An Ishgarian's Journey | THEO

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Sat Oct 16, 2021 2:57 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

The trip to Sinhaven with Not-Markus had unfortunately not gone as successfully as they had hoped, the information and aid she had hoped for had proved further out of reach than she initially hoped for. On the bright side, her body was more acclimatised to the word now, animals seemed less hostile around her, and she was beginning to understand the more minor details regarding survival in this unique world known as Vyldermire. She was also a little bit stronger now, her magic hadn't come back completely, but it was getting there. Fortunately, her combat skills and natural agility hadn't been lost. Which meant with time, she would be strong enough to protect herself adequately. Although hopefully, that wouldn't be necessary, as she still intended to leave this place as soon as possible.

Spending time with William, the Mirean doppelganger of the man she loved, had been such a pained experience to endure. As much as she tried to take comfort in his familiar features, and kind nature. It wasn't enough to ease her sorrows and served as a constant reminder of what she had left back home. She needed to get back, and so, after learning what she had from their trip, she had relieved him of his need to aid her, and bid him farewell. She wished him well, truly, but for the first time, she wished she would never see him again. Because seeing him again, would only hurt her more. The next time she looked at those familiar features, they should belong to her love, her Markus.

In addition to experience, and further familiarity with the world, Nessa had learned one useful piece of information from her trip. There was a place that could, potentially, help her. A place on the island of Rivengate, named AURA. Apparently, it was some kind of research facility built for helping her kind, so that Otherworlders could research safely. Maybe they would know a way for her to get home, or at the very least, give her the tools to get closer to that goal. She had settled into the understanding that regardless, this wasn't going to be a quick experience, and so had done odd jobs here and there for some quick cash. Killed a few slimes, cleaned a few gutters, and so on. She had earned enough to hopefully get her there, although depending on circumstance she knew that she may need to find work on the way.

Nessa stood in front of the Adventurer's Guild building, checking her map and eying the sky. Pulling the faded white cloak tighter around herself. It was noon, which meant the carriage she had arranged should be arriving soon. She couldn't afford to buy a horse and carriage, but apparently renting one was a thing here. A costly experience, but something necessary. Walking all the way from Engloria to Miriad seemed like it could take weeks, maybe even a month. She wasn't exactly sure of the scale of the maps here, but she didn't want to waste so much time just from getting one place to another. The sight of a floating carriage moving in her direction caught her eye, she beamed in relief, hurrying over to it.

The driver would clap twice, calling out the command 'Park', following which the carriage would lower itself to the ground. Hopping off the vehicle, he would turn to her, "Take it yer Ms Blossom eh, al'rite, less go over a couple things." He commented gruffly. After which there was a small discussion with the owner as he went over the policy's with her, and run through the return date of said carriage. Apparently, the carriage would make its way back, magically enchanted to return to him. It was weird, seeing a carriage with no horses, but not too surprising considering the various things she had seen in this world so far. He would go over the commands designed to get the carriage to stop, and start, along with other various notes. Nessa nodded along, trying to take in all the instructions as best as she could. Finally, once he was done, she would hand him the payment, climbing into the carriage's front seat and watching as the man wandered off in the direction of the nearest tavern.

"Um... okay so... Move." She commanded, double clapping her hands together. The carriage would shake, before lifting off the ground and moving along the Englorian streets. Elated, Nessa let out a laugh, before sighing. Sitting back, she spoke softly to herself, "Rivengate, here we come."

WC: 758 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Sun Oct 17, 2021 11:39 am

Today would be a fateful day! A one-in-a-million chance! His lucky day!

Theo Silversong didn't know that yet, but whatever.

As with any of his actual good luck, it had to be preceded and balanced by some truly horrible luck, which is what had him bouncing through the streets of Engloria this fine day, teary-eyed and wailing. It was nice that some of his prior abilities had returned, but others hadn't. The Jello basics were enough to work with, allowing him to bounce and slip and squiggle, but he had yet to be able to pull out his larger tricks that, now that he couldn't use them, he realized he had relied on maybe a bit too much. Also, and this weirded him out, there were some small changes to his magic that he couldn't explain. He knew that the demon inside him was gone, so why did his jello look so demonic sometimes? That had never happened before! The demon stuff and the jello stuff didn't mix!

And when it did, it tasted as demonic as it was. Terrible. Bitter! A little spicy, which he hated most of all! Spicy horny jello- wait, that wasn't the right wording...

Anyway, his jello wasn't the source of his bad luck this time. Had he been selling jiggly treats in town for money when he wasn't working and sometimes failing guild jobs? Yes. Had it already gotten him in trouble several times? Yes, but so did pickpocketing. Theo wasn't super settled with the fact that he'd slipped into some shameful old habits to keep himself afloat, desperately trying to get to this Ribbergate (he was never going to get these names right). The people he stole from didn't have a clue, but sometimes his guilt got the better of him and he'd try to return it. Reversing the skill was actually really hard, so he got caught! People got mad! He got chased! But that's not what happened here either.

No, this day, someone's pet Wooly Curly Horn (a spokoram) had taken personal offense to his face (noticed he was out of tune with the world) and broke off its leash to mercilessly chase him! The creature was just in a really bad mood, he guessed. It looked so hot in the summer sun with all that white wool, but also, who cared about the weird aggro animal? Theo was running for his life and no one was helping him at all! The thing charged and hit him hard square in the back just as he was rounding an intersection, rocketing him over a curiously haunted carriage.

"AAAIIIIIEEEEEEE!" he squealed as he soared overhead, but then he had an idea midair.

Just as he hit the ground on the other side of the carriage, he took this one moment of broken line of sight to put a spin on his bounce, launching backward into the window of the carriage where he hid in the floorboard. The monster vaulted impressively over the carriage as well, assuming his prey had kept running forward, so off into the crowded distance it went.

Theo breathed a shaky sigh of relief, reaching up to massage the scarring over on his chest as it and everything under it ached from the exertion he knew he couldn't really handle anymore. He gasped and wheezed pitifully for a few moments before dragging himself up and climbing out of the window and onto the roof, where he peered down at the white-haired lady driver.

"Yo, where we going?" he asked, not yet recognizing the woman as a familiar face from his old world.

[wc: 602 || total: 1360]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:55 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

Nessa had been settled into the motion of the carriage, despite her excitement for the journey she had just about relaxed into her seat. Watching the streets and passers-by idly as the carriage carried her along in a speedy albeit relaxed manner. In those moments she had allowed her thoughts to wander, escaping into one of her regular daydreams. Pictures of home in her mind's eye, the laughter of her family, the smiles of her friends, the firm embrace Markus would give her. Put together from memories so vivid that she almost forgot where she was, almost.

A loud crash would tear her from her daydream, causing her to jump in her seat with a shriek. Spinning in her seat, she watched as a ram looking creature soared directly over the carriage behind her, before landing on the other side and sprinting away with determination. Swore the carriage had shaken, was there a herd running through here? Had one hit the vehicle? She turned around and peered over the side from which the ram had come from, checking the side of the carriage for damage. The last thing she needed was to had damaged the thing so early on in her journey, she hadn't even gotten out of Engloria yet!

The sound of movement from behind her would cause her to straighten once more. Peering over the roof and watching as a figure climbed up onto it. Swiftly, she reached for her knife, gripping the hilt in case she needed to fight. Ignoring the man's question, she hissed her own, "What are you-" She would stop mid-sentence, eyes frozen on his face. There was something... extremely familiar about this person. She stared wordlessly, eyes narrowing as she examined him, trying to place where she knew him.

A long pause would go on before the nostalgic clip of her flicking through magazine pages for her Wizard Saint interviews came to mind. She would gasp audibly, letting go of the knife and covering her mouth in surprise. It was Theo Silversong. She recognised him as the ace of Silver Wolf, the guild her own had once been allied with. She hadn't known Theo at all, but he had appeared often in magazines, and she had run into him on a mission once. She had never really had a conversation with the man, but in spite of this, seeing another familiar face from her world would cause tears to spring to her eyes.

There was however, one problem.

From her experience with William, she knew that the likelihood that this was the Theo from Ishgar was very slim. In fact, it was highly probable that this was just another doppelganger. But then again... she had fallen into this world, hadn't she? Maybe she wasn't the only one?

"Miriad, and then onto Rivengate. That's where I'm going." She said tentatively, before asking a question of her own, "Where are you going?"

WC: 487 TWC: 1847 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Mon Oct 18, 2021 12:06 am

"Rivengate!" he repeated loudly with wide eyes, in recognition that that was what it was really called and as an answer to her question and that he was fortunate enough to find someone heading to the exact place he'd been trying to get to, but his plans to beg the woman to let him ride along for whatever coin was in his pockets was derailed by his own sense of familiarity. He seemed to freeze in place once he said it, giving her teary-eyed face a long, slack-mouthed stare with his own iceberg eyes.

He remembered her.

Unlike Nessa, who had already had run-ins with doppelgangers, Theo had yet to see a single soul that was familiar in this scary new place and had no idea that that was a thing. He'd felt so lonely and scared, but now, here was someone! Even with the nice new people he'd met, Yasmina and Emi, it wasn't the same. As soon as he recognized her, his own eyes filled with tears and he hopped down into the seat beside her, grabbing her up into his arms. "Nessa! Nessa, Nessa!" he nearly sobbed, sniffling as if he'd just found an old friend he'd thought was dead. They hadn't really been friends. He'd only seen her in the magazines he thumbed through when he'd once dreamed of being a big hero. Theo had wanted his name listed under hers! He'd seen her at guild alliance meetings where they were both aces at two of the involved guilds. Once they'd been on the same quest, but there hadn't been time for talk. Still, the fact that she was a familiar face from home was good enough. They might as well be best friends. They were all each other had, as far as Theo was concerned.

"It's been so weird and scary here with the slimes and the animals that hate me and the not making money thing because my magic is all jacked up and my body is toast and the few people I still had are gone, even though that's probably better for them but still!" he warbled on, sniffling harder so he wouldn't snot on her, but eventually falling quiet and subdued.

"I'm really glad to see you, Nessa."

[wc: 376 || total: 2223]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Mon Oct 18, 2021 1:14 am

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

She was trying not to hope. Truly. Trying desperately to suppress that need to feel a little less far from home, a little less like she was trapped in a strange world with no way of knowing how she was going to get home. Yet the more she looked at his face the harder it was to fight the feeling that the Ishgarian Theo Silversong was looking down at her and not some lookalike bandit who might be trying to rob her in an overly friendly way.

And then he descended upon her. She barely had time to react as he swooped down and scooped her up into a hug. Sobbing her name like an old pal, her eyes would widen as her hopes were confirmed to be true, and the tears that had threatened to leave her own eyes would escape. Pouring down her cheeks with reckless abandoned, she would squeeze him back. "It's you, it's really you." She cried in desperate relief. She pulled back, reaching up to grab his face. "Theo, you're like me yes? From Ishgar? You were in Silver Wolf?" She asked hastily, wanting to triple check that this was the truth, despite being pretty damn certain at this point. It was strange, back in her own world she hadn't known Theo well enough to be this friendly with him, but there was something about the reassurance that she wasn't alone that smashed through any walls of civility and normal social convention.

She nodded at his words, letting out a half-sob half-laugh as he complained about all the things she could relate to. The suffering she had endured since coming here, "I can't believe I found you. I was so lost Theo, I woke up in the forest and I have no idea how I got here. My memory is all foggy and my magic doesn't work properly." She would babble in return, her voice a higher pitch than normal as she pushed through talking and crying at the same time. She squeezed him once more, "I'm glad to see you too. At first, I didn't think you were real. Well, not like you aren't real but... well I've met doubles of people from home in this world, who aren't the people I know. I thought you were a Theo lookalike, but you're the real deal. Thank goodness." She choked at the end, still sobbing profusely despite the elated smile she was showing him. Her hands darted up to wipe her face, and she too would sniff eccentrically.

WC: 422 TWC: 2645 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Mon Oct 18, 2021 10:08 am

Truth be told, most of the talk of look-alikes went over his head completely. He didn't care to consider it and what it implied. All that mattered was that, by some extremely good luck, he'd run across someone from Ishgar, someone he knew, literally the person closest to him in this whole world. It nagged at the back of his head that he should leave her alone and find his own way to Rivengate for her own good but, once again, he was being selfish. Just like he'd been selfish so many times before. Theo kept thinking he could stay near without getting too close, so he could get the interaction he craved but keep them safe from whatever curse was on his life. Was he thinking too hard about it right now? No, he was too excited. Too soggy.

Not one for typical social conventions. Personal space was all but foreign to him. Between touching each other's faces and hugging, Theo's wet face displayed a happy, heart-broken grin. "Don't cry!" he chuckle-sobbed as if he wasn't doing the same thing. Theo pulled his tattered sleeves down over his palms as he momentarily released her from his grasp, dabbing the fabric of one at her cheeks while doing the same to his own with the other.

Starting to calm down, he still couldn't help but sit there and stare at her as if he'd just found the sparkliest, shiniest treasure. The relief he felt was overwhelming. For just this one moment, he felt hopeful. It was just the tiniest spark of light in the suffocating darkness, but it was enough for now. When able, Theo would attempt to grab Nessa's hand, as if to anchor her as something real that wouldn't slip away. "Not a look-alike, just plain ol' Theo from Fiore. I guess I fell in another wormhole about a month ago and ended up here. Losing everything again is hard, but maybe it'll get better now. I heard there are a lot of people like us in Rivengate. Do you think there are more from our world? I wonder how this even happened..."

[wc: 355 || total: 3000]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Mon Oct 18, 2021 10:07 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

It was somewhat overwhelming. To come across him and have such a joyous and emotional reunion. It was genuinely the best thing that had happened to her since she got here, she even wondered if she might be dreaming, but fortunately, she didn't seem to be waking up. Thank goodness she wasn't waking up. So many hope driven dreams of reunions with her loved ones from which she was woken abruptly had left her feeling lost and alone. After a waterfall of tears and intense sniffling, the flow of crying would begin to ease, and her cheeks began to feel a little less damp. Although her eyes remained a little puffy and her cheeks rosy from the emotional outburst she had just had.

She inhaled, allowing Theo to take her hand and releasing a content sigh as he confirmed it was him. The word 'Fiore' music to her ears, finally someone from home. What a wonderful turn of events! She would sit herself down, still holding his hand she would encourage him to sit down next to her so they could get more comfortable. There was something very natural about this gesture, holding this man's hand. Despite the fact she barely knew him, their circumstance made it seemed normal, almost necessary. His presence was comforting, allowing her to feel that he was a real being. And she was sure he probably felt the same, else he would have pulled away by now.

"I heard that too, there's a facility there named AURA, apparently they specialise in helping people like us; Otherworlders. And well, if we're both here, then maybe we weren't the only ones right?" She said hopefully, "So you've been here a month huh, I think it's been a few weeks for me too. Did you land in Hoptus Forest too?"

WC: 302 TWC: 3302 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Tue Oct 19, 2021 1:47 am

AURA. It sounded a little like a guild, or maybe that was him just hoping it was. He missed Silver Wolf about as much as he'd missed Crystal Swan, though his more recent guild had seen him hiding more in his room than creating chaos throughout the hall. Still, he'd had something like family there, even if he did keep them at a distance. To have something like that again was another big comfort, whether he found a way home or not.

"Yep. Flopped out on my back and caused a Neko named Yasmina with a Bertie to fall out of a tree, then we got chased by a scary unicorn that reminded me of Murphy. She put me on track to Engloria, the adventurer's guild, and Rivengate," he explained, his other hand flailing with his usual level of animation and theatrics. Theo could be very energetic and dramatic, and talking to someone familiar made him feel a bit more like himself.

Settling in comfortably at her side, he kept her hand as if they'd done it a thousand times. It was weird how insane circumstances could bring people together and break down barriers. Now that he was calmer and less soggy, he was starting to notice things about the carriage. His brows creased, turning slowly to face Nessa again. "So...ghost horses? Is this thing pulled by ghost horses?" he wanted to know, his voice squeaking a little at the end. All the carriages he'd seen had unicorns or horses or sometimes a white buffalo thing, but... these were clear. Invisible. Ghosts. Don't freak out, don't freak out, not all ghosts are bad...

[wc: 273 || total: 3575]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Tue Oct 19, 2021 11:13 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

So he had arrived the same way she had, curious. Really. Did that mean all Otherworlders came into this world that way? Or were there other portals or methods through which they arrived in Vyldermire? She had so many questions at this point, but asking locals or passersby just seemed out of the question. No matter how much she tried, they really didn't want to talk to her, aside from Cassian and Mark-... William. Hopefully, AURA would be more accomodating.

Despite not knowing who he meant by Murphy or Bertie, Nessa would nod along with his information, not sweating the details. "I joined the Adventurer's Guild too. I ran into someone who wanted to help and we went to the Sinhaven... it was scary. Kind of like the Neutral Grounds had a baby with the Cursed Lands." She shuddered visibly, glad that she was far, far away from that place and hoping she would be fortunate enough to never need to go back. "anyway, they couldn't really help me, but they did tell me about Rivengate. So I hurried back here to arrange a means of getting there."

His question threw her, she blinked a few times before realising what he meant. "Huh? Oh! No... no, no, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure the carriage is just enchanted or something. Like floaty navigation magic or something. If there were horses we'd hear them." She reassured him casually with a smile, and if they were ghosts, she'd be having a major freak out right now. Of all the things she's left behind in Fiore, her fear of ghosts was not one of them. "I hate ghosts too, I could never go into a haunted house back home. I like freeze up, you know." She carried on conversationally.

WC: 297 TWC: 3872 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Wed Oct 20, 2021 12:19 pm

"Heh...same. I guess you're right. Ghost horses would still smell like ghost poo, anyway... maybe. I've never smelled a ghost horse..." His mind wandered like it usually did. His attention span was abysmal and spastic, but he eventually made his way back around to the important things. Theo raised a finger and shot out the smallest bead of jello where he thought a ghost horse might be, though... would it have bounced off a ghost? He wasn't too smart, so he didn't think of that and just took it as confirmation that there was no ghostly invisible horse.

With that random issue 'resolved', he turned back to look at Nessa. "Sinhaven sounds scary," he frowned, wrinkling his nose a bit. The cursed lands were indeed cursed and spooky and scary, and he couldn't say he liked the idea of it being mixed with a big city. However, he'd yet to really have any interactions with Eldritch as a whole, as far as he knew (which was incorrect, but what he didn't know hadn't seemed to hurt him). It was possible that he was still quite ignorant to what exactly eldritch were in the scheme of things, and he definitely didn't know they had their own realm and territories, despite having recently been deep inside where he shouldn't be. He knew of humans and Anthros, mostly because of Yas.

"Hopefully Rivengate isn't scary like Sinhaven... Do you know what it's like there?" he asked, suddenly nervous about their shared destination. Not enough to get off the carriage, since this was the first true break he'd gotten since his arrival, but if it was like Sinhaven... doing odd jobs and living on Emi's boat didn't sound so bad. Maybe a small life away from everyone would be for the best? He'd have to wait and see. He'd told Yasmina he didn't plan to rush to get home, but knowing how to return if he wanted to see his family would be nice. But also... maybe it was best he stay here? His face darkened at the thought and he turned away, looking ahead, though his thumb brushed back and forth against her thumb as if it would comfort him. A smile forced its way onto his lips, trying to cut through the uncertainty and sadness before it got away from him. "Maybe it's like Bosco? I went there once! Very techy, though I can't say I appreciated the giant lizard and the laser blast that zapped the butt out of my favorite pants..."

[wc: 421 || total: 4293]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Wed Oct 20, 2021 9:50 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

Nessa laughed at his response, not entirely sure if ghost's pooed considering that they were dead but decided not to correct him on it, it was better that he felt comfortable. The last thing they needed was to be freaked out for the entire journey. Besides, she was about ninety-five per cent sure that her theory on the magic used on the carriage was right. Not only that but she had gotten the contact details for the carriage renter from the Adventurer's Guild, so that had to stand for something right? Such a prestigious system wouldn't hand out the contact details for a business unless it was legitimate - at least that was what she hoped.

"Hopefully, according the map it's in the Freelands and Sinhaven was in the Outer realm. The outer realm is run by the Eldritch, and the Freelands... um... the G-Gaiyans I think? So it had to be the opposite no? Who knows. It's just like one big island on its own so I'm told, so it's bound to be different." She would ramble on hopefully, she didn't know what to expect, but her hopes were high. Mainly due to the fact that it was the home of AURA, an institution built to help people like her. Surely that meant it wasn't so bad.

Her own thought train had left her oblivious to the sad thoughts Theo was experiencing right now. Only refocusing her attention as he spoke up once more. His suggestion caused Nessa to tilt her head thought in confusion, "Wait... did the lizard have a gun or did it shoot the lasers another way. I've never been to Bosco, nor have I heard of any laser shooting lizards. Sounds wild! why did it attack you? Did you enter its territory?" She leaned in curious to hear more about the story.

WC: 307 TWC: 4600 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Sat Oct 23, 2021 11:27 am

Theo had no idea what a Gaiyan was, but didn't really care enough to ask. It didn't seem like important information, at least not yet. If he asked now, he'd likely forget when it whenever it became important, anyway. More interesting was Nessa asking about the treasure hunt he'd just mentioned.

"The laser out of his face somewhere, I think. I was running, of course, but it happened while it was roaring at me," Theo responded thoughtfully, trying to recall specific details but coming up with just a lot of frantic screaming and fear before his buttcheeks were hanging out for all to see. "His mouth or eyes? I don't think it was a gun..."

His countenance turned a bit sheepish once she asked for more details, like why he was there to begin with. This was slightly before his settling in Fiore and his short-lived stint as a Rising Star, so he'd been up to the same antics he had been lately here in Vyldermire. Trying to find his place and make things work when his only collection of skills were in taking stuff. "I may have been in its territory..." he said with a grin, the finger of his free hand raising to scratch his cheek.

The jello mage then sprung to life, eager to tell an interesting tale to his fellow carriage passenger, just like he used to do with his friends around the campfires in Desierto. "To be fair, these things were huge, Nessa. Huge! Like the tallest building you can think of in Fiore, except they roar like RAAAWWWRR! And they attacked Bosco like it was their job, so Bosco was always fighting them off with big robot things! Also huge! They were called....uh... Mecha? Gundams? And those things fire lasers, too, from guns and hands and chests, and sometimes they fly! Zoom, pew pew pew! It's really cool to see, but also really scary, because can you imagine things that big fighting over this metal town full of tech stuff you've never seen? They had a big energy bubble around it just to keep it from being blown off the map!" Theo detailed, hand waving animatedly, complete with scrunched, toothy facial expressions for the monsters and finger guns for the robots. The faster he talked, the thicker his Desierto accent became, though never so thick that he couldn't be understood. His eyes were bright, shining with excitement from the memory he seemed to be reliving, but after a moment he calmed back down.

"Anyway, I thought they'd be busy fighting each other like some action movie so I could sneak in and get my hands on the biggest pearl I've ever seen from a helicopter I heard it'd snatched out of the air, but... heh, sometimes things just go really wrong, you know?" he chuckled wryly. It was an understatement, but hey, he still came out with the treasure, so was it really bad luck? "My crew had to look at my naked buttcrack the whole rest of the hunt since I was in front. And that's why I always keep an extra set of pants and undies in my bag...well, kept. I don't have the money for extra undies yet."

[wcL 537 || total: 5137]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:48 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

Nessa would listen to Theo's tale with bright eyes and vigorous nodding, chiming in occasionally with an 'Mhmm' or an 'Oh'. But all in all, hanging onto his words with curious fascination. It was a strange thing to delight in but one nonetheless, the simple joy to be taken from hearing someone talk about home. She relished it, trying her best to follow what it was that he was telling her, it really was a statement to how home-sick, nay, home-starved the girl really was. An Theo was a piece of home, nattering away before her a most interesting, albeit wild story. It was also interesting to learn about Bosco, one of the many nations back home that she had yet to visit. That was if she still had the chance to visit.

She would giggle at the part about his rear being exposed to his crew for the remainder of their hunt, "Spare undies is always a good shout, hopefully, we can get some work when we get to Rivengate, then you can buy lots of spares!" She mused cheerily, "I fought mechanical monsters once, so I can imagine the chaos. I did this mission on the Shadow Islands with my friend Johann, we fought all these crazy clockwork creatures. Hey were you a part of that big mission the alliance took in Tsak Ordahic, when that pandemic broke out in Tolgalen?" She inquired, remembering the time their guilds had been in an alliance. Fairy Tail, Silver Wolf and Onyx Moon had all been a part of the Silver Moon Fairy alliance, working together to investigate a plague that had spread in Onyx Moon's region. Another wild adventure from back home.

WC: 282 TWC: 5419 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Thu Oct 28, 2021 10:21 am

Theo's eyes glazed over slightly at the mention of Tolgalen and Tsak Ordahic. There was a tickle at the base of his skull, that same feeling he got when anything in the months following Rin's death came up. It felt like a dream... or more of a nightmare. He hadn't entirely been himself when all of that was going on. The demon inside him had become his body's autopilot. Part of himself had retreated deep inside to hide from his lover's death and the loss of his guild family. The memory had fuzzy edges, but the memory was there all the same.

"I was," he said, voice distant as he tried to recall details. He had the memory of being in the diseased place with some people, but he didn't remember who all of them were. "It was this gross beach. Stunk so bad! Everything was rotten. I was in Leona's group. I don't really remember what exactly we were trying to do, though. Get samples? I think I fought a few huge zombie crabs... were there Cyclopses? I feel like I fought one of those...or something else really big... Oh! It was a group of people fused together! I dunno why I thought it had one eye, it really had a lot!" he exclaimed, the image rushing back hard enough to make him flinch. "We killed the thing but it still kicked me while I was getting a sample of skin, which made me look silly in front of Leona... It was my first Silver Wolf mission. I think I was trying to impress her. I don't really know why I was trying to get its disgusting flesh, though. That doesn't sound like something I'd do..." Theo trailed off, rubbing his forehead. In a way, he was unaware that he'd become someone else so entirely, but that was probably for the best. It'd been a rough time and his mind was still trying to protect itself to this day. "I know I summoned my big Jello Mold... and it was full of nasties. You know, that was all very weird and gross..."

Though the memory had several people involved, he'd felt lonely then. Theo hadn't really thought about it until now, but that same aching loneliness he felt here, in a world where he knew basically no one (except Nessa by some strange luck), he'd felt back home, too. Like he didn't have a place to belong, as if the world made no space for him to exist and he was just tumbleweed. He hadn't let himself get close to Aspen or his guildmates, nor his rediscovered relatives. Theo had kept a wide orbit to keep them safe. Was going to AURA and trying to find a way back really a good idea? Something told him it wasn't, but he'd go check it out anyway.

"How about you? What was your zombie adventure like?"

[wc: 485 || total: 5904]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Tue Nov 02, 2021 6:43 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

Nessa would hear Theo's tale of his experience with handling the pandemic, nodding at his mention of gathering samples. But tilting her head thoughtfully as he spoke of cyclopses. She couldn't recall there having been any, but then again it was a long time ago, and her team had only covered so much ground. She smiled at the mention of Leona, remembering the Silver Wolf Guildmaster whom she had encountered a few times during missions and guild events. Leona had been such a nice person, another one to miss from home.

Nessa mused over the memories of her adventure, eyes softening as she recalled her companions; Markus, Aven and Haraka. It had been back when she and Aven were still friends, before she and Markus got together but the tension was there. It had been super dangerous, but also a lot of fun. "My group was part of the scouting teams, it was pretty rough. We fought these mutated bug things, boney crabs and zombies for a bit, one of my team members got separated from us. Fortunately, he was okay but still, it was pretty emotional at the time." She sighed, remembering how upset she had been when Aven had been pulled away during the mission, she had freaked out so hard. Luckily, her Valkyries had been there, able to keep her level-headed and focused on the task.

"We found this like a giant, castle thing, but it was all ruins basically... then these huge monsters came out, and we had to fight one each. I had to go against this like stone dragon monster thingy, it was like a mountain. I..." She paused again, remembering the voice that had spoken to her that day, that cursed voice. She hadn't heard it in so long. she remembered her rage, the anger that would take over every now and then. All the times she almost lost control, almost.

Snapping out of her momentary break into nostalgia, she threw Theo an awkward smile. "But yeah, we beat them and then got back safety. I wonder if there are big dragons like that here..."

WC: 352 TWC: 6256 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Sat Nov 06, 2021 10:19 am

"Oh my gooood, I'm so glad there wasn't a boney dragon where I was," he exclaimed, luminous eyes bugging dramatically. He'd said it before Nessa had finished her thought, leading his eyes to fly even wider at the concept she ended on. "Do you really think there are??" Theo asked, spooked. His hand squeezed hers and he turned to look at her. "They were rare in Ishgar, even though one flattened your guildhall that one time, right?" he asked, vaguely remembering hearing someone in Silver Wolf speak of it, but he'd been pretty deep into dark times then. There'd been a lot of time spent hiding in his room cocooned in blankets, generally only coming out when the guild gave him a job to do or he had to stamp someone. To be honest, if he wasn't basically homeless, he'd probably be doing something similar right now.

As if his question would answer itself by a dragon taking this exact moment to fly over, he then turned his eyes to the sky for a quick 360 degree look around. "I haven't seen any, so maybe there aren't," he said, though the way his tone swooped higher at the end made it sound like a question. Maybe it was, not for Nessa or himself, but for the universe. After a beat of silence, he smiled nervously. "I have the weirdest feeling that there are. This whole place just feels like a world that has lots of dragons and weird monsters. I've been attacked by slimes, unicorns, skeletons, and whatever that thing was from earlier... a spiky ram llama? I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a giant man-eating worm somewhere, too," the man almost pouted, vividly remembering the sandworm that had tried to eat him on that giant mission in the Unknown Lands. Not the best way to meet your young parents but it had worked out okay in the end...

[wc: 320 || total: 6576]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Wed Nov 10, 2021 9:45 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

Nessa shrugged, glancing away from Theo to her surroundings, they were moving further into the outskirts of Engloria. It was a slow transition but the more you travelled through the Miran capital city the more you could see the influence of wealth. At least that was something Nessa had noticed when travelling through here, it made her wonder what other towns would look like. She wouldn't allow her curiosity to grow too much though, growing attached to such a place was not permitted. She needed to get home, there was no time for exploring, her family were waiting for her, and nothing mattered more than that.

"Maybe, there are a lot of similarities to back home, but there are a lot of differences too. So maybe they do exist but if they do they probably rarely come into the city, and even if they do, I'm sure the people here know how to handle them. Monster hunting is big in this world right?" This she could only deduce from the lack of destroyed or burnt down buildings. At the mention of her guildhall being stomp, Nessa's eyes glazed over, her brow furrowed slightly. Trying to piece together what he was talking about, it was there in the back of her head. But the memories felt foggy, like she couldn't quite see it clearly. It took her a long moment before images trickled to the forefront of her mind. That's right, her guild had been crushed by a dragon, she was there when it happened. Outside the building.

"The one that destroyed my guildhall wasn't wild. It was being controlled by the guild master of Elysium, they targeted us to make a name for themselves or something." She had to wonder why that had been so hard to remember, and just what had happened that day. It felt foggy in her head, unclear. Like there was something important she was forgetting. She would look back at him, following his gaze to the skies. Listening to his speculation followed by his talk about the monsters, she would nod in agreement. "Yeah, monsters seem to be everywhere here. I've seen quite a few slimes myself. I've seen some people with tamed monsters, keeping them as pets, even the dangerous ones, have them fight for them if need be. I guess that's not so different from home though, I had an exceed and a fairy who would tag along with me during missions. Although I wouldn't say I tamed them so much as I just... befriended them."

WC: 423 TWC: 6999 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:03 pm

"AH!" Theo suddenly squawked, sitting up rigidly in his seat. Though he seemed alarmed, he'd simply unlocked a memory. "I befriended a duck-billed otter-like thing once!! He loved shiny things like I do, and we were buddies!" he exclaimed, smiling as the clouded memory started to clear a little. "Aw, he was so cute...I named him Ali Baba..." His voice grew distant as he walked down memory lane, trying to pinpoint when his pet disappeared from his life. It was hard to track down. It seemed like one moment he was there, and the next he was gone, but the emotions attached to the latter memory weren't painful like he'd been lost or died. "I think...I must have reunited him with his home. I found him while investigating an illegal exotic animal smuggling ring, so... I'm sure I just returned him to where he was supposed to be..." Theo guessed, though being unable to remember troubled him. Aside from his more recent memories before coming to Vyldermire still being elusive, there were other spots in his life that were dimmed in the face of the more traumatic stuff. Separating from Ali Baba must have come at a time close to something bad and just got lost. His brain threatened to skirt Rin or the time that demon Ambrosia got a hold of him, but it was time to swerve. Hard.

"Hahaha! Maybe they have those here!" he grinned with a sudden burst of energy, his foot tapping to an inaudible beat. "I'd actually love to befriend a new pet, you know? Not a slime, maybe those little things all the rich girls in town have. What are they called... Funga rabbits?" he asked, speaking of Mossbuns, of course. Even though he said that, he wasn't sure if he really meant it. Though he gripped Nessa's hand as if he'd never let go, as if it was the most precious thing, he also knew that anything he let too close to him would be in danger, person or pet. Theo wouldn't allow himself bonds like that. Not again. No matter how much he craved them, no matter how selfish he was with flirting with where the line between acquaintance and friend, he had to have thick boundaries up now. Too bad he was awful at remembering to hold people at an arm's length.

[wc: 392 || total: 7391]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Fri Nov 26, 2021 6:59 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

Nessa smiled warmly as Theo told her about the ducklike creature that he befriended, thinking momentarily upon how cute it's name was. "It was so nice of you to return Ali Baba to his home," She commented, further reassured of just how much a good guy Theo was and even more grateful to have run into him.

Nessa blinked at his question, looking down she would bringing her hand to her chin thoughtfully, trying to remember the name of the species he had mentioned. "Errr... ummm... Ma- No that's not. Oh! Moss! Yes, that's it, Moss buns! I know, they're so cute. I'd love to have one too but-" She faltered, her eyes that had flitted up to him would once again dart away. "But I shouldn't... in case I can't take it home you know."

Nessa would take her free hand and trail her finger along the wooden groves in the carriages seat. "I have to get back to my family." She told him sadly, "I bet they are so worried right now, my Dad, my Aunt, Edward, Sebastian, Markus..." She trailed off, not wanted to carry on. The sheer mention of his name had been painful for her. Instead her thoughts drifted to others that she knew, wondering what they were doing. Her guildmates, were they okay? She would hope desperately that things weren't hard on them right now. She tried to recall how she had left them, but she couldn't. There it was again, the same fogginess.

She looked up at Theo finally, "Theo when you came here, did you... lose any memories? Like, do you remember the last thing you were doing back home? She would ask, hoping that learning about the Silver Wolf Beta would help clarify some of her own concerns.

WC: 297 TWC: 7688 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Tue Nov 30, 2021 11:39 am

Theo's smiling face grew tight as he struggled to remain the picture of 'I'm okay and not totally about to cry', her mention of family bringing a few people to his mind as well. Serilda, Mythal, the siblings he existed apart from because he was stuck in the wrong time period, Aspen. There weren't many left in his life, and those that were he held at an arm's length, but... how it hurt. He missed them, but he was torn. Going home could doom them, staying could doom whoever crossed his path here. Theo wasn't good at wearing masks, so the conflicted agony was clear enough behind that wavering smile. He was determined not to drop it, though. He'd much rather make people laugh than frown, and Nessa already seemed to have lost her smile.

"Well, my memory has never been very good for things outside of treasure hunting. I called mossbuns fungarabbits, for crying out loud!" he exclaimed, forcing a laugh. "I even forgot my real name for a while! Can you believe that?"

However, as he joked and glanced from Nessa to out in the sprawling road outside of Engloria, he gave her question some serious thought. After a pause, he nodded. "Now that you mention it, there are some things that are fuzzier than usual. I can't remember what I was doing before I was suddenly in a trippy kalaedescope thing. I don't remember going into the wormhole at all, so it's hard to tell what the last memory is supposed to be, y'know? One minute things were normal, the next I knew I was flying through a really scary inbetween... then I was laying in the grass with Yas looking at me." The inky-haired man squinted his icy blue eyes, thinking very hard and trying to remember, but doing so only made his head throb. "Oh...ouch.." he muttered, raising his free hand to his forehead to give it a good rub. "My magic is all weird, too...among other things..."

[wc: 333 || total: 8021]

by **Nessa Cordelia Lux** Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:25 pm

We look for love, no time for tears, wasted water's all that is and it don't make no flowers grow, good things might come to those who wait
Nessa Cordelia Lux

Nessa mimicked Theo's forced laugh, not entirely sure whether to buy into his response. Theo seemed to genuine and energetic, but there had been glimpses of something more, the slightest sense that all was not what it seemed with the jello mage. Like he might be, as she had so often done in her life, put on a front of cheeriness to cover pain. But then again, Nessa didn't know Theo very well, perhaps she was misreading the atmosphere. She would surely have a better read of things once she got to know him a bit more, for now, she knew better than to assume anything. No matter what vibe she got.

So she said nothing, instead, she listened as he went on to divulge his own loss of memory. There was both relief and uncertainty to be taken from the knowledge that she wasn't the only person this had happened to. Relieved that it wasn't just her, which meant that it had to have something to do with this world. Uncertainty over the fact that, without knowing what had caused the memory loss, there was no clear path to regaining her memory. Then again Nessa was no expert of matters psychological, perhaps they would find one in Rivengate? One could only hope.

She would lower her chin slightly, raising her free hand to tap it idly with her index finger as she pondered this new information.
"I see. So coming here messes with both magic and memory. I wonder if our biology is affected too? I guess we'll find out soon enough. I'm sure that they'll be able to tell us more once with get to the facility." She looked up at Theo again, opting to fill him in on her own struggles. "I can't remember much at all before I came here, and any time I try it's just foggy. I had issues with my magic too, like it had been reset to when I was just starting out as a mage. It seems to be stronger now though, like with time and practice I'm slowly getting a hang of it again. But I'm still not even remotely close to being as strong as I used to be." That was an understatement if there ever was one, the wizard saint of virtue who had once been capable of reducing entire landscapes with star-burnt cinders, could do little more than summon an orb these days. It was so strange, losing such power. But also in some ways enlightening, a reminder to herself that underneath it all, the magic and the power. She was still human.

WC: 436 TWC: 8457 Tag: @Theo

by **Theo** Sun Dec 19, 2021 2:44 am

"I'm a lot magically weaker, too, but I'm not as bothered by that as I am by the changes," Theo thought aloud, turning more serious. He wasn't intentionally revealing his worries, but in the flow of conversation, sometimes things just slipped out of him. "Back home, I had a contract with a demon from some... really stupid decisions a long time ago. Basically, that demon was keeping me alive... but he's gone now. It's like the trip through the wormhole sucked him right out of me, I even saw him float by! It was super trippy, and now only some leftover effects are trying to do his job now. Like, there are some influences from him that have sorta... mushed into my magic and tainted it, like little dark jello blobs with horns. And because my magic is already weaker and I'm missing magic I had altogether, my biology is... well, not so good..." The bright-eyed boy trailed his words, his free hand anxiously picking at the frayed hem of his tracksuit jacket.

It was a little of an understatement, but it was scary to dwell on. It was much more serious than how he'd worded it, since he knew full well a flaming fist through his chest had all but obliterated his heart, and the nervous system replacing the one Ambrosia had ripped out of him was hardly perfectly compatible. There was no good reason why, without Kurao honoring the contract, he should be sitting on the magic carriage talking to Nessa like an old friend. Theo was intensely afraid of dying, so knowing he was one foot in the grave and could fall in any moment was just one more ton weighing on him.

But he was still alive, so that had to count for something! Optimism was hard these days, but in this area, he was still an avid practitioner. "I'm ok while I'm resting and sometimes a little running doesn't do anything, but sometimes... I just can't run and move like I used to without my heart going crazy and feeling all tingly or numb. They're old injuries now but... I hadn't had to deal with them for a long time. Having to now when I already have a hard time defending myself is making it very hard to complete guild jobs for money. As annoying as he was, I wish he was still here so I would be so... useless. Imagine bragging about being an expert treasure hunter, only to fail to bring the shiny back because your arm went numb and you didn't know you dropped it while running from a bunch of slimes!"

Again he tried to laugh it off, shifting his focus from himself to her. "Luckily it doesn't sound like you have to deal with all that, so that's good. I'm sure we can unfog your memories. And I bet you'll be wizard saint strong here in no time with how determined you are! Then you can find a way back home and all of this will just be a weird adventure you can tell over a big slice of cake. Nessa's Grand Adventure to Vyldermire, the main article in Sorcerer's Magazine. Your friends and family can frame it!"

[wc: 538 || total: 8995]

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