ARRIVAL.

[insusurromods]

𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑼𝑺𝑼𝑹𝑹𝑶: 𝑨 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑳𝑫 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑫𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑵𝒀

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 you moved under your own power. The shadows that dwelt in the corners of your vision vanished, the world is bright and the shackles of destiny fall from your liberated limbs.

You're free.

But before you can take that next step, before you can alter your fate, a terrible howling fills your ears. It's an ill wind full of malice, one that rips you off of your feet and back, back, back from this chance to seize your destiny. The shadows coalesce into a single entity, its hands locking around your throat. It cannot let this stand.

You think that maybe this is the end. The world goes dark as it rushes past you, this is the end.

Except you wake to the feeling of rain on your skin.

The cliffs around you bare the scars of a fierce battle. Before you, a massive city faces the sea. Behind you, greenery sprawls for miles. Midgar has never looked so beautiful, but it has also never looked so unlike itself. The Sister Ray points proudly towards the sea. A bustling city crawls out from its shadow, looking wealthier and more robust than the slums ever did. You don't have long to ponder this.

Because you aren't alone. Others are coming to, looking just as confused and uncertain as you do. Some are battleworn and bloody, as if they were pulled from a fierce battle. Others appear to be in perfect health, as if they were simply pulled from a long slumber, though no less confused and lost. The howling that filled your slowly begins to fade, and as it does, the rain begins to clear.

𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐀𝐑 is within a few hours walking distance. 𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐌 lies not much further in the opposite direction. There is no presence urging you to walk to one or the other, no voice from on high telling you what path your feet should walk. Underneath this infinite blue sky the choice to go - or to stay - is entirely yours.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐓?

Comments

D8 .. thank you for tagging me!! Very excited!!

[detao]

[ The familiarity of her tone settles the initial surprise from the clatter of falling ice cubes. Tseng's eyes are already in her direction but secure her once she calls him out. His expression remains calm and he moves in her direction with a careful avoidance of the ice on the floor between them. ]

No, this is quite normal.

[ He glances at the ice on the floor then up to the blond. She's rattled, and her words are meaningful enough he knows she's asking about circumstances outside this moment. ]

Let's chat someplace more secure.

[ He lifts his eyes from her to glance around the room. ]

i'm super excited too!!

[petitepistol]

[this is quite normal....does he mean her spilling ice cubes or running into each other like this or...? well, either way she doesn't have time to wrap her head around this because they have to find a spot to Talk.]

Uhm, outside? Or here-- upstairs? I already checked my room for....critters.

[in case this is some elaborate prank and someone comes popping out from a closet and says SURPRISE SHINRA, WE GOT YOU WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN]

[detao]

[ Tseng nods. Impressed with her ability to snag a room and he gestures for her to lead the way. ] Excellent.

We can strategize privately then.

[ He's certain he won't be able to make any more sense from here to her room in regards to what happened to him on the way from Midgar to Kalm but it at least gives him some more time to reflect. He's also anticipating hearing about what Elena's been through and what she recollects from their last few hours.. or days? ]

[petitepistol]

[she has the distinct feeling this isn't an elaborate prank. all her hopes, just like that...she leads him upstairs to her quaint little room without any preamble, but a lot of rambling which she has no idea what she said, or if it makes sense, before she pops the keycard into the slot and cracks open the door]

Make yourself at home.

[cool, calm, collected]

So we're going to just preface with how not right everything is, right?

[detao]

[ Tseng walks into the room with a quiet exhale across the threshold. He eyes the room then focuses on the window. He walks to the window and moves the curtains aside to view down to the bustling street before the hotel.

Elena did good, he thinks yet again, to find this room. ]

This is par for the course of our usual dealings.

[ He loosens the curtains and they fall back in place over the window. He then turns his back to the window and leans back on the wall beside it. His arms come to fold across his chest and he watches the petit girl. ]

Tell me, where were you, what were you doing.. when the disruption happened?

[petitepistol]

[she straightens, ram-rod spin and hands at her side because if they're going to get any structure, might as well make it an official briefing mood]

We'd just defeated the Remnants. You and I reunited with the others, the president had called on reinforcements...we were in Edge.

[detao]

[ Tseng watches her for a moment, unsure of her words but certain she would not be false with him. Yet, her story had places and events in which he had no recollection of. ]

A few days ago we helped evacuate Midgar due to the descending meteor.

[petitepistol]

.........Wait, what.

[that-- that's so far back-- she approaches him, and has started to pace, sending him glances because she definitely wants to circle him and look at his head and just-- did he bump his head?]

What!?

[detao]

[ Tseng meets Elena's confusion with silence. It appears he has shared something just as strange as she had with him.

He shifts his weight and cocks his head before both arms come to cross over his chest. ]

[petitepistol]

Meteor! That was....not the last thing, I remember, obviously.

[she takes a deep breath and looks him straight in the eye]

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure you didn't hit your head and forget the past 2 years.....?

[detao]

[ His arms slip from their fold. His lips part just small enough for a breath. Two years? He looks over Elena, once again, this time with a dubious expression before he settles his hands on his hips. ]

Two years, Elena.. [ As if this was a poor joke on her part. ]

[petitepistol]

You think I'm lying.

[she props her hands on her hips and leans in, frowning at him]

Would I make this up as a practical joke? Have you ever known me to make up something so stupid and weird? [she's flapping her hands for emphasis, and then finally pokes him in the chest] Does anything you see here reflect that this is just some game?

[detao]

[ Elena's emphasis only proves to exhaust her. Tseng exhales slowly through his nostrils and he cocks his head. His eyes soften and he offers a small nod. Times like these he can't help but think of her sister. Gun was significantly more rigid than Elena's openly fluid personality and body language. Elena is determined, nevertheless, to prove her worth and Tseng will put her worries to rest with: ]

I believe you.

[petitepistol]

And even if I did make a big game of it, I'd get way better players-- wait, you do?

[that takes much of the fight out of her, her shoulders drooping a little bit in shock and, well, relief. to hear that. finally. she is not crazy!]

You believe me...well. I thought this was going to be the hard part...

[detao]

[ He takes in a breath and holds it while he considers the information she had shared with him. Could it be possible that he had a sudden case of amnesia? Although the thought disturbs him he puts aside the discomfort for the fact that he cannot do anything about it now. What he can do now is try to connect with the rest of the Turks and figure out their most immediate needs. ]

Before you go into the details of those two years, I want to figure out our more immediate concerns.

[petitepistol]

[she watches his expression for signs of....she doesn't know. this is a Lot, even for their experienced leader. but as always, she trusts him. now that they're together, they'll figure something out!

she gives a nod]

The president and the others. I haven't seen anyone besides you yet, but I'm sure they're here. [Elena can't fathom them not being in the middle of all this] We could start asking around? But...maybe not in these digs of ours.

[detao]

[ Tseng looks out the window once again. He's quite a moment before he moves back from the window. His eyes settle on Elena. ]

No, we will find them ourselves. I don't want to give the wrong impression. [ In either the Turks are dismantled or that the Turks are even here with the president. There are still a lot of ill feelings out there for Shinra. ]

We'll look for an operational base. [ His phone wasn't working, he didn't have any way to connect to the Shinra network, and he would need to figure out a way to get connected to find some resources. It's been some time since they had business in Kalm. ]

For now, we will idle.

[petitepistol]

[it isn't that she's disappointed with the plan, but maybe it isn't quite what she expected. Elena stifles a sigh and lets her shoulders droop]

Right. That makes sense. Best not to go out there yelling about Shinra when we don't even know...well, anything.

[it's still tough, sitting still about this for the time being]

[detao]

( Tseng's eyes narrow as he watches her. The visible disappointment shows with the slouch of her shoulders. She's eager to find the rest of the pack. )

We both need to rest and recover from our journey.

[petitepistol]

[he's right. he's absolutely right. she just can't shake it...that she can do more]

Yeah, I know....we can't do our jobs well if we're burned out.

[detao]

( Tseng is satisfied with her response. He feels confident she'll feel better after some rest as well. They both will. Once he feels the matter is understood he turns again to the window and looks out of it. )

Go ahead and attend to your needs. I am going to sleep. ( Despite his admission he remains by the window and continues to stare out toward the street. )

[petitepistol]

[Well it's not as though she'll sneak out and try to get to the bottom of things on her own! Probably!

She watches him quietly for a moment and then sighs]

You're just going to loom in the window all night, aren't you. [another sigh]

Why don't you go wash up or something. I'll get some food. Then you can loom and look into the horizon to your heart's content, hmmm?

[detao]

( Tseng looks to the blond over his shoulder, there's no energy for amusement, but he regards her with soft eyes. He turns then from the window and walks toward the hall where the bathroom was. )

I'll agree with this.

( He says as he passes her and slips into the washroom. Tseng will be in there for over half an hour, and when he comes out, he's wearing one of the hotel's robes. His clothes are folded and stacked in his arms. He sets them on the nightstand. His shoes he has left at the end of the bed. )

[petitepistol]

[once he's gone that's a bit of relief-- not that he's gone! But prodding him into going for the shower, Elena was not looking forward to that. Tseng could be...stubborn isn't the right word for it, but-- maybe it's stubborn.

Either way, she's going to order a couple of pizza pies and whatever else looks good. Wings? Sure. Pasta? Might be a mistake but this is the great unknown, why not. When he returns she's lying across the bed on her back, staring blankly at the ceiling.]

They're going to get an awful tip at this rate. Then again the order was pretty big...

[detao]

( Tseng huffs through his nostrils. )

I'm sure there's an influx of orders on account of the newly arrived.

( He moves to the closet in the hall, and pulls out a bottle of fabric cleaner and some washcloths. He returns to the bed and sits by the nightstand. He starts the cleaning process on his clothing. It won't be enough to get all the grime and filth from the fabric, but it's enough to make a difference. After working on the clothes, he gets up and moves back to the bathroom with them. The shower sounds once again, and it's obvious that Tseng is rinsing his clothing. It's a process that takes about five minutes. Tseng rings the clothes out and hangs them up to dry before he returns to the bed to sit, once again.

He's feeling tired, more than anything. )