Final Fantasy Seven (Nikko and Reyoki)
 

I am the manry-est of men!

A short, mousy girl with bluish-black hair tied back in a loose, messy bun and glasses walked out of the elevator with several folders and documents in her arms. At first glance she appeared to be struggling with them, but her movements had a fluidity to them that belied her true grace. She swayed with the papers as they threatened to topple over with her every movement.

I am the manry-est of men!

The girl wandered about the Turk floor delivering the papers. Her burden eventually got lighter and she started humming lightly as she walked, able to carry the remaining files with one arm. The ID badge hanging from her lanyard read "Mimi Walker- Intern" and had her photo on it. In her photo she looked much more professional than she did currently. At the moment, her bun bounced and swayed on her head as she walked, threatening to come undone, and her suit jacket was almost completely unbuttoned, revealing a small coffee stain on her light blue blouse. Although her glasses weren't skewed on her face, they seemed to be quite dirty, and her skirt had a small rip on one side.

I am the manry-est of men!

Mimi jumped slightly when she was suddenly addressed by a stranger and nearly dropped the papers in her arms. She regained her composure quickly, though, and gave the redhead a cheery smile. "Ah, hi! My name is Mimi! Although, you probably already know that since you're training to be a Turk," she said before giggling nervously.

She looked him over curiously and said, "Ya know, you're not exactly what I'd expect as a possible Turk. You're not nearly as uptight as some of the other Turk recruits I've seen roaming around, and your hair is so pretty! Oh, but I need to finish handing out this paperwork. The boss said the heads of each department need these." She handed about half the remainder of the stack to Kareno. "I'll take these to the Science and Urban Development departments if you take those to Accounting and Human Resources. We can meet back up in the cafeteria."

With that, she pranced off with her files towards the stairs, leaving Kareno standing there. Suddenly a squeak and a loud thud came from the stairs, followed by a pained groan.

I am the manry-est of men!

Mimi showed up to the cafeteria a short while later. The high heels she had been wearing had been replaced by a set of hiking boots, and her bun had come undone, leaving her hair to fall messily around her face. She wandered over to the vending machines lazily, not seeming to notice anyone or anything around her. She stared at the various salty and sweet snacks for nearly a minute before putting a dollar into the contraption and pressing her selection.

Her smile brightened briefly before freezing. The machine had stopped working. Her treat was mere centimeters away from falling into her reach, and the entire machine had gone dark. Her shoulders began shaking, and she looked almost as if she were about to cry. Well, she did cry, but not out of sadness. No, the cry she let out was one of pure fury.

Without any further warning, she leaped up into the air and gave the poor metal thing a swift roundhouse kick, sending it crashing into the one next to it and breaking the glass on both machines. After giving the vending device several more well-placed kicks, she grabbed several candy bars from the wreckage and sat down at a nearby table with a huff.

I am the manry-est of men!

She glared up at him and held her bounty protectively with one hanging from her mouth. She finished the bar in her mouth without touching it and said, "I don't know how you survive the hazing and still remain sane. I've had coffee spilled on me, had my skirt get caught on a door frame with a nail sticking out of it, had the papers knocked out of my arms on several occasions, had them blown out of my arms by the AC, been tripped more times than I can count, been scrutinized for my unprofessional appearance and clumsiness, and nearly DISSECTED by those loons in the Science Department!"

She let her head fall carelessly onto the table and unwrapped another candy bar to stick into her mouth. "And then the stupid vending machine died."

I am the manry-est of men!

She stared at him and sighed. She sat there and quietly finished her candy bar before saying, "I'm Mimi Walker. I grew up in Corel. Got tired of working at The Golden Saucer and decided to move out here to the city."

She stretched out and regained a little of her composure. She gave him a small smile and offered him one of her candy bars. "Thanks for listening to me rant. So, that loudmouth is your dad?" she asked.

I am the manry-est of men!

She pocketed the rest of her somewhat stolen chocolate and followed the redhead. "Well, why not? It's not like there's a whole lot of places that pay as well, and it's not like there's a shortage of jobs." She pressed the button for the gym floor so that she could get her extra clothes out of her locker. "Besides, I can always go back to Corel and work there if things don't work out in the big city," she said cheerfully.

I am the manry-est of men!

After a quick shower, Mimi emerged from the shower area in her casual clothes. She wore khaki cargo shorts and her hiking boots as well as a dark grey t-shirt with a reddish-brown vest. Her hair, still a bit damp from the shower, was in a high ponytail. Her glasses were nowhere to be found, allowing her silvery blue eyes to be seen clearly. "Wow, I feel so much better now! Alright, all we have to do now is report in to the Turk Commander that all the paperwork for today has been distributed and we're free to go!" she said cheerfully as she put her gym bag back in her locker.

I am the manry-est of men!

"I was planning on going down the plate and doing some exploring. You wanna tag along?" she asked. The elevator reached the Turk floor. A few people scowled at her for her lack of professional attire, but she paid them no mind. In fact, her mind seemed to be off somewhere in mog/chocobo land. The door to Tseng's office was open, but she knocked on the door frame anyhow. "Enter," came Tseng's smooth voice as he typed away at his computer.

All at once, Mimi's entire demeanor seemed to change. She stood up straight once in Tseng's office, and bowed once she reached his desk. "Mimi Walker reporting in, sir. I sincerely apologize for my lack of proper attire. I will not let it happen again. I have completed my assignment for today and request leave for the remainder of the afternoon," she said evenly. Tseng regarded her with his usual calculating gaze. After pulling out a file from his desk, he opened it and said, "Congratulations for surviving your first day. I'm sure Kareno didn't make it an easy one for you."

I am the manry-est of men!

The Turk Commander looked hard at the light-haired young man and said, "Is that so? In that case, I believe you should have the honors of being miss Walker's escort for a while, seeing as Brude will not be returning until early next week. As for your testing, Kareno, you know as well as I that matter is not in my hands. You are both free to go." He took out another folder from his desk and stamped them both with something in blue before putting them back in his desk.

"I mean no disrespect, sir, but is it really necessary for me to have an escort?" Mimi asked the Wutaian man. "If it would please you more, think of him as more of a guide. Kareno knows Midgar quite well, and can help you get a feel for the city," Tseng said as he returned to his previous work. Mimi let out a small sigh and said, "Very well, sir. I will report in tomorrow at o-six-hundred as requested."

I am the manry-est of men!

She visibly relaxed once outside of Tseng's office. "Wanna grab something to eat? The other day I found this great dive. The food is cheesy and greasy, and the drinks are nice and cold," she said with a grin. "Oh, but it's kinda tricky to find. How good are you at climbing?" On the elevator ride down, several people got on and off, sometimes making snide comments about both young people. They rolled off Mimi like water off a river chocobo's back, though. She had her fingers laced behind her head, swaying with the motion of the box.

I am the manry-est of men!

"It's down below what's left of the Sector 4 Plate. There's a place about half a mile from here where we can climb down a support pillar into the neighborhood," she said casually once they were outside. There wasn't nearly as much green smog over Midgar now since the Meteor crisis, but there was still the occasional acid rain that corroded and destroyed the less sturdy structures. The skies were rather overcast today, threatening to bring forth a shower or two later on.

Mimi stopped walking at a closed-off area. There were caution signs with pictures of stick figures falling into holes posted on the chain-link fence. Most people above the plate stayed out of such areas, not wanting to fall victim to either broken limbs or the ruckus below. Mimi, however, unlocked the gate and ushered Kareno through. "You'll have to watch your step a little further in. I haven't quite mapped out all the weak spots yet," she said as she pulled a large bag out of a nearby dumpster.

I am the manry-est of men!

She pulled some rock climbing gear out of the bag and said, "Oh, this is how I got up here this morning. It's cheaper than mass transit, and it'll keep me in shape." She tossed Kareno a harness and some rope. "From here we go through the Plate a bit and then we'll come out at one of the old support towers. The place is a mess, though. A lot of the catwalks and stairways are broken. That's why we need this stuff." She slung another length of rope over her shoulder and slipped into a nearby hole into the Plate. The old emergency lighting still worked, casting red and green shadows around the corridors.

I am the manry-est of men!

She pondered the question and stared down the tunnels a bit, eventually pointing in one direction. "About ten minutes that way and to the left, down another support column, and then about five more minutes from there. It's actually not that bad in Sector Three. It's mostly Wutaian folk living there, but it's there's not nearly as much trouble as there is in Sector Six. The rent is pretty cheap, too."

There were a few low-level monsters hanging about from the Meteor and Reunion crises, but they mostly stayed away from Mimi and Kareno for some reason. Every now and then, a Hedgehog Pie would get close, and Mimi would kick them away, scattering any other nearby monsters. "Ugh, these things are so annoying," she said. "We're here, though. This door here is at the top of the support pillar." Tied to the door handle was a bright yellow strip of cloth with the words 'Section Four' written on it in permanent marker.

I am the manry-est of men!

"I think they feed on garbage and lost children... at least, that's what the older folks in Section Three say about the monsters around here," Mimi said as she stepped out and began her descent, pointing out safe footholds along the decaying tower. "The Plate was never meant to be a permanent thing, or so I've heard. I also heard that the area under the plate was never supposed to have people living there. It was all supposed to be massive skyscrapers like ShinRa Tower. Maybe that's why nothing's been done." The areas farther down the pillar were better-maintained than the top, allowing them to use some of the stairs instead of just the climbing equipment.

I am the manry-est of men!

She giggled and said, "Alright, so maybe the lost children part isn't true, but the garbage part probably is. The place we're looking for is just on the other side of the mechanics district." The mechanics district was full of heavy machinery shops. Some places even advertised mechanized limbs for sale. As they got closer to the other end of the district, there was a distinct greasy smell that came not from machinery but from food.

I am the manry-est of men!

"Do Turks have a strict diet or something? 'Cause there was nothing about that in my registration packet," she said as they approached the run-down eatery. There was a loud raucous coming from inside. Once they went in, the sound was coming from a group of people in on end of the place taking bets and cheering on arm wrestling matches for people with mechanized arms. "Ah, that's right, it's arm wrestling Wednesday. How about we sit on the other side of the bar?" she suggested, motioning to the opposite end of the building. "Max, Rick, order up!" came a call from the kitchen, and two overstuffed baskets of fried cheese sticks and ultimate nachos were placed on the counter close to the noisy area of the place.

I am the manry-est of men!

"Nah, not that often. Maybe... once or twice a month. The cheesy fried leeks are great. This place may not look it, but they have some higher-end stuff for being below the Plate. Oh, the hangover burger is really top notch. It has bacon, cheese, shredded potatoes, and an egg on it," she said excitedly. A tall man in a grease-splattered apron came over to their table. It was obvious from the way he walked that one of his legs was prosthetic. "Evenin', miss Mimi. I've put your usual in already. Who's your friend?" the guy asked, sizing Kareno up.

I am the manry-est of men!

"Yep, this is my new buddy Kareno! Get him a barbecue bacon and cheese with some cheesy leeks, and don't skimp on the crab sauce!" she said with a stern look. The man laughed and said, "Alright, and what to drink? We have cola, lemonade, beer, and hot chocolate." There was a loud crash from the other side of the room followed by a round of laughter. Apparently someone had just been thrown out a window during a round of arm wrestling.

I am the manry-est of men!

She hummed in concurrence and watched the rabble rousers as well, grinning. "Yeah, tonight it is. Usually the place is only about half as busy and a lot quieter... ya know, you're really pretty. You ever thought about cross-dressing to mess with the higher-ups? I bet you'd look smokin' hot in this getup I wore when I was working at the Golden Saucer," she asked with a cheeky grin. The waiter came back with two glasses of lemonade and set them in front of them. "If it needs more sugar, there's some in the white packets there. Your food should be up in a few minutes."