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Post by Tifa Lockhart on Apr 25, 2007 0:09:30 GMT -5
Tifa awoke slowly to the low rumblings of a huge engine not far from where she rested. Her eyes lazily focused on the carved niches surrounding her head, and the inlaid sage tile on the floor. She snugged back into the sofa, a velvet affair wrapped in eggplant purple with a rainbow of embroidery swirling across the back and seat. For the first time in a very long time, she had rested well.
Fuzzy thoughts coalesced in her head as her mind woke up. Where, exactly, was she? She remembered falling asleep what seemed like ages ago, but certainly it hadn't been here, on this sofa, surrounded by this prosperity. So where...? The thought didn't want to come. For some reason, she couldn't remember much at all. Except Cloud. Her lips curved into a lazy smile as she rolled onto her side, cradling her head in one slender arm. Suddenly, that smile froze. Where was Cloud?
Sitting bolt upright she felt every muscle within tense. She flexed fists in her gloves, quietly skulking to the nearest corner. Wherever she was, it was well lit, and seethed elegance. Everything, even things meant for functionality, were carved or inlaid or formed to be pleasing to the eye. The only person she knew that could afford such pomp was President Shinra. A low moan escaped her throat before she could stifle it. If she was being held by Shinra, she should be quiet as a mouse, and make less notice than one. Peeking around the corner, she saw no guards. She felt fortunate at that, and also mildly annoyed. That she should be treated so insignificantly that she didn't even need guards. She'd show them.
Creeping, Tifa began to slink up the stairs, careful not to cause the boards to creak. Wherever she was, she had no idea if it was friendly or hostile territory, and she had no intention of falling into a trap. If she could only find Cloud...
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Post by Seltzer Grenadine on Apr 30, 2007 15:29:02 GMT -5
((Sorry I've taken so long, Tifa. I've been ultra busy. Let's get this show on the road!))
The walk back to the Falcon and been a sullen one. Setzer had picked carefully through the back of the demolished opera house, eyes quickly and regardfully skimming over the debris for possible survivors. It was almost as if the place had been wiped clean of any life that might have tried to tarnish its almost grotesquely lavish interior.
The exterior of the grand theater was sickeningly cadaverous now, an empty shell that stood derelict on the barren peninsula. The captain hoped that no one would discover this tomb-- that no vandals might desecrate this place before someone returned to bid these poor souls a proper fare-well.
Now, as the 'ship's engine rumbled under his feet as it rose into the air, Setzer was finally at peace. He knelt for a moment, reaching for the tagged collar of the dog that followed he and Cloud to the Falcon. "Angelo, huh? Very well, then. I suppose I won't throw you out. Just don't, you know, chew on anything." The captain sighed, squinting into the distance. Soon his ship would be in the midst of battle once again, and he wondered if she would make it.
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on Apr 30, 2007 22:39:57 GMT -5
((No problem! I understand that people have lives )) Tifa reached the top of the stairs, carefully setting her feet on dark wooden planks. She quickly scanned each direction, working hands in her gloves, a watchful eye out for anything that might indicate an ambush. Suddenly, the ship lurched upward, knocking her off balance. She leaned against the wall, catching her balance as the ship seemed to rise to its desired elevation and level off. Well, I know it's an airship now, not a boat. I just wish I knew who was piloting it. And where I am.Taking herself in hand, she crept towards the next level of stairs, keeping an ear out for any noises that might indicate another being. Machinery lined the walls, turning and grinding, but surprisingly quiet for what seemed to be a large ship. Tifa forgot herself as she walked along, studying how this gear turned the next, or baffled at a part that seemed to be standalone in its operation. Until her foot fell and the plank beneath groaned in an ominous way. Jerking back, she realized she was only a few steps from the next stairwell. Hoping the creak she had made wasn't audible above, she stood silently, listening closely. Just as she began to relax, her breath caught at the sound of soft footfalls, coming her way. It sounded like 2 sets of feet, or maybe something four-legged; she couldn't tell. Nervously she backed up, closer to a piece of what she assumed was engine that stuck into the room farther than the rest. If whatever coming her way was a foe, she might be able to duck behind the ironwork before it had a chance to attack. Setting herself, she waited as the padding descended the stairs. Every muscle was tense, prepared for fight. A single drop of sweat beaded her brow. She almost bounced on her toes. A furry head that stood roughly level with her knee appeared around the corner, followed by its body. A brown and white dog stood looking up at her, its back end waggling, tongue lolling out of its mouth as it regarded her with friendly-appearing eyes. Tifa nearly collapsed in relief, but contended herself with exhaling. Dropping her fists, she slowly approached the animal, one hand outstretched. "Hi puppy. Who are you? Are you a nice dog?" Once her fingers were in reach, her hand was sniffed. Apparently, she smelled decent enough, as that lolling pink tongue began to lick her fingertips. She knelt beside the dog, scratching it behind the ears as it lapped at her face. With a jingle Tifa lifted a round silver tag and read the inscription. "So you're Angelo huh? That must mean you're a boy. You're a nice dog, yes you are." She smiled as the dog attempted to assault her face with his tongue. Heavy footfalls above startled Tifa, but Angelo turned and trotted back towards the steps. Rear end still wagging, he turned to look at her with an expression that seemed to ask if she was coming along. Well, Angelo seems nice enough. Anybody with a nice dog can't be all bad.Wearily, she ascended the stairs toward bright sunlight, Angelo leading the way.
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Post by Cloud Strife on May 2, 2007 18:51:21 GMT -5
Cloud leaned on the nearest wall, slightly airsick. Although he had been on airships before, the Falcon was nothing like the Highwind, and that had been quite some time ago. He sighed, as memories of the old days flooded his kind. Cid, Barret...Tifa. The good old days, when he hadn't a care in the world except for Sephiroth. And now that he was gone...Cloud felt just a bit empty inside. Purposeless. But it wasn't as of he wanted to play the hero ALL the time. Maybe just once more for Aerith's sake. then, maybe he could retire from the hero business. Permanently this time. Do something useful and less likely to cause him bodily harm.
"So, what's the plan?"
Cloud passed a hand through his hair, pressing on his forehead slightly. The airsickness dimmed, then left.
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on May 2, 2007 23:03:29 GMT -5
Tifa stepped onto the green-tinged planks of the deck, raising an arm to shade her eyes against the harsh daylight. Angelo trotted toward the stern of the ship, where Tifa could make out two figures seemingly in deep discussion. Both appeared to be male; the one piloting the ship had long white hair that cascaded down the back of his floor-length coat. The other was blonde, a deep purple cloak slung loosely about him. Neither was facing her.
Good, at least they won't see me coming. I'll take an advantage where I can.
While she watched cautiously, Angelo went to the blonde man, wagging his tail. The man leaned down to pat the dog in an affectionate manner. Tifa slowly skulked towards the pair, watching them both for anything that might indicate they noticed her.
Angelo ruined her element of surprise by turning to face her and barking. The pilot didn't turn, but the blonde looked her direction. She went up on her toes, ready for anything, but he only stood there. They regarded each other for a few moments, and then the man began to move her direction, slinging his cloak back over his shoulders. Tifa raised her fists; she was no easy meat.
But as the man advanced, she got a good look at his face. That blonde hair framed a set of beautiful blue green eyes set in pale, creamy skin. His lips were curved in a smile. She recognized that smile, those eyes. Tifa shook her head.
It...it can't be Cloud. This man's a few years too old to be Cloud
As the man got within a few paces of her, she eyed him in a suspicious fashion, moving back to keep him from coming any closer.
"Who...who are you? Why do you look like Cloud?"
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Post by Cloud Strife on May 3, 2007 17:18:20 GMT -5
( Eh, Tifa...Let's try and keep a regular posting order going. It makes things easier, and will keep one of us from falling too far behind. So, I think I'll wait for Setzer before replying.
~Edit to reply to post below~
It's alright. Just bear in mind that there are several people roleplaying at the same time, so everyone needs a chance to respond to events as they happen instead of being rushed through without having a chance to react. )
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on May 3, 2007 18:23:25 GMT -5
(Oh, I am sorry, I didn't realize I was doing anything wrong. I like to write and thought we could just reply whenever, so I was just trying to keep things active. Sorry!)
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Post by Vivi Orunitia on May 3, 2007 21:44:33 GMT -5
He rolled over and grabbed for the blanket he was using to cover himself. The sudden rush of wind chilled him to the bone. When he couldn’t find the blanket he opened his eyes.
As soon as he realized that there was no blanket, he sprang up and looked around. “Where am I?” he asked himself silently. Was he captured? It wouldn’t have been the first time, yet this time he wouldn’t have anyone to help him escape. Vivi began to look around to get a feel for his surroundings.
It appeared that he was in a velvety room, one that a person might find at a nice hotel. The ground was steadily rumbling below his feet. “Is this an airship?” he mumbled to himself. It became even clearer to him when he saw the open window with the clouds shooting by. “So that is where the breeze came from.” He said to himself. He walked over to get a better view.
All of a sudden he heard a loud noise. Vivi had never heard a dog bark before, so the noise only brought a large fear building up inside him. He now remembered that he didn’t even know who or what was on this airship with him. He sat down with his back to the wall. Tears were now moistening the edges of his eyes. “No!” He said to himself, a little louder than he expected. “I am not going to just sit here.” All of his life Vivi had felt that he was helpless. But now he felt an almost childlike bravery forming up inside him. He wanted to see what the rest of the airship was like as well. He grabbed his mace, straightened out his robe, and walked to the door. As he peered around the corner, he saw the creature that had, and still was, making the noise. It seemed friendly enough he noted. He also saw three people staring at each other. One with long silver hair that seemed to run all the way down his back, another with short spiky blond hair, and the last, a women with black hair that ran just a bit past her shoulders, who also seemed to be staring at the blonde with a very quizzical expression.
Vivi quickly gathered his nerves and walked out to great the people, also keeping an eye on the small fury creature.
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Post by Seltzer Grenadine on May 3, 2007 22:56:14 GMT -5
((Good point, Cloud. It's all right to get a few posts in between character (especially when it's something not completely plot-advancing like this) Just don't get too far ahead just pay attention to the dialogue of the other characters and try to let those who need to reply do so. You're doing good, though, so don't worry too much. Also, unless you have permission from that person (if you do, I apologise) please try to limit writing other character's actions for them. Thanks ^^)) Setzer blinked, tilting his head at the newcomers. Where had they come from? It didn't seem likely that the two had stumbled into the ship while he was inside the Opera House, but nothing could be certain here. Even more puzzling was the doll-like appearance of one of the strangers. "Now, now," the captain reasoned, mostly with himself. "This is my 'ship and we are going to do things my way." He glanced between Cloud and Tifa, bringing his hand to his forehead as if trying to wipe away a headache. "We could be heading into battle soon, so I suggest we keep the introductions short and stay light on our toes. I'm Setzer Gabbiani, and this is my airship, the Falcon." His gaze landed on Tifa momentarily, and then on Vivi... there couldn't be a worse time for introductions, he thought... ((Wow, what a difficult situation to write into. I'm giving Cloud the go-ahead on this one, then we can work it out from there. ))
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Post by Aerith Gainsborough on May 3, 2007 23:15:15 GMT -5
((Cloud's right, but I gotta say that you don't have to wait very long. Unless the player has mentioned absence, I don't think you should wait more than a week ... and that's generous. But in this scenario, give people a day or two to respond.
Setzer's right, too. If you feel you must write the other character, make it a neutral action or get clearance from the other member. This is why I try for an AIM/MSN network: so that we can clear small movements approved. See, there would be a point that "Tifa" would be making and the player needs to get there. Since she directly addressed another player, it could possibly take days to get back around... all for 7 words.
Very good entrance, the both of you. Tifa, you're VERY in character. Your's is probably the first VII application I've been actively excited about for quite some time. This could prove to be very interesting muahahaha. Vivi, I don't know what to say. I think I'm in love with you <3 ^w^))
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Post by Vivi Orunitia on May 4, 2007 4:01:15 GMT -5
"Hi. My name is Vivi." was all the overwhelmed black mage could start with. His eyes nervously jetted from one person to the next.
"Umm, what am I doing here..." he finally asked. He wasn't really sure if he was ready for the answer or not, but he now realized he had little time to ask by what Setzer had said, "...and who are we fighting with?" The black mage had always been against fighting. Even more so since he had discovered the purpose of the black mages being produced in Dali. He was not a weapon.
(I hope this comes out the way I think it does. I am glad you like mine so far.)
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on May 4, 2007 12:04:42 GMT -5
Tifa was sure her feet must have left the deck of the ship when she jumped from the sound of a voice behind her. She swirled around, wide-eyed, trying to watch both the short creature behind her, the white haired man called Setzer and the Cloud look alike on the other side. Her head swiveled rapidly between the three.
The short one gave his name as Vivi. She studied him for a moment. His large hat and high collar hid all but vibrant yellow eyes. He stood little more than waist high to her. There seemed to be an air of meekness around him, and the way he seemed as nervous as she did made her hope she was doing a better job of covering that fact up.
Keeping an eye on the one who hadn't introduced himself yet, she gave her name wearily. "I'm Tifa." After a momentary pause, she addressed Setzer. "Who is it you're fighting? Is it the Shinra?"
Her eyes fell on the blonde again. They were the same eyes as Cloud's. She could hardly believe it. But he still hadn't answered.
"Who are you?" Tifa addressed him again, this time in a slightly softer voice.
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Post by Cloud Strife on May 4, 2007 16:29:24 GMT -5
Whatever sickness Cloud had been feeling when he had come aboard the airship, it was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. Not for the first time since coming to this strange world, Cloud felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of him. He stammered for a moment, unsure of what to say. Then Tifa's question clicked in his head.
"Who...who are you? Why do you look like Cloud?"
Cloud blinked at this, confused for a moment. But, as the ridiculous question got through his momentarily stunned senses, he had to fight the urge to laugh directly in Tifa's face. Yes, it was just like her, he thought. As she asked him again who he was, he realized he was making a fool of himself. He had forgotten to remove the stupefied expression from his face.
"Tifa, you must be joking. The reason I look like Cloud is because I AM Cloud. There is only one of me, after all."
He said, chuckling softly. His eyes flicked to Vivi for a moment, then to Setzer. He decided Setzer could handle the strategy for the upcoming battle. The guy was covered in scars, so he was obviously a survivor. For now, he would content himself with catching up on all that had happened since he had left Midgar. After he convinced Tifa he was himself. That thought was so ridiculous he couldn't help laughing.
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Post by Tifa Lockhart on May 4, 2007 18:31:00 GMT -5
Tifa shook her head, raising a hand to her temple. The voice was Cloud's, though deeper than she remembered. She had last seen Cloud right before she turned sixteen, when he had saved her in the Nibel Reactor from Sephiroth. Things were still fuzzy, thoughts and memories flirting and evasive. Events at the reactor were a little more than a three year old memory, but Cloud looked as if he'd aged five, or maybe more.
"Is it really you?" She asked in a hushed, shaky voice. Her hand reached towards his face, fingertips pausing hesitantly an inch from his cheek. "I haven't seen you in so long. Since the reactor, on Mount Nibel." She choked, remembering her father's death. Her hand remained frozen. "Where have you been? What have you been doing? Are you a SOLDIER now?" She took a step closer to Cloud, who seemed to find the whole situation somewhat humorous. Her hand trembled, moving slightly closer to his face before she stopped it. She was afraid to touch him, she realized. Afraid that if she did, he'd ripple and fade away like mist, revealing this all to be just a wrenching dream. She wanted him to be real so badly. She didn't know where she was, but if Cloud was here, it would be okay. It would be home.
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Post by Seltzer Grenadine on May 5, 2007 1:28:20 GMT -5
The captain sighed, a flustered smile tugging at the corners of his pale lips. The two knew eachother all right, and Setzer was not about to keep them from their reunion. Tifa's mention of some "Shinra," and her uncertainty brought about questions, but he'd let Cloud explain everything to the girl. The questions would have to wait.
He glanced at the doll-like figure who had practically been ignored there on the deck-- a kindred spirit, perhaps? "Vivi, then?" Setzer smiled warmly, leaning down to extend a hand to the child-like creature. He stared into bright yellow orbs, hardly able to contain his curiousity. "Can you fight?" he inquired, keeping himself in check.
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