I've Still Got It! (Elena)

[Maiah (Martial Arts Female)]

Tag: Elena

Maiah sighed to herself. It had been a very long morning and afternoon. Having retired from the Turks for a bit of time off from the violent life, Maiah had spent her days working as a martial arts champion. Compared to the Turks, she had at least enough time to herself to earn a decent amount of money and ended up part of a dojo's top ranking officials. She had been offered to be the master of the dojo but she had respectfully declined. She was content in just participating and didn't want to have that responsibility on her shoulders.

Still, the quiet life was getting repetitive. What she would give for a real challenge once in a while! All the fighters she came across were nothing compared to her. None of them were like the men and women she knew among the Turks.

Today, she had whipped a few troublesome students into shape, scared off a few pathetic challengers, and was now currently in the process of removing her leather biker gloves. Having knocked out a few people earlier, not a bruise was on any of her knuckles when she revealed them. A slight smile crept upon her face at the thought of how hard she nailed those guys. They would certainly know enough not to come back here and cause trouble ever again. Maiah had made sure of it.

In the changing room, she changed her clothes from the usual Ghi/Gi to something more casual. Stuffing her gloves into her pockets, Maiah exited the dojo with her gym bag over her right shoulder. As usual, her long, layered brown hair was loose about her shoulders. As to what she was wearing, she wore a black, flowing women's coat. Underneath it, if she were to wear the coat open, it would reveal she had on a white belly shirt that revealed her abdominal muscles. Since it was closed, no one would notice unless there was a situation where she would need to throw off the coat.

For her bottom attire, she wore black cotton pants and white sneakers. Without a care about her surroundings, she wandered down the street intent on heading home. She had a nice, small apartment in Edge. Nothing too special though considering the amount of gil she made. Still, it served its purpose.

As she made her way down the long sidewalk headed homewards, she glanced around at the crowd as she passed. Did she really just want to go with the flow like this every day? It was getting sickening. "What I'd give to be back!" she murmured, passing an open alleyway as she said it. Heck, what she'd give just to see one of her former friends.

[Rod]

the - COCKY - turk
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Stretching his arms over his head as he walked, Rod gave a loud sigh. He was done with work for the day, unless you counted filing the report about the mission. That can wait until….later. Quite some time later. Call him a procrastinator, but he always left the paperwork until the very last moment it could be left until. As much as he was intelligent he was more so lazy and more into the physical aspect of his work, not the paperwork side of things. He preferred being out on the field and going on missions, and fighting. Or, hell, even fiddling with his motorcycle or his EMR, or some other gadget or two. He often found that he surprised people with how smart he actually was. Like when he had been living a ‘normal’ life, most people just took one look at him and judged him. Heh, hate ta think what they woulda said if they knew I had been a Turk.

The streets were fairly busy for the time of day, and people were going about their business like usual. Edge could be a fairly depressing place to be sometimes, but none more so than just after Meteor when Edge was starting to get built, or when Geostigma had been rife. Rod himself had had the stigma at the time, but that wasn’t something he had brought up in front of the other Turks. And he didn’t plan to either. Sure, ShinRa had done a lot of bad things, but it had also brought some good along with it. Plus, if it hadn’t been for ShinRa, there would be no Turks, and thus no family. Rod would have probably died by now, if he had continued to live the gang life, most likely. Assassinated seemed the most likely way. But even after being injured, Rod had this ability to just bounce back, quick as ever.

“What I’d give to be back!”

For some reason the words caught his attention over everything else on the street. It wasn’t until he cast his gaze around to see who had spoken that he realised why. A grin split his face immediately as his eyes landed on the woman with long brown hair, and with a face that he could recognise anywhere. Maiah! What was with this lately? All the Turks seemed to be coming back one by one now, and that was something that made him really happy. The family’s coming back together again. His eyes practically sparkled at the thought. It really would be amazing if everyone came back… But maybe everyone coming back was a little much to hope for? Either way, he was happy with the few they had now that had returned.

Rod tilted his head to the side slightly as he looked at Maiah. She had hardly changed at all. In fact, none of them had really changed, apart from all the of them being ‘bored’ with normal life. Ethan so much so, that he had confessed to jumping in front of a train. When most people’s reactions to that would have been shock or horror, Rod had just burst out laughing when he had found out. Oh, he was such a good friend… His aqua eyes remained locked onto Maiah as she made her way along the sidewalk, and he ran his teeth along his bottom lip for a second, trying to decide what to do.

I can’t not go over and say hello, now, can I?

Smiling from practically ear to ear, Rod decided to hell with it and walked up behind her. Part of him almost found it ridiculous how most of the Turks wouldn’t have left Midgar and Edge and yet somehow they had never managed to bump into one another before now. Perhaps all of this was fate or something? After all, Elena had bumped into Ethan out of blue, and now he was back. Himself and Cissnei had come back of their own accord. Maybe this was a sign that Maiah was to come back now, because he had bumped into her? Perhaps. He grinned as he reached her, quickly using his height to advantage and placing his hands over her eyes just as he spoke. “Guess who?” he asked, chuckling a little as he smirked. He wasn’t even taking into consideration that Maiah may very well not even recognise his voice, at least not at first, and that this could easily backfire on him given her martial art skills were far better than his own.

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NOTES !? lolol, will this backfire on him? XD totally one of my best ideas to have Rod join this lol coz I had fun writing this – hell, all Rod posts are fun! !?
STATUS !? finished !?
TAGGED !? maiah !?
WORDS !? 750 !?
OUTFIT !? turk uniform !?

[Maiah (Martial Arts Female)]

(OOC: Oh lawd, I definitely know what to put here XD Rod really shouldn't have XDDD)

Maiah breathed in the fresh air of the outside. Even though the day had been long up until now, she still felt like she could go for another few rounds. Now, she hadn't much of a clue as to what she was going to do with her free time. Sitting idle, she was fine with but for too often like she did day after day got to her. Usually, she had a patience that was difficult to break. Maybe this was a sign she had to do something more?

As she walked, she had the odd feeling of being watched. Glancing over her shoulder, she didn't see Rod considering the fact he was more out of her sight. Frowning slightly to herself for a moment, she shrugged it off as she continued on her way. Having been in fights before that had been more serious than what one would see at the dojo she worked at, her senses were still in tune with her surroundings. Even though she walked, she could still feel like someone was watching her.

Her guard immediately went up as she did her best to act casual. Even though Maiah's back was turned, her brown eyes were constantly checking for any hint of hostility. The usual was some creep trying to steal a woman's purse or just being a slime ball. Martial Arts had encountered one of them before and had put the fear of Minerva into the guy.

While the hairs on the back of her neck rose slightly, her heart beat quickening a little as she prepared for whatever was to come, matters became worse when she thought she heard someone coming up from behind her. It wasn't noticeable at first but with her on the alert, she had detected it. Someone was definitely following her! Eyes narrowing, Maiah picked up the pace a little faster. Maybe if she walked faster they'd give up? Despite her attempt, it wasn't working. She could still hear the faintest sound of their shoe's soul contacting the pavement somewhere behind her. If Rod had been aware, he would've noticed the stiff, rigid body language beforehand. The way she was poised suggested she was on the alert. Unfortunately for Rod, he had been too busy being a wise guy.

Suddenly, Martial Arts found herself stopping abruptly as someone covered her eyes. Not knowing who it was, she was able to tell it was a guy judging by the voice. Already, her mind jumped to conclusions. Not having recognized the voice at first, Maiah thought some slime ball was trying to get her attention. Frowning, Maiah did the next thing that came to mind in such a situation. In the blink of an eye, she made to grab one of Rod's wrists. If she did so, she attempted to pull it down so it was over her shoulder quite a way.

Then, with full force, she would use that to toss whomever the guy was onto his back on the pavement in front of her. "HYA!" she shouted. Poor, poor Rod. One wrong move and you'd find yourself tossed onto the pavement on your back. Probably wondering how the hell it happened so fast and why it happened.

Once she had either accomplished that or not, Maiah got into a battle ready stance as she faced whomever had come up from behind her. She was quite shocked to find it had been her former comrade, Rod. "Rod?!" she exclaimed. "What're you doing here?" she questioned him out of curiosity. He had really surprised her. She didn't think it had really been anyone she did know nor did she expect to accidentally toss them onto the pavement or intend to attack them upon meeting.

'Whoops!' she thought, feeling slightly embarrassed that she reacted the way she did. Martial Arts was still in for the fight. It was clear that she didn't once slack off when it came to keeping fit for fighting. She was still the human weapon that she always had been. Poor Rod probably figured this out the hard way. "...You're...a Turk again?" she commented on finally noticing the suite on him.

[Rod]

the - COCKY - turk
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Rod was too busy calling himself a genius to realise that sneaking up behind someone like Maiah was probably not the best idea in the world. In fact, it was nowhere near a good idea at all. It was going to backfire on him, and if he had any sense whatsoever he would see that. But, no, Rod kept up with his sneaking regardless, setting himself right up for a downfall. Perhaps it was because he was so completely full of himself that he didn’t think about how Maiah would be able to sense she was being followed – she had been a Turk, after all. Then again, it had been years since then. Not that Rod had a bad memory, but rather that he was far too over-confident in his sneaking abilities.

“HYA!”

Maiah had caught Rod slightly off-guard. He hadn’t thought that she wouldn’t have recognised his voice. However, he was aware enough so as to not go completely over her head as she tried to flip him, but instead managed to make it land slightly short, with him going over to the side instead of right over. However, he still landed pretty hard on the sidewalk. He was shocked for a second, before he shook his head and sat up slightly. “Ow,” he muttered to himself, although he chuckled a little afterwards. He looked up at Maiah, a smile appearing on his face. “I guess I shoulda seen that comin’…”

“Rod?! What’re you doing here?”

Rod’s nose crinkled in mock annoyance as he looked at the brunette from his position on the ground. “Well tha’s hardly a nice greetin’,” he joked, pushing himself up off the ground and brushing himself off. “Especially after you just threw me down.” Folding his arms across his chest, he grinned at her to show he was only kidding. No matter how she greeted him, even if it had been a punch to the face, he would still be happy to see her. Well…maybe not a punch to the face, that was a bit harsh. But he was still happy to see her after so long, nonetheless. It didn’t really matter how or where they met; he just wished that he had bumped into the other Turks long before now. He’d missed them.

“…You’re…a Turk again?”

The grin on Rod’s face widened a little more at that, and he nodded. “Yuup, you bet I am!” He unfolded his arms as his right hand absently started twirling his EMR, more out of habit than anything else. “I’m not the only one tha’s went back either.” It really was good to be back on the job. The ‘normal’ life had been far too boring for him; not enough action. Still, his mechanical skills had advanced even further during his ‘normal’ life, even though they had been good to begin with anyway. All the free time, and his job, had allowed for him to fiddle around with machinery and vehicles 24/7, allowing for him to also branch out a little with the things he knew and could do. However, the lack of anything interesting happening, or not being able to be in the centre of the action as it was happening, had been killing him.

His hand stopped twirling his EMR as his gaze flickered from the passing people back to Maiah. The smile still hadn’t left his lips. “So how have you been?” he asked, genuinely curious. He had asked the same of the other Turks when he had first seen them again. “You certainly haven’t changed in appearance. Or skill.” He laughed slightly, tilting his head to the side as his aqua eyes lit up with amusement. Okay, so he was probably going to have a bruise on the small of his back from the fall, but it didn’t matter.

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NOTES !? lmao, MAFem is awesome <3 XD sorry if this is a little…bleh. I had to wrestle with Rod-muse to get it done ><;; !?
STATUS !? finished !?
TAGGED !? maiah (MAFem) !?
WORDS !? 630 !?
OUTFIT !? turk uniform !?

[Maiah (Martial Arts Female)]

(OOC: Glad you like her XD Rod just brushes himself off like nothing happened XDD)

Maiah was very surprised to find Rod there on the pavement instead of some person she thought was being a wise guy. She was currently getting through her own shock at what she just did to her former comrade as he spoke to her. It seemed unreal to her right now that she was seeing a former ally. She hadn't seen any of the others since her retirement. It were as if normal life had just been an extended vacation and here she was, seeing Rod again.

If it had been a normal guy or someone caught completely off guard, they wouldn't have landed like Rod just did. Instead of completely throwing him onto the pavement, Rod managed to turn in the air just in time so he didn't come fully over her head like she had intended. Still, judging by his expression, it hurt quite a bit.

"Aw man, sorry, Rod! I didn't know it was you!" she exclaimed. If she had, she wouldn't have thrown the poor guy. Then again, you couldn't blame her. There were a lot of creeps in Edge or any city for that matter that would try something.

"I thought you were some wise guy!" she said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. She regretted having thrown him but at least it became clear she hadn't lost her skill. Rod seemed to brush it off casually though. A sign he had been through plenty of experiences like this beforehand. Her simple toss wasn't enough to leave him groaning on the pavement. Well, that was a relief. She didn't intend to disable a friend. Especially one that didn't provoke her on purpose.

Martial Arts listened as Rod confirmed that he was a Turk again. That he also hadn't been the only one to return to the life as a Turk. Was it true? Well, she didn't think Rod would be that cruel in teasing her about something like that. Like her, he enjoyed being around the others. That wasn't something she would see him lying about. If he was, she would definitely teach him a lesson not to kid about such things like that. She didn't think he would though so she was going to believe it. "Really?! That's good to hear."

Then came the question one would normally ask when catching up with a former friend. How had she been? Maiah just shook her head. "Nothing all that spectacular. Just kept up with my fighting skills in joining and working at a dojo. Not as fun as the real deal though. Other than that, pretty good." She meant it too. You couldn't do extreme harm to your opponent like you would an enemy. She was so strong, she had to be careful not to snap someone's bones. That's what she hated about it, the limitations. It wasn't anything like the Turk life or mercenary life.

The only reason she hadn't gone back to mercenary life was because it was more solitary than the Turk life. "And uh...thank you. Er...sorry again about that." She felt a bit horrible in having thrown him. Looking at him, he was still the same old Rod. Nothing had changed about him at all, she could tell by the glint of amusement in his eyes. It made Maiah smile to see a familiar face. It were almost as if she were with the Turks again.

"I see you haven't changed any either!" she said with a slight chuckle. She was reminded of how tall he was, standing there before him. It was something to say the least considering how she was in Edge and had become accustomed to being taller than most of the human population here. For once, she was glad to not be the tallest. It always made her feel slightly awkward being taller than most people and she was only five foot eight.

"How have you been? Still swiping motorbikes?" she teased, smiling up at him after lightly bumping his shoulder with her fist playfully.

[Rod]

the - COCKY - turk
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Rod rubbed at the small of his back as he stood. Well tha’s gonna leave a bruise… He almost laughed again though, because as much as his pride was a little dented now, he really should have seen that coming. Maiah was never off her guard, and it seemed like Rod would do well to remember that from now on. Although…this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to him, and yet he never seemed to learn. He was thankful for his quick reflexes that he had gained from street brawling when he was younger, and from his training as a Turk. If it wasn’t for those, he would have been right over Maiah’s head and landed with quite a large amount of force on the ground on his back. Now that would have hurt. A lot.

“Aw man, sorry, Rod! I didn’t know it was you! I thought you were some wise guy!”

He just shrugged and waved a hand at her in a dismissing manner as though to say it was nothing. Smiling, he said, “Don’ worry about it. Really.” He looked a little sheepish himself as he rubbed his back a little again. “I guess I kinda deserved tha‘…” He chuckled a little to himself as he moved his free hand away from his back, grinning at her. “I am a wise guy…although not the creepy kind.” Really, if it hadn’t been for his vast experience in fighting, and having taken a lot of more serious hits before, Rod really would have been lying on the ground groaning in pain right about now.

As the subject turned to the fact that the Turks were coming back again, Rod couldn’t keep the smile off his face. He really did hope that some more of the older Turks would come back too. It would be amazing if everyone came back, but he wasn’t going to get his hopes up about that, because just because some of them didn’t like the ‘normal’ life, didn’t mean that the others wouldn’t as well. Perhaps they had found a place to fit in, and were liking living their new life. For Rod, his whole life had been based around fighting, even before joining the Turks, so the normal life had been completely boring, with hardly any action at all.

“Really?! That‘s good to hear.”

Rod smiled brightly at her and nodded. “Yeah. Cissnei came back first, and then me, and now Ethan as well. It’s…it’s good ta be back, tha’s for sure.” And he really meant it. As soon as he had decided to come back to the job, he had known that it was the right decision. As much as he could ‘fit in’ somewhat in Edge amongst the civilians, thanks to his slum background, he didn’t feel like he belonged there. No, he belonged with his family, the Turks. They were more like a family to him than his own had been in the first place anyway.

“Nothing all that spectacular. Just kept up with my fighting skills in joining and working at a dojo. Not as fun as the real deal though. Other than that, pretty good.”

Laughing a little, Rod shook his head slightly as he continued to smile. Of course that wouldn’t be ‘as fun’ as the real thing. “Bet’cha have fun kicking all those arrogant guys asses though,” he said, knowing fully well that there would be some asshole-ish guys on the martial arts circuit. There was always some douche that thought he could undermine or beat the female Turks, even if they were wearing the Turk uniform at the time. Hell, even the male Turks wouldn’t willingly mess with any of the girls. The girls could be extremely dangerous when they wanted to be. Rod had already gotten himself into trouble with winding up Elena a few times, for one thing.

“And uh…thank you. Er…sorry again about that. …I see you haven’t changed any either!”

He just shook his head again, and just continued to smile. He was too happy to see her to care very much that she had just damn near slammed him into the ground with enough force to break his back. Rod tilted his head to the side, bringing his EMR up to rest on his shoulder. “Psh, of course I haven’ changed! Why the hell would I want to?” he laughed, as cocky as ever. Sure, okay, he thought a lot of himself and was fairly conceited, and he also had a huge ego to boot.

It was nice not having to look very far down to look at Maiah though. Sure, Elena wasn’t all that short compared to most, considering she was around five foot five, and was taller than her older sister Gun had been, but Cissnei was still tiny. Hell, he was even a few inches taller than Ethan, making him around the same height as Reno. Rude was a couple of inches taller, of course, but still, Rod was pretty much one of the tallest Turks. It had also been part of what made him so intimidating when he had been a part of his old gang, as he had been taller than all but maybe one or two others.

“How have you been? Still swiping motorbikes?”

Rod laughed slightly at Maiah’s words and the fistbump he received to his shoulder. It really was good to talk to her again. “Hey now,” he said, returning the playful fistbump to the shoulder. He honestly thought he was never going to live that down. But, if he hadn’t have tried to steal that motorbike from ShinRa, then he wouldn’t have become a Turk. “I’ve been alright, I guess. Was getting bored with the ‘normal’ life and decided to see if I could get back into the Turks… Best decision I ever made.” He was, of course, subtly hinting at Maiah to at least consider coming back as well. He wanted as many of the old Turks to come back as possible. “I ran my own business though, ya know. Who’da thought, huh? Of course, it was to do with mechanics, so…” He gave a slight shrug. Anyone that knew him would know of his talent with mechanics of any sort, so it made sense that he would make a job out of it.

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NOTES !? sorry this took a while, was struggling with my muse ><; and…you know how stubborn Rod can be >.> !?
STATUS !? finished !?
TAGGED !? maiah !?
WORDS !? 1087 (muuuuuuuuuuse!) !?
OUTFIT !? turk uniform !?

[Maiah (Martial Arts Female)]

Martial Arts definitely learned to keep in check with her fighting. If she didn't, she was sure there would be people on the outside still out to get revenge on her from her days as a Turk. Thankfully, her usual trouble were just slime balls. Unfortunately for Rod, she had thought he was one and threw him. Lucky thing she didn't break anything of his. She'd feel even worse after that. She had to hand it to him though for having good reflexes. Most people didn't get back up after she did that.

Maiah didn't mean to throw Rod. If he hadn't greeted her like he had, she wouldn't have reacted that way. She watched as he rubbed the small of his back, feeling more ashamed. Seeing him wave off her apology as if to say it were okay, she couldn't help but laugh a little at what he said about probably deserving it and that he was a wise guy. "Good thing you're not the creepy kind, I would've pummeled you into next week if that were the case." The way she said it too was so casual to the point of almost scary.

"Good to see you're still standing after that one." She had been serious when she said it, it wasn't a poke of fun at him. Most people stayed on the ground after that. "Lucky thing ya got good reflexes or I'd have to pay a hefty hospital bill." She stood there, listening to who had gone back other than Rod. Apparently, Ethan and Cissnei were back as well. When she thought about it, it seemed likely those three would go back to it the most out of them all.

Two Guns, like Rod, had a life in the slums and was used to a life of fighting and killing. Cissnei, unlike Rod and Ethan, had been an orphan the Turks took in. In Cissnei's case, the Turks were like her actual family. Maiah, she was a fighter but her life hadn't been anything like Rod's or Ethan's. She had voluntarily gone into the fighting and killing business, not because it meant survival where she lived. Maiah couldn't go back to see her parents though. Icicle Inn was too far and where she didn't mind the snow, she preferred warmer climates like Edge.

Hearing what Rod said about the Dojo thing, Maiah's smile widened. He just practically handed her the ammo to shoot him with. "Oh, that's always fun causing arrogant guys to get their asses handed to them." She made sure to keep the 'arrogant guys' part generalized. If Rod was slick, he'd catch that little poke of fun at him again. It was all in light hearted, good natured fun. She didn't really mean anything by it. Maiah was no Shotgun even though she'd poke fun at someone once in a while.

It was good to know some things haven't changed. Even knowing Rod was his usual arrogant and egotistical self was good to know. He honestly hadn't changed one little bit. "Good point, who would wanna change?" she stated with a shrug. Maiah knew she really couldn't now even if she tried. Living the normal life wasn't even easy for her to adjust to. She was used to pounding down on someone for real, not stunning opponents in an arena. In a Dojo, she had to hold back and try not to break people's spines.

No offense to Rod's height but it felt good to be actually looking up at someone and not down. It reminded her that she wasn't that tall. However, she still retained the record of being the tallest Turk woman. No one in the Turks currently had yet cleared that record, she was sure. Not many women reached Maiah's height since they were usually around five feet to five feet and six inches tops. It was good to feel slightly smaller for a change.

Maiah couldn't help it as she chuckled at Rod's reaction to her poke of fun at him. It had been an amusing story when he had admitted how he got into the Turks. It was just her being slightly playful though as he fist bumped her back. Unlike Shotgun, she knew enough not to go too far and insult him. This was how Maiah acted like a guy though, they always busted one another lightly over things like that and that's what she did to him. She peered back at him as he told her what normal life had been for him.

Apparently, the normal life had gotten boring for him. She had to agree, the repetitiveness was getting to her even now. It was what had caused him to go back to the Turks again. She even found herself wondering about normal life. Did she really want to keep doing this day in and day out? Living the same old boring routine? Didn't she say she wished she were back? Maiah let Rod finish with what he was saying before she would reply. Her eyebrows did raise though at the mention of how Rod managed to get himself a business for mechanics.

"Huh, you weren't bad off then. Smart move, Rod." Sure, it would probably inflate his ego even more but he deserved the compliment. Rod did good to put his skills to use like that. Surprising for someone like him who, where not an idiot, didn't often think before he did things. She couldn't help but think about the Turks even more. Seeing Rod there and hearing how already three of the Turks she knew had gone back, she felt like joining them too.

"You know, going back might not be such a bad idea...I wouldn't have to worry about breaking people's spines like I do in the Dojo!" she said with a smirk. "Everything's just turning into the same old boring routine, anyway. Besides, I'm sure you guys wouldn't want to bring me in for breaking several backs if I were to snap!" she said with a giggle. The idea was simply amusing. Maiah wasn't an easy foe to handle.

[Rod]

the - COCKY - turk
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Rod was pretty sure he’d be able to shake this off fairly easily. His spirits weren’t dampened in the slightest, and he was still happy to see Maiah again. He was thankful, however, that the only witnesses had been a few passers-by, but Rod didn’t think much of it. Unless... well, unless Maiah did end up coming back to the Turks and telling someone what happened, then no one else would know, but would she tell? Probably. It was fairly amusing, he guessed, even if both his back and his ego had taken a bruising. ...Tha’s prob’ly why it’s amusing in the first place, he thought to himself after a moment, his lips twitching slightly.

“Good thing you’re not the creepy kind, I would’ve pummelled you into next week if that were the case.”

“Yeah, good thi -” He paused and turned his aqua eyes back over to her. Raising one eyebrow, Rod blinked slightly as her words fully registered. The way she said such a thing so casually almost made him want to laugh, but it also made him never want to cross her or make her mad ever. He knew she was perfectly serious with her words too. “You really would have, wouldn’ you?” he asked, before giving a small laugh and looking away. “Okaaaay, then.... Note to self: never piss of Maiah.” He cast her a grin, however, after speaking. That ‘note’ would probably be forgotten pretty soon, anyway, or just completely disregarded if he couldn’t help but do or say something to her.

“Good to see you’re still standing after that one. Lucky thing ya got good reflexes or I’d have to pay a hefty hospital bill.”

Rod chuckled, and nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, but you know me. I can withstand a lot.” Thanks to fighting ever since he was a child, he had built up a rather high pain threshold. Of course, a lot of things still hurt, but not quite as much as they would have otherwise. The high pain threshold just meant he could fight longer in a battle without having to submit or get pummelled thanks to being in a lot of pain. He also had a habit of bouncing back from every injury he received. “I don’ like this comparison, but I guess I’m kinda like a cockroach. The hard to kill part, anyway.” He wrinkled his nose a little. The comparison fit, but at the same time he didn’t like it because, well, a cockroach was a bug.

“Oh, that’s always fun causing arrogant guys to get their asses handed to them.”

At first Rod didn’t notice anything about what she said, and instead just opened his mouth to speak. “Tha – hey!” The fact that her words had been a little dig at him finally registered and he pouted slightly at her, acting all faux hurt. He couldn’t hold it for long however, and his lips upturned into a grin as he laughed, giving Maiah a light playful shove. “I guess I shoulda seen that comin’ too,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, his other still had the EMR resting against his shoulder.

Whenever Maiah took little digs at him, he could deal with it, because she never took it too far. Plus, she wasn’t naturally annoying like Shotgun was. If there was one Turk that he would rather didn’t come back, it was Shotgun. However, he could admit that perhaps, just perhaps, deep down he kinda missed her a little bit. Make that deep, deep, deep, deep, deep down, he thought to himself.

“Good point, who would wanna change?”

“Certainly not me,” Rod grinned, absently tapping his EMR on his shoulder as he smiled at Maiah. There really wasn’t anything he would change about himself, if given the choice. He didn’t care about his poor and rough background, and the horrible stuff that had happened to him as a kid, because it was those things that shaped him into the way he was now. Without them, Rod may never have been a part of a gang, or at least not the leader of one, and he may not even have tried to steal that ShinRa motorbike. If that had been the case, then he wouldn’t have become a Turk, and would probably have died, or rather, been killed, years ago.

His gaze turned to the people passing by them on the street. A few were giving him wary or angry glances because of his Turk uniform, but most just ignored them. It would take a long time for ShinRa to atone for what they done, but Rod was confident that they would get there and win people over eventually. Although, it would probably take years. In his opinion, a lot of the civilians were a little too narrow-minded, in more ways than one. For one, they were almost completely ignorant of all the weird shit that was going on right now with the portals, and PSICOM and whatnot. How they could be so ignorant, Rod had no idea. It was one of the things that frustrated Rod most about not being a Turk any longer. The lack of knowledge about what was going on around the planet.

“Huh, you weren’t bad off then. Smart move, Rod.”

“Heh, thanks,” Rod said, and as predicted his ego grew a little, and that was pretty obvious from the look on his face. He was proud of his mechanical skills, because he knew it was one of the things he could do well and without question. He’d made a good living off of the business, and it had definitely been enough to get by on. He’d needed to make money besides what he already had, so he had thought to himself, why not start his own business? He wasn’t as lazy as a few of the other Turks could be, and found running the business fairly easy compared to life as a Turk. It was different and gave him a change of scene, sure, but it was nowhere near as exciting as going on missions and the like.

“You know, going back might not be such a bad idea... I wouldn’t have to worry about breaking people’s spines like I do in the Dojo! Everything’s just turning into the same old boring routine anyway. Besides, I’m sure you guys wouldn’t want to bring me in for breaking several backs if I were to snap!”

Rod stopped himself from grinning like an idiot when Maiah said she thought that going back to the Turks wouldn’t be such a bad idea. So she’s actually considering it! He laughed at the same time she did, shaking his head to himself. “I’m not gonna lie, Maiah, it’d be great to have ya back with us. I’ve missed ya.” He smiled, although he looked a little awkward the next second, reaching up to rub the back of his neck again. He had missed everyone, but for whatever reason that he couldn’t fathom, he felt awkward admitting it to Maiah.

Clearing his throat, he got back on the old subject. “Yeah, the same happened with me, with the routine. With the Turks, every day is different practically, and...I guess, after so many years of tha’ it’s hard to adjust to havin’ a fixed routine for each and every day.” Rod grinned again suddenly and looked back at Maiah. “Did you ever get so bored that you just felt like doin’ sumthin’ crazy just for entertainment?” The days had become exceedingly repetitive for him. So repetitive in fact, that Rod had considered doing some rather crazy things just to get rid of the boredom. He had never acted on the impulse though, unlike Ethan. “I never did anythin’, but Ethan...jumped in front of a train. And I’m not kiddin’ either,” he said, laughing.

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NOTES !? love this thread lol these two are great <3 also discovered that listening to Nickelback when I write for Rod helps my muse XD !?
STATUS !? finished !?
TAGGED !? maiah !?
WORDS !? 1297 (MUSE EXPLOSION! <3) !?
OUTFIT !? turk uniform !?

[Maiah (Martial Arts Female)]

Maiah had been completely serious about her words. She didn't take crap from anyone. With friends though, she went easy on them to an extent. She would at least ensure the one who got her angry got the message she was mad and paid for it. Only if they truly deserved it though. Maiah didn't kill or do serious harm unless they were trying to do that to her. She smiled slightly when she noted the pause in Rod's voice. Looking right back up into his aqua eyes, she just stood there smiling. Let him think about it.

If Rod was truly a creep, she didn't doubt that she would act accordingly. Her smile widened hearing him ask her that question she knew was coming. "Yes, Rod. I would!" she answered him, chuckling a little. Seeing him look away and laugh, she wondered what his reaction was going to be. Apparently, he was making a mental note to not cross her. Well, knowing Rod, that was certainly going to go out the window. He had a tendency to do things on impulse and it often lead to him getting into a lot of trouble.

She had no doubt that she might end up tossing him for something. Whether it be intentional or not, she knew she would end up tossing him again. Lucky for him though, Maiah had enough control where she wouldn't try to do him serious harm whenever it came down to it. She'd get angry but not enough where she'd try breaking something of his. "Good idea, remembering that is a smart move!" she mused. Of course, she was half joking but she was also half serious. If Rod did anything that had cause for her to react aggressively, she would be the type to do so.

Hearing what he said about himself, she nodded in agreement. Yeah, he was pretty tough. He could handle just about anything and swing back as if nothing happened half the time. She was glad he was a friend and not an enemy. She had a feeling that he would give her a good run for her gil if it came down to that. She highly doubted they'd ever end up fighting like that though. Maiah would never want to fight a friend. It would tear her apart.

The next thing she heard, the comparison he had made about himself to a cockroach made her laugh a little. "I'm sorry Rod but that was just too funny!" At least she was being honest about it. Picturing Rod as a cockroach made it all the more harder to not laugh. Just add someone chasing him with a can of Raid and it was worse. Clearing her throat, to forget it fast before Rod grew annoyed with her, she smiled. "A...interesting way of putting it but yeah, you're not easy to kill."

It wasn't until they reached the point where she totally made a secret jab at him when Martial Arts really laughed. She was just waiting for him to catch that. It didn't take long for him to catch it. Although at first he totally missed it. Maiah just laughed at him as he gave her a pouty expression. "Sorry Rod but you just practically handed it to me!" she said, letting him playfully shove her after he laughed too. She knew she could make little digs like that at Rod and get away with it. Maiah never went as far as Shotgun did, whom seemed to always get on everyone's nerves once in a while.

How Shotgun ceased to realize she was that way was amazing. Maiah guessed it was because Shotgun's life was full of snobs so she was used to being an arrogant little spoiled brat. Hence why her social skills were horrid when it came to others. Granted, Rod and Ethan came from horrible backgrounds but even their social skills were a bit better than Shotgun's. Dismissing the thoughts about Shotgun, since she respected her despite her obvious say without thinking attitude, she focused on Rod once again.

Once again, she found herself smiling at the way Rod's attitude had been about the whole change thing. It had been years and he was still the same guy she knew back then. The way he said he wouldn't want to change for anything was something. That's what she liked about the Turks. Most of them wouldn't change for anything. It felt good to be there with Rod, acting as if the time that passed since their last encounter had never happened.

"You're welcome!" she stated despite knowing how his ego must've grown hearing the compliment. He deserved it, after all. Nothing wrong with that. He had done something smart with the time he spent outside of the Turks. He really could've resorted to the crime life he once lived but seeing how he handled things, that was very good to know. Maiah had worried a little about him and Two Guns. She didn't want to think they would've gone back to the way their lives had been before the Turks. It wasn't because they would be out committing crimes but it was the fact they would've put themselves into more danger that way.

Martial Arts could see the happiness in Rod's eyes hearing that she was thinking of going back. Well, at least he didn't hold a grudge toward her for having left. Then again, he had left too. Hearing how the others had been accepted back, like Rod, she believed that she'd be welcomed into their number just fine. Maiah would really love to be back. The Dojo was just becoming a pass time and nothing more.

Then what came next kind of surprised her a bit. Why, she didn't know why. It's just the way it sounded seemed a bit...she didn't know how to put it but it made her look over at Rod surprised for a second. The surprised expression left just as quickly though, she didn't want him to think that she'd be surprised to hear that. He had been a friend after all. Of course he would've missed her. Yet, for some reason, it seemed to make her feel a little strange. Nothing bad, of course but she really didn't understand that sudden feeling.

"Um...Thanks. I've missed you too, Rod. I've missed all of you." She meant it too. Maiah always thought about the Turks and how each and every one of them had been doing. Rod had no idea how happy she was to see him again. It felt really good to see a familiar face. When he cleared his throat, she looked over at him. For a split second, she wondered if he felt that strange awkward feeling too. Her thoughts about it went away though as he had gone back to the subject about normal life.

Like her, he was growing tired of the same old routine normal life proved to be. "Heh, it really is hard...even for me considering I used to be in the mercenary business even before then." She raised an eyebrow as he went to ask her if the normal life ever made her feel like doing something drastic after a while. Thinking about it, Maiah gave a shrug. "I guess I would and he did WHAT?!" she exclaimed in shock. Ethan had leapt in front of a train?!

[Rod]

the - COCKY - turk
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Rod didn’t have any doubt that Maiah would have done as she said she would, even if he hoped otherwise in case he ever crossed her. That didn’t seem likely that he would really piss her off, because they had always got along fairly well, even if he could be kind of annoying sometimes. He couldn’t remember ever making her really angry, just really annoyed at most. But still, he wasn’t going to promise that he wouldn’t annoy her enough for her to do as she said, because chances were, he would turn out to be a liar eventually. Sometimes he just couldn’t help himself with his jokes or pranks, or even just his normal behaviour. He wouldn’t ever change – he didn’t want to, plus he was too stubborn to. But sometimes being the way he was was more of a curse than a blessing.

“Yes, Rod. I would! ...Good idea, remembering that is a smart move!”

The smile on Maiah’s had widened slightly, and Rod rolled his eyes a little. “I really am making a note of tha’ up here, ya know,” he said to her, tapping the side of his head. He wasn’t kidding either. The female Turks could be hella scary when they wanted to be, and he didn’t want to piss them off anymore than the other guys would. He’d rather keep all of his body parts intact and still be breathing, thank you very much. “I can’t guarantee how long it’ll last though.” He added, tossing her a mischievous grin, knowing full well that she also knew how serious he was about that.

Rod has a mischievous streak more than a mile wide, and that was what tended to get him into trouble a lot of the time. Well, that and his lack of tact sometimes, as well as his hotheadedness and his large amount of stubbornness. He hadn’t been this bad as a kid, or before he joined the Turks. Most of his energy back then was spent on fighting and stealing and trying to survive in the slums. There had been little to no time back then to have fun or to joke around. He had never trusted anyone enough back then to joke around with anyway. That was why the Turks had been good for him. They had opened him up, showed him that he could trust and rely in other people, after him being used to only really relying on himself.

“I’m sorry Rod but that was just too funny!”

As Maiah was laughing, Rod just gave her a flat look, not really amused. He had said that he didn’t like the comparison, but it was the only one he could think of. Just laugh it up then... If she kept that up, Rod might be tempted to screw that mental note and annoy her now. Of course...that could, and probably would, end in him being tossed again. But now that he was thinking about it, ways of annoying her were popping into his head from nowhere. However, her laughter was making the corners of his lips tug upwards again. “Oh shut up,” he said, shoving her playfully again.

“A...interesting way of putting it but yeah, you’re not easy to kill.”

He inclined his head slightly in a small nod. “Only damn contrast I could think of, righ’ now,” he said. If he’d had a bit more time to think about it, he might have chosen a different creature instead, but...he couldn’t think of one. And cockroaches were the most common animal to use for this kind of comparison, right? Even explosions couldn’t kill the bloody things, after all. “But damn right, I’m hard to kill.” He grinned a little smugly then. But of course he wouldn’t be easy to kill, when he had practically been fighting for survival all his life since he was a kid, and being a Turk wasn’t all that much different to that, except now he was following orders instead of giving them.

“Sorry Rod but you just practically handed it to me!”

Maiah received another slightly flat look from Rod for that, before he rolled his eyes and smiled a little. “I seem to be doin’ that a lot... Maybe I should just keep my mouth zipped from now on before I think very carefully over what I wanna say.” He paused before he glanced back at Maiah. “Yeah, right, like that’ll happen...” He wasn’t exactly known for his tact or his ability to say the right thing at the right time. In fact, most of the time he said the wrong thing. He should have really realised that that dig from Maiah was coming his way though. After all, he was by far arrogant and a bit conceited, but he definitely wasn’t as much of an asshole as some of the guys around here could be. Well, he had used to be more like them, but not anymore.

His ego did grow a little and he grinned a little proudly as Maiah praised him for starting his own business. He really did feel like he deserved it though, and he knew he did. He had worked damn hard to keep that business going, and to get it started up in the first place. It had been kinda hard at first, but once he had gotten used to it, it had become somewhat of a breeze. He was intelligent, more so than most, even if he rarely showed it in his actions and words. Which was why most people were a little surprised when his intelligent side did show through.

“Um..Thanks. I’ve missed you too, Rod. I’ve missed all of you.”

Maiah seemed to be experiencing the same kind of awkwardness that Rod was at the moment, and he felt a little better knowing that it wasn’t just him, and that feeling only increased a little more as Maiah said that she had missed him also. What the...? Rod’s thoughts were interrupted by Maiah speaking again. He nodded at what she said about having missed the others too. “I missed everyone else too...” he said slowly. “It...it’s hard not to when you’ve spent a long time with them, ya know? ‘specially since we were all like a family.”

“Heh, it really is hard...even for me considering I used to be in the mercenary business even before then.”

He nodded his head in understanding. “Harder for me too, because I’ve kinda spent my whole life fightin’,” he said. He wasn’t proud of some of the things he had done, both in his slum days and as a Turks. Orders had been orders with the Turks, however, and it had been their job to carry them out without question. Some of the orders that came direct from the old President, however... were some of the more questionable ones. The ones that they wouldn’t be proud of now. Such as kidnapping and the like. Hojo...Rod knew that he was around in ShinRa again, but he didn’t want to bump into him unless it couldn’t be avoided. A lot of the things that had happened all went back to him and his Jenova experiments.

“I guess I would and he did WHAT?!”

Rod continued to laugh for a moment. Himself and Two Guns were probably the only two people that could laugh about what Ethan had done, and a lot of people would probably think they should be tested for insanity if they could laugh about something like that. Most of the others would flip, especially Cissnei, or just think that Ethan had gone crazy in his absence from the Turks. Rod and Two Guns had that similar reckless streak that they had gotten from living in the slums and in gang life, which was probably why they could both find it amusing. “He didn’ get hurt or anything’,” he said after he had gotten his laughter under control, although he was still chuckling slightly.

“He was bored.” He spoke as if that explained everything, and was a perfectly reasonable and sane reason for Ethan to have jumped in front of a train. Grinning at Maiah, Rod tilted his head slightly to the side, aqua eyes sparkling. “Say, instead of just standing here in the middle of the street, why don’ we go do somethin’?” he asked out of the blue. He wanted to spend some more time with her, of course, because it had been so long since they had last seen each other. He didn’t want their meeting to be over anytime soon.

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NOTES !? sorry this took a bit, and I hope it’s okay !?
STATUS !? finished !?
TAGGED !? Maiah !?
WORDS !? 1408 (O.o and I started this thinking it was gonna be shorter...lmao) !?
OUTFIT !? turk uniform !?

[Maiah (Martial Arts Female)]

Maiah raised an eyebrow as Rod told her that he was making a note of it upstairs, tapping the side of his head as he did so. She just kept that smile on her face. She knew very well that his mental note wouldn't last him for very long. She just hoped the next time, she didn't end up breaking one of his bones by mistake. It didn't take long before Rod told her that he wasn't sure exactly how long his mental note would last. Maiah just shook her head slowly at that.

"Well, hopefully the next time I don't break anything of your's if something like this happens again." Martial Arts couldn't see herself getting all that angry with Rod anyway. It wasn't like they got into conflicts much in the past. Maiah always got along well with the males of the Turk team except maybe Martial Arts male. His over courteous attitude toward women annoyed her to no end. It always felt like he was demeaning them whenever he held a door open for them or beating on an enemy. Either lady could hold their own and Maiah hated it whenever he did that with her.

Maiah was strong on her own and could very well handle a guy if she had to. Someone like Martial Arts male only pissed her off when doing things like that because she knew she could do these things on her own. Maiah was independent and made it clear every time Martial Arts male over reacted to situations for either of the Turk ladies. There had even been the one time where she had punched him for it. If there was ever a pet peeve of Maiah's it was being treated like she was something fragile.

Seeing the look on Rod's face when she laughed about the cockroach thing, Maiah really couldn't help herself. Rod being the one annoyed with that face on was really amusing. Not that she would constantly annoy him like Shotgun. Shotgun had a habit of getting on everyone's nerves with the things she said. Shotgun never really seemed to think what she was saying before she did it half the time. Maiah chuckled a bit more when Rod eventually told her to shut up only to playfully shove her again.

"Sorry, couldn't help it!" she said, finally getting over the fit of laughter she had. Thinking about it, cockroaches were the only creatures that came to mind that were hard to kill. They were very annoying too. Realizing this other comparison to Rod, she refrained from uttering it. Rod had his annoying moments but he wasn't all the time. She didn't want to insult him like Shotgun would have. Maiah remembered having to deal with a cockroach infestation in an apartment she lived in for a bit. Even when someone stomped one, because they kept their eggs on their back, you'd end up tracking them into the home and then find yourself knee deep in them again.

"I think that's the only real contrast there is...I've not heard of any other creatures being as resilient as a cockroach." She had been serious, not poking fun at Rod for his comparison. Hearing his smug words, she just inwardly chuckled at him. He was the same as he ever was. Not that she minded it. Maiah was able to tolerate guys like Rod and Reno easily. It probably had to do with the fact that she often acted like one of the guys.

Then came the moment where Rod stated that maybe he should learn to keep his mouth zipped before thinking things through and speaking. Honestly, she wasn't so sure about that one. Rod wasn't an idiot but more often than not, he had a tendency to let his mouth run free on him. She didn't think he would be the type to stand back and think before leaping. Despite those times where he had quite the reckless streak, there were times where he showed his smarts.

When Rod looked back at her and voiced his disbelief at his own words, Maiah just slowly shook her head, smirking. Patting him on the shoulder, she spoke. "I'm sure you can do anything that you set your mind to." At least right now, she didn't pick on him for admitting that he couldn't see himself doing that sort of thing. Maiah liked the Turk guys like Rod. They made the usually serious day more enjoyable with the things they got into. It was never a dull moment with them.

Martial Arts female knew that Rod wasn't a complete arrogant bastard either. Sure, he had quite an ego but nothing compared to most she had seen. Sure, Rod would comment on his skills proudly but he wasn't annoying about it. At least, not her. Maiah was the more easy going of the girl Turks so things like that didn't bother her. In fact, not much bothered Maiah except injustice and any guy treating a lady like she was something weaker than they were. Those had to be the only things that got on her nerves the most. Simple pranks and the like didn't get her too fired up.

"At least you're not like the arrogant, sexist bastards I had to beat down in the tournaments." Rod was definitely not anything like them. Sure, his tact wasn't always the best when it came to words or actions but he wasn't horrible. If anything, Rod was far more likable than they were. There was a bit of silence between them after Maiah admitted that she had missed him and the other Turks. It was a strange, awkward silence. Why, she didn't know.

Thankfully, Rod managed to break that odd moment. Listening to what he was saying, Maiah nodded. Yes, she even knew what it felt like with the Turks. Everyone had been family. There wasn't ever a moment where a Turk would turn their back on another, even if one annoyed the hell out of them normally. Maiah really appreciated the bond she had with the Turks. It wasn't lonely like it was in the mercenary life. Compared to her life in the Icicle Inn, Maiah had actually made friends outside her snowy village. Friends she could never replace.

"Yeah, everyone really was like family. That's why it sucked leaving." Maiah had only left because a great number of their own had left. She didn't want to be left behind as a Turk while the others had moved on. If she did, she had a feeling she probably would've been filled with grief more than anything. Sure, she was a tougher girl than most but even she had feelings. Things like that, they were depressing. Maiah only left because she felt if she stayed, it would've hurt her more seeing as her friends had all moved on except her.

That's what also made Maiah a bit of a surprise to others. Sure, she predominantly was feminine but her acting like one of the guys tended to drown out her more obvious feminine side. It tended to shock people she knew whenever they had to go to something formal and actually see her wearing a dress than a suit. The Turk job tended to hide that fact about her that she was still a girl and not a tomboy like most seemed to think she was because of how she behaved. The suit tended to do that with a lot of the women.

Maiah was quite shocked hearing what Ethan had done. He leapt in front of a train?! Cissnei would certainly have a heart attack if she heard that. Rod, despite Maiah's shock, was laughing about it like it was some practical joke. That just showed how different Ethan and Rod were from the others. Their lives had been down in the slums before becoming Turks. Things like leaping in front of a train didn't really phase them. That was why they could laugh like they did about things like this that normally shocked people.

Right now, she wondered if Two Guns got himself hurt. Rod put her mind at rest confirming that he hadn't been. Still, that was rather crazy to go and do. Hearing Rod's explanation, Maiah could only stare. Boredom?! Ethan did it because he was just bored?! "That's...just crazy!" she stated. Well, at least Ethan was alright. She just hoped he wouldn't be the one to prove 'bored to death' as something actually possible. Then came the suggestion of doing something rather than standing around. Realizing that was what they had been doing the whole time, Maiah guessed they could.

"Well, if you're not busy then sure. Do you have anything in mind?"