Chapter 4 - A Race of Sorts (Breaking In)

[junkuroki]

Ash-

Blaze glanced back as the other team disappeared behind the fog. They were already on their 'elevator' and her team had not even left the Lady Luck.

"The other teams is gone, Tomoe. You have no choice but to come with us." She walked toward the entrance of the Lady Luck and jumped out. "Lets go. Now." She said fiercely

[junkuroki]

Auria~

Zacke gave an annoyed glance Blaze's way.

"Excuse me, but if Tomoe wants to go with Reese then we'll fire up the damn ship and find them for her. You need to just calm your fiery ass down, we have plenty of time to get there." he called over his shoulder to Blaze.

He turned back around to face Tomoe, searching her expression for an answer.

[junkuroki]

Ash-

"Excuse me, but if Tomoe wants to go with Reese then we'll fire up the damn ship and find them for her. You need to just calm your fiery ass down, we have plenty of time to get there." Zakce said with a tint of annoyance in his voice.

Blaze clenched her jaw. "Excuse you, but if Tomoe wants to go with Reese then she's doing it alone. I'm not going to waste valuable emerald time so that she can catch up to a failing team. I don't really care what Tomoe picks so long as she does it right now." Blaze fidgeted with impatience.

[junkuroki]

Bunny~
"Excuse me, but if Tomoe wants to go with Reese then we'll fire up the damn ship and find them for her. You need to just calm your fiery ass down, we have plenty of time to get there." Zacke looked back at Tomoe, seeming to search her face.

"Excuse you, but if Tomoe wants to go with Reese then she's doing it alone. I'm not going to waste valuable emerald time so that she can catch up to a failing team. I don't really care what Tomoe picks so long as she does it right now," Blaze retorted. She stood rigidly, her eyes on Tomoe.

Tomoe glanced between her best friend and Zacke. "There's no need for finding anyone for me," she told Zacke. "I'm staying here." She glanced at Blaze, challenging her friend. "Besides, leaving Blaze alone without a partner in crime....it just seems so....wrong. There are plenty of places in Esthar where havoc needs wreaking..." she strode up to Blaze and paused momentarily, "...and I know exactly where they all are."

She glanced back at the rest of the group. "Shall we go? I think some people already went ahead."

Wolfe watched with amusement as Zacke and Blaze continued to bicker, until Tomoe stepped in. Ah, the two sweetest girls in all the Gardens.....and they're both on my team. Whee!

/Wrong. I believe the words "holy sh*t" would be more proper,/ Athena replied. Wolfe grinned as Tomoe walked off, then followed, stopping in front of Blaze for a moment.

"You just.....radiate cheerfulness, don't'cha?" he asked, before walking off.

[junkuroki]

Fox~

"So we're going with Zacke's group," Alaxzander said, his tone that of a man who was used to getting his way--but then again, this was Alaxzander Ske.

"Maybe you are," Alaxia answered. "I agree with Reese, actually."

Alaxzander scowled at her. "Are you sure it's Reese you agree with?"

"None of your business, is it?"

"I think it is my business," Alaxzander said sharply, grabbing his sister's arm. "You're staying here, Alaxia--I don't want you around that freak."

"He's not a freak. So leave me alone, will you?" Alaxia wrenched her arm free from Alaxzander's grip and strode off. "I'm leaving!"

"F*ck! Alaxia!" Alaxia ignored him and headed off in the direction Reese's group had gone, her weapon at the ready. "...Godd*mmit!!"

[junkuroki]

Fetish~

Gaiea walked to the front of the airship and narrowed her eyes, scanning the horizon. She took in a deep breath and raised her arms above her head, before crouching down and thrusting her arms elbow-deep in the snow, until her fingers curled around the dirt underneath. Wincing at the bitter cold, she shut her eyes and focused.

Mother Earth, guide me. Let me hear the machinery, the people, the destruction of you.

The familiar feeling of life rushing through her made her throw her head back, as she absorbed the sensations. Then she felt a lurch on her left and she looked in that direction. Not with her eyes, but with her mind, she could make out the entrance to Esthar. And the hundreds of soldiers going in and out. Quickly, the vision faded and she returned to the others.

/Still arguing/

What did you expect?

Gaiea raised her voice over Blaze's and Zacke's. "Sorry to interrupt, children, but we have a mission to do." Gesturing with her right arm, she continued,"Esthar's in that direction. But it's not going to be an easy walk. Quite a few rocks and quite a few miles in the way. But not enough to use the airship. We need to start walking."

So saying, she hopped down and started in the direction she'd indicated.

Here's hoping they actually follow me, she thought in exasperation. I can't exactly take on the Estharian army alone.

[junkuroki]

Auria~

"Sorry to interrupt, children, but we have a mission to do." Gaiea said, pausing to gesture with her arm.

Zacke's eyes rolled. Oh Hyne, 'children', that one really cut like a knife. What, are we supposed to just leave Tomoe on the ship? Forgive me for wanting to make sure everyone was ready to go before going...

"Esthar's in that direction. But it's not going to be an easy walk. Quite a few rocks and quite a few miles in the way. But not enough to use the airship. We need to start walking."

"Yes, we're all quite aware, Gaiea." Zacke snapped.

/Getting a little moody.../ Iris commented.

Shutup.

Wolfe had just brushed past Blaze, paying her a sarcastic comment that made Zacke snort. Blaze. Cheerful. Yup. And Stardust is such a sweetheart, and Terry is the best singer in the world, and Tomoe is a spaz.

Him, Blaze, and Tomoe were the only ones aboard now. "Alright then, let's get going." he said walking over to the door. He started to step out, but stopped himself, and took a step back. He motioned toward the door for them to step out first, giving a sarcastic grin. "After you, ladies," he said, looking straight at Blaze as he emphasized the word 'ladies'.

/You know she's bound to do something violent like step on your foot or shove you or something on the way out. Idiot./

Good, then I'll know it's getting to her. She deserves the annoyance, being such a big one herself everything waking moment.

[junkuroki]

Ash-

"There's no need for finding anyone for me. I'm staying here." Tomoe siad to Zacke as Blaze tossed him a triumphant look.

Tomoe continued, "Besides, leaving Blaze alone without a partner in crime....it just seems so....wrong. There are plenty of places in Esthar where havoc needs wreaking..." she strode up to Blaze and paused momentarily, "...and I know exactly where they all are."

Blaze's face showed no sign of joy but here eyes were smiling. What she'd end up doing without Tomoe to accompany her, she was afraid of finding out. Her thoughts where interrupted when Wolfe stepped in front of her.

"You just.....radiate cheerfulness, don't'cha?" He asked before walking off. Blaze said nothing and stared ahead. The effort to resist herself from punching Wolfe was demanding all her self-control. It was just her, Tomoe and Zacke left in the ship now.

Zacke started to get off the ship but backtracked and motioned towards the door. "After you, ladies," He drawled, staring straight at Blaze as if waiting for her to attack him. Blaze bit her tongue so hard that it bled and dug her nails into the skin of her crossed arms as she spoke.

"It amazes me how much you want to be beat up by girls, Mercutio." Blaze said, her eye twitching. "But I, unlike Stardust would have left something a lot more painful than that tiny little bruise on your eye. She used her knuckles, I have ademantium steel. And I, unlike Stardust would not stop attacking you until either you or I are dead. So don't get me started." She looked out to where Gaiea had already started walking. "Just get out of the fcking ship and begin marching." She said to Zacke.

[junkuroki]

Bun~

"It amazes me how much you want to be beat up by girls, Mercutio." Blaze's voice was a black blade, biting and dark. "But I, unlike Stardust would have left something a lot more painful than that tiny little bruise on your eye. She used her knuckles, I have ademantium steel. And I, unlike Stardust would not stop attacking you until either you or I are dead. So don't get me started." Blaze looked out to where Gaiea had already started walking. "Just get out of the fcking ship and begin marching."

Another reason why I stayed here..... Tomoe thought to herself. She grabbed Blaze's wrist to drag her out of the airship. "Hyne, Blaze," she said as she pulled her friend along, "that didn't sound very dangerous at all. I think you're losing your touch." She released her friend, "And I don't think we should be wasting any more time." Tomoe looked at Wolfe, patiently waiting for the three of them. "Sheridan, how long do you think it would take for Reese's group to find the elevator into Esthar?"

Wolfe crossed his arms and shrugged. "Well, it depends, really," he answered thoughtfully. "If Reese knows Esthar as well as the both of us do, not very long. We'd have to haul major *ss to catch up with them if Reese knows his way."

Tomoe nodded. "Alright, then."

Wolfe looked off in the distance, in the direction of Esthar. "Home sweet home," he sighed. "I didn't think I'd be going back so soon."

"You and me both," Tomoe said quietly.

[junkuroki]

Auria-

Zacke narrowed his eyes at Blaze's back as Tomoe rather forcefully escorted her past him and out the door. Iris' laughter echoed in his mind.

Dude, Iris, I'm really not in the mood for your mockery right now. he thought, stepping out of the ship.

/"It amazes me how much you want to be beat up by girls, Mercutio."/ Iris quoted Blaze. /You know, me and her are on the same page about that, Zacke dearest. You ask for so much of what you get./

Zacke shoved his hands into his pockets and walked along behind the group.

Fvck me, it's frickin' freezing out here. Do we even know where we're going? I hope they don't think I do because I don't have a damn clue.

"Hey!" he called loudly. "There's this huge fence thing seperating us from the city! How're we getting by that??"

[junkuroki]

Mercurymari83~

Rika kept her Fire spell going to give herself warmth against the gusts of icy air. She followed closely behind Gaiea; she had seen her gather the dirt before, using her senses to discover the entrance's whereabouts. Rika therefore trusted her judgement; She must have a gift for it, she thought.

As she walked, she listened to the conversations of the others, until Zacke shouted, "There's this huge fence thing seperating us from the city! How're we getting by that??" At that, Rika turned around and walked to the back of the group, coming face-to-face with Zacke. Still conjuring the Fire spell, she calmly replied, "I'm sure a Float spell could take care of the problem. I've got plenty, so I can cast as many as we need."

With that, Rika rejoined Gaiea at the head of the group, following her closely.

[junkuroki]

Ash-

"There's this huge fence thing seperating us from the city! How're we getting by that??" Zacke yelled after they had hiked a few miles.

"I'm sure a Float spell could take care of the problem. I've got plenty, so I can cast as many as we need." Rika replied, her hands were being warmed by a small fire spell she had casted. Blaze looked at the fire enviously.

/you should have been prepared. You're wearing summer clothes in the snow./ Deathstrike scolded.

Blaze ignored her. "Float spells? Won't the Estharian police find it a bit odd to see a whole bunch of flying people in the sky? There's no way we can float over the fence unnoticed."

She waited for someone to come up with an idea. Everyone was shivering now that they remained stationary. Blaze stared at the giant fence up ahead and rubbed her hands together. It was below freezing and none of them were wearing clothes that would be able insulate heat in this kind of weather.

Screw this! I'm not taking the cold any longer! Blaze thought as she closed her eyes and held out her hands.

/No Blaze! Rika is using fire, you only have firaga!/ Deathstrike said, but it was too late.

"Firaga!" Blaze shouted as a huge wall of flame shot out of her hands. She sighed as the blazing inferno began to thaw out her frozen body.

"I hope nobody in Esthar sees this." She suddenly realized.

[junkuroki]

Mercurymari83~

Rika heard Blaze's Firaga spell, and jumped out of the way in time to avoid the spell. She gasped, and whispered, "Water!" Her Fire spell extinguished itself, and a stream of cold water rushed from her hands and quenched the blazing inferno.

She bit her tongue to avoid any comments about being "unnoticed," despite the fact that if any Estharian soldier was watching, they'd have been spotted.

"Use the Firaga on one small piece of the fence, Blaze, and our problem is solved. I don't see why it couldn't solder away a portion of it, especially if it's concentrated into a specific area. And here," Rika gestured to Blaze, "take some of my Fire spells. I don't mean to keep them all to myself."

[junkuroki]

Bun~

"Float spells? Won't the Estharian police find it a bit odd to see a whole bunch of flying people in the sky? There's no way we can float over the fence unnoticed." Blaze frowned.

Tomoe stared at the huge obstruction. Well....of course.....and I doubt this is just a simple fence....

"Firaga!" Blaze's voice made her turn her head, and Tomoe started as voluptuous flames appeared. Liani quickly then cast a Water spell to quench the flames. Then Liani turned to the fence.

"Use the Firaga on one small piece of the fence, Blaze, and our problem is solved. I don't see why it couldn't solder away a portion of it, especially if it's concentrated into a specific area. And here, take some of my Fire spells. I don't mean to keep them all to myself."

Tomoe suddenly turned to look at Wolfe, who had narrowed eyes and a forbidding expression. Her suspicions were confirmed, and she grabbed Blaze's arm to stop her from trying any spells.

"Don't," she said sharply. "Don't you dare use any magic on that fence."

Wolfe walked up to the obstruction, hands in the pockets of his long black coat, looking not unlike a tourist staring up at an interesting building. "Magic won't do a d*mn thing on something like this. It ain't that simple, sweethearts." He looked back at Tomoe, Blaze and Rika. "Y'all are thinking this is just a fence. It's not." There was a cynical smirk playing on his lips. "This here's Estharian, an obstacle that came from the mind of one of the city's best military engineers. It can probably slice you, dice you, and fry you, to boot."

Tomoe froze, her eyes widening slightly.

Wolfe pulled his hands from his pockets and began cracking his knuckles, turning back to the group. "Not many things can get through a city defense that Harrison Sephirot has made," he remarked.

Tomoe's hands dropped loosely to her sides, as she stared up at the barrier that separated her from her home.

A barrier her father had built.

Jeez, Dad.....when you said "don't come back", you really meant it

[junkuroki]

Auria~

"Not many things can get through a city defense that Harrison Sephirot has made," Wolfe remarked.

Zacke crossed his arms over his chest. "Well then how the hell do we get in?" He glanced from Wolfe to Tomoe. His gaze shifted to the fence as he approached it. "Could we like...use a Quake spell maybe? I mean does it continue on under ground or will we be able to make a big enough breach with a Quake?" he looked questioningly at Wolfe.