Faris tilted her head a bit to avoid inhaling sawdust as she continued to whistle. It was a familiar tune, a more subdued song she and the crew of the Syldra had sung back in the day. Her purple hair was blowing in a breeze that had, thankfully, kept most of the sawdust and fumes from spraying into her face as she applied the finishing touches to her boat.
With a sigh, she stepped back from her work and ran her eyes over the vessel while resting hands on hips. Green eyes squinted against the light of the setting sun that was enhanced by the expanse of water spread out before her. It was a picturesque end to the hot and sunny day, and a sheen of sweat remained on her brow from working out in the sun for so long.
The former pirate smiled at the sight before her. It was finally finished. In many ways. her pet boat project had come to represent her journey in Oerba and the life she had built for herself in the wake of the tragedy that had ended her past life.
A part of her still longed for her old ways, the chaotic lives she and her crew members lead, and the bravado of being a Captain amongst pirates. The contrast between that Faris and the Faris living in Oerba as a soldier with duties and responsibility was something she acknowledged daily; although these days the thought occurred without the accompanying stabs of longing for said past.
Her mind turned to more current memories: adventuring with Cloud and Zack, the many relationships she had formed with her comrades both on and off the battlefield, the quiet understanding she and Queen had established between the two of them, the unexpected reunion with Bartz, and the role of mentor that she had taken amongst newer members of the Army.
It wasn't a matter of settling into Oerba anymore, not by a long shot. Faris had rebuilt her life here on the shores of this lake. There wasn't time or room for regret, and she personally didn't feel the need for such sad reflections anymore. Taejin's Army had become her new life.
Although that doesn't mean there isn't a place for my past anymore, she thought to herself as she now ran her hand over the inky cursive name painted onto the side of the boat, "Tycoon."
Satisfied with her completed project, Faris began the more arduous task of pushing the final product into the water. The gentle slope of the sand eased her efforts, and it wasn't long before she felt the end of the boat reach water. With a final surge, the soldier pushed the Tycoon out into the body of the lake, jumping and hoisting herself on board as she did so.
Grabbing one of the oars, she pushed the boat further from shore until she could no longer see the sandy bottom beneath the undulating surface of the lake. Faris grinned at how well this was going, and took the opportunity to open the sails enough to catch some of the breeze.
The boat now sailing forward on its own at an easy pace, Faris took a seat near the back and put her feet up on the side railing. Her hands entwined beneath her purple hair as she leaned back, gazing at the remains of the sunset and its effect on the water.
It had been a year since she had first arrived in this town. One year of missions, breaking the rules, upholding the rules, and living as a soldier in this town. How different it was to serve a role that the public respected versus her previous role as a general pain in the peoples' collective ass. It felt odd to admit, but she had come to appreciate that change. Her new job came with a different sense of pride that she had never been able to feel in any other stage of her life. Faris felt like she was coming into her own in Oerba, truly and more honestly than ever before.
She had debated celebrating her anniversary of arrival in Oerba with her friends, potentially doing something crazy that would have surely caused Queen to shake her head at the unruly friend she had in Faris. However, upon realizing how close she was to finishing her boat, Faris had opted to save the last of it for this day.
The Commando hadn't even pointed out the significance of today to anyone. Somehow, drawing attention to it just felt wrong, as if it would somehow disrupt the progress the year had made with her. Enjoying being over water by herself ended up being the perfect way to recognize the year behind her while taking joy from the completion of a project that had provided days of occupation and work.
There was a fair amount of seating and space available on the relatively small boat. She figured the Tycoon could hold a small handful of people. The thought brought a smile to her face; she couldn't wait to bring the people in her life, who had become so integral and vital, out here with her.
For now, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle rocking from the waves, musing and reveling in the difference one year had made.
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When she closed her eyes, she could still hear the falling debris around her, the sound of crumbling earth and the clash of metal against metal as her sword and Lightning's sword made contact. The soldier had matched her strike for strike, parrying each of her blows with ease and experience. Despite being a newer recruit, she had put up a fight unlike any Queen had ever been in before.
Perhaps, the difference had been in their resolve; though stubborn and narrow-minded, there was no doubt that Lightning's strength had been a result of her desire to protect those around her. That in itself was enough to make Queen feel even more guilty about the situation and her inability to act. Had she been stronger - had her resolve been as strong as Lightning's - the outcome may have turned out very differently.
However, there was no point in dwelling about the past now. She needed to look forward towards the future, no matter how painful it was to let go. Rising to her feet, she took several deep breaths, blinking the tears from her eyes. She needed to be strong; she couldn't let anyone see her weakness.
Having lost track of how long it had been since she left camp, Queen thought it best to return. There was still much that needed to be done in regards to treating casualties and foreseeing the wellbeing of survivors. As chief medic, she needed to be there to assist Faris and Serah. Taking one last look at the ruined landscape, she squeezed her eyes shut and spun on her heel, refusing to look back.
Taejin Mission 043: Establishing Sanctuary | Faris and Serah
The call for the mission had gone out late at night, or rather early morning, and it was pure luck that Faris's sleep was unusually light that night, light enough to be roused by the noise of the message. The emergency summons to HQ was more than enough to get her out of bed after that.
The entire atmosphere of HQ was tense when she arrived. It was also, she realized, the busiest she had seen it. Taejin's Army was really pulling all stops to get help over to this town. Many of the people running around were, she assumed, working on stocking up the airships that would be heading out while soldiers waiting for private debriefings would hurry over on chocobo to provide more immediate help.
Faris glanced over at her companion, Serah Farron they had called her. She was a petite sort of girl, but that seemed pretty standard for a lot of medics. And her secondary role was Commando so at least she would be able to help with the fighting.
Once the briefing had ended, Faris promptly headed over to the pink-haired girl and extended her hand, "Faris Scherwiz. Nice to meet ye, minus the situation. I'd say more but I think we oughta skip formalities and head out right now."
That said she moved to exit the briefing room but paused as soon as she stepped out the door. "Queen!"
Queen and another soldier Faris didn't recognize were standing waiting in line. Faris made her way over them and gave Queen a sturdy pat on the shoulder, and offering her a more serious look of determination than was usual for the former pirate, "Good luck out there. Maybe I'll see ye on the battle field."
Shooting Queen a quick grin that she hoped was reassuring, she continued on past the other soldiers and made her way outside with Serah in tow. As they headed to the stables, Faris asked Serah over her shoulders, "You know how to ride a chocobo right? We've gotta get over there fast."
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Mission briefings (041-044) have been sent out to the following soldiers:
Ashe B'nargin Dalmasca
Faris Scherwiz
“Lightning” Farron
Noel Kreiss
Queen
Rem Tokimiya
Serah Farron
Squall Leonhart
Please make contact with your mission partner and make preparations for deployment. We wish you good luck and safe travels on your respective missions! (If you did not receive your briefing, inform HQ!)
taejiin's army: about // masterlist // wishlist // the story so far
Faris scuffed her feet on the dirt road. Her daily life was getting busier and busier. Being a Captain had already added to her normal soldier duties. And on top of that the army had been flooded with new arrivals for some strange reason.
She smiled despite all this. Thanks for her recent mission with Zack she had gained a new found appreciation for her life in Oerba. For the first time in a long time, she felt content staying where she was.
In some ways, that was a sort of scary feeling for the pirate who not so long ago clung to her freedom to go wherever she wanted.
It was that lingering itch of fear towards her life's complacency that drove Faris out of her house that day. She needed to take her mind of things. These days, when she sat around too long she got to thinking and when she got to thinking she started getting freaked out about how settled in she was in Oerba.
So Faris continued walking down the quiet streets of Oerba. She thought about dropping by HQ and seeing if anything was going on for her to get in on. If not she could just train and train to get her mind off things.
She paused as she passed the chocobo stalls. There was a solitary voice coming from inside. It wasn't that unusual for people to talk to the birds so that wasn't what gave Faris pause. It was the voice itself... Somehow, it sounded kind of familiar.
After considering the situation briefly, she made up her mind to check it out and opened the door to the stalls abruptly. When she spotted the man inside she pulled up short, realizing that she hadn't really thought through what to say. It would help if she could place him...
Brown hair, kinda spikey in a way (though not compared to Cloud or Zack). He was really familiar. But she couldn't place him.
"Er, sorry about barging in," she began lamely, "just thought I'd drop in and see how the birds were doing."
