So much of how and what she recalled of Hargeon seemed to have been so different than what she remembered of it. Granted, much of Leyaria’s past with respects to this place was one in which in she knew only of the streets, largely relegated to the circumstances of her poor birth and childhood. Those streets, they felt largely the same, or perhaps they were as much invested due to her being starting her life in those streets, the memories being difficult to differentiate away from what the present may have been, but even in the best of cirucmstances, there was still a great deal of similarity now against what there may have been towards that of the people who were suffering now against that of what she went through.

However, if there was one thing in which that her past and the present of Hargeon which were the same, it was how the docks seemed to operate, how they existed, and namely how the people within them were. When she was under the care of her sister, Leyaria loved being out in the docks, watching as the ships came and went, imagining herself being on them, both those that returned from foreign lands and those that were leaving for ventures that she could only imagine. She never imagined what it would be like, but with the jobs that she had begun to do, with her actions such as those when she fought against the creature that was known as Cell, when she helped compete in the area just outside of Era during the invasion that took place of the city, she was no longer so naïve as to imagine what was going on. Even then though, there was a great deal of things to which she still, even years later, couldn’t have imagined it being.

Those stories, that was what she loved more than anything else. Being able to just lounge around in the taverns and shops that were set up, listening to the sailors and people who were on board those ships tell about what was going on, what they had seen, what they did, all of those things. Leyaria’s imagination would run wild during all of that, and even today, she couldn’t help but believe the same thing, that there were stories now, though only instead her mind wondering just how it would be if she were there now, having been more mature than what she was of the past, having seen death and violence to which she probably never imagined nor, something that she ever really hoped to have dealt with. A part of her wondered if she would be able to do that now, to go into those lands and then operate as well as she was able to do so with the same resolve and focus that she had been able to do with the jobs and requests that she had completed in the past. It was impossible to say entirely, but none the less, it was something that she would have liked to dream and imagine.

Relegating to doing that, as nothing more than a means in which to simply reflect on the better parts of her past, she found herself taking a seat nearby in one of the many bars that littered the area, secluding herself to a relatively quiet area as a means of being able to adequately listen to what was going on. It wasn’t anything that she hadn’t heard before, much to her dismay. Tales of dealing with pirates who attempted to raid a ship, things of that nature which she had heard before, but there was still an enjoyable element to it all the same, a level of bringing back to times when she could just forget about what was going. Just beside her, her companion Geth simply listened in as well, no doubt intrigued by what was being told and taking all of it in, to whatever degree of understanding it was able to process. Elsewhere though, on the other side of the bar, she could just make out the faintest of a conversation that was taking place as well, though more of a shouting match than anything else, a man appearing to be visibly upset, to the point of just unleashing some sort of anger and dismay upon the people. Before Leyaria was able to find out anything more as to what was going on, or even just being able to speak with the man, he had departed from the bar, heading back towards the docks, sulking the entire time.

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She wasn’t sure whether it were intrigue or general boredom of what was taking place presently that had driven her to see what the man was doing. Obviously there was a great deal of frustration displayed with the man, much of which seemed to be rather disproportionate to what Leyaria had seen of people in the past. Perhaps it was wrong to describe it in that manner, but there was certainly at least some degree of truth towards that, that the man’s behavior, his anger, and the apparent randomness of it all, it created what she could only describe as the perfect storm. It was a unique incident amongst a matter of numerous other events that stood out, particularly given that even though the other events, the captivating stories of ventures taken that Leyaria would often and frequently wish of herself to be a part of, were the events which had as a result, slipped to the slide lines.

“Come on Geth,” she spoke calmly, hoping to neither draw attention to herself or her companion, nor that she may have further drawn attention to the few that may have noticed her and the golem-like creature leave, linking their departure to that of the man who had left moments earlier. It was entirely possible that her departure and his could have been linked together, but it was tough to say entirely, as Leyaria did not try to make it apparently obvious that she was following the man, though it was very hard to keep a close distance without drawing attention, particularly with the crowds of people who had just come to flood the streets. Due to them, many of whom seemed to tower over Leyaria, it was a very unlikely chance  that she would have been able to keep a further distance than perhaps what she would have wanted had it been that they were relatively alone.

Alas, that was not the case, and as she leaned against several crates which had just been unloaded upon a ship that had come and docked within the harbor, she heard the man speak. But not only that, she heard the words of someone who she was – to say the least – not expecting to have seen within Hargeon, but never the less very satisfied and pleased that she had come to find out was there. Bianca. Perhaps one of the few friends to which Leyaria could honestly and genuinely say was her friend, the woman’s presence was needless to say, a shocking one, but one that immediately drew a great smile upon her face. She had originally made plans to visit Oak Town in the near future to meet up with her, but to find her there in the town which had once upon a time been the place that she considered her home, though enough memories had her otherwise thinking that they may not have been an accurate statement. Regardless though, she listened, her focus trying to hear just what it was that the man was saying.

“Oy Bian’ca, ‘course! Harr to foget a lovely face like that one you’s got, ain’t it?” He let out a slight chuckle, “Ya padon me if I dune come off as bein’ quite the, cheery type now. Lass few months been deeing wit a ship thas bringin in a wie variety of teas. All sorts. Man of which can’t get outside of them ships, but they ain been willin’ to talk or negotiate. I needs you to help on tha matta, convincin’ them is in they best interest ta be deain’ wit goo ol’ Reagen.” It was, to say the least, difficult to understand the man, his words slurred between a mixture of hard drinking and a dialect that was more accustomed to dealing with sailors than anything else. What came as a surprise to Leyaria though was the fact that apparently not only had he issued a request for help with some matter or another, but it turned out one that had been accepted by Bianca! Watching, Leyaria came to think that her day was going to change a bit, if certainly for the better.

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A part her wanted to believe that her eyes were simply playing a trick on her, that it couldn’t really have been that Bianca was there in Hargeon Town, at the same time that she had happened to be there. It was incredibly lucky if it were the case, which was often Leyaria’s unfortunate luck to not be. It was why it was so hard to believe, why it was so tough to imagine that she had actually arrived there, and yet, that seemed to have been exactly the case. Bianca, perhaps the only woman in which Leyaria had trusted to any real degree, was there, in a city in which she had grown up under the worst of conditions, in the same place in which she had hoped to have died. Though, that had not been the case, and in fact it turned out that now the two of them were there, a fact that was vindicated and confirmed hen Leyaria felt the tight grip upon her chest, an almost joyous cry echo out just beside her as she turned her head slightly, noticing that in fact, there was Bianca, holding her within a tight grip.

“Bianca!” Her words were hoarse, partially from the tight grip in which constricted her body, much of it too around the fact that the woman before her was truly her. It was in some respects, too good to be true! Geth, now having become familiar as well with the woman, was also joyed to see the woman. “I… I… I can’t believe you’re here!” She was at a loss for word, the whole thing just being in which she was trying to process as well as she was able to. It was a welcome sight, seeing the woman, though a part of her also couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for what she had done, having opted to not actually present herself to Bianca but rather having sat to the sides, eavesdropping on her conversation with the man. Leyaria hoped that in the back of her mind, the woman would not be too greatly offended, but she worried all the same.

She tried to speak, but her words were cut off as she heard Bianca say how glad she was to hear that she was there, that this reunion, as random and unexpected as it turned out to have been, mattered so much to Bianca. Tears began to descend down her face, though Leyaria, determined to show greater resolve than what she had in the past, regained her composure as quickly as able before smiling at the woman, genuine joy – the most that she had experienced since she had returned to Hargeon. “Bianca, I’m sorry that I was hiding. I just… I couldn’t believe it was really you! You don’t know how happy I am to see you here!” She returned with her own hug around Bianca, it being as passionate and earnest of a moment of happiness as Leyaria could possible convey.

When her grip finally released upon the woman, she looked at Bianca for a moment before her focus shifted slightly to the sea, just beyond the dock. The sight of a ship coming into port was just being made out in the distance, to which Leyaria’s mind came suddenly to the conversation that Bianca had had only moments earlier with the man, about the imported tea that was needed to be renegotiated. Looking back at Bianca, there was a glint in her eyes as she smiled once again, “Hey. That job that the guy wanted you to do, would you object if I were to help?”

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Leyaria couldn’t help but smile at Bianca’s kind words. The woman had always demonstrated such kindness and genuine appreciation towards Leyaria, there were times in which the young woman still found hard to believe, though it never the less always seemed to further reaffirm that there was something to which made Bianca stand out to her. She were more a mother than in which Leyaria could seemingly remember, far more than what her own mother had proven to be. The cloest thing really would be to compare to her to her sister, the respect shown by Bianca in many ways emulating that love that her sister had shown her. It was, to say the least, an uplifting feeling.

As far as the job in which Bianca had taken, Leyaria unfortunately, in spite of her willingness to help, was at a lack of ideas. While she had spent a great deal of time in Hargeon in the past, she was never used to dealing with or otherwise handling how to best communicate with the people who docked within the port, so she were at a complete loss as far as the best way of going about handling this matter. However though, that answer was largely lifted from her concerns when it was that Bianca said that she had a plan. Following her lead, Leyaria tagged behind Bianca as the woman began to speak with the sailors who had just come into port, taking out a piece of paper and imitating the actions in which she had seen of the port authority guards that she had seen in the past. Though at the moment they were lacking, which was perfect for Bianca, enabling her to imitate them without any way to prove otherwise. She listened intently as Bianca spoke with the two in a demanding tone, all the while Leyaria viewed over the two aggressively, ensuring that she was able to further convey that she was also one of the imposter guards alongside Bianca. Following her lead further, she began to peek her head around the small things of cargo in which the crew of the ship had begun to bring on port, though she was reluctant to act or do anything, at least until Bianca responded further, Leyaria’s action no doubt predicated on that.

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Bianca had taken the lead as to how the two of them were going about this, this act of deception to which she and Leyaria were playing. The men, their faces read of disappointment and frustration, every one of the actions in which Bianca commited, and by extension everything to which Leyaria did as well, albeit to a much lower degree, only seemed to further along the tensions of things as far as what was tolerable or not. These men, had they ever actually been to Hargeon before, would know well enough of just dismissing these antics, but their ignorance brought forth bliss; bliss in which the two women were more than satisfied with taking the fullest advantage of.

Once Bianca had opened up one of the crates, citing a potential claim of drugs, that it was that Leyaria really perked her eyes up, behaving in a manner similar to that of an understudy to a dock official, now paying more attention twards that of the crates. As Bianca examined the contents and exclaimed something rather loudly and artificially, Leyaria let out a small gasp of her own, as though reaffirming what Bianca was saying. With this information, along with the shocked expressions of those who were being accused of peddling drugs now focused directedly upon the two of them, Leyaria gave a heavy, forceful kick towards one of the crates in which she was closest to that had just been unloaded, causing the contents to collectively spill out into the port as the crate quickly filled with water and began to descend down to the base of the dock, the tea bags which the two had been prtending to be drugs now scattering throughout the waters, much of which drifting out to sea. “Look’s like drugs to me, doesn’t it?” Leyaria said with a slightly condescending tone, knowing full well that Bianca did not believe them to be drugs, but only as a means to further make the men believe that this behavior was intolerable. By the looks of their faces, it was working.

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Seeing Bianca there, having the rare luxury of not just having her company but also having a chance to help her, it was a welcoming difference to how Leyaria had come to feel about her, especially given the circumstances. While they may not have warranted it any further, the feeling of uselessness was still a prevalent one within this city, particularly to the girl who once upon a time had nothing. Even with the Blue Pegasus stamp, no longer planted upon her body, it did not void or erase the fact that here, she felt less than a person, all of her courage and heroic deeds aside.

Bianca inquired as to what Leyaria was doing here, and though a great deal of her just wanted to confide to the woman what had happened, everything from her childhood here, from her encounter with Finn, to the realization of what he had done, the conflict that tore within her following it, to her decision to leave Blue Pegasus, she just wanted to tell her all of her it, but she couldn’t. Fear set in as the reality of how Bianca may have taken to the news being something that Leyaria was utterly terrified of. Unable to think of anything to say, she found herself instead just tightly hugging the woman, an image that was not unfamiliar with either woman at this point.

“I… There were just some things I had to take care of here… Things that I had wanted to do before I saw you in Oak Town…” Tears began to stream down her face, albeit not to the degree or out of complete despair, but rather a mixture of guilt and pleasure of seeing Bianca again. For her to be here, to be as conflicted and in as much mixed emotions as she was, having a guardian angel like her was something that Leyaria couldn’t have been more thankful for. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you here. I’ve missed you…”

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Certainly, to some degree there was a bit of Leyaria that was intimidated by the whole encounter, for as delightful and pleasant as it had turned out to be to have seen Bianca again. That they had met though, in Hargeon of all places rather than Oak Town, the place where clearly Bianca had wished that this reunion of sorts take place, there was just no way to deny that Leyaria’s past somewhat clouded that excitement that was meant to be encountered by their interactions. The young girl simply stood there for a moment, holding tightly to Bianca as she listened to the words described by her, the comforting words that seemed like Leyaria had never had the luxury or pleasure of hearing in the past.

They were powerful, and hit Leyaria like a ton of bricks.

Biting her lip, she tried and exerted as much effort as she was able to in order to ensure that she would not cry, not any more than what she had already. By perhaps some miracle, or through just an extreme degree of will, she was able to prevent just that, instead just closing her eyes, appreciating the words that were coming out of Bianca’s mouth, imagining the idea of the envisionment she painted. Leyaria, alongside Bianca, together in Oak Town, it seemed to almost mirror past history between her and her sister; a relationship that Leyaria more than anything longed for.

She had been so lost in thought and imagination that she hadn’t quite realized that Bianca was setting to depart. Before that though, Leyaria made sure to call out to her, “Bianca!” She watched as the woman turn her head back towards her, to which Leyaria enthusiastically exclaimed, “Can’t wait to see you again in Oak Town!” The two smile back at each other and eventually parted ways, Leyaria unbelievably excited for what was to happen when she would finally arrive within Oak.

[EXIT]

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