+++++++
"And this would be the cafeteria." Zack motioned a hand around the room. "It's empty now, obviously, but at lunch time, it's packed." He turned back towards Aeris. "Oh, and if you ever eat anything here and feel a pain surging through your body, chances are you've been poisoned. Just tell me or Seph and we'll try to heal you."
"What?"
He smiled. "It was a joke, hun. Relax." Aeris watched as he came closer, his hands landing gently on her shoulders. "You're not nervous about being here, are you?"
She turned to stare him in the face. "Not really..."
"So you are nervous, just not a lot?" Zack smirked.
Aeris gave a withering smile, then grabbed his arm, urging him to show her the rest of the camp.
Letter opener. Where was it?
Sephiroth searched through the drawers on either side of him, pulling old papers onto the floor for later shredding. He was going to file all of the older documents...just not today.
"Where are you?"
No reply.
"Come out here right this instant or..."
Wonderful. Not only was he talking to an inanimate object, he was threatening it, too. He couldn't deny it anymore; some of Zack's idiosyncrasies had rubbed off. Sephiroth shuddered and pushed that thought aside, again focusing on finding his letter opener.
He did have one... Or maybe he had borrowed one from someone and just recently gave it back. Or maybe someone stole it. The general sighed and attempted to open the envelope with his gloved hand. By the time he finished, the entire envelope was frayed, with a huge tear running from the top of the flap and ending diagonally across the front.
"I swear they use cement to close these things," he grumbled, unfolding the letter that was inside.
He skimmed through its contents, which didn't take much time, for there was only four sentences. The general rolled his eyes in disgust. "They interrupt my training to tell me the mission to Nibleheim has been delayed? ...And waste a perfectly good piece of paper in the process. For Godssakes..." He crumpled the letter into a tight wad and threw it behind his back, then rested his head on his hand.
Blue digital numbers flared 6:07.
"Already?" he questioned groggily, directing all of his attention to the clock on his desk.
6:08.
Knowing Zack, he would meet Sephiroth at his door, which didn't give him much time to change out of his uniform. The general snatched a dark grey shirt and black pants from his closet and put them on. It always felt weird without the shoulder guards weighing him down and it took Sephiroth a minute to adjust.
6:23. Still no knock.
Maybe he could beat Zack for once and arrive at his door before he barged into Sephiroth's home. Smiling smugly, the general flung the door open and hurriedly took a step forward.
"Ready?"
Sephiroth tripped a little trying not to run into Zack, who had parked himself right outside the apartment. He took a deep breath in, attempting to keep his surprise to himself. "Sometimes I think you're stalking me."
Zack merely grinned in response and walked backwards, allowing Sephiroth to turn around and lock his door. When he faced them, Aeris smiled and waved in greeting from behind her boyfriend, to which Sephiroth nodded.
"Let's go," said Zack. "Reservations are for 7:00!" He led Aeris down the hallway and the general followed.
Zack was dressed well, but the outfit had been tailored to his liking; the pants a little baggy and the jacket unbuttoned. Aeris had on a dark violet dress with lilac trim on the sleeves.
Sephiroth smiled slightly.
She looked nice.
...Considering she was from the Slums, of course.
Sephiroth stared at the couple in front of him, particularly Aeris. She seemed pleasant enough. At least she spoke in full sentences and didn't wear thigh-high leather boots... The general cringed involuntarily, remembering the last girl his comrade was...'in love' with. Zack did do his share of comparison shopping before he found Aeris, but at least he found her. She was someone Sephiroth could tolerate.
"Whose car are we taking?" Aeris questioned as they approached the garage.
"I'll drive," Zack offered, pulling his keys from his jacket. He went ahead of them, leading the way to his vehicle.
"Didn't they revoke your license after the incident with the ice cream truck?" Sephiroth asked.
Zack unlocked the doors and everyone got in. "Well...yeah...but now that eight months are up, I got it back!"
An uneasy silence ensued. Judging by the way Aeris fiddled with the hem on her dress, she hadn't been informed of the car accident. The event actually made it into the newspaper, but only because of the argument Zack put up. He claimed that the accident wasn't his fault, that the ice cream man was asking to be rammed because of the annoying "Pop Goes the Weasel" melody the truck played incessantly. ...Zack ended up losing the court battle, but he cut out the tiny newspaper article and stuck it in his scrapbook anyway.
Sephiroth shrugged carelessly. "I'd offer to drive, but I really don't want to deal with the lunatics on the road..." He paused and smiled slightly, realizing he was letting another lunatic on the loose. "So...go ahead, Zack. Knock yourself out."
Aeris muttered, "Famous last words..." and dug her nails into the seat cushion as they sped off.
The evening progressed smoothly. Zack led the conversation, but Aeris would occasionally throw a question Sephiroth's way. Both Zack and Aeris felt guilty for not paying him more attention, yet he didn't seem to mind and they had a lot to catch up on.
When the main course came, the table grew completely silent. Everyone was too absorbed in their meal to carry on the discussion. Sephiroth noted Zack glance at Aeris' plate and knew it was only a matter of time before he requested a taste.
"Can I have a shrimp?" Zack questioned.
Like clockwork.
"Oh, sure." She brought her plate closer to him and he picked one up.
He stared at the cold shrimp, flipping it over again and again. When the inspection failed, Zack exchanged the small marine animal for another, bringing strange looks from Aeris. He nodded to himself, proud with his selection, and proceeded to fling the shrimp at the general.
Fwap. Sephiroth's head jerked up upon impact. A confused expression painted his face as he picked the flying food off of the table. "What was that for?"
"No reason, really. Just always wanted to do that."
Zack heard Sephiroth mumble something incoherently. It sounded angry, but he quickly eliminated the fact that it could be an obscene word, as he'd never heard the general swear.
"Didn't mean to piss you off," he apologized.
Sephiroth answered him with an eyebrow raise.
"Okay, so I did wanna piss you off, but you don't have to take it so hard."
"......"
"Lighten up, you're not on the base anymore." He grinned and gave Sephiroth a friendly push. The general let his body sway, exaggerating his annoyance. A giggle escaped Aeris.
"Forgive me. Next time, I'll introduce the shrimp to my steak and then leave them alone so they may get better acquainted."
She smiled, watching him wave the shrimp near Zack's face. They were just like children. While Zack was more outspoken than Sephiroth, the general seemed to encourage his antics.
"So..." started Zack, snatching the shrimp from Sephiroth's hand. "Who's paying the bill?"
Dropping the phone on its receiver, Aeris stretched lazily, then turned over. Leave it to Zack to call her at 7:00 in the morning. He didn't disturb her for nothing, of course. He invited her to breakfast in the cafeteria, and although she wasn't thrilled about having to meet him in fifteen minutes, she agreed.
Aeris groaned, forcing herself to sit up and shake off the sleep. "Ten minutes," she sighed, rechecking the clock on her night stand. She hurried in and out of the bathroom, grabbed a matching outfit from her suitcase, put it on, and stepped out the door.
Standing right across from her apartment was General Sephiroth, a stack of papers in his hands.
"Good morning, Miss Gainsborough," he greeted upon seeing her. "Come here, please." Sephiroth motioned for the young woman.
Aeris smiled warmly and walked over to him...only to be rewarded with a sharp strike of his hand to her face.
She stumbled, but the wall kept her from falling over completely. "What I do?!" she screeched, greatly offended and confused by his actions.
"Passed the test," he replied simply, directing his attention to the note pad nestled in his arm.
Tears threatened to stream down her face, but she held them back, not wanting Sephiroth to feel she would be easy to push around. "That hurt!" she shouted, informing him of what he probably knew due to the loud crack that had resounded. Aeris rubbed the burning skin on her cheek, which only made it feel worse. She walked back over to the general, a murderous look on her bright red face. "Being struck is a test?" she huffed, lowering her hand.
"Yes. If you had lashed out at me, then you might not obey orders on the battlefield."
Quizzical eyes met stoic ones.
"You had a very good answer, what did you do," he said, his tone taking a drastic change. "I am always correct during battle. Do not question my orders."
He was a perfect gentleman last night, she thought. Why is he being so moody? "What if I have a better idea than what you suggest?" she asked, knowing it would only anger him further.
"That's never happened... And I don't believe it will start with you." He ignored the sneer she gave in response and continued. "I can't have you running around unsupervised while Zack is on duty. I've taken the liberty of signing you up for a few classes."
"What kind of classes?" she asked suspiciously.
"Battle training, of course," he snorted, annoyed with her naiveté. Sephiroth handed her the papers he had been carrying and proceeded to turn and begin hastily down the hallway. "Training begins at five a.m. tomorrow," he yelled.
Aeris tilted her head to watch him leave, a sigh escaping her lips. It was only seven o' clock and by the way he acted towards her, she decided he was not a morning person. Her hand fumbled absently, trying to find the handle to her apartment without help from her eyes.
Sephiroth continued on his way, not wanting to look back. Maybe he was too harsh... No, authority had to be established in the beginning. Between classes they could be friendly, but during training he was the teacher and she was the student.
Nothing more.
Hmm...Aeris doesn't want to be pushed around, but Seph wants control over her. That could pose a problem. ^^;
Ch 3 - Breakfast conversation! Aeris starts her training and bonds with a few of the other trainees! o.O; Ah, what fun!
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