When the ghosts are found

[thatsit]

They were on.

An expedition to Pulse had been a long shot, a secondary concern ranking somewhere behind observing Khamja's movements, courting allies, and monitoring enemies. Ignis was a diplomat, and he'd been sent to do a diplomat's job, albeit unconventionally. Lucis occupied a delicate position and could, not to put too fine a point on it, use every bit of help it could get.

Pulse was something Ignis believed could help. As did most of the council, but the problem with Pulse was that it would take a lot of resources and a lot of bodies, and something Lucis couldn't spare was bodies. The rewards could be worth it, of course. Pulse was the Lucian homeland, the country's origins lay on the long abandoned continent and what little they did know suggested a huge backslide in technology. The royal archives spoke of the Old Wall, of statues with minds, and machinery they had only recently reinvented.

Lumi's airship had sealed it. Pulsian in origin, dating back to the brief period when trade between the continents had taken place, and technology had been shared between them. It was a marvel. It was at once ancient, and more advanced than anything currently being designed.

Ignis and Gladio had made friends, allies, and acquaintances among the various ranks of Khamja. They'd been surprised to learn that so many of them were such powerful warriors. It was perfect. If they consented to come, if their respective masters allowed them to come, they had all the strength they needed to explore Pulse.

Aizen had been released from D District while Ignis had been recovering from his encounter with Phoenix. The Aeon was ever-present in his mind, the sensation akin to that of being watched from some distant corner. It was strangely comforting.

Aizen's release had seemed the opportune time to contact the Lucian council. The reply had come a few days later. Ignis and Gladio's shadowy sponsor served as their point of contact, and the permission had come through to start formally recruiting people. The party they assembled would have to be of sufficient strength and size to convince the council that it was worth dedicating the necessary resources to them, and the venture, but Ignis had no concerns that after meeting the Arrancar there would be any question remaining.

Of course some of the Arrancar had been very much in favour. And some of them had suggested others from outside Khamja.

"You should ask Ila," Tayuya had said. "Their white mage is as good as Nel, and if you're asking this gang of idiots along the healers are gonna need all the help they can get."

Ila, it turned out, were a clan that Kadaj and Grimmjow and the rest had dealt with multiple times before. The Selkie berserker had fought Grimmjow numerous times but they'd since called a truce. Kadaj had vouched for one named Lea as being a bit of a dork but a decent guy.

They could usually be found in Rabanastre, unless they were off on a hunt. The white mage, Aerith, sold flowers in the square. She'd been easy enough to find as their first contact, although she'd insisted on selling Ignis and Gladio a flower first. From there they'd been directed to the Sandsea, which was how Ignis found himself on the mezzanine level, looking down at the rest of a bar that looked every inch as if it was trying not to be a dive and not doing a very good job of it. It was rustic, perhaps even quaint, but it was very much the sort of place that felt like somewhere shady dealings happened.

Ila consisted of four people; a blue haired, yellow eyed man with pointed ears and his hair scraped back in a ponytail; a very red haired man with a very spiky hairstyle; Aerith, the canny businesswoman; and a dark haired, very pretty woman that carried herself as if she could gut anyone that dared say she was pretty.

The one with blue hair was the last to sit down, placing a round of drinks on the table as he did so.

"Thank you," Ignis said. His purchased flower lay on the table, looking thoroughly out of place. "Has Aerith elaborated on why we wanted to meet with you?"

Comments

[hearstheplanet]

Aerith set her drink on the table, listening to the conversation. Of course Fang's interest was piqued by the mention of Pulse. It was her home. Aerith would react the same way to someone that said they wanted to explore the Temple of the Ancients, or catalogue some other Cetran sites, and Aerith had never been to those. They just called to her, like a memory in the blood, or the yawning chasm of the sky.

"My mother used to tell me stories of the Mist Saturation," she said, cutting in. She didn't want them to try and trap Fang into revealing her own origins, at least not until Fang was ready to trust them. "She said Pulse became rife with Cie'th, and those that could, fled. Without anyone to put the Cie'th to rest they could still be wandering." Would there still be Cie'th after so long? Or would their bodies have distorted and eroded away by now? What about people like Fang? People sleeping in crystal after completing whatever task had been set to them? It seemed unlikely that Fang was alone in her success.

Others may have woken up too, and be scratching out new lives in Pulse's remains. No doubt that possibility was on Fang's mind, too.

[shieldoftheprince]

Gladio... hid his surprise well.

Here, somehow, two women knew some of the history of their ancestral home and, somehow, they both seemed to know more, far more, than he'd expect anyone in Lucis to know, let alone a couple of Lowerworlders.

He knew they had stories of the Mist Saturation, because it was their war that caused it, at least that's what the stories said. A great Ivalician war changed the face of everything and unleashed an evil like nothing the world had ever seen. People rebuilt, but the evil prevailed... and when it was finally destroyed, the Mist came. More poetic accounts described the Mist as a punishment, others simply as an effect of the evil being destroyed. Whichever it was, Gladio knew that it spread everywhere, crippling Machina the world over and unleashing hell. Pulse, according to their legends, was badly affected. The Founder King was given a prophecy to save his people and they left, landing in what is now Lucis.

Most people knew the story of the Mist, of the Founder King and his founding of Lucis, at least those within the country in question. Others knew just of the Mist, or their own local history. There was no real reason why they should know any details of Pulse, especially of Cie'th. All that happened after the Purvamae had been cut off from the continents below. He'd read enough historical fiction to recognise the name as signifying a mindless monster, something akin to a zombie, that would hunt down people. Some of the stories claimed they were cursed by gods. They were certainly used as boogiemen by parents trying to make their kids behave, that was for sure.

He wanted to know how this girl's mother knew those stories, ones even Lucians had consigned to legend and warnings against trying to return home, but he kept his silence.

[raindownhell]

Fang took a breath, and a moment to collect herself. Aerith had stepped in at the right time. She couldn't reveal too much to them, though she feared she'd already said too much. Even so, there were ways to talk without saying everything. She'd ... just have to be careful.

"People in my village told stories about it," she said, giving what she hoped was a careless shrug that looked looser and less tense than she felt.

She could have laughed at how the nerdy one had put it, though. Fables and prophecy... hah! She'd heard that an Izunian prince had been given a Focus, the object of which involved getting his people away from the fal'Cie and the hell Pulse was becoming. After the fact, people had debated in hushed voices over whether the fal'Cie was mad, like all the others, or if its southerly position had saved it, at least at that point, from the Madness that had befallen the others. To hear the Elders tell it, some of the people of Oerba had gone with them, taking a chance on them, but most had been wary of their supposed association with a fal'Cie, their once stalwart protectors but by then their bane.

"A pair of Izunian princes running from the Mist, the fal'Cie and the Cie'th," it sounded ridiculous, even when she'd been told the story as a child, like a tale told to entertain children. "That they had dragons to cross the divide while Machina failed all around them."

[innatelunacy]

"And now you want to go back," Saix intoned. Fang, of course, wanted a chance to return to her homeland. Perhaps it had recovered, perhaps people had survived, or perhaps they hadn't. It didn't, to Saix's view, make a lot of difference. The Pulse Fang had known was centuries in the past.

So was the Pulse these men were trying to find. And they had a well funded, and well connected expedition they were putting together. How had they got in touch with Skite?

"I presume you're asking more than us and Skite along?" Going from Fang's prowess, and stories of the things she'd once fought, if anything survived from back in her day it was going to be quite unlike anything they were used to fighting.

[thatsit]

The mention of dragons sent a spark through Ignis's chest. Dragons were an integral part of Lucian iconography. The Kingsglaive still wore one. Bahamut was associated with the Lucian crown; it had been strange to see him depicted on the lowerworld, stranger still to see him in the flesh as it were at the hands of Kadaj. "I think you'd enjoy Lucis," he said, warmly. "It seems those stories aren't far wrong."

Perhaps some of the diaspora had retained their stories. There were tales of small factions that had split from the rest early on in Lucis's history, striking out to nearby lands. Lucis had been extremely insular for much of its life, but it wasn't a huge leap to think that if they had made it, others might have too.

"We're asking as many as we can," Ignis said, looking at the blue haired man. "You come with a recommendation, if there are others you can recommend we'll certainly take them into consideration."

[gotitmemorised]

"That aside," he said, trying not to think about how Saix spending a lot of quality time with Grimmjow would go. "How would we get there?"

It seemed like an obvious question, but nobody had asked. Pulse, as far as his limited knowledge took him, was a big continent out to the far east, floating above the sea and shrouded in Mist, even to this day. The magic that kept them afloat often affected Airships, so travel even to Jylland was awkward, with only a few ports providing safe landing points without the need for a Jagd-proof ship.

Pulse was unlikely to have any of those and if it did, nobody knew about it.

[thatsit]

The issue of transport to Pulse was one of the lesser logistical concerns. Obviously the more people they invited the greater the number of airships required to transport them would be, but they had access to Jagd proof airships.

"Riding dragons, of course," unable to help himself. He maintained his composure for a second before he let it crumble. "We have access to more than one Jagd-proof airship, we should have no concerns transporting ourselves and supplies." Admittedly, one such airship was the Ragnarok, and the other was Noctua, and the access was granted because their respective pilots were coming, but they would still be invaluable for the expedition.

[gotitmemorised]

Lea thought that sounded fair.

Their own ship would probably also help, but he wasn't going to offer that option too quickly. Especially not before they'd discussed whether they'd actually be going or not. He suspected that, even if the Clan decided that they were going to stay firmly on Ivalician soil, Fang would opt to go with them, if only out of curiosity to see what had become of her homeland.

"Fair enough," he said. "We'll need to discuss it, you know."

[raindownhell]

Fang narrowed her eyes at Ignis, not finding his joke particularly funny. Although the Izunian exodus was spoken about as if those undertaking had been mad even when she was a girl, she wagered she knew more about it than these guys did. They'd talked about them poorly, but at least it had happened in the past few decades when they'd done so, not hundreds of years in the past and coloured by myth.

"And it depends what you're offering," she added. She was going to go regardless, but it didn't hurt to sound businesslike.

[thatsit]

"Of course," Ignis conceded. Naturally they'd want to discuss the matter, and doubtless they'd want to discuss what they wanted as payment for their services. Somehow, Ignis didn't think their offer was going to be refused. Any holding out would be quibbling over details, rather than a risk of refusal.

He hoped, at least. Fang had seemed enthusiastic enough, and Aerith seemed suspiciously well informed.

"Payment is negotiable," he added, with a smile. Not everyone was interested in strictly financial compensation, after all. Some wanted a piece of whatever technology they might find, and others might be more interested in sample collection over currency. Some things were more valuable, to individuals of a certain mindset, than money could ever be. "The expedition will start with a trip to Lucis so that appropriate resources and supplies can be provided, so you won't need to concern yourselves with purchasing equipment beforehand."

[innatelunacy]

Saix glanced sidelong at Lea. For Saix, a chance to get away from Rabanastre, and Xigbar, for an extended period of time wasn't one he was about to pass up. He also wasn't concerned about spending a lot of time in Grimmjow's company, although if Yylfordt was along for the journey he may be less likely to make it back in one piece.

Still, a few weeks or months being paid to scour some unmapped continent, living off what they could hunt and sleeping under the stars wasn't the worst offer Saix had ever had.

"We'll take that into consideration," he said. He had no intention of taking less money than they thought was fair just because they were being supplied out of somebody else's pocket. Although it would be a nice bonus not to have to restock themselves.

[gotitmemorised]

Lea agreed with that.

Discussion was necessary first and foremost and then came negotiation with these two. They seemed desperate enough for takers that they'd acquiesce to whatever they wanted, so long as it wasn't ridiculous, so money would probably be fine. They could certainly ask enough that they wouldn't be forced to rent any more, once the trip was over. That was always a nice thought... but he didn't know if Saix would agree.

"Fair enough," he said.

The idea of free gear wasn't bad, though he knew they'd all be taking their own weapons at the very least.

[raindownhell]

Fang didn't care as much about compensation, she just wanted to see if it was possible to go back there and, if so, what it was like. But ... she wasn't so curious that money wasn't also a draw. Money was money.

"So we'll discuss it and get back to you," she said. "Where'll we find you?"

[thatsit]

Ignis smiled broadly. "You can call me," he answered, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing his notebook and pen. He wrote down his number in a quick, neat hand. In Lucis he had business cards, but he wasn't prepared to go flashing those around. "We can meet up again to negotiate should you choose to join us."

He tore the page from his notebook, folded it in half, and offered it across the table to Aerith. His attention, however, was on Fang. "I'd certainly enjoy hearing more of the stories you grew up with," he said. "I hadn't expected them to have existed outside of Lucis. It would be interesting to see where they intersect, and where they differ."

Brothers, and dragons. How had time twisted the tales?

[hearstheplanet]

Aerith leaned forward and took the folded slip of paper from Ignis. She didn't doubt they'd take the job; Fang certainly seemed to want to go, and if the pay day was good enough she doubted Lea and Saix would turn it down.

And if they were going with Skite then they were going to be short on healers. She wondered if that had been one of the reasons they'd been pointed towards Ila. Skite knew she was a healer, and they certainly didn't seem to have one of their own.

"Will you be staying in Rabanastre?" she asked. She'd certainly be keeping an eye out for them, if so. They could buy more flowers from her if she saw them in the market.

[shieldoftheprince]

"I think we can spend a night here," Gladio said, not waiting for Ignis to shoot them down.

He didn't much like traveling across desert. It would be easier to stay in the city a night, take in the sights and all the things Ignis would no doubt want to spend some time on, than go back to base and return the next day. It would certainly be less tiring.

[thatsit]

Ignis's head snapped towards Gladio at his answer. It hadn't been the plan; the desert palace wasn't too far away, relatively speaking, but the prospect of a night in Rabanastre was enticing. The markets, the food quarter, the architecture, they were all worth exploring.

They were here on business. Time for sightseeing was sadly limited, but...

"That would be delightful."

The sights, some good food, and with a little luck a comfortable bed in a decent enough inn. Ignis wasn't too picky so long as it was clean.

[innatelunacy]

The nerd seemed excited, and yet deferential to his bodyguard. It seemed like he was well practiced at having boundaries set by others.

"Then we'll call you," Saix replied.