First page - [Video]

[healedbythelight]

[The journal suddenly starts recording to catch a young woman's voice in mid-sentence. Sadly, the camera is directed towards the ground.] -at this button does... Is it broken?

This is hopeless. I'll never figure this device out. [A deep sigh.] If only Pascal were here...

[The image shakes, then tilts harshly until the camera is directed towards a stone ceiling instead. A hand swiftly moves past the screen.] ... Ah? What's it doing now?

[And finally, the journal is tilted one last time to show a girl with long pink hair, wearing a New Feather dress and staring into the camera with a confused expression.]

Comments

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

[New Feather Station A... That's within the forest...]

...Alright. I'll be there as soon as I can.

[Voice] Must... avoid... time paradoxes...!

[healedbythelight]

... That won't be needed. Miss Rydia already said she would come to get me in a moment.

[As much as she would love it if Asbel came to her rescue instead, she wouldn't want him to walk all this way over here just for her. Plus, she doesn't want him to see her like this- wearing such a ragged dress and aching all over. ... With wings. If Rydia comes to get her first, she can freshen up before going to see Asbel.]

[Voice] Have fun with that! 8D

[drawnbythesword]

[Rydia... Right, she was his... aunt? during that experiment. How confusing...]

...Well... If you're sure...

[Voice] /weep

[healedbythelight]

... I will see you when I arrive in the village. I shouldn't be long.

[Though if it's up to her, she'll have showered and found more decent clothing before meeting up with Asbel. Speaking of which...]

Where should we meet?

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

Ahh... I'll meet you in the village's plaza. There's a large fountain there, and all the shops are there too, so... I can take you to retrieve your belongings.

[Voice]

[healedbythelight]

My belongings are in the shops? [She gets hit by the sudden thought that whoever robbed her must've been insanely fast to have pawned off all her things already.

Of course, she still hasn't been successful in locating the guide on this darned journal.]

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

Yeah. Though... I don't think it's really accurate to call them "shops"...

[Voice]

[healedbythelight]

What do you mean?

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

There's no cost for any of the items, so they're more like... really large storage rooms!

[Voice]

[healedbythelight]

I should certainly hope there's no cost, if all those items are stolen!

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

What's the point of stealing someone's things only to let them have them back, though?

[Voice]

[healedbythelight]

I... I don't know! You were the one who said they have my belongings!

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

Wh-why are you getting mad at me for?! I was only telling you how it is... All of us had to retrieve our things from these shops.

[Voice]

[healedbythelight]

[So thieves sell their bounty to shops, who then ask no money for it? How does that make sense?]

This is ridiculous. What possible use would they even have for... for my clothes? [They apparently stripped her down to her underwear! Her underwear! Just thinking about it is making Cheria ill.]

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

[Asbel never really thought about that before... What use COULD the Malnosso have for her--or anyone's, for that matter--clothes?]

To reuse the material, perhaps? They're very fine clothes, after all...

[Voice]

[healedbythelight]

[No! Her precious clothes! Recycled by ruffians!]

... Asbel, can you... visit the stores? To see if my clothes are there?

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

...Yeah, I can do that for you. [Aww yeah, gonna sniff Cheria's miniskirt.]

[Voice]

[healedbythelight]

Thank you. I will see you soon.

[Hopefully, by that time Rydia will have explained the situation or directed Cheria to the guide, so their conversations won't be insanely confusing anymore.]

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

Yeah... See you soon.

[Action]

[healedbythelight]

[Cheria will arrive at the village plaza much sooner than expected, thanks to Rydia's handy warp magic. She's managed to rest and freshen up a bit at the Welcome Center, so now all that's left is to gather her belongings.

She's still trying to wrap her head around the situation. By now, she's read the guide and gotten a better understanding of things, but... How long have Asbel and the others been here? She'd just seen them only a few days ago, but if time makes no difference here, it could be months. Even years. How much have they already experienced in this place?]

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[When Cheria arrives, Asbel is just coming out of the clothing shop, having accomplished the task she asked him to do. And then he spots her in the distance. Sure, she wasn't in her usual garb, but it was hard to mistake her vibrant hair.]

Cheria!

[Action]

[healedbythelight]

[Goodness, there he is. Cheria can't help but run towards him. It's been a very trying day and what she needs most right now is a familiar face. He doesn't look too different from when she last saw him. Though as she closes the distance between them and looks him in the eyes, she notices one very distinct change. Or, rather, the lack of a change. Lambda...

Well, that's not what's most important right now.]

Asbel. ... I'm so glad to see you.

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[Likewise, when Asbel spots Cheria, he also runs towards her, so they meet about halfway.]

Yeah, me too... Are you alright, Cheria?

[Action]

[healedbythelight]

[She nods her head faintly, though it's more out of reflex than anything.]

I'm fine. I just... Asbel, how long have you been here?

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[There's a few seconds of silence before he speaks up, not only because he's unsure whether Cheria would believe it, but also because even HE doesn't fully believe it.]

...Six months.