#writing sample.

[jegudielic]

‘Home’ had come to be a strange concept for him over the years. There were times every so often when Angeal wondered if he even knew what that word meant. Times like now, when his mission was wrapping up, and the infantryman who’d been sent along with him were talking and laughing among themselves, excited to get back home.

Angeal scowled. Sure, he lived in the ShinRa tower, but he’d never go so far as to call it home. His apartment there was only a place to rest his head at night, if he was lucky.

Tuning out the infantryman on the remainder of the flight back, Angeal kept his eyes closed tight, head leaning back against the rumbling wall of the chopper. Home. He knew what that was, once. When he still lived in the orchards and rolling hills of Banora, where the air was always fresh, and the people friendly. That had definitely been ‘home’. But he’d left all of that behind years ago, seeking to better himself as a person, and just maybe make the world a better place as he did so.

Huffing under his breath, Angeal shook his head. No, that wasn’t really home anymore. Besides his mother, he didn’t have much to return to - unless all he was looking forward to was peace and quiet. Which, now that he thought about it, wouldn’t be too bad, every once in a while. The city got to be exhausting sometimes, with its fast pace and never ceasing noise. The enhancements he had didn’t at all help in the noise department.

So, no. Banora, while still dear to him, wasn’t home anymore. But Midgar, with its bright lights and throngs of people, wasn’t really home, either.

His sour mood lets up some as they near the ShinRa building, Lazard actually meeting them at the helicopter pad, which meant Angeal could give a cursory report right then and there. Thankfully, the director doesn’t keep him long, maybe sensing some of his remaining irritation. The walk through the halls to his office was quiet, at least until he spotted an all too familiar crimson coat at the end of one of the walkways - and he smiled. Even from here, that familiar accent brought comfort.

And then, Genesis caught him from the corner of his eye, turning with a raised brow, a question in his eyes. That was when Angeal sighed, realizing that maybe he did, in fact, know what home was to him.

And maybe home could be another person.

[mythicalbeastwrangler-blog]

Val placed a large package of animal food down on her porch and then walked right back out to her little car. She grabbed a few more bags and a small tree. It made her happy to do work, no matter if she could just wave a wand and have it done. It made her feel like she is actually accomplishing something once in a while to actually do hard muscle aching work. It was also fun to shock people when they saw the small Latina pick things up that are at least twice her size. 

She propped the sapling up against the siding of her house before pulling open the door and walking to her kitchen. A soft chirp from her cat was heard and Val laughed. 

“Okay, Louise. I’ll feed you, I know it’s been since breakfast. I know” She placed the bags on her counter, moving to put away a few cold items and so on. She poured down a mix of dried kibble and a half can of wet down for the little brown tabby. Val stretched and walked off into the kitchen, placing her wand down on her coffee table and turned on her cassette player, blasting it just enough so she could hear it outside and inside the small house to go care for her outdoor pets and to of course plant her tree.

Val danced and shimmied, singing as she fed each of her animals. Twelve in total, inside and out that is if you count species. She had six chickens and four guinea pigs. Seeds went into the dirt next as well as trying to decide on where to plant her impulse buy of a tree. By then end, her muscles ached and all she wanted was to have a beer and take a steaming shower. She rubbed the mud onto the back of her jeans, leaving two almost perfect prints of her hands on her butt, not that it mattered. It was going into the laundry that night anyways. She wandered back into the house, greeting her kitty again before wandering into the bathroom to turn the water on as hot as she could stand before leaving to grab her favorite beer. 

She sat it on her bathroom sink and stripped down to have a beer in the shower after a long day of hard physical work.