http://twisting_edge.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] twisting-edge.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] paixaorpg2006-11-30 11:09 am

My, my...what do we have here? [Active]

Character(s): Ivy, Cloud, Aerith, Loz, Tifa, and anyone else who wants to join(?)
Content: A typical meeting of atypical people. Ivy takes an interest in her fellow foreigners and meets Cloud, Aerith, and Loz. Tifa shows up, too!
Setting: M4, Morem o Lisboa
Time: Yes. Guys, let me know.
Warnings: Probable violence

Shadows were very useful, particularly when one did not wish to be seen. The woman had melted into the cold stone at the building’s side, embraced by the essence which so many others would have shrunk from in fear. There was no fear behind her closed eyelids, no discomfort evident in her posture. She might have been mistaken for a shadow herself had she not been shrouded in white, her hood drawn forward to hide her face from any who might glimpse her. There was something unsettling about it, the way those colors seemed to blend rather than clash…but who would have known the powerful, evil aura radiating from her, the very same curse she had borne from birth?

The whispers of Valentine spoke volumes in the cool silence of that tall building, assuring its mistress that it had not faded. Its individuality was reflective of hers, but its voice was its own. It was comforting, that gentle wisp…and truthful.

Observation could be such a dull task. She had not written another report for some time, nor had she spoken with her playmate. He was likely busy, causing trouble of some kind, and, as pleasant as that did sound -every now and then-, she had resolved to behave herself. There was a time and place for everything, and waiting for her designated playtime better served her purposes.

Fellow strangers were her current focus. Whether she would document her findings in a seperate set of reports as she intended to do with the Nobodies was still in question. Regardless, her mental records would not be as shaky pertaining to any account of Paixao or the people she met.

At any rate, she had time to observe before tea. The problem stemmed from a lack of subjects to observe. That, and people were always...people. Whether or not she approached a person depended heavily upon that person. Had it not been for her situation, she wouldn't have bothered with anyone, but...the tides had changed and she was begrudgingly adjusting at her own, consciously stubborn pace.

A shift, a whisper. Ivy turned her eyes upward and removed her hand from Valentine slowly, instinct having served the whole. She moved into the shadows quietly and remained close to the building's edge...as conspicuous as a shadow herself.

My, my...what do we have here?

[identity profile] skymetal.livejournal.com 2006-12-01 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloud left the Morem O Lisboa, feeling slightly better than before. He had been unable to find Zack, which was odd. The manager even said that he’d checked out already. That was understandable, but what wasn’t understandable was the fact that Zack had left behind his sword. The manager asked Cloud to remove it from Zack’s room because none of the staff had been able to lift it. And so Cloud now had a comfortable and much newer sword with him again. He couldn’t really remember what had happened to his old one, anyway.

Cloud secured his sword against his back. The weapon of course earned him suspicious or frightened glances from those citizens he passed. It was a worthy exchange for being armed again, though, and so he ignored those reactions. With Aerith nearby, he began to feel more confident than ever. She had started bringing certain invaluable memories back to him. He knew now that he came from that Hollow Bastion place. And he would see it again before long.

First, research must be done. He must question others who had arrived like he had, entirely clueless and without reason for coming. He also must try the city’s security at the gates. If one could simply walk outside again, then escape surely must be imminent. So the gate he would check first would be the Muspelheim gate. He paused in the shade of a building, out of the way of the main drag, and pulled out the electronic journal he’d been given who knew how long ago. It had a map, and he began checking it to see where he needed to head and how long it would take to get there.

[identity profile] skymetal.livejournal.com 2006-12-05 09:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloud glanced up when he was addressed. There was a woman standing not too far from him. She was almost entirely covered by a white cloak. He could have sworn he was alone just moments ago. He chalked it up to the city. It seemed to do what it wanted, when it wanted. Or at least its residents did.

“I have nothing to hide from,” Cloud replied in a low voice. “But if you’re concerned about being seen, then I’ll move.” He did as requested, turning so that the light from the screen pointed towards the wall. He thought it would make more sense to have the light pointing away from the darkness so that it wouldn’t contrast as much, but having his back towards the wall was much better. Besides, it was what the woman had asked of him.

He continued checking his location against the gate. He still had a ways to go before he reached it. He closed the journal, making the point of light and dark irrelevant ultimately, and shoved it in a pocket. He glanced once more at the new woman. There was something about her he couldn’t put his finger on, and it too brought back some memories. He’d made a deal, a really simple one. But that was so long ago that it hardly mattered anymore.

He nodded once at the woman. “Take care,” he said in farewell, and began walking off past her. He’d wasted enough time already. It’d be just his luck if the woman was a talker and wanted to go on. It was also a bad idea to turn his back on an enemy. But she wasn’t an enemy, was she?

[identity profile] flowersatheart.livejournal.com 2006-12-06 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloud was never difficult to find - at the very most, he could be a bit of a challenge, but Aerith could always pick him out of a crowd quickly. Even if it wasn't the unique hair or the bright eyes, or just the way he seemed to act, Cloud was a noticeable person. Cloud went somewhere, and Aerith knew it.

"Leaving without me?" she teased, playfully, falling into step beside him as he cut away from a wall, looking in the other direction. She followed his gaze, briefly wondering what he was nodding at, barely catching the woman in the shadows.

"Acquaintance of yours?"

[identity profile] eradicatoral.livejournal.com 2006-12-07 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
It had probably have been at least a day since he arrived. Or maybe it wasn't. But by this point, time was unimportant to the remnant. After all, thinking about all this time wasted... it was rather stressful.

Loz had begun walking, abit slower than his normal pace, gazing at the new surroundings. This place was truly wondrous. Unlike back home, the architecture was... beautiful. Of course, the thought of such beauty was short lived. All these mid-aged natives were blonde and blue eyed. It was really annoying. Furthermore, when the bulky man would inquire the where about of his brother and Mother... Some replied by rolling their eyes, ignoring him. Others politely said that they had no clue. After many encounters like these two, Loz had ceased to ask-- There was no point in asking if these idiots didn't know anything about Mother. He would have beat them to a pulp (which Loz did to the first few anyhow) but it was beginning to anger him more and more.

Releasing an angry grunt, Loz punched a nearby... something. It was too dark to see exactly what.

Around this time, something of great interest caught his eye. Brother. Was there no end to the number of people who could possibly go against the Reunion? Loz shook his head. This visit to this world was just... Well, no matter, the most important thing was to see whether or not his elder brother had any clues about the location of Mother. However, his brother did not seem to have seen the remnant just yet. That could be fixed quickly.

Within a couple of steps, Loz was behind Cloud, "Brother." You traitor. But Kadaj had said that there was a slim chance that Mother was... Before braking into tears, he shook the idea off. "Where's Mother?"

[identity profile] notonlywords.livejournal.com 2006-12-09 10:38 am (UTC)(link)
Tifa had been exhilarated when she saw that Aerith, as well as Cloud, had replied to the message she posted to the network. While the flower girl didn't leave a good first impression on Tifa, the two of them are definitely very close friends after all they've been through together. Aerith's death was hard to deal with, and it still feels strange to be talking to her again after all this time. Tifa is not complaining though, it is wonderful to have Aerith back, and Tifa will not ask her why or how. Aerith might go again if she touches that subject, and Tifa doesn't want that. It's better to leave things be.

Flipping open her journal, Tifa makes sure that she really is at M4. Nodding to herself with a smile, she shuts her journal and slips it into her side pocket. She looks around the place, looking for signs of Cloud or Aerith or Morem O Lisboa.

Her face lights up into a smile when she spots a woman in an all-pink attire some distance away. Looking at the hairstyle and posture, Tifa is sure that the woman is Aerith. It can't possibly be anyone else. "Aerith!" she cries out while breaking into a run. Tifa can spot Cloud standing near Aerith and for a moment she forgets everything about being in a strange place with Marlene gone and Denzel home alone. She missed him so much.

When she is but several steps away from them, she slows down into a walk while catching her breath. "Cloud, Aerith, I'm so glad to see you both!" There is something different about the two of them, but Tifa can't quite put her finger on it yet. It doesn't matter though. All that matters is that they are here.

She gives Aerith a wide smile and turns to give Cloud one too, when she spots the familiar silver-haired man standing behind him. "You!" Her expression immediately turns into that of worry and anger. Tifa clenches her fists beside her, "Where's Marlene?"

[identity profile] skymetal.livejournal.com 2006-12-15 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
Cloud stopped when Aerith came up beside him. So she was still traveling with him. Excellent. But then he heard a low, unfamiliar voice just behind him. Brother? There were no other men in the area, so it was directed towards himself.

He turned his head just enough to look over his shoulder and see who had spoken. The man was just as strange as his voice. “I have no brothers,” Cloud said icily, narrowing his eyes. He was tired of people claiming to know who he was. This was the boldest claim of them all. There was something about the man’s eyes that stood out, but apart from that, he was strange. If he truly had a brother, he would have heard it from Aerith, whom he began to trust.

Then yet another showed up. This was likely the woman who had tracked his journal down and commented on it, and then asked for their position. Aerith had given it, so here she was now. Apparently she knew this silver-haired stranger. Good. Let them take care of their problems. He looked to Aerith and jerked his chin away from the group. They had to leave now. This wasn’t a proper place and time for a social get-together. Especially not with that white-cloaked woman around. She had something to hide and probably something to gain from all this.

Cloud did not wait for Aerith’s response and began walking away from the group. He wanted to see Hollow Bastion most of all, not this group of strangers. He’d seen more than enough strangers to last the rest of his life. It was time to see something familiar.

[identity profile] flowersatheart.livejournal.com 2006-12-17 08:19 am (UTC)(link)
Brother...?

The amount of people streaming in at once was a bit overwhelming - between a smile at Tifa and a frown at the silver-haired stranger, Aerith kept with Cloud - and as Tifa shouted at the stranger, she hesitated. Things just got more and more conglomerated as time went by. People she didn't know, and people others didn't know, all claiming to be connected.

Who was Marlene? Why was Cloud suddenly a brother? Who was their mother and why was it important? Aerith remembered Cloud's mother - a pretty woman under a tired old face, often found cleaning or making dinner for her son. She was educated but didn't really have that worldly quality to her.

All children missed their mothers at some point, Aerith knew that as both a daughter and as a woman. But this silver-haired man seemed downright hostile.

"Who is he, Tifa?" she asked, in the most disarming voice possible.

No need to rouse confrontation, now.

[identity profile] eradicatoral.livejournal.com 2006-12-20 08:02 am (UTC)(link)
What? Cloud was disregarding what the silver haired remnant had said, "I have no brothers". This didn't make any sense. Back at home, Cloud never said such a thing... why now? Quickly, Loz's urge to throw Cloud onto the ground and beat him up was rising. As he took a step toward the other man, he smirked, "How could you forget about your brothers? You traitor." The last word seemed to ring in the bulky man's mind.

Without a doubt, the only ones that Loz trusted almost as much as Mother were Kadaj and Yazoo. There was never a time when the other two would forsaken him, even if he failed. Although the trust might not have been mutual, it wasn't far off to say that the remnant simply couldn't imagine such a thing. The other two remnants were related to him by blood-- they did not choose to be together. And yet this blonde haired man was doing just that. His body grew tense.

From behind him, he heard a familiar voice. All this drama... Annoyed at the fact that someone was proving to cause his disposition to become difficult, the remnant turned his head to look at its speaker. Oh. It was the woman that he fought in that run down church. The dump. Lazily, Loz replied with a shurg.

It was strange how this place had enabled them all to meet. Moreso, in such a manner...

Maybe it was fate.

[identity profile] notonlywords.livejournal.com 2006-12-22 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
Tifa narrows his eyes in annoyance at the shrug that Loz gave her. She feels the need to attack the silver-haired man but seeing as it would not do much good to her chances of finding Marlene, she merely clenches her fists. "You took her, didn't you?" She heard the conversation he had on his mobile and he said he was going to get the girl. Maybe Marlene is at their base right now.

Tifa keeps her gaze fixed on the silver-haired man while replying to Aerith. "He attacked me and Marlene, at your church," bowing her head in shame, she continues. "He defeated me and now I don't know where Marlene is."

From the corner of her eyes, Tifa caught a glimpse of Cloud walking away from the group. She wants to find Marlene but she wants to be with Cloud too. "Cloud, wait!" Tifa wants to run after Cloud but Marlene needs her more at the moment. Biting her lower lip in defeat, she decides not to follow him. She will find him again after she has rescued Marlene.

[identity profile] skymetal.livejournal.com 2007-01-09 08:36 am (UTC)(link)


He could have escaped this tangled scene with just a few more steps. But Cloud decided to stop once the hooded woman stepped out in front of him. He didn’t want to run into her, so he stopped walking. He eyed her cautiously. She was someone he’d just run into, so how come she was taking such an interest in something that didn’t concern her in the slightest? Maybe she was a voyeur or a spy. Who knew.

Cloud narrowed his eyes when the woman called him by name. “You don’t bother me one bit,” he replied. She could probably be dispatched with very little effort if it came to combat. “It would be wise if you avoided speaking of matters that don’t concern you.” Of course he had a burden, the burden of memory (or non-memory in his case), but he wasn’t about to swap life stories with this weird woman.

She didn’t seem openly hostile, so he decided it was safe to turn his back on her to face the rest of the group. He fixed a look on the silver-haired man in black. “I assure you I have no brothers. And I have no allegiances to betray. Don’t assume so much of me.” Didn’t the man notice the sword strapped to Cloud’s back when he’d turned away? It was usually common sense to not upset an armed man.

As for the others, Cloud didn’t give the dark-haired woman a single glance. He looked towards Aerith briefly. “We don’t have time for this. Aerith, we need to get going.”

[identity profile] flowersatheart.livejournal.com 2007-01-17 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
She wasn't sure who Marlene was, either, and the closest thing she'd ever had to a church - let alone one of her own - was the Chapel in the Castle of Hollow Bastion, and she hadn't spent much quality time there, either. Hum. Confusing things were always abound here, and it hardly phased her. What was there to be phased about, anyway? In her lifetime, the absurdities came at a dozen for a gil.

"Right behind you," she replied to Cloud, swiftly, giving him a cheerful smile.

The woman accosting Cloud was little concern to her. While she knew people could be dangerous, she had dealt with enough people in her lifetime to know not to pick a fight, and not to worry about people who hadn't threatened anyone. And, at the same time, if danger came... Aerith knew she wasn't fragile. Anyone who claimed otherwise was asking for a boot in the head.

But the Cloud she knew could likely handle any of these strangers in a single fell swing of that buster sword. And that gave her nothing to fear.

[identity profile] eradicatoral.livejournal.com 2007-01-18 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
If Loz had the personality to mock Tifa because of her lack of knowledge, he would have taken the time to do so right now. However, he in fact did not have the mind to do such a thing nor did the remnant consider it of great importance-- ridiculing others, anyhow. This woman, even if she did possesses some physical strength, was definitely not a top priority.

That was is no way suggesting that the man had no means of replying because, well, "Marlene's probably with the others." It was done in a bit of a careless fashion, with a turn of his head toward Tifa's direction. Nothing more, nothing less.

As armed as Cloud was, there was no mistaking that silver-haired man was armed as well. If both men were armed, who could say no to intimidation? Loz wouldn't explain it in those words but it was all the same. Weapons were weapons. Both of them had a weapon. Both of them had cells of Mother (or at least, in his thought process). In a sense, they were on equal grounds. The other man had upset Loz anyhow. But moving on...

He was at a lost. There wasn't a clear answer or order of any sort to help him. The only thing left was his instincts but Kadaj and Yazoo might... Loz resumed his frown. In a lame manner, he attempted to land a punch on Cloud but missed from poor footing (what else would you expect from someone who ran for as long as he did without making a long pause? even if it is a remnant).

Shoot.

[identity profile] notonlywords.livejournal.com 2007-01-19 01:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Her expression turns into that of slight surprise when Loz mentioned off-handedly that Marlene is with the others, his allies. He was a tough enough adversary to face alone, but if there were others then Tifa will stand no chance against them. Tifa still does not know why he would kidnap Marlene, she was just a little girl. Unless, they were using Marlene as a bait to get to Cloud. Unfortunately for them, Cloud does not seem to even care about the little girl as he walks away from the group.

Tifa's eyes widen in the fear of anticipation as she watches Loz attempt to punch Cloud. She knows that Cloud can hold his own in a fight, but he has his back turned on the silver-haired man. "Cloud!" Running towards Loz while knowing that she will never reach him quickly enough to safe Cloud, she is glad to see Loz miss his target due to poor footing. She stops her run with both her feet and instinctively throws a punch in the direction of Loz's jaw. Tifa was concentrating on breaking her run, so her fist is not targeted very accurately and rather lacking in strength.

[identity profile] skymetal.livejournal.com 2007-02-03 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
He should have expected something like that to happen. But with his mind on Aerith and getting safely away from this group, he didn’t. Luckily for him, the silver-haired man missed his punch. Cloud reacted then, sidestepping away from the man, and also the dark-haired woman who came flying after him.

He knew how to react to hostility. He knew how to defend himself and others. Quickly his hand went to the handle of his sword and he drew it in one swift motion. He held it defensively in front of himself, ready to react. If the dark-haired woman couldn’t handle herself, he would step in and assist her. The man was the aggressive one, not her.

“Aerith, stay back,” he warned, eyes never leaving the combatants. At least the other woman wasn’t involving herself, the one in the cape. She probably knew better. He didn’t need another one to worry about anyway.

[identity profile] flowersatheart.livejournal.com 2007-02-03 11:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Loz's swing at Cloud startled her - not because she was unaccustomed to violence, or because Cloud hadn't done anything to warrant such a reaction, but because it was such a sudden, vicious attack, whether it missed or not. And because Cloud wasn't likely to put up with that, if he was anything like she remembered him to be, Loz was just asking for trouble.

And when Cloud pulled out the buster sword, she straightened and moved out of the way. She had second thoughts on lending a hand, here - putting magic between a sword and hand-to-hand combat could get finicky.

"Mmh," she nodded, and added, "I'll back you up, when you need it."

[identity profile] eradicatoral.livejournal.com 2007-02-12 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Often, joy, or at least some form of amusement would follow the first punch. Or maybe anger. Certainly, that was not the case this time around. The remnant could feel the tension in the air growing... These strong feelings that everyone in this street built it up... Strange how she wasn't the center of the world. That would soon change. He and his brothers would make sure of it.

As Loz landed on the flood, still on his feet by and by, the black-haired woman had decided to try to punch him. He gave a silent stare, grinning as he saw her miss. At this, the playfulness sparked in him. Resist, resist...

Now for the situation at hand: after silently debating whether or not he should attack, the remnant noticed Cloud's sword was drawn. Cheh. First, to state the obvious, "You're going to attack me." For some reason, that in itself was hilarious. His grin stretched. "Don't worry brother, I wouldn't dare attack you to hurt you."

What would the others do next? Amused, he mused.

[identity profile] notonlywords.livejournal.com 2007-02-15 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
With a slight gasp, Tifa stumbles a little when her punch missed. Instinctively she turned around to face the silver-haired man again, in case he returns the attack. At the sound of a sword being drawn, she switches her attention to Cloud. Tifa is a little glad that Cloud is at least not running away from the fight, although she is also worried that he might get hurt.

Noticing that the silver-haired man is not attacking her back, Tifa relaxes her stance a little even if she is still mentally ready to jump back into a fight. She contemplates asking him what he means by him being Cloud's brother, but it seems that Cloud wouldn't appreciate her meddling in his business. He doesn't even seem to know her at all.

"Where are the others?" She asks Loz sternly instead. Cloud can take care of himself, more or less, but Marlene is just a little girl. Who knows what might happen to her in this strange place?

[identity profile] skymetal.livejournal.com 2007-02-25 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Don't worry, brother, I wouldn't dare attack you to hurt you."

Cloud narrowed his eyes. The silver-haired man’s words struck a note in him. They might mean that there would be no attack from the man at all. But more likely, it meant when the man attacked, he would go for the kill. That made him a dangerous opponent. Cloud squared his shoulders, tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt, and took one step towards the man.

“Answer her question,” Cloud said with a jerk of his head towards the dark-haired woman. “And if you try to hurt anyone else, I won’t hesitate to attack you.”

[identity profile] eradicatoral.livejournal.com 2007-03-01 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
This was kind of funny. Yeah, it was kind of funny.

"I didn't hurt anyone yet to begin with for a while Brother!" The remnant exclaimed, with somewhat of an mocking innocent tone that he had picked up without realizing. "Besides, I want to just play a little." It really did feel like it had been a while since Loz had been able to 'play' out of his own will as opposed to others... So it wasn't really a lie. "Looks like you wanna play too."

At the curt words Cloud spoke was almost like scolding. Funny thing... He was in between giving the swordsman a punch in the face, or simply giving a glare. Fine. "I don't know. You should know-- they're your friends."

(( ooc: sorry it's kind of short ))

[identity profile] notonlywords.livejournal.com 2007-03-02 10:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Tifa spares a glance at the woman who suddenly disappeared from the group. She wonders if it is possible for anyone to disappear that quickly but waves it away as her mind is still on Marlene. She feels a certain sense of relief when Cloud told Loz to answer her question. At the very least, he doesn't see her as an enemy. Although saying that he takes her as an ally would be stretching the truth. Tifa would have sent Cloud a smile or a grateful nod if she were not so worried about Marlene.

Loz's answer washes the relief away from her however, and narrowing her eyes in annoyance, she keeps watch on him in case he decides to attack again. The man's attention seem to be mostly on Cloud, not that she is hungry for attention, but he hasn't answered her question yet. "Answer me!" She yells, almost angrily. She needs to get to Marlene as quick as possible. Marlene must be very scared even if she's not hurt.