sixthiterationlogs | here he comes [ squall and 3 open threads ]

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here he comes [ squall and 3 open threads ]

WHO: Squall Leonhart
WHERE: South Village (fountain, then inn, then house 16)
WHEN: Oct. 31st (morning, late morning, early afternoon)
OPEN TO: Any!
WARNINGS: None now!

Fountain Foundation / Morning

Water. Again.

At first, Squall could only register that annoyance. He was taken out of his familiar settings again and tossed into water again. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. His actions were mechanical at first, and he refused to think about the consequences of this new setting. He had to swim towards the light. He had to pull himself out of the wet fountain to the cold fall air. He had to search in the backpack for a coat.

But once his immediate survival was secure, he looked around himself with a little more interior trepidation. It didn’t look like a dangerous landscape, but that was about the only good mark. He didn’t have his gunblade or his clothes…or Griever.

It was when he noticed the loss of his necklace that he really paid attention to his magenta clothes. They were far from his normal blacks and greys, and he didn’t like them at all. Nor did he have a good feeling about the device around his wrist that he couldn’t remove.

But with typical determination, he leaned back on his heels, crouched, and stared at the buildings and the cornfield.

Well, Leonheart. What’s it going to be this time? he thought to himself, trying to keep his thoughts away from his friends and family. He had to understand his surroundings. Then he could worry about where they were…and whether he would see them again.

When he noticed someone nearing the fountain, he rose to his feet and made eye contact—he should probably say something, but verbalizing wasn’t his strong suit, even now.

INNformation / Late Morning

An important job for both SeeD and…whatever he was in Traverse Town and Hollow Bastian…was information gathering. A mercenary and a member of a restoration committee could not succeed without having as many details as possible.

Thankfully, the first step for information was not very many steps. He went into the hotel—inn—and looked through the Public Records. Things that had happened, people and what they could do…

It was a lot of information to take in. It reminded him of the SeeD classroom, with lesson after lesson after lesson. Still, it would take him more than one reading to remember this without knowing more context.

He leaned back against the wall and rubbed his forehead. No sign of his comrades. No sign of anyone he had even heard of. Hyne, this is starting all over again.

House Hunting / Early Afternoon

Squall knew he could stay at the Inn, but he didn’t entertain that thought very long. He was prepared to make relationships and form those teams to do good with this village, but it was something completely different to want to live right next door to someone he didn’t know.

A part of him was also drawn to something a little…larger. Nothing would be as large and well designed as Garden, and he didn’t really mind not being in charge of that, but the house in Traverse Town wasn’t big enough. Merlin’s house was a much better base, roomier, and he wanted to find something that could be like that again. He wanted not just a place to sleep, but a place his team could meet.

Not that he had a team, but sooner or later, he would have one. It would be difficult and depressing at first, because he could never replace his friends, but this wasn’t about replacing them. It certainly wasn’t about forgetting them.

He didn’t wander far to choose a house that seemed abandoned, judging from all the dust. Keeping the door open, he started to sort through all the rooms to check for any problems.

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Setting up a garden (a little garden, that is) or pens for animals were so far outside Squall's current mindset. He just needed a place to safely rest his head. Eventually, he might think about really settling in. He had some practice in the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, but even that was more about infrastructure and buildings. Personalizing his own space was something foreign.

So was the idea of neighbors. Of all the terms he had used for the people he had lived and worked with over the years, neighbors was not even on the list. So her comment made him give a perplexed look himself as he considered things like neighbors, suburbs (what was a suburb? He hadn't been on Earth long enough for that term), and whatever that meant for his new life.

He was probably silent with his own thoughts for longer than was comfortable, but he eventually acknowledged her with a nod. "I'm...Squall. Squall Leonhart." It was still a little strange to go back to his real name, but it was a decision that came naturally at the inn. "What's a suburb?"

That was maybe not the most important question, but for all he knew, it might be! It could be a very important codeword. But if it had something to do with 'social things,' it probably wasn't that important.

"Squall? Huh, okay that's pretty cool. Never known that name before," she admits, leaning against the door jamb, just not one to be uncertain and at least show that uncertainty. Not raised as she was, and living among so much more than the world that most know of. "I'm Ashley Magnus."

Arching a brow at that question though, considering how to answer that. She's never known someone that didn't know the term. "It's a neighborhood where all the houses are together, but just outside of a city. Now, no city here, I know, but there's something about this that makes me think of things we see with neighbors and white picket fences and all. Never grew up with it myself, and guessing you didn't either," she points out since he didn't know the word.

"Mostly just me being nosy about whoever is living across from me. I'm used to living in places more fortified than this, so it is just an excuse to check you out and see who you are," she admits, shrugging. "So hi, there's that.

Cool? He had never thought of his name as cool or...anything really. He looked at her blankly, but at least she gave him her name, too. He had never heard of any 'Ashley' before, either, but who knew what sort of world she was from. Clearly, they weren't from the same world or even similar ones.

He looked more interested in 'suburbs.' "No, I don't think I've seen anything like that. We just have towns, like this, or cities. This reminds me of the rural towns, although there are more houses here than the towns I know." So maybe that was a suburb. He would concede that to Ashley, then.

He nodded at her explanation. He might not use words like 'nosy,' but knowing ones surroundings was necessary. Someone dangerous could be living next door. She could be dangerous. "I just arrived. I've noticed a lack of town walls or anything. I'm not used to that, either." And even with city walls, monsters still could run amuck.

"Yeah, technically suburbs are like that in between place. Not farm land and country, and not the city. Mostly where people that work in the cities live," she says, making a face. "I always lived in the city myself, so not a lot of experience with them."

"Really?" She arches a brow at that, considering. "The cities I know are all just open, but where I lived was a fortress unto itself. All manner of defenses. Been considering what I can do for our place without the gadgets and all I'm used to but I think we can make it work."

She holds up a hand as she says it. "Not that I'm saying I've seen much dangerous near the city. A ways out I saw what may have been a large cat, might have been one of the elk though I saw though." She hadn't gone out to investigate either. Not as unarmed as she is.

But there is no city here. Squall tilted his head slightly but decided it wasn't important in the least to figure out these semantics. Maybe it was a suburb.

Open cities? That surprised him. "Of course. Otherwise the monsters attack." Obviously. "But I also grew up in a mercenary academy." So. That wasn't exactly an open setting, either, for security purposes. He didn't even bother pretending and saying it was a military academy. They were mercenaries, SeeD, not soldiers for some government.

"Good." He nodded. Lack of threats, the better. "Is there a place to get weapons, though?" The lack of his sword was bothering him.

Ashley almost tenses at that, though it's not right and she knows it. She hunts abnormals, the monsters, but others speaking like that makes her nervous. She may bring in the abnormals, but she's always been uncertain about others that do the same.

"What kind of monsters were you dealing with..." And she stops there as her mind processes that. Not that she has room to talk. Technically she is literally a monster hunter born to an immortal and a serial killer. And yet. "You really did say mercenary, didn't you?"

She shakes her head, chuckling though there's not a lot of humor in it. "I gotta say, most I know in that business don't say it outright like that." Herself included. "Working for who? Like Black Ops? Government or private contractor?"

He was a little surprised at how concerned--or maybe confused--she was about monsters. Both of the worlds he was in had constant threat of monsters here or there. Everyone had to fight or get people who could near them.

"All sorts of monsters. Some where more of just a nuisance to the towns, and as long as you stayed in the area, you were probably safe. Others..." Visions of sorceresses danced in his head.

The SeeD were famous and well-respected in his world. It didn't occur to Squall to hide his main profession. And while Garden was technically founded simply to stop the sorceress, Squall decided to answer with the way it looked to most people: "Private contractor, I suppose. We have several academies. I was a part of Balamb Garden. Governments hired us." Sometimes. Sometimes that relationship got more than a little grey, like it Galbadia. But that was more details than she needed.

"Do you have many mercenaries or monsters in your world?"

Since she's come to the village, except with a very few select people - and really just a person who is her roommate - Ashley has been pretty silent about her real life before this place. Code words are easy enough to come by and let her talk about working and not what it is she does.

Yet this man is talking about things as if he has been doing the same thing she has. Not even sure what to think about that, wondering if perhaps he is actually from her world and is doing the same work she does.

"You don't happen to work for a place called the Sanctuary, do you?" Because that would be really odd to her, and yet welcome in a lot of ways. Even if it would make her wonder why this person and not her mom. "And yeah, my world has both, actually. Monsters and private contractors with mercenaries of a sort that they use to either bring in the abnormals or put them down if they have to."

It's weird to her talking about it openly. Even in this place. It's still uncomfortable to be open about it, if only for how much damage could be caused if anyone tried to take down the Sanctuary just to get at the abnormals in it.

Edited 2018-11-25 06:09 (UTC)

"No, Garden. We're not from the same world," he said definitively. He didn't mean to sound rude: it was just clear from her conversations that whatever the similarities were, it was not the same world. Being a SeeD was something to be proud of, and although they were covert in missions for security's sake, by this time Squall knew--and was likely known--by everyone involved in any of the Gardens.

"Abnormals?" Now that was a term that was totally knew it Squall. "Abnormal monsters or humans or something else...?" After all, there were several sentient species on the worlds he was familiar with.

He didn't even think that this would be uncomfortable for a conversation, other than he was never the best at conversation. But he was curious at things he might have to fight.

"Huh. Interesting then," she says, curious and considering him with a look. It's another to chalk up to the number of trained people this place is gathering, and as the number grows, it's not comforting in the least.

"A little bit of everything," she says, shrugging. She'd never really thought about the use of the term until this place. "Anything beyond what most consider normal and would likely attack or shun if they knew the truth. Those out of time, out of place, that live among basic humans and hope they don't get killed for it. Some can't hide though, and so we offer them a place to live their lives in peace. Hence the name."

Squall wasn't surprised that strong people were being drawn. It was usually the strong people who could survive this sort of thing, and that's why the trained people had to protect others.

He never thought that bringing in abnormals was a term for anything other than elimination. He was surprised that the Sanctuary was actually a sanctuary, but it was good to hear. There were a lot of creatures that were abused simply for what they were.

"I see. You must have a lot of training." Of all sorts.

It makes sense who they draw there. It also worries her, having recently dealt with how those kinds of people could use those that they misused and forced into their own armies. She only hopes it never comes to that.

Ashley chuckles at that and nods. "Oh yeah, definitely a lot. Hand to hand and weapons. Some studies and research. Lots of physical training though. My mom was the academic in our family. Guess the same could be said for you though."

Squall was aware enough to believe that foes could lurk anywhere, but he had also seen plenty of people learn to reform their ways. Right now, he had divided the people who forced them here as 'bad' and all the residents as 'good' until proven otherwise.

He nodded. "Ever since I could remember I was at Garden." So, yes, he had been training in all his mercenary skills for over a decate. "It does sound like a similar set of skills."

Ashley chuckles, though it's a rueful sound coming with a shake of her head before pushing her fingers through her hair and brushing it back.

"Seems to be a lot of us, you know? Trained with certain skill sets. Military, mercenaries, specially trained enforcers. Makes you wonder what enemy those behind this place has that they think they need all of that to guard this place. Not that they've given us the fire power to do so."

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here he comes [ squall and 3 open threads ]

Re: House Hunting

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