The Cricket in Traverse Square [Shiro]

[Era]

Ah, Traverse Town.

This small world, in the middle of the galaxy, held a perpetual sense and depth of calm. Despite its constant newcomers, the calm was hardly ever disturbed. No matter the day's struggles, this town was a town of refuge - a place people could come to find rest for their weary souls... Even the shadows of the first district resounded with the welcoming vibe they rested within.

Calm and --

-- One of the weapon shop's doors shot open, banging against the brick wall as its hinges hit their maximum radius. An orange-haired girl scurried out, her hands in a protective ball, which she kept near to her stomach. Something was contained inside... but what?

"Squash him!" "Just smash him already!" Apparently the feathery-white shop owners didn't appreciate what ever it was the girl was carrying. "Close the door, before she lets it out!" A third voice squawked, executing the action he had just dictated for the others to do. They proceeded to watch her as best the could from the large window to the left.

Era didn't seem to be bothered by this. In fact, she'd hardly payed them any attention at all... And probably had forgotten they were there all together. Her fascination was too readily harnessed around the creature in her hands. Once she'd bounded far enough away from the store, she opened those hands a crack, then slowly all the way. Out bounced a little black bug, with long antennae. It loosely resembled a Heartless, but was far less dangerous.

And there Era sat, immersed in all the wonder a little Cricket had to offer; delighting in its chirps, curious about the springs in its legs, and all together interested in the wandering strings above its head.

Funny how to the most innocent of lives, the simplest of lives could be the most highly respected.

[nshansen]

Shiro sipped on his tea after a long day. He was sitting on a bench right next to one of the shops. He finished his tea and sat there for a couple of minutes. He was at peace.

"Squash him!"

"Just smash him already!"

"Close the door, before she lets it out!"

Shiro sighed. He knew peace wouldn't last. He turned his head to see a orange-haired girl in the middle of the street. She had a ball in her hand. He was very curious about what was inside the ball. Whatever was in it, it started chaos. He then walked slowly towards the girl. The girl then opened the ball, which released a creature that looked like a heartless. He realized that it wasn't. He fought alot of heartless in his life, so he knew it wasn't. Though, he was still curious about what it was.

When he was a couple feet away from the girl and the creature, he heard a chirp. It was a cricket.

"It looks like people in this town don't like crickets." he said. He then walked back over to the bench and put his sword away. He sat down on the bench again and just listened to the cricket chirp. He was at peace again.

[Era]

Fascination adorned her smile as she watched the little cricket walk. The little insect sprung onto the railing, and with another spring, flew into the shadows. Era could only smile as she watched it flee. Her gloved forearms rested on the flat stone edge, one heel in the air, propped up her toes. Closing icy-blue eyes, she took in the sweet aroma of the Cafe nearby, allowing the smell to make its way deep into her lungs. She was thoroughly enjoying, perhaps even resonating with, the calm of this evening.

There was a certain joy to being alive. A certain joy to the sights and sounds of the world. And hey look! There was a pedestrian at one of the tables! She raised a hand, waving to him. A recent memory came tumbling back to her all too quickly. This was the meeting place of someone very dear to her. Maybe this could be the spawning point of a new friendship - one just as sweet.

Curious a thought as it was, the chipper girl couldn't dwell on it long. There was too much about this evening to enjoy to get wrapped up in the bitterness of the past.

[nshansen]

Shiro was at peace, until the cricket left. He heard nothing. It was quiet. He started to get up so that he could leave. He didn't want to sit there all evening. As he stood up, he saw the orange-haired girl wave at him. He turned around to see if she was waving at someone else. He looked to the right, then he looked to the left. Most of the people in this area were in the buildings and shops. Maybe she thought he was a waiter at the cafe. Maybe she wanted to ask him about what the cafe had. He then walked slowly until he was a few feet from her.

"You waved at me? I can assure you that I am not a waiter." he asked the girl with his calm tone.

(Sorry for the shortness, I just didn't know what else to do.)

[Era]

The girl could only grin. She didn't mean to flag him down - just to kindly wave a "hello". Did they not do that here? Frost-blue eyes glanced curiously at the unfamiliar fellow. "I can assure you I'm not either." A simple nod and a curtsy between her sentences. "I don't run into very many people here. It's a pleasure to meet you, mister...?"

All she was missing was his name.

((OOC: No problem. I'm a fan of quality count, and far less a fan of word count. ^_^))

[nshansen]

"Shiro..." he replied to finish her sentence. He tried to remember if he saw her before. He then realized that he had never saw her before. He guessed that she was a traveler or something like that. "I'm suprised you don't run into people often here. There is alot that live here. Maybe they just don't like crickets. I guess anything that looks like a heartless, is considered a heartless to most people that live here. So whats your name?"

[Era]

"Era. Nice to meet you, Shiro."

The girl shrugged her shoulders in response to his comment with all honesty, her smile highly evident. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just not around long enough to see them." She watched him, another question popping up in her mind. "I'm here because I'm looking for someone." She faltered a moment, idling in some previous memory. "So... What brings you here?" Curious frosty eyes awaited his answer.

[nshansen]

He thought about her last question. Why was he there? Why wasn't he looking for his memories? Those were the questions that popped up in his mind.

"Well, I have no choice at the moment. Anyways, whats the name of the person that you are looking for?" he replied. "I know alot of people here. Or were you looking for that cricket?"

[Era]

The girl couldn't help but manage a small laugh. "No, no. I saved the cricket because he deserved to live. As for whom I am looking for... His name is Rook." She motioned with her hand at a height a little above her own. "He's this tall. With ginger red hair, and piercing blue eyes... You couldn't miss him!" She smiled upon the recollection of her first few memories with the redhead; she was particularly fond of those, as he was her first real friend after the memory glitch in her brain.

The reminiscing, distant look in her eyes carried her into another wave of memories. It was almost as if by returning to the place where they first met, she was hoping he'd somehow re-appear here, safe and sound.

. . . And perhaps, she was.

[nshansen]

Shiro thought about the people he had met in his life. Rook. Ginger red hair. Piercing blue eyes. He then realized that he had never met anyone who looked like that.

"Rook... Hmm... I'm sorry, but the name doesn't ring a bell. I'm pretty sure he is out there somewhere, probably looking for you too." he replied. "So is he your best friend or something like that? Just curious."

"It seems like alot of people are looking for someone these days..." he thought to himself. He, instead, was looking for something different. He was looking for his memories. He wanted to find out who he really was.

[Era]

"He was my only friend... He came back for me when I was kidnapped, but go overpowered..." Her enthusiasm was draining by the minute. "I was hoping that if I came back to where we first met... Maybe I'd find him here." Those brilliant icy-blues were suddenly watching the floor.

This whole chasing down her friends... It was a lot harder than she had anticipated. Tough as it was to find Traverse Town devoid of the friend she was hoping to find here, she knew she would have to move on. Not thinking about it was the best for now. Besides, what would this guy think if she got all depressed now?

A new smirk came to her as she glanced back up to him, idly fiddling with her hands. "You said you have no choice... What did you mean by that?" Maybe he was somehow chained to the essence of this world in some mysterious way... Or maybe he was a slave, forced to do his master's bidding? Era did not fancy injustice, and if if someone was holding him captive, well, they were gonna have a piece of her mind.

True she hardly knew this guy, but injustice was injustice, no matter who was on the other end of it.

[nshansen]

Shiro listened to Era speak. It seemed that she had lost someone very important to her. He knew the pain of losing someone important, it wasn't the best feeling. Actually, it was one the worst feelings. Even though he didn't know what happened to his parents, it still hurt him when he remembered that they were gone.

"You said you have no choice... What did you mean by that?" she said with a smirk. That was a very easy answer for Shiro.

"I have no way off this world... So until I have a way off, I have no choice." he replied. "If I did have a way off, I would be looking for something as well. So when he got overpowered... Did he..." He shut his eyes as he stopped his sentence. It was probably a personal question. Plus, if he asked if her friend died or not, she probably would've cried. He didn't want her to cry, especially in the place where she first met her friend.

"Nevermind." he said as he opened his eyes.

[Era]

She went ahead and finished his sentence for him. "Die? I don't know..." Then paused, using her concentration to reflect on something deep within her. "No... No. He's not dead." She smiles back at him, curious as to why he'd want to leave here. It's peaceful, the people (that she has met) are friendly. Everything about this place would put one's soul at peace. . . Even the Crickets. Nonetheless, apparently he had wanted to leave, and of course, that just made her curious.

"If I did have a way off, I would be looking for something as well..."

Hmm... They said curiosity killed the cat, and it was certainly eating away at her. But was it really her place to ask?

[nshansen]

Shiro listened to Era speak. He guessed that Rook was dead, and Era couldn't believe it at the moment. "It must be hard for her..." he thought to himself. He didn't want to make things worse, so he decided not to ask more. He couldn't say "Everything will be alright." or "Everything is going to fine" or anything like that, because it probably wasn't true. Though, that was his guess, he knew he could be completely wrong.

"Well, I really hope you find your friend." he replied. He didn't know what else to say. Plus, he barely knew her. He only knew her name and the fact that she was looking for a friend. "Good luck." he added with a small smile.

[Era]

Era nodded at him, smiling. "Thanks! I could use all the good luck I can get!" Those icy eyes held some form of contentment few people ever find, and she perched herself on the stairs, slightly more even with his eyes now. Gloved hands wrapped around her knees, and she looked hopefully up at Shiro, remarkably comfortable here. Now. " And could you say a prayer for me, too?" Pure innocence and an ocean of hope stared back at him through those frosty blue eyes.