Endgame || Apocalypse

[melodiesmods]

Characters: Anyone
Where: Pandaemonium
When: March 05th
Summary: The first phase of endgame begins! The Heroes of Light are on their way to deal with Garland as they’ve left their unfinished businesses in the hands of their friends amongst the NPCs. How will it end? The mingle threads shall not be modded, only The Guardian will be modded. Please do not start individual threads for The Guardian, reply in a single thread. Starting from now on, the game is officially in endgame. Please do not post any new posts on Mognet or in the Log Community, unless they’re backdated to before this event. The second phase of endgame will be posted once The Killer Of World thread will have been unlocked and completed.
Warning: ̩̼͋ͬͅ.̷̳̗ͦͣ͐ͭͣͬ̈́ ̤̙ͫ̉.̨̯͖̗͓̥̭̣̂̄ͣ̏ͯͫ ̶̼̻̳ͫͧͥ̆.̭͎ͮ͂ ̳̤͓̖̫͌ͪͥ̄͗̐̌.͚͍̀ ͈̻̠̥̜ͦͦ̆ͨ͋.̼̹̹̠̟͚͎ ͙͇̲̘͖̉̌̒͂̈ͮ.͇͙͑̍̽ ̪̭̹̤͓̯̜ͦͣ̒̾͆͗ͦ͟.̝̯̲͗͊̽ ̛̙͌̈ͤ̚.̪̮̰̘͚̏ͦͤ ̲̼̺͓̣̝̐.͗ͨ͜ ̧́̑̄ͥ.ͬ͊̋ͣ ̝̠͍̭̯̽.́ ̊̽̈.̡̥̖̣͓̬̠̰͗͑͂ ͍̭̩̝̉͊̑̃̓ͤ̇.͆̔̀̈́̐̋ ͇̬̤̲͉̜͙̓̍ͦͯͤͥ̔.̯̻̺͔̰̞̙͋͡ ̻̼̣̮͖̮̋ͬ.̖̝̞ ͕̦̙̞̹̲̖̓̃.̌ͯͯ͟ ̺̘̪͊̊.̲͖ ̧̼̙̋ͦͧ̂́̑͑.̷̼̬̭͔͙̹̫ͦͧ̔̄͐̏ͫ ̱͎ͥͥ̈͝.̲̣͖̪͓̯ͩ̓̈̿ͧ̅́ ̪͈͚̺̦̝͎̒ͦ̇̚.̂̆ͯͦͩ̃̀̀ ̬͕̼̆.͎̃́͐̄͒̑ͪͅ ̠̳͎ͬ.̛̭͓͗͌ͪ ̴͉̱͉̘̯̟̔͐.̫̣̥̔͑͛́ ̝̭̤̜͖͎̙̈ͪ̿̓ͯ͂̚.̟̲̥̥͈̭̳̈̋ͥͦ ͔̩̈͋͐͗̚.͓̝̼͍̈ͧ͊ͅ ̥ͥ.̷̬͍͙ͥ̓͋ͅ ̪̯̠ͨ́̂.̱̙̘̫̰͕͈̎̓̊ ̧̻̃̎.̬̇̄ ̘̣̺̼ͯ͋̀.̯ͬ ̆͗͆̆̋͝.̴̞͖̫́ͬ͌̉̍̿ ̪̹̥͙̑ͅ.̵̻̮͓̉̃ͯ͑̊̈́̚ ͚̽̒̚͘.͇̮͇̻͍͈̠͂̓ͣ̀͡ ̩̠̖̋.̺͎͈̦̺̈́ͮͬ͌̋ͧͩ ̳̠͕͙̎ͩ͜.̛̆ͥ̒͑ ̘̠͓͚̱͗͜ͅ.̢̠̠̥͍̬̂̊͋͊̂̄̐ ̦͛.̰͚̫̱͙̩̅̓ ̲̜͌̒ͭ͑͠.̠̆̈̏͆̉ ̰̹̳̻̥̮̬ͨ̍̐̆͗ͫ͜.͕̥͔̳ͩ͞ ̣͓̥̑̍͊̽̄̀.̳̘̭ͭ̔̎̍͜ ̟̞̯̏.̙̯̦̞̱̘ͬ͐ͩ ̯̠̣͉̪̅̅ͣ́ͅ.̡͗̍̿͊͐͊ ̲̙́̽̽́.̝̟͇͈͚̿͝ ̑͜

Mingle Thread
The Guardian
The Killer Of Worlds

Comments

[sesenta]

That's a relief. I feel a little guilty, making the people of this world fight this battle alongside us. But I suppose they have more right than anyone to fight back, don't they?

[Her smile is gentle as she looks back at him. The glow of his eyes doesn't really bother her. He's an intense man, but she's gradually become accustomed to his ways, even admiring his more exotic qualities.]

[Akane's attention drifts to the photograph, and she steps into the room fully so she can draw close and get a better look.]

I don't think I've seen her before.

[She's been in this world less than half as long as Sephiroth has, so it's not really surprising. Akane's attention was focused more on Kurma than Prajapati at the meeting.]

Have you met the Admiral in person?

[shinrasfinest]

It's easily forgotten, that they were at war with each other before we came along.

[Not that he's berating Akane for how she might feel guilty, but it's plain to most people that Sephiroth has hardly ever not been involved in one battle or another. To think of an existence without that is nearly impossible. He might have tasted a little of it here, only.]

It depends on how you might look at it. All life on this world currently comes from repeated cycles which if I recall it correctly originates from us one way or another. But yes, they have as much a right as anyone.

[And it's back to looking over the photograph which his leathered fingers have taken the corner of. Trying to match up pieces of the various hundred-thousand people who might in some way match that description.]

No. We were on opposite sides of the Battle. I'm wondering, though...if they were all evacuated beforehand then...might have passed her in the street a thousand times and...wouldn't know.

[That's not the only concern, clearly, but it's much to late in the game to alert anyone to anything if any refugees might have had a plan to re-assert Heran control while Esdham was occupied here...]

[sesenta]

[Akane edges forward to get a look for herself.]

She does seem familiar. But I can't remember where.

[She props her chin up on her knuckles as she searches her memories, trying to recall. ...Nope, nothing.]

After this is over, maybe you could take it to the Santa Village. There are a lot of Heran refugees there, I'm sure at least one of them knows where she is and what happened to her.

[shinrasfinest]

Potentially.

[Yet if he were to confiscate this photo frame, where exactly would be put it? They were headed for Pandaemonium, for Garland; Sephiroth didn't have the room to take along an item that wouldn't be necessary and it's not as if they were going back to the Enterprise to drop off goodies, first.]

We'll have to see if the opportunity might come up, or not. It might be best left alone, now.

[Besides, it feels as if the items here shouldn't be disturbed, much less stolen. Like a tombstone, or some other location that should be kept exactly as it was left.]

[sesenta]

Here...

[Akane reaches for the photo frame and flips it over. Her hand dips into the pocket of her robes, removing a small screwdriver with a zodiac symbol stamped into the handle. Looks like she took a souvenir away from her brother's puzzle room. Delicately she unscrews the back of the frame, and slips the photo free.]

You never know when the opportunity will come again. Even little things can come in handy!

[She smiles and holds it out to him. This much, at least, he should be able to slip somewhere in all of that leather and armor.]

There might even be something important on the back! People do that with photographs sometimes.

[People like Zero...]

[shinrasfinest]

[Not that Sephiroth were holding the frame at all but she whisks it away a beat later. He watches not-quite with suspicion but it did feel, for the moments it took her to get in the back of the frame with her tool, as if Akane were desecrating something that it wasn't right to vandalize in such a way. For a great many of those left behind, this City had become their graves.

Though Sephiroth's expression held much of that hard, stern facade that was a given, as Akane held the released photograph out for him to take he took a deep breath and at least tried to soften some of those scolding edge of his gaze. As always, Akane had reached outside of the box that he didn't even know was really there.]

Better to be prepared.

[He takes the picture between thumb and forefinger and flips it immediately to see if there would be anything on the back -there isn't, but just in case- before doing exactly as she might expect and tucking it somewhere inside his leather coat and harness arrangement.]

Even if it does feel like we're disturbing where we perhaps shouldn't be.

[sesenta]

[Probably for the best he doesn't know what she did with an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, then. She doesn't seem the least bit apprehensive about what she's done, smiling brightly as if she's instead been very helpful. She cranes her neck to take a peek at the back of the photograph too, but alas.]

Nothing? That's a shame.

[She settles back onto her heels, and admittedly she's a little surprised to hear him remark on a matter that borders on superstition.]

Well...I guess that could be said of the whole city.

[She turns to face him a little more directly.]

What made you decide to explore back here, then? If you don't mind me asking.

[He definitely has her curiosity, and her attention.]

[shinrasfinest]

[As Akane settled back onto her heels, Sephiroth has allowed his cautious gaze to wander the room again. To think how much must have gone on, been agreed on, strategized, argued....all in this office at one time or another. Border skirmishes in the desert, the attack on Esdham, the attack on Aqures...]

That's true.

[The crystal made a literal crypt of a lot of the City. There were places however, like this one, where there was a significant lack of people being caught up in it. The military center in particular looked the most like an evacuation had been in a more orderly fashion.]

I-I'm not sure. I guess I- [He looks to Akane and then over the vast desktop again, towards the standards and other regalia which adorned the back wall.]

-I felt that I needed to see this place, for myself.