○ 01 ○ Familiar Places

[connectedsky.livejournal.com]

[At first, everything is dark. There's nothing but black and empty space...yet, somehow, this isn't scary at all. Maybe because there's something nearby - something warm and inviting. Safe.

A bright light in the distance.

But maybe not so far away after all. Soon there's solid ground. It's a circular platform that looks like stained glass, but doesn't feel fragile. It's brightly colored, and covered in pictures...pictures that must come from somewhere.

Maybe they mean something to the child on the other side of the platform. The boy is walking around, looking a little confused...and with good reason. He had just been here a few hours ago, hadn't he? The person he had been talking to before was sleeping. So why was he back here? Was this a dream?

That's when he turns around, finally noticing that he's not alone. In a confused, but friendly tone, he asks-]

How'd you get here?

Comments

[connectedsky.livejournal.com]

It's someplace important. But I don't really know what it is.

[The little boy looks around one more time, as if to confirm what he's about to say. There's nothing else around - just the platform, and the shadows beyond it.]

There's nothing else here, though. I'm know that for sure.

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

It's strange... [He walks to the very edge of the platform, looks out. He wonders what would happen if he jumped off.

If he could fly as well. He frowns.]

You seem to be correct. How did you arrive here, then? [A pause, as he remembers his manners, belatedly. He's not quite himself at the moment.] I am Sephiroth. What is your name?

[connectedsky.livejournal.com]

[Sora opens his mouth when the man walks closer to the platform, to warn him...about what, exactly, he didn't know. But the boy hesitated - he looked like someone who knew what he was doing, so maybe Sora should stay quiet.

He shakes his head at the question, before speaking again.]

I don't know that, either. Earlier, I needed to be here to talk to someone. But I'm not sure how I got back.

[He pauses, also, only just realizing that he hadn't thought about introducing himself, either.]

I'm Sora. It's nice to meet you. [And, of course, he smiles. Sephiroth may be serious, but he still seems nice.]

[no-hometown.livejournal.com]

[He turns his attention to Sora, but he's still considering the darkness. It seems so complete, but there cannot be nothing but darkness in all directions, can there? It makes him curious.]

So we find ourselves in the same situation, more or less. There was someone else here, before?

[He nods.] A pleasure to meet you as well, Sora. [He doesn't have a great deal of experience with children. He tends to treat them more or less like adults who happen to be small. That was how he was treated as a child.] Do you know the meaning of these pictures?

[connectedsky.livejournal.com]

Well, I think the person I was talking to before is still here...sort of.

[Thankfully, Sora's not likely to notice that Sephiroth hasn't been around kids a lot. He notices a lot of things, but he tends to miss details like that.]

The pictures? Um...I don't really know what they mean. But they're all things that are important to me.