[action]

[welikeike]

[ACTIONS FOR ELIZABETH]
There is a blue-haired boy lying on the sidewalk in some part of FDC. He doesn't seem to be doing too well, but nobody's around to assume responsibility for him. The strangest thing is that parts of his clothes seem to be freshly charred. Stranger yet, he's holding a sword in one hand, and a crumpled-up piece of paper in the other, both with an iron grip. The paper seems to be a letter or something.

One soul would be the lucky one to rouse him from his unconsciousness.

---

[GENERAL ACTION]
There's a newcomer at Smash Academy. He's dressed strangely, with tattered clothes and a long, flowing red cape that is similarly torn at the edges. He's spending the day wandering around and getting to know things around this place. He's bound to be anywhere you want him to be.

No matter what time he's approached, he seems bothered about something, be it his predicament or the unfamiliar modern commodities that he has a hard time understanding. Feel free to approach him and HELP A GUY OUT.

Comments

[sicklypriest]

It wasn't as though he found anything funny, but Rhys found himself releasing a light gale of laughter before coming out into full form. "I think I should be asking you a similar question. To be honest, here, I haven't the slightest clue how I found you."

His face slowly morphed from blissful surprise to... confused surprise. "Or, how you got so... erm, small? You look a lot younger than when I last saw you."

[welikeike]

"What? Just how old did you think I was?" he asked, like this was the weirdest topic to talk about. "I'm still the same age, Rhys. Nothing's changed about me."

[gentlesaint]

Oh dear. The fog of mystery was starting to clear up for Rhys. Ike's age regression was likely due to some temporal bending that he didn't quite understand. And how should he explain it to Ike, who, by the looks of it, was fresh out of Tellius. He would think him crazy!

"Ah..." Eye contact was diverted in an awkward attempt to try and grasp at a sensible enough way to elucidate him on the subject. "It's... difficult for me to explain why I thought you were younger. I must look like I'm losing my marbles. This school, you see... It's located in a strange place that can be said to distort time, so... I think what you may be looking at is an older Rhys." He chuckled a little. "My, that is strange to think about..."

[welikeike]

"Older?" Ike had to chew on that for a moment. Rhys was right about that: it wasn't something Ike could easily understand. "Just how much older are we talking?" He seemed skeptical.

[gentlesaint]

"Well, judging from how you look right now, I'd say... six or seven years?" Hearing himself determine such a figure made him feel somewhat disoriented, and he had to recount in his head just to be sure that much time really stood between them. "Could it really be that long...? Ha, now I feel really old! You might as well start calling me Grandpa Rhys."

[welikeike]

"Six or... Seven?" Repeating it just seemed like a way for Ike to try to ground himself after hearing it. He shook his head in disbelief. "No way. That can't be right. You don't look any different, and..."

He stared at Rhys's face, looking for something that told him that he was older. It was there somehow. Maybe looking into his eyes was what told him that Rhys had been through much more than the Rhys he knew back home, but it could have also been that he could just tell that Rhys was being truly sincere. He couldn't doubt him at a time like this.

"That long, huh? It's hard to believe, but I'll try. So what happens in the future, Grandpa Rhys?"

[gentlesaint]

Rhys recoiled a bit in laughter, holding his mouth for a brief second. "Oh no, don't you actually start!" He kept smiling. "I'd love to tell you all about the future, but I think it might be wiser for me to hold off on that."

[welikeike]

Ike's face dropped, disappointed that Rhys didn't have anything to tell him. For a moment, he even thought to protest, but then he just felt like maybe it wasn't such a big deal. It'd all happen anyway. He nodded.

"It was silly of me to ask. It's probably better this way," he commented. "Still, I can't help but be a bit curious. I'll find out soon enough, but six or seven years seems like a long time."

His mind idly wandered through all of the things he wanted to know in the next six years. How were the Greil Mercenaries? How was Queen Elincia? How were his friends in Gallia, in Phoenicis, in Begnion? How were Nasir and Ena? Was Daein in good hands? How was Mist? All of these were questions he knew might be off-limits, so all he could do was think optimistically. Maybe Rhys would tell him something if he felt like it. There were just so many things to ask about that might just be better for him to learn through the natural course of time.

"It's so weird that you're from the future... But I'm glad to see you're doing alright. It puts me at ease." He smiled.

[sicklypriest]

Rhys settled comfortably in the mood of their exchange. "I'm glad for that. Maybe I'm allowed to say this much: as far as your future is concerned, there will always be difficult obstacles for you to overcome, but when they come, you will be ready for them, even if you do not feel that way while they stand before you."

[welikeike]

Oh boy. That meant something was definitely going to happen in the future, but why wouldn't it? He wondered what kind of obstacle it must be that Rhys was referencing. Or, no. Obstacles. There had to be many for sure. Even though he was the only one not to know and a part of him wanted to know more, the rest of him was comfortable just not knowing. Taking Rhys's advice to heart was about the best he could do. That was what he'd always done.

"Right. I'll do that." He was pretty sure he wouldn't get anything more out of this. Instead, he opted to ask another question: "So what are you doing at Smash Academy? Are you a healer here as well?"

[gentlesaint]

"You could say that. I work two jobs here at this school. One of them is working at the infirmary and tending to whatever ails the students. The other is teaching." Rhys wasn't as interested in elaborating further on his position as Ike's predicament. "But I don't think we ever managed to answer why you are here. It's quite the surprise."

[welikeike]

"Oh... that." He swayed back and forth, thinking over his situation. "Well, you see, I got here this morning. Earlier on, I was with the rest of you when we were trying to drive away a band of pirates from Port Talma that were doing what they could to take advantage of the state of Crimea. The captain must have poisoned his blade, because I passed out before we made it back to camp that night."

He paused and looked up at Rhys. "I'm wondering if you remember any of this. It's weird that it's been so long for you, when this all happened to me just yesterday. Anyway, I woke up in the city of this place. I did all I could to return home, but sources say I can't leave. At least, everybody I've asked told me that."

[gentlesaint]

Rhys closed his eyes, doubting that he could possibly remember the event but trying his head at it anyway. "I've been able to leave before, so perhaps I could try escorting you..." he said to the latest sentence that came from Ike's mouth. "It's difficult to recall every last mission we've been on, especially when they deal with something as commonplace as pirates and bandits. But... oh wait!" His eyes snapped open. "I think I'm starting to remember! You passed out, and Boyd and Titania helped you up onto her horse! Then we took you home, and Mist and I treated you. You had been poisoned, but we managed to save you in the nick of time. You woke up that night and ate like a starved lion. ...I remember. Then, why are you here...?"

[welikeike]

He blinked. "Yeah, that's right. You guys must have found me in that ally I went behind. I thought I was going to be sick, but I just passed out instead."

Ike sighed, not sure what to make of this situation. "I'm not sure why I didn't just stay there, but here I am. And you're from the future. ...Gah! Why doesn't any of this make any sense!?" Nothing could be simple, ever.

[gentlesaint]

Rhys felt sorry for Ike's poor, scrambling brain. He wished he could say something that would make it easier to understand, but found himself at a loss. It wasn't like he had a mental handle on the workings of spacetime, either! Instead, he placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him his best reassuring look.

"Whatever is going on, we will find a way to sort through it. Don't let it frustrate you too much, or else you'll make it harder on yourself. Take things as they come, Commander.I'll help you in the best way I know how."

[welikeike]

Really. Having Rhys here was a comforting thought, and he could always remember that he was here. He took a deep breath and gave him a nod. "Yeah. Thanks, Rhys.

"And... I guess I'll take your class?" Ike turned to look at him with the hint of a smile.

[gentlesaint]

"I'll be looking forward to it."