Gun AU 3

[warmskies]

"You're leaving already, then?" Lazard asks.

It's a silly question, of course. They both know that there's no reason for the trio to stay much longer in Midgar - that it would only put them more at risk of being caught by ShinRa as it dug through Midgar to find those that had attacked it so flagrantly. Still, Sephiroth almost wishes... that it could be delayed, just a bit longer.

"Well, we're not immediately leaving," Gillian corrects, where she's carefully brushing her own wavy hair. Without being a complete mess from having a wig off, she seems a bit more at ease, and it falls around her face in a way that Sephiroth supposes must be pleasant to the eyes. All he can say is that... it suits her, in the end. "We still have to get a few supplies for the road all the way back home. We made quite a journey, you know. So we need to prepare. It wouldn't do to go out and then have us all be stuck in the middle of nowhere without any toilet paper."

There is a point to be made, there. While they clearly had enough things on hand to have a nice dinner just the other night... Sephiroth supposes that is a very different thing from getting ready for a long journey.

And... He still hasn't quite made a choice yet, for all that he hasn't been pressured for one. So as Genesis fusses with his clothing - still very bright and eyecatching red - and Angeal loosens his hair from where it'd stayed stuck in a ponytail the entire night, Sephiroth takes a breath. "Could we come with you?" he asks.

He has to wonder if he's made a mistake, with the way that the trio all pause, in sync. If he's intruding. If they find him to still be too suspicious, with how Genesis had to watch him throughout the night, and then passed that task onto Angeal at some point.

"We?" Gillian mentions gently, and, oh. Right.

While Sephiroth is struggling to admit to that slip of the tongue, Lazard takes one look at him before he smiles apologetically right back to Gillian. "It would be a little bit suspicious, I'm sure, if I returned to ShinRa headquarters before Sephiroth did. There would only be even more questions... and I have to admit that there will probably be far too many as it is."

As always, Sephiroth is so thankful to Lazard for being able to pick up on the little things like that. He doesn't know where he would be - well, metaphorically speaking, he doesn't know where he'd be without him.

Angeal's eyes light up much like Genesis's do. "So you're interested in staying with us for a little bit longer, huh?" he asks; Genesis is already on the move.

"With our company, who would ever want to leave?" Genesis says over his shoulder as he starts going through their luggage, searching for something. Searching through what Sephiroth is fairly sure is Angeal's luggage, actually... Angeal, who points at himself and mouths me while Genesis isn't looking.

Lazard also seems to have his own thoughts on that, but he's much more inclined to keeping quiet about such things. Instead, he says reasonably, "At any rate, while I am fully behind Sephiroth making his own choices on this matter - indeed, I hardly think I possess the power to stop him - I do have to ask how on earth you would all manage to escort him through the city and keep his identity from being discovered. Sephiroth is something of a household name, thanks to ShinRa's propaganda efforts. I can't imagine that there's a single person in this entire city who isn't familiar with, if not Sephiroth's name, then certainly his appearance."

Just being reminded of that little fact makes the corners of Sephiroth's mouth pinch. It's a rare occasion that has him go out into the rest of Midgar. For the most part, he's stuck to the same path that goes from ShinRa HQ - more notably the SOLDIER department - to his apartment. On a rare occasion, he's dared to venture out alongside Lazard, especially for things such as interviews or photoshoots.

A part of it is because he simply doesn't know what else he could possibly do. Freedom had always seemed foreign, frightening, in some strange way.

And then he had to also deal with the image of his own face - distant and cold and unapproachable, unlike any of the people he was passing by in the street - and Sephiroth decided that he really didn't need to venture out much into Midgar's streets.

"We could have him crossdress!" Genesis says over his shoulder. "Oh the heads that he could turn, while wearing a lovely little number of a dress! He would look stunning, and no one would suspect a single thing." His grin is wide, pleased, and maybe enjoying that mental image a little... too much? Sephiroth finds it hard to put a judgment on that one.

Lazard has no such trouble. "I was thinking that we could simply dye his hair."

If Lazard is making a face of distaste, then Genesis could go round for round with one of his own. "And ruin that beautiful long hair?"

It's not the first time that someone has commented about Sephiroth's hair, but he hadn't really expected it to come up in a time like this. He reaches up, taking a few strands inbetween his fingers. "Does it really matter that much...?"

Saying that is most definitely a mistake, with how both Lazard and Genesis speak up with very opposite views on the matter, so quickly that the words from both of them clash into nothing less than auditory goo. Over by the door, Gillian hides her mouth behind one hand and glances away. Angeal just shakes his head. "You're all ridiculous," he points out. "Dying that much hair would take us a week. Everyone move out of my way." And with that, he plucks some small bag off of the counter near the door, and gestures for Sephiroth to take a seat. "Genesis, go pull his hair back. You probably have some idea of what to do, better than me, at any rate."

"What?" Sephiroth says, but doesn't have much else to say before he's gently pushed down into a chair, and there's Genesis's fingers at his scalp.





"Oh, so you're taking a vacation? How extravagant!"

Gillian laughs, helping bag up her own groceries that will likely be prepared properly back in the apartment. "Oh, yes, but we had to make sure that he'd be a good fit for our family, you know! And they say that nothing really tests how a man will be in your family like seeing how he is while you're on vacation somewhere!"

"Uh huh, uh huh." The older woman just nods along, in complete agreement. "You have to make sure they're a good fit before you're stuck with them forever! But, you know..." And she lowers her voice, although it's not nearly low enough to escape Sephiroth's hearing. "Are you sure that you've picked a proper tour guide for Midgar, dear? I know he lead you to me, and oh bless me I'm more than happy for the business, but he doesn't look a tad bit suspicious."

Genesis snickers, flicking through a magazine that's at least three months out of date from the rack. "Oh, you're suspicious," he murmurs, doing a much better job of staying quiet than the cashier woman. "Now aren't you glad that Angeal can pull such wonders with makeup?"

Honestly, Sephiroth can't even say that Genesis is wrong. Even he hadn't quite recognized himself for a moment when he'd glanced at his reflection in the shabby bathroom mirror back in the apartment. It had taken a lot of hard work on Genesis's end, to pull all his hair back in complicated braids and twists so it could be hidden underneath a large baggy beanie hat of some sort... and, in that presentation, it had left his face completely bare so that Angeal could use makeup on him, seeming to completely change the structure of his face, his cheek bones, even give him what seems like scruff along his chin and crawling up around his mouth.

Combine that with the large round sunglasses he had been given, plus one of Angeal's large coats draping off his shoulders, the slouching that Angeal had carefully coached him into... and Sephiroth has to admit that the woman at the cashier might have a point. If nothing else, he looks nothing at all like the clean and slick image of Sephiroth that he's seen plastered across billboards and scrolling along on television sets displayed in windows.

Still, he does feel a little bit awkward, having that be said about himself. He resists the urge to reach up and scratch along his darkened eyebrows; it would ruin all of Angeal's hard work. "Do I truly look that suspicious...?"

"You look fine, Serifaki," Lazard murmurs back to him, and warmth crackles in Sephiroth's chest at an old nickname that he hasn't heard in many years, now. It distracts him completely from however the conversation between Gillian and the clerk is going, which has since moved from however suspicious Sephiroth looks. Speaking of - "Besides, people have an unpleasant habit of judging by looks. She doesn't even know anything about you or your abilities, yet she's already making judgment calls."

His brow pinches behind the frames of his glasses again, aggravated, before he smooths it all out again. Clearly something that's bugged him before, although Sephiroth couldn't say in what way.

"Don't stress too much about it," Angeal reassures them, while Lazard tugs at his gloves to ensure they're properly in place. "But hey, now you know how you can go walking around all you like."

Another thing that's true. Before Sephiroth can comment much on it, however, the clerk's voice suddenly rises up again. "But my goodness, you certainly picked a terribly exciting time to come and vacation here, darling! And I do mean terrible. What, with that attack on ShinRa! Have you heard? People are saying that a terrorist group from Wutai is responsible!"

Even as he's digesting all of that, letting it stew in his mind, Genesis suddenly speaks up, and loudly, next to him. "Oh, everyone knows that's not what happened at all!"

Sephiroth stares at him, the action hidden behind his glasses, not understanding why he'd just - draw attention to something like that. Over at the counter, the clerk perks up eagerly. "Oooh?" she asks, adjusting her own spectacles on her nose, the connecting chain clinking against itself. "And just what do you think happened, dear?"

Another laugh from Gillian, hidden daintily from behind one hand. "Oh, don't mind him," she says, even as Genesis gladly comes over at the beckoning. "He's been talking with far too many friends lately, and they all have this grand idea."

"It's hardly unbelievable," Genesis insists, a grin spread across his face that Sehiroth doesn't understand, not initially, before he turns his attention back to the clerk. "You see, it all sounds unbelievable until you realize that whatever was happening was clearly just a ShinRa PR stunt!"

"Shut up about the ShinRa PR stunt!" Angeal calls over his shoulder as he starts taking the bags over to the larger pack that he's got set up. It almost sounds as though they've argued this a thousand times before... even though Sephiroth knows, on the factual basis on how he's been with them for what must be a solid twelve hours now, that they haven't argued about this even once.

Because they were the ones who did it in the first place.

Genesis does Not shut up about the "ShinRa PR stunt". Instead, he leans in towards the utterly engrossed clerk. "You see, we realized it simply didn't make sense. Who on earth could make it all the way into the heart of Midgar, right to ShinRa's buildings, and unleash a summon of that size, before just flying off, without a trace?"

"We don't know if it's without a trace, dear," Gillian says mildly, nudging up her sunglasses with the corner of her wallet before she starts to pull out the necessary gil as payment.

"Without a trace," Genesis insists, while the clerk nods along in fascination. "The whole thing is full of far too much mystery! Drama!" He flares his hands out, fingers spread wide. "And do we really think that ShinRa, with its SOLDIER program, would really just let some anybody waltz right in and summon a giant dragon from out of nowhere?" His hands flop to the side, and he shakes his head. "I simply do not buy it, not one bit. It absolutely has to be some sort of stunt - or perhaps even something that they were filming for a movie." He smirks. "Do you think they need a leading man, perhaps a dashing redheaded spy...?"

Gillian lightly swats him away until he goes to help Angeal with the various bags, smiling at the clerk. "He's become rather enamored with all the drama from last night," she says. "I do hope that he didn't bother you too much with his wild ideas. Well, it was nice speaking with you. I hope you have a nice day."

Sephiroth is loaded with various bags of his own to carry as well, of course, before he follows after the rest of them, with Lazard at his side, and Gillian leading the entire group. As they go, he can hear the phone ring behind them, and a following click. "Hello, this is Passing Corner. Oh, Missis Repira? Yes, we have that order of dumbapples you asked about. Oh, but before that, my dear, you have to hear about this interesting bit of gossip that I just heard about that attack on the ShinRa tower last night..."

The door swings shut behind them, cutting off that conversation before he can hear much more of it.

He at least has the good sense to stay quiet for around a block or more before he leans in towards Genesis. "Why did you lie like that?" he asks, unable to hold himself back. He doesn't want to wait until they've all gotten back to the apartment. If he waits too long... It feels as though he might lose his chance to ask any of them anything.

With the way that Genesis glances sidelong and back at him, Sephiroth can just barely see the mako-blue of his eyes past his sunglasses. "ShinRa thrives on having all the information under its control," Genesis mutters back to him. "It's why they're such a powerhouse of a business. I'm sure you're well aware of that. But try as they would quite like, ShinRa still can't quite control every little detail in the world. They can't control the people that are outside their direct employment, not as much as their own." He tilts his head back, lets the sunglasses slide back into place against the bridge of his nose. "And it is in those little cracks, my wonderful fledgling, that we thrive, and upon we can move."

The cracks through which they can move... It is not a way of life that Sephiroth has ever known, and just imagining it has him lost in his own head, guided by Lazard and his instinctual follow after Angeal and Genesis.

There'd been no crack in the labs where he was raised - perhaps even where he was born, judging by what Gillian has told him. There were only the smoothness of the walls, a life that trapped him utterly and completely. Then, Lazard had pulled him out from there, and he was put into SOLDIER.

Were there more cracks there? Had there always been cracks, and he had simply never thought to search them out, to stretch forth his hand and find that which crumbled underneath his touch? Would he have been allowed that?

All of that is in the past, of course. He knows that there is no way for him to go back and change it. It's just...

In front of him, now, is a crack so large that there is no way that he can possibly miss it. A crack that could become something all the larger, strike all the deeper, and there's no one, now, that could grab his wrist and stop him.

It's as they're on the way back to the apartment building, in the more residential district that borders the commercial, that Angeal suddenly pauses. "Hey, do you smell blood?" he asks, apparently to the group as a whole. Right as he asks, Gillian reaches back, accepting one of the bags in his arms.

Genesis's nose wrinkles. "Of course, when you ask like that, I can't even deny that I was hearing the sounds of a fight breaking off... Yes, down that alley-"

The direction almost seems to be an afterthought - or maybe it's just hard to tell which comes first, Genesis's directions or the way that Angeal is already turning to move. Maybe it doesn't matter. Sephiroth hesitates for but a split second before he sets down the bags he was holding as well, and then he's giving chase, right at Angeal's back. Lazard calls out his name. For the first time, Sephiroth ignores him.

He'd known that Angeal was quick just from the second that they'd clashed against one another in ShinRa. Maybe it's exactly because he knows this that he's able to keep up with him, that he isn't caught off guard by the sharpness of his turns or how he moves so fast. All he has to focus on is Angeal, and following him.

Midgar alleyways seem mazelike, sometimes, splintering off wildly, some places cut off with fences, others leading to locked doors, all different paths. Angeal doesn't hesitate in the slightest. Every step, every turn, is so completely confident that Sephiroth as well doesn't doubt where they're going. All he does is follow Angeal, until there's the sound of violent impact, until there's a corner turned, and they can see a pair of people surrounded by a trio in familiar dark suits.

One of the Turks is already turning around at the sound of rushing footsteps. All that does for them is it's their chest Angeal slams his boot into, kicking them straight past the pair being ganged upon and against the wall. Even as their compatriot is slumping to the ground, heaving for breath, the other Turks are already pulling out their weapons.

Unfortunately for them, that doesn't matter. Sephiroth made sure to get in training of his own in unarmed combat. He can't speak for Angeal, but judging by the way he immediately twists around with a fist straight against a Turk's stomach? He's well versed as well.

Sephiroth's hand slamming their head to the ground. Angeal knocking the breath out of another. In the span of less than a minute, they've downed the pair of Turks, leaving just them standing amidst some unconscious bodies, and a pair of civilians scared out of their minds. "Oh, so you're not that bad," Angeal says mildly, as though the two of them didn't clash up in ShinRa tower. Sephiroth wrinkles his brow a bit at such a casual statement, but Angeal is already looking over to the pair. "Alright, so how are you two feeling? Are you both alright? Any injuries?"

Snapping out of it a bit, one of the people shakes their head. "N-No, we're fine, it's just - those were Turks, you know?"

"Don't you worry about what they are," Angeal says, tilting his head just enough for the mako glow of his eyes to be visible before straightening. "We'll deal with that. What I'm more interested in is why they were ganging up on a pair of civilians such as yourself. I'm going to take it that they didn't need to steal your lunch money... or the Turks have fallen far more than I thought."

Both of the civilians glance at each other for a moment before one makes the choice to speak. "It... had to do with the lower plates. They wanted to know what people had been down there lately, who was doing business with any of the weapon or materia vendors down there."

That the Turks had reason to believe that a pair of civilians like that... That means there's probably a story here, one that could mean a whole lot if he just had the resources to investigate it a little more. Angeal just nods however, like of course that's what he expected. "Let me guess, there wasn't anything to tell them, right? You'd think if they were going to be heavy handed about their investigation, they could have just outsourced to us in SOLDIER in the first place."

...Oh. Sephiroth... thinks he understands what's going on here. The wrinkles in his brow smooths up, and the expressions on the civilians' faces seems to mimic that even if they can't possibly see his expression behind his large shades. "We said that we hadn't seen anything before we came up here this morning, but they wouldn't take no for an answer, at least not right away. They said that we were going to regret it if we were lying. But there's only so many places we hang out at, you know? Besides, no one would do anything that big without getting Corneo's attention, right?"

"But that's Turks for you, huh?" Angeal says, and the other person snorts in what is apparently agreement. "Anyway, I trust that resourceful types like you can conjure up some rope or ties for me."

They can, as a matter of fact, especially when Angeal ferrets through the Turks' pockets and takes all the gil that they have on them, offering to split it halfways. While Angeal ties the Turks up - "Just as a fun prank, definitely not a reminder that SOLDIER kicked their asses" - he starts up casual conversation with them. Sephiroth can't help but marvel the process. It only takes but a few minutes to string the Turks up positions that even he can recognize as embarrassing... and those few minutes are well used to talk with the civilians, getting information about what's going on down in the lower plates and a names that Angeal stores away in his head.

When the pair have finally scurried away, no doubt to lay low in the slums as much as possible, Sephiroth tilts his head to Angeal. "Did... you know that they would have information on all of that? That they were being attacked by Turks?"

"He absolutely did not," says Gen, his voice filtering from up high, before there's the beat of his dark wing. He lands not far away from them, sunglasses pushed over his hair and Lazard in his arms where the blond clings tightly. Gillian is on his back, peering over at the Turks curiously. "I knew you'd get involved. You always do."

Angeal taps his temple, peering over the top of his sunglasses again to grin. "But it worked out this time, didn't it?"

"Ugh!"

"Wait," says Sephiroth, frowning. "If you didn't know that this involved Turks, why... did you get involved? Especially when ShinRa is looking for you all?"

"A true bleeding heart," Genesis sighs dramatically.

As retaliation, Angeael reaches over and smacks him in the shoulder with the back of his hand. "Because they were in danger," is what he says instead, matter of factly. "If I could reach out and help someone, and didn't, then it'd be against my honor. I couldn't go on living properly, if that knowledge was weighing on me."

Is that sort of thinking what people mean when they speak of heroes? Someone who, even with ShinRa searching desperately for him and wanting to eliminate the threat he poses, would turn to the side and reach out to someone he thought was in danger? Someone who would help without a second glance, just like that? Even Lazard, he thinks, isn't quite like that... and Lazard helped him in a way that no one else ever did.

"Well, it is true that it's all worked out this time," Gillian agrees, freeing the Turks from having to carry on the burden of ammo and tucking it away into her purse. "Some of the shops that they mentioned down in the lower plates seem as though they could be interesting, however... A shame that there's not nearly enough time for all of us to go down together."

Interesting? Well, considering that some of the shops named seemed to be weapons shops... Sephiroth can imagine why Gillian would be interested. That's probably why Angeal makes a dismissive gesture. "I can go investigate while you and Genesis pack up, Ma. I know you've been wanting to get some better materia than we've got our hands on lately. And maybe a gun with recoil that doesn't suck as much."

They're talking again as though he and Lazard are already non-entities in all of this... That is the most logical assumption to go with, Sephiroth must admit. Lazard has an important position as the head of SOLDIER, and him? He...

"May I come with you?" he asks suddenly, just like when he first expressed wanting to go shopping with them at all.

The more mundane shopping was one thing, and he knows that. For them to go somewhere as risky as down into the lower plates, where Angeal may need to react decisively on matters, where they'll have to figure out how to get onto the trains without being caught for who they are and how they don't belong...

Angeal eyes him for only a second before he nods. "Well, if you want, although I don't expect it will be particularly exciting."

"I'm-" Genesis cuts himself off before he's even begun a proper sentence, and his head shifts just slightly to focus in Gillian's direction. Sephiroth can tell, for all that the action is so slight that it'd be otherwise missed. It's simply, in situations like this, Sephiroth needs all the information he can get.

Still adjusting the room in her purse where she's stored all the ammo - an impressive show of organizational capabilities in Sephiroth's book - Gillian nods. "Oh, if you want to tag along, Gen, then that should be fine, as long as you boys don't take too long playing about. I should be able to get the bulk of things done, or at least no small amount." She smiles over at the two. "And I'll have a helper as well."

Lazard blinks. For this entire outing, while not as severely as Sephiroth, he too has had to adjust his appearance somewhat... And yet all of that seems to have been a bit of a waste, with his swept back hair sticking out in awkward directions from presumably the sudden flight, and his large gaudy sunglasses slightly askew. Being suddenly roped into helping a fugitive pack her family bags only serves to make him look even more befuddled, and he hasn't even made it back to the apartment yet.

Yet one does not become the head of SOLDIER by staying shaken on their feet. Sliding the sunglasses from his face and replacing them with the glasses that actually help him see anything at all, Lazard politely nods to Gillian. "Of course - it is the least that I could do after you prepared dinner for us," he says, not mentioning the kidnapping attempt whatsoever.

No, that doesn't seem worth Lazard's attention at all. What does, however... appears to be Sephiroth, as the blond moves away from Genesis to lightly touch one of Sephiroth's arms.

"For what it is worth," he says quietly, trying to keep his voice trapped between just the two of them, "the lower districts and plates - especially down in the area of Wall Market - are all the sort of shops that will ask no questions so long as you have enough money to buy what they have to offer. You will want to make sure that you get some camping gear, anything that is light and will keep you warm in the night. I'm certain that you know well enough the kind of items that are lightweight enough while being invaluable to staying out in the wilderness. A place to sleep, something to start fires so that you can save on using materia, and knives. There is always a reason to have good knives on hand. Whatever they have available... take advantage."

There it is again. Lazard talking about him leaving as though it's such an obvious conclusion, as tho there's nothing else that he would do. It really must seem so clear from his point of view...

Sensible. It's all so sensible. If he really does make a choice to leave Midgar, to leave SOLDIER, maybe even to be alongside Gillian and Genesis and Angeal.... Then of course he will need new things to help him along the way. It's just that he really does hate it. Sephiroth doesn't say anything against him, however.

All he says, quietly, is, "I will keep that in mind, Lazard." He tilts his head to the side. "Take care to not have the gun pointed at you again."

Gillian laughs into her hand behind Lazard's back as he coughs into his own. "I... will certainly keep that in mind, thank you, Sephiroth."

The problem with getting into the lower plates and districts, of course, is that the train that connects all of them has a scanner which checks if there are any "freeloaders" - as Sephiroth has heard them described - scamming onto the trains. When he brings this up after they've dropped the shopping supplies off at the apartment, Angeal taps his lips. "Oh, we have our ways," he says slyly, exchanging a grin with Genesis as the redhead emerges from one of the rooms.

As it turns out, those "ways" involve Angeal's broad form covering Genesis's when they go up to one of the terminals, and the sound of... something before both of them move away, casual as anything. "We've had some years to practice a few things," Angeal murmurs to him, when they encourage him down to the seats.

On his other side, Genesis leans close, pleased as anything. "Ma is always so supportive of our interests," he purrs, his hand resting along Sephiroth's arm. "And it's amazing what people will throw into the junk pile... Who really misses any of it?"

"And maybe a little theft on the side," Angeal concedes.

"Just every now and then. If they have the money for such fancy technology, they can just get something else again."

Sephiroth... has to admit that his understanding of law may very well be somewhat biased, on account of the education that the scientists and ShinRa gave him. It was Lazard who had to explain to him nuances, on how some people needed to do things that were against the law in order to survive, and that some people who broke the law for selfish reasons could get away with it even when it wasn't fair.

What is "fair" and what is "lawful", Sephiroth eventually learned, were not always the same thing... and he's not entirely sure where on earth Angeal and Genesis fall.

Maybe that isn't something that he needs to figure out just yet. Instead, he turns his head and watches the city rush past them, interspersed occasionally with brick walls or thick pipes blocking the view. The further they go down, the more it all gets hidden away... something he can't help but be fascinated by.

"I've never gone this far," he mentions, just because... It just feels like something to say. Something he can say, and which will be listened to, and understood. Sure enough, Angeal tilts his head towards him, showing he's listening. "It's always been the same two districts."

The district that he was made to live in, the district practically in ShinRa's own vicinity, and then the district where he would be used for various events that ShinRa decided on. Photoshoots, interviews... All things he didn't really care about, but that he knew would make Lazard's life easier in getting prestige and heft for SOLDIER.

"How boring," Genesis sighs, crossing one leg over the other. "Only two places in the entire wide world!"

"Technically, I have been on missions to many places-"

"Just two!" Genesis sweeps his hand through the air and shakes his head. "I bet you haven't even gone to see Loveless. One of the greatest plays in the entire world, and yet you probably  haven't even glanced at it. Well, if I must be honest, the play that they have advertised all about is fantastic, but there are a few things which could be improved upon. After all, it's the main poem upon which it is based that is doing all of the heavy lifting, but-"

"Oh boy," Angeal mutters, letting his head rest back against his seat. "There he goes again."

In the course of the fifteen minutes it takes for them to reach their stop, Genesis has not only explained to him the entirety of the plot of Loveless and all its mysteries - a poem that Sephiroth didn't even know was its own thing but as a theatre production - but he's also told him.... Literally everything else about it. All the things that most play adaptions tend to leave behind or not focus on, the most common inaccuracies or things that people think are true but aren't...

There's simply so much information about this incredibly niche subject matter Sephiroth never thought would be relevant to him in his daily life. By the time he steps off the train, he nearly feels dizzy with it.

"That is why you will find more well rounded productions off of the main theatres," Genesis is still telling him, before Angeal finally puts a hand over his mouth. A blessed, holy hand.

"We'll have to travel through a few dump sites, from what I remember of Midgar maps, if we want to make this quick," Angeal muses, hand shaking a bit as Genesis tugs his wrist. "There might be a few monster infestations too... I noticed that when we were looking over things before not that long ago." A pause, and then, in the most deadpan tone - "Ow. Genesis, did you have to bite me?"

Monster infestations... Sephiroth considers his position as he stares down at his own hands. Things that should, in theory, be easy enogh to avoid. Even if he never drew Masamune - hidden away as an "umbrella" on his back - then likely he would be fine. So would Angeal, if Turks were no match for him, and Genesis clearly has no small amount of magic with how he summoned Bahamut. Although, what they're also talking about in making quick time so that Angeal and Genesis can return to Gillian...

"Sephiroth." He blinks, looks up. Angeal and Genesis are already down the train platform steps, their heads turned back to him. It's Genesis speaking, teeth no longer latched onto Angeal's palm. "Come, now. Are you always lost in your own head to such a degree?"

Oh, of course. Sephiroth hurries over to join the pair, following them even as they take off down a much less lit path from the train station. "No... I have always been able to keep myself focused." He hesitates just a moment before admitting, "You've both given me a great deal to think about, and I do not know what else to do with it."

"And 75% of that was a Loveless dissertation," Angeal comments, which earns him an elbow into his ribcage.

"The blessing of knowledge comes with it the heavy burden of choice," Genesis sighs, glancing to the far off flickering lights of the plate high above their heads. Sephiroth isn't entirely sure if he's actually looking at anything, or merely doing so for dramatic effect. He thinks... Genesis may do a lot of things for the latter. "Yet what holds one back the most is not that choice, but rather the dissonance between the chains we have placed upon our own selves and the yearnings of our heart. What do you truly desire, Sephiroth, great hero of ShinRa with all the wealth that could satisfy a comfortable life?"

Comfortable? Maybe so. Certainly Sephiroth knows that he has never lacked anything in his life ever since Lazard got him into the SOLDIER program. He has had a roof over his head, food that could keep him full and healthy. Materially, nothing was really out of his reach...

So why does he feel as though Genesis is needling at him...? Sephiroth frowns, keeping up with the other two well enough. "Do you truly want to know?"

It's a question directed to Genesis, but it's Angeal who answers. "He does," he confirms. "And so do I. You asked to go shopping with us, and now you're down here with us, too, in the lower districts. What are you looking for, Sephiroth?"

What is he looking for? In the end, that is what the question comes down to. If he goes back to his normal life in ShinRa - can he go back to that kind of life, knowing what he knows now? What would he do with the information that Gillian has given him? Would ShinRa care at all even if he did know, so long as he continued to live that life they'd put him on a track for?

"I want Lazard," he says, and for some reason Genesis whips his head around to stare back at him with something that seems considerably more delighted and intrigued than Sephiroth would have thought his answer deserved. "Before he found me, I simply stayed there, down in the labs, with Hojo and so many other scientists... I'm not sure if I ever had a future there. It is thanks to him at all... that you could have seen me there, up in ShinRa towers. I think any sort of future I have... I can only imagine him there with me, even with what I know. To not have him there with me..."

It's hard to imagine a life outside of Midgar, although Sephiroth thinks he might almost be able to, just going off of what was told to him by Angeal the other night. Taking care of monsters, keeping a home clean, maybe having a garden... It's all so mundane and quiet, but it does seem like a life rather than simply passing days away on missions or sitting in an empty apartment.

But in that same vein... It's impossible for him to imagine any kind of life without Lazard in it.

"Of course, I understand that would be impossible. Lazard has a life he has established here, and he has worked incredibly hard to get to where he is in ShinRa, in making SOLDIER what it is. I know... that he cannot just leave everything behind because I want him to. And it would be a problem for all of you as well, if you were to take someone of such high standing with you."

Genesis hums. "Oh, we could simply say that we kidnapped him, should anyone ask, and that he was forced to go along with our demands lest we kill him horribly."

...He was expecting more of an argument, quite frankly. Or an agreement that, indeed, it would be a terrible idea for him to bring Lazard along. His bewilderment, or maybe it's annoyance, must show in some capacity. All it takes is for Angeal to take one look before he chuckles. "Listen... If there's anyone who understands that life is worth living because of one chosen person... Then it's the two of us. So it would be hypocritical if we were to tell you that you're wrong to desire that kind of life for you and Lazard together. I don't think we could in good conscience say that you shouldn't bring him. But that's ultimately not something that's up to us."

What? "But... If I were to go anywhere, then it seems as though it would be better for me to go with all of you. To that end... It would be a burden. So your opinion is vital."

"I mean, certainly you would want to talk with us about it, but.... There's someone else you need to speak with far more than me, or Genesis, or even Ma."

Someone else... Sephiroth thinks he understands. He thinks. Before he can get any clarification, however, Genesis pulls away from Angeal's side with a sigh. "This is a conversation that, I am afraid, will have to wait for a few moments. Eyes up, Geal." From amongst the alleys, peering out from piles of discarded trash and debris are too bright eyes, and some ooze slips over pieces of metal.

Genesis is quite right. This conversation is one better suited to an air a little more clean of monstrous nuisances.

For the state that some of the more unpleasant districts are in, they actually only encounter a handful of monsters in their alleged shortcut to the shops that Angeal heard about. Perhaps after the first couple of slaughters, the smell of their kin drives away others that ponder attacking... or maybe it's something else. The minds of most monsters, after all, are an enigma. What isn't an enigma is getting to the more lit and populated areas, where monsters are not so bold, and where Angeal makes a prompt beeline for one rickety building that looks as though it's five shacks piled on top of one another.

"So, lets say that you did manage to convince Lazard to come with you, and apparently with us," Angeal says when they're all inside, and he's looking through some of the shelves that hold potions and the like. Everything seems to be hidden behind wire and glass, at the very least. No doubt a deterrent for theft. "Have you thought about what you're going to do after?"

Another weakness in everything that's going through his mind. All Sephiroth can do is shake his head, feeling foolish for such reckless ideas.

Before every mission, after all, it is absolutely vital to know ahead of time what the situation is going to be like. How many enemies are estimated to be there? Will they be armed? Have materia or trained monsters? What is the terrain like? What is his squad like? Is this a solo mission? There are so many details that are necessary to success that it overwhelms some of the newer recruits, or people who aren't used to the increased responsibilities that come with a Second Class promotion.

Should he even be entertaining an idea like this, when he hasn't made all the necessary plans? "No... I haven't." And there is an apology of sorts waiting in his mouth, tucked against the inside of his cheek. An answer to the question he's been constantly asked.

"Well, you can just figure it out from there," Genesis says, and Sephiroth's brain stutters for a second.

Just... figure it out? Something that means so much, that will have such an immense impact, and Genesis truly thinks he should just... do it regardless of any plan he may or may not have in place? He wants to ask how on earth he's gotten this far with thinking like that, but Angeal suddenly perks up. "Genesis - listen stop looking at those used books, get over here, see this?"

More thoughts to stew on all by himself. Sephiroth knows that he is but a guest on this shopping trip, however, and trails after Genesis's eager steps to see what it is that has gotten Angeal's attention like this.

Sephiroth would not consider himself a scientist, or an engineer, or anything of the sort. From start to finish, what ShinRa wanted for him personally was to be a soldier, the SOLDIER, a weapon that they could point in one direction and set loose. Even with Lazard doing his best to have him be his own person, Sephiroth has always known that to be a simple fact. And before that? When he was in the labs? To be quite frank.... It's hard to say exactly what the scientists, what Hojo, truly wanted of him... besides that he be their little science experiment to do exactly what they said. Even before the revelation he's gotten with Gillian, Sephiroth has always known that much.

But... that doesn't mean he's only a soldier. Only muscle. He's learned more than enough simply from the tests that the scientists put him through, what Hojo demanded he be, and from going onto the field and paying attention.

So he's no scientist or engineer, just someone who's managed to pick up a few things. For example: he's picked up enough knowledge to understand that the item on display - not even hidden behind glass or fencing like many of the other items - is a very old and rather broken piece of lab equipment. Sephiroth has never seen this particular model himself, of course, but he can recognize most of the structure regardless. After all, sometimes the base structure is still very good, only expanded upon or improved in later incarnations. This one has to do with.... Hm. Analyzing specific aspects of genes, he thinks...?

However, its condition really is terribly poor. It seems to be missing some vital glass components that would go into it - where blood is deposited - and an entire panel off the side is gone. He never got a good look into the insides of one, but that doesn't mean much. Even with his lack of knowledge, he can tell that there are gaps where wires or parts should be. It's not completely disassembled... but it's easy to see why it's in a junkyard shop like this one, and not hidden behind any protective measures.

Likely, it was tossed out years ago judging by the layer of dust which is severe even for a place like this, and picked up from amongst the refuse. Sephiroth would wonder why it was even put out on display... Maybe Angeal or Genesis would know.

Certainly the two of them seem rather excited about it, whispering to one another in quick back and forths that let slip that particular accent which has peeked through in Angeal's words now and then. Musings about how much damage there is, what needs to be replaced, what could even act as a proxy of sorts in lieu of the proper material or part. In but a few seconds, they come to a decision, and Genesis goes off to quickly point out a suitcase hanging along the back wall as well.

It's not a weapon, or ammo, or materia, all of which Sephiroth presumed the two of them would get based off of Gillian's words. In fact, it seems rather the opposite, and almost a waste. "That is broken," he points out to them, even as Angeal is carefully arranging the device inside the suitcase for proper carrying. "Is it really worth it to take that, when there are other options...?"

"Sometimes, options only exist for people with enough money," Angeal counters, backing up with his hands raised while Genesis makes a go at the suitcase instead. "Easier to get something broken and put in the work to fixing it up a little bit."

Sephiroth isn't entirely sure if something like that can be fixed... but with Genesis's way with words and what he suspects to be a natural pushiness, the thing is got for practically nothing, so he supposes nothing has been lost with its "purchase", liberal definition as it is. He tilts his head to the side, mind carefully picking through everything he's learned about them and piecing it all together. It's obvious, he knows that, and yet it feels so very antithetical to his life experiences that he feels the need to hold it up to the light, inspect it all anew.

"...And you really think that you will be able to - hotwire fixes to get it in working condition again? Truly?"

Genesis's grin, as so many of his seem to be, is bright and confident. Alluring. No one has ever grinned at Sephiroth like that before, quite frankly, put off by his status and appearance, and yet Genesis hesitates not the slightest. "Perhaps if you come with us, you can watch us work our magic," he teases. "You may find some very interesting tricks that our hands are capable of."

Tempting, tempting, always so tempting. Should he tell Genesis that, when he had just admitted that he wasn't sure of what he wanted to do with a life outside of Midgar, outside of SOLDIER?

"Next shop, lets go," Angeal says, and they tug him along in a way that's really only partially physical right out the door, back onto the streets.

That anyone can pick up trashed technology and be confident that they can fix it... say something about them, Sephiroth thinks. But he's fairly certain that there is a lot to say about Angeal and Genesis. More than he has the words to express, for right now. So he doesn't bother speaking on that front, and instead takes in this life that he's never had a glimpse of before.

Genesis actually laughs at him a little bit, with the way that his head is turning. "Truly like a little bird fluttering from his nest for the first time," he says, handing him a backpack apparently just to... inspect it. "One day, we ought to take you flying and you'll really see the world for what it is."

"If you want to," Angeal says, eyeing some thirdhand clothes that boast very faded slogans on the front. "But it might do you some good, with the kind of life you've apparently led."

Sephiroth raises an eyebrow. "I would imagine that two men flying through the sky would make them very easy to spot," he points out, and accepts a coat that Angeal hands over to him. "Why are you giving this to me?"

There's a pause. "I guess... I just want you to have something that's actually yours, whether or not you come with us," Angeal tells him, words slow and measured. "From what you've indicated about life in SOLDIER, what Lazard has tried to do for you... I think sometimes just having something of your own might help." He shakes his head. "Well, this is all just me making assumptions, I suppose."

Something.... of his own. Something of his own choice, a small little thing like a coat, before he ever makes a much large decision on what his life will be like. Sephiroth stares down at the coat, all dark leather, and he wonders.

For the first time, he wonders how he would look, wearing a particular item of clothing.

Outside of the shop, there's yelling, and all three of them jerk their heads up. From behind the counter, disregarding anything else that might be on display, the clerk jolts up only to yank down the barrier over her little window for what measly protection it could offer. That's fine, for her. For Sephiroth, and Angeal and Genesis as well... They have no other choice but to carefully push open the door and peer out onto the dirt streets.

Various people, children especially running as quick as they can, are all scattering, but it's hard to tell if they're running fast enough. Some are certainly unlucky, lined up against some walls while the kind of thugs Sephiroth has only seen in commercials for movies bark at them. Besides him, Genesis steps pointedly on Angeal's foot. "Don't you dare get involved in more heroism," he hisses.

"I'm not sure if we have a choice," Sephiroth says slowly, narrowing his eyes as he focuses on the weapons the thugs are holding. Guns, for some of them, and swords for others. For the guns in particular... "They're holding ShinRa grade weapons." Although that makes him wonder just what on earth some thugs down in the lower districts are doing with weaponry like that. Surely they couldn't have stolen them, could they...?

Angeal lets a slow breath hiss out from between his teeth. "Well, this is a little bit awkward, now, isn't it." Carefully, he steps back from the door, and closes it. "I have a feeling that the shopkeep isn't exactly going to let us use a back exit either, if there even is one."

He doesn't say anything about trying to slip out the front door, and Sephiroth can see why. The positioning simply isn't ideal; they'll no doubt be seen the second they all try to go out. This would probably have been true for the fact that they're three people in plain sight. That they are three very tall men, clearly strangers to this area, one of them carrying a very big umbrella...

And that those thugs were carrying ShinRa weapons... Sephiroth has to wonder. "Do you think... they're going around based on ShinRa's orders?" he asks, although it seems strange to think. ShinRa has Turks, and SOLDIER. Why use thugs like this?

Instead of dismissing such a theory, Genesis tilts his head to the side with a sneer. "It would be easier for them to have more pieces on the board if they had people who could do their dirty work down in the lower districts like this, now, wouldn't it?" Sighing, he tucks his hands into his pockets. Sephiroth can faintly hear materia rolling and clicking against loose gil. "Angeal, it would be a simple matter to let loose a Firaga and cover our escape that way, if they really are looking for anyone connected to last night..."

"Why is it that you always go straight to the highest level fire spells that you know?" Angeal says, rolling his eyes. Ignoring Genesis's response ("Oh, I can go higher"), he glances back around what of the shop is available to them. "So, I'm aware this might be a lot to ask for... but that looks like a vent to the outside, right?"

It is, as it turns out - although it could hardly be called a proper ventilation system of any sort when it's just some metal slats in a square hole. Getting them though might be difficult but... Sephiroth agrees that it could work.

Just perhaps not on its own.

Sephiroth had already made a cursory glance around the shop himself when they'd first stepped inside - force of habit is a powerful thing and, in his case, it means overlooking every bit of his surroundings upon arrival. So now, he doesn't have to look twice as he goes over to one of the larger shelving units, taking it in his hands. No doubt to prevent things like this, it's drilled straight into the wall so that it couldn't be moved around or damaged so carelessly... but, unfortunately for the storeowner, Sephiroth is far stronger than any twobit thug lurking in this district.

The wall creaks and whines; he can only hope that such a thing isn't too unusual to hear in a rickety district like this where every passing rumble of the train seems to threaten a collapse. Fortunately, soon enough, he's joined by another at his side, Genesis pressing one palm against the wall itself. "And what's this, then?"

The screws that connected the shelving unit to the wall leave holes from where they were none-too-gracefully pulled out. Probably, he doesn't have much time, but that's fine. Sephiroth doesn't need time, not on his own, and certainly not with Angeal coming over to help him navigate the shelf through the store. "We can use this to block the entrance," he tells Genesis over his shoulder. "That will give them something to chew on... and they'll investigate the shop that much more to see what exactly would give someone cause to do this."

But then... He thinks Genesis might already have had an idea of what he was going to do, because when he and Angeal turns away from their new little blockade, the redhead has already gotten the vents off of their place and hidden it behind a set of drawers so it just looks like one more terrible window amongst many. "Me first," he says, already  hauling himself up and squeezing himself through the hole in the wall.

And Genesis is not a lithe man. While he certainly is not as bulky as Angeal appears, he has a finely developed body, and clearly knowledge in using a weapon of some sort. Yet he slips through the window, managing to pull himself up and out in the blink of an eye. In just a second, he holds up a hand, fingers flexing impatiently.

It is a good thing that they were not carrying much to begin with, although the suitcase threatens to not go through. "Alright, you next," Angeal says, once he's shoved the backpack through as well; Sephiroth notices that he still left some gil behind as payment.

There's not really a lot of time to argue with him. Sephiroth can hear someone trying the front door of the shop, the way it bangs against the back of the shelf. Any second now, and they'll have people slamming into it. Still, he doesn't let that stop him from frowning more than a little bit at Angeal before he hefts himself up and through.

The good news is that Angeal is right there after him, in a way that Sephiroth honestly finds inexplicable. The only way that he can describe it is that it is not too dissimilar to watching a cat squeeze itself through a hole that can only fit its head, with all of the impossible positioning of bones that comes with that. Granted, the different parts have to go through at different times - an arm first, another arm, torso pulled out and hips managing to make it through against all odds considering Angeal's rear seems to only have a rival in Genesis's - but he makes it.

Sephiroth would compliment him on it, except then there's the sound of much harsher banging, and so the three of them shoulder their things and make haste past the various buildings.

If there is one dubious advantage that the lower sectors have over their upper counterparts, it is that they are not exactly populated with actual buildings that tower solidly over the human occupants. Instead, with buildings pulled together against all odds to form patchwork neighborhoods, what truly fills the lower sectors would be trash. Piles and piles of discarded junk that went into making Midgar the city it can pretend to be: piles upon piles of out of date cars missing hoods and tops and doors, imposing faces that almost look like developmental robots but could just as likely be works of art, all the discarded things that may one day become a part of someone's home but will more likely stay down here to rot and rust.

Not once has Sephiroth ever drifted out from the two sectors that ShinRa ferried him between... and yet, as he leaps from fragile wobbling rooftop to piles of bricks to beyond, he can't help but think that feels fitting for Midgar. For ShinRa.

"Do you think that we should look into who they were getting their marching orders from?" Genesis says when they've all paused for a moment, the three of them assembled upon someplace that might have been a factory, once. Now, however, it's mostly all collapsed brick, various beams of steel poking out from amidst nothing but debris that has piled up over an unknown amount of years. Now, there's really only an enormous thing that was a smokestack, maybe. The thing that they gather around, with Genesis content to perch right there up at the very top. "It may be good to do some investigating on the entire affair.... and I am fairly sure they will be watching the trains regardless, and so, here we stand, trapped in this little underground prison."

"I do not think you are standing at all," Sephiroth points out.

Angeal snorts a little bit, and perhaps purposefully looks away when Genesis kicks a pebble down onto Sephiroth's beanie. "That is a good point... If they really are looking out for us, or anyone new and suspicious, then they'll definitely be keeping an eye on the train station and anyone wanting to leave..."

Looking up from where he's picking up pebbles from along the rim of the stack, Genesis tilts his head to the side thoughtfully. "I had noticed a few people loitering about the train station... yet they had not said anything of note at the time." An annoyed click of his tongue. "Then again, who knows how long they had all been there, passing the time and thinking there was nothing of particular note." He huffs. "Fuckers."

The discrepancy between Genesis's normally eloquent wording and the sudden crass swear catches Sephiroth completely off-guard. While he's still staring, Angeal waves his hand through the air. "It's fine - probably they were confident that they could get anyone once they stepped into the sector."

Unfortunately for them, they are dealing with SOLDIER's best, and two men who can apparently keep up with him.

Storing their purchases is actually fairly simple. In a place like the slums, with all the trash piled high all around, there are so many places to hide things that looking for them again could be like a needle in a haystack. Similarly, it is just as simple for them to slip their way back to the neighborhood.

When is the last time that he was sent on a stealth mission? Sephiroth is fairly sure it was more than a year ago, at this point. For someone of his appearance, of his success.... ShinRa always did want to use that to its fullest.

In that respect, Angeal and Genesis may be actually far better at it than he is, Sephiroth reflects as the three of them sneak up on a group of thugs that are going over the perimeter. Angeal, immediately with his thick forearm around someone's throat, and then Genesis, his hand over their mouth as he does the same. Sephiroth merely knocks the third out with the butt of his sword.

"I didn't realize you could be so subtle dressed all in red," he tells Genesis as they gag the trio.

Off to the side, Angeal snorts into one hand before shoving one of the thugs into the busted up trunk of a ruined car. Genesis's eyebrow twitches. "Red is a suitable color for all occasions," he insists.

"If you can get him to dress in anything else, I'd love to know that particular trick," Angeal says, taking one of the other thugs from Sephiroth's hands. "Alright, keep an eye out for anyone that seems like they're the bossiest of them all. We might be able to get the most answers out of that one... and they're rarely on perimeter duty."

"Do you have an interrogation room ready?" Sephiroth asks, raising an eyebrow.

Genesis gestures off to the side. "The world is one's interrogation room."

"If you're bossy enough," Angeal adds.

It's a problem for the slightly near future. In the most immediate future, they are able to take down the entire group of people. Really, it's not that hard at all. Their numbers are only a little over half a dozen, and they're more than scattered enough to take down with ease. There are even a couple right over by the store that they were all in but a few minutes ago, arguing about how people could just disappear from a building. "So it looks like at least the shopkeep used the backdoor while locking us in," Angeal snorts while they dump this batch in the dumpster.

Regardless, Angeal and Genesis were right. Finding the most bossy individual out of them all and who is clearly trying to do the least amount of work isn't too hard.... although perhaps the most muscular of the thugs put in quite a bit of work to get to that position. A pity, then, that it's only lead him to being unconscious in their arms as they make their way out of the neighborhood.

People are already poking their heads out from doorways and around corners, watching them, and Sephiroth frowns slightly. "Should we do anything about all the witnesses....?"

ShinRa had its own way of dealing with witnesses, of course. Sephiroth... only occasionally listened to such orders.

And it seems as though Angeal and Genesis are of a similar mind, there, because they shrug uncaringly. "With the way that these men seem so very used to going about and having their way, I imagine that they haven't actually seen a thing at all," Genesis says slyly.

Certainly no one stops them as they leave with the man unconscious and in their grasp. Yet with that only brings to the forefront the problem that they have been ignoring all this time. "Where should we take him?"

Angeal shrugs. "We just keep walking and see what areas look suitable," he says. "For things like this, all you can do is play it be ear, and keep an eye out for an opportunity. Hopefully we didn't get involve in something tricky that doesn't involve us at all, or that'd be a little bit embarrassing... It'd give Genesis more of a reason to get on me for being a goody two-shoes."

"Shut up, Angeal. Really. Also, I'm right."

Ignoring their bickering for the time being, Sephiroth scans his memories of what he'd seen from all their rooftop and trash pile jumping. The old factory they'd perched on was clearly nothing suitable, considering that it was collapsed in on itself. Any of the other buildings that had seemed to congregate near each other... If he had to guess, just from what he's seen, Sephiroth supposes those would be occupied neighborhoods. But maybe... He could be wrong, of course....

"I think I saw a building that would be along this road, if we keep along to the right," he says. "At least, it seemed stable enough... and isolated from the rest of the neighborhoods."

As Angeal says, there's no harm in checking, and Genesis confirms that it is not as though they have any other options in mind. So it takes only but a few minutes for their long legs and quick speed to get them to a surprisingly large building, there along some old stone path that looks as though it was there maybe even before most of Midgar. "Oh," Angeal says, a little surprised and interested. "That's a church. I didn't think I'd see something like that in Midgar, let alone down..." But then he starts to trail off.

Genesis looks over at him, brows pinched. "Geal? What - hey!" Before Genesis can finish his question, Angeal is suddenly jogging forward with the thug still hefted over his shoulder - not like any consideration is being given for the unconscious man.

In what is probably not too uncommon down here in the slums, the doors to this building aren't locked. Angeal pushes through with smooth ease, leaving Sephiroth and Genesis to follow right after him. It's only there, in the shadows of the church where light filters through old glass windows, does it become clear just what's gained Angeal's attention.

It's flowers.

Tons and tons of flowers, all sprouting there.... not quite in the center of the church, but at its head, perhaps. Where planks once lay, it's been peeled back and displaced, leaving just an open space of dirt. Sephiroth has seen the dirt of Midgar, once or twice, and certainly he has seen it there surrounding the city. Dry, and dead, not fit to have anything grow at all. Nothing like anywhere else in the rest of the world, or at least that of the world that Sephiroth has gotten to see with his own eyes.

So what makes the ground there in the center different from all of that? What could possibly be responsible for that soft darkness there in the soil from underneath flourishing green leaves and pale flowers that nearly glow from the light that reaches them?

More than anything, Angeal seems absolutely delighted in the find, and he dumps the man he was carrying down onto one of the pews. Gently? Now that's something else entirely. What's gentle is the way that Angeal goes to reverently settle down at the very edge of the revealed soil. Gentleness is in those large hands of his, gently brushing along brilliant greenery. "I thought the air smelled a little fresher around this particular area," he murmurs, to the point that it almost doesn't sound like he's really talking to Sephiroth or Genesis. "But I figured I was just fooling myself. So Midgar can grow plants...."

Plants? Growing them? Sephiroth frowns a little bit, and looks over to Genesis. Angeal, after all, seems.... preoccupied.

In turn, Genesis also looks over to Angeal, only to sigh. He too seems to be understanding that this is falling to him. "The saying goes is that nothing grows in Midgar," he murmurs to Sephiroth. "Of course, no doubt you are quite aware that ShinRa claims it is because Midgar is situated in the midst of a desert, and nothing grows in such arid lands. Yet, as Angeal will quite gladly tell you, in depth, when I have hopefully had a chance to make my escape, there are plants which can survive in the desert, so long as there is sturdy enough ground upon which their roots can take hold."

Hm. Sephiroth considers that, looking over his shoulder to the door. To beyond it, and even beyond the piles upon piles of trash which make up the slums.

If even barren deserts can have plants which manage to survive in them... then what does it say about Midgar that he's never seen plants anywhere in it? Only plastic fake things which shine unnaturally when he's gotten to see the real thing in comparison?

"The word anywhere else is that Midgar can never grow plants at all," Genesis tells him, while Angeal takes in a deep breath as though he's breathing for the first time in years. "Even for people who try to keep them going in potted plants with plenty of water. Well, certainly, that is what they all say." While Sephiroth mulls over that, Genesis raises his voice over to Angeal. "GEAL! We have someone that we're supposed to be interrogating!"

From the back of the church, there's the sound of shuffling, sandals on wood, hair over a shoulder. "Oh, you're interrogating one of those jerks?" a feminine voice says. "Can I help?"