"Dimensional Whiplash"
By Aleenia Rheese

Chapter Five - Explanations

Cloud sat at the bar, talking to Cait Sith. "...So what do you think?" the odd little creature asked.

"I don't know..." Cloud replied. "Goin' full-time on Chocobo Racing would be profitable. But we'd need Cid's airship to transport them to the Gold Saucer, and he wants to put the ol' Highwind in mothballs."

"Hmmm.... we could buy it from him?" It was more of a question than a statement. The stuffed cat was washing mugs after a long day of bartending. He had learned not to piss people off when they were drinking. Marlene was an excellent waitress, and Yuffie (to Barret's dislike) was teaching the kid to pickpocket.

Just then, Tifa came out of the back room with Barret, Cid, and the boy behind her. "Cloud, this is Sam," she said, gesturing to the boy. "He says he doesn't know what Materia is, doesn't know where he is, and said he's sixteen," she said with a shrug.

"I, uh, can explain... I think. I mean, why I don't come from here." Sam produced a small ID card from the back pocket of his shorts. It said his name was Rheese, Samuel Harold. He was a member of Luccas/West research teams of New York, NY, Jr. assistant #147.

"What is this?" Cloud asked. He held up the card, eerie blue eyes glowing with interest. Sam took back his card.

"It's an ID card. It gives me access to data on Prof. West's experiments. It also allows me to... visit... my sister in the New York lab." They all looked at him strangely, Cait Sith, Tifa, Barret, Cid, Yuffie, and Marlene. "Uh, New York? You've no idea what New York is, do you? sigh Okay, I'll explain." As best he could, Sameul explained the whole mess he was in.

*****

In Terra's world...

Alie lay on the bed, thinking. Magic. These people had magic. Neat! She smiled. And the king was cute... so was his brother. I wonder if Sam's okay? Yeah. He's fine. She didn't know what it was, but she knew. Sister instinct has taken over.

Alie smiled to herself. She turned on her side. She had let her hair out of its heavy braid, and replaced her dusty clothes with clean ones she borrowed from one of the servant girls. It was a lovely brown dress, all soft and nice... but she would be glad when they finished washing her jeans.
Just then a knock came on her door. She shuffled over to it. Opening it a crack, she whispered, "Yes?" It was the old maid who had taken her things.

"Here you are, all nice and clean," she said with a warm smile. Alie let her in. The old woman laid Alie's clothes out. "It's about time for me to wake up His Royal Majesty, King Edgar the Smooth-Talker." At Alie's shocked look, the old woman continued. "Oh, I've been taking care of Edgar since he was born! I even took care of his father as a youth. wink And if there's one thing I've learned about these Figaran men is that they, as I like to say, 'hit on everything that moves!' My name is Matron," Matron said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm Alie," the bewildered girl answered.

"I just wanted to warn you. And to say that under all that flattery, he's only after one girl."

"Terra? The woman who healed me headache?"
Matron raised a white eyebrow. Somehow, the little change made her look younger. "Oh? And how did you guess that?"

Alie smiled. "Even though his - uh - Majesty was half-asleep, I could see the way he looked at her. And I don't even know 'im!" She thought for a moment, then added, "Y'know? Where I come from, there aren't that many girls with green hair."
Matron smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you can ask her about that. Your hair looks lovely like that! But let me braid it for you again;it's better to have your hair up in Figaro Desert's heat."

In the dining room, Edgar sat at his place, pondering the strange happening from early that morning. Terra came in, dressed in armor as usual. "...Well, I thought we were going to the Phoenix Cave for more exploring, but that kid... Alie...? kinda changed that." Locke came in, hand-in-hand with his lovely wife Celes.

"That makes everyone? Good. Now, someone bring in the yawn girl, please," Edgar said with a yawn that nearly dislocated his jaw. A servant nodded, then left. "About that whole Phoenix Cave thing, we can go tomorrow. Oh, here she is. Miss, could you please explain why you were outside Figaro Castle at dawn?"

Alie stared. There were more people than before. The black-swathed man had a dog sitting next to him on the red carpeted floor. In the chair next to the dog was a girl who appeared to be thirteen or fourteen, wearing some sort of scarf atop her wavy hair of corn-silk gold, a black top, and baggy pants that reminded her of a Disney cartoon character.

Next to her was an old man with a walking stick twice his size, and next to him was Terra, her aqua-green, wavy hair in a horsetail atop her head. There was also Sabin, the black/grey haired man, and gold haired woman, a man with all the presence of a gentleman, yet the hard-set face of a warrior, the white fluffy thing, a boy dressed in animal skins. A man with long white hair wearing a crooked smile and a black duster.

The king sat at the end of the table. He motioned for her to sit at the other end. Alie wasn't nervous; she'd been in an audience room twice as big and filled with people, and done a speech, for God's sake! She sat.

"Okay, I'll explain as best I can..."