beforemeteor

[beforemeteor]

Sephiroth fussed a bit with the table while he waited. He kept moving the arrangement around until he finally got it how he wanted it to look. Sephiroth wanted to make sure Hawks was impressed. It was one thing for the food to taste good, but looking good was also important.

Sephiroth grabbed his phone and felt some of the nervous energy ease away. Thank Gaia Hawks was quick and didn't waste time with long texts. Sephiroth decided to do some last minute tidying of the house. Good food should be surrounded by a good atmosphere.

By the time Sephiroth was satisfied with how sparkling clean everything was, he heard Hawks' voice and hurried over to the door.

He came alone? Sephiroth held back a sigh of relief.

"That's fine! It just means you can take back leftovers." He motioned Hawks inside and over to the table where the hotpot was set up. Whatever higher being was watching, Sephiroth thanked in his head as he sat down at the table, tucking his legs underneath himself. "You arrived pretty quick. Do you live in this area?"

｢𓆄｣ Just as he's about to call it quits on some clerical things, his phone rang to life on his desk. Honestly, it'd been so dead on the social front, he kind of forgot it was on.

"Welp, that's a good stopping point as any." He spoke to no one in particular as he threw his arms above his head to stretch. His response to Sephiroth was short, but got to the point.

[txt] 👍

Sure, texting the man who's a bit too fast was probably one of the most infuriating things in the world: it beat the alternative...Of him just straight up not texting back

Now, Sephiroth lived in Fibonacci, which admittedly, was a ward Hawks didn't frequent, in all honesty. The vibe was off, and just wasn't somewhere he'd find himself, the upper levels, though he could go to them, just read off as snobby and tight knit, and that just wasn't his deal.

But, after awhile the avian found his destination in pretty good timing. He wasn't one to invite himself in, drop by unexpected, sure, but, he'd always knock and announce himself.

"Hey, man, it's Hawks. I came alone. Hope that's a'ight."

[beforemeteor]

Sephiroth invited @wingherc over for lunch!

Sephiroth never thought that making a soup broth would be the hardest thing to do, so he found himself pretty proud when he managed to successfully make one. It was one nerve-wrecking thing off his checklist!

The table was set and Sephiroth changed into clean linens. He wasn't someone who really thought about how he looked as he left that up to the public relations department and whatever stylist was hired for him. Hawks probably didn't care either, but it made Sephiroth anxious to think about not trying his best. He wanted to exceed whatever expectations Hawks had in his mind.

Once he felt mentally prepared, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text.

[txt] Everything is ready. See you soon.

[beforemeteor]

Mother's day had already been a hard day for Sephiroth to get through, but he never really had a mother to experience. All he could do that day was quietly mourn the mother he never had and push through.

Father's day, on the other hand, left him with a dark feeling in his chest. A day where fathers were celebrated and their sons brought them things they liked as thanks. Things that good fathers do to ensure their sons would grow up into proper men.

Sephiroth sat alone in his shared home. He has no idea where or who his roommate was, but he was glad they're not around. He didn't want anyone to see how he curled into himself in guilt and shame, the feeling of nausea wash over him.

Professor Hojo wasn't a kind man by any means. Sephiroth could still remember the first time he had been punished by him. Sephiroth attempted to hide behind a filing cabinet within the science department to avoid another training session with whatever hellish creature Hojo had created. He only lasted five minutes before he was forcibly dragged out from his hiding spot.

Professor Hojo never yelled at him or raised his voice. He always maintained a calm demeanor even as he was strapping Sephiroth down on to the lab table. Part of Sephiroth wished the man would get angry and yell. It was better than the physical and mental torture he put him through. He could still feel the searing pain of the injection coursing through veins and making his skin feel like it was being peeled away.

Fathers disciplined their sons to teach them better and Hojo was still his guardian. Was that not a form of love in itself? Was Hojo not doing what any good parent does in raising a child? Sephiroth could recall the few good memories he had of the man. The times when he was a toddler and sat on Hojo's lap while he worked away on his reports. The small praises he offered up to Sephiroth whenever he exceeded his expectations. He'd carry Sephiroth back to his cell when he was too exhausted from the training simulation.

That must be love. Hojo pushed him past his limits like any good parent should. Despite Sephiroth's fears and Hojo's cruelty, there must of been something buried beneath it all. A type of familial love only they can understand.

A type of love that a mother couldn't offer like a father can.

[beforemeteor]

"I'm fine. I have a high pain tolerance," He told him and grabbed a table mirror. He looked at the silver feather stud earrings carefully. He felt strange. His chest tightened in a familiar way. He liked how they looked and part of him filed away Hojo's rage into the back of his mind.

That was Future Sephiroth's mess to deal with it.

Sephiroth grabbed another small jewelry book and took out a matching silver necklace. He placed it around his neck and felt a moment of peace at how he looked in the mirror. His moment ended when his eyes caught 9S in the reflection.

He should probably thank him.

Sephiroth placed the mirror faced down and pouted once more. "Thanks."

9S stutters when the marker is shoved into his hands, and Sephiroth crosses his arms and... pouts. Well, he was the one who asked! He was the one who wanted pierced ears! 9S was just trying to... well, maybe he was butting in a little, but it was better to be safe than sorry, right?

"Ah, alright then!"

9S takes off his gloves and, as if he's pierced someone before, takes the rubbing alcohol and sanitises his hands and Seph's ears. He makes another mark that, according to the measurements on the HUD in his 'blindfold', is perfectly centered. Then, taking a piece of ice, he presses it to one of the lobes to temporarily numb the area.

"Okay, please stay still, and try not to flinch."

9S guides Seph's chin gently to the side, puts the ice down and the needle up. Without anymore warning, 9S pushes the needle in and with the stud at the end, pulls it all through smoothly. He puts the post onto the back, and sets to disinfecting the needle again.

"Well, how was it? If you feel lightheaded, you should lay down."

[beforemeteor]

Hearing how much he was off made him more frustrated and angry. So what if it was off by a mere millimeter? It wasn't as if anyone would be able to tell the difference. Not even Hojo would be able to see how off it was. He'd be too enraged by the fact Sephiroth dared to change something on himself without his express permission.

"Here," He said and aggressively shoved the marker into 9S's hands. "Just make it quick."

He crossed his arms with a petulant pout on his lips. Hojo couldn't get mad at him if someone else did it, right? He looked at 9S from his peripheral. He looked like someone who has been in battles, and he's older, too. Sephiroth just let his guard down and both of his ears just happened to be pricked.

"You can use the needles, too."

9S puts his hands back in his lap politely, patiently watching the teen rub away at the dots and try again. He's frustrated as usual, but there's something more. 9S' HUD shows that his cortisol levels are elevated, as well as his internal temperature.

Something is stressing him out. Could it be the piercing? Something else? When 9S is prompted to look again, he can tell they're... still not quite even, mostly because of the slight smears left behind from the earlier marks.

"The left side is good! It's just, the right is off by 1.0064 mm. Can I help you? You seem frustrated."

Hopefully he won't be snapped at this time, but the chances didn't look great.

[beforemeteor]

Sephiroth looked back at them, shrinking away when they got too close to him. He wasn't used to people trying to hide behind him like that.

"I don't know," He answered. "It's just big."

He did agree to help look for the computer room, he so started to walk away and deeper into the library. He walked with confidence. He tried to make it seem like he knew where he was going and hoping to whatever god was watching that his eyes would catch any form of a computer.

He didn't mind letting silence fall between them, but he also knew some people didn't seem to like that and would rather fill it with innate chatter.

"So, why do you need a computer?" He asked.

"Thanks..."

There was a hint of doubt on Kris's face at the other's words, and they looked at the castle, back to the other teen, and then back to the castle. Following after him, they didn't voice their disbelief. This place didn't look like it even had a power outlet, let alone a whole computer lab.

They stuck close, hands in their pockets, shoulders slouched and messed hair hanging in a tangled curtain over their eyes. They kind of looked like they were trying to disappear into the other teen's shadow, only peering past them to try and get a look at the spines of the books being returned.

Yeah, they didn't know any of those titles.

"... What kind of library is this?" Kris asked once there was a chance to speak, their voice quiet and barely heard. "I was expecting something..." They looked up at the ceiling, then around. "... Smaller."

Something - their SOUL - tugged at them, urging them to get a better look around, but they dug their heels in and twisted the cuffs of their sleeves in their hands tightly. Absolutely not. They were not going to give into this Thing's exploratory whims. They were just there to check their email (assuming their account even worked) and fuck around on Gaiapets (assuming that even existed).

[beforemeteor]

"Is it...?" Sephiroth looked at his phone and Hawks' list. He wanted to be in Hawks' company. He suddenly felt a surge of determination.

"Ok!! Come to my home later!! And, bring a friend! I'll make sure it's really good!" Before Hawks could even comment, Sephiroth dashed away excitedly.

｢𓆄｣ "Now you're talking my language." And for reference, Hawks already whipped his phone out and was forwarding his personal faves Sephiroth's way.

"Hotpot's great. It's best when you're in company of your favorite people! Bonus points if they hate taking directions, because then it's just like a board game night."

[beforemeteor]

Sephiroth went quiet for a moment before shaking his head. He looked satisfied with having his questions answered with a subtle smile.

"Maybe some questions about the best ingredients to get!" He let out a soft giggle. "I read about this thing called hotpot and thought I'd make it."

｢𓆄｣ Well, so much for making it quick! He'd dealt with curiosity before from local kids and students back home, but it's been awhile since he received such personal questions. It does make him laugh, at least, as he threw his hand against the back of his neck.

"You got it!" He'd have to answer rapidfire just as they were asked to satiate Sephiroth it seemed, "Born with 'em, nothing serious. As attached as they'll ever be. Dunno, probably, haven't thought about it! The quick gene's pretty potent. Haven't thought about it: I don't really think I'm the kid type."

"...Anything else?"

[beforemeteor]

"Were you named Hawks because of your wings?" Silly question but one could never know! "How did you get those wings? Are they actually attached to your back? If you have babies, will they also have wings? Are you gonna name them bird-themed names like Falcon?"

｢𓆄｣ "Just call me Hawks, man." No need for formalities around number 2! "Let's make this quick, 'kay?"

[beforemeteor]

Sephiroth turned and looked at her. He took his materia out of his pocket and stopped walking for a moment to show them to her.

"No, they're simply elemental creations crystalized and concentrated into this form. They have no need for something like names." He had never thought about giving materia a name outside of their function. It seemed a little silly and too sentimental for his liking.

Did Mira think he should? Would that make her happy to know they had names?

"...What would you name them?" He asked her.

Eyes watch Sephiroth as he moves to jump off the side of the building, watching as he lands upon the ice down below without any issues. It never failed to impress her, how well he could handle such things like, given she saw some of his skills when the city had turned to candy.

In turn, she's moving to float down the side of the building to quickly join his side one more, although she doesn't let herself land on the ice. Since she was without shoes, that was asking for her to slip for the time being, so she just floats along it for now.

She does notice his strange movements again, not sure why he could be hiding his face, but she doesn't question him, deciding to ask about something else as she inclines her head towards him.

"Those items that you are using to conjure up the fire and ice, do they have a name? Or is it simply something that just lets you yourself cast them, like a wizards wand or such?"

[beforemeteor]

What are you the patron saint of?

patron saint of obsession

patron saint of devotion. of dedication. of passion. of everything you won't call it, in the spaces between. patron saint of holding tight to it until it bleeds. patron saint of pushing it too far. patron saint of staring into the sun until you're blind. patron saint of gazing onto beauty until you can't see anything anymore.

[beforemeteor]

Sephiroth nodded his head. "Thankfully, it was only a scratch and she healed quickly. Unfortunately, our attempt ended up being futile in the end. We didn't find anything."

He was about to comment on her being a robot, but looked over at the timer after she did. It felt like they were talking for much longer than what was displayed. Part of him wanted to appease her and keep going, but he wasn't really prepared or trained for dealing with these sort of things. He was mentally tired out.

"A small break would be nice," He said. He spent most of the time sitting up straight and proper. Sephiroth looked around for a moment before slowly easing into his seat and slouching.

"Losing an arm as a robot isn't really the same for humans, unfortunately." He placed down his journal and hugged his knees as he got more comfortable in his chair.

He better not know video games, or else one day Sephiroth might play a certain PlayStation 1 classic and get really confused about everything. But Uzi, very graciously, decides not to say anything about that.

"Looking for patient zero? Pretty proactive of you, most of the people I talked to were just trying to make sure they didn't get killed," says Uzi, leaning back in her seat. "Honestly would've been surprised if you did find anything, though. Figure the Stars would've just quarantined the whole space the second all this stuff started."

Uzi's got her own thoughts and theories on the whole glitched thing, namely that it wasn't actually the Stars. It just didn't fit their MO, it was just too... violent. While that's just a gut feeling, Uzi's got some complicated bio-mechanical innards, so they're probably smarter than a lot of people around here.

"Was Mira alright?" she says, tucking those thought processes away for later. "I don't know her super well, but she seems nice. Personally, I lost an arm. But they grow back, so not a huge deal."

Looking down at her left hand, Uzi wiggles her fingers and- Hold on, it was the other one. She wiggles her right fingers too, for good measure. It's kind of amazing the grievous wounds she's self-repaired from over the past few months; not many people can say they've survived getting decapitated.

After a few moments, she blinks. "Oh, uh, Dead Kennedys. Maybe? It's a different kind of punk. Try it and see."

She pulls up a timer on her HUD and considers a few things. They haven't been chatting that long, but it seems like this is kind of a rough thing for the boy sitting across from her, so Uzi doesn't mind throwing him a bone.

"You good to keep going, Sephiroth? We can take an ad break if you need."

[beforemeteor]

"...Why not just tie the cashier up? It's unnecessary to harm them just for doing their job. I'll help if you share."

Sweet tasting nachos, they will be his. Hojo can't stop him.

❝ Finally, someone fucking gets it! I should be able to take as much nacho cheese as I want. Nobody likes a cheapskate! ❞

❝ I bet I could take that cashier guy on, easy. ❞ Oh no.

[beforemeteor]

i think i will start exempting teen muses from caps. little man needs friends his age.

[beforemeteor]

No canon update for sephiroth this time around but that new chapter hurt!

[beforemeteor]

Sephiroth hurried towards the large castle, only stopping when he finally got towards the front entrance to catch his breath. Maybe jogging all the way from Fibonacci wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he hadn't been able to get any form of exercise in a while. He straightened up and paused when he noticed someone approaching him.

It was another teen. He wiped away the sweat from his brow and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I think there's one inside." They must of been new. Sephiroth wasn't in much of a hurry, so he motioned for the other to follow him inside. "I can help you look for one."

He pulled the large doors opened and slipped inside, heading over to the front desk to give back the books he borrowed. Once that was done, he looked around the immediate area. Sephiroth honestly hadn't had any use for computers. He just allowed himself to wander through the library until he found something that caught his interest.

@beforemeteor // starter

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck—

They'd asked about a library, not... whatever this place was. It was out in the middle of nowhere for one thing, and for another why was it so big and castle-like? This was the kind of place that they would definitely end up kicked out of for some reason. Either because they dropped something, or they lost to their impulse control and ended up tucking glitter into the pages.

They could practically feel their time in that building running out.

Maybe it was their fault for not clarifying that they wanted a library with internet access and computers.

Kris stood awkwardly outside of the so-called "library," feeling incredibly out of place.

Maybe it did have a computer room...? Could just be an old ass building. They'd seen weirder...

Just try and blend in Approach someone ♥

They approached first unfortunate person that Kris felt the slightest bit confident in trying to talk to, a guy that looked to be around their age who definitely looked like he belonged there. Unlike Kris in their oversized, ratty clothes and hair like they just rolled out of bed.

"... Does this place have a computer lab?"

The question sounded dumber out loud than it did in their head.

[beforemeteor]

"Yessir!" He is totally not a little giddy spending the day with Hawks.

｢𓆄｣ "........It's a joke." Wow, he's dense! He almost felt bad! "Well, we don't have all day, let's go."