Last Old Friend (Shu and Mura)

[Murazar Dauthi]

Murazar was here for a visit, a visit he should have done years ago. This time she had outdone him in terms of rank and position. He was still in his same spot, luckily the only difference was he was a merc and lucky to even have that rank. He was dressed today completely different, jeans and a t-shirt. After all it was pretty warm down here compared to briggs. He hadn’t been here in quite awhile. Months even.

He wasn’t carrying any firearms or anything of the sort, his automail hands weren’t covered by the synthetic skin that were like gloves for them. The effect was obvious on most people in the building. He wore a small badge off his jeans that gave his rank, name and position. He knocked on the door and when given the ok to enter he did so shutting the door behind them. He smiled lightly, his inhuman blue eyes searching the room as he always did everywhere. He spoke softly, ”Well, little Shu all grown up now. How’s it going?”

His visit alone was surprising as all hell; she’d probably hug him or some such as usual. She was at this point his only old friend that wasn’t completely fucked up in the head. She had done great as usual, she made general like her old pa, obviously somehow contained or removed her illness. That was a curiosity, one he wasn’t ready to ask her. He smiled as the past bombarded him with all those old memories that seemed like a dream and nothing more. He looked around before speaking again, ” Finally a big shot now, eh? Whats happening?”

[Shula Brighton]

The day was warm, work steadily dotting Shula's desk like fallen blossoms on the surface of Crater Lake around the Gardens after a storm. It only looks like a lot had become her mantra, Shula taking small breaks between stacks to keep herself from going mad or feeling too swamped. Her secretary periodically sending someone into her office armed with something sweet or to clear away the stacks as the conquered them helped, too. There was no denying, though, that Shula would rather be outside than in on a day like this, a tiny voice in the back of her mind like a siren's call, urging her to go for an evening swim after she ducked out for the night. Heh. Night swims. Her loft overlooked the lake quite nicely, and that was one of the times that she could go out and nobody notice or bug her.

A soft, tired sigh passed her lips as she closed the most recent folder, putting it neatly in the box to send back out, noting that she'd need to check in on the department she'd made for handling Central's excess work later. Her arms raised high, shoulders and back popping in a few spots, the long white braid wiggling as she arched. A soft knock at her door suddenly caught Shula's attention. Usually if it was something important, Rose would let her know. Must've been someone from around there, then. "Door's open," Shula called brightly, settling back into her desk. There was nothing open that wasn't safe to be seen, and thankfully her research was done. The tall figure that walked in through her office door was one she hadn't seen in a while, and certainly not dressed so casually. Shula hopped up from her seat, light glinting off the red gem on her forehead. "FOX!"

Those bright blue eyes were unmistakable. ”Well, little Shu all grown up now. How’s it going?” Practically bouncing, the tiny Ishvallan zipped over to Mura, thin brown arms instinctively shooting out to wrap around him as best she could, squeezing tightly. She was still hilariously small against him, though with the improvement in her health her hugs were at least more firm. It was a little strange and oddly nice to see him there, like that, sans embroidered capes and heavily armed, there in her office in just a shirt and jeans with a badge. "Finally a big shot now, eh? Whats happening?” Her laugh was bright, light as it had ever been as she finally pulled away, looking genuinely glad to see Mura.

"Please. I'm still just a glorified secretary and we both know it. Just now I have a nicer view while I do my own work and Central's still." She giggled a little at that sad truth, though she was more than happy that now she had a whole department she'd made just for that task. There was a gentle tug at Mura's hand, welcoming him into her office. "And I'm doing fine... Been up to a LOT since you last saw me!" Shula plopped down on her little office sofa, ignoring her desk; the work would wait for now and she had a good chunk of it done already. "So what brings you all the way down here? Just passing through?"

[Murazar Dauthi]

The sheer cheerful intensity was enough to make him smile casually to her, plus he hadn’t heard that specific name in so long it was amazing she hadn’t called him by his first name. Fox must really stick in her head; I guess I really am like a fox. Then again she hadn’t seen him in so long the last time he wasn’t even dressing casually then. Back then it was only dress clothing at that time. A morning suit he believed. He chuckled lightly. She looked like she was tired before he arrived on the scene; he glanced at all the items in the room and took in the paperwork. Looked like his amount he got on his desk. Damn.

Her small form bounced up like a caffeinated squirrel on crack cocaine and hugged him tightly. He hugged back with a grin. She was still so ridiculously small, even compared to him and he wasn’t that tall at all compared to most people he had met. He wondered what she thought of him with his drastically different appearance. He had been wondering if he should retire lately, or if he could retire without dying. That was a topic perhaps for another time. Her genuine happiness was enough for him to focus off of that.

He laughed and smiled before replying with his normal charming way,” Hah, your job is as important as Reilas and you’re a mite more friendly in the company department towards me.” He felt the slight tug at his hand, well his arm felt it. He smiled sadly at her tug, he couldn’t feel her hand. Just another sad reminder of his failures. Another thing that people would remember him for rather than his successes. Your faults were all that people remembered.

He dropped on the couch next to her and sat far more relaxed than he had before, this time his whole guard was down as if there was nothing in the world to fight against or protect himself from. To him he wished death would come, the things to live for came and vanished faster than they arrived. Nothing was worth it anymore. He spoke charmingly compared to how sad his eyes truly looked,” I would hope so, I’m playing catch up. My work has little importance anymore to myself and there’s nothing left for me to do anymore. Hell I’d retire if I wasn’t so afraid to sleep, but that’s just the same ole me. What’s all this new stuff about you? “ He perked up a bit at how much she had to tell him. He didn’t want to talk about himself, it was just too depressing.

[Shula Brighton]

It was something of a rarity to actually get a hold of Mura, let alone him come to visit. They were so much more rare than they had been two years ago when Shula had started at Central. Funny how some things didn't change. Mura still came and went and was always soemthing of an enigma, and Shua was... still magically swamped with work, just now she had a better view. At least some things in life were consistent. The cushions of the sofa scooshed in gently under the weight of Shula and a guest, still very springy since usually the people that sat in her office with her were either sitting on the opposite side of her desk, or in one of the chairs, or the sofa while she sat in a chair. very few actually sat with her (not that they couldn't, but that they just typically didn't).

The vase on the coffee table boasted a large bouquet of drying red and gold roses Sal had given her, Shula glancing to them quickly and wondering for a moment if she should get them both something to drink, only to then wonder if she had anything other than the apple juice and kids snacks she kept in the office just for him. Heh. Oops. "Hah, your job is as important as Reilas and you’re a mite more friendly in the company department towards me.” Shula smiled and gave a small shrug. Everyone in South knew Shula was generally pretty friendly, even when she was obnoxiously busy. But Mura was someone she at least had no reason to not trust or not be friendly with; he'd helped her and been a good friend, even if she'd kept more than a few secrets from him.

"Haven't got any reason not to be. You're hard to get a hold of and don't visit often, but you're still my friend." Her door was open and he was welcome. Simple as that.

"I would hope so, I’m playing catch up. My work has little importance anymore to myself and there’s nothing left for me to do anymore. Hell I’d retire if I wasn’t so afraid to sleep, but that’s just the same ole me. What’s all this new stuff about you?"[/i] Despite sitting on the sofa with her, looking uncharacteristically casual and more relaxed than she'd seen him in ages, Mura seemed distant at the same time, like something was on his mind. Then again, when ISN'T something on his mind? Or rather, who? Shula knew Mura's head was a scary place, and she wasn't about to bugger him into talking about things; given the people she'd become friends with and the way she'd been handling the situations she'd landed in over time, Shula had figured out that if people wanted to get something off their chest, they would, herself included.

Golden and silver bangles clinked together as Shula moved her hands, smoothing the fabric of her skirt. "Well, maybe now you can go take areally awesome vacation somewhere nice." Mura had the advantage for vacations, at least; he could speak more languages thatn Shula could. Though to be fair at least a few people were entertained (and rather pained) by Shula horribly butchering the Cretan language, even with the tourist book that was supposed to make mutilating what surely was a nice language easier. Between her grasp on the language and heavy Ishvallan accent.... it was a lost casue. Her smile brightened as Shula fidgeted slightly, perking with excitement despite her voice lowering significantly. "And the new stuff... We've been good about covering our tracks, so it's not on any of the gossip chains at Central or here in South." There was a certain emphasis on the we aspect of that sentence that she was more than happy with, and very proud that it had been kept as quiet as it had been and out of the public eye. And in telling Mura, Shula was at least pretty confident he wouldn't blab. "Buuuut... I'm kind of engaged.. To Spade." Her voice had dropped to a near whisper, but the elation was tangible.

[Murazar Dauthi]

He liked the cushy feeling; he got the feeling she didn’t have many visitors that actually sat with her on the couch. Convenient for him at least to stay comfy. He glanced at the flowers she had, which in fact were beautiful. A bit too aesthetic for him, but hey not everyone or hardly anyone was built for solely practicality alone. Or at least very close to that. He smiled as she smiled and shrugged her slight shoulders. She was after all very well known for being kind and sweet to pretty much everyone. That was a reason he liked her, she wasn’t purely naïve either which impressed him.


He smiled and nodded slightly to acknowledge that yes, he was ridiculously difficult to get a hold of and he didn’t visit anyone at all. After all he did enjoy being a mystery man, or at least perceived as much. He honestly wasn’t a well-known individual and had a confusing past that made reading him difficult to a point. Some people he worried sometimes would know exactly what he was and read him like a book. Then again he knew shu wasn’t that person, however he was getting steadily worse at reading her. Or rather he knew she was gathering a collection of secrets and he couldn’t figure out what they were. Nor did he try to read and push and pull her to figure them out. She was one of the few he didn’t want to lose or else he’d become less human than he already was.


He raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself and smiled without joy reaching his eyes,” You’re talking about me right? When have I ever taken a vacation when war is around the corner and battles are fought every month or three? If I take a vacation people will take advantage of a weak early warning system and attack while Reila would never know what’s happening. “ He shook his head in bemuse it as if she was making a bad joke. Other than his near workaholic personality he did have all the advantages of fitting into any society and the training, immersion courses, actually being there, and many other factors.

The excitement perked his ears up big time, he knew she was about to get onto a subject she was passionate about which made him interested in listening even more. Suppressing central and south gossip chains, we? Now, now what had little shu-shu gotten into. He paused as soon as she whispered it to him and froze, then he was hugging her mighty fiercely for a moment with a real smile on his face and whispered back while holding onto her,”About time you tamed that frilly lion! So, what are the details to this wedding?” His reaction was actually excited; he had been expecting her to marry someone. His guess was either Acra or Spade actually, simply because of how close she was to both of them. He knew he didn’t have a shot since they were more like brother and sister in terms of a relationship. He was happy at the least she was happy.

[Shula Brighton]

"You’re talking about me right? When have I ever taken a vacation when war is around the corner and battles are fought every month or three? If I take a vacation people will take advantage of a weak early warning system and attack while Reila would never know what’s happening." Ah well, it was worth a shot. No fun, no sun, and there was no ice cream truck driver at Briggs. One of these days Shu would have to send a dumptruck fill of sand with the appropriate nets and sunlamps and send a vacation care package up to Briggs. It was never warm there and not sunny like it was in South, and they couldn't just take off to go have fun. But damn if sending a beach volleyball kit didn't sound like fun, and wouldn't that be something to watch: everyone in swimsuits playing ball on the sand with the sun lamps while everyhting around the area's covered in snow. They might not sign off on it, but damn it'd be funny.

Shula smiled as Mura's expression changed, though, to one of pure happiness; it was rare to see him smile and mean it. Strong arm wrapped around her and squeezed like a constrictor, eliciting a bright squeak from Shula who laughed a bit as Mura let go. ”About time you tamed that frilly lion! So, what are the details to this wedding?” ....Snrrrrk Frilly lion? Really? The hell was that supposed to mean? She laughed again, the mental image of Spade dressed as the Cowardly Lion while dressed as a frilly Regency-era dandy being the ultimate picture of un-manliness that Spade would probably go to great lengths to rectify.

"There aren't many details really," she admitted, the look of her happiness not dimming even though the details were where things got fuzzy. "There's a few things we have to sort out and tend to first before we can marry, so we haven't planned much yet." Winning her freedom and her life in tact was a rather big hurdle they still had to overcome, and the one neither of them liked talking about, even though they had a plan and Spade promised he could help save her life. But until Shula knew without a doubt that she'd leave that laboratory alive planning her future seemed like it was tempting Fate too much. Shula gave a small laugh and a slightly wincing smile. "Poor man has yet to suffer my family. But soon as we go public about it and have a date I'd love it if you came." She hugged him again for good measure, though much less squeezy than Mura's had been, the tiny woman stuck somewhere between thrilled and terrified for a small myriad of reasons.

[Murazar Dauthi]

Oh he knew now she was thinking of just sending over a slice of south city to briggs. What other thought would follow right after his reply? Goofy lady would probably send dump trucks of sand and enough equipment to pretend like the fort was a beach when it was snowing outside. The cute little squeak from shu as he hugged her tightly made him chuckle for a moment as she laughed when he let go. She was like a sister to him, someone he hoped he’d never have to let go for any reason. He almost burst out laughing from her expression alone when he called spade a frilly lion. He knew some goofy picture popped into her head, and he would love to dress spade up after he passed out one night like a frilly lion. Just to send a picture to Shu.

He looked puzzled for a second before shaking his head ruefully. Spade not creating details and shu not having the time was understandable, shu by work ethics and spade by laziness. Or at least thats how he knew him last. He doubted anything changed. He noticed she was happy no matter what however. He noticed again she was being extra vague, was it about her illness and the cure or some other secret in life she hadn’t told him? Eh, either way if she wanted to tell him she would. He wouldn’t manipulate the poor lady. Not this time anyway. He laughed at her last sentence. Then spoke once more, ” He’ll survive somehow, and you’ll survive his no doubt. “

He paused a moment as she dropped a comment that was more of a request. He nodded lightly after a moments consideration.”Not on the date, but maybe to the wedding or to hang out per se. I’ll drop by if you ask or set a date, time and place. “ Then he chuckled lightly as she hugged him again, the nervousness and anxiety in her clicking as loud and constant as clockwork. He hugged her back much more lightly, but still tight. Then as they separated from each other he kept an arm around her shoulders over the couch and plopped his head lightly on hers. He asked with a grin,”So, how many kids you two shooting for?” Granted he would have to bet someone money so he could win it when they went public.

[Csilla Angelis]

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