text/ un: wildcard

[electrod]

Name: Reno
Date: early July
Format: Text

[ If there's a working network around here, it would be a stupid mistake to not use it. And while he's not above just reading the backlog, he can't find some information he's actually looking for

time to act clueless on the network, apparently ]

so, i'm here to add to the pile of the "dumb shit newbies ask"

they really just let us loose on the city, huh? while i don't mind being left to my own devices, that whole looming threat of going fucking crazy— that's an unfun part about it

how did this bonding work out for you guys, when you first got here?

been wondering— everyone is talking about the importance of capital 'B' bonding, but how about that tempbond potion? aside for the price obviously. are there any downsides for prolonged use? something to watch out for? limit with how many people you can drink that with?

if there are any parties where we meet, drink a round of shots or two, and then drink these temp potions to get through the moons and all the feral shit— just sign me in. if there are none, then consider it a suggestion

Comments

voice; un: Rude

[grandspark]

[Decidedly not the Turk she's expecting to reply, but even he couldn't resist.]

What about you? Do you ever stay out of trouble?

[evanescent]

Oh boy, a two-for-one special! Aren't I lucky.

[Oh boy was right. She's just waiting to get hit with another mismatched timeline incident.]

I'll have you know, I haven't gotten into any trouble that I can't get out of!

Hi, Rude. Long time no see.

[grandspark]

Hello, Aerith.

['Long time no see,' huh?]

How long?

[evanescent]

A while.

[This is delivered in an annoying sing-song.]

What about you? How long has it been?

voice; un: @@5h0l3

[grandspark]

[Courtesy of Reno. Wait for it.]

Not that long. The few days since we've been here. Where did you run off to with Cloud and Avalanche?

[What? No one said he couldn't gather extra intelligence while he was here. Anyway, she still didn't exactly answer his question. Or at least not how he wanted it answered. He tried again.]

How long have you been here?




[Then right as he's about to hit enter/send/switch back to one of the other conversations, he notices something and growls out a low:]

...damnit, Reno.

[evanescent]

[The smile at the username, smug and deeply amused, can be heard in her tone.]

You make me sound like a runaway bride. I'm a hardened adventurer now, you know. I went lots of places!

[She's still not answering the question.]

I've been here long enough to learn my way around the place.

[And, finally:]

Having trouble? With your username, perhaps?

voice; un: chivalry

[grandspark]

[Fine. He didn't really expect much there anyway. It had been worth a shot though.]

...Be careful. You don't know what you're getting mixed up in.

[He's one to talk. But he can't help it if some feelings of protectiveness happened to weasel their way in; she was under Turk protection after all. Even if she didn't want to be, and even if it wasn't for the most altruistic of reasons, it was still a duty he wouldn't take lightly.

Though now was probably a better time to focus on this place and not back home.]

Is that a good thing, or bad? [What did she think of this place?}




[And a longer pause at the end. Finally:]

You know Reno. [Likes a good joke at other people's expense.]

[evanescent]

Do you really think Shinra's any better?

[An honest question. He's always been easier to deal with than Reno — she can even say she likes Rude, genuinely. But she has never forgotten what his job is, what he's tasked to do. It would be a disservice to Sector 7.

The thought too, of the dismal, sterile coldness of Hojo's laboratories dampens her affection some, makes her cautious, even though she was far from that now. Hojo would never hurt another person again.]

I've been okay. Really! It's not so bad here. People trying to do their best, like any other place. I share a garden here, with a friend.

And yeah. I know how he is. Looks like you figured it out!

[grandspark]

[He doesn't really have an answer for that first question. He knew too many secrets to say Shinra was perfect, knew Aerith would spot it if he tried to outright lie to her, and if he said anything that admitted to how many skeletons he knew was in the Shinra closet then any trust he could earn around here might shrivel up and blow away like dust in the wind. If this had been a video conversation he probably would have just given her a silent look that conveyed how he felt.

She'll just have to imagine it.]

Oh? Would you tell me that friend's name? [He doesn't expect her to trust him that easily so he won't hold his breath.] What about...everything else?

He did that, too. [Please. Like he could think of himself as something like a knight. He knows better, Aerith.]

[evanescent]

Aren't you in intel? Can't you figure it out on your own? I have to do all the work around here.

[In other words, she's keeping her mouth shut on that particular topic.] What about what else? Depends on what you want to know. And aw, that's cute! Are you his knight in shining armor now?

[grandspark]

It was worth a shot.

[Rude isn't certain whether he's amused or insulted by her teasing. Maybe both.]

If you've had any trouble with the whole... transition situation. You know, the...monsters and witches? [She sounded fine but he couldn't tell if she was a witch or a monster without a visual to be quite frank--and waitahotminuate what did she just call him?? He makes a few awkward noises as he tries to figure out what to say in response but ends up stopping short of actual words each time. Then:] ...that's not-- I'm not--

[Don't call him out like that! Just because he likes to protect his fellow Turks doesn't mean he's a knight or anything, that would be ridiculous. A fairy tale he doesn't belong to. This is embarrassing.]

...No.

[evanescent]

I'm a Witch. [Her tone turns sardonic.] Not much of a difference, at the end of the day. It's magic not pulled from Materia, that's all. The monsters have it harder.

[She lets his flustered moment slide. It could be read as a mercy, but really she just has more questions to ask of her own.] Speaking of that... what are you slotted under? Monster, or Witch?

[grandspark]

Yeah. It doesn't work anymore. [His Materia. It's a little disappointing honestly not to have access to magic anymore. Which brings him to her question...]

They told us monster. [Fitting, right?]

[evanescent]

Nope! They're pretty gemstones for now. Only Witches can use any magic here.

Monster, huh... [Fitting, she does not say.] Looks like I'm the odd one out.

You better find someone to bond with quick! Who knows what'll happen?

[grandspark]

Lucky you.

[So everyone else from their world were monsters, too. That was interesting to know.]

Hmm. What is it like?

[evanescent]

Hmmmm, I guess! I would've liked to see what kind of Monster I got. It's kind of exciting.

What's what like?

[The Bonds, the magic, being the odd one out? The latter she's used to, truthfully.] There's a lot to unpack.

[grandspark]

Is that what you think?

[He does not sound as enthusiastic about it.]

Not looking forward to any of it, but the Bonding thing...doesn't really suit us. [Turks.]

[evanescent]

It's a change, isn't it? Change doesn't have to be a bad thing. And it's not like you're alone with it, either.

[A considering hum. Were this Reno, she would not waste time on comforting. But, again, she's fond of Rude.] It isn't so bad. Some people keep it very businesslike, too. Who knows? It might end up suiting you more than you think.

[grandspark]

This isn't the type of change that comes from a golden opportunity. This is psychological and physical change that comes from becoming something entirely different--and not something I, or he, asked for. [Not being alone is nice, sure, but it also comes with it's own pains. Like, not being able to protect that someone.] No one should have to do that involuntarily.

Do you really think that? Can something like that be kept businesslike? It sounds intrusive. [Not that the attempt wasn't appreciated but Rude can't help but think Aerith was making it sound better than it possibly could be. And, hey, Turks were supposed to be the ones that infiltrated a target, not the other way around.]

[evanescent]

Sounds like a lesson your bosses could spare to learn. Buuut... what do I know? I'm just a florist.

[She had to say it.] Either way, [a helpless little shrug goes here, though he can't see it.] it's going to happen one way or the other. You can be upset about it, or you can adapt.

And I can't say for certain. I've never been in that situation — but it's not unheard of. People ask around about it, sometimes. Bonds aren't just emotional — they're practical too.

[grandspark]

[Rude makes a noise like he was going to say something to that but fell silent. There might have been something to what she said. Although he would like to argue that it was less his bosses and more the...crazy scientists. But, he realized, someone paid their paychecks too and it all came down to the men on high.

Fine. But it didn't really concern him, did it. He was just there for the thrill and the paycheck. So don't think about it. No time for a conscience.]

I'd prefer neither. [But she had a point about adapting.] Adapting is apart of the job. Unexpected challenges... I guess this is just one more for the books then. [Thanks for the pep talk.]

Because it helps balance out magic, right? Witches produce too much of it, monsters consume the excess. [More or less.] But why the Bonds? Why can't they do it without them?

[evanescent]

That's the spirit!

And that's right. [A pause, and then:] I don't know. I guess it's a little like a transfer? You have to have some kind of connection, right?

[grandspark]

Hmph. [If a non-committal noise could sound vaguely amused...]

It's a strange kind of connection. [a beat] But you don't find it all that strange, do you? [Perhaps even...familiar?]

[evanescent]

No, it isn't so strange. [there's a smile in her voice, slow-blooming but there all the same.] I've had a lot of time to get used to it. It's not so bad. Understanding someone and having them understand you... that's a part of being human, isn't it? It's the same with Bonds.

[grandspark]

[ ... ]

I guess I don't think like that too often. [Unless he was playing a game of connect-the-dots back to how or why a person was doing something Shinra didn't want them to do.] Trying to understand someone is one thing, but not wanting to be figured out is better.

[The only person he cared to let know anything useful about himself was Reno. Maybe it was okay if Tseng and the other Turks got him. That was it.]

You make it sound easy.