melodiesoflife | We are off to see the Crystal Tree!

Vincent stood, but did not otherwise move away. Letting her come closer, and if she wanted she could even lean against him. His arms at his sides, simply offering her the physical presence if he could, but no further. Not when she was already confused and upset--he would not make things more complicated.

"About what?" Gentle, still not pushing her but offering if she wanted to speak. He'd listen, and do his best to provide counsel if she wanted, or simply comfort of a sympathetic shoulder.

"You can warn them, I'll fight." It's about time he tested the strength and abilities of these mysterious powers. Him, the low-level Monk and the Behemoth. It would all come down to teamwork and outsmarting the monster.

He turned his back on Vincent, rubbed his kicking foot on the ground and slowly stepped closer to the Behemoth. Once Vincent attacked from the distance, Duster didn't want the Behemoth to have enough time to react before the second wave of assaults began.

Vincent blinked slowly, both the clone and the real one. "Do not let it strike you. We will need help from the others." The clone, crouched, took careful aim--making sure the Behemoth was well within his sights.

At the same time, so did Vincent, posture tall and eyes focused. Calling on the Gunner job, and the sky was suddenly lit with a burst of the staccato sound of rapid gun fire. Trigger-Happy, his the gunslinger's aim true, ignoring the ammo spent for now in favor of the assault. Providing cover for Duster to move closer and strike.

At the same time, the clone added by preparing to follow up. After an initial shot, timed with the real Vincent's actions, the clone waited. Waiting until and unless Duster needed cover-fire or distraction. The real one, while his clone stayed focused, turned and sprinted to raise the alarm in their camp.

"On Penrose, I could ease it a bit by traveling, but it was a much smaller world than this one, or my home."

And, near the end of her stay there, she had lodgings in a location without night-times, so she could keep whatever hours she pleased as long as she was around for her duties.

Temporarily blinded by the gunfire, the Behemoth stopped its steady march, allowing enough time for Duster to cover the distance between them. He took one long step with his right leg and, keeping his weight steady, spun around to deliver a powerful kick with his left foot. He struck the Behemoth on its lower front leg.

The beast hardly reacted to the attack, though it took a step backwards as it recoiled in pain. Once it realized there was only one person to fight, it swiped a large paw at Duster.

He jumped back, and the sharp claws scraped his left arm. Duster tumbled to the ground clutching his injured arm.

The madness and horror that had come.

That was one way to put it. Even from only reading a third-hand account of those acts that he'd come to commit in the apparent name of his own sick revenge that had become executable onto the whole of humanity, just bringing his thoughts back to it only shouted louder the question which quickly rushed to the forefront of his mind: WHY

Sephiroth was unsettled, always, at the fact that he wouldn't ever know. And should he ever come to know, it would be already too late as he would no longer be the man that he was now. But still, the lie that Vincent had told Lucrecia stung at him. Even though -technically- it could be considered to be a true fact; he'd only have to regain a few days of the memories that he'd yet to have revealed, to experience passing the boundary between life and death. Understandably Sephiroth didn't want to consider it too much.

One might come to wonder, exactly what justification Shinra had for assigning a Turk to an assignment to which -surely by any reasonable logic- they would have such an underlying circumstance which could jeopardize their mission. That said, it hadn't stopped SOLDIER from initially assigning him to the on-going pursuit of Genesis and those troops that had defected, regardless of the well-known fact of their friendship. Whether it spoke of the Company's confidence in his loyalty and unchallenged record, or if it were something more insidious, were questions that become all the more pointed as time went on.

Knowing all of that, and drawing the clear comparisons, Sephiroth's brow started to lower into a frown as Vincent continued. Each step he took in his patrol started to feel that much heavier, as if his current task were becoming more of a chore and it pulled at his attention to engage further with the other man.

"I-" He wanted to ask if Vincent knew the cause of Grimoire's death, but it was implied cleanly enough.

"-that might be classed as getting to close to your subject." Sephiroth knew just about enough of Company policy, to be able to make that call. It hadn't helped in any way, but that Vincent hadn't been re-assigned immediately afterwards left one probability; it hadn't been reported.

"But she didn't really, did she?"

At first, Jade wasn't certain what had woken him up. He lay still for a moment, listening, until he could make out the sound of distant gunshots. Then he pushed himself up, snatched up his glasses and staff, and ducked out of the tent.

The noise hadn't roused everyone in the camp, though a few others were alert and ready to act. Jade scanned the surrounding plains before catching sight of Vincent running towards them.

"Well, well... It was about time something went wrong."

Jack nods firmly at Sephiroth's words, and follows the general's lead, lowering himself close to the ground, minimizing his profile. Give them a few extra seconds before the undead monsters recognize them as targets. He trades out the device to start to draw his sword, just an inch from the scabbard, but enough to show the others the important information. A white shimmer glints off the edge of the blade; he had it imbued with a Light Crystal (at great cost, thanks MarKus and Albel). "I've also got Paladin equipped," Jack mutters. "From what Chiaki told me, I should be able to pack on the damage." It's worked well for him so far.

"They're not like the ghosts; we can actually damage these. Part of me really wants to give that Dragon a try, and part of me wants to do anything but get its attention."

Vincent at least kept a pretense of their still being on patrol. Even if his mind was on the conversation at hand, and organizing the accompanying thoughts. "Were I to have the chance..." Still very quiet, going back to Lucrecia for a moment. Or at least her view on her son. "knowing you currently, I would tell her that she would be proud of you."

This felt like the more important point, given why Sephiroth had even broached the topic.

"No, she pulled away, throwing herself more into the project, and more into Hojo's influence. Dr. Gast had left the project prior to my confrontation. Ideological differences, and for all that Gast was nominally in charge..." Low voiced, tone carefully neutral. "The project seemed more and more like Professor Hojo's pet project and priority."

Letting the silence fall once more, several more paces before he continued.

"Regarding Dr. Crescent..." A deep breath in and out, a long sigh and Vincent abandoned any pretext of paying attention to their surroundings. Lost in memories. "Lucrecia had the most beautiful smile. She was focused, and her expression would light up when she found a tangeant or trail of thought that was promising to her work." He could still see her smile, in his memories; all he'd wanted was for her to be happy ultimately.

When out in the field, sleep was never heavy enough so as not to be disturbed at the slightest sound out of order. As soon as the gunshots were fired, Sephiroth's eyes shot open; instantly -if for a moment mis-comprehension from the sudden jerk from sleep- sitting up and peering around in the gloom of the inside of the tent. Counting those present, identifying those who were also disturbed before near enough ripping himself out of the sleeping bag and off of the camping bunk, deciding not to wait for others. Boots were pulled on, jacket thrown around his shoulders, and he was out.

With a sing of edged steel Sephiroth tore his short-katana from it's scabbard as he exited out into the night; there was little point taking the time to get it all buckled on around him in this instance.

Eyeing Jade for a moment as he swept into the vicinity of the other man, Sephiroth quickly also found the familiar red mantle rushing towards them. Taking strong, determined steps in the direction he'd come from already, weapon already held firmly out to one side and then curled up behind his forearm. He keenly threw a sharp gaze around, surveying for other risks and for other Heroes who had also been called from their beds.

"Let's go."

"If he truly loves you, then he would want you to be happy over being his." Jack's encountered the possessive, jealous side of love before, and, so far as he can tell, Sephiroth hasn't been showing it. He could be wrong, but won't bring up that possibility right now.

"You aren't being torn to pieces. Not split between the two of them. You should talk to them both, when you feel up to it. It can work out if everyone is accepting of what you feel. And they can only accept if they know what it is."

"It's not bad to feel too much love," Jack smiles a little. "Confusing, sure. But it doesn't have to hurt you or anyone."

He wasn't quite sure how a smaller world could have longer days, from a scientific perspective, but it's certainly not for him to know. For all he knew, compared to some worlds it would be a surprise that Gaia hadn't crippled in on itself from the way that humans continued to siphon its life energy for their own uses.

"Then you're used to being out in the field then, good to know."

It certainly shouldn't have mattered to him -he'd not known his base-biological mother at all and still mostly hung to the notion that he didn't need to; considering she'd essentially given him up even before he was born- yet at Vincent's first comment it was Sephiroth's turn to look away, to veer completely into a silence that knotted somewhere in his throat as they continued to walk the perimeter.

Why did he even care? A thought snapped in the direction of the back of a certain reactor but he pushed that about as far back into the back of his mind as he could make it go.

Vincent's continued words weren't responded to but Sephiroth heard them all the same. Dr. Gast. There was a name that also stirred something of a reaction but it was little more than a faint twist to the side of his mouth, being a name he hadn't considered for many years. He remembered Gast, albeit briefly as he'd been little more than a toddler, but his was just another face that had simply not turned up again one day. Later, Sephiroth had learned that he'd left Shinra...that he'd died...

Then silence met silence and for a good few moments it might seem as if the conversation had run dry. Quite the opposite, though, stirred up thoughts and barely half-recollections rushed behind Sephiroth's otherwise cool facade, as he calmly continued to remain alert on their patrol.

"I'd have liked to have known her, I think. Maybe..." Sephiroth trailed off, his mind and opinion caught between the mind that he'd had as a child -that had always wanted a real family- and the man who didn't need one.

"...I suppose I'll never understand it, even if I had though."

[OOC: Gonna go ahead and cap this off, then, if nobody else is tagging in.]

Jack moves very deliberately towards the Dragon with the Light Crystal outstretched. Yess, you want this one. Bright white with the way that the light reflects through it? Jack slowly and carefully puts it down on the ground close to the Dragon. "A gift, then." So you will please not eat us all?

"Much of the time we spent was off-duty, when things were more casual. That was when I knew her more." Observing her and overseeing the project and its researchers as a whole, had eaten most of the time. Besides being Vincent's official duty and role in the whole project.

"You observed the final act of our falling out." His tone was deceptively even, for all he still remembered and felt it keenly. "...I told myself that so long as she was happy, it would be enough." Deep emotion there, for all the voice remained low and the tones even.

Jade follows them quietly, staying low and taking great care not to give away their position. It helps that he's not wearing any armor that might weight him down or make noise, even if it does make him more vulnerable.

The skeletons and zombies don't worry him too much. The former he's seen plenty of in the Roalie region, and the latter is only slightly more dangerous. That dragon, though...

"I can get rid of the weak ones easily enough, but there's no avoiding the dragon if I do." Jade's voice is barely more than a breath as he silently crouches behind a tree near the others. A Meteor or two should do the trick. He'd have to replenish his magic afterwards, but the situation seems to justify spending an Ether.

The downside is that a downpour of meteorites isn't likely to go unnoticed.

Vincent kept his profile low, eyes alert and scanning around. "I can provide cover-fire and distractions." He wouldn't be much good otherwise, but it was about what he was used to. "Overall--take out the little ones as much as possible while targeting the dragon?"

Asking, confirming their strategy as much as there was one so far.

She nodded to Vincent, before looking over at the others. "That seems a sound strategy." The zombies and skeletons didn't worry her too much apart from the numbers, but the dragon… It bore a certain resemblance to her memory of fighting the Bone Dragon in the labyrinth around the base of the Crystal Tower, after all. That had been rather some trouble, given it had apparently been given the ability to resurrect itself. "Might the dragon have some tricks up its bones, though?"

Yeah, those kind of jobs.

[He shrugs at the suggestion of a big crystal exploding here. Bartz isn't the type to put a lot of thought into this kinda stuff.]

Maybe. I never really thought about it. But you know, this place is a lot like the world I came from. So... I guess it could've happened that way.

[The dragon roars as his claws reach out towards the crystal. His wings span to either side as he flaps a single gust of wind at them.]

I accept.

[The voice rumbles from his chest before disappearing into the trees.]

Edited 2016-02-14 02:01 (UTC)

Everything that Jack said made perfect sense when he said it allowed. Terra didn't know how to tell Sephiroth. It took her a few months to tell him how she felt about him and she had yet to use the word love in any description of her feelings. She exhaled a shaky breath before nodding her head towards Jack.

"I will try." She paused. "Thank you."

Jack, out of everyone she knew, seemed to know how to explain things in a way that she understood. She looked back at the camp and sighed softly.

"We should return to bed."

They have a long day tomorrow too.

[Sadly Terra doesn't know enough about love or affection for her to understand Tears reaction. She watches the woman curiously, her eyes shining as they catch the light from the glowing tree in the distance.]

I don't understand... if you don't then why is it not fair.

[She doesn't mean to be insensitive but Terra is blunt.]

"I don't know what to tell him." She lightly rested her head on Vincent's shoulder if only to stop any tears that might stray own her cheeks.

"I haven't even told him that he died."

Terra didn't think she could, even after two years into the future she never felt the pain of that loss fade. There were moments where she could forget it but it was never gone. She had no experiance with this sort of thing.

With the other two coming to Terra's side she can now focus on casting. A bright mass of flame gathered in her palms as she threw the fire towards one of the creatures. She heard a cry from the monster before turning to another.

Fire was an element she knew.

Another ball of fire gathered in her palm only to ignite a few moments later. She still had her sword out, ready should they come within reach of her arm.

[Terra tenses when she feels Sheena's arms wrap around her. This isn't what she's expecting and she stands perfectly still as if its some sort of trick. There is a moment of silence as Sheena's words finally process within her thoughts.

She isn't angry? The vision they had suggested otherwise which was perhaps why Terra searched so frantically for what to say or do next. She can't bring herself to pull away.]

Why?

[It's soft but the only word to leave her lips.]

I too someone you loved away from you. [Her words bled with pain as if she knew this feeling well.] Why don't you hate me?

We are off to see the Crystal Tree!

Re: Night-Guard

Vincent can fire the first shot

Gonna open up to others too, if that's ok. [OPEN]

Re: Sephiroth - Plains of Sorrow - OTA [& 4 squads of Esdham troops]

no subject

Sephiroth - Plains of Sorrow - Night watch, 4th shift, a few days in?

no subject

Re: Sephiroth | Open [Monsters fighting, perhaps?]

Re: Sephiroth - Plains of Sorrow - Night watch, 4th shift, a few days in?

no subject

Re: Terra | OPEN | Midnight

Sephiroth - Plains of Sorrow - OTA [& 4 squads of Esdham troops]

Sephiroth - Plains of Sorrow - Night watch, 4th shift, a few days in?

Re: late to the party

Re: Sephiroth - Plains of Sorrow - Night watch, 4th shift, a few days in?

Re: Sephiroth | Open [Monsters fighting, perhaps?]

Re: Sephiroth | Open [Monsters fighting, perhaps?]

Re: Sephiroth | Open [Monsters fighting, perhaps?]

no subject

END!

Terra | OPEN | Midnight

no subject

Night-Guard

no subject

no subject