melodiesoflife | Event || Genesis (Conclusion)

[Ven's still glaring after Jessie -- Palitutu, whatever her name is -- and debating trying something, anything, but that warning gets his attention, fortunately, and he controls the urge.

After a glance around the room to make sure everyone seems to be of the same mind, he hurries towards the exit as well (of course they're running, thre had to more running involved, didn't there) and keeps his thoughts to himself.

Again, he's been used. Again, he's been set up in the hopes of doing the right thing, only for it to -- literally, maybe, this time -- blow up in his face. His memory, months before... in hindsight, maybe it was a warning. And he'd overlooked it.

The fact that he isn't the only one isn't a comforting thought.]

[At hearing what sounded essentially like giving up, Tear can't keep her silence any more. Yes, everything was happening quickly and with every development it felt as if it was slipping further out of their hands, but that didn't mean there was absolutely nothing.]

You wanted to be a hero, to help before, why is now any different? [They were brought here through so many sacrifices...] What's done is done, but if running from here is going to help at all, like Jade is suggesting, then do it. Too many lives have been lost already for us to just sit here and do nothing.

[Albel couldn't believe it. The absolute chaos. It was entirely different from a battlefield. Hero killing Hero, followed by betrayal, followed by...]

[He couldn't think. He wouldn't think. It was too much to think about. What he saw was an enemy -- a target. That he could focus on.]

[Abandoning Logen, Albel threw all of his anger, all of his hate, into a charge at Jessie -- or Palitutu's -- back. He didn't get much further than Luffy's body before he stumbled to a halt, feet crystallized to the ground. In another last-ditch effort to attack, he thrust his hand out to cast -- ]

Blizza--!

[The spell was cut off mid-word as crystal overtook his arms, torso, neck, and the last that was heard was a gasp for breath before Albel had completely turned.]

[Trust Jade to be the next one to make that connection. Still, it blunts Sephiroth's concerns a little that he might be the only one who understood.

In the meantime, since that blinding flash he's stood back away from the edge and watched Palitutu intently as she made her appearance. In silence. Scrutinizing her every word; pairing the revelations with the various ongoing theories he had about their purpose, their state of being, all of those things that made up the adventure that had been Crystallis thus far.

He shouldn't have looked at Cloud just then, as the young boy punched the ground. Sephiroth was close enough, and looking just in the right way for when they met eye contact. He could have no idea what had crossed Cloud's mind...but he might be able to hazard a guess based on what he only half-remembered himself and how he'd refused tp discuss it before. As such, he narrows eyes at Cloud; part of him inviting the other to actually say something. To verify what that look had been about.

Resonate with the Crystal...

Sephiroth took his own, deep blue meteor-shaped crystal out and looked over it in relation to the pulsating Crystal of Fire and that seething black hole which was still underneath. Apparently this orb, if what they were told before was truth, contained all that there was of a person - their past and their future, granted Heroes of Light their jobs and the ability to switch between them...

Wouldn't it be so much easier to just throw all of that away? He needed to let go of the man that he was to become, anyway...if he wasn't bound to a Crystal anymore...he wondered what would happen.

Having looked away from Cloud, and not really paying attention to the other Heroes anymore...Sephiroth extended his hand over the ledge, gripping his crystal lightly while still contemplating if he was ready to take such a gamble.]

[So much had happened, too quickly to fully process it all. Vincent had kept himself to the shadows, although his gun was still drawn. Would a ranged attack strike Jessie/Palitutu and leave him Crystalized? Was it worth finding out?

A bitter taste in his throat, he came to the painful realization that sometimes one could do nothing but watch. This was such a situation, and it rankled within him worse than almost anything he'd experienced before.

At least for now. Movement from the corner of his eye, silver and blue and a hand reaching out. Quietly, but noisily enough, Vincent found something he could affect, and would not just watch, as he moved towards Sephiroth.]

Such a decision, while tempting, is not one to be made lightly or rashly.

[His voice was calm and even. Imploring the other man to see the logic, to think about what he was doing. Even if he were right, and this would turn out to be the answer... Better to do so clear-headed, than in a moment of emotion.

Besides, Vincent had another point to bring up too. Gambling very slightly on what he had seen earlier, another tragedy he wished to prevent if he could. Waiting, hoping, and being certain before speaking, that crimson eyes met green gaze.]

You would make her sad.

[Cryptic, blunt, but hopefully enough and to the point.]

Edited 2015-08-14 00:21 (UTC)

[She listened to their words, but then shook her head.]

It's too late. The reaction began when you first arrived a week ago.

[And with that said Palitutu exited the room and was soon far away-- Doubtlessly she had to escape this city as well to survive and become "Jessie."

The Crystal of Fire didn't get any better. Within the next five to ten minutes, it would detonate as written in the history books and wipe out the city. Upon being hit by the detonation, rather than dying like the rest of the population, all the Heroes of Light will go into Crystal Stasis. And they will not go back to the future-- They will remain in Crystal Stasis for twenty-eight years, hidden in the ruins of Aqures Tosf.

Thankfully, from their point of view, these twenty-eight years in Crystal Stasis will last for no more than a split second.]

[OOC:You can reply to this thread to play what will happen in the minutes preceding the explosion, there just will be no more NPC replies.]

Edited 2015-08-14 08:15 (UTC)

Damn it to hell! This is unforgivable!

[This was all too much for Saori to stay calm anymore. A large impact was left in a nearby wall by her fist. Maybe it was to snap the other heroes back to their current situation or the closest thing she could hit without the fear of being crystallized.

She wiped the stinging tears that threatened to appear. So much for being a hero. Even with the speed of a Master Monk, she dared not to move in for an attack.

She swore to herself to hunt down Palitutu, or Jessie, or whatever she wanted to call herself. Mortality and lack of goddess powers be damned, she will be found.]

We have to get out now!

[ Following the imposter was a futile decision at best, as there was no way of stopping the cogs that had already begun to turn. The only course of action at their disposal was escaping the imminent explosion, as staying in the vicinity of the Crystal wasn't going to net them any new answers.

Among the wide variety of emotions displayed by the Heroes surrounding the boy, Ace's expression was a calm one, even if the thoughts racing through his mind did not mirror it in the slightest. Up until now, what he'd been collecting had been merely fragments of the story brought up by fellow warriors, hearing the actual culprit speak up made a lot of things finally fall in the place, even if the knowledge came way too late for them to make a difference. He nods at Saori. ]

Let's move! Despair won't get us anywhere now.

[…from when they arrived. Just by being here-

She hears the others speaking, glancing their way for a moment, and turns back, reaching out. If she could tell, somehow, what's happening with the crystal-

But there's nothing.

She breathes out, shoulders shaking, and turns. All they- all she can do now- is try and get away, and hope for the best.]

Quickly, then. [and she moves, trying to push herself and forget, at least for now- until she can think about it, and try to deal with it. A Hero… what does that mean?]

Right! Let's go! Sirs!

[The Sergeant looks at Jade and Sephiroth.] I think we have to fall back. I don't know what we can do here, but unless there's something you see that I don't...

You're right.

[Sephiroth finally steps away from the edge of the void, a pyrefly winding it's way around his shoulders as if he'd disturbed it's flight path. Impossible to have done, but that was the effect. He turns to face Robin.]

Though, I doubt at this stage that it really would make any difference how far we were to get away.

[As ever, the expert at keeping his voice calm and easily stepping back into his role as commanding officer.]

If Kalki couldn't find a way to stop this, I doubt we could either.

[Jade's gaze lingers on Sephiroth, though he refrains from asking about the odd moment at the edge of the pit. Now is not the time or place.]

Jessie clearly has some means of escape. If we can find it, we may be able to rescue just a few more citizens.

[He adjusts his glasses, his expression grim.] It's probably a fool's hope, but it's the only course of action that I can see. If anyone feels that's not worth the effort, they're free to sit here and twiddle their thumbs waiting for the end. I'd rather not.

[Without a further comment, Jade strides out of the room.]

[Terra enters just as soon as those around the scene begin to walk towards the door. She spots 'Jessie' as the tarutaru walks away from the building but she doesn't place the connection until she's staring at the strange room. Her eyes take in each person and the shared grim expressions painted across their features.

Her gaze them locks on Jack's still form and a soft gasp echoes from her lips as she steps towards him. She can't even begin to guess what's happened in here.]

[She can trust Jade to handle things from ahead of them, but the other heroes here who couldn't seem to move, seeing Luffy and Albel be encased by crystal as Terra fell into shock...

Yes, she was walking out of here and after those who still wanted to try, but not altogether quickly for how urgent the matter is. If she were to move so quickly, they might not hear it and there would be no point to even doing it.

The words of her song are more spaced and drawn out than they should be, and there was no guarantee she would make it through its entirety before the end came. But they might need that small comfort.]

[If there was one thing that was obvious as Vincent drew closer -mostly from the deep frown that his eyebrows had formed in the middle of his forehead- it was that Sephiroth weren't taking this decision lightly at all. Thinking over all that he knew of his Crystal, all of those things he had yet to learn...

The thought of being played with, like a chess piece being moved around on a board by the will of others wasn't sitting well at all. He found that he felt a little more than just disgusted at himself for being so pliable. He had trusted Jessie...taken part in experiments, performed surveys with regard to what others thought of Crystal Stasis...all in the name of assisting her research. Not only that, he had always been one to support the objectives of their hosts and had encouraged others to discard their suspicions as well.

For what? He heard Vincent's calm voice from nearby, didn't need to look at the other man to soak up his words. Sephiroth drew in a breath and issued a long sigh out at where he held his Crystal. His grip tightened on the orb in his hand and he snap-looked to Vincent as he made that second comment, his eyes intently inspecting the others face as if he might be able to read plainly what it was that was hinted at.

It would make her sad. There was only one person that Vincent could mean and slowly, Sephiroth drew his hand back in away from being over the void - still holding his crystal down at his side.]

It might. For a while.

[In the worst case scenario, if it would kill him to discard his Crystal, Terra would be devastated. He was just starting to understand just how much. But, she had a lot of friends to look out for her even if she didn't really see it.

How similar they were, in a way, that they were so blind to such compassion from others.]

[Vincent's expression was as neutral as ever. Had Sephiroth seen him earlier, he might have caught hints of frustrated anger, tension at his brow. But for now, it seemed there was little they could do. At least regarding the crystal...

That the darker-haired man had chosen to move closer, what he'd said, gave more clues to what he could mean. Unafraid to meet Sephiroth's eye, to treat him as his own person and not the madman, the potential monster.]

Is it worth it?

[His head canted slightly to the side, crimson eyes catching hints of brighter color as the crystal sparked above them and he looked out into the void.]

When I first arrived here, I met one who is not yet the ally I knew, but has the core of who he might become. His desire to see others happy. When I asked his advice, he suggested I find my niche. Figure out what makes me happy, here. In this place.

[Letting his gaze snap back to Sephiroth's own.]

Regardless of who he becomes, he spoke wisely. We should determine for ourselves, who we will be.

[And perhaps Vincent was saying it for himself, as much as for Sephiroth. They would never be able to escape the scars or their pasts. But must they be bound by a future not of their own making, of their own choices?]

[The unstable reaction going on with the Crystal kept flaring just at the corner of Sephiroth's field of vision and for that reason more than any other he took a more definite step away from it all while he still kept Vincent's careful -almost knowing, he wanted to guess- eye contact.]

The same question might apply to everything, in all existence for that matter.

[A smooth refusal to answer the question, but Sephiroth knew he was right. Neither did they have the time left to argue the semantics or philosophy that might conjure such a judgment. It's a small mercy that Vincent has looked away in the meantime.

He turns more away from the Crystal, half-facing Vincent still though as he continues.]

That one has come a long way since we were all brought here. Too far, almost.

[As obviously, Vincent refers to Cloud and Sephiroth's words have a delicate hint of jealousy behind them. It's hardly the first time he's heard such advise...what irks him is the fact that he's no closer to finding his 'niche' - or whatever his purpose should be. Hardly surprising perhaps, considering he's never had a purpose that he's -really- chosen for himself before.

Himself and Cloud know much too much of what happens once Sephiroth takes a choice of his own, the others from Gaia know even more. Something flares up behind his eyes, a feeling remembered, and Sephiroth looks away again.]

It's not the first time someone has delivered such words to me. [His voice as low as he can make it, private - just between the two of them. Sephiroth reflects, his eyes scanning the ground as if it might have the answer.]

Though I cannot not follow such a path, blindly.

Edited 2015-08-17 12:10 (UTC)

[Oh yes, Vincent easily caught that 'refusal' answering the first question, and the potential segue into other topics. Sephiroth is getting a very candid 'look' that lets him know the gunslinger is well aware of what he's doing there. Good thing there IS no time to argue the semantics or philosophy.

His expression remains neutral, the candid look being replaced by one of understanding as Sephiroth keeps talking. Letting him make the conversation be more private, as Vincent nods and then pitches his own voice to be quiet and low, in response.]

Following a path blindly only gets one lost.

[Looking away himself, somewhat lost in his own thoughts again--especially regarding this conversation. It's a decent pause several beats long, before he speaks again.]

This place is not Gaia. I am making the decision to not treat it as such, regardless of what might happen there.

[Crimson eyes returned to meet luminous green. The clear hint, for all that his expression remained neutral over all, being that Vincent felt Sephiroth should choose for himself. If he made the same choices, then it would be dealt with. If he chose something different? That would also be dealt with.

But Vincent was encouraging him to make his own choices and be his own person.]

[Sephiroth doesn't break that eye contact until Vincent is finished speaking; as few as those words are. It seems that he's finding it easier and easier to connect with Vincent the more that they are in each others company. It's almost comfortable to remain in mostly silence around the ex-Turk...perhaps it's the knowledge that they might well be considered as colleagues. Like there is forever unspoken ideals behind their entire manner. Uopn reflection he'll find that it's similar to how he'd felt around Genesis and Angeal when all three of them had been here.

He nods, just once, at Vincent - having come to that conclusion before. That the only way to progress here will be to take each day as it comes, each set of challenges as completely unrelated. But it's much easier said than done when at almost every turn he's been faced with the truth of his damnable future.]

I've tried.

[He leaves it at that, looking away. Then passing Vincent closely Sephiroth both puts his crystal back in his pocket and takes the first steps towards where those that are still congregated nearby. They seem to be getting ready to leave, for all the good it might do them.]

[Vincent acknowledged the nod, but his eyes remained on Sephiroth. Meeting his gaze, even as the other turned. Nor was the other man too far ahead of him as he also turned to leave.]

Keep trying. I am doing the same.

[Seeking to make it less like an 'order'; less obviously advice even. More a statement of desire that Vincent himself wished to see the other succeed. That he understood the challenges.]

Event || Genesis (Conclusion)

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/branching off for this little exchange

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/branching off for this little exchange

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/branching off for this little exchange

Stopping here or with your next one I think. :)