Connection

Chapter 6

I’m completely ripping off the armor sets from Mass Effect 3 for a lack of a better reference, so the design of course wasn’t made by mwah.  Oh, and focusing on the 'stoic' characters in this chapter, just to give them a fair headstart.

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Yuffie had come to collect you from your room by morning, escorting you down to the food hall for a quick meal. It was rather quiet compared to yesterday’s escapades, you had noted. And when you expressed your mild concern to Yuffie, she only laughed, heartily slapping you across the back, consequently pushing you into a trivial stumble, “Of course it’s quiet! Everyone’s usually up before dawn. We are fighting a war, you know - there’s no time to sleep in.”

You nodded slowly, “I guess. Certainly does explain why everyone was asleep so early yesterday.”

Cereal sputtered from her mouth as she replied, and you leant back discreetly to avoid the projectiles of milk droplets and sodden food, “Unless we’re sent out on missions throughout the day, we’re in bed early getting our Z’s. Can’t do the job when you’re tired, otherwise we’d be dead on the battlefield.”

Her statement unnerved you, more than what you would consider normal, and you couldn’t figure out the reason behind it. You quietly shuffled in your seat while reaching for your last piece of toast, “That’s really morbid.”

She gave a dainty shrug in reply, solemnly serious compared to her usual disposition, “It is war, [Name]. People die, we can’t help that. Of course, if we could stop it without violence, we would. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury. We can only hope we’ll come out of this on top, so those who died wouldn’t have passed in vain.”

Nodding slowly, you began chewing on the buttered bread, mulling over your thoughts.

War. What a gut-wrenchingly horrific thing. As you stared down at the barren plate before you, focusing on the scattered crumbs, a small bout of nausea and a minor headache overtook your senses.

“[Name], look sharp! Here comes Ansem the Wise!”

Suddenly being yanked from your debilitated state, you had managed to choke on your bite of toast, swallowing in a way that had your throat clenching on the food. Yuffie had to stifle a bout of laughter, and you reached for a glass of water across the table, gulping water like you had been starved of the source for days. You turned to see with no surprise that yes, Ansem was approaching, with Hope beside him, both of whom were adorned in long white coats.

Yuffie stood to greet the two of them, “Hi there Hope. Sir.”

“Yuffie,” Ansem nodded his head in greeting, “[Name], I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your appetite.”

You gently placed the glass down on the table, glancing up with an awkward grin, “Still as hungry as ever, I suppose, sir.”

He nodded with a strict smile, “That’s very good, I would be worried otherwise. I was hoping you would both accompany Hope and I on a quick walk. We’ve gathered a few other Keys in the training arena, as we are running our monthly examination.”