Hey, everybody! Enjoying the story so far? I should hope so-you should see the amount of effort it takes!
I don't own anything, anyone or anywhere you recognise. Sapphire, along with a few others who'll crop up every now and then, are mine.
Nor do I own Ben and Jerry's ice cream, the best ice cream in the world, buuuuut I DID come up with the Final Fantasy alternative! Keep an eye out for that! :D
Just recently got into a bit of an X-Men funk. Watched X-Men: First Class earlier today, but ahh, it was just awesome. And that one moment with Wolverine...HA! XD
Ugh, this week has been long. Music festival on Tuesday, exam on Wednesday, and I've yet to come up with a good treat for Mum. I'll figure something out. I work well under pressure. ;)
Ooh, I had mahoosive fun with writing this one. I don't even know why...it was just kinda fun!
...Has anyone seen the moonwalking pony? Best advert ever? Duh! Seriously, if you haven't seen it, check it out on YouTube. Just a shame I haven't seen it on TV in what feels like ages.
9 - Cardboard Warfare
BZZZT-BANG!
"Watch out!"
"Gya-hahahahahaa!"
ZZZ-KSH!
"Ahh, geez!"
"WAY too close, teach!"
Silence...then, "Too close? I didn't hit you? Sorry, my mistake, that's never happened before. I guess it's understandable, after all, I was injured just a week ago. My aim must be a little off..."
After a short pause, the first voice hollered, "RUN!"
As you heard the most hilarious teacher ever say just there, it had been a week since that terrible day, when everything just got worse and piled on and on to me. I'm glad to say that everything worked out for the best.
Thankfully, the Turks have not spoken to me since. I had a class with them a few days ago, and they said nothing to me individually, which was good. I haven't seen Ciara, the girl Third Class SOLDIER since, though she had kinda gotten into my head; I was debating whether or not to tell Ash about my secret. I had not seen my great friend Verne since the disaster of the last encounter, and I had heeded Genesis' advice and avoided all possible ways of hearing local news, even now a week later, just to be cautious. And finally, the 'massage' I had given Genesis was thankfully short, had changed nothing about our relationship, and I had not been asked to give another; all these things I was extremely grateful for, because that would just be awkward.
As far as I could tell, Shinra had been saving the best class and teacher for last. Though Will and Ash had already experienced one class of 'Materia Training', it was mine and Zack's first time with the mischievous SOLDIER Second Class teacher, SOLDIER Edward Merowian, and I was thoroughly enjoying the lesson.
A Materia fanatic, the first class of 'Materia Training' he had with the other group ended early as he had to go to the infirmary, with some heavy Materia burns on his right arm.
And as a result, when he returned for our class, the already-excitable teacher was full-to-bursting with excess energy, and demanded that for our first class the entire floor had to be closed to the rest of the building, as we engaged in war with SOLDIER Edward Merowian.
I had to admit, the man certainly livened things up a little. Introduction to the class; we run, we hide, while he hunts us down with whatever amount of Materia he can carry. If we're hit, we're out and return to the classroom, and we have to try our best to either remove all his Materia, or knock him unconscious. Basically, those of our class brave and stupid enough to not hide were going to have to cut him off from his Materia.
Me...well, I wasn't one of those people. I had enough attention on me already, I decided, and so I hid in the one place I'd feel safest and most secure.
No one would check in the toilets! Well, not so far at least, and I'd been locked in the third cubicle for a good ten minutes now.
Honestly, I was getting a tad uncomfortable. In an epic leap-of-faith moment I leapt from the seat, backwards, and hung myself on the hook on the back of the door. I figured it would give me an even better, hidden edge, but so far, it had simply made me nearly break my neck. Plus, now I was getting some startling pins and needles in my feet, which was making me somewhat nervous.
That, coupled with the echoing of footsteps outside leaving the area, coupled with knowing how extremely embarrassed I'd be if I was found hanging from a cubicle door, made me - carefully - lift myself off the cubicle door, and fall to the floor, helmet banging off the toilet seat and leaving a crack down the middle of the seat... but at least I was off the door.
I sat on the floor for another few minutes before realising that it would be nearly just as embarrassing to be found in the cubicle, so I unlocked the door and left.
Shrugging my shoulders, I decided to put myself more at ease. To make it seem normal, I washed my hands, and in a paranoid move decided against using the automatic dryer, just wringing out my hands and wiping them on my uniform.
Checking myself in the mirror, pushing up a few strands of the spiky ends of my hair to make them seem shorter, I nodded, and quietly and very slowly peeked out of the toilets.
With my heart stupidly pounding with the exhilaration, I jogged down to one end of the corridor, and peeked around the corner; nothing. I leaned back, gasped a few times, and charged forward into the corridor.
After a few moments, I slowed to a jog, then to a stop, and looked down at my feet. These boots...were way too loud, and echo-ey. I stepped out of them, wiggled my toes on the cold, metallic floor (still wrapped up in thin black socks) turned the boots to face the other way, and started off again at a run, feeling infinitely more comfortable.
In a similar way, I peeked around the next corner - my heart still racing in excitement and fear - and was instantly confused, as I was met with a wall of cardboard boxes.
Huh?
I said nothing, and with a grin, I started to hike up the stack. The boxes were surprisingly sturdy, I figured they were all filled with all sorts of office equipment and SOLDIER stuff and other interesting doohickeys.
The mountain of boxes reached surprisingly high, and I peered over the top, to see a congregation of three Cadets whispering to each other. One spotted me, and I waved with a grin. He pointed to me, and each of them watched, as I hastily jumped down to the other side.
I approached the three, and they all grinned, greeting me with claps on the shoulder and hushed greetings. "So, who all's left?" I enquired.
They blinked, and someone - hang on, it was Riley! - replied, "That would be us four."
At my wide-eyed, disbelieving blink, one of my companions continued, "Well hey, you showed up out of the blue; some other fools might still be hangin' around somewhere!"
"Hardly," I answered with a roll of my eyes. "I came from hiding in the toilets."
"Your feet are tiny!" I double-took at Riley's shocked exclamation, and all attention diverted to my feet, all three boys laughing and comparing their Cadet boots to my socks.
I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up, but after I cautiously looked all around us. Being out in the open, in the middle of the corridor, didn't sit well with me...despite the fortifications built up behind us. SOLDIER Merowian could even approach us from behind, or could, I dunno, just shoot a fireball at us?
Slightly embarrassed, I got us back to the topic at hand, and the four of us made an extremely elaborate plan; a last attempt at succeeding where all our classmates had previously failed.
...
Clutching my left hand in agony - Riley didn't need to stomp that hard! - I made my hasty way through the maze of boxes we had created in far-too short a time, before squidging the toe of one of my temporary squad-mates Sammy Rief, who kicked his boot in my direction as if to signal that he got the message. A second later, I was given a friendly punch on the shoulder by Riley as he flew past me, and I nodded to the two as I ran back the way Riley and myself had just come.
Eventually I emerged from the dark depths of the cardboard box maze, and knowing that SOLDIER Second Class Merowian was somewhere close by, I slowed my pace to a jog, and tried to look like I didn't have a plan, or backup.
The echoing sound of clicking boots on the metallic floor somewhere behind me came to an abrupt and terrifying stop, and I skidded to a stop and turned, to see the grinning young teacher staring directly at me...a pair of Cadet boots under his arm. He held them out in front of him.
"You forget these, kiddo?" he enquired lightly, and my eyebrows shot up. "Good tactic, don't get me wrong. Creep around quietly...and you turned them to make me think you were headed in the opposite direction too, yeah?"
I was actually rather impressed with how easily he had figured out my two-second plan. I scratched the back of my neck, admitting, "Yeah, I guess I wanted to stall you, at least a little."
"Very good," he smirked as he complimented me. "Plus, that wall of cardboard boxes? You managed that all on your own, in this time? Granted, it wasn't exactly elaborate, but I can't help wondering how you found them all and got them set up. Chocobo-fast Cobalt, huh?" he teased, and I cringed.
"I've been getting a lot of nicknames since I joined Shinra, and I generally don't mind them, but I'm gonna have to draw the line there. I'm not being known as a Chocobo for the rest of my life," I announced, before folding my arms.
SOLDIER Merowian smirked lightly before taking my boots from under his arm and tossing them to me. "Go on, put those on. You won't be in a fit state to do so after I'm finished with you," he boasted in such a way it sounded more like advice, and I sighed, settling deliberately slowly to sit on the floor before starting to put on the boots. The teacher stared at me, looking rather confused, as I intentionally took my time.
I didn't have any time to doubt the hastily-made plan, nor my faith in my recently-met comrades; before I knew it, they had all silently pounced on the unsuspecting teacher, who let out a holler as he was tackled to the floor.
I removed the boot yet again, and pounced forward to join in the dog-pile, as I heard Ethan Rensky, the fourth member of our motley crew, let loose a victorious laugh.
A laugh that, sadly, was premature.
Our plan (thought up by Ethan, who I believed would make a very good strategist) was that in the tiny tunnels made from the boxes, we could form an under-box communication network. The wall was just on a corner, so we could see in advance which way the teacher would be approaching from.
Riley, the guns-enthusiast as he was, acted as the scout; standing on the top and completely covered by boxes, his job was to watch what direction he came from. With little time for us to establish a good way of silently communicating, Riley would stamp with his heavy Cadet boots onto either one of my hands, sticking up from between the boxes in front of his feet; stomp on my left if he was approaching from the left side, and right for right.
My job was, as half-expected, by far the most dangerous and painful. After Riley stood on one of my hands - I mean, signalled, I ran off to the other two, Sammy and Ethan, and squished Sammy's appropriate foot, so they would know. As I did this, Riley would be digging down into the stack to hide from the quickly-approaching teacher, and running to join the two, as they waited for SOLDIER Merowian to climb up and over the barricade.
Then I, as the decoy, ran for the appropriate exit, and emerged around a nearby corner where SOLDIER Second Class Merowian would certainly not miss me. I would grab all of his attention, make sure he was enough into the hallway so he couldn't see far enough back to see what was going on behind him; where Riley, Sammy and Ethan would emerge from the boxes, as my backup, and tackle him to the floor, taking his Materia.
...Honestly, that last bit wasn't as solidly-planned as the rest of it, but on the face of it, the idea was epic - just make a huge dog-pile and the teacher would have to submit. We didn't anticipate just how good SOLDIER Merowian was with his Materia.
It seemed obvious, now, that a dog-pile of wildly-scrambling limbs, with no clear-cut plan at that point...was not the way to succeed. The surprised teacher simply blasted us all off him with a fiery explosion, and before I knew it, we were all being pulled to our feet, having conceded as we had suffered at the hands of his Materia.
"Good show, Cadets, good show! Fantastic planning, you'd have made SOLDIER Winterhold proud!" As we all glowed with pride, though severely beaten down as we got to our feet, the SOLDIER didn't miss the opportunity to wear us down even more, by saying, "Too bad this isn't your 'Strategy' class, huh? Don't get confused, Cadets! You can't afford to, else us teachers get annoyed. Alright, unless you have any further backup hiding somewhere, Cobalt, it's time we went back to class! Some of those guys have been there for twenty minutes, at least, by now!"
...
"I know that look," Cliff teased with a grin and a laugh, as Zack and I sat down at his cafeteria table, our arms stuffed full with good, high energy food. Zack with a huge fry-up, and myself with arms full of ice-cream and chocolate...I wasn't feeling in an especially healthy mood. "You guys were with Merowian."
It wasn't even a question, it was so apparently obvious. "Yeah we were," Zack confirmed, already with a mouthful of fried egg stuffed in. Runny yellow yolk spilled out the corners-
"Eugh! Seriously, Zack?" I cringed, repulsed, and Zack grinned a yolky smile at me before grabbing a napkin and cleaning himself up. I rolled my eyes, grabbed my favourite spoon, and cracked open a tub of delicious Biggs and Jessie's ice cream.
Cliff clicked his fingers a few awkward silent moments later. "I haven't seen you guys in ages, actually! So, how was the 'Survival Training' class? Not as bad as you were expecting, I'm sure," he enquired lightly, looking mostly at me. Zack snorted, nearly choking on the egg he still hadn't swallowed.
I looked at the table, my face instantly heating up. "I threw up..." I admitted quietly, and looked back to see Cliff gain the most hilarious astonished expression I'd ever seen, and I laughed.
"You threw up?" he echoed in disbelief. "...You did have Sephiroth then. But really, Cobalt, I thought you'd have a stronger stomach than that. Was it my fault, for making you anticipate it so much?"
Zack practically threw himself into his raucous bout of laughter, and pounded on the table for a second, before quickly telling a tale to rectify Cliff's misunderstanding. "No, no, it wasn't your fault at all! Coby here simply got a bash on the noggin. He goes through quite a lot of that, it seems, but this time he couldn't take it. Heh, I thought he couldn't top that time we went to Angeal's office - remember, Coby?" he teased, tossing his head back as he gasped for air between laughs.
Cliff looked between us, clearly intrigued. I rested my cheek on my fist, elbow on the table, and languidly replied, sarcasm evident, "Vaguely. It was all a bit of a blur, when I think back on it." Zack playfully knocked the back of my helmet, and I nearly went nose-first into my Biggs and Jessie's.
"Ha! The Turk Reno launched Coby here straight into Angeal's office door! Knocked him straight out. You know you shouted out something about apologising to your brain cells before you completely lost consciousness?" he asked, and I blinked at him, surprised but not nearly so much as Cliff, sitting opposite us and taking in flies.
"Good grief..." I complained under my breath, and Zack tittered.
"It was funny, actually, but anyway..." Zack digressed, as I rolled my eyes, and Cliff seemed incapable of comprehending anything. "Sephiroth gave good old Coby here a bash on the top of his head, and Coby went down. Slammed down onto his hands and knees, then he threw up, and then very nearly collapsed into the little puddle he had made," he explained, and I found myself cringing; I only really remembered leaving the classroom after throwing up a second time. "Lucky for you, Sephiroth seemed a little grossed out. He stepped back behind you as you hurled to avoid...well, splashes, and when he saw you about to faint, he pushed you to one side."
"Lucky for me," I echoed sarcastically, taking another spoonful, even as Ash arrived and stole one of my chocolate bars.
"Grossed out?" she repeated, and gave a short laugh. "If he was anything, he was disgusted. Repulsed." I thanked her pseudo-enthusiastically for her comments, and she punched my arm playfully. "Honestly though, I think you should be grateful for that. If he wasn't bothered much by the sick, he'd probably have just let you fall into it."
Cliff was twisting his head between us so quickly I was afraid of whiplash for him. "How come this is the first time I'm hearing this? This is insane! Were you okay after, Cobe?"
I scratched the back of my neck, finding it difficult to remember. "It was just, like, an instant of pain, like a flash, but it was unnoticeable after that. I kinda blacked out for a while, then I started seeing double, and when I couldn't stand on my own, the General let me sit it out. It came back while I was resting, only as an ache, and I was really sweaty and dizzy. I threw up again as we left, and then one more time...I think...?"
I glanced at Ash, who nodded. "Yeah, I think that was it."
Cliff shook his head. "Man oh man. I need to eat with you guys more often!" he enthused, rubbing his hands together. "So, what other injuries were received? And don't try to-"
"Cliff!"
We all looked off to the right as a voice called for our speaking companion, who fell silent and looked over. He slowly grinned, and stood up to greet the new arrival; Angeal.
Zack and I traded somewhat concerned glances. You never see First Class SOLDIERs in the cafeteria. This place was for Cadets, Third and Second Class SOLDIERs. It was a rare occasion, EXTREMELY rare, when Tseng, Rude and Reno came down, though that seemed to be simple routine (I say seemed; I'm a very sceptical person). They got their food delivered, or something, but I knew that First Classes had their own floor where they could eat and relax, or they could have it ordered. For Angeal to be here...it could only mean bad for Zack, good for Zack, or bad for Zack and me.
Angeal glanced at Zack, Ash and me sitting innocently at the table as he and Cliff shook hands. "Angeal! I've just been hearing about the recent exploits of the usual crew," the brown-haired Second Class grinned in our direction, and Angeal slowly raised an eyebrow.
Before Angeal seemed to want to ask, Zack quickly rebuked, "It's nothing important. Just...stuff. You've probably already heard-move on."
"Smooth, Zack," I muttered, rolling my eyes as Zack smirked back at me.
Angeal raised an eyebrow slowly, and Cliff clarified for him, "They've been telling me how their classes have been going. Their first 'Survival Training' class, anyway." He sniggered, and Angeal made an enlightened sound, slowly turning to us.
"I never really heard what happened in that class. Sephiroth simply said he gave Blue a concussion, and that he had been 'unnecessarily rough' with him..." the SOLDIER Commander gave a very small grin. "On the other hand, I even got to see what happened in the Turks' class. Tell me now, though, Cadets; what happened with SOLDIER Merowian?"
The dark-haired SOLDIER was quite obviously teasing, and Zack, Ash and myself shared a quick glance, before all at the same time claiming in a jumble of words that absolutely nothing interesting occurred. Angeal snorted in disbelief, but didn't push it, turning to Cliff who had been chuckling since Angeal had referenced Kawi's video of the start of that class, and the instant viral success to all Shinra employees. "I take it you didn't come here simply to talk about the shenanigans of our favourite Cadets?" the Second Class enquired lightly, and I noticed him take a chocolate bar. Another one stolen. I didn't buy them to give away, they're mine!
"Regretfully not." Suddenly Angeal looked troubled, his eyes diverting to the table, with a creased forehead, and I found myself quite concerned.
Angeal was, by no means, a quirky person. He was down to earth, he had his fair share of troubles I expected, but the Commander rarely seemed to be without a reassuring smile. He was the big, protective older brother of SOLDIERs and Cadets alike; He defends anyone and everyone because he hasn't a bad bone in his body. I knew from the day I met him, and we shared a pot of tea and simply chatted, that he was just a sweet and brilliant man.
Something bad must be going on, something to make him worry. "Back to business, and I need to tell you something, Cliff. As you were, Cadets," Angeal briskly spoke, and with a small glimpse to us three, he swivelled on his feet and left, gesturing Cliff to follow.
The brown-haired SOLDIER didn't even look at us, simply followed after his friend and superior without question. I glanced at Zack, then Ash, feeling extremely worried.
Will finally arrived at that moment, much too late, setting his tray down with too loud a bang, and greeted us cheerfully. A second later, he really looked at us, and questioned, "What died?"
I glanced sharply at the Cadet, who held his hands up in innocence, still holding a fork. I got to my feet and made to follow, but a restraining hand on my arm stopped me. I looked back at Zack in irritation, but he didn't let go of his strong hold. "Cobalt, it's between them. If it's anything important that we should know, Angeal will tell us, or tell me to tell you guys. If you're caught listening as well, it won't look good."
I smirked faintly, kicking up my foot in his direction; only to show him my thin black socks, with no boots. "They won't catch me, SOLDIER Merowian was even properly listening for me and couldn't hear when I was jogging in these. Plus, overhearing - it takes off the pressure if it is about us and we can tell him that he doesn't have to tell us."
Zack continued to dispute, but before I could think of beginning an argument, I was shoved back into my seat beside Zack. I glanced behind me at the perpetrator, only to see Ash sprinting for the doors, the way Angeal and Cliff had left.
Zack and I traded glances, and hissed after her to return, but there was little we could do.
"What's the issue?" Cliff enquired, straight to business. His brown eyebrows were low over his shadowed eyes, and he shifted his footing to a more comfortable position standing outside the cafeteria.
Angeal stared at the floor, quite obviously thinking hard about many things. "To start, I thought I might tell you; Genesis, in the recent procedure by Hojo. Again he didn't take it well."
Cliff heaved a laboured sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Hojo's gonna kill the poor guy. And he didn't say anything? No reasons for this?"
Angeal shook his head sadly as he replied, "It's hard to tell, with all the muttering Hojo does, but I think Hojo's as unknowing as any of us right now. What concerns me is what that means..."
"More tests..." Cliff grumbled. Close-by, eavesdropping on the conversation, Ash frowned, in puzzlement and unease.
"Of course, this was a week ago," Angeal continued, "so he's much better. Blue would probably be wondering why Zack would be getting training all this past week and not him, so I've called Zack off for this week."
Cliff said nothing, simply nodded in agreement.
"However, I'm beginning to wonder if Genesis will actually be up to training him now. He always had to be somewhere all the time; on missions, writing reports, training sessions, and then always about trying to find anything to do with LOVELESS as soon as he hears it!" Angeal found himself laughing, despite the seriousness of the topic, and Cliff joined him.
"Was it true? I heard once that he took two months out a few years ago because he thought he'd heard of some new act of that poem cropping up somewhere in Wutai." Cliff remembered fondly on when he'd heard that by word of mouth in his hometown. Those gossips couldn't stop laughing by the ridiculousness of it all - one of Shinra's best temporarily deserting to find the tail end of a poem. "'Shows how kooky members of Shinra really are', I remember one of them saying, and I was planning to join up around that time, so I ripped them a new one and was on my way."
Angeal threw his head back, laughing in mirth at the Second Class' anecdote. "That is true, actually. I remember when he came back, all downtrodden, and for weeks we couldn't see him without a pen and paper, trying to come up with his own conclusion."
Cliff nodded, grinning, quite amused. "Anyway; so you're saying that Genesis may not be able to train Coby? It is truly because he has no time, or is he getting too stressed or worn out from these treatments that he's just about able to cope as it is?"
Angeal folded his arms, glaring at the wall slightly. "I'm not saying that Genesis is incapable, of course not. He's managed until now, and he's stubborn enough to continue to do so... I just think it's not really...in his best interest, to take on this little experiment of ours.
"I've been thinking that, since Will is going to be interviewed for training from one of the Turks soon instead of being trained by Sephiroth, we should have Sephiroth continue Blue's training, and allow Genesis to continue with work of his own," Angeal pondered, his arms folded.
Cliff raised an eyebrow. "And you think Genesis is going to go along with that? You said yourself, he's stubborn. Since he's started training Coby, do you think he's going to stop and let Sephiroth take over for him?" It was common knowledge that Genesis was very competitive all the time with the General, and though they were friends (to a degree) and Sephiroth was fully accepting of Genesis, the redhead could be quick to dispute with Sephiroth.
Angeal grimaced slightly. "Valid point. But I'm hoping this is the one time Genesis will be reasonable...or I'll just not mention him, and hope Genesis simply forgets." Cliff smirked slightly at the Commander's response.
Ash was wide-eyed in shock as she heard this conversation. I really should not be here...but is Sephiroth going to start training Coby? I can't pass this up now, this is insane!
So the Cadet remained, and continued to listen as Angeal and Cliff discussed other confidential matters. "I have some other, more volatile news as well, I'm afraid," Angeal admitted, and Cliff visibly cringed.
"More volatile than Genesis and his competitiveness with the General? Do me a favour, kill me now," he joked, even though there was meaning behind it. Angeal chuckled appreciatively.
"Sadly, yes. I have heard some news through the grapevine-"
"-Through the Director?" Cliff interrupted, unable to keep the grin off his face. Angeal let a grin show, but wrestled his face back to a serious expression an instant later.
"...Yes. I have heard - from the Director - that the Turks have been showing some unnatural interest in the Cadets this year," he submitted in a sarcastic way, though the topic couldn't have been more serious.
Behind the door and around the corner, Ash nibbled on her fingernails. She continued to listen, self-conscious of the sounds she was making, and tried to keep herself quiet as Cliff replied, "That is...interesting news. I almost regret saying this, but anyone in particular?"
Angeal gave Cliff a sarcastic look that Ash didn't see, but she understood quite quickly as Cliff responded sarcastically.
"Of course, how did I ever think otherwise? Is it good interest, or...bad interest?"
Angeal scratched the dark layer of stubble on his chin. "Lazard didn't really know, but apparently they cornered Blue and Zack in the cafeteria about a week ago and started asking Blue questions."
"A week ago?" Cliff echoed in disbelief. "That was just a few days after they arrived, wasn't it?"
"About a week after," Angeal corrected. "...But that doesn't make it sound a whole lot better anyway, does it?"
Cliff decided that he couldn't figure out a way to respond to that. After a few moments he replied, "I did see that video, Zack and Coby being tackled by Reno and Rude. But I never really thought that there might've been something more behind it..." the brown-haired Second Class trailed off thoughtfully, wondering what Coby might've done to warrant this 'interest' from the Turks.
Angeal shrugged in response. "Tseng didn't really want to speak to Zack or the other two, just to Blue. Asking a lot of personal questions that seemed to make him uncomfortable, about his history. Where he came from, what his family were like... Blue seemed to make a bid for freedom as quickly as possible and left the cafeteria, and Tseng was visibly quite annoyed by it."
Cliff raised a curious eyebrow. "Where does Coby come from anyway? You met his sister, didn't you?"
Angeal didn't really like how that information seemed to spread, but if Blue knew about it, at least he didn't seem to mind it. "Yes, she said she lived in her apartment in Mideel with her twin and parents. Blue apparently said that their parents trained him and his sister for five years before he left-"
"Him and his sister?" Cliff repeated, mystified. "I always thought it was just him - that's something the Turks found out, I presume?"
Angeal nodded to confirm his thought. "That's what I hear. I just wanted to give you a heads up - if you see anything..." Angeal sent Cliff a meaningful look, and the other SOLDIER nodded seriously.
"I tell you or Director Lazard straight away, of course," he answered, with slight sarcasm, and Angeal nodded in approval before spinning and walking away.
Ash was frozen, completely stupefied by Angeal's words, but forced herself to return to the table. Albeit slowly; she needed time to think this through.
...Seriously. Have you looked it up yet? Do it now. Moonwalking pony. Do it. DO IT!
Responses to my wonderful reviewers!
AnonyMouse: Heh heh, Verne's awesome. So is Reno! Uh...yo. :D
Yeah, if there's anything Tseng hates more than Reno, it would have to be homework. So obviously, he's happiest when he combines the two in an easy way to get rid of both! There's a reason he's head-honcho. ;)
You like her! Ah, I had so much fun writing in Ciara. In many ways, she reminds me far too much of myself. Here's hoping she shows up again at some point.
That's what I'm here for-to make people laugh and smile! If there were more people like you in the world, I mightn't feel quite so miserable after hearing the news. Not that I listen that often...but maybe I would, if there were happier people! Thank you SO much for another brilliant review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last!
Wolffox101: Welcome to the story! Happy to hear from you, and I'm delighted you're enjoying it! Thank you!
