melodiesoflife | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Characters: OPEN (Ramza and whoever wishes to join)
Where/When: Starting with the Mognet bulletin boards, then branching out around the city, Oct 18th-the end of the event?
Summary: Something is attacking moogles and making Heroes sick. In an effort to find out what is going on and prevent further damage, Ramza is trying to set up some patrols around the city.
Warnings: Injured Moogles, possibly people dying.

A. At the Mognet Bulletin Boards in your District

The skies around Aqures Ixen seemed unnaturally quiet as Heroes stopped sending their moogles out to deliver messages. Ramza did not know what manner of person or creature was attacking their white winged allies, but he did not wish to allow it to roam the streets freely. With communications down and some Heroes bedridden with various illnesses, it seemed the best way to proceed is to set up a patrol.

Ramza refused to endanger Simon by asking the moogle to deliver the message to the other Heroes. Instead, he wrote out the message on a sheet of parchment and attached it to the bulletin board in the middle of the district. Hopefully, the Heroes who were still well enough to aid in the patrol would see it.

[The message Ramza leaves has a brief explanation of the patrols, a few routes sketched out, and a series of days and times that a hero can sign up for. Most of the routes circle past houses, so that, if a Hero falls ill, help will not be too far away.]

B. On your Patrol Route

Darkness had fallen. The streets were quiet, with the lights from the Moogle's decorations casting a eerie glow. Not knowing what enemy they faced, Ramza tried to coordinate each patrol so that no hero went unaccompanied. There was strength in numbers...he hoped.

[Note: The heroes on patrol will not be able to locate whatever it is attacking the moogles. If any moogles are sent out.away from their heroes during patrols, they will most likely be injured, and if a moogle actively attempts to guide the heroes to the attacker, they will be wounded.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ramza had been out patrolling for a few nights now, but so far he had discovered nothing except that Aqures Ixen had gotten frightfully cold in the past week. His armor did little to ward away the chill of the night as he walked the now familiar route of his patrol.

As he turned a street near the moogle's part of town, he caught sight of something moving in the darkness. He put a hand to his sword's grip as he approached, ready to draw his weapon should the shadowy figure prove hostile.

"Who goes there?" he demanded.

"Chill. It's just me." Yuffie moved into view. She wore her usual tank top and short as if unaffected by the cold. Her expression was serious and her strides filled with purpose. It was rare for Yuffie to stay serious for look but she was annoyed. Nothing mattered except finding this thing that was hurting the moogles.

"You on patrol or something?"

"Yuffie?" His hand immediately dropped from his blade. "What are you doing out on your own? It is dangerous." He shivered. Just looking at her outfit reminded him how cold it was. She must be accustomed to much cooler climes than he.

"Yes, I am," he answered her inquiry. "I am trying to find whatever it is attacking our moogle companions."

"I could say the same to you." She was used to being on her own and generally liked it that way. That was until she started thinking of her home. She walked over to him and lightly tapped him on the back with a smile.

"I'm looking for the attacker too. Mooshoo was hurt the other day..." Her voice trailed off as she looked around them. yuffie was determined to find it.

"Is he alright?" Ramza asked. "I have heard that some moogles have been gravely injured." It made him grateful that, so far at least, Simon had been spared.

He gestured for her to walk with him. "We can search together," he said. "We do not know what we are dealing with. It might be too powerful for a single Hero to confront on their own."

"If you can keep up." Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she walked away. Her pace was brisk and her posture suggested that she was on constant alert.

Yuffie whispered as they walked. "He got hurt really bad..." She was angry at herself for listening to him and not being able to protect him. She didn't much care for his attitude but she didn't want him hurt. She wasn't sure if she wanted anyone hurt anymore. If only the pain could end; for everyone, for her.

Ramza hurried to keep up with the young ninja. He might not have the agility of one schooled in the ninja arts, but he would not be a burden to her, he thought to himself.

"I am so sorry, Yuffie," he said. He had not met her moogle yet, but he wished Mooshoo a speedy recovery. Grief and guilt could drive someone to terrible acts; Ramza had witnessed it with several friends. He resolved not to let Yuffie confront the attacker on her own, not while she was being driven by anger on her moogle's behalf.

"We will find the attacker," he promised. "And we will make sure it harms no one else ever again."

She wished he would go away, she wanted to be angry and to exact her revenge. She never got the chance for revenge; ever. "I'm going to make sure of it."

Yuffie looked towards Ramza with a fake smile. "We'd cover more ground if we split up. I'll be fine on my own." As she spoke she realized that all her feelings contradicted each other. She wanted him to stay but she wanted him to leave. She wanted to tell him and she wanted to keep things inside. It was all frustrating and it only fueled her anger.

Ramza frowned at that. "I would be a poor protector if I left you on your own, Treasure Princess," he declared. He was definitely not leaving her on her own when she was this upset. Not by choice, in any case. With her speed and agility, and with Ramza's armor slowing him down, Yuffie could likely evade him and continue on her own, if she chose. The ninja that had fought by Ramza's side had come and gone as they willed, without their commander being able to stop them.

"I won't try to stop you. I only wish to make sure you are safe." He had seen too many friends, too many cheerful young people like Yuffie, struck down by enemies. He did not want his newest friend added to their numbers.

"I guess I'll let you stay then..." She was still unsure but she liked Ramza. It was comfortable being around him which was a nice change compared to her home.

Yuffie let out a slow breath before turning and smiling at her fellow hero. "So what you hear about this thing thats attacking the moogles?"

Ramza blinked at her for a moment before he made himself smile back at her. Yuffie changed moods faster than Ramza thought possible.

"There is little known for certain about the attacker. It is never seen, and so far, it has only attacked moogles. My moogle, Simon, is researching the monsters in the area to see what could be capable of such attacks. I suspect something aerial, if it can attack moogles in flight. Unless..." he paused. "Mooshoo's injuries, they were not magical, were they?" It had not really occurred to him before now, but the culprit could be some sort of mage, shooting spells at hapless moogles from afar.

Her moods shifted as her feelings did and she had practice holding her anger down so that it could gather a seeth. She was good at getting her anger to fuel her conquests. "No, he said that something ran into him... and my crystal was taken by something similar. A black blur."

Yuffie wanted to say like a ninja but she was angry that it had stolen anything of hers in the first place.

"Your crystal was taken?" Ramza gasped. He was not sure what exactly to believe about the crystals, given his prior experiences and the conflicting reports from the other Heroes, but he knew that they were important, and that they were linked to the Heroes themselves. "Did you feel any different when it was stolen?"

Ramza had not received a crystal when he had been brought here, so he had no point of reference for what a Hero's crystal did for them. But he could not help think that if they were not like the Zodiac Stones that channeled demons' powers, that perhaps they were similar to the soul crystals that formed over fallen warriors. He did not like that Yuffie's was not in her possession.

"mmm, not really." She bounced on her feet a moment before looking back up at Ramza. "I just can't change my job classes. Not that I mind. I'm a ninja threw and threw."

Yuffie grinned at him which continued her implication that it wasn't a very big deal. She just assumed that it might be connected some how. Like maybe the moogles were getting attacked as something was looking for the crystals. She kept her thoughts to herself though, just in case she was wrong.

Yuffie's grin did little to quiet Ramza's growing anxiety about their situation.

"I do not like it. We will find the thief and take back your crystal. It is a part of you, and you alone should possess it."

He frowned. He had thought the attacker must be some beast let loose in the city...but if it was stealing crystals as well, especially from someone as agile as Yuffie...that implied great cunning and a purposeful intent. "This black blur Mooshoo saw, did he think it a man, or a beast?"

"Just blurry.. and black. Why? You got an idea?" She looked over at him curiously wondering if he had more information that what he was saying. Her footfalls were light and she took a moment to watch her feet before looking back out around them.

At some point Yuffie had to go check on Mooshoo and then go back out looking for the attacker. The crystal didn't seem as important as long as she could be a ninja, though it bothered her that someone had taken it.

"Just a thought," Ramza replied. "I had believed the attacker to be a animal, but if steals crystals as well as attacks moogles, there might be a purpose behind the attacks. Our culprit is intelligent." It was no wonder their patrols had turned up nothing. A beast might ravage and retreat, but a thinking foe would be more careful, would hide their actions.

"I have been going about this all wrong," he lamented, shoulders slumping in defeat at the thought of all those nights he'd walked the streets, looking for an animal.

Yuffie stopped and stared up at the knight.

"What do you mean?" She was all for having a plan that may or may not be followed but his tone worried her.

"I have been searching for a beast. I could have patrolled right past the attacker and not even realized." He tried to think back to the people he had passed each evening as he walked his route. He had not noticed anyone acting suspiciously. But if they were clever, it would be easy enough for them to blend in with the town folk.

He exhaled slowly, then squared his shoulders back up. "I will redouble my efforts," he declared, though the thought of it just reminded him how tired he already was. "Examine anyone out after dark, check for weapons. I wonder if implementing curfew would be possible. I should speak with the lawmen in the morning..." he rambled, voicing ideas as they came to him.

"Yeah, I'm not following a curfew." At least she was honest about it. Her eyes continued to scan the area. "Either way that sounds like a good plan. I need to go check in on Mooshoo pretty soon... Lets turn here."

Yuffie pointed to the side, changing their course. "My house is this way."

Ramza sighed. He got the feeling not many of the Heroes would conform to a curfew. They were a strong-willed bunch.

He followed Yuffie's lead. "If your moogle is in great pain, I know something that might help," he offered. "There is a chant from my world that recently started working again." It would not be the first time he used the spell here in Aqures Ixen. It drained a bit of his power to use, but at least it helped stave away some of the helplessness he felt in the face of this situation. And the healers were already stretched so thin, he hated to ask more of them. If he could ease Mooshoo's pain, they would be left free to help with the more grievous injuries of the Heroes and moogles.

"Oh? Hows it work?" She looked over at him curiously. The young ninja has mastered the art of not looking were your walking and found it to be useful when walking and talking.

Yuffie wasn't sure if he could help but even if it was just a little chance she wanted Mooshoo to be alright.

Ramza looked away, evading Yuffie's stare. He had learned not to tell others exactly how the chant worked. People were rarely comfortable with a spell that drained life to restore it.

"It is a sort of healing spell. It cannot mend extensive damage, but it eases pain and can close minor wounds," he told her. And that was the truth...just, not all of the truth. "If his injuries are severe, it will not make them go away, but at least it might help him rest more comfortably."

She can tell when someone is avoiding an issue so she pushed. "But HOW does it work?" She turned around so that she was walking backwards her eyes studying Ramza closely.

Yuffie can usually tell when someone is only telling part of the truth, after all it was something that she did often.

The downside to being painfully honest was that, when he wanted to lie, Ramza couldn't. He just did not have the skills to manipulate someone else, especially not someone who knew what to look for. He sighed.

"The chant uses my energy, and gives it doubled to the recipient." He said it evenly. To him, it was not an unreasonable cost. He just hoped Yuffie would see it the same way and let him help the moogle.