#kisaragisecret

ROMANCE, LOVE, & THINGS UNSPOKEN. a collection of quotes from various media and ships, as well as concepts inspired by them. change verbiage and pronouns as needed. (send + reverse if desired.)

❝ M-Me? ❞ March's eyes widened in surprise, hammer half raised, but stilling from her sudden declaration, it was clear that he was taken aback. It wasn't everyday that someone told you something so sincere in the middle of a job. He was standing at his work station, the fire glowing from the hearth and sweat dripping from his brow. He didn't paint the prettiest picture that would warrant something so sweet.

He flushed, looking away, trying not to frown or look too confused or caught off guard. His brows couldn't resist furrowing together as he stared down at the glowing horseshoe waiting to be shaped.

What the hell was he supposed to say to that? When someone says something like that, isn't it supposed to be under better circumstances?! Like, over dinner, or even the summit during the shooting star festival, o-or...

March began hammering away again, not wanting to lose his hard work if the horseshoe cooled down too quickly. He kept his attention on it instead of looking at her directly. It was better that way. Not when he didn't know what to say.

But he knew he couldn't keep her in the dark or ignore her when she was just standing there, clearly waiting for an answer. So he said what he thought was appropriate given their relationship at the moment.

❝ I didn't ask you to. ❞ He grumbled, refusing to give her a single glance in her direction as he hammered away at his work to drown out the fact that he knew he must have disappointed her.

Not that he cared. She shouldn't be going around saying heartfelt things like that like it was normal.

Please ignore the obvious blush on his cheeks.

After everything that had happened in the First, chasing down a thief that was growing in notoriety in Thanalan sounded like a vacation. Sure, it was serious to an extent -- but as the daughter of pirates herself, Mei wasn't entirely worried about thieves unless their crimes crept into heartless bastard territory.

Still -- a crime was a crime. And it was better for Meiko to handle it, rather than some overzealous bastard reporting to Lolorito.

The last act of thievery had reportedly taken place between Camp Drybone and the Golden Bazaar, with the thief caught running towards Highbridge. So that was where Mei found herself, ascending those godsdamned steps and taking a look around at what lay just below it.

Mercenary work was always a toss of the die. Sometimes you got a job that was easy and not unpleasant to do, other times you ended up with something that was difficult and just plain miserable.

Lightning's current job had managed to land somewhere squarely in the middle. By all means it should have been an easy job, simply tracking down a thief and retrieving what they had stolen. And indeed, tracking the thief had been easy enough, but actually getting back the items...

❝Look, just give me the materia and you can go.❞ Lightning pleaded with a sigh. She wasn't being paid to actually bring back the thief anyway and she had no desire to hurt them. The girl looked around Serah's age after all.

Peace and quiet, it was something that had become somewhat of a rarity since Vincent had begun to travel with Cloud and the others. Even in moments of downtime, there was usually something going on.

The soft sound of chatting, Barret's bellowing voice, someone being teased...

It could be a bit overwhelming at times, he had spent a long time in solitude after all, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. Not that he would admit as much out loud.

The others were so full of life, bringing a breath of fresh air to his dismal existence. He did not deserve it of course, not with the sins that weighed on him, but he took comfort in it none the less.

That didn't mean he appreciated every bit of antics that they got up to however. Eyeing Yuffie and the innocent look on her face out of the corner of his eye, Vincent let out a small huff. She was up to something, he was sure of it.

Standing without a sound, Vincent quietly made his way across the camp until he was standing behind her.

This also meant that there were more than a few people keeping tabs on the organization for one reason or another. Some to get a heads up on any potentially nefarious activity. Others to try and steal what little secrets there were left to plunder from the wounded behemoth of a company.

So, what brought him here?

❝ So, this was one of their fancy reactors, huh? It's definitely seen better days. ❞

The afternoon heat in Gongaga was thick, heavy with the scent of wild jungle flora and burning mako from the nearby reactor ruins. Inside Cissnei’s modest house, the only sound was the evening breeze from the windows.

Cissnei was uncharacteristically dead to the world, stretched out on her woven couch with one arm flung over her eyes. Between tracking Cloud’s chaotic party, keeping the Turks at arm's length, and physically tackling a certain Wutai ninja to stop her from robbing the village blind, she was utterly spent. Cloud and the others had left Yuffie under her strict supervision while they investigated the reactor, and honestly, Cissnei wasn't sure who was in more danger: the village or her sanity.

The floorboards creaked.

Cissnei’s eyes snapped open, her hand instinctively twitching toward the space where her shuriken usually rested. But she didn't jump. She just tilted her head back, looking upside down at Yuffie, who was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, trying entirely too hard to look casual.

"You talk in your sleep. Did you know that?"

Cissnei blinked, the lingering fog of exhaustion temporarily short-circuiting her usual sharp composure. A wave of intense deja vu hit her so hard it made her dizzy.

You talk in your sleep. Did you know that?

It wasn't just the words. It was the cadence. Years ago, back when the world was a completely different kind of messy, her Turk partner - Katana - had said those exact same words as he leaned back in the leather pilot seat with a smirk on his face. He swore secrecy to never repeat what she said...not even after she interrogated him.

For a split second, Cissnei didn't see a teenage girl in a green turtleneck; she saw a ghost from her past. It felt surreal for a moment, wondering if Kujata had sent Yuffie to stir up echoes of the past.

"What...?" Cissnei asked, her voice slightly rougher from sleep than she liked. She sat up slowly, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "...What did I say?"

[💧] When Aqua had heard the Yuffie had come back from their most recent mission. She had decided she would go to Radiant Garden to visit and check in on the other. After all, she had heard from Aerith that they had been going on more and more missions and coming back in various states of healthy and injured. So when Aerith pointed her in the direction of Yuffie's room, she thanked her quietly and made the way to it.

you deserve better than me... sentence starters @kisaragisecret

Thancred studies her a moment, his gaze softening as he takes a hand in both of his own. He gives her a gentle squeeze.

"My lady, no one is perfect," he replies softly. "I myself have seen much and more in my life. I have done...horrible things, all for the sake of what I believed to be right. I received kindness even though I did naught to deserve it. Now, 'tis my turn to show that kindness to someone who needs it."