The morning took it's time in coming, although the roving chocobos in the area wasted no time heralding it in. Clarise was up before wark number 12, glowering absently into a cup of coffee that was too dark to have much milk in it.
Lyla rubbed at her temples as she descended the stairs, taking a sharp turn at the bottom to slowly make her way to the dining area. She paused in the doorway when she saw a familiar head of ginger hair, and a faint smile tugged at her lips. Stifling a yawn, she approached the table and helped herself to a seat near Clarise, immediately reaching for the nearby carafe of coffee. "Morning."
"Is it?" She yawned then, setting the mug down with a faint clack. "You seem cheerful."
"Do I?" the brunette asked, blinking a few times in rapid succession. "Maybe just because I'm not glaring at my coffee like I want to stab it. I'm... alright. Fine."
"So not fine."
She paused with her mug halfway to her lips, raising a brow at Clarise over its rim. "Fine enough," she said simply. "How did running errands for his majesty go yesterday? There was a noticeable lack of shirt. I'm guessing pleasant."
"Sometimes it's worth it." She said vaguely, not bothering to specify any of the objects or descriptors in the thought. "What's your plan today, hm?"
"More waiting, I think," Lyla confessed, taking a long sip before setting her mug down with a soft clink. "I got all the information out of the locals I'm going to, probably. Not hard to do. There's been nothing to see. ... we wait for him to show up, or wait to hear that he's somewhere else."
"You could try to sound a little more excited." She smirked a little crookedly, cocking her head to straighten it out.
Lyla mirrored the secretary's smirk, if only slightly. "Oh yes. I'm ecstatic, really. What about you? Any plans for the day?"
"I'm pretty determined to enjoy a free vacation to Costa Del Sol. You know. Before I die of whatever you lot are poking at."
"To be fair, no one here did any poking, he woke up and poked u-" Lyla began, then paused to correct herself. "Vincent touched it. I guess that's technically a poke."
Clarise narrowed one eye. "Touched what, exactly?"
"Never seen anything like it before," Lyla recalled with interest, pausing to take another drink from her mug. "Like a chrysalis built out of mako. Not quite materia, but close. Sephiroth was inside it." She paused. "Seriously, no one briefed you?"
"To be fair, I said most of it would just make me want to run away screaming," The ginger shrugged.
"It's not that bad," Lyla muttered darkly, then paused again. "... no, I suppose some of it is. It might not be as bad as we're expecting. ... he's unstable, but if we can ground him, we have a leg up. We'll be ahead of Dr. Ingram."
"So... you're... looking for Sephiroth. Because he's a nut. That was trapped in a mako pod. Because he was... uhm. In a mako pod."
"... well, the because is really to keep him out of Ingram's hands. ... because -he's- a nut. Two nuts together is sometimes a bad combination."
"Yeah. Almond and walnut is kinda gross actually." She sighed, sliding down somewhat until her arms folded on the table.
"We still have some waiting to do. Don't let the sense of impending doom keep you from enjoying the free vacation," the brunette told her almost flippantly, draining the contents of her cup a moment later. "Swim or sunbathe or whatever it is you want to do. Someone should enjoy themselves while we're here."
"I wasn't really worried about me, but thanks. That impending doom thing uplifted the hell right out of me."
Lyla smirked, if only a little. "You don't worry about much, do you?"
"Gives you wrinkles." She smiled.
"Good morning, ladies," Reno interjected cheerfully, pulling a chair out across the table from them and turning it around before straddling it. "Oooh. Donuts."
"No hangover today?"
"Nope! Took a day off after the last one," the redhead explained with a grin, snatching a pair of donuts off a nearby plate. "Besides, when I dropped by the bar, it looked like -someone- was trying to get busy. Really sucked all the fun out of the place. Rude and I went to get corndogs instead."
Lyla raised an eyebrow at him, dubious. "Are you for real?"
"Genuine article, baby."
Clarise snickered into her hands.
Behind him, heavy steps filtered in as Rude made his way to the dining area. They really were only a step or two behind one another, generally. It was sort of funny, when you thought about it.
"Yo, my tightest of compadres. There are donuts," Reno announced before taking an oversized bite out of the one in his right hand, swallowing and following suit with the one in his left.
Rude flashed him a grin before taking a seat to his left, helping himself to coffee and a glazed from somewhere to their left.
Clarise looked over her shoulder, studying the hallway from whence they came. "No vampires, grandfathers or cripples, yet?"
"Hey," Reno interjected pointedly, "Careful of the 'c' word. If the prez hears you calling him a cripple, he'll smack you with that cane of his. ... well, maybe not -you," he corrected himself thoughtfully.
"Not a vampire," Lyla corrected under her breath.
"Who says I wasn't calling our fearless leader a cripple?" She cocked her head. "He kind of runs around like the one-armed man."
"Good. Just stick to that story if the prez ever overhears you. Wonder what's taking him so long, anyway? He's been kinda stand-offish the past couple of days," Reno observed. "Maybe he's still annoyed that he had to stay on the airship that time. Due to being in a wheelchair and all. Because that would have made the descent into the crater go smooth."
Lyla rolled her eyes, with only a very meager attempt to hide it with her hand. Reno caught it nonetheless and smirked in her direction.
"Where's Drac, then? Did you have to nail him into his coffin for the day?"
"Ha-ha."
"Do you call him Lestat when you guys are alone?"
"You're sort of losing your touch, Reno, you used to be kind of clever. Are you projecting? Do you and Rude like to roleplay when no one is looking?" Lyla countered with a vague smile.
Reno made an attempt to look affronted, but snickered instead. "Well, that's a start, princess."
Rude leaned down on the table, watching her wryly. "Tuesdays." He said evenly.
"Don't give it away, big guy, then they'll wanna join in and it's just gonna be some crazy orgy every week and I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready for-" Reno went on, then stopped himself, turning a grin on Clarise. "Well. You could come."
Lyla couldn't help grinning at Rude in reply, shrugging as she lifted her mug again. "Your secret's safe with me."
"What are you going on about now?" Rufus asked as he approached at a steadier pace than he would have been able to the day before, looking at the group assembled with interest. "You started making fun of Reno without me. I feel left out."
"I saved plenty of humiliation for you, boss," Reno said brightly, saluting.
"Good man, Reno."
"Well. At least the company's good." Clarise chuckled, taking a sip of her rapidly cooling coffee. In retrospect, it was too hot for that sort of thing. But god help her if she wanted to start out -this- kind of day without caffeine.
Rufus smirked at the ginger in reply, nodding once towards Reno and Rude. "At least they keep things interesting."
"I'm touched, sir, truly," Reno responded automatically.
The small woman leaned over the table. "You've been working for him a long time, huh."
Reno grimaced. "It feels like forever, honey."
Rufus smiled to himself as he reached for the coffee, filling a cup for himself. "I've mentioned on more than one occasion the excellent severance package Shinra offers."
"But hey, he's really more like a brother than a boss," Reno went on, flashing a smile.
"I can't actually decide if that's terrifying or adorable," Clarise remarked.
"I generally settle for an uncomfortable combination of the two," Rufus offered.
Clarise smiled at him as though uncertain of exactly what to make of him, then bounded up from the chair and across the expanse of the dining room. Presumably after something, although it was occasionally difficult to tell.
And with her exit came the measured, metallic steps of afore mentioned non-vampire.
"Good morning, Mr. Valentine," Rufus greeted him without looking up, his interest held by his coffee.
"Yo, Drac," Reno echoed, finishing off the last of his donut. He looked across the table towards Lyla and smirked broadly. "Out of the coffin so soon?" The brunette merely made a face at him before giving Vincent a half-hearted wave, a portion of her face hidden behind her coffee mug.
Vincent nodded, opting against taking a seat for no visible reason aside from it's location next to Reno. He forwent the coffee, as well, merely folding his arms and leaning on the far wall. "Morning." He said.
Lyla managed a faint attempt at a smile before forcing herself to look away again, trying to conjure up an interest in the present breakfast food and failing. Reno discreetly raised an eyebrow at her around a third donut, then glanced towards the door. "Wonder what she ran off for so quickly."
Rude offered him a wry look, but said nothing.
From his place at the wall, Vincent arched a brow. "More waiting today?" He surmised.
"More waiting," Lyla confirmed without looking up. "The same as yesterday."
"As long as we're waiting, we may as well enjoy ourselves," Rufus pointed out, much like Clarise before him. "Seems an awful waste to put all that energy into fretting. It won't make him arrive any sooner. Has Sephiroth ever been found when he didn't want to be?"
"Maybe not." Vincent murmured, pushing himself upright. "Or maybe several days ago."
"Considering he was stationary at the time, I don't think he had much of a say in the matter," Rufus reasoned, calm as he sipped at his coffee.
"He'll be here," Lyla told them firmly, pressing her fingernails into her palm beneath the table, knuckles white.
A tall, clear bottle was set just in front of her.
Behind, Clarise got down from her tip-toes.
Lyla blinked twice, then looked over her shoulder at the ginger, raising a brow. "Uh?"
The small blond offered her a smile, turning on her heel the better to flounce out. "Take it with lime," she said cheerily over her shoulder. "I'm going swimming."
Lyla stared dubiously at the bottle in front of her. "It's too early for vodka," she said decidedly.
"I was hoping you'd say that, princess. Yoink!," Reno cut in, reaching across the table to grab the bottle by its neck. "It's never too early for vodka."
"Your liver is going to fall out your ass some day."
"Yeah, I'm hoping it'll get put down in the history books."
Rude smirked, glancing down at his watch and then outside at the sun.
Vincent quirked an eyebrow, and made a casual check down the hall.
No Cid yet.
Hopefully he hadn't passed peacefully in his sleep.
"Someone get me some goddamn coffee," Cid's voice groused from around the corner as if on cue. "Fuckin' chocobos are louder than cats in heat."