Twenty chapters already, wow!

I don't own anything, anyone or anywhere you recognise. Sapphire, along with a few others who'll crop up every now and then, are mine.

Forgot to say, hope everyone had a happy Easter! One or two reviewers wished me one so yeah... happy Easter. Big thanks to my reviewing heroes, JustAFemaleGeek, justme7777 and Cheddar! Yous all make me really happy, like... c'mon, I don't deserve your praise :'D

JustAFemaleGeek, never stop eating Easter goodies! And look forward to some future developments between these two sorry souls :)
Thanks again for the review! Hope you enjoy this chapter :D

justme7777, happy Easter! Yes to all the cuddles, because even if he never admits it, Genesis could be doing with more of those. Angeal too, let's be honest!
I need that DLC in my life, cannot believe it's so close now! Like, the ending of Part 1 legitimately broke me, like I was screaming, so honestly, don't put that thought in my head. If Genesis really shows up... *dies*.
You're more than welcome, I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! Hope the same for this one :D

Cheddar, ah, sorry? ...*diabolical laugh*
Har har, but yeah, I'm not sorry for that. Hope you can get your laptop alright, make things easier for your storywriting! Hope this next chapter makes you want to read even more! Or less? More, I think xD

Alright folks! Last chapter's reunion didn't go quite as smoothly as Genesis might have liked, so let's see what he has in store next!

Chapter 20 - Falling Apart

Genesis hadn't thought to stay with his former student whilst Angeal met with his mother. But then he saw her perched on the arm of the couch, looking like her world had just fallen apart and with tears in her eyes. So he stayed.

When he chose to stay, he hadn't planned to, well… get so comfortable. But Sapphire had needed a distraction, when some internal recollection of hers had consumed her with the type of horror he was grateful to have scarcely seen in the girl; her face drained of all colour, and her body quaking, curled up as tight as she could. So he remained.

(The exact nature of that reaction would be the topic of discussion another time. Perhaps at the place he once called home. She had delighted in their previous excursions into Banora.)

After Genesis had gotten comfortable, he had failed to anticipate how easily the young woman's company and conversation made the time pass. They bounced off one another, as they often had when they were younger and their lives simpler. So time slipped away from him.

The redhead's sarcastic comments would be met with dry acknowledgment, followed by an insistent question to progress the conversation. She would laugh at his witticisms, and he would chuckle under his breath when she would exaggerate her outrage over anything, everything, as long as it was inconsequential. They simply talked, easy as breathing.

In spite of everything, as always, Genesis found that their back-and-forth banter was untouchable. Sapphire might've looked different, but her personality was undeniably her. He still found it eerie, recalling their interactions as teacher and Cadet, no different now than they had been (excepting the bouts of ill-mannered aggression he'd had, of course). The familiarity helped to reaffirm in his head that she wasn't dead, she was here.

Her unchanged personality also helped him acclimatise to her physical alterations. He disregarded the drastic new hairstyle, and the mako-infused eyes. They were old news. Genesis was more intrigued by the subtler things; that she stood perhaps a head taller than she once had, and had a toned firmness in her arms and the breadth of her shoulders. He hadn't noticed the latter until she lay against him as she had, as she was perpetually swaddled in one of his, admittedly well-fitting, hoodies.

Sapphire exhibited a strength that hadn't been present before. Not only had she endured the SOLDIER treatment, she had fought battles since. The vision of her battered body on his bed after carrying her from the outskirts of Banora haunted him still, almost as horrifying as a particular winter's day on the train tracks outside Midgar. Her right side, scarred with a bumpy circular puncture wound and two long, white slashes. The small scar on the right side of her forehead, half an inch down from her hairline. And countless fresh cuts, grazes and bruises from his own SOLDIERs that day, concluding with a swollen contusion at the base of her skull, skin split and the surrounding silver hair stained and matted.

Not to mention that left shoulder of hers. Thick, freshly scarred claw wounds from some kind of animal, over burnt, ravaged skin. Another terrible sight, albeit witnessed on another, brighter day.

The vision of the young woman, small and bloodied and enveloped in white, was accompanied with decisive commands from the grim-faced professor. Genesis had been dismissed and left in vengeful fury before Hollander could begin his work, but had demanded answers from the man days later, anything he could ascertain of her current state; those recognisable SOLDIER eyes demanding scientific confirmation, most of all. Hollander had refused to guess, having taken samples of blood and saliva for further study. However he'd get the time required for further study, Genesis could only speculate.

He was broken from his thoughts when Sapphire fell silent, her body turning to stone under his arm and against his right side. Genesis smirked, "Nervous?" Her senses were sharp; it only took her three additional steps to him to recognise Angeal's approach. Understandable, she must've been on edge. Though it felt peculiar for someone to be at ease in his presence and alerted around Angeal, of all people.

"Shouldn't I be?" she whispered through gritted teeth, "He's your best friend! What if he doesn't believe me?"

"There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess; hero of the dawn, healer of worlds." His contribution wasn't appreciated, judging by the unthreatening glare Sapphire sent his way. She was even pouting, springing away from him to sit upright and— wait, was that a blush?

Now that was interesting. Teasing would have to wait though. No sooner had he made the discovery than Angeal had returned, bringing a heavy air with him. Sapphire's crackling nervous energy had her sitting ramrod straight, blue-green eyes almost comically wide open as the SOLDIER approached the pair, sliding into the seat opposite with his own mako eyes resolutely on the young woman.

Genesis decided not to be offended that his blushing companion (of course he was never letting that go) had leapt away from him upon Angeal's entrance, as if they were unruly teenagers afraid of her parents walking in on them. Instead, Genesis decided it meant Sapphire was ready to face the music. "Can I trust you both to play nice?" he asked, smirking wickedly.

"We'll be fine." Angeal was, as ever, disinclined to take the bait. The redhead rolled his eyes to Sapphire, looking fondly exasperated by his friend's seriousness. Of course, Angeal would know Genesis' cavalier attitude was a cover, but at least Sapphire wouldn't know. He examined the personified bundle of nerves a final time.

Taking a deep breath, the silver-haired young woman pressed her lips together, attempting to smile in Angeal's direction despite his solemn stare. Genesis decided that was enough for him, and inclining his head at his childhood friend, he left the pair to exchange words.

I hated silence. I always had.

When I was on my own, there'd be a TV turned on, a radio, something to chatter into the quiet. If there was none of those the window would be open, for the rain or wind, for the rustling of tiny critters, for the snatches of distant strangers' conversations. And if there was no sound from outside, I'd clatter around as much as I could, talk to myself, even sing songs I could recall half the lyrics of, to a tune I might have made up.

I wondered if Angeal would appreciate my vague, mumbling rendition of Stamp's theme.

Typically when I was with someone and awkward silence persisted, my discomfort would manifest itself in anxious, well-intended rambling. Sadly, that particular trait seemed to have fled the scene when my old tutor did. Traitors, the both of them.

But I looked on the bright side. With this prolonged silence, I discovered that I loathed something more than silence.

Silence, but with a ticking clock.

That wretched grandfather clock on the other side of the room gave me a handy measure for how many seconds Angeal had sat staring at me, while I looked for patterns in the wood grain of the table.

My left shoulder itched, and my nose tickled with a restrained sneeze. But I wasn't about to make the first movement, or the first sound.

Then out of the blue, the man heaved a world-weary sigh. My eyes snapped to his, which were downcast. He had taken a leaf from my book, running his gloved fingers over the lines between each wooden board. "Genesis said you've forgotten some things. Do you remember how you came to join the ranks of Shinra, as a Cadet?"

As much perplexed as I was dismayed by his quiet question, I allowed myself a few moments to think before answering honestly, "I had a dream about it."

"A… dream?" Angeal sounded as confused as I was, though his eyes didn't rise beyond my hands, which rested on the table. I shrugged. Unless I had to, delving into my dreams felt like a bad idea. I wanted him to believe me, not to request psychiatric evaluation.

"Around that time is a little blurry. I remember Genesis teaching me." Bullying me fit better, but that felt like another bad idea. "Everything got a little confused, but I'm piecing it together. He's been helping me."

"Well… I don't know about any dream. But I visited Sapphire, at her home in Mideel." Angeal was many things, but he was not subtle, at least not in his use of the third person when talking about me to me. "We sat at a table like this, and spoke a—"

Angeal continued, though a piercing sound in my ear obfuscated whatever he said, as a slideshow began in my wounded mind.

This man, with a couple less worry lines and a customer service smile greeting me at my door—

Inviting him in, with the feeling of mounting excitement—

A dangerous plan hatching in my mind—

Grimacing, I fought against the urge to curl up into a ball and drive my hands into my temples. A familiar feeling crept up my throat—

"—we had tea."

The whistling in my ears (not dissimilar to a boiling kettle, ironically enough) decided I needed to hear our beverage of choice. "It sounds familiar," I admitted, too ill to sound as sardonic as I felt. I doubted Angeal was gullible enough to be convinced by 'familiar'. Even I wasn't gullible enough for that.

His "Humph," while folding his arms portrayed that sentiment particularly well. Good start.

Hesitatingly, I continued, "Genesis mentioned that you went back to my home, after that, uh… whole, crazy, disaster, uh, thing. I'm… so sorry, for lying to you."

It felt so inadequate. Words weren't enough. But I had nothing else to give.

Angeal said nothing to my apology. I could feel his eyes boring into me but I wasn't brave enough to look, finding a great interest in my hands folded on the table. I carried on to fill the quiet, aside from the obstinate ticking of the clock. "When you came to the door, you asked if there were any guys around, and I just… decided, that SOLDIER was some gross, archaic, sexist organisation that wouldn't take me as I am. And I decided it was worth it, to join as a guy and go the distance, make a statement when I was established, and it was dumb. I'm not even a feminist or anything, I just… thought it'd be cool.

"…I lost my parents when I was thirteen. And that's the second time since that I've actually acknowledged it out loud. It was always just easier, not to lie, but to let people believe that… they were still around. I let you down and, and made you go on a wild goose chase while you were probably still… grieving, I guess. That must've been horrible. I'm really sorry you had to go through that, I hate that it's my fault. I'm really trying to be honest now, about everything. I've had to lie a lot recently, change my name, even pickpocket once or twice, and I hate that too. But I feel like, now, I can really start to be good and make up for all the bad I've done. I hope… there's something I could do for you, too."

Tick.

Tick.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Tick. Ti—

"Start with explaining your last three years to me," came Angeal's unexpectedly amicable request. "Sapphire was a good liar, but I've gotten better at spotting them since then. Try me."

Well that stung, but it was a fair sting. "The first two were, uh… a blur."

A slimy cackle echoed in the chambers of my mind.

"People pulled me from the wreckage of the train, and when I woke up again, I was… in a lab. And… that was my life for two years." I twiddled my thumbs, as the clock's ticking was drowned out by a high-pitched ringing in my ears. I swallowed thickly, "And one day I woke up somewhere else, and there were no scientists about, so I decided to split while the going was good. Nice person took me in—"

"Excuse me, but you were in a lab for two years?" I nodded in assent, eyeing the waste bin Genesis had brought over earlier, still on the table between us. Angeal gritted his teeth to guess, "Hojo?"

Manic giggling, right in my ear. "And how is the incubation going? Because if it doesn't take this time, I'm going to have to take some, ah… drastic measures." He breathed out a sigh, a twisted allusion to sympathy, before erupting into hysteric laughter. "Oh, Sapphire?"

The voice was mocking, amused, but troubled. Panic chilled my bones. It's okay, Amell. Breathe. And run!

"Sapphire!"

How could I run? I couldn't see! I was, I was sitting down, and he was—

He was all around me, words and voice sneering in his superiority and entirely dismissive of the simple fact that I was human too. Or rather, I had been. Now I was a mockery. Not human. Not SOLDIER. Something else.

What was I?

"Sapphire!" the voice called again, insistent, and suddenly I was staring at a SOLDIER. I was sitting, he across from me, unarmed. A shuttered window to my eleven o'clock behind a desk, past the SOLDIER, and the exit was over my left shoulder—

Most viable escape route—

Run!

"That didn't go very well, did it?"

An obstruction. Another SOLDIER appeared in the doorway, right in front of me, also unarmed. Preferred escape route cut off. Window, then.

Restrained. A firm, unrelenting grip around my left wrist, from the SOLDIER by the door. I could slip by, through the door, safer retreat than the window, too unknown.

Twisting, the room spinning, I drew my restrained arm parallel to his and with my bound hand I pulled away—

"Sapphire, you're safe!"

The SOLDIER's hold on my wrist broke, but he had spun with me, and pressed me to his chest with his left arm over my left shoulder and hand on my upper chest.

Pain, pulsing from my shoulder—

Tick, tick, from the various pieces of science equipment set up around the room—

Breathe.

I fell still, caught in their trap. I should've known, that vile creature had an entire army at his disposal. Why had I even tried?

Mocking laughter surrounded me, the manic giggles causing my stomach to turn over in revulsion. How could I have made such an attempt? Don't even try. Not unless you know you can.

A hand dug into my right shoulder, holding me there like a vice. Gritting my teeth, entire body turning rigid, I awaited a pinprick from a steel needle, mind fogging over in anticipation.

"Sapphire, it's Genesis. You're in Banora. You are free, you're alive, you made it out. You're here, with Angeal and I, we're friends, Sapphire. I promise you that's true, I'll help you remember."

That wasn't… it wasn't him.

And the hand on my shoulder, it wasn't clutching at me, it was barely there. The other hand was hovering now, several inches away. Those hands bound in red leather, they weren't restraining, they were comfor—

I bent double, my eyes sliding shut as I reacquainted myself with my scrambled eggs on toast. Thankfully not too closely reacquainted, as when nothing more would come, my suddenly leaden body was swept up into the red leather bound arms of a SOLDIER before I could fall into it.

As I drifted, a conversation took place. "Care to enlighten me on how you managed this, exactly? So I know what I'm doing wrong in future. Our meaningful, calm discussions about her extensive trauma just haven't achieved the same effect."

"Genesis—"

"No, I'm speaking." Okay, so it was going to be more of a monologue, apparently. "You can think and feel whatever you like about me, about Shinra, and certainly about whoever this person is. But don't think, for one second, that I'll let you take your frustration out on her. She has nothing to do with what's going on here."

"Then why is she here?"

A huff of cynical laughter. "Coincidence. Good timing. Bad luck, perhaps. She came to Banora looking for me. She hoped I could help her remember, which I have been. Slowly. Because she's traumatised."

"She said that she joined the Cadet programme because of a dream. That's not right."

"She also thought she made it into SOLDIER, assuming the train attack happened a year later than it did. I told you her memories were off, Angeal! I trusted you to talk to her to..."

Everything after that was an indistinct mumbling back-and-forth, what remained of my consciousness fading…

Until—

I blinked at the auburn haired ex-SOLDIER, jolted into wakefulness. After several blinks, my vision sharpened enough to see the half a smile he offered, along with a raised eyebrow. The man looked a little out-of-place, holding my ankles up to his elbow height at the foot of my bed.

After a beat of silence, I propped myself up on my elbows and asked, with a breathy but deadpan voice, "Did I ever have dignity?"

Pressing his lips together, Genesis' eyes swivelled to the window. "My friend, the fates are cruel," he offered a quote from Loveless, with a wicked grin.

Looking away with a burning in my cheeks, I mumbled, "More like; pride is lost, something scattered soul, something something…"

When Genesis reacted, to throw back his head and burst into helpless hysterics, I froze, eyes wide and riveted to him.

I had imagined, not so long ago, a similar interaction between us. My dreamy rendition of Genesis had looked wounded by my deliberate confusing of the lines of the poem he adored. So this, well. It was stunning, in every meaning of the word.

And I laughed with him, because even though his now tapering giggles were probably a result of being terribly high-strung from the events of the last ten minutes, Genesis' laughter made me happy.

Perhaps, I was feeling slightly loopy too, because I bore my soul in a way I hadn't before and had never expected to. "It's good to hear you laugh."

No reason not to be honest. My newfound mantra for our relationship, while selectively applied, seemed to want to push me out of my comfort zone more often than not.

After all, who said stuff like that? No one. That kind of dialogue made me cringe on soppy rom-coms, let alone in real life.

"I don't often have reason to," Genesis admitted contemplatively after a pause, his voice soft and heart-breaking. Particularly so when I'd left myself open to ruthless teasing.

It made me wonder whether he'd come up with a similar mantra. Maybe he'd decided that a fresh start was a chance to do better, like I had.

I thought of offering a grin, saying that we'd have to change that, lightening the mood and piling on the cheesiness. But when it came to conversations, I was lactose intolerant.

So instead, I took mercy on both of us, and delicately changed the subject after the moment of melancholy passed. "I… kind of messed up there, huh?"

That did it. With a fire in his crystalline blue-green eyes, the redhead disputed, "Angeal messed up."

I shook my head, the assurance unconvincing. "He's right to be suspicious. Not of you, of course, but… the timing was just… oddly perfect." I struggled for the right words, letting my upper body fall back onto the bed and staring at the ceiling. "What are the chances of us both arriving in Banora within days of each other?"

Silent but for a comforting creak of his leather coat, Genesis shrugged. Amicable enough, but the way his brow was furrowed hinted that the conversation wasn't to his liking. I noticed my feet were still elevated in his hold, so after some initial resistance, he allowed me to pull my legs back and swing them over the side of the bed, leaving me sitting upright.

No reason not to be honest. "I still can't quite believe just how lucky I am that things worked out this way," I admitted slowly, tentatively. Risking a glance his way, I was rewarded with the sight of his shoulders slumping, just a tad. There was a tangible sense of satisfaction, warmth in my chest to see the smallest of smiles that broke through.

Yep, I could schmooze with the best of them. Not that it wasn't true or anything.

Noticing that the ex-SOLDIER was still uncharacteristically mute, I looked at the floor and wiggled my toes, considering how best to address the elephant in the room. "So—"

Blinking, I squinted at Genesis, as he'd begun to speak with the same word with the same tapering tone I had adopted. He was casting the same look in my direction, and something about it tickled something in my muddled brain.

"That felt familiar," I confessed cautiously.

Now with a smirk, my old tutor nodded, moving to sit in the chair opposite me now that his role as foot-hoist had been made obsolete. "I'm afraid I don't recall any more than you do."

"For once," I snickered. Such an insignificant exchange, but all of a sudden the mood was lighter. With a huff of laughter, I continued, "I was just going to say… I'd like to try that again. If Angeal is willing. I was really on edge, and now that I know what to expect, I can do better."

Genesis' eyes were unwavering from my own, prying but not unkind. "I expect Angeal will take some convincing. He'll be beating himself up about that for a while."

Having just sat down, the ex-SOLDIER leapt out of his chair faster than I could trace to stop me from hunting for his childhood friend, gently grasping my upper arms to keep me still.

He murmured my name, thumbs idly rubbing over the hoodie he gave me, and yep that was a good distraction tactic— "Understand, he is right to punish himself. Angeal was too highly strung and too emotionally involved to treat you impartially. That puts him in the wrong, and myself for trusting him, but not you."

I still frowned towards the door, envisioning the honourable SOLDIER pacing agitatedly just a few walls away.

"Also," Genesis continued with a lighter tone that drew my attention, "you are as white as a sheet, and just as ready to fold as one. Try to convince Angeal not to feel guilty in your current state and you'll do the opposite."

Meeting his gaze with reluctant understanding brought me to the swift realisation that he was standing very close. Close enough that his chin was tucked in close to his chest and he was slightly hunched just to be at eye level with me.

My relenting sigh abruptly cut itself off, and my eyes - suddenly expanded to the size of dinner plates - dropped to the floor. Too close.

Hyperaware, I couldn't avoid the huff of air that escaped him. It sounded suspiciously amused. I rolled my eyes to their very extremes to see only as high as his mouth, which was turned up at one corner. He was smirking. "That's just rude," I grunted, in perhaps my most flatteringly feminine tone.

And in doing so, I outwardly confirmed that I was affected by his closeness. Darn. Still, no reason not to be honest. Except when it was, like… at least half as embarrassing as this was.

"I do apologise," Genesis murmured, his voice a low rumble from his chest. At least two semitones lower than previously. My toes curled.

With a brave face, I tilted my chin back to squint at him, straining my face to suppress the nervous smile that wanted to show itself off. "Do," I ordered, blowing at a distracting strand of hair that decided to rebel and stick in my eye.

Auburn eyebrows raised incrementally, hand in hand with the corners of his lips which stretched into his charmingly lopsided grin. Perhaps he was impressed, but he humoured me and apologised with a highly insincere, "I'm sorry."

His humility was rewarded with my brightest grin.

Unable to hear the director speak over the roaring in her ears, Ash instead occupied herself by casting her mako-infused eyes around the room. She didn't feel too bad when more often than not she'd catch eerily similar ones catching on hers. The SOLDIER: Third Class supposed that this wasn't news to anyone, just confirmation of what they already knew to be true.

There was an echo in here. One of the larger SOLDIER meeting rooms, only one-third filled with all that remained of the organisation, but for anyone out on a mission. Was this really all that was left?

The mass SOLDIER desertion. Despite how deliberate Director Lazard had been in calling it nothing more than an 'incident' in his address, those three words had been tossed around in the last few hours – and really, how else could it be described? By all accounts, they had lost up to three-quarters of their numbers, maybe more.

Ash looked for so many faces, recognising several, but missing so many more. She barely saw any from their original Cadet class. Kawi (once a short kid who had sported a camera and an annoying attitude for most of their Cadet training) was the only one she could see. His eyes were downcast. His cousin Ciara, the only other girl in SOLDIER and the woman she'd relied on plenty in the past two years, had been in Wutai with the deserters. Once his roommate, Kunsel sat beside him, a stalwart presence for Kawi's grief.

Stricken, the brunette tried to focus on the positives. Well… the positive. The only one she could think of, which was that Zack hadn't been caught up in it all. His mission to Wutai was to find the missing Commander Rhapsodos; it only come out the next day that it wasn't just the First Class, but that an entire host of SOLDIERs had up and disappeared right alongside him.

When the rumours had begun to spread, Ash's first reaction was to send the puppy a message. She had eventually gotten a reply of 'i mok'. Zack was usually sloppy with his typing, but that was extreme even for him. That being said, the worry over exactly what had transpired in Wutai was a lot lesser than the relief at knowing he was alright, and heading back home to Midgar.

The puppy sat beside her now, his back unforgivingly straight and expression unyieldingly stern. So unlike the boy she began her training with, more than three years ago now. So unlike the boy she'd met for drinks just days ago.

She and Will had to pry it from him when he arrived, and could scarcely believe it themselves when he'd divulged the truth. Zack's idol, his hero, his mentor. The man who preached honour and dreams, deserting Shinra, and his much-loved student?

In a horrible way, Ash had to admit, this was worse.

Commander Rhapsodos abandoning Shinra was shocking, but that was it; she had no underlying feelings for the man, as their scant correspondence had ended before she and Zack had even made it to SOLDIER. The literal army of SOLDIERs that deserted with him was beyond any real comprehension, even as she recalled more names and faces with the solemn realisation that she'd never see them again.

But even as the number of SOLDIERs was cut to a fraction of what it had been, there was something about Commander Hewley's later defection that stuck the knife in, and really gave it a twist. It felt that SOLDIER at its very core was shaken. All those values they held to, all that camaraderie, the feeling of taking pride in doing something important and doing it the right way…

It all felt hollow. Ash couldn't figure out why or how one man could have such a profound effect, but there was no denying it, with precious Zack feeling it the hardest.

"…I know how great a shock this is," Lazard sympathised, whipping off his glasses with one hand and holding his hand to his chest with the other. "I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your devoted service to SOLDIER, and to Shinra. For now, we must all work harder than ever before, to rebuild SOLDIER into the elite group we know it to be. Better times are coming, have no doubt.

"If you have any questions, know that my door is always open. You will all receive a message shortly, with regards to counselling and compassionate leave; please respond as soon as you can or speak with me directly, I will consider every request. Thank you all for your time."

The director lingered, perching his glasses on his nose and perusing some documents. A few of their number got up to leave, an unusual sluggishness to their movement. Most lingered, speaking amongst small groups in hushed tones.

Ash had a question for the director on her mind, but from the way Zack had launched himself to his feet and made for the exit, the brunette decided it was a question for another time and pursued her friend. Taking care to strain out a smile at any concerned mako eyes cast their way, she followed until they were out in the corridor, with no one else around - and Zack already halfway to the elevators, not stopping even as she hurried to match his pace and power walk alongside.

"Zack, wait. Where are you going? We need to talk this out."

The SOLDIER: Second Class whirled to face her, fire in his eyes. It lasted for all of half a second, before it waned, leaving him weary and vulnerable. "Sorry Ash, I just… don't feel like talking right now."

The brunette nodded, then with a dismissive shrug, suggested, "Spar?"

Zack smirked weakly. As long as he'd known her, that was her suggestion to most everything. To blow off steam. To ease boredom. For more restful sleep. For a distraction.

But he didn't want any of that right now. He didn't want to rest, not until Lazard found a lead for Angeal's location and let him hunt his tutor down. Just so he could ask… why?

Until then, Zack didn't want a distraction. He wanted to focus. And if he was brutally honest with himself, he wanted to wallow for a while. So he shrugged, and sadly shook his head in refusal. "Nah, think I'm gonna do squats for a while. That okay?"

Taken aback, and making no effort to hide it, she dumbly nodded. Waving him off as the elevator doors cut them off, she pivoted and made her way back to the meeting room. She'd go find Zack later and annoy him into talking it out, but, well…

She was hurting, too. And she wanted to wallow, but also have some genuine, constructive speculation with some of her comrades.

So she leaned against the wall outside the door, and pulled out her phone.

You free? –Ash [13:26]

what do you need? –Will [13:28]

Meeting's wrapped up, wanna hang around for a bit but Zack took off. Would feel a lot better if he had company. –Ash [13:31]

same. You can count on me –Will [13:31]

tell me about it later? –Will [13:32]

Yeah will do. Btw check his room first, if not there then 49. Thanks :) –Ash [13:34]

After sitting down beside a pale but conversing Kawi, who offered a slight smile when she'd approached, she caught a glance of a final message from the Turk.

you're getting better at text speak ;) –Will [13:37]

Ash could never understand how both he and Zack were so bad at it. It auto capitalised. She shook her head, before putting the baffling thought to the back of her mind and putting the device away.