I Left Mideel For This?! (closed)

[impulse]

It had been awhile since Manuel had had the chance to come here, usually he had to eat at headquarters, which had generic goo's of some kind, supposedly nutritious. Manuel walked into the Pizza Temple and took in the smell of melted cheese and freshly baked pizza crust, almost forgetting to stay with Lillet. "Sorry, I got distracted, any kind of toppings or size, it's on me." Manuel smiled as he sat down at a clean table.

[Lillet]

Lillet took a deep breath while reveling in the delicious scents wafting through the air of the pizza place. It was a welcome change to the smells of cigarette smoke and other foul smells that choked the air outside. The girl turned to sit at the table that Manuel had chosen.

“Are you sure? I still have money from the trip over here,” Lillet stated. She shrugged her shoulders and ordered a small pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms. Simple, yet still good. “So, is there anything worth checking out in the slums?” she asked, waiting for the order to arrive. Maybe if she asked about the city it would bring her closer to find whatever it was Grandma sent her here for. It was a shot in the dark though; Lillet hadn’t the faintest idea what she was trying to find. All she was told was that she would know when she saw it.

[impulse]

Manuel took some time to think about the slums, trying to think of an area that would interest the small town girl, Lillinet. "The main attraction of the slums seems to be the market, other than that it's not very interesting. However, section 8, the top of Midgar, is where all the rich live, it's much more elaborate up there." Manuel looked over to see the pizza on it's way over and handed the waiter some gil.

[Lillet]

Lillet crossed her arms and thought for a few moments. This was it for the slums? Maybe Grandma made a mistake. Maybe she really wanted Lillet to go to a different city instead. There was also the possibility that she just didn’t hear her correctly.

The girl’s attention was drawn to the waitress who was delivering their food. If it weren’t for her table manners, Lillet would have been drooling at the thought of finally getting some food in her stomach. The smell rising from the hot pizza was irresistible. ‘No sense in thinking on an empty stomach,’ Lillet thought with a smile. She grabbed a slice and started nibbling on the end of it.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be here if the market is it for the slums. I can’t get up to the plate, and not being able to see the sky is going to drive me nuts,” Lillet mumbled. Maybe travelling around and seeing some of the other cities on the continent would help her ease into being away from Mideel a little easier. The differences between Midgar and Mideel were a bit too drastic for a starting place. Besides, Lillet could always come back once she was more used to being out on her own.

[impulse]

Manuel took a small piece of pizza, while he thought he chewed. Manuel thought back to his days on the street and how he usually got up to the top plate "Well, you may not be able to take a train up there, thats for sure, but there is a sort of secret way up there." The wire had been there for a long time, true it was a long climb, Manuel wondered if she would be up to it. "The sky is up there too." Manuel said temptingly with a mischievous smile on his face, before taking another bite of pizza.

[Lillet]

Lillet looked up from her slice of pizza. The tone of Manuel’s voice intrigued her. What did he have up his sleeve? A way to get up to the plate and see the sky again without leaving the city almost seemed too good to be true. Her jade eyes burned with intensity as they stared up at Manuel.

“Some sort of secret passage? What exactly do you mean?” Lillet kept her voice low as she spoke. If it really was a secret, it might not be a good idea to have anyone overhear. The girl just hoped he wasn’t trying to yank her chain.

[impulse]

Manuel watched as Lillinet looked up from he piece of pizza, he knew she was intrigued, he just wondered if she would be able to make the climb up the wire, she didn't look like she had the strength to make it up, but then again looks were decieving. "Just to check how good are you at climbing?"

Manuel wondered if he would be able to keep her interest, not even knowing whether she would be adventurous enough for this. However, something in her eye told him she would give anything to see the sky again. Manuel waited for her answer before speaking again "There is a wire that can take us right up to the top plate, comes out next to the Shinra building. You game?"

[Lillet]

“I’m pretty good at climbing. Why do you ask?” Lillet answered his question. She listened very carefully as he explained how she was supposed to get up to the plate without any form of identification. So she had to climb a wire up to the top? She thought about the plate that stood above the slums. It seemed like an awfully long way up from what she remembered. To climb a wire all the way up there sounded a bit farfetched.

Not only was the thought of climbing to the top odd, but what about Manuel? Wasn’t he supposed to be working for the Shinra? Certainly they couldn’t condone people climbing a wire up to the plate they were so intent on guarding. It didn’t make any sense.

Lillet’s mind was divided into two halves. One half urged her to say no, and to get out of Midgar without looking back. There was no way this couldn’t end badly. The last thing she needed was to fall off of the wire or have Shinra breathing down her neck for breaking the law. What law she would be breaking by climbing a wire, she didn’t know; that was beside the point.

However, the other half of her mind wasn’t so sure. Climbing such a long way would be an excellent test for her physical strength. Besides, Lillet was curious what was up on the plate. She might even find whatever it was she was supposed to be looking for up there. Manuel DID say he worked for Shinra. Everything should work out just fine.

After a few minutes of her brain playing tug of war with itself, Lillet’s curiosity finally won. She smiled at Manuel before nodding her head. “Alright, I’m in. It could be fun.”

[impulse]

Manuel smiled, he was liking being with Lillet more and more. He did however wonder why she was so adventurous. It didn't seem like she would be, after all she seemed to have some big reservations about leaving her small town in the first place. Maybe the city was already rubbing off on her. Then again maybe Manuel was just that good at tempting people.

The pizza was gone quickly, after all it was Manuel's favorite food. Lillet seemed to have been very hungry as well, bringing Manuel to wonder how little she ate on her trip here. Either way the pizza was gone, leaving them with one thing to do. "Well, are you ready to go to the 'Wire'? Manuel asked, whispering the word wire to make sure no one would hear and get suspicious.

Standing up Manuel went to the door, and pushed it open, holding it and giving Lillet the, "Ladies First" bow. It was one of the few things Manuel had picked up that gentlemen were supposed to do.

[Lillet]

Having a full stomach made Lillet feel much better. Midgar was still depressing, but at least she didn’t have to worry about it while being hungry anymore. “Thanks for the pizza,” Lillet happily thanked Manuel. She rose to her feet and moved back outside, standing right by the door of the pizza place.

Lillet’s eyes looked back up to the plate above. It still seemed like a long way up to be climbing by hand. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad once they actually started climbing. Her eyes were torn away from where the sky should have been and darted about sector six. She didn’t see a wire anywhere near here. It must have been deeper in the market. ‘I guess that makes sense. It’s supposed to be a secret after all,’ the girl thought as she waited for Manuel to join her outside.

“So, where to?” Lillet asked, trying to keep her voice upbeat.

[impulse]

Manuel looked around the brightly lit Market, in truth he hadn't been to the wire since he was a kid, whether it was still there or not, even whether it was a secret still was a mystery to him. Lillet seemed so happy about going up, it would be a shame to disappoint her. Manuel hoped that the way up was still available, he'd really hate to have to think of another way to get her up there.

"Where to you ask?" Manuel stalled while he tried to remember. Finally thinking back far enough into his childhood Manuel pointed off into an alley way. "The way to the sky is right over here." Manuel smiled as he began to walk off, forgetting for a second to make sure she knew where he was pointing.

They walked the path in silence, Manuel figured that neither one of them wanted to make a noise, out of fear of alerting someone to their presence. What awaited them at the wire was a truly depressing sight to Manuel, and he was sure Lillet as well, four members of the Shinra Police were positioned at the entrance to the wire, staying ever vigilant. Manuel looked over at Lillet, his soft brown eyes giving an apologetic and disappointed stare. "I guess it isn't so much a secret anymore."

[Lillet]

Apparently the thought of getting up to the plate without ID really WAS too good to be true. They had found the wire that Maneul had spoken of. However, they also found a small group of Shinra policemen who had beaten them to it. Lillet got the feeling that there wouldn’t be any way to reason with them either. Oh well...

Not wanting to alert the guards, Lillet kept her voice low and slowed her breathing a bit. She caught Manuel’s gaze upon her and shook her head. “No biggy. I wasn’t sure how I would have managed to climb that far anyway,” she whispered in an attempt to cheer him up. "Spending a little more times in the slums won’t kill me anyway. I’m tougher than I look. Besides, I’ve only seen sector five and six so far. Who knows? I might find something interesting in the other five sectors that I can get to.”

The idea of wandering around in more of the slums might not have been much of a bright side to the situation, but Lillet didn’t want to feel depressed. All she had to do was leave the city if she wanted to see the sun so badly. She might even come across another way to get to sector eight later. After all, it’s not like it was going anywhere.

Lillet turned around and slowly began walking in the direction of the main market. They had been lingering in the alley for too long. As she walked, the girl turned her head back to Manuel. “Coming?” she asked without bothering to stop.

[impulse]

Lillet always seemed to find a bright side, even in this situation, maybe it was just an act to make him feel better, but it made Manuel happier to believe that it was legitimate optimism. Optimism, another rare trait in today's world. Maybe it was because he never had much of a chance to leave Midgar, but Manuel had never met someone like her.

Manuel got lost in thought, not noticing Lillet walking away, looking back to see if he was coming "Hmm? oh yeah.". Manuel hurried after her, trying to catch up before the guards noticed anything.

This was a good day, it had excitement, food, and some great conversation. Manuel just wondered how much longer it could last. After all, "all good things must come to an end.".

[Lillet]

It didn’t take long to get back out into the open. Lillet stretched her arms over her head and let out a yawn. It had been a long day. It was time to find a place to settle down for the night. Tomorrow she would continue her exploration of the slums.

Lillet turned to Manuel and bowed politely to him. “Thanks for walking around the market with me. I had fun,” she told him. It was a shame their little walk had to end. The girl had enjoyed it, and she didn’t know how many other people in the slums would be that nice, even more so after bumping into them. “It was nice meeting you Manuel. I hope we run into each other again. Later!” Lillet waved goodbye to her new friend before running off to find an inn. She quickly disappeared in the crowd.

[impulse]

Manuel watched Lillet dissapear into the crowd, and let out a big sigh. Looking at the time Manuel realized just how much time he had spent with her. He would have to think of some elaborate lie for the folks back at head quarters, seeing as how his report on the sector was going to be late, and rather lacking.

Who knew, maybe Manuel would see her again someday, after all people say it is a small world. Walking to the train, back up to sector 8, Manuel took one last look back at sector six. No matter how much trouble that side trip was gonna end up causing him. It was worth it.

[Lillet]

((Thread is now closed.))

[Genocide]

ooc: Could have said -exit-lolz