003 [action/text]

[aerialassault]

[Action: Locked to Fayt Leingod and (maybe) Albel Nox]

[It was cold.

Cliff shifted under the blankets and stretched his legs, not caring about anything but the familiar knitted sheets that touched his bare skin and the familiar scent of what he knew was his apartment in town. It was simple. It was a taste of the freedom he would grab once he slept off his aching muscles and refreshed his weary mind.

For the moment he just wanted to appreciate the warmth. He didn't remember the beds being this comfortable...]

[Action: Open]

[People in town might notice an unfamiliar young woman wandering about the shops that afternoon in search of something that fitted better than the oversized leather bomber jacket and heavy boots that covered her thin white dress. Her striking blue hair and green eyes bore a startling resemblence to another young man, Fayt Leingod-- but, that had to be coincidence.

Passers by might even find her asking them a simple question in a tone that hinted at her contained frustration:]



Hey. Could ya gimme a hand for a minute?

[Clearly, she wasn't used to asking for this sort of help.

Later on, a quick message in a familiar hand is scrawled out in the journals for everyone to read:]

[Text]

I'm back. Anyone miss me?

Comments

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

[The grin that followed was just as unmistakable as the writing, even if the face was unfamiliar.]



And that is a yes!

Hey, Rei. Anything new?

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

Apparently your body. She's pretty. Who is she?

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

My boss. She's pretty important to me, and I think that those paper pushers caught onto that.

This might be vengeance for breaking a few of their toys, but there are worse things they could have done.

\[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

Your boss? But she looks a lot younger than you do?

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

Well, she's one of a kind. No one can take the job quite like she does.

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

What sort of work do you two do?

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

I guess we never really did talk about my line of work, did we? It's really nothing that special in the long run around here either, because it's not like I'm an teacher or anything.

I'm a member and field agent of Quark. We're basically a group that goes out and offers help that others don't, and we help like-minded people get talking so they can help eachother. You could say that we're filling in the cracks in the system so people don't slip through anymore.

The girl you see right now is Maria. And, suffice to say, things are complicated. But she's my boss, and no one in Quark would have it any other way.

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

So, she is a sort of dispatcher? Or does she go and do the fieldwork as well? I remember you talking a little bit about fixing things that can't otherwise be fixed, helping the underprivileged and the like.

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

I mean that she's the head of Quark. Our Captain.

Like I said, it's a little complicated.

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

It sounds like.

So, how long have you been like this?

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

Shifted? Not even a day yet. It's been weird adjusting to all of this too. Nothing I've got fits, and I can't reach anything.

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

Well of course not, your body isn't nearly so large. Have you been shopping yet?

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

Been there, looked around, and didn't have much luck. I'm looking for something flexible, warm, and comfortable. Women's fashion is more complicated than I thought.

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

Would you like some help then?

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

Sure. Anything is great right now. I just ask that we steer clear of too many skirts. It's too cold for that.

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

Oh don't worry about that. Pants and dresses are far more appropriate.

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

So you're saying that you'll help me with this?

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

Well. Yes? Why wouldn't I?

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

No reason. I was planning to keep this problem on the down-low, but there's no way that I would turn down an offer from you.

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

Well you're going to need some help. I shudder to think of you trying to figure out how to dress yourself in girl's clothes.

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

Hey, I know a few things. I'm not that hopeless!

[Handwritten]

[faithfulflame]

Well good. Then, meet me at the shop in twenty minutes?

[So skeptical. And she has no desire to think about Cliff of all people bra-shopping alone...]

[Handwritten]

[aerialassault]

Twenty. Right.

[Cliff would be there without fail. Embarrassing as it was, Rei was definitely going to be more helpful than almost anyone else that he could think of.

It was still embarrassing.]

[Action]

[faithfulflame]

[And in twenty, she's standing outside the shop, leaning against a rail.]

[Action]

[aerialassault]

[Cliff arrived not long after, wearing the scattered assortment of clothes that he had found that afternoon. They covered him and mostly fit, which was what truly mattered, but even a laid back guy like him didn't relish the thought of looking a kid that went dumpster diving behind a thrift shop.

The slim, blue haired figure waved when they drew near.]



Hey, Rei. 'Sup?