“I…don’t know…if the….world is ready…for…this,” Yuna said.

“Looks good to me, honey!” Sin commented, flying past.

“Your dad is a pervert!” Yuna told Tidus angrily.

“I hate unions,” Lulu said darkly.

“Kimahri hate unions, too. Get in way of capitalist bourgeois pigs’ oppression of working class, of which Kimahri approve,” the Ronso said, lighting a pipe carved from adamantine, and adjusting his monocle.

“I suggest we go to the Omega Ruins,” she continued. “They were an abundant source of gil.”

“What about Sin?” Wakka demanded.

“Yes…I must insist that…we deal with…Sin at…some point,” Yuna agreed.

“Sin’s been around for a thousand years,” Auron said inexorably. “A couple more hours won’t hurt. To the Omega Ruins!”

“Hey…didn’t you say something about an ocean of liquor?”

“That’d be great,” Sin sighed with the Sin-equivalent of shiny eyes.

“So…what you’re trying to say is, there’s no ocean of liquor.”

“Yeah,” Sin shrugged. “Be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“Bahamut is going home!” Bahamut proclaimed, pouting.

"Menegh! Menegh, ehe ea binde a orallui'ef tu siet arhin'as eten ouve istere."

Green eyes widened at the growled words, Seifer then clearing his throat. "Um, what was that again?"

"More, you bastard, or I'll tie you to a reef and let the sharks eat you alive,"

“Fuck, Ri’, get a fucking elevator. Those stairs are murder,” Seifer grunted, bracing himself against the doorframe.

"Temporary insanity. It runs in the family, you know," he replied matter-of-factly.

Squall scoffed. "How the hell would you know, Dumbass, you’re an orphan."

I wince when touching the most likely redden flesh. "Ow. I get you, baby girl. Next time I'll discuss it with you when I try to take over the world."

"No, you are staying for dinner. I'm the President here, and my word rules."

Note to self - find Lion Heart and hide that blade from Squall before he decides to have a truly bitchy moment.

"According to those books that Laguna brought over, we're not allowed to sleep for another eighteen years. Sorry, love."

Though unable to escape with the darkly skinned man pushing him from behind, Laguna resisted as much as he could with his leg acting up. "I don't wanna!"

He was scolded with sharp 'tsk' sound. "Just how old are you?"

"Really, I didn't mean to throw up on your boots. I'll buy you new ones. Promise!"

When the door closed, Rufus sank back in his chair and sighed, rubbing his temples. "Gods, I don't suppose you could dig my father up and kill him again for me, could you?"

Tseng, who had been silent and invisible in an alcove behind Rufus's chair, emerged into the afternoon light. "I'm afraid not. Although he does still seem to be able to cause you problems."

"Idiots. All of them. Fear I can do. Awe. Respect. That might get you somewhere. Open terrorism, no. Burning Corel to the ground, dropping plates on half the city, my god, what a Moron." Rufus rummaged in his desk drawer, opened a bottle, tossed three painkillers into his hand, and downed them with the glass of water Tseng offered him. "Thanks."

"I'm sure he had no idea it would cause you difficulty." Tseng sat down in the chair Barret had just abandoned. "Or he would have burned Corel sooner, and for less reason."

"A whole quintet of Renos, Rufus. You sure you can handle that?"

Rufus grinned. "If they'd work for cheap, Tseng, I'd hire gargoyles."

Tseng quirked an eyebrow. "Gargoyles talk less."

Rufus's first thought was that Reno must have contracted some form of insanity, to be up this early and hard at work. But the redheaded young man with Reno's easy grin was thicker of build than the lanky Turk, and his face was younger and marked only by smear of motor grease. "Excuse me for not being fond of strangers on my property, but who are you?"

Three minutes later Cloud burst into Rufus's office unannounced, still dusty from the road and with his saddlebags slung over one shoulder, spurs clanging on the parquet floor.

"Cloud's here," Reno said, strolling in after him.

"Thank you, Reno," Rufus said. "I figured that out."

"Reno said he needed me for a research partner, but he only just told me three seconds ago, gods I don't know why Reno has a job and I don't, irresponsible..."

The brief silence that followed was broken by Cloud, who after looking from the Turk to Vincent and back again, grumbled that nobody told him anything.

"I realize," Reeve said, ignoring the comment, "That everyone in this mansion and possibly this town is certifiable, but I had hoped that you at least were not completely off the deep end."

"Don't have moogles, Reeve."

Rufus stood up. "Really, Angelo, loosen up. We don't pitch people out of windows."

Angelo sighed relief. "No, no of course you don't, sir."

"...Anymore," Rufus demurred. Angelo went the color of oatmeal, and Rufus laughed.

And then there were days when one catastrophic decimal misplacement slammed into another, and companies didn't ship, and phone calls were returned too late, and none of the ShinRa brass would deign to speak to him, and fax machines became excuses for justifiable homicide and-- and-- he couldn't win a game of solitaire if the planet depended on it.

The first inane thing that came to mind was how grateful he was that he'd taken down the dartboard with the pictures of the other ShinRa execs on it. As gratifying as it was to hit a bull's-eye right in the center of President ShinRa's fat head. Ahem.

Reno feigned hurt at the sudden insult. "And what’s with your secret loathing towards soap operas?"

Tifa raised an eyebrow at the word ‘secret’, but the redhead just grinned goofily, obviously back to his obnoxious self.

"They’re just... so stupid." She shrugged. "I mean, for one, they’re overly mushy, not to mention extremely cheesy and makes me want to gag, and they’re full of bullshit clichés. How many times have you confessed your feelings to someone like that?"

Reno, being Reno, answered, "Well..." and started counting his fingers.

"No, wait, I momentarily forgot I was talking to you. Don’t answer that," she warned.

He was skipping. He couldn’t believe it himself. But he was. Skipping along his merry way, and humming a tune to himself. Ooh, what would Elena, Rude and Tseng think of him now...? He grinned. His life was currently full of sunshine and butterflies and rainbows.