asgardeventide | 001 (video/warning for some blood)

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001 (video/warning for some blood)

[The video feed opens on a man with black hair and very bright blue eyes. His coloration is nowhere near as remarkable as the facts that his clothes are torn, and that he's covered in blood. He looks as if he's made some attempt to wipe it away, so the blood on his face is smeared, and the areas around his eyes and mouth are more or less clear. With that much blood, someone must have gotten seriously hurt.

In spite of this, Zack's smiling, but there's an intensity to his gaze. He knows what he wants to say already, and he says it.]

Cloud, you there?

[He's aware that there are others here. He did listen to the maid, got his briefing. He's used to taking in large amounts of information quickly. That's what SOLDIERs do. But Cloud's his first priority. He has to see if he's here, make sure he's unhurt.]

Cloud? You'd better be all right, okay? I'm counting on you.

[The slight teasing note in his voice masks a deeper seriousness that anyone paying close attention might pick up on.

He almost asks for Angeal--he thinks he saw Angeal right before he got here, but maybe that was a hallucination brought on by... well, dying. Maybe this is a hallucination. He can't be sure. If Angeal's here, he'll say something, but that might be too much to hope for. His first order of business is out of the way. Even if Cloud doesn't answer back, he is going to go out and look for him, until he either finds him or is satisfied that he isn't here.]

Everyone else, I'm Zack Fair, SOLDIER, First Class. [Name and rank come to his lips automatically, and he stops himself. He must be much more out of it than he'd realized (after all, he is addressing everyone covered in blood). His rank doesn't mean anything anymore. The company left him behind. He'll do the same. He amends the statement.] Ex SOLDIER. For what it's worth.

[He almost sounds like he's joking, a bit of self-depreciating humor. No sense being too serious, right? Right.]

I'm in-- [What was it again?] --Heimdall, so I hope you're ready for a new roommate over there. Don't worry, I clean up my own messes. If I know you, I'll get your back in a fight, and I don't bite. Nice to meet you.

[Somehow, if this isn't all a last minute illusion, he's still alive. He might not know how that could be possible, but he's going to try to roll with it. In spite of everything, it feels good, to be alive. Now, if he can just find Cloud...]

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If you are in Heimdall, please take care to not leave any bloody footprints on the floor. I doubt most of the residents will appreciate it.

[Not that he cares personally, since he is of the same house. But what he's more interested isn't the blood, nor the way this man acted - no, it's the way he presented himself that has Kirei curious, and how he'll react.]

[If anything, Zack seems a bit amused. A random person warning him about leaving bloody footprints. As if things weren't absurd enough already.]

You don't have to worry. It's mostly dry. I'll take my shoes off before I come in. And I already told you I clean up my own messes.

[Better than arriving when four feet fairies were attacking and explaining that!!1 A-anyway, he's shrugging in response and gosh does this guy sound like an overgrown puppy]

If only some could do the same within the house. Try to not scare any of the younger residents on your way here, if you can. The attack is still fresh on their mind.

[Why.]
[On the other hand though, this could be interesting. HM.]

He's around here somewhere.

[He's moving now, still waiting to see if he hears back from Cloud. He'll have to see if there's a list or something later.

He doesn't think he'll have a problem finding Heimdall. The map is simple, but clear enough.]

I was in the army, you kind of have to clean your messes there.

I'll do my best. [Shaking his head at this guy worried about messes, but still amused, he then tries to wipe away more blood, but it is mostly dried now. He knows what he must look like after what happened.] They kicked me out before I got a chance to wash up. [Though he had been more focused on other things and not thinking entirely clearly, true enough.

And that's something they didn't tell him about. He sobers.] ...attack?

[ He skims these entries a lot, so it's his name being said that actually catches his attention, before he looks and sees a blood covered person making themselves known on the network. Again.

The last blood-covered one knew him too, although the thought of that as a possible pattern doesn't even register past the sudden wrench in his gut. Because this time he's being asked for specifically, and

he's still never seen that person before Asgard. Never seen that blood. No. Thinking of another Cloud, from some other bizarre world, would be easy to say, and yet somehow he knows it's him being asked for before Zack clinches it by identifying himself. SOLDIER. Zack. Yeah, Cloud knows who this is; that name keeps popping up. It's how Zack knows him to be counting on (don't,) that's tripping him up and sending all his thoughts running together into an endless ringing. Even if they were both First Class, they never knew each other. It doesn't make sense, and Cloud finds himself toggling to the network list to see if that will tell him anything--

When he realizes. He's on the network list. He never heard of Zack, that doesn't mean Zack never heard of him. And with Sephiroth--hopefully--gone, they're the only (ex) SOLDIERs in this place.

No wonder he's being counted on. No one goes to a Turk for help. When he turns on the video, the bright blue eyes staring back are calm and focused. If any emotion is showing, it's a hint of annoyance. ]

It's worth more than a fake buddy act. [ SOLDIER pride, Zack. He was listening to you. ...He has a different take on pride, that's all. ] Drop it and just ask questions if you've got 'em.

[Thanks for the help, Reno.

He's not exactly happy to see someone from Shinra, and his expression shows it, smile disappearing.]

Where is he?

[Aw Zack. When his smile fades, it's almost like it was transferred straight to Reno's face. Always nice to be appreciated.]

I know they're not big on critical thinking in SOLDIER, but 'somewhere' kind of implies I don't know exactly where he's at right now. [...] He's in the same house as you though.

[Zack's first reaction is relief. It washes over him, and he lets out a long breath, because Cloud's in one piece. Alive. Even though he'd done all he could to protect him, there'd been that doubt in that mind, that worry, that regret that he'd had to leave him like that, still sick, out on his own. Not knowing what would happen to him, if he'd make it to Midgar.

His second reaction, shortly following the first, is confusion, because this is obviously Cloud--he can see him, he knows him, yet why doesn't Cloud seem to recognize him? This isn't something those "gods" did, it it? That--doesn't make sense. Sure, they kicked him out without a wash or a change of clothes, but this is something else altogether.]

Act? [It looks like Cloud, and the voice is the same, but... Speaking of an act, he's not acting like Cloud. And how long has it been, if he's recovered to this extent? He'd just seen him, from his perspective. Zack's own mind isn't the clearest right now, but he's trying to figure this out.] Cloud, it's me.

Are you all right? How long have you been here? [Yes, all his "fellow SOLDIER" apparently wants to know about is him, at the moment.]

[All right. Slightly more helpful. He's still not happy to see Reno, though.

Fine, then he's going to Heimdall, though he was already headed there anyway. So he keeps going. Still not smiling.]

And I know they're not big on honest answers in the Turks, so when a Turk tells me "somewhere", I don't take it at face value.

[And he doesn't know what, if anything, Reno's up to. Honest answers or no, he'll ask questions.]

Who else is here from Shinra? [He really wasn't expecting to see any Shinra personnel in this strange god-world possibly-maybe-hallucination.]

[ Should he... recognize him...? Cloud's eyebrows furrow, and then he winces and averts his eyes. He's seen plenty of blood, but the way it's on this guy... ]

Yeah? And how long has it been since I ditched Shinra? Sorry, but I can't remember everyone. [ It's a slightly sullen tone--he's realized by now that there are blank spots in his memories--but it's still a dismissive one. There's been plenty of chances for the name "Zack" to rattle around, and it's never turned up anything important.

Asking if he's fine, though... ] ...You think you have to ask about me? I'm not the one covered in blood.

As for your other question... it's been nearly fifty days since people started arriving. I was in the first wave.

[Still no recognition. And Cloud asks a good question.]

How long has it been? [That's one of the things he'd like to know.] We left Shinra together.

[His voice is firm. That's just the truth. They'd been together, more or less, in one way or another, since Nibelheim. Not that Cloud had been himself for all that time. Not that Cloud's himself now, not acting much like the young infantryman Zack had known. His friend.]

I'm more concerned about you. [Not just because of what had happened to him, which made this all so much borrowed time, but because he wasn't sure what was wrong here. Something definitely was. Wrong.

Fifty days... A lot could happen in that much time, or less, as he knew only too well.] What's the last thing you remember? Before you got here?

That hurts, Zack. You know, I'm here on my own, I've got nothing to gain by bullshitting you. [HAND TO HIS HEART] I just wanted us to get along.

[Look at that sincerity on his face. It's almost impressive he can keep it up.]

[Heimdall, hm? that's another one in that house. Doesn't particularly matter, she supposes; their members are loyal friends to others, and their abilities useful to aid others as well.]

Welcome, Zack Fair. I assume your wounds have closed up upon your arrival? [she's seen another case like this, so she's keeping relatively calm this time, in spite of all the blood and torn clothing]

H-hold on, you're hurt--!

[Good try, Reno, but he is not buying it. He'd believe Cissnei, but not you. He's not in the mood, considering. Though there are other people from Shinra he'd be less happy to see, admittedly.]

I'm sure you're crying inside. I think you might bullshit just to bullshit.

But if you want us to get along so much, why don't you give me the rundown on this place?

[Not that he's going to believe what you say without double checking it.]

Thanks. Nice to meet you. [An actual friendly welcome. That's a nice change. He nods.]

They're all gone. Lucky for me. [He glances down at himself, automatically, not sure if he's relieved or worried that his appearance isn't too out of the ordinary. On one hand, he doesn't want to alarm anybody, but on the other, it's not good for something like this to seem normal.] Does this kind of thing happen here a lot?

[Do they always bring people here from moments like that?]

[...that sure isn't concerning at all, nope. though he's grown used to seeing—and receiving—nasty injuries, all that blood still makes Hope's face pale a little as he looks at the feed.]

Hey—are you okay?

[Maybe he should have gone and washed up first, but he hadn't wanted to wait. Still, he doesn't want to alarm anyone either. He's quick to reassure.]

It's all right! I'm fine. It looks worse than it is.

[He should probably be more specific.]

They patched me up when I got here. I'm all healed. But thanks for the concern.

[ oh. She still looks incredibly concerned, but at least the panic fades. ]

I'm sorry... that was just a lot of blood.

Yeah, I guess so... I can't blame you for worrying. Thanks. But I'll be all right.

[He manages to smile at her. His initial burst of adrenaline fading, his energy's starting to flag a bit.]

I better go wash up. Don't want to scare everyone here. I'm on my way to Heimdall now.

It should be a good place to rest, too. [ it's far from a demand, but she's been around one of her friends long enough to notice when someone's tired. ]

[ What? No, we didn't.

Does it look like something's wrong with me? Stop patronizing me! I can take care of myself. (Usually...)

The second question breaks Cloud's patience, getting a snapped response before Zack's fully finished clarifying: ]

None of your business. [ The "last thing" is a touchy subject. ]

[ ...Dammit. Come on, Cloud, don't let this guy get under your skin. You're going to have to live in the same house as him. ]

...Guess you've got a clue...the gods take people from different times. For me, it was almost εуλ 0008. That enough? [ It's not really a question. He's not up for volunteering information with a stranger pretending to be his friend, even if he's Aerith's old boyfriend. It's that pretense that needs to get shut down. ]

We had different reasons for quitting SOLDIER, so don't lump me with you. Desertion's not a way to make pals. [ Even if they'd gone at the same time, so what? Zack had a home to go back to, he had parents who were worried. And the loss of that was exactly what had made Cloud leave. Even if he doesn't remember making the decision, he knows beyond a shadow of doubt that Nibelheim was behind it. Meanwhile, Zack...what? Found a pretty girl? (That Zack is Aerith's old boyfriend might actually be working against him in Cloud's mind.) ]

[He gives a soft laugh, guessing at her intent.] I could probably use a rest right about now. After that wash.

Nice to meet you. What's your name?

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