Aveline's grip on her knife slackened slightly, but she stiffened her jaw, turning her head to look over at the table the man had indicated. Her eyebrows narrowed as she looked him up and down, her thoughts quick: wait a minute... he said he "was" a legend among the Turks... does that mean he isn't one now? And if that's the case, then what's his motivation? "Why should I believe you?" she began quietly, renewing her hold on her weapon. "You just want my blade out of your side; besides, he's under no obligation to tell me anything even if he knew it. You're lying."
Taralynn was close to the library, her restricted section pass stuffed in the pocket of her skin-tight jeans, when she slowed her steps, seeing another group of students inside as well. Since it was lunch now, she did not expect to have any company, and was curious as to what the other students were after. Glancing over at some of them, she found herself grinding her teeth; several she did not care for, but instead of heading over to harass them, Taralynn steered clear and made her way as quietly as she could to the restricted section. She opened the gate that blocked off these particular shelves of books from the others and shut it behind her. There was no way the creak of the old brass and very rarely used hinges could be hidden, so she knew her time was going to be short. Spells... she began in her head, narrowing down the search for exactly what books she needed. Offensive spells... banishing spells... Taralynn began to grab each book who's title looked like it could be helpful. As soon as she got as many as she could carry, she rounded the bend in the restricted section as far away from everyone else. Normally it would take a witch or wizard days to search through so many books, but Taralynn knew a very handy spell her rich, Pureblood family had taught her. Not wanting anyone else to learn it, however, she had mastered being able to cast the spell without speaking it. After thinking the incantation, she immediately thought, desperately with her eyes shut: Ghost banishing spell... find me my ghost banishing spell... The books began to open and slide around across the table top in front of Taralynn, but she paid them no mind, keeping her spell and goal clear in her head. A few minutes later, one of the old books lay in front of her, open to page 19. Taralynn tried not to cheer aloud as she pulled out her diary, unsealed it, and began to write down everything on the page, a smirk rising on her face.
Aveline held back for a moment, thinking about what she should say next; her father's idea was what to do clear as day in her head, almost blinding: heading directly back to Shinra, with this peculiar man apprehended (if possible) along with the information Caleigh had given him would surely be enough to get her up a rank... or two. But she stopped that thought immediately; that's not how SOLDIER worked. She would most likely (because of being a woman and lacking 2nd or 1st class skill) get a pat on the back and be dismissed. Besides, she could senes, either from sitting so close to this man or just by intuition, that he was much more powerful than he let on. And she knew enough about men to not be fooled by his flirty behavior and nonchalant attitude. Stick to your plan, Ave; you know what you want and he might know something. If not, put the knife back, give him a little kiss, and walk out before something else goes wrong... and don't come back to this bar for a while. Aveline took a deep breath, leaning as close as she could to the man. Obviously shorter than him, her lips almost brushed the bottom of his neck as she spoke: "Tell me everything you know about first class SOLDIER Sephiroth."
Aveline tensed, but exhaled quickly, relaxing her muscles and her heartbeat as well as she could. The man's sudden change of body language was obvious to her, but she knew how to stay light on her feet; with her weapons being so small, this was an ideal battleground for her, if it came to that. "Guess I need a pair of glasses like yours, huh?" she replied softly. He knows he's stuck; and if he hasn't attacked yet, then I've still got a chance to get something out of him... or Caleigh, for that matter, before things explode... Aveline reached her hand down to her boot, pulling one of her smaller daggers out of its protective sheath. Underneath the cover of the bar, she slowly trailed the sharp blade up the side of the Turk's thigh, careful not to cut his fine dress pants. She let the tip of the knife finally rest just above his hip bone. "Don't worry," she whispered, tilting her head a little bit closer to his. "I'm sure you'd like to get out of here right about now... and I'll let you go and not say another word... if you do one thing for me."
Aveline blinked once, turning slowly to face the Turk. What's he playing at? she thought quickly. He's smarter than he looks, Ave... he must have heard me say Sephiroth, and all details of first class SOLDIER members are classified Shinra information she did not have clearance to access... Her heart was racing in her chest, but she swallowed and straightened her back. She tilted her head back slightly, her eyes slowly running over him from foot to head. "Always," she replied smoothly. "But... now that I look at you... I don't think you're my type." Lightning made her way back toward the training floor of Shinra headquarters. Not having a direct assignment at the moment was making her fingers itch; she needed an objective, something to keep her busy, and right now she was in an even worse mood than usual because of her lack of destination. She spotted Zack emerging from one of the SOLDIER training rooms; hell, the kid was hard to miss. She shook her head, swallowing a smile. Yes, she found him extremely annoying, but she saw his potential, and she knew it was greater than anyone else she knew. Except that new kid... the infantryman that Zack was friends with... he gave her an odd feeling as well. "Hey," she snapped harshly when she came up behind him, landing a sharp right jab to Zack's shoulder blade. "Are you ready or what? I'm thirsty. And... is that little friend of yours tagging along? Cloud?"
Taralynn cleared her throat, trying to swallow her pride. "Smives gave me the pass, easily," she whispered in return, pulling her own books out of her bag. "But I came to class first instead of going to the library; I thought that would be best for now." She turned to the correct page of her potions book and sighed; what was the point of this stupid thing? There was no reason that she could see as to why the teacher would assign such a silly task... but she slowly started to collect the first few ingredients called for.
Professor Smives only looked up at Taralynn expectantly, waiting for her to continue. Taralynn cleared her throat and began: "You see... there's a favor I need; I have some research to do in the library, but I haven't been able to find the books I'm looking for." Smives sighed, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. It was a few more seconds before she replied: "Taralyn... the restricted section is labeled as such for a reason. Do you understand?" Taralynn bit her bottom lip, thinking hard. "Yes, Professor. But, in order for me to succeed in my classes, I need all the help I can get. It's not my fault if teachers assign me material that can't be found in the regular area of-" "What teacher?" Smives interrupted smoothly. "I would rather not say," Taralynn counteracted easily. "Telling you the class and instructor would feel like I'm snitching and... complaining about someone's teacher style, which I believe is wrong." Professor Smives gave her a small smile now, which lightened Taralynn's hopes. "You sound exactly like your eldest brother, you know." Taralynn tried not to frown, clenching her hands into fists; she hated being compared to her family. This was her chance to do something all her own, and being over-shadowed by any of her brothers or sisters was not in her plans. Smives let out a laugh now, which almost made Taralynn jump in surprise. "Of course you can have the pass, you silly girl." She reached into her desk and pulled out a small piece of parchment with tiny writing on it, which she promptly added her signature to the bottom of. "And you needn't give me a reason, either; you and your family have always had the... best motives for this school, and I know you're a bright child." She handed the parchment to Taralynn. "Have fun." Taralynn returned the Professor's smile. "Right. Thanks." She turned swiftly and left the room, dashing out of the History of Magic class as quickly as she could. That was easy enough... now, here's the real decision: do I rush all the way back down to potions and take care of my stupid classes for the day, or do I head to the library now? Someone, preferably teachers, need to see me today so I can be accounted for when that damn ghost finally does get banished. She sighed and turn to head back down the stairs. "Class is it," she muttered to herself, and ran all the way back down to the dungeons. She knew that she'd be late, but, since she had (well, made) all her classes the same as Jack's despite their two year difference, she would at least be able to see him and tell him her progress. Taralynn reached the potions classroom five minutes later, completely out of breath; being late would certainly mean points from her house, and if anyone from her family found out she was the result of negative effects to Slytherin, she would have a lot of trouble in her hands. She searched the dark classroom for Jack, and spotted him sitting alone not to far from her. Trying not to grin, she went to sit down next to him, setting her book bag on the table. "Just made it," she whispered, but not to anyone in particular; she didn't know if Jack would be in the mood to talk, so she didn't get her hopes up.
Taralynn reached the fourth floor where the History of Magic class was located, and walked into the classroom slowly in case their were still students there. Finding the room empty, she moved more swiftly across it to Professor Smives office. Right as she raised her hand to knock on the closed door, she heard the older woman's voice from within say: "Enter." Taralynn rolled her eyes at the woman's intuition and entered her Head of Houses' office with a clean smile on her face. "Hello, Professor. I had a quick question for you, if you're not too busy." Smives looked up at her from a pile of paperwork, a straight, emotionless frown on her face. "Shouldn't you be on the way to class... like everyone else?" Taralynn swallowed a rather impolite retort, her smile fading slightly in the effort. "Yes, of course, but... I needed something before I can worry about my Potions class. You see, this is important."
I would totally join (cause i love those fucking games) if you had a red mage cause i would rock that! :D thanks for making this, jeffreypoo, you rock!
Aveline clenched her teeth, looking between the two during their tight conversation. Third class SOLDIER or not, she knew her limits, and their was no way she could possibly imagine taking down a Turk in a busy bar. Caleigh, on the other hand, might be someone she could handle, especially if she flashed her Shinra title around for crowd control. Her father would be so proud of her, maybe even pull some strings to get her into second class, if she made such a discovery as an AVALANCHE member. She was intrigued by their conversation, yes, and wanted to hear the Turk's response, of course, but this wasn't what she was here for: when Aveline had mentioned Sephiroth, Caleigh had tensed and obviously had something about him. She couldn't read the Turk well enough to tell if he knew anything, but right now all she needed was a tip, something that could lead her in the right direction. If I could just speak with him, she thought, her hands balling into fists. I could tell him how I feel, what I want, and how I could achieve it... this is the only way I'll be able to make any difference... I just need a push in the right direction...
Taralynn felt her heart skip a beat in excitement, ready to prove herself to Jack. She walked swiftly over to the couch, sweeping on her robes and fastening only one button on their front. Her books were in their bag and over her shoulder in the next moment. She gave Jack another smile before leaving, but she wasn't sure if he actually was paying attention or not. On her way out of the common room, her mind began racing again; getting out of the dungeons and all the way up to the fourth floor where Professor Smives would be would take a little while. Since it was in between classes currently, she knew she only had so much time till her Head of House would start the next class. What she should she say, exactly, to get the restricted section pass form the teacher? Smives knew she wasn't a very good student, didn't attend classes very often, and, being the Head of Slytherin, the woman knew very well about Taralynn's behavioral problems. But Smives still liked her, and Taralynn knew that much at least. She shoved several Ravenclaws out of her way once she emerged from the dungeons, ignoring their cries of disapproval. Normally she would have stopped and given them a better beating, but now she didn't have enough time. Taralynn continued to think about what Jack had been talking about in the common room, and she felt a pang of jealousy when she remembered him talking about the first year girl he wanted: Faye. No, Taralynn did not know the girl or anything about her, and the fact that she was so young and new made her question why Jack even wanted to spend the time bringing her into his ideas. Taralynn sighed, halfway up the second floor's stairs now; at least she had a task to complete for Jack now, and that was enough for her at the moment.
Aveline swallowed; she had only heard rumors of AVALANCHE from work; being second class SOLDIER, she wasn't privy to lots of information about rebellions, but she knew this was serious. She glanced over at the tatooed woman next to her, her eyes more scrutinizing now, really taking in her appearance; if Caleigh really was part of that ridiculous group, her father's orders immediately rang into her head, clear as a bell: crush the opposition; Shinra keeps everything the way it should be: positive... the people, the politics, the income, the jobs... people like AVALANCHE want to destroy how perfect Shinra and SOLDIER made this city. Aveline felt her anger rise at the memory of her father's words; she did not really know if she felt the same way, but right now it sounded right. It made sense the way things were, and people like Caleigh sure as hell weren't going to ruin it. She glanced over at the man in the suit, and her breath caught in her throat at the look he was giving the woman next to her; he knew a lot, and that look confirmed her suspicion: he was a Turk... and a powerful one at that. They were on the same side, to a certain extent, but... she was breaking rules, too. Dammit, she swore silently. Where do I belong here? Aveline's hands moved off her empty beer glass and down to the sides of her shorts where her sharpest knives were hidden at the top of her knee-high boots. Whatever either of them will do, I'm ready...
Taralynn frowned, a little disappointed; she thought, at this point, that banishing all the ghosts from the castle would give everyone enough of a scare to prove their intentions... and show them that they were serious. If she found the incantation, she could take care of Peeves tonight with no problem... and the House ghosts would get theirs at the right time. "I'll go to the library now; I'll even get a pass from Professor Smives to go into the restricted section and look for the banishing spell." Taralynn knew that Smives, the Head of Slytherin House, liked her; getting permission would be easy. She looked expectantly at Jack, hoping her ideas met his approval and lightened his mood.
Taralynn's smile fell when she saw Jack's frustration. "Well..." she began uncertainly, unsure if she could think of any solutions to the problems that were obviously bothering him. An idea suddenly dawned on her, however, and she slipped her diary into her back pocket so she could put both hands on Jack's shoulders, massaging them. "Ghosts can be banished, Jack," she started quietly. "It's been done before; it's just a matter of finding the right incantation for it, and casting it at the right time with the right amount of magical experience and strength." She paused and her smile returned. "I have both of those."
Taralynn clenched her hands into excited fists as she watched and listened to Jack; as usual, her emotions were getting the better of her. She admired (a little too much) how well his thought-process worked at such a young age. And did he really say "need"? Her nails dug into the dark leather of her diary as she thought of the word, a smirk of a grin rising on her face. He needs me, she ranted in her own mind. This is my chance, to prove to everyone how wrong they are... he's so clever, I know he can do it... Taralynn jumped suddenly to her feet, clinging her diary to her chest. "Yes, of course, Jack!" she responded fervently, her uncontrollable emotions making her voice little more than a raspy whisper. "Whatever you want..." She walked toward Jack till she stood behind him, trying to get a further gauge on his feelings. "I'll get both the girls for you tonight if you want... I'll get Faye to meet us, and that Hufflepuff girl won't be a problem, either, once it's dark."
Taralynn rolled her eyes, quickly eating the food Jack had brought. "No," she began quietly. "Sleeping is more like it; I don't rest well at night here, so it's hard to stay up during the day." She sighed, yawning. Her hand fell absently on her diary again. She should be more careful about leaving it open for too long. She gave Jack a sweet smile after yawning, putting a hand on his shoulder closest to her. "So what have you been up to this morning? Been using your free period... appropriately?"
Aveline smirked; obviously her comment set off some kind of mental trigger with both of her interesting new accquiantances. Although her only downfall in her nightly hunting for information seemed to be getting herself caught up rambling, almost dreamily, about the rumors of Sephiroth, this time it seemed to have worked. She lowered her head, however, trying not to seem too interested in the man's next response.
OOC: Psh... Lightning is so fucking hot she can do anything :D BIC: Aveline tried not to scoff: she wanted to be SOLDIER so bad, to achieve what she wanted... and this woman was the resistance. Her father would be so proud, would give her anything she wanted, if she turned someone like this into him... but... she wasn't done. "You think so?" she began, putting out her almost burned-out cigarette directly on the bar. She twirled the butt in her hand for a moment, and then dropped it so it landed perfectly on the edge of her knee. Lifting her leg as much as her tiny shorts would allow, she let the butt roll down to bend in her shoes where her toes began, and finally flicked it off under the bar. "I'm not sure if I agree with anything else besides SOLDIER; its members are just so intriguing. Like..." She paused again here, her heart pounding. "... Sephorith."
Taralynn looked up at Jack, a small smile on her face. She snapped shut her diary smoothly, moving her wand over it just slightly to seal it shut. Glancing down at the food, her grin widened. "Oh, did you get that for me?" she asked, clapping her hands together. "How sweet!" She put a foot up on the table, the heel clicking loudly in the quieted room. She was tempted to put out the mean group of boys that had sent her victim over to her and have Jack take care of them, but they had long since scattered away. Instead, Taralynn ran her hand over the empty half of the couch next to her. "Would you sit with me?" she asked, flicking her wand back into her robe pocket.
OOC: lol ooh you boys can have some yaoi-fun... i'll go get my camera :D BIC: Aveline swallowed her instant anger, her pride hurt; no, she did not like her family or the pressure of SOLDIER they placed on her, but they had a lot of money; more than she ever cared to have. She smiled at the woman next to her anyway, though. She's a hell of a lot smarter than she looks, she thought. "I'm good, thanks," she spoke. "I'm sure you were gonna suggest a SOLDIER-related job, huh? Those guys make all the money, don't they?" She paused for as casual a laugh as she could manage. "Their salaries certainly aren't a mystery, but some of their members are. What do you think?" Lightning scoffed under her breath. That damn boy doesn't even look old enough to drink... but that could be interesting.
