***
sephiroth was sitting at his desk, this time glancing at the papers BEFORE signing them, when zax waltzed in.
"hey seph, you look a bit pre-occupied. everything all good?"
"yeah, everything's fine," he sighed, "i need to get out. let's go up to the roof."
"good idea. lead on."
they went up to the roof and went to stand at the railing, looking over midgar.
"good evening. you must be zax."
"ok, jatrian, how did you do that?"
"ah, trade secrets. and please call me jat."
"oh, who's this, seph?"
"zax, this is jatrian, daughter of that **** thriophe. jat, this is zax buster, SOLDIER first class."
"pleased to meet you."
"ditto. so where'd you come from?"
"ah, i've only just met you. i'm not even going to tell sephiroth."
"come on!"
"z-a-x!"
"no, it's ok. let's just say that i can make my way around midgar quite proficiently."
"you know seph, i can see this one in SOLDIER, when she's a bit bigger."
"jat's nearly SOLDIER quality already."
"i'm not, really!"
"so you were lying? i don't think so."
"no, i wasn't, but, but...!"
"what makes you say she's SOLDIER quality?"
"i think she can tell you, herself, zax."
"well?"
"i've, um, it was in self defence, mind you! well, i've, um, i've killed two people."
"killed? dead?"
"dead"
"how do you feel about it?"
"um, nothing, really."
"what did i tell you?"
"well, now. how old are you, jat?"
"i turn ten next week."
"ten!"
"yeah, she's quite interesting, don't you think?"
"she certainly is."
"i have to agree as well."
"hehehe. you are a funny one."
"you're pretty laid back for a major."
"and how do you know that i'm a major? did seph tell you?"
"no, but you've got major's gloves on. and an epilette"
"major's gloves? oh yeah! you know, only those that are really intimate with the tricks of the military know about the rank meanings of the gloves. and you're not even ten and you can recognise different epilettes? i AM impressed."
"and we all know how difficult it is to impress major zax buster."
"oh come now, seph, you don't have to be so sarcastic."
"hey seph, don't worry about zax. he's just not used to someone other than sephiroth being smarter than him!"
"oooh, feisty! what am i going to do with you?"
"you're not going to do anything with her, smartarse."
"hah! i wrecked you!"
"why you..." zax suddenly darted forward and started tickling her. she laughed in spite of herself. zax was laughing too.
watching his friends now attacking each other good naturedly, sephiroth smiled. after about five minutes, he actually started chuckling. they fought some more, then sephiroth burst out laughing in such as way that he hadn't done in memory.
"yay! we got seph to laugh!"
"he's cracking up! i'm just so hilarious."
"oh yeah, it's that dreadful crazy mullet of yours."
"oooh, you dissing my HAIR, now, you little squirt?"
"i'm not dissing your hair, i'm bagging it!"
"i'm sorry, but i can't let you do that." zax was trying desperately to maintain a serious face, but was failing miserably.
"you two are complete idiots!"
"and if it's going to cause more of this, then you ain't seen nuthin, yet!"
"yeah, listen to squirt!"
"oi!"
"what, squirt?"
sephiroth was just starting to calm down, when they start attacking each other again. NO ONE can keep a straight face when a little girl not even ten has managed to get a fully trained SOLDIER in a head-lock, without his letting her.
"hey seph! safe me from squirt! she's gonna mess up my hair!"
especially when the SOLDIER in question says things like that.
sephiroth was sitting at his desk, this time glancing at the papers BEFORE signing them, when zax waltzed in.
"hey seph, you look a bit pre-occupied. everything all good?"
"yeah, everything's fine," he sighed, "i need to get out. let's go up to the roof."
"good idea. lead on."
they went up to the roof and went to stand at the railing, looking over midgar.
"good evening. you must be zax."
"ok, jatrian, how did you do that?"
"ah, trade secrets. and please call me jat."
"oh, who's this, seph?"
"zax, this is jatrian, daughter of that **** thriophe. jat, this is zax buster, SOLDIER first class."
"pleased to meet you."
"ditto. so where'd you come from?"
"ah, i've only just met you. i'm not even going to tell sephiroth."
"come on!"
"z-a-x!"
"no, it's ok. let's just say that i can make my way around midgar quite proficiently."
"you know seph, i can see this one in SOLDIER, when she's a bit bigger."
"jat's nearly SOLDIER quality already."
"i'm not, really!"
"so you were lying? i don't think so."
"no, i wasn't, but, but...!"
"what makes you say she's SOLDIER quality?"
"i think she can tell you, herself, zax."
"well?"
"i've, um, it was in self defence, mind you! well, i've, um, i've killed two people."
"killed? dead?"
"dead"
"how do you feel about it?"
"um, nothing, really."
"what did i tell you?"
"well, now. how old are you, jat?"
"i turn ten next week."
"ten!"
"yeah, she's quite interesting, don't you think?"
"she certainly is."
"i have to agree as well."
"hehehe. you are a funny one."
"you're pretty laid back for a major."
"and how do you know that i'm a major? did seph tell you?"
"no, but you've got major's gloves on. and an epilette"
"major's gloves? oh yeah! you know, only those that are really intimate with the tricks of the military know about the rank meanings of the gloves. and you're not even ten and you can recognise different epilettes? i AM impressed."
"and we all know how difficult it is to impress major zax buster."
"oh come now, seph, you don't have to be so sarcastic."
"hey seph, don't worry about zax. he's just not used to someone other than sephiroth being smarter than him!"
"oooh, feisty! what am i going to do with you?"
"you're not going to do anything with her, smartarse."
"hah! i wrecked you!"
"why you..." zax suddenly darted forward and started tickling her. she laughed in spite of herself. zax was laughing too.
watching his friends now attacking each other good naturedly, sephiroth smiled. after about five minutes, he actually started chuckling. they fought some more, then sephiroth burst out laughing in such as way that he hadn't done in memory.
"yay! we got seph to laugh!"
"he's cracking up! i'm just so hilarious."
"oh yeah, it's that dreadful crazy mullet of yours."
"oooh, you dissing my HAIR, now, you little squirt?"
"i'm not dissing your hair, i'm bagging it!"
"i'm sorry, but i can't let you do that." zax was trying desperately to maintain a serious face, but was failing miserably.
"you two are complete idiots!"
"and if it's going to cause more of this, then you ain't seen nuthin, yet!"
"yeah, listen to squirt!"
"oi!"
"what, squirt?"
sephiroth was just starting to calm down, when they start attacking each other again. NO ONE can keep a straight face when a little girl not even ten has managed to get a fully trained SOLDIER in a head-lock, without his letting her.
"hey seph! safe me from squirt! she's gonna mess up my hair!"
especially when the SOLDIER in question says things like that.