Day 34: Lunch

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

Yuffie bounced all the way through collecting her lunch, all the way to a good seat- one with a nice view of the whole cafeteria, which was something she'd been missing out on during the past day or so that she'd been stuck in the Institute- and hell, she even bounced into her seat.

A good mood? No, really?

Despite the occasional blip, talking to Sagara had been awesome. He was a fun guy; he wasn't a prude, didn't have a stick shoved so far up his ass it was poking out his eyeballs, and he'd actually had a conversation with her. One that hadn't revolved around doom, gloom or how much life sucked. If she could find other people like that and keep in touch with Sagara, maybe there was a little hope for this place.

After a quick gulp of pink lemonade, Yuffie settled to munching through her food and keeping an eye on the door.

[Waiting for Dean, I think? :x]

Comments

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

Kratos started slowly on his food, taking a bite out of a chip and looking nowhere in particular. There was a long pause before he finally swallowed and focused back on the woman in front of him. "Good question. The answer to that is, 'Have I done anything yet to try to off you or Miss Sage here?'"

He finished the chip off and reached for another. "I might be simply biding my time until the right moment for all you know, but I'll be frank for once and state that I have no intention of harming either one of you. In fact, it is more to my- and yours as well- advantage for us to work together."

Kratos sighed. "Also, I don't believe Lloyd would be very happy if you decided to dispose of his father."

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

Sheena's eyes were still narrowed as she listened. Obviously he hadn't tried to kill her yet because she just got here. Seriously, like that was a valid question to ask her. As for Raine, maybe she had some strong allies here that would have made Kratos' attempts fail. In fact, maybe Kratos had tried to kill Raine but failed for whatever reason and the professor was just too absorbed in a book or some technological thing to notice. It's not like Raine was aware of Sheena's own sttempt that one night in Palmacosta, she contemplated as she brought her glass of water to her lips.

These thoughts, though, quickly went out the window at Kratos' last statement. The summoner's eyes went wide and she accidentally sprayed the water she'd been drinking all over the man across from her. She sputtered, half standing up to lean toward Kratos in disbelief, until she finally managed to get out, "Y-- YOUR LLOYD'S WHAT?!"

Ow...ow... I think he broke my brain.

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

Kratos blinked several times. Spewing water all over him: now that had been uncalled for. Very slowly, he reached for a napkin to wipe his face off. "...father. You heard me correctly." He couldn't decide which was more surprising: his sudden drenching or the fact that she hadn't known about Lloyd's relation to him. He had known that she was from a past time, but surely not that far back.

"Miss Fujibayashi-" He ran a hand through his hair. Wasn't this going pleasantly? "-if you could tell me the last thing you remember before you came here?"

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

despite her eyes still being wide, a small flush hit Sheena's cheeks as Kratos wiped the water off his face. Oops... She hadn't meant to spray him like that. She sat heavily back in her chair. "His father..."

But if kratos was Lloyd's father, why did he betray everyone? Why did he fight Lloyd? Didn't he care about his son? Sheena had way too many questions of her own and she sat there staring dumbly at Kratos.

"I was on my way to the mana canon with the Renegades so I could blow up that damn giant tree I made grow," she answered. "I don't understand, Kratos... If he's your son, don't you care about him? Why stand against him? Doesn't it... hurt to do that?"

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

The mana cannon...ah, of course she wouldn't have known. At that point he had still been Cruxis' agent, acting only to protect Martel, who had been engulfed by the Kharlan Tree- or so he had claimed.

As for Lloyd...

"Do I care about him?" Kratos laughed bitterly. "I care more for him than I do myself. I admire his dedication to his ideals, his determination, his success in every place where I have failed- and there are many. Ever since the Tower of Salvation I have been trying to help-- perhaps I should phrase this differently." The seraph took a deep breath.

"Miss Fujibayashi, I have not agreed with Yggdrasil's intentions for some time now. But could I openly go against him, against Cruxis- I, one of the Four Seraphim, its founders? To do so would be to commit practical suicide. Several years ago I discovered that fact when I tried to leave Cruxis permanently; the only reason I kept my head at the end of that ordeal was that Yggdrasil needed me alive.

"I admit after that incident I resigned myself to Yggdrasil's ideals, but with Lloyd's appearance I realized that even though I could not stop Yggdrasil, someone else could. My every move was being watched, so I was forced to continue playing the part required of me by Cruxis and resort to secrecy, but it was my intention to give Lloyd what he needed to stop Yggdrasil: the Eternal Sword. I was hoping to find all the materials necessary before you managed to form all the pacts and cause something possibly catastrophic, but not everything goes to script."

Kratos leaned back and took a long swig of water. That had been more than he'd told Raine over an entire week.

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

Sheena was quiet for a long moment. "How could you, the high and mighty angel, go against someone who wanted to destroy the world?" She was quiet again for a moment. "You do and you accept the consequences. That's what Lloyd would have done, had he been in your position. Lloyd is a better man than you."

"You sound like you're telling the truth. I'll give you that. What I don't understand is why, if you had access to the sword that would end it all, why you just didn't do it yourself. To put all that burden on Lloyd's shoulders is wrong."

She then looked away. "You know... I cause something catastrophic; I destroyed Palmacosta. Raine tells me I stopped the tree, but I don't know. And I don't have any room to talk when it comes to trusting once enemies."

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

Kratos rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I knew it was selfish of me, but I had no choice. The Eternal Sword requires that the user have a pact with the King of Summon Spirits, Origin. Yggdrasil, in order to deter any possible pact-makers, made Origin's seal me. In order to make a pact, I would have to release all of my mana; I would have to die. Therefore, I would never be able to wield the Eternal Sword."

He looked down. "Of course, that would leave it to Lloyd to defeat his father- to kill me, essentially. Was I considering his feelings when I told him what he had to do? Probably not. I was wrapped up in my own mission of finally dying, but I think he understood that. And he resolved to find another way, like he always does." Lloyd is a better man than you. Truer words were probably never spoken.

Kratos looked back up towards Sheena. "You really have no reason to trust me, but I'm asking that you do- just this once."

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

Origin? Sheena blinked upon hearing that. She didn't know how went about making another person into a seal for a summon spirit, but it was just another thing that spoke of how evil Yggdrasil was. At least Kratos eventually had been willing to accept the consequences of defeating Yggdrasil when he resolved to let Lloyd use the Eternal Sword thing. And it was just like Lloyd to do things the hard way. This was a prime example of why Sheena liked the younger man as much as she did.

Though the summoner didn't understand how lloyd would have used that sword since apparently its wielder needed to have a pact with Origin. Sheena would have had a pact with Origin, cause she was the summoner and the only one capable of it. Plus, she couldn't use a sword worth a damn. Maybe she'd ask about that later. Regardless, she was going to have to talk to Raine again about this.

"You're right... I don't," the female ninja replied slowly. "But I will. Just understand that if you betray either my or Raine's trust, I will kill you. I know you all think I'm clumsy and not particularly capable at times, but you really don't want to underestimate me."

She glared at Kratos a moment longer, to make sure he understood she meant what she'd said, before sighing and resting her chin in her hand. "So... now what?"

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

Kratos smirked before returning to his lunch, which had been neatly forgotten in the midst of their discussion. "I'll make sure to remember that." It was true, though: Sheena did have a tendency to fall down large holes, but those spell cards hurt.

"Now what? Hmmm..." He tried the chicken. Not bad. "What are you going to do come night time? Did any of the clubs seem to your interest?"

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

Sheena blew the hair on her forehead up out of the way. "I kinda like the History Club thing, but they haven't answered my question about whether the 'getting revenge' part of their pitch is personal or general. Cause I'm okay with teh general revenge since this place is evil and all, but if it's personal... I'd rather not get involved with that," she replied.

"As for tonight, I think I'll go to the clinic with Raine and meet Tamaki before trying to get my bearings." She shrugged. "I need to make some cards and then test out their effectiveness. Raine was talking about the possibility of a mobile healing unit, but she said that was going to take time. but... I kinda think I might make a mess of things if a bunch of injured people were to come in."

Sheena took a look around the cafeteria, looking for a certain redhead and sighed. "I really don't know."

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

"The clinic...I see." Speaking of which, he had to remember to return Tamaki's sword tonight-- and in the meantime, find a discreet method for getting one of his own. "Miss Sage and I are usually the only ones helping Tamaki, so any further aid is always greatly appreciated," Kratos said firmly. "As long as you don't panic at the sight of blood- and I know that you will not- you will be fine."

He didn't fail to notice her glancing around. "Looking for Wilder?"

[mizuhomaiden.livejournal.com]

Sheena was not pleased to have been caught red-handed looking for Zelos. Damn.

"No! I'm just checking to see who else was here," she spat back in response. "Why do I care where that Idiot Chosen is anyways? He's probably off flirting with his nurse, trying to get her to give him something. Honestly, you'd think he'd have something better to do." Like at least hit on come say hello to her.

"Hmph!" Sheena crossed her arms and looked away from Kratos, hoping the heat she was feeling on her face was not visible.