( it's not his favorite arrangement, but it gets cloud out of an annoying situation for the time being. not having a car means that he can't exactly live on his motorcycle while it's raining as much as it is, so—a motel room it is. verso just so happened to message him as this consideration came to him, and cloud is nothing but someone who looks at opportunities rather than whether he'll regret it later or not.
but for the amount that they're paying for the three-day weekend? it's not a bad deal, and the first night went by without a hitch, mostly because cloud was out for most of it, doing who knows what.
he slept through the morning, on the couch, and found verso gone in the afternoon, taking with him the CASIO piano, likely going to a gig at a bar or somewhere for some cash. good to know cloud's advice wasn't taken for granted. cloud has business outside, too, anyway, but it so happens that when he comes back at night, jacket soaked and spiky blond hair weighed down by rainwater, that both he and verso are in at the same time. verso's in the bathroom, if the light under the door is anything to go by. cloud, for his part, sets down the bag of sandwiches he got (for himself, thanks!) onto the table, and stands there stupidly for a moment. it takes a moment to make himself at home (remove the buster sword, set it against the wall, take off his jacket, kick off his boots) before his eyes land on the electric piano.
something nostalgic bubbles up within him, and cloud makes his way to it, sitting down on the carpeted floor, in front of it. it takes him a moment to plug it in, find the power on button, set the volume to low, and—
play a little song. he's a little out of practice, but a couple of notes in, he manages to get into the rhythm, proper. )
[ Verso is in the bathroom, in fact. Trimming his beard. It's gotten past 'scruffy' and dangerously into 'old man' territory, so measures have to be taken. He's nearly finished when he hears a tinkling sound, muffled through the door; it's only a few moments later that he realizes the sound he's hearing is the piano. At least, an electronic approximation of one.
He remains in the bathroom until Cloud reaches the conclusion of the song, listening through the door with the expectation that he'll stop if Verso interrupts him. Once it sounds as if he's well and truly finished, he pokes his head out of the bathroom. ]
You play?
[ It's a surprise. Cloud doesn't really give off 'sensitive musician' vibes. ]
( cloud shifts where he sits, pulling away from the piano like he's been shocked by it the moment he hears verso speak. it's not like cloud meant for it to be a secret, but he also had the volume on low in an attempt to keep it just for himself. it'd figure that not a lot can be kept secret in this small motel room.
act cool, cloud— )
Yeah. ( and he's pushing himself up to his feet, as if implying he's not going to demonstrate. ) Some.
( as if this exchange isn't happening, he motions towards the bathroom with a hand, where verso is still in. )
[ Verso does fetch him his towel, tossing it in Cloud's general direction before he steps out of the bathroom. He's clearly still more interested in the piano, though, and the music Cloud had been playing. Wow, his roommate can play piano! Could this situation get any better?
Well, maybe if they had two beds. And more money. ]
I didn't know you were interested in music. How long have you been playing?
( there's a difference between interest and knowing how to play. cloud realizes that there is a shift in verso's tone that sounds almost excited about this turn of events; he regrets touching the piano.
he catches the towel, immediately fussing with his hair, drying it as best as he can, before slumping down on the couch and letting the towel hang from his shoulders. )
I learned when I was a kid. Next door neighbor taught me.
( and he won't go into detail about that—not willingly, anyway. )
—I didn't say I was shocked, [ Verso grouses, arms crossed over his chest as he watches Cloud get as far away from the Casio as he can, apparently. ]
Let's call it pleasantly surprised.
[ Thrilled, honestly, but obviously he has to keep that under wraps so as not to frighten Cloud away, like a particularly skittish feral cat he has to earn the trust of before he's allowed to scratch him under the chin. Verso isn't really a cat person—he prefers dogs, loyal and uncomplicated—but he's nothing if not adaptable. So, he'll leave out some tins of tuna and hope one day Cloud might sniff his hand. ]
Any other secret talents I should know about, or do you think piano and snow-shoveling cover it?
(pleasantly surprised, he says, as if that's not just another way of saying 'shocked' but in a polite way. cloud hmms, not entirely convinced, but aware that verso is treading carefully. cloud figures that they have shared enough (relatively) to manage a proper conversation.
cloud isn't so much tired as he is annoyed at being rained on, but that much can't be helped. )
There's a lot you don't know about me.
( that's his response, but not with the intent to shut verso down. knowing what verso does want to talk about, he offers, )
I can read music sheets, but I'm not as good as you are.
[ There's a lot you don't know about me, Cloud says, and Verso raises his eyebrows pointedly. Ooh, mysterious. Well, whatever dark and brooding things he doesn't know about Cloud, they're far less interesting to him than what he does know, which is that Cloud is a secret—or not so secret, now—pianist. ]
We should play together sometime.
[ And then, because he thinks this might be a hard sell: ] You'll like it. There'll be no talking while we play.
( cloud sighs the moment verso says they should play together sometime, almost as if having expected that to come out of his mouth sooner or later. verso is right in thinking it would have been a hard sell.
like a kid who is being forced to do something annoying, cloud simply sinks as much as he can into the couch.
so, instead of making this about him, he turns it on verso, )
( it really never was about convincing tifa to go with him, but cloud is relieved that she does. not because he can't handle this on his own, but because he would rather not be without one of this people from home here for long periods of time, especially knowing that she is the one he can trust the most—
besides, it's not like this little expedition of them isn't without merit. their intent is to head toward the diffusion zone where a 'chocolate river' is at for one of cloud's clients and collect a couple of things that they want fetched. namely, a few bucketfuls of chocolate, and whatever other item of import they can find. the more he brings, the more joolies he will get for his efforts.
tifa's car of choice proves to be an advantage for lugging things back and forth, more so than his motorcycle will, anyway. for the sake of traveling together, he leaves his bike behind in the city and rides shotgun. at the back are some empty buckets, as well as cloud's sword resting on one of the benches. he glances back at a passing landmark, then forward, the rain pelting on the windshield. )
We should be close by.
( if reports by the storm chasers on the forum are anything to go by. )
[ wow good thing she is unaware of any glitched text that may be happening.
driving this time, at least, is easier. the rain is as annoying as it was when she first arrived, but having someone–especially someone that she knows–with her does help ease any worries about traveling somewhere unknown. if they get lost, at least they're getting lost together.
she slows down as he instructed; tifa had already been extra careful due to the less than ideal visibility, anyway. she's being more cautious than she would have back home, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. ]
Okay, can you explain this to me again? [ this is probably the third time she has said this since cloud has suggested the idea. ] It's chocolate?
[ tifa has seen many surreal things that are difficult or even impossible to explain, but this is what has her stumped. it makes no logical sense. ]
( cloud can explain it, as many times as tifa needs him to, even if he sounds a little tired by it. mind your tone, cloud! it's not really annoying— )
Yeah, a river of it, apparently.
( the prospect is not too exciting for him, as he isn't a candy guy. )
A few bakeries are willing to pay a lot for buckets of the stuff. Guess chocolate isn't so easy to find here. ( further up ahead, the road turns, and cloud points, telling tifa to break off from the highway proper and toward the fringes. there's something in the distance that looks promisingly like what they're looking for. ) They're pockets of places, drifting in and out just like we are.
[ tifa nods her head, knowing fully well that she is likely going to have this same confusion once they actually come across of it. every now and then you run into something so silly that you have to wonder if you're being pranked, and this will be one of those moments until she sees it with her own eyes.
but she turns the car as directed, taking in the explanation. he did say the fringes tend to be the more dangerous areas... ]
Makes me wonder what kind of things you've already run into, if this isn't even making you blink.
[ granted, they've seen enough oddities back home, and he always tried to appear unaffected by those, too. ]
( and cloud quickly got used to things, if nothing else. the less time he spends being impressed by scenarios, the better he can acclimate to what is taking place. it's just like his SOLDIER training; just accept what's in front of you so you can react accordingly. one moment of hesitation, one wrong step, and it's game over. )
A chocolate river isn't the worst we could get.
( it takes little time at all after tifa's driven off the highway that they find the rain stopping. the environment around them seems different, like they've entered a different biome entirely.
the car parks, and cloud's stepping off. )
There's the river.
( and a mansion across from it. huh— he hadn't heard about that. he glances at tifa. )
[ ... well, if it's a diffusion zone, then there likely isn't anyone actually living in there, so tifa supposes it's fine. not that they have been shy about going into places they have not been invited to in the past, but still. ]
That's fine. [ she squints at it, also exiting the vehicle, and then sighs. ] There doesn't look like there's any path across with the car.
[ maybe further down? but tifa isn't sure of the idea of driving around aimlessly for a slight possibility there might be a bridge or something. ]
Oh. Wait, is that a boat? Cute.
[ swan boat... she glances at cloud and quickly looks away, trying not to laugh at the mental image. ]
( he says, like a petulant child, a light pout on his lips as he knows exactly what tifa is referring to. he, too, eyes the boat and knows that it's going to be their ticket across. before doing so, though, he'd like to get some of the buckets filled up with chocolate.
which is why he moves to the back of the car, opens the doors, and grabs a couple of the buckets in both hands. )
Let's get the chocolate first and then we'll cross. Knowing our luck—
( place might disappear by the time they decide to come back. he passes some of the buckets over to tifa. )
[ she offers a quick salute before taking the buckets, placing the handles over her arm before heading over to the river. tifa stops once she's at the edge, her expression once again turning into something more uncertain. ]
Okay.
[ okay... this is really chocolate? it's just chocolate, right? she kneels down to get a closer look. it does appear to be chocolate... and there is no way in hell she is going to taste test it, but. ]
I'm not going to get over how weird this is.
[ but cloud is right, in that eventually you do probably do get used to it. ]
( cloud brings another couple of buckets with him after tifa takes some from his hands, joining her at the side of the shore. it definitely looks and smells like chocolate, but, just like her, he won't even dream of tasting it.
he's first in removing the lid from one of the buckets and pushing it onto the thick liquid, collecting it as it flows slowly. )
Yeah. All we're missing is some moogles flying around.
( even that much had felt weird and impossible at some point, but the flying bears and their mushroom houses became weirdly familiar, even an exciting landmark to run into, as they traversed through gaia. )
It's gonna get us a lot of money, though. Might not have to worry about job hunting for a while.
( and, that much? is a welcome prospect in his book.
[ the suggestion comes so seemingly out of nowhere that tifa almost drops a bucket into the river.
she manages to grab onto it before it slips away, and there's a few seconds where she just stays there awkwardly before she sets it onto the ground. okay. let's be normal about this, tifa. ]
That would definitely save us some money.
[ it's the natural conclusion to go to, considering what cloud had just said right before he jumped to that. ]
( when cloud arrives, after six goddamn grueling hours on the road, he's stretching his sore back as he dismounts his motorcycle. he's parked it under an awning, figuring that the zone is deserted enough that he won't find anyone bitching about his parking. he would refer to them to the awfully parked blue van, in any case, but this much tells him that someone else has made it to the diffusion zone, too.
not that cloud cares about company, so he'll just bolster through, as he's here to collect anything that he could sell for a joolie or two. he stops, though, as he goes past the van and finds a familiar someone inside, seemingly going through some notes.
the rain weighs his spiky hair down but it doesn't slow him, as he steps closer to the van's side passenger window and taps at it with a gloved hand, intent on catching the attention of— )
[ Lune visibly jolts in surprise at the knock-knock of knuckles on the window.
The woman normally has a finely-tuned sense for oncoming danger in her periphery, but being six hours out of the city — in the enclosed space of her car, rather than the open ground of the Continent — and the rain muffling sound outside — well, she hadn’t noticed the man approaching.
She chides herself for the unforgivable lapse. She’d have been in trouble if it had been a raider with a gun, rather than— ]
Cloud?
[ Surprised, she leans over and unlocks the passenger door to wave him in. The rain isn’t too oppressive, but she’ll offer him a reprieve regardless.
The sheafs of paper in her lap are an eclectic assortment. She’d been hoping to scavenge proper books and research out here, but they’re a scattering: zines, bound poetry, useless. (She hasn’t reached it yet, but at the bottom is a piece of heavy white cardstock with filligree’d font: You are cordially invited to a wedding in Quadrant Two!) ]
( cloud takes the invitation to get inside the van without hesitating, even if he's going to get the interior of her car wet. it's something of a tight fit—tighter, still, as he maneuvers his buster sword in front of himself, between his legs. he always seems to carry the damn thing with him, doesn't he? like a safety blanket— )
Diffusion zones are good for collecting scrap to sell.
( and some places have some interesting scenarios that unfold within them.
he passes a hand through his wet hair, though it doesn't alleviate the lack of form to his spiked hair. craning his neck back and around the buster sword, he glances at the papers on her lap. he motions at them with a tilt of his head. )
[ The buster sword, as always, is a pain in the neck. She supposes it finally makes sense to her why he bought a motorcycle: he can barely get it through the door and it’s blocking most of his view, the hilt jabbing into the ceiling. At least the Citroën is large and roomy enough that he won’t accidentally stab any of the interior. ]
I wish, [ Lune says, rueful. She continues to flip through the stack of papers, scanning them. One of the pages looks like a child’s homework sheet, filling in printed drawings with their appropriate colours. ] I was hoping for some textbooks and research material, things which might be of use to the lending library, but it’s all garbage. Detritus from other worlds.
[ Well, some parent somewhere probably loved their child’s crayon drawings very much, but for her purposes it’s useless. She moves it to the back, then stops at the heavier paper she’s reached. Makes a thoughtful noise, before holding out the wedding invitation to him. ]
Although… this one mentions quadrants, so it might be more relevant.
( also, regarding the buster sword: cloud's really stubborn about it. he'd rather risk getting it jammed into the car than leaving it outside, apparently. it doesn't embarrass him, though, this brash personality trait; that much speaks volumes of how he feels around lune, comfortable and not judged by her. )
Lending library?
( —yeah, cloud, you were in that forum post arguing with a teenager. clearly he wasn't paying too much attention, but his eyes rove over the pages that lune flips through, curious and nonetheless wanting to understand why it's all garbage.
he blinks at the wedding invitation, reaching over with his right arm (curving over the width of the sword) to take hold of the page, pinching it between two fingers (just barely reaching). after reading it, he leaves it hanging between them for her to take back. )
That's not too far from here. ( the next question seems the obvious thing to say, ) Wanna go?
Yes, the lending library. I thought I saw your phone number responding to it. [ Lune keeps absentmindedly saying things which come out more judgmental than intended. Hopefully he doesn’t take it personally.
But she accepts the card, and thinks it over. There isn’t quite the modern-day Earth association in her world, no especial significance in bringing a date to a wedding: everyone knew everyone, after all, and everyone was constantly coupling up and having babies in Lumière. The ceremonies were relatively small and plain, not an abundance of resources spent on them, but they still happened. The invitations slipped under her door had started dwindling and dwindling, however, as people realised that Lune never accepted.
A small pang, a twist in her ribcage. She doesn’t regret it, she tells herself. She was doing more important work. ]
I’ve never actually been to a wedding, [ she admits, contemplative, looking down at the card rather than Cloud’s face, feeling uncustomarily sheepish for once. ] Not that this would be the same if we don’t know anyone, but —
( sometimes, cloud isn't always doing some crazy stunt on his motorcycle or beating the crap out of raiders or trying to find a job. sometimes he's just in one of the stores trying to find some food for cheap that he can toss into a microwave or eat without needing to heat up. he has no preferences, only wanting to up his caloric intake for the day.
it just so happens that he's perusing the shelves of the same store a familiar, tall beanpole of a teenager is attempting a snack heist. and cloud so happens to see the moment mike grabs some chocolate bars and shoves them into his pockets.
...there's also a furry thing on his shoulder?
the eye contact is inevitable, and the only reason cloud turns his gaze away is because he finds it stupid that mike's getting himself in trouble for shoplifting what is effectively candy. does he even want to deal with this? his glancing away clues him in one the shopkeeper actually looking over their way, so, inevitably— )
Hey.
( maybe his presence will make the shopkeeper want to observe the situation for a little longer before taking action, especially considering the huge sword on cloud's back. not that he's going to cut mike any slack. )
[ Look. Mike has spent the last four months getting his diet down to an art. Breakfast tends to be dry cereal from the box, or Panorama' answer to Pop-tarts, heated in the hotdog cooker. Candy and popcorn and nachos, stolen here and there from the concession stand, sustain him throughout the day, in lieu of a real lunch. For dinner it's either a hot dog, or something actually purchased from the restaurants around the theater. Pepperoni pizza, or plain noodles.
LuxFilms is between shipments though, and the only candy left are the hot cinnamon ones that hurt his stomach, leaving him bereft of much-needed energy throughout the day. And he just paid a chunk of his debt, too, so funds are a little tight.
Which is all to say - pickpocketing at the convenience store. ]
Fuck off. [ He looks over Cloud's shoulder at the front counter, brow furrowed. ] It's none of your business.
[ Mike finishes shoving the candy bar in his pocket. Choco Charge, one of the sketchy ones with a stupid amount of caffeine. ]
( growing teens and their never ending hunger woes; cloud's been there, and is still there in his early twenties. thankfully, at this point since his arrival in diadem, he has managed a mostly stable flow of joolies to finance his meals. therefore, he isn't that hungry anymore, and with the combined efforts of himself and tifa, they've actually managed to start having enough to save.
isn't it nice, being a (mostly) functional adult?
cloud doesn't react to being told to fuck off, his expression remaining cold and stony. while he could once have been considered the ultimate 'police' of his world, he is fortunately not that anymore. )
You're taking a big risk for something that ain't worth it.
( in his opinion.
he's not about to police him, though, and instead grabs for something along the lines of 'artificial pork rinds' (a great source of protein and calories!) and makes his way to the register. it's going to give mike enough of a distraction as he pays for the bag, taking his time getting the right amount of joolies. if the kid doesn't take advantage of this, it's not cloud's fault at all. )
( it's not unlike cloud to get cryptic messages from sherlock, ever since he exchanged numbers with the man. most of the time, these messages go unanswered. deleted, even. his latest message, though, spoke of a job and recompense, and cloud is but a simple man.
he arrives at the location sherlock described, sends back details on how to get here, and waits. cloud, on his motorcycle, would obviously be quicker, and knowing that this particular place comes and goes, it'd make more sense for him to come first. not that sherlock is far behind, he realizes, as the man pulls in with his car.
cloud's been squatting by the shore of the chocolate river, and finally rises, stretching his legs. )
There's your mansion.
( the one he's been looking for in regards to this 'missing person's case'. cloud motions at it with his hand, off in the distance, across from the shore they're on. )
[Never let it be said that Holmes hasn't a deep well of energy reserves that he can call upon at the drop of a hat — as long as a case has caught his attention. And given his personality, it was only a matter of time before he took his feet to the proverbial pavement and sniffed out a potential lead to a missing person's case like a bloodhound on the scent.
Which has culminated in this meet-up right now; he's potentially in need of more muscle to face whatever might exist in that mansion—that's his suspicion, anyway—and who better than to ask Cloud to join him? A man who swings about a giant sword as though it were easy?]
We will cross when we are ready, Mr Strife.
[He is making his way to the trunk of his car, gesturing at him to come closer.]
( with something of a (quiet) sigh (unlikely to escape the detective's notice), cloud makes his way over to sherlock. out of all the jobs he could have, being a bodyguard is one of the ones he prefers; it's straightforward and to the point, and he doesn't really have to worry about the minutia of what's taking place.
sherlock, however, seems to want to make him an indispensable part of the investigation. )
( candy shops all over panorama have been offering candy grams and needing people to deliver them. some places incorporate their own delivery methods, while others, such as this one, because they think it's cute if the candy grams are delivered in two: one to carry the actual candy, the other to read the card aloud (if sung, better!).
cloud glances at the person he's going to be sharing this job with, and grimaces a little at the sight of alisaie. )
Any problems with that?
( this candy shop owner, too, seems the kind that would rather not give them a job at all should they have complaints about their methods. he can get along with this teenager, surely? he looks over at the girl. )
No, we're good.
( unless she isn't cool with working with him? the #cloudhate wouldn't be unfounded. )
( it's been a cat-and-mouse chase, it feels, but they've finally managed to narrow down this particular raider group's base of operations. as it stands, they've stolen something valuable from one of the operators in the scrapyard, and the recompense would be enough to clear cloud of any housing and food woes for the next week, at least.
he kills his bike's engine, but figures that between the noise of the pouring rain and the cliffside ride they've picked to stop at, they won't be seen or heard just yet.
glancing at ardbert, he nods at the man. )
Bet they'll be armed to their teeth.
( considering this is their base of operations... he's just checking to see what ardbert's style is: stealth, or ramming right into danger? )
We can go 'round back, but they might make a run for it from the front.
[ While this may be the first time that Ardbert and Cloud will be working together in this way (a "date" that had been forced upon them doesn't count), he feels no uncertainty about it. Ardbert doesn't have to have seen Cloud in action to be able to tell that he's a skilled combatant. "Soldier First Class," wasn't it...?
His Jeep might not be as surreptitious as a motorcycle, but he parks it under a tree where it might earn less attention from anyone driving along the cliffside path. It's one hell of a place to have a hideout, but maybe he shouldn't expect anything different from the raiders. The Fringes are their realm. ]
It would be more surprising if they weren't, I'd say.
[ But between them they have a massive sword and a massive axe, so Ardbert's not worried. He considers their options. ]
I'm more of a full-frontal assault type, myself. I suspect you might be the same? [ The rain is really coming down now, but he doesn't react much to getting soaked. It is what it is, and at least it will mask their approach somewhat.
He lifts his hands, punching his palm with the opposite fist. ] Let's do what we do best, then.
( while the amount of jobs available in panorama are never lacking, sometimes one can very much feel like they don't have a lot of choice on picking something they'd actually like doing. jobs are whatever is needed at the time, and, currently, with the amount of rain? some places need flooding situations to be sorted out.
which means heading down into the sewers, opening up gates for the passage of water, or whatever the hell actually goes on down there. it's not cloud's first option, but they're paying 50 joolies the hour, the job a dire circumstance that not many are willing to commit to.
he won't get to work on his own, though. that's the only caveat he's informed of as he's given the tools on a belt which will be necessary for the task. at some street on an isolated neighborhood of the city, cloud meets his partner. a tall, blond man. )
You the other guy?
( cloud's a no nonsense kind of person, and doesn't really care about appearances or personalities. he moves past pleasantries, anyway, toward the manhole they're meant to go into. the sword on his back catches against the curb as he squats down, putting his fingers between the grill holes of the sewer cover— )
Cloud Strife.
( —and he lifts up the cover with ease, setting it aside. )
( with the rail available for general use, cloud finds himself hopping on and off, or even staying close to the train station to see if he can catch people looking around to hire someone to help with carrying items to and fro.
one such occasion, he finds himself helping carry crates of flowers for nina. all he needs to do is move them from the train wagon to a cart that is waiting to be restocked.
he nearly loses his balance when he bumps his shoulder against a passing individual. the flowers remain in place within the box, unbothered. )
Watch it.
( is what cloud offers, clipped, shooting the young woman something akin to an annoyed glance. not that he needs it, but he's also carrying his big fuck-off sword clipped to his back. surely, a tryhard. )
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◈ VERSO˖
but for the amount that they're paying for the three-day weekend? it's not a bad deal, and the first night went by without a hitch, mostly because cloud was out for most of it, doing who knows what.
he slept through the morning, on the couch, and found verso gone in the afternoon, taking with him the CASIO piano, likely going to a gig at a bar or somewhere for some cash. good to know cloud's advice wasn't taken for granted. cloud has business outside, too, anyway, but it so happens that when he comes back at night, jacket soaked and spiky blond hair weighed down by rainwater, that both he and verso are in at the same time. verso's in the bathroom, if the light under the door is anything to go by. cloud, for his part, sets down the bag of sandwiches he got (for himself, thanks!) onto the table, and stands there stupidly for a moment. it takes a moment to make himself at home (remove the buster sword, set it against the wall, take off his jacket, kick off his boots) before his eyes land on the electric piano.
something nostalgic bubbles up within him, and cloud makes his way to it, sitting down on the carpeted floor, in front of it. it takes him a moment to plug it in, find the power on button, set the volume to low, and—
play a little song. he's a little out of practice, but a couple of notes in, he manages to get into the rhythm, proper. )
honored to be "& crew"
He remains in the bathroom until Cloud reaches the conclusion of the song, listening through the door with the expectation that he'll stop if Verso interrupts him. Once it sounds as if he's well and truly finished, he pokes his head out of the bathroom. ]
You play?
[ It's a surprise. Cloud doesn't really give off 'sensitive musician' vibes. ]
can't wait for his betrayal
act cool, cloud— )
Yeah. ( and he's pushing himself up to his feet, as if implying he's not going to demonstrate. ) Some.
( as if this exchange isn't happening, he motions towards the bathroom with a hand, where verso is still in. )
Pass me my towel.
top 10 anime betrayals
Well, maybe if they had two beds. And more money. ]
I didn't know you were interested in music. How long have you been playing?
no subject
he catches the towel, immediately fussing with his hair, drying it as best as he can, before slumping down on the couch and letting the towel hang from his shoulders. )
I learned when I was a kid. Next door neighbor taught me.
( and he won't go into detail about that—not willingly, anyway. )
Don't act so shocked.
no subject
Let's call it pleasantly surprised.
[ Thrilled, honestly, but obviously he has to keep that under wraps so as not to frighten Cloud away, like a particularly skittish feral cat he has to earn the trust of before he's allowed to scratch him under the chin. Verso isn't really a cat person—he prefers dogs, loyal and uncomplicated—but he's nothing if not adaptable. So, he'll leave out some tins of tuna and hope one day Cloud might sniff his hand. ]
Any other secret talents I should know about, or do you think piano and snow-shoveling cover it?
no subject
cloud isn't so much tired as he is annoyed at being rained on, but that much can't be helped. )
There's a lot you don't know about me.
( that's his response, but not with the intent to shut verso down. knowing what verso does want to talk about, he offers, )
I can read music sheets, but I'm not as good as you are.
no subject
We should play together sometime.
[ And then, because he thinks this might be a hard sell: ] You'll like it. There'll be no talking while we play.
[ Grumpy ass. ]
no subject
like a kid who is being forced to do something annoying, cloud simply sinks as much as he can into the couch.
so, instead of making this about him, he turns it on verso, )
Playing the piano's that important to you?
◈ TIFA˖
b̷͓̰͌́u̵̙͈͘͠t̶̤́̓̏ ̵̜̹͎̯̀c̴̬̥̼̫͎̿̔̕ą̷̛̗̯̀̒̔̐̕ṇ̶̢͚̙̱͌̍͝ ̶̢̢̣̲͙̊̌̅͐ȳ̶̡͉͍͎͉̓̒̌̈́ơ̷̞̲̬̂̆͘͘̕ų̷̹̠̑̏̐̅,̷̡̰̪͊͌́ͅ ̸͇̦͚̱̿̐̂c̸̹̩̭͉̥̎̃̕l̵̺̳̙̓̔̔͝ơ̵̡̢̧̳͇̱͂u̵̹̰̦̪̅̋̓͆̓͝d̵͎̘̓?̶̲̑̒͂̇͋͜ͅ
—while here.
besides, it's not like this little expedition of them isn't without merit. their intent is to head toward the diffusion zone where a 'chocolate river' is at for one of cloud's clients and collect a couple of things that they want fetched. namely, a few bucketfuls of chocolate, and whatever other item of import they can find. the more he brings, the more joolies he will get for his efforts.
tifa's car of choice proves to be an advantage for lugging things back and forth, more so than his motorcycle will, anyway. for the sake of traveling together, he leaves his bike behind in the city and rides shotgun. at the back are some empty buckets, as well as cloud's sword resting on one of the benches. he glances back at a passing landmark, then forward, the rain pelting on the windshield. )
We should be close by.
( if reports by the storm chasers on the forum are anything to go by. )
Slow down a click just in case.
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driving this time, at least, is easier. the rain is as annoying as it was when she first arrived, but having someone–especially someone that she knows–with her does help ease any worries about traveling somewhere unknown. if they get lost, at least they're getting lost together.
she slows down as he instructed; tifa had already been extra careful due to the less than ideal visibility, anyway. she's being more cautious than she would have back home, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. ]
Okay, can you explain this to me again? [ this is probably the third time she has said this since cloud has suggested the idea. ] It's chocolate?
[ tifa has seen many surreal things that are difficult or even impossible to explain, but this is what has her stumped. it makes no logical sense. ]
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Yeah, a river of it, apparently.
( the prospect is not too exciting for him, as he isn't a candy guy. )
A few bakeries are willing to pay a lot for buckets of the stuff. Guess chocolate isn't so easy to find here. ( further up ahead, the road turns, and cloud points, telling tifa to break off from the highway proper and toward the fringes. there's something in the distance that looks promisingly like what they're looking for. ) They're pockets of places, drifting in and out just like we are.
( look at him... mister expert... )
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but she turns the car as directed, taking in the explanation. he did say the fringes tend to be the more dangerous areas... ]
Makes me wonder what kind of things you've already run into, if this isn't even making you blink.
[ granted, they've seen enough oddities back home, and he always tried to appear unaffected by those, too. ]
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( and cloud quickly got used to things, if nothing else. the less time he spends being impressed by scenarios, the better he can acclimate to what is taking place. it's just like his SOLDIER training; just accept what's in front of you so you can react accordingly. one moment of hesitation, one wrong step, and it's game over. )
A chocolate river isn't the worst we could get.
( it takes little time at all after tifa's driven off the highway that they find the rain stopping. the environment around them seems different, like they've entered a different biome entirely.
the car parks, and cloud's stepping off. )
There's the river.
( and a mansion across from it. huh— he hadn't heard about that. he glances at tifa. )
Might be worth checking out.
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That's fine. [ she squints at it, also exiting the vehicle, and then sighs. ] There doesn't look like there's any path across with the car.
[ maybe further down? but tifa isn't sure of the idea of driving around aimlessly for a slight possibility there might be a bridge or something. ]
Oh. Wait, is that a boat? Cute.
[ swan boat... she glances at cloud and quickly looks away, trying not to laugh at the mental image. ]
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( he says, like a petulant child, a light pout on his lips as he knows exactly what tifa is referring to. he, too, eyes the boat and knows that it's going to be their ticket across. before doing so, though, he'd like to get some of the buckets filled up with chocolate.
which is why he moves to the back of the car, opens the doors, and grabs a couple of the buckets in both hands. )
Let's get the chocolate first and then we'll cross. Knowing our luck—
( place might disappear by the time they decide to come back. he passes some of the buckets over to tifa. )
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[ she offers a quick salute before taking the buckets, placing the handles over her arm before heading over to the river. tifa stops once she's at the edge, her expression once again turning into something more uncertain. ]
Okay.
[ okay... this is really chocolate? it's just chocolate, right? she kneels down to get a closer look. it does appear to be chocolate... and there is no way in hell she is going to taste test it, but. ]
I'm not going to get over how weird this is.
[ but cloud is right, in that eventually you do probably do get used to it. ]
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he's first in removing the lid from one of the buckets and pushing it onto the thick liquid, collecting it as it flows slowly. )
Yeah. All we're missing is some moogles flying around.
( even that much had felt weird and impossible at some point, but the flying bears and their mushroom houses became weirdly familiar, even an exciting landmark to run into, as they traversed through gaia. )
It's gonna get us a lot of money, though. Might not have to worry about job hunting for a while.
( and, that much? is a welcome prospect in his book.
this is when he decides to bring up, casually, )
—we should rent a room together.
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she manages to grab onto it before it slips away, and there's a few seconds where she just stays there awkwardly before she sets it onto the ground. okay. let's be normal about this, tifa. ]
That would definitely save us some money.
[ it's the natural conclusion to go to, considering what cloud had just said right before he jumped to that. ]
And it would be safer to stick together.
◈ LUNE˖
not that cloud cares about company, so he'll just bolster through, as he's here to collect anything that he could sell for a joolie or two. he stops, though, as he goes past the van and finds a familiar someone inside, seemingly going through some notes.
the rain weighs his spiky hair down but it doesn't slow him, as he steps closer to the van's side passenger window and taps at it with a gloved hand, intent on catching the attention of— )
Lune?
( hey bud )
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The woman normally has a finely-tuned sense for oncoming danger in her periphery, but being six hours out of the city — in the enclosed space of her car, rather than the open ground of the Continent — and the rain muffling sound outside — well, she hadn’t noticed the man approaching.
She chides herself for the unforgivable lapse. She’d have been in trouble if it had been a raider with a gun, rather than— ]
Cloud?
[ Surprised, she leans over and unlocks the passenger door to wave him in. The rain isn’t too oppressive, but she’ll offer him a reprieve regardless.
The sheafs of paper in her lap are an eclectic assortment. She’d been hoping to scavenge proper books and research out here, but they’re a scattering: zines, bound poetry, useless. (She hasn’t reached it yet, but at the bottom is a piece of heavy white cardstock with filligree’d font: You are cordially invited to a wedding in Quadrant Two!) ]
What are you doing out here?
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Diffusion zones are good for collecting scrap to sell.
( and some places have some interesting scenarios that unfold within them.
he passes a hand through his wet hair, though it doesn't alleviate the lack of form to his spiked hair. craning his neck back and around the buster sword, he glances at the papers on her lap. he motions at them with a tilt of his head. )
Research, I take it?
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I wish, [ Lune says, rueful. She continues to flip through the stack of papers, scanning them. One of the pages looks like a child’s homework sheet, filling in printed drawings with their appropriate colours. ] I was hoping for some textbooks and research material, things which might be of use to the lending library, but it’s all garbage. Detritus from other worlds.
[ Well, some parent somewhere probably loved their child’s crayon drawings very much, but for her purposes it’s useless. She moves it to the back, then stops at the heavier paper she’s reached. Makes a thoughtful noise, before holding out the wedding invitation to him. ]
Although… this one mentions quadrants, so it might be more relevant.
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Lending library?
( —yeah, cloud, you were in that forum post arguing with a teenager. clearly he wasn't paying too much attention, but his eyes rove over the pages that lune flips through, curious and nonetheless wanting to understand why it's all garbage.
he blinks at the wedding invitation, reaching over with his right arm (curving over the width of the sword) to take hold of the page, pinching it between two fingers (just barely reaching). after reading it, he leaves it hanging between them for her to take back. )
That's not too far from here. ( the next question seems the obvious thing to say, ) Wanna go?
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But she accepts the card, and thinks it over. There isn’t quite the modern-day Earth association in her world, no especial significance in bringing a date to a wedding: everyone knew everyone, after all, and everyone was constantly coupling up and having babies in Lumière. The ceremonies were relatively small and plain, not an abundance of resources spent on them, but they still happened. The invitations slipped under her door had started dwindling and dwindling, however, as people realised that Lune never accepted.
A small pang, a twist in her ribcage. She doesn’t regret it, she tells herself. She was doing more important work. ]
I’ve never actually been to a wedding, [ she admits, contemplative, looking down at the card rather than Cloud’s face, feeling uncustomarily sheepish for once. ] Not that this would be the same if we don’t know anyone, but —
[ But. ]
◈ MIKE˖
it just so happens that he's perusing the shelves of the same store a familiar, tall beanpole of a teenager is attempting a snack heist. and cloud so happens to see the moment mike grabs some chocolate bars and shoves them into his pockets.
...there's also a furry thing on his shoulder?
the eye contact is inevitable, and the only reason cloud turns his gaze away is because he finds it stupid that mike's getting himself in trouble for shoplifting what is effectively candy. does he even want to deal with this? his glancing away clues him in one the shopkeeper actually looking over their way, so, inevitably— )
Hey.
( maybe his presence will make the shopkeeper want to observe the situation for a little longer before taking action, especially considering the huge sword on cloud's back. not that he's going to cut mike any slack. )
Really?
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LuxFilms is between shipments though, and the only candy left are the hot cinnamon ones that hurt his stomach, leaving him bereft of much-needed energy throughout the day. And he just paid a chunk of his debt, too, so funds are a little tight.
Which is all to say - pickpocketing at the convenience store. ]
Fuck off. [ He looks over Cloud's shoulder at the front counter, brow furrowed. ] It's none of your business.
[ Mike finishes shoving the candy bar in his pocket. Choco Charge, one of the sketchy ones with a stupid amount of caffeine. ]
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isn't it nice, being a (mostly) functional adult?
cloud doesn't react to being told to fuck off, his expression remaining cold and stony. while he could once have been considered the ultimate 'police' of his world, he is fortunately not that anymore. )
You're taking a big risk for something that ain't worth it.
( in his opinion.
he's not about to police him, though, and instead grabs for something along the lines of 'artificial pork rinds' (a great source of protein and calories!) and makes his way to the register. it's going to give mike enough of a distraction as he pays for the bag, taking his time getting the right amount of joolies. if the kid doesn't take advantage of this, it's not cloud's fault at all. )
◈ SHERLOCK˖
he arrives at the location sherlock described, sends back details on how to get here, and waits. cloud, on his motorcycle, would obviously be quicker, and knowing that this particular place comes and goes, it'd make more sense for him to come first. not that sherlock is far behind, he realizes, as the man pulls in with his car.
cloud's been squatting by the shore of the chocolate river, and finally rises, stretching his legs. )
There's your mansion.
( the one he's been looking for in regards to this 'missing person's case'. cloud motions at it with his hand, off in the distance, across from the shore they're on. )
We'll cross when you're ready.
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Which has culminated in this meet-up right now; he's potentially in need of more muscle to face whatever might exist in that mansion—that's his suspicion, anyway—and who better than to ask Cloud to join him? A man who swings about a giant sword as though it were easy?]
We will cross when we are ready, Mr Strife.
[He is making his way to the trunk of his car, gesturing at him to come closer.]
Come here.
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sherlock, however, seems to want to make him an indispensable part of the investigation. )
What is it?
◈ ALISAIE˖
( candy shops all over panorama have been offering candy grams and needing people to deliver them. some places incorporate their own delivery methods, while others, such as this one, because they think it's cute if the candy grams are delivered in two: one to carry the actual candy, the other to read the card aloud (if sung, better!).
cloud glances at the person he's going to be sharing this job with, and grimaces a little at the sight of alisaie. )
Any problems with that?
( this candy shop owner, too, seems the kind that would rather not give them a job at all should they have complaints about their methods. he can get along with this teenager, surely? he looks over at the girl. )
No, we're good.
( unless she isn't cool with working with him? the #cloudhate wouldn't be unfounded. )
◈ ARDBERT˖
he kills his bike's engine, but figures that between the noise of the pouring rain and the cliffside ride they've picked to stop at, they won't be seen or heard just yet.
glancing at ardbert, he nods at the man. )
Bet they'll be armed to their teeth.
( considering this is their base of operations... he's just checking to see what ardbert's style is: stealth, or ramming right into danger? )
We can go 'round back, but they might make a run for it from the front.
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His Jeep might not be as surreptitious as a motorcycle, but he parks it under a tree where it might earn less attention from anyone driving along the cliffside path. It's one hell of a place to have a hideout, but maybe he shouldn't expect anything different from the raiders. The Fringes are their realm. ]
It would be more surprising if they weren't, I'd say.
[ But between them they have a massive sword and a massive axe, so Ardbert's not worried. He considers their options. ]
I'm more of a full-frontal assault type, myself. I suspect you might be the same? [ The rain is really coming down now, but he doesn't react much to getting soaked. It is what it is, and at least it will mask their approach somewhat.
He lifts his hands, punching his palm with the opposite fist. ] Let's do what we do best, then.
◈ MURDERBOT˖
which means heading down into the sewers, opening up gates for the passage of water, or whatever the hell actually goes on down there. it's not cloud's first option, but they're paying 50 joolies the hour, the job a dire circumstance that not many are willing to commit to.
he won't get to work on his own, though. that's the only caveat he's informed of as he's given the tools on a belt which will be necessary for the task. at some street on an isolated neighborhood of the city, cloud meets his partner. a tall, blond man. )
You the other guy?
( cloud's a no nonsense kind of person, and doesn't really care about appearances or personalities. he moves past pleasantries, anyway, toward the manhole they're meant to go into. the sword on his back catches against the curb as he squats down, putting his fingers between the grill holes of the sewer cover— )
Cloud Strife.
( —and he lifts up the cover with ease, setting it aside. )
You squeamish? I can lead the way.
◈ JULIE˖
one such occasion, he finds himself helping carry crates of flowers for nina. all he needs to do is move them from the train wagon to a cart that is waiting to be restocked.
he nearly loses his balance when he bumps his shoulder against a passing individual. the flowers remain in place within the box, unbothered. )
Watch it.
( is what cloud offers, clipped, shooting the young woman something akin to an annoyed glance. not that he needs it, but he's also carrying his big fuck-off sword clipped to his back. surely, a tryhard. )