Just Hanging

[Zidane]

Living on Gaia, wherever you were, it was usually a bit of a struggle to survive. With the exception of the nobles, who occasionally did have to fend for themselves in brutal situations outside the cities, people struggled. For food, for status, for religion, for affection, just to get by. Day to day. As a member of Tantalus, Zidane was intimately familiar with that struggle. But now...after running to and fro for so long, bruises and gashes from battle translating to muted agonies that slowed him down, always in the nick of time--always just about to lose, Dagger's body frighteningly light in his arms...

After that.

Living on Gaia was easy.

Because Lindblum hadn't changed. People still bustled about the three Districts, with the odd Burmecian or Black Mage or even Genome cropping up now and again, but most of those were in the village on the Outer Continent and far from harm. Every day he heard the same women bartering with the shopkeepers, saw the same suckers make the same mistakes that could get them robbed if he was in the mood, watched the same kids playing all the same games. He was technically exiled from Tantalus, but that didn't keep him from hanging out with Blank and the guys, so that hadn't changed either. And of course he shared the wealth from his previous battles freely. It left him with enough to get by and whenever he got low he could venture out again on his own.

Zidane had changed, though. In fact, the city seemed almost too small for him now, in a way. Like he'd grown out of it somehow, or just didn't fit the same way he had...

Or maybe that was Bran Bal.

Discovering the place of his birth shouldn't have changed much. It was the source of the blue light and other scattered memories, but he still hadn't grown up there and his memory had tricked him in a lot of ways, because it didn't seem like the Terra he'd left even though it was. But there was a depressing kind of guilt hanging over him after that. He and his quirks and everything that amounted to Zidane wasn't a treasure of nature like everyone else, he was specifically designed as a tool to destroy. And even if he'd saved Gaia, he'd still carried out his mission in destroying a world--just not the one Garland had envisioned. In fighting against Garland and Kuja both, he'd made a choice. Gaia over Terra. He was responsible for that.

A groan from the boy on the roof, hands clasped behind his head and elbows cocked at the sky. What'm I doing moping over this stuff? It's not like me... He drew his knees up for momentum and flipped into a standing position, straightening to survey the Theater District below. Turning his thoughts to lighter matters, he made for the edge to leap off...

And failed.

Physics completely betrayed him as a rotted shingle fragmented under his foot and sent him for the ground prematurely, vest catching on a jutting wooden board just long enough for him to lose his balance and fall against his ankle with all his weight and a sharp yell. His hands burned a little where they'd hit the ground, but that would fade, and he straightened with a grimace. Fortunately it hadn't snapped on impact, but it would hurt him for a little while. Wow. That was stupid luck...

[Jamaila Collyns]

It was just Jamaila's luck to get stuck in a busy city.

All around her, people were hustling and bustling around: bartering with shopkeepers; chatting and shopping in groups of threes and fours; and some children were running around, getting up to mischief.

'As usual ...' she thought glumly; she had never been much of a sucker for kids - unless the kid in question was absolutely nice to her - and she doubted that that would change now.

The air of the mysterious city she was currently exploring reminded the brunette of Midgar vaguely: the way that everyone used to scatter around, looking for different ways to make money. She had been like that once; an innocent little girl with no idea of what the real world was like, desperate to make money for the family, like her father had been doing. Needless to say, after the senior Shinra's death, her father had not had as much influence in the society the Collyns family lived in. She was, therefore, pretty lucky that the Turks had decided to hire her; she'd be able to at least make some more money for the family.

She looked up at the bright sky. 'I wonder what you guys are doing now ...'

She did not finish off her thought, when a large lady accidentally bumped into her.

"Wh - hey-"

"Watch where you're standin', woman!" The lady exclaimed with a huff.

"Hey, you should apo-" The anonymous lady took no notice of Jamaila's words and carried on walking. "H-Hey, you-!"

The brunette sighed. 'Darn those rude little-'

Her eyes widened a bit when she looked back up. 'Wait, was she even human?!'

Frowning, she shrugged and resumed walking, careful not to stand in the way of any other eager shoppers. Finding a shop nearby, she stood leaning against the brick wall. At least she'd be resigned to her thoughts here ... not to mention, she still had no idea where she was.

Once again, her thinking process was disrupted ... this time, from a - thing - falling out of the sky.

'Wh-What?!'

She gasped as the male fell just a couple of steps away from her, and immediately rushed to him when he attempted to straighten up.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!" She hoped nothing serious had come out of that fall.

[Zidane]

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!"

The shout from the crowd was mostly inconsequential, if appreciated, until Zidane turned and realized that it belonged to Attractive Female. Then it became priority number one. Dagger, chided the voice in the back of his head, but Dagger wasn't here and a little flirting kept him sharp.

The nonchalant look on his face went from genuine to faked in an instant. "Yeah, I'm f--ow..." He hissed, wobbling as he tested his ankle--it probably should be killing him, but he'd hit it at just the right angle somehow, like he'd landed everywhere there weren't nerves. As a result, it was a little weak and sore, but not to the point of groping at air and nearly collapsing--like Zidane made it look like.

That made him lucky enough to have two options in this case. Now that he'd established his obvious injury, he could play it off as the tough guy or linger over it as the dependent guy who wanted to seem tough, but in reality only needed a woman's loving touch and guidance. The latter was usually the most successful, and judging by her clothing, the stranger would either eat right out of his hand or brush him off as not worth her time. So he took the gamble.

"Alright, I guess I'm not fine exactly," he admitted with a sheepish chuckle, figuring it was a little early to be calling up a blush just yet. "But I'll be alright, I just need somewhere to sit d--ngh?!" He stumbled in the act of turning--an easy ploy, he'd catch himself even if she didn't move, but he was more or less banking on her to lend a hand. If she did, he was in the green. If not, he had to try harder or change tactics.

[Jamaila Collyns]

Jamaila watched as the blond tested his ankle, a look of concern taking over her face. 'The poor guy ...'

She cringed when she heard him hiss in pain. As she had expected, the blond did not walk away from that fall unscathed. Technically, he could not 'walk away' by himself, anyway. So, reaching out to him, she placed his right arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, I got you ..."

With a small heave, she managed to lift him up a little, but refused to let go of his arm; she didn't want him to get hurt again. Looking around frantically, hoping to catch sight of an inn, she began to walk forward, slowly easing the blond beside her, his arm still around her shoulder.

"Umm, listen ..." she stopped, and realized that she didn't know his name. Well, it didn't matter - just so long as she could find him somewhere to sit down. "I'm kinda new to this place, to be honest, so it might take me a while to-"

She stopped talking; the building in front of the pair was an inn. Exhaling in relief, she looked back at the blond with a smile and the two walked towards the inn, their destination. The door to the inn would have been closed, had a man not exited just as the pair were about to enter. And, to increase his chivalry ranking, he held the door open for the pair.

"Hey, thanks," she said to him, with a smile, and her and Zidane entered the inn.

It seemed relatively packed; quite possibly one of the only inns in the city. From looking at the appearance of the city, and the amount of people crowded around it, Jamaila gathered this place to be some sort of tourist spot. Privately, she was pretty eager to go exploring now, herself.

Mentally, she scolded herself. There was someone in dire need of help, and all she could think about was travelling?

Glimpsing a table near the corner of the inn, she eased the blond into the chair. "Okay, stay there. I'll see if they have a room available."

She then made her way to the desk and, with reluctance, paid the necessary amount of Gil required for a room. Making her way back to the blond, she smiled and eased him to a standing position. "Yep, turns out there's a room available. Now, make sure you don't exert yourself too much; that ankle requires a lot of rest."

Wow, if she carried on at this rate, she'd end up speaking just like her mother.

[Zidane]

Zidane had to work fast to hide his victorious grin when she reached out. Got her. "Thanks, sorry f--nnnh?" He couldn't help a surprised exclamation when she took the lead a little more than he expected, pulling his arm around her shoulders like a wounded soldier's. "...Um."

"I'm kinda new to this place, to be honest, so it might take me a while to-"

"That's okay, I mean it's just an ankle, maybe if I could sit down somewhere...!" They were going somewhere and Zidane didn't know where and that got him worried until he saw the sign on the building she was pulling him towards. She was a lot stronger than he expected, was that training at work? Kind of looked like a soldier...

Someone held the door for them and Zidane squirmed a little--it was fine to be seen this way as far as women were concerned, but his fellow man was to be presented with stony-faced endurance and strength. Not a lot he could do about it now, though, and his hand must've brushed her boob at least three times by now and he hadn't even noticed. Dammit.

"Okay, stay there. I'll see if they have a room available."

Zidane balked. A room? She wants to take things that far already? Despite the fact that he was a master at flirting, Zidane hadn't dabbled in the sexual act itself all that much, and the thought that the woman was already reserving a room made him feel like the same shaky newbie back at that strip club in Treno where everything had happened for the first time. That and he didn't exactly want to break his faithfulness to Dagger so soon. Sure, they weren't exactly together together, but there were hints and he'd cut down on a lot of flirting for her sake (at least when he was around her).

"Yep, turns out there's a room available. Now, make sure you don't exert yourself too much; that ankle requires a lot of rest."

"Uh..." Zidane poured all of his effort into a heart-melting blush. "Thank you, you...really didn't have to go to all that trouble." She didn't, especially since he had a place in the city and he couldn't see any reason why a good Samaritan would get a room for an injured person out of their own pocket unless they were looking to get some. It'd be far less expensive and more prudent to hit up the nearest clinic. But if she was looking for nookie Zidane definitely wasn't going to turn her away just yet. "I hate putting a lady out like this, is there any way I can make it up to you?" Trigger lines, but if she didn't spring them that didn't mean he couldn't get a date out of it.

[Jamaila Collyns]

"Thank you, you ... really didn't have to go to all that trouble."

Jamaila looked back at the blond; he was blushing, which she found ... cute. She smiled. "No problem, it kinda benefited me in the long run, anyway." Which was true; now that she had paid for a room, they'd be able to stay there for at least a day: that left her to ponder whether she'll take the time to explore the city, or look for a way to contact her boss. She idly wondered if they were stuck in a similar situation; in unfamiliar territory, possibly looking for a way to get back home.

She sighed, and extracted the key from her pocket, which the inn-keeper had given her, and unlocked the door to their reserved room. She took note of the size of the room, but her first priority was to place the injured blond on the bed. Carefully, she helped the male lay back on the bed, giving extra attention to his ankle.

"I hate putting a lady out like this, is there any way I can make it up to you?"

She smiled again and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, just promise me you'll look after yourself next time; I might not be around then to help you." Looking back, she noticed the window giving the occupants of the room a clear view of what was going on outside; the streets looked as busy as they were before, but at least this time, she was not caught in the middle of the rush.

'Gosh, this place is massive; it'll take a really long time to explore the entire city ...'

An idea then sprung to mind: once the blond male got better, then maybe he could help her navigate her way around the city; it looked far too big for her to walk around in herself, and she was - though she refused to admit it outright - kind of scared of being stuck in a place full of strangers.

'And he did say that he wanted to repay me ...'

So, making her decision, she turned towards the guy. "Hey, are you from around here?" Unless she was mistaken, apparently loads of newcomers had been arriving in cities unfamiliar to them. If he was also one of them, then he'd naturally be as lost as she was here.

Suddenly, she laughed and shook her head. "Wow, what must you think of me - I haven't even told you my name!" Making her way towards the bed, she extended her right hand out. "Name's Jamaila."

[Kuja]

ooc:

SURE IS GODMOD AROUND HERE[/i][/size]



take this as your one and only warning. Any further godmoding will result in CONSEQUENCES.[/i] work it out with Zidane via PM, or I might have to go super saiyan.[/size]

ADMIN POWERS AWAYYYYYYYY

[Zidane]

[OOC: Thanks for keeping an eye, Kooj!]

With that same soldierly bearing, the stranger took him up to the room and Zidane tried to quell the butterflies in his stomach. It hadn't been that long since he performed, but it wasn't a regular occurrence, and there was always the danger of not satisfying in some form or fashion. The girl back in Alexandria that one time had been a horrible instance he never wanted repeated. Not to mention the reminder of Dagger, however faint initially, was now an alarm blaring in the back of his brain.

"Yeah, I'm a local," he said, boosting himself up against the pillows and feeling his ankle twinge. He gave it an annoyed look, not sure if it was genuine pain or just something psychosomatic. "Lived here my whole life," he added nonchalantly, trying not to sound nervous. He rested his hands over his stomach and his eyes wandered to join hers at the window. "But I've been about everywhere since. Alexandria, Treno, Esto Gaza, you name it." He was probably laying it on a little thick, truth or not.

"Wow, what must you think of me - I haven't even told you my name! Name's Jamaila."

Oh, duh, dummy! He should've mentioned that first. Even if Dagger will find out got into his head and he wasn't really in a position to be giving his real one. There was no guarantee that Jamaila was a real name either, for that matter, but she seemed genuine enough--and maybe it was just him, but she didn't seem to be thinking too hard about what she was doing.

He shook her hand with an easy grin. "Nah, no problem--I'm a lummox for not bringing it up either. I'm Zidane Tribal." He turned her hand like he was going to bring her knuckles to his lips and shot her the same direct look as if he had, but didn't follow through. "It's a pleasure."

[Jamaila Collyns]

Jamaila smiled as Zidane held her hand and locked her eyes with his for a moment. Slowly withdrawing it from his grasp, Jamaila then turned back to look out the window. She glimpsed a group of kids barge into a large woman, reminding the brunette irresistably of the first person she had actually encountered here.

She grimaced. 'I'm sure not making a good impression here ...'

Looking back at Zidane, Jamaila softly folded her arms across her chest, her body leaning against the wall there. "So, you travel?" Travelling, in general, had been an intriguing topic for her; however, most of her travels were usually limited to the standard sectors located in Midgar - this was the first time she had actually been dumped into a massive city.

"I'd love to travel one day - on a big ship or something ..." The brunette thought about the first time she was allowed on the Shinra airship; it brought back memories of bliss for her. What I would do to get back on that ship ...'

She looked back at the blond lying on the bed. "Say, you wouldn't mind giving me a tour of this place, would you? Oh, but after your ankle's healed, of course," she hastily added, sparing a glance at his foot.

She then uncrossed her arms and took a few steps towards the bed. Pointing at his foot, she asked, "Should I get something for it?"

[Zidane]

[Sorry this took me so long, I've been kinda sapped lately.]

The hand thing didn't startle up a blush, so evidently Jamaila either hadn't noticed, was used to it, or just wasn't an easy catch--something Zidane found hard to believe considering she'd paid for the room.

But the way she folded her arms seemed like a retreat, especially after that closeness, and she grimaced out the window briefly--but that could've been something she saw outside. Did she not like Lindblum?

"So, you travel? I'd love to travel one day - on a big ship or something ..."

Considering her first words were about getting away from Lindblum, Zidane relaxed slightly. That was probably all it was. "Yeah, I'm everywhere. Are you talkin' airship or ship like a boat...ship? Because I know the Regent, and he's got both. I'm sure I can convince him to let a pr..."

So when do you want to go on that airship cruise?

What are you talking about?...Well...it sounds like you've asked the wrong girl.

Wait. I-I can explain.

Why bother? Go have a wonderful time.

Suddenly he missed Dagger.

Terribly.

But he had to look up when Jamaila asked for a tour--well...in that case maybe she was interested in Lindblum, and that look... Maybe this just isn't going anywhere. Or maybe he really didn't want it to go anywhere anymore.

"Should I get something for it?"

"Nah, that's alright." Zidane shifted to get more comfortable. "I got some Potions lined up back at the place, I'll be okay. And sure, I can show you around some." Jamaila most likely wouldn't consider it a date or anything of the sort, and at this point Zidane was grateful to that naïveté.