Final Fantasy: The Great Awakening (Full)

[ShadowOfIce]

[Narrator post]
Location: Cryth
Theme of Cryth (Final Fantasy VIII - Fisherman's Horizon)

In the world of Hesperia, humanity has yet to truly find a settlement or expand over the monster covered lands. With nearly 20 main locations scattered through out the ancient lands, humanity is carving its way into becoming the world's main inhabitant, but lately, the greatest enemy to humanity is not the monsters that plague the lands, but themselves. Most people turn a blind eye to this, focusing more on harvesting raw materials, development, and just living their lives one day after another. And that is just the case in a humble town known as Cryth.

Cryth today has become a settlers town, focused both on being a comfort for travelers, and processing in the factories the raw materials that are sent from Vuurta. It's safe to say that Cryth helps out all of Hesperia with their products, and it's no surprise to see that the large town is well respected by the world and hardly suffers from the crime and deprivation that others do. As of lately, the town has entered a state of bliss. The volcano residing nearby on the outskirts of the town remaining dormant thanks to the relic at its base known as the "Eye of Ifrit," the towns largest threat remains dormant. With monsters hardly ever getting to close to the town either, a calm climate, and almost no crime, it feels as if Cryth is it's own little paradise for the villagers.

...Or is it?

As of today, the winds are calm, the blue sky has only a few scattered clouds, and the sun casts down with a comfortable air that enlightens even the darkest of spirits. The streets are clean, most paths well traveled, dirt roads, but down the main streets it has cobblestone, the town having yet to be prepared for the recent creation of the 'automobile' and preferring to keep their humble standards. Houses are composed of stone and brick, ranging from one to three stories, most filled with humble, happy families. Some larger, apartment scaled buildings are cast off deeper to the heart of the town, where singles often live, and deeper in the center lies the town's council. There, ten elderly folk who grew up in Cryth have been put in charge to run the town, and it goes without saying that they've done a great job so far.

Guards are adorned in half plate, most casual at their posts, even leaning on their spears with a bored look in the eyes. Their expressions make people realize just how untouched the town has been from any crime or disasters, the aloof feeling actually quite relaxing to most. Further on to the east of the town, the calm waters of Hesperia's ocean wash ashore on the clean beach, several people sunbathing or even fishing in this quiet afternoon. And even along the dormant volcano, travelers or brave fighters go to train, practicing, and helping to keep the monsters population in control. As well, a lone young man has been sent to inspect the Eye of Ifrit, making sure that the volcano is still tame from the relic.

Overall, Cryth is a town that functions at it's prime, a state of calmness in the air that puts even the most restless at ease, and sooths the most troubled spirits. But, for a few travelers and even residents of this town, their story and adventure is about to begin.

[Chachamaru v2]

’... Alison...

Alison’s feet pounded along the ground, her eyes wide with fear. Fear of what? Why was she running? She didn’t know. If she didn’t know what she was running from, why was she still running? The answer was simple. She knew that if she stopped running, she would die. She couldn’t see anything ahead of her. Everything was pitch black, and even if it wasn’t, the tears streaming from her eyes would have prevented her from seeing anything anyway.

’... Alison... Leave... Leave me here...’

Her body suddenly jerked awkwardly as she trod on her untied shoelace and stumbled to the ground. As her body hit the ground, she finally found herself able to see again, as flames licked up around her. This only made her wish even more that she had remained ignorant as to what she’d been running from.

’... Alison... Run... Get.... Get out...’

A pair of feral yellow eyes glared at the girl, appearing to glow against the black flesh of the beast. Although it was easily twelve feet tall, the girl couldn’t think or focus enough to get a good look at a monster. All she could think about, all she could do, was stare into those piercing, empty, yellow eyes.

...’Alison, please, just...’

Her glasses seemed to fall off her face, and she looked down at herself to find that she had shrunk. Once again she was a frightened ten year old girl, alone as flames consumed everything around her, left to stare into the nightmarish eyes of this horrific creature as it advanced towards her.

’...Run... Leave me, Alison...’

As the horrific beast advanced towards her, she felt so many things. She felt fear at the horrific monstrosity before her, she felt anger at the creature, as she knew deep down exactly what that monster had done, and most of all, she felt regret. Regret that all she could do was sit there, helpless as the beast brought down its massive claws, aiming towards her chest.
An ear-shattering scream filled the air.

’...Al... is... on...’

Alison let out a short, frightened scream as she jerked awake, sitting upright. She could feel sweat running down her face the back of her neck. Wiping her hand across her forehead, a yellow smear was left across her fingers, and a small smile crossed the girl’s face. ”... Same old nightmare...” Taking a quick glance down at herself, her body naked save from her underwear– Alison had never really been much of a fan of Pyjamas, she could see that most of the yellow stripes she’d drawn on herself had smeared and run in the night. Casting her eyes around the room, she saw that her saviour, Seraphim, had yet to return. The morning was young still, and Alison yawned softly as she climbed out of her bed, stretching.

Grabbing a highlighter from her belt, she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. Even now, she could feel her pulse racing, and the image of those soulless yellow eyes still haunted her. Almost every night for eight years, she had woken abruptly after having bared witness to the same nightmarish visions from her past. It was always the same. The same darkness. The same fire. The same voice calling out to her. The same twisted yellow eyes. The same pain.

The girl found herself frowning and shook her head, trying to rid her mind of such thoughts. She knew that if Seraphim walked in and caught her in such a state, that she would worry, and that was the last thing Alison wanted. Seraphim had already done so much for her; she didn’t want to bother the white-haired girl with her petty troubles. She knew that what was done was done. Even if it was the case that she’d be having these dreams until the day she died, she knew that they were just that; dreams. It was this thought that kept her going as her usual overexcited grin crossed her face and she expertly removed the cap from the highlighter one-handed, setting about casually reapplying the yellow stripes that had smeared and faded over her nearly-naked body. Even as she did this unusual act, there was little thought behind it. This was more or less a subconscious act for the girl, part of her daily routine, just like getting dressed.

After pulling on her clothes – and managing to get the zipper on her top stuck four times, each in different places – Alison stared at herself long and hard in the mirror. She didn’t really spend a whole lot of time fussing over her appearance. Nine-tenths of the time, she looked more or less presentable, except that her hair had that sort of ‘dragged through a hedge backwards’ look to it, and, of course, there was the little issue of being covered in yellow stripes as if she’d fought a losing battle with a leaky pen. The other one-tenth of the time, she still had the ‘dragged through a hedge’ hair, but at least the lines were absent. Overall, she wasn’t half bad looking if you could look past her little eccentricities. It had really been a while since she’d taken the time to ever really carefully look at herself in the mirror, and although she had her usual excited grin across her face, she knew all too well that the girl grinning back at her in the mirror was lying through her teeth about how she felt. The thought saddened her for a moment, and she caught herself about to frown again, but fought off the sadness with a hastily-placed yellow stripe across her nose.

She took a deep breath, still feeling slightly tired, having awoken slightly earlier than she would ordinarily. Recently, she’d be waking up just as Seraphim was walking in the door, the white-haired girl having been stuck on night shifts recently – or more usually, several minutes after Seraphim had gotten home, and Alison would find breakfast waiting for her, which was probably a good thing, considering the last time that Alison had attempted to cook anything, she’d set fire to a small portion of the kitchen. Since then, Alison was forbidden from using anything more dangerous than a toaster – and even that she was only allowed to use if someone else was in the house.

Capping the highlighter one-handed again, she slipped it into the crudely-made belt around her waist, and smiled to herself as she trudged over to the window, opening it and taking a deep breath of fresh air. This was Alison’s favourite part of the morning, getting a good lungful of fresh air. As much as Alison loved the safety of being locked away in a building, over the past few years she’d learned to really appreciate and love the freedom of being outside, along with the cool, fresh air. Her grin faded into a warm smile as she looked out over the street, and the small part of the town she could see, lit by the morning sun.

”Good morning, Hesperia~”

Alison Melissa Owen

[ShadowOfIce]

...Why did she keep doing this to herself? It was the same damned routine day after day, working twelve hour shifts, sometimes expanding from day to night as she occasionally worked a strait eighteen hours into the next day. It was beyond exhausting, and she knew the consequences if she kept this up and how unhealthy it was, but with how little she made, it couldn't be helped. Someone had to make enough money to pay for the living expenses, and for a young woman known as Seraphim Harmonia, she was in fact that person.

Having worked all through the night, pulling an eighteen hour shift since yesterday, the word exhaustion was an understatement, and yet, for Seraphim, she knew this is what she had to do. After all, she wasn't just living on her own, she had another mouth to feed aside from her own, and here in Cryth, most of the jobs were taken. Besides, few people wanted to hire her anyway because of her attitude, so these days, Seraphim was working in the steel processing factory of Cryth, maintaining the shipments from Vuurta, hardly ever getting the chance to see the light of day inside the sweltering hot factories. It was one of the only places she managed to find work, not to mention her surprising strength came into handy more than once with the large slabs of steel, often moving them with her bare hands if she had to.

"...Just another damned day. I better get that raise soon or someone is going to have a few less bones intact." Grumbling under her breath, the white haired girl reached up to adjust her eye patch over her right eye, only to get a bit of soot from her fingertips smeared along her cheek. Honestly, she didn't care, the denim overalls she had to wear for work was more black colored than it's original blue because of all the dirt she had on herself, anxious to just clean up, make some food, and call it a night, ...even if it was technically only the afternoon. It had been a common ritual for Seraphim, the breakfast she made for her friend, Alison, had often been her own late dinner, and then she would sleep for a few hours, only to start work once again. She was getting tired of this sort of existence, but she just couldn't have the heart to tell Alison how they were struggling, and that the job her friend was doing didn't make even half as much as Seraphim's did. Around Alison... she never could really get angry or upset. She didn't think the simple-minded girl could take it, and not to mention she was the only real friend Seraphim had. Aside from one other person.

'Kaoru... isn't he supposed to be coming by soon?' A traveler she had known who came by Cryth often, he was one of the only other people she could ever smile around, or be less cruel towards. He often came around at certain intervals of the year, and now that she thought about it, this week was nearly that time. The thought of it didn't put a smile on her face though, too exhausted to even care. At this point, she found herself just walking down the dirt paths of Cryth, hardly acknowledging onlookers, a rather dull look in her single, crimson eye, like she was bored of the world.

"Alison? I'm home." Seraphim announced with just a slight rise in her voice, enough to echo out through the small, four room apartment. The living room was where she stepped into, closing the door that creaked, ready to fall off it's hinges. The room itself hardly had anything worth of value, but that was how Seraphim liked it. She was... used to it, sadly enough. Mostly because of how she grew up, but that was something she tried never to think about. Looking to the left and right, there was the door to the small bathroom, another to their bedroom which they shared, having two beds and barely anything else, and then finally, the doorless entry to the small kitchen, which had been an area practically banned from Alison after her third fire she made. The place had an old, dilapidated feel to it, and as Seraphim entered, she already was getting a mixed feeling. Not because of how poor and shoddy the place was, or not from all the yellow streaks of highlighter around the walls and furniture that Alison made, but because she was just tired of this. Seraphim knew there was no escape from this poor existence, but today, she just felt like doing something different, needing a break from this routine. Sure, she'd make breakfast for Alison, but after cleaning up, she could just grab some coffee and go out somewhere. Perhaps the mountains today? She felt the need to bash her fists into a few 'victims' as she so loved to call the monsters.

For now though.. "I'll start breakfast. ..We didn't have anyone come by today, did we?" Seraphim announced as she was already entering the kitchen, taking out what was needed to start a rather simple breakfast since she didn't have enough money for anything else, and didn't get paid for another two days.

...Yep, just another miserable day in Cryth. Mindless and dull, agonizing and tiresome, Seraphim just wished she could flip this town upside down and make something exciting occur. ...Or at least get the satisfaction of punching her boss's face in. Either way, she felt like this whole thing was restraining, and she had to get out. She felt like she would give anything, -even though she barely had anything to begin with-, just to make something exciting happen.

...Little did she know that pretty soon, not only would she get that wish, but there were others who would become a part of this.

~Seraphim Harmonia

[Haro Starwind]

Cryth, what a beautiful and eccentric place it was. What am I doing? That was what the narrator was for... no sense in repeating that jazz. This part of the story is about a young male named Azel Zephyr. The name was a well known one around Tralst, and sometime among a few higher-ups who still curse his name for making off with most of their fortune from games of chance back in the past. It was hard to believe such a handsome and perfect (cough~) guy such as himself was the leader of a tamed pirate excursion. However it all ended back when he was caught in that darn living storm and wound up coming across what seemed as an ancient ruin. Ever since he washed up on Osenia he had held fast to the strange key he kept around his neck, hoping for a chance to hit up the place again, but this time not by his lonesome. So how did he end up at Pheara's tear in Cryth, well, could you guess?

Now, I know that's what a background is for... I understand that, but there's only one way to set up Azel and well, how he kinda strayed from his little path. Meh, it was just a bit. Ok so it was a lot. As light poured into the small hotel room it bounced off the gleam of a white feather that had already been adorned on the headband attached to the already awake Azel. It wasn't him that was alone in the room though, on the bed laid another form who had seemed wide awake as well. A form of a woman who had seemed to assist Azel in his 'overnight fun'. Bare chested, Azel stood up from the bed, pulling on his white pants around his bony yet very defined waist, turning to the woman as he did. The Key dangled gently from his neck, and it seemed to not have been removed during the relations and gleamed in the light as well.

Moving his blue orbs to the form wrapped in bed sheets he smiled his famous smile and plucked his shades from the desk next to the bed and slid them on. "Mornin' babe" He said, before turning from her once more to bend to the ground and scour the floor for his jacket, where ever it had been thrown. "What a night! I'm probably fired from my job now, but it was worth it." He said casually as he located his strange red jacket. Lifting it up he slid it on over his body in one fluid motion, only stopping to adjust it a bit before sitting back on the bed with his back to her. "You got some skills~" He said, expecting a positive comment back from the woman he had become closely acquainted to the night before.

~Azel Zephyr

[ShadowOfIce]

((Haha, already one Haro? ;xD Minor ones like this you don't have to, but you actually gave me an idea. >.>; ))

[NPC]

The woman was all Azel could have asked for, meeting his tastes in nearly every way. It must have been either his pure luck, or 'skill' with the ladies, but he had shown this woman a wonderful evening. The girl was actually a traveler as well, having a more freelanced style like Azel, claiming she too was a treasure hunter. This common ground was what lead the two into talking last night, and the events that unfolded then were left completely up to him as the two exhanged more than just greetings and pleasantries, pursueing the sins of the flesh overnight in an unforgettable night.

"Mmn... morning already?" She said in a groggy tone, rolling over as she pulled the blanket only up to her waist, her nude upper half giving him one good long look at her voluptious breasts. It all seemed too good to be true, having a wonderful woman like this all himself, at least for tonight. "You know, I could say the same for you, darling." She said with a wink, casually tossing her chocolate brown locks over her shoulder as she gazed at him like she didn't even realize she was in the nude, her crisp, orange eyes looking at him with a gaze that suddenly seemed deviant.

"Hey... I was thinking, do you want to go on a little treasure hunt today? I've got the inside scoop that there's something here we can make more riches off of than you can ever dream of."

[Haro Starwind]

(That's how I roll xP)

Azel turned his eyes to her as she set up, keeping eyes locked on a certain part of her body as she spoke, but eventually his blue eyes met her orange ones as he listened to her proposition. It struck him with interest, and with how amazing she was. Them ore time he stayed with her the better. She may have be one of the few he'd ever extend more than one night to hang around with. Azel nodded to her as he turned back from her to slip on his gloves and his shoes. Jumping up from the bed he went to a fighting stance and punched the air a few times. Getting himself hyped up for whatever she had in mind.

"Sounds great babe!" He said with a smirk before turning once more to her and once more getting his gaze caught at her chest. "Let's do it, I've been itchin' for a little treasure hunt. not that I didn't enjoy that last night." He said with an innocent shrug. "And damn do I love the way you call me darling... You're asking for round 4 if you keep it up." He said with a smirk as he stepped backwards to lean against a wall, waiting for her to get ready to take on the excursion. As much as he liked her naked, there would be plenty of time for it when they weren't in public.

~Azel Zephyr

[ShadowOfIce]

(Haha xD Touche' )

[NPC - Fathia]

Oh my, so he was really jumping into the idea, hm? Then again, she had traveled enough to know the name 'Azel,' feeling more than pleased to have met him. Most of all though, the fact that she had someone to bring along for her little thieving mission.

Slipping on her undergarments, her large bosom looking like it was about ready to burst from the fabric that cradled them, it was just another fond reminder of how much of a 'score' Azel had last night, and of course, this late morning to afternoon. The young woman had introduced herself as Fathia to Azel, but nothing more, seeming to get close to him in one sense, but hiding her secrets and real reasons for being here for another purpose. She would look at him, that smile still lingering as she sat there on the edge of her bed in her black lingerie, before meeting eyes with him again, going briefly into details on a certain gem she had in mind.

"Have you ever heard of the Eye of Ifrit?" The precious gem was mostly known by the townsfolk, kept mostly hidden from newcomers or travelers, however many thieves and pirates coveted it and had a desire for the precious gem, not knowing its real reasons for being there. Azel may have known more, but it seemed that Fathia had her own intentions, asking somewhat rhetorically, like she had the intention to take it.

[Chachamaru v2]

Alison's smile cracked into her trademark wide grin as she heard the sound of the door opening, shortly followed by Seraphim's voice calling to her. Almost immediately, Alison abandoned her position by the window in favour of practically sprinting through the house, wrapping her arms around Seraphim as she pulled her into a tight hug. "Welcome home, Seraphy-chan~" Alison chimed, her usual dopey grin across her face as she released the girl. A few years ago, Alison had spent some time doing jobs for a businessman from Naribwa, running documents across town from him, and she could still remember how confused she was when he had thanked her, calling her 'Alison-chan'. Over time, he explained to Alison about the use of the various honourifics that were used when speaking to each other in Naribwa. This utterly fascinated Alison, who had heard little about Naribwa, and even less about its culture, and she had since decided to use some of the honourifics when talking to those close to her - which was pretty much just Seraphim and Kaoru whenever he visited.

The girl tried to calm herself down, being far too happy to see Seraphim, as always, as she took a few steps back, answering her question. "I don't thiiink that we've had any visitors... To be honest, I only just woke up a couple of minutes ago." Alison's grin turned ever-so-slightly nervous as she rubbed the back of her head. She couldn't help but feel really quite guilty to have been spending so much time in bed when Seraphim had been out working hard. As she stepped back, she stopped exactly in the doorway to the kitchen, knowing that she wasn't supposed to be in there - but she'd only entered the kitchen to give Seraphim her usual greeting hug, so that was okay, as far as Alison was concerned.

Alison Melissa Owen

[Haro Starwind]

"The... Eye of ifrit?" He repeated scratching his head as if he was thinking about it. He wasn't to much of a native to Cryth, having only arrived about a month ago and picking up a small job to get him gil, the gil he needed for food and the women that required a little more than his charm to convince. His blue eyes wondered to the ceiling as he ran memories together, trying to locate in his mind the object she was talking about. The weird relic in the volcano, wasn't that important somehow?

Suddenly it clicked, turning his head back to her he tried his best to keep that on his mind other than how much he was wanting to just rip off that lingerie just because she looked so good in it. He kept his mind on track, for once~ "I think... so. You mean, that thing inside the volcano?" He said, guessing loosely, but getting the impression he was right. He raised his eyebrow at her inquisitively. "What about it?" He asked, somewhat thinking she meant to take it... but he wasn't sure what else made it so important. He wasn't the type to steal stuff that was important to people. He was more of a Robin hood type guy, only taking riches from the rich. Some would say it was a little code he went by, but it was so loosely translated by his actions that no one would probably draw the parallel.

~Azel Zephyr

[Altral]

Early morning, Tomoko had started to head the rest of the way to Cryth on her white Chocobo, Jinx. It was a strange sight to see, a gothic young woman all dressed in black, riding a bright white chocobo. Around these parts one might look at her and find her appearance odd and abnormal, but where she is from it's actually quite fashionable to dress in attire like hers. While passing through places she had often been looked at strangely simply because of it, but in reality Tomoko was one of the most sweetest people you could possibly meet.

Tomoko and Jinx had been traveling a long time and it was a wonderful sight for sore eyes when she finally saw Cryth in the distance. She had never actually been there, but she had heard about it vaguely, someday wanting to see the place herself. This was her chance it seemed as the city grew closer and closer, it's vastness becoming more clear as Tomoko approached it. She rode her white chocobo on it, her eyes slowly scanning her surroundings, buildings, and the many faces of people. No one stared at her strangely and she kept herself, but let a small smile slip onto her face so she didn't look like some emo goth chick riding into town. From the looks of it, Cryth was a really nice place. At first Tomoko rode on along the dirt roads through town, just studying the place and admiring it. She didn't stop until her Chocobo let out a small cry of attention, either from being hungry or wanting Tomoko to get off for awhile. Wearing ridiculous boots for traveling, Tomoko patted the Chocobo's head lightly and directed it towards a cobblestone road before dismounting the Chocobo gracefully, somehow still managing to land perfectly despite the fact she was wearing two inch heals. Somehow when Tomoko decided to change her wardrobe to something more practical for traveling, her two-inch heel boots made the list. Normally she stood at five foot four inches, but with the boots on it easily made her two inches taller.

Grabbing Jinx's reigns, the Chocobo seeming happy to finally have the weight of Tomoko off her back, she led her around town. The Chocobo still had Tomoko's luggage on it, but at least the weight of her owner was gone. The chocobo still whined and nudge Tomoko with it's beak, nipping lightly at Tomoko's belt. She must be hungry. Right on cue, Tomoko's stomach growled lightly and she put a hand over her own stomach, stopping to look at Jinx.

"I guess we should get something to eat?" She asked, as if getting Jinx's approval before continuing. She actually stood there a moment while the chocobo just looked at her and waiting for her to continue. Eventually it just nudge her with it's head, as if telling her to be on with it. Tomoko took that as the go ahead and she went farther into town, looking for a vendor that would be able to sell her some food for her and Jinx. Tomoko knew that they were out, having checked her things earlier this morning for breakfast and coming up with nothing but a piece of cheese...which Jinx gladly helped herself to after spotting it in Tomoko's hand, leaving about a third of it covered in chocobo spit for Tomoko to consume. She graciously gave the rest to Jinx. Even Tomoko had her limits on what she would eat.

The two explored even further into the town, eventually finding themselves someplace where they could get some food finally. Tomoko's dark violet eyes scanned each side of the street, her eyes waiting to spot someplace where there was cheap food the two could eat. Tarot readings were her only source of income and it wasn't always a guarantee that she would make money everyday, so she was very cautious on how she spent her money. It was one thing just to feed her mouth, but she had to also consider Jinx as well as her own hunger.

[King Keiayo]

Seig Darkscar

The sound of heavy footsteps hit the ground softly through the night as the legs of a chocobo bounded over the terrain. The clinks of a metal armor joined in the harmony as the dark figure of a black chocobo moved across the land. On top of it's mighty frame was another just as tough. The frame of a warrior garbed in a dark metal armor decorated with dark and midnight blues. This frame belonged to the Dark knight, Seig Darkscar. A soldier with a long past, an ex-SAGA soldier who's past has stuck with him just like his faithful chocobo. However as darkness was beginning to lift, the speed of his faithful chocobo, Zeid had began to fall to a casual trot. Understanding of his chocobo's needs it was rather convenient that the horizon of the town Cryth had come into view.

"Cryth huh... Never been here before." He spoke as the two passed by a sign that for told the town's appearance. His black chocobo seemed to somewhat nod it's head as if it understood what he was saying. As they two reached the town limits the chocobo seemed to follow an innate sense of direction towards the town's chocobo ranch. Perhaps the sounds of other chocobo drew him, but no matter the case it saved Seig the trouble of asking for directions. Hopping off his faithful companion Seig gave the bird a nod. Placing a few bits of gil in the creatures beak to pay for it's stay, the creature ran off obediently towards the ranch keeper, dropping it's gil in the hand and walking off towards a well deserved rest. It was easy to see that Seig had traveled more than enough to make a routine with his chocobo Zeid. "See you later, Zeid." He called back in a casual tone as he turned from the ranch and walked into town.

He was known to catch an eye due to his armor and the large steel scythe on his back. He was a different person than most of the natives to towns he visited. He wasn't the most known of heroes, and sometimes enjoyed the solemn silence that brought him. Silently he walked the streets, looking down the buildings and community the town held. It was rather peaceful, and did good to sooth some of his thoughts. "Not bad..." He spoke to himself as he wandered the environment, looking for something to keep his attention. The guards mostly caught his attention, they seemed a little dull by SAGA's standards. But he was in no position to look down on any anymore. He just wondered if he would fit into a community such as this. It wasn't often such a thing would happen. "Wonder where I can get some food around here.." He spoke to himself as he passed more patrons on the street. His stomach started to growl under his chest piece. However, by rough estimate he could see he only had about 100 gil left in his pocket. He hoped that that a town like this had a good cheap restaurant.

As he scanned the streets he caught eye of a girl, Tomoko, with a white chocobo by her side. If it weren't for her black attire he might've overlooked the girl. However there was something about her attire that reminded him of something... though he couldn't place a finger on it until he thought of his hometown. Stopping for a second his greenish blue eyes moved to her, overhearing what she had said. It seemed she was in the same boat as him. However it wasn't really his policy to start conversations with strangers. But his hunger made him sort of social to talking with such people. With a sigh he heaved himself over to her with a sort of chalant style. Not wanting to bring too much attention to himself or make her overreact. "Excuse me..." He spoke in a slightly darkened, but still strengthened casual voice. "You wouldn't happen to know where a cheap place to eat is?"

(edited)

[ShadowOfIce]

'3... 2... 1...'

"Welcome home, Seraphy-chan~"

Yep, right on cue. This never got old. Seraphim had just been getting into the house to prepare the meal when she was quickly hugged by Alison. The white haired girl didn't budge from the hug, not at all surprised by this little ritual at this point, knowing it was best to just stand her ground, rooted, or Alison's hug would have nearly knocked her over. So, standing firm, she didn't even wince as Alison hugged her, also too tired to do so in return. Her yellow-obsessed friend often put a small smile on Seraphim's face, but today.. she just wasn't feeling it. She had this desire to just hurt someone or something, or cause a little chaos. And normally, Alison served as a good restraint for Seraphim, but today....

"Alright then, it's no big deal. I'll have dinner... I-I mean breakfast ready in a moment." Her breakfast, Seraphim's dinner, what's the difference? Looking back at Alison though, a somewhat tired look in her crimson eye, she raised a brow, noticing Alison already got herself dirty as Seraphim started to wash her soot covered hands, tired of the smell of the factory that caked her skin and overalls. "...And once again, you got yourself dirty." Seraphim commented, pointing at the small layer of soot and dirt Alison would have gotten on herself in the proccess, rolling her one eye before starting the food. "Hey.. I was thinking, maybe we should go somewhere. I'm tired but.. maybe sleeping under a tree or even by the mountains. I just want to go out somewhere later." Seraphim said with a dull sigh, beginning to make pancakes even though she knew how much of a mess Alison made from this. It seemed like a good idea today, she could sleep, and Alison could go outdoors without them getting seperated.

~Seraphim Harmonia

(Mad props on Chacha for drawing Fathia. x3)

[NPC - Fathia]

Oooh, handsome and dumb; he's a keeper~ Fathia couldn't help but grin as she was getting her cloths on, checking her equipment before pulling on her green pants, tucking them into her boots and already working the belt and bustier over a green jacket. "It's good enough to be set for ten years in gil if you get your hands on it. Only problem is that someone checks on it daily, so we need to hide it well and cash it in somewhere out of town." Pulling her hat on next, and checking her knife, she spun it on her finger for a moment, the ornate but deadly dagger just making her seem more experianced, and not just in the sack.

"I'll tell you what, if we can fight off a few monsters and get it, I'll split if fifty-fifty with you. An fact, I'll make it that you get fifty-five if you make sure I don't get hurt and you're great in bed tonight." She said with a wink, her orange eye seeming to glow a little before she sheathed her knife. Taking a final look at herself, her eyes met him once again, and she stepped closer, no more than a few inches from Azel, standing two inches shorter than him as she grinned from the corner of her lips. "..So, whaddaya say?"

[Chachamaru v2]

The thin layer of soot that had coated Alison's front didn't bother her - in fact, she hadn't even noticed that she'd gotten dirty until Seraphim had pointed it out to her. Patting herself down, she giggled to herself, not caring about getting dirty, still somewhat hyper that Seraphim was home. No matter how many times they went through this usual routine, Alison would always act like an excited dog, far too thrilled that their master is home to calm down and sit quietly. The girl's eyes lit up as she recognised from the ingredients that Seraphim was making pancakes, only making the hyperactive eighteen-year-old even more excited than she had been seconds ago. Pancakes were, without a doubt, her favourite thing that Seraphim had ever made for her. Even now she could remember the first time she'd eaten them, and yet even now, she'd never once gotten bored of them.

The idea of going somewhere was something that appealed to Alison. Despite how she'd behaved for the first year or so that the two had known each other, Alison loved to be outside, and since she effectively ran her 'company', she had no obligations to when she had to start or end work. Of course, this was just one of many reasons why Seraphim had to work as hard as she did, but Alison couldn't put two and two together to figure that out. She just bounced on the spot, nodding and smiling. "Sure-sure~ I could use a little warm-up before I start work, anyway." Any excuse to spend more time with Seraphim was always welcomed. Since they both worked, often very different hours, it was rare that they got much time to just spend social time together, but when they did, Alison savoured every minute of it.

Alison Melissa Owen

[Hiwa Kaoru]

~Kaoru Hiwa

The scene was currently a quiet, tranquil forest. Speckling the floor were a few rays of light, piercing through the canopy. The air had a fine mist from the humidity and it glistening as they passed through the pillars of light. Besides the view, there was little in the way of noise, but to his ears there was a lot to listen to. It was a rather beautiful sight to behold so early in the morning. Creatures all around were scurrying about and mostly keeping a distance from him. They were cautious, and mostly because of his Chocobo—awfully scary for the smaller woodland creatures.

A grin crossed his face as we returned to the side of his Chocobo, a pale green colour to it's feathers. It was friendly as ever, immediately shifting over and pecking at his shoulder—apparently the Chocobo's 'hello'—before standing and awaiting to be mounted. They'd been traveling together for years, and by now the bird had gotten so used to the elf that even Kaoru was worried it could read his mind. It was a hilarious and scarily accurate notion. He petted his stead, Freya, before mounting her. Within moments the bird sped them off and down through the underbrush.

It was always nice to have Freya for traveling purposes. She was amazingly nice company to at least talk to, being that the bird seemed to understand him and he understood her. But besides that it made traveling between the many towns of Hesperia. Speaking of which, his current destination was Cryth, a town he'd visited many times before. He checked his side-worn rucksack once more to see that the gifts he'd acquired were still there. For Alison, he had a goldenrod necklace from the town of Mistros, along with a small supply of Gyshal Greens.

She knew that the two girls' living conditions weren't that great—actually, they were horrible in his eyes—so he enjoyed bringing them little gifts from his travels. The elf would help them out while he stayed in the town, which could end up being a while. He tended to stay only a few days, but he hadn't been with the two in a while and he sort of wanted to stay a bit longer than normal. Hopefully, the two would let him room with them—rather, on the floor—so he didn't have to pay for an inn. That would definitely be better. He really wished he had more than just a few petty gifts to offer the girls. Maybe he could get a job someplace nearby and help for a few days. It was the least he could do for his friends. Friends, he mused with a soft smile crossing his tanned features.

~Time skip to the present day~

And here was the town. It wasn't anything special, but then again he wasn't much impressed with the cities of the humes. After living in the grandeur that was Hylph, few hume towns could match it. Besides that, he preferred being in Nature and not in the concrete filled cities. With a shrug, he left Freya at the chocobo ranch. Checking, a bit late after walking into town already, that the bandanna he wore was keeping his ears from the view of any wandering eyes, he headed down the streets.

Kaoru was dressed in plain clothing. A dark tunic and slacks, along with a ragged robe. Besides the bandanna, which hid his eyes, the only curious items he had were a pearl necklace and earrings—hidden along with the rest of his ears. Physically, the clothes made him look a bit larger than he was; however, one could still tell the male was lithe, almost deathly thin. He was light, and about average for an elf or hume, though by no means tall for male standards—he stood at a mere five foot nine, almost ten inches. His hair was a curious mossy-green and his eyes were a vermilion hue, a shade between orange and red, but more to the red.

Looking around the town, he noticed a few curious guards and other denizens eyeing him, but he ignored them. They weren't important, and hopefully he wouldn't have trouble like he did in Rastifar. He'd gotten into a scuffle there and had to take out a few thugs. Speaking of Rastifar, he pulled his side-worn bag up in front of him as he walked along the streets. Checking, the greens were still there, along with the Alison's yellow necklace; more important, he picked out a small, silver cross necklace. This one was for Seraphim. It'd been a bit difficult getting it from the town of Rastifar, and hopefully the girl didn't pawn it off for gil—Seraphim had done so to one of his other, previous gifts.

Finally, and I mean finally, he made it to the apartment complex of the girls. A quick walk and he was just outside the door. Three quick knocks were struck onto the door, and he ran a hand through his long, unkempt hair and awaited a reply.

—

[fractalJester]

The curtains were slowly nudged aside, allowing for a crack of sunlight to be let in, as well as for a glimpse of the current events of the world outside. People were going about doing their daily tasks, such as getting groceries, running errands, getting mail. Every once in awhile, Chocobos would dash by, leaving a soft breeze behind them. The city of Cryth was so calm, so peaceful, so... alien. The man behind the curtain observed a number of children playing tag through the streets and wondered what the point of it was. Yesterday afternoon, shortly after he'd arrived, they'd been playing 'Hide and Seek'- at least that game increased one's observation skills, as well as stealth. Tag... all it was good for was wearing you out.

This place is nothing like Halthia.

The vanilla-haired male left the windowsill, heading over toward the coat-rack, where he grabbed his purple jacket and began to slip it on, buckling the bottom few buckles and setting the tunic-bottom straight so that it wouldn't catch on anything. Wrapping his ammo belt loosely around his waist and checking his holster for his revolver, he opened the door and took his first step into the hallway.

He nearly tripped over the same drunkard that had been there the night before.

With a scowl, he pushed the man out of the way with his boot, somewhat regretting his choice in residence. The drunkard growled groggily, but simply fell back to sleep as Atrozeon walked off, heading toward the exit of the tavern. Staying at the Old Yellah was a good choice when it came to gathering information on his new target, but otherwise it was just troublesome. He didn't particularly like being around idiots and drunkards unless he was looking for easy pickings, but at the moment he was on a job. If he was caught, that wouldn't be too good for business (though he was able to get enough to pay for the bar tab and the room).

Stepping onto the cobblestone street, Atrozeon Hyloras slipped his green sunglasses over his eyes and glanced around for anything worth noting. There were some people slipping into town, but otherwise, nothing important.

Now... about this 'Eye of Ifrit'...