A friend with breasts and all the rest

He’d seen it in the pitying look of the whore that stood on the corner, and the way she covered it up with a smile. The patrons in that squalid tavern where he went to buy his meals grew quiet when he entered now, and it was not the uncomfortable silence of human townsfolk being confronted with a strange elf covered in strange skin markings and carrying a large sword—rather it was the silence of men who knew trouble had just walked through the door and were now doing their best to pretend it didn’t exist. Fenris knew the difference very well.

He’d been lazy. Despite the fact that he’d known, still part of him refused to admit that it was so. He’d hoped against hope that he was wrong, that the signs were simply a fugitive’s paranoia. His stay in the last three towns had been longer and longer, his efforts to cover up his distinctive markings almost nonexistent. He told himself that this was a challenge. Let them come. Let them try and take him back, if they dared. Deep down, however, he wondered if he hadn’t simply grown weary of the chase.

Now was the time. He’d already cleaned his few meager possessions out of his room at the inn and jumped out the window. It led to a dark alley in the back, with enough ledges below that a quick descent was easily accomplished. That was why Fenris had chosen the room after an inspection that had the innkeeper staring at him in worry. He almost had to wonder how long it would take the fat man before curiosity, or a lack of payment, would lead him to check and find Fenris gone. A week, perhaps less if the innkeeper was the one who’d sold him out.

There was nothing in the alley save for a few lone rats and an elven vagrant asleep against a garbage heap. Fenris paused and stared at the man in disgust. He’d thought to blend in more once he’d escaped the Imperium. In a land where elves were free, certainly one more elf would go unnoticed? He’d been a fool, of course. How was he to know that so many of his people would squander their freedom living like frightened cattle? If his only choices were to either dress as meekly as the local humans expected their elves to be, run off to find the wandering clans that grubbed in the dirt for whatever scraps the human kingdoms threw them, or to fight… then his choice was clear.

The vagrant stirred awake as Fenris drew the greatsword from his back. The elf squealed in sudden terror but Fenris ignored him. There were others coming now, cloaked in the alley’s shadows—at least two on either side and… one above? He listened, and heard the faintest scraping on the clay tiles up above. Yes, no doubt a crossbowman. They thought they had him pinned.

Fenris launched himself towards the end of the alley that led away from the main street. Here it led into a maze of twisty courtyards, sewage and lines of hung laundry… but it would be darker there, easier for him to run without stirring the town guard. Why the hunters never tried bribing the guard to help their hunt he couldn’t say. Regardless, he’d run amiss of the guard in another town and they’d impeded his efforts to escape as much as they impeded the hunters. It wasn’t worth the risk.

The vagrant shouted in fear and drunkenly scrambled to his feet, but Fenris was already past him. Two long figures approached, barely visible but moving fast now as they realized their quarry was aware of the chase. Fenris caught a glimpse of maroon. Tevinter soldiers, then. Good, that would make this easier. Not that he wouldn’t have killed mercenaries just as easily, but it was less pleasant than slaughtering dogs like these.

A wide arc of his blade knocked the first hunter aside as he parried. The second rushed forward, hoping to take advantage of an opening—only to meet Fenris’s fist. The markings on his skin flashed brightly, the lyrium within them sending magic crawling through his flesh, and his fist phased through the man’s helmet and directly into his head. He lurched to a halt, stunned with terror.

So they weren’t warned. Fools.

The lyrium markings flashed again as Fenris partially solidified his fist. The hunter jolted back, blood gushing forth from his mouth and his ears. By now the first hunter was already recovered and swinging his blade. Fenris expertly hauled the second around by his head, putting him into the path of the swing. The sword chopped deeply into the man’s shoulder, and with a kick he sent both of them flying together into the brick wall. His fist was covered in dark red gore.

He would have stayed to finish them off, but the other hunters were already figuring things out. A crossbow bolt flew by Fenris’s head, barely nicking one of his ears, and he could hear the booted feet of more soldiers rushing his way. He ran into the alleyway, leaping over the hunter who struggled to push off his dead comrade, and sped into the maze. Dark doorways flew by as he raced. He cut down clotheslines and tossed over barrels to present obstacles behind him. They were definitely giving chase—he could hear them swearing in Tevinter, and the crossbowman above scrambling to get into position.

The first pair of open shutters he saw and Fenris dived through. He landed in a kitchen filled with the smell of baking bread, and a human woman screamed as he rolled to his feet. No doubt the sight of an elf in skintight armor, carrying a blade almost as large as himself, wasn’t a welcome sight. He got to his feet and noticed the surprisingly comely woman, dressed in a nightgown that revealed more of her cleavage than she no doubt expected, pressing against the wall.

He grinned at her, and she screamed again. So he grabbed a freshly-baked loaf off the counter and raced for the front door of the hovel. Already a soldier was climbing through the window, causing the woman to scream once more and faint dead away. The others would be coming around to the front, so he had to get out before…

…he stopped cold. He knew the man who stood at the doorway: maroon cloak and jet-black hair barely covering those soulless eyes. Not to mention a scar on his neck, one that Fenris had put there. Damned healing potions and their foul magic. Why couldn’t anyone stay dead?

“Avanna, Fenris. Good to see you again.” The hunter’s voice was a cold purr as he raised his crossbow and pointed the bolt at Fenris’s chest. The one on the roof, then. Clever.

“Considering what happened last time, I’m surprised you decided to try again.”

“It’s not just about the coin any longer, slave.” Oh, how Fenris loved it when they said that. “Not afraid you’ll lose your head for good?”

“Not when we have the drop on you. You’ve become careless. Time to give yourself up.” The other hunter had made it through the window, and he could hear others shouting in the street. He supposed that he really had only two choices: give up and hope for a chance to escape later… or take his chances.

It wasn’t really a choice. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade and smiled at the hunter, slow and deadly.

“Vishante kaffar,” he hissed. And he attacked.

1959 - Shinra discovers a way of manufacturing Materia.

1968 - The first mako reactor is created in Nibelheim.

1970 - Professor Gast becomes the head of Shinra’s Research & Development also known as the Science Department.

1972 - The second mako reactor is created in Midgar. This begins the construction of Midgar of the modern day.

1976 

- Reactor Eight comes online and Shinra headquarters operations begin on June 24th. 

- Grimoire Valentine begins to translate the Chaos/Omega tablets with his team. After requesting further help, a recent graduate in Biotechnology and former head of her class Lucrecia Crescent is recruited. 

1977

 - On an expedition to the Northern Crater, Gast discovers the body of what he  believes to have been a Cetra. This body is given the name Jenova and brought to Reactor One. These are the Jenova Project experiments

- Grimoire Valentine is killed in a laboratory accident.

- September Upon realising this body still has viable material, a team is put together to study it and through genetic grafting, create the abilities that the Cetra had to manipulate the lifestream in Shinra’s private army. This leads to the creation of Project 0 SOLDIERs (SOLDIERs without enhancements that have been put through training to reach the height of their capabilities) while other SOLDIERs injected with Jenova cells and/or mako become monstrous mutations.

- Experimentation is done using unborn babies to see if they will develop with the gene grafting but there are no living results. One of the scientists, Gillian [Ohara], chooses to inject herself with the cells to dilute the J-cells and after promising initial tests, a sub project (Project Gillian also known as Project G) is set up.  [The volunteer parents are their current Turk security Keris and Gast himself.]

- Vincent Valentine arrives as the new security for the project. He strikes up a romantic relationship with Lucrecia, unaware of the relationship she had with his father.

- [Once Project G successfully receives the initial J-cell infusions without issue, there is a party in the Shinra where a drunken rendezvous between Gillian and another scientist on Project G, Hollander, results in Gillian conceiving a child. After realising her pregnancy may be impacted by J-cell infusions she’s been taking, Gillian loops her own pregnancy in with Project G.]

1978

- Vincent proposes to Lucrecia, but she rejects his advances and instead, becomes involved with Professor Hojo. 

- [May 17th] The first baby is born to Project G, named Genesis. [This is about six weeks premature due bodily mutations from the J-cell infusion, causing his biological mothers death before delivery.]

- Initial tests show that Genesis has a ‘unique’ factor but there are no visible signs he is anything other than human.  However, the SOLDIER infirmary  at Mako Reactor 0 (a secret underground facility known as Deepground) was turned into an experimentation facility using samples from Genesis. 

- [June] Lucrecia realises she’s pregnant and both she and Hojo decide to use their child as the subject of their own project. Using the research from the initial work and the Project G work to refine their formula to accommodate a larger amount of J-cells, Project S begins.  

- [August 25th] Gillian gives birth to Angeal and again, there are no obvious signs of Jenova in him. 

- [December 21st]  Sephiroth is born to Lucrecia and Hojo, though he is quickly taken from Lucrecia before she can hold him.

- [December 28th] In light of Sephiroth, Project G is put on ice. 

- [December 31st] Gillian takes Angeal from Midgar and attempts to run with him.

1979

- [January] Once Gillian is retrieved, an arrangement is made: Banora, a village that had been set up on a Mideel island, would become their new home. All information would become classified other than the overseers of the town and they would be allowed to live out life quietly. Surveillance would be set up to observe them, but if nothing happened, they could be left alone. Shinra would also offer Gillian money to get set up as hush money, but she refused it and wanted nothing more to do with Shinra. 

- [February] Feeling unsure of how to proceed or if he has made a mistake,  Gast chooses to take a leave of absence to explore the Cetra. Although he would return periodically, he resigned his post as head of the department. 

- Arrangements are made for Genesis to be fostered by a wealthy couple with Shinra ties who buy out the orchards on Banora. They’re told to report periodically to Shinra on him but otherwise, they’ll raise him as theirs. 

1980-1983

 - [On his fact finding mission, Gast meets a young woman named Ifalna who is the local Cetran expert at Icicle Inn.]

- Lucrecia continues to work at reactor one but her health deteriorates, much to the concern of Vincent. 

- Sephiroth is raised largely by Hojo at the Shinra mansion. Although Lucrecia is at her laboratory in the same building, the two never cross paths. Gast visits periodically and Sephiroth grows an attachment to him. 

- [Gast brings Ifalna to see the ancient body at Nibelheim and upon her horror, discovers that Jenova is not a Cetra but the alien virus that wiped them out. In revealing this, Ifalna also reveals she is the last Cetra left.]

- Gast and Ifalna leave Shinra and go on the run. Meeting with another former Shinra scientist, Bugenhagan, both he and Ifalna remain on the run rather than have her fall into Shinra’s hands. The two fall in love and eventually marry.

1984 

- Concerned over Lucrecia, Vincent confronts Hojo about the project and Hojo shoots him. Not one to waste a body that can’t say no, Hojo uses Vincent’s body for further experimentation and this grants him the ability to transform into creatures and gives him a near invulnerable state.

- In an attempt to save Vincent’s life, Lucrecia’s last act before attempting to end her life is to embed Vincent with powerful proto-materia that contains the embodiment of the Chaos weapon that she and his father were researching. She records herself in the hopes he will be able to understand and disappears back to the Grotto where she and Grimoire did their research on stagnant lifestream but the Jenova cells in her body encase her in crystal stasis rather than letting her die. 

- Hojo is made the head of Research and Development. Project S packs up and moves to Midgar.

- Vincent locks himself away to wallow in a coffin (perfectly reasonable response)

1985

- February 7th Having settled into Icicle Inn, Ifalna gives birth to a baby called Aerith. 

- February 27th Hojo comes to Icicle Inn, murdering Gast and taking Ifalna back to Shinra with her daughter. Ifalna submits to the testing process to protect Aerith and they are largely careful with her as they don’t know yet if Aerith has inherited much from her mother.

- In Deepground, Genesis’s genetic material is used to create the first Deepground child known as Rosso.  Genetically engineered to push the limits of SOLDIER abilities, Rosso is pushed to the harshest possible limits in order to collect information on what SOLDIER can be capable of. 

- [May 17th] Genesis and Angeal meet for what they believe is the first time.

- [September 25th] Zack Fair is born in Gongaga.

1986

- August 11th Cloud Strife is born in Nibelheim.

- Using the research from Grimoire Valentine and Lucrecia Crescent’s project and Project Gillian, two Deepground scientists began injecting mako into unborn babies. The only survivor was named Weiss. 

1987

– May 3rd Tifa Lockhart is born in Nibelheim

- The third child in the Deepground experiments is born. Nero was born to Weiss’s parents but was injected with stagnant lifestream which gave him the ability to open dark portals, swallowing his own mother in one when he was born. Though many other children were born in Deepground, the three original were orphaned and thus, pushed through a harder regime than anyone else based on their unique abilities. 

1988 – Shinra security officer Glenn Lodbrok saves fellow officer Matt Winsord and both are later saved by Lucia Lin.

1989 - SOLDIER candidates - including Glenn, Matt and Lucia - are put through extensive training as part of Project 0. This is the beginning of the SOLDIER program.

1991 - November 20th Yuffie Kisaragi is born.

1992 

- War breaks out between Wutai and Shinra. 

- Used as a promotional tool for Shinra, Sephiroth is dispatched out under supervision.

- Upon realising that Aerith was coming into her abilities, Shinra begins to push her limits by using a variety of torturous techniques. Ifalna decides to escape but knowing they have a viable candidate in Aerith, their treatment of Ifalna becomes less careful and they only make it as far as the Train station at Sector 5 before Ifalna dies.

- Aerith is taken in by recently widowed Elmyra Gainsborough, the daughter in law of the construction company Shinra used and the Turks are sent after her. However, they do not bring her in and instead only observe her.

- Sephiroth meets Glenn, Matt and Lucia.

1994 

- [July Genesis and Angeal enlist in SOLDIER. Although they are taken to basic training, it’s only a week before they’re taken in for SOLDIER enhancements through Hollander.]

- [August Sephiroth and Angeal meet and spar for the first time. Genesis and Sephiroth meet and Genesis throws a sword at his head. It’s how he shows affection, okay? 

- [October First deployments for Genesis and Angeal]

-  [December The Da Hoa mission]

1995 

- [January - Genesis and Angeal promoted to Second Class]

- Tifa climbs Mount Nibel in grief over her mother and falls, ending up in a coma.

1996 

- [Angeal is promoted to First Class.]

- [Genesis is promoted to First Class.]

- [Genesis and Angeal begin their romantic relationship]

1997 - Zack, determined to become a SOLDIER, runs away to Midgar.

1998

- [Zack becomes Angeal’s mentee.]

- [Sephiroth begins his physical relationship with Genesis and Angeal]

1999

- [Sephiroth/Genesis/Angeal becomes a thing]

2000