After the Schism: 3000AD 120 New Era

[sephiroth2]

-----------------------------------

"She's not bluffing. There's a trigger here." he looked up at their enemy, "I dan't want to die, but right now I don't think I have any choice in the matter. Deadman's switch. If she releases pressure; boom. You're letting us out. Now. Unless you've got a deathwish." Sleif heard the boy say, giving a slight laugh as he heard him say the deathwish, before he watched the boy and girl slowly make their way around him, and towards the mines entrance.

Only once he had lost sight of them from the entrance, did he finally lower his sword, placing it back into its sheath.
Walking slowly up the mine, Sleif finally walked back into the light of the sun, seeing in the distance two horses, he knew belonged to those two.

Turning slightly to the side, Sleif noticed his bike was still there, untouched from the small destruction of the mine, and only slightly covered in dust from the desert.
Moving towards it, Sleif raised his hand, causing it to instantly turn on , as well as blowing most of the sand and dust away.

Climbing on top of it, Sleif suddenly took off through the desert at a lightning speed, as he looked at the small device he found inside the mine.
"I wonder what this really is?" Sleif said to himself as he continued to look over it, just before a though came to his mind.

"I might not know, but I think someone does!" he said to himself, a grin on his face, as he increased his speed, sending dust and sand everywhere behind him.

[Keyblade Smitey]

Blain gently lifted Taira in his arms and, taking great care sat her on his horse. He then climbed up behind her, slipping the waterskin and his new gun into the saddlebags. He tied the reigns of the second horse to the back of his sadde and pulled out a small, tinted-glass spyglass. Scanning the horrizon, he found a smudge on the distance that he guessed must be the village Tairsa mentioned. He clicked his tounge and set the horses off at a walk, letting Tiara's head rest against his chest. He couldn't help but notice that, despite all they had been through in the mine, all the dust, grime, battle and pain, her silvery-white hair still carried a faint scent, almost like a kind of flower. The smell wove its way around Blain's head, muddling him, until he shook his head to clear it and the haunting scent was gone, replaced by the hot smell of the desert and two outriders after a hard fight. Could he have immagined it?

Twenty minutes later, it was late afternoon and the sun was starting its sedate journey down fom the sky when Blain and Taira passed through the Rusting gates of the village. When they were young, this place must have been a, while not thriving, at least surviving settlement. Now sand piled in mounds in the streets and against houses and only the wind chased in the streets where once there were children. There was no sign of battle. The place was probably just abandoned as life in the city became more atractive then life in the wasteland. A movement caught his eye above them and he looked up, squinting against the glare of the low sun. A broken bell hung in the tower of a church nearby, twisting in the evening breeze that set the gates creaking behind them. In the center of the village, a well stood, a few little plants growing it its lee, sheltered from the mini sand dunes. In front of a few houses, little gardens still grew, steadfastly holding out against the waste, little havens of shade and peace in an ocean of heat and sand. Blain pulling in the horses in the village center and gently shook Taira, "Taira? Can you hear me?" he murmered, subconsciously keeping his voce quiet out of respect for the memories in this place, "We're here Taira. We're home. We need to find your house." He looked around again, a feeling of inexplicable sorrow seeping into him slowly at the sight of the empty houses and dying gardens.

[Divine Shadow]

Taira opened her eyes, her head leaning against Blains chest. For a while, she listened to the slow steady beat of his heart, her own faint heart trying to drum louder against her chest. She blinked a little, her vision groggy. "Look for...a... X on a door" she muttered, her head throbbing. She tried to lift herself out of Blains strong arms, but her body was still so weak after the bttle. She sighed, laughing a bit, trying not to send her body into ravaging pain yet again. She closed her eyes, finding Bliss in sleep. There would be time later for explinations.

[Keyblade Smitey]

"An X?" but it was too late; Taira was already asleep again, "X marks the spot, eh?" mused Blain. He looked around and spotted a door nearby with a large X carved into it, the garden in front of the door was in better shape than the others too. Carefuly dismounting from the horse and carrying Taira in his arms like a child, Blain crossed the square and shouldered open the door, revealing a dusty interior, but with footprints marking the floor. Someone had been here resently. Instinct took over for a moment and Blain lay Taira down on an old couch before searching the house from top to bottom, pistol ready. Only when completely satisfied that they were alone, did he relax and move Taira's limp form to a bedroom he had found. The house was two-storied and had a stairway leading to the roof. Other than the dust, it seemed in good condition, just abandonded, like the rest of the ghost village. Blain returned outside to hitch the horses to an old ring in the wall, outside what must've once been a store. He was struck by how small the village was. Barely a hamlet, it didn't even have propper walls to keep out bandits or wild beasts. Blain decided to stay up that night and make sure nothing ate their rides or them.

Fishing the empty water skins out of the saddlebags, he re-filled them at the well and grabbed a length of cloth to use as a towel. He washed his face, getting rid of some of the grime, before going back inside the house to do the same for Taira. As he entered, something crunched under his foot. He looked down and discovered an old picture frame, its subject long since faded away by time and the sun. Moving the picture to one side, he went upstairs and bathed Taira's face, leaving the cool cloth on her forehead to make sure she didn't overheat after the ride in the sun. He then went back outside and invaded another house, breaking up old sticks of furnature to make a campfire. He was just done covering the horses with a pair of blankets and ligthing the fire when the sun at last slipped over the horrizon and plunged the town into the shadow of a cloudless night.

[Divine Shadow]

Taira woke much later on, Night had already fallen. Oddly enough, she woke up in her old room. She rolled over, her arms and back aching slightly, but the sleep had done her good. She poked around into the drawers, fniding something she thought she had lost long ago. it was an old set of technology her mom had bought, her dad repaired. She didn't remember her mom, but she remembered all the digi pics of her that her father had kept. She smiled, the Seraph wings flickering into life. She smiled, switching them off, placing them on her back. She grabbed the old fashioned music box from her little trick she had used to escape from Sleif, and cranked the dial, leaving the lid closed. Walking slightly stiff, she headed to the roof, sitting on the peak, one leg on each side. She heart foot steps and looked down. Blain. "Hey Blain, come up here... I want to show you something." She got up, running to the room opposing hers, digging through the drawers. She heard the door creak open, and she hollered over her shoulder. "Go wait on the roof, I have something to show you." She shut the door, and sifted through the costumes in the drawer. They had belonged to her mother, long ago. It felt like a life time ago. She grabbed the only white outfit, the white skirt like wilted petals around her waist, and the top looked like angelic silk. There were arm bands too, that hung to the floor. "Blain? You ready?? No peaking..." She fixed her hair quickly with an old brush, and replaced the Seraph wings.

[Keyblade Smitey]

Blain's head snapped up as he heard a voice above him. "Taira? What're you doing up..?" he began, but stopped and rubbed his eyes. Had he been immagining things? He could have sworn he just saw... shimmering? No, it must've been the stars, they were unusually bright tonight, or maybe he just hadn't looked at them for a long time. He entered the house, moving slowly up the stairs, unable to account for his heart suddenly beating very loudly and quickly in his chest. "Go wait on the roof, I have something to show you." said a voice from one of the rooms. Blain edged closer, justas the door shut, "Blain? You ready?? No peaking..." Blain walked up onto the roof, somehow feeling like his head was three feet higher than it normally was. He turned and looked out over the square, taking in the thousands of stars in the sky and even the colourful hints of nebulae in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. He was breathing lightly and for some unknown reason felt more nervous then when he did before he took on whole tribes of bandits!

[Divine Shadow]

((OOC: The music box, click here/OOC))

Taira walked slowly out of the room, hearing Blain's feet on the roof. She walked past him, passing him the music box carefully, and also the picture she had been looking at. She faced him, balanced perfectly on her bare feet on the peak of the roof. "Open it." she said, her voice quiet. He did. A quiet sound tinkled through the air, a song that any child would love. It was slow, and delightful. The music box was small and beautiful, inside was a picture of her mother in the exact same costume Taira wore. She danced slowly, the tune rythmic, and her body swaying ever parilously over the peak,but never falling. The bands shimmered, and inconspicuously, she flicked on the Seraph wings. They exploded into life, and she danced, low to the roof, her body never really stopping, only slowing. Tears streamed down her face as she thought of the dance, but she continued. She could hear those long forgotten words her mother used to hum to her when he was very young, and later her fathers lower voice doing the same. She fell to her knees at the flat area of the roof, her body shaking with tears.

"my mother used to play this every night, I don't remember her face. Only her voice. After she died of an illness, my father took care of me, the money my mother had earned kept us alive, but later,the Mafia came, killed my father, and took his money. They kidnapped me, but I ran away. I always used to dance to this when I was young." She only paused to wipe away her tears, and her body shook again, shuddering. She looked up at the stars, and sighed deeply, trying to calm herself.

[Keyblade Smitey]

Blain watched, utterly spellbound as Taira, dressed like some sort of angel danced on the very edge of the roof. Somehow, at the apex of the dance, the wings she wore flickered into life, mimicing the starlight she swayed beneath and casting shifting patterns of soft, white light over the pair of them. It was too much for Blain's supressed emotions and they suddenly burst forth from the pressure he had been keeping them under and transended all his expectations. It wasn't just that he found Taira beautiful, he admired her strength, her courage, her spirit despite everything happening around them. In that moment, he knew he would spend the rest of his life trying to catch her eye, fight her battles, hear one kind word from her. It was inescapable, no point in trying to fight it, even if he had wanted to.

As the song wound to a close, tears like tiny diamonds trailed from Taira's eyes and as the last notes chimed away into silence, she knealt on the roof, sobs wracking her thin frame. "My mother used to play this every night," she said, "I don't remember her face. Only her voice. After she died of an illness, my father took care of me, the money my mother had earned kept us alive, but later,the Mafia came, killed my father, and took his money. They kidnapped me, but I ran away. I always used to dance to this when I was young." She wiped away the tears, still shaking, before looking up at the endless ocean of stars above them. Blain carefuly closed the music box and sat down next to Taira, marveling that she could stand as tall as she did with such a heavy past on her shoulders. He was silent for a moment, before speaking. "The stars are so very far away. So many out there, beyond our reach. Placed in the sky to remind mankind that there is something to strive for beyond this cradel. But I wonder... How many others have had a star fall to earth, to sit right beside them? Maybe if it happened mroe often, people wouldn't have ever tried so hard to escape this purgatory of a planet," he looked at Taira and tenatively reached out an arm, "But... Hell isn't so bad... If there's an angel there with you..." He inched his arm closer, afraid of so many things that could happen, but more afraid of what could happen if he did not move, "Taira... Will you share this place with me? Will you let me stay right here, by your side? I can't think of anything else. Taira... Will you let me share with you everything I have?" He carefullyplaced his arm about her small shouldes and held her lightly, as if afraid she would shy away.

[Divine Shadow]

Taira didn't listen to his words, she only let that deep pain of her past force her tears into reality. She leaned heavily against Blains chest, sobbing gently, her arms around his waist. Her body shook violently now and again, but she said nothing as her tears grew silent. She closed her eyes, and breathes deeply, letting her heart pound against her chest like a drum. "Sure, Blain... I would like that." She muttered, burrying her face into his shirt and chest.

[sephiroth2]

--------------------------------------------------

After almost a three days, riding into the slightly busy town, Sleif couldn't help but smile as he remembered what had happened, the first time he entered here.
Going down the different alleys, Sleif soon found himself in front of an old building, before shutting off his bike.

Dismounting it, Sleif slowly walked towards the building, opening its large metal door, and entering into a quiet mechanics floor. "Who's there?" somebody said from upstairs, as Sleif heard footsteps upon metal stairs. "We're not open yet! Come back in a.....Hey I remember you!" a man said as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes. I didn't formally introduce myself last time. My name is Sleif!" Sleif said to the man, as he put his hand forward.
"Oh, sorry yes, My name is Anthony!" Anthony said as he took Sleifs hand and both began to shake, before both pulled away.

"So, hows that bike going for you?" asked Anthony. "It is running perfectly! Thank you for allowing me to purchase it!" replied Sleif, as he reached into his coat pocket.
"So, What can I do for you?" Anthony asked as he took a seat in the room. "I would like to ask, if you might know what this is?" Sleif asked Anthony as he handed him the small device from the mines.

"Now, what is this?" Anthony asked as he took the device off of Sleif, before looking over it. "Well, I have never seen anything like this before!" said Anthony as looked over the device in his hand. "How exactly did you come across something like this?" Anthony asked Sleif. "It was quite bothersome, let's just say!" Sleif replied.

"Sorry to tell you, but all I can say is that whatever this thing is, it is definitely part of something else!" Anthony said to Sleif as he placed the small device back into his hand.
"Do you know anyone who might know more?" asked Sleif. "There might be one. If you leave this town and continue going south, around five days ride, you should come across a small town. A man I know there, might help be able to help you!" said Anthony.

"Thank you for your help!" Sleif replied back to Anthony, as he turned around and left the building making his way to the bike.
Hopping back onto his bike, he quickly sped off down the alleys again, turning and taking the south entrance/exit to the town, going back into the desert once again..

[Keyblade Smitey]

(OOC: I'm sorry it's late. I just got Disgaea and have been very distracted by its awesomeness and its charm lately. We're back on track now though! /OOC)

Blain had no idea how long they sat there on the roof, his arm around Taira, her head on his chest. It seemed like an eternity, but at the same time, it was all too brief. The stars swung in the heavans and slowly, Taira's shuddering sobs became less and less until she was silent. Looking down at her, Blain was struck yet again at how unlike her she looked, yet at the same time, he felt somewhere insider her this was who she was, at least in part. She looked like a spirit, or an echo of an angel. He could feel the steady beat of her heart near his and her deep, rhythmic breathing told him she had fallen asleep again. Picking her up oh-so-gently, he carried her back downstairs and layed her on her bed. His hand lingered on her hair for a moment while he fixed the memory of what had happened on the rooftop in his mind. He didn't know what would happen in the morning, or the following day, but he wanted to remember this night until the day he died. He carefuly opened Taira's hand and placed the music box in it, before leaving the room and returning to his vigil by the fire ouside. He gazed up at the stars by the glow of the fire, marking their positions and charting their course upon the morrow, while at the same time pictuing those seraph wings flickering against the night sky. Winking in the night, the false star slid sedately out of sync with the others, just as it had for one-hunded and twenty years as the night passed by.

As dawn broke over the horrizon, Blain stamped out what was left of the glowing embers of the fire. Pulling the blanket from the horses, he stretched himself and saddled them up again, adding their bridals after he had fed them each their ration of food and water for the day. It was good that this village's well was still clear, as it meant water wouldn't be as scarse on the way back as it would have been otherwise. Fishing out his and Taira's rations for the day and setting hers to one side, Blain chewed his breakfast, greatful that, for once, he didn't have to eat on horseback. He glanced up at Taira's window. He knew she needed sleep, but at the same time, their rations were limited and they had to move off today. He had made no effort to be quiet in his preperations and he wondered how long it would be until his partner showed herself.

[Divine Shadow]

Taira was unsure how she had gotten to bed, or how the music box had ended up in her hand, but then he remembered Blain. She smiled slightly, and woke, changing back into her normal clothes, packing the white outfit into her pack carefully. Sleep had done her good, nearly as much good as reminicing about the past. She smiled, walking down the stairs meeting Blain outside. She stole the uneaten half of his sandwich, biting into it before he could object. She went over to the horses, checking their tack, quickly before finally sitting down. "So now where to oh marvelous traveler blain who knows these deserts better than any sand dweller? We going back to the city to get that bike?" Blain gave her a funny look, and she laughed. "Oh yeah, i forgot..." She bug around in her bag, quickly pulling out two more power cells, setting them one the ground, one on top of the other creating a perilous tower. She passed them one by one to Blain, before closing her bag. "We have to pick that up don't we? But one more question.. where to after that. Surely you have decided you don't need me anymore. All i remember doing is getting hurt." She shrugged, finishing the stolen half of a sandwich, dusting hersef off and going to the well for a drink of the still pure water.

[Keyblade Smitey]

Blain goggled at the two power cells in his hands. He waited until Taira returned from her drink before speaking. "Leave you? You must be joking. You've got enough luck for both of us and then some to spare! Anyway... I meant what I said last night. I walk in your shadow from now on. You're not as weak as you seem to believe you are, far from it in fact. But where you have weaknesses, I'll cover them. From now on, I'm not leaving you any more then I'm leaving my shadow." He slipped the cells into his saddlebags and fished out another sammich to replace the one Taira had swiped. After we get back to town, I'll report what happened at the mine (with some variations). Then we'll pick up the bike and then... Who knows? I'd like to have this weapon checked over maybe... My house is trashed... Maybe we could head out someplace? I don't know why, but I feel like we should find out more about what I saw in the mine. It seems important if that guy was willing to go to all that trouble to find it. And besides, there's the little matter of revenge to deal with." He grinned, "I don't know why, but I'm feeling a little excited this morning. What do you say? Feel like an adventure?" He knew that he was talking crazy. 'Going on an adventure' in the wasteland was a good way to get killed, but he couldn't help it! maybe it was releasing his feelings for Taira, maybe it was something in the air that morning, but there was a glint in his eye and a spark in his mind that was highly infectious and spoke of excitement of the kind no-one who saw it could resist. He spurred his horse towards the gates from the vilalge and turned back to lock eyes with Taira, "You comming? This is going to be one wild ride." A mile began to stretch across his normaly sober or serious counternance. A storm was comming and he couldn't resist riding it if he had wanted to!

[Divine Shadow]

Taira grabbed the rations Blain had forgotten, packing them into the saddle bags. She jumped on her horse, spurrng it into a full out run towards the city. "I was just going to ask you that" she yelled towards Blain over the wind as she raced past. She hugged herself closely to the horses back and neck, letting the wind pull at her hair that was still untied.

The wind smelled like vanilla, she felt like she was on a massive adrenaline rush. Maybe it was just because of the night before, of whispered promises, but she didn't care. There was still more fun to be had, revenge to be recieved, things to explore, and adventure to be had. She laughed, her voice crystal clear even on the racing winds, her glee uncontainable. It was better than anything she had ever imagined, it was something she always wanted. It tasted like the sweetest candy, it felt raw. "LET'S DO THIS!" She screamed high onto the wind, her voice like crystal in water, so clear and pure. She felt like singing.

[Keyblade Smitey]

"YEE-HAW!" Blain sped after Taira, their horses kicking up dust in their wake. If not for the heat, they most likely would have kept going full-tilt all day, but as it was, the horses grew tired towards noon and for the next three days, they slowed to a brisk trot, spending their time just staying alive. Chatting, keeping an eye out for wild beasts or bandits and generally just living their lives. Every day, Blain woke up with an accute awareness of his heart beating and a smile on his face. He had spent so long living on the edge of solitude, hardening himself to everything, that to be with someone Taira and to be so open with her was a wonderful breath of fresh, cool air in the stillness and heat of the wasteland.

On the third day of travel, they entered the town again and Blain was brought back down to earth with a jolt. Taira was all well and good, but he still didn't feel right keeping his heart on his sleeve with others around. Once more, his face was covered by the mask of emotionless seriousness. hey returned the horses to the stable he had rented them from, taking the equipment in the saddlebags with them. Blain kept his new weapon carefuly wrapped in the blankets; he was sure the barons would love to get their hands on it and the guards were not known for being overly gentle in the confiscation of contrabrand. "First stop is the guild," he said to Taira, "It would probably be better if you waited outside, seeing as this was upposed to be a solo mission. After that we'll head over to Ant's and get him to fix up the bike. Then we'll plan our next move." Blain ducked under the awning outside the guild and stepped inside, relishing the shade after the sun outside. As soon as he was inside though, he felt his neck siezed in a headlock. Contrary to what might be expected, Blain didn't react by shooting his asailant's kneecaps off, instead playing along and strugling patheticaly as the man holding him gave him a painful noogie. "Blain, you old sand rodent! I thought I heard you were heading back to town, so I figured I'd pay my regrds!"
"Argh! Get out of it Sting! Watch the head!" Blain strugled loose and stood up to face the man who attacked him. The man was roughly Blain's height, with a similar build and blonde hair. His eyes were green and he was dressed pretty much like a cowboy, minus the daft mustache. He had a button-up faded blue shirt, leather chaps and boots,a felt cowboy hat and a long brown duster coat. The only things that weren't ripped straight from an old wild west movie were the knuckle dusters and automatic pistol hanging at his hips. Blain nodded in the cowboy's direction, "Didn't expect to see you so far south, Sting. I thought you were making a killing up north escortingbig-time traders."
Sting, who was obviously more careless with his emotions than Blain, laughed, "That I was, buddy. I'm down here on business. Some trader got wind you fellahs were facing an iron shortage and decided to get rich quick before every man and his mother heard about it. I'm here to make sure he keeps all his limbs atatched!"
Blain turned and introduced Taira to his friend, "This is Sting, or at least, that's what we call him. he used to work for the guild before he went off north to try and get rich. We're old friends, well, old rivals realy. Despite the daft cowboy motif he's got going on, he's damn good."
Sting tipped his hat, "Hey now, I didn't know you'd gone and got yourself a girl, Blain you old dog! Fancy you taking the pretty one here for yourself!" he touched Taira's chin as he introduced himself, "The name's Sting, little missy. Like a scorpian, see? Just tell me, what do you see in a yutz like Blain when you've got me in the room?"
Blain rolled his eyes, walking off to the guildmaster's office, "She's not 'my' girl. And I'd remove he hand if I were you buddy, or you're liable to loose it."