One Night in Lindblum

One Night in Lindblum
Date of Scene:	27 September 2012
Location:	Lindblum
Synopsis:	One night in Lindblum and the world's your oyster / The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free...
Cast of Characters:	Merilan Yursalin, Lia Tobutori

---

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Through some hand dealt by fate or another, Merilan's somehow arrived far, far in the southern reaches of Lindblum. But by goodness, she's travelled a very, very long way to get here...

The Aegyl is looking a little ragged by the time she reaches this massive and technologically wondrous city, having flown and perched on the crow's nests of many a ship headed south, and certainly seen quite a lot along the way. Perhaps by a stroke of luck, or the dramatic strings of shoujo manipulating the flow of her direction, she's bobbed on over near to where the Tantalus Theatre Troupe's made their home: the Theatre District.

"Mumunyu..." Merilan mumbles, extra-tired. "It's a really, really interesting city, but-- Traya?"

She looks left, and right, but only sees Lemy, the brown-haired, sky blue-robed Yarhi with tiny wings, who is, in fact, gobbling on some Lindblum artichoke delicacies she's scored off some street vendor minutes ago. Merilan looks up and discovers that green-haired Traya has in fact dozed off ontop of her head, using her headscarf like a nest. Again.

Lia Tobutori has posed:
Lia Tobutori has decided, by this point, that she rather likes the Theatre District of Lindblum. It's really not a bad place to hang out, if you like slums - it's sunny and vibrant on even the worst of days, and noisy and busy and cheery on the best of them. It suits the Troupe, at least, even if it doesn't seem quite appropriate for its newest member. Rather, the Nu Mou samurai stands out from the crowd something fierce, either by standing a good foot taller than most of them, by having a gigantic protagonist ponytail of hair, or simply by wearing an earthy-coloured robe that looks a good deal better than anything you'd see in the flea markets. By comparison, the ears barely rate.

Princely robe or not, though, it's pretty hard to look regal when you're eating lunch out of a paper bag. One of the other reasons Lia has decided she likes the city are the markets, and that means a variety of fresh fruit you just don't get when you're in snowbound landscapes or shadowy organization X training camps. By the time she encounters the winged woman standing in the middle of the road staring at the scenery, she's halfway through a fresh apple and gaining rate at a pace of knots, and has a rich-smelling slice of pie waiting wrapped in her other hand.

Unlike ears, wings /do/ tend to rate, though, certainly at least where she lives nowadays. For one thing, it means someone else has gone slipsliding through the passageways between worlds, and very possibly involuntarily. "--excuse me," she cannot help but ask smoothly as curiosity and concern overtake her need for food and drive her to approach, to say nothing of the whims of shoujo. "Are you alright? Are you lost?"

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan is so absorbed and entranced in her thoughts that she, indeed, doesn't really pay attention to where she's going -- or expectant of someone to actually address her, even; so it's with a rather jerky yelp that she springs a few handfuls of feet up into the air in surprise and a rather strained squeal of, "Munyaaa!"

A few seconds later, she settles on down and cups her hand to her chest, breathing aloud in relief as Traya explodes out of her head with a D8 flailing of panic at the startled shock.

"A-aah... I'm sorry!" she remarks as she looks down towards the woofliest samurai. "Er, I'm fine..." Lost. "Lost... um, well, I'm not not lost, I guess..." she's sort of gone on a tired kind of half-coherent mumbling. "Where've I even wound up, I wonder?"

A pause, as she puts a hand behind her back to remark embarrassedly, "Ah, I'm sorry! My name's Merilan..."

Lia Tobutori has posed:
The tall woman with the sword at her hip may look threatening at first glance, especially when the journalist leaps up into the air in surprise and forces her to step back in similar confusion, her hand wandering towards the hilt of her sword more out of habit than any real sense of danger. It takes only a moment for the samurai to relax, though, huffing out a breath of amusement as she folds away to a pleasant if rather deadpan smile; clearly she's used to being at least a little jumpy about things.

"I'm fairly sure 'not not lost' is as near to 'lost' as makes no difference," she points out, offering her hand forward in greeting. "You've found your way to Lindblum, a city on the Mist Continent near Alexandria. I'm afraid if none of those names mean much to you, I can't help you any further - I assume you didn't exactly come through normal channels to get here," she adds, with a distinctly rueful smile.

"In any case, I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Lia; I'm with the local acting troupe, I suppose." She still sounds rather distinctly uncertain on what exactly to make of that: it's a little too large a career switch to take in in one go, after all.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Poit, poit, poit.

"Mist Continent... Alexandria..." Merilan procures a large brochure with an attached map to it, but looks to be reading it upside down. Not to mention it's a map from a single world, created pre The Merging, so of what value it actually is is certainly dubious indeed. "Mumu... I don't even know anymore."

The Aegyl doesn't quite wander on nearby to the Half-Mou, thinking in some small part, perhaps, that the sword is scary. "I'm not sure, honestly. I just... um, flew and flew for a bit. Last I knew I was in a place called Hawaii..." If there is true magic in the world, it may be Merilan's penchant for getting lost across dimensions.

Merilan does cup her hands behind her back, giving her a slightly brighter, yet still exhausted smile. "Ah, but, yes... it is a pleasure to meet you. But... acting troupe...?"

At that point, Lemy and Traya both hover on down with :3 face and bob around, pirouetting and making light play at the mention of 'acting troupe'. Lemy puts on a musketeer's hat and twirled pencil moustache, before sweeping ballgown-dressed Traya off her feet with a silent XD kyaa.

Lia Tobutori has posed:
The samurai kind of huffs out another sighing, amused breath, perhaps thinking to herself that Merilan isn't so much 'flew for a bit' as 'shoulda turned left at Albuquerque'. Or at least, she might if she had the requisite amount of Disney training, at least. "I'm afraid I've never heard of a 'Hawaii'... but if you got here without going through the Mist, you're doing a lot better than many."

She blinks, leaning back a little, disarmed by both the Aegyl's smile and the miniature play going on in front of her. "Ah... yes, or thereabouts. I suppose you could call them humanitarian aid as well, if you truly stretched the definition; their Headquarters are just nearby, and I was on my way to some lodgings next door to it." Lia lets a beat pass, then cannot help but quietly laugh, a small and rich little sound. "Your friends have the right idea, but I'm afraid we're a little more chaotic than that."

The samurai pauses for a longer moment, sizing up Merilan's state; as hardy travellers go, she's not exactly looking very steady on her feet... not to mention that feeling guilty comes surprisingly easy to the woofly samurai when she's carrying around a piece of pie. "Would you like to come with me and rest for a moment? You look like you could use a break, and I've food enough to share."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan turns to what Traya and Lemy are doing, and cups her mouth when Lemy's bent Traya over a tiny table and getting as close to saucy as they can, with their gigantic heads and decidedly featureless tables. "L-Lemy! Traya, behave, please!" Merilan blurts out, with a flushed huff.

Hovering in midair, Merilan isn't exactly used to the -idea- of occupied skies, so she doesn't quite notice that there's an aircab flying in close by with propellers swinging on by.

"A-ah, you're so kind, Miss Lia," Merilan remarks with a bit of renewed cheer, wings spreading and relaxing around her as she stabilises herself in a hovering position. "Yes, I'm afraid I'm a bit weary on my--"

Traya and Lemy suddenly go 'GAAA-N' as they point. Merilan turns about in a whirl, and is suddenly smacked out of the sky by a giant propeller with a cry of, "Auu-?!"

Lia Tobutori has posed:
Lia doesn't 'GAAA-N' or even gape, she's far too classy and stoic and dare we say mopey-silent for that. She does blink in mute surprise as the airship suddenly bears down on the reporter, though, and can only reflexively blurt out the briefest of warnings - "Look--!" - before it's far too late and Merilan takes an airship propeller to the face, her wings sending her spiralling down out of the air.

Fortunately, even if the samurai's mouth isn't fast enough on the draw, the rest of her certainly is - before she even quite fully realises what she's doing she's dropped her precious bag of lunch to the ground and bolted forwards at full tilt, arms out and feet sending her racing forwards towards the Aegyl's landing zone.

In the end, Lia might be worrying a little too much; the collision knocks Merilan forward rather than back, so what would otherwise be a mad dash and sliding sprawl is instead a smooth and terribly heroic catching of the reporter in her arms, taking her weight easily with only the faintest grunt of effort. "--got you," she rumbles out, then stares up immediately to check she isn't about to get a stricken aircraft land on her or anything, letting out a distinctly relieved sigh when the light ship potters its way off into the distance and leaves her to check on her sudden new charge. "Are you alright? That looked like a bad knock," she instantly adds, her concern switching easily and fully to the girl in her arms.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Traya and Lemy both immediately shoot forward for a dive, but in classic Yarhi fashion, they bump into each other and take each other out of the sky with an expression of DX! and giant, exaggerated band-aids on their heads.

It's all okay, though, because Lia -- without even knowing fully what she's doing, kyaa! -- has smoothly caught Merilan out of the air and into her arms! How dashing... how shoujo!

"Uuu..." The full whack certainly has caused quite the ringing and daze in Merilan's head, so much that she isn't immediately aware of what's going on; there's a bruise on her head, but no break of skin, fortunately.

It isn't until a few moments later, when she groggily opens her eyes, that she quite realises where she's wound up. "Eh-- ahh--?" she looks up towards Lia, her face flushing gently. "Ah, er, my head hurts..." Pause. Beat. Doki-doki...! "Um, thank you so much for catching me."

Traya and Lemy have pulled up in concern of their master, though, watching the scene, their eyes immediately widen into a canvas of glittering stars as they cup their mouths with their tiny arms. Kyaa!

Lia Tobutori has posed:
The woofly samurai is not initially ringed by shoujo bubbles or flowers sparkling out of midair, but it's entirely likely she might be in the Extra Edition. She's far too busy looking with concern at the wound, all too aware of complex medical terms like 'concussion', 'brain damage', and 'ow that bloody hurt' but hardly having the skillset to actually know how to deal with any of them.

"That's quite alright; you're rather lighter than I'd expected," she tries to joke, hefting the girl in her arms just a little as she smiles; it immediately folds away into a worried look as she leans a little closer to check out the lump on Merilan's forehead. "I'm not surprised that hurt... you look mostly alright, but that was quite a knock. I'm afraid there's not much in the way of air superiority to be had around here," she huffs afterward, straightening up and nodding towards the clustered skies of Lindblum.

It's a moment later before she realises she should /probably/ ask: "Oh, ah-- do you think you're able to stand? Should I put you down?"

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan looks back up along with Lia, as she holds on a little tighter out of some sense of acquired safety and comfort. "There are so many things in the skies... what are those? It was huge, and-- imposing, goodness, it's like you can't fly here without hitting something--"

She's sort of interrupted after a period of shared, quiet silence (and embrace) when Lia pitches the question, and the Aegyl, after some realisation hits her, stammers with a very suddenly flush face, "A-ah, yes, I think I should be able to--!"

She slips out of the Nu Mou's hold and steps on down, movements nimble and graceful. Then, a very decidedly unnimble, ungraceful wobble as she shakily stumbles on her feet when her head starts to swim. "Ah..."

Lia Tobutori has posed:
Even now, when she's only been in the Troupe for all of a few weeks, most of its members will already chide Lia on her ability to dither and worry; her standard response is a quiet assured little claim that there are times it actually does pay off. This is one of those times - the samurai hasn't actually let go of Merilan's arm by the time she stumbles, allowing her response to be a quick and solid arm around the Aegyl's waist to steady her.

"You're really not alright," she murmurs with her face set in a frown, leaning over a little to look once more at the wound. "Please, let me take you home. We don't exactly have a physician with the Troupe, but we've plenty of space to rest and heal up at the very least."

With the slightest of efforts, the reporter is suddenly whisked back up into another explosion of shoujo sparkles, which is to say she suddenly finds herself back in the arms of the woofly woman and headed down a side street, away from the bustle of the main streets and crowds and towards a quieter side of the district.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan stumbles on her feet for a moment, ultimately having to lean and balance around Lia's arm; she looks upwards towards the much taller Half-Nu Mou once more, before stammering, "I--I'll be alright--"

That, of course, is interrupted with the most sparkle-tastic of Princess carries, and there's another yelp of surprise as the journalist finds herself in the dashing samurai's arms a second time. "Aah!"

Traya and Lemy look so jealous that the latter's suddenly scooped the former into her arms... and, lasts for about five seconds, because Yarhi arms are indeed tiny and noodly. The Yarhi wind up crashing into a little pile on the floor, before flitting to fret by Merilan's side, cuddling onto her shoulders with a 'nyaa!' kind of expression.

There's a light, almost pouting huff from Merilan as she acquiesces, and says, "I don't want to be trouble... but, it's true I do feel quite dizzy right now." Not to mention hungry and lost, if you remember, Merilan.

Lia Tobutori has posed:
The taller woman shakes her head, this time smiling more readily. Her ears bob as she walks, flopping at the sides of her head. "It's no trouble, I promise. The Troupe is known for helping people out, as well, and it's about time I did my fair share." Her pace is a little slower now that they're off the main road, perhaps something to do with an attempt to spare Merilan's embarrassment while on it; her route through Lindblum is relatively scenic, already well-worn in her memory.

The samurai has other things on her mind, though, chuckling gently as she watches the antics of the Aegyl's companions. "You haven't introduced me to your friends," she notes gently, shaking her head as she does so to show she's mostly joking. "They seem rather worried about you as well."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan does look somewhat transfixed at how fuzzy and endearing the ears are, only catching this detail now! Goodness, Merilan, you aren't exactly a -good- journalist if you aren't more sharp-eyed!

She does, however, have to wonder what kind of acting troupe doubles as a humanitarian aid... well, the answer to that question is 'all the boheme celebrity charity cases', but in Lindblum's case, possibly because it's a quasi-rebel faction under the theatrical guise. Nice.

The Aegyl's cheeks are still stained quite rich and red, however, as they walk; when Lia goes to note the Yarhi, however, she perks up to stammer, "Ah! This is Traya... and this is Lemy," she gestures to the both of them. "They're my Yarhi. Ah, er... Espers, if you're more familiar. They're guardian spirits from where I came from."

As if on cue, Traya and Lemy go 'merrrrp' and have most big smiles for Lia, and Lemy even goes to fly over and sit ontop of Lia's head. "Lemy...! Don't be rude..."

Lia Tobutori has posed:
The samurai blinks upwards, and almost goes to raise a hand to poke at the creature sitting in her hair before remembering that that would be kind of an awkward idea right about now. She has to settle for an amused huff of breath instead, nodding her head to Traya while doing so as gently as possible in order to not dislodge Lemy. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'll be borrowing your charge for a few moments to ensure she's alright, if you don't mind."

She raises her eyebrows at the explanation next, blinking back down at the girl in her arms with wide eyes. "Really... they don't match any of the descriptions I've heard, but I suppose they were simple hearsay and... well, probably unreliable accounts at best." That's code for 'Illua ranting'. "I'm quite impressed. They're much more lively than any other such creature I've heard of."

She's arrived at the hall in the meantime, but actually heads straight past the entrance to travel further along the road; the interior of the Troupe HQ is not exactly in the best of shapes, after all, a little ruined and rubbley. Not to mention it probably has Zidane in there moping away. Instead, she's headed for a small collection of terraced houses just beyond, with a sparse little garden but a reasonably peaceful air.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Whatever Traya and Lemy are, they feel positively made of the same piku-piku kind of rubbery material as the Heartless possibly are. In the KH canon, all summons are cuddly and adorable. So it's kind of like having a little water bottle on your head.

Traya and Lemy beam in turn, but 'kyaa!' a little with cupped cheeks at the words 'borrowing your charge'. Miss Meri...!

"Ah... I have heard other people say the same. In truth, I haven't seen an Esper, myself, but I find more people understand if I use that term..." Merilan explains with just a bit of uncertainty and trepidation. "And, yes, they're very warm and happy! They keep me company..."

There is, perhaps, a bit of longing as she glances off at the realisation that if it weren't for her Yarhi, she'd be quite horridly lonely indeed. But it passes, as she looks on about towards the houses and expresses, "This is such a beautiful place... it's... so full of life, and-- machines, and... it's unlike anything else I've seen. I find that I'm saying that a lot lately."

Lia Tobutori has posed:
The block of houses seems mostly unlocked; not only are residents of Lindblum fairly liberal with their front doors on the whole, but the Troupe itself is one of those open secrets and stealing from them and theirs is typically considered a great way to get the seven hells knocked out of you in very short order. Maneuvering carefully through a door with the girl in her arms, Lia laughs very gently and nods her head. "No, I fully understand what you mean. I'm not actually from this world myself; I got lost, some time ago, and drifted rather aimlessly for a while before I was able to settle down. It's quite an eye-opener."

Her apartment is small, but reasonably cozy; Lia's found it hard to refuse any gifts from other members of the Troupe, let alone their extended 'family' of supporters and the occasional weird fan at the door. As such, she's developing a mild collection of bric-a-brac around the single-room place, though she does her best to keep it tidy and confined to either shelves or the low table in the middle of the room.

The couple of hard-backed chairs she has around don't exactly seem to be the suitable kind of place for a concussed reporter to rest, though, so with absolute care and a small chuckle Merilan finds herself deposited on the bed instead. "Please, rest a moment. Can I get you some water, or something to clear your head?" the samurai asks as she straightens up, then slowly glances at the room in mild and weary amusement. "... I apologise for the mess, for that matter."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
One may say that the residents of Lindblum are thick as thieves. Literally. Not that these are your average joe kind of thieves... well, some of the members of Tantalus might be, but that's why they're temporary player characters. Ohhhh, bam.

"Oh-- truly?" Merilan says, with a kind of curiousity to her eyes. "... Yes, that was what happened to me too. I've been looking for home, myself, while I write about the places I visit."

Once they enter, Merilan's eyes are drawn towards the kind of life that Lia lives within this kind of abode - each and every little harmless detail, every little curio and souvenir seemingly a great point of interest towards her. Her face flushes further as she's plonked straight into Lia's bed, her legs drawing up instinctively as she puts her hands on her stomach. "N-no, no, it's fine. Water would be wonderful, thank you."

Lia Tobutori has posed:
With a nod, the samurai steps away to get a glass and draw some water; if nothing else, the most useful thing about Final Fantasy Steampunk is the potential inclusion of working plumbing, and you're not telling me the Final Fantasy 9 world built a gate that big without first coming up with the idea of taps. "That's quite admirable. I assume you must have built up quite the record by now?" she asks with eyebrows raised as she offers over a glass, then sits down in one of the chairs next to the bed to glance across at its occupant.

Her place is... not lacking in personality, so much as it's the room of a person who doesn't quite know what their personality is just yet. It's not that there's a lack of things there, more that there isn't quite a unified theme - then again, see back to that comment about people just up and giving her things. What there /is/ about the place is a quiet, understated peacefulness; chances are, given the woman herself, this is hardly a surprise.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Well, really, the idea of steampunk without some mechanism to draw water seems almost preposterous, wouldn't it! There's a very shy smile in turn from Merilan as Lia comes back, and she reaches to under her sleeve where there must be billions of little folds to store items in, to hand her a copy of her periodical, Traverse Maniacs.

"Ah... really, I know so little compared to some of the other people, but, I'm trying," Merilan admits rather humbly. With her head hurting, she's got a lot less pomp and pride in her publication at the moment. "I'm-- writing about places I visit, and, writing about people who're looking for missing friends and loved ones, and anything else that catches my interest."

"Your house is very pretty, Miss ... Miss..." A pause. "Ah, I've forgotten already--" there's a rueful, glum frown from Merilan. "I'm so sorry." She does, however, take the glass to drink from it, just about draining it dry in one go.

Lia Tobutori has posed:
The samurai blinks, sitting back down as she scans through the sheet of paper she's been given. Each line, her eyebrows raise a little further, until at the end of it she's looking just a little incredulous, if terribly amused. "'It's full of Hipsters'?" she asks, voice rich and close to laughter as she shakes her head. "Still... however much you do or don't know, I think it's quite impressive to try to reconnect people like that. After all, I'm just sitting around letting myself be," she adds ruefully, shaking her head.

"--Ah, it's Lia," she then reminds the Aegyl. "Lia Tobutori. It's quite alright - rather, are you sure it isn't that bump causing it? I'm honestly half tempted to run you down to the city doctor or something if you're having trouble remembering things." Automatically, she reaches for the glass to take it, getting up for a refill as she speaks.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Suddenly, some of the things that sounded good at time of writing become very, very embarrassing as Merilan's cheeks just continue to get more crimson. "W-well, it was..." she pouts. Before protesting, "At least you're helping people out... Miss Lia," she affirms to herself again, as if trying to commit it to memory once more.

She scratches at the back of her head as Lemy and Traya go 'bwee!' and roll around on the pillows and blankets, looking decidedly Comfortable. "No, I've been... having trouble remembering things ever since the whole incident with the worlds," she admits next, looking down towards the bed for a moment. There's a somewhat defeated, but earnest smile and a laugh from Merilan. "Like... home, and anyone I might've known... I didn't exactly get out whole, I guess."

Lia Tobutori has posed:
Lia blinks as she works; the thought of losing such an intrinsic part of yourself is hardly one she'd even entertained when she recklessly dived into a portal while seeking escape, and she has to admit it probably would have made even her focused mind think twice. "I-- I see. I'm terribly sorry to hear that," she states quietly, facing to turn Merilan on her bed; her expression is earnest and open and deathly serious as she says the words, clearly meaning them wholeheartedly. "I sincerely hope something jogs your memory, and you find your way back."

She walks back, first offering another glass of water; the first disappeared fast enough, it's a fair bet that Merilan needs it. "Please don't denigrate yourself, however. Bringing two missing people together when they might literally be worlds apart is certainly something to be proud of." She sits back down, and that's when the rest of the fruits of her labour are revealed - a plate of bread and some cold cuts, all reasonably fresh from the butcher. The Troupe don't always get a five-finger discount, but they sure do use what good will they get.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan has the lightheartedness to at least joke, "I'll cross getting hit on the head by a flying boat off the list, at least. It's only making me real dizzy," as she accepts the refill and, as expected, drinking from the second just as fast. Adorably, Lemy and Traya start crowding her as they try to get a bit of that water, and she stops to help them to some... not that they technically need it, but damn if Yarhi are anything but furiously hungry and thirsty all the time.

"Y-you're so kind, Miss Lia," Merilan flushes further as she draws her arms more around her, before returning the glass and going to cuddle her Yarhi... which works for about a second, before they're tempted by rustic bread and antipasto, and just dive for that plate. "Ah, you two, behave, please!"

She tilts her head in turn and says, "It's different for everyone, I suppose... I've heard people who just came to Traverse Town -- that place seems special... it seems like it draws people to it. But... well, when I came to, I was in some eerie dark place. It... wasn't much fun. The Heartless were all around me, chasing me."

Lia Tobutori has posed:
Leaning forward, the samurai almost automatically takes one of Merilan's hands, newly vacated by the Yarhi's love for food more than their mistress. Her expression is one of absolute concern for the reporter's tale, frowning at the thought of it. "'Not much fun' hardly seems the half of it, from the description. I'm amazed you made it out at all, but-- please, try not to dwell on it too much. You're safe now, after all."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Safe...

The beating in Merilan's heart, coupled with the warmth of the bed, and the assurance symbolised (and, well, literally provided, physically) by Lia's strong, gripping hand prompts yet another flush from the reporter's face. "... y-yes. Thank you... thank you so much, Miss Lia. You're very... nn... kind..."

And with that, the Aegyl just about drops consciousness on the spot, as her head tilts to one side and light snoozing begins, both of her hands still clutching the half-mou's.

Two feet to her right, Traya nearly chokes on the quadruple-decker of a sandwich Lemy's constructed. Merrrrrrp.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Traverse Town...

Merilan is back here again - truly, as the name suggests, it is a town where many roads converge, and time and time again, this world-crossing journalist truly finds it most comfortable to use as a home base. Hence, Traverse Maniacs, as her publication states.

"Mumu... it's so late. Let's get back to the inn and rest, Traya, Lemy," Merilan mumbles, detached sleeves flopping to either side of her as she gently hovers on through the Second District. Beside her are her two mini-Espers -- Yarhi: Traya, who is green-haired and has a black starry robe and a sock for a hat, and Lemy, sky-blue robed and with tiny wings; they are less than a foot tall each, and resemble adorable, if derpy little girls.

And positively laced with magic, to boot, as Feymarch creatures. Traya is sitting on Merilan's head while Lemy goes to gnaw on a bag of Reese's Pieces, a gift from Manhattan.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan comes to the inn's door straight at the same time as Auron -- and sweeps herself back with a gentle beat of her wings. The way she dresses herself may, in ironic part, remind Auron of a certain daughter of Braska's... though, of course, there is no relation.

Traya and Lemy come to a lazy float next to her, the latter still ravenously eating without end and looking all the happier for it; Traya herself yawns as she more cozily snugs up to the headscarf on Merilan's head.

"Ah, I'm sorry -- please, go ahead..." Merilan offers, gesturing to the inn's front door... but she pauses, as she peers somewhat curiously over the crimson-coated man. There's a ... strange ping coming from him... but, it isn't necessarily harmful. Just... odd.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
There's certainly a magical aura coming from each of them... even Merilan herself. If Auron had the magical sense, there certainly is a strong kind of spiritual presence coming from deep within her... perhaps, even, something dark.

Merilan is just happy to let him have the first go, and follows him inside, turning towards Traya as she pets her on the head. "Aww, are you sleeping already? Come on, let's go to our room..."

A pause, as Merilan watches Auron walk further. This sense is... odd, still. Could it be...

Taking a chance, the young Aegyl swallows as she hovers on after him. "Excuse me..."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Muuu... he's so silent. But, Merilan's curiosity is rather strong as well, especially when she knows so little - any semblance of connection is a rather strong bond, in her mind.

"I-- I'm Merilan," she introduces, finding it perhaps less rude. She tries a smile, though it's rather betrayed by the anxiety somewhat pulsing through her. "I-- I just want to ask..."

"Are you an Esper...?"

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
"Oh... I'm terribly sorry," Merilan says with a self-conscious laugh. She looks to Traya for a moment, who's tucked herself under her scarf and has a snooze bubble firing out of her face. z.z

Lemy flies up from behind her and swallows the last Reese's in one go. Dang, girl, you got a big mouth.

"You just -- had a ... magical presence to me, is all. I'm terribly sorry."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Blink, blink. "Ah, it's just -- an odd question to ask out of the blue, I suppose?" Merilan offers, not... certain herself, other than that's probably what's socially safe to say.

Perhaps an explanation would also be a good apology! "Espers are -- like magical, summoned creatures, I suppose. Like my Yarhi here -- Traya... who's currently asleep... and Lemy," Merilan gestures to the second of the tiny Espers, who... belches very rudely, with particles of peanut butter and chocolate emerging out of her big mouth.

"Goodness, Lemy! Don't be rude."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
"A--Summoner..." Merilan's been called by that term by those she's met, though as far as she can recall, the term does not exist with the proverbial capital 'S' in her homelands. "I've -- heard of people call me that before... yes. I-- suppose you could consider me one."

Though if these tiny Espers are Aeons, then man, the sleeping Fayth are probably having one hell of a good dream, just lazily sleeping and eating without end.

"You're familiar with Summoners, Mister...?"

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
"Ah, it's nice to meet you, Mister Auron!" Merilan bows in turn, politely - and as she tucks down, Traya slides off the top of her head on her hair and drags her scarf off, with a little 'myaaa!' as she bonks her head against the floor. Uguu.

Merilan scoops her up gently into her hands, apologetically and patting her head where a big band-aid has mysteriously appeared. "A guardian...? Who're you guarding, Mr. Auron?" Bzzzzt. Failed that test somewhat hard.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
"... ah... actually, I'm writing a periodical, for missing people -- yes, of course I will," Merilan smiles widely in turn. She even feels comfortable enough now to hand him a copy of the Traverse Maniacs periodical. "Here, a copy for you, if you will..."

She takes Traya in hand, and looks to Lemy as she gets her sleeve dragged. "Ah, sorry -- I have to go... but, I definitely will mention it, Mister... er, Auron! Thank you!" She hurries on down the hallway, with a bow, flying quickly on down to her room.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan Yursalin says, "i mean she handwrites every last one of them, and flies around putting them up and giving them to people""

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Merilan Yursalin says, "and basically goes dizzy when modern people go 'you can just sell your story to a publisher'""

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
To say that Merilan was a traveler before the merging of the worlds would be... inaccurate, one could say -- effectively, her world was a tiny playground, boxed in by the divine barrier of some right-narked-off Occurians.

So in a way, Merilan's travel experience has very much been an on-the-fly experience as well.

Tonight (for it is always night in Traverse Town, the City that Never Sleeps), Merilan's found herself... wandering, through the market offerings of the Town itself.

At the battle at the Coliseum, and her subsequent usage of magic, she's felt... a bit hollow, as she often does. It persists for a while, typically, and Merilan often finds that trying to thrust herself in social situations can be of small comfort, if not always effective.

Her Yarhi are flanking her, as always; Traya's asleep ontop of her head, using her headscarf as a blanket, while Lemy is busy going to town on a buttercup pancake that she's worn as an edible blanket. Nomnomnomnom.

"Mmm... ah?"

Merilan catches a familiar sight -- isn't that the kind lady from the Coliseum? She slowly approaches, quietly -- but the winged Aegyl isn't exactly good at blending into crowds, unlike the Agrabah princess in sensible stealth gear.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Jasmine's smile takes Merilan almost by surprise -- even in the crossing of the worlds, there is a lot of somberness in people that to see a truly empathic smile is... heartwarming. Certainly, it helps to fill the hollow currently permeating her.

"A-ah, it's alright," Merilan remarks, feeling even a little underequipped to react. She twiddles her thumbs softly. "If it weren't for the others, it could've turned out much, much worse. Are you... are you alright?"

A pause, and she tilts her head gently, the sleeping Traya sliding to one side of her head and going 'nyuu' as she tries to hold on.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we ever introduced... my name's Merilan." She bows gently, hands on her laps. "Merilan Yursalin... I'm a... journalist." The word almost seems arcane to her, still, but it is the word of the world at large for her desired profession.

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
There's a faint flush at Merilan's cheeks at the praise. Though she's long been a veteran of battle at her home... those memories aren't privy to her right now -- fighting is not in her current demeanor, or so she convinces herself.

"Ah, Jasmine... that's a nice name," Merilan expresses with a brightening smile. Behind her, Lemy is declaring war on a nearby kebab stand and has just about made its stallkeeper richer as she scores a chicken wrap twice her size.

"A diplomat... wow... that sounds -- that all sounds real amazing," Merilan expresses, her smile very bright now. "Ah--! Um, I've been..." She pulls a roll of paper out of her detached sleeves -- how does she keep all of those in there? and hands it to her. It's a copy of her periodical, Traverse Maniacs.

"I mostly write about my experiences, I suppose? I ... really want to travel, and see everything out there, and relate it to people who might not be so fortunate or can't travel far," Merilan expresses.

"Also, I've been using it as a source for people who're looking for missing loved ones or family to spread the word..."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
"Ah... I've only started," Merilan smiles bashfully. "There are others who are telling me about how I should publish it -- to sell the story to agents who can print it at large, but... it's all overwhelming to me, so I'm starting small for now."

She quietly nods in turn, as she lets her read the paper and turns her eye towards Lemy, eyes widening as the Esper has somehow swallowed the kebab in one go -- at least, until it plugs on straight to her seemingly bottomless throat and she's left wiggling and struggling to swallow it.

Breaking the kebab in two for her with a sigh, and watching with some agog as the Yarhi swallows it -- then immediately goes for the unbidden piece, Merilan turns back to Jasmine with a smile as she says, "We're... all in the same situation, I think. Taken away from our worlds, our loved ones, our friends... I'd like to at least try to make it easier on people, if I can."

Merilan Yursalin has posed:
Traya rubs her eyes with her tiny fingerless arms, and perks on up. Before breaking out into the world's most adorable sunshine smile as she waves at Jasmine, floating on nearby to sit on her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry -- that's Traya," Merilan expresses, "And that's Lemy... they're my Yarhi. Or... Espers, as a lot of people from other worlds call them. They're our guardian spirits... we summon them for protection."