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year 5, quarter 3
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Aela was beginning to think she would be a whole lot safer if she traveled to Mount Hotan by herself. The expression on her face could only be described as 'bemused' as she watched some puffed-chested youth flip a knife as he talked about things he knew nothing about. There wasn't enough Materia in the world to have her entrust her safekeeping with this...boy.
The black haired woman just groaned when the boy knicked himself while trying to perform a more complicated knife flick. Dismissing him with a flick of a finger towards whatever direction he'd come from. Shaking her head when he all but pouted and skulked off. Aela turned to regard the stall master who was barely containing his amusement while he cooked her request for kebabs. "Laugh, you know you want to. If they find whatever is left of my corpse, I bequeath to you my earthly goods so you might glance on them and have a chuckle now and then."
Taking the kebab that was handed to her and a tall glass of some kind of fruit juice she wasn't sure she remembered the name of. Delicately taking a bit of meat from the skewer and chewing with a sigh as she tapped a nail on the table. Perhaps she could manage it on her own.
Having all the confidence in the world wouldn't do much for her if she found even a single monster willing to push past a face full of lightning or fire to get to her. No, she needed someone (or someones) to stand between her and the hungry beasts. Glancing over to the stall master as he turned quickly to snicker into his hands before spotting another person holding her small flyer. Impossibly, he looked even younger.
Aela snatched the paper out of his hand and didn't even bother with his name before gesturing him to keep moving. How was it that it took her coming to an entirely new world to miss having Rufus Shinra as a contact? At least the Turks knew what they were about and were just as quick to tell her when they thought her expedition was above their pay grade instead of some foolish attempt to prove themselves.
She also missed not having to buy everything from her own resources.
Lifting her glass to take a sip, only to pause with the glass perched on her bottom lip as she watched a damned Soldier approach with one of her flyers in hand. Nor was this any Soldier, some no name 3rd Class that no one could recall. The unmistakably massive sword on his back and the fact that he stood apart from everyone milling about.
Offering a wave of her hand when he glanced her way and gestured to the chair across from her. "I certainly didn't expect a Soldier to take up my modest offer, especially not a 1st Class Soldier." You did not grow up in Midgar without learning that some deference and respect was afforded to the 1st Class Soldiers of Shinra. They were held to an almost god-like status and cultivated an entire fan base. Especially one of the 'top 3'. "Quite the honor to meet you. My name is Aela." Gaia damn this whole thing with time points. In her 'world', this man was dead and venerated.
A smug glance to the stall master who was just wide eyed before she gestured and he quickly set about setting up another portion for Angeal.
For the first time in weeks, Angeal felt refreshed. The journey to Provo hadn’t been a terribly exciting venture, but it was definitely long without anything to carry him other than his own two feet. With nothing much to his name and very few people looking for a helping hand, the Soldier had been down on his luck as far as gil went. Night after night of sleeping under the stars had aggravated part of his back beyond belief, and when he’d finally arrived to the larger settlement near the sea, Angeal had been quick to spend what little he’d earned on a goddamn bed for one evening.
It was a rough looking inn on the edge of the city, but it was cheap and the keeper didn’t bother asking any questions. The room had been small, with no amenities, but the dark haired Soldier could care less. If anything, it reminded him of home.
One night of restful sleep wasn’t enough to cure the ache under his shoulder blade, but it was certainly more than enough to clear the ever-present clouds in his mind. With a more improved mood and a town full of possibilities, the morning touted itself as a gift from the goddess. Or, whatever Genesis meant when he said that.
Angeal took to the streets after grabbing his few effects from his room at the Inn; his beloved sword and a travel pack that had grown lighter over the last week or so. With the bag slung over his shoulder, the Soldier headed into town, curiously eyeing the people and embracing the atmosphere. His typical Soldier uniform didn’t stick out much in the crowd, but his sword typically had people keeping their distance; eyes wary and body language unsure. Angeal frowned, shoving his gloved hands into his pockets as he walked along the sidewalk. It wasn’t something he wasn’t used to -- not everyone in Midgar and beyond liked Shinra or Soldiers -- but it made catching anyone’s eye a bit more difficult.
It was a pleasant day, at least. The sun warmed his skin and the nearby sea blew in a cool, salty breeze. As he approached a more crowded area of the city, Angeal took a moment to pause and look things over. At the edge of one street was a board, littered with posts. Curious, Hewley marched over, boots hitting the pavement hard as he increased his speed, seeing the words he’d been hoping to find.
Help wanted.
“Finally,” the dark haired man breathed a sigh of relief, glowing eyes scanning over the various documents here and there stapled to the board. There was certainly a breadth of options to choose from; picking vegetables, escorting people from city to city, and … Bodyguard work? Angeal cocked an eyebrow, reaching up and pulling the flyer off of the board, scanning the paper. An expedition to Mount Hotan, wherever that was. It was offering a hefty pay, though, and Angeal’s stomach turned at the thought of eating fish cooked over a fire under the stars for yet another string of nights.
He could easily pretend it was an assigned mission, really. What he was doing these days may be considered more mercenary work, but … Well, who was watching? He was alone.
Angeal followed the directions on the flyer, searching for the name of the place listed for meeting the client. It didn’t take long to find, both the directions and the scent of cooked food lulling the Soldier along as he clutched the flyer in one hand. He paused for a moment, glancing back down at the paper to get an idea of who to look for. Whoever it was, they’d hopefully be enticed enough by his stature and weapon … The words First Class Soldier meant nothing in this new world.
By the time he’d glanced back up, a hand had shot up into the air, beckoning him. Well, that wasn’t too difficult, Angeal thought, moving forward to meet the woman who’d presumably be hiring him. She was seated at a table with the remains of a kabob and some sort of colorful drink, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. Not anyone he was familiar with, unfortunately, but Angeal had yet to be so lucky. "I certainly didn't expect a Soldier to take up my modest offer, especially not a 1st Class Soldier,” the woman spoke first, motioning for him to sit down. Angeal gave her a pointed look, furrowing his brows as he removed the Buster Sword from his back, setting it against the side of the table before taking a seat.
She knows I’m a Soldier? Could she be…?
"Quite the honor to meet you. My name is Aela."
“I’m Angeal,” the Soldier dutifully replied, giving the woman a curious look, “But, it sounds like you may have already known that.”
Setting the flyer on the table, Angeal leaned back in his chair, ignoring the way the wood protested against his weight, “I’m assuming you didn’t wave me over here just to reminisce about Shinra, though. Are you still looking for someone to help you?”
How long can you swallow the pain? Before it comes round again, And a shadow in the valley will lead you to them, So don't follow.
Aela took a moment to take in the man's figure and when he removed the sword from his back, her eyes followed the action. It was a memorable weapon, her lips tugging to show the ghost of a far more impish smile. Well, she didn't know him well enough to ask about overcompensation. Besides, she wanted to secure him for this expedition and teasing a man about how big his 'sword' was wasn't exactly the way to go about it. Though, the mirth was easily seen, it was a gentle thing; not malicious or cruel.
"To be fair, that sword is hard to mistake so yes,I do. Though, I will say there are worse options for being the first from my own world to meet. Your name has about as much heft as that sword, in my time." Shinra had taken the smart approach for the fallen trio and venerated them, holding them to the lofty heights of hero. Smart, though she was never certain what came from Shinra could be trusted as truth.
"As it happens, I am. It doesn't pay what I would normally be able to offer, but it seems reasonable enough here to have every youth with a sword strapped to their hip to come calling. It's been a frustrating morning. I'll consider myself lucky if you come on board. Mount Hotan is said to have quite a few active beasts lurking along it's heights. I'm not incompetent in a fight but I'm smart enough to know that I don't want to be the only target if something can get past my spells." She turned her wrist to reveal the Materia embedded into the cuff she wore. Oddly enough, three of them looked to be easily removed.
Pausing when the stall master brought over a trio of kabobs and a tall glass of colorful juice that smelled pleasantly sweet, and gesturing for him to eat while she explained. Only pausing to actually take the drink she'd aborted upon seeing and recognizing him. "Luckily, I was about to go on an expedition from Midgar when I was...brought here. So, we'll at least be traveling comfortably. Since you're saving me from having to pay an entire team, I'll be able to afford you a chocobo that can handle the climb. I don't know the area, but I've a map and know where I want to be. Your job will be to get me there, keep the site safe once it's set up and get me back in relatively one piece. You'll be paid in full upon us returning to Provo, plus a share of anything I find of value while we're up there so long as you stick around long enough for me to turn anything I won't be keeping. I will also leave it open to negotiations should we find something you want to keep, as well." It was generous, but Aela didn't play 'fast and loose' when it came to her well-being and she would not be short-changing anyone offering to defend her from possible death.
She paused to take another bite of the kabob meat and chewed thoughtfully. Swallowing before she continued. "Do you have any stipulations or requirements beyond what I've laid out? I've never had the honor of working with Soldier before. Only Turks. Which, yes, is exactly as tedious as it sounds. Oh, as a bonus I utterly despise Shinra's rations and had my own set up for my...initial expedition. So you won't die of food poisoning while we're en route.' The last said with more of a peek into the razored humor Aela claimed as her own.
"If everything goes smoothly, this won't be the only expedition I'll be arranging. There seems to be no shortage of dangerous, mostly uncharted places in this world. Unless Soldiers are just as inclined to give missions names." Said as she rubbed her index and middle finger along her temple as if warding off a headache. "I'm not quite sure what recruitment policy Rufus had in place, but I had to suffer being part of an expedition they named Tits Up. It did go tits up, but that wasn't the point." And she would argue that point all the way to the Lifestream.
Though, this planet didn't seem to have one. Or, it didn't have one that she or anyone else knew of. As often it did, that had her musing. Not many people in their world even considered that the Lifestream was an actual thing. So, there certainly could be something like it here. Ael took another sip of her drink as she considered that if it did exist, could Materia be made of it like on their world? It was something to look into, certainly.
Your name has about as much heft as that sword, in my time.
In my time. That was an odd addition to an otherwise normal response. Angeal knew he was easily recognizable around Midgar and beyond, as much a benefit as it was embarrassing. He was not a man who ever intended to be in any sort of spotlight, and thankfully, Genesis and Sephiroth had been much more popular amongst the populace than he was. His name carried a weight, though, and helped to inspire others to join the ranks of Soldier and help people. That much he could appreciate.
The Soldier listened intently as Aela began to describe her morning and failed attempts to get anyone to join her venture. Mount Hotan … Right, he’d seen the area on his map. Though he was, obviously, unfamiliar with this particular mountain, he was certainly accustomed to the types of beasts that tended to frequent such locations. Most monsters hardly stood a chance against a 1st Class Soldier as it was … There were few out there that would be able to challenge him, in all likelihood. The woman mentioned spells and, as she turned her wrist, Angeal caught the familiar, brilliant twinkle of materia.
A man arrived at the table, placing a dish with a kabob and a colorful drink in front of Angeal. The Soldier furrowed his brows for a moment, giving the man a quiet thanks as he walked away and Aela gestured for him to help himself. Typically, he would never indulge in a token without insisting on paying it back, but good lord was he tired of eating fish recently.
Ugh, he’d forgotten what food prepared by someone else tasted like. The kabob was well cooked, not too tough, spiced well. Were he any less of a decent human being, Angeal likely would have been drooling to finally have a decent meal.
Aela went on to explain more while he enjoyed his food too quickly. It seemed to be a relatively easy request, considering all of his prior life experience. A trip up the mountain, she would grab what she needed, he’d stand guard and slay any particularly nasty critters, and they’d be on their way back. So long as they didn’t stray too closely to any nesting beasts, Angeal could hardly see there being too much of a concern. The pay off for the ordeal would be more than enough.
It feels strange, though. Less like a mission, and more like I’m picking up mercenary work.
“Stipulations?” Angeal repeated the word, his eyes widening just a touch at the question. Well, that was certainly different. Soldiers weren’t typically offered much input in their jobs. Sephiroth could dictate what he did and didn’t want to do at times, but Angeal had never had the pleasure. Which he didn’t mind. He took orders, that was his job. The Soldier shook his head, his voice level but laced with a light humor, “No, there’s nothing I need to do my job other than orders. Not having to shove down Shinra rations is enough of a bonus.”
Though they weren’t the worst thing he’d ever eaten -- that honor belonged to his attempt to teach Zack how to cook -- the bags of dried, crunchy bars of sawdust were hardly enjoyable.
“Most of my mission names were combinations of numbers and letters,” Angeal admitted, cocking an eyebrow at the mention of Turks, “Definitely not anything like Tits up. I think you can save the unsavory names for another partner.”
The mention of the name Rufus was odd. Wasn’t that President Shinra’s son? He hardly had any power or hierarchy in the company as far as Hewley knew; not that he kept up much with such things. The boy was a teenager, and while everyone had expected him to eventually be named Vice President, nothing of the sort had happened yet. Well, maybe he had more to do with the company than Angeal knew. It wouldn’t have surprised him.
He took a swig of the colorful drink -- sweet and fruity, definitely nothing like the black coffee he would have been enjoying in his apartment if he weren’t in an entirely different world. Angeal set the glass down before crossing his arms over his chest, eyeing the woman on the other side of the table with an easy confidence. This talk had been soothing, in a way. For a moment, his life felt somewhat normal. A mission briefing. Bodyguard duty.
“I’m happy to accompany you for this expedition, at the very least. Obviously, I’m out of my, er--,” Angeal cocked his head slightly, a concerned frown tugging at his already neutrally serious face, “-- typical job, as it were. It doesn’t sound much different than the missions I would be doing back at Shinra.”
He was a man without a job, without his friends and allies, and currently, without much purpose.
“You tell me when, where, and what you need, and I’ll do it for decent enough pay, so long as it doesn’t negatively impact the well-being of anyone else.”
How long can you swallow the pain? Before it comes round again, And a shadow in the valley will lead you to them, So don't follow.
