"Oy, Cloud!"
The eighteen-year-old, blonde male looked up from cleaning the sword in his hands. Spikes of hair stuck out stubbornly into the air, and two cheerful sapphire eyes stared at the fellow squire that had called his name.
"What is it this time, Yuffie?" Cloud snapped, eyes flashing briefly with annoyance, "I won't fall for the drowning cat trick again!"
But a real note of panic was in her voice as she called again.
"Cloud Strife, this isn't a joke! The tournament's in practically three minutes- and Boss isn't breathing!!"
"What?!"
A loud clatter resounded, the sword dropping onto the stones below as Cloud hurried over to Yuffie's side. The short raven-haired girl swallowed hard and pointed at the graying old knight, Sir Coryn Valentine, that she had happily served for many years.
His customary peaceable look was on his face, his hands folded over his stomach- but his chest did not rise or fall, and just a slight touch to his neck was enough to know that the old man had died. Cloud inclined his head in a momentary gesture of respect.
"Where's Zack?" Cloud finally said after a full minute of total silence.
"I think he's still getting water from the stream-"
"Not anymore, he's not, not after Yuffie harangues poor Zack in such a loud voice," a grumpy, ruffled looking man with insanely spiky black hair wearing all black attire and dragging two buckets of water behind him snorted, "What's the problem this time?"
Zack spotted the knight's lax figure and he dropped the buckets and leapt to his master's side.
"He's dead, don't bother," Cloud sighed, "Looks like it's back to playing Robin Hood for us."
"Maybe…," Yuffie said, bright-eyed all of a sudden, "Maybe not…Cloud, can you fit into Master's armor?"
"Yeah, but wh-"
"Don't ask, just put it on!" Yuffie ordered excitedly, hopping up and down while pulling the knight's armor off. Cloud yelped and tried to stop Yuffie's disrespectful antics.
"What the hell are you doing, Yuffie?!" Zack fairly bellowed, "You ungrateful little-"
"Oh, shut up, you jerkface," Yuffie scowled, "Think about this- Cloud could be our new knight!"
"That's funny, Yuffie, I swear you just said I was going to be a knight," Cloud chuckled, "What did you really say?"
But now Zack's curiosity was piqued, too.
"That's…the best idea you've had so far!! We can make Cloud look like a knight, act like a knight, even walk like a knight! After all, we've served one for a while now- we know how knights behave. Then, if he wins, we can live rich for the rest of our lives!" Zack whooped, helping to strip the armor and enthusiastically pinning a wriggling Cloud down to strap on the armor.
"Hey- hey, this isn't funny!" Cloud glared at Zack, continuing to struggle, "I don't get why you guys are trying to pull, but it's not funny!"
"You're gonna be our knight in shining armor, Cloud!" Yuffie sang joyfully, "You're going to enter the jousting competition!"
"I'm gonna WHAT?"
"Don't be nervous. You've always been good at riding those damned horses and waving that oversized twig around," Zack snapped, wrestling the breastplate's straps to fasten over Cloud's admittedly fit chest.
"Yeah? So what?" Cloud growled, trying to throw little Yuffie off of his foot, "Zack, you're good at it, too!"
"Yes, but remember that I'm not a royal-blooded person," Zack reminded grimly, yanking the gauntlets over Cloud's struggling, glove-clad hands.
"Neither am I!" Cloud yelped angrily, finally managing to shove Zack off. He didn't even have time enough to release a sigh of relief before his remarkably bear-like friend slammed into his side and knocked the wind out of him for good.
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Ten minutes later, a wheezing, spluttering, fully armored, and ruffled looking Cloud was led into town riding their Master's horse, a tall, clever brown mare named Arwyn that glanced back once or twice bemusedly at its unwieldy rider.
Zack, holding the horse's reins, simultaneously directed their path through the buzzing crowds and yelled at Yuffie to come back before he decided to smack her.
Yuffie was trying to escape the hawk-like eyes of Zack and giggled as she darted around in the mass of people.
Cloud was trying not to look like he was about to puke (which he was).
A disturbance up ahead drew the attention of the crowd, including that of our particular trio. From a fruit stall flew a lanky redhead wearing the garb of a jester, quickly followed by a furious blonde girl. A smile played on Zack's lips, and he halted their slow procession to observe the scene.
The redhead stood woozily, swaying and moaning as he picked himself up from the dust. He had startlingly emerald orbs for eyes and bright red hair loosely pulled back by a black band of cloth. On his cheekbones there were two small, symmetrical black crescent shaped marks. His clothing was rumpled and untucked, his hair sticking out in random directions, and his teeth twiddled a toothpick in agitated twitches.
"You, Reno, will NOT step across this line again for all of eternity until you get that debt PAID!!" the woman roared, ferociously scratching a deep gash in the dusty earth with a pitchfork. Reno, as the redhead was called, flinched and stumbled away into the gaping crowd- straight into Arwyn's chest.
He fairly bounced off of the horse and landed, once again, flat on his back, in the dust.
"Ooh," Reno hissed, slowly sitting up, "This seems to be happening more and more nowadays…"
"Well, my friend, perhaps you should try and change your ways," Zack grinned widely, offering his hand to the disgruntled male.
"Pshh, I'm in too much trouble to begin with. I don't think that I'll ever pay off those darned landlords," Reno muttered darkly, taking Zack's hand and dusting himself off, "Always on my back, they are."
"A nice way to get yourself killed, friend," Yuffie quipped jovially, slamming her hand on his back with more force than he expected. Reno nearly tipped over again.
"And to whom am I to introduce myself?" Reno sighed, gesturing towards Cloud.
"Clou-" Yuffie started to say.
"-Sir Coryn Valentine," Zack interrupted, dark eyes boring into Reno's light ones, "Our master, Knight Cory Valentine of the royal Valentine Family."
"Oh, is that so?" Reno said, his demeanor suddenly cautious, "Well…err…how's Vincent coping with my…disappearing act?"
"Not well, I'm afraid," Cloud said, lying smoothly, "It may be best just to let him cool off for a bit, Reno."
"Well, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Reno gulped, frightened, "No hard feelings, right?"
"Not between us," Cloud grinned, "I promise not to tell."
And so, a new friend among unfamiliar faces, Reno joined their group, insisting that he be their orator for the upcoming tournament.
"To pay off a little of that enmity, eh?" Reno had suggested slyly, carefully observing Cloud's expression. The blonde smiled in (what he hoped was) an obliging manner and accepted the jester's offer.
Apparently, Reno had been traveling away from the noble-inhabited city of Junon for some time, trying to escape his mounting debt to the Valentine family, and had found himself hitchhiking all the way across Gaia to the distant city of Midgar.
"But isn't that il-le-gal?" Yuffie had teased back. Reno bore a foxish grin and said, "I think riding a Chocobo would be illegal for someone as short as you."
Yuffie had turned a bright tomato red and hadn't spoken for a record time of ten minutes before striking up a conversation with Zack.
Now the foursome stood dazedly inside of the jousting ring, staring at the hedge that separated the two opposing forces when they flew at each other, full speed, and tried to knock each other down.
"Cloud, look sharp! Remember, Valentine's been to plenty of jousting matches before- this should be a piece of cake for him- er, you!" Yuffie hissed angrily, pinching the supposed knight. Grumbling something about "annoying short people", Cloud dismounted and took a stroll around the ring to check out other horses.
From a careful inspection of the other contestants' horses, Arwyn could be deemed as a very fine mare, indeed- some of the other steeds were gray with age, others ill tempered and mangy. Cloud blessed Sir Valentine's soul for taking such good care of Arwyn and swore to himself that the pretty mare would never become like one of the less tasteful horses there.
"See him?" Reno murmured, pointing at a silver-haired, slender built young man mounted on a motionless white horse, sea-foam green eyes as cold as ice, "He's Sir Sephiroth Masamune. One of the best in the league- or so I've heard."
Cloud cursed inwardly. His first tournament masquerading as Sir Valentine, his previous master, and this was the opponent he got? The best of the league? Dear Jenova, he had clearly upset someone important up there to be so unfortunate.
"Sir Sephiroth Masamune, eh?" Zack mulled thoughtfully, "I know him. He was, at one point in time, accused for the attempted assassination of Rufus Shinra, White Prince of Gaia, wasn't he?"
"Yeah. Then a mysterious figure named Scarlet took the credit for the murder attempt a few seconds before committing suicide," Reno interjected, shaking his head in dismay, "Crazy people surrounded Sephiroth for quite a while, creating quite the fog in which he dwelled for a large duration of his youth."
"And then he emerged as the miraculously skilled jouster hailing from the Northern Icelands, claiming that any and all rumors about hostility towards the Shinra prince was false," Zack completed, staring at the stoic male atop the brilliantly white horse.
"Thank you, guys, for making me feel so reassured," Cloud snarled, smacking Zack and Reno on the heads, "Now I know that I'm up against a madman and a murderer. Thanks for the emotional booster."
But as Zack and Reno cowered under the inevitable fact that they would be struck again, Cloud saw her.
Long, dark black hair, fiery black eyes that glowed wine-red in the sunlight, completed with a short summer outfit of mostly black and white. A determination and a witty shrewdness showed in her clear-defined features of fair skin, flawless as if she'd been carved from pure marble. She stood there, her hair glinting metallically in the light as she conversed with Sephiroth.
"…Yes, it's pleasant to meet you too, Sir Masamune," she said politely, her pretty eyes obviously uninterested in their conversation.
"It's been a while," Sephiroth commented, "Have you been well, my lady?"
"Fairly," she replied, a small smile appearing on her face as she observed something over his shoulder, "but I do believe we may have to continue our conversation later. Your squires seem to be having considerable difficulty in staying out of trouble."
And, sure enough, Yuffie could be seen yelling vehemently at two cringing squires, waving her arms around wildly in exasperation. The little girl gave them a head-ringing smack to send them on their way
"…AND STAY OUT!" Yuffie howled after them, throwing a horseshoe at the fleeing squires.
"Hurry, Cloud!" Yuffie yipped, "They're getting ready to start the tourney!"
"Give me a second!" he shouted, riding quickly up to the beautiful teenage girl that he'd spotted before and dismounting.
"Yes?" she asked in a slightly testy voice, "And who are you?"
"Sir Clou- Coryn Valentine," the blonde answered, "And may I have the pleasure of knowing yours?"
Tifa gave him a look halfway between contempt and pity.
"Would you still ask me that if I were ugly?"
And she stalked away towards the grandstand, her long hair glimmering in the sun.
Cloud blinked in surprise.
"CLOU- CORYN VALENTINE!!" Zack yelled across the arena, "Get your lazy backside over here!!"
Cloud ignored the small explosion of apprehension in his stomach, mounted his horse, put on his frog-mouthed helm helmet, and rode towards Yuffie and the fence that separated the two opposing forces.
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"First match is Sir Coryn Valentine against the renowned Sir Barret Wallace!"
A tall, muscular man with dark skin mounted his stocky brown and white Clydesdale. He called to Cloud with an amiable smile: "May the best man win!"
"And may valiance stay in your heart!" Cloud replied as was customary to the knight caste, feeling sick at seeing the clearly deep contrast between their strengths.
Yuffie and Zack ran up, struggling to carry the long, weighted, blunt-ended jousting stick. Reno snickered behind them, saw Cloud giving a disapproving frown, and straightened up, clearing his throat and getting ready to introduce his new master to the audience, commoners and nobles alike.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a small, shrewish man announced in a slightly nasal voice, "I give you my master, well known for his indomitable strength, Sir Barret Wallace!"
The peasants on the ground cheered enthusiastically- Sir Wallace was also well known for his great compassion and kind heart- while the nobles clapped their hands graciously in the shaded stands.
Reno snorted condescendingly and leaned over to Cloud.
"Watch this," the redhead whispered, grinning in an extremely fox-like manner.
Reno strode confidently into the dusty jousting field and bowed to both the nobles and the peasants before opening his mouth to speak.
From the minute Reno let loose the first word, Cloud, Yuffie, and Zack knew that they had found a gem among common rocks. The tall and thin orator possessed the gift of glib speaking- his posture was perfect, his eyes direct and concentrated, his voice firm yet conversational.
"Fellow knights," Reno greeted with enthusiasm that came only with sheer boldness, "Fellow knights, nobles, and friends! I am a lucky man, a lucky man, indeed."
Disconcertingly, the entire arena stayed silent, eyes riveted to Reno with undivided attention. Never before had there ever been an occurrence where every single person attending a jousting competition had been entirely quiet at the exact same time.
"You most likely are wondering, 'Why is this scruffy man so lucky? Why does he grin so, dressed in drab garb and perfumed with dust?'" Reno continued, "The answer to your reasoning, friends, is the fact that I, Reno, have Sir Coryn Valentine as a most merciful master."
A murmur rippled through the assembled crowd, and all eyes flickered once towards Cloud before turning back to Reno.
"Our dear Sir Valentine, the conqueror of a thousand tourneys before, the savior of the vulnerable, the avatar of justice! Wielder of the Buster Blade, He Who Laid Waste to the Armies of Auhnkore," he continued, pacing before the royal stands. Cloud noted with relief that Sir Masamune was one of the nobles sitting in the observatory, not taking part in the tournament.
But still, if I make it to the next tournament, I'll have to face him eventually, Cloud grimaced, staring at Sephiroth. As if he could sense Cloud's gaze, the silver-haired man shifted slightly to glance at the blonde. A tiny leer appeared on his face, and Cloud felt a sudden, unjustified surge of annoyance towards the nobleman. He spotted the pretty lady that he had seen before sitting next to Sephiroth, and Cloud felt a surprised stab of jealousy. Quickly turning away, Cloud faced Reno again.
"…And he, my lords and ladies," Reno said, leaping up onto the top of the guardrail enclosing the observatory, "He- my master, Coryn Valentine- will be the ultimate victor of this championship!"
The sheer volume of the applause from the audience nearly blew Cloud away. Whatever part of Reno's speech he had missed glaring at Sephiroth had certainly made the crowd happy.
Reno nimbly picked his way back to the ground and took a great bow to the lords and the commoners before returning to Cloud.
"How was that?" Reno smiled, winking at Cloud and waving at the audience.
"That was…fantastic!" Cloud managed to say, eyes wide, "I had no idea that you had such skill!"
"Well, now, Sir Coryn, it's your turn to prove what he said is true," Yuffie growled worriedly, anxiously petting Arwyn's mane, "I sure hope you remember those lessons that Master taught us…"
Cloud flashed a grin at Yuffie.
"Don't you worry, short stuff," Cloud nodded cheerfully, "I'll be fine."
With those reassuring words, he coaxed Arwyn into a loose trot towards the arena, jousting stick in hand.
"I certainly hope so," Yuffie grumbled.
Cloud's senses seemed enhanced by the heady adrenaline running hot through his veins; he felt every hoof that Arwyn placed on the ground, heard every word that a sour-faced noble muttered to his wife, saw the glinting black hair of one of the women's hair…
Oh, wait. It was Her. That pretty girl whose name he yet did not know.
"Are you ready, Sir Valentine?"
The piping voice of the young referee shattered Cloud's daze, and Sir Coryn Valentine managed a grim nod in response.
Remember, Cloud told himself, running through the list of requirements that his master had told him long ago, Head down, back arched, eyes straight ahead, stick pointed a little to the right, visor down, Arwyn's trajectory a perfect line…
Barret broke his Clydesdale's tense stillness with a single command. In a moment of panic, Cloud struggled to recall the words to direct Arwyn before they came to him in a burst of enlightenment.
Arwyn started into an ascending speed. Cloud held his breath as he and Barret drew closer with every hoofbeat of their horses…
Eyes shut, Cloud felt a glancing blow to his right side and a solid, jarring impact in his hand…
…and he rode on unhindered.
He opened his eyes in amazement- Barret Wallace lay in the dust, struggling to rise. An expression of sheer shock remained frozen on Zack's face and Yuffie bounced energetically up and down at the other end of the fence.
Barret cursed and gave up on standing up unaided, dragged himself up using the fence, and gave a resigned grin to Cloud.
"Sir Wallace forfeits!" the referee squeaked over the crowd's uproar, "Sir Valentine wins the first round!"
Still dazzled by the sheer noise of the cheering, Cloud steered peaceful Arwyn past the observatory- where the beautiful lady watched him intently- and back towards his two squires.
"You did amazing!!" Yuffie squealed, appearing to have a seizure while standing up, "You beat him for sure!"
"I knew you had it in you!" Zack finally exploded, fiercely squeezing the breath out of a choking Cloud.
"Get…offa…me," Cloud managed to spit out between oxygen-deprived, strangulated gulps of air, "Zack…idiot…gonna pass out…"
Zack finally released Cloud (who spluttered for a while before being able to see straight or breathe without paining his ribs) and beamed at the blonde.
When his vision straightened out and the sore tears were blinked from his eyes, Cloud noticed Reno's absence.
"Err…guys?"
"Yeah?" Yuffie smiled, turning to Cloud.
"Umm…where's Reno?"
And then Cloud spotted a certain redhead being dragged off by two men clad in black.
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The blonde pushed his way impatiently through the throng of people, and by the time he got there, the two men in black had dumped Reno onto the earth before their master.
Cloud blinked. This guy looked like a vampire.
Oddly scarlet eyes glowered imperiously down at Reno, long black hair held back from his face by a red strip of cloth. A red cloak, a black ensemble of clothing underneath, and plenty of silver chains clinking as the man shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Dull gold boots and gauntlets with sharp-cut edges sheathed his hands and feet, and a jagged-bladed black sword hung from his waist.
"Oh," Reno said in a tiny voice, "Whoops."
"Whoops is right, Reno," a soft, rumbling voice came from the man before them, "Did you forget about your debt so easily?"
"No, 'course not!" Reno said hastily, "But, umm…see…I don't have the money yet."
"Yet?"
Cloud stepped forward, sucking in a breath of apprehension before addressing the stranger in red and black.
"I'm his new master," Cloud replied, "And if my herald here owes you a fine, then let me repay you when I win this tournament."
"Bold words for a daring man," he murmured amusedly, "Yet intriguing. Let me speak to you aside, bold knight."
Cloud followed the willowy man into a more secluded area and his nervousness mounted.
"Who are you?"
"Sir Coryn Valentine."
The stranger's eyes seemed to glow.
"Well, then… I don't think I remember you. I am Vincent Valentine. Of, presumably, the same Valentine family."
Oh crap.
But Vincent remained perfectly calm, undisturbed by Cloud's pseudonym.
"I have observed your performance, Sir Coryn," Vincent said slowly, "and I respect your skill. You have much potential, and I see that within the way you fight, the way you ride. So, I have a deal to make with you, brave knight.
"If you pay me back the money that Reno owes me for his wasteful gambling and embezzlement, I will let you keep him as your speaker, and I will keep your secret…a secret.
"However, should you not, I will take Reno and punish him as I- the Valentine family- sees fit," Vincent finished softly, "and if you haven't heard, the Valentines are not known for their patience nor their gentleness."
"And what about my masquerading?" Cloud asked tersely, "Will you say my true identity as well? I only fight to keep my friends and myself under a roof, with meals to eat every day. Would you take that away?"
"No," Vincent replied, "Even if you are unable to pay me back, all that I will do is take Reno. From here on, I will not disclose your identity to any entity as long as I live."
"What? Why?" Cloud said, joyfully surprised.
Vincent smiled.
"I am an honest and reasonable man, Sir Valentine," Vincent said, a smile curving his lips for the first time, "I know sheer talent when I see it. And I see talent of the purest in you. Do not fail my expectations, or the prestige of our family name."
Vincent snapped his fingers, and his aides immediately withdrew into the shadows. Reno blinked, astonished by his reprieve, and hurriedly scurried to Cloud's side.
"I will be watching, Sir Coryn Valentine," Vincent nodded, walking away, "Do not disappoint me."
Reno gaped after the departing figure.
"What strings did you pull to get him to just let me off like just like that?" Reno queried, mouth open. Cloud tapped Reno's jaw shut and grinned.
"He's an honest and reasonable man, Reno," Cloud answered ruefully, "I think he understood."
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Cloud's initial win seemed like a harbinger of victory- miraculously, he plowed straight through the entire lineup of challengers, flattening one after another after another. By the end, his impressive tally earned him the title of Jousting Champ, and as Cloud laughed and basked in the newly earned approval of nobles and peasants alike, he saw a deeply satisfied Vincent Valentine smile and incline his head in a gracious symbol of admiration.
But here came the sword matches.
His first opponent in the sword matches pronounced himself as a certain Cid Highwind. Reno informed Cloud that Cid's fondness for profanity had gotten the irritable old man into a tight spot more than once, but Cid's incredible skill with the sword had unfailingly wriggled him out of trouble each time.
Cloud swallowed hard, highly aware of the judging eyes that tracked his every move- particularly Sephiroth, Vincent, and the still nameless raven-haired lady he had spoken to before.
The unshaven blonde man flashed Cloud a grin, a long sword held in his hand. Cloud warily watched Cid's every move- Reno had also told him that Cid's attacks were swift and punishing if they made contact. And sure enough, his vigilant waiting was well rewarded by successfully dodging Cid's sword jab.
After five more of these lightning-fast strikes, Cloud began to spot openings in the old man's defense, and after another long period of contorting his body to avoid the sword blade, Cloud snuck in a tiny blow.
Cid's shocked, but amiable face and rueful curse after his loss made up completely for Cloud's earlier rejection of the day.
Cloud grinned. Today was a good day, indeed.
This new arrival in the tournament won every match he entered, his sword and feet moving quickly enough that not one person could match the total dominance in both speed and agility. The silver blade swung through the air again and again, a joyful ringing reverberating from every strike it carried out.
"And the 'Sword and Jousting Champ' is our noble Sir Coryn Valentine!" the referee proclaimed, deeply astonished at the insignia of the flag that he waved- the symbol of the Valentine family, a deep scarlet rose resting in the center of a woven crown of jet black thorns.
Through the mass of bodies, flags, and glinting steel, Cloud saw Vincent smile faintly before mouthing something to him and vanishing into the crowds.
Your debt is repaid, Sir Coryn Valentine.
Zack jerked Cloud out of his reverie with a cheery smack on the shoulder.
"Nice job on the win! Looks like we'll have to practice more often for the tournaments now," Zack congratulated, leaning in close, "But where'd you get the banner?"
"A dear friend," Cloud grinned broadly, eyeing the spot where Vincent had stood, "One of my dear, dear friends."
Once the peasant crowds had been pushed back, and the gold trophy was presented to Cloud, Sir Coryn Valentine rode his horse up to the observatory yet again, determined to ask for Her name.
"My lady, please, would you tell me your name?" Cloud pleaded, fixing his own sapphire orbs onto her dark auburn ones.
"You persist?" she queried, surprised, "I ask of you again- would you care if I were ugly, fair knight?"
Before Cloud could respond, the white-haired knight to the woman's side smirked maliciously and spoke. The entire crowd seemed to hush in awe as the dramatic scene between two new rivals played out.
"Sir Coryn Valentine, hmm?" Sephiroth murmured, "What a state your armor is in now, and yet you persevere in trying to woo a lady in that?"
Cloud felt an surge of unbridled anger raging beneath the cool, lightly scuffed ar, but he remained silent.
"And my friend, colleague," Masamune continued, "Do you know that your name is pronounced 'Cor-in Valentine', not 'Cor-ine Valentine?
"I thought not," Sephiroth sneered, satisfied, "Clearly your origin is of no consequence; your ignorance outlines that quite frankly."
Cloud ground his teeth and narrowed his eyes to sapphire crystalline slits. What right did Sephiroth have to test his patience so?
To his ultimate surprise, the lady to Sephiroth's left abruptly intervened before the tense situation exploded into violence.
"I think, Sir Masamune," she murmured softy, but with decisive command, "that's quite enough. We should be celebrating our discovery of Sir Valentine's timely victory, not cutting him down. Let us not forget that everyone begins at the same place, at the same time, Sephiroth, and that you were once as inexperienced as he."
She turned to Cloud, a vague smile set upon her face.
"And Sir Valentine, I congratulate you on your recent victory. Good luck in the future, brave knight," she spoke, a spark of curiosity hidden beneath carefully smooth political tones, "I bid thee good day."
The woman stood, her dark hair glimmering momentarily in the light before gliding gracefully off into cooler shadow.
Her interference bumped up Cloud's level of affection for her exponentially, and he looked at her gratefully before riding off, head high, a determined flame burning to prove his worthiness to his still nameless savior.
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Unbeknownst to the new celebrity, a shadow of a frown darkened Sephiroth's features after he departed. Still staring fixedly at Cloud's back, Sir Masamune called over his squire, a slender-built male clad in black leather with sheets of translucent silver hair and cat-like greenish yellow eyes.
"Kadaj," Sephiroth spoke in a low tone, "investigate Sir Coryn Valentine, and report to me when your task is complete. I want to know everything about him: his origin, his past, his bloodline, his friends, his enemies- everything."
Kadaj wordlessly nodded, slipping back into the shadow. As he walked into the darker black, two other squires of silver hair and queer eyes fell in place on either side of him.
"Yazoo, Loz," Kadaj greeted shortly, not so much as blinking at their mysterious materialization, "We've got work to do."