starhuevalley | .1 caliber [Intro]

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.1 caliber [Intro]

[ACTION]

[She steps down from the bus and tugs at the strap around her shoulder tighter - she travels light, but there's something rather long, carefully wrapped, strapped between her bag and back. Squinting lightly at the warm summer sun, she sighs. Mixed feelings, all in one breath. This lady travels light except for the baggage in her mind.

Still, as she treads through the beaten paths towards an x in a map (excellent orientation skills, for one), she looks around carefully with what seems like a half smile in her piercing gaze. Yet, when she finds the place in the map, she keeps walking around, checking the Community center, the city, - greeting a couple of kids playing outside with a smile - walking through the beach... ending up finally at the Saloon around the evening, asking for a cup of tea at the counter.

Where do you meet her? ]

[VIDEO]

[That's exactly where she is when the video feed opens up. She's looking down at the screen, kohl rimmed eyes scrutinizing the device with a somewhat disappointed expression to them. She tsks.]

So unintuitive. How old is this?

[Dexterous fingers reach the screen and blip! goes the feed

Ring ring?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[What a good thing, to have shorts.

She looks at him with not much surprise - she had noticed every single person on the bus, awake or asleep, during the trip. Occupational hazard.]

The seats were surprisingly comfortable. [Enough to be nondescript, at least.] I take it you're new here, too, then?

Yeah.

[Jecht looks out over the peaceful little valley, and for a moment seems like a very different person. A million miles and a different reality away. And then that vanishes as he glances over at her, a broad and cocky grin cracking his face.] Get that! A prize athlete like me, hunkering down on a farm!

[The corner of her lip twitches, taking notice of the quick change of mood.

Still, the little smirk is a little more devious than actually commiserating.] Sounds like a lovely retirement plan.

Sure beats the old one! [His grin just grows broader, because it sure did beat either of the two retirements he'd already been put through.]

[He sticks out a hand, offering it over with that same general good humor.] Name's Jecht. Guess we're valley neighbors now, huh?

You've gone on retirement before? [Not that... that's an entirely foreign concept to Ana. It's just a rare occurrence.

She shakes the hand, but not without a scan of their surroundings first - bus is gone, other occupants the same.] I believe so. Ana Amari.

Yeah, sort of. Maybe you'd call it a change in careers, kind of like this. Time to grow some plants now, huh?

[Jecht's perfectly at ease, and why shouldn't he be? He's starting to get used to popping into strange and weird places. This one's a lot less messy than Spira, to all appearances.] They told you where you're setting up, right?

Anything you're looking forward on growing?

Yes. [Looking down at the keys to a farm located somewhere in this place.] Though I do feel like [scouting] exploring the area a little, first.

Hell yeah, of course. You want company? No big deal if ya don't, so don't spare my feelings. [Jecht's a big boy. (Maybe a bit of a big kid, with a little inner spark of excitement for being given... a second chance or something? Hell if he knows what to call it.)] I got no idea what I want to plant, but whatever it is waited this long for me, it can wait a little bit more.

Why not.

[She tilts her head towards the way she's thinking of heading before she starts walking. A subtle 'follow me' from someone who's used to being in charge while making people think it's been their idea all along.]

You seem very excited to be here. I take it you needed a break?

[Jecht's feeling so easygoing right now she could practically lead him around on a leash and he wouldn't mind. He falls into pace beside her, the long easy lope of a man who's walked miles. This sure beat a pilgrimage, in retrospect.]

It's a sob story, you don't wanna hear it, it's all over anyway. Call it a new beginning and you get the idea.

[She smiles with a nod.] I understand. It’s no wonder you look so happy, then.

[Not that it doesn’t pique her curiosity, but she’s used to living with people with nightmare fuel as their life story. Ana won’t pry unless necessary.

Her gaze sweeps the areas they pass by again and again, although calmly - she’s thorough. Her eyes seem to favor high spots.] It looks peaceful enough for a second chance.

Heh. [Jecht unconsciously rolls his shoulders, like he's getting ready for a fight. Peaceful, huh? No way to know if that's true except by experience, but hey, he's ready for it.] How 'bout you? Needing a vacation?

[Ana finds that body language interesting - again, something that she's used to witnessing and therefore it's easy to recognize. People who think that if there's a moment of quiet it's because a storm is brewing elsewhere.

The subtle smile (on her eyes more than on her lips) turns just a little teasing.] Why, do I look tired to you?

[Spira'd seemed peaceful enough... except for the fiends. They were practically a daily hazard, not worth mentioning, so maybe things are like that here. Ah, well, if they are, he can handle it.]

Naw, but you look like you can handle trouble. [And then his grin grows broader, absolutely not subtle in the slightest even if her amusement weren't right there for comparison.] And you look like a real sight for sore eyes!

[She huffs a little breath that's not really a snort, but not really a laugh. While the military wasn't as much of a male-dominated world as it had been years before, she was used to all kinds of rambunctious personalities. ~~Once you get used to Reinhart, and his over-the-top chivalry, you get used to everything.~~] Flattery will not get you a bodyguard.

[A tilt of her head, a pointed look at his hands.] You didn't bring any luggage?

[Coulda been a better reception. Coulda been a worse one. Pleasure's all in being able to goof around now anyway, so he's calling it a win.]

Haven't had a thing to my name for a long time now.

I travel quite a bit, but haven’t managed to release myself from everything.

[Ana still smiles, stopping at an intersection and looking at the map. One way is the town, the other where her farm is supposed to be. Shes tempted to go yet the other way - the map tells her there’s a sea.]

Any suggestions?

Last time I traveled, I wasn't the one in charge of money anyway. But we were going a long way... and not expecting to come back. So who needed stuff?

[He leans over slightly to glance at her map.] Oh hey, water. That always gets my vote!

Ah, one of those trips, hm? [ It's said with some curiosity. But in the tone of her voice there was also some recognition.] Not even for what you were going to do?

[A jerk of her chin towards its direction.] Beach it is, then. That way.

Nope. All we needed for what we were going to do was Braska's own abilities... and me and Auron to see him there safely.

...Wonder if they have blitzball here. [Yes, that segue was abrupt and very deliberate. This is a time to recover, a new chance, so let's put the trip that killed his friends and turned him into a monster in the past.]

[Ana picks up on that quick enough, even if she files the rest of the information for, perhaps, later. She tilts her head.] Is that a sport? I don’t think I know it.

[Jecht ain't a subtle man.]

Don't know it?

Huh.

[Well, that's weird.]

Maybe they call it something different where you came from. Big sphere of water, teams try to get the ball into the other goal?

[She gives him a shake of her head, even if she's smiling.] Getting the ball in the goal is common in a lot of sports, but I don't think I've heard of one with a big sphere of water before.

So what do they use, a cube? That has to be weird.

[The idea that water is not involved has yet to occur to him. Blitz is love, blitz is life.]

Hm... [She takes a while to think.] There's water polo, where the water is confined in a pool.

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