Midgar, Gaia -- Sunday Afternoon

[intraspective]

It was—not funny, not really, how things were back to normal and yet not back to normal and even though she had fun on the missions she still felt…

Weird.

Was that unfair of her? Maybe it was. It wasn't fair at all to expect him to break confidentiality to her.

And it wasn't fair, either, to think she'd be able to help without all the information, right?

That sounded right, to her. But who knew?

Ino kicked her feet, making the movement look harmlessly adorable even while she wished she could lash out, and sipped at her milkshake. Of course, Zack showing her around missions had only lasted so long. They'd wanted to—talk to him, or something: she didn't really know. He'd looked apologetic, she'd acted dumb, and off he'd went.

Hmm. She didn't really want this milkshake any more. This wasn't exactly going great, so far as weekends went.

[NFB, NFI except for the one she doesn't know about. (And the boy. Always the boy.)]

Comments

[puppy_fair]

"You were going to recycle that, I hope."

Really, Ino. If you were walking down the street in Midgar, looking to toss aside your milkshake container, you really had to anticipate running into all types. Even the gung-ho nosy environmentalist types.

[intraspective]

Ino blinked at him. Vapidly.

"I was, uh, like--looking for a trash can?"

Maybe? Apparently? Watch Ino not be sure here.

[puppy_fair]

"The cup is recyclable," the young man said, nodding around a corner. "When you're living in a city as wasteful as Midgar, you really have to be more conscientious of these things. The Planet is in enough trouble as it is, without us helping it along."

[intraspective]

She stared a bit at him. Conscien--what?

"In trouble?" Ino asked, eyes wide as she skipped and bounced her way to peek around the corner. Cautiously! If caution wore a bright pink dress, strappy heels, and had bell earrings on. Tinkle tinkle tinkle! So not cautious at all. Ah ha! Was that a recycling bin? "But The Planet seems okay to me? What's wrong with Midgar?"

See spoilt, wide-eyed shopaholic. Ino clearly looked like someone who considered such things.

[puppy_fair]

Oh, clearly. This man could tell.

He was giving her a long, thoughtful look, before he picked a direction, any direction would do around here, and nodded toward one of the reactors, one of the massive pillars that spewed smoke and noxious waste into the air.

"Th reactors," he said, simply. "All around The Planet, the ShinRa have these monstrosities set up, poisoning the air we breathe, destroying the soil we grow food in, draining the life force from The Planet itself. That is what mako is, you know. Refined lifestream. Refined life."

[intraspective]

Ino chewed on her lower lip, sticking it out to look a bit pouty and confused while her mind raced. How was she supposed to answer that?

"But they give us light," she pointed out airily. "And cars and flying things!"

Clearly that made up for it all! "And it's only a little smoke, right?"

Yup.

[puppy_fair]

"If you think that the sky is supposed to be boiled spinach green, then you've been living on top of the plate too long, sister," the man replied, crossing his arms and making a 'tsk' sound as he shook his head. "ShinRa sympathizers, you're all the same. Too comfortable with your electricity to want to open your eyes wide enough to see the real problem at work, here."

[intraspective]

That all sounded very unpleasant and she blinked at him dubiously and cutely over her milkshake cup. All she'd wanted to do was throw it out, really!

She brightened at the word 'ShinRa'. "My boyfriend works with ShinRa," Ino shared, like the man should totally find that awesome. "But I don't."

She was too cute to work, see? What with her giggle.

[puppy_fair]

The man let out a low 'tch' sound, shaking his head.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what he does," he replied. "City so-called 'development?' Maybe Midgar's esteemed Security Department?"

[intraspective]

"Nuh huh!" she said, bouncing a bit on her feet and holding out one hand triumphantly. "He's a SOLDIER. He's a hero."

[puppy_fair]

"Some hero," the man scoffed, seeming entirely unperturbed by that revelation, though a careful observer might notice the almost anxious way his weight shifted from one foot to another. "Doing ShinRa's dirty work. Winning their wars so that they can harvest mako from nations that were doing well enough without. If you want my advice, sister, lose the SOLDIER. They're nothing but trouble. The real heroes are AVALANCHE."

[intraspective]

"You're awfully confused," she said, like she was concerned and worried about him. "Are you alright? Do you watch the news? The news doesn't lie you know. AVALANCHE is bad news--everyone knows."

All of it said with as much artful innocence as she could muster.

"And my boyfriend would never do anything bad," she said loyally.

[puppy_fair]

"I'm certain he's never come home with blood on his hands, or cleared monsters out of an area so that ShinRa engineers can set up more reactors, more ways of killing our planet." He frowned then, deeply, angrily. "If you really believe that, you're as much a lost cause as he is. You'll get what's coming to you, one way or another."

Death to the Shinra.

[puppy_fair]

Ring Ring, Ino! Your phone was ringing!

Betcha you're surprised, huh?

[intraspective]

Surprised! Yes! That was weird!

Ino wriggled her phone out, the pink one this time, and chirped into it: "Hi hi!"

[puppy_fair]

"I am never going to get used to that," Zack shared, conversationally. And then he laughed a bit and shook his head. "I'm done my debrief on... uh, yesterday's mission." You know, the one he was probably still in trouble for. "And I was hoping maybe you were still in the mood for one more before we head back? We shouuuuld have time for it."

[intraspective]

He couldn't see her, but she was doing a little bounce from foot to foot.

There were still issues, oh my yes, but she couldn't and wouldn't lose her smile right out here.

"Will it be a fun one?" she wheedled.

[puppy_fair]

"So long as we don't get hit with too much Karma, I'm sure it will be," Zack laughed, nodding. "I told you already, I think you'll like this."

Biiig grin. You could nearly hear it over the phone.

"Have I ever told you about Tonberries?"

[intraspective]

"Nooooooo?" she said, drawing the word out. "I think maybe I've heard the word before, but..."

[puppy_fair]

"Let's just say," Zack said, drawling out each and every word, "that they're cuuute."

And he had to beat some up! ... Um... Yay!

[intraspective]

"Where am I supposed to be?" she asked cutely. All over that! "You know I get turned around so easily!"

No, not really.

[puppy_fair]

Oh yeah, because she hadn't been playing airheaded and lost all weekend already. Zack sighed a little and rolled his eyes, but was smiling as he stepped outside of the ShinRa building.

"Well, where are you? If you can snag the spot by the fountain where we always meet, I can grab you there, and then we can make our run to the caves!"

The caves! Outside of Midgar! How exciting!

[intraspective]

"I can get there," she assured him, spinning in a little circle for absolutely no reason. "But you might beat me!"

She'd been out shopping! She totally was further than he was most likely!

She was going to start walking-bouncing along in that direction anyhow.

[puppy_fair]

"Well, that's fine, but if I beat you there, then I totally have dibs on any of the really awesome items that we pick up in the caves," Zack laughed.

... And naturally, he took to a run. Just to be sure.

[intraspective]

He was, of course, going to beat her. For one she was further away. For another she was pretending that she wasn't as badass as she was which limited her running options.

And so, her response was mostly giggling as she made her way at a briskish walk towards the fountain.

"You're cheating aren't you?"