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[ Those are claws of affection. Zack should be honored.

The cat puts little resistance to being pried off, but he is wearing a very displeased face.

Zell finally reaches the pair of them. Automatically holding his hands up to take the fuzz butt from Zack. ]

I can find a place for him-

[ That's when he notices what's on the tablet screen. ] Still trying to figure out who they are?

[ He'll be honored when he's not in the middle of something.

Actually, no, those things still hurt.

So, he'll gladly be handing over the fuzz ball, fully intent on going back to work when he pauses at that question. In the end, he answers with a faint shrug as he looks back at his screen. ]

Yeah. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I mean I guessed there would probably be more people there than I'd seen, but... I didn't expect there to be so many.

[ So many faces he hadn't known for that matter. He can't recall talking to many of them and he's been here for a while now. Did that many people fall prey that fast to the town? ]

[ Shifting the cat to fit more comfortable against his shoulder. Petting the cat until he can hear the soothing rumble coming from some where inside of him. ]

You should ask Steph and Al. They know almost everyone.

[ Steph is Norfinbury's google, which was amazing. The petting soon stops as he watches Zack's expression. He's starting to catch on more and more the language mapped out on the Soldier's features. He knows the numbers, and it's so much easier just thinking of them as just that. Numbers. Data that Steph collected and shared with everyone.

Not long enough ago, Zack was also one of those numbers.

Dropping down to a crouch to be at level with him. ]

Yeah, it's pretty frickin' nuts how many there are.

[ Purring cats at least make things marginally better. Not all that much better currently, but... getting there.

Zack nods faintly at the suggestion though he doesn't seem to be entirely listening. His eyes remain glued to the screen as he mentally counts just how many photographs compiled alone. He only twitches faintly when he sees something move out of the corner of his eye before he realizes it's just Zell moving to get a closer look. ]

Yeah... Forty-three at the chapel alone. That doesn't even include what we took at the hospital and the police station. [ Nor does it include the funeral home either and gauging by how many people have revived there... He imagines there has to be a lot that haven't.

Hesitantly, he holds out his tablet to Zell. ] See anyone else you recognize?

[ The combination of giant cat in his arms and his present position makes it difficult to move around. He makes a face as the tablet is held out, remembering that there were a few people he's spoken in the past. He's seen the pictures from when they were shared for identification a couple of nights afterwards. Zell has been pretty occupied since then to actually say anything.

There is a low meow from his furry captive. Realizing he stopped petting the cat, he scritches him behind the ears before putting him down. ]

Yeah. I did. [ There is a pause before the question he's been putting off comes tumbling out quietly: ] Why didn't you tell me Cissnei was there? [ His tone wasn't accusatory or angry. It's just a question that's been bugging him since after that night they went to the chapel. ]

[ Oh- right. Cat. That would be a problem. Not that it's not eventually solved anyway when Zell puts Mochi down. Not that Mochi seems particularly happy about that, but work with them, furball. You'll get more attention in a second.

He's pretty quickly forgotten anyway in the face of Zell's question. Zack bites his lip a bit, brows furrowing slightly. ] I was kinda occupied at the moment. Needed to get back to you guys.

[ And that was a lot more important. But that doesn't stop him from shaking his head slightly, letting out a sigh. Didn't mean he couldn't have told them eventually. Especially when Zell had seemed happy to meet Cissnei back then. ]

Sorry. I should have told you. I just kinda found out the hard way.

[ Was occupied then. It's been about sixty-four days since Zack and Kunsel died. It's been Sixty-two days since he spoke to him. He remembers the day pretty vividly thanks to the emotional roller coaster and general suckiness that was that entire thing. ]

I know. I know you were dealing with a lot of crazy crap that day. It was hell.

[ But Zack told him if he ever heard anything about Cissnei, he'd be the first to know. Then it turns out he had to find out the hard way, too. The tablet is taken to put the energy to better use. Flipping through pictures. He pauses at the kid with similar hair style as Sora's, and then keeps going. Stopping at the picture of Lynne to turn it over. ] Lynne. She was really friendly.

[ ~~The chapel seems to like redheads~~ ]

[ Zack glances over at the mention of the new name. The photo the name belongs to... No, still no one he recognizes. But he nods all the same as he borrows his tablet back to go in and add both the file name and the name, itself, to the memo he's been keeping.

He switches it back before he returns the tablet to Zell's hands, but he never raises his gaze. ]

..So was Cissnei- well. Not exactly really friendly, I guess, but she was a friend. [ That much? That much he does know now from looking back and thinking things over. Those thoughts also... ] I don't know what you might have heard from Tifa back then, but while she had all reason not to trust Sephiroth, Cissnei wasn't involved with Nibelheim.

[ Tablet is back in his hands and he takes a moment to flip to another picture.]

She was friendly to me. [ He says almost quietly. ] Cissnei looked out for me in her way, even with the distance.

[ She was ready to go with him to dig bodies and make sure he was okay hanging around Beckett. It wasn't necessary but it was nice. Thinking back about what Tifa did cover, then shaking his head. ]

She didn't really tell me anything about ShinRa. Everything I heard came from Cissnei or Jim. [ Well, there were little bits from the Soldiers. ]

How long have you known Cissnei?

[ Bits from them, yeah. But he can't really say he'd covered a whole lot back then between the two of them. He hasn't really said much since when he thinks about it outside of some of what happened to him and Cloud. Though he wouldn't have been surprised if they had overheard some of the argument between Kunsel and Tifa far back. Between that and whatever Zell heard from Cissnei and Jim, it wouldn't surprise him he's got a rough picture.

But this isn't about ShinRa. -Not exactly anyway.

Zack nods faintly all the same. Looked after him... huh. ]

I'd only known her a few years, actually, before Nibelheim. She sure fooled me when I first met her. I didn't even realize she was a Turk. [ He rubs a bit too long at his five o'clock shadow as he briefly averts his eyes. ] She sure proved me wrong.

She does look small. [ When he first saw her in person, he was being pulled away by Jim Hawkins immediately, but he did see her standing there in a room full of Soldiers. She looked short, similar to Selphie. He remembers being surprised over her appearance in that moment. Then later on sitting with her with Sephiroth looming close by, he was reminded that she's every bit of the fighter she appeared to be in her messages. ]

I think she enjoys- enjoyed it. You know, proving people wrong.

[ Going through pictures is forgotten for the moment as he concentrates on Cissnei. ] How did you meet?

Back in Sector eight- Midgar. There was an attack going on around there and the Turks ended up dispatched to help fight it off, too. I ran into her while she was dealing with some of the Genesis clones.

[ And in it of itself is... a whole 'nother story. You know. Of complete crazy bullshit that's apparently part of both their lives for that matter. It still doesn't change the touch of sheepishness to his expression as he finally drops his hand. ]

I... kinda thought she needed my help when she didn't. At least the first time around.

An attack? Did you guys get attacked often in Midgar?

[ He hasn't heard a whole lot about the ~~metal pizza in the sky~~ city. Clones is also a weird one. ]

Man, bet she was a sight to see kicking some ass. [ Too bad this place didn't give an opportunity for it to happen. ]

She sure was... [ Honestly? She had been. Way more than words could ever properly describe it to this day. That he'll never deny. ]

But, eh... Nah. We didn't get attacked too much, actually. Most of our problems were outside of the city. Monsters around the reactors tended to get more wild and dangerous and then, well. Of course, there were just some really nasty ones depending on where you lived.

[ Like malboros. Very foul ones, those, if ya know what he means. Yeeeeah. ]

No, this was... This was a man that deserted ShinRa and then tried to dismantle it 'cause of what they did. I can't blame him for why he was mad at 'em, but... I can sure as hell blame him for involving innocent people.

[ That seems to be a common theme. Nasty monsters outside and depending on where you lived. ]

Oh. Yeah, not everyone cared for ShinRa, huh? [ He remembers Jim's words on the topic and how it's done some messed up things. But he can't help but remember what Cissnei was trying to tell him. ]

So she kicked some ass and saved the day from monsters. Did you become friends then?

[ The mention of ShinRa again admittedly gets Zack looking at the floor a moment, thinking of a few conversations that seem so far away now. But at least at the mention of Cissnei again... There's the faintest smile to him. There and gone. ]

I was pretty lucky I did meet and befriend her when I did or otherwise me and Cloud... Well, me and Cloud would have been in a hell of a lot more trouble later. [ He bites his lip at the thought, glancing over at his bag. It doesn't take long for him to decide to drag it over though, stuffing a hand in the side pocket and pulling out a random pair of keys that ought to be familiar with Zell in the days where he tried to organize Zack's... organized hot mess. He tosses them to him lightly. ]

She followed me back to Cloud the first time I ran into her. She could have used him against me, but she got the Turks off our tail and gave me these instead. They were to her bike at the time.

[ The place-that-should-not-be-named. There were so many questions he had on it, but he knows this wasn't the time or place. His focus was on their mutual red headed friend as he tries to put it all together. Catching the keys and looking them over. ]

That was awesome of her. [ He says it like it's surprising. He clarifies immediately ] She did something against them, huh? The Turks. She told me they were family to. [ Giving a little bit of a smile. ] Guess she likes you a lot. [ And then the weird part of the story pokes him. Quirking his brows as he looks up at Zack. ] Why were they on your tails?

[ Awesome really feels like an understatement in his eyes. Lifesaver seems more appropriate. But the thought dies pretty quick in his throat. A lot do, really. It's hard to focus on Cissnei when he's dropping a question like that.

Zack bites his lip briefly as he glances away. ]

You already know the gist of what happened at Nibelheim with Sephiroth, right? How he burned down the village. I was on that mission with him, too. So was Cloud.

[ Rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, he leans back on the wall, closing his eyes. ]

So, we were witnesses that could'a told the world what really happened. And with Sephiroth being this big figurehead for the company, imagine how the public would's reacted.

[ Being around a group of guarded individuals forced the teen to look for signs and the lip biting is one of those signs. He's used to watching for that particular tell from someone else in their group. The next sign comes in Zack's hand on the back of his neck.

It's like when he tripped over the scars under Zack's shirt or when they touch on Angeal. There's something there that Zack doesn't want to touch. Zell isn't sure what part. Cloud? The reason they were running? More Sephiroth? Before he could think hard though, a question is already tumbling out. ]

Wait. They were hunting you over just being witnesses? How long were they hunting you for? [ Since he knows there was a gap. It's been a while since Kunsel seen Zack before coming here, right? ]

[ There's a certain hesitance at first. He licks his lips and breathes. ]

...They hunted us down for about a year.

[ Regardless of how steady he tries to keep his voice, there's something of an edge to it. But Zack just shakes his head and pushes through, regardless. ]

ShinRa's... complicated. There's a lot of good people in it. A lot of people that joined because they honestly did wanna help people. But it's a company. And unfortunately, it's the big shots that make the final calls and if they want you out of the picture, they'll spin whatever story makes it work for them, especially if they're afraid.

[ He adjusts his posture, leaning on a bent knee now instead. ]

And they had plenty to be afraid of. There's a lot of people who don't like ShinRa and they have good reason to after some of the stuff I've seen. So, if word got out that their war hero burnt a village to the ground in cold blood, they would have suffered a big blow. Better to make it sound like he died tragically, you know?

[ Putting Mochi down and petting the cat as he tries to fit the information in. No matter how it's spun though, Shinra's actions weren't right to him.

It hit similar to how the original proprietor to Garden wanted to give the SeeD's head over on a silver platter. To make their group out as renegades going on their own agenda. ]

That's just stupid. [ There is a piece still to Zack's words that isn't fitting in, but at the moment his focus is on just how unfair it was. ]

I get ShinRa has done some good. Cissnei made sure I knew that, but that still doesn't excuse hunting you guys down just to cover shit up. That's messed up.

That's one way to put it. Messed up. Unfair. Dishonorable. [ Zack rattles off the words one after another, but there's no bite to them like there might have been months ago. There's too much he's already worried about. Too much that's already messed up, unfair, and dishonorable. They live it day to day there.

It's tiring.

Zack closes his eyes, arm on his knee now and gesturing with his words. ] There was a lot'a stuff like that with ShinRa though. I just... There were a lot of good people under them, too. People who really did wanna help people. I know Cissnei cared a lot- hell, she was the one that let me know my folks were fine after that reactor blew at Gongaga. And you know Kuns, too. There were plenty'a people like that. We just wanted to do something good.

[ He shrugs a little. ] I guess... maybe I hoped if I stuck with it, I could be there to do the right things. You know? I wasn't ever expecting something like that. I mean we stopped him. That was what we were supposed to do.

[ More like nonFair. ]

Yeah, she really believed in the difference Shinra could make. She knew there was some messed up stuff, yeah, but she could still see their good. Cissnei is a good person, even if she didn't want people to know. [ The whole skirting around over who she was and keeping quiet.

The rest of Zack's words hit him though. Hoped. He knows it's not what Zack means, but his gaze drops to Zack's chest for a moment. Maybe a moment too long if he was hoping to escape notice. Then his attention is back on the tablet. ]

Yeah, it sounds like it happened out of no where. I don't think he even expected to go whacko.

[ It's hard not to notice the way Zell stares. Not when he's quiet for that moment as he is. But Zack just leans in on his knee more than he had before. ]

No... No, he didn't. But it's not like you expect yourself to be tied to some sorta crazy thing like that.

[ He stares hard at the floor for a second, a little on the lost side. But then he blinks and looks back up at Zell. ] But it doesn't change what he did. I don't think I could ever forgive him for that. [ No matter how off the deep end Angeal had gone, even he... even he hadn't gone that far. There'd been fear, but instead he'd... well. He was gone one way or another. Can't change that either. Zack reaches up to rubs his temples. ]

I know I wouldn't ever go back to ShinRa. Not after everything they did. But I sure hope whoever's still with them can turn around what they're doing and make things better. I mean if everyone who doesn't agree with them leaves, then it's never going to change.

[ Though the more people come around here that would have done some good for ShinRa, the more the chances feel like they're dwindling there. And that's if it's ever supposed to have a change. Maybe it's meant to end instead and if it is, well. Maybe that's better off, too. ]

[ ~~It's not about what Angeal did but would HE COULD DO BECAUSE HES A MONSTER~~

Zell fidgets as Zack's mind seems to drift. He decides to keep flicking through the pictures on the screen to see if he could put names to faces. He continues on, even while Zack talks. Tipping his head in his friend's direction to let him know he's paying attention. ]

You're going to be a mercenary, right? [ The corner of his mouth tugs at this as he remembers telling the older SOLDIER that he'll be his teacher and Zack going along with it. ]

Yeah, they have some good seeds in there. Like Cissnei's family. [ Because thinking the best of the Turks is a good idea. ] Hopefully they knock some sense in the corrupt assholes.

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I WIN THE OLDEST TAG

I DIDN'T THINK OF A PRIZE FOR THIS.

wow I demand a prize