had curled in her cloak more, and winced when Kidd hit her with her foot, as consciousness came slowly. A bit of flailing, as she was pulled to her feet, careful of the other and it wasn't just her hood in her eyes now. What had happened?

"...sn't a nap..." Murmured, still a bit groggy. As they'd started to fall, the airship twisting, she'd tried to keep low. Stay balanced, stay upright, and then when that had failed, to try and change her shape to a Bat--she could fly if nothing else. Maybe that was why she felt more fuzzy-headed than usual.

At least she moved quickly when Saori moved to hug Kidd, understanding her relief. "Anyone re-remember what hap-happened?" Lydia dug in her bag, pulling out a ribbon and attempting to pull her hair out of her eyes and up a bit. That was better, pulling her hood up once more, and then offering Ira another ribbon, as she moved closer and bundled in her cloak. "We also need to be-be care-fu-ful of snow-blind-ind-ness." As her own teeth were starting to chatter.

"I'm not sure," he said, before accepting the ribbon with a quick "Thanks." Everything leading up to the crash was so blurry, and-

That's right. Mary had fallen off the platform early on, so she had no idea what had happened. So as he moved to tie his hair back, he explained, "We defeated Chaos, but before the diplomats got the chance to try and 'reason' with him, Parasraya revealed herself to be Kalki and killed him.

"We left her a bloody mess, but she possessed one of our own and we were forced to flee. Most of those who remained on the platform made it back to the airship and we escaped, only to crash. Though, I don't exactly remember the actual impact..."

"Ramza. Kalki managed to possess him." She shook her head. Honestly, she had a feeling the boy's nature would do him in one day but she wished it didn't go that way. In hindsight, they should've reduced her body to ashes immediately. Oh and not to mention she could've just gone to throw Garland's sword at her but then that guy had to stop her. ~~Buzzkill.~~

"I don't remember the impact either but maybe it didn't happen since we're still standing here? Still we need to find out just where are. Judging by all this cold, we must be very north if the geography is still the same."

A nap or no, Mary knew enough about this sort of weather to make sure that everyone stayed awake right now. Still her teeth were starting to chatter as the cold started to cut through. Her mood was not helped by the news she was offered, and though she expected some of it the last bit about Ramza gave her cause to worry for their future. Her lips quivered and pursed as she ground her teeth and then made the foolish decision to kick at a mound of snow in frustration.

Some of the snow got in her boot and made her regret it, though not enough to cause any damage. No more than the cold was causing already. Hurridly she went through her pockets and finally fished out a compass. It was cracked and clouded but it still gave them something to work with. Assuming the world hadn't been fundamentally changed to even that point.

"We should press east." She looked up at the sky, trying to get a read on the stars but the weather was hindering her. "No way to tell where we are precisely, but it probably gives us the best chance." Northeast should perhaps take them to Santa's Village. It was their best odds of finding a safe place to rest.

"We should also stick together..." Lydia was fishing in her bag again, but not finding what she wanted with a grump. Or rather, she was...but she didn't have enough. "If anyone has any rope or something, we should tie ourselves to each other."

Without that though, buddy-system it was. Reaching out for Ira's hand, and then looking towards Mary and Saori. Mary had the compass, so Saori's hand it was.

"Right," he agreed with a nod, but stopped at the idea Lydia suggested. "If there's anything out there, would be best if we weren't."

Because who really knew what remained? Ira still took Lydia's hand however, holding out his free hand to produce a small purple flame they could huddle around to stave off hypothermia just a little longer. Though if someone had something that would burn slow, he'd be more than happy to act as a lighter. "Lead the way."

Saori gave Lydia a reassuring squeeze as she held onto Mary's. "I'll keep a look out if anything approaches then," she said.

Eagle Vision would let her know if they were alone or not. Given the cold, any monster here would most likely have an affinity to ice magic. Only problem was there's only so many healing items like ethers to go around. Something told her to not expect any survivors up in Santa's Village, but it could provide shelter at the very least.

Mary was in agreement with Ira. While the rope does have merit they still need the freedom to scatter and move if need be. Or god forbid if the ground gave way they wouldn't benefit to all being dragged to their deaths as one.

But she joined hands with the others as they started to set out, moving through the snow. She shivered as the wind cut through her clothes, but she appreciated what the flame was able to offer at least. She wondered if her ninja skills could help as well. Some quick hand seals and she used her Ninjitsu to cast Katon into the air. The burst of flame was brief, and only briefly comforting.

"Tch. We'll need to find a place to make camp if we really want to warm up. For now we should keep moving."

The snowy wind prevented the Heroes from traveling quickly as they wanted, as they were only able to see several feet ahead of them. Thankfully, the compass did its job well and oriented them towards the east, and they all remained close together. However, the biting cold would surely take them all if they did not find shelter eventually. The four would continue through the empty wastelands without seeing another soul for a while, not surprising considering the weather. Without Mary's Katon and Ira's flame, they would have frozen to death early.

However, as they traveled towards the east, Saori would see a dark shape in the far distance. It did not move about nor look like any living creature, but it was headed in the opposite direction of the Village of Santa Claus.

She would've muttered a curse for not having the small brazier she used for her Fumomancer job, but she remembered she had left it with Brigid in case she needed to change jobs. Her heart sunk just thinking about both her and Bonnie in the last moments before going into stasis. However she didn't have much time to dwell on it when something that wasn't snow was visible.

"Guys, I saw something move just now," Saori lifted a finger to signal everyone to keep quiet.

"I don't think it's noticed us but it came from the Village. Let's see if we can secure one of those houses while it's away." Right now anything with at least two walls and roof will just about do it.

Even with the flames on hand Mary's clothing was just not suited to the weather they were finding themselves in now, nor did waking up in the snow in the first place. While they hadn't been laying there that whole time it still managed to get some of the snow in places it might not have normally. So as they kept moving she kept closer to Saori for warmth, huddling against her.

But she was shivering, and numbness was starting to turn into faint sensations of heat. She was used to the tropics but she still knew enough about the cold to know the warning signs. "Shelter...defnitely need sheter first." Her teeth chattered and she hated herself for seeming weak like this, but she pushed against Saori to try to help speed their pace.

Whatever it was Saori saw, there was no sense chasing after it if they died from the cold in the pursuit.

Despite his many months in Animus, he himself never did well with the far-below-freezing temperatures of the December months. This frozen wasteland was no exception. He offered to either huddle closer to Lydia or carry her, should her strength fail, both to keep them together and stay warm. Now more than ever, as he noticed his hair was already starting to freeze at the ends from the cold. One look at Mary, and he knew she was right. If he had to guess, they were likely both in the first stages of hypothermia.

"Then north," he replied in hushed tones. "But keep an eye on it."

He had a bad feeling about whatever it was that Saori saw, so he activates his Darkness Sense.

Lydia huddled closer to Ira, shaking her head at the offer of carrying---and she was too cold to blush. She didn't speak at first, biting her lip and trying not to bite through it as she trudged with them.

She didn't know if it was worth it, but maybe--since there was clearly something out there. Closing her eyes, hand spreading out, she focused for a moment to call the functions of the P.K.E Meter to the forefront. Any warning would be better than nothing and it gave her something to concentrate on besides how cold they were.

The wind continued to blow harshly, and eventually the other three were able to see the shape heading in their general direction. To Saori, the object took on a roughly rectangular shape.

During this time, The P.K.E. meter did not indicate paranormal activity, even as the distance grew shorter. The same readings were received from pointing it at the snow.

However, Ira did get something from his Darkness Sense. There was something there...but if he had tested this ability on regular civilians, he would recall finding this level of darkness in a small group of people. Or it could be one somewhat mean person.

The good thing is he had practiced - a lot, especially leading up to their recapturing of Narasimha. He tries to focus on the machine he can barely see through the snowfall, only to shake his head.

"...It's too far for me to tell, but it's either a small group of people in there, or just one person with one hell of a grudge." he whispered just loud enough for them to hear. Looking toward Lydia, he nodded once. If nothing else he could open a path for her or the others to quickly withdraw to their current location should one decide to scout it out.

Lydia was still biting her lip, her brow furrowed for a moment as she thought. Then a quick nod, squeezing Ira's hand. "Keep an eye on me." This was one way she could be very useful, and she was the most used to cold of any of them...

Another squeeze, and then she's letting go of Ira's hand. A few steps out, before summoning up the transformation to her bat-form with a small jump into the air. Tiny, but trusting her friends--she's circling once, before flapping towards the object to try and see what she can sense or tell from the air. The advantages to being a bat were that she could be small and agile--and well, if it went badly--she WAS a vampire. She'd come back.

"Be careful," Saori whispered as she watched Lydia transform. However she knew they couldn't just stand there and become Heroes of Light Popsicles. They'll have to keep pressing forward but not too far away from brave Lydia.

She got out a smoke bomb ready and held onto both Ira and Mary. If push comes to shove, after Ira can extract Lydia from harm, she could keep them at a safe distance from that thing approaching them.

Mary frowned at the assessment. So close to some place they might be able to rest and of course they're risking getting into a fight. The weather or a monster, either was dangerous and potentially fatal, but something she trusted this little quartet could handle. Both at once though.

She rubbed her hands together and took high steps through the snow, trying to get her blood moving and her body warmed, trying to limber up in case she had to fight. She dared not use another katon and risk showing their hand or provoking whatever it was.

"If we have to run, I'm not sure I can make it," she muttered. She gave Saori and Ira a meaningful look, "If I fall, don't put yourselves in danger to save me." It was awful that they kept going in a round like this but she didn't want this to end for them like it did for her back in Jamaica. Nor did she want the blood of the others spilled for her sake. If she was going to die once and for all, she'd rather it be fighting.

As a bat, Lydia was not able to see well even if the weather wasn't a factor. However, with enhanced hearing and echolocation, she managed to keep her distance while flying close enough to get a reading on whatever was out there. Either her presence was not noticed by the object, or said object didn't care.

She would first hear the sound of something heavy being dragged through the snow, and when getting closer, the dull sound of light, rapid footsteps. Other than that, it was completely silent.

Echolocation was a bit dulled by the snow, but she would detect a large, wooden rectangle with the top covered in something soft like cloth. In front were three large bird-shaped things creating those footprints, and in the front of the rectangular objects revealed two humans. Said humans appeared to be sitting.

Well--whatever it was, didn't seem like a threat. Yet. Swooping a few times as Lydia tried to make sense of it. It took her a moment, before she realized what it most likely was. Or close to it--a Covered Wagon!

It was a chance, but they needed it--badly.

Seeking more height, so she'd be visible and she looped a few times. Not in distress but trying to signal it was alright, she was alright, and this might be safety. Then she took another chance, and moved out a bit, before dropping to a safe-height and changing back to her normal form. "HEY!" She yelled, waving her arms at the...thing's direction. "PLEASE stop! Help us!"

The two people didn't take any notice of Lydia while she was a bat and transforming into her regular form; their gazes were directed at the Chocobos and the white expanse before them. At the sound of a girl's voice, one of them grabbed their partner by the shoulder and pointed at the figure a short distance away.

Looking more carefully, the covered wagon was more of a covered sleigh: a large wood sled that appeared to be full, judging by the lumpy blanket that was tied over the top. The person holding the Chocobo reigns shouted, and the birds veered towards Lydia.

Once they were close enough, the one not driving leaned out of their seat. "Hey, you okay?" The voice was deep, like an tough older man. "What're you doin' out here?"

"For heaven's sake, help her in!" The driver, a woman, snapped. "She's nearly freezing to death! Scoot over, Kadoc. Give her room." The man obliged and held out a hand to help her up.

As they got a little bit closer, he noticed Lydia flying up and around the sleigh. Oh thank all that is good and right, they're saved- Shit, are those chocobos?

Ffffffffffffffffffffffffff-

"All clear," he muttered, before motioning for his two moms to follow as he started to move just a little faster through the snow. "HEY, over here!" Ira called out over the winds, doing his utmost not to collapse right then and there from the cold that suddenly became even more real to him now. "Help!"

Mary's eyes widened as she heard Lydia's voice, raised as it was. For a moment she couldn't help but worry things were going badly. But then it seemed that they'd actually found help. Better late than never. Better frigid than dead.

She shivered, clinging to Saori as they moved forward towards the sleigh. She tried to join Ira in calling out but her voice felt like a hard lump in her throat. Her eyes were getting heavy too. No. Just a little further, come on. She punched herself in a thigh, taking care not to stab herself, using the pain to keep herself alert and the contact to keep her blood moving.

"Come...on..."

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Apologies for jumping-order.

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