01 ( video. )

[binded]

Um — hello. [ there's a brief pause as the feed begins, not entirely certain of what to address foremost. ] My name is Serah Farron. I think.... I've been here before, but I don't remember any of it.

[ if the network is anything to go by, she had appeared here once before. hello deja vu. the peculiarity of it strikes her for a moment, but she'll contemplate it later. ]

The maid was helpful, but it's still so strange, having something so precious wiped like that. I wonder why they wouldn't want us to remember... [ though, all things considered, she's accustomed to oddity now. she hesitates in her musing — directed more to herself than the network — but is quick to speak again, more assured and pointed in tone. ]

I'm looking for a moogle. He's... [ she makes a hand movement to demonstrate. ] about this big and resembles... a toy, I guess. [ a stuffed animal, if you will. ] I wouldn't want to lose my good luck charm, you know?

[ she brightens with the last sentence, though she still appears to be slightly pensive. ]

There was also someone I was traveling with, but it looks like we've been separated. [ because mog is obviously the priority here... ] I'm looking for a boy named Noel, if anyone has spoken to him. I don't think he could have gone too far. [ hopefully.... but she pauses, as if she wants to ask something else, but inevitably decides against it. ]

Thank you. I'd appreciate any time or help you could spare.

Comments

video;

[deadcenter]

A grown chick like you wantin' a toy back? It's as good as lost at this point.

video;

[binded]

Mog looks like a toy, but he's more of a.... friend. [ and just to clarify: ] He's an animal, but he's pretty shy around strangers until he warms up to them. I wouldn't want him to get lost here.

video;

[deadcenter]

....Uh, a toy is an animal? Right... whatever you say kid.

And I haven't seen this Noel person either. You seem to lose a lot of friends.

[departing]

A moogle?

[Crying.]

He's your good luck charm? Maybe it's still somewhere in the city.

Anyways you can check the contact list if you want to know if someone's still here.

He might be, but I'm not sure if I've met someone with that name before. Sorry it's not much help Miss.Farron.

[binded]

[ stop crying all over this post nami. she nods quickly in response to his question. ]

Yeah. He was a gift from someone important to me.

[ so the contact list was accurate after all, and not any sort of trick or mistake. she makes a mental note to check it for a second time, having previously chosen to focus mainly on her own name and previous network posts. ]

It's okay. You've still been a great help.

[ she smiles attempting some form of reassurance. the 'miss farron' is almost reminiscent of her school teacher days no matter how brief it had seemed. ]

You can call me Serah. I don't mind.

[departing]

[ Uwoooo.]

I hope you can find him soon then. If it's that important to you. That is.

[Oh. At least he wasn't completely useless *u* score.]

Okay then, Serah. I'm Shu Ouma. You can call me Shu.


[Returning friendly gestures. This is difficult. How do I socialize?]

Do you...

[Wait let's try that again.]

Do you have any other questions?

[ video ] ssh I had to make it a smelly trio combo

[entreats]

[ ange and noel talked but idk if they ever.. exchanged names.. what is being social. LET'S WING THIS YEAH. ]

I'm sure there'll be a kid around sooner or later to help you find your.. toy. [ silently judging. ] Furthermore, what does that guy you're looking for look like?

[ video ] suddenly the smell in this post is overpowering

[binded]

[ aw yeah. bueno. but she gets the feeling she'll have to be explaining this toy thing frequently now... ]

Oh. He isn't a toy. [ stop judging. ] Mog is an animal, but most people assume he's a stuffed animal. [ but more importantly... ] Noel is hard to miss. [ but her tone implies that it isn't necessarily a bad thing. and insert a general description of noel here because it's early and ellie's too lazy. ]

[ video ] sorry i took a shower

[entreats]

[ her bueno berserer toy? don't worry, we all have that action figure.. ]

Does he look that cute then? .. No, rather, does he look that strange? [ she's seen a lot of weird shit in her life she wouldn't be surprised.. ]

... And I talked to that guy before, actually. He seemed really concerned when I told him people randomly break into rooms in this place occasionally.

video

[kreissmas]

[ he could maybe actually answer some of those questions of hers but putting the moogle first shoots that in the foot ]

This city's pretty big, you know. Maybe you should have included a description. [ or just mention the parachute pants ]

video

[binded]

[ you mad. ]

Even without a description, you stand out. Others seem to know who you are just by hearing your name. [ which is understandable. just look at your mchammer pants. or maybe noel is finally making dem frands. ] Besides, there can't be that many Noels here, can there? [ the correct answer is no. ]

video

[kreissmas]

[ he has a problem ]

There could be. [ the correct answer is yes. ] Besides, they might not remember my name. A description makes things easier.

[ okay he's just teasing by now, but. he's pretty glad she even knows who the hell she is after his little discussion with snow a while ago. ]

voice

[playerkills]

... I may or may not know a Noel, depending on his fondness of talking with his hands.

video

[binded]

[ accurate. ]

Yeah. [ a light laugh. ] That sounds like Noel. Tall, brown hair.... blue pants. [ dem pants. ] Does that sound familiar?

1/3

[punching]

Whuh—

[It's a good thing their communicators are set up in such a way that they're essentially affixed to their body. Otherwise Snow would have dropped it in a mad scrambling haste and Serah would have gotten a lot of crashes and annoyed grunts.

Still, without responding, Snow's attempting to haul his brain back into his skull again. Serah? The very same girl whose disappearance he's been lamenting for weeks?

She's back?!]

2/3

[punching]

[—and, ouch. She's asking about some kind of toy and... Noel. The very same guy that Snow confronted in his house a short time ago. With Serah articulating that she actually knows him, things start to fall into place a little more.

But wow, slight burn there. Not even her awesome heroic fiance makes it onto the table there?

In truth, though, that doesn't hurt so much—he already knew Noel was aiding her in... his time... as odd as it was to hear. And with him a constant at her side, he knows she'd probably seek him out first thing. After all, she didn't ask after her sister, either.

But what does sting is the reminder—based on what he's learned through hearsay from Noel and Lightning—that time has changed for her. It's passed. She's older now, and... while Snow will always put all of his trust and faith into her until the day he dies, he still can't help but wonder. How much could have possibly changed between them? Would she even know him the same way anymore?]

[video]

[punching]

[But, ultimately, none of that matters. She's here and she's alive and... that's enough to make this big dumb hero happy. Snow's features shift into a broad, genuine smile as he finally flicks on the screen that would display his face.]

Serah! You came back!

[Whatever momentary cloud that passed over his heart is dissolved in an instant, the words sinking into him as soon as they're uttered, filling him with nothing but happiness.]

[ video ]

[ofpaddra]

[Oh, well, this is a surprise. They've technically never met, but all the same, Serah's shown up in enough of her visions that this Yeul already feels quite familiar with the other.]

Serah?

[A pause and then--]

I have not seen your Moogle friend, but Noel is here in the city.

[Along with a fair few other people who may be of interest to her, but one thing at a time.]

[ video ]

[binded]

[ hark, a yeul. she's uncertain which yeul this happens to be, but she still smiles in greeting. ]

Really? [ oh. that's a bit disappointing, but alas. ] Thanks, Yeul. I'm sure Mog will find his way to us, just like Noel and I found each other.

[ a pause. perhaps it's better not to ask, but it's a necessary inquiry. ]

If you're here.... does that mean.... [ ergh. ] Is Caius with you? [ and if so... well. she hopes he'll be less inclined to trying to fight her while they're in asgard. ]

[video]

[synergizing]

[Well, looks like the gang's all here. You think his surprise would've died down at least a little when the whole l'Cie group kept showing up. Nope. So, there's a few seconds of silence as Sazh just takes in all of the information before he finally lets out a sigh.]

I've heard of Noel being here, but I haven't seen him yet. As for the moogle... Can't say I've even heard about that one.

[video]

[binded]

[ perhaps she should be more surprised but.... the effects of time travel and messing with timelines has dulled that to an extent. ]

You haven't? I'll have to introduce you to him. [ so they can all continue being one big happy yet dysfunctional group. ] Mog was... a gift from Lightning. [ something like that. ] I thought he would have arrived with me, but I haven't seen him anywhere.

filtered video!!

[struckout]

[ This is the second time this has happened so far, and curiously enough, even though Lightning now knows it's possible, is no longer the woman she was then when she hadn't even been sure she would ever see her sister again... it's almost as if this time is even more shocking--

Enough that when she sees Serah's name again, hears her voice and witnesses her face - and those clothes - the older Farron's hand actually goes to her chest, the thumping of her heart obvious even under the light touch of her fingertips. Even if she knows the gods want to play with her emotions, have already screwed around with her way too much, she still reacts strongly.

Because when Serah suddenly showed up on the bracelet network before, she'd been talking about Pulse and fal'Cie, asking after Lightning and Snow. This time... she doesn't remember being here. And yet she is asking after Mog. And Noel. And is clearly an incarnation of after those three years spent without a clue as to what had happened to abruptly cause Lightning to disappear, and nobody to remember those few moments they'd had at the base of Fang and Vanille's sacrifice and miracle...!

Lightning swallows the desire to be frantic; by the time she's turn on her own bracelet for a reply her voice is smooth and expression more or less calm. Nevertheless, she can't be certain how the young woman is going to react. ]

I'm afraid Mog failed to follow us here, Serah...

filtered video!!

[binded]

[ she hadn't anticipated meeting again under asgard's circumstances. she had questioned lightning, inquired if they would ever be able to see one another again. the elder sister had only ordered serah to have patience — and though this wasn't how she had envisioned greeting her sister once more, having to overcome yet another obstacle in her path, the image that flickers across her screen leaves her at a temporary loss for words.

she's just as serah had remembered — calm, collected, whereas serah feels increasingly emotional and frantic in contrast. she swallows the growing lump in her throat, inhales deeply. ]

Sis...

[ is it her, or a simple trick played by the numerous gods? perhaps a hallucination, a fragment of an overactive and wishful imagination? she shakes the thoughts from her head quickly. even if the woman before her is a deceptive prank, even if this has been nothing but a fanciful dream that allows her to see her sister and fiance once more.... it's something she wants to believe is reality.

she takes the words into account, but the melancholy and shock she feels is downplayed by her smile, and the following light-hearted words: ]

I found you.

[ even if she technically hasn't, not back home, lightning is here. ]

oh my god this is late but also NOT HERE CRIES I'M SO SORRY

[noeljustkillme]

[But let's be real here would Caius MOTHERFUCKING Ballad really have anything remotely nice or even vaguely helpful to say to Serah I think not. It's not as if he didn't see Serah's post on the network; even if he himself has no reason to use it, it's useful for seeing what's happening and all that. And then lo and behold, IT'S A SERAH. Now he could either a) be a smugass dick like always, or b) do nothing since... it's pointless to do anything!!

And judging by the responses, it's clear that Serah has been alerted to his presence. What a shame it would have been a fun reunion. u_u While he's here at least, and thus actually has the chance to, Caius has every intention of fulfilling his role as a Guardian and thus... actually listen to Yeul oh boy!! YOU'VE LUCKED OUT GIRLY unless you somehow give him a reason to he's not going to kick your ass halfway across the world like usual.

TL;DR HE SEES YOU ROLLIN' 'ROUND TOWN WITH THE GIRL HE PROTECTS AND HE'S LIKE-- :|a He'll be keeping an eye on you... maybe.........]

I UNDERSTAND LATENESS also not here

[binded]

[ caius stop creeping ]