While it was true that Claire tended to hate the breaks between quarters due to lack of many useful things to do, getting sent away on a mission would have been far more welcome in the woman's eyes if her chosen companion had been practically anyone besides Cid Raines- he wasn't the only one that had been quick to point out this was hardly a job worth assigning to both of them. The whole idea had to be nothing more than one massive mistake... right?
Yet, here they were anyway... and Claire found herself mentally repeating just how hard-pressed they'd be to find a less favorable situation for her. On paper the task sounded relatively easy; of course, she was originally PSICOM-trained rather than Guardian Corps, and so he undoubtedly had much more experience with the goal of taking out troublesome monsters. But still... that didn't cover the issues in compatibility here- in trapping her in close proximity to someone she distinctly didn't get along with.
It all left a bitter taste in her mouth, and a sinking miserable feeling in the pit of her stomach. She offered her insight only reluctantly, avoided eye contact... and kept to herself, staunchly attempting to simply shut off whatever she was feeling about this, the temptation to lash out like some sort of cornered animal.
Grasping for any sort of relief, in addition to the reports provided, she'd gone to the library and taken all of the books she could find on blobras and on the northern chocobo forests to bring with her-- along with several others detailing habitats in general as well. Nobody could be entirely certain why that particular type of monster had appeared so far out of their normal range, and while she was no expert and stood little chance of discovering something others had not, she was certainly not going to turn down the slightest hint of a clue or the chance to be prepared. Even she could adopt a strategy more patient than simply rushing in at times.
... One of those books laid open in her lap now, but her eyes had been distractedly fixed in one spot for several minutes now. Rather than sitting straight, she'd soon turned sideways, one leg pulled up almost to her chest with the heel of her boot on the edge of the seat, an arm propped agasint it. Even like that, however, and even dressed more warmly than usual, already she was feeling chilled, and the knowledge that before long she'd have to go out in the cooler air wasn't helping her mood any.
Then Raines finally broke the silence. She started to look up, but then resisted following through, eyes landing on the floor between them. Review their plans...?
"Why?" she asked after a moment, low enough that it could almost be lost behind the sound of the train's wheels on the track below. She let her gaze slide back down, to the dog-eared corner of the page she was currently on; a frown creased her brow. "Did you think of something else?"
no subject
Yet, here they were anyway... and Claire found herself mentally repeating just how hard-pressed they'd be to find a less favorable situation for her. On paper the task sounded relatively easy; of course, she was originally PSICOM-trained rather than Guardian Corps, and so he undoubtedly had much more experience with the goal of taking out troublesome monsters. But still... that didn't cover the issues in compatibility here- in trapping her in close proximity to someone she distinctly didn't get along with.
It all left a bitter taste in her mouth, and a sinking miserable feeling in the pit of her stomach. She offered her insight only reluctantly, avoided eye contact... and kept to herself, staunchly attempting to simply shut off whatever she was feeling about this, the temptation to lash out like some sort of cornered animal.
Grasping for any sort of relief, in addition to the reports provided, she'd gone to the library and taken all of the books she could find on blobras and on the northern chocobo forests to bring with her-- along with several others detailing habitats in general as well. Nobody could be entirely certain why that particular type of monster had appeared so far out of their normal range, and while she was no expert and stood little chance of discovering something others had not, she was certainly not going to turn down the slightest hint of a clue or the chance to be prepared. Even she could adopt a strategy more patient than simply rushing in at times.
... One of those books laid open in her lap now, but her eyes had been distractedly fixed in one spot for several minutes now. Rather than sitting straight, she'd soon turned sideways, one leg pulled up almost to her chest with the heel of her boot on the edge of the seat, an arm propped agasint it. Even like that, however, and even dressed more warmly than usual, already she was feeling chilled, and the knowledge that before long she'd have to go out in the cooler air wasn't helping her mood any.
Then Raines finally broke the silence. She started to look up, but then resisted following through, eyes landing on the floor between them. Review their plans...?
"Why?" she asked after a moment, low enough that it could almost be lost behind the sound of the train's wheels on the track below. She let her gaze slide back down, to the dog-eared corner of the page she was currently on; a frown creased her brow. "Did you think of something else?"