RWBY X FF14 Story: One shop Two worlds

Chapter 5

Sharlayan was not the most welcoming of places for strangers. It was a land that thrived not only on tradition but keeping things orderly. They would not interfere with the outside world, not unless their intervention were truly necessary. No amount of war or plight or famine would draw them from their borders.

Their mission was far, far more grand than that. It mattered not if life on mother Hydalean would kill itself over simple notions like conquest, land, or resources. Sharlayan's mission, above all else, was something far more important and far more grand than any single citizen could ever wrap their mind around.

The survival of all life on Hydalean.

Not that this was a particularly well known goal for them, for how does one ensure the survival of all life if they do not participate in it? Well, however they planned to do it, the Sharlyans were certain they would achieve this goal so long as they continued to stick to their convictions.

Through constant study, research, experiments, and learning to understand more about the world they called home they could expand their capabilities far beyond any other civilized nation in the world. Their home was built on a study foundation of knowledge and the dedication to preserve that knowledge for generations to come.

That is why when a portal opens up in the middle of your home in Sharlyan, your first instinct isn't necessarily to fear it but to study it. And that is exactly what happened when in the middle of the Leveilleur Estate's grand hall a portal ripped apart time and space itself. 

Ameliance Leveilleur had simply been crossing the room when this grand spectacle occurred, causing her to gasp at the unexpected sight.

"My goodness," she whispered to herself, viewing the disc-shaped portal that had formed in her entryway, "what on Hydealan is this?"

Through the portal she caught a glimpse of a distant land, one that reminded her much of what she had read about the distant continent of Othard, yet the structures were still uniquely unfamiliar. Not to mention she caught a glimpse of people walking the streets in this place, donning clothes unfamiliar to her, as well as having traits and features unlike anything she'd seen or read about.

Her vision into this strange world was short lived, however, as a body came tumbling from the portal. A tall woman, with silvery white hair much like her own, collapsed on the ground of her estate fully unconscious. The last thing she saw of note was a card following her out of the portal and landing on the unconscious woman's body before the portal vanished completely.

Uncertain of what was going on, Ameliance kneeled down to check on the woman, noting that she was breathing and appeared to mostly be healthy if unconscious.

"Now where did you come from?" She murmured quietly to herself, her brow furrowing. 

Regardless of how or why this had happened, the reality was that there appeared to be a roughly-middle aged woman lying on her entryway floor and that just wouldn't do. Calling for the nearest butler, she had the woman lifted off of the cold tile floor and had her carried to the nearest guest bedroom where she could rest in comfort.

It was here that Willow found herself waking up, in a strange bed, in a strange room, in a land she had never seen before.

"Ngh…" Willow groaned as her eyes slowly opened. The world was blurry at first, slowly coming into view as she got a look at her surroundings. 

At first it was not that different from the room she called home, ornate decorations, beautiful wallpaper, a shelf lined with more books than you could read in a month, and even an elegant bed decorated to show the riches the family came from. 

But as the room became clearer it was obvious that this wasn't her home in the Schnee manor. She slowly sat up from the bed, letting her spinning head get clear before she truly took in the surroundings once again.

So her teleporting around hadn't been a dream after all…

"Ah, I see you're awake." 

Willow was startled by the voice, turning to her right to see a woman white silvery white hair and a gorgeous white dress sitting next to the bed, a book in her hands. She closed the book and placed it on the night stand before turning to look at Willow, a comforting smile on her face and her hands on her lap.

"You were out for some time, I was considering leaving you be, but I figured you might be disoriented waking up alone in a new place." Ameliance said with a warm smile, though it did little to comfort Willow in that moment.

"...Where am I?" Willow asked concisely, sitting up further in bed to better address the woman.

"This is the Leveilleur estate in Old Sharlayan," Ameliance said simply, lifting a hand up to her chest, "my name is Ameliance Leveilleur. What's your name?"

Willow was quiet for a moment, trying to get a feel for this woman. She didn't seem like a bad person but, as her life had shown her on multiple occasions, looks could be deceiving.

"...I'm Willow. Willow Schnee, of the Schnee Dust Company." She said simply, hoping that her name might bring some recognition. She didn't know where Old Sharlayan was or who the Leveilleurs were, but the Schnee name was known around the world as the leading provider of dust to everyone. Surely that would be enough to show Ameliance how serious this situation was.

"It's nice to meet you Willow," Ameliance spoke softly with a nod of her head, not a hint of recognition anywhere in her eyes, "though I am unfamiliar with your company, might you be willing to inform me of how you arrived here?"

Unfamiliar with her company? The mere thought was absurd to her. There wasn't anyone who didn't get their dust from the Schnee Dust Company.

Whatever, she could deal with that in a moment, right now she just needed to get home.

"Honestly it's absurd what's happened to me," Willow scoffed, bringing a hand up to rub at her forehead, "somehow I've been teleported all over the place. First to Menagerie and now to this place called 'Old Sharlayan.' I don't even know how it happened in the first place." She let out a disgruntled sigh. "This all started after I found that stupid card this morning."

"Card?" Ameliance perked up at that, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the familiar card with a darkened figure dressed in black armor adorning the card. "You mean this one?"

"Yes, that one." Willow sneered at the card, it having caused her all the trouble it had this day. "I don't know what that thing is or where it came from but it's the entire reason I'm where I am right now."

Ameliance looked at it again curiously. It definitely had a strange aura to it, not just from the design but from the very aether that appeared to be stored within it. However just from simple observation she could not accurately determine what about it was so unique or strange, it would require further study.

At the very least she got the feeling that the figure depicted on the card was strangely familiar.

Willow took this moment to pull the sheets off of the bed and stand up, no longer wishing to be relegated to it when she was feeling fine.

"Honestly, this day couldn't get much worse," she grumbled with a sigh, brushing her hands over her hair to get it managed before turning to face Ameliance. "I thank you for your hospitality but I would much prefer to be headed home right now, if you could point me in the direction to your nearest port."

Ameliance nodded her head, standing up and putting the card back in her pocket for the moment.

"But of course, I'd be willing to help you get home. Might I inquire as to where your home is?" She asked mostly out of curiosity, though knowing the information would help her point Willow to the correct port.

For a family that was clearly living in some modicum of luxury it was annoying to Willow just how little this woman knew of the world. With an annoyed sigh she placed a hand on her hip and looked at Ameliance with a disbelieving look.

"If you must know, I hail from the Kingdom of Atlas, and I'm certain my family would like to see me returned as soon as possible."

That was partially a lie. Her 'husband' couldn't care less if she returned or not. Without her around he had full control and operation over the company, not that he didn't already have it but her absence gave him full, complete control over it. Perhaps her son might miss her but even then he was always a father's boy.

She dropped her hand from her hip and looked away from Ameliance as these thoughts crossed her mind. She mattered so little in that manor was there even a point in her returning to it? It had to be better than being stranded in some place, right?

Ameliance noticed the strange inflection to Willow's words but assumed that at least the core was correct. After all, who wouldn't be missing their family when teleported suddenly like she had been. Plus Ameliance was more than a little curious to get another peek at the place Willow called home, it had looked so curious and strange from the short time she'd seen it.

"Of course, though I admit I am not familiar with the Kingdom of Atlas. Would you be willing to point it out on a map?" Ameliance offered comfortingly, standing up from her chair.

"Huh?" Willow asked, looking at Ameliance incredulously. "It's one thing that you don't know the Schnee Dust Company, but you don't know the Kingdom of Atlas? One of the four big kingdoms on Remnant?" She shook her head and let out scoff. "Seriously, for someone so well off you're sorely lacking in your education."

Ameliance took the comment rather well, putting a hand to her cheek in thought. She had a theory for why their communication was breaking down like this, she just needed to verify it for herself.

"Be that as it may, I'd just like to confirm it for myself," Ameliance said kindly, never dropping the smile from her face. Willow turned and watched her with some annoyance as the woman crossed the room and riffled through a dresser before pulling out a rolled up map.

She brought it over to the bed and motioned for Willow to come closer which she begrudgingly did. Ameliance then opened up the map and motioned across the continents with her hands for Willow.

"Might you show me on this map where Atlas is?" It was a simple question from Ameliance, but one Willow was completely unable to answer. The more she stared at the map…

…The angrier she got.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Willow asked, trying not to let her anger bubble over. This map didn't look anything like Remnant! Was it some fantasy map from a fictional novel?

"I'm not the kind of person who would deceive you like that," Ameliance said simply, pointing on the map to the small island that was north of a larger continent. "This island here is where we are currently located. This content to the south is Eorzea, then to its right you have Ilsabard and Othard. To the left you have Tural and further south you have Dravania." 

Willow followed Ameliance's finger and her brow furrowed more and her anger grew. This woman was mocking her! That's all there was to it!

She wasn't in some strange place where she didn't even recognize the world, she was just in the house of some strange woman who was playing her for a fool!

"If you aren't going to be serious with me then we are done here," Willow said bitterly, turning away from Ameliance. "I appreciate your hospitality but I simply must be going now."

With those words Willow made her way towards the bedroom door and slammed it open, marching her way out into the hallway of the Leveillure estate.

"Oh goodness," Ameliance whispered quietly, rolling the map up, "she is not taking this well but that does lend credence to my theory." She pocketed the map and made her way to follow after Willow, not wanting the woman to get hurt in an unfamiliar environment.

Willow, meanwhile, was absolutely fuming as she struggled to make her way out of the manor. She walked down one hallway after another before finally managing to reach the grand entrance of the Leveilleur estate and making her way to the front door.

This absurd day had gone on for long enough and she'd had just about enough of all of it! All she wanted now was to go home and drown in several bottles of wine and forget any of this had even happened.

Opening the front door of the manor led her to a neighborhood of houses that were all unfamiliar to her. Much like Menagerie none of the architecture or style of this place was familiar to her but that wasn't about to stop her.

She turned and made her way down the streets, passing by several scholarly looking people as they went about their day. There were clearly huge buildings and academic looking people all over the place which indicated that this was likely some place of learning, but how smart could any of them truly be if they didn't even recognize that they were on Remnant?

She was about to start asking for directions when her eyes spotted the ocean, indicated by a giant statue of a man pouring water from a vase that led to what had to be a dock.

"Finally," Willow whispered under her breath. She hadn't been able to find the port in Menagerie and even if she had she feared revealing her name in order to escape that faunus infested place. This 'Old sharlayan' or whatever it was seemed to have reputable sorts that would likely recognize her plight for what it was and help her get home.

Several large ships were docked at the port with a new one arriving shortly. Surely at least one of these vessels would be able to take her home, or at the very least point her in the right direction.

Glancing around at the crowd of people moving to and from the port she followed the crowd to what looked like some kind of port of entry for this place which was likely how she got out of this place. She noticed several people lining up at a small booth near the port where paperwork was being checked and tickets handed out which had to be where she needed to go.

She got in line behind a gargantuan man whose shoulders seemed to be as wide as a car and almost two heads taller than her with green skin. She shuddered at the thought of the man but kept quiet, just trying to mind her own business to get out of this place.

"Next," a woman's voice spoke up and the large man in front of her moved forward. Just a few more minutes and she'd be able to get out of this place, that much was certain.

She stared at the large man's back for several minutes as he spoke and shuffled paperwork around, before he finished and began walking away.

"Next," the woman's voice spoke up again. Willow sighed with relief as it was her turn and she moved to step up to the counter-

-Only just now realizing how small the woman running the counter actually was. She hadn't noticed sooner because the man had been blocking her view, but it looked like a child was running the booth!

"Hand me your papers and state your business please," the small woman spoke up, her voice not matching the appearance of her body. She had a half-lidded and annoyed stare as she looked up at Willow, who was clearly looking put off by the whole affair.

"Pardon me, but are they really allowing a child to work here?" She asked, unable to believe how improper it was to employ child labor!

The woman stared at her annoyed but unphased by the ridiculous comment.

"Ma'am, I'm thirty-six. Now can you please hand me your papers and state your business, it's a busy day and I don't intend to fall behind."

"Thirty-six?" Willow said in disbelief. She opened her mouth to speak again but closed it and shook her head. Whatever, it didn't matter! "Okay, fine, I just, I just need one ticket to the Kingdom of Atlas. Can you do that for me?"

The small woman just stared at Willow before letting out an annoyed sigh, rubbing the bridge of her eyes.

"Ma'am, I don't know where the 'Kingdom of Atlas' is nor is it a location we ferry people to. On top of that you still haven't given me any of your paperwork for me to register you for travel in the first place."

Willow stiffened at that.What did she mean she didn't know where Atlas was? She was clearly the person letting people travel so she HAD to know it was a place! But more importantly than that…

She only just now realized that she didn't have any paperwork or documentation on her person. She hadn't exactly been holding on to it when she'd been teleported, and now that she realized that…

…She didn't have any money to buy a ticket either.

She'd charged all the way out here to the docks without a plan and had just hoped it would all work out. She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment at just how stupid she was being right now.

"Okay, fine, fine! You don't go to Atlas, can you at least tell me the Kingdoms you DO travel to?" It wasn't much, but some information was better than none!

"We travel to the ports of Limsa Lominsa in Eorzea, the trading city of Thavnair, the eastern continent of Hingashi, and even do cross-ocean voyages to Tural on occasion. If you wish to travel to any of these destinations you need your identification and paperwork and to pay the travel fee." The small woman adjusted her glasses, clearly annoyed with this interaction. "If you have no other business then please move along, I have other customers to attend to."

Willow opened her mouth to speak but closed it again, realizing how futile this all was turning out. She didn't recognize any of those names and now that she was looking more closely, there was even a map on the woman's ticket desk that looked the same as the one Ameliance had showed her earlier that day.

Her head throbbed with pain at all of this, the realization of just how far out of her depth she truly was. Realizing this was causing her stomach to twist into knots as she stepped away from the counter so a tall, dark man with black rabbit ears could take her place and begin talking with the woman.

She felt dizzy, confused, utterly lost at it all. What happened to her? Where was she? Why was this happening to her?

As she stumbled on her feet, walking away from the booth, she looked up and saw a familiar face.

"You look troubled," Ameliance said with a comfortingly warm smile. It was absurd how nice this woman appeared to be, coming to her aid even after she'd stormed out of her house like that. Willow felt lower than she already had.

"...You were telling the truth, weren't you?" Willow finally spoke, swallowing the lump of nerves in her throat. "This place isn't Remnant at all…"

"...No, I'm afraid not." Ameliance said as comfortingly as she could, placing her hands in front of her lap. "This world is known by several names, though the most common one right now is Hydaelyn."

Hydaelyn… Something about that name seemed to ring a bell in her mind but she knew she'd never heard that name before. Why did that name…

…Make her think about the card that had started all of this?

Willow sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at the ground.

"...I apologize for my behavior earlier. It was… Unbecoming of me to treat you that way, especially after everything you had done to help me." Willow spoke softly, feeling awful for her earlier actions. Ameliance just smiled, nodding her head in understanding.

"It's quite alright, I imagine you must be quite disorientated after your experience. After all, you did fall out of a portal in my entranceway." She spoke with a slight chuckle to her voice, though the comment made Willow's head look up in surprise.

"I did what? I fell out of a portal?" She asked in genuine shock, not wanting to believe that was true.

"I was quite surprised myself," Ameliance spoke, lifting her hand up as she explained. "There I was, attending to my daily chores when a portal opened itself up in my entryway. Through it I saw sights I'd never seen before, shortly before you came falling out through it. It then closed behind you and left you unconscious on my floor." She lifted a hand up and placed it against her chin, her thoughts coming to forefront.

"It is my current running theory… That you hail from another world entirely."

"...Another… World?" Willow spoke the words slowly, unable to even register what it was she was hearing or Ameliance was saying. "You think I'm from another world?" She had to say it out loud once again, more to reinforce the truth of it to herself than for Ameliance.

Ameliance nodded her head, smiling warmly as she explained.

"It is not terribly uncommon for creatures to be summoned from other realms in our world. The most common of these creatures are known as voidsent and they hail from the World of Darkness. However, this is the first time that, to my knowledge, someone has crossed the rift from a world similar to our own. I'd be very interested in learning more about where you come from if you'd be willing to lend me an ear."

Willow opened her mouth, before closing it again and placing her hands at her temples. Her head ached and she just wanted today to be over with already. She'd had far, far too much excitement and adventuring for one day. 

"...You don't happen to have any wine, do you?" Willow finally asked, accepting her situation.

"As a matter of fact, we do," Ameliance said with a smile and a nod, "some of the finest in all the realm."

"Then please, I feel like I need several bottles." Willow groaned under her breath, turning to walk with Ameliance and heading back to the Leveillure estate. 

It was going to be a long, long day, but at least some wine would help ease her mind for now.