Eavesdropping

Anna had for once misjudged the mood of the public, and no one remarked on their re-emergence back onto the terrace, although the arrival of the real heavy hitters might have had something to do with that. Even from half a room away, Scarlet's stare could drill holes. If it had actually been focused on her, maybe it would have.

Sadly, after the early drama, her interest in the ball waned. There was a wealth of information there for those with a keen eye to use it, from Lazard's very long, uncomfortable conversation with the older man with the scar and the blue jacket, to how oddly close Heidegger and Scarlet were standing. But Pearl knew better than to play a game without understanding the rules.

Thankfully, the gardener had kept her word, and anyone that tried to approach her tended to be diverted by a passing caterer unless Pearl deliberately approached them first. Paul the PR Officer was dressed down in an iron grey suit next to a pillar, which her military eye noted as the location with the best sightlines in the room. He was never without company, and his hands and eyes never stopped moving. It was not unlike watching a violinist at work, or Sephiroth in combat. Kevin the scientist was also in a corner, drinking with enough determination that she didn't think he'd thank her for disturbing him. Swift eventually elected to actually make an attempt at doing his job, and wading into these political currents would be a quick way to drown, even if she actually had a reason to do so. Trying to talk to the guards on the gate just raised their hackles, for some reason. Anna went back to circulating, and avoided her for the rest of the night. Her misadventure with the gardener probably had something to do with it.

What all that meant was that there was basically nothing to do at this ball except dodge journalists and a few propositions from those too drunk or shortsighted to notice the gleam in her eyes. There was a wealth of information there, but only for those practiced enough to notice the currents underneath.

She people watched for a while, grazed a bit at the buffet table and then clocked out early. The SOLDIER floor was oddly quiet, so she just went to bed when she got back.

She was almost asleep when Anna's door opened, and the two sets of footsteps entered. Her eyes opened wide as she realised she was going to have to listen to awkward teenager romance all night. Leaving her room would just flag that there was something worth hearing for the other SOLDIER. This impression was not helped by Anna's first words.

"Um, sorry, but I'm going to have to search you…this is a secure floor and all that. I could call someone if you like, but I couldn't keep them quiet about my guest."

"…If you have to."

There was an interlude too brief to be anything other than a professional cursory search, and then footsteps as Anna stood back. "Sorry about that. I'm glad you came to find me, but I have to keep up the protocols."

"In your own room?"

" Yeah…I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I'm standing over here, see?"

"I see." In a tone that made clear he knew how irrelevant that would be if Anna intended him harm.

"Well, what do you want me to do, handcuff myself to the wall?" That would also not impede her much, although Jean the gardener might not know that.

"Gahh… I don't know. I don't know what to think," said Jean the Gardener, and there was a creak of bedsprings as he sat down. "I thought you were dead, I was… hoping you were dead! And then I see you on some SOLDIER recruiting poster next to that boring lady. What else did they do to you, La?"

Anna sighed. "I promise, I'm not going to hurt you. Cross my heart. Well, unless you pull a knife on me or something. But you can walk away if you want. I'll check up to make sure you're safe, but I won't get in contact until you do."

Jean didn't run into her arms, but he didn't leave either. "Can I trust that?"

"Would you believe me if I said yes? What do I do to make you believe I'm me? You want me to talk about the fireplace on the third floor, or my alarm clock theme tune?"

"I don't know. You're still you, but there must be something…I don't know what I'm thinking…you're looking better, anyway. Healthier."

"You really think so? I've been wondering what you guys would make of me these days."

Jean laughed. "La, you are an actual, literal poster girl. You're not allowed be insecure about your appearance."

"Fine…" Anna said, sighing, "Deprive me of my angst. Although I have to admit, it's nice to be able to use the bathroom without mechanical aid now,"

"Whose kidneys are you using?"

Anna didn't hesitate. "Mine. They regenerated. I'd show you that I don't have a surgical scar, but this dress comes off in one piece." A pause, that sounded like it had a smile in it. "Maybe later."

"Um," said Jean, and there was another creak of bedsprings as he sprang up.

"Whoawhoawhoa, I'm still standing over here, calm down. I'm not holding you prisoner, that door doesn't even lock from this side. Although, if anyone asks, you should probably say that this is a whimsical one night stand. Most people wouldn't question it, although you might get letters asking for my measurements and things."

"What? Why?"

"Well, you've been alone in my room for more than a minute, my fanclub's already coming up with names for the kids."

"Um…"

"Well, the other option is to not interact at all, this way gives you an excuse to walk away if you want. It's the best I can do."

"Okay…"He still seemed nervous, but less on the verge of flight now. "So, um, how've you been?"

"Pretty good. How's everyone back home?"

"Okay. Lot of the old gang has left, I hung around to help with the gardens."

"That's how you got into the ball, right?"

"Yeah…you can't really garden in Midgar, doesn't mean people won't pay you to try."

"Nice racket."

There was a silence, probably occupied by some kind of gesture.

Then, without changing tone at all, Anna asked, "So, still love me?"

"Of course! That is, if you are still you…"

"You still think I have a control chip?"

"Well, it would make sense…"

Anna said nothing. The strongest argument against that was Genesis' rebellion, but she wasn't authorised to talk about that to a civilian –'militant cosplayer' on the SOLDIER floor was a joke, but it was also a code. This was turning out to be more compelling than Pearl had expected, although maybe that didn't say much about her strength of character.

"Okay," Anna said quietly. "I guess I can't prove it to you. Better make the most of this conversation while it lasts, then. Anything you want to know from me?"

"Um…is the orange hair a side effect of SOLDIER treatment?"

Anna cracked up. "No, I just felt like a change. Good to see you have your priorities straight. Uh… assuming you do want to make this more than a one night thing, there's a couple of things I should mention. Associating with me might make you a target for AVALANCHE or Wutai hardliners, or my fanclub. It's not likely-I'm a bit low on the pecking order to be targeted, but too powerful to mess with on a whim. But if it happens, and you get kidnapped by a dragon or something, I'll do everything I can to get you back… but I will not be blackmailed into doing something for the kidnappers. Maybe not the most romantic thing to say right now, but I won't lie to you either."

"I appreciate that, La, Truly. You're being… treated okay? Feeling okay?"

"Yeah, everyone's being pretty nice to me so far. Even when they shouldn't. Did you have any trouble getting in?"

"Nah, I saw nobody."

"They must be avoiding you on purpose, then. Letting us be alone. No way no one noticed, we're all pretty alert."

"Uhm…" Long silence.

"What are you thinking, J- Jean?"

"Trying to decide what to believe."

"There's- There's, no need to decide right away, you know. Stay around a while, see what you make of me and the rest of the gang. You'll be safe, I promise."

"I'll… think about it."

"Thanks."

There was some more small talk and stories from the past, but nothing much she understood, especially as they lapsed into Mideel dialect, difficult to penetrate at the best of times. Eventually, Jean stood to leave, and Ursula took a few steps, probably catching his arm or shoulder or something.

"One hug? In case you don't come back?"

A moment of silence, and then a different quality of silence. It was easy to imagine them, Anna aching to squeeze tight but not daring to scare him, Jean shivering like a rabbit, but not quite wanting to leave.

…Maybe she was more invested than she'd thought.

The silence stretched for some little time, and then Jean must have jerked away. "I'm sorry, La… those eyes… It… It… Well, I usually see them on monsters."

Under the circumstances, Ursula responded quite well. She was very quiet for a few seconds, and then said "You can find your own way out, right?"

"I'll be okay. I'm… sorry, if that's any use."

"Not really, Jean."

"Yeah, I understand."

He left without hesitating, and then punched the wall outside. Not being a SOLDIER, this was swiftly followed by a yelp and a lot of cursing.

000000

A short time later, the knock came at her door. Pearl opened it expecting Anna, and almost shut it in Jean's face. She stared at him a few moments in sheer disbelief at his gall. She knew SOLDIERs that would have left him with broken bones after what had just happened, why was he still here?

She took a moment to calculate the politics-inviting him in would cause the rumour mill to explode even if she had the slightest inclination to, but kicking him out might make Anna think she had something to hide. So she stood in the doorway and said "What do you want?"

Jean hesitated, scrubbing at his hair. "Um…I fucked up. I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Is there some reason I should?"

"Um, well, I said something…insensitive, and I was wondering if you had ideas on how to make it up to her."

Pearl growled mentally. This had happened before from time to time, being the sole woman in garrisons somehow made people think they could go to her for relationship advice about people she had never met and knew nothing about. But she held her poker face, mostly out of habit, and said

"So you can trick your way into her good graces?"

"So my last memory of her doesn't leave a scar."

"And what, you saw a sign on my door with 'Pearl Matheson: Free relationship advice' written on it?"

"No, but-"

"How long have you known her?"

"Umm…thirteen years?"

"How long have I known her?"

"Um…"

"A few months, at best. Why would I have anything to add? There's no giant feminine hivemind I can tap into to give relationship advice, and if there was, why would I?"

She shut the door, not mentioning the other reason. If you haven't grasped the 'don't mention bestiality on a first date' rule, you're beyond helping.

"Thanks." Anna said, through the wall, after a while.

Pearl blinked. "What for?"

"Helping me out with that."

"Helping you? Hard as it is to believe, I don't actually care about your sex life. I just don't like the guy."

"Hmm… that is difficult to believe. Lately, the only person I meet that doesn't care about who I'm sleeping with, or around, or within a hundred miles of, is me."

"Mmm. Know the feeling."

"…Think he'll come back?"

Pearl shrugged, then remembered, and said "Dunno. You want him to?"

Anna said nothing. Pearl sighed mentally. If she was a decent judge, she wouldn't be free of having to listen to teen romance through the walls just yet.

Not my best work, I know. Completely arbitrary deadline crept up on me. Please review, compliments are not compulsory