edgeoflife | Summer Solstice

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Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice Fair

The sun is shining, the Mognet is working again, and the summer solstice fair is here! The WRO hopes to makes this an annual thing, but this is the first year they're doing it. Everything you could ever want from a fair is here and open to the public.

*Fair Rides: Ferris wheels, a mini rollercoaster, that thing that looks like an octopus and spins around--the WRO spared no expense to make sure everyone would have fun here today. There's even a gravity ride that takes you up to the top of a pole and then drops you!

*Food: So much food. So much unhealthy food. Funnel cakes, hot dogs, burgers, ice cream, you name it. And it's all fairly cheap too, since the WRO promised to pay for half of what the merchants sell!

*Carnival Games: And most of them aren't even rigged! The Gold Saucer donated games for the fair and there are so many games. There's your standard shooting games, some basketball games, a dunk tank, hoop tosses, you name it. A few are rigged, though, so buy beware! There's also a few card tables set up in a tent for those who like their games a little less wild.

*Speed Dating: ...yeah, the WRO has no idea. This came with the Gold Saucer stuff, along with a Cait Sith and Moogle mascot pair that will coax anyone they can into sitting down and participating.

*Job Fair: With the influx of new arrivals, both native and Streamers, some employers see a golden opportunity to get some jobs filled! In one corner of the fair is another, mini-fair fill with tables and presentations on various workplaces: the WRO, ShinRa Tech, the volunteer emergency services of Edge, and the Highwind Air Taxi Service, just to name a few. Anyone of working age is welcome to wander in and have a look around.

Of course, the fair is taking up the entire center of Edge, so there's lots more to see and do!

[[Feel free to make your own top levels! Welcome to Edge of Life!]]

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Honestly, Sora probably wouldn't have taken her hand even if he could. He's wary of people in general, moreso than he lets on, but he would have played it off as shy. He would have played it off with a small smile and a nervous bit of shuffling.

This just works in his favor.

"Could we find my brother? He's probably hungry too--really hungry!" Sora chirped, blue eyes seemingly even bigger now as he gives her his best puppy dog look--

Even if she had been the one to suggest it.

"I think I know where he is so it wouldn't take long!"

I--well I don't mean to be rude or anything like that, sir, but I honestly...I'm just not entirely sure...what you are.

[There's genuine curiosity in her expression as she says it, taking another step closer to the edge so she's closer to Winston in general.]

You don't look like the other animals here but I've never seen anyone that looks quite like you back home either.

[Judy pauses for a moment before slowly lowering the dart gun, glancing down at it as her ears fall in a more relaxed manner.]

...Because I want to make a difference. That's what I did back home and I don't want to be useless here.

[She shakes her head, lifting the gun again to take aim.]

I started doing some digging after I spoke with that gentleman at the booth and I'm not oblivious--I understand what the Turks do and it's not what a police officer would do but..it's still my one opportunity here to really make a difference. And maybe even figure out how to get home.

[Firing again, Judy pops another balloon before she hands the dart gun over to the individual running the booth. Her gaze sweeps over the prizes before her expression falters briefly and she motions towards one of the stuffed animals, accepting the stuffed fox without hesitation before looking at Rude.]

What I can do, what I've been trained to do, goes beyond a security officer. So if that's all I can do here, then I'll find someplace else to go.

Judy's well aware that she's attracted a crowd, most people just generally unsure what to make of such a small creature firing a gun with ease. But she takes it all in stride and finishes up with this particular game, smiling brightly at the man running the booth as she accepts her prize and turns to go.

Her ears go up when she locks eyes with one person in particular, said person the only one that wasn't pretending that he had been staring at her ears go up, nose twitching like crazy.

"...Can I help you?"

[Yeah. There really was no guarantee it could've changed anything, but he's not sure how stopping Sephiroth from staying locked in the basement might have made things worse. Still, having someone else, more than just Zack, say this felt... well, it didn't make anything better, didn't change anything, but was one more voice, at least.

Cloud pretends not to notice the stare, hesitating between keeping his hand there or dropping it, because to be honest, having someone that looks so much like Sephiroth staring at that spot is a bit... unsettling. Finally, he lets his hand drop, following the edge of the table instead. At least until Riku catches his gaze.]

... you didn't do anything, though. [Cloud shakes his head, fingertips gripping it hard enough to hurt for a moment.] Just because you look a lot like him doesn't mean you are him.

But it's... when I woke up here, it'd literally just... happened. [Cloud takes a slightly uneven breath, staring at the table for a long moment before he looks up again and shrugs a little.]

I mean, I guess I got him back, too.

[Cloud's smile is pretty pale, but there's an... attempt.]

That little bit of touch made him twitch and then relax. It was only a little, and knowing her or not, it was... nice. Not enough to make him want more space, but Cloud still felt a bit awkward.

Watching her dump the dust on the table, Cloud suddenly felt very foolish as he realised something and shook his head, fishing up his phone.

"We can use this. At least for the Planet. You'll... probably have to draw your world out on the table though," Cloud said, ducking his head to quickly dive into the phone's apps and finding what he wanted; a map.

"... Here. This is the continent we're on," pausing, Cloud looked around them, the distant ruin of the ShinRa tower visible even from this angle, and once again he got a brief sense of confused vertigo at seeing something that, before he woke up here, had been perfectly whole when they left for Nibelheim, in ruins. "The city beyond, the ruins... I guess it happened in the last few years. It was called Midgar. Wutai's west of the Western Continent."

Scrolling on the map, he pointed to the northern continent.

"There's a huge crater in the north on that continent... We usually call the Planet just that, but Gaia's used sometimes too."

Her eyebrows stayed raised. Because she wasn't sure who he thought he was talking to but she did live with the blond. So using the phrase 'isn't that difficult' when applied to Cloud was a bit like saying you wanted to put boots on a chocobo.

Honestly Tifa had simply assumed that Cloud would go to Mideel at some point. As long as he stayed away from the lip of the fissure, she hadn't thought to worry too much over it. From what she understood WRO already had boots on the ground, finding the streamers as they showed up and taking care of them before sending them to Edge. The way Vincent was acting though -

Her mind flickered around an idea and hesitated to land on it immediately so to buy time she simply asked:

"Babysit who?"

"That sounds - " Tifa searched for the right word and finally gave up with a vague hand motion. "Amazing. I can't imagine shifting between forms like that. How are you holding up? Being here?"

She watched him struggle with the idea. There was so much - so much - she wished she could have gone back and helped her own Cloud through. So much pain and uncertainty he hadn't needed to go through or at least not gone through alone. She couldn't take everything he was going to have to struggle with away from this younger Cloud. He was Cloud. Whether he believed in himself or not she did, and she knew he would make it through and come out stronger on the other side. She couldn't take on his own fights for him, no matter how much she wanted to. But - she could help. She could always help. A hand up, a word of faith, a smile of encouragement or agreement...

Cloud was Cloud. No matter his age. And she loved his stubborn determination to do things for himself. If he'd let her stand nearby and help him, just a little though...

She stopped walking but she left her arm through his and she turned to meet his eyes with her own.

"Maybe. If its in fresh air instead of an enclosed space. If you're in charge of it instead of along for the ride. It's worth trying. Isn't it?"

Luckily he'd had Zack at least for a little while while in Midgar, but of course not from the start... and not for long in general. But either way he did sort of need someone to believe in him for him.

Thinking it over, gaze dropping away from Tifa's, Cloud nodded slowly after a few moments. A constant flow of fresh air might actually help. And it'd always been easier if he was facing the road straight on, something which, of course, usually hadn't been possible while he was a passenger in anything after he left Nibelheim.

"... I like that idea," he said quietly, nodding as he looked up with a wry little smile on his face, "I'd be willing to risk motion sickness for that." For a bike in general, but particularly for something like what she'd described his older self rode.

Then Cloud frowned, realising she'd understood immediately what he'd reacted to and why he'd done so, to prompt this turn in the conversation, and as far as he knew, Tifa didn't actually know about it. So when had she..?

"... How did you find out I have motion sickness?" Cloud sincerely hoped it hadn't been in an awkward or embarrassing way, for the sake of his older self if nothing else. But how else would you find out something like that, anyway?

She watched him think it through and didn't rush or push it. Cloud's monster motorcycle might be a little much, especially at first, but she was sure they could find him something to at least try with. And, perhaps - perhaps she was thinking too far ahead but wouldn't it be nice if her Cloud could help this one work on that bike and they could perhaps help each other...?

She smiled at his agreement and nodded, already wondering if Cloud - or Cid - might have an idea of where to at least borrow a bike for a test drive. And then he asked his question - and it was her to turn to go still and blink. She was so used to knowing Cloud that having someone ask how she did threw her, surprised her - but it didn't offend her and she smiled after that brief pause.

"He's my best friend." She stated it simply but, to her, it explained almost everything. But then she hummed an amused sound and started walking again, gently tugging.

"Several years ago, we were going after a Huge Materia." She had no idea how much this Cloud knew about what his older self had accomplished. How much he knew about what a hero he'd become. How much he understood the looks he might sometimes get just for looking so close to the same. She doubted he'd had time to hear the details yet though even if he had heard any rumors and some details, most of the details, only their team knew anyway. "In Junon. We stole a submarine." And kidnapped a dog but she didn't go into that or the team of soldiers they'd kept on board the entire time either. One weird thing at a time. "None of us could drive it. Except Cloud. We hoped. Except - he didn't really feel comfortable in the sub. It was deep underwater, with a very tight interior. Heavy, oppressive, claustrophobic." She watched him from the corners of her eyes as she described it, waiting, hoping, he'd understand, maybe, the feeling she was describing and understand she was understating Cloud's not 'feeling comfortable' in that environment.

"I thought the sub with the Materia was going to get away but then someone suggested that Cloud try driving the sub, that it would give him something to concentrate on. So - he did. We got the Materia," and attacked by a demon plant or three, "and after that, it was pretty much a given that if Cloud was driving he'd feel better."

She looked over at him and gave his arm a very light squeeze.

"It's okay to have problems, things that make you stumble or unsteady. Everyone does." She paused for a moment, hesitated over it. It wasn't something she liked to admit and certainly not confess but - if they were sharing weaknesses... "I hate being alone. But as long as we keep working at them, that's what matters. Right?"

"So coming here is an adventure for you? That's a nice way to look at it." She says it genuinely. She's glad that at least some of the Streamers are positive about their arrivals.

"I guess I'd have to worry if you hadn't found something yet." The arm that isn't linked with Zack's sneaks around to poke him in the side. He had loved his food, hadn't he? Not that she can talk too much, finding herself more and more fixed on the idea of corndogs and lemonade.

"That's true. Ah, I know they meant well at the hospital, but I kept telling them I was fine and no one would believe me! It was so boring, staying there." And maybe it had been just a little nerve-wracking. She was not particularly fond of the hospital setting. But she'd sat still long enough to be given a clean bill of health.

The food vendors are all over the fair, and between the two of them it doesn't take long to find where the corn dogs are being sold. She fishes out the gil to pay for hers and takes a bite promptly. "Mmmm. The fair is much more fun."

[ Aerith always has a little fun at awkward boys' expense. That's her real talent. ]

I'm pretty good with complicated.

[ 'Try me.' Her other talent is prodding. This is gentler, though. She's glad he's smiling, at least, and she doesn't want to ruin it. ]

Not entirely true; Aerith was entirely comfortable with letting a conversation lapse when there was a natural pause and something else to occupy her attention, like, say, gardening.

But Vincent seemed to find a lot more pauses natural than her. At least he's still willing to let her pepper him with some questions. But she frowns slightly at that last statement. "Then, Shinra still has a lot of influence, huh?"

She's not entirely surprised by that, but not exactly pleased, either.

The answer was startling as much as it made Cloud happy. It was, after all, exactly what he'd wanted, growing up. Something he'd wanted but something that definitely hadn't happened, and that Tifa had come to the well at all had been a surprise.

Cloud ducked his head, a small smile he tried to hide on his face in evidence, pleased to know that, even if things obviously went bad this had, at least, actually happened.

"A submarine?" Cloud asked, shaking his head and following when Tifa started walking again (he'd have to make an effort to not have to walk along given their linked arms). He just listened, the details cut loose from their context, but Cloud didn't mind. He'd get it sooner or later and he hadn't... felt up to asking his older self when he met him that first day in Edge.

Cloud tensed a little at Tifa's description, growing slightly pale. That sounded about as fun as being stuck on a several hours journey on a helicopter, except with added water all around.

Swallowing down the ghostly impression of vertigo at the description, Cloud shook his head.

"I guess it was just luck he figured it out..." it was said in a thoughtful tone, with Cloud glancing down at his free hand, flexing it slowly. Really, unless he was missing something, that wasn't something even his older self would've learned before it happened... it made Cloud feel pretty good, both for his older self and himself.

Looking up at his arm being squeezed, Cloud stared silently for a moment, then nodded slowly. But he looked away too, feeling a bit uncertain whether that could really apply to him right now. It wasn't like he'd done any of what it seemed his older self had managed, after he survived...

"I guess so..." he said softly, agreement for several things even as he hesitated over it, then frowned at Tifa, both understanding (it really wasn't fun being alone) and not (because a lot of the time he didn't mind, it was just easier that way). "I try to."

Even if he often felt like the failure made the effort worthless.

"But I'm not sure motion sickness works like that," Cloud offered up, but he was smiling as he said it.

Edited 2016-06-27 11:37 (UTC)

Me? Oh, well that is a surprise. I am a Gorilla, a mammal often hailing from the African jungles.

I am not from here, as you've implied. I am from a place called Earth.

"Well it was a bit of an adjustment. There is such a lot of abundance of greys and blacks," said Sunset. "It's colors that aren't found as often in both of my homelands."

"But the tech here is marvelous. With the right parts I could build so many machines for science projects."

"It is. I look forward to seeing what else this world has in store for us," said Winston with a smile. "This place has so much potential."

"I don't think it's a good idea," he said stubbornly. "I'll hire as many security personnel as you please, but I believe the Turks should remain as we are."

That made Rufus smile ever so slightly. He was, of course, in complete agreement with Tseng and always would be when it came to the Turks. They were more than his black ops department and bodyguards, after everything. Rufus would never compromise them by adding strangers.

"Of course. Still, the idea of a rabbit in the Turks is rather amusing if only as a thought experiment."

[Oh he's well aware that he's biased, Rufus.]

Vincent's going to Mideel.

[Self explanatory right?]

I'm staying here so I can keep an eye on Edge.

[Tifa and Vincent would be proud of him for making that decision on his own.]

Of course you are.

[He doubts they'll let Vincent get close to the Lifestream on Mideel, honestly]

Was there anything else?

Cloud just gives the other a look that screams 'Asshole', but there's a softness there--a fondness that makes it clear he's not really upset. This sort of banter, these sorts of comments...he's missed them. Sure several of the others have a wit and charm all their own but they weren't Zack.

And then Zack has to go and bring up age.

The blonde's look melts into something completely dry now and he just stares at the other.

"I'm twenty-three." Twenty-three Zack. Don't you dare try and call him 'Old Man' because he will punch you right in the face.

[Cloud would like to see you or anyone else try and stop Vincent. Because let's be honest. The guy has a knack for going wherever he wants.]

Not currently.

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Summer Solstice

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its healthy for Cloud AND Vincent, someone that finally understands

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