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Disclaimer: Wild Arms 2 doesn't belong to me. Wah.
Pairings: Ashley+Marina, AshleyxLilka, Brad+Tim ... Blah.
Rating: R *SNORT AT FFNET*
Warnings: What...? Well, language, really. And maybe naughty stuff (or mentionings therein)
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Notes: WHAT?! Oh yes, it's true! I have basically re-done this fic. I sort of died off the face of the internet and I'm back.. so well.. yeah. *piku* I've gone through the liberty of fixing this fic up.. I realized I had no ACTUAL plot, so yes, editing will be in order. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed, though. ^_^;;
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*...* denotes a thought.
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Take My Hand : Prologue
"...I'm bored, guys..."
Emerald eyes stared up at the ceiling of the Valeria Chateau in pure thought... with just a frown gracing the lips just below. Ashley Winchester hated waiting for Valeria--or as he was accustomed to refer to the man as Irving. His chest ached briefly as he rubbed his neck--reminiscing about his.. *Friend...?*, did he refer to her as that? *No.* Never could that be; his feelings went towards Marina more than that.
"Lilka ... I'm bored.." Came the soft voice just close-by Ashley. Tim Rhymeless he realized, as he turned his head to briefly watch the blonde boy.
"Aa. Tim, don't worry. Irving will be here soon." And that came from the taller brunette beside Tim; Lilka Eleniak. Her voice just as soft, and octaves higher. Blinking green-colored eyes at her friend and fellow teammate. "He'll be here soon with our mission report."
"...Don't think so highly of that," came the gruff, low voice of Brad Evans, across the room in the corner by the entrance to the 'briefing room'. He was frowning, his usual expression. His heavy ARM lay resting across his chest. *If anything else, Brad was the most intimidating to anyone.* Ashley thought. "By the time Irving comes in here, I think poor Tim would reach puberty."
"Mou, Brad..!" Lilka had flustered, hugging onto the younger blonde beside her. If at all times, it was usually Lilka who protected Tim--a character trait left from her sister--like a big sister. Tim looked slightly irritated at the two elders, and decisevely stuck his tongue out at Brad.
"All right, all right, calm down, everyone." The silken voice had belonged to the man who'd entered the room. His form braced up by the custom-made crutch at his side. His hair seemed disheveled, as did the look in his eyes.
The blue-haired man sighed, slouching over into his chair and ruffling his own hair. He was surely going to go crazy if Irving didn't arrive sooner. "..How long does it take for you to come here on those crutches anyway? You're usually here before we are."
"Not apparently, long enough for your tastes, Ashley." Irving began his way around, into the room, walking towards his desk, and shooing Lilka and Tim into seats as he began to sit. "And I'm usually on this floor, but I was a bit...ah, busy." He cleared his throat as he dropped a manila folder onto the desk.
"Eh? Another mission, Valeria?" Brad frowned deeper, tucking his ARM to his side. "We just finished one before... with Tim. And now you've another…? I'm wondering how ARMS is going to survive if this keeps up." He mouthed off to the crutched man, grimacing slightly as he eyed him brushing the long silver strands of hair from his face.
"For your information, this is a very important mission, Mister Evans," Irving narrowed his eyes briefly as he stated Brad's last name, and leant back into his plush chair as he waved a hand towards the envelope, giving the others his attention. "...Very important. It involves Odessa. We've reason to believe their tirades are dying off. You will infiltrate their ship, and... the usual. You can read this," Irving gestured to the folder. "For the rest of the briefing. It's a matter of business I be somewhere else right now."
Lilka blinked, canting her head at the elder. "You're going, so soon...? And you just got here, too." She pouted softly, reaching onto Irving's desk for the folder, when it was snatched out of her grasp by Ashley. "…Hey!"
"I'm the leader. I'll read it, and inform you guys of what to do, okay? Go prepare for the mission, or whatever." Ashley spoke, his countennance a bit of a frown as he began to sift through the pages within the manila folder.
"Ara, really Ashley?" Tim seemed to brighten up, blinking attention into his sapphire-blue eyes. "Honest? 'Cause I want to go back to Meria and meet up with the guys, and stuff."
"Hai.. go," He mumbled, his attention lost in the contents of the folder.
Lilka stared at Ashley for the longest, as the others began leaving the briefing room, trying to figure something out. Ashley never liked reading the mission reports--he always wanted to stay in Meria, to sleep, and to see Marina.
"Ashley--"
"Lilka,don't worry about it." Ashley raised his head to smile briefly at her. That was, one of the things she liked about Ashley--his smiles. They were soft, and always genuine. "I'll be okay. When I finish reading this, I'll be in Meria with you guys, okay? Go and have some Jelly donuts and tell Marina I'll be there later, for me?"
Lilka nodded her head softly, confusion still written on her face. On the bright side, he had mentioned Jelly donuts, and it seemed to lighten her mood. She stood up and left the briefing room, closing the door soundly behind her.
Ashley sighed, and turned his attention back to the folder, his eyes going a bit cloudy as he stared at the pages blankly.
*Marina, I...miss you...*