#nanakithewarrior

"... you know, Sephiroth's feet are way bigger than mine. Why don't you go sit on those instead, yeah?"

It was the first time Project: CLOUD had been outside the walls of Midgar, while accustomed to the littered ground of the slums, the uneven footing and unpredictability of the outdoors was difficult to grasp.

CLOUD and Red XIII were volunteered for the task of locating a fiend and soon the former lab rat would see first hand the limits of a newly activated android. Not only was CLOUD a tad clumsy on his feet but when met with a tree that had fallen down across a path, the android was unsure of what to do and paused; watching Red XIII easily hop over the obstacle. Had it been Tifa or Barret he could simply copy their action based on anatomy... But Red XIII was beyond his comprehension and he couldn't imitate it.

The boy looked around as he seemed to be lost, crimson irises could only gaze around before he would venture forth, making sure to stay alert just in case things got bad for him.

He gulped as careful footsteps tread, he wished he knew where he ended up as it looked to be some sort of canyon? There were many rocky formations so maybe?

He continued to walk, unaware if anything or anyone was near.

He watched the creature frantically react and stutter out his denials, self-conscious and boyish in his initial denials. He almost felt bad for speaking the question aloud. However, not enough. He was aware, from where he observed and experienced from the sidelines, everyone had their ways in which they might feel apart. He tried to stay aware of them, as much as he could from what he could manage to observe, to navigate this group as best he could.

However, there were certainly moments, not all the time, but some of the time that he felt it easier to linger with Red, or Nanaki, whichever he preferred to refer to himself by, that he had not yet learned; the group had simply been consistent in referring to him as Red. Vincent had not been aware of his species age and maturity, though the longer he lingered with them all, the more he could see it.

But he still watched him retreat to wise confidence, like a defense. And how else was a creature such as him supposed to feel?

Creatures, not human. He figured they had that in common. And so he figured Red would understand the sensation that was nearly always with the raven-haired gunslinger, whether it wore on him or not.

He didn't bother answers the first sputtered questions from before, but he listened to the others' honesty. A stranger in the room. It was never a welcome feeling, certainly.

As he looked up and asked him the last question, Vincent looked back at Red.

"Of course I do." he confirmed. The confession was not as heavy as perhaps it should be, nor did it hold shame--it was just spoken as if clear fact. "There are many reasons for it. But it is always there. I suppose I simply wonder how many of us feel the same, despite how the rest of you are so tightly bound."

Cosmo Canyon had opened Barret's eyes in more ways than one. He'd known the planet was struggling, but just how much he couldn't have fathomed. It fuelled his anger towards ShinRa even more and pushed his resolve until it burned in his chest. The Canyon was beautiful but devastating. For a second he wondered if ShinRa came here, would they see what they were doing? Would it change their minds? Though as quick as the question came, he scoffed. Barret knew the answer. It wouldn't change a damn thing, hell... they'd likely take this place for everything it offered too! 

Everything that the company touched they ruined. Barret could admit that Mako had made their lives easier, but the cost was too high. Much too high. But how did they fix this? How could they stop it? 

As he looked into the fire, listening to Aerith talk; he couldn't come up with an answer. Sure, he could blow every reactor they made to smithereens, but then they'd just build more. While there were people in the world who relied on that energy, while the people let ShinRa keep doing this... nothing would change. 

And Barret didn't know if they could change millions... billions of people's minds. So what could they do?

Just keep fightin'...

It was the only answer he could come up with. But that would be a never-ending cycle, wouldn't it? Cosmo Canyon had answered some of the questions he'd had, but it'd also given him so much more to think about.

"We're gonna save it... we gotta..."

@nanakithewarrior​ asked:  ❝  have you even taken the time to let yourself feel it?  everything that’s been happening.  eventually,  you have to slow down and let it feel real.  ❞ CONVERSATIONAL  SENTENCE  STARTERS - ACCEPTING

‘Let it feel real’ he said, a remark which only elicits the subtle downward twitch of a blond brow.

 Thought provoking could this creature be, and so very strange. Strange that in his time travelling around this planet in his - albeit short - twenty five years and never had he come across a creature such as this… Red Thirteen. And with his reluctance to really speak about himself or where he came from, or even why; difficult to differentiate him from the simple minded monsters birthed from mako fissures. 

Still, insightful enough was he that eventually Roche would turn away from the campfire, to gaze upon this creature, so akin to a cat… and not all in the same instance. 

“To slow down means to stop eventually-” Roche started then, lifting a single knee to rest an elbow upon it. “I cannot fathom that as a viable option for me. Besides… I’ve felt things real enough, more than a man of my age should have had to endure.” 

His bright gaze would falter then, back to the flames of the campfire, a low nasal huff leaving him before he would speak again. 

"And you have about as much decorum as an old rug in a greasy spoon."