[ Really out of it... That sounds an awful lot like mako addiction. But there's just one issue. Enough of an issue that Zack finds himself shaking his head in complete disbelief on this end. ]
How? Tifa, that doesn't add up- I mean how could you've seen him when he's been here for weeks now! Neither of us have seen you since Nibelheim and that was years ago!
[ Of course, it's very possible that Tifa'd survived and left for Midgar- especially after what had become of her small town. Who wouldn't pick up and leave? And it'd been five years since then... A long can change in that span of time. But... ]
[She knows it doesn't make any sense. She's known something was off since she noticed the distant way Cloud was speaking to her. It hurts, and she can't let herself think about it too much, because that on top of everything else is almost too much. She tries to calm herself down, but it's not working, and the vulnerability shows in her voice.]
We were traveling together for weeks before I woke up here. I don't know what it means.
Yeah, well, that makes two of us. [ And if he sounds bitter, well. He... can't really help it. Bad enough Sephiroth gave him a heart attack and then confused the hell out of him! Now, he's dealing with this?
Great. Just great. Zack... slowly runs a hand down his face. ]
Even if what you said's true and you found him, there's no way he could have been moving around. He was... He was in really bad shape before. [ His voice notably softens at that admission. ]
It was the beginning of October. He was lying in the train station when I found him. It was like he didn't know where he was or what was going on. I brought him back to Seventh Heaven to keep an eye on him.
[Bringing up his altered memories is far too personal, and there's no way Tifa's going to do it. But she is still trying to find a middle point here. If Zack had been with Cloud before Tifa found him, how much time had passed between when they were separated and when Tifa found him in the slums? Maybe he had just improved over time?]
Mako addiction... [ There's a somberness to his tone that he can't hide. But he's not afraid to show his hand, himself. He's got no reason not to. Although how Cloud had gotten it... That's... That's not a can of worms he's about to get into. ]
But that's the thing. He woke up here like that. I'm.. not even sure how he met Kuns halfway in the kind of shape he found him in. It was.. really bad, Tif.
[She has a pretty good idea of how Cloud got it, but it's not really something she wants to talk about, either. She sighs again, pausing for a moment before she answers.]
I don't understand it. We were on the airship together before I woke up here, talking to everyone, and...
[Now she's mostly thinking out loud. None of this seems possible, and they're just talking in circles.]
It was January. What month was it before you came here?
[ Airship? Well, that throws him for a loop. Because unless she had ties to ShinRa in some way that doesn't involve them being on their hit list, he highly doubts they would be cruising around in one of those. But that's only the start of his further confusion...
...January? He... scratches at his stubble in annoyance. ]
Dunno. I was kinda busy at the moment. [ RUNNING FROM AN ARMY. ] ...But it definitely wasn't winter. Was just starting to get cold. I wanna say... maybe September? October? [ Which... would line up with her October comment... You know, except for the fact that she still remembering being with Cloud up until the beginning of the following year. ]
[Even as she says it, it sounds ridiculous. Time travel isn't a thing. It makes no sense. Being brought to another world is weird, but hey, apparently Jenova crash landed on Gaia from another planet, so at least it's a somewhat familiar concept.]
What.. do you mean? [ It's not really as clueless of a question as he seems to say it. He has an inkling feeling... but. It just... Honestly, it sounds insane. This whole day feels insane. This is one of the few points in his life where he's honestly hoping he's just hallucinating again. But he isn't, is he. ]
No... No, it doesn't. And Cloud's been here with us for weeks now. But still. We haven't even been here for that long! [ And considering he'd been deemed a failed experiment... and had been an infantryman. Not a First. He can't see them ever bothering to clone the cadet...
None of this is making sense. Zack lets out a noise of frustration as he kicks helplessly at the snow he's shuffling through. ] I don't get it. I mean we'd have to be from different... [ He trails off at that though. Because even the very thought of it sounds nuts. But at the same time... ]
[Tifa really, really just wants to dismiss this theory. It's way too crazy, and would make everything so much more difficult. But if Sephiroth really doesn't remember anything about Nibelheim, and Cloud's memories seem to stop short, too...]
Maybe they... Maybe they took some of our memories when we came here?
They're capable of a lot of things... [ People have lost memories here before. He remembers talking to someone a month ago.. although he can't remember their name now. But he knows that happened.
But- He winces briefly, pausing. Opening his mouth to say something more. Closing it. ] ..but Cloud looked exactly like I last saw him, so I don't think that's the case here. Tifa, you said yourself that you found him at the station, but he recovered with you. Same thing here. I know that really happened.
[ The honesty's there in his words. But the frustration has yet to leave him either. He... sighs, running a hand through his hair. How'd things get so complicated all of a sudden? They were already insane before... but now this. ]
Listen. Tifa, I'm gonna talk to Kunsel about this. In the meantime, focus on making tracks. We'll get there as soon as possible, alright?
That goes for you, too, you know. We'll get there as soon as we can. Keep in touch. [ He waits a moment more to see if she has anything more to say... but not long after, he's hanging up. ]
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How? Tifa, that doesn't add up- I mean how could you've seen him when he's been here for weeks now! Neither of us have seen you since Nibelheim and that was years ago!
[ Of course, it's very possible that Tifa'd survived and left for Midgar- especially after what had become of her small town. Who wouldn't pick up and leave? And it'd been five years since then... A long can change in that span of time. But... ]
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[She knows it doesn't make any sense. She's known something was off since she noticed the distant way Cloud was speaking to her. It hurts, and she can't let herself think about it too much, because that on top of everything else is almost too much. She tries to calm herself down, but it's not working, and the vulnerability shows in her voice.]
We were traveling together for weeks before I woke up here. I don't know what it means.
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Great. Just great. Zack... slowly runs a hand down his face. ]
Even if what you said's true and you found him, there's no way he could have been moving around. He was... He was in really bad shape before. [ His voice notably softens at that admission. ]
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[Bringing up his altered memories is far too personal, and there's no way Tifa's going to do it. But she is still trying to find a middle point here. If Zack had been with Cloud before Tifa found him, how much time had passed between when they were separated and when Tifa found him in the slums? Maybe he had just improved over time?]
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But that's the thing. He woke up here like that. I'm.. not even sure how he met Kuns halfway in the kind of shape he found him in. It was.. really bad, Tif.
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I don't understand it. We were on the airship together before I woke up here, talking to everyone, and...
[Now she's mostly thinking out loud. None of this seems possible, and they're just talking in circles.]
It was January. What month was it before you came here?
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...January? He... scratches at his stubble in annoyance. ]
Dunno. I was kinda busy at the moment. [ RUNNING FROM AN ARMY. ] ...But it definitely wasn't winter. Was just starting to get cold. I wanna say... maybe September? October? [ Which... would line up with her October comment... You know, except for the fact that she still remembering being with Cloud up until the beginning of the following year. ]
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[Even as she says it, it sounds ridiculous. Time travel isn't a thing. It makes no sense. Being brought to another world is weird, but hey, apparently Jenova crash landed on Gaia from another planet, so at least it's a somewhat familiar concept.]
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[Or was, anyway. But it definitely does sound ridiculous to say.]
That doesn't make sense, does it?
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None of this is making sense. Zack lets out a noise of frustration as he kicks helplessly at the snow he's shuffling through. ] I don't get it. I mean we'd have to be from different... [ He trails off at that though. Because even the very thought of it sounds nuts. But at the same time... ]
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Maybe they... Maybe they took some of our memories when we came here?
[Wouldn't that make way more sense?]
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But- He winces briefly, pausing. Opening his mouth to say something more. Closing it. ] ..but Cloud looked exactly like I last saw him, so I don't think that's the case here. Tifa, you said yourself that you found him at the station, but he recovered with you. Same thing here. I know that really happened.
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Then what do you think it is?
[She knows they're going to circle right back to the weird theories, and she really wishes they didn't have to.]
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[ The honesty's there in his words. But the frustration has yet to leave him either. He... sighs, running a hand through his hair. How'd things get so complicated all of a sudden? They were already insane before... but now this. ]
Listen. Tifa, I'm gonna talk to Kunsel about this. In the meantime, focus on making tracks. We'll get there as soon as possible, alright?
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[She's about to end the conversation until she realizes she doesn't recognize that name.]
Who's Kunsel?
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Kain. Sorry. He didn't know who you were when you guys first spoke, so he wasn't sure he could trust you...
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[She can't really blame him for being cautious.]
Don't worry about it. Be careful, okay?
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