[ It's a good thing that, as observant as Cloud is, he hadn't caught the flinch of those fingers. Otherwise Sephiroth would have drawn...intrigue? A scoff-worthy notion. Had the blond been fresh off his journey across the Planet or his showdown in Midgar, this meeting would have gone completely different. One, or both, would either be dead or restrained for violence and endangering the populace. Stripped of his original skillset as he was, he was still granted new power to harness and make the best of. Perhaps with the likes of Sephiroth here, it puts things into better perspective for the acerbic swordsman. It's not just for him.
It's for those who would threaten the balance of restoring everything they all hold dear. So he listens. Intently he listens as he the maddened Ex-SOLDIER clashes with his words. He wants to speak up when the man claims he fell for Shinra's propaganda; he couldn't be farther from the truth... And maybe if the time came to converse again (or should this meeting steer that direction), he'll have the chance to clear things. For now, he stares the man down. ]
...
[ His gaze flickers. Dare it be described as faltering as Sephiroth calls him out on his reason for concealing the truth. This time, it's the blond's turn for twitching fingers, and a firmed jaw as he clenches the side of his mouth behind sealed lips. In all truths...justified as he was? It was also a terrible thing to do to the man who'd been left lost for so many years of his life. ]
You're right. ... About everything.
[ A younger Cloud would have told him to shut up. Or pulled his sword and threatened him. But that didn't make the blond's words any less difficult to say. ]
But you forgot something important. [ Zack may not be here anymore, but even stars apart, the memories, hopes and dreams all fuel him. ] It's not about how SOLDIER began.
[ Built upon lies and controlling those beneath Shinra's heel. ]
It's about what it became. The good that I...we... [ He glares up at the man, resolute. ] —you fought for.
[ And he's not talking about missions headed by Shinra. Cloud may not know about Sephiroth's attempts to protect his former friends, but everything Zack fought for, and sacrificed to protect what was left to cherish to his final breath... The legacy Cloud inherited in the wake of one man's death. SOLDIER became a symbol of pride in the power to protect. Not the power to suppress. Before the tension between the two can build towards that familiar boiling point, he sighs and shakes his head. Not quite defeated, but... ]
Whether I told you the truth or not...it doesn't change what you've already done. What you'll go on to do.
[ And yet...here they are. But Cloud's stubbornly sticking to his guns and the promises that he's made to those he cares about. He refuses to go home just so he can forget what he's obtained from afar. ]
no subject
It's for those who would threaten the balance of restoring everything they all hold dear. So he listens. Intently he listens as he the maddened Ex-SOLDIER clashes with his words. He wants to speak up when the man claims he fell for Shinra's propaganda; he couldn't be farther from the truth... And maybe if the time came to converse again (or should this meeting steer that direction), he'll have the chance to clear things. For now, he stares the man down. ]
...
[ His gaze flickers. Dare it be described as faltering as Sephiroth calls him out on his reason for concealing the truth. This time, it's the blond's turn for twitching fingers, and a firmed jaw as he clenches the side of his mouth behind sealed lips. In all truths...justified as he was? It was also a terrible thing to do to the man who'd been left lost for so many years of his life. ]
You're right. ... About everything.
[ A younger Cloud would have told him to shut up. Or pulled his sword and threatened him. But that didn't make the blond's words any less difficult to say. ]
But you forgot something important. [ Zack may not be here anymore, but even stars apart, the memories, hopes and dreams all fuel him. ] It's not about how SOLDIER began.
[ Built upon lies and controlling those beneath Shinra's heel. ]
It's about what it became. The good that I...we... [ He glares up at the man, resolute. ] —you fought for.
[ And he's not talking about missions headed by Shinra. Cloud may not know about Sephiroth's attempts to protect his former friends, but everything Zack fought for, and sacrificed to protect what was left to cherish to his final breath... The legacy Cloud inherited in the wake of one man's death. SOLDIER became a symbol of pride in the power to protect. Not the power to suppress. Before the tension between the two can build towards that familiar boiling point, he sighs and shakes his head. Not quite defeated, but... ]
Whether I told you the truth or not...it doesn't change what you've already done. What you'll go on to do.
[ And yet...here they are. But Cloud's stubbornly sticking to his guns and the promises that he's made to those he cares about. He refuses to go home just so he can forget what he's obtained from afar. ]