He's not fine. You forget everything I told you? And I know I'm not the only one. Maybe whatever you saw in that other world was different, but trust me, this version of him... You and Gaia should stay at the ranch for now. It's safer here.
[This is getting frustrating. How is Rufus Shinra the only one who actually listened to Cloud?]
I'm telling you, he's not the same. And I know Gaia can handle herself, but no amount of teleporting is gonna help because he can just follow her. At least if the two of you are here, we can fight together if we need to. Nobody can go toe-to-toe with him one on one and win.
[Congratulations, Sephiroth, the you in Cloud's reality grew up to be an unstoppable force of nature.]
[He has experienced few concrete warnings of what's to come, but had on the other hand experienced the distant kindness of his future counterpart.
There had been comfort, if he'd allowed himself to accept it. Which he didn't, as much as he should have.
It sits against knowing Cloud's suffered severe mako poisoning. Had, recently, relapsed or .. whatever that had been. The balance inevitably tips in his experience, not someone else's.
The groan that follows is the groan of refusing to accept that he's not going to be allowed to go back to sleep any time soon, and is annoyed by it.]
Cloud, don't make enemies where there might not be one. A surefire way to get a fight is to start one. If I'm really that powerful in a few years, then you wouldn't be alive right now if he wanted to hurt you. So don't change that. Okay?
[Something terribly dry creeps into the younger Sephiroth's voice.]
I know what I'm talking about better than you want to believe.
[A bit of silence, before he sighs. So much for sleep. Goodbye, rest. There's a mutter that sounds awfully like 'why do I have to deal with this crap-' before there's a thud. Blanketrustle.]
Alright. Fine. Let's chase your runaway cactuar. How many of the people you 'give a shit' about has he personally hurt or killed within the past, mm, year before you arrived here? Specifically and only because you give a shit about them, not because they threw a brick at him or something. By hurt I mean hospitalization or a lot of frantic cure casting to keep them from immediately dying.
No. I'm not doing this. You don't believe me, fine. You don't have to. Just...tell me if you run into him. Please. It's not just a matter of hurting people or fighting, he could do even worse. To you, specifically.
[If the adult got it into his head to take over his younger self or turn him against the rest of them with Jenova's power - or against Gaia, just to make some awful point - there's no way in hell the kid would be able to fight it.]
You're guessing wrong. But it doesn't matter what I say. You're dead set on this all being in my head, and I get it. You don't want me to be right because of what it might say about you, if this is one possibility for your future.
It's not your future anymore. I'm sure of it.
Just...stick with Gaia. I'll check in again later.
This doesn't say anything at all about me. I already know how this ends. And it's everything I've ever--
[He cuts himself off. It doesn't matter. None of this did. In another decade, fifteen years, he'd be on the other side of the equation and then it would matter. But then it would be his problem. Right now it isn't.]
Wait, do you mean the older you from Kamurkia or another?
[ Well the thought of another former dragon soul bearer appearing, particularly after all the discomfort her friend went through isn't exactly a happy one. ]
[Therefore, it has to be the one from Kamurkia! .. it isn't. It isn't, and he's making a seriously dangerous chain of mistakes in thinking it is. The burrito settles down a little but still radiates grumpiness.]
He's having issues with the mako poisoning he suffered, and it's making him paranoid. He's going to start a fight and wants us to hide at his ranch while he does it, so we can help him win.
It's not like the Cloud here is the one from Kamurkia.
[ She eases into the room and wanders over to sit on the edge of the bed. Why? Comfort via proximity or something like that. Even though there's still polite space between herself and burrito.
She studies the pile of blankets momentarily, her eyes slightly narrowed with focus. She has some doubts that Cloud's motive for them coming to the ranch was to use them in the battle. ]
I somehow doubt he wants us to fight with him. Isn't Cloud the sort to run off on his own and not ask for help? Especially if he's paranoid.
[ Gaia is worried. Despite her suggestion that Cloud isn't meaning to recruit them for the fight, she isn't dismissing that it might not be just the fact that Sephiroth had his sleep interrupted that her friend's agitated. ]
So he wants to pick a fight. One that he'll need help with and it's probably because he's suffering from mako poisoning?
[ This is... troubling for a lot of reasons. ]
Should we go try to stop him from doing something foolish?
[ Gaia seriously considers sprawling backward on her part of the bed. Then, she gives into the temptation, though her descent is less of a free fall. ]
It would be nice to do just that.
[ She's silent for a moment, mulling over doing just that. And yet... ]
...If Cloud's sick and not thinking right at the moment, he could hurt himself. Or others. I admit I'm a bit worried about him.
[ Cloud has been, while a bit excessive about it at times, meant well by looking out them. ]
[ She'll be fine without blankets. She probably shouldn't stay long anyway. ]
Oh?
[ Later, Gaia might put some pieces together and realize she has a name to put to the coffin man. After looking in the direction of the shrouded Sephiroth, she looks back up at the ceiling and closes her eyes. A sigh is released. ]
I'm not sure how he's made it this far. But... it's good he has friends here.
[ Is she going to try to contact those friends? Probably. ]
If it's really the adult you from Kamurkia... You're right, it'd probably be best to stay out of it.
[ Because that's complicated. ]
Do you have the user name for that friend of his? It wouldn't be bad to warn him.
[ They could do that much. And hope Vincent is really enough of a friend to go check on things. ]
I'm sure he does. And he's also struggling to deal with this like the adult he's supposed to be.
That's fair. And you don't have to. Though I'll give him a piece of my mind if he tries that, either way.
[ That's to say whether or not Sephiroth chooses to show up. Not that she'd let Cloud tell her private things! Just... the other stuff she can remark on. ]
He's doing that pretty well, he acts very much like nearly every adult I've ever interacted with besides Matt, Lucia and Glenn.
Adult behavior is just another word for petulance, I suppose. The future is bleak. This is what we have to look forward to.
Start practicing now.
Do these things have a speaker phone option? If absolutely necessary, and I mean absolutely necessary not just a mild suggestion, then that can probably do, then I don't have to find where I put my socks and I can hang up whenever I want.
The future doesn't have to be bleak. If my world's able to manage it, yours with most of it intact should end up having something to look forward to.
[ She also knows that not all adults are petulant but it's hard to provide examples from a hat when all the ones she knows are still on the First. Besides, there's probably times where she finds herself hard pressed to not agree. ]
Yes, I think I can manage something like that. Just a moment, let me see what he says first.
[ If Cloud is going to complain that Sephiroth won't show up in person, then she's going to have to have words with the blond. Much less facilitate the connection. ]
[ She's going to grow up just like herself. And journal the process all the way through. Probably regret reading some of those journals in about twenty years but that's besides the point. ]
I will. Please do.
[ Hey, she's not above curiousity even if she doubts she'd show it. Gaia doesn't really think ahead to Sephiroth showing it on his own power mind you but that's part of what being a teenager is all about. ]
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timeasmymeasure
audio!
Date: 2025-10-24 06:42 am (UTC)[Cloud's tone is focused and businesslike. There's no time for anything else right now.]
Where are you?
no subject
Date: 2025-10-24 07:45 am (UTC)Where I'm supposed to be. Why is that a problem? He's fine.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-24 07:54 am (UTC){Where Cloud can protect them.]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-24 08:11 am (UTC)'Everything'. Hm.
[Rustle. Honestly if all the things to wake him up for..]
Who'd take care of my plants if we left? If you're not feeling safe we can probably protect you.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-24 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-10-24 11:58 pm (UTC)You don't have to worry about my safety. I'll be fine, he's never hurt me before.
[more rustling. a bit muffled:]
Besides, Gaia's here. If something unexpected happens I doubt he'll be able to stop her.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 12:14 am (UTC)I'm telling you, he's not the same. And I know Gaia can handle herself, but no amount of teleporting is gonna help because he can just follow her. At least if the two of you are here, we can fight together if we need to. Nobody can go toe-to-toe with him one on one and win.
[Congratulations, Sephiroth, the you in Cloud's reality grew up to be an unstoppable force of nature.]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 12:50 am (UTC)There had been comfort, if he'd allowed himself to accept it. Which he didn't, as much as he should have.
It sits against knowing Cloud's suffered severe mako poisoning. Had, recently, relapsed or .. whatever that had been. The balance inevitably tips in his experience, not someone else's.
The groan that follows is the groan of refusing to accept that he's not going to be allowed to go back to sleep any time soon, and is annoyed by it.]
Cloud, don't make enemies where there might not be one. A surefire way to get a fight is to start one. If I'm really that powerful in a few years, then you wouldn't be alive right now if he wanted to hurt you. So don't change that. Okay?
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:11 am (UTC)[There's a pause, as Cloud rubs his face and takes a breath.]
I - sorry. Didn't...mean to snap at you. He's not trying to kill me, he wants...my help.
[His tone makes it clear what he thinks of helping that guy.]
But he won't hesitate to hurt anybody he has reason to think I might give a shit about. He - ugh, this isn't how I wanted to do this.
[His voice gets quieter on that last part.]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:18 am (UTC)I know what I'm talking about better than you want to believe.
[A bit of silence, before he sighs. So much for sleep. Goodbye, rest. There's a mutter that sounds awfully like 'why do I have to deal with this crap-' before there's a thud. Blanketrustle.]
Alright. Fine. Let's chase your runaway cactuar. How many of the people you 'give a shit' about has he personally hurt or killed within the past, mm, year before you arrived here? Specifically and only because you give a shit about them, not because they threw a brick at him or something. By hurt I mean hospitalization or a lot of frantic cure casting to keep them from immediately dying.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:39 am (UTC)No. I'm not doing this. You don't believe me, fine. You don't have to. Just...tell me if you run into him. Please. It's not just a matter of hurting people or fighting, he could do even worse. To you, specifically.
[If the adult got it into his head to take over his younger self or turn him against the rest of them with Jenova's power - or against Gaia, just to make some awful point - there's no way in hell the kid would be able to fight it.]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:44 am (UTC)I'm guessing the answer is 'none'. You should think about that for a while.
[His future self had cared quite a bit about Cloud. But people can only take so much provocation.]
...We're all here for a reason, Cloud. Every single one of us, and it's not to fight each other. Don't lose track of what's really important.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:55 am (UTC)It's not your future anymore. I'm sure of it.
Just...stick with Gaia. I'll check in again later.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 02:05 am (UTC)[He cuts himself off. It doesn't matter. None of this did. In another decade, fifteen years, he'd be on the other side of the equation and then it would matter. But then it would be his problem. Right now it isn't.]
...Fine.
Actually in person!
Date: 2025-10-25 12:55 am (UTC)Sephiroth?
[ If the door's open she's going to poke her head in. ]
Who're you talking to?
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 12:57 am (UTC)Cloud. My other self turned up, and he wants to start a fight because it's me. Him. .. Us, whatever.
[The blankets move around in a fashion that suggests there'd be a hand wave here if his hands were visible.]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:03 am (UTC)Wait, do you mean the older you from Kamurkia or another?
[ Well the thought of another former dragon soul bearer appearing, particularly after all the discomfort her friend went through isn't exactly a happy one. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:11 am (UTC)[Therefore, it has to be the one from Kamurkia! .. it isn't. It isn't, and he's making a seriously dangerous chain of mistakes in thinking it is. The burrito settles down a little but still radiates grumpiness.]
He's having issues with the mako poisoning he suffered, and it's making him paranoid. He's going to start a fight and wants us to hide at his ranch while he does it, so we can help him win.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:24 am (UTC)[ She eases into the room and wanders over to sit on the edge of the bed. Why? Comfort via proximity or something like that. Even though there's still polite space between herself and burrito.
She studies the pile of blankets momentarily, her eyes slightly narrowed with focus. She has some doubts that Cloud's motive for them coming to the ranch was to use them in the battle. ]
I somehow doubt he wants us to fight with him. Isn't Cloud the sort to run off on his own and not ask for help? Especially if he's paranoid.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:27 am (UTC)No, I'm not exaggerating or extrapolating, he really wants us to fight together, he's convinced nobody can fight my older self solo.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:54 am (UTC)So he wants to pick a fight. One that he'll need help with and it's probably because he's suffering from mako poisoning?
[ This is... troubling for a lot of reasons. ]
Should we go try to stop him from doing something foolish?
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 01:56 am (UTC)[He tips back over. The bed bounces a little bit with his impact, but it's pretty sturdy and doesn't care much.]
I say let the grown-ups figure it out themselves.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 02:22 am (UTC)It would be nice to do just that.
[ She's silent for a moment, mulling over doing just that. And yet... ]
...If Cloud's sick and not thinking right at the moment, he could hurt himself. Or others. I admit I'm a bit worried about him.
[ Cloud has been, while a bit excessive about it at times, meant well by looking out them. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 02:30 am (UTC)Sephiroth does have his own concerns. Cloud's behavior in the fog, and now this..]
He's made it this far. And ... we can't be the only people he knows here. The man we built a coffin for is here too, they're friends, I think.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-25 02:50 am (UTC)Oh?
[ Later, Gaia might put some pieces together and realize she has a name to put to the coffin man. After looking in the direction of the shrouded Sephiroth, she looks back up at the ceiling and closes her eyes. A sigh is released. ]
I'm not sure how he's made it this far. But... it's good he has friends here.
[ Is she going to try to contact those friends? Probably. ]
If it's really the adult you from Kamurkia... You're right, it'd probably be best to stay out of it.
[ Because that's complicated. ]
Do you have the user name for that friend of his? It wouldn't be bad to warn him.
[ They could do that much. And hope Vincent is really enough of a friend to go check on things. ]
Text! (way back when the whole convo with Cloud happened about Future Sephiroth)
Date: 2025-11-23 06:58 pm (UTC)He wants to tell me stuff about you and what your future self can do but I won't let him unless you're okay with that. Or here and okay with it.
LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN
Date: 2025-11-23 07:04 pm (UTC)I'm not sure I'm really interested in yet another round of why I should eagerly beg for any scrap he chooses to toss in my direction.
Re: LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN
Date: 2025-11-23 07:09 pm (UTC)That's fair. And you don't have to. Though I'll give him a piece of my mind if he tries that, either way.
[ That's to say whether or not Sephiroth chooses to show up. Not that she'd let Cloud tell her private things! Just... the other stuff she can remark on. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-11-23 07:13 pm (UTC)Adult behavior is just another word for petulance, I suppose. The future is bleak. This is what we have to look forward to.
Start practicing now.
Do these things have a speaker phone option? If absolutely necessary, and I mean absolutely necessary not just a mild suggestion, then that can probably do, then I don't have to find where I put my socks and I can hang up whenever I want.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-23 07:20 pm (UTC)[ She also knows that not all adults are petulant but it's hard to provide examples from a hat when all the ones she knows are still on the First. Besides, there's probably times where she finds herself hard pressed to not agree. ]
Yes, I think I can manage something like that. Just a moment, let me see what he says first.
[ If Cloud is going to complain that Sephiroth won't show up in person, then she's going to have to have words with the blond. Much less facilitate the connection. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-11-23 07:23 pm (UTC)If this winds up that it has to be his way or no way, you can tell him he can lick the chocobo dust off my boots.
Word for word. I can draw a picture too.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-23 07:50 pm (UTC)[ She's going to grow up just like herself. And journal the process all the way through. Probably regret reading some of those journals in about twenty years but that's besides the point. ]
I will. Please do.
[ Hey, she's not above curiousity even if she doubts she'd show it. Gaia doesn't really think ahead to Sephiroth showing it on his own power mind you but that's part of what being a teenager is all about. ]