124 Open after arrival to the city

[grigorichord]

Who: Maka, Crona, and anyone else who would like to jump in~
Open: Closed and then open!
When: Day 124
Where: The Skyway
What: A very confused Maka arrives on the Skyway and is found by Crona.
Format: Action
Warnings: NA


[This wasn't the first time Maka had woken in a strange place with no idea how she'd gotten there, but it was definitely the first time it had happened when she hadn't been on assignment or in the middle of a fight. No, the last thing she remembered was having dinner with Soul, getting ahead on her reading for class, and then going to bed.

Then nothing. Nothing that would explain how she had gotten to this place, whatever or wherever it was. She couldn't feel anyone nearby, though she could see a city in the distance, and her fingers clenched and unclenched a few times as her hands wished for the familiar weight of living steel in her hands.]

Okay, whoever's behind this, you can come out right now and show yourself! There's no point in hiding! [The words echoed back at her off of familiar looking crumbling ruins that she tried very hard not to think about. When she received no answer, Maka lifted her chin and started forward. Whatever was going on, she would get to the bottom of it and find her way home, but right now that meant finding someone who could give her some answers. With that mindset she started forward along the path ahead of her.]

Comments

[grigorichord]

[A soul suddenly flashes into her radar at close range, and Maka snaps her body around, fists up and ready for a fight.

As soon as she takes in the figure before her, her stance changes and she lifts a hand to cover her still open mouth.]

Crona?

[blackblooded]

[One step forward, then another, and then Crona's stumbling, running towards Maka because it's Maka. Maka who will probably be caught completely off guard by Crona initiating a hug.]

[grigorichord]

[To say she's surprised at the hug (or at Crona's presence) would be an understatement.

Maka had left Crona behind to defeat Asura. It had barely been a few weeks since that had happened, but it still feels as fresh in her mind as if it was only a few minutes ago.

However impossible this is it doesn't matter because Crona is here now and all Maka can do is wrap her arms around her friend and hold on tight.]

Crona!

[blackblooded]

[Crona just clings to Maka. Crona was never expecting to see Maka again, not after the boy Maka was here and gone again, not after Miss Marie vanished.

But Maka is here, and Crona is starting to cry.]

[grigorichord]

[She feels Crona begin to cry, and Maka pulls the meister closer.]

It's okay, Crona. It's okay, you don't have to cry. [As she says it, she does her best to wipe her own damp eyes with her fist. Maka pulls back just enough to give Crona a watery grin.]

I'm so happy to see you.

[blackblooded]

[Crona's torn between crying and smiling and laughing because Maka is here and Crona doesn't know how to deal with that at all.

So the meister smiles and wipes away tears with the cuff of a robe gone threadbare and tattered and just hugs Maka again.]

I..... I.... I thought I'd never see you again!

[grigorichord]

I promised, I'd come back. I promised, didn't I? [She laughs and blinks away the rest of her tears. She didn't come back for Crona but Crona is here somehow.]

Though it seems like you came for me instead.

[blackblooded]

[Maka didn't promise anything like that, but that's okay, that's fine, that's such a small detail it doesn't even matter.]

I... I missed you.

I didn't know you were out here! I came on the Skyway looking for fabric because I need new clothes, you know? [And Crona's rambling but it doesn't matter, because Maka's here and Crona's hugging her and doesn't want to let go.] S-so I thought if I had fabric I could ask Kaoru to make me clothes, since this has some holes in it. I almost asked Paarthurnax to come with me but he's so big I wouldn't have been able to explore and I probably wouldn't have seen you.

[grigorichord]

[It's only been a few weeks but she has missed Crona so much.]

The Skyway? [Maka finally pulls back to look around again.]

Is that what this is called? [She was beginning to thinks she had ended up in some sort of soulscape but the sheer size of it had left her doubtful.]

I don't understand. Kaoru? Paarthurnex? Crona what is this place? How did we get here?

[blackblooded]

[Crona's certainly not letting go, even if that means just holding onto Maka's hands. A nod.

Right, Maka needs to get caught up with everything.]

T-this is the Skyway. The Bastion is over there. Um... they said a-all the worlds were destroyed and we're the only ones left.

[grigorichord]

[She nods at the names and then freezes, fixing Crona with a confused stare.]

What do you mean destroyed? And all the worlds?

[blackblooded]

Um.... I.... [Maka, this is Crona you're talking to.]

T-there are other people you should talk to. I don't know how to explain it.

[grigorichord]

[In another situation that might register, but she's scared, less so now with Crona there, but instead a fear of a different kind is rising to take its place.]

I-we can go to them. But what did you mean the worlds? I went to sleep last night and woke up here a while ago. Is this some sort of different dimension? [Like the Book of Eibon. Maybe that's what Crona means?]

[blackblooded]

I.... I don't know. But Paarthurnax is a huge dragon and no one except the professor has ever heard of Shibusen before and some people lived in space. I-it's kind of confusing so I just don't think about it too much.

[grigorichord]

[She is caught up trying to make any kind of sense out of this and then Crona says 'huge dragon' and everything gets even more confusing.]

There's a huge dragon? [Wait.]

The professor? Professor Stein? He's here too?

[blackblooded]

[A nod, and then Crona just tugs on Maka's wrist.]

I-I'll show you. We should keep moving, otherwise something might attack us. The... um.... the Peckers are scared of me, but the other monsters aren't.

[Last time... last time Maka hadn't been Maka, not really, not the Maka Crona knew. Maybe this Maka was different too.]

[grigorichord]

[She's still lost and she has no idea what 'peckers' are, but if Crona says there are monsters and it's time to move then it's time to move.]

Okay. I'll keep an eye out. [Then she moves to Crona's side to start moving, her hand slipping into Crona's and lacing their fingers together.

Maka's more afraid then she has been in a while and she doesn't understand what's going on, but Crona is by her side and that makes all the difference.]

[blackblooded]

[Maka grabs Crona's hand, and their fingers thread together perfectly, like they were made to hold hands, and Crona's mind sort of short-circuts for the blink of an eye, for the space of one heartbeat. Crona's cheeks burn grey and the meister can't help but smile just a little bit.

Maka is here, and now everything will be all right.]

[grigorichord]

[As they walk, she uses soul perception to keep watch on their surroundings should anything come close, and she wonders what Crona meant by monsters. She wonders what Crona meant by a lot of things, but one thing is clear and that's that Professor Stein is here. He'll be able to fill in the gaps in her knowledge of what's going on. ]

This place doesn't look real. [With the weird gut wrenching statues and random pieces of buildings.]

[blackblooded]

[A nod.]

There's an amulet in your pocket. If you go on the Skyway you need to have that with you, or the ground won't stay up.

There's no sun, or moon, or night time.

[Crona's wings are still out, held carefully folded, and that is odd. Back home, Crona would never have left them out, because they're strange, because they take effort to hold into the proper shape. But it would be foolish to hide them away here.]

We have running water and electricity now, and there are apartments.

[Crona has adapted, and adapted quickly. This world is now normal.]

[grigorichord]

[She reaches into her pocket and examines the amulet for a while before slipping it over her head one handed since she doesn't want to let go of Crona's hand. Right now it feels like it's Crona that is keeping the ground from giving out from under her, not some strange necklace.]

Apartments? How many people live here? How long have people been living here? [She wants to ask 'where' here is but she will save that for someone else.]

[blackblooded]

A...a lot. Maybe thirty? I don't know how many people exactly.

I've been here... [How long? A long time, it feels like.]

... Longer than I was at Shibusen.

[grigorichord]

Thirty? [Thirty people is not what she was expecting, but nothing here is what she was expecting.

As long as Crona was at Shibusen was not very long, but it is long enough to make her worry.]

But how? How did you get here after we fought the kishin?

[blackblooded]

[And now, how to explain this?]

I... ... w-we're not really from the same place, I think.

There was a boy Maka here for a while, but he disappeared.

[Crona's hand tightens around Maka's. Please don't run, Maka. Please don't run or get angry or disagree. Please be the Maka that Crona is hoping for.]

.... I... I remember you defeated the Kishin.

[grigorichord]

[She doesn't understand what Crona means by not the same place but the mention of a male version of herself distracts her from that.}

Uh, there was male me? [It's confusing, but her hand stays in Crona's, and there's no animosity or offense behind the words, just bewilderment.]

We defeated him together. Um, that's what it was like for me I guess.