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[Have him jaw-dropping and backpedaling as he stares at the metallic bird-like thing, because not only is it impressive, it is also bigger than him. Not that opponents bigger than him scare him out of his wits, but he is impressed.]

Are you serious!?

[All he saw so far were a few pokemon in town and his charmander.]

[Oh no, is it scary? Ramza shakes his head.]
This one isn't dangerous - I've been raising it from an egg given by kind strangers. But stories tell of their feathers becoming swords, in the right hands.

[Swords. This catches his attention.]

You want to see if those 'right hands' are yours, huh? [He carefully advances towards the bird, seeming overly cautious even if told the pokemon was no threat.]

I do. But first, I must make sure it is carefully trained. If not, it might--
[...!! The bird suddenly lets out a screech, and... lays down. It is tired and crying.]
Actually, I've been waiting for her to drop some feathers. [Her, huh? Yes, he's got a female metal bird.] It's no use to hurt her, for my own gain.

[The screech surprises him, and his body tenses in a defensive posture, guarding himself flawlessly.]

...her?

[He is not quite sure how metallic birds have a gender, but he soon enough loosens himself again.]
Ramza, right? Once you get a sword, what are you going to do with that? I didn't find any weapons of mine when I... woke up. [Still sounds strange, that.] What if it's just taken away?

[...What is he going to do with it?]
I wish to discover the truth of this land. [If he is dead, if he has been taken - if this land is related to Ivalice at all.] If I must defend myself, I shall need more then rocks. These creatures - like Skarmory, and Stunfisk - they are my allies, but it is unfair to expect them to defend me.
[A pause - Ramza's voice has raised a little.]
That is no way to live, forcing others to do your every bidding! So I must be able to keep my weapons, even if it my secret, hidden from others.
[...]
What would you raise weapons for, Madara?

[There is the same thoughtful expression as he takes in the others' cries and demands, his heated passionate speech.]

Your allies... they might defend you even if you don't expect or demand them to. This is what allies are for. If you can trust them, they can trust you and vice-versa.
[The tone earns respect from him, and his expression grows steely as he listens to him telling him he would keep the word even though it may have consequences. Then after the pause, he is asked a question he wastes no time in answering, dark gaze as piercing as a cold night.]

I raise weapons for my Clan, I raise them to protect my brother... and I raise them so one day we find peace. [Which certainly would be different from anyone would expect having met any older version of him.]

[He nods.]
That trust is something I must build, by treating them as equals.
[But at his answer? Ramza gives a smile. Of course, clans are different in his world - but he gets the general gist of it.]
You wish for peace, as well? My land was in a dangerous time - even though a war had ended, there were still many who called for blood.
[And his brother had - those traitors had... no, he cannot tell him the true story.]
I wish to protect my sister, as well. She is the only one of our family without proper training. We seem to have quite a bit in common. But I suppose you do not hail from Ivalice.
[Ramza has picked up a new smooth rock now, and is skipping it.]

Iva--who? [A blink. No, he does not.]

I hail from, uh... Hn. [He still has much difficulty stating things such as this, since it was uncommon to speak your clan's name to strangers.] I hail from the Uchiha's dwellings. [Which were pretty much all over the place. Clans were nomadic mercenaries fighting for whoever paid them the most to protect their lands.]

My world was- is always at war... [He states belatedly, looking at the stone as it skips to the shore. He too, picks one up and flings it at the water's surface.] I was going to try and find a way to make everyone understand.

Ivalice. It is the name of the country I came from.
[But he gives a nod - a man who just lives on the road? Well, a young one. He understands...] I don't stay still, even within the country. I am but a sellsword - a mercenary.
[...But his eyes narrow. A war-torn land, his hands tighten.] That is no way to live, people fighting for their own selfish reasons - using the many soldiers as pawns. There must be a way.
[...]
Perhaps that is why you came here. This land seems calm, but it may carry answers for both of us from our worlds.

Answers. [He echoes with a nod, picking up another stone and tossing it it over to the waters.]

That would be pretty nice, if it did... but I'm not really going to hold my breath. Adults govern the world, and we won't have weight, not unless we're strong and hold onto our ideals.

[Ramza nods again, skipping another rocks.]
And even if we could get answers - the truth may be distorted, blurred by their own twisted ideals. Or, perhaps, we would not listen to the truth because of our own.
[...This person... he thinks he can tell him. Something tells him he can trust him.]
That is what happened to me, just before I came to this land.

[The next rock is a huge miss, because what he head... it sounds so much like--]
You can't become allies with anyone... cause there's no way to even know what they're thinking deep inside. All they have is lies and deceit.

[So then, this person, Ramza...]
So you got betrayed? [He asks, eyes narrowing, because betrayal was disgusting to think of.]

I was a noble... but my brother, alongside a man I assisted both betrayed me...
[A bit of a sigh, as Ramza grabs... a blade of grass? He remembers when him and Delita last played a grasswhistle... when they were going to save Tietra.]
And my best friend, alongside his sister, both ended up dead. I don't know why, still. Sure, they were both commoners, but they were like family to me.
[His voice is quiet, his hands have gripped to themselves so tightly. He hates it.]
They spoke as if our friendship was but a ploy for my own gain - nobles and commoners couldn't be like that. But because of them, both Delita and Tietra are dead!

[Madara listens, perhaps looking impassive as he does, though attentive.]

Nobles... betrayal... commoners.
[Those are not alien concepts to him, since the feudal lords are this way as well, so he can imagine a similar situation.]

Being unable to do anything is bad, but being accused of that... it's sure gotta be worse. [There is a pause, and he gives a shake of head.] You remind me a lot of a friend I had, but... you're only less easily depressed. [In the last few minutes, he had been reminded of Hashirama a great deal.]

Adults are all the same. They only see what they want to see. [His own eyes narrowed in anger.]

[It actually feels rather nice, to let this off his chest. Ramzas' expression is starting to soften.]
I'm not sure about that. There may be a few not clouded by their own sights, but...
Quite a few of them are. We'll not get manipulated, correct? [He says, with a smile.] Because if we did, we would end up like them. Though, this friend... one from your land? Perhaps he shall end up here. [A nod, before...] If my Skarmory does shed feathers, I shall try to craft a blade for you, as well. I've never done it before.

[They would not get manipulated, indeed. Madara has a strong will, and his own idea for peace.]
We both are stronger than them. It's all about our will, and they can't get to that! [At the mention of Hashirama finding his way here, he stares fora few seconds, because wouldn't this just be the best...?]

If your-- You'd do that? For me? [He has rarely been so stunned in his life prior to now.] Isn't that supposed to just happen really rarely?

I'm not quite sure. The Chocobo - um, those are birds like Skarmory without the feathers - we had at the Akademy shed quite a few feathers after battles.
[Of course, this bird is a lot different...]
But if it happens, it would be better then abandoning the feathers. If I did, they could fall into the hands of somebody cruel.

And we're not gonna be cruel. [He shakes his head.] I really just... want to protect... [Who? He couldn't really think of who or what he had in this new world.] This place still feels like a long, weird dream for me. [He turned his gaze to the sky.] At least I have someone I feel familiar with, somehow.

[Dark eyes return to him, and he gives a nod.] It sure is nice meeting you, Ramza.

The truth. That's all we can protect for now.
[Ramza is smiling! It almost feels like a dream for him, as well.]
It's my pleasure, Madara. I suppose we should exchange PokeGear numbers as well... we did not have anything like these devices back home.

[The smile may possibly be contagious, since Madara does too.]

Truth. That's what we'll do! [There is a firm nod. What unites them now is a common goal.]
Oh right, PokeGear... You'll be one of the first on there. [Returning to his backpack, which was in the nearby vicinity but out of the water, he takes out the device.]

[He's glad of this... it's been a while since he's been this relieved.]
It's the same here - I've not put anybody on mine. [He says, getting it out. Now how does he do this...?] But I am glad it's somebody who has such a strong will.

How long have you been here? [He asks, fiddling with the device, one of his first times using it.] I've sort of literally just come around... but it's great that I found this river. [These seemed to be great meeting places!] And you.

[It did feel like maybe, just maybe a tiny piece of home was there.]

Only a few weeks. [He shakes his head.] Enough to figure out a few things, like the use of Skarmory. But there's still a lot I don't know - but places like this...

They're nice. [Ramza gives a sigh, grabbing a piece of grass in his fingers.] I've heard the dead may roam here, as well... I wonder if Delita would like it here?

[He had fetched the instruction manual from his backpack to look up how to share contacts, pointing it out to his new friend and following the steps.]

The dead...? [This brings him into a thoughtful posture, and he dimly wonders just what his other brothers would say, what they would do... but shakes his head in the end.] For your sake, I can just hope they do. [He states, somewhat amazingly subdued.]

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