…
Zack's absence as an instructor was explained by the mission workload he had to take on, their new instructor Angeal, had explained. A stern looking man who was actually quite amicable, the cadet's teacher change was met with only little complaint.
"Your Sensei's boundless energy is being equipped to the betterment of ShinRa elsewhere. Undoubtedly, he is protecting ShinRa as we speak."
A few soldiers glanced worriedly to each other at that. Angeal noticed.
"Don't worry. He'll be back soon. With his boundless energy, I'm sure he'll be here whipping you cadets into shape within a few days." Angeal assured, looking to the worried faces.
The group visibly relaxed at his words.
"However, just because he isn't here to energize you all doesn't give anyone the excuse to slack off. For today's lesson, please form groups of three…" His words were met with groans, but the group dispersed into clusters as cadets followed their sensei's orders.
Cloud looked around nervously.
I wasn't really given a good opportunity to make immediate friendships in the class, thanks to the trainings, he lamented
Not like he would take them back in the slightest. But still, as the larger group number dwindled, Cloud felt his palms sweat and his heart race. Mindfulness and grounding were a little hard to access when anxiety loomed so large at such a fickle thing.
Just as he felt the crux of his anxiety begin to take hold, quickening his breathing, he felt a hand grasp his shoulder.
"Strife! Come with us!" He turned to the source of the voice and hand, anxiety still rendering him on the defensive.
But Kunsel-a cadet he'd worked with before- disarmed him with a friendly smile. The dimples and deep brown eyes didn't hurt either.
"Do you mind joining our merry little group?" Kunsel prompted. "I know we're not the company you're used to."
Cloud shook his head fervently. "I'd love to! And I'd rather be with comrades. Thanks for letting me join."
Kunsel beamed, then turned to a brown-haired cadet with a high ponytail tied back with a red bandanna.
"Sweet! Well then, I'd better introduce you to the better third of our group. Besides you, of course." The cadet chucked.
"This is Jess, they just transferred from central. I tried showing him some SOLDIER hospitality, but he already memorized the layout of this place! I couldn't even play the first-day-wrong-room prank, or lie about the terrible cafeteria food! Smart as a whip, I tell you." Kunsel supplied.
Jess laughed and shook his head. "You flatter me too much, Kunsel."
He extended a hand to Cloud. "Nice to meet you, Cloud! I've already heard a lot about you from this guy," he jerked a thumb in Kunsel's direction, "and I'm excited to see your skills in action!"
"H-hiya, Jess. Nice to meet you too. A-and thanks" Cloud smiled nervously, taking Jess's hand and shaking it. He was slightly embarrassed by his Nibelheim accent peeking through.
Their introduction was interrupted by Angeal's authoritative voice.
"Okay cadets! Listen up." The clusters quieted and turned toward Angeal.
"First, let's hustle a little more when getting into groups. If that means staying in the group you're in, then do so. If you're in battle, there's rarely any time to navigate social hierarchies and be with your buddies. We're all SOLDIERS. We are, by extension, all comrades."
Cloud bit the inside of his cheek, embarrassed.
"Second, I'm going to issue out a team identifier for each team. No defining a team by its members or dominant leaders. There's no time to distinguish which John is which or who's usually in their group in the field. We are units. SOLDIERS. Not alpha males. We will be using colors to distinguish groups, which is not only quick to remember but quite similar to battle. Merely look for your team's colors and your allies are easier to distinguish."
The cadets nodded.
"Final thing, before I issue out colors. Work together. Some cadets may seem more skilled than others. Some might seem like they're dragging you down. Some might underrate their abilities and thus inhibit themselves by comparing with or only listening to the dominant personality in your trio. It doesn't matter." Angeal cast a glance about the room, looking to each cadet's face.
"You are all talented SOLDIERS. You're equaled as cadets. Individual skill doesn't matter, nor does rank or dominance. All that matters is team adhesion. Because if you're in the battlefield one day meant to lead an entire army, you'll want every single SOLDIER's support and trust. No matter how dominant you are, you can't fight off an entire army or a level III monster singlehandedly."
Angeal's speech was met with murmurs. He cleared his throat.
"Okay, color assignments! You there, you are now team red. Behind you, team blue…."
Angeal continued until he reached Cloud's group in the back.
"And finally, Yellow."
"Like a chocobo!" Cloud mused quietly to himself, smiling slightly at the memory of the charismatic bird.
"How about team chocobo, then?" Kunsel prompted energetically, causing Cloud to look up. Cloud looked inquisitively to Jess.
Jess grinned and extended a fist.
"Put your hands together for team chocobo!" He cheered quietly.
The group bumped fists, then turned to Angeal as he began issuing out orders.
"Alright, we're going to head to the training fields. The goal of this mission is to ensure your teams can support each of its members…."
"So, glorified trust falls?" Kunsel quipped under his breath.
Cloud bit his bottom lip, stifling a chuckle. Jess stood stoically, but the slight shake of his shoulders betrayed his reaction.
Luckily Angeal hadn't noticed. His brief continued.
"…will be carrying one of your 'injured' team members through the forest stimulation area. Each member will be carried at least once-" A few soldiers perked up, "-but that doesn't mean you get to sleep on the job." Angeal raised an eyebrow and cast an eye about the room, causing a few cadets to straighten.
"Work with your team to plan around obstacles. Even if your body is 'injured', you can still use your brain. As a SOLIDER, you'll be expected to fight for ShinRa with everything you have. And I do mean everything." A few snickers greeted his last sentiment.
Angeal glared, silencing the group.
"Thank you. I'm glad I can collaborate with mature cadets. Back to the mission, please. The team that transports each member to the ending destination in the shortest time wins."
A cocky looking cadet with spiky pink hair raised a hand and spoke.
"Is there a prize?"
Angeal rubbed his forcehead with the palm of his hand muttering. Though Cloud was in the back, he caught something along the lines of "So much for maturity".
"Yes, there is a prize."
The groups looked to each other excitedly.
"Rank. Legacy. The comforting knowledge that you and your closest comrades live another day. Experience and skill. Team bonding. And above all, honor."
His announcement was met with grumbling. A cadet in the fray groaned, muttering "Zack would've treated the winners to ice cream."
"Well maybe you can talk to him about it when he gets back. Gods, he spoils you little runts. Get out there before I whip your sorry asses into shape!"
Cloud jumped at the loudness and anger behind Angeal's voice, then quickly turned to the door. His teammates filed in after him, matching his speed as they started down the hallway.
"Kunsel, why are you smiling?" Jess asked, slightly out of breath as they reached the simulation area.
"I'll let you know if we make it out. Which we will." Kunsel promised, pressing the button and stepping through the door. He motioned to the other two.
"Come on, let's do this thing!"
…
The group crossed over the virtual finish line, falling over each other as soft grass and dirt fizzled away into hard plastic flooring.
"Ouch! Geeze Kunsel, are you so weak that you couldn't even hold me for the last leg of the race?" Jess quipped, chuckling.
Kunsel propped himself on his elbows and shot Jess a glare, but his upturned lips betrayed his resentful demeanor. "I would have done better if you hadn't been laughing so hard on the last leg! That, combined with all the mud you had to stomp through rather than avoid, made you as carryable as a Midgar Zolom!'
"Are you saying I'm ugly?" Jess said, mock angrily. He propped himself up on his elbows and tried to maintain a straight face, but failed and fell back to the floor, snickering at Kunsel's mock-thoughtful expression.
"No, not quite. Though I will say that the view was much better when I was being carried by mountain man Cloud over here. So ruggedly handsome." Kunsel responded, turning and batting his eyelashes seductively at Cloud.
Cloud blushed and turned his head away, but chuckled.
Jess nodded a little (somehow) on the floor. "Fair point. Can't refute the rugged charm of a cute country boy from Niebelheim."
Cloud propped himself up, looking from Jess on the floor to Kunsel, who was in the process of standing (though he kept failing and falling to his knees, laughing).
"How did you know?"
Kunsel grinned up at him "Oh honey, your accent gives it away."
Cloud dropped to the floor, covering his face. "Aww, really? Now everyone thinks I'm a backwater hick from the sticks."
He felt a hand pull his arms from his face and looked to see Jess's patient smile.
"I doubt cadets think that. Most of them are too stuck in their own asses to care, no offence."
"True that! Not just mud on their noses." Kunsel quipped, (finally) standing and walking over to them.
Jess chucked but looked back to Cloud. "Honestly, it's no big deal. It's really your actions that people care about, not necessarily background. That's why most of us come here anyway, right? We wouldn't willingly sign our identity away to ShinRa if we didn't have a hometown or dark backstory we wanted to hide."
Cloud nodded slowly.
"Besides, I think it's charming." Jess asserted, raising his eyebrows and smiling. Cloud blushed and looked away.
"A little too charming. Jess, I think your brain was stuck on Cloud nine when you were directing us while 'injured'." Kunsel jibed.
"At least I gave directions! You gave us constantly-changing-instructions!" Jess retorted, grinning and getting up.
"No offence to both of you, but you should leave the directing to Moogle maps. Or country bumpkins with map-reading intuition borne of practically having to be a cartographers to find the nearest MoogleDonalds." Cloud piped up, tone a little passive aggressive.
Jess and Kunsel looked to each other. Cloud gulped.
Jess bent over, laughing. "Moogledonalds?! Oh how you must've suffered!"
"I thought those things populated every 5 miles!" Kunsel said, tears coming from his eyes. He held his sides and bellowed out a laugh.
Cloud grinned, relieved. "Nope. I guess Niebelheim was too 'rustic' for them. And they missed out on miles and miles of retail space! Didn't know dead earth, blazing sun, in-the-middle-of-nowhere location and meager populus were a turn-off."
Kunsel shrugged and extended a hand. "You learn something new every day. Up you go!"
Cloud took it and got up. The group emerged from the chamber laughing, having to lean on each other to support themselves as they kept laughing.
They were met with the weary eyes of another group, all of whom looked exhausted and worse for wear.
They straightened and glared.
"At least some of us took this seriously. No wonder you aren't first." The cadet quipped, eyes darting to each member judgmentally.
Cloud froze.
"If we didn't take it seriously, we wouldn't be finished with the simulation." Jess said, meeting his glare.
Kunsel broke out of their support system and walked up to the cadet. "Why, you jealous of our team camaraderie?"
The cadet blushed and stepped back, bumping into the wall at Kunsel's seductive tone. "N-no."
Kunsel straightened and returned back to Cloud and Jess. "Good. Then next time, I'd focus on increasing your own team's cohesion before judging someone else. Make Angeal proud and all that."
"That is what this exercise is for. Don't want to be in a team where you all look like you want to kill each other. Kinda hard to fight a monster if all your teammates are dead." Jess supported darkly, smirking.
The group glared, then Kunsel turned from them.
"Come on, guys," He motioned yellow team to follow him. "Let's let these elites enjoy their 'achievement'. We're gonna go enjoy some ice cream."
The cadet's heads snapped up as yellow team filed out of the hallway.
They emerged into the "waiting room" for finished cadets (really just a glorified term for a large and dinky room reserved for equipment).
"Are you serious about ice cream?" Jess asked quietly.
Kunsel turned and grinned at the two of them. "We made it out, didn't we?"
"How?" Cloud asked, incredulous.
"You'll see. Let's wait until Angeal announces the standings." Kunsel responded, motioning them to the metal chairs that lined the room. "For now, let's rest."
"And reflect on the mission." Jess added, sitting down with Kunsel. Cloud followed.
"No, no. Stop. My stomach already hurts from laughing so hard!" Kunsel said, merriment already lighting up his features. "Tell him not to, Cloud."
"Well Jess, I'd say that Kunsel was a little clingy when we carried him." Cloud said slowly, a smile growing on his face. Kunsel covered his face with his hands and groaned. Jessie smirked back.
"I agree. And another thing…"
"You guys will be the death of me, I swear." Kunsel's muffled response sent the two into peals of laughter.
…..
"Great job with the exercise, Cadets!" Angeal congratulated to the now-full waiting room. Some groups were worse for wear, while others were similarly merry. They all quieted at Angeal's authoritative tone. "Everyone was delivered safely. Now for the rankings…"
Kunsel grabbed Cloud's and Jess's hands and squeezed lightly.
"It was a pleasure doing this mission with you guys. Just know that." Jess whispered, making eye contact with each of them.
Cloud nodded. "Same."
"…First goes to Red!"
The room burst into applause. A merry team cheered loudly and high fived.
Jess raised his free hand and crossed his fingers.
"…. Blue was in second…"
More applause. The team they'd encountered in the hallway looked to each other cooly, then went back to not looking at each other.
Kunsel squeezed Cloud's hand.
"And yellow made third!"
They looked at each other and grinned as the other cadets clapped. Cloud released his grip and extended a fist.
"GO TEAM CHOCOBO!" Kunsel yelled (a little too enthusiastically) as they fistbumped, causing Cloud and Jess to blush. They were met with strange looks. Luckily Angeal hadn't heard. Or at least pretended he hadn't heard.
"Good job to all the teams. But remember, this exercise was about teamwork. Though you may have gotten a desired place in this simulation, I will be looking at team cohesion in a final evaluation of each simulation. If your team was not working together, I will assign additional team-building simulations and activities for your team during recreational time."
A few cadets looked down in shame, while others groaned and complained. Angeal silenced their outcries with a look.
"In the field, teamwork is life or death. Don't even hope to aspire to be as great as your sensei or General Sephiroth if you can't even work with a few peers."
He looked around the room, eyeing particularly glum-looking soldiers.
"The results of the simulation evaluation will be posted tomorrow. You are dismissed."
The room gradually came to life again, cadets streaming out towards the door. Some units laughed and joked, while others were full of cadets who were downcast.
Cloud got up and joined them, flinching slightly as an arm came to rest on his shoulder. He looked up to see Kunsel, who was wrangling Jess in as well.
"Great job you guys!" He congratulated enthusiastically. "Team chocobo for the win!"
A few cadets looked up. An enthusiastic Kunsel, it turned out, was a loud one.
"Kunsel! Not so loud! We're supposed to be a team chocobo, not a chocobo stampede." Jess hissed. "Anyway, I hope I see you all around. It was great to work with you all."
He tried to get out of Kunsel's hold, but Kunsel's arm kept him close.
"Hey, I promised you something, didn't I?"
Jess shrugged. "Don't worry about me. I don't want to waste your recreational time, especially you, Cloud." He struggled out of Kunsel's grip and started towards the door.
"Wait! Jess!" Cloud cried out, also breaking out of Kunsel's grip to grab Jess's hand. He turned, surprised.
"I like hanging out with my comrades, especially you two. I know I…get called away a lot. But that doesn't mean I'm not interested in hanging out with you guys!" Cloud continued, meeting Jess's eyes. "Besides, we have to see if Kunsel is lying!"
Jess stood, surprised. He blinked, then smirked.
"Thanks, Cloud. And you're right. We gotta make sure our teammate isn't a pathological liar."
Kunsel joined them. "That wouldn't be very helpful on missions, would it? Don't worry, I got the sweet stuff. Come on!" He motioned them to the door, smiling.
They followed, grinning, and joking to each other.
…
Though the treacherous simulated forest had made bonding slightly difficult, the cold back-room food storage proved perfect for Cloud to get to know his teammates. Especially since there wasn't the threat of a sudden monster attack.
Kunsel had directed them through a maze of hallways near the mess hall, eventually reaching an unmarked door and motioning them in. Jess had quipped that he hoped Kunsel hadn't led them into an ambush.
Kunsel had merely rolled his eyes and turned on the lights, revealing rows and rows of freezers labeled on top with color-coded signs. Upon closer inspection, they indicated ice cream flavors, coded to the flavor it represented. A brown-white-pink for napoleon. A mint green with brown framing for mint chip. Etc.
"Some of the instructors-and ShinRa higher ups-have quite the sweet tooth. And Shinra is stinkin' rich, so of course they buy things in excess. Help yourself!" Kunsel had prompted by way of explanation, popping open a freezer and taking out a small container filled with pink ice cream.
"A-are you sure we won't get caught?" Cloud had asked timidly, looking to Jess, who was similarly unsure.
"Nah. They purposefully turn a blind eye on this place because they think no one but Shinra execs and the like know about it. Plus, I heard that the General frequents this room. Who wants to deal with a late-night Sephiroth with the case of the munchies? I sure wouldn't." Kunsel assured, shivering at the notion.
And that's how they ended up in a dark room, eating ice cream and talking.
Jess revealed that he'd joined the Midgar ranks in order to support his family on the plate. Due to the excess of soldiers at Midgar (and the elite soldiers that much of the Shinra military compound devoted space to), he'd been shipped out here.
"I used to do theatre shows," Jess supplied between bites of mint-chocolate, "but these days, people prefer the tangible over the experiential for their money. Real shame, too. I was at the top of my game. Of course, they had to hitch up the price of rent again."
"I'm so sorry." Cloud said genuinely, eyebrows knotting in concern.
"It's whatever. At least here the food is assured." He said, lifting a spoon in recognition of Kunsel.
Kunsel grinned and got up. "Least I can do for my team. I'll be right back; I'm headed to the latrines. I shouldn't be too long, they have a bathroom right around the corner."
The door closed with a heavy slam. Cloud looked to Jess.
"I know how hard it is being so removed from the place you loved. I'm sorry you have to go through changing locations so much."
Jess shrugged. "Thanks. Don't be sorry, nothing you can do. Besides," He lifted his head to grin at Cloud, "There weren't many cute boys in the residential neighborhoods anyway. Seen 'em all already."
Cloud paused, mid bite of napoleon. He looked at Jess, eyes widening.
"Wait…you like boys too?"
"Yup. As much as they hated me: the only bit of rainbow on a gray, straight block." Jess sighed.
"Imagine being the only gay on the mountain. There's a reason why I don't have anything for men with facial hair." Cloud sighed.
"With a cute face like yours? I'm surprised you weren't snapped up as soon as you arrived here." Jess grinned. Cloud felt a blush warm his cheeks.
"There is someone, isn't there?! Who is it?"
"I'm not sure they're catching feelings as much as I am. And I'm…falling for more than one person?"
"Oh, honey. I'm sorry. "
"Don't be. Well, have you seen any eye candy yet?"
"Don't tell him but…that Kunsel is quite a snack."
"How about I tell you about my love life if you tell me about yours? It's nice to know I'm not the only gay here!"
"It's a deal. And if we really need to let of steam…" Cloud lowered his voice, "Downtown Midgar is a mile away from here. Gay bars are aplenty"
"How about we celebrate my first week by going to one on Saturday. We don't have any assignments then, right?"
"Yep. I'll look forward to it!" Cloud grinned and they shook on the deal.
…
Kunsel came back and the group carried on merrily over frosted sweetness. Suddenly, their celebration was interrupted by a angry buzzing emanating from Kunsel's comm.
"Oh, crap! Turns out I'm on trash duty in my barrack and they need me now of all times. I guess I'll see you guys later!" Kunsel exclaimed and rushed out.
"I guess I should head back too. Need any help with cleaning up, Cloud?" Jess asked as he stood up and stretched.
"I have nowhere to be. You go, I'll clean up. Thanks for the company, Jess." Cloud smiled back and turned back to his half-eaten napoleon.
I'll just clean up after them, eat, and go back to the barracks. I'll have plenty of time before lights out, Cloud thought, resting against one of the stainless-steel freezers. The frozen delicacy left Cloud in a pleasant mood, and he happily trotted to the freezer doors, giving them a slight push. They failed to open. He set the plastic trash on the floor and gave a sizeable push. Nothing. He forced all his weight into pushing the doors and still nothing.
"Dang it!" Cloud yelled, his Nibelheim mannerisms preventing him from swearing.
Just my luck. Getting locked in the executive freezer. If I don't become hypothermic, then I'll be caught by some higher-up. This is fantastic Cloud sighed, picking up the trash.
There's at least some warmth at the back of the freezers. I can hide there and wait for someone to open the door and slip out when they leave. Cloud made to wearily sit down and wait.
…
Zack Fair was not, in truth, out fighting monsters or doing "The Lords" (ShinRa's) work. He was catching up on all the paperwork he had neglected to complete due to his mentorship duties. Sephiroth's pestering had recently morphed into threats. Sephiroth practically called every hour to ensure Zack was on task.
That morning, Zack found himself drifting off on his stack of papers, finding that they were a much better pillow then he thought. Midnight patrols were starting to catch up to his unusually hyper brain, yielding a sort of zombified version of himself rather unlike the person he usually portrayed himself as. He was entering a sort of dream space of running in flower fields with Cloud when his comm buzzed, violently shaking him out of his fantasy. Zack slit his eyes and glared at the device, scheming.
If I don't answer it, they'll just think I'm on a mission and leave me the hell alone. That should work! Zack smiled to himself and allowed himself to drift back. Only, the comm kept buzzing for 5 minutes. Perturbed, Zack grumbled and picked it up.
"Zack speaking."
"Why, hello Fair. Just wanted to give you your hourly reminder to be responsible and take care of your paperwork."
"Of course! I'm thoroughly examining the contents of some of these reports as we speak." He said, straitening up to wipe any residual drool off his face and his papers.
"Well then, I'll leave you to it." Sephiroth promptly hung up. Zack let out a breath, convinced his tone sounded alert and…productive?
That should buy me some time for a nice, long, nap. Zack grinned, resting his head back down on his papers. A few seconds later, a knock sounded on his door. Zack attempted to tune it out by shamelessly crawling under his desk, hiding in a nook between two drawer spaces.
If I don't look like I'm here, then leave me alone! He rested against the wood, curling up to conceal his frame in the space. The office door squeaked, but then no sound came. Zack sighed in relief, resting his eyes shut.
"Enjoying your little nap, Fair?" A icy voice mused.
Zack's eyes flew open, to find the General sitting cross-legged across from him, perfectly comfortable. He gasped and made to sit up, only to bang his head on the top of his desk. Letting out a surprised gasp, Zack cringed, rubbing the afflicted patch on his scalp. Sephiroth let out a low chuckle.
"Thanks a lot, Seph!"
"I'm not the one who climbed under their desk and was unaware of their surroundings."
Zack grunted and stood up, swaying back a bit. Sephiroth caught him and slowly led Zack to his chair.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to get up so fast, Fair? The blood rush on top of your concussion really concerns me."
"Well then, maybe I should take the day off for my work-related injury."
"More like I need to keep an eye on you and ensure your continued well-being. And speaking of things in dire straits, you've hardly done any work today!"
"Look at this packet I just filled out! It's huge! Doesn't that count?"
"That's one of 20 other things you need to do, Fair."
"Ughhhhhhhh"
"Complaining won't yield any results. I'll keep you company."
"Don't you have your own paperwork to do?"
"Nice try. I got all my work done an hour ago. Now, if you don't finish those 20 assignments by the end of today, you will be voluntold to attend movie night featuring my top choices of a documentary on penguins, a hurt/comfort rom-com, or a childhood blockbuster of my choice."
Zack grumbled, muttering something about poor taste and a sappy lovesick fool.
"What was that?"
"N-nothing. I'll get to work boss."
The morning progressed, with Zack earnestly filling out various reports, occasionally interrupted by a snide remark or gossip from the General, serving as the occasional break.
The current dead silence was interrupted by Zack's loud groan.
"I have ONE more report to go and now I'm runnin' out of steam? GODS take pity on me and give me greater stamina!" Zack roared and held his pen up to the heavens, as if summoning Ramuh himself.
Sephiroth started to choke loudly on his second cup of coffee, attempting to elegantly cover up for the fact the dark liquid shot of his nose and nearly stained his uniform. Luckily, the affected area was his bare pecs, which was a blessing since he hadn't the faintest idea of how to dry-clean leather.
"Damn Seph, I knew you were concerned but it's nothing to get choked up over." Zack grinned and handed the General a small mound of paper towels.
Sephiroth muttered something about innuendos and Zack's lack of virginity between coughs.
After recovering, he smiled malevolently.
"How about one last juicy piece of gossip to power your endeavors. This one comes straight from HQ."
"Do tell!" Zack raised an eyebrow, folding his hands on his desk and leaned forward.
"A new higher-up will make his appearance soon. He's been called in from his station in Junon to help train a few new recruits. I think he made quite a few regrettable choices in Junon and needs to make a better rep for himself. Something about screwing around and making an army of love slaves?"
"I've heard something about a thirsty SOLDIER out there but…wow. What a guy."
"Other rumors had it that he was messing around to heal the Rufus-shape hole in his heart."
"I thought Tseng was the only one dying of pining!"
"Nope. Turns out Rufus Shinra's type isn't dramatic SOLDIER boys. Or copycats for that matter."
"What do you mean?"
"He totally stole my uniform look because Rufus was, erm.. 'checking me out', as they say, once."
"Oh! I remember that! I heard Rufus was finally understanding his sexuality and was out for your ass..ets"
Sephiroth just about choked again.
"Hrm…anyway, Genesis wanted to steal Rufus's heart and my charm, and thus the copied uniform with a bit of a red flair. I suppose we'll get to witness another lovesick puppy on the premises pining over Rufus. I think we'll also need to plan a PSA for safe sex, considering his body count" The General mused.
Zack let out a frenzied laugh.
"Now get that last packet done, Fair. This information doesn't come cheap, you know."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll try to get the image of a infatuated Rufus staring at your ass out of my head. He's like, what, 10 years younger than you?"
"No, 5. And I'm not interested. By the way, the clock's ticking. Soon you'll be my guest at my exclusive movie night. I'm thinking A Dog's Purpose. I heard it's a hoot."
"You're certainly a strange one, Seph." Zack chuckled and set to work.
…