To Reviews:
PetrogradAN: Thanks! As for the fun facts, some stuff I already knew from playing the games or reading the novels, but yes, a lot of my fun facts come from the wiki lol
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Yuffie was on a mission, and depending on how it went down, it just might end up becoming a very sexy mission.
A few days ago, the New Wutain Interim Government had finally responded to her report about Midgar and its current difficulties, as well as the ninjas' part in it going forward. Namely, operation 'Fuck with Shinra's Head' and how much support the Council was willing to throw behind Avalanche's plans.
Which, as it turns out, wasn't a whole lot.
While they were 100% behind screwing Shinra over and draining the Corporation's resources with infighting… the powers that be, unfortunately, couldn't really offer her anything substantial to make the mission any easier. Oh, the messenger went on and on about unlimited operation funds(which wasn't so bad), unfettered access to the information networks (like she didn't already have that!), free reign of the supply caches around Midgar (which poor Sonon had to drag back to the Capital by himselfl, being her only subordinate and all), and yadda yadda.
But what Yuffie really needed was boots on the ground, a couple of veteran operators to shore up her power base among the eco-terrorists and cause some real mayhem in the city. Maybe even plan an extra assassination or two to speed up Shinra's downfall. Because as much as she liked the idea of having Company tear itself apart, the whole 'infiltration' and 'piting Executive against each other' bit was taking waaaay too long for her liking, making her antsy. And the fact that they were essentially pinning all their hopes on Cloud successfully gaslighting the Directors… well, let's just say this beautiful ninja wasn't gonna put all her eggs in one basket.
Alas, no cigar.
So Yuffie was, for the moment, forced to play a passive role in the Midgar conflict, letting Avalanche take charge of the planning and operations. It irked her having to let others take the lead, but what could she do? The shinobis were outnumbered 2 to 15 by the terrorists, making it impossible for her to bully her way into leadership.
Sure, most of them were fodder, but Cloud and Red would be difficult if things went to a head, with a small part of her forced to consider that she and Sonon might even lose if they all clashed. Especially if she considered all the potential outside players that might jump in and put her on the back foot.
Because Tifa was tough, their few sparring matches for 'fun' showcased the bigger girl's monstrous strength and speed, her impressive mastery over ki attacks.
And Aerith was just a problem and a half, mages already being tricky to fight in general, but from what the ninja saw during the flower girl's assessment with Biggs, the flower girl was liable to blast her enemies off the face of Gaia before they even got close.
And as much as it galled Yuffie to admit, it basically meant the Freedom Fighters were outvoted, outvoiced, and outmatched.
So yes, it would have been very nice if the Interim Government could have sent her back up.
But as much as she didn't enjoy the lack of reinforcements, it did sorta make sense that the Council couldn't spare anybody for her mission, what with the recent social unrest in Central Wutai.
According to her contacts, there had been a series of political blunders by the Interim government over certain new policies undercutting Wutain traditions and conservatism. What those policies were… she couldn't even begin to guess or truthfully care, but they were causing waves. As such, things were starting to get a little tense in the Homeland, specifically among the lower caste… a terrible irony considering Lodbrok's supporters saw themselves as the "Populace" faction. And it didn't help that most of the citizens already had doubts about the direction the Council was going in, their staunch anti-Shinra stance causing many to worry about another war starting up soon, particularly after their coup against the former emperor.
While Yuffie was 100% supportive of a new conflict, even she could admit the revolt against Godo Kisaragi could've been handled with a little more delicacy.
Altogether, using the unstable situation, the remnant 'Royalists' faction was trying to ride the wave of social unrest and make a comeback to majority power in the government. Even vainly trying to stroke nostalgia out of the of the traditionalist-minded fence-sitters, attempting to remind everyone how good life was under the Imperial rule of the Kisaragis. Centuries of unbroken peace and prosperity for Wutai and all of her providences, a veritable Golden Age.
The war and Shinra's hegemony notwithstanding, of course.
It was doubtful they would get anywhere through, especially since their whole platform hinged essentially on restoring Godo Kisaragi to the Orochi throne. Because even if he wasn't under house arrest and constantly watched, that old bastard barely had the motivation to change his underwear in the morning, let alone rule the city-states again. And if by some miracle he did… Glenn Lodbrok wouldn't let such a travesty happen without a fight.
But it did leave Yuffie in an odd state of limbo, well… even more than usual, at least.
Even before the recent troubles with the Interim, she was already in a strange political quagmire with her government… because while she was undoubtedly the greatest ninja Wutai had at their disposal – her exemplary military records, both official and unofficial, were proof enough of that – her former status as their princess left the current government scratching their heads over how to handle her.
It was always of struggle among the Council; some were too afraid of her gaining "influence" if she was sent on too many high-profile missions, inadvertently inspiring loyalty among the other ninjas the same way her ancestors did… by kicking ass and taking names! Though, it was mainly Glenn Lodbrok's faction that thought this. Thankfully, the man himself seemed unconvinced and made no moves, leaving it mostly just baseless whispers and conspiracy by his cronies. But unfortunately, with her recent successes in the Northern Continent, those old fears began flaring up again, causing concerns that she might aim for the throne if left unchecked, or a least try to get revenge for her father's displacement, despite how many times she told them she had no interest in either.
But paranoia couldn't be reasoned with, Yuffie supposed, and had to play ball with the stooges.
The rest of the Councilors' apprehensions were a little more straightforward because, as holdouts from her father's reign, their hesitation was simply because she was their princess. Former or not, they couldn't help but balk at the idea of sending her into danger, no matter how capable she was. The constant babying was equally as frustrating for her as the imagined power grab, especially since she'd bled for the cause many times already. Although, she had a sneaking suspicion that even if she walked through the palace with a dozen severed heads tied to her belt, those greybeards would still only see the little girl who used to pick pocket them for their materia.
Despite her raging, the Council's 'great compromise' was to send her on as many 'low-level' but high-importance missions as they could justify without insulting her skill. Which she did with some reluctance but with distinction, nonetheless. Hence, her current mission in Midgar, to get in contact with Avalanche and establish friendly relations, but with only one subordinate at her disposal, in order to limit her potential range.
Thankfully, as one of her father's former proteges, Sonon was nearly as skilled as Yuffie herself when it came to the ninja arts and could be counted on to keep up.
The fact that he was loyal to the Kisarags over even Wutai was a nice bonus… if not one personally agreed with.
Unfortunately, the trouble in Central only exacerbated all those above-mentioned problems.
With the Royalist party gaining momentum, even if it was minimal, the Council wanted to prepare for the worst and needed all "hands on deck," as it were, in case they needed to quell potential opposition by force.
Thus, no reinforcements for Yuffie.
The messenger had even not-so-subtly implied that they would greatly appreciate it if she could cut Sonon loose to return Wutai, that every officer was needed… just in case.
Yuffie gave them a flat no, irritated by the audacity… but couldn't help noting that they didn't ask her to return.
It wasn't till days later that she realized the reasons.
They wanted to keep her away from the potential internal conflict, both to keep her safe – probably to the great relief of the oldheads on the Council – and to ensure that she didn't "accidentally" become a figurehead for the Royalist faction to rally around, being the only other person with "true" royal blood in her veins if things with her father fell threw. Which… more than likely it would, especially considering Lodbrok wasn't letting anyone but a select few make contact with the former emperor. And truthfully, had no intentions of letting him go anytime soon, despite the urging of the other Councilors.
It was all sensible, even if Yuffie hated all political maneuvering and scheming over 'what-ifs' and 'could-be's.'
But in the face of adversity came resilience and ingenuity! A solution to her dilemma!
Because if she couldn't take over leadership of Avalanche and command of the Midgar operation the traditional way, then she would do it in an untraditional way… by having a puppet king!
A little fn fact Yuffie had discovered as she sat in on the meetings was that these terrorist cells had no "real" leader that they answered to… that they're was no real power structure that they followed unilaterally. That, honestly, they acted more like a parliament of talking heads slowly trying to figure out their next move was, instead of the military outfit that they were supposed to be, with a supreme commander at the top.
While Nayo onstesibily lead the HQ team, and did it well in her capacity as a spy-master, she also tended to act more like mission control in larger groups, providing support and guidance but with no clear initiative of her own, lacking flexibility if things went pear shaped.
Biggs was the obvious choice after, but as good as he was at strategizing, he just didn't have that forceful nature to issue commands and deliberation, his plans typically coming off more like opinions and potential ideas instead of the firm order that they should be.
Barret certainly had the presence and force of personality to take the reigns, but he also tended to fold at the first suggestion that was even moderately better than his, sitting back eagerly and letting others lead, almost as if her was reluctant to be the man in charge.
On and on it went until she and Sonon settled on one person… Cloud Strife.
He wasn't A-grade leader material by any stretch of the imagination, but he had the potential to rise to the occasion under her direction… a diamond in the ruff, some would say. Most importantly, though, he was malleable to her whims, if his weakness for the fairer sex was any indication. Because as a kuniochi… seduction? Manipulation? Getting desperate boys, even oversexed ones like Cloud, to do what she wanted?
That was her fucking bread and butter.
Add in some social engineering and guidance by Yuffie herself, maybe turn up the light teasing and heavily imply a potential, physical relationship in the future to get him wrapped around her little finger – not that she would, despite her constant trolling about his sexual exploits and where she fit in that picture, but he didn't need to know that she was all talk – he'd be the perfect figurehead for the ninjas to use to take control of Avalanche. Hell, once he signed his damned contract, she'd even do him a solid and write this off as his first mission under Wutai.
And who knows? If all went well, maybe she could even set up a militia branch right here in the heart of Midgar. Perhaps even become its battalion commander? Set up her own missions and operations, independent of Central?
Something to consider.
All the ninjas needed to do was convince the rest of Avalanche to restructure themselves and appoint the merc as supreme leader.
Easy peasy.
Which was why Sonon was off hanging out with the 'boys', getting buddy-buddy with the men over some drinks and bonding, while she was here mending bridges and making 'friends'... maybe even kicking around the idea of taking over his harem for funsies. Because if she was going to bring Cloud under her thumb, why not push that extra mile and scoop up all the girls, too? Put them all under her dominion as the undisputed alpha female? It wouldn't even take that much extra effort… all of them already looked at the blonde like starving women whenever he walked into a room anyway.
Hmmm… maybe Lodbrok's group was on to something when they said she might be getting too ambitious?
Oh, well.
And so far, her plan had been an amazing success!
All she had to do was lay on the compliments nice and thick (Gods, she was such a smooth operator) , throw in some pitiful sob story about being lonely and insecure (Physically impossible, she was the most interesting girl in the world), and give her best and most sincere apologizes for causing trouble (a skill she honed from years of theivery).
And bing, bang, boom… she was in!
If it wasn't so suspicious, Yuffie might've patted herself on the back for a job well done.
A few pretty, a doeful look or two, and suddenly she was in. Well, not in-in, but within striking distance of being in. And she didn't even need to do anything special to prove her sincerity; she just had to make an empty promise to be more mindful.
Hah!
It was funny, in a way, that as these girls ate and laughed, they were so blissfully unaware of the deep water that they had unintentionally waded in or the seemingly harmless barracuda that swam in their midst.
And she was the barracuda!
Heh heh!
"So how do you think you did on the written tests?" Aerith asked, nibbling daintily on what might've been chicken bits. She then covered her mouth with a hand as she chewed, an attempt at being polite even as she kept talking and eating at the same time. "I think I did all right personally, but I can't get those math questions out of my head!"
The three girls were munching away on their dangos and meat skewers, gossiping and 'bonding'. It was a good spread before them, all things considered, even if the menu was a bit outdated for Yuffie's taste. Dangos, while a favorite of her childhood, just weren't as popular as they used to be, giving way to Pon-de-rings and tapiocha in recent years. Cooked meat was always good, but maybe just a touch too spicy for her liking, the Southern Wutai peppers giving it too much zing.
The chilled tea was nice, though.
"Eh, better on some, not so great on others," Kyrie said unconcered, her words slightly muffled because of her full mouth, having practically inhaled her share. Taking a deep gulp of tea to wash it all down and licking her lips clean, she gave them a noncommittal shrug as she admitted. "Probably should've studied more, though."
"We should've studied more." The mage agreed glumly, commiserating with her friend as she wiped her hands down on a napkin. "When I think abut all those nights we spent playing Queen's Blood instead of cracking open a book… ooph!"
"Yeah… but I mean… how else were we gonna get practice for Tifa's tournament? To promote the bar? To win the prize? The glory?!"
"I think you're putting a little too much importance on this card game…"
"Spoken like a true Blood Peasant."
"Blood Squire, I'll have you know–"
"It wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway," Yuffie said absentmindedly, only half paying attention to the girls as she leaned back in her chair and considered her plans, idly popping a caocao bean into her mouth and crunching on it. "You're not really supposed to pass those things, per se."
"Mmh? But isn't that the whole point of taking a test?" Kyrie asked politely, eyes tight and smile plastered on at the interruption, but trying her best to be civil and engaging with her now that the two Wutains had reached an 'understanding' of sorts. Ah, truly a bigger woman overcoming her innate suspicions, even trying to put their earlier unpleasantness behind them and start anew.
Oh, this poor, poor child..
"Traditionally… yeah." The White Rose began, putting her bag of beans down as she stretched out above her head a little, feeling her spine pop satifyngly. Grabbing one of her used skewers, she began casually picking at her teeth with the wooden tip, idly glancing around the area to clock in her surroundings as she considered the question… one could never be too careful with random easedroppers, after all. "But the ones Avalanche had you guys doing were mainly just to 'gauge your aptitude' so they can have a baseline for training." Giving them a half-shrug, she added. "It's just how it is with these volunteer militias… too many people from all walks of life get recruited, so they always need to double-check what you capable of."
"It's not the same with Wutai?" Aerith asked with a side head tilt, picking up the pot to top off each of the girls' tea.
"Nope," Yuffie confirmed lackadaisically, her focus more on the group of teenagers that were crossing the street, each carrying a burlap sack. Turning her attention back to the mage, she elaborated. "In the beginning, it doesn't really matter what you know coming in; all newbies get beaten down and built back up the same way. And then, once you've earned your stripes, that's when they start having you specializing in specific skills." Binging one of he legs up and resting it on her seat, she rested a wrist on her knee as she said. "That's how some people become officers, others mechanics… or the occasional ninja."
She gave a noncommital shrug at that last one, not really feeling inclined to explain further… or reveal that was not exactly how she became a shinobi.
Being a princess had its occasional perks.
"Oh… neato, I guess," Kyrie said simply, blinking a little in surprise at the sudden lesson in Wutain military advancement. Or maybe because the two of them hadn't strangled each other yet? Looking thoughtful, the older teen took off her hat and began fanning herself, trying to stave off the morning heat as she pondered out loud. "What do you think the verdict on me and Aerith is gonna be?"
"That's right! You were watching us, too." The mage remembered with an excited clap of her hands, now looking expectantly at the younger teen. "In your tried and true experience as a ninja, do you think we'll get to do anything exciting or adventurous? Because I wouldn't mind a little extra danger in my life."
The merc eyed her friend incredulously, no doubt wondering if her friend had a few screws loose. "We're already eco-terrorists, fighting the good fight… what more do you want, Aer? To blow up a checkpoint?"
"No, no… nothing that crazy." Aerith denied, shaking her head before crossing her arms and sitting back, looking wistful. "But I do want something a little more involved, you know? Really be in the thick of it like everyone else. Because running messages for Nayo, helping Tifa clean up her bar, or babysitting Marlene... all of that doesn't exactly stimulate the senses, you know?"
"Then you shoud've became a mercenary like me," Kyrie said proudly, thumping her chest as she gave them both a somewhat condescending smirk before she raised a finger. "But fair warning, it's a dangerous life I live, Aer. Not many people could handle it, including ninjas." Shaking her hand sadly, hat over heart, she glanced off into the distance as if she truly lived a difficult life, wrought with hardships and grief. "Endless days of monster battles, one terrible fiend after the next, always on edge because one slip-up could mean my head! Traveling across the slums, my path, an endless series of trials and tribulations… rescuing people, saving lives! Committing one good deed after the next, with only minimal coin as a reward, just enough to carry me to my next great adventure. Like a wandering warrior of old, blowing through with the wind–"
"Doesn't Cloud do all of that?" Yuffie interrupted, giving the traitorous Wutain a wide, teasing smile as she raised a questioning eyebrow. "He fights the monsters? He rescues the people? And you… take his messages?" Looking over at the mage, she tapped a finger to her lips as if trying to figure out a difficult problem. "I think there's a different word for that, other than mercenary, because that's just not correct. It's at the tip of my tongue. Mmhh… something, something-assistant I want to say?"
"Hey! What are you implying–"
"It could certainly be argued." Aerith began jokingly as she shared a conspiratorial smile with the ninja, apparently also unwilling to listen to the older teen pat herself on the back, as she said. "Kyrie definitely does a lot of things that could be considered very secretary-esque. Not exactly the Hero out of legend she'd have you think she was." Leaning forward as if about to reveal a monumental secret, the mage fake whispered. "She even has a handy little notebook to keep track of his jobs for him!"
"Oh, I think I've seen it!" Yuffie said with a snap of her fingers. "The blue one, right? Very efficient."
"Like you wouldn't believe … the insides even have scheduled bathroom and lunch breaks for him!"
"Whoa, I was just teasing before but–"
"H-hey! That's not all I do, I'll have you know!" The tomboy spluttered a little, surprised at the sudden double-teaming, as she irritably stuffed her hat back on her head, glaring at both girls. "Just the other day, I fixed the Hendersons' roof for them. Sure, Cloud brought the materials, but I did the hammering. And then after that, I found Wedges' runaway cats again. And after that –"
"So you do a few side chores." The ninja cut in, shaking her head dismissively, even as she grinned mischievously. "This and that are not mutually exclusive… it just means you're a very helpful assistant."
"Yeah, well… so what?" Kyrie said flippantly, flapping her wrist as if to wave the arguments away. "Do I take his messages and manage his requests? Yes. Do I organize his schedule sometimes? Maybe. But that's just the roles we play!" Flipping her left hand out, she said. "Cloud does all the dirty physical labor work that I don't like." Flipping her right hand out, she added. "I do all the social, people pleasing… pain in the butt stuff he doesn't like." She then placed both of her hands together as if in mock prayer, eyes closed as she finished with a knowing nod of her head. "We play off each other's strengths and weakness, meeting in the middle. Thus… achieving perfect symbiosis."
"More like an asymmetrical parasitism," The ninja muttered jokingly to Aerith, pointing her skewer at the older teen.
"Ah, like a weed in the garden." The mage said agreeingly, nodding her head like a wise monk, ribbon bouncing with the motion.
"I don't know… she's kinda all damp and sweaty," Yuffie said hypocritically, not exactly looking her best either… but not feeling particularly inclined to stop the jokes, though. "So maybe more like a… ringworm on the bellie of a Naga?"
"Or a particularly lazy bumblebee circling a flower, and… hmm. Actually, scratch that; those two have a very beneficial relationship. How about–"
"Alright, you heathens! Joke all you want, but I can see the jealousy in your black, shriveled hearts," Kyrie said with a snooty raise of her chin, lips curved up, and her nose practically pointed in the air as she crossed her arms and began playing along with the joke. "And FYI, envy is an ugly, ugly color, you haters. Just because I figured out how to min-max my life, doesn't mean–"
"Oh, settle down, you drama queen." The mage said with a giggle, reaching over to flick the lip of her friend's hat. "Yes, yes… everyone here is very, very 'impressed' by your exciting mercenary lifestyle. No need to humble-brag… again." She said it all semi-sarcastically, grinning teasingly as she watched the older teen deflate a little and grumble to herself about 'fake friends' before glancing at the ninja expectantly.
"Not impressed, per se," Yuffie said noncommittally, rotating wrist above her shoulder in an 'I guess' sort of manner, but knew better than to dig in the needle… not when their 'friendship' was still so new. 'Or even jealous, really… but do color me mildly curious and interested."
Kyrie frowned, but Aerith seemed to take that answer in stride.
"Good enough!" The mage said jovially, pointing one finger up into the air for emphasis before turning full attention to the ninja. "But the misadventures of Kyrie Canaan aside… what kind of jobs do you think Nayo and Biggs might assign us?"
Oh, yeah… the assessments.
Yuffie was a little surprised by how earnestly Aerith asked, waiting eagerly for the ninja's response. Even Kyrie took a moment out of her theatric grousing to sit up straighter and pay attention to what might be said.
Well, well…
Barely an hour passed, and she already had them eating out of the palm of her hands… hehehe.
"Off the top of my head?" Yuffie asked rhetorically with a smile as she twirled the skewer between her fingers, idly noting a blonde girl yelling into her PHS behind an alley. Flipping the stick up, she pointed the tip at the Aerith, almost like a sword, as she said. "Magic users at your level are pretty hard to come by. And a smart officer tries not to risk them on the frontline… so healer, perhaps?" It'd be the most sensible thing to do, after all. Instant Heals have been known to make or break entire battles and were worth whole platoons. But seeing the way Aerith's face fell slightly, the ninja quickly amended. "Or maybe you'll join me on the raid team? You got the 'muscle' for it, after all. Nearly scorched the training field with that last bit of magic of yours!"
It wasn't untrue … the mage having bulldozed through most of the practice targets with a single spell – honestly, if Yuffie didn't know better, she'd say it was almost borderline inhuman how powerful they were – but unfortunately, a little too loud for anything covert.
Still, there wasn't any point in mentioning that second part, especially when it wasn't the shinobui's call to decide where Avalanche used her… not yet, at least.
That compliment caused Aerith to giggle prettily at the praise before she rubbed her hands wickedly together, saying with some mock arrogance. "I do throw a mean Thundaga, don't I?"
"That you do, Bowtop." The ninja confirmed with a sagely nod of her head before looking at the junior merc. "As for you… hmmm."
"Well, that doesn't sound ominous." Kyrie joked lightly, even as she looked a little nervous at the hesitation.
"Nothing bad… just hard to place you is all," Yuffie said with a shrug, half her attention still on the blonde girl… and the barest flash of a gun holster at her side, the metal accidentally reflecting Platelight because of her angry gestures. Not really alarming by itself, especially since everyone in the slums had something for protection, ie, Aerith's staff and Kyrie's revolver, but still something to keep an eye on. "Oh, I know! If I were to pick something that stood out to me… You have some good potential with your gunplay. Quick hands, sharp eyes…" The ninja smiled teasingly as she finished. "Itchy trigger finger, though."
"Not my fault they make these things so easy to fire." The older teen said, her right hand up and wiggling her index finger. "I barely touch those things, and they go off like firecrackers! But at least I hit the target… most of the time." After a beat, and swaying her head side to side, she admitted. "50/50."
"I…" Aerith began, looking at the tomboy with furrowed eyebrows and an incredulous look on her face. "I don't think I want you standing behind me during practice anymore, Kyrie."
"Hmm? Why?"
"...because I don't want to get shot in the back of the head?"
"Pfft, now who's being the drama queen?" Kyrie asked a little condescendingly, giving the mage a mock finger gun gesture teasingly. "Half the team walk around with guns. Machine guns, I'll remind you. Nothing compared to my little snub-nose, but I don't see you griping about those."
"Truthfully, I'm not a fan of that either," Aerith confessed before looking the tomboy over critically. "But there's a big difference between them walking around with the safety on… and me standing in front of my very inexperienced, very trigger-happy friend, while she's locked and loaded." She wagged a finger as she added. "And I'd rather not become a statistic… or someone's horror story for gun safety."
"Overexaggeration." The merc denied unabashedly with a shake of her head, barely looking concerned as she said. "Sure, I had a rough start, but I'm getting better every day. Even Yuffie said it was my best skill!" She turned to the ninja, a confident smirk on her face as if expecting immediate support… surprising, considering the two Wutains were at each other's throats not too long ago. "Right, Yuffie?"
"Well… let's not put words in my mouth," The shinobi said, giving the older teen a noncommittal shrug of her shoulders even as she grinned. "I said you had potential, but right now, you're a small fish in a big pond. Kinda why I'm having such a hard time figuring out what job what be good for you." Tapping the skwered to her teeth, she looked up to the Plate and said consideringly. "But if you're willing to walk before you run and get some experience, maybe you can start as a–"
A raised hand forestalled her.
"Uh, uh, uh! I can already tell where this is going, so before you say anything…" Kyrie began, fingers curling until she raised one digit, almost like she was about to give a lecture. "I just want to make it clear that I'm not gonna be a spy, even if they offered." Anticipating their reactions, she shrugged and explained. "I don't mind doing some investigative work here and there or putting in the legwork for something if there's a clear goal… but I just don't like the way Nayo has it set up. I refused to do long-term undercover work."
"I'm sure it's not that bad," Aerith said in defense of the bookworm, sipping on her tea with a disproving look for the tomboy… but a flicker of her eyes showed that she sort of agreed as well. "It's like roleplaying! That's fun… ish."
"Not if I got to work in a stinkin' maintenance tunnel." The teen countered, pointing a thumb behind her towards Midgar's Stem, the towering obelisk that connected the Topside with the slums, the metal gleaming in the Platelight. "Which I know I'll end up doing if I say yes to being a spy. To get 'on-hand' training in the field and all that squash. Sure, I know intelligence is basically the backbone of our organization… but give me a break!" Leaning an elbow on the table, she looked each of them in the eyes as she said knowingly. "And it just wouldn't fit my personality, you know? Because there's hard work… and then there's excessive manual labor for whatever pittance Shinra will pay you, and I barely like doing the first!"
Aerith scoffed but didn't say anything contrary to what had been said, tacitly agreeing with her friend.
"Well… it's not glamorous, I give you that, but anything to help the cause, right?" Yuffie said a little distractedly, now noticing that those teens from earlier were sneaking glances at their table, some of them trying to point covertly at the girls as they whispered among themselves. Well, well… what was going on here? "And everybody's gotta start somewhere."
"True enough, but I'm also a practical person, Yuffie," Kyrie said humbly, hand over chest, as she ignored the light snort from Aerith. "So I know better than to start something I know I'm not gonna finish." A second, louder snort for the mage, which the merc pointedly ignored as she raised both her hands in mock surrender before reiterating. "Once again, not saying it's not an important skill to have or vital to the mission, but it's just not a good fit for me… especially since I know I'm gonna end up punching some loudmouth foreman in the throat." Crossing her arms and giving them both a short nod, as if everything was settled and done, she added. "Plus, if Nellie can get away with not doing it because she doens't have the right 'temperment,' then I should be able to pick and choose too."
The sheer mental gymnastics coming from the tomboy to justify her not wanting to do something was truly a sight to behold.
"Riveting," Aerith said with a fond smile before shaking her head and standing up, suddenly clapping her hands. "Alright, ladies, all this tea went through me like water on grass… I gotta pop into the little botanist room, real quick."
Kyrie was already halfway out of her own chair when she said. "I'll go with you–"
"No, no… this one is definitely a solo mission," The mage said quickly, waving for her friend to sit back down, which she did after some hesitation, slowly lowering herself into her seat. "Besides, it's the perfect opportunity for you and Yuffie to gossip and talk behind my back."
"C'mon, you know I wouldn't do that… anymore."
"I'll pretend to believe that," Aerith said with a smile, already scooting around the table. "Be back in a jiffy, and plaaa~aaay ni~ce." She waved over her shoulder as she practically sang that last part, half skipping, half-jogging back to the Pour Decisions.
Kyrie watched her friend leave, arms crossed and a mixed expression on her face now that their buffer was gone.
The two Wutains, both silent as they got lost in their thoughts for the moment.
Well, not Yuffie really.
She was just figuring out her net plan of attack.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful your hair is, Kyrie?" Yuffie said suddenly, leaning her elbow on the table, resting a cheek on her fist as she regarded the merc with an ambiguous smile. The ninja had directed most of her compliments towards Aerith, being the easier of the two Fivers to sway with pretty words, but now that she was gone, time for this kunoichi to work her magic on the more stubborn half. "What am I saying? Of course, I haven't! We've only become friends, like, two minutes ago! Hahaha!"
A little overdone, but the princess didn't really have the patience for subtle praising, the heat making her feel a little slow in the head, deciding instead to come at the tomboy like a battering ram.
The former thief turned her head towards the ninja and blinked once in confusion; she then blinked twice and stared incredulously at the younger teen, seemingly at a loss for words
"But I've certainly thought it," Yuffie continued smoothly, crossing her legs as she traced idle patterns on the food plate with her long abused skewer, making sure to smile with her eyes for authenticity. "Ever since the day I met you in Sector 7, I couldn't help but think, 'Wow! This girl is really put together!' and 'How does she manage to look this good?!'... which, I guess, sorta fed back into my whole jealous thing." Biting on the back of the wood tip, she let her smile widen. "Funny how that works, huh? It's kinda like–"
"Save the play-acting for someone who cares." Kyrie cut in abruptly, turning fully in her seat to stare the ninja down, chin slightly raised imperiously, eyes looking at her almost accusingly. "And you not slick with all the fake compliments."
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Oh ho! Kyrie isn't completely fooled by Yuffie... I wonder how that's gonna play out lol
So, as you can tell, I had to cut the chapter. It wasn't getting anywhere close to being done, but it was starting to get too long, almost into the 7k range as I'm writing. Plus, it's been almost three weeks, so... lol
But hopefully, we'll get into the meat of it and see the Yuffie vs Kyrie conversation, some people from Kyrie's past showing up, and that Interlude girl finally making her appearance haha
Fun Fact: Cissnei was the secret president of Zack's fan club, but after his disappearance, they disbanded due to financial troubles lol
