Vagaries of Fate

Tsviets

Chapter 46 

Clarissa had barely been back to work for a month when Sephiroth called her to his office. It wasn't unusual for him to have meetings there, but something in his tone had her on edge. It was even worse when she came in and saw both Genesis and Angeal both there as well. Her heart was in her throat when she saw them all frowning. It didn't even help when Genesis came and took her hand.

Before the General could say anything, Clarissa preempted him. "What has happened? Did we find the rest of Avalanche?"

Genesis frown grew, but Sephiroth only sighed as he sat back and shook his head at her. "I should have known you would have already thought of that." He then sat forward and gestured to the chairs.

Clarissa had a feeling she didn't want to be seated while he explained, but she took the chair anyway. It was several seconds before he finally spoke. "Please do not feel as though we were keeping this from you, but until we knew something for sure, we did not want to upset you."

She could feel her temper rising at the thought that they had been keeping her in the dark about something. It wasn't until she looked over to see Genesis frowning still that she remembered she had once done something similar. She couldn't fault them. Not when she still wasn't close to her usual personality anymore. She finally gave Sephiroth a nod of understanding, and he continued.

"When we found you, we were so focused that we did not consider the location of the Tsviets or Hollander until later. Thankfully, we left half the troops to secure anything that was left behind. During their investigation, several alternate locations were found."

Clarissa sat forward stiffly. She wasn't sure what she was feeling exactly. Anxiety? Fear? Maybe, but not relief. Not yet. Somehow she still managed to keep her voice even. "Do we know where they are now?"

Sephiroth looked up at Genesis for a moment before he finally looked back and answered. "We have them all in custody. Hollander is already scheduled to go to trial, but we are unsure what to do with the Tsviets. They are victims as much as any of us, yet they are far too dangerous to roam. They are currently detained."

Clarissa sat back so fast that her back slammed into the chair with enough force to nearly knock it backward. Only Genesis's hand on her shoulder stopped her. She was so focused on keeping herself calm that she hardly even noticed. It was several seconds before she was able to speak. "Where are they?"

All three men gave her concerned looks. Genesis was the first to speak. "Are you sure you want to know?"

She looked up at her husband, and he instantly knelt to pull her into a hug. The mix of emotions she was holding in was terrifying to see in her eyes. She only let the embrace linger for a moment before she pushed back and gave him a nod. "I need to do this."

When none of the men moved right away, she finally looked back to Sephiroth. "I know you are all worried, but I need this."

Sephiroth finally sighed and gave her a nod. "We will escort you to them."

She gave him a nod. That was fine with her since she had a feeling she would be a mess by the time she left. At her gesture, they all turned to head to where the Tsviets were being held.

They had to go through several doors and guards to get there, which wasn't surprising. She knew the three teens were just as dangerous as any Soldier. It wasn't until they got to the last door that she wondered how they were holding Nero. Out of them all, his power made it the easiest to slip away undetected. Though she got her answer as soon as they walked in and saw Vincent leaning against the far wall. The ex-Turk gave them all a curious look but didn't ask any questions. He simply moved to the side and allowed them to get closer to the three cells.

Clarissa spared him a glance for a moment. Now that life was a little less crazy, it was about time that he and Sephiroth had a heart-to-heart. Perhaps even time enough to head out and find Lucrecia. Vincent raised a brow at her evaluation, but she just shook her head. For now, she had something else to focus on.

With that thought, she turned to see both Weiss and Rosso had stood to see who had come to visit. Weiss was the first to speak. "Look at who it is. A little dove has come to see us."

Genesis growled at the implications in that name, but Clarissa was ignoring them both. Her focus was on Rosso, and it didn't take the teen long to figure it out. She smirked at Clarissa before she spoke. "I see my efforts have gone to waste. You are just as colorless as ever. Though I suppose it is alright if you wish to admire mine."

By that point, Clarissa was shaking. Genesis had taken a threatening step forward, but all the men froze and looked on in shock as the floor around Clarissa started to ice over. Genesis was the first to shake off his stupor and grabbed his wife by the arm. He had to bite back a curse as the ice started to coat his hand, but it quickly retreated as she looked over at him and finally saw what her reaction was doing.

She gave him an apologetic look before she focused back on the girl. Her jaw clenched several times, as did her fists, but when she finally spoke, her voice was even and held a note of pity, which shocked all of the Tsviets.

"Your bloodthirst is not a boon. It is a symptom of the hell you went through. I know that. I still want to beat the shit out of you, but I won't because you aren't worth my time or pain."

Rosso scoffed at her and smirked again, but it was harder for the girl to hold onto as Clarissa ignored her and continued. "Instead, I want you to think about something. Your way of life, the one that was thrust upon you all, that way is dying. The monsters that held us all are gone, and for the first time in a long time, more peaceful minds are reigning."

She paused and looked around at the men next to her before she continued. "Despite what it means for us as well, I hope there comes a time in my lifetime that people like me and these men are also no longer necessary." She then made sure Rosso was looking in her eyes as she finished. "Keep that in mind, when you are asked to change. I know it won't be easy, but I also know you are all strong. Don't let what madmen lined out for your future become all you know. They win if you can't walk away from their path."

Every one of the others were looking at her like she had lost her mind. It hadn't taken a lot for the other Firsts to figure out that something had happened between Clarissa and the girl. That made her words all the more confusing.

It was several seconds before Rosso finally scoffed and answered, though they could hear a note of uncertainty. "It isn't like you care. We both know you want me dead."

Clarissa's eyes narrowed, but her voice was still even. "You are correct. There is a part of me that wants to string you up and skin you alive, but I won't. I can't. If I give in to the urge for revenge, I will be the one to pay. And like I said, you aren't worth that much to me. I'm only telling you this because I pity you. All of you."

As soon as those words were out of her mouth, Rosso jumped forward with a snarl. She was able to ignore the voltage that zapped through her as she grabbed the bars and raged at them all. Weiss had also jumped forward, though he was only shouting obscenities.

Clarissa shook her head as she left a parting remark. "For your sake, I hope you can rise above the past, or you will forever be lost." That was the final straw. Genesis knew his wife would get angry if he shot a fireball into the cells to shut them up, so instead, he turned her to leave.

Sephiroth was the last to walk out, and he paused to give them all a contemplative look. His voice was so low that Vincent was the only one to hear over the yelling. "I know what it is to walk another's path. I, too, hope that you learn to leave it behind."

Vincent continued to watch the door after the General left. Had anyone been looking, they might have fallen over in shock as a small smile graced his lips. Despite everything, he knew without a doubt that Lucrecia would be proud of her son. That thought left an old ache pulsing again, but he hoped that one day she would be able to see it for herself.