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Post by Squall Leonhart on Jan 30, 2014 12:46:27 GMT
''You really should stay here and get some rest, you know.'' The good doctor began her usual lecture at the closed-off, recently SeeD qualified student. ''It won't do you any good to move around more than you need to. You look worse than after you and Seifer...'' Squall's eyes immediately opened and glanced her way, giving her a tiresome look. The doctor put her hands up in passive defense. ''Fine, fine, I get it. All i'm saying is, the best thing for you after that exam is rest.'' She peered at him after he brought upon a brief silence. ''So i'm free to check out?'' The doctor sighed and slumped over with her hands half-raised, socially exhausted. ''Yes, Squall. You're free to check out. If you keep pushing yourself this hard, though, it might be a lot more serious next time.'' She said it almost like he wasn't aware what he'd gotten himself into joining SeeD, or even taking his field exam for that matter. As much as it annoyed him, he knew it was only coming from concern. ''...Thanks.'' She looked almost startled by his reply as he rested a hand over his heavily bandage-wrapped midsection, and shuffled onto his feet.
She left the room, and Squall took the opportunity to put his jacket and undershirt back on to cover up the bandages. By the doctor's accounts, he had a lot of bruising from his exam, and two or three near-broken ribs. The bandages were tight enough to make sure nothing moved around and they were more than uncomfortable, but just to humble her and save himself from another lecture he'd keep them on for a few days. He was given a small prescription of pain medication and released. His first stop walking out was to swing by the cafeteria; now that he didn't have to take any classes besides remedial courses if he slipped up, he could probably beat the rush for hot dog day.
He walked in to a small line and placed his order as takeout, getting himself a large bottle of water to go with it and some fries as a side. He walked out and spent the next hour collecting a few personal things, such as his gunblade, a tent from the on-campus item shop, and the lamp given to him by Cid which he kept well-hidden and locked away in his bags with a small lock box. He slowly and finally made his way to the vehicle garage, renting a four-wheeler that would allow him to go off road easily. For some reason, he had this nagging feeling to just get away and clear his head. He departed the Garden and made for the countryside. After turning off the main road and heading out into the fields, he finally came to a stop at a popular cleared-out patch of land that sported a half-constructed campfire.
He hopped off of his vehicle and quickly set up his tent, leaving most of his belongings inside, then finished the structure of the fire and took out a lighter to set it ablaze after piling on a little wood and kindling. He sat down sighed, being relaxed enough to actually think a few things through. His field exam still bothered him, as did the fact he felt as if he didn't deserve it. Others may have, but if it hadn't been for Rinoa he wouldn't have made it back to the Garden at all. It was common to have help, but the amount and thickness of the bandages wrapped around his torso that he could feel under his clothes reminded him of how injured he actually ended up. He wanted, no- needed to be stronger to allow himself to believe he'd become a SeeD. He uncorked his water and sat his takeout in his lap, the fire giving him a nice amount of light under the evening sky.
He took a large gulp of water and started picking away at his food; he'd make sure to pack some heated herbal tea as per the doctor's orders, and was suddenly reminded to take his pain medication as he bent down to grab his water and felt a sharp sting in his side. He gulped the huge pill down with some water and continued to eat, trying to get his mind clear. His gunblade sat close to him in the case of anything happening, but the night was fairly calm and docile; he actually began to expect that soon enough he may not be the only one with the idea of setting up camp...
Here and there the lone wolf wandered. While he hadn't ever gone back to Midgar, Cloud had spent some time just wandering from place to place, seeing what he could see. Too bad that he didn't really pay much attention while he was doing so. If asked, the blonde wouldn't be able to recound many stories of his travels - mostly just things like remembering being at a certain place. He didn't meet anyone of note, nor did anything particularly exciting happen. In some small corner of his mind it made him miss ShinRA, mostly because he actually had things to do. Then he thought about it, and quickly eradicated those feelings from his head.
ShinRa were monsters, and he'd sworn to himself to never go back.
Some time had passed since he'd arrived in... wherever he ended up, and the sun was beginning to set. It didn't really stop him from walking. If anything, he took his broadsword out of the holster on his back and carried it on his shoulder just in case any monsters decided to ambush him. He hadn't seen any so far and was happy to keep it that way. While he was walking he noticed a flickering something in the distance.
It also occurred to the ex-infantryman that he had yet again neglected to eat. It was a wonder he wasn't dead yet but somehow Cloud managed to keep himself alive. Perhaps it was that he was just stubborn like that. He found himself walking toward the flickering something, which turned out to be a fire as he drew closer. Still a decent distance away he noticed a person next to the flames with a little campsite set up around. Something told him to keep walking, and as he approached he recognized the person to be Squall.
With a blink and somewhat surprised look on his face, Cloud stabbed his broadsword in the ground across the fire from the lion and used it as a seat, resting his back against the large blade. He looked across the fire to Squall and simply nodded to him in a silent greeting.
Her wandering shad brought her all the way to Balamb. For the first time since she saw Dante attack the Garden she returned and was wandering about the Island. It had been several trying months on Celes. Coming all the way from Zanarkand was difficult with her avoiding the constant patrols of Gesthalian Empire troops plus her being a former general of said army. That single fact made it hard to book passage away from the Spira area but she at least had enough money to stow away somewhere far away from the area. So that is what she did.
Leaving the port city near the garden she began wandering about the island. Lucky for her she had found some fish and had eaten earlier in the day as she then wandered about the island. Seeing a flickering flame in the distance she walked in that direction as she neared the flame she saw two men sitting beside it. Raising her hands as she approached she spoke up loud enough to be heard.
"Pardon me... Would either of you mind if I stop here for the evening?"
Her twin blades clicked against one another as she stood there and her blackened leather armor stood a stark contrast to the two men. With her own eyes glowing softly she looked over at one of the men who's eyes also glowed. Slowly checking him over she barely recognized the armor of a Midgar Soldier class soldier, and then looking at the other she did not notice anything to distinguish him from any specific group or not.
Post by Squall Leonhart on Feb 3, 2014 18:15:14 GMT
As soon as Squall swallowed the pill fit for a horse, he coughed it back with a few more gulps of water. Coughing hurt more than he'd care to admit; with every lung spasm his damaged ribs felt no small amount of pressure, causing them to ache and sting in tandem. He had to stop eating for a few moments to grit his teeth through the pain, but after a few more agonizing moments he took a few deep breaths as the medication began to kick in. It had been a while since he took medicine of any sort, pain medication especially; he began to feel a little out of mood and element as his eyes got a bit hazy, causing him to finish his water quickly and refill the bottle with the hot tea. He took a sip which immediately perked him back up, and now he could swear he saw a figure approaching that he didn't before; in a state of confused and medicated caution, his hand jerked toward his gunblade, and his inattentiveness caused him to torque his body with the motion.
His ribs definitely didn't appreciate that.
Even with the pain medication kicking in, he let out a wincing gasp and clutched his arm around his midsection. As he slowly unwrapped his arm from his torso, he took a glance up, only now remembering he'd been paid a visit. He heard the signature ''ching'' of a blade being driven into the earth, and a weighty one by the sounds of it. As his eyes came to fully open, he found himself sitting across from a man he hadn't seen in quite some time. He offered a nod in greeting, as silent as Squall remembered. ''...You..?'' He wasn't sure if it was some sort of strange hallucinogenic side effect from the potency of his medication, or if he was actually looking across his fire at Cloud. He squinted a little to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was. ''It's been a while...'' He cleared his throat after taking another sip of hot tea. ''Cloud, right?'' He gave a blank yet familiar look to the man across from him, who could probably easily see through the guise of Squall trying to hide the recent pain from his lingering injuries. He did have to wonder how and why Cloud found his way out here again.
At the sound of another voice, he stopped himself from turning his body, replacing the motion with a slow turn of the head. It was a woman with her hands up and showing, even though she was armed; the universal sign for ''I mean no harm'', yet it was an easy lie to sell. She seemed calm, and were she going to harm anyone she had plenty of time to sneak up on them both. Squall decided to trust this new stranger enough to let her join them at the fire. He looked to Cloud and offered a slight shrug. ''I don't mind if you don't.'' He looked over the woman and it was clear she had some sort of military background, but the young SeeD had no idea where she could have been from. She definitely wasn't from around here, and she looked very different in her culture of dress than Cloud; he probably wouldn't have any idea either. Squall nodded down to one of the empty sides of the fire between he and the other man. Being that it wasn't exactly warm outside, he sat the full thermos (cup included) of tea forward a bit, a silent gesture that welcomed them to it if they needed a more immediate warm-up.
Watching Squall's reaction it was clear that the other man was a bit injured. Enough that from the looks of it he was having some difficulty seeing straight, or just seeing at all. It was a good thing Squall spoke because Cloud sure wasn't going to say the first word. Though he was about to respond in the affirmative to the lion, Cloud noticed and heard the woman now standing there as well.
She was... different, and at least from her eyes didn't seem all that different from a typical SOLDIER. The thing that told him otherwise was her outfit - definitely not ShinRa issued or anything he'd seen in Midgar. He chose not to comment though found it mildly amusing that all three of them wore black yet each in vastly different style.
When the woman asked if she could join them, and Squall asked Cloud if he minded the chocobo-haired one shrugged. "Don't care, and yeah, Cloud." He gave his answer there and confirmed Squall's question at the same time. Though the tea was offered, Cloud declined, crossing his arms as he sat there staring at the fire.
Watching the pair of men her eyes glared back and forth as she was making sure this was no trap laid out for her. Though as they spoke back and forth she found out the man whos large blade he was leaning againsts name was Cloud and the other she still did not know but hopefully would learn soon enough. Lowering her hands she moved over to one side of the campfire so that she could see both men at the same time. Reaching a hand up she moved some of her blonde hair out of her face and gave a smile of thanks as she grabbed her own waterskin and took a drink from it.
"Thanks for letting me sit down here tonight. Seems it will be a cold one this evening."
Shrugging lightly she unclasped her belt and set her twin blades beside her right hand as she sat there. On the exposed buckle of her belt though the symbol of the Gesthalian Empire still shined in the campfire light. Pulling a few strips of road rations from her pack she pulled out a few extra as she offered it to the men around her.
"Here you guys want some? I know it isnt the greatest of things but it is something. But before I get to far out of protocal I guess I should introduce myself. Celes Chere is my name. It is good to meet you Cloud and you young sir? I have not caught your name yet."
As she spoke the names she offered up the strip of meat to first cloud then Squall. If they took it or not she brought the strips back and set them back into her pack after a few minutes. Her demeanor relaxed as she sat there on the upwind side of the fire with the light wind buffeting herself, yet she showed no signs of it affecting her in the slightest.
Post by Squall Leonhart on Feb 5, 2014 16:38:03 GMT
Squall calmly gazed into the flame as the woman made herself comfortable, thanking them for letting her join in at the campsite so she could relax. The newly graduated SeeD caught her unclasping her weapons and letting them drop to the ground out of the corner of his eye and seemed tense for a small windowed moment, but quickly resumed the most comfortable posture he could with his injuries. He took another sip of the tea before setting nearby. He caught a glimpse at the buckle on the woman's belt and it seemed to be an emblem of some sort, probably the place she came from; however, Squall still didn't recognize the device. When she offered some of her rations to the two, Squall quietly refused but muttered a ''thanks, though'', and looked over at the portion of untouched food he'd brought from the Garden. It took him a moment through his daze to realize he was being spoken to, so he turned his head slowly after hearing her introduce herself. ''Squall. Squall Leonhart.'' He nodded in affirmation, then nodded to Cloud. He was sort of happy he could remember the man's name, but he then noticed it had gotten a little quiet around the fire. To make the surroundings less awkward, he did what he hadn't done in a very long time and broke the ice. Maybe it was the medication getting to him, but he actually didn't mind speaking right now.
''So...that belt buckle of yours. I can't say i've ever seen anything with that emblem. Where are you from?'' He wasn't trying to pry, but it was always good for a member of SeeD to continue to learn about other places even after their graduation. As far back as he could remember, he'd never seen anything in his classes about an emblem that looked anything like it. He then turned to Cloud as he let Celes think over her answer. ''And what have you been doing, Cloud? It's been a while. I think the last time I saw you was...that cafe in town, right?'' After he'd finished his conversation starters to make the environment a bit more relaxed, he quieted down and gazed into the fire. The pain in his torso was fading slowly but surely, but he knew it was only a matter of time until he'd have to force back another one of those awful pills.
Oddly enough, Cloud wasn't being as perceptive as he usually was. When offered the food he reluctantly took it, after a moment when he finally realized the offer was there. He didn't catch the glimpse of the belt buckle so when Squall asked the woman about it, he seemed a bit confused. He glanced toward Celes to try and see what Squall was talking about but didn't take too long to try and figure it out. If she gave an answer, then Cloud would know.
Leaning up against his sword was rather comfortable - at least much more comfortable than walking everywhere. Comfortable enough that he'd almost fallen asleep until his attention was caught again by another question from Squall. Thinking about it for a moment, Cloud nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, the diner. I've been doing a lot of walking lately." Definitely an understatement. He looked a bit exhausted.
Perking up at the mention of her buckle Celes shrugged her shoulders. Taking a few moments longer than usual to finish chewing on the travelling rations she had to formulate a way of telling them, and yet at the same time not. Taking in and releasing a breath she opened her mouth and began to speak.
"Well it stands for my homeland where I served in the military. I served in the Gesthalian Empire. If you have ever heard of the Frost Queen of the Empire. Well that is me."
Exposing who she was she hoped that the knowledge had made it around the world that they where actually actively searching for her as a traitor to the state and she was to be killed on sight by anyone from her homeland. Pulling up her left knee she wrapped her arm around it as she stared into the fire. Listening to the pair go back and forth a little smile crossing her face as she found out they knew one another which made this a little unakward for her. Though after a few moments she scratched in the dirt beside her the symbol of the Rune of Earth before wiping it out and redrawing it a few times. Each time though she cleared it with a wipe of her hand.
"Am I wrong in assuming that Balamb Garden is nearby? It has been several years since last I came this direction and I have not asked nor ran into anyone before you two to ask."
Post by Squall Leonhart on Feb 11, 2014 23:07:49 GMT
Even Squall seemed surprised to witness Cloud taking food from someone he'd just met. It's not that he came off as skeptical or paranoid, but from what he could gather Cloud was a very reserved person; in some ways, like him. Squall attempted to relax a bit more after seeing Cloud sink into his blade, using it as a sort of back rest. It made total sense to do so seeing as how the weapon was nothing short of gigantic, dwarfing the Revolver that lay next to the SeeD. He mentioned he'd be ''doing some walking lately'', and Squall wondered if the man was ever able to find some decent work through all his wandering. He didn't have to worry about that personally, mainly because as a SeeD he stayed at the Garden, received a salary based on his rank, and often had work handed to him. He never had to go and seek out a way to get by. He tuned in to Celes speaking, mainly the point of her mentioning the Gesthalian Empire and her status. By the sounds of it, the woman must have had an impressive track record of military service.
He had to admit however that he still had no idea what the Gesthalian Empire actually was. This was his first time really hearing over it, and the course material from his pre-graduate classes did cover quite a lot. He noted her flicking at the dirt with her hand passively before she spoke up again out of the blue. She asked if the Garden was nearby, and with her being seemingly foreign to this region of the world it surprised Squall that she even knew about it. ''Yeah, it's around.'' Squall muttered. He was beginning to question why someone from a foreign military would want to visit, but then again, she could have come to try and negotiate a price for mercenaries. It wasn't an uncommon thing at any Garden, after all. ''I'm actually from the Garden. I came out here to relax and clear my head.'' He scratched at the back of his neck in passive thought. ''The vehicle I brought out here is actually a rental from the garage. We can't take them very far unless it's for something like an Exam.'' He decided that she probably didn't have any bad intentions; after all, she was just one person.
