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SwordsmanChris Vice Captain
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 Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:29 pm
 [Of all the sad words of tongue and pen...]♠ Chris stood by the edge of a wooden bench atop one of the hills near the fort. He scanned the surroundings briefly; too close to the fort to be in danger of an attack, but not close enough for any of the residents to pay him any attention. This was ideal. He wrapped his coat tightly around him and moved to sit on the bench, but decided against it; he'd be able to see better if he remained standing. Leaning uncomfortably by the edge of the bench's armrest, he tipped his hat and looked up at the moon. Perhaps John had fallen asleep, and that was why he wasn't here...  ♠ [...the saddest are these: "It might have been."]
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:36 pm
The leader of Noble Symphonia had, as his parents called it, "big eye". While it sounds like some terrible mutation, really all it meant was that he couldn't fall asleep.
This was unfortunate because although he could not drift into his dreams, his body was quite worn out from his bi-daily exercise routine. He rolled off his bed and changed into his usual attire. Zipping on his short-sleeved hoodie, he quietly walked outside, sure to not disturb the sleep of any of his fellow clansmen.
He decided on a late-night stroll through the cool night. John's eyes gazed around the area until they fell upon a bench with someone occupying it? Who could be up at this hour...?
Stuffing his hands into the front pouch of his hoodie, John walked up the hill at a leisurely pace. As he got closer, he was able to make out the trademark hat that hid his friend's face in shadow, even on the sunniest of days.
"You can't sleep either?" John asked, standing behind the bench.
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SwordsmanChris Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:41 pm
[Of all the sad words of tongue and pen...]♠ Chris pressed down his hat and looked at his watch. So he did come around here after all... "A person like me doesn't have a lot of business in the daylight," he replied. "You, on the other hand, just never let yourself rest." He indicated to the bench next to him. "Take a load off. I've been meaning to talk to you, by the way." ♠ [...the saddest are these: "It might have been."]
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:46 pm
John laughed off his vice-captain's comment. Sure, he didn't take a lot of down-time, but at least he kept busy...
Nodding, he accepted Chris's offer and took a seat next to him on the bench. His hands withdrew from his hoodie as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.
"So... What's up?" he asked. "You typically don't seek me out to talk unless there's something going on."
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SwordsmanChris Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 10:53 pm
[Of all the sad words of tongue and pen...]♠ Chris looked blankly at John from behind his veil of shadows. "Am I all business?" He asked with a an unusually naive flatness to his voice. "Hmmm." He put his hands in his pockets and averted his gaze. "I suppose I might as well get the business side out of the way," he said. "We both saw those disturbance reports from out east... there may be something going on." He jammed his thumb back and pointed to himself. "Being the most familiar with espionage, I figure I should go check it out." He looked back at John. "We don't know what's going on, but if this lull we've been having is 'the calm before the storm,' then what's coming up could be pretty big." ♠ [...the saddest are these: "It might have been."]
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:00 pm
"Out east..."
John's hand reached up to tap on his chin thoughtfully. He hadn't been that far east in almost three years. If this was going to be as big as the reports were indicating...
"Do you really think you'll be okay going along?" he asked, looking over at the living shadow. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're our best member when it comes to stealth reconnaissance, but if this is going to be what we think it is, you could get trapped over there."
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SwordsmanChris Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:06 pm
[Of all the sad words of tongue and pen...]♠ "Relax," Chris told him. "Believe me, I'm good at making myself scarce when things get bad." He smiled grimly, a tiny sliver of silver in the black. "Besides, it could turn out to be nothing. When I get there, you'll hear from me and I'll update you on the situation." He shrugged. "But let me handle this while you get the clan in gear. Your attention is divided enough as it is..." He paused, drumming his fingers on the edge of the bench. "Considering that you're slightly distracted by your infatuation with that healer girl, am I right?" ♠ [...the saddest are these: "It might have been."]
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:18 pm
John's face face reddened in an instant. He shot up to his feet and pointed at Chris in an accusing manner, yet his voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, as if someone would be listening in on them in the dead of night.
"That is a baseless accusation!" he whispered vehemently. "I'm just glad the clan got a healer, so what!?"
Glaring a bit, the ninja recomposed himself and looked away from his longtime companion. "Look, I just... worry about you sometimes." he muttered. "You go off in the dead of night for hours, sometimes days, you very rarely send word that you're okay, and if you did go down, I'd have no way of knowing."
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SwordsmanChris Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:35 pm
[Of all the sad words of tongue and pen...]♠ "This mission will not get the best of me," Chris said. "We're a clan. Sometimes we go out and fight together. Sometimes we have to dispatch members to take care of things individually. This is one of those times, and I'm going to take care of it." He straightened out his coat, and a wisp of shadow escaped into the air and thinned out into nothing. "As for the healer girl..." He looked to one side. "You really need to enforce that 'mandatory miniskirt' clause of the female uniform regulation, I think." ♠ [...the saddest are these: "It might have been."]
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:36 pm
John blushed again at his statement about the miniskirt. An image of the girl in a short skirt darted past his mind, but was quickly pushed aside as he saw the wisp escape from his friend.
"What was that...?" he asked, looking oddly at the escaping smoke.
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SwordsmanChris Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:15 am
[Of all the sad words of tongue and pen...]♠ Chris cocked his head to one side, as if not sure what to say. "Your eyes must be playing tricks on you," he said. He turned around and started walking away. "I'm going to head out and get a leg up on the reconnaissance. You try to get some rest; you won't be able to lead a clan if fatigue is playing with your sensibilities." He raised a hand to wave without turning around as he headed out into the night. ♠ [...the saddest are these: "It might have been."]
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:52 pm
John frowned a bit, but rose his hand to wave back. "Yeah, yeah, alright." he muttered, knowing that Chris would pick up on it anyway. "You just make sure you get back in one piece."
As his friend walked away, John opted to take a seat on the bench. His head tilted back as he looked up at the stars, idly wondering what would be in store for him next...
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