Just Another Day (Closed)

Malm stretched as he walked through the streets of Hargeon Town. He just returned from doing a job and honestly couldn't wait to get back home. Having something to lay down on, even if it's just a couch, was sounding like  a godsend to him right now.

He opened the doors to the bookstore, taking a quick glance around to notice that it wasn't Mouse sitting by the counter. Instead it was a young lady in her early twenties with short pink hair. This didn't surprise Malm however as he recognize her as one of the employees Mouse hired so she could keep her store open while she was away.

"Hey Lily. Is Mouse in today?" Malm asked as he looked around.

"Nope. I'm afraid not. She went out a couple hours ago and didn't say where she's going." Lily replied. Around this time, Phosphera has noticed Malm's return and jumped up onto his shoulder.

"Hmm... Could it be..?" Malm said to himself as he petted the top of Phos' head, "Well okay then. I'm going to see if I can't locate her. Be back soon." With that, Malm made his leave to look for his friend and roommate.

It had been exactly seventeen days since she had arrived here, and Emerald was still getting used to this place. She wasn't exactly sure how she had arrived here in the first place, but she had been separated somehow, and now she was a bit lost. While where she lived WAS in Fiore, it was by the coast, and she hadn't really seen what the planet looked like in the past 5,000 years. The magic here was completely foreign to her, and she didn't understand it in the slightest. Of all the years she had been a part of the Crystal Gems, she had never run into magic quite like this before. And now, she was looking for answers.

This wasn't exactly the best time to be split apart from her other friends, as she had only recently been released from her corrupt form. She was still a bit disoriented from that, and a little rusty fighting wise. Her mind seemed to have been numb for 5,000 years, and something like that would do it for you.

Emerald made her way through the streets of Fiore, glancing around hesitantly. It was a bit chilly outside right now, so she was glad for her furry neck scarf. She breathed into it, warming it up. It seemed to quiver, as it usually did when she was unsure of something.

While she was walking, Emerald was distracted with her own thoughts, and didn't see where she was going, accidentally walking into Malm. She let out a gasp, and stepped back. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see where I was going," said Emerald, sighing, "To be honest, I don't completely understand where I am. I've never been to this part of the country....."

"Now where could she be?" Malm said to himself as he tried to figure out where Mouse could have gotten herself to. He knew full well that she was most likely in a tavern somewhere, but which one was still a question.

While lost in his own thought, he accidentally walked into a woman. "No. No. I was to distracted myself." He responded with a slight grunt after she apologized. He then backed off and looked up to see who he crashed into. He had to admit that she definitely wasn't something he has ever saw before, and that was saying something. Could she possibly be from one of the other worlds in Pandora?

"I'm not sure how much help this will be, but you are in Hargeon Town in the middle of Fiore." He explained to her as he petted the Pichu on his shoulder, "If you don't mind me asking. Can you tell me where you are from?" He then asked curiously, trying to figure this woman out. At least she didn't seem all that hostile to him, so that was good.

Emerald listened with a curious expression as he talked. True, he looked like a human, but with all the changes that had happened to this world, she wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't. When he told her where they were, she whispered it to herself so she'd remember. Hargeon Town.... she thought to herself. I wonder if Beach City is anywhere near here..... I even wonder if we're anywhere near the coast. she thought with an inward sigh.

When the strange boy asked where she was from, she shifted uncomfortably. Technically, as a Gem, she was from space, but she wasn't sure how well the human would take that news. And she wasn't exactly sure where on the continent they were, since she wasn't sure if it had changed in the last 6,000 years. She didn't want to scare him.

"By the coast," she said simply, "I haven't been home in a while. I was visiting in far away lands, and I haven't been to my home in a while...." said Emerald, trying to be as vague about her age as possible. She may look around twenty three, but she was a lot older then she looked.

"You haven't?" Malm asked slightly depressed. During his travels, he's met quite a few people who have been forcibly taken from their home and families because of Fiore being transported to Pandora. It's been hard on everyone. Hopefully what Kaseki said about the rest of Earthland joining Pandora will prove to become true.

"Uhh... Sorry about. I was just reminded of something unpleasant. Anyways, I would like to help show you around, but I have a friend that I really should find. Don't tell her that I said this, but it's the anniversary since my friend left her home too, and she still is kind of depressed about it." He explained to her. Probably saying more then she really cared about.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Emerald with sincerity, dipping her head in acknowledgement. She never truly understood human emotions, but she knew how depression could be. After all, wouldn't you be depressed if you were stuck in a tight space for 6,000 years? Nearly 1/3 of her life, she had spent in that tiny ball. Oh, how she wished she had been able to do more for that rebellion. But that was in the past. What she cared about right now was helping her friends with taking down those who wished to cause this planet harm. She wouldn't bother this one with that news, of course.

Blinking, Emerald asked, curious, "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name. Mine's Emerald, It's nice to meet you," she said, extending a hand, "I understand how you feel, and I wouldn't mind helping you look for your friend, if I'm not too much of a nuisance."

"Oh uhh... Sorry." Malm said slightly embarrassed that he forgot to introduce himself. "I'm Malm, and this little girl is Phosphera. It's nice to meet you Emerald." He told Emerald as reached out and shook her hand.

"If you really want to. I wouldn't mind the assistance. I could even show you around in the process. Just to warn you though, we're going to end up passing through a lot of taverns along the way." He told her before taking the lead.

"Oh, I would appreciate that, if you could show me around, I mean!" She said with a kind smile at the boy. He sure was being nice, offering to show her around. After all, this was a strange location. Somewhere she had never set foot in, despite being thousands of years old. Perhaps Pandora was just meant to be a mystery. Oh well.

"That's fine with me," she added, when Malm mentioned the taverns. She would like a tour guide around this mysterious city. Well, it wasn't very mysterious, but she could still get herself very lost within it very quickly. She quickly followed after him.

"Well then. I guess there's no better place then to start here." Malm said as he decided to begin the tour, "We are currently in the market district. You can find just about anything you need here. The stores here even started having products from the other worlds in Pandora. So this has kind of became Fiore's one stop place for any one on the go." He said proudly as he led her around the Market District.

They then soon came across the first tavern. The name The Sleeping Pony was hung by a sign right above the entrance. The building itself looked pretty old, but was in no way in disrepair. The only sign of damage at all is some stubborn scorch marks left by the war a few years ago.

"You can stay here if you want. I'm just gonna pop in real quick and see if my friends in there." He said as he began heading towards the door.