“Ain’t got the faintest idea, unfortunately. Bonkers, ain’t it? Like a barrel of monkeys. What’s the point of getting us all ‘ere? Ain’t got no letter or instructions telling us what to do, it’s like they just dumped us here.” Like they dropped us here.. From the looks of it, it seemed as though a hole had simply opened in the sky, and she'd been thrown through it into some alternate dimension created solely to assault her sanity. If she wasn't insane already. Again, Celes wondered if Kefka had something to do with this. He could simply look down upon the Earth and smite whoever happened to be below. So was it really beyond him to send her to another dimension? But what was she thinking? Even considering it was crazy.

“Nah, ain’t ever heard of them before. Is that where you’re from?" the woman asked. It was such a complicated question that Celes didn't know immediately how to answer. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to consider it before Ruby continued, “Kefka’d be a mighty odd name, what kinda parent names their kid that? You looking for them or somethin’?” Celes almost choked. Well, she supposed that before waking up here, she'd been looking for him in a way. But how Ruby seemed to mean it? No, no. Absolutely not.

"I just wanted to know if you were familiar with it. The Empire forcibly took over most of the world. And Kefka..." Suddenly, Celes felt she had to explain it. What impression had she given this woman? "Kefka became a God. He killed thousands of people in the process. Anyone from my world would know his name." Her world. It sounded insane just saying it. 

“Well uh, have you ever heard of Tantalus? Issa group, understand. There’s Zidane, and Marcus, and Baku, and Cinna—heard any of those names since you’ve been ‘ere? I’m looking for them, with another member… Blank. Not that big a deal if you haven’t, pretty sure the rascals are around here somewhere. Just gotta find them.”

Unsurprisingly none of those names rang a bell, and Celes told her so. "I haven't met many people here, I'm sorry," she said, "I'll look out for them, but do you think they're here? Is that even possible?" Celes paused. Ruby said she'd searched for them with another -- someone else from her world. "One of them came with you then? I woke up alone."

Her heart pounded. If it was possible, then that meant that Celes might find someone. If she could only see one of them, then she could affirm the reality of what she was seeing and maybe, just maybe she'd be alright. "I'm missing friends too. I'd just found them. After we were scattered when Kefka killed everything. I'd searched everywhere for them, and now I'm...Well, here." Celes bit the inside of her lip. "There were a lot of them: Edgar, Sabin, Setzer, Cyan, Terra, Strago, Relm, Shadow, and...Locke." She said his name last. It was the hardest to say out-loud, and the sound of it still pained her. His survival had given her a reason to live, and yet she'd found him wasting his life searching for magicite and a way to save another woman. Celes knew now that she would never compare to what he'd felt for Rachel. With the world in shambles, it didn't matter to Celes. As long as she could see him again.

"If you find any of them, could you tell them I'm here? I want them to know I'm alive." The thought chilled her a little. What would it have looked like if they hadn't come with her? Had she simply disappeared? "We've all gone through enough."

OOC: ((I wrote this while in class. Because class was boring. xD So. This might not be the best quality post. Oh well.))

Despite the uncomfortable topic, Celes had found conversation with Ruby far more pleasant than she would have expected. It was true that Celes was desperate at the moment, and that a single friendly face was more than appreciated after she'd gotten herself into such trouble. However, Celes thought it might have been more than that. It was nice, she thought, to be able to talk to someone about her thoughts and concerns. Celes had never had many allies to share such things with, and none of them had been women. Even after leaving the Empire, the only other woman in their group was Terra and, well, there hadn't been much time to converse between Terra's esper transformations and Celes' capture and subsequent re-implementation into the Empire. After Kefka's ascension, Terra had become even more reserved and talked mostly about the children of Maranda. Celes had spent most of her time on the Falcon playing cards with Setzer, Edgar, and Locke. Between it all, Celes had never really socialized with other women, and despite the circumstances, she found this odd chance a little refreshing.

But that was a silly sentiment meant for school girls, bar maids, and house wives. She shoved it aside as quickly as it had come. There were more important matters to attend to than a half-dead social life, after all, and Ruby was quick to tell her so. 

The woman suggested that Celes use her time to clean up in the bathroom while waiting for the soldiers to pass.  "Ain’t gonna do you any good to stay here longer than necessary, what with the soldiers combing the streets, dig?” Celes didn't quite know what that meant, but she got the general idea. It would be best that Celes leave Provo, and quickly. She had thought the same after she had started her altercations with the city guards. This didn't overly bother Celes. Celes would do better beyond civilization. Compared to the wastes that she was used to, surviving in these wilds would prove almost easy. 

Still, she couldn't deny the opportunity for a bath when it presented itself. Celes nodded at the woman's words and slowly stood. "You're right. It's best that we not waste time." Celes gathered her discarded bracers from the bed and started towards the bathroom. She paused with one hand on the door-frame. "Thanks again," she said before disappearing inside. She really couldn't say it enough. If that woman hadn't decided so arbitrarily to help her, Celes would have...

Well, there had been only two options, hadn't there? Would she have stood and fought the next wave of enemies, or would she have...not? It was an impossible question to answer, so far away and removed from trouble, yet she could not rid herself of it. Cornered and alone, what would she have chosen if left to her own devices?

Celes fumbled with the room's many knobs and dials of this technology that was very different than from what she knew. She unzipped weathered boots, removed the straps from chipped pauldrons, and slid off the circlet which held back tangled locks of blonde hair. It had been some time since Celes had last seen a mirror, and she paused in front of it now. She remembered when her face had been fuller, when her hair had been glamorous, and when she had drawn the eye of every Imperial soldier -- whether she wanted to or not. Yes, she had once been the beautiful, unapproachable General Celes Chere -- a woman as stunning as she was capable. Celes hadn't noticed when she was surrounded by worse misery than her own, but she looked tired now and almost wild. Celes soaked her body in warm water. She let it wash over tired muscles, ratted hair, and the stains of blood. Her thoughts muddled with the scent of lilacs and shampoo.

Celes had never told her friends what had happened on the island cliff-side. Back then, she had found herself alone. She remembered the trembling of the Earth, the shattering of the Floating Continent, and then the fall. Celes had never been one for needless socialization, yet at the end of the world, it was loneliness which had nearly destroyed her. She thought that she had moved past that. She thought she had found something worth living for. Yet here she was, alone again, and she couldn't help but wonder...

When Celes emerged from the bathroom, her hands were clean of blood. Her hair shone with the softening touch of conditioner. She checked the window, but no longer heard the tell-tale sounds of sirens. The soldiers had left this area, and it was time to go. "Ruby?" Celes called, scanning the now empty room. She approached the door and edged it open. "Are you there?"