"You're awake!" cried a cheerful voice. I blinked to my other side and saw the blonde girl from before, the one whose shoes I'd seen just before I blacked out. She was perched on a chair beside my bed, leaning forward with wide blue eyes. She looked about my age, even though I don't know my bodies current age. Maybe 5 or 6, and wore a pair of grease-stained denim overalls over a red shirt. A pair of goggles hung around her neck, and a long blonde ponytail draped over one shoulder. Her face was bright and open, a sprinkle of freckles across her nose, and at the moment it was scrunched in concern.
She looked familiar, like I had seen her somewhere before. She had a slight southern accent, from the way she spoke. I know I've seen her somewhere, but I just couldn't figure out where.
I wet my lips. My throat felt like sandpaper. "Hi," I managed, voice barely above a whisper.
The girl's face lit up even more at hearing me speak. "Hi! Oh wow, I'm so glad you're okay. We were really worried!" She bounced a little in her seat. "I'm Cindy. What's your name?
Cindy! No way. So that's why she looked so familiar. She must be that Cindy from Final Fantasy 15. I must be early in the timeline if she is a kid. I was really lucky then if I was found by her. If she is here then Cid must not be to far away.
"Jasen," I said softly, introducing myself
"Jasen," she repeated, as if testing it out. "Nice to meet ya! You gave us quite a scare, you know."
"Us?"
With a stare, I realized we weren't alone. A tall figure stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed. I hadn't noticed him at first, he was so still and quiet. It was a man, presumably the "Daddy" I'd heard earlier. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties.
Muscular arms bulged under his red shot sleeve shirt. What looked like a toolbelt hung low on his hips. His dirty blond hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, and a short trimmed beard that couldn't quite hide the deep frown on his face. His eyes were a sharp deep-blue, fixed on me with an intensity that made me shrink back for a moment.
That must be Cid, I thought, recalling Cindy's cry. Cid was always a engineer or inventor. By the look of him, maybe a mechanic or inventor in this world. He certainly fit the archetype of a "Cid" from the games: gruff, no-nonsense, likely brilliant with machines unless you count Final Fantasy XVI. In that game he was more of a rogue outlaw, that wanted to help others.
Then a inventor and engineer, and Ironically he did look more like that FFXVI version.
This Cid look strong like he had a presence to him. If I remember correctly the Cid, from 15 was a friend and fought with Noctis father during a great war.
Under his sharp gaze I felt very small, and not just because my body was tiny. I swallowed hard and managed, "Thank you...for helping me."
Cid's frown softened slightly. He uncrossed his arms and stepped closer to the bedside. "How're you feelin', kid?" His voice was deep and gravelly, but not unkind.
"Um...okay," I answered. It wasn't true, I felt weak as a kitten and every part of my mind ached, but compared to starving on the street, I was fantastic. "Thank you," I said again, fervently. My eyes prickled. Damn it, I was not going to cry again.
"You were the only ones that looked at me like I wasn't just trash on the road. Why wouldn't anyone help me." I said with my eyes filled with tears.
Cindy reached out and gently touched my arm above where an IV needle was taped in place. "Your not trash Jasen, and we're really happy we found you," she said. "I mean, I thought you might've...might not make it." Her cheerful tone wavered, and I realized there were tears in her eyes. She quickly swiped at them with her free hand.
This girl truly is friendly. It feels refreshing and nice that, someone cares about me a total stranger.
"You saved my life," I said, my voice raw with sincerity. "I don't know how to thank you."
Cindy gave a half-sob, half-laugh. "Aw, you don't gotta thank us. Anyone with a heart would've done the same, right, Papa?" She glanced up at her father.
Cid nodded. "We got you to the hospital as fast as we could," he said. "Docs here did the rest. You were in bad shape. Severe dehydration, malnutrition, and bruising all over your body " He frowned as if the words themselves angered him. "What were you even doing all alone out there? Where are your parents?"
There it was, the question I had been dreading. My heart rate ticked up, and one of the monitors began beeping more rapidly in response. I didn't have the strength or the will to concoct a detailed lie. And the truth...the truth was impossible. I cast about for the simplest answer, one that might elicit the fewest follow-ups.
"I...don't remember," I murmured.
Cindy tilted her head. "You don't remember?"
Cid's eyes narrowed with curiosity. "You got amnesia, kid? That it?"
I bit my lip and nodded, feeling horribly guilty. Technically it wasn't entirely a lie, I had no memory of how I ended up in this world or this body. That gap was a big blank. "I just... woke up on the street a few days ago. I don't know how I got there. I can't remember my family." The words trembled as I said them, and it wasn't all an act. I truly didn't know how I had come to this place, and I truly had no family here. Saying it aloud made the reality hit me hard: I was utterly alone, dependent on the kindness of these strangers.
Cindy's eyes filled with sympathy (and fresh tears, which she blinked away determinedly). "You poor thing..."
Cid exhaled slowly and rubbed a hand over his beard. He exchanged a look with his daughter that I couldn't quite read. Then he turned and pressed a button on the bedside console. "I'm gonna get the doctor in here, let 'em know you're awake. They'll probably wanna check you over."
True to his word, a nurse and a doctor appeared shortly. The nurse was a petite woman with pointed ears, another Elvaan, with warm brown skin, and the doctor a spectacled human man carrying a clipboard glowing with a faint techno-magical interface. They fussed over me, checking my vitals, asking a few simple questions to gauge my mental state. I stuck to my story of not remembering anything before a few days ago.
The doctor nodded as if this was no surprise. "It could be dissociative amnesia brought on by trauma," he informed Cid and Cindy. "Not uncommon in refugee children or those who've seen violence. Perhaps the stress of extreme hunger and dehydration also contributed. In any case, physically he's recovering well now."
"How long until he's fully recovered?" Cid asked. He stood back with arms crossed again, projecting an air of calm authority that seemed to put the staff on their best behavior.
"A few days of rest and proper nutrition should see him in much better shape," the doctor replied. "He was very weak, but young ones tend to bounce back quickly once their immediate needs are met."
Cindy let out a breath of relief and beamed at me. I couldn't help but smile back, though I still felt dazed by everything.
The doctor made a note on his clipboard. "Normally, in cases like this, lost child with no known guardians, we would keep him for observation and then place him in the care of the Crown City Orphanage once he's stable. The clerics there can help with memory restoration attempts and find him a foster home if no family turns up."
He gave a polite, practiced smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. It sounded like he'd recited that procedure many times.
A spike of fear went through me at the thought of being cast into some orphanage. It took all my self-control not to visibly panic. Who knew what kind of place that orphanage was, and I didn't want to be left in a orphanage in a world were I'd have no protection, no allies. I didn't even know this world's basic customs, I could barely navigate its streets without nearly dying.
Before I could summon my voice to protest, Cindy had already hopped to her feet. "Excuse me, sir," she said to the doctor, with a polite determination that only a child can manage, "but my daddy and I, we can take care of Jasen. He can stay with us, right, Papa?"
Cid cleared his throat. "We'd certainly be willin' to, at least until any relatives are found," he said gruffly. "I've got the means to provide for him."
Okay now that surprised me. I didn't think Cindy let alone Cid would say that, and agree to it. If a goddess of luck exist I hope she keeps looking out for me.
The doctor looked a bit taken aback by the sudden offer. "Oh. Well, that's highly generous of you, Mr...?"
"Cid Highwind," he replied. "I run Highwind Industries."
The doctor's eyes flickered with recognition, clearly the name meant something. Maybe Cid was a well-known figure. "I see. Well, Mr. Highwind, if you're serious, you'd have to file some paperwork with the city Guardianship Office. Given your...status, I'm sure it would be approved quickly." He gave a more genuine smile this time. "It's always heartening to see someone step forward to help a child in need."
Cindy was practically vibrating with excitement. I realized I was holding my breath, hardly daring to believe what I was hearing.
Cid nodded. "I'll handle the paperwork. In the meantime, can he be discharged into our care?"
"He should stay overnight for monitoring," the nurse interjected gently. "Just to ensure his fluids and nutrition are stabilizing. But after that, yes, I don't see why not, provided you sign the interim custody forms."
"Great!" Cindy clapped her hands, then looked at me, a little hesitantly. "That is, if that's okay with you, Jasen. Would you...would you like to come home with us? Just for a while, until we figure out where you belong," she added quickly, as if not wanting to presume too much.
I was overtaken by a rush of emotion so strong it stole my words. This morning I had been certain I would die on the street, alone and unmourned. Now I had two strangers offering me shelter, a bed, food... My throat tightened and I nodded, unable to speak without sobbing.
Cindy's face blossomed into a radiant smile. She reached out and, gently this time, took my hand in hers. It was small and a little callused from work, but warm. "It's gonna be okay," she said softly, giving my hand a squeeze. "We'll take care of you."
And for the first time since I'd woken up in this world, I felt a glimmer of hope.