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]

... 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 ]

[residentflorist]

[the baby is happy for its pets!! also aerith has optimism in general so she does believe the letters were sent.]

Might take a few days. Ours didn't disappear until yesterday and I wrote all of mine on Sunday.

[residentmerc]

Right. So... we'll see.

[ pets the baby chocobo some more. he'd offer better plans but. honestly he is tired. there are still so many holes in him that are simply closed up now. this is fine. ]

[residentflorist]

[cloud does not need to offer more, and instead she leans forward just enough for the very, very lightest and quickest kiss to his forehead.]

...you should probably eat something and get some sleep. We can figure out letters and everything later on when you're more rested.

[residentmerc]

[ ow, except he doesn't even think it and just kind of grimaces at the mention of food? ]

... Just... sleep'll be fine.