006 ; action/voice/video

[liveandforgive]

Action;

[the world (or lack thereof) felt cold to him as he felt as if he was drifting again. far removed from what his dreams felt like. as if he didn't have any proper sense of where he was going... a familiar feeling all the same, even if he was hurtling straight into the unknown once more.

the last thing he remembered was a restless night, followed by a blur of events with familiar faces. familiar faces surrounded by senseless conflict that he knew that he may not ever see again.

and yet...]

!

[after coming around on the cold, hard ground this time, the blond kips up upon finally waking, though not in quite the same fashion as the first time. Cloud took in his surroundings. the water...the silence that came with this chamber of new beginnings. even to the hologram beyond the entrance where he would be greeted by a familiar white-haired friend. stoic though he may have tried to be for appearance sake, the look of sheer surprise within those mako blue eyes of his spoke volumes.

what was this sensation called again? déjà vu?]

I'm... [back? but this wasn't like the last time... he didn't carry with him any extra belongings. he checks the date, realizing that while he wasn't gone for too long...something still felt the need to return him here once his business with other powerful entities was finished. at least he had a better sense of the bigger picture now, much as he couldn't help but huff that the nuisance of it all. did anyone recognize that he was gone? was this even the same world? was it a repeat of events? the more time he spent brooding and pondering these questions, the less time he'd find getting answers by doing the next best thing. reaching out for those bonds he'd formed the first time.]

Okay. So world hopping's a thing.

[leaving the bay for the second time, he reaches into his pocket and retrieves a familiar device,]

--

Voice to Video;

[normally, Cloud would filter his messages to those he specifically wanted to reach out to. between wanting to see if Fenrir was still here, if he even had an apartment to go back to, a job, the pathway to the Church... he didn't even know who was here still or not, or who would remember him. the easiest answer would be that he left while everyone else stayed. but there was only one way to find out,]

Hey.

[great start, Cloud. he pinches the bridge of his nose and under his breath,]

I'm fired, aren't I.

[starting over, the voice switches to video as the camera catches a head of spiky hair and bright blue eyes.]

What did I miss?

Comments

[Video]

[aurabble]

Cloud! You're back!

[Video]

[liveandforgive]

[the somewhat line-faced expression he wore faded almost immediately, softening as he realizes who it is. he didn't forget him... that's a relief]

(Guess that answers one question.)

Hey, Jaune.

Video

[youfool]

[QUITTER. Well, he didn't skip out on existence too long. He's seen worse. For that, he gets awful humor.]

Ah! Welcome back. I was worried over your absence, but 'twould seem there's a silver lining.

You've almost missed Genessia's, to my recollection, first prom. Better hurry and invite whatever woman missed you, lest she bawl her eyes out for your tardiness.

Video

[liveandforgive]

[ah, there's a face and voice he'd have trouble forgetting even if he wanted to]

Guess I wasn't gone long.

[of course, his last remark catches him by surprise and Cloud stops walking to blink with a more genuinely curious expression]

...

Prom? [someone missed his latter teenage years (and high school? what was that?)]

Video

[greenmagick]

[Terra blinks at her device when a familiar spiky hair boy shows up on it's screen.]

Cloud?

[Her voice is soft and concerned.] The last time I saw you was at the festival.

[A pause.]

What is the last thing that you remember?

Video

[liveandforgive]

[his reaction to Terra at first seems surprising. they were acquaintances, a new friendship forming despite a sense of familiarity forming. but upon leaving the world of Genessia the first time...]

...

[ah, that's right. the festival. that one based on love, was it? he'd spent a good part of his day there with her and a couple others. it was a sweet memory, amidst some of the more hellacious predicaments he found himself in. but there was so much more now. ...many new memories unlocked solely thanks to a whirlwind of circumstances]

Terra.

[his voice has a hint of resolve to it; as if he remembered her immediately. beyond just here in Genessia]

I remember you. And Bartz... Squall, Lightning, even— [his sentence trails off upon realizing what Terra doesn't know. what nobody would ever remember upon returning to their respective worlds. he shakes his head] Sorry. It's a long story.

[chocobosnap]

People have disappeared left and right so I'm glad to see you again.

[Tentative friend? They fought together. That's practically friendship right?]

[liveandforgive]

Hey. [he's glad to see him.] All at once...?

( video )

[alternas]

Probably about six-hundred squats if you're still counting those...

( video )

[liveandforgive]

Noctis...? [the smartass response he gets doesn't register at first, memories of a distant battlefield still fresh in his mind. between Terra and now the young King, he realized now that meeting others here would be strange. especially when he seemed to know them more than they seemed to recall him. at least Noctis recalled Cloud as the guy who did lots of squats and trained hard]

I stopped after a while. [still, it was good to see his allies again] Heard that Ignis and Gladio disappeared too. [a beat,] Sorry.

video

[beamsmagicalgirls]

Besides a kid party bash, nothing.

[Oh hey, it's the android.]

Welcome back.

video

[liveandforgive]

[oh hey! have a small smile]

Good to see ya, 17.

video;

[thorons]

Cloud.

[her voice is warm, comforting, as usual. she smiles at him, almost knowing that he would one day return to this place.]

Oh, not much, really. You simply ruined my tactical strategies by completely disappearing, that's all.

[she laughs!] A joke! But of course. I've missed you, my friend.

video;

[liveandforgive]

[Jaune was here. Noctis, Prompto, 17, Ted, Terra... a few faces left apparently, but it seemed that his absence wasn't as long as he would have thought. still enough that some people wondered though. there were many things that he promised his friends here to do. he wanted to see Ylisse some day. though where he was before returning to Genessia only made him wonder even more...]

Hope I at least made you think on your feet.

[whereas Robin laughed, she would get a small smile in return; one that, if anyone knew Cloud, spoke volumes more than his words]

Good to be back, Robin.

video;

[guidingmoonlight]

[ While she may not be entirely familiar, Lunafreya does hope that her presence will be recognized. They had only spoken the one time, but, she had made a mental note to keep up on those that she has met in Genessia. ]

Welcome back.

video;

[liveandforgive]

[well there's another familiar face! it was for a short time, she'd come to the shores of Fayren while he was training. their time was brief, but pleasant all the same. though it surprises him that she'd remember him after just one meeting.]

... Lunafreya? [he blinks, before a small huff escapes him. a small smile takes place of his surprise] Yeah. Good to be back.

[Video]

[leekspins]

[He's back! He's back, yay! Orihime was starting to feel like she was doing something wrong, what with three of her employees disappearing from the city. But here's Cloud, and she's just so glad...]

[She heaves a sigh of relief before clicking the video feed.]

You're not fired. Welcome back, Strife-san.

[Seriously, she's so happy, he doesn't even know.]

[Video]

[liveandforgive]

[Cloud's arms are crossed as his gaze drifts skyward once more. he's gotten back in touch with quite a few people. and though he had yet to reach out to her, his heart felt weighed down at the thought of her being gone. though this existence here in Genessia was nothing short of a miracle for everyone involved (by all accounts, he would forget about everyone here when he truly returned home. it would mean everything here was meaningless), but...

she was his friend. someone who took him in to work in a world where he had no idea what the future held in store for him. in a time when he was still afraid of his own fate. a very human feeling for someone who prided himself on a steeled resolve. something he didn't show to anyone. ultimately, it came down to a very simple fact.

if Cloud was going to stay here, working, fighting, and making a second life for himself until it was time to go home... he didn't want to say goodbye to anybody. but maybe-]

...?

[his device vibrates in his pocket as he blinks down at it, fishing it out to see there's an incoming video call. from a familiar name.]

...

[Cloud doesn't say anything at first, only looking back at the girl who looked so relieved. and only had one thing to tell him. he wasn't fired. it takes a moment or two, but his eyes soften a little as he lets out a small sigh. content]

Thanks.

[Video]

[solar_flare]

[Yang squints at the screen. She squints hard.]

How do I know you're the same Cloud and not a different Cloud? I'm not going to make friends with some cheap knockoff.

[She's so screwing with him. That's what friends do, after all.]

[Video] 1/2

[liveandforgive]

[there's a moment where he wonders, if only for a split second, if perhaps even Yang herself was replaced. just based upon her words. he knew she was a kidder, but...]

Let's see...

[time for the screwer to become the screwee. that sounded better in his head. where it shall forever stay.]

You're Yang Xiao Long, you pack a mean punch, you know some good Chinese food, I beat you in that one game... [a beat,] ...forgot the name.

[Video] 2/2

[liveandforgive]

... just a sec. I'll think of something else.

[Video]

[always_a_hero]

[Well isn't he a sight for sore eyes! Seriously, he'd know that chocobo head anywhere, and as soon as he sees it, he's responding, flipping his phone to video with a grin.]

Cloud!

[There's a look in Zack's eyes that seemed relieved just as much as he's obviously excited to see his friend seems to be alive and well]

Glad to see you've woken up sleepy head.

[Video] 1/?

[liveandforgive]

...?

[Video] 2/?

[liveandforgive]

[it echoes. it repeats. it doesn't stop. that voice. his name. those eyes. that unyielding smile. cutting through it, another from when he first arrived here...

"-not everyone considers their home world their home anymore."

"Glad to see you've woken up sleepy head."]

...

[Video] 3/4

[liveandforgive]

[ "-and others still don't have a life to return to."

this life on the other side of the phone. in his dreams (or were they nightmares that haunted him despite the forgiveness he sowed for himself?), he'd researched it many times. how time was insignificant here. Genessia yielded not to a single flow of time. or any single reality in particular. he'd heard of others from his world arriving here before. those that recalled a past version of himself.

he'd been warned of the past becoming the present, leading into the future for however long this world may have them.

Cloud's lips were tight, but his eyes told the whole story. eyes that held a brilliant wonder of mako, the legacy left in his formerly powerless hands. if he was shaking, he did a damn good job of not showing it. it was a miracle that his voice didn't break at the sight. he realized he'd been staring for a long time. afraid to say something. anything. a name. his name, like he'd just disappear and he'd wake up again]