InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Gladiators, ready?"

☁ (onewolf) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-07-27 12:46:00

Entry tags:

!log, cloud strife, zack fair

ouija boards are useless
Who: Cloud Strife + Zack Fair
What: The good kind of a reunion, the kind where no one dies.
When: Lunchtime
Where: Starts at the Welcome Center
Rating/status: ~G/finished.

Cloud had been plagued by the effects of a mysterious chest box since it arrived yesterday. He was already closing shop that time when in his packing up, he'd passed an old chest waiting for him just beneath the window of his office without a note of any address. In recollection, he figured he should have already realized it to be a dangerous piece but then he'd had to crouch close and open it. And out popped a behemoth.

He hated monsters-in-a-box. The monster had left deep wounds against his walls, his windows had been replaced by plastic sheets, paper and scotch tape and he sustained some damage himself -- a cut on his cheek near his ear, a scratch on his left arm and several bruises for when he was sent flying to his desk.

He spent the entire morning cleaning up debris and replacing documents and his desk which was tedious tasks in themselves but it gave him something to do as he thought. In response to his PSA, a good friend -- his best friend -- had replied to him and he was someone he hadn't seen in about 8 years...because he had died. And now, he was alive in this strange city of New York. It was possible, entirely possible -- but then he had never expected it.

And now he realized...that all those people who died...could come back, again...

Cloud cleared his mind as he drove Fenrir out of his office building and towards the Welcome Center although he carried no parcels this time. It was not a very long drive, perhaps a little less than half an hour and when he got there...he waited. He didn't know what to do. He thought he could just wait outside until Zack came out but the lack of a cell network made it all more difficult. He could strut in, but he didn't know how he could find Zack in there and what if Zack was still getting ready? He didn't want to rush him, not when he had time, again...

When Zack does come out, Cloud will be there waiting for him -- this was his final decision. So he let Fenrir sleep for the moment as he straightened his back and went about fixing the strap of his riding goggles behind his head.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

herosheart
2011-08-08 02:25 am UTC (link)

"Just that the clothes are old," Zack replied easily. "Most of the places I've been have been on those jobs I told you about, so no one really expects me to show up all nice and neat." He followed Cloud's gesture toward the men's clothing and paused amongst the racks, a frown on his face.

"You've been here longer than me, man. What do they expect around here? I don't want to scare off any of your clients."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

onewolf
2011-08-08 05:06 am UTC (link)

Cloud wasn't sure how he could answer Zack's question, it seemed very obvious to him. Then again, Zack himself had said it, he had been around much longer than his friend.

"...you can start looking for clothes without holes," he said with a short movement of his right. "Just get anything you like. Without holes." Okay, he'll stop now. "People really aren't very picky, just go with something you're okay with." He definitely wasn't very picky. Zack could run around wearing skulls and black make-up and not a hair of his would be bothered by his sense of style.

He pointed at the closest rack almost uncertainly. "Here's a rack of clothes." Nobody said he knew how to do what he was doing.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

herosheart
2011-08-08 06:34 pm UTC (link)

Truth be told, Zack didn't know what he was doing, either. A lifetime of military service meant he was used to clothes being picked out for him. Zack rolled his eyes at Cloud's repeated suggestions he go with something thad didn't have holes in it, but his smile showed that he saw the humor in it and didn't mind.

Eventually, after much awkward standing and staring and aimless rooting through various racks, Zack came up with a few pairs of pants and some shirts, plus the other necessities. He was trying to unobtrusively select clothes that were relatively inexpensive. He didn't want to take advantage of Cloud and his generosity, and really, his tastes were simple. Like Cloud, Zack was from a backwoods village, and he'd grown up wearing what was comfortable and practical.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

onewolf
2011-08-09 02:03 am UTC (link)

Cloud hadn't made much effort to help Zack with his choices or even criticize them because it was as he was following his friend around (and looking at black clothes, hm) that it occurred to him...he hadn't actually seen Zack in other clothes beyond what was required by the Shinra company.

It was an odd thought, and such an odd thing that he should be seeing his friend do something so simple as shop for clothes now. Would he have seen him do this in the future, anyway, if Zack had lived? What else could he have seen Zack do if they had survived the massacre together? He never gave it much thought -- but now, he would actually see it.

Zack had already gained five steps ahead of him when he popped out of his thoughts and he marched quickly beside him, hoping Zack didn't see him staring at a mannequin like a fool. "You done?" he asked almost hastily.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

herosheart
2011-08-09 02:37 am UTC (link)

"Think so," Zack affirmed. "I expect you to take this out of my paycheck. No arguing."

Zack's selections were a little less monochromatic than Cloud's, but not by much. Most of the color was in the shirts, all of them cotton, all of them in shades of black, grey, or blue. The pants were all either jeans or black cotton. Zack didn't much care, as long as he could move easily in them. He arched an eyebrow at Cloud, noting his friend still dressed a bit like he was in the army, too. Even after all of that running, neither of them seemed to be able to leave the military behind.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

onewolf
2011-08-09 12:44 pm UTC (link)

Cloud had been about to -- but he knew Zack enough to understand that if he meant no arguing, then he meant no arguing. Simple logic, really. So he just let his protestation slip out of him with a sigh through his nose. No arguing indeed.

"Have it your way," he said to him as he stole (yes, stole) a couple of his pants and gestured to the cashier that was a couple of racks and a short line ahead of them. He led the way. "I'd talk to you about the erm...arrangements but the office isn't right right now. Anyway, there's still time." He looked at Zack, "What else do you need?"

He could think of many things -- food, water, toiletry, the stuff -- but he couldn't really say with Zack but he honestly wished there was something else he needed. Cloud was quiet, but if he could, he would have loved to just watch Zack move. Strutting, grinning, breathing...living. It was both...so real and so strange. Many years ago, Zack had been killed and he was as heavy as his sword. The only chance he saw him move was in his dreams.

But now, he was actually moving...for real! As if he hadn't gone at all...

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

herosheart
2011-08-09 06:14 pm UTC (link)

To be honest, Zack was cheating a little bit when he told Cloud no arguing. It was like pulling rank, something that came easily to Zack after his time as a SOLDIER First Class. No one in the army had outranked him except for Sephiroth by that point. Well, Sephiroth and the Shinra suits, but Zack didn't count the latter since, for the most part, they just sat in their offices signing orders. The difference between Zack and most other ranking officers was that he'd learned to pull rank nicely. It just wasn't in his nature to be aggressive toward someone who didn't deserve it. Cloud was definitely at the top of that list. Zack remembered how quiet the kid had been when they'd first met, and the times he'd caught Cloud's squadmates giving him a hard time. It was a little weird, seeing him now, still quiet, but more confident. Zack got the impression that nobody messed with Cloud these days, at least not outside of friendly banter. That was good, really it was, but Zack wished he knew how it had happened. Cloud was holding things back, and Zack didn't quite have the heart to force those secrets out of him.

"I'm good, actually," Zack told his friend. "Staying at the Welcome Center, so most of the basics are covered. Compared to the way things were just a few weeks ago, it's almost like an all expenses paid trip to Costa del Sol."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

onewolf
2011-08-10 01:31 am UTC (link)

Oh, Costa del Sol. Fond memories they were, although Cloud wondered if he could still call them "fond" if the days had the fate of the entire world on his shoulders.

"That wasn't around when I came here. Just saying." Because it was unfair. Cloud would have liked to have his own Welcome Center experience during the time he was still starting off. Anyway, that was a thing of the past. He had his own place and business now, so all that was left was to look for a way home.

...without Zack?

Cloud wondered. No, now that Zack's here, it's too early to decide on what he had to do.

"If you've had enough of the Welcome Center, though, give me a call. I'll come 'round and fetch you." He dumped Zack's purchases on the free desk of the cashier, the lady giving them both a sunny smile. "My place is no Costa del Sol, but you can stay there for as long as you want." And then he attached quickly: "No arguing." He cleans up, anyway. And because they weren't in the military anymore, he didn't feel much unease repeating after his friend.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

herosheart
2011-08-10 03:03 am UTC (link)

There it was again, the new Cloud, the one Shinra would have been spitting teeth over losing if they'd known what sort of talent had escaped their grasp. Zack had seen some of that potential in Cloud when they'd first met, back before either of them understood how corrupt Shinra really was. Zack felt a little like he should snap off a salute and say "yes sir", but managed instead to say, "You got it," with a grin.

The Welcome Center wasn't bad, but staying with Cloud held more appeal. How could it not? Cloud was Zack's best friend. There would be no hiding, no explaining, no awkward hello's in the hall.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

onewolf
2011-08-10 04:54 am UTC (link)

"Great." One by one, he was making it up to Zack. He'd treated him to lunch, offered him a job and a place...things he could only dream of doing when he was younger and...less capable and now he was actually doing it. There might be something like a glow in his face as he thought about it. He'd do everything he didn't get to do with Zack in this New York, as if nothing happened.

And then, when it's time to go back...

Cloud paid for the purchases when the amount was announced and managed to go away with a few notes and change to survive the day with. He took some of Zack's shopping to carry as he led the way out of the men's department. "You got anywhere else you gotta go?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

herosheart
2011-08-10 06:22 pm UTC (link)

Not that Zack had any idea what Cloud was trying to make up for. He hadn't minded carting his catatonic friend across half the planet. He really hadn't. Just knowing Cloud was safe and finally away from Hojo had been enough reward. Granted, he could have done without tripping over Genesis at every turn, but as epic escapes went, his and Cloud's hadn't been so bad.

"No. Not really. I've figured out by now that this place's idea of stocking up on necessities isn't the same as our world's. The lady who showed me how to get to the welcome center thought I was nuts when I told her about materia." Zack had figured out the "doesn't exist here" list extended to elixirs, phoenix downs, potions, and all of the other little things he'd learned to keep on him at all times when they could be found.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

onewolf
2011-08-11 01:09 am UTC (link)

Oh. Materia.

That threw him off the loop for a while there. To Cloud, it was such an obsolete word since they decided to stop using it and now, here was someone to whom materia could mean a world. It was another reminder for Cloud that Zack was from the past and he had to be extra careful, if he could state the obvious.

"Lots of things don't exist here," he said as he went around Fenrir. "Materia, Lifestream, Holy, Meteor...it's really different." Whether he liked it or not, he didn't really know. He swung his leg over at Fenrir as he started her up. "But you'll manage. Anyway, Welcome Center? Get your stuff unpacked and all..."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

herosheart
2011-08-11 01:16 am UTC (link)

"That works," Zack agreed. He would probably take Cloud up on the offer to move in, but not immediately. He'd need a night or two to think on it, make sure it wasn't going to be too awkward for both of them. Plus, he wanted Cloud to have time to get used to the idea. Just because his friend had said no arguments, it didn't mean Cloud was automatically ready for Zack to come crashing that fully back into his life.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

onewolf
2011-08-11 01:28 am UTC (link)

Cloud nodded at Zack.

Their time together was...short to say it bluntly -- their real time together and the time they spent together that day. Before Cloud would leave to fix his office (he really did think about asking Zack to come and help him but there was just something wrong about inconveniencing his friend just because he offered him a job), he'd help Zack get his stuff in order, hang out with him for a little more...and then maybe go before the day was gone.

It didn't matter. Soon, Cloud would work and live with Zack -- just the way they'd planned it eight years ago.

"You ready to go?"

OOC: mostly asking you to finish the log (if you want to end it here?) because you're gonna be the 50th commenter!!

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

herosheart
2011-08-11 02:02 am UTC (link)

Zack still couldn't believe how put together Cloud was, how much he'd grown. One of these days, he'd have to get the full story out of his friend. There was no way Cloud had just magically woken up from his stupor, ready to face the world. For now, though, Zack was content to just spend time with him, without pushing.

"Ready," he said, and he was, for anything. Always. Life was more fun that way.

[ooc: And that's a wrap! Which I had to write twice because IJ ate the first one.]

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -