[ ...Oh. Not even Cloud could miss a signal like that, as forward as it is. The last night before everything goes belly-up, huh. She's always been good at disarming him with so few words, and the hand that had clasped around the Buster Sword leaned against the wall seems to slacken before it drops to his side, following his gaze toward the floor. There were other people who were working on dealing with Ragna. He didn't have to get involved... ]
...Guess I... wasn't really thinking about it.
[ Which is the truth. Cloud is always a guy laser-focused on the mission, so it's hard to crack him out of that SOLDIER-shaped shell even when he should be making time for, well, other things. He looks up at Aerith, as if trying to search her expression for something she wants him to say, even knowing there's no right answer. ]
...Can't say I know, for sure. Was there... something you wanted to do? [ It's such a limp, awkward reply, he knows it the second it comes out of his mouth. Toss the ball back in her court while he thinks about something beyond swinging his sword at a crisis in front of him, his whole body language now focused entirely on her, his gaze looking upward just slightly at her as he tries to reconcile the change in conversation. ]
Edited (i'm so sorry for the inbox spam lmao) Date: 2024-03-13 11:32 am (UTC)
[ It is an awkward and limp reply. Nearly turgid in it's delivery, but Aerith smiles at him blithely, looking down for a moment before her gaze saccades back to him and then away again, in thought. What does she want to do? Hard to say; they've been alone before, but this feels unprecedented. After a moment of thinking, she shakes her head. ]
It's alright. I think we should go check on the guy who blew up that building.
[ Without missing a beat, she continues: ] You know, something tells me we're about to uncover a lot more than we bargained for. Weird, huh? There must be something we're missing now, but I feel like I understand why he did it for the most part. Thing is, ...actions have consequences.
[ Seventh Heaven burned to the ground. Maybe it didn't, in reality, but it sits broken and abandoned now, memories of a home spilling out of it like blood gushing from a mortal wound. She doesn't want to see things progress to that point again. ]
[ The way she acquiesces makes his stomach clench. Like she's following his lead, but that he failed a test. And truth is, he's not entirely comfortable with it. There's a part of him screaming to do something, before they get wound up in yet more problems. They'd only been here a week, but it was a week that they hadn't spent trying to get out from under Shinra, and that was hard to put a price on. ]
[ He takes a small step forward, it's hesitant, but he steels himself a bit as he reaches out and puts a hand on Aerith's shoulder, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. ]
If that's what you want to do. [ It feels a little less limp this time, now that he's gotten some wind in his proverbial sails and he's not trying to dodge the question. ] You're right, this could be the last quiet moment we have for a while. There are other people checking in on the destruction. It can wait a single night.
[ It's clear that letting things wait is not Cloud's style, especially when the memories of Nibelheim and Sector 7 flash fast and free in his mind. But at the same time, he feels adamant that making sure him and Aerith are on the same page outweighs the chaos unfolding tonight. ]
If that's the case, we should... let ourselves take this moment for what it is, right?
[ The flicker of change in Cloud's expression captures Aerith's attention as easily as a bowl of food enraptures a dog. His hand on her shoulder, the way he faces her head on; for a moment, she's reminded of why she likes Cloud himself so much, and sees the man before her entirely as his own person. Surprise filters into her features, only to quickly melt away under the sway of his words, terse but kind despite the shortness.
She smiles. ] Well... how about a quick night on the town? We'll swing by ground zero and get a better layout of the place then, right?
[ It's still trying to work in work, but... ]
If it's with you, Cloud, I'll do anything.
[ If there's a teasing glimmer in her eyes when she says it, she certainly does mean it, but won't acknowledge it. ]
[ The way she says it can only hope to force the pink to his cheeks and the hint of a bashful smirk on his face. His eyes dart away after locking with hers, as if staring at her for more than a few moments is too hard on the eyes, as warm and bright as she is.
Okay, settle down, Cloud. ]
Alright, then. [ It's a bit of an awkward break, but there's a bit of self-deprecating cheer to it. ] Guess it's a date.
[ Of course, now he has to try and take something approaching initiative, his eyes darting to and fro as he thinks. His head first tilting down at the floor, then up at the ceiling. ] It's a sleepy little town, but I heard there's some nice nighttime entertainment. We could... do that first, if we want to save ground zero for last. Let everyone clear out before we go get a look.
Might be there's some spots we can get a better view of the town from, too. Really get the lay of the land.
[ He's suggesting a little bit of everything. The nerves are admittedly on full display here. He's trying to downplay them, but if Cloud was transparent to Aerith before, he's even moreso now. ]
Oooh. [ Already, she's taking off to the door, arm outstretched as she reaches for the handle. A grin is splitting her face, wide and energetic, as she listens to him speak. It isn't that Aerith isn't listening to Cloud, but rather than she has a tease to wiggle into their conversation. ] A date, is it?
[ With that delivered, she can listen more clearly. The door swings open, now, and she twists to look at him with a smile. ] Think I might even know a place to get a decent aerial view now, too. So, you up for a little nighttime climb?
[ As Aerith responds, he can't help from keep the pink coloring his ears, making them stand out among the wild head of chocobo hair. He reaches for his sword at the same time Aerith reaches for the door, slotting it neatly on his back. He turns to her, and a smirk plays across his face a bit as he retorts. ]
As long as I don't need to haul you up from a broken ladder again. [ There's not a hint of malice there, and in fact, there's a sneaking suspicion he might even mean the opposite of that — it might've been one of the first times he went out of his way for Aerith, but it'd be far from the last. He even snorts in amusement. ]
[ His joke lands on her shoulders with a puff of annoyance, though it has no weight to it. He sure did leave her hanging for a bit at that time, hadn't he? She's repaid him twice over for the little tease, but she still can think of a way to thank him.
It's beyond the inn, the way she leads him, past the shadow of the building. They leave it in their wake as it falls tall and ominous along the cobblestones, broken and refitted throughout their long lives. Aerith takes him past the hubbub of the explosion, where a dull sense of urgency is flourishing still. It's odd, she thinks, how easily these things happen. She thinks of the plate falling, all the destruction weaving itself into the land like a parasite infecting a dying body. The fight for survival always dragged on.
It isn't until Aerith leads him beyond the city, into rolling hills and to the base of an old tree that she can speak without the memory of saving Marlene breathing down her neck, pulsing in her blood. ]
I'm starting to think, [ she says, softly, palm flat against the rough bark of the tree. The lingering embers of a fire burns in the center of the city, half-dead but half-alive, too. The tiny particles it spits glow red-orange, floating up into the open sky: A sight she has never beheld before now. ] Things are actually really dire here. Aren't they?
[ For Cloud, as they walk, his thoughts are partially of the Plate, but moreso of home — especially as the still-glowing embers of the city hall drift into the air. He swallows the lump in his through, one green-blue eye looking back to the past, to a town called Nibelheim. The other looking straight ahead at Aldrip. If it weren't for Aerith at his side, the rubble of the explosion would have caused him to relive those memories immediately, but her steady hand — sometimes literally dragging him forward — keeps him from lingering in his own head too long. Something he's deeply grateful for. ]
[ Of course, when they get to their destination, Aerith's question gets a barb in return, dull and ineffective. ] What, you mean besides the fact we're apparently all here to serve a sentence for a crime?
[ There's a beat after he says it, though, where he folds his arms and looks down at the ground — to not look at Aldrip, in the moment. A sleepy little town hiding secrets and prisoners. ]
...You're right, though. I've been feeling it, too. It's under the surface, so it's kind of hard to pinpoint what it is, but...
[ People don't just decide to blow up buildings for no reason. And something about all of this felt decidedly off. Like an edge he didn't expect for a town so small. ]
Know what, Cloud? I think you're right. They should give us a brochure to catch us up to speed!
[ Looks like they'll have to hit the ground running again, busting their asses to find the truth wedged into some kind of hole they'd have never found on their own. It's the same old story for a pair on the run, in the end. Aerith looks up at him, turning her head gently. The long brown braid of her hair slips over her shoulder as she squats onto the ground, knees hugged to her chest. A beat of silence punctures their conversation for a moment, lets the air out and there's a moment where she wonders if this is really all she's brought him out here for: To talk about the political landscape of a world they're stranded in. ]
The crime part... I don't know. I get this feeling... we're only at the first chapter. [ Slowly, her green gazes drifts down. It roves over to the flames dying down in the distance. ]
Would that it were that easy. Guess that just means we'll have to do it ourselves.
[ Take jobs. Make connections. Get information. Wash, rinse, repeat. It certainly fit their lifestyle, but he lets Aerith fall uncharacteristically silent as she squats on the hill. It's not like he's never seen her at her more melancholy... but it always takes him a bit off guard. ]
[ But then she opened up with the crime she was accused for. Which isn't something he was prepared to do... and he lets his shoulders sag a bit. A held breath escaping, as he sits down next to — not looking at her, not yet, but looking at towards the town as she looks down at the grass. Close enough they could brush against each other, shoulder to shoulder. But still giving enough of that distance that if she wanted to shy away, she could. ]
Abandonment, huh? Doesn't sound like you at all, if I'm being honest. Don't know if I've ever met a more stubborn person.
[ Despite the candidness, there is a hint of warmth to that tone. It's a compliment, to be sure. How many times had Aerith refused to even entertain the notion of an easier path when she could drag him along kicking and pouting? ]
But... let's say you're right. [ Because she's rarely wrong. ] The first chapter of... what, exactly? And how do our crimes play into that?
[ He feels like he's on the cusp of admitting his own crime, but he still doesn't know how to grapple with it. Abandonment sure didn't fit what he know of Aerith, and he couldn't think of why his crime was what it was. And above alll... he doesn't want this moment to be about him. Aerith's opening her heart, and he wants to be there and let her pour it out. ]
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no subject
Date: 2024-03-13 11:30 am (UTC)...Guess I... wasn't really thinking about it.
[ Which is the truth. Cloud is always a guy laser-focused on the mission, so it's hard to crack him out of that SOLDIER-shaped shell even when he should be making time for, well, other things. He looks up at Aerith, as if trying to search her expression for something she wants him to say, even knowing there's no right answer. ]
...Can't say I know, for sure. Was there... something you wanted to do? [ It's such a limp, awkward reply, he knows it the second it comes out of his mouth. Toss the ball back in her court while he thinks about something beyond swinging his sword at a crisis in front of him, his whole body language now focused entirely on her, his gaze looking upward just slightly at her as he tries to reconcile the change in conversation. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-04-06 09:25 pm (UTC)It's alright. I think we should go check on the guy who blew up that building.
[ Without missing a beat, she continues: ] You know, something tells me we're about to uncover a lot more than we bargained for. Weird, huh? There must be something we're missing now, but I feel like I understand why he did it for the most part. Thing is, ...actions have consequences.
[ Seventh Heaven burned to the ground. Maybe it didn't, in reality, but it sits broken and abandoned now, memories of a home spilling out of it like blood gushing from a mortal wound. She doesn't want to see things progress to that point again. ]
We know that.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-06 11:24 pm (UTC)[ He takes a small step forward, it's hesitant, but he steels himself a bit as he reaches out and puts a hand on Aerith's shoulder, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. ]
If that's what you want to do. [ It feels a little less limp this time, now that he's gotten some wind in his proverbial sails and he's not trying to dodge the question. ] You're right, this could be the last quiet moment we have for a while. There are other people checking in on the destruction. It can wait a single night.
[ It's clear that letting things wait is not Cloud's style, especially when the memories of Nibelheim and Sector 7 flash fast and free in his mind. But at the same time, he feels adamant that making sure him and Aerith are on the same page outweighs the chaos unfolding tonight. ]
If that's the case, we should... let ourselves take this moment for what it is, right?
no subject
Date: 2024-04-08 12:13 am (UTC)She smiles. ] Well... how about a quick night on the town? We'll swing by ground zero and get a better layout of the place then, right?
[ It's still trying to work in work, but... ]
If it's with you, Cloud, I'll do anything.
[ If there's a teasing glimmer in her eyes when she says it, she certainly does mean it, but won't acknowledge it. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-04-08 03:45 am (UTC)Okay, settle down, Cloud. ]
Alright, then. [ It's a bit of an awkward break, but there's a bit of self-deprecating cheer to it. ] Guess it's a date.
[ Of course, now he has to try and take something approaching initiative, his eyes darting to and fro as he thinks. His head first tilting down at the floor, then up at the ceiling. ] It's a sleepy little town, but I heard there's some nice nighttime entertainment. We could... do that first, if we want to save ground zero for last. Let everyone clear out before we go get a look.
Might be there's some spots we can get a better view of the town from, too. Really get the lay of the land.
[ He's suggesting a little bit of everything. The nerves are admittedly on full display here. He's trying to downplay them, but if Cloud was transparent to Aerith before, he's even moreso now. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-04-11 11:19 pm (UTC)[ With that delivered, she can listen more clearly. The door swings open, now, and she twists to look at him with a smile. ] Think I might even know a place to get a decent aerial view now, too. So, you up for a little nighttime climb?
no subject
Date: 2024-04-15 10:36 pm (UTC)As long as I don't need to haul you up from a broken ladder again. [ There's not a hint of malice there, and in fact, there's a sneaking suspicion he might even mean the opposite of that — it might've been one of the first times he went out of his way for Aerith, but it'd be far from the last. He even snorts in amusement. ]
Lead the way.
no subject
Date: 2024-04-22 08:44 pm (UTC)It's beyond the inn, the way she leads him, past the shadow of the building. They leave it in their wake as it falls tall and ominous along the cobblestones, broken and refitted throughout their long lives. Aerith takes him past the hubbub of the explosion, where a dull sense of urgency is flourishing still. It's odd, she thinks, how easily these things happen. She thinks of the plate falling, all the destruction weaving itself into the land like a parasite infecting a dying body. The fight for survival always dragged on.
It isn't until Aerith leads him beyond the city, into rolling hills and to the base of an old tree that she can speak without the memory of saving Marlene breathing down her neck, pulsing in her blood. ]
I'm starting to think, [ she says, softly, palm flat against the rough bark of the tree. The lingering embers of a fire burns in the center of the city, half-dead but half-alive, too. The tiny particles it spits glow red-orange, floating up into the open sky: A sight she has never beheld before now. ] Things are actually really dire here. Aren't they?
no subject
Date: 2024-04-22 10:42 pm (UTC)[ Of course, when they get to their destination, Aerith's question gets a barb in return, dull and ineffective. ] What, you mean besides the fact we're apparently all here to serve a sentence for a crime?
[ There's a beat after he says it, though, where he folds his arms and looks down at the ground — to not look at Aldrip, in the moment. A sleepy little town hiding secrets and prisoners. ]
...You're right, though. I've been feeling it, too. It's under the surface, so it's kind of hard to pinpoint what it is, but...
[ People don't just decide to blow up buildings for no reason. And something about all of this felt decidedly off. Like an edge he didn't expect for a town so small. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-04-27 08:14 pm (UTC)[ Looks like they'll have to hit the ground running again, busting their asses to find the truth wedged into some kind of hole they'd have never found on their own. It's the same old story for a pair on the run, in the end. Aerith looks up at him, turning her head gently. The long brown braid of her hair slips over her shoulder as she squats onto the ground, knees hugged to her chest. A beat of silence punctures their conversation for a moment, lets the air out and there's a moment where she wonders if this is really all she's brought him out here for: To talk about the political landscape of a world they're stranded in. ]
The crime part... I don't know. I get this feeling... we're only at the first chapter. [ Slowly, her green gazes drifts down. It roves over to the flames dying down in the distance. ]
Mine said... "Abandonment."
no subject
Date: 2024-04-28 05:49 am (UTC)[ Take jobs. Make connections. Get information. Wash, rinse, repeat. It certainly fit their lifestyle, but he lets Aerith fall uncharacteristically silent as she squats on the hill. It's not like he's never seen her at her more melancholy... but it always takes him a bit off guard. ]
[ But then she opened up with the crime she was accused for. Which isn't something he was prepared to do... and he lets his shoulders sag a bit. A held breath escaping, as he sits down next to — not looking at her, not yet, but looking at towards the town as she looks down at the grass. Close enough they could brush against each other, shoulder to shoulder. But still giving enough of that distance that if she wanted to shy away, she could. ]
Abandonment, huh? Doesn't sound like you at all, if I'm being honest. Don't know if I've ever met a more stubborn person.
[ Despite the candidness, there is a hint of warmth to that tone. It's a compliment, to be sure. How many times had Aerith refused to even entertain the notion of an easier path when she could drag him along kicking and pouting? ]
But... let's say you're right. [ Because she's rarely wrong. ] The first chapter of... what, exactly? And how do our crimes play into that?
[ He feels like he's on the cusp of admitting his own crime, but he still doesn't know how to grapple with it. Abandonment sure didn't fit what he know of Aerith, and he couldn't think of why his crime was what it was. And above alll... he doesn't want this moment to be about him. Aerith's opening her heart, and he wants to be there and let her pour it out. ]