Fortissimo is leaning against a wall, eyes closed, apparently for once not angry. >>;

Variance wanders in casually from the northern end of the square, looking absolutely neutral... okay, maybe a little winded, but still mainly neutral.

SniperJoe is more or less idling, standing near the fountain.

Fortissimo opens his eyes and studies Variance with interest. A robot of an unknown model... Could it be one of the Reploids Milo mentioned?

Variance pauses at the fountain before completely passing it by, leaning over to peer at what he can barely make out as his reflection in the water. His brow pulls a little as he takes a small amount of the liquid in hand, using it to dash away a small smudge of something hitchhiking on his face.

Fortissimo finally takes on his usual utter lack of tact and adresses Variance. "Hey, you... are you a Reploid...?"

SniperJoe knows that Variance is, but remains silent, as the question wasn't directed at him.

Variance looks up to Fortissimo as he's spoken to, letting his hand drop to his side. "Yes, why?" Still neutral, though the question seems to be a little odd to him.

Fortissimo shrugs. "Where I come from, there were only -two-, and those were not even close to done... And now I see them all the time."

Variance gradually lets more evidence of his befuddlement show on himself as he considers the statement and who it came from. The other's obviously mechanical himself, but not a reploid?

You say ''Where I come from'? ...I don't mean to pry, but what exactly does that mean?'

"I came from a different 'world'. Don't quite understand it myself, but there was a portal, and I jumped through and woke up in the fountain. I think I broke my helmet in the fall, too..." Fortissimo looks annoyed at the thought.

Oh, a portal. Duh. Variance receives a mental smack upside his pretty little head for his lack of remembrance of his own fall and nods in understanding. "I see."

SniperJoe is still chillin'.

Fortissimo says '...But in any case, I have better things to do. Like train.'

Variance nods again and starts off westbound, offering a short customary wave as he does go. "Good luck with that, then."

Variance pauses again, patting around somewhere in his armor(or wherever he keeps his stuff), obviously in some kind of attempt to find something..

Fortissimo pauses for a moment in thought, then nods and calls after the white-armored one. "Hey. Wanna spar before you go...?"

Variance looks out to the black-armored one again, briefly forgetting his search for his canteen. "Oh... well, I kind of have business to take care of at the moment." /Like figuring out where that stupid bottle went... I didn't leave it in the break room, did I?/

Fortissimo says '...Are you too scared...?'

Variance blinks, taken aback at the accusation. Thankfully for him, patience is a virtue, so that rules out being as offended as certain others might have been. "No, I just have things of greater import to get done right now..."

Fortissimo is offended, however, an easy thing to happen. "...More important...? Nothing is more important than the battle... Than my struggle to get power..." He removes the bow from his back and readies an arrow...

Milo stands up.

Variance perks a brow, more confused than threatened, but still readies his glaive in case that arrow decides to go for his head.

You say 'I -really- don't want to fight you, so if you'd just point that arrow elsewhere, I'll be on my way.'

"You'll -fight-. I need to prove I'm good enough..." Fortissimo still has the string drawn tight, ready to fire.

Milo starts to walk nearer to the two, willing to interfere if need be.

Variance practically rolls his eyes, letting out a thin, tired sigh. Again with the egomaniacs...

SniperJoe whirrs to attention, also taking a step forward to interfere if necessary.

Fortissimo's still aiming. >>;

Variance shifts into a defensive stance, a clear sign of his acceptance(however grudging it may be) of the other's challenge. "Fine, let's just get this over with."

Milo backs off a bit following Variance's (grudging) acceptance of the challenge.

Fortissimo nods and looses the arrow, aiming speicifically for the shoulder. He doesn't want to kill his enemy just yet...

Variance fluidly shifts just out of the arrow's range, a slight graze against his shoulder the only indication that it was even remotely close to hitting him. In retaliation, he takes a step forward, nearly throwing the blunt end of his polearm towards Fortissimo in a sweeping motion.

Fortissimo attempts to jump over the sweep but fails, feet caught by the pole, tripping him.

Variance immediately moves in for the pin, taking another calculated step to the fallen Fortissimo's side, ever-so-lightly touching the flat side of his blade's brace to the other's neck.

SniperJoe remains alert but uninvolved, realizing that this is not his fight.

You say 'Can I -please- go now?'

Fortissimo looks up at Variance for a moment, eyes filled with anger, before he sags. "...Go. I guess Wily was right..."

Variance returns to his previous look of confusion, idly keeping his glaive in the ground. "Come again?"

Fortissimo closes his eyes. "...He said I'd never be as good as his new creation, that there was no way I could beat Rockman or anyone else... and he was right."

Milo DOESN'T try to comfort Fortissimo.

Variance offers him a still-lost sideways glance before fully standing, retrieving his weapon. He honestly had no clue what he was talking about, with this 'Wily' and 'Rockman' business...

Fortissimo sits up, but he still looks depressed.

Variance rests his glaive diagonally across his back(think Cloud for how it stays there), now looking genuinely interested in Fortissimo's sudden spell of depression. That report could wait, there was something going on here...

Fortissimo stands up slowly and manages a bitter, almost Seikou-like laugh. "...I never thought a girlybot would replace me..."

"Girly..." Variance echoes quietly to himself, gaze lowering thoughtfully as memories flood to the forefront of his mind. A few elongated moments pass before he surfaces again.

You say 'I don't suppose this 'girly-bot' was mostly red?'

Fortissimo blinks and nods. "Yeah. With beautiful flowing golden hair."

Variance pauses again, then slowly nods to himself. Sounded like him, though he wasn't sure it could have been him, considering he'd never seen Zero personally before. The description matched what Shima said(read: ranted) about him before.

Fortissimo says '...But that doesn't matter anymore.'

SniperJoe has no idea what you guys are talking about. The Wily that created him never had any red girlybots named Zero.

Variance looks off to a side for a moment, trying to think of something proper to say and coming up with absolutely nothing...

Fortissimo gets to his feet. "...I need to go."

Milo says 'That's what Variance said he needed two minutes ago.'

Fortissimo says '...'

Variance nods and slowly starts on his own way, looking somewhat regretful that he wasn't able to offer anything else...


(*insert Super Friends scene-change effect here*)
[MHHQ - Break Room]

Seikou is sitting at the desk, idily working on paperwork... stuff. He doesn't have that crazed Karma Jolt look this time, though. The music box is currently playing, the notes tinkling in the air.

Variance walks in a tad down-looking, though it's more thoughtful than any sort of depression. The soft notes bring him out of his reverie easily enough, however.

Seikou looks up and waves before turning back to the paper at hand.

Variance nods, taking a blank form of his own and a pen. Another day, another routine patrol report... Again, nothing of particular significance...

Seikou says '...So, Vari-sama. Anything interesting happen today?'

Variance continues to write as he begins to speak. "Not really... though I -did- run into someone. Kind of strange, really. Kept talking about being the strongest and how apparently Zero's replaced him." He'd never really heard Zero mentioned, it just sort of occurred to him.

Seikou blinks. "Erm... Zero's been 0 unit head for as long as I can remember... It seems unlikely that he would've replaced someone."

"That's the strange part." Variance shifts against his section of wall a bit, still writing. "He also kept talking about this 'Wily' figure, can't begin to figure out why."

Seikou says '...Wily... I think Joe mentioned that name once. Probably just my imagination, though.'

Variance nods in compliance, casually filing the completed report in its proper place and returning the generic ballpoint pen to the container he got it from.

Seikou finishes his own piece of paperwork and leans back. "So, what now?"

Variance shrugs non-chalantly, rifling through other forms in a vain attempt to find something else to occupy him. "Couldn't tell you, no matter how much I wish I could."

Seikou says '...I hope I get off probation soon.'

Variance eventually stops his paper-fiddling, sighing and leaning against the filing cabinet. "I could try talking to Signas about it, but it'd probably best to wait out whatever's left."

Seikou shakes his head. "...I'm -fine-, Vari-sama. Really."

Seikou says 'The Virus is gone.' (HA. HAHAHA.)

"I know, I know... I was just trying to speed things up a little." A short, sarcastic little smirk makes its way onto Variance's features, "If only to spare a fellow Hunter from the oppression of cold steel walls."

Seikou sighs. "As long as I'm out before Aura returns..."