Lunar Cry: Sorting Things Out
Chapter 4
by Mariye
======
Disclaimer: Do I really need this? Nah, but better safe than sorry.
This series was inspired by FF8 and involves it.
======
Terentia and Hasani walked slowly into Timber Haven, unsure of what to expect.
"Were you raised in a barn? Shut the door after you!" A voice of an old woman yelled at them. Terentia quickly pulled it shut. The main hall was sparcely furnished. There wasn't even the usual processing desk there. Only a beaten off white couch and an end table were there,
along with the man who had let them in.
~Weird place. Well, what did I expect? We're out in the boondocks.~ Terentia thought.
"I'm Cid. I run this Haven. So word of what happened here reached other Havens? When will we receive our backup?" He walked over and shook each of their hands.
"We might be it." Terentia said as she smoothed back her yellow hair.
"And you're lucky we even came. Almost didn't but the last Haven we were working at stiffed us when it came time to pay us for our work, so we decided to move on." Hasani plopped himself down on the couch. "So what exactly happened and what do you want us to do?" Cid looked at the two of them.
"You're it? I guess... I guess we'll make do. If we're going to talk though, then lets at least go into the bar area. Its a little more comfortable. This way." He started to lead them further in.
"Sorry about the mess in here. When they attacked, they set a few fires. Didn't cause any major damage though." He lead them into a small sitting room, with a desk and a bookcase.
~Okay, this is really strange...~ Terentia ran her hand along the dust covered desk.
"Um, where's the bar?" Terentia asked. Cid smiled at her and tapped a book in the bookcase. The desk suddenly moved to reveal a staircase leading underground.
"We figured since this is a wooded area and we have very little chance of people getting here if we needed help, that we should have the actual Haven underground. In case of emergencies." The three walked down the stairs into a bustling little bar, filled with Rogues and regular people. Everyone looked happy and was doing something. A few children ran over to Cid.
"Cid's back!"
"Help's come! Yay!"
"Woo hoo! Ms. Jessie! Cid's back!"
The three kids danced around him until a woman with long blond hair came up. She shooed them away, then greeted the newcomers.
"I'm so glad you've come. Even though not too much damage was done, we still have heard rumors of Zone wandering around here." She shook Hasani and Terentia's hands. "Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?"
~Hmmm, so is she his wife, or girlfriend...~ Terentia thought as she looked at the glance Jessie gave Cid. ~Shoot, I'm usually good at reading these kinds of signals. Must be because of all the traveling lately.~
"No. We're fine. So what do you want us to do?" Terentia asked while she walked to the bar. She sat down on a stool near the door.
"Yes, we'd like to have the business aspect of all this worked out now. Mission, situations, case history, compensation, etc." Hasani said while taking the stool next to her. Cid and Jessie looked at each other. Jessie looked shocked, while Cid shrugged, being used to the
attitudes of most Rogues.
"Fine." Cid leaned on the bar and ordered a round of drinks. "Because this Haven is deserted and isolated, we have been targeted for many attacks by the sorceress."
"Alleged sorceress." Terentia cut in. Cid shot an odd astonished look at her, while Hasani rolled his eyes.
"By the 'alleged sorceress' and her knight Baign. The last attack was the worst so far, but at the last second, Baign seemed like he something more important to attend to and left. His second-in-command Zone was left behind. Luckily, we had Mingrui here. She was able to
catch him off guard and attack him. When he saw the sight of his own blood, he ran."
"And a coward like that is a second-in-command." Hasani said while grabbing the bottle in front of him. He glanced at the label, took a sip, and kept drinking. Terentia looked at her bottle, recognized the red label, and cringed. She pushed hers away.
~Not more of this stuff. The last one was too bitter.~
"We know that he is still in the area, and we've heard rumors about Baign being with him. We're tired of people sitting around with a sorceress and her knight around. We want to take action. We would want the two of you to hunt them down and get rid of them. Baign, 'alleged' sorceress, Zone. Foil their plans. As for compensation, you each will receive 5000 gil and $2500 dollars if you bring back some proof of Zone's defeat. I'll double that if you
bring back proof of Baign's defeat. And, in the unlikely event you actually can reach the sorceress, I will pay you 500,000 gil and $1,000,000. " Hasani and Terentia exchanged a look. "Remember, if you accept, you can not take any other jobs until you defeat Baign and Zone. You will be committed to this mission. It is also not an easy one. But we need to start getting rogues out there attacking the root of the problem, instead of just its offspring."
"We agree to your terms. Now, if you'll excuse us, we should be going." Terentia said, getting up and walking back towards the stairs. Hasani got up and fell in step along side her.
"Hold up, can't we even rest up for like an hour? We've been on the road all this time..."
"The quicker we get the job done, the quicker we'll be back. Then we can rest."
"Fine."
The two started up the stairs when Cid stopped them.
"I almost forgot. Mingrui!"
A slender, small girl with black hair bounced up and appeared next to him. She smiled at him, then pulled out a metallic fan and held it in front of her face.
"Hi Cid! What's up? Work for me?"
"Yes. Hasani and Terentia are going to be hunting down Zone and Baign. Since you know what Zone looks like and what direction he went, you'll be assisting them, and in so be caught up in their contract."
"Sure! Cool! Hi!" Mingrui hopped up the steps to Hasani and Terentia. She gave an elaborate bow. "I'm Mingrui Wu, but you can call me Ming. Are we ready?"
Terentia rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself. Hasani had a huge grin on his face.
~Was I ever like that? That happy and childlike?~
"Yeah, we're ready, but you... are you sure you're old enough to be doing this kinda thing?"
Ming looked at him and stuck out her tongue. "I'm 16 and a half mister. Just because you're an old geezer don't assume that every Rogue under 18 can't get the job done. Age discrimination." The three emerged in the old library. Ming tapped a book in the case and the
desk moved back over the staircase. Ming looked at Terentia.
"So are you gonna be a meany too?"
"Well, I really see no problem." Hasani looked at her in surprise. She started to explain. "I started young too. Also, other young Rogues have surprised me before. But I also partially agree with Hasani here. You don't even have a weapon."
"See, we're sorry, but if you would just point us in the right direction, then we'll be going, and you can go home." Hasani stood in front of Ming, towering over her. She looked up at him, pulled out a fan, and held it in front of her face.
"Well... if you say so..." She started to walk away. As she went behind him, she suddenly kicked his legs out from under him. As he tumbled down, she quickly pinned him. She held her fan under his throat.
"Oh, but did I forget to tell you these are razor sharp? You may be taller. You may be older. But I am faster. And the bigger they are, the harder they fall." Terentia stood on the side hiding a smile. After Ming got off Hasani, Terentia walked over and extended a hand
to help him up.
"You think thats funny."
"Yes." Hasani glared at her and Ming.
"So why didn't you help me out or warn me?"
"We agreed that we each carry our own weight. Not shouldering each other's burdens. I thought you should be able to handle a 16 year..."
"And a half! 16 and a half!" Ming moved over to the two of them and got her two cents in.
"A 16 and a half year old girl."
"So you think she should come."
"If she can take care of herself and we don't have to babysit her, let her do what she wants. Thats how I got my start."
"I can take care of myself!" Ming unfolded both her fans.
"Plus do you know what Zone and Baign look like?" Terentia started to put her hair in a ponytail. "I know I don't."
"Well... still..." He got up and brushed dirt off his pants.
"She does. I figure if she can take care of herself and not be a bother, then let the kid tag along."
"Yes! Cool! So let's go!" Ming ran ahead of them towards the East. "Zone went this way! Hurry! The quicker we catch him, the quicker we can start on more new adventures!"
======
[A/N: I'm kind of getting bored with this series, so tell all of you what, if you want me to continue, review and let me know. If not, then.. um, review and let me know. Either way I'll probably do chapters 5 + 6, because I already have them planned out. Thanks!]
Chapter 4
by Mariye
======
Disclaimer: Do I really need this? Nah, but better safe than sorry.
This series was inspired by FF8 and involves it.
======
Terentia and Hasani walked slowly into Timber Haven, unsure of what to expect.
"Were you raised in a barn? Shut the door after you!" A voice of an old woman yelled at them. Terentia quickly pulled it shut. The main hall was sparcely furnished. There wasn't even the usual processing desk there. Only a beaten off white couch and an end table were there,
along with the man who had let them in.
~Weird place. Well, what did I expect? We're out in the boondocks.~ Terentia thought.
"I'm Cid. I run this Haven. So word of what happened here reached other Havens? When will we receive our backup?" He walked over and shook each of their hands.
"We might be it." Terentia said as she smoothed back her yellow hair.
"And you're lucky we even came. Almost didn't but the last Haven we were working at stiffed us when it came time to pay us for our work, so we decided to move on." Hasani plopped himself down on the couch. "So what exactly happened and what do you want us to do?" Cid looked at the two of them.
"You're it? I guess... I guess we'll make do. If we're going to talk though, then lets at least go into the bar area. Its a little more comfortable. This way." He started to lead them further in.
"Sorry about the mess in here. When they attacked, they set a few fires. Didn't cause any major damage though." He lead them into a small sitting room, with a desk and a bookcase.
~Okay, this is really strange...~ Terentia ran her hand along the dust covered desk.
"Um, where's the bar?" Terentia asked. Cid smiled at her and tapped a book in the bookcase. The desk suddenly moved to reveal a staircase leading underground.
"We figured since this is a wooded area and we have very little chance of people getting here if we needed help, that we should have the actual Haven underground. In case of emergencies." The three walked down the stairs into a bustling little bar, filled with Rogues and regular people. Everyone looked happy and was doing something. A few children ran over to Cid.
"Cid's back!"
"Help's come! Yay!"
"Woo hoo! Ms. Jessie! Cid's back!"
The three kids danced around him until a woman with long blond hair came up. She shooed them away, then greeted the newcomers.
"I'm so glad you've come. Even though not too much damage was done, we still have heard rumors of Zone wandering around here." She shook Hasani and Terentia's hands. "Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?"
~Hmmm, so is she his wife, or girlfriend...~ Terentia thought as she looked at the glance Jessie gave Cid. ~Shoot, I'm usually good at reading these kinds of signals. Must be because of all the traveling lately.~
"No. We're fine. So what do you want us to do?" Terentia asked while she walked to the bar. She sat down on a stool near the door.
"Yes, we'd like to have the business aspect of all this worked out now. Mission, situations, case history, compensation, etc." Hasani said while taking the stool next to her. Cid and Jessie looked at each other. Jessie looked shocked, while Cid shrugged, being used to the
attitudes of most Rogues.
"Fine." Cid leaned on the bar and ordered a round of drinks. "Because this Haven is deserted and isolated, we have been targeted for many attacks by the sorceress."
"Alleged sorceress." Terentia cut in. Cid shot an odd astonished look at her, while Hasani rolled his eyes.
"By the 'alleged sorceress' and her knight Baign. The last attack was the worst so far, but at the last second, Baign seemed like he something more important to attend to and left. His second-in-command Zone was left behind. Luckily, we had Mingrui here. She was able to
catch him off guard and attack him. When he saw the sight of his own blood, he ran."
"And a coward like that is a second-in-command." Hasani said while grabbing the bottle in front of him. He glanced at the label, took a sip, and kept drinking. Terentia looked at her bottle, recognized the red label, and cringed. She pushed hers away.
~Not more of this stuff. The last one was too bitter.~
"We know that he is still in the area, and we've heard rumors about Baign being with him. We're tired of people sitting around with a sorceress and her knight around. We want to take action. We would want the two of you to hunt them down and get rid of them. Baign, 'alleged' sorceress, Zone. Foil their plans. As for compensation, you each will receive 5000 gil and $2500 dollars if you bring back some proof of Zone's defeat. I'll double that if you
bring back proof of Baign's defeat. And, in the unlikely event you actually can reach the sorceress, I will pay you 500,000 gil and $1,000,000. " Hasani and Terentia exchanged a look. "Remember, if you accept, you can not take any other jobs until you defeat Baign and Zone. You will be committed to this mission. It is also not an easy one. But we need to start getting rogues out there attacking the root of the problem, instead of just its offspring."
"We agree to your terms. Now, if you'll excuse us, we should be going." Terentia said, getting up and walking back towards the stairs. Hasani got up and fell in step along side her.
"Hold up, can't we even rest up for like an hour? We've been on the road all this time..."
"The quicker we get the job done, the quicker we'll be back. Then we can rest."
"Fine."
The two started up the stairs when Cid stopped them.
"I almost forgot. Mingrui!"
A slender, small girl with black hair bounced up and appeared next to him. She smiled at him, then pulled out a metallic fan and held it in front of her face.
"Hi Cid! What's up? Work for me?"
"Yes. Hasani and Terentia are going to be hunting down Zone and Baign. Since you know what Zone looks like and what direction he went, you'll be assisting them, and in so be caught up in their contract."
"Sure! Cool! Hi!" Mingrui hopped up the steps to Hasani and Terentia. She gave an elaborate bow. "I'm Mingrui Wu, but you can call me Ming. Are we ready?"
Terentia rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself. Hasani had a huge grin on his face.
~Was I ever like that? That happy and childlike?~
"Yeah, we're ready, but you... are you sure you're old enough to be doing this kinda thing?"
Ming looked at him and stuck out her tongue. "I'm 16 and a half mister. Just because you're an old geezer don't assume that every Rogue under 18 can't get the job done. Age discrimination." The three emerged in the old library. Ming tapped a book in the case and the
desk moved back over the staircase. Ming looked at Terentia.
"So are you gonna be a meany too?"
"Well, I really see no problem." Hasani looked at her in surprise. She started to explain. "I started young too. Also, other young Rogues have surprised me before. But I also partially agree with Hasani here. You don't even have a weapon."
"See, we're sorry, but if you would just point us in the right direction, then we'll be going, and you can go home." Hasani stood in front of Ming, towering over her. She looked up at him, pulled out a fan, and held it in front of her face.
"Well... if you say so..." She started to walk away. As she went behind him, she suddenly kicked his legs out from under him. As he tumbled down, she quickly pinned him. She held her fan under his throat.
"Oh, but did I forget to tell you these are razor sharp? You may be taller. You may be older. But I am faster. And the bigger they are, the harder they fall." Terentia stood on the side hiding a smile. After Ming got off Hasani, Terentia walked over and extended a hand
to help him up.
"You think thats funny."
"Yes." Hasani glared at her and Ming.
"So why didn't you help me out or warn me?"
"We agreed that we each carry our own weight. Not shouldering each other's burdens. I thought you should be able to handle a 16 year..."
"And a half! 16 and a half!" Ming moved over to the two of them and got her two cents in.
"A 16 and a half year old girl."
"So you think she should come."
"If she can take care of herself and we don't have to babysit her, let her do what she wants. Thats how I got my start."
"I can take care of myself!" Ming unfolded both her fans.
"Plus do you know what Zone and Baign look like?" Terentia started to put her hair in a ponytail. "I know I don't."
"Well... still..." He got up and brushed dirt off his pants.
"She does. I figure if she can take care of herself and not be a bother, then let the kid tag along."
"Yes! Cool! So let's go!" Ming ran ahead of them towards the East. "Zone went this way! Hurry! The quicker we catch him, the quicker we can start on more new adventures!"
======
[A/N: I'm kind of getting bored with this series, so tell all of you what, if you want me to continue, review and let me know. If not, then.. um, review and let me know. Either way I'll probably do chapters 5 + 6, because I already have them planned out. Thanks!]