Re: Symphonia V2

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:37 pm

Okay. No need to panic. So maybe she fell asleep while waiting for Vicky? But... her dreams weren't usually so vivid. Like, everything was colourful, loud, and she could feel the wind on her skin. But how else could she explain her sudden change of clothes and surroundings? Her simple pair of jean capris had turned into a long flowing skirt. Her flip-flops were replaced with comfortable walking boots and her favourite outfit consisting of a yellow tank underneath a grey off-the-shoulder top was gone. She was now wearing a fair coloured, loose blouse.

Her arms were covered with goosebumps and she had a feeling that if she were to pinch herself, it would hurt. But I have to be dreaming! I couldn't have fallen asleep though. I hadn't even sat down! She shuddered at the thought of bugs crawling over her as she slept unaware in the grass. Yeah, gross...

So, maybe something unexpected hit her in the head hard? Yeah, that was pretty unlikely as well. She groaned, glanced bitterly down at her clothing momentarily and then set off. She may as well try and figure out where she was. Maybe she was hallucinating? What would that be a symptom of anyway? Some form of brain damage? Schizophrenia? She shook her head firmly, shutting off her thoughts on that matter.

Something crackled behind her, like the sound of a stick breaking. It's only the wind, she told herself firmly. She wasn't going to freak out here, when she was by herself with no idea where she was. No need to panic, she reminded herself. Everything's fine. "Vicky! Please... come out," she murmured the last part, cursing her best friend for deciding to leave her alone. Of course, it had to be Vicky's fault.

When she broke into the field, which had that fresh air/grassy smell, she frowned. This didn't look even vaguely familiar to her. Just where the hell am I?! She stopped, her hands crossed over her chest uneasily as she looked around. It wasn't a large clearing, almost like a break between the trees. She was still surrounded by the woods, and noticed that the path continued through the field and back into the forest. She continued on, hoping to find someone to ask for help. Preferably someone kind too, not some creepy old man or something.

Though, in a forest like this, she had doubts of finding anyone at all - creepy old man or not.

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:54 pm

Victoria looked down both ways of the path, clutching the bag close to her chest. She could feel herself shaking as she lowered herself to the ground and placed the bag at her knees. She swallowed again and forced herself to calm down, taking deeper breaths and opening the bag.

White fabric was the first thing she saw and when she pulled it out, she found it was a rather long coat. Sort of like a lab coat. She tilted her head. Why would there be a lab coat in there?

With a frown, she tossed the thought aside and bundled the coat on her legs before she investigated the rest of the bag's contents. Various bottles with odd labels were in some of the several pouches along with bread and what appeared to be dried meat. A water canteen was clipped to the side with what appeared to be a short metal rod. Vicky took it off and turned it over in her hands, pulling on either end when she found a line in the middle. She continued to pull until it wouldn't go anymore and she found herself with a pole that was almost as tall as her.

She let out a shaky breath and shoved the coat back into the back. She wouldn't need it. The heat was almost stifling.

She closed the bag and hefted it over her shoulder, moving down the path. Her eyes were starting to get used to the darkness. She could define one tree from another. She could see further down the path. She chanced a look upwards. The branches she could see were unmoving and no light filtered through.

She caught the inside of her lip between her teeth, chewing on it as she came to a fork. "Oh dear," she murmured, staring down each path. Neither gave any indication as to which led the way out. Going on impulse, she started down the right. She wasn't going to think about the consequences.

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:59 pm

"Ugh... how long has it been?" Lee mumbled to herself, looking for the setting sun. It was to her right, which meant that on her right was west. Therefore, she must be heading south. She mentally thanked Vicky for giving her those lessons not that long ago. She always mixed up whether the sun rose or set in the east or west. Of course, there was always the NESW (Never Eat Shredded Wheat) to go by as well. That thought brought a small smile to the girl's face.

Okay, so the sun was still setting. It had been setting when Vicky and Lee went for a walk as well, as it had been close to eight in the evening. She would guess that it was the same time here, considering the limited light the setting sun was giving onto the sky. She didn't have much time left until dark. She felt her heart clench in momentary fear. What if she was stuck here in this forest all night? What if some creepy animal attacked her once the sun went down?

No... she shook her head firmly, erasing such thoughts from her mind. Not panicking, remember? She told herself. She'd been walking for a while now, and there was still no sign of people. Not that she'd truly expected to see anyone, but still. The path began to slant downwards, getting slightly rockier instead of a dirt path.

Was... was that a building she saw? No way... in the middle of a forest? She couldn't help the hope that flared in her chest at the mere sight and she disregarded the 'no trespassing' signs posted around her as she continued down the hill.

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:05 pm

Vicky was getting tired. The fear of something coming after her kept her mostly alert, but she had started to slouch. She didn't know how long she'd been walking, there was no way to tell and she'd forgotten to put on her watch before she left the house.

Deciding she needed a break, she veered off to the largest tree she could see and sat upon its roots. Her weapon-turned-walking stick rested on her lap. She stared at the ground, taking note of the fine, almost sandy like dirt. It reminded her of the north, and the day where her grandmother's ashes were buried.

She had watched her cousins dig the hole, noticing that the dirt was actually sand. She had stood silently while they set it up and waited for the cemetery minister to arrive. She had listened to the stories that others remembered and wished she could as well. She was one of the last to put her own handful of sand into the hole. At that moment, she remembered that she couldn't cry. She watched her aunts cry, she watched her cousins cry. And she felt ashamed that she couldn't do the same. Even now, she felt no tears burn the corners of her eyes.

She leaned back against the tree, looking at the motionless leaves. Nothing had any colour, she noticed. And with the absence of light, she wondered how there were any leaves in the first place. Her nose wrinkled as her thoughts turned scientific. She was tired.

That thought brought a wave of exhaustion over her and she looked around her tree. The path was good enough for her purpose, she decided. She slid to the side and down to the dirt, placing the pole next to her. Her head rested on the tree behind her and she closed her eyes. Escape from the forest could wait until later.

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:08 pm

As she grew closer to the looming building she noticed the tall metal bars surrounding it. A large gate blocked the entrance and she fought a wave of familiarity. I've... seen this before? she asked herself with a frown. To the right of the building was a familiar slant, a hill where she could also remember seeing.

Two people were standing on either side of the large gate, dressed in some sort of purple uniforms. They both wore silver helmets and neither were smiling. Lee swallowed hard and slowly approached them. It was getting dark so they probably hadn't spotted her yet. They looked dangerous. The whole building looked dangerous and she fought a feeling telling her to run away. She'd never know where she was if she ran now, right? So making up her mind she approached the two guards.

"Excuse me," she began but her voice was too quiet and they wouldn't have been able to hear her even if they were right beside her. She was about to try again when her name was hissed and she felt a tight grip on her wrist suddenly before she was dragged away from the building.

"What the...!" she demanded trying to free herself as she caught a glimpse of silver and blue. It was darker now so it was hard to make out her attacker.

She wasn't released until they were out of sight from the two guards and when the person turned to her, Lee nearly fainted. No... no way. No frigging way!

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:11 pm

"What are you doing? You know we aren't supposed to go in there!" Genis hissed, glaring at Lee-Ann. "You could've been captured!" She was staring at him in awe, her mouth gaping like a fish. "Lee?"

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:19 pm

"Genis?" Oh my God. Oh my fucking God. Oh my GOD. Oh my - calm down, Lee scolded herself, taking a couple of deep breaths and resisting the urge to scream out loud. That does it. She had to be dreaming now. GENIS frigging SAGE was in front of her, walking in front of her. He knew her name! With his silver hair, blue eyes and cute blue outfit she really had to hold back from cuddling him. He had always been her favourite, right from day one. He was just so adorable, so witty. He always made her laugh. Her favourite line in the entire game would always be the "Ha-ha, you got re-ject-ed!" that Genis had said to Lloyd. She'd cracked right up.

Genis was such a cutie. And now he was in front of her, had snapped at her and... wait. He knew her name!

Oh man. Lee glanced down at her wrist which he had grabbed hold of to pull her away. She blinked. It felt real. Everything felt real. She was definitely awake and not dreaming. Which meant -

Holyshitnoway... I'm in SYLVARANT?!! Lee felt herself sway slightly and shook her head to regain her balance. She couldn't pass out. That wouldn't be a very good first impression. Well, apparently he already knew her considering he had called her by her name and not only her name but her nickname. And his words also indicated that she ought to know better than to approach the building. Ahh, this isn't making any sense! Seriously? She was in Tales of Symphonia? Then that building back there... and why it was so familiar? And Genis being there... it had been the Iselia Human Ranch. Oh God! That was impossible, though, right?

So there was no other explanation. She had to be dreaming. Well, might as well go along with then, right? Especially since he seemed to already know her. "Uh... t-thank you," she mumbled quietly. Had he heard her? Did she need to repeat herself? She cursed herself for feeling shy now of all times. But it kind of felt like she was meeting someone famous, like a celebrity or something. She inwardly snorted at the idea of asking Genis for his autograph. Wouldn't that make him think she was crazy...

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:59 pm

Genis frowned, "Lee, are you okay? Lloyd didn't do anything stupid, did he?" He pulled once again on her wrist, bringing her further away from the Ranch.

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:00 pm

Lee frowned. "Lloyd?" she hadn't seen Lloyd. "Uh... no..." she said anyway, deciding on a whim to play along. Maybe he thought she had been visiting Lloyd? But why would they all know her? Unless... right. It's definitely a dream so I'll just go along with it. "Of course not."

But now what? She was standing in front of a supposedly fictional game character, in said game - or dreaming at any rate - so what should she do now? Should she go with him to Iselia? She had to pass some time until she woke up, right?

What do I doooo? she inwardly moaned, her thoughts racing even as she struggled to keep it from showing on her face. She continued to let him pull her along behind him.

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:15 pm

Genis stopped at the bottom of the hill, glancing to the top of the cliff where the Ranch was perched. Then he turned around to face Lee-Ann once more, concern gracing his features. "What's wrong?" he asked, "something happened while you were over there."

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:27 pm

Ah, so I was just at Lloyd's... apparently. The concern on Genis' face also struck her. Obviously, he was close enough to her to be worried and as Genis wasn't all that trusting of humans... in this dream, she must be somewhat close to him. Yeah? Gah... "No, I'm fine. Guess I'm just kind of... out of it..."

Ah, that's it! "I think I hit my head or something 'cause man, it's killing me," she made a grimace of pain. It wasn't a lie. Her head really was hurting, since before she'd even 'arrived' in Sylvarant. She just blamed it on lack of coffee. "And I can't seem to recall what the heck I'm doing here." Now maybe I'll get some answers, she thought, because no matter how hard I try to convince myself - this isn't a dream. Something weird's going on. I know I'm not hallucinating. I can't be. And I'm not dreaming. Probably. God...

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:33 pm

Genis' frown deepened then asked, "What do you remember?"

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:54 pm

Lee mimicked his frown, thinking. She'll be as truthful as possible. She knows who they are. She knows who she is, sort of. She doesn't know why she's in the forest. She doesn't know where she lives.

"It's mainly small things that I don't remember..." she said after a moment of silence. "Like, I know you, obviously. And Lloyd and Colette and Raine," she was speaking on impulse again and prayed that she really did know Raine and Colette. "But I'm not sure why I'm in the woods. And things about myself that I'm not really..." she frowned again, struggling to explain. "Why was I visiting Lloyd? Why didn't I realize where I was? What was I doing? Was I going home? I must have been, since it's so late... right?"

She realized how confused she sounded and noticed that a lot of what she was voicing was what she was really thinking. She chewed the inside of her cheek and chanced a glance at the half-elf to see if he was following.

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 10:58 pm

Genis nodded as he stepped up to walk beside her. "Lloyd said he wanted to show you something, that's why you were there. As for everything else, I don't know. And another thing, you don't remember your mother? Your father? Lilia?"

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:05 pm

To show her something? So she was friends with Lloyd. That was probably a good thing but she'd ponder on it later. Right now, she had to think. She should be honest so she shook her head. "I can't even picture what they look like!" she said and it was true. Unless her 'parents' here looked like her real parents... And Lilia? Is that my sister or something? I have to act worried, panicked. "What's going on? Why can't I remember my life?" she bit down a wave of real panic, thinking of what she would do now that she was in the real Sylvarant, a video game for God's sake. Vicky must have jinxed us or something.

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:10 pm

"Alright," Genis said, a hint of finality in his tone, "I'll take you home then bring Raine over. She'll know what to do."

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:16 pm

Lee nodded, relief flooding her but not enough to calm her rising panic. I'm alone in a dangerous world. Well, not alone per se as she apparently had Genis, Lloyd, Raine and Colette as her friends. But she didn't have anyone to confide the truth to. She wanted Vicky to be here. Her eyes widened and she was glad Genis wasn't looking at her and had therefore missed the look of shock that had probably come onto her face. Vicky! What happened to Vicky? She was in the woods too! Did she get sent to Symphonia, as well?

"Hey..." she said quietly. "Do you know a girl named Vicky? For some reason, I remember Vicky..." Please, please, please let her be here! Please, I'll do anything! I don't want to be alone here! I need Vicky with me too!

**Glyphhunter** Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:20 pm

Genis turned and looked at her with confusion and even more concern, "Lee, there's no one named 'Vicky' in the village, unless you're talking about the traveling merchant's dog from Triet but I think that's pushing it."

**Kiana Black** Sat Jul 09, 2011 11:25 pm

And Lee felt herself deflate. She held back tears and gave a false, dry laugh. "Ah, it must have been a dream or something then. Too bad, she seemed nice," she said to cover for her weird behavior. The village was approaching fast. She wondered where she lived. What her 'parents' were like. Who Lillia was. Why she was frigging here? She wanted answers. She wanted the panic and anxiety of being in a completely unfamiliar and yet too familiar world to go away.

**Glyphhunter** Sun Jul 10, 2011 12:08 pm

Genis watched her for a moment, catching the almost defeated expression that seemed out of place on his friend. Then they were there and he had to stop her before she passed her home. "Come on," her urged, tugging on sleeve as a gesture to follow him down the path.

**Kiana Black** Sun Jul 10, 2011 12:15 pm

Lee looked up at the small farmhouse that Genis was leading her towards. She had a home? Was this a real place in Iselia? In the game, that is. It was like all of the other houses in Iselia, only it was on the outskirts of the town, located beside a barn where she could smell the familiar scent of pig, chicken and cow manure. She tried not to wrinkle her nose as she followed Genis up the walkway to the door.

The half-elf knocked lightly before opening the door and Lee figured this was all right since it was her house anyway. She swallowed hard, preparing herself to meet her 'family' from Iselia. She had to squash the feeling of nausea that arose at the thought first.

**Glyphhunter** Sun Jul 10, 2011 12:49 pm

"Mrs. Melander, are you in?" Genis walked into the front room, waving towards the couch for Lee-Ann to sit. There was a clang from the kitchen before the older woman came in, wavy salt and pepper hair coming loose from her braid.

"Genis?" she questioned while wiping her hands on her apron, "is something wrong?" Then she saw Lee-Ann on the couch and smiled, "Lee, welcome back. Did you have a good time at Lloyd's?"

**Kiana Black** Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:08 pm

"Ah... well..." Lee was sort of speechless. It was her house! Her living room, minus the electronics. But her green and blue couches, her hardwood floor and windows and ceiling and... It was her mom! Her frigging real mom. Lynn Reynolds! But she was asking about Lloyd...? Mom doesn't know anything about Symphonia! I'm so confused! Do I go along with this too? Do I tell her I lost my memory? Gah... She glanced from Genis to her mom and then took a deep breath and answered her mother's question. "I think so?"

**Glyphhunter** Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:22 pm

Mrs. Melander looked at her daughter, "You think so, you aren't sure?"

Genis place his hands on his hips, "Something happened while she was coming back from Lloyd's house so she doesn't remember much. I'm going to get my sister to see if she can help." Mrs. Melander frowned.

"What happened?" she asked, stepping further into the room.

Genis shook his head, "I don't know, I just found her wandering towards the ranch. I was able to get her before the guards did, thankfully."

Mrs. Melander gasped at the news before rushing to Lee-Ann and engulfing her in a hug. "Oh, thank the heavens," she sighed.

**Kiana Black** Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:52 pm

Lee felt her eyes well at the gesture, knowing that this Lynn cared for her daughter just as much as Lee's real mother back home did. She was confused, she was scared, she was trying really hard not to show how panicked she was and the hug from her mom undid her. She let her tears fall as she said, "I don't know what's going on," and it wasn't a lie.

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