The Dragon's Child

[DragonHeart]

((See OOC thread here.))

The steady whirring of helicopter blades made the white landscape below all the more surreal. They'd been passing nothing but miles and miles of snow-capped pines for two hours now. Alexa was bored.

She sat back, eyes closed, wishing they could just get this mission over with already. It sounded boring too, making her all the more irritated. Dragged all the way up north just to confront an abandoned mining town. What was it called, some sort of 'heim'...Nibel, no, Modeoheim. Not that it mattered. On top of that, she'd be missing her favorite show. Damn corporate. All she'd wanted was a normal nine to five with paid vacation and dental, but nooo, here she was flying to the middle of nowhere, on a Friday no less...

"Wake up Lexy, we're almost there," a soft, singsong voice crackled over the radio, interrupting her mental rant. "Last night too much for ya?"

Reluctantly, she opened an eye to see the baby faced redhead of the Turks smirking at her from the pilot seat.

"I'm not the one who passed out after the third drink. Fly the damn chopper, Reno."

"Ooh, touchy. All right, we're landing in five. I'm staying with my girl so if you step in something deep, I ain't gonna be there to clean it up for you, got it?"

"Yeah, whatever. When we come back with nothing, you're buying the drinks."

"Wanna bet? Fine, but if you lose we're spending the night at your place, babe." He winked and turned around, all business again. "We'll circle once, then I'll bring her down. Keep an eye out and report every fifteen, just like the briefing."

"You're the boss." Alexa looked across the cabin, nodding to her partner for this mission. "Ready, Jorm?"

[Djinn]

The excitement of the flight had clearly been too much for Jorm, as he looked like he was about to doze off in the corner. He never was one for long journeys, the vibration of the helicopter was the only thing keeping him awake at this point. He took a quick look out of the window and let off a sigh, maybe expecting to see something other than the same snowy woodland and mountains they'd been flying over for hours.

He turned to face his partner for the mission, Alexa. After noticing she was talking to Reno he stayed silent and watched on as they flirted with each other in their own special way.
Those two have to be married He thought to himself, letting off a wry smirk.

After their brief conversation she turned towards him and nodded.

"Ready, Jorm?" She asked, as the helicopter circled around the small settlement beneath them.

"Always" He replied, laughing to himself as they gently touched down just outside the snow-swept town. The door slid open letting in a cold blast of wind as he took a step out, he could feel the fresh snow crunching as his feet flattened it beneath them.

"Finally some fresh air!" He shouted, trying to get his voice heard over the roar of the engines.

He brushed the snow from his hair with his hands and took the time to take a quick look around as his partner was readying herself, not seeing anything of interest other than the few snow covered buildings of Modeoheim in front of him.

"Heh, no-one here," He uttered to himself, taking a few steps forward "This will be easy"

[DragonHeart]

Fresh cold air, at that. Alexa understood the sentiment, though. It was clear and crisp, nothing like the heavy smog of Midgar. Refreshing. She almost regretted not bringing a jacket, though. Her standard Shinra blue did little to block the wind's frigid bite.

Ah well, time to go to work. She drew her battered gray clunker of a sword and set her purple Bolt Materia. The sphere locked in, the magic within stirring faintly as it woke. Saving for a new sword meant skimping on the Materia. Stingy corporate bastards, couldn't even grant allowances for that sort of thing. She made a mental note to pick Reno's pocket, next time they went drinking. As long as Rude wasn't around; he'd actually notice.

Alexa returned the sword to its sheath and gestured at Jorm, not bothering to attempt yelling over the thumping rotors of the helicopter. She started her advance, scanning for movement on both sides. Nothing so far.

Their first checkpoint was the center of the village, just off the main road ahead of them if she recalled correctly. The map had been sketchy at best and who knew what kind of damage they'd find. It had been quite the party, or so she'd heard.

Boots crunching through the thick powder, she headed for the nearest street, glancing back once at Jorm to ascertain his position and check their rear. Still nothing. Well, that made their job that much easier. She couldn't help feeling a sense of unease, though. Who knew what lurked in Shinra's ever-growing shadow.