thestormishere | ☈ strike #01 (action / voice)

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☈ strike #01 (action / voice)

[ Amidst the chilly but otherwise relatively nice weather, out of the forest there's suddenly evidence of several small explosions: first a blaze of light and smoke, then directly afterward an even brighter flash and what sounds suspiciously like a clap of thunder... as if a storm had struck right there despite it being reasonably clear. When the echoes die out and birds stop screaming warnings and flying away, there's only a young woman, pink-haired and severe-looking, standing near the center of the blasts.

Good day Luceti, Lightning's just arrived, and she's already killed a random deer- within the first quarter hour of her waking up here, even, although at the time she thought it was out of self-defense. The animal just came too close, and anyone who cares to investigate the disruption would soon discover Lightning first stamping out any small fires she inadvertently caused, then cautiously half-kneeling by the beast as she checks it for life. What was such a weak animal doing out by itself in the wilderness, anyway?

Several minutes later finds the very confused-but-hiding-it former-soldier - already changed into her regular clothing - finally making her presence known on the journals. Initially she just flips through the pages and listens in on what little can be heard at the time, but she does eventually speak... her tone very flat and to the point, of course. It's more of a demand than a question, really. ]

Where is this?

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Hm.

[ Aside from wary and annoyed, Lightning looks pretty in control... except that those stupid new wings on her back twitch and betray her agitation without her even realizing it. What to say? For where she thinks she is, there is some reason to believe admitting it is alright - and his response supports it - but her source of information is something like... 500 years out of date.

She's not really a liar though, so long as he doesn't ask about her Focus. What of it? ]

... Yeah.

[ And... what, haven't you ever wondered what you'd look like as a girl with pink hair and super-long eyelashes, Cloud? ]

Good. [And Cloud looks like he's about to leave, but-

...wait, she's in New Feather gear, isn't she? He turns back to look at her again.] ...did you just wake up here?

....

[ Lightning's eyes widen a little in surprise, and for a long moment she has a rather riveting battle with her own stubbornness and pride regarding being left alone again. She's just about ready to tell him to wait when he stops and looks back on his own.

Not that his question makes her feel any better, though. If this next statement can't be considered darkly-toned, nothing can. ]

A few minutes ago.

[Cloud nods, but more to himself than for her. His eyes flick to the damage again -is she crazy or unstable? She doesn't exactly seem the friendly sort, but who would be after showing up here like she has? He wasn't all that personable either.

Nobody should be alone their first day here.

Ahhh. All right then.]

Okay. If you follow me, I'll lead you into the village; I can show you where to get clothes and some other stuff, and where you can find your weapons if you have any.

[ Accepting help from a stranger? Easier said than done for someone like Lightning, but what other choice does she have? It's cold out here, her friends are missing, and she definitely wants that gunblade back ASAP. She looks away but inclines her head slightly, thinking rapidly. ~~And if he's not concerned about the dead animal any more, neither is she.~~ ]

Fine... just give me a second.

[ Her uniform is already there, but instead of telling him she just starts picking it up and, after a moment, swings on the undershirt and sleeveless coat right over her sundress and wings with as little awkwardness as she can manage (removing any chance he might see the tattoo-like Brand on her chest). The boots are next, but her well-practiced deftness with strapping them on means that doesn't take her long, either.

Everything else is just hung over her arm, although she makes a point of separating out the journal as she finally steps a little closer. ]

What's this?

[WAT she gets her clothes?! Unfair.

Cloud's not quite enough of a creeper to just stand there and watch her dress so he rests his hands on his hips and digs the toe of his boot into the ground, very pointedly turning away.

When she asks though, he glances over at what she's holding. ...man she looks so much like someone he knows, he just can't quite put his finger on who it is. ~~Because he's slow.~~]

Oh- that's yours. Everyone gets one when they show up. [He hesitates.] Do you know what a network is?

[ Hey, it's not like they're much warmer or anything! It's freezing out here!

... And then she notices the resemblance too. Wow, he looks a lot like a younger version of her dad or something. That, or her crossed with a blue-eyed chocobo. Um.

-- Journal! Network! Right. ]

Like...? [sigh.] Yes.

[ Looking at it now- so is this a computer? One that looks like a book, for some reason. A book with paper, even. Weird. This place is weird. ]

It's like that but with books. I've got no idea how it works; it just does. [Cloud shrugs -he'll figure out who she looks like later- then turns to lead her toward the village. His wings are beneath his jacket, so they aren't visible at the moment.]

I woke up here maybe...a week ago, I think. In the woods, like you. That's usually how people come to this place, or that's what I've been told, but since you're about the third one I've seen showing up like this it's probably true.

[ After a few seconds, she closes the journal to focus on moving instead, silently taking all of this in. Her eyes are on his back and her demeanor is still clearly annoyed with something though, even if it's difficult to keep up the momentum of irritation and the cold pursuit of answers when someone's being helpful like this. She wasn't expecting any hospitality at all here, never mind all this weird information being dumped on her.

What purpose could this be for? Some fal'Cie thing? Because of this, and since he just seemed to shrug off the magical damage earlier, she has to ask... ]

Are you a l'Cie?

[That's an easy question.]

No. I don't even know what that is; odds are, most of the other people here aren't going to either.

You don't know what a l'Cie is? ... Servants of the fal'Cie?

[ Excuse her while she... doesn't understand how this is possible at all. Maybe he knows them by a different name...?! ]

[Oh great now he gets to explain this crap. He doesn't even quite understand it himself yet.]

I'm not from the same Planet as you are. And this isn't the same Planet you were on.

[ What the hell is this? ~~Next thing you know he'll be telling her there's people who don't know what a chocobo is or something.~~ How can you be from a different planet? That's not like, Cocoon or...? ]

This... isn't Gran Pulse?

Nope. [He almost trips over a fallen tree since he'd glanced back over his shoulder to talk to her.]

I dunno if this Planet has a name, but the village I'm showing you to is called Luceti. It's where everybody on that network is living for now.

Hmm.

[ She... doesn't believe it. Believing it would mean accepting a lot of things she can't- not while she still has an outstanding Focus and all.

And so she just looks down, briefly putting a hand over her heart-- until she realizes what she's doing. Needing something else to do, she rearranges what she's carrying so that she can start pulling on her gloves. The business-like attitude quickly makes a reappearance. ]

... You said I could find my weapons there?

Should be able to. There's a bunch of shops where they dump all your stuff when you show up.

-you don't have to pay for them though, you can just take them. [Since he was pretty incensed when he heard his stuff was in a store.

They reach the treeline easily enough and the village pathways curve through the wilderness, the buildings visible in the distance. Cloud pauses and turns to face her, holding out a hand.]

Lemme see your journal.

[ Yeah, that's worth a froooown. She earned that damn gunblade, and she'll be hella pissed if she can't find it. She blinks before reluctantly doing as he says. ]

What for?

[Cloud doesn't answer, just flips through the pages until he comes upon a particular entry (http://wise-maiden.livejournal.com/24338.html#cutid1) and hands it back.]

That's a guide written by a woman who's been here a long time. It explains a lot of what's going on, and probably does it better than I can.

Oh- And here. [Cloud slips his own journal from where it was tucked against his belt and pulls out a folded piece of paper, holding it out for her to take.] My map. I wrote the store names and where to find stuff on there, so hopefully it's more useful than the blank ones you can pick up anywhere else.

I can show you around more, but I dunno if you want to be alone. [He knows he did.] I know I didn't believe any of the shit people were telling me until I saw it for myself, so.

So whatever you want.

[ Whoa, what. More slow blinking as she quickly glances over both offerings, definitely a little awkward at all the help. ]

Thank you.

[ Her stilted tone shows her discomfort, but she does mean it- best she can amongst the disorientation, that is. As for that offer, she has to think on it. Pride's a tricky thing... but she'd be betraying herself if she didn't use every resource available to her before it's gone. She gives a short sigh. ]

Just show me where I can find my weapon.

[ She's pretty good at geography and the like, but right now the map makes little sense to her. If she figures out one building first... ]

This way. [Cloud will lead her down the path that takes them to the plaza; it's not too long a walk thankfully, and he points out the building.]

That's the place. I marked it as the smithy on the map.

... Right.

[ Well, she could always rope him into actually helping her find the gunblade... but she decides not to push her luck, and to take the option that allows her time to investigate this little situation she's found herself in as soon as possible. On her own. And so with that, she just wanders off in that direction purposefully. ]

[As he watches her leave it occurs to him that he never found out who she is, so he calls out after her.]

Hey! What's your name?

[ She pauses, turning back slowly to look over her shoulder for a long moment. ]

... It's Lightning.

[...seriously? Well, he's got no room to talk.]

Right. See you around.

[And Cloud will let her go about her business as he goes about his. About ten minutes later it strikes him just who she looks like.

She looks like a young, pink version of his mom.]

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☈ strike #01 (action / voice)

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