Vishous knew a soldier when he saw one. He was one too, in a way. But warriors would always be different to soldiers. Still, he was damn curious.
The tall man gestured to Zack with his gloved hand, that of which was wrapped around the neck of a half empty bottle of Grey Goose. For a drunk, Vishous seemed pretty normal. "First Class, huh? What's the difference between you and a normal soldier?"
"Mostly just ranking, status, credibility, loyalty... that kind of thing." I rub the back of my head, a bit embarrassed. This guy looks like he knows the trade, for all that he smells like the back end of a Turk bar. "I really only got promoted because two other first class SOLDIERs defected."
He tilted his head. Well, that was interesting to know.
"Want to know your future, kid?" Now that he had his mojo back, he figured he may as well start using it. All the dreams he'd been having lately were of his own death and he needed a way to distract himself. Hence the alcohol.
He reached into his trenchcoat and fished out a hand-rolled cigarette and a golden zippo.
"Don't have much of one, being dead and all," I say, watching him carefully. He looks like the kind of guy they let into the Turks to do all the really dirty work.
He placed the cigarette between his lips and waved his lighter about, gesturing to the school in general. "Think of this place as an intervention stage of your life, a different kind of dimension. You're alive here, can't die thanks to a spell on the school, feel me?"
He lit the cigarette and snapped the lighter closed, then pocketed it. There was a gun on his hip, holstered, along with the gleaming black blades of the daggers on his chest. The trenchcoat covered them again easily after. He blew the sweet smelling smoke away from Zack. "You have a future here whether you like it or not."
I'm tense, probably more than I should be. This guy doesn't exactly reek of crazy, but he does reek of booze and I don't trust drunks. Especially after seeing how Reno can get.
"Yeah, I kind of figured this wasn't the lifestream. So what kind of future is it here?"
He rubbed at his goatee while he stared at Zack and slowly, the pupil of his right eye expanded until it swallowed a great deal of his ice-white iris.
He saw a few things. Mostly a wagon, flower girl and a church. Then there was a bright flash of introduction and reconciliation.
"There's a tête-à-tête with an avatar, first meeting for a second time. Reconciliation will come then, and you'll reach enlightenment and a state of being where you're comfortable once again." He blinked and his eye returned to normal, then rubbed at his eye. Idly he took a swig from the bottle. Shit that never got any easier.
I don't do well with cryptic, but I think I'm following along pretty well.
"I guess that isn't too bad to look forward to," I say, trying not to think too hard about the tête-à-tête part. "Um, how long does staying in this place last?" Not that I'm eager to go back to being dead, but after everything Sephiroth told me, I know there are things I need to do.
He shrugged. "No clue. No one remembers anyone's time here. Not even the gods." And there were gods here, and kinds of weird people that Vishous would have thought belonged more in Nala's nursery. "People turn into popcorn when they leave, though they sometimes return with or without memories of being here before."
He shook his bottle of Goose and took another drag of his cigarette. "Learn to roll with it or find something else to spend time on."
The tall man gestured to Zack with his gloved hand, that of which was wrapped around the neck of a half empty bottle of Grey Goose. For a drunk, Vishous seemed pretty normal. "First Class, huh? What's the difference between you and a normal soldier?"
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"Want to know your future, kid?" Now that he had his mojo back, he figured he may as well start using it. All the dreams he'd been having lately were of his own death and he needed a way to distract himself. Hence the alcohol.
He reached into his trenchcoat and fished out a hand-rolled cigarette and a golden zippo.
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He lit the cigarette and snapped the lighter closed, then pocketed it. There was a gun on his hip, holstered, along with the gleaming black blades of the daggers on his chest. The trenchcoat covered them again easily after. He blew the sweet smelling smoke away from Zack. "You have a future here whether you like it or not."
Reply
"Yeah, I kind of figured this wasn't the lifestream. So what kind of future is it here?"
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He saw a few things. Mostly a wagon, flower girl and a church. Then there was a bright flash of introduction and reconciliation.
"There's a tête-à-tête with an avatar, first meeting for a second time. Reconciliation will come then, and you'll reach enlightenment and a state of being where you're comfortable once again." He blinked and his eye returned to normal, then rubbed at his eye. Idly he took a swig from the bottle. Shit that never got any easier.
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"I guess that isn't too bad to look forward to," I say, trying not to think too hard about the tête-à-tête part. "Um, how long does staying in this place last?" Not that I'm eager to go back to being dead, but after everything Sephiroth told me, I know there are things I need to do.
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He shook his bottle of Goose and took another drag of his cigarette. "Learn to roll with it or find something else to spend time on."
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He took another long drag from his cigarette. "Best get used to weird shit."
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