In need of assistance...

[Cloud]

"A General...?" Zack asked himself, peeking around the corner to keep an eye on this little talk. He looked away a second, crossing his arms and thinking a bit. He tried to recollect how he'd gotten here, and here was this guy who clearly was in the same boat as him, and a General to boot! Maybe this guy could help him piece together what was going on here? Then again, if he didn't, he couldn't be any worse for the wear, right?

It was decided before Zack even had the idea fully fleshed out in his head. He ran around the corner, up to the General and placed a hand on his shoulder. "YO! Zola! There you are!" he improvised, based on what he had heard. "I've been looking everywhere for ya! Hey, kids, I got this from here! Thanks a ton!" he said, trying to ease the military-man away.

Once out of earshot, he'd whisper to Zolapaz. "Look, I'm not 100% sure we really know each other, I just know that my old bosses liked to dress kinda like you, so I figured you might know something... Name's Zack, SOLDIER 1st Class."

[kefka]

[glow=Gray,2,300]Kefka's Nobody twitched, not because of the touch, as he was not shocked; instead, Zolapaz spasmed only in confusion of what he should have been doing: going to find the traveling circus, or finding a hospital. He put on a look of confusion, staring into a puddle just to assure himself he hadn't grown cold.

When Zack Fair arrived, however, he simply turned, his expression changing back to a look of emptiness. Tilting his head, he produced a smile. "Why hello there, Zack," he said with a bow. "I'm not quite sure I know you myself. Did I kill a member of your family in a past life? Shall I make retributions? May I help you?"[/glow]

[Philemon]

A passage of black and cold was what rushed past, seemingly endless. When it finally ended, the soft light of a setting sun greeted me. After a long time of nothingness and darkness, I, Firion, finally feel light. Falling out of the tunnel, I land on my hands and knees, coughing for some reason other than physical. My body feels very weak, and I can hardly keep myself up. Beyond my coughing, I can hear nearby voices. It's hard to discern the words, though they sound so close. Maybe that darkness has done something to my body. I remember having such sharp ears, and being strong enough to keep standing, even under the weight of my weapons, my armor, and heavy injury.

The haziness starts to part while my coughing begins to lessen. The voices are still blurred to my ears, but at least there's some warmth returning to my body. I can only focus on trying to recover my ability to think clearly before considering the company into which I have fallen.

[Cloud]

"Ooo...kayyy..." Zack muttered, seeming confused by this guy. Did he do what in a past life? That seemed...a bit out there. He coughed, then looked off. "Far as I know, my folks are okay... I was kinda hoping you would know what's going on, but if you don-"

He didn't get to finish. Suddenly, above them, a swirling black... cloud(?) appeared, then belched out some guy completely randomly! He jumped back, giving the guy some room to land, but when he looked up to see what the heck had done it, the cloud was gone. No evidence it even existed remained. "Whoah... wierd..."

That's when he looked down. He didn't recognize the guy, but it wasn't in his nature to leave a guy layin' on the ground. He reached down and tried to help the multi-weapon'd dude up. "Nasty fall there, guy..." he said, trying to help the guy to his feet. "Where the heck did you come from?"

He looked to Zolapaz here, shrugging a bit. "If you still wanna help, I think we should get this guy laid up somewhere... And figure out what the heck's going on, cause I don't know about you, but I don't think living 'It's Rainin' Men' is as fun as the song sounds..."

[kefka]

[glow=gray,2,300]Zolapaz shrugged as this newcomer arrived, and tilted his head downward and knelt, poking the man with an extended finger.

"I suppose," he said, another finger resting on his lips, his eyes wide--very wide--to examine this new man. "This person's equipment may come to use at some point in the future, and being unconscious, I think, gives us full access. We could even bring him somewhere safe and just take them. It isn't as if he'll be needing them to sleep. He looks uncomfortable."

He stood up and walked off, not turning his head to look back and see if Zack would follow. "I don't carry the dead, so you'll just have to manage. I'm sure the hospital is this way. That's where the boy pointed, and if not we'll be sure to find them again."[/glow]

[Philemon]

I can feel one of them come close and poke at me. His words flash in and out of perception, but something about taking my weapons and being unconscious. "I am not unconscious, whoever you are... And... Never will these be taken from me..." I can feel more warmth coursing through me, my body regaining its strength. Slowly, I get to my feet, though a bit unsteady, and look at the two of them.

The one who was making jocular commentary is a black-haired young man with a large sword on his back. At second glance, I realize the sword reminds me a great deal of Cloud and his Buster Sword. Was this a friend of Cloud, perhaps? The other individual, walking away from me and this other person, has blond hair tied back in a high tail and wears a long trench coat. While I don't trust that person, for even mentioning stealing my weapons, I somehow feel I can trust his 'companion'.

"You," I start, addressing the black-haired warrior. "You asked where I came from? That is a little hard to answer. I am not sure myself. My sense of time was thrown off, too, so I don't know how long I was trapped in that place. I am originally from Radiant Garden, but I was sent to some strange plane of existence when the Heartless took over that world. Only now have I finally been able to arrive at something resembling a full world." I shake my head, sighing. "It seems I even lost my manners... My name is Firion. And yours?"

[Cloud]

Zack would roll his eyes a little at Zolapaz's comments, helping the man to walk as he did. "He's not dead yanno! Just kunked out. And even so, we can't just take his stuff and leave him alone...". Really, for a General, this guy was kinda leaning toward the "bad guy" end of the spectrum. Zack was about to make a comment on the matter when suddenly the guy started to talk on his own!

"I am not unconscious, whoever you are... And... Never will these be taken from me..."

"Heh. Now that's the spirit!" Zack said with a smile, trying to encourage the dizziness to leave the guy so he could walk on his own, though he did keep the man's arm over his shoulders as they made their way to the hospital, following the less-than-sympathetic Zolapaz.

"You asked where I came from? That is a little hard to answer. I am not sure myself. My sense of time was thrown off, too, so I don't know how long I was trapped in that place. I am originally from Radiant Garden, but I was sent to some strange plane of existence when the Heartless took over that world. Only now have I finally been able to arrive at something resembling a full world. It seems I even lost my manners... My name is Firion. And yours?"

Zack chuckled a bit, just glad the guy was coming around. "Name's Zack. SOLDIER, 1st class. The walking statue in the trenchcoat up there's Zolapaz. We're trying to figure out what's been going on, cuz I can't even remember the past few years, and I don't think he remembers much of anything..." he shrugged a bit, half because he didn't know what was going on, half to hike Firion up a bit so he didn't drag.

"So, Firion, totin' a lot of gear, man. Call me crazy, but doesn't that bog ya down a little? I mean, it's a bit heavy not that I'm complainin'..."

[Philemon]

He certainly is a lot different from Cloud. Cloud was always very silent and not too friendly, but this man is almost the opposite. He reminds me of someone else I once knew...

The comment on my equipment breaks me from my train of thought, leaving me room to give a light laugh.

"I have had all of this for a long time, Zack; reminders of the friends I made on my journey. My body is strong enough to handle carrying all of it without a problem. Though, I should ask the same about you and that sword you have. That probably weighs more than all my weapons combined." While I speak to Zack, I take note of my surroundings. This is a quiet-looking town, quite different from Radiant Garden. It makes me wonder what brought me to this world in particular. I also realize that this person is actually helping me walk. I must have been so lost in my mind to not notice this simple fact.

"I'll be fine on my own now, Zack. Thank you," I add in and slowly take my weight off him, standing on my own. The numbness is wearing off fast enough that I can now walk normally. At the least, I know this black-haired swordsman is a good person. I must have seemed rather weak when I arrived. "Whatever happened to me is wearing off now."

[kefka]

[glow=Gray,2,300]"So it is official," remarked the general, addressing the two behind him. "we are heading for the hospital and not following the circus, then? Because there it is in the distance; I can say honestly that it is a miracle to have found it so soon. I dare say the circus--being a mobile association--would be much more difficult to locate."

The Nobody stopped, and turned on his feet, his body making slight dance-like movements as he did so. If he noticed them himself, he didn't seem to care. He shrugged, his hands on both hips and tilted his head.

"So who exactly is supposed to go in? Me? Or that man? I was told I should check in by the blond-haired boy earlier, and couldn't tell why. So there is potentially something wrong with me I must have looked out, yes?" Scratching his chin he thought about the words of Seifer and his gang.

"Surely they wouldn't have advised me to seek assistance had nothing been wrong with me--are you sure, Zack, I did not attack you at some point? I'm pretty sure I did. You look like the kind of person I'd have raged against in a past life."

Again the Clown's shell shrugged his shoulders and waved for the two men to follow as he led them up the tall steps to Twilight Medical. At the front desk Zolapaz inadvertently caused a scene:

"Well I'm unsure whether or not I had an appointment; like I told you previously I'm unsure why I'm here. I was told to come, and here I am. And this man is somewhat injured, I'm led to believe. If you could help, that would probably provoke happiness in these companions. I don't know."[/glow]

[Cloud]

Zack let Firion onto his own feet then shook his head a bit at Zolapaz's odd... behavior. He was pretty sure he hadn't been attacked. He would have remembered that. The best he could do for now was nod to Firion before walking into Twilight Medical with his party.

When Zolapaz went up and started up a scene, Zack sighed. "Hold on a sec, Firion..." he said, then went to the desk and put a hand on Zola's shoulder. "Sorry about that, miss... the three of us are suffering from some kind of amnesia. We don't know if we have appointments, so it's probably best we just sign in and wait in the emergancy room, right?" he smiled, turning on his charm to keep the lady from calling the orderlies on them.

He even leaned on the desk and smiled winningly to her. "But yanno... I'm pretty sure I've never met a woman as pretty as yourself..." he winked, prompting a little giggle from the nurse. She consented to let them all sign in, using whatever information they could remember, and they'd be admitted immediately as emergancy cases. She handed Zack three clipboards and pens, which he took with a wink and a smile.

He handed one to Firion, and the other to Zolapaz. "Alright, nurse says we fill in what we can, then the doctor sees us. Once we figure out what's going on, we can make a plan from there, right? And Zola, man... might wanna play it cool about the likelihood of killing people..." he said that last bit rather quietly. Looking at his paperwork, he leaned against a wall and got started.

"Name? Zack. Sex? Male... okay, easy so far... Have you been sexually active in the last year? Uhhh...." he blinked, not entirely sure on that one. "Unknown?"

[Philemon]

I tentatively take the paper from Zack, but do nothing with it. I am not injured in any way, so it seems pointless to do something like this. "I do not need a healer. Also, I have no problem with my memory. I simply do not have a lot to remember from that place." I place the paper back on the counter and walk away from it. "Sorry, I am going to wait outside."

Getting back into the light of the setting sun feels a lot better than they may think. I spent a lot of time wandering a place that threatened to make me nonexistent, and then arriving at a hopeless shore of darkness. The only healing I need is being in the sun and breathing fresh, untainted air.

Which reminds me... What was that black tunnel I went through? When I came to after my respite, there was that dark portal. Then I entered, and I was rushed through the tunnel, coming out right near those two in a completely different world. Is there some kind of fate bringing me here? Or does someone expect me to do something in this place, with these two strange folk?

At the least, breathing free air is helping calm my thoughts. I can make my decisions with more clarity. I know that I don't trust this Zolapaz character, but Zack is another story. Though they are so different, he does remind me of Cloud in some ways. Maybe he can help me find Squall and the others, wherever they are, and then find a way of returning to Radiant Garden. It may be beneficial to go with Zack for now, even if it means being in the presence of someone I do not trust.

I close my eyes and inhale slowly, releasing it just as slow. I will simply wait for the two of them to finish their healing and then ask Zack what he knows.

[Cloud]

Zack watched as Firion stepped outside, blinking once or twice at the guy's sudden decision. "Uhm... alright, if that's your call..." he said, shrugging a bit. He'd have thought that the guy would be curious what was up with his head that he couldn't remember, or at the very least what had just happened to him, but apparently it wasn't that big of a deal. He just shook his head and handed in his information.

Not that it did him much good. The doctors took maybe ten minutes with him tops, determined he was in perfect health, then kicked him out. He blinked, feeling a little ripped off, seeing as he couldn't remember the past few years. Kind of a massive discrepancy, he'd have thought, but according to the doctors he was "just looking for attention". He grumbled as he stepped outside now, hoping Zolapaz got some better information as he found Firion and leaned on a wall near him.

"Jeesh, Doctors. Do they really KNOW anything?" he asked, shrugging a bit. Last doctor he knew really was Dr. Hojo and that guy was a wack job. He crossed his arms and waited for Zola, seeing as he did feel like they were all kinda in the same boat and should stick together, even if he wasn't 100% fond of the weird General guy. Come to think of it, he did sort of remind him of Hojo... same kinda distant attitude, same lack of caring for life around him. At least he wasn't openly hurting people, and seemed as confused about himself as they were.

He looked now to Firion again, smiling a bit. "So, Radiant Garden, huh? I spent some time there back when I was training with Phil. You ever been to see Phil? Over at the Collosseum?"

[kefka]

[glow=gray,2,300]Zolapaz wrote down his information--what he knew now and of what he knew as a whole of Kefka--and handed the clipboard back to the nurse at the counter. He waited for his time to be called and, when that moment arrived, he entered the doctor's medical room and sat where instructed, and the doctor arrived with a horrified expression.

The doctor ranted on and on about how Zolapaz shouldn't have been there, not after all the terrible things he'd done in the past, and Zolapaz simply shrugged. "It was in a past life, I'm sure," he said simply, before walking out with the doctor's thrown objects. He left the hospital with his arms folded dutifully behind him and turned his head to meet his companions.

"It appears I am not wanted in there, so says Doctor Saffron; apparently I killed an entire wing of burnt children some time ago, though I do not recall...and, well, it doesn't matter. Should we press on then? I suppose we could go lolly-gagging around. It's up to the two of you?"[/glow]

[Philemon]

I hear Zack's voice break the silence around me. In response to his question, I shake my head. "I do not know anyone by that name. I never left Radiant Garden before the attack, but I did know about other worlds because of Ansem the Wise." I turn to face Zack, ready to ask him my own questions.

"Do you know someone named Cloud? Blond, spiky hair, has a sword a lot like yours, a bit of a sullen fellow who wears black. You have an air about you that reminds me of him: not personality, but something else. Does any of this sound familiar to you?" If he knows Cloud, then it's a safe bet that he's also from Radiant Garden. He did mention having lost some memories, so it could be he is from the same place as me. If he doesn't remember yet is from that world, then maybe just hearing Cloud's name could bring something back to him.

[Cloud]

"Cloud?" Zack asked, considering this for a bit. He looked off a second, memories of his time with Cloud flooding in. Specifically, his final memory... was that real?

He smiled a bit, despite dark thoughts of fighting off all those infantrymen... of what lead up to it... invading his mind. "Yeah, I knew Cloud! Country boy from Nibelheim. 'Course... I knew him when he was just an infantryman with ShinRa. Never ran into him outside of work, really..." he shrugged. "Haven't seen him in a while though... part of the reason I'm so confused about things, I guess..." He paused here, then looked to Firion with a concerned look. "Big sword like mine...?" he asked, trailing off. That wasn't right... Cloud was just a grunt, he carried a gun... unless... Zack lifted a hand to touch his forehead, straining to figure out what happened AFTER that final showdown. He remembered giving Cloud Angeal's buster sword... and then...

"It appears I am not wanted in there, so says Doctor Saffron; apparently I killed an entire wing of burnt children some time ago, though I do not recall...and, well, it doesn't matter. Should we press on then? I suppose we could go lolly-gagging around. It's up to the two of you?"

Zack looked up to see Zola walking up to them. He blinked, looking a bit freaked out. "What the heck? Killing kids? Either that doctor's got you confused for someone, or you were one sick puppy before you lost your memories..." he tapped his head a bit, then looked to Firion with a shrug. "I dunno... with everyone so blank, and everyone telling us we're fine, it's hard to tell who to believe any more..."

He sighed, then smiled brightly, and held a hand out between the two guys. "All I know is us nut-cases need to stick together. Maybe if we retrace our steps, we can figure it all out. C'mon guys! All for one...?"