[COMPLETE]

[crepusculine]

Who: Vincent and Naminé
When: A few hours before dark.
Where: Clock tower.
Rating: G-PG.
Warnings: N/A.
Summary: Naminé meets up with Vincent to see if she can do something about his nightmares.

Comments

[foreswear]

If he had been surprised by the sound of Lucrecia's name coming from her mouth, the only way it showed was through the quick jerk of his head toward her. His face, however, remained rather impassive. It did make sense, after all. Whatever she had done to him last night obviously connected her to him in a way where she somehow knew the events of his past. And if it wasn't then, then he wasn't exactly sure how she knew. Though it didn't matter.

The corner of his mouth twitched suspiciously when she moved over next to him, and he shifted slightly, allowing her a little more room to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable. He didn't know her very well, granted, but he could already tell that she was, indeed, a lovely person. Very, very young - much younger than he - but he knew that from the moment he saw her. She was angelic, oddly wise for her age, but naive all the same.

Sometimes, he missed the naivete that came along with being young.

"That's very true."

Still, the one thing that bluntly separated him from Naminé was not his age or even the raw basics of his hard personality compared to her gentle and compassionate one. Vincent was still the same Turk he had been before that title had been stripped of him. He handled most situations with a violent calculation, analytical and withdrawn from the softer side of reality. Like always, whenever something stood in his way or whenever something needed to be taken care of, his first instinct was to withdraw his gun and slide a careful finger to the trigger as he aimed.

That was probably something that would never change.

[crepusculine]

Naminé looked straight ahead again, staring out over the room, studying the shadows here and there as though she still wasn't positive whether or not someone was there lurking in them. Paranoia. Perhaps that was something she would never get over.

"I also don't think you're a bad person. I think you're as human as some of the nicest people I know," was what she said next, words as honest as ever. He'd done some bad things, certainly... but that didn't make him a bad person. And didn't his mistakes, really, make him more human, according to that saying?

To err is human.

She lowered her gaze, tugging lightly at the hem of her dress. "And Hojo will get what's coming to him, whether it be from you, or one of the other people whose life he's ruined."

[foreswear]

"That's sweet of you to say so."

He briefly wondered where she had heard of Hojo, too. Had it been from when she was putting him to sleep the other night? Then again, from what he could tell, Hojo had been in purgatorium quite awhile before Vincent arrived himself. She could have definitely run into him during her time spent there.

If it was that, though, he hoped their contact had been short and quick. He also hoped that they hadn't crossed paths more than once. God only knew what that man was capable of when he set his mind to something.

Well, Vincent supposed he knew, too. He had spent a considerable number of hours lying on his lab table, after all.

"And I hope you're right. About Hojo, I mean."

[crepusculine]

"I'm right about that," she nodded, convinced of that more than anything else. Almost absently, she touched a hand to her stomach. She refused to let Hojo harm anyone again. Not Cloud, not Vincent, especially not Zack or her child. If she had to shatter every memory in his head and leave him comatose to starve and wither away, then she'd gladly do it.

Her expression had grown rather serious, and after a moment of debating, "Rufus is sending people to watch him. The Gods would be displeased if we did anything now, without any proof that he's caused trouble since being here. He's harassed Zack and I, but... he's not tried anything yet." And until he did, until they had some sort of proof, Medea and Asclepius wouldn't take kindly to finding out Hojo had been slaughtered by anyone.

[foreswear]

He stiffened at her words, slightly alarmed (but somehow not very surprised). So, Hojo had been bothering people, then? Well, it's not like he hadn't expected that, really. After all, Hojo never was one to keep to himself and his own business. Vincent supposed he could say the same about himself, but he didn't like to consider his own actions as being on the same level as the other man's.

"He's a sensible and practiced man. It'll take a lot for anyone to catch him in the act."

Tilting his head back, he sighed wearily. Couldn't people just stay dead after they had been killed? The whole idea of being reincarnated after one went to such great lengths to ensure that their life had been successfully snuffed out was mildly insulting. Besides, Vincent really hated repeating himself.

[crepusculine]

"It will happen; he'll get caught and you won't have to worry about him anymore." Naminé nodded slightly, as though wanting to confirm her own words to herself, as well as to Vincent.

She took a breath, legs slowly straightening out. "I should probably be going before I'm late to work. Rufus will get angry." And fire her. Again. But she was slowly getting used to that, and typically 'you're fired' tended to mean 'get out of here and I expect to see you here tomorrow, on time.' Naminé's nose wrinkled up slightly. She liked Rufus well enough, but... he really was frustrating sometimes.

[foreswear]

"I understand."

Slowly, he pulled himself away from the couch, scooting to the end of the cushion before eventually standing. Resisting the urge to stretch, he glanced back down at her and held out an open palm, offering her his hand to help her up.

"Do you need me to accompany you? I'll go as far as I'm able, though I get the feeling that you're quite used to the nature of this part of the, ah, city."

[crepusculine]

Naminé more than willingly took the offered hand and got to her feet, fingers curling carefully about Vincent's. There was always something that made her feel better about touching people. Safer, somehow. She couldn't remember a time when traveling with Axel or Riku where she wasn't hanging onto their hand for dear life as though they'd disappear if she didn't.

Which was exactly why she kept hold of Vincent's hand, even after she'd gotten to her feet and was staring up at him.

"I would like that, if you wouldn't mind. I can show you around a little on the way." She looked away briefly, only long enough to pick up the food basket with her free hand so as not to leave it behind for anyone else that might stumble across this place during the way.

And then she was giving the tall man's hand a gentle tug toward the door, flashing him a smile.

[foreswear]

He had been a little surprised when she didn't pull away after standing, but he didn't pull his hand from hers, either. If anything, he held it a little tighter as she tugged him toward the door, eyes scanning the dark surroundings once more as he pushed against the creaky wood to open it with his free hand. He definitely wasn't going to let any harm come to her, regardless if there was any present danger or not. She seemed to trust him (and hadn't Lucrecia?), and he most often tried to refrain from letting down those that put such faith in him.

"Careful, watch your step," he said softly as he stepped into the barren street, pulling her close to his side. "Which way?"

[crepusculine]

The blonde glanced down either way, taking but a second to regather her sense of direction. At which point, she inclined her chin to nod to their left. "That way. Two blocks down, three blocks North, another block East. Rufus' building is hard to miss."

And even that route was a little longer than necessary. Naminé would have taken a shortcut or two, but this way they would pass one of the lower level's stores, as well as a clear path to the river, slightly in the area of where Cloud (both of them) were staying in the general vicinity... That thought brought another to mind, and so as they were walking she asked, "Have you met up with any of your friends, yet?"

[foreswear]

"Mm. I haven't. But, as I said before, I've been a little distracted with other matters."

Those other matters being Hojo and his plans to exact his ill-thought out revenge. He felt a little guilty for putting it up above Cloud and the others, but he supposed he was doing it for their sake, too. Hojo would have no doubt taken an immediate interest in them upon discovering their whereabouts.

"I'm sure I'll get to meet with them soon, however."

As soon as he possibly could, anyway.

[crepusculine]

Naminé glanced up at him. "I'm sure they miss you." And, somewhat on that note...

"I... should probably tell you. Things in this place are a little strange in regards to how many different worlds people are drawn from." A slight frown crossed over her face, and she pursed her lips a moment in thought. "Meaning... that there are alternate versions of some people, if that makes any sense."

Naminé figured it probably didn't; it sounded like some corny plot out of a movie, even, but it was real and true there in Purgatorium, and she figured it best to warn Vincent lest he end up confused when speaking with not-his-Cloud or not-his-Aerith.

[foreswear]

Ah, yes. He had remembered seeing the other Cloud around, had even mentioned it to his Cloud. It was a little confusing, and he didn't exactly understand it. But it wasn't really something that kept him up at night, or something he even really spent a lot of time thinking about. From that conversation he had with Cloud previously, he distinctly remembered his friend not seeming all that excited about the addition. It was an understandable reaction, however.

"I remember seeing something about that," he replied, gently tugging her toward him and away from a strange man that brushed past them. Frowning, he glanced back at him over his shoulder, before turning his attention back to the blonde girl: "Hopefully it doesn't cause conflict."

[crepusculine]

"It won't," she assured him. "Cloud and Aerith... they're both from my world. They're good people; Leon, too, though I don't think you've met him. They have another you where they're from, too, but it's been awhile since they've seen him. Don't be surprised if one of them tries to approach you." Granted, she knew that only from her Cloud's memories. He'd not seen their Vincent since the fall of Radiant Garden, and speaking of the people lost back then... tended to be a sore subject.

[foreswear]

He hesitated, glancing back down to her again.

"Why would they approach me?"

Vincent never had been much of a social person; moreso since his encounter with Hojo and his eventual death because of said encounter. He wasn't sure if it would be slightly awkward talking to a different Aerith or Cloud, though they seemed relatively nice enough. Well, the other Cloud looked a little hostile, but it was nothing that Vincent wasn't used to.

[crepusculine]

Naminé lifted one thin shoulder in a shrug. "Loneliness, perhaps. Or curiosity. I know Cloud, at least, was concerned for yours and Tifa's well-being, regardless of you being 'his' Vincent and Tifa." She looked straight ahead again, leading him 'round the corner of a building and continuing on down the street.