(E) Traverse Town: District 1

[Ellie who has 0%]

Glancing over at Zidane, she smirked after he finally hit the appropriate mark. It was beginners' 101 that Large Bodies have sensitive heads along with their backs. She knew he would be fine thanks to the sleeping spell to make the discovery easier without constant onslaught from the heavy heartless, "I think you are in lesser conditions than the boy. A coat would hardly suffice for a hast recovery."

Shifting slightly, she looked down at Amelia, "I smell magic in you. Could you not heal her, or is that not your practice? If not I, Jadis Lady of Traverse, can assist, if you may?"

She was being generous in requesting permission, but it could have easily been a test. Cupping her hand, her fingers glowed a green aura of a cure spell, "You all are relatively young, and from your faces I don't recall them. I assume the worst, survivors of planetary destruction, which I wonder is that how you've attracted the heartless tonight."

Another idea came to mind, what if it was because of the wolves, "Hmm maybe it wasn't your vulnerable hearts that lured them. They are too tense around me and not my own. Like you they're aliens of this world and can't even stand the winter. I suppose feeble animals would be easy prey."

"They, those heartless, tend to be a bit weary, but it seems fresh new...and vulnerable hearts made the temptation all too tempting. Your names..."

[Aryn007]

At last the Heartless was defeated! Back into the inky darkness, the Large Body melted, though its essence was not yet banished from the Worlds at large. Only the Keyblade could do that. From their remains scattered treasures of gold, potions, and gems. Fifty munny could be counted in coins, two healing potions green in color, one ether, and one shiny blue stone of unknown origin.

Their enemies defeated, the atmosphere seemed to settle and the momentum of battle no longer seemed to grip the party with danger. Even the wolves seemed to breathe easier.

The female was named Raksha, which referred to her ferocity in the wolf tongue, for when her cubs or her mate were threatened, she became a demon on four legs. Her fur was grey in color, but lighter and browner in tone than Jadis' wolves. She was still not sure what to make of them, but wanted to express her gratitude for aiding them when their lives depended on it. With so many sons and daughters of Man about, it was comforting to see some who resembled herself and her pack mates back home...wherever home was.

The male wolf was named Rama, meaning "pleasant, supreme." His coat was darker than that of Raksha's, but still lighter than Jadis' pack. In his homeland, he was considered one of the Lords of the Jungle. Here, he seemed small in comparison to the stranger wolves occupying Traverse Town. Still, he was strong of Heart and brave as a father should be.

Nonetheless, they were in another pack's territory. They would not make the first move, for fear of immediate attack.

[Deleted]

A single gloved hand wiped across his forehead, feigning exhaustion, before sheathing his weaponry and strolling over to the dropped goodies. Truth by told, Zidane was all grins at the goodies that dropped. He scooped the meager change up first, followed by both green bottle substances that the blonde had no problems identifying, the cube of ether was next and then came the odd blue stone. Hopefully he could get that appraised sometime soon. Once that was done he walked on over to the three ladies who were still in conversation by the looks of it.

The wolves seemed to be good shape, Amelia seemed to be okay, but the series of cuts and gashes on a certain freezing cutie suggested otherwise, prompting the caring thief to withdraw one of the green vials from a side pocket. After uncorking the contents, he sauntered towards the poor bird, caring hues on her as he lowered himself to a kneel in front of the avian, his tail making waves on the ground. Holding out the potion with a single hand, he waited for Zephyr to take up his item, his voice a simple whisper, “Drink it all, alright?”

Once that was finished, the genome raised himself onto both legs, looking this time into the eyes of the guest in this party. He lifted a hand and gave a single round wave in greeting. “Hey, thanks for helpin’ out, you and those wolves of yours got some sweet moves.” It was only after this sentence that a small period of silence came about, Zidane briefly eyeing the dark themed wolves belonging to the elder lady’s pack, before saying, “Name’s Zidane. Who might you be?”

[Bluebird]

"My name is none of your concern," Zephyr said to the woman, her voice dark and bitter and dripping with fury. Snatching the vial from Zidane's hand, she stalked away, searching for the hammer she had dropped a ways away to stew in her thoughts.

The nerve of them! She was just fine, thank you. She did not need the Zero girl's jacket to stay warm, she did not need the cold woman's healing, and she did not need Zidane's stupid potion. She was perfectly fine. A little hurt, but she could stand on her own two feet. She was not a child to be coddled!

Retrieving her hammer, she turned on her heel, heading towards the sign post where the male wolf had shaken off her jacket, refusing to look back at the group who deemed her so weak. What made that stupid Zero girl so great? That woman was all over her, practically begging to know more about her.

"I smell magic in you," Zephyr muttered in a high pitched mocking voice. And did Zephyr have no magic to sense of her own? She could bend the wind currents to her will. She could summon creatures from another realm. Wasn't that good enough for her?

No. The Zero girl didn't even have magic. Only stupid heartless summons that didn't even know who was friend and who was foe. She had spent most of the battle resting on her goddamn staff and suddenly she was the star of the show? Zephyr's body shook in a furious tremor unassociated with the chill in the air. She wanted to scream.

Her jacket lay discarded close by the sign post. Stooping down to pick it up, she rested on the balls of her feet, crumpling the now bloodied jacket into her lap. Her broken wing ached from when she had injured it in the fight. Scooping up a handful of snow, she pressed it against the base of her wing, shivering from the cold but easing the dull pain that throbbed in her shoulder. She sighed, feeling miserable about everything, then turned to the two wolves they had aided and whistled to them.

"Here girl, here boy," she cooed. Pulling her glove free with her teeth, she extended a non-threatening hand in their direction. If she could get them to come to her, trust her, maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

---

Zephyr: 23% HP; 80% MP

[Aryn007]

Raksha and Rama's ears perked up at the sound of the whistle and both turned their heads to Zephyr. They were wary of this human and stood still as statues, staring at her with yellow eyes, waiting to see what she intended to do with her open hand. Was it a signal of submission? A signal of attack? A trap?

They were shy of humans, having only ever interacted with one (and he had been but a small, helpless man-cub). Nerves on edge, they observed her, watching for any sudden moves.

[Bluebird]

Zephyr's heart leapt when they turned their attention her way. Plopping down on her rump, the winged girl sat cross-legged, continuing to offer a friendly hand, hoping to compel them closer. She wished she had some food, a nice ham or some fowl, but she hadn't thought of such things when she first went exploring and the heartless had failed to drop any delectibles after they had been destroyed. Zephyr could only hope the wolves were trusting enough to investigate. The male wolf should know her by scent, at least, after being wrapped in her jacket. Was he a curious creature? Zephyr hoped so.

Despite the freezing temperatures and the way she began to shiver uncontrollably, Zephyr refused to don her jacket. She did not want to make any large sudden movements in fear of scaring away her new friends. So she stuck it out, locking her jaw to keep it from chattering. Then she opened it to try another attempt at calling to them.

"C-come h-here," Zephyr called, doing her best to keep her voice light and sweet despite the stuttering. She dropped her extended hand lower in a hopeful display of submission. "I'm n-n-not going t-t-t-to hurt-t-t you."

---

Zephyr: 19% HP; 80% MP

[Deleted]

"It's Amelia Stonewall," she said at Jadis's request, before adding a tentative, "Thank you for helping us, Miss." But that was all she said. The woman's mention of magic made her cheeks turn burn; Cure was one of the spells that Amelia had meant to learn, but never got the opportunity to do so before her whole world went to hell. Maybe it was a laziness on her part, as she'd come to depend on her little Heartless-shaped allies to help her over the past couple years stuck in this town.

She watched the winged girl march off after Zidane handed her the potion, and Mia really had to wonder what her problem was. Everyone was being more or less polite and trying to help. She rubbed her shoulder—the spot she'd been punched earlier—and pursed her lips. Oh, yes, now the girl was plonked in the snow and trying to talk to the wolves despite the fact she was so obviously freezing. She wouldn't even pull her jacket on, despite holding it in her fingers.

The Green Requiem bounced over through the air, squeaking and chiming as it hovered around Amelia's head. It sounded almost scolding as it nudged Amelia before it cast a Cure spell on her, mainly to heal the little cuts she'd sustained and her sore fingers. It looked back to the winged girl and made another concerned chime. Help? Don't help? Mia could guess what it was thinking. She turned to Zidane and the woman for some sort of sign or cue about what to do, because it seemed like anything she did just made things worse.

[Ellie who has 0%]

One of Jadis' oldest pet peeves are silly rude children, "Of-course not no one wants to remember rudeness let alone such ghastly screams."

Her eyes closed momentarily before letting the agitation wear off; she didn't care to coddle with wounded pride. If she more foolish than before, it would kill her sooner. Her death has been postponed tonight.

"Jadis," she replied to Zidane and Amelia, "the wolves has gotten used to their current foe and prey, the heartless, ever since winter came. Unfortunately the balanced hadn't tip back in the favor of the living."

"I'm assuming you're all fresh arrivals. There hasn't been a hunt this lively in a while. I guess those wolves'," she gestured to the one staring at the fledgling, "may have lured them here from their fallen world. It seems every moon that pasts it gets worst. Fortunately you held your grounds, but surely you've learned something valuable. The worlds aren't as kind or gentle."

[Aryn007]

The wolf pair watched her carefully as she lowered herself to the ground, ears pointing forward, listening to the strange sounds coming from her mouth. She seemed non-threatening. Cross-legged on the ground, she was at her most vulnerable, a clear sign of submission. They could see no claws or fangs nor steel nor Red Flower upon her person. Perhaps, it was safe...

Raksha took a few hesitant steps forward, sniffing around as she did so. She was the more willing of the two to extend her trust to a stranger. In fact, it had been she who convinced her mate, Rama, to accept a certain man-cub into their family and to allow him to run with their pack and take the name Mowgli.

Rama, meanwhile, hung back, muscles tensing, ready to attack at the slightest movement that might be construed as dangerous. Yes, he recognized her scent, but he was not ready to trust it just yet. His memory of being covered by the jacket was hazy at best and unreliable. Anything could have happened to him while he was incapacitated.

[Bluebird]

"Good gir-r-rl-l-l," Zephyr said, her body trembling in a convulsive shiver. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she relaxed, letting the chill wash over her, forging some sort of control over her body's state of affairs. Ancestors, but it was cold, so cold. She wanted to put her jacket on, but the female wolf had taken a few steps forward. If Zephyr could just hold out a little longer, get her close enough for some pets, gain her trust, she could reward herself by donning her jacket. Zephyr wiggled her fingers, hoping the action would tempt the wolf to investigate.

She was so close.

---

Zephyr: 16% HP; 80% MP

[Deleted]

Zidane’s brow raised in accordance to Zephyr’s irritated actions. This shift in personality was highly contrary to the flirtatious chick he met prior to the recent heartless encounter. Something was up, and it bothered Zidane greatly. His head turned and continued to follow the bird, as she retrieved her things and then proceeded to beckon the other wolves towards her, almost abandoning the others who saved her hide minutes ago. Just what the heck was the problem here?

The genome found his thought process divided when he heard the redhead speak up.
So, her name was Amelia. Zidane could not help but nod at that approvingly, whilst mentally adding that name to his ever growing catalog of ladies. No lady would ever compete with his one true Dagger, but it couldn’t hurt to scope out the other ladies milling about. It wasn’t long before he noticed Amelia turn towards a distanced Zephyr, a shade of concern coming from her person as she likely pondered the same thoughts he did. Zephyr was forcing herself to suffer!

The mage soon turned to himself and the elder lady in question, and in turn he directed attention to the wolf lady, whom he was sure was onto what both the blonde and redhead were thinking. And then, she began her reply. Her voice carried little emotion towards the distraught and even a hint of annoyance…but her following explanation about the wolves seemed to have plausibility though there was one thing Zidane needed to know, and such a question could not be asked, not until he eased his growing concern for the bird. With nothing more than a nod to both Amelia and Jadis, he sauntered over towards his friend, who appeared to be getting worse as time passed.

He was quick to notice the reaction of the two wolves’ near her , one testing the waters, the other stood with a poise of protection and awareness. Zidane was sure that they were able to detect her disconcerting aura, and a cutie like her isn’t befitting of such a thing. Walking around them he bridged the gap between blonde and bird, his tail swishing side to side. His usual grin was lost, and in its place was nothing more than a neutral line. His hands at their respective side, and blue eyes looked right into her own. “Zephyr…I don't know what’s up, but you look ready to pass out! The others are worried about you…I’m worried about you! I told you to drink that potion for a reason,” he said, pointing to the container that Zephyr held."

“…You don’t always have to look strong to cover your weakness.”

[Deleted]

Amelia watched with trepidation as Zidane approach the winged girl. This was a delicate process between a pair of wild wolves and a shivering, volatile young woman sitting in the snow, and it was hard to tell what would happen next considering all the past surprises so far. What is she doing? From this angle the winged girl was crouched in the way, blocking Amelia's view of the female wolf. She couldn't see how close they were to a moment of trust. All that it seemed to her was that the girl was concerned for the two wolves than herself in the most reckless manner possible.

Amelia listened to Jadis speak as she watched the others, hesitating on her response. Though she wasn't sure about Zidane or the winged girl, Amelia had been stuck in Traverse Town for quite a long time—since before the first snowflake floated down from the sky and melted on the cobblestone streets. Her rather solitary nature, however, meant rarely bothered to make more than casual chit-chat with travelers to get the latest news before slinking away back to safety. She decided against commenting about it for now. "The wolf police are yours, Miss Jadis?" she asked instead, looking towards her for a moment but catching Zidane nod in their direction out of the corner of her eye.

She turned back to watch as Zidane moved closer to the winged girl and began talking to her, talking to her about how bad she looked and how worried everyone was. Brave guy, considering those two wolves that apparently weren't part of Jadis's pack. And that by marching over, he was breaking the winged girl's focus. Well, she is freezing. Amelia couldn't fault anyone for calling her out on that one bit.

She just felt a little ashamed that someone else had to do it.

[Aryn007]

Raksha and Rama were on edge. Note that these were were not the tame wolves of zoos, docile and overfed, nor were they the friendly, trained, half-breed wolves domesticated to come when called. They were wild animals and Lords of the Jungle, used to daily tiger threats and furious hunts filled with heat and blood and teeth. From the corner of Rama's eye, sneaking somewhere behind him, he could sense movement; the swishing of a tail, the shifting of weight, the smell of an otherworldly being.

When Zidane treaded behind them and moved to put himself between his mate and the bird-woman, the threat was perceived, fear bloomed in his chest and a fierce growl tore from his throat. Rama snarled and snapped at Zidane's leg, instantly at Raksha's side, prepared to defend their lives once again. Startled, Raksha instinctively darted away, up the stairs, where she would have the high ground.

[Deleted]

The sound of a dangerous roar invaded Zidane's ears and with instinct driving him he immediately dropped and rolled away, choosing not to take any chances as he drew himself up, resting on a single knee as he eyed the wolf known as Rama. It was clear that the wolves' were tense, their cautiousness magnified after the recent heartless encounter. His decision to speak to Zephyr was a risky choice in such testy waters that could have more downsides than positives, however, the last thing he would do was leave the bird to her own devices, especially when it was clear that she needed treatment and care more than anything.

Regardless, Zidane kept himself still, his gaze never leaving the protective wolf, as he waited in quiet anticipation for its next move, his breath visible from constant steady exhales. From such a direct perspective, it was now easy to see the fear that enveloped the other, the fear that spurred a defensive reaction. There was little that the genome could do in his current predicament, but with patience, and a tiny bit of luck, he hoped it would recognize that he himself was not a threat, and was in fact one of his saviors. It was through that hope that he mentally pleaded with the wolf to understand that he meant no harm, only to heal.

[Ellie who has 0%]

Jadis nodded in reply, "Yes, they are. I had them patrolling, since this world had become somewhat protected. There are others who want this world fall and worst, ravage the hearts that dwell here. And I see your friends do not have the expertise with them let alone animals.”

They just finished dealing with heartless for at most four minutes, and they couldn't stay clear from problems. With a click of her teeth, Jadis' wolves tilted their heads at her, "Try not to make this messier; don't be assertive and find out where they're from."

With a low huff, they walked towards the pair; one fell back to not be too intruding. The charcoal wolf stood apart from Zidane. To be less threatening, she sat. Her tail swayed and wasn't hoisted in the air for war. The most docile sign was a whine to catch his attention.

"I can't talk to them, but surely wolves can speak amongst themselves. It may help; it may not, but picture loosing your world in their eyes; I doubt being surrounded by people is the best solution."