Part II: More Magic, More Fantasies

Chapter 36- Where To?

Deling City's hotel reminded you a bit of (disregarding the lobby) a hotel you'd seen in a movie before. You couldn't recall which movie at the time, but it had been a Christmas movie, and the hotel was obviously exquisite. When you woke up the next day, notably hungry, you wondered if Lima would be okay with you ordering room service...

"Yikes, 20 bucks for an omelet?" You put the room service menu face-down. "Going out to breakfast doesn't sound so bad..."

One thing the adults had done was gotten all of you some clothes so you could walk around without getting the same uniform or outfit too dirty and smelly; additionally, in the request to have that spending approved by the higher-ups in the military, Kyra had written that "a frequent change in wardrobe for our younger, temporary members not only shows that we care about them and their desires and well-being, but can also boost their morale by helping them feel more like this is an easy, daily task for them." You weren't going to argue that. It was true.

So, you slipped on a purple long-sleeved velvet dress with an A-line skirt, and headed down to the lobby. Maybe they had some advertisements for restaurants serving breakfast, as hotels often did. And if they didn't, maybe a nice walk around town was overdue. It felt nice to not be cooped up in the airship.

The grandfather clock in the hotel's lobby said that it was 8:47; barely anyone was around at this hour, and you didn't know any of the people who were. You weren't sleepy at all, so that ruled out the possibility of going back to sleep for a bit. Maybe you'd be able to go visit Mumford in the hospital? They'd kept him overnight, to be on the safe side. No... you didn't know when visiting hours started, so you shooed that idea away, not wanting to spend excess hours waiting in the hospital.

On the way back to your room, you noticed one of the doors on your floor cracked slightly; in the room was Yurika, blow-drying her hair while blasting alternative music.

"Up already?" she asked.

"Unfortunately."

"Ah. I take it you're bored, too, since no one is up yet?" she asked.

"You got it," you nodded.

"Well, if I may suggest something, you should go find Serah. She was meant to go to breakfast with Lightning, but then all the military adults called this emergency meeting and, well, it doesn't sound like it's gonna end anytime soon..." Yurika chuckled uneasily. "So, the two of you are up, at least. You could find something to do to pass the time, I hope."

"Yeah, sure," you agreed, nodding. "Nice music."

"Oh! You're a fan of AFI?"

"No. I mean, I've heard the name before, but I haven't extensively listened to them." You shrugged.

"That's disappointing. I thought I'd finally found a friend with similar music tastes. Maceida drives me crazy with her classical and her pop. It'd be cool to find someone to mosh with."

That sounded like something Yuffie would be up for...

"But, anyway..." Yurika pulled her hair into a ponytail. "I guess we'll get disposition on whatever we're doing next when that meeting is over. I don't really know too much about the situation we're finding ourselves in, since I'm new to the brigade, but from what I gather, we have to wait until a crystal... reveals itself?"

"Technically, two of them already have, but since they're in Pangaean countries, we've been holding off on those," you explained. "We can't use magic, so."

"Well, doesn't that make us the perfect candidates to go get those, then?" asked Yurika. "We have... me, you, Brecken, and the Cambridges... six people who are used to that! What city or town are they in?"