***
jatrian was being made to have two parties for her tenth birthday, one for family, on the day, which was boring as all hell, and one for her aquaintences and her parents' and brother's friends.
towards the end of that party, she decided that she needed some fresh air, the type you get seventy-odd floors above midgar, and sort of snuck away from the festivities.
"yo seph!"
"what?"
"isn't squirt's party tonight?"
"yes, it is. why?"
"we-ll..."
"is there a brain under there somewhere?"
"oh, fine then."
"apparently they're having fireworks."
"really? i am so going up to the roof."
"you do that."
"oh, i just get here, and you're leaving? so sad."
"ok, are you going to spill how you did that, this time?'
"nope"
"why don't you just leave it, zax? she's not going to let on how she does it."
"oh, if we interrogate her properly..."
"interrogate? oh no, major dipshit. no one's interrogating me!"
"major dipshit? you are SO gone, squirt!"
"hey, will you two quit it?"
"ok, sorry seph."
"consider it quit, for now. i will have my revenge on squirt thriophe."
"will you now?"
"i will."
"whatever. anyway, seph, you're looking troubled."
"am i?"
"yeah, hey what's up?"
"if they're that bad, you should share your troubles, so we can help out."
"i don't think you can."
"well, we won't know if you don't tell us!"
"come on, or we'll be forced to keep annoying you about it, which will not be at all pleasant, so you can save yourself, and everyone, a whole lot of trouble."
"you've known me for years, you know i have ways of making you talk."
"i'm..."
zax was about to say something encouraging, when jat suddenly punched him in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of him. he was shocked by the action, and looked at her questioningly. she gestured that it would be best if they just let sephiroth go at his own pace, or else he wouldn't tell them at all.
"do you know why shin-ra wants all SOLDIERs to report immediately to a doctor if they experience a sudden increase in strength? because it shows that they're reacting to the makou used to enhance them, and it will make them lose their mind completely."
they both had some idea of what may come next, but were desperately praying that it wasn't so.
"i'm getting stronger. people are starting to place BETS to see how long it will be before i go insane. saying things when they think that i can't hear. stupid fools. what would they know?"
sephiroth's mood had swung from worried for his future and his friends to extremely furious, and getting angrier, at the way people acted.
zax and jat exchanged glances. their silent prayers had not been answered, and seph looked like he was going to do something highly dangerous either to them or someone else. it's quite hard for sephiroth to do something that will be a danger to himself.
"um, seph? look, they're all just stupid dickheads, who wouldn't know their arse from their elbow. don't think about them."
"yeah, look, you're not going insane. and we'll always be with you, insane or not."
sephiroth's face stopped raging, and calmed. he looked out the window, a sad look on his face.
"i hear you. maybe you should go?"
"not just yet."
"suit yourselves." his voice was subdued and quiet, but his anger had dissipated.
***
sephiroth was sitting motionless, with both legs crossed on his desk and his chin in his hands, staring off into space.
zax had been sitting on the couch, occassionally trying to make conversation, before falling to sleep. he was just too exhausted to stay awake.
jat was sprawled on an armchair, legs hanging over an arm, her back leaning on the other arm. she didn't talk at all. she didn't move much. she watched sephiroth for a while, and when zax had fallen asleep, she had smiled and watched him for a while, before going back to watch sephiroth. when she fell asleep, the only way you could tell was that her eyes were closed.
sephiroth didn't sleep that night.
in the morning, at about six thirty, a shaft of sunlight hit his face, bringing him back to the present. he smiled when he saw zax snoring gently on the couch and jat still sprawled sideways in an almost impossible way on the armchair.
he got up, not without a teeny bit of stiffness, and threw open the windows. there was a slight breeze, and it seemed to be enough to wake the both of them.
"hmm. (yawn) what time is it, seph? you good?"
"it's six thirty, and yeah, i'm good."
"good morning. did you sleep at ALL?"
"no. doesn't your back hurt?"
"what? oh, i've slept on worse. your chair is really comfy."
"sorry i fell asleep, i just couldn't keep my eyes open. can i use your shower seph?"
"yeah... hey jatti, you slept here!"
"you noticed? yeah, so?"
"i doubt that your parents will be impressed."
"i'm sure i'll think of something."
"are you sure?"
"yeah. i've stayed out late before..."
"but a whole night?"
"yeah, could be a bit a of a problem, that."
"i'm sorry, i should have taken you home."
"but people would have wondered what the hell i was doing not at my own birthday party."
"it would cause fewer uncomfortable questions than this."
"s'pose so. i'm off now. tell zax that if major dipshit tries anything stupid, he will know squirt's wrath."
he smiled "sure. he'll laugh at that. bye"
"see ya"
she went to the window, looked at it for a couple of seconds before climbing out, and disappearing.
"how does she do that?"
***
barely a week later, both zax and seph are called out to a mission in nibelheim.
jatrian was being made to have two parties for her tenth birthday, one for family, on the day, which was boring as all hell, and one for her aquaintences and her parents' and brother's friends.
towards the end of that party, she decided that she needed some fresh air, the type you get seventy-odd floors above midgar, and sort of snuck away from the festivities.
"yo seph!"
"what?"
"isn't squirt's party tonight?"
"yes, it is. why?"
"we-ll..."
"is there a brain under there somewhere?"
"oh, fine then."
"apparently they're having fireworks."
"really? i am so going up to the roof."
"you do that."
"oh, i just get here, and you're leaving? so sad."
"ok, are you going to spill how you did that, this time?'
"nope"
"why don't you just leave it, zax? she's not going to let on how she does it."
"oh, if we interrogate her properly..."
"interrogate? oh no, major dipshit. no one's interrogating me!"
"major dipshit? you are SO gone, squirt!"
"hey, will you two quit it?"
"ok, sorry seph."
"consider it quit, for now. i will have my revenge on squirt thriophe."
"will you now?"
"i will."
"whatever. anyway, seph, you're looking troubled."
"am i?"
"yeah, hey what's up?"
"if they're that bad, you should share your troubles, so we can help out."
"i don't think you can."
"well, we won't know if you don't tell us!"
"come on, or we'll be forced to keep annoying you about it, which will not be at all pleasant, so you can save yourself, and everyone, a whole lot of trouble."
"you've known me for years, you know i have ways of making you talk."
"i'm..."
zax was about to say something encouraging, when jat suddenly punched him in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of him. he was shocked by the action, and looked at her questioningly. she gestured that it would be best if they just let sephiroth go at his own pace, or else he wouldn't tell them at all.
"do you know why shin-ra wants all SOLDIERs to report immediately to a doctor if they experience a sudden increase in strength? because it shows that they're reacting to the makou used to enhance them, and it will make them lose their mind completely."
they both had some idea of what may come next, but were desperately praying that it wasn't so.
"i'm getting stronger. people are starting to place BETS to see how long it will be before i go insane. saying things when they think that i can't hear. stupid fools. what would they know?"
sephiroth's mood had swung from worried for his future and his friends to extremely furious, and getting angrier, at the way people acted.
zax and jat exchanged glances. their silent prayers had not been answered, and seph looked like he was going to do something highly dangerous either to them or someone else. it's quite hard for sephiroth to do something that will be a danger to himself.
"um, seph? look, they're all just stupid dickheads, who wouldn't know their arse from their elbow. don't think about them."
"yeah, look, you're not going insane. and we'll always be with you, insane or not."
sephiroth's face stopped raging, and calmed. he looked out the window, a sad look on his face.
"i hear you. maybe you should go?"
"not just yet."
"suit yourselves." his voice was subdued and quiet, but his anger had dissipated.
***
sephiroth was sitting motionless, with both legs crossed on his desk and his chin in his hands, staring off into space.
zax had been sitting on the couch, occassionally trying to make conversation, before falling to sleep. he was just too exhausted to stay awake.
jat was sprawled on an armchair, legs hanging over an arm, her back leaning on the other arm. she didn't talk at all. she didn't move much. she watched sephiroth for a while, and when zax had fallen asleep, she had smiled and watched him for a while, before going back to watch sephiroth. when she fell asleep, the only way you could tell was that her eyes were closed.
sephiroth didn't sleep that night.
in the morning, at about six thirty, a shaft of sunlight hit his face, bringing him back to the present. he smiled when he saw zax snoring gently on the couch and jat still sprawled sideways in an almost impossible way on the armchair.
he got up, not without a teeny bit of stiffness, and threw open the windows. there was a slight breeze, and it seemed to be enough to wake the both of them.
"hmm. (yawn) what time is it, seph? you good?"
"it's six thirty, and yeah, i'm good."
"good morning. did you sleep at ALL?"
"no. doesn't your back hurt?"
"what? oh, i've slept on worse. your chair is really comfy."
"sorry i fell asleep, i just couldn't keep my eyes open. can i use your shower seph?"
"yeah... hey jatti, you slept here!"
"you noticed? yeah, so?"
"i doubt that your parents will be impressed."
"i'm sure i'll think of something."
"are you sure?"
"yeah. i've stayed out late before..."
"but a whole night?"
"yeah, could be a bit a of a problem, that."
"i'm sorry, i should have taken you home."
"but people would have wondered what the hell i was doing not at my own birthday party."
"it would cause fewer uncomfortable questions than this."
"s'pose so. i'm off now. tell zax that if major dipshit tries anything stupid, he will know squirt's wrath."
he smiled "sure. he'll laugh at that. bye"
"see ya"
she went to the window, looked at it for a couple of seconds before climbing out, and disappearing.
"how does she do that?"
***
barely a week later, both zax and seph are called out to a mission in nibelheim.