OPEN LOG/INITIAL VIDEO

[liveandforgive]

WHO: Cloud Strife; open to all!
WHAT: With Fayren restored to normal, Cloud seeks to get stronger and step up his training.
WHEN: February 2nd-3rd
WHERE: Fayren; Beach (Feb 2nd) | Nova City; Holodeck (Feb 3rd)
WARNING: None

𝐟𝐚𝐲𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡

[the faint chill within the air doesn't seem to phase the blond much, even as his breath softly fogs past his lips with each composed sigh he takes. Fayren's frigid cold snap may have been reverted, but that didn't stop the land from experiencing it's own natural bout of snow. but for Cloud, it was all the better for him to test his stamina; he'd dealt with far colder. now that he was back to full strength and rested up from last month's assault upon the Ice Queen and the true enemy, nothing would change if he didn't go out and do something about it.

if this world taught the young man anything, it was that even if he was plenty strong, there was no excuse to stop. thoughts of Yang and her own drive to get stronger to be able to stop others from committing terrible things they may not have had any control over... he had to hold up his own end of the bargain as well. Cloud would save the people he cared about from whatever came their way, even if it was saving them from themselves. there was no such thing as being too prepared. which is why he was out here along the soft white shores of Fayren, snow softly crunching beneath his feet that thinly veiled the sand.]

122... 123... 124...

[having taken a short break from rapidly mixing between his six large swords through exercises, he was just beginning to warm up. but nothing beat a good round of squats to get the legs on fire and ready to take things to the next level! Cloud continued to quietly count to himself as he huffs with each downward squat.]

...140... 141...

[once he hit 150, Cloud was prepared to pick up where he left off, the massive sword's edge buried in the sand behind him waiting to be picked back up by its wielder.]

ɴᴏᴠᴀ ᴄɪᴛʏ ʜᴏʟᴏᴅᴇᴄᴋ

[the terrain was only as good as the imagination and settings of the user. but it was close enough. the sky was filled with despair, swirling with darkness as if a malicious storm was on the horizon. the surrounding area and buildings were left in tumultuous ruin as if a calamity had struck years past. and they had, perhaps on another planet. and in the center of this disaster were two imposing forces, the clash of their swords ringing throughout the entirety of the battlefield as if to be etched into history.

defiant of gravity as Cloud gave chase of the image of a man, the simulated foe threw everything they could at the blond. and yet despite tumbling masses of debris that were sliced and hurled his way between blows, Cloud persevered as if it were second nature to him. steel and concrete burned with every cleave of his giant sword, cutting through the obstacles hurled at him like a hot knife through butter. he never stopped, never gave up as the two would exchange blows and he'd evade strikes that would legitimately cut through him and end his life.

no, if Cloud was going to grow stronger, he'd need to surpass himself again and again. but deep down he knew that this wasn't enough. it was a simulation... an illusion created all by himself. this may as well have been a dream that he had complete control over. as dangerous as this training simulation was? this wasn't the real deal. but it'd be enough to refine himself and discover new heights. flying through the air and jumping off falling pieces of skyscrapers, it was a case of deja vu all over again as the illusionary one-winged angel raised its hand above, floating high above Cloud.

fully assembling his Fusion Sword, his eyes flared with an intensity reserved for only one man. one nightmare. Cloud would end this with the next blow.]



HAAAAAH—!!

[before the fake could cast their spell, Cloud soared high up after them, sword ablaze with a fiery blue aura as he channelled everything into this decisive strike. like a star shooting across the sky, he pierced the darkness and ran straight through the crystallized foe. it wasn't the same. it still wasn't. and upon confirming that he'd dealt a definitive blow, the Holodeck's simulation gave way and nothing but the large expanse of a room was left behind as he landed on his feet.]



Haah... haah...

[his body faintly shook as his sapphire-hued gaze turned up towards the ceiling. but it wasn't like last time. the circumstances were that this simulation would end when he defeated his enemy. and even if this place couldn't truly replicate their power, it was enough to get his heart pounding in his chest and his body aching from the blows he did take from the fake. the room was back to normal now, the tension within Cloud's shoulders releasing finally as he swung his sword in a brief, victorious fashion. with a couple of spins of the blade, he sheaths it to the back of his waist with a sigh before he turns to leave- if not for good, to at least get something to drink.]

Not good enough...

ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ; ᴊᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ 𝟹𝟷sᴛ

My name is Cloud Strife. [the guy that's usually just some spiky-haired delivery boy who works for a bakery? yeah, he's calling out to the network. he's usually pretty reserved, but his expression is a little more serious than usual] I'm looking for strong fighters to train with. Not looking to just beat people, so if I get a run for my money, all the better. I use swords, but you can come with whatever you want.

Gonna spend the day out in Fayren on the beach if you wanna find me. I'll be there Friday.

[/video]

--

[OOC; The Holodeck option is also available, but Cloud isn't expecting people as he intended on using that day to train more intensely alone. Have at it though! He's accidentally left the observation windows open to the Holodeck since he doesn't use it often. Cloud won't turn you away if you're looking for practice or to be tested by him despite his message.]

Comments

[Video - Private]

[solar_flare]

[It's not like Yang and Cloud know each other all that well, but they did seem to connect a lot more deeply than she thought they would...which is why this video is setting off the 'something is wrong' pings like crazy. He looks too intense when he makes his request, and she maybe kinda saw herself make that same face a few times before.]

[So. Better make sure he's okay.]

I just got back. Did something happen?

[Video - Private]

[liveandforgive]

[though he was serious about the video he'd sent out, Cloud admittedly had never made such a request in public before. when he fought, it was when he decided to step up and confront a threat. more often than not? he trained alone. seeing Yang talk about how she'd just gotten back makes him wonder though.

where did she go? he himself had gone to the dream docks near the beginning of the month himself and then Fayren happened. he looks visibly more relaxed when he's talking with Yang now, the intensity that came with a video that challenged people to bring it on not quite there.]

Oh, you're back. [good to see!] You miss what happen in Fayren?

[not that it was the only reason he was stepping up his own training, but, it definitely played a part]

[Video - Private]

[solar_flare]

Must have! I figured people would tell me if anything important happened.

[She shrugs a little, buuuuut it looks like something did happen. Weiss and Mercury have failed her.]

Why? Something go down?

...You okay?

[melodiouspacifist]

[This is a nice enough beach and he likes the beach even in the winter, except it's not like he can go swimming. It's probably more ice than water in there, but thanks to his new clothes, the parka that Cassian gifted him is keeping him warm.

There's a guy squatting on the beach, in the wintertime, in the cold.

Why?

And because the filter between good ideas and his brain is clearly nonexistant, he'll wander over to the stranger.]

What're you doing?

[liveandforgive]

[at least this wasn't the same weather as in the northern continent! for Cloud, this was also one of the safest places to do training. especially if he had to fire off something into the vast ocean like, say, powerful spells or attacks. not that he had any Materia on him besides the healing kind. he wasn't about to rely on power that wasn't his own when it came to combat unless he absolutely needed to.

Cloud had to better himself, after all. he just about hits his benchmark of squats when Demyx approaches him. he's not a hundred percent certain that he's seen him around before since he missed the snowball fight, but Cloud is approachable enough as he places a hand on his hip, turning to face him]

Doing squats before I start training again.

[straightforward and to the point]

[chocobosnap]

[He's in his workout clothes, a tracksuit, with the sweater half-zipped and sneakers and everything. Prompto looks a little winded, because he ran there but now he's here to run through some exercises himself, but he's distracted by the sighs before him.

It's so dark and bleak and awful, and he's fighting a man, clearly a foe he wants to down and Prompto admires him for that because he has an enemy and he can't face him. He probably should use the holodeck, but he's not there. Not yet. He can't.

He doesn't want to interrupt, he can wait his turn, but he can't help but watch Cloud and his moves.]

[liveandforgive]

[the door opens to the main entrance out to the holodeck. it doesn't take much for Cloud's endurance to pick back up again as his breathing calms and his heart settles down a little. when the simulation ends, the blond takes a towel and wraps it around his shoulders after wiping down the sweat from his face and upper body.

that's when Cloud's gaze turns, none the wiser to the fact that Prompto had been observing him in that simulated land facing an unknown foe. his expression softens a little before briefly waving and approaching]

Hey, Prompto.

action;

[disreputables]

[he had seen the message, and he was very happy about all of this. he had been wanting to train with someone in order to grow stronger, and this was such a prime opportunity he couldn't miss it for the world.

today, zen was not dressed up as a bard, today he had decided to equip his monk status. as he made his way down to the beach he saw cloud, doing squats and getting ready for his own kind of fight.]

Hello, I saw your message.

[zen went over to him, beginning to stretch.] Cloud, was it? I'm Zen'enji. I'm glad I saw that you want to train as well, I've been wanting that since I got here.

action;

[liveandforgive]

[150...]

...?

[the smooth, deep voice catches him by surprise as he's moments from turning around to grab his weapon when they address him. so they caught his message. the taller man seemed pretty polite, but he didn't recognize him. well, it was an open call after all. hopefully things went smoothly enough. after all, he was simply trying to better himself. there wasn't any reason to go all out when it was a matter of refining techniques. if he helped someone else in the process?

two birds with one stone. they seemed to be pretty serious about his proposal. so he nods]

Zen'enji? Can't say I've seen you around before. [Cloud can't use the excuse of being new anymore here, considering it'd been around two months for him. he doesn't pick his sword from the sand just yet as he stands beside it as they approached. no weapons... he wasn't sure how they fought, but testing him wouldn't be bad.]

action;

[thorons]

[hey if it's a fight he wanted, then it's a fight he'll get. robin had seen the message and had gone down to the beach at the appointed time. she made her way down to him, her tomes inside of her coat and her levin sword at the ready.

she wanted to fight today. she wanted to get back to being a proper tactician.]

Cloud! [she called out to him, heading down to where he was. she noticed that he had just finished with his squats, now making a grab for his massive sword.]

I decided to take you up on your offer. Will you fight me? [please.] I'm tougher than I look, and I do not believe I have had the time to show you that.

action;

[liveandforgive]

[the beach and surrounding area had tell-tale signs of usage from various battles, training sessions and spars that have gone on to test Cloud. while it wasn't anything too remarkable, he'd been out here long enough that one would think that he was starting to get tired. but instead, it was as if he had barely broken a sweat. granted it was hard to tell with the faint chill in the air.]

Robin...?

[a part of him was surprised to find her seeking him out. all this time spent reading, it wasn't like he'd initially presented himself as a warrior himself. his gaze catches her heading out to him as his hand rested upon the handle of his sword before he could pull it out. though Cloud was surprised, it wasn't an unpleasant one. not at all. she'd been kicking herself for being unable to find him when Fayren fell to the Ice Queen. he could reassure her all that he wanted to that it was fine, but if she wouldn't settle for anything less than getting stronger or proving her worth as a tactician?

he would never stop her. in fact, after the initial realization of who his next partner was finally settled in, he lets out a content huff. there was an unspoken "good" within those eyes of his as he finally drew his sword. the very same one that she'd been taken aback by when they first met.]

No better time than the present. [with a swing of his sword at his side, he eyes her interestingly shaped sword. he doesn't suspect the tomes beneath her coat and is initially expecting an exchange between steel. it was a friendly spar, but that didn't mean he'd pull his punches too much. after all,]

You're a tactician,

[his stance lowers slightly, feet shifting in the sand as he brings his giant sword down in front of him, already prepared]

show me what you got.

Video Response, Private

[robodorable]

... This unit would just like to check if you are okay, given the circumstances of the past week.

[Essei had been fighting alongside Cloud, then fled when he turned. Next he saw her, she herself had been turned... Then a few days after that, she had disappeared.]

video; private

[liveandforgive]

[it had all happened so quickly. having exchanged blows with a couple of Winter's chosen warriors at the wedding party they crashed, things were taking a turn for the worse when the blond took it upon himself to break her sceptre. too bad that didn't do as much as he would have liked, a chill running down his spine when he remembered the unyielding glare he sent to his former comrades before warning them to "run."]

Yeah... I took a couple of days to rest up. [a beat. he hadn't seen her since the incident...] What about you?

action; fayren beach

[ivegotadream]

[Rapunzel didn't have work today so she had decided today that she was going to explore Fayren a little bit. She hadn't really done much looking around here before and now seemed like a good time as any. One of the stops for the day was the beach, which was something she had never even seen before.

She was happy enough that she was willing to take the only pair of shoes she was willing to wear off just to feel the sand between her toes. It was a nice feeling. Interesting, but nice. Picking up the boots into her hand she started to wander until she found herself spotting someone else doing... she had no idea what.

Walking over she was baffled and figured she should at least ask.]

Excuse me, but what was it you were doing a moment ago?

action;

[liveandforgive]

149...

["Excuse me, but what was it you were doing a moment ago?"]

!

[was Cloud so caught up in reaching 150 that he didn't hear someone coming up to him? if he was going to be training, he needed to be more aware of his surroundings. he blinks as he stops mid-squat to look up at the young girl who was looking at him baffled. ...was he doing something really weird? nah, couldn't be. it was just exercise. he finishes the squat as he gets up to his feet, bright blue gaze matching hers as he shook one of his legs with a couple kicks beneath him.]

What, squats? [as if it was the most normal thing in the world for him to do.] Gotta warm up before I start practicing again.

video;

[truesmiles]

[Fai was getting bored of just working all the time, training and not getting rusty seemed like a good idea for him at least. But he ponder over a few things.]

Would you be willing to train with someone who can do long distance fights?

video;

[liveandforgive]

That works for me. Could be good practice to see how quickly I can get in.

[or how well Fai could keep him out.]

[darkshield]

[He'd avoided Fayren despite having accepted a job there last month, mainly due to the fact he still didn't know his way around yet. Even so, the beach had become a place where he found himself coming to more often than late - drawn by nostalgia and homesickness he's been denying for nearly a year now. It was too cold for his liking, but even with the added crunch of snow under his feet; at least the waves sound the same.

At least, that's until he heard (and well, felt) a presence nearby. Who in their right mind would come out to the beach in this weather asks the pot calling the kettle black? It's not until he gets closer that he realizes the person's counting something, and that the voice is vaguely familiar.]

That voice. [He pauses, before calling out.] ...Cloud?

[liveandforgive]

[another rep of squats done? another round of counting his slashes as he tried to amp up the speed in which he could swing efficiently. before he got started however, his hand resting upon the handle of his sword, his gaze flickers to the silver-haired youth in a black coat. it took one call of his name to recognize the voice in kind.

it was the kid from before.] You're... [he remembered him. it was hard to forget silver hair and a black coat, even if it was coming from someone who was blind. looked like he was taking care of himself at least. lucky him] Riku.

[he doesn't get started on his next round of practice yet, instead opting to walk up the shore a little in order to close that gap between them.]

Guess you're settling in alright.

Action

[savage_nymphxii]

[Arelen had seen the feed, and instead of replying, decided to just show up on the beach. It was already late afternoon, but she still spotted Cloud, eyeing him for a bit as he trained on his own (enjoying the view) before walking up to greet him, stretching her arms.]

I feel like I might be getting rusty. How do you feel about fighting against someone with magic?

Action

[liveandforgive]

Arelen? [he supposed he shouldn't have judged anyone, but he wasn't quite expecting his co-worker to answer the call either. granted besides from talking at work and the couple of times across the network (to which he, admittedly, felt he had to thank her for before), he didn't know a whole lot about her.

what better way to do so than fighting?]

Didn't know you were a mage. [it was one way of putting it, at least. lifting his sword, Cloud brings the sizeable weapon up and over his shoulder as his gaze eyes her up. he couldn't judge anyone's worth, but in a sparring session, it was good to know what he was in for]

I won't say no. [the look in his eyes is confident, but more curious of her own abilities.]

fayren beach | action

[guidingmoonlight]

[ walks had always given her time to think. there was much to consider on this star now that pieces seemed to be in play. Nyx's arrival caused her to worry far too much. she knew his hotheadedness and his tenacity and loyalty to King Regis would force him to strike at Ardyn. yet, no doubt, the Chancellor would simply find it amusing and use it as a way to strike against the Glaive, the Crownsguard, and Noctis himself. it felt almost tireless, yet, most of her life had been.

she came to a stop the moment she caught the sun reflecting off the sword that had been placed in the sand. Lunafreya looked up from her pondering, arms folded as she watched the blond haired warrior pick up his sword. she did not press forward any further, should she be in his way. ]

action

[liveandforgive]

[if Lunafreya carried any presence, it went initially unnoticed by the blond swordsman as his hefty blade was raised from the sand with seemingly little to no effort. the man had his own way of fighting and obtaining new power for the sake of protecting what he cherished. but there were times wherein he bared tribute to those before him.

blade by his side, Cloud takes a couple of steps towards the shore, gaze setting out across a horizon with no end in sight. he'd been told before that they could only go so far before a barrier kept them in. while he'd found his answer in regards to choosing to fight here or obsess with returning home, part of him couldn't help but wonder... who or what lied beyond those seemingly endless waters?]

...

[Cloud raises the Fusion Sword before him- to everyone else including the Oracle who watched, it'd be no different from some knight who held their guard up. but to the man facing the shore alone, it was a silent tribute. head bowed slightly, when he opened his eyes, Cloud's position shifts as his feet seek ground as he prepares himself.

sparks of light and swirling blue energy envelop his sword as he faces the ocean, muscles tensing whilst he gathered power. more... he needed more. maybe he'd break his record this time. how far could he go?

the wind picked up around him as the snow that softly fell before was being thrown wildly around his body. he breaths out, eyes snapping wide as his entire blade glows bright concentrated shades of white and blue.]

HMPH!!

[and with a mighty crash of his sword, the sand before him erupts in half, Cloud releasing a massive crescent wave of energy out beyond the shore and out into the ocean. it keeps its form as it cuts through the water while it creates arches until it finally dissipates before it can even explode. it didn't hit anything on the way, after all. making a small noise under his breath, the blond straightens up]

Uh...?

[having turned around as he caught the sight of the woman from the corner of his eye, he hadn't realized he was being watched. not that it bothered him, but he wasn't certain if she was here to challenge him or not. he thought he'd gone off to the side of the shorelines enough, but it seemed like it wasn't far enough.]

Hey.

[he greets her while resting his sword over his shoulder]

fayren!

[alternas]

( with fayren back to normal, it meant noctis could get back to normal. fishing during those 'unforseen circumstances' of extreme weather had been impossible and meant for poor days with few results... so the prince seems to be in high spirits as he totes his array of fish on a rope down the cold beach.

until he sees cloud.
and hears... the counting.

one hundred... and forty one...

examining his life and his choices, he looks down at his fish again, then at his own physique, then back to cloud... and all over again.

he's probably still doing just that, standing near the buster sword, by the time the blond finishes his set.

one hundred and fifty... are you kidding him, cloud? )

i laughed so hard when i first read this

[liveandforgive]

[if one was to play upkeep with their strength, one hundred and fifty squats was nothing! it got the legs burning for a body like his, and his heart was racing a little faster too. it'd be enough to get him started when Cloud began his next line of training. and so, he'll turn around to head back to retrieve his Fusion Sword when the sight of the somewhat dumbfounded prince is beside it.]

...

[that's a lot of fish.]

...

[he shuffles slightly on his feet, though maintaining eye contact as he suddenly feels awkward. what were they looking at? ... something on his face? Cloud plays it off as if he was wiping away sweat, but he's actually double checking before finally,]

Can I... [help you?]