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The trip was nothing short of a test on the senses, doing everything within its power, it seemed, to wear one particular passanger to the core with its constant turbulence and sudden drops out of the sky. People yelling and screaming with no sense at all about how to remain quiet, even when there was no incident. ...And the children. She groaned at the thought. How hard was it for parents to watch after their brats? It was a simple matter of binding them to their seats, but no...obviously they were annoyed with the child as much as the other passengers and saw it fit to let others around them suffer. She toyed often with the thought of breaking the annoyances knee-caps.
But now, it was in the past and nothing was going to spoil this fresh start. After disembarking from the ship they took to the streets with an eager stride, taking the opportunity scower this new city around them. From passerbys they learned this city was called Luca, prized for hosting the blitzball stadium (...a sport she was unfamiliar with), and a large theater somewhere near the harbor. There was more shops per square mile than she could have ever imagined and the streets were far too crowded for one's liking. But for the sake of bettering her understanding of this place, she endured it.
Everynow and then she heard a familiar word of her native language but she never rushed to find the source. It was more of a comfort to know there were other Al Bhed that managed to leave their homes and explore what lay outside the desert. For all she knew, there could have been other communities...perhaps actual families living on various continents. Afterall, this was only one stop on a list of many, or so she hoped. Iku grew restless on her shoulder, sticking his nose out toward people nearest to them, excited at all the new sights and scents...and strange new species. More often than not Kahri found herself staring at some people, wondering just where their origins lie. Just after a moment on that thought, she realized it wasn't that interesting to know. And with a shrug, she would walk away and continue down the street.
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"Listen...I dont understand you at all..."
"Femm oui mecdah? E mucd so vneaht!!!"
"Ok lady...calm down..."
"Ugh!" This was becoming frustrating. Not only was this man not listening, but for an authorative figure, he was immensely dense. She had lost Iku in the swarming crowd of people earlier in the day and now she had resorting to asking for help. She knew it was a long shot, but these people knew the area better than her. Now it was just a matter of getting through the language barrier preventing her from finding her friend. She grated her claws against the wood panelling of the shop in agitation, grritting her teeth as she tried not to scream. Eventually after another wasted hour of trying to get to man to hear her out, she left empty-handed.
Iku was always a curious creature, but to leave so suddenly was not like him at all. And there was nothing for him to chase after. He simply crawled off her shoulder, hopped on an auning, and ran off. She tailed after him as long as he was within sight, but with the oncoming surge of people pushing against her, it was a wonder she was able to keep up with him for as long as she did. And now her little friend was lost...possibly injured. Touring the city she had seen a variety of animals accompanying people, many of which looked as though they could tear a ferret apart with minimal effort. The very thought of finding anything less than the creature as a whole made the Al Bhed sick to her stomach. Iku had to be alive somewhere. It was still midday and the crowd had died down a little. Perhaps if she searched a little longer, she could find him. There were other places she had yet to see...perhaps he decided to venture out on his own. Or so, she hoped that was the case.
" The soil charge trial to use on you has been decided". He pointed his finger. The eternal sequence went through his mind as he stood on the edge of these docks, shipping swaying in the sea breeze, their sails catching, they would drift off if not chained down to the murkey depths by the anchors. He remembered those words most of all, and it was those words that came to him everytime he stood and simply thought. " Who am I really?". He knew his name. He knew his now defeated purpose. He knew what the weapon that was strapped to his wrist was. He knew he wasn't from this world. But that didn't tell him what he wanted to know. Who had the man been that had lived on the other world. Was he a soldier? A dealer of death as he had so become now on Gaia? Or was he a potter? A grocer? A shop clerk caught in the wrong place at the wrong time?
He supposed that thinking about stuff like this didn't ever make it at all better. His world was gone, destroyed by an enemy that hadn't even phased this world. Did that make him angry to know that his own world was weak in comparison to this? No it didn't. But it made him fear the inhabitants of this world. With such strength behind them what fate then lay in store for this world should the factions decide to turn against each other. So why was he here? Spira. A place essentially cut off from the international affairs of the world by the monster that haunted their continent. The one known as sin. The moment he had passed their borders he had felt the creatures presence. A sense of forboding malice, just like the one that had destroyed his world.
" So....is this the secret to keeping peace.....fear?".
His eyes flickered for a moment, he then looked down at the magun, once again. No response. There had only ever been one response from the gun. And it had only come to him on the day of his worlds destruction. Its how he ended up here. And without any memory. He was merely the black wind now. Blowing through a place, leaving behind devistation.It seemed here, there was peace, people were happy in Yevon they had hope. In the summoners they had hope. And when Sin slept for ten years they had a great celebration. But was it right to keep them living like this, even if it gave them joy and peace?
It didn't seem right. This Yevon used fear to control its people. Fear of Sin. Fear of what would happen if the temples shut their doors and didn't allow the summoners to prepare for the final battle against Sin. Fear that the calm would never come for them. He felt pity. But also something else just at the pit of his stomach. Forboding. There seemed to be an argument going on between an Al Bhed woman and another man as he strolled by. He knew they were an indiginous people of spira who didn't follow the laws of yevon, and although were outcast by the main people, were doing relatively ok by themselves. He watched, but only for a moment.
So much for the effort of the search. Time passed quickly and it became night before she realized the search had taken her all day with no success. And now she was worrying. Searching through the dispersing crowd had only worked in driving people away from her, which was the last thing she needed at the moment.
Speaking only in the tongue she knew, she was met time after time with disappointment, nearing screaming in frustration as yet another person complained about not being unable to understand her, without even trying. Little by little she picked up common words of the Terran tongue and struggled to work them into a comprehensive sentence, but even then people stared at her both annoyed and slightly frightened. It appeared they were more concerned about the woman rather than the words she was frantically spouting at their faces. Several times her temper got the better of her. When passersby dared to scoff at her predicament they were quickly met with a brief encounter of near-death, enough to stun them in silence just long enough to hear what she was saying....of course then they would claim not to understand, thus her resorting to Al Bhed profanities, and the once victims running off to their prior destinations.
It was a cycle she was growing weary of, and it showed. By the end of the day, she was ragged. Collapsing against the outside wall of a shop, she stretched out her feet, letting them rest for the first time since this search started. Out of habit, she reached to touch the crook of her neck often occupied by her friend, and gave a longing sigh. "Iku...."
Juve, like most of the people traveling to Luca, had arrived by boat in the morning. He had fallen asleep on the deck of the boat, but he was woken up by the sound of people's footsteps as they passed by him. When he sat up, yawning from having just been woken up, he checked his persons to make sure nothing of his had been taken. Everything seemed to be in its proper place. Juve figured with the gun at his side, people didn't want to disturb him. Rightfully so, had someone disturbed his sleep, he would of pulled his gun on them faster than they could regret disturbing him.
As it were, Juve was the last one off the boat, save for the crew. The streets of Luca were bustling as always. If it wasn't Blitzball, it was some sort of show, going on. Juve cared for neither, this was strictly a business trip. He was due to meet someone about procuring an additional weapon for his personal use. He wanted to avoid having to travel for it, but the man selling refused to send the weapon to him, even after Juve offered double the asking price. So, here he was in Luca, now all he had to do is locate their arranged meeting spot.
The streets were too crowded for his liking, but that came with meeting in Luca. It was too busy for people to actually pay attention to the people around them. It was all hustle and bustle, no one would notice or seem to care if a man, dressed like a military officer, carrying a gun, meeting with another man with the intention of purchasing a weapon. Now, if he could just find the man in question. He looked down to make sure that his gun was concealed, the people around him didn't need to know or see that he was already carrying a weapon.
During the course of the morning/afternoon, he overheard a few people shouting. Normally he would just disregard the shouting and be on his way, but he took notice this time. There were two languages being shouted, Al-Bhed and the common language. If he hadn't been expecting someone, he would of stayed and attempted to translate for the Al-Bhed woman, but he couldn't. Juve waited all afternoon for his meeting, but as the sun set, so did his hopes of the meeting taking place. "A perfect waste of a day" he said to himself.
Juve had planned to arrive in Luca, meet with the weapons dealer, and be gone before sundown. Now that the meeting never took place and the last ship had probably already departed, Juve was stuck in Luca for the night. A sigh came from him as he made his way back to the market place. If he was going to be stuck overnight, he would have to get something to eat. His frustrations would be exacerbated once he arrived at a closed store. It seems they had closed earlier and he had missed his chance for some food.
He wasn't alone it seemed, sitting in front of the closed shop was the Al-Bhed woman from before. She seemed a bit dejected. He figured that whatever it was she needed, she couldn't get or find. That language barrier was a tricky thing to deal with. Juve knew some Al-Bhed. Some Al-Bhed had taken mercy on him when he was near death in the desert, so he picked up some of their language. It was strange, the Al-Bhed didn't seem to care for others outside of their own, but they helped him in his time of need. He crouched down in front of the woman and removed his hat. "Rammu secc" was all he said to her for now.
She had heard the footsteps approaching but only in the background of her thoughts and paid them no attention, as her mind was better occupied with thoughts of her lost companion. But her concentration was broken almost instantly when a familiar tongue works its way through her thoughts. Instantly she shot up, nearly ramming her head into the person's in front of her as she attempted to gain better footing on her numbed legs. Forgetting momentarily her hands were clawed, she latched onto the man's shoulder using the surge of adrenaline to keep her grip firm. "Oui cbayg so myhkiyka....vehymmo..[Still in Al-Bhed] My friend is lost. I have been looking for him everywhere, but no one has seen him. Or they might have...I don't know. I have been telling people all day what he looks like but no one hears me. Anyone could have seen him...but I don't know. Perhaps you have... He is small and long, with tiny black eyes and short fur. I think the Terran word is 'ferret'. He's grey and white...please tell me you have seen him."
Along with her rambling, her claws raked anxiously against the ground, while the other had kept a solid grip on the man, as if afraid he was run away without assisting in some way. So far he was the only one that understood her and was therefore essential to her at this time. Her eyes bore into his intensely as she waited for his reply.
Juve leaned back quickly as the young woman shot up, nearly knocking him down. However he was pulled back closer towards her as a hand latched onto his shoulder. He cringed slightly as he felt something jab into his shoulder. He grabbed onto her wrist and tried to ease her grip on him. "Calm down, calm down." he said as he held up his other hand. Realizing that she didn't understand the Terran tongue, he was forced to rely on his Al Bhed again. "lyms tufh, lyms tufh" he said to her, hoping he had gotten the right words.
As she explained her predicament to him, he couldn't consider himself much help. He had been preoccupied with getting to his meeting that he barely paid attention to his surroundings. Juve doubted he would of seen the ferret anyway, they were small and quick. Something of that size and speed would be hard to spot in a crowd of moving people. Juve shook his head slowly after she had finished speaking about what it was that was bothering her.
"E ryjah'd caah ouin vannad, pid ev oui mad ku uv so cruimtan, E femm ramb oui" he told her as he let go of her wrist. It looked like he would be helping her find her ferret whether or not he wanted to. Juve motioned to himself with his free hand and said "Juve", then pointed to her,wondering what her name was. He couldn't exactly call her just 'al-bhed girl', she had a proper name.
Calm down, he said. How was she supposed to do that when no one seemed to be useful in helping her find her companion? His honest reply only worked to agitate her and it showed clearly on her face. It was a wonder her claws hadn't sliced clean through his shoulder as she clenched her hand. But...regardless if she took her frustrations out on this man, it wouldn't bring Iku back and faster.
Carefully she detached her metallic fingers from his shoulder and set it in her lap, taking a deep, defeated breath. The situation could have been much worse, she reasoned. He could decide not to help her at all....but two was greater than one in this instance. She watched him curiously as he pointed and named himself, then gestured to her for a similar response about herself. "Vasyma," she smirked, eying Juve to see if he would fall for her attempt at humor. But the joke was in bad taste; she corrected herself. "Kahri..."
As you both stood there shouting out your arguements a bit of a crowd was begining to gather around the docks. All over Bevelle sphere screens shot on as the first boat to arrive for the annual Blitzball championship. The cheers went up as the team from Kilika slowly began to make their way into the docks. Ropes were thrown aside over the decks and tied down, a boarding plank laid out so that the players could make their way onto dry land to be greeted with a heroes welcome. This was the sport in Spira that gave everyone so much hope. It took their minds off Sin, made them only think of the ball, the player. And the Blitz.
However, the cheers were short lasted, as the screens switched to a new display. This one was of horror and dismay. Gasps shot across the crowds all over Luca as the news began to unfold. " This just in....Sin has in a drastic and unexpected move, emerged out of the coast of Bevelle, it is now headed towards the capital city.....right now we're receiving word that the warrior monks are evacuating everyone into the the high temple......Summoners and summoners in training are gathering there in the hopes that multiple aeon summonings may be able to drive the beast off. May Yevon be with them".
There was now a shocked silence around the crowd. But they shouldn't have really bee suprised. They lived with constant threat of attack on their cities. Why should Bevelle be any different?
Right, so her name was Kahri, now that the two had been properly introduced, they could get to work. She had released him from her clawed grip, he stood up and began to rub his shoulder. Quite a grip she has...bet those claws help. he thought to himself as he rubbed his shoulder. He was about to tell her something when he took notice of the announcement. Juve had forgotten that there was always a risk when coming to Luca and it wasn't gambling. He looked down at the gun at his side, there was no way he could fight anything but fiends and other humans with that.
Looking down at her, he sighed quietly as he adjusted his hat. "Fa ryja du ku ed caasc." he said to her. He knew it was important that they find her ferret, but with Sin approaching, it would be increasingly difficult. Neither one of them were prepared to fight Sin, that was the summoners job, not his. Juve was a hired gun, not some sort of savior. [Still in Al-Bhed] "Sin is approaching, so unless we can find your ferret within like twenty minutes, we're gonna get escorted up to the high temple." he explained to her as people rushed past them. "Now, give me your hand, no claw, we have to get looking"
The announcement was startling to say the least, not by the content, but because of the sheer volume that rolled through the city. Her only clue the message was distressing in nature were by the alarmed faces of the citizens now slowly emerging into the streets again. The unmistakable look of panic altered their already fear stricken faces. And then the running began. People literally dropped what they were doing and stampeded down the street, probably to their safe havens, she assumed.
Amused, she looked to Juve for an explanation, though it was not the one she was expecting. Sin was notorious for instilling fear and chaos into a city it threatened and now the situation made sense. "Pid fa yna hud eh dra ledo ihtan yddylg," she frowned at everyone's behavior and took her time in rising to her feet. The offered hand was ignored. [Still in Al-Bhed]"Why are the people afraid here, when Sin is attacking elsewhere?" She had recognized only the name Bevelle as there was much talk about the city while she was on the ship, and from what she understood their location was in the city of Luca. Where people just looking for an excuse to run wild? Kahri shook her head. "Come.." There was nothing they could do for the citizens, and had there been, there was no doubt she wouldn't have administered aid none the less. It wasn't her problem. Iku was.
"The last I remember...he was running after a food vendor, all I know is that there were fruits I had never seen in his stall, but they smelled awful.... Does this help at all?" Slipping her hands into her pockets, she waited patiently allowing Juve to think while ignoring the chaos around her.
[in al-bhed]"People get all up in arms when there is a sin sighting. It's generally good for business, I'm a mercenary." he said. He thought for a moment about what she had told him about her ferret's last known location. Now, if she had lost him in an alleyway or in a bar, he would be able to help her better. "I'm only familiar with a few areas of this place, but I know the market isn't too far from here. That would probably be the best place to start." he told her as he pointed off in the direction of the market.
Juve walked past her and off towards where he had pointed. He knew she would probably follow after him. How would the two of them find a ferret in a crowded,panicked market. Looking over his shoulder, he looked at her and spoke to her again. "So, don't know a word of terran huh?" he said in al-bhed. "Looks like I'll be doing most of the talking to the merchants then huh?" he added with a slight smile as he looked forward, weaving in and out between people.
[ooc:sorry its so crummy,it'll get better.] word count: 189 thread total: 1292
The market seemed like a reasonable place to start the search, and the Al Bhed woman was pleased that he knew of its location. Quickly falling into step behind him, she kept close but still maintained a preferable distance away from him, enough to move should something happen that she disapproved of. He may have been her only connection, but that didnt grant him instant trust. As he spoke, she was no doubt surprised to hear of his profession, even more so that he was assisting her. Her gaze swept over him through orange tinted glasses, silently weighing. "I never thought it would be important to learn the language," she admitted after several moments of silence. "Perhaps that is to my disadvantage..."
Eventually if she wanted to make it anywhere in this foreign land, she would have to pick up more than just a few words from the natives. She would need a guide...or perhaps just take the initiative to learn mroe than how to complain to other people. But that was a different matter altogether. Her perogative to was to find Iku. Kahri glanced at Juve, impatience blatantly displayed on her face. She opened her mouth to speak, only to have it shut as a pedestrian rammed into her back in his running to get to safety. Annoyed, she grabbed the foold by his shoulder and wrenched him backwards into the oncoming stampede of imbociles. Satisfied she returned her attention to Juve. "How far is this market?"
"You might want to start learning if you expect to get anywhere with these people he told her as he looked behind her to make sure she was keeping up with him. She was keeping pace with him just fine, the crowd didn't seem to stop either one of them. Occasionally, a panicked person would bump into him, but a simple push put them back on their way. Juve lowered his right hand down to his gun, wrapping his hand around the handle slowly. He didn't think he would have to use it, but you never knew when things got hectic. "I'll help you out with it for now." he said as another person pushed their way around him.
He reached back, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her with him through the crowd until they were out of the sea of people and in an alleyway. "It'll be easier to go this way, we won't get far with that mob of people."" he said back to her as he let go of his gun. The alleyway was quiet, as the two of them were its only occupants, save for a few stray cats. Behind them, the crowd of people flowed opposite the direction they were heading. "The market should be at the other end of this alley" he said as he pointed ahead of them.
Ignoring his invasion of personal space, she followed him into the narrowed alleyway, quite grateful to be away from the horde of screaming idiots. Panic always did wonders to turn even the most level-headed people into fear ridden lemmings, all following the flow they thought was to safety, only to find they were being herded to an early death sentence. Kahri rolled her eyes with disgust. At the opposite end of the alley, there appeared to be less people running the streets. A few merchants were gathering their goods, arguing amongst themselves when product was spilled from their haste. Finding her companion would be easy if they were this enthralled in their product. "Let's go then," she wrenched her arm free of Juve's grip and hurried ahead of him, keeping her steps light as she maneuvered through the alley and touched the cobblestone of the street.
She sharply turned the corner, back pressed against the wall and crouched against one of the vacant stalls. She waited until a merchant's back was turned before scurrying to his stall, keeping sounds a minimal as possible while her movements remained swift. Carefully she glanced over the side of his stand, eyes scouring through the fruit for anything that looked out of place. All the red fruits looked the same, to her dissappointment. She reached over and took a sample then slinked off to the next stall before the vendor had a chance to look around. Kahri kept herself low behind a cart looking for any sign of grey hair or hide of Iku underneath. She waited for the right moment, then shot up to looked over into the cart. And there, in between the soft green melons was a sufficiently stuffed ferret, stretched on his back with a content look on his face. She gasped, "Iku!" And just as quickly as the word was spoken, all eyes were drawn to her.
"HEY!"
The Al-Bhed's head shot around to see the cart's vendor; a large Terran, well over 6 feet with arms as thick and sturdy as logs themselves. Even to her the sight was menacing, especially when he waved what looked like a small hatchet in his hands, what she assumed was used to cut the melons.
"Jit away frum my mel'ns!" His voice bellowed, waking the slumbering creature with a start. Kahri glanced at her companion, then quickly scooped him up.
"Hey!!!"
Her swept into the cart mistaken as a grab for food, the man charged like a bull seeing red. Kahri was indeed intimidated, but gaining control of that sliver of fright, she reacted by slashing away the leg of the cart with a mighty swing of her arm. The cart toppled off-balance and split at is side once a corner struck the ground soundly, spilling the fruit into the street. The horror on the vendor's face signaled he was distracted enough for the female to make her escape, and she did just that. Sprinting carefully through the rolling fruit, she slipped through the street, rounded a corner and was once again hidden in the dark shadows of the alley way. Kahri pressed herself against the wall, giving herself a moment to let the adrenaline die down just long enough to look at her capture. The ferret looked up at her, beady eyes blinking innocently as if hoping to dismiss any punishment the woman had in store for him. And it seemed to have worked. She sighed, extending her neck a little to allow her companion to return to his safe spot. Happily, he curled around her, making a squeaky bark then closed his eyes to resume his nap.
Kahri reached up and ran a delicate claw along his back, ruffling his fur a little as a gentle smile graced her lips. Remembering Juve, she turned to the man, daring to keep the content expression on her face. "I found him.."
Roscoe was more than a little flustered after leaving the relative quiet of the airship. He hadn't spent more than fifteen minutes enjoying the sights, asking around for the local sources of entertainment (Imagine his surprise to learn that the plays weren't nearly as popular here as they were in Alexandria!), when suddenly an announcement put everyone on their guard. Now he had a hundred new questions. Who was this Sin fellow? Why was everyone so afraid of him? Why were Luca dwellers panicking over something happening in someplace called Bevelle? Try as he might to pose these questions, Roscoe was hard pressed even getting someone's attention, let alone asking them about anything.
As he was jostled and pushed around the crowds, he still tried. "Excuse me, pardon... I just need to... if you would only calm down... I just need a moment of your... this is hardly acceptable behavior... Ow! That was my foot, you... Yow! That was my other foot!"
He was cowed into a retreat, pushed against a wall. Roscoe fixed his mask, which had almost fallen off in the scuffle. "What bizarre customs these people have. It makes me long for quiet, civilized Alexandria." Even if they didn't recognize talent...
"Eh?" His attention was diverted from his depressing thoughts for a brief moment. Someone cried out over a chorus of falling fruit. Straining his eyes and standing on his toes, he could just make out the retreating figure of someone. A clumsy pedestrian, or maybe a thief taking advantage of the chaos. Whoever it was, following him or her was certainly preferable to staying here, especially considering they might know how to get around this crowd.
Striding after the thief, Roscoe broke into a deft series of sidesteps and revolutions, weaving in and out of panicked throngs with a practiced ease that wasn't nearly as efficient as it was impressive to look at. In, out and around like a well-timed dance, the dramatic warrior dodged store vendors and passerby with all seriousness, as though they were really dangerous attackers or deadly attacks flying towards him.
Juve could do nothing but watch as Kahri fled ahead of him and out into the market place. He poked his head out around the corner, keeping his body pressed against the wall, still watching her. She had seemed to have everything under control, until the cart vendor had spotted her. Juve removed the gun from his right hip, holding it in his right hand, ready to come to her aid if she so needed it. However, she had the situation under control, though it wasn't necessarily tactful. Before he could even step out into the market, she was back with him.
He kept an eye out on the market place in case the vendor she had enraged decided to follow her to their spot. There were too many people in his line of sight to keep a proper eye on the giant of a man, not that he would be hard to keep track of. That is when he noticed a strangely dressed man weaving through their crowd in their direction. Who was he calling strangely dressed? Juve's garb was just as odd as this pursuer's. " Good to hear, but are you aware you're being pursued?" he asked her as he adjusted his hat, still looking out at the market.
"Right" he said to himself as he took a deep breath in. He wasn't sure if the man that he had seen pursuing Kahri had been some sort of authority figure, but Juve didn't want to risk it. Juve poked his head out once more. Once Kahri's pursuer was caught up to their alleyway, he shot out his free arm. He let out a grunt as he yanked the strangely dressed man into the alleyway with the two of them. Pressing the man against the wall opposite Juve, he pressed the barrel of his gun against the man's midsection. "Who are you....and why are you dressed like that?" Juve asked the man as he adjusted his cap slightly.
Juve glanced over at Kahri, who seemed preoccupied with her pet. "You know him?" he asked her as he looked back at the third in the alleyway. The man's dress didn't match that of the Luca authority...or any one of this continent. He had to be from another continent, but he couldn't tell which one. Juve himself had only been to one other continent, and they didn't dress like this man there. He gave the man a once over, not trusting the man quite yet.
Pursued. It was a word that instilled great distress within the heart of the Al Bhed female....only because it meant she would actually have to 'try' to get rid of the pursuer. It was not that she was afraid, oh no, she was never afraid unless if involved the life of her companion. No...she just didn't want to be bothered with having to exert any force. Her senses were on high alert, even though her visual attention never wavered from Iku.
It was enough to know that the mercenary was aware of their follower, so she was calm...patient. She waited for the capture with indifference, then did her part. Flexing metallic claws she whirled in the direction of Juve and their follower. Pointed digits shaped into a spear, tip poised at the jugular of the oddly garbed man. She glanced at Juve. "No...I wouldn't associate myself with someone that lacks a sense of fashion..." Of course she had no reason to be conscious of someone else's fashion sense when her own was drab. But wearing a mask in public was a bit off. Her eyes swept over the trapped body, scouring for anything threatening about the male. She didn't know whether to be annoyed or pleased that he looked ordinary. Again she cast a side-glance to Juve. "So what is he? Any kind of threat...?"
The first thing the actor was aware of was his back against the wall and something unpleasantly pressing against his stomach. He hadn't seen many guns in his lifetime (a true gentleman settles problems with his fists or a sword anyway), but Roscoe knew that, outnumbered two to one and prone as he was, not even the might of righteousness could save him.
Putting on an elaborate show of screwing his face up in only partially real fear, he held up his gloved hands in surrender. "Sheathe your weapons, friends. I am merely a harmless actor who wouldn't hurt a body, unless those bodies happened to belong to my enemies. But there is no need to make enemies of each other, is there? It was mere curiosity that caused me to follow the young lady behind you."
He saluted at the two in a sort of disarming fashion. "Roscoe, professional actor and defeater of evil, at your service."
Juve took a step back from the man now known as Roscoe, but he still kept it pointed at him. "Right...well, let it be known that if you make any sudden movements towards me or my companion, you won't live to do it again. Understand?" he said to the man as he lowered his gun to his side. He glaced to Kahri who was on the defensive as quickly as he was. "I don't think he's a threat, though we can't be sure." he said to her, keeping one eye on Roscoe. Could the two of them really trust the strangely dressed man?
He reached out and lifted the man's mask off of Roscoe's face. Holding it in his free hand, he examined it carefully. "What manner of mask is this...and why are you wearing it? You're only drawing more attention to yourself." he said as he tossed the mask back to the man. "You're obviously not from the area, so where is it you're from Roscoe, professional actor and defeater of evil?" he spoke. Juve had no idea what good an actor would do when fighting evil, but he would get the answers he'd need.
On the opposite side of Luca, eyes would look up, mouths would be covered. The sound of turning fan blades as a helicopter flew towards an open space in the middle of the street. Everyone backed off, whispering under their breath words like heathan and machina. They wondered was this the Al Bhed? Those that did, hadn't recognised the symbol on the side of the helicopter. Shinra Inc. The door opened, and a man with blonde hair and a white suit jumped out. With him on either side were Shinra soldiers carrying Stun batons. A man emerged from the Luca stadium, he bore the robes of the warrior monks. " Vice President Rufus, it is an honour.....I have a room in the stadium where we can discuss things...".
Nearer to you..
You had heard the sound of the helicopter approach but hadn't seen it. However as minutes passed you started to see different kinds of soldiers partroling the streets. They wern't warrior monks. These people were armoured, and bore the insignia of Shinra on their uniform. A warrior monk approached one of the shinra soldiers, and spat in their face. " Using machina is what brings Sin to us, how dare you bring your blasphemy here...you are no better than the Al Bhed". There was silence. The shinra soldier didn't reply. But merely drew a gun from his side. Brought it to the head of the warrior monk and pulled the trigger. Blood splattered all over the decks. And the Shinra soldiers moved along, just stepping over the corpse. What were they here for? Were Shinra expanding into Spira?
For a man faced with death, this Roscoe certainly was active...almost painfully so, as if each movement was an elaborate display meant to draw one's attention. And it worked. Kahri found herself harp-pressed to look away, though she was not amused by his antics. As Juve reached for the mask, her attention fell upon its detail, or lack there off. A pressing in the back of her mind alerted her that she had seen something similar to this before. On the ship perhaps...? Or was it somewhere back in Figaro? Just by having these thoughts made the woman more wary of this strange man in front of her and Juve. She was convinced as well he was not a threat, but wanted to be certain. Metallic fingers reached out and skittered down his front, slipping swiftly around his form, feeling for abnormalities that indicated a weapon. To the untrained eye it would have merely looked as if she were feeling him up....which to say, she was not disappointed in his physical structure. "Hm..." she scoffed under her breath, ending her search after finding nothing (in the form of a weapon or personal belongings worth taking). Pity. Her interest now lost, she let them men converse with themselves, more so Juve interrogating.
A distant sound awakened the sleeping creature from around Kahri's neck, which in turn drew attention to himself. Tiny forepaws perched themselves on the Al Bhed's lean shoulder as even smaller auditory appendages swiveled toward the general direction of the noise. Growing in volume, it was heard by Kahri as well. Minutes passed idly before another strange sound was acquired. The grind and scrape of metal was among it, peaking the female's interest. The lengthy creature around her neck growled threateningly at the unseen force. "Lyms..." her voice descended to a soothing octave to ease the animal's distress, but felt it had no affect once the fur along his back began to bristle. Something truly had to have been wrong if he was not calmed by now. She had to investigate. "Fyed rana."
She didn't check to see if her words were heeded and skirted with hasted down the alleyway, tilting her head around a corner to gain a better view of what was going on. The numbers of men in militant stance indicated they were an army, but to be so well garbed... Had the riot become so uncontrollable there were resorting to extreme methods? Her brows furrowed with intrigue. This couldn't have been the case. She continued to survey the situation, then her eyes rested on a flustered man spouting angry words at the army. She recognized few words, but none more so than Machina. Her eyes widened. Where these Al Bhed soldiers then? It was about time they got off their lazy asses and did something useful.
She visibly jumped at the gunshot. She hadn't even notice when the fire-arm was withdrawn, her mind too enthralled with her own thoughts. Her eyes fell on the corpse staining the ground with its purged life essence. She looked on with curiosity, but was indifferent to his fate. Obviously he had said something wrong. But she wouldn't make that mistake.
"Tuhd vena!!" she called from around the wall, slowly extending a claw to alert them of her presence. Surely the Al Bhed wouldn't harm one of their own, unless it was necessary. "E zicd fyhd du cbayg fedr oui," she dared to stick her head around the corner then slowly inched her way into the street facing the soldiers. Iku shock with terror on her shoulder. Admittedly, the machina garbed men were intimidating, but one thing she had learned from her home, was to never exploit your fear or weakness...for it was the easiest emotion to play on. Her voice remained steady, "Fro ec oui vyldeuh ymm dra fyo uid rana? ryc cusadrehk rybbahat pylg rusa?" Her inquiries were not about her home, but rather the continent as a whole. If the Al Bhed came this far, something great had to have taken them out of their solitude.
Her eyes never once looked upon the insignia of their armor. words: 705 total: 3174
Roscoe took back his mask and straightened out his clothing. "Well!" he huffed, "Such uncouth treatment of a gentleman. And that goes double for the curious lady behind you. Honsetly now; where I come from such handling is more the behavior of a harlot than a respectable lady." He put on his mask, the white material making an even starker contrast to his now beet-red face.
He didn't answer right away, just muttered darkly. "Hmm, used to be a time when people respected a man who wanted to keep his face hidden. Though I suppose one can't trust ruffians to respect the property of a gentleman. I swear, I come all the way from Alex..."
His anger was quickly replaced by honest shock as a gunshot rang out. "Wha? What was that? It sounded like someone casting a Thunder spell in a corridor." Whether or not the girl came back to answer that question, Roscoe couldn't make heads or tails of what she was saying. "What? What's going on?" He strained his ears. "I hear airships. Oh, no. Don't tell me Alexandria's gone to war again!"
Juve's attention turned from Roscoe to the opposite end of the alley to where Kahri was. Something was going down and he had to see what was going on for himself. Walking away from Roscoe, he tightened his grip on his gun. He jogged down to the opposite end of the alleyway to meet Kahri, who was staring out of the alley. Juve slid to a stop next to her just in time to see a man shot point blank in the head. He was half inclined to charge out there and get some answers, but he held back. The men out there out numbered him...and they were trained soldiers, he wouldn't of stood a chance.
He didn't stop her as Kahri left his side, listening to her as she spoke to one of her people. Juve pressed himself against the wall as he tried to make out what she was saying. He was glad he knew Al Bhed, but he knew he couldn't step out and speak to the man she was speaking to. The Al Bhed weren't that friendly to terrans, well not the ones he had encountered. Those Al Bhed were nice to him, to a point. Juve wanted to stop Kahri from going out there, after what had happened to that man, but she wouldn't of listened to him.
Juve extended a hand to hold Roscoe back, looking back at him. "Stay there and shut up, we don't need to bring any heat down on us." he said to him. "I'll try to let you know what's going on." he added, listening to Kahri speak. Listening intently, he watched her and the other Al Bhed. "She wants to know....why the faction...is out here..." he said quietly, but just loud enough for Roscoe to hear him. Juve couldn't help but wonder why Shinra and the Al Bhed were doing in Luca. "I don't know if they've gone to war Roscoe, but we might be in the middle of something big."
Gunfire. The most effective way of measuring the length of a job, marking when it started, when it ended. This first shell that made a sickening 'squelch' sound as it connected with human tissue was Elena's official "on-the-clock" signal, one which sent her into action mode, gun loaded, eyes peeled, senses alert. She didn't have Reno and Rude with her on this assignment to tell her to be a proper Turk, keep her posture rigid and grow a backbone, so it was up to her to guard---wait. Where was the President? "Sir?" she called out hesitantly, hoping to get a response from her superior.
...Who happened to be farther ahead of her, with Turks in tow. Turks who she was supposed to be with. Dammit, she was supposed to be the punctual one! Tucking a few strands of silvery-blonde hair behind her ear, Elena bolted from the helicopter, only to be met by armored Shinra soldiers and a vast array of people with facial expressions that ranged from sincerely outraged to terrified. The President didn't seem to be in sight, and neither were any familiar crisp suits of Turks for her to follow.
So she'd have to follow her horrible sense of direction instead. Meandering around street corners and following lines of armored troops, the stench of death quickly permeated the air around her and caramel-brown eyes looked upon the dead corpse of a warrior monk. Taking a moment to compose herself, the words of another addressing the faction caught her attention. Looking up, the female Turk noted a male amidst the others, cautiously asking them why they were here. A ShinRa soldier raised his weapon, perhaps to fire off a warning shot, but Elena placed a hand on the gun to lower it and cleared her throat, stepping into the crowd.
"As you've probably already guessed, we're with the ShinRa corporation based out of Midgar. Er...our presence here today is due to the fact that our President, Rufus Shinra, is conducting a political meeting with an official here in Luca. Due to..er..past happenings and such, the soldiers in the streets are purely for security..." she aimed a sharp look at the soldiers around her as the recent memory of the dead body in the road came back into mind...and view, but she hoped she sounded as professional as she was aiming to be. "...And shouldn't cause a disturbance. Er...questions?" she clasped her hands behind her back, keeping her posture as rigid as possible. The only Turk in the area -should- try and look like they knew what was going on and have control over a situation..right? The President was who she SHOULD be with..but the situation already had one casualty. Elena decided that she should probably stay here in case things got out of hand.
Warning bells should have sounded the moment the blonde meandered her way through the crowd of soldiers. And the bells should have rang louder upon seeing a glint of metal as it was raised and aimed toward her. Al Bhed wouldn't shoot their own kind...would they? It went against their code. Even if they were from a different family, there was so sense in killing off someone with Al Bhed blood. Unless...these were not the Al Bhed. That simple notion immediately put her on the defensive. Her stance shifted to a leg poised behind her in case an early retreat was called for, and she flexed her claws at her side. Kahri was not panicked, no, but more so annoyed than anything. The soldiers hadn't answered her questions in the least or even acknowledged her presence. They were just....mobile dolls. And this woman, was she able to control them?
Kahri hadn't the slightest idea what the woman was saying, but by her stature, she must have been some high ranking official, something the Al Bhed female wanted nothing to deal with. She regarded the soldiers a final time with a steely gaze, and pivoted on her heel to leave. "Disgusting..." Had the soldiers truly been Al Bhed, they wouldn't have let themselves be controlled, not after the damage already blown to their pride. These were not her people and she was mistaken for ever assuming so. But this fluke made her wonder whether she had truly severed her emotional ties with her own community. Yes it was rare to find the Al Bhed on another continent, but did she have to go so far to speak just to speak with them? Their condition was not her concern any longer...
Or, that was what she continued to tell herself. Glancing off-shoulder to the troop once more, she brought her entire form around and dashed down the street leaving only dust in her wake. Undeniably concerned, she took a longer route back around to the alley way, should the soldiers decide to follow. It was easier to maneuver around the streets now that they had emptied some, allowing her to direct herself through the market place without trouble. Recognizing the turn, she slipped back into the alley coming up behind Juve and the comical Roscoe. She paused for a moment, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. "They...they are not Al Bhed," she informed them, her voice low. "Where are they from? Do you know..."
Roscoe kept an ear raised as he tried to catch Elena's speech. "Midgar... So this isn't Alexandria's doing. That's good; my dear Queen Brahne is tough, but the concept of all-out war just seems a foreign concept. Besides, our Knights wouldn't be caught dead in those horrid airships."
While he was rambling, it became apparent to him that he was talking in an attempt to cover up his own nervousness. That was strange; normally he never felt the need to hide any emotion from those who were listening. Was this what the critics meant by "subtlety" and "nuance?" Being able to experience conflicting emotions?
Bah, rubbish! The audience doesn't want to see vague emotions; they want responses they can see and sympathise with. That's the way the theater had been run for generations, and this new wave of quiet theater was not going to stand in the way of that. Completely convinced of his own sense of justice, Roscoe took a step out of the alleyway and stared at the well-dressed Turk.
"Just one, Miss Shinra." He called out. "What is to become of your knight; the one who spilled innocent blood? I do not suppose you intend to leave a murder unavenged, especially since the man's only crime was to speak out against a percieved wrong." Roscoe knew how justice in the military worked all too well; if they could chalk a death down to a nessecary casualty, they could make sure their knights got away with the lowest number of hits to their reputation. Of course, that meant painting a dead man as an enemy combatant at the one moment when he couldn't defend himself.
It was amazing how quickly Valedus was able to get himself into trouble, even while he wasn't on the job. He had decided recently to take a well-deserved "vaction" (in reality there were no bounties to be found, so he was forced to take a break) in the land of Spira, which turned out to be a horrible idea, what with Sin and Summoners bustling about. Not to mention the Fiends, although those weren't so bad since he could flee from them by just shouting "LIVE AND LET LIVE!!!" then running in the opposite direction. He had no idea WHY exactly it worked, but it saved him from many unnecessary battles with those ridiculous beasts.
Anyway, Vale had decided to return to Midgar and simply take his "vacation" in his house playing videogames and eating assorted munchies. Unfortunately, the young Lucavi had gotten the bright idea to stop in Luca to watch Spira's patron sport, Blitzball, before he left. Now he was standing in front of a particularly large garrison of Midgar's notorious mechanical soldiers, all of which were armed with machine rifles; and a woman dressed in a black suit, the chosen wardrobe of Shinra's notorious "Department of Administrative Works", also known as the Turks.
"I wish I didn't have such goddamn good luck..."the demon muttered under his breath. He quickly ducked into an alley and began to make a twisting journey through the maze-like side-streets to avoid the Shinra militia. He hadn't had a very good record with the Mako-distributing company, especially after he had accidentally mistaken one of their assistant managers for an embezzler at a local company (not that there was much difference between the two. Those Shinra employees made out like bandits) and had tried to turn the man in for a bounty. While he wasn't necessarily wanted by the corporation he wasn't going to take any chances, especially with a Turk. Not to mention they had his face from a CCTV camera as he broke through a window and snatched the manager from his desk where he had been playing solitaire.
After he had successfully weaved his way through the winding alleys of Luca, Vale let out a sigh of relief. He grinned to himself just in time to walk, rather unceremoniously, directly into Kahri and company.
Juve looked over his shoulder at Roscoe, a hint of anger on his face. "What the hell are you going on about?" he asked before turning back to the soldiers. As Roscoe continued rambling, Juve sighed quietly. He thought about smacking Roscoe if that meant he would be quiet. Juve lifted his hand, ready to smack him, but held off on actually doing it. Things seemed to be heated already and Juve didn't need to exacerbate the situation by hitting someone that didn't seem to pose any real threat to him. Another sigh came from him as he lowered his hand back down.
Before he could say anything else, Kahri had informed the two of them that they were not her people. He took a few steps out of the alley, standing about two steps away from Kahri. "No idea. I haven't seen soldiers of this sort." he said in a low tone. Before he could even take a guess as to where they were from, his question was answered by the woman in the suit. So, the soldiers were ShinRa's and they hailed from Midgar. Juve slipped his gun back into his side holster. There was no point having it out now, not with all these soldiers around. He was good, but not that good.
Another sigh escaped him as he placed a hand on his forehead, rubbing it gently. The way Roscoe spoke was almost comical to him, but he didn't think he could be taken seriously. Did everyone in Alexandria speak that way? Juve certainly hoped not, it would drive him insane. Of course, Roscoe had a point, would the soldier who had murdered that innocent man be punished? Removing his hand from his forehead, he adjusted his hat and his sunglasses. "Yeah, what about your soldier? Maybe we should see how he would fare against someone who would fight back" he said as he pointed to the soldier turned murder. What was he doing? Juve's temper had begun to get the best of him, but with just cause. The soldier had murdered an innocent civilian and Juve felt he should be punished for it.
"What is to become of your knight; the one who spilled innocent blood? I do not suppose you intend to leave a murder unavenged, especially since the man's only crime was to speak out against a percieved wrong."
Elena's eyes widened for a moment, the perceived notion of military discipline something that she was well aware of, but not something she was well equipped to deal with and disperse herself. 'I'm just a rookie...do they expect me to kill this soldier? Well...' a sigh tumbled from her lips, her posture tense and rigid. The man before her had raised a good point, one that the Turk wasn't prepared to deal with right away. "Er..." stumbling over words and ideas, Elena frowned, raising a hand to smack the soldier upside his head with a leather-gloved hand before crossing her arms over her chest. Something stirred within her, memories perhaps? A certain flame-haired Turk telling her to grow a backbone several times, at every stuttering moment, everytime her finger hesitated on the trigger, or her grip on a felon just wasn't tough enough. There was something about that strength that she admired, but it was intertwined with threads of envy, weaving a delicate tapestry of red and green over her conscience. She probably should.... 'You really should...' No, that'd just be creating more violence... 'Don't be a pushover.'
A shaking hand, leather creaking with every centimeter of movement, pulled a small black pistol from the inside pocket of her suit jacket, and suddenly her arm felt incredibly...incredibly heavy. Lead in her hand and in her heart, Elena raised the pistol slowly, smoothly to the soldiers' head. Should she? Will you?
Elena should've known what she was signing up for when she donned this uniform in the first place. What sort of bodyguard wouldnt even wield a weapon? The eyes of the crowd, especially the man who had questioned her authority, bored into her crisp suit and penetrated the soul beneath it. She closed her eyes, steadied her hand, murmured an apology to the soldier, who was currently standing still as death (the irony), and squeezed the trigger.
And then there was silence.
Blood added to the blood on the street, Elena lowered her gun, opening warm caramel eyes slowly to glance around at the crowd. "....Any more questions?"
Oh, where was Reno when she needed that reassurance? When she needed to be called a rookie?
This entire situation was distressing to the woman and more so to the companion wrapped around her neck. Without knowledge of who this army was, there was no need to her to linger on the spot. The aura she received just from being in the vicinity spelt bad news, even more so in the soldiers were allowed to shoot at their own discretion. She didn't so much a chance another glance at the scene she had just retreated from and instead slunk back, deeper into the alley toward the way she had came. Her focus was set on a silent retreat, but it was spoiled by her own unawareness of the area behind her. She was nearly startled out of her skin by this unfamiliar voice and upon reflex she wheeled around, claws extended and ready to impale this intruder.
Her sharpened digits halted merely a hair's width away from this stranger's nose. Her claw quivered slightly from the abrupt stop. A look of disbelief consumed her features which gave away to annoyance. She lowered her arm, though her stance was still in the offensive. "Frana dra ramm yna draca baubma lusehk vnus?" she barked behind to Juve, demanding he shed some light on the situation. "Cruimth'd drao ymm ryja paah ajyliydat?" Hearing no response, she turned to see her translator speaking with the blonde representative of the soldiers, as well as Roscoe. Honestly, hadn't these people ever heard of being cautious?
Kahri stifled an irritated growl under her throat. Did the soldiers really matter now? Knowing they were not of the Al Bhed, she could care less who they were or what their objective was. For all she knew they were an extermination squad. Though the notion was a little extreme, it wouldn't have surprised her. And should the tides turn in favor of that, she didn't want to be around for it. Returning her gaze to this straggler, she gave him a quick once-over then brushed past him with minimal effort. Her steps were light on the cobblestone ground making little to no sound as she made her retreat away from the scene.
As she took the back away around the merchant's walk a shot rang out against the still air. Kahri's paused in her steps as the creature around her neck lifted his head into the air searching for the source of the gunfire. Both pair of eyes fell upon the alley, but neither made a move to return to the scene. Despite her brief encounter with the small troupe, their well-beings were not hers or Iku's concern. The Al Bhed female returned her gaze to the path ahead and took a firm step further away from the alley. Another soon followed, and in a matter of seconds she was flying down the street, catching brief glimpse of alternative paths to take.
