Wall Market Waltz

[Celes Chere]

There is a certain type of feeling that only attractive women can feel. It starts off as an almost imperceptible raising of the small hairs on the back of the neck, an almost chilly feeling that inexplicably becomes incredibly warm, spreading across the skin like prickly heat and causing a healthy, gently reddened flush that probably only exacerbates the source of the feeling, which is, in almost every case, the appreciative eyes of a man sweeping across her form. Celes did not feel this way now.

She knew without looking that Tseng was taking her in with his eyes, not unlike she had done to him minutes before, and perhaps he was even enjoying what he saw. But there was something so much deeper about the perceptive way he examined her that she couldn’t help but be simultaneously curious and repulsed by it. He wasn’t just looking her over. He wasn’t undressing her with his eyes. He was studying her. What do you see? she wondered in his direction, glancing at him and meeting his eyes for a moment.

Then he said what would undoubtedly be the first of many things she wouldn’t understand. Avalanche? What the heck is that? “It’s interesting how much the places Yuki and you have described have in common with my own,” he said then, turning toward a rack of men’s suits. Celes turned sharply toward him, the unspoken question rushing from her brain to her lungs to her throat, but then dying on her tongue as she realized that perhaps such a query would better be asked while she was in the company of all involved parties.

“You looked surprised by something about Midgar. May I ask why?” he asked then, almost casually, as though he were a tour guide going through the motions with yet another fascinated and frightened visitor. She grabbed the jumpsuit (price tag be damned) and walked slowly to where he stood browsing. Lost in thought as she pondered her answer to his multi-faceted question, she gently gripped the sleeve with her fingers, examining the color and the cut. Her hand lifted and smoothed the collar, feeling the weight of the fabric and the thickness of the seams. She was no seamstress, but she knew fine craftsmanship when she saw it. It would be an excellent replacement for the tattered thing he wore now. She could smell the blood that stained his jacket. She realized how close she was standing to him with a start. Releasing the fabric, she turned to face him fully and tilted her head back, once again trying to take in the entirety of the city’s terrifying ceiling.

“I guess…I’ve just never seen anything like this before. How does it all work? I mean, how could there be enough energy in the world to power a place like this?” She thought about the Magitek facility at Vector again. Magitek was an incredibly powerful energy source, but it took huge amounts of resources to obtain and maintain it, and the Magitek generators she’d grown up with would never have been able to run these kinds of lights or those kinds of transports.

[Tseng]

It was ironic for Tseng to be asked such a question, How in the world indeed? Common knowledge dictated that every man, woman, and child new of Mako energy harvested directly from the planet. It was what gave ShinRa it's power as no other energy source could match it's limitless potential nor could produce so many varied effects. In fact without Mako energy, ShinRa would have been nothing more than just another corporation unable to produce the many wonders of modern technology nor able to maintain the army of super soldiers it had at it's disposal.

He looked back at her as the smile took on a more cynical appearance. It had nothing to do with the question so much as his own opinion on the decisions made by the Board of Directors. Despite his loyalty to the company, Tseng never really agreed with the extremes ShinRa had gone to on so many occasions over the energy of the planet. However, he was never one to shirk an assignment no matter what the outcome. "Mako energy is what makes everything possible. It is the natural energy of the planet harvested by a number of reactors placed throughout the city. One might say the energy is also fairly magical as when it condensces a stone known as Materia is generated."

Tseng paused as he finally snapped back into the moment enough to really look into Celes's eyes. The smile slowly lost it's cynical edge again as he realized how much Celes's determination and hope filled eyes reminded him of another lost girl he had come across ages ago. One who had set into motion a chain of events which would bring him into conflict with Avalanche and ultimately his demise at the hand of Sephiroth.

Supposed demise, Tseng reminded himself as he still yet lived despite being impaled upon a sword.

"As for what materia is, it's a small orb which gives us command over the planet's elements such as fire and lightning. It also assists in enhancing ones personal strengths or grants healing abilities," Tseng's smile faded as he took a hard look at a new set of blue pants hanging on a nearby rack. The proximity of Celes to his person had him off guard. He wasn't used to the company of others with the exception of Turks and even then it was generally professional in nature. Celes seemed so earnest and placed a great deal of trust in him especially for a first encounter. Even Elena's fawning was more of a result of hero worship rather than actual trust and the feeling was disconcerting to one who was used to placing duty before personal pleasure.

"This may seem out of place," Tseng attempted to keep his voice relaxed and neutral. He needed to maintain his composure, and it wouldn't due to express his regrets right now. "Do the people of your nation believe in karma or fate?"

[Fujin]

As Fujin sat in the fitting room, struggling to shed the weight of her current mood, another voice came to her and filled her ears. I'm strong enough to make it on my own it said, full of stoic confidence. Squall's voice. There he was again, Fujin thought, saving her from herself, even if he never intended to. Despite the fact that she always disliked that statuesque, dispassionate quality of his, it was that kind of strength, that rock-solid determination that was necessary now. Fujin rose from the fitting room floor, jaw set and right eye aglow with purpose once again. No more breakdowns she thought while looking in the mirror, a wry grin appearing on her lips.

Outside the fitting room Fujin was able to hear bits and pieces of the conversation, but couldn't make out what was being said. Based upon the tone of Tseng and woman she had seen, the subject was rather heavy and probably not unlike what she herself had spoken with him about. Of course, if she wanted to hear any of the details she'd have to actually go out and join them. She hastily removed the clothes she was wearing, but paused a moment before trying on the suit she brought in with her. Something in the mirror had caught Fujin's eye as she undressed; evidently, failing to eat a proper meal for what seemed in retrospect to be the better part of a week had a negative effect on one's physical well-being. The pale and somewhat malnourished young woman tried to work out a way to make finding something decent to eat their next priority as she put the sharp-looking suit on. To her surprise, it fit better than she thought it would - well enough that only the closest observer could tell it hadn't been tailored.

As Fujin left the fitting room, confidence was written on her face and her stride was longer and bolder then before. It wasn't all show, though a fair bit of it was. Still, it was necessary to dispel any impression the woman Tseng was now talking with might have had about weakness in her. She quickly paid for the suit and went outside to meet with the pair, walking into their conversation just in time to hear Tseng ask about fate.

"What I've seen has led me to believe in little else but fate," she interjected before either of them noticed her. "It's difficult not to when you've watched past and future interact. Forgive me for interrupting, my name is Yuki. Tseng and I... we share a similar agenda."

[Celes Chere]

Celes had been thinking for several seconds on Tseng's odd question when Yuki suddenly appeared near them, causing the warrior to jump a little, her breath catching in her throat. She turned to face the tall, serious-looking woman, and peered into her eye, searching for that same spark of recognition she'd seen before. Lo and behold, there it was. Hope.

"Of course," Celes replied courteously. "But I'm the one who interrupted you. My name is Celes Chere. I'm...ha, I'm not sure I have an agenda, actually." Examining the suit the woman wore, she smiled a little. "Good choice," she muttered, fighting the urge to graze her fingertips along the fabric as she had done with Tseng's suit. She felt close to both of them already, which was simultaneously relieving and terrifying. She had to force herself to keep her distance.

Turning back to Tseng, she nodded in acknowledgment. "I agree that there might be something like...fate happening here. But I don't suppose I've ever relied on it too much. Where I come from-" her voice cracked with emotion as visions of Tzen suddenly came swarming back to her. She paused for a moment to compose herself, swallowing down the lump that had formed in her throat. "Where I come from, we believe in hard work, determination. That's what propels things, that's what moves things forward."

She looked around her once again, as though still trying to understand where she was. "But whoever - or whatever - made this happen must have worked very hard. But what did you mean," she asked suddenly, turning back to Yuki, "When you said 'past and future'? Do you have some idea of what's going on here?"

She realized that her words were coming like floodwaters through the gate, but now that the three were together, talking, she was anxious to learn what she could. She hastily reminded herself to keep her deeper thoughts to herself. There was no reason, no matter how tempting it might be, to spill her proverbial guts to perfect strangers. She had to be careful.

((OOC: Sorry so short guys. I'm having kind of an off day, I think. ))

[Tseng]

(writing on this post is less than fluid I apologize. I've been having a hard time trying to write))

Tseng was less than surprised to see Yuki return with a greater spring in her step and determination in her eyes. She had proven to be fairly resistant thus far and a momentarily lapse in emotional control was forgivable; it wasn't like he was anymore immune to the ravages of one's past. The acknowledgment of fate and destiny however caught him by surprise however as he expected a soldier to care little about the vagaries of personal karma. They tended to be more focused and less philosophical about the subtle connections which bound people together. Esthar seemed a far stranger place the more Tseng learned of it especially considering the part about the past and future interacting. No less strange than glowing rocks which could doom the planet though.

A smile crossed his face as Celes explained how her people preferred to believe in hard work. It was a valid choice as the world was driven by individuals who attempted to exceed their limitations. "Noted," he said just as Celes turned back to Yuki to ask her another question. Tseng chose to then bow out of the conversation with a polite excuse me before turning to step into the shop and the changing room within. He did need to change out of the bloody clothes he found himself in before they continued onward. Once inside the room, Tseng was alone with his thoughts.

The pieces of information fit together, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. It frustrated him to be as stumped as he found himself. He was Tseng of the Turks; he was their leader and tactical coordinator. He shouldn't have been confused. Nothing was the way it should have been or more importantly, the way Tseng had desired. A frustrated look flashed across his eyes as he slowly began to change into the new suit. If he was such a good Turk why did he feel so much like a vagrant?

[Fujin]

[OOC: Woo! Level up! It only took me 2/3 of a year <_< Anyhow, while I wasn't exactly waiting to level up before posting, I figure now is as good a time as any, especially since you two are probably dying of boredom]

Fujin watched as Tseng walked out of a perfectly good conversation, one which she was relatively certain he'd want to be a part of, even if only to have more information and a greater understanding of the two women. I'm sure he'll be listening from inside anyway she thought, knowing that she would've done the same had she not been dealing with a personal crisis at the time. Fujin decided that it didn't make much of a difference whether or not Tseng listened in though; at this point there didn't seem to be anything to gain by holding back.

"Like I've already told Tseng, I was involved in an incident dealing with a woman who wanted to achieve something called 'Time Compression.' But there was more to it than that. That woman, a Sorceress, wasn't even from my own time. She used some kind of device to take over another Sorceress, one who was from my time, as part of her plan. And for all I know, she succeeded. It would explain why nothing around here seems to make much sense to any of us."

Fujin stopped for a moment, allowing Celes a moment to mull over what she had just said. Even to her own ears the situation sounded, at best, unbelievable. However, Time Compression was the most logical explanation for what she had seen so far, and nobody else seemed to be offering anything more plausible.

"There is one other thing. During that incident, there was a group of people, students like myself, who were intent on stopping that Sorceress. They might have managed to make it here. If they have, they should be able to explain the situation better than I can," as she spoke, Fujin thought back to the last words she had said to Squall on Lunatic Pandora. Don't make me regret this. It looked like she would be relying on him much longer than she had intended.

[Tseng]

(heh, I've been travelling across Florida preparing for the final jaunt into South Korea; I originally stepped out of the scene to allow the both of you a chance to RP while I was MIA. Anyways, I'm back so here it goes.)

Tseng shrugged his beaten and battered jacket as Yuki continued the conversation outside. Every story seemed the same, a group of heroes were in the middle of what appeared to be a struggle for their lives when suddenly the world shifted. Nothing explained though the fact that no one had any sort of recollection of the final event transpiring other than Yuki and even then she didn't sound completely certain of the effects. Also, none of them had thus far put forward any compelling theory for how it was the geography of the world could have changed so drastically yet at the same time have everyone in the world, other than themselves, accept this new world as being the natural state of affairs. It baffled Tseng to no end despite how well their stories meshed together. Sephiroth had desired a means of reviving Jenova which would have caused massive destruction on a widespread scale. The Kefka person Celes had mentioned had managed to devastate the surface of the world before, and Tseng knew first had that just because someone had died didn't mean their legacy would necessarily end. Jenova cells and Sephiroth were excellent examples of how death's finality seemed to never hold true when needed. Finally, Yuki knew of a Time Compression event which could have precipitated the whole affair whose impact was relatively unknown.

A flash of inspiration struck Tseng as he buttoned up the front of the new jacket he had found outside. It made perfect sense; a time anomaly on a large enough scale could have wiped the memories of Midgar's populace as they were fairly ignorant to begin with. It would also explain how he had ended up in Midgar after nearly dying in the Temple of the Ancients. The reasons and exact mechanics behind the event concerned Tseng less now as he had the basic framework for what could have possibly happened. Sephiroth must have been successful and worked in conjunction with Kefka and the Sorceress sounded like another Jenova strain which meant Yuki was a possible link to the mystery surrounding Hojo's work.

The smile from before returned to Tseng's eyes as he pulled off his dirt stained pants and replaced them with the new ones from outside. They fit well and were comfortable enough to be considered adequate. He was ready to gather the necessary equipment from his office in the ShinRa Tower before the long trek to wherever Reno had managed to get himself to this time. Once there, he would be able to enlist Reno's aid again and learn more of what had caused a change of heart in Sephiroth. From there, he would complete his missions... all of them. Jenova would be stopped, Aerith brought in, and AVALANCHE stopped once and for all.

Yuki was right about them needing to find the other she spoke of as well since more information would be appreciated. Tseng brushed out the suit before straightening his hair with a pocket comb. He looked into the mirror hanging on the right wall and let out a satisfied grunt. Once more the image of a well pressed and prepared Turk stared back at him. A dull analytical gaze and sharp demeanor stood in the glass; the leader of the Turks was finally back. Tseng stepped out of the dressing room and walked up to the counter where a surprised and perhaps intimidated looking man stood. A flick of the wrist had Tseng's identification card out for the man to see as Tseng clipped it back into place on the new jacket.

"My name is Tseng, Tseng of the Turks. I'll be confiscating the suit for official Turk business. ShinRa will compensate you for the trouble," Tseng started out the door again before stopping at the entrance. "Will there be any problems?"

The man only shook his head not quite sure how to react. A Turk in need of a suit was probably the last thing the shop owner had expected. "No, no problems at all, sir."

Tseng continued out the door and back onto the street to see if he had missed any of the conversation while he had been lost in thought.

[Fujin]

[Hmm, wonder if I should write up a post just to keep things moving while Celes climbs out of whatever hole she fell into...]

[Tseng]

(I'm surprised she disappeared so thoroughly. I hope things are alright at her end of the line. Oh as a side note, I'm not sure when I'll be posting next from Korea; I'll try to keep a weather eye on the thread)

[Fujin]

(Hope you don't hold it against me, but I think I'm gonna wait until after Christmas for her to post. If we don't see anything by then, I guess I'll go on ahead)

[Tseng]

(Works for me, I just hope everything is okay with her. I still don't have reliable internet in Korea yet though I can make small posts from work as long as it's at the end of the day. Take your time and no worries, I'm quite flexible right now)

[Fujin]

Celes seemed to be wrapped up in her own thoughts, a fact that did little to surprise Fujin - retreating inside one's own mind seemed to be the most reasonable reaction to what appeared to be happening to them. And besides, there was no telling whether the others might be hiding facets of their involvement like she was. Tseng seemed rather honest about his work, but Fujin was having some trouble drawing a bead on Celes, even moreso with this sudden silent spell. After a moment's thought she shrugged it off though in favor of concentrating on something a bit more tangible.

"Tseng, I'm still feeling a little exposed here, so I'm going to get myself outfitted and catch up to you and our girl here in a little while," Fujin said over her shoulder as she walked away from the clothing store. She thought about what she'd just said while cutting through the crowded "Wall Market" and realized how much like Seifer she sounded. It wasn't unusual - Seifer and Raijin were the two people she spent the most time around, and she certainly wasn't going to pick up the latter's speaking habits. Fujin passed by and promptly rejected several dealers, all of whom promised to sell only the highest quality illegal arms in Midgar. One of them caught her eye, however, and she was quickly drawn inside.

The interior of the shop was dimly lit, but not quite in the same way some of the others were. While other stores were illuminated to varying degrees by harsh halogen and neon lights, the soft glow of lanterns evenly filled this shop with warm light. There was even a hint of incense in the air. All in all, it seemed rather conspicuous amongst the din and disrepair of the rest of Wall Market. The walls inside the shop were lined top to bottom with racks, all of them completely full of weapons of every type. Fujin looked over each rack, hoping against hope that she might find something similar enough to her Pinwheel that it might have a sense of familiarity to it. Although she didn't expect to find any such thing, it wasn't long before her eyes centered on a large red-and-black spiral shuriken.

"How much for this one?" she asked while turning to face the store clerk, a somewhat boyish-looking young man.

"Ah, Bouryoku. It comes as a set with that sword above it," he said, pointing to an elegant-looking ninja-to with a crimson scabbard and red and white handle. The symbols written on the space below read "Tsuyagoto." Violence and Romance, huh Fujin thought to herself as she looked the two weapons over.

"The two go for about 8,000 gil," he explained while taking both weapons down from the rack. The clerk then gave her a strange look, as if he had suddenly realized something. She could see his mind racing, but for the life of her couldn't figure out way. "I can go as low as 500 for you though, miss Yuki."

Fujin raised an eyebrow at the boy, still unable to pin down what caused his sudden change in demeanor. All things considered, that he could read the symbol on her shoulder wasn't entirely surprising, but that alone hardly justified the huge price slash he was offering her. Suddenly it dawned upon Fujin that perhaps he thought she was with Tseng's organization. If that was the case, then perhaps getting around Midgar would be easier than she thought.

"Well, I don't have 8,000 gil with me, but I'll gladly give you what I have left as long as what happens here stays here," she said coolly, to which the clerk nodded enthusiastically. With a small smile Fujin emptied the gil from her purse onto the counter. She wasn't entirely certain how much was there, but knew it had to be well over the 500 that he had asked for. Without another word passing between them, Fujin tucked Tsuyagoto into her belt and left the store with Bouryoku in-hand. Now it was time to meet back up with Tseng and, hopefully, Celes.

[Tseng]

(I'll hold off posting until after the weekend at least to see if Celes might be back after the holidays. However, it seems we are almost ready for a trek to ShinRa Tower.)

[Fujin]

(Nearly a month with zero Celes sightings. If she comes back we'll handle it properly, but for now I'm thinking we ought to move forward)

[Tseng]

(I took some liberties having Celes disappear based on conversations we had via PM before she vanished. She mentioned just taking some sort of control of her earlier in December if necessary and boting our way through. Not sure if that's okay to go one since we haven't seen her since, but if necessary I can rewrite the post)

Tseng stood back and from behind Celes gave allowed himself to experience a momentary sensation of amusement. Focused and razor sharp, Yuki approached everything with what appeared to be a one track mind. Celes too had that sort of military mindset as well which only served to widen the unconscious smile on Tseng's face. Three special forces commanders from different nations working together towards the ultimate end of unraveling the mystery of the world's current state of disarray, it sounded farfetched and definitely unbelievable. However, the as Tseng was well aware, the world was full of surprises of late. The smile slowly faded into obscurity once Yuki was out of sight. In fact, the situation reminded him more and more of the strange alliance of misfets the Turks had battled on numerous occasions.

The Sister Ray faded into existence behind him and back out of reality for what was probably the third time during his sojourn into Sector Six. The gigantic structure which Tseng himself had never laid eyes upon remained outside his vision like a cosmic joke. Tseng's mind had found a target and shut off all outside stimulation beyond those necessary to keep his sense of danger active. He had theorized in his quieter moments between the numerous missions Sephiroth and Avalanche had necessitated that forces beyond simple cause and effect had been at work. The unlikely alliance of people that consisted Avalanche would have never under normal circumstances come together as coherently and effectively as they had without some sort of outside assistance. Sephiroth's rampage was equally as implausible because supposedly ShinRa had the necessary resources to bring him down if only they were willing to mobilize them.

Something akin to luck had kept Avalanche and Sephiroth just one step ahead of the Turks or in some cases just one step behind. Once again, history seemed to repeat itself as Tseng found himself playing catch-up to the enigma of the world's current chaos (which he felt he understood at a satisfactory level for now). Only instead of Turks to assist him, Tseng had a former general of a resistance and a military special forces officer. The real difference was more than just who he was working with but how he'd come across them in Midgar. Now, Tseng was part of what could only be loosely defined as an alliance chasing after a goal as elusive as saving the world. It couldn't have been mere happenstance; it had to be more than luck.

A shake of his head brought Tseng back into the present. He had let himself get caught up in his thoughts again, more pressing matters occupied the present and needed to be addressed. ShinRa Tower would provide Tseng with all he would need to know. The information database along with the remote terminal set up in his office would shed some badly needed light onto the state of ShinRa and more importantly what had happened after his encounter in the temple. He was about to relay this fact to Celes when he finally noticed her absence. Had he been more like Reno a curse would have left his lips, instead Tseng waited calmly for Yuki's return. Where Celes had gone could be dealt with later, maybe she had learned all she needed from them before departing. In any event, if she did wish to catch up with them then they would no doubt cross paths again. Fate had become quite interested in him of late.

Tseng glanced over towards the plate above and smiled. Yes, he had no doubt that answers and more questions awaited them all.