melodiesoflife | #4 | Fallout from the last and entering new horizons?

Entry tags:

#4 | Fallout from the last and entering new horizons?

Who: Sephiroth [Open]
When/Where: Various, as prompts below - Locations in bold
Summary: #1 - Fallout from 13 Moogles, General log post-Event, #2 - Esdham during the Event
Warnings: Not really? Melancholy-Sephiroth?

#1 10-14th November: Around Aqures Ixen
There was one thing undeniable about life in Aqures Ixen, the cold snap which had started around the start of the Night of the Thirteen Moogles celebrations didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. It seemed that this part of Crystallis were quickly advancing now into it's winter season but whatever comfort Sephiroth might take from that mundane detail, that sense of 'normality'; not being used to feeling the cold so acutely, the same was incredibly short lived. He had hurt people, he had killed someone. Moreover, he had failed. Failed himself, failed others, failed the title of 'Hero' that Spencer still insisted on bestowing on him.

Perhaps that was the real reason why he insisted on giving up his room when Hibiki had joined them in A-02, and instead taking up residence in the common living area; the couch wasn't the best nights sleep given his size but it was just another uncomfort Sephiroth figured it was best to simply get used to. The mako-given rush to his limitations had receded when he'd come back around after the fight, leaving him only with the weakness he thought had been gone for good. In the end, without much in the way of words to either girl, he'd slipped out of the house and not returned, deciding quietly to move in with an old friend to B-04; an easy enough transition considering they were neighbors anyway, and besides it's not as if he had much in the way of possessions or even much of a desire to leave his new room most of the time. There was plenty to read, and much more to ponder upon despite Spencer's continued encouragement for him to find something to take his mind off his troubles; when he did leave his new 'home', Sephiroth would not return for most of the day.

For the most part his routine-of-sorts hadn't changed; early morning circuits around the Districts to get his blood going then a return to the house for clean up and a light lunch. Most afternoons were spent between combating monsters not so far out of the City limits, sparring in one of the small arenas available in the 8th or 10th Districts, or lingering around in some Library aisle or another before retreating back with a book to read for the evening. More often recently, thoughts were drawn to the conflict going on against the Empire which seemed to be the source of all their troubles; perhaps he might write that letter to Biggs after all. It was high time he stopped simply existing and stepped up to the plate.

#2 Event: Cat and Mouse - Republic of Esdham/Coliseum 20-25th November: Smash Tournament
Maybe he had been sitting on the reply for a little too long, that official looking letter stating that he was to travel to Esdham via the military airship to undertake the necessary physical and mental tests required for his entry into their military. Sephiroth assured himself quite often that it was simply a formality and he should make the cut with no problems, yet, there was always the fact that he was undoubtedly weaker than he could be and his mental state -ha- well that was best not to think too heavily on either. Best to concentrate on his fitness and training so that he could be the best possible within his too human limitations.

But there was that message from Wedge a few days ago as well. The Moogle with the Black Mage Hat was still out there - somewhere. Sephiroth had no doubt that other Heroes would have taken the call out, they might be spread across the entire accessible surface of Crystallis by now in their hunt for the one who was behind all of their manipulations thus far. Yet there was still a dark thought that festered in the back of his mind; were they really all on the right side? He needed to put that to rest, a fact if he were ever to get his mind back where it should be; that is - back to the Hero he was supposed to be. What better way than to retreat into an environment more familiar than the mundane day-by-day monotony of living in Aqures Ixen and having no direction?

And when he got there? In Esdham, aside from his entry tests to undergo -which he had felt quietly confident in- there seemed to be something of a sporting event going on at the Coliseum. What a spectacle to dedicate his attention towards! There were a vast array of weapons, tactics and competitors to observe and study. Who knows some of the tactics might even be used by the Empire themselves, against the Army of Esdham; if not, then for sure some of them needed to be! Not to mention there were plenty of others who served in the army also present in the seething audience where Sephiroth might learn more about the life that would be waiting for him pending his acceptance.

It wasn't as if there weren't other locales to check out in the Republic as well, even if some of them he didn't yet have the clearance to enter. The military headquarters, with their impressive training grounds (if not so hi-tech as Sephiroth remembered from Shinra), the barracks that might become his home should the tests have gone as well as he thought. The airport was so much more expansive and advanced than anything they boasted in Aqures Ixen, the airships mirroring more of the prototypes that Shinra Inc might have designed. Idly he wondered if there were anything in that comparison as he watched them in near awe. Homesick? Perhaps just a little.

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Talk about a conversation killer. While Sephiroth had no reason to think that Yeul didn't understand what he was getting at, given her obvious curiosity perhaps he did expect for her to say something more. Then again, like Yeul, Sephiroth only ever did speak when there were something of note that needed to be said and never for the sake of small talk. He'd made his point and so the silence prevailed.

He looked down as Hibi pretty much snuggled closer into his chest but other than a light flinch at the sensation didn't stop her. For sure the moogle could grab on to the fabric of his sweater underneath, the straps to his harness or even the edges of his leather jacket if need be, Sephiroth wouldn't mind so much as long as he wasn't pulling moogle fur out of his sweater for the next week and it was very crowded in the Coliseum.

"Here." Sephiroth found the buckle that held his coat closed and unhooked it, providing something of a safe haven for the small creature inside there if she wanted one.

In the meantime, the next round of combat was declared by a sharp bell of a sound and Sephiroth looked once more to Yeul before turning his head up and over the people directly in front of them. She was a small girl, really and he wondered if he might be able to lift her up if she wanted to see. The crowd would also stop surging in seemingly random directions now that they all had something to watch.

"Did you come for the sport, Yeul? Or the answers?"

Hibiscus took the chance to cling to Sephiroth's sweater and suddenly felt safer now that she was out of the way of anyone who might reach out and grab her. She always had to be on alert when Yeul was out of the house because her little hero had the talent of attracting trouble. With another strong hero around she took the moment to take a breath but even still she kept her eyes on Yeul.

"Thank you, kupo."

Yeul's head turned at sound of the cheers as she lifted lightly on her toes to get a better look. She had been looking for information about the moogle but more than that she came to see the fights, to learn something that she had some base of knowledge. She had seen Caius fighting and she wondered what strength this world held.

"Both."

He flashed a quick smile down at Hibi as she finally latched onto his sweater. He hadn't honestly noticed before if moogles did molt or not, Spencer was rather short-furred after all. Oh well, he was about to find out now. It could be worse, he wasn't allergic or anything - or at least as far as he knew.

Sephiroth turned his head back up over to the fight that was starting in earnest, glancing at Yeul momentarily when she spoke . Turned out there weren't only two in the arena, but a fierce group of four men each with different arrangements of armor and weaponry - a cheer went up as the axe-man swiftly drew first blood and a body fell back into the sand. He stood in silence, watching stances between all of them, each swing of their respective weapons and how they were blocked or countered. There was a lot to learn from watching others fight that one simply couldn't just read about.

"Do they have such fighting contests where you are from?" He asked but didn't look down to Yeul with the question.

Hibiscus would be described as cute among moogles and her hair was a little longer than most. Though she hasn't been know to shed white hairs anywhere in the past.

"No but I have watch Caius fight. I wanted to see how they fought here." She lifted herself up slightly so that she was balancing on her tippy toes. There was a small window of sight between the shoulders of two men cheering at the brutality of the fight. Yeul wasn't bothered with blood or gruesome sights, it was something the young seeress was used to seeing.

All said the moogle was small enough to fit on the inside of his jacket without too much of a discomfort. Sephiroth wasn't really sure why he seemed to have developed such an affinity for the little creatures, but they were really helpful, all said and done. For himself, Spencer often played somewhere between the devils' advocate and the sound board for theories that he wasn't yet sure enough about to bring to the attention of other Heroes. It was a working relationship, even if the spectacle-wearing mog did thickly layer the praise on a little too much at times.

Sephiroth canted his head downwards a little so that he could see Yeul and still keep half an eye on her as the tournament continued. She really were an odd little girl.

"You know, there might be a good handful of people who might think you're too young for all this violence." His tone didn't make it very clear whether he was included in that school of thought or not; after all, if she were from a world where there was a lot of fighting, it wouldn't be a question of morality or what was 'right' for youngsters to see.

She was happy that he adjusted him position so that she could see. Hibiscus hadn't wanted her to come here at all and she was sure it was because of the violence. However, she knew that her age wouldn't shield her from the realities of this world.

"I know but," Yeul paused. "I want to see things as they are. I want to see the truth of this world."

She was very open minded, after the things she has seen and lived through. She didn't want to close her eyes and pretend that something wasn't happening. She looked up at Sephiroth with a slight smile spread across her lips.

"I think that is better."

Yeul was mature beyond her years to have such an honest way of thinking about that, however that didn't make it right. As far as he was concerned, being a child and preserving what you could of innocence for as long as possible was nothing less than what the world owed to children. Never mind that Sephiroth didn't have a foot to stand on much either in trying to argue the point, or perhaps he thought that because of his own experience; it could be either or.

She struck him very much as having a similar attitude to it as he had had when he was younger. Through no fault of his own, ultimately, Sephiroth had wanted to grow up as fast as possible. To know as much as possible, to be able to do all that he tirelessly had trained himself up to be. To be the best. Not once had he stopped to wonder if he'd been going too fast, nor had he been given the opportunity. He had never looked back, until just recently before he had come to Crystallis.

"That depends very much on your point of view. Sometimes, too much truth ages a person." The last part he dropped his tone significantly as his philosophical comment brought with it a tidal wave of churning thoughts about his own circumstances. Sephiroth even looked down, away from the arena for a few moments. Talk about being a hypocrite.

He really should say something more to Yeul but as another cheer wracked the crowd Sephiroth remained silent.

Yeul smiled sadly to herself as her eyes remained on the match. "I was never able to grow old but even when I was young I had to grow up. I never was able to run or hide from the truth." She spoke frankly and there wasn't any sadness to her voice. It was just the truth of how she lived.

Being here, in this city, it was the first time she would be able to truly live her life and she wasn't sure how to do that. She never had a childhood or those times where she could just be a kid and she was finding that she didn't know how. Just how did you have fun? How could you just blindly see the world behind a vale of innocents? Yeul didn't know and she was still searching for answers.

She wasn't sure why she answered him. It wasn't as if he asked a question but she hoped that maybe he would understand. Someone who could just help her learn a little bit more.

Yeul's comment, despite all the many other voices around, came through clear to Sephiroth. It perked at his interest after a moment of swilling her words around in his mind. What did she mean by that? Never able to grow old- it sounded as if she...but a person couldn't have multiple lives as far as he knew. But then logically different Worlds might have vastly different mechanisms to how the Lifestream worked on Gaia.

Still, being curious about Yeul was a vast improvement from wallowing in his own conscience.

"I'm not sure that I follow you." Being the only polite way he could possibly encourage her to explain, that didn't sound abrupt or as if she were talking riddles at him. He turned his head again in her direction as he spoke.

"You were stuck as a child forever?"

Yeul nodded slightly her eyes still on the spectacle in front of them. She didn't mind talking about it, she always prefered to face the truth.

"I am the seeress. I would see the future at each moment as it is changed. These visions are my curse. My life is sacrificed in exchange for this power." She didn't think she needed to say more, even though she knew she was being cryptic. She should be dead but for some reason while she's here she was left to live a life that she wouldn't otherwise have. "Then the seeress is reborn."

Her gaze shifted to Sephiroth for a moment as she continued.

"When our powers had returned. I saw the path we are currently taking and then I died. When I woke up I was in that clearing." Where the moogle in the black mage hat began his tricks.

As Yeul recounted what she had been before she was brought to Crystallis, the fight going on the arena might as well have not been going on for all the attention Sephiroth were giving to it. He had heard there were some interesting people brought here to be Heroes of Light, but Yeul was a prime example of just how different they all were.

He had to force the light frown away as she finally shifted her gaze to him, it wouldn't be polite at all for her to see how much it might have unnerved him. He looked down and away and then over to the fight in the middle of the crowd again.

"Hm." He understood, at the very least, the gravity of last month. Less so what it meant for other people, he'd had enough of questions about his own existence brought up as a result. But he couldn't leave it-

"What did you see?"

"Darkness and not just for this world but for all of them." Her eyes reflected the nightmares truth that she saw and it was why she convinced herself that what the moogle had been doing was right. She didn't regret it. Yeul would do anything to stop that future from coming to pass if only she knew what to do. She wasn't used to feeling so blind in the face of her future.

She looked back at the match trying to drown her own thoughts in the mindless fighting. They were talented and had some skill but Caius would easily have defeated them if he was at full power. Her thoughts remained on Caius, wondering what her protector might think if he saw her here. Was she really being too reckless in her actions? How else could she find the truth?

Then she wonders what Sephiroth might hope for, maybe his thoughts were as tangled as her own.

Darkness, if the Calamity willed it to be.

His own responsive thought was instantaneously off the mark. Followed with a deepening frown that Sephiroth knew he'd turned his head away from Yeul to prevent her from seeing. Just which way was the right way now? Didn't the Calamity, which for some reason he associated with a 'she', have a right to do with the World as it wished? If annihilation was called for on this and any other World - who were they to stand in it's way?

It didn't feel right though, it burned something fierce in the bottom of his heart. If he thought on it too heavily it might well make him feel sick. No. The Moogle had used them all to it's greater end. The Calamity was no entitled being and Sephiroth quickly reassured himself of that. He had taken to, in order to preserve his own strength of mind.

Such an entanglement of thoughts which still brought sleepless nights. Sephiroth wondered when he would start to get over those events - he needed to do something about them, that's for sure. Eventually, once his expression was steeled professionally back into it's neutral, Sephiroth looked over Yeul once more.

"Without darkness there can be no light. And vice versa....I suppose"

Call it an attempt to try to make the conversation lighter - allbeit not a very good one.

Yeul was sure she saw him frown as he turned away but she wasn't really sure why. There was so much to think of and though her words might have been startling she knew that he was there too. The things that they felt when the awoke. They were suppose to be helping and whatever the outcome it would be worth it. It would be an end but she was so unsure now.

Her expression didn't falter as he turned back to her and try to lighten the mood. She has seen opposing sides created to fight each other so it only made sense for his words to be true.

"Would you be the light then?"

Yeul didn't think that she could fulfill that role. She wasn't meant to be a hero. Though she was sure that he was meant to be one.

For Sephiroth in that moment when they had awoken in the clearing had been pointedly different from -as far as he knew- everyone else's experience. He had believed, so firmly it almost jarred him, that he was on-par somehow with the Calamity and moreover that he would enjoy destroying everything since she wasn't present at all to do it herself. It was almost as if the whole World of Crystallis had stirred his wrath to a point that Sephiroth hadn't experienced thus far in his life.

And he could never, ever allow any of the other Heroes of Light to learn that. Sephiroth had embraced the call for a Hero much the same as he always had stepped up to the plate and it was sickening in it's contradiction that his conviction had so easily been turned.

"Humph, I suppose we're all to fill that role. In some respect or another."

Sephiroth was talking down and to the side of himself again at her as the brawl in the arena continued and particularly skilled maneuver had caught the corner of his attention.

Yeul didn't really have an opinion on if the world should end or continue. In her mind the end could also be seen as a beginning but things have changed since waking up here.

She wasn't tied to her fate and Caius and her could live out there days together. For once they could really live and a part of her didn't want that to change. She kept her eyes on the match as useless thoughts tumbled around in her mind.

"Looks to be that way." It was awkward but Yeul had nothing else to say on the matter.

She glanced up at Sephiroth as she spoke. "Is it alright if I watch the matches with you?" They didn't need to talk to watch and Yeul was fine with either silence or conversation.

"Ooooh-" He made an impressed grunt of a sound as the battle in the arena intensified. Sephiroth wouldn't let on openly but he did miss Yeul's first comment as a result. Though the background noise did quieten a little more for her next question and then he looked down more directly at her again.

There was something inherently innocent in Yeul looking up at him like that, as if asking permission for something so much less -well- violent. It jarred Sephiroth for a moment and he blinked a few times as if registering her question but then the frown that hadn't lifted far from his features relaxed noticeably.

"No, I don't mind at all." Though certainly it wouldn't be a very conversational affair. Then, as if remembering something Sephiroth stepped towards Yeul revealing the seat that he had been sitting in before the fighting started. It was only the equivalent of a step carved into the structure of the Coliseum but perhaps if Yeul stood on it she would be able to see much easier.

He even gestured towards it, if she were looking.

His moment made her turn to look at the seat he was once sitting in and so she makes her way to it. It helps her see some and more importantly now that she was in a seat the crowd seemed to go around her more than push into her like before. She steadily watched the matches curiously, comparing skills she has seen in the past to those fighting now.

She didn't try to have a conversation and a comfortable silence settled over the pair. Hibiscus was the only one occasionally making a noise or jumping at a sudden cheer. The little moogle didn't like being here.

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#4 | Fallout from the last and entering new horizons?

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

At the Coliseum

We can end this here