Hey guys, I think you'll like this one. I was off messing around this morning before I went off fishing and everything just sorta clicked. Er... my sword training, I mean. Not everything-everything. I know I still have a long way to go, but this is the first time I've really felt like I really know what I'm doing. Before it was kinda "swoosh-swoosh fwacha!", but now it's "oh yeah, if some guy's gonna attack low, I should pull a Rising Falcon, or maybe Tempest, turn, follow up with a few slashes, take a--" okay, yeah, I guess you guys get it.

So yeah, this is fantastic! Maybe I should check out the coliseum sometime. Too bad that loud, angry guy isn't around any more - he was always ready for a fight. Not that there aren't other loud, angry guys around.

[Private; hackable.]
I dunno... I don't really get it. Even though Kratos betrayed us, he still took the time to teach me how to use the sword better. He could have wiped the floor with us and dragged Colette off to Cruxis at any time, but he didn't do it. He could have killed us back then...

Why?

[OOC: 5% on training with Kratos and remaining artes. 34% used and 3% remaining. I think. Needa make new icons, Tethe'alla looked amazing.]

...someone has no tastes. No offense, guys, but green's not really my color. But hey, whatever, I guess! Just make sure you change it back at some point. I'm not sure what everyone would say if I came home looking like this.

So there was another member of our little group named Mithos. Just like "Mithos the Hero". He wasn't much of a fighter, but it sure seems like he and Genis hit it off! And he was definitely lucky back then...

We left him with Altessa.

Oh right! Altessa's another dwarf, just like dad, only I guess Altessa live(s)(d) this whole world business is really confusing! on Tethe'alla rather than Sylvarant. There was also a woman with him named Tabitha, who's supposedly some kind of doll(?)/vessel/housekeeper. (Using magitechnology or something?) Tabitha was really nice, but Altessa could get kind of cranky. I think he probably had his reasons.

Anyway, looks like we left Mithos in good hands.

[OOC: 3% Mithos/Altessa/Tabitha. That makes uh... 29% used and 4% remaining, I believe.]

Okay, this is gonna be pretty long-- no, really long. But, I guess it's only fair that I try to go over what I know, especially for you guys - Sheena, Professor, Emil. Can't promise I'll get everything right, but I'll give it a shot.

So there are two worlds occupying the same space - these are Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Sheena, you were the one who told us this. Anyway, because they're in the same place, the worlds steal mana from each other, so when one world's green and healthy, the other one starts to wither and die. When the world starts dying like this, an oracle appears and the Chosen goes on a the Journey of Regeneration to save it and to seal away the Desians. Colette's known about this all her life, since she was a baby. She's Sylvarant's Chosen, and Zelos is Tethe'alla's Chosen. Anyway, when the oracle appeared, the Martel Temple was attacked by the Desians - which shouldn't have happened in the first place cuz they have a non-agression treaty with Iselia.

That's the town where we grew up, by the way, not "Aselia".

We - me, Genis, and Collete - tried to fight the Desians, but we were losing pretty bad. That's when Kratos saved us and took the job of protecting Colette right there on the spot. Nobody even questioned it. It was just so-- We went into the temple and an angel appeared. He blessed Colette and told her to go into the desert to release the first seal.

Well the adults didn't want me or Genis going with them, but then stuff happened. The Desians found out we were trying to help this human named Marble at their ranch and attacked Iselia. It got... really bad. They burned down the town and turned Marble into a monster.

Long story short:

...I was kicked out. You call that "exile", right?

But Genis said he'd come with me. We decided to catch up to Colette, Kratos, and Professor Sage to help out with her journey.

When we got to Triet (it's a town in the desert) the Desians caught me, only, I don't think they were really Desians at all. They're called the Renegades, and they're led by this guy named Yuan. He's a real jerk, just so you know, but he did save us later on. Only now he wants me for something. He wouldn't say what. ...uh, yeah, okay, I'm getting way ahead of myself.

So everyone comes back to get me (cuz Genis got one over on the Renegades and managed to get away by pretending he was all scared) and we head to the Temple of Fire. We see the angel again and release the seal - then Colette gets wings, like a real angel.

I guess this sort of thing kept happening... Colette kept becoming more like an angel. Eventually she must've lost the ability to speak, cuz once we finally got to the Tower of Salvation, everything started falling apart.

Remiel - that's the angel - wanted her to give up her mind and her memories. We tried to get her to stop, but, Colette's just like that... she said goodbye, and then she did it...

That's when Remiel admitted that he wasn't Colette's real father at all, and that he was part of Cruxis, which just so happens to be part of the Desians, or maybe the Desians are part of Cruxis. ...whatever! We fought him, but it was too late to do anything about Colette. Then Kratos shows up and reveals that he's part of Cruxis, too, and one of the Four Seraphim on top of that - I think they run Cruxis. They wanted Colette's body as a vessel to revive Martel. He's been lying to us all along... that really-- I didn't even see it coming.

So we fight Kratos and lose. He's about to finish us off when this other angel shows up. I'm guessing he's the man in charge. His name was... Yggdrasill. So then we go up against him after having been pummeled by Kratos, and he's strong. We don't stand a chance. It felt like a game of cat-and-mouse. He didn't finish us off right away, and he was saying some stuff to Kratos that didn't make a whole lotta sense. Then this sword appears in the middle of the floor and he knocks me back into a pillar. I must have passed out, because we were with the Renegades when we woke up. Colette was still... not all right. Yuan called her a "weapon" or something. That's when he said they no longer needed the Chosen, that they needed me instead. I mean, what's so special about me?!

But... but we must have saved Colette, right? That memory with Martel and the tree. Colette was there. I'm sure of it. But... how...?

And why would I name the tree after that--!

It's all a lie isn't it? All of it...

How could I be so stupid not to have figured it out?!

[Private; Hackable.]

The Church of Martel, The World Regeneration Journey... Everything! Remiel was never Colette's real father, and to think that Kratos would--!! To think that I'd--!!

Dammit!! Isn't there anything at all I can do?!

Colette, I'm so... so sorry...

[[OOC: I'll be tl;dring this very, very soon. Oh geez. But. 4% on reaching the Tower of Salvation, Colette's soul being taken, fighting Remiel, Kratos, and Yggdrasill, and then being saved by the Renegades. 26% total used. 7% remaining.]]

GAH!

Ka-thunk!!

....ow ow ow! Tch...

[This would be the sound of Lloyd falling out of bed.]

Oh, hey. I had kinda given up on the whole roommate thing, and then all of a sudden I have a roommate again! All right! I can't wait! Hope roommate #3 lasts for a while longer than the other two.

So the guy's name is Cooro.






...wait. Cooro's back?

...

Hey, welcome back, Cooro! Guess who's your new roommate!

Man, keeping everyone in high spirits gets harder and harder to do all the time. I'm gonna have to really think to come up with better tactics.

So Zelos was from Tethe'alla, too... Tethe'alla's Chosen, just like Colette is for Sylvarant!

But I don't really get it. He was always so... obnoxious back then. He must have remembered something pretty awful to not even be goofing around like normal. ...I'm sorry I couldn't do anything.

[Filtered to Sheena.]
Uh, hey. You said their names were Regal and Presea, right? I think I might actually know something about them.

((OOC: 3% on basics for Zelos Wilder, Presea Combatir, and Regal Bryant. 7% remaining, 22% total used. Someone beat me over the head until I restart the game, plz.))

A wanted poster?! A wanted poster...
T-there's no way I really look like that!

So, er... whew! Never knew Santa-elf's job was so tough, but I hope everyone liked the candy. If we somehow missed you or you just want another one, there's still some left. Come by and help yourself!

And thanks for all the cool stuff everyone! notthatiwanttoreadaboutmagicbutiguessseeingitinactionisprettycool

[2% spent from the Memory Raffle on Lloyd's fun-fun adventures in the Triet Desert - getting captured by the Renegades Desians and the Temple of Fire, 4% remaining, 19% total. Will fix tags and reply to stuff later need to sleep now. Sorry.]

Hey Cooro? Nall? I think I finally came up with something! And Emil... you're okay with elves, right?

Now I just need to figure out what to do about the sleigh.

[And presto! Behold Lloyd has purchased about half a dozen knit caps. On each one he has fastened on two small forked twigs. They kinda resemble antlers. He also now has a santa hat and coat, an extra santa ensemble in green, and a few very large boxes of candy canes. And he's excited - very excited.]

Hey Nall?
And anyone else from "Team Lloyd", for that matter!

We needa talk about this whole Santa-elf thing and the other stuff that's been going on recently. I think I have an idea.

So, have any of you guys got a spare minute?