possible afterlife [warning: spoiler alert for those that haven't finished!]

[lightfabre]

Silence. Not even the sound of birds chirping.

He has never seen a place such as this. Empty, no signs of so much as animals. He pauses in his steps to look around. He is more than confused, at this point. If this is where death brings you, he will be more than surprised. This is nothing like what he imagined. Green hues carefully search the area for a moment as he silently ponders. He takes in a deep breath and begins walking, once more. He eventually comes to what appears to be a town. He still has yet to see anyone. He is starting to worry that he is the only person here.

He can feel frustration building. Finally, a loud groan escapes his lips and he shouts (not too loudly-only those within ten or twenty feet would hear it!).

"Where the hell am I?!"

Comments

[lady_of_daath]

[Well of course no one is around, it's pretty early in the morning. So early that Anise stepped out in nothing but a nightgown and robe to give Luke a look,]

Luke! It's too early for this, what are you yelling about?

[The young woman crossed her arms, leaning against the doorway as she awaited the answer. She was in the middle of making tea after all when she heard the loud yell.]

[lightfabre]

["Wait... how long... Ok, so..."

That's pretty much the thought process as he studies the young woman in front of him. She looks VERY much like Anise. There is also the fact that she knows his name. First things, first... Then, he will have to go from there.]

Uh... I'm sorry, but how do you know my name?

[lady_of_daath]

...

Luke it's too early for this and you have yet to answer my question.

[The look that's she's giving Luke currently says he should get to the point sooner rather than later.]

[lightfabre]

[He sighs, realizing how weird he may seem, at the moment.]

You look a lot like someone I know, but... Well, you look older than her... [He forces it out, with a look of confusion.]

And... If you don't mind... Where exactly is this...?

[lady_of_daath]

...Oh...

[This was going to be a long morning, wasn't it?]

If you're wondering who I am; yes I am Anise Tatlin, my current age is nineteen.

As for where this place is, it definitely isn't Auldrant. It does have a lot of this from it here, but it's definitely not home.

[lightfabre]

[Oh. Well. That made things easier to take in, surprisingly.]

Uh... [Despite it being easier to take in, he is still fairly confused about it all. After all, Anise went from being much younger than... to nearly the same age as Luke. That's a big transition.]

Ok, so... It can take any of us from... any time period in Auldrant, then?

That explains everything, then. [He sighs, glad that he at least understands something around here.

Does that mean that Van could appear here, too, though? What about Asch?]

[lady_of_daath]

Yes it can, this includes multiples. Don't get them confused with replicas though, it's much different.

[Anise raised up a hand to stifle a yawn, not doing much good against it. She needed caffeine and soon otherwise she may just fall asleep mid-sentence on Luke.]

So what was happening before you came here Luke? On Auldrant that is.

[izayoi_tenbu]

[You've done it now Luke; interrupting a Lady's beauty-sleep is a terrible mistake to make and the redhead had better believe that this Lady was going to say something about it.]

Luke~

[She called as she skipped up in a modest gown fit for a young girl and Tokunaga holding onto her arm for the moment. As soon as she was close to the redhead her expression changed abruptly from sweet to sour.]

What is your problem? Lil'ol Anise will take care of it and it'd better be a good one.

If you know what's good for you♥

[lightfabre]

[Oh my... He will have to word everything EXTRA careful, indeed~ ;;]

Anise... ?

[He looks relieved until he sees the final expression on her face, which results in his own expression quickly changing into that of a rather nervous young man. Quickly, though, his expression shifts to a more confused and serious one.]

Um... Where is this place? I just... woke up surrounded by trees, after... [he drifts off and shifts slightly, as though he has something he does not wish to talk about at the tip of his tongue]

What happened to everyone? Why are we all here? [A million different scenarios play into his mind, most of which are unpleasant. This results in an uncomfortable expression on his face.]

[izayoi_tenbu]

After what Luke?

[Her hands move into fists, pressing themselves on her hips. Her expression still isn't pleasant, but is now more sleepy than murderous. When he brings up his own questions, she shakes her head.]

A nexus...Everyone may be here, or not; it depends, really. [Pursing her lips a moment, she shrugs.] Who can say. Do you want something to eat?

[lightfabre]

After freeing Lorelei. [It seems there is still something he isn't saying, but he refuses to explain any further. Right now, there are other things he would rather be talking about. He pauses a moment, but the sound of the word "food" apparently sets something off. His stomach lets out a soft growl, in response.]

[izayoi_tenbu]

[Anise looked upset when Luke said that. She immediately ran up and gave him a big hug.]

I missed you...

[Then of course it was on to the matter of food.]

Come right this way~ I'll make you something good♥

[lightfabre]

[He looks incredibly surprised, at the sudden hug, before smiling. There is a hint of sadness, upon the realization of why exactly she is hugging him.]

Anise... Thank you. I missed you, too.

[He gives her a soft laugh, before he forces all sadness away from his facial expression.] All right, sounds good!

[glasses_gleam]

[The hour was likely early for most, but not Jade. He was researching even still, and working more on building a prototype now that he had officially met with his partner for the endeavor.

At this moment though? He was on his way to meet a certain raven-haired woman that he hoped was awake and waiting for him.

Better still if she just happened to have tea. It was not to be it seemed, as he was stopped by a terrible shout, and recognizing the source as a Luke, the older man wasn't terribly concerned but came over anyway, checking in that way a parent might check on a child.]

Good morning Luke~ I'm glad to hear you're exercising so soon in the day. I might join you but I'm afraid at my age my lung capacity and diaphragm aren't quite what they used to be...

[Have a smile, by the way. He knows that if the redhead has woken anyone up, it will be quite entertaining to watch.]

[lightfabre]

[Uh... exercising? And, as always, with the age jokes... Yes, this is definitely Jade. A sigh of both relief and annoyance (which Luke finds... is only possible towards this particular man) escapes his lips and he turns towards the much taller man with a hand on his hip.]

Morning isn't until the sun is shining... [He mutters this in an annoyed tone Jade should be very used to from Luke. He has a frown on his face as he looks up at Jade, though it switches to a more serious expression. If it were any other person, he would assume he had been here a while...considering his calm behavior. With Jade, though, Luke has found this man to be quite resilient despite his "old age"...]

... Where exactly is this? I woke up over there not too long ago.[with that, he points towards the trees at the edge of the town]

Who else is here?

[glasses_gleam]

Oh? I thought it more depended on when one woke, my apologizes for trifling with your sense of reality, Luke.

[It was said in jest. When Luke started with his questions though, Jade's smile shrank to the one he always wore.]

It is best defined as a nexus, something where all things meet. [Following Luke's hand, Jade is glad the redhead wasn't attacked while he was outside of town. Though he doesn't comment on it either way, Luke doesn't always need to know about his feelings.]

Everyone, and no one. People come and go, so I'm told~

[lightfabre]

[A large frown is on his face, when Jade teases him. He would say something snarky in return, but he is more distracted by what Jade says next.]

People come and... go? [He looks a little concerned, by this. Where do they go, when they leave here?]

Do they just leave without warning...?

[glasses_gleam]

I've apparently 'come and gone' and returned again~

[A few times. The first time he had forgotten everything, at least until Anise had brought him up to speed.]

Yes. Just as abruptly as you arrived, actually~ I must say that it's surprising to see someone that has yet to pop in at least once before now. I would ponder on this... But, I'm hardly an expert on Temporal Physics~

[lightfabre]

[He frowns at the explanation, which only confuses him more. Big surprise, there. With a sigh, he simply gives up on understanding everything, for now. Maybe he would figure it out with time-however long that is going to be for him.

A sudden thought occurs and, lucky for him,... he's with the right person to ask about it.]

Um... Jade? Just before I left Auldrant and came here... [He looks down at his hands, holding them up to make them easier to look at. It is almost as though they are supposed to help him find the words.]

My fonons were separating. I was going to disappear. Do you think... that could happen while I'm here? I haven't felt quite the same, since I got here. Do you think maybe being transported here somehow... fixed it? [He struggled to find the right words, just then. He knows good and well Jade will understand him, though.]

I can do prose if you'd rather.

[bloodreign]

A town. Where else?

[The deadpan response will be coming from beneath an awning at what must be a restaurant of some kind. Asch is leaning there against the door frame with his arms crossed, wearing what looks to be a waiter's uniform. It's far too early for the breakfast crowd, but Asch is there for other reasons.]

Hm? I'm fine with whatever, Asch-mun~

[lightfabre]

[Wait. Is that really Asch? He's... supposed to be... And what is he wearing?

Luke is staring at the original with a look of pure confusion. As if ending up in a weird place isn't enough, the red head is now staring at someone who he had specifically felt die. Maybe it was a mistake? But then there was the fact that he had... caught him. Was that all an illusion? Or maybe a dream? Whatever, now his head hurt.]

Asch...What's with the outfit?

And I can see that it's a town, jerk. What town, though?

[bloodreign]

[Asch scowls at the reaction, already unreasonably convinced that this idiot's cluelessness is proof enough that he isn't the same Luke he sent off to Daath so many months ago.]

I work here. [There's a slight edge to the reply, but he'll continue on regardless.] A nameless town. One I highly doubt you've been to before.

[lightfabre]

[He seems to calm down a bit from his initial confusion, his features relax a bit and he walks just a bit closer to the other red head. He seems to be realizing that this whole thing is not simply a dream or even a delusion.]

Work here...? [He pauses a moment to think to himself So, you've been here long enough to find a job? A look of 'wow, so this whole thing is serious' is on his face as he speaks.]

Just how long, exactly, have you been here?

[bloodreign]

[Asch watches him, but doesn't seem too bothered when Luke approaches. At least, he doesn't look like he's going to start shouting or pull a sword on him. In fact, he's trying to work out in his mind the least frustrating method of trying to explain the situation.]

About four months. [That's Auldrant time. In real-speak, he's been in the dressing room since mid-October of last year.]

Some people have been stuck in this place for even longer than that.

[lightfabre]

[This brings a frown to his face, before he gives a nod. There is a pause as he thinks about the original's words. When he finally seems to accept this new information as reality, he sighs.]

Who else is here?