It's less what she did for me. More...her approach. How she thought about why we're here. She gave a shit, but didn't expect anything specific out of it. There when I needed her without...hovering.
[A pause, as Cloud thinks back to her answer to his question about temporary wardens.]
She said a temporary warden is mostly to watch out for us and make sure we're not killing each other. And they're good for testing the waters for permanent pairings.
Seriously? Some leader this Admiral is...meet you outside the Lounge, then.
[Cloud turns his steps in that direction, arriving in not too long. If he gets there first, Corvo will find him waiting with arms folded, leaning against the nearby wall. If not, he'll just look for someone who looks like he's waiting.]
Corvo knows of Cloud. He's been on the ship long enough for that. So when he walks up, a gray rat on his shoulder, he nods in the direction of Cloud and swipes his mask across the door to let them both inside.
Cloud's still working on figuring out who's who on the Barge - he's not the most social guy, and having friends from home here has made it less important in his mind to make an effort to meet people or scroll the network much. Something else Tifa always told him he should work on.
Well, it'll have to get in line.
He gives Corvo's warden item a curious glance, but doesn't ask. He just nods and finds a seat that's near the windows and as far from other people as possible.
So Corvo's the kind of guy who starts at the whiskey stage of things. Good to know. Cloud has no complaints, so he slides his glass closer to him and takes a sniff. Not bad, he thinks. He's no Tifa, but living at Seventh Heaven has given him some basic understanding of what makes for good booze, even if in life it would have taken a ridiculous amount of it to affect him at all.
Cloud gives his own drink a sip. Huh - so Corvo's pretty much a Turk.
"Been a bodyguard myself. Aerith's, if you know her, and a few other shorter gigs. I was military, then a merc for a while, and now I run a delivery service."
He laughs a little, resting his fingertips against his glass. "She's part of the reason I graduated. Kicked my ass enough. Didn't know you two were from the same place."
Cloud's brows lift and then his expression softens, eyes lowering with a slight smile. "Yeah. Known her a while now, been through a lot together. She's...something else. Special. Glad she was able to help you - she's kicked my ass plenty, too, so I know how you feel." That last part is wry, but the warmth lingers underneath.
Special. That is one way to describe her. The perfect way, actually. He still remembers her in that place, that nightmare, fighting off Weepers and rats with him and there's a surge of affection that he drowns with a drink.
"I say let her do it. Did me a lot of good. You surprised to see her here?"
Cloud arches a brow. "Oh, I don't 'let' her do anything. She does what she wants and there's no stopping her." That fond smile hasn't gone anywhere, though.
The question gives him a moment's pause, which he fills by sipping his drink again and then looking down at it, smile now vanished. "Yeah. By the time I come from, she...she'd been dead for two years and change." His tone suggests that despite time's passage, he wasn't over it yet. Maybe isn't even now that she's here. "But for her, it was only a few minutes. Jarring as hell for both of us."
"...doesn't surprise me she didn't say anything. Always focused on the positive, for everyone's sake." Cloud doesn't look up, either, as a heavy weight seems to settle on his shoulders.
"It's her story to tell, if she wants to. But I'll say this: she risked everything for the planet's sake, and even after..." I let her die. "...she was gone, she still protected it, from the Lifestream. It and all of us. She's the strongest person I've ever known."
"...yeah. Happened right before she came here, from her perspective." Cloud doesn't see Corvo finish his whiskey in one go, but he does it himself a moment later. Yeah, he can get drunk now, and he doesn't give a shit. Though it'd still take a lot more than one glass of whiskey.
He knows now exactly how much it will take. Or...would. If he were going to do that again, which he isn't.
"Haven't told her much of what came after, though. Not yet." Because he's too ashamed to tell her just how royally he continued to fuck up.
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What did she do for you?
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[A pause, as Cloud thinks back to her answer to his question about temporary wardens.]
She said a temporary warden is mostly to watch out for us and make sure we're not killing each other. And they're good for testing the waters for permanent pairings.
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[He pauses a moment.]
Do you drink? This is easier over a drink.
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Didn't used to. Guess you could say I do now. Speakeasy, or Lounge?
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That's how I found out I graduated.
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[Cloud turns his steps in that direction, arriving in not too long. If he gets there first, Corvo will find him waiting with arms folded, leaning against the nearby wall. If not, he'll just look for someone who looks like he's waiting.]
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"Sit wherever you'd like."
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Well, it'll have to get in line.
He gives Corvo's warden item a curious glance, but doesn't ask. He just nods and finds a seat that's near the windows and as far from other people as possible.
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"Good spot," he remarks lightly.
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Not so much now, though. For better or worse.
"Not the social type, either, I take it?"
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"Never really knew how to be. Wasn't really my job."
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"I was the - the Empress' bodyguard," he finally explains. "Then I was an assassin. Now I am the Spymaster."
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"Been a bodyguard myself. Aerith's, if you know her, and a few other shorter gigs. I was military, then a merc for a while, and now I run a delivery service."
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He laughs a little, resting his fingertips against his glass. "She's part of the reason I graduated. Kicked my ass enough. Didn't know you two were from the same place."
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"I say let her do it. Did me a lot of good. You surprised to see her here?"
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The question gives him a moment's pause, which he fills by sipping his drink again and then looking down at it, smile now vanished. "Yeah. By the time I come from, she...she'd been dead for two years and change." His tone suggests that despite time's passage, he wasn't over it yet. Maybe isn't even now that she's here. "But for her, it was only a few minutes. Jarring as hell for both of us."
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He stares down at his glass, all cheer gone for the moment. "I didn't know that," he admits. "What - happened?"
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"It's her story to tell, if she wants to. But I'll say this: she risked everything for the planet's sake, and even after..." I let her die. "...she was gone, she still protected it, from the Lifestream. It and all of us. She's the strongest person I've ever known."
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"Does she know what happens?" he wonders, as he hasn't actually asked her from when she is.
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He knows now exactly how much it will take. Or...would. If he were going to do that again, which he isn't.
"Haven't told her much of what came after, though. Not yet." Because he's too ashamed to tell her just how royally he continued to fuck up.
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"Why not?" he wonders, because he has a suspicion that he needs clarified.
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"Because it sucks." He takes a sip of his newly refilled drink. "Things only got worse from there. She'll feel responsible for it."
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