During the short get-together at the Seventh Heaven bar, arranged to celebrate their first tangible victory over Shinra, everyone was in an incredibly high mood. And while the company enjoyed cool drinks, finally relaxing after a long day, Wedge couldn't sit still. He was literally bursting with questions about the grand performance that Alex, Dean, and Aerith had pulled off right before the eyes of all of Midgar.
The moment Wedge voiced his request, everyone present immediately turned their gazes to Alex, who was standing behind the bar counter as if nothing was out of the ordinary, wiping glasses, helping Tifa clean up, and along the way mixing another cocktail for Aerith. Feeling so many intent stares on him, Alex could only sigh heavily. Walking over to the only television in the bar, he connected to it and put the full recording of their performance up on the screen.
Alex understood perfectly well that the others had only seen the short clips that had been looping all evening on every channel in Midgar. The moment the recording started, the entire company's attention switched to the screen. Noticing with what undisguised enthusiasm his new friends were watching their concert, Alex merely smiled and shook his head, mentally summarizing that Midgar clearly suffered from a catastrophic shortage of normal entertainment.
Deciding not to interfere with the viewing, he continued putting things in order behind the counter, noting that even Tifa froze for a couple of minutes with a rag in her hands, looking over their performance once more. Continuing to manage the bar and pour drinks for everyone, Alex met Jessie's gaze; she had been continuously watching him from behind the counter.
"What's up, Jessie?" Alex asked, wiping the surface of the bar counter next to her.
"Just looking and thinking… I never would've thought you could sing and dance so well. Did you used to perform in a theater or something?" Jessie inquired curiously, lightly twirling the glass with her drink between her fingers.
"Nah, nothing like that… I simply don't have time for that kind of thing. Just an amateur hobby — sometimes I sing for the soul… Why? Want to do a duet sometime?" Alex answered with a chuckle, pouring another portion of alcohol into her glass.
"Hmm… Quite possible! If you, mister, first officially invite me to a dance. Then I might still think about your proposal," Jessie drawled with a coquettish smirk, extending a finger toward Alex and playfully winking at him.
"Oh, then we can sing a duet! That would be simply amazing!" Aerith chimed in joyfully, bouncing over to Jessie and tightly hugging her arm.
"That's for sure! You've got a simply magical voice, Aerith! Together we'll strike all the residents of Midgar right in the heart!с Jessie picked up with a radiant smile, raising her index finger toward the ceiling and tightly hugging Aerith back.
Seeing with what undisguised enthusiasm Aerith and Jessie were burning with the idea of performing together, Alex merely chuckled and opened a bottle of cold beer with a quiet click. Tifa, who had been staring at the recording of the performance, soon came to and was already about to continue cleaning. But the moment she turned toward the hall, she discovered with astonishment that the bar counter was already gleaming with cleanliness, and all the glasses were washed and neatly put away in their places. Seeing that all her work had been done, Tifa smiled bashfully, gripping the rag a little tighter in her hands, and looked at Alex.
He merely smiled softly and saluted her with the bottle, letting her know that it had been absolutely no trouble for him to help. Sighing bashfully, Tifa decided to show reciprocal attention and prepared another of her signature author's cocktails for Alex. He accepted the glass with gratitude and began savoring the drink, unhurriedly leaning his elbow on the bar counter and watching the noisy company.
Meeting Dean's gaze, they simultaneously raised their glasses in a silent toast, understanding without words that even more of this kind of work awaited them ahead. The only one who was not taking part in the general merriment was Claudia. She sat a little apart from the others, her gaze lowered, slowly twirling a glass of alcohol in her hands.
Looking at the silent Claudia, Alex rested his cheek on his palm. He sincerely believed that with time Claudia would definitely sort out her tangled memories, and if necessary — he would always be nearby to help. Feeling the intent gaze on her, Claudia raised her head and immediately locked eyes with Alex's iridescent rainbow eyes.
Meeting his gaze, Claudia demonstratively rolled her eyes, pushed the glass away from herself, and in a strict tone reminded him that he still owed her the full fee for the job. Hearing that argument, Alex merely nodded understandingly, letting her know that he would hand over the entire due amount a little later.
After some time everyone began to feel the oncoming fatigue — not only the wild running around the lower levels of the Shinra plant made itself known, but also the alcohol that had been drunk. When the company began to disperse, Alex, together with Aerith, Dean, and Claudia, left the Seventh Heaven bar and headed for the dormitory. Waving goodbye to Jessie and Biggs, who was dragging a completely drunk Wedge on his back, they unhurriedly wandered toward their temporary lodging.
Reaching the building and climbing to the second floor, Alex with difficulty shoved the arguing Aerith into the room. She was once again insistently proving that he was simply obligated to sleep in the same room with her and personally guard her sleep. Sighing wearily, Alex affectionately rubbed Aerith's cheeks and quietly whispered that tonight he wouldn't have any time for sleep at all — he needed to settle some important matters.
Hearing that answer, Aerith sighed heavily, rose onto her tiptoes, quickly pecked Alex on the cheek, and immediately slammed the door shut right in front of his nose with a loud click. Chuckling at Aerith's gesture, Alex returned to the room he shared with Dean and first of all pulled out from under the sofa the heavy sports bag full of gil.
"What are you planning to do? Going to hit on that beauty with the big sword?" Dean inquired with a smirk, lounging lazily on the sofa and watching as Alex took packs of gil out of the bag.
"Maybe another time… I think I'll start with a new arm for Barret, and then we'll see," Alex answered in a thoughtful tone, shoving the bag back under the sofa and taking out the bag with Materia.
"Hmm… A cyber-prosthesis, huh… Listen, is it even hard to assemble something like that?" Dean asked, stroking his chin and examining the ceiling.
"It all depends on the type of Chrome. I just sincerely hope Barret doesn't lose his mind from the desire to cover his entire torso in Chrome," Alex replied with a quiet sigh, putting two Materia into his pocket and sending the bag back under the sofa.
"And what happens then? I don't get any of this sci-fi stuff of yours. Will he turn into a local RoboCop or something?" Dean asked curiously, rolling onto his side and propping his cheek on his fist.
"More likely he's in for ordinary cyberpsychosis than becoming RoboCop… All right, I'm going to go give Claudia her honestly earned fee. You go to sleep. Or for a joke watch that series about yourself and Sam," Alex said with a smirk, approaching the door.
"Nah. I'd rather watch The Boys. I'm in that one too, sort of. Hopefully at least in that show I'm not a complete idiot," Dean answered with a smile, turning the smartphone screen toward Alex, where the needed episode was paused.
Seeing what series Dean was about to watch, Alex merely laughed quietly and went out into the corridor. Approaching the neighboring door, he knocked lightly, and literally a moment later Claudia opened it for him. The moment Claudia saw Alex on the threshold, she frowned briefly, looking at his face in surprise. After everything that had happened during this crazy evening, a mass of questions was spinning in her head that still needed to be sorted out, and she was trying somehow to understand why the ghost from the past had started appearing before her eyes again.
Noticing Claudia's thoughtful gaze, Alex wordlessly held out dense packs of gil and two Materia as a pleasant bonus for the work done. Staring at the money and the spheres, Claudia raised her eyes to Alex and slightly raised an eyebrow, sincerely not understanding what this generosity was for.
"We only agreed on the money," Claudia said in a calm, even tone, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Consider it a small bonus from the firm. Anyway, I swiped a whole bag of Materia from the local mafia boss… And as you understand, corpses have no need for Materia," Alex answered with a smirk and deftly tossed the spheres right into Claudia's hands.
"Hmm… Got it. Anything else?" Claudia nodded slightly, putting the Materia into her waist bag.
"Nope. Good night! If you have problems again — I'm in the next room," Alex said with a smile and waved his hand in a friendly manner.
"I'll deal with my problems just fine on my own," Claudia cut him off just as calmly, continuing to watch him with her gaze.
"I believe you, Chica. But acting like a Badass doesn't mean you are one," Alex needled with a smirk, taking hold of the handle and looking at Claudia once more.
"Stop calling me that!" Claudia exhaled irritably, clenching her fist and clearly struggling to restrain the desire to thoroughly beat Alex right there in the corridor.
"I'll think about your proposal. Good night," Alex answered with a radiant smile and playfully winked one last time.
"Yeah… Good night," Claudia muttered, wearily shaking her head, and closed the door of her room.
Returning to the room, Alex looked at Dean, who was lounging on the bed with the phone in his hands, staring at the screen in fascination. Alex didn't even try to ask Dean to put on headphones so he wouldn't disturb him. After all, he knew perfectly well that Dean would instantly find a hundred reasons why headphones were catastrophically uncomfortable for him.
Taking off his coat, Alex sat down at the table and began taking out of his spatial inventory all the necessary materials, including a laptop, to program the future cyber-prosthesis for Barret. Fortunately for Alex himself, there was no need to invent blueprints from scratch — otherwise it would have taken long days of painstaking calculations. All that was required of him was to set up the ideal compatibility of the Materia and the cybernetic arm, which in practice turned out to be an extremely simple task.
Getting to work, Alex put on his own headphones and turned on music to completely abstract himself from Dean's series. Dean himself from time to time looked away from the screen to observe with genuine interest how Alex was assembling the high-tech arm, after which he returned to watching again.
After a couple of hours of continuous work the main part of the programming of the prosthesis was completed, and Alex decided to go out into the corridor to catch his breath. Finding himself outside, he leaned on the metal railing and lit a thin cigar, unhurriedly examining the streets of the slum settlement plunged into darkness. Exhaling a thick stream of aromatic smoke, Alex unexpectedly heard a strange noise coming from the very last room on the second floor.
Slightly raising an eyebrow, he turned his head toward the sound. But before he could properly think about what was happening, the door of the neighboring room sharply swung open, and Claudia stepped out onto the balcony, habitually holding her massive Buster Sword behind her back. Finding herself outside, Claudia immediately locked eyes with Alex, noting that he was standing by the railing and calmly smoking.
"What's wrong, neighbor won't let you sleep?" Alex asked with a smirk, pointing the smoldering cigar toward the door from which the noise was coming.
"Something like that. I think it's high time to get better acquainted with the rest of the neighbors," Claudia answered with a light smirk, folding her arms across her chest and looking at Alex with undisguised amusement.
"Well, let's go check out who staged the night disco. I've got a smoke break right now anyway," Alex replied with a smile, clamping the cigar between his teeth.
Approaching the door of the noisy neighbor together with Claudia, Alex immediately remembered who exactly was there. Already about to say that the poor guy was simply dreaming another nightmare, Alex saw Claudia decisively push the door open. And the moment she stepped inside, Claudia was once again hit by a sharp attack of wild headache. Before Claudia's eyes the tall figure of Sephira appeared again.
Without thinking, she grabbed the hilt of the Buster Sword, ready to bring the blow down on the phantom. But before she could draw the blade, Alex gently pulled her by the shoulder, drawing her back, and himself intercepted the one who was advancing on them from the darkness. Feeling Alex's touch and taking a few steps back, Claudia quickly came to herself and saw that Alex was holding by the forearms some pale, emaciated vagrant in a tattered robe.
Realizing that it had been another hallucination, Claudia looked at the quietly moaning man. Alex himself sighed heavily when his hands touched the exhausted body. What he felt inside this unfortunate was only an empty, burned-out shell, in whose thoughts the single word — Reunion — echoed with a hollow rumble, along with the blind desire to go to the place from which the insistent call was coming.
Approaching closer, Claudia stood next to Alex and noticed through the torn fabric of the robe a clearly imprinted tattoo with a serial number on the man's body. The sight of that number resonated in Claudia with a short flash of vague, barely catchable memories — as if she had already seen exactly the same marks somewhere.
"Do you know who this is?" Claudia asked, frowning slightly, hearing the vagrant in the robe rasp out some unintelligible phrase.
"No idea… I only know that Shinra really needs people like this. Corneo's thugs were catching these poor guys all over the Slums and taking them somewhere," Alex answered, shaking his head and carefully helping the man to his feet.
"Why does Shinra need these people? What use are they to them at all?" Claudia frowned even more, trying to put the puzzle together.
"Most likely for repeated experiments. After all, his current condition is precisely the direct consequences of yet another cruel experiment," Alex sighed again, carefully laying the unfortunate man on the bed.
"Do you know for sure what happened to him?" Claudia continued asking, leaning her shoulder against the doorframe.
"In a nutshell… nothing at all remains of his former 'Self.' I'd call him a walking empty shell. No thoughts, no memory, no emotions. An absolutely empty person," Alex answered quietly, rubbing his forehead, and left the room.
At those words Claudia slightly jerked her head — before her eyes blurred, anxious images flashed again. All she managed to make out in that murky haze was a line of people in the same tattered robes stubbornly trudging in an unknown direction. But the flash of vague visions melted away as quickly as it had appeared. Rubbing her eyes from the fatigue that had accumulated over this crazy day, Claudia closed the door of the vagrant in the robe's room and looked at Alex.
He had already returned to his previous place and was calmly smoking, leaning on the metal railing. Thinking about how because of another attack she had almost killed an absolutely innocent person, Claudia approached Alex and placed her palms on the handrail next to him. Standing in the night silence, she thought about how to properly thank Alex.
After all, from the very moment of their acquaintance that morning he had been helping her cope with the tormenting attacks in some way unknown to her. And every time after his intervention it really did become easier for her. Turning her head, Claudia swept a glance over Alex's profile, sighed slightly, and shifted her gaze back to the dark, quiet streets of the Slums.
"I owe you…" Claudia said in a calm tone, continuing to look ahead and not turning to Alex.
"You don't owe me anything… I just happened to be nearby, that's all," Alex answered with a soft smile, shaking the ash from the thin cigar downward.
"Heh. Weren't you the one bragging today that you never do anything for free?" Claudia chuckled slightly, turning her head toward him.
"Well… You're right about something, of course. Let's consider this a free demo version of my help," Alex said with a chuckle, lazily turning to Claudia and propping his cheek on his fist.
"And how much will a full subscription cost me?" Claudia asked with undisguised interest, slightly raising an eyebrow and wanting to hear the rates.
"Usually I take payment in exclusive things. Like rare weapons for my personal collection," Alex snorted, casting an expressive glance at the massive hilt of the Buster Sword behind Claudia's back.
"Don't even dream of it… Just touch my sword — and we'll check whether you really are a First Class SOLDIER," Claudia snorted and lightly punched Alex in the chest with her fist.
"Ow-ow… Right in the heart!" Alex cried out, putting on an offended face and grabbing the place of the blow.
"Don't dramatize. Go already and deal with your business," Claudia said, shaking her head, and approached the door of her room.
"All right, all right… How did that song go… I was there for you in your darkest times. I was there for you in your darkest night…" Alex sang in a cheerful tone, continuing to hum the melody and looking at Claudia.
"Idiot," Claudia tossed out with feigned irritation, but a warm smile played on her lips as she closed the door of her room.
Quietly chuckling at Claudia's last words, Alex returned to his room. And the moment he stepped over the threshold, Dean immediately asked what the noise outside just now had been about. Sitting back down at the table, Alex unhurriedly retold him the story about the strange neighbor in the tattered robe. Having listened to the explanations, Dean couldn't help but ask whether Alex was capable of healing this unfortunate, or whether there was already truly nothing left to save.
In Dean's understanding this situation damnably resembled the times when Amara, without knowing, had sucked out people's souls, leaving behind only empty, feeling-nothing shells. Hearing Dean's question, Alex merely shook his head sadly, letting him know that there was already practically no one left to save. The only way to somehow help these people was to grant them a quick and painless death, sparing them the terrible fate that awaited them ahead.
Hearing this harsh verdict, Dean for a brief moment sank into thought, and then insistently shook his head. In his opinion, even if these people had turned into empty shells and didn't remember who they were, they still couldn't simply be killed like that. As long as their soul remained inside — they were alive. Alex looked at Dean and merely nodded understandingly, deciding not to escalate the argument and returning to work on the prosthesis for Barret.
Continuing to type code on the laptop keyboard, Alex thought for a short while. And indeed… what if there was a way to return the vagrants in robes to normal life? For example, if one tried to pull their true "Self" right out of the Lifestream that had partially absorbed them. Reflecting on this theory, Alex slightly tilted his head, mentally promising himself to definitely check this idea in the future as soon as a suitable opportunity presented itself.
Making another note in his notebook for future affairs, Alex completely immersed himself in the work on Barret's prosthesis. Time spent programming and assembling flew by for him completely unnoticed — glancing at the clock, he discovered with surprise that the dial already showed five in the morning. Leaning back in the chair, Alex looked at the finished product and smiled broadly.
In the process of the work he had had to thoroughly rack his brains to find the ideal way to synchronize the cybernetics and the energy of the Materia. But the final result exceeded all expectations: Barret would now be able to conduct continuous fire with elemental charges without being distracted by reloading at all. And most importantly — the new prosthesis looked like a full-fledged human arm, so the leader of Avalanche would finally be able to properly hug his little daughter Marlene without pressing the cold metal of a machine-gun barrel against her shoulder.
Noticing Alex's satisfied smirk, Dean instantly understood that the work was finished. Setting the smartphone aside, he rose from the bed and quietly whistled, examining the finished prosthesis. Outwardly the prosthesis truly differed in no way from a real living arm. Seeing Dean's genuine interest, Alex began enthusiastically describing the technical capabilities of the device. However, from the entire stream of smart terms Dean absorbed only the most important thing — Barret would now be able to shoot fire bullets.
"Anyway, I've finished with this part of the work. Want to take a walk up to the Plate? We'll have breakfast and drink some proper coffee while we're at it," Alex suggested, carefully putting the finished prosthesis into the bag.
"I won't refuse at all! Hopefully they cook something decent on the upper levels… And are you really planning to leave your flower girl here?" Dean asked thoughtfully, pulling on his jacket and turning to Alex.
"She's already awake," Alex answered calmly, nodding his head to the side. Thanks to his hearing he clearly caught that Aerith behind the wall was already on her feet and busily getting ready.
"Then put on your outerwear and let's go. If I don't drink proper coffee in the morning, this day is guaranteed to turn to shit," Dean declared in a carefree tone and tossed Alex his blue coat.
"You didn't sleep the whole night! What 'morning'?" Alex said with a healthy dose of sarcasm, deftly catching and pulling on his coat.
"That doesn't matter at all. I vitally need morning coffee," Dean waved it off and was the first to jump out of the room into the corridor.
Shaking his head, Alex went out after Dean and calmly closed the door of their room. Approaching the neighboring room, he didn't even manage to knock — the doors instantly swung open, and on the threshold appeared Aerith with her signature sunny smile. Slightly squinting, she immediately hugged Alex and, looking out from behind his shoulder, cheerfully waved to Dean, wishing him good morning.
In response Dean merely exhaled heavily through his nose and was the first to go down the stairs, clearly not wanting to plunge into all this "pink aura" first thing in the morning. Watching the departing Dean, Aerith immediately switched to Alex, grilling him about what was going on. He didn't even manage to properly explain why they were heading to the upper Plate before Aerith joyfully agreed to keep them company.
Locking her room, she literally dragged Alex after her so as not to accidentally miss the nearest train. Walking through the Slums, Aerith tightly held Alex's hand and happily swayed her head from side to side, while Dean walked silently beside them, driven by the single and sacred goal — to get to proper coffee and have breakfast. Reaching the train station, where workers were already crowding in anticipation of the train, Alex, Aerith, and Dean stood at the very edge of the crowd so as not to attract unnecessary attention to themselves.
Waiting for the train, they entered the last car and took the corner seats. So that the road wouldn't seem boring, Alex took earphones out of his pocket and handed one to Aerith. Listening to their favorite music, they didn't even notice how the train smoothly braked at the stop in Sector Eight of the Plate. Exiting the car onto the platform, Alex stretched with pleasure, thinking about where nearby there was a place to grab a bite.
"Aerith, do you by any chance know where we can have a proper breakfast around here?" Alex asked, turning his head toward her.
"Hmm… I've never been in Sector Eight this early in the morning… If we walk around a little, we'll probably find some cozy little place," Aerith said thoughtfully, pressing her index finger to her chin.
"I think I know exactly where we'll eat," Dean interrupted her with a confident smirk, heading first toward the station exit.
"How would you know?" Alex asked doubtfully, sincerely not believing that Dean had managed to study the geography of Midgar.
"I saw a big sign yesterday that said 'Coffee.' And if it says 'Coffee' — that means there's coffee there. It's elementary!" Dean declared in an exaggeratedly important tone, as if explaining obvious truths.
"Well… Actually, that sounded very logical," Aerith nodded with a maximally serious expression, considering Dean's argumentation more than convincing.
"Hah, can't argue with that," Alex responded with a chuckle, clicking his lighter and lighting a thin cigar.
Following Dean, who was firmly confident in his coffee intuition, Alex and Aerith decided to simply enjoy a morning walk through Sector Eight of the Plate. Strolling unhurriedly along the clean streets, Alex enthusiastically conversed with Aerith about all sorts of little things that came into her head. Soon ahead appeared that very stylish sign of Mako-Caffé that Dean had spoken about.
From the doors of the establishment one after another people in strict business suits came out, holding branded plastic cups in their hands. Observing this picture, Dean couldn't restrain himself from an ironic comment, noting that this seemed to be the local "Starbucks," where the white-collar workers were used to stocking up on coffee. Chuckling at Dean's joke, Alex led Aerith after him; she was looking with lively interest through the panoramic windows of the coffee shop.
Stepping over the threshold, Alex and Dean drew in the saturated aroma of freshly roasted beans through their noses and exhaled with relief. Despite the fact that both of them practically didn't get tired and physiologically no longer needed ordinary food, the familiar smell of morning coffee continued to bring them sincere pleasure. Standing in a small line, Alex began studying the menu above the counter, choosing drinks.
Aerith, on the contrary, was examining the golden-brown pastries behind the glass counter in fascination, trying to decide exactly what she wanted for breakfast that morning. Having made her choice, Aerith bounced over to Alex with a radiant smile, gently pulled his finger, and pointed at the appetizing desserts she wanted to try. Seeing that pleading gaze, Alex understood that he wouldn't have been able to refuse her even if she had wanted to demolish the entire counter.
Continuing to stand in line, Alex leaned slightly toward Aerith and quietly whispered into her ear who was actually paying for their today's feast. Hearing about the origin of the money from the virtual accounts of the three annoying Turks, Aerith for a brief moment widened her eyes in surprise, and then spread into a sly and insanely satisfied cat-like smile.
Dean, for his part, couldn't care less whose wallet had been put to use — all that interested him was a large cup of scalding coffee and a hearty double sandwich with juicy meat. Having placed the order and taken the tray after a couple of minutes of waiting, Alex, Dean, and Aerith settled at a cozy table in the very corner of the hall to unhurriedly enjoy a delicious breakfast.
"Mmm… It's so delicious! Here, try it," Aerith babbled, narrowing her eyes from the incredible taste of the dessert, and carefully brought the fork right to Alex's mouth.
"Hmm… Not bad, really. But if you prepare something like this with fresh natural honey, the taste will become even richer," Alex nodded thoughtfully, sampling the treat.
"Really? Oh, I'll definitely have to try making a treat like that!" Aerith responded with a radiant smile, already fully imagining a sweet with honey.
"Personally I prefer normal meat… Look: a sandwich with a double portion of meat! Now this is what I call a normal man's breakfast, not all your sweet desserts," Dean declared in an exaggeratedly important tone, proudly brandishing his sandwich in the air.
"If Sam were here, he'd quickly and clearly explain to you exactly what's healthy to eat in the mornings," Alex needled with a chuckle, continuing to enjoy the treat with pleasure while Aerith fed him from the fork.
"But fortunately he's not here! And I definitely don't burn with the desire to listen to his boring crap about a normal healthy breakfast made of some grass and other stomach-healthy shit," Dean waved it off with a mischievous smirk, once again demonstrating his attitude toward proper nutrition and the moralizing of his younger brother.
"And why didn't your brother Sam come with you? Did he have some problems?" Aerith asked, sending a piece of the treat into her own mouth, and she was sincerely intrigued by yet another mention of Dean's brother.
"I wouldn't put it that way… More like right now he simply has no time at all for all this craziness of ours," Dean answered with a sigh, slightly shaking his head.
"And yet he could have come if we asked him nicely. True, then we'd have to listen to his lectures on every corner. If he'd been with us yesterday — we'd still be listening to a long tirade about how incredibly stupidly we acted," Alex added with a smile, vividly imagining Sam's expression at the sight of their yesterday evening's performance.
"Right on the money! It would've started with him boringly complaining that we could have done everything much more quietly," Dean agreed with a loud chuckle, fully sharing Alex's opinion.
Listening to the playful banter of Alex and Dean, Aerith burned more and more with curiosity: who was this mysterious Sam really? Unable to resist the temptation, she asked to be shown what he looked like. Smiling, Alex took his smartphone out of his pocket and opened a photo of Sam that he had taken out of boredom back during their stay in the Bunker.
Seeing the frame, Aerith thoughtfully shifted her gaze from the screen to Dean and back. She simply couldn't help but note how different the brothers were outwardly — except that their wardrobe was maintained in a similar style. Chuckling at her observation, Dean didn't miss the chance to add that Sam remained an unbreakable bore no matter what proper jacket he put on himself.
Looking at Dean, Aerith sincerely didn't understand why Sam had been awarded such a label, because from the photograph he didn't produce the impression of a dry stick at all. And while Dean began proving in full color the boringness of his younger brother, Alex briefly withdrew into his thoughts. He was reflecting on the fact that Sam really ought to be invited into this world when the situation forced them to leave the limits of Midgar and head toward the ancient Temple of the Ancients. Alex understood perfectly well — one way or another they would have to set out on a large-scale adventure across the entire planet of Gaia.
And he knew this for certain, because these events were supposed to unfold in the very near future. Smiling slightly, Alex discarded the reflections about the inevitable future and returned to the lively conversation of Aerith and Dean. Having finished the coffee and finished breakfast, the trio exited the coffee shop onto the street, thinking about how to occupy the rest of the morning.
"Maybe we should just take a walk? Who knows, we might find something interesting?" Aerith suggested with a radiant smile, affectionately wrapping her arm around Alex's and pressing her head to his shoulder.
"I'm not against it. Barret is still sleeping like the dead after yesterday anyway, so we have time. What about you, Dean?" Alex asked with a shrug and turned to Dean, who was looking around.
"And why not? With all this madness that fell on us, I haven't even properly had time to look around this city… So forward, Scooby Gang!" Dean responded with an eager smirk and was the first to stride forward with broad steps.
To be continued...
(So, I was thinking that maybe I'll throw Sam into the story, but after the events of Midgar, at the beginning of the journey to the Ancient Temple of Cetra. So, according to the plot, well, Barret will get a cool new arm, then there will be other events that will happen later. So, we'll see. Hmm, I think I was planning on the appearance of a noisy kunoichi in the form of Yuffie, hmm. Yeah, I think it's worth adding her earlier. And now it's time to eat. Peace, love, and "What's new, Scooby-Doo? We're coming after you, We're going to solve that mystery.")
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