aterat | Change the colors of the sky

Entry tags:

Change the colors of the sky

Who; England & You (don't forget to tag in!)
What; Meet & greet
Where; Somewhere along the streets
When; Last week of July some time?
Warnings; None, will change if needed.

Green eyes shifted left to right beneath a top hat as he made his way down the street dressed in a more common fashion. Days ago, England had stood back and blinked as he'd left the fountain and had listened to the townspeople as he tried to figure out where he needed to go after that rascal gnome had taken off. It had been much like chasing that little noisy child that had followed the Tengu and his companion to the mountain that night so many years ago at Japan's house back in 1902.

Try as he might, Arthur had been unable to catch him and was at least relieved to find out Her Majesty Queen Victoria was not here as he'd first thought (and had briefly panicked over) considering the time frame he'd heard it was. It was like doing a time warp with the way some of the people were dressed. So even if he wasn't truly home there were parts that felt as if he were or at least looked the part.

For now though, he walked down the street, still looking at the tell phone that to him was outdated technology. And as he did, England did realize that things were a bit quieter here than busy modern day noise of busses, cars and trains. He was rather surprised there weren't any horses here though.

But as his eyes continued to try and remember how to work this archaic phone, he bumped into another person. At first Arthur didn't realize that his hat bad came tumbling off of his head. But then he blinked and turned to look at the person he'd collided with.

"I'm terribly sorry. Are you alright?"

If this had been a fellow nation, they would've received a much different question.

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Since her return to the city Mitsuru had mostly kept to herself. There were a number of things in her own world that had come crashing down to create a deep desire in her to just avoid most people. Unfortunately, that wasn't very conductive to making friends and allies in a place like this. Deep down she knew she needed to pull herself out of this rut, but some things were most certainly easier said than done.

Today was the day she had finally decided to go out and at the very least attempt to look for something to put her time into. What it resulted in was her watching people for a while without actually attempting any sort of interaction. After she'd grown tired of that she simply sighed and started on her way back towards her apartment. That was when she found Arthur colliding straight with her. She stumbled back and thankfully caught her balance before she fell (which would have been embarrassing for her).

"I'm fine," she said with a slightly forced smile. "I'm afraid I wasn't paying as much attention to where I was going as I should have." Clearly she was willing to take the blame for the accident.

"No, I was too busy assessing the technology that I have in my hand, such as it is. The fault is mine." Arthur insisted with a slight smile and a shake of his head. There was an apologetic look on his face now as he belatedly he realized his phone had clattered to the ground along with his hat. Hopefully it hadn't broken.

But then his green eyes blinked and took a good look at the person he'd accidentally crashed into. "But you say you're alright?"

He could mentally hear that frog laughing at him or even America with his insolent little alien companion Tony. So he tried to shake his mental irritation as none of those characters were here to see this, fortunately for him.

"If you insist." She wasn't about to argue with someone who was trying to take responsibility. Besides, he seemed extremely apologetic and she didn't want to add anything further to the situation. "Is your phone alright? I believe they're rather sturdy, but I'm not certain how far that applies."

She nodded at his question though and gave her best attempt at a reassuring smile (which probably wasn't that reassuring). "I'm fine, I assure you I have had worse than a simple collusion like this."

He nodded, because it was the very least he could do. A gentleman took responsibility for things and he truly hadn't been paying attention as he'd been so intent on his phone. And speaking of -

"Ah, yes right my phone."

England tried to smile but he wasn't hopeful that the thing would've survived the fall. So he bent down and picked the phone up, but before he looked at it he retrieved his fallen top hat as well.

Standing up, he brushed the very small bit of dirt from the hat and put that back on and then looked at his phone a moment before his companion spoke. Her comment about a worse collision somehow wasn't very reassuring.

"I do hope that your past collision didn't take place here."

Because then he'd feel really guilty, more so than he did already.

She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. "I have had a few here, but none that have been anything to be too concerned with. Most are simply the result of new confused people." Which...was very understandable given how strange this place was.

"I myself have run into a few people. There are much worse things than simply bumping into someone."

There was a defiance in the way she folded her arms and he hid a smile. That smile faded quickly enough however because she was speaking about new confused people and of course he fit that description quite accurately.

"That makes me wonder how often new people manage to show up." And of course he wondered if other nations might show up at some point. "It must be rather vexing to those who chose to bring us here. And I have to wonder the reason why."

Not that he was afraid to be in a new world, but really he imagined being on the back of his unicorn for such an event.

"Not too often, but often enough for us to be familiar with how perplexing the arrival and situation can be." Familiar and understanding. At least they tried to be understanding. Mitsuru was often a bit colder than she intended to be, but that came with the title of ice empress.

"From what I understand we are not chosen specifically. It happens at random due to some mistake by the entities that created this place." How true that was, she was uncertain. "The why seems to be to help them rebuild their world. Though...to be quite honest I'm not certain what they expect of us there."

England sighed and folded his arms over his chest. This was just what he needed. And of course he didn't get to catch the little bugger that had left the satchel and who'd run off with a speed such as he'd never seen. He highly doubted flying mint bunny could've kept up which was saying a lot.

This new information however had him turn back to his companion, with so many more questions running through his mind. With him, the aspects had been practically useless in answering his questions about when he could go back home. He didn't need Her Majesty to get bent out of shape or worse during his absence.

There was a half laugh at the rebuilding comment. "That was about all I gathered from them. Live and help rebuild the world they told me." Then he snorted slightly as he recalled it. "What a useless bit of rubbish that was."

"I'm afraid I can't disagree." Though, it did seem a tiny bit harsh to put it as 'useless bit of rubbish.' Still, it wasn't untrue. It seemed like a useless explanation that gave them no idea about...well, anything.

"It's rather frustrating. If we had a tangible goal we could do what was required and then return to our homes. However..." she shook her head. "Instead we seem to be at the whims of whatever brought us here."

England let out something akin to a 'hmph' and was pretty displeased. However, he wanted to try and rein in his thoughts because this was a stranger and he had no wish to be seen as having her think in any way that he was perhaps cross with her so much as he was with the entire situation.

And the locals had simply smiled at him and told him not to worry even after he casually asked around with an attempt to gather intel.

So he shook his head and sighed. "I suppose that means we'll have to simply find something to do in the meantime until we're free to go."

Which didn't sit well with Arthur at all. And he mentally made plans to try and find out how long this place had been around. Which meant hitting the Historium and he had heard of the Mage tower.

"That is what most people try to do. Though, everyone finds different things. Some have gotten local jobs while others have started their own businesses. Most do rather mundane things. It is a bit strange how well people seem to have adapted to just existing in this place."

Honestly? She found it a bit weird that everyone just seemed to accept the way things were. Rather than trying to find a way home or a way to solve the problems here, they just started lives and seemed to really enjoy them.

"They gain employment?" England asked, trying to figure that one out as he folded his arms over his chest as he pondered this mystery. Well humans were adaptable and overcame things, such as was their nature. "I do hope that doesn't mean they forget about people who need them back home."

Well wouldn't that be something.

"And that doesn't even begin to answer if people back home are noticing they're gone." Because what if someone was brought here in the middle of a war? Or they were going somewhere important. "Do we even know to how to find out how time works while we're here?."

Maybe these were questions for the Aspects though he highly doubted they'd hold more answers than they gave already, which wasn't much at all.

"Indeed. There are several people here that work for natives here. I believe there are others that employee people themselves due to the success of their respective businesses." She frowned slightly. "I would hope not as well. However, I am afraid it would be something you would have to ask them." Because she....really didn't talk to other people much. Mitsuru was not...excellent with people to say the least.

"Other than trusting the word of those who return? I'm afraid not." And it was really up to him if he wanted to put so much faith in the words of others.

"You mean displaced people work for the local townsfolk?" England asked, almost clearly baffled. How did that even happen? But then he heard the part about being self employed. There were a lot of things he could do, even if the idea of staying here and not going home for a while was unsettling. Not that he'd miss anyone in Europe, and was the 'Black Sheep' as France termed him.

His brows furrowed as he tried to figure this puzzle out. The answer he received was even more puzzling but he tried to grasp it. "So there are those here that have gone home and come back?"

Did they know how to go home at will perhaps?

"From what I have heard, that is correct." She hadn't precisely looked for work herself, which she probably should rectify if she really was stuck here. Others had indicated they worked for people here though. "I believe at least one person has taken on an apprenticeship to learn form one." Which seemed a bit odd but could she really discount the possibility of learning from the people here? Not fully.

She nodded. "Yes. They leave without so much of a warning and then never return. I know some have had very good friends up and vanish."

"An apprenticeship?" His mind raced with trying to figure out how that would even work. Would the person retain the knowledge if they left? But then what would happen to the other person's business? They'd definitely have to retrain someone to replace the person that was from another world. And if that was the case, that was just wasting both of their time wasn't it?

England felt like his head was spinning with all of this information.

"No warning and just up and leaving. But wait, you said that none of them have returned?"

"Yes, with the blacksmith I believe? I am afraid I lack the details of it." But she did listen here and there. It seemed quite odd to her as well, but perhaps that was simply how some decided to spend their time here. It seemed like it might not have been a horrid idea, at least it gave something positive for someone to focus on.

"One or two have returned. The majority have not though. To my knowledge."

He blinked a time or two just to make sure the information was settling in his brain correctly. Well if that was true, Arthur made sure to make a mental note to drop by there and see what was going on. Way back when back home, an apprenticeship with a blacksmith was a hard job, but one that produced beautiful weaponry.

And that made him wonder how often weapons would be needed here if there was a active blacksmith.

At hearing the news about most not returning, the blonde head shook. "Back home might be a better place than being here, and attempting to complete an unspecified task."

"For some it depends on what they are going back to. There is at least one here who would be going back to something worse than this place." She was certain there had to be others as well. "I suppose for some this place can be seen as a second chance to live a life they were unable to."

Her point was taken, and he thought a moment. He had simply assumed people wanted to go back to what was familiar. But then as England thought about it, he had heard stories of such things during war campaigns, that there was nothing for the people to go back to.

"Hmm. It seems I've heard that story before, now that I come to think on it."

He let out a sigh. "In that case, they would be far better off here."

Yuffie was staring at an open window when she felt someone step into her personal bubble. She turned and looked at who had invaded her space seconds before the collision and decided to just let it happen. Maybe he'd give her something because he felt bad and if not... at least he was cute.

The ninja staggered backward but caught herself before she became a spectacle. "Why aren't you watching where you're going?" Yuffie brushed her fingers against the opposite forearm while getting a better look at the man who had bumped into her.

"You're lost. But you should at least apologize properly for running into me. How about you buy me a drink? There is a tavern at the corner I wanted to try."

Arthur was normally more dignified and observant in new places. But this particular time he'd been so wrapped up in the phone and trying to figure it out, that he hadn't been watching as carefully as he normally would have been. So he shook his head at what he was hearing.

"I'm very sorry for your trouble. Are you alright?"

He bent down to retrieve his hat and even though her audacity startled him for a moment, he smiled. This could work out to both of their advantage.

"Of course. A drink is the very least I could do to make amends for being so rude to not pay attention to where I was going."

"Well yeah." She had someone orchestrated the clash and it had left her completely unscathed. Now she had to get a drink out of this guy and see what was up with him. He kind of looked like a tourist. (Not that she looked much better in terms of what this city considered 'normal' attire.)

Yuffie flashed him a sweet grin. "Awesome! I know a place nearby. It's just across the street there." She pointed to what looked like a rustic tavern, nestled at the corner of the intersection. "Come on."

She reached for one of his hands and guided him towards the tavern.

Yuffie was rude but at least she was efficient.

According to England, he was the one more fashionably dressed for the times, at least when he'd seen and heard the locals. But here he was getting dragged to a tavern and half of him didn't think it was a good place for her to go.

Somehow he didn't think she meant getting a cup of tea as far as a drink went. And then she grabbed one of his hands and was really being pulled towards the place.

"If you know of the place, might I ask how long you've been here?"

Yuffie looked back at England but was quickly reminded that she was leading and they had met after crashing into each other. It was probably best to not crash into someone else while pulling this man along with her. "Oh. Um..."

She had to think back to exactly when she arrived. "Not too long ago. Like- a few weeks? I'm pretty used to traveling to new places so it wasn't too hard to get used to things." The new currency was the most difficult change but Yuffie was good with money. "It's not an awful place." It was weird.

Yuffie pushed into the tavern and waved at the man behind the counter before finding a private booth for her and her new friend. She only new how to make friends in a forceful way but this was at least better than her past methods of theft. "I'll get us drinks and a snack. You stay here." She rose and jogged over to the counter to place an order for two ale's and a basket of fried potatoes. It didn't take long until she was sliding back into the booth.

"So!" Now they could talk. "Did you just arrive?"

As he was pulled along, Arthur was used to travelling places too. But a new world hadn't been in those travels. He wasn't afraid per say but he did wonder how time worked because the Queen wasn't in the best of shape and everyone sort of tried not to anxiously hover around her.

"And..you've no wish to return home?" This was asked incredulously but then he wondered if this was this one of the people he heard about where they were better off here than returning to their home world.

But then he found himself across from Yuffie in a booth and with her mannerisms some of it reminded him of America. He tried not to look put out as that nation crossed his mind and then before he could say anything she was gone, just like that.

He'd barely caught that she was headed for snacks and drinks and wondered what was going on. So England turned around and saw that she was up at the counter, and yet before he knew it, she had returned.

Green eyes blinked confusedly at the ninja for a moment and he found his voice after a moment. "Yes, I've only just arrived."

She would calm down a bit now that they were seated but she was eager and at times... overbearing.

"Huh?" Yuffie stared blankly at him as if she was registering the question he'd asked ten minutes before. "Oh! What?" She scrunched up her nose. "No! I want to go home but I'm here and since I don't have magic that can send me home I'm going to keep doing what I do." She shrugged. "Why worry about things that you can't control." It sounded like a lot of work for no reward.

"But this place isn't the worst. I can do stuff here and plan things for home when I get back." There was a lot going on in Gaia after the sickness and various restoration efforts. So Yuffie could at least keep coming up with possible ideas that might help in the future. She wasn't a big thinker of the future so it was a useful exercise.

"What do you think? Not that I know anything about your home but this place isn't too bad to wait to go back right?"

He listened to what she was saying and while being in a new world didn't bother him, the Queen wasn't well. And he had no idea what happened to time while he was here. Ideally if he traveled to a new world he could go back when he wanted, not when someone else dictated that for him.

There was sage advice there, although it did sound a bit flippant. And then he realized the words were something along the lines of advice that America would give no doubt. That realization made him shake his head with a sigh.

"Might I inquire as to what it is that you do?" Because that might help England try and figure this person out, or give him some idea as to what to do.

Another sigh came out and fortunately a waitress passed them by. Quickly he ordered a cup of tea that he paid for before she went off to who knew where.

As he waited for the tea, England shrugged. "I don't mind being in a new world at all. It's actually relaxing." Because Germany wasn't around to scare him, France wasn't around to taunt him, and America wasn't around to laugh at him.

"I just wish to know how time flows back home while we're here." That was because he was worried about the Queen.

"Me?" She pointed at herself as if it wasn't completely obvious that he was talking to her. "Oh. I mostly go on missions outside of the city. There are a lot of monsters in the forest and most of it isn't explored." It was fun and also given to her by a city guard after she'd stolen a bunch of things out of boredom.

Dark purple eyes watched the waitress place two beers down in front of them. She had no idea why this guy was ordering tea but she supposed that it was what he was used to. It reminded her a bit of home though they traditionally had tea at the end of a meal.

"I don't think time really flows at all. It's strange but there are people here from all over my timeline. And people who go home and come back seem to do so when they left." Which meant that there was really nothing to worry about. "This of this place like a vacation."

"Missions." England mused thoughtfully. And then he had to pause as his tea was set in front of him. "You mention monsters, so you went and fought them I presume?" This was him trying to figure this girl and her world out. "And what sort of monsters do you have in your world?"

Was she talking human monsters? If so, one of Germany's former bosses certainly qualified to fit that description quite tidily. The beer had been set down as well, but he wanted tea at the moment.

However, when she mentioned the part about time flow, that beer was definitely thought of. "All over your timeline?" he asked, rather puzzled and set his tea cup down. Well this definitely gave him food for thought and he really wondered if it was indeed true. That would take so much weight off of his thin shoulders.

"A vacation?" In Victorian times sort of? And then he reached for that beer but he didn't drink any yet.

"Yeah." Yuffie took a long swig of her drink and sighed happily before placing the glass down in front of her. "So the monsters on Gaia come in all shapes and sizes. With ShinRa gone they're mostly monster monsters, not human monsters." There wasn't really much of a difference in Yuffie's eyes but she got the sense he was looking for something specific. Which may or may not be what she addressed.

"Anyway, most of what I fought were around Wutai but I've been all over the world. My world." She clarified while toying with a drop of condensation rolling down her glass. "Gaia isn't anything like this. So I don't know what Victorian times is. The buildings in Wutai have curved edges. That's what I'm used too." She grinned brightly. "Wutai is the best place ever. It's my home."

She loved Wutai as both a citizen and a princess.

"Monster monsters? Care to elaborate on what they look like?" This was a morbid curiosity, he really didn't need to know or have the details as they weren't too likely to show up here. "Back home we have human monsters wearing regular clothing and acting like normal until something twists in their mind and they become rather horrifying in their actions and words."

Like Hitler.

Still, England listened and couldn't figure out how this girl fought, so he had to ask. "And how is it that you battle these..creatures from your home?" And even as he asked that, he tried to picture these curved edge houses.

The Wutai princess grinned. "You ask good questions." Though really it was just that Yuffie loved to talk and England was offering her a chance to talk about her home; a place she loved with all her heart.

"Okay. Let's start with how I fight." Yuffie reached behind her and unclipped the thin blade that was hidden between her shoulder blades. With a flick of her wrist the blade circles, expanding into a large shuriken that she held over the table. "I use this to fight and my materia." As she spoke about materia there were three colored orbs glowing around the center of the weapon. "They're a type of magic that's mined from the planet. Pretty cool huh?" Her obsession with Materia never truly faded, even if she didn't really need the money anymore.

With another flick of her wrist the weapon retracted and she slipped it back into the sheath behind her before chugging a bit of her drink. "I can show you sometime if you want to see." There was not enough room in the bar for Yuffie to start throwing around blades, unless England wanted her to kill someone in the bar.

"I'll start with enemies around Wutai then. Adamantaimai are these big creatures with hard shells and four stubby legs. They have horns and sharp teeth. You usually see them around the beaches of Wutai but they can wander into the town center if we aren't careful. Then there is something called a Bizarre Bug that's a crawly thing. Still big but not as big as the Adamantaimai. It has four legs and a very colorful butt. Not sure why but if you jump on them they go squish, even though it looks like they are hard, they really aren't. Then there are Edgeheads which are these four-legged creatures with really big pinchers on its head. They can be a bit nasty. Then there is this pointy weed thing that I have no idea how to explain... It looks like grass but with eyes." She waved a hand in front of her face like that might help the explanation. "Let's see... thunderbirds are these big black birds that fly around and cast thunder spells. Not super creatively named but they are... shocking." Yuffie smirked. "Okay bad joke. Um.. there are these dragon lookin' things. On and Chocobo's of course but they're pretty cool. You can ride 'em here too. Not a monster though if you piss one off it can really hurt."

Arthur loved stories and hearing about someone else's world slightly relieved the ache in his heart at being here. Here he felt a bit cut off and worried about the Queen and her health which was deteriorating. He had a sinking feeling that she didn't have much longer.

But Yuffie was kindly offering him a distraction and so he focused his attention on her. And as soon as he was going to ask what materia was, she was showing him. His green eyes widened. "You can harvest magic from your planet?" That was both an awesome and scary thought.

At her offer, England nodded. "I would love a chance to see it in action some time." And that would be an unexpected thing to learn here, a new form of magic. That was something none of the other nations knew about or possessed.

He took a sip of tea and listened to her then again go on about monsters in her world. "The way that you describe these Adamantaimai, are they perhaps tortoises?" The name matched, but he had to find out what Yuffie's answer would be. His eyes grew wide as she described the other creatures in her world and wondered how people managed to survive with these horrible sounding creatures.

"Thunder spells?" Arthur asked, setting his tea back down to take in more of her story. He could only imagine America hunting these simply for sport. The grass with eyes was something out of a nightmare almost but dragons caught his attention. "You said you have dragons?"

He asked that even as the warning about chocobos was mentioned.

"Um tortoises? I don't know." She thought about it but the name was a bit unfamiliar to her. The beaches sometimes had small baby Adamantaimai but Yuffie's never been taught what their name was. "I'll draw it for ya sometime." She took another sip of her drink before nodding her head to confirm both the fact that some animals use thunder spells and that their are dragons living on Gaia.

"You can learn all sorts of stuff here. There is some sort of academy but also people training with weapons. If you plan to go into the woods outside the city you should probably have some skill anyway." Her head tilted curiously to the side. "Can you do anything now? If so you can go on a mission with me. Otherwise... it might not be the best idea. I don't have any white materia and I can only heal sometimes." It was the kind of magic she had to charge up and reach a limit to unleash and it didn't work as well as Aerith's magic.

"Oh. There are a few people from Gaia here. Cloud. Aerith. Zack. You can also ask them about it if you're interested. Though we all remember different things. It's weird." And depressing.

"Ah, thank you." Arthur replied, delighted that this girl would be bothered to do something like that for him. Perhaps he could put it up on his wall or something but if she'd ask, it would be him telling her that he was studying it even if it would be a silly memento of someone's kindness in an unfamiliar world.

He listened avidly as she went on about an academy training with weapons. And then he sat back and picked up his tea cup when she mentioned having skill. Of course that would be wise. In an unfamiliar world it would be foolish to not be prepared. But then she offered to take him on a mission? Who would even issue such an order? However that question didn't come out. Instead he smiled. "I've been known to use quite a few weapons, including a sword. However my preferred method is magic."

But then he shook his head. "You needn't worry for me." But even as he said that he was touched that she sounded that way.

However she mentioned friends recalling different thing which was puzzling. "If I happen to run into these people you mention I may inquire about them. For now I'm alright but thank you.."

Friends and Arthur didn't know each other.

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Change the colors of the sky

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