Old Haunts, New Experiences

Traverse Town, 1st District

People still lived inside of Traverse Town.

Granted, it was nowhere near as filled as it was during the time when the stars began to disappear from the sky some years back, but there were still people there.  Most of them were vagabonds, those whose worlds never fully returned after the defeat of the Heartless who called itself the Seeker of Darkness.  Some were those who chose to stay, having built up a new life for themselves and whose hearts were not interested in having to make yet another change.  Only recently had a third flavor of person had begun to arrive and take residence in Traverse Town:  Those whose worlds were not destroyed, but were inextricably drawn away by acts of their hearts; these people who would be identified as Convergers.

Upon the opening of the massive double doors of the town, another such Converger arrives in town.  He had been here before in more ways than one.  He'd played the original Kingdom Hearts back in the Realm of Reality some years back, and he often preferred to stay around the town to grind out munny orbs to purchase items before taking sojourns to the various other worlds.  He enjoyed those points.  When he first became a Converger some time ago, this was his point of entry into the worlds of Kingdom Hearts, and with it came a sense of confusion and fear and anxiety.  A sense that what was happening couldn't be, and a sense that if he stayed that things could turn dire quickly.  He left shortly thereafter, very rarely ever returning because of said fear and anxiety.

But for T.J. Brackin, that fear and anxiety and confusion was gone now, replaced with a sense of curiosity, goodwill and hope.  He was given a second chance at life, and he wanted to make the most of it.  "Wow...  It's hard to believe it's changed so little here..."  Hearing the massive doors close behind him, he looks down at his right arm, the chitinous gauntlet upon it a reminder of all that has transpired with him, the crystal nestled above his hand occasionally covered up by bits of the gauntlet not unlike a blinking eye before gazing back up at the buildings ahead.  But I do wonder... has anything really changed here?  Shops are still open, some people are still walking around...It feels like the Traverse Town of old.  As he thinks, he begins to walk forward, his focus going from the town towards at the Oni Gauntlet, becoming somewhat inattentive as he begins to poke at it.  It was still very much new to him, and although he knew what it was, he didn't know how it exactly worked.  If he didn't find out how it worked... well, he didn't want to consider that.

Yet another uneventful day goes by, it seems.

To the one that had grown accustomed to this world since arriving here, it'd been like this for quite a while now. Explore the Districts, find a potential suitor or someone looking for work, train her skills against the dark creatures that roamed, rinse and repeat. A typical routine that was growing very tiresome for her.

So for today, Huli Jing the Matchmaker did not go about her routine. She didn't seek anyone out, nor did she look for a fight with those monsters. Instead, she sat against a roof of a building in the 1st District, looking up at the stars above. According to the scriptures that she read during her time adjusting in this world, the stars were said to be those of other worlds. Many would call this superstition, but to a mystical being such as herself, something like that wouldn't be too far from the truth.

She never really considered herself homesick. After all, she'd been considering leaving her home behind for a long time now. But for that to have happened the way that it did, left to die at the hands of that malignant demon...

A scowl crossed her face as that memory surfaced. Not for the fact that she'd been nearly killed; that was something that she wouldn't allow again in the future. No, this was for her sisters who were similarly left to fend for themselves. The question of whether they survived or not still lingered in her mind. If she knew a way to return to her world, she would take it if only to see if they were alright.

Sadly, that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon. Until then, she would remain here, going about her usual routine.

With a sigh, Huli was ready to head back to the old hotel, where she built her base of operation for the time being. However, the sound of the double doors opening, and then closing, brought a twitch to her fox ears, her attention directed towards them. With a tilt of her head, she leapt to another building that was closer to the doors, peering over to take a closer look.

A young man, appearing mid-twenties. Aside from the brightly-colored garb, he didn't seem like someone who'd otherwise stand out to normal folk. However, the fact that he arrived from what seemed to be the entry point of this world piqued Huli's interest. Not only that, but she caught a glimpse of the strange gauntlet that he wore, that he seemed so transfixed by.

Was he like her, then? A being from another world, drawn here by chance? If that were the case, then perhaps this was her chance to get off of this world.

A small smile forming on her lips, Huli decided to make herself known. With a single leap, the fox woman landed with an impossible grace beside the young man, with a flourish like a ballet dancer. She straightened herself only slightly, finding that she actually towered over him by some inches.

"Well...you clearly don't look like someone from around these parts," she stated the obvious, her smile becoming a playful smirk. Since adjusting to this world, she'd learned the common language the mortals of this world spoke, even picking up on some of their slang. She leaned forward, in a way that would give the man a good view at her ample bosom as she spoke, "You one of those...what do you call them?...'Convergers', I'm guessing?"

T.J.'s focus on his gauntlet was pretty absolute.  He didn't hear the faint sound of Huli landing beside him.  He did feel the wind from it, but he merely put it off as just that:  a brief and light gust of wind that faded quickly.  However, he did hear her speak.  "Hm?  Well, I..."  He turns to see that the person who was speaking was literally standing right beside him, close enough that if she wanted, she could have easily put him into a headlock, especially since she was a good half-foot taller than he.  

"Wah!  Warn someone if you're gonna spook them like that!"  He stumbles back, both in shock and embarassment.  He didn't expect anyone to get that close to him without him knowing about it.  That and... well, he didn't know quite what to expect when it came to matching a person to that voice.  He certainly wasn't expecting a woman over six-foot tall with twin silver-colored fox tails, similarly silver-furred fox ears, wearing a navy kimono and who was positioned in such a way to get a good view of her...  He pauses, shaking his head and catching his breath, trying to regain a sense of control over his emotions.  Process what needs to be done first.  The details can come a bit later.  "Sorry, sorry.  Just... not used to being snuck up on."  As he says this, he raises up his hands in defense of his explanation.

Given enough time to think back to what she asked, he nods.  "Yeah.  Been one for quite a while.  It's actually been a really long time since I last came here.  I was a little curious if things changed."  He looks around.  "The Cafe's still running, which is nice.  Item Shop's closed down for the night...  Kinda wondering who's running it now.  Accessory and Synthesis shops are still up, which is good to know.  Now I heard about additional districts too, but..."  He looks over at Huli again, and he pauses.  "...I'm babbling, aren't I?"  He pinches the bridge of his nose while whispering to himself.  "Get a grip, T.J., Get a grip..."  Taking a breath, he looks at her face.  "Name's T.J.  And by your question, you're probably one, too?"