Yadrolla System Mingle

[lacyprincess]

Who: EVERYBODY
Broadcast: Yeah, sure, I guess
Action: The Fleet and the Yadrolla System
When: 4/29 - 6/8

[Hey, hey, look, we have a new system! Let's go compete in stuff and root for sportsball teams! System info is here!

GO WAVES!]

Comments

[wingenvy]

What kind of question is that? I took you with me because we're friends.

[And if Cloud means taking him from the lab, it's also because he's not fucking heartless.]

[moseyin]

No- I mean when we were in Shinra, Zack. Having someone to talk with on a boring mission, I get that, but you kept texting me after. Like adopting a stray cat. [See, he's not putting himself down because like, adopting cats is nice or

something]

[wingenvy]

[oh, well, in that case-]

Um, no, like being a friend. That's how friendship works.

[ANSWER IS UNCHANGED]

[moseyin]

Well- yeah. [snags a bit of drifting seaweed to toss it back into the water] After. I know that.

[wingenvy]

Not after. I met you at Modeoheim. We got along, you kept up just fine, we helped each other out, I liked you. In my mind, we were friends starting there.

[Probably the only reason he didn't immediately start to pester Cloud outside of work is because of how poorly that mission ended. He'd been in the wrong mental state to go chasing after new friends.]

[moseyin]

[Looks...not confused, but like he doesn't entirely believe Zack.] Sure. Yeah, we got along okay, I think. I remember that. [Doesn't remember all their conversations, but remembers leaving them with a lighter heart.]

[wingenvy]

[Stubborn little shit.]

Cloud, what's your definition of a friend?

[It might be a bit nitpicky, but this feels like an important difference between the two of them that he ought to know.]

[moseyin]

What- [heaves a sigh, splashing his hands into the water,] No, c'mon. Don't do that psycho-analyzing BS on me.

[wingenvy]

[STUBBORNLY SPLASHES BACK]

It's not psycho-BS, I'm serious! It's fine if you thought we weren't friends yet, but why are you so determined to believe that I was the same way?

[moseyin]

I- [Scowls at Zack before looking away, over toward the shore.] I dunno. I guess, I dunno, it's not like we talked a ton or hung out a ton. You were busy, and I was a nobody. Nobody else would think of that as friends.

[wingenvy]

Well, I did.

[Zack falls silent for a long moment, leaning away to float on his back, legs kicking aimlessly.]

...I was gonna call you, y'know. I really liked you. But then the mission went the way it did, and... I dunno, I didn't feel like doing much of anything for a while.

[Losing Angeal had been hard, a lot harder than he'd wanted to admit to anyone. And it would have been absurd to call up some poor trooper he barely knew just so he could blubber pathetically about it. Bad enough that he'd done it to Aerith so soon after meeting her.]

[moseyin]

[Cloud rubs the back of his neck. Yeah, he...doesn't remember much.] How long's a while?

[wingenvy]

Ah... a long while, if I'm gonna be honest. I mean, I was doing missions, and of course I was still dating Aerith! But I was also being watched by the Turks, and some people died... SOLDIER was struggling a lot, so they kept me busy, since most of the high-ranks were gone at that point.

[It's kind of amazing that he didn't have some kind of wild breakdown, with everything building up like that. Even his vacation was a disaster.]

I think it was maybe a year until I saw you again... ah, man, I feel really shitty about it now. I should've called.

[moseyin]

I'm not- I didn't ask cuz I'm tryin' to guilt trip you. [Sighs, ducking his head down to splash some water over his face and neck. Sun's so damn bright out here.] I don't remember being upset or anything, just...always happy when you could talk to me. That's it.

[wingenvy]

You're not guilting me, ya doofus.

[Zack swims a bit closer to splash at him again.]

I just wanna, I dunno... acknowledge that I screwed up sometimes, too. I'm spouting all this stuff about being your friend back then, but I should've been a better one. Lesson learned, right? I'm okay with it.

[moseyin]

You were going through a hard time. [Not that Cloud remembers, but just from what Zack's said- and shit, he knows Zack. There's not a lot in this world that can depress him, and he's been through half of it already.

...splashes him back.] Some of us have done way worse than just not call someone when they're in a rough patch.

[wingenvy]

That's a nice excuse.

[That's all it is, though. But true to his word he doesn't look like he's about to cry over it.]

What really matters is that we're friends now, right?

[moseyin]

[Cloud doesn't say a word, but after a moment he lifts an arm up, holding it out for Zack to knock against.

Yeah. That's the most important thing.]