Heroes and Rumors [Lindblum]

[Griever]

Since making the decision to renew her search, Rinoa had been traveling constantly, listening to every passing conversation for some indication of where to go, looking through every crowd of strangers on the chance she would find a familiar face. But the conversations were idle and the faces unknown, and it was only her own wandering that brought her to Lindblum. In all her travels, it was a place she had never seen before, strange but pleasant with its air cabs and business-lined streets.

The city was busy. It seemed people were constantly rushing about in every direction, which was almost overwhelming after the calm of Besaid. She was forced to step quickly out of the way to avoid a rushing merchant, carrying a stack of boxes that seemed to reach above his head and looked as though it could topple at any moment, and as he passed she couldn't help letting out a sigh. Was business always so chaotic?

She soon found her attention caught by the smell of food, and wandered to a restaurant in the back of the city, taking a seat at one of the stools lining the counter inside. The place was filled with the sounds of talking and cooking and the clink of plates and glasses. It was to her mind a perfect place to catch a rumor, if one was to be found, a thought that brought a smile to her face as she ordered an unfamiliar dish and handed her gil to the waitress.

Now to listen. She'd become quite good, recently, at separating the dull hum of voices in a crowded area into bits of conversation. But it all seemed to be nothing more than idle chatter. Some spoke of Lindblum before the Merge, others of the worlds they had come from. All of it was foreign talk, and none of it of any use.

A plate was presented to her then, and she was happy to see that she had picked something appetizing. Well then, her meal would just have to be a slow one. She wasn't leaving the town until she had something to go on.

[kentus]

FF XIII SPOILERZ

Two days out of Bodhum. Four days since his mark had returned. Made everything more simple when you assigned a timeline to your life. Not as simple as when you were wailing on a guy or anything like that, but still, it gave you a little something to think about. Snow Villiers needed something to think about other than the fact that he'd been separated from Serah......again. At least this time, he had the peace of mind that she was safe. Still, it wasn't easy leaving again after everything had just started settling down for the most part. Maybe what they said about l'Cie was true- they never were really finished serving their fal'Cie masters, no matter how long those fal'Cie had been dead.

Snow wasn't one to get down in the dumps over much of anything, though. He'd been called 'an optimist to a fault' before, after all. Thing was, he didn't have anyone to explain this crap to him like last time. Fang and Vanille were still in crystalstasis far as he knew, Cid Raines was dead, and the rest of the party- Sazh, Hope, and Lightning- were spread around to the ends of Cocoon, supposedly. The NORA leader had but one lead. The Merge. For the longest time, it had been put off by citizens as a result of the destruction of Orphan. No one really cared either way, since no problems arose as a result. But there was something about a merging of worlds that had to have changed something, didn't it?

SPOILERZ END HEER

Snow's first stop was Lindblum. In reality, it was the closest major city to Bodhum by boat, and was the first place Snow had decided to stop for his own sanity. The giant of a man stepped off of the end of the boat, following the crowd brought over in the aftermath of the Bodhum fireworks show. With a bag slung over his shoulder, he might have blended in well with all of the tourists, if not for the black markings on his right hand that he hadn't bothered to cover this time. His mark. The mark branding him as a l'Cie. The sea air and midday sun probably made the city around him appear more glorious than it really was, but Snow didn't mind at all. Bodhum wasn't the most fancy place around, either, and he liked it just fine.

He raised this hand to his eyes, shielding them from the sun as he peered around at the city. Nothing too special about it- probably the size of Palumpolum, similar in structure. Not one to wait around, Snow started trotting towards a nearby restaurant, realizing that he was starving. Very few eyes turned to glare at the man in the tan trenchcoat. Only those who seemed to think better of themselves than they should have, evident in the way they dressed. Snow answered these glances with a wide smile, forcing these subjects to answer with their own smile.

As he stepped into the building, a billion different smells hit him. A few folks turned to see who had entered, but most just went on with their eating- especially those who likely could have used a diet plan. Snow pulled the bag from off of his shoulder and hung it at the door before stepping towards the bar. One of the 'tenders there (and about the only one not attending to something at the moment), stepped towards him, notepad in her hand and a bright smile on her face. "What will it be for you, stranger?" Snow made a loud "uhhhhh" sound as he squinted at the menu behind her. "Got anything that a guy fresh outta Bodhum might like?"

She stroked her chin as if thinking, and leaned over the counter. "We have some fresh Breshan fish, if you don't get enough of that at home." Snow nodded. "Yeah, I'll have that." As the girl finished writing that down and the drink Snow had requested, he plopped down on one of the stools. Waiting. Not one of Snow's strong suits, but something he had to deal with right now.

[Griever]

Half of the food was already gone from Rinoa's plate, and she had learned a considerable amount of things in the time it had taken to finish that much. The owner of the synthesis shop had become quite good recently, almost as good as his father, the round man in the back had loudly proclaimed to his company; the food here was, apparently, not nearly as good as what could be found in Archades, something that seemed a heavy insult to the gentry that sat at the table in the corner. A lot of information, but none of it remotely useful. She frowned, idly pushing the food about on her plate with her fork. Was it too much to ask for a passing mention of a flying school?

The moment she felt herself get disheartened, though, she reminded herself of why she had renewed her search. That strange pink-haired assailant in Besaid had only been a part of something larger, and she had no idea just how large. Getting discouraged or giving up wasn't an option, and it only took a glance to the ring that still hung from the chain around her neck to renew her resolve.

A voice next to her caught her attention then, pulling her out of her thoughts. The sorceress looked up to the newcomer, and before she could stop herself, her surprise at his size was evident on her face. She hadn't thought it was possible for someone to be considerably taller than Irvine, but there he was, apparently just as unfamiliar with the city as she was herself. As he took a seat, she offered a smile in greeting, somewhat embarrassed with herself for her open staring.

"Bodhum, hmm? I've never heard of it." It wasn't surprising, though. There were countless places she was unfamiliar with now. It still felt strange to her, thinking about the Merge; she had a hand in it herself, but to have been involved with something on such a scale was difficult to believe. "What's it like?"

(I'm really sorry this took so long, people wouldn't stop talking to me after I started writing it and it's been one thing after another ; Short, too...sorry!)

[kentus]

For a couple of seconds, Snow busied himself with solving the mystery of Lindblum salt shakers before feeling a couple of eyes on him. He slowly turned towards the source, and his eyes fell upon a young lady, probably a few years younger than himself. The big fellow responded to her smile with his own. Upon quick inspection, she didn't seem to be dressed like most of the people in this place. Probably a foreigner herself. Probably not from any of the Cocoon lands, either, so the statement she made about not recognizing the name of Bodhum wasn't that surprising to him. Too bad, though. She'd just missed the fireworks show.

"Not too much to hear, actually, outside of last week's fireworks show." He said, with a slight shrug, feeling like he was going to fall off of the tiny stool if he didn't hold onto the counter for dear life. "It's the seaside city from Cocoon. Mostly set along the shoreline. Not too big, but hey, if it's big enough for me, it should be big enough for anyone." His mind wandered a bit to old times, but he quickly snapped out of it like he always did. No use in making this girl uncomfortable.

As the plate of food was placed in front of him, he thanked the waitress again and began to unravel the previous wonders of the salt shaker. "You're not from around here either, are you? I don't leave the Cocoon network much, but judging by the way they dress around here and the way you're dressed........you're a newcomer too, eh?" Snow forked some of his fish and stuffed it into his mouth upon finishing. "I'm Snow, by the way. Snow Villiers." He doubted that this girl would prove to be trouble, but he'd been wrong before. Old men in wedding gowns looked innocent too.

[Griever]

(SO sorry this took so long! Replying everywhere else, I completely forgot it was my turn in this thread...I'm awful)

Ah, good, the large stranger was nice enough, or seemed so by his smile. At the very least, he either hadn't caught her staring or wasn't bothered enough to say anything, which was a relief. The last thing she needed was to stir up trouble when she'd barely arrived in the town! And there were still times when her abilities as a sorceress manifested against her will, like some strange, magical reflex. That man, Synen, would still be looking for her; she didn't want to put him back on her trail.

Cocoon? Was that where he was from, then? She laughed at his way of describing its size, then leaned back on her own stool a little, looking up. "Seaside? I wonder if it's like Balamb..."

But even if the ocean reminded her of Zell's hometown, the fireworks reminded her of her own. Deling City put on such elaborate shows in her childhood, which people would travel from all over to see. The streets would always be filled with people, but with her father's position, she always managed to have the best view. It seemed immeasurably far away now, the days before she'd found the Forest Owls, and before Squall--

No. Now wasn't the time for reminiscing. Rinoa focused on the man's voice again, glad to return to the conversation and the present. The waitress came by to take her plate then, but she quickly ordered another drink, not ready to leave.

"It's that obvious? But I guess in a place like this..." She glanced around, noticing again just how different Lindblum was. "Rinoa Heartilly." She never had been one for formal handshakes, so she smiled again. "Nice to meet you."

[kentus]

While idle chat had never truly been one of Snow's talents, considering the fact that he was in a city where he knew no one and had been lucky enough to run into an apparently friendly young lady so quickly gave Snow the oratory skills of a politician. A very straightforward, tactless kind of politician, but one nonetheless. The young lady mentioned Balamb. Snow's knowledge on this place was pretty limited, but from what he'd heard from traders and mercenaries coming through Bodhum, it was the home to a 'university' type place that trained special military forces. Sounded interesting enough for Snow to visit sometime.

With another forkful of fish, the plate was half-clean, and Snow took a sip of his drink to wash it all down. Serah'd been telling him he'd start gaining weight in his old age if he kept on his 'see food' diet, but, of course, he felt that if he kept on the move that'd be no problem. Hopefully, he was right. Heroes couldn't afford to be soft in the middle. Heck, could he have pulled off that stunt on the Eden race circuit if he'd been thirty pounds heavier? Probably not. Ahh, those would have been great times if not for all the worry hanging over the party's heads.

Finding himself lost in thought again, and tempted to shake off this odd tendency of his mind to wander that he'd recently developed, Snow glanced back at the young lady as she responded to his introduction with a name of her own. Rinoa Heartilly. Certainly more original than any of the other l'Cie. They sounded like a meeting of the elements, plus a sharp tooth, an emotion, and whatever Sazh and Vanille could be compared to. "Pleasure to meet you too." Snow responded, with a grin of his own. "What brings you here, if you don't mind me asking?" Of course, if he asked her, and she answered, she'd probably ask him. Considering that Snow wasn't a secretive person, this didn't bother him.

[mattsukun]

OOC: Okay, I'm going to add the Synen intro into Lindblum into this thread. If this does not work, I or anyone else can go ahead and just post it up separately. I wasn't sure which way would be best. ^^;

The young scientist gave a small sigh as they finally made their way into Lindblum. It was a massive and very impressive city, though even he couldn't help but focus on the hunger that grew in his stomach. Maria and he had both used a good bit of energy back in the tower, and now he could feel the effects of it on his stomach and he was pretty sure Maria felt would be getting hungry as well.

"Shall we stop for some food before we gather our supplies? Unless you're you're in a rush to get back to, Fynn was it? We might as well rest and make sure we have the energy for the rest of the trip."

Only now did he realize that it had been a rather quiet journey. After they're somewhat rushed introduction in Mysidian Tower, he really hadn't even attempted any conversations. He had to be careful and make sure to stay by her. He didn't want all of his planning to go to ruin just because of a lack of communication.

[Griever]

Though Snow's question was a completely normal one by any standards, it caught Rinoa off guard. She quickly grabbed her glass and took a long drink while she considered how to reply - "I'm here because I'm searching the world for anyone who might be a hero so I can warn them there's a woman-child hunting them on orders from someone, even though I don't know who or why" would sound insane at best, true or not. The mental image of the looks the explanation would get her were enough to chase any vague thoughts of using it from her head. Couldn't the reason have been something more mundane, for once?

"Traveling. Looking for old friends," she decided on as she pushed the glass away. It was true, but left some unspoken: a decent compromise. "We were separated by the Merge."

She was just full of half-truths today, wasn't she? It just went to show how complicated things had become in the past two years for her, though. Rinoa had always been open and straightforward about almost everything. Keeping secrets, hiding what she had done and was doing, it wasn't at all like her, and the fact that she had to now made her a little uncomfortable.

But it couldn't be helped with the way things were. Life was different now, she was different, and there was nothing to do but accept it and keep moving forward. "What about you? You don't seem like a tourist." Yes, conversation was good. It brushed away the lingering unhappiness that settled in when she let her thoughts go for too long. "Meeting someone here? Girlfriend, maybe?" The last part was said in a half teasing way, her smile a little mischievous. Oh, if anyone had ever asked Squall that question...she had to suppress a laugh, knowing exactly what his reaction would've been. It was almost a shame her current company was so much more relaxed. Almost.

[Hiko]

Lindblum was something to behold, with its unique airships, many districts, and – was that a theatre they just passed? There was a fleeting yearning for maria to stop and investigate the daily play, but her stomach had veered her off such a course of action. When Synen broke their mutual silence with inquiries on her desires, the girl shook her head.

“No, I'm fairly tired. And hungry. Really hungry, actually.” When had her last meal been? The trip to the city had been rocky for her rather sensitive stomach, and she hadn't felt like eating on their journey. Now that her feet were firmly back on the beloved earth, and she'd had time to take her mind off of her physical unease, Maria found herself rather parched and altogether starving. She looked about for somewhere – anywhere – that they could sit down and enjoy a meal.

She found one in a rather minute restaurant. Maria took her companion by the hand and led him toward the little pitstop.
“C'mon! Whatever they're cooking there smells amazing – we can work out travel plans after we eat!”

((Urgh. Sorry this sucks. D: Mostly just wanted to get them inside.))

[mattsukun]

Synen didn't even have a chance to remark on the sudden contact with the young scholar he wasn't expecting as she grabbed hold of his hand. Holding back a quick flinch, he nearly stumbled on his first steps as she practically dragged him into the restaurant.

Still, he couldn't help but agree with her that the food smelled amazing. He wasn't sure if it was the actual food or just the hunger fully setting in on the two of them, but at this point he was hungry enough not to care.

Finally he managed to catch his balance once they had stepped inside and he gave a small pull of his hand, just enough to stop her just before she ran into a passing waitress. "Best be careful. Don't want to to make them a angry before we can get a seat."

Giving a light smile he glanced around before motioning to an empty table in the nearby corner for two people. "Shall we sit over here?" As he asked he walked towards the table, trying to be careful not to bump into any of the other patrons.

((Lol. Not like mine have been very good either. But hey, we're there dagnabbit. ))

[kentus]

Snow's question seemingly gave Rinoa reason to stall for a few moments, taking a drink from her glass. Wasn't that surprising, since he was being nosy, as usual, and there was a chance that she didn't really want anyone to know exactly what her purpose in this place was. Couldn't blame her at all for that, since most people tended to keep to themselves after the Merge. Snow wasn't exactly part of 'most people'. He wanted to head out and figure things out. Try to find his friends. Things like that. It killed him to have to leave Serah behind while he was out exploring, but as long as she was happy with things, he was happy. For that reason, he had to keep himself alive. It was strange- he'd lived out his teenage years with nothing but reckless abandon. Now he had family things to consider. It was......odd.

He got his answer from Rinoa, however vague it was. He was doing pretty much the same thing, so he doubted she was just telling him that to keep him from prodding for anymore information. Nodding thoughtfully, Snow took another bite of his food, as she asked him the same thing, mentioning a girlfriend. Aha, this was going to be interesting. "Well, you could say I'm looking for some friends too...." Not the least bit worried about drawing attention, Snow reached down to his sleeve, revealing his mark. Still had that red part in the middle that it'd had when he'd fought Orphan, but it hadn't moved from that point in the few days since it had returned. "It's kind of all about this, honestly. I need to figure out why it came back. It's like...........a brand. Shows that I belong to a certain goal. But, it's different than it was last time. I'm trying to find the others with the same mark, see if they can tell me anything."

The condensed version would work, since she'd have no idea what he was talking about when he said l'Cie or fal'Cie or anything of the sort. Now, to address the girlfriend thing. "I actually have a wife.....but she's back in Bodhum. Didn't want her getting caught up in all this mess again, really." Snow, honest as ever. Rinoa could turn into Barthandelus for all he knew, but.......he doubted that quite a bit. Hearing the door open again, he casually glanced behind him to the door, seeing a male and a female enter. Not really that interested in them, he turned back, taking another bite. "But, yeah, that's about the sum of it. Weird, right?"

[Hiko]

((Blah. I don't know what to write, and I think I'd rather just continue on with our duo, rather than stay in the bar. What d'you say, Mattfayce?))