( as the linkshell connects... where you expect to find fang, you've found her dragon companion instead. chocolat is actually squawking a little as it jumps from one side of the
communicator to the other... in the distance you can see a fight that's broken out... at the middle of it, is none other than the lady 'dragoon' )

Is that all you've got?! I'll make you regret ever attackin' her! ( she can't really be seen anymore, but the sounds of battle remain. every once in awhile you might spot a monk getting flung out of the frey -- apparently she's in fabul again...

chocolat continues to try and signal someone over the linkshell... he certainly can't stop her when she's all riled up like this -- maybe someone else can?! )

( fang sits atop one of eblan's castle walls, lounging with a bit of a snack, and making sure to send some scraps in the direction of a small brown dragon that flies in and out of the camera's view ) Well that was a rush. Can't say I saw it comin', sendin' Eidolons after us like that. ( a chuckle ) At least not this early on, I suppose.

So, what's next, then? I'm not too fond of the idea of just waitin' it out and see which one comes our way.

[The linkshell shows Edgar doing his best to appear suave and composed, despite the fact that there's a pale blue dragonet determinedly attempting to preen his hair. He chuckles and playfully swats her away, but she only bumps against his hand with her nose and lets out a happy sort of crooning sound.]

I suppose it's fortunate that I've never settled on a singular ladyfriend, or else I suspect Adelind here would be terribly jealous.

Does anyone have need of an engineer? In the wake of recent events, I feel I must find a practical occupation or else I just might go mad.

[Not to mention he's starting to feel like a third wheel, among other things.]

I'd like to make myself useful, and I may as well play to my strengths.

[Action: Later, he'll seek out Kain, with Adelind flitting along behind him.]

Kain. You and I are overdue for a private discussion.

Luca, I've been meaning to speak to you at some point about acquiring an airship. Considering all that's going on, it hardly seems fair to leave ferrying people back and forth to rest squarely on your shoulders.

Is there any way I might persuade you to let me pilot one of those fine machines you dwarves have been working on? It could only aid in our efforts, and I assure you, I would take excellent care of her.

I think it's safest to assume that given what was learned, any of the cities possessing a Crystal are likely to be targets. Porom, I'll head to Mysidia right away. If anyone else is close to Damcyan, Fabul or Troia, please consider heading there. We don't know where they'll strike, but we can still try to be as prepared as possible.

[Basch is standing outside of Troia's walls, staring at some of the dragons that had gathered. He's not quite sure what manner of beast they are. He's heard that they're called dragons, but that's pretty much it. He's very lineface about this all.]

Is it common for such beasts to gather like this? I would not ask if such creatures were native to Ivalice.

[He pauses for a moment.] Many have come to this place... is it possible for the dead to come as well?

[Addressing the Linkshell with a bright smile, Snow's holding what looks to be a wrinkled batch of parchment covered in writing. He waves it with a loud rustle.]

Heeey, did anyone else get a chance to actually look at this? Pretty crazy stuff goin' on around here!

[He drops the newsprint on the ground and cracks his knuckles.]

So there's real dragons around here, eh? Well, I'm definitely not gonna just sit by and give 'em the opportunity to fry any of the towns around here! Or eat the little guys!

I mean, c'mon. Y'gotta at least think of the little guys.

[Snow punctuates his words by punching his fist into the opposite palm, casual grin shifting into something more boyish and excited. Man, this is just like what he did back home before all that Purge crap started – protecting the innocent townsfolk from big nasty monsters. A hero's work is never done!]

Time to go show those dragons who's boss! Anyone with me?

[Kain is still a little pale and sick-looking, but... he's alive.]

I've returned from true death twice now. I wonder whether this makes my luck better than average... or far worse.

[Worse for the dying in the first place, but better because... well, twice now he's faced what he thought was an eternal end for him, and come back both times. Kain pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Going through death again reminds him though, of an important thing about what he saw.]

That dragon in the dream... I've encountered it before. All of Cosmos' warriors would have at the end of every cycle, whether they recall it or not. Its significance cannot be underestimated.

[The tiny little bunny-person had shown her most of the functions of the linkshell, and it seemed pretty easy to handle. This does this, and this does that, and then there's other things it could do. But that was really boring, so she'd figure it out later.

Right now, she's just outside of Mysidia's walls, and she's actually leaning against them.]

Um, Mr. Greetingway said if I needed to find some people that I should just ask on this thing. I think I've got it right?

I'm looking for Cloud and Tifa and Denzel. And my daddy! He's really tall, and big! And he's got a gun for an arm. Cloud's got really spiky hair that looks like a chocobo and he's got a huge sword. Tifa's got dark hair and pretty brown eyes. Denzel's got spiky hair too, but his is brown, and he's my age!

If anyone's seen them, can you let me know? Please and thank you!

( as the linkshell clicks on; there's fang -- who seems to be traveling at quite a high speed, judging from the rapidly changing scenery around her. almost as though she's... flying? )

That Eidolon sure meant business... He always that welcoming?

Anyway. Everyone all right? If you've found yourself stranded somewhere you might as well let me know and I'll come grab ya'. I doubt it's gonna be so easy to travel by sea if you're somewhere you don't exactly wanna be.

[Palom is dressed in his usual tunic and has a smirk on his face, sitting under a tree.]

I am pleased to say that I am now resuming my tutorial duties to those who want to learn black magic. If anyone inside the village is willing to learn from yours truly, you can find me outside the Hall of Prayers or inside.

[Pauses for a minute, then resumes.]

And I'm sure you heard about Leviathan's rampage in the sea. I'm sure he'll calm down and you'll be able to travel to Mysidia... In one way or another.

[The feed turns on, and Locke's face is staring closely at the shell. The look is a little distant, but Locke snaps too. He didn't turn this thing on to stare at it all day long. He actually had a legitimate question, and then some.]

So when you get to the bottom of it, Eidolons are kind of like Espers. You can consider magicite as some sort of dying fragment of a crystal. And here, magic isn't really a skill that's derived solely from magical beings, but it's still an inherent part of nature itself.

There's a lot of parallels between all of our worlds. Distinctions. Hope you guys can follow where I'm going with this, yeah?

[Locke pauses momentarily, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. His brows are furrowed, semi-lost in thought.]

Back where I'm from, we knew Ramuh, Shiva, and Ifrit— [Note, the past tense.] —chocobos and moogles weren't anything new, either. I'm pretty sure our world isn't the only one sharing a similar trait or two... or ten, with this place. If you think about it, it's more like we're all linked because our worlds are so similar to each other.

[Of course, finally... Locke gets to his point, looking straight at his audience. Kind of. He's maintaining eye contact, okay!! Except... even though Locke looks like he wants to say something more, he doesn't. He lets it go. Maybe he'll ask about that matter some other time.]

Well, now you have my two cents. Anyone care to share their thoughts on those dreams we all had?


((ooc; Relm and Cyan can feel free to either follow Locke to Mysidia or just handwave convincing him to leave them to their devices. I don't mind either way, really! Locke just needs to be at Mysidia to see Edgar and then he'll be going his merry way... somewhere... Christine, feel free to tag Edgar anywhere re: action or voice!))

[Hi everyone! Hopefully you weren't sleeping or concentrating too hard on something or whatever, because this dumb loud voice is about to interrupt you.]

Hello!? Hey! You out there, Sis!? C'mooon guys, you gotta be there somewhere!

Uh, I dunno who else can hear me on this thing! [A short laugh follows those words. Whoever this idiot is either doesn't seem to notice how loud he's being, or simply doesn't care.] Met the weirdest li'l guy though! Gave me this thing. Yep! I'm guessing it's some way to communicate, since I heard people talking!!!

Uh... well, I'm gonna come lookin' for you guys if you don't answer! Heroes don't sit still for long!

[Terra snaps awake, shuddering as she detaches from Kain enough to sit up. That strange, dream has shaken her and she almost feels as though she's still trapped within it, such is the vividness of those images. It's going to take her a bit to calm down enough to focus.

Sometime later, she'll turn on the linkshell, visibly troubled. There's barely a need for the the device to transmit anything emotion-wise since hers are so blatant, but nonetheless anyone who sees her message will also feel her unease and confusion.]

Did anyone else dream about the crystals?

[She takes a deep breath before speaking up, doing her best to sound steady and calm. Her effort only half-succeeds.]

I hate to be the bearer of such news, but...some are no longer in this world anymore. As in, they vanished.

[Pause.]

Yuna...and Edge. They were in Mist, when--

...anyway, I thought it should be known.

[What else is there to say? Closing the linkshell, Rydia sets it down and heads for the door. She needs to be outside for a little while, despite the cold.]

[ooc: Those who needed to be told first were reached, but this is her first public message.]

Uh...is this thing really on? Oh, okay. Um.

[ At first, it's just a voice; Hope isn't sure it's okay to show his face after everything that happened. Then he decides that on one hand, it probably won't work anyway. And on the other, so what? If people can't find him they can't chase him, either. ]

L-look, I'm kind of new to this going other places thing, and this has all gotten weird enough, so if someone could tell me how to get back home, or at least closer to it, I'd really appreciate it.

Oh, right. My name is Hope Estheim. A-anyway, if someone can actually hear this, can you answer? Thanks.

[ Enter one unhappy woman. There might be passing similarity to a certain fluffy chocobo headed SOLDIER, but really, it's only passing and hard to notice with the way she's scowling. The poor Namingway all but fled from her when he handed her the Linkshell with it's brief description of how to use it, and she's now got it flipped open, on video. She keeps glancing down -- probably looking at the map on the bottom screen, and she's walking fairly fast. ]

This had better not be some kind of sick joke. I have to get home.

[ A slight pause -- and she mutters to herself, barely audible. ] I think.

[Here we have little optimistic Relm, face covered in paint smiling into the feed.]

I’m willing to hold down a job as a personal artist, anyone who wants to get a portrait of themselves. I’m here! I’m offering at a very low price!!!

Hello up there, surfacefolk. This one's gonna be important, so make sure you clear out your ears.

Those girls that little miss sunshine up there was so grim about? They're not that bad. Strong, sure, but you can still beat 'em around. If they're causing problems, you can kick some butt to distract them while you get folk outta there. It's not the smartest of ideas by a long shot, but if you don't have any choice then it'll get the job done even if you'll be sore for a while afterwards. So! Here's what I'm going to suggest.

These shell thingamajiggers? Can do all kinds of stuff. See this?

[She holds up a dark blue linkpearl - it's identical to the normal ones in everything but its colour.]

It can make these. They're different from the normal kinds, they can only send messages to people who have one that's the same colour. They're good for when you need to keep in contact with specific groups.

So I'm gonna make a group for people who can fight those girls if they need to. Or fight in general, to help people out. Calling 'em the Talons. If you're tough and you're willing to fight if someone needs help, let me know and I'll give you one. Then if you run into one of those girls, you use it to call for backup. Anyone who's close will rush over there. If nobody is, I'll start up the Falcon and get people over to you in a jiffy.

If you don't have one but you're in a jam then just send a message out with the normal shell but...I dunno, think dark blue thoughts. I dunno how it works, but it does. It'll get the message to all of us.

Oh- and there's another. I already talked to little miss sunshine up in Mysidia about this one. It's pretty much the same, but without the fighting. But you can do both, if you feel like multitasking. If you can heal people and you want to help out, ask her about it and she'll give you one of these, too. It's a red one. If you're hurt or you find someone who is, just use the shell and think about red stuff and someone who can heal'll get to you. Again, if nobody's nearby I'll get them closer.

The dwarves'll be supporting anyone in either group all the way - if you need airship travel anywhere or if you need your equipment fixing up then we'll handle it for you, dwarven smiths're the best you'll ever meet, just say the word!

...my group's better, by the way.

[OOC: I'll be answering this with both Porom and Luca, just consolidating both posts since they're pretty much on the same topic.]

[When the video connects, lo! A panning view of the mighty Kingdom of Baron, from one of the castle towers. Surprisingly, Edge's hands are quite steady. His voice cuts in from the background:]

To those of you curious, Baron is safe and sound. There's still no sign of Cecil and Rosa... and Ceodore, was it? He sounds like a tough kid. [A pause; he's getting sidetracked a little too much for his own good these days, but all this information is a lot to handle at one go.] Anyway, the kingdom is still in good hands, and it probably won't run itself to the ground anytime soon.

[Now, back to business. Look at Edge's handsome face, everyone!!]

When I get to Eblan, I'll wait a week and then head towards the Tower of Babil. At someone's insistence, I'd like to get a group together for this—it might hold a clue or two as to what's happening around here, but I can't make any guarantees.

You guys can take an airship heading south from any of the kingdoms to Eblan. Just ask around, and I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out.

I'll welcome anyone interested with open arms so long as they're not looking to stir up trouble! You have my word as King.

((ooc; group of three filled! Let me know if you really want in on the party plot--I can probably make room for one more.))