IT'S A BEAR! Wait... [Complete]

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

Character(s): Sabin, open anyone who wants to join him (Celes, Setzer?)
Content: Sabin enters the city
Setting: Muspelheim gate, just inside
Time: Crack of dawn
Warnings: None expected.


"Thank you," Sabin said, taking the brochure, small box, and everything else that the person at the gate was trying to shove into his arms. He wondered for a moment how other people had gotten in without having to take so much stuff with them, but he quickly forgot about it as he looked around.

Lots of shops, it almost looked sort of like South Figaro...until he looked toward the horizon. He followed the dome up, spinning in a circle to try to find any holes. He shrugged when he didn't see any, and opened the brochure. He stared at the words for a moment, then found them legible after a few more seconds. He never read much anymore, only what Edgar made him read for the lessons, so he had to spend a few minutes trying to figure out what everything said.

He opened up the box, and found a map, which had pointed out where he was and where some of the apartments were. He started down the cobblestone pavement in one direction, hoping to run into someone who looked like they would be able to give him some information.

Comments

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

Even before he'd become a Nobody, Saïx had had something of a tendency to be up at hours many would call ridiculous. Personally, he'd always assumed it was part of being tied to the moon as he was and had simply adjusted to it. So much so, as a matter of fact, that years and the loss of a heart later, he was still more often found awake at hours most people would find less than sane then not.

Given that then, it was no real surprise to find him lurking in the general vicinity of the gate when Sabin entered, dressed in a silver-grey shirt and pants to match instead of the coat of the Organization. An annoyance, in his mind, but a necessary one for the time being.

Of course, he wouldn't be offering his help as quickly as some might have, but between the blue hair and yellow eyes, well... it wasn't like he was hard to miss.

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

It didn't take long for Sabin to notice the blue-haired guy. He stuck out like a sore thumb, after all, since other than just the blue hair the man had sharply yellow eyes, an X-shaped scar between them.

"HEY!" he bellowed (though he thought it was a normal volume), and tried to wave the man down. Sabin went for the usual blunt approach, deciding he could worry about any real consequences afterward. "You look like you don't belong here, so that means you're probably kind of new. Where are we?"

Sabin grinned to himself imagining how Edgar would react. Who cared, wasn't like Sabin was a king here anyway.

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

Well, Sabin's assumption was at least half-correct. He wasn't native to Paixao, true, but he wasn't exactly new. He'd been in the city for quite some time.

He wouldn't be telling Sabin that, of course. There was no need to, after all. Let the other assume precisely what he wished.

"It's called Paixao."

As far as openings for a conversation went it wasn't the greatest, but it would have to do for now.

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

"Y'know, usually people say a little about the place too," Sabin said with a chuckle. "What the people are like, the weather, why it's in a dome...that kinda stuff."

Sabin's hearty laugh was echoing around some of the buildings, his deep voice reverberating.

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

"No on knows why the domes are there." It wasn't quite a total lie, provided there was some creative redefinition on 'no one' to also include 'nobody'. "The people are generally varied, unless you meant the natives."

Said natives, of course, being the blond-haired, blue-eyed people to be found doing a number of less-important jobs. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't be at all surprised if one of them had been manning the very gate that Sabin had just come in through.

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

"Who're the natives?" Sabin asked, not skipping a beat. He didn't really care about the dome, as it had no real effect on things...though he might miss getting to be out in the sun, since the guy at the gate had been pretty adamant that Sabin shouldn't wander around outside. Of course...that made him want to wander around outside.

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

"I expect you've already seen one of their number," Saïx answered. "Blond hair, blue eyes, and far too alike for the comfort of any visitors."

Alike with reason yes, but that little secret was just another of the things Saïx wouldn't be mentioning, if only because the man he was playing at being would have had no idea of that reason.

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

Sabin thought of himself and Edgar when the man said that, but had to assume he wasn't one of the natives on principle. Instead of pointing out his features, he decided to point out those of his unfortunate conversation partner. "So...what's with the blue hair?"

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

Given that'd just arrived, it stood to perfect reason that Sabin wasn't included in the list of natives. Similar in general appearance, perhaps, but he wasn't the only one who could pass for a native at first glance.

"It simply grows in that way," Saïx answered with a shrug. Odd, yes, but he'd gotten used to it over the the years. It was a part of his life now and that was that.

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

Sabin shrugged. It was strange, but then, compared with, say, Terra, it was completely normal.

"So...all the natives look alike, and they're all boring. What're the rest of us here for, then?"

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

So once again he was forced to play tour guide. He wasn't surprised, in the long run. Newcomers always did wonder about the place they'd found themselves in. And for all that he did his best to avoid such thing he seemed to keep finding himself in the positions he least wanted.

Nothing for it but to explain then, although if Sabin had been expecting the truth it wouldn't be forthcoming.

"We do not know," he answered instead. "Current theories largely point to the Organization being at the root of it, but there's precious little proof of that."

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

"...What's the Organization?" Sabin sounded a little dumbstruck at the name being thrown out so abruptly. He had never heard of that before, and quickly thought of the Gestahlian empire.

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

Saïx would have been rather surprised if Sabin had heard of them, to be honest. While there were worlds where they were known at least to some extent the majority of the worlds that were represented here weren't those. He rather liked it that way.

"A group of people present in the city, although they aren't seen much these days," he answered. "They seem to prefer working from the shadows and have been rumored to be behind more than one instance of kidnapping."

Among other things, but Sabin could just as easily hear further details from someone else.

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

Sabin scratched his head. "Kidnapping?" The thought didn't sit well with him, so he decided to change the subject completely.

"...So, since we aren't really allowed back out, what are we supposed to do? Live here like normal? Find a house and all?"

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

"So they claim," Saïx answered, contriving to look utterly bored with the concept. "I have yet to speak with any of those kidnapped." That was a lie, of course, but again, no harm in it as long as the other didn't catch on to the fact.

"As for what you are to do here, that is up to you. Most live here as best they can; some have joined one of the factions here."

Life went on, basically.

Be Prepared came on as I typed this post :P

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

You sound like Gestahl... Sabin thought, but kept that suspicion to himself. One has a lot of trouble trusting statements like that after being tricked so soundly, but then again, nothing was making Sabin suspect this guy other than how out of place he was, and how nonchalant he seemed about this supposedly bad "Organization." He'd keep it to himself for now.

"So...I've got to find somewhere to live, then, and a job?"

Ugh, work. Sabin was a prince (now a king, he guessed), he'd never had to actually hold a job.

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

Or it could merely be chalked up to a general disinterest in the affairs of the city and things that didn't directly affect him. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't have even been terribly far from the truth.

"There's little need for a job, although you may search for one should you choose. The stores here will take anything suitably shiny in payment."

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

Sabin looked down at himself and his clothes. He was dressed in his normal purple sleeveless tunic and green pants--his training outfit. He never really carried any gil on him, either, since it wasn't that necessary for him.

"So...how do I pay for a place to stay then?" He didn't even have pockets, and since he had little need for weapons, potions, or to carry dried rations (as he could easily hunt or scavenge for what he needed...and the fact he was almost always in the castle anyway), he didn't wear any pouches either.

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

How? To Saïx, the 'how' was all around them. The plants of the city, no more real than the skies above winked quietly in the false light of false sun. But if Sabin hadn't noticed he was willing enough to help out, bending down to pick the nearest 'flower' before holding it out towards Sabin; the leaves and petals turning out to be made of semi-precious stones, while the stem seemed to be green wire.

"Try this."

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

Sabin blinked, and his jaw dropped "You've got to be joking. They accept stuff for payment that's in their own gardens?"

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

"As well as things that simply grow in the streets," Saïx answered with a nod. After all, they did very neatly qualify as being 'suitably shiny' and with so many different people from so many places it was hardly surprising (to him at least) that there wasn't really any sort of currency past 'shiny'.

[sabin-syndrome.livejournal.com]

"That...sounds stupid. Ah well, makes life easy. Thanks for the help." Sabin waved the man away, not wanting him to stick around long enough to raise more of the martial artist's suspicions.

He'd have to find a place to stay, but that shouldn't take too long when he could pay pretty much any amount the owner would ask for.

[onabluemoon.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome." It was mostly only due to the bounds of polite conversation that he offered even that much. He'd never been the most inclined to simple conversation since the loss of his heart and even when trying his best to come across as someone else he wasn't horribly interested.

Then again he wasn't horribly interested in a lot these days, so he simply offered a polite (if brief) nod to Sabin before heading off elsewhere. He knew when he was no longer wanted, after all.