(Untitled)

[likethesunrise]

Characters: Selphie Tilmitt, Rinoa Heartilly, Edea Kramer, Zack Fair, Yuna, Aerith Gainsborough
Status: Incomplete
Location: North Corel, near the train station
Date/Time: 5th Aug 2498 Early Afternoon
Summary: The two trios finally meet up! Pretty much a big ol' party under a Chocobo billboard.
Warnings: None

Comments

[likethesunrise]

Selphie's eyes glanced up at the billboard overhead once she heard Rinoa's comment. Spotting the large bird and the words "ANNUAL CHOCOBO RACE!" following after it, Selphie couldn't help but get a couple of ideas in her head.

"Heeeey, I wouldn't mind entering that! Maybe there'll be prize money that'll help us with the base!"

Rinoa's compliment threw her off the previous train of thought though, and Selphie couldn't help but glow at her words. "You really think so?" She struck a pose then, a hand on her hip as the other punched the air, hopping back and forth from one foot to the other.

After her impromptu celebratory dance, Selphie dropped into a crouch, knees tucked under her chin as she took into account both Rinoa and Edea's comments on the new name of their new group. Lips pursed and brows furrowed, Selphie began to delve into her mind for any ideas of a catchy name, but came up short every time.

"Ahh...hmm... yeah, maybe we should wait until Zack gets here! I bet he'll have some good ideas! And I agree, a vote would be the best thing to do!"

Her eyes scanned the vicinity once again, remembering that it was still her task to keep the both Edea and Rinoa safe.

[ebbingvigilence]

Aerith hadn't been feeling all that well, and after some serious convincing, Zack had been left with no choice but to leave the flowergirl on their 'borrowed' airship. They didn't know when an enemy might strike, and leaving Aerith by herself (especially when she didn't feel well), didn't sit well with the First Class SOLDIER.

Still, he'd been outvoted two to one and reminded that he had others he had to go and help out. So he'd had no other choice but to wrangle up the birds they'd need, and set out with Yuna and the extra feathers.

The ride into town had been good, but uneventful. Hell, Zack had even kept to his promise of not picking up the damn bird and running with it held over his head instead. He could be a good boy... sometimes.

He'd gotten into contact with Selphie just after Yuna and himself had arrived in the city and placed their rides at a holding pen. Finding the correct train station, however, had proven more time consuming than he'd originally thought. He hadn't been looking for it the day they'd stayed there, but after asking for directions a few times, they'd eventually found their way to the right area.

"We're not lost. I know exactly where we're going," Zack lightly bantered as he walked alongside Yuna down the street. Nudging her side playfully, Zack was saved from any form of retaliation as he sighted the big blaring sign they'd been looking for.

"Hey, look! I told you it would be easy. No sweat!" He said and pointed out before reaching down to grab Yuna's wrist so he could pull her along with him. Zack could already sight Selphie and Edea as he glanced over, and he assumed at the third one with them would have to be the infamous Rinoa.

"Oooi~!" The SOLDIER called out as waved his other hand in the air to get their attention.

[sendthefallen]

Yuna had felt bad for Aerith. Though she hadn't wanted to leave the other woman behind initially, the other girl had insisted enough that Yuna believed it would be okay. In the end, convincing Zack that he definitely needed to go as well was the most difficult part. After all, Yuna didn't know any of these people, and it would be safer back on the ship than out in the desert.

It seemed that North Corel had changed a lot since Zack had last been here or something, because they couldn't seem to figure out which ways they were supposed to go. With each new person that they had to stop and ask for new directions, Yuna grew more and more amused. She just hoped that Zack's friends wouldn't be upset at them for being late.

Yuna snickered at Zack's words, giving him an unbelieving look. She was glad that the SOLDIER missed the small look of surprise on her face when he nudged her, his excitement saving her from that little embarrassment.

Grinning at him brightly as they finally found their destination, she felt his fingers wrap gently around her wrist, and she followed him obediently, her features revealing her own excitement as they hurried to meet up the other Timeless.

[winged_promise]

Rinoa hadn't met Zack in person before. Even so, she knew it was him the moment she saw the guy's hair. His texts had made her imagine him exactly as he really looked. Heartilly lifted herself onto her tiptoes and whistled with two fingers as she would to call Angelo. It was definitely loud enough to get attention. The dark-haired girl even threw in an enthusiastic wave for good measure, but it wasn't necessary. The trio had been spotted right away.

Squinting, Rinoa tilted her head with curiosity. She clearly saw Zack reaching for his female companion. It was the sort of physicality that would have gotten her gossiping had it been, say, Quistis and one of the Trepies! Leaning over to Selphie and Edea, she spoke so the newcomers couldn't hear them. "Those two... are they... you know, together?" They were cute, but she didn't want to ask and embarrass someone in case she was wrong.

[frostydarkqueen]

Edea looked up as a series of loud noises quickly caught her attention. Both Zack's shout and Rinoa's whistle assaulted her ears at nearly the same moment, and she turned her ornately decorated head to look towards the male voice. Sure enough, it was Zack, and he had a young woman with him. Perhaps this was one of the two friends he'd mentioned? Regardless, she smiled happily at their arrival, glad that they were both healthy and safe.

At Rinoa's words, Edea glanced over at the younger sorceress and shook her head unknowingly. "I have no idea," she said softly before looking back over at the newcomers. "I would imagine they are at least quite close by the looks of it," she commented. Ah, to be that young and carefree again. Just watching the two of them walk over so happily made her miss Cid even more.

[likethesunrise]

Surprised by Rinoa's sudden whistle, Selphie snapped out of her 'watchdog' zone, abruptly turning around to face whoever Rinoa was trying to get the attention of. It was easy to spot that tell-tale hairstyle- and he seemed to have brought a friend along! Grinning widely, Selphie began to jump up and down herself, arms waving frantically at the two approaching Timeless.

The girl paused momentarily from her enthusiastic welcoming when she heard Rinoa's whispers, her own eyes catching sight of that brief exchange between Zack and his female companion. The corners of her lips curled into a coy smile, her eyes turning almost catlike at the suggestion. "Hmm... kinda looks like it, teehee!" And if they weren't together, Selphie would definitely not object to the idea of playing matchmaker!

The duo almost reaching the billboard, Selphie decided to meet them halfway, bouncing over with uncontainable excitement. "Hiya, Zack! It's great to see you!" She then turned to the female, briefly caught off guard by her mismatched irises- how pretty! Selphie caught herself before she could stare any longer though and bowed her head to the pretty brunette, smiling warmly. "Hi! I'm Selphie, nice to meet you!"

[ebbingvigilence]

It didn't take long for them to close the distance. Rinoa's whistle was a dead giveaway that he was at least right that it was her moments before Selphie bounced over to meet them halfway. She definitely still seemed to be full of boundless energy, something the SOLDIER was glad to see.

Zack released his hold around Yuna's wrist as they approached. Grinning, he said, "It's great to see you again too, Selph." He couldn't help but give the three a quick scan as he searched for any visible signs of injuries. Nothing seemed apparent, and the SOLDIER breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.

Turning his attention to the other two, Zack easily flashed them a happy smile, "Edea, how's it hangin'?" He greeted cheerfully before his sparkling blue eyes flashed over to regard the other female, "And you must be the infamous Rinoa, right?"

[sendthefallen]

Yuna's smile brightened when the girl in blue put her fingers to her lips for a loud whistle. She knew how to do that too! Putting her own fingers in her mouth, she responded with another whistle just as loud before looking up at Zack with a big smile on her face.

The young woman in yellow came practically skipping over. Yuna already found it refreshing to be around so many happy people. Selphie seemed to stare at her for just a moment too long (people tended to do that when they saw her up close, so she was used to it) before greeting her.

Bowing her head as well, Yuna said, "It's very nice to meet you Selphie. I am Summoner Yuna." As Zack greeted his other friends, Yuna couldn't help but glance around Selphie to try and assign names with faces. She didn't want to be embarrassed by forgetting.

[winged_promise]

Rinoa briskly walked to meet the others. Her hair and duster caught in the breeze, and she had to brush a few raven strands away from her face before offering a proper greeting.

"Infamous?" Rinoa laughed toward Zack with a smirk. He had pretty eyes, but she saw little in them that could compare to Squall's. Unsurprisingly, she had been labeled as 'infamous' before. "I guess this means I don't have to tell you that I'm Rinoa Heartilly!" She was tempted to call herself 'Sorceress Rinoa' as Yuna had defaulted to her summoner title. She chose to stay silent on the topic; it was probably already common knowledge, anyway. Her hands found her hips. "It's great to meet you both- finally!"

Turning to Yuna, she gave a genuine grin. "You really know how to whistle," she complimented. "You must have a dog!"

[frostydarkqueen]

Edea's mood was positive as the young ones gathered around excitedly, each introducing themselves to the others. It was good to see so many healthy young people together - it seemed that they would all get along well too.

The sorceress felt herself smirking in amusement at Zack's words. They quickly gave away his youth. "Much better now that I'm human again," she admitted. Her bruises were quickly fading, and she was very glad for that. "It is good to see you so well, and your companion as well."

"And I'm Edea Kramer," she said, introducing herself to the young summoner, finding herself curious about the girl, and maybe a bit cautious. After all, a summoner had caused this mess. She knew better than to be deceived by appearances, though she doubted that this Yuna could really be a threat with such a nice demeanor. Besides, it was obvious that Zack trusted her, and he'd proven to be reliable.

[likethesunrise]

Selphie's eyes widened at Yuna's introduction, surprised at the 'summoner' titled tagged onto her name. "Wow, a summoner? Does that mean that you can summon Guardian Forces, too?" She asked eagerly, curious if the Timeless shared the same summonings as they had in their world.

Selphie then took several steps back from the pair so that the group formed a small circle, but not before giving Zack a small nudge of her elbow. Her green eyes briefly flickering to the summoner before giving the male a knowing look, her gesture completed with a playful wink that may have been a little too obvious to the rest of the group. She turned to face the center then though, hands clasping together as she tried to adopt an air of professionalism.

"So! I guess, Edea and Rinny have the best idea of what's going on with this whole Aetas thing... you two better fill these guys in on what's going on!"

[ebbingvigilence]

"I can only imagine what it would have been like." Zack said with a laugh before there was a curious glint in his eyes, "So... what did Cloud look like?" He already assumed that Sephiroth was turned back into that silver rabbit, but what had Cloud been? The thought had him a little bit more excited than he should have been, but the SOLDIER would do anything to further Spike's humiliation.

There was definitely a certain sense of confidence within Rinoa that Zack liked. Hell, everyone he'd met from other timelines had something about them that the SOLDIER simply liked, and it was a feeling that brought a wide smile to his face. "Likewise."

Zack found himself glancing over at Selphie as she gave him a nudge. It took a few moments for him to understand what she was silently trying to ask, but the SOLDIER did nothing but continue to smile as he reached over to playfully ruffle her hair. He didn't know why people kept assuming things. Selphie hadn't been the first, after all.

"Explaining more on the situation is good," He said with a nod. The text messages he'd received from Edea had some pretty disturbing pieces of information in it, and it left him feeling uneasy, "But I think we should probably head somewhere more private before we get too deeply into things."

Besides that, he didn't want to leave Aerith unprotected for too long. He'd never forgive himself if anything ever happened to her.

[sendthefallen]

Yuna shook her head at Rinoa, still smiling brightly. "Oh, I wish!" she replied. "A friend of mine taught me that so that he could find me if I was ever in trouble."

A confused look spread across the summoner's face at Selphie's expression, and she looked up at Zack who didn't seem phased by it at all. Tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth, Yuna just continued to smile happily as the SOLDIER ruffled the girl's hair.

It seemed that the elaborately dressed older woman and Rinoa had more information on the situation with the fayth, and Yuna was definitely interested in that. Her eyes sparkled curiously as she nodded - perhaps then they could come up with a plan.

[winged_promise]

Rinoa held up the two fingers she used to whistle, and took a moment to look at them and think. Nobody had taught her how to make the sound. She had seen other people do it, and one day, tried it herself when Puppy Angelo escaped from her leash. It was a great tool to teach obedience. Rinoa never would have thought to use it how Yuna had with her friend!

It seemed that everybody was interested in the sorceresses. Edea probably knew a lot more about the situation, but Rinoa figured she'd start talking and let the more knowledgeable woman fill in the blanks. "Well, the Planet asked Sephiroth to come find me. I had been attacked- twice- and he said that I needed protection as a sorceress. Apparently, Edea and I have the power to find Aetas's summoner! I can't even begin to imagine where or when. I'll do my best, though!"

Rinoa looked about her, realizing that she needed to sound more confident. "I'm still kind of new at the sorceress thing, but because I'm from later in time than Edea is, I actually have her powers and then some!" She wasn't bragging. It really was the truth. She wasn't excited about it, either.

"Um," she put a few fingers to her chin in contemplation, "Sephiroth looked hurt. The Planet gave him his body too soon, I think!" Heartilly wondered if anybody else would be as troubled by this as she had been.

[frostydarkqueen]

Rinoa had created a good starting point to their conversation. But still, she didn't want to speak more about their plans until they were somewhere where they could talk more openly. Discussing such things here could easily disturb some of the regular people walking around. Plus, the train station was crowded as well as loud.

"Perhaps we can head to an inn and talk more there?" she suggested to Selphie and Zack, who seemed to be happy taking charge. "It might be quieter."

At the mention of Sephiroth, Edea thought she should elaborate just a bit. "He was in much worse shape a few days ago," she said. "That was a vast improvement. Had he not had the Planet on his side, I'm not sure we would have been able to escape at all." Glancing over at Zack again, she said, "Oh, and Cloud was also a rabbit. Blonde fur, floppy ears." She knew that the image would make the SOLDIER smile.

[likethesunrise]

Selphie let out a childish giggle as Zack ruffled her hair- a nice attempt of a diversion, but she knew better! Selphie had decided to let the matter drop though, not wanting to press on until she had further proof of whatever was going on between him and the summoner.

"To the inn, then?" Selphie inquired, eyes turning to Zack to see if he knew of a better location for them to carry on with their discussion.