Cloud

[residentflorist]

code

Lilium
Derived from Latin lilia, which may have come from a corrupted
pronunciation of a word from an extinct Eastern Mediterranean language
Humility, devotion, restored innocence after death

"Lovers used to give these when they were reunited."

Comments

[residentmerc]

[ moves away out of range when he winces at the pain and. it stops?

...seriously? ]

What the hell?

[ IS HE ALLERGIC TO PEOPLE more than usual NOW?

also uses this moment to make his skin start to glow. glow worm cloud. ]

[residentflorist]

[there's a tired sigh, and she's watching her glow worm boyfriend be dazed and confused.]

Do you remember how the swamp on that side would sometimes cause certain effects to linger after someone healed...?

[residentmerc]

Yeah... You think... that's it? Just a side effect?

[ so it's... temporary? well. good news is he is not losing his mind? ]

[residentflorist]

It has to be. It wasn't like this yesterday, or Tuesday in the hot spring. [it better be temporary.] ...now that we know, we'll just have to be careful until it wears off.

[residentmerc]

... Right.

[ temporary is. fine. it's fine. he rubs the back of his neck and sighs ]

Guess... I should stay at my own place then.

[residentflorist]

No. [firmly. no? fuck you, no, cloud doesn't get to leave.]

[residentmerc]

... No?

[ that was. firm. just staring at her like ??? ]

[residentflorist]

[don't leave me.

unaware of the thought, she just pouts at him.]

Nope! You're going to stay right here where I can keep an eye on you while you rest up.

[residentmerc]

[ oh. it's not that surprising-- but somehow hearing the thought is different. he absolutely ignores that this is going to hurt to gently grasp her hand. ]

... I'm not leaving you.

[residentflorist]

[there's a ! when he grabs her hand and she tries to pull away on reflex with a dash of i don't want you hurting yourself, but she doesn't get too far. it's a loose, barely there hold, but she's letting it happen.]

Then stay here. You don't need to go back to your own place, do you? If you need something from there, I can take your keys and go get it.

[residentmerc]

[ it's just pain, he thinks back, stubborning it out long enough to squeeze her hand before pulling back. ]

I've never been in there yet. [ it's an easy admission. for all they know it's bigger and would be better but also. cloud highly doubts it. but speaking of admitting, it takes him a second for this one: ] I don't want to kick you out of your own bed.

[ because it is not big enough for them to have Distance in between them, which was. fine when closeness wasn't an issue. ]

[residentflorist]

[she shrugs to that, looking at the fat as fuck baby chocobo also taking up half the bed.]

CJ the Third and I can sleep in the chair. It's okay, Cloud. It won't be for that long and you need to be able to get some rest, too.

[residentmerc]

[ he opens his mouth to object but is. distracted. ]

CJ the... Third? [ ? over his head ]

[residentflorist]

Yeah. He can't be Cloud Jr. because there's already a Cloud Jr. And he can't be Cloud the Third because that just sounds silly. Sooo..CJ the Third it is.

[the baby flutters its wings and looks at cloud with wide eyes, kind of like what aerith is doing.]

[residentmerc]

Hell no.

[ we are NOT naming it this he doesn't care how big your eyes are!!! ]

[residentflorist]

Why not? You guys do look alike... [guileless behavior. the chocobo shuffles closer and warks inquisitively.]

[residentmerc]

Don't start.

[ warningly. at both aerith and at the little chocobo. ]

[residentflorist]

[she can't squish cloud's cheeks, so she squishes the baby's instead.]

We can name him later when you're feeling better then. [eheh...but her smile grows softer and a little more concerned.]

...so. You had the vision after you hatched the egg. [what then?]

[residentmerc]

I feel fine.

[ a little mullish, but he also has. no idea for the chocobo name so he doesn't keep arguing. ]

Then... We wound up in a room. It was filled with shelves of junk, and we could hear some people talking somewhere nearby. Couldn't grab anything, but Kanda and Daan grabbed what looked like a severed heart and a messed up spine. Then I was in that box.

[ Normal Things ]

[residentflorist]

Voices you didn't recognize? [also, uh, hum.] Why did they grab body parts...? You and Aventurine just ended up back here? No recollection of how?

[residentmerc]

Yeah. [ he... shrugs? ] Those two stood out the most. They were in a box and a jar.

[ so they were at least not just. hanging out. free ballin'. ]

Dunno how we got back, but I don't know how we got there in the first place either. I know there was fog, though. [ stupid magic fog. he adds: ] Last week, Nona described the same place. Vin and Gojo got some different items.

[residentflorist]

I'm getting really tired of this fog...[tch. but she seems curious about the rest.] You think it's the exact same room then? Like we have to go because we can only take a few things out a time for some reason.

[residentmerc]

Maybe. I don't know, I never got to hear from the other groups if they got something too.

[ because. we died. alas. ]

Could be something we can check with the others.

[residentflorist]

Gojo mentioned it to me the day before we left. [i.e. died.] That the first group who went found something, so Geto probably told him. We were talking about following up and asking, but...might be up to him now. I can try to write him another letter later to ask.

[residentmerc]

Mm... Should see if they can even write back first.

[ he raises a hand and pets the baby chocobo because he is not made of stone. he has chosen to believe they received the letters because they have vanished and :) optimism :) etc ]