♡ 1 | [Action/Text]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Action]

[It's a sunny afternoon when Anise wakes up on the outskirts of the forest. She doesn't know where she is, but it's somewhere that kind of, sort of reminds her of Engeve; even then, there'd be no reason for her to be in Engeve anyway, especially when the last thing she remembered was being in Daath. There are now a pair of pink wings on her back, and she's not wearing the clothes she remembers, which feels like some weird sort of costume, but her usual uniform is thankfully folded in a neat pile beside her.]

[But, there are still two things very conspicuously missing from the pile, and when she notices this, she starts to worry. After rummaging through it several times, her suspicions are confirmed; both Tokunaga and her wallet are gone, and whoever was responsible for taking them was going to pay.]

[Before she can think anymore on it, though, she notices somebody walking nearby, heading to somewhere that looked like a small town. Towns had nice things like inns and food, and if she was lucky, rotten thieves who stole money and stuffed animals from little girls, and who were in for a world of pain when found.]

[With any lucky, maybe this person knows something about this town, or can at least point her to somewhere where she can find a decent change of clothing. She'll run after them, trying to grab their attention.]

Hey! Wait up!

[Text]

[She'd finally gotten her bearings; even if it was only a little bit, it was enough to know where she was. The wing thing was still a little weird, but she had more important things to focus on (things which she'd forgotten to ask the people who'd given her the information, something that she was still beating herself up for), and the journal seemed like the best place to do it. If it was a magic journal like it said it was, anyway.]

[Anise's handwriting can hardly be described as anything other that "cute" or "bubbly," and it would be difficult to believe that this handwriting could belong to anyone other than an utterly adorable, thirteen year-old girl.]

Hey, everyone~! ♥

This is your friendly (and cute~!) neighborhood Anise here. Have any of you seen somebody named Florian? He's about average height with green hair, and he's reeeeally energetic. I heard that sometimes people from the same place get sent here, and I'm really worried for him! It's pretty scary here, and he's not used to being on his own.

If you see him, please let me know, okay? ♪

Comments

[Written]

[distressedude]

[Of all the things Ion was expecting to see in the journal today, Anise's name wasn't one of them. He'd never mistake that handwriting -- and he very nearly calls out her name. But the mention of Florian makes him hesitate. He knows that everyone would meet Florian only after his own death. So that must mean Anise is from...]

[He sits and stares at the entry for a number of moments, contemplating the best way to handle this. If he spoke up, chances are she might mistake him for Florian, just as Luke had. And as much as he wouldn't want to lie to her, it wouldn't be right for her to meet him over the journal like that... in person would be better.]

[He'll just have to hope he can disguise his handwriting well enough. The camera on the journal is covered, so the response she'll get will essentially be anonymous.]

You don't need to worry. Florian is safe back on Auldrant.
Would I be correct in assuming you're from Auldrant as well?

[Written]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[She swears she's seen the other handwriting somewhere before, but she can't place it. She thought there was supposed to be some sort of video function too, but for some reason it's not working. Just her luck, to end up with a broken Journal.]

Huh? Are you sure?

[She doesn't not trust the stranger, but Florian's safety wasn't something she was willing to risk on a probably. How would this person know, anyway? If they'd seen him, that'd be one thing, but how would they know if he wasn't here?]

Yep, Auldrant, born and raised~! ♥ Are you from Auldrant too?

[She was getting kind of suspicious; the only way the mystery person would know about Florian was if they were from Auldrant, too, but even then there weren't that many people who knew a lot about Florian anyway. It had to be someone pretty high up in the Oracle Knights, but why wouldn't they give their name? The whole thing was kind of fishy...]

video;

[wildsaber]

[Screw writing, it's not like anyone can read his scrawl anyway. More importantly, ANISE IS HERE. He fumbles the journal and drops it rather ungracefully on the floor.

Oops.

He snatches it up hastily. He appears to be in a bedroom of some sort.]

Anise? Anise! Hey!

[It occurs to him a moment or two afterward that his appearance might startle her, but... she'll find out in two seconds anyway. Might as well.]

video;

[lastfonmasterguardian]

Luke?

[When Luke's face appears she almost drops her journal too. At first, it's just because she's startled to see somebody from back home, but then the gears click together.]

Luke!

[He was alive! He'd left back at Eldrant but he was back here now and he was alive and she didn't have to worry about another person dying like Ion and he was still alive and Tear and Jade and everyone would be so happy he was finally back.]

[Not that she'd ever thought he wouldn't come back, of course. She hadn't been worried at all. And she definitely wasn't crying a little bit.]

[Written]

[yourfononsarewhack]

[There's not mistaking that handwriting; Anise. It's been quite a long time since he last sees her. If he misses her on any level, it's one that he's burying deep.

So he writes back to her, intentionally using a different handwriting style and concealing the journal's camera. Unlike Ion having his reasons to do so, Jade just wants to be a jerk.]

It seems that Florian has been misplaced. But you won't have to worry about him here for the time being. Where exactly are you right now?

[Written]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[This was the second time that the journal wasn't displaying the video feed like it was supposed to, maybe it really was broken? She doesn't recognize the handwriting on this one, though.]

Misplaced? Do you know something? You'd better let me know too, or else!

[As menacing as she usually was, it was difficult to convey tone in writing. But if whoever this was knew something about Florian, she'd definitely get the information out of them. And they'd better be watching their backs. :| And what was them asking for where she was, anyway? That was kind of sketchy.]

Depends. Why do you wanna know?

[Action]

[elongatedsmile]

[Anise may notice something a little off in this village as she gets closer to the person just entering the town herself. Apparently this may not be a human village if the person covered in patches of blue scales and black clawed hands and feet are anything to guess by.

Not to mention the double set of wings. A smaller set of light blue and a large white bird like set.

It takes the woman walking a moment to realize she's the one being called at. Most people don't talk to her as she's never been good at making friends. Dressed in nothing by a rather older and dirtier new feather dressed she finally turns towards Anise.]

Yes?

[This is going to completely give her the right idea of Luceti. Yup.]

[Action]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[From where she'd first seen them, this person had certainly looked a lot more..."person-y," but, at this point, she still needed any information she could get. Even if they did kind of look like a weird dragon-hobo.]

[It would probably be a good idea for her to stop staring when she asks for information, but she'd never really seen anyone or anything that looked like this before.]

Do you know where this is?

[Written]

[ofnobleheart]

[ Anise wasn't someone she was expecting to see again so soon after Tear said she had departed from Luceti several month ago. But there she was, writing in that really bubbly handwriting of hers.

Unlike the other Jade and Ion who had decided to write to her anonymously Natalia makes no moves to conceal her identity. Not that she had a reason to like Ion nor is she a jerk like Jade. So her handwriting is that graceful, elegant cursive you expect a royal princess to have and if needed she doesn't have her journal camera concealed either. ]

Anise, I did not expect to see you here. I haven't heard that Florian is here so I assume that he is still on Auldrant so there is no need to worry.

[Written]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Okay, so maybe Natalia wasn't her favorite person (or even in the top 5, really), but it was still really nice to see a friendly face. Natalia's handwriting was as impeccable and princess-y as always, but it was certainly a welcome sight.]

Yeah, a couple of other people told me. I'm glad he's safe.

[If this many people, including people she knew, were saying it, it was probably true. Meaning that Florian was somewhere she didn't need to worry about, for now; he had enough other people in Daath that were able to take care of him. That meant that it was probably time for Anise to start focus on what was going on now, though.]

But, I'm also really really glad to see you~! ♪

[She'd never really had that friendly a tone with the princess before, but they might as well have been in enemy territory. Besides, Natalia didn't seem like she was being too insufferable, for now, anyway.]

[Action]

[hollower]

[Sunny you say? Well then, Anise may find the individual shes calling out to is adorned nearly head to toe in clothes - a dark but elegant ensemble. Her hands are even covered in white gloves, and she keeps herself covered from the sunlight by a red, devil-themed parasol. She's careful to keep her face (the only part of her not protected by clothes) under the shadow of her parasol, and sticks mainly to the shadows or out of the bright light for too long.

But being called out so suddenly has her turn, and give this little girl a curious look. When she turns, Anise may see that she too carries around a stuffed animal - a patchwork teddy bear with a squashy blue and white striped hat with horns.]

Eeh? What do you want? [Make it quick, kiddo, she can't be out in the light for too long. Plus, she has to get a drink soon...]

[Action]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[The person she'd approached looked a little "darker" that she first thought (and reminded her more of Arietta than she'd like to admit), but Anise still wasn't really sure what to make of her.]

[But! Any person was a person who might know where this is, and maybe even have a way to get home! And probably wasn't as scary as she looked.]

I was just wondering if you knew where this was~! I'm reaaaally lost, and could get into really big trouble if I don't get back home soon...

[Action]

[bubblywishes]

[The voice seems vaguely familiar to Norma as she looks up from her walk - heading in the direction of the lake to try and get in more on-on-one time with the water spirit, Sona. Ever since she was told talking with the spirits in Luceti was like trying to decipher their language, Norma's put a whole lot more effort into it, and has been trying to "speak" with Sona frequently when she has free time. Today is one of those days.

Or...would have been if not for this little interruption. Looking over her shoulder, Norma freezes and her shoulders instantly bunch up. Oh...ergh. The Pipsqueak. Was she back again? Did she recognize her? Please for the love of all things good and right in the world do not have the Pipsqueak remember her. Norma was having such a good morning.]

[Action]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Anise didn't know who this hag was, but the expression on her face as she ran up to her was enough to make her dislike her. Really, how could you dislike somebody this adorable? Especially if you'd never met them before.]

[To make matters worse, she almost seemed to be avoiding her. Okay, so maybe Anise was a strangle little kid running after somebody she didn't know in the forest, but did it really necessitate being that rude? Sheesh.]

[At least she's finally able to catch up.]

Hey! I said wait up!

[Action] walks in really late with starbucks

[relinquishing]

[Maybe Anise just doesn't recognize him from behind, with goldenrod-colored wings neatly folded against very foreign clothes. Maybe the stress has gotten to her, to mistake a friend as a stranger. Maybe she's just... not very observant in general. Maybe it's a combination of all of these things!

Whatever the case, Guy barely has time to turn and recognize the voice before the girl is practically on top of him.]

Wait -- AniIIIIIIYYYYYGHH!!

[Being the dashing gentleman that he always manages to be, the blond immediately flails backwards with a hoarse shriek, not stopping until his weight is pressed flat against the trunk of a tree.

If there were any doubts to him being a stranger, they should be conveniently crushed by now.]

[Action] not a problem! :D

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[In Anise's defense, she hadn't realized it was Guy when she started running towards him.]

[It was pretty easy to tell by the time she was about halfway there, but that only made her run faster. There was only one way that he was gonna be able to cure that phobia, and it was almost like a greeting ritual of theirs by now. Or something.]

[He still pulls back, and falls over, but Anise won't be defeated so easily! Not yet, anyway.]

Guy! I'm so glad I found you~! <3 I was really really worried.

[In her defense, she had woken up in the middle of a strange forest with no idea what was going on and Tokunaga missing, so she actually had been worried. That's definitely why she looks like she's about to pounce on him again. Yep.]

[written]

[silversnowfall]

[Nephry hopes this news won't be too hard on her. It's a mixture of relief and worry to see Anise's name attached to Luceti again.]

Florian isn't here anymore, no. He went home. Welcome back, Anise.

Re: [written]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Nephry was here, too? That was something she hadn't expected.]

Yeah, I've heard.

[Thankfully, enough people had replied to let her know that Florian was safe and sound back in Daath. There's still something weird about Nephry's response, though.]

Back? Was I here before?

[She didn't remember being here before.]

[voice] /you see no late here

[wildlittlegirl]

[ What no. This is the worst thing. The worst thing. Except for Ion going home that would ACTUALLY be the worst thing but this is close enough.

Arietta doesn't even bother writing, because this is serious enough to warrant an ever-so-mature nearly-shriek of a response. ]

No! We don't want you back! Go away!

[ Welcome to Luceti, Anise... ]

[voice] see no late, hear no late, feel no late

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Speaking of worse things, this was probably it. She was happy that everyone else was here, but Gloomietta, really? Maybe she was happy that Arietta wasn't dead, but could she have been any less mature about it? It wasn't like Anise was here because she wanted to be.]

[She almost wants to say something to Arietta; an apology, explaining the situation, anything. But maybe this Arietta hadn't had the duel yet, and she didn't want to give her the idea of all things. And Arietta had been just plain rude.]

Geez, Gloomietta, do you have to be so over-dramatic all the time?

[Voice]

[knightofratatosk]

Anise? You're back too?

[Emil, remember your manners plz. Addressing someone who has no idea who the heck you are by name probably isn't the best way to make a first impression.]

[Voice]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Who was this guy? Why did he know her name? He sounded kind of scrawny...]

Um, I'm sorry, who are you...?

[written] /walks in the latest with extra Starbucks

[seleniahymn]

[Tear can't help the small yet sad smile that forms on her lips when she reads Anise's message. If Florian were still here he would have been so happy to see her, and while she is happy to hear from her friend again, it is mixed with the usual feelings that came with being trapped in the enclosure.

Maybe she will recognize handwriting attached to her message, it has been a while.] Florian isn't here anymore, but I trust he is in good hands. Have you heard from others of Auldrant yet?

Re: [written] /walks in the latest with extra Starbucks

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Anise is able to pickup Tear's handwriting almost immediately. It's pretty obvious, she's got really soldier-y handwriting that's hard to mistake, and since she'd already run into everyone else, it really made sense for Tear to be here, too.]

[She's really glad, though; it sucks to be trapped in this weird city with invincible robots, but it feels a lot better knowing that she has everyone else around. They kind of made up this weird dysfunctional family unit.]

Tear! I'm really, really glad to hear from you~! ♪

I've heard from everyone else, I think. The six of us, plus Ion and Nephry, right?

[She feels weird writing Ion's name, and conveniently "forgets" to put Gloomietta's name on the list. It made her feel better that she was alive, but she was still as gloomy and unfriendly as she'd always been.]

[action] walks in so late that it's just ridiculous

[sketchingideals]

[Jeb's heading back to the town, feeling happy with the art he's done on this day (even with how cold he is due to it.) When he hears Anise's voice however, he turns around.]

Yes, what--? [Hey, he knows this girl. Well, sort of. He talked to her a handful of times the last time she was here, at least... and he has a good memory] Ani--?!

[Ack, no! That's not a good slip up. Not a good one to make at all, when there's a high chance Anise doesn't remember she was here before.]

A-Ah, what did you need? I'm sorry, you just surprised me.

[Smooth.]

[action] walks in so late that it's just ridiculous

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Anise feels bad; she hadn't met to startle the poor guy so much, and maybe she had been a little loud. But, this person seemed willing to help, at least.]

I'm sorry but I'm really really lost, and I could get into really big trouble if I don't get back home soon. Do you know where this is?

[Okay, so she was playing it up a tiny bit for theatrics. But it was true! She didn't know where she was, and there could be big trouble if she was missing from Daath for too long.]

[written]

[shiningbinds]

[...yes, that handwriting does seem rather youthful and lively. Despite how awkward it makes him feel, Kratos supposes he can give her an answer as well.]

While it's true that those from the same world can arrive here, the chances of that are not always high. [A brief pause.] Nevertheless, I'll attempt to keep an eye out for you.

[Yes, very awkward indeed.]

[written]

[lastfonmasterguardian]

[Despite how old and awkward the handwriting looked, Anise still suspected that the person on the other side was pretty nice. She wasn't sure how true the first part was; it felt like the only thing she'd done since coming here was run into people she knew, but if he was willing to look out for Florian, she couldn't help but be thankful.]

Thank you so much~! ♪ Can I have your name?

[It might be helpful if she needed to contact him again, and who knows? Maybe he was old and loaded.]