Solarization (Open)

[acidgypsy]

Whump.

A plume of dust and pavement clouded the air and swirled back down to earth lazily in a thick blanket of smog around a trio of figures; two on their feet and moving quickly while the third lay prone in the center of another impact crater. It was obvious he or she was well and truly deceased since the eyes were vacant of the spark of life, and the jaw hung slack. Oh, and the way his/her ribcage was caved in sort of clarified that too.
A keening wail split the air to accompany the blinding flash of metal whizzing end-over-end through the air to bite deep into the armored shoulder of a young man in military regalia. He yanked it free violently with a curse and threw it back on the street prior to resuming hacking away at his opponent with the curved edge of a scimitar.

So, of course, it wasn't really a surprise to see Miss Majidah Alharad dancing away from the wicked edge of the blade coming at her from every imaginable angle. She already had dents in her forearm greaves from warding off a potential killing stroke. It was hard enough to get close enough to land a solid kick, but now she had just confirmed the unlikely odds of making a quick kill with a knife throw.
Blast.

Quite suddenly, she pivoted in place and turned to face the sideways chop of the scimitar, turning in such a way that she could block the sword with her forearms before continuing her momentum in a roundhouse kick that sent the man skidding and rolling backwards in a comical fashion to scramble back up on his feet a good distance away. Sure, she got a somewhat painful gash for her trouble, but that hardly mattered in the long run.
She really must remember to go buy a bazooka or something... messier, ut it got the job done much faster than manually. and a lot more amusing too.

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

The town of Edge is truly a beautiful, immaculate city. I’ve lived most of my life in Modelheim, which is a sector in Midgar, back when sectors were actually towns, that grew together. Midgar is a modern marvel of engineering, to say the least. Whoever had the idea of putting all the utilities and things that normally pollute and dirty a city beneath a plate…well, it isn’t so good for the people who are forced to live there, but it sure makes for a beautiful city on top.
The architecture of some of the buildings is second to none in all of Gaia and those in charge do everything they can to keep the city as beautiful as possible although that’s not their innate goal. Another beautiful feature of Edge is the parks and recreations, entire landscapes have been built where there was once nothing, now the landscape is adorned with rolling hills, forests, even rivers. They’re all artificial, of course, but it makes them easier to manage and no less beautiful. In autumn, the leaves burst into the colors of flame and the last dying flowers all come together to create what’s quite possibly the most colorful landscape in the world, all under a sky that’s never touched by smog and is always a different pale shade of blue. ShinRa got it right this time, running all the pipelines, and powering structures underground. One of the only things that’s different from then and now, is that people aren’t forced to live underground.
Although sometimes, things lurking underground, manage to work their way to the surface, and you have a scene similar to the one that Rikelus was watching between Maji and the monster. So this is what they sent him to investigate? A lowly monster wandering through the outskirts of Edge? That happened often, why was this any different. His deep crimson red eyes glanced towards the western continent, at the orange, red, and yellow hues that lie in the somewhat cloudy sky, as the sun seemed to slowly fade away from the horizon like a bad dream. Now the real monsters would come out and play, he was within speaking distance of Maji, and leaning against a broke down car, “You better hurry, unless you plan on fighting more soon.” He directed his comment loud enough so that she would hear it, while a switchblade smirk cut across his once stonewall expressions. Rikelus Deverell was an odd sight to see in Edge, especially in his Soldier 1st class attire, it made you wonder exactly how many of them were left in such dismal times?

[acidgypsy]

Maji's reply was a little less than polite, so I'll refrain from repeating or translating her fascinating string of curses. But the general gist was that she wasn't terribly pleased with having an audience watching her mop up a hard day's work.
She wiped away a thin trickle of blood meandering down from her split lip, and lunged forwards to the offensive again with startling swiftness.

"Stand still, you miserable excuse for a bug!"

Whumph.

This time, the insanely focused strength in her kick connected solidly with her foe's chest with a wet 'crunch' and a spume of gore. Whilst the corpse rolled and tumbled away head over heels from the impact, the huntress bent over and rested her palms on her knees; sides heaving with the ragged gasps of air taken in by her lungs.
It was only when Majidah gained enough poise that she straightened up and shot the Soldier a look that would send a gopher into a coma at fifty paces.

"Pah. ShinRa's into this too. I should've known."

She spat into the dust over her shoulder, glowering, and proceeded to waltz past him in her own self-righteous (Albiet somewhat limping) way.

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

“Never Assume” Rikelus responded folding his arms across his chest chuckling, Maji definitely led a hard life, he knew from experience that it wasn’t easy. It’s plain hard, living like this. Half of the people you speak too, probably go home and make little or no decisions that determine the outcome of your life, or people that you trust’s lives.

I’ve made a promise to someone once that I’d lead a normal life, I really try; but I just can’t…I’ve lost too much, seen too many things—horrible things that aren’t even in the ShinRa classified filing section. I’ve also done many things that I regret and would give anything to change… I can't go back. At one point I was so fixated on going back to normal, before all the missions…I find myself laying awake at 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 have a "normal" to go back to.

It’d scare anyone who was “normal” but not me, I’m relieved, because now that I look back upon my past I can't be normal because I never was. It's one less thing to keep me awake at night. No real loss, though, because I have hundreds of other worries to think about.
The only thing I miss out of the entire ordeal was the friends, and painful memories. The painful memories set you apart from a monster, because you still felt empathy for someone in some form or another. Maybe this time, I'll get it right and die trying so I won't have to live afterwards. Surviving the battles and the losses is easy as hell, but coping with the loss of friends, and those you couldn’t protect is what eats you up inside. Waking up every morning and knowing that I’ve made a difference is what matters, ShinRa can’t take that away from me. The thought makes me smile sometimes… I didn't even get the glory, save for saving what was left of Nibleheim.

“I may be WITH ShinRa; but what makes you think my intentions are less than noble?” Rikelus’s words floated in her direction, as did the sound of his boot heels clicking on the ground. Indeed Soldier and ShinRa had a bad name just because of a couple of choice people. The hike up the social hierarchy was quick, and unforeseen in Midgar around the time of ShinRa’s golden Era. Businessmen became elitists; the middle-class became the hoity-toity upper crust simply because they were occasionally seen by the poor. The poor struggled and either made their way up to the middle-class long after they could appreciate it, or failed to climb even the bottom rung of that social ladder. Of those people that didn’t have the resources sufficient to boost them up the ladder through legitimate means simply gave up and those who bitterly accepted their fate were forced to action by resentment. Ironically, it was mostly the latter that made it out of the city alive, their paranoia and greed having prepared them mentally and emotionally for all such catastrophes. In the end the poor surpassed the upper classes due to catastrophes.

The elite, upper and middle classes, not having access to the exits which were located on the bottom of the city were largely slaughtered by horde of monsters which ensued during the Sephiroth crisis. Sadly those poor people who didn’t flee or migrate to Edge were overcome with an intense joy and realization that the upper class was finally gone and what they always wanted had occurred. Soon after this feeling passed like a dream into the night, as they were hit with the epiphany that they had depended on those upper classes for their scraps and throw-away treasures. Incidents like this, gave ShinRa, and Soldier a bad name; although, most Soldiers were merely following orders or doing what they thought was right. She had that same look in her eye, as the poor people who wished that the upper classes were gone, he had seen it before, that look harboring so much anger with no remorse. Heh, another string of curse words would be the coupe’ de’ grace to her introduction, or so Rikelus thought. “Either, way, whatever you may believe, whether it be fact or fiction allow me to escort you. It hasn’t exactly been safe in this area for the past month.”

[acidgypsy]

Maji continued walking with hooded eyes, silently counting to ten in her head. However, when ten didn't suffice, she continued on to thirty-six before she had her temper back under control. You see, this young lady had a bit of an anger management issue when it came to being considered as a 'damsel in distress' or some other pathetic stereotype typically likened to the female gender. Since this was entirely the opposite of what Majidah considered herself, she wasn't all that pleased to be 'escorted' home by one of the male gender, of all people. And a Soldier to boot. If she thought she disliked the opposite sex intensely before, it was nothing like the peeved emotions riling her up this very instant.
Pivoting in place, she halted so abruptly that Rikelus nearly knocked her over from the unexpected halt of forward motion.

"Alright, let's get something straightened out here."

She growled, grinding her teeth audibly.

"I don't need you to walk me home. Any monster that dares to try jumping me from behind'll get a world of pain. So you can keep your distance while I finish my damn job and get home in one piece."

Sharp prods to Rikelus' chest accentuated her sentence. But eventually she turned around and started stomping away just as suddenly as she had stopped.

What was it in that reddish-black head of hers that caused her to dislike the male gender so instensely? Nobody really knew that-- if one asked, she'd simply tell them to politely "You can take your question and shove it up your -insert area here- sideways, buttmuncher. Now get outta my way.". And that was the polite version.
Well, we could just blame that on the head trauma she'd experienced so frequently over the past years. Much easier than asking her yourself.

Her muttering hadn't diminished quite yet; from the set of her shoulders and the way her gloved palm hovered close to a throwing knife holstered at her hip, she either didn't trust the Soldier walking behind her, or she was expecting a target to jump out at her from every imaginable hidey-hole on the street.

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[rikelusdeverell]

“Heh, sounds awful interesting; but there’s been a few dark dragon sightings in this area in recent weeks, after seeing how you handled that meager monster, I don’t think a dark dragon would be a laughing matter.” Rikelus’s tone of voice still seemed to be rather casual compared to her utter frustration. “Ya’know what’s your deal anyway?” He responded to her in a semi-snide fashion before he cut in, “It’s hard, sometimes, to be a Soldier. People don’t understand us. They see a bunch of elite professionals in armor, with weapons, who do ShinRa’s dirty work. We’re people too. You’re no different from me? Were nothing more than hired guns” Rikelus added before he halted his pace and went diagonal from her direction so that he wasn’t directly behind her anymore. He could tell by that look in her eyes, she had that mercenary look which was categorized by her actions. In her past life she probably had been different they all were until some catastrophe changes their known lives into something that they never imagined was attainable.

He supposed that there must be something different about Soldiers, and everyone who worked for ShinRa. Of course this realization only occurs after knowing what an employee of ShinRa goes through. Our lives are different, compared to a regular person who gets up in the morning, makes breakfast, goes to work, and makes little or no decisions about the what happens outside the ShinRa Corporation, then goes home giving the person a sense of familiarity.

For Soldiers, work is constant and tedious because you’re always on the job, when ShinRa says go, we take off sprinting. Work is always affected by the public and by neighboring towns like Mideel or Wutai, and the dictators and enemies that rise from nowhere to attack ShinRa. One would think AVALANCHE has a fan club, all over the planet. The major difference between us, and regular people are decisions.

Our decisions affect our fellow Soldiers, and friends. The people we live, and the people we work with we depend on day in and day out to make good choices.. A choice I make can change whether or not someone important to me lives or dies. Having to make choices like that can make you want to step back and really think about your life, and how you handle situations. Rikelus ran a gloved finger across a point in his upper chest, where it felt like she kept hitting the same point over and over again. If only she was as accurate with her strikes, as she was with poking him she’d have no problem.

[mana]

((OOC: My intro posts are always long so I apologize about that, I promise my posts wont be as long... sorta... hopefully.))

All of my memories keep you near
In silent moments
Imagine you'd be here.
All of my memories keep you near,
Your silent whispers, silent tears
- Memories, Within Temptation

Loose dirt drifted from under the trampling feet of a group of women, coating the edges of their long dresses. A little boy no older then three rubbed his eye with a balled up hand and buried her face in his mother’s heavy skirt before she gently rested a hand atop the thick crown of red hair ruffling it slightly. A puckered frown appeared on the child’s face and raised his hands towards her, begging to be picked up. The woman looked down shielding the sun from her child’s face and smiled before sweeping him into her arms, kissing him on the cheek. That elicited a flurry of giggles as she cradled him, spinning slowly as the other women watched in silence.

Next to the woman an old man sat huddled under a moth ridden blanket. His boney knees poked out from the holes in his pants and he rested one gaunt hand across them as if to protect himself the ailments that ran through his body causing him to tremble. In his other hand he grasped a nondescript glass bottle, holding with the strength of man that refused to give up. The growth of a beard gone unchecked nearly matched the grime that covered his sunken in cheeks. Underneath the blanket, the faint trace of a business suit clung to his thin frame, dirty and stained, the pin stripping was just barely visible. He muttered quietly to himself, holding a conversation with his inner demons and took a sip from the bottle, the pungent acrid smell of alcohol clung to his shaking form.

Life had begun anew in Edge, a remnant of Midgar thriving slowly and dying quickly. Brightly colored eyes watched from the side as the SOLDIER sat perched atop of a old brick wall that was in the midst of being built. Mana studied the interaction between the women and the old man as neither acknowledged one another’s presence and crossed her legs thoughtfully and leaned forward to rest an elbow on her knee, placing her chin into her palm. Her other hand curled across her lap, fingers rubbing unconsciously across the leather belt that ran down her thigh.

The little boy squirmed in his mother’s arms and she set him down to talk to her friends as they quietly gathered to gossip about the latest news. The little boy saw the old man and the SOLDIER and waved to both before chasing after a barking puppy that had escaped from a set of older children. Mana watched, curling her head to a shoulder as the puppy lopped away, yipping excitedly and curved his direction heading straight for her. The children followed, racing madly leaving behind a little girl that walked quietly and slowly, rubbing her shoulder. Along her neck just barely visible above the collar of her pale blue shirt, the glow of Geostigma was present as a unholy mark of past mistakes.

Mana uncrossed her legs and jumped from the wall, a little dust cloud welling up from her boot clad feet. The puppy yelped and tumbled head over feet into her and the SOLDIER looked past her brow as the children halted in their tracks several feet away, eyeing the stranger with child like wariness. The puppy however jumped to it’s feet and took the diversion to sniff along the boots it had run into. Silence was exchanged between adult and child until the sharp call of a mother to her daughter broke the thickness and Mana turned on her heels and walked away. Shadows had begun to stretch and grow fainter as the sun drifted down to sleep behind buildings and trees.

A familiar shadow followed her, hovering at the edge of her mind like a ghost. She had been transferred to Edge and while a means of transportation had been provided to the town, Man had declined a complete ride disappearing at the edge of the city. No one went after her and no one worried. You didn’t need to look after a first class SOLDIER though truth be told, she wouldn’t have minded the company. The shadow drifted before fading as she turned to look over her shoulder missing the warm smile directed at her as she faced away from the setting sun. Chains dangled from the belt atop her hips and tinkled like thickly built chimes. An odd smell had drifted through the market square that no regular human seemed aware of.

Tugging at the edge of one of her gloves, Mana turned a corner and walked through a crowd of people that parted for her like water. Granted her height gave her leverage but the commanding awe had been placed on the ShinRa emblem adorning her belt, polished to a shine it attracted even the simplest of gazes. Taking no notice of the different looks she received, Mana marched through the narrow maze of streets drifting farther from the market to the last faint sounds of a fight. With Make enhanced senses she could hear a mouse fart above the dull roar of people and even as they thinned, the sounds of battle grew fainter and she deduced someone had to be winning. At the end of the alley, the last stint of light set ablaze the magnificent ending blow of a young woman that sent a large figure tumbling like the puppy that had run into her. She watched quietly, not yet intruding until she the man and heard his voice.

“Ever the gentlemen and martyr,” Mana called to the duo, directing her comment more so then the woman, even as a soft whisper across the back of her mind rose and drowned, sighing words too soft to hear. A flash of blue streaked across her memories mixing with red but both faded as did the voice. It wasn’t that hard to distinguish a SOLDIER from civilian, even when she was staring at the back of his head.

[acidgypsy]

Maji only just resisted the urge to plant a good boot smack dab in the center of the Soldier's chest. Why, oh why, did she have to get stuck with someone this blasted infuriating?!
Karma. It must be. Bad juju or something.

"Don't lump me together with your bunch. ShinRa's backed out on deals with me before; your bargaining's hardly worth my time."

A piercing screech interrupted the beginnings of another insult barrage from her open mouth as a vaguely doglike form emerged from behind a trash dumpster in the alley several paces forwards and to her left; callused paws beating a haphazard tattoo on the pavement before it pounced in a leaping arc. Maji, having grown used to this, pulled a knife midstride, tracked the beast to the highest point of the pounce, and let fly with the dagger. She could see the individual threads of drool suspended from the creature's snarling jaws before the missile took it through the throat. However, seeking to make sure it was dead for good, she spun and lashed out with her boot; crushing the horrible beastie's cranial cavity and sending it flying backwards to impact on the brick wall. The smear it left when it slid down was enough to make her quite satisfied with snuffing out her temper so completely.
Violence was a surprisingly good method of therapy.

"Right, so that's an even dozen..."

She marked her forearm plating with another chalk mark and checked her watch.
7:20... she'd pack in after another hour. This could be continued tomorrow after a good round at the bar anyways.

Maji ran a gloved hand through her reddish-black hair with a long exhalation. Perhaps it would be easier to get this ShinRa lapdog to leave if she got this over with quickly. Sorta like ripping a bandaid off. Heck, she might even help him out with tht 'dark dragon' of his if he asked nicely.

"Where exactly where these sightings located? I admit I'm a bit curious to see for myself."

She voiced slowly, turning in place to eye him with one eyebrow raised.

"Although I bet two bits to a dozen that it's just the city folks trying to get extra protection by making up a baddie mean enough to merit ShinRa's attention."

However, at the sound of Mana's voice, Maji nearly lost her temper again. But she made do with flinging her hands up into the air in exasperation.

"Seriously... do I have a sign that says "Hi, my name is _____ come and annoy me unil I pop"?! 'Cause if I do, I'm going to go shoot myself in the next five minutes."

[/size]

[rikelusdeverell]

Martyr huh? I haven’t heard that one in quite a while…

Bright white streams of light engulfed his irises for a moment, and he seemed to stare off into space as his eye color flickered from deep crimson red to pale green. He seemed lost within the words that echoed from Mana lips and delved taking a curveball through his eardrums and straight into his dark and misbegotten past.

*

Genesis, “If this is all an act, which of us is playing the role of the hero?”

Rikelus, “…..”

Genesis, “Even as heroes the world hates us..”

Rikelus, “…”

Zack, “That’s not true! Have you lost your Soldier’s pride?”

Genesis, “We’re not Soldiers, were monsters.”

Monsters….

Monsters rage wars rage well beyond the human imagination. They escape the confines of comprehension and delve past the abyss into the realm of nightmares. Not all battles with monsters take place in open space, many battles wage war inside a person burning down deep and pitting one’s self in heated combat, resulting in no solution; but only more scars and devastation. Their hearts are frozen dead, rivaling even the iciest glaciers of Gea’s cliffs. Some have never felt warmth causing a wasteland of withering in which most have let go years ago. Simply dragging a wounded soul causes too much grief, and it’s often easier just to forget it behind in the snow. Others don’t care how far they stray from the light, just as long as it satisfies their inner gluttony.

In my years of seeing Soldiers, and people, and friends fall from grace, I’m not sure who is really the monster, in the end it hardly matters were all heaven’s outcasts although we may not appear to be deformed, and we hold human guises. No mask can conceal our inner ugliness or the crimes that have soaked our blood-stained hands. Rikelus remembered the last words he spoke to Genesis before he left that fateful day. He told Genesis, if he really felt that way, then he needed to realize that if his soul clinged to vengeance it’d wear itself out.. Rikelus stepped forward, spitting out a mouthful of dust, as the wind picked up from the south-east blowing loose bits of soil and pebbles towards them.

“Bargaining? You’re the mercenary? Bargaining is hardly one of my useful skills, I never had good outcomes from bargaining in the past.” In one situation, him, and a few scout soldiers fell through a ventilation shaft into a Wutai Soldier outpost during the War, and they were questioned about who they were, and Rikelus responded, “HVAC repair men?” Needless to say the outcome, wasn’t pretty, but he was still standing today none-the-less.

“Heh, Dark Dragon’s are serious monsters and not to be taken lightly. IF they’re festering around in this part, there's some reason behind it since before you'd only find them in Nibleheim. Even in Nibleheim the reason behind their nesting was that of non-natural migration. Of course I'll let you make the inferrence that they were controlled or moved there by something or someone."

They were placed there in-fact by Genesis himself which very few knew, and everyone would doubt that Rikelus would reveal much more on Nibleheim, and the factors behind the apperance of monsters. He had his own theories still to this day, he believed that the monsters grew hungry for a particular type of meal, even after Genesis had lost control of them.. Perhaps this theory could be applied to the monsters flocking to Edge, maybe there's a connection between Geostigma, and the monsters? Maybe they wanted a taste of the lifestream's wrath..Who knows...

"Even the canines you’ve been dispatching, known as hell hounds aren’t native to this area. Something is drawing these monsters, in and reports have shown they’re actually getting stronger.” Rikelus Deverell glanced back towards Mana shooting her one of his switchblade smirks before turning to Maji again, “The reports occurred about half a click north of here if your interested, usually dark dragon’s yield uncommon, items, or accessories when defeated, you may end up making more off killing one than your entire day’s worth the work.” Rikelus added rather reassuringly, although near the end of his sentence it was as if he was getting a little sarcastic towards Maji; but he was sure she was no stranger to such verbal language.


*flashback below for those who can't see it's italicized text.

[acidgypsy]

Majidah's lips quirked in a rare cheshire cat grin as she cracked her knuckles enthusiastically; pointed chin elevated cockily to match the flash of her pearly whites from the rays of the dying sun. Obviously she allowed his sarcasm to slide for now since the promise of a better wad of moula was so close she could almost taste it on the tip of her tongue.

"Fine. Any beastie who's hide brings in a pretty penny's good enough for me. I can hardly afford to be picky in my situation anyways."

The hunter's fist met her opposite palm with a loud 'smack' as her grin widened. She tossed her head in a somewhat haughty fashion to rid a few rebellious strands of ebony hair from entwining in her eyelashes; keeping her head tilted back and slightly to the side with the same catty expression adorning her face. She was obviously gauging the pros and cons of working with ShinRa for a second time to achieve a goal.
Well, nothing risked, nothing gained, right?

After a brief pause, she set one fist at her hip and rubbed her aristocratic nosetip with a thumb. Wether this was simply to relive an itch or to display a certain degree of rebelliousness, however, wasn't completely known.

"Well I supose if we're going to be working together, then I'd better introduce myself."

She murmured wryly, pupils narrowed against the glare of sunlight bronzing her skin with a wash of light.

"The name's Alharad. Maji, if you like. But you're name's mud if ShinRa kids like you double-cross me. Kapishe?"

Now Maji wasn't actually this 'tough-as-nails' to everyone she came across, believe it or not. Simply the mix of being in close proximity of the hound creatures and the constant spike of adrenaline in her system was causing her to act more edgy than normal.
Plus, of course, there was the mob to deal with.
Miss Maji was in deep debt to the local mobsters pulling the strings behind the scenes of Edge; the weren't so upper-class as to pose a threat to ShinRa, but if they had a grudge about someone, he or she had a high chance of conveniently disappearing or expiring. Majidah's mistake had been accepting small favors and payments that piled up to the point of burying her completey. She had been given a date to pay back her debt, or...well...you get the picture.
Drama. Whoop-de-fricking-doo.

[/size]

[mana]

The beginnings of a smile played at the corner of her lips amused at the animated antics of the young woman and instead of answering, Mana settled on interlacing her fingers behind her back to diminish any sort of threat. The leather clothing creaked under the subtle shift of her shoulders and arms. The sound of battle had drawn her attention and was pleasantly surprised to see a fellow SOLDIER, though now a few lingering smells had a reason to be there.

The girl was impressive in her techniques, the metallic smell of blood hung thickly in the air and to Mana it was intoxicating. Pulling at the fibers of her being, a cry to war, the stench of death, the gain of life, all a blanket of horrible familiarity. The civilian looked too young to be apart of that world, despite it surrounding them. Mana raised a hand to the side of her face, blocking some of the dirt and grime from scattering into her eyes while simultaneously keeping the longer strands of hair at bay. She didn’t miss Rikelus spit but refrained from any chastise of the ill habit.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she turned her head towards the lumbering beast. It’s scent had blown away from them from the wind but that little unconscious nagging in the back of mind told her to be wary. Strangely neither SOLDIER moved to aid the woman in dispatching the creature. Blood, the color of rich dark earth to her eyes coated the ground in spatters adding to the gore the duo were in the midst of standing. She didn’t meet Rikelus’ gaze, purposely staring at the bridge of his nose drifting across the lines that sculpted his cheeks and the slightly darker skin beneath his eyes.

Mana stepped away from the alley and walked into the open. She strolled forward placing her feet with care as if stepping on eggshells and squared her shoulders, walking with the supple certitude of a feline. She counted the steps to the two people and paused in mid stride at the audacity of the offer that fell from Rikelus’ lips. Lifting a brow in scoff, the SOLDIER tightened her mouth in a grim line and by the time she was near the duo, a stoic mask had been brought forth to cover the annoyance she was directing at them.

“Civilians should not be brought into SOLDIER matters,” Mana replied to Majidah’s question of names. Drawing up to the elder man she moved close enough to step into personal space and curled her head towards him, eyeing him darkly. What was he thinking, the girl was strong but Mana knew nothing of her, what if she was some crazy lunatic and what if she got hurt? Kids? From her peripheral vision she studied Alharad as if to make her point clear before looking back to Rikelus.

[rikelusdeverell]

Of course, civilians shouldn’t be brought into Soldier matters, he had experienced that all too well when they fought a battle on the far western front, with their supply chain cut off, and having to depend on civilians. I mean it’s a really It’s an ugly, ugly thing to try and break through a thoroughly held defensive position when you’re coming up against terrorists who are more than willing to throw their lives away to get at you, as well as having a complete total lack of supplies. In Soldier during those years, things would often go down hill at an AVALANCHE-like-pace. One thing that was a given, then was that,the heart grows fond of the anticipation for getting off work and lying sprawled out an Kalm King sized bed fit with four pillows, and synthetic sheets. Heh speaking of, I couldn’t remember the last time I’ve gotten a good night’s sleep for over four hours.

You see there’s a big difference between a civilian, a mercenary and a Soldier. There’s a reason Mercenaries don’t get involved in war. Mercenaries can’t be around dozens and dozens of dying people. They’re not cut out for it. Mercenaries are merely conditioned to eliminate threats, one on one. Mercenaries know what it’s like to stare someone in the eyes and kill them. That’s the major difference between them and Soldiers; mercenaries always have some kind of personal way we of doing things, he saw this trait in Maji; but he also saw that hunger. The same hunger that fellow Solider members had. Killing on a large scale, is hard for mercenaries because they don’t seem to want it. conversely, a Soldier is use to wiping out dozens of people in one shot, so offing your enemies, cold and callously as if you were made out of solid limestone would be hard for a mercenary; but, not for us

The funny thing about it is that Mercenaries strive for perfection, sort of like God. But, in all actuality they’re not like God. Not only are their powers limited... But they sometimes have to play the devil. This night, however the devil was playing them, because not only does the moon come out at night; but monsters do too. Monsters, which the Midgar area hasn’t seen the likes of in quite some time.

“Maybe, so, either way we’re going to investigate them sooner or later, extra help wouldn’t hurt.” He canted his head sideways to Mana extending a slender gloved index finger to circumnavigate her chin before he lifted his finger to raise her head up so that his eyes would meet with hers. He often did this to show his determination to her, during times in which they had judgmental disagreements. Well it was most of the time, because his style was rather lax compared to her by the book approaches coupled with the fact that Rikelus was well over six feet tall, and factoring in Mana’s height; the two of them obviously rarely saw eye to eye often on most ordeals. That’s what made for a well, diverse class of first class soldiers, many people with many different approaches, that’s what won them the war in Wutai, and what kept Soldier a driving force within the ShinRa Electrical Industry. The fact that Rikelus seemed concerned with extra help was quite trivial, in fact they really didn’t need any. The two of them could take on many adversaries without having to submit or rethink a battle plan; but he wanted to be humored by Maji, and see if she had what it takes. Rikelus stepped to the side turning his back to them glancing towards the setting sun, watching as it disappeared behind the horizon, dark hues from every range of orange to yellow faded away like a bad memory, leaving nothing but darkness in its wake. “By the way, the name’s Rikelus Deverell, Soldier 1st class,

“I'm not sure what's happened in the past between You and ShinRa; but the way I see it, is that the world is thrown into turmoil. There are invisible forces at work trying to change the way this world is governed to a world not ruled by ShinRa, nor the people; but a world ruled by tyranny, anarchy, and soul-less monsters. The question is---can you live in that world?”d Rikelus posed the question to her, but it seemed that he was probably either going to be met with a really frustrated Maji or puzzled Maji; so he utterly continued, while the sounds of monsters lurking around seemed to be the barren demeanor of earth that they stood on.

“Two kinds of people exist within this world. Those who cower and take repression, and those who hear the call of the sword and fight. It doesn’t matter regardless of your class anymore..Even I---We’re Soldiers therefore fighting is just fine as long as it’s for what we believe in. I can leave all my troublesome worries for someone else to think of---! What is there to be angry about? Who is the enemy? That kind of stuff shouldn't matter at all as long as you never lose sight of your dreams, and aspirations.”

[acidgypsy]

Mana's voiced concern didn't go over well with the headstrong young woman at all. Upon hearing the somewhat condescending tone from the Soldier's throat, her hackles raised and her gloved fingers got a deathgrip on a deadly looking skinning knife sheathed at her hip. When she spoke, however, her voice was surprisingly steady.
In a fluid motion, she had drawn her knife and had begun cleaning under her nails with the tip-- not once looking down at the actvity in favor of instead turning her narrowed acid-green gaze on Mana instead. But since she was dwarfed by both of her taller companions, she would need a footstool to see either of them squarely in the eyes.

"Don't patronize me. Do you honestly think I still consider myself a 'civilian' after the crimes I've committed?"

Maji's tone remained soft; somewhat akin to a bucket of ice with broken glass. Very cold and with unexpected edges that might be a potential danger if one didn't handle the situation with care.

"I gave up my right to be normal after the first time someone's life was snuffed out in my hands. As far as I'm concerned, every single living creature is a potential method of income and nothing more."

Unfortunately for Rikelus, his speech fell on deaf ears. Majidah was well and truly riled up now-- since she was also victim to Anger Management classes, then this could be a particularly hazardous mixture of anger and frustration. What she craved now was to go break some more heads until she felt better.
But what made her feel even worse was the fact she was absolutely clueless about her 'dreams and aspirations'. Alharad lived mostly for the moment and didn't bother to think further ahead than where the next meal was coming from.

Speaking of which, she was terribly hungry at the moment. Why was she angry again? And what's with the serious expressions on everyone's faces? BAW-ring.
That's the A.D.D talking, by the way.

"Ugh. Whatever. I don't have the attention span to argue right now, so we'll call it a draw. You're both stuck with me until this lizard of yours has bit the dust."

Maji's grumble matched the protests of an empty stomach, furrowing her eyebrows in a dramatized pout. She still had some jerky left, but it would be wise to ration that until she could get out there and buy more filling cuisine.

[/size]

[mana]

Catching the look, Mana deliberately turned her head away only to be caught by Rikelus’ hand. The texture of the leather scratching every so lightly against her skin, she swallowed against the tickling sensation. She unabashedly stared back into his bloody red gaze, the lingering metal smell of blood seemed to make them pulse in her eyes. She was sure he could feel the muscles in her jaw tense and relax as her mind kicked over a few choice words, none of which would make an ear burn but boggle the mind nonetheless.

Maybe it was just a reminder of her old friend or her dislike of pointless arguing but she sighed quietly. A crack in her mask, certain Rikelus’ would take advantage of, and she nearly smiled at his suggestion of extra help. Now what little game was the SOLDIER playing. As soon as his hand left her chin, Mana tipped her head down and ran her right thumb across calloused fingertips in thought. Different as night and day, brothers in arms, soldier’s to the day they died. It was… good to see him again, the annoying man he could be. A long canine peeked between lips before the smile was gone.

She looked down with an air of authority gone unnoticed by Maji’s tirade and fixed her gaze the oddly coloring of her hair before leaning her head back, twisting a shoulder in the process to get a better look at their little warrior. Young, but not too young it was hard to tell from the childish antics to the hardiness of a fighter. The knife was duly noted and where it came from. Patience was a virtue not easily mastered but learned through the years.

“Save your reasonings,” Mana replied and raised a hand to wave away any protest and idly wondered if that would do any good. It looked as though the girl was going to attach herself to them after all despite the formidable rant. Killing something didn’t make you special even with the honorable praise a first class SOLDIER received from won victories. It felt like parading around like pretty cattle while everyone else drooled over what piece that could from you. A shame a pretty girl like Alharad turned to such a terrible lifestyle.

Curling her hands behind her back Mana wrapped long fingers around a wrist and spaced her feet out at shoulder length causing the length of chain to jingle against itself. In the brief quietness, the SOLDIER mused over the predicament Rikelus was intent on putting himself in. She had walked into the conversation, inviting herself without even asking. Debriefed on the trip from ShinRa to Edge, she was not needed until much later to look over a few things. It wasn’t enough to make her leave or shoo away Majidah, but she was going to have to talk to Deverell without little ones within earshot. For now she’d watch to see what he was up to.

“Well spoken.” Mana nodded her head once in appreciation. “Sir,” she tacked on as if an afterthought. The man had a way with words that she didn’t. Oh, she could leave a man spinning if she decided to give a piece of her mind but actions spoke louder then words. Standing within close proximity of the shorter woman the growl of a hungry belly touched sensitive ears. Had she any food pills or rations she would have instantly handed them over to Maji. It was a sudden shift from resilient soldier to worried protector that tightened her relaxed stance before adding on her introduction.

“Mana Haven, first class SOLDIER.” The title was rewarding to her soldiering pride, few people stopped to actually ask what that all entailed and how much work was put into getting there. She dropped her head in a semi formal greeting before facing Rikelus. Half a click north, just a little over half a mile. Hmm. With her head cocked slightly, she ran through an internal map she kept lodged away in her mind. She had studied it on the trip though focused more on remembering what was said out loud about geographical locations then what it looked like. After a workout that would exert the normal man, would their newly found companion be able to make it?

[rikelusdeverell]

The paradox fascinated him, outside of Edge, the terrain, was almost dead, although creatures still roamed the dusty plains during the day due to the fact of it being hellishly hot, at night it became icy, and cold due to the lack of foliage, and precipitation the natural temperature cycles were thrown off. At night, stronger monsters emerged to hunt down the weak, that hadn't fortified theirselves during the day. Many Soldiers, wandered here in these vast wastelands, and were driven to the brink of where reality yielded only lunacy. Rikelus seemingly lingered somewhere between the two bitter extremes of cold and hot, he always seemed numb to his surroundings except for touch, heat and cold passed through him as if he were an apparition of some sorts.

Thoroughly wide awake, his mind still groped to his Soldier’s pride, and hopes and dreams even after listening to Maji’s one sided blind stupor. She obviously lived a life in which her conscious lay shattered and broken on the ground, long ago. Rikelus was doubtful that she’d ever get the words that he said to her, or if she attainted the awareness or capability of comprehending them fully. Soldiers were taught that those who fight, for their basic needs are no better than monsters or animals. That’s what separates us from them, and it was summed up in two common words that nearly everyone in Edge had.

Dreams, and Desires….

Along their journey northward, the terrain, grew ever more rugged, and the ground cracked and barren from solar winds that had ravaged the once green countryside. The echo of approaching footsteps altered creatures lurking around, their soft growls and noises were heard audibly. However, Rikelus didn’t dare flinch a muscle, perhaps he didn’t hear anything? Or perhaps maybe he was the biggest monster among them? A double click resonated throughout the valley, as the bottom of his boot-heel clamored against an old piece of ShinRa steel, to be specific a rusty piece of what was once an helicopter door. In it’s day it was probably an immaculate, ebony black, clear coated surface, so smooth that water would drip off it without leaving a spot.

A rather awkward moment of silence fell almost immediately upon their party as soon as Rikelus’s pace slowed past the speed of molasses to a sudden halt. He stopped near a broken down building devastated by not only years of decay and neglect; but by the harsh conditions. Many types of artifacts lay smashed along what was once high rising brick walls. Broken mainframe computer, ravaged the interiors of cracked and abused electrical housing. An ominous dark ever present presence lingered in the chilly late night air, challenged solely by the Soldier’s bravery. Rikelus Deverell stood at the head of their awkwardly formed party, with a gloved hand hanging low by his side, his party members lingered around in rather tense anticipation. He seemed almost absorbed into a lone trance, with his gloved leathery hand, hanging, and gangling like dead weight by his midsection. Obviously he had seen this shabby lab, when it was once profound, and prolific, one would think anyway.

If you could see the scene through Rikelus’s eyes you would see a perfectly fitted description of the place which stood barren and abandoned today. It was a fortress, built of metal, around stone. The highlight of a glorious era in ShinRa, when emerald green life covered the grassy plains surrounding it. It hadn’t been long ago when time’s hands reached out stripping away the dignity from ShinRa and the land. Such a desolate place, for something that was so celebrated it was mourned when it was destroyed. He remembered fortified walls reaching up high towards the sky defying physics, and the planet itself. The building was once supported by large girders which held up a majestic amount of weight, along with shinny silver metallic bridges allowing cross-linkage to door ways. ShinRa definitely spared no expense, it seemed just like the other day, that he had stepped on the railing and had broken it. Now this piece of history which could belong in a museum was a junkyard of pipes, pumps, and electrical cables, and also a breeding ground for monsters such as Dark Dragons due to secret biological materials that were once kept here.

Rikelus snapped out of his trance, and a rather dreadful expectation that had been lingering ever since he seen an exposed part of the lab to the air came true. The Dark Dragon had found them,a nd had a high position on one of the upper pipelines, where Rikelus only had a myopic view of it. He didn’t have time to think, the entire metal structure he was standing on was blitzed by the Dark Dragon’s fiery breath. Upon following the assault of flames, girders that one held up pieces of rubble were melted to nothingness, causing pieces of the haphazardly designed structure to sway, and fall. Amidst complete total chaos, he dashed towards the open field only to be bombarded by the swooping Dark Dragon. In a split-second to make a decision, which soon turned into a catastrophe, he was cracked by the force of the dragon against his form. His entire body was sent hurdling towards a piece of structural which seemed rather helter-skelterish due to it’s topsy-turvy design, that Rikelus’s sudden trajectory bent, and destroyed into nothing more than bent beams. Strange, it didn’t hurt as much as he though it would have been. Upon the collision, he winced before glancing back towards the Dragon before shouting to his comrades, “It’s definitely no normal monster.”

The Soldier first class drew his sword, which shimmered strangely in the meagering half moon. Rikelus Deverell dug deep with a gloved hand into his coat pulling out a pouch of stardust and putting a pinch of it, into a vial followed by a spider web. He often, never used his sword, he never gave a reason to; but, when he pulled it out he meant serious business. Rikelus inserted the vial into the sword, and twisted it, running his gloved hand across the flat edge of the blade and runes began to glow alpine white. Rikelus’s eye color changed from that deep crimson red to a rather vivid Mako green, as the light intensified, he lowered the sword moving it backwards out of view before bringing it up slashing towards the air sending out a flash of white towards the heavens. Nothing seemed to happen before a loud whistling was heard and comets began raining down upon the Dark Dragon, destroying structural, and also with the spider web added into his alchemy, it caused the slow status affect. No longer did the dragon have the advantage in the night over the three of them, with his speed and vision. Now, after the usage of alchemy and technology had passed, the dragon seemed incapacitated and unable to fly from the avalanche that Rikelus seemed to summon from the heavens.

His attack would have annihilated the battlefield, and any normal enemy; but it seemed as if this creature had evolved in some form or fashion, because it withstood the barrage and held it’s ground with a blank stare towards the group like something possessed. Rikelus Deverell glanced over at his friends, then to Maji, it was her turn to step up, let’s see if she had what it takes. He knew that Mana could easily finish off the Dragon, in-fact when it came to raw talent, she was second to none in combat, although her technical skills could use some brushing up, one day she would surpass even him, and maybe Sephiroth if she continued down her path.


[ ooc: when you can post, you can control the damage on the dragon amd control it, due to my work hours. <3 offensive combat items. e_e ]