#12 | It's time to take some time away...

[shinrasfinest]

Who: Sephiroth & #1) Open, #2) Tifa/Alice/Open #3) Terra
When: Post Zelda's Meeting: 25-31st August
Where/What: #1) Aqures Ixen: Helping to repair, #2) B-04: Preparing to leave, #3) Flence: Some time away
Warnings: N/A, except for potential eye-rolling in #3

#1 - 26-27th August/ Aqures Ixen: Helping to repair [Open]
[There is still a lot of work to be done in repairing many of the buildings that are still damaged in some way from the battle. It's only right, in the wake especially of Zelda's meeting, that he use the time that he's managed to get from taking leave from Esdham constructively in repairing what -by proxy- he at least had some part in causing. That guilt is still there, and this is his attempt to reconcile at least some of the weight from off of his consciousness.

Many houses and other buildings need to be at least patched up so that citizens could move back into their residences safely where more cosmetic repairs could be revisited at a later stage. He's no architect, nor much of a builder but at the very least Sephiroth can lend his strength where it's needed; and with a Job change, he's soon fitting well into a team of volunteers doing various jobs around the damaged districts. Breaking bricks, chopping wood, hauling materials up and down rickety scaffolding...

Even with glass, as atop the roof of the greenhouse at Jardin Verdoyant, fitting the last pane carefully into place.]

#2 - 27th August/ B-04: Preparing to leave [Tifa and/or Alice / Open]
[The house that Sephiroth claims residence in has hardly been touched by the battle and those repairs that had needed to be done were superficial rather than major structural damage. There is an odd irony in there somewhere. Still makes it no less bitter than for several other streets all around them the scenery would remain scarred for a while yet.

It's a good idea, getting away for the weekend. They both needed a break from the constant doom and gloom, and Flence were far enough removed that they might even be able to pretend it hadn't happened. At the very least they might be able to come back afterwards, a little more clear-headed. Doesn't help the current predicament though...

Sephiroth's often-used, large military issue rucksack is spread wide open on top of his bed. Half-filled with that which he deems the essentials and a few items of clothing besides. He stands over it, suspended in a long pause as he tries to keep his thoughts on the task in front of him. Who knew it'd ever be so difficult to decide what needs to be taken?]

#3 - 30th August/ Flence: Some time away [Terra]
The County of Flence reflected, in it's tranquility, the Temple of Water that's housed nearby to it. Neutral from all of the conflicts that have befallen Crystallis, Flence retained a peace to it's picturesque visage that might as well be another world away from the strife of the Aqurean region - that Sephiroth and Terra had been surrounded by constantly since before the attack of the Imperial Fleet. 

Not that they hadn't had to pay for it. The double-roomed suite that Sephiroth had managed to secure at one of the smaller inns had devoured almost two-thirds of what he would be paid for a month in Esdham. He'd known it would be on the pricey side, and it wasn't as if he hadn't any gil saved up, but actually parting with such expense willingly caused a pause sometimes.

Two days later though, and it had all been worth it. The comfort was on another level, even the small lounge area in the suite told of the exquisite fabric that had been used to make it and that was a fact which reflected everywhere during their stay. The scenery was breathtaking especially at sunrise and again at sunset as the river cast the light back as if it were on fire; golden in the morning, gleaming crimson as the evening drew in. Not to mention the food; they hadn't been kidding when Sephiroth had read that Flence was reported to have the finest cuisine in the World.

Never mind that it had been sunny for every day of their visit, for some reason it didn't seem to bother Sephiroth as much as it might have done if he'd spent so much time outside in the Aqures region. The creams and oils available to protect skin were of the highest standard too, and melted right in without feeling heavy. 

On their last evening in the town, the pair had wandered down to the winding pathway, lined with trees, which followed the river off towards the Temple of Water which was located out of town a ways. The air felt significantly cooler near to the water and the breeze that came off of it was refreshing to feel across the sun-warmed skin of faces and shoulders, it's almost as if Sephiroth's hair had been similarly revitalized from the long weekend of relaxation - loose and almost seeming feather-light, moving minutely in the same breeze as he kept a casual pace beside Terra. 

Comments

[wings_of_steel]

The greenhouse did look a lot better than the last time she saw it, which was rather saddening but it was fine with her really. The woman was glad to see that it was being put back together and Sephiroth seemed to be very concise with his choices when it came to putting the pieces back. Ah, unfortunately, her hands were not as magical as to be able to something like Sephiroth's.

The weather was at least decent for all the workers. She even carried water around just in case. Selen of course was enjoying the scene as she watched people worked hard to get to their goals. She would be joining them again soon, whether she knew how to do some of the odd jobs or not. At least, she did get his attention eventually.

"Good day Sephiroth. Won't you come down for some water and bread?" she smiled as a greeting to him. She wondered if he would be okay with taking a quick break to eat and chat with her before getting back to doing his work head on as always. Selen was glad to maintain the relationship she did with Sephiroth. She had learned many things from his words and watching him work as well as many others.

[shinrasfinest]

There was, as expected, something of a steady hand that came with Engineer being swapped in. Not to mention something of a natural affinity for being better at putting things together with ones hands. Had to be something to do with the Experience Orb as well, that boost to a job that he wouldn't be nearly as capable in if it weren't for that item.

At least it wasn't raining, which seemed to be something that had defined the week in Aqures Ixen. It had been that sticky-warm rain when it did pour and wasn't very comfortable to work in but as soon as the glass were fixed on the greenhouse the sooner Terra would be able to start really rescuing her shop. He simply couldn't wait for the weather to improve.

He cast his gaze up, briefly, to the sky before looking over Selen again and noting that she might well have come bearing food and water. It was heartwarming, seeing that those Heroes of Light who couldn't perhaps help so much with the manual jobs that needed to be done were helping in other ways. Keeping the voluntary workforce fed was indeed just as important.

"It won't hurt for a moment," He acknowledged with a nod as well, taking whatever Selen might offer to him now that he'd gotten some of the cement-like substance out from under his fingernails. "But if it starts to look like it's going to rain again, I'll have to move on."

[wings_of_steel]

A very crafty an useful job to have in such situations. Selen found that rather clever on top of that as well. Sephiroth did make use of it well. Selen was also contemplating other jobs that she might find useful to her in general. It was a nice change to the weather. It would definitely be troublesome if there were rain. People would have even more work cut out for them and it wouldn't be fun at all. On top of that, she assumed a lot of people were working a lot more than the were on the surface.

The best way to win people's hearts is through their stomachs. At least, for Selen that was something she lived by. She enjoyed cooking meals when she could. Of course, she was one of those Heroes who wasn't able to help too much with the reconstruction of the buildings etc, but she did help with the heavy stuff here and there. She attempted to do other things as well since it was better for her to keep busy. She also got bored easily so being occupied kept her on her toes.

Having people fed and happy while they work was a definite plus.

"Great, please help yourself. Some of the bread is sweetened, while others are not. I think there are some that have meat filling as well," she replied cheerfully as he nodded to her offer. Selen was content that he was agreeing to enjoy a bit of food and water, even if it was for short amount of time.

"Of course, that makes sense. I wouldn't want to hold you too long especially with the rain."

She added with a smile.

[shinrasfinest]

Much like Selen, Sephiroth wanted to do what he could to help Aqures Ixen get back to a semblance of normal even if the 13th and 6th Districts wouldn't ever be the same again. Since taking a step back from his role within the military, things had changed so much on their own and it was his word to Terra and the idea he'd all but fallen into; to take some time away in Flence...but not until the greenhouse had been repaired.

A change in job wasn't something he'd ever seriously considered for a long time, but it suited the purpose now. He took a small bite from the bread roll that he'd picked out from the selection Selen offered, being one of the denser, more yeasty breads and so chewed it well before swallowing.

"It's good. Thank you." Sephiroth flashed a brief smile before looking back over his shoulder as if to make sure that the puppet and greenhouse hadn't changed at all in the last twenty seconds. He seemed more than a little distracted, but then Selen knew well enough he wasn't all that spectacular at keeping a conversation.

[wings_of_steel]

Selen did enjoy the green house very much. It was a rather pleasant place to gaze at when she passed by on her adventures. She also liked Terra a lot and the plants seemed to be something the other girl enjoyed having. Selen still had the plants that she bought from Terra a while ago, and they were as beautiful as ever. Selen was a huge fan of the plants that Terra sold and it seemed like Sephiroth was also a lot nicer than he seemed at first.

Ah, the wonders of learning about someone. She's rather content to see the different traits she's discovered about the people she spent time with. Sephiroth was definitely a huge cloud of mystery, but she obviously learned to be a little more careful with the way she engaged with him. It seemed there were triggers that she didn't know of. Of course, that didn't change her honest too much towards him.

She smiled, "I'm glad. I haven't baked bread in a while," she replied hearing his compliment on her work. Ah, there's a smile. She will hold off on teasing him about that for now. It was good to maintain a good conversation for the time being. She's quite used to it, "So how long have you been working on this, Sephiroth?" she mused with curiosity. She didn't mind carrying the conversation for the both of them. As long as she gets some answers, she's not too picky.

[shinrasfinest]

At the very least, for one reason or another Terra seemed to bring out said 'nicer' side where Sephiroth had always been pretty selfish. Towards Terra in particular he did feel some kind of special inclination to make things better for her the best that he could.

So long as Terra remained not treading too heavily on his pride lest she trigger some of the sharper, meaner reactions Selen had witnessed beforehand.

"A few days, off and on." He answered after stopping for a moment to calculate how long it had been. He'd lost track for the most part; instead having focused on the fact that it was important and urgent to complete his repair work. Looking back to Selen he shrugged, the light smile still present that told of the pride in his work thus far.

"It turns out there is a little more to glazing than I first had thought. To be true, I didn't think it might take this long."

[wings_of_steel]

Having someone like that is definitely nice. Selen likes to know there are people that will bring the best out in others and somehow she seemed to agree that Terra kind of has that touch. Selen found the girl rather kind to be around and she wouldn't be surprised that she affected someone like Sephiroth in such a way.

Selen knew how that went. Right now, she was trying her best to not trigger anything she's not aware of. It is somewhat her fault for being overly friendly with others. It would be best to try to learn about them first before making any comments.

"That's quite some progress. You worked hard," she replied seemingly surprised on his response. A few days and it looked like it could be done any moment. However, it must have taken a lot of work to get it there to begin with. Somehow he imagined it would take a lot less time, but even so a few days was a short amount of time to do something like that. Selen was definitely surprised on that part.

"I see. You are very diligent in your work. Even if it took longer, it seems to be pretty sturdy in appearance."

[shinrasfinest]

Where he'd been looking over the repairs to the greenhouse he'd performed and not really looking at Selen, Sephiroth turned back to look over her as she complimented his work. Defensive as usual he wasn't sure whether she were meaning to be sarcastic or jest in some way. To him, he'd not been able to complete the work fast enough even if there were still a measure of pride there at having reached this final stage.

It wasn't as if he'd had to build it from the ground up, it was only setting a few new panes of glass. Should have taken half a day, at most, if not for his inexperience in handiwork like that. He'd have to get up the ladder once more to make sure that last pane was set well in place but other than that, it was indeed a job done.

"It's only glass. Nothing is completely invulnerable to the uncertainty of the future." He dropped his gaze from her and sought out a path to where his puppet were standing still holding the ladder. There didn't seem to be much point moving it if he'd have to go up again though; so much for that distraction.

"Though, that's alright, as long as it serves its purpose until then."

[wings_of_steel]

No, she was being honest about admiring his work. There was no sarcasm in her tone as she said those words to him. However, he had every right to be defensive, since she was known for saying things a little too impulsively. She didn't necessarily mean any harm by them just as she didn't mean any harm by saying that he worked really hard for the Greenhouse. She honestly thought it looked great with his work and everything.

Ah, but even that takes a lot of work in itself. She is fairly unfamiliar with these foreign buildings, thus she found rather exciting. She probably never really mentioned to Sephiroth how her world lacked a lot of technology among many things. Then again, it wasn't really important on her list.

"I see, so perhaps it will need replacements again in the future as well?" she mused glancing over at it and then back to Sephiroth, "That sounds wonderful. It's rather nice to see everyone working so hard to put this place back together, even after all the discomforts," she replied softly, and smiling almost a but sadly at that thought.

[shinrasfinest]

"Perhaps." He offered a resolute nod in response to her as well. Bangs on either side of his head falling forwards and back with the soft motion where he nodded in the direction of the puppet rather than at Selen directly.

Sephiroth's defensiveness seemed to be wearing thin as he looked back to her finally, pulling a light smile out of his mouth and taking a long breath in.

"I find that it's just as much my duty as it had been during the battle."

[wings_of_steel]

Selen noticed that he was looking towards the puppet a lot. She wondered if there was a reason, and if there was, she assumed it might be with what its current task was. Though, she was trying her best to be polite and not make too many assumptions. He seemed a little bit preoccupied if anything.

The blond smiled brightly when she saw the brief smile that played on his lips. It was good to see people smile when they usually were serious. He looked good with it, "Yes, I suppose that is a good point to make. It seems that we have a lot of responsibilities, even though were are not natives. I find this all a little fun, but it can be troublesome."