Who: Selphie Tilmitt, Cyan Garamonde, Irvine Kinneas, Vincent Valentine, Kail Nurah, Kefka, Ouroboros, ShinRa Troops puppeted by Reeve, Proud Clod puppeted by Heidegger.
Where: Garden Atrium -> Garden Parking Lot -> Aulcauld Plains (Balamb) -> Balamb Town.
Why: Time to assassinate Kefka.
Date of Log: August 3rd, 2000.
Selphie comes trotting into the scene, seemingly on her way towards the exit.
And! She's got on a nice hooded pale pink jacket, to boot, with the hood
pulled up over her head. Which basically requires her hair to be un-flippy,
which it is! Gasp! Anyway, just in her ilttle short dress and jacket, Selphie
was going to go outsde in the -snow-. *_* Trotty-trot.
Turning from Cyan briefly, Irvine spots Selphie trot-troting along in the
little pink jacket. He lifts an eyebrow at her, his conversation with the
Knight forgotten briefly as she gets closer and calls out, "Darlin', where
are you going?" See, he does suspect she's gonna head out into the snow, and
that outfit just isn't enough to keep her warm, which means she'll probably
get his duster at some point. Well... it's not like he's letting her go out
there -alone-, jeez!
Cyan blinks and sees Irvine go towards Selphie...and quickly recalls he doesn't
know much about Selphie anyway, and so stays leaning on the railing right
where he is. Yep.
Blinkblink. Hey, it's Irvy! Beaming, Selphie bubbles, "Outside!" She sees
nothing wrong with it. She should be used to the cold! And besides, she was
just gonna be out there for a few minutes...! Selphie does, despite how much
she may love Balamb Garden and all, get 'homesick' at times. So this new
placement of Garden to the snowy fields of white is a welcome change! Looking
past Irvine for a moment, her eyes light up!, and she wavewaves to the
Knight. "Sir Cyan! Hi~!" Gee, makes you feel real loved, huh Irvy? Gasp--!
And look, the jacket isn't even zipped up. Tch. To Irvine, she offers, "Wanna
come with?"
Squinting at Selphie dubiously, Irvine quips, "I'm not letting you go out there
alone, no. Zip that jacket up." And if she has any ideas of not doing it, at
this point the cowboy does approach her to do it for her anyway. "Don't need
you catching a cold, is that jacket warm enough?" Aw, isn't that cute? Cyan
may notice the moody/broodiness is gone the moment she enters like a ray of
sunshine cutting through an overcast sky.
Cyan waves slightly to Selphie as his name is mentioned, and glances, and then
merely says, "Ah. Well, very sorry to bother you, good sir." He reaches up
and recalls he has no hat, and so merely offers Irvine a slight military
salute. Not SeeD, he hasn't gotten that one, just...two fingers to the
forehead and *thwip* Yessuh. He pushes off from the railing and turns, slowly
starting to walk back towards the Guest Rotunda.
"Uh!" Selphie turns away slightly as Irvine moves to zip up -her- jacket, doing
so even as she gives him this little look. "I can dress myself, y'know! I'm a
big girl." Yeesh! She's just gonna go -outside-. What's Irvy's problem?
Wrinkling her nose as she lets the zipper stop an inch or so before the top,
the girl sorta-whines, "I won't catch a cold! I grew up in Trabia Garden,
-remember-?" Yes, it's cute. Even Selphie thinks so. But she didn't know
Irvine was so protective! Glancing again past the cowboy, she oh!s. Sir
Cyan's leaving...! "--Oh, oh! Bye, Sir Cya~an!" As a quieter aside, she asks
Irvine, "Isn't he -cool-?"
Um, Irvine glances back as he realizes he's rudely abandoned Cyan. "Sorry..."
he tips his hat as the other salutes him. Standing there a moment, he
recovers soon enough and looks back down at Selphie, crossing his arms over
his chest. Yes, he -is- that protective. He's been outside already to check
the snow out already and it's damn frosty out there. The duster being fully
lined, it didn't affect him all that much, but the little jacket on Selphie
doesn't look warm enough to him. "Yeah, that's right, you transferred from
Trabia. So why are you wearing such a thin jacket, huh?"
Cyan pads off, offering a brief wave again as he returns to the south, a
pensive expression on his face...though from their perspective Irvine and
Selphie of course can't see it.
Selphie's brow knits lightly, and she crosses her arms, stubbornly. "It's not
like I knew that Garden could -move- when I transferred ehre, you know...!
How was I s'posed to know I'd need a coat again? Everyone said that Balamb
always has a nice climate!" Well, it's the truth! Why would she need winter
clothes if she thought she'd spend the rest of her time in Balamb, having not
known that the Garden would soon turn mobile. She has a feeling that Irvine
will try and offer his duster, but will still accompany her, and -- ugh, men!
Okay, well. If he offers the duster, she'll just give in and go change.
Sheesh.
Indeed, Irvine starts to remove the duster, planning on handing it over to
Selphie. "Well, if you've gotta go out, at least have something warm on."
Which leaves him without anything if he does end up accompanying Selphie
outside. Despite the fact that he's got several vests and pairs of jeans and
even an extra pair of boots, he only has one hat, one duster and one pair of
chaps. However, from the look on his face, he's not about to take no for an
answer either.
Selphie actually lets out this little frustrated noise, wavewaving her hands.
"No, no! I'll just go n'change!" She's got some jeans... And. Uhm. No long
sleeve shirts, but... At least something with sleeves. Well, kinda. Most of
her shirts are either sleeveless or have those silly little quarter sleeves,
which really don't even count. "Is that okay with you, -Mom-?" Hee.
Giggling, Selphie takes the moment to prod the cowboy in the stomach, even as
she turns and trots away, in 'retreat.' Hee. She'll be gone for a few
minutes, as she puzzles over what to wear. Hm! Girls take -so- long. Besides,
she stops to chat with a few people along the way, but just idle small-talk.
Anyway, about 5 minutes later, Selphie -finally- comes back... And, indeed, it
looks like she'll be a -tad- warmer. Bluejeans, yellow converse, a dark-pink
t-shirt with a little white swirly design on the front... And that same
pale-pink jacket, hood pulled up, zipper up half-way for the moment. Sheesh,
she looks totally different when she's not showing 80 of her skin. "Is this
-better-, Mommy Irvy?"
Leaning up against the railing, Irvine waits. And waits some more. Women do
take forever, but then, Irvine's been known to preen a bit longer then normal
too, so he doesn't mind too much. But, as soon Selphie does return, he
smiles, nodding, "Yes, much better."
Selphie beams. Good. At least Irvy doesn't know this shirt is sleeveless, he'd
prolly make her go change. Hrmph. Anyway, she claps, rocking up onto the
balls of her feet. "Cool! C'mon, let's go!" And, as she says this, she's
reminded of a previous time that she said 'let's go,' on her birthday. In the
Ragnarok. Which reminds her of Squall, who reminds her of Vincent, since
they're both quiet and serious and -- "Ohmygod!" Eyes widish, she wavewaves
her hands. "We have to go to the parking garage first! Dang! I totally
forgot, Vincey's waiting there!" Oops. Even as she speaks, she reaches to
grab Irvine's hand, and hopefully drag him. o_-
(Insert dash toward the parking area.)
Gah, chocobos. Irvine squints a little as he sees them and reaches up to rub
his nose. Ah well, he knew this was part of it. Arriving alongside Selphie to
the parking lot, he doesn't say anything. After all, what needs to be said
anyway? However, he does carry some sort of case with him, probably the
sniper rifle, and his normal shotgun is strapped to his back in a holster.
The parking garage /is/ slightly chill, hinting at the weather's temprature
outside. There is a small group already present. Chocobos had already been
sent ahead to wait the group's arrival, while a small team of SeeD are even
now making sure that one of the heavy terrain vehicles is in top condition.
Last minute checks. Vincent, distinctive in crimson cloak... this is several
hours before the actual mission's occurance. It has to be, to reach the point
that the team will use to switch to chocobos, to cross the shallows to Balamb
Isle, to meet with Squall, Kail and Logan's group. That is what has been told.
On seeing Irvine arrive with Selphie, Vincent nods in greeting, "We are
almost prepared." With him, a heavy handgun at his side - a magnum calibur. A
pack over one shoulder. And a cloth case, covering shotgun or rifle - hard to
say. He'll start briefing in a moment, as soon as he's certain he has both
Irvine's and Selphie's attention.
Fully having Selphie's attention normally must be done in the Ragnarok, where
she takes her job the most serious. But! She'll try, at least, today.
Glancing around the area, she smile!s at the chocobos -- they're soooo cute.
And she hears there's different colored ones, even... Though she's never seen
them, before. Anyway, Selphie's no longer in her little yellow whore_dress,
since it's chilly, and since Irvine's suddenly protective of her and all --
instead wearing simple blue-jeans, a shirt, and a little pink hooded jacket
-- hood pulled up, of course. Boots shed for a pair of yelow hi-top converse
(booyaka), she also weilds her nunchakus... If not just to look important,
since Irvine's got his sniper rifle case, and all. Beam!ing as she spots the
crimson cloak`ed man, she wavewaves, cheerfully. Tch. "Vincey! Cold enough
for ya?"
The corner of Vincent's lips twitch in response to Selphie's exhuberance. "It
is cold. But there will be a point where we are able to leave the weather
gear." Pink. It's... pink. Vincent then addresses both. "Or mission objective
is the assassination of Kefka, head of ShinRa's weapons development." he
begins in an even tone. "We are to meet with the advanced scout team, using
their method of infiltration to enter the city." He looks toward the
sharpshooter for the mission, "It will be your task to accompany a member of
the scout team to find a place best suited, set up, and wait for the signal."
A prearranged one, noted in the report given to Irvine earlier, including a
small receiver that would vibrate on activation of its transmitter. "The
remainder of the team will provide cover and, if nescessary, distraction. We
are to remain discreet at all times. If you are junctioned, do not summon
your Guardian Force, and if captured, unjunction immediately." Said before,
but bears repeating to be specific. "The mission's variable depends on how we
can stretch the amount of time we have. Are there any questions?"
Yeah, it's cool, but that's why Irvine's suddenly glad he's got a fully lined
duster, complete with faux-fur collar and cuffs. He'll have little problem
with the frosty weather. Vincent does have his attention, but in a different
sort of way. The sharpshooter's interested in the firearms he's carrying,
glancing at the handgun and wondering what exactly is in the cloth case. He's
already falling into a sober, dispassionate mode (note: not brooding, which
is an entirely different thing for him), even with Selphie being near. But
then, he's gonna need the ability to concentrate later.
At Vincent's explanation of the mission objectives, Irvine glances up,
forgetting the guns for the time being as he listens. He knows most of this
already, having spent the first few nights after receiving said reports to
memorize nearly every aspect of them. And if there's one thing Irvine does
have beside the sharpshooting abilities, it's a damn fine memory. Ask Selphie.
As Vincent finishes, Irvine speaks up, not with questions, but rather a few
extra details provided to him the day before from Squall. "The town is
patroled by a great number of ShinRa troopers. They apparently do three hour
patrols, but Kefka was seen in the open reading a newspaper." His lips curl
upward as he mentions that, seeing as the idea of the madman behaving so
irrationally bold really does amuse him. "They will likely be spooked
however, the recon team's cover was blown. We'll need to use caution." Good
grief, he actually sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Maybe
there's hope for the fraidy cat sharpshooter after all.
Being a very, very good girl today, Selphie opts to stand with her hands behind
her back, grasping her nunchakus, listening. Yes! Just listening. She really
doesn't have much to say, you know -- Irvine's the one with the difficult
job, not her. And!, surprisingly enough, she seems totally focused on
whoever's speaking. Merely nodding to Vincent's instructions, she -does- idly
rock on her heels, but... Nothing too overly-energetic, yet. When Irvine
talks... Well. She's more than impressed, of course, but attempts not to look
too much so. Afterall, she knows how it is to fall into line like that --
before the adrenaline kicks in, she's like that in the Ragnarok. Either way,
the point is, Selphie's being quiet and obedient. This isn't her show,
afterall.
Vincent frowns slightly, however nods in response. "The scouts will have kept
watch on the city itself. Hopefully, there will be no problems in getting
into the city." Getting out, is another matter entirely. He studies both
before him. The tech on the vehicle in the background closes the hood with a
pronounced 'thump' echoing in the garage. Vincent looks over his shoulder,
then back to the two. "Then shall we?" he gestures at the vehicle.
If Irvine -really- had a choice, it would be be 'no', but he doesn't. Soooo,
without another word, he reaches up, tips his hat and proceeds to stride
toward the vehicle and board.
"Mmhmm!" See, Selphie's energetic about it... She's just behaving. And she
follows the two men, happily enough. Yeah, mission time! This's gotta mean a
raise. *_*
The trip for the three coming to Balamb Isle is fairly uneventful. From frozen
north, to desert, to coastline... board the chocobos and cross the waters'
shallows to the back part of Balamb Isle. /That/ was fairly easy. Now, they
have fallen to land, to meet with the remaining scouts at a designated point.
In these far outreaches of the isle itself, the occupation is in little
evidence. Vincent, likely in the lead for now, slowly drawing up to the
rendevous position.
Irvine rubs at his nose, having sneezed a number of times since riding the damn
chocobos. Allergies suck, especially when they're to something necessary. He
glances around as they finally reach the rendez-vous point, thoughtful for a
moment. So close, so very close, and yet he's not getting the familiar
bodings of panick yet. Perhaps this is a good thing.
In the distance, from the forest in between Garden's crater and the township, a
light lights up for a second, then goes out...this is repeated once or twice,
as though the light's holder doesn't want it to be seen. Occasionally right
after the flash the vaguest outline of a man in armor can be seen, as well as
the glint of light off the figure's metal armor and weaponry.
Selphie rather enjoys this part of the trip! Mmmhmm! Though she's baguely
dissapointed when her Chocobo got dizzy much faster than she from running in
circles. Pooh. So, for now, she's content to let it regain it's bearings.
Having named it Fluffles, she's pretty happy with this little trip thus far.
Either way, she's been pretty dang quiet -- go figure, huh!
Yet, even if it's real, there is no reason not to check for a trap, first.
Hence, Vincent stops as his eyes catch the flashing light, raising a hand to
warn the other two to pause for a moment. Binoculars were brought... why
would they have been left behind? It takes but a moment to get them out, to
lift them and focus to make sure that 'figure in armor' has a more detailed
identity.
Glad to halt for a moment, Irvine hasn't had as much fun as Selphie. Sneezing
in ten to tweny minute intervals, he's damn sick of riding the thing.
Catching sight of the light, however, he tries to fight off another sneezing
fit to peer in that direction. Binoculars? Feh, he's got the Eagle Eye.
However, his eyes are watering at the moment, not good. Hopefully it'll pass
as soon as he's off this yellow thing.
Selphie has, however, made up for her lack of conversation with a 'bless you'
every single time Irvine has sneezed, thus far. And if he sneezes again,
she'll whisper it -- since something's obviously caught Vincent's eye.
Pausing in Fluffle's trek for a moment, she squints to where Vincent is
peering... Wonder what it is. Unfortunately for Irvine, she didn't think to
bring tissues, else she'd offer him one.
Yes, binoculars. Eagle eye or not, the figure in the distance is concealed
partially by the forest. "A man in Shinra uniform. Apparently alone." Vincent
notes to his companions then, offering the use of said binoculars.
Irvine shakes his head, waving off the offer to look through the binoculars,
due to his sight being blurred at the moment. Besides, Selphie might have
more fun with them. He does, in fact, sneeze again, and is probably
consequently 'bless you'd by her yet again.
The figure in the forest again flicks the flashlight once, then his hand sinks
down to his side, holding the flashlight. He carefully puts a machine gun
down to the side, and turns as though talking to someone else, a buster sword
visible on his back -- standard armament for the Shinra soldiers here in
Balamb. So what's with the double-barreled shotgun and pair of tonfas on his
belt?....
Of -course- Selphie takes the binoculars, chirping a 'bless you!' to Irvine
even as she snags them. Whoo! Holding them up to her eyes, she leeans forward
as people are wont to do when looking through said contraption. "..." Tongue
poking out of her mouth a bit as she at first doesn't see anything, then...
moves them a little to the right, and -- "--Ohmygod, it's huge!" Er. She was
looking at Vincent, apparently, as she pulls the binoculars down, and...
Blinks. "...Er. Just kidding!" Laughing quietly, nerverously, she tries
-again-, this time finding the faraway figure. Hrm~. "...Hey, Irvy~! They use
shotguns, too! I didn't know that." Looking the figure over once more, she
lowers the binoculars, then raises them, then lowers them again. "..." Then
raises then -once- more, pointing at him with one hand. "--Heeey! Kail uses
those tonba thingees!" 2 and 2 have not yet added together, however.
"If he's got tonfas and a shotgun it's probably Kail," Irvine says as he wipes
at his eyes with the heel of his palm, trying to dry the moisture there by
letting it soak into his fingerless gloves. Gah, they itch too. "I let him
borrow one of my shotguns before he and Squall left." There you go, now
hopefully he got 4 when he added.
Vincent won't smile. He refuses... okay. Just a moment's worth. Then it's back
to seriousness. A moment of consideration is given, before he nods. "Very
well." and turns, nudging the chocobo he rides into motion again. A slower
pace than before. Paranoid he is. But better that than dead.
Without a word, Irvine follows as Vincent starts forward again. He is -so-
looking forward to getting off this damn chocobo, he needs his eyes,
thankyouverymuch. This is a nice distraction, however, he's hardly had time
to think about what he's required to do once in Balamb Town.
Selphie decides to keep said binoculars, yet somehow holds back from waving to
the figure believed to be Kail. Prompting Fluffles to follow, she is
getting... Restless. Yes! She's been good thus far, but Selphie can only be
obedient and quiet for so long. So! Turning the binoculars around even as she
follows slowly, she looks through the larger lenses to Irvine. "Woo~oow.
You're far away, Irvy~." Then turns them to Vincent. "You too, Vincey! Y'all
are fast!" Crap, 'y'all.' She didn't mean to...!
The figure steps forward and glances around quickly, then waves the three over,
starting to move towards the denser section of the forest...presuming Irvine
can see, sure enough it's his shotgun hanging from the belt. Either it's
Kail, or this is one damn well-done trap...The riot visor gets flipped up
suddenly, as an afterthought *click* and there goes the trap idea.
(Insert skulking toward Balamb here.)
ShinRa troops occupy this town, mainly. Patrols are out circling the area night
and day, reporting in every hour or so depending on how large their circle
is. Troops can be seen entering and leaving many of the homes as well as the
hotel, making it obvious that they've more than made themselves at home at
this beautiful port town. Speaking of the port, supplies are currently being
brought up from that section of town by one unit of soldiers. The Proud Clod,
however, is nowhere to be seen at the moment so its whereabouts are going to
be left undisclosed at this time.
The atmosphere of the town of Balamb is not as it used to be ... very, very far
from it. Apart from the occupation troops that make the town insecure for
ShinRa's enemies. There is a man in the town, this may not seem all to
strange. But if one where to look further they would see that this specific
man is none other then Kefka himself. He is keeping himself near the center
of the town, as always that chilling dark smirks adorns his painted face, his
eyes cold as ice still shimmering with madness. He walks the streets of
Balamb tainting them with his presence ... Right now however he seems to be
busy screaming at three grunts who has apparently somehow lost their ShinRa
uniforms...
The intercontinental railroad that provides service... or once provided service to Balamb Isle. Perhaps it still does. The stretch of tracks between it and the town itself provide little cover for several yards. But the hill itself... tall and well, that is good for observation. Specifically, observation of the timing on the patrols that circle the short, 'back' of Balamb Town that it faces, opposite of the entry arch. It is there that the four would carefully approaching, from the forest and as far out of sight of the city as possible using the curve of the land to their hopeful advantage.
Tagging along with Vincent et company, Irvine keeps somewhat low as they skulk toward the hill that overlooks the town. Hat tilted back to keep from hindering his sight, he occasionally rubs at his eyes. They've cleared finally after getting off that damn chocobo, and he's stopped sneezing, but they still itch and that bugs him. Hopefully it'll wear off before that fateful moment he's staring down the scope at the madman. He's pulled the shotgun out of its holster, but still carries that small case with the sniper rifle in it.
Kail is keeping as low as anyone else, a minor sense of panic and paranoia coming from having spent too much time hiding around here starting to surface. :/ Tonfas at his side and various other weaponry on his body, Kail has shed the uniform of Shinra in favor of a dark blue shirt and jeans, fairly close-fit to avoid rustling. He moves quietly, staff held in his right hand, a wary expression on his face.
Feeling a bit like a.. uh... 4th wheel? Hmm. That's not right. Anyway, Selphie opts to follow obediently, holding her nunchakus in such a way that the chain won't jingle as she walks. But she does hum, some random cheerful song -- quietly, mind you. She spares a few glances up to the allergic Irvine, nudging him slightly -- a cute little smile awaiting his glance. Gotta make sure he's okay to kill that evil clown guy, afterall. Oh! Yes! And no whore_dress today. She's opted to wear a pair of bluejeans and a pink jacket -- at least it's not as bright as her normal yellow garb. She might, actually, be mistaken for something other than SeeD, if/when spotted. So casual.
Recoiling, wincing, blinking, and just generally /not/ wanting to be here, the three half-dressed soldiers stand in an orderly line as a gaudily-dressed madman rants and raves at them with his fists clenched in rage. One of them seems to be quite nervous about the whole thing, and as Kefka struts back and forth trailing a string of medieval curses, the helmeted man repeatedly dry-heaves as he stands at attention. With a nudge, he stands stock-still once again but begins shivering before too long. As Kefka finishes his latest rant, the 'spokesman' for the trio umms, taps his fingertips together, and offers his latest excuse. As he talks to the master clown, the shuddering soldier turns to the middle one and mumbles, "God, I'm scared senseless by clowns...that lipstick will give me nightmares for weeks."
Kefka folds his arms over his chest as he regards the three un-uniformed Soldiers with a sickly look of rage and sadistic insanity, " How a bunch of pathetic little impudent 'children' managed to overpower you is beyond me!" Rolling his eyes he waves his hand at them in a dismissing way, "The sight of you three makes me want to hurl, get back to the fleet and get some new uniforms..." He sight and slowly shakes his head, muttering something ... one second later he bursts out in a strange disturbing giggle.
Vincent leads the group to the hill. He left his oft times seen red cloak behind. For the rest? He carries a small pack - likely equipment such as emergency first aid, spare ammunition... A shotgun. Another weapon holstered at his belt. For a moment he drops back, muttering to selphie a request to remove the pink jacket. Well, he can't notice everything all the time. So. To the top of the hill near the train tunnel, to crouch down and wait to observe the troops movements. Hopefully by this time, he's reclaimed his binoculars, so that things can be better observed. Their plan? To time the patrol's movements on the back wall so they can eventually get up to it and climb over. There's ropes and hooks for this. Sneaking would be done two and two. Or will be, when the time comes. For now, observation.
Feeling someone nudge him, Irvine glances down at Selphie in confusion. The cute little smile makes him grin, wishing he could reach down and ruffle her hair or something. But no, the mission takes precedence over showering affection over the love of his life. Blowing her a little kiss, he glances up again, forgetting about the itch in his eyes as that too seems to finally subside. He watches Vincent with the binoculars, wondering if he should start assembling the gun now. No, best to wait until he's got his position and is waiting for the signal. Besides, he's done it so often he could probably do it in his sleep if he started dreaming about this.
Kail stops a bit down from the hill, figuring a lone man will be harder to spot than two or four by far, and sits down on its side, below vision range, staff still held in his hands. He glances at Irvine and Selphie and wonders briefly what's going through their heads now, considers them for a second, and decides he doesn't really wanna know...and turns a bit to look up at Vincent and wait for the go-ahead.
*THOOM!* Slowly from behind the tall hotel... a massive footfall resounds. And slowly from behind it... comes a massive... 40 foot tall monstrosity of metal and steel. It looms over the city like the titan it is... slowly it's gaze sweeps over the city. Then it turns... slowly walk down the further roadway that leads to the location of the former Balamb Garden. The Mammoth Iron Titan walks with heavy footfalls as it moves down the street... Soldiers scattering out of the way with radioed warnings... the Giant exists the down and then ignites it's backrockets... launching off and out towards the mountians where the Garden once rested... out over the Alucald plains. The Titan is leaving the scene... fortuitous for the group, no?
Blinking at Vincent for a moment, she grips sheepishly -- oops. Shrugging the jacket off of her shoulders, a t-shirt of a darker hue of... yes, pink, is worn beneath. Well, aren't -her- cheeks red. Cradling her nunchakus even as she ties said jacket around her waist, she beam!s to Irvine -- at least he's not panicking, like he said he might. Yay! Whispering a quiet apology to Vincent -- she doesn't know -what- she was thinking when she changed this afternoon -- she silently hopes her fashion sense doesn't give them away.
As Proud Cloud appears, there's an initial gulp -- she doesn't feel like messing with that right now, and... Whoo! It flies away! Yay. Beam. Otherwise, she'll await intstruction, and obediently follow. Good Selphie.
The three troops, being very kindly addressed to by Kefka, hesitate none after the opportunity to get away from him is available to them. Scampering away and muttering amongst themselves, the three disappear as they move along the street. Well, that ordeal seems to be over with. The other troops have begun their next patrol cycle after the previous squads turned in the reports.. nothing, of course. It's been the same way the whole time they've been here.. Not even the smallest amount of activity with the exception of that suit of armor they saw.. Ah, well. Each patrol squad, consisting of 8 members, 32 soldiers in all for this circle, splits into groups of two and begins to fan out throughout the town. Between the port, street level, and all other entrances to the town, simply walking in via an entrance is highly dangerous. The rest of the troops start outward around the town, also splitting up accordingly. But they'd be easier to avoid as they only seem to be concentrating on themselves, talking to each other due to the sheer boredom of being here in this isolated environment.
Excellent. A set pattern, possibly avoided. Naturally the team of Garden are not going to enter through the archway or even near it. They're in fact facing the wall that is on the opposite side of town from the main gate, the hill of the railroad tunnel giving a helpful height for viewing the situation. Vincent turns and nods quietly to Irvine, a signal for the man to join Kail at the bottom of the hill, in preparation to make it across the way. They are then to proceed as soon as the signal be given. Timing is essential. Kail would have been given one of two sets of rope and hook.
Kefka chuckles darkly to himself as he watches the three leave "...Idiots..." He mutters with a grin ... The Troops are not the only ones that suffer from the boredom on the island. Oh no, Kefka wanders along the streets deep within his own deranged thoughts. Getting boring reports all day long. Now however there is something that catches the madman's attention. At the top of a building there is a seagull. An evil smirk crawls over his face as he quietly says, "...Well, hello there little birdie..." Regarding it for a while with his hands clasped behind his back he says in the tone you use to speak children's stories. " Fly little bird, fly I say! ... No? ... Then your life ends today!" He snaps his right hand at the bird and in a blue flash it freezes solid upon the roof. He laughs at this for a while then sights "...I'm bored..."
At the sound of Proud Clod's exit, Irvine can't help but swing his head in that direction, eyes wide. Holy cow, no one told him that *thing* would be here. Ahem. It appears to be leaving. His shoulders slump slightly in relief. Still, he wonders where exactly it's going and precisely how long it would take to return. After all, the moment he shoots at Kefka, success or not, this place is gonna be chaos. As for Selphie, Irvine does frown a bit, but it's not real serious, mostly an 'I told you so.' sorta look. Of course he'd been more concerned about how warm she would be going outside instead of how easy the color woul be to spot. But, still, he had kinda disagreed with the coat and that's what counts. Or something.
Hmm? What's this? Oh, time to go do your stuff cowboy. Further the cause, boy, yes, you know the game. Looking to Kail, he prepares to follow him, letting him lead the way this time since he knows the situation on the town far better then the cowboy does.
Kail nods to Irvine and pushes himself to his feet in a crouch, watching the Shinra troops make their way along the roads...and carefully times it, glancing up at Vincent to confirm his choice. A nod from the other sends Kail sprinting for the wall, keenly aware it's a frighteningly small window he has until another set of troops comes 'round the bend.
The patrols move around according to their procedures, some stopping at the port, others at the entrances, while the rest make wide sweeps around outside the town proper, watching half-heartdly despite their orders. They simply don't care.. but they most certainly will when and if the upcoming events take place. And yeah, it'll be chaos. Considering the lack of balance between the ShinRa forces and those tapdancing outside the border, it'll be quite a mess. Some of the soldiers outside town watch to see where the Proud Clod goes, one member of a group lifting up his machine gun to take aim at it. "Bang!" he says, imitating the recoil of his gun and chuckling along with his comrade.
Kefka is still incredibly bored, and that's the way it's been for quite a few days now. He takes a seat at a nearby bench and watches an old newspaper dance in the wind by him. He quickly reaches out and snatches the old paper, opening it up he glances trough he begins to glance it trough ... leaning back comfortable against the backrest ... seeing there's not much more he can do here a plan to travel back home begins to form in his head ... not like anything exiting is going to happen anytime soon. Nothing exiting at all. Right?
Following Kail, Irvine isn't exactly slow in his movements, even slightly encumbered by the case for the sniper rifle, having left his normal shotgun behind with Vincent and Selphie. It's not so much heavy as a little awkward. He glances back and forth constantly, vigilant in case a stray trooper makes an appearance or -anything- else unwanted suddenly jumps out at them. It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you, after all. Dashing across the rails, he pauses as Kail hoists the hook up to latch against the wall. Gesturing for his comrade to go first, he stands 'guard', blue eyes searching the immediate area for anyone who might spot the two. Then, as soon as Kail's safe over the top and presumably on the roof of the train station, he slings the rifle case over his shoulder and starts hoisting himself up too.
Kail hoists himself over onto the roof of the train station as Irvine starts his way up the rope, drawing his borrowed shotgun and watching carefully, staying as low as possible to avoid being seen. Leaning over, he nods towards Irvine, scooting out of the way so the gunman can hoist himself over the ledge, and sits as unobtrusively as he can, gun aimed towards the bend the Shinra will come around in case somebody's power-walking. He murmurs, "Pull the rope up." It's not that he thinks Irvine will forget; it's just to let him now he's not going to do it.
Sitting silently in one of the unused boxcars inside the train station, a monstrous figure listens to something quietly scrabble across the roof. The darkened form looks around at the mess of rummaged foodstuffs and mutilated corpses, soldiers and Balambites alike...and stands, idly kicking aside something one might easily mistake for a flat football until closer scrutiny....
The troops simply continue their circles, paying little or no attention to anything other than their own footfalls or the insect population. Even the ones at the town's interior aren't paying enough attention to consider investigating any 'strange' noises. I mean, there are simply too many people to go and lok into every little thing they hear. That's what Clod's for.
Kefka doesn't find that newspaper the least interesting. Though his stay here has been incredibly boring, he has however developed a nice little hobby to pass the time. He folds the old newspaper skillfully into a paper plane. Regarding his work he nods approvingly and sends it on it's way. Normally he would freeze it and watch it smash into the ground, but that's getting old ... Watching the plane swivel down the streets he ponders over something new to do with it. It's nearly to late as it seems to be loosing its balance, his hand begins to glow softly in an eerie orange light, and pointing at it, the plan vaporizes in a flash of flame, straying ash across the cobblestone. He leans back again against the backrest with a sigh ... that wasn't nearly as fun as he thought it would be. He smirks and begins to glance around some more, maybe he can find something living.
And then it would be time for Vincent and Selphie to go in. Selphie would be given Irvine's shotgun, and Vincent in charge of the hook and rope. Timing is more difficult this time, for there is no way to watch from on high. It's a matter of looking around the bend, hoping not to be seen... and counting the seconds as the troops pass on through. Then and only then is it Vincent's turn, and quickly, he moves across the way.
Slipping up onto the roof of the train station, Irvine nods to Kail, reaching to snatch the rope and start drawing it up so it's not dangling there as a clear reminder that someone probably just climbed up. Leaving it in a heap, he keeps himself crouched as low against the building as he can, looking to Kail now for the next move. Gotta get to a relatively safe, preferrably clear, area to take a shot at Kefka, and this isn't it.
Kail nods quickly, quickly pulling on his staff's ends...the ends pull off and he folds them down, then snaps the staff in the middle, forming a pair of tonfas he shoves back into his belt. He follows this by picking up the shotgun sitting near him on the floor and moving quietly over to the shop, clothes and dark skin helping him blend in with the night sky. Stopping near the roof of the shop, he peers over towards the outside to see how many guards are arrayed in the area.
Inside the train station, a boxcar door appears to hunker inward like a coffee filter and then wad into a sloppy, glass-drooling ball, clenched in the nimble fingers of a shadow that looms just inside the entrance. Tossing the squished door into a nearby uniform hamper, it steps out of the boxcar...feet meeting the paved ground of the train station, the thing narrows eyes at the slight creak of the boxcar bouncing to full height now that it has no burden inside. For now, these eyes curiously wander the ceiling of the train station and the wall directly before him.
Hey! Selphie's pretty lucky that she wore that jacket, actually. Since it's tied around her waist, she can stick her nunchakus to rest between her body and the jacket, like a makeshift belt. That's handy! Maybe it'll even make Julian Fries... She'll experiment later, however, as she mimicks how she's seen Irvine hold said shotgun, not at all familiar with the ways of holding firearms.
Thinking back to some video games she's played, Selphie puts to use those sneaking skills as she does the same as Vincent -- counting the seconds, and... Waits for another Guard to pass, just to make sure she's right. Yeah! Totally right. And, at hopefully the right moment -- assuming no guard stopped to tie a shoe lace, or some such -- follows Vincent, quietly. Holding her breath, even.
Not far away from the train station entrance, facing in toward town, are two troops with their guns happilly placed at their sides, the blades they're also equipped with sheathed on their backs. They won't be there long, if you want to wait.. but if time is of the essence, then they'll also be easy to wipe out if you're quiet enough about it. Talking to each other, they aren't the most aloof of the bunch either. And as mentioned before, they don't care about any of the noises that their ears may catch. If they leave their post, Kefka kills them. Plain and simple.. at least they can get away with talking. Or can they? As for the other troops.. well, they're being avoided quite nicely.
Kefka rises from the bench as he fails to find anything alive to set on fire ... To bad though, torturing the wildlife is something he just can't get enough of. Clasping his hands behind his back he leaps into the air and lands on the bench, reaching his arms into the air ... he sings. "I'm a little teapot, short and stout" leaping back to the ground, he grabs the bench and starts to lift it up. "This is my handle, this is my spout!" With some effort he manages to get it above his head, "When I get all steamy, hear me shout!" And then he hurls the bench trough a nearby window, the glass breaks with a loud 'Crash!' Laughing at this he finishes with, "So Tip me over and pour me out!" After watching the broken window for a while, he decides to simply go to bed or something ... so begins to wander down one of the many streets.
Over and up, waiting for Selphie and making sure that the rope is hauled up by the young girl. Only then does he strive to leap lightly onto the rooftop, waiting again for the younger girl. Careful passage, and Vincent is seeking a place at an angle from Irvine and Kail. His features are a calm mask of focus as he draws nearer to position. Irvine would be given the signal - a small transmitter that sets off a device's vibration in the sharpshooter's care, when Vincent and Selphie have paused and remain waiting. Everything's ready. It's Irvine's call on when to take the shot, as he's ready.
Kail peers over the side and sees Kefka starting to -- walk away! Ohhhhh no, bad bad bad timing. Glancing from the roof of the shop, he turns towards Irvine -- but the gunman has already begun moving away, and Kail has no choice but to draw his borrowed shotgun in case, keep his finger away from the trigger, and start following.
Selphie does, indeed, haul said rope up, after scaling that wall. She's horridly thankful to Vincent for waiting for her and all, to boot. She may very well be smaller, and more nimble, and such -- especially in pants -- but she also doesn't want to make any noise. Yep. Following the man, then eventually waiting beside him, she does little more than chew lightly at her lower lip, now craning her neck lightly to survey the scene. ...She hates clowns, did she mention that? They scare the crap out of her. That might explain, perhaps, why she's standing closer to Vincent than she might normally. Kill it, Irvy! Kill it, kill it!
On the subject of Irvine, she silently prays that he does well. He -had- admitted that he was scared, and didn't want to do it, and all that jazz... So she can only hope and pray that he succeeds. Which she knows he will, deep down, but it's nice to hope and all, regardless.
Every soldier in sight of Kefka, and even those in listening distance stop what they're doing to watch Kefka's little performance. Some chuckle quietly, others grumble about his stupidity, but all of them stare. Probably the most common thought throughout the masses is 'what the hell is he smoking?'. Once he's done, however, they all snap back into their monotonous reality and get back to watching over whatever they're supposed to be watching over, hoping against all hope that he doesn't snap their necks for leaving their positions. They eye him warilly as he passes by.
Somewhere near the entrance of the train station, a Shinra soldier steps up the stairs and gasps at the sight of--unh--* With a meaty bump, Ouroboros introduces the man's face to the edge of a ticketbooth counter and stalks ominously past as the soldier slumps into the floor and goes unconscious. Listening to something move around outside (where no soldiers would be at this time of night, or any time, for that matter), he emerges from the train station and finds a shadow flit out of sight the instant he looks at the roof of the shop. Then the gentle rattle of tiny chain from above. (...?) Hand squirming in anticipation, the monster grins into the night sky.
Waiting a moment until Kail nods, Irvine crosses over to the roof of the shop, but stays crouched behind his comrade instead of peering over curiously. Best he not provide two targets instead of just one. He waits for a moment, then shakes his head. This is taking too long, Kefka could just up and leave the main street at any second. He's a madman after all, and they're horridly unpredictable. At least with the Sorceress he didn't have to worry about her... um, running around singing 'I'm a Little Teapot'? That is what he's hearing, right? Good grief. Checking for any troops who might notice either of them, he leaps over to the next rooftop, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Kail's following, and apparently he is.
Well well, here he is. Opening the case quickly, Irvine hardly has to look at the parts as he assembles the sniper rifle with all the speed and dexterity of a man who's done this far too many times.
'clack click'
'cha-chack-clach'
'kha-chack'
The echo of the gun's assembly is relatively quiet, probably unheard to anyone below. But, it echos in Irvine's ears as the memories of the last few days flood through his mind. The orders came down from Squall and Vincent, a need to use the sharpshooter again for a means and purpose he feared and detested. Further the cause boy, yes you know the game. Kefka's a danger to Garden, to all of us. This mission will change the world, it'll save us all. They'll say that and we'll all stand proud.
Peering down, seeing the mad clown standing fully exposed in the middle of the street, Irvine just shakes his head. Then, the gun is raised, a blue eye staring down at the horrid painted face through the crosses of his scope. Remember the candle, boy, stare into the flame. You'll be ok.
He pulls the trigger.