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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 17, 2018 9:44:31 GMT -5
Mei flinched back, holding onto her rapier firmly. She stepped back a bit, afraid, as Mink took out most of the Heartless on her own. As she heard their question, she opened her eyes a bit, and saw that most of the Heartless were gone. And then, Mink was just poking at a Soldier as if it was nothing more than a plaything.
"U-Um..." Mei looked uneasy, seeing that the Soldier wasn't paying attention to her at that given time, "T-Take it... Out...?"
One thought told Mei to do it, to just end the fight herself, be it with her rapier or with magic. But the other told her not to, in case other Heartless decided to jump in. She closed her eyes once more, shaking her head, in fear. Yet that didn't stop her from casting a spell.
"M-Move...!" she yelled, warning Mink to get away.
Quickly, a burst of light came crashing down on top of the Soldier, obliterating it in a radiant light. Mei wasn't looking, and instead was shaking, even after having chanted the Holy spell.
"I... Is it... gone...?" she asked, shaking.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 17, 2018 10:34:47 GMT -5
Mink jumped backwards nearly twenty yards out of habit at Mei's warning, only to be nearly blinded by the blast of Light. When their vision cleared the Heartless was gone, as was most of the Diamond Dust. Mink whistled in surprise and smirked at Mei. "Nice. That was a pretty powerful blast."
Glancing around they couldn't sense any more Heartless in the area -a rarity for this time of "day"- and so they put up their weapons and headed toward the large doors once more, talking over their shoulder as they went. "First District's this way. You know, if you got a bit more confident you'd be a damn strong fighter I bet."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 18, 2018 20:12:57 GMT -5
Mei opened her eyes, seeing that the Soldier had been defeated. Hearing Mink's compliment made her blush, and she looked away, flustered. She knew she was strong, but she wasn't able to pull through most of her shyness. Therefore, she usually remained quiet and aside the fight.
"I'm aware of that, but... Most of the time, I can't pull myself to do that..." she confessed, "I mean... I was working on that with some friends of mine, but... Here I am..." Mei smiled uneasily.
She followed them towards the First District, and kept as quiet as she'd been all this time. After going through the door, and seeing other people there aside from Mink, somewhat relieved her. Maybe it wasn't that bad being there after all, even after having meeting Mink.
"So... How long have you been here, Mink?" Mei asked them, "Or... Are you just as lost as I am? You're... pretty hard to read, alright..."
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Post by Ziya on Sept 18, 2018 23:20:17 GMT -5
Mink waved her hand at Mei's admission as they approached the doors, still talking without looking. "That just takes practice's all. I couldn't even kill a Shadow the first two years I was learning to fight." They put their finger to their chin in thought. "Course, I was 6 then, so that's kinda different..."
They trailed off as they opened the door, finally relaxing fully as they heard the sounds of other people going about their "day" in the safety of the First District. As the door closed behind then Mink finally turned around at Mei's next question, their answer accompanied by a shrug. "I've only been here an hour or so today. Been here a few times before this though; I like the atmosphere." Her last comment earned a rare smile from Mink, even if it was apologetic. "Sorry, I've still got my memories of the bad timeline we fixed. Being orphaned at 6 and having to survive with no one but your cousin'll make you a bit stoic."
Their face quickly returned to usual as they pointed out a few landmarks, their finger nearly hidden he the baggy sleeve of their sweatshirt. "Over there's the inn. It costs Munny, but you don't have to fight every time you leave your room there. That's the Accessory and Synthesis shops there in the center, to the right's the item shop. And past the inn is the Market, where you'll find the stuff you're lookin for."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 19, 2018 15:09:44 GMT -5
Mei simply smiled, and even opened herself a bit more. As Mink mentioned the time-travelling thing, which, by the way, confused Mei a lot, she simply looked a bit surprised, and even more confused than at first. After a while, she kinda ignored she ever heard about it, seeing that it confused her more than helped her.
She looked around after they told them where was what, and looked with curiosity at the Synthesis shop, as it was the first time she heard about it. The only thing she could relate to that word was plants and the like, which made her more confused as for why it was a shop.
"Umm... What do they do there?" she asked, "The only thing that comes to mind is that they grow produce or something..."
As she asked, she began to walk on her own, towards the Market. She held her hands behind her back, shy as ever, as she looked around with her head somewhat tilting down. Like usual, she just wasn't used to people she didn't know about, even then.
"I hope that... I can go home soon... Or at least find someone I know aside from Mink..." she thought, glancing towards them.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 19, 2018 16:52:08 GMT -5
Mink glanced over at the Synthesis shop as Mei asked about it, wrinkling their nose a little. "You can bring them certain crystals and other things and they use them to make things for you. I think they've got all of it made already and they just want the stuff though. Nobody believes me, so maybe it's just my theory."
As the pair walked Mink noticed how Mei kept her head down, rolling their eyes while she couldn't see as they approached the Market. Once they got there they found it to be full of open air stalls with the occasional booth containing a freezer or refrigerator when needed. People were everywhere, but most were shopping and moving in a sort of current that flowed from one stall to the next, allowing for fairly few collisions or slow downs.
Mink began to float again, allowing them to stay above the crowd for the most part. "I really don't like crowds much. Not used to em. I'll follow from up here, and unless you've got the Munny I'll pay for everything. S'only fair since you're cooking."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 21, 2018 9:27:37 GMT -5
Mei nodded at Mink's explanation of the Synthesis shop, seeing that it was similar to a smith's job. At least, until they mentioned that they weren't sure about it anyways. That only made Mei even more curious, and made a mental note to visit it later.
She noticed that Mink began to float above, and looked up as they mentioned both crows and payment. She made her way around the market on her own, looking around for cheap and good-quality ingredients, while trying to picture what Mink would usually eat. She at least wanted to make a familiar flavor to them both, and, after a while, picked a quick recepy she knew by memory. When it came to payment, she was confused when they mentioned "Munny", since her pouch only had gil.
"Umm... What's... Munny...?" she asked, confused, and then took her pouch out, "I... I only have these for payment..." "...That's Munny, though" the clerk replied, "See? This is Munny, missy. Maybe you have a different name for it where you come from?" "I see... Thank you very much."
Mei paid for everything, and then looked at Mink, calmly. In her mind, she was wondering if gil and Munny were the same thing, or her pouch was somehow swapped. She didn't know how things worked outside Sakura Island, so, obviously, she was completely dumbfound.
"Calm down... It might be the same..." she thought, taking a deep sigh, and waiting for Mink.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 21, 2018 11:46:40 GMT -5
Mink followed her through the crowds from above, catching glances and stares but not really caring. Being the center of attention had never bothered them, certainly not as much as being in the middle of more people than they had ever seen in their original timeline.
When Mei looked up at them Mink sighed and started to float over to the edge of the Market again, assuming she'd follow. Once the crowds finally ended they dropped to the ground with another sigh and looked at Mei. "So either your world's just got another name for Munny or the worlds changed it over when you got here. Either way, we're gonna have to find a place for you to cook."
They thought about it for a moment, then snapped their fingers and pulled out a small device with buttons on it. "I'll just call Aura over here. We can use the kitchen on her." They pushed a button near the top to summon the ship, hopefully making it arrive in the next few minutes.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 21, 2018 16:31:29 GMT -5
As they hoped, Mei followed them to the edge, and saw them drop to the ground with the same bored look that she'd gotten used to by now. What followed was, indeed, finding a place to cook things in. Mei looked at her purchases, seeing rice and meat, the only things that truly needed cooking, and then looked at Mink as they mentioned someone called "Aura". This confused her, since they mentioned the kitchen she had, until she came to a conclusion.
"Is it a ship or sorts? The Aura, I mean..." Mei asked, looking at them, "I've... I've never seen one, but... I've heard about them. You have one? How come?"
"They're... younger than me, right? That's what I got..." Mei looked at them one more time, just to make sure she was on the right.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 21, 2018 20:20:07 GMT -5
Mink blinked at Mei in confusion before they realized that they hadn't actually mentioned what Aura was. "Sorry, Aura's the A.I. on my mom's ship. I reprogrammed her to be properly sentient the first time I was in this time." They smirked before continuing. "Mom was amazed a 15 year old could do a better job than her."
A few minutes passed as they waited, until the crimson ship finally approached a clear spot a few blocks away. "There it is. We'll have to cut through these alleys to get to it, but there's no Heartless here." They took a few steps before looking back and bluntly asking a question. "Want me to carry some of that?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 24, 2018 5:52:54 GMT -5
Mei looked at Mink with some shock, but she had to admit it: being 15 and able to programm was something Mei herself wasn't expecting in the slightest. It was definitely any better than what Mei herself could've done.
As they asked if she needed them to carry something, she shook her head in reply, since the bags weren't heavy to begin with.
"I'm fine, don't worry" Mei said, "Instead... Why don't we just go? I'm looking forward to cooking, y'know..." she added, with an uneasy smile.
Trusting on Mink's words, she stepped forward a bit, towards the ship, holding onto the bags firmly. She was indeed willing to cook something for the two of them, and was just itching to start.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 24, 2018 13:00:32 GMT -5
Mink nodded a little as Mei refused their help, heading through the alleys with the familiarity of someone who had been there many times before. In just a few minutes they arrived at the ship, which at this distance proved to have purple accents on its sweeping wings. They hesitated when the ramp opened on its own, revealing Lucia and Jennifer talking as they exited the ship.
"You really think it was okay to leave them there? We both know what's going to happen."
"Yeah, the same thing that happened with us, and it ended pretty well both times."
They both cut off as they noticed Mink, who sighed and stepped out of the alley. "Hey mom, Aunt Jen. I guess I'm a bit earlier than I though."
Lucia smiled in a very different way than usual, motherly and kind, before hugging them. "Hello again Elmindreda" Mink rolled their eyes while loosely returning the hug while complaining. "Mom, I told you to call me Mink when we're not home." Jen looked at them oddly. "I guess what just happened this morning hasn't happened for you yet then."
Mink sighed and rolled their eyes yet again as they pulled away from their mother and gave Jen a level look. "Well, I guess I know where I'm going next then. Anyhow, I think you two know Mei." They pointed with their thumb at the person in question, causing both of them to look in surprise. "Oh, hi Mei. It's been what, a day or two? How'd you get to Traverse Town?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 24, 2018 18:02:17 GMT -5
Mei flinched as the ram opened on its own, and shivered a bit in fright. She then heard two familiar voices, voices she knew from before, and opened her eyes. By then, Lucia was already asking her as for how they got to Traverse Town. Mei smiled uneasily, and, leaving the bags down on the floor, laughed a bit.
"H-Hello..." she said, a bit to the uneasy side, "I-It's been a while, huh...?Since... We saw last..." she sighed, "But... Honestly, I don't know how I got here... I do remember what happened before I came here, but... Not clearly..."
She took the bags up once again, still somewhat uneasy. While she knew Mink had mentioned Lucia being their mother before, it was still nerve-wracking to see them there. She just focused her look down, somewhat embarrassed, hoping that it would all just end quickly.
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Post by Ziya on Sept 24, 2018 22:29:46 GMT -5
Mink and Lucia both saw how uncomfortable Mei was through their Auric Sight, and even Jennifer could tell a little just through her actions. The three glanced at each other before Lucia spoke up again. "Sorry about all the confusion. Time travel is confusing even to us. I'm fairly sure that your world is still there, but I can see you're busy at the moment. Jen and I need to check on Jason and ConrĂ anyhow, so we'll leave you to it. Mink," she looked at her child, "Aura knows where her world is, since you uploaded that map from your time. Feel free to go ahead and use the ship to take her home." With that, she opened a Corridor and the sister's walked through.
As it closed, Mink looked over at Mei with an unreadable expression. "Sorry about that. I thought it was two days from now, when they wouldn't be near the ship." They sighed and shook their head slowly before entering the ship through the cockpit ramp, leading to a plain steel room with three chairs and numerous buttons and levers. "Anyhow, welcome to the Alyson. Aura, how ya been?"
A distinctly metallic, yet feminine voice came through the speakers. "Hello Mink, I have been well. And who is this, a new friend?" Mink snorted softly at the interested tone. "Kinda. This is Mei, one of Mom's friends. We're gonna use the kitchen, 'kay?" A moment passed before the door at the back of the room opened to reveal a hallway with hardwood floors as Aura spoke again. "Very well. Please be sure not to hurt yourselves cooking."
Four of the five doors on the ship were closed, with the only exception being the far door on the right. Inside was the kitchen, with it's smooth white tiled floor and white granite counters, and a door to the stocked pantry. Several appliances were positioned across the counters and floor, including a refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, and even a toaster and mixer. "Mom really likes to cook, even when she's travelling. Anyhow, here's the place."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 25, 2018 6:06:19 GMT -5
Mei simply nodded as Lucia and Jen, and, as they mentioned how the ship could take her back home, her heart skipped a beat. Was it really possible? Before she even spoke, however, the two of them were gone, and Mink was now showing her around the ship. The metallic voice scared her a bit, but she got used to it quickly enough, as the sight of a perfectly clean and well-equipped kitchen. Mei's eyes grew in awe, and, leaving the bags in one of the pantries, she walked around, looking at it.
"Wow..." she managed to let a sigh out, "It's so clean..."
Hearing them once again mention Lucia's like of cooking, Mei smiled back, eager to start. Surely, Lucia wouldn't mind if she used it for a bit...
"Do you want to help me out?" she asked Mink, calmly, "I can do it on my own, but I want to know if you'd like to be a part of it, too."
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Post by Ziya on Sept 25, 2018 22:23:32 GMT -5
Mink couldn't help but grin just a little at Mei's reaction to the kitchen. It reminded them of their cousin Zane and his excitable nature, though she was nowhere near his level. They only realized after Mei put the food in the pantry that there would have been more than enough on the ship as is, but decided that it was pointless to bring that up at this point.
When Mei asked if they wanted to help they hesitated at first, but after a moment nodded and took off their gloves before starting to wash their hands. "I'm not as good as my mom, but sure." They grumbled a bit as the sleeves of their hoodie got wet, forcing them to try rolling them up. Unfortunately even that didn't work, and with a frustrated sigh they turned to Mei. "Please don't tell anyone about this."
With that Mink pulled off the hoodie, revealing a plain black shirt that was just a little tight across their chest and numerous scars of various types on their newly exposed skin. "I hate taking that off..." They blushed faintly from the feeling of being exposed, then sighed and dried their hands. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 26, 2018 6:36:11 GMT -5
Mei had pulled her hair in a loose ponytail, and washed her hands before sorting the ingredients out. She raised her view at Mink as they asked for her to not mention this to anyone, which caught her curiosity. And she immediately caught onto the various scars in their skin, and looked concerned at Mink.
"So many scars..." she muttered, concerned, "When did you make them? And... Do they hurt? They look as if they haven't been taken care of..." she mentioned aloud.
She'd stopped moving things around, and was clearly concerned for them, especially seeing that they were blushing a bit. It wasn't rare for Mei to be concerned about something like that, after living so long in a world where monsters and beasts were an everyday threat.
As they asked what they needed to do, Mei shook her head, softly. She sighed, and walked towards them, and grabbed theyr hands softly.
"I want to know if they hurt" she said, "Or, at least, if there's a way to heal them... Do you mind?"
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Post by Ziya on Sept 27, 2018 11:06:19 GMT -5
Mink looked at Mei blankly for a moment, not understanding why she was focusing on the scars . Then it finally clicked, and they put their arms over their chest, the feeling of pressing down slightly making them feel a little better. "I... I've lived through my life twice, kinda. After we took out a god in this time my original line got replaced by the one I live in now, but I'm still the same."
Mink sat in the nearest chair, not quite looking at Mei as they continued. "My original life was a hellhole where everyone I knew other than two of my cousins and me were killed when I was six, and the Heartless of that god slowly took out the universe, one world at a time. I survived nine years of a losing war learning to fight, getting these along the way."
Tears of frustration began to well up as their tone turned bitter. "I shouldn't even have these, but nobody was alive to teach me Aspect, and I can't figure it out even now. They don't hurt physically, but each one is a reminder that I'm not good enough. That I still couldn't stop something like that from happening again."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Sept 29, 2018 10:53:32 GMT -5
Mei smiled calmly, and walked towards Mink, calmly. She grabbed a chair, dragged it nearby them, and sat down, patting them on the back with care.
"I see..." she said, calmly, "But... I think that you did the best you could. And that's just enough to feel proud" Mei looked at Mink with a small, honest smile, "So... Don't feel bad. I'm sure that everyone thinks the same thing I do, Mink."
She hugged them for a while, and then let go in order to get ready with the meal, grabbing onto a knife, a cutting board and a few onions. She left them in the pantry as she turned the stove on, grabbed a pan and took a bit of oil to start cooking.
"It's fine if you want to just see" Mei told them, "Just ask if you wanna help me out with anything."
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Post by Ziya on Sept 29, 2018 23:35:02 GMT -5
Normally Mink kept their emotions tightly locked away out of habit, but when Mei hugged them they all came out at once, spilling down their face as tears. All the shame, fear, and hurt from years of fighting and bearing their burdens alone for years -not even able to share them as the very events had been changed- all of that came out at the simple touch.
They didn't know how long they cried, but when Mink finally recovered Mei was already at the stove. Wiping their tears with a small chuckle they got up and headed over, speaking softly. "I guess Aunt Jen was right. Sometimes crying's what you need." When they reached the stove their violet eyes were clear as they spoke with more emotion than before. "Thank you, Mei. What do you need help with?"
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