Claraina Arrives

[Claraina]

I am not Superhuman

All Claraina could see, could comprehend, was complete and utter darkness. There was no sense other than of self as if she were the only thing that existed. It was a terrifyingly dreadful sensation, one that gripped her like the icy fingers of death and threatened to drive her to the depths of insanity. The only saving grace from such loneliness came in the vague shape of a person.

Omni it had said its name was, its only defining features being the masculinity of its seemingly ethereal form and the mouth that smiled wide and friendly as it spoke. Though knowing not whom Omni was, as the only other soul around Claraina had the natural inclination to reach out to it for comfort, only to find there was nothing she could do but think and listen. So she did, thoughts clouded with questions that Omni answered freely as if to put her at ease.

One response came with a gift and upon its presentation the unconquerable fear that had sub-consciously held her trapped in her own body was broken, the child's natural vanity and greed drawn to the beautiful globe of colors. Claraina clasped it to her breast as if it alone could bring her salvation. However, the way Omni described it to her reminded her of her own beliefs in how the universe, and all of reality, worked; Mana. The building blocks from which all things came and returned, that which nothing could exist without.

Before her dread of the darkness could fully resurface through the moment of peace, Omni concluded their conversation and released the girl from Hell, sending her instead to what some may consider the Gates of Heaven. White that made even snow seem dull and gray stretched out all around her for an eternity, broken in only nine locations; the wondrous multi-tiered fountain from which the purest of water flowed and eight distant structures that appeared to lead to realms beyond this one. The existence of other life at those distant peaks was lost in the haze of her swimming vision.

The revelation of her new surroundings was a quick observation, one that faded to the back of her mind as she searched within herself for all else that seemed lost. There was so much she felt she should know and be capable of but did and was not. Her own past was fuzzy. The faces of her family were like time-worn photographs that came in blurs at the best of times and their names sounded garbled as though she were underwater. A world forgotten as she was thrust into a new, foreign one.

Those thoughts made her fear from before manifest once more and she collapsed into a worthless puddle of sorrow before the majestic fountain. The sound of its flowing waters muffled the sobs that shook her small body, which lay curled beneath her thick blanket of blood-red hair. Consumed by grief, she clutched desperately at the Omnilium in her hands, the only thing in this new existence she knew and understood.

[Claraina]

Claraina awoke with a start, realizing she had eventually cried herself to sleep. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes with a fist, she stretched and then yawned before bringing the stuffed animal gripped in her other hand up into her line of sight. She knew she had not had it before drifting off into slumber and, while she could not be certain, she believed she had not slept for long and there was no one within walking distance that could have given it to her. Then came the realization that she had brought it into being from a desire for companionship, summoned by the strength Mana gave her. "Omnilium, Mana; whatever it is called, it gave you to me, Tiggerias Barthalamew Carine. My little Tigger." So named, she hugged the animal tightly before letting her eyes roam.

The rest had given her time to recover and reboot. With a clearer head she again studied her surroundings. If she squinted and shaded her eyes from all directions with both hands, she could just make out the fact that each of the distant doorways was different from one another. It was clear to her this realm existed as a crossroads from which one could reach all manner of destinations. Claraina had personal doubts as to these nine being the only realities.

"Verses," the child said to Tigger in a soft and somber voice, still not entirely happy with her current predicament. "Omni said that this was the Omniverse." Standing and spinning on a heel with a finger to her chin, her friend caught in the crook of her other arm, Claraina thought as she carelessly twirled with the perfect balance of a ballerina. "Without Omnilium, you are nothing. If you are nothing, you are dead. If you are dead, you have no life. All life comes from Mana. Omnilium. Whichever." The momentum of her twist came to a close and she settled her feet, standing tall with her back to the fountain and Tigger in her out-stretched hands. After a soft sigh she said in a whisper, "Your life in the palm of my hands."

"I will find it if I desire it," she paraphrased more loudly the God of this Omniverse, realizing that just like all life, should her Will and want of power be sufficient she would find it. If she ever wished to leave this place and return to her home, it was theoretically possible for her to acquire the strength necessary to make it so. Bringing Tigger close, she stroked tenderly at his little ears. Then she told him, "We have much to do, my dear."

Claraina's decision was clear. Out of sitting there and wallowing in misery or going and doing something about it there was only one choice she would make. "Besides," she said to her friend with a chipper and song-like tone of voice while crouching, "We will always be together!" Then she sprung up from the ground while spinning rapidly. The twirl of her long twin-tails made her like a geyser of gore spraying upward from the edge of the fountain. At the summit of her jump the curtain parted and from this far off she could just make out a natural looking archway of wood and greenery.

After her landing, Claraina headed Northeast towards The Tangled Green, merrily whistling a simple tune to Tigger and herself as she skipped, covering several meters with each prancing bound.

Tigger

[Erza Scarlet]

It was a strange roller coaster of emotion, this day was. Waking up in a hospital bed, somehow perfectly healthy after being eviscerated in brutal combat. Her strength, and magic, coming back. Hearing of or watching her new friends be slain much as she herself was, only to shortly realize they were also perfectly fine just as she was. A chance encounter with a lighthearted and grinning (for once) Harry Dresden, only for him to be pulled away in but a moment at the next hint of danger. She was entirely unsure of how she really felt about the whole thing, but was distracted from her emotions by a sudden need to fight a strange and seemingly-unprompted urge to make for the nearest beach.

That was not the only imminent distraction, however. Coming bounding towards her was a very young-looking girl, certainly no older than she had been before being snatched from her hometown. The girl didn't really bear any resemblance to Erza, save for the flowing, crimson hair, and yet the sight of one so innocent, experiencing that bouncy piece of childhood Erza had had cut in half, effected a pang of nostalgia, and sympathy. She looked happy now, distracted and bounding about with a detached curiosity about her, but Erza knew that in this place, such mannerisms could only last for so long before the weight of this new, bloody world set in.

Still, she felt an irrational responsibility to help the girl put that off for as long as humanly possible.

It was with a heavy heart and an unflinchingly cheerful visage that the scarlet-wreathed warrior sauntered into the less-than-predictable path of her newly acquired target who, in her observation of the strangeness about, had managed to foresee and avoid a collision with the armored one. The girl didn't even slow for a moment as her curious and unintimidated gaze turned up towards that single piece of her surroundings that had seemed to take an interest in her. She continued her bouncing routine, having begun to flitter about Erza like a butterfly scouting out a plant before deciding whether it's a flower or a trap. Erza deigned not to attempt to follow the girl's unpredictable trajectory as such a feat, while well within her realm of power, would leave her uncomfortably lightheaded. She instead chose to close her eyes for a moment, lowering her head and smirking. This one is smart to approach me with caution. She nodded softly in assertion of her own mildly-bloated self-image.

When she again opened her eyes, the girl was standing only a few feet in front of her, finally stationary, sporting a bright, toothy grin like only a child can truly pull off. Her assessment was complete.

And with that, Erza's heart again melted just enough to turn her plastered smile into a genuine one as she held out her arm, sword clattering to the ground at her side. "Erza Scarlet at your service. And you?"

[Claraina]

Claraina did not even break her stride as the woman Erza Scarlet stepped into her path. In fact, the child, whom had been by this point leaping to the greatest heights her legs could propel her, landed upon her toes and the balls of her feet, elegantly slipping into a low crouch with her fingers tenderly caressing the ground. This harmlessly dispensed the force of her momentum into the white below as she took a deep breath.

Then her head snapped up and she laughed as she leapt over the woman with a slow front-flip, one which allowed Claraina to keep Erza in her view at all times. The twin-tails of the child's hair flared out behind her like brilliant and luxurious red ribbons, often coming close to but never quite touching Scarlet. Claraina's eyes recorded the woman like cameras, taking photographic images that were burned into her young mind. She took a small breath after landing in an arch, giggling as she twirled on her toes while standing straight amidst the puddle of her crimson strands. As the woman closed her eyes and smirked, Claraina threw herself into a cart-wheel off to the side.

With a full breath she let loose a successful somersault so that Claraina soared above Erza, landing with a spin that coiled the youth's legs beneath her even as her twin-tails spiraled around her like springs.The child breathed out, sprung up and barrel rolled through the air behind the woman, only to inhale and flip forward with a full aerial twist and a half that sent her hair whirling. By the end Claraina had seen Scarlet from many sides and angles, ensuring the child would be unlikely to mistake who Scarlet was, even at a distance.

She had also heard many sounds, like the ring of Erza's armor, the rustle of her clothes, the rasp of her breath and the rhythm of her heart, all from different positions around her body, ensuring the girl would be able to hear Erza clearly at the edge of her senses. With a helpful wind the girl could follow the woman even further, as with each breath Claraina took she learned more of Scarlet's particular aroma. This close the girl could really breathe deep and slow, working out Erza's scent from amongst the others around her.

Their eyes met and the moment those mirrors to their souls aligned something silent passed unseen between them. Erza discarded her weapon and reached out, to which Claraina responded instantly by shooting up and into a hearty, laughing embrace with the woman. Her armor groaned beneath the tight squeeze and Erza was taken aback by the girl's strength, eyes roaming the youngster's form as if she could see the power that lay within. There was an odd sense of weight to the child as well, for despite her thin and fey look she was hefty.

Erza managed to keep anything as evident as shock from her features as she was released, her smile remaining as she knelt down with the child. Claraina brushed a hand through her hair and pulled Tigger to her belly so she could rub his. While the armor provided a disconnect between them, Claraina was also learning Erza through her touch, seating herself atop the woman's thigh and resting into the support of one of her arms.

Erza's voice had sung to the child, a melodic sound she was unlikely to ever forget. In the young warrior Claraina had heard the latent talent of her voice, present but undernourished, hidden amongst her other strengths like a sapling amongst the trees she had cared for and grown. With proper cultivation Claraina believed that Erza Scarlet, a servant to Good and those in need, could sing with the beauty of even the most lauded singers in this Verse or the next, growing that sapling to rival even the most ancient of oaks. Eager to hear more, the child introduced herself.

"Erza Scarlet," she began so as to ensure she would better remember the woman's enchanting name, "I am Claraina Carine." Her voice was sweet and strong but quiet enough she was not yelling at the woman, even if she was obviously quite excited. "I am very pleased to meet you as is Tigger!" With that she presented her stuffed tiger to Erza's eyes, adorably waving one of his little paws at the woman.

[Claraina]

The woman and child, Erza Scarlet and Claraina Carine, exchanged their greetings and pleasantries with one another. The introduction of Tigger, in particular, had the Scarlet Maiden's eyes sparkling with an intensity to match the younger girl's own. Their talk soon revealed they both were headed for the same place but at different times. Erza wanted to check a few things elsewhere first while Claraina wished to begin exploring immediately. She reached an uneasy compromise with Erza, whom was not entirely happy with the decision but agreed because she realized the girl was telling the truth.

"You take care of what you must while I go on ahead. I am going to look around and we could meet up later."

Perhaps it was Claraina's honest innocence or the spring of happiness that seemed to flow endlessly from her that kept Erza from asking for something more detailed and concrete. Sure, the girl had told the truth. She was going to look around but how far she was going to look she never said or set limits to. Similarly, the two of them could indeed meet at a later point in time; however, that could be anywhere from minutes to years away as far as either of them could guess. Miss Scarlet would possibly later realize this was why she had felt a little unsettled by letting the girl go alone but by the time she had figured it out Claraina would be gone.

The moment the trio had parted ways the youngster had dispelled Tigger back into the Mana from which she had spawned him and took his essence into the safety of herself. With soaring somersaults and fantastic flips Claraina sprang dozens of meters into the air. She would pick up speed with carefully coordinated cartwheels and hand-springs, bounding around endlessly and unerringly towards her destination. Just as her senses had made her aware of Erza before reaching the woman, with the same level of certainty Claraina front-flipped and vanished through the portal to The Tangled Green.

Claraina will next appear in The Tangled Green

[Erza Scarlet]

Erza knelt carefully on the strangely-iridescent ground, observing as Claraina and her stuffed animal bounded off for the Tangled Green. The girl's hair seemed to interact with the air differently from Erza's own; while hers had to be rather strictly tied up to keep a style and just sort of got messier as the day went by, Claraina's almost seemed to bounce about of its own accord, retaining its approximate shape as it wove and flapped with the girl's chosen method of transportation.

She let out an unconscious sigh, wishing she could have stuck together with the heart-warming specimen, but there was much to be done, dangerous stuff, that she didn't want to pull kids into for no reason other than her own selfishness. She didn't have the time to simply watch over the girl as she wandered about.

First things first: Apparently the Dataverse was the new cool, hip thing to do, at least according to those few people who hadn't run in fear when she'd approached them about finding her newfound allies from the Abyss. Though she had no clue what maintenance of such a device might entail, actually acquiring one seemed a simple enough process. She remained kneeling on the pale, ever-reaching floor, closed her eyes, and concentrated the glowing power of her inner Omnillium into her fingertips as she extended her hands forward.

There was a long moment of uncomfortably short breath as she felt the pure, unadulterated power seep from her, forming an object in her hands. For a moment, she could feel the cold steel of her collar wrapping about her neck, stealing her inner fire yet again, but then it was over, it was done, and there was no taking it back. The loss of power made Erza shiver in a light bout of nausea, but that quickly cleared as her excitement took over. In her hands sat a small, metal box that could, as others had described it, "connect to anyone and anywhere through the Dataverse."

Erza allowed a chill to travel down her body as she considered the possibilities. If contacting home were an option... Well, nobody had mentioned it, and it did seem rather far-fetched since her world lacked even the barest notion of a "Dataverse," but if there was any semblance of a chance, she was going to take it.

First things first, though - Figuring out how this thing works.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After dithering about for a bit with the thing, she gave up. Erza was almost entirely clueless as far as finding specific people in the Dataverse, though one conversation she'd found involved a character suspiciously similar to Samus in appearance. Not a great lead, but something to work with, all things considered.

She slowly stood, pulling at the neck of her breastplate to drop the metal block into a pocket hidden in the supple leather that made up its interior. It's a bit uncomfortable, but it fits well en-

*Thunk*

Erza slumped to the ground and the bright whiteness of the Nexus quickly faded to black.