Deep in the Mines [Open]

[Ixion7]

It was a cool day considering the volcano nearby. It wasn't too hot at the moment which served Epsilon well since he wanted to check out the mines for some coal. I'll need some coal for my next puppet. I believe the mines have a surplus of coal that I can use. The journey into the Kaisale mines from the Locavon Firelands was fairly brief and easy. It didn't take much effort to travel down the pathways set out in the Firelands. Down the dusty trail into the inferno. The miners down below were hard at work. Hours were spent by them simply chipping away at the stones below for whatever mineral they needed to find. It took forever to accomplish the task, but that was their job, their mission, and their goal. Epsilon had a similar goal. He couldn't see. He didn't need to. The heat from within the mine would pull him in closer, while the sounds of the steel cracking more steel and stones would keep him cautious and aware. He could feel and hear. The smell of sweat from the hard working men could provide a pathway and the bitter taste of dust combined with intense heat would keep him sure. He could smell and taste. Out of the 5, ofnly 4 senses were important. Sight would be nice but it wasn't necessary in any way. Epsilon grabbed the walls a little, feeling his way around. Mines were tricky. There were some spots that were hollow from the constant digging.

"Excuse me. Could anyone tell me where I could find some coal? As you can see, I'm blind and can't find my way around very well."

"Coal huh? Well there's plenty of that around here. If you head further down the mine in a straight pathway you should reach a small area where lava from the nearby volcano seeps into the mines. Obviously the lava itself is dangerous, but the overall area is safe enough to walk. You should be able to smell the coal from there. Be careful. It makes it pretty difficult to breathe. I would take you there but I have to get enough Crystal from this mine before Sunset. Sorry. I hope I couldn't been some help."

"Thank you very much. I appreciate your help."

Epsilon made his way down the mine as the had suggested. It was true. The scent of the coal combined with the other fumes created by the burning of other stones had caused Epsilon to choke a little. It was fairly difficult to breathe as the man had warned him but it was fine. Epsilon pushed forward in search of the best pieces of coal possible. This new puppet would be a great creation of his.

[Hitomi]

Ayane walked down into the mines of Kaisale. She had seen a man, or perhaps even a boy, walk down into the dark depths. As for his reason for doing so, she couldn't really say. She walked past the others mining. At first, they didn't pay much attention to her even though she was a woman but they quickly glanced back a second time. A few people looked at her strangely. She was a person wearing dark clothes that covered most of her face except for her eyes. It was natural for others to be suspicious or even a little freaked out. She continued down in search of the man that recently walked by. She could still hear the slight taps of his footsteps. She eventually made it to his location and stood a distance behind him. She said nothing. She only watched him.

[Ixion7]

Clouds of smoke shot from Epsilon's mouth with each cough. The fumes of the mine were rough. It was difficult to do work in such a place that choked its workers. His appreciation for the miners as well as his amazement grew with each passing second that he had to search for coal. He felt around on the ground with his left hand in search of something hard to use. His objective right now was to break the surrounding walls or at least scrape them for as much coal as possible. His lack of vision wasn't the problem. In fact, not having eyes meant that he would be forced to search for quality based on the texture, physical quality, and hardiness of the coal. A person with eyes would seldom go through the trouble since they would rely on their vision. Epsilon understood that its not always what you see that counts. After minutes of feeling, he located a metal pick that was slightly cold. He scraped the walls carefully, feeling as much of the chipped away debris as he could.

Although the person would ordinarily be unheard, Epsilon managed to hear a person walk up a distance behind him. He couldn't say whether or not this person was trying to sneak up on him or if they were simply spying on him for their own purposes. Either way, he knew that the person was there. He turned to face the general direction of the person, or at least where he heard the footsteps from only seconds earlier. "Is there any reason why you're sneaking around? Who are you and what is your business with me in such as place as this?" Epsilon's voice were matured far beyond his years. He was still a child, more or less a young adult, but he spoke like an adult. No eyes would keep him from seeing the person, but his other senses would help him understand the person.

[Hitomi]

Ayane gasped. She was surprised that anyone could hear her so well. She took special care in making herself sneaky and incapable of being heard. Unfortunately, it was for nothing. There was no point in hiding now. Ayane walked up to the boy scraping the walls. She had a message from a previous recon mission. She needed help. She needed it badly. "I need your help." Seldom did Ayane ever speak but for such an occassion, speaking was required. She pulled down the large collar covering her mouth. It wasn't common that she did this. "From my recent missions, I have learned that a group known as Suzaku is planning to do evil things. Even more so, they are after powerful creatures that are rare. These creature, assumably Class 5 Faina, are supposedly capable of mass destruction upon anything that they target. For my main mission, I must save innocent lives. I ask that you help me save the lives of possibly millions of innocent people. For some strange reason, I have a feeling that you hold some kind of power of your own. Am I wrong to believe this?" Ayane dropped the large scroll that was on her back. She walked closer to Epsilon and extended her hand. She would hope that Epsilon would accept her offering and shake her hand as well. She hoped that thsi would be the start of a short-term partnership, at least until the threat against Suzaku and the fate of many lives was over.

[Ixion7]

Epsilon receded into his mind to consider the situation. To greet him as they always did were the two spirits living inside of him. Peace's eyes were fearing. They were quite large and seemed to constantly be angry. Peace, on the other other hand, was quite the opposite. Her eyes appeared calming and tranquil and her presence was soothing, even if it was only in Epsilon's mind. They knew why Epsilon came to them. He needed advice. There was a decision in front of him that he had no answer for. Armageddon took the the center of the mind. So, you've come to us for help again. Don't help her! Its as simple as that! What the hell can she do for you? She needs you. You don't need her. Who gives a rat's ass about innocent people? They should look out for themselves. If she wants to help them so bad tell her to do it on her own or not at all. Why should you risk your lives if you don't have to? Peace began to push Armageddon to the side but he didn't appear to be finished. The two struggled with one another. For Armageddon, he wanted to be the center of the mind. Peace wanted to relinquish Armageddon of that spot and give her input. Armageddon's eyes seemed to get angrier as the two pushed each other. Don't listen to Armageddon. He's such a heartless being. He doesn't understand that its best to help others and treat everyone well. This woman has come to you asking for help. Its obvious that she's a good person since she wants to help innocent people. What's more, she wants to put bad guys in their place. I think you should help them. We all exist to coexist with each other and help each other out. You are a powerful young man. Help the woman. You'll be fine. You could stand to learn something from another person too. You always keep to yourself and do things on your own. Perhaps you'll have a good experience from this. Epsilon wasn't too convinced by either argument. What Armageddon had to say seemed more like spite while Peace was being too motherly. Neither spirit gave any true pros and cons although Armageddon did make the point that Epsilon could get hurt.

He exited from his mind and faced away from the woman. "I'll join you. However, you must do something for me. I need you to gather some coal from this mine with me so that I can build my next puppet. Once I finish my puppet, I will do as you ask. Once your mission against this 'Suzaku' group over though, the two of us will no longer be working together and I'll no longer have any commitment with you. I hope you understand that." Epsilon didn't accept the woman's handshake. This wasn't a gesture of disrespect though. Actually, his reason for not taking her handshake was because he couldn't see her hand. He actually had no idea that she even extended her hand. Since he was blind, as far as Epsilon knew, she might not even have hands. Taking slow steps, he made his way back over to the wall. It was the same section as before. He coughed again and began to scrape the wall with the metal pick from earlier. He was determined to get some coal from this mine before he left.

[Hitomi]

Ayane nodded her head and dropped her hand. At first she thought that not shaking her hand was too be rude, but then she realized that it was because the boy was blind. "Very well. Agreed. I'll help you now and you help me later for short term." Ayane walked up beside Epsilon and scraped the wall just as he did. She was trying to do what he was doing in order to find some coal. She wasn't sure what kind of coal to look for but she scraped huge chunks off that looked good. Within minutes, she began to cough too.

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