Fandom: FF7:BC AU
Characters/Pairings: Veld/Ifalna, Vincent
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "You don't understand duty. You don't even understand what it's like to be human."
Notes: For![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
classysleuth, and in the Must Be Dreaming arc. Yes, traditionally I've done all stories from Iffy's POV, but Veld got in my head. XD I wanted something kind of cute and I just read the lastest Fables so that would explain the random references in it. Hell, if I can tie Hellsing to Peter Pan, I can do anything really.
"You shouldn't smoke, it'll kill you."
Veld didn't really smoke. While he like any Turk had developed dirty habits in order to keep from dying of boredom on certain jobs, smoking was certainly not one of them. But here he was, with some rookie's confiscated pack, puffing away like someone from Engineering. And Ifalna had caught him.
"So will company politics, you want me to quit that too?"
She settled down next to him and reached her long pale arm around to coax the cigarette from his fingers. "Yes, but I'll settle for the smoking at the moment."
There were days when he thought that he would break her, this myth of a woman that had floated into this wreck of a situation. He though himself pretty intelligent sometimes, but she was wise in ways that were almost frightening. But then, maybe that was part of the attraction.
If Valentine was any indication, the things that were attractive were likely going to cause trouble later.
But now, without cigarette or paperwork she had his full attention. So he looked over at her and drank in the way she seemed rooted next to him, seemingly growing out of the ground. He'd never fit in with the rural areas, Veld was a man of buildings and roads and the grey-blue of humanity, maybe that was why he had always been drawn to her. Because city men wanted to learn the longing of the world untouched by progress. "Why are you here?"
She seemed surprised that he asked that. "Because I needed to be here. You... I don't think you'd understand."
His laugh when he'd been smoking was considerably darker. "I think I would."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't understand duty. You don't even understand what it's like to be human."
Veld grinned wryly. "So what would I do, if not for duty? What would make me human?"
They were delicate with contact, but sometimes she liked to forgo politeness. Ifalna always ended up playing with his hair then. "You'd be terribly dashing and run off to Mideel with me and we'd have a bajillion children and you'd lecture them about things you read in books."
"I think if you were human, Ifalna, you'd go find someone that adored you without strings and get as far from Nibelheim as possible."
She kissed his hand in a mock gesture of chilvary. "You forget that it's always the fairy that transforms the boy. You've been reading too much about war again."
"Veld? Ifalna? That you?"
It was a shame that other people existed. They always interrupted the good parts of the conversation. He automatically scooted a little further from her, as if they were preteens and in danger of getting caught by parents.
He could see Lucrecia's bobbing ponytail, at the foot of the hill. For all her features that was always the bit he noticed; her plain brown ponytail, unremarkable and simple. Veld straightened his posture and felt the notable absence of Ifalna's closeness. Time to go back to the clockwork dance of the Project. He wasn't even supposed to be there.
---
"You're not lecturing me on anything. Hell, you're not saying much at all. What is it, Veld?"
Valentine had a few minutes away from guarding Lucrecia to wait for the helicopter with him. Veld didn't like the new mode of transport really, he missed the trains. He could hear himself think and read on trains, all he could do on a helicopter was hold on tightly and try not to look nervous. People couldn't see him look nervous if he wanted to get promoted.
"Do you believe in fairies?"
"...No, not particularly. Did Hojo slip you something?"
"Hrm. Nevermind."
Valentine rolled his eyes. "I like you a lot more when you're a know-it-all."
"To become wise you have to acknowledge you know nothing, especially in the face of real wisdom. There, lecture. Now get back to your duty."
The spec of the helicopter was in his vision, and satisfied or not, that's what Valentine was going to have to get. Veld didn't know how Ifalna could make him dwell so much on strange things. Maybe she had slipped him something.
What is the appeal of becoming a real boy anyway?
---
He called her. Veld knew that the line was always there, and even with the time zone shift, he could get ahold of her generally whenever he wanted to. He just didn't tend to call, it wasn't professionally motivated, and professional motivation was his will and purpose these days.
"Why is it you always use children's stories to make a point?"
Her laugh over the crackle of the line was woefully inadequate. "You're calling me over a metaphor? I should tell you some real stories then."
"Surely nothing about heroics and damsels and all that."
"Oh no. I'd never call you a damsel."
He paused. "But you did indirectly call me a puppet."
Veld tried to picture the look on her face. He picked the one she made when she was trying not to talk to him like he were a child. "Does it matter if some day you won't be? Should I clap my hands?"
"Wrong fairy."
"They're all the same anyway."
"Are they?" He'd never particularly paid attention to the history of make believe, what with all the time he spent in real history and real existence. Ifalna was like the gatekeeper of all that nonsense, only she managed not to make it sound ridiculous. Some days... some days he wondered about her.
"Come out next month and I'll tell you all about it."
But there was something he'd meant to say when she was there, and whoever listening on the line be damned, he wanted to say it. "Ifalna... what if something happens to the fairy?"
"Fairies are not indestructible. The best boys can help her too."
Funny the things that mixed metaphors and unreal women did to the subconscious.
"I'll remember that."
Characters/Pairings: Veld/Ifalna, Vincent
Rating: PG-13
Summary: "You don't understand duty. You don't even understand what it's like to be human."
Notes: For
classysleuth, and in the Must Be Dreaming arc. Yes, traditionally I've done all stories from Iffy's POV, but Veld got in my head. XD I wanted something kind of cute and I just read the lastest Fables so that would explain the random references in it. Hell, if I can tie Hellsing to Peter Pan, I can do anything really."You shouldn't smoke, it'll kill you."
Veld didn't really smoke. While he like any Turk had developed dirty habits in order to keep from dying of boredom on certain jobs, smoking was certainly not one of them. But here he was, with some rookie's confiscated pack, puffing away like someone from Engineering. And Ifalna had caught him.
"So will company politics, you want me to quit that too?"
She settled down next to him and reached her long pale arm around to coax the cigarette from his fingers. "Yes, but I'll settle for the smoking at the moment."
There were days when he thought that he would break her, this myth of a woman that had floated into this wreck of a situation. He though himself pretty intelligent sometimes, but she was wise in ways that were almost frightening. But then, maybe that was part of the attraction.
If Valentine was any indication, the things that were attractive were likely going to cause trouble later.
But now, without cigarette or paperwork she had his full attention. So he looked over at her and drank in the way she seemed rooted next to him, seemingly growing out of the ground. He'd never fit in with the rural areas, Veld was a man of buildings and roads and the grey-blue of humanity, maybe that was why he had always been drawn to her. Because city men wanted to learn the longing of the world untouched by progress. "Why are you here?"
She seemed surprised that he asked that. "Because I needed to be here. You... I don't think you'd understand."
His laugh when he'd been smoking was considerably darker. "I think I would."
She rolled her eyes. "You don't understand duty. You don't even understand what it's like to be human."
Veld grinned wryly. "So what would I do, if not for duty? What would make me human?"
They were delicate with contact, but sometimes she liked to forgo politeness. Ifalna always ended up playing with his hair then. "You'd be terribly dashing and run off to Mideel with me and we'd have a bajillion children and you'd lecture them about things you read in books."
"I think if you were human, Ifalna, you'd go find someone that adored you without strings and get as far from Nibelheim as possible."
She kissed his hand in a mock gesture of chilvary. "You forget that it's always the fairy that transforms the boy. You've been reading too much about war again."
"Veld? Ifalna? That you?"
It was a shame that other people existed. They always interrupted the good parts of the conversation. He automatically scooted a little further from her, as if they were preteens and in danger of getting caught by parents.
He could see Lucrecia's bobbing ponytail, at the foot of the hill. For all her features that was always the bit he noticed; her plain brown ponytail, unremarkable and simple. Veld straightened his posture and felt the notable absence of Ifalna's closeness. Time to go back to the clockwork dance of the Project. He wasn't even supposed to be there.
---
"You're not lecturing me on anything. Hell, you're not saying much at all. What is it, Veld?"
Valentine had a few minutes away from guarding Lucrecia to wait for the helicopter with him. Veld didn't like the new mode of transport really, he missed the trains. He could hear himself think and read on trains, all he could do on a helicopter was hold on tightly and try not to look nervous. People couldn't see him look nervous if he wanted to get promoted.
"Do you believe in fairies?"
"...No, not particularly. Did Hojo slip you something?"
"Hrm. Nevermind."
Valentine rolled his eyes. "I like you a lot more when you're a know-it-all."
"To become wise you have to acknowledge you know nothing, especially in the face of real wisdom. There, lecture. Now get back to your duty."
The spec of the helicopter was in his vision, and satisfied or not, that's what Valentine was going to have to get. Veld didn't know how Ifalna could make him dwell so much on strange things. Maybe she had slipped him something.
What is the appeal of becoming a real boy anyway?
---
He called her. Veld knew that the line was always there, and even with the time zone shift, he could get ahold of her generally whenever he wanted to. He just didn't tend to call, it wasn't professionally motivated, and professional motivation was his will and purpose these days.
"Why is it you always use children's stories to make a point?"
Her laugh over the crackle of the line was woefully inadequate. "You're calling me over a metaphor? I should tell you some real stories then."
"Surely nothing about heroics and damsels and all that."
"Oh no. I'd never call you a damsel."
He paused. "But you did indirectly call me a puppet."
Veld tried to picture the look on her face. He picked the one she made when she was trying not to talk to him like he were a child. "Does it matter if some day you won't be? Should I clap my hands?"
"Wrong fairy."
"They're all the same anyway."
"Are they?" He'd never particularly paid attention to the history of make believe, what with all the time he spent in real history and real existence. Ifalna was like the gatekeeper of all that nonsense, only she managed not to make it sound ridiculous. Some days... some days he wondered about her.
"Come out next month and I'll tell you all about it."
But there was something he'd meant to say when she was there, and whoever listening on the line be damned, he wanted to say it. "Ifalna... what if something happens to the fairy?"
"Fairies are not indestructible. The best boys can help her too."
Funny the things that mixed metaphors and unreal women did to the subconscious.
"I'll remember that."
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