A Place to Call Home

By Laguna Loire

A sleepy town in Southern Galbadia; of all the places I've ever been, all the sights I've ever seen, this town has to be the most beautiful place of them all. A town, on the coast, surrounded by flowers, and mountains. This is the place that I would like, most of all, to call home. I can't explain my attachment to this town… no, that's not entirely true. I could, but you probably wouldn't understand. I can only say that it is as if Heaven has descended to Earth in the form of a field, a tavern, and a shop of flowers. Maybe I can try to explain.

Picture this:

You walk down a narrow dirt road and suddenly find yourself at the edge of a small town, with a local shop, a hotel, a church, and two rows of houses down either side of the road. As you walk further, you find yourself suddenly surrounded by flowers. Nothing but flowers for as far as the eyes can see. As you continue down the road, you find a small house that you may enter to find is really a flower shop, with hundreds of flowers surrounding you. Perhaps, after buying a few flowers, you could continue on your journey down the dirt road. You cross a wooden bridge and find yourself in the Town Square. Off the square is a large mansion, used as the military headquarters in the town, a small dock, and a pub.

You'd find the mansion surrounded by Galbadian soldiers, all of whom are very nice guys, but they would not let you enter the headquarters, even if you're a veteran like me. The dock is small, but it serves its purpose well, being a supply depot for many of the small outposts in the Centran Archipelago. Finally, you have the pub. This is the best part about the whole town. Not only is it the only pub in town, but it's the best pub in all of Galbadia. The service is friendly, the beer is good, and flowers that decorate the pub are absolutely gorgeous. I could spend all day in that place, just wasting time, telling stories, and flirting with the owner.

I came to know this town after having a nasty fall from a cliff nearby. I was on a routine patrol with my unit when Estharian soldiers attacked us. We had to escape by jumping off a cliff, and were seriously injured in the process. I was brought to that town to be taken care of, and when I was able, I decided to help them out. You see, most of the men had been drafted into the Galbadian Army for the war, and so there was no one there who could handle the monsters that roamed the mountainsides around the town. After a while, the monsters had moved into town, so I helped get rid of them. That is how I can to know and love this little town, it was the beginning of my travels, and, hopefully, will be the end.