PHASE I [How long has it been since she's seen the man who raised her? A long time - too long. That short time in Lalivero, dragged through the streets of her hometown as Saturos and Menardi's hostage, had hardly counted, and before that she had been dragged away from her hometown for her long sojourn in Tolbi at Babi's behest. After that had been the quest with Felix and Jenna, and then that horrible theme park, and now here...
Here, where Faran finally is. She thinks at first that it must be a trick of some kind - things have been quiet here for far too long; the strange trees at the ball hadn't been severe enough for the length of time that had passed since something terrible had last happened. She waits for the other shoe to drop, and it never does.
There's so much she wants to say to him. Thank you, for one; she wants to ask him how her mother and brother - his wife and his son - are doing, she wants to apologize for not going straight home after Venus Lighthouse, she wants to reassure him that as soon as she can, she'll come home to Lalivero for good. But she's strangely tongue-tied for once, and they walk together through the streets making lighthearted conversation as they attempt to locate the source of the noise.
It's okay if she doesn't say everything she wants to say right away, isn't it? It's okay. Because her adopted father is actually here, and since they haven't figured out a way back to Weyard yet, it means they have all the time in the world.
For that precious half hour, Sheba looks more at peace than she has since she was first whisked away from Weyard.]
PHASE I, take two ["You always did have a habit of looking for the things you can never find. A trait of only the most worthless."
It's only after she stops waiting for the other shoe to drop that it actually does, and it makes the drop all the more painful.]
Father—
[The speed she relies on in battle fails her here, despite her familiarity with the wind. He's gone by the time she manages to turn, though she does see the footprints and that makes it hurt worse. He was here. He was real. And he—
Somehow he knew the real reason she didn't come home right away, when she had the chance to. It was never just about saving the world, though that was certainly part of it; it was always because she had wanted to search for her birth family, because she wanted to know where it was she really came from, and going to Jupiter Lighthouse had been a way of investigating that without having to explain to her adopted family that even the love they've always given to her hadn't been enough to stop her wondering about her roots.
...but he'd known. That had been why he'd said it.
Looking for things you can never find...
She never did find her answers at the lighthouse. If she can't go home, maybe she never will.
And did her family know all along that she had harbored so many doubts—?
It's a painful thought. She's left standing there shivering in the cold as the snow starts to come down more and more heavily, looking like she might cry. It's a few minutes later before she actually starts to walk, bringing up a hand to try and wipe the tears she can't hold back from her eyes.]
...I'm sorry...
[She doesn't know where she's going to go. But she at least knows enough to know she can't stay still.]
PHASE II [The first time the sleigh comes barreling through, Sheba very nearly gets mowed down. What a way to go that would have been - but she manages to avoid it by throwing herself to one side (and directly into a snowbank, good job there). She waits a minute or two before climbing out of the slush and grimaces at the way it's chilled and dampened her clothing.
This is bad. She's not Jenna, and she doesn't know where Menardi is - if she doesn't get somewhere warm quickly, or find someone who can create fire, the cold might do her in even if that sleigh doesn't.
It's too hard to see, so as she makes her way through the streets (she doesn't realize she's being herded to the mall, but that's ultimately going to be where she ends up), she casts Mind Read more or less constantly. On the one hand, it means she won't be able to immediately retaliate with lightning if she gets attacked - but on the other, she's hoping that scanning for thoughts of any kind will at least give her a heads up if someone or something approaches her, so she'll be able to dodge and prepare herself for a fight if she must.
She isn't focusing enough to pick up on any specifics, just enough to sense someone's presence by their thoughts even if she can't see them in these snowy conditions. When she does pick up on someone, she disengages her Psynergy and calls out, sounding a little panicked.]
Who's there?!
PHASE IIIB: COLD [She'd been hoping for warmth when she finally made it to the mall - but she's entered from the wrong side for that. But at least she's out of the blizzard. That's... something. The relief that comes with finally getting indoors doesn't last for too long once she is actually able to take stock of her surroundings, though; whatever had begun outside is clearly not over now that she's managed to make it here. For one thing, she's certain this isn't what the mall usually looks like.
(If it is, they really need to hire some better interior decorators, because wow.)
Although she wants to rest, she doesn't really feel like she can just yet. This place doesn't feel safe. Her suspicions are proven correct when a sharp-toothed elf comes out of nowhere and lunges right for her.
She shrieks. She's depleted a good amount of her Psynergy by scanning for thoughts on the way over here, so all she can really do is turn and run. She has enough left for a blast or two of lightning, but it's moving so fast she's terrified she'll miss and she doesn't want to waste it.
But she's so tired. She can only run for so long, and as she turns a corner, she stumbles. The elf is on her in an instant and she feels its claws dig into her skin.
This time, she doesn't shriek, she screams. But at least it's in one place as it tries to eat her, and so she calls down the strongest Spark Plasma she can possibly muster on the both of them. She'll take getting zapped by her own element to being eaten by a demonic elf any day of the week.]
Leave me alone!
[She's a bit of a wreck right now and could definitely use some help.]
ota!!
[How long has it been since she's seen the man who raised her? A long time - too long. That short time in Lalivero, dragged through the streets of her hometown as Saturos and Menardi's hostage, had hardly counted, and before that she had been dragged away from her hometown for her long sojourn in Tolbi at Babi's behest. After that had been the quest with Felix and Jenna, and then that horrible theme park, and now here...
Here, where Faran finally is. She thinks at first that it must be a trick of some kind - things have been quiet here for far too long; the strange trees at the ball hadn't been severe enough for the length of time that had passed since something terrible had last happened. She waits for the other shoe to drop, and it never does.
There's so much she wants to say to him. Thank you, for one; she wants to ask him how her mother and brother - his wife and his son - are doing, she wants to apologize for not going straight home after Venus Lighthouse, she wants to reassure him that as soon as she can, she'll come home to Lalivero for good. But she's strangely tongue-tied for once, and they walk together through the streets making lighthearted conversation as they attempt to locate the source of the noise.
It's okay if she doesn't say everything she wants to say right away, isn't it? It's okay. Because her adopted father is actually here, and since they haven't figured out a way back to Weyard yet, it means they have all the time in the world.
For that precious half hour, Sheba looks more at peace than she has since she was first whisked away from Weyard.]
PHASE I, take two
["You always did have a habit of looking for the things you can never find. A trait of only the most worthless."
It's only after she stops waiting for the other shoe to drop that it actually does, and it makes the drop all the more painful.]
Father—
[The speed she relies on in battle fails her here, despite her familiarity with the wind. He's gone by the time she manages to turn, though she does see the footprints and that makes it hurt worse. He was here. He was real. And he—
Somehow he knew the real reason she didn't come home right away, when she had the chance to. It was never just about saving the world, though that was certainly part of it; it was always because she had wanted to search for her birth family, because she wanted to know where it was she really came from, and going to Jupiter Lighthouse had been a way of investigating that without having to explain to her adopted family that even the love they've always given to her hadn't been enough to stop her wondering about her roots.
...but he'd known. That had been why he'd said it.
Looking for things you can never find...
She never did find her answers at the lighthouse. If she can't go home, maybe she never will.
And did her family know all along that she had harbored so many doubts—?
It's a painful thought. She's left standing there shivering in the cold as the snow starts to come down more and more heavily, looking like she might cry. It's a few minutes later before she actually starts to walk, bringing up a hand to try and wipe the tears she can't hold back from her eyes.]
...I'm sorry...
[She doesn't know where she's going to go. But she at least knows enough to know she can't stay still.]
PHASE II
[The first time the sleigh comes barreling through, Sheba very nearly gets mowed down. What a way to go that would have been - but she manages to avoid it by throwing herself to one side (and directly into a snowbank, good job there). She waits a minute or two before climbing out of the slush and grimaces at the way it's chilled and dampened her clothing.
This is bad. She's not Jenna, and she doesn't know where Menardi is - if she doesn't get somewhere warm quickly, or find someone who can create fire, the cold might do her in even if that sleigh doesn't.
It's too hard to see, so as she makes her way through the streets (she doesn't realize she's being herded to the mall, but that's ultimately going to be where she ends up), she casts Mind Read more or less constantly. On the one hand, it means she won't be able to immediately retaliate with lightning if she gets attacked - but on the other, she's hoping that scanning for thoughts of any kind will at least give her a heads up if someone or something approaches her, so she'll be able to dodge and prepare herself for a fight if she must.
She isn't focusing enough to pick up on any specifics, just enough to sense someone's presence by their thoughts even if she can't see them in these snowy conditions. When she does pick up on someone, she disengages her Psynergy and calls out, sounding a little panicked.]
Who's there?!
PHASE IIIB: COLD
[She'd been hoping for warmth when she finally made it to the mall - but she's entered from the wrong side for that. But at least she's out of the blizzard. That's... something. The relief that comes with finally getting indoors doesn't last for too long once she is actually able to take stock of her surroundings, though; whatever had begun outside is clearly not over now that she's managed to make it here. For one thing, she's certain this isn't what the mall usually looks like.
(If it is, they really need to hire some better interior decorators, because wow.)
Although she wants to rest, she doesn't really feel like she can just yet. This place doesn't feel safe. Her suspicions are proven correct when a sharp-toothed elf comes out of nowhere and lunges right for her.
She shrieks. She's depleted a good amount of her Psynergy by scanning for thoughts on the way over here, so all she can really do is turn and run. She has enough left for a blast or two of lightning, but it's moving so fast she's terrified she'll miss and she doesn't want to waste it.
But she's so tired. She can only run for so long, and as she turns a corner, she stumbles. The elf is on her in an instant and she feels its claws dig into her skin.
This time, she doesn't shriek, she screams. But at least it's in one place as it tries to eat her, and so she calls down the strongest Spark Plasma she can possibly muster on the both of them. She'll take getting zapped by her own element to being eaten by a demonic elf any day of the week.]
Leave me alone!
[She's a bit of a wreck right now and could definitely use some help.]