ffvii open post

[lukoi]

AERITH GAINSBOROUGH
JOURNAL: inheritedearth
VOICE: ★★★★★

RENO
JOURNAL: emcharge
VOICE: ★★★★✩

BIGGS
JOURNAL: leafhouse
VOICE: ★★★★★

RUFUS SHINRA
JOURNAL: shinralegacy
VOICE: ★★★✩✩

code credit

Want to play with any of the above? Leave a comment with their name in the header and a prompt or a starter and I'll get back to you! ➝ AUs welcome! Otherwise, all characters are available from various canon points: OG, Advent Children or Remake. ➝ Some memes for ideas: caught in the rain, soulmates, body heat, otherworldly, deserted island, and of course random scenario. Feel free to make up your own! Hell, you can even just text them, they've all got phones. ➝ Other old muses (Cloud, Cid, Yuffie) in need of dusting off are tentatively available for tagging out later on!

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[cetra]

[ It's not unusual for Aerith to be humming to herself as she does her daily check in with the people of the Sector 5 slums.

She's been to the church already, but some days she just isn't up for being cooped up in those crumbling walls. The flowers understand - well, she hopes they do.

The sunlight filters through what cracks it can, the plate overhead half jutting out into the sky in broken, sharp edges in some spots. It's enough to encourage some greenery to grow (and yes, maybe she's the one doing the encouraging) but her main pet project has been The Leaf House.

She can never quite stop the smile that spreads when she walks up, hearing the children call out her name, looking over their brand new vegetable gardens they are so proud of. It's with this smile that she taps Biggs on the shoulder to get his attention. ]

Just your friendly neighborhood florist, here to see if you guys need a restock! [She and Biggs aren't close, and she usually deals with the woman who runs the home, but he's right here and she might have plans to encourage him to help her. ]

YAYAYA

[leafhouse]

[He isn't here as much as he would like to be— Sector 5 is a little bit of a haul from Sector 7, and the neighborhood watch keeps him pretty on the days he's not neck-deep in AVALANCHE operations, but he's never forgotten where he came from. Every spare gil he has goes to this place, and he makes the effort to come and help out as often as he can.

The completion of the new vegetable gardens was something worth celebrating, so he'd made it a priority to come and see them— and as long as he's here, he's more than happy to help out, as always. He's on his knees taking care of some freshly transplanted tomato sprouts when he feels the tap on his shoulder, and he sits back on his feet as he looks up, offering Aerith a warm smile in greeting. They don't know each other well, but this place is important to both of them— they've crossed paths more than a few times.]

I don't think they'll ever say no to more flowers. They're great for morale. Might even be part of what's inspired some of the kids to take up gardening for themselves, in fact.

[cetra]

Flowers have a way of inspiring people, that's for sure. [ She glances over the fledgling veggies with a proud look before eyeing him for a moment and straightening up. ]

Well, those flowers aren't going to gather themselves are they? [ She inclines her head, indicating the path beside the home that leads to her house. ] I will need some help, obviously.

[ His help. She isn't so much asking as she is telling him to get ready to be her very own personal errand boy. ]

[leafhouse]

[He laughs a little, bracing one hand against his knee to push himself to his feet.]

I don't mind lending a couple of helping hands.

[Not that she'd been asking. He'd caught that part, alright.]

Besides, it'd be nice to see what you've done with the place since the last time I helped out.

gimme aerith - otherwordly set right after remake

[parrys]

hiraeth

[It's not often that he thinks about Nibelheim - except that is a lie he tells himself regularly, as his home invades his thoughts in those quieter moments. They are traveling to Kalm, a town that isn't too far but enough that it takes them a few days on foot.

They don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. Keeping their heads down is best, especially when their very distinctive group strolls out in the open. Cloud is preparing himself for when they actually walk into a populated area...

If the recent past is anything to go by, keeping a low profile isn't going to be on their agenda for very long.

There's the oddest sense of deja vu, a feeling that he's been down this road before. Hiding from Shinra, the Turks most likely hot on their trail. He's been keeping his ears open for that familiar sound of the helicopter blades - except, he's not been down this road before. He's not traveled from place to place, trying to outwit an army.

Clearly, he needs to sleep.

He has parked himself on the ground, his back pressed against a tree trunk as he keeps watch. It hasn't been that long since sunset, but everyone feels a little more frayed, more on edge, than they did in Midgar.

Barret bitching takes up most of their energy, too. He can see even Aerith is getting annoyed with him at times.

Speaking of which...

She's on the other side of the fire, and for what seems like the hundredth time that day he wonders what she's thinking. Not that he's going to ask. ]

[inheritedearth]

[It's difficult not to be on edge— even Aerith has found her limits tested, though she's made an effort not to let it show more than absolutely necessary, despite the fact that Barret in particular has been grating on her nerves. It's important that they look forward, think ahead and keep their spirits up, rather than dwelling on what they've left behind.

They can't go back. That much is for certain. She wonders, not for the first time, what her mother is doing now, and is grateful that she has Marlene's company in her own absence. It's not the same, of course, she knows— but if she were to be honest with herself, she wouldn't have been able to stay much longer, anyway.

She'd always been living on borrowed time, evading her would-be captors until she had no choice but to give in. They'd managed the upper hand on her once already, and though she had escaped with the help of friends, how long until it happened again?

Barret seemed to have settled into an irate silence after they had all eaten, now dozing a few feet away from the fire, and she looks across the way to where Cloud sits with his back against the tree to keep watch. She should sleep soon, too, she knows— but instead she gets to her feet and relocates, helping herself to a seat on the ground beside Cloud's post.]

At least the view is nice.

[It seems a decent enough way to break the silence.]

You holding up okay?

bless u for indulging me

[parrys]

I've dealt with worse.

[ Trying to be that Cool Guy again, but this time it has a ring of truth to it. His memory of his time in SOLDIER in hazy, at best, and he's loathe to try to dig for any details. Suffice it to say, keeping it short and sweet is his MO. He's not the type to drone on about the days gone by. What he does know is that life was rough, he knows it down to his very core. He doesn't need specifics to know that.

He glances over at her before turning back to the fire, folding his arms over his chest. ]

This is your first time away from home, right?

[ Look at him, learning how to Friend. ]

always!!

[inheritedearth]

Really?

[The question escapes her before she can give it much thought; she doesn't want to imagine 'worse' than what they're dealing with right now— but she knows, in her heart, that it very much exists, and there's a note of truth that rings through the air along with Cloud's words.

She nods. Of course, she understands. As a member of SOLDIER, he's seen a great deal. It was the same for him.]

Mm— I'm afraid so.

[Her gaze drifts upwards for a moment. The starry sky above them is undeniably beautiful, but so big and far-reaching that it makes her feel unusually small.]

It's so different out here. Beautiful, but also terrifying.

[leaders]

This is stupid.

[he mutters it aloud, and although he thinks that it's quiet enough for only his own grievances to be aired privately, there's a moment when he looks down to the gysahl greens in his hand and then over to Aerith, a few meters anon. Cloud Strife, the merc who witnessed a hostile corporate takeover of Shinra, who managed to defy big-D Destiny, who once threatened to crush Don Corneo's manlihood... now relegated to hunting down a chocobo to make their way across a swamp infested marsh. not that he thinks this station is below him; he'd convinced himself in erring that he'd do anything for the right price, but rather, he wasn't exactly skilled at anything involving the gentler arts. the ones that required patience and an enduringly gentle soul.

he was much better off swinging a blade and being a bodyguard than herding overgrown chickens. no offense to chickens. Choco Billy had outlined it to him properly enough. equip a luring materia to grab their attention, wiggle some greens in their face, and the next thing you know? "good as done!" or... something like that.

the problem with that, of course, was Cloud was Cloud and even cats had a better sense than to hang around him. too perilous to leave one of their 9 precious lives around someone so ill-fated to reek havoc wherever he goes (which is, admittedly, not always his fault). so when the third one decides to flee like a tea kettle had went off and alarmed every chocobo in a 10 mile radius to his approach, his grip on the greens tightens and his frustration at his own failure continues to grow.

frowning in a way that solely belongs to him, he decides that maybe they're just strong enough to kill the Midgar Zolom outright. but Aerith is near, and she's become a sort of rock on which his entire reality has become built on top of lately. that encouraging smile, the way she can see a path through any rough spot.

it's just chocobos. he can practically hear her voice in his head.]

What's so funny?

[inheritedearth]

[It's just so hard not to laugh, the way Cloud finds himself more and more exasperated with each loss— persistence will win out, she's sure, but even as she draws his attention, she claps a hand over her mouth to cover the worst of the laughter that tries to escape.

Right. He's frustrated. She should be sympathetic.]

I just can't believe that of anyone, you would have so much trouble befriending a chocobo. You look just alike!

[Okay, forget sympathetic.]

Relax.

[She makes her way over to join him, laying a hand against his shoulder.]

They can probably sense how frustrated you are, and that puts them on edge. Animals can pick up on these things!

[leaders]

[even when she's fighting back a sprout of laughter that threatens to call into questioning his champion rodeo skills, he can't be too upset with her. there's just a protocol he feels the incessant need to follow for no good reason, and that is... continuing down the path of most resistance internally and swallowing the way he feels when he sees her turn from amusement to sympathy to... uh, wait.

excuse him?

he looks nothing like a chocobo. his jaw slacks in that way that shows... yeah, he was born in a backwoods town in the middle of nowhere and lacks the refinement or tact to play something like that off skillfully. wait. no. he should try.

Aerith brings out good things in him.]

I never got along well with my peers.

[there's a hand at his shoulder, and he holds out the greens as a peace offering to beg her never to call him chocobian in nature again.]

You think so? [he looks out over the haphazard tracks all over the field, the giant silo still visible even this far in the distance.] Okay, so what's the plan?

[inheritedearth]

[His response actually takes her by surprise, and it shows— followed by a more open peal of laughter. She'd expected him to be flustered, maybe even further frustrated, but he's learning! She smiles broadly, giving him a nod of approval.]

Well, there's a first time for everything!

[She'll help him learn to play nice with his wild cousins— but she gingerly takes the greens from him, accepting them for the peace offering they are.]

Perseverance is the key— but we do make a pretty good team. If we can use the lure to get their attention again, maybe I can get close and do the feeding? They might not find me as... prickly.

[She's not just talking about his hair this time.]

Gimme the boy

[kisskissboomboom]

[ It was supposed to be a simple recon mission. Easy peasy. A quick in, gather some intel, plant a wire tap, and get out. Simple. Something they've done a dozen times without a hitch.

Except there'd been a hitch. A very big hitch. One that was metal and had buzzsaws for hands and a machine gun for a face and... ]

Shiiiiit, it's coming this way, move, move!

[ She shoves Biggs towards the corner they'd been racing for, hoping the walls of this place can provide enough shelter even as she hears gears whirring and that massive gun powering up behind her.

She dives for cover just as bullets start to spray at her heels. ]

[leafhouse]

I'm moving!

[The shove is well-meaning but sudden, and Biggs almost trips over his own feet before righting himself, pushing himself to move faster and duck for cover, grabbing Jessie's arm in the process to pull her along. He doesn't miss the way the bullets almost graze her heels, and he grits his teeth as he quickly scans their surroundings to see what resources they might have at their disposal.

He probably could have over-planned this one a bit better.]

Too close— and we can't hide out here forever.

[He's already reaching for his assault rifle, preparing to open fire. Suppressing fire might work in their favor, but the buzzsaw hands give him some reason to doubt.]

You okay?!

[kisskissboomboom]

Other than being chased by the Abominable Lumberjack back there?

[ She's panting and out of breath, hunched over with her hands resting on her knees for a moment as she tries to get air in her lungs. her voice is a little strained, but it's hard to tell if it's with incredulous laughter or panicked hysteria. Maybe a little of both? ]

Oh, yeah. Suuure. I'm brilliant. You take me to the nicest places, Biggs.

[ In case he missed it? That was definitely sarcasm. ]

[leafhouse]

In my defense, this place was supposed to be light on security!

[Foot soldiers, maybe some security cameras— nothing they couldn't handle with their combined tech savvy. This? Needless to say, he hadn't prepared for this. His long-standing need to overthink and plan for every eventuality had let him down, which was surprising in and of itself.

And he caught that sarcasm, thanks.]

Don't suppose you have any spare grenades in that pack of yours—!

GAL PAL

[starshower]

[No matter how many times any one of them urged that they push forward, and that someone (her money is on the Turks) is most assuredly tailing them, Tifa would have none of it. Now that they've left Midgar, they've bought themselves a little time to pause, and she's implored the others to consider taking a break and resting up. None of them know where they're going to go or how long it'll be until they reach that place, or when their pursuers will be hot on their tail again, so it took some fighting and hard-headedness on her part to combat Cloud's. She knew he would give in eventually.

Not all of them are SOLDIER.

Without much outside of Midgar's borders, they've had to rely more on the wildlife than she's used to, but a girl's gotta eat to survive.

It's beneath a tree where she finds Aerith seeking shade, and she has a skewer of meat in her hands as she takes a seat on the grass next to her.]

Hey. It's not much, but I thought you might be hungry.

[inheritedearth]

[She'd thought a lot about what it might be like to leave Midgar over the years, and somewhere among those thoughts, she'd certainly considered circumstances like these. She'd always known she wouldn't be able to dodge the Turks forever, but she had thought it much more likely that she would find herself back in Shinra's hands for the long haul. She's glad to have been proven wrong— glad to have made friends who cared enough to come looking for her, glad that her mother was home safe, glad that she had been able to leave that lab behind once more when she'd been so certain it would be the end of her, just as it had been the end of her mother.

There's a lot to be grateful for, but heading out into the unknown is far more terrifying than anything she's ever encountered living in the slums. She's been noticeably distracted since they've stopped to take their rest, unusually quiet as she sorts through all that's happened in such a short time. Their lives are changing now— all of them, when some of them had been nothing more than strangers just a few days earlier.

Tifa's voice brings her back to the present, and she offers her a startled but genuine smile as she accepts the offered skewer, scooting just a bit to her left to make room for her friend to sit beside her.]

Thank you— I hadn't been paying too much attention, but you're right, I'm starving. All that walking really worked up an appetite!

[Her cheer is just slightly forced, but it's important that they keep their spirits up. They had known when they left that there would be no going back.]

How are you holding up, Tifa?

[starshower]

Hmm, better! Now that I've got some food in me.

[Tifa's optimism is a little forced, too. Not knowing exactly what's ahead of them makes her uneasy, and as much as she trusts Cloud, it still doesn't feel like enough. The last time she was overcome with doubt, the plate crashed down on Sector 7 and she wishes this time would be different, but besides who they're after, there isn't much else to the plan besides surviving.

Still, she smiles for Aerith because god knows they all need one right now, and stretches her legs out across the grass.]

I've been thinking about how I'm going to convince Cloud to get us some chocobos. Who knows how long we'll be out here for!

reno reno reno

[activatingcombatmode]

[Sometimes even the toughest of SOLDIERs slip. He's pretty sure even the same things can be said for some of the biggest names out there. Zack had one slip up while taking down a pesky behemoth on his own that left a pretty nasty gash open on his upper right arm (well maybe if they had proper shoulder/arm gear it wouldn't have happened--) and now he's gotta patch it up himself. It's late so the Shinra infirmary is empty for the evening so Zack is all one his own.

He shuffles through the darkened infirmary room in search of some bandages or a spare cure materia somewhere. He's making a pretty big ruckus of it, digging through some cabinets and drawers like a dog looking for something he's buried before. It wouldn't be a big surprise if it caught someone's attention from the hall.]

[emcharge]

[Doesn't matter what department you're in— if you do field work of any kind for Shinra, you're bound to get banged up here and there. Reno is used to letting himself into various places throughout Shinra HQ without repurcussions, thanks to his extensive clearance as a Turk, and so it's not all that unusual for him to swing by the infirmary after hours when he's come back late from a mission.

What is unusual is to find someone else in there rummaging around.

The light flicks on with a quiet snap of the switch, and he raises an eyebrow as he leans against the doorway, looking Zack over with interest.]

Well, well. Looking for the good stuff?

[activatingcombatmode]

[As soon as those lights snap on Zack whirls around with a snap.]

Holy shit-! [A bit spooked, is he?] Reno? Don't sneak up on a guy like that, man. I'm already losing enough blood right now.

[As his arm bleeds pretty profusely from the gash on his upper arm. Zack is no medic so he's probably going to do a pretty bad solo job at patching himself up.]

... Do you know where they keep the big rolls of bandages?

jailbreak pls

[wro]

[He doesn't know why he keeps slamming his shoulder against the cell door, really. All he's managed to achieve is an aching shoulder, no doubt quite nicely bruised beneath his suit by now, and a growing sense of frustration and helplessness that's making it increasingly difficult to maintain his mental link with Cait.

That should be his priority, and he knows it: to do what he can to help Avalanche stop Sephiroth. Whatever becomes of him here afterward... well, one reaps what they sow, as the saying goes, and he's planted a great many seeds during his years in Shinra. He may not have realized what they would grow into at the time, but that doesn't make him any less culpable for the fruit they ultimately bore, as he well knows.

He deserves this. He deserves this, but in the end, he's still a coward, because he doesn't want to die. Not here, not like this... not alone in a cell, and there's a part of him that can't help but laugh darkly at the irony of how he'd thrown himself so wholeheartedly into his work for the sake of the people of Midgar that he'd ended up pushing everyone who had cared about him away.

And what had he gotten for it? Locked in a Shinra jail cell and left to die... not that it matters all that much when the world might very well come to an end in a week. He can't ask Cloud and the others to come save him, make a detour to come rescue one of the very people who had set this entire chain of events in motion in the first place. He knows this too.

But damn it all, he's afraid, and it's that desperate fear that sends him lurching shoulder-first into the door one more time, as if somehow this time it will be effective where his dozens of previous attempts failed...]

[emcharge]

[Apparently, all that slamming was starting to get real irritating— or so Reno had heard from the guard who was actually on duty when he'd arrived. The exchange of words between them is brief; he doesn't have a lot to say to a grunt, and for what he has in mind, he doesn't want an audience.

He dismisses the guard with an incredibly professional "beat it, slick" before he pulls his magrod from its holder, waiting until his company is gone before he bangs it against the bars on the window of the cell door in answer.]

C'mon, Reeve, you know that ain't gonna do you any good. Save your energy. Let's talk.

[Hi there, buddy.]

[wro]

[Reeve hears the voice as he's reeling back from the door and freezes instantly, his eyes shooting up to the window even though he already knows what - and who - he's going to see there.

Great. Just great. Of all of the people he hadn't particularly wanted to encounter in this situation, the Turks rank near the top of the list... yet at the same time, he's reminded of the fact that he has a trump card up his sleeve. If he plays it right, it might just end up being his ticket out of here.

Play it wrong, however, and... well, he'd prefer not to think of that. But if Reno wants to talk, that means he's open to being reasoned with, or at least open to listening, and right now this is the best shot he's got.

So Reeve straightens up, squares his shoulders, and turns around to face the door, keeping his expression as neutral as possible.]

I'm listening.