It was the wind that first lured Richard back to wakefulness-- cool, gentle, and most of all, familiar. So familiar, in fact, that for a moment he was certain he must have fallen asleep on his desk with the window open again, the terrifying sinking sensation and the mysterious crystal nothing more than images conjured up by yet another unpleasant dream...
... no. No, that couldn't be right. Because if that had been a dream, then everything that had happened on Fodra must have been a dream as well, and the pain he'd felt from the injuries he sustained in the battle against Little Queen had been no figment of his imagination.
"Wake up, kupo!"
A voice? But one he'd never heard before...
Slowly he opened his eyes, squinting against the pale green-tinged light of the room. Where...?
"It's about time you woke up, sleepyhead. This isn't the place to be taking a long nap, kupo."
"... who are you? And... where am I?"
Whatever was going on, Richard could already tell that he didn't like it.
[B - Trano Golsaucia]
Cold. Richard had never been particularly good with the cold, and the cold in the areas outside this city rivaled the temperatures of Fendel, though at least the wind was less biting and the magitek kept the city itself relatively temperate. But that was where the similarities between the two cities ended. The atmosphere here was nothing like Fendel's, for one thing; there was far too much joy and exuberance here, too much life in the city. The people here were happy, and their happiness was contagious, enough so to bring a slight smile to Richard's face and make him forget the chill of the air. As uneasy as he still felt about the entire situation, it was hard to brood too much in the face of so many new and fascinating things.
The only question was... what to try first?
[C - Aqures Ixen]
Richard had always thought Barona to be a large city-- and it was, by Ephinean standards. Compared to this, however, it almost seemed like some backwater hamlet. To say Aqures Ixen was huge would be an understatement. Never before had Richard seen a city so impressive; he couldn't help the tiny pang of what he was certain must be jealousy as he wandered its streets, intent on simply exploring.
But there was far too much to see in a single day, and it wasn't long before he found himself getting tired and hungry and in need of a chance to just sit down and rest for a while. So, with Frieda's assistance, he turned at last in the direction of where she told him he would find his new house, hoping that the strangers who were going to be his housemates were people he would be able to get along with (or at least tolerate)...
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It was the wind that first lured Richard back to wakefulness-- cool, gentle, and most of all, familiar. So familiar, in fact, that for a moment he was certain he must have fallen asleep on his desk with the window open again, the terrifying sinking sensation and the mysterious crystal nothing more than images conjured up by yet another unpleasant dream...
... no. No, that couldn't be right. Because if that had been a dream, then everything that had happened on Fodra must have been a dream as well, and the pain he'd felt from the injuries he sustained in the battle against Little Queen had been no figment of his imagination.
"Wake up, kupo!"
A voice? But one he'd never heard before...
Slowly he opened his eyes, squinting against the pale green-tinged light of the room. Where...?
"It's about time you woke up, sleepyhead. This isn't the place to be taking a long nap, kupo."
"... who are you? And... where am I?"
Whatever was going on, Richard could already tell that he didn't like it.
[B - Trano Golsaucia]
Cold. Richard had never been particularly good with the cold, and the cold in the areas outside this city rivaled the temperatures of Fendel, though at least the wind was less biting and the magitek kept the city itself relatively temperate. But that was where the similarities between the two cities ended. The atmosphere here was nothing like Fendel's, for one thing; there was far too much joy and exuberance here, too much life in the city. The people here were happy, and their happiness was contagious, enough so to bring a slight smile to Richard's face and make him forget the chill of the air. As uneasy as he still felt about the entire situation, it was hard to brood too much in the face of so many new and fascinating things.
The only question was... what to try first?
[C - Aqures Ixen]
Richard had always thought Barona to be a large city-- and it was, by Ephinean standards. Compared to this, however, it almost seemed like some backwater hamlet. To say Aqures Ixen was huge would be an understatement. Never before had Richard seen a city so impressive; he couldn't help the tiny pang of what he was certain must be jealousy as he wandered its streets, intent on simply exploring.
But there was far too much to see in a single day, and it wasn't long before he found himself getting tired and hungry and in need of a chance to just sit down and rest for a while. So, with Frieda's assistance, he turned at last in the direction of where she told him he would find his new house, hoping that the strangers who were going to be his housemates were people he would be able to get along with (or at least tolerate)...