Stuck In The Wrong Place

Same Old People, Wrong Destination

Today you get a message from the Malnosso. They’ve found a way to send you home. You’ll remember Luceti, but it’s a one way trip. You’ve said your tearful goodbyes and prepared yourself for the inevitable return home. One moment you’re in Luceti, the next you’re not.

But nobody ever said the Malnosso ever got everything right. Sure, you’re not in Luceti anymore. Yes, you’ve lost your wings and barcode. But this isn’t your world. It’s some other world and now that you’re cut off from the Malnosso, you have no hope of ever getting back home. Which means that wherever you’ve ended up, you’ll be spending the rest of your life there.

On the up-side, you’re not the only one stuck here. Someone else from Luceti, also alien to this world, is stuck with you. With the common bond of being strangers to this brave new world, it’s inevitable you’ll stick together. But for how long?

Considerations

1. You can go to any other world you want! It just can’t be one either of your characters are from. You can make up something like a fantasy world, something from a sci fi, or something just like the modern world. Or you can pick a canon neither of your characters belong to.
2. Ideally they should both be from different canons altogether. But this isn’t required!
3. There’s supposed to be no way back. Even genius characters ought to find it impossible. But does that mean all hope has to be lost? For those who have been gone from Luceti a long time, it might be fun if they were given a chance to go back to Luceti and be trapped again.
4. For an optional extra level of complexity, give consideration to your character’s appearance or to their abilities. Will they stand out in this new world? Will they have to hide what they can do? Or will they even be able to use their powers if the source of their powers is gone?

Prompts

1. Day One - You’ve both just arrived on this world and by chance, you run into each other. Two heads are better than one. Now you just have to figure out what to do next.

2. One Week Later - You’ve been in this world a week. Things are starting to sink in. So is the idea of being stuck here. It’s time to start thinking about the long term.

3. One Month Later - Now that you’ve both been here awhile, you’ve learned the ins and outs of your new home. You’re making a living and getting by, but you still think of home.

4. Six Months Later - It may not be home, but you’ve learned to be comfortable. By now, your relationship with your fellow Lucetian has certainly evolved as well.

5. One Year Later - It’s been long enough that you sometimes wonder if you ever did live in a place like Luceti. So what’s life for you like in this whole new world?

6. Other - Don’t be limited by the above. This could be two weeks later or twenty years later! Of course, you can always time skip once you’ve established what you want to do at one time period.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hm? Oh, he...he was a very sweet boy, and always considerate of others. You have eyes like his. [Blushing just slightly, she taps the edges of her cup with her fingers.] That was...perhaps too personal of me to say.

[Gently, he shakes his head.] It's all right. I understand how you feel...

[He pulls his gaze up, taking in a short, quick breath of air when he looks at her again. So his eyes were the same? Now that he's looking, he can see that hers are too.] ...to be honest, you remind me of someone as well.

Really? What a coincidence. [No prompting and no prying. What boy his age wanted to share his life with a total stranger?]

It is, isn't it? [His looks back down at his drink, his expression falling.] A coincidence...

[He sighs softly, before reaching up and tugging off his hat, setting it down on the table in front of him. Maybe he should go. This wasn't real... and not because he was still convinced it was a dream, but because Nephry wasn't here. No matter how much he wanted to believe otherwise, this woman just couldn't be...]

[A glance in the right direction elicited a surprised sound.]

I've never met anyone who colors the top of his hair before.

What? [Oh. His hair's been growing out. He reaches up for a second before quickly replacing his hat.] Oh. It... was just a mistake with some hair dye, is all. I'm sorry if it surprised you.

Apologizing for hair is silly. Why did you choose green? [The same color green as your eyes.]

Ah, well... it wasn't supposed to be green. I think I accidentally left it in too long, and it discolored it.

[So he says, but his eyebrows have a very clear green tint beneath those brown bangs.]

After all, green hair in New York... would just be strange, wouldn't it?

Around here? I have seen all variety of colors. Granted, it doesn't present the best image in the minds of these people, but...mm. I suppose some form of discrimination is everywhere, even over silly things like hair.

I rather like the green. [She hasn't noticed his eyebrows.] It's one of my favorite colors.

[Just... a nod. The people here weren't nearly as kind as those he'd grown to know and love in Luceti, and nothing like those who respected him so much back on Auldrant. The first day he dyed his hair was probably one of the first real good days he'd had here.]

It's a nice color, I suppose. I'm more partial to plain colors myself. [There's a soft attempt at a laugh here.] Especially where my hair is concerned.

[That laugh. She flinches. It's so familiar.]

I'm sorry, but- but may I ask for your name?

[The sudden question gives him pause. Was this related to what she said before about her son?]

[Or...]

...it's Ion.

[Had she been taking a sip as he spoke, she'd be choking on it now.

Ion.]

It's very nice to meet you, Ion. [A smile fights for purchase on her lips.] I'm...I'm Nephry.

...Nephry?

[His eyes widen, and for a moment he forgets to breathe.]

[But then just as quickly, he looks down and falls silent... and when he looks up again, there's a sad smile on his face.]

I suppose... that means this is a dream after all, isn't it?

I should hope not. [Not that she can breathe or believe it either.] I would hate it if I wasn't real.

...Six months ago?

Yes. Six months. [His voice sounds weak -- he wants to believe it, but there's still a part of him that's afraid he could wake up any minute. He's at a near-loss for words.]

Is... are there any others?

I don't know of any.

[And now she has so many questions, it seems like she can't manage to ask them all first or fast enough.]

Have you been here all this time?

[He nods. And then nods again to her question... but not before reaching up and wiping at his eyes a little. He's been alone all this time -- and Nephry was here. She was here...!]

[He isn't thinking about the implications of what her being here means just yet. He's so happy to see her, he just can't think of anything else than this right here. Still wiping his eyes, he looks up and smiles through tear-filled eyes.]

I... I missed you.

I missed you too. Oh, if only I'd known about this, that you- I'm sorry you've been alone.

[Even if he...found a family, or something, in this place. It wasn't the same as Auldrant, or even Luceti. It wasn't Home.]

[He hadn't. Here he was, sleeping in a cafe because he didn't have a place to go home to. No one was here. How could this have ever been home?]

[But now Nephry was here. And with every passing second where he's still here, he begins to realize that this can't be a dream. This... this was real.]

You don't have to apologize. You couldn't have known. I... I had no idea someone else was here.

Neither did I. Are you all right here? Who...who do you stay with?

[...]

[His hands find their way to the edges of his hat, still sitting on the table, and grip it tightly.]

I... live alone right now.

But how? This world is much more similar to Auldrant that way - children don't-

[A possible situation for Ion is building itself into her head and freezing her heart.]

[It shouldn't be too hard to put together with the pieces he's given her. Sleeping in a cafe in the middle of the day, wearing old and very well-worn clothing, and not looking to be anywhere near the peak of health... he was homeless.]

...it's not as bad as it sounds. [He's keeping his eyes low again, and the words are coming out quickly. He doesn't want to see that look on her face.] There's a shelter I go to sometimes when they have room. Though I try not to take up space there for people worse off than myself... and if I work early enough in the morning, I can just sleep in places like this during the day.

[What if she hadn't spoken to him at all? Had chosen a different cafe, a different week to visit the city, a different city entirely? Nephry can't keep the pain of those thoughts out of her eyes.]

Well. [Or her voice, apparently.] If it's- if it's all right with you, you can stay with me from now on.

Same Old People, Wrong Destination

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