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Interlude 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mail for you, Sir." Sephiroth glanced up, arching one dark eyebrow as the courier set the letter on his desk. Clearing his throat nervously, the courier waited for the General's nod, then bowed his way out of the room, leaving Sephiroth to study the envelope. The paper was rough, heavy stock, the glue thick, sealing the envelope tightly. It was crumpled around the edges, as if stuffed in and out of several pockets. Picking it up, Sephiroth fingered the edges, examining the postmark. The red ink was smudged and faded, but the stylized mountain of Nibelheim was still distinguishable. It was dated -- he glanced at the calendar -- three weeks ago, almost. Mail delivery had returned to its snail's pace, since the war ended.
The return address was simply: With a sigh, he set it aside and returned to his paperwork.
C. Strife A roaring hiss swelled in his ears. Strife.... Pushing back his chair, he picked up Zack's letter and let the second envelope fall carelessly to the carpeted floor. Walking to the window behind his desk, he slowly unfolded the letter. Seph, You would not believe how boring it is here. Hojo doesn't let me do anything. He disappears for hours on end, down in the basement or somewhere, and leaves me to wander the mansion. Can't go outside, he doesn't want the townsfolk to see me. I am going to go nuts here before long. I found a garden out back, though. It's pretty run down, or run wild, I guess, but there's still flowers blooming. There's a kind of greenhouse room in the mansion, with a bunch of ... flower tools. I'm thinking, if I'm stuck here, I might as well have a go at the garden. At least that'll keep me occupied. Heh. Wouldn't my parents laugh to see me? Sephiroth couldn't help chuckling, himself, picturing Zack up to his wrists in dirt, in his SOLDIER uniform. He could see him doing it, too. Zack had always had a tendency toward green and growing things, even after years in SOLDIER. Well, provided Hojo doesn't bawl me out for that too. There's a piano here, out of tune, of course, but Hojo freaked out on me for playing it. Oh well. I think two of the keys are dead anyway. He could almost hear Zack sighing in frustration. Not over the piano -- he'd never been that musically inclined -- but at Hojo's obsessive control. Hope things are going well for you. I'd love to hear how the SOLDIER candidates are doing, if Heidegger and Scarlett ever give you a break from the paperwork. And I'd appreciate it if you could pass that note I included on to Cloud. I didn't want him to know I'm in Nibelheim, but I wanted to say hi to him. Well, assuming the mail is as slow as it used to be, it'll likely be a couple months before I hear back from you. Maybe I'll have the garden trimmed up by then.
Yours, Mine... Sephiroth growled silently. So why do you write to that boy? He stared blindly at his reflection in the window. Traitor... betrayal... the madness sobbed. His hand clenched into a fist, crushing the letter. No, he thought, reaching up to massage his temple. I Will Not Listen To You. The madness giggled and hissed. beep beep "Come!" he snapped, before he realized what he was saying. He turned angrily towards the door. It hissed open, and Reno sauntered in. "Evenin', General." Sephiroth glared at the redhead as he stalked over to his desk. "What do you want, Turk?" Reno glanced around, tapping his nightstick idly against his thigh. "Just checkin' on ya, Sir. It's a little late for you to be here. Even Reeve's gone home." Sephiroth glanced at the clock. 1:00 a.m.. "I had work to finish." "Not surprised," Reno replied, chuckling. He settled himself on the guest chair in front of Sephiroth's desk, extending his long legs out in front of him. Shaking his head irritably, Sephiroth stooped to pick up the envelope he'd dropped. "So, you've checked on me," he said, straightening. "What do you want?" The Turk was looking at the letter in his hand, he realized. Setting the crumpled paper down on the desk, he fingered the envelope in his other hand thoughtfully. destroy it... "Do you know Strife?" he asked as he sat down. The red-head quirked one eyebrow up. "Cloud? Spikey-blond-headed kid? Yeah, I know 'im. Why?" DESTROY it!! Traitors!! Sephiroth frowned, rubbing his temple. "Deliver this for me, will you?" He handed the letter to Reno, ignoring the raving voice in the back of his mind. Reno quirked one eyebrow at him again, but simply nodded and took the letter. "Will do, Sir." He stood, arching his back in a stretch. "You staying in tonight, then?" Sephiroth sighed, smoothing Zack's crumpled letter with one hand. "No. I'll be leaving shortly." Take it back! destroy it! Shut UP! "You alright, Sir?" "Fine," Sephiroth muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Make sure you get that to him." "Will do." Reno hesitated, looking for a moment like he wanted to say something else. After a moment, he shook his head. "Don't stay too late, Sir. They'll be lettin' the creepy-crawlies out on guard-duty soon." Saluting Sephiroth with his night-stick, he sauntered out of the room. Sephiroth propped his elbows on the desk and let his head fall onto his hands. Zack... come back soon....
Interlude 3
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