[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7W79Czh.png[/img][/center]

[center][i]New York, New York; Manhattan Area; Starbucks[/i][/center]

[hr]

One moment she had been sitting down on her throne, Sigrun and Tanith in attendance with her by each side of the throne, to begin the usual day's business of handling the matters of the Begnion Empire's administration and similar things. The Senate, or rather the new Senate she had helped form in the rebuilding of her nation, had been sitting in their chairs, the old men glancing over to her waiting for permission to begin the meeting proper. Ever since the goddess had been defeated, a battle she had personally joined alongside the others to decide the fate of the world, it had been a lot of busywork to ensure peace on the continent. Many treaties had been signed to ensure the nations were not at war with each other, though even these legal measures only went so far. Remnants of the Laguz slave trade to continue to battle, anger from those who had been encase in stone but supported the Senate, and other issues that attempting to push their world to true peace would indeed have in the process. 

Just the previous day news of an attack by laguz bandits on the Western side of the empire near the border, remnants of the slave trade who still held hostile feelings in all likeliness, and border forces had been taking care of this since a good portion of the proper Begnion army had been killed after serving Ashera and the corrupt former Senate members. All in all, a troublesome thing that needed to be dealt with decisively, but hopefully peacefully if she could get Gallian support in approaching these bandits. 

But as she had closed her eyes for a moment to think, to take in the silence of the grand room she had become more than accustomed to since she had been 5 years old, something happened. It had felt like she was falling, dropped off of a cliff, and before she knew it the feeling was gone, the air felt different, and as she had opened up her eyes suddenly again a far, far different scene had opened up in front of her vision that was a far call from her home nation....or anywhere in Tellius for that matter. 

She was sitting flat on her butt in an alley, the building in front of her alone scraping up at the sky and being of an utterly foreign style. A nasty mix of smells was in the air, originating from some metallic bin sitting to her left, likely a thing filled with refuse and horrid garbage of many sorts if she were correct about the matter. As she slowly stood and cautiously looked about, the purple-haired empress glanced down either side of the eerily empty alley. At least the daylight rung in to light up things beyond the skulking shadows of the alley....but even that sight was strange, enough to make her walk towards it. Curiosity or a cautious attempt to learn just where she was, it didn't matter. As she moved onto the sidewalk of what seemed to be a road paved with strange stone, she saw an innumerable array of  metal carriages of some sort moving with people inside, honking at each other like some strange bird, coming in all sorts of shapes and color, and putting out a noxious air that made her cough several times after getting a lungful of it. 

To boot, beorc of varying heights, wearing clothing far flung from anything she wore or knew in her life, walked by, some looking down at small objects that glowed in their hands, some dressed seemingly for formally than others, some giving her odd looks, and some...well, not giving a damn about her presence at all and just ignoring her outright. In part the overall scene felt...claustrophobic, There was not a single laguz anywhere, though....well, she definitely wasn't in her home nation.....or potentially the same world anymore. This entire place was so alien to her senses, however, she hadn't the slightest clue as to even the most minuscule of guesses as to what had happened.

Some fell magic used to try to kidnap her? One of the mages in her palace having miscast a new spell of some sort for moving about? Some force from another unknown realm reaching into the world of the goddess and happening to pick her up like some child's plaything? As much as it all worried her and raced within her mind, the empress' composure remained well enough to keep a straight face. Without even a single person recognizing her, bluntly shouting aloud or demanding things might not go so well. Not at all, even she knew that well enough. Further, without a sign of Sigrun, Tanith, or any of her subjects or troops or familiar faces about her when she had opened her eyes, it seemed as if she was alone as well perhaps. 

Grimacing to herself, Sanaki looked about for a place nearby, somewhere she could in fact perhaps look for information. A library would be stupendous to access, and yet....did these people or her speak the same language? 

"Yo, little girl, there ain't no cosplaying convention here, ya might wanna get back home before ya' parents get worried or someone snatches ya up," a passerby said to her, pausing for a moment to meet her eyes before walking off again. 

Well, she could understand what that person had said at least, so perhaps there was some hope in things. Glancing to each side after she had observed the opposite side of the street for a few minutes, a green sign with what looked like a two-tailed mermaid with a crown seemed to stand out to her. A lot of people seemed to be talking whilst walking in and out of it, so perhaps here, amongst a lot of these people, she could find something of use to her. Somewhat awkwardly, despite her stoic expression she held for her own sake at the moment, Sanaki walked down this...well, walking space on the side of the street as it were, until coming to the door. 

Gritting her teeth at having to move through a crowd of people like this, Sanaki did her best to push back the rest of the initial shock as she moved through the door past a couple of others who regarded her oddly. Upon entering, however, the sight of table, people seeming to be making drinks behind a counter, and the like met her along with a rich, aromatic smell that seemed to somewhat put her at ease even if it wasn't tea. Though in this more closed space, the looks she gained began to increase, the eyes feeling as if they were boring into her skull and body like they could see through her. It was...unnerving, and this feeling worked its way a little bit into her face as she moved forwards to try to find a better space to stand in, or at least see if she could find what looked like an intellectual of this...strange foreign place. 

However, this would not be as simple as she thought, as promptly the Empress ran straight into [url=https://i.imgur.com/QE4OQfKl.png]a woman with short, white hair and blue eyes[/url] who seemed to be near the door chowing down on some sort of food. A small yelp came from Sanaki's lips as she did so, slightly taken aback by her own vulnerability coming to the forefront and mental irritation at having run into someone so rudely like these other beorc here seemed to be willing to do to others without blinking an eye. 

[@KoL]