Awake and Alive (open)

[Blint Basael]

Floating, weightless like in a dream he wakes with a start and begins to fall. Panicked and desperate he reaches out and catches himself on a narrow ledge. With a sigh of relief he looks into the endless void, takes a breath, and slowly begins to climb. Hand over hand he makes he way up the cliff. He hopes and he prays that he doesn’t fail or fall. Sensing that the end is near he reaches the top and begins to run. He finally sees what he wants to do. He finally sees what he needs to do. It’s right there staring at him, so close that he can touch it, all he needs to do is reach out and take it.

For some reason he can't explain he hesitates then stops and looks around. He notices his shadow growing behind him and suddenly he can’t move. It feels like there is a mountain above him and at anytime it will fall and it's impossible weight will crush him. The shadow continues to grow and when it can’t possible get any larger it quickly engulfs him. Fear washes over him and the ground then cracks with a horrible shatter and suddenly he finds himself falling again. This time though there is nothing that he can catch to save himself. He just helplessly falls and falls until, finally, he is swallowed up by the void.

Blint woke with a start and a pain in his chest. Short of breath, he had to remind himself to breath and realized he was sitting up and covered in a cold sweat. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths trying to calm down and slow his heart. He looked at the clock as he pushed the dream that had been haunting him for months, to the back of his mind. The red dials said it was just past 4 am and already he could hear the sounds of the city coming to life. Deciding it would be pointless to go back to bed he slid out of bed and got ready to start his day.

This happened more often then he cared for so he had thought of way to kill the extra time a long time ago, he had started a new project. His little brother was starting to get into free-running, so Blint thought it would be a good idea to modify some of the gear he was using. Once he was done James would be able to go faster and fly farther. So far he just promised the boy a surprise. He still wasn‘t sure if he should tell him what he was working on. Once he was done Blint might he go on a few runs with the kid.

By six o’clock and after a full pot of coffee Blint was finishing up the work he was doing on the gloves. Using the same type of tech that was in his fake hand, he was hoping that he would be able to strengthen and improve the fingers so that the gloves would give the wearer a stronger grip. It would come in handy when James was jumping from building to building or if he happened to get into some sort of fight. He admired his work as he finished off the last of his lukewarm coffee. The gloves still needed to be tweaked and tested, but for the most part they were done. Smiling to himself he put his equipment away and slipped his own pair of gloves on.

Usually he was opening the shop around this time, but today he had an appointment a few blocks down. So he left the lights off and grabbed his tool kit on the way out. Thanks to his arm it was considerably smaller then most, but he always carried around the essentials just in case something happened. Already the city was busy with the sounds of traffic and with the motion of people going to work and running errands. He wove in and out of the moving crowd, saying hello every now and then, as he made his way to pick up a few parts he needed. Usually he got them delivered but their company's truck had broken down yesterday, and they needed someone to fix it. Seeing an easy way to save some money, Blint was able to get a pretty good discount if he agreed to pick up his order and fix their truck while he was there. It was only 6:30 and despite the nightmare it seemed like this day was going to be good one.

[Lightning]

Army Of One
”It’s not a question of can or can’t, there are some things in life you just do.”

Cocoon was normal again…well maybe normal wasn’t the right word. Things were…similar to the way they were once before, Cocoon citizens enjoying the technical world while fearing of the world below still…Gran Pulse. Lightning had been dragged all over Gran Pulse, and her being part of the sanctum, she had definitely been dragged all over Cocoon, she figured both worlds had flooded the minds of their people thinking the other world was a horrible place full of killers…but that wasn’t the case. Cocoon wasn’t a nest full of vipers waiting to strike…and sure Gran Pulse was full of bloodthirsty animals…but it sure wasn’t Hell as everyone called it. She herself had referenced the world below as Hell once before…she would never do that again, especially around Fang and Vanille if she ever ran into them.

Early morning. Lightning was starting the day off as normal…walking through the city before taking a stroll to search the beaches for anything unusual. After the break in at the Gapra Whitewood- By herself and Hope- animals and creatures had been wandering this way…and even Pulse critters wandered the area some places after everything that had happened…it had been busy for the regiment and Lightning was back to her serious soldier self. While the air outside was cool, people were bustling around the streets, going about their lives…and as the time started to reach towards 7 a.m. Lightning was in the heart of the seaside city of Bodhum, her hometown. As she walked through the crowd of people, she kept her stride going and didn’t smile or wave to anyone, just stared forward and made sure she kept herself alert. This wasn’t time to mingle or show any sort of emotion and get distracted.

That was the way Lightning worked, she wasn’t one to open up to people, and that was how it was going to stay, unless you were one of the ‘gang’ she had spent so much time with…they were a family to her. Other than that…you can forget about sympathy. Being a soldier meant only one thing…protect the people. And that’s what Lightning was going to do. As she weaved through the mass of people, she sighed and decided not to be so cold this early in the morning…she let her eyes slowly wander the area and she tried to relax…those old soldier routines really stuck with her all this time…she couldn’t help it. Even though the sanctum army hadn’t fully re-established itself, it still stuck with her…and she didn’t care. As she wandered through the people she heard some screams from behind her.

Whipping around Lightning gritted her teeth as she felt her hands turn into fists as people started running her way. They didn’t seem to care all that much about manners or anything, so long as they weren’t killed. Lightning felt several people run into her shoulders and knock her back some but she ignored the rude frantic citizens and just stood her ground as her crystal blue eyes set on the cause of the mayhem. Up ahead, a pack of Silver Lobos…escaped from the Whitewood, wildlife in training for bioweapons, were heading towards the crowd, growling and what not. She smirked to herself, being glad to have kept her L’Cie powers and what not as she ran through the less thick crowd, watching as the creatures charged forward, one leapt and went to attack a boy with white hair. Lightning rolled her eyes a bit, these kitties shouldn’t be here. “Tch…” she mumbled before leaping into the air and smiting down the lobo before it had the chance to attack the boy. Raising her gunblade up and back behind her head with the tip aiming at the rest of the animals…Lightning stood her ground as she glanced back at the now scarce crowd. “Bunch of cowards.” She grumbled shifting her gaze back to the wildlife.

Words: 757
Muse: Good
Tagged: Blint
Notes: >.> hope that was okay!

[Blint Basael]

He just had a few more blocks to go before he reached the shop. He stopped greeting and just focused on moving through the crowd as his mind started mauling over the info the driver gave him. He was brought from his train of thought though when he noticed more and more people bumping into him. He heard a shout as the crowded thinned around him and the next thing he knew he was looking a number a beasts.

Blint froze, people were running and screaming but he couldn’t seem to move. His mind was focused on fact, there were monsters in the city. That single thought kept going through his mind. He had been trained to fight but he never thought he would need to use what he learned. He had always just seen it as a way to keep fit. Now here he was standing before, Lobos, or at least that’s what he thought they were. He was brought out of his daze when a shot rang out and nearby was a lady with pink hair and a gunblade. One Lobo was down and already she was taking aim leveling her next shot.

There was a place time and place to think, this was neither of them. Blint let his instincts take over as he drew his pistols. There heads looked protected so he knew that he would have to shoot them in there flanks. The quickest way to do that would be to bounce the bullets off of the nearby building, and that is exactly what he did. With unnatural speed and accuracy, Blint took aim with his right arm because only metal and gears are able to stay steady as adrenaline rushes through his veins. He exhaled and pulled the trigger three times. Each one stayed true to it’s course, each bullet sparked as it ricocheted off of the building and embedded itself into it’s target. The Lobo yelped in pain then fell, dead.

This was his first kill and he still didn’t believe that he pulled it off. He was starting to think that this was a dream. A nice break from the usual, but the shaking in his hand and the dryness in his throat let him now that the monsters standing before him were real. Blint looked over at the women and surprisingly he nodded and was able to flash a quick smile before he turned his attention back to the last couple of beasts, wondering what was going to happen next.

[Lightning]

Army Of One
”It’s not a question of can or can’t, there are some things in life you just do.”

These Lobos were a piece of cake! Lightning remembered back when Hope and her first entered the Gapra Whitewood, these little beasts sure put up a fight, but now, being more skilled, they were little kittens to her. After taking one of them down, Lightning stopped moving and stood there for a second, another person was going against the Lobos, someone she really didn’t recognize, he had perfect aim that was for sure, especially when you wanted a bullet to ricochet off a building and hit with precise aim. She had to give him props, whoever he was, and after her moment of staring, she went back to fighting. Snapping her fingers and activating the gravity device she had on her left glove, Lightning started to glow with a light hue over her body, and with that she smirked.

Jumping into the air with great height, she came down slamming her gunblade down on a lobo and leaping backwards to the next, almost a chain reaction. All things started going great until a Lobo was ready for her and clawed at her, knocking her off balance and back to the ground, deactivating her gravity device. She sat up and grabbed her gunblade and made her way to her feet again, snapping her fingers a few times as the device just sparked and nothing worked. “Tch…Great.” She mumbled before running at the creatures again, the number of them was diminishing, and some were even running away from the city, well less things to fight that was always good.

Hadn’t this gone on long enough? Lightning was starting to get irritated, though that was pretty easy with her, this battle had gone on long enough, yet it was so close to being over there was no need to summon Odin or anything like that. Landing on her feet from a back flip to avoid an attack, Lightning threw fiery magic at a pair of lobos and they yelped once the fire hit them, a weakness was always the way to go. As the creatures began to retreat Lightning had a small smile on her face as she held her gunblade at her side before lifting it up and folding it back into the pouch behind her legs. Well that was a giant waste of time, crossing her arms across her chest Lightning looked over at Blint. “Nice shooting Kid…” she said in a monotone, but it was still praise. Starting a few strides away from the ‘battlefield’ Lightning then stopped and turned back to face Blint. “Where did you learn to shoot like that?” She asked out of sheer curiosity, she was good at shooting her own gunblade…but not as good as what she just witnessed.

Words: 545
Muse: It started to die....right at the very end! BUT I DID IT!
Tagged: Blint
Notes: None Except sorry for the....crap-qualities.

[Blint Basael]

Blint was ready to kill another lobo, but as he watch this stranger he realized that there was no need for him to. She was obviously a seasoned fighter, anticipating each move and placing herself exactly where she needed to be. His eyes were drawn to her weapon. It was a collapsible gun blade but at one point it sparked and it seemed like it didn't work.

He holstered his guns but still stayed ready in case he needed to rush forward and help. Turns out there was no need. The monsters that didn't run off she killed with a blast of fire. He wanted to ask who she was but before he got the chance she gave him a complement then was walking away. He was tempted to go after her, but before he could make up his mind between following and just going on his way, she turned around.

It wasn't the question he was expecting, but after thinking about it he wasn't surprised. "I taught it to myself. It took a couple years to master and even then it's only possible because of my arm." As he spoke he rolled up his right sleeve to show her his mechanical arm. He smiled as he went on. "This is probably my pride and joy, and without it I have no idea where I would be right now." He rolled down his sleeve then held out his hand. "My name is Blint. It's a pleasure to meet you, even if it was under unusual circumstances."

He wanted to go on and tell her how great she was in the fight but already he could feel that he was rambling and he didn't want to scare her off so he shut his mouth and waited to see how she reacted. Some people wouldn't look at him once they saw his arm other's ignored it and yet others accepted it and treated him like everyone else. Those in the last category he tended to like.

(Notes)
Word Count: 346
Muse: Distracted
Target: Lightning
Other: Next time I promise it'll be better.

[Lightning]

Army Of One
”It’s not a question of can or can’t, there are some things in life you just do.”

The Guardian Crops taught Lightning some of the basic skills when it came to fighting…strategy wise. Most of the soldiers fought blind in the field, they never really had information on what they would be battling. A target was a target, and that’s how she looked at things. But this…this battle was a cakewalk, too easy really. A few bullets flying around and that was pretty much it, thought the cast of fire magic seemed to do the trick just to get the creatures to retreat and hopefully never come back to this area again. If they did, Lightning could easily take care of it…unless PSICOM wanted to deal with it. The Woodlands battalion seemed to be having trouble maintaining the Gapra Whitewood wildlife, and from experience, there were far worse creatures there than those silly little Lobos.

The battle was over, not that it was much of a battle, but still, now Lightning could be on her way towards the beach to check out things there, just to make sure everything was safe and what not. But, before heading over to the beach, some curiosity sparked in the young soldier’s mind, hence she stopped, turned, and asked that question of how he learned to shoot like that. The answer she got it sort of surprised her, but even more when he pulled back his sleeve and revealed a metal arm. Her eyes widened a tiny bit as she looked at the metal arm he had, that was something he had never seen before, but it didn’t weird her out or anything, in fact, nothing did anymore. With all she had been through with the Fal’Cie, Pulse, and her focus, nothing really fazed her anymore. She simply nodded and let her eyes glance from the arm back to Blint’s face, not wanting to seem like she was staring at the arm or anything.

Introductions, Lightning wasn’t much of a talker at first, but eventually…slowly she’d warm up to people. Though the talking thing never really changed, most of the time she kept silent with few things to say, unless she were around Fang or something, then more words would spill out, but in general Light was a quiet girl with determination written all over her face. She stuck her hand out and shook Blint’s as he stated his name. She nodded a bit before placing her hands on her hips after the handshake. “Lightning…” she said glancing back to where the Lobo’s had retreated, just to make sure they really were gone. “Unusual circumstances…right.” She said with a small nod, turning back to Blint. “Like I said…that was some nice shooting back there.” Creating conversations wasn’t really a strong point for her, but gotta give her credit for trying.

Words: 547
Muse: Meh, it was alright.
Tagged: Blint
Notes: None

[Blint Basael]

As he talked he could feel his body calm down as the adrenaline left his system. This was defiantly a learning experience for him and he had no idea how he felt about it. At least he know knew he could do what had to be done when it came down to it. While most others were either running or doing nothing, he was able to draw his weapon and defend himself.

He was already running late, but he didn't want to seem rude. Besides this woman actually intrigued him. Without anybody asking she came in a stopped all those monsters like it was no big deal. It seemed it was something she did a lot. He smiled as he spoke "Thanks, again but it was nothing compared to what you did. Where do you think they came from. The only place I can think of is the Gapra Whitewood."

[Lightning]

Army Of One
”It’s not a question of can or can’t, there are some things in life you just do.”

It seemed as if they both had the same theory. Lightning had actually seen these creatures in person at the Gapra Whitewood, civilians weren’t allowed in there, but her and Hope had managed to slip in unnoticed for the most part and make it to Palumpolum easily avoiding the angry teeth and claws that lashed at them. With a smirk on Light’s face she folded her arms across her chest and looked away from Lightning. “When you’re part of the Guardian Corps…you gotta be ready for anyone. Fearless, but thanks.” She said nodding her head a bit with a small smile twitching at the corner of her lips as she looked off into the distance, the direction it would take to get to the Whitewood. Perhaps she would go check it out, make sure there weren’t any escape holes or people releasing the wildlife. “I’ve been to the Gapra Whitewood…I’ve seen these creatures there before…so that’s my guess.” She shrugged a bit still not facing Blint.

With a small sigh Lightning turned back around to face Blint, her arms still crossed and her expression on the borderline between nothing, and slightly happy. “There are far worse creatures from the Whitewood…and I’d hate to see any of them show up here or anywhere else on Cocoon.” It sounded like a mission to her! It’d give her something to do, even if it did take a few days to travel all the way back towards Palumpolum. From Bodhum, to the Vile Peaks, to the Whitewood…things would be tiring, but challenging at the same time, two things Lightning didn’t mind. Though last time she had ran through those areas she was just beginning to learn her L’Cie powers…this time around, it should be a little easier.

Looking at Blint, Lightning decided it was probably time to get going if she wanted to be at the Vile Peaks by sun down. Though she was used to pulling all nighters and going long periods of time without sleep or food, it was that Soldier side of her. Nothing else mattered when you had a goal to focus on. With that she nodded at him and started her departure. “I better get going…I’ve gotta make sure the Whitewood is maintaining its wildlife…otherwise we’ll have more attacks like that one a few moments ago…and possibly worse and fatal.” She said with a serious look on her face, with that said and done, she turned quickly, the red cape that hung on the back of her left shoulder blew in the breeze as she turned, and after turning, she stared walking off with that Soldier swag in her strides. This would be fun…though reminiscing on those days with Hope and the others…she wished someone was there to tag along…Hell, even Snow.

Words: 560
Muse: Good
Tagged: Blint
Notes: None

[Blint Basael]

The Gapra Whitewood was something he had always been curious about. Civilians weren't allowed of course, but that didn't stop rumors from spreading. He had heard talk of Sanctum taking monsters and turning them into bio-weapons, but never thought to much about it. When Lightning said she was part of the Guardian Corps he wasn't surprised. It explained everything that he had just witnessed.

Even though her back was turned to him he still looked at her as she spoke. As he listened to her, his mind started to work. What if more came? She said there was thing that were far worse. If they came here what would happen? He didn't like where those thoughts where going so he cut them off, and instead payed attention to Lightning.

It seems she was getting ready to leave. At first Blint was fine with just saying goodbye and going on his way, the guys at the delivery shop were probably wondering where the hell he was, but as she walked away he couldn't bring himself to leave. For awhile he felt like he was meant to go out and do something, and maybe this was it. He very well might end up to regret what he was about to do, but he would never be able to let it go if he didn't.

Blint took a deep breath then followed who he hoped was his new ally. It didn't take long for him to catch up. "I noticed your weapon was sparking earlier, maybe I can do something with it." He wasn't sure how she would react. He hope that she didn't just tell him to go home, but braced himself in case that was exactly what happened.

[Lightning]

Army Of One
”It’s not a question of can or can’t, there are some things in life you just do.”

The Gapra Whitewood was filled with tons of feral creatures, bloodthirsty and definitely far from trained. Experiencing things like that first hand sure did prepare you for your second time around in places like that. Though the Whitewood wasn’t the only bit of Lightning’s worries, to get there you had to travel through the Vile Peaks. There rested Pulse Armament and other things that had hitched a ride from Pulse to Cocoon. Either way, at least Lightning was somewhat prepared for this next mission of hers. It wouldn’t be that hard to weave her way through the Vile Peaks to the Whitewood anyways, she had been to the peaks for various missions when she really was with the Guardian Corps.

While striding off, Lightning kept her eyes straight forward, focusing on the upcoming beach she was walking towards as she figured it was the easiest way to get into the Vile peaks, even though they were miles away. Perhaps she should just summon odin now and ride her way to the Vile peaks? Then safe his energy for later when she really needed her summon, but…that idea was thrown out of her mind as she heard footsteps catching up with her. Not slowing down, Lightning moved her head to the side to see Blint out of the corner of her eyes. So he was coming along? Or did he need to say something. As silence floated around she figured he was going to tag along. Now any other time she probably would’ve turned around and told him to buzz off and go home or something but…she remembered how it was when Hope followed her from the peaks and onward…she wasn’t going to make the mistake of telling someone off and telling them to go away.

Keeping a fast pace was how Lightning kept it, and if Blint fell behind…well she really didn’t know, one of two options. She would either continue on, or take a break and let him rest up, it all depended on how she felt later on. When he spoke of her weapon, Light raised an eyebrow before letting her right hand drift back and pull her gunblade out of its pouch, unfolding itself into sword form she patted the blade against her left hand and studied it for a moment. “It probably needs to be worked on…” she started before folding it back into her pouch and raising her left hand. It had rectangular button-like shapes on it where her knuckles were on the dark blue fingerless glove. “This is probably what you saw sparking.” She said before snapping her left hand fingers and it gave off a jolt of a transparent pink spark. “Anti-Gravity device…damn thing gives out every now and then.” She said before resting her hand at her side as she continued to walk on.

With a heavy sigh she stopped for a moment, placing her right hand on her hip and her left hand just stayed at her side. “Are you sure about this…The Whitewood is full of dangerous bloodthirsty creatures…let alone getting through the Vile Peaks…that’s full of Pulse mechanical armament.” She said just as a warning, just to make sure Blint still wanted to go. Lightning didn’t want to have to swoop in the play hero when coming across many creatures at a time. He had been good when shooting the Lobos…but far worse things were out there. Lightning knew it, she’d seen them.

Words: 666
Muse: Good
Tagged: Blint
Notes: None

[Blint Basael]

He wasn't sure why he followed her. He had no need to, no reason to, and a lot to lose. He had his own successful shop, a great brother, and a good father. Albeit a drunk but that would hopefully change soon. Sure he felt that he needed to get out and do something, but that didn't mean he had to go and risk his life. Still despite all of these thoughts Blint found himself picking up his pace to keep up with Lightning.

He watched as she pulled out her weapons and loved how it moved. It was simple in design, but very functional. With a simple push of a button it could fold out from a gun and change form into a blade. It was similar to how the tools in his hand and arm worked. The difference being his was hooked up to his nervous system and was micro in scale.

As she showed her anti-gravity device he was tempted to just take it off of her hand, but restrained himself. He was used to working with things similar to it but he wasn't use to a version so small. For awhile now he had the idea for a set of wings, but the weight had always been a problem. He tried scaling it down but they were never able to produce the effect needed. If he could look at her device however he could see what he was doing wrong, he might be able to modify it and use it in his design. Before he could get to far ahead of himself told himself to pay attention to his new ally. "Don't worry about me I can do more then bounce bullets off of buildings, and if it's mechanical then all I'll have to do is take it apart."

As he spoke the last part he slipped his glove off and let his fingers cycle through few tools. "I've become very good at that." He wasn't exaggerating to much, he could take care of himself, he just wasn't sure to what extent. He wasn't exactly field tested. He took only last look at the buildings, with doubt at the edges of his mind. With a final mental shrug he cast the doubt aside and looked forward with a slight smile on his face. Sure he was going to face creatures that would like nothing more then to rip him limb from limb, but if that meant keeping them away from the city, and ultimately away from his family and friends then perhaps that would be worth it.

[Lightning]

Army Of One
”It’s not a question of can or can’t, there are some things in life you just do.”

Lightning wasn’t bothered with Blint coming along, she just didn’t want to have to look after anyone. In fact, she was more than okay with the company, it would give her a sense of…not being so alone anymore. She was labeled as a ‘lone wolf’ while in the Guardian Corps, and throughout a lot of her journey with Hope, Fang and the others, she’d softened up a bit, cherishing the family she had formed there with all of them…now she wasn’t a big marshmallow or anything, but a little less on the cold side than she was before, though she still maintained her unfeeling soldier-like attitude, not wanting to soften up too much, she wanted to stay strong and tough like before, but…that didn’t mean she had to be completely heartless.

Her weapons seemed to be okay, sure they needed to be worked on every now and then, but Lightning was sure she could manage for the time being. The anti-gravity device did go out sometimes, only after taking a hit hard enough, though it was starting to get unreal, she’d have to fix it up before trying to use it for a long term use. For now though, Light only focused on getting to the beach and starting off to the Vile Peaks. She wanted to hit the outskirts of the peaks before nightfall. No telling what sort of Cocoon creatures or even Pulse were running around these days…especially if you were heading to the Whitewood, next to that being Palumpolum or even the sunleth waterscape…area’s with all sorts of creatures that weren’t exactly merciful.

Knowing Blint could take care of himself, it did ease Light’s thoughts a bit. She didn’t want to watch out for him a lot, though she knew things happened, everyone needed a bit of help every now and then. With a small smile curling on one side of her face her blue eyes flickered to Blint and then back ahead as her stride continued in her quick soldier pace. “Good to know.” The Vile Peaks were full of mechanical machinery, and if this guy was as good with mechanics as he seemed to play off that he was, then there should be no problem. In fact, things might be a little easier when taking on the Pulse armament. “Well then, the Vile Peaks should be like a playground for you.” She smirked a bit, softening a bit as she felt a little more relaxed as her eyes gazed upon the ocean in the distance. Almost to the beach, then a few miles from there, they should come across the peaks.

“I’ve been dragged up and down this beach…the peaks and the Gapra Whitewood…I’ll try to find us as many short cuts as possible.” Light said with her eyes locked on the water ahead. The beach was one place she felt…less stressful. It was pretty and she, like Serah, could spend hours out there just watching the water and relaxing, but lately there was no time for such silly ideas. Too much work and not enough play in her life. “So Blint…what exactly is it you do? I mean…you must be leaving something behind…” she said quietly as she kept walking towards the various shacks and gift shops that lined the beach.

Words: 648
Muse: Good
Tagged: Blint
Notes: I'm finally back! *dropkicks internet*

[Blint Basael]

The beach was beautiful, to say the least. The blue waves lazily breaking against the sand, and the sun starting to set just behind the horizon. It cast various hues of red and gold into the sky. Still with as pretty as it was, Blint never wanted anything to do with it. Water and sand didn't go well with machinery. His arm was waterproof, but sand was another story. It got into everything part and took forever to get out. He would just have to be careful, and make sure to keep his arm covered.

He smiled as Lightning mentioned the Vile Peaks. He had never been there, he had never had the time to explore, but he had heard stories. From what he had heard it seemed as though it was the scrapyard of Cocoon. You could find pretty much anything you needed there, provided you didn't mind risking life and limb while doing a bit of searching. ”Depends on what I find there, but from what I heard, probably.”

He kept walking forward, just behind Lightning cause he had no idea where they were going, but he also looked at all of the shops and stands. He saw families getting some last minute treats and couldn't help, but think of his mother. He smiled and nodded as Lightning's question reached him, then he realized that she couldn't see him.

"Yeah, I have a mechanic shop and house which is right below it. That along with my brother and father. Hopefully they won't worry to much while I'm gone."

As they kept on walking he realized that maybe he should get an idea of what was going through her head.

"So what exactly do have planned? Do we just walk in and see what's going on or is a bit more complicated then that?

[Lightning]

Army Of One
”It’s not a question of can or can’t, there are some things in life you just do.”

Walking towards the beach was the window of silence for Lightning. She kept her stride quick and kept herself quiet for the mean time. Coming up to the beach Light’s eyes gazed upon the water, it wasn’t too far into the day for people to really be soaking up the sun yet, but there were a few people out and about, shacks had opened up recently and Light was already on her way to battle…at least to the Vile Peaks and the Gapra Whitewood it was battle, the beach, no not so much. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, the beach was always a beautiful location, always sparkling waters and so relaxing. The sound of the tiny waves crashing into the shore, it relaxed Lightning a lot, and like her sister Serah, she could definitely spend hours out here just watching the waters until the sun set behind the horizon of waves, now that sounded relaxing to her, but for now, there was important business to take care of.

At least being through these places once before did give Light an advantage, she knew what to expect and how the creatures and armament around those areas were. The problem with the Gapra Whitewood was that if the Woodlands battalion or PSICOM got in there to stop them from ‘trespassing’ they may still think Lightning as a L’Cie, thus targeting her once again and sending Cocoon into a frenzy of paranoia once again. As silence was broken, Lightning simply nodded at his response. The Peaks were full of tons of mechanical pieces and artifacts, mostly scrap from Pulse to help repair Cocoon after the war of transgression, things just seemed to explode after that, more Pulse creatures and what not roamed around there. Lovely.

With Blint trailing behind her, Lightning walked across the now sandy ground and kept her arms at her sides swaying in an almost mechanical way, just hinging her elbows slightly as she moved with each step, that was her soldier stride, always precise and everything she did was completely accurate…and though being a soldier turned her cold and sort of emotionless…she did feel a bit bad for Blint. Why exactly was he following her? She could handle herself in the Whitewood, she wasn’t leaving much behind, sure there was Serah but she had Snow with her. “Perhaps we should stop, maybe you should go tell them you are leaving before we get to far along…you wouldn’t want them to worry.” Lightning said still facing forward as she slowed her pace down a bit.

Even with her pace slowed, Lightning continued on, listening to his words, asking her about a plan. All that ran through her mind was that quote Snow threw out every now and then ‘Since when have heroes ever needed plans?’, He was a complacent oaf who didn’t think before he did anything, but then again, Lightning didn’t exactly have a play by play plan going on, she just had a general idea of what she wanted to do. “Um…Well we head through the Peaks, and make sure the gates in and out of the Gapra Whitewood are sealed. The gate from the Whitewood to Palumpolum, and the gate to the peaks.” Sounded simple enough, so long as no battalion or PSICOM got in the way of anything.

Words: 636
Muse: Good-ish
Tagged: Blint
Notes: None!

[Blint Basael]

He thought about her offer to go back, and was tempted. After a few moments of thought though he decided to not go back. He had agreed to go through with this and he wasn't going to look back. Besides if he went back he might no risks following Lightning again. "They'll be fine without me, at least for a little bit."

Thankfully his father wasn't an angry drunk so he didn't have to worry about that, and there was enough money so his brother could get food for the next few days. The only thing he would have to do is apologize for the late orders that are sitting in his shop. With a couple all nighters those would be fixed and a slight discount those would be taken care of.

Despite the worry Blint noticed that he couldn't help but smile. He had been feeling like he was in a cage for so long now. Even getting out and doing something that might very well be the end of him was an improvement. Sure he loved his job but fixing broken parts could only help for so long. If the Vile Peaks held as much promise as he thought they did then maybe this trip would let him create something.

He wanted to ask what would happen if the gates weren't sealed, but he felt that, that might be asking one to many questions. She was defiantly a person he would have to get use to. Those of the Guardian Corps have always been just an image in his head. People that were there to fight and were hardly approachable.

He watched her as she walked. Each of movement had a purpose, and no energy was wasted. Her foot fell exactly where she wanted it to and her arms always seemed to swing in the same exact arc. Watching her Blint was reminded that the human body was the most beautiful machine there was. Every part of it working together to make one graceful step. Despite it looking so fragile, it was capable of wondrous things. His hand went to his right arm, sadly he could only mimic flesh in cold metal.