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

[electroburst]

[ Reno doesn't come within miles of that kind of display. The only sign he even registers what Tifa says and feels any sort of type of way about it is in the subtle release of tension in his jaw. On the inside, though, he's in fucking turmoil. Rude pushed the button, Rude got them out. And now he doesn't know where his partner is.

Coolly and without much emotion, Reno turns his head back to look at Tifa. She's barely holding it together. ]

Did your friends make it?

[unbridled_strength]

[If he's trying to kick hey while she's vulnerable, he's just short. She's gotten ahold of the grief, not letting it well up, and eat her alive.]

Not all of them.

What's your name?

[Yeah, she's just going to do this. Change the subject.]

[electroburst]

[ Not this time. He was really asking! And he was asking specifically about that fucking bitch Cloud Strife and the gun guy, because obviously a whole lot of other friends are probably buried in stories upon stories of dust and debris. We don't need to talk about all that. He'd rather not.

He just goes to card a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes only to take his hand away bloody. Yeah, he's healed, but his hair is still drenched a shade darker with blood. So that's... attractive. Doesn't really seem to phase him much, though. ]

Reno. You?

[unbridled_strength]

[Go thing she didn't make any accusations then. She's rager grateful he goes with her change in topic.]

Tifa.

[First names it is. Though she gets a feeling telling a Turk her name is probably a bad idea, it's rather muted. Shinra probably knows everything about her already.]

How's your head? Can you see straight?