Light of Kindness

This blog is a roleplaying account affiliated with Taejin's Army. This blog doesn't reflect Arc's character in Final Fantasy III.

[arctaejin-blog]

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Taejin Mission 032: Hellhounds’ Fury

Windy and unforgiving yet coupled with strong sunshine that seemed to contrast and yet couple in an oddly pleasant combination. Silver hair buffeted in part but mostly sheltered by bands of colour and silken-style fabrics wound about his cranium to compliment the clothes that were muted by a practical breastplate whose slightly dulled appearance was bisected by the strap of the halter through whom lance was strapped. Quick release effective if only when granted the freedom to jerk it abruptly by the butt of the poleaxe whose length extended far over his shoulder - not completely practical but nevertheless proven countless times in the heat of battle.

Well, if a hunt could be considered a battle at least- He’d rarely participated in open combat with another human being at the least. Beasts, now that was his ken- tracking, killing, to a point he knew how to skin though the result was useless with the lack of proper tools and time to cure hides. Lightly calloused fingertips brushed through the golden feathers of a avian that was familiar to him, in specie only and not individually. A firm pat before tugging at the harness and saddle. Adjusting bit. Ensuring they’d remain just so and not result in him taking an unfortunate fall that could result in being the only mission he ever participated in upon taking up arms in the name of… Well. An army. He’d wanted to be part of something bigger. Something that mattered.

”..!” The man had been in the process of discussing archery and bowmastery when conversation between the few soldiers that had already assembled and begun preparing- packs filled with little more then water, and a light ration of travelling food that would probably go untouched. Who.. Ah. He didn’t know anyone so he didn’t know why he was looking out eagerly as if seeking a familiar face. “I think there’s just two more.” He mumbled over his shoulder and tugged at the reins of his Chocobo. Leading it closer, having greeted each of these nice (well, give or take one who seemed a little touchy but perhaps Firion was simply bad at reading moods) soldiers individually and not seeing any reason to not continue doing so.

“You- You’re on the same mission, right? Firion Nobara. I’m new, so please treat me kindly. I won’t slow you down, be assured.” Golden eyes scouring the other, a once-over given but not rudely or that was not the intention at the least. Smiling.

[arctaejin-blog]

Arc rested on the back of his chocobo, waiting for all the new recruits on the mission to be briefed. His hand rested on his forehead, holding back his hair to keep it out of his eyes in the swift wind. Since joining the army, he hadn't had much free time, so he used what time he could get to read. Currently, he was reading about poison magic. Even though Arc wasn't a fan of status spells, he figured if he was going to be a good ravager, he needed to have knowledge about all the different kinds of black magic.

He closed the book, having finished the chapter, and looked up towards the other soldiers. They were all chatting with each other about various topics, mostly introductions and mission info. Arc had seen most of them around the base before,  with one exception: a new recruit with silver hair and a surprisingly large number of weapons.

Tilting his head to one side, Arc examined the soldier. Arc pulled his cloak around him tighter and nudged his chocobo towards the group, humming gently. The recruit, apparently named Firion, introduced himself. He had a somewhat strange manner of speaking, or, at least, strange to Arc. Having grown up around the quite rambunctious Luneth, Arc wasn't used to such proper and polite tones.

"Yeah, I am," Arc said, smiling, "Nice to meet you, Firion. I'm Arc." Arc was usually quite shy, probably because of how much he'd been bullied back in Ur, but something about Firion made him feel safer. He could tell that Firion certainly wasn't the bully type. "So, this is your first mission with the army?"

[benjens]

ff meme: four titles → iii

[arctaejin-blog]

Anyway, that was a fun tangent. But the main points of this post are two things. First, could everyone I have active threads with message me? Thanks in advance. And second, with a bunch of people leaving, I think I'm only down to a few threads. So, if anyone wants to start a new one, let me know! Thank you! =]

[arctaejin-blog]

Smarty Pants | Arc and Rikku

[rikkutaejin-deactivated20120710]

The older teen began to tinker, or rather explore the components of the electronic while occasionally glancing at her new friend. Her smile remaining in tact throughout the silence and question.  ”Same, just not as new, new! I mean, I know some of the others, and most are really nice! I’ve been on a few missions here and there too!”

To much or her surprise, another component of the machine fell, which caused her to abruptly back up, almost crashing against the wall behind her. “Hehe, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing… I think.” Before returning to put the spread out items back, she met the freckled boy’s gaze, confidently asking. “Yo Arc, whaddya say your position in the army was? I’m Rikky the synergist!”

[arctaejin-blog]

The loud noise of a machine part falling to the ground caused Arc to flinch. He wasn't a fan of really anything sudden like that. Leaning closer to inspect the machine, Arc still couldn't really tell what it did or whether or not it was broken. Maybe Rikku was smarter on the whole machine subject.

Arc slid down the wall behind Rikku. He looked at her and tilted his head to one side. He didn't really understand people. He knew all about plants and molecular concepts, but when it came to people, he always seemed to be befuddled. They were all so different. There wasn't any formula he could memorize to have an advantage. Take Rikku for example. She was so carefree, so energetic. Arc liked knowing what was going to happen next. With Rikku especially, he didn't know. Luneth would've said that was a good thing. Get him out of his comfort zone.

Arc was pulled from his thoughts by Rikku's voice. "I'm a ravager," Arc said with confidence. This was one area he knew his way around. "So... a synergist, huh? You enhance people's weapons?" Arc was already aware of the answer to his rather rhetorical question. He had made sure to study everything about the army before signing on.

[hopetaejin-blog]

Mentor | Arc and Hope

[hopetaejin-blog]

Hope nodded as he listened to Arc’s explanation. It was nothing unusual, perfectly normal for the beginning soldier. How to relate to him though…

“The army’s usually pretty good about not sending soldiers blindly into battle,” said Hope after a quick moment’s pause. “They won’t send soldiers who can’t fight, and they’ll send soldiers who can get the job done in the given situation. No one’s asking you to fix the world’s problems at the get-go—I certainly hope not, though it’d be nice. There’d be no more reason to fight…”

Hope allowed this thought to trail off. He was prepared to talk about Arc’s magics, but before he could he was distracted by their arrival at the chocobo stables. If he was lucky, he would be reminded to return to the topic later — perhaps by Arc, even.

“Ah, these are the stables. You’ll come here after reporting to your mission briefing. The briefing should include where your destination is, so hopefully you won’t be too lost after leaving the stables. You can ride any chocobo you find in here—there’s no renting any out or anything like that.”

Hope turned to Arc. “Any questions so far? When you return, you’ll go in reverse. Return the chocobo here, then go to the mission briefing room to debrief. That’s pretty much it as far as the mission itself goes.”

[arctaejin-blog]

Arc's eyes drifted away from Hope as he started talking. Arc was still listening, but wanted to look at all the places and landmarks around the base camp. That's what a tour is for, right? There wasn't much to see. Many of the important buildings were fairly obvious, so it was a good thing Hope was adding extra conversation.

After Hope told Arc about the way that the army hands out mission, Arc was washed over by a sense of relief. Some soldiers were probably rearing to get out in the field right after they arrived, but Arc was more interested in easing into the flow. If it weren't for Luneth's encouragement, Arc probably wouldn't have even signed up. But now that he was here, meeting new friends, and having a grand time, Arc was really glad he had joined. He just wasn't so sure about battling.

Arc listened intently to Hope's instructions around missions and chocobos. I wonder if Hope and I will ever do a mission together. For some reason Arc felt drawn to Hope. Arc seemed to be one of the youngest soldiers in Taejin's army, and he felt like he wanted Hope to take him under his wing. Teach him the tricks of the trade. Hope seemed like an expert at this whole thing, and was several years older.

More than anything, Hope reminded Arc of Luneth, Arc's adoptive brother. Luneth wasn't that much older than Arc, but tended to act like he was. Sure, he got into a lot of trouble, but he knew his stuff, and could handle a dangerous situation. So maybe Hope was Luneth minus the trouble-making.

Realizing he had zoned out, Arc snapped back to reality as Hope began speaking again. Not really having any questions about the missions or chocobos, Arc asked "Could we visit the place where we eat next?" As if attempting to emphasize his point, Arc's stomach growled, and he smiled broadly.

[arctaejin-blog]

Smarty Pants | Arc and Rikku

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“Hey!” With their hands still connected, Rikku pulled on his lightly to snap him out of his trance. She lowered her upper body to meet eye level, responding with a smile. ”Of course!” The hand released it’s grip on his, and proceeded to ruffle his smooth hair. “It was an accident after all! They’re bound to happen!”

The smile on her face grew even wider after her sudden action. Turning to face the machina beside them, she muttered something along the lines of, ‘fixing it’ before glancing around for her items. Once finding them, she squatted down, she returned to her original position to fix the thing, asking him joyously, “So, I take it you’re a new here too!?”

[arctaejin-blog]

Rikku smiled, and Arc instantly felt better. Guess he hadn't made any enemies after all. He recoiled a bit as she ruffled his hair and exclaimed, but he wasn't really annoyed. He was too busy being happy. Back in Ur, if he had knocked someone over, even on accident, they probably would've called over some buddies to beat him up. I guess not every place is like that. People don't know me here. They haven't formed opinions of me. Maybe this would be the place he could fit in and settle down for a while.

Arc began to grin as Rikku turned away, happy about this new place and these nice people. Arc took a step back to look at the machine. He didn't have much "real" experience with machines, but he had read quite a few books on the subject. He was pondering what exactly it did when Rikku asked him something. "What? Oh, yep. I just got here a couple days ago. How about you?" Arc seemed to be regaining his composure. Perhaps things would turn out well between the Wizard and the Thief.

[yuffietaejin-blog]

Taejin Mission 025: A Recurring Problem | Yuffie and Arc

[yuffietaejin-blog]

The ninja chuckled, “We’re gonna have to change that then, huh? You only live once Mr. Wizard Extraordinaire!” She playfully poked him in the side. They were both from small villages apparently. He must know what it’s like then? 

Yuffie realized she only told him about half of her actual story. She just didn’t feel like telling him the rest. There was always time to tell it. She’d rather get to know him a little better first. Before telling the other her whole life story.

Lifting her head up quickly she noticed they were already by the chocobos, they got there extremely fast! “One challenge down. One more to go!” She pumped a fist into the air in excitement, quickly skipping over to her very own chocobo and giving him a pat on the head.

[arctaejin-blog]

With his spirits uplifted thanks to Yuffie, the "Wizard Extraordinaire" jogged to a chocobo that looked nice. He stroked its neck feathers a couple times and let it sniff his hand so it could get accustomed to his scent. "I think I'll call you... Buttercup," Arc said, excited to ride the chocobo. Buttercup gave a contented chirp, and Arc noticed an jagged mark on her beak, probably from a tousle early on in her life. At least he could remember which one was Buttercup now!

Back in Ur, Arc had enjoyed riding the chocobos. He got along well with animals, and liked the feeling of the wind rushing by his head. When he was out riding he could soak in his own thoughts. It was one of the ways he kept track of mind.

Swinging his leg over the chocobo, Arc was psyched to get out on his mission. He grabbed the reins. "Ready to go?" He said to Yuffie, who was patting a nearby chocobo. Buttercup lifted her head into the air and squawked impatiently.

[arctaejin-blog]

Smarty Pants | Arc and Rikku

[rikkutaejin-deactivated20120710]

That morning a certain blonde was observing the other Synergists, admiring their swift hand movements and abilities of enhancing their current item at the speed of light. Some had machines, others had weapons, but the one thing that caught her full attention was an unusual machine against the wall.

Her figure was slim enough to fit in an empty space nearby, hiding from view until their footsteps were no longer audible. Luckily the door was left unlocked, giving her easy access to get a closer look at the contents inside of the room. Curiosity got the best of her, causing her attention to almost immediately target on the device her eyes were glued to earlier. It was still running, so it kept her from hearing any other noises that were produced.. The chemist circled the electronic many times until she found  the perfect sport to begin to investigate on her own- that is until another being bumped into her.

“Whoaa!” An abrupt push made a blonde thief unexpectedly fall forward, making her land on all fours. ”It’s alright, hehe!” She said with a smile, brushing off some dust that emitted from the little ‘pop’ of the device before turning her attention to the young man. His appearance caught her by surprise, mainly because of how young he looked. 

“Oh, uh, I’m Rikku!” The blonde ascended to her full length when she realized she hadn’t spoken up, extending out her dominant hand as a proper greeting. “What’s your name?” 

[arctaejin-blog]

Arc blinked, somewhat stunned at how pretty this girl was. He attempted to recover and reached out to grasp her hand. "I'm Arc. Nice to meet you." Running a hand through his brown hair, his cheeks turned a bright shade of red. He couldn't believe he'd embarrassed himself so early on into his service. Actually, he could. He was almost expecting it to happen sooner.

Because he was bullied as a young kid, Arc was always really sensitive of what people thought of him. He figured if they had no reason to dislike him, they wouldn't try to beat him up. "L-Listen, I'm really sorry I knocked you over like that," Arc stumbled over his words a bit, "Do you think you can forgive me?" He looked at the ground, trying to avoid any eye contact with Rikku. Sometimes he wished he knew a spell that could make him more courageous.

[arctaejin-blog]

I'm back! Everything has settled down. Anyway, here are the posts on my to do list. Let me know if there are any more.

Mission 25 - Yuffie

Smarty Pants - Rikku

[arctaejin-blog]

[yuffietaejin-blog]

Taejin Mission 025: A Recurring Problem | Yuffie and Arc

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The ninja looked over at Arc, noticing him smiling at her. Going red in the face again. Yuffie wouldn’t be surprised if her face permanently turned into a shade of red. She needed to get a hold of herself! Quickly shaking her head, she looked over at the other again. Quietly listening to him talk.

She giggled, “Never Eat Soggy Waffles?” This guy was adorable! She definitely wouldn’t be able to forget the directions now. 

Yuffie followed after him, “To the chocobos!” She pointed towards the right direction. To emphasis her statement. The silence quickly came back again. She let her thoughts wander around all over the place. She had to admit she was getting a little bit hungry. When was the last time she ate? Her ears perked up at the sound of Arc asking her a question. She knew this question wasn’t an easy one to escape from.

“Weeelll, before I joined Taejins Army I was living in a place called Wutai. It’s a small village quite far from here actually. I was what you would call a rebel. I didn’t enjoy following the old geezers of the village traditions. They were dumb!” She took in a small breath before continuing her explanation. “Anyways, I was kinda kicked out of the village by everyone at the age of 16. I wandered around for quite some time until I heard some rumors about this army. And, well…Here I am!”

[arctaejin-blog]

Arc listened intently to Yuffie's story. The way she told it, he felt like she didn't really want to talk any more about her life in Wutai. "Hey, I'm from a small village too, you know. It's called Ur," Arc said, trying to establish a connection between his life and hers, "I, however, was probably as far from a rebel as you could be."

Thinking back to his childhood, Arc had mixed emotions. His best moments were either alone or with Luneth. Everyone else seemed to just make fun of him. It was interesting how different Taejin's army was from the tiny town he grew up in.

Arc looked up and realized they were already at the stables. How time can fly. "Hey, we're here," Arc said, surprised. He was kinda enjoying his talk with Yuffie, and they couldn't really talk much on the chocobos. "Well, that's one challenge down!"

[hopetaejin-blog]

Mentor | Arc and Hope

[hopetaejin-blog]

“Ah, certainly.” It was a fair question. The kid was just enlisting, probably hadn’t even used the actual word prior to arriving. In truth, it was actually a difficult question to answer, though it was the perfect topic to discuss while heading for the Chocobos. “We’ll walk while we talk.”

Hope led Arc out of the room, guiding him toward the stables. They were roughly walking side by side, though Hope was a step or two ahead. This way, Hope was still somewhat guiding Arc, while at the same time conversing as an equal.

“In truth, there’s a lot I’d have to ask you first before I could answer your question. A ravager is just an offensive soldier whose main weapon is the tactical usage of the elements. It honestly depends on your background: what spells you’ve trained in, if any, what physical weapon you intend on using in battle, stuff like this.

“For example, I use a boomerang.” Here, Hope took out the retractable silver boomerang, though he did not unfold it. “I rarely use it as a weapon, as most soldiers use their weapon. I tend to call it a tactical weapon, though I do use it occasionally for a physical electric attack—Sparkstrike, as it’s commonly referred to. It’d be much easier to show you, and there might be time to show you when I show you the training rooms, but we’ll see how we’re doing on time.

“So, question’s on you. Just tell me… everything about yourself.” Hope paused to chuckle. “Well, not everything. But the stuff I mentioned. Education, battle experience, knowledge in magic, that sort of thing. Enough so I can get a feel for who you are, so I can try to give you advice that would be relevant to you, you know?”

[arctaejin-blog]

Hope would show him battle moves in the training room? Arc couldn't wait. He would probably show off a bit too, but knowing Arc, he would most likely play it safe and hold back his higher tier moves in case he messed up in front of Hope.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure where to start. I went to school back in Ur. That's the town I lived in after my parents were in an airship crash. They had a small school, but I mostly taught myself magic and the like. I would practice in this field near the outskirts. Mostly without live targets. I specialize in Thunder and Blizzard magic." Arc left out a description of his physical magics. Maybe he could save that for later and surprise Hope?

Arc took a deep breath before starting again. He had a tendency to speak more quickly the longer he went on. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts he continued, "I guess I've never really been in a big battle. I mean, I've fended off a couple monsters every once in a while, but never anything huge. That's one of the things I'm really nervous about in the army. I'm just really not sure I'm good enough yet." 

In all honesty, Arc probably had the magical capacity to beat the bigger monsters, even with only the knowledge he had know. It was mostly a problem of believing in himself. He looked forward again, away from Hope. "So, yeah. That about sums it up."

[yuffietaejin-blog]

Taejin Mission 025: A Recurring Problem | Yuffie and Arc

[yuffietaejin-blog]

She turned around, staring at the other curiously. “Oh, East! Of course! I was just testing you!” Yuffie tried to act like she knew what she was doing, quickly spinning around on her heels and walking the correct way. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. They hadn’t even started their mission yet, and she already had embarrassed herself!

Yuffie quickly shook away the thoughts, turning to face Arc. “So, we get our Chocobos…Then we head off to get our supplies! Right?” The ninja questioned, she wanted to make sure she had everything correctly. To save herself from anymore embarrassing moments.

[arctaejin-blog]

Arc looked at Yuffie and smiled. She looked kinda cute when she was embarrassed. "It's kinda childish, but the way I remember the cardinal directions is 'Never Eat Soggy Waffles'. It might help." He didn't want to explicitly point out her mistakes, but he did want to help her.

He turned on his heel, heading towards the stables. "Yep, you've got it down. To the chocobos!" Arc wondered what they could talk about, or if they had anything at all in common. Maybe he could find out her backstory? Most of the soldiers around here seemed to have pretty interesting lives before they worked in the army. And Yuffie was a ninja. How much cooler can you get?

Content with his idea, Arc turned to the side and asked, "So Yuffie, what did you do before you joined Taejin's army?"

[yuffietaejin-blog]

Taejin Mission 025: A Recurring Problem | Yuffie and Arc

[yuffietaejin-blog]

“H-hey! Wait up!” Yuffie ran after him, panting a bit as she got right behind him. The ninja leaned forward, staring at the map with an intense look on her face. Her gaze noticed the cute little chocobo chick drawn onto the map.

“I guess we aren’t too far?” She looked at him curiously. Yuffie had to admit she wasn’t too great at reading maps. It wasn’t in her list of things to learn. Shie was impressed with Arc though. He didn’t even ask anyone for directions. But yet, he found them a map. She definitely wanted this guy on her team! He was a useful person to have around.

Yuffie started to walk off towards what she assumed the right way was. Hoping her sense of direction didn’t embarrass her.

[arctaejin-blog]

Arc waited for Yuffie to catch up to him and gave her a chance to see the map as well. He wondered if map reading was taught in ninja school. Or if there even was a ninja school. Arc had taught himself how to read maps at a young age using a book from the library. Ah, I miss the library, Arc thought to himself, Maybe there's a library here?

Bringing his attention back to the map, Arc attempted to figure out which direction they had to travel. According to the map, the stables were due east of where they began. Which would be to his left. Thankfully, it appeared to be a walk that would take less than five minutes. Arc wasn't sure how much longer he could stand the heat of the day.

As he turned around, Arc realized that Yuffie had already started walking away, but towards the west. "Hey," Arc shouted after the ninja. He ran after her a little bit, "I don't mean to burst your bubble, but I think east is that way." Arc gestured behind him, smiling kindly at Yuffie. He wasn't sure if what he said was mean. If it was, he didn't mean to be mean, but he wasn't sure how else to tell her.

[arctaejin-blog]

Smarty Pants | Arc and Rikku

With some time to kill between his tour and his first mission, Arc decided to explore by himself a little bit. Who knew, maybe he would make some friends in the process. Arc set off in the general direction of the briefing room. A light breeze ruffled his brown hair as he began his trek.

He enjoyed walking alone like this, just him and his thoughts. Many a time he had lost track of what he was doing and, without really noticing, would meander miles away from where he began. Eventually he would snap back to reality, due to a strange noise or sight. Sometimes, he wasn't sure why, his train of thought would simply reach the end of its tracks.

That was basically what happened on his first day. Thinking back on it, he wouldn't even remember what he had been thinking about. Anyways, on this day, Arc found himself in a small building that was almost filled by some sort of engine or motor. Arc had read a book on machines not too long ago, so he decided to test what he knew by trying to figure out what the machine was designed to do.

He walked around the machine slowly, examining each part in turn. Many of them he recognized, but a few- "What the-!?" Arc had bumped into something, no, someone while he had been focusing on the machine. Oh no, he thought to himself, I don't even know who this is. They'll probably be really mad. What if I hurt them? "Sorry about that..." Arc said worriedly. He bent down to see if they were okay, but couldn't really make out any of their features with the shadow of the machine in his way.

[hopetaejin-blog]

Mentor | Arc and Hope

[hopetaejin-blog]

Hope did not realize, not immediately, that he was counting off the many quirks of this young man, perhaps in a subconscious effort to figure out just what was so different about this soldier. The journal had to have been the first item on the list, considering no one ever took notes on his tours before, not to his memory. The age was another thing, but young soldiers weren’t as much of a peculiarity as they should have been. 

“Thank you,” said Hope, offering a subtle yet slightly more obvious smile at Arc. After a nod of his head, he answered the soldier’s first question. “I’ve been serving the army as a Ravager for a few years now. I joined when I was … seventeen, I think? — and I recently turned twenty. Actually, when I enlisted, I was told to serve under a different role, but… well, I enlisted knowing what I wanted, so I stuck to it. Sometimes my superiors jokes I should have listed, but I think they’ll agree I’m quite competent in the position I am now.”

They reached the briefing room after a couple more strides, and Hope halted Arc before speaking. “This is the room you’ll report to when you get paged. Briefings last … well, depends how much needs to be said, really. Afterwards, you’ll head out—usually to the Chocobo Stables, as that’s normally how you’ll get around. There’s room for chitchat along the way, I suppose. Depends if you get lucky and get paired up with the talkative type. If not… might be a painfully silent experience.”

As Hope prepared to show Arc the stables, he turned to him. “So, any questions so far? Haven’t lost you yet, have I?”

[arctaejin-blog]

Arc wondered to himself what position people had suggested to Hope when he first enlisted, but figured that the time to ask had passed. Also, Hope had seemed somewhat guarded when he was speaking about it. Better to leave more personal questions for later. 

For some reason, Arc really felt the need to impress Hope. Back when he was in school, Arc didn't really have to worry about what his teachers thought of him, because their opinion was based almost entirely around academic success. For Arc, that wasn't generally a problem. One of the reasons he was in the army so early on was because he had finished school early as well. But with Hope, it wasn't just about smarts.

"Nope, I'm not lost," Arc said quickly. "Well, I don't have any questions about the tour right now, but I was wondering if you had any tips for a fellow ravager?" If Hope had been here for so long, he had probably picked up some tricks of the trade.