[ Cloud straightens up, looking to the sky as he takes a breath. Then he starts walking. He sounds calmer again, like this is just any other phone call. Even if it's a little later. ]
Yeah... Just had a sitdown with someone from my world. [ Should he be telling Ayaka this? Well...she's somebody he trusts, at least. As much as Zack or Aerith here. ] We're from different times, so...
[ He feels so far away, even though they're talking. Ayaka wonders if he's comfortable where he is right now. Here she is in the dining room, after all, seated in front of an empty bowl of chazuke. ]
[ Cloud has always been amiable, though, and perhaps that may be why he had dinner with the person? All just conjecture, when Ayaka, truly, doesn't know much about Cloud and his exploits in his own world. ]
Does it mean that the two of you are allies in the future?
[ If this were text, they might have missed some cues, but hearing her voice on the other end...
"I think the party is over."
His brow furrows, frown marring his lips as he feels himself holding the magi comm a little tighter too. It's not too far of a walk back to his apartment but right now he's wishing he'd just hop on the next train and take the few hours to Kyoto. When that impulse hits him? He's reminded of something...
"Not for us it ain't." ]
Remember what I said about Mako Reactors?
[ And how he'd decide the time that he'd tell her more? Cloud's already slowing down as he talks. ]
They're not just converting the Lifestream into usable energy. That's the Planet's lifeforce. [ Barret would be so proud. Nobody ever tell him. jsfkdlha ] The guy I met owns the company who built those reactors. And they've hurt a lot of people getting to the top...
[ He's kept a rather tightlipped, no-nonsense approach to Shinra and fighting them, if only anything that he could say? Was spoken for him. Whether it was Barret, or Tifa, or anyone else that suffered at Shinra's hands. He's heard and seen it all firsthand. ...and unfortunately for him, those recollections were only going to get worse with time. ]
I've... [ No. It wasn't just him. ] We've lost a lot for just putting up a fight. They even tried using our friends as leverage.
[ He stops walking, hand on his hip as he looks up to the sky as he hums quietly. ]
Where I was pulled from, we were on the run from them. So...going from that to "come on over, steaks for dinner" is...
[ He's really not even sure where else to go from there. But when he realizes how much he actually spilled? Glossing over the more brutal reality of what he's gone through in his short stay in Midgar, he...must have been keeping that in for a while now. At least for the past month or so since arriving. ]
Ayaka doesn't have time to be surprised now, sitting straight at the dining as she listens to him. Her brows are furrowed with concern when she hears him speak. The longer he does, while not concerned for his safety anymore, she has a better understanding of Cloud's struggles at his home.
He'd called himself an ex-SOLDIER— though to Ayaka, the all caps doesn't mean anything—but she doesn't really know what he does beyond that. What is he doing at the present?
A clear picture isn't painted, but... it helps.
Eventually, when Cloud apologises, she finds herself shaking her head. Cloud can't see you, Ayaka... ]
Please don't apologise. [ She's not even sure what he's apologising for! And she does have questions, but... she will ask some things if Cloud will allow her. She told him that she will listen, and a good listener she is. That's her role in this conversation. ] I'm... grateful for your trust in telling me this.
[ Why did he imagine her shaking her head, the sides of her hair in ribbons swaying... Cloud's so far away, but he can see it clearly. Even that was a surprise to him, always keeping to himself least he didn't trouble others. He's the one who fights and deals with things when others come to him. It's...not often that it's the other way around. ]
I'm just...not good at this part.
[ But he's trying! And even just letting that much out actually meant a lot. He starts walking again, a good twenty minutes to go before he's back at the apartments. They weren't that far away from the others around this supposed "Neo Midgar" they planned on starting. ]
Honestly? Still think I'm absorbing it. Nothing went wrong. S'just...hard to forget.
[ And don't even get him started on Sephiroth. That conversation was going to wait. ]
[ Ayaka listens and waits patiently. Cloud talking about how he feels to her is a compliment, because he trusts her with these things. The same way that she does him. If she was feeling lonely tonight, she doesn't have to, anymore. She's reminded that she has the gift of friendship, and that weighs more than any of the burdens she has in her heart. ]
It was only recently that I was able to make a friend, Cloud. I'm not good at this part, either. Just as you'd allow me to show you who I am in confidence, I would like to be there for you during moments when you feel vulnerable, or when you just don't know what to do or how to feel. In turn, I will keep these moments to myself and share them with no one else.
[ That's quite a mouthful, Ayaka, and rather bold of you. To which she realises soon after and she stammers. ]
A- Ah, that is... if you'd allow me... I'm sorry for speaking out of turn!
[ There's a pause, but before he can think of saying anything...it's her turn. She can't see his face, but he hangs off every word. While he's still aware of where he's stepping and how close he was getting to his apartment, the longer she speaks, the more the world around him feels like it's disappearing. He doesn't lend his ear with flush cheeks or flustered thoughts, holding his breath with broader mako-infused eyes when she commits to keeping these moments to herself. He was always telling others that he would go do something for their sake. This was the first time he can think of that he really let himself just...talk, instead of shutting them out or moving on.
And she was listening. ]
Aya—
[ "A- Ah, that is... if you'd allow me..." She cuts him off, and he cocks an eyebrow as he stares at his magicomm when she apologies for something, in his eyes, silly. Was she losing her cool over that? The next sound she'll hear is something rare, even if she's heard it before. He laughs, a short yet sweeter huff that he doesn't fear being called out for, wearing a smile through his words. ]
Well, my day got better after calling you, so... Maybe I will.
[ Was it bad from the get go? Or perhaps his thoughts were riddled with anxiety because he had a dinner with this... former enemy?
She finds herself slumping in her seat, her free hand resting on her cheek as she rests her elbow on the table. Ah... she can feel her face getting warm. Cloud just said his day got better after he called her... Her heart is beginning to beat a little faster now, the same kind of feeling when she saw his name when her magicomm began to ring. ]
Ah. . . then, please. Please send correspondence or please call me. I... [ Hehe. ] I would like to keep doing so. [ Oh, god. She can't say it without her face getting more flush. ]
[ Maybe it wasn't fair to say "day"...but this was weighing on his thoughts for most of it, anyway. His heart's beating faster too, the cooler night air countering the softened warmth in his cheeks. If he were sitting, he'd be canting his head a little, relaxing into this conversation better than he would have thought. He wasn't about to turn into a chatterbox, but those nerves over accidentally dialing her late, especially with how he was feeling? They start going away.
Well. Until they're replaced with a completely different kind of nerve. And the image of her smile entering his thoughts as he finally starts feeling the sting in his face.
He can faintly hear Ayaka's voice, the softer cadence of her words doing things to his chest as he sighs through his nose as if that'd help steel his nerves. On the other hand...there's another kind of warmth he remembers. The same warmth that spread from his chest in a comforting manner when they laughed and escaped the palace together. ]
Count it, Ayaka.
[ Maybe it wouldn't be every time. But...now he's really contemplating whether he should just turn around and head to the train station— ]
[ At first, she's not really sure what to say, so she just laughs it off. It's... a nice feeling, to be needed and to know that she's helping someone. It is both the Shirasagi Himegimi and Ayaka's proudest moment, knowing that someone is having an easier time because of her efforts. ]
Are you well on your way back to your house? I hope the walk there is safe.
Then... I hope you'll get a good rest when you are back. If you have watermelons, I have heard that eating it with some salt makes a good and cooling dessert.
[ She's never tried it herself, but she heard some children say so! :) ]
[ At the mention of a festival, Cloud has to bite his tongue. Because while he's settled in a bit better when it came to the more...affectionate sways of this world, and he didn't regret a single thing of what happened, especially with the girl on the other end of the magicomm, ]
We'll check it out.
[ He hopes he can at least still be Cloud, the way he wants to be with her. ]
He wants to go to a festival together! At first, Ayaka's not quite sure how to react, because her heart is already racing a mile a minute. It's not that she would have said no if he asked. If anything, she would have initiated to ask him if the time came!
Now? She's just excited. And she hopes the festival to come, if any, would be a very fun one where she can share good memories with a friend. ]
I would like that very much.
[ For now, though? ]
Ah... I should wash the dishes and head back to my room. I'd been here in the dining area since you called.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 03:32 am (UTC)There's something about his tone that she can't help but ask, though... ]
Is everything all right, Cloud?
[ Maybe it's because they're in a phone call and not through text that she can read people better. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 03:43 am (UTC)Yeah... Just had a sitdown with someone from my world. [ Should he be telling Ayaka this? Well...she's somebody he trusts, at least. As much as Zack or Aerith here. ] We're from different times, so...
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 03:48 am (UTC)Was it a good conversation?
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 04:04 am (UTC)Little jarring going from fighting someone on top a building before getting here, to a dinner invite.
[ That's the nutshell for why Cloud wanted to gtfo earlier and get back to Ayaka. Or anywhere else. Sorry Rufus. KFJDSHA ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 04:12 am (UTC)[ Cloud has always been amiable, though, and perhaps that may be why he had dinner with the person? All just conjecture, when Ayaka, truly, doesn't know much about Cloud and his exploits in his own world. ]
Does it mean that the two of you are allies in the future?
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 04:29 am (UTC)[ Cloud even rescheduled Rufus' original invite because of the Kamisato Housewarming and script studying with Ayaka the day before. ]
Seems that way. Even when the others were telling me Shinra was turning over a new leaf, I couldn't picture it.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 04:39 am (UTC)And... If he thinks of you as an ally, then I hope it was a peaceful conversation.
[ She gave him an omamori in hopes that it will keep him safe, after all. Those thoughts and prayers do not end with a token. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 05:44 am (UTC)"—but I'd listen to you if you needed to sort your thoughts out." A light sigh over the magicomm. ]
Wish I were there, [ he says nonchalantly. ] Feels like something that'd be easier to say then.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 06:29 am (UTC)[ He's helped her so much, after all. And he's a dear friend to her. It's only natural to want to listen and help.
... and it's only natural for her to feel bad that she can't, isn't it? ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 07:07 am (UTC)"I think the party is over."
His brow furrows, frown marring his lips as he feels himself holding the magi comm a little tighter too. It's not too far of a walk back to his apartment but right now he's wishing he'd just hop on the next train and take the few hours to Kyoto. When that impulse hits him? He's reminded of something...
"Not for us it ain't." ]
Remember what I said about Mako Reactors?
[ And how he'd decide the time that he'd tell her more? Cloud's already slowing down as he talks. ]
They're not just converting the Lifestream into usable energy. That's the Planet's lifeforce. [ Barret would be so proud. Nobody ever tell him. jsfkdlha ] The guy I met owns the company who built those reactors. And they've hurt a lot of people getting to the top...
[ He's kept a rather tightlipped, no-nonsense approach to Shinra and fighting them, if only anything that he could say? Was spoken for him. Whether it was Barret, or Tifa, or anyone else that suffered at Shinra's hands. He's heard and seen it all firsthand. ...and unfortunately for him, those recollections were only going to get worse with time. ]
I've... [ No. It wasn't just him. ] We've lost a lot for just putting up a fight. They even tried using our friends as leverage.
[ He stops walking, hand on his hip as he looks up to the sky as he hums quietly. ]
Where I was pulled from, we were on the run from them. So...going from that to "come on over, steaks for dinner" is...
[ He's really not even sure where else to go from there. But when he realizes how much he actually spilled? Glossing over the more brutal reality of what he's gone through in his short stay in Midgar, he...must have been keeping that in for a while now. At least for the past month or so since arriving. ]
Sorry.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 07:52 am (UTC)Ayaka doesn't have time to be surprised now, sitting straight at the dining as she listens to him. Her brows are furrowed with concern when she hears him speak. The longer he does, while not concerned for his safety anymore, she has a better understanding of Cloud's struggles at his home.
He'd called himself an ex-SOLDIER— though to Ayaka, the all caps doesn't mean anything—but she doesn't really know what he does beyond that. What is he doing at the present?
A clear picture isn't painted, but... it helps.
Eventually, when Cloud apologises, she finds herself shaking her head. Cloud can't see you, Ayaka... ]
Please don't apologise. [ She's not even sure what he's apologising for! And she does have questions, but... she will ask some things if Cloud will allow her. She told him that she will listen, and a good listener she is. That's her role in this conversation. ] I'm... grateful for your trust in telling me this.
Tonight must have been difficult for you.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 08:08 am (UTC)I'm just...not good at this part.
[ But he's trying! And even just letting that much out actually meant a lot. He starts walking again, a good twenty minutes to go before he's back at the apartments. They weren't that far away from the others around this supposed "Neo Midgar" they planned on starting. ]
Honestly? Still think I'm absorbing it. Nothing went wrong. S'just...hard to forget.
[ And don't even get him started on Sephiroth. That conversation was going to wait. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-04 08:51 am (UTC)It was only recently that I was able to make a friend, Cloud. I'm not good at this part, either. Just as you'd allow me to show you who I am in confidence, I would like to be there for you during moments when you feel vulnerable, or when you just don't know what to do or how to feel. In turn, I will keep these moments to myself and share them with no one else.
[ That's quite a mouthful, Ayaka, and rather bold of you. To which she realises soon after and she stammers. ]
A- Ah, that is... if you'd allow me... I'm sorry for speaking out of turn!
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 02:22 am (UTC)And she was listening. ]
Aya—
[ "A- Ah, that is... if you'd allow me..." She cuts him off, and he cocks an eyebrow as he stares at his magicomm when she apologies for something, in his eyes, silly. Was she losing her cool over that? The next sound she'll hear is something rare, even if she's heard it before. He laughs, a short yet sweeter huff that he doesn't fear being called out for, wearing a smile through his words. ]
Well, my day got better after calling you, so... Maybe I will.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 03:18 am (UTC)[ Was it bad from the get go? Or perhaps his thoughts were riddled with anxiety because he had a dinner with this... former enemy?
She finds herself slumping in her seat, her free hand resting on her cheek as she rests her elbow on the table. Ah... she can feel her face getting warm. Cloud just said his day got better after he called her... Her heart is beginning to beat a little faster now, the same kind of feeling when she saw his name when her magicomm began to ring. ]
Ah. . . then, please. Please send correspondence or please call me. I... [ Hehe. ] I would like to keep doing so. [ Oh, god. She can't say it without her face getting more flush. ]
Making your day better.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 04:53 am (UTC)Well. Until they're replaced with a completely different kind of nerve. And the image of her smile entering his thoughts as he finally starts feeling the sting in his face.
He can faintly hear Ayaka's voice, the softer cadence of her words doing things to his chest as he sighs through his nose as if that'd help steel his nerves. On the other hand...there's another kind of warmth he remembers. The same warmth that spread from his chest in a comforting manner when they laughed and escaped the palace together. ]
Count it, Ayaka.
[ Maybe it wouldn't be every time. But...now he's really contemplating whether he should just turn around and head to the train station— ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 05:14 am (UTC)Are you well on your way back to your house? I hope the walk there is safe.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 05:29 am (UTC)Yup. I don't actually live so far away from where I was. I'm about a block away now.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 05:40 am (UTC)[ She's never tried it herself, but she heard some children say so! :) ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 05:59 am (UTC)[ It's clear he's never heard of it before either! ]
Guess I got a new item on my shopping list.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 06:27 am (UTC)[ They can even shop together! ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 06:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 07:18 am (UTC)[ Ah, she sounds so wistful just thinking about it. ]
Perhaps there will be a nice festival soon.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 08:02 am (UTC)[ At the mention of a festival, Cloud has to bite his tongue. Because while he's settled in a bit better when it came to the more...affectionate sways of this world, and he didn't regret a single thing of what happened, especially with the girl on the other end of the magicomm, ]
We'll check it out.
[ He hopes he can at least still be Cloud, the way he wants to be with her. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-05 08:23 am (UTC)He wants to go to a festival together! At first, Ayaka's not quite sure how to react, because her heart is already racing a mile a minute. It's not that she would have said no if he asked. If anything, she would have initiated to ask him if the time came!
Now? She's just excited. And she hopes the festival to come, if any, would be a very fun one where she can share good memories with a friend. ]
I would like that very much.
[ For now, though? ]
Ah... I should wash the dishes and head back to my room. I'd been here in the dining area since you called.
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