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If anything the whole trip to the island had been one of wariness, evading ShinRa was becoming increasingly difficult as she held a hand against her chest, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as she tiredly stepped on the sidewalk. Back in Midgar she only heard snippets of the Island from the ShinRa-biased news, and none of the images presented by the company held up to the inane descriptions the island was given. Although she noticed technology was just as apparent in the village, it did little to nothing to quiet the natural environment. A calm wind, the soft blades of grass whistling verdant notes, these were the ever poetic words the planet whispered to her. None of the pained echoes she heard in Midgar were here as she took soft steps against the ground, her blue hues glimmering with a sense of renewed vigor as she a boy and a girl run pass her with laughter.
Slowly Melody turned around to face the harbor, the echoing sound of a ship horn caught her attention as she spotted the Midgar ship leaving the port back towards her 'home' continent. She closed her eyes, clasping both of her hands together in silent prayer. Please she uttered once, barely a whisper to seemingly no one in particular. It was a prayer to the planet, one that sent all her hopes and blessings in an attempt to protect the family that willingly left her escape from ShinRa. The young woman stood there for a few more moments, earning her a few stares as she stood in the middle of the sidewalk while oblivious to their gossip. The cetra inhaled slowly, calming her nerves as she slowly opened her eyes to greet the sparkling ocean from the harbor's view with a grin.
Balamb was a temporary solution for now, though her immediate problems included finding a place to stay for the night. Save for a simple rolling bag filled with essential clothes and other supplies, she now worried over finding a hotel to sleep in for the night. Melody was casually dressed, clothed in a simple teal and cotton green sleeved dress with her right hand pulling her rolling bag with her as she walked along the sidewalk. The fresh air motivated her to hum against her lips, adding a poignant grace to her steps as she trekked the village looking for a suitable hotel. After about ten minutes she stopped, her free hand shielding her eyes from the sunlight as she glanced upwards in astonishment. Normally the girl wasn't a materialistic person, but even then she had her moments where she appreciated a beautifully designed hotel.
Merrily she stepped through the sliding doors and immediately was met with the atmospheric chatter as people went about their business. Some of hotel-goers appeared to be around her age, though there was a distinct uniform all of them wore. "Please excuse my interruption, but would you two mind telling me a bit about this SeeD you're conversing about?" The pinkette asked gently, startling the two teenagers as they saw her approaching. The first boy stuttered nervously, a blush forming on his tanned cheeks while the second one chided him by smacking him on the back of his head. Their antics elicited a feminine giggle from the white mage, who stood there patiently with her hands resting at the side of her waist. The two were dumbfounded by her smile, which made Melody tilt her head curiously to the side.
"U-um, we have to go! I-I'm sorry mam, you know d-duty calls!" The taller brunette stammered, grabbing the second student by the arm to drag him forcefully up the hotel's stairs. Silence swallowed her temporarily, and with a shrug she glanced at the long line. She noted the different tourists, though the apparent waiting time left a bad taste in her mouth as she moved towards an empty couch. It was peaceful she'd note as she gazed at the windows, watching the clouds slowly streaking across the sky.
Karrl had arrived the night before, and thought he would stay at the hotel before returning to the garden. It was strange really, he had not spent that much time away, but, the events that had happened had brought him peace. True the raging beast inside of him was still there, but, there was something about it, like, finally, it would listen to Karrl, and, would work with him in battle.
He had awoken not long ago, the trials of sleeping outside for all that time had taken its toll on his body, and he was glad about having a good night’s sleep in an equally good bed. When he had woken up he had looked around instantly but remembered that his friend and battle sister was not there, and had decided to continue to sleep outside. He was not worried; there was few things in Balamb that could take Luna.
Once he had gotten dressed and inspected himself, finding the way he looked adequate, he decided to pop to the café before heading to the garden. As he made his way down he saw two young SeeD there taking to a woman. However, when he heard what she wanted to know he could not help but raise a silvery eyebrow. However, they soon departed, but the wonder about why she wanted to know was still there.
So, making his way fully into the lobby he looked around before he was greeted with, “Ah, Mister Garm, I trust you had a good night’s sleep.” Karrl looked at the man behind the counter before smiling and giving him a nod. However, before the man could speak again he walked toward the woman who had asked about SeeD. Standing there he kept a straight face as he said, “So, why do you want to know about SeeD.”
The temptation to just lie down on the couch and observe the clouds go nearby was lulling out to her, at the moment she didn't have a single care other then to relax. She remembered what it was like only a week ago, arriving in the city of Kalm while hiding under the prying eyes of a company that sought her for reasons unfathomable. From a humorous viewpoint she felt like a sneaky ninja, it brought an adrenaline rush whenever she had to hide her face from nearby ShinRa soldiers, while simultaneously shopping for the goods needed for her travels. But here she was know she mused, the back of her head resting against the railing of the plush couch as she noted idly on the shape of a cloud going by. Subconsciously she noted one of the staff members greeting an unfamiliar name, one that she barely heeded in the real world as she slowly began to stand from the couch.
Simply sitting down in her present opinion, did nothing to deter the reality that she needed to find something to do. Though she held a bit of contempt for ShinRa, it was also the same company that in their unorthodox "kindness" that helped fund the latter parts of her musical education. She had some pocket gil she noted, the cetra counting the bills in her pink wallet before stuffing it away inside one of her dress's pockets. Smiling softly in optimism, the ancient turned around and was about to move away from the couch towards the desk until the appearance of a stranger startled her. Momentarily she blinked in surprise, though she quickly offered the taller man a polite smile in introduction. Skepticism, the questioning caution of a stranger, the words echoed in her ear, sometimes she wondered if the planet had a tendency to speak the obvious.
Melody was relatively lax around the stranger, despite the lacking display of emotion on his face as he proposed a question. "Want to know? Ahh, I suppose from the way I asked that I was curious wasn't I? I heard the two boys talking about... if I remember correctly, wanting to become a member of SeeD. I'm not familiar with Balamb, so the term isn't familiar with me." There was a slight cant and tilt of her head, emphasizing in an innocent manner that she meant no honest harm in her curiosity. Her baby blue hues seemed to examine him carefully, though in reality she was idly noting the distinct height difference between them. Feeling a slight silence, she let out a harmonic giggle as she extended her hand politely, her lips curving into a beaming smile.
"Oh, seeing as we're getting acquainted I might as well introduce myself Mr. Stranger. I'm Melody Buvelle, a... singer -- or rather a traveler of sorts nowadays. As I said before, this is my first time ever visiting Balamb."
Karrl could not help but smile at her comments about not know what SeeD was. He found it funny because of whom he was, well, what he was. He took a mental note of what the two kids before had looked like, and see if they were actually recruits at the Garden. However, soon after he went back to looking at the rather attractive young woman in front of him and his hazel eyes locked onto her baby blues.
He continued to smile when she introduced herself and stuck her hand out for him to shake. It was only natural that he took it; however, he did not shake it. Taking the tips of her fingers he bent down slightly and brought the back of her hand to his lips. Let his lips linger there for a moment or two he lowered the hand before releasing it, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Melody, I’m Karrl, Karrl Garm, a member of the Elite Mercenary Group, known as SeeD.”
When he had finished speaking he looked at her for a moment or two before realising something, he was not expected back at the Garden, he was not even sure they knew he had returned to Balamb. He doubted they would know, but, he would risk it, and, he was sure they would not hold a grudge if he was a few hours longer. With that thought he smiled, “Say, since you’re new to Balamb, why don’t I show you around, I know this lovely little restaurant where we could eat, maybe show you a few sites.”
The stoic unreadable expression began to quickly dissipate as she spoke to him earlier, and once the man began smiling there was a sense of relief as her own smile visibly widened by an inch. Patiently she stood there with the palm of her hands resting on the handle of the rolling bag in front of her. She remained firm, her foot stationary against the ground as a light giggle escaped her lips gently. When blue caught hazel staring back at them she didn't flinch, and in fact she didn't seem to mind as she gave an affirming nod of curiosity to the stranger. Melody's eyes twinkled curiously, yet there was an underlying quaint mischievous glint to them.
Though the pinkette had expected a hand shake in return for her introductory gesture, what happened next was something that was mildly surprising. She began to contract her hands in an attempt to firmly squeeze the hand into a firm shake, though she immediately raised a brow as a bewildered expression graced her face. Her eyes blinked twice, lips dropping into a neutral state as she cautiously glanced at the man bending and bringing the back of her hands to his lips. A normal eighteen year old woman would've blushed profusely, but to the ancient it was rather amusing and endearing to see such a chivalrous display. Unconsciously she rubbed the spot on the back of her hand with her fingers, before shaking her head in a playful chiding manner. Melody raised a single finger, wiggling it back and forth horizontally as if to tell him that it was a naughty thing to do.
"You Mr. Garm certainly have a dashing way of making first impressions on people, myself included. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Melody practically beamed at him, her shoulders shrugging as a small fit of giggles erupted from her before she regained her composure. Underneath though his words echoed in her mind, the term mercenaries didn't exactly fly too well with her. He'd probably catch it momentarily, though there was a small hint of a leer at the exact time he mentioned SeeD's status as elite mercenaries. It was a cautious one, though it was quickly pushed to the side as she pulled back her polite smile. "Show me a few sites while possibly eating at a restaurant? That sounds like a usual pick up line there Mr. Garm!" The woman passed him a wry wink, almost smirking before she waved it off in a joking manner. It wouldn't hurt she thought, while looking around the hotel once more to see if anyone was "watching" her. She couldn't help it, being chased constantly made her a bit cautious of whose eyes were staring at her.
"I can't say no though, after all you're being polite enough to offer me a chance of exploring Balamb. Though I ask you take me back to this hotel later on, I wouldn't want to get lost in this place after all." With that said, she nodded, moving pass the mercenary while giving him a playful pat on the shoulder. Melody walked towards the doors leading outside the hotel, her rolling bag sliding against the floor as she turned mid-torso to beckon Karl to come.
Karrl smiled at her comment about making a dashing first impression. He found it funny because, even though it had never been put quite like that, he had heard similar things said about him. Of course he had been called some less positive things for the very same reason. However, the good came with the bad and he never usually let what people thought of his bother him very much, unless he liked them. It was like, why care, nine times out of ten he wouldn’t see the person again. He was not an asshole, as some people might say, he just had a slightly callus way of looking at things.
When she commented about what he said could have been taken for a pick up line his smile continued. He did not know why, but, it kind of was. It was strange really, since Erinna he had never really taken much notice of women, since, well, he had and still does have feelings for the woman. However, due to the events in their past the last time he saw her, well, still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. However, whether or not there could be anything more than this for Karrl, that remained to be seen. Never the less, he felt like having a good time before he returned to the Garden.
However, when Melody spoke again it brought him out of his own thoughts. When she had finished speaking he could not resist, “What kind of man would I be to leave such a beauty alone and not take her back to her hotel room, I mean hotel.” With that he turned around and headed out there door, giving Melody a playful wink as he passed her. He had to admit, the trip had done him well, he felt, for the first time in a long while, felt like his old self again, not since, well, Alexandria, and the true awakening of the beast within.