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[supersoldier]

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audio.

[evanescent]

[This is the craziest thing she's ever done, and she's done a lot of crazy things.]

Sephiroth?

It's me, Aerith. Gainsborough.

[...]

Are you busy? If you are, I can call back.

[supersoldier]

[He isn’t busy, but there is a weighted pause before he replies — if only because social calls are utterly unexpected things, so foreign that he consciously makes an effort to speak before the silence drags on too long.

After all, maybe it wasn’t that. Did she need something from him? He can’t possibly imagine what.]

Aerith. I’m not busy at the moment. Did you need something from me? [—he asks, reflecting his thought process.]

[evanescent]

Oh — no, I don't need anything! It's only...

[She imagines the myriad ways in which this could go wrong. Did Vincent know he was here? Tifa? Cloud? Not a one of them would approve of this, she knows.

But as always, Aerith made her own decisions.]

I have a garden here now. I don't know if you're a fan of nature, but... I wanted you to know that you could stop by whenever you wanted to, if you do at all.

Zack always liked to see flowers — they're so rare in Midgar, you know.

[supersoldier]

[He doesn’t know what to do with her clarification. It’s a polite invite — and Sephiroth isn’t so socially inept to not think of it as a friendly one, at that — and those are just as rare as random calls out of the blue from passing acquaintances.

And so he neither accepts nor declines quite yet, only pursues the presented topic further.]

I’ve never seen them growing freely in Midgar. If gardening was a hobby of yours, I can’t imagine the city was very accommodating.

[It’s difficult to know what to say about Zack, like he’s encroaching upon a subject where he has no room to tread.]

Did he help you grow them?

[evanescent]

It was.

[She speaks carefully.] And you're right. There was only one place where they'd really grow there. I bet you spent most of your time on the Upper Plate, huh?

[A pause. She fills the space between with a musing sort of hum, like she can't help but fill the gaps in their conversations with sound.] And not exactly — he did help me build a flower cart. It's pretty sturdy!

[supersoldier]

Yes. Or stationed at HQ.

[There was little need for Midgar-sightseeing for a man like Sephiroth. But perhaps more importantly, there was little want. Though it was forest of dark steel, partitioned by sectors and lower-upper layers, the whole of Midgar might as well have been equated to that Shinra corporation’s interior for the SOLDIER.

Not much time to see growing flowers, never mind how rare they must be. ]

That does sound like something he would do. [Zack, ever helpful, ever eager. Probably doubly so for the girl he liked. If there’s a lilt in his tone, barely there, it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.]

So you sold them, too? [The flowers, he means — why else invest in a cart?]

[evanescent]

Just work then, huh.

... Did you ever get bored?

[Maybe she's being too forward, but she's genuinely curious. The idea of being on the Upper Plate made her anxious even now, years separated from it, brave enough to take the routes there to sell flowers. It's the knowledge of being monitored, knowing that she might be grabbed whenever Shinra deemed it necessary.

She had always avoided getting too close to their branded buildings. She could not imagine anyone thinking of it as a home.

She catches the amusement in his tone, brief and fond, and allows her own to soften a fraction. The thought that he might have genuinely liked Zack is not hard to imagine, though it saddens her, all the same.]

I did. One gil for one flower! I'd usually sell out by the end of the day. Everyone seemed to love flowers in Midgar, even people you wouldn't expect.

action; amegahara

[liveandforgive]

[ With most of everyone relatively unscathed after the trek beyond The Nothing, it's a comfort that Cloud takes in spending time by himself once he's caught up with the likes of Zack and Tifa. Wherever Marie and Sanson were, it was as simple as texting or calling either one of them. Or vice versa if his co-pilots needed him.

After spending so much time with his mind melded with other people, be it Weiss in the testing phases or in the thick of it all as they combated serpents and the menacing titan of before, this was one time that he was content with being alone with his thoughts. Leaning over the railing of a bridge, the blond's eyes are set upon the rest of the somewhat familiar terrain. The closest thing to Amegahara he could think of, be it this planet or his own...was Caihong, or Wutai.

Seems like everywhere he turns, there's something or someone that's reminding of what they all left behind.

At least Cloud wasn't feeling sick anymore! There's a plus. He'll stay here for a little while longer before calling it a night. Beautiful as it was here in this city, the day had been long and arduous. They were going to need to rest up before the return trip home. ...he tells himself as he shakes his head, subconsciously avoiding sleep. After the memories that he's shared with others unwillingly? He doesn't want to go back to that dark place. Not ever again.

Even if the reality was that it still hurt, try as he might to distract himself from the fact that she was gone. ]

[supersoldier]

[The first few days will be filled with readjustment, an overarching task that would make anyone weary. Though Sephiroth is not the sort to experience it physically, the energy of an inherently anti-social mind drains swiftly, despite its military inclinations. It is simple enough to perform the tasks needed to reach Amegahara — viewing it as a mission to be seen to completion — but once arrived? The hustle and bustle of people, the strange sights, the odder experiences (why is this city obsessed with donuts?) on top of still not having adjusted completely to Lunatian life…. Well, they’re enough to even force Sephiroth to seek quiet respite.

Perhaps unsurprising to those who are close to him, privy to his personality and its reticent nature. Not that many of those exist on Gaia, much less this world.

He’s just shooed away the company of a crystal fox that kept, quite literally, dogging his every step. And now, finding a familiar figure leaning over a bridge’s railing but minutes later gives him pause — he considers, for a brief second, if he should walk in another direction to actually allow himself just a moment of solitude.

Yet Cloud has the advantage of two things: Sephiroth’s burgeoning curiosity concerning the other young man, and his propensity to share his aloof demeanor. Soon after, his distant footsteps become louder, heralding the SOLDIER’s approach.]

...You look tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?

[Sephiroth’s usual greeting, AKA the lack of any real greeting at all. It’s unneeded at this point.]

[liveandforgive]

?

[ Trapped within his own mind as he was, the normally more wary blond had yet to even register the metered steps of their boots across the wooden pathway. So it's when that familiar voice disperses that fog of thoughts, Cloud turns over his shoulder with a broadened expression. Seeing the familiar face, the tension that'd usually follow his presence, for one reason or another...is dulled. Almost like it was nonexistent. Was Sephiroth's presence normal to him now?

That is a thought that inwardly disturbs him, but he does little to show it. Truth be told, even the silver-haired man who approaches with his usual militant disposition, wasn't immune from piercing Cloud's thoughts in their time spent here. What he's shared, what he's kept hidden from him, what he's lied about, the very real notion that all of it could be a farce to the man he attempted to cast this illusion over. Days and weeks passed by upon his arrival here, and he couldn't bring himself to care about the lies he's fabricated.

But the crystalline ring that accompanies the wake of Sephiroth's swings reverb through his conscience- not out of fear, but as a reminder of the night he and Tifa were held captive by the Sinless. While Cloud had no intention of letting himself get killed, his life was inconsequential compared to everyone else's. Compared to Tifa's, whose life Sephiroth saved. And seeing him here, yet again, as that very same man they all once knew, adds yet another weight to his heart.

He hates it. He hates him. And yet... ]

Not really. [ He fesses up, a hand resting on the railing as he stands upright, turning to face the man proper. ] Maybe I'm just overtired.

[ Technically? Not wrong. ]

[supersoldier]

[Sephiroth steps forward, close enough to carry on comfortable conversation. His own gloved hands place themselves on the railing, facing outwards to take in the view of the city, his demeanor stoic and his back straight. It does remind him a bit of Wutai, too — even if his own memory of that settlement is couched in the unflattering light of war. Masamune at his side, heading the front line, cleaving opposition away with so much ease it might have been a parody to an outsider’s eyes.

Even so, the reminder of home threatens to sink him into pensiveness, and he pulls these thoughts away to focus on the conversation partner that he approached, glancing at him sidelong.]

That wouldn’t surprise me. A body too exhausted, but a mind too overworked to allow for sleep. It isn’t uncommon.

[Even for military types. Maybe especially for military types, ex or otherwise.]

But it’s getting late. You would’ve retired by now if rest was something you actually cared about. Is something keeping you up?

[liveandforgive]

[ Instead of stepping away when the taller man closes that gap, Cloud holds his own as he watches him face the span of the city that sprawls before them. He's so used to seeing him unhinged, less stoic and more humoured by the "traitors" that were beneath him. But that stoicism brings him back, and once again, leaves him feeling that much smaller. ]

Mm. Between a bunch of Zolom-sized snakes and whatever that...thing was... [ A titan whose myth and legend evades him already. That was one hell of a showdown. ]

...

[ A cuffed breath surfaces past his lips. "Is something keeping you up?" What a loaded question; and yet Sephiroth hadn't foggiest clue, did he? The silence grows between them once more, and for a while, it seems like Cloud was content with leaving that question to die in the still of night. Or maybe he could flip it back around on the SOLDIER. If he were being honest, part of him still wants to- a biting impulse. But something's different this time...

In his eyes, no longer steeped in gold like before, conflict brews. And all he can think about are the words imparted to him by this very same man. None of them were subtle.

He realizes now the fleeting vulnerability that he's showing. All this time, Cloud has continued to shove everything down. Around Zack, around Tifa, around Weiss, even around his co-pilots whom became quite privy to some of his past sins. And just when it seems like tonight would be a repeat of their conversation over the network... ]

On our way here, when we were piloting the GIGA...my memories melded with my co-pilots. [ He meters himself, Cloud's gaze setting upon the town still. Why was he doing this? ] And I saw theirs too.

Can't say I didn't see it coming. [ They were told of the neural connection and what could happen at the start of the mission. His brow knits slightly. Cloud's scratching the tip of the iceberg, but...it's a start. ] Still...

[supersoldier]

[Ah, yes. The neural connection and the threat of memories and thoughts melding together — shared across two likely strangers. Nothing could sound less appealing to Sephiroth, even if the extent of his experiences would reveal one glaring thing: his association with Shinra. How the megacorporation was less a headquarters than it was a home, knowing nothing else for as long as he’s lived. Tests, training, conditioning, warfare, strategy. A war hero (a weapon) to be deployed when necessary.

Nothing to be ashamed of, but still nothing he would want eking into the mind of another he didn’t know. Sephiroth keeps much to himself, and he often prefers it that way. He can empathize with the point Cloud is trying to make.]

Did you share a memory you would rather have kept to yourself? Or see something you didn’t like?

After May Triple Moons; Audio

[liveandforgive]

[ He'd attempted to track Sephiroth down after the events of last month- but between the cleanup of the Sinless and the fact that everyone was being made to move out and return to Lunatia as soon as possible, the blond had missed his chance. Between the various moon cycles (dare he approach the man during Cordis? No...) and his own thoughts astir, it was when the celebrations of the Inari Highway being opened were announced that it came back to him.

The night in Amegahara where he was that much closer to unveiling the truth to a man who... ]

Tch.

[ He needed to know. He deserved to know. Cloud couldn't risk the others being in on this. Not this time. He's told Tifa that he'd thought of telling him. Told Weiss that it was time he learned the truth. But this call? This hopeful future meeting? IT was all by the blond's design. And as he looks at the username and account of a particular legendary SOLDIER on his bracer, he spent the past thirty minutes weighing his options before ultimately...

He took the leap of faith.

It's ringing. ]

[supersoldier]

[He remains oblivious, of course, to the weight of what Cloud would wish to tell him. And so, there being no reason to deny the call -- though finding it strange that the man should reach out to him at all (had something else happened?) -- Sephiroth answers without meaningful delay.

His voice, coolly detached as ever, is at least mildly curious.]

Cloud. [A beat. Pleasantries were never his forte, and Cloud should not expect them by now.] Following up on me, or is there a problem?

[liveandforgive]

Sephiroth.

[ Is there a problem...

That deep, resonating tone that he's used to. Was it strange to have gotten used to the opposite inflections? No malice. Only professionalism. Respect. Not fear. It's the memory of it all, however, that will serve as his grounder. A constant reminder of how lightly he must tread.

Alright, Cloud. You got this. ]

Yeah. [ ... wait- ] I mean, I'm checking in. But-

[ Okay, Cloud. You sorta got this. He realizes the way he's fumbled and catches himself. ]

...

[ Once, he told the general that there were things he had to tell him. Things that would take time and that he would need to trust him. His response? That none of them had been discreet about their discomfort with him. How many times has he strung Sephiroth along now? Bread crumbs that lead to a fast river, and the trail is swept away with no idea where to go.

It scares him, now that he's actually on the phone with him. He thought he was ready. ...maybe he never would be. But after attacking him? Time was running out, mere grains rolling through the hourglass. So, finally, ]

We need to talk.

[supersoldier]

[No matter who speaks them, and no matter the universe in which the words are spoken, “we need to talk” never bodes well.

There’s only a fraction of a pause, so brief it’s barely there at all. He can already feel the weight of something serious about to bear down on him, though without context, he cannot know what — not yet.]

Do we?

[He won’t deny him, of course.]

About what?

[liveandforgive]

[ By all accounts, Cloud could have continued the farce, paper thin though it may be. Waited for the man to vanish into the ether all over again and become another memory. His presence brings unease. And yet after all this time, not only conversing with the man on equal footing (for once), fighting alongside him and and even being saved by him...

He loathes this. He loathes everything about this. There's no anger. Only an amalgamation of lingering fears and...respect. Respect for a piece of the past that got dealt a terrible hand. What the hell kind of complicated feelings are these?! Yet at the end of the day, Sephiroth witnessed the fear in Cloud's eyes for himself.

The silence is palpable as the answer sits on the tip of his tongue...

A name. One very close to the two of them. Where it all began. And so where it shall continue. ]

Nibelheim.

[supersoldier]

[Nibelheim.

The name of that town shudders through them, rippling in the space between himself and Cloud. The point in which he came from, in which Cloud and the others had always been so departed from.

Suddenly, it hangs above both their heads like tempered steel, doesn't it? He recalls, quite clearly, that he had said none of them had been subtle; that there was something being obscured from him, and he knew it, though he would not chase after it quite yet.

But now-]

What's made you want to talk about Nibelheim?

text ; [un:tseng]

[detao]

Sephiroth, Tseng here. I have some questions for you if you would indulge me at your earliest convenience.

Thank you.

[supersoldier]

[Unexpected.

But perhaps not so much, after a moment of thought. Knowing that Rufus Shinra is here, it would only follow that the universe itself should bend over backwards to make certain his loyal Turks were clung to his side. Even if the Turks as Sephiroth remembers it had served, officially, the old President whom is — in the future, at least — dead.

There is a lot he could reply with, given recent revelations. He begins simply enough.]

Questions regarding the matter of timelines, I assume?

[detao]

( Well, perhaps this bodes well. Sephiroth does indeed respond, and what he says isn't seething with venom. It's quite reasonable - which reason had been long-lost to Sephiroth. Tseng exhales with some hope coming into him with his next breath. )

Indeed. Would you mind sharing with me the events on Gaia before you arrived in this world?

[supersoldier]

[Reasonable, perhaps, at first glance. But text hides the emotion behind the screen, specifically his burrowing discontent in regards to Shinra and all those affiliated with it. His conversation with Cloud has served as a wound, even if it was a necessary one, a part of him still raw. Still processing.

To be contacted by Tseng earns no true goodwill from Sephiroth.

The reply is purposefully needling.]

Are you wanting to know if the thought of setting Nibelheim alight has crossed my mind?

[Stop fishing.]

[detao]

( The message is uncomfortable and Tseng clicks his tongue from the roof of his mouth. He can feel the uneasiness swarm in his gut and his shoulders begin to feel tense. He eyes the message with disdain and his jaw tightens. )

I see, there's no need for me to be subtle. What is your purpose here?

[supersoldier]

[That question, too, slides against his nerves, though not a task particularly difficult to do. He has been here for close to a year, and Tseng thinks to ask him this like he’s the newly arrived one?]

Maybe you should tell me why it matters to you. Are you afraid?