World Tree MUSH

    Once again Snowpeak needs something or another amid its myriad supplies, and once more Rydia has volunteered to go get it. Thusly, the Summoner finds herself in the city of Eden once more. Being a city that is neutral enough for her needs, so long as she doesn't draw attention to herself she shouldn't have much of a problem.
    Thing is, a small girl travelling by herself, surrounded by mist, and mounted on a giant yellow bird usually draws attention *anywhere*.
    Nevertheless, the green-haired girl emerges from one of the myriad shops along the main trade thoroughfare and begins the task of loading the contents of several shopping bags into the saddlebags of her large avian mount.

Mirage Mouse comes strolling into the town, looking rather casual. Someone at some point apparently donated a thick goose-down jacket to her, or perhaps she bought it herself--either way, it is green. It reaches down to about her waist though the sleeves and high collar of it are appreciated--the rest of her is clad in the black undersuit and very high sporty looking boots, her tail lilting about behind her as she walks. She could just wrap it around her waist--and thus under the jacket, but she lets it hang out for the moment. Ventilation.

"Hmm, looks like we shop at the same store," Mirage muttered as she came to a stop nearby Rydia, looking her over and the large bird she is riding. Mouse had been walking with her hands in the pockets of her jacket,eyes tinted red by the visor she wore. Her long whitish hair hung down to about her shoulders with the large white conical mouse ears sticking out the sides. As she grinned up at Rydia, she'd be able to see the ivory white buck teeth she had, as well.

    If one were to compare fashion choices, Rydia's clothes are far more dated. Green robes worn over a green tunic, leather boots, and an almost barbaric looking fur cloak with the wolf's head still attached as a hood, the girl is clearly from a much less advanced world than one where Mirage's clothes came from.
    The comment though draws attention not just from the girl, but from her avian steed.
    "Kweh?" The chocobo twitters, as Rydia glances up from her task of filling the saddlebags. There is a momentary pause, because the girl is outright staring; rude though it may be, she's clearly never seen a mouse-woman before.
    Then there's a glance back at the store.
    "Apparently." She replies, once she regains her composure a bit.

"I hope your big bird doesn't have a taste for mice, I'm too tough to digest," Mirage is still grinning a bit, though she gives the animal a step back, just in case it might startle due to her presence. She notices the staring, though if she minds it, it doesn't show.

"I don't think I've been to this place before--I'm Mirage," she looks around a bit, though she doesn't ask any other questions--one might ask who she is here with, but she doesn't. Mirage does frown, though--the girl doesn't look like she's about more than... 7, or 8.

"You've never seen a mouse before, I take it," she grins again, trying to lighten the atmosphere just a little bit more.

    "Kweh!"
    Another chirrup from the chocobo says the bird is more curious than hungry as it turns its head to better peer at Mirage from one vividly intelligent blue eye.
    "He eats greens." Rydia notes mildly, while running her fingers through golden plumage, earning a coo of contentment as the bird cranes that long neck down to nose at the girl's cheek and further earn another caress along the beak.
    "I've seen mice before." She replies, before pausing, looking for a diplomatic way to say what she has to say next. She finds it just fine though, "Just not as big as you."
    "Rydia. Rydia of Mist." The girl introduces herself, for politeness sake, and she does seem verymuch alone, aside from the chocobo.

"It's a very big bird, I like it," Mirage tilts her head again, peering back into the bird's eyes. "I take it he doesn't have parasites?--you know, nevermind, he seems very gentle," Mirage is silent again, nodding a little, her grin subduing itself into a smile.

"You mean not a humanoid one before? It's fine, I get that a lot--a lot of these places I've been to since the portals opened seemed surprised by it," she shrugs, as if to say 'silly, right?' almost. There is a bit of an awkward silence after, winding up with Mirage just sort of peering at the girl.

"So where might you be off to, I can walk and talk," she nodded, turning about to see if she could see where the green-haired girl might be headed--she didn't find any. She wasn't seeing one.

    He is a big bird, and he only seems to get bigger when he ruffles his feathers and seems to fluff right up indignantly on mention of parasites. "Wark!"
    "He's a chocobo. His name is Chocobo. And he's a healthy one." Rydia replies, apparently having been uncreative with the bird's name. "He's also a bit of a diva."
    Though the bird snorts, he seems easily placated enough when the girl resumes brushing fingers through feathers. Though when asked where she's headed there's a moment of tense silence. "I'm not leaving quite yet." She replies after a beat. "And I still have several stops to make before I head back." She's nearly done loading the saddlebags though, and that takes her all of another moment before she grips the bird's reins in one hand. So walking and talking, then.

"Ruffled his feathers a bit, I see--I apologize, Chocobo, I think you're pretty," Mouse turns a bit. "I've known a few birds like him in my time, it's alright."

"That's fine, I've just never been here before--and," she pauses a little, finally turning to look at the girl again.

"You're here by yourself, aren't you?" she asks, not sounding accusatory, just curious. "I don't see that many kids from my world out on their own, or riding mounts, is all--I might be experiencing some culture shock," she gestures toward herself, she'd be following along with Rydia to whereever she needed to go for supplies.

    Rydia had said the bird was a diva. Enough so that the apology seems to placate him even more.
    "Kweh~."
    "Told you." The girl even adds.
    It's when she's called out on the fact that she's in the big city of Eden on her own that Rydia pauses. Just long enough to glance over one slim shoulder.
    "I'm not. I've got Chocobo and Whyt with me." Her reply is a little more guarded as she slips into another store. It's only for a moment before she emerges with something else to load into the saddlebags.
    "My mother taught me how to ride when I was three." She says on the topic of mounts.

"Who is Whyt?" Mirage asks offhandedly, before waiting for Rydia to go into the store. She'd wait outside with the bird, her hands stuffed into her pockets--unless the bird goes in with her. She wasn't sure how stores worked in crazy snow-bound fantasy world.

"Fair enough, either way--I lost my way, is all, among other things, you seem to know your way around well enough," Mirage turned her head back to Rydia, watching her pack her stuff into saddlebags. She doesn't volunteer to help out.

"Kinda just been wandering around since I got through the portal--I was in this digital place, and then--a really dark grimy high-tech city, met a cyborg, and a couple creatures I /think/ were AI--you don't understand any of what I am talking about, do you?" she turns her head to Rydia with a little grin.

    It doesn't take Rydia that long to stuff the saddlebags. Though on getting asked who is Whyt, the mist lingering around the girl seems to shift slightly as though in response.
    "Whyt is with me all the time." Rydia replies rather plainly as the mist swirls around her. But she purses her lips.
    "I don't." She admits. "I've only even heard the word 'digital' once from some strange creature I met the last time I was in Eden."

Mirage cocks her head and looks around a bit more animatedly when she sees the mist sort of... coalesce like that. Her ears perk up, as do her eyebrow ridges.

"A spirit? Is that what you'd call it? I know... magic exists, also psychokinetic entities, but..." Mirage slows a little, though she picks up her pace again as she trods along, keeping up with the chocobo despite her somewhat short stature--for an adult, anyhow.

"It's fine, it's not super important--you don't have to talk about things if you don't want to, you know, I probably seem pretty weird, as it is," she attempts a smile at the girl, at least to try and keep things more 'light'.

    "If I didn't want to talk about something, I wouldn't bring it up with a stranger." Rydia notes rather matter of factly as she adjusts her chocobo's saddle. Though she pauses long enough to reach up and stroke the bird's beak again.
    "Whyt is my Eidolon. I don't know what psycho...k... That is. Spirit is close enough." She adds before hopping up into the saddle.
    The smile though is met with pursed lips. Rydia is not much of a smiler, herself it seems as she spends just a beat seeming to ponder something. Before she makes her decision, preparing to ride out of the city now that her shopping is completed.
    "I should be getting back. The others will be needing what I picked up tonight. Take care."

"Fair enough," Mirage is at first a little taken back by the girl's frankness, but quickly regains a light, wry smile. Little one was much fiercer than she had first anticipated. "It means manifestation via the mind, roughly--something I know a little about," she tilts her head again, watching the girl curiously.

"We can continue this later, probably--I just didn't want to pry too much," Mirage Mouse is pulling the coat tighter around her and watching her go, letting her ride off before,

"You take care of yourself now, green girl," though this last line is heard despite Mirage now being a fair number of paces away--as if the mouse girl had said it right next to them. Eerie.