Switched

The New Crisis

Sephiroth and Genesis had hung back when the rest of the group went inside the building. Cloud was talking to the receptionist and obviously not liking what he was being told. It looked like Reeve wasn't back yet, and they were being asked to wait. Sephiroth knew they would need to face Cloud and the rest of his group soon enough, but he knew now wasn't the time for it. After his close encounter with the wrong end of a giant sword he felt that getting away from the sword wielder, at least long enough for them to both calm some, would be the wisest course of action.

Vincent was with the group as well, trying to speak to an irrational Cloud, but Sephiroth didn't want to wait for him. Especially not if he was just going to bring the other three with him. Sephiroth caught Genesis' eye and motioned toward the elevators. Genesis gave him a nod, and they headed back to their shared room. The guards that were assigned to follow them looked as if they might object, but Genesis shot them a death glare, and they decided that following along quietly was a better idea.

Once they reached the quiet of the room, the first thing Sephiroth did was grab a towel and head to the bathroom. He had been in far dirtier situations, but no one liked to be covered in blood, especially not their own, for longer than was necessary. He made quick work of getting cleaned, feeling infinitely better when the water no longer turned pink. He was beginning to realize how close he came to dying once more and had to repress the rage and sadness again.

When he was done with the shower, he realized he had forgotten to grab a change of clothes again, and the ones he had been wearing were destroyed. Shaking his head at his thoughtlessness he wrapped the towel around himself and headed back to the bedroom. He moved to toss the shirt that had been shredded and noticed Genesis staring. He hadn't forgotten his friend was in the living room, but he hadn't really thought about it either. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable under that gaze for the first time ever. Shaking off the thought, he threw the duster Genesis had lent him back to his friend. Genesis caught it without looking away, which only deepened the feeling. To clear his mind, he turned to find something to wear, calling back over his shoulder as he walked away. "Thank you for healing me and lending me that." He realized it was probably rude, but he was still slightly shaken and didn't want to delve too deep into anything else that involved emotions right now.

When he finished drying his hair and went to get dressed, he realized the suit he had been given the day before had been the only pair of pants they had brought him. Those were unwearable, even if he had found another shirt to wear. "Well, shit!" The curse was under his breath as he realized he would have to deal with wearing a dress for the moment. He did not feel like garnering the attention of the guards, lest it hastened the arrival of the group he still wished to avoid.

He dug through the clothes that had been provided until he finally found a skirt that had high slits in the side and built-in shorts underneath along with a sleeveless top. It was too short to cover his midriff completely, but it worked well enough and still allowed proper movement. He started to walk out once he was dressed, but the mirror on the closet caught his eye as he passed. This was the first time he had looked at himself since his rebirth, not counting the time when he was first formed as looking at himself in water was not very clear. Looking now he found that his hair and the color of his eyes were the only things untouched. Even his pupils were rounded instead of slit. It was a strange sensation to look in a mirror and see a stranger, but unless he ended up dying today it was a face he would need to get used to. Glancing down at the clothes he wore he made a mental note that there were going to be many things he would have to get used to. He repressed a sigh as he turned from the strange image and walked back into the living room.

He found Genesis on the couch still with his face buried in his old copy of Loveless. He chuckled as the familiar sight eased a knot that had been buried in his chest. "Sometimes. I wonder if you don't value that book more than anything else in the world."