Across the Divide and Through Valhalla

Settling In

Chapter 14

At that point, Genesis finally spoke up. He was glancing between Sherry and Sephiroth. "I suppose your suggestion is adequate. I believe I can trust Sephiroth enough for this, at least." He focused solely on Sherry at that point. "What type of bed will we be using?"

She wanted to sigh in relief that they were slightly accommodating. If they fought her as well as each other, none of them would make it very long. She was so relieved that it took her a moment to process his question, and she nearly laughed. Leave it to Genesis to be worried about the type of bed when most of their group didn't have a bed at all. She still managed to answer him. "It's a queen size pillow top. It's not new, but it should be comfortable enough, at least while you're here. The alternative is the floor, so..."

He narrowed his eyes at her blatant dismissal of his concern, but Sephiroth spoke up before he could call her on it. "That should be sufficient. You have already shown you will do all you can to help us, so I am not concerned with the minor details. Is there anything we need to do?"

She was even more shocked at his offer to help than she had been at the sight of the clean kitchen. It took her a moment to find her voice. "The guest bed is already made. I'll need to get sheets and blankets for the futon and couch. It won't be difficult, but you are both welcome to sleep whenever. It's the first door on the left." She turned at that point to get the blankets but paused and turned back quickly. "I almost forgot. That room doesn't have a working light in the ceiling. There is a lamp next to the bed you can use instead."

They all gave her curious looks that caused her to blush a little. "I know it's a pain, but I haven't had the chance to fix it yet. I have the stuff, but... well, I suppose it doesn't matter tonight. I'll see if I can fix it tomorrow."

Cloud finally spoke at that point. "I have some experience with wiring. I might be able to help."

She nearly grinned at him. "That would be great! I know the basics, but I would have had to YouTube it."

"You tube? What's that?"

His question made her cringe. "Sorry, I forget there is so much I take for granted. YouTube is a video service where people put all sorts of stuff. The internet has just about anything you could want to find."

Sephiroth frowned slightly when he spoke. "If I understand you correctly, then you are saying there is a network that is not only open to the public but that anyone can both post what they want or use it to look for whatever they choose?"

Sherry's eyes widened when she realized why he would ask that question. She shook her head at the extent of the differences. "Yes. Here in the US, there are very few regulations on what is posted. Some countries are stricter on what is available, but there is so much out there, it's scary sometimes. When I said you can find almost anything, I meant it."

When his look turned contemplative, she spoke up again. "I know there are so many things that are probably weird to you all, and I will be happy to go over as much of it as I can, but can we do it tomorrow?"

At her question, Sephiroth shook his head and gave her a small smile. The sight of it nearly bowled her over. She was saved from making a fool of herself when he spoke again. "I am certain there are more differences than any of us will realize until we are faced with them. I believe addressing them as they come up is not a bad idea. For tonight, we should rest."

She nodded at him in silence. When she realized she was still staring, she jumped slightly and turned to the hall closet quickly. She only hoped it was fast enough to cover her embarrassment. By the time she returned with an armload of linens, she had herself back under control. She put them down on the couch before she pulled out a set of sheets and a blanket. She handed them to Zack, as he was closest. "These should be all you need for the futon. I can show you how to lay it down in a minute. There are already pillows down there. They are kind of small, but I only have one more spare, and Noel will need it, sorry."

Zack gave her a grin as he took the armload. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure we have all had to sleep in worse situations. It'll be fine."

She was glad they all must have come to the same conclusion; they were truly in a foreign world, and she was somehow supposed to guide them back. Their acceptance made it easier to start at least. She shook off her wayward thoughts and turned to Genesis. "Do you think you will need anything else?" She stopped herself at that point and nearly smacked her forehead before she continued. "Sorry, I almost forgot. There is a bathroom downstairs and one here in the hallway. The one up here should have all you need for a shower. There's one downstairs too, but I doubt it has soap and stuff. I can change that after I go shopping." She wanted to kick herself as there was so much she just hadn't thought of yet. It was nearly overwhelming.

A couple of them gave her nods of understanding, but it was Sephiroth that spoke. However, he was turned to Genesis. "I'll take first watch."

Genesis raised a brow at that but didn't argue. He didn't really get a chance to as Cloud spoke up. "I'll take first watch as well."

Zack narrowed his eyes at his friend, but when Cloud caught sight of it, he shook his head quickly. Zack was still eyeing him, but he shrugged before he spoke. "Alrighty. Wake me at about 02:00."

Cloud only gave him a nod. Sherry watched the whole exchange with a raised brow. She understood why Cloud had volunteered and wondered how much longer it would be before he finally realized this was not his enemy. She shook off those thoughts as well and turned to Noel. "Give me a minute to get the futon set up, and I'll grab my extra pillow."

He gave her a nod. At that, she turned back to Cloud and Zack. "Follow me. I'll get you guys started."

She led them downstairs. She turned on the lights and looked around to see if anything needed to be picked up, as she was not the last person down there. When she did, she noticed another picture of Sephiroth on the wall and ran across the room before anyone else caught sight of it, or at least she hoped it was before they saw it. It was a picture that wasn't exactly an appropriate one for most people to see, especially not these people. She turned to see the two of them giving her confused looks, and she hoped that meant they were only curious as to why she was acting so strange. She ignored the stares and pointed to the futon. "All you have to do is lean it forward, and the clasp will loosen. Once it's loose, you can lay it all the way down. If for some reason, you want to lift it back up again, all you have to do is lift, and it has several positions it will catch in."

As she was speaking, Zack was following along. He laid it back and then lifted it up again before he put it back down. He gave her a grin. "Got it!"

"Great. If you need anything else, my room is the last door on the right upstairs. I'm usually a fairly light sleeper." She gave them a smile and headed back upstairs. Both Sephiroth and Genesis were still in the living room. She gave them a curious look, but they were in the middle of a quiet conversation. She left them to it as she walked to her room to get the spare pillow. When she returned, she noticed Noel already had the blankets laid out and was lying down with his head cushioned on his arms. She smiled before she handed it to him. "This should be better than your arms."

He took it with a smile. "Thanks. I appreciate you helping."

The look he gave her almost seemed as though he meant more than just the pillow. She gave him a nod of understanding. "Even if it wasn't my focus, I would be happy to help."

At that point, she turned and included the other two. "My room is the last one on the right if any of you need anything. Otherwise, go ahead and make yourselves at home. I don't have much here right now, but it will hopefully be enough. The only thing I ask is that you please stay out of my office and bedroom. Those are the two rooms at the end of the hall."

They each gave her nods before she turned and made her way back to her room. The day had to have been one of the longest of her life, and even though she had some sleep to make up for her sleepless night, it was not enough. She could feel that the only thing keeping her going was willpower. When she finally got into bed, it was one of the most wonderful things she had felt in ages.