#another advent

[200th-albatrio-askblog]

[id : a three panel comic between the Albatrio. The first panel has Gillion and Jay back-and-forthing which quickly escalates to them pulling their weapons on each other for friendly combat. Chip looks progressively more distraught between them. The third panel has him alone on a hammock stating “Sometimes I think maybe I’m not the only stupid one” in an interview-like manner.]

[dribs-and-drabbles]

The Great Thai Communal Wardrobe Advent Giveaway!

I've currently collected/documented 45 items of clothing (and accessories) that have reappeared in various Thai series over the past four years - these are only the ones that have been discovered, I'm sure there are more.

These 45 items are spread over 38 shows and are worn by 78 different characters (mains, sides, and random extras).

At the most, one item has been worn by 8 different people in 6 series, several have been used 3-5 times, but the majority have only appeared in two different shows (so far!).

There has been one recent show which has featured 15 items of clothing which have been worn in other series! The next highest number is 11 in a show which aired last year. And then the 3rd and 4th spot go to a show from two years ago (with 10 items) and one from this year (with 6).

I have currently ordered all the items by the number of times used and then by air date (with the highest and earliest first), but once I start posting them I will add any new discoveries to the end of the list (from 46 onwards).

And I'd like your involvement to post them!

Between now and Nov 15th send me an ask or a DM with one of the following requests to either have the item dedicated to yourself or you can gift it to another blog. (Anon is also fine but I'd suggest using an obscure emoji so you can identify yourself).

You can request:

A random number in the list (1-45)

The name of a particular show

A specific character or actor

Something funny or stylish or that I think you might like

A specific item (if you have a pretty confident idea of one that exists)

And a specific date you would like your post published if you have one (I'm mainly trying to decide what order to publish them all in)

A point to note: I've already published number 3 and number 6 (although the latter is now wrongly-numbered 😥 so I might consider editing the original post...again).

My plan is to post two a day from Dec 1st in the run up to Christmas, like an advent calendar, so I've set the deadline for requests early enough to give me time to organise the posts (since work does get in the way sometimes).

And if you do spot any more shared clothing across series, do let me know!

Tagging some people in case you're interested and to help me spread the word: @grapejuicegay @celestial-sapphicss @twig-tea @rocketturtle4 @waitmyturtles @respectthepetty @chickenstrangers @ranchthoughts @slayerkitty @colourme-feral @blmpff @telomeke @nothingsbetterthancoffee @lurkingshan @ephemeral-hiraeth @thegalwhorants @hughungrybear @i-got-the-feels @icouldhyperfixatehim @dragonsareawesome123 @sparklyeyedhimbo @first-kanaphan @italianpersonwithashippersheart @shouldiusemyname @gabrielokun @ghoststookournightmares @morathicain @nongnaopat @lamonnaie @natalias-pierogi @mysterygrl20 @nahaluk @callipigio @multifanofmultifandom @dramarec @cangse-sanren @williamrikers @justafriend-ql @heretherebedork @forcebook @non-binarypal7 @aprilblossomgirl @morkofday @brazilian-whalien52

[tomicscomics]

12/09/2022

Looks like the Holy Family's on another road trip.  I'm sure this one went just as smoothly as that time they had to outrun a bloodthirsty tyrant!

___

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm trying out new designs for Mary and Joseph in this new storyline.  I am Adjustment, Amendment, and Alteration.  The transcendent force of pure Change.  I say unto my creations, "Tremble and be Remade," and they are created anew.

[boydykepdf]

worst thing in the world when ur love language is gifts & ur favorite people don’t care abt receiving small presents & trinkets…i understand those cats that leave dead animals on doorsteps we r living the same lifestyle

[catboyolli]

for day 22 of the BC Advent Calendar organized by @another-sun, the northern bros have also received their sweaters!

since it's almost Christmas, Joonas traveled all the way to Oulu to see their family, and while he was there, he decided to visit some dearest friends 💕 he had bought some sweaters for them, end even if he doesn't understand half a shit of what Olli's is supposed to mean (only that Niko had told him to buy it online), Tommi's was perfect and a purchase at first sight

Olli and Tommi weren't planning to drink much, but with their friend there with them... let's just say that they forgot about time (and hangovers) being a real thing

individual pics under the cut!

[gay-impressionist]

December also means... advent calendars !! ❄️🔥

[theflyingfeeling]

fanfic rambling in the tags, nothing interesting really, just me talking to myself lol, okay to ignore or read as you please ✨

[daily-sans-es]

sans #67

sans' advent calendar is almost empty!

[fictionadventurer]

It is so much fun watching Roseanna M. White be Catholic.

For one thing, she tells you cool history stuff about Christmas music.

[catholike]

My humble catholic abode.

[e-louise-bates]

One week left of classes.

One week of finals.

And then, finally, I will have a degree. And I can take a nap (wait, no I can't--the teens are making gingerbread houses with friends that Saturday and then Carl and I are attending a Christmas party ... I can maybe nap after Christmas).

[200th-albatrio-askblog]

WOW !!!the totally coolest and realest Jay has manufactured a thingy magogger to connect us to the Webs!!!! Cause yeah ! :))

[id : Jay, Chip, and Gillion from JRWI Riptide positioned in a square frame for a picture. Jay sits at an off-camera desk with the grime from her work on her apron and her goggles, holding a peace sign up, looking nonchalantly. Chip is at the right, leaning into frame and trying to look cool by biting his lip (failing). Gillion is behind Jay, looking to the camera while doing nothing out of fear.]

Ask uquestingons!!!! [questions]

Why ??? : I lost the progress to my jerwee riptide fanseries and I’m using this to cope ((like,,, the amount of animatics VAPORIZED 🚼🚼 and writing,,,). I might just use this as a mode to share some of the ideas from there in a medium that might be easier to commit to — even if it makes me REALLY sad :o( . I don’t believe this blog will be Too busy so it’ll probably be me up uploading comics I make and think are funny 😭😭 hopefully that’ll be a good time

I have a lot of headcanons for the GUYS so I hopee whoeverrs reading myight get a kick out of them. :o)

DIRECTORY IGGGG

#candlewax ~ General stuff,,, like in character info dumps rr something like that!!!

#dolphindelivery!!✉️ ~ ASKs!!!! Maybe! hopefully!! + in character answersz! :o33

#spam.box. ~ ooc asks :o3 as me the FELLA :o33 not indicative of how silly i think ur ask is btww <<33

#another advent ~ the silly comics!! Typically ones posted by themselves but can be like, an ask thing! Or ig anything I deem as like “part of” something?? Idk

#another tide sweeps through ~ not so silly

#nikextravaganza ~ the meezies!!! I’m yapping!’n!!! I think just the candlewax but me flavor yk ((whoah maybe plotting too,, come meet me in my crystal ball of terror to strike a deal maybe pretty please,, 🌝))

[dribs-and-drabbles]

The Thai Communal Wardrobe item #88

Hidden Agenda ep 7:

Middleman's Love ep 2:

Dead Friend Forever ep 1:

+ bonus not in a series and not the item in question but...

Suar Kritsanaphong in Joke's shirt above courtesy of @blmpff

for @airenyah 💙

[neobastard]

apparently they were giving out seasonal attack peas as bonus advent calendar prizes, meanwhile all i got was a fuckass gingerbread

[i-am-become-a-name]

December 15th - superstition

“And that,” the Doctor proclaimed, pointing out another architectural fascination, “is an example of a twenty-third century curlicue, remarkably reminiscent of the Modivane, even though the two cultures never had a formalised meeting.” 

He turned away from his perch against the bridge's buttress to look whether his coterie had finally wandered off in exasperation, but no, they were still there, though not looking appreciative of his architecture lesson. Nyssa’s face held the politely interested expression that meant she was thinking about something else entirely, Adric was scowling and scuffing his boots against the paving stones and- 

“Tegan, are you quite alright?” Her arms were tightly folded over her chest, and cheeks ballooned out as if she were about to blow as raspberry. As the other two turned to look at her with increasing bewilderment, her face grew pinker and pinker, and finally she cast her eyes about and took several large steps backwards before letting her breath out in one large woosh. 

“Oh come now, it wasn't that uninteresting,” Nyssa chided her, as if the Doctor wasn't aware her mind had been elsewhere, and he graciously ignored a muttered ‘yes, it was’ from Adric. Tegan was staring at them in puzzlement now, still breathing faster than normal, re-oxygenating her starved blood, he assumed. 

“You lot never-?” She gestured at her feet, the clear delineating line between the rougher stones she stood on, and the smoother paving of the bridge the rest of them were standing on. 

“Never what?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him, and she looked embarrassed. 

“Never held your breath going over a bridge? You know, for good luck.” Oh. He felt a smile drawing over his face as Tegan started scowling and Adric laughed. 

“Don't be stupid, Tegan, there's no such thing as luck.” 

“Now, now, Adric.” 

“It's fine when you actually go across the bridge, not stand on it yammering away,” Tegan protested at the same time, from her distance on terra firma, when a clear cool voice cut through their racket. 

“I had a teddy bear.” And they all turned to stare blankly at Nyssa, who was watching Tegan. “Many actually, back on Traken. They held superstitious significance to me, in the same way.” 

He saw Tegan mouth ‘superstitious significance ‘ in response, and Adric’s hand creep up to touch the star shaped badge that adorned his chest. 

“Thank you, Nyssa,” he said, and laid a hand on her shoulder. “And I know I've trusted in luck more than anything else a few times before.” From the corner of his eyes, he saw Tegan flash him a grateful smile. 

He hadn't carried many traditions from his home, Nyssa and Adric even less, but if this one did no harm… meeting his companion's eyes, he blew out his cheeks in an exaggerated expression of breath-holding, and walked purposely across the paving of the bridge. He was still saving his architectural trivia for when they were all on firm land again though.

[holly-fixation]

Three... Guards? Ch4

Summary: Tifa finds Cloud at the train station in Sector Seven. It’s the first time she’s seen him in seven years. But he’s not alone. Three silver haired boys protected him. Three silver haired boys that triggered memories of her hometown. Of steel through her chest. Of SOLDIER First Class. Of Him.

Still, the boys always managed to make mistakes.

Inspired by this prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien .

Please enjoy!

Chapter 4: Anxiety

Big Brother was different in this world. They just knew it. His lack of strength was expected, but his personality seemed to change too. He used much more emotion. He lied about the planes. He lied about being an ex-SOLDIER. The remnants had no idea why. But that didn't stop them from practically attaching to his hip. 

Yet his annoying friends kept trying to separate them. 

Jessie, Wedge, Barret, and Marlene all left after settling on a plan to find Biggs and find a new mercenary if Cloud could not fill the role. Jessie would work on 'circuitry' while staying with her parents to heal, a well hidden mission under those words that would easily fly past the boys if they truly were the age they seemed. None of the adults seemed too concerned for Biggs’ safety, especially considering the runaway mercenary wasn’t even strong enough to help Jessie. They just wanted to confirm he was okay and see if he was willing to join the next job. 

Now the five of them remained, the two childhood friends and the three children that brought them together. It felt weird to Tifa, so many people in her bar long after closing with no place to stay. Cloud insisted he could make due and find a place to sleep for the night, but Tifa refused to let him. She made a phone call to the landlady and all of a sudden Cloud had a new apartment. 

But where to put the boys. Tifa couldn't just leave them in the bar. And they didn't have nearly enough gil for any kind of inn even if they would leave Cloud's side. Her face scrunched in thought as she watched them analyze Cloud. Something about them, beyond their looks, just felt wrong to her. Something about their silence. Something about their mannerisms and determination. Something. 

“We're okay with sleeping on the floor,” Loz stated for the group, both others nodding in confirmation. 

Tifa gave Cloud an almost begging look to make the boys give him some space. But he didn't. Why didn't he? Why was he like this?

“They can stay in my apartment.”

The glint of concern in Tifa’s eyes nearly broke him. 

Thankfully, he turned and addressed the brothers. “If, you stay in my room while I talk to Tifa.”

They stared daggers at him, the youngest nearly igniting a flame with his glare alone. 

“I will come right back. Promise. Okay?”

They kept their glare for another second before looking at each other and silently communicating an answer. 

“Okay…” The eldest agreed for them with genuine sadness in his voice. 

Finally, Tifa thought, a moment alone. 

Another quick walk to Stargazer Heights and the boys visibly relaxed upon learning Big Brother’s apartment was right next to Tifa’s. This meant they could still protect him, clearly hearing everything beyond the thin walls due to their superior bloodline. Of course they did not tell Big Brother or Tifa any of this. They simply sat on the far side of Cloud’s apartment to keep suspicion low. 

“Cloud,” Tifa called in the calmest voice she could, but her heart was pounding and anxiety slightly muffled her control. “I know you feel obligated to help them since they helped you, but how long do you plan on allowing this?”

He took a breath before answering, “Tifa, you should’ve seen them. They did more than help. They gave every resource they found towards my recovery. I don’t know where I would be without them.”

“Are you trying to repay a debt? Or get them back home? Is there a goal or are we just waiting for them to end up in mortal peril and save them before we let them go?”

He shook his head. “I just don't want to abandon them. They're weird, and they're afraid. But I don’t think they have a home, Tifa...”

A shaky exhale left her lips. “Cloud…” fear leaked into her voice and she nearly whispered as if hiding from them even now, “They look like Sephiroth…” 

Before she continued, Cloud cut her off. “I know.” He seemed sincere. “I know what he did… I remember the fires the same way you do. But can we really blame them for something they definitely did not do? They’re kids.”

‘Kids’. Gods they were tired of people calling them that. 

“How do you know about Nibelheim?” She questioned breathlessly, terrified of the answer. 

“Because I was there?” He answered with slight confusion. “…Are you okay?” 

Tifa did not answer, probably frozen by Cloud’s knowledge of memories he should not have. 

“Hey…” The care in his voice almost made the boys gag. “Are you alright…? …Should I stay…?”

“Y-yeah…” She lied again. What was with these people and lying to each other? The remnants guessed they shouldn’t complain. They were certainly using it to their advantage. “Just… are you sure we can trust them? What if they’re his kids? What if they snap like he did? What if they’re lying to us and they’re actually super strong and they burn down Sector Seven-?”

They didn’t know what they heard as Tifa suddenly started sobbing and Cloud moved towards her. They had no idea he was holding her in a caring hug against his chest. Cloud stayed quiet to try to let her process her emotions, but he couldn’t deny the hell that was her pain. He would do anything to make it go away. 

“Kadaj already talked about burning monsters to the ground,” She stumbled through tears. She was holding it back all day, damming every shard of trauma stabbing at her sides each time she saw one of them. Every time they entered her gaze, no matter what they were doing, she saw him. She saw the man that killed her father. “What if- what if-”

Cloud only held her close and listened to every pained gasp. He didn't shush her. He didn't mumble breathless 'it's okay's. He didn't feed her any comforting lies. He just held her through the horrible wave that finally crashed against the shoreline. 

He did, however, hold her too tight, but she only told him when her breathing finally began to regulate. Though he completely let her go, she kept her hands on his biceps, trapping him close to her for a bit of balance as her body shook from the exertion. She didn't know what to say. 

Thankfully, Cloud finally found the right words. He spoke softly, his voice barely moving through the room to keep the calm silence undisturbed. “Worst case scenario, they're other experiments on the run from Shinra. Even if they are, they were hiding in the planes. They have no resources and no assets. I can't just abandon them. They haven't done anything. Not yet at least.”

She tightened her grip in silent protest.

“If they're too much and we can't find them anything or anyone, we bring them to an orphanage. Okay, Tifa?”

It took everything they had to growl low enough that Big Brother couldn't pick up on it. They couldn't leave his side until he found Mother. They would hunt him down if he abandoned them. 

A finally shaky sigh left Tifa's lips. “Okay… Okay…”

With hesitant agreement, the childhood friends stayed in silence for a bit before finally heading their separate ways. When Cloud finally entered his room, all of the boys visibly relaxed. 

“What did you guys talk about…?” Yazoo questioned shyly to hide their enhanced hearing. 

“Just what we're going to do tomorrow and how we'll handle it,” Cloud lied. He didn't want them to know the truth, but they recognized that immediately and said nothing. 

Without many more words, Cloud gave them the single bed sheet the apartment came with, besides the fitted sheet compressed to the mattress. Surprisingly the boys didn't fight for it. The youngest grabbed it first, and the two others shrugged before simply adjusting to the floor using their leather coats. for comfort and pillows.

* * * 

Each of them slept soundly before waking all at once to the sound of something collapsing to the ground beyond the wall, literally jumping to their feet. Cloud slowly placed the Buster Sword on his back. The brothers simply held their degrading knives at the ready as a pained groan followed. They looked to Cloud for what to do next. 

“I’m gonna check on them,” He spoke calmly. “You guys-”

“Are coming with you,” Kadaj interrupted and finished without missing a beat. “I saw him earlier. He’s very weak. Probably injured.”

Cloud was thankful for the advice. “Then just stay behind me.” All of them knew they wouldn’t listen, but they nodded anyway before their current party of four left the room. Even in the little time it took them to reach the neighbor’s door, more groans slipped through. Cloud practically scooted them out of the way when they tried to turn the handle. The blonde knocked. “Hey. You alright in there?”

Nothing but the same rough moans responded. The youngest looked up at Cloud and lined himself against the wall near the opening of the door. The other two stayed behind the adult.

He took a breath. “I’m coming in.” Carefully, slowly, he opened the door, scanning the apartment from the bed to the floor. But when they all looked up they saw him. 

Black leather coat. Perfectly long silver hair. Silver bands around gloved wrists. All of him stalking towards them with a menacing stare and a smirk on his face. 

Cloud tried to slash the threat with the Buster Sword, but it was immediately stopped by the doorframe. When he looked back at the enemy, it was tackled and pinned to the ground by the three brothers. The distraction gave him just enough time to readjust the blade and swung forward. 

“CLOUD, STOP!” 

Tifa’s voice knocked him out of his terror just long enough, but the blade slashed against the floor before he could stop it completely, just missing one of the boys that saved him. All of a sudden, the man before them blinked away, a tattered black cloak on a weak body remaining behind. 

What the hell just happened. 

Cloud didn’t get the chance to answer her coherently, stuttering through an attempted response. The boys went quiet as Tifa rushed to the doorway and saw her neighbor pinned to the ground. 

“What did you do? Get out,” Tifa commanded as she helped the man up, the boys scattering and reforming around Cloud. “This is Marco’s apartment. He’s got a few problems, but he’s not a bad guy. What did you do?” 

Cloud stuttered a response. “W…” his panic was still flowing through his veins, lessened but present. “We heard him fall and…” He couldn’t explain what he just saw, especially not to her. The boys didn’t aid him either with their silence. 

Tifa took a deliberate breath. “The landlady asks me to check on him every once in a while. Can I ask you to do the same?”

They all nodded. 

“Sure…” Her friend was the only one to respond. 

It didn't take long after that to settle Marco back into his apartment and get Tifa into hers. However, sleep was the last thing on Cloud’s mind as he herded the children back into his room. This time, he made absolutely sure his door was locked, and when he turned to face them, each one was rigidly flat against the back wall, glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes for any kind of help. If these ‘kittens’ had tails, they’d be puffed beyond belief. 

They knew exactly what they did, and though Cloud desperately did not want to bring this up, their similar appearance to the war hero of his nightmares was far too great to avoid now. “What happened back there?”

They didn’t know how to answer. They just locked eyes with him and stayed silent. Was Tifa right? But if they were like him at all, why would they save him?

“Just…” He tried a calmer tone. “Guys, just tell me the truth. What happened?”

They shook their heads.

“What happened to you?” Kadaj countered. Both remaining brothers gained a sinking feeling in their stomachs at the challenge.

“This isn’t about me; this is about you.”

“Clearly, this is about Marco.”

“You said you saw him earlier,” Cloud stated sternly. 

“And when I did he didn’t look like that!” 

All eyes landed on the shortest brother. He didn't mean to say that. Why was he slipping up?

“Keep your voice down,” The ex-SOLDIER commanded. They already proved what could happen with such thin walls tonight. “What did you see?” 

“What did you see?” 

“Stop trying to turn this on me-”

“I'll stop if you stop.”

He crossed his arms. “I will if you answer my question.” 

“You know the answer already-”

“I need to hear it from you.”

He violently shook his head of mercury hair. 

“Kadaj.”

“You saw something too! Why don’t you tell us what it was then?”

Yazoo silently vowed to never let his brother answer anything ever again. 

“Well I figured you’d know considering what he looked like.”

“What he looked like doesn’t change anything.”

“Clearly it does because you all attacked a man that looked exactly like your father-”

“HE IS NOT OUR FATHER!”

The air froze and deathly silence claimed them all. The entire sector could’ve heard that boy’s scream. Now they could hear a pin drop a block away. 

Cloud stared, completely confused by the outburst and trying to find an explanation. 

The youngest brother’s hands were shaking and he crossed them tightly over his chest, his head bowed towards the ground and his bangs blocking his eyes. He was trembling, clenching his teeth, and when the middle brother tried to place a hand on his shoulder, he batted it away and curled further into himself. They already lived with the pain of being unwanted. They already failed Her once. They didn’t need more constant comparisons and constant reminders of what threw them in this world in the first place. “He is not our father…” He repeated with panting breaths of rage and containment. He wanted to run, but they needed to stay by his side. They couldn’t risk leaving now. This was his idea. 

Finally, the brother's came to his aid, Yazoo immediately spinning a tale to cover them. “Our father left Mother just after we were born…” They needed to use Big Brother's heightened emotions against him before it was too late. “Mother’s from Nibelheim…”

Cloud’s eyes widened. 

“We never knew our father… But we know what he did…” Yazoo continued as Loz tried to comfort Kadaj. 

All Loz got in return were more snippy reactions. Eventually he gave up on attempting soft touches and hugged him so tightly and so suddenly he couldn't wriggle out no matter how much he physically and verbally protested. 

“We don't care what Shinra tells us… We get that comparison a lot… Forgive us for our reactions…”

“No.”

They all looked up fearfully. Loz dropped Kadaj instinctually.

“I don't forgive you because you have nothing to apologize for.”

All the boys breathed a sigh of relief, but Kadaj was still trying to calm his emotions. 

Cloud exhaled and looked at them softly. “It’s been a long day for all of us. We should get some rest.”

They all agreed and returned to the same places as before. Cloud stared in confusion because he absolutely could not justify why any group of people would sleep like this. Loz was under the end of the bed. Yazoo slept diagonally in the middle of the floor like a psychopath. Kadaj had stolen the only sheet and burritoed himself literally along the bottom of the front door. The blonde found himself shaking his head softly at their choices. He could only assume it was a result of being on their own for so long, taking up sleeping shifts and covering every angle they could for protection. That at least seemed a little reasonable to him as he finally made his way to the bed and rested the buster sword back against the wall. 

* * * 

The next morning, Cloud proved how much he recovered by taking out the monsters within the garbage heaps. Now finally making some gil, he gave a share of it to the boys that definitely should not have followed him into monster infested mounds of trash with nothing but pocket knives. Surprisingly, they did manage to hold their own with the tiny and absolutely unprepared weapons. The brothers immediately spent all their given gil on new weapons. Kadaj bought a short sword. Yazoo purchased a gun. Loz struggled to force adult sized martial arts gloves onto his hands but eventually made it work. 

Cloud found himself thinking back to how they slept the previous night. Even the way they fought picked up where the others’ styles left off. They genuinely fought well together and Cloud found himself a little impressed, and a little afraid, of what they could do. 

The three remnants tried to act like perfect little angels when around Cloud. Well, to the extent they understood. At his side or in battle they listened to his every command, but asking them to go anywhere just resulted in angry glares and hidden hisses. It… could be worse. Both Tifa and Cloud were relieved they at least let him use the bathroom alone. 

Still, they were weird and did the strangest things sometimes, the most miniscule situations getting stuck under their skin. Well, Kadaj’s skin specifically since he was always the first to react, to impulsively react. 

The first time they showed it was when the entire group returned to the neighborhood watch. For reasons no one understood, they hated Chadley. 

“Cloud. You were the first to gather the data I requested. Here is the rest of your payment. I have developed new materia. Would you like to see it?” Chadley was certainly a weird teenager, but he was chipper and seemed willing to help. Though he said he was working for Shinra’s Research and Development department, he claimed he was working against them. 

Cloud observed the new materia for himself, rotating the orb in his hand before agreeing to purchase it. All three boys glared cautiously at the glasses wearing one. 

“I plan to develop more materia in the future. Together, we can harness enough power to take down Shinra. I'll be preparing more battle intel reports, which I hope you will assist me in completing,” He spoke in his naturally excited voice. 

“Thanks,” Cloud spoke a bit more indifferently. He was finally sounding closer to the Big Brother they knew now that they’d taken on a few monsters. 

“You talk weird,” Loz pointed out with scrunched brows, the other two waiting for a response. 

“Hey,” Tifa scolded, “what did I say? Be nice.”

The teen in question simply waved the statement away. “It's not a problem. I'm still perfecting my speech pattern. Thank you for your valuable feedback.”

Yazoo tilted his head. “Something is… off… about you…”

Again, Chadley showed almost no change in emotion. “I assure you, I'm only here to aid in your progress and test out more effective magic.”

Kadaj glared hard. “If you do anything to hurt Cloud-”

“You're all perfectly capable of defeating me here if you wish. If you were old enough, you'd all be perfect SOLDIER candidates.”

“You analyzed us?!”

He nodded simply. “Of course. It merely determines your strength and abilities. You may even purchase materia if you wish.”

“And how do we know this information doesn't go straight back to Shinra?”

“If you doubt me at all, you can take me down.”

Now they were talking in circles and they absolutely had better things to do. Cloud grabbed the youngest's arm and began dragging him along. “We're done here. Let's go.”

Kadaj angrily reset his steps and walked alongside Cloud normally, and Loz followed behind immediately. 

“You're not human…” Yazoo stated before suddenly being yanked away by Tifa. 

Thankfully, nothing like that happened again. The rest of the day consisted of nothing but more hunts, destroying any monsters in their path. All of their skills certainly grew throughout the many battles, including the efficiency of the three boys with new weapons. By nightfall, Tifa returned to run the bar, but Cloud and the boys nearly cleared the bounty board. Cloud wanted to be absolutely prepared for tomorrow's mission. 

Before heading back to his apartment late into the night, Cloud asked Tifa for one final update. Biggs was found in Sector Four safe and sound, claiming the mercenary wouldn't be a problem anymore, and that they should not hire anyone they don't absolutely trust for the next mission. Jessie decided to stay with her family on the upper plate while her leg healed. But both Biggs and Wedge worked on her orders, and they had the materials for the next reactor mission. Everything was ready to go.

Tomorrow marked the start of the Mako Reactor 5 bombing mission. 

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Thanks for reading!

Author's notes: Welp. It got angsty. Why? Because it's me. Also I am swamped with exams so life is just doing its thing. Thanks for reading! 

Next up us Damaged Doll or the second half of a one shot I should have finished months ago. See you then!