Sephiroth paused in his step, something grating his nerves at the informal address, but not quite knowing why. There was something familiar here, and yet the inability to place just what.
But as of yet, he could see no need to antagonize the assorted persons gathered. "I intend to feed myself if they will not provide suitable sustenance here. Perhaps gain a standing knowledge of the area."
And what seemed like...a bagpipe? No, it couldn't be...it sounded more like a dying beast throwing off discord with the composed ghost score in the air. He needed to get out, and do so as soon as possible. Was this on a continuous loop?
It wasn't as though he knew whether he would be capable of withstanding whatever obstacles or aggressors he happened upon beyond the house; perhaps taking another along would prove useful. Then again, if this massive length of steel he had found lying beside the bed was indeed his, he assumed he had to have at least some competency with it. Worst case scenario, he could use the man as a decoy to out maneuver their opponent.
"...would you like to accompany me? I suggest finding yourself a weapon, should that be the case."
Zack blinked. How... bleak. And to the point. And utterly practical. You'd think he was the kind of guy who gave orders and expected to be followed. Army, maybe.
...Hell, he'd love to get involved in the army. He'd always figured it be an adventure, and Zack was always up for one of those. Besides--
--Seph was still talking. And wanted him along.
If his ears could perk up, they probably would've. Had he a tail, it would probably be wagging. He settled for straightening up and beaming at the man for all he was worth. It didn't sound as if Seph offered all that often. "Sounds good."
But what did he have around that could constitute as a weapon? He doubted breaking off a bedpost and swinging it around would be of much use, and Seph didn't look like he endured incompetence all that well either. Decisions, deci--
And then Zack was struck by the thought that yes he was rooming with the black Chocoboy. Which meant he probably had something around to spare. "Sure, why not?" he replied quickly, jumping to his feet and dashing to scour, hoping he didn't come across something ridiculously booby-trapped. You never knew with these surly, unknown roommates after all. They could turn out to be ninjas or something.
...Of course, clearly all that was for naught, because evidently Sasuke had taken his sword with him. Thus Zack's smile was somewhat sheepish when he glanced back at the doorway and said, "Erm... you think tackling them instead will do any good? I'm lacking a good Bahamut-scale toothpick right now."
He was pretty sure he was fast enough that'd it might not be half so stupid an idea than it sounded, but then how would he kill it? It wasn't as if he carried knives on him like some kind of personal--kitchen!
Finding the...well, he supposed the man had some logic behind his suggestion; or at least he would have to accept that he might. The man looked somewhat like a fighter, but perhaps he had misjudged? Only time would tell, he supposed.
At the very least he could gauge the equipment available once they had secured their provisions. But he couldn't help but be mildly surprised that the man had no weapon of his own at hand. Was he himself an abnormality?
Maybe the dark-haired man was hiding something.
So rather than ignore the man and head out on his own, he stepped back, watching him critically.
Well, Zack had passed a mess hall and mess halls meant kitchens meant knives of some sort. He could make do with a knife, he was quite sure. Wasn't as good as a sword maybe, but right now, he'd take what he could get.
Seph didn't look like he offered many second chances. Better jump to take advantage while he still could.
Now, uh, if he could only remember where that mess hall was...
Well, couldn't be that hard to find. Zack was pretty good at finding his way around. Eventually.
Maybe if he listened to the music, it'd make use of violins or something similarly telling if he got close. After all, if you were going to give a place background music, might as well make it come in handy you know? Maybe a fanfare of bagpipes at an opportune moments or something.
"Ooh, not often I get to lead. Think I should take advantage of it while I still can!"
Thankfully, finding the kitchen was far from a difficult task. Neither was getting in, though he was sure he'd turned the knob a little too hard in his eagerness and might have broken it from the odd clunk sound. A few moments' digging had him waving what was probably a meat cleaver in triumph.
What? He liked 'em big.
"Think I'm good now. Hunting it is!"
And if the idea of tackling something failed, he'd found out early on that he had pretty impeccable aim. That made him pretty well-equipped if he said so himself.
Ooh, not often I get to lead. Think I should take advantage of it while I still can!
Sephiroth found he was questioning his judgment far more often the longer he was in this Zack's company.
One look at the meat cleaver he brandished only reinforced that doubt. Logically thinking, though, how likely was it that they would come across anything larger than a bear in a typical forest? It wasn't usual for towns to be built so close to monster infested lands, was it? Why was he expecting every step to bring forth a battle with strange creatures?
Or think that killing said creatures might provide a source of income.
Perhaps once they returned he would pay a visit to the cleric...she might be able to do something about the holes in his memory.
"We head north from here. Try not to fall behind."
And no, the music continued beyond the walls of the house. The entire area was filled with it. Strange though...near the edge of the houses the sounds grew slightly chaotic, as though two distinct songs were clashing at the border.
Was he not supposed to? Keep up, anyway. It wasn't as if Zack was going to stand to be left behind.
"Nah... don't you know by now I can always keep up?"
...And somehow that seemed a lot more significant than it felt like it should have been. Weird.
They moved past the cluster of houses easily, though Zack gripped his knife and stayed watchful as they walked. Call it acute paranoia, or fear of being bashed in the head again maybe, but Zack was struck by the oddest feeling that something large, tentacled, and oozing would just sneak up on him the moment he looked away.
Which was silly. They were still on open ground and hadn't even reached the treeline yet. Not likely anything sizeable could succeed in getting the drop on both of them.
Still... "Ever get the feeling you're out hunting for dragon or gigantic snake instead of something reasonable like deer?"
Couldn't just be him, right? Seph looked pretty on edge too, with that serious I-am-scanning-the-horizon-shush-do-not-get-in-my-way-mere-mortal face, although you never knew with people. Some were just naturally like that.
Zack wondered how Sephiroth would react if he just walked up behind him and poked the man. You know. Just to see if he'd end up ticklish, maybe crack a smile at the least.
But he didn't. Zack was many things, but he was pretty sure he wasn't suicidal.
Nah... don't you know by now I can always keep up?
Was this man...mocking him? Did he know something; did Sephiroth know him? Perhaps not. There was always the chance that this was how the man was. Insufferable and built like a leech.
Ever get the feeling you're out hunting for dragon or gigantic snake instead of something reasonable like deer?
Was deer reasonable? They were hunting for provisions after all, he supposed it was better to expect deer than over-sized bugs with vampiric tendencies or malformed wolves. Wolf meat was stringy; he would prefer finding something more appealing. Much to his discomfort, he couldn't shake the feeling of being wary of finding frogs in the forest.
"We have not been alerted to any abnormalities in the area, so it is high unreasonable to expect to encounter..." What was it the dark-haired man had used? "Dragons or large snakes."
Even as disappointing as that felt. It would prove amusing to see him take down much of anything.
Would there be any game in the woods with this music? He had to admit the woods held a calmer theme. He considered setting up residence here until some means could be found to filter out the sound.
Deer, rabbit, boar...they would all be deeper into the forest. He drew the sword from his waist. At least it didn't feel unusual to hold, regardless of the absurd length. He quite liked it.
"Well, they can't all be adventures," Zack replied easily, lengthening his stride so that he could come up alongside the other man, despite the fact that longer legs probably meant faster speeds. Well, he hadn't been lying when he said he'd keep up. And even if Seph was used to leading, he could certainly put that on hold for a little while at a time. The man was prickly. Zack had the feeling he probably needed to start small. Baby steps. That sort of thing. Besides, it'd be a little while yet before they got deep enough in for game, more like than not. And any silence at all was like an open invitation for talk, right?
"Now the question would be if this were an adventure, and there was a dragon that needed slaying, would we be the good guys going off to rescue a damsel in distress, or wanted men gone on the lam and it just happened to be in our way?"
It'd probably be nice to be a hero. Saving people had to be a pretty good gig--fawning women, starry-eyed kids... 'Course if that's what they were, that'd make him the faithful sidekick now, wouldn't it?
The thought didn't bother him all that much. There were times where you could lead and times where you choose to follow. Not the hardest lesson he'd ever had to learn. So long as they went halfsies on the women. Zack could be damn pretty too if he tried.
"Most important question though," he added as he took in the sights of muted green on more muted green on brown, their steps hardly making a sound in the dirt and dead leaves, "Once we drag it back, think you'll know how to cook it?"
Depending on what 'it' was, really. Zack was half-tempted to try his hand in the kitchen just because he had a funny idea Seph's methods of food preparation ranged from crisp to burnt to burning. Hunch, y'know? Zack was big on his hunches.
Once we drag it back, think you'll know how to cook it?
The man raised a valid point. Somehow the thought of himself as a five star chef seemed ridiculously out of place, and the thought of a hairnet simply did not appeal. Regardless though, likely common sense was not affected by the loss of personal memories; he could still name things, after all. He knew they walked through woods, and that things that moved could be killed. Knew that there were rules and regulations regarding the slaughtering of some thing, such as humans or endangered beasts; which raised a good point on its own.
But in regard's to the man's question. "If the kitchen does not accommodate our kill, there are other means to prepare it. Fire comes to mind."
The woods were getting thicker here, increasing the likelihood of game.
"As for your adventure, what makes you so sure we would not count as poachers? We certainly did not clarify just what in the area was peaceable, protected or not. Do you happen to have any standing knowledge of this land?"
Hah. There, see? Instincts, baby, instincts. Zack took that as ample excuse to silently cheer for yet another proven success at extrapolation. Not that he could remember many--or really any--others, come to that, but that was besides the point. Victory was victory was victory. He beamed in response, "Sounds like it might be your life's philosophy, Seph. 'If all else fails, torch it.'"
Well, that'd be a nice reason for him to stick around. Zack could just see it now... "No sir, you see my friend here is very handy with his matches. I've got to stick around to keep anything flammable out of his hands, keep the pyromaniacal tendencies at bay..."
Granted, Sephiroth might well hit him for that. Maybe even challenge him to a duel with that gigantic toothpick of his. And anyone would have size issues compared to that thing. Especially when all you had was an itty bitty kitchen knife.
...And no that was not supposed to be taken metaphorically, Zack had better self-esteem than that, thank you very much.
As for poaching, "Well, we do look like quite a fine pair of rogues, don't we?" Zack sighed expansively, as he kept his eyes on the woods around them just in case Seph decided to call him on lack of attention, "But hey, if we were on a reserve, you'd think they'd have posted up something somewhere 'round town, y'know? Maybe told us, handed out little flyers..."
...Thing about Sephiroth was that you could never really tell whether or not he was listening to any and all of your blather.
Sephiroth paused in his step, something grating his nerves at the informal address, but not quite knowing why. There was something familiar here, and yet the inability to place just what.
But as of yet, he could see no need to antagonize the assorted persons gathered. "I intend to feed myself if they will not provide suitable sustenance here. Perhaps gain a standing knowledge of the area."
And what seemed like...a bagpipe? No, it couldn't be...it sounded more like a dying beast throwing off discord with the composed ghost score in the air. He needed to get out, and do so as soon as possible. Was this on a continuous loop?
It wasn't as though he knew whether he would be capable of withstanding whatever obstacles or aggressors he happened upon beyond the house; perhaps taking another along would prove useful. Then again, if this massive length of steel he had found lying beside the bed was indeed his, he assumed he had to have at least some competency with it. Worst case scenario, he could use the man as a decoy to out maneuver their opponent.
"...would you like to accompany me? I suggest finding yourself a weapon, should that be the case."
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...Hell, he'd love to get involved in the army. He'd always figured it be an adventure, and Zack was always up for one of those. Besides--
--Seph was still talking. And wanted him along.
If his ears could perk up, they probably would've. Had he a tail, it would probably be wagging. He settled for straightening up and beaming at the man for all he was worth. It didn't sound as if Seph offered all that often. "Sounds good."
But what did he have around that could constitute as a weapon? He doubted breaking off a bedpost and swinging it around would be of much use, and Seph didn't look like he endured incompetence all that well either. Decisions, deci--
And then Zack was struck by the thought that yes he was rooming with the black Chocoboy. Which meant he probably had something around to spare. "Sure, why not?" he replied quickly, jumping to his feet and dashing to scour, hoping he didn't come across something ridiculously booby-trapped. You never knew with these surly, unknown roommates after all. They could turn out to be ninjas or something.
...Of course, clearly all that was for naught, because evidently Sasuke had taken his sword with him. Thus Zack's smile was somewhat sheepish when he glanced back at the doorway and said, "Erm... you think tackling them instead will do any good? I'm lacking a good Bahamut-scale toothpick right now."
He was pretty sure he was fast enough that'd it might not be half so stupid an idea than it sounded, but then how would he kill it? It wasn't as if he carried knives on him like some kind of personal--kitchen!
"Up for finding the kitchen first?"
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"Up for finding the kitchen first?"
Finding the...well, he supposed the man had some logic behind his suggestion; or at least he would have to accept that he might. The man looked somewhat like a fighter, but perhaps he had misjudged? Only time would tell, he supposed.
At the very least he could gauge the equipment available once they had secured their provisions. But he couldn't help but be mildly surprised that the man had no weapon of his own at hand. Was he himself an abnormality?
Maybe the dark-haired man was hiding something.
So rather than ignore the man and head out on his own, he stepped back, watching him critically.
"After you."
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Seph didn't look like he offered many second chances. Better jump to take advantage while he still could.
Now, uh, if he could only remember where that mess hall was...
Well, couldn't be that hard to find. Zack was pretty good at finding his way around. Eventually.
Maybe if he listened to the music, it'd make use of violins or something similarly telling if he got close. After all, if you were going to give a place background music, might as well make it come in handy you know? Maybe a fanfare of bagpipes at an opportune moments or something.
"Ooh, not often I get to lead. Think I should take advantage of it while I still can!"
Thankfully, finding the kitchen was far from a difficult task. Neither was getting in, though he was sure he'd turned the knob a little too hard in his eagerness and might have broken it from the odd clunk sound. A few moments' digging had him waving what was probably a meat cleaver in triumph.
What? He liked 'em big.
"Think I'm good now. Hunting it is!"
And if the idea of tackling something failed, he'd found out early on that he had pretty impeccable aim. That made him pretty well-equipped if he said so himself.
Reply
Sephiroth found he was questioning his judgment far more often the longer he was in this Zack's company.
One look at the meat cleaver he brandished only reinforced that doubt. Logically thinking, though, how likely was it that they would come across anything larger than a bear in a typical forest? It wasn't usual for towns to be built so close to monster infested lands, was it? Why was he expecting every step to bring forth a battle with strange creatures?
Or think that killing said creatures might provide a source of income.
Perhaps once they returned he would pay a visit to the cleric...she might be able to do something about the holes in his memory.
"We head north from here. Try not to fall behind."
And no, the music continued beyond the walls of the house. The entire area was filled with it. Strange though...near the edge of the houses the sounds grew slightly chaotic, as though two distinct songs were clashing at the border.
Reply
"Nah... don't you know by now I can always keep up?"
...And somehow that seemed a lot more significant than it felt like it should have been. Weird.
They moved past the cluster of houses easily, though Zack gripped his knife and stayed watchful as they walked. Call it acute paranoia, or fear of being bashed in the head again maybe, but Zack was struck by the oddest feeling that something large, tentacled, and oozing would just sneak up on him the moment he looked away.
Which was silly. They were still on open ground and hadn't even reached the treeline yet. Not likely anything sizeable could succeed in getting the drop on both of them.
Still... "Ever get the feeling you're out hunting for dragon or gigantic snake instead of something reasonable like deer?"
Couldn't just be him, right? Seph looked pretty on edge too, with that serious I-am-scanning-the-horizon-shush-do-not-get-in-my-way-mere-mortal face, although you never knew with people. Some were just naturally like that.
Zack wondered how Sephiroth would react if he just walked up behind him and poked the man. You know. Just to see if he'd end up ticklish, maybe crack a smile at the least.
But he didn't. Zack was many things, but he was pretty sure he wasn't suicidal.
Reply
Was this man...mocking him? Did he know something; did Sephiroth know him? Perhaps not. There was always the chance that this was how the man was. Insufferable and built like a leech.
Ever get the feeling you're out hunting for dragon or gigantic snake instead of something reasonable like deer?
Was deer reasonable? They were hunting for provisions after all, he supposed it was better to expect deer than over-sized bugs with vampiric tendencies or malformed wolves. Wolf meat was stringy; he would prefer finding something more appealing. Much to his discomfort, he couldn't shake the feeling of being wary of finding frogs in the forest.
"We have not been alerted to any abnormalities in the area, so it is high unreasonable to expect to encounter..." What was it the dark-haired man had used? "Dragons or large snakes."
Even as disappointing as that felt. It would prove amusing to see him take down much of anything.
Would there be any game in the woods with this music? He had to admit the woods held a calmer theme. He considered setting up residence here until some means could be found to filter out the sound.
Deer, rabbit, boar...they would all be deeper into the forest. He drew the sword from his waist. At least it didn't feel unusual to hold, regardless of the absurd length. He quite liked it.
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"Now the question would be if this were an adventure, and there was a dragon that needed slaying, would we be the good guys going off to rescue a damsel in distress, or wanted men gone on the lam and it just happened to be in our way?"
It'd probably be nice to be a hero. Saving people had to be a pretty good gig--fawning women, starry-eyed kids... 'Course if that's what they were, that'd make him the faithful sidekick now, wouldn't it?
The thought didn't bother him all that much. There were times where you could lead and times where you choose to follow. Not the hardest lesson he'd ever had to learn. So long as they went halfsies on the women. Zack could be damn pretty too if he tried.
"Most important question though," he added as he took in the sights of muted green on more muted green on brown, their steps hardly making a sound in the dirt and dead leaves, "Once we drag it back, think you'll know how to cook it?"
Depending on what 'it' was, really. Zack was half-tempted to try his hand in the kitchen just because he had a funny idea Seph's methods of food preparation ranged from crisp to burnt to burning. Hunch, y'know? Zack was big on his hunches.
Reply
The man raised a valid point. Somehow the thought of himself as a five star chef seemed ridiculously out of place, and the thought of a hairnet simply did not appeal. Regardless though, likely common sense was not affected by the loss of personal memories; he could still name things, after all. He knew they walked through woods, and that things that moved could be killed. Knew that there were rules and regulations regarding the slaughtering of some thing, such as humans or endangered beasts; which raised a good point on its own.
But in regard's to the man's question. "If the kitchen does not accommodate our kill, there are other means to prepare it. Fire comes to mind."
The woods were getting thicker here, increasing the likelihood of game.
"As for your adventure, what makes you so sure we would not count as poachers? We certainly did not clarify just what in the area was peaceable, protected or not. Do you happen to have any standing knowledge of this land?"
Reply
Well, that'd be a nice reason for him to stick around. Zack could just see it now... "No sir, you see my friend here is very handy with his matches. I've got to stick around to keep anything flammable out of his hands, keep the pyromaniacal tendencies at bay..."
Granted, Sephiroth might well hit him for that. Maybe even challenge him to a duel with that gigantic toothpick of his. And anyone would have size issues compared to that thing. Especially when all you had was an itty bitty kitchen knife.
...And no that was not supposed to be taken metaphorically, Zack had better self-esteem than that, thank you very much.
As for poaching, "Well, we do look like quite a fine pair of rogues, don't we?" Zack sighed expansively, as he kept his eyes on the woods around them just in case Seph decided to call him on lack of attention, "But hey, if we were on a reserve, you'd think they'd have posted up something somewhere 'round town, y'know? Maybe told us, handed out little flyers..."
...Thing about Sephiroth was that you could never really tell whether or not he was listening to any and all of your blather.
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