"No," he says, quietly, seriously. "This is the calm before the storm."
There is no way the company would allow their three-million-gil investment to leave. Zack's words contained an implicit promise: this truce lasted until they reached the village, with all parties safe. This truce lasted until Zack went to sleep, and woke up. He would not attack them without explicit orders as such - but he would not remain without such orders for long. Further, Zack himself was endangered by the company they kept - Cloud could testify to his collusion, as could the girl.
(The girl in question keeps turning around unsubtly, looking at Sephiroth and Genesis's joined hands, and then turning back around. The things that are no doubt fermenting in her brain could fuel the tabloids for a year and a day. Sephiroth could have mitigated the damage by letting go of Genesis's hand, like a sensible man. But he doesn't want to. He feels like some sort of mindset has been unlocked, liberated from him, since the reactor core - he feels petulant, unruly. He wants to rebel. He wants to kick Shinra's applecart over. He wants them to gossip, he wants them to speculate, he wants them all to say and think the worst. He wants to take the design doc in Hojo's office that describes what Sephiroth is allowed to look like, and dress like, and speak like, and burn it. He wants the image of Sephiroth the War Hero to be in ruins by the end of the week, as though it had never been.)
Realistically, a military leader who was on the verge of defecting to the enemy would kill everyone present to witness and glass the local village, to cover his tracks. The smartest thing to do would be to burn Nibelheim to the ground to buy a few days. But - Genesis promised the truth. He says he has something to show Sephiroth, something he came here for.
Besides. Zack's little friend and their intrepid guide live here. Sephiroth would not repay their loyalty and their courage that way. It still sits heavy on his heart, that they lost the other man in the river. Genesis had won him with compassion - he would pay that forward.
no subject
"No," he says, quietly, seriously. "This is the calm before the storm."
There is no way the company would allow their three-million-gil investment to leave. Zack's words contained an implicit promise: this truce lasted until they reached the village, with all parties safe. This truce lasted until Zack went to sleep, and woke up. He would not attack them without explicit orders as such - but he would not remain without such orders for long. Further, Zack himself was endangered by the company they kept - Cloud could testify to his collusion, as could the girl.
(The girl in question keeps turning around unsubtly, looking at Sephiroth and Genesis's joined hands, and then turning back around. The things that are no doubt fermenting in her brain could fuel the tabloids for a year and a day. Sephiroth could have mitigated the damage by letting go of Genesis's hand, like a sensible man. But he doesn't want to. He feels like some sort of mindset has been unlocked, liberated from him, since the reactor core - he feels petulant, unruly. He wants to rebel. He wants to kick Shinra's applecart over. He wants them to gossip, he wants them to speculate, he wants them all to say and think the worst. He wants to take the design doc in Hojo's office that describes what Sephiroth is allowed to look like, and dress like, and speak like, and burn it. He wants the image of Sephiroth the War Hero to be in ruins by the end of the week, as though it had never been.)
Realistically, a military leader who was on the verge of defecting to the enemy would kill everyone present to witness and glass the local village, to cover his tracks. The smartest thing to do would be to burn Nibelheim to the ground to buy a few days. But - Genesis promised the truth. He says he has something to show Sephiroth, something he came here for.
Besides. Zack's little friend and their intrepid guide live here. Sephiroth would not repay their loyalty and their courage that way. It still sits heavy on his heart, that they lost the other man in the river. Genesis had won him with compassion - he would pay that forward.