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spira_rp2020-01-07 08:38 pm
innatelunacy) wrote in spira_rp2020-01-07 08:38 pm
Deep in the bosom of the gentle night
They'd accepted the job.
If Saix was honest, they'd have probably accepted it for less money than they'd be getting. After leaving Gladio and Ignis they'd discussed what sort of price they'd be willing to take, settled on a range, and then, when they'd called Ignis and met up again, gone in high. They'd been haggled down. If their first request had been accepted without question alarm bells would have rung; the task of exploring and mapping Pulse promised to be filled with unknowns, but hunting jobs paid by the danger involved more than the length of time they'd take to complete. If their high offer hadn't been challenged, it would suggest many more dangerous unknowns than they'd been expecting.
The price they came out at was fair, and with the promise of supplies and equipment being provided out of the deep pockets of whoever was funding the expedition, they were getting a pretty nice deal. It wasn't going to be a cushy job, by any means, but the compensation was worth it.
Ignis had contacted them again a few days later with an itinerary, and directions to Lucis. They were given an entry permit for an airship port in Lucis and told they'd be collected from there and taken to Insomnia.
Saix has raised an eyebrow at the name. A little reading had shown Insomnia was the capital city. It sounded like Xemnas had named it, but other than sharing a look with Lea, Saix had kept his mouth shut on the matter.
Lucis hadn't looked like much as they'd flown over it. The co-ordinates they'd been given for the airport were in the middle of rocky scrubland that was mostly sun and desert. It looked as if someone had taken the Westersand and flattened it a little. Paved roads snaked their way across the terrain.
The airport wasn't particularly impressive either. It lacked the grandiosity and bustle of the ones on the mainland, but Saix, Lea, Aerith, and Fang were met by two men in black uniforms that checked their permit and names and told them where to park their ship. There were other ships already parked. One looked like a grand dragon with grasping claws, another was sleek and hypermodern.
Then they were led outside, into the glaring sun, and a black limousine with tinted windows and leather seats. Despite the heat, the air inside the car was cool. If the sight of the terrain and the airport had made Saix question the ability of whoever was funding this trip to cover the costs, the limousine quieted his doubts.
They fell completely silent as the black clad chauffeur drove them through a dustbowl and up to an immense walled city. It was impossible not to stare out of the window as they passed through a checkpoint and traveled over an unbelievably long suspension bridge to another checkpoint. Once inside the wall they saw grasslands and suburbs, and still they drove on until the suburbs gave way to glass and metal buildings, and neon signage, wide roads and traffic lights, and the buildings got taller and shinier until they pulled into a carpark beneath one of the largest buildings.
The limousine's door opened, and another black clad person greeted them. "If you'll follow me," he said, "I'll show you to your suites."
The building turned out to be a hotel. Saix didn't know if there were other visitors or if the entire thing was booked out with hunters Gladio and Ignis had recruited. They were led along plushly carpeted corridors, into a marbled lift, and then to two rooms. Himself and Lea were ushered into the first.
"Count Scientia will be along to welcome you shortly," their guide said. "Make yourselves comfortable."
Saix looked around the room. The window gave a view over the glittering skyline of the city. There was a sofa and a couple of comfortable looking chairs, with a table and television that seemed to serve as a sort of lounge. He opened one door to find a bathroom, with tiled floors, and shower, and bath, and his and hers sinks. Another door gave way to a bedroom, with two double beds, and towels folded into the shape of swans in the centre. Or perhaps they were meant to be dragons?
A third door turned out to connect to Aerith and Fang's room, and was lockable from both sides.
"We should have asked for more money," Saix said, once their concierge was gone.
If Saix was honest, they'd have probably accepted it for less money than they'd be getting. After leaving Gladio and Ignis they'd discussed what sort of price they'd be willing to take, settled on a range, and then, when they'd called Ignis and met up again, gone in high. They'd been haggled down. If their first request had been accepted without question alarm bells would have rung; the task of exploring and mapping Pulse promised to be filled with unknowns, but hunting jobs paid by the danger involved more than the length of time they'd take to complete. If their high offer hadn't been challenged, it would suggest many more dangerous unknowns than they'd been expecting.
The price they came out at was fair, and with the promise of supplies and equipment being provided out of the deep pockets of whoever was funding the expedition, they were getting a pretty nice deal. It wasn't going to be a cushy job, by any means, but the compensation was worth it.
Ignis had contacted them again a few days later with an itinerary, and directions to Lucis. They were given an entry permit for an airship port in Lucis and told they'd be collected from there and taken to Insomnia.
Saix has raised an eyebrow at the name. A little reading had shown Insomnia was the capital city. It sounded like Xemnas had named it, but other than sharing a look with Lea, Saix had kept his mouth shut on the matter.
Lucis hadn't looked like much as they'd flown over it. The co-ordinates they'd been given for the airport were in the middle of rocky scrubland that was mostly sun and desert. It looked as if someone had taken the Westersand and flattened it a little. Paved roads snaked their way across the terrain.
The airport wasn't particularly impressive either. It lacked the grandiosity and bustle of the ones on the mainland, but Saix, Lea, Aerith, and Fang were met by two men in black uniforms that checked their permit and names and told them where to park their ship. There were other ships already parked. One looked like a grand dragon with grasping claws, another was sleek and hypermodern.
Then they were led outside, into the glaring sun, and a black limousine with tinted windows and leather seats. Despite the heat, the air inside the car was cool. If the sight of the terrain and the airport had made Saix question the ability of whoever was funding this trip to cover the costs, the limousine quieted his doubts.
They fell completely silent as the black clad chauffeur drove them through a dustbowl and up to an immense walled city. It was impossible not to stare out of the window as they passed through a checkpoint and traveled over an unbelievably long suspension bridge to another checkpoint. Once inside the wall they saw grasslands and suburbs, and still they drove on until the suburbs gave way to glass and metal buildings, and neon signage, wide roads and traffic lights, and the buildings got taller and shinier until they pulled into a carpark beneath one of the largest buildings.
The limousine's door opened, and another black clad person greeted them. "If you'll follow me," he said, "I'll show you to your suites."
The building turned out to be a hotel. Saix didn't know if there were other visitors or if the entire thing was booked out with hunters Gladio and Ignis had recruited. They were led along plushly carpeted corridors, into a marbled lift, and then to two rooms. Himself and Lea were ushered into the first.
"Count Scientia will be along to welcome you shortly," their guide said. "Make yourselves comfortable."
Saix looked around the room. The window gave a view over the glittering skyline of the city. There was a sofa and a couple of comfortable looking chairs, with a table and television that seemed to serve as a sort of lounge. He opened one door to find a bathroom, with tiled floors, and shower, and bath, and his and hers sinks. Another door gave way to a bedroom, with two double beds, and towels folded into the shape of swans in the centre. Or perhaps they were meant to be dragons?
A third door turned out to connect to Aerith and Fang's room, and was lockable from both sides.
"We should have asked for more money," Saix said, once their concierge was gone.
no subject
"If he's altered his attitude, there won't be any ructions," he replied, folding his arms. "How long before we meet the others?" he asked, changing the subject. He wanted to know how long they'd be stuck inside the hotel for, too, but one thing at a time.
no subject
The one on his mind was food and there were still hours left until the restaurant shut. It would be nice to kill time eating until he got to see the city below in darkness, just to really make the Dark City comparisons properly, without the sun getting in the way.
"Oh hey, is room service included in the bill?" He asked.
The restaurant obviously was, and he presumed the other amenities were part of the hotel's general service, but that ... was up in the air. He rather hoped so.
no subject
Lea caught his attention. Ignis allowed the corner of his mouth to quirk upwards in reaction. They weren't the first to have asked, after all. "It is," he answered, "however you may find the service menu more limited than that of the restaurant itself. There isn't an allowance, per se, but any notable extravagances may be brought into question." Multiple expensive bottles of wine, for example, or more food than any person could eat without making themselves sick. "I'd advise you refrain from ordering one of everything," he added, with a smirk.
His expression faltered, and he inhaled, steeling himself. "There is another matter I fear I must address."
no subject
Her ears pricked as Ignis explained about the room service, too. That might be good for lunch. They could settle in, get something to eat, then explore the hotel a bit.
The change in Ignis's demeanour that came after it rang warning bells. "What's that?" she asked, warily.
no subject
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Instead of wary, she looked flatly at him.
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It could be worse if that was the case, but he'd prefer freedom to explore the city without a babysitter.
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"Due to our trade agreements with the Jyllandi Union," he began, "Lucis requires all individuals within its borders who bear a mist mutation to wear an identity tag. Unfortunately this will include yourselves." He looked at Saix, with his pointed ears. Such a small physical difference, and yet it would necessitate the distasteful rigmarole of marking him out. "Particularly as yours is a visible mutation."
no subject
Instead he closed his mouth, and shared a look with Lea. It wasn't Spira's Mist that had altered his appearance, but to the natives that was how they interpreted it. And that was a useful fact behind which to hide their true nature.
He turned back to Ignis. "Is that it?"
no subject
As far as he knew, people from Ivalice had their visible or known birth-mutations listed on their Licenses. Sure, so it was only visible to the world if somebody checked the license, but it was still written. Even so...
"When you say 'identity tag'," Lea said, cocking his head to one side and miming a necklace with his hands. "Do you mean like .... a dog tag?"
no subject
"Yes," he answered, to both of them, although the term 'dog tag' had always sounded strange given that he'd never seen a dog wearing one similar. "It bears your name, and a rank." He prepared himself for a negative reaction to that information, and continued, "Ordinarily your rank is determined by your strength and abilities, however, given that you are here as guests you are invited to choose your own rather than submitting yourselves to any form of formal assessment."
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As far as Aerith was concerned, any time there was a routine practice of making a subset of the population wear something to differentiate them from the rest, it was bad news.
"What if they don't want to?" she asked. She wasn't a mist mutant, it didn't apply to her, and Lea and Saix and Fang weren't either, at least that she knew, but they faced being marked as them anyway just because they looked a little different.
no subject
"It's fine," he said, looking at Aerith, and then turning to look at Lea once more. "It's no worse than a license."
no subject
It didn't say he was a Mistant. His minor visual mutation -- glowing eyes -- was caused by his brief stint in a Midgar laboratory, not by accident of birth or accidental exposure later.
It also stated he was of Jyllandi nationality, which he rather hoped wasn't going to be a problem.
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She didn't have a License. It was a problem, but if the Lucians had the ability to produce them for Lowerworld visits, perhaps he could be convinced to produce one for her. That would make her life easier.
Before then, the issue of Tags was at the forefront of discussion. She didn't mind being tagged if it helped her blend in, and her Chakra wasn't exactly within normal parameters thanks to the additional flow given to her by the fal'Cie when it marked her. Her brand might be frozen, but it was still there, power and all.
"How do we choose a rank?" She asked.
no subject
"The ranks are S, A, B, C, and D, S being the highest and D the lowest. They're then further divided from zero to five. S5 would be stronger than A0, but weaker than S4." He smiled, faintly, and directed his attention back to the two men, who were likely to need the next warning the most. "I would advise against selecting a significantly high rank as it may draw unnecessary attention." He flicked his attention back to Fang and Aerith to explain, "Selkies are a particular rarity in Lucis, so your appearances will already garner a second glance, should you choose to venture out into the city."
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He looked to Fang. Part of him was interested to see what rank she was going to choose for herself. Personally, he wanted to be realistic, but he also wanted to make sure he didn't underplay his strength to the point that he let others appear stronger than him.
Like Grimmjow.
Not that he was going to admit to having that much of an ego.
He definitely needed to be ranked higher than Yylfordt.
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She hoped, anyway. You never could be sure with Saix's influence in the mix.
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He knew he was a pretty powerful Fire Mage, especially since his ability to wield fire was more comparable to that of an Aeon than your standard Fire Elemental, but he doubted it was in the top percentile of all Fire users. He could win most fights with it, should the elements be in his favour, but he'd never come up against somebody significantly powerful, but he knew they had to exist. Gotei 13 Captains were talked about as being ridiculously powerful, so were Kages and members of other ridiculously elite organisations.
He didn't have the ego, not quite, to imagine he ranked amongst them.
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They wanted to keep a low profile, but it made sense to choose B or A Rank to make people just wary enough of them to keep their distance without feeling the need to try and cut their teeth on their battle skills. Certain people would always challenge people stronger than them, to prove they were better, or to test to see whether they were. They didn't need that kind of attention.
Besides, they had no frame of reference as to what constituted what rank. Sure, so they were a l'Cie and two reasonably powerful Ryoka, especially when judged against the general population, but Mistants could vary greatly and while it was possible they were S-ranked, they didn't know for sure. If they put themselves in at being that high and then got challenged to a fight by somebody of a similar level, they ran the risk of getting flattened by a totally unknown quantity.
Or perhaps committing a murder.
It was impossible to know.
"How long do we have to decide what we're going with?" She asked.
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"Preferably by the briefing tomorrow," he answered. "Once you're issued with your tag you'll be free to venture into the city." He looked to Aerith, "We ask that no one does so until the briefing." They'd prefer not to lose people, and they'd definitely prefer if those with visible mutations didn't run into altercations with law enforcement or the locals due to their lack of a tag.
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At least this gave them a timeframe on when they'd be free to leave. A couple of days, perhaps. Enough time to select a rank and have it issued. A couple of days in a plush hotel certainly wasn't the worst imprisonment Saix had ever endured.
"Is there anything else?" he asked. Ignis had steeled himself for telling them about the tags as if he expected arguments. If he had anything else to tell them that he thought they might not like, now would be a good time.
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He also wondered how long they would have to wait before it was polite to go down and avail themselves of the restaurant. He was starving. The trip hadn't been a short one, they hadn't bothered packing any snacks and the drive had parched him even though his mind had been occupied staring out of the car window like a horrible cross between a tourist and a dog.
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"I hope you enjoy your stay with us," he added, giving them a small bow.