::The Last Avatar::

Gamer Edition

BOOK ONE
LEVIATHAN

1.17

Stupidity Caused by a Heightened Altitude

Rue had decided to wander around a bit after harassing Angeal for a while, poor guy didn't know how deal with her on a boredom beater bender and it was just cruel to continue to torment him. She'd strolled around, making sure to stay away from the lounge where Heidegger was drinking himself into a coma, until finding the small secluded observation deck Rue was currently occupying while watching the clouds go by. Staring across the endless blue of Gaia's skies Rue didn't hear the quiet footsteps announcing another presence while she remained lost in her own thoughts.

"I take it you haven't been on an airship before," a quiet voice asked from behind. Rue jumped a little and turned to find Sephiroth standing not far off with a thoughtful look on his face. Smiling at him Rue shook her head before looking back out the windows.

"I've been on an aeroplane, sure, but nothing like this thing," she told him with a grin over her shoulder. Sephiroth hummed in reply and strode closer, coming to stand next to her silently.

Rue wasn't sure how long they stood there without talking to each other, she wasn't game enough to bring up her player screen, or any screen for that matter, in front of Sephiroth if she could help it, just to check the time. When the door opened for a second time Rue was half expecting Angeal or Genesis, hell even Tseng would have been more expected than god damned Heidegger practically staggering in. The man was, for the lack of a better word, sloshed. The heightened altitude of the airship wouldn't have helped keep him sober either. The way the large man was swaying in the doorway Rue wasn't sure it should have been possible for him to have been able to stand at all, let alone walk.

"So here sheisss thean," he slurred after a moment. Sephiroth took a few steps forward protectively, it was obvious that he hadn't anticipated Heidegger getting drunk and then wandering around. "The wikkle horey at turned tha boay generarals head," after that the fool man doubled over with his annoying laughter. Rue's eyes thinned considerably, she had patience in excess most of the time, but for that kind of crap, well, the idiotic drunkard was lucky she wasn't armed. Tseng had insisted she be even without her water canister while in 'custody', something Rue was quite certain to give him an earful about later if Heidegger kept running his drunk-ass mouth.

"Perhaps you should go back to the lounge Heidegger, you look a little worse for wear," Sephiroth suggested tightly. When she glanced at him Rue noticed that his face looked like stone, seemed he didn't appreciate the words either, though she wasn't entirely sure what part had offended him. Perhaps being called 'boy'?

"M'fine," the large man muttered as he wobbled on his unsteady feet. Rue watched with a raised eyebrow as Heidegger attempted to take a step forward, finding his lack of coordination more than slightly amusing as he swayed on his feet and watched as his eyelids sagged and he slumped to the floor with a heavy thud. Blinking slowly as she frowned at the sight of the large man snoring on the floor, all she could do was wonder what the fuck had just happened.

"Um, Sephiroth?" she asked without taking her eyes off the unconscious man on the floor.

"Yes?" he responded, sounding just as bemused as she did.

"What the hell just happened?" Rue asked him with a small amount of disbelief in her voice. Both of them continued to stare at Heidegger, neither one sure what they should do with the man. It wasn't until Tseng walked through the door that they were broken out of the spell the idiot snoring on the floor had somehow cast on them.

"What happened?" Tseng walked around the sleeping Heidegger with barely concealed curiosity. He glanced from the man on the floor to Rue and Sephiroth and then raised his eyebrow.

"Heidegger has obviously consumed too much alcohol, the fool decided to try and speak and walk at the same time, as you can see it did not end well," Sephiroth stated flatly. Rue on the other hand barely contained the urge to smack herself in the forehead, Tseng's raised eyebrow had spoken volumes to her and that had gone right over her companions head. She took a few steps over to the Turk and poked him in the chest with a frown on her face and a raised eyebrow of her own.

"I don't appreciate you insinuating what you were insinuating Turkey boy, so quit it," she warned quietly. After giving him a well practised stink eye Rue strode out of the observation deck without another word.

…

Rue had discovered Genesis' little reading hideaway by accident, thankfully he hadn't thrown her out on first sight, though he'd certainly given her a dirty look when she'd snapped another picture of him while he was reading on a whim. Since then though things had been peaceful, perhaps because she wasn't actually talking to him. Instead Rue had opted to seat herself next to the window and watch Gaia go by, taking a picture or two of the view, all the while trying to figure what the hell she was even doing there. Something she'd been mostly avoiding thinking about to save her own sanity. Or rather, what was left of it after everything she'd already been through.

'Just focus on mastering Water Bending for now, we'll talk about the bigger picture later, okay?' was all she got from her inner peanut gallery. Rue sighed and leaned her head against the glass, that was all well and good apart from the fact that she couldn't even practice while they were travelling. God damned Turks.

"I was wondering where you two had gotten to," both Rue and Genesis jumped at Angeal's voice. Looking over at the door revealed an amused teen leaning against the wall watching them with a small smile on his face.

"What can I say, the brat is decent company when she doesn't talk," Genesis snarked from his seat on the other side of the room.

"Wow Red, I was about to say the exact same thing about you," Rue feigned surprise as she looked over at the red head with wide eyes. Genesis glared at her, but grudgingly returned to his book instead of snapping back at her.

"Awww, you two are adorable," Angeal teased them. Two pairs of blue eyes snapped to the bulky teenager against the wall, neither one appreciating the words that had unexpectedly left usually stoic young man-slash-boy. LOVELESS clattered to the floor as a look of pure mortification took over Genesis' face as he stared at his childhood friend. Rue on the other hand took another approach.

"Angeal?" Rue called with a smile on her face.

"Yeah?" he shifted against the wall and folded his arms with an almost smug grin on his face. Note to self: Angeal is a dick in disguise. Treat with caution and sarcasm when necessary.

"Shut. Up." She told him flatly as her smile dropped suddenly. Angeal's eyes widened at the utterance, as did Genesis' as both of them stared at her for a long moment. It didn't last long, of course, as Genesis broke down into laughter, though Rue wasn't entirely sure why. Had no one ever told Angeal to shut up before? That was unlikely. Genesis probably did all the time. Perhaps it was that no one else ever did, perhaps everyone else only ever saw the 'nice guy' and not the asshat Rue suspected Angeal usually kept hidden.

"Did you just-?" he began with a half grin.

"Yes, Angeal, I told you to shut up, you should try it instead of saying stupid things like that thing that you just said," Rue said very quickly with a pointed look at buff idiot.

"You are a very strange woman," Angeal told her with a perplexed smile on his face. Rue just rolled her eyes at him, she'd thought that had already been established.

"Tell me something I don't know," she replied flatly. Genesis snorted as he came out of his bout of laughter at her telling his childhood friend to 'shut up'. Because who the hell told Angeal to shut up?

"You're fucking hilarious, is what you are," he told her though his laughter. Rue turned her still rather flat look to Genesis at this.

"I believe I said, 'tell me something I don't know, not 'tell me something I already know', Red," the sarcasm was plain this time and sent Genesis into another round of laughter. Likely because her expression hadn't changed in the delivery.

AN: Short chapter is short. Sorry about the length guys, I got major writers block in the middle of this and you've been waiting a while so I just wanted to get this little 'intermission of stupidity' out so I could move on with the story.

Next chapter should be the meeting with Shinra, so that'll be interesting. Not sure how that will go right now, but I'll try to keep it entertaining at the very least. Longer too with any luck.

My writing may be a little...sparse for the next few months as I'm preparing for a big life decision move thing and I'll be busy doing stuff for that...but I'll try to write a bit more often than I have this last month.

I want to thank everyone who has put this fic on alert and faved it, it means the world to me. All those who reviewed, you guys just make my freaking day every time. Thank you so much.

Till next time,

RLK