(*After a long pause, the RL-Chatty [a.k.a. Arisu-chan, a.k.a. That Girl With The Trench, a.k.a. some other a.k.a.s too] steps forth from an alleyway in the EGC and begins to loudly applaud that marvelous post of Shinobi's.*)

RL: (*clapping*) Bravo!  And I mean that!  It's ... dang, it's a post that can stand on it's own, and it didn't even fiddle with technical format!

Yuna-neko: Yeah, it's got one up over the Überpost right there. ^.~

RL: Not only that, but I have an excuse to get the Silverlance family to leave so I won't have much more Cameo Overload!

Yuna-neko: You, not do a Cameo Overload?  Ha!

RL: (*pouting*) Oh, shaddap.   And my hands are sore now ...

(*At the Bar ...*)

Van-chan: PAPA-SAMA!!! (*runs over to Jack and gives him a suffocating hug*)

Jack: Wha -- ack! (*gasp*) Hey, not so rough, not so rough! (*wheezing laugh*)

Jenova: Aw ... she's just as cute as you said she was!

Jack: Yeah, (*wheeze*) isn't she?

Phyria: (*chatting with Voodoo*) So Lucifer helped you guys bust out of Hell?

Voodoo: (*ditto*) Err, well, yeah, and he helped us yank the L-O-N out of the kid too.

Phyria: Really? (*raises an eyebrow*) Why in Hell'd he help you defeat himself?

Voodoo: Well, he -- Huh? Himself?

Phyria: Oh, you didn't know?   Most people agree that the L-O-N's "real" name is "Lucifer" ...

Voodoo: (*blink blink*)

Xelloss: Oh, it's just a theory ...

Phyria: Is not.

Xelloss: Is too.

Phyria: Is not!

Xelloss: Is too!

Lina: Huh.  There they go again ...

Tai: (*beaming*) Gagua! (*hugs her leg*)

Lina: Hey, that's Lina, I'm Lina ... (*picks him up*) Can you say "Lina"?

Tai: Li...na. Li-Na.

Lina: Hehe ... well, close enough. (*grin*)

Ailith: Argh ... I fuss over them all the time, and they don't give a damn.  Why don't my kids like me? ¬¬

Jack: Too much of your own mother in you?

Ailith: Shaddup.  And as for you, buster ...

Jack: (*saluting*) Hai ma'am, heading home immediately.

Jenova:  Aw, but ...

Ailith: (*evil eye of DEATH for Jenova -- lucky her, ne?*)

Jenova: Err ... okay, nevermind, you run along now ... ^^;;

Jack: Hey, don't worry, I'll be back ...

Ailith: (*double evil eye of DEATH*)

Jack: What's that look for, anyway? ¬.¬

Ailith: Nothing, unless she's a megalomanic shapeshifter with a thing for tentacles ...

Jenova: Huh?

Ailith: (*relieved*) Okay, then, nevermind ... Jack -- you, me, Tai, and Evangeline are heading home now.  Mucho pronto, big hurry --

Lina: Aw ... the kid can't stay?

Tai: No Gagua? (*big kawaii little kiddy eyes*)

Ailith: .......

RL: (Psst ... it's okay, really.   She's a good babysitter, and he's mostly a non-speaking cameo, so he doesn't really count. ^_^)

Ailith: ..... Argh ... alright, he can stay.  You're a good babysitter, and he's pretty much a non-speaking cameo, so I guess he doesn't count. >:P

Lina and Tai: WAI! ^o^

RL: (Oh .... and these aren't the droids you're looking for.)

Ailith: These aren't the droids we're looking for.

RL: (You can go on your way.  Go on!)

Ailith: We can go on our way.   Come on! (*leaves*)

Jenova: Droids?

Jack: (*shrugs*) She's weird sometimes.  Anyway ... bai, Jenova-chan!

Van-chan: Bai bai nice lady!

(*They leave.*)

Jenova: (*SIGH*)

Kaji: Depressed?

Jenova: Uh, no ...

RL: (Change the subject.)

Jenova: .... say, what was that about upsetting NERV, anyhow?

Kaji: Ah, just sarcasm ... ne, they've been trying to get their hands on this city for a while now.  Or actually, the city underneath.

Jenova: What's that?

Kaji: De Civitate Dei.  It's Latin for "City of God".

Jenova: Neato ... ever seen it yourself?

Kaji: Hell yeah, I lived there for 2 years ...

Jenova: !

Kaji: Oh, the rent wasn't that bad.   It's more expensive in Tokyo-3. ^_-

Jenova: Err ... oh ... o-o-okay ...

(*Meanwhile, at Level 70 of Shinra HQ #2, where the DCD HQ building used to be ...*)

Palmer: Ooh, chips! (*devours bag o' Potato Chips*)

Secretary: O-o-okay, this meetin' of the Shinra Bigshots is nawwin session, I think ...

Scarlet: That's "Shinra Executives", you twit.

Secretary: Err ... roight-o, marm ...

Scarlet: "Roight-o, marm"?! >.<

Secretary: Aroight, so I have a Weird British Accent!  Don't have a bloody freakin' cow over it!

Scarlet: Grrr ...

Reeve: Moo.

Scarlet: Stop that!

Reeve: Moo. (*wide grin*)

Scarlet: STOP IT!

(*Reeve is about to moo again when Rufus starts whapping a mallet on the table.*)

Rufus: Okay, okay, that's enough of that.  Read the minutes of the last meeting, Ms. Secretary.

Secretary: Roight-o, suh. (*stands up and reads*) "1000 hours, meetin' called to session. 1001 hours, Reeve and Scarlet start arguin' over the difference between aliens and fallen angels --"

Scarlet: It's an alien!

Reeve: Fallen angel!

Scarlet: Alien!

Reeve: Angel!

Secretary: "1030 hours, Scarlet passes out.  1031 hours, Palmer finishes off the donuts."

Palmer: (*BURP*)

Secretary: "1032 hours, Mr. Stephen shows up with more donuts."

Palmer: He's a prophet, that guy is. ^-^

Heideggar: Cetra.

Palmer:  No thanks, I don't like broccoli ...

Secretary: "1033 hours, Mr. Stephen makes Rufus try to guess how to pronounce his real name again."

Rufus: I hate it when he does that. ¬¬

Secretary: "1045 hours, Mr. Stephen finally tells us there's a Demon Invasion on the way, along with other vaguries ..."

Rufus: "Oh, I don't know, but the world _could_ blow up in the next five hours or so," is what he said, I think.   Well, I could've sworn that's what he said ...

Secretary: "1051 hours, Heideggar goes off to report this to the Turks who were out goodness knows where.  1065 hours, the Science Department sends up Professor Hojo's Report of the progress on the Microsoft War."

Heideggar: Clever idea, that Red Tape Manuever.  Never thought a scientist would think of that.  Gya ha ha ...

Rufus: Well, that Anti-Trust Violation Monopoly thinger had _better_ work, or we're all very screwed ...

Reeve: "Resistance is futile.   You will be assimilated.  Use Microsoft Internet Exploder or else!"

RL: (Hey!  I do use that thing sometimes! >:P)

Rufus: (*blink blink*) Did I just hear something?

RL: (Err ... no, you didn't hear anything.  Nevermind.)

Rufus: Hm ... well, I guess it's nothing.  Nevermind.

Secretary: "1110 hours, meetin' called to an end on account of a Defiance character cameo suddenly appearin' in the middle of Level 4."  And, uh, that's where it stands.

Reeve: Which one was it again?

Scarlet: Chancellor Micah De ... err ... Micah D'prñr ... uh ... hell, how do you say that again?

Rufus: D'Épargner.  Micah D'Épargner.

Heideggar: Ack, another funky Cetra name ...

Rufus: No, it's French, kinda like Beouvle or whatever the hell Ramza's name is.

Scarlet: And you can pronounce it?

Rufus: Of course I can; it's not Cetra.

Reeve: Anyway ... what are we going to do about him, sir?

Rufus: Hm ... well, from what I can tell, Shinra Inc. would best benefit from offering him a job ...

Heideggar: Gya ha ha!  Brilliant idea, sir! Gya --

Rufus: 1) Stop the stupid horse laugh, and 2) what are you laughing about?  If I offered him a job, it would probably be yours.

Heideggar: Gya -- huh?

Rufus: He's a Tactical Strategian.   There's not much difference between that and heading Public Maintenance and Order.  And you suck at it, anyway. :P

Heideggar: Yes, but you know the cliché! #21, Law of Tactical Unreliablity: "Tactical Geniuses aren't".

Rufus: 1) That's an anime cliché, not RPG, and 2) D'Épargner's supposed to break it anyway ...

Secretary: Spoiler, suh!

Rufus: Oh, right ... spoilers.   Damn.

Scarlet: But sir, you can't hire Mr. D'p.. argh, the Chancellor!  He's a Leo!

Palmer: Huh?

Heideggar: Huh?

Rufus: Really Scarlet, I didn't know you were into horoscopes ... ¬¬

Reeve: Err ... no, sir, she means that he's a "good bad guy", like General Leo.

Scarlet: Or you. >_<

Reeve: Or me. ^^;

Rufus: Hm ... well, that can't make too much of a differ--

(*Suddenly, a Shinra Commander [you know, those generic guys in red] runs in ...*)

Commander: Sir! (*wheeze*) D'Épargner's broken out of his cell on Level 64!

Rufus: WHAT?

Commander: The elevators are broken so he couldn't have gotten far!  Hurry and you might catch him!

Rufus:  Right!  Let's go!

(*And the Shinra Executives are off and down the Endless Stairs [well, not really endless, but in a 70 story building you can't really say it ends too soon]*)

Heideggar: (*huff puff huff puff*) Ack, I hate stairs ...

Scarlet: (*huff puff*) Shut up and keep running! (*puff*)

Rufus: Why (*huff*) is security (*puff*) in this building (*huff*) always so terrible?

Heideggar: Why (*huff puff huff puff*) do the elevators (*huff puff huff puff*) have to break _now_?

Scarlet: Why (*puff*) am I running in high heels?

Palmer: (*bounce bounce*) How come that commander had no trouble saying that guy's name? (*bounce bounce*)

(*Everyone skids to a halt.   Heideggar happens to skid into the floor, but that's just tough for him. :P*)

Scarlet: Say what?

Palmer: Well, that commander got "D'Piggier" or whatever the coke it was right on the first try.

Rufus: (*blink blink*) Palmer, I think you said something that was almost intelligent.

Palmer: YAY!  Tra la la, I'm so smart!  Tra la la ...

Rufus: Damn, me and my big mouth ... okay, everybody back up the stairs!

Scarlet: OH NO, I'm not doing that again!

Heideggar: (*from the floor*) Yeah!  We covered almost 5 floors!

Rufus: Well, what the hell are we supposed to do, then?  Take the elevator?

Scarlet: Hell yeah!   It was clearly a ruse to get us to use the goddamn stairs ....

Heideggar: Yeah, what she said.

Rufus: Fine then, we'll take the elevators -- and NO, Scarlet, you are NOT going in the same elevator as me.  Take the other one.

Scarlet: But --

Rufus: No. N-O. What part of that word do you _not_ understand?!

Scarlet: Hm ... I think it's the "N" part, but the "O" is a bit confusing too at times ...

Rufus: Argh ... just take the other goddamn elevator, okay?

Scarlet: Fine ... geez ...

(*And so, the Shinra Executives pile into the elevators, punch the button for the top floor and start heading back up until the lights blink out and the elevators stop in mid-transit ...*)

Scarlet: A power outage?  Damn, I knew I should've ignored that order!  Who the hell am I stuck with now, anyway?  Reeve?

Palmer: Tra la la ... oh, spammit, I'm out of potato chips.

Scarlet: Oh no ...

(*In the other elevator ...*)

Rufus: Great, we've been set-up, and on the one day I leave my gun in the office, too ...

Heideggar: Well, at least you're not stuck in here with Scarlet!  Gya ha ha ...

Rufus: (*sarcasm*) Oh, yes, it's wonderful.  Instead of being physically assaulted by a madwoman, I'll only have to listen to a laugh that's a cross between a metal grinder, a foghorn, and an asthmatic horse!

Heideggar: Very funny, Mr. President!   Nice to know you have a sense of perspective!  Gya ha ha ...

Rufus: Aaaagh ... (*pulls the turtleneck up over his ears*)

(*in the breaker switch room of Shinra HQ #2*)

Reeve: Hahaha ... oh, that was precious, that was just precious! (*snicker*)

D'Épargner: Err, yeah, very nice.   Can I go now?

Reeve: Oh, right, the Asylum thing ... well, head off to the Café-Mieke, it hasn't been getting much publicity lately, and Cid'll enjoy the new focus ...

D'Épargner: Oh, okay ... how do I get there?

Reeve: Well, um ... leave the building and head north until you see a robotic cat with a megaphone and a crown.

D'Épargner: A crowned robotic cat. ¬¬

Reeve: Yeah.  Cait Sith, my remote unit.

D'Épargner: O-o-okay, I guess I'll just have to take your word on that.  Merry Belated Epiphany. (*starts to leave*)

Reeve: Hey, wait a minute!   You're not leaving without this, are you? (*holds up an old violin case*)

[Little Note: For those of you who don't know (and that would be nearly everybody), D'Épargner and his violin are very closely tied, nearly inseparable.  Like Rufus and his shotgun.  Like Sephiroth and the Masamune.  Like Cid and his cigarette. ^_-]

D'Épargner: (*face lighting up like an 75-Watt bulb*) My violin! (*snatches the case, opens it, and gingerly lifts out the contents*) It's still intact!  They didn't damage it! (*takes out the bow, plays a few bars from "Greensleeves"*) It's still in tune!

Reeve: Well, they just sort of threw it into a crate on the Weapons Storage Level, and that's not too damp a place since wet gunpowder tends to be a Bad Thing^TM ...

D'Épargner: Gunpowder?

Reeve: Err ... saltpeter.

D'Épargner: Oh!  Right, that makes sense, but ... um ... a violin in Weapons Storage?

Reeve:  Usually, it's a pretty safe bet that if a guy's carrying around an old violin case, he's really got a semi-automatic tucked in it. ^_-

D'Épargner: "Semi-automatic"?

Reeve: Semi-automatic machine gun!

D'Épargner: Oh, Ancient Technology, sorry ... I'm not an archaeologist, I don't really know much about the Artifacts.

Reeve: Hehe ... no problem, just get yourself down to the Café-Mieke.  Okay?

D'Epargner: Fine! (*salutes, and starts heading on his way, violin under one arm, looking to be a very relieved Chancellor indeed ...*)

Argh ... that was two posts in one, wasn't it? Dang, dang, gand ... anyway, now that Chancellor Micah D'Épargner's here and the Silverlances are gone, will something interesting happen?   Will Ambitny Potega make an appearance?  Will Cid kick somebody's ass?   And what the heck happened to the Eva Sentai & Co.? ( ^_- )

Next time, service, service, ser-- MOO!  Oops ... excuse me! *^^*