Mari: Well, I worked really hard on this!
Toey: Ahem!
Mari: Oh, right, sorry. We worked really hard on this.
Toey: Good job! Have a cookie! *Hands her a cookie*
Mari: Thanks! *Starts munching on cookie*
Toey: We do not own Square Enix of FFX-2 in any way.
Mari: Despite the fact that it's producers are locked in our basement.
Toey: Shh! You aren't supposed to tell them that!
Mari: Ooops!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"How are you doing?"
Paine turned to face Yaibal. "I'm fine," she replied.
"What are you going to do now?" he asked, worry visible in his kind face.
She answered without hesitation. "I'm joining the Crimson Squad," she said. "I can register as a recorder."
Yaibal looked a little taken aback. "B—but why?"
"It's my turn to do something."
He pushed his helmet up nervously. "B—but isn't that dangerous? The Crimson Squad is no place for a girl!"
Paine crossed her arms. "I'll be seventeen next month," she said pointedly. "Since when do you decide what I do and don't?"
He backed up. "All right! All right! Do whatever you want, just don't drag me into it! I'm back on duty!" With that, he jogged off to receive his orders. Paine sighed and stalked off to look for Maester Kinoc.
She found him at the Headquarters of Mushroom Rock giving instructions to people moving large cannons. "Maester Kinoc!" she cried.
"All right, men! Take a break!" He cried to his workers and then turned to face her. "What is it, my dear?"
Paine took a deep breath before answering. "I want to join the Crimson Squad as a recorder."
The portly man looked at her sideways. "I don't know," he mused, "It's an awfully dangerous job for one such as yourself. You would be better off going home."
She clenched her fists. "My home is gone. I don't care about the danger."
Kinoc stood still for a moment, thinking over the situation. Should he let this girl join, and most likely be killed, or should he turn her away to no family. He sighed. "Very well," he said, handing her a letter, "I've let Al Bhed join, so why not you."
Paine bowed. "Thank you, Maester Kinoc! I will not disappoint you!" She felt slightly giddy as she walked off. Finally, something she could do! As Kinoc walked away, Paine opened the letter. It read:
Dear newest Crimson Squad trainee,
We are pleased that you have applied to join our force. Your first exercise as a fighter/recorder is situated in Bikanel Desert. In your team, there will be 3 fighters and 1 recorder. Your weapons or camera will be given to you when you reach the island. Your mission is to fight of f the opposing team and take the fiends out. We will be using live ammunition so it is imperative that you are careful. Should you pass this exercise, you will undertake one more mission as issued by Maester Kinoc. The ship to Bikanel Island is scheduled to leave on the 14th at 5 o'clock. Please be at Luca on time at Dock 4.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
"Three more members," Paine muttered, "Wonder what they'll be like." She folded the letter and put it in her back pocket. She had better get to Luca soon, the ship was to leave tomorrow.
A lady dressed in red was leading a pair of chocobos into their pens.
"Hey!" Paine called. "Over here!"
The lady turned around. "Yes?" she sweetly replied, "What can I do for you, miss?"
Paine rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I was wondering if I could rent one of your chocobos and ride it to the end of the Highroad. I sort of need to get to Luca by tomorrow," she squinted to read the woman's identification tag in the fading light, "Elma."
Elma frowned. "I don't know...it's getting pretty dark. Are you sure you want to go now? There is a higher risk of accidents occurring at night. Muggers, villains, scavengers, it's not too safe out there..."
Sighing, Paine dug around in one of her pockets. "How about for two thousand gil?" she said, producing the money.
The lady smiled, "Anything for you, miss!" She handed over the reins of the large bird to Paine.
It had been a while since she had ridden one of these things. Awkwardly swinging her legs over the feathery back, Paine was off. The chocobo trotted at a leisurely pace down the road. As they moved farther, Paine saw more and more dark shapes and remains of people's lives.
She stopped the bird in front of the place where her town had been. All of the huts had been ripped out by the roots, leaving only a small platform of cobblestones. As she moved around, glint of metal caught her eye. She moved over to her old sword, which had somehow gotten stuck in a tree trunk. Upon touching it, she shuddered, remembering what she had done.
In her haste to get home, she had killed another. A Crusader. One who was devoted to defend others against Sin. She killed him. "I'd better leave you here," she murmured, and left with her chocobo moving slightly faster than before.
Most of the South End had been untouched. Only the Travel Agency had been destroyed. Paine waved solemnly at the workers, showing them that she understood their grief.
The rest of the ride went smoothly, for the most part. She rounded the last bend and rode into Luca. The city was eerily silent at this hour, and the streets were mainly empty. It had probably come as a shock to them, for the Highroad had never been attacked directly by Sin. Paine tied the chocobo to a lamppost and sat down on a park bench, surveying her surroundings.
As she thought, Luca had been untouched, but for the debris that littered the ground. She lay back and closed her eyes for a moment. Just a moment...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Toey: *Yawns* Great. Now I feel sleepy.
Mari: I know. Staying up all night typing this is hard work.
Toey: Coffee?
Mari: Why, I'd love some!
Random reader: Uh oh...
Toey: Ahem!
Mari: Oh, right, sorry. We worked really hard on this.
Toey: Good job! Have a cookie! *Hands her a cookie*
Mari: Thanks! *Starts munching on cookie*
Toey: We do not own Square Enix of FFX-2 in any way.
Mari: Despite the fact that it's producers are locked in our basement.
Toey: Shh! You aren't supposed to tell them that!
Mari: Ooops!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"How are you doing?"
Paine turned to face Yaibal. "I'm fine," she replied.
"What are you going to do now?" he asked, worry visible in his kind face.
She answered without hesitation. "I'm joining the Crimson Squad," she said. "I can register as a recorder."
Yaibal looked a little taken aback. "B—but why?"
"It's my turn to do something."
He pushed his helmet up nervously. "B—but isn't that dangerous? The Crimson Squad is no place for a girl!"
Paine crossed her arms. "I'll be seventeen next month," she said pointedly. "Since when do you decide what I do and don't?"
He backed up. "All right! All right! Do whatever you want, just don't drag me into it! I'm back on duty!" With that, he jogged off to receive his orders. Paine sighed and stalked off to look for Maester Kinoc.
She found him at the Headquarters of Mushroom Rock giving instructions to people moving large cannons. "Maester Kinoc!" she cried.
"All right, men! Take a break!" He cried to his workers and then turned to face her. "What is it, my dear?"
Paine took a deep breath before answering. "I want to join the Crimson Squad as a recorder."
The portly man looked at her sideways. "I don't know," he mused, "It's an awfully dangerous job for one such as yourself. You would be better off going home."
She clenched her fists. "My home is gone. I don't care about the danger."
Kinoc stood still for a moment, thinking over the situation. Should he let this girl join, and most likely be killed, or should he turn her away to no family. He sighed. "Very well," he said, handing her a letter, "I've let Al Bhed join, so why not you."
Paine bowed. "Thank you, Maester Kinoc! I will not disappoint you!" She felt slightly giddy as she walked off. Finally, something she could do! As Kinoc walked away, Paine opened the letter. It read:
Dear newest Crimson Squad trainee,
We are pleased that you have applied to join our force. Your first exercise as a fighter/recorder is situated in Bikanel Desert. In your team, there will be 3 fighters and 1 recorder. Your weapons or camera will be given to you when you reach the island. Your mission is to fight of f the opposing team and take the fiends out. We will be using live ammunition so it is imperative that you are careful. Should you pass this exercise, you will undertake one more mission as issued by Maester Kinoc. The ship to Bikanel Island is scheduled to leave on the 14th at 5 o'clock. Please be at Luca on time at Dock 4.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
"Three more members," Paine muttered, "Wonder what they'll be like." She folded the letter and put it in her back pocket. She had better get to Luca soon, the ship was to leave tomorrow.
A lady dressed in red was leading a pair of chocobos into their pens.
"Hey!" Paine called. "Over here!"
The lady turned around. "Yes?" she sweetly replied, "What can I do for you, miss?"
Paine rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I was wondering if I could rent one of your chocobos and ride it to the end of the Highroad. I sort of need to get to Luca by tomorrow," she squinted to read the woman's identification tag in the fading light, "Elma."
Elma frowned. "I don't know...it's getting pretty dark. Are you sure you want to go now? There is a higher risk of accidents occurring at night. Muggers, villains, scavengers, it's not too safe out there..."
Sighing, Paine dug around in one of her pockets. "How about for two thousand gil?" she said, producing the money.
The lady smiled, "Anything for you, miss!" She handed over the reins of the large bird to Paine.
It had been a while since she had ridden one of these things. Awkwardly swinging her legs over the feathery back, Paine was off. The chocobo trotted at a leisurely pace down the road. As they moved farther, Paine saw more and more dark shapes and remains of people's lives.
She stopped the bird in front of the place where her town had been. All of the huts had been ripped out by the roots, leaving only a small platform of cobblestones. As she moved around, glint of metal caught her eye. She moved over to her old sword, which had somehow gotten stuck in a tree trunk. Upon touching it, she shuddered, remembering what she had done.
In her haste to get home, she had killed another. A Crusader. One who was devoted to defend others against Sin. She killed him. "I'd better leave you here," she murmured, and left with her chocobo moving slightly faster than before.
Most of the South End had been untouched. Only the Travel Agency had been destroyed. Paine waved solemnly at the workers, showing them that she understood their grief.
The rest of the ride went smoothly, for the most part. She rounded the last bend and rode into Luca. The city was eerily silent at this hour, and the streets were mainly empty. It had probably come as a shock to them, for the Highroad had never been attacked directly by Sin. Paine tied the chocobo to a lamppost and sat down on a park bench, surveying her surroundings.
As she thought, Luca had been untouched, but for the debris that littered the ground. She lay back and closed her eyes for a moment. Just a moment...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Toey: *Yawns* Great. Now I feel sleepy.
Mari: I know. Staying up all night typing this is hard work.
Toey: Coffee?
Mari: Why, I'd love some!
Random reader: Uh oh...