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[Something dubious...

Tifa thinks she knows, or at least, she can make some assumptions about it based on his reaction alone. And for his honesty, she feels she needs to return the favour.]

... Mm. I'd say that while I can't condone anything bad, I'd also say that I have no room to judge. I don't know your world, or your life before this one. Maybe you needed to do what you had to to survive and to protect the people that you love because there was no other choice, I don't know.

[Once again, there was a long silence on his end. As he wanted to speak up, he wonders all the different ways this could do wrong. He took a deep breath in as he wanted what he should do. Shifting his weight around in his seat, he was just scared.

In that moment, he closed his eyes as he just hoped for the best.]

E-Even if it meant...killing people? Or anyone that can be seen as a threat to the family...?

[While he wanted to be confident in his words, he found himself whispering it the more he continued. Again, he was just waiting a scolding. Just waiting to see if she would reject him....]

[Her heart twists. It twists and it turns and it hurts for him. He's so young, too young. There is no one at any age who should have to kill someone just to survive. Again, she can't say that she condones it, nor does she really understand all that much the whys and the hows of it all. She's always been of the belief that there is always another way that didn't involve taking any lives.

But then again...

There had been a point in her own life when she would have gladly let her rage take over. She would have wanted to see President Shinra dead. Sephiroth. All of the SOLDIERs. She's had those moments, even now, but they are fleeting.

As for Freminet... She isn't mad at him. How could she be? But she is mad for him. To have someone so young be forced to kill is wrong. There is so much wrong with it that she has to pause to take a drink to wash the bad taste it leaves in the back of her throat.

She sees him fidgeting, sees his confidence wavering again, and... She's not sure that any sort of platitudes will help right now. They haven't so far, so it's time to try a different tack.]

Can I tell you a secret? About me, and some people from back home?

[She's not naming names because really, none of the others here had as much a hand in it, so it didn't really matter who.]

[The silence was killing him. Knowing that Tifa wasn't saying anything made him wonder if she was going to reject him much like what the others might do. Immediately, he found himself panicking once more as he looked around the area to see if there was anyone nearby. Of course, there was a chance for him to just walk up and go.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to. He had to hear what she would say, it was the least he could do. Taking in a few deep breathes, he eventually gave a nod. Although, now with her words sinking in, he raised an eyebrow or two.]

Y-Yes...? Is everything okay?

[That wasn't something he expected to hear. However, based on his tone, he had to wonder. Did she end up doing something questionable too?

Perhaps...they would find something in common among one another?]

Yeah. Everything is fine.

[And she'll reach across the table for Freminet's hand this time, taking it under her own. Her grip is firm, yet yielding, warm, patient. And she smiles across at him, though her eyes are twinged with sadness that is not quite chased away by it.

She just hopes that it will help him be a bit more confident in coming forward about his own worries, knowing that he is perhaps not as alone as he thinks he is in this.]

Before I came here, I was part of a group called Avalanche. ... Our Planet, Gaia, is dying, and so we fought for it. Fought against the people who were draining it of its life.

[She takes a slow, steadying breath before continuing.]

We did a lot of bad things to get back at them. Just to send a message.

[Meeting Freminet's eyes.]

We bombed reactors, blew up whole parts of town. Destroyed people's homes, killed hundreds, maybe thousands... and for what...?

[As she took his hand, he was prepared for whatever she had to say. Was she going to reject his friendship? Was he going to tell the others? What about Lyney, what was she going to say about him? Once again, panic was starting to show on his face. At the same time, he also knew that she wouldn't do such a thing.

Trying to calm his mind, he was reasoning within himself that everything was going to be okay.]

I...

[Of course, as he heard her, his eyes slowly widen. To think that Tifa would ever be part of a group that would do something dangerous was a little unheard of. And yet, there was some hope behind his words. What she went through wasn't too different from what he and Lyney were doing now.]

....I'm sorry, it must have been a lot for you when that happened...

[He said as he looked down at her hand on top of his. It was still a lot to take in but it was comforting to know there was someone who understands.]

It was. Still is, sometimes, thinking back. It's not easy, coming to terms with that. It got worse over time, more extreme, and I hated what we were doing.

[She drops her eyes to their hands, and she gives his a small, comforting squeeze.]

What I'm trying to say is... I have a lot of blood on my hands, too. So many of us do. So... don't be afraid to talk about it. You can trust me. Us.

[The crew. Even if it isn't just her.]

Is that why Mr. Zack understood what it was like when I told him how difficult it was for my family?

[He said in a low voice. Back then, when he said he had to survive, Zack didn't question it. He just said that he understands. Now that he knew the context, it made a lot of sense. As he held onto her hands, he could feel his eyes starting to water.

For the longest time when he was here, he had to hide a dark secret. He feared what his friends would think knowing that he had done something terrible and that they would reject him. Now that there was someone...no, people that knew what it was like? He couldn't help but start crying.]

[Her head tilts.]

You talked to Zack, too?

[She shouldn't be surprised in the least, and she does smile a little at that, glad to at least know that Freminet feels safe enough to do so with people on the crew. Zack would be a good person to talk to about that, she thinks. Even if she's still working through her differences with him.

For that, she is relieved.]

What Zack and I did was... very different, and for a while, we were on opposite teams, but I think yeah, that might be why he understood.

[And even if he didn't, it just seems like something he would do.]

So, that's why you shouldn't feel scared to talk to us. No matter what it is, we're here to help. [A pause, as she thinks back to the rest of their conversation.] What exactly brought this on anyway?

[He didn't respond at first. He kept on crying as he struggled to calm himself. Trying his best to breath slowly, he was having a hard time. While he wanted to speak up, he couldn't. Not when he was just so happy to have someone who understands what his family had to go through. They weren't bad people, they just had to go through a life where they just had to survive.

After the heartache of having his friends questioning them, it just felt nice to know that he was safe. He'll have to ask Tifa and Zack what their dynamics were later but until then...?]

F-Father is here.

[He struggled to say. He had to focus on his words, he had to manage his emotions, he had to focus on the task at hand.]

...She...She is considered someone dangerous in o-our world.

[She lets him take all the time that he needs, her hands squeezing his just a little tighter with each sob and breath of his. How badly she wants to wrap her arms around him and reassure him, but she'll let him get everything he needs to say out first. She is patient, watching him closely, until he finally finds the will to speak again.

She's not quite sure yet what to think of what he says—whether or not she is glad to hear that Freminet's "father" is here, or what that even means. What it could imply. If she is a dangerous person, then...]

But you two aren't in any trouble, are you? She isn't going to hurt you or Lyney?

[It takes him a moment but he eventually relaxes. Taking another deep breath in, he eventually manages to get his emotions under control.]

No, she won't. It's what she has to do to make sure our family stays safe. That's what makes her dangerous.

[Not to mention how Father doesn't exactly believe what the other Fatui members are doing. While she might have to follow their rules, it doesn't means she has to agree with it.]

...And the people from my world know that too. I thought it would only be a matter of time before you found out too.

Okay.

[Well, that's a relief, but...]

Would it be alright if I met her sometime? You should bring her by the ship, so she can at least see for herself that her family is safe.

[She doesn't want any trouble, but if this woman is as dangerous as Freminet says, and if he'd been so scared to tell Tifa about her, then Tifa wants to see for herself, too.]

I wouldn't mind but...that is up to her to decide.

[Because as much as she wants Arlecchino to meet the crew, she knew she couldn't force her to.]

Although, I can try and see if she wants to.

It would be nice to. [And, to voice her thoughts:] I don't want to cause any trouble or make anyone uncomfortable. I just...

[Wants to make sure that she won't do anything to harm the crew, for one, but more than that...]

She should at least see what sort of place you guys are staying in. Meet the crew. So she can at least put her own mind at ease. ... And mine.

Then I can try to talk to her. Hopefully she wouldn't mind since I think she would like to see who Lyney and I spend most of our time with.

[That and given how she's a Harbinger, she probably wanted to give her children some time to themselves but...!]

...However, I think the fact that you simply accepted what I told you would make her happy. Not everyone is so willing to do that.

Yeah. I know.

[Some people lack any compassion for others. Too many, she thinks.]

... Were you worried that we wouldn't be willing to? That we would just turn you and your brother away?

Yes.

[Because he had heard what happened with his brother. He was also heartbroken when the traveler rejected his friendship and turned the other way. He wasn't surprised, who would want to be associated with such an organization?]

We work with people that are dangerous. Not a lot people like them since they did terrible things in our world. Why would they want to be friends with us?

[Nevermind that his Father or any of his siblings agreed with what the Fatui were doing. They were still associated with them no matter what.]

We aren't them.

[Tifa's chair screeches gently as she drags it across the floor, moving so that she is sitting beside him and not across from him now. She needs to make sure that he knows and remembers this, what she is about to say. That he takes it to heart.]

And who you are here, or even back there, is not defined by your past.

[If it were, then she would be just as bad.]

I don't care if you had to do what you did to survive, and to protect the people that you love. I know that you wouldn't do it if you didn't have a reason. [There's a pause.] And... while I'd prefer we didn't have to do it here, no one is gonna fault you for anything you've had to do before.

That's...

[He just didn't know how to respond to that. She's right, whatever he did back home has no bearing on what he does here. Whatever is in the past, stays in the past. All that matters now is what he does in the present.

It was great knowing that he didn't need to worry about such things here but at the same time? It did make him wonder would anyone else would be as accepting as she is.]

...You are much too kind, Ms. Tifa. I wish that there were more people like you in our world and can understand what my family had to go through. We didn't have a choice as Father took us when there was nobody we could turn to...

A lot of us on the crew had to deal with tough times ourselves.

[She smiles, but there's a sadness in her eyes. She really does wish that there were more people who could accept, and even forgive others. Too many people hold others beholden to their pasts, and she doesn't think that's the right way to look at things.]

We all know what it's like to do what you gotta to survive. Maybe we haven't all done the same things, and we all went about it in different ways, but... we get it. You don't have to worry.

I...

[There wasn't much he could say to that. Tifa was already doing much more than he expected. He just couldn't ask for anything more when she was just so kind. How could she ever been in an organization that involved killing others...?]/small>

...Thank you, I'm just glad to know that my family will find some acceptance here. It's already difficult enough when there's so many things I don't know.

Of course. You are always welcome here.

[Of that, she has no doubt. And this time... she really will pull him in for a hug. First, one arm around his shoulders to bring him to her, and then into a more full embrace with both once she has, and she holds him as tight as she can without hurting him.]

Don't ever worry about that, okay?

[And all he could do was give a nod. As he let the words sink in, he took another deep breath before letting out small sigh of relief.]

Of course...I'll be sure to find a way to repay your kindness.

You don't have to repay anything.

[She squeezes his shoulder, keeping him close when she feels that sigh of relief from him.]

Just keep doing whatever you're doing. And maybe help me clean out Marcon's pen when we're done your drink.

[A cheeky yet kind smile for him. There will be no rush at all, but hopefully the little chick will be enough to cheer him up and make him feel better once they're finished here...]

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