Awakening [Open]

[Lenne]

Blackness. That was all the young songstress could remember before she managed to begin trying to force open her tired eyes. They were so heavy that they only opened slightly at first, but after a few moments, she was able to pass the struggle to open them up completely. Her vision was made up of blurs of colors that all appeared to be dancing around her, and she couldn’t make heads of tails of the scenery. All she knew was that she was lying down on her back, barely feeling conscious. She flexed her fingers a few times to make sure she was able to move and then clutched onto the ground beneath her, grabbing hold of smooth strands of something that she could only make out to be grass. Her head was swimming with a billion questions of where she was and what had happened to her, but the more she wondered, the more strained her brain began to feel. The last thing she could remember was telling Shuyin that it was time for them to rest. So, could that be what this was? Was this death? She was unsure. Why would death leave her laying down in grass and take away the clarity or her vision? It just didn’t make sense. The young woman let out a groan of confusion. She closed her eyes and re-opened them a few times, each opening improving her sight until she was able to make out her surroundings.

“Where am I?”

[/b] Lenne spoke to herself, raising a hand to press against her forehead.

The pain in her head made her feel like her skull was trying to crush her brain. Lenne slowly pushed against the ground with her free hand, raising her body upward into a sitting position. She brushed a strand of brown hair out of her eyes and looked over the area once more, hoping the new angle would bring her answers. She was disappointed. There was nothing put grass and flowers as far as her vision would stretch. The field she sat in was a stranger to her memories. Was this still Zanarkand? Was she even in Spira at all? Maybe her first prediction was correct then, maybe this was the afterlife. Confusion was swirling it’s self around in Lenne’s head, and she feared it was going to find it’s self a permanent resting space.

Lenne argued with herself in her mind about the answer to the location of her whereabouts for another few minutes before deciding she needed to attempt to take some action. She forced herself up onto her feet and began to walk. Her entire body felt wobbly as she moved along, as if she had stopped using her limbs for a very long time. It made her feel weak and uncomfortable, as though she was fragile and could fall at any moment. The feelings reminded her of how glass dolls would feel if they were alive. Still, she pressed on, needing to find some answers.

“Hello?!” Lenne called out to the distance, in case there was anyone at all who might be close enough to hear her. “Is anybody there?!”

Fresh, cool air blew past Lenne’s face and brushed her long chunks of hair back over her shoulders, where it usually rested. She waited a few moments before calling out the same thing again. Much to her disliking, she was only answered by the silence of her surrounding environment. Was she all alone out here? Was death a sentence to solitude? Surely this couldn’t be how she was meant to live out eternity. It just didn’t make sense. She couldn’t have spent days of her life praying just to have it turn out like this. What a cruel fate being alone forever would be.

“Hello?! Anybody?!”[/b]

Lenne gave up walking and fell to her knees in disappointment. It was easy to tell the fear was beginning to swell up and cover her eyes. She couldn’t just sit here, dreaming the rest of eternity away, feeling the… Lenne’s train of thought was cut off when she heard the low rumble of her stomach, followed by the uncomfortable feeling that could only be remembered as hunger. The dead had no use for such a thing, which proved one thing to her, she was alive. She had no idea how it came to be, or even if it was what she wanted, but she was a breathing being again. It was different then her first return as a spirit. She could feel not only emotionally, but physically this time. That only left one question on her mind. What about Shuyin? If he didn’t experience this miraculous revival too, was life even worth dragging on past this point? She had convinced Shuyin to rest with her. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. This just wasn't right!

“ANYBODY?” Lenne called out again, louder than before, fighting to keep the wetness in her trembling brown eyes under control.
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[Max Tyros]

Max's sprint had slowly died down to a jog, but he forced himself to keep moving. Why did I think I could do this? Chancing a glance over his shoulder, his big green eyes widened as he saw about a dozen or so Urutan-Yensa still chasing him. He had drawn in a group of them unintentionally, and more had continued to join the chase through the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea. Going over and under the metal grates had been exhausting. Running in the sand always took more effort than something more firm, and there were so many ramps that his legs felt like they were going to give out on him. The idea to take a stand had crossed his mind, but there were just too many of them. I'm never coming here again!

He had impressed himself by making it this far from Archades, but he clearly should have bypassed the Sandsea and gone towards Dalmasca. As long as Max hid his accent, he assumed he could blend in for a short time. Maybe he could even make some money! But he had to get there first, and at this rate he wasn't going to be able to leave the Sandsea. As he rushed down yet another ramp, heading towards the sand, his foot caught on a grate and he tumbled all the way down the metal ramp. Max hit the sand hard, and the air was driven from his lungs at the contact. Coughing slightly, he gasped as he tried to draw in air and push himself to his knees all at the same time. "This...is...ridiculous!"

Drawing an arrow back, he aimed for the closest Urutan. It squealed in pain as his arrow found its mark, and Max took the opportunity to get to his feet and stumble onward. "Leave me alone!" he shouted as he found his breath, and as he was running he saw an opening in the rock formation he was coming up to. Maybe there will be something to hide in, in there. Turning sharply he entered the Zertinan Caverns and quickly hid behind the nearest stalagmite and tried to catch his breath.

Another handful of coughs escaped him and he took a small sip of water from the canteen that hung at his hip. I hate the desert. Max could hear the scratching of the Urutan's claws outside of the cavern, but they didn't seem willing to enter the cave itself. After a short while, all of the sounds disappeared. Leaning back against the sharp wall with relief, he let out another loud sigh. Safe...for now. After his limbs felt like they could support him again, he pushed himself back to his feet and slid around the large stalagmite. Poking his head outside the cave, he relaxed a bit more when he saw nothing dangerous in sight.

The cave he had wandered into caught his attention though, and he turned back intending to explore the unknown depths. He hadn't gotten very far when a loud 'plop' came from behind him, and he tensed right back up again. Turning quickly, his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw some sort of...blob...sliding towards him. "Oh come on! Give me a break!" Max didn't notice the shimmering air behind him as he backed away from the advancing creature, and it wasn't until he felt himself getting sucked backwards that he realized anything was wrong.

Giving a wordless scream as he was pulled into the portal, he lost his grip on his bow as he tumbled head over heels. Attempting to swim through the air, he wasn't prepared to be spit out of the other end of the portal, and landed hard on his back. Winded for the second time in one day, he just laid there trying to suck air in. His eyes slid closed as he focused solely on breathing, and in a short while he managed to breathe normally again. Eventually he rolled over and got to his knees, his head spinning as it had also hit the ground when he had landed not-so-gracefully. Rubbing the back of it gingerly, he looked around for his weapon when he caught sight of a girl on her knees.

Max blinked in surprise, and his cheeks reddened in embarrassement. How long has she been there? She looked upset about something, and he realized that they were the only two there. Licking his lips, he stayed put and only continued to stare at her. What do I do?

[Lenne]

Everything felt like one horrible nightmare to Lenne at this point. She couldn't help but feel like she had no place in this world anymore. Over a thousand years had passed since her death. Everyone she had even known, loved, disliked, or cared about was now gone. She was practically an alien now. Her past life was something to be proud of. She was a wonderful songstress capable of entertaining large crowds of joyful people, and she was a decent summoner, still on her journey to become great. She had also managed to acquire an amazing and handsome blitzball star to stay by her side until her last breathes. She may have died young, but she had a meaningful life with no regrets. Having a second go at it was absolutely pointless. There was nothing else she needed to get out of living. Her meanings were long past lived out.

Lenne looked up from the ground where her big, brown eyes were fixed on only to fall to her back, startled by what was now before her. She let out a small sound that could be titled as a yelp. Not daring to pull herself back into a sitting potion, Lenne tried to gather her thoughts together on what she had just seen. A man with dark hair? That was something she had a hard time believing. Was it really another person? Maybe her headache was getting the best of her. After all, where would he have come from? The sky? Boys didn't just fall out of the sky. If they did, a couple of her friends from her first life would have been very happy ladies. The thought almost made her smile, but deeper thoughts suppressed the tiny bit of joy she was almost able to feel. Her past life was something she felt heart ache for.

Deciding to suck it up, and give it a second look, Lenne pushed slowly off her hands again until she was in an upright sitting position, on her knees. She forced herself not to squeal again when she witness that the possible figment of her imagination was still there. This was incredibly confusing to the young woman. Just a second ago, she saw no one. Maybe she passed out again and this was supposed to be some sort of dream? All of this thinking was only feeding into her head full of pain.

"Are you....real?" Lenne asked, in a voice as low as a whisper.

The brunette wondered if she was even audible. Besides, if this man was real, why would he have not spoken to her? He was just staring at her, and it was making her just a little bit uncomfortable, something that she was unsure she could be more of until that moment. This entire situation was feeling like a bad plot to a boring horror story that the kids would tell around the fire during her younger years back home in her beloved Zanarkand.

Not really sure of what else to do at that moment, Lenne stared back, her eyes fixed on the boy's eyes. She wanted proof more than words he might give her as a reply about the truth of this man's existence. So, Lenne slowly scooted her body in his direction, looking as though she was trying to walk on her knees. It was quite a hysterical site if one were to lay eyes on the scene outside of the situation. When she was only a few inches away, Lenne reached out her right hand, extended the figner next to her thumb, and poked him on the forehead. Solid. He was actually there?! Maybe he had some answers to give! This was amazing, she wasn't alone. Someone else was alive and sucking up oxygen!

Now the songstress couldn't help but feel rather silly about poking him on the forehead. She was probably going to weird him out as much as his silence was creeping her out. She needed him to stick around. She was....so lost.

[Max Tyros]

Max's eyes widened as the woman on the ground fell backwards, but he still couldn't move. He hadn't meant to scare her, but clearly he had. When she made her way onto her knees, he watched with his mouth hanging open, and his face reddened when he heard her question. Am I real? Of course I'm real! Licking his lips again, he tried to answer but himself drawing a blank. It shouldn't have been difficult. But...it was.

So he sat there, staring at the pretty woman in front of him, his mouth opening and closing like a fish before he finally settled on a slow nod. Yes, I'm real. Max could feel the heat emanating from his cheeks as he watched her move. She started to pull herself towards him, and he shrank back nervously. What is she doing? Though he shied away from her, he forced himself not to physically get up and run away. Her hand extended towards him, and he watched nervously as it moved closer and closer. Then...he felt the poke. Blinking a couple of times, he opened his mouth again to try and talk to her. Yet again, nothing came forth from his lips, and his face reddened again though this time in frustration. This is so silly.

The woman in front of him seemed to be in agreement, and Max cleared his throat nervously. There, a sound! It was a start, at least. He couldn't help but wonder why she was sitting here, all alone, and sat up a little straighter. I can do this! "Um...hi." he said in a small, accented voice. "I'm sorry." For scaring you. Shifting uncomfortably in his position on the ground, he slid backwards so he was sitting on his butt. Looking around with his big green eyes, his brow furrowed as he realized he had no idea where he was! Wanting to ask the woman in front of him, he turned back to her...and froze once again.

She really was a very pretty woman, and she still looked very lost. Just as lost as I'm sure I look! "I'm Max." he managed to squeak out, and he flushed at the crack in his voice. "What...what are you doing here?" And where IS here? It didn't seem like an overly dangerous area, which he was extremely thankful for. He had had enough danger for the time being, though he knew it wouldn't last. And where did my bow go? His head still hurt from his crash-landing, so he stayed seated as he looked around for his bow. There it is. Only...it was so far away. I'll get it later.