On the Move

[shinra_dog]

Sam let Reno lead her and wasn't sure where they were going exactly. She hadn't been around Midgar in a long time and yesterday she didn't have a good chance to have a good look around at the changes.

She had to admit though, coming here wasn't all that bad. She did get to see Reno again...She couldn't help but to feel grateful to him by his outburst to her when she was at her most vulnerable. She felt like she really needed to be smacked mentally from that state.

She found it a bit funny though. He says he owed her, but has he forgotten about what happened all those years ago? She actually had to pay him back from that action he did, even if it meant losing his job.

"After Meteor an' then Geostigma, we relocated here t' Edge, just outside Midgar," Reno said to her as they walked. "You can still see the remains of the old city from anywhere in here. It was pretty massive..." They took a left turn at the next street. "We've done some clean up there, but it's such a big job... I dunno if it'll ever get done, y'know? Might just be left for awhile, I guess a testament to our mistakes."

Sam, hearing the random start of a conversation, listened. She glanced around for a moment before responding, "Well, if things don't stop now, then I assure you...This place will be even more of a mess. I am quite surprised how much you know even though you only encountered these creatures once...a new one in fact."

"I'm a fast learner," Reno answered with a shrug. "Ya had t' be, where I came from. ShinRa only honed it an' made it useful. Besides -- every action comes from somewhere. Only gotta keep that in mind, an' ya can figure out a lotta stuff. Not t' mention this sorta thing isn't exactly unique."

Sam nodded her head knowing it wasn't an unknown idea that wasn't created before. "They have other...ideas they may try, but I'd rather get them pushed back and prevent taking over Midgar any time soon...I want you to do something for me though..."

Reno looked over his shoulder at her, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "An' what's that?"

Sam stopped walking and gave him a hard serious look. "If a Dark Seraph comes with six wings and chains around his arms...I want you to take everyone...the Turks, everyone, out of the area. Leave me behind."

Reno stopped in his tracks as well and turned to face her. "Leave you behind? Why can't you come, too? What Dark Seraph is that?"

Sam decided it was better to answer him. "I lost a loved one by his hands... His name is Uriko. I have escaped him once, but I doubt there will be a second time. If I were to run too, you and the other Turks would all perish my fate. If I'm going to die, I want to at least know some good came out of it."

Reno thought for a moment. "But..." he began, "if you die, what's to stop Uriko from killing everyone else anyway?"

"He has no intent in going after you and all of Midgar alone. I am on the high hit list for him because I got away. He wants to make sure I die suffering. He already knows I'm suffering after watching a loved one's death. He still hasn't found me yet. If he were to come at me, you guys would have plenty of time to get away from there...He will let me die slowly and I will assure you I will live enough to make sure you get away." She didn't really think that all through. It just fell out of her mouth.

Reno stared at her, his emotions in tumultuous chaos over all of this. After a moment, he just shook his head. "Don't sacrifice yourself just yet," he said, and turned to continue walking. "The Dark Seraphs wanna take out everyone eventually, right? Your death isn't gonna change that goal. So if ya go, ya better go with a bang. But let's just cross that bridge when we come to it."

Sam stood there for a moment before continuing to follow him. "Yes, but at least living a bit longer would be meaningful...better than dying right then and there....I told you before, I'm going to do what I can until my last breath." She smiled slightly, "I'm not going to let him take me down just like that."

Reno smirked. "Good. Don't let that last breath go too easy or too soon, yo."

Sam shook her head. "I won't...if my death is coming I will at least yank all of his wings off the bastard before I go down." She wondered where they were going still. She was starting to get hungry herself.

Reno's smirk widened into a full-on grin at that. "Y'know, though," he said after a moment, "ya don't have to feel alone."

He made a right and nodded to a glowing sign up ahead, some of the letters flickering. "There's the best pizza place in town, yo. Perfect place t' stop for some dinner, an' pick up a bribe for Rude. Dunno if 'Laney's called him yet, but he's not big on bein' disturbed, especially with strangers."

"You wanna eat in?" Reno asked before opening the door. "Or you wanna get to-go? Up to you, you gotta keep a lower profile than I do."

Sam honestly didn't think it really mattered what action she took anyway. "We can go inside to eat. I don't mind..." She highly doubted the creatures would be in that building anyway, but she can never tell unless they finally reveal themselves.

"Alrighty then." Reno held open the door for Sam.

Sam nodded her head in thanks and walked inside. She was hit immediately by the multiple smells of the place. It wasn't too overwhelming though. She stepped aside letting Reno go ahead of her as she had no idea what she had to do.

Reno led Sam up to a counter where, overhead, a vast menu was displayed. "Feel free ta' order whatever ya like if ya want somethin' in particular," he told her. "Or we can just split a pizza.”

Sam responded, "Nothing in particular in mind. If you don't mind, order for me please." She'd rather have it that way. She may find it amusing what he would choose for her.

"Uh... 'kay..." Reno wasn't one of those people who were big on ordering for others, so he went as basic as he could think of. "Can I get a large cheese pizza please? Yeah, an' another one to go, hold for twenty minutes or so on that."

Sam chuckled at his choice of pizza. Clearly her telling him to choose made him go to the easiest route. She couldn't blame that on him. She pulled the hood off her head not seeing a whole lot of point wearing it indoors. She wanted to look less noticeable. Seeing two hooded figures is very nerve wrecking to some. "Did I stress you on telling you to order for me?" She asked.

Reno shrugged, letting his sweatshirt's hood fall, too. "Not really, but I figured better keep it simple -- better safe than sorry, right? Don't tell me ya don't like plain cheese, now."

Sam grinned slightly. "If I can eat it, I don't really care what kind it is." She pulled her hair out of the cloak. She stroked her hair a bit to straighten it out with her fingers. She had two white feathers hiding in her thick hair that became visible when she combed it. She leaned her back against the chair closing her eyes.

It wasn't long before their number was called and Reno brought the pizza back to their table with some plates and an abundance of napkins. He inhaled appreciatively. "Mmm, food... I thought I'd never get any today."

Sam really didn't expect any food today at all either. "You and me both..." She opened her eyes to look to see what he had brought. She couldn't really smell it sense of how much food is in this place.

Reno was about to take a large bite out of a slice he'd folded in half when he stopped at grinned at Sam. "Actually, you first," he said playfully. "I wanna see what you think."

Sam gave a small laugh, "Oh, me first? What, did you poison it or something?" She joked before taking a slice of the pizza to take a bite out of it. She showed no hesitation in doing so. It has been awhile since she has eaten human food. She swallowed and smiled, "It’s good."

"Good? Just good?" Reno exclaimed, mock-indignant. "Sam, this is the best pizza place that's ever been!"

Sam shrugged her shoulders. "I can't really agree with you since I haven't had human food in a long while, so don't really have 'pizza' experience like you do. So yeah, it’s good."

"Well, just so you know, your first meal out of a tree is the crème de la crème of pizza kind." With that, Reno returned to devouring his own slice.

Sam chuckled at that and continued to eat the slice of pizza she had till she was finished. She wasn't full, but she can be satisfied with that for now. She crossed her arms and her mind began to roam as she sat there. Sometimes she wished a fight would just break out when her mind began to think. She found her mind recently a very harsh and merciless opponent.

She looked at Reno wondering if she was doing anything right by helping them. She wondered if it was for him or was it just because they were human beings too. She wondered if all she was to him was just something to protect until all of this was over. "Hey, Reno. I need to tell you something...you may want to stop thinking you owe me anything." She had a bit of guilt for having this drag this long.

Reno stopped his second slice of pizza hanging between his hand and his mouth. "Umm... Here?"

She glanced around not seeing any problem with it. "Oh stop worrying too much...even if there were any around here, they wouldn't care one bit. It wouldn't change their plans at all. It isn't you that should owe me, more like the other way around. It was 12 years ago."

"You owe me?" Reno put the remainder of the slice down on his plate and looked at her with confused curiosity. "How's that?"

Sam wasn't sure if she should say this part out loud. She responded, "I cannot speak this out loud though, unless you want to risk your job." She placed her arms on the table crossing them as she leaned in on them a bit.

Reno froze. No, his job was rather important. Extremely important. "Er, maybe later."

He heard the number called for Rude's pizza. "You just about ready to go?" he asked.

Sam nodded her head and got up onto her feet. "Ready to go save the world one Dark Seraph at a time? Not so much...but I am as ready as I will ever be." She began to walk off to head outside to wait.

Reno chuckled at that and cleaned off their table, grabbing the to-go pizza box on the way out. "Okay, onward we go."