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

this is probably going to be a trainwreck

[wro]

[Reeve Tuesti may be many things. He is not, however, a fool, and Weiss the Immaculate is unmistakable despite this being his first time seeing the Tsviet in person. He knows quite well that he would be dead before his hand even reached his gun... not that it would do him much good, anyway, not if even Vincent had trouble fighting this particular foe.

So when he finds a sword point at his throat, he stays still, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, because if there's one thing Reeve is good at, it's defusing tense situations.

He hopes.]

Easy. I'm not here to fight.

[Though he wonders how much good it's going to do when Weiss no doubt knows who he is...]

[ultimaniacal]

[ ????????

oh. oh. it's obvious when recognition dawns. the way weiss' eyes widen, and the smile that tugs on his lips. something half-feral and mad. ]

Director Tuesti. You know of me?

[wro]

[He does not like that smile one bit. Nothing about it bodes well, and he finds himself keenly aware that he is not a fighter by any means. Should Weiss choose to attack, that's it for him and he knows it.]

I do now, yes. We came across some of Scarlet's files when we were searching the remains of Shinra Tower... it's almost impressive how much they decided wasn't worth sharing with me.

[A deep breath.]

But that isn't an excuse.

[ultimaniacal]

[ its fine he's fine.

except that sword isn't lowering. ]

So then are you to free us, Director?

[wro]

I...

[There's no way he can answer that in a way that would be satisfactory to Weiss and he knows it well.]

... I'm sorry. I could claim that I didn't know, but that wouldn't be entirely true. The truth is that I didn't want to know. I never tried to investigate Hojo or Scarlet's files to find out what they were doing behind closed doors, even though I could have done so had I put my mind to it. I simply sat there and turned a blind eye to the horrors that were being committed right under my nose.

I have no excuse for that.

[ultimaniacal]

So you learn of our suffering and rather than end it, you use this belated knowledge only to plead for my mercy.

[ a laugh, sharp and vicious. ]

My, and I had wondered why you had risen so high in Shinra. By all accounts, they claimed you to be soft.

[wro]

[He just shakes his head.]

I'm not expecting your mercy.

[He also knows that if Weiss really wanted him dead, he wouldn't still be standing here.]

I don't ask for things I don't deserve.

[ultimaniacal]

[ maybe not kill, but maim?

that's practically a hello. that sword is coming for you, reeve, aiming to inflict a nice gash in your leg. ]

[wro]

[For all that he was expecting something like this, it still hurts like hell when the blade slices into flesh, and he can't hold back the sharp cry of pain as he falls to one knee and clamps his hands over the wound. He stays there, silent, teeth gritted in pain as he struggles to keep his breathing even.

But he still isn't begging for mercy, nor asking forgiveness.]