1st Crystal

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

[Oerba, Vanille's dear home town. What would have happened if she and Fang never became l'Cie? Well she can very well experience it now. There she was, just a normal girl from Gran Pulse. Though tougher than the average human girl which came from living around many large beasts, she was sans powers, abilities, summons, and tattoos.

She sits upon a concrete railing and looks outwards at the mountainous scenery, smiling wistfully and swinging her legs delicately. There are Oerbian people walking around, bustling, laughing, and being a large family with each other.

A little robot comes rolling up to Vanille, making a little noise. The girl looks down at it]

Bhakti!

[She looks over at it and pulls it up with her on the concrete ledge.]

Here to give me some company?

[She giggles, but she knows this isn't her place. She knows this isn't her reality. She knows she's curled up next to Fang in a crystal stasis, dreaming forever with her friends all right and saved and she's all right with that.]

Comments

[shallendurehate.livejournal.com]

Naruto, however, was bitch cold up in the mountains.

The blond made his way up, up to the mountain face, his cloak fluttering about him in the breeze. It was there to combat the cold. That's when he noticed the city, and the tall, tall staircase that led up to the top. Naruto looked around with wide eyes at the shimmering, mainly metallic city. The boy headed up the concrete stairs, looking around.

...Where was he?

But, at the very top, he saw a figure.

Now, Naruto knew it was a place he had never seen before, but at the moment, he wasn't sure if he was awake, or dreaming. But he was moving, and everything was so.... real. Too real, almost. But, the shock of brightly colored pigtails had caught his attention.

"...Hello?" Naruto called up to what he assumed was a girl. At the moment, she was still decently far enough away that he couldn't make out any of her features. He continued up the stairs.

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

Vanille looked towards the voice that called out to her. It was a face that she'd never seen before which was strange because everyone in Oerba knew each other and having someone she'd never seen before in her dream was weird.

No matter, she wasn't one to turn away a new face.

The Pulsian girl turned herself around, her beads making clacking noises as they moved with her body. Bhakti hopped down from the ledge and teetered over to the blond boy.

He definitely didn't look like anybody from Gran Pulse. Maybe someone she spotted while she was in Cocoon?

"Hello!" she responded with a bright smile.

[shallendurehate.livejournal.com]

Naruto managed a smile as he walked up the stairs. He paused a distance away from her. Wow... she was cute!

"Uh..." ...What was he saying? Oh, right! "Hey. Um." He looked around the area, taking in the stairs, the mountains... maybe he was in Iwa? No... the Land of Snow? "...Where am I? Or... where is... this?"

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

Vanille swung her legs a bit before hopping off of the ledge and walking up to the blond boy.

What did she tell him? That he was in her dream? Or just something her mind's made up for interaction or company while she was in her crystal stasis?

If that was truly it, then she didn't need to rationalize anything.

"You're in Oerba. I'm Dia Vanille" she said. "What's your name?"

[shallendurehate.livejournal.com]

"Oerba... never heard of it'ttebayo." Naruto looked around, shuffling a bit. How did she stand this weather wearing just... that? "Dia Vanille... uh, I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

He looked around. "...It doesn't look like I'm on Shimagame anymore."

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

Vanille tilted her head. He was from where now? There wasn't a place that she knew of called that on Gran Pulse or Cocoon.

She shook her head. "Mm-mm. You're on Gran Pulse now"

Her hands linked behind her back and she started walking towards him a bit more, Bhakti walking back towards her from going to Naruto.

"You can call me Vanille, Naruto!"

The redhead perked up. "Oh! I know! I'll show you around!" She reached out, grabbed his hand, and started pulling him towards more of the village area.

[shallendurehate.livejournal.com]

She had an accent Naruto didn't recognize. But... with her cute voice, and her bouncing... pigtails, yeah... Naruto didn't feel any danger from her. She looked like a normal, cute... girl.

"Gran Pulse? What's Gran--whoa!" Naruto didn't have much time to talk before he was yanked off by Vanille, cloak fluttering with him.

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

Vanille led him towards the main town. The metal houses and huts, little robots bumbling about, and people walking around.

The girl let go of Naruto's hand and lifted her own high into the air.

"This is Oerba!" she said. "Where everywhere is everyone's home. You can go anywhere and it'll be okay!"

She let out a giggle.

[shallendurehate.livejournal.com]

Naruto looked around, looking interested. There were people, and strange mechanical things running around. He watched them move, feeling a bit jittery if they came anywhere near them.

"What the heck are those?!"

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

"They're robots! Just like Bhakti!" Vanille bent over and picked up the little bot and held it out to him. It made a small click click noise and its "eyes" seemed to focus on Naruto.

"He won't hurt."

[shallendurehate.livejournal.com]

"Ro...bots?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in confusion. However, he leaned down a little, looking it right in the eyes. "He looks like a little metal fox! Bhakti!"

[thatoldthatkind.livejournal.com]

[ The Doctor was walking the streets, stopping occasionally, dusting at benches or street lamps or walls. Whatever he could find. Generally exploring the area. He didn't quite recognize it, but that was usually how dreams went. Especially when one didn't know they were dreaming. ]

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

[Vanille was wandering around the stone streets, her little robot Bhakti following her around, humming when she spotted the man.

He definitely didn't look like someone from Oerba or Pulse. He definitely looked like he would have been from Cocoon, in some place like Palumpolum]

Helloooo~?

[thatoldthatkind.livejournal.com]

[ He turns and looks at her with a smile. ]

Hello!

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

You look lost, Mister!

[She approached him with a little skip in her step. A bit of the crystalline dust, that looked like snow, fluttering around her feet]

[thatoldthatkind.livejournal.com]

I am! Just a bit. Can you tell me where I'm at---oh, you dropped something.

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

I dropped something?

[She looked down and around her, seeing Bhakti at her feet. Her pet robot looked up at her in return]

[thatoldthatkind.livejournal.com]

You've got... snow around your feet?

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

[Vanille moved her boot around]

Oh no, that's crystal dust!

[She smiled]

You're in Oerba!

[thatoldthatkind.livejournal.com]

...Not ringing any bells. Sorry. Should it be?

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

I dunno! Not many people just wander here.

[She put her hands behind her back and stepped towards here]

Every heard of Gran Pulse?

[bahamutgal.livejournal.com]

I bet he's missed you, yeah?

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

[Vanille looks over to the side and sees Fang sit next to her. She smiles brightly at her Oerban companion.]

Fang!

[She looks down at Bhakti]

Mm-hmm!

[She holds the robot up the Fang]

Here you go! I'm sure he's missed you too.

[bahamutgal.livejournal.com]

Don't know about that.



See? I knew it.

[pulsingrainbow.livejournal.com]

[She lets out a giggle in response to Bhakti's slightly indifferent response to Fang.

She wondered if Fang knew they were dreaming, but she decided to leave that bit of information alone in case she didn't. Bad habits die hard.]

Hey! What do you want to do today? We could go exploring, we could make something, anything!