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"I take it you know him?"

"I have for a long time." Yet, following the rules, despite any PTSD caused by Sephiroth, Cloud didn't attack him.

A sudden flash of intrigue sets his eyes alight as he then sets his water down. "Enlighten me, then." Sephiroth presses. "These stranger situations, how did they come about?" He hadn't had anyone provide empathy or understanding for his position in the past. Not in the sense that this man was providing. However, to say the least, it was a relief. But he needed to stop and look at the bigger picture. Socializing was excellent in small doses, but otherwise, it was unnecessary. He paused, conflicted if he should allow himself to continue to entertain his curiosity as to what Medicus meant, ignoring the fact that he'd spotted a familiar face.

Roni watched from a safe distance, with glee. Two more she recognized. Sephiroth was literally her favorite bad guy in all of RPG history. And Cloud, he was her favorite.......emo.

(OOC: I'm tempted to send this to my friend so it happens. He LOVES persona.)

The shift in Sephiroth's demeanor was subtle, but Medicus noticed it immediately.

The uncertainty that had clouded the silver-haired man's features since his arrival seemed to part ever so slightly. In its place came something sharper. More focused. Curiosity. Genuine curiosity. It suited him far better than confusion.

Medicus had spent enough years studying people to recognize when someone's mind finally found something worth pursuing. For the first time since sitting down beside him, Sephiroth appeared less concerned with his circumstances and more interested in understanding them.

That alone was encouraging.

> "I once treated a man whose existence had become fragmented across multiple timelines. Every decision he made resulted in six simultaneous outcomes, and unfortunately, his consciousness experienced every one of them at once. He spent an entire afternoon arguing with versions of himself that only he could perceive. One version believed he was a revolutionary. Another believed he was a baker. A third had somehow become convinced he was a species of migratory bird."

A brief pause followed, then a slight laugh. It was lighthearted, genuine... and somewhat grounding.

> "The baker was surprisingly aggressive."

Medicus looked back toward Sephiroth.

> "Needless to say, determining which personality required treatment proved difficult."

His eye narrowed thoughtfully.

> "There was also a woman who had technically died approximately nineteen years prior to our meeting. However, two entities responsible for processing souls had become involved in a bureaucratic disagreement regarding jurisdiction. As a result, neither party completed the necessary paperwork. The woman remained alive until the matter could be solved."

For a moment, the physician found himself studying Sephiroth's expression again. The questions lingering there. The calculations. The attempts to piece together a framework for understanding this place. Then something else caught his attention. The feeling of being watched. His eyes shifted beyond Sephiroth's shoulder and across the room. Joker.

> "Miss Joker," he called across the tavern. "I suspect you've been listening for quite some time. If you're interested, you're welcome to join us."

// DOOO IT DO IT DO IT

Despite his present conversation, he felt several eyes upon him, including the young lady's. And with a slow turn, he looked up and blinked, eyeing her with a slow salute with his water. As if to say he acknowledged her...but...'It's rude to stare.', he silently scolded. His brow was raised as though he were dealing with one of his subordinates again.

A little intimidated, she gasped.

"Oh no... I think he wants to fight me now. But my spitball shooter is in the weapons box..."

She nervously smiled and then turned away, kinda. Still side eyeing him and giggling.

(OOC: No guarantees. He's not on this site, but we are in improv together. If he doesn't reply to my messaging, I'll pester him about it this sunday.)

“Hmm?” Joker’s head perked up, bells jingling at the end of her cap. She wasn’t usually roped into conversations, but now she was awfully surprised it had changed today.

But, she had abided, gracefully getting up from her seat and sit beside Medicus.

“Such a delight to finally have a talk with you, Medicus,” the jester greeted formally, before looking pass him to see Sephiroth.

Her brow—if seen of course, as it was hidden behind her butterfly mask—furrowed at the sight. An odd-looking fellow, yes. But she must not judge a person by their look, so…

She greeted Sephiroth, giving him a small wave. “Hello. I am who they call the Joker. Such a delight for me to join you two.”

(OOC: I’m going to cry if Joker from Persona 5 comes in, because that Joker and my Joker have the same code names, and I think it’d be funny to see how that would go down lol)

Knowing full well the concept of timelines and existing between worlds was not lost on him. He was fairly certain that there were versions of him that weren't slain on Mount Nibel or were never experimented on to begin with. Hell, even versions of him who very likely joined Avalanche for all the good it did the planet. He folded his arms over his chest, thankful that this man was not Hojo. Doctor Hojo would have dissected both individuals and looked for ways to further 'improve' their unique conditions as opposed to help them. Chances are, both would have met rather unsavory fates. And death would have been a mercy for them. However many times it would have come in this case. His face twisted into that of a puzzled expression, as many thoughts went through his head. His green eyes narrowed, fixing on the bar counter as he searched for the right words. "I suppose there could have been worse circumstances." He says flatly. "Though that in and of itself seems bad enough." His eyes shoot up as he looks around for this joker person that everyone is speaking of. His brows knit together pensively as a young lady joins them then. More people. "A pleasure." He replies awkwardly.

Medicus watched the exchange unfold with quiet interest.

Joker's arrival brought an entirely different energy to the conversation. Where Sephiroth carried himself like a drawn blade concealed within its sheath, Joker seemed to move through the world with an effortless fluidity that made her difficult to predict. Most people would have found the contrast jarring.

Medicus simply found it educational.

As Joker settled into the chair beside him, he inclined his head politely.

» “The delight is mutual,” he replied. “Though I suspect you know considerably more about me than I know about you.”

The physician then glanced toward Sephiroth as the silver-haired man spoke.

» “That is usually the conclusion one reaches after hearing enough stories.”

His eyes drifted toward his untouched notebook sitting several tables away.

» “I've learned that whenever I begin believing my situation is uniquely terrible, reality inevitably introduces me to someone whose circumstances are substantially worse.”

“Ah-“ Joker took note of Sephiroth seemed to be looking around. Possibly where her voice even came from.

“I am right here,” the jester said, waving a clawed glove at him. She was sitting beside Medicus, leaning against the bar. “I hope it is all right of you if I were to sit here. Your acquaintance called me over.”

She leaned back surveying him. “Of course, if you wish for me to leave…”

She doesn’t have a desire to leave where she was sitting, as she was quite curious about this “Sephiroth” character. Something about his demeaning stature sparked her curiosity. Though, she will respect him if he were to tell her to leave… then again, that would be rude, would it not?

Sephiroth nodded with an understanding smile. "I should rephrase..." He paused, his smile disappearing. "The challenges we go through are significantly different. Whether or not we discuss them is another story." He sighs, leaning back. "One that often leads to burning down an entire town." His attention goes to the Joker. He felt like a cat who was being introduced to another cat within an apartment. Specifically one who'd already established territory. "Do as you please, I won't stop you." He uttered languidly. He wanted so dearly to refer to her as a brat given her demeanor but that wasn't quite the appropriate language. And in some circles it could be taken as something else. He internally cringed, noting his attire and how he could be perceived. He had no desire to give out such private interests or information to complete strangers. A pink tint rose to his cheeks as he silently sipped his water and hid his face behind his hair, praying to what fates were listening to cease his inner rambling. Good god, what impressions were these people going to get just from him getting red faced in talking to the opposite sex for crying out loud!

"This place has weird reunions, but at least my father isn't here."

In truth, with all of the people and sudden onslaught of chaos occurring, one thing was for sure. The girl was odd. And Sephiroth needed to find stability in his new environment. His eyes shot up at the mention of a weapons box and then back down to the counter. No...no...it was nothing.