Is this town big enough for two Clouds? | OTA

[darkshroudingcloud]

Around Town

The sight of a spiky-haired blond around Edge is hardly unusual. The sight of one wearing a tattered cloak like Vincent Valentine's with a leathery bat wing protruding from the left shoulder is, perhaps, more unusual. He's been around since October, but mostly just trying to fix that problem with the portals after discovering he could dreamwalk like the Sephiroths. Probably no one really expected him to stay on after that.

And he could have gone home, probably. It seems like most people who came through the dream portals were able to go back. He, however, found he didn't want to. Zack is here, his Zack, alive and well. He was never dead, like they'd thought. And Sephiroth....

Of course, now that he's had to accept that his Sephiroth isn't a villain, life is much more complicated for him. He could make the excuse he's staying on to protect this world and Zack from Sephiroth, but it would just sound stupid and make him look like the jerk after Sephiroth worked overtime to fix the mess with the dreams. So if anyone asks him why he's there, he'll probably make up some other excuse. He's too prideful and too shy to just say he's there to be with his friend. And he'll never in a million years say that deep down, he wants to be around Sephiroth, to try to start figuring him out, to finally make sense of that living mystery who really isn't part of him but his own person.

Staying on will have its own problems, though. Like, what if he encounters ... himself? He's avoided it so far and hopes to continue avoiding it, but he knows that's unlikely. And anyone who didn't realize he was here fixing the dream mess will probably be confused by him. He can't retract that wing anymore, so that's always a glaring signal that he's not the Cloud anyone here knows.

Sighing to himself, he keeps walking down the street, bandaged buster sword slung over his shoulder.

Network

He really doesn't want to do this. But if he's staying here, he can't just bum around. So ...

"Anyone got any work that needs doing? I'm hiring out."

Just voice for now, but a lot of people here will probably recognize that gruff voice with the slight country drawl.

Comments

Re: Sure, if you think he can.

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"Tenka would be able to," he said, gloomily.

Re: Sure, if you think he can.

[darkshroudingcloud]

"Yeah? How do you know? You seen him lift things as heavy as this with ease or something?"

Re: Sure, if you think he can.

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"He's Tenka," Sora said, as if that answered everything. "There's never been anything he tried that he couldn't do." Big brother worship at its finest. "Except chores." And there is the grumbling. Can you tell he's talking about a sibling?

Re: Sure, if you think he can.

[darkshroudingcloud]

Cloud wasn't sure until chores were mentioned. He snorted. "He can't mop the floor or wash the windows?"

Re: Sure, if you think he can.

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"He says the washcloth is too heavy," Sora said, dryly.

Re: Sure, if you think he can.

[darkshroudingcloud]

A scoff and a swish of the wing. "And your parents let him get away with that?"

Re: Sure, if you think he can.

[sora_under_the_clouds]

A shadow of sorrow on his face, he looked away. Rubbing his neck in a subconscious move, he mumbled "They... died. A long time ago...."

And now he knew how.

Re: Sure, if you think he can.

[darkshroudingcloud]

"... Oh. Sorry." Cloud frowned.

Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"Tenka practically raised us after that. Walked away from a really good job for the government and everything. I don't... I don't really remember our parents. And Chuataro was just a baby. It's always been Tenka, and..." He winced. It still hurt. "And Shirasu." Losing him the way they did especially....

He stepped back from the large sword, rubbing his arms, trapped in the memories. The night their parents died. The night the Orochi attacked. Tenka getting so badly hurt both times...

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[darkshroudingcloud]

"... So it's the four of you?"

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"Three now... Shirasu's gone." He closed his eyes.

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[darkshroudingcloud]

"... That's rough," Cloud said. He remembered all too well the pain of thinking Zack was gone for years. He had only found him alive in October.

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"A.... Anyway.... now that Tenka is injured... I have to step up...."

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[darkshroudingcloud]

"What happened to him?" Cloud frowns. Sounds like a lot of people are getting hurt in this kid's world.

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

He took a breath, but shook his head. "It... It doesn't matter. I just need to step up."

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[darkshroudingcloud]

“Well, you don’t have to lift a sword like this to step up,” Cloud grunted. “How are you with normal swords?”

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"I... mostly use my Keyblade..." he sighed. "Tenka... uses a fan."

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[darkshroudingcloud]

"Keyblade? So you're from our world, huh," Cloud remarked. That was ... kind of nice, especially in this world that wasn't their world.

"... How does somebody fight with a fan? You mean a paper fan?" Weird.

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

He nodded. "A paper fan... and yet he can stop people with swords and monsters and..." he shook hsi head. "I have to get better! Please! Teach me!"

He wanted to be taught by as many people as possible. To learn as much as he could. He needed to get better, get stronger.

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[darkshroudingcloud]

"That's wild," Cloud said. "Did he enchant it or something?" He could scarcely fathom a paper fan with such power. No wonder this kid felt so inferior.

A shrug. "Sure, I can teach you some stuff. Just don't expect to be picking up my sword any time soon."

He didn't want to feel responsible for him getting hurt with it somehow.

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"No, he's just that good...."

At the offer however, he perked up and then bowed deeply. "Thank you! I promise, I'll do my best!"

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[darkshroudingcloud]

Cloud grunted, still wondering if there was more to it.

He nodded. "Fine. We'll just need a place to train."

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"Yes! Thank you!"

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[darkshroudingcloud]

"Sure."

He looked around for a nice, private spot. Sephiroth might be fine with the courtyard at the hotel, but Cloud would prefer something ... quieter.

Re: Spoiler warning for Laughing Under The Clouds

[sora_under_the_clouds]

"Some one else here is also helping me, I can show you where we train?"