Just a legend, cold words on a page

[thatsit]

So far things had been going as well as could be expected, if not a little better. The hotel staff, well used to discretion as they were, had been adept at keeping an eye on matters. There had been some tense moments in the restaurant, if the waitstaff were to be believed, but they'd resolved themselves peacefully.

It was a good sign. Ila were the only clan to have come from outside Khamja, and their history with Skite had been less than amicable. Their inclusion was probably the biggest risk Ignis had taken with his recruiting, but when it had come down to it they needed powerful healers, and if they came accompanied by tough fighters then so be it. That they could control themselves, and that members of Khamja didn't feel the need to break into violence around them, was only a bonus.

Everyone had stayed within the hotel's confines for the day. Ignis had been glad of that. One or two had been less than pleased with the request, and some had been less pleased again regarding the issue of tags, but he was reasonably sure he'd managed to placate most of them.

He read over the notes he had for their itinerary while he waited for everyone to assemble in the conference room. He'd been up late last night trying to get a somewhat friendly member of the Kingsglaive assigned to the survivalist training, to no avail, and he'd been up early again this morning ensuring everything was in order for the swift processing and manufacture of the tags they'd require so their esteemed guests didn't have to remain confined to the hotel for too much longer. His third can of Ebony of the day sat half drunk by his chair. After so long on the lowerworld and rationing his supply to make it last he'd consumed enough in his first two days back in Insomnia to give himself the jitters, but he'd become accustomed to the caffeine once more rather quickly.

The conference room was one of the hotel's largest. A huge, oval table occupied the centre of the room, and a projector hung from the ceiling, directed to a huge blank wall where it could be used for presentations and displays. Ignis had no intention of using that, but he did prefer the table set up of the room. It would be interesting to see who chose to sit next to whom, for one.

Ignis took a drink from his can and cast his eye over his papers again. Weaponry, clothing, chocobos, food, potions, ethers, camp supplies, water, medical supplies, communication; they weren't going to be heading to Pulse quickly with a shopping list this long and involved, but at the very least the time could be useful. They needed to ensure everyone was capable of surviving in the event they became stranded with nothing.

It was just a pity they'd refused to give him Nyx for that purpose.

Comments

[thesilentstorm]

Lumi couldn't have cared less on the subject of the exploration embargo. Compared to the rest of Spira, at least what he'd experienced, the hotel was an almost pure form of decadence. Gourmet food to order and enjoy, comfortable beds, modern conveniences and, most importantly, a large bath with a nice variety of good quality products to use at his leisure. That they didn't have to pay for any of it was a bonus, really.

He'd have spent a day in, enjoying the pleasant hotel, before going out anyway. Others, he imagined, would have done so as well, but the moment they were told to stay in would have been like rabbits digging at the floor of a hutch, feeling a sudden and inexplicable sense of being trapped purely because they were told they couldn't go out, even if they wouldn't have anyway, especially without maps or money. The request from Ignis to stay put just sealed the deal for him. Luxury, how inconvenient. He wasn't sure how he'd coped for a whole day.

Even so, the meeting had come upon them quickly and he and Marluxia had endeavoured to arrive early. They didn't want to end up seated at a table with anybody they were likely to find objectionable if there were other options, but when they arrived in the room Lumi found that to be an unnecessary concern. There was only one table and it was more than half empty. Nel had seated herself two seats from the front, next to Even, to nobody's surprise. On Even's other side was Szayel. Lumi expected that the two empty chairs at the table's head end were saved for Ienzo and Ulquiorra, the quiet little duo he'd found himself half surprised to see invited in the first place.

Lumi walked to the front on the other side and sat one chair in, leaving the headmost chair to Marluxia. He himself was ambivalent towards both Saix's little group and that of Grimmjow who, looking at the number of chairs left, and a mental headcount, were the ones who were missing.

[joinmyreunion]

"Lumi."

Kadaj's voice was soft, but sure. Lumi wasn't actually a mistant, he was a Ryoka, but his eyes had slitted pupils and that was enough to earn him a tag here on Jylland. Passing for mistant would be safer than passing for Ryoka, so he doubted any of the Ryoka cared about it much.

"He could be an S/0 really. None of us have ever seen him go full tilt."

But he'd stood in front of Murcielago and not buckled. He'd bitten through an Arrancar's hierro. He had no reiatsu that anyone could detect, and the only time Kadaj had ever heard of him wavering with it he'd given Nel problems, and that was just a wobble, not a release.

Lumi was placid, and softspoken, and terrifying.

[declaregamuza]

Ignis had taken their selections for their tag ranks and informed them that they'd be delivered that evening, along with maps of the city, mobile phones loaded with the numbers for each other, the hotel, a reliable local taxi service, and himself, and a card that they could use to purchase food or essentials outside the hotel. The crown, he explained, was picking up the tab for their stay, but any frivolous spending, such as drinks in bars as opposed to drinks with a meal in a restaurant, would be deducted from the agreed payments for the mission.

Nel supposed it was a way of forwarding them the money without actually forwarding them the money. Since the hotel was able to provide everything they might want, including free drinks, it didn't seem unfair. She just hoped the young idiots wouldn't go out getting drunk and buying designer clothes or gadgets willy nilly because they couldn't see the money it was costing.

Then he wished them a good day, and they were dismissed. Nel had hung back to talk to Lumi, watching Ignis go with a polite nod and a smile. Lumi had said he'd explain how he'd come by a Zanpakuto, and this was definitely an explanation she wanted to hear. Zanpakuto were made by the careful infusion of one's self into the weapon, you didn't just pick one up at the local weapons dealer.