Two experiments on the loose was not something Shinra was liable to care about. It would not be good PR for the company, that was for certain, but ultimately Shinra had too much power to much care for protesters in the streets preaching the truth they refuse to acknowledge. The fact that they were valuable pieces of science, each of them one of a kind and irreplaceable, was something that would come well before the countless lives the two young Tsviets could and would claim. They’d already carved a bloody path from DeepGround to freedom, but all that was expected of them. Their only sin in the eyes of the company was to be breathing this fresh air, under this bright sun, when they should be bolted underneath the earth.
Banora is quiet, and peaceful, and only a rest stop for them as they trek further and further towards Shinra’s enemies. To demand an alliance, knowing they would never be free so long as Shinra existed. Something more sophisticated than he’s sure their captors believes they’re capable of.
And so why would the great General Sephiroth be out here if not to find them and bring them back… surely this would be what would tip the old man’s hand, for him to show precisely what went on underneath the feet of his citizens. He would need to tell his staff, burdening the most elite of his honorable SOLDIERs with the truth and the orders to haul the two Tsviets back to their prison. Surely this is who is supposed to thrash them into submission and return them to the labs.
But that… does not feel like a lie.
The Sable eyes the man critically, felid red eyes narrowing sharply as bony hands ball to fists. Oblivion burns inside of him, ready to burst out at a moment’s notice. Weiss had reported that another project had gone missing when he’d read through the files. Had he come to hunt that one down? Perhaps he should have stayed his tongue. Too late now.
His eyes narrow, any illusion of being a simple frightened teenager drops away sharply. It was a pointless gambit anyway.
“Then why have you come, General?”
" If I was here to drag you back, I would have already done so by now. "
Of course, Sephiroth had caught wind of the Tsviets on the run. Word tended to spread around fast; and nothing regarding Shinra usually got passed him. He'd heard stories of the carnage they had left in their wake as they left; but it was of little concern.
He had no reason to ally with Shinra as of late.
Mako-infused hues narrow as he studied the other; it was a wonder there were still people like them after he'd practically dropped the meteor on their heads. Even more bizzare as this one apparently hadn't found out the cause... Typical of a cover up. While he may look the same outwardly- anyone who studied close would notice this wasn’t the same Sephiroth of a bygone era - his skin seemed paler; eyes sharper than before. He didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe.
" General? " He's not heard that in years. " As a matter of fact; I'm no longer affiliated. I’m here for my own reasons- none of which involve you. "