Love Springs Eternal (??)

[bright_and_blue]

Who: ERRYBODY
What: It's Valentine's Day, and there are matchmaking notices everywhere. Here's an open log for one and all to post their shenanigans, meet ups, freak outs, and whatever else they're going to do about this.
When: forward dated to Feb. 14
Where: All over Aqures Ixen
Warnings: Ridiculousness.

[Plastering the city are notices matching up all of the Heroes of Light with one another, both the best and the worst. Moogles are having a grand old time handing them out and hanging them up, and are encouraging Heroes to speak with their top matches.

Naturally, reactions to this are mixed. Some Heroes are intrigued, some annoyed, some offended. Despite their feelings or misgivings, the rest of the city is still celebrating Valentine's Day as well, and now the thoughts of love are everywhere.

OOC: This is an open log for everyone to use for Valentine's Day stuff! Feel free to make your own prompts.]

Comments

[confidentia]

Ace nodded, turning around in the direction of the Crystal of Fire, a route he had become rather familiar with over the course of the past few months.

He occasionally looked at Ramza as they walked, at the same time making sure not to miss anything important along the way. "At least it was nothing personal." Even if his companion's scores could imply otherwise. "... My moogle once spent weeks trying to arrange meetings between me and another Hero. It was as subtle as you could possibly imagine."

Unspoken went the fact that such tactic had actually worked out well in the end, weirdly enough. Still, he could only appreciate it after it had happened.

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza shrugged. At least Simon had not taken to matchmaking. "My moogle, thankfully, does not involve himself in such things. I think he does not approve of distractions to our goal."

The moogle was still a little bothered by Ramza's refusal to take up a job class, but Ramza had been reassured of his choice in the Sage's vision of the future. He knew when the time came, he would have the power he needed to do his part.

"How did you get your moogle to stop?" Because surely, if Ace had no interest in this other Hero, he would have found a way to put a halt to such antics...

[confidentia]

The cadet nodded. "One of the dutiful types, then. I see." Every moogle seemed to hold their Hero's best interests at heart, and they all showed it differently. Though maybe he would have once wished that his acted the same, sometimes it felt comforting to have these little distractions Hanafuda brought every now and then.

Ace fell silent at the unexpected question. "Well, uh," as though to complete his most elaborate answer, his hands dug deeper into the pockets of his uniform as he mused over his reply. "Technically, you could say that she's never stopped."

Ramza was free to take that as he wished, for he was suddenly now more focused on paying attention to the road. After all, he had to think of all those crimes that could be taking place while they were occupied discussing his love conquests.

[zodiac_brave]

"Ah." Ramza smiled a little at that. He enjoyed seeing his friends and allies find love. It gave him hope for the future.

He nodded and turned his focus back to the path. Ace was his senior in law enforcement, and Ramza was supposed to be learning from him. Not that there were any crimes happening on the street that needed their intervention.

[confidentia]

Ramza's cryptic answer first met with befuddlement, if only to eventually elicit an equally subtle smile on the cadet's face. He would let the other think whatever he wanted, unashamed of his feelings unless teased about them like some tended to do.

Indeed, the attention of all had been directed toward the flyers, leaving the streets even emptier than they used to be on such a slow day of the week. Small talk had never been one of the boy's strong points, but neither was it Ace's intention to distance himself from his new workmate, so an attempt would soon be made.

"... So, have you gotten used to the paperwork yet?"

[zodiac_brave]

The blond shrugged at Ace's question. "It is...different...than the reports I was taught to compile when I was a lad in Academy, but Simon has been helping me. It has not been bad so far."

Ramza got the feeling that Sparks Nevada would not approve of one's moogle writing the brunt of said paperwork, so Ramza was making the effort to do it himself. Simon was just...better at it, and liked making sure his Hero was turning in the best reports possible.

"I do wonder what they do with it all. Who reads them?" If it was Biggs, it was no wonder the man was so grumpy, with the sheer volume of pages they sent him.

[confidentia]

"Archivisation purposes, I assume, though considering the trivial nature of most of the offences it does make you wonder whether there has actually been any point to all of the hours spent." Not that he would ever instigate his colleagues to rebel against the system that, being a major part of their responsibilities, had to be obeyed, even if at the cost of simple logic.

Ace thought for a little longer before returning to something else that had caught his attention before. "... I did not meet many others who have received formal military education." Was he wrong to assume it was the case here? Still, something about Ramza's tone sounded oddly familiar.

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza looked down at the road. "I left before graduating, but I spent a year enrolled at the Royal Akademy in Magic City Gariland, and a few years of tutoring in preparation before then."

He shrugged a shoulder and turned his gaze back to the road before him. "It sounds like the military agreed with you more than it did with me."

[confidentia]

Thrown a bit off-track by his companion's negativity, Ace looked at Ramza for a longer moment. "And yet, we're both following the same path."

Though there had once been a myriad of doubts in his mind, he had long since forsaken the thought of officially entering the ranks of the local forces. Especially now, with the region of the Empire struggling with the grave issues of their own, it seemed even more important to cast one's eyes toward their home, rather than conflicts of sometimes unclear nature. Though he often found himself recalling the thrill only a mission could deliver, Law Enforcement provided something more valuable, a chance to protect their city from within, should such a need arise.

Like cleaning it from treacherous posters, for example, such as the ones on this particular notice board ahead-....

"Ten months." The cadet added. "I had only been enrolled for ten months before coming here, though I'd trained for many years prior to that. That would... make us equal, wouldn't it? I suppose you had your reasons."

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza shrugged. "I do not know if we would be 'equals'. I left, and was branded a traitor when I did so." He did not have any particular regrets about doing so. It had been the right choice. But he did not want to give Ace the wrong impression about him and his experience.

"I was...asked to follow orders that were clearly wrong, and to turn a blind eye when innocents suffered for the nobility's gain. I would not have joined the force here if I thought it would be the same."

[confidentia]

The reply hit close to home, but ultimately, Ace decided to keep his words of disagreement to himself, respecting his companion's willingness to share his story with him as it was, given it also seemed to be a delicate subject. Maybe one day, he would have an opportunity to explain himself better. "... I see." His answer was short and quietly spoken, and for a while he didn't say anything else, focusing on the first batch of crookedly pinned posters.

"In that case, it's good to have you on the team, Ramza." He offered a small smile of encouragement. "Even though it's been my field of work for a while now, I haven't had the chance to get to know others too well. I'd like to fix that."

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza nodded. "Agreed." He started pulling down the fliers on the far side of the board from where Ace was working, so they could meet in the middle and finish the work in half the time.

"I have been here for nearly a year and a half, and I still do not know all the Heroes that were called here. I only hope I will not meet any when making arrests.." There were more than a few trouble-maker Heroes, after all.

[confidentia]

Though some of them had been glued onto the surface by the more persistent Moogles, the monotone job hardly required any effort, and there was some satisfaction to be found in seeing the board slowly being freed of all the unfortunate reminders.

"I don't think this has gotten me on anybody's bad side as of yet, because I think I'd have known by now." His mognet mailbox had never seen written threats, at the very least. "Besides, it's never anything personal, so better learn not to consider it as such. These are responsibilities like any others."

[zodiac_brave]

"That is a logical way to look upon it. But not everyone is logical when they feel they are being wronged." He shrugged. He'd been hated during the short time he'd been a cadet doing guard duty.

"I am glad no one has blamed you for performing your duties." Indeed, most everyone respected the police force, minor teasing of Sparks Nevada's love life aside.