What do you need? I'll get it done.

 Everything that Leslie was saying made perfect sense from a business model standpoints, and even more so on a financial standpoint along with his ability to make this not look like some underhanded and shady deal. That was really the only thing which was bothering Reeve about the whole mess was anything being traced back to him in a negative light but, the young man seemed to have all avenues tightly sealed and understood the gravity of what they were dealing with.

Neither of them wanted this plan to fail; least of all because there were so many people who depended on having a safe and stable place to live. This was paramount to the ideals in which Reeve held himself up by and it would be truly remiss of the man to brush any of this aside. The young man had already provided the documents he had asked for previously and all that was necessary now was to indeed ensure an irreversible allocation of funds into the project.

So, that was it then. 

 “I would like to actually see this office soon if I may. I am impressed and perhaps a little excited that you were able to help in the endeavor of setting up a committee for everyone to speak and work at.” The industriousness of the youth was boundless in its energy and enthusiasm that was for certain.

     Leslie had read up on the director before meeting him and before even considering coming to him. He was, by all accounts, a fair and just man who was brilliant on several different levels. Reeve had a wide range of experience and knowledge, both of which he’d honed into a sharp edge to propel ShinRa forward. A lot of what the company, heck – the world had, was thanks to this man right before him. From what he’d also found, Director Tuesti was also caring to a fault. 

     Which is why the last thing Leslie wanted was to drag him down through the dirt. Leslie lit up slightly when Reeve expressed excitement about the project. He could see a light in the man’s eyes that gave him a strange sense of reassurance.

     “I can arrange a visit anytime, to your convenience,” he said seriously. “I understand more than most the need for discretion, so please know that the office is open to you even if you needed at a time like 0300hrs. The team is small but capable, and we’d more than appreciate getting your insight to the plans.” 

Despite his hideously aching form, his bruising and injuries and the general lack of sleep plaguing his person, there was some excitement buzzing within the elf’s brain - something he focused upon as best as he could. Everything was new, nobody in Thedas had seen anything like he had witnessed in just the short time he had been there - and they likely never would. Perhaps it was easier for Lyrian to adjust to somewhere new because he hadn’t particularly left anything behind - no friends, no family; he had lost all of that long before. 

“A harsh world? Yes, I do suppose it is…” Lyrian lingered upon that thought for a moment; Thedas had always been rather cruel, in a great many ways; “ - But I do suppose I haven’t known anything else up until now… didn’t have anything to compare it to. Everything here… is so different. So much more… advanced.” Much more advanced; Thedas would be equivalent of Medieval times, after all. 

Fired projectiles? “Like arrows?” He queried, hoping he had at least gotten some kind of gist of what had been spoken but perhaps he hadn’t any need to worry about it all for the time being but instead focus on surroundings and rest. “Weapons are much different - arrows and swords… Mages…”

For a short while, however, Lyrian simply did well to hold on to Leslie’s arm and look around as they moved - taking in as much as his exhausted mind could for the moment; wide eyed and so very intensely astounded by anything and everything. How did their candles glow so brightly? And in different colours! Were they even candles? Oh, he had so many questions! 

They’d arrived? Ah! Eyes gaze up at the building - in the least it looked as if it would stand against absolutely any weather! He’d not seen anything like it and in truth, he was excited! Oh, there was just so much to see, so much to learn about. For now, however - he needed to relax, he needed to recover. 

“This… is amazing, Leslie-” He utters; somewhat breathless from the excursion but he was doing well enough, in his opinion. “Everything is just… its ever so much more here.”

     Leslie listened carefully to Lyrian as he described what he could of his world. “Well... good thing you landed here then. Not the best, considering the circumstances you faced when you came here but... still better.” Gaia could be more advanced than where Lyrian was from, and Leslie wasn’t exactly sure it was better, but it was something, and that had to count. He was glad the elf didn’t appear to be leaving much of anything behind. 

     “Mmm not quite,” the lackey said with a slight squint. Then thought it over and reconsidered. “But you could be onto something. Shin-Ra experiments with all sorts of weapons, and I wouldn’t put an automatic bow or crossbow beyond them.” 

     He took care to walk slowly, allowing Lyrian not only the time to travel without exerting his wounds, but also to take the place in. There was such wonder in his eyes that it made even Leslie feel taken back. “I... wish I could see this place the way you do,” he managed after a while. 

     “Well, take your time with it, alright? Wall Market can be a bit much, even for the people who live near here. 

       When the humans started getting out of the boat that had docked near by, Cloud was terrified. He tried to swim away from them, but unfortunately he only ended swimming closer to the other human. The one that had been trying to talk to him. 

        Cloud looked up at him with startled, fearful eyes before he tugged the human down next to him and put a webbed hand lightly over his mouth. 

         His blue eyes pleaded with the other not to draw attention to them, not to let him be found. He looked so scared, and he was shaking. He didn’t want the humans to find him. He had heard horrible stories about what would happen to him. He had to get home… 

        “Please?” Cloud’s voice was low and quiet and little strange because he didn’t usually speak in the human tongue. “Don’t let them take me. Please. I’ll find some way to repay you if you want. Just Please.” 

The suddenness with which he was pulled down caught Leslie completely off guard. For a split second, he thought he’d slipped and lost his bearings somehow, but was both proven wrong and further confounded when a hand made it across his lips. 

It was then that the man came back into view. He’s real, was all Leslie’s mind could tell him. So he wasn’t seeing ghosts. Good. What he wasn’t expecting was the fear that spilled into the man’s words, spoken as though they were a foreign language to him.

“No reaffen fu let dem,” his reply came muffled behind the man’s hand. And then his eyes drifted down, “Tagh y...” Oh. 

Silver eyebrows nearly met with the brim of his cap. It wasn’t a man. Leslie fought his urge to lurch backwards, doing so would cause too much of a commotion and certainly draw unwanted attention. So he concentrated on calming down, shaking his head at the other’s offer to repay him while his mind came to terms with what he was truly seeing.

Unexpected was the response to his movement, emerald eyes widening wide as he observed Leslie and his approach; then a small chuckle, so appreciative of his concern despite the elf having long learned to deal with his body and its limits; 

“I’ve lived my whole life Nomadic - if we don’t get up and get moving, then we often die.” A pause, a look around; “Perhaps… there is not such rush here.” But with what he had witnessed inside that fighting pit, maybe that was a wrong assumption. Thedas was much different to Midgar, but he had a feeling their problems were fundamentally the same. Corruption, selfishness and greed; folk suffering beneath the feet of those of whom thought themselves better. 

Regardless, he was on his feet and he felt stable enough to move; and it sounded as if their varieties of magic were similar, in some senses, at least; perhaps things could be learned from one another. Materia sounded interesting and he would enjoy learning of it though there was doubt that Lyrian would actually be able to use it, not when he was connected to the Veil - however that may have been.

With the cloak around his shoulders, the elf raises his arms just enough to slip the hood over his head to hide his ears; he’d have to find inventive ways of hiding them if he was going to blend in as much as he would need to. 

“I would, yes–” He would be able to see the outdoors a bit better now that he wasn’t bound and gagged and being dragged. A quick browse around as he walked to wherever his companion lived would be appreciated - though getting used to living indoors would, perhaps, be the biggest adjustment for Lyrian. 

Lightly does he link his arm with Leslie’s, double checking his footing before he even decided to move; “I do have one question-” He then begins; “…what is a fire-arm?”

“You will never stop surprising me, Lyrian,” the lackey admitted with a dip of his cap which hid a fond smile. Where he expected the elf to be horizontal for days, Lyrian was already up and about, certainly stronger than Leslie could even fathom.

“You must come from a truly harsh world.” The thought of constantly being on the move was not a pleasant one; possible but nonetheless not pleasant. Life outside of Midgar was not unhospitable, but it could be rough. Well... that could also be said of those looking from the outside into the Slums. It was all a matter of perspective, he supposed. Leslie gave Lyrian a once over before he offered him a reassuring smile and they made their way out, staff, medkit and all.

“A firearm? Ohh, that’s anything that fires... projectiles. Guns, rifles and the like,” he offered, his face scrunching slightly. “I’ll show you when you’re better. Weapons must be kind of different where you’re from, I take it.” He hoped Lyrian would elaborate on what it was like over there and continue painting a picture of his world. 

The walk back to his apartment wouldn’t take too long, thankfully, and especially not at this time of night when things had quietened down a tad. Although Wall Market hardly slept, there were a few twilight hours when the bars and pubs winded down after revellers decided they were drunk enough for the night. On the way, Leslie pointed out a few shops of interest, including a clothing store which carried some impressive tailor-made clothes by a renowned designer named Vaux, his favourite ramen place, and the Honey Bee Inn which stood out with its warm and bright façade. 

  “You’re just trying to get on my good side, yo.  Which, by the way, I don’t have.”  Who would have thought this serious guy liked soft and fluffy?  Not Reno.  Until now, he hadn’t even been sure Leslie had more than one expression.  The other’s fingers tickled, and it took all of his resolve not to react.

         “Why dontcha play with your own?”  It was actually a bit of a relief to find another like him, and from Wall Market no less.  Not that it was gonna make him feel any more like paling around more than necessary… But it did nurture a miniscule amount of grudging trust.  

Leslie slid to the side for a bit, regarding Reno with seriousness as he scanned his profile. “...Yeah, you’re right. You really don’t have a good side.” A smirk. He pulled away just enough to make sure he wasn’t in any swattable reach but frankly, with a weapon like Reno’s, few places truly were.

“Mine? Boring, silver, nowhere near as fluffy,” he admitted, “Besides, no one really plays with their own... Well, not unless they’re you, I guess.” And just like that, the man had heard more words out of him than usual, and of a teasing nature, no less. 

Rufus was a man who knew when he had royally screwed up. This was definitely one of those times. Especially as he found out it was the Don’s doing. Leslie must of been his pawn. Not to mention the girls. There were a lot of people in on this job to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

Someone must have leaked the info about what he hid on his clothes to keep himself from getting into a mess. All of his defences taken away but he still tried to resist. Feeling his body being carried, unable to really yank himself to consciousness. 

Everything felt cold. Laying in a white room. Someone watching over him. Then they left…but more shadowy figures arrived. People talking. God they were all around him as he woke up. “Not, so high and mighty once you get him out of the suit huh?” Still groggy as someone grabbed him. This wasn’t good. Struggling in their grip. Pulling away. 

He was far, far too drunk for this. “Hey, you know he’s cute in a dress… too tall for a normal girl but attention getting.” Oh hell no. The second that guy got close enough he punched him hard in the nose. Blood ran down the dude’s face. Not that Rufus cared. Hitting as hard as he could. Screaming at any of them who came close. Normally he wasn’t one to make a racket. But right now he didn’t care. A sharp twist as he broke someone’s arm. Before he was forced down against the sheets. Choking for air against the pillow. “Leslie… I want to talk to the Don. Right now.”

He felt like he was going to throw up, not that it would matter currently. 

“Do as I say and maybe I won’t have the Turk’s brought down on you all. Think of your wives, children, parents. Is it really worth keeping me here?” Rufus Shinra laughed madly. Turns out he wasn’t a pleasant kidnapped, drunk. 

“Don’t...” The sickening sound of knuckles meeting bone. “Taunt him.” Too late. Leslie stepped back into the room with a bottle of water and a sandwich on a tray to an absolute furore with the younger ShinRa putting up a most impressive fight considering all the sedatives he’d imbibed just hours earlier. The lackey stepped out of the way of the tussle. The men had made the mistake of kicking the hornet’s nest and they would duly pay for it. There was no way Rufus was getting out anyhow... at least not yet.

“No can do, Vice-Pres,” he said as he set the tray down on the table by the bed. To his credit, he did sound a little regretful. “Don’t hurt him,” he warned the men who were pinning the blonde against the sheets. There was blood on the floor but thankfully none of it was from Rufus.

“Keeping you here is currently the best option – both yours and mine. Corneo is holding you for ransom from your father. Were I to leave you with Corneo, well... let’s just say his goons would be doing far more than just pinning you to the mattress.” The words sounded distasteful just leaving his mouth. 

“Down here, you are safe... out of the fray.” It was chaos in Wall Market. Turks and troopers alike were turning everything inside out. “I just need you to be patient and wait this out for a while and then I’ll bring you back topside.”

@leslienkyle​ asked:

“Can I…” The silver-haired youth reached out to Reno’s incredibly soft-looking ears. “May I?” They were bright like shades of autumn and Leslie was having a hard time looking away.

He could feel the other staring, even as he very pointedly avoided his gaze, slouching over the table.  One pointed ear flicked back at the sound of Leslie’s voice, and Reno groaned into the crook of his arm.  Well, at least he asked.

    “Yeah, sure.  Fine, yo.”

              “But if ya say anything to anyone, ever…  I will fry ya.”

Leslie’s smile emerged on his face before he could stop it. There was little use fixing Reno with his usual cold stare now. He touched the tip of one of Reno’s ears, the pads of his fingers barely skimming the surface before he was making a second pass this time making proper contact. He let his thumb rest against the upper part of the ear’s inner shell before brushing outwards following the path of the fluff.

Vaux knew so very little of Wall Market that anything and everything made him nervous - small conflicts, even when needed to get a point across, frightened him. With a bit of luck, he would either get the hang of it or avoid it all together in the future if he could employ someone trustworthy enough to do the runs between each outlet. 

“I’ve… seen it a few times here-” Some folk- not reacting to words; forgetting themselves almost entirely - it was nothing short of frightening and Vaux couldn’t help but wonder just what drove them to that kind of state. It wasn’t any of his business, however. 

“Back to the store? Oh - I’m booked into the hotel for the evening, here.” Vaux smiled; “The movement back home is long enough even when just going from my store–” And waiting for a late night train was hardly what he wanted. “Maybe if you have time, we could have something to eat? My treat- for your help.”

Unfortunately, the way things ran in Wall Market weren’t about to change anytime soon. At least not while Corneo was head honcho. He had a particularly sleazy way of running things which seeped into the very core of the Market; even places he had no hand in.

“I’m sorry, Vaux. I can’t say that’ll be the last time.” Desperation took many forms in Wall Market. 

Light and promising; he had to keep such an outlook lest he lose his mind. The elf had done well thus far, to survive not only his capture but his unlikely happenstance in the colosseum. If he gave up now, what would his ancestors say? They’d be disappointed for a whole new world lay out before him, a chance to learn something no other from his home ever would or could - and he had to embrace that if he wished to continue to live. 

So slowly, testing his legs, did he stand up. A gentle roll of shoulders and the flexing of fingers followed and thus, Lyrian decided he currently held the strength to walk. In the very least, the indoors was warm! No campfire to build, no blankets to hunt down and protect - it all seemed to be there waiting, where he was now. Everyone had… everything they needed and far more. Astounding, coming from a nomadic being with no personal possessions aside his staff.

“Magic–?” He rose a brow the very same time as he rose a hand, igniting it with blue flames, as he had done earlier; “Much different from here, as far as I can tell.” A furrowing of his brow followed, unable to hear the whispers from the veilfire as he once had been able - perhaps now he was simply too far from it. “You use… materia, yes? And anyone can use it? Mages are born with the ability - not everyone can connect to it. it would be… quite the feat to explain but…” He turned the flames orange and then extinguished them; “Perhaps it would be easier to show you, once it is… safer to do so.”

Leslie continued packing in earnest, making sure he had all he needed when he realised Lyrian had gone a little quiet. The man threw a glance over his shoulder and immediately set the med kit down, rushing over to the tall elf’s side. “Whoa, go slow, alright? You shouldn’t be up so soon,” he said with a furrowed brow as he scanned Lyrian’s form to see.

The flames which danced from the elf’s hand almost made Leslie pull back. They were a bright blue which to him meant they burned hotter than normal, and yet the elf was unfazed. He listened keenly as Lyrian explained it to him before easily extinguishing his flame. Leslie looked from the elf’s unmarred palm up to his face before touching the middle of his hand carefully. It didn’t seem hotter than usual. 

“We... do. Well, not all of us,” he said after a few moments of looking like a goldfish. Lyrian’s magic up front would never cease to amaze him, it seemed. “Materia kind of needs to be unlocked for each individual to use. Rumour has it that it works after it is tapped and the user receives a shock to their system. I... I’m no good with materia myself,” the man admitted with a chuckle. “Which is why I had to make up for it with firearms. I’d have chosen materia over them any day. Less lethal, wider range of use,” he admitted as he moved back to the table and grabbed the kit before reaching out for Lyrian’s cloak and offering to drape it over his shoulders.

       Cloud’s eyes widened when he heard a voice and then he immediately dove into the water. Before he could get away, though, a boat started heading toward the shore. 

       Cloud looked terrified when he realized, and he cowered behind the rock he had been sitting on, trying to hide. 

       There were so many humans! How had he not noticed? His breathing sped with panic. 

        He was going to end up in a net! He shook with nerves and tried to lower himself into the water where he hoped the humans wouldn’t see him. 

The sound of the boat pulled Leslie’s attention away for the briefest of seconds but when he turned back, the man was gone.

Shit... did he slip and hit his head? It was far too eerily quiet with nothing but the sound of the waves and the boat. Throwing caution to the wind, Leslie dashed to the rock, crouching on it as he peered over and scanned the water for any signs of life. 

“Hey... Hey, you okay over there?” The rock seemed damp but no... he was reading far to much into it. 

@leslienkyle​ asked: ☁ my muse is a merperson who lives by the seashore near your muse’s house. your muse catches them sitting on the rocks people-watching one day.

         Cloud knew he wasn’t supposed to go near the humans. He was supposed to stay deep in the ocean where they wouldn’t follow. He was supposed to avoid boats, and shorelines, and not come out of the water during the day. 

        But sometimes he was reckless. Sometimes he liked to watch them. Early in the morning when he might go unnoticed, sometimes he would venture closer to see what sort of strange things they did. 

        Today was one of those days. Sitting on a rock near the edge of the water, looking out at the human settlements close by, he tried to guess what all of their strange contraptions were for. 

        He didn’t think that anyone was close enough to actually notice him, but it turned out that he was wrong. 

It was hard not to be lulled into calmness by the gentle lap of the waves against the shoreline. The sea always had a way of stilling Leslie’s mind and helping him to see a little clearer.

It was time to say goodbye. 

With a deep breath, he pulled his hand back and flung the pendant into the waves, not wanting to see where it landed. It was a new day, a fresh start. The lackey turned away from the water with the aim of heading back when something... someone caught his eye.

A young man? Not unusual. He pressed on. 

But something made him turn back. His legs... where were his legs? Cautiously, Leslie approached the young man slowly, lips parting in surprise as his eyes drifted down.

“Make it out, huh…?” Andromeda mumbled, then listened as Leslie explained. She grinned, and let out a laugh. “Damn, that sounds like exactly what I need! Dramatic, risky, and violent! I fuckin’ love it!”

She hit her fist against the table, out of pure excitement. Yeah. Yeah. This was perfect.

“I mean. I’ll do ma best not to kill anybody. But I can’t promise anythin’. If they try ter kill me, I can’t say I’m one ter show much mercy when I get the upper hand.”

In Andromeda’s mind, the chances of her own death were nil. Whether it was from all her fighting experience, or maybe pure arrogance, who knows.

“So, what time do I begin? Can ya take me now?”

Leslie chuckled at the lady’s seeming penchant for danger. “I trust you’ll be able to handle yourself just fine, but please... just remember to be careful. ‘Fighting fair’ tends to be more of a suggestion than a rule in the Colosseum.” It was sad but true – the Colosseum crowd loved seeing the scales tipped one way or other. 

“That’s fair,” Leslie conceded, listening to the lady’s reasoning. 

“Can occasionally be a bad thing for two people to be so alike, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.” Their mindsets were the same, that it was actually a slight concern that the other would be able to discern his movements should they get on opposite sides, but it would eventually end with the two trying to plan and prep for the other’s moves. Leslie would mainly just address to a separate Turk to eliminate him, but as long as their objectives were aligned it was a satisfactory amount of risk.

“Long and drawn out, much like pulling teeth. Except in his case, it won’t end with the part being separated. Have him suffer on both ends. He’ll lose his mind between seeing the two of us while the pain drives him insane. He’ll gradually lose all feeling in his body as he gradually closes in on losing his life. Getting the sack of shit to beg for mercy or at least the sweet release of death would make it that much sweeter, though both pleas would fall on death ears. The slow torment that he evoked on us with Merle would be happily repayed to him.” Though the degrees of their torture on the tyrant may not be exactly the same, it was fairly reasonable to assume that the extent of the pain would be excruciating and slightly maddening.

“Enfuriating when working for him, but a blessing when acting against him.” He couldn’t count the number of times that he wanted to eliminate Corneo because he wanted the results sooner than they could be reasonably acquired. It was nothing more than a headache being inquired and interrogated about when the outcome will present itself.

Returning back to Shinra HQ to present the debriefing about the established connection to Tseng to minimize any lingering suspicions about Les’s trustworthiness. Once Tseng was satisfied the grappling hooks would be given to Leslie to be sent over to Les.

Returning to the location, he would wait until the chopper was close enough to the landing point to drop down with the bag containing the grappling guns. Every possible means had to be utilized to keep the idea that Shinra was involved with Corneo’s ousting from the Merc’s cognition. The guns themselves were black market and the bag itself was rather shoddy but was able to contain the guns.

Upon hearing of the update, Leslie would chuckle and nod his head. “The Don doesn’t have the information that the merc will want. His willingness to divulge information to save his neck would spell ruin if it involves AVALANCHE or Wutai members. ShinRa doesn’t like doing executions, but the Don’s selfishness with his information makes it a necessity.”

Presenting the bag with the grappling guns, “This will get the merc and his friends their access up to meet with their friend. They will not accept ShinRa grade cause the merc doesn’t like interacting with the government. So these are high grade grappling guns obtained from the black market. It’s powerful motor allows it to be used to get to great heights, but it makes a return through its use impossible.”

“We both have our own interests, and I’m just glad that they align, for the most part,” Les admitted. He liked his doppelganger more than he could admit. It was like having a twin brother who knew what he was thinking and seemed to always be a few steps ahead of him because of it. 

“I like the way you think,” he smiled, “The thought that we could drive him over the edge bit by bit till he’s begging for mercy is something to look forward to.” What he’d done to them with Merle along with all the mind games over the years and months they had worked for him combined was more than enough to justify their plans to crush him slowly and surely. 

As Les stood at the drop point, the downwash from the chopper upheaving sand into his eyes which he covered with his forearm, Les couldn’t help but count his lucky stars that he’d come across the Turk. 

“You really do think of everything, don’t you?” Les smiled appreciatively as he inspected the goods. True to the Turk’s word, the grappling guns bore no trace back to ShinRa and would certainly serve their purpose well. “You don’t want them backtracking, I get it.”

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he regarded Leslie with a nod, tipping the brim of his cap at the Turk. “I’ll be back here in two days with an update for you,” he promised.

-------

Les was back at the meeting point exactly as he’d planned, a pleased look on his face. “It went just as you wanted it to. The merc and his friends took the grappling hooks and settled the last of their business down here before making their way topside.”

“The don has gone into hiding, tail between his legs. We didn’t manage to take him down, slimy bastard that he is... but we did manage to retrieve something.”

Basics

NAME:  Leslie Kyle

AGE: 25

SPECIES:  Human

bold what applies (italicize what somewhat applies)

drinker ; smoker ; done / does drugs ; knows what a broken heart feels like ; has committed a crime ; suffers a physical disability ; suffers a mental disorder ; has experienced severe trauma

Details

BIGGEST FEAR: Not being needed anymore

RECURRING NIGHTMARE:  Being alone and the only one left – on the streets as a kid in Wall Market, after losing Merle, after not being strong enough to make a stand

SOMETHING YOU MISS: The peace he enjoyed when he wasn’t constantly having to watch his back

BIGGEST REGRET: Letting what he’s wanted in life slip by too many times because he felt he didn’t deserve it and believed that that was his lot in life

A SECRET:  Leslie is very good at hiding his inner thoughts and feelings

Pick one

fire      or     water

mother or   father

to hurt   or   be hurt

eerie   or    gory

unrequited love  or   no love

Tagged by: @pacifistghost Thank you for the tag!