Final Fantasy VIII: Into Thin Air

Chapter 1: From Within The Darkest Hour

 

Beta: HeartlessTitania

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Chapter 1: From Within The Darkest Hour

She never understood the phrase, 'it's cold as hell outside'. She always wondered who had determined that hell was a cold in the first place. Sure many artists depicted hell having flames that burns the flesh of sinners, but there were alternative views of it being a frozen wasteland where nothing could grow, not even hope.

She had her own theories of what hell would be and none of those images came to mind.

Hell was absence. Realizing that, despite all effort, you could no longer feel the love of those who deeply cared around you in your darkest hour. Hell was the realization that even when surrounded by hundreds of screaming people, you were still truly alone in your vastly silent world. Hell was no longer having hope of ever finding the peace you once knew. That kind of hell was where she was right now.

The crushing of snow was the only sound heard on the that night, as she treaded through the filthy streets of Trabia in timeworn leather boots. The thin light casted from the street lamps hardly penetrated the darkness that the run down warehouse district exuded at this time of night. Usually a girl wouldn't find herself walking in such a place, especially alone and unarmed like she was. As she passed dilapidated structures she had to wipe the resounding fear that wanted to cling to her. If she hadn't the men who found their way here would easily pick her as their next target. Like a shark circling for their next meal, they could smell fear like blood. Long ago she learned how not be a prey for vultures like them. On streets like these, it truly was truly the strongest that survived.

This is was her life now and it was hard to face each night knowing it would be the same as tomorrow. Casting her vision to her destination ahead, she could see the black painted door that was an eyesore even when compared to the rundown state of its neighbors. She didn't need to look down at her watch to know that she was late, because the music that blared could be heard from even where she stood. Closing her eyes, she had to remind herself why she chose to get up every night. She had a purpose here. A mission that she could not afford to fail.

Once convinced of that, her gaze rose once more to the door amassed with the scars and the deep gouges it earned from defending itself and opened she was assaulted by a wall of cigarette smoke, and cat calls started to permeating the air around her.

The bar had been well opened for an hour by now and it was crawling with men just waiting for her arrival. Since starting this gig two months ago, her skin had thickened to the point where the crude comments about her body and the wandering hands that groped her rolled right off her without even a second thought. She just pushed her way through the rough crowed to the back of the bar where she knew her boss would be waiting.

He was a middle aged, retired, Galbadian soldier who had loss one eye in the last sorceress war. "Rin! Get your fucking worthless ass over here, would ya?" Jack barked out, filling three glasses of beer at once.

And yes, that is considered a friendly greeting in these parts.

Rin did her best to squeeze past all the overzealous men who would purposefully press up against her in order to feel the curvature of her body. Numb to it, she quickly darted under the bar with most of her chastity still intake. She knew better then to take too much time unzipping the black powder puff jacket that was her only source of warmth that night. Hyne knows the backless red silk and low cut shirt wasn't going to keep her warm, nor was the painted on low rise leather pants she took an hour to squeeze in too.