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year 5, quarter 3
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Bartz had kept moving north after he helped the scientist collect the chocobos. It'd been a little difficult, but he had been able to shake off the blonde haired teenager who was just as persistent as the pink haired girl and the purple haired man had been. So, they knew him. Whatever. A lot of people knew about him, but none knew everything about. He would try and think if the older two were one night lovers he had scorned as he laid in the inns where he was able to do menial tasks for a place to stay. The younger one gave him more trouble though. Had he tormented a relative of theirs or maybe Boko had run her over as they sped out of one town and on to the next. He would eventually just shrug off the theories as sleepiness would overtake him. It wasn't his problem that these people seemed to be fascinated with him,
It grew colder as he drew further north. The cold plucked at his cheeks turning them warm much like the affection of an elderly women he would barter with making sure he had enough to eat before turning him to bed on their floor or second where their own son or daughter had left them. It was pretty easy business as Bartz hit up the barely populate towns outside of the big city. He provided company to the lonely, and they in turn provided their roof if not more. A more than even exchange in Bartz' humble opinion. The last of them had gifted him with a large coat to keep him warm as he continued his travels.
What he had been expecting was this far north was dwarfed but what he actually saw. Electricity crackled amongst the gates and their posts keeping unwanted outsiders out. Not that would have helped him past the guard who marched in military fashion back and forth from gate to gate leaving people to survey them. Bartz approached with as much candor as he could muster as he waltzed up to the guard.
"Business in Sonora?" the guard asked pointing a peculiar looking object at him that Bartz wasn't too certain about.
"Um yeah, loads," Bartz answered unnerved by the two guards pointing the projectiles in his face. He swallowed hard as he produced a forced laugh and ran his shaking hand through his hair.
"What business would that be?" the guards jabbed their guns even further towards Bartz' throat making him gulp. He really didn't want the trouble, so his mind raced through all the possible reasons he could need to enter a city.
"Ugh, I'm here to see a relative." Bartz would shout gleeful as though he hadn't doubted himself at all. There had to be a reason for entertainers in any city. He could totally pass off as one couldn't he? He smiled giving the two guards thumbs up. They turned to talk to one another as he rocked on his feet with nerves. The guards came closer after a moment with outstretched hands, and Bartz gulped. They gave him a quick pat down which made him incredibly uncomfortable before cautioning, "You don't look like you could cause any trouble, keep it that way."
The gates buzzed and opened as the guards roughly ushered Bartz into the city before having the gates close behind him. "Woah," he muttered as he couldn't pay attention to just one of the many buzzing and blinking lights and signs. He had never seen anything like this before. Bartz found himself drawn into the spectacle of it all as he made his way down the street making sure to stay far away as possible to the large mechanical things barreling down the corridors.
He didn't know long he had been walking when he saw a line of people outside of a building. Every time the door opened, pounding sounds and flashing lights would pour out as people were let in. Curious as to what was happening in there, Bartz joined the end of the line leaning against the wall as he waited. He checked out the other people in line, and he felt like he wasn't dressed for the occasion. Leather and tight pants adorned most of the people in the line, and where there wasn't those things skin was showing instead. He liked the look; maybe he would find a place to get some of those pants for himself.
The line moved faster than he expected, and soon enough he found himself on the inside of the building. It was dark in there aside from the flashing pulsating neon lights, but Bartz could tell immediately that it was sort of pub, but instead of drinking being the focus it seemed everyone had come to dance. The middle of the room housed a floor a couple of steps down packed with bodies moving to the rhythm of the night. It looked like a lot of fun, but these people seemed really good at what they were doing. Making his way through the throngs of people, he decided he was gonna join in anyway.
It was pretty obvious that Bartz was making a fool of himself. This music was strange and foreign to him ,and he couldn't find the beat on time. He kept bumping into people accidentally, and their cold eyes made him chuckle nervously and dance away. He wanted to have fun so bad, but he felt like giving up. He didn't belong down here, he needed to go somewhere else, somewhere people would pay attention to him not because he was making himself look bad, but because they wanted to know him. As a frown crossed his face for the first time in awhile, he felt a warmth come from his pocket. Looking down, he could see the weird crystal piece glowing through his pants before a light enveloped him.
Just as quickly as it had came over the light disappeared. The first thing he noticed was that everyone near him had stopped dancing and were now staring at him. Then he noticed what he was wearing. He was wearing a red silk shirt unbuttoned showing off his chest and tied just above his stomach. His pants were black and almost the same material as the other patrons topped with a green sash tied around his waist. His boots had been replaced with nice black dance shoes.
Bartz was just as flabbergasted as those standing next to him at this sudden change, but as the song bled into the next one he felt his muscles ache as if they knew what needed done. Bartz stepped on beat as the song blared above the crowd. His body moved and swayed in time as though the music was just a part of his being. It was a dark beat and the blue and purple lights swam above them as Bartz continued his moves. He felt a hand on his shoulder spin him as black haired man cocked his head at him. Bartz accepted the invitation, and the two danced together trading moves like blows in a battle. As the song faded away, Bartz hadn't realized how terribly thirsty he was and made his way to one of the bars.
As Bartz waited for the water he ordered, the black haired man caught up to him at the bar. "Pretty impressive what you did out there," he said sliding up close next to Bartz. "Oh um, thanks?" he responded as he reached for the water that had been put down in front of him. "So, how did you do it?" Bartz didn't really understand the question. "I just sorta went with it." Before he had time to even take a sip of his water, a pocketknife was underneath his throat. "I saw that thing glowing in your pocket. Whatcha got some magic stone, or a smuggled piece of the crystal? Hand it over." He gulped as the man turned him away from the bartender's sight..
After his encounter with the woman in the village at the edge of the woods, Genesis was itching to leave. The town reminded him too much of Banora for him to want to stay for any extended period of time, but the people were adamant that he at least stay the night in exchange for his help, so he reluctantly accepted a room at the inn and tried to see what he could learn. Reiken-- the town and surrounding woods were supposedly called. Genesis was rather well-travelled due to his missions as a Soldier, but he had never heard of such a place, or any of the other nearby ones the people were able to name for him. Wonderful. It appeared that he had fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire. Still--he tried to remind himself that he wasn’t nearly as bad off as he had been before. He had his life and his previous good looks restored by the goddess and so nothing else mattered. He would find a way forward.
Genesis left the village in the middle of the night after pilfering what he could from the inn. He needed the money and supplies a lot more than they did after all, and they wouldn’t even be alive if it weren’t for him. They owed him a lot more than some provisions and a few day’s earnings, so they were lucky he was only collecting on that. They should be thanking him, really.
Throwing everything in a bag over his shoulder, he took to the skies on his wing and angled to what he thought must be north after considering the stars for a moment. He’d just fly to the next town he was able to find, and then the one after that if he had to. Surely he’d eventually wind up somewhere that wasn’t completely in the middle of nowhere.
After a few days of travelling north and making stops at towns that he had never heard of, Genesis wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Ripples form on the water’s surface. The wandering soul knows no rest,” he despaired as he found himself despondently wandering the streets in the newest town he had stopped in. Sonora--this one was supposedly called--and it was the most heavily populated town he had managed to find so far. The way the light pollution blocked out the stars in the night sky reminded him of Midgar almost as much as the patrolling guards did. He’d never thought that he’d ever be homesick for Midgar, but it was funny what being seemingly cast into another world could cause someone to miss.
The air had grown steadily colder the further north that he had flown, and Genesis was grateful for his warm leather coat as his breath came out in cold visible puffs when he aimlessly crossed a darkened street. The sun had recently set, and he had no real destination in mind. It just felt too early to go back to the room he had rented with some “borrowed” money (the two guards that he’d had to quietly dispose of to enter Sonora certainly wouldn’t miss it), and a part of him still hoped in vain to encounter someone or somewhere familiar.
The low pulse of music was what finally caught his attention, and after Genesis ducked a street over to find the source, he was quickly drawn to a sloped building with a short line stretching from the door to the sidewalk. His eyes trailed from the tight, leather clothing of the people waiting to the colored lights that spilled onto the sidewalk whenever the door opened. A dance club. "Oh praise the goddess. Actual civilization,” he muttered, as on an impulse he slipped across the street to take a place in line. He hadn’t been to a place like this since before his accident. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Eventually, the line moved up enough that he was able to step inside, and he almost laughed out loud at the familiar sights. The colored lights spilling across the dance floor. The pulsing music that pounded in his ears until he could barely hear the people around him. The people thronging around the dance floor in revealing clothes or grabbing a drink at the bar. It was a scene that he would have loved before he left Shinra, and after a moment, he gave into temptation and slipped onto the dance floor.
The music was new to him, but the style was familiar enough, and after a few minutes of hashing out the beat, he felt comfortable enough to sway and spin his way through the strangers around him. He’d always found music intoxicating (though it was infinitely inferior to poetry), and he felt freer than he had in ages by the time a man on the dance floor near him was suddenly illuminated in light. Turning to look at him, Genesis realized as the light faded that the man’s clothes had changed. Pausing, he cast an appreciative glance at the man’s open shirt before wondering curiously what kind of Materia he had used to change clothes like that. None that he was used to at any rate.
Genesis was flirting with the idea of approaching the man to ask him about it (and potentially for a dance), when he caught sight of a black-haired man out of the corner of his eye. Angeal. Startled, he whirled around before realizing that of course it wasn’t Angeal. Angeal was dead. The man moved past him to approach the brunette in the red half-shirt, but Genesis remained staring in the other direction. He had brought Angeal and Sephiroth to places like this before. They had hated it as much as he had loved it. At least they’d never have to pretend to have a good time again. That was something.
Feeling suddenly tired, Genesis left the dance-floor and took a seat at the bar. Sipping on a glass of red wine, he considered the crowd of dancers for a while until the brunette and the black-haired man from earlier took a seat near him. Genesis couldn’t really hear what they were saying over the loud thrum of the music, but he did notice the light that glinted off of something in the black-haired man’s hand as he moved it towards the brunette’s throat. A knife.
The man with the magically changing clothes was attractive enough that Genesis didn’t even need Angeal’s voice in his head to remind him that the heroic thing to do was probably to try to save the man’s life. He was already out of his seat and tossing the rest of his glass of wine into the black-haired man’s eyes as he grabbed the wrist holding the knife. Calling Fire to his fingertips, he burned the man’s wrist until he dropped the knife before falling back a step or two with the brunette in tow.
“I’d say you owe me a drink at minimum,” he complained as he dropped the brunette’s arm. “Lover’s quarrel?” He glanced over the black-haired man as he waited to see if he’d pursue them. “All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow,” he warned him. Loveless always made for the best warnings. Too bad most people didn’t seem to understand its genius.
Bartz groaned as the blade came closer to his neck. He reached behind him trying to find any purchase for him to hold onto or something to use to defend himself, but he just found himself grasping at air. Not feeling like dying in a bar, Bartz began to fumble in his pocket for the shard of the crystal he carried. It felt warm for some reason, so he looked down, but as he was removing it, he felt the blade leave from his neck. Bartz took a long breath before looking back up to see why he was no longer being held at knife point.
It seemed that a red headed man had come to his rescue. Bartz quickly slid into motion as he was yanked from the situation. He cast a worrisome glance behind him to make sure the guy wasn't gonna try to take on both of them now, but it seemed they were in the clear. Bartz sighed in relief running his hand through his messy brown hair. He was going to thank the man for his act of heroism, but the man spoke first. Bartz gave a soft chuckle as the man asked for a drink, it seemed he was gonna have to pay for the help, but he didn't mind much.
"Ha, not at all. That guy was just some stranger I met on the floor," Bartz explained as he leaned up against the bar trying to vie for the bartender's attention. As he waited, the man spoke more cryptically than he had before. He wondered if he was just sing talking along with the song that vibrated the room. "That's pretty ominous sounding, you come up with that just now?" Bartz laughed as the bartender finally slid over to him. Bartz ordered a replacement drink for the man, one for himself, and looking at what other people were doing two shots. Bartz was impressed by how fast the woman was at her job. It was very clear that he never would have made it at that pirate's bar as their tender.
"Here you go," Bartz said as he handed the wine and shot to the red headed man. He clinked his little shot glass against the mans before throwing it back. Bartz grimace even though the taste was akin to butterscotch, but it still burned on the way down. He took a sip of his pink cocktail to wash the burn away. "Thanks again, for not letting me become a skewer. Don't think I'd taste all that good." He smiled brightly at the man before looking back out at the dance floor. "Sure is a fun place otherwise though," he mused yearning to go back out and dance some more now that the music felt like it was part of his body, but he felt owed the man a little small talk for saving his life first. "Oh," Bartz added realizing he had forgotten to do so already, "Name's Bartz by the way. Nice to meet ya."
Thankfully, the black-haired man seemed to realize he was outnumbered and made no move to come after them. Genesis laughed softly as the man wiped wine off his face before turning his full attention to the brunette he had rescued. He realized now that the man was younger than him—probably in his early twenties or so—and his smile was a fairly bright contrast to the dim lighting of the club. He took Genesis’ demand for a drink in good humor, so Genesis trailed after him back to the bar as he cast a long-suffering sigh at the empty wine glass in his hand. At least he’d shortly be getting a replacement for what he had wasted.
“You mean you didn’t know him at all? How pushy of him then,” Genesis commented as he leaned on his hip against the bar counter as they waited for their drinks to be made. The man brought up the Loveless quote that he had made off-handedly and he laughed a tad ruefully, wishing for perhaps the hundredth time that he’d had a copy on him when he woke up here. “No, I didn’t come up with it. It’s from the greatest piece of literature that sadly doesn’t seem to exist here,” he bemoaned before brightening as their drinks were set in front of them.
He chuckled a bit at the additional shot but picked it up and clinked glasses with the brown-haired man. “To not getting stabbed tonight,” he toasted before fighting a slight smirk at his comments about getting skewered. “Well, who can really say what you’d taste like?” He threw out ambiguously before tossing back the shot glass and grimacing at the way the liquor burned on the way down. He quickly followed with a sip of wine and let the mellow taste drown out the liquor. He’d half expected the other man to walk away now that he’d thanked him and bought him the drink, so Genesis was pleased when he stuck around despite the longing looks the brunette was casting towards the dance floor.
”Bartz?” He repeated, glad he had a name to go with the face now. “Pleasure to meet you then, despite the interesting start. I’m Genesis.” He took a long sip of wine, glancing down at Bartz’s open red shirt and green sash. “Do you often change your clothes in a flash of light?” He asked jokingly. “I’ve never seen anyone do that before. Or is that why you almost had your throat slit at the bar?” He risked a glance back towards where they had left the black-haired man, but there was no sign of him over there. Hopefully he wasn’t still lurking around.
”Are you from here by the way?” He added, figuring that he may as well try to learn more about Sonora while he was at it.“I’m afraid I am infinitely new to the area.” Understatement. He hadn’t seen a single thing he’d recognized yet. Hopefully Bartz would have some information for him.
The music had him under its spell. Bartz felt each pound of sound like his won heart beat. Even better was the way the alcohol he had just drank faster than he should have, felt like ichor as it warmed his body and reddened his face just a tad blending in with the reddening from running out of breath. The music was fun and light and everyone on the floor seemed to be running on the same current of electricity that music seemed to spark. Bartz was about to take a break of even just leave when Genesis finally approached from his stoop by the bar. He spoke, but Bartz just smiled back accepting his hand and letting his body speak his words for him.
Bartz pulled Genesis closer as the song fizzled away into another bop and he shimmied closer. He kept a flirtatious distance between them as he swayed in time to the music lifting his arms at the right parts and dropping it low when needed. It was all fun and lighthearted and Bartz continued to steal glances into Genesis' beautiful blue eyes. As they danced, Bartz playfully swatted and shooed others away as they approached the duo. After already almost being stabbed once, Bartz wasn't about ready to make more friends than the one standing before him
The music began to fade again and Bartz smiled running his hand through his hair his eyes closed. He was about to suggest that they dip out and go talk in some quieter location like they had talked about, but the sudden change in mood of the song stopped the words full force. The beat had slowed but the bass pounded demanding something base and carnal.
The smile turned to a smirk as Bartz slid closer to Genesis as the beat took control of him. His fingers traced a small, loose circle on the man's chest before he walked his two fingers up to man's collar. Pulling loosely on the man's collar, Bartz moved closer to him in tandem until he knew the warmth of his breath would be felt on the man's ear. He let his mouth move to the man's neck tracing his hand down the man's torso and waist. Bartz spun round pressing his back against the man using him as a perch for his own dancing. Still the moment didn't last long as the song merged back into the more lighthearted playlist and Bartz broke away.
Bartz laughed as stepped away from Genesis. Bartz pulled on the man's hand and pointed to the exit before heading that way himself. Bartz slithered through the crowd that somehow seemed more dense than it had when he entered the building. Breaking out into the cold Sonora night, Bartz began shivering violently. "S..S...Sure is.... cuh. cuh. cold," he stuttered out hoping that Genesis had followed him out into the street. He rubbed his arms rapidly as his teeth began to the chatter and he began walking down the street. "Could really go for some food or a quieter pub. Anywhere warm really. How about you?"
Genesis laughed a bit louder than was called for when Bartz suggested that he tell him about Loveless. The dance club reminded him so much of the old days that it was easy to picture Angeal and Sephiroth over his shoulder, shaking their heads and waving their hands at Bartz as they tried to dissuade him. Pity that was only a fantasy.
“Be careful what you wish for,” he said with a wink as he took a long sip of wine. He wasn’t normally one to refrain from talking about Loveless, but he’d prefer to do it in a different environment. The pulsing of the music made it hard to hear clearly, and he wouldn’t want him to miss a single word. Anyway, he wasn’t quite ready to scare Bartz off. Angeal had often told him that he was off-putting to some people when he got too excited over poetry.
After a moment, he noticed that Bartz seemed to be studying his face, and he smirked faintly and tried to see what he could notice of the man in return in the dim lighting. Bartz had an honest, open face with brown hair that he had probably taken the time to style into the messy, short waves that framed his face. Genesis’ eyes were drawn to the gold bracelets on the man’s wrists before flickering back to his jeweled earring. Bartz took some care with his appearance. Genesis could appreciate that.
Bartz seemed to notice his scrutiny--or perhaps he was just embarrassed by having been caught looking himself--because he quickly glanced away as he got another drink from the bar. Genesis cast him his most reassuring smile, but the man was already pulling something out of his pocket. Genesis looked down at the jagged, glowing piece of crystal and his lips parted slightly in surprise.
“Materia?” He questioned, though he’d never seen any that had looked like that before. Pausing, he listened to Bartz’s explanation before quickly setting down his wine in excitement. “You just woke up here too?” Finally, something he could use. “It’s the same for me. I’ve never seen any of these places before. Or anyone I knew before.”
He chuckled slightly when Bartz looked at him out of the corner of his eye and asked if he’d known him before. “You don’t look familiar to me in the slightest, I’m afraid. Why do you think they claimed to know you? That’s the only part of your story that doesn’t fit with my experience.”
Still, I’m of the firm belief that home is wherever you go. Ah. Genesis could peg his type now. Bartz was a bit too honest and open for his own good--almost like Zack had been. Genesis had to refrain from telling him that ‘home’ was an overrated concept (and certainly not one to be found anywhere). Everyone would always betray you in the end anyway, he could have told him, but Genesis kept his mouth shut. Bartz was naive, but he was friendly and good company. Why spoil the mood? They could probably have an enjoyable evening if Bartz felt like sticking around. From the way his eyes kept darting to the dance floor, he looked like he was itching to return, so Genesis wasn’t expecting to hold his attention for much longer.
He was pleasantly surprised that when Bartz finally chose to return to the dance floor upon the next song change, he made a clear invitation for Genesis to join him. He pointed out a mildly less crowded corner where he said he would be before paying for their drinks like he had promised. As Bartz spun his way back into the crowd, he shot Genesis a clear wink before vanishing between two women as he made his way to the other side of the room. Genesis laughed under his breath as he watched him reappear under a string of colored lights that played off the shine of his hair. Maybe Bartz was less naive than he had first thought.
He finished his wine in no real hurry as he scanned the crowd. It was full of attractive people in tight clothing who were fairly good dancers, but his eyes kept going back to Bartz where he appeared to be having the time of his life as he swayed to the beat of the new song. “My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess,” he finally relented as he drained the rest of his glass and left it on the bar counter. Reentering the throng, he navigated his way through the crowd as he tried to ignore the bitter nostalgia that had forced him off the dance floor in the first place. This wasn’t about old times or old friends he’d never see again. This was about enjoying the moment and learning what he could.
Finally, he spun his way over to Bartz and held out a hand to him. “Shall we dance for a few songs then?” He asked with what he hoped was his most winning smile. “Then I’d be interested in hearing the last thing you remember. We both must have woken up here for a reason, hm? Perhaps we have something in common.”
Maybe Genesis would learn something. Or maybe he’d just have a night to drown his sorrows with this optimistic stranger. Either way, he felt better than he had since he’d first stumbled upon that village in the woods.
The music had him under its spell. Bartz felt each pound of sound like his won heart beat. Even better was the way the alcohol he had just drank faster than he should have, felt like ichor as it warmed his body and reddened his face just a tad blending in with the reddening from running out of breath. The music was fun and light and everyone on the floor seemed to be running on the same current of electricity that music seemed to spark. Bartz was about to take a break of even just leave when Genesis finally approached from his stoop by the bar. He spoke, but Bartz just smiled back accepting his hand and letting his body speak his words for him.
Bartz pulled Genesis closer as the song fizzled away into another bop and he shimmied closer. He kept a flirtatious distance between them as he swayed in time to the music lifting his arms at the right parts and dropping it low when needed. It was all fun and lighthearted and Bartz continued to steal glances into Genesis' beautiful blue eyes. As they danced, Bartz playfully swatted and shooed others away as they approached the duo. After already almost being stabbed once, Bartz wasn't about ready to make more friends than the one standing before him
The music began to fade again and Bartz smiled running his hand through his hair his eyes closed. He was about to suggest that they dip out and go talk in some quieter location like they had talked about, but the sudden change in mood of the song stopped the words full force. The beat had slowed but the bass pounded demanding something base and carnal.
The smile turned to a smirk as Bartz slid closer to Genesis as the beat took control of him. His fingers traced a small, loose circle on the man's chest before he walked his two fingers up to man's collar. Pulling loosely on the man's collar, Bartz moved closer to him in tandem until he knew the warmth of his breath would be felt on the man's ear. He let his mouth move to the man's neck tracing his hand down the man's torso and waist. Bartz spun round pressing his back against the man using him as a perch for his own dancing. Still the moment didn't last long as the song merged back into the more lighthearted playlist and Bartz broke away.
Bartz laughed as stepped away from Genesis. Bartz pulled on the man's hand and pointed to the exit before heading that way himself. Bartz slithered through the crowd that somehow seemed more dense than it had when he entered the building. Breaking out into the cold Sonora night, Bartz began shivering violently. "S..S...Sure is.... cuh. cuh. cold," he stuttered out hoping that Genesis had followed him out into the street. He rubbed his arms rapidly as his teeth began to the chatter and he began walking down the street. "Could really go for some food or a quieter pub. Anywhere warm really. How about you?"
Genesis laughed under his breath when instead of answering him, Bartz just took his offered hand and spun him further onto the dance floor. Pushing his reservations aside, Genesis tried to forget everything that had led him here as the alcohol slowly warmed him and the hypnotic beat of the music pulsed its way into his blood. Bartz was a fantastic dance partner--he threw himself into every move as if there was no one watching--so Genesis found it easy to let go and throw himself into every sway and dip of the music. Once, he tried to take things closer by reaching for his bare waist, but Bartz nimbly danced away from him as he shot him a flirtatious smile and kept his distance. What a tease.
Smirking faintly, Genesis also backed off, and as he did a slow turn, he noticed Bartz good-naturedly shooing away someone else who had tried to approach. It was only natural that Bartz would attract attention with the way he was dancing and the way his open red shirt showed off his lithe, muscular stomach. Still, Genesis was flattered that he seemed to want to keep their dancing between the two of them. Though maybe that wasn’t surprising considering he had almost gotten his throat slit at the bar already tonight. Perhaps he was playing it safe. There were certainly plenty of people in Midgar who could have told him that a night with Genesis was far from playing it safe, but Bartz didn’t need to know that.
Spinning closer to him, Genesis paused as the song pulsed to a close, and he laughed quietly, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he looked the man over warmly. Bartz had also slowed to a stop, and he was running a hand through his short brown hair with his eyes closed and a smile on his lips.
“Need a break?” Genesis suggested, but the music suddenly started up again, and the combination of the low bass with the alcohol swirling through his veins warmed him enough to make him light-headed. Bartz clearly felt the same because he suddenly pressed closer, and Genesis had to suck in a breath when Bartz trailed two fingers up his chest before suddenly gripping the collar of his turtleneck and yanking him forward until they were flush against each other. Well, tonight certainly seemed to be taking an interesting direction, he thought with some amusement, before shivering slightly as Bartz’s warm breath hit his ear before lips descended on his neck.
Feeling the beat pulse into his skin, Genesis pulled back slightly and tried to dip down for a kiss, but Bartz had already spun around and resumed dancing against him. Laughing, Genesis snaked his hands around his waist as he swayed with him before leaning into his ear from behind. “And here I thought you were naive,” He murmured, continuing their dance until the song faded, and he let go of Bartz and backed off.
Bartz gave him that open grin that was starting to be familiar before he gripped Genesis’ hand and tugged him towards the exit. Genesis just barely managed to snag his red leather coat off the racks near the door before they spilled into the night, snow swirling around them and up towards the sky.
Bartz immediately started shivering, his arms going around himself since all he was wearing was a half-shirt. “Not going to magically change clothes again?” Genesis asked with a raised eyebrow before begrudgingly holding out his coat. “Here. You need it more than I do.” Genesis had a sleeveless turtleneck on, but it was more than warm enough. Anyway, he was used to the cold. Several of his missions as a Soldier had sent him to godforsaken wastelands.
“I think we could both use some food,” he said with a slight smirk in response to Bartz’s question. Genesis could still feel the alcohol warming his face, and he was betting Bartz was too from the man’s actions on the dance floor. “My treat this time.” Technically, it was the treat of two dead guards who had tried to stop him from entering Sonora, but what Bartz didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
“There’s a pub near where I’m staying that’s pretty good. The food is basic, but the beer isn’t half bad.” A glowing recommendation, but Genesis rarely gave those anyway. “It isn’t a bad walk from here either, if you’re up for it.” Though he still would have preferred to fly, but he somehow doubted this well-guarded city would take kindly to someone with a wing. Not to mention that it seemed to be a turn-off for some people.
“Shall we?” He asked as he set off down the cold street. “The wind sails over the water’s surface, quietly but surely,” He quoted as he scowled at the freezing winds before casting about for a conversation topic as they walked.
“What’s the last thing you remember before waking up here?” Though with Genesis' luck, the answer to that would be some tragic mood killer.
"I could only hope," Bartz tried to laugh as Genesis remarked on him getting int something warmer magically. "If only I knew how to control it," he chuckled rubbing the crystal in his pocket hoping it would begin to change him into something like a large fur coat or at least a couple layers of sweaters. Bartz smiled as he thought of himself in at least five layers of sweaters before shuddering again in the harsh cold wind of Sonora. On some base level he wondered how it was so cold here when Provo had been comfortable, but he wasn't thinking about that now. Instead he was thinking of the weight of Genesis' warm red leather jacket as it was slid over his shoulders. He slithered into it and crossed himself quickly.
Bartz stood open mouthed and astonished as Genesis offered to pay for dinner as he settled into the man's jacket. It was nice and soft on the inside and smelled of him which Bartz decided was a very pleasant scent. "Aw, man you don't have to," he protested in the way one did when politely denying something they secretly wanted as he rubbed his ear against the shoulder of the jacket so he could inhale more of the scent of the man while pretending to just scratch his ear without letting his hands leave the sleeves of the coat. The coat was extremely comfortable, and thinking about how it had looked on his friend, Bartz wondered how he looked in it. Would he be the same dashing figure in it?
Before he had time to pose the question, Genesis had rattled off some new phrasing that made Bartz yell, "Aye, Aye, captain, but hey wait up!" Bartz half jogged to catch up with Genesis before reaching for the man's hand wrapping his fingers tightly between the others before falling in step. "So we don't get separated!" he explained jovially although the comfort of a hand in his brought him a joy he really couldn't express. "To be honest, if you want to skip the crowd... we could take the food and drink back to your room to talk. I'm still trying to find one myself, I just got in tonight," he suggested looking quickly to the ground before grinning brightly at Genesis taking his free hand to run through his hair. A nervous habit and tick, but one that Bartz did without thinking
Still his new pal had asked him a question and tipsy or not Bartz would answer any new friend in all honesty. Still, he leaned on Genesis shoulder only lightly pressing his weight against his arm, "My last memory. Well, it's nothing exciting really. My best friend Boko and I, we travel you know. My dad before he passed wanted me to be a traveler, you see like he and I did, anyway, Boko, oh Boko's a chocobo, and I were traveling across the land. We'd heard grand things of the Tycoon Castle and the beautiful princess there," Bartz stopped for one second, hadn't Faris called that pink haired girl the queen of the castle? The pretty purple haired man did have a way of making him weary but also Bartz trusted what he'd said. Weird, anyway Bartz shook the thought and continued, "but yeah literally we were tired after a long day of journeying and so we were cuddled up under a tree, and next thing you know I wake up in some field. Granted, Zidane, this cute little guy with a rockin' tail, helped my out, but after that I've just been um. how did you put it 'sailing over the water quietly?' But I seem to draw some noise," Bartz laughed genuinely as he honestly couldn't remember the quote. He leaned his head against Genesis shoulder as they continued walking. "What else do you want to know? Hopefully this place isn't much further!"
“Aye aye captain?” Genesis echoed, laughing louder than he should have into the night as Bartz scrambled to follow him down the street. Bartz was lucky he was endearing, at any rate. Genesis was about to tease him further when Bartz finally caught up and threaded their fingers together as he leaned against his arm. Blinking slightly, Genesis glanced over at him, a slight smirk crossing his lips as Bartz made some excuse about not wanting to get separated.
“Oh, but of course. That would be a travesty,” he said as he gripped Bartz’s hand in return. Pausing, his lips parted slightly in surprise when Bartz continued and suggested that they take the food to go and bring it back to Genesis’ room. “Oh?” He asked, looking him over curiously. All the dancing had left Bartz’s hair in a wild style that somehow suited him. The cold had quickly reddened his cheeks, and his eyes had an excited, blown-out shine from the alcohol as he grinned up at him. He had Genesis’ coat pulled tightly over his shoulders to block out the cold, and Genesis admired the way that his muscles were outlined beneath the leather and the way the coat trailed out behind him as he walked. Bartz looked beautiful, and Genesis’ stomach fluttered more than it had in a long time looking at him.
“My friend, your desire is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess,” he murmured, before realizing that he’d likely need to translate that. “You know, I do believe I’d like that,” he amended. "It’s been a while since I’ve had a night like this.” Four years? Longer? He certainly hadn’t hooked up with a stranger or even been to a bar since he’d left Shinra at any rate.
Leaning further against his arm, Genesis walked hand in hand down the cold streets with him, fighting the urge to laugh at Bartz’s only slightly rambling story. “Your best friend’s a chocobo?” He asked as he tilted his head to one side. Well, who was he to judge really? Genesis didn’t have a single friend left who was alive, but if he continued on that train of thought, he was likely to abandon Bartz and go to drink his sorrows alone. And that wasn’t where he’d prefer the night to end.
“A princess,” he echoed, as Bartz finished his story. “Hm. I assumed we must have had something in common to both end up here, but we seem to come from very different places. Princesses are a thing of the past in my world.” All they had was one morbidly obese president of Shinra. Pity Genesis hadn’t gotten to kill him before ending up here.
“Anyway, it’s right down the street here,” he finished his musing and lifted his free hand to point out the pub that he had discovered a few days ago. He liked what he had seen of it so far. It was a clean, loud establishment that wasn’t exactly welcoming, but people seemed to mind their own business if they didn’t already know you. Exactly his kind of place.
Not bothering to clean the snow off his boots on the welcome mat, Genesis finally released Bartz’s hand as he strolled inside and went to lean against the bar counter. This pub had much better lighting than the dance club that they had been at before, and as he glanced back at Bartz, Genesis realized that the slit in the back of his leather coat (and probably the slit on the back of the turtleneck he was wearing) were much more visible here. Hopefully Bartz didn’t look too closely. Genesis needed a bit more alcohol before he was ready to explain the wing holes.
“I’ll just take a breaded cutlet to go. And throw in a small bottle of whiskey, would you?” He directed to the older woman behind the counter before glancing at Bartz for his order.
“Oh,” he remembered with a faint smirk while he was waiting, before leaning in and pulling open the red leather coat that Bartz was wearing. “Here we are,” he extracted a small bag from a pocket near Bartz’s hip and quickly palmed it in an attempt to hide the drops of dried blood on it. “Now you know my secrets,” he said with a wink as he shook a few coins out onto the bar counter. “Do try not to run off with my coat, or I’ll have to chase you.”
It was said flirtatiously, but Genesis meant every syllable. Anyone who stole from him had better be good at hiding.
