Would it be accurate to say that after a night Leyaria was starting to more appreciate Era? It was difficult to gauge entirely.

On one hand, certainly the familiarity of the city was beginning to develop itself within her mind. The crowded roads and markets which overwhelmed her only a day earlier were far less daunting, far less intimidating. However, the feeling in which the city of Era carried over her, the sense of amounting to little more than a gnat; that did not depart.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t like that that sense would ever be dispelled from Leyaria. She had grown up feeling that, but she had also grown up enough not to pretend that a single night in a different city would suddenly change that.

“You’d think that a city as large as this, it’d be more inviting. Don’t you agree?” Leyaria casually remarked to Geth, the small construct-like creature of whom she had begun to develop a bond with. A small sound echoed from the creature; a reflection of the relationship between the two of them, one that seemed to get stronger as the days went.

The two had walked for a great deal already, enough to elicit what resembled a whine from the creature. “I’ll take that as a yes,” the younger Dragon Slayer remarked as the two changed course, abandoning the cobblestone paths that went further along towards the market, instead making their way to the large park which occupied the greater extent of the immediate area in Era. After continuing to walk for someplace to rest their legs – unfortunately lacking within the park – the two had finally got a chance to rest their legs.

As Geth took the opportunity to admire the area around them, the animals just beginning to resurface again as the weather began to clear up, Leyaria couldn’t help but smirk and chuckle slightly at the creature’s intrigue. “Curious, aren’t you?” She spoke aloud, not paying much heed to if Geth heard her or not, “Suppose I shouldn't be surprised.” 

Not too far from them, there appeared two people, a young couple seemingly having a grandiose time, much like that of what Leyaria had seen throughout her travels, of lovers with the world ahead of themselves. “Isn’t that sweet. Almost makes you forget about the rest of the ugliness in the world. All of the nastiness of it…” She remarked under her breath, thinking back to the hardships of her time in both Hargeon and Crocus, of times she'd sooner like to forget.

It was a warm day, warmer than had been the case certainly in recent memory. Whether it had been within Era or within Crocus, today felt as though the first real occassion in which the people could simply appreciate the impending warm weather; a welcome contrast to that of the frigid conditions Fiore had been forced to endure for the past several months. So nice in fact that Leyaria didn't mind leaning her head back as the sunlight graced upon her skin, her focus drifting away as she closed her eyes, confident - or at the very least, hopeful - that Geth did not do anything which otherwise may get it or her into trouble.

Peace and quiet had become such forgotten qualities to Leyaria that she failed to even recognize how quickly time had passed. As she lifted her head, a very quick scan of the park remarkably enough showed Geth still in the close proximity of Leyaria though the couple that she had noticed moments before seemed to have disappeared. At least that was what she had come to believe, until she heard a familiar voice; one that caused Leyaria's eyes to widen as she processed it.

Turning her head, Leyaria was shocked by what she saw, though more of it appeared to be of delight than anything else. There stood a woman, bearing a striking similarity to that of the woman she had met within Crocus only a short time earlier, LeeAnn. However, even though she looked very similar, there were some key differences. Most notably, the fox ears atop her head and the distinct eye patch, both of which proved difficult to ignore. For a brief time, Leyaria wasn't convinced herself that it were LeeAnn, at least until she once again heard the woman repeat her name.

"LeeAnn!?" The young Dragon Slayer couldn't help but jump up with excitement as she wrapped her arms around the woman, not even realizing she may have had her within a vice grip until she finally did let go, "I'm so sorry!" It took a moment for her to collect herself, but it was clear that even that there was a great deal of excitement still upon Leyaria's face.

"I can't believe it's you..." Her initial reaction, her tone was that of excitement and glee. Though quickly as time went, a depressed look began to form upon her face, to the point of outright dismay. "Oh God... LeeAnn... What, what happened?" She struggled to find the words, her hand floating very faintly towards that of the eyepatch, a level of fear overtaking her as Leyaria wondered the possible reasons for such a drastic change in what seemed like a relatively short timespan. That said, she was hardly one to talk herself, given her Devil Slayer scars having disappeared and instead being replaced with the lone scar of the her recent lacrima surgery.

A gentle thud against Leyaria's leg had her looking down towards her golem-like companion Geth, nudging against Leyaria in hopes of being included within this reunion of sorts. While the Dragon Slayer hoped to turn the conversation to something a bit warmer than that of what happened to LeeAnn, she nevertheless couldn't help but worry about what happened. It almost had seemed as though their sets of circumstances had changed in the short time since they last met. "Sorry. This little guy's name is Geth. Just don't ask me just what he is or where I got him." She looked down at the creature for a moment, a weak smile appearing upon her face as she looked back at LeeAnn, "I don't think I'd be able to answer either of them."

Pointing towards the two cat-like ears upon LeeAnn's head, Leyaria found herself too intrigued to not find out where they may hae originated from, "So, what's the story with those? If you don't mind me asking."

It were the moments like this, for as joyful as they may have appeared to be, that it really dawned upon Leyaria just how much time had passed. Just how much the world around her had changed in the time that she had seemingly been gone, and yet still so many questions persisted. She could still recall the first time that she and the woman before her met; how Leyaria was little more than a unstable wreck - both from an emotional and physical point of view - and how strong and assure of herself LeeAnn appeared.

Now before her, the woman seemed so different and yet seemed so similar. LeeAnn radiated in confidence, having an upbeat persona to her that did not seem to waiver, even in the wake of whatever had happened to her eye. The fox ears seemed new as well, though compared to that of the injury, it was a secondary interest if anything. LeeAnn spoke positively of Leyaria, her words proving to be as conflicting as how the young Dragon Slayer was seeming to feel. Seem to be doing well? Oh, I wish I could tell you that... A weak smile formed upon her face, less that of an acknowledgement of what LeeAnn had said, but rather that of her trying to hide what she was truly feeling; that with so much of her recent memory gone, knowing that she was able to retain a memory of someone like LeeAnn, it meant the world to her.

"Well, things have been... Well, they've been, I suppose." Leyaria couldn't help but bite the inside of her mouth, her answer coming off as a far more cryptic one than she hoped it would have. "I mean, things have been great. At the very least, they're better off than they were the last time we spoke." For as true as that might have been, it wasn't as though they were complete and utter contrasts to one another. Leyaria once stood on the verge of giving up, ready to throw away her life when the two had first met. That was no longer the case, but to a degree, she felt as though she had a piece of herself, her identity, stolen from her.

The last thing she wanted being too much of the attention being focused towards her, Leyaria quickly sought to change the conversation, shifting it instead to the tall man who stood besides LeeAnn, the man's intrigue seeming to rival that of Geth's - or at the very least, their intrigue of each other that is. "I don't think Geth really minds. Never seems to mind, whatever the circumstance." There was truth to that, as since the two began travelling, Leyaria could not recall an instance in which Geth seemed to be irritated by people's intrigue of it. "Anyways... If you don't mind asking, who's your friend?" She asked, hoping that she did not come off as impolite in doing so.

Her fiance? Leyaria stood there for a moment with eyes widened, slightly surprised at the announcement. If there had been any question within her as to how much time had passed since the last time that these two women had run into one another on that fateful night in Crocus, now seemed to cement that curiousity, if not even making her panic. Of what she was able to remember of their previous encounter, never had the topic ofa fiance arisen, at least not that she could remember. It was in this that there coexisted both fear and happiness towards LeeAnn. On one hand, it was something that the redheaded woman had reason enough to be thrilled about and Leyaria was happy for her as well. But on the other, it panicked the young Dragon Slayer that so much time had elapsed that the woman had managed to find someone that she loved enough to eventually marry. Taking into account all things of which she still struggled to wholly comprehend, it was in this blank space of time that ate away at her the most.

She stammered her words, trying to find the most appropriate thing to say. For some reason, a simple congratulations seemed insufficient, an affront to the happiness that the two of them deserved. "Uh," she choked up, still struggling to figure out just what to say, eventually conceding to the first things which popped into her head. "That's great! Truly, that's, that's incredible!"

While happy for the two of them, Leyaria found herself slightly uncomfortable with LeeAnn's finance, particularly the apparent lack of boundaries that he exhibited towards her and Geth. The small creature did not seem to mind, nor did it seemingly ever have an issue with regards to its privacy. Leyaria was not so tolerant; finding herself pushing herself away in hopes of creating a slight it of distance between her and the man with fox attributes. Though brief, the longer time went on, the more uncomfortable she seemed to become with the apparent closeness. It was by luck or perhaps just good fortune that LeeAnn spoke again, proposing that the trio get something to eat.

The idea was a welcome one to Leyaria. For a woman with nothing to her name in a city that was far from catering to the disenfranchised and less fortunate, it did not leave many options for the Dragon Slayer. Of what she was able to get her hands on, it would be hardly worthy of being called a satisfactory meal, but it was all that she could manage. So to be invited for a meal - alongside with the company of a friend like that of LeeAnn - she was honored to even be considered for such a gift. "That would be lovely. Thank you, LeeAnn! And Hans."

The only question that stood was where would they go. Leyaria was still learning the layout of Era, nor had she at any point been really looking for fancy places to eat; Since she had arrived, her focus had been on surviving.

It was mixed bag, this reunion of sorts with LeeAnn. On one hand, it was great to see her again, particularly given how well the two had interacted when in Crocus, how so long ago it had been prior. But on the other, that was as much the concern which she had, the fact that there seemed to have been so much time that elapsed since then, so much time that Leyaria did not seem to remember at all. And the more that the two of them seemed to bond and reminisce on the past, the more and more it became apparent to the Dragon Slayer that she was out of place.

The world had completely moved on around her while whatever happened to her took place. Even as she thought back to their first encounter in Crocus that fateful night, Leyaria struggled to remember just when it was that it had been, just what part of the year they had met. She vaguely remembered the cold, but that wasn't nearly enough to know for certain if it had been recent or not. There was little more that she could do now, no means of travelling back in time and hope to understand just what happened exactly, nor was this the place.

Although there was little to dispute the fact that this was a serious concern for her, Leyaria put that distress to the side, focusing instead on her friend. And as her fiance left the two of them for some sort of assignment or another, the young Dragon Slayer almost wanted to let out a sigh of relief. Fear of how LeeAnn may have reacted was more than enough to deter her. She couldn't but be a bit thankful that LeeAnn spoke before her, offering an apology on behalf of her fiance.

"Oh no, it's quite alright. Just..." Leyaria gave careful consideration to her words, the last thing wanting to do to offend her friend or fiance,"I guess you could say I'm just, not used to the closeness. If that makes sense." She hoped that it would make some sense to LeeAnn, as it certainly didn't make any sense to her.

The group had begun to walk out of the park and it was at that point that Leyaria realized the folly of what was going on. Stopping in her place, she turned towards LeeAnn, a faint chuckle escaping her lips, "Heh, I'm sorry. I just realized, I really don't know anywhere in this city. Ugh, where would you like to go? Makes far more sense, and really it's the very least I could do, allow you that much." It was true. Leyaria was so out of place, and truthfully even in just conceding that small gesture to LeeAnn, she still felt as though she owed the woman far more.

[Exit]