melodiesoflife | Event || Genesis

[Ventus hasn't sought many people out since arriving -- just a couple, making certain they were still in one piece (or close to it) -- and that isn't his intention when he wanders around a bit today. Mostly, he's trying to walk off the stiffness that's come from so much sleep; secondarily, he's taking in the atmosphere, appreciating the simple sights and peaceful sounds after all the grim scenery and noise of the battlefield previously.

He's more inclined towards people-watching than socializing lately, so he's a bit surprised when he notices Sephiroth's activity amid the rest of the rather still crowd. Still, he doesn't comment it on it.

When he sees the same thing the next day, however, he watches the man for a moment longer than before. He's familiar, although Ven doesn't know his name; he's seen him around town before, he thinks, but the familiarity seems to run deeper than that. He just can't place it.

Ah, well.

Finally, he speaks up.]

Training, huh?

[It's an understanding tone -- he knows it when he sees it -- but his expression's a little puzzled.]

[Let them stare. Sephiroth's all too used to being watched while people aren't trying to be obvious about it. Besides, he feels very much like the physical activity he didn't get to do during the battle should be made up somehow. Most of his exhaustion from the mental weight of commanding the army has been slept off at this point and now he needs to do something with his time.

Going out into Aqures Tosf is exactly what Kalki wants them to do; a big reason to be over cautious in even entertaining the idea of doing so.]

Yes. Training.

[As casual as if he were discussing the weather, or some other mundane subject, Sephiroth continues with few more deep squats before coming to a stop. The end of his set, not anything to do with boy that's spoken up.]

Something to focus on.

[That voice is familiar, too, vaguely. It's kind of annoying, this nagging sensation of not being able to place a memory or even straighten out the emotions tied to it, but again, Ven dismisses it. It's not the first time it's happened, and he's probably just tired, anyway, all things considered.

And well, training can be a mundane subject, depending on the person. For Ven, it's a casual thing that he normally doesn't think twice about. It does make sense, though; were he at 100%, or at least somewhere near it, he would probably do the same in this situation.]

Oh. I just thought everyone would be resting, y'know?

[As most of them are.

Still, if this guy's killing time out here--]

Have you been to town yet?

[Ven has no such near-familiarity to Sephiroth other than a vague similarity to a certain puppy-like character. Who always resorted to squats as a coping mechanism. Wait- weren't he doing pretty much the same thing? That's an odd thought.

For Sephiroth though, the impression is -the longer that Ventus watches- that there might be something else to it. Occupying his mind, perhaps?]

I'm already rested up.

Not much interest in the Festival, seen it before.

[He tilts his head at that, but pressing anymore seems nosy. Everyone's probably recovering in their own way, not to mention coping with all the confusion.]

Mm, that's too bad. It sounds like fun.

[To each his own, though.

Ven shifts slightly, trying for a more casual position with his arms behind his head -- but it's stiff, a bit awkward since he can't distribute his weight like he normally would -- as he looks back over the heads in the room.]

How about the forest? I didn't go very far yet, but no one's said much about it.

It's all very well and good as long as you don't take it as some indication of the legacy we're to leave behind us once we're all done here.

[Cold. Yeah...that's about as cold as Sephiroth has sounded towards anyone thus far. Til now he's been quite capable of keeping his pessimism to himself. He makes a point to look over Ventus closer as he shifts a little on the spot; noting well how he's favoring one leg over the other.

Another of the injured under his watch...]

What do you suppose might be out there?

[He's musing mostly, but at least his tone isn't anywhere near as sharp. Dulled by that stray feeling of guilt and responsibility that keeps coming back around.]

[Ven's casual cheer flickers at that. Not because he takes the chilly remark personally -- despite all his sleeping, he's caught wind of the situation, or the most anyone can make of it, anyway. It's a depressing reminder.

But the question is easier to answer.]

I dunno. But everyone's only mentioned the city, and it doesn't sound like we've figured out exactly why we're here.

[Mainly, he's tired of being restricted to one place. Going anywhere sounds good to him. After a moment, though--]

Besides, the city gets attacked, right? I don't know a lot of the details, but it couldn't hurt to keep an eye out.

[It irritates him how Ventus is apparently severely uninformed. Wasn't all this information available for newer Heroes to look at freely? Sephiroth makes no secret of the seriousness of the topic but he does lower his voice as well.]

The Crystal of Fire is going to explode, reducing all of his to little more than rubble.

[That said, he breaks eye contact with Ventus and looks around behind the boy briefly before continuing.]

Kalki wants to convince us that the only way to end all of the repeated cycles is to destroy it all and start over. That it will somehow be better that way.

[Sephiroth takes a breath and performs a couple more of his squats on the spot.]

That in mind, I have very little interest in why she might have sent us back here.

[...W h a t.

Ven heard about the destruction of the city, certainly, that the Crystal was somehow involved -- he also heard about the cycles, he knows Kalki is a huge unknown (or was, last he heard; clearly he's not as up-to-date as he thought) -- but this is a kid who's spent most of his time preparing himself physically. History and mystery-solving aren't his strong points. Obviously.

He reacts at that, but he has the sense not to say anything too loudly; as relatively quiet as the church is, it wouldn't take much to be heard by everyone in the room.]

Wait! So--!

[But he falls silent again, trying to decide which of those problems deserves more attention.

Probably the immediate one.]

Then -- we can stop it, right? If we're here and we know what happens...

[you don't mind lecturing this child do you]

[Finally the lights are switched on and Ventus might understand why Kalki would transport them back here, in particular. He can't shake the feeling of being a little annoyed at Ventus though; how could anyone get by with such naivety, considering the Crystal of Fire is considered their 'home' crystal that had brought them here...it only makes sense to find out as much as possible about it.]

Somethings are inevitable, so I don't think that's an option. Besides, just think of the consequences.

[He watches Ventus carefully, judging if the kid has enough intelligence to rub together and even consider what such a drastic change like that here might do to the world as they knew it in the future. It's obvious to Sephiroth that they won't be stuck in this time forever...they're only here to see what she wants them to see.]

Well, if you start off thinking they're inevitable, then they will be. [His arms drop, instead crossing over his chest as he frowns. As impulsive as he is, he naturally puts emotion before logical thinking, so--]

But what about the consequences? If we can make a difference, that's worth some risks, right?

[He says it like a question, but in his mind, it isn't.]

[Must not roll his eyes. Must not roll his eyes-

Sephiroth looks away instead, taking a breath. Similar to a the way that a patient teacher might with a troubled student.]

It's not that I think they are inevitable, but there are certain facts that have already come to pass by the time that we have been sent from. Can you pin down exactly what might change by-

[He pauses, not liking the way his mind envisioned it but-]

-pulling on a thread without seeing what it's connected to?

[Ven stares for a couple seconds, one eyebrow actually rising. Not skeptically -- okay, not totally skeptically -- but still puzzled.]

Well... no. [A beat.] So you're saying... if we try to change something here, then we don't know for sure what might happen?

[Sorry Ven, he really can't stand such blinding naivety. It's taking a lot of effort not to grimace so it's not a surprise at all that Sephiroth might come across less-than-patient with the boy.]

Pretty much. Case in point being the Crystal of Fire; being located in the Temple of Fire of this City. If you were to somehow halt the inevitable catasophy here, then it might not later be housed in Aqures Ixen.

Considering that Crystal is the one that first brought us here, consider how you might accidently write yourself out of all existence.

[He was sheltered, okay!! And only has about four and a half years' worth of memory out of what should technically be twenty-seven. :T

On the bright side, though, Ven won't hold any impatience (or outright grumpiness) against him. He has a brighter disposition than that.

But he does give another blank look for a long pause. This is really going over his head.]

Okay, hold on -- just changing its location could do that? How... [wait, no, he'll think this one over, too. Give him a second.] So... time isn't still -- it's always moving. [He knows that much. Even when he "stops" time with magic, it's still passing; he just freezes it within a limited space.] So if we change something here, it... should be affecting everything up until our actual present, right? Is that what you mean?

[Sephiroth really is trying to maintain his patience with the boy. Can't expect them all to be as sharp as he is but really is it that difficult a concept to grasp?

Never mind that Sephiroth has always been that sharp intellectually. He feels a penny eventually drop in his minds eye as Ventus finally arrives at the point and is relief takes the edge off any 'grumpiness' that might remain. He even offers a light smile at Ventus.]

That's exactly it. To make matters worse, there isn't anyway of telling with any accuracy which small changes might affect the bigger pieces of the picture in the time that we're from.

Mmm... [It's a thoughtful sound, but it's also a bit disgruntled. This all sounds a little paranoid to him.] I don't really get why that means we shouldn't help. If there's no way of telling what we could change, couldn't we have changed something already? Just by being here?

[If you wanna get technical!!]

Or -- okay, maybe we shouldn't mess with the crystal, but we could still help people.

That's also a possibility.

[And one, that's obvious in the mans tone, that he doesn't want to think about. Yet he couldn't just focus on what was in front of them in this present when so much hangs unresolved in the future.]

And what if you could help them? What good would it do in the long-run? As I said, you might save just one person who is destined to die here, and it might alter a lot more than you think.

The Crystal was only the largest example I could think of.

Even if it is just one, that's still a difference to them. [And their friends and family. Maybe more than that.

He can't really fathom the the idea of sacrificing a few to save the many; he was taught that the only acceptable sacrifice, if absolutely necessary, is the self. And he proved that to a T.]

And you say it might change things from bad to worse -- but what if it actually changed something for the better? What if that one person lived to make a difference later on?

[He's earnest in his argument, but he's not angry or confrontational, not even defensive. He's not even arguing, really, just... imploring, if anything.]

We can't guess what would happen, I agree with you there. But... last I checked, I didn't think Heroes were supposed to choose who they do and don't save. They make sure others get a second chance, whatever it takes.

At least... those were the heroes I knew.

[It's very much a symptom of not only being SOLDIER but having been involved with a war now in Crystallis as well as back on his Planet. Sacrificing himself wouldn't have won them anything, in either outcome. People died, it's a consequence of war.

It's just a matter of how you balance the scales. Or in the case of ShinRa, how you secure world domination.

Still, something about Ventus' comments draws a smile to Sephiroth's face. A good, honest, if not completely painless one. He remembers a time, albeit a fair amount of time ago, when he believed much the same of being a Hero. Before reality had made itself clearer.

Unbeknownst to Ventus, they share a comrade who has the same outlook and it's Zack that he's reminded of even if Sephiroth doesn't say so.]

You've got enthusiasm, I'll give you that much.

However, it's worth remembering that heroism is a point of view. One mans hero can be anothers villain. We don't want to be making this any worse for ourselves.

[He'll take the smile as a good sign, at least, even if his own sobers slightly at that last remark. He nods.]

Right. We need to be careful, but... being open-minded can't hurt.

[As long as it's tempered by responsibility, etc etc.

...And then, casually shifting the subject like it's nothing (because it's not, really, at least to him, because intros are very important!), he adds,]

And I'm Ventus, by the way. Ven for short.

[Congrats, he offered his nickname -- it's a sign he likes you, or at least approves.]

[Suddenly the naive boy that Sephiroth has been perceiving vanishes with the last comment made and the silver haired man is made to pause to consider. The light smile that Ventus seems to have conjured doesn't drop away either and Sephiroth even nods at Ventus' introduction, before offering his own in return.]

My name is Sephiroth. I'd prefer for that not to be shortened, if it's all the same to you.

[At least his tone is lighter and less high-and-mighty person of authority now.]

[Aw, come on, "Seph" wouldn't be too bad, right? Still, Ven's not (usually) in the habit of giving nicknames to others, so you're spared -- for now -- and he just grins at that.

But that look shifts to one of mild surprise. He's seen Sephiroth around before, yeah, but this is the first time he's had the name put to a face.]

Oh! So you're Sephiroth -- you know Cloud, right? And Zack.

[It just doesn't have the same ring to it. There has only ever been one person who might ever have gotten away with "Seph" and they'd ended up betraying him as well. Best not to drag thoughts in Genesis' direction again just yet considering his once-friend had now been confirmed to have passed into stasis.

Blink. Blink. Ventus' surprise is met with Sephiroth's confusion to begin with. Then slips away-

-only to be renewed at the mention of Zack. He peers over Ventus once more, as if he might have missed something obvious.]

I do know Cloud, sort of. Though...how do you know Zack?

[Life within SOLDIER is pretty exclusive and Ventus is too young to have been SOLDIER. Plus he's almost certain Ventus wasn't in Crystallis before Zack had crystallized, either.]

[...Ahhh.

Shoot.

Mentioning Zack as well seemed harmless enough, but... apparently Sephiroth's a bit more astute than Cloud.]

I... met him. Before I came here. [A beat, and then a light frown.] It was a long time ago, though. I'm not really sure how long.

[Ten years, at least, by his guess. But considering Ven is fifteen -- looks sixteen at the absolute oldest, maybe -- saying that would probably seem... strange, to put it mildly.]

Before he joined SOLDIER, though. I'm pretty sure.

Event || Genesis

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