abyssdressing | Alive and kicking, I see

[Ah, it's such a nice day! Little birds tweeting, fluffy white clouds, just a hint of a breeze...Jade feels positively young as he heads back for home, holding a bag of groceries.]

[Of course, nice days never last. Still, it is a surprise to see Nephry, especially since it's mostly the redheads to appear with injuries. He quickly drops the bag onto the ground and sprints over to her side.]

Are you injured?

[Jade, honestly. What kind of question is that? Her head and arm are bleeding, and everything. She's got a white coat on, you notice these things.]

I-I'll be fine.

[She's more worried about how...this is not her house.]

[It's at times like this that Jade really resents the fact he's incapable of using the seventh fonon. He quickly unwraps his scarf from his neck and hands it to Nephry.]

Bandage yourself up. What happened? Who attacked you?

[He's alert and ready, an incantation to a Fonic Arte already on the tip of his tongue in case whoever attacked Nephry is still around.]

[What with head injuries generally being more serious, she takes his scarf and holds it against the bleeding gash on the side of her head. This requires her to stop holding herself up, and to sit a bit slumped over instead.]

It was...soldiers? ...From the Order, I believe...

[Jade quickly moves closer, gently manoeuvring her until she's leaning against him.]

The Order? Here? [This is unexpected. He looks around, already searching for a safe place he could hide Nephry in. It would be hard fighting while having to watch an injured person.] Are they still around?

No. [It's pained, and through clenched teeth. At least, with Jade to lean against, she can focus on keeping her bearings.] They were...at my home. In Keterburg.

[And that's not here.]

I see. [He quickly examines her wounds. They aren't life-threatening, but would need to be treated.] Can you stand? We need to get you indoors.

[He sounds as calm as usual. Masking his worries? Never.]

Yes. I can.

[She will need a Jade to lean on, but she can do it.]

Jade, where are we?

[He leads her into the house across the street. Since the door is unlocked and there are no personal items of any kind in it, Jade is fairly confident that it's one of the uninhabited ones. He helps her onto the couch.]

Let me find some gels first, then I'll explain. Stay here.

[Of course. She just sits, at first, but as he leaves she manages to turn sideways and lie down a bit, instead. It's more like a sideways lean into the back of the couch, but it helps.

And she's still holding the scarf against her head.]

[A quick search around the house produces some bandages and most importantly, a few gels. He sits besides Nephry, handing her the gels.]

I'll bandage your wounds properly. It's lucky that they don't seem to be very deep.

[Nephry nods a few times, stopping after that because the action makes her dizzy. It takes a minute, but she lowers his scarf to her lap and even has the wherewithal to take off her glasses, so he doesn't have to fiddle around with them. Then she'll take the gels, and carefully eat just one, at first.]

I'm not...entirely sure they were...soldiers. [It's a little fuzzy, even so soon after it happened.] It was just...something about them.

Tell me as much as you remember. [He finishes dressing her head wound and moves on to the others, frowning slightly.]

You were there...to bring me Saphir's things.

[After he died. It's a short story, full of pauses while she tries to collect herself and work around the headache. They left Dist's effects with her; later that night, someone broke into her house - three someones - and attacked, making off with the box. It was important, for having all of Dist's research notes inside.

Then Jade would have shown up again. But instead...]

And then I was...here.

[He listens, nodding every so often. The story is a familiar one. Nephry must be from a slightly earlier time than he is.] I see. At any rate, your attackers don't seem to have been transported with you. You should be safe here. [He sits back and studies her closely.] Are you feeling a bit better?

I don't understand why I was attacked in the first place.

[Physically she's still a little worked up, breathing somewhat quickly, sitting on just this side of shaky. The gels helped with the pain. There's still a fog in her head, and that's making it hard to calm down completely.]

A-A little. ...Thank you.

We can figure that out later. Relax. You're safe here. [He's careful to keep his voice quiet and gentle. Nephry is a civilian, after all.] I'll get you some blankets and something warm to drink.

[He's up and moving before Nephry has a chance to respond.]

[Civilian though she may be, she's no stranger to tense situations. She'll just keep telling herself it's the head injury's fault.

Oh, and there goes Jade again. Can't say she'll argue with his demeanor at present, even if it is unusual. So she waits for his return to confront him with her current issue again.]

This is not Keterburg.

[He returns soon with the thickest blanket he could find and a mug of hot water. It's only after making sure that Nephry is warm and comfortable that he sits down again, nodding at her words.]

You're right. This is a place known as a 'nexus'.

[Hot water isn't the best thing ever. It will do, though. The warmth and the sense of comfort (from Jade, of all people!) help immensely. Nephry sips the water a bit, thinking - glasses and the scarf still in her lap]

A nexus for what?

A nexus of worlds. Many people we know are here. There can be multiples of one person, although they aren't replicas. [The next part is always the hardest to explain.] Not all of them come from the same version of Auldrant as we do.

[Give her a minute. That's a lot to follow, especially sets of the same person who aren't replicas.]

I know you hate explaining, Jade. I'm just not sure I understand.

Perhaps it would be best to use an example. You were transported here right after being attacked, correct? In my case, I was transported here right before confronting Van in Auldrant. The attack on you had already happened long ago. We were plucked from different points in time.

Confronting Van...

[Nephry shakes her head again. Still a bad idea, that one. The example does make things clearer, to the point where they can be clear anyway.]

It doesn't seem possible. ...But I don't think you would lie to me, not about this. [Not right after someone broke into her home and attacked her. When her eyes focus on the items in her lap, she gives Jade an apologetic look.]

I'm sorry about your scarf.

Haha. Are you worried about something like that? [He takes the bloodied scarf away from her.] However, I'm afraid that it's not as simple as merely being plucked from different points in time. Some of these people come from vastly different versions of Auldrant. I've met a Luke who was raised as a Malkuthian instead of Kimlascan.

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