Disclaimer: ya'll know the drill. FF stuff don't belong to me, to Squarenix, the rest are mine…
" I can't believe our first mission came up so fast!" Jedd groaned as he combed his dark orange hair with his hand.
"Me neither," Korran replied. Her violet-red eyes were covered with shades and shine reflected to it as she looked up to the sun.
"Ah, good morning Enpros," the president greeted in his usual cheery tone and shook their hand. Though they never knew what he would be like if he were angry or something else, it was just that he only and always showed his cheerful disposition.
"I know that your mission came up quite quickly, just announcing the results yesterday. Still, I wanted the best and skilled recruits we have to this mission," he continued. Claude nodded and was full eye contact with him; his shiny emerald spheres reflected the soft blue-gray ones with the President.
" Your mission is located at Stila village, approximately north west from our base, and it takes 1 train trip to get there," he stated, now his voice firm and precise. Though he never was the type to be the military man, he stated things more understandable and important. "There has been suspicious gatherings around their forests, and our agents provide that there might be an attack which is said to be done today. I want you to guard the village, and if there might be an ambush, lead the citizens to the escape route for safety." Claude took the instructions slowly and nodded.
"Uh… sir, you mean only the three of us?" Jedd asked anxiously. He looked as though he was about to faint. The President smiled.
" The R-forces of the village will join you and 2 other Enpros."
"2 others… Sir?"
"Good Morning!" a voice greeted and clacking of heels were heard. They spun around to know who were the ones who were joining them.
"Tanya?!" they said. Tanya laughed at their shocked faces.
"Tanya passed while she was still a minor," the President explained and lead them off the to the train. Jedd was shocked, Korran was astonished and Claude was impressed (though as usual he had his poker face).
"Since we have been acquainted to everyone, I advise you to have a leader and give a full report after the mission. Good luck." The President lastly stated and saluted as he walked back to his office. Everyone looked at Claude as his icy stare pierced back at them. Claude sighed and agreed. He didn't know why, but he was always picked as the head of the group. Maybe because he commands respect. At the will of one word, the work could be done less then the time limit. Still, he hated to be one; he just couldn't get away from it. Tanya patted his back and walked with him to the train. Her perfectly shaped orbs shone deep violet and her hair was of a cute layered style that curled at the ends. It seemed that it was kind of flashy, but he knew that they were natural. He just couldn't remember how.
"Woohoo!" Jedd hollered simply for the heck of it. Korran simply looked at him and returned back to the book she was reading. Her face turned to the same color as her hair, which was amber, due to the annoyance of him. Claude once more drifted back to the world of his own thoughts, as Tanya had a big smile on her face since she knew what Claude was exactly doing.
"It may take only a single train trip, but hell, this is one long trip. I'm killing myself out of this boredom," Claude groaned inwardly and faced Tanya. She was caught off- guard and had to hide her mouth from giggling too much. "What?" Claude mouthed out; he didn't want to use his voice much. Tanya just shook her head but kept on giggling. Claude just stared at her, merely thinking what was she so amused about. She finally sighed and paused to catch a few breaths before speaking.
"Nothing, just knew you were back to the realm of the sky, where you defeat dark lords and rescue damsels in distress."
"Excuse me?"
Tanya merely laughed at his response. "She must remember something I don't," he thought.
"I know what's up with your noggin, that's it," she musically said throughout her fits of giggles and ruffled his ebony hair.
"…Right."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Alright, after how many eternities will pass before us, I wanna know what Path you chose," Tanya finally broke the silence.
"Mage and Knights," he replied flatly.
"A combo huh?" Tanya smiled. He nodded. Another silence passed them. Only the chugging of the train and the flipping of pages of a book were heard. Jedd, as usual wondered off around the train, asking questions to everyone and everything.
"Hey…" Tanya started again. This time she looked a bit serious. Sadness hinted in the depth of her eyes. "Do you remember… how we first met?" Claude felt as he was struck by lighting by the question. He stared at her, though not quite as piercing as usual. Tanya looked back, her eyes softened. He couldn't say anything. Anything about it at all. He looked down, feeling ashamed. Of course, women are seemingly over dramatic about these things. That everyday should be remembered or something like that. But for him as well, that would hurt and be embarrassing. Tanya sensed his answer and gave a small smile.
"Well… that's alright I guess. I mean, we were little back then, and… it was so long ago…" her words drifted, finding words to say to comfort him.
"I'm sorry," he said. That was the only thing he could say after all.
"That's fine, just wanted to know," she replied, though her voice uneasy.
Then, the door from the car cable opened, entering a young man yet who looked as though he had just turned forty. His face wasn't wrinkled yet, but his eyes were stern and his gestures were stiff. He also wore a large overcoat filled with medals at his right chest. Korran looked up and stopped reading. Then the three Enpros in the car stood up, giving a firm salute to the man. Jedd entered and gasping for breath, he gave his most solid salute as well.
"Who is in command of this set of Enpros?" the rich voice commanded.
"Reporting, sir," Claude stepped forward and responded firmly.
The man nodded and motioned them to sit. " I am general Wolf, head of the R-forces at Stila Village. My troops are in position and are fully prepared for any attack. You must know by now the task given to you, are you yourself prepared?" he introduced and gave a formal military start. They all nodded.
"The attack time is uncertain, we all know that. Yet, our limit must be tonight. We must prevent harm of the citizens of the village. For any questions, you must ask them immediately or now," he added, glancing around them. Korran raised her hand. It wasn't that strict that you had to wait for them to allow you to speak, but she was more of the A-student girl. "They said that we are 5 Enpros, but we're only 4 now. So where's-"
"- Ms. Gabiell is at the front entrance of the village, monitoring the surroundings and substituting my place as head of the troops temporarily," he answered quickly, in which there seemed to be a bright twinkle in his eyes when he mentioned her name but was gone in a flash. The amber-haired girl nodded and sat down. "You must be divided in order to guide the other troops. Both will consist of 2 members. There are in a range of four thousand to five thousand civilians in the village. Team A must lead the escape route at the main entrance of the village. Team B would lead at the south. After the mission, there is no need to report back to me. You need to be precise that you've got everyone back in the shelter, which is hidden in the Dead Forest. After, the train going back to Terrain will be approximately southwest from the shelter. 50 yards of distance," he gave the information and explained it like a professional general. The train came to a halt and opened up the doors outside. They got out in time to glance at the sunset.
"No time to admire, we must be at our places immediately," Jedd said and briskly walked to his post. Korran came after him. Tanya and Claude looked at each other and started to walk briskly as well.
"This may not be my first mission, but this is a new task for me," Tanya said, a hint of worry in her voice.
"So may it be. We just have to do what is ordered," Claude replied; like a stern captain. The mission was already starting as they first stepped off the train.
(a/n: hi all! Huuugs)