liveandforgive | prismatica inbox

[ When Sephiroth's voice comes through the bracer, there's an initial pause on the blond's end. Their departure from the temple as the Moonblessed and Moon Knights arrested (and fell) the cultists was nothing short of rocky. He'd stayed behind with Tifa for a while, only to be split up and joining a couple of others in the skirmish and battles.

And then there was the other revelation that marks the back of his hand. Luckily, his gloves cover that little incident up for the time being.

Cloud's status, huh... ]

I'm fine. [ A beat. ] My eyes still haven't gone back to normal though.

But I don't feel any different. [ Even if there's that nagging sensation that something was going to happen. ]

[It's lacking in the details that Sephiroth would prefer, but perhaps this instance doesn't allow for many of them. Knowing if golden eyes were a consequence of something more worrisome, or simply a cosmetic change that was a baffling part of a fanatical blood sacrifice, was impossible. Answers were not forthcoming from the captured Prismals, and Sephiroth keeps a wary eye on any news that might circulate the city in regards to what they should expect.

So far, nothing. It's either the end of the situation, or the calm before the storm.]

That would be comforting to know, if I didn't think that your changing eye color is a consequence of else. Something unknown.

[Practicality over offering that same comfort. Sephiroth sees no point in trying to dance around the subject.]

Remain conscious of how you're feeling and stay in touch with other ex-captives you know. That girl from Nibelheim, have you spoken with her since?

If it's anything like the stuff I saw people drink in Obscuria... [ Or that Cloud himself drank. But he doesn't wanna tell Sephiroth that. ~~Too embarrassing.~~ ] This one's taking it's time to kick in.

[ His voice over the bracer is still jarring to him. But there's nothing he can do for now but simply take his words for face value. Cloud is fortunate to have seen to it that a couple of the other formerly captive Moonblessed were alright, but when he makes mention of Tifa, he's reminded of how their meeting ended. ]

.....

[ Until finally... ]

No... Not since we escaped the temple.

[ He's had to cover up so much as is. What was stopping Sephiroth from checking up on her himself if he lied about it? Had it only been the likes of Aerith and Vincent, perhaps keeping this up would have been easier to do, Cloud thought. But at least for now, he couldn't find a way to conceivably lie to him again. He thinks of saying something else, like saying she was alright or that he's sure she's doing okay.

But he can't bring himself to say it... ]

[Taking time to kick in. Not comforting, but neither of them are specifically seeking that, so he’s glad for the candor. Nothing they can do until something does happen, which is not always the ideal situation, but the one they’ve been dealt nonetheless. Still, his advice would be the same, and Sephiroth feels no need to repeat himself.

As for the girl, however-]

I’m not going to stick my nose into business it doesn’t belong— [Because you’d have to be blind to not see the tension between the two at that moment in time.] —but are the two of you friends? I didn't see you interact with her in Nibelheim.

[ Really know how to unintentionally gut punch him even when you're not loony, don't you, Sephiroth? Of course they're friends. Nothing would change that, even as guilt wracks him for the secrets he kept from her. Even in Nibelheim, he never revealed himself to her until everything went to hell... And now he was being asked by the very same man that caused it all. ]

Yeah... Tifa's my friend. But back then, [ Sephiroth knew of the tension. Cloud couldn't mask this completely behind their circumstances of being captured. He meters himself. Piece by piece, retelling Nibelheim. The truth. But not the whole truth. ] I told her that when I came back, that I'd be in SOLDIER.

[ Suffice to say, for all his bravado, his subpar results that disqualified him from the program left him in the shadows of the likes of Zack and Sephiroth. But he wasn't going to get that personal with him. He was ashamed to show his face around anyone besides his mother. ]

[That's Sephiroth for you. Striking at Cloud hard even when he doesn't mean to.

To be fair, he's simply trying to assess the situation -- where each person's connection with each other lies, given that the SOLDIER feels perpetually at the disadvantage, more and more.]

So you were embarrassed at the time.

... I guess so.

[ That'll be a "yes." When the thought of turning the question around on Sephiroth comes to mind, Cloud freezes. Between the fact that he's the reason Tifa and him were free to begin with, her reaction to both Sephiroth and himself... Before he can think of what he's saying, his voice picks up once more. ]

Sephiroth. About that night...

[The pause is strange, but then again, there have been oddities with every person he's interacted with, hailing from Gaia. It's easy enough to chalk it up to the time differences between them, but there's something about Cloud's tone that makes him reply nigh expectantly.]

...Yes?

[ ... He can't. Not yet. But with every face that arrives here from their world, split apart from the life that Sephiroth knew, it becomes harder and harder to maintain this illusion. Rather, the illusion he's cast had cracks in it before he even began. And for a few short moments, his hands start shaking.

And then he clenches them, as if that would steel his nerves once more. Not yet, Cloud repeats, again and again in his mind. Finally he answers him. ]

Things have been...a bit tangled up ever since we got here.

[ Between the time disparities and after being busted free by the Sinless... And the bristling reunion between the three of them when they were rescued? That was an understatement. Perhaps even earlier. He doesn't know what Sephiroth is doing or what he's feeling. ]

There's some things I need to sort out first, but... [ Cloud talks himself through it all the same. His heart just about feels like stopping when he asks, ] Can you give me some time?

[He's not sure how to reply to that; it's vague and nigh foreboding, and clarifies nothing for Sephiroth other than the fact that Cloud has something he wishes to say to him, but for some unknown reason he cannot.

Several moments of silence pass.]

Is my presence overcomplicating things for you?

[Rarely one to beat around the bush, Sephiroth dives straight into the point.]

You have all the time you need. You're not technically obligated to tell me anything, or to keep me updated with the goings-on of those closer to you than me. Therefore, you don't need me to grant you the permission of time, or anything else. [But.]

But I don't want to be surrounded by this awkward dance for the remainder of my days here. None of you are very subtle.

[And Sephiroth, in the dark as he is, isn't stupid.]

[ Cloud had...expected this. Later? Sooner? He wasn't sure. Where the seeds of doubt and uncertainty began to take root, he couldn't say either. But his face twists into a frown. ...and he hates that he's actually feeling this way.

Was it guilt? It wasn't Sephiroth doing this. But it was because of him that his words, while not stinging, leave his chest feeling heavy. So many things he wished he could say. Yet it's a matter of how. The truth was important. But...it's how one delivers the truth.

"None of you are very subtle." ]

S-

[ He stops. Breaths in resignation. ]

... I understand.

Good.

[There's hardly much more to say, leaving the notion hanging there unresolved but his point made nonetheless. Sephiroth allows silence to fill in the space between his next statement, for so long that one might get the impression that he's about to end the correspondence there.]

Keep it in mind. But barring that, nothing I've told you changes. Come to me if you have questions, updates, or need aid.

[Cloud and the others represent all he has from Gaia. His only anchor and connection to a place where he felt more grounded than he ever does here. Even Sephiroth, not at all a very outgoing people person, nor keen on forming close relationships on a whim, will not dislodge himself from them just because there is something strange and unanswered hanging over their heads.]

[ Just as the blond was about to close off the communication, his hand hovers over the bracer when his voice returns. And he's left sitting there to listen. But his expression is one that's not frustrated, or guilty, or even confused. ]

I will. [ He's lost. ] Good night.

[ Sephiroth... ]

prismatica inbox

voice;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject