[Val]

"And so my search has lead me here" Said a man of short stature, looking up at a building that appeared to have once been an elegant hotel. The building was only about six stories tall, much smaller than a lot of the other buildings in the area; much older as well. Hidden in the shadow of the surrounding buildings, this hotel had been forgotten and seemingly unnoticed for years. The windows on the ground floor had been badly boarded up and graffiti covered what once must have been a very beautiful entrance; the man tried to push the door open, but to no avail, it wouldn't budge.


The man stepped back from the door and took another look at the building to see if there were any other ways in. On the fifth floor was a window slightly ajar, and though the thought had crossed his mind, he knew there was no way he could make it up to the window. Whilst thinking this, he thought he saw someone for a split second looking down at him from the open window, but they had disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. To the left side of the hotel was a narrow alleyway which was hidden by an over grown brush, as well as over flowing bins. Adjusting his long black scarf, he fought his way down the tight alley and found a back entrance to the building, which opened without too much trouble.


The inside of the building very much reflected the outside; he thought as he entered from behind what must have been the front desk of the hotel. Paper and other junk covering the floor was just visible by the chinks of light shining through the gaps of the badly boarded windows. Tables and chairs were pushed up against the main entrance and patches of damp mould ran along the furthest wall onto the ceiling. The short man closed the door behind him and hopped over the desk and walked towards a grand staircase; the only thing is the room that seemed unchanged by time. Every other step creaked as he made his way up the stairs which led to a corridor with doors either side. On the other side of the corridor, the sound of laughing could be heard. Hesitating for a moment, he carried on down the corridor and was surprised at how clean it was compared to downstairs. Approaching the end, there was another staircase much more modest than the one on show downstairs. He began to walk up it and he had made it about half way when the sound of a door opening could be heard behind him.


"Bastian!" said a very broad, yet jolly sounding voice. The man spun around to see, standing at the bottom of the stairs, a giant of a man crouching slightly as to not hit his head on the ceiling. He was balding with a large, groomed, dark red moustache covering a big broad smile. "How are you doing m'boy!" with that, the giant motioned with his hand for the man to follow him into the room he appeared from.


Inside the high ceilinged room were a few couches scattered about all facing a large TV, which was currently broadcasting what seemed to be a comedy. There was a little counter in the corner of the room with basic appliances such as a kettle, toaster and fridge. This room must have originally been a staff room, Bastian thought. "Crane, it's actually you! It took me the best part of a year to track you down!"


Crane smiled at the boy as he sat on one of the couches. "I had expected to see you again, though I will admit I expected it to take you much longer than it has done." He reached for a remote and turned the television off.


Bastian remained standing, "well it wasn't easy, but I made it. I am here to join you and your resistance, do you accept?"



"O-ho, why so formal m'boy, of course we'd be happy to have your quick wits accompanying us on the battle field!" Crane struggled to get out of his chair, as he had always done, and stood up at his full height and held out a strong hand. "Welcome to Avalanche!". Bastian out stretched him own hand and wrapped it around Crane's thumb, that was all he could manage to do with the giant's hand, the two shook hands. "Now come, I may as well show you where you will be sleeping."



Bastian followed Crane out of the room and up the stairs where they had met. They walked down the corridor and up another set of stairs. These corridors had also been surprisingly clean compared to the ground floor. Perhaps they kept the lobby in that condition to detour trespassers and appear to anyone snooping, such as ShinRa guards, as just a deserted hotel building. They stop outside a room with the number '43' elegantly painted on the door. Crane opens the door to a room that looks as though it had been recently tidied; the bed made, the surfaces polished and window slightly ajar to let some air into the room.


"This will be where you will be staying," Crane said, turning to face Bastian; to whom this was more than had been expected. "There're only a few of us here at the moment, most are out on missions such as surveillance, undercover work and recruitment. You'll meet them as they show up, but for now and just take a rest; you've had a long journey." Crane patted Bastian on the back and made his way to the door.


"Crane!" Bastian said wincing in pain slightly; Crane doesn't know his own strength. Crane faced the boy who simply said "thank you... really." Crane Smiled and left the room. Bastian sat on the bed, thinking about what sort of direction his life was about to lead down; this was the start of a brand new chapter yet to be written.

This post has been edited by Val: Mar 8, 2010 - 6:43 PM

[MiniCloudz]

Clouds began to appear in the sky for a brief period, before eventually clotting together and casting a dreadful downpour over the land. Lightning suddenly began raging in the sky, creating a huge layer of dense fog that covered the surrounding area as far as the naked eye could see. In the heart of dense, opaque woodland rested a small wooden cabin. Trees soared into the sky casting almost complete darkness on the forest, united with the eerie haze that lingered throughout. The ground was covered in warped roots, twisted and rising that created an almost mangrove effect.

Sat inside the small, sparse cabin was a woman named Lilianna. She stood tall at 5'11" with an impressive physique to match. She was a very beautiful woman with short blue hair and emerald green eyes. Wearing nothing too over the top; besides her jewellery, she dressed herself with a grey, coat-like tunic paired with small black hot pants. Covering her waist, she wore a small grey sarong and a pair of black leather knee length greaves on her legs.

Releasing a long dramatised sigh, she stood up from the bed she had rested upon and walked towards the tiny window. Rain had continued to smash against the frail glass for several hours, "Well... tonight isn't turning out as I expected. Crane has some explaining to do..." Lilianna muttered under her voice, with a great deal of frustration. "Nothing has turned out how it was supposed to. I should almost be there by now." She continued to mutter. "I suppose I can't go any further until the weather calms; maybe I'll just continue in the morning..." Eventually walking back over to the bed and laying down, Lilianna closed her eyes and tried to create an image of her parents. She couldn't help but wonder what they looked like, how they spoke, wealthy or deprived.

As she rested on the bed, throwing ideas around her mind, there was a sudden disturbing sound coming from outside. Lilianna hastily jumped to her feet and dashed over to the window. She looked outside, but there was nothing of visual contact nor could she hear the noise any longer. Thinking it was just her imagination, she laid herself upon the bed again, but the noise repeated itself once more. "That's it! There's no way I'm hearing things now." Lilianna shouted, jumping to her feet and rushing towards the door. Futile in her attempt to make it out side; Suddenly the roof of her cabin was ripped clean from the shabby exterior. Lilianna was dazzled with the impact, falling to the floor with a large thud.

Staring down at her was an oversized Ent towering over the cabin with an unruly expression; Lilianna jumped back to her feet and armed herself with her Polebow, a contraption she created by combining a pole arm and a crossbow. The beast struck again; as Lilianna jumped to avoid contact, the large tree-like arms smashed a severe hole through the floor. "This isn't helping, I need to get outside!" She shrieked, dashing towards the frail door. The beast took a third swipe ripping the door clean from its hinges, knocking Lilianna to the floor for a second time. As she scrambled to gain footing, it became obvious to her that she had to achieve higher ground before contemplating any decision. The Ent continued to thrash wildly with its humongous arms as Lilianna attempted everything in her power to evade the destructive blows.

As her heart began pounding faster by the second, she managed to peak the top of a tree and began to cast a spell towards the beast. The furious swipes soon after started to become sluggish and the monster’s movements eventually became slow enough for Lilianna to enforce her attack. She sprung herself from the tree, spiralling down towards the Ent with a firm grip on her spear. Lunging into the beasts’ right arm; the Ent released a mammoth roar of pain. Performing a back flip to evade any close strikes from her opponent and spinning around her weapon, Lilianna began releasing a barrage of bolts aimed at the monsters face. Several of the small projectiles crashed into the Ent's face, ripping through its eyes and the beast let out another distressing cry of pain. The Ent began to advance forward in a disorientated fashion whilst Lilianna's slow spell was beginning to wear off, throwing his arms in more destructive manner than before. Swiftly climbing back to the peak of the tree, Lilianna began shooting more bolts towards the beast to halt its advance before casting yet another slow spell. She found another opportunity to tackle the Ent head on, lunging from the tree and spearing her weapon through his right arm again, swiftly followed by a large blast of bolt Materia. The impact was enough to crush his right arm entirely, crumbling into mere ashes. Rapidly grabbing her spear, Lilianna lunged forward again, but was struck down by a raging attack from her opponent, sending her flying into the surrounding trees.

Attempting to stand back up on her two feet, Lilianna staggered around before shortly falling back to the floor. The Ent slowly advanced towards her, thrashing out at anything in its path. Eventually his arm made contact with Lilianna once again, projecting her into yet more surrounding trees. Blood began pouring from the back of her head, attempting to attain her balance once again. But to no surprise, the beast was almost taunting her, as if it was waiting until she was upright before tackling her to the floor with another almighty blow. Lilianna's body smashed to the ground, causing her to fall unconscious on the cold, damp floor of the forest...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"A-ha, seems like you got beat pretty badly! What happened next?" Crane questioned.
"Well-" Lilianna began to add, before being cut short from a young man bursting into the second floor lounge, where she and Crane had been discussing her most recent mission.

[Val]

Quite awhile had passed, but Bastian hadn't noticed with being so lost amongst his rushing thoughts. At some point he had laid down on the bed, but he hadn't realised he had done so. Waking from his trance, Bastian climbed off the bed and, realising he had yet to unpack, started looking for a home for the few possessions he had brought with him from Junon. A long black scarf that easily achieves 10ft in length, which Bastian wears in any kind of weather indiscriminately; A Twin set of Pistols, Bastian's most cherished belongings, which he affectionately named Lili and Talon; There were a few other items he brought along and tried to find homes for, but none of them were note worthy.


Bastian looked around for a few moments longer, inspecting the closet space and the modest on suite bathroom. Deciding he had toured his room thoroughly, Bastian thought now would be a good opportunity to explore the rest of - what he could now call - his new home. Locking his door behind him with a key Crane had given him earlier, Bastian made his way down the hallway.


On his little journey around the Avalanche Hotel, a term he had coined together whilst deep in thought earlier, he discovered a surprisingly clean kitchen with something smelling delicious cooking on the stove; A pretty impressive looking gym, though Bastian had noticed some of the equipment had been damaged or broken. He also stumbled upon a room with a large, magnificent oak table in the middle; Bastian believed it to be a room where meetings and such were held. Surrounding the table was many comfy looking leather chairs and near the centre of the table sat an ashtray completely filled with cigarette remains. Bastian was beginning to get a very colourful image of what type of people work within the resistance. He swiftly left the room, feeling slightly intimidated and he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched.


He ended up outside the room where he had conversed with Crane earlier. Bastian hesitated before entering. He could hear voices coming from within and instantly recognised Cranes broad, yet jolly voice, but he didn't recognise the other. Bastian was always nervous when meeting new people, as well as anxious; being a little shy, he's always had a hard time finding things to say... He took a deep breath and, though having to use a little force on the stiff door, entered the room.


His heart nearly stopped, finding two sets of eyes staring at him, though one more gentle and friendly. Sat before him upon the couches beside the far wall was two people; Bastian had obviously interrupted their conversation. One was the giant, Crane, and the other was a woman Bastian didn't recognise, though how could he? He hadn't been in Midgar that long. She had a peculiar dark shade of blue hair and incredibly powerful looking legs, as well as a penetrating stare. Bastian, slowly, began to advance towards them, weaving himself between the chairs and couches dotted around.


"Ah! Bastian, there you are!" Crane said with a large smile. "I was just about to fetch you, dinner is almost ready!" With that Crane struggled to get out of his chair, finally managing it he rose to his full height and brushed himself off. "I'm sorry my dear Lilianna, I would love for you to finish your story another time, but this~" he said waving an arm in Bastian's direction, "This is Bastian, the new addition to our group!"


Lilianna gave Bastian a small nod.


"Bastian," Crane continued "This is Lilianna. You'll most likely be working with her at some point in the future!"


"Hi-erm.. Hello." Bastian struggled, "I er, I have a gun named Lili..." Bastian let out a slightly forced smile before quickly breaking eye contact. He felt quite silly...

This post has been edited by Val: Feb 15, 2010 - 11:56 PM

[MiniCloudz]

Softening her stare, realising she had unintentionally intimidated the boy, "Hello, Bastian. It's nice to meet you." Lilianna replied, standing up from the couch and walking over to him. She stretched out her hand, which Bastian took hesitantly, "Welcome to Avalanche."
"I'm sure the two of you will be best of friends before you know it, now, dinner is almost ready. Follow me upstairs, won't you?" Crane said, still smiling broadly.
"I've been waiting for this all day. Your home cooking is something special, Crane." Lilianna replied, nodding in agreement; finally being lead out of the room, shortly followed by Bastian.

A warm, welcoming aromatic smell filled the entire kitchen as both Lilianna and Bastian placed themselves at the dining table. "Mmmm. What's cooking, Crane?" Lilianna asked, turning towards him.
"On the menu today is stewed rarab, mashed mandragora and a generous helping of goblin gravy." He replied, walking towards the table and laying out a spread of various dishes. "Just help yourself, there's enough for everyone!" Crane said, smiling boldly at the others.

Bastian was hesitant to start dishing his own food, which to his surprise Crane had already started. "Here you go, Bastian. Tuck in, I'm a good cook, I promise!" He said, beginning to chuckle.
"The same as always, the food is delicious. Don't you think so, Bastian?" Lilianna asked.
Bastian looked up, giving a slight nod and managing an "u-huh" whilst stuffing his mouth with as much of Cranes delicious cooking as he could possibly manage. Obviously he hadn't eaten a proper meal in a while.

"I've also prepared desert for anyone who would like some. It's melted hob goblin chocolate spread over a thick tarutaru cake!" Crane added, being descriptive as ever with his cooking; as the proud cook he is.
"Oh... No thank you, Crane. It sounds divine, though." Lilianna replied, standing up from her chair. "Well, thanks once again for the food, Crane. I'll be in my room preparing for the next mission." Lilianna said, turning towards Bastian, "It was nice to meet you, Bastian." She added, leaving the dining room and heading to the 5th floor bedrooms.

[Ch1efer]

'Why do I get stuck with all these reconnaissance missions.' Kazuma grunted to himself. He had been assigned a mission to locate and watch over the rumored resistance group, by the higher ups of ShinRa and The Turks. Once he had located the group he was then suppose to find a way to join the resistance or Avalanche as they like to be called.

It had been about a week that Kazuma had been watching over an old run down hotel from a roof of a building across the street. He hadn't seen much, a handful of people coming in and out. A beautiful young woman with stunning blue hair, showed up a few days ago, looked like she was returning from a long journey. Kazu had guessed she has a room on the 5th floor, he had seen her open her window often, but with the curtains always closed he wasn't to sure what was inside that room. Another new face had shown up today, a younger looking guy, probably about the same age as Kazuma. The last few days had seem to be more active around the run down building, maybe something was finally about to happen. Kazu was wondering when he will have an opining to approach Crane Whales and convince him to let him into this branch group of Avalanche. Kazuma had been briefed with info on Crane, and he looks even bigger in person, he is not someone Kazu want to get on the bad side of.

'Well, looks like nothing special going on again today.' Kazu said to himself while stretching and letting out a long yawn. He then was thinking about how to get back at The Turks for sticking him on all the boring missions. As his mind wondered, he slowly dozed off. Good thing he was on the of the tallest building around, or else someone might have heard him snoring.

[Val]

Bastian took a deep breath after clearing his last helping of stewed rarab. Crane's cooking was amazing; Bastian had never experienced food so rich and exciting in taste and texture. He couldn't resist the offer to try the desert Crane had prepared. "I'm for desert! I never knew someone could cook so well!" Bastian said happily as he gathered the empty plates.


"Oh?" Crane looked at Bastian; the sudden change in his voice took him by surprise. "Ah, I see now! You're uncomfortable around new people." Crane concluded quite quickly.


Bastian arranged the plates in a neat pile ready to be taken back into the kitchen for washing. "Yeah," he said, dropping back into his seat "I find it incredibly hard to be myself around people I don't know or trust... I guess I've always been that way" Bastian said, releasing a small sigh.


"a-ha! Well I'll tell you now that Lilianna may seem intimidating, but she really is a trust worthy and sincere person, albeit a little fiery at times." Crane said with a bold smile, "Don't you worry m'boy! Like I said earlier, you'll both be good friends in no time."


"I'm sure we will." Bastian smiled gently, "Anyway... Desert?"


"Oh! Of course!" Crane said rising from his seat. He collected the plates Bastian had piled earlier and made his way to the kitchen. "You just wait there; I'll fetch it for you." Crane said; his broad smile seemed like a permanent feature upon his face.


A little time had passed and Bastian was working through his second helping of the Tarutaru Cake with the melted hob goblin chocolate. "Crane! This cake is amazing; out of this world nearly!"


"Oh a ha ha... more than you know m'boy!" replied Crane, finishing off the last of his helping. "Now... I was going to wait until you had settled in before sending you off on your first mission, but something has come up."


Bastian looked a little surprised; he stopped eating and readied himself for the details of his first mission. He hadn't been there that long, but already they had a mission for him; he wiped a few crumbs from his chin and leaned towards Crane, listening intently.


"I'm sorry, but for the moment, I'm going to have to keep things rather vague in regards to the purpose behind the mission."Crane started "I have a letter that I need you to deliver for me to a man named Guy" Crane reached into a deep pocket and pulled out a folded brown envelope." Don't be fooled, this is more than a simple errand, you see; Guy is a member of Avalanche working undercover within Shin-Ra. In an effort to not raise suspicion and potentially blow his cover, we send a member that Shin-Ra will not recognise and that is why we need you to go. But you won't be alone, so don't worry... Lilianna has been briefed and will be accompanying you on this mission. She's quite the master of disguise, our Lili, ohhh yes; cover her hair and she looked like a completely different person." Crane passed the envelope to Bastian before serving up a second helping of Tarutaru cake for himself. "Lilianna will be your guide on this mission so make sure you listen to her! Just hand that Envelope to Guy and come back as quickly as you can manage. Any questions?"


Bastian leaned back in his chair and started prodding what remained of his cake with his fork. "So, you want me to take this letter to a guy named... Guy... and come back. Lilianna will guide me there and point him out; you just need me, the fresh blood, to hand it to him to not raise suspicion as someone might recognise Lilianna. Also, I'm not to read the contents of the envelope?" Bastian said to which Crane confirmed with a nod. "Alright, sounds simple enough... when do I leave?"


"When you finish your desert, you can go and get ready and Lilianna will come and get you when its time" Crane smiled


Bastian ate the last few mouthfuls quickly, "alright, well I'm done here. I'll go and get Lili and Talon and I'm done! Oh! And that meal was amazing! I can't even begin to express how satisfying it was" Bastian smiled at Crane as he rose from his seat, swiftly leaving the dining area to prepare the mission.

This post has been edited by Val: Feb 16, 2010 - 12:07 AM

[MiniCloudz]

Lilianna was laid upon her bed, with the window ajar; the cool, gentle breeze brushing across her delicate skin. "I should really finish preparing for this mission..." She said aloud, springing to her feet. Lilianna reached towards the few wooden storage crates, pulling out a long, black cloak. She reached into her pockets and pulled out a silver clasp, twisting her hair into a small bun and pinning it to the back of her head. Tying the cloak around her neck, Lilianna pulled up the hood from her coat, exited the room and began walking down the corridor towards Bastian's room.


*Knock, knock*


She waited a moment, "Hello? Bastian?" The door was swiftly pulled open, revealing a startled Bastian.


�W-who�s there?� He shouted.


Lilianna raised her head, removed the hood and nodded. "It's only me... nothing to worry about."


Bastian sighed in relief, "Oh... Lilianna!� he said, "Crane wasn�t lying when he said you are good with disguise."


"Indeed." Lilianna simply added, "Now, I assume you're ready?" She asked, pulling up her hood.


"Of course.� Bastian replied, readjusting his scarf and retrieving both his guns, "I've been waiting for a little while now." He finished, pulling the door shut and locking it tightly behind him.


Lilianna began walking down the corridor as Bastian followed shortly behind, "Now, I assume Crane has explained the details to you?" She asked.


"Yeah, I spoke with him after dinner." He replied.


Lilianna nodded, "Good, now... if anything unplanned happens, simply follow my lead and I'll get us out of whatever situation arises.�


�I�m pretty good at taking care of myself, but I�ll follow your lead.� Bastian said.


Lilianna softened her tone of voice, �I don�t dispute that, Bastian.� She said, forcing a smile of reassurance. �I just don�t want anything to jeopardise our mission.� With that, the two had finally exited the hotel and began making their way through the streets of Midgars upper plate.


Outside, the busy streets were becoming quieter by the second. Market stalls were shutting down and most of the local stores were closed. �Keep by my side. We�ll be better cutting through any small allies we find.� Lilianna said, directing Bastian into a nearby ally. Most of the allies were small and tight, hardly wide enough for anyone to squeeze through. Broken pipes spewed out steam and the garbage piles from various stores blocked most visible pathways. Nothing compared to the streets outside.


�You�d think we were in the slums.� Bastian said, looking around in slight disgust.


Lilianna nodded, "I agree. It won't be long till we can cross over into the open streets again, then we shouldn't be too far from Guys hut."

[Ch1efer]

Adrenalin pumping through his veins, as he looked down his custom rifle. Holding the rifle almost completely still, he took his last breath and held it for absolute precision. Then he slowly gripped the trigger, finger just waiting for the exact moment to react. He pulled the trigger, and what almost seemed like slow motion, the bullet flew through the air. With a slow rotation straight toward the back of the targets head.

Kazuma then awoke, from a recurring dream. He has still yet to see the face of the target, but for as long as he can remember he has been having this dream, and little by little he gets more out of it. Now wiping the crusty drool off of the side of his face Kazuma comes back to reality.

Kazuma then started to actually do his job for a bit, looking over the edge of his little nest to the head quarters of Avalanche. Sitting and waiting for something to happen. Just when he wanted to doze off again he saw a couple of members make their move. He recognized the one from earlier but the woman looked different, he hadn't seen her before. They moved very suspiciously, making their way through the alleyways. Kazuma then started his pursuit of the Avalanche members.

[Val]

The pair continued their journey through the back alleys in an effort to make it to Guy's hut without been noticed. The letter they were to bring to Guy rested in Bastian's pocket, folded and sealed. There hanged a sort of awkward silent between them as they travelled; Lilianna could tell Bastian was still slightly anxious around her, but knew it would most likely pass after this, what she would call, 'ice breaker' mission.

"Alright..." Lilianna said, breaking the silence, "In a moment we going to take a sharp right turn and that will take us to a main road." She said whilst still leading Bastian through the slum-like alleys. "We just need to cross that, take a left and it's a straight fifteen minute walk or so and we are there. This is the turn now!" The two turned and were glad to be out of the uncomfortably cramped alley.

They followed Lilianna's directions to the Tee, and before long a scenic view of several modest wooden huts could be seen in the distance. Bastian suddenly felt a tug on his shoulder, "One moment." Lilianna said in a sort of whisper, she outstretched her right arm and pointed to one of the huts before them. "That is Guy's hut; you'll have to go by yourself as I'm only acting as guide." Bastian didn't flinch as he expected as much... what would be the point of him going if Lilianna was more than capable herself. "I'll be here keeping an eye on you, so if there is any trouble; I'll be your back up. If anything seems strange just get out of there!"

Bastian adjusted his scarf and released 'Talon; from his holster, "Alright, no problem. If there's any trouble, escaping is my specialty. I'll be back in a moment." He said before walking ahead alone. Lilianna stayed back and immersed herself as best she could within the shadows, watching Guy's intently, looking out for anything that could be off.

Bastian stood outside the hut Lilianna had pointed out. He tightened his grasp on Talon and readied his finger on the trigger before approaching the front door. No lights could be seen coming from within but he knocked regardless. There was no answer; Bastian continued to knock a further two times but to no avail. He walked a little distance around the house and looked into one of the windows. It was so dark inside, but something made him recoil slightly. For a split second he thought he had seen someone inside- a very small person; a child perhaps? Bastian concluded Guy wasn't home and made his way back to Lilianna, whom he told what he thought he had saw.

"Strange, I don't remember Guy mentioning anything about having children... Are you sure that's what you saw?" Lilianna questioned.
Bastian scratched his head a little, "I'm really not sure. It was so dark. So, he's either not home or just not answering, what do we do now? Mission failed?"

"Don't be so negative, He's probably at his post." Lilianna said, looking around to see if anyone was in the area, she had this eerie feeling she and Bastian were being watched, a feeling she couldn't shake. "This mission may have just become a bit more complicated, follow me!" she said, setting off abruptly.

"Where are we headed now?" Bastian said, jogging behind her. Lilianna's legs were much longer than his own and made it difficult to keep up with her.

"Guy's post is at the divide between the upper plate's Sector 5 and 6." She explained, "Since Sector 6 is still under construction, guards are placed at each entrance." The pair took a sharp turn left onto an open, yet poorly lit road. "Guy is a respected guard known as one of the highest skilled guards within Shinra, which isn't surprising given his history; which, thankfully, Shinra isn't aware of, but that's a story for another day. My point is; He usually does his shift alone or with a few trainee grunts."

The two found themselves travelling through the back alleys again, which was actually to Bastian's advantage as his small frame allowed him to keep up with the semi giant Lilianna with greater ease, though he dreaded to think what the filth was that he was walking in... "So, how far away in the Sector divide? And are you sure he will be there?" Bastian asked.

"There's nowhere else he would be really, and luckily it's close by. Better prepare yourself as when we get there, you'll be going in alone again." Lilianna said whilst quickening her pace a little, "Guy should be stood by a large arched gate that requires a card key to open, which guy has, and though he will most likely be on duty alone; other Shinra guards will be in the area as well." She glanced over at Bastian briefly before concentrating on the path before her, "though you don't look the type, I'll still advise you to refrain from doing anything stupid." The Duo made another few turns and exited onto a main road. The Sector divide could now be seen over the buildings in the distance and was like a thick temporary wall made from steel and iron that looked to be 30ft in height and separated both Sectors entirely. Up ahead was the impressive gate with a single man stood before it. The immediate area around the gate was quite empty making the Gate look even bigger. "Okay, as before; I'll be here watching. That's Guy over there, though he is an ally, keep in mind that you must do anything in your power to avoid jeopardising his cover!"

"Alright, here I go I guess..." Bastian replied before making his way to Guy. He readjusted his scarf again, out of habit rather than comfort, and unclipped the holsters for both Lili and Talon, just in case he had to draw them quickly.

Slowly, he began to approach Guy- an intimidating man that looked to be in his mid thirties and about 6ft tall. He had stubbly beard and a piercing gaze, not once did he blink while Bastian was in his sight. On his left arm was a large customised buckler that was more angled than circular and dyed black and navy. Protruding from one side of it were two blades that seemed like they were removable. The shield itself had many scratches and dints across its surface and most likely more could be seen on closer inspection.

Bastian was just several yards away before Guy raised his arm in a manner than seemed to be telling Bastian to halt. "Something doesn't feel right." He thought to himself. Though He wasn't sure what to expect from Guy, Having never met him and believing that Guy wasn't expecting anyone from Avalanche to make an appearance... Aside from the motioning of his arm, everything about Guy- His stance, his mannerisms and even his expression; they all seemed to be staged for some reason. Bastion couldn't doubt that the man was incredibly experienced, but something was false about the way he was acting.

"You were followed." Guy said simply.

From behind, Lilianna's voice could be heard: "Get Out Of There Now!!!" - Suddenly an alarm sounded and a slight buzz filled the area. Other guards were undoubtedly on their way to his position and closing in every moment.

Bastian didn't flinch at the sound of the sirens, "What's the quickest way out of here? I'd be an easy target on the open roads and the back alleys, though I won't be easily pursued, I wouldn't be able to navigate quickly enough and would surely be cut off at most exits..."

"Ha, you're not an idiot I see... Looks like the roof tops are your only option if you're good at jumping and don't mind helicopters. Now, drop the letter and leave or I'll be forced to attack you. My cover cannot be blown." Guy said, preparing to attack.

Without another word, Guy lunged forward with his armed left arm aimed at Bastian's torso. Swiftly, Bastian dropped the letter to the ground and rolled between Guy's legs, evading the attack. Regaining his footing, Bastian spun on the spot, drawing both Lili and Talon and aiming them at Guy before opening fire. Guy managed to deflect both bullets with his buckler using lightning fast reflexes that Bastian had never witnessed before. Guy was obviously much more proficient at defending than attacking, making him just as dangerous.

Guy pretended to fall to the ground after defending from Bastian's attack, landing on the letter which he scooped up with his right hand whilst raising himself from the floor. Bastian took this opportunity to run, saying only "It was nice to meet you." before heading back to Lilianna, who had been surrounded.

Lilianna looked like a giant in the middle of all the grunts that surrounded her. "The disguise is all but useless now..." She thought to herself before one of the Shinra guards, armed with an electrically charged rod, stepped forward to attack. Lilianna jumped into the air and stomped the attacker in the face, using him as a platform to jump off of again sending her upwards. With a little mid air spin, she removed her cloak and disguise and readied her pole arm. Upon landed a small distance away from the group that had surrounded her, she unloaded two bolts into one guard and speared another. One guard remained and in an attempted to escape Lilianna's attacks he began to run away. He was nowhere near capable of outrunning Lilianna's powerful legs who swiftly caught up to him and delivered a devastatingly powerful flying kick that sent the grunt flying to one side, broken.

"Lilianna!" Bastian said upon approaching her, "Mission completed, he has the letter!"

"Good, then there is no reason to stick around" She replied. "Now we just need head back to HQ. It would most likely be best to take separate routes, if you remember the way?" Just then more Shinra Guards flooded into the area.

"Yeah, I'll be fine... It took me nearly a year to find it the first time, but I know where it is now." Bastian said as the grunts got closer. "Guess I'll see you at main base." He said to which Lilianna replied with a simple nod before the pair parted, running in separate directions.

This post has been edited by Val: Feb 16, 2010 - 12:15 AM

[Val]

It had only been moments since he and Lilianna split company, but already it had seemed he had lost most of his pursuers. Still, a hand full of Shinra grunts continued chasing the short scarf adjusting Avalanche newcomer. Bastian turned a sudden corner in a hope to escape their sight, a hope that was soon after crushed. The corner he had taken led to an ally closed off by buildings and a large unwelcoming wall covered in moss towards the back of the dead end. Bastian continued running as he knew this wasn't the time to stop and review the situation and his options. Quickly, without slowing his running speed, Bastian unfastened one of his guns, named Lili, and pointed it directly in front of him aiming towards the wall.

Though his guns, Lili and Talon, were almost identical in appearance; Lili was much lighter in weight and its trigger was much more sensitive and gave much less resistance when pulled compared to Talon, which is heavier and whose trigger was much more stubborn.

He pulled Lili's trigger gently, whispering softly "Barrier, my sweet~" suddenly before the wall appeared what seemed to be a hovering, yet secure sheet of glass that was positioned like a ramp leading towards the top of the wall; a reflection of light glazing over its surface before disappearing and the suspended glass like structure becoming transparent. Bastian ran straight for it as he approached the now invisible ramp, he jumped and ran up the materia created barrier. It looked as though he was running on thin air. Upon reaching the top of the barrier, Bastian leapt again, this time over the wall itself, grabbing the top of the wall and dropping himself down the other side.

With his feet back on the floor, he leant back against the wall trying to capture his escaping breath. He could hear the chasing Shinra guards walking up the alley on the other side of the wall whose running had slowly descended before coming to a complete halt. He could hear them speaking to each other, one had questioned where he had gone and another confirming they had seen Bastian run down this ally. Another quieter and slightly stupid sounding grunt pondered out loud if, maybe by chance, Bastian could fly; he was quickly put down and told to shut up by the other guards. Bastian carried on listening for a moment, "Why are we chasing this nobody anyway... We should have followed everyone else and chased after the chick; she's known for putting up a good fight!"

"That is true." another Shinra guard joined in, "Lilianna is one of the most recognisable threats within the Avalanche resistance. She is a force not to be taken lightly. To be honest, I’d rather face this unknown... he seems more of the running type."

Bastian began to slowly walk away from the wall and down the road he was now on. It was quite open, but very still and quiet. All of a sudden, a roaring explosion could be heard nearby. Bastian couldn't help but suspect Lilianna had some connection to it. She really goes all out doesn't she~" He thought to himself. He continued down the road in the direction leading away from the explosion, he needed to find a familiar road to help guide him towards the Avalanche Hotel, before having any luck however; another group of Shinra Guards came running towards him from up ahead, undoubtedly attracted by the explosion. He knew it would be more dangerous to run the opposite way so he carried on walking forward as there were no opportunities to hide or evade and he was already in their line of sight. As they advanced on his position, he adjusted his scarf and undid the fastening on Talon's holster. Without removing the heavier pistol from its resting place, Bastian forced the stubborn trigger back, whispering beneath his breath, "Grant me haste, friend." A sudden burst of adrenaline spread its way throughout every inch of Bastians body, a distance aura of semi-visible pressure being emitted around him.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Bastian swiftly closed the distance between him and the guards, ducking under the arm of one and through the legs of another. Bastian turned back towards those he had just maundered himself around, out stretching the hand that still firmly gripped Lili. Two bullets found their mark before they could even react; falling to the floor in a less than graceful manner. Another guard lunged at Bastian from behind, though Bastian was ready; before the grunts attack could connect, Bastain had swiftly back flipped over the attacker, completely evading him. Bastian's hastened state plus his agile frame and ranged weapons made light work of these low ranking guards, but something troubled him. Towards the back of the small group stood a soldier with a slightly different uniform.

Soon it was just Bastian and the somewhat more elite looking Guard left and haste's effect seemed to have expired. He holstered Lili before habitually readjusting his lengthy scarf. The higher guard jolted forward, armed with an electric rod that he swung almost hypnotically. Bastian followed the rhythm of the attacks and evaded accordingly, the prickly sensation of the rod become more uncomfortable with each swipe. It was clear that this was a dangerous situation, Bastian couldn't keep dodging like this for long... "what was I thinking getting in so close like that!" He managed to evade again and roll a little distance away from the semi-elite. After buying himself a moment, Bastian drew Talon -whose holster he had unfastened earlier- and held him at arm’s length, aiming for the face of his opponent. "End this now, friend... with a Bolt-" he hesitated for a moment, "Two!" He pulled the trigger, the gun crackling slightly before and electrified bullet screeched its way towards the Semi-elite, passing through his helmet as if he wasn't wearing one. His body dropped to the floor, spasming slightly from the shock.


The fight was over, but he didn't have much time to rest as a frightful sound made its way towards him. Before long, the cause of the noise, which could only be described as air being shredded, made itself apparent. From over one of the surrounding build hovered an impressive -and expensive- looking helicopter decorated with the Shinra Corp. logo. It lowered itself before Bastian and within moments many more Semi-Elite guards had immerged and surrounded the half sized resistance newcomer. Bastian looked around him, adjusting his scarf before gently gripping Lili in her holster, caressing her trigger softly. Also emerging from helicopter was a very high up executive looking person, with a smug yet intelligent aura about him. He stood a few feet in front of Bastian, both staring, neither blinking.

"So, I return from an important meeting and what do I find~~" he said suddenly. His well groomed dirty blonde hair and slight, though intentional, chin stubble exclaimed the fact he thinks highly of himself. "some sort of commotion being stirred; it doesn't make me happy. I thought I would grace these streets with my presence so i could halt this foolishness." He placed his hands in his jacket pockets, and took on a slightly more relaxed posture. He was wearing a dark crimson suit and an expensive looking white tie and boots. "To think how much disturbance you two are creating; your friend, Lilianna, has made quite a mess over there."

This comment took Bastian by surprise... ''He know's Lilianna? How much does he know, he's obviously holding back... Bastian thought to himself. "Who are you?" Bastian said, his grip on Lili tightening.

"Irrelevant." He said simply before removing one hand from his pocket, a small red materia in its clutches. "You're surrounded. Escape if you can. If you can't; you will die."

As fast as he could, Bastian drew Lili from her holster and aimed it at the Executive looking man. The surrounding semi-elites, all equipped with high tech rifles took aim on Bastian. "I thought it was getting crowded anyway~" He said, before pulling the trigger.

The Executive looking man flinched somewhat before realising Bastian was no longer stood there. Where Bastian had been stood was now just a hardly visible red tinted mist that didn't linger for long. He looked around in confusion, placing the materia back in his pocket. He shrugged and became walking towards his Helicopter, indicating to his men to follow him with a wave of his hand.

I short distance away; Bastian was walking, still looking for a familiar road to lead him to HQ. He took a deep breath, he was obviously exhausted. "Lili, I am thankful you came with Exit materia... It takes a lot out of me though..." He said out loud, though he was alone... Finally he had found a familiar road, it didn't take him too long before the Avalanche Hotel was in view; He carried on walking towards the sight of his new home.

This post has been edited by Val: Feb 18, 2010 - 6:53 AM

[MiniCloudz]

Guards continued to pursue Lilianna through the upper plate with more and more joining the chase. Not letting any opportunity pass, she executed bolt after bolt, taking out any guard caught in the projectiles line of fire. The unit was growing quicker by the second, more than she could handle whilst firing somewhat low accuracy. "I need to fix this, now..." She thought to herself, swiftly bringing her movement to a halt. As she turned around, it wasn't long before the guards had caught up with her. Swiping in an upwards motion with her weapon, knocking a guard into the air, Lilianna followed with a devastating kick to his body, yet again propelling him skyward. She quickly armed the crossbow, releasing a barrage of bolts that ripped through his body, rendering him useless and left to bleed to death.

Guard after guard attempted to strike her down; kick after devastating kick she knocked them to the ground. The unit of guards began striking at Lilianna in unison, amplifying their attack force; breaking her balance and knocking her over. "Get her, she's down! Arrest that low life!" One of the guards screamed. Lilianna grasped her Polearm tightly, using the opportunity to sweep several guards from their feet and buying her time to regain balance. After releasing several bolts through the helms of the floored guards, Lilianna felt a small trickle of blood run down her face. Quickly wiping it away; she could feel the anger flowing through her body. Tightening her grasp on the Polearm, Lilianna began lashing out in fury, each attack connecting with a guard, smashing them to the side. The few remaining guards made an effort to strike Lilianna, but to no avail, they were sent flying with one powerful kick after another. "Good." Lilianna said to herself, slowly releasing her pent up frustration.

Lilianna began running down the street, dipping and diving between several different alley ways. Numerous guards appeared round the following corner, quickly surrounding her once again. "Just give it up, Lilianna. We've got you surrounded this time." One of the guards said, lunging forward to grab her. Using swift reflexes, she jumped to evade his attack and smashed her foot into his face. In an attempt to seize Lilianna from behind, another guard was sent flying to one side, broken. The few remaining guards began running in the opposite direction, "Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Lilianna screamed as she began following them, "I'm not doing playing with you yet." She finished. Her legs were no match for their puny bodies and eventually the remainders were reduced to nothing. Making her way into the main street, Lilianna found herself in a large open area. "Alright, it should be no trouble getting back to HQ from here." She said, looking for the nearest available alley way.

Suddenly, a large mechanical racket grabbed her attention. Advancing towards her from the opposite direction was an oversized, mechanically enhanced tank, stopping not too far in front of her. She found herself, yet again, surrounded; this time with higher ranking guards. "Take her out, now!" One of the guards ordered. The cannon began descending, aiming straight for Lilianna. "She's not moving, what is wrong with her?" Several of the guards said, squabbling between themselves. "Who cares...?" Another added before bursting into laughter.

Starring down the barrel of the cannon, Lilianna stood perfectly still, counting each second until the blast was initiated. I don't think so... Preparing her spell, the blast was released and Lilianna confirmed her defence. The attack advanced sluggishly as she released bolt, igniting the blast and causing the tank to explode; shattering the bones of any guards in radius. The explosion caused destruction of the area, leaving anything nearby in complete debris. The tank was reduced to smithereens with a large group of dead bodies pilled around it. A few were still alive; injured and bleeding heavily, though Lilianna showed mercy and spared their pathetic lives. It was inevitable they would die soon enough.

A loud noise tore through the sky, shortly revealing a helicopter passing over head. "What's a helicopter doing out here...?" Lilianna said to herself. "That's the direction Bastian ran... I hope he's alright." She added before making her way through the debris and leaving the ruined site.

Lilianna passed through the damp, rustic alley way she intended to use before, ducking and diving to avoid the various trash cans and debris. Eventually cutting into the main square, Avalanche HQ was in sight. She could see Bastian in the distance, "Bastian!" she shouted. Much to his surprised, Bastian swiftly spun around to see Lilianna running towards him. "Hello, Lilianna." He shouted.

"Ah, it's good to see you're safe, Bastian." Lilianna said just as she arrived in front of him. "Any trouble out there today? You look exhausted." She added.

"None at all; I'm alright. What about yourself?" he asked, giving a slight nod of reassurance.

"No problems at all. The mission was a success." Lilianna replied, "We've got quite a lot to report back to Crane. It's about time we headed home."

"Of course." Bastian replied, as they both advanced towards the hotel.

[Ch1efer]

Good thing Kazuma was watching from a distance, he didn't get close enough to see what their initial mission was but he did notice the commotion and the alarms going off. 'Time to get out of here', he thought to himself. He holstered his rifle on his back and made his way through the alleyways out of harms way. Going to his favorite spot in the upper plate, where he can view everything going on below from his rifle, he ran into a tank squad. He stepped in front of them. They halted, and then saluted. Kazuma, still in his Terk uniform, has command over these lower ranking grunts. Not all of them were grunts, but they all are below Kazuma, so they are all grunts to him. He goes to command the squad captain 'If you lay in wait over there, you will surely be able to ambush one of the members of Avalanche.' 'We'll see what we can do, Sir!' And at that, Kazu was off. 'Almost there', he thought to himself, 'I can't wait to see what that woman makes of those grunts and tank.' He made it to his destination just in time to watch the beautiful and graceful woman make her way through the city.

After watching the demonstration of exquisite fighting ability, Kazuma had to get a new outfit. The Terk uniform wont help him tomorrow, because first thing in the morning, he was going to join Avalanche. He went and got his favorite suit, it is a very dark emerald green. Which goes great with his charcoal dress shirt. He rather not wear a tie, or even keep the top button of his shirt done up. Even though wearing a suit, he makes it look very casual.


The next morning Kazuma heads towards the Avalanche Hotel. As he enters into the main entrance, it looks as run down as the outside. 'This is their headquarters?' He mumbled to himself. Papers everywhere, tables, desks and chairs thrown about, almost like a raid had gone through. Then Kazu realized, what if they were followed last night, what if they didn't make it back in time. As the thought of Avalanche being destroyed by ShinRa before he had a chance to join the ranks was rushing through his head, he heard footsteps come down the stairs. He quickly drew his rifle off of his back and took aim towards the noise, finger hovering over the trigger.

The beautiful girl from his dreams then proceeded to make her way down the stairs. This reminded Kazu of all those girly movies he likes to watch. It was prom night, the mystical beauty made her way down the stairs. While Kazuma stood there in awe. He slowly dropped his rifle, with his jaw almost dropping in sinc. His heart pounding so loud in his chest he almost didn't hear her.

"Stop, don't even breath. You can first start by telling me what you're doing here." She said with such forcefulness that Kazuma knew he was in love.
"I've come to discuss joining your resistance, is your leader available?" Kazuma said in response. "But if you care to go out for breakfast with me first, we can come back later."
"That will not happen and if you are serious about joining, I could lead you to Crane, our boss" Replied the beautiful girl. "And by the way, I'm Lilianna, but you can call me Lili if you want. Who are you?"
"That's a beautiful name Lilianna. That almost sounded like a maybe to me, and by all means lead me where ever you like. I'm Kazuma, or you can call me Kazu.' Kazuma said with a slight wink.
Lilianna turned around and headed up the stairs, "follow me!" She demanded. With her back facing the Kazu, she had a little grin on her face.