Wonder Square, while nothing compared to the spectacle at the food court, was crowded with gamers and spectators alike, the noisy din of too many conversations in one place merely a dull roar next to the loud beeps, bangs and whistles that were standard-issue in any arcade. Cid stood on his toes to get a better look as he scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar head of wild blond hair. He smirked to himself as he spotted his prey, throwing his arm out so that it cut across Vincent's chest, stopping the gunman in his tracks.
"Hold on," he instructed, reaching for his phone. To Vincent's left, holding Marlene's other hand, Lyla leaned forward to get a better look at Cid, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
"What are you doing." Vincent asked, though without the customary degree of curiosity in his voice for a proper question.
Across the arcade, Cloud heard the muffled ring of his phone from his pocket. He grumbled under his breath and pressed pause on the simulator, taking the virtual reality snow-goggles and snapping them upwards so that they rested atop his head, causing his hair to stick up in several more directions than usual.
"Denzel," he addressed the boy next to him, reaching out to hoist him up and settle him on the front end of the snowboard he was already standing on, "Lend me a hand while I get this call, alright?" He smiled and handed the goggles down to him, blindly fishing through his pocket for the offending phone.
The tawny haired boy, who had been watching with a very earnest interest, accepted the goggles in both hands with a businesslike nod. "Right!" he agreed enthusiastically, settling them over his eyes with the precision clumsiness that came with being less than ten.
Cloud gave the boy a brief salute before checking the display on the front of his phone, flipping it open a moment later and holding it to his ear even as he helped to guide Denzel in steering the virtual snowboard. "This is Cloud."
"Where're you at, boy?" Cid's voice filtered in from the other end of the line. "Vince an' I are here lookin' for ya. Get off that snowboard machine and come talk to us."
Cloud was glad that Denzel was facing the other way, unable to see the very brief yet panic-stricken expression that fleeted across his face, making him look much like a deer in the headlights to any stray passer-by that might have happened to see. "Hey, I don't know what you're talking about, I'm flattening the competition in Chocobo Square."
"No you ain't. You could be, but you ain't," Cid's gruff voice said pointedly. "Cloud, you have a serious problem with this snow-"
"No, really, I am, I'm between races right now," Cloud lied effortlessly, putting a hand on Denzel's shoulder from behind to steady him. "A little to the left," he murmured as advice.
"You ain't foolin' anyone." And all of a sudden there was a cell phone an inch from his face, snapping shut, attached to Cid's gloved hand. "Knew you'd be here like always," the pilot remarked, having woven his way through the crowd in order to intervene. "Get off that game, this is serious business, Cloud."
"In a minute, we have to finish this one," Cloud informed him, though not without giving him a rather annoyed look. "Don't act as though you're my father."
"I'm old enough to be," Cid said matter-of-factly. "Get off that snowboard game, spikey."
"You are not," Cloud corrected him, "Just a minute. You don't want Denzel to be heartbroken, do you? -This- is serious business."
The boy beneath his hand peeked up through the VR goggles at the arrival of new voices, but he was as intent on the game as Cloud had ever been. "Aw!" he frowned fiercely as he narrowly missed a blue balloon.
If their traditional captain of the proverbial guard hadn't known better, he might have thought Vincent was smirking beneath that cowl. "I am." He said mildly. "Now get off that thing. I'm afraid it's not good news."
Cloud frowned at Vincent's tone. He was used to the gunman being somber, but very rarely did he start a visit with the words, 'I'm afraid it's not good news.' He gave Denzel a gentle pat on the head, grabbing the handrail behind the board with his other hand. "Go ahead and finish up that run, Denzel," he told him, using the hand on the rail to hoist himself off the machine, landing soundly on both feet in front of his friends. He nodded a greeting to the newcomer; introductions could be addressed after whatever pressing business Cid and Vincent had.
"They've been playing this game all week," Marlene was saying, pouting slightly as she let go of both Vincent and Lyla's hands to fold her arms over her chest. Lyla gave her a sympathetic smile and stooped down so they were closer to the same height, giving the small girl a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Now," Cid began, "You know I hate to say 'Sephiroth' to you, but-"
"Not interested," Cloud said suddenly, eyes narrowing coolly as he cut the pilot off.
"Neither were we." Vincent frowned, his voice as even as ever, though it rasped when he spoke. "But he was more than insistent. ...He's looking for you, Cloud. He's using any means he can to find you."
If it had occurred to the gunman that maybe he should have saved this announcement for the end of the explanation, he had clearly dismissed it without a second thought.
Cloud's gaze narrowed further, eyes a calculating ice-blue as he studied what he could see of the ex-Turk's face for any sign that he might be joking. "I would think that'd be pretty hard," he said finally, "Considering how many times I've killed him."
"Yeah, I was startin' to think this was gettin' ridiculous, myself," Cid agreed with him. "But it's for real. He's been lyin' at the bottom of that crater for the last few years, pullin' himself back together. You stopped his last attempt in its tracks, but looks like he don't give up easily."
"Things have gotten out of hand. And quickly." Vincent added.
Very quickly. -Amazingly- quickly. Actually, unless he stopped to consider it, it was difficult to remember that it was only a handful of days ago that everything had been fairly routine.
The gunman frowned, trying to decide how best to consolidate everything there was to say. At least for the moment.
"We're dead." Denzel offered disappointedly from atop the snowboarding simulator, pushing the goggles up into his hair.
Yes, Vincent sighed. That about did it.
"Good try, Denzel," Cloud assured him, sparing him a glance to show he shared in the boy's disappointment. He turned his attention back to the adults assembled in front of him, folding his arms. "So, how exactly did this come to pass? Can I get a little backstory to flesh things out?"
"Kind of a long story and not one really fit for public consumption," Cid pointed out, "But the gist of it is that we've got another crazy scientist after Sephiroth an' various others and Sephiroth himself is all confused an' murderous, the latter bein' status quo an' all, an' he's lookin' for you."
Lyla raised her hand just slightly from where she remained crouched beside Marlene, who looked alarmed by the mention of Sephiroth's name. "I'm 'various others.'"
"It seems there was more to the Jenova project than we even realized." Vincent added, frowning behind the red of his mantle. "A lot more."
Denzel, since the end of the game, had abandoned proper snowboarding stance in favor of leaning on the guard rail with folded arms. His brows knit in concern. If the words hadn't been enough, Marlene's expression helped. Compulsively, he reached out to catch Cloud's sleeve, small fingers missing and curling into the back of his shirt.
"Are you going away again?" he asked quietly.
For a moment, Cloud found himself at a loss for words, dropping into a low crouch so he could look the boy square in the eye. He felt a tug at his other sleeve; Marlene had attached herself to him as well, Lyla drawing up to her full height behind her. Marlene frowned decidedly, shaking her head at the blond man.
"Don't go away again, Cloud," she told him, echoing Denzel's concerns.
"I'll have to talk to Tifa before I make any decisions," Cloud told them evenly, in a way he hoped was comforting. "But if I do go anywhere, you're all coming with me. I won't leave you behind again."
The boy's face lit up at the promise, bouncing on his heels. "Yeah!" he nodded.
"We know how it's been." Vincent continued, watching the display between the trio. "We came to warn you, not to make demands."
"I know. I appreciate it," Cloud told him earnestly, standing up again as a child remained hanging off each arm. "The most important thing is to figure out the best way to keep everyone safe. Are you all going after him?" he asked, inclining his head towards the group.
"Even if we don't chase him, he keeps finding us," Lyla informed him, frowning as she crossed her own arms, a thinly-veiled self-hug. She blinked at Cloud and then averted her gaze, eyes roving over their surroundings as she radiated discomfort.
It was with a passable degree of subtlety that Vincent Valentine took a step closer to the scientist beside him, letting the very edge of his arm brush gently against hers. "The best that we can tell, he's following the energy signature left by mako conditioning."
She glanced up at the ex-Turk in reply, leaning very slightly to her left to discreetly bump against his arm in turn, a silent thanks for his concern. She said nothing; her experience with children was limited, but she felt they didn't need to know everything about the situation just yet. That was Cloud and Tifa's department, to decide how much they could handle, and voicing what had begun to prick at the back of her mind would only cause alarm. Still, it was difficult to ignore that very keen feeling that one was being watched. Closely.
"If it's alright with Tifa, do you have room for four more?" Cloud went on to ask, his tone even and serious. "I don't want to sound like I think I can't protect my family, but if Sephiroth shows up here or follows us somewhere else, I don't want to risk him getting past both me and Tifa."
"The Shera's big enough for everyone, y'know that," Cid pointed out, "And it'd be good t'have you along. Nice t'keep an eye on everyone at once."
"Half of the Turks are with us." Vincent included by way of warning. More for the sake of virgin ears than any danger at this point. He followed the statement with a glance in Lyla's direction, an attempt to read her expression without asking what was wrong. But he had a feeling about it, and it wasn't good at all.
"Sorry I'm late," Tifa offered as she trotted up beside them. "Just double checking everything this time."
"Probably not a bad idea, little girl," Cid remarked, giving her a wary sort of look despite his affectionate tone. The last thing anyone needed was for that monstrous bird to get loose again. No one had been killed this time, but he was convinced that chocobo was going to take someone's arm off sooner rather than later, at the very least.
"Hey," Cloud greeted her softly, his smile more solemn than he would have liked. It would be difficult to discuss the full gravity of what was going on with the kids present, but he could at least give Tifa the abridged version for the time being. They would both require more explanation before the day was out, but only when Denzel and Marlene were safely occupied elsewhere. "How do you feel about tagging along with these guys for a little while? Something's up. I don't think we should be on our own right now."
"I wondered when they said it was important." the hand fighter admitted, folding her arms. "So. When do we leave?"
"Cloud said we could come, too," Denzel informed her, letting go of his adopted father only to take her hand.
She smiled, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze as they entwined. "Did he?" She asked, looking up at the blond over Denzel's head.
Cloud nodded stiffly. "I think it would be best," he told her, his mouth becoming a thin, serious line. "He's back, Tifa."
Cid glanced in Vincent's direction, nodding his head to the right to indicate the two children. "Hey, Vin. Whaddya think about takin' the kids on some rides or somethin'? I can explain everything to mom an' dad here in detail."
The brunette's brows knit in concern, even as her mind raced to supply a name to his statement.
Not him. It couldn't be.
Beside her, Vincent tipped his head enough to glance down at Marlene. "Do you mind if Denzel comes with us?" he asked.
Marlene shook her head, brightening as a smile broke out across her face. "He can come!" she said cheerfully, her concern from only moments before now entirely forgotten. She held a hand out to Denzel, fingers spread wide. "Come on, Vincent's going to take us on the roller coaster."
The boy bent back the better to see the gunman's face, taking Marlene's hand even as he stared with wide, curious eyes. He had seen him before, two years ago. Back when he had still been sick with the geostigma. It didn't seem like he had changed at all, from the red cloak to the solemn eyes.
He was really, really cool looking.
Marlene squeezed his hand and gave him a gentle tug, holding the other out for Vincent. "Come on! We gotta get in line or else we'll never get on!"
The gunman obligingly took her offered hand, glancing back at Lyla over his shoulder in silent question.
Lyla met his gaze, conflicted for a moment even as she offered the group by the snowboarding game a half-hearted wave, following Marlene's lead as the girl eagerly lead Vincent into the crowd. Lyla waited until they were out of earshot before leaning in to tell him, "I'd love to tag along, but I think I'll go see what Reno and Rude are up to. ... I don't think it's a very good idea for me to be around the kids right now, but I think I should stick close to someone who can handle themselves. Just in case anything happens. Pencil me in for sometime after your date with Marlene? I still need to thank you properly."
"Be careful." he said simply, raising his clawed hand for a moment as though he might lay it on her shoulder. In the end he decided against it, but his gaze lingered just a moment too long.
"I will," she promised him, offering a very tired smile as assurance. She waved to both Marlene and Denzel as they emerged from the arcade and walked out into the main plaza of Wonder Square, turning towards the path that would take her to the casino. "You three have fun!"
"She's not coming with us?" Marlene asked as she looked up at Vincent, disappointed.
He shook his head once, glancing down at them. "She doesn't feel well." he said simply. "She'll be glad to play later."
"Who was she?" Denzel asked, trotting ahead of Marlene a step to see Vincent.
"She's a friend," Marlene answered for the gunman, adopting a matter-of-fact sort of attitude. "She's really nice, she helped us find Prince earlier!"
"Her name is Lyla." he added as they took their place in line. "You'll see her again. Do you two want to shoot?"
"Yeah!" Denzel agreed, grinning.
"Yes!" Marlene echoed, jumping once to show her enthusiasm. "You'll tell us all your secrets on how to win, right?"
Vincent nodded as he registered for three guns at the ticket window, sliding the GP across the counter he still had from god knew where. "I suppose, if you two can keep a secret."
"We won't tell anyone, not even Cloud," Marlene promised him, clasping her hands together behind her back now that Vincent's was occupied elsewhere.
"We can totally keep a secret," Denzel agreed, taking the gun in both hands as the ex-Turk handed it over.
He nodded again, all business as he offered Marlene hers. "Well, then. Let's go."