paixaorpg | [ all my friends, like to spend, days on end, on the mend ]

Character(s): Cloud, open...? :D
Content: Arrival in a darkness-clad Paixao.
Setting: Joutenheim
Time: Half past no one knows anymore what time it is...
Warnings: I can't forsee any...

Well, that was unpleasant. The last thing he'd known, Cloud had been racing on his motorcycle, leaning in against the wind, ready to rev the engine, anticipating that new burst of speed, and then -- BAM.

He was sure, at first, that he'd crashed. Maybe the front tire had hit a stone and swerved him off course, leaving him no time to react. It wasn't good that he didn't seem to be able to see anything, despite the fact that he was pretty sure his eyes were open. He had landed on his back, facing straight upwards, and seemed to spring to his feet immediately after that first few moments of uncertainty.

With his heart pounding and his breathing heavy, the world around him slowly started coming into focus. And what was this thing beside him? It seemed to only slightly resemble his phone, but... Scooping it up, he examined it by turning it over in his hands.

"What's... going on?"

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When you got right down to it, there were certain disadvantages in wearing an outfit largely comprised of black in a city that seemed to have taken a thoroughly dim view of any sort of light, whether natural or otherwise. Not that Susan was inclined to change for something so small. She wore what she wanted to, and if it happened to be black well, there was a suitable reason for it.

Mostly, that it was a perfectly sensible color. If somewhat awkward for running across newcomers to the city (and why was that she always found herself thrown into situations she'd have preferred to stay out of?). But it would have been highly impolite to not answer, so with a sigh, she turned to doing just that.

"You've just arrived, I take it?"

Instantly, Cloud's focus snapped in the direction the woman's voice came from. She certainly wasn't anyone that he recognized, though he couldn't quite figure out if he was relieved or troubled by that. He allowed for a silence to hang between them as he studied her for a few moments, then, seemingly satisfied, turned away from her.

"I guess that's one way of putting it," he muttered slightly. "Can you tell me how far we are from Edge?" he asked, looking at her now from the corner of his eye.

"The edge of what?"

Certainly, he wasn't talking about the Rim. The question would have been quite thoroughly obvious that way. She'd have expected a man of his edge to be a little clearer about what he was looking for. Vagueness, after all, never got you anywhere.

He frowned, then waited a few moments before replying. "... Of Midgar," he spoke carefully, squinting in an attempt to read her reactions in the obscurity of the dark. Really, that was the easiest way to explain the location of the city, after all. And in his mind, he was hardly being vague at all.

Well, it was least an answer. It certainly wasn't any city she'd ever heard of, but that was becoming quite distressingly frequent these days. Fortunately, she had an answer to at least part of the question.

"This is Paixao," she answered simply. "I've never heard of Midgar."

That wasn't a good sign. She hadn't heard of Midgar? Up until now, it had been the most influential city in the world. "Paixao?" the word didn't come easily to him, and he seemed to nearly cringe as he spoke it. Just what the hell did that mean? Was he really not in Gaia anymore?

The strangest indication that he wasn't back home, was the fact that it was dark. The last thing he remembered was that it was early afternoon, where he had come from. Unless he had been knocked out for hours... or maybe...

"Am I dreaming?" Cloud asked, looking around again.

Most influential city? Not in Susan's experience. That would be Ankh-Morpork, provided 'most influential' also meant 'overcrowded and slightly explosive'.

"That's what I've been told the name is, anyway. Although I suppose they could have been wrong."

It wasn't likely, but it was, at the least possible.

"You aren't dreaming."

"No, of course I'm not..." he muttered, "because that would make the most sense." Cloud sighed, and replaced his sword to his holdings on his back. He dusted himself off, giving his extremities the once over -- just to make sure that everything was still in place.

It looked as though getting back to familiar ground was going to potentially take awhile...

Looking behind him he seemed to notice the gate, finally. Studying it a moment, he turned back to the young woman, and pointed towards it as he spoke. "So how -- do I get out?"

"For the moment? You don't."

Not without being able to get past the mess of thorns that barred the way, and she really needed to figure out just who was in charge of that. (Probably a witch, but she preferred solid fact over guesses.)

"Unless you think you can get through that."

In which case she would be glad to admit him to be more powerful then she had first guessed.

Turning, Cloud eyed the gate and the thorns for a moment, wondering how much damage his sword could do to both of them. He hated the idea of just standing around here, giving up and resigning himself to being -- trapped.

Reaching behind, he grabbed the zweihander fastened behind him. "I'd sure like to try!" he cried, bringing the blade down onto the thorns with a powerful strike. With another swing, some of them did seem to relent -- momentarily, before the surrounding branches compensated for those he had taken out. They re-formed themselves at an alarming pace, and even though Cloud remained hacking away at them for a few more blows -- it really didn't seem to be doing any damage.

Breathless from the effort he had just exerted, he turned to the young woman again. "No good -- " he huffed, "but -- there has to be -- another exit -- right?"

Another exit? Of course there were other exits. It was simply that they all seemed to have developed the same cover of hedges. Another indicator that things were not entirely as they seemed. It was like something out of some fairy tale, honestly.

"They've all turned up the same way," she answered rather matter-of-factly. Needless to say, it was highly inconvenient, even without any real need to leave the city.

"Well that's... just great," Cloud sighed, heaving his shoulders with the effort. Frowning, he replaced his sword to its fastenings on his back, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you a native to..." what had she called it again? "... Paixao, miss? Is it common practice for people to just... be drawn in here?"

Somehow, it seemed a little tough to grasp.

Was she a native? Anyone with an ounce of sense should have been able to tell that. Well, provided the lights had been on in the first place. In the darkness she supposed she could allow him a bit more leeway.

"Not in the least, and yes, it's quite common."

Rather annoyingly so, as a matter of fact.

That definitely wasn't what he wanted to hear. A place that just sucked you in from anywhere? The mild headache he had been feeling since his crash-landing was working its way up into his temples at this point, so much so that he actually paused to rub the side of his head for a moment.

"Do you know, is there somewhere nearby I could rest until morning? I doubt I'd be so lucky that monsters don't roam around here at night, so..." Cloud was definitely feeling a little awkward at this point as he seemed to fidget with his shoulder armour.

"There should be."

Managing to find it might be a little harder in the constant darkness, but if she was remembering the details of the city right there was one near most of the gates. The rest would simply be trying to remember where it was for this gate.

In the darkness. Lovely.

[ all my friends, like to spend, days on end, on the mend ]

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oh my god, i am so sorry DX

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