bart9

Starring: Sephiroth, Tomo, Jesse and Bart
Date of Log: Er... sometime in early April.
Location: Balamb Town.

Four days ago Balamb got something of a shock. I mean.. it got a SHOCK. Sure people have heard rumors about the fact that Galbadia Garden was stolen, and even more wild stories about how it could fly. Just imagine everyone's amazement when it not only proves to be true, but the hold crimson thing heads over the water like some weird ship, and then rises from the waves to float over the beach - all hovering on that circling golden.. whatever it is. Hey, it's magic. How much more explaination do you need? Garden came out of the water, liquid sliding off in sheets to leave it dripping as it moves over sand and grass, to settle down somewhere between the city and the other Garden. There it remained for a number of hours before the Balamb Garden people gained the courage to approach it.
Sephiroth went out to meet them, and after talking for a long, long while things proved to be calm. The general isn't here to attack at all, and in fact is looking for suplies. That and he wanted to try and talk to the SeeDs about remaining neutral in the things he plans on doing in the future. Assurances are made, and even some of those plans explained... what people agreed on is unknown and Sephiroth himself isn't telling. Neither is Cid.
However, for the people of Balamb and the troopers and SOLDIERs in GGarden it means a meeting. Not a bad meeting, but one never the less. Hey, even troopers need a drink and a day spent lounging around a town. All in all it's weird for everyone, but nothing bad happens beyond some drunk and rowdiness. Sephiroth's people police their own and heavily. the SOLDIERs take shifts and while most Troops are off duty, the men with the glowing eyes make sure no one gets out of hand. Even if they have to break the bones of their own people. o.o; Ruining relations with one of the few places to get food is a damn stupid idea and Sephiroth doesn't want to risk it.
So, three days after GGarden made its first appearance things are calm again.. if one doesn't mind the red thing looming there. Sephiroth says hello to Irvine, but today it's dragging Tomo out to see the town. Sorry, you don't get a choice in the matter. You need some fresh air and sunshine, so move. The seishi doesn't have to like it of course, but you are badgered into going out. Sephiroth wants some Balamb cooking since he's never had it before and so it's to a restaurant that he's heading. No real hurry, and he's getting blatently stared at whereever he goes (Both for his normal appearance as well as his *Ahem* clothing..), but he ignores that completely.

But Mommy, I don't WANNA go outside and play with the other kids... ;_; Aaah! Fresh air! I can't breathe! Sunshine! @_@; Where's a good, shadowy hole to crawl into and hide in when you need one?
As he is wont to do with any new nation, the first decision Tomo reaches about Balamb, not five minutes after arrival, is that it's strange. Utterly. It's with great reluctance that he's persuaded to step outside, and then with greater reluctance to actually go more than five feet from the Garden. He's only now gotten to the point where he can wander around Galbadia Garden without getting too significantly lost. Now he's being expected to survive in yet another alien environment. Sephiroth ends up with a shadow for that reason, not wholly unexpected for Tomo is probably not wanted to go wander off by his lonesome anyway; but he sticks to the SOLDIER like glue, eyeing the strange landscape through narrow golden eyes, and then at the people who stare too long at his pale-haired companion, mildly nonplussed by everything and all at once.
Dark hair obscures verdant eyes, silver-ebon free for there's no headdress to keep it at bay, nor the rest of the more colorful aspects of the illusionist's regalia. For that reason, ironically, he gets fewer looks than Sephiroth, for with Konan only a ferry ride away, it's unlikely that dark-haired Orientals are at the least uncommon in these parts. So Tomo's attention is focused for the most part on the strange architecture and aspects of technology littered throughout the town, and really, the only question out of it all that he thinks to ask is simple:
"Do I have to eat at this place with silverware?"

At least Tomo is among the prominent persons of the day who -can- use his silverware. From somewhere else in Balamb, a pair whose 'loudness' in contrast to the reserved quiet of the island town isn't product of their being exotic foreigners, but sheer, literal volume. It seems that the esteemed Commander Black has outstayed his welcome in Madame Constanze's fine establishment and, along with his young compatriot and pupil, is being ushered into the sunlit streets mostly dressed. Able to laugh and plead his case while still singing incoherently, Jesse staggers out into the middle of the street and sloppily pivots about to wave at her she she slips inside and closes the door-quickly, so as to hide her smile. It's not that Jesse really did anything wrong, per se, but getting him to leave in the middle of one of his war stories-which he insisted on telling everyone in the room sometime around midnight the night before, is nigh impossible without taking a severe tone. That's what Bart got to wake up to, lucky fellow, as he was asked to help his friend get home.
It's not even that he's really drunk this go 'round, but sometimes it's just as much fun to pretend to be soused as to actually pickle one's brain. He's 'buzzed', is all, but still gargling out a love song with his arms spread dramatically, serenading the door and occasionally trying to coax his protegee' into joining in with a frantic flip of his hand. And then he forgets the words, and Balamb is silent again. He straightens, affecting a more dignified posture, and narrows his eyes speculatively while glancing up and down the road as though he were about to tackle Bart to the ground and holler a warning for an enemy attack. The Etone (Commander..whatever) doesn't do this, however. He draws an audible breath, steeling himself for a bout with daylight that's started without him, and states in a near whisper, "Okay, that was fun. Let's eat."

Life is grand. No really, it is! Bart always exudes this strange lust for life and today is no different from... any other day. Except today, the would-be prince of Aveh is stumbling out of a brothel, alongside his errant 'Uncle', Jesse. And he's giggling, to boot, as well as joining in with the rather loud and ... interesting song. Not so much for being drunk, but because he had fun last night. Way too much of it. >.>;; Long hair having been... unraveled during the night, he's busy getting it back under some semblence of control so he can get it back into that braid. Of course, after the events of the night previous, his fingers don't quite want to agree with him. The fact that Galbadia Garden entered the airspace of Balamb Isle didn't phase the prince much. Oh he was aware that it came, even saw it for a moment while out with the Garden class he's been placed in to help teach him the virtues of 'teamwork'. Everyone boggled and goggled at it and it was quite the talk among the other students, but Bart just shrugged. It doesn't directly affect him, so he wasn't gonna worry about it. Besides, he was looking forward to tracking down Jesse after class and get into more trouble with him. The Etone is so great for this sort of thing. *.* It's obvious that Bart adores him, anyway, and would follow him like a puppy dog anywhere that Jesse chose to go.
However, the prince is absolutely famished after that. Not that he isn't always hungry anyway. >.> Between him and Squall, Sigurd must have one hell of a food bill. Finally beginning to replait his hair, he looks at the Etone over one shoulder and leans in against him to get his attention off his caterwauling efforts that appear to be largely at an end anyway, about to mention food when Jesse suggests it anyway. Eagerly, the blonde head bobs up and down in a repeated nod, "Great." He's not keen on going home right away, anyway. So far he hasn't landed his rear end into much trouble, but Sigurd's bound to start getting a bit suspicious by now. Ahem. Of course, for all Bart knows, his aniki is already aware of what's going on and is just not letting on. So, now that it's been suggested, the prince abandons finishing off the braid and starts headed in the general direction of an eatery of some sort. Probably *gasp* the one that Sephiroth and Tomo are headed for! What a coinydink!

At least Jesse didn't lean over and puke on Sephiroth's boots. Oh wait, we can do that later.. *ahem* And yes, of COURSE it's the same restaurant that Seishi and SOLDIER are going to. Black outfit glittering with a wealth of silver that covers arms, waist, and legs, the man all but stalks about as he normally does, smirking as the slender man at his side asks such questions. Before he can say anything at all however, there is this... um, well, is it safe to say it's singing? Then again he has heard worse over the years. Soldiers all over the world have a bad habit of getting free time and then getting drunk. He's even done it a number of times himself - the drunk part, not the singing. Even wasted he didn't sing. Sephiroth's purrs when totally drunk. That's the loudest he gets at such times. n.nV Anyway, he stops just outside of the place to watch the one time singer, and his aprentice trouble finger, stagger out and about in the same general direction he plans to go. Apparently his own people are not the only ones getting drunk and laid in Balamb.
"I have no idea." Is said back to Tomo accompanied by a glance. "We shall find out." ABout chopsticks. Poor Tomo might be SOL, but Sephiroth doesn't know that for certain. Since the SOLDIER can have manners, and does in fact use them from time to time, he opens the door to the restaurant and holds it for Jesse. There is the faintest of smirks on that pale mask of a face; green eyes alien and dead seeming here in the sunlight. Sephiroth's eyes do not at all react to light as a normal humans, and where they should sparkle, his in fact look less human. Two emeralds that someone has placed inside of a man's skull and then shone light through. The barest slit of black in the middle doesn't at all ease this illusion either.

The sound of the man over yonder's melodic presentation instantly distracts Tomo from the bewildering predicament of whether or not he'll be expected to remember the difference between a knife and fork, and whether or not a man is supposed to lift his plate as he eats or keep it on the table, for whatever reasons since they plainly escape him. Foreign table manners are a perplexing subject. However, the soloist proves to be an interesting enough distraction: Jesse and, a beat later, Bart are eyed with blatant curiosity, fine ebon brows rising upward as the pale-haired SOLDIER sees fit to hold the door open so that they can enter first. This earns him something of a mild look, curious in its own right. Not that there's much to comment on, however; Tomo merely reiterates with as much mildness to his tone as one such as he can assume, his hands clasped behind him near the small of his back, "I despise forks, so I certainly hope not."

About a half a minute after giving Bart an earful of why one doesn't run up ahead of the leader (being him) and then engaging in a blurry discussion of the whys and hows of who's really in charge around here, Jesse wakes up in mid-stride (having not said a -word- to Bart, incidentally), and takes note of the fact that his 'follow the red jacket' trick has once again taken him where he needed to be. A Bart is a handy thing to have on hand, sometimes. Trying to decide when a Bart -isn't- a handy thing to have around gives the Etone a headache, so he stops and ponders the pair of strange people in front of the restaurant he's heading toward. That's neat. Later, he'll track down that book shop that sold dream diaries and find out what it means when you see a dead general and a man from the four kingdoms and..no, wait the rabbit isn't really there but the other two are. Jesse isn't drunk. Honest.
With his bearing of sober competence securely in place and betrayed for the facade it is only by the slight shinyness of his eyes and all-too-eager propensity for broad smiles, the man dips his head companionably toward an image he's only ever seen in tactical footage (but even when witnessing the purported 'Butcher of Midgar' by proxy on captured ShinRa propaganda, one is hard-pressed to forget -that- face, and nevermind the clothes that aren't black and silver) and grins widely. "Much obliged," he says, pausing just long enough to convey genuine gratitude rather than a rushed pleasantry exchanged out of social obligation. Manners are important. It's also important to be interested in the conversation, and when the world blurs again, he assumes he was part of the discussion on forks, and nods emphatically to Tomo as well. Drunk, AND sleep-deprived. Bart, save these two from the Commander until he can get some coffee in 'im!

Jesse's are great things to have around, too. Bart has learned this in all the time he's been spending with him lately. It's nice to have that friendly uncle type who's willing to do things the father figure wouldn't do. And isn't it so nice of Bart to wear that jacket? Just a flag for people who're searching for him to say 'There he went!' He pauses to let Jesse catch up, thereby letting him actually get ahead in time for Sephiroth to hold the door open. The pair are obviously out of towners, though let's face it-- Balamb is a melting pot anyway. Fatima blue eyes appraise the silver haired man and his graceful partner. And then he's grabbing Jesse by an arm and dragging him into the resturant before the Etone starts telling the two tales right there in the doorway while people are trying to get around. Must get coffee into the man! Pronto!
But, just as this is going on, there is a stirring within Sephiroth, the bird who's been seeking refuge lately comes forward and ruffles her feathers a bit and tries to peek out his eyes. Seeing as there's no junctioning going on, this makes things a bit interesting, since in order for her to do this, Sephiroth must give her permission. (Who was that? Where are we?) She's been asleep for awhile, it was nice while it lasted, wasn't it?

He responds to the politeness with an inclination of the head that looks entired too regal when one compares it to the drunkness of the other. Just a combination of little things allowing one to briefly look better than the other. Were Jesse to have had sleep and not be as drunk that wouldn't stand out as much. However, the illusion is shattered as the white haired general (Who is indeed wearing black and silver. c.c Just not the big silver pauldrons..) sways suddenly. Maybe Jesse is contageous!
Actually it's the GF in his head. She's been quiet for so long now he's gotten kind of used to it. Especially since he doesn't want her there in the first place. One hand tightens on the door handle, which creeks alarmingly, and the other is pressed to his brow as he hunches over. No, as a matter of fact you can not look out. You are not wanted here and never were. Sephiroth did you a huge favor, bird, and all you have done in return is give him trouble. Won't leave, won't shut up most of the time.. all the kinds of things he simply didn't want to have to deal with. Strangely his features change very little during any of this. There is only a slight furrowing of the brows. His body language says it all, even for what his face lacks. (I do not know. Be QUIET.) Comes the silent reply, somewhat irked with it all.

Golden eyes appear briefly owlish as Tomo begins to start in with another bout of random chatter, as he is wont to do on any given occasion, only to realize that there's a third member to the conversation, which cuts him short quickly before he gets himself started. Jesse is gazed at with frank curiosity a second time, and eyebrows that were already high upon his forehead arch still higher until they all but vanish amidst the riot of ragged spun obsidian that compose the young man's bangs. Bart's immediate effort toward relieving the General and his golden-eyed companion bring the serpentine regard to blink again, slowly, and the shadow of a bead of sweat poses at his temple as Tomo fights the urge to cough quietly into his hand, merely reascertaining to himself the sheer oddness of foreign countries.
After a few beats of silence following the pair of strangers' hasty retreat into the restaraunt, Tomo decides that he can begin talking again, and does so, already off and running about how peculiar it is that the foreigners, particularly the troopers that Sephiroth governs in the Garden, insist on keeping their plate on the table while they eat instead of holding it in their hands. ".. makes them look like a flock of vultures, with their heads tucked between their shoulders, and-- ah?" Abruptly, Tomo shuts up; it occurs to him that Sephiroth is probably not in a listening mood when he's holding his head in his hand, with the handle of the door creaking in a conspicuous fashion, slicing through the length of inane rambling like scissors are oft employed toward lengths of ribbon. There's a beat of startlement as he just looks at Sephiroth; then the illusionist creeps forward, a hand going to the man's shoulder. "Sephiroth?"

"Punkin!" Jesse bellows, in an effort to coax service from the establishment--only to realize this isn't the place where the waitress who grudgingly bears that nickname works. Plenty of people turn to regard the source of the outburst as he seems to mirror the general's posture and vent his breath in a grumbled complaint about the throbbing in his head. Of course, the spirits plaguging -his- brain are all self-inflicted and don't have pretty, poetic names like Badb. Hair of the dog, they're called collectivley. Rotgut. Jesse favors the latter, when he's thinking clearly. Surely the slowly encroaching but constant pains in him must in some part be to blame on the alcohol. Either way, he recovers quickly enough, clears his throat, and slides into the closest empty booth. Nevermind that someone on the waitstaff would've preferred he wait until he was seated. The lack of a menu on the table perturbs him greatly, mostly because now he can't boast that he doesn't need one and knows what he wants to order. Somebody's ruined his fun. Belatedly it occurs to him to ask, "Did you see those two over by the door?" How they could've been missed is anybody's guess, but until Jesse cements his grasp on reality again, he's making allowances for any number of strange things.

Badb realizes she isn't welcome, it's why she was so quiet for so long. In all honesty, she doesn't want to go back to the spirit realm that lies behind the veneer of reality. She had rather gotten used to Irvine and dearly misses her red haired gunman, though she has since come to terms that he's now with another Guardian Force... and Fenrir isn't letting go. That flea bitten mutt won't take care of him the way she did! >.< So, now she's mostly brooding, growing more and more discontent as the days have gone by. Now, however, she just harumphs, (Oh very well then. Good bye.) And with that, Sephiroth should have quite a time as the spirit that's been lodged inside suddenly seeks freedom. It'll look very odd too, a shimmering surrounding the not so dead general and then the body of a woman coalesces. Only this is no ordinary woman one would see on the streets of Balamb. She's tall, for one, and dressed in full battle armor that gleams as if freshly polished just a moment ago. Most of all, there are feathery black wings folded at her back, the joints are gathered above her head, touching one another. Keen black eyes scan the establishment. Oh if she must return to the spirit realm, fine, but she'd so prefer to simply find another chosen instead.
Meanwhile, Bart facepalms as Jesse screams for 'Punkin' and gently reminds him, "Jesse, she works on the other side of town." But, undaunted, slides into whatever booth he chooses, on the opposite side. He also reminds himself to get coffee ordered as fast as possible, for the poor Etone is definitely suffering. When Jesse asks about the two by the door, Bart nods, "Yeah, foreigners I think... I think that is." Fatima blue eyes swing in that general direction just as all the ado begins with Badb. He was just gonna see if he could get a look at the strange duo again, didn't think he'd be seeing some sort of freaky event, too. He blinks, "Uh... Jess..."

Sephiroth's reaction to all of this, at least on the outside, is very simple. All he gets is a brief feeling of pleasure and relief in the idea that the birdie is going to go away, and then all shit breaks loose. She pulls from him totally, leaving behind a strangeness and an emptiness that he would have never expected. Sephiroth was never trained to deal with a GF and was never juncted to her. Add to this his alien nature and he doesn't react as a SeeD would to the leaving of their GF. No, in fact all that happens is the white haired man straightens to his full height all of the sudden, eyes huge. Tomo lays a hand on his shoulder as the man's hair spreads out behind him to be nearly vertical for a moment. He trembles at her leaving, the physical signs of it just as telling as the image of the woman herself... and then green eyes roll up into the back of his head. Eyes close and Sephiroth starts a slump to the ground. He does of course let go of the door with this, so it too begins to move. Just not in the same direction. It swings shut even as the SOLDIER slides towards the pavement. Hair cascades down around him, some strands of it still drifting about in a defiance of gravity.

Were Tomo a dutiful and concerned companion, he would have made an effort to catch Sephiroth before he hit the ground, but unfortunately, as the iridescence overtakes the SOLDIER, prickling at the illusionist's already refined preternatural senses, the Seiryuu Shichiseishi's first impulse is to step back, hand lingering on the man's shoulder only a moment before snapping back as if scalded. That distance is kept as the silvery mane spreads unnaturally, and then as the woman appears--
A thousand and one thoughts spill into Tomo's mind, and they end up so jumbled together for those few precious seconds that the dark-haired illusionist honestly doesn't know what to do, so in the time he takes in standing there and staring in rather abject stupidity at the materialization of Badb, Sephiroth slumps, and it isn't until the door closes that Tomo realizes he missed something. "... ara?" Blink. Blink-blink. Look down, kiddo. "... Sephiroth!" Stupid point for the day, thank you, next please? Dropping down into a crouch beside the fallen figure, the illusionist's first impulse, albeit significantly belated, is to reach out to Sephiroth and -- well, shake him. Roughly. o.o; "Oi! Ne! Sephiroth! Are you all right?" Pause. Shake-shake. Shake-shake-shake! >.< "What was that about? Who was that woman? Sephiroth--!" Somebody inform the genius that demanding answers from someone possessing of a significant lack in consciousness does not always work. However, Tomo is not wholly irrational in his sudden startlement; after reaching out with the tentative fingers to probe the older man's ki, the illusionist goes about searching for the Holy materia that should be somewhere on the SOLDIER's person if he's been playing it smart. A nasty realization just occured to him.

As though he were making it his life's work to be painfully obtuse, Jesse spends more time (at first) staring in puzzlement at Bart's sudden show of concern about -something- than he does turning to see what it is for himself. "They're foreigners," he says, leaping to the assumption that the two at the door have come inside and done something worth staring at, "they probably don't know any better." Besides, they're figments of his imagination. Or at least Sephiroth was. A sober Commander Blanche (the flipflopping between his real and assumed last names didn't begin until his true identity had already been compromised to those whom it mattered, but hasn't stopped since) would have felt the strength of Sephiroth's very being as it brushed against his own Ether, but right now, he's doing well to feel his toes. It takes a -lot- of alcohol to get him to this state. Later in the day he'll congratulate himself on the feat, in between being flabbergasted by the events that are transpiring right..behind..him. Finally, curiosity claims its due and the man half-turns to look toward the door. A single glance is sufficient to rivet his eyes to the shimmering figure, and before he can take note of the wings, he has his lips pursed to deliver a wolf-whistle. Then, with their presence ensuring them that he and his protegee' are sharing a hallucination, he lets 'er rip anyway, saluting the warrior-spirit's aesthetic appeal in the time-honored fashion of chauvaunists the world over. "Hot damn," he murmurs, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" The deliriously pickled hamster staggering its way along in the wheel in his head pauses a moment to remind him that it's just as well if Bart can't see her. That means he won't have to share.

Badb glances over her shoulder as the door just suddenly shuts by moving one wing slightly, the soft black feathers rustling with the movement. But, she's already stepped away from Sephiroth and into the establishment. So the door shutting like that separates her from her host just like that. Head canting to the side, she then concentrates on the rather stunned audience in front of her. You bet people are staring. With Balamb nearby, there's a lotta odd things that occur, but a Guardian Force manifestation like this isn't one of them. Till now, at least. Keen eyes regard the customers and staff alike, as if searching for... something that even she's not certain of. When her gaze falls finally on Jesse, for that wolf whistle definitely got her attention, she lingers there, sizing up the scarred Etone briefly before she looks at his companion across from him.
Bart, on the other hand, repeatedly points at her, sapphire colored eyes wide, until Jesse finally does -look- at her. "Yes... what is she, Jess?" Never ask a drunk man these kinds of questions. It hasn't fully dawned on Bart just how many sheets to the wind the Etone is, yet. And hey, look, Jesse, she's walking over to your table! Sure enough, after giving the blonde prince a once over, she turns and starts in the direction of that paticular booth. Bart unconciously reaches for the whips he usually keeps at his side. Unfortunately, he doesn't have them with him at the moment. Hey, he and Jesse were at that brothel again. >.> He doesn't use whips on the 'ladies' even if some of em like it. *ahem*

Nothing at all happens with the man laying on the pavement for a time. He fall down, head cracking on the sidewalk with a dull sound, and now he lays there moving only when Tomo starts shaking him. White hair spread out like a fan, the SOLDIER is partially on his side, one arm draped over his chest while the other is somewhat sprawled to one side. He rocks as Tomo shakes him, but doesn't respond in any way until after the search for Holy begins. Beneath his shirt, which has silver buckles, the black scarf that has been knotted around the materia and tied at his throat is still there within its dark clothe. Yes, Sephiroth is still wearing it, for he doesn't at all take it off. Just as Tomo finds the materia he moans softly and eyelids flutter to show that he's beginning to come around.
The people around all of this respond however. At least some of them do. A pair of SOLDIERs, wearing all black, is more modest than their leader, jump up from their seats and leave the table swaying on its base as they rush for the door. Sure they see Badb, but there are more pressing things. The door to the restaurant is pushed open and they spill outside, "Sir!" One calls, moving around Tomo to drop to his knees besides the General. Quiet roughly he seeks to push Tomo away so that he can check on pulse and physical condition. To help the other actually makes an attempt to grabbing Tomo by the upper arms and picking him up to move him out of the way. Whether or not he even gets to begin this is all dependant on the Seishi.
A trip of Troopers are racing down the street from where they saw Sephiroth go down from a couple of blocks away.

For the few precious seconds between finding the Holy and being rudely pushed aside by the concerned SOLDIER, Tomo is torn between relief and bewilderment. He frowns, not undoing the scarf to ascertain that the Materia is there, merely finding the outline of the sphere through the black silk and trusting that it is indeed the Holy. He doesn't dare remove it for any reasons. But then, if that was the abomination, shouldn't the Holy have prevented her from reentering the pale-haired SOLDIER's body? Is it the absence of the collar, or did she find a different way in? What the hell is going on? His brows furrow as the older man begins to show signs of waking, and Tomo leans over him again, inquirying with far less insistance than those of a few moments ago. "Sephiroth?"
The illusionist too busy agonizing over the situation to realize that others have converged on the scene until his place is outright taken from him by one SOLDIER, only then to have a pair of strong hands curl over his arms and force him to his feet in the next moment. The former's lack of etiquette earned him a dismayed cry, but when Tomo is taken forcibly into hand, his ire is sparked, and rather than address the situation properly, he twists his head around to glare daggers and death at the offending military personel before vanishing from sight, leaving the SOLDIER grasping empty air. Poof.

"Offhand, I'd say she was an angel," Jesse muses aloud, watching the figure approach. Hey! She's headed straight for the table! This only confirms to Jesse that he is drop-dead inebriated. Having been the victim of countless sizings-up and passes-by, the Etone latches on quickly to the notion that he isn't the object of the female's attentions. It's just as well-considering he still thinks she's an angel, it's possible that she knows Raquel, in which case this could be some sort of conspiracy to take him to task for his post-widowing infidelity. That thought has too much time to sink into his brain while he watches Badb and slides, as inconspicuously as he's able, away from the edge of the booth. If she's headed for Bart, then it's a good thing. Unless those scars on his back come from some uglier skeleton in the closet than Jesse can conceive the young prince capable of having, she's a -good- omen. He hopes. If coffee were forthcoming none of this would be a problem--of course if he were sober none of this would be happening. Right? "Just stay calm, Bart," Jesiah counsels softly, eyes never leaving Badb.

Calm?!? Calm? O.o Oh yeah, Bart's a pillar of calm right now, no really. Knowing that his whips are gone, well, there's not much he can do but watch the tall battle maiden approach. "Do angels have black wings?" he queries, though his voice sounds rather small at the moment. In fact, yes, the prince does appear to be the subject of the approaching Badb's attention. She pauses at the booth, looking at the Etone who is busy shrinking away and it brings her to furrow her brows together, appearing altogether a bit hawkish. She is a crow, after all.
"Oh stop cowering, both of you," she says with a toss of her head and both her hands moving to her hips. She so hates cowardly behavior. It makes her almost think twice about what she's about to do. Without worry for her wings, she sits beside Bart and bumps him with a hip to get him to scoot over, which he does immediately, nearly scrambling as he presses his back against the far wall of the booth so he's facing her. "What? Never seen a woman with wings before? Or is it the armor?" She's smiling with a fake coyness at Bart, too. The prince just stares back at her as if she were insane. Or maybe he's insane. Looking at Jesse for support here, he says, "Did they put something in the drink last night? Is this a mass hallucination?"

The SOLDIER who picked Tomo up starts as the Seishi vanishes from his grip, and stares around in dumbfoundment for a while. Where'd he go?!? O.O; Eyes wide, the area is scoped, and then he stares at his hands, wriggling his fingers some. Shit.. gone! This mind tumble of confusion doesn't last long however when the other SOLDIER checks Sephiroth's pulse, eyes, and then gingerly the back of the general's head. He calls to his companion to help, and they carefully lift the white haired man so that check can be done. Sephiroth wakes fully during that examination. Eyes open and he makes a soft sound of protest at the ways he's feeling right now. The two SOLDIERs call his name, and speak to him as sir, seeking get his attention. It's not very exciting so I won't go into detail. Soon joined by the Troopers they help Sephiroth sit up and make sure he's okay.. which he is. Going to have a nasty bruise on the back of his head, but that's the worst of it.
Instead of really paying attention to them, beyond saying he's fine, the general frowns in through the window at the GF. Geez... do a woman a favor and she's never satisfied. See if he helps you again. :P He accepts help from the others in standing, and somewhat leaning on another of the SOLDIERs, Sephiroth gingerly feels the back of his head as he glances around. "Where is Tomo?" he asks, only to get told that the Seishi just disappeared. There is a snort from the general over this, but in a way he's relieved. At least he can be sure Tomo wasn't hurt.

In truth, not long after Sephiroth has regained consciousness, Tomo filters back into view. Half of his attention is kept on the white-haired SOLDIER as, invisible, the illusionist hovers nearby, the other half divided to what can be seen through the same window that Sephiroth peeks into, androgynous countenance set in a frown of discontent and unease. Ironically, Badb is too human-seeming, at least in comparison to the feral appearance of the Calamity From the Sky, and there's no sense of presence that usually comes with the abomination's entrance into a scene. The bitter chill, the scramble of something frantic and fearful up the length of one's spine. Even when jumping to conclusions, Tomo can still make leaps of logic, though such instances are rare; however, he does take time to remember these certain points, and when the Seiryuu Shichiseishi retracts his spell with a crackle of cerulean ki, reappearing now by the window, apart from the concerned SOLDIERS, troopers, and their General, yet nevertheless addressing the last aforementioned of the congregation with no small amount of frustrated bewilderment to his tone. He asked the question before, but Sephiroth was woefully unconscious at the time. "Sephiroth, what was that about?" The trio inside the restaraunt are eyed through the window with rude interest. Staaaaaare. o_o

"You'd've died if you drank the shit I had, Bart--pardon me, ma'am," Jesse replies, deciding to accept the winged woman's presence at face value and apologize for his harsh language. He straightens in his seat, obliging Badb's instruction by settling back to refrain from further displays of..ahem..concern for his own well-being. He dips his head to her as he comments, "Mistook you for someone else," although that isn't exactly the case. He won't come right out and answer the young prince, but the delusion is most assuredly shared, and it's not polite to talk about your shared hallucinations in the third person. "Name's Jesiah. Everybody calls me Jesse. This is Bart. I don't know what everybody calls him, but I'm sure that's what it rhymes with." At least he's a few steps down on the inebriation ladder from laughing uproariously at his own joke...and that is what leads him to suspect that Badb isn't quite a hallucination. Normally he's bulletproof before the winged warrior women show up. As though he'd totally forgotten that he's already done so, Jesse glances across the table and instructs, "Introduce yourself, kiddo." He notes, from the corner of his eye, that people are now staring. He doesn't see the folks outside the window just now, but they probably aren't holding that against him.

The fact that Tomo and Sephiroth are staring through the window, --ok, Tomo is staring but Sephiroth did look!-- isn't even noticed by the blonde haired prince who's pressed against the wall so he can look at the winged woman that's decided to invade the spot he and Jesse have occupied for the time being. He blinks over at Jesse at the introductions and slowly starts to relax. If the Etone's not afraid, well, he supposes he shouldn't be either.
Badb smiles at Jesse's politeness and holds a hand out to him, as she often saw Irvine do when he met new people. "I'm Badb. I'm looking for a chosen." Nothing like just coming out with the truth, eh? Whether or not she shakes hands with the Etone, she does look over at Bart again and smiles at him, "Hello, Bart. I choose you." Subterfuge was never her strong point. She leans in toward him with that coy smile of hers and reaches out to beep his nose without the sound effects. "I think you and I could get along rather well, what do you say?" Of course, Bart has no idea what she's talking about and blinks at her, then Jesse, then Badb again, "Um... choose me for what? Is this some weird, kinky come on? Isn't it a bit early for that kind of thing?"
Contrary to what one might think, Badb actually laughs at that.

Standing on his own now, hand to the back of his head, Sephiroth frowns into the window, ignoring the people hovering about him in concern. Instead his gaze is on Badb and her sitting there at that table. "Ungrateful cow." He enunciates clearly before shifting his gaze to Tomo. There is a lack of emotion there on Sephiroth's features and it shows, for those that know the signs, that he is angry indeed. Allowing his hand to drop back to his side, the general turns slightly from the window to look at his people. It's not any of them that he is angry with, and he nods and sends them back to what they were doing.. with his thanks. This doesn't go over well with the SOLDIERs, but the Troops just remove themselves - believing it better not to get involved in that weirdness. After all, they heard some of what Tomo did to another of their number some days before.
Ordering the two away again, Sephiroth watches as they open the door and return inside of the restaurant. Once inside they give Badb some dan nasty looks with their glowing eyes. It's after they go inside that Sephiroth watches Badb lean in close and there he decides to get involved. "She is a spirit I did a favor.. only to have her turn on me." The words hold little emotion at all as he opens that door and strides inside. Sorry, Tomo, but you are kinda left inthe dirt.
Over to that table the man stalks, long hair drifting out behind him. "I should have left you to be lunch." He says as he stops there and looks down ta the woman with wings. What does he mean? Well, she should know.

The language earns Sephiroth a startled look. Usually it's Tomo making such harsh remarks, for the illusionist is far looser with his tongue that the SOLDIER, and the added bonus of the fact that Sephiroth is wearing his masked face is more than clue enough toward his mood. Delicate brows arch high toward the young man's hairline, only to descend a few moments later, knitting together and burrowing into the bridge of his nose as the brief explanation unfolds and he's left to ponder it all. A number of questions rise to be answered, but not one has the chance to meet the air; too quickly has Sephiroth vanished into the restaraunt, leaving Tomo still outside, blinking quietly. Slowly he lifts his hands, slender fingers lacing through one another against the back of his neck, and he hmphs softly at the closed door. "Maaa, and it's so nice of you to tell me about these things," Tomo sulks quietly for a moment, lips pressed together briefly whilst his nose wrinkles in obvious discontent. Then he drops his hands again, trailing in the General's wake to see what's going to happen next.
Tomo steps into the restaurant just in time to hear Sephiroth's declaration, letting the door close behind him as he meanders further inside, footsteps already turned in that direction. He comes up from behind, but doesn't take a place beside or behind the SOLDIER; he instead finds a front row seat, perching on the edge of another table nearby. It earns him a Look or three from the patrons already seated there, but presumably they too are too distracted by all of this strangeness to chase him off just yet. Tomo's eyes, like most of those present in the establishment, are on the three seated and the SOLDIER shadowing them.

What a -crazy- dream Jesse's having! This is the part where the rabbit jumps out of the cake! Or is that the naked lady? But no, the man attempts to shake the sillies out of his head and glance up to Sephiroth, frowning quizzically for but a moment before looking to Badb, who's apparently decided to claim Bart as her chosen. It's rather a lot to deal with all at once. "Lady, aren't there procedures to follow before you do this sort of thing?" Sure, he's no expert on Guardian Forces, but a woman with wings claiming to have chosen someone--on the island of Balamb, no less--make for easy conclusion hopping. As for Sephiroth..well, assuming this isn't a dream, it's just become entirely too wierd. Ah well. Considering how peaceful and quiet the rest of his stay in Balamb has been, this is far from the worst thing that could've happened now with the dropping of the proverbial other shoe. The place is suspiciously calm and peaceful. Something like this was just waiting to sneak up on him. "She's with you, then?" he asks of the general, looking between the two briefly.

Women are crafty devils. Really, they are. Badb hardly gives a glance toward the soldiers. Her concentration is genuinely on the two men at the booth, specifically the blonde haired one she's pegged out as a possible new chosen. He has that playfulness that she likes. He's young, and having probed him briefly, she was delighted to find that ether present, especially his affinity with her own precious element, air. Jesse's question earns him a furrowed brow or two in his direction. "Procedures?" Spirits don't understand that kind of thing. She saw Bart, and decided she liked what she saw. Badb has never been known, even in the spirit world, to be conventional. There are others who'd be facepalming or just mortified to know she manifested for this.
But, as Sephiroth enters the establishment, she looks up at him and blinks, especially as he gets closer to the table. Turning in toward Bart, she pulls one of the oldest feminine wily tricks in the book. She latches onto him, burying her head against his chest as she trembles. Even the feathery wings seem aggitated, shivering with a definite rustling sound. "Please don't make me go back to him. He was a cruel master."
Startled and caught off guard by this, Bart winds an arm around the woman to hold her closer, it's instinct really, and she's sparked that 'Defender' in him. And since he's not the type to think before he leaps, he frowns and tries to stroke the woman's head. He can't quite -see- Sephiroth now, her wings are sorta in the way. So, there's no chance to glare at the no so dead general. This is probably good. It's not a good idea to piss off the supposed Butcher of Midgar, ignorance of his identity or no. "You don't have to go back to him, you can stay with me if you really want to."
Doh.
"Really?" she says to him, totally ignoring everyone else now that she almost has what she wants. The prince just nods, hoping she'll back off now and let him see what's going on. She does one more than that, she just kisses him out of the blue and.... with a blast of air that might knock over a glass and would definitely send everyone's hair up or outwards temporarily, she disappears. As for the prince? He just slumps in his seat, out cold. Well, Jesse, at least this time you can tell Sigurd you had -nothing- to do with it and it'd totally be truth. n.nV

Brows lift as she calls him a cruel master, but Sephiroth says nothing at all until after the spirit has moved into the teen. He really didn't have time. When she's gone and Bart out cold, the man shakes his head slightly, making bangs sway. Soon mako colored eyes shift to Jesse. "It is too late for him now. I came here to attempt to warn him about her. She tricks her way into you and then never lets go. I saved her from destruction only to have her abuse the kindness I had done for. Give the boy my best wishes.. he can have her for all she will not leave if you ask her too. She is..." Pausing there, lips thinning, the general thinks better of saying anything more as it would only be unbecomming of him and turns on a heel. yes, he really does just turn around and stalk away from the table, actions suggesting that he is very angry indeed.
After a bit of distance Sephiroth remembers Tomo, stops, and looks back to the Seishi. A brow arches and he looks a question at the other man. Are you coming, Tomo? Whether or not the man does, Sephiroth turns himself around and confonts one of the poor waitstaff about at able. Poor little girl has to deal with a pissed off Butcher of Midgar. -.-; He is NOT amused. Hiss. Spit. Ah well, he tells himself, at least she's gone. Finally! Some peace and quiet.

The display and exchange that plays out to the entertainment of the patrons and the waitstaff of the establishment at large is no less keenly observed by Tomo, who retains his perch on the nearby table, swinging his feet absently despite the fact that his toes easily touch the floor with any effort. Since this is all going quickly and quite over his head, there's not much he can do apart from gape as the bird-woman vanishes with a violent thrust of air, leaving Tomo blinking in the aftermath and reflexively lifting a hand to his hair to make certain that it's not too badly mussed by all of this. Amber-flecked eyes continue to blink after a few moments more of staring, and while Sephiroth takes his leave, Tomo does not immediately hurry to follow, continuing to peer at Bart and Jesse with uncertain amazement. "... Well!" the illusionist declares softly, mostly to himself, though as he turns his head to glance at one of the people sitting on the table he's taken over, it gives the illusion that he's actually talking to him; but Tomo is good at entertaining himself with the sound of his own voice. "You certainly don't see that every day, do you?"
Golden eyes trailing back to the other table, it's not until he feels the weight of Sephiroth's luminscent gaze upon him that Tomo blinks and glances in the white-haired figure's direction. A beat, a pause, then he kicks his feet outward and reclaims them, smoothening down his attire with idle attentativeness. There is a terrible urge to say something potentially instigating - perhaps reassure Jesse, the last conscious and visible member at that table, not to worry about Sephiroth's temper, that the man has this thing about having bird-women in his head, and it's nothing to be concerned about ^_^ (wouldn't that go over well?) - but the illusionist wisely holds his tongue. Sephiroth doesn't look particularly pleased. Stoking his ire would not be the healthiest of past times, the Seiryuu Shichiseishi wagers.
In lieu of the General's greivance, Tomo decides to assume a far lighter composure, and after resigning himself to a mere wiggle of slender, red-tipped fingers as a sort of wave, he moves to make pace and trails behind Sephiroth, hands clasped behind his back and his expression neutral, if not necessarily unamused. Coming, coming. o/~

By this point, there's not much else for Jesse to do but gape helplessly. Since he doesn't do that, the best he can manage is to watch the wierdness take its leave of him in much the same way that it intruded upon his attempt at sobriety. Not a word is spoken to the departing pair, nor does he offer any take on the matter to the unconscious youth across from him. In light of the silence that ensues when everyone, bird woman and the other foreigners, have gone, he decides that young prince Fatima has the right idea. All of this will either be much easier to process when he wakes up, or fade away like all the other odd things he's seen while under the alfluence of incohol.
"Screw coffee," he declares aloud in a near-whisper, sighing to himself as he crosses his arms on the table and lays his head down. Odds are that the sleeping pair will manage to claim a sizeable area of undisturbed space from the paying customers, and that the staff will give them a wide berth as well. Oblivion catches him as though it'd been waiting eagerly for hours to do so, and the curtain falls on his puzzled internal ramblings.