Cid laughed hard enough for everyone in the room once he heard Chailo call Vincent an asshole. Of all the things in the world she could have called him, she chose one of the most insulting things to say. It was hilarious! Now, of course, everyone else was dumbfounded for Chailo's insult because Vincent didn't do anything to Chailo. However, Cloud remembered chasing the woman down in the Mythril Mines and Vincent ordering him to attack sharp objects to hinder her from running. She stopped and turned to them, saying they were assholes before a large monster attacked them all. If Vincent was asshole number one, then Cloud was sure he was number two and he frowned at that visibly.
Vincent wasn't thrilled about the nickname, especially after he thought the woman was an exotic beauty. He gladly took back what he thought of Chailo after that little word. Hmph, she wasn't even that cute! But, he decided not to respond to Chailo; after all, she did just try to escape a healing tank and was probably just moody right now. Samayo, the old man who traveled with her, was much nicer at the very least after he woke up. He didn't insult people he didn't know. How would she like it if he woke up calling her a bitch? She wouldn't, that's what! Cloud turned his gaze back to her as she began peeling the orange with her nails.
"Tell me, Master Strife," Chailo continued, busying herself with the fruit. "Where am I?"
"WRO headquarters. You were in the infirmary," Cloud said, almost suggesting she return to fully recover.
"I see," she whispered, biting into the orange's flesh with her sharp teeth. "What are my stats?"
"Shelke probably has them. We can take you to her when you're done eating," Cloud said, handing Chailo the basket full of fruit and nuts. "Samayo went to get you some...clothes..."
"He's alone?" Chailo questioning, ears alert and eyes wide with fear.
"Yer ole man went with our friend, Barret," Cid answered, hearing Chailo sigh in short relief.
"Where are they going to get my clothes?" Chailo asked.
"The shopping mall in Edge," Yuffie answered, smiling a bit. "You know, where we first met? Samayo said you were gonna need some new threads before you two returned home, but ShinRa's still hunting you down right now, so you won't be going anywhere for a while. Plus, Samayo said he wanted to stay here."
"He said he wants to stay at headquarters?" Chailo questioned, looking into Yuffie's eyes.
"No, he said he wants to take turns staying with each of us," Tifa said, trying to explain the elder's words in simplest terms. "Hi, I'm Tifa, by the way. When we spoke to Samayo after the blast, he trusted Yuffie to take you here to WRO headquarters to recuperate. He never stayed inside the building any longer than he had to, and that was only to check on your stats to make sure you were going to survive. Anyone else who'd have taken that kind of hit would have died. Since your grandfather had no where else to go, Yuffie offered him a room in her apartment. We were worried for Samayo being in Yuffie's care alone, so we suggested taking turns watching over him instead. See, while you were unconscious, he was staying with Nanaki for one week. All this week – the week that just passed – he was staying with Barret and his daughter, Marlene. Starting today –"
"He was gonna be in my house," Cid interrupted, wiping under his nose with a thumb. "My wife and son were gonna keep 'im comp'ny while's you slept."
"Right," Tifa responded, watching the woman receive all the information through her ears. They were so fascinating! She had to fight the strong urge to touch and play with them.
"And he agreed to this willingly?" Chailo asked, ears lowering and voice growing softer.
"Actually, he requested staying with us instead of staying here," Cloud answered. "He spoke in another language, though, so we couldn't understand his reasoning."
"That sounds like something he would do," Chailo remarked, getting Cloud to smile a little. "He never really favored militant bases...or hospitals for that matter."
He hated them especially when I was having my baby, Chailo mentally noted, gritting her teeth at the memory.
"By the way, what language do you speak?" Tifa questioned. "It doesn't sound like an old language on this planet."
Chailo continued to eat her orange before looking down at her body. She now understood why Samayo said she needed new clothes. The bandages on her body were just white gauge bands. Fortunately, they covered her breasts and formed panties to cover her other most private area. Otherwise, she was practically naked. She said, "It is forbidden to speak of my culture without the elder's permission. My language is my language. I can see why he went shopping."
"Actually, I kind of like this look for you," Yuffie said, snatching a red apple from the basket and chomping on it. "You look like a beautiful tribal princess."
"...I am a princess," Chailo answered reluctantly, suddenly regretting remembering that fact. Oh, the things she would do for a knife to cut her hair right now.
"You're a princess!" Tifa questioned.
"Well," Chailo started, feeling a pin sticking the small of her back. She peeked at the small of her back and noticed her butt was really exposed to air if she bent over or cut her hair in the slightest. Pants were sounding like a wonderful idea right now. She scoffed then said, "One with a bigger butt I guess."
"What's wrong wit' a big ass?" Cid questioned with a serious face. He pointed at Vincent and said, "Vince likes it."
Vincent wanted to snap Cid's neck right then, but he had to slap himself first. He was glomping over the black beauty's ass but only because there were tattoos on it, and they looked good on that se - NO! No, she is not sexy! She's just...there. Vincent glared at Cid disapprovingly then said, "Don't make me shoot you, chief."
"Not my fault you're an ass-man," Cid said, chuckling, "asshole."
This is going to be a long day, Vincent thought, turning his head to the wall.
"Fitting, isn't it?" Chailo commented, throwing away the orange's skin and taking a plum out of the basket. Not satisfied with the plum, she began rummaging through the basket to find a mango. She revealed her sharp teeth again and tore the mango's tougher skin off to chew it a bit before diving into the sweet, soft flesh of the exotic fruit.
"Since I am an asshole," Vincent started, fed up with Chailo's insulting, "I think I'll call you a vulgar wolf, or perhaps a gluttonous beast will do?"
"You try not eating for nearly eight years and see where it brings you," Chailo responded, eating the soft fruit.
"Try thirty and I might respect you more," Vincent retorted, satisfied with Chailo's widened eyes and repositioned ears.
Chailo tilted her head then softened her gaze at Vincent before saying, "Exactly how ancient are you, creeper?"
Vincent visibly frowned at the woman, took a deep breath, and said, "Old enough to know there's no sense in arguing with a child."
"Then stop arguing with your thoughts and answer my question," Chailo retorted.
This conversation is just getting more and more interesting, Cid thought, smirking at the comments being tossed back and forth.
"There is nothing more to answer."
"Being 'old enough' has many meanings. If you have not eaten in thirty years, you are either truly ancient or were sadly poverished as a boy. So which is it?"
"I was never poverished," Vincent said, hooking a metal index finger in his gun holster. He was apparently thirty seconds away from blasting the exotic woman away. Yeah, she's hot with a nice ass and gorgeous legs, but she was about to be the first to discover what it feels like to have a sexy body for nothing. He finished, "Samayo told me you were quite strict with your customs. Is it not impolite to insult and/or mock others?"
"I am being quite polite by not killing you," Chailo growled, ears folded against the sides of her head. She had a very beautiful growl in her voice that Vincent almost enjoyed immensely, but she was threatening to kill him unarmed and, if she could survive a Shadow Flare attack by six WEAPONs, a bullet was practically harmless to her. "It is considered, for example, very rude not answering a question when one has been posed whether it be insulting or not. My people are quite sensitive to questions. I wish to know how old you are because you look no older than myself. Most men and women who have not eaten in thirty years tend to look ghastly, frail, sick, and possibly depressed. You're frail but not from famine, and that pretty face of yours is only telling me that you don't go outside as frequently as you should."
"Then consider me blessed," Vincent commented, narrowing his gaze at the woman.
"Uh, that's Vincent's way of saying he's twenty-bah-bah-bah...eight?" Yuffie interjected, stopping the bickering between her two friends. Chailo turned to Yuffie, arching both eyebrows in surprise, and waited for her to explain. Seeing the question in Chailo's deep green eyes, she continued to say, "Well, he would be twenty-eight if it hadn't been for - "
"Yuffie," Vincent growled.
"Something really important and too personal happening in his life," Yuffie said, sighing in relief when he heard a satisfied grunt from Vincent.
"Understandable," Chailo said, placing the basket of fruit onto her arm and preparing to leave.
"Hey, wait, where are you going?" Tifa questioned.
"To eat outside," Chailo answered, hand on the doorknob.
"You can't go out there on your own! WRO guards are trying to sedate you right now," Yuffie tried.
"They are hardly a threat to me, though I am impressed at the coordination this organization has as opposed to Shinra," Chailo commented, seeing a ripe banana tempting her to reach for it.
"About that - " Cid started.
"Why is Shinra after you?" Cloud asked, now interested in the conversation ensuing.
"I refused to partake in his experiments," Chailo answered bluntly and expressionlessly.
"What kind of experiments?" Vincent questioned, watching Chailo's ear twitch as it tuned his voice in.
"Simple ones really. I was asked to interact in Midgar to see how something called Mako reacted with me. The results were...as they said 'a startling feat.' Mako doesn't affect me in any way. I don't have your Mako-blue eyes or enhanced abilities that come from the energy. Under immense exposure, the most that can happen to me is relatively negligible sneezing. Your scientists say you need a Mako suit to enter Midgar; I just need a clean t-shirt. They wanted to gather blood samples from me because of my immunity to create some sort of reducing agent. Shinra wants to make Midgar livable again apparently."
"Well, that doesn't seem too bad, but they could've just as easily built a new living area," Yuffie suggested, frowning at the lack of thought being put in.
"They are building new areas. There's a small suburb for the workers. Tseng lives in that area," Chailo informs. "Shinra's been taking care of his people first to ensure good business."
"Yeah, but still..." Yuffie hummed in suspicion.
"What about Reno? He was searching for you high and low. Got any background info on that?" Tifa asked.
"Reno was used for an experiment also. That theme park that Shinra owns had a match-making service. I was brought there to answer basic questions about myself - most of which I couldn't answer because of my elder's absence. Much like the question you posed about my language. Based on the information I gave, the president began an experiment on my reproductive skills. Reno, though he wasn't told, was ordered to be my mate. Well, more or less..."
"Wait! That's why he kept calling you 'baby' in Mount Corel?" Yuffie questioned in shock.
"No, he never really talked with me. We were living together for about a year until I had enough and decided to stay with my elder. He finally decided to speak to me after I was gone for a month. I don't know where the hell he got 'Shin-chan' or 'baby' from. He always called me by my first name just as you would."
That's bullshit! Tifa thought. And here I was, thinking it would be okay to tell her he loved her and was worried sick. He is getting the worst ass-kicking of his life!
"No other serious experiments were performed on me, I assure you. I refused most of them with exception to the simplest ones. I beg your leave, ladies and gentlemen. I've grown quite hungry," Chailo said, bowing in respect.
"But the guards are trying to sedate you right now!" Yuffie argued.
"You honestly think your sedatives can control me?" Chailo questioned, turning only slightly before opening the door.
"No," a familiar voice sighed. Chailo's eyes widened before she snapped her head around and gasped lightly. Samayo, her long-eared grandfather, was standing before her. Her gaze softened as her ears lowered, and she jumped into his embrace, making him drop the clothes he managed to buy for her. He chuckled deeply, patting his granddaughter's head before saying, "But it stops you from be'ng annoying as c'n be, child."
"Papa," Chailo whimpered, chuckling and smiling softly.
"You eaten, child?" the elder asked, earning a small nod but seeing a lot of fruit still untouched in the basket. "You need eat mo'. You'll be ya pre-Army weight soon if'n ya don' eat like you used ta. Come, we go out," Samayo said cheerfully, taking his granddaughter's hand and pulling her out of the room at last.
"Yuffie's family have told me you were staying with them. How was it?" Chailo asked, reaching into her basket to retrieve a tender, soft peach.
Grandfather and granddaughter were seated at a bench outside in what appeared to be a park. Chailo remembered seeing her grandfather for the first time when she escaped the sister planet that was connected to her home planet by a mysterious outgrowth of trees. She rested her weary head on a bench and wondered what she should do. Being only twelve at the time, her family was scattered all over or possibly dead like her parents. That was when she met Samayo. He had been traveling the streets of the tropical city for hours and saw many newcomers from the sister planet as he passed. Most of them bowed to him in respect, somehow knowing he was the elder of Elezen people, except for this small, saddened child. At first, he merely sat next to her in curiosity and wondered where the child came from. As they sat in silence much like they were now, he grew to respect the child rather than the child respecting him. Samayo chuckled at the memory of little Chailo and turned to the young woman before him. She's gone from a wide-eyed, brave child soldier to a sassy young woman now. He remembered all the times he and Chailo sat in a calm silence outside of a hospital or army base. Not every memory came to him in a flash, but he certainly remembered very many.
"It reminded me of a time when you were away in the army. I wou'd go 'round aksin' where ya be headed. Baby's too young ta be holdin' a gun, sir. I'se gwine ta find my baby," Samayo said, making a comical face.
Chailo laughed with her childlike glee and took a bite out of her peach before saying, "Like that time when I went to Snow Falls?"
Samayo made a hearty chuckle and smiled widely. He said, "Like yar first date? Remember you took ya gun and said, 'Mister, I ain't no fool. I wanna leave out pretty and come back ze same.' I went all ova ta make sure you didn't go out killin' first dates!"
Vincent was as pissed as a maypole. Everyone was on his ass about trying to mend the peace between Chailo and him, but he was just fine with being separated from her. That was when he asked the fabled question, "Is the glutton going to stay with us, too?" He was more pissed at the answer to the question than him asking the question. Vincent was okay with Samayo staying with him because he was an elderly man who has seen many things in his years and could probably produce interesting conversations, but that granddaughter of his was not something he wanted to even deal with - sexy or not. At this point, he didn't even want to learn about the Elezen race, but he needed to know why the WEAPONs were mobilizing and what it had to do with Chailo; if it had anything to do with her at all.
He was walking through the bustling corridors of WRO Headquarters, feeling Chaos react to the woman's new location. He wasn't sure why, but Chaos seemed to know where she was and how close she might be. It was an odd feeling to know that the entity inside of him responds to an alien presence. It almost felt like a lover was searching for his lost beloved; then again, it could be like a killer was searching for his beautiful target. Vincent merely followed Chaos' intuition either way and found the two Elezen laughing together as they sat on a bench. Chailo's hair was long enough to hit the floor, but Samayo was busy braiding it. Vincent mentally agreed with Yuffie's previous comment; Chailo did in fact look like a beautiful tribal princess, and she admitted to the fact that she was. In light of that note, Vincent made a mental reminder to ask Samayo whether he was a king of the Elezen people or just an elder.
