o1.

[nordr.livejournal.com]

[ Cloud's found himself at the Quad, for no real reason. The cafeteria's far too crowded, and he hasn't had much of an appetite, since arriving; it's quieter here, and far more open than the privacy of his dorm room. There's space to think, to try and make sense of all that he's seen and heard, these past few days. The people he knows, they're saying things that don't add up, because whatever they seem to remember, he knows didn't happen. It must be the time compression. They just need a few days, weeks, months, to get a proper grasp of their memories ]

[ sat on the stage, he idly plays with a few loose pieces of materia as he loses himself in thought. He recognises them all by feel, nowadays; his fire materia is old and cracked, and when he presses the pad of his thumb against the surface, it feels like a hollowed out cross. Holding it tight, Cloud casts the spell in his empty hand, causing a small flame to suddenly flicker into life in his palm. Ever since all the mako injections, he's had so much more control over his magic. He lets the flames burn in and out on the tips of his fingers, confident, until the magic spreads, landing on the stage floor in front of him ]

Shit—[ he quickly stamps out the flame with his boot, before using his thumb to rub against the wood. It hasn't left a mark ] … gotta be more careful.

Comments

[themalice.livejournal.com]

[ He unfolds his arms to hold his hands up as if to say he meant no harm. ]

Been here a while, buddy. You always zone out like that?

[nordr.livejournal.com]

[ ] Guess I was really out of it, huh.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

A little.

[ He nods to the materia in his hand. ]

What's that?

[nordr.livejournal.com]

[ ]

It's materia. Helps people cast magic.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

More with the magic, huh?

[ He doesn't get it, but he'll just roll his shoulder in a shrug and let it go. ]

S'long as you don't go casting your magic in the dorm. If I wake up and my bed's on fire, I'm gonna throw you out the window.

[nordr.livejournal.com]

[ ]

I'm not about to use it in closed-in spaces, and I don't sleep with it equipped.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

...It was a joke.

[ He gives him a weird look and wonders what kind of place he comes from where getting tossed out the window is a legitimate threat. ]

[nordr.livejournal.com]

Right. [ ] You can't be sure, in this place.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

No kidding, some of these fools look like they wanna gut you just for lookin' at them. I'm thinking deep psychological troubles.

[nordr.livejournal.com]

Guess that just makes them suited for a military academy. [ ] What about you? How are you finding this all?

[themalice.livejournal.com]

Messed up. I'm definitely not suited for this kinda life.

[nordr.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Is there anyone else from your world here... ?

[themalice.livejournal.com]

My world? You mean friends?

[ He kinda laughs. Actually, the thought hadn't even occurred to him before. Did that happen to some people? ]

Naaah. 'Sides, these classes would kill some of 'em. [ Imagining Gepetto trying to rock climb... ] I'm sure they're happier doing their own thing.

What about you?

[nordr.livejournal.com]

[ ]

Yeah.

Two people I know, and one guy I've never seen before, but worked for the same company as me. They're not—[ ] Not settling in so well.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

[ He gives him a look, wondering what exactly 'not settling in so well' could mean. He trying not to dwell on the implications that people from your own world could show up. ]

Because of the academy thing?

[nordr.livejournal.com]

Yeah. [ ] It's just all so weird that no one's had time to figure out how to deal with it, I guess.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

People're just grateful to have food and a warm bed.

[ He looks off to the side where there are a couple overenthusiastic female cadets talking about the Garden Festival a few feet away. ]

Could be worse, right?

[nordr.livejournal.com]

[ ]

Could be. Even classes aren't that bad.

sorry i didn't get a notif :(

[themalice.livejournal.com]

[ Well...he doesn't know if he'd go that far. And it's definitely not because the academics are whipping his ass and he's too much of a whiner to do the athletic classes day in day out. ]

Speak for yourself, pal. I didn't skip that crap the first time around just to come back to it as a grown man.

it's cool, lj and notifs aren't friends

[nordr.livejournal.com]

Haven't been in a classroom since I was fourteen. [ ] I'm sure I'll be sick of it all, this time next week.

[themalice.livejournal.com]

I guess.

[ He crosses his arms. For him, there's never been any novelty: just annoyance. Annoyance that he's stuck here, learning crap he doesn't need or want; annoyance that if he left they'd toss his sorry ass into a prison or whatever it is those crazy bastards did to outsiders; annoyance that he's stuck in this world at all and no one can seem to offer up a straight answer as to how or why- or better yet, how to fix it. ]

No one's turning me into a soldier, anyway.