melodiesoflife | This is strangely domestic

Characters: Jade and OPEN
Where: Palitutu's Lab and Apartment B-14
When: November 1-17, before confronting his Shadow
Summary: General shenanigans log for November!
Warnings: TBA

1) Palitutu's Lab

With the Advanced Custom Jobs research approaching its conclusion, Jade could afford to shift his attention to what was really on his mind. At last, they had access to the Soul Divider. It had come at a cost, certainly, but it was also an opportunity.

Shaped like a harp... Maybe...

When he wasn't teleporting back down to the bottom of the Crystal Caves, Jade was at his desk, poring over the texts he'd managed to bring from Auldrant while in the Rift. The idea he'd presented to Palitutu three months prior, along with its problems, was always in the back of his mind. If he was right, then at the very least one of those problems could be resolved... He just had to make sure.

2) B-14

All right, nodding off at his desk was probably a sign he'd been pushing himself too hard.

Workaholic tendencies aside, Jade was pragmatic enough to accept he wouldn't be able to work optimally if he neglected his health. The expedition, followed by the hectic days leading up to the Night of the Thirteen Moogles, had likely been wearing him down without him noticing. Going home earlier for a while was a sensible move.

After his usual brief check-in at Cuppa Kupo, Jade returned to the apartment and shut the door behind him, sighing and rubbing his temples. The mild ache of an incoming mental rut was making itself known. Best focus on something simple and let his subconscious process the recent events and findings on its own. Something to keep his hands busy, perhaps...

He stopped by his bedroom to change into something more casual -- slacks and a comfy shirt should be fine at home, even if it was unusual for him -- then slipped into the kitchen. His hair had grown long enough to reach his mid-back by now, so he took a few seconds to tie it into a loose ponytail. After a moment's thought he dug out an apron from the cupboard, too. Might as well do it by the book.

In a way, cooking was a science in its own right, was it not?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Between workaholic tendencies and the fact that Sephiroth's work kept him away from Aqures for varying periods of time, Jade would be forgiven for forgetting that the silver haired warrior had decided to apply for the re-housing request following their conversation in the Crystal Caves.

Sephiroth had arrived back only a few hours ago himself, and after the well-deserved cleaning up that he always felt needed after a deployment at Esdham, had come to prepare for himself something to eat as well. Anything warm that he would dispel the chill still stuck to his fingertips.

Jade was greeted by Sephiroth, similarly dressed casual in a long sleeved top and loose joggers, sat at the small dining area with what seemed to be a steaming bowl of soup. Taking one red-hot spoonful at a time. The solider paused as Jade entered, sharp eyes, that seemed to glow still even under lighting, picked quickly over the apron that he'd put on over his clothing. He himself never bothered with such adornments, but whatever.

"Evening."

At least there seemed to be hardly any sign at all, of the preparation Sephiroth had to have made to make his own bowl of soup. Efficient and tidy, as advertised.

"Good evening." Completely unabashed, Jade busied himself picking out ingredients from the fridge. If there had been any question of what the tofu had been doing there, it was now answered.

While he was draining the block, Jade looked over his shoulder at his new housemate. Sephiroth seemed to have settled in just fine, even with the unexpected addition of Anise in the apartment. Not that Jade had really anticipated any trouble between the two. Opposites though their personalities might be, hopefully they'd find common ground in their hypercompetent nature if nothing else.

"I'm guessing work has been busier lately?" After the outbreak of powerful monsters caused by their excursion, Crystallis needed strong fighters more than ever. Thinking about it, Sephiroth was practically made for the job.

It wasn't that he'd been put off, par se, by the fact that tofu -a substance he'd likely never see as a viable foodstuff- was in the fridge but it had earned a moments consideration earlier when Sephiroth had been picking his own ingredients -mostly root vegetables with a small bit of meat- out.

As far as the third unexpected addition to their living arrangements here went, Sephiroth hardly knew Anise at all. Between that fact and how his work schedule kept him away from home for long hours or even days away at a time, even if they were to butt heads in some way, the chance of that having a chance to occur was relatively minute.

"Hm," Just swallowing that last bit of his latest spoonful, with a soft nod in Jade's direction. "It has."

He tried to keep his tone as bitter-less as it could be. Jade had been there, and just as the others that had been had probably not thought much of his thoughts on ridding Crystallis of it's inherent protection from the Calamity. The impact to the volume of his work was running already consistent to the increased need for ample security now along the borders where those Calamity-monsters might wander too close to those still-un-corrupted lands into which so many refugees had flocked to.

"I'm probably going to have to pull back some personnel from within Aqures Ixen, at this rate."

It was a perfectly civil comment to make, but even then Jade thought he could sense a bit of... not hostility, but disapproval, perhaps? It wouldn't be too surprising, given that Sephiroth had been the only one to speak against fighting Soulcage. His concerns hadn't been unreasonable, either. Still, Jade was rather certain he'd made the right call at the time...

However, there was always the possibility he was wrong. Things tended to go badly when Jade made mistakes -- something he was painfully aware of.

"I see."

He paused, then glanced over his shoulder again. This was best addressed openly, now that they had a chance to speak in private.

"You don't approve of what we did." Jade's tone didn't give away how he felt. It was little more than an observation, and a prompt for Sephiroth to voice whatever reproach might be on his mind. After all, if Jade couldn't defend his decision after the fact, he had no business ever taking a leadership role in anything.

As civil as the comment had been, it wouldn't be in Sephiroth's character to attempt to hide that particular hint of disapproval that Jade had detected. Even if it were just in regards to the impact on his already often-stretched work life, he'd have enough of a reason to feel, at best, a little put-out by the resultant circumstances.

The fact that he'd gone to far as to voice a word in opposition to the general consensus of the heroes, and that he wasn't often vocal about such opinions probably went a great deal of a way in further cementing Sephiroth's personal views on the matter. It had not ever come to blows, so far, on the few and far between occasions that he had opposed decisions others had taken that had such heavy-hitting and/or long-winded consequences.

"I don't. But it happened anyway." Short and clipped, a by-the-book attempt at a brush off as best Sephiroth could put it. He took a breath, stirred his soup about in the bowl a little before adding a further -albeit more bitter- comment about it.

"Far be it for me to stand in the way of...heroics."

"Heroics... Is that what you would call it?" Jade's tone was perhaps inappropriately light given the subject matter. He almost seemed more concerned with the tofu. "I mostly said what I did to fit in. Everyone was having so much fun with their speeches."

However, when he finally decided to leave the tofu blocks alone and turned to actually face Sephiroth properly, the smile on his face was already gone.

"But jokes aside... I know what we did was dangerous. Extremely so." He crossed his arms and leaned back against the kitchen counter, frowning. "Nevertheless... None of our efforts will matter if the First Crystal runs out of energy. The Soul Divider is the only known way to cycle energy into the Crystal. I can't give up an asset that valuable, no matter what the risk."

If Soulcage had been open to negotiation, it might have been a different story. They could have at least given their options more consideration. However, it had made its position very clear. The choice had to be made then and there.

Sephiroth shifted on his seat, closer to the edge of the table and took another mouthful of soup before lifting his second and -just as he were blowing across the surface- looked back up from it to Jade as he turned from the sink. A quick sip taken before he went back to rather casually stirring it around again; if anything, it was clear from his body language that the silver haired man were trying to handle this conversation constructively - despite their difference in opinion.

"...all very well and good. Logical." He made a measured comment after Jade finished speaking. The physics, or metaphysics, of Crystallis were very much beyond Sephiroth's understanding yet he knew well enough the need to ensure the First Crystal could be fixed had to be a primary objective in saving this World. It's the particulars of the method that infuriated him, and often left him feeling useless as a result.

"And if the First Crystal can't be revitalized? Don't you think..." He suddenly froze in the stirring of his soup as he met Jade's eye contact more full-on. It might well be possible to guess what he might be able to say, before he says it.

"...it brings thoughts, that really...Crystallis has already surpassed it's lifetime. By setting things right, restoring a balance of sorts, should we be letting it go?"

This is strangely domestic

B-14; Open to anyone else visiting too

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