blizzaga (open)

[zanarkandian]

Who: Tidus and OPEN
What: Arriving/freaking out/trying to be cool about it
When: Day 21
Where: Residential area
Warnings: Nudity, spoilers for an 17 year old game, existential crises, the usual. Will update if needed.

What were things like after death? Back in Tidus's hometown, it had been a taboo subject, for reasons he was only just now beginning to understand. When he'd come to Spira and seen his departed mother's echo, he thought he'd had an answer: he'd go to the Farplane, the colorful, flower-filled afterlife that most Spirans reached someday. He'd find his father, and Yuna's, and maybe bug Auron some more. He wasn't exactly happy about choosing to die, but the hope was that it wouldn't be a bad afterlife.

The frigid chill and unforgiving metal that greeted him when he awoke again? Was nothing at all like his expectations. He lifted an arm to shield his eyes from the glare of the spotlight, noting with some confusion that his arm-guard was absent. He glanced down and found that he'd been stripped bare. Well, that explained the chill.

Then there was a voice telling him to step forward into the unknown. He glanced around, squinting at the darkness...had others come this way? They probably had. He scrambled to his feet, projecting more confidence than he actually felt. But there was just one thing to do before he left.

He lifted a hand to his mouth, sucked in a breath, and made some unintelligible sputtering sound. His fingers were too cold to even manage a whistle. He sighed, balled his fists, and strode along the lighted path, only to stop like a deer in headlights when the door reveals a living space. And...people?

After a few seconds, he closed the door, leaning against it with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he glanced around the room. He lifted a leg just enough to cover himself for the sake of politeness, suppressing a shiver. "So, uh, hey guys, what's shaking?"

Comments

[zanarkandian]

"Yeah, I was thinking more waterfalls and flowers, myself," he laughed hollowly. "So we're initiated into...something? Probably sinister? Not liking our odds here."

But showing too much weakness was a danger too. He lifted his head. "Think there's an ambush behind that door?"

[angelofnaboo]

"I suppose we were both wrong then, if this truly is the afterlife." She doubts it, because there's just no way this would be acceptable as a any sort of afterlife for anyone.

"I'm inclined to agree that nothing about this is looking to be in our favor." She smiles and it's one she's worn many times over her long fourteen years in the political sarlaac infested career in the Galactic Republic. "However, I'm not about to roll over for anyone, let alone a disembodied voice."

She throws her shoulders back and lets her face take on the appearance of disdain, looking more like the Former Queen of Naboo and Senator she is. "I think we won't know what's going on exactly unless we enter through that door."

[zanarkandian]

This woman had confidence. Real confidence, not the false bravado he was so used to projecting. He nodded and slipped back into guardian mode---not that she necessarily needed protection, but that she was the only choice of ally at the moment. And not a bad one at all.

"I like your style. No weapons, so we'll have to use brains...and I think you're probably better at that than me. But I'm not going down easy either."

His smile's hesitant but genuine. "Oh, and I'm Tidus, by the way."

[angelofnaboo]

Well, after living your life with death threats for over fourteen years, being in a place like this leaves nothing to be afraid of. Not even with her being naked is she about to let herself be intimidated by some unseen entity.

"Thank you, but all it takes is keeping your eyes and ears open and thinking before you make a move." Not that she always does that herself. She's sure she's caused many ulcers amongst her guards and poor Obi-Wan more than once over the years.

She nods her head in greeting as he gives her his name. "Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. I wish we'd met under better circumstances, but the only thing we can do is go forward."

[zanarkandian]

"Doesn't surprise me," Tidus grinned. He wasn't exactly familiar with the term 'senator', but could easily guess at what sort of career it met. He hadn't had the best experiences with local governments, but...he really couldn't afford not to give her a chance.

"Right. Even...like this, I know a few tricks. Just hope I won't have to use them."

[angelofnaboo]

"Most things can be handled with a level head." She says that, but she knows that even if she's calm, not every opponent will be. And she's faced some pretty irrationally behaving people in her career. Most notably, some closest to her. However, she also knows that most of the good she's done is because she doesn't lead impulsively. Besides, she's always done what's best for others and has hardly ever thought about the consequences in regards to herself. "Yes, I hope that we won't have to be aggressive either, but our awakening doesn't instill a great deal of confidence." She takes a step towards the doors that slide open as she approaches it. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" And that's all she gives him to ready himself with before stepping through the now open bulkhead as regally as a queen.

[zanarkandian]

"Right with you."

Tidus tried, as ever, to look confident as they entered. The good news was that there were no immediate traps. It was also marginally warmer, and looked like a habitable space. There were even signs of other people!

"We're not alone. Hope that's not a bad sign."