Chapter 1
In the barren dessert of Ishbal, a middle aged man stood from his work. He wiped his head and called something into the heat. Smiling, his wife brought him a drink from a small cabin. Both were tanned to a crisp brown by the sweltering sun. Neither paid their complexion any mind, after all, it made them fit in with the rest of the ishballans. Around them, poverty ruled the people. The few surviving children ran barefoot over the scorching sands. Every adult worked hard, and though their backs were bent with fatigue and their eyes were filled with a deep sadness, everyone managed to scrape along in peace. The community elder approached the couple.
"Day in and out, you work so hard. I still can't imagine why the two of you would choose to live here." He grinned in good spirits.
"I told you old man; you'd never survive without me! Who would go into town eh?" Hiro laughed gruffly. His solid muscles glistened with sweat. He flexed and posed "Where would you be without all of this, eh? EH?!" His last comment became loud as his wife punched him in the back of the head. Hiro went tumbling into the sand.
"Stop bragging, dear." His wife said, her hand still tightened into a fist.
"I swear, Cheena, he'd die from a stroke if you weren't here to stop him from gloating." The old man laughed. Cheena's ice blue eyes softened as she smiled to him. She bowed appologeticly.
"I am so sorry, sir. He can't help the fact that he's an idiot…" They both laughed, ignoring Hiro's disgruntled mutterings.
"Well I hate to let you stop working, but it's time for the festival." The geezer smiled at them both. He tapped Hiro's forehead with his pipe. Hiro rolled on the ground howling as an ember scorched his skin. "Dress nice." The geezer laughed and left.