Chapter 5 - From Balamb to Timber

[Storyteller]

Ash~


Blaze finished stuffing a 5th hotdog into her mouth and crumpled up her empty soda bottle. She chucked it at a guy standing nearby her with such force that he stumbled, almost falling down. Blaze laughed gleefully and waved good-bye to Tomoe.

"You better be early to the train Tomoe. You're the only one on this mission that I can stand, if you know what I mean." Blaze called out as Tomoe left the cafeteria. She turned to Zacke and Terry. "I guess this is my cue to leave. Thanks for the lunch Terry, it's always fun to bum food off of a mute." Blaze stood up.

"I hope we don't have to pay for our tickets. I suppose I could 'find' a few bucks along the way. By the way, nice drawing Zacke. You'd better draw me kicking Stardust's ass one day. I'd frame it and hang it up in my dorm." Blaze pushed in her chair and strode out of the cafeteria.

[Storyteller]

Dark~


[Hm, well I guess that's our cue to take our leave.]

I guess we better start heading off.

Leaping away from the table and into the rafters of the Garden, Terry dived into the shadows and made a quick heading towards Balamb.

[Storyteller]

Auria~



Zacke simply smiled at the compliments as they came. They certainly weren't expected.

Blaze kicking Stardust's ass...

He waved goodbye to the girls as they left, but he didn't really have time to give Terry a decent 'goodbye', since the guy just kinda jumped away.

He stood up and shoved the napkin and pencil in his jacket pocket, then set out for Balamb.

[Storyteller]

Spiffy~


Alright, let's go!! As soon as she got out of the Garden, Sym clapped her hands together and smiled, ready to get going and kick some ass. The stone at her throat blazed to life and within a moment her guardian stood patiently before her, his slashed sides moving only slightly. He shook his head at Sym's enthusiasm but still crouched low enough for her to climb on, drawing the spikes along his spine into himself so she wouldn't be impaled by them.

As soon as she was on, he got up and started to run, his paws pounding the pavement in perfect rhythm. They passed some cars along the trip to Balamb and those inside the vehicles gaped, open-mouthed, at the sight going by far faster than they could have: the sight of a silver haired woman with a smile on her face charging past on the back of what looked like a horse sized zombie dog with rents still in it's sides. The car drivers shook their heads and blinked a few times then looked back to see if said sight had really been there, but by then she was already gone without a trace.

Within minutes Sym and her GF had arrived before the ticket booth and the woman disembarked, pulling out the money she'd saved to buy her ticket. Die-sha disappeared as she did so, leaving Sym alone to find Stardust and the car the SeeDs would be using for the trip.

[Storyteller]

Ani~



Stardust stood up and found Sym walking over the ticket booth. She had been sitting there for a while and it was very obvious how pissed she was for waiting.

Finally..!

She glanced behind to see if the rest were there. To her annoyance, they still hadn't come. Her jaw tightened.

"What have you been doing?!" Stardust said, loud enough for Sym to hear from a distance.

Seeing that most of her teammates weren't here yet, the thought of waiting some more was taunting her to beat all of them into a bloody pulp. And she wasn't kidding.

"And where the hell are the others?!"

[Storyteller]

Spiffy~


Great, didn't make it in time. . . she's already bitchy, Sym thought with a sigh after hearing Stardust's outburst. Maybe, if she chose her words right, she'd be the only one to be chewed out, "I've been trying to sleep through nightmares. It didn't work so well, and now I'm running on ten minutes of sleep, so if you want to have a civil conversation, I suggest you wait."

Very smooth, Lady, maybe now she'll try to maim you on the next trip. Sym shook her head as she bought her ticket then found a bench to sit on, waiting for the others. Maybe that had been the wrong thing to say, "Look, I'm sorry about that. The rest of the group should be right behind me, so we'll be leaving shortly."

[Storyteller]

Ani~



Wait?

Stardust was already having a hard time from doing nothing but sit and wait for these good-for-nothing teammates of hers. She watched Sym as she sat on the other bench. Somehow, Stardust knew it all along. She had to wait some more.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. The rest of the group should be right behind me, so we'll be leaving shortly." Sym said from across her.

"So we wait..." She closed her fist. "How long are they planning to wander around?" she barked. She didn't have it in her to wait anymore. She couldn't take this torture any longer.

"Stupid...lowlifes..!" Stardust spat as she walked back and forth in front of her bench.

[Storyteller]

Darktardius~


Jumping from tree top to tree top, Terry smiled down seeing Sym reaching Balamb a little faster than he did. He wanted to avoid any unnecessary battles and he loved the freedom of leaping into the air.

Terry dived off a branch and did a tuck and roll right before he hit the pavement and ended perfectly infront of the members that already arrived.

Smiling brightly and scratching his head nervously Terry pulled out a piece of paper.

[Ermmm... sorry I'm late. Some of us were eating.] Terry looked curiously at Stardust. Looking innocently he wrote on the end of the paper. [How come ya didn't join us? Aren't you hungry]

[Storyteller]

Quis~Quiff~


Aly was eventually put down by Colum. She proceeded to hit him on the chest, as though he had been the biggest ass in the world.

Which was true, she mused, as she stood outside the gates of Balamb Garden, waiting for Colum to show up. She sighed, waiting a few minutes, before adjusting the leather backpack that was slung loosely over a shoulder.

As her brother approached her, Aly smiled, flipping her hair over one shoulder. Walking forwards, Aly could see the long road stretch out ahead of her, and was inestimably glad that she had the enc-none ability equipped.

"C'mon, Col!" Aly said with a little bit of impatience, "We've gotta get there! Don't keep me and the group waiting."

Colum shrugged, adjusting his duffel bag as he began to walk.

Soon, they arrived in Balamb, the seaside town as quiet as ever, always undisturbed. Aly headed towards the train station, spying Sym and Stardust already there.

"Hello," she said, cordially.

[Storyteller]

Spiffy~

"Apparently not very long, seeing as how some of them are here already," Sym shot back, counting to ten in her head instead of losing her patience. It was hard to always be happy, to be the peace keeper in a group like the one she was set into. . . but she'd try her best to keep it up. Anger didn't get anyone anything, except a swift backhand, which Sym wished she could deliver, "Heya Terry, Aly, Colum. Grab a seat, the more the merrier!"

[Storyteller]

Bunny~


Tomoe unsheathed her katana, a long silver sword of Estharian alloy with Central runes inscribed along its blade. She expertly sliced through the air, then resheathed her weapon in the scabbard at her back. Then, she slung her canvas bag back over her shoulder and made her way out of the Balamb Junk Shop.

I can't believe I'm missing a Screw and a Cactus Thorn...!

/Oh, calm down. We're heading for Galbadia, you'll find Screws there./

Tomoe sighed, then spotted Sym lounging on a nearby bench. Valentine, O'Donahue, Wildwish and Infinity were also there, and Infinity was practically spitting poison.

Ah, Infinity's bitching, once again.

/Such a sweetheart, just like Blaze./

Tomoe smiled inwardly at Sid's comment, then sank down beside Sym. Awaiting Infinity's rage to be turned upon her, Tomoe closed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, the straps of her canvas bag falling down her shoulder.

Five, four, three, two...and one.

[Storyteller]

Mari~


Rika grasped her Death Wish nunchaku tightly, and adjusted her grip on her backpack; she then pushed open the door and entered the Balamb Junk Shop.

Walking over to the man behind the counter, she laid some Gil on the counter. "I hear you've got an upgrade for my Death Wish here," she said, gesturing to her weapon.

The man merely nodded and eagerly collected the Gil she laid on the countertop. "Ya need an Ochu Tentacle, three Dragon Skins and Star Fragments, and an Adamantine," he grunted, extending his palm. Rika handed over the items requested, and waited as he expertly upgraded the weapon.

After a few minutes, he handed her the gleaming nunchaku. "It's called Oblivion," he said.

"Thanks a lot," she said, and exited the shop quickly.

Next door, she stepped into another shop. "I want to see your specialty hairpins," she simply said, and the woman employee led her to a display.

Rika scanned the case of hairpins, and after a moment of searching, she found it. Worth 450 gil, it was magnificent: it had a filigree design on both ends, and it was covered in silver; small, vibrant purple and green gems were encrusted into it. "That one," she said, pointing to it. The saleswoman was more than happy to oblige, and as soon as she stepped out of the shop, she twisted it up into her hair. It felt wonderful.

She then went into a shoe store, her next destination. She bought a pair of knee-high combat boots, and was sure to lace them up tightly before she left.

Now I don't have to worry about the laces on my shoes coming down, she mused to herself.

Slightly happier, Rika bought a sandwich from a street vendor, and walked around Balamb's streets. She made her way along, savoring the delicious food that was unlike Garden's unsavory selections. She hated cafeteria food, and this sandwich was like a piece of heaven for her. As she finished her meal, she found that she was right in front of a small karaoke lounge.

Rika looked around the streets cautiously, and then strolled into the lounge. She paid for a small block of time, and then found her song. Grasping the microphone, she waited through the beginning instrumentals; when the cue came, she sang the words by memory, closing her eyes.

It was just like the old times, just her and Andra. They used to go to karaoke lounges on special occasions, and always sang to the same song. She felt her voice waver slightly with the thought of her long-gone sister, but continued to sing, not caring who was watching her.

As the ending music died down and some people clapped for her, Rika gave a small smile and stepped down. As she headed for the exit with her weapon and backpack, she realized something.

It was the first time in months that she had given a genuine smile, no matter how small it was.

The contented feeling within herself died down slightly when she entered the train station and saw that she was not the first to arrive.

Oh well... she thought. At least I'm not the last.

Humming to herself, but being careful to keep a straight face, she bought a ticket to Timber and rejoined the others.

[Storyteller]

Ash~



Blaze ran to the train station, chewing a large wad of watermelon bubble gum when she spotted a large number of her comrades already at the bench.

damn, they're gonna be mad at me. I'm ALWAYS late Blaze thought as she slowed down to a walk.

"hey... stop it! Let me go!!!!" a young man yelled out behind her. Blaze turned her head and saw from afar that a guy from the garden was being cornered by 3 SeeDs.

"Gimme your gil!" One of the guys said. Blaze jogged over and tapped one of the 3 SeeDs.

"Um, do we have a problem?" Blaze asked, popping her gum. The man's eyes widened at Blaze's voice.

"nn....no problem, Blaze. We were just kidding." He stuttered.

"Alright, if there's no problem, then I guess you're willing to give me some money to make me believe that." Blaze replied.

"yea, of course! Take it all, take it all." The SeeDs opened their wallets and placed large amounts of cash into Blaze's palm. They then proceeded to back away and run from the scene.

Let's see I need 3000 for each person at the bench. ummmm.... there's Aly, Sym, Colum, Tomoe, Rika, and Terry at the bench right now. Who else, who else.....

/Stardust, Stardust is also at the bench/ Deathstrike reminded her.

What? I'm sorry, did you say something? Blaze asked sweetly. Deathstrike sighed.

"Let's see.... 3000,6000, 9000, 12000, 15000, 18000, 19000..... That's not enough." Blaze looked up from her change at the young man who'd been harassed. He made a weak smile.

"well... uh, thank you for helping me back there. I'll see you later." He tried to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Blaze blocked the young man's path. "I SAID I don't have enough money. I just saved your sorry ass from losing money back there, so do I need to speak slowly to get the money I need or do I need to beat it out of you?"

The young man sighed and handed Blaze 3000 gil.

"I might be hungry along the way" Blaze said. The young man gave her 3000 more gil. "I might need my weapons upgraded." Blaze said again. The young man gave her another 3000 gil. "I might need a fancy hotel to sleep in." Blaze said once more. She received 3000 more gil. "I might need...."

"That's all the money I had." The young man said.

"Oh, well in that case, you may leave." Blaze said cheerfully. She began jogging again and arrived at the bench where the others were sitting. "I got some train money so if you've already bought a ticket, more money for me" She grinned.

[Storyteller]

Ani~



Stardust stopped and glanced back to see that her teammates had just arrived. At least, most of them.

There they are!

She snubbed Terry's paper and walked quickly in front of them. She despised every second that she spent on waiting. Truly, if they didn't show up for another one minute, she was willing to go out and hunt for them one by one. They were on a mission and they had to left as soon as possible. But these teammates of hers had to wander around and take their time.

"What took you so long?!" Stardust growled catching the attention of some passersby. She didn't care what people think. The mission was not to be taken for granted and it seemed to her that these lowlifes were doing just that.

"Do you have any idea how much time you've wasted? Do not neglect this mission!!" Her eyebrows met even more. It was then that Blaze entered and said, "I got some train money so if you've already bought a ticket, more money for me."

Stardust turned her glare at Blaze. Feeling that she was being set aside by the latter's outburst, she shouted at her.

"I don't give a damn about your tickets!" Stardust raised her fist at Blaze then looked back at the others. "And you call yourselves SeeDs? How pathetic..!"

After saying this, Stardust began to walk over the Train; her anger was still at high. It would be leaving in another few minutes and it would be best if she could go on ahead inside and find a spot away from her teammates.

[Storyteller]

Auria~



Zacke walked into the station, and stopped a few feet behind Stardust, just in time to hear the end of her rant.

"And you call yourselves SeeDs! How pathetic...!"

He grinned. "I'm having a good day too Stardust!" he said loudly, with mock enthusiasm.

He strode up next to her and draped his arm over her shoulder. "One day, you'll make a sensational drill sergeant!" he whispered.

/She's going to go off like a rocket, you fool./

That's the best part!