Sand In Your Eyes [Locke]

[Oerba Dia Vanille]

To Vanille, seeing the place that was once her home smothered in sand and Cie'th... wasn't very enlightening. Not at all. If anything, it was saddening. Mind you, it had been a short while before she had returned. So, it should have come to no surprise. That is, should. Of course, she couldn't help but feel a little downtrodden. Was she disappointed? Yeah, a little bit. Still, she couldn't just linger in the past. That wouldn't help her one bit. The best thing she could do was... was... well, she'll think about it when it comes to it! The red head looked from left to right at her past home. Her arms were linked behind her back, and she blinked every so often. Vanille was glad it wasn't windy against the bright sun. If it was, that would pose an awful lot of trouble, wouldn't it? A sandstorm would just be a lot of bad luck. Well, the air was still, and she was thankful because of that.

Vanille had only seen around 3 Cie'th. She was sure when she was on the Vestige with Hope all that time ago, they had moved around strategically in groups. They were hard work the first time, and she wouldn't be surprised if her Binding Rods would serve her well once again. Well, she hoped it didn't come to that. That would be very irritating at this moment in time. That was for sure. Still, she just had to look around! She knew why. Once upon a time, before the War, this was her home. It had been after the War, and it still was. But, she wouldn't have met Fang. Fang was one of her bestest friends, becoming l'Cie together, and Ragnarok! Vanille looked up, and sighed. Now, they were entering another war. This time, she had learnt, it was a Civil War. A war between people of the same kith and kin. Surely, this was wrong. Wrong in the eyes of most people! It had to be. If it wasn't, maybe there really is no hope for people to be out of fighting, wasting their bullets and guns. Vanille thought it was a huge waste of time.

Vanille crouched down low, and pulled a face. The sand, there was never this much. Too much sand was not fun. Especially when trying to walk or run. It just caused chaos! She huffed, crossd her arms and stood up. No, she was not impressed. "Silly sand!" She pouted, before nudging the scuff of the boot. She walked further on, trying not to slip when she accidentally stood on weak piles of sand. Sand dunes always reminded her of deserts, and those could be fun, at times. Maybe for an hour of so, but not for too long. The redhead rubbed the back of the her neck before rubbing her eyes. Yep, still no wind. That was a good thing. She didn't want to get sand in her eyes. That would be a pain. "Well, it was nice seeing my home again." She said to herself, before crossing her arms. Green eyes flicked from left to right, before she clicked her tongue. Then, snapping her fingers, she grinned. "Maybe I can have a look around! See if anything changed much! Well, except from having sand covering everything." Vanille laughed lightly into her hand, before jumping up and jogging around, smiling.

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Words;; 689
Muse;; Great! :3
Tagged;; Locke
Outfit;; Her usual!
Location;; Oerba
Listening To;; Super Bass by Nicki Minaj
Notes;; First proper post on this site! \o/

[Locke Cole]

Locke groaned and slowly opened his eyes, quickly squeezing them shut again as the overhead sun nearly blinded him. He felt sick to his stomach, and rolled over onto his side to curl into the smallest ball possible and relieve some of the pain he felt. What happened? Breathing deeply for a few minutes, eventually the aches and pains started to fade, but the nausea still remained. His eyes cautiously opened again and he relaxed his body a bit, allowing it to uncurl and fall to the sand. Wait, sand? Last thing he remembered was fighting a brachiosaur in the jungle, and then there was a bright flash of light before...nothing.

Licking his lips to try and moisten them, he coughed as sand collected on his tongue, before more was drawn into his throat as he tried to breathe through his coughing spell. It was a vicious circle, and eventually he rolled over and pushed himself to his knees to put some distance between himself and the sand. Eventually the new position worked, and he found himself able to breathe properly again. Finding the strength to lift his head and look around, he found himself outside of a ruined town of some sort. There was sand everywhere!

Locke patted his leg, making sure his dagger was still present (thankfully it was), and he made his way towards the city. He was used to walking in sand, making the trek around Figaro and Kohlingen time and time again through the desert, so he didn't struggle too much to find his footing. Making it to one of the barely-standing structures, he ran a hand over it curiously. "Wonder what kind of treasures are here..." he mumbled to himself, before movement caught the corner of his eye. He ducked down instinctively, swallowing hard against the nausea that still had yet to completely abate. Waiting patiently for whoever was there with him to show themselves, it didn't take long to get his wish.

"It's a girl." he stated unnecessarily as he watched the red-head (or...was it pink hair?) bounce all over the place seemingly without a care in the world. Maybe she can help me. Pulling himself back to his feet, using the wall for support as he wrapped a hand around his stomach, he forced himself to smile and relax. The treasure hunter moved swiftly across the sand, and called out to her when he was still far enough away that hopefully he didn't startle her. "Hello there!" Locke picked up the pace a bit (though not too fast due to his stomach) and made sure his hand was firmly at his side and not showing the stranger any weakness. "I'm...uh...a bit lost." he said with a laugh, and reached up to run his fingers through his hair under his bandana. "Can you...I mean...are you from around here?" Smooth, Locke.

[Oerba Dia Vanille]

Hearing a sudden voice made Vanille jump. She looked behind her, and blinked at the man. Well, she definitely hadn't been expecting this. Grinning, she waved. "Hiya!" She said, gleefully. She didn't remember him ever being here. That's when she scowled on the inside. Of course! She hadn't been here for decades, and last time she checked, people weren't supposed to live over two hundred, let alone nine hundred! Of course she wouldn't remember him, because he hadn't been there! Vanille hummed, and swung her arms back and forth. Lost? Well, it was rather easy to get lost on Gran Pulse. It was a huge place, after all. Vanille could remember getting lost a few times around Oerba. Only when she was younger, of course! She didn't anymore, or had in her teens.

Vanille thought for a moment, raising a finger to her lips. "Well, if you're lost, I guess you better found, then." She grinned at her own joke. Then, she shook her head. "I remember getting lost a few times myself, everybody does it." Shrugging, and twirled her arms round. So, this man didn't know he was in Oerba. Did he know what world he was on? If he didn't... well... that would't be good. Not at all. Vanille hummed. Hm, she could always take him to the Academy, and they could help him. BUT, what if he was part of PSICOM? She huffed. There was a 33 per cent chance he was with the Academy, like her. Either that, or he was with PSICOM, OR he wasn't with any. But, the last one was a little silly, right?

Looking back at him, she smiled even more. "You're in Oerba, on Gran Pulse. I used to live here." Nodding, Vanille clicked her tongue. She couldn't just leave him there, so she would have to take him somehwere. That, or just drop him off in the nearest not derelict city. That couldn't be too far away, right? N-not that she didn't mind walking the guy there or anything... Vanille nodded. "I can show you to the nearest town or city, or I can show you round. What would you like?" She offered, grinning. She crossed her arms. "I'm Oerba Dia Vanille." Clasping her hands together, she hopped lightly, on the spot, before looking around at the sand-covered town. It sure had changed, hadn't it?

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Words;; 531
Muse;; Great!
Tagged;; Locke
Outfit;; Her usual awesomesauce clothes! :3
Location;; Oerba
Listening To;; Pieces by Red
Notes;; Hope this is ok!!! :3

[Locke Cole]

Locke cracked a smile at the girl's cheerful demeanor, and nodded at her enthusiastic greeting. He offered a small chuckle at her joke, but she seemed willing to help. His stomach gave him another reminder that it wasn't happy with him at the moment, and he couldn't help the small flinch as it rolled uncomfortably. Hopefully she didn't notice. "Oerba? Gran Pulse?" What is going on?! The smile dropped from his face as confusion set in (well, more confusion than he already had), but when the girl introduced herself, he was completely stumped.

"So...let me get this straight...this is Oerba, on Gran Pulse, and your name is Oerba? Were you named after the town or something?" he asked with a tilted head. But she had offered to show him around. That was something at least. "It's up to you. Everything you said just went, " He waved his hand over his head to emphasize, "Whoosh, completely over my head." he said with a laugh. "If you want to show me around, I'm fine with that." If she lived here, odds are she would want to spend some time there. And, since he was so far out of his element, he couldn't really ask for anything more than her to show him around.

"This place looks like it's been deserted for ages. But you can tell it was definitely a proud town." Shooting the girl another smile, Locke moved a little passed her and looked out over the desert. He realized that his hand had stayed close to his stomach, and forced it away to avoid showing weakness to this kind stranger. "I'm up for anything, really. Let's go!" Turning back to her with a smile he stepped up beside her, trying to figure out where they were headed to first. I really have no choice but to follow her.

[OOC: GAH! Sorry it's so short! I totally blanked...but didn't want to leave you with nothing. Once they start doing stuff I'll get going again I'm sure...silly writer's block.]

[Oerba Dia Vanille]

all I fear, means nothing

IN YOU AND I THERES A NEW LAND ANGELS IN FLIGHT MY SANCTUARY MY SANCTUARY WHERE FEARS AND LIES MELT AWAY MUSIC AND TIME WHAT’S LEFT OF ME MY HEART’S A BATTLEFIELD YOU SHOW ME HOW TO SEE THAT NOTHING IS WHOLE AND NOTHING IS BROKEN- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TAG: LOCKE! WORDS: 439! OH, BY THE WAY: THIS IS SHORT TOO! XD DON"T WORRY ABOUT IT! I DON"T REALLY LIKE THIS THOUGH... HOPE ITS OK!

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Vanille blinked, and tilted her head to the side, a bit confused. So, he didn't know where he was? Well, she couldn't help but deny that it was a rather... strange predicament. She couldn't remember any times that had happened to her. Usually she at least knew what world she was one. Vanille was about to say something, when she saw him flinch. She gasped, and looked at him. "Are you ok?!" She shifted her weight from side to side. She nodded. "Oerba is this place, and Gran Pulse is the world." She rubbed her hands together, to get the sand off. Vanille stretched her arms above her head and flexed her wrists. If everything was in the same place she remembered, then she aught the know the how layout of the town. Then, it would like she had never left, and like it had been all those years ago!

Vanille chuckled. "Oerba Dia, tells people I come from Oerba, from the Dia Clan. Vanille is my given name." She nodded while she said this. Then, she smiled wide and crossed her arms, swaying from side to side. "Of course I'll show you around! I has changed a bit since I've been here, which was a long time ago. But I bet everything is in the same place!" She said with an optimistic tone in her voice. Vanille hummed for a moment, thinking. "Where to start, where to start...." She crossed her arms and hummed. Shrugging, she pointed over to a completely random direction. She giggled. "Let's go that way!" Vanille exclaimed gleefully, before jogging over in that direction.

Vanille turned behind her. "Come on! The Vanille Tour of Oerba waits for no-one!" She said in a joking manner, putting both of her hands on her hips. She beckoned him with her hand. "Let's go!"

thereisalieinperfection @ CAUTION 2.0

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[Locke Cole]

Locke wasn't as careful as he thought as the girl saw him flinch. Shooting her a soft smile, he waved her question of with his hand. No, I don't think I am. But I can deal with that later. Thankfully she moved on, and while her explanation cleared up a lot of confusion, it also brought more questions. "I'm on another world?!" he asked incredulously, before shaking his head with a small chuckle. This must be a dream.

Vanille was clearly anxious to get going, as she pointed towards the area they were going to see first. "Alright then, wouldn't want to keep the tour waiting." He offered her a light incline of his head before following her at a slower pace. As soon as her back was turned, he clutched at his stomach as it gave another twinge. Locke quickly shrugged it off though, and as he made it back to his guide's side he had removed all evidence that he was in pain from his face.

As they toured the town, Locke's main concern was how he had gotten there. He remembered feeling a little strange as he had destroyed the monster, and then nothing. That feeling was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. On top of the nausea, his stomach had cramped up and his head had started to pound a little more with each step he took. The treasure hunter tried to pay attention to the girl at his side, but it was difficult.

"So, as you introduced the world as 'Gran Pulse', does that mean that having people come from other worlds is a normal occurrence? As far as I know people normally don't mention what world they are on." he said with a small chuckle, hoping that she hadn't already mentioned it when he hadn't been paying attention. He slowed his pace a bit more as his stomach continued to roll. What the heck is going on? Locke wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the facade on for. It felt like he was on a ship!

Sent from my SGH-I727R using proboards

[Oerba Dia Vanille]

all I fear, means nothing

IN YOU AND I THERES A NEW LAND ANGELS IN FLIGHT MY SANCTUARY MY SANCTUARY WHERE FEARS AND LIES MELT AWAY MUSIC AND TIME WHAT’S LEFT OF ME MY HEART’S A BATTLEFIELD YOU SHOW ME HOW TO SEE THAT NOTHING IS WHOLE AND NOTHING IS BROKEN- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TAG: LOCKE! WORDS: 523! OH, BY THE WAY: SHORT, BUT I'M SORRY!

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Stretching her arms up, and being jumpy on her feet, Vanille couldn't deny that she was feeling rather elated, walking around Oerba once again. Looking behind her, she smiled back and swung her arms back and forth. Maybe... she was feeling a little bit...over excited. She nodded at him. "Yup! Well, I think so. I haven't sen you around before... But I haven't exactly been around for a long while." Grinning, she chuckled slightly. 13 years of sleeping. It had been a long time, but she was glad she was finally awake. She was awake and kicking... well, more... Ok! She was getting off topic here. She shook her head to herself, and Vanille sighed, before smiling widely.

She grinned wider and jumped, before putting her hands on her hips. "I bet you'll love Oerba!" Vanille began to head off. Turning back one more time, she frowned. He didn't look ok, clutching his stomach like that. However, it seemed he didn't want to talk about it. She sighed, before putting on another smile. She remembered when there was a time where Vanille didn't want to speak to anybody about her... situation. And since then, she has respected other people's secrets and privacy. It was only respectful, and Vanille had wanted that when she was like that, so she would do that.

Vanille looked at him next to her at his question, and blinked a couple of times, dazed. Now that she thought about it properly, she wasn't entirely sure why she did that. Shaking her head, she smiled at him. "Well, there used to be a world, up there in the sky. It was called Cocoon. Most people lived up at there. Unless they were Purged. But, you don't want to know about that." She visibly dampened for a second. Would she mention Ragnarok? She could, just not mention herself... but then that was withholding the truth. Still, that wouldn't be the first time she did that. "Cocoon... fell, but a huge pillar, made up of two l'Cie, held it up."

Vanille took a breath, before carrying on. "Since it fell, everybody came back down to live on the savage Gran Pulse. It was only recently that those two l'Cie were freed from the pillar, after 13 years." She nodded to her herself, before giving him a side-ways smile. Maybe, all that information was boring him, but the whole history of what had happened... of what had happened to her and Fang was so... interesting to her. Especially with those years she missed. "Sorry, I tend to ramble."

thereisalieinperfection @ CAUTION 2.0

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[Locke Cole]

Locke let out a laugh at Vanille's enthusiasm. It was clear that she loved Oerba, and her enthusiasm was infectious. He was looking forward to the tour, and he already knew he was going to enjoy spending time with the chipper young woman. He licked his dry lips and listened as she explained why she had given her explanation on their location...the way she had. Two worlds in one place? His blonde head tilted curiously as she looked upset, but only for a brief moment before she continued. "So...Cocoon was going to crush Gran Pulse...but it was saved by two...l'Cie..." What in the world is a l'Cie? "And then everybody moved here. Sounds fairly straight-forward."

He offered her a smile at the apology before waving it off. "That wasn't much of a ramble. I've got a friend back home who can really ramble. He'll go on for hours if you let him. About his good looks, or his women, or his machinery, or his kingdom, or...chocobos." A smile of his own touched his lips as he thought of his friends, before he looked back at the young woman at his side. There was this sort of innocence about her, something that reminded him of someone but he couldn't place who. Ah well, it'll come to me. It's not that important.

Sweat trickled down the back of Locke's neck, and he was tempted to take his bandana off and tie it around his neck instead of his head. Instead he just used his hand to wipe it clear, before he looked up at the bright sun overhead. "Y'know, I'm used to the desert. But it seems much warmer here..." Letting out a huff, he chuckled a bit before winking at Vanille. "The company's pretty good though. Can't complain there. This is probably the best tour I've gotten." Still laughing to himself, he looked around curiously. "You said something earlier...I didn't want to interrupt but I have no idea what you meant. What's...a l'Cie?"

Blinking a bit as everything started to swirl around him, he stopped walking suddenly to regain his bearings. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips again as he realized he hadn't had any water yet. Stupid! No wonder I'm so out of it! "Uh...Vanille? Do you...happen to have any water?" It was difficult to swallow and the pounding in his head had increased tenfold. I need to sit. Locke bent over and allowed himself to flop onto his rear, panting lightly. He knew he was dehydrated, and his little trip to another world probably hadn't helped. Still, he should have seen this coming. "So stupid." he mumbled to himself and put his head in his hands.

[Oerba Dia Vanille]

all I fear, means nothing

IN YOU AND I THERES A NEW LAND ANGELS IN FLIGHT MY SANCTUARY MY SANCTUARY WHERE FEARS AND LIES MELT AWAY MUSIC AND TIME WHAT’S LEFT OF ME MY HEART’S A BATTLEFIELD YOU SHOW ME HOW TO SEE THAT NOTHING IS WHOLE AND NOTHING IS BROKEN- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TAG: LOCKE! WORDS: 453 OH, BY THE WAY: HOPE THIS IS OK!! ITS A LITTLE SHORT ;_;

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She was very excited. But, then again, maybe that was a bit of an understatement from Vanille. Oerba did always make her excited, even just talking about it. It had been once her home, and to her, everything had started in Oerba. Ever since that first day in the orphanage. But, she was going a little off-topic there. Looking at Locke, she nodded. Yes, Gran Pulse might’ve been destroyed by Cocoon had Ragnarok had stopped it. She didn’t know. ”Yes, it does seem fairly straight-forward. But, it didn’t really at the time. A bit of fighting went on…” She crossed her arms.

Vanille chuckled lightly. ”Sometimes, with people like that, its hard to tell them to be quiet without seeming rude.” She nodded. She had contemplated that over the years. She grinned at the word chocobo’s. ”A friend of mine has a little chocobo chick! He keeps it in his hair. It was bought for his son, I think. “ He nodded. Sazh had bought his companion for Dajh. At least, if Vanille’s memory served her correctly. She couldn’t really tell. She would have to speak with Sazh soon, catch up on things. How long had it been again?

She tilted her head, a little bit… confused at Locke’s behavior. Oerba wasn’t that hot. At least, not from her view. But, then again, she had always lived here, and was used to the heat. She shrugged. Nope, Vanille didn’t know why it seemed hotter to him. But, now she was thinking about it, it did seem just a little bit warmer, just a little bit, though! ”Hm? A l’Cie?” Vanille hummed in thought. ”I guess, it’s a person who has involuntary become a servant of the fal’Cie. They have a Focus, a task. If they don’t complete it, they turn Cie’th, monster. If they complete it, they will crystallize and be granted ‘eternal life.’”

Vanille bit her lip when Locke sat down, obviously weakened from the lack of water. She looked around, and shook her head. ”Sorry, I don’t…” The only type of water she had was with her weapon. She knelt down ext to him. ”Whats the matter?”

thereisalieinperfection @ CAUTION 2.0

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[Locke Cole]

Locke attempted to lick his lips again, but it was like all the moisture had been sucked from his body aside from the fact that he was sweating. That's good, at least. Means I won't die yet. Even so, it wouldn't last long. He would need to find some water, and fast. He let out an exhausted sigh and his head sank a little lower into his hands. He had heard Vanille's explanation about the l'Cie, and thought it was a terrible thing to happen to somebody. He also heard her say she didn't have any water, and ask him what was wrong.

Breathing slowly and deeply, and wishing that his head would stop spinning, he spoke to the ground as it was too much effort to actually lift his head. "It's too dry." Meaning his body. "Don't feel well." That one was self-explanatory. "Head hurts. Stomach hurts. All...spinny." Oh and I'm also feeling a little sorry for myself, lost in a brand new world. What can you do about that?

"I should have known better. Brought more water. I wasn't expecting to get thrown into the middle of the desert, but still...should have thought ahead." Locke's tongue felt thick in his mouth, and he desperately tried to find some moisture. At the failure, he let out another sigh and dropped his hands onto his knees and finally lifted his head. "I need...to find some water. Would...would any of the houses have anything?"

The treasure hunter would need to get up eventually, so he may as well do it now. Rolling over with a groan, he unsteadily pushed himself to his knees and held his head. Come on, treasure hunter. On your feet. With that thought, he got the rest of the way up with considerable effort. Swaying once he was upright, he placed a hand on Vanille's shoulder to steady himself. "We should keep going. Get out of this sun." he mumbled, and pushed off from her as gently as he could (though it was nowhere near as graceful as he intended and he gave her more of a shove than he meant to). Lurching forward, he headed towards the closest dwelling. I really need to find some water.