Zack Fair

@zacktaejin

Hi, I'm Zack and I'm a Sentinel for Taejin's Army

57 posts

Taejin Mission 036: Peacemaking | Faris and Zack

She smirked back at his jibes, “I don’t think there’ll be any need t’keep this off the records. Army sent us here to negotiate with pirates, they should know what t’expect.”

With that, she followed him into the bar, her purple hair trailing behind her as she did so. The sounds of the bar erupted around them and Faris shook her head at Zack’s reaction. Grabbing him by the elbow, she steered him over to the counter, casually ducking under arms and weaving her way through the crowd with a practiced air.

Once she had the barkeep’s attention she ordered two tankards of the house brew for her and Zack, which were promptly shoved over the counter to them. Passing one to Zack, Faris took a long swig of beer while allowing her eyes to roam over their surroundings.

"Just need to find the right kind of pirates," she said quietly enough for only Zack to hear.

A group of men gathered in the corner caught her eye. Some of the members of the group were facing away from her or wore hats but from what Faris could tell they seemed drunk enough to be in a divulging mood while still sober enough to know what was what. And they were definitely pirates.

"They might do," said Faris, but she ran another scan of the bar to make sure.

The beer wasn't the best thing he's ever had, but then again, Zack wasn't expecting much where a lot had to be served cheap and fast. The taste didn't stop him from drinking it all in go though. Zack didn't drink for taste, he drank to get drunk. Not that one tankard could do anything to him, curse of having mako infused in your system. It took a lot to get you even remotely buzzed, let alone drunk.

He placed the tankard back on the bar and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Then let's go." The ex-SOLDIER was already halfway to the group of pirates. Dealing with pirates normally wasn't his forte, but all drunks were the same, this would be a walk in the park.

The group was laughing and trading stories about some past adventure, but quieted up as soon as they spotted Zack and shot him a glare. Wearing his permanent grin, he pulled up a random chair and sat down on it with the end facing the table.

"No keep going, it was getting really good!" The glares only intensified but they did nothing to phase him. "Would it help if I brought a housewarming gift?" He turned around to where the barkeep was. "Hey! A round for my new buddies here!" That got the pirates attention. No one would refuse free beer. No one.

#faristaejin #Taejin's Army #mission 36 peace making

Taejin Mission 036: Peacemaking | Faris and Zack

Too excited to be still even in his sleep? Puppy indeed. Faris shook her head and grinned while leading him to the kitchen.

Speaking around the bread in her mouth she responded, “Pickles and pickled foods are always a staple. Anything that can be preserved. We get a lot of dried meats too. Sometimes there’s fresh fish if the crew has time to fish.”

Once she was on deck, she breathed in the watery air deeply. It wasn’t salt water [this was a lake after all] but it still had a certain appeal to her. She smiled at the sight of approaching land. It had been years since she’d been to this town. Since the Syldra had been an ocean faring ship, they had rarely ever bothered traveling inland to Eundaise.

Soon enough, Zack came up behind her, already exemplifying his good natured and ceaseless curiousity. She shook her head and smiled at him again.

"Don’t worry about it, the crew can handle it. Our job starts once we land," she looked around the ship as the crew proceeded to get the ship ready for docking. Faris watched the Captain of the ship issuing orders to his men, her face unmasked and overtly wistful.

Eventually they came to a halt. The former pirate made her way over to the Captain, thanking him for the trip and informing him that she and Zack would return to the ship once the mission was complete (or checking in before that if necessary).

With that done, she exited the ship and began making her way to town, turning to Zack she added, “Alright. Pirate 101. If ye want to meet your fellow pirates, there’s always one place t’check first,” turning her head forward she concluded, “a bar.”

Zack had actually been hoping to help the crew mates. Docking into port bored him to no end. The boats took forever, even Shin-Ra’s, to finally stop and by then Zack would be bored of just watching the water. “Can’t we be there yet?” He pouted and slouched forward. Boats were fun but it sucked traveling in them. It hadn’t seemed like Faris paid attention to him though. He looked up from his pout to see her just staring with some weird look on her face. He dropped it though since he really had no idea what he should say and it didn’t look like she was exactly sad, but not happy for sure.

When the boat did finally dock, Zack was off it faster than a Chocobo. The only reason he didn’t go running off was because he literally had no idea what to do from here. It wasn’t something as simple as go in, take out the target and return for once. Thankfully Faris had that covered for him, but seriously a bar? Though it did make sense. “Drinking already?” He joked. “It’s fine with me, we can keep it off the record.” He winked and nudged her with his elbow. “Anyways this looks promising.”

He gestured to the sign hanging above a doorway with a faded picture of a skeleton drinking some sort of booze out of a bottle. The name was too smudged to actually read though, but it was probably something that even Zack would regret reading anyways. He didn’t wait much longer to open the door and the inside was pretty much what you would expect from a port side bar; packed, dark, loud, and something that Zack could definitely get on board with. “You lead the way, I’m lost from here.”

#faristaejin #mission 36 peace making

In The Shadows of Midgar | Cloud, Zack, Faris, and Tifa

"Uhh… wow out of all the people for me to find here." Cloud said not sure of how to explain to Tifa exactly where the airship was heading.

He stood quiet for a few seconds until he realized that there was no way to sneak around this one.

"We’re going to Midgar…" Cloud said quietly. “But what are you doing in the airship anyway? We knocked out a few soldiers back in the hangar and the guards that were watching out for intruders, and right now I was making sure the airship was empty… Have you seen anyone else on here with us?" He asked concerned that the soldiers could sneak up on Zack and Faris. The blonde knew for sure that this would be an interesting adventure for the four of them after this reunion.

"I think it’s better if we join the others since it seems you’re the only one here." Cloud suggested as he looked around making sure everyone was gone. He turned around and waved his arm over telling Tifa to join him.

"The others are Faris and Zack, who are also members of the army. I asked them to help me with this since they’re the only ones I kind of trust at the moment." He explained as he continued up the stairs.

"I don’t know what kind of trouble we will get in when we return, if anything, we’ll have to tell them we kidnapped you after finding you on the ship." Cloud explained to Tifa to try and save her from the mess that he just got her into.

Not one to show nerves, Faris was not accustomed to the current display she was putting on. Her brows furrowed and she grit her teeth. Underneath her gloves, her knuckles were white from her vice grip she had on the steering wheel in front of her and the throttle.

"Trust me, Zack, I definitely haven’t done this before."

Confident in her abilities, she still had no doubt that she would be able to steer this ship to Cloud’s destination but it would definitely require her full attention. The ship lurched forward and the interior of the ship shook alarmingly for a moment. Glancing to her right, Faris quickly flicked a couple of switches nearby and the ship seemed to stabilize a little. She let out a breath through tightly gritted teeth and pushed the throttle forward more.

With a slight shake, the ship increased its speed and left the Army’s hangar. They had cleared the building.

Things’ll be easier now that I’ve got more room to move this thing, she thought to herself, relieved that she no longer had to worry about crashing the ship during take off. With that thought, she removed her left hand from the throttle so that it could join her right on the wheel. Almost immediately, the ship began tilting to one side. Faris cursed and increased the pressure on the throttle, and this time when she removed her hand the ship continued flying steadily.

Finally feeling like she had a good handle on these controls, Faris turned her gaze towards the navigation panel to her left and called out to whoever was in the cockpit with her, be it Zack or Cloud if he was done looking around, “Oi, I need a little help on the navigation over here! One of you’s gotta give me some coordinates for this Midgar.”

tifataejin-blog

Stunned, Tifa wasn’t sure what to think. She hadn’t seen or heard of Cloud in <i>years</i>. He was part of the reason she decided she wanted to travel around instead of staying put in Nibelheim, though she wasn’t expecting to see the blonde anytime soon. When he mentioned Midgar, Tifa looked away for a moment, before bringing her attention back to her old friend.

"They let me on because I forgot my gloves in here…" She held up her red and black combat gloves. A gift from her father and Master Zangan. They were padded well, although by now they were quite worn. She couldn’t count the times she was forced to use violence in the bar she used to work at.

Confused, Tifa followed the boy. She wasn’t familiar with a Zack or Faris. Though, she didn’t really interact much with the other members of the army. Hell, she hadn’t even known Cloud had enrolled. “I’ll take any consequence, I doubt you could convince them you kidnapped me.” She shrugged. “They’re going to believe me coming on board first was part of the plan anyway.”

She paused. “Why are you going to Midgar?”

Faris had to be a natural pilot. Even if his take off was a little wobbly as they left a base, Zack was sure no one could pick up flying that fast. Though Faris looked like he was concentrating pretty hard so he figured he would let him be for now. No one was a bigger distraction than Zack, he had a problem with not being able to sit still, but if he really needed to he could.

Or not. In fact with his entire idea to stop thinking about Midgar, he realized how that sole idea made him calmer. It was something for him to focus on, and now he was going to stop there so he wouldn't worry anyone. He was there to make people relax, not have to be down, but he wouldn't be able to if all he was focusing on Midgar.

It was a good thing Faris needed help figuring out where to go cause Zack was pretty sure that he was gonna start talking for the sake of something to do other than stand still. "Sure thing!" Zack may not understand how any of the controls worked but navigation was something they had hammered into his head. And he knew where exactly Midgar was located. It wasn't long till he was telling Faris where to go.

#tifataejin #cloudtaejin #faristaejin #In The Shadows of Midgar

Taejin Mission 040|| Good Tidings in Bad Times

For whatever reason, Luneth was rather unrefined in the realm of romantic love. Clearly any knowledge of gentlemanly etiquette and wooing impressed upon him had failed to take root successfully.

"Not quite," he laughed.

But what a perfect place to gather supplies for a wedding, he thought. The waterfalls hummed as the soft honey-glow of evening wandered into the grotto, and the sum of spring-life responded in kind to the golden light, diurnal creatures drinking in the last few drops of that sweet nectar before scurrying off to their burrows and families, fearful of the tenebral custodians that blinked and shuffled forth to revel in the shadows as their daylight shackles slowly slackened. Ripples formed over the water and the muted neon of the local fungi left the springs’ surface cloaked in swirling tie-dye as Luneth knelt down to quench the thirst of his jug.

As his unpracticed mind attempted to digest the subtle beauty that whorled around him, he was struck with visions of lovers from all walks of life: children, innocent and playful, too engrossed in each other’s laughter to be bothered with anything else; the couple in Oerba who were on fire beneath their skin, for whom Zack and Luneth were currently fetching tinder, as to bring the flames to bear; tender, wrinkled pairs of lovebirds whose journey to the stars never quite came to a close, billing and cooing more softly and sweetly than ever before as the sun sets on their youth. It left him strangely unsettled, but for what reason?

Luneth stared into the water as he made to get up, trying to glimpse that “bigger picture” that always seemed to elude him. The crystal depths seemed to darken under his gaze as the surface slowly rocked with tension…

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Zack honestly hadn't expected an orobon to jump out of the water. How deep was it? There wasn't much time to think though, Zack moved before his brain could think and that's exactly what he was doing now. He clutched the jug tight against him and ran with all his speed into the monster pinning Luneth tackling it off him and sending it a few feet away. He put the jar onto the floor near the wall, he wouldn't have time to watch it seeing as when he turned around there were more of them. Seems like somehow they had pissed them off.

"Catch you're breath ok? I can keep them off you for as long as you need so make sure you're good to go." And just like that, he took off in a away from Luneth, making sure to punch the orobon that had hit Luneth earlier to get it's attention before yelling random insults like 'fish for brains' and just generally making a lot of noise till he got the majority of the group heading towards him or at least looking his way.

"Well now that I have your attention..." he said with a grin and carefully watched the movements of the monsters closest to him. Time for the fun part. A monster swung at him and Zack jumped back to dodge. He wanted to swing with his sword, but it would probably catch on the wall if he tried to swing it. He'd have to move out of the way next chance he got.

#lunethtaejin #Taejin Mission 40 #Good Tidings in Bad Times

Taejin Mission 036: Peacemaking | Faris and Zack

Faris thumped him on the back (probably unwise given he’d just fallen) and laughed loudly, “It happens. People aren’t used to swinging in their sleep."

She grabbed her gear from its place against the wall while Zack spoke. Once the Brave Blade and her belt were situated again, she grinned at Zack.

"Food does sound good, and this trip isn’t supposed to take too long. I’m sure we’ll be arriving soon," she started leading the way to the kitchens, “we should eat a quick breakfast and head back up, I’ll bet ye can already see land up there."

The kitchen smelled fairly standard for a ship’s kitchen. Sailors and crew members were milling in and out, though for the most part it seemed like Faris and Zack had missed the rush. Making her way over to a counter, Faris poured herself a cup of black coffee and grabbed a slice of toast off a platter that had been set out.

She waved the toast in Zack’s face, “Ye don’t usually get bread on a ship, so enjoy. This is only out ‘cause it’s such a short trip."

She put the toast in her mouth and held it there, gripped the mug of coffee and headed up towards the deck. Sure enough, land was visible. It was still a ways away, but you could make out the seaside town that was waiting for her and Zack’s arrival.

Zack didn’t register the slap to his back; it was still numb from the one it received when he landed on it. “I think it’s cause there wasn’t anything to stop me from falling. I‘m too excited to actually stay still.” Fetching his sword from the beam it was resting on, he moved it so it would attach to the magnet on his back. He gestured at the door with a mock bow “Ladies first.” Since Faris most likely knew where the food would be. Zack hadn’t bothered to learn where it was.

The kitchen was actually really close to where they were sleeping and surprisingly, it wasn’t jammed packed when they got there like he was expecting. Did people wake up earlier on wooden boats than the metal ones he was used to riding? The food was a lot different too not that he was complaining. “What do people usually get on a ship then?” There obviously wasn’t a fridge like on Shin-Ra boats.

Rather than follow Faris’s example, he simply ate his food as fast as he could foregoing the coffee. He was already wide awake and raring to go. He’d give his share to someone else. There was a guy sitting not far from him that looked like he could definitely use it. He gave the mug to the crewman before walking up to join Faris. Sometimes he forgot how fast a boat could travel. They were practically at the port now. “Do we have to help them out or anything or do we just let them do their thing?” Zack wasn’t used to boats that didn’t stop with just the press of a button.

#faristaejin #mission 36 peace making #taejinsarmy

In The Shadows of Midgar | Cloud, Zack, Faris, and Tifa

Cloud entered the ship and awaited for Zack to enter right before closing the doors and locking them to make sure there were no further interruptions. He looked around and was glad to see that the airship was empty and with no guards.

“Ok, Zack you go see if Faris is fine up in the front. I’m going to take a look around and make sure things are fine in here. Try not to leave Faris for now, it will make it easier for me to distinguish if there’s someone else on the ship by hearing other footsteps.” The blonde told Zack right before heading towards the back of the airship.

Although Cloud was showing a serious expression on his face as if this was one of the mandatory missions that the commander would send them on, he was filled with excitement on the inside, nothing would be stopping them any time soon and that was the best feeling to him at the moment.

He opened a door and entered a room, there were many places that other guards could possibly either be hiding or sleeping and avoiding getting in trouble by higher ranking officers. That’s when he heard someone walking above him. He quickly, but quietly, went up the stairs and waited in a room towards where the footsteps were heading.

“Don’t move or el……..” Cloud stopped and his eyes widened. He only expected to see casual guards on a ship like this, not the person he was looking at right now. “T-Tifa? What are you doing here?!” he asked surprised.

Faris made a noise of recognition in response to Cloud’s words even though he was mostly addressing Zack. As Cloud left the room she resumed her task of readying the airship for take off (while simultaneously giving herself a crash course in piloting the thing). She recognized the lever that would likely control throttle power for take off (or whatever the terms for it was when out of the water) but she didn’t really want to touch that until it was time.

Feeling a little jumpy with all the excitement, she paused in her work long enough to ask her companion, “You feelin’ alright? Ye seem a little tense.”

She continued working on the controls while he replied. Eventually, she felt confident enough that there wasn’t anything left to figure out before winging it. From somewhere back in the airship it sounded like Cloud was moving around or something.

Quickly addressing Zack, she said, “Ye better take a seat and buckle in.”

She reached over to the communication system and flipped it on before speaking to ship at large, “Oi! Cloud! We’re ready up here! Hold on to something or get down here stat ‘cause I’m takin’ her up!”

That said she made some final adjustments to the controls before reaching for the lever. While doing this she had already begun opening the airship port to the sky to allow them to take off. As she moved the lever forward the ship rumbled and gave a great lurch forward. Concentrating and trying to maintain control, Faris pushed it more steadily and the ship began rising. Her other hand worked at the wheel and clumsily she began steering them out into the open air.

tifataejin-blog

Carefully, Tifa was maneuvering around there were supposed to be guards set up so they surely would’ve told whoever was supposed to use this aircraft that she was still in it. By the sounds of it, the ship was being hijacked. There were voices coming up from the lower deck and Tifa flexed her hands in response.

Suddenly there was a voice and Tifa was on the defensive, ready to strike but…. Her eyes widened when she saw the familiar blonde boy. No way. But he called her name out she relaxed.

"Cloud….?" Just then the ship began to rise and Tifa had to steady herself against the wall next to her.

"What’s going on!?"

He looked down at Faris for a moment, was it that easy for him to tell Zack was riled up or..? No, Zack was pretty sure that he wasn't that obvious. He didn't hide stuff often, but all the times he had, no one he knew could tell. It was probably just because Faris didn't know him that well things seemed off. He was still ok then, not that he thought Faris would tell Cloud if he knew, but he just wasn't in the mood to talk about Midgar more than he had to this trip.

“Yeah, it’s just nerves, ‘been a while since I saw the place.” Not a lie, not the whole truth either but he could get away with it. He watched Faris as he muddled around with the confusing controls of the airship. Zack would never be able to understand them, good thing it was never a requirement for anything he wanted to do.

“Roger!” He said when Faris told him to buckle up. He only sat down though, he’d ridden in airships often enough to not need to. I wonder if Cloud still gets motion sickness. Zack mused before they were off in the air. All things considering, it was a pretty smooth takeoff. “You sure you've never flown one before?” he joked.

#cloudtaejin #faristaejin #tifataejin #zacktaejin #In The Shadows of Midgar

Taejin Mission 040|| Good Tidings in Bad Times

Memories of Luneth’s time as an adventurer in Erol floated in and out of his mind. After abandoning royal life, he had joined a militia of sorts that protected the town of Ur. He had been the oldest of the juniors there, and many times he took it upon himself to protect the younger children from the rowdier kids his age who seemed to have nothing better to do than pick on young orphans. When Zack mentioned his best friend from back home, Luneth couldn’t help but visualize the brown-haired bookworm from Ur with whom he had once been inseparable. Where was he now? Luneth wondered.

"I know how it feels to leave home on bad terms. I let everyone back home down in a big sort of way… Guess we’ve both got a chance to make up for things here." Luneth flashed the blue-eyed soldier a smile. There was talk of monsters inhabiting the waters of Sulyya Springs, unheard of back home where springs were hallowed ground used for healing and meditation. That some ragtag band of spring monsters would pose a threat to two trained Army soldiers, however, was doubtful.

The tunnels were giving way to the mouth of a cave-like structure. There was a faint roar in the distance coupled with a drip-drop-drip that reinforced the notion that the springs were close. “Hey, Zack," Luneth called. “They’re using this spring water for a wedding ceremony, right? Got anyone you’d wanna douse in it?"

“Can’t think of anyone, no.” Sure Zack was a flirt in his Shin-Ra years, but that’s all it was harmless flirting. He never had the time to make anything happen beyond that and he hadn’t had too much time or want to of late, though he chalked it off to him growing up if anything.

Zack shifted the jug so he was holding it more comfortably. “How about you? Have that special someone waiting for you to pop the question?” They had reached the spring and Zack knelt down and started filling his jug with water.

#lunethtaejin #zacktaejin #Good Tidings in Bad Times #Taejin Mission 40

Taejin Mission 036: Peacemaking | Faris and Zack

Faris did her own stretching as she watched Zack make his way below deck. It was getting late. Sleeping on a ship again would be a nice change of pace. Maybe when her boat was fully done she would take it out and spend the night on it one day, assuming it turned out sturdy enough.

Once that was done, she slid down the ropes and followed Zack below. By the time she was below deck, Zack was already fast asleep. She shook her head. Zack sure was an interesting fellow. He could be energetic for hours on end but when it came time to sleep…

With a quiet sigh, she settled into her own hammock, the familiar feeling of rocking back and forth on a ship pushing her slowly into sleep. She relished in the familiarity of the feeling before drifting off herself.

Faris’s comforting sleep ended abruptly that morning. A loud thump right by her head brought her out of her sleep. She bolted up and out of her hammock and deftly grabbed her sword from its nearby resting position.

“Oi! Zack! What was that noise?!”

She paused and waited for a response.

“Zack?”

She whirled around to check his hammock only to find it empty and swinging loosely on its own. Slowly, she became aware of the squishy quality the floor had taken on.

“Zack…? Er…”

She lowered her gaze. Realized what, rather who, she was standing on and leaped aside, attaching her sheathed sword to her belt.

“Zack! Sorry about that!” she glanced up at the hammock and then down at him, “Did you fall?”

Zack rolled on to his back. “Yeah thanks I’m ok.” he joked. Faris had accidentally kicked him back onto the floor when she had jumped out of her hammock. Now both his front and back sides hurt. “I’m not used to sleeping so high up.” He moved his phone in front of him to check the time, making no movement to get off the ground.

“Do you think it’s too early to go back on deck? I wanna go back since I an walk on my own now.” He pocketed his phone as his stomach growled. “Or maybe breakfast first.”

#faristaejin #zacktaejin #mission 36 peace making #Taejin's Army

Taejin Mission 040|| Good Tidings in Bad Times

Finally, a real mission, Luneth had first thought upon receiving the briefing. The events of the week or so that had passed since his joining had been docile except for a certain trip to the mines. Luneth didn’t quite like docile, and it was difficult to keep himself occupied in the protected town of Oerba. Soldiers weren’t supposed to leave base for extended periods of time without a good reason, and “adventuring” didn’t quite justify being away from one’s duties for days.

Apparently, there was a wedding to be celebrated in Oerba, and Luneth and his mission partner were to fetch supplies from a spring source to use in the ceremony. The wedding was big news and served as a beacon of humanity in the midst of the monster attacks. Getting the urns of spring water back to Oerba in one piece was an important job; maybe a little mundane, Luneth thought, but important nonetheless for the wedding to go on without a hitch.

On their chocobos, Luneth and his partner (a more experienced soldier with black hair and striking sky-blue eyes) were making their way to the Sulyya Springs to carry out their mission when the black-haired soldier leaned in to ask Luneth a question.

“My name’s Luneth. This whole deal doesn’t seem too exciting, but it’s good work. I signed up hoping to help people, so I guess this job is a perfect start,” he said. Green fields soared around them. It was only Luneth’s second time riding into the wilderness on choco-back, and he was still rather entranced by the scenery.

“How ‘bout you? Why’d you join up with the Army, I mean?”

He took a moment to think. Before, Zack would have just answered with a 'nothing better to do', but after the trip to Midgar and the mission with Faris, he was beginning to remember why he had first joined Shin-Ra, and what made him walk into the doors of HQ. “I wanted to protect people I guess.” He smiled. “Where I grew up, monsters were kind of a thing and fighting those things could only get you so far.” Monsters could be tough, but they didn’t have the skill of bandits or the occasional terrorist group trying to take Shin-Ra down one Mako Reactor at a time.

“Eventually, I was old enough to join the army that was in my area. It was perfect, I got to make people’s lives easier, get stronger, and protect people. I even reached the highest rank they had!” at this, Zack had a faint smile before the next memory swiped if off his face. “Unfortunately, some people who were high up didn’t really care too much about us and this and that happened before I left.” If only I hadn’t just blindly followed orders, maybe I could’ve seen what was happening. He was probably never going to let that go no matter how much time passed.

“Anyways, I moved around looking for something else to use my skills, and I found this place. I even got to see my best friend again! So things have been going good for me here.”

#lunethtaejin #zacktaejin #Taejin Mission 40 #Good Tidings in Bad Times #Taejin's Army

Taejin Mission 036: Peacemaking | Faris and Zack

Faris laughed further at her friend’s response to the teasing. Zack was a good sport like that. He wasn’t really a slow climber anyways (no reason for him to be); it was just Faris’s experience with climbing up ropes just like the ones below that had enabled her to reach the top faster.

The two of them watched the sun set streak the sky and water with colors. Her eyes took on that faraway look again. It really brought her back. Watching the sun rise and set while accompanied by her crew had been a daily occurrence. It was one of those little things that stung to be reminded of and left her feeling more wistful than ever.

It was Zack’s comment on it all that brought her back to their current station at the crow’s nest. She smiled at his appreciation towards the scenery.

“S’ a nice thing to get used to everyday, watching the sun on the water,” this time she forced down her rush of nostalgia and continued casually, “but it’s pretty late now. We should probably head below deck, hit the bunks. I don’t it’ll be long once tomorrow comes, we’ll probably have to get an early rise.”

"Sounds like a plan." Zack said, as he stretched his arms. "I'll head down first, see you in the morning." And with that, he grabbed the end of the railing, and jumped down to the deck below. He didn't bother waiting up for Faris and just headed straight to the bunks, taking the top one for himself. Within moments, he was out like a light, the hammocks way comfier that they should have been.

Normally, when Zack woke up, it was either from his alarm on his phone, or on his days off, just him waking normally. This morning however, Zack was woken up by his body hitting the floor of the bunks. He groaned as he pushed himself to a sitting position. He fished his phone out of his pocket and looked at the time. It was only a few minuets before they had to wake up, so at least he was spared the trouble of getting out of bed.

#mission 36 peace making #faristaejin #zacktaejin #Taejin's Army

Taejin Mission 036: Peacemaking | Faris and Zack

Zack walked like a baby on a ship. In some ways, Faris was surprised that a soldier as capable as her friend could be this fumbling. On the other hand, she knew him well enough to expect some silly behavior every now and again.

He also, Faris realized over time, had almost no experience with ships built for the sea. It was nice in its own way, watching him tour the boat and discover so many things for the first time. She was reminded of Cloud telling her that Zack was often referred to as a puppy back in SOLDIER and seeing him wobbling around on the ship in awe she had to agree.

The sun was beginning to set when Zack approached her by the rails again. She had been making small talk with some of the other sailors before returning to the rails to watch the constant movements of the water. It really took her back to the Syldra. Zack’s question broke her out of her reverie and she turned to him with a dazed kind of look in her eyes.

“Mm? Yeah, er, yeah,” she shook her head, clearing it up a bit, “yeah it’s good. Good to get away from town for a while. See some places… See some water…”

That far off look returned to her eyes for a moment before she returned to the present yet again, “Sailors on this ship sure are professional. Bit stiff for my taste really. C’mon, I got an idea.”

She yanked his arm briefly before heading over to the nearby ropes. Shooting him a cheeky grin, she expertly began climbing up towards the crow’s nest, beckoning for him to follow her.

Once Faris had hoisted herself into the look out post at the top of the ship, she grinned. Just in time. The sun was setting, and the view from the crow’s nest had become miraculous.

“Oi, Zack! Hurry and get up here!”

For only a moment, Faris seemed to get a look that he knew a bit too well. But before he could confirm it or ask, she was dragging Zack over to some ropes and climbing fast while throwing a few taunts his way. He chuckled before jumping up and grabbing some ropes a few feet off the ground. "Give me a second here, we can't all be monkeys" he laughed.

He climbed the ropes quickly, though he wasn't nearly as fast as Faris, and when he was able to lift himself into the crow's nest, he was greeted with a breathtaking view. They had made it just in time to see the sun start to set, painting the water and sky with mixtures of blue and orange. Zack let out a low whistle in admiration, he'd seen a sunset a few times before, but never on open water. He watched until the tip of the sun disappeared into the water and the moon took over in lighting. "Wow.." was all he was able to say in the end.

#faristaejin #zacktaejin #mission 36 peace making #Taejin's Army

Taejin Mission 036: Peacemaking | Faris and Zack

Faris snorted lightly at her friend’s question but was cut off before she could answer. Laughing lightly when Zack started wobbling, she turned to him.

“Easy there, Captain,” she joked, “You’re gonna need those legs for the mission.” She made a point of standing without holding on to anything to poke further fun at him.

The ship rumbled a little, and she frowned at that.

“Kind’ve a rough departure,” she muttered while casting a critical gaze around the deck. Without missing a beat, she walked over to the sailors that were hoisting anchor and abruptly kicked the rig they were at to set them back in motion. No batting an eye, she returned to Zack’s side and placed a steadying hand on his arm, answering his question in the process.

“The water at the docks? Can’t be more than twenty or thirty feet, I’d say. Though M’ more used to docks in the ocean myself.”

Hand still on his arm, she turned her gaze back out to the water, unable to keep the smile off her face. Sure struck jackpot with this mission…

Zack pouted as his friend showed off in front of him. Faris looked like she wasn't even phased by the movement at all. She was already moving around the boat and he couldn't even stand yet without holding onto the rail. He watched her leave and focused getting on to standing when the boat started properly moving, and he grabbed onto the railing tighter. He wasn't afraid of the boat at all, he just didn't think he'd be able to stand without it. Thankfully though, Faris grabbed on to his arm, and after a few minuets, Zack was able to stand on his own. He wasn't too sure about walking just yet though.

Eventually, Zack was able to walk around on his own, and as soon as he could, he walked anywhere he could on the ship. It wasn't a small boat, but it wasn't like the big metal cruisers from Midgar either. Once his little tour was over, he met up with Faris who seemed to be having the time of her life. "So, enjoying the mission so far?" he joked.

#zacktaejin #faristaejin #mission 36 peace making #Taejin's Army

Taejin Mission 040|| Good Tidings in Bad Times

It had been about five minuets into their trip and for a while, nothing had been said between himself and his partner. It was mostly because Zack was busy running through the mission in his head. He had originally shown up a little late on the mission briefing and only had time to glance at the report before they were off.

From what he remembered, they had to go get water from some spring an hour away from HQ and make sure not to break the pots. He wished he could have remembered what monsters they were facing, but since he hadn't been warned about them, Zack assumed they weren't too big of a threat.

He looked to his partner, he wasn't sure what his name was, something with an L. Whoever he was, Zack knew he was a new recruit, he had seen the notice a little while before the briefing. "So, how do you feel about your first mission? I'm Zack by the way." he said moving his chocobo a bit closer to the other

#zacktaejin #Taejin Mission 40 #Good Tidings in Bad Times #lunethtaejin #I'm so sorry this took so long to get put out

In The Shadows of Midgar | Cloud, Zack, Faris, and Tifa

Cloud looked at Faris a bit surprised. He wasn’t sure how strong that punch actually was after seeing the guard get knocked out so harshly. Cloud would’ve said something about that move, but he had no time. He searched inside the airship and luckily there was nobody there. Reason being because if there are guards outside and inside the hangar then they would know if anyone had already entered the airship or not, but they weren’t expecting a sneak attack.

“Ok, Faris you know what to do, I’ll go get Zack and remember as soon as you turn this thing on there’s no turning back” he quickly told her and then left the airship. Cloud then left through the back of the hangar and looked around to find Zack playing cards with the other guards. Great, how is that going to help us Zack?! Yes, we wanted their attention on you, but now how is their attention going to LEAVE YOU, he thought to himself right before shaking his head. He then looked around and saw that they were the only guards left. Cloud didn’t want to end up needing to knock them out, but he would need to either way since the sound of the airship would’ve definitely gotten their attention.

He then approached them from behind slowly and knocked them out silently at the same time. “Ok, game over Zack let’s go” he told him. The sound of the airship turning on was easily heard and Cloud began running back inside the hangar. He noticed the roof opening and then looked back to make sure nobody was around. His plan was a success, now the only thing left was actually making it out of the hangar.

Faris ran into the cockpit of the airship. Instantly, she rushed over to the wheel, taking in the controls before her as quickly as she could. It was tricky, and she was winging it more than she’d like to admit.

She gripped the wheel experimentally and that was when some of the doubt vanished. Faris grinned. She could do this. Behind a wheel, steering a ship was where she belonged.

Her confidence reasserted, she turned her attention to the panels around the wheel and quickly began taking in the labels and switches and levers. Steadily, the pieces started falling in place.

tifataejin-blog

Honestly, the amount of embarrassment Tifa felt was extraordinary. She’d never forgotten something as important as her glove before. But that’s what happens when you have then hooked into your belt. What’s worse is that she didn’t even notice it until this morning! She’d gotten up, intending on perhaps training, or if she was lucky, sparring with someone! Surely someone would be available. But lo and behold, she couldn’t find her other glove.

And that’s how Tifa found herself aboard an airship, on her hands and knees, hidden behind some seats. Where was that darn, aha! She’s found it! Sighing in relief, the young martial artist had just secured her glove on when she heard someone enter followed by some mechanical sounds.

“O-Oi! I’m still on….?” Whoa, wait. That person most certainly wasn’t one of the standard pilots….

"Right on time Cloud" Zack smiled as he tossed his cards on the ground. He was about to probably lose a good amount of gil with the hand he had. He picked himself up and heard the familiar sound of an airship starting up. Looks like Faris is done on his end.

He followed Cloud to the hanger. It seems like so far, the blonde's plan was going well. At this rate, they'd be in Midgar in no time. Zack almost wished that something would happen so they couldn't go, but if he didn't know, he might come to regret it.

#faristaejin #cloudtaejin #tifataejin #zacktaejin #In The Shadows of Midgar #Taejin's Army

Taejin Mission 036: Peacemaking | Faris and Zack

It was only her second mission here in Oerba, but Faris found it was already off to an infinitely better start than her previous one. For one thing, the weather was glorious; Perfect weather for setting sail, she thought to herself, a confident smile gracing her features at the thought. For another thing, she and her companion weren’t setting out in the odd hours of the night. Her mission with Kain had been one creepy, hellish all nighter. This one would be nothing like that as they were departing in the morning and had multiple days to accomplish their task.

Another fortunate turn of events that Faris was grateful for was her companion, Zack Fair. Kain had been a more than adequate partner during their mission together but the two had hardly known each other back then. Zack was someone Faris already trusted wholeheartedly, due in no small part to their “trip” to Midgar.

She shot Zack a grin, “Should be a fun one, eh?”

Indeed, it definitely seemed like it would be. She and Zack were to travel to the town of Eundaise, a known pirate frequent, to negotiate a treatise with the pirate that Tifa and Queen had encountered on a previous mission. Due to a multitude of factors, Faris had been feeling particularly nostalgic for her days of piracy.

All things considered, she was looking forward to this mission. Her pace quickened as she and Zack made their way to the docks where their ship awaited them. Confident and brimming with excitement, Faris made her way to the Captain of the ship and shook his hand, quickly asking him standard pre-mission questions.

Upon confirming that their departure would begin soon, Faris gestured for Zack to follow her as she went below the ship’s exterior to the barracks. She and Zack found the bunk set aside for them and deposited their small bags.

“Come on,” she said, “we should get back on deck. Don’t want to miss departure.”

She ran back to the top of the ship, and quickly headed over to the railings on side, leaning over and drinking in the sight of the open water and the pleasant breeze that day.

Zack chuckled as his friend ran back to the deck. Faris seemed to belong on a boat, which wasn't all that surprising from when they "borrowed" the airship. Before Faris, Zack had only seen experts even get the things of the ground but she had done that and flown it her first time. He moved to join his friend, briefly going over the mission in his head.

So all we have to do is meet the pirates and get them to agree to some sort of peace treaty. He was pretty sure there were specifics he had forgotten about but Zack figured he would remember them later as they came to him. In the meantime he walked next to Faris and peered over the edge. "How deep do you think the water is from here?" he asked.

Before he could get an answer however, there was a yell of orders to get the boat sailing and when it finally did start moving, Zack grabbed the railing as the sudden movement made him lose balance. It wasn't his first time on a ship, but the times he did ride one that didn't fly were so rare that he hadn't developed his "sea legs" yet.

#faristaejin #zacktaejin #mission 36 peace making #missions #taejinsarmy

In The Shadows of Midgar | Cloud, Zack, Faris, and Tifa

Cloud was about to answer Zack’s question until Faris arrived and led the way out, their journey was about to begin. “I’ll explain some other time…” he said in a low voice as he looked at the ground and followed. It was a bit quiet the first few minutes walking to HQ, Cloud noticed the sun begin to set slowly, it seemed that time had gone by quickly. Maybe it’s all the excitement the thought of this gives me that has made time go by so quickly, he said to himself, He then looked at Faris and broke the silence, “A new recruit and you’re already about to break some rules” he said with a laugh. “Is this part of the pirate life?” he asked with a smile.

Right after the response he realized they had arrived to HQ, well not to where the commander stays, but to their destination. “Ok, well this is it I guess” Cloud said as he looked at the guards nearby. There were more than he expected, he never knew there would be this many around the airships. “Well we’ll most likely be knocking out a few guards unless you have another solution Faris” he said as he began to think for himself a way to avoid getting caught. There were three guards near the entrance of the airship hangar, we need a distr….. Cloud stopped thinking and looked over at Zack.

“You’re a good conversationalist, you think you can get those guard’s attention and get them out of the way of the entrance” he said then turning his head to Faris once more, “then Faris will make his way to the airship which will also have guards inside, I’m guessing only four of them will be inside, if anything then I’m sure you will be able to knock them out and I will be assisting you on that” he stopped and then looked around the hangar. “Ok Zack you will need to hold a conversation long enough for Faris and I to drag the guard’s bodies out through the back of the hangar and outside where the guards you are speaking with will see them, you will act surprised and mention the guards you see on the floor, they will then approach the guards we left unconscious” Cloud explained, but then he noticed that to roof of the hangar was still closed, and opening it would surely catch their attention.

“Faris, you’ll be left in the airship alone to start it up and open the hangar’s roof to proceed with your side of the plan, Zack and I will follow the guards from before and knock them out the second you open the hangar, do not stop for any reason unless we tell you so, we will get there in enough time” Cloud said with confidence in his voice. “Ok, so if everyone understands then the plan starts now” he said while looking at the two ready to follow.

Ever the mischief seeker, Faris flashed a toothy grin at Cloud in response to his remarks, “All in a day’s work!”

It was quiet in Oerba, now that the sun had was setting. As the sky grew dimmer so too did the roads and paths of Oerba grow more deserted. Thanks to the increasingly deserted status of the town, the trio’s trip to HQ went by quickly. Faris frowned thoughtfully at the guards.

She too looked over at Zack, a little surprised by Cloud’s suggestion. Zack seemed like a cool guy. Heh, didn’t take Cloud long to think of using Zack as a distraction. Wonder what that says about Zack’s usual behavior?

Faris nodded repeatedly as Cloud detailed his plan; the guy had a surprisingly take charge attitude. Although, as she thought about it, she had met plenty of surprising leaders in her time. The blonde was moving things along quickly, shooting a glance at Zack, Faris thumped him on the back, providing some fast encouragement, “You got this!”

That being said, she took off towards the side of the entrance, hiding behind bushes so that the guards wouldn’t see her. Glancing behind her, she saw that Cloud was following close behind. From their hidings spots along the way, she couldn’t hear what exactly Zack was saying to the guards but it seemed to be working. He had at least led them away from the entrance.

Taking the opportunity while they had the opening, Faris dashed through the entrance, shooting Zack a quick grin of gratitude before she entered the hallways of HQ. Once inside, it only took a moment for Faris to spot the next pair of guards. The two of them looked up from their stations at the intrusion.

“Huh-H-hey, what do you two think you’re doing here at this hour?!”

Faris calmly walked over to where the guards stood, “Sorry, Lads, my comrade and I must’ve gotten turned around while trying to find the-“

WHAM. She punched him on the side of the head.

“-bathroom.”

She hoped Cloud had followed her lead.

The slap to his back made him stumble a bit in surprise and he chuckled as he righted himself and gave a thumbs up before walking to the group of guards. Luckily, he new a few of them previously, and within mere moments, Zack was able to convince them to leave their post for a few minuets. The argument of "if no one has come in all this time by now, they obviously aren't going to later" made perfect sense to guards who wanted to do anything other than watch an empty road.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zack saw his two partners in crime make their way into the unguarded door. He returned his attention to his current group and brought out a pack of cards he had left in his pocket. "So, anyone up for a few games?" He didn't even need to ask, as soon as the cards were out, the guards were already making themselves comfortable on the ground.

#cloudtaejin #faristaejin #tifataejin #zacktaejin #In The Shadows of Midgar

In The Shadows of Midgar | Cloud, Zack, Faris, and Tifa

He listened to Zack explain a few things and nodded in agreement when he mentioned the few monsters that would be around. “It’s nothing to big, we’ve already been trained to handle things like that” he said right before giving Zack a nudge. He then looked back at Faris, and looked around. “We’ll have to sneak around the guards that patrol the area during the night which will be no problem seeing as how we’re all soldiers” he stated as he walked around taking small steps thinking the whole plan through.

“From there we will make our way to the airship and make sure nobody is inside at first, we don’t want anyone else getting involved in case things do get messy over there” he said as he pointed in the direction of where HQ was. “Even though the order doesn’t matter in who begins this, I believe you should enter the airship first Faris, just in case we get caught you can start up the airship and we take off immediately” he said with a serious face looking back at him.

Cloud then turned to Zack, “If we get into some trouble, we will have to knockout the guards and place them somewhere safe where the others won’t suspect anything” he continued on trying to make sure nothing would go wrong. “I’m sure they will later on realize that they’re missing an airship, but by the time this is figured out we will be gone and they won’t know where we flew off to” he looked back at Faris.

“Once we arrive on Midgar if things are safe then we can roam around, but until then it is up to you whether you want to follow us or stay on the airship and wait until things get cleared up, as of right now I won’t go into much detail because we haven’t gotten on the airship yet, so are we all in this?” he said looking at the two and stood silent.

Faris arched an eyebrow at the both of them, “Well, ye both sound pretty confident then. But for the sake of keeping things interesting I hope there’s some excitement to be had over there.”

She brought a hand up to scratch at her chin as Cloud went over his plan to steal the airship. For a guy who had joined her in an impromptu battle on the beach yesterday, he seemed to have thought this through quite a bit. Thinking over his plan she added in just a few more things.

“Agreed. You two’ll have to stand guard and keep people away while I get the hang of the controls. Stay close to the ship once I’m on board so I can holler for ye both once I’m ready to set sail.”

She exhaled and brought her hands to her hips nonchalantly, “Right, there’ll be time for more planning once we’re in the air. The important thing for now is just to get off ground so the Army can’t stop us. Give me a moment to grab my effects,” Faris added without preamble before heading into her room.

Once in her room, Faris paused and took a few calming breaths. The adrenaline was already kicking in; she was going on another adventure, a welcome break to the monotony of her life in Oerba so far. Quickly, she checked that her chest was securely wrapped for the journey ahead, finished putting on her clothes for the day (fastening her belt, strapping her boots on, etc.), and grabbing the Brave Blade from its post on the wall.

From the quiet of her room, she could hear Cloud and Zack’s muffled voices and wondered what they were talking about in her absence. Once the Brave Blade was securely fastened to her belt with its sheath, she reappeared in the living room.

“Alright, Lads,” Faris grinned at both of them, “Let’s get this show on the road.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she was leading the march out of her small and messy abode, the sound of her boots hitting the dirt of the Oerban roads accompanied her two companions’.

"Knocking out guards is a piece of cake. Hiding them shouldn't be too hard either, HQ is just as big as Shin-Ra was if not larger, and we could probably just find some empty room to put them in." He'd probably put them in a training room if he'd have to.

"He seems like an okay guy." Zack said as Faris went to get ready. He turned to face his friend, this plan was way to practiced for it to be such a spur of the moment thing. "So how long have you been planning this?" he gave him a pointed look. Cloud was pretty good at strategy, but even the blond couldn't come up with this on the spot. "And don't try to tell me different, I know you too well for this" He grinned.

Before he could actually get an answer though, Faris was already making his way back to them. He let Faris lead the way and gave a small "after you" motion to Cloud before following suit. He wasn't too bothered about not getting an answer, he'd knew there would be time when they were actually flying to Midgar to get one.

#In The Shadows of Midgar #faristaejin #zacktaejin #cloudtaejin #Taejin's Army #AU Roleplay

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