herobydefault: (thoughtful look)
[personal profile] herobydefault posting in [community profile] kickitover
Who: Cloud and Stella
What: For once it's not Cloud waking up on the floor of Aerith's church.
Universe/CR: FF7-world, Luceti CR




Nobody else seems to remember what happened in that world. Not Tifa, not Barret or Cid. Nobody who was there. Denzel doesn't remember either, and it's not like he can check with Zack or Aerith.

God, he wishes he could. It took a few days of being alone in the wilderness for him to get through the worst of the grief of losing them all over again.

With nobody else to corroborate his story, Cloud doesn't know what else to think. He know Tifa and the kids worry, and he helps them with the move to the villa in Costa del Sol because Edge is dirty and dangerous and the benefits of being in a large city greatly outweigh the drawbacks. The kids are safer there, in a smaller resort town with a small school and enough room in the villa for maybe a few more. After the attacks in Edge a lot of people are moving away from the area. Just as well. Midgar sucked the life from this spit of land long, long ago.

Still, that leaves Cloud where he always seems to find himself, in the skeletal remains of something he feels should be remembered but for which he can't quite do much justice. Sometimes it gets bad, really bad, standing at the edge of where the plate had crushed Sector 7, air still stinking of melted beams and mako and turning his stomach when he thinks about just how many people died there. Biggs, Wedge, Jessie...the lady in the item shop who'd passed him a potion for free just because 'ya look too skinny, runt' and Johnny's parents, the gun shop owner who was an asshole but didn't deserve to go like that. He stands there trying to remember them, knowing only Tifa and Barret remain to help him with it and it's just more of the same, more of it all over again. Half in and half out of a past with which he's not sure he should be trusted.

It's the same with Luceti. Already he can't remember how green the trees were, he can't remember what the beer tasted like in the bars because it was different from here. He knows that, he just doesn't know how. He's already forgotten so many names, so many faces, he's forgotten hardships and triumphs. He remembers Zack had a chocobo that he loved and named after his mother but he can't remember her name.

He could go to freakin' Gongaga and find out, but he's too much of a coward to do even that.

"Holy's sake," he mutters to himself, turning on his heel and heading for Aerith's church. He's even annoying himself with his behavior now. Wasn't this what Tifa and Aerith and everybody had been trying to tell him? How long is he going to drag this out? Feeling sorry for himself, burdening himself like this isn't going to help anyone move forward, much less him. If Luceti was just a fever dream-

If it's something he made up in his head, to...to cope somehow, then it's about time he tried to forget it. Or at least time he admitted it. There was no Simon. There was no Nina, there was no Stella. Those things didn't happen, those people didn't exist.

Cloud moves aside the door to the church, still broken off from the struggle with Kadaj (and he'd have to fix that soon, it just doesn't feel right to leave it leaning up against it like a stone sealing a tomb). Night falls a lot quicker around here, the pollution in the air never quite clearing and lending itself to smother the sun as it dies at the end of the day. The church always seems to find the last little rays of sunlight though, so it's no surprise for the inside of the church to be light when the outside is nearing dusk.

Not like this though.

Cloud's hand is on First Tsurugi within seconds as he stares at the pool where the flowers used to be. His chest had tightened because at first it had looked like the glow of magic but no, no. Magic glowed greenish, glowed white and red for summons. This is blue, this is a soft blue, sky blue, a clean water blue that doesn't show up anywhere near the Reactors. More than that, there's a shape in the pool where it's coming from and whatever the properties the water has left (some healing maybe, even after cleansing the Geostigma), glowing isn't one of them.

Cloud takes a few steps forward. And then he stops.

"Stella," he says, gasps out and he's already running, already dropping gracelessly into the water and splashing over to her, wading through the pool and reaching out to pull her up into his arms. It's not possible, it can't be possible, but it's her. He hasn't forgotten her face yet, her name, she's one of the clearest pictures he has of Luceti and it has to be her because her hair is glowing. Right. Right, her people- they're some kind of ocean race or something, she can breathe in the water so it's not like she'd drown and this is Aerith's pool, this is-

Look what I found.

A sound like a giggle trips down Cloud's spine and he shivers, looking behind him though he knows he won't see anything. Was it her? Did Aerith find Stella somehow, in the Lifestream or- How?

Check on her first. She might need help. Cloud fumbles for the mastered Restore materia he carries around and pops it into his bracer, cradling her in the crook of his elbow and letting the rest of her float in the water. That'll do just as much good as a Cure 3, probably. "Stella," he says, louder, more insistently. If she doesn't know him- If she doesn't know him, he'll handle it from there. He'll manage somehow.

Date: 2015-12-19 07:58 am (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (Never ever again)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
She'd failed.

That was the last thing she remembered. Stella had stood before the very core of Luceti, ready to take her test... and she'd failed it. The screams of the Ferines overpowered her, rendered her unable to move, unable to do anything. It felt like she couldn't even breathe, her heartbeat overtaken by the blood pounding in her ears.

And when she opened her eyes, the gaping maw of the planet was open, then shutting around her, and everything became nothing.

For a short while.

The first thing Stella became aware of was light behind her eyelids, but there was no way to open them. It was as if she had no physical way to command that simple action. Something... someone was there, and the sensation she felt was matronly, as if she were being pulled into the loving embrace of someone she yearned to know. It was like the embrace of Nerifes when her soul had shattered, and she gladly sank into it. She'd died and had been brought back so many times now... perhaps now, she could be at peace.

Stella.

The sensation was cut off by someone pulling her, the water around her flowing and resisting and pushing with the motion. It faded for a moment, until the healing power of the materia washed over her and brought her senses back. Suddenly there was a warm body against her side, the air was cool yet pleasant against her skin, there was the sound of silence in her ears and - and when she was finally able to open her eyes -

Familiarity.

Stella's head was still swimming, and every part of her felt like lead. But there was a connection to this man, she knew that much, this man with the hair and eyes of a Ferines and yet wasn't. It was a struggle, but Stella still found herself slowly lifting her hand to touch his cheek.

"Cloud?"

It's quiet, barely a whisper, but it's there. Yes, she knows who this is. It's becoming more and more clear to her with every second that passes. This man, this person who became such an important part of her life, was Cloud.

Date: 2015-12-19 08:54 am (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (Family matters)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
Her hand was just about to fall from the strain when Cloud covers it with his own, making it easier on her. He says something, but it doesn't make sense to her at first. It swims in her head, just as the importance of him does so as well.

He'd been there during her best and worst times. He'd brush her hair and try to style it in the way she usually does, only to fail miserably, but she'd be patient because it was him, and he was trying so hard for her. He was there when her heart was broken, held her when she cried and wondered what she was supposed to do with her life. He showed her a world beyond her village, one that was full of hope and care, and of cruelty and despair, but above all, there was love. This person holding her and looking at her with warmth and concern gave her so much, and...

Stella was on his Planet. She was in his home. Not Luceti, not Melfes. But his.

"I..."

Her voice feels so raw, so new, like she was using it for the first time. She tries again, tries to talk and tries to smile, and it's a weak, fragile one, but real and genuine,

"H-Happy to be here."

Date: 2015-12-19 09:20 am (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (Shut off from the world)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
The next Cure 3 does absolutely nothing. Go you!

But the offer to stay in the water is there, and Stella latches on to it. It's the one thing that's connected all of her worlds, even if they were so different on so many levels. Melfes has Nerifes, their god, their creator, their beginning and their end. Luceti's lacked this, but it was still fascinating on so many levels. This one... it was almost there, the feeling of Nerifes. There wasn't quite the connection that her core yearned for, but it was enough to feel a sense of comfort.

"Mmm," she hums in affirmation, closing her eyes and giving a slight nod to emphasize this. She knows he'll stay; she'd hunt him down and slap him silly if he just up and left her there.

Still... with her hand now free, she moves it again, this time to slowly curl her fingers in his shirt. If he wanted to leave, all he'd have to do is pull away. But she's sure he won't.

Date: 2015-12-19 09:59 am (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (What a silly goose)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
While Cloud might think that the world is killing her, the water here is actually rejuvenating Stella. It's taking some time - it's not the same as the water in her own world, and right now, all she really needs is to get used to the feeling of being alive again. But she's done this song and dance before, as morbid as that might sound, so she feels vitality returning to her as the minutes pass by.

She takes a moment to think about what just happened. She'd died, again, and not by returning to her own world this time. It was Luceti itself that had done it. It had rejected her and absorbed her, a fate all too similar to her own back at home. Brought within Nerifes to live within its consciousness, only this time, it would've been dark and cold, rather than warm and comforting.

But once more, she'd been pulled out of death's grip. And somehow, some way, she ended up here on Cloud's world.

What happened to her?

It was better not to ponder about it too much, she thinks to herself. It was a blessing in itself that Stella was alive again, even though she was frankly getting sick of it.

She can hear him speaking; even if she's submerged, the Ferines' sense of hearing when under water had sharpened over the years of living with Orerines among them. At first, she takes it in as a soothing sound, the voice of a dear friend whom she'd thought she'd never see again. But when he finishes, the grip on his shirt tightens, and she lifts her head a bit to smile up at him once more, this time with more strength to it.

"You dummy," she says, stronger than the last time she spoke and with nothing but fondness to it, "I'm happy to see you, too. There's nothing selfish about that."

Date: 2015-12-19 10:26 am (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (Bow down your head)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
Stella giggles in answer to that, still a little weak, but getting there. Dummy. Total dummy. And she's so glad she can hear that out of him.

The next part, however... she's more unsure about. She looks away from his face, her gaze instead moving down to the water. What happened to her? How is she supposed to answer that when she herself didn't have all the answers either?

"I... I don't know," she replies, before she decides to try expanding further. "The planet - Luceti, it was going to send everyone home. It required everyone to go to the Core of the world and pass a test... and only then would they be free. It was better to be with someone, so... even though I planned to stay, I took the test to help a friend."

And by Nerifes, she hoped that friend made it out alive where she failed. She shuts her eyes as she explains further, "... I failed it. I remember the Core opening up and..."

At this point, her fingers curl into his shirt more until she's forming a fist. It had been terrifying, seeing the shapeless mass open its jaws wide, wider than anything should have been, and she fell...

"... And then, I was here. Something... Something warm pulled me here. I don't know how or why, but - I'm here."

Date: 2015-12-20 03:46 am (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (Got a storm comin)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
Stella's not sure what to make of Aerith being the source of that warmth, because she knew Aerith, talked with her and laughed with her, and how could she do something like that? She frowns a little as a result, but doesn't ask more about it. Not now, not when she's still trying to recover and feel more like herself.

But with that question, Stella looks up at Cloud, one brow raising.

"I can breathe underwater, Cloud." It's said flatly, but with a touch of humor to her voice. It feels good for him to concerned, but he really, really doesn't need to worry about her drowning.

Date: 2015-12-20 04:27 pm (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (We're here for a purpose)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
He's worried, and she can tell. Stella herself is just too tired to bring herself to care about her own fate. Not just physically tired, but tired of this happening, tired of living, tired of this feeling every time this happens. She won't cast away this blessing given to her, but she does wish it'd stop happening to her, just this once.

Rather than say any of this, though, she just smiles up at him, a little stronger than before, and moves her hand to place her palm against his chest instead.

"Go on. I'll stay right here."

There's not much else she can do, or anywhere else she can really go. If Cloud needs to check on the area, or give himself time to believe this is happening, or... whatever is on his mind, then Stella will push him off and let him go.

Date: 2016-01-13 10:18 pm (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (What a silly goose)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
There isn't much of a reply for a while, her being underwater and concentrating on feeling better enough to actually give a response. Unfortunately for Cloud, this probably means giving him time to think too hard about what this is going to mean after all. It's like trying to get some sleep only for someone to jump on the bed and ask a lot of questions, so she ends up frowning a little before she relaxes again.

Seriously, Cloud. Wait just a bit longer.

But after some time, the light in the water seems to shift. Stella's moving, sinking down to the bottom to really get a feel of where she is. This planet, Cloud's planet, and the water she's in... She soaks it all in, taking another moment to do so.

Then her head pops up above the water, near where Cloud is, and she leans on the side with her arms up on the floor, chin resting on top of them. "I am a little hungry, now that you mention it. But shouldn't we stay here, since it's night time now?" That much was obvious by the lighting of the area.

Date: 2016-01-17 08:09 am (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (We're here for a purpose)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
Stella stays there for a moment, pressing her lips together and glancing down at the edge of the pool where she lounges... Then she hoists herself out with an exhale - still not recovered fully, it seems. But Stella's in a whole new world here, a realm beyond her understanding, and she can't spend the whole time in that little pool enjoying what it had to offer. It was time to explore the rest of it... or, at least, the church, until it was safe to go outside again.

"No, it's all right," she answers, scooting closer to his bedroll but not climbing onto it. She was still pretty soaking wet, after all. "You look like you need your rest. I'll be right here when you wake up, I promise."

Well. Maybe not right at that same spot, but right in the general vicinity, yes. She smiles back at him, as if to give him further reassurance, and leans her weight on her hands to look up at the hole in the ceiling, where the moonlight shines through.

Date: 2016-01-19 07:47 am (UTC)
goldenfirefly: (Shut off from the world)
From: [personal profile] goldenfirefly
While Cloud sleeps, Stella straightens up and takes the time to explore the place - quietly, quietly, so that she won't wake Cloud up. The glow of her hair recedes, leaving her with the blond hair that she always has when she walks on land.

The church is a mess, that much is certain. Battles were fought here, and no one took the time to clean it up. Despite that, there was something peaceful about this place. It was as if, in a world full of chaos, this was the one place where there was calm. She liked it here, even though it still felt a bit like intruding on somewhere she didn't belong.

Stella knows she'll feel like that no matter where she goes in this world. She's the alien now, and part of her feels humored by it, while the rest of her just knows this... "imposter" feeling will take a long time to go away.

At least there's someone here she knows. Someone she cares deeply for, and who cares for her in return. With that in mind, Stella returns to where Cloud was, sits just above his head, and starts to stroke his hair with a little smile. After all this time... she can't believe she went to his world. She honestly can't believe she's actually seeing him again - touching him, hearing his voice. Seeing that recognition in his eyes, the way he was so receptive to her touch.

She thought she was dead, and she was brought here instead. Was she rescued? Was this the first place whoever rescued her thought of to bring her? Did they know Cloud would find her?

Stella tosses those thoughts around her head as well as many others, but she starts, realizing that she was nodding off right there. She still needs rest and she knows it, and while it's tempting to go back in the water and sleep there... instead, she lowers down to her side and curls up, fingers threading into Cloud's hair as she sleeps.

The water heals her. But she'd rather have stability and the knowledge that she's all right.

And she stays that way, even when the sunlight streams through the windows and even when Cloud stirs. She's a pretty light sleeper, but she was just so tired.

Profile

Kick Over the Traces

August 2024

S M T W T F S
    123
45678910
11121314151617
181920212223 24
252627282930 31

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Mar. 27th, 2026 12:01 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios