6th l o s t s o u l ~ [Voice]

[mmmfilletofsoul]

[The video feed is dark. It's very early in the morning and the sun hasn't quite come up yet. The voice on the other end should be familiar to a few, but she should sound uncharacteristically shaken.]

[And you would be too if you suddenly woke up and couldn't see anything.]

I am not sure exactly what has occured, but I seem to have suddenly found myself to be blind.

[A pause.] That is to say, blind in terms of an illusionist. It seems I cannot sense anything anymore.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, as I am uncertain as to what I should do in a situation like this...


[ooc: Cheyenne has been turned into a flame eleman! She's essentially a human with the ability to create fire at will. And with exception to her usual lack of emotions, all of her illusionist abilities and powers are gone.]

Comments

[Voice] this is his sleepy face |D

[fabrecation]

[Cheyenne has... probably worked everything out by the time Luke gets the message, considering it's about noon when he wakes up. Still, the message leaves him concerned, even as he blinks groggily at the journal.]

Blind...?

[Voice]

[illusional]

[Why yes, she does have it worked out by the time noons rolls around, you lazy bum. And there are now two bright blue eyes looking back at you, Luke.]

I suppose blind was not the best word to use, given I am normally considered blind by most villagers...

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

[That-

is not a blindfold. Luke blinks a couple more times before his eyes go wide with surprise.]

... Wait, where did your blindfold go?

[Voice]

[illusional]

[She reaches up and touches her hand to her cheek, just below her eyes.] I have no need for it. When I awoke this morning, I was no longer an illusionist.

I'm certain an experiment is to blame... it is all rather strange, really.

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

Not... an illusionist?

[... Hold up, Luke squeezes his eyes shut for a few seconds before looks down at the journal again. Okay, she's still there, still has blue eyes and no blindfold. Here Luke was thinking he might have still been dreaming.]

So... You can see now? Everything? ... Even me?

[Voice]

[illusional]

No. Were I capable of seeing everything, I would still be capable of seeing your soul. [She almost sounds a little disappointed.] However, I believe my sight now functions in the same manner as your own.

[She leans a little closer and looks Luke over.] ...how interesting, that your soul looks so different from your true appearance. Not that such a thing ought to be surprising...

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

[It shouldn't be such a shock to hear her keep talking about his soul like that, but it is. It's probably something Luke will always be surprised by... He absently reaches a hand towards his chest, but then lets it drop back on the table.]

Y-Yeah... I guess people would look different from their souls, huh?

[Voice]

[illusional]

If they did not, then altering one's appearance would in turn alter their soul. As far as I am aware, such a thing is impossible.

Although there seems to be some connection. I notice your eyes are rather close to the hue I see when I look at your soul.

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

Oh... Oh, that's right, huh? [If there were a mirror nearby, he'd look into it, but alas...

After a pause, Luke suddenly smiles and leans forward a bit with excitement.]

Hey, let's meet up somewhere!

[Voice]

[illusional]

Meet up? [Tilting her head to the side.] Although I am not against such an offer, I must confess I am uncertain how well I will be able to navigate through the village on my own. Even my room looks far different from how I sense it to be...

[And so begins: The Week Cheyenne Spent Lost Outside in the Village Somewhere.]

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

... I guess everything would look different.

Uh... Do you know where you live? I could come find you.

[Voice]

[illusional]

Yes, it's community building 6. Although I do hope it isn't too much trouble. I am aware that I live rather out of the way relative to the rest of the village.

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

It's no trouble or anything. Here, let me come find you.

[Except he didn't ask what room number she was in. It's some time later after he's in the building and staring at the rooms that he thinks to take his journal out again.]

Uh... Hey, Cheyenne, what's your room number?

[Action]

[illusional]

[Cheyenne had set her journal down and wasn't there to answer when he asked his question. However, she had been waiting by the door for him to arrive and, seeing as she lives on the first floor, could hear Luke's voice in the hallway.]

[She hadn't seen anyone in person like this before. She almost feels... excited? Perhaps that's it. Somewhat cautiously, she opens her door and peeks out into the hall.]

[And this is the face looking up at him.]

[Ohai.]

...Luke?

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[Luke took another second to peer at the journal, since he at first thought she was answering through there, but once he noticed that her voice definitely wasn't coming from there, he blinked and looked up from it to look at her.

It's kind of weird, seeing her without a blindfold and with blue eyes like that. But he only stares for a few seconds before he smiles, waves and heads over to her.]

Cheyenne! I guess this is your room number, huh?

[Action]

[illusional]

[Cheyenne opens the door and just... kinda stares for a second. He's taller than she is, she expected that, but it's different than looking at his soul. Rather than Luke being the focal point of her vision, he's become part of the scenery around him.]

[And while a dimly lit hallway might be a boring setting to most, for someone who's never really seen one before, it's incredible. She had no idea what the emotion she's feeling right now is (happiness? perhaps awe?) but she's not even aware that her jaw has dropped open and her lips curled into a small smile. Even her eyes seem to have grown a bit wider.]

[And then she remembers she has to blink as an eleman, and right away her expression goes back to something more neutral.] ...yes, it is.

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[Maybe Luke couldn't completely understand, having never been blind, but he could relate on a different level. He'd been holed up in a manor for the first seven years of his life, and once he was abruptly thrown out of there, Luke wanted to see everything he possibly could. When he wasn't whining at Tear, he was quietly observing his surroundings, seeing just what the world that he was missing was made of. Sure, he wasn't impressed at first, but that never stopped him from trying to take everything in at once and sometimes missing what one of his companions would say.

And clearly that meant that Cheyenne couldn't stay in her room. So, Luke reaches out to take her hand, mostly just to give her some contact. He hadn't forgotten what he'd told her that day under the tree, how she couldn't touch anyone in any way.]

Come on, I've got something to show you!

[Action]

[illusional]

[While usually Cheyenne would have seen him reaching for her hand, being unable to sense him, she doesn't realize it until he already has her hand.]

[And it feels cool to the touch.]

[Which may not sound too amazing, but when your body temperature is normally that of an ice cube, everything else usually feels warm. As a flame eleman, Cheyenne is now the one who feels warm; the average body temperature of a flame eleman would be the equivalent of a rather nasty fever for a regular person.]

[So, he'll have to forgive her for completely ignoring what he said moments ago and instead reaching up with her free hand and touching it to his chest.] ...my powers are... this is...

[...yeah, she's kinda speechless.]

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[That's okay; he expected something like this, really. It's why he hadn't moved just yet. He's also marveling over the fact that he's not feeling any sort of unpleasant effects; all of the self-hate, insecurity and despair he felt last time he touched her isn't happening at all. He feels the same as always.

His smile turns into a grin once she touches his chest, again amazed that he's just as happy as ever. There's no pressure. No sense of foreboding. He wouldn't have hesitated even if he thought he'd feel all of those things, but it's still pretty amazing.]

Pretty cool, huh?

[Action] /MAKES THIS MOE BECAUSE IT'S SO LATE

[illusional]

[Cheyenne continues to marvel at the touch, feeling Luke's shirt under her fingertips. If she slides her hand up higher, she can feel his chest rise as he breaths. It's warmer than his hand: something she probably wouldn't have noticed before. And it's different from touching someone while sensing their soul... she can't quite explain it, but despite her newfound ability to be physically closer, there's still a sense of distance between them...]

[But that doesn't stop her from taking a step forward and wrapping her arms around Luke, giving him a rather sudden, warm hug.]

[If she knew what "bliss" was, she would probably use it to describe how she's feeling right now.]

[Action] M-M-MOEEEE

[fabrecation]

[The hug nearly threw him off and made Luke tense just a bit. He remembers the last time this happened - things were okay for a while, but then...

... And this isn't what's going to happen now. For now, Cheyenne can touch him and he won't feel any negative side-effects. Luke relaxes when he reminds himself of that. Yeah... This is really surreal, and in a good way.

He's about to make it even more surreal by lifting his arms to return that hug. This is much more different, much warmer than last time. Much... nicer.]

[Action]

[illusional]

[Oh, that definitely made things much more different than they were moments ago. After all, this wasn't just giving someone a hug... this was being hugged by someone else.]

[She isn't quite sure how to categorize the feelings swelling in her chest right now, but they aren't unpleasant feelings. Were they the result of the hug? Is this what it felt like when other creatures embraced?]

[. . .]

[By the way, she doesn't seem to be interested in letting go anytime soon. While the first minute or so is probably rather pleasant who else but Guy wouldn't enjoy a nice hug from a pretty girl? Luke's arms have got to tire eventually.]

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[Yeah... he's definitely had long cuddle sessions with Xion, but this is kind of different. Eventually his arms do get kind of tired, and he can't help feeling a little awkward, as much as he loves just making her happy now that she can see and feel. Speaking of seeing, though...

To try to get her attention, Luke raises one hand to rest it on top of her head.]

Hey, Cheyenne... There's still something I've got to show you.

[Action] /shh this isn't late

[illusional]

[She looks up when she feels that hand on her head, but she still hasn't let go of Luke just yet.]

Something to show me? What is it?

[Action] suuuure |D

[fabrecation]

What the outside looks like.

[He won't move just yet. He wants to be assured that she actually wants to see it first.]

[Action]

[illusional]

Outside... [There was an experiment in the past that had given her eyes to see the village, to see various villagers, but they belonged in the memories of herself as a small child. They were vague, blurry, and difficult to recall.]

[But now? Now she could see everything as it was meant to be seen, as others around her would see them. Just her apartment had looked to be a different world altogether. How would the entire village appear?]

...all right.