Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "NaNoWriMo has eaten my soul"

☁ (onewolf) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-09-01 22:06:00

Entry tags:

!log, cloud strife, rose tyler

closing time
Who: Cloud Strife + Rose Tyler + Anyone!
When: 9:00PM
Where: A small mart
What: Late-night grocery shopping
Rating/status: ~PG(-13?) for some language/ongoing.

These days, Cloud barely had time for himself.

His time was consumed by receiving orders, delivering letters and parcels, planning his route for the next day and then over again once he was ready for the next morning. On top of that, he was making preparations for his friend Zack when he does decide to come and work with him and part of that preparation concerned scouting around for a bigger office.

That was how he only managed to escape his routine one random night when he found that he had ran out of Mountain Dew which he was going to confess, he was rather fond of. After parking Fenrir just outside the small mart near his office, he grabbed a basket from the side and went straight to the first aisle. When he thought about it, though, as he took a milk carton, he didn't really have a set list in mind. He really just wanted his Mountain Dew and knew that he could use a couple more snacks to walk away with -- and maybe some coffee or some fruits, he really didn't know.

Maybe he'd walk away with all of the above, anyway, and this was what he was thinking about as he reached for the last carton of milk of his favored brand.

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onewolf
2011-09-04 12:16 pm UTC (link)

No, Cloud didn't know.

But he supposed there is that one, if the woman seems so sure about it. So he just nodded -- anyway, it was her business, not his -- as he continued to look for his kind of yogurt. Strawberries and yogurt sound good, he thought.

Before he knew it, he was tossing two tubs into his basket, along with the milk.

He stood back for a moment, right hand moving to his side as he looked the section up and down in case he missed anything. The butter made it into his basket before he decided he was done, and then turning to the blonde, he asked, "D'you know where they place the Mountain Dews in?"

OOC: Hi! How open are you to a third party NPC who could possibly wreak havoc (except maybe not so much) to this log?

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-04 05:54 pm UTC (link)

Rose was seriously considering that third carton before she remembered that she didn't bring nearly enough money out with her to do any splurge shopping. So she did a quick walk up and down the aisle and finally spotted some creamy dips that would go good with both veggies and crisps. She went and grabbed two.

“I don't,” she replied as she walked back to her cart. She really hadn't been paying that much attention to the different signs on her first walk through. “This isn't where I usually shop. But I do have to get some soda myself. So! We can find it together, yeah?”

OOC: Hello! I say go for it!

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onewolf
2011-09-05 01:06 pm UTC (link)

She was rather cheery, Cloud thought, which wasn't at all so bad, at least it brightened up the quiet mart a little. And, he had someone to look sodas with now. It was definitely much better than going around the place, aisle to aisle, just for a couple of bottles.

"Okay," Cloud said with a nod as he watched her with her choices and then stood by, ready to follow her whenever she was good to go. He was looking through the part where she'd taken the dips from when a scatter of heels cracked beside him and he was pushed a step closer -- perhaps too close -- to the blonde lady and he turned behind him to see someone hurrying out the aisle, hunched and tightly possessive of her purse bag.

Cloud let her pass as he stepped back. "Sorry," he said.

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-05 05:18 pm UTC (link)

Rose placed the two containers in her cart. Chips, dip, and ice cream. That was certainly everything she could use from this aisle. So, ready to go, Rose signaled to her new shopping partner just that.

“So you like . . . whoa.” She had just planned to make idle small talk and ask about his soda of choice to fill the silence. But then he was, quite suddenly, closer than anticipated. It was nearly on the tip of her tongue to joke about personal space when she caught sight of the woman and realized he had actually been pushed.

“Oi! Watch it,” she called out to the retreating back. “You alright then?” she asked, giving the man in front of her a brief once over before her eyes turned back to the now empty aisle. She frowned slightly thinking something wasn't right. Why had she been in such a hurry? Should they follow to see if she was okay? “What do ya think that was about?”

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onewolf
2011-09-07 01:09 am UTC (link)

"I don't know," Cloud said honestly, his eyes still on the back of the rushing lady and when she was gone, he turned them back to his blonde companion, brilliant blue eyes look straight at her face. "You oh...yeah, I'm okay." He'd belatedly remembered that he had been asked a question.

Well, people rushing in an otherwise peaceful set up was never good. Although, for all Cloud knew, it could just be her personal business but there was something in the way she shaped her back that said otherwise...

"Come on," he said to the lady as he stepped ahead of her although kept himself in-between her and her open side. The way this was looking like, if there was something wrong going on, he'd have to be the first one to catch bullets.

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-07 02:28 am UTC (link)

Rose swallowed, pushing down a sudden rush of memories. It was brief, but for a moment he almost reminded her of the Doctor. The one that wasn't here. But, she quickly realized, his eyes were just a bit too blue. She nodded. “Good then.”

She started to follow but her gaze turned to where the woman had started. She saw nothing that said anything else was out of the ordinary, but the more she thought about it, the more something just didn't sit right. “We should follow her,” said Rose decisively, unsure if that was what he intended to do or not. Of course, she also said 'we,' but she was perfectly willing to adjust the statement to just 'I' if necessary.

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onewolf
2011-09-07 04:54 am UTC (link)

That statement caught Cloud off guard.

He stopped mid-step and turned to look at the blonde lady, his gaze almost asking her if she heard herself. His face remained blank, though, except for the vaguest wrinkle on his brows and maybe a bit of a frown but there was otherwise nothing. Follow her? What prompted that idea?

He glanced quickly to where the woman had taken off to then to his companion, he said, "It isn't our business." Maybe her daughter was just giving birth and she needed her mother along or something...

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-08 06:13 pm UTC (link)

Rose didn't waver. In fact, her eyes narrowed slightly, dissatisfied with his answer. “She bumped into us. That makes it our business.”

She was of the mind that sometimes, even when it looked like you weren't wanted, you needed to interfere. There were numerous explanations for her behavior, of course. It could have been just some sorta odd mistake. She might have even had too much to drink and therefore just needed someone to call her a cab so she could get home safely. But they couldn't possibly know for sure until they checked.

“Look,” said Rose, softening slightly.“I jus' wanna make sure she's okay. Then,” she grinned, “soda. Mountain Dew, yeah? But first. . .” She tilted her head toward where the woman disappeared to and backed up a step. “Just a quick check.”

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onewolf
2011-09-09 12:53 am UTC (link)

Now Cloud could see the look of determination in her eyes and he couldn't fault her. He, after all, has had a history with a couple of feisty women of different calibers and while he wasn't going to say that it was a colorful one, it at least taught him how to gauge the size of their eyes and the purse of their lips and the intensity of their will.

And this one, he knew, won't back down easily.

Breathing through his nostril, he nodded. "All right." It wasn't their business, and it shouldn't be made theirs. But Cloud wasn't about to stand here and wait for news if she got slit through the throat or something.

Setting his basket down, he said to her, "Come on," and began to lead the way out, through the path that the woman had taken. "Stay close to me at all times."

OOC: I have an idea of what could happen but if you want, you should totally go wild, even playing NPCs. ♥

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-09 06:08 pm UTC (link)

“Rule number one it is then,” she muttered, suddenly reminded of all the times she had been told not to wander off. “You and the Doctor would get on swimmingly.”

It was easy to see that they had two very different ideas of what was happening. Or at least two different ideas as to what the actual threat was. And really, Rose could have done without the whole overprotective, male macho whatever thing he had going on. But at least he agreed and so, before he could change his mind, Rose quickly moved to match his stride and kept an alert eye on their surroundings so as to spot the woman in question. Or anything else out of the ordinary.

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onewolf
2011-09-10 02:54 am UTC (link)

He didn't know who this Doctor was, other than that he seemed to be a central figure among the displaced of New York so he didn't bother with that leg of the conversation any longer.

The night outside was dark and almost sightless, if one came from the closely lighted interior of the mart, but Cloud had adjusted easily as he walked in-between his lady companion and the road although he had to admit, he might have paused for one moment as he gazed at his Fenrir waiting patiently for him outside the mart.

...no, better not stir up trouble where trouble might not be welcome. Pulling himself away from his bike, he hurried to make sure he was still in equal pace with the blonde.

There were two directions one could go to from the mouth of the mart, the quieter right and the livelier left. Two figures were smoking cigarettes ahead of them, walking with all the time of the world and it was to this direction -- the left -- that Cloud gestured for he and the woman to take. If the woman from a while ago ever did run off to the right and there was no sound, then maybe there really was no problem.

But if the source of the shy voices from the left had something to do with her, well...Cloud supposed they'd find out as the men parted for he and his friend to pass through.

"You're sure about this?" Cloud asked her one more time when they were alone in the street, again, and the voices hiding ahead were getting louder. There were definitely at least two of them.

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-10 04:29 pm UTC (link)

Oh, she wished he hadn't asked that. Because no, she suddenly wasn't so sure. That confidence that had settled over her in the brightly lit store seemed a distant memory as she tried to make out the faces that belonged to the strengthening voices up ahead. And, to top it all off, she was standing next to a complete stranger. Sure, he seemed like a good enough guy, but he had done nothing to earn her trust.

Rose sighed and allowed her gaze to drift briefly from the forms before her, then to the dimly-lit street, and finally back to the store they had just vacated. She could easily take the out and go back inside. But she knew that if she simply turned around only to discover that there had been trouble and the woman had indeed been in some sort of danger . . . well, she would never forgive herself. The only choice was to go forward despite the uncertainty of it.

So she returned her attention back to her companion and, her mouth set in a determined sort of line, nodded. “Yes.” Then, after hesitating a brief moment, she added, “I'm Rose.” After all, the least she could do for her hesitation was remedy the fact that he was a complete stranger.

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onewolf
2011-09-10 05:08 pm UTC (link)

Cloud nodded back to her. "Cloud," he said. No handshakes, no greetings, just names and faces.

Well, if she was sure then there really was nothing else to do but keep walking forward. Cloud tensed, however, as he persisted with the path and his gloved right had already poised itself to grab Rose and...push her to the wall or drag her away or run with her if it was needed but he didn't know this just yet. Up ahead...there was a fight, he was sure of this now.

One voice was overpowering another, calling...the woman, it must have been a woman, unpleasant things like being a "whore" and the likes. Cloud slowed down his pace and wished Rose would do the same, he didn't want to take liberties with grabbing her just yet. He was confused, there were two voices, no alleyways, but there was only one person standing.

Of course, because the other person was on the concrete, hands held out, playing the part of the defenseless down to the last letter.

And then, Cloud realized as he stopped: this was the woman!

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-11 07:45 pm UTC (link)

Rose came to a halt as the voices became more and more distinct. The picture of how this had unfolded was still blurry, but Rose was able to get the gist of it. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the woman on the ground and she could feel anger and fear on her behalf bubble up past her initial hesitation. It gave Rose a goal and suddenly the only thing she could think of was getting the woman enough space to run.

Of course, that plan involved getting the bloke's attention. Which probably would have been a better idea if she had some sort of plan to follow the initial step. Instead she just acted, shouting, “Hey! Back off!”

The good news? The distraction seemed to work for a brief moment. But the bad news came when the woman didn't immediately scatter. Still, Rose had taken a lot away from her travels with the Doctor and one thing that she had learned was that, even when things don't go your way, you still act like you're in control. Confidence. Which was easier when you were him.

“Wanna explain what's going on here?” Not as confident or as imposing as she would have liked, especially when she backed up a step as she said it, but there you go. Her gaze flickered back to the woman, hoping to make eye contact and urge her up. But she was shaking her head and crying and distraught and Rose couldn't tell if she was simply frozen from fear or if she may have been injured. She'd have to find a way to get to her.

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onewolf
2011-09-12 05:02 am UTC (link)

"Not to you," the attacker snorted as he marched two steps closer to Rose and Cloud who instantly took her previous spot when she backed off as he pointed what seemed like a...stick...for the lack of a better word for it (it was dark, Cloud couldn't see it well). "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Put your weapon down," Cloud said.

Looking over Cloud, though, the attacker cried, "Hey, who the hell are these people?! I thought I told you to watch our backs?!"

Cloud's brows knitted a little. You? Who was 'you'? It was only then that he realized that the pairs of footsteps from the back had never disappeared and glancing over his shoulders, he found that the two young men with the cigarette sticks were actually accomplices. Great, they were trapped in the middle.

His thoughts instantly flew to Rose who had no one to watch her back but if he moved to her back, it would be useless. Turning back to the man with a stick, Cloud said as he lifted his left hand. "Put your weapon down. These are women, they've got nothing against you."

"Well I didn't mean for the whole world to see this, anyway." And with that, the attacker nodded to his friends from the back -- and the footsteps pursued.

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-12 09:02 pm UTC (link)

“Oh bloody hell.” They were surrounded and were definitely going to have to fight their way out. Rose didn't know about Cloud, but she wasn't exactly known for her fighting skills. But what other options did they have other than shouting for help. There was no one around. The only bystanders she remembered seeing were the two now approaching. The woman was still on the ground, but she appeared to be slowly pushing herself back. Good for her, but that left no one to hear their call for help.

Call!

Cell phone! Rose had a cell phone. She thought this was a brilliant idea and she immediately reached into her back pocket and flipped it open. It was a hard habit to shake, especially since she had refused to throw in the towel and just put it away in a drawer somewhere. She hadn't given it up when the battery had died. Not after Galen first charged it up. And not even after the Doctor from the future had told her that his previous self probably didn't even know she was missing. She just couldn't. There was something comforting about having it there in her back pocket all the time. It was like a piece of home.

She figured she'd call the Doctor (she still had the TARDIS listed as a contact from after the Slitheen incident), and he and the TARDIS would be there in a matter of seconds. She didn't think, in her slightly panicked state, that there might be a fall out if a space ship suddenly materialized in the middle of the street. Nor did she remember that her phone couldn't even make the call.

“Stupid 1964.” muttered Rose when it didn't work. She was only half listening as thug number one said something about not wanting witnesses, but it gave her pause. Then an idea and oh, she hoped this worked.

“Well, you're outta luck then, aren't ya?” Thankfully her voice, though rushed, was a bit more steady. “Cause I'm from the future. And in the future we have these handy little things called cell phones. I can make a phone call anywhere to anyone. But not just that! It can take pictures. Like yours,” which she was doing just then, “which . . . Oops. I've already sent to the coppers.” A lie. “Which means your ugly faces are gonna be plastered all over the city tomorrow. So if I were you, I would think really hard about how much of your pathetic little life you wanna spend in a jail cell.”

Her hand was tight on the phone and the other had grabbed Cloud's arm. If that didn't work she would push him forward toward the woman. They would have to at least try to make a break for it. Please work though. Please work. Please work!

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onewolf
2011-09-13 01:16 am UTC (link)

Oh brilliant, she had ideas! Cloud felt a rush of relief well from within him when he found what she was doing and one look at the shoulders of their attacker told him that it had worked. They were frozen, and when the pair at the back refused to believe them, Cloud retrieved his hand from Rose to slip his own phone out of his pocket -- one with a similar history of sentiments with Rose's -- and flash it to the two men behind them and finally, they stepped back.

"Th, that's just a toy--"

"I'd call her in on it if I were you," he said as he flipped his phone open. "Back off."

He stood his ground, keeping an eye on Rose by the corner of his sight and when they had turned to look at each other, Cloud returned to the attacker and stared straight into his uncertain eyes.

"You don't want to know what we aliens can do," Cloud was taking Rose's bluff further, "That stick won't break us." And he wasn't sure if he was doing a good job at it...

But five long breaths later...

Turning to the weeping woman, the attacker said, "You've got some luck, whore." And tossed his stick to her as he waved...something to their direction and took off in a rush.

The pair behind had followed suit.

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-13 08:27 pm UTC (link)

Rose took a deep breath as soon as she saw them begin to retreat. She didn't say anything for a long moment, simply thankful that it had worked. For a second there it looked like it wouldn't. Then she nodded to Cloud. “Nice touch with the aliens.”

A whimper alerted her that the woman was still on the sidewalk and Rose rushed to her, rolled the bat away, and knelt down by her side. “Hey. It's okay. They're gone now. You're okay. See?” Rose gently pushed some sweaty hair from the woman's face and saw that she had some bruises on her face. She wasn't entirely sure what the protocol was in this type of situation. “Hospital or Police?”

The woman shook her head. “I. . . I don't. . .”

Rose gave a heavy sigh. “What's your name?”

“Katherine.”

Rose nodded. “Katherine, I'm Rose,” she pointed her thumb at her companion. “And that's Cloud. We really should. . .” Rose looked helplessly to Cloud, “I dunno if they'll accept our phones as evidence.” She really did not want those jerks to get away with it.

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onewolf
2011-09-14 01:13 am UTC (link)

"I didn't take a picture," Cloud confessed -- but at least she had, right? By the time that the men had fled, he had also stepped closer to the women although he also kept his distance, not wanting to overwhelm Katherine who didn't look like she could even lift herself anymore. He crouched by the bat which he took with a gloved hand while he listened to the ladies talk.

"We need to get her to the hospital," Cloud decided easily then lifted the bat a little to Rose. "Then the police, if you want." Or they could just call the police to make for the hospital but as a principle, Cloud didn't trust the police body in general. So he decided against pursuing that leg of his idea.

Instead, he related his dilemma, "I've got a ride but I can't fit three adults in it."

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-14 07:54 pm UTC (link)

Rose nodded. “Okay. Honestly, I don't mind sitting with her and making sure she gets taken care of and everything.” Hospitals tended to be just a lot of sitting around and waiting, and Rose wasn't entirely sure Katherine would get first priority if it was a busy night. Rose really hated to think how much of Cloud's evening she had already wasted. After all, she did sorta insist he follow the woman with her. “So I could take her in a cab and maybe you could just make a call to let 'em know what happened.”

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onewolf
2011-09-16 12:51 am UTC (link)

Call...if he could. Hell, he couldn't even reach his own office in Edge City -- although as he thought about it, if he couldn't call within the immediate area, then Edge would be worse. Anyway.

"Okay," Cloud said with a nod and as he stood up with the bat still held seemingly lightly but actually firmly by his left hand. He didn't go yet, though.

"I'll call a cab," he informed Rose as he stepped closer to the curb and waited for a pair of headlights that could possibly belong to a taxi.

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-16 08:53 pm UTC (link)

Rose nodded. “Okay.” It was good that he stayed. She figured she would find her center again in the bright emergency room, but in the dark, almost abandoned street she felt oddly jumpy. She could only imagine how Katherine felt. Speaking of, she climbed to her feet and slipped an arm tightly around Katherine's own to help her up. “C'mon,” she murmured, “let's get you up and checked out.”

Katherine was half-pulled to shaky feet before she leaned on Rose to steady herself. Then they stepped a few feet to the curb. “Thank you,” said Rose, her attention turning from the street to Cloud. “Just . . . thanks for coming with me.” Rose didn't want to say it or think it even, but she was pretty sure they both knew how things would have gone if he hadn't been there.

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onewolf
2011-09-16 11:59 pm UTC (link)

Cloud nodded to Rose. "Don't mention it." She shouldn't. As long as he knew, as long as he was somehow involved, Cloud would have never let Rose gone alone. He would have come along and he would have done things similarly to what he'd done that evening. He was just glad that she was smart.

A taxi rolled in seven empty minutes later, hailed by Cloud who waited closest to the backseat door when the car slowed to a stop. He opened it and helped the women in when he thought his assistance might be needed.

Leaning over to the window to lift a fist to his right ear with the thumb and small finger extended, he said to Rose, "Give me a call." And then he realized that the cell network in this place was splendid -- and that anyway, she didn't know his number.

So he gave her his card -- Cloud Strife, it read, under his business name and along with his office's address and other contact details.

"Tell me how it went," he added.

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pinkandyellow
2011-09-17 07:23 pm UTC (link)

Rose took the card and gave it a curious glance before she turned back to Cloud. “Absolutely,” she agreed with a smile and a nod. “I'll give you a call tomorrow.”

She suddenly realized that she was probably going to have to make several phone calls in the morning. She liked to think Annie would have forgotten that she sent her out in the first place, but she doubted it. Not that it mattered, she thought as she gave Katherine's hand a reassuring squeeze, this was more important.

Unnecessary, most likely, but she added to Cloud, “Be careful.” Then she leaned forward and gave their location to the driver before letting herself lean back into her seat with a sigh. What a night.

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onewolf
2011-09-18 12:28 pm UTC (link)

"You too," Cloud said before he straightened his back, finally allowing the taxi to depart as he walked away, three steps. He stood back as he watched the car drive farther, and he stayed until there was nothing more to see.

When he was alone, he looked back to the bat that he held, then turning to the other direction, finally started back to the mart -- where his night began.

And for once more, the groceries had to be postponed.

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