iattractmushi | ❦ 13th Record

[Paaauuuse.] It might be a better idea to talk about this in person.

You're probably right.

So should we do that? Talk about it in person, I mean?

Yeah, if you have the time. [Slight pause for thinking.] It'd be better to do this tomorrow. Where do you want to meet?

Edited 2010-09-02 15:57 (UTC)

Do you want to go to the Wilderness? I want to check out a few things up there, anyway.

Perfect, I can meet you there after my shift ends.

[Just as they had discussed, Sniper marched straight from the scrapyard to Access Point. He was covered in a fine layer of dust and he had grease stains dribbling down the front of his overalls, but aside from that he looked as pleased as anything. After being blind, everything looked so vivid, and his senses were caught in the amplification that so often comes with having one taken away. This would fade, he knew, but it was marvelous while it was here. How hadn't he noticed the textures of the rubble in the scrapyard before? Or the bright leaves on the tree?

The only thing that would make it perfect would to have Prince here so that he could share the memory. He was never particularly close to Prince, but him being gone felt like his last lifeline connecting him to his previous life had been cruelly cut away. Pessimistic as always, he had no hopes of actually finding the man, but one last look in the Wilderness couldn't hurt.

Okay, so it could hurt, in the way the Wilderness so often did, but... well, best not to think of it, he decided, and scanned the area for Cloud. Sure, they had written to each other on the journals but he'd still feel better once he got to see the man for himself.]

[Cloud was leaning against the side of the elevator, waiting for Sniper. He'd just had time to stash his box in the Adventurer Headquarters before coming back to meet the other guy--it was a little easier to move around without it. He didn't think they'd need a med kit down there, or at least he hoped not... this particular Wilderness seemed safe enough, considering it was a part of Edensphere. As long as they kept their wits about them and didn't act dumb, they'd be fine. Though there was something funny about that castle... Cloud couldn't bring himself to trust any place the staircases seemed to have a mind of their own.

He straightened up from his slouch and lifted a hand in greeting as he saw Sniper approach.]

Yo. Good to see you.

[In every sense of the phrase.]

[Once Cloud was in sight, Sniper charged happily over before reaching out and giving Cloud's shoulder an experimental poke.]

Hey, Cloud! Looks like we don't go spreading things around, either.

[He grinned. Being somebody prone to hanging off of other people's shoulders, grabbing people, punching people, hugging people, poking people... well, the fact of the matter was that he wasn't happy being completely self contained for so long.]

Come on, let's go. We can talk about... all that when we get up to the Wilderness. What is it this month?

[Cloud tolerated the poke with a mildly amused expression.] I'm a little sorry I missed seeing myself glowing purple, but yeah.

[Turning to face the elevator, Cloud hit the button to call it.] It's a huge stone castle, and a few acres of ground around it. Pretty big area; it'll keep us busy mapping it for as long as it's here, probably.

[Sniper frowned.] You know, that's one part I didn't get. Why would we glow purple if--ah, whatever. We won't ever find out why, anyway.

[Once the door opened, he stepped into the elevator and got right to business.] So, about what happened there... did everybody see the same thing? [He shifted from foot to foot.] I haven't spoken to many people since.

[Cloud stepped in with him, moving to lean against the back wall with his arms crossed comfortably across his chest.] Neither have I... Sylvar mentioned something though, that her real name is... [He paused, unable to remember without looking what name she'd written in her comment. After a moment, he waved one hand dismissively.] ...that she'd heard her real name, in a memory. But that's the only person who said anything about it to me.

[He raised one eyebrow at Sniper, wondering if the guy was going to talk about his memory now, or if he would change the subject and talk later.]

[When it came to speaking of his memory, Sniper's bright expression dulled noticeably, fading to something far more thoughtful, far more melancholy. He didn't veer into sadness; he was more reasonable than to be sad over a memory like that one, but it wasn't necessarily a good one. It gave him far more questions than answers and made him wonder. With an overactive imagination such as his, the scenarios he had planned out in his mind were no less fantastical than the memory itself, and probably a great deal more dramatic.]

Right, [he said, then hesitated. But why not talk about his memory? If even that was dangerous, did he care? He endured electrocution! He climbed back into the fray! Surely he could handle this. And besides, Cloud was a good guy.

He was quiet for another moment, pressing his fingers together uneasily before biting the bullet with the only piece of information that could possibly relate to both of them.] Prince was in it.

[Cloud waited as Sniper seemed to have some sort of inner debate with himself and his expression turned... less bright. Had it been a bad memory...? Though he didn't really look upset, just kind of... thoughtful.

He straightened up as the elevator doors slid open to reveal the Wilderness.]

Prince, really? [That... was kind of surprising. Cloud had known that Sniper and Prince knew each other, and that Sniper had been looking for Prince, but nothing in either of their conduct had led him to believe they knew each other.

Of course, he'd never seen the two of them together, either.]

Huh. ...was it a good memory?

Yeah, [said Sniper.] I didn't know him too well. Or at all, to tell you the truth.

[He placed one hand on the side of the elevator, watching with interest as the doors slid open. He stepped out, and tried to put his hands in pockets that were no longer there. He spread his arms out to stare at his new garments curiously, noting the yellow insignia on his robes curiously.]

Whoa. [He tugged at his sleeves, then addressed Cloud's question.] It wasn't a bad memory. [It was exhilarating, and telling, and terrifying and confusing, but not bad.] Kinda painful, actually, but not bad.

[He chuckled quietly to himself and backtracked.] I mean, except for the pain bit. Pain's just not a good thing.

[[ooc: derp, there should have been a 'before Edensphere' after that second 'knew each other.']]

Mmm... [Cloud chuckled a little at the expression on Sniper's face as the clothes appeared, taking his own wardrobe change in stride--he'd already come down here enough to expect it by now.

He loosened the silver-and-green 'tie' a little--it always felt too tight--and tugged his robe a little straighter.]

I see. Painful, huh. [That didn't sound very good. Though thinking back to the little Prince let slip about the memory he'd gotten...] ...were you in a fight?

Edited 2010-09-06 18:00 (UTC)

[Sniper entertained the idea of outright lying, talking about how he was such a great warrior that he did things besides lie there and get electrocuted and scream before deciding against it; if he didn't tell the truth, then maybe Cloud wouldn't tell him what the cause of that flash was--if he even knew. He covered his silence by pretending that he was more fascinated by his new wardrobe than he was.

Although, to be fair, he was fascinated by it. It felt strange; he was more accustomed to wearing loose, functional clothing rather than these bulky robes, but that wouldn't stop him from waving his arms around to see the fabric ripple.] You could call it that, [he said, mostly on account of the fact that fights generally meant that the two were actually fighting, as opposed to one only being ground into the deck.]

I'm not sure why we were fighting... but it wasn't Prince and I fighting, if you were wondering. [He arched a brow at Cloud.] Or else I'd hardly still be looking for him.

[He hummed neutrally, nodding. Sniper could have been looking for Prince to finish whatever fight he'd seen in his memory, but... Cloud didn't see why he'd lie about that. Either way, it wasn't his business... and Prince seemed to have vanished anyway.]

...Sounds more exciting than the memory I saw.

[His hands groped around the robes for a brief moment, before he frowned faintly and tucked them into the sleeves instead. That was the main problem with the outfits here... no pockets. And as a very annoying side effect, no cigarettes, either.

At least the place returned them as soon as he stepped through the doors of the elevator.

He started walking toward the castle.]

Come on, let's keep moving.

What did you see? [The question came out before Sniper could properly think about it, and directly afterwards, he coloured and quickly added,] If you don't mind telling me. I'm always curious about where everybody else has come from.

[He followed Cloud's lead, not even bothering to disguise the amazement slowly dawning on his face.] I mean, Krile can do all sorts of amazing things, and I wonder what sort of place has THAT PAINTING JUST MOVED.

[[ooc: just gonna note here for my own sanity that they've actually been in the castle the whole time, my last tag liiiied.]]

I don't mind. [His tone was mild. Three other people he knew, and a medic he barely spoke to even at work, had seen the thing for themselves already... though he did want to control how many people heard him talking about it, he didn't mind telling Sniper. They had been through the same thing, after all... and he felt he kind of owed the kid anyway, for all the trouble.] It was mostly me, just... talking. I was telling a woman I didn't recognize about... about a kind of mushi. [This might be difficult to talk about, only because he didn't really know what mushi actually were. But he'd try to explain

as much as he could.]

[Cloud looked closely at the walls as they walked down the corridor. He'd been assigned to explore the grounds outside before now, so this was his first time actually being inside the castle. It looked very old, from what he could tell...

He jumped a little at Sniper's sudden shriek of alarm, spinning on his heel to see what was wrong.] Sniper, what...?

[His gaze focused on the painting Sniper was pointing at.] ...that's... a... [Cloud's voice trailed off as the very fat pony in the picture lifted its head and gazed out at him, chewing some of the painted grass. He could see a bit of it sticking out of the pony's mouth.] ...ah.

Edited 2010-09-09 05:15 (UTC)

[Sniper uttered a small groan, carefully maneuvering himself away from the picture without making it obvious what he was doing. Eventually, he decided to simply give up all pretense and staunchly hid behind Cloud, whose height and girth were larger than his--and to face the truth head on, Sniper wasn't about to set the painting on fire if Cloud the Adventurer had a better solution.]

Why is it doing that? [He squeaked.

And why did he feel like he needed salt? He waved one hand in the painting's direction.]

Hello, fair... steed! We come in peace! Do you think it can hear us? Or is it just a trick?

[Despite the shock at seeing the picture move, Cloud cracked a smile when Sniper darted behind him.]

...I don't know. [He finally replied, in answer to all of Sniper's questions. He moved a little closer to the picture, reaching out one hand to poke the painted sky with a finger.

He jumped and snatched his hand away again when a little man suddenly ran onto the field. The painted person drew his sword and waved it around menacingly--if that word could be applied to a two-dimensional creation of pigment on canvas.]

Egad! Trespassers! I challenge you filthy scoundrels to a duel!

[Cloud blinked.] Uh... excuse me?

[Sniper peered from behind Cloud at the painting. The knight looked like he'd be harmless enough, especially since he didn't appear to be popping out of the painting or anything like that. After a moment of scrutiny, he shuffled the tiniest bit away from Cloud and pointed one accusing finger at the knight.]

You will not stand a chance against the mighty Sniper and the--the--

[He paused in his dramatics.]

Oi, Cloud. Do you want to be The Fearsome Cloud? You could probably be The Fearsome Cloud. But that just makes it sound like you'll start thundering.

[He appeared to have calmed some, but notably stood just close enough to Cloud to be sure that he could dart behind him again, should the need arise.]

[Cloud shot Sniper an incredulous look.] The Fearsome Cloud, seriously? [The little armored guy spoke over Cloud's muttered response, still menacing them with his drawn blade.]

Sir Cadogan will not be defeated by a coward and a cloud! Draw your blades, if you be men!

[Cloud shook his head at Sniper, only half-paying attention to Cadogan's declaration.] I'm not that fierce. Besides, 'curious' would fit me much better. Or maybe 'wandering,' I like that one.

And we don't have any blades, [He directed that last at the man in the painting, since it was pretty obvious he could hear them.]

[Confidence bolstered by the fact that the knight seemed to be perfectly harmless within the confines of its painting, Sniper waggled a finger at him before experimentally jabbing a finger at the painting. Luckily, his finger appeared to have escaped unscathed.]

You've got bad hearing, Sir Cadogan. I said the mighty Sniper. Migh-ty.

[He looked over at Cloud as the other man spoke and tilted his head, looking a bit displeased at Cloud's nicknames for himself.]

But the Curious Cloud or the Wandering Cloud don't sound very intimidating at all, [he complained.] You have to strike fear into the hearts of painting-knights everywhere. It sounds kinda like a kid's book, too. You know, "Once upon a time, the wandering cloud... wandered."

[He appeared to consider this.]

But I guess the wandering Cloud could possibly wander fearlessly into adventure and emerge victorious and rain on bad guys and stuff.

[As Sniper poked the painting, the little knight swung with the sword, missed completely, spun around like a top, and landed squarely on his back with a crash of metal-on-metal from his armor. The sword went flying, startling the pony, who sort of waddle-trotted away to the edges of the painting.]

[The knight lay on the ground for a moment or two, either regaining his breath or figuring out how to stand back up in the armor. Finally, he got to his feet with many clanks, clatters, and groans.]

A foul blow, by gad! Zounds, I'll see you pay for that! [He ran over to where his sword had landed with his armor clanking all the while, puffing a little. When he reached the sword, he gave it a few tugs... but it seemed to have gotten stuck in the ground somehow.] Wizardry! Your tricks will get you nowhere, for Sir Cadogan needs no weapon to defeat ones such as you!

[Cloud sighed a little.] Right. I'm sure you'll defeat us no problem. You are aware you seem to be stuck inside a painting, right?

[Turning back to Sniper, he smirked slightly.] Sure, wandering is much better than sitting still. Though I don't know about raining on bad guys... why do there have to be bad guys in this story, can't it just be, I don't know... people?

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