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Post by Vincent on Jun 6, 2011 15:50:29 GMT -5
((Feeling very rusty, but this should at least do for now.))
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Vincent strode from the mansion, flinching slightly and raising his claw-hand to guard his eyes as the sunlight hit his face. He rarely saw much sunlight, his pale skin a testament to that fact, and it took him a few moments before his blood red eyes adjusted to the harsh light. The sky was a deep blue and a few lazy clouds drifted slowly above the two of them, the weather seeming like a symbol of hope against the grim scene that they had just left behind. Still, despite the lift in mood, Vincent felt a strange urgency inside of him, and he knew it would cost them dearly to wait too long before departing – by sunset he hoped to be halfway across the continent.
Yuffie’s question drew Vincent from his planning and he peered around behind him, drawing his cloak aside to reveal the young woman. Oblivious to his movement, Yuffie still huddled behind him, using his frame as a sort of windbreak against the morning cold. The blank stare he sent her did little to distract her from her current activity, which consisted of giving strange glares to the town’s inhabitants. Despite the fact that the pair were rested and ready, he was sure they looked rather worse for wear.
Stepping away from the jumpy ninja, he turned and gave her a stern look before responding to her question, ignoring the delay in response.
“Nibelheim has a market, we should find everything we need there” he replied monotonously, peering down into the town, which was already busy with custom. A few of the more bold townspeople waved or smiled affectionately at the gunman – despite his self-exile, some of the town had warmed to him, unaffected by his one-word answers and his distant demeanour. Though he still haunted the mansion like a ghost, he had at least become acquainted with several people since his return.
The sight of a sleek black motorcycle caught his crimson sight, and out of habit he instantly scanned the area, searching for a tuft of yellow spikes. Though the market had already become busy, Vincent’s trained eye soon spotted the mercenary moments before the man in question turned around a corner and out of sight.
The barest hint of a smile graced his face before he nodded briefly to himself, feeling a little more at ease. The sight of their leader was comforting, even thought it did make Vincent curious as to why Cloud was in Nibelheim at the same time as them – was his appearance and the lost number’s connected? In Vincent’s experience, coincidences were rare, especially where AVALANCHE were concerned.
“Long time, Cloud” he muttered before turning back to Yuffie, waiting for her to lead the way.
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Post by Yuffie Kisaragi on Jun 7, 2011 11:12:41 GMT -5
Yuffie began walking forward, either oblivious to the gunman's words, or just ignoring him altogether. She'd whipped out a cell phone and seemed to be searching through her contacts.
Once at the square of the market, she stood for a moment, the phone limp in her hand as she looked around. Suddenly an answering machine eminated from the speaker of the phone.
"This is Reeve," said the phone. "Leave your name and number, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." The voice on the other end of the phone sounded satisfied, perhaps even chipper. Yuffie looked quite annoyed as she responded to the machine.
"This is Yuffie. I found Vincent. Don't send a search party." She quickly flipped the phone closed, then opened it again. Unconsciously, she placed her free hand on her hip and moved her legs a little more apart, a confident pose to face the day.
Reeve might already be out looking for us... It's probably safe to assume that we'll end up meeting him half-way. Also unconsiously, the ninja let out a sigh. Damn. I don't wanna have to explain all of this... She looked solemn as she pressed a button on the phone and held it a little closer to her ear. A static-filled ring broke through the hushed morning air, followed by another, followed by one more, and finally... one more ring. The answering machine sounded feminine this time.
"Hey, you've reached Tifa," Marlene and Denzel were talking in the background. "So sorry I couldn't get your call, but if you leave your name and number, I'll get back to you soon." A loud beeeep sounded next.
"Hey, Teef!" Yuffie pasted a huge smile and happy voice over her former stern expression. "Guess who," she chuckled a little. "You'll never guess where I am right now--Nibelheim! Oh, and Vincent is with me." She took the phone away from her ear, turned to face her companion, and held the reciever up to him, fully aware that he would say nothing, but not wanting to skip over the motions. "Wanna say anything?" The happy voice was continuing, but the face was no longer present. She studied the man with lost eyes for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "Didn't think so," she muttered, barely audible. She took the phone back and held it up to her ear once more. "We're---" she stopped, abruptly, then turned to face her companion again, her eyes three times as wide as normal and her face serious and on the verge of something similar to seeing a ghost. She pointed, frantically, through the crowd and at a black motorcycle. "Clou---" she choked on the name for a second, barely able to cough out, "Cloud's here!" Quickly, she pulled the phone away from her ear, her eyes still wide and staring up at the man's face, bright, innocent, and pleading...
After a few seconds, struggling, she managed to spit out, "We have to find him!"
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Post by Cloud Strife on Jun 11, 2011 5:46:04 GMT -5
Unfortunately for the long, trailing garment-wearing duo, the target they had both noticed at approximately the same moment in time did not in turn notice them before rounding the corner and disappearing from sight. Entirely uncertain of just what it was he was looking for, the young man simply continued to wander the streets in search of something unique. Perhaps even just to see someone or thing that was still wholly familiar and unchanged about the town he'd grown up in. As unlikely as this was to happen, Cloud still couldn't stop himself from walking down the streets he still knew more by location than name, looking at the stalls and small businesses that dotted the roads.
As familiar as the general atmosphere was, it was clear this was no longer his Nibelheim. After so many years of being absent, things had changed just subtley enough to make him feel out of place and lost even though he knew his way around. The storefronts and stalls he had once known so well no longer sold anything near what they used to, and the people, though plentiful, were not quite so outgoing and friendly toward one another. He had a growing suspicion that the events which had been thrust upon this relatively innocent and unassuming town by the shady and shiftless Shinra corporation had a lot to do with this change in attitude as well as the population and industry boom. Everywhere he looked, the signs of post-traumatic life continued to play out in the guarded expressions and downcast gazes of the average people, the way they kept their children close and silent, and even the products they were peddling.
In spite of all this, the mercenary still couldn't help but feel this was his town, and he owed them in some small way for being a piece in the machine that had brought them to where they were now. Cloud continued to browse the storefronts idley before running across a stall which had just enough character to warrant a closer look. Stepping up through the crowd in order to see what was on sale, the young man tried not to seem overly interested in any one thing. Which wasn't especially difficult. Although the storefront had a rather interesting air to it and there weren't a great deal of people browsing through its selection, there was an obvious reason for that. Their selection just wasn't very interesting. Cloud was about to turn and leave when something caught his eye, not for himself, but as a gift.
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Post by Yuffie Kisaragi on Jun 21, 2011 13:36:06 GMT -5
((Since I have Vince's character-permission, I'm going to go ahead and execute some action while hoping he comes back soon. It's short, but it should give you enough to go on.))
"C'mon!" Yuffie frantically grabbed the man's wrist, clamping her slender fingers tight around it as she began to pull him forward into a powerful sprint. The man's cape billowed behind them dramatically as she pulled him along, down a small hill, and right into the market square. There, Yuffie halted abruptly, one hand still around Vincent's wrist tightly, the other raised to a corner of her mouth. She closed the cell phone, and quickly put it back in her pocket.
"CLOUD!" The small woman screeched, her voice ear-piercing. She looked around at glaring faces in a ready-to-pounce stance, her face serious, her hair messy, and her clothes bloody. If she looked insane, she didn't seem to care.
"CLOUD?!" She let out another shrill call before tugging once on Vincent's arm, then pulling him behind her once more, and over to one of the stall vendors set up outside of the buildings surrounding the square. "Excuse me! Have you seen a guy with really fluffy blonde hair?! He's our friend, and we're trying to find him!" The woman didn't even seem to breathe in-between the words. She really could get excited. After the wide-eyed, male shopkeeper frantically shook his head, she pulled the man behind her to another one.
"Hey! We're looking for a man with hair that kind of looks like a chocobo!" She used her free hand to fluff one side of her hair up a little, trying to make a gesture to Cloud's style. "Have you seen him?!"
The woman behind the stall chuckled at the two for a moment, then said, "Yeah, he was looking at shops around here. He went this way!" She pointed to a street a few stalls away from her own. "Hope you find him!"
Yuffie gave the woman a big, bright smile and a wave. "Thanks!" She faced Vincent for a second, with that same smile. "Hear that--we've got a lead!" Her grip grew tighter. "Let's go!" Before she could even finish the sentence, she was already turned away from the man and sprinting, dragging him along once again.
"Clllooouuud!" She let out another howl as she ran. "[/b]Where are you[/b]?!" Everyone that witnessed the odd pair quickly deduced that the woman didn't need to breathe at all. They cleared the way, fearing being trampled if they didn't. Finally, after minutes started to seem like miles, they caught sight of the black-clad swordsman at the very end of the long street. "LOOK! There he is!" Yuffie pointed sharply ahead of her, without stopping.
"HEY, CLOUD!" there was no way the man couldn't hear her now. As seconds passed, she was quickly closing the distance between them and their target. Yuffie hadn't seemed, or felt for that matter, more herself since she'd arrived here. She was waving now, too.
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Post by Cloud Strife on Jun 23, 2011 8:46:36 GMT -5
Once his attention had been caught, there were few people in this world as critical of a purchase as Cloud. Lifting the small bauble lightly between his fingers, he turned it over this way and that, almost as though he could sense even the tiniest of flaws just by looking at it from an average distance at all angles. Running his thumb over the surface lightly, he frowned a small bit to himself, though not over any particular displeasure with the quality of the object itself. It did indeed seem to be what it was at its heart, which was moderately cheap but high quality material shaped into an appealing consumer good. The only real issue he had with this was whether or not it would be appreciated.
After debating this for a few moments, he sighed and resigned himself to the fate he'd known he'd been trapped into from the moment he locked eyes on the little trinket. Pulling out his wallet, a tidy little sum of gil exchanged hands after only a half-hearted attempt at the expected bartering. As he turned away from the stall, tiny prize in hand, Cloud allowed himself a thin smirk of pleasure over the fact that he at least wouldn't have to worry about the bauble disappearing from his posession overnight since he was on his own.
Almost as though summoned by his thought, the young man could almost swear he heard the voice of the girl targeted by his mental jibe. Raising his head, Cloud's expression almost darkened a stage as he saw her approaching, though when he noticed Vincent in tow he became more (perhaps expectedly so) confused than wary. Pocketing the gift quickly in hopes that the light-fingered ninja hadn't caught sight of it just yet, he braced himself for probable impact or at least incredibly hyper verbal greeting even as he tried to reason why the unlikely duo was in Nibelheim at the same time. Let alone at the same time he had planned an unrelated trip.
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Post by Vincent on Jul 10, 2011 16:15:00 GMT -5
(Sorry for the wait again)
--
Vincent advanced slowly, watching idly as Yuffie whipped out her phone and proceeded to make several calls explaining their current whereabouts and situation to various friends. He gazed around absent-mindedly, focusing on getting the supplies necessary and considering their best route. To that end, he’d already begun calculating the essential provisions and the gil they had – which was fortunately sufficient to cover the costs.
As Yuffie held the phone out to him, he shook his head slowly giving the item a cold look. Despite owning one, he still felt some measure of disdain for the small piece of equipment; an emotion that echoed his sentiment for almost all technology.
A loud screech of “We have to find him” brought him from his musings. He didn’t answer, but the purpose in his eyes was enough agreement as he moved forward to begin the search for the elusive mercenary.
Vincent let himself be pulled along by the energetic ninja, fairly sure that fighting against her would just garner more persistence from the wily girl. As they stopped in the middle of Nibelheim, Vincent eyed Yuffies slender hand around his wrist strangely; it seemed so slight and fair against the matt black of his glove. The moment passed just as quickly as it had come when the petite woman grasping his arm screeched their friend’s name into the air; all social awareness lost in her eagerness to find Cloud. In fact, she decided instead to hassle passersby in her desperation and interrogated a hapless woman, whose children stopped in their mischief to gaze up at the foreigner, and him as well.
He let out the smallest of sighs as she again pulled him along, intent on finding Cloud as quickly as possible; forgoing patience and focus in favour of seeing their old friend, the elation in her face evidence of her zeal. Barely bothering to respond or help in her miniature ‘quest’, Vincent merely let her lead him along as she went from citizen to citizen, accosting the public for information on the location of their illustrious leader.
Vincent spotted Cloud at the same time Yuffie did, and noted his suspicious gaze as they approached. He could tell that Cloud too found it a strange coincidence for the 3 of them to all be there by chance. Yuffie released her vice-like grip on his forearm a few feet from the man, no doubt needing her arms to tackle the unfortunate man. The gunman attempted to look dignified as he stalked the last few steps, inclining his head to the mercenary by way of greeting. He’d let Yuffie deal with pleasantries, though he did feel a measure of joy at seeing Cloud after so long.
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Post by Yuffie Kisaragi on Jul 17, 2012 18:07:57 GMT -5
Against her instinct to leap at her target the ninja slowed her pace, if only slightly, outstretched her arms and wrapped them around the man in an enthusiastic, spinning embrace. It was a strong hug, stronger than even the small woman thought herself capable of. Yuffie was expecting her overflowing joy to be met only with the same coldness she received from Vincent, yet she could not contain herself. It had been a longer time than she cared to remember since she'd seen the elusive blonde--even longer than the gunman.
"CLOUD! I NEVER THOUGHT WE'D SEE YOU AGAIN! Where have you been?! Have you spoken to Reeve?! Do you realize you're incredibly difficult to contact?!" Finally, she released the man, her expression serious and borderline angry. "I've tried calling you a MILLION times, and I'm sure Tifa has too, but you probably haven't spoken to her either, have you?!" Hoping she'd struck a nerve, she took a few steps back, allowed Vincent to approach, and then continued.
"There's so much you have to hear!" She appeared a little more composed than a few moments ago, but she still looked angry, if in a more professional sense. "Remember that big, creepy, shape-shifting thing that we had to fight at that mansion years ago? The one that we had to kill that was guarding the room that Vincey was locked in? Yeah, well, the two of us just had to fight it again, in all of its DEAD glory." The ninja shuddered at the thought of the beast, its gross slimy remains, and Vincent's awful wound... She stole a glance at her bloody shirt and attempted to awkwardly cover it up by holding her arms across her stomach.
"Er..we did yesterday, I mean." She kept her gaze away from her companions, and studied the ground with a serene intensity. As much as she tried to keep the images at bay, they washed over mind like waves. The blood, Lost Number, the incredible sleep that was interrupted by that crazy dream...
She looked to Cloud's face after what seemed like a long time and almost said "You were in my dream last night, too," but held her tongue. Even if she did mention it, Vincent probably wouldn't remember, and neither of them would care enough to actually hear about it. She remembered the scowl on Cloud's face, and was suddenly sad.
She'd thought about what she would do upon reuniting with her old comrades--hugs, and happy endings aside--but somehow, this moment didn't seem as joyous as she'd always imagined (or maybe hoped) it would be.
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Post by Cloud Strife on Jul 17, 2012 18:39:25 GMT -5
When the young ninja spun him around with the force of her hug, Cloud's surprise showed momentarily at the strength of her embrace. True, she had grown since their last travels together, and further still in the time he had known her - though only by name for half that total. But it did not seem possible she had grown so strong as to actually pin his arms without him allowing her to. Or was he simply growing weaker, wallowing in his own depression as he had for so long?
By the time he returned to the present, he found his fingers brushing over his pouches, a bad habit he had not done since the last time Yuffie had drawn near to himself. When she spoke of the difficulty in contacting him, he looked down to his phone - the one with triple-digit indicators of missed calls and voicemails, and countless unread messages. A guilty flush stole over his cheeks as he tucked it back away, clearing his throat and glancing aside. "Yeah, well... I've been busy." He evaded mildly.
His thoughts churned again for a few moments before he was drawn back into the conversation, his eyes refocusing on Yuffie's face. He frowned at the knowledge that monsters of such magnitude were still in the world - with the world's mana nearing balance again, that should not have been possible. When he noticed her covering the blood on her shirt, though, he glanced to Vincent momentarily. "You two aren't hurt, are you?" He questioned, already reaching for a Cure materia.
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Post by Yuffie Kisaragi on Jul 17, 2012 19:53:21 GMT -5
"Yes! I mean no! Well..." How could she describe an instantaneous death for anyone save for Vincent by way of stomach mutilation with a side of exposed ribs? The thought made her gag. She kept one arm across her stomach, and lifted the other to cover her mouth. She didn't want to describe it, and she didn't want to ever have to think of it again, starting now.
"We're fine," she looked away from the man. She shouldn't have said anything about the monster--she knew that now. But the bloody shirt would have raised some questions soon enough. Yuffie was unsure of what else to say on the matter---she could mention that she was scared shitless, but even that didn't seem to quite cover the scale of what had happened.
She was becoming increasingly aware that she wasn't a big fan of gore. Her training had taught her that the best kill was a quiet one, one that was nearly undetectable, which didn't leave much room for mess. Suddenly just being in her clothes made her sick, and she shifted uncomfortably in her place.
"What are you doing here, anyway, Cloud?" She spoke through her fingers, trying to un-muffle the words. Becoming restless in her stance after only a few seconds, the ninja resumed a more confidant one with her hands on her hips, though she still seemed a little uneasy. "I'm here on business," she pointed back to the gunman, "but what's your excuse?"
Everything seems so awkward and unpredictable. First I can't argue with Vincent, then we get attacked by a zombie, now Cloud is actually here and I can't even think of what to say to him...! She sighed slightly. This is a downward spiral to the pits of HELL, I just know it! She was tempted to pinch herself, but fearing that the situation was some twisted dream, and that she would wake up back in Wutai was more than enough to keep her from doing it. That...would be worse than a horde of zombies, I think.
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