Just tell me, asshole. I can't "spend time at your side" if you're hiding like a coward.
[That said...he gets up from where he's sitting in the living room of the farmhouse, gaze moving to the door without really thinking about it. Now that he's paying attention, he's aware of a familiar sensation: the absolute certainty that Sephiroth is somewhere nearby. He moves cautiously toward the door, opens it, peers around outside, and then steps out of the house and closes the door behind him.
If Sephiroth won't tell Cloud where he is, maybe Cloud can just find him himself.]
I'm not hiding, Cloud. You simply don't know where to look.
[Sephiroth is in fact chilling with the chocobos. He doesn't mind animals though Cloud will probably mind Sephiroth being near them. But one is actually sleeping near where Sephiroth is sitting.]
[Cloud doesn't bother to reply this time. Instead, he crosses the field slowly, fully alert and sword at his back, having grabbed it on his way out. He doesn't know how or why he feels as if he knows where to go any more than he had back home when the others questioned him on it. It's just...a hunch.
His hunch brings him to the stables, where he reaches back to lightly grip the Buster Sword's hilt in one hand as he carefully steps inside. It's dark, but it's not difficult to spot the mako glow in the pair of snakelike eyes looking back at him. He stops just a couple of steps past the door, tensing.]
[Sephiroth looks up and over the moment Cloud nears the building. He's already looking in his direction when he walks in as though he knew exactly when he'd take a step. Which is probably true.]
I was messaging you, Cloud.
[The answer is half sarcastic, half the truth. That's not what Cloud meant, but it is what Sephiroth was doing.]
[His eyes are hard and his jaw is set. This deal was probably a mistake, but it's the one way he knows of to make sure his friends are safe. So he'll abide by it, and hey - Sephiroth never said he couldn't attack him, if need be.]
Well, I'm not gonna just sit in the stables in the dark. So if you wanna...hang out, we're doing it somewhere else.
[The idea of 'hanging out' with Sephiroth is bizarre in more ways than one, but Cloud refuses to let himself think about it too hard. He just turns around and heads back outside, then folds his arms and waits for Sephiroth to follow him.]
['Hang out.' Is that what the mortals call it? He watches Cloud leave before getting up himself. He walks to follow him through the door he fully expecting to end up with a buster sword through the gut the moment he steps outside.
[Or at the house. Which at the moment leaves them just meandering across the field under the moonlight, as Cloud walks aimlessly away from the stables.]
This gonna be like the Halloween party where you're out to bore me to death?
[Cloud makes a quiet, disgruntled sound. Why is it so difficult to exist with other people? It's not just Sephiroth, although this is the worst it's been in a while. Even Vincent plays card games. Cloud's used to the other person leading the conversation or activities, because he sucks at coming up with stuff on his own.
Apparently, so does Sephiroth when fighting isn't happening.
On further reflection, Cloud can't say he's surprised. The Sephiroth he knew back before Nibelheim wasn't exactly a social butterfly, either. The most Cloud can remember him proactively talking about was...magic. The naturally occurring materia they ran across in the cave on Mt. Nibel. Maybe he's still interested in that kind of thing?
Only one way to find out.]
So...lotta different kinds of magic and powers around here from all these different worlds, huh?
You can call it magic, I suppose. Though much seems different than how such things work in our world. Some are born with their abilities which might make them closer to that of the Cetra. I have not seen much evidence of a lifestream like the one on our planet though.
[Yeah he can talk about magic and how all of that works. These are only observations he's made from watching people or reading things. Yes, he still does that, but there isn't much reason to lock himself in a basement anywhere and read everything.]
I suppose that depends on how exactly you define magic. Do you use our definition compared to materia or do you use another?
[Another world with Chocobos. Though it's interesting to hear that it's rare. He wonders why that is. It's a pretty basic animal all things considered.]
Guess I've been defining it based on what the people from each world call it. If it's magic to them, good enough for me. But a lot of 'em use 'powers' or 'abilities' instead, usually the ones who are born with 'em, like you said. And they usually just do one or two things, not different spells like materia.
Ever met anybody here who said they were a 'mutant'?
No. I imagine that is also different than the mutations from our world. Those are normally abominations created by science or mako exposure. Usually dangerous and feral. If someone is describing themselves as that, I imagine they don't follow into that same category.
Yeah. Where they're from, people have a dormant gene that sometimes activates over the course of their lives. Gives them abilities like telepathy, controlling the weather, stuff like that. Everybody calls them 'mutants.'
[Cloud pauses, remembering Sophie's question.]
And...everybody hates them. Even though they're just regular people with some different genetics.
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[That said...he gets up from where he's sitting in the living room of the farmhouse, gaze moving to the door without really thinking about it. Now that he's paying attention, he's aware of a familiar sensation: the absolute certainty that Sephiroth is somewhere nearby. He moves cautiously toward the door, opens it, peers around outside, and then steps out of the house and closes the door behind him.
If Sephiroth won't tell Cloud where he is, maybe Cloud can just find him himself.]
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[Sephiroth is in fact chilling with the chocobos. He doesn't mind animals though Cloud will probably mind Sephiroth being near them. But one is actually sleeping near where Sephiroth is sitting.]
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His hunch brings him to the stables, where he reaches back to lightly grip the Buster Sword's hilt in one hand as he carefully steps inside. It's dark, but it's not difficult to spot the mako glow in the pair of snakelike eyes looking back at him. He stops just a couple of steps past the door, tensing.]
The hell are you doing in here?
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I was messaging you, Cloud.
[The answer is half sarcastic, half the truth. That's not what Cloud meant, but it is what Sephiroth was doing.]
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Very funny.
[He slowly lets go of his sword and brings his hand back down.]
Why are you in my stables? Touch the birds and I run you through.
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[That and he's not going to kill a bunch of animals unless something attacks him first. But even then it'd be hardly worth it for regular creatures.]
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[His eyes are hard and his jaw is set. This deal was probably a mistake, but it's the one way he knows of to make sure his friends are safe. So he'll abide by it, and hey - Sephiroth never said he couldn't attack him, if need be.]
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[That is very true. Sephiroth never said Cloud couldn't attack him -- or even kill him really. Cloud has loopholes he can use.]
Though if you give me some time, I'm sure I can come up with something.
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Well, I'm not gonna just sit in the stables in the dark. So if you wanna...hang out, we're doing it somewhere else.
[The idea of 'hanging out' with Sephiroth is bizarre in more ways than one, but Cloud refuses to let himself think about it too hard. He just turns around and heads back outside, then folds his arms and waits for Sephiroth to follow him.]
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He wouldn't even be angry about it.]
Where are we going then?
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[Or at the house. Which at the moment leaves them just meandering across the field under the moonlight, as Cloud walks aimlessly away from the stables.]
This gonna be like the Halloween party where you're out to bore me to death?
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Is my company truly so boring to you? Should I do something to get your attention? Fire perhaps?
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His voice gains a sharp edge as he shoots Sephiroth a deadly look.]
Go ahead and try it. I'll slice you to ribbons.
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Sephiroth simply smiles back at Cloud.]
Then what will you have me do for you?
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[That and if he decides Cloud will claim he's being forced into something later when he denies this ever happened at all.]
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Apparently, so does Sephiroth when fighting isn't happening.
On further reflection, Cloud can't say he's surprised. The Sephiroth he knew back before Nibelheim wasn't exactly a social butterfly, either. The most Cloud can remember him proactively talking about was...magic. The naturally occurring materia they ran across in the cave on Mt. Nibel. Maybe he's still interested in that kind of thing?
Only one way to find out.]
So...lotta different kinds of magic and powers around here from all these different worlds, huh?
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[Yeah he can talk about magic and how all of that works. These are only observations he's made from watching people or reading things. Yes, he still does that, but there isn't much reason to lock himself in a basement anywhere and read everything.]
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[Cloud considers what he's heard from various folks around Etraya.]
The Dominants' world has something a little like the Lifestream. They call it aether. Their world has chocobos, too, which apparently is pretty rare.
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[Another world with Chocobos. Though it's interesting to hear that it's rare. He wonders why that is. It's a pretty basic animal all things considered.]
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Ever met anybody here who said they were a 'mutant'?
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[Cloud pauses, remembering Sophie's question.]
And...everybody hates them. Even though they're just regular people with some different genetics.
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[Because that's usually what drives humans to killing or shunning others. Fear.]
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[Many of Cloud's memories from the Temple of the Ancients are fuzzy, but not this one. He remembers the history it showed them.]
But they never found out whether it was Jenova who seeded their fear and hatred or not.
[He glances sidelong at Sephiroth.]
You do know Jenova's not a Cetra, right? And neither are you.
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