The Causeway, then Midgar, Gaia, Thursday

[intraspective]

Tseng had come through for her. Which wasn't surprising, but was always nice, and Ino had had her pick of buildings to sort through and determine which they were going to burn down in the line of duty.

Several of them were in the slums of Midgar and, Ino, after serious consideration of their locations, had set them aside. She'd take care of them on her own, later, once Sparkle had burnt himself out and she'd seen him on his way.

Sparkle was squishy in weird places. The goal was to give him something to do, not have a shouting match with him with the denizens of the slums listening in. If that happened, she'd be the one fixing that whole mess and while she didn't have moral qualms about erasing people's memories, she'd rather not have to do it en masse because she hadn't considered Sparkle's personality properly beforehand.

That was just sloppy and Ino despised that. Besides, like her mentor, Ino always had treated her Rookies well.

Not that she was telling Sparkle he was a potential Rookie. No sense in scaring him off.

The buildings that weren't in the slums posed more promise, and by the time she was at the Causeway, waiting for him, Ino was well content with her picks.

Now, just to wait for Sparkle.

[For he who is mentioned!]

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[myownface]

Sparkle nodded. Okay, that seemed to track. It was... weird. Something for him to mull over later. But it tracked. Easier to let her do the talking about this sort of thing. It wasn't like he'd have the first clue what to say anyway, after all.

"Then I think I've got it. Do what you say and keep my mouth shut around people, more or less."

[intraspective]

"And, if you've gotta do somethin' where anyone might see," she drawled, as their portal opened up, "then do it with style!"

With a whip of her hair, she darted through the portal.

[myownface]

Sparkle blinked, and then laughed before chasing after her. Hell, why not? How was that ever a change from any other time anyway, right?

He'd be that one Turk with like five concealed knives, a tiny blaster from a different reality entirely, and glittery green fingernails. Style.

He came up short once he was through the portal, though, taking about three steps before blinking up. What... was up with that sky?

[intraspective]

That was totally style. He'd fit right in, if she could grind the gentle pieces of him off.

Ino was a few steps ahead of him, but she glanced back once she realized he'd stopped.

"Yo," she said, and after a quick sweep of her mind realized no one was super close to them, added, "what's up?"

[myownface]

Sparkle stared upwards for a few moments more before glancing back her way.

"I haven't seen a sky like that since Atton last took me to Nar Shaddaa," he explained, glancing up again. "Is it like that everywhere here?"

[intraspective]

"Just in the city," Ino said, shrugging. "Midgar's weather system is... different."

It probably wasn't healthy but it hadn't killed her yet. It was fine.

"Get a couple of clicks away from the city and it's like what you're used to."

[myownface]

"Huh," Sparkle said, tilting his head up for a moment more, and then shrugging it off. "Weird."

And that was about all he was going to say about that. See enough realities, all fucked up in their own special ways, and it started to get easier to just move on, sometimes.

"So, where to?"

[intraspective]

Shut up, Sparkle. Ino loved her dark, dirty, and green-skied home.

She stretched, reaching her hands up to the sky, and then laughed.

"Come on," she said, waving him on.

The city was dark, even though there were lights everywhere, and even though they were on the upper part of plate, the grime of humanity was present, along with the heavy scents of rusting metal, rot, and brick that had been left to sit in stagnant air. There was the screeching of metal screaming against metal, and the sounds of cars that chugged loudly, rather than quietly, and neon lit advertisements clamoured against pasted up posters for a voice.

Midgar screamed how alive it was, even without people around.

[myownface]

And Sparkle found himself a little bit in love with it, trying not to look too interested in any one thing while at the same time keeping up with Ino and trying to take in everything.

It was the Toronto that he couldn't have, the dirty parts of the city that he missed more than he cared to admit, all with a shiny finish, trying to make the upper plate into something far more classy than it really was. The dark corners were fascinating, so much more fascinating than whatever it was skulking around in the light.

The sky was worrisome, but the life below was warm and familiar, if only because of how cold and impersonal it all was.