On something of an overcast day in Truce, the late afternoon sun lay somewhere beyond the cloud cover above, though the streets of Truce down below were no less active for it. Of these people, a pale-skinned woman easily made her way through the busybodies of the city, seemingly glancing at every third person or so that passed her as if looking, but not too hard, for someone in particular.

Eventually, she found her way to the fountain of Truce, and with a slight amount of care and consideration, placed her behind upon one of the benches set therein, putting her hands in her lap.

Rosetta seemed to be somewhat distracted, purchasing a few travel supplies from a moogle traveling merchant whom had set up shop near the fountain, Kupo!

In between heavy mouth-breaths, Brek glances over some of the people in the square.

Jillian smirks faintly, looking upon the waters of the fountain.  "Even on days like this, the city never seems to hold a moment of rest. It's fascinating, truly."  She speaks openly, but to no one in particular.

A voice! Brek begins drawing in the dirt with his finger in the hopes of avoiding what must could be a scolding.

Rosetta moves closer to the benches by the fountain while snacking on a strip of beef jerky. Observing the pale woman and the Brek.

There is a small flicker of light atop Jillian's left shoulder as a small creature suddenly manifests, looking something like a black bat with a large, steely-gray eyeball in its center, the iris of which is narrow like a cat's. It seems barely three inches in height, total, and merely floats above her shoulder.

Jillian leans forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees, before looking aside at the newly-formed creature.  "Ah, there you are."

Wolves see's what could be a familiar, and motions Brek to take a look.

"..." Brek has ceased doodling in the dirt and casts a cautious side-glance at the stranger and even stranger familiar.

Rosetta tilts her head at the appearance of a creature resembling a mana spirit. Observing the woman closely with slightly narrowed eyes. Noticing Wolves, she waves at his direction, and offers a greeting. "Good afternoon."

Jillian tilts her head slightly, as if listening to something unheard as the little creature bobs about with some intent. She shakes her head, smiling a little. "We won't be out long, I suspect. But it's been awhile since I was last here. Too long, I'm afraid."  She looks back toward the fountain, with a faint glance at the others gathered nearby.

Wolves smiles awkwardly, bright eyes downcast, and says "hello..."

This seems to satisfy the little creature, which does a little mid-air flip and promptly fades away in a localized flare of purple sparkles. Jillian straightens, then, leaning back against the bench.

Wolves gasps but then collects himself after watching the small creature disappear.

As the creature disappears, Brek's eyes widen in awe. "Whurr" he utters.

Jillian crosses one leg over the other, idly, as her green eyes settle upon Brek, and then the other two. "How does the day treat you all, my friends?" She is completely open and unabashed in this question, without even a hint of reservation.

"Whurr bat friend?" asks Brek, crawling towards Jillian but stopping short of getting too close.

Wolves is slightly taken aback that a stranger would be so nonchalant with him, but shakes it off and says "so far so good my lady, and yourself?"

"Oh, the spirit just now? They come and go, much like everyone else. Sometimes they just like to stop and see how people are doing." Jillian smiles genuinely, showing off a small fang in the process.

Rosetta tips the tall wizard hat to the woman before speaking, "Not too eventful. Fancy seeing a spirit around here however, if my eyes don't deceive me."

As he nears her, Brek begins to take in Jillian's appearance in earnest. His cheeks burn hotter with every second. He seems to regret exposing his acumen or lack thereof almost immediately and freezes.

Jillian nods. "Quite. I do better on days where the sun isn't so bright, but every day could be seen as a blessing waiting to happen." She looks at Rosetta, still smiling. "Your eyes are keen, yes. They are everywhere, but don't show themselves often but to select individuals."

Brek rolls his head over ever-so-slightly to see Rosetta. His cheeks redden even more. It's all too much for him and he slowly backs away with his head looking down. He'll be ok.

Rosetta nods in agreement, commenting, "So you must be blessed by Mana." Whenever noticing Brek, she offers a wave as well.

Jillian covers her mouth with a hand, perhaps hiding a giggle. "In a way. But you don't need the blessing of the Goddess to interact with the spirits. If they need you, they'll seek you out.  And the same works in reverse, as well."

Jillian says 'Things often turn out in a way we least expect, and the world suddenly lands in your lap without any warning. The spirits know when they need our aid, and respond in kind.'

Rosetta says 'Very true. They influence everything around us after all. Even the days were named after them. Would you say you have an affinity to Shade, then, miss?'

Jillian has to think about that one for a moment, in order to reach an appropriate answer.  She idly runs a thin finger along the side of her right temple, just under one of her tiny horns. "In a manner of speaking, yes. I have a bit of history with the spirits in general, suffice it to say."

Rosetta bobs her head a few times and offers the woman a jerky snack, along with the words. "I'm see, and am sorry for intruding. Please take this for your time."

With a peculiar smile, Jillian holds a hand up in decline.  "My thanks, but I'm not much for meat." She settles her hands in her lap again. "And there is no intrusion, friend; it was I who invoked communication."

Jillian seems to ponder briefly, very briefly.  "To that end, would you like to hear a story?"  She glances about the immediate area, as if offering to the others present as well.

Wolves blurts out, somewhat awkwardly, "YES I LOVE STORIES PLEASE!"

As puzzled by her turning down a snack as he was by how to get himself an offering of jerky, Brek finds the means to overcome his arousal and ambles towards the bench.

Rosetta puts the jerky back in her bag at the refusal. Scratching her neck and replying, "As you wish... uh I suppose I can stay and listen to your story."

Wolves pats Brek on the shoulder with a friendly smile and whispers to him, "easy there big fella..."

Jillian says 'Very well, then. Please do not feel pressured to stay if business calls you elsewhere.'

Jillian clears her throat.  "Now then."

Practically quaking with excitement at the prospect of a story Wolves tries his best to sit still and be an attentive listener.

With a quick glare, Brek whispers to Wolves "beep boop"; an unmistakable jab to sensitivities only old friends could understand.

Jillian says 'Approximately twenty years past, a woman found her way to this world. No known past, no recognition of friends or family.  A reploid woman, seemingly the same as any before and beyond her.'

Wolves almost falls flat on his face inching a bit closer at the mention of another Reploid.

Rosetta sits down at the closest bench to listen with attention.

Jillian says 'This woman was special, however; she was watched by the Mana Spirits, and by a special entity known as Sylvere, who attributed themself to prophecy and fate. She found herself drawn to this city, and, in particular, to a Sanctuary that, at one point, lay north of here. Sadly, that sanctuary has long-since passed, but I will get to that shortly.'

Jillian says 'Within that sanctuary was a crystal spire, dark as night and containing an ominous presence that was as-yet unknown to her. Still, she was drawn to it, and with Sylvere's outward guidance and her own sense of direction and lingering feelings on things reploids had no business feeling, she came to a realization.'

Rosetta took a moment to look at Jillian's features, perhaps noticing something.

Jillian seems very calm and collected as she tells her story, her eyes glittering somewhat as if enchanting even herself with her own words. She's very into it.

Jillian says 'This woman realized she was not a reploid.  Not truly, not at her core. She didn't know how, or why, or even what to do, but somehow, she had to determine where her true heritage lay. In the process of doing so, she came upon two other reploids, and as time allows and bondings go, she fell in love with one of them.'

Jillian says 'This reploid, however, was infected with an on-again, off-again variant of the Maverick Virus, and prone to violent outbursts against his will. Their relationship was... strained, at times.'

Jillian says 'One day, this woman was attacked and caught in a violent explosion near a facility in the Loftarasa Mountains. When she awoken, she was not the same woman she used to be. She found herself in the Mana Holyland... and no longer a reploid. She had been treated by surgeons and medical technicians during her time spent unconscious, who had restored her to her inherent form. At least, as best as they could.'

Jillian says 'She discovered that she had been forcibly-converted into a reploid when she was younger, and in so doing, lost all memories of her past.'

Jillian says 'Scars of her conversion yet remained, unfortunately; metal plates could not be removed from some parts of her body without fatal risks, but for all that mattered, she was herself once more. And this was not the biggest shock she would receive, that day.'

Jillian allows herself a pause, and a faint grin.

Brek holds his breath in anticipation.

Rosetta hums and sometimes becomes wide eyed at the telling, certainly unfamiliar with many things.

If reploids COULD turn white, Wolves would be as pale as a ghost as he listened with baited breath.

Jillian says 'This woman was a decendent of the Mana Tree's lineage. When her time came, she would become the Tree of Mana that watches over the world from the Mana Holyland.'

No longer nearly as shy Wolves speaks up and asks, "Wait so...people can turn INTO reploids?"

Wolves always thought he was just built from the ground up from different metals and compounds....

Jillian nods solemnly at Wolves, pausing in her story. "Sadly, science is nearly limitless in its capabilities, as long as people exist who would seek to utilize it so."

Jillian says 'It is not exactly an ethical practice, but it can be done.'

Brek is still processing the immensity of what he's just heard. 

Jillian thinks for a moment.  "Some people out there are always looking to find ways to better themselves through the expense of others. Jumi Core hunters are another example."

Rosetta motions her mouth as if to speak a few times, growing restless and eventually speaking up, "I have to ask... are you the woman from this story by any chance?"

Wolves shakes his head in consternation..."Could I have been a.....human before....."

Wolves goes silent and gets a distant look in his eyes.

Jillian smiles and shakes her head. "I am not. This woman is far more special than I am."

Rosetta says 'Ah... I have never heard of the Mana Goddess becoming a Reploid, but far stranger things happen in here.'

Jillian cannot help but laugh, but it is sincere, the laugh of someone who is very amused by something.  "Oh my goodness."

Stupor upon stupor. Before the Mana Tree realization could settle in, the newest revelation came screaming down upon him like an angry meteor: Jumi Core Hunters. Brek is frozen here, but suddenly awake deep in the recesses of his memory.

Jillian says 'Rest assured, this woman is not the Mana Goddess. Though her bloodline follows in the same path, there are differences in how the Mana Tribe lineage's pan out. It only means that, if required to do so, she has the means to become the Tree of Mana, when and if it becomes necessary.'

Brek snaps back to the moment unaware of the trance he was just in and focuses back in the captivating tale spun by the captivating creature.

"Tree! Wow!" Brek hesitantly offers.

Jillian nods, and continues.

Jillian says 'With her history revealed to her, this woman found the means to return to the Lower Realm, which is to say, where we are now, and sought the two reploids to inform them of her discovery. Uncertainty lingered and the reploid that she had been romantically-involved in did not take the news well, falling into a deep-seated pit of anxiety, fueled by the Maverick Virus that had as-yet not been fully neutralized.'

Rosetta continues to listen with a bit more aprehension after the themes previously brought up.

Jillian says 'Worse, at this time, the crystal spire within the Sanctuary began to crack. Sylvere prophecized that it was not unlike an egg preparing to hatch, but could not elaborate any further, only that bad omens lay within.'

Jillian says 'In her dreams, the woman received a vision regarding the spire, the Mana Holyland, and the Tree of Mana. And among them, another reploid... the one she was not romantically-invested in. She realized that he had been chosen, that a threat was about to be upon them, and that this reploid was to take up the Sword of Mana for protection against it and save all of them.'

Jillian says 'And that wasn't all. FAR from it.'

Jillian grins again, apparently taken by what she has to say next.

Jillian says 'In her dreams, this woman met with the reploid she felt a connection with... and she conceived. When she awoke, the dream remained in her womb, and her pregnancy came into reality. She was to bear a child, borne between her and her reploid paramour. Somehow, in some way, a miracle had taken place.'

Jillian is positively glowing, as if this is the greatest story ever told.

Wolves is feeling very faint.

Wolves slowly drops into a sitting position on the edge of the fountain, trying to contain his emotions.

Jillian says 'Unfortunately... this reploid did not take the news well. He did not consider himself father material, among other things, and felt as though it had been selfish of her to do so. And there was hesitation from the other reploid, as well, about the sudden notice that he was to become the wielder of such a famed weapon.'

Rosetta rubs her chin while listening, perplexed by the story, for certain.

Jillian says 'Heartbroken by her rejection, the woman left again for the Holyland.'

Brek's eyes well with tears.

Jillian says 'In time, the woman bore a healthy baby boy, and his herself away in the Holyland as the two reploids, in the Lower Realm, tried to determine their best courses of action going forward.'

Jillian says 'The decision was made for them, all three of them, as the crystal spire eventually broke apart and released what had been incubating inside of it: a Manabeast of pure darkness, created from unknown magicks and sorcery, with one single intent - the Mana Tree's destruction.'

Rosetta frowned as the story progressed, producing from a bag, and hugging a musty old tome against herself when lacking something else to hold.

Jillian says 'In desperation, the woman returned to the Lower Realm and brought the two reploids back with her to the Holyland, to visit the Tree of Mana and have the Sword removed so that it could be used. The reploid in question was successful in removing the Sword, but too late - the Dark Manabeast attacked almost immediately afterward.'

Jillian says 'In such a short notice, the three of them were unable to do anything to protect the Mana Tree, and it was summarily destroyed by the beast's fury. At the time, the three of them fled back to the Lower Realm to assess their options. However, the woman knew something the others did not, and had to make a grave choice.'

In a rare moment, Brek holds his head straight, aided by his hands clasped together against his forehead. What came next?

Jillian says 'The woman informed the two of them of her lineage to the Goddess' bloodline, and that she would have to become the Tree after the previous one's destruction. In so doing, she left her child with her reploid father, having no other option and not wanting to risk danger to either of them while the Dark Manabeast remained at large in the Holyland.'

Jillian says 'She then left once more for the Holyland, with the one chosen by the Sword, in hopes the rectify the actions that had taken place.'

Jillian says 'The outcome of this was uplifting and heartwrenching in equal parts.'

Jillian actively looks saddened for a moment, recalling.

Brek grits his teeth together, fearing for the worst.

Wolves comes to his senses for a moment and peers around wondering if this is a dream or not...

Jillian says 'The reploid, in all his courage and sense of justice to do what needed to be done, took the fight to the Dark Manabeast, and following a fierce and brutal fight, emerged victorious against it, guided by the Sword's own power that amplified his own.'

Jillian says 'The woman returned to the Mana Tribe's village, intended to fulfill her duty to become the next Tree.  However, she discovered that, during her short absence, another in her bloodline had volunteered to take up the cause as the Tree's incarnation, with intent to spare the woman the heartbreak of never seeing her child or love again. Unfortunately, what should have been a wonderful revelation came too late.'

Jillian says 'With the Dark Manabeast defeated, a barrier was erected over the Holyland to prevent any further residual threats, and it could not be undone. The woman was trapped in the Mana Holyland, separated from everyone else, including her child.  And there was nothing that could be done about it.'

Jillian says 'Left behind, with a child he wasn't even sure he even wanted, the reploid despaired, but promised he would do the best he could, in the hopes of being reunited with the woman again, at some point in the future.'

Jillian folds her hands in her lap, offering a small smile to those present. "That's all for now. Rest assured that there is more to this story, much more, but all tales are best told in moderation."

Pounding his fists into the ground, Brek groans with the flood of emotion the story has conjured. He would need to find closure or at least know more in the future.

Jillian holds a hand to her mouth, hiding a giggle from sight but not from sound.

Jillian says 'You all have been a very good audience, but I fear I must take my leave for now.  There are things to do and people to find, and as such, I must be the one to do and find them.'

Jillian rouses herself into a standing position, and offers a small bow to those still present.  "Perhaps we will meet again, at another time, in perhaps the same place, yes?"

Brek nods his head with a fleeting whine. 

Wolves comes to his senses.

Wolves says with a wan smile, "thank you for such a cool story, I'm at a loss for words!"

Jillian smiles openly. "You're welcome. Please be safe." And with that, a mass of shadows come together at her feet, and she pretty much just melts down into them, disappearing from sight as the shadows also fade away and return to normal silhouettes of existing items and people.