Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Square characters who are either main characters in this fic, or who might pop up from time to time. So please don't bother to sue me, all you would really get of any worth is my cat so....(^^);; But Lianna Astarte is copyrighted to me. So please, don't take advatage of the poor girl...
Eien no Kanjou
He sat in silence, darkness his only companion. Perhaps it had always been this way, maybe, it was only a dream. Òmaybe,Ó he thought/spoke Òthere is no ÔmeÕ? do i even have a name?Ó He tried to think back, back to a time when there was more than the silence and the darkness. And it came; a spell, anguish, the self loathing, death, life and death again, anger, denial, being sent away, then, the silence. He was here for what he had done and here he would remain for an eternity. The void was torn by the sound of an undying manÕs scream.
I sat pawing through a pile of what can only be described as miscellaneous stuff near the door of my closet. Amidst the jumble a plastic card shone. I picked it up and read the inscription.
Name: Lianna Astarte
Sex: Female
Date of birth: March 26, 1982
Blood type: unknown
Height:5Õ 2Ó
Hair: Auburn/silver
Eyes: green, w/o pupils
Race: Elven/Mystik
It went on, seeing how it was MY card and IÕd be rather dense not to know something that I had told the person who had made the card, I ignored the rest and flipped it into the pile of Ôthings to keepÕ. I then turned and eyed the closet, it had to be opened and cleaned, thoroughly. This was something I loathed. For you see, I donÕt have an ordinary closet, I move around too much for that. My closet is dimensional, meaning it consists of a pocket dimension that I had created through magick. It also means that itÕs a pain in the ass to clean out. But, I hadnÕt cleaned the damn thing out in over three years, so it was well overdue. I sighed, rolled up my sleeves, opened the door and stepped through the threshold. All the while muttering the access spell to the deeper reaches of the closet.
There was nothing. This caused me to blink. There had to be something! This was my closet and by the gods I knew I was a pack rat. Mayhap I misspoke the incantation? I mused. Then in the back something moved. Curious I walked toward the mass, only slightly wary to possible danger.
The something was a person. A male person at that, his hair was a dull tangled mass of grey, but underneath the grime and, blood, his face was young and the eyes, though wild, were bright and fiery with intelligence. As I sat there staring he turned to look at me, no, more through me.
ÒDamn,Ó his voice was gravely, apparently with disuse, ÒIÕve been in here too long. Starting to hallucinate elves. And elves in jeans at that. How utterly ludicrous.Ó
Ò!?!Ó A strangled sound of incredulity was all I could manage. The man just stared at me and sighed.
ÒDonÕt look so offended. YouÕre a just hallucination. Now IÕd appreciate it if youÕd just disappear and leave me to my regularly scheduled eternal isolation.Ó
This is where I, to put it nicely, blew up in his face. ÒLook buddy I donÕt know who the fuck you are, but I am not a hallucination. So shove off! For that matter, what the hell happened to my closet?Ó
He blinked once, twice, it seemed he actually saw me now. ÒC--loset?Ó
ÒYes you fecking idiot! MY CLOSET! Where the hell is it?!?Ó I railed at him. He looked confused, unsure and quite possibly annoyed.
ÒDonÕt call me an idiot, you cracked out wench of an illusion!Ó He glared at me, and I just stood and glared back. He looked like he was going to spit, but started to cough instead. It was then I noticed his face was streaked with blood and he looked rather pallid, as if he hadnÕt seen the sun in...eons. ÒNow leave...Ó Even though it sounded rusty with disuse, his voice had an air of authority to it.
Sighing, I walked over to him. At first he just stared at me, but the closer I came to him the more fear showed in his eyes. As I came to a halt next to him he cringed and let out a small whimper. ÒOi....shizuka ni,Ó I knelt beside him and he flinched, scooting away from me. ÒIÕm not going to hurt you, all right?Ó His eyes never left the floor ÒIf you let me, IÕll try to get you out.Ó At that comment he looked up at me, disbelief shining in his bright aqua eyes. At that moment, my heart went out to him. I held my hand out to him. He merely stared. ÒCome on...Ó I touched his arm softly, he stared at my hand as if it were an ineffable message from the gods.
ÒYou.....youÕre......real?Ó As he spoke his eyes wandered until they were staring straight into my own. The hope in them was overwhelming, but underneath there was a deep pain, a pain that bespoke millennia of suffering.
I sighed, ÒHai, weÕve been over this before. IÕm real, or as real as real gets since itÕs all pretty subjective.Ó I shrugged and he just blinked. ÒGomen, I babble too much at times. Now, letÕs get you out of here!Ó I stood up and held out a hand to him. ÒCome on, letÕs go.Ó I helped him to his feet, and he stood and wavered like a sapling in a gale. I heard him curse beneath his breath. ÒHavenÕt walked in a while then eh lad?Ó His only response was a low, rumbling growl and a few wavery steps forward. I drug him the rest of the way to the portal then gently nudged him out. As he stepped out he stumbled into a pile of....well.....random junk is the best that can be said for it. And I, in course, tripped over him.
ÒI---tai~!Ó I muttered and regained my feet. I looked to him. ÒAre you, all right?Ó He groaned, scrunched up his eyes then looked around. After a few blinks he went wide eyed.
ÒI--is this....real?Ó he whispered in a voice approaching awe. I just looked at him with what had to be a puzzled look on my face. It was then that he collapsed. I took the time to blink several times before sighing and dragging his battered body into the bathroom.
ÒWell, letÕs see, heÕs got numerous cuts, bruises, split ends and he smells kinda funny.... So I guess IÕll stick him in the bath and see what happens.Ó I sighed and turned on the bath water, making sure it kept luke warm. He didnÕt look like he was ready for a nice steamy bath. After casting a quick levitation spell on him and moving his comatose body into the tub I rolled up my sleeves and grabbed a sponge. As I scrubbed away at the dirt and grime I noticed that his hair wasnÕt gray with age. It was a fine burnished silver that practically glowed in the water. I was so tempted to just sit there stroking it, making sure it was real. Then he groaned and thrashed about for a second before lapsing back into oblivion. Gods, the poor thing must have some major issues... I thought as I finished washing him. Although I must confess I did... spend quite some time contemplating a certain area of his anatomy. After fifteen minutes of scrubbing and turning him over. He was clean and surprisingly scar free. Casting another levitation spell on him , I floated his inert body into the nearest bedroom. Said bedroom being my own. After gently laying him down on the bed, I tucked him in and padded softly out of the room.
A while later I heard a muffled yell from the direction of my room. As I ran to the room I was knocked over by the young man. We both collapsed to the floor with audible ÒoofsÓ. After a moment of rubbing me bum I looked at him. He stared back with eyes half mad. ÒEh...are....are you all right?Ó I asked as I scooched back a bit.
ÒWhere.....the hell am I???Ó He asked, moving as if to grab me by the collar of my shirt. I ducked out of the way and scrambled to my feet.
Looking down at him I answered, ÒYouÕre in my house....itÕs...on a planet called earth. And...IÕm Lianna. I pulled you out of that place, and if I were going to hurt you....I would have done so already.Ó He blinked and seemed to be processing this gout of information.
ÒSo...IÕm not....in...there any more?Ó he asked, and in response I shook my head. He smiled, looking like quite the stoner, and proceeded to pass out again. I swear to the gods, if I could have sweat dropped, I would have then and there. As I sat looking at him, his face relaxed into a calm repose. Much like a small child who knows the night-lightÕs on and that mom and dad are right down the hall.... I couldnÕt help but smile a bit. Dragging him off to bed once more, I thought. Why the hell was he in that....that... place? With a gentle sigh I heaved him into bed for the second time that day. Sitting there gently stroking his hair I looked upon his sleeping face with some bemusement.
After that incident, the evening went rather quietly. He being knocked out and I writing a paper for class. Around three in the morning I decided to call the damn thing good and have done with it. With nary a half-cognizant thought floating through my mind I toddled down the hall and to my bedroom. Halfway there I realized that I had a ÒguestÓ and grumbling I made my way back out to the living room, and the couch that would serve as a bed for the remainder of the night. Curling up with a throw I briefly wondered if I had gotten myself into more than was healthy, yet that train of thought was quickly derailed in favor of sleep and the proddings of dreams.
The first thing that I saw upon awakening was a pair of brilliant aqua eyes about four inches from my face. What I felt up my nose had to be the hair belonging to the owner of said eyes. This, was mildly disconcerting.
I shot up and scooted as far into the corner of the couch as I could. He took a step or so back, then we blinked at each other. ÒGood...morning?Ó I made it a question, he acknowledged with a nod. Rubbing the sleep out of one eye I looked up at him, ÒAnd...exactly what time of morning would this be?Ó
ÒOh, itÕs a little late. Around six thirty the last time I looked.Ó My eyes bulged and he blinked. ÒWhat?Ó
I will not kill him, I will not kill him. I repeated the mantra a few more times, making fair sure that my response wouldnÕt be to strangle him. ÒI went to bed about three hours ago. Therefore, at this point in time/space, six thirty is in no way, shape, or form late.Ó He had the good grace to look slightly abashed. I sighed and looked out the window, the day was gorgeous. Middle of summer, skies a rich blue reminiscent of lapis lazuli, with little puffy clouds floating in it. There was a light breeze blowing through the trees outside, I turned back to him smiling. He looked mildly confused. ÒAh well, I guess IÕm up,Ó I stood up stretching a bit before catching his gaze again. ÒSo, you do have a name donÕt you?Ó
He looked lost in thought for a bit, mulling over the object of my question. ÒI... think itÕs Sephiroth, although, damned if I can remember a surname of any sort.Ó His face was a study of disappointment and mild anger.
I looked up at him, a grin playing itÕs way across my visage, ÒItÕs all right, I didnÕt have a name of any sort until I was about 13.Ó He blinked and shot me a mildly confused look. I grinned, ÒI was a lab experiment, bred to kill and be used. As I wasnÕt human and what-not. Was pretty good at the whole killing thing, wasnÕt to keen on the whole being a non-person thing and discovered I really like chocolate. Anyway, Darrion owned the company that had created me, and wasnÕt too happy about their treatment of me, so he took me home gave me a name and shipped me off to school. ItÕs been all right all in all. ÔCept that one time I snapped...but thatÕs neither here nor there.Ó He stared at me wide eyed, disbelief and shock flitting across his face.
Shaking his head, he returned his gaze to the ground, apparently caught deep in thought. Waiting for him to talk I turned my attention to the window, and the world that lay outside it. He had apparently let one of my cats out, as a small orange puffball was busy chasing a butterfly through the yard. ÒSo, what would you like for breakfast?Ó
He looked at me, seemingly confused before he shook his head and replied, ÒI donÕt really know, itÕs been awhile since IÕve had to think about what to eat.Ó I watched him contemplate my question with amusement.
ÒYou donÕt have to answer right away, in fact, how about I show you the kitchen and let you poke around until you find something you want. Just make it breakfast food, I canÕt stomach much else first thing in the morning.Ó He nodded, grinning, and gestured for me to lead the way. I became rather self conscious, as I was wearing nothing but an oversized tee-shirt and yesterdays socks. Sometimes, going commando blows.
As we made our way to the kitchen he paused, looking at one of the bookcases lining the hallway. ÒIs all this yours?Ó I raised an eyebrow, he continued, Òthis house, these things...all this...is it yours?Ó I nodded. ÒAnd you live here by yourself?Ó I nodded again, not quite sure where he was going with this. ÒI guess we are quite a bit alike...Ó He trailed off and didnÕt respond to my gesture to continue. Instead he just grinned and waved his hand. Shrugging, I padded into the kitchen.
I thanked the goddess that I had been lazy enough to leave my socks on last night, as IÕm sure the cold tile would have been a shock to my system. Hopping onto one of the counters, I gestured to the cabinets and fridge. ÒGo to it.Ó
Still with a smile grazing his face he turned to the cabinets, going through them one by one and occasionally asking questions as to what was in the various cans and boxes. In the end he settled on Lucky Charms, toast, a couple bagels, a banana and whole lot of peanut butter. ÒGods, are you sure you can eat all that?Ó I queried around a mouthful of toast.
The look he gave me was highly entertaining and rather hard to describe, it was somewhere between incredulity and irksomeness with a twinge of something that I couldnÕt really touch on. ÒI could eat alot more than this, but I thought IÕd restrain myself for your sake.Ó I went wide-eyed and a little twitchy. He smirked and attempted a chortle, but was thwarted by the orange juice he was attempting to swallow. The juice splattered onto the bagels and i lost it, nearly falling off the counter in fits of giggles. Trying hard to pull off the whole cat-like Òwhat?Ó attitude, he failed and joined me.
After a good ten minutes of laughter filled glee he stopped and turned thoughtfully back to his food. I chalked it all up to too little sleep and a bit of shock, and went to rummage in the freezer for the coffee beans I knew resided there. Peeking through the various trays of ice cubes and containers of ice cream, I happened upon the coffee beans. Mmm, Jamaica Blue Mountain... Had I had less control, I might have wound up drooling on the bag of beans. Instead, I bounced happily across the kitchen to my coffee grinder.
ÒWhat are you bouncing over?Ó he asked, head cocked slightly to the side. I held the bag towards him, big toothy grin plastered across my face. He paused to read then, ÒYou get this excited over coffee?Ó I nodded enthusiastically, dumping an amount of beans into the grinder. He shook his head and turned his attention to the toaster. The coffee having finished being ground, then went into the coffee maker along with some water. Turning the machine on, I then toddled toward the fridge again. As I passed Sephiroth I noticed he was once again lost in thought, totally immersed in his inner worlds. I sighed, this was going to be difficult to deal with, and there was still. the question of where he was from, among other things.
ÒHey, would you like some coffee when itÕs done?Ó I asked, resisting the urge to poke him to get his attention. He slowly turned to me, his eyes seemingly having some difficulty focusing on me for a moment.
That moment having passed he responded with a thoroughly articulate, ÒHuh?Ó I calmly repeated the question, to which he responded with a shrug and a, ÒSure...Ó Smiling, I grabbed the cream and Irish cream, mugs, and various other liquors. Humming softly, I arranged the bottles on the counter waiting for the coffee to percolate. The old school percolating coffee machines are the coolest....they just have a very distinctive morning sound. Perfect for waking up. Which was something that I needed deserately. ÔMust question, boy. But first, coffee....Õ
Eien no Kanjou
He sat in silence, darkness his only companion. Perhaps it had always been this way, maybe, it was only a dream. Òmaybe,Ó he thought/spoke Òthere is no ÔmeÕ? do i even have a name?Ó He tried to think back, back to a time when there was more than the silence and the darkness. And it came; a spell, anguish, the self loathing, death, life and death again, anger, denial, being sent away, then, the silence. He was here for what he had done and here he would remain for an eternity. The void was torn by the sound of an undying manÕs scream.
I sat pawing through a pile of what can only be described as miscellaneous stuff near the door of my closet. Amidst the jumble a plastic card shone. I picked it up and read the inscription.
Name: Lianna Astarte
Sex: Female
Date of birth: March 26, 1982
Blood type: unknown
Height:5Õ 2Ó
Hair: Auburn/silver
Eyes: green, w/o pupils
Race: Elven/Mystik
It went on, seeing how it was MY card and IÕd be rather dense not to know something that I had told the person who had made the card, I ignored the rest and flipped it into the pile of Ôthings to keepÕ. I then turned and eyed the closet, it had to be opened and cleaned, thoroughly. This was something I loathed. For you see, I donÕt have an ordinary closet, I move around too much for that. My closet is dimensional, meaning it consists of a pocket dimension that I had created through magick. It also means that itÕs a pain in the ass to clean out. But, I hadnÕt cleaned the damn thing out in over three years, so it was well overdue. I sighed, rolled up my sleeves, opened the door and stepped through the threshold. All the while muttering the access spell to the deeper reaches of the closet.
There was nothing. This caused me to blink. There had to be something! This was my closet and by the gods I knew I was a pack rat. Mayhap I misspoke the incantation? I mused. Then in the back something moved. Curious I walked toward the mass, only slightly wary to possible danger.
The something was a person. A male person at that, his hair was a dull tangled mass of grey, but underneath the grime and, blood, his face was young and the eyes, though wild, were bright and fiery with intelligence. As I sat there staring he turned to look at me, no, more through me.
ÒDamn,Ó his voice was gravely, apparently with disuse, ÒIÕve been in here too long. Starting to hallucinate elves. And elves in jeans at that. How utterly ludicrous.Ó
Ò!?!Ó A strangled sound of incredulity was all I could manage. The man just stared at me and sighed.
ÒDonÕt look so offended. YouÕre a just hallucination. Now IÕd appreciate it if youÕd just disappear and leave me to my regularly scheduled eternal isolation.Ó
This is where I, to put it nicely, blew up in his face. ÒLook buddy I donÕt know who the fuck you are, but I am not a hallucination. So shove off! For that matter, what the hell happened to my closet?Ó
He blinked once, twice, it seemed he actually saw me now. ÒC--loset?Ó
ÒYes you fecking idiot! MY CLOSET! Where the hell is it?!?Ó I railed at him. He looked confused, unsure and quite possibly annoyed.
ÒDonÕt call me an idiot, you cracked out wench of an illusion!Ó He glared at me, and I just stood and glared back. He looked like he was going to spit, but started to cough instead. It was then I noticed his face was streaked with blood and he looked rather pallid, as if he hadnÕt seen the sun in...eons. ÒNow leave...Ó Even though it sounded rusty with disuse, his voice had an air of authority to it.
Sighing, I walked over to him. At first he just stared at me, but the closer I came to him the more fear showed in his eyes. As I came to a halt next to him he cringed and let out a small whimper. ÒOi....shizuka ni,Ó I knelt beside him and he flinched, scooting away from me. ÒIÕm not going to hurt you, all right?Ó His eyes never left the floor ÒIf you let me, IÕll try to get you out.Ó At that comment he looked up at me, disbelief shining in his bright aqua eyes. At that moment, my heart went out to him. I held my hand out to him. He merely stared. ÒCome on...Ó I touched his arm softly, he stared at my hand as if it were an ineffable message from the gods.
ÒYou.....youÕre......real?Ó As he spoke his eyes wandered until they were staring straight into my own. The hope in them was overwhelming, but underneath there was a deep pain, a pain that bespoke millennia of suffering.
I sighed, ÒHai, weÕve been over this before. IÕm real, or as real as real gets since itÕs all pretty subjective.Ó I shrugged and he just blinked. ÒGomen, I babble too much at times. Now, letÕs get you out of here!Ó I stood up and held out a hand to him. ÒCome on, letÕs go.Ó I helped him to his feet, and he stood and wavered like a sapling in a gale. I heard him curse beneath his breath. ÒHavenÕt walked in a while then eh lad?Ó His only response was a low, rumbling growl and a few wavery steps forward. I drug him the rest of the way to the portal then gently nudged him out. As he stepped out he stumbled into a pile of....well.....random junk is the best that can be said for it. And I, in course, tripped over him.
ÒI---tai~!Ó I muttered and regained my feet. I looked to him. ÒAre you, all right?Ó He groaned, scrunched up his eyes then looked around. After a few blinks he went wide eyed.
ÒI--is this....real?Ó he whispered in a voice approaching awe. I just looked at him with what had to be a puzzled look on my face. It was then that he collapsed. I took the time to blink several times before sighing and dragging his battered body into the bathroom.
ÒWell, letÕs see, heÕs got numerous cuts, bruises, split ends and he smells kinda funny.... So I guess IÕll stick him in the bath and see what happens.Ó I sighed and turned on the bath water, making sure it kept luke warm. He didnÕt look like he was ready for a nice steamy bath. After casting a quick levitation spell on him and moving his comatose body into the tub I rolled up my sleeves and grabbed a sponge. As I scrubbed away at the dirt and grime I noticed that his hair wasnÕt gray with age. It was a fine burnished silver that practically glowed in the water. I was so tempted to just sit there stroking it, making sure it was real. Then he groaned and thrashed about for a second before lapsing back into oblivion. Gods, the poor thing must have some major issues... I thought as I finished washing him. Although I must confess I did... spend quite some time contemplating a certain area of his anatomy. After fifteen minutes of scrubbing and turning him over. He was clean and surprisingly scar free. Casting another levitation spell on him , I floated his inert body into the nearest bedroom. Said bedroom being my own. After gently laying him down on the bed, I tucked him in and padded softly out of the room.
A while later I heard a muffled yell from the direction of my room. As I ran to the room I was knocked over by the young man. We both collapsed to the floor with audible ÒoofsÓ. After a moment of rubbing me bum I looked at him. He stared back with eyes half mad. ÒEh...are....are you all right?Ó I asked as I scooched back a bit.
ÒWhere.....the hell am I???Ó He asked, moving as if to grab me by the collar of my shirt. I ducked out of the way and scrambled to my feet.
Looking down at him I answered, ÒYouÕre in my house....itÕs...on a planet called earth. And...IÕm Lianna. I pulled you out of that place, and if I were going to hurt you....I would have done so already.Ó He blinked and seemed to be processing this gout of information.
ÒSo...IÕm not....in...there any more?Ó he asked, and in response I shook my head. He smiled, looking like quite the stoner, and proceeded to pass out again. I swear to the gods, if I could have sweat dropped, I would have then and there. As I sat looking at him, his face relaxed into a calm repose. Much like a small child who knows the night-lightÕs on and that mom and dad are right down the hall.... I couldnÕt help but smile a bit. Dragging him off to bed once more, I thought. Why the hell was he in that....that... place? With a gentle sigh I heaved him into bed for the second time that day. Sitting there gently stroking his hair I looked upon his sleeping face with some bemusement.
After that incident, the evening went rather quietly. He being knocked out and I writing a paper for class. Around three in the morning I decided to call the damn thing good and have done with it. With nary a half-cognizant thought floating through my mind I toddled down the hall and to my bedroom. Halfway there I realized that I had a ÒguestÓ and grumbling I made my way back out to the living room, and the couch that would serve as a bed for the remainder of the night. Curling up with a throw I briefly wondered if I had gotten myself into more than was healthy, yet that train of thought was quickly derailed in favor of sleep and the proddings of dreams.
The first thing that I saw upon awakening was a pair of brilliant aqua eyes about four inches from my face. What I felt up my nose had to be the hair belonging to the owner of said eyes. This, was mildly disconcerting.
I shot up and scooted as far into the corner of the couch as I could. He took a step or so back, then we blinked at each other. ÒGood...morning?Ó I made it a question, he acknowledged with a nod. Rubbing the sleep out of one eye I looked up at him, ÒAnd...exactly what time of morning would this be?Ó
ÒOh, itÕs a little late. Around six thirty the last time I looked.Ó My eyes bulged and he blinked. ÒWhat?Ó
I will not kill him, I will not kill him. I repeated the mantra a few more times, making fair sure that my response wouldnÕt be to strangle him. ÒI went to bed about three hours ago. Therefore, at this point in time/space, six thirty is in no way, shape, or form late.Ó He had the good grace to look slightly abashed. I sighed and looked out the window, the day was gorgeous. Middle of summer, skies a rich blue reminiscent of lapis lazuli, with little puffy clouds floating in it. There was a light breeze blowing through the trees outside, I turned back to him smiling. He looked mildly confused. ÒAh well, I guess IÕm up,Ó I stood up stretching a bit before catching his gaze again. ÒSo, you do have a name donÕt you?Ó
He looked lost in thought for a bit, mulling over the object of my question. ÒI... think itÕs Sephiroth, although, damned if I can remember a surname of any sort.Ó His face was a study of disappointment and mild anger.
I looked up at him, a grin playing itÕs way across my visage, ÒItÕs all right, I didnÕt have a name of any sort until I was about 13.Ó He blinked and shot me a mildly confused look. I grinned, ÒI was a lab experiment, bred to kill and be used. As I wasnÕt human and what-not. Was pretty good at the whole killing thing, wasnÕt to keen on the whole being a non-person thing and discovered I really like chocolate. Anyway, Darrion owned the company that had created me, and wasnÕt too happy about their treatment of me, so he took me home gave me a name and shipped me off to school. ItÕs been all right all in all. ÔCept that one time I snapped...but thatÕs neither here nor there.Ó He stared at me wide eyed, disbelief and shock flitting across his face.
Shaking his head, he returned his gaze to the ground, apparently caught deep in thought. Waiting for him to talk I turned my attention to the window, and the world that lay outside it. He had apparently let one of my cats out, as a small orange puffball was busy chasing a butterfly through the yard. ÒSo, what would you like for breakfast?Ó
He looked at me, seemingly confused before he shook his head and replied, ÒI donÕt really know, itÕs been awhile since IÕve had to think about what to eat.Ó I watched him contemplate my question with amusement.
ÒYou donÕt have to answer right away, in fact, how about I show you the kitchen and let you poke around until you find something you want. Just make it breakfast food, I canÕt stomach much else first thing in the morning.Ó He nodded, grinning, and gestured for me to lead the way. I became rather self conscious, as I was wearing nothing but an oversized tee-shirt and yesterdays socks. Sometimes, going commando blows.
As we made our way to the kitchen he paused, looking at one of the bookcases lining the hallway. ÒIs all this yours?Ó I raised an eyebrow, he continued, Òthis house, these things...all this...is it yours?Ó I nodded. ÒAnd you live here by yourself?Ó I nodded again, not quite sure where he was going with this. ÒI guess we are quite a bit alike...Ó He trailed off and didnÕt respond to my gesture to continue. Instead he just grinned and waved his hand. Shrugging, I padded into the kitchen.
I thanked the goddess that I had been lazy enough to leave my socks on last night, as IÕm sure the cold tile would have been a shock to my system. Hopping onto one of the counters, I gestured to the cabinets and fridge. ÒGo to it.Ó
Still with a smile grazing his face he turned to the cabinets, going through them one by one and occasionally asking questions as to what was in the various cans and boxes. In the end he settled on Lucky Charms, toast, a couple bagels, a banana and whole lot of peanut butter. ÒGods, are you sure you can eat all that?Ó I queried around a mouthful of toast.
The look he gave me was highly entertaining and rather hard to describe, it was somewhere between incredulity and irksomeness with a twinge of something that I couldnÕt really touch on. ÒI could eat alot more than this, but I thought IÕd restrain myself for your sake.Ó I went wide-eyed and a little twitchy. He smirked and attempted a chortle, but was thwarted by the orange juice he was attempting to swallow. The juice splattered onto the bagels and i lost it, nearly falling off the counter in fits of giggles. Trying hard to pull off the whole cat-like Òwhat?Ó attitude, he failed and joined me.
After a good ten minutes of laughter filled glee he stopped and turned thoughtfully back to his food. I chalked it all up to too little sleep and a bit of shock, and went to rummage in the freezer for the coffee beans I knew resided there. Peeking through the various trays of ice cubes and containers of ice cream, I happened upon the coffee beans. Mmm, Jamaica Blue Mountain... Had I had less control, I might have wound up drooling on the bag of beans. Instead, I bounced happily across the kitchen to my coffee grinder.
ÒWhat are you bouncing over?Ó he asked, head cocked slightly to the side. I held the bag towards him, big toothy grin plastered across my face. He paused to read then, ÒYou get this excited over coffee?Ó I nodded enthusiastically, dumping an amount of beans into the grinder. He shook his head and turned his attention to the toaster. The coffee having finished being ground, then went into the coffee maker along with some water. Turning the machine on, I then toddled toward the fridge again. As I passed Sephiroth I noticed he was once again lost in thought, totally immersed in his inner worlds. I sighed, this was going to be difficult to deal with, and there was still. the question of where he was from, among other things.
ÒHey, would you like some coffee when itÕs done?Ó I asked, resisting the urge to poke him to get his attention. He slowly turned to me, his eyes seemingly having some difficulty focusing on me for a moment.
That moment having passed he responded with a thoroughly articulate, ÒHuh?Ó I calmly repeated the question, to which he responded with a shrug and a, ÒSure...Ó Smiling, I grabbed the cream and Irish cream, mugs, and various other liquors. Humming softly, I arranged the bottles on the counter waiting for the coffee to percolate. The old school percolating coffee machines are the coolest....they just have a very distinctive morning sound. Perfect for waking up. Which was something that I needed deserately. ÔMust question, boy. But first, coffee....Õ