Midgar, Saturday Afternoon
"You know, it's not really that this is top-secret work," Zack mused as he walked down Midgar's streets, hands clasped behind his head. "It's just, the Security Department wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I had somebody with me while they threw their budget away testing their strength against SOLDIER, you know? They'd say that it wasn't fair that I had help."
Zack
ShinRa's Security Department was forever going to have something to prove, weren't they? Zack frowned thoughtfully as they passed a guard on patrol near the fountain in Sector 8, and then he shrugged. "I'll take you out around the city limits when I get back to make up for you having to sit out, if you want. There are always monsters trying to press in around the outskirts of the slums, you know?"
Ino
Ino's arms, in contrast to his, were clasped behind her back as she navigated the street in her heels (with a strap across the ankle because she wasn't stupid enough to wear heels that might slip off with a kick) and gave him a big eyed glance as she tittered.
"What sort of help would I give, truly?" Ino wondered lightly. She knew, and he knew, but hopefully the Security Department didn't... "Though I do like long, dangerous walks..."
Zack
Zack snorted and rolled his eyes a little at that. Yeah, he was starting to get used to Ino's in-Midgar persona, even if it was absolutely vapid.
"So you can watch me beating up the monsters, right? There's something about a 1st Class uniform, huh?"
Actually, the 2nd Class uniforms were cuter. But Zack wasn't aiming for 'cute' so much as 'badass,' so it all worked out, so far as he was concerned.
Ino
She giggled, reaching for one of his hands.
"Can you blame me for thinking like that?" she murmured lightly. "Do you want to blame me for thinking like that?"
Zack
"Nah, I think I can live with it," Zack chuckled, shaking his head a little. "Is there anywhere you want me to take you before I have to go and meet the Security Department for their challenge?"
Ino
"Hmmm." Ino toyed with a bit of her hair as she thought. "How much time do you have?"
Zack
"Not very long," Zack admitted. "Probably about enough time for a couple of hot chocolates, and then I should get going."
And if the Security Department complained that the sugar gave Zack some kind of extra edge against them, he was just going to roll his eyes.
Ino
"Let's get hot--oooh! I know what we can do!" she said, changing her mind at the last minute. "We ain't gone and seen 'bout the rocket for a good while!"
And, oh, could they please?
Zack
Hey, the rocket was way cooler than hot chocolate!
"The last time I was in there, they still had the big rocket display in the showroom on the ShinRa main floor," Zack mused. "I bet somebody there knows how progress is going, over in Rocket Town!"
It was exciting! People in space!
Ino
She bounced, hair flying everywhere and not looking like she minded at all. Truly, looking more like she was a kid in a candy store at the thought.
"Let's go?" she wheedled, already taking a few steps in that direction. "And then we can stare at the rocket more and how cool is that?"
Space! Brand new and exciting and that was way more interesting than those for whom space was an old hat trick.
Zack
"It'd be pretty hard to top, huh?" Zack laughed as they made their way back toward the ShinRa building, smiling as they went. And, along the way, he even found himself humming a little something under his breath.
Sorry, Ino. He was kind of mutilating your Sunflower song.
Ino
Ino gave him a long, dubious, look.
"You're humming my song," she murmured as they hit the front doors of the building.
Zack
"Yeah," Zack replied, shrugging. "It's catchy. I can't help it!"
It had been stuck in his head for weeks, now, Ino. All your fault.
Zack
"But--" oh, Ino, are you going to-- "But you can't sing."
There were gentler ways to put it, yes.
... Ino wasn't going to use those ways.
Zack
Zack was going to quite merrily try to keep from pouting by deliberately misinterpreting what she was saying.
"I don't see why not! It's not really late or anything here, so I'm not going to disrupt anyone while they're working or wake them up or something like that!"
He continued humming as he made his way across the lobby toward the display room.
Badly.
Ino
He was ruining her song!
Ino sulkily trailed after him, deliberately falling a few steps behind, and looking very very pouty.
Her song! He was wrecking it!
Zack
Merrily and obliviously, yes!
But at least the Sunflower-abuse came to an end as he stepped up to the base of the huge model rocket, smiling up at it.
"It is so cool," he decided with a bounce.
Oooh yes.
Ino
If he kept that up, she wasn't letting him come with her when she went to sing it on corners to see how people liked it.
He couldn't sing. And it was painful.
But the rocket toootally took precedence and Ino snaked her arms around his waist as she stared up at it with big blue eyes.
"We should so see it in person one day," she informed him.
Zack
"We really have to," Zack agreed, looking up and nodding. "I mean, there are lots of things that we have to go and see yet, right? But that's probably way up there on the list of awesome stuff to check out."
There were some less awesome things that he kind of wanted to poke at, too. But some of those kind of scared him, maybe a little.
Not that he'd admit that.
Ino
Not even to her?
"Way up there," she said agreeably. "And your parents."
She wasn't going to forget that, no.
"Have they written back yet?"
Zack
"They... yeah." Oh, man. Awkward, the way he kind of deflated a little right there in front of everyone in the display room. "They want me to visit."
Ino
Aww!
Ino bent just enough to peek at his face. "You want me to come when you go? I'll protect you!"
Zack
"They won't let me leave," Zack moaned, as if this was somehow a terrible thing that he was suddenly faced with. "Mom will put supper on, and while we're waiting for food to be ready, dad will sneak up behind with the rope."
... Okay, Zack was overreacting just a little.
But then, he'd run away from home at the age of twelve. It wasn't like his parents wouldn't have sound reason to kidnap him.
Ino
Ino was so soothing and supportive, truly! By... giggling a little.
"I'll protect you," she repeated. "I'll charm the socks off of them and they'll forget all 'bout tying you up."
Zack
"Yeah," Zack sighed, burying his face in his hand. "Instead, they'll invite you to join the family."
Ino
That flush, there, wasn't feigned. Part of her wished it was.
The other part...
"Well," Ino mused, "we're kinda a packaged deal at the moment."
Zack
She... did have a point, actually. Zack pursed his lips a little.
"I guess that's true."
But, well, joining the family implied that there had to be, like, a ring involved!
... And things like that!
Ino
Ino was ignoring things like that! LA LA LA.
"So," she continued patiently, "if they say I should join the family, I'll point out that I'm certainly not leaving you and they'll have to be happy with that."
Zack
"Man, you'd totally make my mom's year with a statement like that," Zack replied, shaking his head and laughing a little. "So, that means you get to deal with her on all of the inevitable questions about the wedding."
Ino
Piiink.
So piiink.
"Zack!" Ino protested. "She would not!"
Zack
"Well, what did you think 'join the family' meant?" Zack couldn't help it, he was laughing again. "Really, Ino!
Ino
She reached to try and shove at him, not putting that much effort into it but making a good show.
"I'm not joining the family because your mother thinks I should!"
Zack
Zack chuckled as he swayed a little, and then leaned back the other way to bump her with his elbow.
"So far as I'm concerned, you already are family. So that works out well."
Ino
And, really, that was so far from the wrong thing to say if he wanted her to stop blushing in the next eternity.
Truly.
"You're embarrassing me," she murmured, pink as could be and stepping close to him so that no one could see how pink her face was.
Zack
"Am I?" Zack tilted his head a little, thoughtfully.
And then he started singing the Sunflower song. Loudly. Because he could.
Ino
That--
That--
"Zack!" she cried, torn between laughter and horror. "Stop that!"
Zack
Excuse Zack, Ino. He had to bend over forwards and laugh until it hurt, now.
Oh, people were so staring.
"I told you, it's catchy!"
Ino
"You're awful!" she protested, trying desperately to pretend she hadn't noticed the staring. "I can't believe you!"
Zack
Zack? Grinning so much, and who cared about who was looking!
"Yeah, but you still put up with me," he pointed out, leaning forward and grinning up at her. "Don't you?"
Ino
She impishly reached to bop him on the nose then spun away from him, taking a few steps, and grinning over her shoulder.
"That's for me to know," she carolled. "I'm not telling!"
Zack
"Just for that," Zack laughed, "I'm going to have to attack you with tickles here and now, instead of getting you a hot chocolate before I leave."
Take that, Ino.
Tickle tickle!
[Played with flowering_mind, who was kind enough to code this puppy up, as well. Zack and Ino are going to be off-island for the remainder of the BDE, for the sake of my last shred of sanity!]
Zack
ShinRa's Security Department was forever going to have something to prove, weren't they? Zack frowned thoughtfully as they passed a guard on patrol near the fountain in Sector 8, and then he shrugged. "I'll take you out around the city limits when I get back to make up for you having to sit out, if you want. There are always monsters trying to press in around the outskirts of the slums, you know?"
Ino
Ino's arms, in contrast to his, were clasped behind her back as she navigated the street in her heels (with a strap across the ankle because she wasn't stupid enough to wear heels that might slip off with a kick) and gave him a big eyed glance as she tittered.
"What sort of help would I give, truly?" Ino wondered lightly. She knew, and he knew, but hopefully the Security Department didn't... "Though I do like long, dangerous walks..."
Zack
Zack snorted and rolled his eyes a little at that. Yeah, he was starting to get used to Ino's in-Midgar persona, even if it was absolutely vapid.
"So you can watch me beating up the monsters, right? There's something about a 1st Class uniform, huh?"
Actually, the 2nd Class uniforms were cuter. But Zack wasn't aiming for 'cute' so much as 'badass,' so it all worked out, so far as he was concerned.
Ino
She giggled, reaching for one of his hands.
"Can you blame me for thinking like that?" she murmured lightly. "Do you want to blame me for thinking like that?"
Zack
"Nah, I think I can live with it," Zack chuckled, shaking his head a little. "Is there anywhere you want me to take you before I have to go and meet the Security Department for their challenge?"
Ino
"Hmmm." Ino toyed with a bit of her hair as she thought. "How much time do you have?"
Zack
"Not very long," Zack admitted. "Probably about enough time for a couple of hot chocolates, and then I should get going."
And if the Security Department complained that the sugar gave Zack some kind of extra edge against them, he was just going to roll his eyes.
Ino
"Let's get hot--oooh! I know what we can do!" she said, changing her mind at the last minute. "We ain't gone and seen 'bout the rocket for a good while!"
And, oh, could they please?
Zack
Hey, the rocket was way cooler than hot chocolate!
"The last time I was in there, they still had the big rocket display in the showroom on the ShinRa main floor," Zack mused. "I bet somebody there knows how progress is going, over in Rocket Town!"
It was exciting! People in space!
Ino
She bounced, hair flying everywhere and not looking like she minded at all. Truly, looking more like she was a kid in a candy store at the thought.
"Let's go?" she wheedled, already taking a few steps in that direction. "And then we can stare at the rocket more and how cool is that?"
Space! Brand new and exciting and that was way more interesting than those for whom space was an old hat trick.
Zack
"It'd be pretty hard to top, huh?" Zack laughed as they made their way back toward the ShinRa building, smiling as they went. And, along the way, he even found himself humming a little something under his breath.
Sorry, Ino. He was kind of mutilating your Sunflower song.
Ino
Ino gave him a long, dubious, look.
"You're humming my song," she murmured as they hit the front doors of the building.
Zack
"Yeah," Zack replied, shrugging. "It's catchy. I can't help it!"
It had been stuck in his head for weeks, now, Ino. All your fault.
Zack
"But--" oh, Ino, are you going to-- "But you can't sing."
There were gentler ways to put it, yes.
... Ino wasn't going to use those ways.
Zack
Zack was going to quite merrily try to keep from pouting by deliberately misinterpreting what she was saying.
"I don't see why not! It's not really late or anything here, so I'm not going to disrupt anyone while they're working or wake them up or something like that!"
He continued humming as he made his way across the lobby toward the display room.
Badly.
Ino
He was ruining her song!
Ino sulkily trailed after him, deliberately falling a few steps behind, and looking very very pouty.
Her song! He was wrecking it!
Zack
Merrily and obliviously, yes!
But at least the Sunflower-abuse came to an end as he stepped up to the base of the huge model rocket, smiling up at it.
"It is so cool," he decided with a bounce.
Oooh yes.
Ino
If he kept that up, she wasn't letting him come with her when she went to sing it on corners to see how people liked it.
He couldn't sing. And it was painful.
But the rocket toootally took precedence and Ino snaked her arms around his waist as she stared up at it with big blue eyes.
"We should so see it in person one day," she informed him.
Zack
"We really have to," Zack agreed, looking up and nodding. "I mean, there are lots of things that we have to go and see yet, right? But that's probably way up there on the list of awesome stuff to check out."
There were some less awesome things that he kind of wanted to poke at, too. But some of those kind of scared him, maybe a little.
Not that he'd admit that.
Ino
Not even to her?
"Way up there," she said agreeably. "And your parents."
She wasn't going to forget that, no.
"Have they written back yet?"
Zack
"They... yeah." Oh, man. Awkward, the way he kind of deflated a little right there in front of everyone in the display room. "They want me to visit."
Ino
Aww!
Ino bent just enough to peek at his face. "You want me to come when you go? I'll protect you!"
Zack
"They won't let me leave," Zack moaned, as if this was somehow a terrible thing that he was suddenly faced with. "Mom will put supper on, and while we're waiting for food to be ready, dad will sneak up behind with the rope."
... Okay, Zack was overreacting just a little.
But then, he'd run away from home at the age of twelve. It wasn't like his parents wouldn't have sound reason to kidnap him.
Ino
Ino was so soothing and supportive, truly! By... giggling a little.
"I'll protect you," she repeated. "I'll charm the socks off of them and they'll forget all 'bout tying you up."
Zack
"Yeah," Zack sighed, burying his face in his hand. "Instead, they'll invite you to join the family."
Ino
That flush, there, wasn't feigned. Part of her wished it was.
The other part...
"Well," Ino mused, "we're kinda a packaged deal at the moment."
Zack
She... did have a point, actually. Zack pursed his lips a little.
"I guess that's true."
But, well, joining the family implied that there had to be, like, a ring involved!
... And things like that!
Ino
Ino was ignoring things like that! LA LA LA.
"So," she continued patiently, "if they say I should join the family, I'll point out that I'm certainly not leaving you and they'll have to be happy with that."
Zack
"Man, you'd totally make my mom's year with a statement like that," Zack replied, shaking his head and laughing a little. "So, that means you get to deal with her on all of the inevitable questions about the wedding."
Ino
Piiink.
So piiink.
"Zack!" Ino protested. "She would not!"
Zack
"Well, what did you think 'join the family' meant?" Zack couldn't help it, he was laughing again. "Really, Ino!
Ino
She reached to try and shove at him, not putting that much effort into it but making a good show.
"I'm not joining the family because your mother thinks I should!"
Zack
Zack chuckled as he swayed a little, and then leaned back the other way to bump her with his elbow.
"So far as I'm concerned, you already are family. So that works out well."
Ino
And, really, that was so far from the wrong thing to say if he wanted her to stop blushing in the next eternity.
Truly.
"You're embarrassing me," she murmured, pink as could be and stepping close to him so that no one could see how pink her face was.
Zack
"Am I?" Zack tilted his head a little, thoughtfully.
And then he started singing the Sunflower song. Loudly. Because he could.
Ino
That--
That--
"Zack!" she cried, torn between laughter and horror. "Stop that!"
Zack
Excuse Zack, Ino. He had to bend over forwards and laugh until it hurt, now.
Oh, people were so staring.
"I told you, it's catchy!"
Ino
"You're awful!" she protested, trying desperately to pretend she hadn't noticed the staring. "I can't believe you!"
Zack
Zack? Grinning so much, and who cared about who was looking!
"Yeah, but you still put up with me," he pointed out, leaning forward and grinning up at her. "Don't you?"
Ino
She impishly reached to bop him on the nose then spun away from him, taking a few steps, and grinning over her shoulder.
"That's for me to know," she carolled. "I'm not telling!"
Zack
"Just for that," Zack laughed, "I'm going to have to attack you with tickles here and now, instead of getting you a hot chocolate before I leave."
Take that, Ino.
Tickle tickle!
[Played with flowering_mind, who was kind enough to code this puppy up, as well. Zack and Ino are going to be off-island for the remainder of the BDE, for the sake of my last shred of sanity!]