Incomplete
Who: Genesis needsmorefiagra and Sephiroth son_of_calamity
What: A casual meeting between...friends.
Where: One of the vacant houses.
When: After this conversation. Also backdated to before the second event happens because I was slow in replying to Sephiroth's entry :C Also, also, sorry fot the length, idk.
( In all it's misery it will always be what I loved and hated. )
What: A casual meeting between...friends.
Where: One of the vacant houses.
When: After this conversation. Also backdated to before the second event happens because I was slow in replying to Sephiroth's entry :C Also, also, sorry fot the length, idk.
( In all it's misery it will always be what I loved and hated. )
Yet that gaze was altered, somehow. There was no homecoming welcome to be found here. While he did not doubt that Genesis had wanted to see him, why was a equation without a viable solution.
As ever, Genesis's every word was an invitation to a game. One of his most irritating traits was certainly that the poet could not be pinned down for a straight answer a great majority of the time. He circled every possible issue until you were dizzying from trying to follow him, in the hopes of knocking you off guard. The advantage always had to be his before he felt like indulging you in what you wanted to know, and the years of 'games' such as these had left him weary of playing. It showed in subtle, visible clues in the general's expression, his jaw tightening just so at the teasing welcome, or in the briskness in his step as he accepted the invitation to come inside, sweeping past the other.
Tiny clues, but ones they recognized in one another after all this time.
A few strides into the room and he paused, turning about to regard the other with an air of curiosity. Those mako-green eyes had no other focus but his former...comrade...standing before him now with such a satisfied look that he could not help but feel that instinctive itch between his shoulder blades.
Assassin in his peripheral. That same feeling was now intensified even while facing the other head on.
"...hm. I half expected you and Angeal to seek shelter together." Of course, he knew they hadn't. Their locations had been quite separate, on the radar offered by the mysterious device now stowed away in one of the inner pockets of his coat. The question remained, however: if they knew of each other's presence, why then did they remain apart? Was the redhead's whole plan from the start not to lure his oldest friend back to his side, to whatever ends he had planned?
Angeal, meanwhile, seemed the safest topic to light upon with Genesis in such an unpredictable state.
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Arrogance had always been a dangerous flaw within him and even now, one could practically feel it radiating off him as he stood in that quite room, faced with the object of his warped fantasy and hatred. The expression on his face was... Well, like a cat that had swallowed the canary whole, would have been an apt description. However there was a softness to that feral like quality, almost as though he would take far more delight in playing with his next meal, before devouring it completely.
Assassin indeed. One whom only dealt devastating physical attacks after he was satisfied with the wounds his target suffered by his words. Ones that were dipped in the sweetest poison, expected to cause a painful and deliberate demise in spirit.
"Oh, really now..." It was spoken more as a statement than a question. Truth was, he'd only arrived in Nuadoria a fortnight before Sephiroth had, and in that short time, Angeal and himself had only spoken twice. His childhood friend had seemed preoccupied, to say the least. So instead of seeking the other out, Genesis decided to stay away, taking shelter in the first house he wandered upon. After all, he'd only just awoken from slumber and to have been brought to a strange city only mere moments after, had been rather....disorienting. Better to find someplace to regroup rather than risk letting anything too vital slip. Sadly, he'd even have to be on his best behaviour when around Angeal too. Heaven forbid the other should catch wind of his intentions and put a stop to his game.
Not that anyone ever could.
But to have Angeal constantly berate him for it, would most definitely be a....downer, for lack of a better word. Goodness knows how many...activities - ones purely for Genesis' own private amusement - Angeal had put a stop to, especially if it involved one of the poor, unsuspecting first years at ShinRa. However, this one was not like those back then. This one was much more serious, despite how teasing and seemingly innocent his words and actions were. Genesis was playing for keeps.
And the prize would truly be a glorious one.
"Perhaps I wanted to consider my options before making such a decision." After all, Genesis had told the other how he believed their paths to be entwined always, no matter how far one may stray.
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That was the crux of it, really. While Genesis held the faith that they would always be a part of one another, for good or ill, Sephiroth had long ago lost that faith in other people. The disappearance of Professor Gast, the first person he'd ever truly trusted and found himself attaching himself to, had shaken him irrevocably. Never again would he take for granted the presence of a friend, nor would assume in their absence that he would ever see them again. To expect that much was foolishness. Genesis himself had driven the nail into that particular coffin. He'd already manage to wound him, though the silver-haired SOLDIER would never reveal that hurt, especially when Genesis was sniffing for blood as it was.
So he showed no sign that the issue bothered him at all, those shields firmly raised. He'd turned from Genesis, as if to show that he was no threat to him, and he was now observing the surrounding room, his eyes lingering for a moment upon the mirror against the wall, before quickly averting his gaze to the remainder of the furnishings. He'd had time enough to make himself comfortable, it appeared, which meant that despite the amount of time spent here and however much he actually knew, he had made the attempt to settle in for the time being. He did not expect to leave any time soon.
Nor then, Sephiroth thought with a flicker of irritation, should he.
"You asked me what my last memory from Gaia was," he spoke again, his gloved fingers coming to rest upon the single, brilliant feather resting atop a dresser, plucking it up for a closer look. Strange. Angeal had always been the animal-lover, with Genesis often holding opposition to the latest stray that Angeal seemed determined to collect, and Sephiroth showing general disinterest in the whole affair. Yet this feather didn't appear out of absolutely nowhere.
Since when did Genesis keep pets about?
His gaze returned to the redhead intently, the unspoken question of 'why would you ask that' left to hover in the air. There was no need to ask it. If he'd made a note of it, then he expected further explanation, or least as much as Genesis would be willing to tell him on his own.
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Though his friendship with Sephiroth had proved to be rather tempestuous at times, that didn't mean to say it wasn't appreciated and enjoyed - while it had lasted. For a while there, he had held Sephiroth in the highest regard. It was only a matter of time before people started talking. The great hero, Sephiroth. ShinRa's legend. Each word spoken in favour of the General - raising him up as the very best, placing him on a pedestal gazed upon by millions, while Genesis was left to sink further into the other's shadow - was like a dagger piercing his ego, spreading forth jealousy. Resentment was inevitable. Though is was not enough to make the redhead abandon Sephiroth completely. Even during his degradation - he had abandoned ShinRa for all it's deceit, not his friends. Complete abandonment would have stopped him returning to Sephiroth to ask for help, despite how desperate he was to survive.
"Yes, mere curiosity on my part. Though it hardly should matter now." Well, he'd received his answer so there was no point asking more questions and even if the other hadn't told him anything, there was no way Genesis would reveal even the slightest hint of the reason he sought the information he did. This Sephiroth came from a different point in time. He'd heard about such things occurring from various residents in the city. It made him mildly wonder just how much knowledge Angeal possessed of the events that transpired back in Gaia. Something told him that his friend knew far more than he was letting on and Genesis hadn't pushed him for answers. It wasn't of importance anyway since Angeal hadn't been around to witness what had happened in the mako reactor in Nibelheim. That secret was between himself and Sephiroth...
And Fair.
A bout of annoyance shot through him. He'd almost forgotten that Angeal's little puppy had been crawling around nearby. But Zack Fair wasn't in Nuadoria, was he? Surely, Angeal would have mentioned it otherwise? So then it was no cause for alarm...Sephiroth wouldn't find out until Genesis was ready to tear him down himself. Those same words - however this time, there would be more venom to them and since he didn't particularly need the General's cells anymore... He was free to sit back and watch ShinRa's glorified legend crumble, and fall into madness.
An eyebrow quirked up in amusement as he watched Sephiroth inspect the feather. He offered no explanation, however. Should the phoenix arrive while Sephiroth was present, then so be it. If not, then it was something Sephiroth hardly needed to know. Genesis himself, wasn't quite sure why the bird chose to linger in his company. But it kept quiet and seemed rather intelligent and so, he let it do as it pleased. Far better than having a canine slobbering about and making a nuisance of itself. The phoenix was refined and elegant, rather like Genesis himself. Hardly an unwelcome guest.
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Of course, he had no idea that Genesis had intended to return to him, when his existence was threatened. He didn't know of the events to come, having only had them them vaguely gestured towards by that boy, Kadaj, who was next on the list of people to visit. What he had hinted at might disrupt Genesis's plan to once again work as the sole catalyst for Sephiroth's madness, depending on how well the two stories corroborated with one another. The thought infuriated him, that they had lied, that his mother had been alive all this time, and they had kept him from her out of fear of how powerful he would become. Of course, that lead to an uncomfortable line of thought: if she was the reason he was so powerful, then what power did she herself possess? Was he, as he had always imagined since he was a child, that much different from everyone else? Because of her? Why...why had no one told him, if this were the case?
It was this line of questioning he planned to persue first, before learning more about this place. That could wait. He'd be here long enough to learn of such things in time. He couldn't be dissuaded from following this to whatever answers might await him.
"It matters more than you'd think," he replied quietly, and there was a sudden absence of emotion from his voice that announced that his willingness to play this round-about game was over with. He was in pursuit of something, and coming between him and the answer could not bode well, even if Genesis believed he had the upper hand. The fact that he wasn't utilizing the silence between them to speak was quickly taken advantage of, the next question coming soon after, with the general dropping the feather back to its resting place. It would be forgotten for the moment, in lieu of higher priorities.
"Why did you leave Shinra?"
If what Kadaj had said was true, and the company was withholding information from them, enough to warrant his desire for their destruction, then he was determined to know exactly what it was they were hiding. No, more than that...if that were the reason Genesis had left, then he might be forgiven for doing so, to an extent. If he was still to be considered a friend, then surely he would help, if he could.
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"I left in search of answers." At the time, fueled by rage and fear, his two friends had become mere shadows. The life he had known had changed drastically. Everything seemed to have turned against him. The planet... and even Time itself. There were battles to be fought and this time, fighting on the same side had not been possible.
Ah, that, he had no qualms about answering. It was practically common knowledge now, wasn't it? All Sephiroth had to do was ask Angeal or any of the other ShinRa personnel that happened to be in Nuadoria - providing they had arrived from a certain point in time.
"There were many things going on within ShinRa's walls....things its SOLDIERs were never meant to know." Genesis took a seat, crossing his legs elegantly. A few moments passed as he thought back to those days when he had come to discover the reason behind his degradation. Back then he hadn't known that an answer to one mere question would bring forth more confusion and pain than he ever thought possible. In trying to uncover the secret behind his own existence he had stumbled upon ShinRa's web of fabrications. In his quest for greater knowledge, everything had fallen apart, tumbling to the ground. A broken mess at his feet. How long ago it all seemed now and yet, his wounds still remained, raw and red. He gazed up at Sephiroth, that superior look tugging the corners of his lips into a sardonic smile.
"I happened to discover a few things." His expression remained passive as ever, though if Sephiroth had observed closely, he would have seen the flicker in the redhead's stare a millisecond before his eyes turned a shade darker at whatever memory seemed to flit across his mind. And discover, he did. Perhaps...it would have been better to have not known...
And live the lie?
A frown crept over his features. Even after all this time ShinRa's outline still appeared sharp before the hazy backdrop of memories. Banora, dumbapples, life within SOLDIER and time spent with his two closest friends seemed as though they were a fragment of someone else's life. Certainly not his. It was difficult to think back to a time when he had been happy, blissfully unaware of the deceit and chaos that had surrounded him - a ticking time bomb ready to go off and blow the life he had known to pieces.
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Yet something had been unearthed by his former companion that even they were never meant to know. He could feel the anticipation knotting in his stomach even as his surface composure remained. Perhaps only a hint of impatience now entered his eyes, as he watched that dark, more sinister shadow pass through Genesis's own gaze. "What did you discover?" he pressed on quietly, taking a step closer to the auburn-haired SOLDIER. "Why not tell us? We could have followed you. No one could have stopped us from doing so."
Of course, that would have been too simple, he thought derisively. Logical. While Genesis was intelligent without question, his ideas of Fate and his reliance on his emotions and pride had always been a hindrance, a brilliant flame that at once illuminated him and threatened to burn any who came in its path. It was, regrettably, one of the hazards of being close to him. Yet it had been worth it, in those days. The three of them together could have overcome anything, and he and Genesis in particular...
But that issue was long past. Those days had been too fragile, too easily shattered, and to reach back for them now only risked injury at the chance to hold the broken fragments in his hands.
No time now for laments.
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"The truth about my origins." A slight curl of the lip, his disdain and contempt rather blatantly displayed across his features. He watched Sephiroth carefully, looking for any signs of satisfaction or amusement as he revealed something he had promised himself he never would. "I was Professor Hollander's experiment. The so called perfect SOLDIER who turned out to be nothing but..."
Standing up from the armchair, Genesis moved away. Away from ShinRa's hero, away from those cool emeralds that held the capacity to penetrate right to his very core and away from that warmth that seemed to radiate from the General as he inched closer. Walking silently to the window, he peered out through the frosted panes at the city below. The cold air slipping through the cracks felt much better, soothing him a tad, calming that infamous temper that had begun rising dangerously.
" -- A failure." And though it enraged him to admit to such a thing, he did it anyway. The words tasting bitter on his tongue. "I was flawed."
He let a few moments pass, leaning forward to rest his forehead on the cool glass, mentally willing himself to continue without exploding. The last thing he wanted was to spend the next hour or so, tidying up due to a misapplied fiagra spell. A deep breath and then -
"The battle was mine to fight, not yours and certainly not Angeal's. It was up to me to find the answers and put a stop to my degradation. I had to save myself." He continued in a much softer voice before turning around, gazing at Sephiroth sharply. "Do you now see why I had to leave?
And if Sephiroth should ever throw that back into his face... Then may the Goddess help him.
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