isleofavalon | 凶 • fate beneath another sky

Entry tags:

凶 • fate beneath another sky

🧙 WHO: Cloud & Sephiroth
⚔️️ WHAT: An unexpected encounter. Will it escalate?!
🕒 WHEN: August 17th • Late Afternoon
🗺️ WHERE: Downtown Camelot
⚠️ WARNINGS: None

...... Mm. It went well.

... ....

Nope. Got it right in here.

[ Device in one hand and a bag full of miscellaneous goodies in the other, he gives a sparing glance inside as he's on his phone. It was another day of running errands in town, having spent most of his time in this world out on the outskirts on the farm. For the past while now, Cloud has been learning more about the various businesses that have cropped up in this realm; in due time? He may very well give up on the "odds and ends" line of work and try to revitalize his old delivery business. First was Gaia, then there was the unexpected success he found on Prismatica, working generally throughout Lunatia and then expanding to Amegahara... Here? He has no motorcycle, treks most places by foot, and has been adjusting to a whole new set of skills in the absence of his original strength.

Today was an interesting one! And he plans on telling Weiss all about it when he gets home. Speaking of which... ]

Yeah. [ He smiles to himself, gaze set to the clear skies ahead as he waits to cross the street. ] I'll seeya at home.

[ Hanging up with a content huff, he puts his device back in his pocket, readjusting his grip on the heavier bag. He's still got some time. So... ]

— — —

[ Seated alone on a nearby bench, his hands are folded in front of his face as he leans into them, lost in his own thoughts once more as he reminisces of his time spent here. He'd just celebrated his 26th birthday here... Three birthdays... It hasn't quite been three years since he was gone, but it's been some time since he actually saw his home. The last time he caught a glimpse of it was in an illusory world crafted for others to see. Even that trip was cut short before he had the time to truly take them back to see where he lived. And he wasn't just talking of Nibelheim, either. That was a shell of its former self...

No. To him, home was where his family was. It didn't matter to him now if it was in Edge, Kalm, Rocket Town, Wutai...hell, even in his time off the planet. It wasn't complete, and he still misses his old family photo left behind. But even Lunatia became a home to him, full of people he cared deeply about. Some of them came here, and those he knew from Gaia were coming and going all the same. Despite the fact that Cloud was still here, he'd resigned himself to a more subdued life until he figured out where they were going in this realm. ]

...

[ What was it? Fear of losing someone special all over again? He's happy here. But thinking of what he's left behind all the same, looking at the back of his hand out of reminisce, he ultimately sighs. ]

[ Suddenly—?! ]

?!

[ Jostled out of his thoughts by the commotion of some ravens fighting over what appears to be some shiny trinket (a coin?), they take off into the sky as they caw. The roughhousing saw some feathers coming loose, the blond's blue gaze widening some as one of the black feathers comes floating down. When he blinks next...it's in his hand as he near-listlessly stares down at it. Speaking of reminisce... ]

...

[ A starlit sky, moons beating down on crystalline sands of a distant planet, a bonfire keeping attendants warm. He remembers the meeting like it was yesterday. The day his heart sank to his feet and his spine felt as delicate as glass. Every step he took around the man was like walking on eggshells. And he cracks them every time, begging not to get cut. For the better part of a year, he'd gotten to know the man he once respected and looked up to. It was both a delicate situation and...looking back, a very sad one. Because there was no changing fate now that it'd been decided. He would return to his world and timeline, having defeated Sephiroth time and time again...

Yet that very same man would come to his aid, again and again, without truly knowing the reason why there was some distance. It wasn't about getting close. It never was. But— ]

Hmph,

[ He huffs through his nose, getting to his feet as he takes his eyes off the feather, idly tossing it away to lazily float to the ground.

Right. Better get going. ]

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[ "Reminiscing, Cloud?" ]

!

[ He visibly bristles. On the surface it may not be that noticeable, but every nuanced movement he makes has practically been memorized by the former SOLDIER now. Though he turns quickly to face the much taller man, it's not done in a jerkish motion either. His hold on his bag tightens, not daring to make a move for his own weapon. What are the odds that he would appear right when he happened to be...sigh, reminiscing. It's all the more clear to him who he is. Or rather, where Sephiroth came from. He's kept an ever-so-distant eye on him; whether he's gone unnoticed or not remains to be seen. This was the first proper reunion they've had since they encountered the Minotaur terrorizing the townspeople.

For once? He didn't mention Aerith. Or Tifa. Or any of his friends and loved ones. Cloud, trying his damnest, wouldn't play into Sephiroth's games. Not here. Not now. If he warned him not to hurt anyone? That would have been all the more incentive, in his mind, for the once-General to test those words. His parting words were very clear. And perhaps, in a roundabout way, eerily similar to something Sephiroth could have said.

"I'll be watching, Sephiroth." ]

...

[ Cloud's shoulders are tense, but he doesn't stance up either. Instead, he answers him coolly yet truthfully, those once vibrant blue eyes of his dulled with the lack of mako fueling him. ]

Something like that.

[There's something in the way Cloud reacts at the sound of his voice. Something subtle, not overtly apparent, but it's there. Enough so that the corner of Sephiroth's lips in a way that says he's pleased at the result.

He'll take any reaction. Even the smallest of ones.

Cloud is wise not to mention the others, though Sephiroth already knows about Aerith. Showing the former SOLDIER any cracks that he might dig his claws into is a mistake. He has no real reason to fully act, but just the thought of something that may deeply hurt Cloud is enough.]

I see. And where do your thoughts drift to today?

[As soon as the words leave his lips, he breaks his gaze away. Moving slowly, he circles around to the front of where Cloud is sitting. It's painfully and deliberately slow. But not out of any consideration for the man sitting there. It's more to draw out the moment, make the tense moment linger for as long as possible.

He stops again not directly in front of Cloud, but off to the side. He doesn't appear to have the masamune with him, but that probably doesn't make Sephiroth look any less dangerous.]

[ Slowly, with no hesitations or pauses in his movement, he pushes himself up to his feet, turning to look up at the man who would have once struck fear into his heart. It'd taken one last showdown amidst the ruins of their sins for Cloud to finally stamp out those fears. The fact that he hadn't heard of any serious uproars caused by the man was impressive enough. Though he knows that if their powers were restored? ...at least, in the blond's head when he imagines the worst-case scenario, things would be very different right now. It wouldn't just be a race to restore Avalon and the multiverse. It'd be a race to stop the very man he stares down up now. ]

A place that's none of your business. [ ... two beats later, however, ] Not sure how you'd wrap your head around it.

[If he had the ability to do so, he'd show no hesitation in summoning meteor to destroy this entire world. He does not like anything about being here, from his normal powers being stripped away -- what he feels like he's been reduced to, to the people themselves.

The only aspect that gives him any sense of solace (if it can be called that) is the fact that Cloud is also here. It's at least one less thing for him to be annoyed about when the object of his hate-filled obsession is also around.

He releases a light scoff at Cloud's words, gesturing a mildly with his hands.]

I've bathed in the knowledge of the lifestream, the thoughts and memories of all those who ever existed and you believe that I will not understand?

[He's almost insulted. Almost. If he weren't arrogant enough to believe that he's this great power that exists so high above humanity that nothing can ever get to him. ~~He's totally insulted.~~]

More like you'll refuse to understand.

[ This time, it's Cloud's turn to gesture mildly with one of his hands, open palmed in Sephiroth's direction. ]

The Sephiroth that fought as SOLDIER wasn't the real you, right?

[ Breadcrumbs. That's what Cloud is sparing to the otherwise maddened wraith. He does well in keeping his pittance in check, not wanting another outright fight on his hands. But it's all a hint. Wherever the swordsman was before coming to Avalon? He'd met with Sephiroth before. In a different light. A light forever overshadowed by destiny. And it makes him sad... Not that this man deserves to know any of that. ]

[The question actually gives him pause. Greenish eyes flicker between Cloud's hand and him directly. Is that what he was thinking about? His time in SOLDIER? Sephiroth practically scoffs as his own thoughts momentarily drift there. The specifics mostly lost, but the scattered fragments here and there --]

A lie as manufactured as the city of Midgar itself. Though you should know this, you've experienced the truth first hand. I doubt I need to give you a reminder.

[Sephiroth actually doesn't like the possible road this conversation might travel down. He shed his former self back in the flames that ravaged Nibelhiem. That part of him long left behind buried in the ashes.]

[ A lie... If it weren't the fact he wanted nothing to do with this haunted vision of his past to begin with, he would have shown more sympathy to the One-Winged Angel before him. ]

I know. [ A beat, before he delivers a dangerous rhetoric. ] It's too late for you now, isn't it.

[ Not daring to turn his back on the man just yet however, he instead settles for placing a hand on his hip as he addresses him. ]

[... What does that even mean?]

I suppose that depends on what exactly you're referring to.

[Were it anyone else, they probably wouldn't be having this conversation without Sephiroth already having dismissed it all together.

He does take a few steps before turning back to fully face Cloud, folding his arms across his chest after he stops moving again.]

I assume you have a point you're building up to. Whatever it is I'm giving you the chance to make it.

[ ... It won't change anything. Sephiroth in this current time is bound by his hatred and the despair he may bring. There is no magic fix to scrub his mind of the corruption and lies that came from not knowing the whole truth behind Jenova. To that very end, Cloud won't explain the past life he once lived and the experiences he shared with that version of him.

It's already like walking on eggshells to begin with. The less Sephiroth knows about the likes of his girlfriend, or the ties he makes with others here, the better. Leave him in the shadows where he belongs now. ]

...

[ And yet, ]

I got to know you. The real you. In another world before coming to this one.

[ He shakes his head despite his words, however. Almost as if he's giving Sephiroth ~~an out~~ space. ]

['The real you' ? Sephiroth stares at Cloud like he's suddenly speaking some sort of foreign language. It's an absurd thought. This is who he is.]

What do you mean 'in another world?'

[He latches onto that part instead, seemingly ignoring the words that came before -- though he heard them rather clearly. The mere suggestion that he's not somehow 'himself' manages to push down all of his buttons. It infers that he doesn't know himself. And that bothers him way more than he'd ever let on.]

Exactly what I said.

[ Cloud turns his back on Sephiroth, keeping his senses about him as he readjusts his grip on his shopping bag. With a glance over his shoulder, he gives the silver-haired man a choice. ]

Walk and talk.

[ Or don't. ~~Please don't.~~ Either way, Cloud will explain himself should Sephiroth opt to join him. In his mind, there's nothing that can be done about the past anyway. For better or for worse, he knows of the man's fate after his fall atop the ruins of Midgar. ...yet there's a small part of him, begrudgingly connected, that will keep the proverbial door open. Even if he's currently walking out of it. ]

[Sephiroth almost chooses to just leave. Almost. Unfortunately for Cloud he actually wants further explanation. Not to mention his obsession that always drags him back to claw at that connection.

So he does take the choice to follow.]

Before I came to this world, you and I had just engaged in battle.

[He offers his own bit of information -- which in his mind makes what Cloud said about having been in another world sound even more absurd. Still, he can admit that from everything he's learned here it's not out of the realm of possibility.

That and Cloud's not really one to lie.]

[ If Tifa or any of the others saw him now, walking down the street alongside his mortal nemesis, he wouldn't hear the end of it. Even back on Prismatica, while he didn't intend to hide his meetings and sparring sessions with the former general, he also made an effort to make sure he met him alone. Weiss and Marie were already prepared to have a fit whenever he confronted powerful opponents, let alone his own world's friends fretting encountering the One-Winged Angel. ]

I see...

[ He won't ask which time, in that case. Then again, did it really matter? There's a pause as they reach an crosswalk, waiting until it's their turn to cross. ]

I haven't seen our world for over two years. The planet I got pulled to first was called Prismatica. By the time I ran into you... You were in Nibelheim.

[ He refers to the fated days leading to his descent into madness. Or perhaps Sephiroth now saw it as an ascension. ]

[Two years ... Nibelheim. Sephiroth would remember if he were to have ended up in another world before ... wouldn't he? Especially if it happened back then. He remembers everything from Nibelheim on so theoretically he --

He stops briefly, eyes glancing down and off to the side as though he's searching his own mind for answers that aren't there. It is hard to believe, but at the same time the absurdity makes it such an odd thing to lie about. So he's not sure that's the case either.]

If what you say is true, then how do we know if you and I are even from the same universe to begin with.

[He might not have considered the possibility of 'alternate realities' before, but here with all sorts of people seemingly from various worlds? That kind of changes a persons viewpoints a little.]

I do not recall having ever been anywhere else nor any point where you have been gone. Unless time itself no longer has any meaning once away from our own world.

[ Cloud takes a good couple steps ahead of Sephiroth when he hears his footsteps halt, only to pause and spare a glance back over his shoulder towards the man. Interesting to see a man who would scoff at the absurd seemingly pondering these details. Was it...because this very intel came from Cloud? When Sephiroth questions him, reintroducing the idea that they may not even share the same universe, he doesn't smirk or show any lift in mood. But there is a terse huff. Anyone else? And Cloud would have shown more emotion and amicability.

Sephiroth... This Sephiroth, deserves none of that. So he hides his amusement at the thought as best as he can on the surface. ]

Funny you'd say that. I've met other people that ran into me in different worlds too.

[ It...wasn't his intention to try and scramble Sephiroth's brains. But it's also a win-win if he does?

"Unless time itself no longer has any meaning once away from our own world." ]

Sounds about right. Only reason I remember where I've been is I got pulled straight here.

[Cloud is given more leeway than most when it comes to intel, though it might not be something Sephiroth fully does on a conscious level. He (begrudgingly) accepts this information because it does not seem like some sort of trick. It's possible Cloud's ideas, memories, etc are all fundamentally flawed and misguided (as they have been in the past), but it doesn't feel like a lie.

None of that means Sephiroth is thrilled about any of it though. His brain is less scrambled and more annoyed. Annoyed that there is much he doesn't know. Stuff Cloud does know. And mostly annoyed there could possibly be another version of himself running around somewhere. For all of Sephiroth's talk of Cloud being a puppet, and how he went to create 'remnants' of himself ... if he actually, physically, ran into himself he'd probably kill the other one without even considering the consequences of it -- he'd actually be more interested in what might happen as a result.

So over all, Sephiroth clearly doesn't look very happy. No matter the situation, Cloud somehow manages to make that anger bubble to the surface past the normally emotionless exterior.]

Does it bother you? To have had others speak of things concerning you that you do not remember?

[It bothers him, but he's not going to say it.]

[ Were it most of anybody else? Cloud would have glossed over that question or passed it off as nothing. But the likes of Sephiroth, or Tifa...anyone in Avalanche... Weiss... He doesn't like to talk about how distorted his own reality was. A lot of it was Shinra's fault; Sephiroth was the monster that emerged from all this misery, which has lead to the pity he feels for the one standing before him now. When this conversation was over...he was going to feel very weirded out by it all.

Were this still Gaia, they would have no-doubt crossed blades once again. That very well still could happen in this realm too, should he threaten the people he loves. There's a very good reason his friends were cautious of the two encountering one another. It never ends well. Even if Cloud's track record sees him coming out the other side as the victor... ]

Maybe. You'd think with all the times I've had my head messed with...

[ He closes his eyes, shaking his head as he thinks. ]

But...best I can do is keep looking ahead. That's how I got where I am today.

[Sephiroth is also very unsure of this conversation. It is not as though the two of them really have ever remained civil with one another for very long, but this is not Gaia and the situation then was much different. Even now he still does not know what to fully think about everything. As much as he'd like to take advantage -- continue on with previous goals, he does not have the abilities he once held. Here there's no lifestream, there's no Jenova. There's just a few individuals from the same planet now living on a completely new one.

This conversation is, strangely enough, a distraction from all of that. So that is why he tells himself he is going along with it.]

And yet at the same time, this all could be a lie. This world, what happened ... Even what you believe you know from before. You said you met my 'real' self. What makes you so sure of that?

[The question isn't about possible other versions, but rather something else Cloud also said. That Sephiroth believes that the person he was in the past is the lie.]

How do you know that what you see now isn't who I was all along? Shinra built itself up on the foundation of propaganda after all. Lies and falsehoods also surround people like a mask. Something you should know from experience.

[ Cloud thinks long and hard on Sephiroth's words... It's true. At the drop of a hat, there's a possibility that everything he's worked towards in the past few years could all go up in smoke. Much like how King Arthur had managed to bring everyone to this realm from worlds beyond, he could very well wake up in Gaia again...in his own bed, with the kids downstairs and Tifa taking a call from someone asking if 7th Heaven would be open today. It's a thought that's crossed his mind before. Time and time again it's kept him up at night... ]

...

[ "I want to have a future with you." ]

No dream can last this long. I know what I've seen. What I've done.

[ What he's felt and promised. But Sephiroth wouldn't become privy to those thoughts if he had anything to say about it. Just as much as he's driven by his desire to protect the family he cherishes so much... Cloud has someone else he needs to keep safe. To love and keep his promise to. His brow furrows as he fixes Sephiroth with a more focused gaze. ]

As for you- [ Or...more importantly, ] Him...

I knew everything that he'd become. That you'd do. And for a while, I never told him. [ A cause of great vexation for the former SOLDIER. ] ... Even when I kept him in the dark...he still fought for others. He saved people.

[ Saved Tifa. Has saved him. Fought alongside him. Even after telling Cloud straight to his face that nobody from Gaia was doing a good job of hiding their discomfort with him. Even still...he hid the delicate truth that's evaded Sephiroth all his life. Through it all... ]

He protected his honor as SOLDIER.

[ Whereas Sephiroth, standing before him now, threw it all away in a sea of madness. ]

[It takes a great deal of willpower to not show any sort of reaction. There's a small, subtle twitch of fingers that desperately want to curl into a fist. He's not sure why it stirs so much anger to hear words spoken about himself -- his former self. But it's there, threatening to bubble up with the same fury that took down an entire town.

Instead of letting it win, Sephiroth huffs, scoffing at the words as though they are even more absurd than anything Cloud said prior. He's not wrong, or lying and a very small part of Sephiroth realizes this to some degree.]

... Honor. There was no honor in SOLDIER. No real honor anyway. You've deluded yourself into the propaganda created by Shinra. Though -- I suppose you weren't the only one. Why didn't you tell the truth to him? Were you afraid you'd unleash a monster?

[For a brief moment his thoughts drift back to when he first went into the reactor at Nibelheim and all the confrontations that followed. Genesis ... Giving him a taste of the truth and demanding his help at the same time. Were they friends? It's hard to say any more. To so easily make those kinds of demands, probably. Though if not for their encounter at the time, Sephiroth might not even remember him at all.]

You know, it probably would have been better coming from you. Not that I believe it would have changed anything -- nor would I have wanted it to, but -- truth being kept hidden for so long buried under lies is part of what brought the origin of your suffering to fruition. And SOLDIER was practically built upon those lies.

[ 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. ]

[There's something satisfactory in hearing Cloud admit to him being right. Like some minor victory won after all this time, but like everything else, it is short lived. As Cloud continues, his words wash away any amusement felt, shifting it into something else -- not quite anger or even irritation. Something he couldn't quite put a label to.

Perhaps a combination of things.

Still, he scoffs as though Cloud has returned to saying nonsense. He meets the glare with a rather dismissive one. There's a lot hidden under his gaze, a lot of thoughts that drift back and both. Under normal circumstances they wouldn't be having this conversation. But then again, under normal circumstances a lot things would be going differently.]

Someone [Who?] once asked me why I fight.

[Maybe? It feels as though someone asked him that. A long time ago. He can't recall who or if it even happened at all. The words came out in an attempt to refute Cloud, but suddenly stop because nothing else exists around the empty void that once housed those memories.

He can dismiss the words, but he can't prove them wrong. He can't give an answer contradicting Cloud's reasoning why he fought for SOLDIER (did he ever have an answer?) The more he searches the more he's met with black emptiness. Before those memories were meaningless to who he is now. And while that may still be true --

There's no lifestream, no ability to see into other people's memories for any bit of information. He only has himself and the black void of who he used to be.

For a moment, he brings a hand to his head in a gesture almost reminiscent of when he first discovered what was inside the Nibelheim reactor. But he shakes his head, dismissing whatever thoughts he was mentally trying to grab ahold of.]

It is ironic how you choose to believe in some things but not others. Holding so tight onto an idealistic view of SOLDIER, yet making no effort to try and change destiny to make your beliefs a reality. I think --

[He shifts to lock his gaze onto Cloud again.]

No matter where you are, fear cripples you. And it always will.

[ Sephiroth almost could have had another response out of Cloud. Another crack in the armor he's created around himself and his enemies. How he wishes he could change the man's fate after having gotten to know the real him better. He'd save Zack. Aerith would still be alive. Biggs, Wedge, Jessie... and of course, the former SOLDIER locking eyes with him now. But all he can do is focus on the future. Focus on what's not predetermined. What can be changed from his current point of time and on. Cloud can focus on the future he yearns to protect for someone else too.

He still has a promise to keep to Weiss. That at the end of this journey they're on, between this world, others, and their own, that they would find a way back to each other. And yet, deeply rooted in his heart... There's doubt.

Fear.

And it's Sephiroth bringing light to that very word that ruins any chance of some futile hopes to reach him. He's reminded, oh-so-harshly, that this was his enemy. An enemy on the same side for now, but inevitably destined to clash. His fist clenches, finally showing a crumble in his composure. ]

........

[ But...he refuses. He bites his tongue. He exhales and closes his eyes, the first to break from their staredown as he begins walking again. And should he feel Sephiroth's presence... ]

So what're you doing downtown?

[ Yup. He's changing the subject. ]

[Sephiroth might have continued on, and while he had not originally meant his words in any sort of manipulative sense, he might have gone to twist it in that direction. To move the conversation away from his own past. Because just as Cloud doesn't like thinking about certain things, neither does Sephiroth. Though they haven't been fighting (with weapons) the two of them still managed to offend one another.

The subject change is actually what kept Sephiroth from continuing on about how much Cloud is afraid. The question is random enough to be jarring, and Sephiroth has roughly the same ability to hold a regular normal casual conversation as a house plant. So it kind of catches him off guard. For Cloud's sake this is probably for the best.]

... Observing the city.

[There's no smugness in his response. It is the simplest answer to give without saying that he was also kind of lost in his own thoughts before running into Cloud. He briefly considers bringing back up what they were discussing before (minus the part about himself) but that'd risk the conversation going back to places he doesn't want to go. Things were so much nicer when he could just taunt Cloud with mind control.]

The people do not know me here, so they do not notice. It makes them easy to watch. Humans are the same here as they are on Gaia.

[He could follow this up with a remark about how that's why they all need to die, but he won't. Cloud already knows his feelings so it can be implied without him even saying it all.]

Observing?

[ Good answer. It's piqued his interest and curiosity, if only fleeting as he decides (against his better judgment, to hear him out. He'll converse or keep his silence while he can, until he can finally shake him. The last thing he needs is for his worst enemy to know where he lives. That not only puts their landlady in danger, but Weiss too. She wasn't defenseless, but...the less weakness Cloud shows? The better. Even now, he's still thinking despite letting the man in- if only a smidgeon after everything he's been through. ]

I don't know. [ A beat. ] Kinda hard to miss someone like you.

[ He's not that amicable to poke about his hair. It's as light of a remark as Sephiroth would receive, strange as this encounter has been. ]

[If Sephiroth wanted to torment Cloud (not that he doesn't want to torment him) he'd have taken action to strike down Aerith when he ran into her. He thought about it. He still thinks about it now. But it'd gain him nothing then. And now? It's a more distant thought.

Still, it is probably for the best to keep Sephiroth in the dark. Even if he didn't make any real aggressive move towards those Cloud cares about, Sephiroth would still use it as a button to push. Because that's what he does, especially in regards to Cloud. He hones in on weakness. This encounter has been ... different. So he hasn't done it as much as normal.

He kind of huffs at the remark, but otherwise doesn't look offended.]

No doubt others should take note of greatness when they see it. But there are many here who hold usual appearances. Yourself included.

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凶 • fate beneath another sky

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that icon is really nice

it's a super old icon but it's also really well made yes!

i appreciate nice coloring

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