#002. arc iv: post war. meanwhile‚ the world goes on.

[wearyworn]

tag drop: verses.

[wearyworn]

For a moment, Jade took the time to regard the town that she had been living in since she had been twenty-nine from the same perspective that a stranger would have. It was a good perspective, all things considered, as many good things could be said about Lilymae, the sleepy little village. It had a nice, dense forest that the local children liked to play in, it had a small river that allowed for cooling down during the summer. And, most importantly, it had been too unimportant in the greater scheme of things to have been a target during the war. What damage had been done to the city had been collateral rather than fully intentional.

'' The refreshment station is near the, ahem, old church. '' Or rather: the ruin thereof. As the highest building, the church had taken most damage and as things stood right now, the lord was contemplating to have it fully demolished and rebuild rather than repaired, but this idea was not going over so well with the local clergy. '' And thank you---gardening is very . . . soothing, for me. Some of the other townspeople and I put together a nice selection of juices. Oh---do you have any allergies? Virgil---he runs the post office---felt like experimenting so if you are allergic to cinnamon and star anise, steer clear of his juice. ''

natsu was enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of the rest area for once. it wasn't often he just let things be, but he's been trying like gildarts taught him. though there was no fishing around, sadly. happy would probably want some.

when jade spoke, it was with a revelation that made gave natsu the second wind he needed. "fresh fruit juice!? point me to it!" natsu didn't really need her help; he just sniffed the air, searching for the aroma. and it was there!

"geez, you're really nice, jade! your garden must be something." he could smell the fresh fruit in the air. it was more subtle than it would've been without his sweat, the smell of others' sweat and the artificial scent coming from jade herself. that smell had something like oranges to it. "they smell great! i missed them earlier when i drowned myself in the water."

[wearyworn]

Leaning against one of the large trees along the side of the road, Mags idly flipped one of her knives in her hand, over and over. Waiting was always so tedious, it was hardly a pastime suited to her personality type, yet it was often required of her due to her profession. Thankfully, she soon became aware of approaching footsteps along the path. She stopped her bored motion and slipped her blade back into its sheath as the woman drew nearer. "Hey," she greeted, holding a hand up in a wave and to try indicate she meant no harm, "This might sound like a pick up line, and it could be if you want it to be, but... are you the one I've been waiting for?" She was quite sure her client had wanted to meet her somewhere around here, yet perhaps this person was a coincidence.

The  loss of fame  retirement had brought with it a multitude of changes.  The absence of people who would discourage perfect strangers to address out of the blue her as she walked home was one of them,  but it was not a bad change. 

Are you the one I've been waiting for? 

Now,  that was a good question.  Jade had tentatively put some feelers out,  had asked people she deemed a little more trustworthy to please put her in touch with someone who could obtain knowledge that she was seeking.  Making this decision had taken her months,  she was still not convinced that it was truly the best way to go,  but closure was a prized goal of hers.

And with people who would know dead and gone,  her options were limited.  Asking a reporter,  maybe that Jason fellow,  had been another thought that she had briefly entertained,  but as much as she had enjoyed it when he had been the one to interview her,  he did work for the press.  His name was not entirely off the table,  of course.  Once she decided that she was ready to look into the abyss that Lucielle,  she might give him a call.  If that would work depended,  of course, on the question if his magazine still took her calls. 

For now,  however,  she was looking at something else.  At something that had happened earlier.

'' The answer to the question if I am the one you have been waiting for does hinge on one thing---are you the one my friend recommended? ''  Jade asked,  hands clasped in front of her body.  Calling Mireen a friend was maybe a bit of a stretch,  they were best considered old acquaintances or former guildmates,  but this was a detail she did not necessarily wish to disclose.  '' I am looking for an answer that people do not wish to share with me. ''

[wearyworn]

She had put this decision off, repeatedly, but it was an itch at the back of her mind. And anyone in possession of a skull knew that those itches could not be scratched easily. She had tried to tune it out, knowing that there was nothing nice awaiting her at the bottom of the rabbithole that she was staring at, now and then. Still, there was one thing that she could be certain to get out of this. Closure.

Idly, Jade did wonder what the other woman thought Jade wanted her to look into. If she had figured out that there had been another name attached to her face while it had been on the magazine covers, then there was a good chance the first thought would be that Jade wanted to know about what was going on with her former husband. And maybe that was something she should care more about, the so-called added embarrassment of having an ex-husband who was keen on getting remarried to a twenty-four year old. And it was embarrassing, Jade thought, but not for her. This was Florian's embarrassment. She had bigger things to worry about.

'' There used to be a research institute with . . . loose affiliation to the Council near Calendula Town, '' she started, her voice calm and smooth. Not showing too much in the way of true feelings was something that she had learnt early, and it was a lesson she had learnt well. It helped that she had practiced these lines before, that she knew what she wanted to say---and what she did not want to give away. '' I would like to know more about what was being researched there. '' She paused, making direct eye contact with Mags. '' What was truly being researched there. Full disclosure: I asked the Council for this information a while ago, but I was told that unfortunately, any information they had about it was destroyed in X784. ''

She had her doubts about this, it seemed a little bit too convenient for anyone who wanted to cover something up that the relevant files had been destroyed in a very public event. Jade was hardly a professional at making information disappear, but even she could tell that this would work out fairly well.

continued from here // @wearyworn

Pushing off against the tree, Mags straightened up, keeping her arms hanging loose at her sides as to seem unthreatening (because, really, this woman had nothing to worry about from her). She hummed thoughtfully, head tilting slightly and causing her thick curls to brush the top of her shoulder. A slow smile spread across her lips (coloured as usual with her favourite crimson lipstick) and she gave a small nod.

“Well, then, it’s our lucky day, we’ve found each other~”

Digging up any secret was both fun and her main source of income, however, digging up old or particularly forbidden secrets was downright thrilling. Her recent stream of jobs had only involved the boring and oh-so-common theme of gathering evidence of cheating partners (which certainly did not raise her low opinion of relationships, by the way), so to have something new to investigate stirred excitement within her.

“You can call me, Mags, by the way,” she added, “And, I’m pretty damn good at finding answers.”

As she studied the woman, making various mental notes, she felt recognition sparking faintly. After a moment, she found the answer in her mind and had to bite her tongue from blurting out any questions. Exercising self-restraint was a rare activity for Mags, yet curiosity made the attempt easier. If the woman before her really was Rosa Lawrence…well, the job might get a lot more interesting.

“So, tell me what you need.”

[wearyworn]

She could not place the feeling that was dwelling up inside of her---it was good that her neighbours did not think her gossip-worthy. This had been what she had wanted, to disappear into the obscurity of a normal life, a life away from the glitter and the glamour. Setting this thought aside, she focused on the conversation she was having---there was no need in following thoughts that would lead her nowhere. She knew, knew that there was nothing good awaiting her at the end of her thoughts' meandering. Nevertheless, she nodded---the sun was quite motivated today, Jade pondered as she took the moment to arrange her thoughts.

Clasping her hands behind her back, she succeeded at an easy-going smile. That still came easy. '' Thank you for the compliment, Natsu. And I'll be honest---physical labour isn't my forte, '' she admitted, '' but I did volunteer to set up the refreshment station since my garden thankfully wasn't ruined so I could harvest fresh fruit for juices.''

For some of the more labour intensive aspects of the harvest, she had hired young adults from Lilymae---it was a mutually beneficial relationship. They got money and she did not have to watch her fruit rot on the plants.

oh good thing i didn't call her lilymae, natsu thought as he sipped his water. quickly, he refilled it. he really should have just let loose — but now he's locked into conversation with jade. huh. jade. "that's a cool name." natsu said just as he thought.

"the afternoon is hot today which i actually love." his vest was at his work station on someone's brand new house. his scarf was the same comforting warm it always was. there was always a piece if igneel with him. "so staying in one place hammering is fine! sort of fun, i wish there was music or something. i have all this town gossip but i'm not on that sort of job so it's just useless chatter for me."

which was unfortunately true. not that natsu didn't like gossip. in fact, he did enjoy gossip. it's hard not be up to date when you had better hearing than most people. "you didn't come up much, don't worry." he didn't hear a jade. what he did find out is that the local librarian was hooking up with the recently divorced florist. "i would've remembered hearing jade."

[wearyworn]

It was an absurd way of looking at the situation, but the war had spared her tomatoes. However, that was approximately the full extent of what had been spared. Jade had heard that Master Lucielle was among those who had died, and she was still waiting for her appointment with her therapist to work out how she really felt about that. On one hand: good riddance. On the other hand: an opportunity for closure was forever lost.

She tried to distract herself from those thoughts, usually by helping around Lilymae. She had moved there after her retirement, and when Florian had divorced her, she had kept the house. Her money had bought it, after all. And she liked the community in the village---the people here cared little about what was going in the world beyond their peaceful valley.

Addressed now, she suppressed the urge to let the switch flip---refused to let her smiley, picture perfect persona take over the social interaction that was to come. She was a person, nowadays, not a pretty concept. '' Good afternoon, '' she said, easily returning the greeting. '' I am Jade. ''

@wearyworn liked for a starter!

he was no longer huffing & puffing from the work however, he was still quite thirsty. natsu was tempted to just take the entire jug of water and pour it down his mouth — but then he looked around at the others here and realized that wouldn't be fair. they weren't mages like him nor were they as athletic as him. natsu gave a sigh and opted for the largest cup there was and poured himself some water. usually this was when he'd socialize but there were still others moving around working.

there was someone near him to his right and his eyes went over. it was an older woman, more fancy looking than most in lilymae. he wondered if this was the lady of the area as he heard some speak about.

"yo there." he was not sure what her name was. surely it wasn't lilymae. damn. he should have paid attention but he was too focused on eating the snacks before they started. "i'm natsu, nice to meet ya."