fandomhighdorms | Behind the Dorms, Tuesday After Workshops

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Behind the Dorms, Tuesday After Workshops

When the reserves group gathered for today’s meeting, they’d be met with... Well, they’d be met with Zack, stepping forward and grinning brightly at the lot of them, maybe bouncing on his toes for good measure. Hey, just because there was the possibility of new people didn’t mean he was going to try to be all serious about it. Zack didn’t do serious all that well.

“Hey, guys! Welcome to the first reserves meeting of the new term!” He nodded toward the table that was set up nearby. “Help yourself to the cookies if you haven’t already? We’re going to take it easy today before we get into the serious stuff again next week. Introductions and things like that, in case there are any newbies around, you know? Starting with us, of course. I’m Zack Fair, SOLDIER 1st Class. I specialize in working with swords,” like the absolutely massive one on his back, “and take on some of the most heavy missions that my job back home can hand a guy. Usually on my own.”

“Kennedy,” the girl who was about half his size and cradling a crossbow in the crook of one arm spoke up. “Potential Slayer, trained to fight demons and your standard supernatural baddies. Long story, ask me later if you want to know. I know swords, not as much as Zack does, and knives and a few other things, but my real favorite is this baby here. I’ve been working with crossbows for nine years.”

“Jak,” said the blond who looked like he both desperately needed a haircut, and didn’t care much about haircuts to begin with. He also had ears that stuck out... at least several inches and tapered off to a pointy end, and a chunk of metal strapped to his thigh. “Freedom fighter. I’m good with hand-to-hand, but my thing is shooting things. Or blowing them up.” He took said chunk of metal from his thigh, pulled another chunk of metal off his back and pressed the two of them together. The whole affair stretched out suddenly, assuming the shape of a gun with a large blue cartridge shoved in the back. “Any questions?”

[Open reserves are open to all! Co-written with the usual suspects.]

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Zack had a huge sword on his back, a smile on his face that possibly rivalled the sword, a really awesome position helping to run the reserves corps, and a pocket full of cookies.

What wasn't to love, right?

He was totally there if anyone wanted to talk, or anything!

Or anything, really.

Cloud was more focused on staring like an idiot at the person he had not seen in way too much time. Happens when you die.

...Yeah, he was going to stare for a little more.

It took Zack a minute for the staring to sink in, and then a minute more, and he was staring back. Dim recognition was starting to seep into his features. Any moment, now...

"Cloud?" ... Brace yourself for the inevitable flying tackle that was incoming, here. "Cloud, wow, you've grown! And look at that outfit! That looks like modified SOLDIER garb, am I right?"

He was now trying to give Cloud a noogie... What? The Cloud that he knew was younger than Zack was, after all.

Cloud was a strong guy, he could take the tackle -even though it wasn't until that very moment when he realized that Zack was actually there-. "Zack", managed to say. "And yes, it's someth--ack!"

Noogies.

Really? Cloud had to remind himself he was younger, actually. "That...what are you doing?" He was tempted to throw the guy over, but at the same time wanted to at least be able to...what, hug? Ugh, this was way too uncomfortable.

Zack was still smiling brightly as he backed off, shrugging his shoulders lightly, and not even remotely apologetic.

"Just saying hi," he informed Cloud. Because, you know, that was totally how most people said hi, right? "So, you made SOLDIER? See, I told you you'd make it! How old are you? I mean, you're not my Cloud, right? The last time I saw you, back home you were just a tiny thing! ... And you got motion sick lots. So, you're going to school here, then? Maybe we're in a few of the same classes together! How have you been?"

... What? It was nice to see a familiar face from home. Even if this particular familiar face was a little older than he was used to.

To say Cloud was pissed would be...wait, he was actually grinning a good deal. Back home Tifa was probably feeling a cold shiver down her spine.

"I know, I know." That was a lot to answer. "I- in a way, yes, but not quite joined SOLIDER. I ended up doing something more...like me." He just hoped the mako eyes weren't ridiculously obvious to Zack. "I'm twenty one years old. Pretty sure I'm not anybody's...but yeah, not the Cloud you left when you came here, but the same altogether?" It was awesome to have his own memories of his time running around with Zack -because that's what their did, run around-. "...I am not tiny...and the motion sickness is still there." But he could ride Fenrir just fine. Airships were another story. "I'm not sure? That would be...good."

And the last was the most important, probable. "Haven't been better in years, actually."

Zack might or might not be able to break Cloud's shell. That was something Cloud would worry about. Oh, he would worry.

Zack laughed and gave a light clap of his hands. Yes, yes he had noticed the mako eyes. They weren't exactly easy to miss. But, well, Cloud didn't seem inclined to talk about them, and Zack wasn't about to pry. Anyhow, his future was his future, and he didn't want to put anyone, Cloud least of all, into an awkward situation by asking about things he wasn't supposed to know.

"Imagine that, huh? You, older than I am? I'm just sixteen." Just a young thing! A young thing with big hair! "We should totally spar sometime. Or just hang out! Most of the people around here from home aren't really so big on just hanging out. It's kind of weird. I thought I was on pretty good terms with the Turks, you know? And there are three of them here."

... Okay, so Reno was a bit of a jerk. And Elena hadn't joined the Turks until sometime later and didn't really know him personally until they'd met here. But Rosalind had seemed to know him! Oh well.

Cloudnwould make sure to talk about the mako eyes later. He was obviously keeping a good deal of things from Zack, but Cloud guessed thee was still a lot thy could talk about, like the things that happened before they met, and after they...parted ways, always as carefully as he could. And in spite of all that, Cloud realized he was more happy than worried about meeting Zack; if he could say the same about he Turks...

He couldn't help but smirk at that. "Apparently I'm you elder now. And we are so sparring soon, I'm taking your word on that." Because once his mind had gotten in order, Zack had been the one he had idolized all he time, and the chance of actually being capable of facing him now -the fact he needed to be five years older and with an upgrade her friend didn't have spoke a lot of the previous level difference- was probably like some sort of grift for him. "The Turks and I aren't really in any sort of relatioship or partnership...or talking terms at all, but Reno and I had a conversation and ...well, it all should be fine, I hope." And he still needed to meet that third Turk person.

"I'm all for hanging out, definitely. You need to give me a hand meeting people here anyway." If he was going to rely on someone, then Zack was the one. "I guess...we should try to catch up; I won't tell you stuff you obviously can't know, but I won't try to sound too cryptic neiher."

Zack's smile went a little wry for a moment, then.

"You don't have to worry about being too cryptic," Zack admitted. "I know a little, here and there. I mean, I know about-" A pause, then, and he chewed his lip anxiously. "Actually, I don't know how far ahead of me you are, and I don't have any basis for comparison, really. But... Midgar. I know about Midgar."

... Yeah. Zack never thought he'd see the day that he was being vague on purpose so that he wouldn't accidentally spoil somebody else while talking about a future he'd never seen.

And, though he didn't know it, a future he never would see.

Crap, crap crap crap.

He was so unprepared for this sort of thing. "I know about Midgar. I'm from a little past that." There, that should settle it.

Cloud was more or less mirroring Zack's thoughts, and all the while he was fighting the urge to get depressed at finding a friend and not able to-- no, stop that.

"Let's forget about that for now." It was better to focus on things they were both less restricted to talk about. To forget, or to pretend to forget. For Zack...he could try. "Right, I met Ino." And if Cloud had ever tried a 'You Dog!' sort of look, it would be that one.

Awww, Cloud's attempt at a look like that was cute, older than him or not! Somehow, Zack managed to resist the urge to give him another noogie! Lucky Cloud!

"Yeah?" Zack was grinning, now. Somehow, even more than before. "She's nice, isn't she?"

Zack was completely biased.

He was already mentally killing himself for that.

Apparently he had found a no-fail subject. "She is...quite impressive." In the sense Ino could easily pretend to be some years older than himself, probably. Scary ~~little girl.~~

Ino could be a good many things. All that mattered to Zack was that she could still be Ino, underneath the rest of it.

"You'll like her even more once you get to know her," Zack decided. Granted, this was what he thought about pretty much everybody. Ever. But still! Ino was special! "She's an amazing friend, you know."

The way he said friend suggested that he did not think of her as just a friend, but that maybe they still hadn't figured out a better word for it.

That was a pretty logical petition, actually.

"I'm looking forward to know her more, then." Just no in that way of friendship, because it would involve getting his head chopped off via Buster Blade. No, Cloud like his head, spiky hair or not. Actually, he wasn't the only with spiky hair now. The world was a good place right now.

"How long have you been here?"

"Me? Since last summer," Zack replied, puffing his chest out a little. Clearly his being here for over a year now meant that he was totally the authority on all things Fandom Island related! "It's a little weird now and then, but you get used to it."

A pause.

"But between the two of us? Most of the monsters that show up around here are kind of... Boring."

And he was! At least compared with Cloud. "Weird I can deal with, as long as it can be cut in half."

Oh, don't tell that to him. "Really? What have you fought here so far?"

"Oh, you know, alligators, vegetables, a giant lizard that puts most Bahamuts to shame..."

Seriously, Godzilla couldn't fly, but he'd been hardcore.

"Gremlins. Really, really boring ones. All that happened if you were bitten by one of those was that you bled lots. Anything can bite you so that you can bleed. Not like the ones back home that make you all depressed, or the usual ones here that make a person kinda crazy for a bit."

"I would like to take on that lizard sometime..." Because you haven't lived until you land some serious smackdown on Godzilla.

"That's...slightly gross. I suppose it would be nice to get something to attack sometime, as long as it isn't completely unchallenging." Hear those two, boasting on their awesome kick ass skills.

Zack wasn't even mentioning the vampires.

Zack wasn't so good with vampires, really.

"Oh, there'll be plenty of challenges, I'm sure. There's usually at least something every couple of months. It's a lot quieter than things are back home... But hey, that's what visits home are for. Right?"

Vampires would be interesting...but chances were Cloud wouldn't be that good against them either.

"Lookig forward that. And...I guess there is always home for when you need to kill something huge and dangerous." And now he was wondering how many never-written rules would he break if he went to Zack's Gaia. Probably a thousand.

Zack could introduce Cloud to Cloud! It would be awesome! And an absolutely terrible idea! But it wasn't as though Zack was well-known for his well thought-out plans, was it? He'd take them both out for ice cream!

"And here, there are always people who you can spar against, who are just as dangerous," he decided. "I'm rooming with Ino, if you ever find yourself getting bored, okay?"

[And now I go to sleep! SP?]

As if Cloud didn't have enough trauma on his life! It was way too dangerous, and he couldn't come to his own time, since, well, dead is dead.

Ice cream would be appreciated.

"I guess that's something. And she said that. I guess you'll be seeing more of me now."

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Behind the Dorms, Tuesday After Workshops

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