Summer Solstice

[lifemods]

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!]]

Comments

[backwatertrooper]

Fair rides/Wandering around

Look at all these rides Cloud was not about to try! Even just glancing at some of them was almost enough to give him a feeling of vertigo and threatening nausea. And sure, he could probably have taken something to stave that off and tried at least some of these, but... no.

So he was rather dodging around and through lines, head down... and there was a tiny chocobo plush peeking out of a pocket.

Job Fair

He knew he needed a job of some kind, but Cloud honestly had no idea what. He'd been thinking of what the older version of him, here, said he was doing, but while the idea was actually pretty attractive, that didn't really help Cloud right now.

So mostly he was frowning softly at each and every one of the tables, not quite ever getting close enough to any of them.

wandering around :D

[more_than_words]

Tifa was just turning around, arms full of a brand new - and hideous - huge stuffed chocobo when she caught a glimpse of the hair. She probably would have anyway because she was always watching for that hair on the edge of her vision but in a crowd like this it was almost impossible to miss. Her mouth opened to call his name -

and than snapped shut. And then she exhaled and smiled and called:

"Cloud - "

She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

:D

[backwatertrooper]

Turning around at the call - even if he also, when he saw who it was, glanced around to check if she might have meant his older self - Cloud blinked and then gave Tifa a little wave and wandered over.

Then stopped, staring at the giant (and probably deliberately ugly) chocobo plush she was carrying. His nose scrunched up and he pushed the tiny one he'd stuffed in his pocket (much cuter than the one Tifa was carrying) deeper down, and hopefully out of sight.

"Hi." He would not ask. He would not---

"... why are you carrying that around..."

Too late. And then he felt a little embarrassed, because why had he asked it like that? Obviously she'd won it and hadn't had the chance to put it down or go back home with it.

[more_than_words]

She had to smile when he came over and didn't sprint in the other direction and the ugly stuffed chocobo in her arms got a slight squeeze of happiness. Her eyes curved and she was just about to return his greeting when he asked -

The grin that broke over her face was devastatingly bright - and possibly laced with pure evil.

"Isn't it hideous?" she sounded delighted. She'd seen the nose crinkle, Cloud. The smile didn't abate.

"I'm going to leave it on Cloud's bed back at Seventh Heaven. What do you think?"

[backwatertrooper]

"It is," Cloud said, eyeing the plush with wary distaste. If this was Zack, holding that, he would have been extremely worried. Of course, he'd have been worried even if it was cute. It was a joke---

There is came, and Cloud was tugged between exasperated annoyance both for himself and in solidarity for his older self, and swallowing a smile.

"You... um," Cloud snorted, tugging on his scarf, and then he lost the battle against his smile, "If it was me I'd be really annoyed."

He glanced away, biting his lip.

"... you should do it."

He was going to pay for this, he knew. One way or another it'd come back to bite him. It was inconceivable that it wouldn't.

[more_than_words]

Tifa didn't usually laugh but the giggle bubbled out of her. For just a second, she was fifteen. With nothing more dangerous in her life than getting away with mischief.

With a cohort now.

She leaned just the smallest bit forward, sharing a secret.

"I won't tell him you encouraged me."

[backwatertrooper]

Mischief Cloud was still eyeing with a mix of wariness and amusement. The giggle made him look to Tifa instead, however, and Cloud smiled. He'd heard it a few times, of course, but never stood right next to her.

He'd never really been the one partly responsible for such a reaction, and while it technically wasn't the right Tifa, it still made that part that always had wanted to be good enough for her to notice him feel very happy indeed.

"Okay. That's... good," he said, then his smile widened a little, "because if you did... I might have to leave and hide somewhere." It really was betrayal of the worst sort, encouraging the chocobo jokes when he had to be subjected to them himself.

[more_than_words]

She was very aware of how precious it was when Cloud decided to play along with something. Perhaps not to the extent it could be for his older self but she'd always remembered him as reserved. If he was willing to joke with her -

it meant he felt comfortable enough to relax around her. She didn't take that lightly.

So she hummed another laughing sound and her smile was bright, curving her eyes.

"Safest place to hide would be inside the doll. Because its probably the last thing he's going to want to be near." She adored Cloud. Really she did.

And part of feeling that way about him was being able to nudge at him sometimes. It was good for him. She was sure of it. More importantly, it was fun.

This one might not be the Cloud she knew - but he was still Cloud and so he was still precious to her. Her smile softened.

"How are you enjoying the fair so far, Cloud?"

[backwatertrooper]

"It's large, but not even you would be able to hide in it," Cloud said dryly, a little pleased to know he still might have a little more growth left in him, but even so, he was still taller than Tifa. Of course, it was also a bit frustrating to realise he'd have to wait for that last bit...

(And he refused to acknowledge that if he wasn't here, he'd never get it.)

"It's..." trailing off, he looked around, more than aware of the crowds around, people he'd mostly avoided aside from giving the little girl who'd almost won something the huge chocobo he'd won for her when he'd seen her upset, "... nice?"

Cloud ducked his head, shrugging.

"I've mostly... been walking around," he added quietly, then grimaced reflexively as he caught sight of the sun-lit silhouette of one of the rides rising above them behind Tifa.

Fair rides, etc.

[sworntoblood]

Head down. Bad idea.

Liadrin was not precisely in line, standing off to the side of one and staring. The faire rides had her boggling. Oh, certainly they were marvels of engineering...but they were not marvels of engineering that she was willing to risk life, limb, or sanity on. She was grateful to have her feet on the ground, thank you.

Besides, riding a real creature, be it one of these 'chocobos' (why didn't they call them hawkstriders, in the sensible fashion?) or a dragon or such, seemed much safer. You could tell why they spooked, after all.

So when the young human brushed past her, not paying much attetion (in her mind) to where he was going, she'd attempt to catch him by the shoulder.

"Watch where you're going, fellow! You might lose your little hawkstrider." Yes, she'd caught sight of the toy in his pocket. It, at least, brought a smile to her lips.

[backwatertrooper]

If she'd given him a few seconds more, Cloud absolutely would have managed to avoid her without bumping into either her or the other person next in line. Head snapping up, Cloud flushed, nodding reflexively.

"Sorry--- Wait, my... hawkstrider?" As he said it, his hand brushed over the chocobo plush in his pocket and he realised what she was talking about. The little blush earlier brightened, even if he smiled a little too.

"Oh, um, yeah." Ducking his head, Cloud carefully pushed the chocobo more firmly into his pocket.

"... haven't... heard chocobos called that before," he said hesitantly, wondering if it was a local name or if this---

Wait. Actually paying attention now, Cloud realised (and wasn't sure why he hadn't realised it first thing) she must be a Streamer, given her look. He wasn't sure if the glowing eyes or long, pointy ears were the most eye-catching.

[sworntoblood]

She hadn't been overly harsh! And it would be a sore shame to have his...chocobo...drop to the dirt.

"We have something like them, where I'm from, though I have never seen one with such a particular golden hue." It might just be yellow, you know, Liadrin, but melodrama tends to appeal to blood elves...

She bowed a little, then. "I'm not certain these...rides...are the safest of contraptions. Though you don't seem to need worry about goblin engineering, here. And I'd look terribly silly if I went to the...chocobo rides, along with the littles."

Except honestly, that's where she'd feel safest.

"Was it difficult to win one of those? I have a few coins..." Which were probably supposed to be for lunch, but even if it didn't match up to the hawkstriders of Quel'thalas, having one in her tiny apartment would make it feel more like home.

[backwatertrooper]

It's okay, Liadrin, Cloud's just a bit of a shy mess.

He nodded, curious as to what the ones looked like where she came from - though probably similar enough to chocobos to cause her to use her name for them.

"... if you've got decent aim, you should be able to win one," he offered, smiling a little, "and this one's just yellow."

He actually pulled out the little plush, giving it a squint-eyed look and probably making the similarities between the chocobo's crest and tail and his own spikes rather... clear.

"There's.. gold, black, blue and green ones, too," Cloud said softly, then glanced up at the nearest ride with a quick flick of his eyes, shaking his head, "they're safe. If you want to, you should ride."

Cloud would have, if he could have.

[sworntoblood]

"I am still not sure about that. I feel as if riding a dragon, or even one of the Alliance's gryphons, would be safer."

Those could be reasoned with, after all. A mechanical contraption...No. No. Call her craven, if you must, but even the Matriarch had her limits. She had just come upon one.

At the similarity between his hair and the chocobo's feathers became apparent, she stifled a chuckle, lifting her hand to hide her smile. It was hardly malicious, but it sounded...rusty. As if she were far too serious, most of the time.

Likely because that was the truth.

"We have black, white, blue, green, red, and pink hawkstriders, at home. Sometimes they wear fancy barding." Although sometimes, with the feathery crests they possessed, Liadrin felt they looked something like troll headdresses. No accounting for taste.

"Perhaps I shall have to try, though. A soothing blue, maybe. Still, thank you. I appreciate your help." She bowed to him, then. "I am Liadrin. You are?"

She isn't organically friendly, but she really is trying...

[backwatertrooper]

She wasn't from here, obviously, and regardless of what technology she was used to, fair rides weren't for anyone, so Cloud just nodded, quietly amazed at the idea of anyone riding dragons or gryphons.

Here, they were hardly something that could be tamed or reasoned with. He glanced up at her chuckle, glanced down at the plush in his hand and stifled a little sigh, but she didn't seem to be making fun of him, so... he'd just accept it.

"Dragons and gryphons aren't things you can really ride, here... We use chocobos or cars," he paused to nod to a flatbed truck nearby, partly tucked behind a tent. There were trains and whatnot too, but better keep it simple, though she'd have seen that and other things on the trip to Edge, of course.

"I'm Cloud," he said quietly, hoping he didn't look as questioning as he felt when she bowed. That wasn't something people did here - well, he thought they might in Wutai, but he wasn't sure.

[sworntoblood]

It just outlined the differences between Azeroth and this world, clearly. Oh, there were those who shook hands, but Liadrin had always felt that somewhat informal. So bowing it was.

"Well. To be honest, certain dragons at home are...shall we say, choosy about who rides them, as well. They are not easily trained." The elf sighed. "Clearly, I will prefer a chocobo, should I ever need to travel more in the future."

And if she wasn't told to take a mechanical vehicle. Truth be told, they made her a little queasy. The motion wasn't natural...

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Cloud. I do apologize for waylaying you." Even if she had done so for helpful reasons. "I hope I haven't delayed you."

[backwatertrooper]

He shook his head silently at the question, then after a moment, amended; "I... was just walking around." He cast a glance up at the nearest of the fair rides and let out a huff, then turned back to Liadrin.

"Chocobos are still really good," he said, chewing his lip in thought, "and at least the ferry between Junon and Costa del Sol could accommodate one." So if she wanted to travel and do it cross-continent, it wouldn't really be that much of an issue.

Though, of course, some chocobos were perfectly suited to take their rider across the ocean by themselves, but those weren't exactly cheap.

[shinra_dog]

Every once in awhile, Reno wandered past the job fair tables, curious to see who would actually still be interested in working for "Shinra Tech." The company still had a lot of hate against it in the aftermath of, well, everything.

But there were a surprising amount of people who still visited the table, signing up for information and talking to the representatives. The "new" Shinra.

Of all the faces and forms filing through the area, Reno didn't expect to see a familiar one. Or one straight from his past. "Cloud?"

[backwatertrooper]

Cloud had been slowly circling closer, mostly out of curiosity as to what this apparent change in name meant. Not really close enough to draw the attention of anyone behind the table - well, that's what he'd hoped, anyway, but his name being called had him looking up, frowning.

He didn't recognise the redhead, but he didn't really need to; it was obvious the guy was a Turk. Just not one of the few Turks Cloud had met. It made Cloud shift slightly on his feet, debating whether to leave entirely, or... In the end, he carefully wandered closer.

"... sorry, I don't..." hesitating, Cloud wasn't sure what to say, here, but he finally just shrugged, "know who you are. Did you want the one who actually belongs here?"

Hopefully for nothing bad, in that case. At least he could say he hadn't seen his older self recently, then.

[shinra_dog]

Reno managed a smile and shook his head. "Nah, man -- it's cool. I know. After five plus years, you look different, y'know? Just... a shock, t' see you like this again."

He cocked his head to the side, just looking at Cloud for a moment. "Yer just a kid."

[backwatertrooper]

"And you're a Turk," Cloud said flatly, a little huff lurking behind the words. Because fine, maybe he wasn't around twenty three years old, but the Turk was now the second one who'd gone and jumped straight to 'kid'.

Then he shifted on his feet, not quite shrugging.

"... you're not the only one who's said that. Makes sense, I guess." Sometimes it made him wonder if it wouldn't be better to try and avoid people, but Tifa didn't seem to mind, at least. And his older self... that was more complicated, but no more different than with Tifa, at the same time.

[shinra_dog]

Reno chuckled. Yup, this was the same cadet alright. Gods, why did he have to look cute when he pouted like that? Reno shook his head. Kid was fifteen -- stop it.

"Who else said so?" he asked with a curious smile.

[backwatertrooper]

Sixteen and a few months, Reno, sixteen (as if a year was much difference)!

"Zack," Cloud said, rolling his eyes, and then paused, frowning. That wasn't as clear a statement as it maybe should have been, if this Planet didn't have the problem with the Streamers - and even if it didn't, the Zack that belonged here was still supposed to be dead...

"... the one that belongs here, I mean," then he sighed, and he was pretty sure the Zack he knew would think exactly the same thing anyway, so maybe it didn't matter in specifying.

[shinra_dog]

Zack. It was a weird sort of ironic destiny or something... Zack and Cloud meeting up again. Not only that, but dead Zack meeting young Cloud.

"Figures." Reno shook his head. "That musta' been a blast from the past for him..."

[backwatertrooper]

"Probably," Cloud shook his head, frowning a little. He was just relieved he'd met 'his' Zack beforehand, otherwise his reaction would've been... far less contained. He'd been surprised enough as it was, but that was easier to handle.

(Not that Zack would've minded, he was sure, but that... wasn't the point.)

"I was just glad to see him," he said, and tried not to think about the fact that while Zack (and him) and survived the reactor here, it was only for four more years, and then...

"... what's a Turk doing manning this, anyway?"

Cloud cocked his head, determinedly pushing away those thoughts to focus back on Reno instead.