isleofavalon | 凶 seasons change

Entry tags:

凶 seasons change

🧙 WHO: Cloud Strife & You!
⚔️️ WHAT: Catch-All; Quests from the QuestBoard (Don't Lose Your Head & BUNKER DOWN). Will add future prompt(s) for the end-of-month event.
🕒 WHEN: Throughout October
🗺️ WHERE: Around Camelot (Celliwig for the "Don't Lose Your Head" quest)
⚠️ WARNINGS: Inevitable fighting in the "Don't Lose Your Head" prompt

Don't Lose Your Head • Celliwig

[ It didn't take much convincing for Cloud to make his choice; he was going to Celliwig. What very little remained of it after the catastrophic damage was done. Was it dangerous? Yes, if only for the task he'd opted to sign up for through QuestBoard. Many of the jobs he took on were odds & ends within the city of Camelot and just outside its borders. So when reports of darker Fae shrouding the ruins of Celliwig in deepened anxiety became public knowledge, tales of a Headless Horseman taking...well, the heads of those who lingered too long, also came with. By the time Cloud arrives in the once ethereal city, it's all he can do to suppress the sense of dread that creeps up his spine.

He's here as hired muscle, fending off the Fae, especially this supposed Headless Horseman whose been culling the unfortunate souls scrambling to pick up the pieces of a fallen home. Despite his job... ]

Ready? On three...

[ That didn't mean he wasn't going to lend a hand whilst waiting for trouble to start. Volunteers that struggled to move glassed rubble from a destroyed home were aided by the blond swordsman, moving hefty slabs out of the way alongside them so they can do their job and either find survivors inside...or more likely, those who couldn't make it. Besides aiding in the movement of rubble or standing guard around groups who exhausted themselves digging and cleaning up, Cloud keeps his distance. His expression was stoic, but the morose in those faded blue eyes of his was palpable.

For all the headway he's made in elemental spellcasting and awakened kinetic magic... Could he have made a difference if he were as strong as he was before? It's a thought, fleeting despite it coming and going from time to time. Something that he can't afford to dwell on for long. ]

No time for doubt.

[ Said to no one in particular as he surveys the damage and keeps his attention both on his surroundings and device for any updates on the Headless Horseman. Night was falling soon, which meant it was only a matter of time... ]

BUNKER DOWN • Broceliande

[ Cloud may not have much to concern himself with for space, living out on a farm with Weiss for as long as he has been, but that didn't mean the problems stopped for the populous as a whole. Another task through QuestBoard, something closer to home, and it's...something he's not exactly skilled in. Carpentry. He wasn't about to go preparing the most illustrious beds, but he's no stranger to following instructions. Somebody was gonna hafta carry all this lumber too, right? So... ]

S'cuse me.

[ Cloud returns to the woodworking site just outside Broceliande, but not emptyhanded. In fact, he's...carrying an excessive amount of wood over his shoulder. Long planks of sturdy wood stacked at the base of the arc of his arm. At least ten of them. Stacked atop those? Sizable logs waiting to be cut down and carved for bedposts. He wasn't the biggest, musclebound laborer out there, but it looked like he was carrying at least triple the amount that others were (or should be) carrying. Cloud's strength was absurd!!

...is what he wishes he could say. But he doesn't have access to that monstrous strength he once possessed on Gaia thanks to the mako enhancements made by Shinra. And as he approaches the unloading area, sighing with relief as he starts to kneel down, some of the logs atop the pile of his shoulder almost slide off. ]

!

[ Suddenly, the wood stops halfway off the end of one of the planks he's carrying. Yup. That's Kinetic magic alright. He's totally cheating. Still... ]

Hoo boy. Almost there...

[ One wrong move or his concentration slips, he's gonna lose his focus over the wood he's lifting with his magic. Maybe there's such a thing as working too smart instead of working hard. ]

Wildcard

( ooc; This prompt is for anything you wanna play out that's not above! Got any other prompts or ideas in mind, either from the TDM or QuestBoards, or even just something unique altogether? Go ahead and ping me either at my journal here, Discord (Kuraudo@0214) or PM me on Plurk at Clandon. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not riding the bike if you're not pedalling.

[ Be her driver dammit 😡 Cloud needs to understand how undignified she'd look if she rode a bike by herself???? ]

[ He can't help but crack a smile at that, even if it's just a little one. ]

Yes ma'am.

[ The bike chain should be good to go now too! He takes his steel wool and gives it a good scrubbing too. He has to be careful because he doesn't want any of the wool breaking off inbetween the chain bits. Sure enough, the one side of the bike chain comes out looking impressive, most of the rust having come off. ]

Wanna brush the other side of the chain? [ There's enough of the homemade solution for that at least. ] We can head in after.

Okay.

[ It's not a hassle to go to the other side, bowl in hand! She gives the liquid in the bowl a swirl with the brush before she starts dabbing it on the bike again. This isn't rocket science or anything, but it's still pretty amazing. Now she's wondering if Yang knows anything about this. Weiss feels like this is something she can share with the blonde when it comes to caring for metal! Arm included.

Then again, her arm? Top of the line Atlas tech. She doubts it would rust. Ever. ]

Were you planning on working here all night?

[ Atlas tech puts Shinra's to shame, that much was certain. He watches her with interest as she finishes applying the liquid solution. He'd been out all day to begin with, so, as far as staying out here was concerned... ]

Wasn't so sure. I think I'll just do more tomorrow instead.

Would you like me to draw you a bath once we're in?

[ Well, he was gone all day! He might be tired. They'll have dinner, anyway, but if he wants to relax some more, a nice and warm bath would help!

Spoiling Cloud in 3, 2, 1... ]

I'm...

[ Even after all this time, there were still occasions where he'd say that he was good. Call it a force of habit, but when his sentence trails off as he looks at her, it's not that he wouldn't enjoy a bath... It's just that day by day, he's found himself saying "yes" more and more. Especially if it was for something as little as running a bath for him. So,

3, 2, 1... ]

I'd like that.

[ He smiles, finishing off the water she gave him. All that's left to do is wipe the chain with the steel wool and he'll pick up where they left off tomorrow sometime. ]

[ Victory! Weiss isn't going to force him to say yes, but he needs to take better care of himself. That includes partaking of the better things in life and not just settling for the bare minimum. Cloud won't lose anything by indulging a little, so Weiss wants him to. She knows it doesn't come naturally to him, so it's little things like asking him if he wants to do this or that—things that she doesn't think he took much advantage of—feels like one of the things she has to do for him.

There's not much attention given to Cloud's compliance. When Weiss responds, it's to carry a conversation as they finish up fixing one part of the bike. ]

I wonder where we can go with this... [ It's a bike! So Cloud would have to take lots of breaks if they want to go from one city to another and all. ] If we go camping, we won't have a place to put our things, too.

[ He's already thought about this too! ]

I'd use it around town, to be honest. It ain't no Fenrir. [ Besides... ] I'd rather carry camping equipment than a bike when we go.

[ Not if. It's only a matter of when. 😌 Another minute or so and they could get away with wiping the chain and heading back together. ]

Then how do we go to where we're camping?

[ Cloud's going to carry so many things... ]

The old fashion way.

[ They walk there! It's different only having things like horse carriages and the like for transportation. It'd be like having nothing but Chocobos without automobiles existing. Cloud's no stranger to roughing it however. If it helps put his girlfriend at ease though... ]

We can still catch a ride to take us part of the way.

I guess you can take care of that part of the trip.

[ Logistics! He's good at those things, after all. As for the smaller details? What to bring, how much food to pack, those things? Weiss can be the one to be in charge of it all. Although if she does end up packing too much due to being used to the more comfortable things in life, it'll be up to Cloud to tell her to ease up on some things. ]

Deal.

[ He checks the time, also eyeballing the chain as the vinegar baking soda mixture works its magic. ]

Ah, that'll do it.

[ The open shed, thankfully, has a roof to it. So once he's finished methodically scrubbing the formerly rusted bike chain off, he leaves the pile of dirty steel wool on the table. No one really uses this place any more; truth be told, he's not even worried about anyone coming out back to steal a bike chain. ~~Unless Sephiroth is bored. DKJHSA~~ With what he wanted to touch up and show his girlfriend all done, he huffs in satisfaction before stepping in by Weiss' side, taking the remaining madeleines and empty bottle of water with him. ]

Right. [ A beat. ] All set?

Yeah.

[ She's slow to get up, making sure there's no dust or dirt caught on her skirt once she's standing. Then she looks around and only gets to take in how the shed looks. She's been to every corner of the farm, having to talk to everyone and tend to both people and animals and all, but she never really went here to inspect everything. There wasn't any need to.

If Cloud was going to start using this place, though... well, she could work on making this shed be more comfortable. If he'd let her, anyway. ]

Maybe we could bring more stuff in here. And this place needs a cleanup.

Maybe we can tackle that together sometime.

[ If not, he'll go through with tidying this dusty old shed up sometime himself! ]

Really?

[ As if Cloud said something magical, Weiss' face lights up. This is delightful! Cleaning up and organising things has always been fun, but if she gets to do it with Cloud? That's even better! Because then she'd have someone do the more physical work for her. ☺️ ]

You'd do it with me?

[ Taking the bowl and everything else she's brought in here, she heads to Cloud's side to show she's ready to leave. ]

Mm.

[ Ah. There's the spirit he admires. For someone who used to be called the "Ice Queen", Weiss had some of the warmest expressions. He nods, side by side with her as they start making their way back towards the house. ]

Maybe I'll learn a thing or two from you.

[ What with how much better organized she was than him. ...he's gotten better though! ]

[ Weiss never lost sight of who she was, but she definitely veered off the right path at some point. Still, at her core, she loved organising things. She loved and continues to love music and writing. It's impossible to hide how excited she becomes when it comes to these things. It's not everyday she becomes this eager, after all. ]

When would you like to start? I'll have to prepare a schedule!

[ 😭😭😭 she wants to make the shed look nice for him ok ]

Schedule?

[ He's not opposed. He just wasn't anticipating her making a whole schedule over some shed! He blinks innocently to her before conceding in record time. There's no fight- just getting fleetingly taken off guard. ]

How about this weekend?

[ Though Cloud's schedule feels like it changes day to day in a world like this. But he tries to use the weekend as a chance to relax. He can't be training or working nonstop, after all. If there's one thing he's looking forward to when they restore their worlds and get together again? It's finally putting up some kind of 'CLOSED' sign and taking the day off. Be it a day with family, friends, or a certain white-haired huntress giddy at his side at the idea of cleaning with him. They spend so much time together now, but...

He'd be lying if he didn't think of how it would all feel when everything was finally said and done.

He gets the door for her as they come in through the back entrance. ]

Well, after we clean up, there are still more things to work on. Maybe we can get a desk and a chair, and a shelf—

[ Oh, thank you! Weiss steps in, turning back to face him to make sure he's listening as she continues. ]

And we'd probably have to paint the shed to make it look new, right? It'll be like an outdoor workstation!

[ Someone's excited... but she imagines Cloud using the shed for other purposes too. Maintenance for his sword, magical experiments, amongst other things! ]

I'm sure Elaine won't mind.

[ She enters the kitchen to start washing the bowl. The rest are slowly put back in their respective shelves one by one with Weiss' magic, her back turned as she's by the sink. ]

[ Once Weiss is squarely inside, he gets the door behind them before kneeling down to remove his boots. He doesn't plan on heading out again today. ]

An outdoor workstation... You think we can make that all work?

[ He's not doubting her! In fact, there's even an upwards inflection in his question. Hopeful, even. Using it for building up new things or sharing it for their own weapons... Despite their difference in hobbies and preferences, it was still nice to find yet another thing to share common ground with. She sang, he played piano. ...not as good as Weiss, but still! They both took pride in taking care of their weapons too. Fixing up a little old bicycle was just a stepping stone, really.

He watches Weiss busy herself in the kitchen, washing the bowl whilst her Kinetic magic is used to place everything else they took out there back. ]

...

[ It's only when he knows her hands (and mind) aren't being occupied that he quietly steps in behind her, slipping his arms around her waist from behind as he ducks his head. Gently, he sways, wanting to take a moment before they get fully settled in for the day. ]

Thanks. [ A beat. ] For coming out with me.

Maybe. If you'd like to, anyway.

[ She doesn't want to start rambling now about a shed! It's an exciting prospect, really, but she doesn't want to seem so excited if Cloud's not into it. Then he'd want to do it because she'd feel bad that she got excited!

More than anything, though, Weiss is excited about doing something with him. Anything is fine— she would never complain. Just being with Cloud makes her so happy, because he's giving her his time without her having to ask for it. The jewellery and other trinkets he's gotten for her are all so precious, and have become so important, but him even spending time with her is the best gift he could ever give her. It doesn't matter if they live together and sleep on the same bed. There was just something different about doing something together. It was more special.

It doesn't take long to wash the bowl, so she's quick to wipe her hands on the towel by the sink. It's as she's doing so that she feels Cloud's arms around her waist. She swallows, if only because the sudden warmth makes her heart feel so light all of a sudden. This wasn't something she was expecting!

For a second or two, Weiss is just looking up at him after craning her neck. Not clueless, but wondering why he's thanking her for something so simple. Then again, she'd do the same if she were in his shoes. ]

Dummy. I love you, you know. [ So she'd do this for him any time he asks, and do more than what he asks if it meant making him happy. And as an apology for calling him a dummy, she gets on her toes without pulling away to kiss him on the cheek. That makes things better, right? ]

[ It's just that. Something so simple that goes a long way that makes him feel lighter than ever before. It also doesn't hurt that they're alone, such deeper displays of affection reserved for being behind closed doors. When she gets to her tippy toes as she tells him she loves him, he doesn't even care that she called him 'dummy' again. At this stage of their relationship it's another affectionate word. Cloud would be worried if she didn't call him that. Like...saying he was stupid, or an idiot. Then he did something wrong.

...at least, that's what he's thought about in his head before. The alternative (this) was much nicer as she gives him a kiss on the cheek. His hand finds hers, closing overtop it as their fingers lace together. Silently he nuzzles against the side of her head before placing a kiss there. ]

Love you, too.

[ He did make a promise. That she'd get to hear it every day. ]

Edited 2021-10-26 06:08 (UTC)

[ It still sounds like the first time every time— "I love you". And for all the days Weiss knew for herself that she loves him, not having told him yet, there were also many days when she'd wonder if he felt the same way. If he would love someone like her—a girl he met in another world, someone who wasn't meant for him in the first place. The feeling of happiness when she's told that she's loved by Cloud is immense. Contentment and fulfillment from having a "wish" come true. And because it did? She has to make sure that this granted wish is taken care of, that it never goes to waste. And more importantly, that he never grows tired of feeling that way. She doesn't think she could ever stop loving him, at this point. There's just no way she ever could.

Selfish as it was to just stand there in the kitchen, skin all tingly from Cloud's warmth, she wants to keep this moment going a little longer. Closing her eyes, she leans against him some. There's more work to be done, and they're far from the end. It wouldn't be so bad to indulge in these moments before they have to face reality, right? It's practice for the future! Because she refuses to accept any other future that doesn't have Cloud in it. One day, there won't be any worries about one leaving the other, completely disappearing or falling asleep without waking up for a day or so. ]

One day... [ She says the words under her breath, a silent vow she makes to herself and a reminder of what she has to do in this world. Weiss has grown to overthink— good at times, but other times, it tends to keep her up at night or distract her when she's alone. She feels more secure when friends or family are around, because she's given a reminder of what she has to protect. In this world, and at this time, though, her family isn't present. But Cloud is. Not family quite yet, and definitely more than a friend, but he's the one who holds her heart. The most important and irreplaceable person. And the only person in this world who doesn't make her feel alone.

It's not enough, but a minute or two later, she gives his fingers a gentle squeeze. As much as she would miss this, they should get moving before Elaine comes home. ]

I said I would draw you a bath.

[ She hasn't moved yet tho... ]

[ "One day..." As he cradles her and gently sways to a silent beat, the words sink in and have a rather profound effect on him. For all his doubts and worries over their fate, all he needed to do was wake up the next morning and see her sleeping like an angel by his side; it's all the reminder he ever needs to know that 'one day' wasn't a precursor to despair, having what he cherishes most stripped away from him as they traverse world after world. Instead, without so much as a single word back...

She gives him hope. She gives him the strength he needs to make sure he doesn't stop fighting for the future they once saw. Truth be told, it wasn't that long after arriving in Avalon that he had a fateful encounter with someone who said something that stuck with him. How deeply connected everyone was despite hailing from different worlds. One of these days...he was going to have to thank that girl. Because he had no intention of letting this go for anything. ]

Mn. [ She did say that. But... ] In a minute.

[ He'll let her draw his bath when she's ready. For now, he's happy just being nuzzled in behind her, drawing in her scent before letting out another relaxed sigh. ]

I'll make dinner while you take a bath. What do you want?

[ If he doesn't decide on anything, she'll just make salad. She's not in the mood for something heavy right now, anyway. She's still not the best cook, but she's learned some techniques from her experiences in Lunatia and in this world. And it's not her favourite activity in the world, but she thinks she's doing good! It's one of the ways she can take care of Cloud, even if she still can't make the kind of stew he'd approve of.

... she's still not moving. In fact, she's leaning on him some more. ]

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