Chapter 2: Meeting Laice

[junkuroki]

Lily~

It was Blaze who entered, and walked up as soon as she spotted them.

"We're the only ones here? The others must have gotten pretty lost if I'm here already and they aren't." She said.

Jun scanned around the room quickly.

{Well, well, aren't we paranoid today? If the contact has arranged to meet us here, she would have the least bit sense to make sure the place is secure!}

Maybe you're right.

"Tell me about it." Jun said to Blaze, her voice slightly tinged with exasperation. "We have already been waiting for five minutes, and the only one who turned up was you...." Jun looked past Blaze when she saw Reese and Zacke entering through the door. "...and them."

Zacke opened his mouth to say something as he approached them, but was cut off by Reese.

"Alright, how many are we missing?" the latter said, looking around.

"All except us." Jun answered. "And we're running out of time. Aren't we supposed to meet the contact at 2130 hrs sharp?"

[junkuroki]

Ani~

"Yes, that's right."

Stardust stepped inside ‘Something Stylish’ to see that only five of her teammates had arrived. The store had that eye-catching aura in it that made Stardust feel ridiculous by having to pass by it several times without her noticing it. Maybe it was the location, the size of it or maybe because the store was just, ‘Pink’.

Stopping in front of Jun, Blaze, Gone, Zacke and Reese, she asked, "Where're the others? Don't tell me--" She glanced around the store, which held a fair amount of customers, for a wall clock. It was five minutes till nine-thirty. It seemed like she wasn't late afterall. However, they were running out of time. Shifting her weight on one side, she looked at the ground.

“Stupid SeeDs,” she mumbled. “If they’re still not here for another minute, I'm going in with or without them.” Clicking her tongue in irritation, she stood near the glass window of the store and looked outside for the others.

[junkuroki]

GC~

Gone was shocked as he watched his precious cards be swatted to the floor. He glared Jun, who had turned away as Blaze had entered. Gone scrambled about on the floor picking up his cards. It had taken hours of playing patience to get them worn to that perfect degree.

Gone had just finished picking up his cards as Zacke and then soon after Reese entered.

"Alright, how many are we missing?" Reese asked.

Gone thought that was a superbly stupid question, if he looked around he would see that no one else was here.

“Obviously, everyone who isn’t here, dude.” He snorted.

Just then Stardust entered. He grinned, thinking she looked quite beautiful with that annoyed expression.

\Gone, it would look better if you were killed by the enemy instead of an ally. / Arianrhod voice echoed waspishly in his head.

Shut up. I can die anyway I want.

“See, love, if you had’ve stuck with me and my dear sister you would have been here earlier, and of course be graced with our charming persons.” Gone smirked. “’Sides, love, we all know you just can’t get enough of me.”

He could almost feel Jun twisting his ear again. She really did act like a nagging older sister.

[junkuroki]

Ani~

“Sides, love, we all know you just can’t get enough of me.”

A round gil found its way at the very center of Gone's forehead at the moment he ended his last sentence. Stardust's aim was perfect. She shot him a look.

"Be quiet!" she said and quickly looked at the small crowd inside the store. The last thing she needed was to attract attention. Then, she turned outside the window again. Just a few more while without a sign of her teammates and she would head on ahead at the back.

[junkuroki]

QuistisTrepe002~

Colum entered the shop, spying Reese, Jun, Zacke, Gone and, to his surprise, Stardust.

"I see the rest are yet to arrive," he greeted them.

Thank you, Captain Obvious Dove snickered in his mind.

SHUT UP! Colum admonished, almost losing his already frayed temper.

Through the glass Colum could see the dark shapes that were hovering about. With a glance at the rest of the group, he stealthily walked towards it, hiding in the shadows.

Meanwhile, Dan had given up trying to elicit an answer from Xarin. Placing hands moodily in his pockets, he strode quickly into the boutique, known as "Something Stylish".

His eyes scanned the room. Where are the others? he thought.

"Where are the others?" he voiced his question, "This isn't good that they're late."

[junkuroki]

GC~

Gone rubbed his head where the gil had hit him. Stardust had great aim, unfortunately for him. He shrugged. Oh well it could have been worse.

“Oh my darhling,” He drawled, “I shall take this as a token of your love for me.” He announced dramatically.

Gone then began to roll the coin over his fingers. Watching the light play on it. He smirked to himself.

"Where are the others? This isn't good that they're late." Dan asked.

“Dude, they aren’t late yet. They still have five minutes before they’re late. Don’t worry ‘bout it they’ll get here when they get it. Time isn’t that important. If it was Xu would have given us direction.” Gone said, then went back to playing with the coin.

[junkuroki]

Lily~

Stardust entered the shop, and upon seeing that not all of the team had arrived, moved towards the shop window to look at the human traffic outside.

"See, love, if you had’ve stuck with me and my dear sister you would have been here earlier, and of course be graced with our charming persons.” Gone smirked. “’Sides, love, we all know you just can’t get enough of me.”

Oh. My. Hyne. He's gonna get murdered one day by Stardust if he continues this way.

Jun turned to him with an annoyed expression.
"Who says I'm your sister?"

Before she could continue lecturing him, he was promptly hit on the forehead with a Gil thrown at him by Stardust.

Looks like he needs no further punishing. Mmmph

Soon after that, Colum walked into the shop, followed closely by Daniel, who launched into a grumble again when he noticed the missing members of the team.

"Where are the others. This isn't good that they're late."

And here speaks someone who's not exactly the early bird himself! Jun crossed her arms in irritation, but refrained from opening her mouth.

She glanced the clock.

Will the rest be able to make it in five?

[junkuroki]

Spiffy Goddess of Death~

Xarin, following quickly behind Dan, had reached the boutique shortly after the other man and stood at the edge of it's door, annoyed beyond belief. He had nearly had enough of the rest of the team's antics and was seconds away from soundly beating some sense into them. For the love of the gods, they were supposed to be adults on a mission, not small children bickering over toys! That was the second time that someone had been assaulted by spare change in less than an hour. ~Gods, can't I just. . . strangle one of them? Maybe then the atmosphere would be more mature.~

~For once, Human, we agree. It would be wonderful to taste them. . . ~ Anubis chimed in, laughing sadisticly at the end. Xarin grimaced at the intrusion, and silently cursed his own thoughts. He was becoming less human.

~~~~*~~~~

Sym stood outside the shop and loathed going inside. Truning her eyes away, she tried to forget what she had seen, but it was no use. The building wouldn't change for her, a second glance prooved that. Sym shuddered. Why did it have to be this place? There was another shop down the road that looked far better, why not meet there? Anything but this, anyting but. . .

~Yep, it's definately pink,~ The girl sighed and, mustering her courage, walked through the door. Why oh why did it have to be a dress shop? A pink dress shop? Goddess, she HATED pink! Loathed it, hated it with a nearly unrivaled passion! ~Remind me again, why am I standing in a dress shop? And why the hell is it pink?!?~

~Relax, Lady. Think of this as a way to build up your strength,~ Die-sha tried to help, but snickered somewhere in Sym's mind. Here she was, a great fighter and a good person, who was revolted by a simple shade of red, ~I suppose everyone has their quirks. . . None as funny as you, though.~

Sym glared in her mind, ~So what? It could be worse!~

[junkuroki]

Seiferfetish~

Gaiea walked in, with Kyou and Rika, took a look around and rolled her eyes. Stylish, huh?

Her sharp gaze took in the group standing together and she sighed. Gee, standing together like this certainly isn't obvious. With a derisive look at her team, she strode up to the woman behind the counter, who looked slightly bewildered at the group of people standing in the middle of the store doing nothing. "Hi. I was wondering if you could help with a garment I need for a party coming up?"

At the woman's quick nod and gesture to follow her towards a dress rack in the back, Gaiea jerked her head towards the back door, hoping someone would get the point, before following the woman, an interested expression pasted onto her face.

Kyou nodded and slipped through the door to the backroom. "Here's hoping Laice is on time," he murmured, checking his watch. 21:29.

[junkuroki]

Ani~

“Oh my darhling,” Gone drawled. “I shall take this as a token of your love for me.”

This guy... Stardust's nerve tightened. She wondered why of all the mediocre SeeDs that were to be recruited in their group must he be one of them. And she thought that Zacke Mercutio was the most annoying creature in the whole wide world. Gone was three times worse. Their number kept increasing.

Just then, a handful of the others had arrived. It was a good thing they did or she wouldn't have the patience to wait for each and everyone of them to arrive. She glanced at the wall clock once again, then from behind her shoulder. She saw Gaiea distracting the saleslady for Kyou to sneak in at the backdoor. She returned her gaze at the glass window. The street lights bordering Deling's sidewalks were like lights from a solstice tree during yuletide season making Deling more vivid than it already was.

This is it. She touched the glass window. I'm going in. With this, she turned around and casually walked past her teammates without saying a word. Slowing down as she neared the counter, she eyed Gaiea and the other woman. Gaiea was doing a good job in keeping the woman preoccupied. Taking advantage of it, she carefully made her way towards the backdoor.

Laice should be able to tell us where the emerald is...She should. she told herself, expecting to see the SeeD contact on the other side of the door.

[junkuroki]

Auria~

Zacke glanced around warily and spoke in a low voice, barely moving his lips, as Stardust slipped through the back door, "Okay guys, two minutes and then Gone and Blaze will follow. We'll wait a few minutes after that, then Jun, Colum, and you," he nodded his head toward Reese "whoever you are, will head out. Be quick and sneaky about it too, okay people? I'll wait out here 'til Tomoe and Wolfe get here." he gave a nervous glance at the clock.

They were definitly going to be late for the meeting with Laice.

[junkuroki]

Auria~

As Kyoui, Gaiea, Stardust, Daniel, and Colum stepped through the back door and into a musty storage room in said order, Laice stood from her sitting position on top of a large wooden crate. The single lightbulb lighting the area swayed, swinging light from wall to wall slowly.

"This is all of you?" she asked, a tone of suprise in her voice.

[junkuroki]

Ani~

"Stardust Infinity here," she said formally and gave the SeeD contact a salute.

"No, the others are still on their way here," she replied and glanced at some of the others who were with her.

"We don't have enough time to wait for them to get here," She turned to Laice. "Can you tell us something about the emerald?"

/Blunt aren't we?/

[junkuroki]

Auria~

"Well I don't really want to have to repeat myself once they do come in, so let's just exercise some patience, 'kay?" Laice said to to Stardust, shifting her weight to her left side and placing a hand on her left hip.

[junkuroki]

QuistisTrepe002~

Dan frowned, before reaching for a cigarette from his pocket. With an eyebrow arched, he spoke up. "Do you mind if I smoke?" he asked Laice.

Colum glared at Stardust, knowing that if he didn't exercise some restraint, he'd probably throttle her then and there. She's getting on my bloody nerves, he thought.