Waking Up The Ghost {Rosch}

[Jihl Nabaat]

She could see it now. New Bodhum was just now on the horizon. It really did live up to it’s name from what she could see as she looked down at it. It looked like the Bodhum from Cocoon had basically picked itself up and brought the city here. It was literally a new Bodhum, and she had to commend the citizens for that; dealing with the change and everything. Lately, she hadn’t been the best one to deal with change. After all, not long ago, she had been branded into a Pulse l’Cie. An enemy of the former Cocoon, and possibly still an enemy of what she stood in front of her now. It certainly didn’t help that it was possible that she would be the cause of it’s destruction soon enough. From what she had seen at the moment of her Branding, she had seen this town along with explosions. She could only chalk that up to one possible conclusion. She could only hope she was right about. If not, then she would end up making a terrible mistake.

But, she wasn’t going to try and destroy it right now. No, right now she was waiting for Rosch to meet up with her here. A while ago they had split ways so that he could stay in Academia for a few things and she continue to head to New Bodhum. He had said that he would meet up with her there, so she would wait for him on the outskirts on the city before she took any action.A slight wind blew, pushing her hair back away from her face, but also moving her collar so that a small bit of her brand could be seen. It had only progressed one stage, but she knew that that meant that slowly her time was starting to dissipate. She was either get closer to finishing her Focus and becoming a crystal, or getting closer to failing and turning into a Cie’th. And frankly, she didn’t know which of the two was worse. On the one hand, she could deal with falling into a possible eternal sleep, but at the cost of an entire city and its inhabitants? Or turn away from her Focus and become a mindless monster anyway? She shook her head and looked down at the grass beneath her feet. The choice was one she had mulled over many a time on her way to this city. She wished she could just get it over with, but she knew that was easier said than done, unfortunately. So, she did the only thing she could think of at the moment.

She sat down on the grass, and waited for Rosch to show up. She had some small bits on food on her person which would keep her from going into town at least for a little while, which she was happy about. For now, the only thing she could do was mull over the choices she was given once again and try to come to some sort of end result. Though she completely doubted that that would happen anytime soon.

~~~

Words: 544
Muse: Good
Notes: Nothing

[Yaag Rosch]

The journey thus far had certainly been…worthwhile. Splitting with Jihl wasn’t an easy thing to do, but Yaag had wanted to see Academia, the city that made everything on Pulse look…plain. It was full of life, and humble people, it was pretty nice to see, almost worth the fact that there was a heavy burden still looming over the shoulders of both himself and his comrade, the one he split from and was supposed to meet In New Bodhum in a matter of days since his departure. It was a good thing he stopped in at Academia though, there he had ran into a face he never thought he’d see again. Hope Estheim, it was certainly different seeing him all grown up and not having some sort of angry revenge or grudge held against him for all the times that Rosch had tried to take down the band of l’cie…in fact, Hope had been rather hospitable compared to the treatment this former PSICOM Director deserved.

Now, with a place in society again, Rosch felt a little more at ease. He was going into the military again, helping the people of Cocoon, but with less pressure on his shoulders. There was no public eye looming over him and breathing down his neck, it made things a little easier, but even still…the situation with Jihl made almost anything seem darker and unpleasant. With a shake of his head, Rosch continued onwards, able to see New Bodhum from quiet the distance, he wasn’t sure if he was late or early in regards to meeting his ally here, but he sure hoped he’d find her soon. With eyes searching the outer area of Bodhum first, he caught sight of the blond sitting in the grass, a good ways away from the city. How he could tell it was her? Well, the super long curly blond hair for one, and second…who else would want to stay out of the town you were supposed to destroy? Or at least, that was the theory. So…he was probably the late one, whoops.

Approaching Jihl, Rosch came to her at her side, that way he didn’t sneak up behind her or anything. Startling her was not in his best interest, he kept all of those legends of the l’cie in the back of his mind. A nasty shock could progress your brand even quicker, not that a simple startle would do such a thing, he just wanted to keep her calm, to not be afraid, call it being…way too overprotective. Casually dropping himself down to the ground to sit next to her, he crossed his legs criss cross and leaned back, his arms propping himself up as his eyes ultimately landed on the small seaside city of New Bodhum, just like the one on Cocoon really. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long. I…got a little tied up in Academia.” He spoke calmly, not wanting to make excuses for himself, and of course not wanting to bring up the l’cie thing just yet, even though it was practically impossible to avoid that topic of conversation.

Oh well, it would come sooner or later, and Yaag would rather it wait, the last thing he wanted was to go into protective and cheering up mode to lift the spirits of one l’cie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 649
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Jihl
Wearing:[/color] >>Click<<
Listening To:[/color] Nothing
Notes:[/color]

[Jihl Nabaat]

Jihl had to admit. It was hard looking down at New Bodhum town as se sat on the hilltop a good few yards away. She thought she might have to destroy it. After all, it was what she had seen. Still, she couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive as to whether or not that really was her Focus. She had only gotten a hazy glimpse, just as the rumors had said back when she was working with PSICOM, and those few images that she got couldn't possibly be enough to come to a fully made conclusion. She couldn’t help but stress out over all of this information and she knew she got agitated and annoyed and impatient and those things did not go well with a l’Cie. After all, another rumor was the fact that if anything happened to a l’Cie, then bad things tended to happen. Such as the brand progressing faster or even becoming a Cie’th before she even had a chance to try and finish her Focus. So, she took a deep breath and did her best to clear her thoughts. She needed to keep calm for as long as possible. If not, then she didn’t know what was going to happen to her.

As she tried her hardest to get rid of those oh-so-happy thoughts, she noticed movement off to the side of her, and moved her head in reaction to it. She was slightly surprised to see Rosch as he sat down next to her and made himself comfortable in the grass. He seemed different. For one thing, he wasn’t wearing his PSICOM uniform anymore. Just simple clothes that were probably easy to move in, whether it be walking, running, or fighting. He also seemed to be happier. It wasn;t noticeable by way of his facial expressions, just the way he was carrying himself and the such. Jihl had come to be use to these kind of things. Those things sorta grew when you worked alongside someone for so long. Much like she and Rosch had. She shook her head as she listened to him speak, and turned her eyes on to the grass and not what was sitting in front of her. “I haven’t been waiting long. I just got here myself.” She had taken as long as possible to get down here since they had split up at Academia. She couldn’t help it. “You seem to be quite content. I guess the side-trip went well?”

By the tone of his voice, she knew he was going to do his best to tiptoe around the l’Cie issue. They both had after she had been branded, and after that first night. But, now that they were both here, she knew she would have to face the inevitable and see what would happen. She had to go down into that town and some point and get it over with. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh as she waited for a response and allowed her eyes to drift over the beach city.

~~~

Words: 515
Muse: Good
Notes: Hope it is alright. :3

[Yaag Rosch]

Keeping the subject of Jihl’s being a l’cie on the down low was easy with anyone but Jihl herself. Yaag had his mindset ready, able to keep himself talking about anything and everything other than the focus she had to complete. Of course with her focus having something to do with New Bodhum it wouldn’t be easy since that was where they were to be meeting, but still, he’d do his best to avoid the subject until she brought it up, whenever that would occur. With his steps being noticeable, coming up to the former PSICOM officer, he sat down next to her, his arms folded slightly as he rested them on his knees, gazing down at the city below as small talk would be okay for now, just to sort of see what had been going on during their departure so Yaag could get to Academia and take care of the various things he needed to take care of. Luckily he’d hurried those up pretty quick in time to make it here with good timing.

“Hm, good then. I was about to feel bad for making you wait a long time for me, not that I’m not worth waiting for or anything.” He added with a grin in her direction, just doing what he could to bring a smile to her face. He knew the road to being a l’cie was tough, but seeing Hope in Academia reminded him that anything was possible. You could defy your focus, live to tell the tale and make something out of yourself afterwards. Maybe Jihl could have that same stroke of luck if they tried hard enough? As for his trip, was he going to explain to her about Academia? Was he going to tell her about how Hope and the other l’cie survived after having saved Cocoon and they were offering him a spot in the army once more? Well, it’d be something to talk about, but he wasn’t going to give an elaborate show as to his trip. Shrugging his shoulders a bit, he leaned back before folding his arms behind his head, his icy blue-grey eyes now fixed on the clear sky, once Cocoon could be seen in this view, now it was simply a crystal shell. Kind of mindboggling, hm?

Nodding slightly as he closed his eyes now, he felt at ease, the ocean breeze from the shores ahead brushing against his face, the clear and nature filled air was just nice, it felt less artificial, more free. “You could say that. I got offered a job already.” He said with a bit of satisfaction in his voice. Hopefully these bits he spoke would distract Jihl long enough to give her a bit of peace of mind. “A military job at that, though not as glamorous or ‘in the lime light’ as being a Director was.” He shrugged his shoulders again, opening one eye and gazing towards the blond next to him, wondering what she was thinking, if his words were even distracting her or boring her. “I presume your trip wasn’t all that difficult?” well, she’d made it here in one piece hadn’t she? That was an indicator of something, wasn’t it? Oh well, might as well continue the small talk until something drastic came up, he was waiting for it…preparing for it mentally, but still unsure of how to approach the situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 661
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Jihl
Wearing:[/color] Already linked!
Listening To:[/color] Trading Yesterday
Notes:[/color]

[Jihl Nabaat]

Jihl could easily tell that Rosch was happy with his visit in Academia when he walked up to her and sat down. He seemed to be less tense, and more relaxed than he usually had been, and she took that as a good sign. Shaking her head at his comment, she tried to allow her shoulders to relax as well, and let out a sigh to calm herself down a bit more. She had a pretty good idea as to why she was so nervous, but thought that she had better control of herself than this. Though, it had been a life-altering event and even the most calm people could be a little nervous with the gigantic change that occurs. Yes, that was it. Most certainly.

She raised an eyebrow when Rosch said he had already found a job, but wasn’t surprised at all when he told her that it was a military position. She would have been shocked if he said it wasn’t something involving that. After all, both him and her had dedicated their lives to PSICOM back up on Cocoon. It just wasn’t something that they could give up easily. And she was sure that if she hadn’t been branded then she would most likely be helping out as well with the military operations on this new world. But, that wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon, unfortunately. Luckily, Rosch chose that moment to speak up once more before she got herself all depressed once more. She listened and then shrugged. “It wasn’t too difficult. There weren’t many monsters to deal with and it helps when you can cast Fire to make a fire.” She frowned. So much for not getting depressed, but she just took a deep breath and looked up at the sky instead of the small town at the bottom of the hill. She had time. She had time. But, she could feel time slipping by with each passing second. She gripped one of her hands into a fist and squeezed tight, hearing her leather gloves squeak at the taut grip that it made.

Taking another deep breath, she calmed herself down once more and allowed her tight fist to loosen up a bit but didn’t let it fall automatically. She didn’t want Rosch to worry about her than he already was. She could tell he was trying to stay off of the subject, but it was there, standing full front and center right on her neck, obviously slightly progressed. She was a strong woman, she knew that. But, in her late line of work, she had seen people fall under the stress of their task, and seen grief of losing a loved one to the curse of either end point. It was a hard life, being a l’Cie. She brought her head down and turned her head to look out at the sea. “And I’m guessing yours wasn’t too hard either? Seeing as to how you are sitting here in one piece.”

~~~

Words: 500
Muse: Good
Notes: Na-da :3

[Yaag Rosch]

Sitting here, trying to keep the pressure of being a l’cie away from Jihl was definitely a tough duty. Yaag didn’t know what it felt like to be a l’cie, but he could only imagine the pain and desire to rid of the brand itself, he knew physically removing it wasn’t possible, and he knew well what the legends had said, once you were branded…you basically had two options, eternal life or becoming a horrendous cie’th. He wished neither for Jihl, he knew Hope and the other l’cie had escaped their fates somehow…if he could figure out a loophole for Jihl, he’d do what he could to aid her, but there also came his vow to the people, to protect them, it was in his power to protect them from any pulse-ridden threat that wandered, and right now…one might say Jihl was a threat, though he couldn’t be positive about her focus, neither could she, but he was trying to look before leaping instead of how he had acted last time there was a l’cie crisis in his grasp.

There would be no mistakes this time, or at least that’s what Rosch was hoping for, he didn’t want to be placed with an ultimatum between protecting the people, or helping Jihl. Couldn’t he do both? That seemed pretty reasonable, but anything these days was easier said than done. With her comment about fire, Rosch wasn’t sure where to go with the conversation, he simply remained quiet, thinking and wondering what it was he was supposed to say to make her feel better, but really, there wasn’t much more encouraging words he could possibly muster to help her, so dropping that topic altogether seemed like the best bet. With a small little sigh, he then heard her words, flipping the question back to himself. He gave her a slight gaze, still sitting there at her side and wondering why he cared so much. Especially for someone like Jihl…after all they’d been through, all the blood and sweat he’d put into getting to where he had been in PSICOM only to get squashed by her and her damn pride…why the heck did he care so much for her life? It wasn’t a question that could be answered, at least not now.

“It wasn’t difficult for me either. There were a few undesirable creatures along the way, but nothing a former PSICOM director like myself couldn’t handle.” He said with a small wink in her direction, hoping to put a smile on her face somehow, to cheer her up or get her mind off of being a l’cie. There was just no freaking way to avoid it though! What was he supposed to say? ‘Oh I’m sorry.’ Sorry meant nothing these days, it was just a filler. With a small pause, he then moved, pushing himself up and onto his feet, extending a hand down to help Jihl up. “What do you say we take a walk? I hear the coast of this town can be quite peaceful…and peaceful is just what you need.” He offered, still keeping his hand down and ready to pull her to her feet, doing what he could to brighten her day…as if he were some teenage boy again, whatever, that thought was going to the back of his mind immediately, never did he want to be compared to some…lovestruck teenager whose only thought was to make that other person super happy somehow…even though that’s exactly how he was acting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 699
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Jihl
Wearing:[/color] Already linked
Listening To:[/color] 21 guns: Green Day
Notes:[/color] >_> he’s totally a teenage boy right here.

[Jihl Nabaat]

Looking down at the city made Jihl’s stomach rise, drop, flutter, and knot itself up in nervousness. Something was stuck in her throat and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to get rid of it anytime soon. Thoughts kept being thrown around in her mind. Thoughts she couldn’t help but think about. Was she really supposed to destroy that city? Was this really the Fal’Cie’s wish? What did it get out of destroying buildings and thousands of people? Its land back? From what she had seen, and remembered, the night she had been branded that thing could go in and do it all on its own. Even back on Cocoon, she and the citizens and the researchers couldn’t understand the motive of the Fal’Cie. So, they had just gone along with it, completely blind to the actual thing and just using the l’Cie as their tools. But, now that she was a l’Cie herself, she understood the horror, terror, fear, and despair of the tools...people she had used...come in contact with. Amazing how one simple event could change a person’s life and outlook on life.

She did her best to take the focus off of her melancholy thoughts and back on to Rosch who was still sitting next to her. She wondered how his journey to Academia had gone, and thus asked him, waiting patiently for the answer. He answered simply, stating that it went smoothly except for a couple of obstacles in the way that he had obviously gotten through. He also made a clever remark about doing good because he was a former PSICOM director and shot a wink in her direction. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head in disbelief, a small grin showing up on her face. But, then he stood up and she looked up at him, her face showing her confusion. “What are you doing?” she asked, but then he answered her question almost immediately as he lowered a hand down to help pull her up. A walk? That...wasn’t a bad idea. Maybe a calming walk was all she needed to calm her mind and get some of the more depressing thoughts out of her mind. At least for the time being. “Alright,” she answered, reaching up to take his hand and pull herself up into a standing position, “I’ll take you up on your offer.”

So, that is just what the did. They headed over to the coastline, by the ocean and Jihl did her best to calm herself as the sea breeze pushed her hair back away from her face. She kept her head turned out towards the water, and not towards the city where her mind would wander once more. At least looking out at the water allowed her mind to wander to different thoughts. She wondered if Rosch was content with himself back at Academia. He seemed to be pretty happy when they met up earlier, and after all the military had been his life. If it hadn’t been for her, he would still be happy...Screw it.

“Yaag...maybe it would be best for you to go back to Academia. I can handle myself here. You should just be happy for as long as possible.”

~~~

[/color]

Words: 542
Muse: Good!
Notes: Depressing. Oh, so depressing. 8’D[/size]

[Yaag Rosch]

Call him whatever you want, but Rosch was anything but selfish. At least most of the time he wasn’t. Usually his loyalty laid with the people, his devotion to protecting them was rather impressive, and even here, though l’cie could be very dangerous towards a large populace – especially one that had just recovered from such horrible events such as the fall of Cocoon – he was willing to put that devotion aside for the feelings of someone else. Why make her feel more uncomfortable than she probably already was? The last thing Rosch needed to do was go on about his new military position, in fact, he could shut the hell up and get to a new topic, anything to make Jihl feel better, and that was going to be a hard task to accomplish no matter what he said or did.

The idea of a walk seemed generic, but everyone needed a bit of time to clear their head, get some fresh air and hopefully get on a topic that would distract them from the horrors of today. If anything, Rosch was just trying to get her up and moving instead of moping. So has he climbed to his feet, he didn’t even go to actually answer her question of what he was doing, he simply whipped around and immediately extended a hand in her direction, giving her a small and very sincere smile as he offered a walk. It was a nice idea, generic, cliché maybe, but nice all and all. Continuing to extend his arm, he waited, looking at Jihl and seeing the expressions on her face. At first he almost expected Jihl to reject his offer, to simply turn him down and state that she was in no mood for a walk or anything like that to get her mind off of things. He was almost shocked when she reached her hand up, and once he clasped his around hers, he gripped tightly and pulled her up to her feet with ease, feeling a small bit of satisfaction with himself, having gotten her at least on her feet was nice…this was a step in the right direction…maybe for even a few minutes…maybe she could learn to forget.

Upon reaching the shoreline, Yaag remained mostly silent, letting the sounds of the ocean waves hitting the sand fill his ears. It was relaxing, and it made even him a little more worry-free a he walked with his arms folded behind his back. His eyes stared towards where and sand and ocean met, until Jihl’s words knocked him from his temporary mental paradise. Grey-blue eyes flickered in her direction, as well as his head in general, almost a bit stunned by her words, but no expression of shock ever crossed his face before he took a few steps faster and turned himself, blocking Jihl’s path and standing in front of her. “What?” he commented once, his face turning a bit to more of a confused one, not that he misunderstood her words…but…what would make her think that leaving would make him happy? Sure he loved his military work, he loved being able to help the people, but with his mind on Jihl’s situation…he could never be at ease in Academia while she remained here, and you can bet he was going to be vocal about that.

“You think sticking around in Academia would make me happier? You’re here, and you’ve got…quite the situation resting on your shoulders. Leaving you here to deal with it…it wouldn’t make me happy. I think it would be best if I stayed. I mean, so long as you’ll allow my company.” It was then he took a step forward, closing the gap between them a little more, placing his hands on her shoulders and making sure she couldn’t wander from him or even scoff at his words, he was dedicating himself to this. “You’re not alone you know. I’ll do what I can to help you out…okay?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 764
Muse:[/color] Excellent!
Tagged:[/color] Jihl!
Wearing:[/color] Already linked.
Listening To:[/color] Something!
Notes:[/color] Insert determined face here.

[Jihl Nabaat]

She knew that from the moment the brand had been put on her neck, happiness wasn’t going to be much of a reoccurring emotion anymore. She was a slave to a higher power, the likes of which could destroy with possibly just one breath. There were only two paths that she could walk now. Become a crystal that would live forever until called on once more, or become a mindless monster until dispatched. She could never figure out which would be a more horrible destiny than the other. Some claimed that eternal life was the better path, and wished for it themselves. But, even then, even with eternal life she would still be a slave. And Jihl hated being a slave. It was her life. So, why couldn’t she let it be hers? It was unfair. Then again, life was unfair.

Knowing all of this, she didn’t want to drag Yaag down with her. After all, he seemed happy with the way things were in Academia. He deserved to be happy with what he could do best, instead of trying to cheer up a pitiful l’Cie slave like her. He was only going to end up helping her to destroy a village with most likely thousand of innocent civilians inside who hadn’t done a thing to deserve such a fate. She didn’t want that for him. She didn’t want that for anyone. but most definitely not for him. It was for the best if he went back. He could live his life, be happy, and not have to worry about losing to her ever again. It should be his dream come true. So why was he here still trying to help her get through this? Why was he going to risk his life for someone who had made his life a living hell since day one back in the Academy? Jihl didn’t want the answer, whether it because she wasn’t able to answer it herself, or just because she didn’t want to know.

So, she did the only thing that came to mind at that moment as the two former Lieutenant Commanders of PSICOM continued to walk along the shore. She told him what she had just thought about. She told him to leave her and go be happy. Go live his life. And he answered in the most unexpected way imaginable for Jihl. He moved faster than her, twisting around so that he blocked her path. His face didn’t show any signs of shock as she glanced at it before returning her gaze back onto the water. He spoke, contradicting every thing she had just thought of, making her rethink why it was he was still here, helping her. He moved forward and placed his hands on her shoulders and she gripped her hands into fists, her eyes narrowing into a glare. Why was he doing this? He should just leave, before it was too late. She wasn’t alone, huh? If she remember correctly, Pulse l’Cie had been rejected back on Cocoon and she figured it would be the same here. Opinions were not easily swayed.

“You just don’t get it, do you? I’m a l’Cie, remember! A Pulse l’Cie. The person...the thing that we both hunted down back on Cocoon. The thing we both fought against and died doing so. You still are human. You still have a life. It would be best for you to just leave me and live a normal life while you still can.” She became aware of a burning sensation on her neck but ignored it completely as she turned her head back forward and bowed it, her chin almost touching her chest. “Normal disappeared and vanished for me as soon as I was branded. You’re free. And I’m a slave.”

~~~

Words: 629
Muse: Excellent
Notes: Why does this type of thinking come so naturally for someone like me? XD

[Yaag Rosch]

Yaag was determined, that much could easily be seen, but it just seemed like Jihl wouldn’t allow him to assist in any way. If there was anything he learned during his time chasing after and hunting the l’cie a long time ago, it was that no matter what you were, l’cie or not, they seemed to be fighting for the same goal. Just because you were different, it didn’t mean that you weren’t worth keeping alive. His eyes had been opened after having the crap kicked out of him multiple times by said l’cie. He’d been so obsessed with the hunt, to see them put down…he’d been blinded by that obsession to the point where he couldn’t see just exactly what it was that was going on. He wasn’t going to make that mistake again. L’Cie or not, Jihl was…a comrade, somewhat of a friend if you’d call her that, but this was more than just being normal or living a life, friends…they helped one another.

Jihl was just being stubborn and unreasonable, that’s what. It almost made Yaag want to frown, but he was just trying to be supportive. If she wanted to go through this ordeal alone…then that was really sad. He shook his head at her tiny outburst of words. His face fell slightly, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed. “You think taking on something like this alone is a wise choice? The things we did…hunting those l’cie, we were wrong. I lived long enough to see just what it was they were capable of doing, I’d learned their true motives, I’d seen how wrong the entire Sanctum had been about them. I don’t intend on making that mistake again, Nabaat. If you really think going about all of this alone is wise, then so be it. That doesn’t mean my mind will be at ease, normal life or not.” He nearly scolded. If she wanted him to have a normal life, to be happy, then leaving her behind would…not leave him the least bit happy. In fact, he was sure it would bug him to no end, sure he loved the job of protecting the people, but…he had a conscience, wasn’t that enough?

“Normal doesn’t mean a damn thing. You think living on Pulse, dealing with fal’cie on a daily basis, portals that lead to anywhere…you think THAT’S normal?” Rosch asked in a bit of a louder tone, not getting into a yelling match, but certainly making his words more…emphasized as a whole. He shook his head at her, she was just being silly, or crabby, or both combined. It was almost expected, which was sad. “As much as one might had to admit it Jihl, we’re comrades…former co-workers, and maybe…maybe you might even consider us friends of sorts. Sticking together through tough times and helping one another out, isn’t that what friends are supposed to do? Pushing everyone away and cowering to yourself will only make you give into despair sooner.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 609
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Jihl
Wearing:[/color] already linked.
Listening To:[/color] FF Stuffs
Notes:[/color] Nada!

[Jihl Nabaat]

Jihl had to take this ordeal on alone. She couldn’t allow Rosch to fall into the pit of despair that she was slowly being pulled in herself. She couldn’t allow someone who still had a chance at a life he had been waiting for, to just push it all aside for someone like her. Besides, why did he care now? She had made his life a living hell back on Cocoon, beating him at everything and then when she was working alongside him at PSICOM. So, why did he see the reason to stay here with her now? She thought that as soon as he found out she was branded that he would have left here where she had been laying. But, he had carried her back, made sure she was ok, and then here they were. Bickering over whether or not Rosch was staying or going. And he seemed quite adamant about staying, no matter how much she protested against the stupid idea.

And the more she listened, the more her brain tried to make sense of what he was saying. They had been wrong? The Sanctum had been wrong all of that time? After all of that tracking and using, they...she had been wrong. She had ruined a family’s life all for the sake of using and finding other l’Cie so that she could track them down and rid the world of another evil. And yet, she had been wrong. No, this wasn’t right. She looked down at the sand. The idea that she and Rosch were friends made more sense than that. Her whole life she had tried to do good for the citizens of Cocoon, using the l’Cie as tool as they were meant to be used. Pushing people away...she had done that with the Katzroy’s, hadn’t she? She had pushed them away. Despair. “Maybe that’s all for the best. To just fall and rid the world of someone so horrible like me.”

Her neck suddenly felt like it was on fire, and she clutched her hands against it, closing her eyes shut at the pain. Her slightly progressed brand glowed, showing itself as it started to glow a grayish blue color. It felt like a thousand needles were piercing the left side of her neck regardless of her collar. She fell down to her knees at the pain, the sand piling up around her. What was happening to her? Her brand hadn’t hurt this much when it had progressed. It had just been a small pinprick, not even that. This...this was pure torture. She had no idea that l’Cie went through such pain or for what reason. She opened her eyes and looked up to glare at Rosch. This was it. This was the reason as to why he should go back to Academia and forget about her. “Go. Now!” A circle appeared underneath her at that same time, glowing the same grayish blue tone as her brand, and she stared at it in shock. What the-? Her brain suddenly caught up with her and she jumped away in time as a large...something flew out from the circle and up to the sky. It was bird-like thing with markings over the body and the tips of areas becoming a golden yellow. Lightning flashed through the sky. Jihl stared. The legends were true. Eidolons were real. Which meant...she was in so much despair that she had summoned it. And now, if it stuck with the myths and the legends then that meant...she stood and drew her Saber. She wasn’t going to die that easily. Not after all that she had went through.

~~~

Words: 613
Muse: Great!
Notes: POOF! Eidolon.

[Yaag Rosch]

Jihl was starting to get on Yaag’s last nerve. Not because of this whole focus ordeal, but because of this…wanting to be alone through something so difficult thing. He wanted to shake some sense into her, but this thing was pulling her too far into despair for her to see what sense he was making, if any. Rosch wasn’t going to let her get away with just moping though, ha, that was a laugh. When she spoke again, he sighed deeply, rolling his eyes as if he wasn’t amused, and he really wasn’t. She’d never acted so…depressed before, in fact, Jihl was too confident of a person to see like this and not feel bad. It wouldn’t be right to ditch her and let her die a fal’cie slave, that wasn’t fair. If Lightning and her gang could escape a focus as they did, then who is to say that Jihl couldn’t escape such a fate as well? Despite how much Jihl disagreed with him already, Yaag was going to help, whether she liked it or not.

“Are you really moping? I’ve never seen this side of you Jihl Nabaat. For someone who went out of their way to make sure I always came in second best…for someone with enough confidence to last a lifetime, this side of you is really unattractive.” He said in a blunt tone with a slight shrug. There was no way he was sugarcoating his true statements. She was making herself feel worse just by being so pessimistic, sure everyone fell into their bits of despair, but Jihl wasn’t just falling, she was crashing and burning all at the same time. With his arms folded across his chest, Yaag simply shook his head, wanting to really knock some sense into that thick skull of hers, but there was one trait Jihl was sticking to, she was being too damn stubborn for her own good. Maybe if she let him stick around and try to help her, to find a solution to all of this…then maybe she wouldn’t be so damn depressed. Somehow he was going to make her see that there was a positive side to everything…even if he wasn’t so optimistic himself.

His knocking sense into her idea was going to have to wait thought. Jihl seemed to be in abrupt pain, which caused Yaag to actually take a step back, rather than a step forward. When the glyph appeared beneath her, Yaag took a few more cautious steps away, his mind racing through everything he knew of L’Cie. When she moved, he watched the summon fly out of that glyph, his jaw ready to hit the ground. “Well I’ll be damned.” He mumbled to himself as he watched it move, disregarding anything she said about leaving of course. If anything, he was as stubborn as an ox, just as she was. So the legends were true. Eidolons did exist. When a l’cie dropped down into the deepest despair, an Eidolon appeared to put them out of their misery…or so people began to think. There was another theory floating around within the rumors. Eidolons appeared to show you that you could complete your focus, or defy fate in some cases, and it put you back on the right track. Yaag was going to go with that theory.

Unsheathing his masamune from his side, he ran up to Jihl’s side, a small confident smile on his face. “This is good luck, Nabaat! This thing will show you the way…tame it…and find the path you belong on. No one’s dying today.” He said as he stood at her side, ready to fight and aid her, but this was primarily her battle, he was simply joining her party so to speak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 727
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Jihl
Wearing:[/color] Already linked
Listening To:[/color] Chances: Five for Fighting
Notes:[/color] --

[Jihl Nabaat]

She hadn’t really thought of herself as being in despair. She knew she was a strong person, otherwise she wouldn’t have come here. It would be better if she was alone and took this burden on by herself so that no one would get hurt. She had already practically destroyed a father and son because of l’Cie and Fal’Cie. and she knew that Rosch had been happy with his work back in Academia, and yet here he was, screwing up his own life to help her. She didn’t know why either. After all that she had done in the past to make him second, she would have thought he would dump her as soon as they got to Cocoon or when she got branded. But, he was still here, trying to get it through her thick skull that he was staying until everything was resolved. He really was a different person than she had originally thought. After all of those years of working alongside him, it wasn’t until the turn of events happened that she saw the real side of him.

Then the pain erupted and she fell to her knees, clutching her neck as if that would ease it in any way. The circle appeared before her and she moved out of the way as the summon flew out of it and up into the sky. She couldn’t help but stare at it in shock and yet, she had stood, unsheathing her Saber in the process. She was actually going to fight. If she didn’t want to hurt anyone then this was her chance; just allow the Eidolon, or whatever it was, to destroy her and then maybe this town and its people wouldn’t get destroyed. But, then her life would mean nothing. All of that hard work for naught. It just didn’t sit well with Jihl. So, she prepared herself for a hard fight. Then Yaag ran froward to stand next to her, his Masamune in his hand, spouting something about “good luck” and “finding the path” or something like that. She just stared at him, before focusing her mind back on the matter at hand. She had heard the word tame, maybe she had to beat this thing. That seemed like one of the only logical choices. So, the only other choice was to go along with it.

The Eidolon flew up and then came down in a dive, looking to charge Jihl. She jumped out of the way at the last possible moment, rolling to stop her momentum. She looked up, her grip hard on her Saber as she watched the Eidolon fly through the air. It would be difficult to attack it while it was in the air, and Jihl wasn’t sure if her AMP-technology still worked or she had the side-effects of being a l’Cie. Even more, she didn’t know what to use against it to make it weaker. This would definitely turn out to be an interesting battle. But, for right now she would just have to focus on attacking when it swooped down once more. That is, if it didn’t cast Thunder at the moment. Jihl just barely got out of the way, but her arm and leg were both hit and she fell into sand. She sat up cursing, her Saber still in her hand. “Dammit. Well, it certainly isn’t going to make this cakewalk.”

~~~

Words: 566
Muse: Good
Notes: I think either next post or the one after that will have her tame it if that is alright with you. :3

[Yaag Rosch]

This was completely and utterly ridiculous. If Jihl was going to mope and be all depressed then that was awesome, that didn’t mean Rosch was just going to turn heel and flee the scene. He had committed himself to helping her, why? Because they were comrades of a sort, he’d known her for many years, and even though she could be a…bit out of line sometimes, hard to tolerate…he was sure he could tolerate her enough to help her through this. No one deserved to be thrown into such a fate. Not even Jihl Nabaat. Shaking his head at her was becoming a common movement for the silver haired military man, he was simply ignoring her words to get gone and what not, no matter what she said or did, he’d simply follow her, with or without her consent. At least someone was trying to help her…and hopefully that would get through her thick skull sometime soon.

Maybe not as soon as Yaag would’ve hoped.

The Eidolon had been summoned, and as he had his masamune removed from its sheath and ready to get some fighting action in, he looked towards Jihl and tried to convince her that this was a good thing. It had to be! This thing was going to show her the way, to get her mind back on track and let her know that she did have the strength and mentality to get through this thing, whether it was bad or a good ending, she’d get through it, and like he’d stated many times before, he’d be there to help her do it, whatever it was they needed to do. Looking for a loophole through this was the first thing they needed to do…well after taking care of this summon. This was primarily Jihl’s fight, Yaag was simply an aid, someone to help her tame this beast so it would bend to her will. He was ready, a positive attitude in his head as he shot a glance towards the blonde, she wasn’t the type to just lay down and die…if she didn’t stand up and fight against this thing now…then she really had given up all hope.

When the Eidolon took off and went for a dive towards Jihl, Rosch did a quick side step, watching as Jihl moved out of the way as well, at least she moved, he could be happy enough about that…and she had her Saber! Looking over towards her, she seemed to be thinking about something, maybe how to tame it…or even what to do. Rosch himself didn’t have a good idea as to how to take down a flying creature, especially when they didn’t have anything on them like a gun or whatnot. He watched as the eidolon swooped down again, knocking Jihl over and into the sand, her saber in the sand as well. Rosch went running, ducking down and grabbing her saber as he trailed towards her and grabbed her elbow from underneath, pulling her up to her feet. “Don’t strategize all of this out, just fight. That’s all this thing wants from you. Show it what you’ve got.” He said before placing the saber in her hand once more and taking a step to the side, gripping his own weapon and watching the eidolon carefully, he was ready…and Jihl had better be too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words:[/color] 649
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Jihl
Wearing:[/color] Already linked
Listening To:[/color] Nothing
Notes:[/color] --

[Jihl Nabaat]

This Eidolon was starting to get on her nerves. But, she knew she had to keep herself calm and think about this rationally. If she lost her mind now then there was no telling what was going to happen, No, she needed to focus and win. That was all that mattered. She had come too far to just die now. She had already died once, and sure her life was harder now, but she didn’t give up. No one got far in the world with giving up and not working hard. She did her best to watch the beast as it dived and careened, causing her to jump out of the way before she could even land an attack. The thing was monstrous, and it would be difficult to attack it while it was flying. Unless some of the rumors of the l’Cie were true. But, she couldn’t worry about that right now. Right now she had to dodge another attack from the Eidolon, and she fell to the ground, her Saber falling from her hand. She grunted and sat up quickly as she wracked her brain to figure out a way to fight this thing. Rosch ran over and helped her up, putting her Saber back into her hand. Don’t strategize, just fight? Jihl was used to strategizing. That was how she won. Then this really was going to be a hard fight. She nodded and moved down into a ready stance, her feet light and ready to move in any direction. Sand would be hard to fight on, but so long as she won, she didn’t care what terrain she was fighting on.

Well, then if she had to fight then it looked like some experimentation would have to go into all of this. She still had the ATB technology, but if she was correct in what she remembered then she wouldn’t need it for what she had planned against this creature. Jumping forward out of the way of another dodge she tried to focus her energy as that seemed like the logical thing to do. If she remembered correctly, then...she thrust her hand out and ice flew from it, hitting the Eidolon straight on. It screamed out in pain and then rushed forward in anger. Unsure of how she had done that, she brought her Saber up to block and was blasted back, though not as much as she would have been if she didn’t bring her weapon up. She stood up again, and focused, this time trying something else. Water rushed forward and hit the Eidolon once more. Well, this seemed like it was going to work. She continued to dodge it’s rageful attacks, and focused on attacking it when it was flying around to take another shot at her. She continued that for a while, each time feeling more and more spent as the fight went on. If this went on for much longer, than she could possibly be in trouble. After another dodge, and another blast of ice to the Eidolon, it finally stopped in id-air and floated down. It disappeared in a flash of lightning, leaving a small round orb, of what looked to be crystal, to then disappear into her brand.

She stood there, tired and confusing. She...won? She actually won? She hadn’t expected a victory against something that had come from her suffering. She couldn’t believe that the rumors they had heard about l’Cie were true. It was all so hard to believe and yet there she was, still standing, still breathing, and now feeling much more confident in herself. It all felt so strange. And yet, it also felt comforting. She clutched her Saber. She did it.

~~~

Words: 620
Muse: Amazing!
Notes: