Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

[right-handed.livejournal.com]

Scar felt cold and sick, though more the latter than the former. As he rose from his bed, he didn't quite know which way was up, and the artificial light coming from overhead seemed as hot and as blinding as the Ishbal sun.

His head hurt, but that was nothing new. After all, the last thing he remembered from the night before was fighting a homunculus off of Lust and then having a conversation about events best left forgotten. The man hadn't been his brother. He just hadn't. And if what Lust had said they'd done to her was true...

Scar stood with shakiness that he wanted to attribute more to a bizarrely weakened physical state than a mental one. Had he been knocked out by some kind of lurking monster before the morning had come? He felt as if he had been out for days, being a veteran of such circumstances, though as he took the practiced role of being an obedient follower behind the nurse and orderlies that came for him, it didn't seem as if much had changed.

This place was probably just playing tricks on him again, and he was tired of being the man left out of the loop. He grabbed some food he didn't really care for and sat down, not seeing anyone he knew already seated. On one hand, he wished he had someone to talk to, and on the other, it scared him that he was no longer used to being alone.

He dug his fork into his food and tried to block out any related thought.

Comments

[materianinja.livejournal.com]

And speak of the devil. Or the ninja, rather. Yuffie was grinning almost ear to ear when she finally approached the table. And why shouldn't she be? She'd totally just kicked butt at Chess, or whatever it was called. Beginner's luck or not, Artemis didn't seem too happy with the outcome. Hee.

Fortunately for Cloud, Yuffie had managed to grab her own tray of food this time, so she wouldn't need to steal his again. She didn't feel like sitting by Barret and sitting on Cloud's other side would put her too far away from the conversation for her liking, so she dropped her tray unceremoniously next to Cid. She was a little surprised to see the captain, but hey, people disappeared and showed up again for no reason often enough, right? She was starting to get used to it.

"Hey guys," she greeted with her typical grin. "So, what's up with the oh-so-serious business?"

[dawning-dreams.livejournal.com]

Cid smirked at Cloud's comeback, though it slowly fell at the missing names on Barret's informal roll call. Cid hadn't even seen the revived Aerith in person, but he'd had a beefy conversation with Tifa, and if Vincent, the only person from remotely near his time, had been missing as long as he had...

"Shit," Cid growled, running a callused hand through his hair. "Situation just keeps getting worse and worse."

He looked towards the ninja as she sat down next to him and answered her question as soon as she asked it.

"People disappearin' is what." His look turned accusatory. "And what the hell are you so happy about?"

[bigshotbarret.livejournal.com]

"I'll make it short," Barret responded, leaping right to the reason for the gathering. They were still missing some party members, but there could have been a number of reasons for their absence...some he didn't want to think about. He hoped against hope that they were all all right--even Aerith, whom by all rights shouldn't be alive in the first place, "Me and Cloud figured it was a good idea to join forces with some folks closest to our time, people we familiar with and already know. If they stabbed us in the back, it ain't like you couldn't see it comin'. Though strangely, I doubt it would come to that since we all want out of this fuckin' prison. Going this shit alone just ain't workin' out."

He paused only a moment, not wanting to hear resistance just yet, "In me and Cloud's time, Shin-Ra changed a bit. As much as I hate admittin' it myself, they realized they were wrong and some part of them, at least in Rufus, wanted to make up for their mistakes against the Planet, tryin' to redeem themselves in the Planet's eyes. While I'm still wary as a Chocobo takin' greens from a stranger, they close to my time too, and I ain't gonna right 'em off completely. They cunning, shrewd, and manipulative. But they also smart and formidable opponents as we all know. The plan ain't attachin' ourselves to their hip, but exchangin' info and shit to help in how to get us back home." He sat back away from his lunch, suddenly not in the mood to touch the food as if it were offending him with it's presence.

[1mperturbable.livejournal.com]

Cloud shook his head subtly as Yuffie appeared as if summoned up to them. That was so like her, and he simply went back to his meal to allow the minor banter to continue. It felt pretty good to be back in the presence of others who he considered close allies and friends of his, who rarely demanded anything from his silence or disappearing acts.

He glanced to the side at Barret’s long explanation before raising an eyebrow at it. Just like Barret to run around the name but never actually say it. “Barret means to say we are teaming up with members of ShinRa for an alliance to help get us out of this place,” he said simply and shrugged his shoulders a little. “We know them well enough to be able to stave off any back-stabbing, given our experience.”

He looked between his fellow AVALANCHE members before innocently adding, “and they are weak compared to us. They would make a deep mistake to cross us as we are now, and I have a feeling they will use our strengths to hide their weaknesses.”

[materianinja.livejournal.com]

"Nothing~" Yuffie chimed in a sing-song tone to Cid, her grin clearly stating she was lying, but wasn't about to tell him the real reason. That was her secret~.

Too bad that the grin slipped away almost as soon as Barret started talking. He was talking about working with people from their own world... People who weren't a part of AVALANCHE. Normally, she would have been fine with this. She was friendly. She could adapt. The only problem was that there were very few people here that she knew of who fit those requirements. But Barret wouldn't be talking about them...would he?

Oh, he would. According to Cloud. "No," was Yuffie's almost instant reply. She did not sound happy in the least. "No way am I working with ShinRa. I don't care if it is to get out of here. Those guys are just a bunch of lying, disgusting cowards. Their President's a jerk, and the other two aren't any better. I bet they're already plotting how to double-cross us. They can stay here for all I care." And with that, the ninja crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at Barret for even suggesting something so ridiculous.

[dawning-dreams.livejournal.com]

Cid glared at Yuffie before looking to Barret as he began to speak, the pilot taking the opportunity to begin digging into his spaghetti even as he realized what his comrade was insinuating--not that he was being very subtle about it.

Cloud's blunt words clinched what Cid already knew, and the pilot sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand as Yuffie made her outburst. He'd heard about some Shin-Ras being stuck here like they were, but hearing an argument from Barret about the virtues of teaming up with them was downright disturbing. The Barret he knew from his time certainly hadn't cooled down enough to put his differences aside in any kind of situation, and the underlining of how these weren't the same friends he remembered wasn't making him feel much better about making a decision.

"Well..." Cid started, glancing at Cloud and then away again as he sat up. "Some of us here have more experience with that damn company than we want to admit."

This time, it was Yuffie he glanced at, remembering that it had been the war against her people that had gotten him the fame and honors as a pilot and commander to get the Rocket Program started with him in the captain's seat. Not that she really made him feel remorse over it, given her usual attitude, but...

"Anyway, I can't really pretend we're in well-enough shape to kick their asses, so whatever." He crossed his arms and shrugged. "I'll do it."

It wasn't like he didn't feel like a stranger enough already.

[bigshotbarret.livejournal.com]

Barret was far from surprised by Yuffie's reply, and sat uncharacteristically chilled throughout her speech. He didn't disagree with her obvious reluctance to team with a man who ordered his execution and did a numerous number of heinous crimes through the eyes of civilization. But when one really thought on it, most of those things were brought about by Senior Shin-Ra. Wallace hated what Shin-Ra stood for as much as the next guy, but sometimes it was necessary to call on scumbags for assistance.

He couldn't escape the fact that things were slightly different, and they were in a way different people. He wasn't about to let his guard down, but as a unit, they were running out of options, "I ain't gonna argue with ya, Yuffie. Y'all know I got plenty o' reason to hate 'em. But we ain't in our own world no more, and the more people and resources we got on our side, the better. I've taken a lot of time thinkin' on this, and backstabbin' seems the least of our worries. We already in here for the long haul if we don't find a way out. And if they do stab us...what then? We ain't no worse off. At least we know their strengths and weaknesses. We know what to look for if they do try somethin' underhanded."

He gave the pilot and appreciative nod for his decision to stick with the group. Yuffie was the variable, "It's your choice, Yuffie. I ain't gonna fight you on it. You ain't even gotta talk to 'em if you don't wanna. It's your call."

[1mperturbable.livejournal.com]

Cloud raised an eyebrow to Yuffie’s vehement refusal to work with those of ShinRa and the Turks. He could not say that he was honestly surprised at her dislike, given all that had happened during the Wutai War and other matters pertaining to ShinRa activities. He thought about trying to bribe her with shiny things, but he really had no materia to sway her to their way of thinking.

Cid’s uneasy acceptance surprised him. He at least expected a swearing cuss or two from the pilot, but it was one he would not argue with. He looked between the two on opposite side of the table and heaved a soft but firm sigh.

First, he regarded Cid. “We are strong enough, especially united. We just need to find you a spear, and you will fight just as well as the rest of us. You always have,” he murmured. As long as ShinRa did not have Sephiroth’s favour, they would be just fine. The Turks could not readily stand up against them, he was certain.

His blue eyes shifted over to stare at Yuffie, more than aware she was the harder to convince out of the two. “Yuffie, we cannot force you, but I still value your strength to our group.” Given he never complimented, he thought it might sway her a little. “Even if you do not work directly with ShinRa and the Turks, I would still ask for your other note-worthy qualities… like thievery and possibly spying, if you are willing? Please think about it… and get back to me, at the least, later. Alright?”

He looked around at the change of shift and nodded his head. “It seems we must mosey on elsewhere. Keep in touch,” he murmured as he rose and walked from the room without further word.

[materianinja.livejournal.com]

And so everyone but her was just going to lie down and take this? Ugh, what happened to everyone? Since when did they stop fighting against ShinRa and start working with them? Even Barret! And he was the one who suggested it!

She glared at Barret when he suggested they needed people and resources. She'd met a lot of way cooler people that were nicer, better prepared, and didn't reek of underhanded dealings, world conquest, and backstabbings. In short: Better than ShinRa.

"I had to put up with those jerks the first night I was here. No way I'm doing that again." It still pissed her off, the way Rufus had acted towards her...couldn't even remember her name, and then insinuating that she owed him something with all that talk about WRO and something about Reeve... Like she was supposed to know what the hell he meant.

As ticked off as she was, Cloud's unexpected compliment definitely tipped the scales in their favor. Yuffie had a strong weakness to flattery from a cute guy. Especially Cloud. Still, working with ShinRa made her sick. But if she didn't have to see or talk to them? Well, then maybe she could forget where the information and items she'd be gathering might end up...

"Whatever," she muttered. She'd think about it. Grumbling out a goodbye to the other two, Yuffie hurried off to the showers.