(no subject)

[midgarhorizon]

Characters: Anyone and everyone
Setting: Cafeteria, Noon, Nov 7th
Format: Anything
Summary: A party/discussion mingle after calling a meeting of the residents.
Warnings: tba


The anonymous post on the network was an invitation to gather, discuss and share information. Maybe they would get incredibly lucky and get to the bottom of things, such as who was behind the bombings or the strange things that went on during Quarantine.

Someone has been at work down here in the dining hall, moving the tables around to create a space in the middle in case people felt like dancing. Most of the chairs are around the outside and facing the middle, for everyone to see each other better. There was another space and some chairs for musicians, and a couple of the larger tables were set up with a large buffet of normal cafeteria food (because Zo wasn't likely to poison them) and resident prepared dishes, both clearly marked.

Of course, there was always the oatmeal.

[ooc: Feel free to make your own threads and subthreads!]

Comments

[neverbeamemory]

[He'd seen the network post, hadn't given it much thought at all about attending though. Anonymous as it was, clearly the person posting it hadn't realized the possible way it might backfire. Sephiroth wouldn't be surprised if the entire resource of the Tower's surveillance was centered on the Cafeteria as the meeting got underway.

Then he'd checked his mailbox and slowly reconsidered. If there is one thing he might even be able to give a thread of trust to, it was the opinions of this particular friend. Who - from a quick glance around - he couldn't see around just yet.

It may be worth having one or both of us check this out.

Sephiroth sweeps past the buffet table as if admiring the various assortment of Tower-produced food, and other types of food as well gathered together for the comfort of those attending. Someone has put quite a bit of effort into this. He doesn't touch any of it though, instead keeping to the outskirts as usual - as close to a wall that he can get without distancing himself far enough as to not be able to eavesdrop quite spectacularly. Heightening his hearing too much wouldn't do much good in picking out any information he didn't already know, though.

A leathered sentinel with his arms folded up over his chest and eyes everywhere, but not perhaps looking so antagonizing - he's making something of an effort to appear a little bit more approachable at least; and he might even talk to anyone who might address him. To this effect, he unfolds his arms, to dismiss the terrible body language, only to re-fold them up at regular intervals.]

[myblueskies]

Hello sir! [Oh look it is Sephiroth's favourite person ever. At his side, smiling at him.] Are you here to learn things to? It's good that so many people came, because everyone knows different things and we got to work together to beat the administrators!

[neverbeamemory]

That's right.

[Oh goody for him, Romeo. He wonders how long before he has to physically walk off from the kid this time.]

[myblueskies]

I'm glad! It's really important.

[He beamed at him] Did you learn anything important yet?

[neverbeamemory]

[Must not look for too long at that beaming face-

It's a good job Sephiroth is pointedly watching anyone else but Romeo at this point.]

There are lots of important things.

[myblueskies]

There are! Lots of people have worked really hard. I'm glad everyone is working together!

[neverbeamemory]

My enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[He doesn't believe it, of course but the phrase fits.]

[altitonant_emperor]

Sephiroth-san?

[ And said leathery sentinel, lurking on the outskirts and eavesdropping, is approached by a lanky teenager who happens to be his roommate, his usual packet of notes for such gatherings in hand. It's probably no surprise for Hidetoshi to have turned up for this, considering his temperament and interest in collecting information in a cohesive whole. ]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth unfolds arms and stands up straighter at Hidetoshi's approach. Nods at Hidetoshi and his packet of notes as well. It's no secret to his fellow dorm-mates that he also has started keeping copious notes - though they are no where in sight currently.]

Hidetoshi. [He acknowledges. Before dismissing any notion of pleasantries and getting straight to the point they are all stood here.]

It's rather promising a gathering, don't you find?

[altitonant_emperor]

[ Sephiroth's accumulation of thick notes had been noticed by his roommates, yes. Since they are absent from his person right now, Hidetoshi concludes that Sephiroth wasn't planning on sharing the material in them with this meeting. Hm.

He flicks his eyes around them, at the crowd milling about and knots of people locked in discussion around them before returning his gaze to Sephiroth. Hidetoshi nods, smiling. ]

Indeed. It's good to see, isn't it?

[ He's not entirely sure Sephiroth cares about that, but the older man wouldn't be here if he didn't think he could get something of it. ] Pooling information should be of some help.

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth also drags his gaze around the various clutches of people dotted around, eavesdropping on what he can hear easily without having to sharpen his hearing. It'd likely make it impossible to pick out individual threads of interest if he did.]

It's certainly encouraging.

[Hidetoshi, like Lancelot - knows Sephiroth. His habits, his mannerisms; however aloof he likes to keep himself. Almost too well to be comfortable. Hidetoshi more so as they've both been in the Tower for the same amount of time. Most certainly Sephiroth's presence here is purely selfish, but he has mostly succeeded in keeping himself suitably involved with others with regard to the collar research.]

It's the events that could be put into motion by such pooling of information which concerns me.

[altitonant_emperor]

[ Hidetoshi twirls a short, stubby pencil in his hand, absently fiddling with it as he looks up at Sephiroth before stuffing it back into his pocket for the time being. His fingers still felt rather sore from all the rapid-fire note-taking he'd been doing for the majority of the discussions.

In a neutral tone: ]

Being productive in some way usually is. People like to go with the crowd.

[ That was true. You can't share living space with the same people for almost a year right from the beginning and not grow to know them. He more or less expects Sephiroth to be lacking in altruistic motivations and very self-centered by now, to be frank. None of those personality traits are overly appealing, even if the older man had the strength to back them up which prevented said traits from being irritating, but at least he knows that's how Sephiroth is. Hidetoshi lifts an eyebrow, curious. ]

That's understandable. I'd be shocked if no type of action came out of this meeting. Any event you're hoping in specific?

[neverbeamemory]

[The smallest twitch between eyebrows and across the base of his forehead betrays Sephiroth's aversion to blind ignorance, to 'following a crowd'. He is mindful to assure himself that he is not allowing himself to step into that status. Despite how he has, recently, to be tolerable of most that he wouldn't have turned any attention to beforehand.

Chalk it up to another irritation with the Tower. Another reason why the collar fluid needed solving yesterday.]

I would hope for something not so entirely mindless. [As could be expected from sheep?]

I doubt my specific desire for hard-earned progress will be executed by any here, though.

[No. Only Sephiroth could do that.

He looks at Hidetoshi more closely then, though, wondering. Did he know? It would make entirely too much sense for his room mate to have deduced that he had been behind the mass boycott. Sephiroth has taken great care to keep that particular fact concealed.]

[goddamntea]

[ There was a pilot that came in runnin'-- In his usual, weird, ridiculous manner of running. He was late, but he had an excuse. Cid was pretty stressed as of late due to the utter lack of cigarettes or any other kind of smokes-- He had only one left and he did intend to keep it for a dire situation, which may not be so far away.

Needless to say, seeing the silver-haired psychopath roaming about the room didn't help with his mood, and he didn't even try hiding his thoughts upon spotting him nearby. ]

$ù%@&#$@!! Goddammit, they were righ'!

[ Won't you learn to stay dead? ]

[neverbeamemory]

[From where Sephiroth is lingering he can't see much of people arriving and leaving the Cafeteria at this point. But the not-quiet at all obscenity rips his attention that way, to a surprisingly recognizable face.

Just about. It's not as if Cid encountered the Remnants before Sephiroth was brought here, and so he is a little lacking on clear memories regarding the pilot. But he knows this had been one of Cloud's comrades, indeed. Even if the name (for now) is out of his reach.

Hardly surprising, having been in the Tower for so long.]

Who was right?

[Though he can't help but smirk at Cid's foul mouth.]

[goddamntea]

[ Well, Cid certainly wasn't smirking. Quite at the contrary, the smoke-less stress added to the sight of Sephiroth was enough to make him even worse than usual. He decided to stay in his guards, alright. He had his spear with him and while he had not had any intent to use it, Sephiroth wasn't the kind of person to let your guard down around. ]

None of your *$ù%£µ@&# business!

[ He wasn't going to sell Reno and Elena after they had warned him. Though on second thought, what was he even doing here, in a room full of people? People he wasn't murdering or trying to manipulate at that.

This tower was really nuts. ]

What are you even doin' here? Thought this was supposed to be a peaceful gatherin'.

[neverbeamemory]

[Perhaps frustratingly, Sephiroth doesn't appear to be phased at all by Cid's big stick spear. He's folding his arms once more with nothing but than the hint of a raised eyebrow in reaction to Cid's swearing.

Head slightly inclined forwards, peering up at everyone from between bangs.

Quite the contrary, though. His entire purpose here would eventually lead to manipulating whoever it took to get what he wants. Hence why he's the lead of a collar team - but this familiar face from Gaia clearly doesn't know that.]

Do I look particularly threatening to you?

[Is stated calmly, matter-of-factly almost. There is, after all, no sword in sight. And then there is perhaps the mood-lightening fact that he is collared like everyone else here.]

[goddamntea]

[ Indeed, Cid didn't know that much, not just yet. Too recent of an arrival and a general lack of interest in details. He frowned at the question though. Did he look threatening? Well, that was certainly a great philosophical question that required less than a second for Cid to answer: ]

Yes.

[ Excuse you Sephiroth, Cid can't hear you over the sound of how biased toward you he is. After all, Sephiroth hadn't used a sword during the final battle. Though he does catch up on the collar. Not sure he'd call it reassuring, however. ]

[neverbeamemory]

[How predictable, Cid. If Sephiroth wasn't busy keeping half of his attention elsewhere, on important things, then he might have rolled his eyes.]

Well then you're going to have to take my word on it, I'm here for the same reason anyone else might be.

[Though the chances of Cid believing that there wasn't some other reason for his presence here were probably slim to none, Sephiroth really is here majorly for the reconnaissance. For expanding his own knowledge but contributing as sparsely as he could.]

oh no i couldn't not do this when i saw it existed

[provenworth]

[Somehow, in some way, Elena was finally pushed out of the kitchen and found her way into the mingling crowd of people. Any and all signs of flour is mostly gone, though there are a few little spots in her hair she hadn't quite found in her rushed clean up, barely noticeable against gold locks. How she got the flour out of the dark red of her blouse is a mystery. Womenz skills at its finest.

The turnout was larger than she expected, the large crowd setting her at some semblance of unease. The last time there was a crowd this sized Ruana and Zo were in the audience and Ganon shot some weird laser magic attack at them. But she's at least polite to say hello to the few she knew, give proper head nods to those she had no idea were but apparently knew who she was. Its only when she gets to the buffet table that she can relax.

The snacks she and Rick and others had prepared were a hit. Picking up a pair of cookies - one chocolate chip and the other oatmeal raisin - Elena returns back to stalking around the large crowd. There were too many people to pick out a single target - that is until a painfully familiar figure of leather and sliver is found on the outskirts.

Well, now, this was certainly an unexpected pleasant surprise. Elena is mindful to make sure her approach is heard, eyes focused on the large crowd while chewing on the chocolate chip cookie. She comes to a stop just outside of arm's reach, facing the crowd in front of them, but she pauses to shoot him a look out the side of her eye.]

....Hello again, Senpai. Didn't think I'd see you at this shin-dig.

[neverbeamemory]

[-Senpai.

Again. He might have rolled his eyes had Sephiroth not been intently observing the crowd that Elena had inconveniently gone and put herself nearby to. Inside of his scope of vision and totally uninvited.

He blinks and unfolds arms once more before shooting a more charged, warning look right into Elena's face. Looking away again a second later, back out over other heads gathered.]

I see no shin-dig.

[provenworth]

[There was a method to her madness, despite how it might have appeared. Elena is very conscious of his very limited tolerance of her presence, making it wholly unnecessary for her to express her own. Because the man was fully capable of expressing it for the both of them. That heated expression that he shot in her direction earned a little snort, moving her eyes to the crowd in front of them.]

..... [While he might not have rolled his eyes, she certainly does.] This is not a meeting for you to just sit by and collect information for your own personal use. I would strongly encourage you to contribute some of your own information.

[neverbeamemory]

[Said snort is ignored, profusely. He cannot allow for this one to get on his nerves so easily. The fact that she bothers him at all is unacceptable in it's own right.

Sephiroth straightens up a little, with an almost-sigh. Flicking his gaze between Elena and the various groups nearby.]

Oh don't worry. [Hmph.] I have reams of my own information, and I fully intend to put some forwards wherever it may be relevant.

[provenworth]

[She considers it her own personal superpower, the fact that she could get under his skin. Its a gift very few have and one she's mindful to watch to prevent its overuse.

Taking another bite of the chocolate chip cookie, Elena rocks back onto her heels before rocking forward, playing the the part of the innocent but curious teenager. Her attention moves much like his own, scanning the crowd for other interesting individuals - looking in particular for a Doc Brown she was told of - before shifting to Sephiroth, then returning to the crowd.]

It would be greatly appreciated if you did. We don't have the luxury of being enemies here, so it would do us no harm to share whatever bits and pieces of information that would be relevant and important.

[neverbeamemory]

[He would consistently deny her possession of any such superpower, of course.

So she was still trying to play up the disguise for some reason. Sephiroth idly wonders what was the reasoning behind that; why play up an illusion in a Tower of illusions. In a place where it's important to hold on to what makes you, yourself. He wonders, if she knows that her skin isn't really her skin yet. If she truly appreciates the implications-

Since when did he even care - he's not forgetting who he is and that's the most important thing.]

Most would not understand the importance of such, nor the implications, I'm sure you realize.

[It's an off-handed comment only. But he's no reservations in explaining this particular point if she asked nicely.]