not interested

avalanchehero

No matter where Zack was or what inexplicable things were happening to and around him, there was no mistaking that hair. He’d spent literal years (though he was unaware for many of them) wondering how it was that it defied gravity so easily while still being so soft. Like a chocobo’s butt, he’d said before, but also like the cloud that was its owner’s namesake. And Zack had been on his way somewhere, but that wasn’t important anymore, not when he was in a cafe in a city he wasn’t even sure was on the same planet he’d always known and over the edge of a booth was peeking the familiar blonde spikes. Zack couldn’t see from here whether Cloud was alone in the booth or if he had company, but that mattered as little as his prior plans.

Cloud was still alive, breathing and walking forward on his own legs (well, sitting for now, but it’s a metaphor, c’mon). Despite being unable to take the last of the army sent for them down with him, Cloud had evaded capture even in his fragile state, recovered from the worst case of mako poisoning Zack had ever seen, and was sitting in a cafe in a far from home that Zack had somehow managed to find without trying.

He poured some cream into his coffee, watching it swirl in the mug. From the lifestream to storms on Jupiter to cream in a hot drink, there was always that same soft, wavelike motion that behaved in unpredictable and yet remarkably replicable ways.

The fractal universe, he thought, No matter how much deeper into it you look, you'll always find the same patterns. It's the one bit of consistency that we're granted.

He marked his page in the book that he had long since stopped paying attention to and laid it on the table.

It had been a technique he had picked up - he couldn't really remember when or how - that he used when the world seemed beyond control. Fractals were, by nature, consistent. These tiny natural infinities were Cloud's sanctum in a world of chaos.  People, disasters, war - these were all things that were unpredictable, uncontrollable. In a minute, a town could go up in flames, people could turn on the ones they loved... friends could die.

He didn't want to think about that.

Cloud felt his stomach turn; the weight of it all - of the guilt, the memories - always made him ill. The rich aroma of the coffee now seemed acrid. Pushing the mug away from him a little, he reached for his book, hoping his mind would let him slip away into fantasy for just a little while.

Fate, as it is wont to do, however, had no intention of allowing any such thing to happen.

The instant he heard the voice breathe his name, Cloud fell into a state of shock and disbelief.

The book still in his shaking hands, he turned around - and just like that, Cloud was staring into the only other eyes he knew to match the intensity of his own.

His blue eyes took in the sight of the man before him, his fighting instincts still insisting on summing up whether or not he’s a threat. The other said something about environmentalists being angry about the trees, and Link decided that he isn’t a threat. He shrugs his shoulders sheepishly. Be glad I didn’t use my bombs, he thought to himself. That would’ve caused some real damage. He turns back and looks at the tree, then back at the blond standing before him, and finally gives the other a friendly smile.

In an attempt to show some good will, Cloud started to help the stranger pick up the debris from his training. Splintered bark and branches were strewn about the area. It practically looked like a tornado had ripped through.

Man, he really did a number on this tree...

Continuing in silence for a while, Cloud felt the atmosphere began to grow a little awkward. He needed to revive the conversation, if you could even call it that - he wasn't even sure if this other guy knew how to speak.

@avalanchehero

When Laika found herself in some weird city that shone in the light, to say the least she was confused. That portal was supposed to lead to Icarus and the rest of her mercenary group. She was supposed to be with her brother. What was he supposed to do without her? Maybe he was also in this city. That was her hope as she began wandering in the outskirts of the city. The buildings were so large, at least as tall as the sky, maybe as far up to the stars themselves. It was intimidating. Her ears pinned themselves to her head as she continued wandering lost.

After wandering for what seemed like forever to the laguz, she finally found a building that was not as tall as the others. This was where she could ask where she was. As she entered the building, people where rushing around her. She went to the person sitting at a desk. As soon as she asked where she was, the lady asked her what her name was, where she was from, where she wanted to be Housed, and many other questions that flew over her head. Then she was handed a form that naturally she couldn’t read.

She scribbled on the line and then it was taken away from her. She then got a box handed to her, and she was ushered out by some random person and lead her to this building. When he lead her in, she couldn’t help but intimidated by the sheer size of it. She then got lead to a room. The man said that this was her apartment from this point on. Well that left her in an awkward situation. She used the key given to open the door.

Rising from the living room couch and hardly possessing the energy to deal with whoever was barging in at this ungodly hour, he half-heartedly attempted to reason with the intruder:

"Look, just get out, I don't want to have to resort to any viol-"

A fairly young looking girl was standing in the entryway, looking about as tired as he felt. Not only tired, but scared.

Oh. Hadn't there been mention of a roommate of some sort?

Trying to rectify the now extremely awkward situation, Cloud made an effort to appear somewhat friendly and not like someone who had all but threatened to kick the crap out of the newcomer who was clearly his roommate.

"Sorry, I'm a little tense this evening... Long day. I'm Cloud. It looks like we'll be living together from now on. Hopefully I didn't scare you there."

Were those... ears? Like, not-human ears?

             Slash—

                         Crack—

Link holds his sword in his left hand and his shield in his right, swinging the blade with practiced motions. The bark of the tree upon which he is practicing is already far gone, collecting in a pile in the snow. With every blow, the tree cracks, the wood splinters, and the sword vibrates in the hero’s hand. He hops left and right between every third or fourth swing, avoiding imaginary bokoblins and bulblins. He rolls to the side and swings upward, imagining a darknut about to swing and—

                                                       Click—

During his roll, Link loosened a small stake in the ground—the only thing anchoring the piece of rope he’d set up. When the stake is freed from the frozen soil, the rope whips and moves as one of the tree’s branches begins swinging towards him. The Hylian quickly does a backflip, using his sword and shield to steady himself as he lands. The branch narrowly misses him.

When the young man had finished, Cloud found himself approaching him. He didn't know why - he wasn't really the social type, let alone the type to approach strangers - but here he was.

Maybe I'm just... lonely. I don’t know.