Summary: Silent conversations between Ariana and Aridai, Angeal reflects more on his thoughts about the twins, and Veld makes an appearance.
Notes: '—' are signs
( ) are translated sentences
Sign Language directory
Green Eyes/Silver Hair - Sephiroth
Red Eyes - Gunslinger/Vincent
Black Hair - Angeal
Red Hair - Genesis

The escort turned out to be an eighteen year old young man, Tseng, which the twins had heard about in passing. Angeal let Aridai borrow his key, since the man didn't seem to trust the Turk with it.

"Hello," Aridai greeted the Turk with an open expression, feeling that Ariana had made the signs for a Turk greeting, "Ariana's not very happy, and she's not in the mood for speaking right now, so I'm doing all the talking."

Ariana made furiously fast signs 'Escort—always?' 'Employee—situation?' 'Citizen—us—yes?' that roughly translated to (Do we always need someone to bring us around? What happens when we're employees? Are we even legal citizens?)

The younger twin's hand darted out to stop her from signing even more, reprimanding her verbally.

"Sister, you're going too fast. I don't think he can translate that quickly," he told her softly, resisting her attempts to continue, "Slow down, will you? And I don't think anyone has the answers until it's cleared with our parents."

Ariana seemed to deflate, her brother letting go of her hands, so they dropped to her sides. Then she made two obvious signs 'Carry—target unresponsive' (Carry me because I'm not moving).

Aridai gawked at her before turning to their Turk minder. "Er, Mr. Tseng, do you mind carrying her for a bit? Last time I did, she nearly pulled out my back. I'm too young to get back problems!"

He jerked when Ariana elbowed him, teasing him with two signs 'SOLDIER—Weak'.

"Not everyone has SOLDIER strength, Ariana," the boy rolled his eyes, "Have some mercy on your poor little brother. I'm also shorter than you."

The older girl didn't need her hands to stick her tongue out at him.

"Reeeallly mature. You should be buddies with that Reno guy, you both seem to be the same mental age," Aridai mocked, "I can't believe you're the older one of us, sister."

Ariana flipped him the middle finger.

At least Tseng caved to carrying Ariana when she stubbornly sat on the floor instead of walking.

The journey to their Papa's apartment went further and further away from the Executive Floors, going down towards the residential area of Shinra Tower.

Ariana, while not speaking, looked around the halls with an intense focus, letting Aridai talk for a change.

She scrutinized Tseng too, which was easier because he was carrying her (albeit reluctantly).

Ariana remembered the Turks that accompanied Dr. Hojo to Shinra manor whenever he was doing the weekly 'health-checks'.

What most didn't know was that the Turks were the biggest gossips when they were by themselves.

And they certainly were when Aridai was still the bare bones puppet she commandeered. It would've been impossible for her to speak while also controlling her brother's vocal cords, so she had to learn the silent language of the Turks.

They'd stopped at a door, Ardai unlocking it with Angeal's key when Tseng gestured to it.

"Hm…what's the deal with Gunslinger, then?" Aridai mused out loud, sitting in what appeared to be the apartment's living room, his gaze pointed at his sister.

'Unknown—disappeared' (Don't know, he disappeared), Ariana flashed, contorting her facial expression minutely to match her feelings.

"Do you really think he's…" the boy trailed off, "Re—mph?"

Ariana paused in her signs to reach out and press a finger against her brother's lips.

Let's just sign, okay? It's better than talking out loud and looking weird. She thought at him, and the younger boy nodded, Not to mention, the walls have ears.

'Verdict—Gunslinger' (What's your verdict on Gunslinger?) Aridai repeated, mimicking shooting a gun while flourishing his arm.

'Early—can't visualize' (Too early to tell, I can't see) Ariana signed back, 'Target—caution'. (We should be cautious about this target)

'Enemy—unknown variable.' (He could be an enemy, he's an unknown)

'Mountain—outside—lost' (Maybe he got lost in the mountains? It's cold up there) The girl shrugged.

'Wanderer—cold.' (Wandering in the cold)

Ariana pursed her lips, frowning before forming another sign.

'Maybe—Thought dead. Not dead?' (Maybe they thought he was dead? But he's not dead)

'Green eyes—red eyes—connected' (Do you think Sephiroth is related to Gunslinger)

'Green eyes—parent?' (Sephiroth's parent?)

'Gunslinger—hand—weapon—no hostility—eyes' (Gunslinger had a strange hand that is a weapon, but there was no hostility in his eyes) Aridai made a slight clawing motion with his left hand.

'Danger—us?' (Dangerous to us?)

'No? Turk?' (No? Might be a Turk?)

The girl shrugged again, before flashing a sign quickly.

'Settlement—settled down?' (The settlement nearby, do you think he settled down?)

'Nibel—mountain—village—nearby' (Nibel the Mountain Village is nearby)

'Variables—risky' (Too many variables, increases risk)

'Truth—lie?—Gunslinger—long time' (Did you think Gunslinger was telling the truth or lying about being there for a long time?)

'Maybe—Truth—unknown' (Maybe he was telling the truth, I don't know)

'Subject change—Silver hair—Subject S?' (Changing the subject, do you think Sephiroth is Subject S?)

'Subject G—Black hair? Red hair?' (What about Subject G? Do you think it's Angeal or Genesis?)

'Red hair—older—maybe' (Genesis might be older, so maybe)

'Parent—Gunslinger—Silver hair?' (Do you think Gunslinger is Sephiroth's parent, then?)

'No—yes—maybe.' (No…yes…maybe?)

'You—Face—same—A2' (You have the same face, Aridai)

Ariana paused for a second before pointing at her brother's lips.

'Same—addition—silver hair—you' (Your lips are also the same as Sephiroth's).

'Yes—frown' (Yes. His frown)

'Me—little—like—silver hair' Ariana gestured at her whole face. (I don't look a lot like Sephiroth)

It was Aridai's turn to shrug at that.

'Maybe—nose—thin' (Maybe you have the same nose? It's thin like his)

'Me—Red hair—pointed smile.' (I have Genesis' smirk)

'Addition—Black hair—you—frown' (You also have Angeal's frown)

'Yes—you—black hair—silver hair—hair' (Yes. You have Angeal and Sephiroth's hair)

The door lock turning broke the two out of their silent conversation, their gazes shifting to it as a man came in that they didn't recognize, along with Genesis and Angeal.

Ariana and Aridai glanced at each other, flicking a few more signs quickly.

'Unknown—Executive?' (I don't know him, is he an Executive?)

'Probably—yes' (Probably. Yes)

'Important?' (Important then?)

'Blue—Suit' (He's wearing a blue suit)

Ariana exhaled, before they both made the same sign.

'Turk' (He's a Turk)

"Impressive. Your files will need to be updated," the man watched the exchange, an interested glint coming to his eyes, "To include your prowess in sign language."

From behind, Tseng left the apartment, presumably to go back to work.

Aridai nudged his sister, signing 'Speak?' (Should we start talking?)

Ariana's eyes narrowed. 'Yes.'

"Who is he, Papa?" Aridai glanced up at Angeal, tilting his head cutely, his eyes wide and catlike for maximum effectiveness.

"Ariana, Aridai, this is Veld. He is the Head of the Department of Administrative Research," the SOLDIER gestured towards the man beside him.

"Hey, I think that's the Bossman that Reno kept talking about," Ariana nudged her brother, speaking out loud for the first time since leaving Lazard's office.

"Since when do you listen to Reno?"

"His mouth is a leaky faucet," Ariana made signs of 'information—useful—Turk—Fair game', (His information is useful, and he's a Turk, so he's fair game) while a smile played on her lips. "And he's funny. I'm quite taken with him, brother."

The boy shot back a withering glare, flicking his eyes towards Veld for a second. 'Boss—Turk—stop' (And that's the Boss of the Turks, so stop signing) "Your standards are extremely low."

There's an image that flashes in Ariana's vision, of an older Veld and a young woman with his hair, when she looks at him properly.

"Ah, we're being rude," she muttered to Aridai, before standing up, brushing her choppy bangs out her eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Veld. My name's Ariana, and that's my twin Aridai," she beams at the man, letting some emotion reflect in her smile, "Though, I think my brother is the one interested in your line of work."

Aridai blushed lightly when Veld's gaze fell on him, his back stiffening with the new attention.

"I've always found the Turk's resolve to always complete missions admirable," the preteen mumbled, "The Doctor did not allow any room for error." If he was standing, Aridai would've scuffed his shoe.

"They said you were kind…most of the time," Ariana added, her green eyes flickering to Veld's brown ones, "That you did not punish them too harshly for failure. Not the way the Doctor did to us."

Aridai's lips peeled back at the reminder, the familiar memories flashing with the sound of splashing, and water clogging his nose, and he reached for his sister's hand.

"We're safe, little brother," Ariana murmured to his ear, "Focus on me."

"Mm."

Ariana squeezed her brother's hand, before looking up at the tall man.

"I don't think this is a social visit, Mr. Veld," she said, meeting his eyes again, "What would you like to know?"

Angeal drummed his fingers against his arm, partially leaning on a wall as he watched Veld interact with the twins.

The files that the two had handed over only a week ago were compiled and digitized, with the originals locked under heavy security protocols in a need-to-know basis.

There was also a DVD marked with a strip of tape labeled 'SA1SA2 Mnftrd Cura Age 8.3'.

The contents of the file was, frankly, disturbing.

It was a video of an edited security camera feed, starting with Aridai kneeling over Ariana, blood staining the boy's clothes while he frantically put pressure against a gaping wound, a materia discarded nearby also smeared with blood. A bloodied, dead Kalm Fang was on the edge of the screen.

Someone was speaking in the background, and there were a pair of onlookers, their gazes pointed at the two children.

The glow of a limit break whited out the camera feed, with almost angelic winglike flames blazing from Aridai's body.

The video had no audio, but it was obvious what the boy was saying.

'Don't die, A1,' was formed on his lips, eyes glowing the ominous green of mako, 'You can't die. Live, please.'

Ariana had reached up, probably delirious with blood loss, caressing Aridai's cheek with one hand, before it fell to the side.

Aridai snatched the discarded materia, his hands glowing with his limit break washing over the lumpy orb, and making it glow in response.

The formless, flickering wings that danced over his back were funneling into the hand that was holding the Cura, the materia shining with power.

Then, the spell was cast, and the wounds on Ariana's body started healing at a rapid pace before there was just blood drying on her skin.

Ariana seemed to wake up, the camera's angle showing her eyes opening, and releasing her breath, before lurching upwards and throwing her arms around the younger boy.

A small, exhausted smile was visible on her face, before she shoved her head into the crook of Aridai's neck.

The boy reached out to hug her back, holding her upright, before Aridai's gaze shifted so he was looking directly at the camera and mouthed two words.

'Go away.'

He raised a hand, summoning a mid powered Fira at the camera, and the video feed cut.

The last week had given Angeal some time to think about the twins and how they took after their parents.

Ariana was witty like Genesis when he was being playful and had a devotion to Loveless much like the redhead's obsession, but was also almost supernaturally observant like Sephiroth. Occasionally, she would fall into formal, vaguely threatening speech patterns, usually when she was telling a joke. The girl also used a deadpan tone of voice when she pointed out the obvious.

Meanwhile, Aridai seemed to have inherited many personality traits and quirks from Sephiroth, like his curt personality and polite nature. He could be saying the funniest joke on the planet but still sound stoic. The boy only had a hint of Genesis' humor.

What was also interesting was the way the twins moved.

Ariana had a rather lackadaisical, loose posture, deceptively relaxed even when the girl was enraged. She also tended to slouch and had a repetitive habit of scanning any room she entered.

Aridai on the other hand moved silently, every movement of his measured and his words carefully chosen. He mirrored Sephiroth in his stride too, usually walking at a somewhat brisk pace and never fidgeted. The boy also displayed smooth movements, as if he was constantly controlling every twist and turn. He walked much like a person controlled by another, which made sense, since Ariana told them about Aridai's beginning.

Both twins seemed to take after Angeal himself.

Ariana could gauge her brother's comfort levels, seldomly doing anything towards her brother that would make him truly angry. She restrained herself from going too far, usually showing concern if Aridai tensed. She doted on him constantly, picking up his preferences at the flip of a coin, and always let him rest on her.

Aridai was more focused on the well being of them both, with a more cautious attitude. He wasn't a risk taker, or at least, not as much as the older girl.

Of the two, the girl was clearly the leader between them, Angeal mused while listening to the girl describing Gunslinger, or rather, Vincent Valentine, Veld's old partner from before the whispers of Turks even flitted in the halls of Shinra. Ariana said that she was the twin that planned, and Aridai was the twin that acted. Ariana was the more bombastic of the two, directing all attention to her while Aridai slipped into the background.

It was difficult to look away from Ariana when she was passionate, and allowed Aridai to become a shadow that faded into the darkness and watch the masses.

Those were ideal traits for a SOLDIER and a Turk.

At least the twins seemed to like Veld, Angeal thought, seeing as Aridai and Ariana kept their open postures, and Ariana was getting really into talking to the Head Turk.

"He looked sad; you know? Like he felt guilty about things," Ariana frowned, "I could see it in his eyes, and he kept looking at us like he was searching for something."

Aridai tsked, head tilting towards her, "You mean that he was checking for any deceit, Ariana."

The girl shook her head, "You're wrong. It wasn't just our eyes, Ari. He was staring at us like you do when you're hunting. I saw it."

Ariana sounded so sure of herself, ending her sentence in a clipped manner that brokered no arguments. "He also walked like you do. Like a predator. It's a very distinctive movement."

"I guess that's a point towards your original Turk theory," Aridai mumbled thoughtfully, "Did he say how long he was there?"

"Forget that, we were talking about how Father looks a lot like Gunslinger," Ariana crossed her arms, "I have a feeling that tidbit is very important."

The boy connected the dots quickly, "…By the Goddess, we met our grandfather and didn't even know it?"

"Infinite in mystery, yes. We're imbeciles, how unfortunate," the girl said dryly, "Surely, the Goddess has wept due to our ignorance. Wings stripped away; the end is nigh."

That certainly was Genesis level humor in a Sephiroth style delivery, thought Angeal.

Aridai narrowed his eyes at his sister with an unimpressed frown, his nose twitching.

"I hope Dr. Hojo rots in the Lifestream," he said.

"Considering how much trouble the guy got up to, me too," Ariana nodded.

"Ahem."

The twins looked back up to the adults, seeing Genesis looking a little amused, Veld studying them, and Angeal trying to fight a sigh.

"Before Gunslinger left the mansion, did he mention where he intended to go?" Veld asked to continue their previous questions.

Both twins glanced at each other, before Aridai spoke up.

"I mentioned that Nibelheim was at the foot of the mountain," he said.

The female twin made a nervous laugh, a forced sign of nervousness reflecting in rubbing her neck.

"Ehehe…I might've yelled at him a bit," she said, cheeks tinting red, "He wanted to go back into the coffin to quote 'repent for his sins' but I grabbed him before he could. And I said 'Atone? You think sleeping here will make your mistakes go away?! Staying here does nothing. If it's something you regret, you need to try to fix it!'"

"And then she said a bunch of Loveless," Aridai rolled his eyes, "Like she always does."

"Just a bit from Act III and IV," the girl shot a dirty glare at her brother, "I thought the guy was being stupid anyway. I mean, thinking that hibernating is going to solve your problems is wishful thinking, not to mention, is just denial."

"You also said that a responsible adult would fix their mistakes," Aridai added.

"Wha, well, I was giving him the benefit of the doubt! We know…knew too many reckless, egotistical, self-righteous, pigheaded—ermphnurmph!"

Aridai had slapped his hand over Ariana's mouth before she could continue with throwing out every adjective of stubborn in the book.

"Shut it—did you just lick me?!" he retracted his hand when his sister did just that.

"Serves you right! As I was saying, I think if he really cared about the people he's wronged, then setting out to correct it is the right thing to do! Just sleeping there is literally 'The world is cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains.' but not doing 'Hath endured torment to find the end of the journey in my own salvation.'." Ariana hotly quoted, "It's ridiculous!"

Aridai facepalmed.

"You are impossible," he muttered, while Genesis gave a 'Nice one!' of approval.

Veld's lip twitched upwards before flattening again.

"Then, the two of you are unaware of his current location," he states.

"You might want to check Nibelheim and the forests that surround the place," the brown and silver haired boy shrugged, "If he's been isolated from humans for a long time, then it's pretty unlikely he'll move into larger populations, so Midgar would probably the last place he'd want to be."

"And if he really was a Turk, he's probably good at blending in. The ones that babysat us in the lab certainly did," Ariana glanced at her brother, "Ari picked up his ghost-like tendencies from them."

"I thought you said I learned how to be 'a manipulative little shit' from them," Aridai made physical air quotes while his sister hummed and agreed, "That too."

The twins turned to their guardians and gave them innocent smiles with wide pupils.

Angeal had to restrain himself from putting his head in his hands.

"Aridai, would you mind speaking to me a little more, so I may get a better idea of your perspective?" Veld asked, "Since you are interested in General Affairs? You may ask for parental supervision."

"I want Father to be there," the boy crossed his arms, "No exceptions."

Veld nodded, accepting Aridai's choice easily.

"Understandable. Whenever General Sephiroth's meeting with the President concludes, we may talk further."

The Turk offered a hand to the preteen, who uncrossed his arms and shook the man's hand.

"Okay, Mr. Veld."