Miasma

Chapter 12

"If you tell me to 'be patient' one more time I'm going to braid your hair while you sleep."

Sephiroth blinked at Genesis, a silver brow rising somewhat as he took in his furiously solemn expression. They were sitting next to the lake just outside the settlement; his redheaded companion with a fishing pole and an attitude veering closer and closer to 'homicidal' by the minute, and he with their rucksack and several lures that he'd only just finished detangling from what felt like miles of line. The air was crisp and cool, the trees surrounding them beginning to yellow just-slightly as Fall crept in on them. The wind was whistling through leaves inundated with dissolving chlorophyll like rice in a raincatcher... hissing softly as a muted backdrop behind the symphony of a flock of geese gathered on the far side of the lake. They would fly South soon...it was inevitable. Almost as inevitable as the slow march of Autumn.

Their days were somewhat tenuous.

Mostly because they spent them in constant fear of being caught out, but also because they were getting comfortable. They'd been in Saluberhafen-as it was dubbed by the locals-for nearly three weeks. During that time, the two of them had spent a considerable amount of time integrating themselves into the community as seamlessly as possible. This was somewhat easier for Genesis, because he could chop wood and carry things of considerable heft. He'd quickly gained the favor of Athir because he was capable and eager to work. There was also the fact that the redheaded former Commander was sociable and overall pleasant to be around...people liked him automatically because he was friendly and overall genuine. Several times, he'd observed some of the younger girls looking after him with longing expressions; one of them had tried to give him flowers....and she'd been gently but firmly rebuffed.

For Sephiroth it was considerably more difficult.

His condition prevented him from doing hard labor, and Mati seemed to be his constant shadow. She was quick to insist that he rest if she saw that he needed it, and more often than not he found himself keeping her quiet but not unpleasant company. Their talk consisted of idle things...of leisure activities, cuisine they both enjoyed or-more often than not-of Mati's childhood. There were times when he almost suspected she knew more than she let on. She was quick to insist on giving him privacy when it came to physical matters, and she didn't press to have him examined by a midwife even though he knew there were at least two in the village. If anything her constant dogging kept the other members of the settlement from venturing too close or getting too curious. Nevertheless, there were times when he just wanted to be alone...when he wanted to be able to breathe.

Mornings were usually spent around a communal fire trading news or eating in quiet silence. It seemed that Mati was the village chef-which explained her sometimes alarming desire to shove food down both of their throats-and most of the younger women deferred to her when it came to cooking. Once everyone had eaten the majority of the populace drifted off to their respective tasks before returning for cold leftovers around midday...sometimes in groups...sometimes separately. The children were tutored by both the female and male sects of the settlement, and it seemed like they were encouraged to pursue different professions and pursuits in favor of sequestering responsibilities and tasks to specific sexes. Mornings were normally reserved for academic instruction and afternoons were spent learning about proficiencies that would sustain the village overall. Sephiroth had spent an extremely awkward Thursday evening explaining economics to a group of twelve year olds that seemed like they wanted to murder him. He was rescued by Genesis, who proceeded to turn it into a theatrical production along the lines of
'B is for Budget Deficit and Bellydancing', 'F is for Finance and Foxtrot', and 'T is for Taxation and Tango' and quickly found that it was he who wanted to kill something. Or someone.

When he wasn't being chased after he spent a considerable amount of time trying to find different ways to stay in shape. Mainly, jogging far, far away from any semblance of human presence. Sometimes Genesis went with him and sometimes he didn't but it was hard to talk and he was content with the circumstances either way. At other times he was able to sequester himself next to a fire pit and read through a book or try to find news on the radio but most of their intel was next to none. Shinra didn't seem to be doing anything productive save for spouting warnings about how dangerous the two of them were amid day to day reports. There was no word that they could concretely associate with Angeal or Tseng and there were times he entirely despaired of the concept of propaganda. There was the glaring truth that they were going to have to return to HQ eventually...whether before or after he gave birth, and the idea of sitting behind his desk again wasn't exactly as unappealing as it had once been. Neither of them were interested in 'settling down' or making a life for themselves outside of what they were accustomed to. And while it was pleasant to see the world it was equally important that the world have some form of stability.