animus_network | 006

He feels a lot of things he had done needs to be made up for. I think he is just being an idiot.

[ And he holds out his hand for her to climb into. ]

I'll take you to where we can talk and get rid of this mini spell on you.

He's said the same to me and I agree with you. He's going too far with it.

[And Gaia knows she's at least trying to get Reno to talk to her about the things he's doing so she can help, support, or prevent any further activities. Little hands uses the tips of his fingers to pull herself up and into his palm, seating herself in the middle of his hand, legs tucked beneath her.]

That would be lovely, thanks. Being this small has been nothing but a hindrance.

By the way....what do you know about a man named Ganondorf?

We're the only ones from the Planet here. We need to help each other.

[ Carefully he raises his hand, bringing her level to his face with his fingers curved to make sure she doesn't go flying off. ]

I don't know if this would be the most comfortable position...

Reno told me to stay as far away from him as I can. Something about the guy being worse than I could imagine. Why?

[The corners of her mouth curl into a little smile, giving a nod. It was common sense that they stick together and utilize each other as much as possible. Why was it so hard for Reno to understand that?]

That's what I've been trying to tell him, but I think his head's gotten thicker since being here.

So long as you don't move too fast, it'll work. Or I could always sit on your shoulder and use your collar for balance. [Shoulders shrugged, a little movement that meant she'd do whatever was more comfortable for him. There was no denying it felt...weird being carried around in his hand.]

Because he's the one that did this to me. There was a meeting that he set up for what I'm going to now guess was for any and all evil or villain-like people to go to - and apparently I wasn't invited. [Which led her to wonder if the Turks were more of a chaotic neutral than before.] From everything Reno's told me, and my most unfortunate experience, I'm inclined to think that he might be one of the most dangerous men in the Tower.

Or there's something stuck in his mind that he's afraid will hurt people he cares for.

[ Cloud shook his head. Sort of like how he was when he started seeing the signs of the stigma on his own skin. He didn't want anyone to see him like that, so he just hid away. ]

Huh. I guess that we might have to keep an eye on him... But I wonder if we could. If he caught you, maybe he caught Reno doing something as well.

[ A nod to himself and he brought his hand up to his shoulder. ]

I've got some straps and stuff on this side that might make it easier to hang on to.

Hhnnn....maybe.

[It was a possibility, that was for sure. He himself said he had a good deal to make up for and didn't want others to get involved. It'd been like pulling teeth for him to accept the fact that she was going to help.]

Might? I'd say we have to - he's a threat to everybody here. During this whole fiasco I came to learn that Reno was undercover to watch Ganon more closely. But after the meeting I mentioned before he caught one of the new recruits, used her as bait Reno, and then attacked her and him. Worse, after that he tortured and then killed Reno.

[At that there's a flicker of pure and unadulterated anger, teeth clenching almost painfully.]

Whatever we do moving forward, we're going to have to be extra careful.

[Taking the cue, Elena moved from his hand to his shoulder in a little jump, wobbling before catching her balance. Checking out her options, she grabbed a handful of a thick strap and gave a salute.]

Ready when you are, Mr. Strife.

We can't work apart for too long in this place. We may not like it or may have issues in the past, but we can't act like this alone.

[ He gives a nod of his head and started walking, making his strides as easy as he could so she wouldn't fall off. He didn't want to lose her when she was this size. ]

This Ganon may know a lot more about us then we know of him. He may have done something besides torture and kill Reno. Remember, Sephiroth was able to control me at one point in time. Someone of a similar bent may also have that ability since it's obvious he can cast Mini without materia.

Agreed. Its too dangerous for us here to continue past grudges. Partnering up will increase our chances of survival. I think Reno would agree as well.

[The first few steps were a little jostling, but once she had learned his gait, Elena was able to stabilize herself on his shoulder. A fall from this height could be deadly.]

I'm thinking so - at least of the Turks. But it would be too dangerous for you to - [Eyes snap over to his face, widening in surprise before narrowing.] I remember. But if Ganon really has that capability, we - no, the Tower - is in even more danger. But before we assume that much about Ganon, we should check with Reno. Get some evidence first.

It might be hard to do. I only feel apart at the end because of all the mako exposure and my own broken thoughts. Before that, I didn't even realize that he was there.

[ The Turks were probably the main focus, especially the children that Reno had been gathering close to him and training them. Cloud wasn't sure if he was on this Ganon's radar yet, but it was only a matter of time. It wasn't that Cloud was hard to spot in this place. ]

We need to get a plan together.

....That could be a problem, then. When I saw him last, it seemed like nothing was wrong. I just...get this feeling that there's something more to it. Ganon wouldn't have just let him walk off like that once he knew that Reno had been undercover and watching him.

[Frowning, small hands tightened into the strap, exhaling a slow, frustrated breath. The Turks were on Ganon's radar, that much she knew. Which meant the little ones were in equal amount of trouble. And while Cloud might, for the time being, not be - it wasn't a risk she was interested in making.]

Agreed. But, given the situation, perhaps you and I should have a plan to address how to deal with Reno, in case he is somehow being manipulated by Ganon. I want to prevent him from finding out what we're doing and try to control the situation as best as we can.

We would need to figure out a way to talk without Reno finding out. We will need a trace or a spy on him and it would have to be something that this Ganon cannot sense.

[ He didn't like the idea that the kids were on a possible hostile's radar. That meant they were in trouble and he did not like that idea one bit. His steps took them to the safe area. ]

We need to ask for someone to give us a hand.

Well, there are many floors in the Tower that we can use. And I can have the recruits keep him busy whenever we have to meet. To at least keep him distracted. As for the spy...

[A small, almost devious smile forms. Oh, she's been making her own connections on the side. Ones she felt she could utilize in this situation.]

I've got a person in mind that might be able to assist us with watching Reno without being on anybody's radar. And he owes me the favor, considering that I've agreed to giving him a materia once the one I have is mastered.

I'm not going to ask who it is.

[ The less people who were in on this the better. Too many people find things out and then the whole plan can fall apart and that would not be good. Especially when dealing with a Turk. ]

We should change the floors randomly and not have a pattern develop.

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