Located in Balfonheim just one block away from the pub, Cam Hall is where the members of Clan Blue call home. The 2-storey building itself doesn't stand out much from the rest of the area, so that they don't draw too much attention to themselves.

Upon entering, one finds him/her self in a lobby, with a number of chairs and tables around the room for members to relax in. Behind a door in the back of the lobby is a hallway, leading to a few other rooms including a bathroom and kitchen, and at the end is a staircase leading to the 2nd floor.

On the 2nd floor, another hallway connects to each of the members' bedrooms. At the end of that hallway is a door leading to Thief's office, complete with a desk and a few chairs. Within the office is a door leading to Thief's bedroom, which isn't much different from the others.

"Eternal Rest?" said a man clad in a red coat as he stood before the run down building that served as headquarters to Clan Blue. "Who said a man can calmly enjoy his afterlife in the Farplane?"

Even now, months after he was sent and arrived in this strange place, so different from Spira, Auron still found trouble understanding what had happened. He was a dead man. Moreover, he was sent by Yuna. So why was he trapped in this strange land? It bothered him. It made him wonder.

Of one thing, though, Auron was completely certain. Whatever had happened to him, his body was not dead anymore. He was not an unsent like he had been for years and years. His body, it was alive again. It was made of flesh and bones and tissue and skins and not of pyreflies.

Auron entered the Headquarters of his clan, the old wooden floor creaking under his heels at each step he took. The lobby was completely deserted (something unusual for that time of the day) except for a Bangaa caretaker (something unusual at any time of the day). He took a sit at one of the empty tables, carefully placing his blade over the table, uncorked the jug he always carried around with himself and drank some sake.

"This city," he said aloud, even though he was completely aware there was no one to hear him. In fact, he only said it aloud because there was no one to hear him. "There are all these sky pirates, but it is not such a bad place. It reminds me of Luca in a certain sense. It doesn't have Blitzball, obviously, but it is bustling with all this different people..."

The legendary guardian took another gulp of sake and stopped talking, lost in his own thoughts and wonders and doubts. About Spira, about Ivalice, about himself.

As he sat in his office, Thief was going through some paperwork that needed to be taken care of. Ever since he became the leader of Clan Blue, he had to spend most of his days dealing with such paperwork, making sure that things were organized within the clan. It wasn't what he had in mind when he ascended to this position, but his advisor, a Moogle from Ivalice, had informed him that this was necessary.

At least he knew that this day would turn out better soon enough. Thief had received a Mark an hour ago, and he felt that this would be a good one for him to go along with members of his clan. It would be the first one where he'd be able to see some action himself; with the first couple of Marks, he had too much to deal with here. Thief really wanted to prove himself out on the field, and now that his paperwork had been reduced to a more manageable workload by this time, he was going to get that chance.

Once he had his paperwork out of the way, Thief drank some water from his glass, then looked at the bill containing information on the Mark, as well as a sheet listing the members of Clan Blue. It was time for him to consider who was going to come with him on this mission. Thief took his time to think about this one; he wanted to make sure he brought the right people.

Zell walked the streets of Balfonheim gawking at the scenery as a a child does in a toy store. This place is so different from Balamb, the streets are crowded with merchants and people. The people here don't even seem to care that I'm a newfolk. Zell stopped at one of the stores set up along the street and looked over what they had before coming across a necklace that had an almost identical crest to the one Squall used to wear. He sighed as looked at the necklace. It seems so long ago when we all defeated Ultimecia, haven't seen Selphie or anyone since then. We all kinda scattered after that, I hope they're ok. Zell continued on his way staring at each building and person he came across, so much so that he made some bangaas mad by staring to long.

After touring the city again Zell returned to the building they used as HQ. These clans are fun, they have all the excitement of garden and SeeD minus the constant grades and yelling. Zell walked through the doors of the clan hall and noticed that the bangaa guy was tidying up the place. "Well, this is new where is everyone?" Zell looked around before finally landing his gaze upon a guy in a bright red coat who had a monstrous looking sword sitting on the table.

Zell walked over to the table and sat in one of the empty seats across from the guy. "Hey, hows it going? The names Zell." Zell then extended his hand to Auron with a goofy smile on his face.

It is impressive how chains of thought can be broken just as easily as a kid can break a new toy or a dry branch. Some chains of thought that would have led to answers for the world's unanswered questions have been broken just like that. And this is what happened to Auron at Clan Blue's hall.

One second he was thinking of the reason things happened to him, and the next there was a young man – with hair as outrageous as Tidus' and a tattoo even more outrageous than the Zanarkandian's clothes – was sitting in front of him, the hand stretched out to him.

He took another gulp of his sake and started observing the young man carefully. He could not be an Ivalicean, not with such an avant garde – for the lack of a better word – appearance. Spira did have its share of strange people, but this boy could easily take the cake because of the tattoo that covered the left side of his face. Of course, Jetch had a tattoo on his chest, but on the face? Now that is something you don't see everyday.

"The name is Auron," he said after a while, though he did not take the boy's hand. It was safe to assume the boy was a member of the clan and was pretty much in the same situation he was in – except for the dead part.

Braska walked along the street of the unfamiliar city, looking for the building he sought. His hood was up as usual and his robes made him stand out notably among the citizens. Braska knew he would fit in better, if he changed his outfit to something more common, but in this strange new world, he couldn't help but cling to the only thing that was familiar, the only thing that felt safe and comfortable.

He shifted his grasp on the staff, holding it a little closer to himself in order to minimize the risk of it striking someone in front of, or behind himself. Braska's gaze focused on the building near him, looking carefully for the correct one, certain that he was drawing near. Ah. There it is

Braska removed the hand he held lower of the staff's haft and opened the door with it. He entered the room, carefully angling the staff so that it would not catch on the door frame and become damaged. He shut the door behind him, and moved in to the lobby and out of the door, so anyone who entered behind him would be able to do so.

Once Braska was properly clear of the entrance he looked around the lobby. The first thing that caught his attention was a pair speaking to one side, the next was the monstrosity of a sword that caught and held his gaze. That reminds me of Auron's sword He thought, before turning his attention back to the pair.

A tattoo ... on his face? Braska thought, forehead wrinkling slightly before he turned his gaze to the other. "Auron?" He said aloud, without quite realizing that he had done so.

Zell pulled his hand back and slouched as he looked at Auron. "Yeah, nice to meet yeah, dude." Zell then dropped his head into his hand and let out a sigh. Man, this guy is just like Squall! Is it so hard to have a personality?!

Zell stood from the seat and stretched. "Ah! I can't stand this slow mood! Something needs to happen!" Just as he finished Zell heard the man's voice yell for Auron behind him. "Hmm? That a friend of yours?" Zell looked back at Auron pointing over his shoulder.

There are certain occasions when people do not trust their senses. They just refuse to accept what they saw, heard, smelled and felt because of some kind of inner lock created by their minds as a security barrier that blocks aways events they would rather forget. When that lock is opened – or forcefully broken – there is no telling how those recently surfaced memories and feelings will affect people.

"Lord Braska?" Auron asked in a calm but deep voice, not trusting his hearing, not trusting himself. Lord Braska died all those years ago... It can't be him. It can't! The man in the red coat rose from his seat, ignoring the remarks of the young man sit in front of him – in fact Auron didn't even heard what he said – and looked towards the source of the voice. There stood a man that uncannily resembled Braska, but it can't be. Auron did not trust his vision, did not trust himself.

Even though all those years had passed since Braska died in his successful endeavor against Sin, this Braska looked just as young as he had been then, as intense as he had been then, as friendly as he had been then. "Lord Braska..." Auron said again, but this time it wasn't a question. This man who resembled Braska so intensely could not be anyone other than Braska himself, and Auron knew it somewhere deep inside him.

The warm smile that had begun to play on his lips abruptly vanished at the calm, questioning tone that the first words were bathed in. Without the smile, he was left with a serene, but friendly expression. Why is he so confused, to see me? It's almost as if he thought me dead. I admit...it's been a while since I last saw him but... Braska's confused thoughts were reflected in his eyes.

As Braska truly studied his friend, he blinked taking in all of the differences that he had not perceived in the first place. All of the things he had momentarily been blind to, in the excitement of seeing Auron again. Gray hair, among the black he remembered well, it clashed with his perception of time and his memories.

The scar that seemed to have taken the sight from Auron's right eye caused his forehead to wrinkle as he noted the extent of it. "What happened?" He whispered, voice barely escaping his lips.

"It's nice to see you again, Auron." He said as warmly as he could, hoping that it would cover the confusion in his eyes. Part of him knew that Auron would read the thoughts in his mind, knew that Auron would know full well that he was confused, no matter how well he hid it, and yet...he had to try.

Why is it, Friend, that you look to have gone through 10 or 15 years more than you did the day before we came here? Braska couldn't get it out of his head, couldn't stop asking himself the question and adding up the facts. Even though, every time he did he came up with the same answer. It doesn't add up. He thought frustratedly, before returning his attention to Auron, and waiting.

When friendship is true, you can always tell to certain extent what your friend is thinking. Auron could see it on Braska's face, on his actions. The High Summoner was probably as confused with this awkward, unexpected reunion as he was. Hell, who wouldn't after what happenned?

The man in the red coat had thought that his journey with Yuna and the vanquishing of Sin had finally put these feelings – the very same feelings that had made him stay in Spira as an unsent – to rest, but upon seeing Braska they rose once again inside of him. The grief of loosing his two friends, the frustration of being completely powerless as they vanished from existence. Auron could feel those feelings swirling wildly inside his head, intoxicating his mind.

"It..." Auron started saying, but he couldn't go on. "It is nice to see you again?" How could he say something like that without being and sounding and feeling artificial. What could he say that did not let those feelings evident in his voice? Of course, he was glad to see his friend walking among the living again, but he had never expected that could ever happen. Not even in his wildest dreams. "I thought I would never see you again, my friend," he said finally, his voice weak but still audible. "Not after what happened to you and Jecht..."

Zell stood silently as Auron and the priest looking guy met. Seems these guys have some stuff to catch up in and I'm bored. Zell turned away from the two and began looking around the clan hall. He came upon the stairs and went up until he got to his room and then plopped onto the bed.

Seeing those two made me think of the others. I wonder if they made it here, if not I doubt they've realized I'm gone. Zell smiled and then stood and began punching the air, as he always did to pass the time.

As Rinoa walked down the hall, she stretched out her arms leisurely, glad that she finally seemed to have all her strength back now. She had come to Ivalice a month ago and had been barely able to walk from the weakness and hopelessness she had felt.

It had been hard those first few weeks, when she realized that Squall wasn't going to be able to come save her after all, but she managed. At least Zell was around, however much of a saving grace that was...

She knocked on the door to his bedroom.

"Zell, are you in there? It's Rinoa," she said.

Braska tilted his head to the side very slightly, listening to Auron speak. What happened to me and Jecht? Why would....what is going on! There was frustration in those thoughts. He was glad to see Auron again, but the confusion that it was causing was just that - frustrating and stressful. So many questions...but no answers....

Braska found that he wanted to ask what precisely had happened to he and Jecht, something told him, quite clearly, that it wasn't the separation that had brought them to Ivalice. There was something else, as if he had seen something happen that Braska himself didn't remember. It sounds almost as if he thought... Braska cast away the thought, unwilling to consider it.

"How have you been, Auron?" Braska asked after a long moment, deciding not to indulge the more curious part of his mind just yet.

Zell continued to punch away the air in his room until he heard a knock at his door, when he heard Rinoa's voice a sense of dread poured over him. You idiot! How could you forget Rinoa was here?! He shook the feeling off and opened the door.

"Yo, Rinoa! Whats up?" Zell said with his signature laid back smile.

Auron knew Braska well enough to know the High Summoner seemed troubled. Perhaps too troubled. Why did it looked like he did not remember his fight with Sin and his... death. Auron shivered at that word that once separated him from his friends. "Why is it that he doesn't seem to remember the things that happened?"

Lord Braska, however, apparently decided to steer away from that troubling subject and struck out a rather casual question. "Me?" Auron asked, more to himself than to Braska. Figuring out how he felt after all that happened to him was no easy task, that's for sure. "I'm... tired," he said finally. "All these long years have been... rough. And when I thought I would finally find some rest, I suddenly appeared in this place."

Auron did not intend to say that last sentence aloud – not with such troubled Braska in front of him – but it escaped through his lips almost automatically, as if they had always been there, at the tip of his toungue, just waiting for a chance of freedom. The warrior in red considered asking the same question back at his friend, just as etiquette demanded, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Asking how Braska felt, after everything that happened, just seemed uncannily artificial.

That should be enough. An interesting list, now that I think about it, but this should work out well.

Thief felt satisfied enough with the list of people that he chose to bring with him for this Mark. He was originally hoping to bring at least one of the Ivalice-born members, but somehow, it just didn't work out that way. He figured he could always make up for that next time, though, so he decided to just go with the 4 that he had chosen. It would also be a good chance to see for himself how well they could work together at this point. With that, Thief rolled up the list, as well as the bill, and placed them both in one of his pockets. He then stood up, made sure he had his Rapier and daggers on him, then made his way out of the office.

He didn't get far before seeing Rinoa standing outside of Zell's room. Both of those names were on the list, so Thief decided to stop by on the way. When he got there, he saw that Zell was talking to her. That seemed convenient enough, he figured.

"Hey," said Thief. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I'm about to get a meeting going in the lobby downstairs, and I'd like for both of you to attend as soon as you're ready. It concerns a new Mark."

Rinoa shrugged.

"I just thought I would say hi," she said with an answering grin to Zell's. "Have you heard anything about some new Marks that might be avail-"

"Hey," Rinoa turned at the voice and was pleasantly surprised to see Thief there. He had a way of sneaking up on people. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I'm about to get a meeting going in the lobby downstairs, and I'd like for both of you to attend as soon as you're ready. It concerns a new Mark."

As he explained about the Mark, Rinoa nodded and looked back at Zell.

"We'll be there," she responded, and then, once Thief moved on, she faced Zell again.

"We should probably head down to the lobby now. We don't want to miss out on this one."

Once Thief came by and told them to meet for the Mark meeting Zell was filled with a burst of hyper active energy. "Yeah! Lets go, we haven't had something to get excited about in a while!!"

Zell closed the door to his room and stepped next to Rinoa in the hall. "Come on lets go!" Zell dashed down the hall with this energy coursing through him and he couldn't sit still any longer! Zell turned back down the hall towards Rinoa and hopping around a little began to wave for her. "Haha, lets go! I can't wait for some action!"

What was that supposed to mean? Braska wondered as Auron's answer sunk in slowly. So much for bringing the conversation to calm, level ground for a while. He considered possible meanings for the warriors response as he studied the man in red. His initial impression of Auron appearing old, more worn, than he should have, was reinforced by the man's words, and what was more, his friend seemed as tired as he claimed to be.

He sounds almost as if he thought I had died....and that recently, he had, too. This...doesn't add up at all. Braska had no idea how to respond to the warrior's words.

"Auron..." He said slowly, before allowing the statement to trail off, aborted and forgotten between them. What can I say to that...? It's as if I'm missing some important event somewhere along the way...but...even so, why is this apparently huge time gap unexplained...I can't possible have forgotten several years of my life.

There was no avoiding it, something was wrong "I don't understand it..." Braska murmured, more to himself than to Auron, though the other may have heard. Truth be told, he hadn't really intended to say that aloud in the first place, but it was done, and there was no taking it back not. I pictured this so much...smoother.

Thief nodded with a smile in response to what Rinoa said to him, then made his way down the hallway. But before he could get to the stairs, he heard some running from behind. He looked back, seeing Zell running in his direction. Thief quickly stepped to the side to make sure he didn't end up getting run over.

He certainly seems excited for this Mark...

Eventually, the elf made his way downstairs, reaching the lobby soon enough. When he got there, Thief looked around to see who was there, and interestingly enough, the other two on the list, Auron and Braska, were there chatting. That seemed convenient enough to him; he didn't have to do as much as he thought he would to make sure everyone was gathered.

"Hey," Thief said, waving to the two in the lobby. "Sorry if I'm interrupting something, but we're just about to start a meeting here concerning a Mark. I'd like for you two to stick around for it."

"I... I don't understand it either, Braska," Auron said in answer to his friend's remark. He could see the summoner was just as confused as he was – perhaps more – but he didn't know how to approach such an unreal situatiation. Imagine that, two dead men trying to rationalize the fact they died once.

"Perhaps I should just let it go like this," the warrior monk throught as he looked at the bartended – for he did not know exactly how to face his friend. "Maybe I should just forget everything and just start... just start things all over again."

"Look, Braska," he said after a moment of unconfortable silence. "I really wish I knew how to explain things, but – "

Before he could go far into that line of reasoning, they were interrupted by the pointy-eared leader of Clan Blue, who said something about a meeting regarding a new mark. "Perhaps this is for better..." That was what Auron thought as he nodded at Thief and Braska, waiting for the meeting to start.

Kain felt the wind rush past his face as he flew over Ivalace on his wyvern mount. He saw the city come into view and landed by the Cam Hall building. He tethered his companion near the entrance and scratched him on the back of the head. As he entered the building he pulled out the invitation for him to work for Clan Blue. He thought it would be a good way to start out on his career.

Kain cautiously made his way to the reception counter. "Excuse me," he told the receptionist. "I need to speak to the one known as Thief."

The receptionist, a female Nu Mou, nodded in response to Kain's request, then looked back towards the lobby. She was going to get up and make her way to Thief's office, but luckily, she noticed that he was already in the lobby. The receptionist was pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, he's right over there," she said to Kain, pointing towards the elf. "He's the one with the blue hair."

---

Thief smiled when he saw Auron nodding in his direction. Things were going well so far; once everyone was gathered, which wouldn't take much longer, he could begin briefing the group about their Mark. But then, something near the entrance caught his attention. It seemed that someone had arrived, and was speaking with the receptionist. Thief wondered if this was just a random visitor, or maybe it was someone that received one of his invitations to join his clan.

If he has an invitation, Thief thought, maybe he could join us for this Mark...

Kain nervously approached the table where the blue haired elf sat. He knew that he would have to look good.

"Excuse me," Kain said trying to get Thief's attention. "I go by the name of Kain, and I received an invitation to join your clan." And with that, Kain retrieved his invitation and placed it on the table.

Braska had been listening to Auron try and respond when Thief entered. Why couldn't you have waited a few minutes longer to interrupt? Braska thought acidly, as he recognized the man as the leader of Clan Blue.

Instead of showing his agitation towards the Elf, he smiled at their leader with some warmth. He nodded slightly towards the other male, and would have said something if it were not for the newcomer suddenly joining their ranks.

Braska watched the new comer - Kain - as he entered the room and addressed Thief. Thinking about it, Thief is an ... odd ... name for someone.

Thief sat down at the big table near the middle of the lobby, then looked over as the man that had arrived walked over and introduced himself as Kain. He seemed like a nice guy, and he did indeed have an invitation to join Clan Blue. Thief nodded, then thought for a moment.

This is rather interesting timing. We're getting ready to head out for a Mark, and I don't want a newcomer who had literally just arrived to feel left out. Maybe he could come along... But I'll leave that up to him.

"Well, welcome aboard," said Thief. "You're just in time, too; we're just about to start a meeting concerning a Mark. If you'd like to join in, you're more than welcome to."

Kain felt excited as he was invited to join the group on this mark. "Yes Sir," Kain responded. "I would be honored to join you on this Mark."

Kain decided to use this moment to examine the other group members. Two dark haired figures caught his attention. By the way they were interacting he could tell they knew each other on a good level, but they seemed somewhat... confused.

By the way he was dressed, Kain assumed that one of them was some sort of wizard. The other one was a bit harder to generalize. He wasn't dressed in heavy armor; in fact he had long, flowing garments. But that blade was definitely a warrior's weapon. He had some sort of unidentifiable alcohol and he wore a strange eye-protection device.

Kain knew that he would have to work hard to prove himself with this kind of group.

Zell rushed around the corner and jumped down the stairs feeling that walking down them would take to long, he landed without falling over and stood to see that Auron and the wizard guy were still giving off tense vibes.

He observed the people in the room and saw that Thief was down there already and some new guy had arrived. "I'm here now so can we start the meeting?" Zell tried his best to keep his excitement under control but he hadn't been able to fight many monsters lately and this mark would give him the chance to burn off some of his extra energy.

Thief nodded, happy to hear that Kain was willing to join them for this Mark. It wasn't part of the original plan, but at least that man would quickly have a chance to prove himself worthy of being a part of Clan Blue. Then, of course, Zell had arrived, eagerly anticipating the mission. Thief thought that it was certainly going to be interesting to see for himself how he was going to handle things out in the field, with all of that energy.

Moments later, after making sure that the right people were sitting at the big table, ready to hear about their upcoming mission, Thief stood up. It was time to begin.

"Alright, let's get down to business," he started. "First of all, I'd like to get this out of the way right now. As most of you know, I wasn't able to come along for the first couple of Marks due to all the work I had to take care of in my office. This time, however, that has been taken care of, so for this Mark, I will be joining you guys."

Thief began to pace back and forth at his end of the table as he continued.

"Now, for the Mark itself. This morning, a valuable diamond necklace was stolen from the local jewelry shop. Witnesses have told the authorities that a female Bangaa wearing mostly green clothing and purple gloves was the one who took the necklace. It was also reported that she took off towards Salikawood, and unfortunately for the authorities, the trail leads into a particular part of the forest where a number of dangerous creatures reside. So, rather than take their chances with said creatures, they have requested that we handle the situation.

"There are two separate rewards; one for returning the necklace, and one for bringing the thief in alive. It is unknown as to whether or not she commands or even gets along with any of the creatures, so we'll have to be careful either way. It is very likely that we'll have to deal with at least some of them before finding our target."

Thief then stopped, looking at each of the other five as he asked, "Any questions?"

The Legendary Guardian listened silently as more people kept arriving for the meeting. Every now and then, he threw a very quick and subtle glance at Braska, not sure how he would react to the interruption. He knew the summoner well enough to know that, even if he was bothered by the course of events, he wouldn't show it in a situation such as a briefing.

"I guess the subject really did die, for now... But I'll have to adress it sooner or later. I know that much," Auron though just as the leader of Clan Blue, the man named Thief, finally started to give information about the mark, Auron's first since he joined the clan some days ago. "Who would have thought that after all these, I would once more guard Braska," he said to himself, in such a low voice that even himself could just barely hear.

But this wasn't really the time to think about that. He had questions about the job, and apparently now was the time for those. "You said the thief is in the... Salikawood, correct?" Auron asked. The names of the places in that New World still confused him a little. "Well, I assume it is some kind of jungle, so I wonder about our battle plan... if we have any," he added, his voice becoming lower in that last part. The last thing he needed then was babysitting a throng of people rampaging at the enemy... again.

Braska was quiet through the briefing, his attention focused on the Elf as he spoke. At first, he found it difficult not to glance over at Auron as the briefing continued, however to his pleasure, he found the restraint necessary.

As Thief finished speaking and asked for any questions or concerns, Braska began to word what he wanted to ask, before he could actually speak though, his attention was caught by Auron when he began to speak.

The High Summoner turned his gaze to his friend and listened to what he had to say. It didn't seem very prudent to state his agreement with Auron's question. Instead he began to reconsider, thinking over Thief's statement.

"You made a reference to several dangerous creatures - I was wondering if you had any idea what we might be facing?"

Zell stood restlessly as Thief briefed the team on the mission at hand. Listening silently as the others asked about the mission.

"Lets get this thing started! We'll tear through any monsters in our way and capture the thief and the necklace!"

Zell stomped the ground with his chest thrown out as he usually did in times where his confidence could no longer be concealed on the inside.

"I do have a plan in mind," Thief said in response to Auron's question. "I did have to make a small modification to accommodate our newest member, but this should actually work out better. Once we arrive at the Salikawood, we're going to split into 2 groups of 3. Myself, Zell, and Rinoa will be one group, while Auron, Braska, and Kain will be the other. This way, we can cover more of that area in the Salikawood in less time, without being too divided to deal with whatever creatures we may encounter."

Thief then turned to Braska as he asked about what kind of creatures they would be facing. He took a brief moment to remember what he was told about that before responding.

"From what I've been told," the elf spoke, "we can expect some goblins, flan, and even a lamia or two."

Then came Zell's statement. Thief wasn't too surprised, from what he had seen of him thus far. He didn't want him or anyone else to get too impatient, so he nodded.

"Alright, if everyone is ready to head out," said Thief, "then let's not waste any more time. I'll address any further questions as we go."

With that, the elven leader began to make his way towards the door, intending to wait there if anyone needed to make any further preparations before they made their way out. Thief was becoming anxious to head out himself, since it had been some time since he was out on any kind of an adventure.

Tifa walked down the sidewalk of Balfonhelm towards the pub. Her shoes tapped lightly against the stone as she went. Sighing heavily, she brushed a strand of hair from her vision.

"I could've sworn it was closer..." Passing by the pub, she glanced around the streets. Tifa hadn't been here in some time. She had so much on her mind lately, and with Marlene getting older Tifa rarely had a moment to herself. It felt nice to just get away and have quiet even if for a moment or two.

"Here we go." Tifa made her way towards a two story building. She paused as she reached the door. Looking up at the building, she bit the corner of her lip. For some reason she felt her chest fluttering slightly, and she couldn't bring herself to open the door just yet. Maybe I'll just wait a little while longer... She thought. Staring at the door, her eyes narrowed and eyebrow furrowed together. Nodding her head slightly, she placed a hand on the door handle and opened the door slowly not really knowing what to expect, but she prepared herself anyway.

Fehu had been TRYING to work as a mercenary without joining a guild, really, he had.

But it turns out Ivalicians tend to get angry if you show up, kill a Mark, and then disappear... Especially if another clan has already engaged it in combat. When the Judges finally caught him, he got cut the tiniest bit of slack, thanks to being a Newfolk, or whatever they were calling people from outside of Ivalice (though, technically, Fehu was FROM Ivalice - it was just a different one... Or something. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone for fear of being thought crazy.) He was required to join a guild and donate any gil or items he gained to the guilds whose Marks he had poached... And he wasn't exactly excited about it, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

He had heard from the Judges that there was a clan primarily consisting of Newfolk - Clan Blue - that resided in Balfonheim, and that seemed as good a place as any to start. With any luck there would be another Ivalician - not the ones from THIS Ivalice, mind you - there, someone he could talk to.

Wouldn't it be odd if... Well, I doubt HE'S here. But still.

And so, with all of this in mind, Fehu made his way to the Cam Hall. He threw open the doors and waited to see what happened...

Seto padded down the streets of Balfonheim. His tail flickered as it waved behind him; a settlement of humans this large was not something he was used to. However, it held the only Clan that his research had uncovered that seemed fitting to join. The name of Clan Seraph's leader had filled him with unease, for a reason he could not recall but did not question; Wood Village might have been more to his taste, but he was certianly not serving under rabbits.

He had spent the past month exploring this new world. The shift had not been as traumatising to him as it had been to some Newfolk, likely because it was a relief after decades of petrification. In a way, he found he liked Ivalice, with its mixture of races. Even though none were quadrupedal, it was refreshing to find sapient creatures other than humans. Most were still taken aback when what they took to be an animal spoke to them, however.

Speaking of which, he was garnering quite a odd glances from the people of Balfonheim. Some of them looked as if they might attack; but who ever heard of a monster walking bold as brass down a city street?

There. His destination was in sight. Seeing someone pass through the doors of the hall, Seto broke into a run. He could not open them himself, so he decided to slip in on the heels of someone else. He made it successfully, as the young man did not close the doors behind him, so he walked in and sat down, tail curled around his forelegs.

Scanning the room with eyes and nose, he noticed the young, dark-haired woman. There was something familiar about her, but it was like th ename "Sephiroth" Seto could not place where he had met her before. In fact, he did not think he had ever seen her before. To him, that left only one option: she had visited Cosmo Canyon during his petrification, and he haf felt her presence.

After Thief and the others had left the hall to pursue their Mark, the Nu Mou receptionist had some quiet time to herself, and she used that time to read one of her favourite novels. Eventually, though, that quiet time ended as a few others entered the lobby one after the other. The first to enter was a dark haired woman. The second was a mysterious-looking man. The third... appeared to be a creature unlike anything she had ever seen before. Interestingly enough, none of the 3 had said a word or done much of anything since entering. So, deciding to break the silence, the receptionist set her book down and stood up from behind her desk.

"Hello," she said to the group in general. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Tifa had entered the building and stood off to the side of the lobby. Not to long after she had entered, another man entered. She stood back and tried to think of how to approach him thinking perhaps he would know more about this place than herself. Tifa didn't have much time to think on the subject before her eye caught sight of something else trailing in behind the man.

'What is...' Her thoughts trailed off. Locking her brown eyes on the figure that had skidded inside, she found herself unable to look away. Something pulled at her as she set her gaze upon the beast. Suddenly, a voice drew her back into reality. Shaking her head slightly, Tifa looked up towards the direction of the woman's voice.

"I uh.. I'm not quite sure. I had overheard about a um.. group here. I was just curious. They sounded as if they had jobs open or something along those lines." Tifa's voice was quiet. She instantly felt out of place and as if she should never have even entered the building at all. Keeping her eyes downcast she waited to feel the awkward stares of others in the lobby.

"Yeah, uhm..." Fehu dug around in the inside pockets of his multi-pocketed jacket before pulling out an official looking document, that, at one point, had been sealed with wax. He cleared his throat before handing the document to the receptionist.

"This document details that I am the first Newfolk poacher ever... But since I didn't KNOW the details of poaching, I have since been asked to join a satisfactory guild and donate any profit I make to the guilds whose Marks I poached." Fehu's voice was as official as he could make it without laughing at his own ridiculousness. The voice of the person who had detailed the documents to him was almost as official as his was at the time, and he was proud of that fact. Gross misrepresentation aside, it was the best way to get people to take him seriously - say things in a manner that made it seem as if he was truly, sincerely sorry for his crimes.

The mime vaguely noticed that there was a woman who had entered before him, and some sort of dog-like creature who had entered before the door had shut behind him... The woman had spoken first, and, in hindsight, it might have been better to wait for her to get a response first... But it was too late now. Even if he had ruined his first impression, he was assuming that none of the people in the room were the clan leaders, and so he thought he would be safe.

Tifa turned and watched the man take out some papers. She half listened to him as she continued to stare at the floor. Looking up, Tifa turned her gaze upon the man. Obviously he has more important matters.. Still, she was slightly annoyed at how he had interupted. Crossing her arms over her chest, she took a step back and waited.