Bright Seraphim
Nine
The phone next to the bed began to ring, jarring Jaz awake. She winced, eventually managed to crawl into a sitting position again, and answered it.
Katie was on the other end. "Jaz?"
"Mmmmph?" Jaz blinked rapidly. Her eyes hurt.
"Jaz, it's almost noon! I was starting to worry..." Katie paused. "Should I be worried?"
"Nugh." With some effort, she looked to the clock on the bedside stand. 11:48. "YAAAAGH!!!"
She hung up the phone.
On the other end, Katie stared at the receiver and sighed. "That didn't answer the question, Jaz."
Jaz and Sephiroth arrived at the dealers' room a little while later. Sephiroth seemed somehow brighter - well-rested, nearly cheerful. He proceeded to play Soul Blade with Jamie and let him win several times in a row.
Jaz, on the other hand, was bordering on miserable. She hadn't slept well at all, after the first few hours, and she had a bit of a hangover.
Katie watched Sephiroth for a few minutes, then turned to Jaz. "What's he so cheery about?"
"I have no idea," Jaz said, rubbing her forehead. "The last thing I remember, Dr. Smith was running toward the Jupiter 2 yelling 'We're Doomed! We're Doomed!'"
Katie's mouth dropped open.
Jaz looked at her from the corner of her eye. "What?"
"You mean... you could've... and you don't remember?"
Jaz raised her fist threateningly. "Cut it out, Katie. And don't yell. Please."
Katie snapped her distressed mouth shut.
"Anyway. You know I wouldn't do that." Jaz stared blankly at the end of the table. Something was tugging at her mind.
"I'm sorry, Jaz," Katie said more quietly. "You know me. My imagination runs wild."
She remembered thinking that she'd heard a woman's voice in the common room last night... "Huh?" Jaz looked at Katie again.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Jaz said, putting her head down again. "Just tired..." She rubbed the back of her head. "And I couldn't find my key card this morning. I'm using the spare. What was in that Pepsi?"
"It was the Klingon with the bad head piece -"
"In the Pepsi?"
Katie stuck out her tongue. "Might as well have been. He smuggled in some Baccardi. I guess I was lucky, I fell asleep after 'The Horns of the Nimon'."
"That's right, you never got to the argument about rubber bats in Dark Shadows," Jaz said, getting up.
"Where are you going?" Katie asked, frowning.
"To the cafe downstairs," Jaz sighed. "I need coffee."
Later in the afternoon, an announcement was made. Due to the severe winter storm conditions, the roads were closed, for use by emergency vehicles only. All those visiting the convention that day were to be put up at the hotel for the night.
"This stinks," Katie commented. "The costume ball's going to be even more packed tonight..."
"I'd nearly forgotten about the snow," Jaz said softly.
"I don't think the snow is why we're stuck here," mumbled a woman studying their selection of used books. She small and thin, almost painfully so, and was dressed as Sailor Moon. Jaz appreciated the detailed costume, but had always thought that most Anime costumes, those of Sailor Moon included, were not meant to be worn by real people. Of course, she decided, she would've said the same thing about Sephiroth...
"It's not?" Katie asked.
"Didn't you know?" The woman sighed. Jaz realized that she was the woman who'd been on the elevator when she and Sephiroth had arrived.
"Know what?" Jaz asked, joining the conversation. She wondered vaguely why she hadn't seen the woman the day before.
"They -" The woman lowered her voice. "They found a body upstairs this morning. Some poor redhead all sliced up. I heard that they took in her boyfriend this morning, but that they're pretty sure it wasn't him." The woman shrugged. "The room was broken in to, and her boyfriend was pretty well witnessed at the movie marathon. Here we are with a hotel full of crazies with edged weapons..."
"Regular needle in a haystack kind of thing," Katie said. "No wonder they've got the place locked down."
"That just about tops off my day," Jaz muttered. "As if things weren't exciting enough already..." "Hey, cheer up," the woman said, handing Katie some bills and a stack of paperbacks. "At least it's unlikely that anything else will happen, with all these cops hanging around."
Jaz looked around the dealers' room and noticed the officers trying to be unobtrusive near the doors. "Yeah, that's good."
Katie waited for the woman to leave before speaking. "Jaz," she whispered. "You don't suppose.. I mean..."
Jaz was in no mood to play. "Spit it out, Katie."
"Maybe that's why he's in such a good mood today," Katie hissed, jerking her head toward Sephiroth. "You heard the story from Jamie about... about his past. And where's your other key card? You said you couldn't find it..."
"I mislaid it, Katie, that's all. People do that sort of thing when they've had more to drink than they should've." Jaz sighed and continued with her last remaining thread of patience, "I may not - I may not remember anything much, but I'm pretty sure that he never left the suite all night, OK?"
Katie raised one eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"
"I'm not stupid, Katie," Jaz sighed. "If I thought for a second that he'd done anything of the sort, he'd be out of here. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am," Katie said, smiling in apology.
Jaz looked over her shoulder at Sephiroth. She was certain that he wouldn't have done any such thing.
She swallowed, suddenly cold, and reminded herself. Certain.
The Masquerade Ball was at nine that night, after the costume contest. Jaz and Katie left Sephiroth in Katie's suite with Jamie - they didn't want to spend very long at the dance, and it would've been unfair to take him to the costume competition.
Jamie had watched Sephiroth's expression as Jaz left to change, and had seen his thoughtful look when Katie had left in her gown. He evidently guessed that some event was going on, in which both Katie and Jaz were involved.
Jamie wanted to go to the Masquerade Ball, and had been told that he was too young to enjoy it. Jamie was an indignant twelve-year old, and Jamie had a plan.
He had his own costume, completed by a grotesque leather goblin mask. Though he was still young for it, Katie and Jamie's costuming sense had taken root in him, and he wanted to go to the dance to see the costumes. His original plan had to been to sneak out alone, using Katie's spare key card - though for some reason, she had specifically warned him not to leave the suite tonight. Now, he had an accomplice, whom he suspected would very much like to see Jaz in her ball gown.
A little while after Katie left, Jamie made a "stay" motion to Sephiroth, and ran into his own room to change. He emerged as a small, black, spiky goblin in a hooded cape.
Luckily, unlike the night before, Sephiroth was still wearing his "costume". That was good, because Jaz had mentioned that she'd lost her key card and was using her spare, so they wouldn't have been able to get into Jaz's suite to retrieve Seph's outfit. As it was, completing Sephiroth's costume for the Masquerade Ball would be easy...
Jamie dug through a box in Katie's room until he found what he was looking for. He raised another leather mask triumphantly above his head - a fearsome black and silver dragon. Jaz and Katie wore leather masks like these too - they'd all been purchased at the same time.
He held out the mask as he approached Sephiroth. "Try this on."
The mask fit; Jamie led Sephiroth to the bathroom mirror to show him.
Sephiroth stared for a moment, then - very slightly - smiled. The black and silver dragon with the long gray-white bangs shadowing its face smiled back.
That was all the signal that Jamie needed. "Come on!" He tugged at Sephiroth's arm until the man followed him back into the common room.
Jamie handed Masamune to him. "Put it back on, quick!" The boy was becoming more enthusiastic about his plan the further it progressed. "We've got to get down there."
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII, its story, and characters (particularly Sephiroth) are the property, copyright and trademark of Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., and no ownership or claim on said property, copyright or trademark is made or implied by their use in the work(s) of fan fiction presented here. This fan fiction constitutes a personal comment on the aforesaid properties pursuant to doctrines of fair use and fair comment. This fan fiction is non-commercial, not for sale or profit, and may not be sold or reproduced for commercial purposes. The same goes for Clock Tower, Tekken 2, Soul Blade, Star Trek, Dark Shadows, Lost in Space, Pepsi, and any other games, television shows, movies, etc. mentioned in this fanfic: all belong to their respective owners. Clock Tower, its story, and characters (particularly Scissorman) are the property, copyright, and trademark of Ascii Entertainment.
Nine
The phone next to the bed began to ring, jarring Jaz awake. She winced, eventually managed to crawl into a sitting position again, and answered it.
Katie was on the other end. "Jaz?"
"Mmmmph?" Jaz blinked rapidly. Her eyes hurt.
"Jaz, it's almost noon! I was starting to worry..." Katie paused. "Should I be worried?"
"Nugh." With some effort, she looked to the clock on the bedside stand. 11:48. "YAAAAGH!!!"
She hung up the phone.
On the other end, Katie stared at the receiver and sighed. "That didn't answer the question, Jaz."
Jaz and Sephiroth arrived at the dealers' room a little while later. Sephiroth seemed somehow brighter - well-rested, nearly cheerful. He proceeded to play Soul Blade with Jamie and let him win several times in a row.
Jaz, on the other hand, was bordering on miserable. She hadn't slept well at all, after the first few hours, and she had a bit of a hangover.
Katie watched Sephiroth for a few minutes, then turned to Jaz. "What's he so cheery about?"
"I have no idea," Jaz said, rubbing her forehead. "The last thing I remember, Dr. Smith was running toward the Jupiter 2 yelling 'We're Doomed! We're Doomed!'"
Katie's mouth dropped open.
Jaz looked at her from the corner of her eye. "What?"
"You mean... you could've... and you don't remember?"
Jaz raised her fist threateningly. "Cut it out, Katie. And don't yell. Please."
Katie snapped her distressed mouth shut.
"Anyway. You know I wouldn't do that." Jaz stared blankly at the end of the table. Something was tugging at her mind.
"I'm sorry, Jaz," Katie said more quietly. "You know me. My imagination runs wild."
She remembered thinking that she'd heard a woman's voice in the common room last night... "Huh?" Jaz looked at Katie again.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Jaz said, putting her head down again. "Just tired..." She rubbed the back of her head. "And I couldn't find my key card this morning. I'm using the spare. What was in that Pepsi?"
"It was the Klingon with the bad head piece -"
"In the Pepsi?"
Katie stuck out her tongue. "Might as well have been. He smuggled in some Baccardi. I guess I was lucky, I fell asleep after 'The Horns of the Nimon'."
"That's right, you never got to the argument about rubber bats in Dark Shadows," Jaz said, getting up.
"Where are you going?" Katie asked, frowning.
"To the cafe downstairs," Jaz sighed. "I need coffee."
Later in the afternoon, an announcement was made. Due to the severe winter storm conditions, the roads were closed, for use by emergency vehicles only. All those visiting the convention that day were to be put up at the hotel for the night.
"This stinks," Katie commented. "The costume ball's going to be even more packed tonight..."
"I'd nearly forgotten about the snow," Jaz said softly.
"I don't think the snow is why we're stuck here," mumbled a woman studying their selection of used books. She small and thin, almost painfully so, and was dressed as Sailor Moon. Jaz appreciated the detailed costume, but had always thought that most Anime costumes, those of Sailor Moon included, were not meant to be worn by real people. Of course, she decided, she would've said the same thing about Sephiroth...
"It's not?" Katie asked.
"Didn't you know?" The woman sighed. Jaz realized that she was the woman who'd been on the elevator when she and Sephiroth had arrived.
"Know what?" Jaz asked, joining the conversation. She wondered vaguely why she hadn't seen the woman the day before.
"They -" The woman lowered her voice. "They found a body upstairs this morning. Some poor redhead all sliced up. I heard that they took in her boyfriend this morning, but that they're pretty sure it wasn't him." The woman shrugged. "The room was broken in to, and her boyfriend was pretty well witnessed at the movie marathon. Here we are with a hotel full of crazies with edged weapons..."
"Regular needle in a haystack kind of thing," Katie said. "No wonder they've got the place locked down."
"That just about tops off my day," Jaz muttered. "As if things weren't exciting enough already..." "Hey, cheer up," the woman said, handing Katie some bills and a stack of paperbacks. "At least it's unlikely that anything else will happen, with all these cops hanging around."
Jaz looked around the dealers' room and noticed the officers trying to be unobtrusive near the doors. "Yeah, that's good."
Katie waited for the woman to leave before speaking. "Jaz," she whispered. "You don't suppose.. I mean..."
Jaz was in no mood to play. "Spit it out, Katie."
"Maybe that's why he's in such a good mood today," Katie hissed, jerking her head toward Sephiroth. "You heard the story from Jamie about... about his past. And where's your other key card? You said you couldn't find it..."
"I mislaid it, Katie, that's all. People do that sort of thing when they've had more to drink than they should've." Jaz sighed and continued with her last remaining thread of patience, "I may not - I may not remember anything much, but I'm pretty sure that he never left the suite all night, OK?"
Katie raised one eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"
"I'm not stupid, Katie," Jaz sighed. "If I thought for a second that he'd done anything of the sort, he'd be out of here. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am," Katie said, smiling in apology.
Jaz looked over her shoulder at Sephiroth. She was certain that he wouldn't have done any such thing.
She swallowed, suddenly cold, and reminded herself. Certain.
The Masquerade Ball was at nine that night, after the costume contest. Jaz and Katie left Sephiroth in Katie's suite with Jamie - they didn't want to spend very long at the dance, and it would've been unfair to take him to the costume competition.
Jamie had watched Sephiroth's expression as Jaz left to change, and had seen his thoughtful look when Katie had left in her gown. He evidently guessed that some event was going on, in which both Katie and Jaz were involved.
Jamie wanted to go to the Masquerade Ball, and had been told that he was too young to enjoy it. Jamie was an indignant twelve-year old, and Jamie had a plan.
He had his own costume, completed by a grotesque leather goblin mask. Though he was still young for it, Katie and Jamie's costuming sense had taken root in him, and he wanted to go to the dance to see the costumes. His original plan had to been to sneak out alone, using Katie's spare key card - though for some reason, she had specifically warned him not to leave the suite tonight. Now, he had an accomplice, whom he suspected would very much like to see Jaz in her ball gown.
A little while after Katie left, Jamie made a "stay" motion to Sephiroth, and ran into his own room to change. He emerged as a small, black, spiky goblin in a hooded cape.
Luckily, unlike the night before, Sephiroth was still wearing his "costume". That was good, because Jaz had mentioned that she'd lost her key card and was using her spare, so they wouldn't have been able to get into Jaz's suite to retrieve Seph's outfit. As it was, completing Sephiroth's costume for the Masquerade Ball would be easy...
Jamie dug through a box in Katie's room until he found what he was looking for. He raised another leather mask triumphantly above his head - a fearsome black and silver dragon. Jaz and Katie wore leather masks like these too - they'd all been purchased at the same time.
He held out the mask as he approached Sephiroth. "Try this on."
The mask fit; Jamie led Sephiroth to the bathroom mirror to show him.
Sephiroth stared for a moment, then - very slightly - smiled. The black and silver dragon with the long gray-white bangs shadowing its face smiled back.
That was all the signal that Jamie needed. "Come on!" He tugged at Sephiroth's arm until the man followed him back into the common room.
Jamie handed Masamune to him. "Put it back on, quick!" The boy was becoming more enthusiastic about his plan the further it progressed. "We've got to get down there."
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII, its story, and characters (particularly Sephiroth) are the property, copyright and trademark of Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., and no ownership or claim on said property, copyright or trademark is made or implied by their use in the work(s) of fan fiction presented here. This fan fiction constitutes a personal comment on the aforesaid properties pursuant to doctrines of fair use and fair comment. This fan fiction is non-commercial, not for sale or profit, and may not be sold or reproduced for commercial purposes. The same goes for Clock Tower, Tekken 2, Soul Blade, Star Trek, Dark Shadows, Lost in Space, Pepsi, and any other games, television shows, movies, etc. mentioned in this fanfic: all belong to their respective owners. Clock Tower, its story, and characters (particularly Scissorman) are the property, copyright, and trademark of Ascii Entertainment.
