#14 | Now for re-learning that which might have been forgotten.

[shinrasfinest]

Characters: Sephiroth & Open Prompts below
Where/When: Aqures Ixen and a little further out for the 3rd prompt, during the Another Side, Another Story event.
Summary: Sephiroth burns the last four sessions due for obtaining his Custom Job, runs into a terrorist from Gaia and heads out further afield for some light training.
Warnings: Some long prose. Some action. Potential profanity filter w/Barret.


1) Laboratory [OPEN] 23-24th Feb
He’d got this.

After the vast amount of time he’d spent in Mysidia engaging in one expedition or another last month -and then there was Terra- Sephiroth’s Custom Job just had to be neglected for a little while. Never mind the amount of times he’d found himself in a situation where that potential power he might unlock in his crystal would have been more than welcome; it only reminded him constantly of its need to be finished.

He’d so got this.

It wasn’t so terribly unlike the physical monitoring he’d undergone at Shinra countless times before, the last stages of his ‘attunement’ to the ‘parameters’ that equipping this newly created Job would have on him. Nodes were attached with sticky tape to specific points on his bared torso; to monitor muscle tension, the build-up of latent energy, heart-rate, and who-knew what else. Wires trailing off to a nearby machine as Sephiroth again lifted Masamune up and out in front of him; the great sword finally as weightless as he remembered. A basic kata executed, seen from behind the glass of a viewing platform as moogles on the other side recorded the various readings. A spike of dials dancing as he closed his eyes and reached deep for the mako-rush that he’d used to be able to summon so easily at will.

A spark from one of the dials accompanied a flicker to the lights momentarily as Sephiroth carefully, once more, lowered his sword.
--
But there was a catch.

A flaw in the Job itself that had been identified early on that in itself had prevented its discovery half as quickly as Sephiroth would have liked. It manifested itself as a delayed-onset exhaustion and while a few of the moogles had a theory why it was an issue, it made symptoms no less tangible.

As tangible as promptly hitting the deck when he emerged from the last session of his four-day burn towards Job completion, where Sephiroth’s physical limitations had been pushed to their absolute maximum; during the process itself, combined with the untold weight of his other responsibilities and duties as well, and had crashed as a result. It took a handful of moogles and other assistants to lift him, but at the very least there were a spare consultation room that day where he could be lain out to sleep, lights off, until he could catch up.

However long that might be, being as Custom Jobs weren’t yet an exact science.


2) Aqures Ixen [Barret & OPEN Cast-prompt]
[Well this is categorically not what was on Sephiroth’s particular to-do-list for the day. Or the month, or even the year, to put it bluntly.

He thought he’d gotten over the worst of what the apparent ‘other’ wave of Heroes of Light could mean for him, having been presented with a mother that he’d never known already and the resultant surge of questions and insecurities have already proved a difficulty to sleep with a couple of nights ago. Wrecking untold havoc with the come-down from the final stages of tuning his new Job, no less. No matter it’s done now, he still feels a little hazy.]

Don’t do anything foolish.

[Hopefully this lunatic would listen to calm reason, insofar as Sephiroth just about manages not to provoke the situation further with his tone. Both leathered hands are raised, palms forward at the rough, agitated black guy with a gun arm pointed squarely at his chest. It’s surely the last time he’s leaving home without a weapon, after this.]


3)Monster hunting; Aqurean Forest - [Lydia/ Terra/ OPEN]
[ooc: Pick your monsters. From bestiary we’ve Golem, Mandragora, Ochu which are native to the Forest, or Red Bomb & Elemental which are native to the Region.]

Thanks to the presence, and consequential vigilance of many Heroes of Light living in Aqures Ixen, the plains nearby to the City seem relatively free of any monsters that may have roamed closer to the outskirts in the past. No matter; with the dump of several months worth of experience into his new Job, Sephiroth was fairly certain that the run-of-the-mill critters probably wouldn’t serve for the challenge that he needed to feel out - for once out of the safety parameters of the laboratory.

By chocobo it opened up the option, and it was clear that a location a little further afield would prove more adequate. Plus the fact that there were a couple of other Heroes that he intended to bring out towards the Aqurean forest in the south, for similar purposes. He knew the route well enough, having travelled it on occasion between Aqures Ixen and Esdham when he had the time or the shuttle couldn’t make a call on his request.

Upon reaching the edge of the forest, Sephiroth brought his bird to a stop --she warked almost rebelliously at not being allowed to carry on running, but eventually obeyed-- and with a smooth swing of his leg dismounted and began to survey the treeline a little ahead of them. There didn’t seem to be any threats visible, but he knew perhaps better than most Heroes that this forest could be alarmingly deceptive.

Not being a Chocobo Knight, after all, it would be safer to proceed on foot with the birds safely out of the way. He turned once more to his bird and, with a sing of edged steel, Masamune was pulled smoothly from the scabbard that he’d secured just behind the saddle. The chocobo, as unused to it as she might be, didn’t seem to even flinch.

Comments

[deadlyvu]

[OOC: How about two or three Mandragora and a Golem? All clear threats in Lydia's mind, even if she'd rather not fight, and not so much a threat to him but a big threat to her on her own.]

Lydia had slowly been venturing out more, including meeting new people again and helping with the UFO stake-out that had been stealing chocobos. It might also be pointless, given the ghosts seem to have all but vanished--but after her vision and with her own inclinations, Lydia had placed her Maxed-Scholar in reserve.

She maintained Vampire as her prime Job, taking the secondary Ghostbuster Job. She also really appreciated those friends she did have, that let her reach out and reached back. Sephiroth being one of those, as she'd checked on him in the lab after his exhaustion from his custom Job. Spencer had been kind enough to explain what was going on, and Lydia had kept an eye.

Certainly she wasn't going to judge or find him weak; even without a custom job he was more of a warrior than she'd ever be. But before Ms. Olivier had left, Lydia HAD been learning to defend herself, and she kind of missed that practice and training. So if he allowed it, she had wanted to head out with him as he got used to his Custom Job outside of the lab.

When that time came, she considered her options and where he said they were going. Definitely a little farther than she wanted to bike, or fly--and she considered Ms. Olivier's motorcycle. Then decided no, she'd have to practice riding that some other time. Rented Chocobo it was, not that Lydia minded--what else did she really have gil to spend on right now, beyond basic supplies and her own hobby-interests?

Rapier with her, what little light armor she had, she followed him on his chocobo without complaint and was game for an adventure. Faith that Sephiroth would be able to handle whatever, but determined to not be too much a liability, that was Lydia. Dismounting and pattern her bird softly, reassuring it, before moving silently to stand next to the taller hero. "Thank you." Voice a whisper, and serious in her manner--but a spark of her old mirth and thirst for adventure was in her eyes.

[bigshotmarshmallow]

[ It was strange to say the least. Why would Sephiroth speak like a completely reasonable person and raise his hands? That's the kind of attitude you would expect from sane people, not from homicidal maniacs with a god-complex. Truth to be said he didn't really know the man-- But from what he had seen, he was more the kind of person to laugh, explain his master plan to become a god and then attack you.

Oh, and summon a freaking meteor to destroy the planet. ]

$#^*@!! Just what are you up to?

[ Barret just hadn't even considered the possibility Sephiroth would try to speak and negotiate his way out of battle. He had just expected him to attack. Sorry Lucrecia, but he might have to shoot. ]

[toomanymistakes]

Lucrecia had prepared herself for whatever she would likely find when she'd open. Oh, Vincent had certainly warned her that she would likely run into him at the laboratories when she expressed desire to study any information they'd gathered from Palitutu's files. Being warned and actually doing so were two different things, however. Though she had to admit she did not expect to witness his collapse. In her concern for the son she'd never formally met, she asked one of the assistants what had occurred, and proceeded to offer her assistance as it, in a way, fell into her area of expertise back on Gaia.

They didn't ask, nor did she explain why she (as the complete stranger) wanted to assist, she just did. Quietly checking up on him in the other room every half hour without fail, checking his vitals and leaving a glass of water in plain view should he happen to awaken when she wasn't present. Something she remembered always finding beside her on the desk whenever she herself overworked herself, only to awake a few hours with a blanket draped over her shoulders and a garble of unintelligible text left on her monitor from where her forehead had rested that time.

She was just there to replace the old glass with another, making sure he otherwise remained undisturbed. Though for a moment she could have sworn she'd seen his eyes flicker open for a second, only to find them closed when she looked again. Odd. Perhaps it was only her imagination.

3) Ochu? & w.e. else

[greenmagick]

Terra was happy to have the chance to practice fighting alongside Sephiroth. She had recently received her custom job and since had been determined to control it. There was a part of her that was her worried; a deep seeded fear of the powers that she knew rested somewhere deep inside of her. Her other equipped job is Red Mage, which she had intended to use for healing spells should they run into trouble. It wasn't a bad trip, she felt safe with Sephiroth and if she were to spend time with anyone it would be him.

Not having her own Chocobo meant that she rode with Sephiroth. She was small and the only weapon she had with her was a thin three food staff made of a red cherry wood. She wore a red leather outfit that Tempest had gotten for her, thinking it improper that Terra always fought in a dress. She tried to keep herself out of his way as he steered the large yellow bird. When then arrived at the forest's edge she followed Sephiroth's lead and began to dismount after him.

"Should we tie the chocobo here?" She assumed that the large bird wouldn't be joining them into the forest.