Small clouds found their way from the lips of hundreds of citizens clamoring through the streets of Orchidia. The chilly weather did not prevent residents from venturing outdoors, not when there was work to be done. Thick jackets and tight fit boots kept those outdoors as warm as they could be. The temperature was low, though not quite so low as to cause the water in the area to freeze. There were days so cold in the North that ones breath would freeze right to their facial hair; Their beards, their eyebrows. It was those days that kept the citizens in doors, so long as they knew that the cold weather would snap and it would not span for too long.

Today was not one of those days.

Children numbered few, but they still found a way to make their voices heard over the business. Laughter and jolly screams made their way between buildings. Rants were heard from shop vendors trying to advertise their goods. Cursing could be heard about, usually from customers who weren't happy with a specific item or price. Despite the chilly weather, people went on about their days.

Not all of those in the streets of Orchidia were occupants of the city. Some were merely guests, traveling through for one reason or another. These travelers could usually be found participating in the haggling process, same as any citizen, in order to secure their goods for their next travels. Not all, however, were cut from this same cloth.

There were some, however few, who ventured out into the rigid cold without a task in mind. They needed no supplies, no food nor clothing. They did not leave the warmth of their residence, permanent or otherwise, out of necessity. They did so out of yearning.

They needed to be outdoors, for one reason or another. Perhaps they were tired of being caged, regardless of if it were their choice. Four walls, a ceiling, a bleak window that stared into bleak skies or the neighboring building. It was a trap, proclaimed to be a home, that offered false security for a sense of stagnation. For some it was exactly what they'd always wanted.

For Finn, it was heart wrenching. There were days, sometimes weeks or months in which he had no problem passing his hours indoors as easily as he could outside.

Today had not been one of those days. He found the must of his sheets to be overbearing, the way his bare feet felt on the fine carpet to feel wrong. The artificial smell of whatever chemicals cleaned his room were suffocating, and he couldn't bear take it a moment longer. He went outdoors, out into the world, where the walls could be seen from a distance and there seemed no end to where he could go.

It took nearly an hour of walking through the city, aimlessly wandering through the streets, for him to begin to calm. He had slowly worked his way to the outer limits of the city which skirted the Orchidia River. His eyes had seemed glazed over, reflecting the bleak sky back into itself, when he heard the sound of water splashing.

It was loud enough that he was certain no fish made that noise. A creature of that size would have no business in such a shallow river. Instead, he saw the face of a woman bobbing in what must have been the deepest point of the river. The water caressed her collar, lapping up to her neck at times, but she was in no immediate danger.

Still... He cast a glance upwards again, to the grey skies, and felt the wind hitting his face. Things would begin picking up soon, which would cause the river to become a much more dangerous existence. While he doubted anyone would spend more time than needed in the water on such a day, he wanted to leave nothing to chance.

He walked over to the edge of the river, dropping to one knee and extending a hand out to her. His approach would have likely been seen instead of heard, as her focus would otherwise be captured by the state she was in as well as the sound of the running river all around her.

"Let me give you a hand."

Had Finn taken a moment to analyze the situation, rather than his swift jump to a conclusion, perhaps he would have read it for what it really was. There was no danger here. No damsel in distress. No one needed his immediate aid, nor anyone's for that matter. She was content. She had fallen in, yes, but she was not weak enough to lose to the current, nor naive enough to go directly against it. Instead, she seemed to have found a sense of bliss there. She was relaxed, happy to be in the water and seemingly considering staying there, based on her lack of movement.

Instead, this realization came late. It dawned on him only after he extended his help, as unneeded as it was, that she was perfectly fine. She was no damsel in need of saving. A memory blurred its way through his mind for a moment, too brief for any image to burn its way into the back of his eyes. Instead, he heard a voice.

You found me.

He didn't have time to feel his discomfort, nor could he react to it at all, before the woman before him too charge of the situation. She saved him from the embarrassment that she could have delivered. She did not point out her distinct lack of need, nor his needless gesture. Instead, she took pity on the poor soul. She nodded towards him, wordlessly, and took his hand. It was small. Her fingers were much skinnier than hers, giving giving her whole hand an almost fragile look to it. It didn't reflect her obvious strength at all, even when she matched his grip.

As he pulled her out, water falling from her body en mas, a laugh broke her lips that matched her appearance. Her voice was soft, so much so that it relaxed him as well. Her soaked clothing clung to her in desperation, showing off her lithe body even if that had not been the intent. His eyes were drawn not to her curves, however, but her eyes. They were a crystal blue, clearer than any water he'd ever seen and much more vast. Her pink hair stuck to her skin like it was glued there, and her lips held a natural pink tint. She was, by all accounts, beautiful.

She spoke with a sense of confidence that did well to shroud her embarrassment. She brought attention to her own slip up by the rocks, grinning and joking about it all the while. Still, he stared on in silence.

He recognized this girl from their brief interactions in the past. She had hardly changed physically. Her personality, though, was much more vibrant. It radiated with a warmth that brought people closer. Even he felt as though he could thaw out, if only they remained in proximity. His own appearance, however, was incredibly different. His ivory hair, fair skin, and heterochromic eyes were nothing like what he once was. His sturdier build and slightly taller stature, as well as the entire bone structure of his face, had changed. He looked nothing as he once did, and yet, she picked up on something. Whatever it was, he would never know, but still the question came. "Have we met before?"

His breath caught in his throat. He was nervous; Why was he nervous?

"We've met before," he said, his voice trailing off as though he was trying to figure out what to say next. There was a short pause before he spoke again, but for him it felt like an eternity. "I'm Finn Mertens, if you recall that name." It felt strange to introduce himself all over to people he once knew. It was to be expected, with the rather unexpected change of appearance. Still, would anyone recognize him? Would Alisa? Would Jake?

Those thoughts came to dead ends as he decided to not pursue them. He had came across an old friend today, and he'd focus on that. He dropped the warm looking jacket from his arms and stepped forward. "May I?" He asked as a formality, though he didn't wait long for a response before he wrapped the jacked around her shoulders and smiled weakly at her. "The temperature drops and the wind picks up before a storm. Can't have you getting sick, right?"

"Of course I remember."

Those were words that sent off a cascading effect within him. He hadn't expected her to speak to him so matter-of-factly. She had always been the quiet and distant type, from what he had remembered of her. She seemed more interested in Jake than she did him. Conversation for her had always seemed like torture, like she'd rather listen and observe from a safe distance where she'd never be entrapped by others. She had walled herself off to anything that could be considered new or different, including experiences with others.

That had been his impression of her, and yet the woman he had met today wasn't Xandra. Not the woman he had thought himself to know, at least. She carried herself with a quiet confidence; The kind that befit Nobility. Her movements, despite any sort of embarrassment that one would expect, didn't seem to contain the slightest bit of hesitation. She had brought her hands up to the sides of his jacket, pulling it tighter around herself. She seemed practically engulfed within it, and he couldn't help but grin at the sight of her.

The gray skies darkened further, and in the distance a lions roar could be heard spreading across the sky. More followed, and in the distance the dark clouds could be seen illuminating for the briefest of moments. The storm was getting ever closer, and her last vestige of dry clothes would be ruined. "Maybe you could make it up to me by letting me know if you're staying near here?" He glanced towards her, his face containing zero awareness of what one with a more scrupulous mind may have thought he was implying. "It's getting ready to downpour, and I'm sure you'd like to change into dryer clothes. I'm staying at the opposite side of town, so I can't exactly make it back in time."

Perhaps she wasn't staying close enough? Had that been the case, he'd have invited her to a nearby cafe or restaurant instead, but it would not allow any way to deal with her soaked clothes or hair. Once she'd answer either way and they took off towards one of the two locations, silence befell them. The wind had picked up drastically, and the rumbling above had made itself directly overhead it seemed. The rain was going to begin to fall any second, but they were nearing their destination.

Hesitation was preventing him from speaking. Every time he felt like speaking, something else stopped him. Overthinking his words, complicating the situation again and again while thinking that things were different than they really were. His absence away from people had made him weary. It was to be expected with the life he'd lived over these past few years, perhaps. A bit of his early life had regained prominence within him. His silence, the way he eyed people around him and alleys they passed, he was trying to familiarize himself with the current state of the landscape. It was like he was a wild animal in new territory. Perhaps he had made a mistake returning to Fiore? Perhaps he had made a mistake approaching old acquaintances?

A deep breath calmed his nerves.

He was overthinking everything. This wasn't why he came back. To live uncomfortably and to push himself back into old habits that he and his brother had worked together so long to break. He needed to relax, to loosen up, and to reestablish his old friendships. And he would start here, with this new Xandra.

"I've been away from Fiore for quite some time, but it was brought to my attention that apparently Demons made an appearance here?" He was referring to Orchidia specifically, rather than Fiore as a whole. His eyes glanced towards her. "Is that what brought you here? Fighting demons?"

It wouldn't surprise him if that were so. If he remembered correctly, she had been a Rune Knight. He had no reason to suspect that she had left her order, and so that brought him to the conclusion that she was still one of the special police within Fiore. If Demons had truly made themselves present, and were as big of a threat as he expected them to be, then it only made sense that she had come in search of those otherworldly threats. More than that, though, it was a perfect way for him to break the silence. Hopefully, this newly-talkative Xandra would help him out and move the conversation along.

She had put her hands on either arm, pushing him in a way to turn his body and force him to walk in the direction she intended. He could have resisted, of course, but there was no reason to. He had asked her to go with him, or to take him along. This was merely her complying, willing to do at least that much for an old friend. Her palms were small, fingers thinner than his own. Yet when they grabbed his arms, he felt a certain strength behind them. She was no ones damsel.

She would not need saving.

As she turned him and hurried him along, silence fell between them like the silence between notes that brought together a song. Perhaps, for her, it had been uncomfortable. For him, though, it had formed a sonata of life. It was something he remembered about her that he never truly appreciated until now.

She had a way of making the silence feel okay. The old him would have never paid it much mind, instead charging forward to awkwardly bridge the wordless gap. Yet now it was something to be appreciated in, relished in. It was not an absentminded realization either; He was painfully aware that he enjoyed her silence as much as he had appreciated her touch. It was a feeling that he was painfully acquainted with, yet would not dare phrase.

Then, acting as a bridge to transition back into conversation, she gently reinserted herself into the place that silence once reigned supreme. She spoke, an offhanded comment about the weather and her appreciation of it. It was idle conversation, little more than small talk. It was the type of thing that you'd say to a stranger at a train station, alone and awkward in that loneliness. This and that, however, felt different. It had not felt at all forced, despite the relatively random sentence. Instead, it redirected his gaze upwards. To the dark gray expanse that had dulled the world, and made the flashes of light that escaped their grasp that much more vibrant.

She had answered his question honestly. She was that type, though. She would not try to spin her actions in a way that made them sound more valiant than what they were. She was a warrior, a similar breed as him. Of course their actions were done with an intent to protect those around them, those who were too weak to protect themselves. Still, there was a sense of enjoyment that came from battle that neither of them would try to deny.

She had asked about his travels. A question that was hard to answer briefly, and that would just as easily ruin the remainder of the night as it could provide them a topic of conversation. He couldn't hide his obvious discomfort from the question, so instead he chose to answer in a way that would hint how he wished to avoid it.

"Many places, some more enjoyable than others. I'm just glad to be back."

It gave the option of making things between them uncomfortable, awkward even. All he could do was trust that she wouldn't allow that. Then, sure enough, she proved worthy of that trust. She commented that they were at her current place of residence, and a joking promise that it would look better once inside was thrown out. He chuckled a little, despite it not necessarily being funny. He appreciated her being willing to move them away from that topic so quickly, and seemingly unphased.

The way she moved around in the jacket far too large for her was unfitting her position within the Rune Knights. It held about it a certain innocence and cuteness that one would likely never associated with someone of her position. Still, he couldn't say he disliked it. A smile had crept on his face, one he was hardly aware of, while she turned the lock and allowed them inside.

She introduced him to the Inn room, making comments of how he could make himself comfortable, and then apologizing that there wasn't much to look at.

Looking at her for a moment, and locking eyes if she would turn his way, he spoke without thinking or hesitation. "Well, I don't know about that necessarily." It wasn't direct, nor would it be something he dove into further. Instead, he turned away from her and stepped over to the window, sliding the curtains to the side to gaze out at the puddles beginning already to form in the streets.

As she showered, Finn simply stared outside and let his mind wonder. He was thinking back to his travels, due in part to her question of them. They weren't all bad, necessarily. They had just come at a cost; The cost of his brother staying behind. It was something that had helped him grow, and would continue to do so. It was not necessarily a negative thing. Yet, for the moment, he couldn't bring himself to casually discuss it. Perhaps she'd ask later?

The sound of the door opening behind him had pulled his attention, and as he turned he felt himself freeze. Her hair was plastered to her neck and face, wet from the shower. Her face was without any remnants of makeup, if she had been wearing some at all, and yet it didn't matter. Her look could only be described as natural, perhaps even messy. She spoke to him, but he didn't hear a word she said. Perhaps that would be something he'd apologize for later.

"You're beautiful."

Or, perhaps he wouldn't.

Her words had come out through the laughter, carrying with them a softness that lightened the situation. There had been a time in his not so distant past where this interaction would have frozen him in place, anxious as to what every little action she took meant. Now though there was a sense of comfort in the moment that came across as confidence. Her laughter soothed him, and he felt his own lips curl up into a grin.

"My visions perfect, actually." There wasn't much to be said in response to her. No lingering would come across as anything other than forcing the moment. Once things stopped flowing smoothly and became jagged, the entire atmosphere would shift. His comment was just that, an offhanded realization that slipped out before he had been able to reign it in. There was no need to address it any further, at least not at the moment. Besides, this was their first interaction in years. Why not enjoy every twist and turn as it came?

Luckily, she seemed to agree. Grabbing hold of the tempo and pushing it forward, Xandra addressed him once more. She asked if there was anything specific he wanted to do, and his eyes trailed back to the gray tinted city. Clouds loomed dark overhead, rain pelting the building with enough intensity that its roar could be heard inside. It didn't look as though the weather would clear any time soon.

"Sure, lets go to Era." His voice came out with confidence, his face remaining stoic as to not betray the fact he was joking. It was likely she'd pick up on it shortly anyways, so why not enjoy it? "There's no better time to travel than when you can cut through a storm, right?" A dry laugh escaped his lips, his joke having stopped just short of being funny, and instead he shrugged.

"I don't really have a preference. There's not much to do in an apartment room, I'd imagine. Restaurants and cafes are eliminated unless you want to run through the rain. There's really not much we can do, except-" His voice cut off, trailing into silence as if dragged along by the end of his thought.

A curious expression took his face as he locked eyes with Xandra once more. Her bright, ocean blue eyes put his azure hues to shame. "Lets get to know each other a bit. We never really did that before, now that I think about it." They had never truly sat down and talked. When they had first met, she was someone who would speak seldom and only when the moment required it. He had always filled their silences with his own dialogue with Jake, and now that the brother was gone and Finn was matured enough to appreciate the volume of silence between words, the air between them was growing stale.

She had tried, of course, to cut through the silence herself. Without his participation though it had meandered to nothing in particular, and it was about time he helped her out. Stepping forward and sitting down on the single bed in the room, messy from her decision to not make it that morning, he looked up at her. He became painfully aware of the fact that the room smelled nothing of either of them. There was no individuality to it, only the overpowering remnants of whatever cleaning supplies the hotel had used before Xandra temporarily took over.

"You're a member of the Rune Knights, right? Why?"

She had a playful mood about her that was not at all the Xandra he remembered. She seemed so confident and self assured. She had an aura about herself that was as relaxing to be around as it was to witness. She had truly changed, arguably for the better. She made a playful jab about the weather, insisting they go and putting the ball in his court once more. A chuckle found its way from his throat, and he shook his head in amusement. "Alright, you've cornered me here. We'll travel to Era together; Though, hopefully not until the rain subsides. You only just finished drying off, after all."

This was nice. He regretted, for a moment, threatening their peace together. His cheeks flushed ever so slightly at the memory of just a few minutes prior, his awkward exclamation when she reentered the room. It could have been enough to ruin the atmosphere, and yet luckily she took the comment in stride. He had asked her about her time as a Rune Knight to help move their conversation along, and to help pull away from that terrible moment, and luckily she had obliged.

What followed was a lesson in introspection. She could have just breezed by his question, answering it briefly and halfheartedly. Instead, she took a moment to think back. She considered her answer, wanting to make sure that she truly answered his question, before she spoke a single word about it.What then followed was a level of insight he never expected to have on Xandra. She dove, albeit briefly, into who she was years ago. She spoke of a spiteful past, and distrusting the very organization she joined and swore to serve. She explained her thoughts and reasoning, and how that resolved had slowly wavered over time without her realizing. And she spoke, now, of finding an actual sense of fulfillment from the organization she once hated so much.

Then it was redirected.

He should have assumed as much. Why wouldn't she have returned his question, assuming they both were truly interested in getting to know one another. "Why I joined..?" His words slowly trailed off as his gaze took him slightly above her, locking in on the corner of the wall. It felt like a lifetime ago that he joined Blue Pegasus. He hadn't really thought much of it at the time, and truth be told he hadn't really stopped to think much of it since. Yet how could he say that to her? She had taken the time to give him a reasonable and full response, so he owed it to her to reply in kind.

"I lost a bet." He spoke abruptly, chuckling at the absurdity of what he said and slowly shaking his head. His eyes drifted back down, searching out her own ocean hues. "I actually grew up in Worth Woodsea and was raised by- Well, raised by monsters." He hated referring to Jake and his family in that way, but it was the easiest way to make her understand.

"When I came to Fiore, it was my first time ever seeing other humans. I had no idea there were other creatures like me, and so I immediately did what one does when they grow up in the wild. I began fighting everyone who seemed they might be strong as, or stronger, than me."

It had been a different time back then. He remembered Jake stopping fights immediately after Finn would land blows, stopping them from dying and having to explain to Finn that humans did things differently. He remembered clashing with people stronger than him, sometimes more than one at a time, and winning only because they were trying to refrain from killing the child who was swinging a sword angrily at them. Thank goodness that child is gone.

"Eventually, I ran into a guy named Lance. He was the guild master of Blue Pegasus at the time. Apparently, a few of the people I'd nearly killed were his guildmates. He came to challenge me, and made a deal. If I won, I'd get his territory. If he won, I'd join his guild and stop fighting people so much. And, well-" he laughed, shrugging and shaking his head. "It was over just after Jake said to start. I remember waking up, on the ground, angry and confused. I've been with Blue Pegasus ever since.

"And you know the weird thing? I don't think anyone has ever asked me that question either. I don't think I've ever discussed it until... Well, now. So thanks for that, Xandra." His eyes drifted to the window once more. "Do you really plan to go to Era in the near future?" Without waiting for her to answer, he spoke again. "Can I join you?"

As she spoke of the people he had met, his gaze fell upon her once more. There was something he wanted to say, or at least that is what it looked like. The moment that it appeared a sentence had gotten lost in someones mind. Yet he never let it come to light. Whatever it was that he was going to tell her had fizzled out before she spoke once more, asking him what had happened to his brother Jake.

Now that was a more prickly subject. Finn's entire body language immediately shifted. His mouth drew taut, his shoulders tensing and his entire body language now seeming on edge. For a moment, if she was sensitive to such a thing, there seemed to be a defensiveness in his posture. Yet, before she could retract her question or comment on his movements, he spoke. [color=#3366ffJake is... Alive."[/color] His words came out quietly, each syllable pittering with no more notice than the individual rain drops that were hitting the window to her room.

"Him and I traveled very, very far Xandra. We saw a lot. We have done a lot. And for Jake..." His words trailed, and a smile forced its way onto his face that was more painful than any tears that would ruin his complexion. He looked to her with the smile, as if begging her to not question it. "And for my brother, it was far too much. He's living on his own in another country now." There was obviously a large amount of details that were left out. However, now was neither the time nor the place to delve into that information.

"But, enough about Jake for today." Luckily, she took his change of subject in stride and assisted in moving their talk along. She pointed out the moving of the storm, and that Finn was now safe to leave. That said, she did extend a legitimate invite this time around for him to join her on her travels to Era. He paused for a moment, slowly standing up and then smiling down to her. "I'd like that very much."

As he made his way to the door, he froze for a moment before looking back to her. "Thank you, Xandra. I needed to just relax; And, well," he paused, as if unsure of what to say next. "And well I'm really looking forward to being with you more. I'll see you at the river." And with that, he was gone.

[EXIT]