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]

[ well he can hold onto her and pay attention without ever having to talk about his self-loathing actually thanks!! he is soooo good at not talking ]

[residentflorist]

[cuddling...]

...why won't you talk to me? [which is fucking rich coming from her, but she means "how can i help" and "let me in" and those similar sentiments.]

[residentmerc]

[ it is SO rich coming from her thank you, but cloud just shakes his head and holds her ]

... There's nothing to talk about. We'll figure a way to bring you back.

[ he says we even though hes like pretty sure hes worthless there too!!!! yay. ]

[residentflorist]

It's not just about that, Cloud. [like it is in the sense of she needs to find a way home, but. okay. maybe now she can tell him her other worries.] ...I think something happened back in Midgar. When we broke away from destiny. And it means I'm not there, but I also am. Sephiroth's sword...[she can't quite say "sephiroth killed me" but that's the implication.] You also stopped it.

It's like...being in two places at once. But I can't understand how.

[residentmerc]

...

[ sorry unfortunately this explanation makes him have a sephiroth moment as he repeats, slowly; ]

When the boundaries of fate are breached, new worlds are born. [ he's at least not fully zoned out quoting, he's thinking. ] Maybe... It's not just like being in two places at once. Maybe you actually are. And I'm...

[ seeing both? frowning deeply ]

[residentflorist]

[oh jesus she doesn't like that. she's busy setting a hand on his face to get him to focus. hey. come back. be less sephiroth'd.]

...Red could feel that I was still there. [there's a ping of sadness, and guilt, because that's their dog and he was sad and calling for her and she couldn't do anything.] But nobody else...and you could see everything.

I thought maybe it was something different, but...you told me about Zack. [...] ...something's happening, somehow.

[residentmerc]

[ he blinks a few times and his gaze goes less vacant as he unsephiroths. the red thing makes him frown and there's a ping of worry. and another ping of guilt worry at zack because where did he fuCKIN GO ]

... The sky was wrong. I don't think... the others could see it. But it looked like it was breaking.

[residentflorist]

Yeah. [yeah, because she saw it, too, and she's never been sure what to think of what it means.] If the sky's breaking, then...I'm not sure what that means for us. Other than it means things might not have always gone the way we think they did.

[there is a timeline she lived, maybe, but the one they're currently in is the one where she's in between.]

[residentmerc]

... I don't know what it means exactly, or even what he wants. [ he almost reflexively mouths reunion but manages to shake it off, looking a little lost ] But we'll find a way to fix things.

[residentflorist]

[brings the other hand up to his face so she's cupping both of his cheeks and forcing him to look her in the eye.]

We will. No matter what his plan is, all of us will be working to stop him. We won't let him get away with any of this, and...we'll figure it out together. We'll save the planet, and we'll make sure everyone's okay.

[her and zack included.]

[residentmerc]

[ blinking at her before he huffs ]

Why are you reassuring me? [ he wraps a hand around one of her wrists but doesn't tug her hands away, just rests it there. ]

[residentflorist]

[lets this happen.]

Because I love you? [she says it like "duh?", but also because she means it.] We're going to be okay.

[part of it might also be reassuring herself, too. but it's an action born from wanting him to not blame himself and wanting to secure their future together.]

[residentmerc]

[ ok well wanting him to not blame himself is asking a lot, but she says i love you too and there's a lull, affection mixed with some wry confusion because why does she when he can't save anyone blabla cloud is stupid and has a hero complex we've all been there and he is still not discussing it. ]

... Yeah, we are. [ he glances away with a frown before he loosens her hold on his face just enough so he can turn to kiss the inside of her palm. he's said it before so it should be easy but he still has to work up to it because saying things out loud is Hard ] Love you too.

[ whatever that's worth, which he thinks isn't... much right now. ]

[residentflorist]

[the kiss to the inside of her palm means cloud gets to feel a little burst of affection and also something almost shyly fond even if she does not outwardly express it.]

...that's the thing that matters most, isn't it? [being in love and fighting for the same goal.]

[residentmerc]

[ it is not quite what matters most, he thinks, because he thinks he'd take not having aerith like this if it guaranteed her safety? but also he is not stupid enough to say that and he nods. ]

... Right. [ it's not like it doesn't matter a lot too ] Whatever we need to do, we'll do it together.

[residentflorist]

[okay, well, shut up cloud, she would prefer to have both.]

First thing's first...we figure out what we need to do here. Everyone's brainstorming, but hopefully we can narrow it down soon.

[residentmerc]

Right. We need to make sure everything's covered before the end.

[residentflorist]

It's only Monday. [this is as much of a reminder to herself as it is to cloud.] There's time. We don't have to reach a decision just yet, or know an exact plan.

[residentmerc]

... Yeah. [ yeah. they have some time. he squeezes aerith's hand or wrist idr which he's holding ] We'll go over everything with everyone until we're all satisfied there's nothing more we can do.

[residentflorist]

[they are both attached.]

And even when we hit that point you'll keep thinking of how much more we can try to do? [she says, knowing cloud has a hero complex.]

[residentmerc]

[ he will go to his grave pretending he doesn't have a hero complex. and has they are in the grave. he still looks away at the ATTACK ]

Not like I'll be the only one.

[residentflorist]

Nope. But that doesn't change what I said, now does it?

[residentmerc]

... I didn't deny it.

[ :T ]

[residentflorist]

[...]

It is one of the things I like most about you. So guess I'm not too surprised.

[residentmerc]

... That I'm stubborn?

[ wry. ]