melodiesoflife | Event || In Your Worst Memory

Event || In Your Worst Memory

Characters: All Heroes of Light. Only those who signed-up can start a memory.
Where: Interdimensional Rift
When: May 27th - May 30th
Summary: The Heroes of Light relive some of their worst memories, with a twist. All characters participating in this will be physically missing from Crystallis for the duration of the event.
Warning: It depends on the memory.

Where you were or what you were doing— It does not really matter. Not any more. Everything around you freezes, nearly as if time itself stopped, as if the world was frozen in time. And before you have a chance to understand what is happening, you can hear a voice right behind you.

"Kali Shashidhwaja."

Should you turn around, you may see a child who seems to be the only one aside from you unaffected by what is happening. And as she stares right at you, it makes no doubt these strange words are aimed at you. But before you can reply to her, the world around you collapses. Reality twists and shatters... Or maybe you are the one who is collapsing and shattering away from reality as you know it. No matter what the answer is, it will only take a few seconds for you to find yourself sinking into a void, Crystallis vanishing into the distance. There is nothing but darkness as far as the eye can see.

And once again you feel different: all the powers from your Jobs are fading. Not only that, but you might find that your Crystal is gone and your clothes back to what they were before you woke up in Crystallis. It is silent, cold and before long it feels as though life itself is slipping out of you... And yet, slowly the world reforms around you. The darkness fades away and a new world appears, yet at the same time this is not a world.

This is a memory. The question is, is it yours or that of someone else?

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The next obvious question was why her body had needed guarding. The Turks weren't assigned to just anyone which logically meant one of two things; either Dr. Lucrecia was high enough within the echelons of Shinra to have requested the same and not be denied, or somewhere within the company there were a file on someones desk bearing another reason to watch her.

However such a question didn't merit being voiced in reply to Vincent's answer and so Sephiroth fell into a heavy silence again. Watching despite his attempts not to, the scenes as they repeated over and over. The dislike he had for Hojo was blown up bigger each time he had to listen to that maniacal laugh on the end.

Even when his own sanity would smash irreparably, he'd never laugh like that. Whatever comfort in that there was, as for all the cool aloof manner of the SOLDIER as he appeared to Vincent in this instance; under the weight of facts recently-learned his composure groaned with the burden. That the first cracks to his mind hadn't started yet to splinter was a testament to the legendary self-discipline Sephiroth was famous for. Of course, he was lucky that within Crystallis, certain properties about himself were made redundant - Jenova had no sway there.

Not so in this realm of memories though; Sephiroth's slitted eyes were iridescent enough to almost appear as glowing in the dim background. That highlighted gaze snapped to Vincent again as he both questioned and stated the obvious. Minutely, Sephiroth made his arms slightly less tightly folded in; for appearances sake.

He gaged Vincent carefully afterwards, trying to find the answer -what to say next- on the face of the man who was clearly as good as he was at hiding away how he might be feeling.

"I know only one. I'd rather not know the rest."

Oh there were a few reasons Dr. Crescent might have requested a bodyguard. Or might have needed a bodyguard. In hindsight, if anyone had truly known what the science department was doing, and had the power to protest, the danger was obvious. Curiouser more, as she'd been assigned a bodyguard; who was the son of her former research comrade and mentor.

Was fate cruel? Or did Fate merely exist, and it was the actions taken because of it that were cruel?

"I suspect we'd both rather not know that one." There might have been a hint of mirth in the tone, an almost sense of reaching out. At the same time, Sephiroth clearly rejected wanting to know more--Vincent couldn't blame him. It didn't matter as his own eyes closed, and his expression twitched as the sound of Hojo's laughter echoed through the darkness. Breaking through Vincent's stoicism as the dream began to repeat, again. At his side, the tarnished gold of his gauntlet clenched into a fist, metal and leather creaking with his reaction.

They passed into stoic silence once more as the scenes slipped into a further repetition; Sephiroth just didn't have the words to continue from the comment made - it were obvious they both hated Hojo but the specifics were much different. For one, for all Sephiroth had been the product of his successful experiment with Lucrecia, Hojo had never done anything but act in the boys best interests...in a roundabout way. It was the suffocating presence that was always there which had made Sephiroth resentful, much more so in the wake of the emergence of Gast's death - several years late.

The creak drew Sephiroth's attention eventually and it was about at that point where he needed something else to occupy his mind and so therefore looked down and to the side some in Vincent's direction.

"It's not going to change, you know. No matter how many times it plays over. Past is past."

"I know." Quiet, low; it would be a dangerous tone except for the weariness of it. It would never change, and it was the past, but Vincent could not escape it all the same.

Could not leave it behind, as it was such a part of himself. His sin. His punishment... A conscious act to relax his gauntlet-ted hand, fingers rolling and flexing slightly. Vincent kept his eyes closed, head turning aside as once more Lucretia's quiet declaration was heard in the memory.

His questioning her followed, and Vincent sighed. A visible admission of the weariness. Echoing out, almost unheard, was a question of "...why?" Why show this, over and over for all to see?

Was he not suffering enough?

For a long moment Sephiroth didn't identify Vincent's tone as dangerous or wary, in fact he spent the majority of said long moment trying to sort it cleanly into one box or another. He didn't know this man, despite the fact that these events from his past were entwined with the company's science department and by that token alone he felt a little lost in the fact that he didn't recall anything of them; Vincent, of the Turks- or Dr. Crescent...there were no records that he had laid eyes on.

As such, Sephiroth had no idea with regard to exactly how long ago the scenes before him were set even if he might hazard a guess from the dated furniture and lighting, but for all he knew it might even be from an alternate universe; it wouldn't be the first time he'd been presented with that mind-bend. That seemed to be the preferable conclusion to arrive at, despite the initial impression with regards to 'the project', as eventually he stood up taller and actually turned in Vincent's direction. All the tall, proud confidence that ShinRa had sown in him in that instant.

"The question could be 'why not'? I suppose."

The tall and proud confidence didn't seem to faze Vincent. It was what he would've expected from one of ShinRa's greatest. It was something he'd seen often enough in his professional life, and his head moved once more to meet Sephiroth's gaze.

"This is your doing?" It seemed unlikely, but Vincent had to know. The man standing in front of him bore the same silver hair and green eyes. The same clothing, but his manner--it was not that of a madman intent on world-destruction. It had not been, at any point in their limited conversation so far.

But Vincent still had to know. Because if it was, and this was some twisted game. Some further experiment and outside torment visited upon him... It would change things.

Wrapping his own professional confidence around him, as familiar as his red cloak. Despite the tatters it was shown to be with the memories played before them, Vincent kept his gaze even. Expression neutral, cool, but seeking only confirmation or denial. Answers, and not accusing. Yet.

"My doing?" It was legitimate, though very quick, the way that Sephiroth answered Vincent when their eye contact met again. If the older man still might harbor any shadow of a doubt, the skin between Sephiroth's pristine eyebrows creased up into a concerned frown then as well. It was obvious immediately that he really had no idea what the other were referring to.

Yet, only a couple of beats later, Sephiroth's infallible logic caught up. Connecting the dots between the inkling he had now of his own future, how those from further along in his timeline had been around him before, and the very real underlying fact that - that Sephiroth was a master at manipulation. The frown paused and Sephiroth's eyes de-focused from Vincent's face for a moment while he processed - his jaw slacking just a little.

"Do not be concerned. I am not yet that man." Though immediately, that question of time resurfaced as Sephiroth looked away over the scene as Hojo started once more to cackle.

Could it be possible that the experiment had created some sort of immortal? He pondered, but did not say anything of it.

Vincent kept his gaze focused, even as Sephiroth's did the opposite for a moment before meeting his again. His expression stoic, but he was reading every nuance, calling on old skills drilled into him. Skills he had forgotten, or ignored, or perhaps been blind to, to his detriment.

Seconds ticked by, even as Sephiroth turned to watch the scene being played again, before Vincent nodded. "I had to know. You do not seem like him yet."

Quieting once more, steeling himself to turn to face his past being bared for all. "I slept. For 30 years." A curious statement, but giving some context of time, for the memories. Should Sephiroth be connecting the dots.

If he was not yet the madman, he would still be curious. Better he find out now, if he chose, from one who was there at the beginning. The same one who could have prevented it, if they had not been passive.

Not Yet. 30 Years though-

He wasn't the madman but between a could-well-be genetic predilection for insanity before Jenova were even added to the equation, the events before Crystallis, and that which he'd already been through since being snatched from his World...the cracks were much more distinct than just hairline fractures anymore. Already Sephiroth bore much more in the way of the mental scrapes that would eventually break him, only the exact set of circumstances hadn't fallen into place in the same way to cause it to shatter.

Testament to the signature of Sephiroth's strong discipline and a force of willpower to be reckoned with. Even if it were possible for Vincent to tell that his 'yet' had a little more of an effect on the other mans posture; that told he knew a little more of what he might become than he was letting on. Dots were connecting, yet Sephiroth still didn't see the reality in the scenes being played out before him...he was just seeing another failed experiment. He hadn't yet seen the hard truth of his own origins.

"Was that part of the experiment?"

There was a rather eloquent sharp bark of sound, almost a laugh but for the derision in it, from Vincent. Directed at himself, as turned from the repeating scene. He knew it all well by heart even without the constant loop. "No, I was not planned. He saw an opportunity. To punish me for my 'sin', and I became one of his toys. Thrown away and forgotten, when other things became more important."

There was bitterness and self-loathing all too evident in the low voice. While Hojo may have taken advantage of the opportunity presented, it was clear enough that Vincent blamed himself. It was his mistake, his blindness, his stupidity. His sin--and Hojo had simply delivered the punishment.

"Hm." That wasn't what Sephiroth had meant but the thought of prying very much more almost made him feel sick with the obvious effect it were all having on the man whose memory it was.

Vincent was neither the first, nor the last such specimen that Hojo would play with after all. But saying that wasn't going to help at all and so Sephiroth tactically kept that fact to himself.

"There is little point hanging on to a sin that you can't now do anything to absolve." It was supposed to be encouraging, but Sephiroth were never really any good at being anything but brutally honest.

Vincent shook his head, dark strands of hair blending with the surroundings, almost as if trying to shield their owner from more exposure. He did not expect to be absolved of this sin. Was not looking for absolution. It was his punishment to bear, and he would carry it with him.

"You don't understand." It was murmured quietly, voice casual even as Vincent was oddly touched inside. That was perhaps the biggest proof that the Sephiroth who had come unwittingly into this place, was not the same one Vincent had been part of a group chasing across the world. That madman would not have attempted even to try to offer comfort.

"I do not seek absolution." Slanting crimson eyes back to meet glowing green. Explaining as much as he wished to, while offering that little bit more information. Vincent was not seeking Sephiroth's judgement, nor was he talking down to him.

What he did wish, was an end to this loop. Memories, and part of what had driven him to sleep for 30 long years in silence and darkness already. They were not normally this intense.

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Event || In Your Worst Memory

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