Day 42, Noon: The Twin Pine Restaurant

[thatdamnedninja]

Yuffie took the long way around, practically making it a tour of the entire town. She collared--not literally, since the nurses would've thrown fits--a few random citizens along the way, asked as many inconspicuous sounding questions as possible, and then moved on. Wash, rinse, repeat. Sneaking a few covert glimpses into stores and windows

Comments

[secret_orchard]

Armand's hands and face were getting numb from the cold, but the rest of him ached slightly from using under-worked muscles. He was glad when TK called a halt to their training, presumably so everyone could eat. Armand didn't really like modern fast food, so he suggested the nicer restaurant and was happy that TK readily agreed. The agreement was so fast Armand wondered if there was another reason the big soldier wanted to avoid the burger restaurant, but he didn't mind. Not at all

[loyal_soldier]

"No. What happened with Commander Akobi was just... different. I can't explain it well." Well, this subject seemed to always kill everything else right quick. "I won't forget him or what happened to him, but I'm trying not to get preoccupied with thinking about him, because that won't help and he wouldn't want it."

[secret_orchard]

"I was hoping," Armand began, "you'd be able to make friends here without comparing us to him... You have to admit that people here are from such different circumstances. We're not all heroes." He still didn't dare look up, even though his stomach growled, wanting him to begin eating.

[loyal_soldier]

"I try not to. You're definitely my best friend now, but it's so different from what I knew before that it confuses me sometimes." He didn't miss the interjection from Armand's stomach. "And you really should eat." He got back to doing so himself, doing his damnedest not to just inhale the food.

[secret_orchard]

Reluctant wasn't the word. Timid perhaps. Armand lifted his chin and tucked his loose hair behind his ears before sitting up completely and starting to eat. He looked up from his plate and across the table several times as if making sure TK was eating too. "I know we're not... our relationship can't be the same, but what about it confuses you? We talk frankly with one another. We fight together when there's danger. We... trust one another. That means a great deal to me."

[loyal_soldier]

"Everything that you came from and what shaped you is completely alien to me. I'm from something completely different. That doesn't mean nothing's going to work, but it just means it takes me a lot longer to understand how you think sometimes." He smiled slightly, looking up at Armand. "But those things do mean a lot to me, and I'm thankful that we're friends."

[secret_orchard]

"No matter how we got here, we are both people. I won't let anyone claim you are not a person, because of how you were born!" He ate a bit more quietly, then finally asked, "Is there something you wish me to explain, if I can?"

[loyal_soldier]

"I didn't really mean it like that..." He hadn't known that just talking could be so difficult before. "Not that I can think of. But if I do need something specific explained, I'll be sure to ask you."

[secret_orchard]

"That wasn't a direct reference to what you said. Not really. But it is one of the things that is different. I grew up with a family, more or less. My sister is family. And I had a real education." He wasn't simply conditioned to obey and taught to fight. "Your superiors treat you like an object to use and discard. That makes me very glad you're here, where we can be together. So I can know you."

[loyal_soldier]

"And I had other men I trained with." Although by now all of them, including himself, were dead. "And I don't know about the other officers. It wasn't my place to judge."

[secret_orchard]

"It wasn't then, but you died for them. I think you're perfectly free to judge anyone you want now." He frowned.

[loyal_soldier]

"I would if I felt comfortable doing so. But it wouldn't feel right to me." Hopefully that wouldn't get taken the wrong way, and a bit of his worry over that was possibly showing. He still didn't know what would and wouldn't get taken personally.

All this talking was certainly helping him slow down with his eating. He'd only had three quarters of the food on his plate.

[secret_orchard]

Armand bit his lip, frowning worriedly but he didn't pursue the notion. He ate a few more bites of his meat, then started on the vegetables. He didn't want to upset TK further. "I understand," he finally said. He wasn't sure he agreed, but he wondered what would happen if someone tried to convince him he should judge Percy harshly.

"Is there anything else you wanted to do today?"

[loyal_soldier]

622 didn't know what else to say, so the remainder of the food disappeared from his plate.

"No, I really don't know what else to do." Training and food were the only ideas he'd had.

[secret_orchard]

"I wish the bookstore had more interesting books," he said. After just a moment, he offered TK the rest of his meat. He'd eaten his fill. Armand sipped somewhat nervously at the chocolate.

[loyal_soldier]

622 took the offered food, managing a "Thank you" before starting in on the meat. "Some of the shops look like they might have useful tools in them, but they'd need to be stolen, and I've never done anything like that before."