Sorry fer da delay. ^_^o I've been workin on Let Me Play. Ooo, suspense! DA PLOT THICKENS! Yes.
They made it back without too much occuring on the way, people apparently deciding to keep their vicious comments or stares to themselves, or perhaps they had some other victims to openly isolate. Either way, Vincent and Cid both decided it would probably be best for their already tarnished reputation if Vincent walked mostly by himself, although several times he nearly ran into stationary objects due to the incredible exhaustion that had come over him.
Vincent fumbled with his key for several minutes before he could finally force his sleepy, shaky body to correctly turn it in the lock, and once inside he immediately headed for his bed, flopping on top of it without bothering to change or get beneath the bunched up covers near the wall.
Cloud, who for once was present, was sitting on his bed and reading, and the only greeting and awknowledgement of their arrival he gave was a disapproving and suspicious glare. Although Cid's original plan had been to stay with Vincent and see if he needed anything, he felt extremly uncomfortable when Cloud was around and decided he'd drop by later.
"Get some sleep, Vin, alright?" He waved to Vincent's prone form, not sure if he could be heard or not. Cloud just continued to stare at him. "I'll tell Hojo what happened."
Vincent twitched one of his golden claws in what Cid hoped was response, and he finally left, closing the door quietly behind him.
He leaned against the door for some time, finding deep reservations within him for leaving Vincent behind in this way. He was sure that Vincent did not mind, but he felt guilty, considering that he was sick and all. But Cloud looked so angry that Cid felt horrible for intruding on whatever he had been doing. Now that the door was closed behind him, it was too late for him to go back in, although he had strengthened his resolve enough to withstand Cloud's eyes. Feeling dissatisfied at his behavior, Cid walked down the hall, his hands deep in his pockets, determined to visit Vincent later to make sure that he would be okay.
He hoped that Reno would catch whatever was going around. He smiled at the thought. That would finally give him some peace and quiet. But as it was, he doubted that he had caught it and was fairly sure he was going to be greeted with some angry obscenities or cruel jibes when he finally reached his dormroom.
He hopped down the stairs for a while, finding his attention already wandering from his current problem to memories of the Talent Show. He smiled to himself at the memory of walking on stage, seeing Vincent sitting in front, staring at him. The adrenaline rush had been incredible, and he almost wished he could do it again just to feel that kind of attention given to him.
#$^#, he still had another paper to write for Tellah's class. He grimaced to himself for a moment. He had completely forgotten. Well, at least he had a plan of action when he would get back to his room.
He hummed to himself as he walked down the cracked sidewalk, trying to remember where he had put his walkman. He didn't remember putting it in one of his drawers...it wasn't in his pocket. Did he leave it in one of his jackets? He'd have to check-
Someone tapped his shoulder.
Whirling around, panicked and frightened, Cid lifted an arm and knocked away the person's forearm, jumping back a few feet and swiftly feeling in his pocket for his ever-present knife. %#@%, where was it?
The adrenaline rush that had come with the contact began to fade as he recognized who had tapped him, although he did not get out of his guarded position.
"What th' #$^# do you want?"
Sephiroth's face no longer had the easy-going, superior, calm grace that it held before. Now he looked deathly serious, and he stared at Cid with frightening intensity, so much so that Cid took another step back.
"What happened to Vincent?"
"Jesus #$^#in' christ, you nearly gave me a #$@#in' heart-attack." Cid's voice was laden with hatred and anger, emotions that had been building within him since Sephiroth's cryptic warning two days earlier. A nasty tone of sarcasm worked it's way into his voice. "#^%@, don't you already know anyway?"
Sephiroth kept his eyes narrowed and his face under control as he took a step towards Cid, his hands clasped behind his back. "I just need information that you can give me. Now please co-operate with me."
"Or what, you silver-haired mother#$^#?" Cid took a step back for Sephiroth's step forward. His tone was disbelieving and still very angry. "What th' #$&# could y'do t'me?"
"As I may have stated before, I know things." Sephiroth took another step forward, and the grim seriousness of his tone was getting more disturbing by the moment. "I know many things about you, things that you'd rather not let other people know. Things that could make you more reviled, outcast, rejected by the present student body then you are now."
Cid looked around, finding no one nearby at the moment, but decided against asking exactly what it was that Sephiroth knew. "If you #%^#in' know everythin', then why don't y'know what happened t'Vin?"
Sephiroth just stared at him and took another step forward. Cid responded with another step back, still feeling frantically around in his pockets for his knife. This prompted a slow shake of the silver-haired man's head.
"You left your knife on your dresser this morning. Very unlike you." Cid's eyes widened. "Now, what happened to Vincent?"
"He's #$#^in' sick, that's all. Jesus." Cid took another step back, frightened by Sephiroth's statement, but desperatly trying to disprove it in his mind be trying to remember putting it in his backpack or some other place. "$%&#in' everyone's gettin' sick lately."
Sephiroth stared at him for a while, then finally turned, his hair following his movements with almost exaggerated slowness. "Thank you for your co-operation, Highwind."
"Why? Why th' #$&# did you want t'know, anyway?" Cid, emboldened by what he believed to be Sephiroth's retreat, began moving forward. "And what th' @#%^ was th' deal with that Weapons #&#%? Are they goin' t'attack us or what?"
Sephiroth stopped, prompting the same action in Cid, and turned only slightly to regard him with cold, controlling eyes. "I got the information I required, and now I'm going to leave."
"Not without some #$#^in' answers!" Cid reached a hand out to grab Sephiroth's arm, but the silver-haired man spun before he could reach him, his hand knocking away Cid's in much the same way that Cid had knocked his away before.
Sephiroth's tone was dangerous, and Cid backed away slowly, not sure of what he could be capable of. "I got what I wanted, and that is the only transaction we will have."
With that, Sephiroth turned and began walking away again, trenchcoat flaring behind him. Cid watched him leave with mixed emotions, from relief from not being injured, to anger at recieving no answers, to frustration at how Sephiroth had just manipulated information out of him, and worry for what Sephiroth intended to do to Vincent with the information he had just acquired.
Cid narrowed his eyes, watching the receding back of Sephiroth quickly vanish. He wasn't about to let that mother#^@$er do anything to Vincent. Breaking into an awkward, limping sprint, Cid headed back for Vincent's dorm, the same direction that Sephiroth had just disappeared into.
He knocked on the door, rolling on his heels back and forth out of worry and nervousness. It took a few minutes but finally the door opened slightly, the tired visage of Vincent staring out at him.
"Did you forget something...?" Vincent's soft voice was almost inaudible, rough and cracked. He stared at Cid with tired eyes that tried to convey confusion.
"#$^@ Vin, thank god you're okay." Cid looked down the hallway, making sure that he hadn't been pursued or followed. "Did that #^#$-head Seph show up?"
Vincent paused, slowly decoding what Cid had said, leaning against the doorframe as he did so. Eventually his flesh hand worked it's way underneath the sweat-clumped strands of black hair as Vincent closed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. "No...no, I don't think so, why?"
"#$^#, thank #^#^in' god." Cid brushed a hand across his own forehead in relief before leaning against the doorframe much in the same way Vincent was, gesturing earnestly and speaking in low tones. "Listen, that freaky #$#^ jumped me while I was walkin' and wanted t'know what was wrong with you. I asked him why he didn't know himself, but he didn't answer me! Freaky #$%&er. Anyway, I told him you were sick-"
Vincent interrupted him, startling Cid into silence. He stared at him with tired, half-closed eyes. "I feel kind of dizzy..." He vanished from the doorway. "Come in and finish, I need to sit down for a little while..."
Cid took the invitation readily, closing the door behind him warily after one last glance down the hallway. When he returned his attention to the room, Vincent had already found his bed again, propping himself up against the wall, leaning his head back with his metal claw resting against his forehead. Fortunately, Cloud did not seem to be present, which struck Cid as odd. He was here only a few minutes ago...where could he have gone?
"Strife's taking a shower..." Vincent apparently sensed his confusion and gestured clumsily towards the chair at his desk, his eyes closed. Cid sat down quickly, leaning his arms against the backrest. "Now, what happened?"
"'Kay, that freaky $&%#er Seph came up behind me on th' sidewalk." Cid slowed and softened his words, guessing that Vincent had a rather painful headache. "He wanted t'know what happened t'you. Weird 'cause he says he knows everythin'. I knew he was full of #$#@. Anyway, I wanted t'know why, but he wouldn't tell me anythin'. Dodgy #$^#%@^. He said that if I didn't tell 'im, he'd tell th' whole school my 'dirty secrets' or some #$^# like that. So I told him what happened and then he jus' left. Didn't answer any questions about th' #$^# Weapons or anythin'. God#^#@ mother#$^@er."
Cid looked at Vincent, who remained in the same position he had when Cid had originally come in. "Got all that, Vin?"
Vincent remained as he was, causing Cid to get up and lean on his bed, shaking him softly. "Vin? Yo, Vin?"
Vincent woke slowly, stared at Cid with some confusion, then shook his head back and forth. "Oh...I'm sorry, Highwind, I...I just can't stay awake for more then a few minutes...I'm afraid I fell asleep while you were talking..."
"Eh, don't worry about it. Basically Seph might drop by at some point, so be careful, alright?"
Vincent nodded slowly and almost painfully, and Cid got up from where he had been kneeling on the bed, heading for the door. "Sorry t'bug you again. Get some sleep, alright?"
Vincent nodded and slowly slid down the wall, eventually falling on one side and collapsing back into sleep immediately. Cid closed the door behind him slowly, looking back and forth down the hallway again. No sign of Sephiroth, although that didn't make him feel better. Still feeling deeply worried and concerned, he walked away from Vincent's room, not sure exactly what plans Sephiroth may have had for Vincent, but almost positive that they were not good.
That night both he and Reeve decided to go the dining hall together, still wary of the supposed attacks. Frighteningly enough, Sephiroth had been correct in the location of Cid's knife, which disconcerted him greatly, and he shoved it deep into his pocket quickly, trying not to think about it.
The two of them were sitting in a booth near the corner, Cid picking ineffectually at his food while Reeve ate voraciously, noting Cid's lack of appetite with a slight measure of concern.
"So Seph showed up again?"
"Yeah...#$&#, I shouldn't've told him anythin'..." Cid tipped over an upstanding carrot with his fork. "#%&#, I feel so $%&#in' stupid..."
"It's not your fault." Reeve gestured with a spoon. "It's not like he really gave you much of a choice, you know."
"I guess...#$^#, what th' #$%@ could he want with Vin? It doesn't make any #&#@in' sense..." Cid stabbed the fallen carrot and watched it stick to his rising fork before brushing it off with one lazy finger. "Why is he #$^#in' with us?"
"I don't know." Reeve shrugged, taking a sip from his glass. "Maybe he wants Vince."
"What d'you mean?" Cid looked up from his uninteresting plate and stared at Reeve, who was toying with a napkin. Reeve glanced at him then back to the napkin several times rapidly, shrugging once.
"Well, I don't know. He could be after Vince, you know. Maybe he thinks he's hot or something, I don't know." Reeve sounded almost as if he expected Cid to be angry at such a suggestion. He was disappointed in this respect.
"Y'think he's after Vin that way?" Cid stared at Reeve, then back down at his plate for a few moments, thinking hard. That would make the most sense, considering. Perhaps Sephiroth was interested in Vincent romantically or otherwise, and wanted to find some time alone with him...but in order for that to work out to his satisfaction, he would have to get rid of Cid first, which would involve breaking them up somehow...perhaps with an argument...
Or the threat of the Weapons...
If indeed this was what Sephiroth was planning, then that explained the motivations between giving he and Vincent separate times for the attacks, giving them something that he would have assumed they would have argued about, not expecting them to only read it as a mistruth. They must have gone against his assumptions in this way. Vincent getting sick would have thrown off whatever plans that Sephiroth had, which would explain why he wanted to know what had happened from him, and he had logically come to Cid knowing that he would be the most likely to know...
If he was truly that interested in Vincent, that would explain why he was following and stalking the two, wanting to find the perfect time and opportunity to catch Vincent alone, without the protection of Cid. He must have viewed him as a threat, thus wanting to isolate him from Vincent in any way possible...
"Spazboy? Hello? Cid? Yoo hoo?" Reeve waved a hand in front of Cid's eyes, jerking him back to reality. "Jeez, you just zoned out there for a bit."
"#%&#, y'don't think he wants to..." Cid was now alarmed by this new suggestion and found that it made more sense with each passing moment. "#$^@, no wonder he wanted t'get him alone...$^@%!"
"Woah woah, I think you're jumping to conclusions here." Reeve pointed at him with the spoon again. "We don't know what Seph wants. But I do agree that I don't think it's a good idea to leave Vince alone with him."
"@#$^..." Cid clenched his hand in a fist, anger rising through him at the thought of Sephiroth just taking advantage of Vincent, of stalking and frightening them this way just to get close to him. The thought of it was enough to make his arm tremble. How dare he do something like that...
Reeve tapped him again, breaking him out of his angry reverie. "We don't know anything for sure yet. Vincent's sick and in his room. He's safe there, so don't worry."
"I guess..." Cid still felt deep tinges of anger and worry, hideous visions of Sephiroth breaking through the door and grabbing Vincent running through his mind, each making him increasingly more and more angry. "I don't #$#%in' like this at all..."
"You could register a complaint." Reeve looked at the ceiling, munching on something thoughtfully. "Hmmm...but you said Seph's got some dirt on you, so that's not good...but still, he shouldn't be able to get away with something like this..."
"#$^#, I don't have a #$%^in' clue what t'do here...#$^@..."
Reeve turned back to side, jabbing him with his spoon to awaken him from his latest daydream. "Well, I do know one thing for sure. Vincent's pretty hungry by now. We should bring him something."
"What can he eat?" Cid took the statement as an indication that their meal was over and stood, finding himself correct as Reeve followed him. "He's pretty sick..."
"My mom always told me that Saltines and 7-Up were the way to go for this kind of thing." Reeve held a hand up and looked as if he were dispensing some kind of universal wisdom. He smiled at Cid, trying to break him out of the intense and serious state he had worked himself into. "C'mon, lighten up. We can pick some up for him at the corner store and you can see for yourself he's fine."
"#^#&...I guess so..." The two of them excited the dining hall, walking out into the dim, cool night air. Cid brushed a hand through his short hair slightly nervously, ending by scratching the back of his neck. Free of the building, he dug a cigarette out of the pack he held on the band of his goggles and lit it, breathing in deeply and exhaling nervously out into the night air. Reeve walked with him quietly, watching him for a few minutes before speaking in a soft, sincere tone, very unlike that of Cait Sith, and Cid was sure that the Reeve persona had decided to speak to him.
"You're really worried about him, aren't you?"
Cid sighed deeply, taking another drag before speaking, keeping his eyes focused on the sidewalk in front of him. "$^@#, I just don't want him hurt or nothin'...I got th' #%^#in' #%^# beat out of me 'cause of him...I just don't want nothin' like that t'happen t'him..."
He glanced at Reeve, noticing that he was carrying himself in an entirely different fashion then usual. His ears were backed just slightly, and his tail was wrapped around one of his legs. His green eyes were also focused on the sidewalk in front of him, and considering the vast amount of black that he wore, he almost seemed to fade away into the night.
"I know what you feel..." He paused for a moment, closing his eyes in a short moment of frustration. "How you feel...Sephiroth has no good planned for him, I know that much...if he does get his hands with...on him, no good is come ou...no good will come of it..." Fortunately, Reeve was apparently in control of himself enough to forgo punishing himself for his mistakes in speaking.
"Yeah...#$^#..." Cid breathed another cloud of smoke into the air. "#$^@...I wish there was someway I knew he was safe...why th' #$^# does this $%@# always #$^@in' happen t'him..."
He felt Reeve's thin fingers touch his shoulder softly for a moment. "I know you're worried to...about him. It's okay."
"Ah #$^#, catface..." Cid's voice dropped in volume as well, and it matched Reeve's closely for sincerity. "He's one of my best #$^#in' friends...#$^#, one of th' only #$^@in' friends I've had for #$^#in' ages...#$^#, I don't know what I'd do if somethin' #$^#in' happened t'him...#$^#...jus' thinkin' about that #$^#@ Seph doin' somethin' t'him...!" He clenched a fist for a moment before sighing again. "#%^#, it jus'...makes me so #$#@in' angry..."
"Don't worry." Reeve patted his shoulder for a moment. "Nothing is hap...nothing will happen to him. I won't let anything happen to you guys."
Cid paused, taking another deep breath and letting the smoke dissipate through his nostrils. He turned towards Reeve, to see the same inexorable sadness that had shone through his voice in the waiting room present on his face, in the sad green eyes that stared back at him. He was surprised to see that sadness and longing again, having forgotten exactly how it looked. He remembered that it existed, but to see it again when he fully expected that one moment of weakness for Reeve to be the last was a surprise, and Cid could feel his heart jump again at the look of such sorrow, such sadness. Such despondency...
"Reeve...?"
Reeve shook his head softly, his ears slowly and haltingly making their way back into an upright position, having been backed completely against his head. He smiled in a way that only served to exemplify what had been present on his face before. "You...you both mean a lot to me. To Cait Sith too..."
"You have Moog though, right...?"
Reeve looked up, another sad smile on his face, staring up at the stars blinking through the night sky. "Moog...yes...I've always known him...him and only him...but you two..." He turned back to Cid, who was staring at him, unaware that a similiar lost and somewhat sad expression was present on his features. "You came to me...you've been some of the only...real people I've ever known..."
"You're our friend, Reeve." Cid reached out and touched Reeve's shoulder for a moment, not sure of what else to do or say. He feared that Reeve was drifting away somehow and that he needed some kind of physical reassurance that Cid was there. Reeve reached up and took Cid's hand slowly, moving it away from his shoulder and letting it go quietly. Thin clawtips brushed against Cid's hand as it drifted back to his side.
Cid spoke again, his voice almost drifting into the realm of whispers. "We'll always be your friend."
"I know...that's what's important." Reeve smiled at him softly again. "Sometimes it's constan...it's hard to believe for me. You're some of the only friends I've ever had. That's why I know what...how you feel. I don't want to lose you either, and I know that Vincent feels the same way."
The two of them stared at eachother for a few moments as they walked along, a silence slowly building before Reeve straightened from his slouching posture, his ears following his motion, and he smiled at Cid with the same customary energy that he had come to expect from him. "But I'm sure Vince is fine. Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll be okay."
Cid brushed his hand through his hair again, deep and confused emotions rising within him. He breathed another cloud of smoke through the air. "I know, but #$^#...I'm still so #$^#in' worried about him...Jesus, I don't want to lose someone again..."
Cid regretted his statement immediately after saying it, knowing that it would prompt some awkward questions into what or who he had been speaking about, but Reeve didn't say anything, only staring down at the sidewalk as the two continued walking. Cid was thankful but also slightly confused. Why didn't Reeve ask him anything about it? Maybe he didn't hear him...
"I know what you mean, but don't worry." The brighter tone worked it's way back into his voice, and he opened the door to the store, shocking Cid in realizing just how far the two had walked. "It'll be okay. He'll be fine."
"I guess so..." Although Cid had made a mental note before to talk with Reeve more, he hadn't been expecting a conversation like this, especially at this time. Although he was interested by the brief glimpse he got of the true Reeve's personality, it only made him more confused then he was before. Considering he had a great deal of things on his mind, mainly concerning Vincent and Sephiroth but to a lesser extent Hojo and Tellah, he didn't want to deal with something this complicated as well, and decided he would back away from the previous topic, hoping to get back to less consequential banter that would lessen the load building on his mind.
He noted the store's clerk staring at him suspiciously as he and Reeve entered, and noted Reeve getting an especially long look. Reeve was not happy about this, although the evidence of this flickered across his face for only a few moments, although that was enough for Cid to notice it.
"Now where would they keep that #$^#..." Cid wandered to the back, which was mainly populated with large cartons of soda, thus automatically delegating the Saltines to Reeve, who nodded and smiled at Cid, giving a thumbs-up.
"Right, I'll get on Saltine duty!"
As Cid made his way to the back, he was struck by the thought that perhaps Reeve had been as incomfortable as he with the previous conversation, and had backed away from it as well, which would explain why their behavior changed at the same time.
Finding a large bottle of 7-Up, he took it up to find Reeve lingering near the crackers, apparently uncomfortable with going up until Cid joined him. The two of them headed up, and Cid payed for the purchases. The clerk continued to eye Reeve suspicously, which caused the felinoid youth to back his ears almost completely backwards, causing them to meld into his hair. Cid was getting more and more aggravated by the clerk's behavior, and glared to try and get this across. This didn't change the clerk's expression at all.
Finally he spoke. "What's the deal with him?"
Cid narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you ask him yourself, you #$^#er?"
The two of them exchanged glares while Reeve, trying to avoid the conflict, collected the two items that had been purchased, hoping the stand-off would end at that point.
The clerk decided to leave it at that, although his disapproving glance showed that he would have liked to continue the argument, and he continued to glare at the two even as they left the store.
Reeve tucked the box of Saltines under his arm as Cid held the bottle by it's cap, swinging it back and forth slowly. As soon as the door to the store closed, Reeve shrugged.
"He called me a freak, you know." He remarked casually to the night air, prompting a glance from Cid.
"I didn't hear anythin'..."
"Heh, these things aren't just for show." Reeve rubbed the end of one of his ears between his two fingers, shrugging again. "I can hear lots of stuff I shouldn't."
Cid turned to head back to the store, but Reeve grabbed his arm, halting his progress. "No, don't. It's not worth it."
Cid narrowed his eyes, standing for a moment, before finally rejoining Reeve, muttering under his breath.
"#$^#in' $^@hole..."
Reeve shrugged again, his tail waving slightly behind him. "You get used to it."
"Doesn't make him any less of a #$^hole tho'." Cid found one of his larger pockets and shoved the bottle inside. Once his hands were free, he jammed them into his two free pockets. "#%@#, now I'm angry all over again."
"Don't worry about it." Reeve patted his shoulder for a moment, trying to calm Cid down. "It's not that big of a deal, and it really isn't somethin' to get worked up over. Just try and relax."
Cid made an angry noise, but eventually let the topic drop, and the two of them continued on their way. The time was spent with idle banter and chitchat, most of which meant little to nothing, but in a way this kind of conversation was something of a relief, as it was obvious that both of them had had their fill of emotions and all they entailed recently.
As they approached Vincent's closed door, Cid could not help but once again voice his worries out loud. "I hope he's alright..."
"He'll be fine." Reeve exaggerated his tone, rolling his eyes, as he leaned near the door. "Don't worry so much about it."
Cid knocked on the door, digging out the bottle of 7-Up from his pocket after doing so. It had gone somewhat flat from being banged against his leg during the walk, but he heard somewhere that was supposed to help anyway. At least he hoped it would.
Much to Cid and Reeve's surprise, Cloud answered the door, glaring at them angrily for interrupting whatever it as he was doing. Startled that Cloud was home at all, much less the one to answer the door, Cid stood for several seconds trying to regain his composure. Before he could speak, however, Cloud cut him off.
"If you're looking for Vincent, he isn't here."
Reeve took the reins of the conversation from the confused and bewildered Cid. "Isn't here? Where did he go?"
"I don't know." Cloud seemed resentful at being questioned. "He left earlier."
"With who?" Cid finally managed to galvanize himself into speech, causing Cloud's disapproving gaze to fall back on him.
"I don't know. Someone knocked, he answered the door, and then he just left. Thought he went out with you. Guess I was wrong."
Cid and Reeve stared at eachother for several moments before Cloud, without even saying any sort of farewell, shut the door.
"#$^#! Cid fairly shouted, punching a nearby wall. "#$^#!"
"Okay, calm down." Reeve put his hands on his shoulders, stopping Cid's other fist from impact. "We don't know for sure what happened yet."
"I #^&$in' know what th' #$^#in' #$#% happened! That #$^#er Sephiroth dragged him out of his room! #$#%, I don't even know where he went!" Cid snarled to himself and struggled free from Reeve's grasp, punching the wall with more force then previously. Reeve, worried and concerned himself, grabbed Cid's sleeve, dragging him towards the stairwell. Although Cid's worry manifested itself in fury, Reeve's was visible in nervous, uncontrolled energy.
"C'mon, not here, not here! Do that outside! We've got to stay calm and think, alright? We've got to keep cool here."
"#&#$!" Cid allowed himself to be pulled down the stairwell, trembling with fury. As someone passed by him on the stairwell, he reached out and grabbed them with frightening intensity, pulling them close. "Did you see Vin pass by here?"
The young man brushed off Cid's hands cooly, staring at him with quiet grace behind a face framed with long black hair. In the center of his forehead rested an enigmatic dot. Cid struggled to recall and finally remembered seeing the same man introducing himself as their RA. What was his name again...? Tseng, he believed. "Vincent Valentine?"
"That's right." Cid was trembling with nervous energy, and he noted that Reeve was walking in small circles behind him. The young man brushed some hair from his face and crossed his arms, staring at the two of them levelly.
"Well, I do believe I saw him earlier today...I thought he was sick, but apparently he wasn't as sick as I had thought, unlike everyone else in this dorm." The last statement was mumbled. "He left with someone else a few hours ago."
"$#&#!" Cid shouted, not caring that the RA was present, and then turned back to him again, panicked. "What did he look like? Who was he?"
Tseng was somewhat startled by the sudden outburst, but kept his calm admirably. He brushed non-present dust off his shirt for a moment before responding. "I believe it was Sephiroth. I'm not sure what he would want with a Freshmen, however. He's normally too busy for such things..."
"#$^$! @#$^, @#%@, @#%#!" Cid cursed angrily before taking off down the stairs at a headlong run, leaving Reeve still walking in nervous circles on the stairwell. Noting Cid's rapid departure, Reeve turned to Tseng and mumbled an awkward apology before running after Cid, calling out uselessly for him to slow down.
Finding the behaviour strange and somewhat worrisome, Tseng considered for a moment, then headed down to the bottom floor, hoping to find Rude and to warn him to keep his eyes open tonight. Something strange was going on.