Author's Note: This is going to be a short story set of a currently unplanned length. Inspired by a comic from Pixiv (the link is in my profile).

Tales of Vesperia is the property of Namco Bandai.

Displaced: Displacement

It just happened one day. He couldn't explain it. Neither of them could. No one could.

Flynn was making his rounds as Commandant, stopping briefly in the Lower Quarter to check on the citizens who had been like a family to him. It was a cool autumn morning, and the whole of the city was preparing for the winter that would soon be upon them. He was there to make sure that there were enough supplies to go around.

Those of the Lower Quarter had it rough. Their tiny, cramped, ramshackle houses barely withstood the harsh winter winds. Many of them had fireplaces, but they were old and in disrepair, and really more like fire hazards. Wood was expensive in the capital, but this year, they had a secret weapon against the chill. The famous mage, Rita Mordio, had devised a substance that could be used in the place of firewood. It was cheap and long burning, and the production of the bricks of it provided jobs to many who were without after the events several months earlier.

Blastia, which had once been the lifeblood of their civilization, had been sacrificed in order to defeat the world devouring Adephagos. It was a costly sacrifice, but the world had been saved. No blastia to heat homes or power machines made life hard but he had faith that the people of Terca Lumireis could come together and life would move on. So far, so good.

It had been hard work, but it was paying off. Peace had settled between the Empire and the Guilds of Dahngrest. Flynn worked hard for the Empire, and his friends, hard for the guilds.

Flynn had risen to the rank of Commandant of the Imperial Knights after being a lieutenant and then captain for only a few short months. It was a heavy burden to bear for someone so young, but every day he fought to do his best to fulfill his duty to his country. His friends had his back. He could do it with their faith in him.

He passed the home he grew up in, and walked into the town square. He was supposed to be having a meeting here, but instead a commotion caught his attention. Some of the voices belonged to his Knights, and their shouts made him suspect the usual troublemakers.

As his feet hit the cobblestone of the town square, he knew it was not the usual suspects.

One of the heavily armored knights, clad in brown and olive, flew by him and crashed into the wall of a shop. He fought to stand, but was hit by a flying comrade only a second later.

Flynn turned his attention to the cause of the trouble. This was someone he had never seen before, and he wasn't about to let the stranger continue. Since the Knights didn't seem up to the task, Flynn took it upon himself to quell the problem.

"Halt!" He drew his sword and the man turned to him.

"Oh good. Another playmate." For a young man as slender as this one was, he wore an incredibly cocky smirk. "Come on, then." He motioned with both arms toward his own body in a taunting motion and allowed Flynn to see that he was serious, but unarmed.

"Where is your weapon?"

"What?" He looked at his hands a little bewildered. "I don't have one."

"Surrender immediately. You are out armed."

"Wait, Flynn." The voice of an old man behind him drew his attention, but Flynn kept his sight on the young man in front of him.

"What is it, Hanks?"

"Lad's not from around here, if you hadn't noticed. The only trouble he really caused was not showing his passport. Claimed he didn't have one. The Knights are the ones who took things too far first."

Flynn could trust Hanks. The old man was the voice of reason in the Lower Quarter and he had done a lot for Flynn when Flynn was just a child living here. And he was right. This young man was definitely not from the area. Or any area Flynn had ever been.

The dark haired man wore clothing of a fabric that Flynn couldn't determine and in a strange cut. His shirt and pants were both dark in color, and tight enough that Flynn could see the lines of his form, and the strange footwear he wore was bright red. He had never seen clothing like this before.

He took a deep breath and sheathed his sword. "All right. Let's talk this over."

"What? Afraid I could beat you?"

Flynn gritted his teeth to keep from answering honestly. "I won't hold my blade against an unarmed civilian."

The young man whistled, tucking his hands behind his head. "That's pretty noble of you. Better than those uniformed goons of yours."

"A behavior that they will be reprimanded for. Now, will you come with me? I'd like to discuss this incident."

"Am I under arrest?"

"Not presently."

"Okay." He took a few easy strides toward Flynn.

Flynn watched carefully for anything suspicious. This unarmed person had thrown two fully armed knights into a building after all. The two knights had recovered themselves and moved to take hold of the man.

"No. Leave him."

They looked at him in surprise, but both muttered "Yes sir."

"If you would follow me to the palace, we can get all of this sorted out."

"Palace? What are you? Some bigwig?"

"We will discuss all of that when we arrive."

The man shrugged and followed Flynn as he started up the path to the Public Quarter. The two battered knights took position behind him, watching his steps carefully as Flynn led the way.

The dark haired man walked with a strange ease, eyes scanning the walls of the city. He didn't complain or say hardly a word all the way up through the Public Quarter and into the Royal Quarter. A sharp whistle escaped his lips and he stopped in front of the tall gate that surrounded the palace.

"Nice place you've got here."

"It's not mine."

He shrugged and picked up the pace to follow Flynn inside. They moved directly upstairs to Flynn's office where he motioned for the stranger to sit in a chair in front of his desk. He dismissed the two knights and sat down behind the desk, stack of paper and pen in hand.

"What is your name?"

"Is this an interrogation?"

Flynn sighed, "No. This is not an interrogation. I am merely trying to reach a resolution regarding your presence."

"Name's Yuri Lowell. Who are you?"

He was a little taken aback by the question. Nearly everyone in Terca Lumireis knew him, even if he wasn't exactly thrilled by that. "I am Flynn Scifo, Commandant of the Imperial Knights."

"Oh. That's cool." Yuri seemed unimpressed at best.

"How did you get into Zaphias?" He was jotting down notes about Yuri's general appearance and attitude. So far the list was cocky, brash, confident, dark.

"I don't know."

"Where is your passport?"

"I don't have one."

Check missing person reports. Possible guildsman.

"Where are you from?"

"Uh, Earth?"

Flynn looked up over his desk at the young man, frustrated with the constant sass during the questioning. He found a look that was cocky, but serious, and tried to control his temper. "I've heard of no such place. What continent is it on?"

"What?"

"Illycia, Tolbyccia, Desier, so on. Which one?"

"None of them. Earth is a planet."

He resisted the urge to drop his head right onto the desk with a crash. "So you're from a 'planet' called Earth."

"That's what I said."

"How did you get here?"

"Hell if I know."

Possibly insane. Check with palace physician. This conversation was going absolutely nowhere, and fast. He had never heard of the places Yuri spoke of, although he would now have to look them up.

"What are all those squiggles?"

A hand on Flynn's shoulder suddenly caused him to jump, only to find Yuri standing there right behind him, looking curiously at Flynn's notes. He hadn't even heard him move, and he was all of a sudden right there behind Flynn. How had he moved so quickly and quietly? His eyes scanned the page, but didn't seem to actually be reading the words Flynn had written.

Just as quickly, he was striding to the window, pulling it open without an ounce of hesitation. If he really was a stranger in a strange land, his mannerisms certainly didn't show it. Did he ever stop moving?

"Please sit down. I still have a few more questions."

"It's really nice outside. You can see the whole city from up here. So this place is called Zaphias, right?"

"That's correct, now please-"

A soft whine and the pad of four feet across the tile floor alerted both of them. Repede entered the room from the library that was adjacent, stretching as he strode across the floor. He stopped, looking up at Yuri curiously before yawning. He was apparently unconcerned with the stranger's presence.

"Oh, you like dogs." Yuri squatted down, and to Flynn's surprise, Repede let Yuri pet him. "Hey there, boy. What's your name?"

Repede whined again, his tail wagging. It was very rare that he took this quickly to anyone, much less someone he just met. Most people couldn't even pet the dog without getting a threatening glare. Repede was trained well enough to not bite unless threatened.

"Repede, huh? That's a good name. I'm Yuri."

Flynn watched, puzzled, as the exchange between Yuri and Repede continued. It lasted a few more moments, and each of Yuri's responses were like the answers to questions, and then it seemed like he was understanding Repede's replies.

"Yeah, he seems pretty stiff. Does he even play with you?"

"Aroooo..."

"That so? Huh." Yuri smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

"What are you doing?" Flynn finally asked, snapping out of the strange trance the incident was putting him in. He had never seen anyone interact with Repede like this.

"What do you mean? Repede and I are just talking."

"How did you know his name?"

"He told me."

Surprise and disbelief hit him before he could ask further or question what he had just heard.

"The dogs where I'm from look a lot different than you." Yuri went easily back to his conversation. "We didn't have those weird critters running around outside of the city either."

It was a little while longer before Flynn was able to get Yuri to sit down and continue the questions again. His responses seemed honest in spite of the snark attached. One thing was certain: Yuri was a strange one. He had no idea how he had gotten to Zaphias, only describing very briefly waking up outside the city and wandering in past the guards. He did seem to understand that he was in a strange new place, but had very little to say on the matter. He was overall very calm considering he seemed to have no understanding of where he was or how he had gotten there. And in the end, Flynn was left feeling somewhat bad for him even though Yuri seemed to be taking it all in stride.

"What are your plans now?"

"I dunno." Yuri shrugged, slouching in his chair and continually petting Repede, who had barely moved two steps away from him at any time. "I guess I'd like to get home at some point. Beats me how I'm supposed to do that though."

Flynn couldn't leave a person in need, even if he was snarky and caused trouble and was brash and loud. Something about Yuri made Flynn want to help him, in spite of the aforementioned problems. He was at least calm about not knowing where he was or how he got there. It was much easier than dealing with someone hysterical. For right now, he was Flynn's responsibility.

"Your situation is rather unusual. I'll pardon the offense of assault at this time, but please do not let it happen again."

"Cool. Since we've got that taken care of, I guess I'll just get going."

"No. For the time being, you're going to stay where I can keep an eye on you."

"What?" the indignant response came, Yuri narrowing his eyes. "I'm not a little kid. I can take care of myself."

"That's not the point."

"Look, unless I'm under arrest, you have no right to keep me here."

"I can't have you walking around without any way to protect yourself. It's dangerous just outside the city."

"So what? I can take care of myself."

"You are completely unarmed."

"I kicked the asses of two of your knights. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"Monsters are different. They won't take orders from me."

Yuri stood, sending his chair skidding back. "I'm leaving and you can't stop me."

Flynn stood also, coming around the desk to take hold of Yuri and the situation. He wasn't going to go down as easily as the city guards had. He had Yuri by one wrist, dodging a punch from another.

Yuri stumbled back, catching his footing before he fell. He swung wildly at Flynn, managing to get a few punches in. Flynn fought to grab his other wrist when Yuri started kicking as well. He forced him backward, anything to gain the upper hand, and slammed him into a bookshelf against the wall. With an 'oof' the wind was knocked out of him, but he still struggled against Flynn's grasp.

"Let go of me!"

"Congratulations, you're under arrest for assaulting the Commandant!"

"You started it!"

"Flynn, are you busy...?"

Estelle's voice from the door abruptly stopped the yelling, but Flynn maintained a tight hold on Yuri to minimize his struggling.

"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?" She blushed a little, seeing them both pressed against the bookshelf and suddenly Flynn realized how this situation could easily be taken the wrong way. Apparently, it had her wondering.

"Lady Estellise, it's not what it looks like."

"What does this look like, you ass?" Yuri struggled just enough to see if Flynn's grip had loosened, but it hadn't.

"If you're in the middle of something, I can come back later..."

"That won't be necessary. I'm taking this youth into custody. I'm going to let him cool down in the dungeon."

"Youth?! Who the fuck do you think you are? I'm twenty-two!"

That surprised Flynn a little. He looked, and acted, younger than that.

"Let's talk this over, Flynn." Estelle came further into the office upon seeing that situation wasn't as compromising as she originally thought. She shut the door behind her and approached them. She laid a hand on Flynn's arm, but looked at Yuri. "Hello. My name is Estellise. What's yours?"

"Yuri Lowell. You mind getting this guy offa me?"

"Only if you agree to calmly sit down so we can talk about this."

"Fine."

Flynn felt Yuri give up the struggle, at least temporarily, and he loosened his grip as well, finally letting go and dropping his arms.

They sat down, and Yuri recounted his version once more for Estelle. Even though he had heard this all before, Flynn listened carefully, making notes still while at his desk. There were not discrepancies between the story he had heard and the story Yuri was telling Estelle, but he hadn't really pegged Yuri as a liar.

"That's fascinating." She sat next to him calmly, considering that only a few moments before, Flynn had been trying to arrest Yuri and Yuri was putting up a fight. "So, you're from a big city on a planet called 'Earth'?"

"Yeah."

"Flynn, can we speak in privacy for a moment?"

"Certainly, Lady Estellise." He stood and escorted her to the door of the office. He shot a glance back at Yuri. "Don't move. We will return in just a moment."

The moment Flynn turned his back, he heard Yuri move, flailing his limbs and making no secret of it, but he didn't look back. He shut the door with a snap behind himself and Estelle, one hand on the knob in case he should have to get back in a hurry. One ear listened intently through the door for a sound aside from Yuri talking to Repede and the other ear listened to her.

"I'm a little concerned about what Yuri is telling us. It's not that I don't believe him. He seems honest, it's just far fetched."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've read of a place called 'Earth' in a book in the library. The problem is, it's a fictional world that is much different from ours. How he knew about such a place, I don't know. I assume that he could have read the book, but it's quite old and I know for a fact that they're aren't many copies of it."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm wondering if he isn't really telling the truth. What if a world called 'Earth' really does exist?"

Farfetched was not a strong enough word for this situation.

"The idea of another world is far beyond belief, but with everything that has happened in less than a year, anything is possible," Estelle said.

"You actually think he might be from another world?"

"We've seen stranger things and Terca Lumireis has changed a lot in less than a year. What if his presence had something to do with the Adephagos?"

"I'm not sure," he finished his sentence a little reluctantly, "but anything's possible." He sighed and nodded. Suddenly it was very quiet, both within the palace halls and in his office. Panic rushed him and he flung the door open.

Yuri was gone and Repede stood with his front paws on the windowsill, staring down. Flynn rushed to the window just in time to see Yuri climbing down the side of the building. He was too far down now for Flynn to reach him and running to a lower level to attempt a capture through another window was a folly and a waste of time.

"Guards, apprehend that man!" Flynn shouted to the few knights down in the garden area. "Take him into custody but do not harm him."

At attention, the Royal Guard pooled at the bottom of the wall and waited for Yuri to finish his descent. He briefly tried to get in another window, but it must have been locked, so he finally touched down in the bushes. He surrendered surprisingly fast and quietly when faced with five Royal Guards and they walked him off to the dungeon.

'This is going to be more trouble than it's worth' is what he wanted to say, but he didn't. If Yuri was indeed a complete stranger to Terca Lumireis, it was Flynn responsibility to help him. Even if that meant throwing him in jail to cool his head.

Flynn and Repede let a few hours pass before he headed to the dungeon to check on Yuri. Like everything else, he seemed to be taking it in stride, even going so far as to lounge in his meager bed, humming to himself.

"Have you had any trouble from him?" Flynn asked the guard.

"No, sir. He didn't put up a struggle at all."

He nodded and he and Repede took a brief walk to the first cell where Yuri was being held. Yuri spotted him quickly, peering at him upside down from the cot.

"Hey there. Flynn, was it?"

"Yes." It was almost odd to hear his own name from someone who wasn't a close friend. "Are you ready to listen to what I have to say?"

Yuri shrugged, a motion abbreviated by the loud growl of his stomach, followed by a hungry squeal.

"Perhaps over some dinner, then."

"Sounds good to me. What've you got to eat around here?"

"We'll find you something to eat upstairs."

Flynn motioned to the guard to unlock the door and Yuri walked out, a stretch in his step. He immediately knelt to ruffle Repede's fur in a friendly manner and the dog responded by licking his face. Repede was never this friendly with anyone, save Flynn. Even Estelle was barely allowed the opportunity to pet him.

He led Yuri upstairs into the main halls of the castle and into the empty dining hall. The Knights had eaten earlier, so it would only be the two of them and Repede.

The chef brought them each a bowl of leftover beef stew and a few slabs of crusty bread. Yuri barely waited for the food to be on the table before he started stuffing his face. How long had it been since his last meal? Or were his table manners always this atrocious?

"Because of your predicament, I doubt you have anywhere to go or family to stay with. Is that correct?"

"Pretty much."

"At the urging of Lady Estellise, and because you are a stranger here in Zaphias with a special set of circumstances, I cannot ignore your plight. You will be allowed to stay here under my watchful eye, provided you agree to not cause too much trouble, at least until we can find a way to get you back home."

"And here I thought you didn't like me." Yuri smirked. "Thanks, but I shouldn't hang out here too long."

"You are defenseless beyond the walls of the city." They were about to have this argument again.

"Look, I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for years."

"I'm afraid Flynn is right, Yuri. This world, Terca Lumireis, is far from the world that you know." Estelle made her appearance in a very timely manner this time. She sat down beside him and touched his arm gently. "Let us help you."

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he slurped down the last of his stew. "Any chance of seconds?"

Flynn motioned to the waitstaff, who quickly brought Yuri a second bowl and more bread. He ate a little more slowly this time. Flynn and Estelle were left waiting for a reply.

"I'll stay for now," he said, his hunger apparently sated.

"Now that that's settled, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

Adjacent to the Commandant's quarters were a section of rooms afforded usually to the Commandant's wife and immediate family. They had been unused for many years, since neither Flynn, not the previous Commandant, the traitor Alexei, had married. Even unoccupied, the maids kept it immaculate. The rooms would be the perfect place for someone that Flynn wanted to keep an eye on. Yuri seemed unimpressed by the richly furnished apartments and moved straight to the attached balcony. For a split second, Flynn worried that he was going to try to make good his escape once more, but Yuri's eyes fixed on the sky instead.

Brave Vesperia shone above them, filling Flynn with a strange wash of not so distant memories of traveling the world and defeating the Adephagos. If Yuri's appearance here was indeed the result of the Adephagos, it fell squarely on Flynn to care for him. It was his responsibility. As frustrating as Yuri had already proven to be, it was his duty.

"The stars are a lot different here," Yuri muttered.

Flynn wasn't sure what to say. What kind of words did you say to someone who had apparently been completely displaced from his home and family and flung to a distant world he did not know? He wasn't sure any such words existed.

"If you need anything, my quarters are right next door. Don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks." His eyes didn't move.

Repede whined and sat down next to Yuri and stayed there on the balcony with him even as Flynn slipped into his own quarters and prepared for bed. As long as Yuri didn't mind the dog's company, he was welcome to stay with him.

Flynn waited at his desk for a long time, listening to the movements from the room next door and the stranger within. Yuri seemed to be making no further attempts to leave, and just stood there in silence for several lengthy moments. His padded across the floor, his rubber soled shoes squeaking slightly as he walked, and skitter of Repede's claws followed him. The bed on the far side of the room creaked as it sagged beneath Yuri's weight, and then Repede's. Satisfied that Yuri was settled, Flynn moved off to his own bed.

He didn't understand what had brought Yuri here, or why. What Flynn did understand was that this wasn't going to be painless.