|| End of the __l.i.n.e

[acidgypsy]

Maji's expression remained carefully blank during and after Rain slew the drunkard and the crow; concentrating on throwing back the Russian, flames and all. Satisfied with the quality of the liquor, her eyes closed halfway and remained hooded in this fashion with Rikelus' polite refusal of Rain's services.
To tell the truth, she agreed with her partner. Even the nicest person could create appalling havoc without the correct directing force to control that person's destructive talents. Majidah herself had been responsible for a regrettable chain of events that still sat heavily on her narrow shoulders. Regret was one of those things that was easy to get stuck with and took decades to get rid of.

So instead of adding to the possible stirrings of an argument, she simply turned her head away and studied the tavern interior; seeming to think that she had nothing worthwhile to say that Deverell hadn't already said himself.

The faint, sweet scent of burning alcohol permeated the air like weak incense; further calming the first whispers of Maji's angry drunk alter ego. But she still had trace amounts of anger at the pointless killing of a drunk and a bird... both deaths achieved nothing. How did Rain know if the drunk really was a nice person when sober? Instead, the spark of life within the man's body was snuffed out like a candle's flame without so much as a second thought... leaving countless friends and possible family to drown with sorrow when it all could've been averted. A shame.

Closing her eyes to shut out the sight of the corpse on the floor a few meters away, surrounded by surprised and grieving friends, still did nothing to dull the sympathetic twinges plucking at her own chest. Uncomfortable with this connection, she instead anlyzed the new drink sent their way at Rikelus' request by the bartender. This was a new one... must be a local specialty. She'd honestly never seen it before.

Smartly snatching her shot off the tabletop the moment it came whizzing past at a dangerously speedy pace, she daintily popped the cream-encrusted cherry, stalk and all, into her mouth. A few moments passed before she removed the stalk, now tied in a knot, from her mouth and dropped it on the tabletop.

Surprising how such a pointless killing like this brought unpleasant memories back to her train of thought.

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

Rikelus Deverell lifted the glass taking the entire shot snagging the stalk of the cherry between his teeth letting the thick nectar flow down the back of his throat making it’s sloth like path down to his stomach. An instant warm sensation engulfed him, and his complexion seemingly turned slightly red and he moved his teeth to the side using his tongue to un-snare the stalk and chomp down on the cherry spitting the stalk back into the shot glass and sitting it down on the table. Rikelus looked around the dark, dank bar and could almost smell the musk from death as his nostrils picked up a peculiar whiff. What was it..?

Mako. The acidic smell entered his nostrils reminded him of the refiners and tunnels below the city of Midgar. Alibet, they may be bright and clean, and adorned with several twisting tubes and pipes the reason is simple; for the pumping of the planet’s life blood for their own technological devices and comfort.

I remember when I was a boy I think this smell all too familiar—it’s funny really how I can disarm someone, and hit seven vital pressure points within a couple of seconds or how I can look at a picture for a couple of seconds and recite distinguishing features such as how many people were showing teeth, the color of eyes, wearing long sleeves etc. I really don’t remember that much about my past regardless of my present skillets save for a couple of chance memories.

I remembered when the Junon Cannon was fired and watched as everyone seemingly marked out the uninhabited island it had disintegrated into nothingness. ShinRa changed from a weapons manufacturer to an energy supply company, therefore they became strongly against war. Most of the company’s militant forces are involved in defense and peacekeeping. Ever since the war against Wutai ended, things have been changing. ShinRa, as it isn’t a country, doesn’t have to side with anyone. Hence the growing Soldier program, not to mention other internal affairs. For instance if Gongaga were to up and decide to attack Wutai, Shinra would be right there, with their big Junon Cannon, discouraging the idea of war since there was no profit to be made from dead people. Thus the Cannon was built as a deterrent of war, not as a weapon. No country whose leader has half a brain is going to attack a nation with that kind of power.

I cut a glance to Maji drifting out of my day dream, or whatever you would call a recollection of a past event. Truth is I couldn’t drink anymore, I had a poker face that had been through more hands than most, and experience on my side. I knew that the less I moved around the longer it would for the drink to have an effect. Of course with her blurbs and angst, it wouldn’t be long before the behemoth’s blood would kick in turning her damn near topsy turvy.

Ya’know I find something important every time I look at her regardless of the situation. I doubt anyone would think that Commodore Rikelus Deverell of the ShinRa Electric Power Co. would ever be in cahoots with a mercenary much less adore the company of one so. I suppose everyone needs two things in life: a proverbial emotional rock, and common ground. No matter how cute, beautiful, loving, rich, famous, etc a person was if you wanted stable ground you had to find a common understanding of certain things.

A flower girl once asked me, if I wanted to buy a flower. I declined her request and often thought I was wrong for it. Simply because flowers couldn’t grow in Midgar, although upon later investigation, I was wrong. Under a star-light night in the slums, with the passage of time to come, and nature using the flowers to hide the past, there was beauty.

You could say the same about Maji, I liked watching her pace around for hours on end, with a creased forehead in anticipation, and that amicable face of hers so beset with wrath and determination. She was always stubborn, as if he couldn’t truly comprehend things or understand her train of thought. It didn’t matter to me, I just liked to watch her. Just like the flowers in Midgar every once in a while her concern would melt away like the snowy ice caps that fell upon Edge once a year.

Her curses would soften, her plans would fail, she’d cease to show that wall she had built up for so many years. Finally her soft shimmering locks of hair would cascade down her fair complexion like a fountain spewing water. Frustration would dissolve soon after the removing of her hat, and even her limestone expressions would be chiseled softer, and it didn’t matter after that point what lie ahead. Her innocence appeared out of that angry façade she had put up as a shield.

And then there was beauty suddenly for the entire world to see much like the flowers that grew in the abandoned Church in Midgar. It just goes to show you, you can search the world for beauty, in-truth you may never know that it could be laying right in-front of you just waiting to be discovered. A chuckle escaped my lips and I shook my head before I smiled. I almost waited for someone to point it out…

Since when does Rikelus Deverell smile?

[Deleted]

(OOC- The guy's not dead xD But I can see why you thought so. Bad phrasing job by me =P )

Rain got up from his seat within a moment. His face bared no expression as he looked at Rikelus, "If your accusations were right", he paused to take a look around the room, "This place would've been nearly empty by now. I simply help those who can't defend themselves when I have a chance", another, longer, pause took place, "For I have missed the chance to do so a long time ago, and ever since I pay the price". Lifting his hood over his head, Rain sighed silently. "We may meet again, if fate wants us to. I have yet to lose my interest in both of you. Sir, my lady" He said nodding to both of them, even though Maji herself seemed more interested in her drinks , "Now I will take my leave, for a meal much better than anything that I can get here, waits for me outside". The slightest of smirks could've been seen across his face as he turned his back to both of them and headed towards the door.

Now outside, Rain halted a few steps away from the bar's entrance, as flashes stroke his mind once again. His eyes were looking at the black sky above, but all he could see were a couple of bright blue eyes, eyes that once he most loved to see, but now haunt him and leaving him restless. In the struggle to keep his consciousness Rain fell to his knees.

A well known village appeared before him, one house standing tall from all the others- Scenes from his memory which he tried so hard to forget, flashes that have sorrowed him for eternity. It seems as if this time he wasn't going to make it, his past demons are finally getting a hold over him, drowning him into madness. Help! The cry went into his mind, but was unable to get out of his mouth. Crawling on all fours, as if he was trying to get away from a physical clutch, while the memories called him back to his past home. Rain has seemed to have finally lost, as he collapsed unconscious…

No one was out in the streets, due to the late time, and nobody saw this degrading act of hopeless struggle. Nothing, but a single black cat which halted in its place to look at the intriguing show, a dead crow placed between his teeth, and then turned away to enjoy his feast in the shadows.

[acidgypsy]

Rain had guessed correctly-- she was more interested in her drink at the moment. Testing the strength of the shooter with a flick of her tongue over the glass rim. After the sudden initial burst of flavor, a tingling numbness set in-- one that surely meant this was one of the heavyweights of the drinking world. this would require caution to pull off if she wanted to win so badly.

However, just as she was raising the shot glass to her lips, she paused and lowered it again, smiling a bit self-conciously under Rikelus' stare.

"Now who's undressing who with their mind?"

She inquired, leaning her head against the palm of one hand. Somewhat curiously studying his expression, she used the full glass to tap a tattoo on the cracked wood surface.

"You need to get yourself a hobby, kiddo."

Her eye fluttered once in a wink as she raised the glass in a salute, half-closed her eyes, and downed the drink in one go. This time her optics did close entirely as she analyzed the ingredients within the strange shot. She could identify most of the alcohols mixed together in minute amounts, but there was one that she couldn't quite place her finger on.

Then, the full brunt of the drink hit the Alharad like a punch to the gut.

Her taste test had been deceptive-- in small doses apparently you didn't get the fierce afterburn sensation and the stars in your vision. It was a challenge alone to keep her outer image unchanged save for a slight flush of the cheeks and a deliberate relaxation of the muscles. Her breathing immediately shifted to a pattern that would slow her heartrate, hopefully keeping back the rush of lightheadedness even now starting to trickle in.

"Not bad. A bit iffy on the aftertaste, but not bad at all."

When she opened her eyes, her senses seemed to be utterly confused. Everything was tinted oddly... and a bit out of focus as if glimpsed through a thick pane of warped glass. Her throat burned. Not to mention she was growing oddly sleepy... something in that drink seemed to have completely reversed the normal anger problem into drowsiness.

Damn. Rikelus had to know about this.

Blinking rapidly, Maji struggled against the effects long enough to say a single sentence before her eyes closed a second time and stayed closed; shielded under her fiery red and black spray of hair.

"Dammit... you cheated."

...in short she passed out.

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

“In this game that we are trapped within it’s who you know more often than what you know.” He chuckled softly looking over at the bartender as he squirted Rikelus a shot of Mako to counteract his earlier shot and slid it across the table watching the green mist swirl around hanging low causing condensation on the outside of the glass. Commodore Deverell lifted the glass to his lips speaking softly, “Cheers old friend, cheers.” Upon finishing his last line he turned it up inhaling the substance which seemingly caused everything to shake and move around displaced by time it seemed well at least to his eyes. He blinked a couple of times before clicking his tongue against the bottom of his gums, that oh so familiar acidic taste. Ugh.

Okay. So here it goes oneshot..

Getting caught undressing her with my eyes - bad idea.

Taking care of her again – well---erm that just comes natural I guess.

I stood up, now with the effects of the drink nullified and picked her up catching the eye of a couple of people who then shifted their gaze in the opposite direction knowing now I had the walk of a soldier. The sound, the look, the kinda swagger that’d make an entire town of people stop and watch like when the bad guy walks into town in the old western movies. I could feel the tenseness of her muscles through her shirt, my walk hadn’t been in vain, I found a room in the back which the barkeep had loaned to me a couple of days after pinpointing Maji’s location. She was quite a hard bugger to find. Upon entering the room I sat her down on the bed, and tucked her in almost receiving a slight embrace from her. I wasn’t necessarily fighting with her so it was pretty easy to get the covers over here and click the light out.

Deep crimson red orbs stared into the darkness and the sound of a scratching noise was heard and then there was light. Rikelus Deverell lifted the zippo lighter to a candle on a nearby desk and took a seat in the chair closing the ancient fire device putting it back in his pocket. He closed his eyes for a second and it felt better than anything had in a long time. When I met Maji I talked about choices. Even know I’m making choices still that affect whether she lives one day more than the next. When it comes down to it, it’s the choices we make, the ones that affect our lives and the lives of others, I really put a lot of thought into this.

I think now that it’s not so much about choices, but about the legacy and what we leave behind that really matters. It’s freedom of expression and showing the people around us how much they care about us. I realized in that brief moment that I really did like Maji. She actually understands..there are so few people in this world who really understand me—no us.

Who we really are is always hidden in midst of everything going on. It’s not important how many people really know you, what’s important is even if it’s just one person who really knows what it’s like to be you---to hold onto them. Not many people know about a life of protecting the weak, the inadequate; or know what it’s like to be afraid that you might not live another day. No not even that, to be afraid of what’s going to happen the next day and still make decisions that we do. If I’ve found just one person who understands this, then I think I can keep going now. I think I’m going to be all right.

Lightning struck off wayward in the distance dancing around in the sky like skeletons from my past. As the light hit the side of Rikelus Deverell’s face it seemed different. He almost seemed distorted in a way, more like an apparition than anything. It was revealing around his jaw-line the most for that moment before that intense white light faded back into the bleak skies that hung low as if they were judging North Corel. “You didn’t lose after all you know, kiddo. Damn..” He spoke softly as he leaned back yawning quite a bit before letting his forehead thud down on the deep oak desk near books on ShinRa science developments and the sole burning candle.

[acidgypsy]

Mornings didn't bode well for Maji usually-- and today was no exception. The moment she woke from the dream state, she immediately regretted it; screwing her eyes tighter shut against the sunlight gently illuminating the room. With a soft groan, she pulled the pillow over her head and languished in such a fashion until it seemed going back to sleep had eluded her clutches completely.

To any normal person, it was another awe-inspiring chance to make a difference-- the rain hadn't abated, but the sun occasionally peeked out behind the water-heavy clouds, illuminating billions of tiny spheres of water in the air. Rainbows of this scale were very rare... especially in this particular region.
The scent of melted wax still lingered stubbornly in the room, mixing in a rather chaotic fashion with the more savory smells of breakfast drifting in from the kitchen. The window, which was slightly ajar, permitted the cleansing air of fresh rainfall to occasionally trickle into the room-- teasing Maji's closed eyelids with invisible fingers.

"Ugh....God ****ing damn..."

With the near-silent whisper of fabric, she sat up and waited somewhat impatiently for the light-headedness to wear off before venturing out from under the thick comforter, still warm from her body heat. However, she paused upon seeing Rikelus still sleeping on the desk. Typical male chivalry. So busy looking after others to worry about themselves. But then again, would she have gotten along with him so well otherwise?

She rolled her eyes and silently crossed the room, blanket in one hand and a pillow in the other.

So tucking the blanket over Rikelus' shoulders and momentarily lifting his head to slide the pillow underneath, the huntress couldn't help but grin. Looked like he hadn't held out much longer after she did. A comforting thought.
Kneeling slightly to be at eye level, she studied his face before leaning forwards slightly to brush her lips over his cheek and whisper,

"Tch. Lovable dummy."

In the blink of an eye she straightened up and waltzed in to the washroom with a few long strides; indending to grab a quick shower and stick her head under the tap with cold water for a while to get rid of her horrid hangover.

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

Two directions.

Evil Good.

The thrill of darkness,
The purity of light,
To erase a life,
To return a breath.
Which would you choose..?

Rikelus canted his head to the side for a moment glancing at her blinking once, and it was as if his eye color changed almost an ebony black for just a moment until he blinked again revealing those familiar deep crimson pools they Maji had grown accustomed to seeing. It seemed as if he was still deep asleep; but occasionally he’d show signs of life. I guess the old saying, sleeping with one’s eyes open in Soldier was true. His face which was usually calm, and cold as a cucumber seemed rather red and bothered by his thoughts. The oak table had a section where his right hand was, that was covered in deep scratches and scuffs from something or another… His senses were numbing as he had that same dream again, that dream of running around in the black emptiness…he muttered outloud, “It’s very cold here…”

Suddenly, a burst of brilliant white light exploded into his haggard eyes. He did not understand its meaning, only that the flash has pierced clean through to his mind causing him to grit his teeth. Dazzlement ensued his senses as the light caste in the room seemingly bended away from himself revealing broken, bleak hardwood floors. Such a strange sight, for the light to bend away from one’s self and dissipate in one’s shadow..words escaped his parted lips, “It’s so cold in here…”

His face shifted and it seemed as if his voice tone changed and the white phantom was speaking through him, “You should feel that way monster, your bloodlust knows no bounds Mr. Deverell…You rage wars beyond human imagination. Your escapades transcend into the realm of nightmares.”

Not all monsters show their true forms within an open space, many burn inside, and are numb to the world and only show glimpses of scars and devastation. Monsters have no hearts, they’ve frozen dead long ago. Some hearts have never had the luxury of feeling warmth, instead these monsters wander the wastelands alone. Some have let themselves wither long ago, simply because dragging a wounded soul caused too much grief, and it was easier to just forget it behind in the mud. Others don't care how far they stray as long as it satiated their inner hunger, and grow darker and more transfigured with every soul they take. There’s no point in designating one as either good or bad, in the end it doesn’t matter they’re all damned.

They may appear deformed, with tentacles; but most of the time the true monsters hide behind human flesh. No mask is great or immaculate enough to conceal their inner darkness or crimes upon their bloodstained hands. To these children of Jenova, the gates of the Lifestream are locked, and the key forever inaccessible. It seemed as if the mistress of fate weaved their lives together rather intertwined, his soiled crimson red eyes contained the blood of every enemy that he’s spilt in the name of ShinRa. He ignored what Lazard had said that day..

Lazard, "Whoever fights monsters should see that he doesn’t become one.."

Beginnings were hard, how do you deal with a person you’ve grown attached too when she’s above your level, were not just talking about rank here. How do you tell someone like that, that maybe the dreams you’ve been having were maybe something more, how do you tell them that you’ve got something bad locked deep down inside that maybe resurfacing.. How do you tell them, you live your life with blank spots, and work for a murderous company because deep down you might enjoy the bloodshed more than saving lives..

In Soldier there’s a legend of a man who lives in between worlds, between living and dead. He’s a nameless soldier, a last hope for every man who was left behind by his brothers. They say that, if a soul is out there lurking in despair, you can feel his hands lift you up and help you gather enough courage to make it through adversity. I wish I could feel his hands, I needed them. “Ughhhhh…” it seemed that Commodore Deverell was showing signs of waking up, his vision was still blurred as he glanced around the unfamiliar room..

“Maji?”

[acidgypsy]

"Cooooming..."

Still blinking hot water from her eyes, Maji poked her head out from the doorframe; sporting her usual arrogant grin.

"What's up with you, Deverell? You're looking a bit peaky this morning."

Her face momentarily disappeared back around the doorway as she struggled to get her forearm plates on, then calmly walked back out fully dressed (Obviously-- she wasn't a prude, but she wasn't exactly going to go au naturel either)-- faint tendrils of steam wafting ghostlike from her still-warm skin. She shook her head vigorously, showering the poor SOLDIER with water, ending up looking a lot like a wet sheepdog, her sodden bangs thickly coating her cheeks. Could she help being annoying? Nope. Definately not.
The last large droplets of shower water still clinging to her hair made a glittering arc in midair as she tossed her head, clearing her vision in one go.

"Allllllrighty then. So what kind of mischief are we up to today, I wonder?"

However, seeing as how Rikelus obviously wasn't all the way awake yet, she laughed and knelt beside him, throwing her arms around his shoulders. It was a bit of a shock to her nerves to come in contact wth his relatively cold skin after just emerging from a nice hot shower.

"Heeeeeey. No time for hangovers when there's breakfast downstairs..."

Tucking a few loose bunches of wet hair behind her ear, she tilted her head slightly to the side. It wasn't normal for her to be this hyper during the morning... whatever was in that shot not only knocked her out pretty damn fast, but looked like it had revitalizing elements as well. What was in it, anyways? She'd have to ask the bartender later.

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

“Booze has its unique quality of bringing out different things in different people, obviously even with beauty sleep it makes me slightly resemble a Midgar Zoolom.” He replied back to her in that dry sarcastic manner a grin sliding across his expressions, before he was covered in the water. Droplets of water cascaded down his pale expressions; he had been having those bad dreams again here lately. I wouldn’t even categorize them as dreams anymore, more like living nightmares.

Commodore Deverell raised up an index finger flicking his bright azure colored hair out of his amicable oily visage and used his finger like windshield wipers to slap the water off his face before the sound of the generator that powered the hot water kicked on yet again, he frowned slightly at her, “Mischief? I doubt we’ll have to look far to find mischief seemingly it always seems to find us. You wouldn’t happen to have a slew of unlucky trinkets you carry around that I don’t know about eh?”

He rose to his feet stretched and yawning, the bottom of his leathery jacket rising up revealing a long scar that seemingly twisted from his left leg upwards across his stomach. Battle hardened Soldiers bore marks of pride and this is one of those marks where he considered himself to be lucky instead of prideful. Rikelus’s crimson red eyes shifted towards the bathroom, and he nodded affirmatively, “Yeah, after I get a shower we can go grab some breakfast, I’ve got some plans to investigate a nearby Mako treatment facility if you’re interested in a little action. Of course, it’s not going to be your average walk in the park.”

With that being said Rikelus Deverell removed his leathery zip up coat and hung it upon a makeshift bookshelf hoping that the weight from his PHS and trinkets didn’t cause the wooden shelf to create a domino effect that would somehow cause a bigger misfortune event. That’d just take the cake, besides that and running out of hot water—would make his morning normalish compared to the usual. His undershirt, was quite odd, it was a white T-shirt with strange designs and graffiti looking emblems scribbled across it in different colors. It looked as if it were a design of Midgar, near the theater where they would play Loveless; even the billboard was scribed onto the shirt in hot pink. An extremity of colors, was contrasting to the stark black leather which he wore over it.

Upon removal of the shirt, which he hung on the doorknob, he revealed his battle worn body; his skin seemed somewhat perfect in not being too dry or oily. Scar tissue was visible around his lower back, and save for a sole tattoo on his upper right arm seemingly every inch was immaculate. He turned shooting her one last glance canting his head sideways making one of his goofy faces before shutting the door behind him and locking it.

[acidgypsy]

Maji's cheeks burned furiously as she made a mad dash for the bed and buried her face in the pillows. It seemed she was getting even more awkward by the second... did he have to go showing off his chest?

"AAAARGH. What the hell?!"

See, normally she didn't give a damn about anyone else-- either they worked with her, which was fine, or she was hired to pick 'em off, which was just bad luck on that target's part... so in other words, she was a bit baffled as to where Rikelus rated on her hate-o-meter as it were. Technically he did work with her, which in itself should solve the problem. But still... what if...
She took in a deep breath, held it, and released it into the now-damp pillow between her teeth.

Enough of that. Thought like this made her head go funny.

Eh heh heh. Thought he was macho with his tattoo, did he? Obviously Maji's own body art had been rather well hidden, then. Of course it was meant to be hidden in such a way, so that didn't terribly surprise her. You don't go out of your way to have distinguishing marks out in the open to make yourself easier to recognize and eliminate for the competition. One way she had survived so well-- blending in with a crowd in the blink of an eye; often too soon for a rival hunter to get a lock on her. Being a wallflower had it's perks.
The matter of fact was that before she had gotten the idea to be a mercenary, she had been an avid grayscale artist from age six to seventeen; going as far as to design a full-body tattoo in a few days. Her eighteenth birthday saw an excruciating several hour session at the tattoo parlor (Sneaking off without permission, obviously), ending in a rather lovely design. She was quite proud of it.

...or she was proud of it... until the incident happened.

The small television precariously balanced on the end table flickered to life as Majidah hit the remote with her thumb, watching the news upside-down with her head hanging slightly off the side of the mattress. In this somewhat awkward but comfortable position, she flipped through the channels at lightspeed.

"Reporters say that by next month-"

Click.

"This week only! Fifty percent-"

Click.

"Legends tell of a blue and red Chocob--"

Click.

BAWring. Didn't they have anything worth her attention span on at this time?

"Damn. Call this quality cable? Bull***."

Eventually settling on a halfway interesting investigation of mako poisoning in a small rural area, she slid one arm under her neck and comfortably arranged her willowy frame over most of the bed. There, just barely peeking out from a sliver of skin visible between her pants and the hem of her shirt, was a patch of ink. Seemingly a few shades of sepia, which curled downward around her side and disappeared from sight over her hip... intriguing, no?

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

…The sound of water trickling down into the porcelain tub soon ceased, and Rikelus dried his half halfway with a towel in quite possibly the manliest fashion you’d ever seen. It was cold outside of the double pane shower glass; his body was covered in Goosebumps from the sudden cool down. Thick locks of half wet dark azure blue hair clung to his damp skin which had a shiny texture due to the wateriness of it. Have you ever wondered about how long you can go underwater before your lungs damn near burst and your nerves and subconscious causes you to rise back up. I had always gotten goosebumps in the shower, because I practice holding my breathe almost until I damn near pass out. You never know what situation you’ll be in, where you have the possibility of drowning. Drowning was quite possibly the most excruciating death a Soldier could endure.

When you’ve got your head under water choking for dear life it makes you think. Hell twenty-eight was nowhere near enough time to live a proper life. There were things I’d never done, places I’d never seen, people who didn’t know how I felt about them. That last one really hurt. That’s part of why I’d sooner put up with suffering, so I could make sure the important people knew how I felt, when I had nothing left to lose by telling them. Or everything to lose, depending on your viewpoint and how things would’ve worked out.

For years I had just kept to myself, which didn’t make any sense to everyone else; but, it made perfect sense to me. In Soldier your chances of dying are relatively higher than any other job you could just waltz out and get, which didn’t make sense to let your significant other or family feel the general everyday angst, or more grief than necessary. Upon exiting the shower, I tossed back on that familiar shirt; my tattoo seemed to have a slight glow to it after being doused in hot water. The mark of a mad scientist, putting his name on one of his greatest works…go figure.

“Breakfeast huh? So what’d you have in mind Maj?” His crimson red eyes fluttered slightly as a bead of water ran down the bridge of his nose tickling him slightly. He folded his arms glancing over at her, she was quite pretty when she was carefree and not trying to rip your arm off and then beat you with it. Commodore Deverell walked over to her, extending a hand to help her up off the feather-top bed.

[acidgypsy]

Maji gave him 'the look' with a smirk and the single raised eyebrow, possibly thinking he was daft.

"What kind? The edible kind, hopefully. I haven't had good red meat for a friggin' week."

Click.

"--greatest hits! Now only--"

Click.

Well, it seemed she didn't want to go anywhere soon. Did this place have room service?

Still sprawled over the bed with her cranium hanging off into empty space, she flicked a few pieces of hair off her cheeks with her fingers and made a chivvying motion; waggling her wrist back and forth. This abrupt jerking motion happened to shake off the very last drops of H2O stubbornly adhering to her skin and sent them sailing off into the air.

"Unfortunately I'm a bit lazy today. Could you wander on downstairs and bring back some brekkist?"

Hm. A bit egotistcal? Maybe just a little.

Having made her request, and figuring Rikelus would either oblige or smack her with a pillow to get her up (which meant she would respond in kind and probably wreck the pillows), she remained with her back flat on the mattress, eyes blinking slowly now and then as the TV screen reflected off her pupils. Goosebumps jutted stiffly out from her arms and exposed stomach as the open window permitted a stronger gust of cold air to rush in and lowerthe temperature of the room by several degrees.

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

Rikelus lowered his head chuckling softly raising a hand politely to his lips to stop his laughing. Sleeping followed by breakfast was a much needed alternative to being shot at or chased halfway around the globe. I mean I love travel, and thrills, but the thought of being ran off into the middle of the ocean by several automatic rifles that could pick a pelican off from the entrance of Costa De Sol…no thank you. Sometimes, I felt as though we had the odds of a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest when it came to avoiding trouble.

I’d do more for Maji than most, she’s good deep down beneath the hair dye and ink. She’s one of the few people that I work really well with because she understands that most rules and regulations are meant to be broken. Of course I have a problem with authority, and that I’ll sooner take orders from someone I like, than from a director or mid-level manager of ShinRa, which is why I listen to her ALOT. I’m like that with everybody. She’s made it by several years with a gun to her head more often than not for most of them, if it’s possible to hang in there like that—well.. I think anything is possible.

Upon exiting the room I headed towards the southeastern part of town. It smelled of homemade bread and a hint of honey. I paused for a moment a slight smirk creeping out of facial features. It was surprising that someone hadn’t taken a potshot at me from a far off window, North Corel was famous for drug runners. Allegedly they’d run drugs all the way from the western side of the continent, through the mountains, and then to Costa De Sol where there were so many tourists it’s hard to enforce any laws.

About fifteen minutes later, I returned carrying two trays stacked upon one another across the rocky landscape back to the bar/lodging. Upon turning the knob and entering the room once again that devilish smirk subsided and Rikelus spoke sarcastically , “Hello, there! You all comfy-cozy still eh?” He put two hands on the trays of break feast and made his way over to the bed handing her one before heading over to a makeshift table and taking a seat.

[acidgypsy]

((Bleh. Muse is dead today... Sorreh. x.x))

Maji's eyes retained their glazed expressions for the span of roughly two minutes or so before she shook herself out of it; blinking rapidly a few times and rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hand. Now probably wasn't the best time to vegetate in front of the TV...

"Wha? Oh... not fair! Now I can't get up. You brat."

She whined, craning her neck to get a glimpse of the plate balanced on her stomach. A herculean effort to sit up and steady the plate at the same time nearly resulted in the merc tumbling to the floor. However, after a moment of panic, she wriggled her way a bit further down the bed to get better support for her back and resolved that problem, sitting cross-legged and sending a look at Rikelus that clearly said she'd get back at him for the underhanded trick when he least expected it.
That is... if she could remember to.

"Is that a sausage I see? Lovely. Haven't had those in a long time. They don't keep too well on the road..."

Question. What about utensils?
She hesitated using her fingers; not only was that a somewhat messy method, but the grease could cling to her gloves and make her grip on her knives slip at a critical moment. Best leave that thought well enough alone for another time. But speaking of knives...
Drawing a knife from the bandolier folded neatly by her side, she speared a sausage and considered it carefully from several angles before biting off a chunk.

Note her careful avoidance of making eye contact with Deverell. If it ever seemed her eyes were straying too close to his face, she'd shy away by either hastily staring at the window or turning/angling her head suddenly. Why, you may ask?
Well... -not that she'd admit this, mind you- that image of him shirtless kept popping up in her head... not a comfortable feeling to be eating your breakfast with a nervous twitch in your leg and a burning in your cheeks. She was a mercenary dammit! Not a schoolgirl. She didn't have time for stupid crap like this. But as a member of the female gender, she did notice a pretty picture when she saw one wether her better sense of judgement like it or not.

She closed her eyes briefly, steadfastly ignoring the rising heat in her face, and concentrated hard on reciting the proper technique to repair her bike's engine to drown out the beginnings of the figure taking shape in her mind's eye.

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

“Look as though my guess was right, I didn’t pick you for a picky eater.” Rikelus Deverell grinned chuckling softly as he reached into his coat jacket pulling out a disposable spork, crinkling the paper off it before pulling the utensil out and opening his tray which slightly resembled jambalaya . It was a mix of rice, scrambled eggs, bits of sausage and biscuit all scattered and smothered in cheese. Rikelus got Maji a similar dish in case she preferred a lot of ingredients. Damn near anything was better than what you got in SOLDIER, you practically ate hunted animals off rocks some days, or week-old rations on others.

I caught a fleeting glance from her, and cracked a slight smirk as I began thinking about Corel, and where our mission was going to lead us. I prepared for the rough two-day trek across the terrain surrounding the desert town. It was a bit undertaking for two souls to search the entire place for a needle in a haystack. Too big for any of us, as it turned out…

Wandering alone through the gorges and ravines surrounding Mt. Nibel gives you a lot of time to think.. I mean really, really think. Especially if one is lost and eventually has to grudgingly decide, after two days of travel with no end in sight, to turn back and return to Corel. I didn’t have the supplies to make it for more than a couple of days, good thing I ran into Maji I suppose..things were looking up.

“There's an old saying my CO told me before he retired. I'm starting to hear it over and over again in my head here lately. He told me on his last day in stripes that old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

Rikelus added to her before he he took another bite of his jambalaya and continued, “To tell you the truth Maj--it's hard, living like this sometimes.. I’ve told everyone I’m going to go and lead a normal life, but I can't. I try, I really do, but I just can't. I've lost too much, seen too much, done too much that I regret and would give anything to change… I can't go back. I’m so fixated on going back to normal, to the way things were, but I can't ever seem to get there. It's not until I’m laying awake one night, tangled in sheets and trying to slow the pounding of my heart after another nightmare, that I realize why I can't. I don’t really have a normal to go back to…and it scares me sometimes Maji.” He took another bite before sitting his plate down and sighing slightly, “When I see you it’s different ya’know I’m relieved, I realize that for some of us, were not normal…we never were. So that’s one less thing that keeps me awake at night. Although I do miss the traveling, the friends, popping the corks on the bottles after a big victory; but never the exhaustion and pain.”

“I’ll forever go on, as the hero who won the war, and didn’t even fire a single shot. It wasn’t the surviving the battles part that killed me, It’s waking up every morning and knowing that I’m facing nothing but emptiness and lonely years is what makes you think twice about your occupation. I said before it’s all about choice and what you leave behind, your legacy persay…I’m choosing to fade away out of the limelight soon--- in other words, I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life serving the likes of politicians. You get what i'm saying though Maj? Doesn't it feel like we were meant to live for so much more?” He chuckled slightly adding in his dryly sarcastic voice, “Maybe I’ll take up an occupation breeding chocobos or have a bandersnatch farm.”