Who:  Logan Youngblood, Irvine Kinneas, Vincent Valentine.
Where:  Classroom on the 2nd Floor, Balamb Garden.
Why:  Irvine finds a new teacher.   *.*  Guns.
Date of Log:  September 4, 2000.




Logan sits in front of one of the consoles near the back, one of his elbows rested on the desk while his hand supports his chin. Staring into the screen with somewhat of a blank expression, his other hand occassionally moves to select something else on the screen, which brings up more information. Every so often, something of real interest will appear on the screen and he will take a few notes in a small pad that lies off to the right of the desk. Not many people actually enjoy hanging around the classrooms after the class is over, but Logan is one of those exceptions, it would seem.

Being one of those who doesn't enjoy hanging out here after class, Irvine Kinneas doesn't have much of a choice today. Having been out lately with none other then pneumonia, he's gotta play catchup now. He seems kinda sullen as he enters the classroom, hands in the pockets of his duster. After what Seifer told him, he wonders now why he's even bothering with this stuff, but he's not willing to give up on being SeeD yet.

With a yawn, Logan stretches his arms up over his head, blinking his eyes a few times. From the looks of it, he's been in the classroom for quite awhile and his eyes have been staring at the screen for just as long. As his eyes refocus, he notices the newcomer to the room as being a familiar face. Smiling as he notices the cowboy, he offers a nod to you in greeting, "Hey, Irvine.", he says, waving you over, motioning for you to sit down at one of the empty consoles near him.

Glancing up at the sound of a familiar voice, the cowboy perks up fairly easily, a smile returning to his lips. He reaches up and tips his hat, "Hey, Logan." Yes, he chooses one of the desks near Logan's, flicking it on and entering his name and number and password to get to the database and such. Without glancing away from the screen, he asks, "What's up?"
      
Logan shrugs his shoulders slightly, his head going back to being rested against one of his hands, "Ah, jus' been studyin' fer ... fer ...", he pauses and then blinks, "Er, well ... it's been quite awhile." Turning his head to glance sover at you, then back to the screen, "How 'bout you? Ain't seen ya 'round lately.", he asks.

Irvine rests his hands on the desk area, glancing over at Logan with a wry look. "I got commissioned to take Terra out for supplies. She took a spill down a slippery slope in the middle of a blizzard and broke her leg. Needless to say, we didn't get outta there right away." Glancing back at the screen, he sighs. "And now I get to play catch up."
    
Raising an eyebrow, Logan's attention is now taken away from the screen completely, "Blizzard? Broke her leg? Damn, man ... talk 'bout trouble, eh? How'd ya get outta that mess? How long'd it take t'get outta there?", he asks.

Irvine taps something on the screen in front of him, chuckling. "I had to call in Vincent... Selphie came along too. Terra was in no condition to make that climb upward, they had to fly her out." Of course, Selphie gave him hell about having to 'rescue' him again, even though -he- didn't need it. "Ended up with a nasty cold after that too. But, I'm well enough to return to class now."
     
Logan nods his head a bit, "Ah, can't have one without the other.", he chuckles slightly, regarding the comment about Selphie tagging along, "Glad t'hear that yer feelin' better, too. After all ... I can't afford t'get sick, y'know?", he says jokingly with a smirk. "Seriously, though, I'm just glad t'hear that a cold's all ya got outta it. Coulda been worse, right?"
   
Deciding not to mention that it was probably the worst infection he's ever had, Irvine glances away from the console again to look at Logan. "Yeah, coulda been worse. And we got out all right." Well, relatively all right. He at least took a lot less time to get better. Terra's gonna be in a cast a wee bit longer. "So what've you been up too lately?"

With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he brings his hand up to motion toward the console, "Aside from studyin' an' trainin', not much. Jus' been tryin' t'fulfill a dream, y'know?", he grins a bit. "I want what everyone here in Garden wants. Well, those who ain't got it yet, anyway. So, 'less I study, I ain't gonna do it."

Irvine's smile fades slightly, recalling Seifer's words yet again. 'Squall told me to talk to you as the other 'non-SeeD'.' Non-SeeD. He suddenly loses the urge to look at anything else on the console. "Yeah, well, good luck with it. You're good, Logan, I think you'll make it." There's a wistfullness to his voice, tinged with the slightest hint of resentment.
     
Logan raises an eyebrow slightly, "What, like _you_ won't, Irvine?", he laughs, shaking his head, "Trust me, Irvine. You'll make it as a SeeD, man. Ain't nothin' holdin' ya back from makin' it ... 'cept maybe a li'l book readin'. If ya ask me, yer prob'ly gonna be a SeeD 'fore I am. I ain't been here but a couple months. I got more catchin' up t'do thjan you ever will.", he grins.

Logan's encouragement isn't really helping. Irvine just falls further into a broody silence. He helped defeat Ultimecia. Followed his orders and took the shot at Kefka. He's been treated like SeeD since the day Martine handed down orders to assassinate the Sorceress... to a -student- no less. Just without the rank. A puppet, a hitman for the Garden. "A goddamned puppet for their political games, to be disavowed should I ever be caught or captured." He doesn't realize he spoke his thoughts aloud. He's actually starting to get pissed off suddenly, having tried really hard not to think about it until now. "No, Logan, I'll never be SeeD." He rises to his feet now, logging off the console with a few touches to the screen.

Logan stands up to his feet as well, his face displaying his confusion more than anything else, "Do you realize what yer sayin', man? I dunno what it was like where yer from, but I was taught that nothin' is unattainable. An' negativity ain't gonna get ya nowhere, Irvine.", he points down at the screen that was just turned off, "'Specially not if ya do that after just a few minutes o'bein' on it. Jus' ... trust me a little, alright? Yer _gonna_ become SeeD. What in the hell would make ya think it ain't gonna happen, anyway?"

Irvine smirks at Logan, though it's not even wry, it's... well, it's -not- the kind of look the cowboy gets on his face that often. Obviously something has stirred these thoughts. "Logan, there's negativity and then there's reality. Squall himself refers to me as non-SeeD. He lumps me into the same catagory as Seifer." Not that the cowboy minds this, he's gradually become friends with the former Knight, accepting him despite his past 'crimes'.

Logan scratches the back of his head, wondering why Squall would say such a thing, "I ... can't believe it. Are you serious? He called ya that t'yer face?", he shakes his head in disbelief, "But ain't there ... some kinda ... test ya can take, or somethin'?", now Logan's face has more of an depressed look on it. Especially since that if Irvine won't be a SeeD, that makes his own chances even lower.

Irvine shrugs his shoulders, knowing he heard this second hand from Seifer, but figuring that saying so aloud will just sound bad. He doesn't want anyone else scapegoating the ex-Knight. Besides, the cowboy trusts him well enough to be honest with him about it. If Squall said it, well, he said it. "I don't know at this point, Logan. But I know they're not about to let me go either, let me sit in some sort of limbo as they use me for whatever purposes they've got." He laughs then, and it's bitter sounding. "I swear if I didn't have Selphie I'd probably just tell em where to shove it and take off from here." Why waste his time here?

Logan suddenly gets an expression on his face that's one he doesn't show very often. Anger. "I can't believe ya could think like that, man! I'll say one thing ... if _you_ ain't gonna be a SeeD, then I sure as hell ain't gonna be SeeD, either. But that _still_ wouldn't make me want t'leave Garden. I worked hard t'get in here ... an' I don't know 'bout you, but I'm fer fightin' fer the greater good, no matter if I got a title t'go along with it or not. But maybe that's jus' me.", he says in a frustrated tone, folding his arms in front of his chest as he sits back down.

Well, that's Logan's perspective. Irvine feels quite vastly different, but then, he trained mostly under the uptight Martine, and hasn't quite gotten accustomed to the more loosely run Balamb. Pausing at the edge of the desk he'd risen from, he does halt to consider Logan's words, feeling just a little ashamed for a moment. He sits then, letting the hat tilt forward so it hides his eyes, and half his face for that matter. It still leaves him wondering though. Questions that will probably never have answers. Hey, all's fair in war and politics. "Sorry," he mutters.
For Vincent's sake, there's a couple of students in the classroom after hours, namely Logan and Irvine. It seems you've caught them in a moment of some sort of passing tension.

Vincent enters the room, a small manila folder bearing minor reports in his hand. He is, in fact, here to leave the folder on the desk, for the attention of the next day's instructors. Why he's running his own errands is beside the point. The fact is, the door opens and he walks in. Pausing for a moment, he notes the two young students still present. Hmm. Though he frowns, Vincent makes no comment on what he makes of the situation. "Excuse me." he says quietly, in case they have yet to notice his presence. With that, he moves further into the room, heading for the desk to finish his little delivery. Nothing to see here. Really.

Logan glances over toward Irvine and then back ahead at the screen in front of him. "It's alright. An' I still think we can become SeeD. Jus' gotta work fer it. Personally, I don't expect t'become a SeeD 'til I've been here long enough.", his attention is then taken away from the conversation as Vincent enters the room, looking up at him. Nodding his head to him in greeting and in acknowledgement of the statement, then diverts his attention elsewhere so that he isn't staring, though his eyes look over at the envelope that he carries, curious.

Irvine decides not to say anything further toward the conversation. He's got no right to dampen Logan's spirits on it anyway. This is his dilemma, and he'll deal with it on his own. However, he suddenly realizes someone else has entered the room as his ears catch the 'excuse me'. Lifting his head, he reaches up to tilt the hat back so he can see. Vincent. He tips the hat now in silent greeting. No fear for the other gunman any longer, and the Kawn incident's been happily forgotten (insofar as one can forget such an event).

There seems to be nothing important about the folder, other than a stamp bearing something along the lines of 'Attn: All Instructors' on it. Vincent had been keeping an eye on the two it seems. He returns both nods with one of his own. Setting down the folder and turning as though to leave, it's then that he pauses, "Is there something wrong?" just in case.

Logan takes his eyes from the envelope as Vincent returns the nod to Irvine and himself. He then looks back down toward the screen in front of him, before Vincent asks the question. Looking up from his screen toward Vincent, then over at Irvine, raising an eyebrow as if to transfer the question on over to the cowboy.

At Vincent's question, Irvine quickly glances at Logan, wondering if the other Cadet plans on telling him what they've been discussing. Knowing the other gunman talks often to Squall, the cowboy isn't real eager for their conversation to go much further then the two of them. Seeing Logan looking back at him, he then looks back at Vincent. Oh no, -nothing- going on in here, not at -all-. Just about as subtle as Selphie with a rocket launcher.

Vincent follows the exchange of glances as though it were a tennis match. To Logan he looks, then back to Irvine. One brow is raised. "Very well." In fact, he was asking out of a sense of... well, concern partially. He tends to be sensitive to tension, especially these days. So now, Vincent's gaze focuses on Irvine. "Have you recovered from the accident?" Almost, he seems to smile for a minute. As though recalling his side of the matter, having to be beside Selphie during the time.

Logan just simply looks over at Vincent, then back toward Irvine, simply waiting for him to respond to the question. Also curious to see if he'll bring up the 'other' subject to Vincent, as he's curious about it, as well. However, he's also not too sure he wants to hear the response to the question, should it be a negative one.

Inwardly groaning, Irvine is half grateful he didn't persue the 'other' topic, and also half mortified Vincent had to bring the rescue up. He reaches up to tug at his ponytail. "Yes, and Selphie still swears up and down she rescued me." He grumbles, having protested that the whole time. He coulda climbed out without a problem, he just was loathe to abandon Terra. "Doc said I'm ok to return to whatever."

Vincent offers a half smile. "Selphie was very emphatic about finding you." he notes. Then continues, a glance toward Logan for a moment, as though keeping an eye out for reactions in general. His words are still for Logan, "Nevertheless, under the circumstances, you acted well. Terra is resting in her room as we speak. I am glad to see that both of you escaped without experiencing a worse fate."

Logan grins slightly and nods his head toward Irvine as if to say 'I told you so', "That's what I was tellin' 'im earlier. Coulda been a lot worse.", he says briefly and then pauses, allowing the two of them to continue without further interruption.

A smile? From Vincent? Irvine seems momentarily perplexed. That almost sounded like... praise? He shifts slightly on the seat. "Just did what I thought was right. I saw her the yesterday, she seemed better." Wow, he sounds somewhat uncomfortable. What happened to that ego of his? Well, it's probably been wiped away by the comment regarding Selphie and emphatic. Mostly to himself, he mutters, "I am not a damsel in distress." He can't believe she -said- that.

Yes, Vincent does smile, on occasion. And indeed, it was praise. "Correct." he says to Logan. He blinks once and studies the former Timber resistance member, before nodding. "And I see you have settled in as well. Good." Damsel in... Vincent's gaze shifts back to Irvine. "As I said, it could be worse." pause. "You could have been the one to break your leg. With Selphie as your nurse." /Trapped/, with Selphie talking about Irvine being a damsel in need of her care. Why, is that Vincent's attempt to crack a joke? Yes it is. But with that straight-faced comment, he turns, "If you will excuse me please. I will let you get back to your conversation." and, he starts to walk away.

Logan chuckles at the comment from Vincent, covering his mouth a bit as he does so. Then, his grin fades slightly as Vincent begins to leave, then he looks to Irvine as if to question him as to whether he's going to bring up the coversation that the two of them had been having before Vincent entered the room. Sighing then, he doesn't hesitate any longer to bring it up, as much as Irvine might dislike the subject being brought up around Vincent, "Excuse me, sir.", Logan says as he stands to his feet, "But ... there is one other thing that I'd like t'talk with ya 'bout."

Eh, heh heh. Yeah, a joke. So, why does Irvine's eyes widen at the thought of him being the one with the broken leg. He even shudders, reaching up to adjust the hat suddenly. Oh having Selphie as a nurse wouldn't have been so scary... well, he doesn't think so... then again, he recalls the day she brought him chicken soup... with half the soup sloshed out on the floor before she ever got to his room. "Er, sure, Captain..." *twitch*
Of course, that ends as Logan suddenly stands up. Irvine blinks at him, shooting him the 'don't you dare' look. But, too late.

Um hmm... Vincent pauses, turning, "Yes?" he asks Logan, before completing the turn and facing the younger man fully. Yes, Irvine it was a joke. Vincent missed how seriously Irvine took it. But fortunately, he makes no further comment.

"Well ... it's jus' that we ...", he glances toward Irvine and then back to Vincent, "... we were discussin' 'bout becomin' ... well, SeeDs, sir.", he pauses for a moment, "It's jus' ... since the Sorceress has been defeated an' all 'at ... is there still a chance at ...", another pause, "... becomin' SeeD?", he finally finishes the question.

Irvine winces visibly, tipping the hat forward now as he glances away. He really didn't want this brought up. Especially the way Logan said it. Suddenly that console gets -really- interesting again. He turns back toward it, staring at the screen to relog himself in. Doo bee doo. Just ignore the cowboy.

"That is a question which you must ask to another member of the administration." Vincent answers slowly, his attention lingering on Logan. "I am not from the same world that Balamb was a part of, and only have a general understanding of your Sorceresses. I do not believe that training for SeeD would stop because the Sorceress is now defeated. But I cannot say for certain." His attention shifts toward Irvine - he seems slightly curious at the cowboy's sudden interest in the terminal. "I can speak with Squall on your behalf, if you wish." he adds, leaving it as an offer, only.

Irvine just kinda sighs as he hears Vincent's response, glad it seems to be relatively directed at Logan. However, as the other Cadet leaves the room, it leaves him in a rather awkward position, in the room alone with Vincent. He glances up, kinda looking at Vincent searchingly. In other words, wondering what the other gunman might be thinking of all of this. Hmmm... could try for a distraction, maybe, but that seems to only work on Selphie.

Vincent would leave, though his attention seems drawn to the other gunman. Perhaps he felt the regard. "Yes?" he asks after the reason for the search. Maybe there is hope after all - he hasn't seemed inclined to pursue what Irvine or Logan didn't want to elaborate upon. He /is/ curious as to what's wrong. But far be it for him to pry.

With Logan gone, Irvine's demeanor seems to shift a little. He felt kinda bad snapping at him, well, snapping near him. He hadn't actually directed the anger toward him. He shrugs his shoulders, "It wasn't a fight between us, Vincent. Just me being a frump for a moment."

Vincent nods. Simple as that, the gunman believes Irvine. "I am sorry I could not give more answer to his question." he assumes /that/ was something else, if not the actual conversation he walked in on, that has Irvine in the mood he's in, now.

Well, that's kinda reassuring. Irvine's somewhat used to people not believing him at times. Reaching up, the hat is tilted back and fingers swipe at the chestnut bangs there, drawing them away from his face. "I didn't mean to spook him, I don't think he'll ever have a problem, really. It was me who was a little concerned." Vincent said he didn't have a say in these matters, so it's ok to mention it to him, right? Right.

Right. Vincent answers, after a minute, "If what I know of the situation here, at Garden, is any indication..." he says slowly, "Then it is my belief that SeeD will continue, long after its original purpose is fufilled." No, it seems he doesn't believe it has been completed... yet. "Something new, perhaps, will enter."

Irvine merely nods, that wasn't what he meant, exactly, but he hesitates to bring up his doubts to Vincent. Though he does feel more comfortable in the man's presence then he did before, he's not really certain how comfortable to allow himself to be. Still, what Seifer said haunts him. "Vincent... do they plan on using me further?" In other words, am I gonna be staring down the barrel of a sniper rifle at someone again anytime soon?

Vincent shakes his head slowly. But his words are not as encouraging, "I do not know, Irvine." he replies, before focusing on the younger man, as though looking for... something. Something Vincent can likely spot, if it's there - that is, that mental mindset in an assassin when they don't wish to do /it/ anymore. And... well, it doesn't hurt to look, to be aware of it if it's there.

Irvine has -never- wanted to do it. Ever. That was Martine's push, thrusting him into a role he never asked for. However, he's grown adept at hiding his real feelings over the subject. He does well at it. Everyone knows it. He's given up on the idea of getting away from it and thusly his face is impassive. So, at the response he merely nods. "I was just wondering. It seems... a lot to make a student do. I know I can do it, Vincent, I just wonder why I'm being made to."
      
And yet, those words... Vincent may have to assume, but the fact that Irvine is questioning means, to him, that the student is at least teetering. So, moving toward the desk near Irvine's own, Vincent finds a place to lean a little, while turning to face Irvine. Then, he replies, "They believe you have a gift, and that is its purpose." Matter of fact - that is the reason most people push those with 'gifts' into certain corners. "Why do you continue to stay where you are made to go?" If it is too much to ask, if he wonders why he's being 'forced'... Why does Irvine stay?

Good question. And, it's something Irvine hasn't considered much. He'd never leave now, he knows this. Not so long as Selphie's here. But before then? Then the answer presents itself fairly quickly. "They're my friends... I grew up with them. Squall, Selphie, Quistis, Zell, even Seifer. I would do anything for them." Loyalty issues. Cornflower blue eyes cast downward after the explanation. Squall could ask him to assassinate someone tomorrow and he'd do it without question. And it'd have nothing to do with him being the Commander. As for his 'gift', he doesn't reply to that. A blessing and a curse.

Vincent nods, slowly. "Then, I can not tell you why someone once pushed you into this. I was neither there, nor was I here." he answers. "But I believe you have just told me that you are no longer being made to do anything. You choose to, for the sake of your friends. Is that correct?"

Yes, this is his choice. And, more importantly, Irvine has finally realized it. Martine might have set him on this road, but he chose not to stray from it. No one to blame but himself in the scheme of things. Glancing up, he nods, the indecision somewhat resolved as he replies, "It is. Thank you."

Vincent nods once again, just as slowly as before. "You are welcome." he says, though there's not much Vincent did, other than point out Irvine's own words. There is a pause, and silence as Vincent's gaze for a moment grows distant. "I remember..." he trails away, frowning slightly. "You are fortunate, to have friends for whom your gift can be used." he says instead of... whatever that memory was going to be. Whatever it is, he definately changed his mind in speaking it aloud.

Irvine studies Vincent silently, maybe a little surprised as he trails off, and then continues with another thought. A reddish eyebrow lifts, though the gesture is half lost to the brim of his hat. There is a true temptation to ask him what he was about to say, but, something tells him perhaps it's a subject best not broached. So, let's seek another topic, "Sir, if it's ok to ask, where did you train? I've seen other gunmen occasionally, but they're all fairly young here." Hey, is he calling Vincent -old-? Hee.

"Shinra." Vincent answers. "My former employers were the Shinra Corporation, and they provided me with most of my formal training." Apparently, it is okay to ask. And thou shalt receive... "As I told Logan, I am not from the time, or world if you will, that this Garden existed in." Old... it's /that/ which brought the momentary and faint amusment to his features, before fading again.

ShinRa? Irvine cants his head to the side slightly, reaching up to brush chestnut bangs out of his face as they try to obscure his view. "So you're out of ShinRa's time then." So many to recently join with Garden do appear to be from other then his 'time period'. "Does it bother you that we're... at war with them?" It's amazing what a kid he can be at times. It's a bit of a naive question, but then, he's still only seventeen. That, and he doesn't know Vincent's background or feelings toward his former employer.

Vincent shakes his head, answering the latter query. "No. I had broken my affiliation with the company long before I came to be employed here." Long... there is something about the way he says that word... It's hard to define what, though. "And because Garden is where my loyalties lie, I fully support its actions." Plus, there's the personal things. That Vincent is here because of Squall's original generosity. Because of something that happened long before... "Before Shinra, I was mostly self taught. Some things I picked up from various instructors. But never anything formal." Until he got noticed by the corporation. But that's another story.

More then interested, this is a topic Irvine is curious about, his head remaining tilted to the side. It's -guns- after all. *.* "What firearms are you more familiar with? I've seen you use a number of them... I've used pistols before, but I guess I prefer my shotguns." And the sniper rifles, he may not really enjoy being a sniper, but he loves the guns themselves.

"Handguns, both automatic and revolver, with shotguns and sniper rifles. I also keep familiar with hunting rifles, and some assault rifles." Guns. Even Vincent seems to relax some, speaking about /his/ profession. It's just not something he gets to do often - his fondness for guns may well come close to exceeding, if not equaling Irvine's. But Lucrecia.... Sigh. At least she understands that taking Vincent away from his guns would be like demanding she leave her science. "There are several models here that are very different from Shinra's usual production line. It is interesting." he adds on what seems an afterthought. Plus they're upgradable in a more versatile way than anything Shinra has put out. Then again, Balamb's weaponry doesn't /have/ materia slots.

Leaning back slightly now, Irvine can't help but grin. Yep, this is the kind of conversation he can enjoy. "I've tried a number of firearms, but I must admit, you're probably familiar with a lot more then I am." This is -good-, seeing as Irvine's given up on finding anyone who can actually teach him something new. And he's starting to see a possibility in Vincent... well, if he can figure out how to convince the other gunman maybe to... "Do you... teach at all on the use of them?" Nothing like biting the bullet and just flat out asking. (No pun intended.)

Vincent? Teach? As the blunt question sinks in, he seems to consider the idea. "You want to learn them." he finally says, as though still considering. Then, brace yourself, for the third hint of a smile in the span of a single conversation, "I have not taught anything in decades." Plural. "But I think if you wish to learn, I can take some time to show you." That helps, that Irvine already knows some basics. Abruptly, he adds, "Would you be willing to learn the use of materia?"

"What's materia?" Irvine asks with another raised eyebrow. He's trying hard not to look too eager, but failing miserably in the end, fingers drumming against the seat he's straddling. Yuh oh, magic, though he's not aware of it. Slightly less disconcerting then say, Guardian Forces, but he's suspect of it nonetheless. But, for the possibility of learning some new tricks, as well as the handling of other types of firearms, he's more then willing to give nearly anything a try. The 'decades' comment goes right over his head too. Or does it... hey wait a minute... he kinda peers at Vincent as if trying to determine his age now.

Vincent looks an innocent (ahem) late twenties, or so. But then again, most humans don't have blood red irises. Innocent. Yeah, right. Vincent ignores the extra attention, as he answers the question, "It is a way to cast magic. They are stones which hold the ability to communicate with the Planet, and bring forth magic. Sometimes, materia can be combined to strengthen it, or strengthen and protect the wielder. Some uses are similiar to junctioning, but without the intelligence of a Guardian Force behind it." he frowns slightly, then, and adds, "I noticed you were uneasy when they appeared." That's an understatement. "And materia is an alternative, if you ever have need of magic."

Giving up on determining Vincent's age, the guy just doesn't look old enough to have been around for decades, Irvine takes his scrutinizing gaze off him for a moment. Ah well, no matter. He looks contemplative at the mention of magic, and just has to ask, "Do they take memories at all? Or do they have other prices and drawbacks to using them?" He wants to consider this carefully, knowing others used the Guardian Forces without realizing the price there was to pay. And he's a memory packrat, not wanting anything to steal his memories.

Vincent shakes his head. "They do not take memories." he answers firmly. "The disadvantages..." hmm. "Some materia can only be used a number of times before it needs a chance to recharge. It can grow in power, but the process is slow. There are some materia that support others, allowing for elemental protection, for example. But these advantages are limited by the slot system in the weapon you are using." he pauses and considers, before adding, "Most materia can make you a stronger mage, but proportionally, it can make you weaker physically. Some combinations' effects will depend on if you put the materia in slots on a weapon, or on armor. The most any weapon or armor can have in the way of slots is eight a piece."

Irvine listens, feeling much like a student already for the lengthy explanation necessary regarding Materia. Ok, no memory loss, that's a definate plus. His mouth quirks to the left, thoughtful over the rest as it's related to him. Actually, he can kinda handle that, though it'd take some getting used to. He's always relied on the gun itself, and tried not to rely on magicks. "I see... Yes." he glances up again and nods, "I would be willing to learn how to use Materia." Well, it'd prove interesting at the very least.

And Irvine is hearing the longest speeches Vincent has made in some time. But the thing is, he /does/ know what he's talking about. Shinra's Turks were... are, some of the most thoroughly trained associates in the Shinra corporation. They have to be versatile, to 'blend in', or to handle situations when they're sent out on their own. "Tomorrow evening if you have the time, you can come by my room, and look over the firearms I have." he says now, pushing away from the desk a little. "And let me know what you are already familiar with, and what you would like to know more about." he pauses, "Materia, I will have to obtain for later. There is none available in Icicle Inn, when I last checked."

Irvine rises from his seat now, leaning over to log off the console, as he'd forgotten he'd started on it again. Straightening up again, he smiles slightly, "Thank you..." This is going to have him more estatic and giddy then seeing Selphie in that little yellow dress of hers. Well... almost anyway. Nothing beats seeing Sefie in something little and revealing. o.o

Vincent again says, "You're welcome." and, a glance at the clock on the wall... ah well, it was only part of his off duty hours. Spent pleasurably enough at that. "If you need me before tomorrow, I will be in my room, or in the office upstairs." Ya know. Chat, talk, sudden changes of schedule. That sort of thing. "Good night." and he starts to head for the door.