oo26 [ action // voice ]

[fourteen]

[ Xion had walked into the clothing store in the village square as her normal self. Just a sixteen year old Poppet picking up some warmer clothes for winter, nothing new.

She darts back outside just a minute later, looking deeply bewildered and rather ... different. For one, she's suddenly three inches taller than she was a moment ago, and somehow her hair has grown to hang a good four inches past her shoulders. Not to mention she seems to have filled out that teenage body of hers. This is definitely a woman, one who seems to be in roughly her mid twenties.

Considering she was just in the clothing store, she's dressed rather impractically for the weather in loose, flowing black pants and a black camisole. It's an outfit more appropriate for working out in... and given the bow she has in her hands and the quiver of arrows on her back, it looks like that's what she was just doing.

An arrow is now nocked on that bow as she stares around in growing alarm, before her eyes narrow in thought and frustration. Down goes the bow, and the arrow goes back in its quiver.

Give her a moment or two, and she'll have darted back into the clothing store to grab a coat before heading to the fountain, bow once again over her chest, reading her journal as she goes.

When she speaks, her voice has changed a little, too -- it's only slightly lower, but somehow she just sounds older. ]

This isn't... this isn't the Luceti I was just in. Just a second ago it was summer, and I'd been... it doesn't matter.

[ this young woman is frowning rather severely at her journal, her mind obviously working a mile a minute as she thinks. ]

... is there something strange going on? Can anyone tell me when this is? What year is it? Something doesn't seem right.

[ there's a pause, now, and a little bit of anxiety as she proceeds. ] ... is everyone still--? ... dad? Axel, Roxas? ... Riku?

[ unconsciously, Xion raises a hand, pressing her fingers to her mouth in worry and in thought. The observant may notice that there seems to be a plain gold band around her ring finger. Surely that can't be a wedding ring? She'll drop her hand before you can get a closer look, though. ]

Please, tell me what's going on.

[1) different bracket style just because. but also to cut down on the length of this thing.

2) she looks something like this, only with the hair midway down her chest instead. spoiler as to who she married. 8|

3) all replies will come from reactualized and y'all better appreciate because making that shit took FOREVER. also please do comment here if you want Xion to have knowledge of a future version of your character!

4) I'm tagging like a beast EVERYWHERE right now, please do ping me if I missed something somewhere.]

(edit; WHOOPS I just realized there's a bit of a time discrepancy in some threads, as to what time of the year it was when Xion was poofed back. :|a gonna just handwave it. sorry!)

Comments

[consultmybooks]

Unfortunately.

Actually, to be more precise, there appear to be several experiments going on at once.

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

[ a sigh. now the need to find her family is even more pressing. ]

Of course. Just do me a favor -- can you tell me what cycle year this is?

[consultmybooks]

...third? [He hasn't really been keeping track of time well since his arrival, so...]

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

[ if Giles listens closely, he might be able to hear her heart -- or whatever she has that passes for one -- simply stop.

only for a moment, but her shock is profound. ]

No. That can't be. That was over ten years ago.

[consultmybooks]

Xion, I have only been here three months. Albert has only been here three years.

Is everything all right?

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

Giles, the last cycle year I remember being in is thirteen. Maybe to you only three months have passed, but I... I've been here for a very long time.

Or... I will be here? [ ugh. ] This must be connected to the experiments you mentioned. Some kind of Shift. I need to find my fami--

[ oh. they ... they might not be her family right now. Ten years in the past...

again, silence. the potential loss of her family, of having it all reset, is a huge blow, but with a sigh and a momentary closing of her eyes, she handles it. ]

My friends. I need to find my friends. At least I know you're okay. You are okay, aren't you?

[consultmybooks]

[No, no he isn't. He's just gotten told by three different people that his life is a complete and total lie, that four people he thought he knew were never here at all, and he had to smack down an evil version of his best friend.

But Xion does not need to know this.]

Y-Yes, I'm fine.

I'm sorry to have, um, b-been so blunt.

The Shift probably pulled you back - with any luck, you'll get put back once it's settled.

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

[ he's stuttering. Xion picks up immediately that things are not, in fact, okay, but she doesn't want to press him right now. she'll try the indirect route. ]

It's alright. You've been a big help, Giles. I appreciate it. But... please tell me if I can do anything for you, okay? With several experiments going on at once... however long this lasts, it's not going to be easy.

[consultmybooks]

No, I can't imagine that it will be.

But I'm also not the one who's ten years outside where she's supposed to be.

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

[ firmly ] I'll be fine. Knowing how Luceti works, my f-- friends won't even notice I'm gone in my time, and when I return it'll be like nothing ever happened. [ when. not if. when. ] While I'm here, I might as well do what I can to help.

[consultmybooks]

Fortunately, in this place, "I'm from ten years in your future" is actually a legitimate explanation.

...so, unfortunately, is "I've lived a completely different life."

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

[ ... ah. ] So your memories are different? [ poor Giles. that must feel awful. ]

[consultmybooks]

I've been told as much by enough people that I'm beginning to wonder. [And, yes, it's absolutely awful.]

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

... you know, to this day, I'm not sure how real or not Shifts like that are. Years and years ago, I turned into a boy, and I had a whole different set of memories to go with it. Of course, I became a girl again later, but... who's to say it wasn't real? [ a pause. ] Just hang in there, Giles. Once this is over everything will get straightened out, and it'll be okay.

[consultmybooks]

...thank you, Xion.

But I'll be fine. Buffy and I were able to...well, at least come close to the same page, thanks to those strange thought bubbles she keeps having. And it's not as though I'm the only one being affected like this.

We'll manage. I know that.

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

Okay, good. [ that lets her smile. ] Just take care of yourself. And let me know if something happens, okay?

[consultmybooks]

I will. [He probably will, actually.] But in return...

[Dammit, he knows this is going to sound absolutely insane, but, well, its a message he's used to giving people he cares about]

...watch out for vampires.

[reactualized.livejournal.com]

[ that causes a headtilt. vampires? oddly specific thing to warn her about... she knows they exist in his world, but why would he be warning about their presence here? strange. ]

I will. You'll be the first person to know if I run into any trouble.

[consultmybooks]

[Finally, someone taking him seriously. This is a nice change.] Right. Please do. And I'll be patrolling, keeping an eye out.