towerofanimus | PARTY TIME!

PARTY TIME!

Characters: Marty and EVERYONE ELSE. Start your own threads, mingle, make CR!
Setting: Floor 38, the big lounge floor just under the dorms, BEST STORM VIEW
Format: Your choice
Summary: STORM WATCHING PARTY! So the power is out and there's tons of thunderstorms. But don't let that get you down, WATCH THE THUNDERSTORMS! Also pancakes and coffee.
Warnings: STORM WATCHING ! Lots of thunder

Marty had enough of the darkness in the tower and the creeping monsters, so when he looked at the mass of pancakes the automatic pancake maker had made, he loaded them up along with the coffee maker, coffee, the syrup, and toted them all the way up to Floor 38.

There was no way he was going to let those massive stacks of pancakes go to waste, and this was the closest floor to the dorms that actually had some place to hang out, so he set the pancakes up as a sort of continental breakfast, and sat watching the storm.

What he hadn't expected was the people to start trickling in.

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Reno made a face. "Please, don't remind me how not alone I am. It's weird enough as it is." Not that he actually minded. He was trying his best for his other self and it seemed like he was doing the same, shared experiences notwithstanding.

"For the record, he's been acting as Director and I'm not going to challenge it. He's got more of an idea of what this" he made cross eyes and used a sci-fi alien type announcer voice that were commonly used in old television shows, "'whole destroy the universe' bullshit is about."

"Existentialism at its best, hm?" Sephiroth couldn't help but tease. Still, the prospect of a different self walking about and somehow knowing more was a bit daunting, all things considered. Sephiroth knew he himself wouldn't handle it well.

To clarify, however, "What I meant was, you have others from your 'home world', so to speak, which is more than some are given. Sharing customs, belief, familiar knowledge, that sort of thing; it can be comforting, I'd expect." He gazed back out into the rain. "To know you're not the only soul in the universe."

"You say that like you don't feel it yourself." Reno's gaze fell on the rain outside as well, his tone observational. "It's not good to always distance yourself, you know? Ya don't have to be alone, either."

That was one thing he had noticed about the SOLDIERs; they sort of stuck to themselves. Not that he was around them all that much, it was just something he noticed in passing.

He didn't answer immediately; simply kept his gaze on the rain lashing the tall windows. He'd never been a socialite, in fact he despised any sort of PR or recognition. Mostly because he knew what empty platitudes went with the office, how much placation was done to assure the civilians all was well. Sephiroth felt it...dishonest, therefore he avoided it like the plague as often as he could.

One gloved finger fell to tapping lightly against his empty coffee cup and he expelled a soft breathy chuckle, eyes lowering briefly. "I'm sure it's not surprising, but I'm hardly a 'people person', Reno. I don't do very well in crowds." For many reasons.

But Zack Fair was also here, and that was comforting enough for the General's sometimes tenuous sanity.

A soft puff that wasn't quite a snort escaped the turk. "Not surprising, no. More like legendary. But you know that wasn't what I meant. Even I know ya can't go through life without a drinking buddy, or a companion, or whatever it is ya wanna call it. If I were you, I'd think about it." Taking a step, he started to turn to leave, but hesitated. "Ya haven't been there that long, so you might not know, but havin' a friend really helps get through the day."

Some days, even Reno thought himself crazy, coming up with things like this. Telling the guy that burned down Nibelheim and almost destroyed the world, to get a friend? Yeah, pretty crazy.

He'd had "drinking buddies". And had also lost them in the most horrible of ways. A loss Sephiroth had yet to make peace with, even a year or so after. And while the trio's friendship had evolved more or less out of forced familiarity, it'd been companionship regardless, something he'd lacked during his early years.

...which was probably why he was still so avoidant now.

"While I appreciate the concern, Reno," Sephiroth replied in that same quiet baritone, "rest assured my mental health," that just seems to interest everyone from their homeworld, he'd noticed, "is quite sound." A beat. "Zack Fair and I have been through hell and back, and while I wouldn't wish this predicament on anyone," least of all his beloved pup, "I'm nevertheless thankful to have him here with me."

He nodded succinctly. "And those from our world are more than capable, I have little doubt we'll survive."

Reno stopped cold, even as he had been starting to move again while Sephiroth spoke. He didn't turn around to face the man, but it had to be said.

"You may think you're sure of that, Sephiroth, but this place isn't home. This place is going to test you. And if you want to fight it, I mean really fight it, you're going to need all'a us."

Sephiroth didn't turn. He knew very well that this wasn't their world, that this infernal place wasn't going to make life easy on any of them. He knew that as sure as he was standing there. But, he also knew that determination and willpower had seen him through everything up to this point, and if the morons who'd landed them in this predicament were waiting for him to squirm, ShinRa's General really hoped they'd brought their lunch.

That thought in mind, his eyes narrowed. "Then let them do their worst." He was a SOLDIER, damnit; he was a survivor. "I don't fear whatever they can dream up to throw at us, nor will I shirk my responsibilities to my men." Which included the resident Turks, yes.

Then he turned, feline gaze spearing the redhead. "My word on it."

Reno had turned at the same time, not knowing what to expect when he heard the rustle and movement.

Just staring at the General for a long time, several things went through Reno's head. One; Sephiroth really had no idea the kind of things these people could do. Two; considering how fine tuned his own nightmares had been through most of May, a repeat of Nibelheim might not be inevitable after all. Three; disregarding that, Sephiroth was known to be a man of his word.

"Tell me, Sephiroth, what's a man like you afraid of? Y'see, they don't have to dream up anything- you do it for 'em. They use your own fears against you. You sure you can stand up to that?"

The General's answering smile...was somewhat chilling. "I've lived with nightmares all of my life, Reno," he replied, answering the Turk's unspoken thought. And decades of unknown torment stood behind that simple statement.

"Were they to suddenly disappear, that I might find frightening."

Reno hesitated a long moment, almost long enough to act like he wasn't going to answer at all, but he gave a sad smile and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm sorry."

Sephiroth's lip twitched. "Do not pity me, Turk," he chided lightly. "For make no mistake, I neither need nor want it. Were my circumstances different, I would not be the man that I am."

He turned back to stare out at the growling storm. "Despite everything, I have no regrets."

Shaking his head, the smile faded. "It isn't pity, Sephiroth. It's more... I'm startin' to get why things happened the way they did."

He frowned and shook his head, folding his arms as if in defense. Keeping Sephiroth in the dark about Nibelheim and what he did seemed somehow... wrong now, but there was that he might not take it well. Even so, Reno didn't know exactly what had set the man off other than some general details.

"You like the man you are now, huh? I think that's you, not circumstances."

"I know no other way to be." Sephiroth fell silent for a moment, then chuckled, shaking his head.

"It might have been idyllic to grow up in Banora with Angeal and Genesis, or in Gongaga with Zack Fair, but..." He shrugged lightly. "Then I would not be who I am. Therefore, it's moot."

"There's this sayin' we make ourselves into what we want to be. It says a lot about ya, you and those three ended up in the same place." With that, Reno finally decided to leave, rubbing his forehead in some confusion on exactly what- or how, his relationship with Sephiroth just evolved into.

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PARTY TIME!

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sadfjg sorry the notif for this...

's okay. no worries. :)

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