(Untitled)

[pure_lineage]

Characters: de-faulty-hero, notaflowergirl and Pure-lineage
Location: Sephiroth and Cloud's apartment
Rating: G + AwkwardRoth
Time: 11th of December, lunchtime.
Description: Marlene wants to meet Cloud's friend, so he brings her home to meet him.

Comments

[pure_lineage]

His back tensed the moment he heard the front door open. Sephiroth didn't think that he was quite ready for something like this, but he wouldn't break his promise to Cloud either. It may have taken him a moment to release the tight grip he had on the railing, but as his name was lightly called, the ex-General turned around to regard the blonde.

Cloud didn't need to hide it from him, as he could sense it through their connection. The last thing he wanted to do, however, was cause any of it to increase any further. So when the introduction was given, his cat-like eyes slowly slid down to regard the child in question.

He remembered her well from the moments leading up to his arrival here. She was the child that Loz had taken, and the one that kept her believe in her. The sight of her caused such memories to surface, but before they could take root, he was taken by surprise by her blurted out words. Eyes widening, the muscles along his back tensed as if he'd just been threatened with a weapon while his mind dealt with the unexpected forwardness.

Blinking, he could do little more than glance away dismissively with a grunt to hide the surprise he felt. "It is merely that Cloud is vertical challenged."

[de_faulty_hero]

Cloud looked to Marlene when she stepped out in front of him, and he kept a hold on her hand as the two made contact with each other. He could tell that Sephiroth was not wanting this, but the silver-haired man was tolerating this for him. It would make his life a lot easier if Marlene knew of his partner and could visit him here.

Blinking at Marlene's outburst, he looked to Sephiroth for a response. He actually thought that the silver-haired man would give nothing more than silence, but when the reply came, he wrinkled his nose at his partner. "Not all of us are blessed with height," he replied stiffly.

He glanced at Marlene and sighed. "I told you he was frowny, didn't I? See what I have to put up with? He makes fun of my height all the time."

[notaflowergirl]

"But you are shorter than him," she old Cloud bluntly, looking between the two of them as she slid closer to the blond, more comfortable with someone she knew. But despite the height, though, Marlene couldn't help but observe Cloud's partner quietly.

He looked a lot like Loz and his brothers, but older than them, and certainly a lot more frowny than they were. He looked scary, almost, but in a quiet way that wasn't all that scary, either. In fact, he reminded her a bit of Vincent, who was only just quiet. Maybe he was just quiet. His name, though... wasn't he dead?

"I'm sorry you can't help but be tall, but it's okay." She told Sephiroth honestly, shyly. "It's nice to meet you."

sorry for any typos! im on my phone

[pure_lineage]

Sephiroth frowned just as Cloud had said the moment it was mentioned. He wasn't that, and it wasn't as though he made Cloud's life that difficult... well not anymore anyway. Still, when the child spoke of Cloud's height, the ex-General subtly smirked at the slight. Although as the thought went through his mind, Sephiroth inwardly paused when he realised just what had happened. While he was getting used to the fact that Cloud was beginning to agree with him, Sephiroth had never had anyone else do such a thing for him - especially after the Nibelheim incident.

Glancing down to the child in surprise, the expression only evident in his eyes, Sephiroth frowned at her honesty. He wasn't certain what to make of it all, and so he simply grunted softly in return.

[de_faulty_hero]

"He's taller than a lot of people," he replied just as bluntly. He wasn't actually certain where Sephiroth got the height from, since Hojo wasn't that tall and Lucrecia hadn't seemed taller than Hojo with the way that Vincent spoke of her. "It makes it easier for him to spot danger, I suspect."

Raising an eyebrow at Sephiroth, he pointed rudely at the silver-haired man. "You're frowning all over again because we're talking about how much you frown," he said, waiting to see if the silver-haired man would deny it. "Do you know where Jenova is? Marlene should meet her while I get some lunch together."

[notaflowergirl]

"Mm, I bet you get to see a lot of things from that high." She said wistfully, stepping away from Cloud so she could see Sephiroth in his full, as-tall-as-a-door glory. "What does it look like from way up there?"

Despite how much he frowned, she suspected that Cloud was trying to get him to laugh more. Just trying to imagine what that would look like was going to occupy her for hours.

The mention of Jenova the cat made her look around, eyes on the floors. She wanted to meet her too.

[pure_lineage]

Sephiroth was going to frown further at Cloud's playful taunting about his height, but the previous conversation about his expressions had him looking neutrally at the blonde instead. He didn't think that he frowned all that much, but he wasn't about to dignify Cloud with an answer either.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the young child stepped away from Cloud and peered up at him. Eyes widening subtly, the muscles along his shoulders tensed up as he all but subtly froze at the thought of the child moving closer. Fortunately she hadn't pulled herself away from Cloud's protection, and he made certain to give himself enough room to put distance between them if need be.

"It... does not look much different," Sephiroth muttered, but he wasn't certain how to answer such a question.

Thankfully he didn't have to worry as Cloud's mention of the cat drew the child's attention away. Hoping that the feline would cause a distraction, Sephiroth gestured over towards the bedroom as if to indicate that she'd be under the bed.

[de_faulty_hero]

Cloud had to stop from taking mirth from Sephiroth's predicament, mostly because he had never seen a man so unsure of what to do about such innocent questions. He reminded himself to next time have his camera out to record such conversations to review for a few chuckles. Still, Sephiroth was talking, and that was a good thing.

However, he knew he would be paying for this later. His Weapon might be introduced well enough, but if Marlene took to Sephiroth as well as he was hoping, then he would have plenty of opportunity for laughs.

He hid his amused expression behind a hand as Sephiroth gestured to the bedroom, nodding his head as he headed off there. He entered without pause and lifted the bedskirt up. Jenova, all white and fluffy, emerged with a feline chirp and stretched. "Here she is, Marlene."

[notaflowergirl]

How can it not look that different from that high? When her daddy carried her, things looked really different and Sephiroth was even taller than him. She bounced on her feet, her lips pursing together in a small frown. Seeing things from a different place, a different situation was always so interesting.

"Oh!" She wandered over, trying not to rush. Scaring Jenova off was the last thing she wanted. Getting on her knees to look at the cat better, she smiled. "She is fluffy! Hi, I'm Marlene."

[de_faulty_hero]

[Skipping Sephiroth with permission]

Cloud stood when Marlene came into the room in order to greet their cat, and he was pleased when Jenova seemed unafraid of this new turn of events. He was hoping that the two would keep each other entertained for while. So far, all that purring and approaching to sniff Marlene was a good sign. "She likes to be scratched behind her ears."

He stepped over the pair and headed for the bedroom door again. "Play with her as you like while I make you some lunch," he murmured before heading out. Kids and cats, who knew it would be so harmonious?

He padded towards the kitchen, looking in the direction of his lurking Weapon and gestured for Sephiroth to follow him into the kitchen. He wasn't certain that the ex-General would what with Marlene still here. That balcony was Sephiroth's escape route after all.

[pure_lineage]

The look the child had given him had Sephiroth falling silent. A small frown marred his features similar to the one on the child's as he considered the situation. What did height have to do with anything? He had never been plagued with such useless thoughts in his youth, and could not understand why such a thing seemed important to this child.

He didn't go with them as Cloud took her inside, and instead remained out on the balcony as he considered their situation. This was something he was doing for Cloud, he knew, but he couldn't help but feel the pang of exposure at being seen as he was by another from his world. He'd even gone to great lengths to hide it from his remnants, but to have one such as that child see him was a great risk as well. He had gone to great lengths to hide his true self from those of his world and had only opened himself up to Cloud. How would this meeting change that path? Sephiroth was uncertain, but he also hadn't regretted this decision either as he had seen how Cloud was reacting around her.

Cloud... needed this... and he would momentarily sacrifice his privacy so then his Meister could have something positive to hold onto from their world.

Sephiroth's attention shifted back to the apartment as he heard Cloud's return to the living room. Cat-like eyes regarded the blonde before flicking back to see if the child was in tow. When it appeared that the child was preoccupied with Cloud's cat, Sephiroth finally stepped back into the apartment. The balcony door remained open, however, as he silently made his way over to the kitchen.

Skip Marlene as you talk~

[notaflowergirl]

"Mmkay," she answered distractedly, her lap filled with the heavy, fluffy mass of purring. Scratching Jenova behind the ears, she couldn't help but laugh at how demanding she was, how affectionate. After everything that happened at home, there really wasn't enough to take care of pets, if any wandered into the dying city.

Not dying anymore. Reviving.

While she was sure that Cloud wasn't trusted in the kitchen, maybe Sephiroth had more luck.

[de_faulty_hero]

Cloud made his way to the kitchen silently, stopping to peer into the fridge before deciding that he wouldn't burn something on the stove. He was learning after all, forced to fend for himself all over again. He was certain that even his mother would be proud that it only took him twenty-one years to figure out how to cook.

He pulled out the ingredients from the fridge and set them on the counter, pausing to regard the silver-haired man who had entered the kitchen. He began to cut some cheese and gestured at the bread and cheese he had laid out. "Do you want one?"

He cast a knowing look to his Weapon. "You took that better than I thought I would. How's the scenery way up there in tall-land?"

[pure_lineage]

He entered the kitchen just as Cloud began withdrawing all of the ingredients from the fridge. Watching while the cheese was being cut, the ex-General was quiet in thought. It all seemed so normal, and almost natural, that he was left with an air of uncertainty. He didn't know what to think, and it was only Cloud's question that pulled him from it.

"No," Sephiroth softly said in return before he felt the knowing glance sent his way. He held his gaze steadily with Cloud's despite the words spoken. There was a large part of him that was still far too uncertain about this entire situation, but he kept it held in check so as not to make anything worse for the blonde.

Still, he didn't say anything about Cloud's statement as he subtly glanced away and murmured to the question, "I don't understand why height plays such an important role." While he could make assumptions, Sephiroth was more confused as to why the child seemed so fixated on something so trivial.

[de_faulty_hero]

If it was one thing that his mother had beat into his thick skull, it was that young children should eat with someone else. The other person didn't have to eat with them, just had to be there to provide conversation and support. She might have even muttered something stupid about proper development, but he had been too busy trying to run outside to notice.

He laid out some bread before nodding his head to the silver-haired man's refusal. He began to make grilled cheese sandwiches, planning on eating the burnt one himself if things went that way. Of course, he refused to suffer alone. "Alright, you can share mine then. I'll only eat half anyway."

Snorting softly at Sephiroth's words, Cloud turned and leaned against the stove edge as it began to heat up. "She's a child, and they think in simple terms," he replied softly. "You and I were like that too when we were that age. You probably don't even remember it."

[pure_lineage]

The offer to share half of Cloud's had him frowning lightly. While he may not have supported the decision, he didn't deny it either. Cloud had gotten into the habit of trying to force him to eat more often. It had been a gradual process, but one he had taken notice of. He remained silent on it though, and instead just offered Cloud a subtly dissatisfied frown in return.

"Aa, I see," Sephiroth softly muttered. He didn't remember ever asking such questions around the scientists, especially not at that child's age. The topic of childhoods was a topic they hadn't broached on. He knew well that his childhood was far from normal. From all that he could remember, it hadn't been his place to question anything. He simply had to follow the orders and instructions of Professor Gast and Hojo. The thought of the scientists caused a small flare of rage to spark within, but he pushed it aside as he murmured instead, "Then I am uncertain how to answer her question."