Cloud leaves Sephiroth's office still in a complete state of confusion. He has absolutely no idea what's going on. What are these voices that he keeps hearing? What did Zack and General Sephiroth mean when they asked if he remembered? Just what had he forgotten? And perhaps most importantly to him, why did the General select him specifically out of all of the other cadets? He told himself he wouldn't complain, but nothing makes sense anymore.
He really doesn't want to run into anybody that he knows right now. He'll talk to his roommates about everything later, but he can't handle that right now. Not with all the confusion and anxiety coursing through him. He decides that the best thing to do would be to take a nice, calming walk. He hasn't really had a chance to look around the plate and he has the rest of the day to himself.
Happy with his new plan, he retraces his and Zack's steps back to the elevator. He's not running away, it's a strategic retreat. He'll be able to handle his roommates better if he can think straight again. Yup, totally not running.
He somehow makes it all the way to the third floor without further incident, the elevator he took not going any lower. He makes it past the small cafeteria and lounge on that floor and is almost down the stairs to the main lobby, when two people come through the main entrance. Two people that he somehow instinctively knows will be trouble. Granted, they were Turks and Turks were always trouble or so he had heard.
"Man! That Wutaian place was no joke, partner! Boss-man really knows how to pick 'em." He hears the shorter, red-haired one say. The taller, bald one grunts in approval. "Shame we didn't know 'bout it the first time 'round, yo."
The red-head has goggles on his head, red tattoos under his eyes, and apparently no idea how to button a suit. His jacket is fastened at the waist with a single clasp and only the middle 3 buttons of his dress shirt are actually done up, leaving a good portion of his chest on display. The man's spiky red hair extends into a long ponytail and Cloud curses the part of his brain that thinks that this Turk pulls off the hairstyle better than he had when he was younger.
The bald one on the other hand has an appropriately buttoned suit, complete with tie. This one, though, is wearing sunglasses indoors and makes no move to remove them. Weird. Cloud wonders if it's like some sort of security blanket.
They seem absorbed in their rather one-sided conversation as Cloud makes it to the bottom of the stairs. He's just thinking that he's in the clear as he passes the reception desk, when the red-head looks up and turquoise eyes land on him. The smirk that spreads over the Turk's face sends a distinct feeling of dread to the pit of his stomach. The man's red hair no doubt makes him at least as 'fiery' as Garrett. He wishes he had his helmet with him, but that's back in his room with his rifle since he only needs them for patrol.
"Hey! Look who it is!" And with that, the bald Turk's attention is on him as well. At least the look on this one's face is not predatory like his partner's. Then again, with those sunglasses hiding the man's eyes, who knows…
"Oi, Mister First Class!" What? First Class? Cloud looks around him, but doesn't see any 1st Class SOLDIERs anywhere. Weird. The red-head couldn't be talking to him, right? He's not a 1st Class anything. Deciding he has too much on his plate already to find out, he keeps his head lowered while he walks past the Turks, pretending like he doesn't notice them.
"Hey, I'm talkin' to you, Blondie!" Nope. Not looking around. Perhaps if he pretends like nothing's wrong, all his problems will go away. Unfortunately, that's never worked for him before and before he even makes it halfway across the lobby, there's a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He glances forlornly at the all-glass doors leading out of the Shinra Building. He was so close…
"Is this because of the plate thing, yo?" He turns to look at the red-head, whose hand is still on his arm. He has half a mind to tell him that he's not going to disappear – he's not even sure why Zack thought that in the first place – but before he has a chance, the man is talking again. "We said we were sorry, man."
Cloud opens his mouth, totally prepared to tell them that he has no idea what they are talking about, which seems to be a repeating pattern today. Before he has a chance, though, the bald one is responding. "No, we didn't."
"Oh." The red-head finally releases Cloud's arm and rubs the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. "Well, we're sorry, yo." He says a little lamely, looking at Cloud expectantly.
Not really sure what they mean by the 'plate thing', but also not wanting to prolong the conversation any longer than completely necessary, Cloud responds, "Ok?"
Apparently, this is the wrong answer because the red-head smiles and continues talking. "Yeah, the President is tryna find alternative energy sources just like the WRO was before. We're even working with Avalanche this time around, yo! Can ya believe it? You remember your ol' buddies, right? The big, loud one and the foul-mouthed one, yeah? They're helping out, too!" WRO? Avalanche? His buddies? Cloud really has no idea what's going on, but neither Turk seems to notice his confusion.
"Barret and Cid, you mean," The bald one corrects. Nope, Cloud doesn't know anybody by those names.
"That's what I said, Rude!" The red-head says, back to smirking.
The bald one – Rude? – sighs before turning his attention to Cloud. "I… Ah." He raises a fist in front of his face and clears his throat, looking suddenly uncomfortable. "How is Tifa?" He asks, a small blush forming on his cheeks.
"Hey, Rude. Who do you like?" "…Tifa."
Cloud feels anger build in him. How does this Turk even know Tifa? Ignoring the voice in the back of his head that warns him not to make a Turk mad, he glares at the man. "Tifa is 13 years old," he says, voice sharp enough to cut metal.
He hardly registers the red-head's cry of "Whoa! Cool down, Blondie!" as he continues to glare at Rude. The Turk in question fidgets in place, clearly embarrassed. "That's not… I'm not… I just…"
Cloud doesn't give him a chance to even attempt to finish a complete sentence. "How do you even know Tifa?" They might not really be friends, but he had promised to save Tifa if she was ever in trouble. This probably counts.
"Don't you remember?" Rude asks, his partner quiet for once.
"Reno. Rude. It is clear that Strife does not remember. Please stop confusing the poor boy." Cloud starts at the sound of the new voice and turns to find another Turk. This one has long black hair, but unlike Cloud's not-stalker, the man's eyes are brown. He has a tilak in the center of his forehead and is distinctly of Wutaian descent.
The Turk's sudden appearance almost has a calming influence on Cloud, but the man had also commented on his lack of remembering and Cloud was so tired of hearing that question today.
"Remember!? Just what is everybody talking about?" Cloud practically yells. He realizes that, surprisingly, they have no audience. Any potential onlookers hurry past, resolutely not looking at the three Turks and the small, angry cadet. He must be scary in his state of anger. That or nobody wants to be around for whatever the Turks do to him for being disrespectful. He ignores that thought, too.
"My sincerest apologies, Cadet Strife." The newcomer says, placing a hand over his chest and bowing slightly. "Please do not worry yourself over it."
"Little late for that," he responds, a little petulantly. The Turk's apology had mollified him quite a bit, but he apparently wasn't completely done with the disrespect.
Luckily, there is only amusement in the man's dark eyes as he apologizes again. "You will have to forgive my subordinates. They can be a little overzealous at times." Reno squawks a bit at that but doesn't respond. "My name is Tseng and you have already quite unfortunately stumbled upon Reno and Rude." He says, gesturing to each Turk in turn. "If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask." And he bows once more.
"Not interested."
Shaking away the weird voice (his voice?) and the strange feeling that he's said those exact words many times to these men before, men that he's only just met, he instead responds intelligently with, "Uh… Ok. Thanks." It'll have to do.
The Turk – Tseng, he had said – seems pleased at least and makes no further comment as Cloud stumbles around him and out the glass doors.
After leaving the Shinra Building, Cloud wanders somewhat aimlessly, letting his feet guide him as he tries to recover enough to think straight again. Without realizing it, his feet have taken him to Loveless Avenue in Sector 8. Loveless Theater is directly ahead of him, a large advertisement for the current adaptation on display above the main entrance. Next to the theater is Goblin's Bar, but Cloud doesn't pay much attention to it, underage as he is.
Approaching the theater, he half expects to see a flower girl out front, but there's no one there. At least no one selling flowers. He's not sure why this seems weird since he's never been to this part of Sector 8 before. Perhaps one of his roommates had told him about her.
He can also tell that Commander Rhapsodos is not there, the man and his fan club easily recognizable. He decides that it's best to make another strategic retreat – going from the SOLDIER's obsession with Loveless, there's a 50/50 chance that the man will appear at any second and Cloud really does not want to run into him. After everything that has happened so far that day, he has no desire to find out if the man expects him to remember something as well. Not to mention that, depending on the SOLDIER's mood, Cloud would prefer not to play Dodge Fireball or listen to Rhapsodos quote Loveless…
Hurrying out of Sector 8, he soon finds himself in Sector 7, somewhat surprised to find the plate attached and intact. Deciding that this must have something to do with what Reno had said earlier about the 'plate thing', Cloud does what he's been doing passably well all day and ignores the strange feeling.
He's not sure how long he's been mindlessly exploring, when his stomach growls, demanding attention. Not wanting to return all the way to the Shinra Building for food and still not ready to deal with his roommates, Cloud decides to find someplace to eat on the plate. He winds up at a cheap Wutaian place, Reno obviously influencing him again. The food ends up being good, but it's nothing life-changing, so he doesn't think he found the place that the Turk had raved about. Then again, the Turks didn't live on a cadet's paycheck, so they could most likely afford something more expensive.
It's late when he returns from his walk, tired but calmer than when he had left. He's no closer to deciphering the day's strange events, but has decided not to let it bother him anymore. What does it matter if he can't remember whatever-it-is if Zack, Sephiroth, and Tseng had all assured him that everything was fine? He still feels a little uneasy around the Turk since he's… well, a Turk, but even he seemed to be on his side, so it can't be anything bad. Chalking it up to just a really strange day, he figures the next day has to be better. His luck can't be that bad.
He makes it back to his room in the barracks in wonderful silence, nobody stopping him and Johnson blessedly absent. He also doesn't see the red-eyed Turk – considering how the rest of the day has gone, this is a small miracle.
When he enters his room, however, he finds his roommates still awake and surprised to see him. Oh boy. Here we go.
"Where the heck have you been, man?" Garrett yells. Cloud decides he much prefers his 'exuberance' to Reno's. "We half thought you had been kicked out!"
Cloud runs a hand through his hair and sighs, "Sorry. I took a walk on the plate." He half wishes he was still out there. He likes his roommates, really he does, but he does not care for confrontations.
"What about class and patrol?" Logan asks, surprised and possibly a little affronted at the idea that Cloud would just abandon his responsibilities.
"The General gave me the rest of the day off."
Their room is a bit of a simple arrangement – no luxuries for simple cadets. They each have their own bed, which is nice – no sharing a bunk. They also each have their own dresser, one in each corner of the room. But, other than that, the only other thing in the room is a single desk and chair that they share – Cloud has used it to write letters back home to his mom.
"You could have told us though, dude." Garrett says from his spot standing in the middle of the room. Logan sits in the only chair, Colin on the edge of his bed. The red-head looks a little like a kicked dog as he continues, "We were worried. I know Fair said that you weren't in trouble, man, but you seem to live up to that last name of yours."
He isn't wrong. 'Strife' seems to fit with all the trouble he gets into and that comes his way. Still, warmth floods through him at the fact that his friends were worried for him. It's definitely a nice reminder that things here are a lot different from Nibelheim. Even if he doesn't like worrying his friends.
"Oh, I…" Cloud sighs, frustrated. He trudges over to his bed, sitting down. "Things have just been so weird today and I'm soooo confused…" He finishes, running a hand through his hair.
Logan gives him an appraising look. "You were overwhelmed." Garrett softens around the edges and Colin makes a noise of understanding.
Running a hand over his face, he responds. "Yeah, sorry. I just needed time to myself to try to think things through…" While not entirely successful, he was at least more prepared to tackle this conversation now.
Garrett looks more like a teddy bed now that his frustration and worry have abated some. "You feeling better now then?"
He nods his head. "Yeah, I think so." For the most part, at least.
Garrett claps his hands and smiles, a little toothy, a determined look on his face as he continues. "Fantastic. Now, spill."
"W-what?" He's not winning any awards for his eloquence.
"Why did you start crying when you saw 1st Class Zack Fair and why did he look like you had strung the stars?"
"I-I… I don't… I h-have no idea…" Cloud stutters embarrassed, face heating up. He realizes that this must be how Rude felt after asking about Tifa. He almost feels sorry for the Turk. Almost. He still doesn't understand how he knows her, nor is he happy about it.
"Garrett." Logan scolds. "Stop antagonizing him."
Garrett scoffs, but then smirks. "Yes, mom."
Logan sighs, rubbing his temples, but ignores the other teen. Instead, he turns to Cloud, leaning forward in the chair. "Why were you called to the General's office?"
Before he can answer, Colin interrupts, eyes almost starry. "Yeah. What did Sephiroth want?" Sephiroth was an idol for most of the cadets. And the reason that most of them had decided to try for the SOLDIER program anyway.
He's a little afraid to respond – he doesn't want jealousy to ruin their friendship. They're the only friends he has. Well, perhaps Zack, too, but 5 sounds better than 1 to him. "Well…" Cloud starts and then pauses to gather his thoughts. "Apparently, Sephiroth wants to train me personally." He finishes, apprehension clear on his face.
The silence that follows is almost deafening.
