melodiesoflife | (no subject)

No, no he was not alone. As a matter of fact, Rukia had been waiting anxiously for him to awaken. The guilt of his death still weighed heavily upon her shoulders. Even if Chappopo had reassured her that he would be okay and wake up in a week or so, that didn't really ease the feelings of regret. She'd led the charge, and it seemed they were woefully unprepared to deal with that thing. Had she been more patient, perhaps she could have discovered more about the Reaper's capabilities and weaknesses before leading a team to fight such a strong enemy.

She carried a Cactuar in her hands, one with a blooming flower on its head. As she rounded the corner, Sparks also turned around, and he collided directly with the cactus.

*Squeak-eeeeee!*

Fortunately the cactuar was made of rubber. She'd bought it for the ghost pup she'd been babysitting, but never did get around to giving it to the canine spirit. So she thought she'd leave it with Sparks along with a note requesting contact once he'd awakened.

She went reeling back, eyes wide with surprise. He was already up? "H...hello," she finally stammered, unprepared to meet him face to face like this.

Sparks is usually more observant, but his head wasn't quite firmly back in place yet. Running into someone to have them make a squeaking noise is pretty sobering though, and he stumbles back a few steps, blinking.

"Whatinthe-- Oh. Rukia. Uh. Sorry." He tipped his hat in both greeting and awkward apology. "Just woke up, reckon crystal stasis ain't as restful as ya'd think. Guess I ain't thinkin' too clear yet."

"Oh, ah...it's fine..." She blinked, slowly collecting her thoughts. The surprise faded, and her mouth compressed into a thin line. "No. You should not apologize to me. Rather, I am the one who owes you an apology."

She stared down at the cactus, uneasy. Her thumb brushed back and forth over a rubber foot. "You followed me into battle against a deadly foe. I was unable to protect you. I did not have the necessary knowledge, and yet...I rushed forward, and you were dragged along."

Rukia bowed her head. "I am truly sorry for what happened. Were this any other world..."

Sparks waved a hand for her to stop.

"C'mon now. I'm a man who makes his own decisions. I wanted to fight it, so I was the one who got front 'n center to do just that. Wasn't my first rodeo by a longshot, and despite what it mighta thought, it ain't my last."

He folds his arms, unsure of what to make of all of this apologizing. "An' this ain't any other world, so worryin' about what mighta been is useless. So. Y'know." He shrugged a little. Truthfully, in his long time here, this was his first death, even despite everything he'd been through. So it while it was a little rattling, there was no way that Sparks was going to show it.

"Nonetheless, it was poor leadership on my part. That cannot be denied." At the very least, she should have planned it better, possibly even keeping white mages hidden away from the main group until the fighting broke out. If she had, they would have been spared from the Doom spell that had washed over them at the very beginning. She could think of a thousand things they could have done differently to give them a better advantage. In the end, it had come down to acts of sheer desperation. It was nothing in which she could take real pride.

She heaved a small sigh, then thrust the smiling cactuar toy toward the marshal's upper chest. "This is a poor token of appreciation, but I wanted you to have it. ...In truth I planned to leave it here with a note, but you awoke sooner than I thought you might."

He was about to protest again, when Rukia hands him the toy.

"Oh, uh. Thanks. So that's what made that noise." He takes it, a bit bewildered, and squeezes it. Squeak squeak.

"Sooner, huh. How long was I, uh, stationary for? Don't think it was too long."

"Seven days," she replied. "Today is October 26th." Just in case he was disoriented...which he'd claimed to be, but she wasn't sure if that was the truth or if he was just trying to excuse her lack of caution.

She stood there awkwardly for a moment. Honestly, she had no right to ask anything of him, but apologizing wasn't her only reason for wanting to see the marshal.

"There is more I would ask of you," she finally said with a sigh. "But if you are hungry, we can get you something to eat." They could talk just as well over a hot meal, and she imagined he might like a little sustenance after being locked in crystal for so long.

"Just a week, huh. Reckon I got off lucky. Some 'a these folks..."

He looked back into the room of statues as they left, of people he's known who've been here for weeks or months. Hasn't Jim been in there for a year now? The thought of being trapped that way was a scary thought, but hey, he'd already done 28 years in Aqures Tosf as one. Hopefully they could hold on a little longer.

"Reckon I could use a bite to eat. Who knew bein' a statue for a week would leave a fella so dang hungry. Yer gonna have to tell me how the rest of that fight went without me too, y'know."

Rukia followed his gaze to the rest of the still forms, their faces and bodies slightly hazy by the thick crystal encasing them. It gave her an uneasy feeling. Thankfully she didn't recognize any particular person, and she hoped she never would. Chappopo wasn't fond of crystal stasis either, Rukia had learned, and had consoled many sorrowful Moogles who had lost their partners unexpectedly in this way.

She shook off the uncomfortable feeling and nodded, giving his arm a light and sympathetic pat. "I'll see that you are fed, then," she promised. "I'll tell you about the fight along the way. Pick your favorite dining location and I'll follow."

Though Rukia was significantly shorter than Sparks, she had no difficulties keeping pace at his side. She was more than happy to provide him details of the fight...along with colorful illustrations. Despite the fight's grim nature, the cartoons were oddly cute, ruining Rukia's intentions to convey the matter soberly and seriously. To her, they were very useful drawings, and she saw nothing wrong with them.

Upon reaching their destination, Rukia stepped through the door and selected a table near one of the windows so they could talk and eat with a decent view of the streets. If a spirit suddenly ran amok through the crowds, she wanted to make sure she noticed it.

"What would you like?"

Sparks listens to the explanation, brow knitted in confusion. Not because the story was unclear, but the cutesy illustrations. When it was all over, he only had one question.

"Okay. But, uh, why bunnies?"

He'd also order breakfast food for dinner. He's a simple sort of guy in that regard.

"What's wrong with bunnies?" she stiffened defensively. It was bad enough Ichigo made fun of her drawings all the time, now he was going to criticize them too? Hmph. She stashed the notebook away as if she were protecting it from a world of cruel judgments.

Why bunnies, indeed.

Rukia ordered the spicy chicken stew, surrendering her menu to the waiter before turning back to Sparks. Enough about art, she wanted to get to the matters at hand. "There are two subjects I would discuss with you. To begin with, do you remember anything about what transpired after you died?"

Rukia folded her hands on the table, her expression sober. "I understand if you do not feel comfortable answering such a question. However, I'm concerned at the...unnaturalness...of the process. I've never heard of the dead being returned to life with such relative ease."

"Guess they ain't got nanotech where yer from." Sparks shrugged a little, seemingly not bothered by the question. He's seen more than one person come back from what looked like a sure death, thanks to that.

"It is kinda weird, though. How it's just us Heroes, and how we go into stasis for awhile after it happens. I don't remember much, though. The Reaper thing cast some kinda death roulette, 'n my number came up. Lucky me. Then... there was, like, a cold feelin'? Then everything went black. 'S about all I remember."

Rukia stared blankly at Sparks. "Er...no...the word is unfamiliar to me." She wasn't as well-versed in science as the shinigamis in the 12th Division.

That was beside the point, though. She listened to him as he spoke, and though she was disappointed that he could recall little of the experience, that might be for the best. She was relieved he didn't feel any pain at the very least.

She folded her hands in front of her mouth, and when he'd finished, she exhaled slowly. "I see. Yes, it is strange. It actually bothers me a great deal. I wonder why we are the only ones affected in this way."

Rukia frowned, but blinked as their meals were placed in front of them.

"In that case, I have one more request. You'd best read this first," she said, reaching into her jumpsuit's inner pocket before producing the strange letter she'd received about the death and destruction at hand.

"Benefit of bein' a Hero, I guess. All tied into crystals somehow. Unfortunately, our expert in those blew a buncha stuff up, then made off in a giant flying bioweapon." Sparks grumbled, as he's never stopped being mad about Jessie. Especially since his moogle convinced him into apologizing to her in public for something not long before she did that.

He looked the letter over, one eyebrow raised as he half-mumbled it aloud. He handed it back to her, looking even less happy.

"Y'know, I wouldn't think much of it, 'cept for what time of year it is. Almost Halloween. Or Night of the 13 Moogles, they call it here. Based on this story that way back when, durin' the last Calamity, the moogle king tried to use it to take over the world, but the Heroes 'n some other moogles took him out. He said he'd come back one day. Last year, some moogles tried it. Messed with us Heroes in order to do it. Real bad. But, we didn't let 'em get away with it. Reckon I ain't sure if this is the same thing, since I'm no expert in Crystallis history, but I would bet there's a connection. Maybe there's some moogles out there dumb enough to try it again."

"Yes," Rukia nodded. "I read a brief account of what transpired. And I understand those responsible were not all taken into custody." She touched her fingertips together, steepled against her chin. "I'll be keeping a close eye on the Crystal of Fire in the next couple of days." Right after they got back from Flence.

But this is where that request came into play. She looked steadfastly at Sparks, her face serious.

"Can you fly your horse above the clouds?"

Before he gave her a strange look and suggested therapy, she held up her hand to explain. "It says we're expected at the highest of heights. There are four places in the city that match that, the most obvious being the observatory where Zelda lives." It was the only place Heroes made their home too, as far as she knew. "But I want to verify that there is nothing hidden from our view that could pose an unexpected threat. An attack may come from the sky, and the clouds have been unusually thick. Would you mind?"

"Hnn. I can step up security 'round the Crystal, too. Wouldn't be the first time I had to, and I'm sure it won't be the last, neither."

When asked about taking Mercury up that high, he looks unsure as he weighs it out for a moment. "Uh, well, in theory, yeah, he could. Reckon the air gets thin that high, and that wouldn't be good for horse nor rider. Sounds like it's worth takin' a peek, so maybe we can find a way around it. Last thing we need is a surprise visit from the Empire's ships."

He shrugged as he took a bite of bacon. "They don't got oxygen tanks here, but they can do all kindsa weird stuff with magic. Who knows."

Rukia inclined her head in thanks. She knew she hadn't been part of this world for very long, so she didn't have any rank or authority to her name, nor had she dwelled long enough to garner trust (in her opinion). If he was willing to do this based on her suspicions alone, then she was very grateful. "I will feel easier knowing the Crystal is well protected. You have my sincerest thanks."

As he spoke, she spooned up a few bites of stew, dipping a chunk of crusty bread into the creamy broth. The air got thin? That was information she hadn't known before. Hm. How did one transport breathable air, then?

"This is true. There does seem to be a spell for everything. I don't know a way to transport breathable air, however." She glanced out the window, trying to puzzle out a solution. "The sooner we go, the better, but I have no wish to endanger you or your horse."

"This world needs to catch up on, like, a million things. Tech-wise, I mean. Even after all these months here, I feel like I got thrown into the dark ages most days." Crystallis is a tough place for a guy from 3014. He sullenly poked at his pancakes for a moment before continuing.

"Tell ya what - I'll see how high I can get up there there before there's any problems. Mercury's got sensors for this kinda stuff. But uh, maybe someone should keep an eye out on the Observatory telescope, just in case."

"Truly?" Rukia blinked. To her, the world was about on the same level as the Soul Society -- archaic in many ways, with some highly advanced technology she knew she could never hope to replicate. Perhaps that was why she'd managed to fit in so comfortably. She sipped at her water.

At his suggestion, Rukia brightened. If there were sensors, then everything would be fine. "I would appreciate that very much!"

As for the observatory... She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I could stop by on occasion. I'd like to take Zelda out of there if possible, however, as the place seems to be haunted at the moment."

Sparks looks surprised to hear that. He's been so busy stopping ghosts everywhere else, that he wasn't aware of what was going on in the Observatory. Sometimes he's too buried at work that he misses things, too.

"What, seriously? She's just livin' in it while it's haunted? Jeez, we should take care of that. Man, this place gets seriously weird around Halloween. Weirder than it already is, anyway."

Rukia nodded, then smiled. "Not to worry. After we've accomplished our task, I'll be heading to the observatory to invite her to my home for a sleepover. It might be fun."

She wished she could claim that 'fun' was her primary motivation, or even getting her out to spare her the spooky antics of the ghosts. But it was the letter instead that had prompted her to finally take action, as she had no desire for Zelda to wind up a casualty should the observatory be attacked, or worse, seized as a hostage.

"I'm going to offer to let her stay with me until this incident has passed, but the choice is ultimately hers. I just hope she elects to remain away from the observatory until the danger is gone."

"Just let me know when. I'll go in there 'n take care of it." After a moment of thought, he shrugs lightly. "And, y'know, maybe like one or two other guys, just in case." Even with his usual bravado, he knows he wouldn't get away with saying he could take care of it alone. Especially since he just got back from being dead thanks to a ghost.

An idea suddenly hits him, though. "Uh. Someone's been takin' care of Mercury since I was gone, right? Do ya know?"

Rukia bobbed her head with a smile. "He's fine. Mercury is fairly popular, it seems. He had no shortage of attention." Rukia was likely included in that fanclub. One of these days, she would be allowed to ride him.

Someday.

"Any time tonight or tomorrow morning would be wonderful. You have my sincerest thanks," she grinned, pleased that Zelda would at least be able to return to her home without fear of being bothered by spirits any longer.

Finishing off her bread and stew, Rukia wiped her mouth and waited for Sparks to finish. She was eager to fly up, but she didn't want to pressure him. He'd only just awakened, after all.

Sparks was just about finished himself. "Tomorrow's fine. Let's go 'n get this flight over first, though. Now I'm wonderin' what's up there too."

It seems like being in stasis wasn't about to slow him down at all. If anything, he would be working harder to catch up.

"Besides, I just spent a week standin' around, doing nothing. Like, literally. Probably got a lot to catch back up on at the precinct, too."

"That's possible. But I'm certain your assistants took care of things in your absence." If not, then he needed to hire different people. Law enforcement was one of those jobs that didn't really allow someone to take time off, much like soul reaping.

Wiping politely at the corners of her mouth with her napkin, Rukia rose from her chair and picked up the bill. He wasn't going to pay for this particular meal. "Let's meet just outside the city gates at ten tomorrow morning. Until then," she smiled, and took the bill to the register before he could complain or protest.

Honestly, after all that had happened, this was the least she could do for his sake.

He really did want to protest, but after a moment of subtle pouting, he'll just thank her instead, and promise to be outside of the gates on time with Mercury the next morning. The rocket steed seemed very happy to have his cowboy back as they trotted up to Rukia. Sparks tipped his hat in greeting.

"Mornin'. Rukia, meet Mercury. Mercury, Rukia. And this is Mercury's sidecar."

The voice command is enough to have it activate. A hatch opens from the metal haunches of the horse, and out pops a sidecar that attaches to his side.

"Hop on in."

Rukia came this close to informing Sparks that they'd met before. This close. But before the words left, she remembered the nature of that meeting. Yes, best to remain silent on that regard, lest she spoil the trust and respect they were building. Perhaps later, when she was sure he would laugh about it, as she wouldn't have done something like that under ordinary circumstances.

She watched as the horse...spat out a sidecar? Rukia blinked. Well that wasn't something she saw every day. Nonetheless, she didn't boggle. Instead she stepped forward, petting Mercury's nose (BECAUSE HORSE!!!), then gripped the edge of the sidecar to leap up and into the seat.

"I am ready," she informed him, grinning with excitement for the adventure soon to come.

Sparks "hiyaa"s Mercury into motion, who breaks off into a run before the rockets kick in, and they're airborne. He moved fast, but not unpleasantly so. Despite being part horse and part sophisticated futuristic technology, though, it seemed like he still needed Sparks to do the steering. They were quickly making their way up through the sky. If she looked below, Rukia could spot a few spectators watching them soar.

"Whatcha think? Pretty cool, huh? Y'all can stick with yer big, weird, flightless birds. I'll stick with a rocket steed."

"It's marvelous!" Rukia was holding tightly to the edge of the sidecar, peering out as she watched the ground shrink away beneath them. As a shinigami, her leaps and jumps often carried her a great distance, and she could stabilize reishi under her feet if necessary. But flying was definitely a new experience for her, and she was enjoying it immensely. Heights had never bothered her. If anything, Rukia constantly sought them out.

She looked back over her shoulder at Sparks with a smirk. "We're not quite so fortunate as you, remember. Would that I had a mount that could fly like this!"

As for chocobos, she still meant to get one, especially before she returned to Esdham. It was just a matter of finding the time to do it, that was what proved to be the largest difficulty.

"Yeah, not everyone can be as lucky as me." Far be it from Sparks to let a compliment slide by, no matter how mild. "Maybe someday this world'll get caught up, and there'll be rocket chocobos instead."

It wasn't long before they were reaching the cloudline. Sparks's thoughts about the air had been right, though. Getting this high, over a mile up, the air was getting a bit thin. Once they broke through, he slowed Mercury down so that the wind wasn't making things more difficult for the three of them. Sparks looks around before turning to Rukia.

"So, uh. What was it we were lookin' for again?"

Rukia made a face of discomfort. Somehow, she didn't really like the idea of chocobos and rockets being combined. They were birds; it was a shame they couldn't fly. Perhaps their wings just weren't large enough for the task.

"Anything unusual," she replied, looking back at Sparks over her shoulder before she returned to scanning the skies. "So far, I see nothing up here that should not be here in the first place." Just clouds and birds. That was probably for the best. If there were some sort of hidden meeting place floating along, it would be quite the chore to ferry heroes back and forth, one by one, via Mercury's sidecar. Besides, Sparks was right about the air being a lot thinner this high up. The gathering clouds that threatened rain were relatively low, but still, her breathing was somewhat labored and shallow in her ears.

"What about you? Have you spotted anything?"

Sparks looks around again, even turning around backwards, but nothing really jumps out at him.

"Uh, that bird over there's kinda weird lookin'. But I don't think that's what ya mean."

Before he could ask anything else, something starts to beep on Mercury, a warning sign. The marshal turns to see his horse looking winded. He was starting to feel the same way.

"Uh oh. Dunno 'bout you, but I think Merc's at his limit here. Take yer last look."

He'll start Mercury on the decent, slowly at first.

"I'm growing winded as well," she admitted, putting a hand to her chest. And given that there was nothing unusual around, she could be satisfied knowing that their suspicions as to the location of their enemies' meetingplace was confined to the city below.

As such, there was no disappointment. Besides, she'd rather enjoyed the sights. She'd never been so high up in the sky before, not even on an airship. She smiled and folded her arms beneath her chin as she rested against the sidecab's edge and admired the view.

"You have my thanks, for putting my mind at ease regarding this matter."

"Hey, no problem. 'S the least I owe someone for free breakfast. Reckon too that any security we can get in this place is kinda my business anyway." And besides, Sparks's curiosity got piqued as well. Mercury seems pretty leaved as they speed faster out of the clouds, taking a sigh of relief.

"Plus I never get much of an excuse to bust out the sidecar, neither."

"Owe me?" Rukia blinked back at him with a frown. But she'd bought him breakfast because her foolishness got him killed. If anything, she was the one who owed him a favor, several in fact. Surely he hadn't forgotten this.

She looked down at the sidecar thoughtfully. "I've kept you away from your work for a week. I imagine there's a lot of catching up to do. As such, I would like to offer my services to make up for that lost time, once this current nasty business has been dealt with." She nodded slowly. Yes, this was a better idea. "Should you wish for a week of vacation time, or assistance with your work, please alert me. I think it is the only fair thing to do."

Sparks hasn't taken more than a few voluntary days off since he started working in Aqures Ixen, and he wasn't about to take a vacation anytime soon. He shot Rukia a raised eyebrow.

"Last I checked, it was that Reaper's fault I was out a week, not yers. Ya didn't force me into that fight, Rukia. Stop thinkin' you owe me cuz of it. 'Sides, there's always some kinda nasty business we gotta deal with. Just worry about that instead. Plus about the only thing I'll have to catch up on is paperwork. Which is the best part, thank you very much." She wasn't going to take paperwork away from him.

She wanted to protest that it had been due to a lack of preparation that the fight went so badly, something she should have corrected, but looking at the stubborn set of his face, she could see that it was useless to argue. Strangely enough, his conviction eased her guilt a little. It even coaxed a little bit of a smile out of her.

"If you truly insist," she relented. And the wind must have caused her to mishear his words, because she thought he said the paperwork was the best part of his job.

"...What did you say?"

Sparks clears his throat somewhat awkwardly, and looked ahead.

"Said the paperwork's the best part. I like it. It's relaxing."

He tried to sound proud of this fact, but everyone always finds it strange. He was the same way back on Mars, too.

Rukia studied his face thoughtfully. He seemed sincere, and it wasn't as if she had cause to mock him for his preferences. If anything, she was surprised more people didn't like paperwork, as there was a far greater chance of not being shot or stabbed in the office instead of fighting criminals and monsters.

"That makes sense," she said, after she'd mulled it over. "I'm working on a report to submit to the military as well. I'm looking forward to it."

More accurately, she was looking forward to providing the illustrations for the events that took place. That was definitely her favorite part, and she was sure they would be helpful.

Rukia gets a nod in appreciation. A friend of paperwork is a friend of his.

"Reckon I shoulda guessed that, what with the letters 'n reports you send out. With those, um, drawings." Right, those bunny doodles. Unprofessional? Maybe. Forgettable? Not at all. Whatever worked.