[center][b]2:  First Encounters[/b][/center]

The Remnant had been watching her ever since he first noticed her a few weeks back.  Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have even given her a thought past seeing her becoming food for the Heartless.  But what he saw those weeks ago ignited the flame of curiosity and the promise of providence within the monochromed form that he called his body.  The Heartless actually ensured her survival with a barbaric communion borne of one of their own's sacrifice.  This process happened a number of times since then, but the first time was more than enough to ensure that he would remained interested.  He'd been following her ever since then, staying out of her sight, pausing when she slept to continue training his body, practicing his swordsmanship with his Keyblade, a chimeran hybrid of chains, gears and blue demon's eyes known as the Void Gear.  She was asleep now, so this was the perfect time to practice.  Swing after swing is performed, the heft of the weapon essentially non-existant.  He was waiting, biding his time.

Day breaks, and Lidia awakens once more, the quest in her mind still in the forefront.  For the past few weeks, ever since she awoke, she had been searching for her father, whom she loved and missed greatly.  Her father gave her the comfort that she wanted, and she trusted in him, as a good daughter would.  However, after being alone for such a period of time, her confidence was wavering.  Why couldn't she find him?  Where was he?  She'd travelled across the whole of the world, and found nothing but dust and craters.  Now, she fell asleep in this place filled with swords in various shapes, all variations of a key.  Looking at this place, she shudders slightly.  This place had a dreadful feeling to it.  Each sword in the shape of a key was placed within the ground, like gravestones within a graveyard.  It made her uneasy.  Nevertheless, despite the discomfort that this place gave her and the growing sense of despair in her self, she once more began her quest, just as she did times before.

The sun reaches its peak, the winds blow with their regular ferocity, buffeting Lidia's body with powdered earth.  The heat bombards her body, the effect made all the worse by the amount of black clothing that she wore.  She stops in front of a single sword/key embedded into the earth, and that particular one triggers memories...  She was very young, and she gazed out a window seeing the tip of this particular weapon nearing that window.  She stood there, transfixed, curious and subtly terrified at the same time.  Her father arrived and pulled her away from the window, telling her to hide herself.  She did so, and waited for a period of time.  She was finally allowed out, and while she asked what was going on, her father never gave a response.  That was one of the few times that this happened, so it stuck with her.  Seeing that sword/key made her drops to her knees and shake, small sobs escaping her body.  The truth was becoming all the more apparent.  If something like this was here... then what did that mean for her father?

The Remnant gazes at the girl as she finally finally dropped to her knees before one of the many Kayblades that were placed here as a testament to the Keyblade War.  He could faintly see her shaking through the dust being blown about and barely hear the sobs from her upon the winds.  He smirks beneath his mask.  Her morale had reached the perfect point.  Time to reveal himself.  He dismissed the Void Gear, guessing that seeing that particular embedded Keyblade triggered a phobia of sorts within her.  He would have preferred to keep Void Gear at the ready, but he needed to appear somewhat... acceptable.  Nodding, if only to himself, he walks towards the girl, his footprints audible for a short distance, his pace slow and deliberate.  Part of him remembers back to walking alongside Master Xehanort against Eraqus' pupils.  In some strange semblance, the feeling of that day was replaying itself in the here and now.

Lidia continues to sob before pausing.  She could hear the crunching of gravel beneath one's feet.  She wasn't alone?  She looks towards the east, and finds someone approaching.  She stares in awe at the approaching figure.  It was as if all color was taken away from this person, this boy.  There was nothing but black, white and shades of gray.  The whole of his body covered by a strange suit, the majority black save for a symbol across his entire chest, his hands and feet, and the belt and tattered pieces of cloth around his torso.  His face was obscured by a mask; a strange symbol, much like a heart, covering the front.  She continues to kneel there, although part of her wishes to flinch away from this oncoming person.  She sees him stop barely 15 feet away from her.  She musters up enough courage to ask,  "Who... who are you?"  Her voice is timid, unsure of its own query.

The Remnant stands there, quiet, observing her.  Yes, she was vulnerable as he wanted, but she also seemed weak-willed.  He was expecting more of her, to be quite frank.  He wanted to abort this situation at this moment, but he remembered the other half, Ventus.  When the original was broken off from Ventus, the original retained the combat skill, while Ventus had to train to regain his own.  Perhaps this was something along a similar line.  Albeit one that he had to take direct action in.  He takes a few more steps forward, lessening the gap from fifteen feet to a mere 8.  He stop again, and extends a hand outward.  "Don't get all twisted up."  His voice is somewhat muffled by the mask that covered the entirety of his head.  "I'm here to help."  His voice remains even, the pitch slightly lower than he normally uses, as a means to convey his power and superiority.

Lidia scoots back a small bit when this person walked towards her, but paused when he held his hand out towards her and spoke to her.  He didn't seem so bad when he spoke, in a way spoke like an elder sibling... but the way he looked made her uneasy, and that bade her to stay quiet, even flee.  This conflict went through her mind, wondering she should trust this stranger, or flee from him.  She kneeled there, her mind trying to process her response.  As she has done in the past, she errs to the side of trust, ignoring the sense of concern and caution that gripped her.  She gets to her feet and dusts herself off.

The Remnant smirks underneath his mask.  Maybe there was a chance that she would be of use, after all.  As much as he wanted to, he held back his dark mirth.  The initial approach was a success.  Now he needed to create a stronger bond, have her strengthen trust in him.  That would take time... but since he was more or less bound to this world, time was something that he had an abundance of.  He cocks his head to the side, gazing at her.  "What are you doing here?"

Lidia's voice catches in her throat.  "I... I'm trying to find my father... but I've looked everywhere for him.  I..."  She sniffles slightly, trying to hold back her tears.  "I'm scared."

"Don't be."  The Remnant takes a few steps forward, trying to ignore the sickening weakness that she was displaying.  "If you paid attention earlier, I said I'm here to help."  He stands over her, and puts a hand on her shoulder, gripping it slightly.

Lidia flinches a bit from this guy's grip, and shakes a bit.  He may have sounded nice, but the way he was acting... the way he looked... "Are you sure?"

"Come on, now.  Why would I lie?"  The Remnant knew very well that these lies would only go so far.  She'd soon need an example of his 'sincerity'.  He'd have to find a way to concoct such an example.  Releasing his hand from the girl's shoulder, he continues.  "When did you get here?"

"A few weeks ago..."  She sniffs, rubbing her nose with her right hand beneath the veil that covered her face.  "I came down in a glass pod..."

"How Cliche..."  The Remnant mutters underneath his breath.  "Then maybe you can take me there.  There might be a clue as to where he is with that pod."  He knew very well that he was going to take a long shot at this.  Maybe her father did leave something in that pod for her to locate him.  If he did, The Remnant would have to find a way to remove the evidence so as to not raise her hopes.

Lidia nods and turns around.  Absently, she grabs onto the stranger's hand and grips it tightly.  She begins walking.  As she holds onto his hand, there was that comfortable feeling... like she was with family.

The Remnant really wanted to yank his hand out of her grasp.  To be dragged around by the hand by a young child was demeaning in one of the worst ways possible.  Yet, he stayed his hand.  He'd play along for a while before asking that she let go, or maybe she'd let go when she got bored.  In any event, he followed.

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