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((Apologies in advance for the lame title. Couldn't really get the creative juices up and running... ))
The coin sailed through the air, flipping end over mythril-ridged end, until it was caught deftly by a brown-gloved hand and smacked onto the opposing wrist, then lifted to reveal the result. A pair of brown eyes scrutinized the face of the coin behind the round frames of a pair of sunglasses, and gave off a discontented gleam. Tails. This was getting to be an unlucky day for him.
Selle was paying no mind to where he was going at all. If anything, he could have been on course for something, namely a bar or tavern for a bit of gambling, but was so wrapped up in the results of his coin flips that he lost track of direction and was wandering aimlessly through the deserted scrap yards of outer Sector 5. And every single flip came up as tails! He couldn't even remember what he was even out here to do in the first place! It could have been anything! What was wrong with him today?
The discontent gambler just gave a small sigh of annoyance at his apparent dilemma and ceased his game of chance to have a look around and to establish some form of coherence to his surroundings. What he saw made his jaw sag a little from the shock value.
He stood in front of a church, which seemed to rise up from the filth and squalor around it as a type of bastion of hope, or some type of metaphorical verse similar. But the feeling was still readily apparent to Selle. Somehow, something in his conscience made him feel... uncomfortable, as if he was violating something special, something that should never be disturbed.
Was Selle a sinner? A difficult question. Selle had allowed himself on occasion to get away with feelings of greed when he was in the middle of a game, but that could hardly be blamed for something like that! After all, any man who has picked up a freshly dealt hand could tell you how intoxicating the card table can be, the need to win, and to win big. And besides, if anything, greed could be considered Selle's only vice and indulgence. Well... there were his flirtatious mannerisms with women, but was that really anything to be classified as sinful? It was simply the laws of attraction, placed eons and eons ago as the way man survives; by attracting a mate and creating offspring. One could say that Selle had refined the experience, so it wasn't merely a need for survival anymore. But still, his conscience berated him for his shortcomings.
So, he thought that maybe the presence of the church could do some good for his soul, or at least relieve the tension his spirit was putting on his mind. So, tentatively, Selle entered through the doorway and into the church.
The benches were scattered everywhere around the large foyer, but there were some that were still intact. So, the gambler made his way to one of them and sat down, stowing his lucky coin into the pocket of his pinstripe suit, and had a look around. The roof went up several feet in a steeple, which made his neck ache from trying to look up at it. At the front was the altar, and on a small patch of ground in the center were... flowers?
Now that got Selle's attention immediately. Flowers never bloomed in Midgar. Yet here, they seemed to flourish without regard to the waste and contamination outside the pristine walls of the church. Truly this was an extraordinary place. And then, he realized that he wasn't alone. Near the grove of blossoms was a girl, Selle could only guess that she was fifteen or sixteen years old. But even watching her from a distance, the gambler could see that she was very pretty, with curling brown hair, a lithe pale figure, and startlingly beautiful green eyes. She was so concentrated on her flower patch at the moment that she hadn't seen him sitting there yet. It would change in the next few seconds, naturally, and Selle wondered what would happen next. Should he introduce himself to her? That would appear strange, even to his warped standards.
Selle just sat back and said his philosophy in his head: Life was all just a game. He had made his move by walking into the church, so he would allow her to play her hand now.
It was a comforting sense to be lost within an action. The feeling of everyday being the same as it has been for years and knowing that it wont change, even if in a seconds time the routine can shatter. The ignorance resulting in such a feeling truly was bliss. Bright green eyes surveyed the plant life that grew in the middle of the church, gentle hands every so often moved aside a cluster of yellow pedals in search of matured flowers ready for picking. The pedals held a silk feel as her fingers came to brush against them. From her kneeling position, she leaned forward grabbed hold of a flower at the base of the stem, gently pulling it from the earth and placing it within the brown basket that sat beside her. The faintest of smiles tugged at the corners of her lips showing the utmost of pride in her feeble accomplishment.
Such a small act she performed and yet it held all her attentions and affections. So much so that the sound of the church doors opening and closing failed to reach her ears, the sound of footsteps thudding against the wood floors to one of the pews neglected to arise a sense of caution to her mind. Such absent-mindedness would surely cause the death of her one day.
Wrapping her hand around the baskets handle, she lifted herself from the floor, her other hand dusting off her dress as she turned her body toward the direction of the church doors. She lifted her head, the faint smile evaporating from her face to leave a straight line of confusion. There was a man sitting among the pews, sitting as though he were there for awhile. Aerith many not have been the sharpest of people but even her herself knew better then to be so enveloped into one thing as to not be aware of her surroundings. Having Tseng around to keep watch over her seemed to have deadened her sense and will of survival. Despite that, this man didn't seem to be of the type to come and do harm. God only knew how long she had been in her own world with him staring. If such a man with cruel intentions had come to do any unheard of things, he had plenty the opportunity.
Putting an end to her deer in the headlight stare, she brought her eyes low, finally willing her legs to carry her on through the aisle. She stopped to the strangers pew. "If you've come to speak to a priest, there is none." She spoke, her words coming through as kind and gentle. No one ever came to this church, everyone in the slums knew this structure now belonged to the flower girl and if they did come then it was because Aerith has had prior relations with them. This man, she did not recognize him. She dipped her head slightly. "Though you're welcome to stay if you want." Never did she reject someone from the church. Though it may have belonged to her, there were no official papers or verbal contracts that binded this building to her name. Everyone just assumed and went on with their lives. To reject or neglect someone of entering the church would just cause unwanted attentions and complications.
Though never for the sole fact of simply wanting to keep ownership of the church, Aerith was never known to turn the other cheek. As far as she was concerned, this magnificent structure belonged to all of the people in Midgar. This place provided sanctuary for others as well as herself. If this man needed to be here for whatever reason, then so be it. Her only rule, Never step on the flowers.
Well, this girl was quite the socialite, it seemed, Selle thought absent-mindedly. Most people who looked upon him wouldn't think twice of throwing him back out on the street where he came from. And yet, she had accepted his presence within the church, her church, without any reservation.
Quite odd, but the gambler appreciated her welcome in any case. "Thank you very much, young miss," he said with a small smile, "but a priest wasn't the reason as to why I came."
He turned away from her slightly, his brown eyes growing a little disconnected behind his shades. "Honestly, I don't really know why I came through the doors in the first place. I guess I just need... the feeling that someone is watching over me, y'know? Whether it be God, or Lady Luck herself, who knows? But it's good to know that the things you do aren't entirely overlooked..."
He looked back to her and saw her confused expression. Oh, bloody hell, he was rambling. He probably sounded like a delusional wack-job to her. He's probably scaring her out of her wits at the moment. Terrific!
"I... apologize, miss, if I seem to be rambling," he said quickly. "Y'see, I'm a man of luck. I believe in the possibility that a person can change their station in life to whatever they want, like changing their fortunes in a card game. All one needs is patience, motivation, and the right hand dealt to them. So, I tend to have quasi-romanticized thoughts concerning certain subjects, so..." Selle shrugged, a half grin on his face.
Then, a new thought occured to the gambler. He had been prattling on for minutes to this young lady, and he hadn't the decency or courtesy to introduce himself. Mentally kicking himself for his rudeness, he stood up slowly, took off his gray bowler hat, and bowed in a gentlemanly fashion. "Again, I apologize, for I seem to not have introduced myself properly as of yet. Selle Rookwood, at your humble service, miss."
When he placed the bowler back on his head, he asked, "And if it's not too impolite to ask, to whom may I be adressing?"
This man spoke of things that Aerith was certainly not familiar with but she found that her smile found it's way back to her lips. A man of luck he said. Quite interesting seeing as many people in the slums have dismissed such a notion. Luck, fortune, fate, destiny, whatever name you dressed it with, many people whom lived below the plate have given up on any such beliefs. Aerith couldn't speak for everyone but she was sure there were those who simply given up all hope. It was nice to see a face not dulled by life's hard lessons and punishments. To believe in luck, or some sort of God, is a sign that the positive side of humanity still exists. If it weren't for the flower, or the church, Aerith was sure she probably would have given up the ideas of a higher power as well, but the planet speaks to her sometimes, which leads her undying belief that the lifestream does what it can when it can.
The flower girl simply nodded her head, a chuckle escaping her lips and bringing the basket of flowers to the front of her, holding it with both of her hands. "My name is Aerith Gainsborough, It's nice to meet you Selle." She said before reaching into her basket and grabbing the closest flower to her fingers. She handed the plant to Selle. "For you. I usually sell them for 1 gil but I consider this a gift to a new friend." The cetra was quick to befriend, but only to those she knew meant no harm. Has this man been evil in any way, the planet would have warned her. The lack of warning told her he was not evil in the least. She knew Tseng would probably scold her for having given her name and friendship so easily but the Turk wasn't around for such discipline. She wasn't a child, she could take care of herself afterall. Though she knew Tseng would think differently, heck, even Zack. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen much of the SOILDER either.
The church has been so quiet and Aerith had found herself more then once become enveloped in her tending of the flowers. It seemed they were the only company she had as of late. "Whether you feel God or Lady luck is watching you here, if you need the feeling again, you're free to come visit anytime."
Taking a glance to the windows, Aerith noted the fact that there was still sunlight emitting outside. She still had time to go sell her flowers. Looking back at Selle she dipped her head for a moment. "Though I have to get going soon." She said before lifting her eyes to peer at Selle and then toward the door. Someone had to make money, and her mother is surely doing her best to earn some herself. Aerith needed to do her part.
One of the last of a broken race A flower in the midst of a dark wasteland A gentle soul with a heart of fire A spirit that soars with the skies
White Materia Plot Quest Begins
Danger
A voice would pulse through Aerith's mind, the usually silent voice of the planet now seemed to be shouting, screaming into your mind. But it was followed by silence, nothing more. The planet was warning you....were you in danger?....or was it the planet? There were voices outside the church, loud and brutish and getting closer. " Galbadians, dirty scum.....wish I could be out there handing them a beat down". More voices follwoing it " -Stuck here......guard duty......". They made a turn and entered the church, and it would likely be the last thing that Selle would have wanted to see. They were members of the Shinra security forces, grunts.
Those who wern't quite good enough to make it past the soldier exam and were just shoved into the lower sector of Shinra's military. One of them pointed at the gambler. " Hey....I know you.....". He stumbled in, clearly he was drunk. Another followed behind. " Yeah.....he's that guy in the bar....the one who took all our cash!". Things started to get slightly heated now. A moment of silence.
" Yeah...thats right....he's the one....didn't have a chance.....obviously he must've been cheating...no way we'd lose that many...*hic* times......".
The third member of their group was rather quiet. But he spoke up for a moment, his voice awfully timid. " Guys...I don't think I like where this is going.......I think you've drank too much....lets head back to the barracks...you can rest it off....". One of the others shoved him. " Ah shaddap spikey....we're gonna get our money back off this cheater....then we're going to go back to the bar and *hic* get ourselves some more drinks....maybe a dance off that bar girl....hehehehe....". The one closest to both of you stumbled forwards again, drawing his baton. " Forget the bargirl.....this flower girl don't look too bad.....hehehe...". The only sober one removed his helmet revealing his blonde spikey hair.
" Guys...your taking this too far.....".
The other two grinned. " What....Cloudy...you siding with this *hic*...cheat?.....maybe...you two in it together.....". Cloud stepped backwards drawing his own baton, one of the others began moving onto him whilst you were faced with another two.
[ Defeat the Security Guards!"]
Information: Not going to be a particularly hard battle, after all they are drunk....you may control the actions of the security guards.
Selle smiled at Aerith's gift to him, a single flower from her basket, as a sign of their new friendship. It was difficult to describe exactly what was going through the gambler's mind at the moment. Normally, if it were from any other person, he wouldn't have thought so much about the simple gift. But, this time it was strange. He felt a certain warmth within him being offered this gesture. This girl truly was special, to affect Selle of all people in such a manner. So, he gently accepted the blossem and slipped it into the breast pocket of his black vest, adding a bit of color to his monochromatic color scheme.
"Thank you... Aerith," Selle said. "I suppose that it was a good thing that I entered through those doors in the first place." He gave a small chuckle and was about to say something else, when there came the sound of grumbling to his ears.
When Selle turned to investigate, the only thing that coursed through his head was, Oh, bloody hell. At the entrance to the church were four guards, and three of them had recognized him. Selle remembered; they had come into the Heaven yesterday, and being the rock-stupid drunkards that grunts tended to be, thought they'd try their luck against him in a game of poker. He just started out with a light toasting and slowly accumulated a little of their Gil, but then one of them had the bright idea to try and cop a feel on Tifa when she passed by. She threw him bodily out the door a second later, leaving his pals to Selle, but by then, the gambler had had enough. If they insulted her like that, then they had just crossed a line. From then on, Selle was completely ruthless, practically emptying the grunts' combined savings on the table, until they got so discontent with their losses that they stormed out.
And now, here they were, plastered again, and blaming him of cheating. That would have been galling enough to Selle. It wasn't that he was particularly good at cards, or even good at counting them. It was just that he was very good at reading other people's reactions. And everybody had a reaction. Especially if it included money. But then they had the audacity to include Tifa again into this little feud. This had the unfortunate effect of turning Selle's mood to grim determination. And not only were they insulting Ms. Lockhart, but Aerith, as well.
Frankly, Selle felt like teaching these grunts a lesson in manners, though it seemed as if they weren't giving him much choice in the matter, anyway, as two began to advance upon him and Aerith, while a third was facing the spikey-haired grunt. This one seemed to possess a character not shown in the other three, a fact that Selle appreciated greatly, since he shaved off some of the opposition for him.
"If you gentlemen are intent on doing me or the young lady harm, simply know that you're not playing the odds."
The gambler then turned to Aerith, and said, "Miss Gainsborough, I'd rather not involve you in this. These men are my problem and I will deal with them accordingly. Please find somewhere to hide."
However, while Selle was occupied, one of the guards made a clumsy swing at the gambler's face, clipping him against the jaw. Selle tasted blood, and staggered back a couple of feet against one of the pillars. He wiped off his mouth, staining his white cuff a bit, and then pulled out his short-barreled handgun. Disconnecting the revolver, he proceeded to load four special types of ammunition into the chambers, then spun the revolver quickly and snapped it shut. He pointed the barrel at the grunt who assaulted him, pulling the trigger. A bright burst of lightning shot forward from the handgun, striking the offender in the shoulder and causing his nervous system to seize. He dropped like a stone to the ground.
Imagine being in the deepest sleep possible and having the loudest of alarms wake you up. The silence that resided in Aerith's mind was rudely broken by the violating screams and yells that echoed through every inch of her head. Her shoulders jerked, the muscles in her hands stiffening causing her fingers to straighten and the basket to fall to the floor, the flowers cascading out of its container. And just as the yells and screams came, they were gone, complete silence in her mind once again. A tense and uncomfortable quiet that set itself within her person and she now wasn't sure what to make of it. The muscles in her hands relaxing, now with a small ache that signified that she may have pulled a ligament with her sudden and quick movement. It was then she now noticed the dryness in her eyes, she hadn't blinked.
Closing her eyes for only a moment, she settled her hands to her sides and let out a breath ever so slowly. She wasn't sure what they were telling her. Was it about this man? Quite the opposite. Aerith jerked her head to look over to the doors of the church to witness four ShinRa guards enter her place of sanctuary. They're drunken words seemed to be regarding Selle.
Green eyes filled with confusion and caution involuntarily gazed from the guards and Selle and back again as words were spoken. It would seem one of the group were in their right mind and knew the consequences of a drunken assault on innocent citizens. Aerith took no time to take in the appearance of the sane guard. Spiky blonde hair, it was going to be hard to forget such a hairstyle and in the ways the spiked up hair were pointed.
Aerith took a step back from the group, nodding in response to Selle's request. She paid no mind to the comment of the guard that regarded her as attractive. Never take a drunken mans words to heart and before Aerith could even take another step back, hits were planted and shots were fired and among the commotion, one guard was down. She took this opportunity to completely turn away from the scene, kicking off the floor and sprinting for her staff which she kept in the far back of the church. Skidding to a stop, she bumped herself into a wall with a small 'umph' before kneeling down.
The floors of this church wasn't in the greatest of conditions so a few loose floor boards was nothing out of the ordinary. Lifting the loose plank of wood, she reached into the gap and pulled out her staff. The best way for an opponent to let down his guard was to see that you were defenseless. That's one of many things Tseng had taught her. Though seeing that these enemies were quiet drunk out of their minds, Aerith didn't see how that could possibly fit in with this situation. It didn't help matters that she wasn't of the best physical help. Her strength didn't reside in her arms and legs, rather her discipline in the supporting and healing magics.
Lifting herself from the floor she ran back toward Selle. Even if these were highly impaired ShinRa guards, the mere fact of their intoxicated state proved that they probably weren't capable of making any straight decisions. So getting beat up was an inevitability by this point. The planet warned her of this, never mind it was probably a bit short notice but warned her nonetheless. She was fine, protected by Selle, but she wouldn't allow death in the church. These men were not of the right mind. "Get out of here now and take your friend with you." She said, her eyes narrowed. The last guard up facing Aerith and Selle gave her a look of utter confusion as if to ask "Why are you talking?". The look was shortly followed by laughter and a shake of his head. Aerith truly disliked the idea of violence being thrust upon him just as his friend but when life throws you lemons...
She clasped her hands together, eyes closed as if praying before her staff levitated in front of her horizontally. Within seconds time Aerith extended her arms outward. The guard stopped his laughter in replace of a painful grunt as Quake was casted. The guard was now kneeling on the floor. "You have to leave now." She said, her attention being taken from the injured guard to the spikey blonde haired one. Under the influence or not, to be assaulted by one of your own was never a good feeling.
Cloud suddenly had the feelng that he'd made the wrong decision in standing up to his comrades drunken advances on citizen assualt. Whilst the other two were moving towards the girl and the gambler, he had to deal with his drunken senior officer. The day was slowly getting worse. From the moment they'd left headquarters on their time off, to the events in the Seventh Heaven...seeing Tifa again was a bit of a shock. And he'd only just managed to keep his idenity a secret...and hide his shame.
But after all that now he had to deal with this. He could only be thankful however that he hadn't been chosen to head up the numbers on the front line against Galbadia. But now...that front line was looking a lot more friendly. He blocked the first blow with his baton, but another followed up, striking him on the knee, forcing him down into a lower defence. Strike after strike rained down upon him, the senior officer muttering curses with each blow. He didn't quite know what happened next.
Maybe it was the thought of them touching Tifa like they had. Maybe it was the idea of just what they had planned to do with the girl. But something inside him snapped. He rushed forward and in a foolish and clumbsy tackle took the officer downonto the ground, he pushed down on the mans chest holding his arms there with his baton and one hand, whilst reaching into his belt and removing what appeared to be a stun gun. He shoved it into the officers torso, feeling the slight recoil of it himself, but most of it went into the officer, and in his drunken state it was enough to immobilize him.
He fell backand slowly picked himself up. The girl and the gambler seemed to have taken care of the other two. He shook his head. " I don't know what to say...". He looked down at the floor boards and picked up his helmet, putting it back on.
" I'm sorry for the trouble they've caused you....they'll be disiplined back at headquarters...."
He grabbed a bit of wire from his belt, tying it to the boots of the incapasitated Shinra guards and then began to drag all three out of the church. It was a slow and grueling process, but he'd get there eventually.
Choice Event: 1, Continue your conversation 2, Help Cloud drag the guards to the trainstation
Selle was about to reload for any other kind of counterattack the other grunt may have tried to make, but then, out of nowhere, Aerith showed up. Using a single Quake spell, she had dispatched the guard quickly, enough to get the gambler's attention. And then, the scuffle was over.
The blonde grunt, the one the others referred to as "Cloud", had trussed up his buddies by their bootstraps and proceeded to drag them out of the church. He had apologized for the commotion and said that the three would be punished for their foolishness.
But something overcame Selle then. This grunt wasn't so bad. After all, he had tried to calm his crew down, and when that didn't work, stood against them in the defense of Aerith and himself. Truly, there were some men of decent merit within Shinra. And that name, Cloud... he could have sworn he had heard that name before, in passing. It might have been in the Heaven, alot of names were circulated in a busy atmosphere like that. But for the life of him, Selle just couldn't piece together where he had heard it from.
In any case, the blonde grunt seemed to be having a tough time dragging his unconscious pals, and the station was still quite a ways off. It would take him ages to carry the load by himself. And besides, Selle couldn't help but feel... indebted to the man for taking a stand against his drunken friends. The gambler could brush off payments of the monetary kind, after all, that was how he ended up in Midgar in the first place. But the insubstantial, yet no less meaningful, kind of debts were harder to cast aside. So, Selle simply looked over to Aerith, who might have been thinking the same as he, and said,
"Well, Miss Gains- Aerith, he did help us. It would be horrible manners to not help him, don't you think?" He shrugged, a half-grin playing on his face.
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