☢Final Fantasy: Edyn's Lament☢ [-Haru|Lila-]

[Haruchai]

Stryker was on patrol, walking his rounds about the facility. It was a quiet night, all things considered, and just as he'd done nearly a dozen times over the last hour or so, he checked his weapons and gear. Everything was as it should be, and he looked with a passionless gaze through the small window and into one of the labs. Like so many others he'd been brought here a number of years ago. That's what it seemed like anyway. Stryker had long ago lost his sense of time. He could remember snippets of things. He'd been much younger when they brought him here, right? It really didn't matter, and he wasn't the same person now as he'd been then. He'd always been a good fighter. One of the best swordsmen of his generation really.

The idle thoughts were something that ran through his mind constantly. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, the weapon tied to him by his genome and unable to be wielded by anyone else. One of the benefits, or possible side effects, of his time under the watchful eyes of the Jenova Project. Courtesy of the ARC Corporation of course. Not that Stryker had much else to think about. Another one of the effects of his "condition". Under the thumb of the Corporation, their leash tight about his throat. Not that Stryker even realized it. Not fully.

Pulling his gaze back from the small window, he continued his rounds. It wasn't long before he moved from the area of the labs and into the sections of holding cells. Herein were the beings, like him, that had been given various courtesies under the machinations of Professor Gand. Jonas Gand, star pupil of the University of Shornhelm. Their Science Division was the most reknowned in all of Edyn, and even before Jenova, Gand had been making a name for himself.

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Edyn, a lush world, thriving with life. A perfect opportunity for Jenova. Jenova, a being that moves from planet to planet, preying on the life there before moving on to the next. This process was cyclical, and had been repeated for as long as Jenova itself could remember.

Able to take any form, any shape, and use its prey's emotions against itself, Jenova is an utterly adaptable lifeform. The impact of Jenova's landing upon Edyn formed the huge crater known now as the Atlan Wastes. The impact alone killed hundreds of thousands, and might have even been an extinction level event if not for the desires of Jenova itself - which wanted to keep as much life on the planet as possible so that it could feed. At first the sentient beings of Edyn did not know what they were dealing with, and Jenova did not even have to roam the planet, as curious scienetists and others came to explore and observe.

It did not take long for them to discover what sort of being had come to Edyn, and yet this did not act as a deterrent, and they moved to contain the threat. With the help of ARC, the planet's leading military and resource management company, the people of Edyn managed to contain Jenova.

Or so they thought.

Even through their containment, the influence of Jenova persuaded the foremost scientists and researchers of Edyn to bring it subjects. Soon the experimentation had begun, the introduction of Jenova Cells to willing, and unwilling, members of the populace. ARC saw it as an opportunity to expand their power, while Gand and his colleagues saw the depth of the science and the benefits this being could bring to Edyn.

The impact of Jenva with the planet had brought other discovers as well. Auracite, or materia, a condensed form of energy deep beneath the planet's surface, was found to have amazing properties. It allowed one to draw forht various effects, magic, and bolster various physical characteristics of the myriad races of Edyn. Not only that, but the energy could be harnessed for various machines as well, and the technology of Edyn advanced by leaps and bounds.

In the following decades of research and development, auracite became an item in everyday use, even if most of the citizens did not own auracite themselves, and the experiments with both Jenova and the auracite continued.

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As Stryker continued on his rounds, he passed the lab of Professor Hojo, colleague and peer of Gand, and the head of the Scientific Division of ARC. He and Gand work hand in hand on the Jenova Project, and had started, some years ago, doing experiments with materia as well, and the energy the stones possessed. That was how they'd come to discover not only the way to power machines with the energy, but to augment living beings as well. Stryker was one of the results.

With a nod to Hojo through the glass Stryker continued on his way, the holding cells containing successful and failed experiments both. Stryker stopped at the entrance to each cell, peering in through the viewport to check on each subject, to make sure they were in good health, relatively, and perhaps even share a few words. There were several of his fellow subjects that he got along well with, though not all were as well-adjusted as he was.

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Despite what ARC and its scientists might have thought, the planet itself knew better, and saw Jenova for what it was. A blight. A plague. A virus that would destroy all life and suck the plnaet dry only to move onward and repeat the cycle as it had done for thousands of years. In this, Edyn was not defenseless, and it called upon the First Race. The Far'Anthi.

The Far'Anthi were considered long lost, and most didn't even know of them. The first race that had ever existed upon the planet, they were, in fact, as close to perfection as Jenova itself. As the other races came into being, the Far'Anthi helped foster them, setting them on their respective paths. The Far'Anthi themselves had a strict caste system; Protectors and Hunters, Sages and Arcanists. Each Far'Anthi had their role, their place in the natural order of things. And so as their time came to an end, the Far'Anthi entered into their Eternal Slumber, retreating beneath the surface of the planet.

The arrival and impact of Jenova stirred them from this slumber, and it was not long after the arrival of Jenova that the Far'Anthis Towers appeared.

Rising from the desert, the immense towers held the few remaining Far'Anthi, who would awaken and wander forth, intent on finding the threat to the planet and eradicating it. Of course, the rise of the towers brought the curious, just as Jenova had, and ARC knew that this could be no sheer coincidence. In fact, this was seen as yet another opportunity, and though the Far'Anthi were viewed as ancient myth and legend, the stories of them had not been completely forgotten. Though most would view them with awe and reverence, ARC knows no such things, and just as they had with Jenova, they moved to seize what Far'Anthi they could, intent on using them to their own end.

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The ARC building. The seat of power of the immense megacorporation in the city of Shornhelm. Shornhelm sits in the southern segment of the Atlan Wastes, and at the moment is home to Jenova. Held in a highly secure and virtually impenetrable containment unit far beneath the ARC building, the labs and research centers of ARC take up several city blocks below ground. That was where Stryker was now, and his hand rested on the hilt of his sword, just in case.

CLASSIFIED NOTES OF PROFESSOR HOJO

Subject: Stryker Blacke
Age: Unknown, though approx. 22 years
Height: 1.77 meters (5'10")
Weight: 79.37 kilograms (175 lbs.)
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Blue

Date: March, 15 years AJ (After Jenova)

Subject Blacke was brought to us by the Military Division of ARC, ARCMD, one of their brightest and most promising cadets. It was understood that his superior physiology should be able to handle the strain of the experiments. As with most subjects, a prolonged exposure to auracite was given before any direct augmentation was tried.

ARCMD Cadet Picture enclosed

Subject Blacke rected favorably to the introduction of auracite to his physiology, and grafting of the stone to his body was successful. Both bone density and muscle efficiency were increased, though a period of illness preceded full integration. Strength and speed increased exponentially, the upper limits of which have been unexplored, though base readings indicate substantial improvement over cadet's previous conditioning.

Increased tolerance for pain, as well as increased ocular and olfactory senses made Subject Blacke a perfect candidate for possible future exposure to Jenova Cells. Hunter by nature, Subject Blacke will be exposed to Jenova Cells within the week.

Date: June, 16 AJ

Injection of Jenova Cells into Subject Blacke have met with mixed results. Already augmented by Auracite, the Jenova Cells are not reached full integration. Changes in eye and hair color indicate usage of Subject Blacke's abilities.

Subject Blacke at rest
Subject Blacke raising a kinetic shield - note the change in the Subject's eye color
Subject's hair color changing - under influence of Jenova Cells

Further experimentation will have to be done, though Subject currently seems docile under influence of Jenova. Theory indicates this might be due to proximity between Subject and Jenova.

The alarm had blared throughout the facility, the regular employees of ARC instructed to stay where they were, as the armed guards of ARC answered to the labs. Several Subjects had escaped, most of them after having been injected with Jenova Cells. This was disastrous.

That had been a week ago, and the Jenova Reunion Theory was not panning out just yet, and so it had been decided that other Subjects would be deployed to hunt them down. Each Hunter was picked with care, and usually for the personal ties that they had to those that had escaped. As expected, Stryker was called from his duties to a meeting in one of the secured corridors. None other than Professor Gand was there, and the scientist had a little bit to say.

"As you know Stryker, Lunenova has gone missing." Gand told him, picking his words carefully. Escaped was not a suitable term for Stryker to hear. "We know that you have spoken with her in the past, and we are hoping that you can bring her back."Gand continued.

Stryker looked about the room. Gand and Hojo both were here, which meant that this must be pretty important. Stryker nodded. "I can bring her back." Stryker said confidently.

"Of course you will be given whatever equipment you need." Gand told him, obviously pleased with his decision to help.

There was not much talking after that, and Stryker packed a few things, grabbed his weapons, and headed out. It was his first time out on the streets of Shornhelm in a long while, and though he did not tarry, Stryker loved the feeling of the sun on his skin and the wind in his hair. In preparation to find Lune, Stryker had been given an article of her clothing, her scent in the fabric. It would likely not be easy to find her, but Stryker was confident in his abilities.

 

[Lila Lupin]

Lunenova was currently sitting in the center of Edgewater Cave. This beautiful cave was located just outside of the little village of Haven along Shimmerstream Lake. Shimmerstream Lake was located just above the western edge of the Shornhelm Expanse and in between the Land's Edge mountains and Suntree forest. Haven was a quiet little village. A stark contrast to the busy city of Shornhelm. Lunenova liked it this way. She'd rarely gone to the village in this past week since her arrival. She'd taken to spending most of her time hiding in the cave and awing at the beauty of it all. She'd been trapped under the ARC building for years. They'd poked and prodded her, and done tests of various nature. She hadn't seen the outside world in years.

Lunenova had been taken against her will a few short years after the Far'Anthi towers had risen. When the towers had arisen from the ground her people awakened ready to combat the threat that was Janova. However they were quickly met by an unpleasant surprise. The people of the Edyn of today didn't seem to want their help. No, instead they wanted to experiment on them. To break them down and see what made them tick. They began to seize as many of the Far'Anthi as they possibly could, taking them back with them to experiment on. Lunenova had been one of the lucky ones that had managed to evade capture, at least for a little while. However the scientists and their lapdogs soon learned the identifying traits of the Far'Anthi. There were different markers for each cast group but two things always remained the same. Every Far'Anthi carried a mark, and a Far'Anthi could identify another Far'Anthi. [Note the females carry the mark on the left while the males carry the mark on the right.] The placement of these markings could vary, but every Far'Anthi had one.

That was how Lune had been caught. They had begun searching every newcomer in larger towns and cities to try and find as many Far'Anthi as they could. It was for that very reason that the ones that had managed to stay free for as long as they did fled into the wilderness. Luna, however, was not quite so lucky. She'd been trying to locate information on the thing that was trying to drain her beloved Edyn dry when she'd been stopped by a guard for a random search. That was when they'd found her mark and taken her straight to the ARC building.

She'd finally managed to escape about a week ago with the aid of a scientist named Akin Falcrest. Akin had grown sick of the things they did in those labs. He found he could no longer believe in the things they were doing. Unfortunately Akin had been just high profile enough to not be allowed to leave. He had apparently been privy to a little too much of the scientific data for them to trust him with. That was why he had aided Lunenova in her escape. She most likely never would have made it without him. Lunenova had managed to get them over the Land's Edge mountains when they escaped but she'd collapsed in the forest just outside of Edgewater Cave. Akin had pulled her inside before going off to see if he could find a village of some sort. Thankfully he had run across Haven and some of the villagers ran to see if they could help Lunenova.

The moment they saw her they swore she was an angel sent to them from the heavens. That theory became even more prevalent when the crystals that littered the entrance to Edgewter Cave began to glow. And so it was that the villagers helped Lunenova and Akin, who had chosen to stay in the tiny little inn in town. Lunenova had stayed in her cave, and so far she had yet to encounter any of the other 'subjects'. So she sat beneat her tree as she read through a book that Akin had gotten for her from the village.

CLASSIFIED NOTES OF PROFESSOR HOJO

Subject: Lunenova (last name unknown)
Age: Unknown (appears approx. 25)
Height: 1.70 meters (5'7")
Weight: 61.23 kilograms (135 lbs.)
Hair: White
Eyes: Silver

When the towers arose ARC moved to capture the beings known as the Far'Anthi that had emerged from them. However some of these beings managed to escape our grasp. After careful studying we became aware that the Far'Anthi carried identifying markers on their bodies. With this knowledge we began to apprehend as many of the remaining Far'Anthi as possible. One of the Far'Anthi retrieved by this method was a female by the name of Lunenova. We assumed the name was in reference to her white hair and silver eyes.

Subject Lune prior to integration to Jenova cells

Subject was immediately put through a series of tests, one of which was a combat scenario in which other Far'Anthi were released to test her strength against them and better determine her placing in the caste system. It was soon revealed that the subject appears to be incredibly gifted at using magic and quickly subdued the Far'Anthi she'd been pitted against. However Lune outright refused to kill them and could not be convinced otherwise. It has been determined that while Lune will engage in combat to protect herself or others that she does not approve of unnecessary violence or bloodshed and refuses to take part in it. As such it has yet to be determined if the subject's magical prowess extends to anything more than defensive.

Lune was introduced to the Jenova cells today and I must say that the results were positively astounding. Almost immediately after injecting her with the Jenova cells Lunenova's skin began to turn a pristine white color. Approximately fifteen minutes later she began to scream in pain and claw at her back. This persisted for another fifteen minutes, in which we began to believe was a sign of failure, when suddenly a pair of jet black, dragon-like wings tore themselves free from between her shoulder blades. Shortly there after the screaming stopped and the subject collapsed. I greatly look forward to testing the functionality of those wings of hers.

Subject Lune's wings are quite functional, and while her abilities seemed to have been boosted by the integration there are minor traces, if any, of the Jenova cells left in her system. It's almost as if her own cells absorbed them and utilized the to their own end. I will have to experiment further on the matter in order to determine anything further.

Today we began testing Lunenova with another promising subject by the name of Judge. I was quite pleased with the results. Lunenova revealed an aptitude for healing magic today as Judge had been injured in the combat test, and Lune, seemingly by instinct, healed his injuries. If I had not seen the injuries take place myself I would not have believed that they had ever occurred as no proof, save the tearing in the subject's garments, was left.

Subjects Lunenova and Judge were placed together in yet another combat test. They seem to work quite well together and Judge has begun to show an increasing fondness and almost overprotectiveness over Lune. Lune was almost injured by a behemoth in the combat test today. However, Judge interfered, ripping the creature away before it could come close to touching her. After destroying the creature, Judge returned to Lune to inspect her for injuries. Once content that she was unharmed he seemed to mutter the word 'mine' before directing his attention towards other oncoming threats.

It has been decided that Lune and Judge, shall be used to create a stronger breed of soldiers. I am quite looking forward to seeing the results as the two subjects seem to be the most promising of our experiments. Judge seemed quite pleased at the prospect of mating with Lunenova, as he has been referring to her as 'his' more frequently after the incident with the behemoth. Lunenova however seemed more than a little distressed but it is likely to pass.

Lunenova escaped today when we attempted to let Judge mate with her. Judge was severely injured in her escape and is unable to retrieve her, though he seems to refuse to believe that she intended to hurt him. This could very well be the case, but she did injure him regardless. She has taken one of the scientists, an Akin Fallcrest, with her. It is in my personal opinion that Fallcrest aided Lune in her escape. For the first time since her arrival Lunenova exhibited a prowess for offensive magic, something we deemed almost impossible. This lack of foresight also aided Lunenova in her escape.

Lunenova using offensive flame related magic

Gand has decided to send Subject Blacke to retrieve Lunenova. I, however, am not confident in Stryker's ability to successfully retrieve her and have thus released Aeshir and Stone just in case he fails.

 

[Haruchai]

The Repository at ARC had provided Stryker with a standard array of equipment, and a few items that might help him out in the wilds of Edyn. A couple tufts of Phoenix Down, three Potions and a Tent. Of course, his typical armament was brought as well, and Stryker felt confident as he set out. The fresh air of the city was warm and dry, set in the desert as it was, and Stryker strolled along the cobbled streets, the cries of vendors hawking their wares mixing with the general bustle of the city. The Bazaar was a place where people congregated, and though Stryker knew that Lune was long gone from the city, he used his excursion as an excuse to move through the city, taking in the sights and interacting now and then with those who seemed frendly enough. A lovely flower girl approached, likely close to his own age, or at least appearing so, and he couldn't resist buying one of her flowers for a gil. A bit pricey, but the beaming smile she gave him made it well worth it. Tucking the flower into one of his pouches, Stryker moved on through the Bazaar. His heightened senses caught snippets of conversations, smells of food, and the sight of small children playing along the edges of the huge shopping area. Stryker tried to remember what things had been like, being a child, but he couldn't quite bring any memories together, and the ones he did were fuzzy. Sun streaming in an open window, the smell of a blueberry pie freshly baked, a white apron and a blue dress that brought with it a sense of comfort and calm.

Reaching up Stryker ran his hand through his hair and with a sigh he continued on his way, exiting the Bazaar the man moved toward the closest Gate, the Western Gate, preparing to exit the city and head out into the Westersand.

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Back at ARC Professor Gand watched the monitor, the ocular implant in Stryker allowing him to see everything that the man saw. There was no urgency to Stryker's gait, and though Gand understood, maybe because he understood, he did not interfere or try to change Stryker's directive. A soft knock behind him brought Gand's gaze back around, and one of the assistant automatons was at the door.

"What is it Number Thirteen?" Gand asked, having an idea of what it was.

"Daveera is having another bad day, sir. She is quite angry and unmanagable. She is inconsolable, and I would like your assistance. If you have the time of course." Thirteen said.

Gand gave a nod. "I'll be right there." he said, and turned back around to turn off the monitor. He trusted Stryker. For now he had to go and tend to his daughter, Daveera.

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Meanwhile, elsewhere in the ARC Building, Hojo was not so confident in the abilities of Stryker. Jenova inevitably held a great amount of influence over any sentient being that had been introduced to its cells. Nonsentient organisms were completely taken control of by Jenova, and it was quite fascinating really. So far Hojo had only seen two beings that had been able to somehow circumvent Jenova's influence. Lunenova was one, and Stryker was the other. Not that Sttryker didn't show some signs of being influenced, and yet there were other times that the soldier showed full free will.

His trust that Sttryker would return with Lune on his own was not a risk that Hojo was willing to take.

With that in mind the Head of the Science Division was on one of the lifts, a small squad of heavily armed guards with him. A few levels down were the specimens that ARC wanted kept under heavier guard. They should have done the same to Lune, but an oversight had left her in a less secure area. Her peers, other Far'Anthi, had then been sequestered and kept under heavier sedation and control, psychotropic drugs given to them to tamp down their will and make them easier to control.

The lift came to a halt and Hojo exited with the guards, walking along the corridor and toward one particular containment unit. The two Far'Anthi held inside were, to the best that Hojo was able to determine, brother and sister, though separating them had proven to be less than ideal and actually cause no small amount of physical pain. At least after Jenova had been introduced to their systems. The two were inextricably linked, and as a team they were immensely powerful. Now was as good a time as any to do a little field test, and Hojo planned to implement and deploy.

Standing outside of the containment unit he observed the two for a moment, noting how the female curled into her much larger brother's body. Hojo tapped on the glass, which made the large male lift his head, the long white hair of the male in contrast to his dark eyes. Like many of the subjects exposed to Jenova Cells, the dark hair of the brother had turned white, much as Lunenova's had done, though his sister's had remained dark.

Pressing the button on the intercom that would allow them to hear him, Hojo moade his proposal. "Stone, Aeshir... I have a job for you. It will allow you to get out of here for a little while. Out of this holding cell. Out in the world. There's one of your kind, a Far'Anthi named Lunenova, I know you know who that is, that has escaped. We've sent another unit after her, but I think you're better suited for the job. I want you to bring both Lune and Stryker back. Unharmed if possible.... dead... just as good."

By now a side door had opened and a couple of the assistant automatons had entered, presenting both Stone and Aeshir with the gear they would be able to use in the outside world, and as Stone complied and prepared to depart, he had given his approval and compliance to do as Hojo bid. It was not long before they were ready to go. Stone's contianment suit also acted as armor and help control his Far'Anthi powers, allowing Jenoa a heavier influence on him to keep him under control. The only other person that could control him if he got out of line was Aeshir.

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The trek through the Westersand wasn't terribly difficult, and Stryker knew from the files he'd been able to access which beasts to avoid, which were hostile, or indifferent, and sometimes even friendly. The Cactuars simply watched as he went past and so long as he wasn't aggressive the little fellas didn't bother him. They barely came to his knee but they could be downright deadly if they wanted to be. The wolves turned out to be another story entirely and were quite aggressive, though Stryker didn't have too many problems, and soon had a small stash of wolf pelts he could sell when he found the next town or village.

The trail out of the Westersand was old, but Lune had definitely come this direction, and after several days of travel, having followed the Walk of Kings, Stryker realized he'd have to cross the Land's Edge Mountains. Luckily there was a path, and it was not winter, and so the trek was made easily enough as Stryker hooked up with a small trade caravan, acting as a guard. It was quite lonely really, but in another four days their destination was in sight. A place named Haven, and though it was a smaller village, it was important on the trade routes, and set on the edge of the Shimmer stream Lake, an important supplier of fish to the cities in the Atlan wastes. Though of course they were transported by means of the teleport crystals that set just outside Haven. Stryker had to wonder why ARC had not given him any teleport stones, but he soon figured it had to do with the ability it would have given him to simply run and disappear like Lune had.

With a final wave to the caravan master, Stryker headed to the nearest bar for a drink and a meal. That was one thing ARC had provided him with, gil, and he planned to make good use of it and at least enjoy himself a little. Entering the establishment his eyes quickly adjusted from the bright outdoors and Stryker headed to the bar and took a seat. His presence and general appearance drew a few looks, but then, people travelling with caravans and across the trade routes often dressed and equipped themselves for the dangers they'd meet out on the roads.

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Stone and Aeshir had been briefed by Hojo, their targets both Stryker and Lunenova. Unlike Stryker, whose looks and appearance did not garner much attention, the siblings did not have the same benefit. Mainly because of Stone. Even in the containment armor the man was huge, larger than any normal human had a right to be, thanks to being Far'Anthi - which meant he wasn't human at all, and neither was Aeshir. Both of them were part of the Protector Caste, and though Aeshir felt a pull to protect all manner of things, Stone's own instinct led him to protect his sister. Like a silent Harbinger he followed her through the city streets, his footfalls heavy.

CLASSIFIED NOTES OF PROFESSOR HOJO

Subject: Stone (last name unknown)
Age: Unknown, though approx. 10,000 years (appears about 32)
Height: 2.1 meters (6'10")
Weight: 149.7 kilograms (330 lbs.)
Hair: White, though used to be dark brown
Eyes: Dark

Stone is a remarkable specimen! One of the Far'Anthi captured after exiting the southernmost Tower, Stone was captured along with his sister, Aeshir. Their innate power is amazing! In this entry I will concentrate my notes on Stone. Obviously of some sort of soldier stock, or as we're learning that the Far'Anthi have a "caste system", Stone is likely a guardian or protector line. Though most of the Far'Anthi have emerged to protect Edyn from Jenova (a futile effort), it is believed that Stone awakened when his sister did. She seems to be the key. Stone is immensely protective of her in all ways, and in fact, his Far'Anthi powers manifest when she is in imminent or mortal danger. The transformation, when first we saw it, was astounding!

Stone's Transformed State

Tied to Edyn as well, Stone's height increses to nearly twice that of his flesh form, and his weight triples. His entire body seems solid, with no internal organs, nor even blood! His need to sleep, to eat, even to breathe... are unnecessary! Amazing!

Of course, he was one of the first subjects to receive the Jenova Cells, and though the esults were not as I had anticipated, they were still satisfactory. Jenova's Cells had no immediate effect upon his abilities, nor even changed them in any way, save for an outward appearance in the coloring of his hair. However, through Jenova we are able to control Stone. The Far'Anthi does our bidding! The depth of this control has yet to be tested, but I have arranged for a field test! The sacrifice of Stryker and Lunenova is a possibility, but should it result in their deaths then their inferiority will have been proven and their discard reasonable.

 

[Lila Lupin]

The assistant automaton had not been exaggerating when it had stated that Daveera was anry and unmanageable. Several assistant automatons were standing in the living room section of Deveera's living quarters while two others had actually entered her bedroom to try and calm the young woman down. Daveera Gand was currently wearing a white dress and sitting on the ground next to the right side of her bed. One of the automatons took a slow step towards her. "Ms. Gand please, let us help you up into bed." The automaton labeled five said.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!!!" The young robotic woman shrieked as she grabbed a book from her night stand with her right hand and chucked it Five. Five turned to the side to avoid being hit by the book that hit the wall behind it with a thud.

"We've sent for your father Ms. Gand he should be here soon." Spoke the other automaton that was clearly marked eight.

"I said leave me ALOOOOONE!!!!!!!" She screamed as she reached for something else to throw. The automatons knew better than to let anything Daveera threw at them hit them. She may have only had one completed arm at the moment but that arm was strong and the last time she hit one of them with something she'd actually done some serious damage. After that her entire living quarters had been upgraded to withstand the force of one of her temper tantrums.

"Ms. Gand we need to get you off the ground." Five stated flatly. Five and Eight were some of the few automatons that had been entrusted with the care of Professor Jonas Gand's only daughter, and they took their job quite seriously.

Daveera Gand, the only daughter, and only surviving family, of Jonas Gand had been an archeologist of sorts before her accident. At the young age of 16 the prodigy had already obtained doctorates in genetic research, and the study of ancient societies. Daveera had made her father proud, and her thesis had been on the ancient people known as the Far'Anthi and how understanding their society and what they were could help bridge multiple gaps not only in the scientific field but the medical field as well. She had been researching that very theory when Jenova hit. She'd heard rumors that a place called Sovereign's Fall by the people that lived nearby was an old Far'Anthi ruin. She'd been investigating these ruins when Jenova fell. Unfortunately Jenova fell into Sovereign's fall, killing the other scientists with her and nearly killing her.

It had been a miracle that Daveera had survived. Her injuries were quite substantial and a good deal of her body was unsalvageable and had to be rebuilt entirely. Many of the doctors that attended to her after the accident became convinced that Jenova had saved her, only Daveera and Jenova knew the truth. It had not been Jenova that had saved her but the very people she'd been searching for. Jenova had been planning to save her, as Daveera was the first life form that they had encountered. However the Far'Anthi realized that Daveera had seen Jenova for what it truly was, and thus some of their strongest sages poured out their life force into the young woman in hopes that she could warn the world of the threat that Jenova posed to them. Once Jenova realized what had happened they tried to drain Daveera's life force, but failed to do so because of what the Far'Anthi had done. In a last ditch effort to thwart the intentions of the Far'Anthi Jenova fused some of it's own cells with Daveera's. This would give the appearance that Jenova had been the one to save the young woman and succeed at damaging her sanity.

Jenova succeeded in their goal and Daveera's mind became unstable from the two warring powers inside her body. Her father, convinced that Jenova had been the one to save his darling girl, began to experiment further with Jenova to see what else the being's cell might be capable of. No one heeded Daveera's warnings against Jenova, believing that the poor woman had been damaged mentally as well as physically. Ever since she'd been retrieved from the accident her father had gone about the heavy task of replacing her broken and all but destroyed body. Little of her body was able to be saved and thus he had been replacing the lost parts with robotic substitutes.

Unfortunately for Daveera not all of those substitutes had been perfect yet and some of them would quit working, or give out at times. This was one such of these occasions. Daveera had been getting out of her bed to retrieve something when her legs gave out from underneath her. Five and Eight had rushed to her aid only to be met with screaming and objects being hurled at them. She wouldn't let them near her and her room now looked like a disaster zone. The large mirror in her room had been one of the first things that was broken in her tirade and had been done so on purpose. The last thing Daveera wanted was another reminder of what she was now, of what Jenova had done to her. The glass shards littered the glass table and chair near it as well as the surrounding floor.

The Automatons had been more worried with returning Daveera back to her bed, but she refused to let them near her. It had gotten so bad that Thirteen had left to retrieve her father. Five attempted to move near Daveera again but the young woman shot a look that could have sent a behemoth running the other way as she grabbed one of the figurines that sat on her beside table.

"I'll do it myself!" Daveera snapped as Five backed away from her slowly. When Daveera was satisfied that they'd let her do as she wanted she placed the figurine back on her nightstand before raising her right arm up to the bed. The automatons just stood by and watched her, knowing better than to try and help. They already knew the outcome, but trying to help her would only make things worse. It would have been hard enough to lift herself up if both of her arms had been working, but her left arm wasn't even completed. Daveera began to slowly raise herself up off the ground. She was about three fourths of the way up when the bedspread slid underneath her hand and she lost her balance and crashed to the floor again.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAH" Daveera's screech of anger bellowed throughout her living quarters and out into the hallway as she pulled on her hair for a moment. She leaned against the bed in frustration, tears streaming from her right eye as she grabbed her partially completed left arm. "Get out" She whispered. Five and Eight just stood there and stared at her. "I said GET OUT!!!!!!" She screamed. The two automatons complied and exited her room and joined the others in the living room, hoping that Professor Gand would come soon if only for the sake of Dveera's sanity.

CLASSIFIED NOTES OF PROFESSOR HOJO

Subject: Daveera Gand
Age: 21
Height: 1.65 meters (5'5")
Weight: Currently 97.52 kilograms (215 lbs.) was 56.7 kilograms (125 lbs.)
Hair: White, though used to be blonde
Eyes: Blueish silver, while her eyes were originally a deep blue they turned to a dark brown after encountering Jenova only to change into the blueish silver they are now.

Daveera Gand was 16 at the time Jenova fell. She was in the direct point of impact upon Jenova's arrival, but unlike the other scientists around her she did not die though she suffered extensive injuries that left a good deal of her body unusable. It is my belief, and the belief of many others that Jenova spared her in the accident for reasons unknown. Her skin was either severely burned or had cracked in a most unnatural fashion. While both eyes are still functional the tear ducts on the left eye, which received the most damage to the surrounding area, seemed to have been seared shut.

Daveera Pre-Jenova
Daveera Post-Jenova

We have learned from the presence of Jenova cells in the young woman's system that Jenova did indeed interfere and save her life. Daveera claims otherwise. However it is believed that the young woman's mind was damaged during Jenova's arrival. A shame really, she had such a brilliant mind.

It appears that Daveera's intellect was not damaged in her accident. However she continues to claim that it was not Jenova that saved her but the long lost race she'd been studying at the time of Jenova's arrival. However the presence of Jenova's cells in her physiology proves otherwise, and lead me to believe that her mind may have dreamed up the idea that the Far'Anthi, a race long since dead, saved her to help her cope with her trauma.

I requested to do some experiments on her to see just what effects the Jenova cells had on her body but Gand has refused. He lets his emotional ties to that girl block the path of science.

I may be unable to experiment on the girl, but I will continue to observe her. Perhaps my observations will yield some interesting information that could lead to further understanding of the affect of Jenova cells on humans.

 

[Lila Lupin]

Aeshir had been quit comfortable where she was when Hojo tapped on the glass to get their attention. She had been quite content laying there curled up next to her brother. She sent a look of disapproval towards Hojo and made a small noise of discontent as he brother moved to better look at him. She was, however, quite intrigued at the idea of being allowed not only out of their holding cell but also out of the facility entirely. She eyed Hojo with interest as he spoke. Her brow furrowed when he mentioned Lunenova's escape. Lunenova was rumored to be one of the strongest Far'Anthi brought to this facility. At least that's what Aeshir had been told. She and Stone had never had the chance to meet her before her escape. From what Aeshir knew Lunenova was supposed to be mating with Judge, one of the other powerful Far'Anthi being held by ARC. It was during this first attempt that Lunenova used her power to escape. Lunenova had apparently injured Judge quite badly but he seemed to be on the mend according to what Stryker had told her the last time he'd stopped by their cell.

She sighed at the idea of having to kill another Far'Anthi, or Stryker, for that matter. Personally she'd rather not help ARC at all. If her brother didn't practically need her to survive she would have likely disappeared with Lunenova. However Professor Gand had assured her that they would look for a cure for her brother and, so long as she was compliant, would help restore his seemingly broken mind. Jenova was a plague, and Aeshir would have tried to stop them from combining Stone with Jenova's cells, except she'd been gravely injured in their last combat test and had been healing. She had been unable to do anything save watch as they tried to combine her brother with that monster. She assumed that the cause for his break in sanity after the procedure was due to his Far'Anthi nature trying to resist Jenova's control. She followed her brother's lead as they prepared for their first mission outside of the facility.

"You don't think we'll have to actually kill them, do you, Stone?" She asked as she looked up at her brother who towered a foot and one third over her. She'd kill them if she had to. She'd do anything to keep her brother safe, but that didn't mean she had to agree with it.

---------------​

Akin Falcrest had been sitting in the bar that Stryker had walked into. He had been enjoying a meal while discussing some things with some of the villagers regarding the idea of setting up a small medical facility in the area. Akin had arrived at this village with Lunenova. Or he should say he arrived at Edgewater Cave with her. He'd immediately helped her inside the cave and had managed to get her to the small island area that was home to a seemingly dead tree in the middle of the underground spring that inhabited most of the large cave. Lunenova had been exhausted from their escape and had all but collapsed under the tree. After he was certain that she'd be safe there Akin ventured out to see if he could find a nearby village. He needed to grab provisions for Lunenova. He came across Haven, a small, but rather economically important, village. When some of the villagers heard about their problem they followed him to the cave with items such as blankets and food. However none of them could have expected what they saw wen they'd arrived. The crystals that were littered around the cave were all aglow, and the tree he'd left her under that had been dead mere hours earlier was full of life. The villagers were convinced that Lunenova was an angel and did all they could to help them.

They'd even offered Akin a place to stay. In return he'd been treating the sick an elderly of the village. In nearly two weeks time Lunenova and Akin had found themselves accepted and loved by the villagers of Haven, though Lunenova had taken to staying in the cave out of view of others. Akin was currently having a conversation with one of the village elders while a young girl of about ten was tugging on his arm to try and get him to take her and her friends to see Lunenova when Stryker walked into the bar. Akin immediately recognized him the moment he set foot into the establishment. This was trouble. If Stryker was here than that meant that Gand had sent him after Lunenova, and if that was true they were in trouble. Stryker must have followed her scent all the way here, and if that was the case then he was certain to track her to Edgewater cave. He leaned down to the little girl that had been tugging on his arm and whispered in her ear.

"Trana, I want you to run to the cave and tell Nova that Stryker is here and she needs to leave. Do you understand me?" He told her as quietly as he possibly could. He knew how big of a risk it was for him to say that in the same room as Stryker with his enhanced hearing, but someone had to warn Lune.

The little girl nodded at Akin before running out of the bar and taking off towards Edgewater. Normally the children weren't allowed near that cave without an adult, but if Akin had told her to go then Trana wouldn't get in trouble.

Akin watched Stryker carefully and waited for him to finish his meal before approaching him. He walked over to the young man that was perhaps 10 years his junior and placed a hand on the bar next to Stryker. "I'm assuming Gand sent you." He said bluntly as he looked at the young soldier.

---------------​

Trana had run as fast as she possibly could. Dr. Falcrest seemed to be worried about this Stryker man and that could mean that Nova was in danger. She liked Nova, everyone did. She looked like the moon kissed her and was so kind. Only good things had happened since Nova had come to live in Edgewater cave. The cave had come to life, and there were suddenly more fish in Shimmerstream lake than anyone could remember. The waters of the lake had become crystal clear, almost as though Edgewater Cave was purifying them. Lunenova may have looked strange, but the people had no reason to fear her as her kindness seemed to know no bounds. No one in Haven wanted Nova to leave, but they would rather say their goodbyes to the beautiful white angel before they saw harm befall her. It was with that thought in mind that Trana quickly ran into the cave.

Lune was sitting in the middle of the underground spring that sat in the center of the beautiful cave. Trana wasn't able to go all the way to the center because while the waters weren't so deep that a grown man couldn't stand up in them, they would have come almost to her chin. "NOVA!!!!!" Trana yelled as she waved her arms back and forth to get Lune's attention from where she stood near the edge of the spring near a crystal that was almost as tall as Trana was. "NOVA!!!!!!"

Lune looked up from the book she'd been reading and noticed Trana standing there. Trana appeared to be alone, and seemed a little frantic, which worried Lunenova. They never sent a child alone, so something had to be wrong. Lune closed the book and set it down where she'd been sitting under the tree in the center of the little island. She allowed her wings to come out and quickly flew to where Trana stood, landing softly on the ground next to the little girl.

"Trana? What's wrong?" Lune asked with a great deal of concern.

The little girl took a deep breath before she started to talk with great speed despite how out of breath she already was. "Mr.Akinsaidthere'samaninthevillagenamedStrykerandyouneedtoleaveoryoucouldbeinalotofdanger!!" The little girl spoke so quickly that Lune could barely understand more than a few words here and there.

"Slow down, Trana." Lune said as she held out her hand to halt the little girl's rambling. "Take a deep breath." She said as she took a deep breath in as a demonstration. Trana did as instructed but held the breath in as she looked at Lunenova. "Now exhale." She instructed while once again demonstrating what she wanted. She smiled as Trana did what she asked. "Now then." She nodded to the little girl. "Tell me again, but slower this time."

Trana took a breath before repeating her earlier sentence slower than before. "Mr. Akin said there's a man in the village named Stryker and you need to leave or you could be in a lot of danger!" The urgency in the little girl's words was just as strong as before regardless of the decreased speed of her message.

Luna sighed as she listened to Trana. This was definitely not good news and she could understand why Akin had sent Trana to warn her. "Thank you, Trana. You go ahead and go back home." She said with a gentle smile.

"Are you going to leave?" The little girl spoke with concern. Trana only smiled gently in response.

"I'll do what I have to." Lune answered knowing that Trana was certainly not going to leave if she'd just said no. After a few moments Trana seemed satisfied with that answer and left the cave to return home. Lune had no intentions of leaving her cave. It wouldn't have helped. It may have given her a head start, but for how long? Stryker could track her down. He'd already tracked her this far and she flown most of the way from Shornhelm to this cave. He'd be able to find her again, and while he was built for tracking she was not. He would eventually catch up to her. The best thing she could do was try to stand her ground here.

---------------​

Aeshir raised her hand to cover her eyes as they stepped out into the streets of Shornhelm. She wasn't used to the bright natural light of the sun. It had honestly been years since they'd last been outside. Everyone was eying the two of them. Quite a few people even going so far as to cross the street or take different roads. She was quite thankful now that she had opted to wear pants underneath her leg armor. It seemed as though Stone was attracting quite a bit of attention. She had honestly expected it though. The people of Eden weren't used to seeing a man his size. It also probably didn't help that she was so small in comparison. She merely shrugged off the stares and turned her attention to the matter at hand.

"Where do you think they went?" She asked her brother as they began to walk through the market. The marketplace was no different than the streets outside the ARC building had been. They received many odd stares and people would turn to whisper to one another about them but Aeshir merely ignored it. No sense in upsetting Stone over nothing. They continued on their path through the marketplace while she awaited her brother's answered. As they walked around she noticed a girl celling flowers and she couldn't help but smile. She'd always loved flowers. She remembered how Stone would always bring her flowers when he'd come back from helping some of the other local villages before the Far'Anthi had gone into hibernation. However she hadn't seen flowers in a very long time. They'd grabbed them almost as soon as they'd set foot out of the tower and immediately brought them here. She saw several light blue flowers in the cart the girl had. She let her eyes linger for a moment and sighed before looking up. She met eyes with the flower girl briefly and smiled before turning her attention back to her brother.

They were about halfway down the main road just outside the marketplace when they heard someone yell. "KATOR LOOK OUT!!"

Aeshir turned to see what was going on. The voice belonged to the flower girl she'd seen in the marketplace earlier. She was standing next to her cart and yelling at a little boy that was playing across the street from them. For a moment she thought that the woman was simply worried about them but she saw the boy's face twist in fear as he looked up. Aeshir allowed her gaze to follow his and then she saw it. The man that had passed them as they had exited the market place must have lost his grip on his cart because it was barreling towards the little boy at breakneck speed. There would be no chance for the child to react. So Aeshir did the only thing she could. She made a mad dash for the little boy, scooping him up in her arms. She used the wall next to them to propel herself up and over the cart. Landing safely on the other side with the child in her clinging to her for dear life just as the cart sped by them.

"Shhh, you're alright." She reassured the boy as she checked him for injuries. People cheered when they saw that she'd saved the little boy and the flower girl came running towards them with tears in her eyes as Aeshir finally stood up and put the little boy on ground. "Oh Kator!" The girl cried with joy as she fell to her knees, and hugged the little boy tightly. She looked up at Aeshir with tears of joy in her eyes. "Thank you so much."

Aeshir merely smiled and nodded. The little boy pointed up at Aeshir as he tried to pull back from the girl. "Sissy did you see!!!" He asked with excitement.

"I most certainly did." She said as she stood up. She took the young boys hand and was heading back up towards where her flower cart waited as Aeshir walked back over towards Stone, whom she was quite certain, was not nearly as thrilled with what had just happened as Kator seemed to have been. They were getting ready to head towards the city gates once more when someone called out just behind her.

"Miss!"

Aeshir turned towards the voice only to be met face to face with the flower girl. "Yes?" Aeshir cocked her head to the side as the girl held something out towards her.

"This is for you!" The young woman smiled brightly, some of her joyous tears still clinging to her lashes, as Aeshir looked to see what the young woman was handing her. It was a beautiful crystaline blue flower that matched Aeshir's eyes. Aeshir seemed shocked at the gift. "I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't saved him." She said gesturing to the little boy that was peeking out behind his sister's skirt and waving at Aeshir

"O-oh" Aeshir said still slightly in shock as she took the flower. She looked at the flower and smiled before looking back up at the young woman. "Thank you." She said with a small smile before returning the little boy's wave, placing the flower in her satchel and continuing to lead her behemoth of a brother through the city.

CLASSIFIED NOTES OF PROFESSOR HOJO

Subject: Aeshir (last name unknown)
Age: unknown, though approx. 10,000 years though obviously younger than her brother (appears 28)
Height: 1.67 meters (5'6")
Weight: 63.5 kilograms (140 lbs.)
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Crystal Blue

Aeshir was captured along with her brother, Stone, after exiting the southern most tower. To say that Aeshir is an interesting specimen would be an understatement. She seems to have an exceptional prowess when it comes to using healing and defensive magic. Her brother appears to be the more offensive member of their team. The two of them work together almost seamlessly. Stone attacking and barreling through their opponents while Aeshir heals him and keeps his defenses strong.

It is believed that Aeshir and Stone are of a guardian caste in the Far'Anthi society. Aeshir has, on multiple occasions, shown the desire and almost compulsion to protect things. Stone, however, seems more inclined to protect his sister which, I suppose, only aids her in her end goal.

The two of them are very close, and Stone seems to listen to what Aeshir tells him. This fondness goes beyond that of just siblings. These two are most interesting to say the least. They are already such a formidable duo that I'm quite excited to see how they may improve once introduced to the Jenova cells. It has been brought to my attention that Stone is much more compliant when kept near his sister. He seems to be quite protective of her.

We introduced the Jenova cells into Stone's system today. Aeshir had to be kept in his line of view at all times during the procedure in order to keep him calm enough for the procedure to be completed. We are planning to begin introduction of the Jenova cells into Aeshir's system by the end of the week. Stone seems to be slightly unstable during the integration process so we are planning to place he and Aeshir in separate holding cells for the duration of the integration period for Aeshir's own safety.

The attempt to separate Aeshir and Stone was cataclysmic at best. Stone became so violent and enraged that several automatons were destroy, multiple researchers, assistants and other personnel were injured, and a few others were actually killed. Stone was unapproachable and volatile until Aeshir was returned to his line of view. This is both worrisome and quite intriguing as it means that the chances of Aeshir coming to harm are minimal at best. However the plan to introduce the Jenova cells into Aeshir's system has been cast side as we cannot risk Aeshir losing control as well. It is speculated that introducing the Jenova cells into Aeshir's system could affect her in a manner that would send Stone into a rage hat could be almost impossible control and result in the unnecessary loss of two valuable test subjects.

It has been decided to attempt and augment Aeshir with magicite. However if her brother refuses to allow us to do so there will be little we can do. Gand says that we cannot afford for Stone to have another one of his outbursts.

Aeshir has agreed to allow us to augment her with magicite. It took a great deal of convincing to assure Stone that his sister would be fine, but he has finally agree. However he demanded that he be allowed in the room during the procedure. I am inclined to agree to his demands as this procedure should be simple enough and result in no harm befalling Aeshir.

The procedure was more successful than I ever could have hoped for. Aeshir's already exceptional aptitude for magic has been increased ten fold allowing her to cast many difficult healing and defense spells with great ease. This breakthrough has made her and Stone an even more effective team as it allows Stone to endure greater damage.

 

[Haruchai]

Judge sat in his containment cell, a little irritated as his skin itched where it was healing. Normally a Far'Anthi did not possess any sort of regeneration powers, though often they could heal others. Unlike some of the other specimens however, Judge's body had integrated well with the Jenova Cells, giving him a degree of regeneration. Not only that, but his conduit to the elemental magics of Edyn had been boosted significantly. His current state of irritation was due to a couple of factors; the escape of Lunenova, his predicted mate, and also due to the fact that ARC wished to test his regenerative powers and had denied him anything to help him heal or to even dull the pain. Luckily the Jenova Cells within his body had heeded the need he felt and had flooded his body with pain-dulling endorphins. His newfound tolerance for pain was quite high, and yet Judge groused in the corner. Despite the containment cells and their supposed seclusion from other specimens, word had reached Judge that Hojo had decided to send Aeshir and her brother Stone out after Lune. Why they had decided to send the siblings and not him was something that Judge was trying to figure out. In the meantime it was apparently business as usual, as one of the many lab assistants came to inform Judge that another combat test had been scheduled.

"You need to get into your containment suit, and then the testing will begin." the assistant said, and one panel of his cell opened to present the suit to him.

Ever since the integration of Jenova Cells into his system, Judge's abilities had been boosted, yes, but also were quite dangerous and the Far'Anthi had trouble focusing his power when his emotions ran high. The scientistss, most of them working on various mechanical weapons programs before studies had turned to organic ones, had been able to adapt some of the cutting edge technologies at their disposal. Now, with Judge's powers over the elements and his high tolerance for pain, and the armor that would let him focus his attacks, ARC was eager to see what he could do.

As Judge slipped into the armor, the assistant informed him of his adversary. "This will be a Jenova-based foe. One of our earliest experiments, and one that partially proved Professor Hojo's theory about the Jenova Reunion - where he believed that any time cells are separated from Jenova, they eventually seek to reunite with the main body of the being."

Judge had heard it all before but had not seen evidence of it, and as he entered the combat area in his containment armor, the sheer mutation of his combat foe was obviously apparent, and deep down Judge felt sick to his stomach. At his core he was supposed to protect Edyn, protect the humans and all the other races upon it. This was what ARC was doing, experimenting on humans with Jenova Cells, and watching as they morphed and mutated into unspeakable monsters. This pitiable creature looked like several humans had been injected with Jenova and then as the cells tried to reintegrate with one another formed this abomination. Judge wanted to wretch, and yet he was also fascinated by it, and as soon as the combat began he was more than happy to rain down death - a barrage of lightning and fire, which seemed to anger the thing, which charged him, leaping to try and grab him in its maw, though he easily evaded the clumsy attack, and seeing that the creature's hide was red hot, coated the beast in a sheet of ice. It promptly broke free but Judge could see where damage had been done, as the red hot carapace cracked and split under duress of the extreme temperatures.

As the creature slowed Judge moved in with devastating physical attacks, his strength driving the metallic claws of the armor through the beast's hide and Judge actually closed his eyes as he crushed and split the skull of what had once been a human beneath his prodigious strength. Gore and blood splattered across the combat floor as Judge finally reached the heart of the beast, Jenova's Cells having formed a large muscle to drive and control the beast, though Judge ripped it apart and brought the aberration down. He'd hardly broken a sweat really, but he still felt sick to his stomach.

The assistants had recorded the entire encounter however, and of course the results would be given to both Hojo and Gand. Judge was released back to his cell, and his armor removed so that he could rest.

---------------​

Stone shook his head at his sister's question. "I do not think we will have to kill them, sister mine. Lunenova will listen to reason I am sure." he had told his sister, and deep down he hoped that was true. The episode with the runaway cart made Stone spring into action as well, and though he had not seen or paid much attention to the flower girl, the cry of alarm and then seeing the boy in danger fired his innate need to protect. His sister sprung into action and Stone did what he was best at - use his strength to stop a threat. Bracing himself in the path of the cart, his arms opened wide as the cart ran into him, and instead of standing firm, as he could have easily done, Stone backed up a step or two to absorb the energy of the cart and preserve it intact instead of letting it simply demolish itself on his armored form.

The man that the cart belonged to came running down the hill as well, concerned not only for his wares bu the welfare of the child. It had been an accident averted instead of ending in tragedy, and his own thankss to Stone and Aeshir were not small, inviting them to come and enjoy a meal at his establishment sometime. The Sand Sea.

Stone looked at Aeshir and seemed to ponder a moment. It had been a very long time since they'd been shown true kindness, or even had this level of freedom. Though he was the eldeer of the two, he often deferred to Aeshir in such things. "Do you think we could, sister mine? Go and eat?" he asked, quite enthralled with the idea.

The owner of the cart, a man whose name they learned was Bartolomus, or just Bart, had invited the flower girl, Aerith, and her brother Kator, to both eat at the Sand Sea as well.

---------------​

Stryker hadn't seen him, but had indeed smelled Akin as he'd entered the Golden Sphere, the establishment he was now eating at. The wonderful meal was hearty and filling, and much better than the fare seved by ARC, which was odd considering they should want their specimens fed very well. The food was plentiful, simply bland. Even as Akin approached the faintest hint of Lune clung to his clothing, regardless of the cigarette smoke the man expelled like a train.

The blunt manner of Akin was refreshing in its own way, and Stryker gave a nod. "He did, though I was instructed to bring her back alive. I do not wish to fight." That, at least, was the truth, and Stryker was always reluctant to draw his sword. His natural abilities were often sufficient, and though he had not bonded fully with Jenova's Cells, they still granted the former human skills far beyond his ken.

"If you just tell me where she is, I would go and speak with her." Stryker assured Akin.

---------------​

Gand moved swiftly along the corridors behind Number Thirteen and soon they arrived at Dareeva's quarters, the vocalizations from the half-rebuilt young woman echoing in the halls. One assistant was obviously damaged and Gand sighed. Knocking on the door to Dareeva's rom he called out to her.

"Dareeva! It's your father! Let me in sweetheart!" he called. He knew that she would recognize his voice, and even if she did not calm down right away she would let him in to help.

---------------​

Cid Orlandeu had heard the latest rumors now circulating on the streets of Shornhelm - that ARC had lost one of its most valuable and most powerful specimens. He had called a meeting of the senior members of his organization, the Special Encounter Elimination Division, or SEED. Plans had been in the works for months now to storm the ARC building and estroy what specimens they could, or at least set them free to wreak havoc on their captors. It was no secret that many of the Far'Anthi had been taken, and that their purpose in life was to preserve the balance of the planet. Cid knew that they would help if he could somehow contact them, but the ones that had not been captured had quickly went into hiding. Several squads had been sent out to try and track down the free Far'Anthi, but so far had yielded little results.

What was even more frustrating in the grand scheme of things was that the general populace of Edyn seemed unaware, or indifferent, to the very precipice that the planet stood upon. Most knew of Jenova in some way, for the Atlan Wastes was not something one could simply ignore, and yet the danger was not viewed by most as a serious threat. ARC had managed to downplay the entire event, and Cid was sure that this calamity was going to play out, for good or for ill, in the coming months.

CLASSIFIED NOTES OF PROFESSOR HOJO

Subject: Judge (last name unknown)
Age: unknown, though approx. 10,000 years (appears mid-thirties)
Height: 1.88 meters (6'2")
Weight: 98.8 kilograms (218 lbs.)
Hair: Dark brown
Eyes: Dark brown

Judge was captured alongside Lune, and just as Lunenova has been an astounding specimen, so has Judge. A Far'Anthi with an innate control over the elements, Judge has proven quite capable in his own right. Further study is needed.

Judge in his base Far'Anthi form

Judge was injected with Jenova Cells, and though it seemed like a painful acclimation, his body seems to have assimilated and he has stabilized. His abilities have been augmented nearly tenfold and his elemental powers can scarcely be controlled. The Military Division had given us one of their exoskeleton armors that now doubles as a containment armor, allowing Judge to concentrate and focus his powers.

Judge manifesting his powers after assimilation of Jenova Cells

The physical changes in Judge manifest when he now accesses his newly augmented powers, and frankly, they are amazing. His body turns an obsidian color, with what could only be described as points of starlight on his depthless skin. It is as if the nature of Jenova, from the stars, has a manifestation now in Judge.

Observing Judge over the last weeks he seems to have claimed Lunenova as his mate, and after discussing this with Gand we have decided to allow them to procreate and possibly make even more powerful progeny. The effect of this on an unborn infant, the Jenova Cells, is unknown, but possibly the next step in our evolution.

Judge's amorous advances were rejected by Lunenova, and Judge has entered a state of depression and anger. The subsequent escape of Lunenova herself from the facility will need to be rectified quickly.

 

[Lila Lupin]

Aeshir looked up at her brother with a smile as the commotion that had ensued after the incident began to slowly die down. It felt nice to be outside once more. To have the sun dance across her skin. It felt even better to help someone in need as they'd just done. This was what they were made for. To protect the people of Edyn, not aid in their destruction as Hojo and Gand might try to make them. She was, admittedly, a bit taken aback at the multiple shows of gratitude. They were rarely treated as people while living under ARC's thumb. When Stone looked at her and asked if they might be able to go and eat she couldn't help but smile. He may be asking her for permission but it was clear to see, at least for her anyways, that he did indeed want to accept he offer. Before she had a chance to answer him she felt a slight tug on her hand. She looked down to see the source of the tugging was none other than Kator.

"Please come with us, Pretty Lady." He asked with hopeful eyes. Aeshir couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't like the scoffs or halfhearted laughs she'd given in the past few years under ARC. No this laugh was full of life, and joy. She had laughed this sincerely since before they'd gone into hibernation.

"My name is Aeshir, Kator." She said with a genuine smile. A smile that, in the past few years, had been reserved only for Stone, as he had been the only thing that made her happy. "And I suppose it wouldn't hurt to pause in our journey for a meal." For the first time in years Aeshir actually sounded happy. She smiled up at Stone and nodded at his question. Indicating that they would indeed be joining the trio for a meal. Kator, elated by her response, grabbed her hand and began to all but drag her in the direction of The Sand Sea. Aerith called after him, telling him not to go so fast, and to not pull on Aeshir, but Aeshir kept perfect pace with him. She was happy to oblige him as she had a great love for children.

---------------​

Akin looked at Stryker skeptically. He was more than inclined to believe that Gand, had indeed, ordered that Lune be returned alive. She was much too valuable for them to lose, again. He was also inclined to believe that Stryker did not want a fight, because if that had been the case he wouldn't be nearly as agreeable as he was now. Akin eyed hi a bit before making his decision as to how he should go about this situation. "She's in Edgewater Cave, just outside the village." He began slowly. "I can even take you there myself if you'd like." He said with a sly smile. He had no intentions of stopping Stryker. It's not like he even could if he wanted to. However he did want to be there just in case Lune hadn't left yet. "Though if she's smart she's already long gone." At least he hope she was. However Lune had never really seemed to think on the same wave lengths as other's did, at least not as long as Akin had known her. "And even if she hasn't I doubt you'll be able to convince her to go back." He paused for a moment. "She left for a reason you know."

---------------​

Daveera immediately recognized her father's voice. Her emotions were torn in that moment. Her father was a safe place for her. He meant security, love, belonging, but she didn't want him to see her like this. She used to be beautiful. The pride and joy of Professor Jonas Gand. People used to say that she was as beautifully brilliant as her mind was. However that was no longer the case. Now she was broken, and helpless, and ugly. She couldn't even get up on her own. It was absolutely infuriating. Now people made comments about how her mind was as broken as her body was. This was all Jenova's fault. If that thing had never come to Edyn then this never would have happened to her. To make matters wore the reason everyone believed that her mind was broken was because Jenova wanted them to. Jenova didn't want her to be able to convince the world to fight back against it. However there was nothing she could do to stop it anymore.

Her father had spent years rebuilding her, and yet she was still malfunctioning. It was to be expected, as her brain and the remains of her nervous system were still trying to adjust to operating the mechanical parts. "Leave me alone!" She shouted at the door as her father asked her to let him in. She knew this was useless as there was nothing she could really do to prevent him from entering and she'd probably only worried him more by telling him to leave. She didn't care though. She was upset and she didn't want her father seeing her for the broken, ugly mess that she was.

Daveera attempted, once more, to try and pull herself up onto the bed, but the results were the same as before. She would get close to achieving her goal and then lose her 'footing' before crashing back down to the ground once more. Soft sobbing could be heard from where Gand stood on the other side of the door. For a brief moment her sobbing mimicked the sound of a broken record player before the sound of her hitting herself rang out for a split second and the sobbing returned to normal. Daveera may not have wanted her father to see her like this, but the truth was that she needed his help. "D-d-d-d-daddy?" She called out signaling that it was safe for her father to open the door without fear that she might throw something at it. Her speech was broken slightly due to yet another malfunction. Her brain was having trouble processing the malfunction with her legs and her emotional overload which made it harder for her to speak clearly. Not that she would have dared to knowing that her father might be on the other side of the door.

---------------​

Trissa Orlandeu sighed as she made her way through the building that functioned as one of the bases of SEED. Things had been a little high strung as of late with the recent escape of one of ARCs most powerful specimens. While this escape was good news for them it meant that Arc was going to be in full force trying to get it back. That meant that they could release other specimens for the retrieval, and that would be bad for Edyn. Cid had called a meeting of the senior members of their organization in response. They had to make a decision on whether they were going to try and retrieve this specimen for themselves, or if they needed to eliminate it. All of the recent events had brought a lot of stress on her husband. She knew that what they were doing was important, but that didn't make her any happier about her husband's current stress.

Trissa smiled gently as she saw her husband. The other senior officers had already gathered and now they were merely waiting on Cid. She came up behind him and gently slid her arms beneath his and crossed them around his torso in a hug, resting her head against his back as her hands came to rest near his shoulders. "The others have gathered, dear." She said with a sigh. They rarely got moments like this anymore with the increasing threat of Jenova. "We're just waiting on you now."

 

[Haruchai]

Though his face was hidden by the helmet of the armor that he wore, there was somehow no doubt that Stone was smiling as Aeshir said they could go, and even though Kator tugged on the sleeve of Aeshir, it was Stone that bent down to pick the boy up and set him on his shoulder. His neck was far to wide for the boy to sit comfortably and straddle his neck, but the width of Stone's shoulder was perfect, and Kator had a bird's eye view of the street as they walked along.

Before, where people had moved to give them a wide berth, now when they saw the young man, as well as his sister, walking with the two, they smiled and would even greet them. It was something that had been missing with the siblings really. True camraderie. Oh, they had the others in ARC that had been taken as well, but the bonds there were strained. This was different, and reminded them of who they were and what their purpose was. In many ways the people here in Shornhelm were the same as Kator, and mere children. Children of the Far'Anthi. They were bound to protect them, and those bonds were proving to be stronger than the ones that Jenova held.

With his free hand Stone had even helped push the cart of the man up the hill and soon they were arriving at the doorsteps to the Sand Sea. It was a pub and a restaurant and over the next hour Stone and Aeshir were treated with a certain hospitality and respect that they hadn't received in a long time. Soon it was time to get going though, and yet they knew that they'd left an indelible mark on the people here. The flower girl, Aerith, had come up to give Aeshir a warm hug.

"You take care of yourself, and come and see me when you come back to the city, ok?" she said. She even spared a hug for Stone, though she settled for hugging his arm since the rest of him was too large to get her arms around. "You too big guy. You take care of your woman there." Aerith said, unaware that the two were siblings. And who would guess? Stone's white hair and general size separated him from Aeshir in almost every way.

---------------​

"Lead on then." Stryker said, and downed the last of his beer. If Akin was willing to lead him right to Lune it might save him some trouble. He knew he could find her without the man's help, but he'd found that the further he got away from ARC's building, and the city in general, the better he felt and the less he felt like cooperating. He had little interest in taking Lune back really. "I know she left for a reason, but I don't need you to tell me Akin. I want to hear it from her." he told the man. Stryker had an idea of what Lune was thinking, and he found that his own mind was more clear out here in the world. Surely it was the same for Lune, or perhaps she'd found the clarity back at ARC, and if so, Stryker was curious about how. It was likely her Far'Anthi blood, and he'd heard several researchers exclaim that her's was different somehow. Stryker needed to know.

Standing from where he was seated he gestured to the door for Akin to lead the way.

---------------​

The tone of Daveera's voice cut straight to Gand's heartstrings and in another moment he was entering her room, and the sight beyond the door was heartwrenching. "Oh Daveera my sweet." he said, and immediately moved to her. She'd collapsed onto the floor, and Gand moved to her and cradled her in his arms as he sank down beside her. Stroking her hair he cooed softly to her, comforting her as he placed small kisses on her forehead and in her hair.

"It will be alright. You're ok. You're ok." he said to her and knew that he needed to further his research on the development of the nerve emulators. It was a coating he was working on, that could be applied to the inorganic parts of her body, which was most of it really, but would allow her to interface with her chassis like a normal body as well as feel things as if she had skin. The body they had given her now was already cutting edge, and though it was far stronger and more resilient than any flesh and blood body, it weighed no more than one. This allowed Gand to lift her as he stood and he laid her on her bed.

"Let's take a look, sweet girl." he said, and even as he accessed the panel on one thigh, he could see the problem. One servo had burned wires and the connection to her current interface had come unplugged. Gand wasn't sure how it had happened, but it was a quick fix and he smiled at his daughter as he worked. "One day we'll teach you how to do this yourself, but when that happens you'll no longer need you're poor old father." he teased, and reached up to caress her cheek briefly before finishing up the repair.

---------------​

Cid closed his eyes and sighed as he felt his wife slip her arms about him and press warmly to his back. Trissa was always a comfort and without her Cid knew that SEED would not be successful. SEED needed her just as much as he did. "Oh, my lovely wife. How you give me strength." he breathed to her, and deftly turned in her arms. They did not have tome to tarry, and yet he easily lost himself in those eyes of hers as he would tilt his head down to catch her mouth with his own, kissing her tenderly. Cid allowed the kiss to linger, reveling in the feel of her soft lips upon his own, but he did not deepen it. There would be plenty of time for that later, but for now they needed to get this meeting started. "How I love you." he whispered to her and kissed her lips again before unwrapping his arms from about her. He did take her hand though. It was one of the few true public displays he allowed himself. Their marriage was no secret of course, and holding her hands showed their unity, their singularity of purpose.

So, with his wife by his side, Cid would enter the meeting place, a rather well-hidden place in the attack of one of their members. Equipped with a few beds and a small game room, it was made to help accommodate those members that might need to lay low for awhile. Cid gave a nod as he entered, and patted his wife's hand before he let it go, each person called for the meeting having found a comfortable place to sit or stand. It was a new arrival that caught Cid's eyes though. A woman that he had been told they could trust implicitly. A woman who might help them turn the tide against ARC.

With his gaze settling on the woman Cid smiled tersely and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

 

[Lila Lupin]

Aeshir smiled as she watched Stone interact with Kator. It warmed her very heart to see him happy and enjoying himself. It had been so long since they'd been able to interact with people so freely like this. Once the people on the streets realized that they meant no harm to anyone they were much friendlier. The walk to the Sand Sea had been quite pleasant. They had good company and, it seemed, they had made themselves some new friends. It had been a long time since they could say that they truly had friends.

The meal they'd had was wonderful, and the company even more so. However the lovely time spent with their newfound friends had to eventually come to a close. Aeshir returned Aerith's hug with a smile. She couldn't help but smirk as Aerith hugged Stone's arm and told him to take care of her. She couldn't help but chuckle. Stone would always protect her. He'd rather die than let harm befall her. He'd shown as much when he willingly let them inject him with the Jenova cells after she'd been gravely injured, all because Dr. Fallcrest told him that it would help him protect her better. She also found it mildly interesting that none of them seemed to realize that they were siblings regardless of how they referred to one another. Though she couldn't quite fault them. Perhaps they thought that they merely had an almost familial comradery as warriors. She couldn't quite blame them though, as not only did they differ greatly in appearance but nothing about their behavior towards one another save the way they referred to each other might suggest that they were siblings instead of lovers. Though truthfully thy were both.

"We'll be certain to come see you when we return." Aeshir said with a smile. "And don't worry." She began as she grabbed one of Stone's large hands as best she could. "He always takes care of me." The siblings finished saying their goodbyes as they prepared to leave. Bart told them that they were always welcome at the Sand Sea and that they need only ask for him and he'd aid them as best he could. Aerith and Kator waited outside the door to the Sand Sea and waved as Aeshir and Stone left before Aerith led Kator back to market with her flower cart. Aeshir smiled as they continued down the road. "It's odd to have friends again." Aeshir said as she looked at Stone out of the corner of her eye as they finally neared the gate of the city. "I'd become quite used to only having you as a companion." She chuckled towards her brother. "Though I wouldn't give up your company for all of Edyn." A soft smile graced her lips and her eyes sparkled lovingly as leaned her head against his arm without faltering once in her steps.

---------------​

"Follow me then. Perhaps she'll have waited for you." Akin chuckled as he led Stryker out of the bar, and out of the village. He hoped that he was wrong and that Lune was already far from Edgewater cave, but something deep in the pit of his stomach told him that this was not the case. When they reached the entrance of Edgewater cave Akin smiled to himself. This place was breathtakingly beautiful and was a testament not only to what Lunenova was but what she and her kind could do for their world. He led Stryker inside and through the many crystals that called the cave their home all the way to the pristine lake in the center of the cave. "Seems like she hasn't left yet after all." He said as he saw Lunenova sitting on a blanket under the tree on the little 'island' reading a book. "If you want your answers." He gestured towards Lune. "There they are. I just hope you don't mind getting a little wet." He added with a smirk as he made a reference to the increase in the water level near the island. He leaned against one of the giant crystals and lit a cigarette as he waited to watch the events at hand unfold. Lunenova had yet to move from where she sat and seemed to almost be waiting for Stryker to address her or come to where she was.

---------------​

Daveera began to calm down a bit as Gand reached her side. She sighed though it was a bit broken due to her current malfunctions and leaned into her father. Jonas had always had a knack for calming her down. Her tears began to slow to a stop and her sobbing faded away as her father soothed her. She closed her eyes as she curled into her father's embrace as best she could. His soothing did wonders for her frazzled nerves. Daveera seemed immensely calmer by the time her father placed her on the bed. She smiled weekly as he informed her that he was going to see what the problem was. She closed her eyes as her father opened up the panel on her thigh and let her head fall back onto the pillows. She focused on her breathing, trying to slow it as best she could so that her brain wouldn't have as much of an issue with processing everything. She looked up when her father mentioned teaching her how to do this on her own. She smiled briefly but her smile soon turned to a frown as he mentioned that she wouldn't need him anymore after that.

"I will a-always need you, D-a-a-a-" Daveera was obviously becoming frustrated with her own malfunctions again as she raised her hand and all but slammed the palm of her hand into the side of her forehead. "Daddy." She sighed as her father raised his hand to her cheek and she leaned into it, slightly nuzzling into his palm. "I'm always going to need you." She said as she gazed at him lovingly. "Someone has to put up with me, after all." She chuckled in an almost self-loathing manner. "And no one else would ever want a broken, ugly mess like me." She scoffed. She was prone to these downward emotional spirals after she malfunctioned. It had become almost routine at this point, unfortunately. "I can't even take care of myself."

---------------​

Trissa smiled as Cid turned to face her. She looked at him tenderly with a hint of longing as he told her of the strength she provided him. Her olive green eyes seemed to sparkle he looked down at her. "Not nearly as much as you give me, husband dearest." She said as he leaned down and captured her lips with his own. She sighed at the kissed and reveled in the warmth and safety it brought her. They had little time to themselves anymore as the heads of SEED. So she deeply treasured moments like this whenever she was presented with them. Her husband's tenderness towards her had always brought her comfort, made her feel safe. To the outside world and to SEED, Trissa was a battle hardened strategist. She was responsible for handling a great deal of the tactical planning for many of the missions that the members of SEED carried out. With Cid though....... With Cid she could be vulnerable. Not the strong wife of a rebel leader, but a woman, with the needs and vulnerabilities of a woman. She smiled gently, mildly disappointed at how quickly the kiss had ended, as he told her how he loved her. She leaned in towards his ear after he stole yet another kiss from her. "Perhaps, dear husband" She whispered suggestively in his ear. "You would be kind enough to show me just how much when we have a moments reprieve."

Trissa smirked knowing full well the seed she had just planted in her husband's thoughts. A seed that, no doubt, she would pay for planting later in the most pleasurable ways her husband could dream of. For now, though, they needed to attend to this meeting. If rumored served then they would be in the presence of a very special guest. One of Trissa's best informants had assured her that the woman he was sending their way would be more than capable, and willing, to aid in the downfall of ARC. Her informant had failed to tell her why he was so certain this woman would be able to help them, but he assured her that they would soon learn their answer when they met her.

Trissa entered the meeting place alongside her husband, her hand firmly grasped in his. She observed the people that were present. All of their top members were present and they all looked to their leaders for guidance. It was as Cid patted her hand before releasing it that her attention was drawn to the far corner of the room. There was a woman leaning against the wall that had apparently busied herself by carving away at a piece of wood in her hands with an interesting dagger. Cid seemed to notice her to, not that it was easy to miss her, and asked her to introduce herself after he welcomed her to their meeting.

The woman looked up with her enchanting eyes from the piece of wood she'd been carving into. Trissa had never seen eyes like these before. They looked to be almost black, but held some odd red tint to them. It was easy to get lost looking at those eyes. This woman had a strong air to her. Her hair was thick and red and the majority of it was bound with a leather strap and left to hang down near the middle of her back though Trissa suspected that it might well be a bit longer than that as it was also resting over the hood of her fur cloak that rested atop her shoulders. The armor she wore was unlike anything Trissa, or honestly anyone else in the room, had seen before. There were unique and unidentifiable markings along the armor, but the sides and tops of her arms were left exposed. The exposed areas held intricate tattoos that Trissa could only assume held some important symbolism. There were even tattoos on the strong and well defined features of her face. She was tall, standing at a little over 5'11" and had broad shoulders, strong arms, and sturdy legs that looked as though they could deliver a kick that could put a chocobo to shame.

"My name is Crest." She began as she placed the wood she'd been carving into a pouch attached to her right side and the dagger in its sheath. She pushed herself off of the wall she'd been leaning against and moved towards the table near where Trissa and Cid were standing. "I know you're all very busy." Her voice was a bit deep for a woman, though it still held a great deal of femininity to it, and it fit her appearance quite well. "So I'll do my best not to waste your time." All eyes were on her as she began to remove the gauntlet from her left hand. "It's come to my attention that the lot of you wish to bring ARC to ruin." She smirked a bit as she continued with the many straps and latches that held her gauntlet fast to her arm. "And I'd much like to help you to that end." She was drawing nearer to the table as she continued. "It has also come to my attention that you have been seeking the aid of the Far'Anthi." This made Trissa quirk an eyebrow as Crest reached the table. "And I have come to inform you-" Crest paused for a brief moment as she removed her gauntlet and placed it on the table. "That your pleas for help will not go unanswered." With that she held up her hand so that the back of it was facing them. Standing boldly on the otherwise perfect plane of her faintly sun-kissed skin was a symbol that everyone in this room was all to familiar with. The symbol of the female Far'Anthi.

 

[Haruchai]

Stone reacted well to the general gestures of friendship that were given, and as any true protectorate Far'Anthi might do, Stone knew that he would do whatever he could to ensure their safety. The meal at the Sand Sea was quite nice and though as he and Aeshir moved back out to the streets and waved their goodbyes, the feeling of his sister on his arm reminded Stone that no matter what else might happen that he always had her. "I would bring down heaven itself to keep you safe." Stone told his sister, and he easily supported her. "Would you like to ride on my shoulder?" he asked her, quite willing to walk for the both of them and spare his sister the trek.

Regardless of whether she took the offer or not, the siblings soon found themselves out in the Westersand, the desert outside of Shornhelm. The mountains in the distance did not look imposing now, but there was no doubt that they would not be easily travered. Still, it had been a few centuries since the two of them had been out and about in Edyn, so there was no telling what might have changed.

---------------​

Stryker had followed Akin as they left the confines of Haven, and it was not too distant from the large village until Stryker could scent Lune and knew that Akin was not lying. That or they had spent some time setting up an intricate ruse. Luckily that turned out to not be the case and Lune could be seen ahead, her porcelain skin in stark contrast to the more natural colors around her. With a nod of thanks to Akin Stryker kept moving toward her, keeping his hands away from his weapon as he got a bit closer.

"Lunenova, I'm sure you know why I'm here. Let me speak plain that I have little iintention to take you back, but you'll need to convince me. I've no desire for any bloodshed." Stryker told the woman. The last thing he wanted was any sort of confrontation, and yet he was prepared in case she decided he could not be trusted.

---------------​

Though Gand knew that the words from his daughter were fueled by a burgeoning depression, he was going to try and appease her and make her feel better. It was the duty of a father to take care of his daughter after all. "I know you will always need me Daveera. In one way or another." he told her, and looked up at her with a smile as he clsed the access panel and said, "You should be right as rain sweet girl. I will always put up with you, and I will always love you. You're my beautiful little girl, and my love for you knows no bounds." he explained to her, and took her hand to bring it to his lips and kiss the back of it. It was like he used to do when she was just a child, and he caressed her hand as she played the Princess. His eyes were soft and full of adoration as he spoke again, more softly. "All will be well, though I will stay here with you as long as you like." It was the truth as well, and Gand knew that he had some time he could spend with her. He wanted to make sure that Daveera felt safe and loved, and that those two things would help her immensely.

---------------​

The members that had shown up were some of Cid's most trusted people, and his most skilled. Han, an exceptionally skilled martial artist. Enkidu, a heavy artillery and demolitions expert. Kubrick, the best sharpshooter with any firearm that Cid had ever seen, and lastly there was Syn and Bree, viera sisters with deep arcane knowledge. That didn't include Cid or his wife either, but with the various other people they could call upon, SEED was poised to be ready to do some major damage to ARC.

The woman, veteran warrior that she was, would be able to see that despite how relaxed this group might look, that they were regarding her warily. The only reason she'd been given access was that the scanners in all the entrances showed her without a trace of Jenova Cells, and that she'd been vouched for by someone very close to the organization. So as she came forward, her voice smooth and steady, and revealed herself to be a Far'Anthi, a murmur ran through those present. Cid regarded the newcomer with a growing sense of trust and yet there were still reservations.

"You'll have to forgive us if we do not trut right away, and in truth he have little reason to doubt someone of your... credentials. All I can say is that if you're willing to help us bring down ARC, and free those that it has perverted and purify them of the taint that has been spread by ARC... then we'd love to count you among our number."

 

[Lila Lupin]

"I am quite certain that you would, love, but I would never ask you to do such a thing." Aeshir responded to her brother's comment about bringing down the very heavens to keep her safe. smiled up at her brother as he offered to let her ride on his shoulder. She shook her head at his offer as she looked towards the gate. "Not right now." She gave a relaxed sigh as they kept walking. "Perhaps later. For now I'm just enjoying the fresh air. It's nice to be out and about. Even if I do have to walk a little more than I've become used to these past few years." The Far'Anthi had been an almost nomadic people before their hibernation. They would move from one area to the next, helping people as they came across them. They would aid the people of Edyn as best they can, staying where they were needed until the need was no longer there. At that point they would move on to the next place. They'd done this for centuries until the new races were ready to live without their aid. That was when they went into their hibernation, deciding to sleep until Edyn and her people needed them once more.

Aeshir smiled as she and her brother exited the city. It was nice to be out of the ARC building, and even nicer to be out of their containment cell. Things had become so strict after Lune's departure. It had become quite annoying. The only person they'd been allowed to interact with besides scientists and each other had been Stryker, and Aeshir wasn't exactly his biggest fan. He'd been an experiment just like they had and yet he was allowed the freedom to move about and had even been in charge of keeping an eye on many of the other experiments. She looked across the Westersand towards the mountains. They were most certainly going to have to cross those mountains if they were to complete their goal. "How long do you think it will take us to find them, Brother?" She asked as she looked up at him and cocked her head to the side. The size between the two of them had always managed to amaze people. She was so small and petite in comparison to the hulking man that was always hot on her heals.

---------------​

Lunenova could hear Stryker wading through the water as she continued to read her book. She waited until he had reached the edge of her little island before she closed the book that she'd been reading and set it down. She looked up at him as he spoke and smiled sweetly at him. As he finished she looked around the cave casually. "This place is quite beautiful, isn't it?" She asked as she gestured to the tee she sat under, the spring surrounding them and the crystals that littered the cave. "Little over week ago this place was dark and void of life." She said as she held out a hand to catch a falling pink petal. "Akin had managed to drag me in here and had gone to find help. When they'd returned the tree had sprung to life, blooming as though it had not been dead mere hours before, and the crystals glowed like stars in the night sky." She smiled, looking up to Stryker, though she hadn't moved from where she sat.

"However I doubt that you've come to hear me talk about this cave." She chuckled slightly. "You say you wish me to convince you." She cocked her head to the side ever so slightly as she spoke. "What is it you wish to be convinced of?"

---------------​

Daveera calmed a bit as her father reassured her. She tried to move her leg again once her father told her that everything should be fixed. She was quite please that her legs were, in fact, functioning now. This bit of knowledge brought a small smile to her face. "Thank you, Papa." She said as her gaze seemed to soften a bit. Her heart seemed to pick up a bit as he mentioned his boundless love for her, and if she had still been capable of blushing she most certainly would have been at that moment. She cast her gaze downwards, almost shyly as he brought her hand to his lips. It was moments like this made what Jenova had done to her just a bit easier to live with. She found herself reaching out for her father, silently asking him to hold her, to stay next to her. It may not have seemed like it as of late but the signs of physical affection that her father showed her meant the world to her. It was times like this that she wished that she could blush, if only to allow her father to know just what his words mean to her. She looked up at him as he told her that he would stay with her for as long as she liked. "Don't you have something better to do than to cater to the needs of your helpless child?" The question held no intent to push him away from her, but it held hints to the self-doubt and self-hatred that still seemed to linger. After all, how could anyone love something like her? Something so broken.

---------------​

Crest had not been surprised by the wariness of the group before her, nor by their lack of trust. She would have had quite a difficult time taking them, or their cause, seriously if they trusted her merely from the words of another. Even she had little trust for the people around her. That was the very reason she had chosen the position she had. Her back to the wall in a corner that gave her a good view of everyone else in the room. She had been sizing them all up this whole time, assessing what plan of action to take should they turn on her. Trust was not something one could so easily afford in her line of work. She couldn't help but smirk as the murmur rose from around the room as she revealed her mark. The Far'Anthi had once worn their marks proudly, but now they hid them as best they could, going so far as to even hide themselves for fear of falling to the same fate as many of their unfortunate brethren. Crest nodded at Cid as he spoke of their lack of trust. "I'd be a bit worried if you weren't at least a bit wary." She said as she looked around the room at those present. "Your goal is a dangerous and risky one, regardless of it's necessity for the well being of this planet." She said with a sigh as she reached for the gauntlet that now sat on the table in front of her. "While I doubt that purifying those that ARC has twisted may even be possible I'm happy to aid you as bet I can."

"Well we still have to try. They didn't ask for this." Trissa said as she looked around the room at the others present. She found herself taking a moment to pause as she spoke. "At least most of them didn't." Trissa's brother and sister had both volunteered for the Jenova project. Neither had listened to Trissa's pleas and she had been brushed off, and reassured that they were doing the right thing. Now they were mere shadows of who they'd once been. They'd thought that by aiding in this project they could help make the world a better place. Now they were both cruel and brutal people ruled by the whims of Jenova herself.

Trissa shook herself from her thoughts as she returned her attention back to the matter at hand. "We have to try and save them, if we can." Her eyes gave way to her determination. "And I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that we're more than happy to have your aid." She added with a nod in Crest's direction and small smile before giving the floor back to her husband.

 

[Haruchai]

"I know you would never ask me to, sister dearest, but I would do it regardless." Stone affirmed and a hollow sounding sound of amusement came from beneath the helm as she politely turned down his offer to ride upon his shoulder. In truth there were a few things he could say that would hint at the thoughts in his head, for he and his sister, though lovers, had refrained from any such activity while under the watchful eyes of ARC. Now, having a bit of freedom, Stone's desire for his sister was bubbling just below the surface. His willpower was strong though, and they did have a mission to complete.

The question from Aeshir brought his attention back to the present, pulling him from his most pleasurable daydream, and he grunted. "I am unsure. So long as we do not get lost, using the mountains as a guide, then the Westersand should be easy to cross. Traversing the mountains is more worrisome unless there is some road or path. I might have to go slower. This armor is protective, but hinders movement." he explained.

-

Stone's assessment proved to be true, and they made it through the Westersand without a problem, and even found a few checkpoints used by all manner of people as a trade route. Though they had no way to know it, they had also not been given any of the teleportation crystals, and thus could not use the gates that dotted the Westersand along the route. It showed the level of trust, or perhaps mistrust, that ARC placed in them. They were shown several routes through the mountains and if Aeshir had been by herself they could have taken a chocobo. Stone's bulk was too much for the regular yellow ones however, and they had no blacks or reds that he could use. That meant they had to go on foot, and it took another two days to pass through the tunnels and passes that had been carved through the Land's Edge mountains, and the last leg had brought them to a strange sort of outpost.

There, well under the mountain, a river flowed. It was explained that it flowed all the way to Shimmerstream Lake. From here they could catch a ferry, and likely cut their travel time by half a day. Stone seemed game enough for it, and after a bit of negotiation the siblings were on the ferry and moving along the river that flowed from some underground source.

---------------​

Stryker approached with a bit of caution. Lune was not rumored to be violent, and yet he'd seen the mess she'd left behind. It was likely done in a moment of desperation. that moment when she just knew she had to run. Stryker could tell that even for himself he was thinking with much more clarity. He could only imagine what it was like for a being like Lune.

"It is really quite beautiful, and I am sure that the newly bloomed life here is due to your presence. In truth I need no other convincing than what I see with my own eyes." he admitted. Stryker approached and let his hand move away from his sword and he took a seat across from Lune, observing her for a moment. "So you're not planning on going back then? What do you plan to do?" he asked, curious about what next steps she was considering. "You know that ARC will keep coming after you. They want you back, and won't simply stop after sending me. I would bet they've already sent others as well." he informed her, knowing well enough how ARC operated.

----------------​

Gand's soft smile showed the depth of caring he had for his daughter as she thanked him for helping her. The last question brought a little frown though and he lifted his gaze to look into the eyes of his only child. "Of course not. I would give all of this up for you if I had to. Only through my diligent research can we make you whole again, but know that I love you and cherish you no matter what." he told her, seeing how she was still putting herself down. Gand moved a bit and pulled her into his arms. "I love you Daveera, and will always be here for you." he told her and stroked her hair as he held her in his warm embrace. is lips pressed gently to her cheek and then her forehead.

---------------​

Cid listened to the Far'Anthi woman and then his wife, and soon he turned back to Crest. "As a Far'Anthi, I know that your goal is to save the planet. Life, as you know, always finds a way. For us the outcome is just as personal, though not as far-reaching. There are those we know that were taken by ARC, and we have to try and get them back. ARC needs to be brought down, but even if they're not I know you plan to destroy Jenova." he said. A slight murmur went around the room as he spoke, and some of the others seemed a little in awe of Crest. a Far'Anthi on their side did not guarantee victory, but it certainly would help tip the balance.

As he finished speaking Cid produced a map of the ARC building and began to go through what they knew about the place. "There are roaming patrols of soldiers, usually squads of three, but there's plenty of windows to by pass them. The problem comes once we make it inside, where security cameras monitor the corridors. We'll have to take out those cameras."

Enkidu spoke up and said, "I can do that. I know where the central power is located. It's heavily guarded, but off-site. If I do that, then they'll only be on back-up power."

Cid seemed to consider. "Since we could prepare for that it might even be a boon. Though they'll get that back-up power running, there will still be a few moments of chaos. We could definitely use that to our advantage."

 

[Lila Lupin]

Aeshir smirked as she heard the hollow sound from beneath his helm. She was quite aware of her brother's desires, and she herself shared them. It had been one of the reasons that she had turned down his offer to ride on his shoulders. She could think of much more tantalizing things to do than merely sitting on his shoulder. Sadly they had a mission they needed to do and couldn't afford to waste too much time at the moment. They certainly didn't need ARC sending people after them next. The sigh that left her lips was bordering on longing as they continued through the Westersand. She chuckled when he mentioned that their path would most likely slow most significantly due to his large size and the armor he wore. She couldn't help but chuckle at the comment. "I have no qualms with a slow journey. We'll find them eventually, they can't hide forever." She said as she moved to stand behind Stone as a particularly hard gust of wind threw sand in their direction, effectively using him as a shield.

The Westersands had been as easy to traverse as her brother had suggested. She found herself quite enjoying the freedom they had. It was refreshing to not be under the gaze of doctors and scientists all day. She found the journey under the mountain to be quite invigorating and when they weren't fending off the stray monsters that dwelled in the caves there was something quite akin to a skip in her step. Two days passed far to quickly though, and they soon found themselves at a strange outpost negotiating for a ferry. Aeshir had opted to walk for the majority of their journey but she now found herself thankful for the break as they had a moment's reprieve from the arduous trek they'd found themselves on.

Aeshir sat down on a nearby box as she looked at her brother. "Stone?" She started, only moving to continue once she was quite certain she had his attention. "May I ride on your shoulder for the next part of our journey? After we get off the ferry?" She smiled gently at him. She knew he would say yes. He always did. Quite honestly she was certain that she could demand things from him and he'd still cater to her every whim, but she loved her brother and wouldn't dare to do that. She leaned back and sighed as she swung her legs back and forth a bit. The ferry ride was quite relaxing and she found it soothing. Part of her hoped that it would take them awhile to find Lune and Stryker. She was quite enjoying not be confined. "I hope it takes us a bit longer to find them." She said idly, quite certain that she must have earned an odd look from Stone. "I just wouldn't be opposed to the freedom for a bit longer." She said as she looked at her brother. "We haven't had time to ourselves in years, not really."

---------------​

Lune smiled when Stryker asked he if she really had no intention to return. She shook her head. "No, Stryker, I don't." She said with a sigh as he asked her what she planned to do. She chuckled as he mentioned that ARC wouldn't quit looking for her and that bet that they had already sent someone else after her. "I know they won't stop, Stryker. They'll never stop until Edyn is but a husk void of life." She sighed as she stood up and turned to look at the tree, raising a hand to it's branches. "They think they have control of Jenova." The slight smile on her face held a certain sadness to it. "But it is quite the other way around. She's been using them to her own ends, and she'll destroy this world if she isn't stopped." Lunenova sighed as she turned back towards Stryker. "That's what I plan to do, Stryker." She sighed as though to emphasize her point. "I plan to try and save Edyn.....and destroy Jenova."

---------------​

Daveera moved in closer to her father, as though their mere proximity brought her comfort. She bit back a bitter comment about the Jenova Project when her father mentioned how he'd give it all for her. When he explained that his diligent research was the only way to make her whole again she had to bite her tongue. A good deal of his research revolved around Jenova and Jenova was the very reason she was like this. However the subject of Jenova and her father's research in regards to the creature was a sore subject between the two. She had no desire to upset her father at all, but especially not after he'd just helped her. She also knew that talking about Jenova would do nothing to improve her condition. So it was best to just leave it alone. She smiled as her father stroked her hair and kissed her cheek and forehead. Her eyes lit up a bit when he told her that he loved her, and would always be there for her. "I know, Daddy." She raise her right hand to her father's cheek before she tilted her head upwards just a bit and brought her own lips to meet his. If Daveera was quite honest her feelings for her father went far beyond those that should exist between a father and his daughter, but few really blamed her for them, as her father was practically the only human interaction the poor girl had for the past five years.

---------------​

Trissa seemed to sadden just a little when Cid spoke of the ones ARC took, as did Syn and Bree. Nabira Brahm, Trissa's older sister, had been one of the highest ranking members of SEED needing only to answer to Cid and Trissa. She had helped them organize and found SEED. She had been in charge of all the offensive measures that SEED needed, and had personally screened everyone in this room save Crest, Trissa, and Cid, before they were given even the most basic position in SEED. Nabira had been accompanying Syn, Bree, and a few others on what should have been a simple in and out mission at a small ARC research outpost near Evensea to the east. Something went wrong though and an anti-SEED monster had been deployed. It's mission was to either capture or destroy them. The others in the group didn't stand a chance against the creature, and so Nabira had distracted it long enough for the others to get away. She had told the sisters that she would meet them back at the base and to head back without her. That had been a lie. Nabira had known that while she might have ben able to hold that thing off she wouldn't be able to get away. Reinforcements had arrived shortly after the rest of the group had made it's escape and Nabira had been captured.

The sisters still felt responsible despite how much Trissa tried to reassure them otherwise. Crest noticed the reaction of the three women, but kept it to herself for now. It was obviously a sore subject and she didn't dare breach that territory until they trusted her a bit more. Her attention was once again drawn to Cid though as he pulled out a map of the ARC building. Her brow furrowed. They couldn't possibly be planning to attack already? That would be suicide. They would be sorely outnumbered by soldiers that were far stronger. They'd be going up against genetically mutated Far'Anthi, along with Edyn only knew what else. They wouldn't stand a chance, not even with Crest at their side. They would die.

Unfortunately it seemed they were planning to do just that and Crest found herself needing to say something as Cid and Enkidu spoke of infiltrating the base. "I would strongly recommend against that." She said looking Cid straight in the eyes as she placed a hand over the map they were all looking at.

"And why is that?" Trissa asked a bit confused.

"Because going in there right now would get all of you killed." She said seriously as she allowed the others a chance to respond.

 

[Haruchai]

Though they were not telepathic, there was a string empathic bond between the siblings and Stone looked down at his sister as she asked her question. "Of course you can sweet sister mine." he responded to her about riding on his shoulder, and he set up near one rail, as he watched Aeshir. Leaning on the steel tubing railing, Stone's eyes looked through the visor of the armor he wore. Normally such a thing might hinder one's vision, but the readout on the inside of the visor showed and told him everything he needed to know, and one massive hand came to rest on the small of Aeshir's back. Moving a little closer Stone made sure he had a good hold on his sister, though he knew to trust her balance as they were at the railing. As she spoke about Lune and Stryker Stone rumbled in agreement. "It might take us some time. Our pace is likely to be a little slower as well. I admit I am not the fastest person I know." he said, though they both knew that he was plenty fast in short bursts. His reflexes were quite keen and in a fight he was surprisingly fast. But he was also right in that he wouldn't be winning any long distance races.

-

Another twelve hours or so and they were exiting the mountains and out under the sun again as the ferry moved smoothly along toward the lake. Stone looked up to the sky and removed his helm, letting the air flow over his face and through his hair. Closing his eyes at the sensation the breeze here was much more cool than it had been in Shornhelm and the Westersand. After a few moments Stone opened his eyes to smile over at his sister. "I can think of a way for us to celebrate this newfound freedom once we disembark from the ferry." he told her, mischief in his eyes. One hand patted her in a very familiar way on the behind and his intent was clear.

The afternoon passed and as evening approached the lake could be seen up ahead and there were several points that the ferry stopped out to allow passengers to get to shore. Now that the lake was in sight, Stone randomly picked one and took Aeshir by the hand, having paid the fare and they were allowed to disembark. Soon they were on shore and Stone's gaze turned to the large lake. "I can feel Lune. She is not far, but it will take some time to pinpoint her." Stone said.

---------------​

Stryker was not at all surprised by Lune's answer, and he contemplated how to respond for a moment. "It is instilled in you to preserve Edyn, and to destroy Jenova. I will aid you, if you'll have me, but you should know that I have Jenova Cells within me, and there will be some of your kin that would certainly want to destroy me." he informed her, as if she didn't know. Stryker moved to her, unafraid, and took a seat close by, unclasping his sword to set it across his lap. "So how do we even start? You know that ARCsees Jenova not as a destructive force, but as one to be manipulated to their own ends. They'll not let us simply destroy it, so... do you have a plan?" His bright blue eyes regarded her as he spoke.

---------------​

Jonas smiled softly at his daughter, unaware of the inner workings of her mind, though responding in typical fashion to her physical advance. His lips met hers with a tenderness that a father reserved for a daughter, and he kissed Daveera with a slight moan of both pleasure and relief. The action of his daughter was seen as both a good sign of recovery and the proof that she had not lost her humanity despite the fact that she had been given a mostly synthetic body. Despite this fact the hand of her father slid up her body, feeling the simulated warmth along her limbs until he cupped the side of her face, caressing her cheek as he deepened the kiss. The tip of his tongue pressed along the seam of her lips, testing, seeking, and his breath exhaled warmly across her cheek as her father's body reacted in ways that would normally be reserved for a lover.

---------------​

There was no mistaking the looks shared by the females present, and Cid knew the reson for it. There was little to be done about that now and the topic had run its' course, many times, so instead he turned his attention to the woman known as Crest. "So why do you think all of us would be slain? What do you know of this place and what might be inside? Our intelligence says this is not a military installation, though obviously some soldiers would be present. To our knowledge it is a science installation, full of doctors and scientists, but the backbone of ARC." Cid said, wondering where their recon might be mistaken.

 

[Lila Lupin]

Aeshir sighed a she felt her brother's hand along her back and heard his response. She giggled when he mentioned that he was not the fastest person he knew. Oh he could be fast when he needed to be, but must certainly not for extended periods of time. To expect that would be foolhardy at best. "We can take as much time as you need, brother dearest." She said as she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She couldn't help but sigh as she sat there, perhaps more comfortable than she had been these past years despite the fact that she was sitting on a steel pie and laying her head against armor. She felt relaxed, safe even. The sounds of the water were soothing and brought her peace. A part of her even thought she could hear Edyn's soothing voice as they passed through the water. She wasn't quite so sure how true that might be though as all she had heard from Edyn as of late were screams of agony at what Jenova was doing. She smiled at the beauty of the moment and relaxed against her brother.

Aeshir found her self enjoying the trip quite a bit and even found herself dozing off, leaning against Stone as she did so. She woke up as they exited the mountains and the sun hit her face. She stretched and yawned as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, snuggling a bit closer to her brother, drawing comfort in his closeness. She smiled as her brother removed his helmet and closed his eyes at the cool breeze that rustled through her hair. She couldn't help but chuckle at his statement about celebrating their newfound freedom after exiting the ferry. "I'm sure you can, brother." She smirked as she spoke. "And I'm sure I'd love to hear more about those ideas later." She said as she stretched once more before getting up from where she was. It seemed like they were nearing their destination and she certainly didn't want to slow Stone down anymore than was necessary by making him wait for her. She smiled gently as he took her hand and led her off of the ferry. Her brow soon furrowed as Stone mentioned that he could feel Lune and that she was close. "Do you think we should try to go after he now then?" She said as she cocked her head to the side.

---------------​

Lune smiled when Stryker told her that he'd like to help her if she'd have him. "I'll take all the aid I can get, Stryker." She said as she took a deep breath. "Unlike ARC I have no intentions of underestimating Jenova's reach, or her penchant for destruction." She said as she looked around them. "And while some of my kin may seek your destruction you can be most assured that those whose minds have yet to be twisted by Jenova would stay their swords if I asked." This was something she was quite certain of and hoped that it would give Stryker some piece of mind as he sat near her. She sat down next to him as he asked her if she had any plan to destroy Jenova. She gestured around them at the life that now bloomed around them. "This, Stryker." She said with a smile. "I plan to help restore Edyn as much a I can." She added with a deep breath. "This cave was not the only thing effected by it's rejuvenation." She said as se looked him in the eyes. "The very lake seems to have found new life, and the wildlife and people around it as well. Even you, who was so controlled by Jenova, seem to have regained yourself." Her smile was faint as she spoke, but her joy radiated from her. "Edyn is dying, Stryker. She's screaming in pain for any aid we can spare. She awakened my kind, and the humans turned on us, only further aiding in their planet's destruction." She placed a hand on one of the roots of the tree near them. "But she is not defenseless, and if we can save her she will return the favor, of this I am sure. There must be other places like his that have suffered from Jenova's wrath. Perhaps if we can help revive these places Edyn can help us to destroy the threat that looms over us." She sighed as she smiled at Stryker. Trying to bring life back to Edyn was the least and perhaps only thing she could do in the fight against Jenova, at least for now.

---------------​

Crest sighed. She had expected this. They didn't know what her kind were capable of, mainly because her kind were their legends. They also had no idea what Jenova was doing to those exposed to it. "Because, Cid, you don't know Jenova." She said with an almost irritated sigh. "You want to know what I know about what's inside this place? Fine." She said with a great deal of seriousness. "We'll go in and encounter scientists, researchers, and maybe a few military units. We'll probably make it into the research labs or even the containment cells if we're careful and lucky. Unfortunately that's where the problem lies. They'll start releasing experiments on us, and you might be able to make it through some of the monsters, perhaps even some of the humans, but once they start to release the Far'Anthi that Jenova's managed to control it's over. I might be able to take on a few, but I doubt I could even manage to buy you enough time to escape. You'd be sorely outnumbered AND overpowered. You will be crushed by the very people you came to save." She was stone faced as she spoke. "If you want a fighting chance then you should go after the recently escaped Far'Anthi experiment. She obviously managed to fight Jenova's control somehow or she never would have left. Find her, and find more of the Far'Anthi. Then lead your siege. We might actually stand a fighting chance if we do things that way." She said as she looked Cid in the eye. "Of course you are the leader, not me, and the decision is yours to make." She gave Cid a nod as she removed her hand from the map of the ARC building, giving him the chance to make his choice.

---------------​

A red light flashed throughout the ARC building. The blaring alarm served to warn all regular ARC employees to stay in their offices and designated floors. "Protocol 75B Initiated." Came an automated female voice over the intercoms of the ARC building. "Project Hysteria to be released, all unauthorized employees please return to your designated floor, this is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill."

In the hallway that held some of the most dangerous experiments ARC had one could hear the heavy sound of gears grinding and heavy metal dragging against the reinforced concrete and steel that lined the ceilings, walls, and floors of the hallway. The sounds belonged to cell six as the heavy door began to open revealing a tall, broad shouldered woman with bright pink hair and piercing blue eyes. She stood at about 5'11" without her boots but with them on she towered at about 6'3". Those boots were a part of her armor along with the enormous gauntlets that encased her hands and arms. "Project Hysteria, we are initiating anti-SEED protocol 75B." The voices of one of her handlers echoed from the intercom of the hallway. "You are to seek out SEED operatives and if possible, retrieve them, if not....."

"Send 'em screamin' all the way to hell like the whiny little bitches they are. I hear ya." She said as she rolled her shoulders back and gave her arms an experimental swing or two as she stepped out of her holding cell. The researcher could be heard sighing at Hysteria's crass response.

"DO NOT over extend yourself Hysteria. Am I understood? If you should be compromised return back to headquarters to be treated before continuing your pursuit." The researcher seemed quite serious and perhaps a bit irritated that he had been assigned to dealing with the pink haired woman.

"Yeah, yeah, Meyers, I hear ya." She said as she unwrapped a lollipop with surprising dexterity given the size of her gauntlets and put the piece of fruit flavored candy in her mouth. "There anything else or are you done bitchin' at me?" She said with a slight smirk despite her annoyed tone. Meyers could be heard groaning loudly over the intercom. The sound only served to make the smug smirk on Hysteria's face grow.

"No, Hysteria, there's nothing else."

"Alright then!" She said as she slammed her fists together making the sound of clashing metal echo through the hall. "This should be fun." She cackled before making her way down the hall towards the exit. She took a moment to pause outside of cell seven and pat the holding cell's door hard enough for the cell's occupant to hear. "Don't worry, bro." She said with a straight face. "I'll be sure to tell our baby sister you said hi." With a scoff and one last pat to the door she made her way down the hallway so that she could exit the building.

 

[Haruchai]

Stone was well aware of his sister and how soothing this was for her, and yet he felt torn by the whole ordeal. Though for the most part he could ignore Jenova, the dueling nature's of Edyn and Jenova warred within him as well. One in anguish over what was happening and the other reveling in the chaos and destruction. Stone only found solace in Aeshir, and he was determined to keep her safe and out of harm's way in all of this. It was the only thing keeping him sane. Looking at her with obvious affection, his eyes slipped down her form as she stretched, and his desire for her bit sharp as any blade.

Stone shook his head at her question though. "We will draw closer to her, but we should not move upon her suddenly, lest she flee again. Or, should we wish to keep our freedom, we might tip her to our presence. I am sure that she can feel us, and I would wager another day will have us upon her doorstep." Stone pointed to what must be a small village or hamlet in the distance, the first shimmering spots of light could just be seen as the sun was slipping toward the horizon. "I would think that she is close to that settlement." Stone mused, and he found himself quite looking forward to sleeping in a regular bed.

---------------​

Listening as Lune spoke the man known as Stryker had to concede the point. "I found that the further I got away from Jenova the clearer my mind has become. I can still feel her influence, but it is very muted and... thin." he told Lune as he explained it as best as he could. With a look that was almost apologetic he then said, "I wish that I could hear the plnaet like you do. I cannot, but if everyone could hear the planet and know its' pain then I would hope that Jenova could be truly and utterly defeated." he said, and he felt a pang of discomfort, as if even speaking such words was betraying the small part of Jenova that resided within him. He gave no outward sign though, but knew that whenever the endgame came around that he might very well have to die.

---------------​

Cid listened with concern as Crest spoke her mind, and with a sigh he looked over the sprawling map once more and then back to Crest. "I trust your counsel, both as a warrior, and as a Far'Anthi. I believe what you say and will follow your advice. We'll bide our time." he said. Looking around at the others he soon spoke again. "Thise does not mean that we'll stop operations completely. We should send some of our most capable people to find this person that has escaped and see if we can enlist their help. The others should stay behind and continue our work, just to keep ARC on the defensive if anything." The reactions of the others seemed to agree with Cid, and there was no argument about going after ARC at the moment after Crest's reveal.

---------------​

The blaring of the siren and the bright red light sent the being's heartrate skyrocketing, and a baleful red orb stared at the door, silently willing the reinforced steel barriers to open, even just a crack, enough to give him a grip to wrench them off the hinges and let him loose in the facility. Raising his face to the air his nostrils flared as a familiar scent reached him, and a low grunt of satisfaction and recognition emanated from deep in his chest. The man once known as Reese Brahm calmed at the smell of the female just behind the doors. His elder sister was just beyond those doors and the pain of the last few months melted away at her proximity. Moving to the door with an alacrity that was utterly uncanny and supernatural, the being now known as Catastrophe dragged one hand along the smooth steel even as his elder sister mirrored his action on the other side. Searing hot plasma dripped from his eyes, sliding down his face to drip from his chin, smoking as they hit the steel beneath his feet. The metal there had been treated after his first few outbursts had melted right through the flooring and into the cells below, killing those occupants. Now the plasma sizzled and cooled, leaving burn marks but not longer melting through the floor. Closing his eyes the tears stopped, and a malevolent smile split his features as his sister departed.

 

[Lila Lupin]

Aeshir smiled at her brother's words. It was smart not to rush in on her suddenly. The last thing they needed was for Hojo to think they were incompetent. That was one of the quickest ways to get him to list you as an unsuccessful experiment, and they all knew what he did with unsuccessful experiments. She had no desire to let him experiment on them further than he already had, nor did she wished to be used as a test subject in a combat test against someone like Judge, Hysteria, or Catastrophe. From the things she'd heard there was no getting out of that combat test alive. No one else had ever managed to do it. "Agreed. The less attention we draw to ourselves the better." She added with a nod. She found herself smirking as she thought of the irony of that statement. The only place that Stone wouldn't have drawn attention to himself was in a Far'Anthi village, and she was quite certain that those were near impossible to find anymore. "Though it's not as though we need any help with that. You do tend to turn heads brother." She said with a chuckle. She shook her head when he spoke of tipping her off so that she would run and extend their freedom.

"Part of me feels like that could be a very bad idea, brother dearest." She said with a sigh. "Hojo had little patience for Stryker, and, if his journey was anything like ours, then Hojo sent us out after him before he even reached Lune." She added with a furrowed brow. "Which means if he thinks for even one moment that we might not do as commanded that we'll be the next on his list for failed experiments." She shivered at that thought. "I'm not quite sure about your feelings on the matter, but I personally have no desire to join the unfortunate names on that list."

---------------​

Lune smiled as Stryker mentioned that he could still feel Jenova, but that it was quite faint. This was a good sign. It meant that Jenova was not nearly as irreversible as Lune had originally thought. It made sense to her that the Far'Anthi might be able to ward Jenova off, but if a human like Stryker, regardless of how augmented he may have been, could withstand her control then perhaps there was hope for the people of Edyn after all. She smiled sadly when he spoke of how he wished he could hear the planet the way she did. That if everyone could hear Edyn perhaps Jenova could be utterly defeated. "Jenova would have been destroyed the moment she landed if everyone could hear the planet the way my people do, Stryker." She sighed as she looked at him kindly. "You say wish you could hear Edyn, hear her pain." She held her hands out towards him as she spoke again. "Would you like me to show you? Would you like to hear the voice of the planet you seek to protect?"

---------------​

Crest nodded a Cid's words. She was quite relieved that he had decided to listen to her. A part of her had not expected them to listen. She was new here and they had little reason to trust her, at least in her own eyes. They seemed to trust her quite a bit due to her Far'Anthi nature. A part of her was shocked by this, perhaps because so many of her kind had been kidnapped and experimented on. They tried to warn the people of Edyn but few seemed to have any desire to listen. Such unnecessary destruction had befallen Edyn due to the negligence of her people, but perhaps all was not yet lost. Crest nodded when Cid spoke of sending their most capable warriors. She leaned back against a wall and raised her hand slightly, just enough to garner attention. "I'll go with you. Going after her will likely draw the attention of a lot of dangerous people in ARC, and you'll need someone that can help you find her." She said with a shrug. "It will also help to have me in your ranks. If other Far'Anthi see you going after her they will be much less likely to kill you if I'm among you." She chuckled slightly. They wouldn't be less likely at all, they wouldn't dare to try. Crest had earned her title as executioner well, though there was yet a reason for these young ones to know of her position. She would reveal it when the time arose to do so. "I imagine she'll also be less likely to run from you if I'm accompanying you." Crest spoke as though she knew exactly who they'd be going after, which she did. She knew Lune well, and she knew that if Lune had managed to get away then there had to be a way to defeat Jenova. She would, as many of her ancestors before her had, rally behind her queen.

"I'll go with you." Trissa said as she gave nod of thanks in Crest's direction.

"Me too!" Bree said almost enthusiastically.

"And me!" Syn added as her orange ears twitched in excitement.

"No." Trissa's voice rang clearly as she refused to let them join the hunt. "The two of you will stay here." She said as she shot them both a look of warning.

"What!" Syn seemed rather displeased at Trissa's words.

"Why not?" Bree challenged.

"You both know why." She said as she sent them a stern gaze. "Nabira sacrificed herself to keep the two of you safe, and I will not let you throw that away by putting an even bigger target on your backs than the ones you already have." The two viera sisters shut their mouths at the mention of Nabira. Nabira had been a mother figure to most of the group and losing her the way they did hit everyone hard. For Trissa to bring up what had happened meant that she was quite serious about her decision and panned to stick by it. "Besides the two of you could be of great use to us here, and I know that SEED will be in good hands if you're here to protect it." She added in a much softer tone. This made the viera girls smile and nod.

"We won't let you down." They cheered in unison.

 

[Haruchai]

Hojo's experiment had been a success. Of course, ARC knew about SEED and that they were not going to reach their goals unopposed. The genome project had started long ago really, long before Jenova had touched down on Edyn. Militarized use of the magicite, infusing it into the various races, trying to augment strength, speed and agility. Most subjects weren't able to handle the "improvements". The results never showed right away, and magicite poisoning was common. However, for those that did survive, the experiments were mostly successful. With a few side effects. One's physical attributes were often highly augmented with the caveat that the subject was no longer truly human. Mutated and twisted into monsters, and sometimes not even recognizable as once human, these failed experiments were reserved for the most dangerous of operations. SEED was their most outspoken adversary, hounding their every step, and Hojo had, in response, set into motion Project Cerberus.

Cerberus, the beast of legen that guarded the underworld, and a fitting name for the project meant to safeguard ARC. The first of the subjects proved to be highly unstable, uncontgrollable, and so were put into stasis. The knowledge gleaned from them, despite the failure, was too precious to lose. Soon Hojo had hit upon the balance, able to augment the soldiers of ARC without changing their outward appearance. They appeared as human for all intents and purposes, yet were qute durable and a step above human norms. Incremental increaes in the magicties doees given to the subjects often resulted in drastic changes. Some were able to be controlled and some were not. The unit proved to be successful, though never managed to completely eradicate SEED, the leaders and backbone of the organization surviving several strikes against them. Proof of their own determination and skill.

Hojo switched tactics, deciding instead to try and capture whom he could, since killing them was proving rather difficult. Divide and conquer. In time, he'd designed the perfect organism - Fracture. Built with durability in mind, the beast was meant to capture, using immense claws and prodigious strength to snare prey.

The trap was set with precision and care, false information leaked about an ARC project that was lightly guarded, with added incentive that they've be moving a shipment of magicite as well. A ripe and low-hanging fruit that SEED wouldn't be able to ignore. Even if they knew it was a trap, or suspected, they had to take the chance. When the convoy was ambushed, Fracture's directives workd all too well, and much to Hojo's delight, both Nabira and Reese Brahm were present. The two viera sisters were as well, but Fracture had been programmed to target certain individuals, and the viera had retreated under orders from Nabira. This left her and her brother susceptible, and the siblings had been taken, prized subjects that Hojo quickly turned against their own.

---------------​

Stone walked with his sister along the edge of the lake, heading toward the village that they now knew was Haven. A fitting name, considering their own mission. As the sun would set Stone would set up their camp and slip out of his armor, building a fire for them to relax by. The meals provided by ARC were not the best, but they were simple, and adding water and putting them over the fire produced a substantial amount. "Do you think that Lune will agree to come with us? I do not relish a fight with her." Stone said. He'd seen how Aeshir had reacted when she thought of being put on Hojo's list of failed experiments, and though he truly didn't care what the twisted scientist thought, he could make their lives even more hellish than they already were. Patting the spot next to him Stone invited his sister to have a seat and he was quick to pull her close if she decided to do so.

---------------​

Stryker gave Lune a skeptical look. "I don't know if that is a good idea. I am sure you have the ability to allow me to hear such things, yet I have a feeling it is quite horrible and a bit traumatic." he said, but reached out to take her hands anyway, wanting to know what it was like to be Far'Abnthi and able to hear the planet. Stryker suddenly felt rather small in the grand scheme of things, yet he needed to know his place and cement his purpose in all of this. He had a feeling that listening to the planet through Lune might help him do that.

---------------​

So it was decided. Cid and his wife Trissa, Crest, Han and Enkidu... they would all go after the escaped far'Anthi to help enlist her aid. Bree and Syn and Kubrick would stay behind, sending out the call to other SEED members based in other cities to bring them all together. By the time Cid and the others might return then they should have gathered enough of their members to be a true threat to ARC and make a decisive and precise strike.

Gathering what they would need to travel, Cid and the others would soon be on their way, traversing the maze of tunnels beneath Shornhelm until they would emerge at the edge of the city and close to the Westersand. Bree and Syn had come with them to see them off, and would exit the discreet entrance into the tunnels below in one of the city's alleyways.

 

[Lila Lupin]

Aeshir smiled as Stone went about setting up their camp for the night. While she would have quite enjoyed the idea of sleeping on a real bed for once she was rather thankful that they had decided to camp just outside the village. She was also rather pleased to see her brother out of that bulky armor. She was aware that it served a purpose, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She found herself removing her own armor revealing the strapless shirt that rested underneath the armor and the pants she wore under those. She had never fully understood why the armor they'd given her revealed as much skin as it did but she learned not to ask question. Hojo seemed to assume that because they came from a time long past that they had no understanding of the world today. That was partially true but it was mostly the behaviors Aeshir had trouble understanding more than anything else. The Far'Anthi had always been a very familial people. The village functioned as a whole. Everyone aided in the raising of the children, and everyone mourned when someone died, not just the blood family of that person. They referred to one another as brothers and sisters regardless of blood relation. That was, perhaps, why Stone and Aeshir's relationship had never been looked down upon by their kin. It had been seen as quite normal

Aeshir shook her herself from her thoughts as her brother made their meal. She smiled softly at him as he asked if she thought Lune would come with them or not. She greatly understood his desire to avoid a fight with Lune. She was one of their own. The idea of fighting her was not something she was certain that either of them relished. "While I doubt she will be willing to come with us right away, but I do not believe she will fight us. Lune has always been a peaceful person." She added with a smile as she walked over to her brother. She sat down next to him, as he wanted, and sighed as he brought her closer. She enjoyed this. Being near Stone, out from under ARC's thumb, and being outside like this. It was like being one with Edyn and it was something she had quite missed while ARC had held them. She hoped that Stone could feel it too. Out here she could hear Edyn sing. This part of Edyn was not like the rest. IT seemed happy, healthy almost, as though Jenova had been unable to touch it, or perhaps Jenova's hold here had been lost.

---------------​

"I can assure you, Stryker, that hearing Edyn will be unlike anything you have ever heard before." She said as she took his hands. Lune closed her eyes as she focused, channeling her memories so that Stryker could hear. She began with the pain, the very screams of Edyn herself. At first the torturous sounds were something akin to the sound of screaming women, a thousand voices screaming in piercing pain, wrenching ones heart open and tearing at the very soul. Then came the sobbing, hut and anguish at the people's lack of regard for her wellbeing. Then the pleas. "Stop her! Help us! Why won't you do something? She's killing you! WHY!! WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN!!!!" Lune felt tears run down her cheeks at the memory of the pleas, but then silence, and suddenly a sigh. The sigh sounded relieved, as though an aching pain had finally been relieved. It was a calming sound, but soon it was replaced with something unexpected in light of the present pain. It was replaced with laughter, and singing. A sound that warmed the very soul, and in the midst of it all, thanks. A million thank you's from the very planet herself. As Lune opened her eyes she could see the crystals around them pulsing. almost in time with the laughter and singing. "Edyn's voice is not only one of pain. Pain does not move the soul of everyone, Stryker, but this." She sighed as she gestured to the pulsing light around them. "This is Edyn's joy, and perhaps if her people had heard that before Jenova then they would understand her pain."

---------------​

Neither Syn or Bree had been too pleased with the decision to leave them behind, but they had finally conceded under the condition that they be allowed to see the group off. Trissa had been quick to oblige them as she understood why they wanted to go. Crest had been mostly quite for the trip through the tunnels. The trip had been quick enough after they'd gathered what they needed and they were soon exiting into one of the less traveled alleyways of the city. They made their way towards the gate and began to say their goodbyes, completely unaware that they were being watched.

Hysteria was watching them from atop the wall. She couldn't help but laugh to herself about how they had yet to see her. She supposed that it was to be expected though. They were most likely not expecting her. She really was surprised though. It seemed they'd gone a little soft since she'd been gone, and from the looks of their newest companion, they were looking to replace her. She smiled as the two viera sisters said their goodbyes and Cid, Trissa and the others returned their farewell while their new companion stood aside and waited. There was enough room between them and the gate that she could land easily behind them. She rose up from where she'd been crouching and got ready to jump down. She noted that the newcomer seemed to recognize that something was not quite right, and then she jumped.

Crest turned her head to look towards the gate. Something wasn't right. The others were saying their goodbyes, but Crest could feel the danger. She could feel.. "Jenova."

Trissa, Syn, and Bree all turned to look at Crest as she spoke. "What are you-" Trissa was about to ask what Crest was talking about when she heard a resounding thud from behind them. Crest's hand flew to the hilt of her sword though she had yet to draw it. It was the next thing she heard, however, that made Trissa's blood turn to ice in her very veins.

"Trissa, Trissa, Trissa." Everyone here save for Crest new that voice. The tone it had was something akin to a mother scolding her child. Trissa, Syn, and Bree all turned to be met with the sight of Trissa's long lost sister.

"Nabira." The name came out as almost a hushed whisper as Trissa tried to grasp what she was seeing. She thought her sister had died. They all did, but it seemed that they had been all too wrong in their assumptions.

"Look at this." Nabira said as she gestured to all of them. "I leave you alone for what? A year? And you all go soft on me. Did you even realize I'd been watching you since you entered the main road?" She asked almost condescendingly. "And I see it hasn't taken you long to replace me either." She said as she gestured to Crest.

 

[Haruchai]

Stone and Aeshir had been dispatched mere hours after Stryker, and yet due to their slower pace were behind him by a half a day, perhaps even a whole day. Unbeknownst to them, Stryker had already met with their quarry, and was speaking to the Far'Anthi, trying his best to grasp the empathic link between the planet and their ancient race. The peacefulness of Edyn was marred by Jenova's presence, and though the planet was soothed by its' children, much more could be, would have to be, done.

In the brief moments that Stryker held Lune's hands, it was as if his mind opened. Stretching far beyond what he had ever known, the man could feel the planet, feel the Far'Anthi, and feel Jenova as well. Jenova was like a malignancy, a necrotic wound sending out tendrils of foulness, and each child of Edyn that was given her cells helped to further spread the disease. Stryker could feel the Far'Anthi siblings, not too far off, and another, further still, but powerful. Once he let go of Lune's hands he felt light-headed and dizzy, and had to take several deep breaths.

Not so far distant, Stone and Aeshir sat together, and Stone admired his sister as she took her seat at his side. Though he often wondered, as Aeshir did, why her outfit under the armor was so revealing, he did not question it, and was quite enamored by it. Pulling her close to his side, the big Far'Anthi leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I feel unfettered by Jenova my love." Stone admitted, and moved a hand to caress along Aeshir's thigh. The purty of the area was making Stone more like himself, the amorous nature of the male coming through in his actions.

Fifty miles away, Stryker finally regained his breath. "I... there's some of your kind, not so distant. But... Jenova is with them." he told Lune, worry etched in his features.

---------------​

Cid had turned to bid farewell to the viera girls and to the others staying behind, when the metallic thud was heard behind them. Sword already half-drawn as he turned, the sight that greeted him was not one he had been expecting. Not in a thousand years. His eyes shifted between Trissa and her sister, Nabira. Cid hadn't missed the mention of Jenova by Crest and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Nabira and her new appearance. "You haven't been replaced Nabira. But even if we had, we thought you were dead." he stated. The pink-haired woman had been a founding member, and yet she didn't seem like she was too proud of her accomplishment at the moment. If she'd been turned by Jenova, which was what Crest had hinted at, then she was going to be even more dangerous.

 

[Lila Lupin]

A sound quite akin to a purr could be heard from Aeshir as she leaned close to her brother. The feeling of his large hand on her thigh was familiar, and comforting. Many had always found their drastic size difference to be a bit befuddling, but Aeshir had always found it comforting and reassuring. Stone was an excellent mate in every sense. He was strong, and protective. He had always provided for them, and had cared for Aeshir. Aeshir had always counted herself lucky to have her brother's affection, as there had been many other Far'Anthi women that had sought Stone as a potential mate. He had many of the traits that one would wish to see carried on to their child, both physically and personality wise. She leaned in to her brother as he spoke of being uninhibited by Jenova's pull. "Is that so, lover?" She asked playfully as she moved to straddle one of his legs in order to put herself closer to him. She fit perfectly on one of his huge legs and this position served to remind any potential on looker the sheer difference between the two siblings.

Aeshir rose a hand to Stone's face as she looked at him lovingly. "It has been a long time indeed, dearest, since you and I have been left alone like this." She said with a smirk as she leaned up, and in to plant a kiss to her brother's lips. It was a simple kiss, for the moment. It's only purpose to serve as a reminder that her affections for him remained the same. She pulled away slightly and smiled as he lovingly caressed his defined jaw. "So tell me, lover." She began as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Do you wish to follow her now, or do you think we could serve to tarry a bit longer?"

Lunenova sighed as Stryker mentioned that he could feel some of her kind nearby. She knew who he was speaking of, or at least she thought he did. The Far'Anthi could feel one another's presence when their minds were cleared and unhindered by forces such as Jenova. She could feel several of them, but her reach halted at the ARC facility. She knew many of her brother's and sisters were kept there but they all seemed out of her reach. She imagined that this was Jenova's doing. She shook the thoughts of Jenova's corruption from her head for a moment and brought her attention back to the matter at hand. "The siblings, no doubt." She said with a gentle smile. "Stone and Aeshir are no threat to us, Stryker, not unless we pose a threat to them. Which is something I have no intentions of doing." She said as she stood up. "If it would make you feel more at ease we could leave now, but I feel as though things are not as dire as you may think." She added as she made a gesture towards the water near where Akin stood, still smoking a cigarette as he leaned back against one of the larger crystals. "Professor Hojo underestimates the power of the Far'Anthi and our connection to Edyn." Smooth stepping stones seemed to rise out of the water, creating a path from her little island back to the main strip of land that led to the entrance of the cave. "Otherwise you are more than welcome to stay here with me, or to return to the village to sleep on a proper bed." She said with a giggle. She imagined the prospect of sleeping on a proper bed for the first time in gods knew how long may seem quite appealing to Stryker, especially after his long journey to find her.

---------------​

"Now ain't that some bullshit." Hysteria said with scoff. "Let's get a few things straight, Cid." She practically spat out Cid's name as she spoke. "First off, you could never replace me, sugar. None of you would be here if I hadn't organized all this." She said as she gestured to them all. Trissa couldn't help but avert her gaze. Nabira was right. She had personally screened each and every member that went into SEED. She had treated the organization like her child, and likewise to all it's members. "Second off, don't you dare give me that 'but we thought you were dead' crap!" Trissa and both sisters visibly shrank back a bit at her words. Crest continued to hold her ground as she watched the events unfold tentatively. "You didn't even check!" She shouted at them. Trissa looked down. Nabira was right, yet again. They hadn't looked, but it wasn't because they hadn't cared. They were afraid that Hojo may have very well laid another trap, and worse they were afraid they'd find proof that they were indeed right. ARC had never been kind to the SEED operatives they'd killed or captured, and the last thing the members of SEED needed was to see the very woman that had become a beacon to so many of them marred and disrespected.

"You just left us!" Her beautiful face was marred by her anger as she sneered at them. "You don't know what we had to go through for you!" Her words hit deep with Trissa nd the viera sisters. Syn looked away from Nabira, trying to choke back her tears. Bree was not so fortunate and her tears had already spilled over and were running down her cheeks. "You have no goddamn clue what they did." Crest gripped the hilt of her sword as she eyed Nabira.

"Bira, we didn't know." Trissa pleaded as she took a few tentative steps towards Nabira. She prayed to Edyn herself that there was still some trace of her sister left inside the woman before. "ARC had only been killing us up until that point, and you know as well as I do that they could have laid another tra-"

"Oh would you shut your fucking mouth you whiny little bitch!" Trissa jolted a bit and stared in shock at her sister. Syn and Bree clasped their hands over their mouths. Never in all her life had Nabira ever spoken to her sister like that. Nabira had always been a rather crass, and flirtatious person, but she was never one to just outright degrade someon like that. She had always promoted positive reinforcement.

"Nabira, wha-"

The sound of stone cracking under the force of being hit by heavy metal cut Trissa short. "I said SHUT UP!" Nabira said as she pulled her hand back from the wall she'd just slammed her fist into. That in and of itself was a testament as to just how strong the woman was. "I swear all you ever do is bitch and moan." She groaned as she ran her hand through her hair. The sight would have been comical if the pink haired woman in front of them hadn't just displayed that she could easily overpower most everyone in their group.

 

[Haruchai]

Relationships such as the one between Stone and Aeshir were not uncommon with the far'Anthi, and their bloodlines were pure. So as his sister moved closer, straddling his leg and the heat of her at the apex of her thighs pressed to his flesh, Stone's desire for her spiked. The confines of his clothing was not yet painful, but the needful throbbing between his legs was something that could not be ignored for long. In response his hands moved along the silky smooth thighs of his sister, caressing and rubbing. "I think we can afford to tarry, sister mine. At least for a little while." he said, his hands having reached her waist as he pulled her a little closer. The kiss she'd given, almost teasing, had only fueled his desire, and then she'd scooted away, a little game they played. The bulge in his clothing was now prominent, unable to be ignored, and Stone gently took his sister's hand, pulling it toward himself to place it on that heated bulge as a soft groan left him.

"I want you. Need you. It has been far too long my love." he said, his voice dripping with his desire as his eyes locked onto hers, almost pleading.

---------------​

Stryker wasn't sure why he could feel things that even Lune could not. Perhaps it was the magicite he was infused with, or because he was, in some ways, a child of the Far'Anthi. There was no explanation for it, but he could feel them. As Lune told him about Stone and Aeshir he smiled. "Stone and Aeshir are lovers, are they not? I could feel it. They are no threat, as you said." he agreed. There was a winsome smile on his face, and he said softly, "I think they might be awhile, and we should leave them be. As to a bed..." He seemed to think a moment. His thoughts strayed to the siblings, and the fact that Lune herself was quite a comely woman, and Stryker licked his lips to wet them. "A proper bed would be nice. Perhaps we could meet back here in the morning sometime?" he asked, knowing that Lune would stay out of the hamlet proper and around this formation of crystals and the lake.

---------------​

Cid grit his teeth as Nabira spoke, his eyes narrowing as he moved slightly, pushing Trissa partially behind him as he put himself between her and her sister. There was no doubt it would probably do little good, but Cid had to try. Trissa was his wife. As Nabira's exchange with Trissa and the others went on, Cid stayed quiet. There was nothing that he could say or do to make it better, and obviously Nabira was beyond reasoning with.

As she slammed one massively armored fist into the side of the building, and then looked at them as she complained about how her sister was always whining and bitching, and how they never even tried to look for her, Cid had had enough. "You know that's not true! What were we supposed to do? Storm ARC and get us all killed in some effort to find you? What did they do to you Bira? Tell us what they did." he asked. The longer he kept her talking, then the less time she had to plan an attack.

 

[Lila Lupin]

Aeshir smiled as her Stone ran his hands along her skin. It had been a long time indeed since they'd ben close like this. Hojo and Gand had kept them under such tight surveillance that Stone had never made advances towards her. More so to keep the dignity of his mate intact than anything else. "Far too long indeed, Stone." She whispered in his ear, an act that she could only preform when he was sitting. She trailed her hands along his broad shoulders, lightly dragging her nails against his skin as she did so. "It's comforting to have this kind of privacy again, even I only for a short time." She smiled. "It's reminiscent of the days before this tragedy, before our slumber." She sighed as she leaned away from her brother just a bit. "Perhaps now that we are away from the watchful eyes of Professor Hojo and Professor Gand you can show me just how much you need me, brother dearest." She said as she grabbed the bottom hem of her strapless shirt and pulled it over her head leaving her bare before her mate and brother.

---------------​

Lune nodded as he inquired about the nature of Stone and Aeshir's relationship. "They are indeed." She said with a small smile. "That is perhaps why Stone reacts so badly to Aeshir being threatened. She's not just his sister. She's his mate." She sighed as she finished her thought. "But that's enough about my kind for now." She gestured towards Akin as she gave Stryker a soft smile. "Akin can take you back to town tonight and get you set up with a hot meal and a warm bed. We can meet back here in the morning." She said with a smile as she waved him good bye as she picked up her book once more. She would stay and read for a bit before retreating further into the cave to rest.

Akin shoved off of the crystal he was leaning against with his shoulders as he watched Lune wave Stryker goodbye. It seemed as though everything had gone rather smoothly despite his fears. He was rather thankful for that. It seemed as though Stryker wasn't a threat to them and was even planning to help them. He waited for Stryker to return from the little island in the cave before beginning the trek back towards the village.

---------------​

Hysteria scoffed as Cid tried to reason with her. Nabira would have listened. In fact Nabira would have done the same thing. Keep an ear out but not risk the safety of those still fighting for the cause for only a few. "Of course you weren't Cid. That would have been stupid." She said as she turned her head back and forth to crack her neck. Trissa couldn't help but feel for a split second like her sister was actually starting to show herself again. Hysteria began to laugh when Cid asked her to tell him what ARC did to her. Trissa and the viera sisters all shivered at the unsettling nature of that guttural, hysterical laugh. "Foremost, Cid, don't act like you actually care." She said with an evil smirk. "You and I both know that I taught you to try and stall an opponent that was stronger than you." Hysteria chuckled as she held one of her fists up and clenched it. "And second of all sweetheart the name ... is Hysteria!" The next thing anyone knew she had launched herself towards them and her giant fist was heading straight towards the group.

 

[Haruchai]

Stone realized as his sister bared herself to him that the time for words had long past, and his carnal desires for his mate came to the fore. To be with one's mate was an overriding instinct in the Far'anthi, and Stone was no exception. Without a word the large man stood and slowly disrobed, his immense form soon bared to his sister as well, his manhood hanging thick between his legs. Stone was not yet fully aroused, but if Aeshir knew her brother, and she was infinitely familiar with the length of time they'd been apart, then it would not take much to bring him to full rigidity.

His large hands caught her by her waist and with minimal effort he pulled her toward him, lifting her from the ground as his silver hair framed his face and his then his lips were crashing into hers. The kiss was borne not only of desire for her as his mate, but the depth of love he had as her brother and the sheer need he had of her. His lips were soft on hers, careful despite his desire, and yet the kiss was fierce and hungry - the kiss of a drowning man who had savored his first taste of air after having been submerged for far too long.

Stone drank her in, and soon he deepened the kiss, his tongue pressing gently into her mouth and it was at this juncture that Aeshir would be able to feel his arousal growing, his length hot as it pressed against her leg.

----------​

Stryker realized that news had to be true and it explained a lot of the relationship between Stone and Aeshir and how he reacted when she was removed from him. Aeshir did not seem to have the depth of violent tendencies that Stone did, but it still explained a few things. Stryker was pulled out of his thoughts as Lune told the child to accompany him back to the town and find a place for him to rest.

"Sleeping in a true bed will be a nice change of pace." Stryker admitted. Despite being one of the most valued of his kind, and holding a positon of some authority, he was still under the thumbs of Gand and Hojo. That meant he had his limitations and Stryker was finding this bout of freedom to be quite nice he had to admit.

"I hope to see you soon Lune. Don't make me come looking for you." he told the Far'Anthi. He knew she was powerful, but he'd found her once before. They were parting on good terms and he wanted to see her again. It was an odd feeling. Moving out of her cave he was soon following the child back to the town.

----------​

As Cid might have suspected, his tactic did not work as well on Bira as it might have another foe. He'd taught her so much, and now... she was with ARC. This might be their most deadly foe in a lot of ways, since she knew them so intimately. Cid blinked. She was fast, and he barely had time to get Tournesol from its scabbard before she was upon him, sparks flying as he managed to block her blow... though he was skidding backward, trying to stop her momentum, his eyes locked on hers.