Elena gets NO love and I adore her, so there we are.

Also, I love Cait Sith.

--

Elena had doubted that it was possible, but somehow, everyone was getting along just fine.

With the fall of Sephiroth (hopefully the last fall he'd ever take) behind them, the bartender with the fists from Hell had decided that it was time for a celebration. They all had a lot to catch up on, she had insisted excitedly, gesturing to Rufus, who sat silently in his wheelchair, and Vincent, who looked at her, expressionless. It was so perfect and simple to her, now that the planet's condition had been saved two times over. They could all be friends now, she'd hinted vaguely, smiling at both Cloud and Reno as they'd eyed each other warily. They could start slow – dinner and some conversation at the bar – she said, and if it was destined to grow, then grow it would. Everyone had looked at one another awkwardly, and slowly, one by one or occasionally in pairs, they consented, either via nodding or vocalizing. Very few of them seemed truly inspired by the idea of becoming friends – allies, maybe, but friends? – and Elena was among the nonbelievers, though she said nothing. She merely gripped her still-injured arm beside Tseng and nodded grimly, suspicious and squirming with forboding.

Before she knew it, she was in Seventh Heaven, and everyone had grouped together, holding perfectly normal conversations with one another. Everyone but her.

She sat at the bar with her forehead resting on her fist, her elbow firmly planted on the counter beside the wine that she hadn't even thought about touching to her lips. Snippets on conversation drifted around her like trails of smoke, boasting of "it's been too long" and "I really missed you" and "you're looking so much better now that the Geostigma has healed." They chattered like old pals, pals that hadn't seen each other for a long, long time, pals that had never tried to mercilessly murder one another and have never spent years hating each other, stewing in the hate, being poisoned by it.

Why was it that she felt so out of place? She simply couldn't force herself into fraternizing with the people she had considered her enemies for so long – and she figured that to be fairly acceptable, herself, but it appeared that, for whatever reason, she was the only Turk that felt in such a way. Sighing darkly, she looked over towards Cloud and Reno, where they stood casually near the door. She recalled the times they had tangled fiercely, each side fighting enthusiastically for their own beliefs, their own missions, their own motives, neither party caring how much damage was dealt and what was lost. Reno now leaned heavily against Cloud's shoulder with a beer in his fist, talking too loudly with a huge, stupid grin. Cloud nodded at him, said something quietly and smiled, and Reno brayed a loud laugh directly into his face so that his victim cringed comically and turned his head away as if someone had tried to splash cold water onto his face.

It was baffling.

Elena gripped the glass but didn't drink from it, instead looking over towards a small couch that had been pushed into the corner to accommodate the large amount of guests. There she saw Vincent sitting beside Tseng, where he was speaking quietly to him with a calm, almost peaceful expression. She frowned, tilting her head to the side in thoughtful silence. The ex-Turk had rescued them so bravely, nursed them to back to health, fed them, cleaned their wounds, and yet he still felt like a stranger with a heart coated in ice. He had always been a strange fellow, though; not many could transform into ferocious beasts that could tear things limb from bloody limb, yet still hold a glass of wine delicately within slender gloved fingers while a fist of golden claw lay against the couch, limp and innocent as a decoration. She couldn't bear to speak with him – in spite of his 'special talents,' he was incredibly handsome, and a girl like her could only dream about a man like him giving her the time of day.

Her breath caught in her throat as his glowing red eyes fled Tseng's face and focused onto hers, almost searchingly. Tseng followed his gaze and also looked towards her, and he smiled, although Vincent did not. He raised a hand and motioned to her; she was caught, however, in Vincent's bright, vibrant eyes, frozen in place. Like a Basilisk, she thought to herself, and once she realized that she had been staring she pulled herself out of her stupor with a shake of her head. Tseng, assuming she'd declined the offer, frowned to her and turned back to Vincent, appearing to be slightly disappointed. Vincent frowned as well, very faintly, and leaned back against the couch. The conversation between them sprang back to life instantly, and suddenly Elena felt alone, very alone – more alone than she previously had.

She turned slightly to look further across the room. Yuffie Kisaragi – was that her name? – sat there with the dog-lion, on the floor, and the brown-haired kid that was apparently the bartender's son (she certainly had missed a lot) or something along those lines sat on his back, running his hands through the poor animal's thick mane. He occasionally batted an ear at the two, either playfully or out of annoyance, but from the dim lighting Elena could rationally assume that he was smirking. The disturbingly human emotions displayed by that whatever-it-was just creeped her out sometimes, as cruel as it was for her to admit it – but she still hardly considered them to be on the same tier as herself, so it wasn't too difficult for her to come to terms with how strange and unnatural that red beast was.

Feeling miserable and alone, Elena gripped the wine glass harder and drank from it determinedly. She was so focused on forcing herself to down the glass that she didn't hear the electric whirr-and-clank of a mechanical cat struggling to sit on the bar stool beside her.

"Hittin' the glass a little hard, eh, lass?" Cait Sith asked, gripping the edge of the counter with his gloved hands. Elena inhaled a sip of the wine in surprise and coughed violently, slamming the glass back down onto the counter.

"Easy, easy," Cait Sith soothed, holding his palms out defensively. She whirled on him both angered and embarrassed, her cheeks colored red by the wine and her irritation.

"Were you trying to scare me?" She demanded. Cait Sith shook his head rapidly.

"No, no, no! I, I just… You looked a little lonely, that's all…" His voice wavered, as if startled. The emotion caught Elena off-guard, and she hesitated.

"… Reeve Tuesti?" She asked. Cait Sith shook his head.

"Nah, sorry, lass. It's just me," he said, placing his hands back down onto the counter. "Cait Sith."

Elena looked to the side of the room opposite the ninja and the beast, where Cloud was now trying to guide Reno towards the man with the gun for an arm – it appeared he now had a metal arm for an arm - and Rude. She could see a small girl clinging to Rude's pants, looking up at him with an enthusiastic grin. In her hair she wore a bow like he Ancient's, and it seemed to suit her somehow. A few feet behind them she saw Reeve Tuesti seated beside the one and only Rufus Shinra, who was still wheelchair bound from residue weakness courtesy of his rampant Geostigma. They both seemed very involved in their conversation – Reeve was gesticulating rather wildly – but Elena had no idea how he controlled the cat robot anyway, so she had no way of knowing whether or not he was making it talk to her, sit next to her, take pity on her.

"Lass?" Cait Sith said, and she looked back down at him, blinking. He stared back with his squinty eyes, the little crown on his head glittering.

"I looked lonely, huh?" She said belatedly, shifting her fist down to her chin. "How can you tell? You're just… A robot." She hesitated. "Right?"

"A robot that saved the world!" He cried with enthusiasm, the strange accent his programmer had given him making him seem even more jolly, more human. "I spend plenty of time with you human types, lassie." He stretched his arms over his head. "I was feeling lonely, too. Sometimes when I'm cut loose I just don't know what to do with myself!" His ears fell a little. "I like to say these folks are my friends, but sometimes they don't know the difference between me, and Reeve Tuesti."

Elena eyed the cat robot warily. It displayed such emotion… Was it for real, or did Reeve just not want her to know that he was looking out for her?

"I had a lot of troubles fitting in, too, lass," he said abruptly, giving her a jolt of surprise. "Don't look so shocked! I know that's why you're over here." He pointed a finger at her. "But you're not even trying, lassie. I can see you've just given up before y'even tried! Listen, take my word for it – you gotta talk to people! Someone, anyone!"

Elena gawked at him silently.

"I was the only robot in AVALANCHE," he continued. "But I talked to people, and even after I stole the Keystone, I got 'em to trust me again." He paused thoughtfully. "… Red XIII always knows when it's me," he added wistfully. "You just… I don't know, you gotta try, lassie. Even… Even if you don't know who you are sometimes, your friends will always know. You get what I'm sayin'?"

Cowed, Elena could only stare at the little robot beside her. There was no way such deep thoughts came from something manmade, it had to be Reeve… And yet, the sincerity it seemed to display, the way its tail swerved behind it to the metronome of its thoughts, the way it looked right at her as it poured its artificial heart out to her…

No, it had to be Reeve. There was just no way.

"… Thanks," Elena said, unwilling to admit that she felt strangely comforted. "I… I think I know what you're saying."

"Good!" Cait Sith held his gloved hand out to her. "Glad we could talk."

Elena hesitated again, then reached out and shook the glove. His arm moved with a busy internal drone. "Remember: Talk," he said, and with that, he released her hand and hopped off of the stool, waddling towards Reeve and Rufus. Elena didn't feel like watching him go; she looked back down at her nearly-drained cup of wine and exhaled, gripping the sides of her head with both hands and trying not to let the words of the robot – or the words of Reeve, she was nearly completely convinced – sink in. As she tried to shut down her own musing, the bartender sidled up beside her, peering down at her with concern. Sensing her presence, Elena jolted her head up and found herself looking directly up at the tender, who was smiling delicately with obvious concern.

Remember: Talk.

"… Hi, uh… Tifa?" Elena said awkwardly, letting her arms rest against the counter.

"Hi there… Elena, isn't it?" Tifa took the seat that previously held Cait Sith, smiling warmly – disarmingly.

"Yeah." Elena nodded, then fell silent. Tifa fell silent as well, and Elena soon felt the stinging awkwardness of not knowing what to say.

"Looks like Reeve is leaving," Tifa said abruptly, looking up. Elena looked up as well, just in time to hear various shouted farewells and many hands waving their goodbyes. Reeve and Cait Sith both waved back. Elena ducked her head slightly in an attempt to catch Reeve's eye – and catch it she did. He gave her a curious look, and she waved at him. He waved back, but his smile showed confusion as opposed to furtive knowledge, and he left her without a word.

However, Cait Sith paused in the doorway, looking back at her. He raised a paw and waved, mechanical receptors in his cheeks and mouth causing his smile to broaden. He seemed to glance at Tifa for a moment, then he looked back to Elena – and he nodded in approval, giving her a thumbs-up. Elena felt herself smile, mimicking the thumbs-up to him as he left with his tail swinging behind him.

"Are you two friends?" Tifa asked Elena, smirking. Elena looked at her, unsure of what to say – then the smirk caught on.

"I suppose you could say that," Elena mused, watching Reeve and Cait Sith wander into the distance through a window.

Talk…

"So," Elena began, looking back over to Tifa. "How have you been? We… We haven't spoken in a while…"

"It's been tough," Tifa said with alarming honesty. "We get along… But enough of that. How have you been? I heard the Turks have turned over a new leaf – that's great news, Elena."

It was awkward trying to strike up a conversation with an enemy who suddenly and all too quickly became a friend. She still wasn't sure what had become of the Turks – or herself, for that matter.

But perhaps Cait Sith had been right.

"Well, Tifa," she said in a slow, pensive tone. "I wasn't sure about the change in the Turks. … I'm still not sure. But…" She straightened her posture. "But Reno, and Rude, and Tseng… They're okay with it. And even though I don't know where I stand right now…"

She smiled at Tifa, who sat at rapt attention.

"… I think I might have a lot of new friends to get through this with. Don't I?"

Tifa smiled at her. "Come on," she urged, standing and holding out her hand. "I don't think you've properly introduced yourself to some of your new friends."

Elena took her hand and grinned. "Yeah… I think we'll get along just fine."