Hot damn! | OTA at your own peril.

[expandinghorizontals]

It might have mattered to Laguna more if he wasn't already outside. His hair was up in a high ponytail, arms bare and tank top sticking against his chest a little. He was walking the city, jacket tied around his waist. There was a lot still for him to check out, and it seemed he was one of the few people who wasn't suffering.

The summer was great, who wouldn't want the summer?

Maybe all these people who just lost their air conditioning. Laguna probably wasn't helping by looking genuinely pleased by the warm air.

This was honestly better than lingering inside though, weeping over the loss of cold blowing air.

Comments

[shimmer_on]

The heat never bothered Sunset that much either, having gone outside to look around for spare parts that she could use to build her motorcycle with.

She was wearing a sea-green tanktop and spandex shorts in lieu of her usual black jacket. As a former pony, part of her was glad she didn't have fur anymore, but she noticed Laguna over there. Giving him a wave, she jogged up with parts in a bag. "Power still out?"

[expandinghorizontals]

Laguna waves back, wondering who this girl was and if he knew her from somewhere but oh, okay she was coming over. Oh.. Oh, as she got closer he noticed she was actually rather cute and--

Ow. Ow. His leg. Smile through it, Laguna, smile.

"Y-yeah! Still out, I guess, I mean.. I've been outside. Is the power out? Oh right, the thing, on the phone. Yeah its out."

Dammit.

[shimmer_on]

If she knew about his mysterious leg cramps, Sunset would have been more worried. Still, she smiled a little.

"That's good. And all right, figured as much. Guess I won't be able to use any of my soldering tools then."

She smiled. "Sunset Shimmer. And you've got a WRO phone, right?"

[expandinghorizontals]

Oh, she must work on some interesting stuff if she had a soldering tool. He smiled but it looked incredibly awkward and tight, nodding. Oh, why was he so pathetic around women, how did he ever end up a married man? It was probably worse now that he'd been married before.

"Sun...set Shimmer."

Oh, okay. Maybe that was normal from where she was but how he wasn't sure if her first name was Sunset or did she go by Shimmer, or...

"Yes, Yes I do. Its pretty good, decent... decent tech, I mean. Laguna by the way. Laguna Loire."

Okay, he was starting to relax, thank the Gods.

[shimmer_on]

"Nice to meet you Laguna. It's Laguna, right?"

Sunset nodded as she looked at her phone for a moment. "Doesn't look like they're fixing it any time soon, so... aw well."

Putting her phone back, she added, "And it's Sunset, you can call me that."

[expandinghorizontals]

"Yes, its.. Its Laguna." He tucks his hands into his pockets, feeling his phone there. He presses his lips together as well, eye brows raising.

"Yeah.. Aw.. Aw well, right um..."

Don't. Don't do it. A voice sounding suspiciously like Kiros's voice of reason was screaming in the back of his mind. Don't fucking do it, Loire.

"....So, Sunset, is that like, a stripper name?"

You fucking idiot.

[shimmer_on]

Sunset blinked.

There was a long moment of bewilderment before Sunset sighed, chuckling ruefully. "No, no it's not a stripper name. It's my real name."

Be thankful you didn't ask any of her friends that. It would have gone POORLY Laguna.

[expandinghorizontals]

Okay, she was laughing at least. This was a good thing! He hadn't gotten punched in the face, at least today. Laguna could count this as a positive.

"Wow, that's good, I mean, unfortunate that your parents went that really.. ..um.. ...My wife's name is Raine..?"

Is..?

"I mean.. well.. Ow."

Okay now his leg was throbbing and he leans to give it a proper rub. This was a conversation that tanked very quickly.

[shimmer_on]

Taking some sympathy for his confusion, she explained. "Where I come from, names like mine are common. Also, before you ask, my skin is naturally orange. Humans have different colors in the rainbow. One of my friend is literally pink, another is blue and one of my newest friends is lavender purple."

"What's wrong with your leg? Injury?"

[expandinghorizontals]

Oh. Good. She wasn't sick. That was a positive, right? Yes. Yes it was. He looks up at her, hair falling away fro his face.

"...so you know, where I come from, people with strange skin colors usually try to take over the world."

Adel certainly had strange skin. And chest. She was horrendously unattractive to look at, despite her strangely broad and masculine chest.

"Oh.. Unfortunately nothing so interesting.. It just.. cramps up, like my body screaming at me for letting words come out of my mouth."

[shimmer_on]

GODDAMNIT LAGUNA.

Sunset made a face at the statement of taking over the world. "Well sometimes people with strange skin colors have reasons for it, even if they are flimsy and petty."

She focused on his other statement. "Huh, so is it psychological or do you need actual relief like muscle cream?" He wasn't sick, right? Words hurting him? Sounded psychological.

[expandinghorizontals]

LOOK, HE'S TRYING.

"Right, right. I mean, I saw a guy with orange skin once, in this little village and that was because all he had to eat were carrots. I swore of carrots for the longest time before I realized you had to ... just. ..."

Stop. Talking.

He presses his hands over his face, cursing himself violently internally. Why? Why did this happen? Why did it always happen?

"... I... I'll be fine once I stop hammering this entire conversation..."

[shimmer_on]

"To be fair, this is not the weirdest conversation I've had. Ever."

No, but it was certainly the most awkward. Sunset sighed as she folded her arms thoughtfully. "Is there anything else you want to confess before you dig yourself further?"

[backwatertrooper]

Cloud hadn't forgotten what summers in Midgar (and now Edge) was like, after learning it that first summer. He had, on the other hand, never had to do without AC. That wasn't, of course, something which had existed out in Nibelheim, but Nibelheim's summers were different than Midgar's and this was utterly, awfully miserable.

It also wasn't until all that power went that Cloud remembered something important; suntan lotion. By that point he'd already started to turn pink.

That was part of the reason why he was sitting on the steps to a building, partly in the meager shadow thrown from the doorway. He'd gone out to get that suntan lotion but... he was also sitting there glowering at a shimmering green materia in his hands.

Why in Shiva's name had he wasted gil that he still didn't have lot on on a Blizzard material? It wasn't as if you could effectively cool off with it, but passing the little shop it'd seemed like a very good idea at the time...

Looking up, Cloud frowned at the man who was walking down the street towards him. He looked unfairly at ease in the heat, while Cloud felt like he was about to melt in a tanktop and shorts. Glowering, Cloud caught himself and blushed, ducking his head.

That was just petty; it was good if other people weren't suffering like he was, after all. Hopefully he hadn't noticed anything...

[expandinghorizontals]

Oh. Laguna noticed. He actually found it incredibly funny that he was getting the stink eye for being comfortable in the hot weather. He grins easily, strolling towards the step and he leans against the railing--

"Ow, shit!" He pulls his arm back from the metal quickly, rubbing his arm. "That was stupid of me, wasn't it?"

He plunks himself down on a lower step, adjusting his pony tail.

"You seem to be suffering pretty terribly. I take it the power isn't back on--Hey there, what is that..?" He motions to the materia.

[backwatertrooper]

Oh.

Of course he had noticed. Cloud ducks his head but can't help but roll his eyes, because that was the weakest attempt at starting a conversation he's ever been exposed to. Of course, he could see Zack doing something similar as well, at least before... all this, here.

"... a little," Cloud says after a moment, peering at the man out of the corner of his eye, a little wary, before he grimaces at the comment. Yeah, he's definitely suffering, even with his best attempts at handling this and it not being too long since he's had to suffer through summer nights in stuffy barracks.

"It's not." A slow shake of his head as he turns the materia over, scowling at it.

"... a dumb idea, is what it is," Cloud mumbles, then holds it up a bit, more easily seen, "blizzard materia."

Then he pauses and glances to the man, looking for potential confusion, because if he's one of the Streamers who came from elsewhere, he might not yet know what 'materia' even is...

[expandinghorizontals]

Laguna felt badly for those who boiling today. The boy looked absolutely miserable, with sweat sticking all over. To be fair, Laguna was boiling too, he was just enjoying it more. Being in the military meant he went to many hot places to sweat, so he was still used to it to some degree.

"Oh, so its like the one I have."

He pulls his phone out to show his phone charm. He sort of understood the concept. He was working out what uses it could have.

"You know, if its Blizzard, you could probably find a shed or a room or something. Just blast the walls with the snow and then relax, because ice puts off natural cold..."

[backwatertrooper]

The only thing that didn't seem affected by the heat when it came to Cloud was his hair, stubbornly sticking up like usual, though some of the bangs were stuck to his forehead or cheeks.

Exhaling, Cloud looks down and nods. Well, that's an... interesting place to put materia, at any rate. And seems potentially dangerous, to his PHS at least. The suggestion, though, brings Cloud up short and he blinks.

"... yeah. Not sure where I could do that but..." But something like that is probably why he'd gotten the dumb idea to waste gil now. "Thanks."

Nodding slowly, Cloud gestures to the phone, an eyebrow arched.

"You should probably not keep the materia so close to your PHS though... If you trigger it that close it might mess with it." Sure, Blizzard wasn't Thunder, but still.

[expandinghorizontals]

Laguna's unfortunately was not Blizzard. It was, in fact, thunder. Laguna felt like he could find more practical uses for Thunder than for the other types. He didn't even need a strong one which is why it was as small as it was.

"Hmm? Oh, its alright. I know how it works. And these little wires here, they're conductive..." He hoped, he was pretty sure they might be the wrong color. They were silver... That was the right metal right?

"Anyway, we should go find somewhere to use that Blizzard!" Which is what he was doing on his phone at the moment. "There's empty apartments in the Streamer building still, we could set up a whole ice palace in there."

[backwatertrooper]

"... You should probably find a bracer with a slot or something, still," CLoud said, eyeing the little materia and then the man a bit warily. Sure he might not injure himself, but he might need to get a new PHS.

It was like listening to Zack talk, a little, and Cloud blinked, then frowned, turning the Blizzard over in his hands.

"But there's... furniture, in there. And even when the ice melts it'd leave damage or at least need to be mopped up." Was the man listening to what he was suggesting they do? "Shouldn't... outside somewhere be better? Or... an empty warehouse."

[expandinghorizontals]

Aw, Cloud was concerned about him. It was nice, he was amused. Laguna was a soldier, he could figure it out though. He would be careful and really these phones could be fixed well enough, or he could get a new one. He wondered how much they cost?

But there was the problem of the Blizzard. He rubs his chin thoughtfully then he snaps his fingers, standing.

"I know exactly where. There's this abandoned building, they were going to renovate it but its not started yet. Come on." He motions quickly, starting a short hop skip up the sidewalk since he was half turned towards Cloud.

[backwatertrooper]

Of course he's concerned, that materia is technically a weapon!

"... um." Cloud didn't move at first, just staring quietly for a moment or two before he slowly stood up and fished out his own PHS and flipping it open to bring up the map, "where is it?"

He wasn't quite ready to go follow the stranger, even if it really was hot and the idea to just sit near a wall that had a Blizzard blasted at it sounded like a very good one.

[expandinghorizontals]

Well, that's good you don't want to follow a 29 year old strange man who came out of no where to harass you for giving him the stink eye for enjoying the heat! Very responsible!

Laguna strolls back, one eye closed as he tips his head back. He needed to remember the street name..

"Aaah... ahm ahm... Next tooo theeee.... food shop!" He snaps his fingers a few times. "On.. on.. 6th! Yeah, put that in your ..." He waves his hand at it. "Yes, that."

[backwatertrooper]

Sorry Laguna you are pretty strange but Cloud can take responsibility for giving you the stink-eye. That was just plain rude!

Smiling a little now at the vague way he talks about the PHS, Cloud nods and even if that's a little vague of a description, there does seem to be a building right there according to the map, and at least not used for anything obvious at the moment.

"A PHS," Cloud says softly, that little smile still on his face even if he has to resist the urge to fan himself, for all the good that will do, "or just 'phone'. You know how to use it?"

Cloud wasn't sure he'd be the best teacher, but he'd do his best if it was needed.

[expandinghorizontals]

"Sure I do, I just try to remember where things are without it. That way I don't get reliant or whatever." He grins, rocking back on his heels before tipping back forward. "So? You want to go? You're the one with the Blizzard rock."

He motions, starting off again though at a slower pace. The stroll would be nice and he could talk to this kid a little more extensively.

"So you're from this world? You seem to know quite a bit about it, but those were Streamer apartments you were around.. Just checking us weirdos out?"