A Moment's Reprieve [Raen]

[Aerith]

New Experiences

When they landed the Gummi Ship--safely and not inside the mouth of a giant living creature, mind you--Lanying exhaled a sigh of relief. From what Raen had told her about this world they had come to, she knew she would at last be able to scrub the feel and smell of whale fluid out of her skin. And she could finally get out of these ruined clothes. Part of her felt a twinge of guilt at that thought. Shedding these clothes in favor of ones that would probably be very culturally different seemed as though she was breaking away from her heritage. She shook her head a little. That was nonsense, of course. She would never forget her people and her home just because she was exploring new worlds.

Upon exiting the ship, she stopped and stared in fascination at her new surroundings. This world--Traverse Town, Raen had called it--was her first real experience of a world outside her own. He had explained that this place was wrapped in an eternal blanket of night, which Lanying found difficult to fathom. She, for one, loved the sun and enjoyed basking in its warmth and light. But the lack of sunlight did not appear to affect the world's population, as people milled everywhere. The main draw for the people was the abundance of shops, and Lanying made sure to note these. She should certainly be able to find suitable clothing here.

After drinking in the town for a moment, she turned to find Raen standing next to her. "You know this place, yes? My first inclination is to find an inn and wash myself. Perhaps several times. But...I'll need something to change into." She looked at him expectantly. He was the knowledgeable one here, unlike their meeting on her homeworld.

[Nothingness]

Home Sweet Home

Raen wasn't expecting to return to Traverse Town so soon, nor was he expecting to feel so homesick. Looking up, he could feel a twinge of emotion in his heart; seeing all the stars in the sky again, each twinkling with its own, unique light. You couldn't really get the full scope of this from a Gummi Ship. That, combined with the hundreds of lights from the various buildings just made the world seem even more beautiful to him. And all the people had their own story. Some hopeful, some sad, but each person was unique. It was truly an amazing world.

Chuckling to himself, he looked down and scratched the back of his head. Now wasn't really the time to be getting reminiscent. Lanying's voice bringing him back to earth, he turned to her and started pointing out places. "Well, uh, let's see. Right now we're in the 1st District. Here you'll find most of the businesses for items, equipment--there's a cafe over there, too. Up those stairs is Moogle Synthesis Shop. The employees may look strange, but they know their way around a forge, trust me." Taking a few steps forward, he pointed to someplace behind the large accessory shop. "Behind that is a pair of large doors that lead to the 2nd District. It's basically the residential section of the world. You'll find houses, hotels, clothing shops, et cet era. We can find clothes to change into there and a place to stay." Pointing to his right at another large pair of doors, he said, "And that leads to the 3rd District. It's a pretty empty section of the world, and you'll usually just find kids hanging out there. However, the Traverse Town Shield takes up their HQ there, so if you see any large Heartless, you can let us, er, them know and they'll take care of it." He didn't intend to let slip that he was from this world, so hopefully she didn't notice that, but that was doubtful. He knew it didn't really matter, but he just didn't want to stay here for any longer than necessary.

Quickly changing the subject, "Seeing as how neither of us wants to retain this stench, I think we should head to the 2nd District and get some new clothes. Some of the shopkeeps, uh, owe me a few favors from my last stay here, so don't worry about money." Taking a few steps forward, he turned around, smiling, and motioned for her to follow. "Well, come on. Don't stand around gawking. They'll think you're from another world--like everyone else!"

[Aerith]

Trust

Lanying listened as Raen described the layout of the town. When he mentioned that they could get new clothes without worrying about the cost, she relaxed a little more. That had been something gnawing at the back of her mind, especially since she did not have any funds to speak of. And since she placed a high level of importance on honor, she would have been unwilling to steal new clothes.

Raen walked a few paces ahead of her, then turned around and smiled at her, which took her a little bit by surprise. Unless she had forgotten something already, this was the first time he had smiled since she had met him. Of course, neither of them had had much reason to smile since they had first met. Between Heartless and Kadaj and then getting eaten by a whale, Lanying did not know of too many people who would have been able to smile in their situation. Still, the expression threw her off balance for a moment, and she said, with a puzzled expression on her face, "But I am from another world."

She walked up to him and stopped. "If you lead, I will follow." She could not help but trust him. He had aided in saving her world, and then, when they had been trapped in that whale, he had not left her behind. She was not sure about his need to speak with Zexion, considering what Demyx had said about him, but until he blatantly betrayed her trust, he would have it. She knew no one else outside of her world, and if he left her, she did not have the slightest idea of what she would do.

[Nothingness]

Let's See What We've Got Here...

Leading Lanying along into the 2nd District and immediately took a right and headed towards the clothing shops. Once again, without even looking up at the signs, he walked right into one of the shops--the door tinkling as the top slid across some chimes. A middle-aged woman behind the checkout counter looked up, saying in a rather monotone voice, "Good day, welcome to--oh, Raen! So good to see you again!" When she saw Lanying, her voice became even more personable. "Oh, and who is this young lady?"

"Thank you, Ms. Belamine, it's good to see you too. This is my friend, Lanying. She and I are in need of some new clothes. We had a rather unpleasant run-in with Monstro--you remember Geppetto's stories--and we really need something new." The woman approached the two of them, looking over their clothes, and Raen could tell that she was entering her own little world. "Can you help Lanying out with a new outfit? I've got to go get us a place at the hotel, and I've got a few other things to take care of, too." Knowing that he didn't want it to seem like he was abandoning her, he said to Lanying, "I won't be gone for long, don't worry. And trust me, Ms. Belamine here will get you fixed right up. She's the best at what she does." The woman absentmindedly nodded as she began looking through clothes. Raen was already opening the door as he said, "I'll be right back."

---

It only took him a few minutes to get the rooms set up before he returned to the clothing store."I'm back. Got the rooms ready and everything." He started going through a few racks of clothing as he waited for Lanying to get her new clothes.

[Aerith]

Incorrect Assumptions

Before Lanying could speak a word of protest, Raen was gone, and she was left alone with the store owner, Ms. Belamine. She was not sure what to say at that moment, though it did not appear as though the woman would have heard her if she had said anything. There were so many different varieties of clothing here, and she wondered how Ms. Belamine kept up with them all. The woman certainly seemed to know her way around the store, though.

"Hmm...I think...this will do for you." Ms. Belamine was muttering to herself while looking through her merchandise. "Oh, and this, yes. That will look lovely. Oh! This, too..." Lanying was beginning to feel slightly nervous. This woman did not know anything about her. What sort of clothes was she picking out, anyway?

Ms. Belamine turned to her suddenly and looked her over again for a moment. She nodded to herself, then smiled knowingly at Lanying. "You're a self-conscious one, aren't you? But don't you worry, dear. I'll make sure you look cute and modest!" She moved over to a counter full of jewelry and other accessories and began adding things to the pile of clothes. "Let me see, here...you're from Land of Dragons, right? Aha. I have the perfect earrings to go with this. They'll match those gorgeous green eyes of yours... You do have pierced ears, don't you, honey?"

The woman was looking at her again. Lanying had never felt so scrutinized before. Most of her time back home had been spent in the company of men, so her choice of fashion had never been a regular topic of interest. "How did you know that is my homeworld?"

"Well, your current clothes, for one. And those features of yours. So wonderfully exotic!" Ms. Belamine was in dress-up mode, and there was nothing Lanying could do to stop it. Instead, she stood there, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Ms. Belamine now had a large bag in hand and was carefully putting the clothes and accessories inside it. Did she really think Lanying needed all of that?

"Oh! Yes, I almost forgot. While Raen isn't here, we'll need to pick out some new underwear that will make you look just fabulous!" She immediately bustled over to a corner of the store, humming to herself.

Lanying felt her cheeks heating up. ...Underwear? She knew it was a necessity, but to hear someone else, even if she was another woman, talk about it openly was unusual for her. To make matters worse, Ms. Belamine started talking again. "So, how long have you and Raen known each other?" Lanying watched her pick up several pairs of underwear to compare.

The heat in her cheeks increased dramatically. "Um...only for perhaps a week or so." How difficult was it to choose underwear?

Finally satisfied with her choices, Ms. Belamine turned back to face Lanying. "Oh? Well, you two just look so cute together!" She smiled widely. "I think he'll just love your new outfit."

"Wh-what?" Lanying's eyes widened, and she fervently shook her head. "N-no, we're...we're not together like that. I just met him!"

That was, blessedly, when Raen decided to show back up and announce that they had rooms ready. This distracted Ms. Belamine from pursuing her line of questioning, and she offered the bag full of clothes to Lanying with a smile and small wink. To the best of her ability, Lanying tried so very hard to hide the blush she knew was threatening to cover her cheeks. She accepted the bag and gave Ms. Belamine a deep bow, giving herself enough time to regain her composure. "I appreciate all of your help, Ms. Belamine." Then, she walked hurriedly toward the door. "Raen, I'll be waiting outside while you get your clothes."

[Nothingness]

A Few Other Things

Raen couldn't help but notice that Lanying's cheeks were an amazingly bright shade of red as she quickly left the store. Raen gave Ms. Belamine a rather confused look. "What did you--never mind, I'm pretty sure I know what you said." She never was known for her subtlety...or tact. "Politely blunt" would be the best way to describe her.

Ms. Belamine simply laughed, "Oh, I'm sorry. You know how I get around you kids." She began talking to him about Lanying and the clothes she picked out for her, and on and on. Raen tuned her out for the most part--this wasn't the first time he found himself in this kind of situation with her. After a minute or two he found the clothes he wanted and had Ms. Belamine check them out. Her voice jingled with the bells as Raen closed the door behind him, "See you two later!"

Raen scratched the back of his head as he met up with Lanying. "She's certainly quite the character, I can tell you that. But she's got a good heart." As they walked to the hotel, Raen suddenly remembered something that he had forgot to mention. "I should have mentioned this sooner, but about eighty-percent of the people in this world aren't from here. People from all over usually either stop here going somewhere, or wind up here when their world falls to darkness. So that's why nobody really finds anything strange if you're from another world." He figured he may as well mention this now since she'd probably figure it out sooner or later. "I belong to the twenty-percent that are actually from this world, and I'm a member of the Traverse Town Shield, as well. That's why I can usually get discounts or favors from the shopkeepers. They get enough business anyway." He laughed a bit at his little joke. Tapping the patch on his jacket, he said, "If you see anyone with this--be it on their clothes, some jewelery, or whatever, it means that they're a member. We had some issues a little while ago, but it seems we've gotten over our differences." He couldn't help but notice in their short stay so far that there were more members than when he had left.

Arriving at the hotel, Raen handed her a red key with a small, red tag with a golden dragon on it. "I figured you'd like the Red Room, so I'll be taking the Green Room just next door. They used to just be rooms, but they've added in a bathroom with a shower, opened up the balcony out back a bit more. Just a few little adjustments." He suddenly felt a little awkward. This would be the first time the two of them spent any time apart in the week and a half they'd known each other. "Well, uh, if you need anything, just knock--I won't be going anywhere for a while. I'll see you...well, can't really say 'in the morning.' I guess just 'later tonight' will have to do. So, uh, see ya." And on that rather awkward note, Raen entered his room.

[Aerith]

New Look, Same Person

Lanying clutched her bag close as they approached the hotel, only letting go with one of her hands when Raen offered her a room key. She took note of the design and appreciated it. It reminded her of home. Her fingers closed around the key, and she stood there a little awkwardly. He also seemed unsure of himself for a few moments. Finally, he told her she could knock on his door if she needed anything. He wasn't going anywhere for a while, so that was good. "Thank you, Raen," she said quietly as he moved to enter his room.

She moved a little ways down the hall and unlocked her own room. True to its name, it was decorated in a red theme. The room itself was a welcome sight, but the bathroom and the shower was the most wonderful sight Lanying had seen in a long time. And that was her first stop. Taking her bag of new clothes with her, she entered the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on the water. To her delight, there was a wide variety of soaps, shampoos, and lotions in this bathroom. She perused these while waiting for the tub to fill up. A nice, long soak followed by a quick rinse in the shower sounded quite lovely.

* * * * *

She decided that she could probably get used to these new clothes very quickly. Ms. Belamine really did know what she was doing. Lanying could not stop looking at herself in the mirror, amazed at how different she looked. But it was a good sort of different.

A short-sleeved indigo jacket with a pair of pockets near the bottom of the front was layered over a simple light-green camisole edged at the top and bottom in matching lace. The jacket fell straight down to her waist and had an "s"-shaped Eastern dragon stitched on the back in silver thread. She wore an indigo, A-line skirt that fell to just above her knees and very breathable black stockings underneath that. And these shoes were amazing. The very feminine black ankle-boots were not only well-made, they were incredibly comfortable. Thank goodness she had been able to avoid getting stuck with heels or something.

Her ears were now adorned with a pair of jade earrings carved into the shape of small dragons chasing their tails. Around her neck, she wore a thin, silver chain with a medium-sized, white charm in the shape of a pair of lotus blossoms. And her right wrist now sported several thin black leather bands. Overall, she liked the way she looked, even if it was different. The small touches of her cultural heritage were very much appreciated. She would have to go back by the shop and thank Ms. Belamine later.

For now, she supposed she should get some rest. Raen was probably doing the same in his room. Sleep came first, and then she would see if he would talk to her about this decision he was in the process of making. It was interesting to her that he was born here, even though most of the people just passed through on their way elsewhere. And even more interesting was his involvement in this Traverse Town Shield group. Fighting against the Heartless was a part of his life. Surely, he wouldn't suddenly abandon that? This was the last conscious thought she had before at last drifting off to sleep.

[Nothingness]

A Missed Reunion

Raen couldn't even describe how nice a hot shower felt. All he could say was that it was the most refreshing thing in the world right now. Every joint in his body immediately relaxed, and even his mind seemed to relax. It felt like it had been years since he was that loose--physically, mentally, and spiritually. However, as soon as he turned the water off, it seemed like the release of tension lasted only a few seconds. That being said, he was still fairly relaxed anyway.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he walked over to a table with a mirror hanging above it. He couldn't help but smirk self-consciously at his new outfit. He was now wearing white tennis shoes with black laces and an image of the front half of a wolf emblazoned on the outer side of each shoe in a graffiti style. His pants were a new pair of blue jeans with faded splotches on the knees, but much lighter in shade and with faded white streaks going down the sides on the seams. He was wearing a white dress shirt that had thin, vertical stitchings all along the front, a right breast-pocket, and he had the top two buttons undone, not counting the undone collar, and the buttons on the cuffs and along the sleeves undone. The shirt was untucked, except a small portion where he could slip his rapier through a loosened portion of a black leather belt.

His old jacket was pretty well ruined, what with Kadaj slicing it up and Monstro's saliva, so he figured it best to get a new one--the patch could just be removed and restitched, anyway. He was now sporting a black light-jacket with a hood and inside pockets. It pretty well covered the white dress shirt when it was unzipped outside of the exposed front, and the sleeves were slightly longer than the shirt's sleeves so he wouldn't have to worry about the white showing. All in all, he thought he looked pretty good, though he wasn't about to brag about it.

As he turned around, ready to crash on the bed, he noticed something different about the room: a half-filled glass of red wine was sitting on the coffee table, and there was a rifle round resting at the bottom of the glass. Picking up the glass, he took a sip and swished the wine in his mouth a bit. "I wonder," he muttered sarcastically. Taking a few steps to the back of the room, he opened the door to the balcony, but found only two empty wine glasses and a bottle of Pinot Noir on the table with a small, folded note leaning against it. It read,

Well, if you're reading this, then it's ABOUT DAMN TIME. We know you won't be staying for long, so if this is good-bye, we'll see you when you come back. If not, we'll catch you around, tomorrow.

-Sarah & Matt

P.S. Matt says don't touch the bottle. You can have the glass, but not the bottle.

P.P.S. You can move the bottle inside, but seriously, don't drink it, man.

Raen couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh. Putting the note in his pocket, he picked up the bottle and placed it on the coffee table before going back on to the balcony and doing the same with the wine glasses. "Well, it would be a shame to let this go to waste." Raen thought as he downed the rest of his glass of wine. He took the round out from the bottom of the glass and set it on top of the wine bottle's cork. With that out of the way, he walked over to his bed and laid down, quickly drifting to sleep's sweet embrace.

[Aerith]

Nightmares Are Terrible Things

She didn't know how long she slept. It might have been a few minutes or a few months. If her dreams were any indication, she slept for years. She dreamed of home, of her past home when her parents were still alive. She dreamed of Heartless and Kadaj and that witch and Mickey. She dreamed of the emperor. But her father dominated them all. Despite her protests to the contrary, he expressed his disapproval of her, and he mourned the fact that she was not a son. She watched him raise his hand...

...and then she woke up. Her cheeks were stinging a little, and she smelled salty moisture on her pillow. She immediately sat up, shook her head, and rubbed at her eyes. She had not had any dream like that in quite a while, and it was silly of her to get so upset over it. It had only been a dream, after all. She rose from the bed and stretched, then made her way to the bathroom. After splashing some cold water on her face and patting it dry with a towel, she felt much better. She was clean, had new clothes, and had gotten some sleep. It was time to have that conversation with Raen.

Upon exiting her room, she walked down the hallway to his. Hopefully, she wouldn't wake him up. She didn't want him to be grumpy, after all. Taking a deep breath, she raised a hand and knocked softly on the door.

[Nothingness]

Good Morning Night

Raen had already been awake for around half an hour when he heard Lanying's knocking. His sleep had been well enough, despite waking up more than once during the night. Most of the time it was because his mind just couldn't shake off the feeling that he might be making the wrong choice. Once he decided to fight for one side, that was something he'd have to stay with, and that thought intimidated him. He wasn't frightened, but he was worried about the consequences, especially considering Lanying.

Walking over to the door, he opened it, seeing Lanying standing in front of the doorway wearing her new clothes. "Good night, Lanying. Well, Ms. Belamine certainly hasn't lost her touch--you look very nice." Stepping out of the way, he extended an arm into the room. "So, what's up?" As an afterthought, he figured that he should probably put the wine away, but when he looked at the coffee table, the bottle and glasses were already gone.

[Aerith]

Forgive My Rudeness. I Want Some Answers.

When Raen commented on how she looked, Lanying smiled. "She may know what she's doing, but it might be better if she did not speak so much." She stepped into his room when he invited her and looked around. It was mostly the same as hers, except, of course, decorated in green. She did not want to be rude and act as though she owned this place, so she remained standing for now. What she wanted to talk about was not going to be mere casual conversation, after all.

She took a moment to collect her thoughts, then turned around to face Raen. "This may seem forward and a little demanding of me, but...I have so many questions for which I do not have answers." Shifting her gaze off the side, she tried to pick just one question to start with. "When we were leaving the whale, you told Demyx to relay a message to Zexion, and you mentioned something about a decision. From what I gathered from Demyx, I do not think this Zexion should be trusted." Her gaze shifted farther down to the floor. "Though...I suppose that is only going on hearsay. I should not be so quick to pass judgment." She returned her eyes to Raen. "Who is he? And why is he important?"

[Nothingness]

Looks Like I've Got Some Explaining To Do

"Tell me about it," Raen muttered as he closed the door and leaned against it. Propping one foot against the door and crossing his arms, he looked down and spoke. "Well, I figured you'd ask why exactly I'm doing all this, and I also know that it would've been more appropriate to tell you sooner, but I guess now is a better time than never. I figure I should start from the beginning..." And with that, he began to tell Lanying about the Shield, his "mission" of sorts, and more importantly, about the balance.

"...and so, essentially, I went out to see how this lopsided balance of light and darkness was affecting the worlds." He concluded the story. It was, more or less, exactly what he told Zexion back in Twilight Town. "Now to answer your question. Me and my companions were traveling when our ship was shot down by a Heartless ship. We crashed-landed in Twilight Town, and they lost their Hearts trying to protect me. Zexion saved my life and took me to safety. Then he and I talked and he told me confirmed my theories about the balance, and that, just as the darkness could harm, so could an overabundance of light."

He removed himself from the wall and started to pace slowly back and forth. He was going to have to watch his words at this point. "Zexion became...less than accommodating. I soon found out that he was a Nobody--a person that lacks a heart as well as existence, but still is. Demyx is the same, I'd wager. He told me that in the end, I'd have to ally myself with one side or the other, which is true. I have yet to decide, though." That was the first lie he had told her--he already made his mind up, but he was still afraid of telling her his choice. "I don't see myself being friends with Zexion anytime soon, or ever really trusting him, but I do still need to ask him a few things."

Raen stopped his pacing and scratched the back of his head. He he turned to face Lanying. "I guess those answers also brought up a few more questions. Is there anything else you want me to tell you? Trust me, I want to fill you in as much as possible." He was actually quite glad about bringing some more transparency between them. He'd rather not just have her tagging along for his sake, but because she wanted too.

[Aerith]

Much to Consider

She listened intently to Raen's long explanation about the balance--or, rather, imbalance right now--between light and darkness. In theory, she could understand the reasons for wanting a balance. Stability of any kind was necessary for a healthy environment. If you gave a plant too much water and not enough sunlight, it would still wither and die. The worlds, it seemed, worked the same way. On a personal level, though, she detested such an idea. She had seen what darkness could do first-hand, and she had worked for at least a decade to prevent it from destroying anything else. If there was currently too much light, then the only way to stop it from going out of control was to let the darkness have its way for a while. And Lanying was not about to do that.

Zexion had saved Raen's life, which was surprising to her. It did not match up with what Demyx had said. But then, Raen went on to explain what Zexion--and, by extension, Demyx--really was. A Nobody. The capital "N" was evident in the way Raen had said the word. The concept was difficult for her to grasp. Someone without a heart, incapable of true feeling, yet they still walked and drew breath. How was such a thing possible? Dealing with Heartless was terrible enough.

Raen finished by telling her that this choice he had to make involved choosing a side, but he had not made any decisions yet. Should not the choice be obvious? There should not even be a choice here. She would not let Heartless ravage worlds for the sake of restoring this mystical balance of opposing forces. She would not. A few moments after Raen stopped speaking, she felt the need to point something out. "If Zexion is incapable of displaying real emotion as you say, then have you considered the possibility that he only saved you with the intention of using you?"

[Nothingness]

I Think That's All You Need to Know

Lanying mentioning the fact that Zexion may very well want to use him brought a smile to Raen's face. "I think we both understood what we wanted from one another. I wanted information, he wanted me for some reason. He wouldn't have tried to save me without a reason--Nobodies can't feel compassion, so he wouldn't have cared whether I lived or died." He paused for a moment, trying to come up with some particular reason Zexion might need him for. Outside of adding another Nobody to their ranks, he could only come up with rather simple conjecture--nothing that wasn't plainly obvious.

"Well," Raen said, biting the inside of his cheek thoughtfully, "I think that's about covers everything I can tell you about this. It's your choice if you want to stick with me for this crazy mission of mine--I'm not going to force you. I won't hold it against you if you want nothing more than a ride back to your own world, or if you wanna stay here for a while." Truth be told, he'd want nothing more than to have her continue traveling with him, but he knew that it would be wrong unless she wanted to come of her own free will.

[Aerith]

The Point of No Return?

At least Raen was aware that Zexion most likely did not have pure motives. That made her feel somewhat better. She would have hated encountering the Nobody and been the only one with a high level of suspicion. He had finished telling her everything he thought she should know at this point, and now he was waiting on her to tell him what she wanted to do. That was the question of the hour, was it not? What, exactly, did she want to do?

After giving it a good amount of thought, she made her decision. "I promised the emperor that I would grow stronger and become better able to defend my people. If I returned now, I would have to admit failure. I am not...any different from when I first left." She needed much more time and many more experiences before she could face the emperor again. Simply getting new clothes was not enough. And traveling with Raen was probably the best way to gain that experience, despite her misgivings about who they might meet along the way. "And if I stayed here, the only new world I would be seeing would be this one. So, if you do not mind, I would like to continue accompanying you."