SOLDIER Guard> Astraea enters the building, and the glass doors shut quietly.
SOLDIER Guard> Astraea has arrived.
SOLDIER Guard> SOLDIER Guard stands near the elevator, watching the doors
carefully.
SOLDIER Guard> Astraea walks into the building, once she gets over the shock at seeing such a tall place.. o O ( Enormous.. ) She glances around, brushing her hand through her tangled curls, restoring the order to it as she eyes the guard, moving hesitantly at first, then with a bit more confidence, "Excuse me."
SOLDIER Guard> SOLDIER Guard straightens slightly as he's addressed. "Yes,
Ma'am? Can I be of service?" . o O (Why do they always come in when Athan's
off? Just my luck.)
SOLDIER Guard> Astraea says, "I hope so.." She smiles cheerfully, "..I was
referred here by a gentleman in this company's employ. A man by the name of
Tseng. Is he here?" She pauses, and adds, "He was with a girl named Saruke, I believe.."
SOLDIER Guard> SOLDIER Guard nods a little. "Well, Tseng is occupied, I'm
afraid. But I can get..er...Saruke here, if you need to speak with someone."
SOLDIER Guard> Astraea nods, "Do that.." She replies, then turns slightly to
look around with a little more interest.
SOLDIER Guard> SOLDIER Guard nods, taking a radio and keying it. "Ma'am?"
*static and a soft voice* "...yes. Yes, there's someone here who wants to see you." *more static* The Guard looks over. "What might your name be, Ma'am?'"
SOLDIER Guard> Astraea turns around as she is addressed, "Astraea."
SOLDIER Guard> SOLDIER Guard nods and speaks into the radio. After a moment, he keys it off again. "She'll be down in a moment."
SOLDIER Guard> Astraea says, "Thank you." She wanders around a bit in the
lobby, most of her interest in the Shinra displays
SOLDIER Guard> Kurasu comes out of the elevator.
Kurasu steps out of the elevator as the doors swing open, nodding at the guard, who salutes to her. She looks over at Astraea again, stepping out of the way of the elevator doors. "Good to see you again." She inclines her head. "Konban--wa."
Astraea turns around as she hears the doors swing in, and the bell chim the
elevator's arrival. She inclines her head in a friendly greeting, her left
forearm and her forehead bandaged, the rest of her wounds not necessitating
treatment, in her eyes, "I thought I'd follow up on the gentleman's offer." She smiles faintly, "But I fear I came at a bad time, if he's occupied..?"
Kurasu loosk at the arm briefly, then the rest of the wounds. "I hope that
herbal store helped you out some, at least." She shakes her head. "A bad time for him, but I can help out where he can't. And I'm sure he'll be free soon enough. I'll just leave a note for him, if you like."
Astraea nods, "That'll be good enough," she smiles, then extends her arm
slightly, "And yes, the store did help a good deal, thank you. I should be all patched up soonish.. though I'm likely to have a few scars." She shrugs a shoulder, walking leisurely towards you, "Not that it matters.. I'll always have a scar..physical or otherwise."
Kurasu looks again towards the arm as it's presented towards her, then shakes her head slightly. "Hope it isn't too bad, anyhow." She shifts her weight to one foot, crossing her arms comfortably across her front. "And I don't mean to pry, again, but you keep mentioning that. If you want to talk..."
"Talk?" She chuckles, "No real sense in that.." She lowers her arm, "That girl and her friends were responsible for the deaths of over a thousand
villagers.." She narrows her eyes, her voice growing detached, "All for
poower..." She chuckles, "I searched for years for them.. to get my revenge.."
Kurasu nods at that. "And now you followed them here. And you found them
again." She gives a sigh. "Friends...what friends might those be?" She looks
up, interested now. "More like she is, you mean?'"
Astraea says, "No.. not like her." She pauses, "I'd like to say it's been too long to remember them..but I remember.. I can never forget.." She chuckles softly, "..the flames of hell burned their faces to my eyes.. Kefka.. the blonde Magitek knight.. and the demon girl.."
Cloud enters the building, and the glass doors shut quietly.
Cloud has arrived.
Cloud walks in silently, looking about the tower with an almost curious
expression on his face, his blue eyes blazing all the more than
normal.
Astraea slowly turns to look at the newcomer, o O ( ..another employee of
theirs probably..it's the eyes. ) She looks away again ..sorta.
Kurasu shakes her head at Astraea. "Kefka, I know. He's been seen in the area. The blond...I don't know for certain." She frowns and lowers her eyelashes. . o O (Could be talking ab...what the?) Her eyes snap open again, fully, at the figure that walked through the door. She snaps her gaze up to stare directly at him, as though making sure.
SOLDIER Guard either hasn't heard about who this is, or isn't willing to
believe it. Behind the helmet, his eyes go wide, though, and he searches a
moment for his radio.
Astraea narrows her eyes, "So.. he -is- here?" Her left fist tightens slightly, then loosens again, frowning this time as she notices Saruke's reaction to Cloud's entrance.
Cloud looks about the room, his eyes seemingly less than focused. They pass
right on over Kurasu with a minimal of recognition within them, nodding to
himself as he continues his examination of the area.
Somewhere in Shinra, Rude goes O_O; at the security monitors.
Kurasu nods a bit at Astraea. "You'll excuse me a moment?" She ahems somewhat at Cloud, trying not to look _overly_ nervous. Or freaked out. Or whatever. "Can I help you?" Somehow, she manages to keep the edge from her voice.
Astraea nods briefly in response to Kurasu's question, then takes a step back until her back presses against the wall, glancing around
carefully.
Cloud, tilting his head slightly, focuses his deep, deep sapphire eyes upon
Kurasu. After a moment of contemplation he simply replies, "I am looking for someone."
Kurasu nods at that, glancing at the guard passingly, then back to Cloud again. "And that 'somebody' might be?" The guard nods in return at the nod, lifting the radio to his mouth and mumbling into it softly.
You page-pose, "The guard gives a soft update on what's being said, and 'suggests' that SOLDEIR prepare to mobilize." to Rude
In a page-pose to you, Rude doesn't disagree in the least bit, he's on his way as is an entire contingent of SOLDIER
Cloud abruptly begins to smile faintly, a dark, chilling smile at
best.
Cloud replies quietly, tilting his head in the other direction, "Mother."
Astraea . o O ( How cute. )
Kurasu seems to think it's less than 'cute' herself. She frowns at that in
puzzlement, then shakes her head, slowly. "....I'm not sure who you're
referring to." . o O (Wasn't that what Sephiroth was raving
about...?)
Cloud looks a bit more inquiringly at Kurasu, his eyes meeting her own clearly as he casually replies, "Everyone has two sides to themselves... as every blade has two edges. Perhaps a dark side. Would you believe that?"
Kurasu nods at that, slowly. "I would." She gives the SOLDIER guard a
half-wave, and he nods, inching his way back to at-ease. She focuses on Cloud again, glowing eyes meeting glowing eyes. "The question is, what you intend to do with it. Or what you plan to be using it for."
SOLDIER Guard. o O (I hope the General knows what she's going in this....) o_o;;
Cloud replies, taking a step closer to Kurasu, "War... pestilence... famine... death... destruction. That is Shinra's dream, is it not..? For all their power, it won't save them. The great lord will come, and leave a trail of blood miles wide in his wake." You suddenly realize that, during the entire time, he has not blinked.
Kurasu drops her hand from its place, setting to her swordhilt. She hasn't
blinked either, but for her, it's a force of will. For Cloud it seems,
almost....natural. As he approaches a step nearer, the glow to her eyes
heightens a moment, triggered by the rush of nervousness? Anxiety? Excitement? Or a mixture of the three, maybe. Whatever it is, it stays out of her voice as she says, too calmly, "The great lord....you mean Sephiroth, don't you." It's a comment. Not a question. It might be a wild guess, but it's all she has to go on. "Sephiroth's still alive, and now, you're working with him."
Cloud looks puzzled a brief moment, then abruptly he begins to laugh, a rich
unamused chuckle that seems all the more hollow from the topic at hand.
"Sephiroth alive..? WORKING with Sephiroth?!" At his words he begins laughing all the harder suddenly, seeming greatly amused as though at some hidden joke. "Working with Sephiroth? No, my lady... I am not working with Sephiroth."
Cloud's eyes suddenly take on a deep green glow, the space about him phasing as though he shares one space with two people... the afterimage of a great lord of silver hair and considerable height standing in his place. "I *am* Sephiroth."
Astraea (OOC) doesn't want to be noticed in this situation ..heeee
Astraea (OOC) says, "Actally, giving my claustraphobia, I'd ICly have bolted by now -.n Subtly of course n.n"
Kurasu stiffens sharply at the revelation, immediately clicking to an 'on
alert' look to her. . o O (This is bad this is bad this is bad). "And you're
here for Jenova." She draws a breath and shakes her head slowly. "Or for Hojo." Either one, this isn't looking at all good. Her hand shifts again against the sword's hilt, nervously, and the look behind her eyes becomes half-vague. . o O (If I'd known this was going to happen, I would have grabbed my materia)
Cloud, his movements strangely enough all too graceful even for himself,
reaches up a hand to suddenly trace a line from the bridge of Kurasu's cheek to her chin, his expression a mixture of haunting wonder and dark curiosity. "Or both." he says simply, his voice seemingly deeper in bass than his own true voice. Then he adds almost as an afterthought, "You know mother do you. Then you will understand her power."
Rude comes out of the elevator.
Rude has arrived.
Kurasu doesn't jerk away from the touch, although she finally does that blink she's been holding back from. Blink, and narrowed eyes, looking Cloud over at that, once again. "I don't know her well. Not as well, apparently, as you do." Immediately as the words leave her mouth, she regrets them. This isn't the man to be sarcastic to...
Rude runs out of the elevator, a contingent of SOLDIER Second-Class running out behind him. Taking in the situation at hand, he immediately begins speaking into a cellphone.
Cloud doesn't blink yet or seem to take any offense at her words. In fact,
that cold calculating smile seems to grow faintly. "Perhaps you should.. you would understand then."
Kurasu shifts her glance towards Rude and the SOLDIER, giving a sharp shake of her head. . o O (Dammit, don't make him mad. This is another Sephiroth.) As much of the 'keep back' is put into the glance as possible, then she focuses on Sephi...er, Cloud again. "Understand...you? Understand your mother?" She shakes her head, slowly at that. "I don't think so. Not really the way I work, after all."
The group of SOLDIERs appears to be quiet large as well, as each appear to be allready heavily armed, and ready for any form of assault. But, they do stand back after the signal which Kurasu gives each of them.
Cloud tilts his head, inclining it in a degree of curiosity as his fingers
continue tracing another line on her opposite cheek now. His eyes glitter in the dimming light, their aura delving deep within Kurasu's eyes. Finally he speaks with a tint of amusement in his voice, "Perhaps you understand greater than you realize."
Kurasu wouldn't mind giving some sort of voice signal in all this. But
unfortunately, that would be chancy in this case. She raises a hand, dropping the rest of her fingers and holding one up, in what she hopes to be understood as a 'wait for my signal' position. . o O (I need to work up hand-signs. That's all there is to it) "I wouldn't know what you're talking about." she says aloud, aimed at Cloud. "I am SOLDIER First Class. Just because I've been infused doesn't mean I have any dealings with Jenova."
Cloud suddenly, finally, does blink... and when his eyes reopen, the deep blue is all you see within his eyes.. the whites themselves appear to be gone, missing somehow in a moment as though in revelation. He simply says, in an awed voice, "... ... He comes."
Rude watches Kurasu and Cloud like a hawk, unmoving, waiting for the right
opportunity. Behind his dark sunglasses, his eyes widen at the words spoken.
Now _that_ is a trigger. Kurasu's head turns suddenly away from the touch, an abrupt nod given to the SOLDIER contingent. She indicates the door in that same nod. Whoever 'he' is, this can't be good. And somehow, Kurasu has a good feeling on who 'he' might be.
Cloud whispers once again, his eyes completely blue.. the whites seemingly
missing. "He comes."
The SOLDIERs continue standing within their position until Rude makes the first move-- standing behind him for now, but they at least ready their weapons quickly for when it is time. It appears to be a good number of them, too.
Rude wastes only enough time on one thought.. o O ( Why me. Why on MY watch. I need a vacation. ) just before he begins to move forward, indicating for one squadron of SOLDIER to secure the front door immediately.
About three SOLDIERs run on each side of the room, around slowly towards the
front door, and once they stop there-- a whole half of a dozen ends up gaurding the entire enterance. Of course, that appears to be still just 'one squadron' of many that are nearby Rude. There are plenty more to spare.
Untainted, pure... The herald of his arrival, the silence of a brilliant flash of white, the aura of the soul. At its center is the other, seemingly of that same reality, the master is bowed before them, of silent and temporary aknowledgement. And he, the harbringer, rises, seems to rise; Grow lithe and tall, slender, suggests this soul. And Sephiroth stands above him, with him, for they are he. As the light dies, as he is come unto this plane, his eyes are closed, his arms raised in address.
Kurasu blinks, head snapping to reguard the newcomer. . o O (Ittee ittee ittee. Sephiroth.) She snaps her hand to her sword again, fingers encrcling the hilt and grasping tightly, ready to draw. Eyes snap from Cloud, to Sephiroth, to Cloud again. Then, they glance towards Rude. She's scared. The look only lasts for a moment, but Kurasu is scared.
Cloud's eyes roll into the back of his head, feeling a mingled sensation of
overwhelming joy and endless sadness at the parting of souls, however
temporarily or long term it may be. Raising his own arms in a twisted visage of Sephiroth's movements, a simple smile seems to cross upon his lips.
Rude takes several advances forward, yet stops, motioning sharply with his hand to SOLDIER to follow suit. They're way outclassed here, and he's not sure what to do at this point, simply waiting the situation out.
The many SOLDIER still behind Rude, walk slowly behind them. Many of them
appear to be quite frightened, as goosebumps begin to cover their body slowly. The hellish sight before them, not wishing to be near 'he'. The 'god' in which casts a burning blue flame upon the souls of this dampened plain.
Sephiroth's eyes open, the lids parting at first almost languidly. The thin
light of Makou basking his lashes steel grey against their light. ....I come... He raises his head, the large pupils of his eyes searing around their rims as their soul parts ways, "At last, I come," he says in a strong voice, though the look in his eye suggests an inflective tone, that it is to none of you whom he speaks.
Kurasu doesn't seem to care who he's speaking to, at the moment. All she cares about is that he's here. And somehow she can't say she's fond of the idea." So I see." she says, though to herself, or to Sephiroth, it's hard to tell. She doesn't draw the sword, not wanting to give the man..creature...whichever he may be, a chance, or an excuse, to leap at her. And Cloud...her eyes turn again to the glowing-eyed blond form. Yes, he's still there. And still as unlike himself as before. . o O (Why me?) "What are you here for?" She looks straight at Sephiroth as she asks that, chin raising slightly to direct the words straight at him. "What are you looking for? As if I don't already know." Well, she didn't quite mean to say _That_ out loud....
Cloud falls to his knees, shaking his head violently even as he clutches both sides of it with his hands. As the fallen Angel rises as though from his own ashes, he opens his eyes... understanding, tinged with shock and horror, seem to rim them in an inner light. The first person he sees even as he opens his eyes is Kurasu and, this time, recognition dawns in them.
Sephiroth fixes his eyes upon Kurasu. ...From your soul is darknesss, within
darkness... As Cloud drops to his knees before him, as the binds of the one
soul shift again in balance, Sephiroth steps over him. The length of his coat flutters with his movement, absently brushing the fallen Cloud,
"...Deliverance," he says coldly, his face more than a mask of smooth, carved stone. At his command is far more than the slender blade at his side, "Of fate and of the Planet."
Frozen. A deer caught in the headlights. Kurasu stares at those approaching
green eyes, her own dark ones seeming to flare brighter again for a moment. She steps backwards one foot, then another, finding her shoulders against the wall. She straightens her back at that, trying to find even a little strength in the position. Yes, her back is guarded...but she has nowhere to run, now. She glances at Cloud, then past him to the SOLDIER. Then, finally, again to Sephiroth. "Deliverance?" She shakes her head, the soft sound of metal grating over sheath as her sword is slowly drawn. "I don't think you know what you're saying." Darkness...she just stares at him, eyes taking in the form as best they can. "Leave, Sephiroth. Cloud. Just get out of here."
Rude has seen enough. One doesn't rise to the ranks of the Turks by simply
standing by in shock at the most important of moments, even in revelation. He makes a sharp, curt gesture with his hand towards Sephiroth and Cloud,
indicating them as he speaks quietly to the SOLDIER, ".....Stop them.
Apprehend if possible, but drive them off. NOW."
Cloud struggles to rise from his knees, staring in a mixture of horror and
absolute wonder at he who is known as Sephiroth. Even without the wounds so
recently inflicting him and vanishing with little enough explanation, his
weakness is all too apparanent as he strives towards the hilt of his sword with a shaky hand.. from his eyes however, it is far from obvious whom his enemy is... only that it would seem not to be Sephiroth..
The SOLDIERs quickly nod their heads towards Rude, as they hold their weapons outwards. Two groups approach Cloud off to the side, with their swords ready to attack, or defend, whatever would be necessary. The final two groups left approach Sephiroth from each side.
Rude raises his phone to his head quickly, issuing commands for potential
reinforcements.
Sephiroth seems not to hear the voices of those around him. He walks outside of them, their laws, their norms, their mores. They are beneath him. Within his body burns a mako flooded pulse... and from him, a brief pulse of energy floods out in a concentric circle.
Cloud, raising himself off of his knees, hesitates for a brief moment...
finally, he throws himself at Kurasu. It's not immediately apparent however if he's attacking her or trying to knock her out of potential harms way, once he sees the flare of power radiating from Sephiroth. He does not go for his sword hilt one way or the other, however.
Two of the groups of SOLDIERs are knocked down immediatly upon their backs from the magic attack-- yet, not killed right away, since they weren't too close. They do, however, start casting multiple elemental spells upon Sephiroth, mostly on the level 2 of the attacks.
The other two, approaching Cloud, quickly spin about, and try to run to
surround her, holding their long swords out to try and get Cloud to stay in
place. They _will_ attack him, if they must. But, a few of them seem to be
afraid of this young fighter, known as Cloud Strife, as they shake slightly at the sight of him.
Kurasu jerks her head back and to the side. She is driven into the wall at the crushing blow of energy, a gasp of both pain and startlement coming from her lips. That attack was far from expected, and her sword snaps up at the approach of Cloud. Only in a cross-body way, though, no time to strike, so she tries to block as best she can.
Cloud, enroute to Kurasu, freezes at the Soldier's surrounding him. His
sapphire eyes flare to a darker life, reaching over his shoulder to draw his
sword all too slowly. The resounding ring of steel upon steel upon leather
resounds nearby as the gigantic weapon is drawn. A mere moment later,
seemingly a lifetime, a green Materia flares to life on Cloud's sword as he
invokes an Ice 3 spell towards one of the groups of SOLDIER approaching him,
unfortunately having to take his attention off of the other to do so.
Kurasu beats her hands at her burning clothing and skin, hissing breaths of
pain through gritted teeth. At Cloud's distraction, she manages a long step,
avoiding the wall and trying to get space behind her shoulders instead. Her own sword, less than half the size of Cloud's, flashes into a ready position as her fingers run along the inside of her cloak. No...no...no...damn! No materia!
Rude, realizing that with the speed of a true fight reinforcements may not get here in time, rushes into the fray himself. He pushes back his cufflinks, assuming an open-handed combat stance.
One of the groups against Cloud appear to suddenly be encased in frozen ice as it falls upon them, freezing them to unbelievable levels. The hellishly cold eyes chills their bones, as they shiver with the cold anger towards the man who inflicted such cruel pain upon them. Two SOLDIERs manage to make it out, but the rest....become rotting frozen corpses within the melting icecubes. The other group manges to make it towards Cloud immediatly, while one of them attempts to cast a 'STOP' spell upon him, and the other SOLDIERs get behind Kurasu to try and give her support.
Cloud turns towards the oncoming SOLDIER group, bringing his sword up to bear. Even as he does so, his eyes widen as the Stop spell begins to take effect in its own way. It's results somewhat dulled by some form of shield or another, nonetheless the spell takes on the form of a Slow spell in its own right rather than stopping Cloud flat-out.
Kurasu looks back at the SOLDIER behind her with a half-nod, then turns back
around to the ones encased in ice. She points at them. "Try and get them out of here!" she demands of the SOLDIER behind her...or some of them, anyhow. She sweeps her sword in a quick circular motion. . o O (I hope this works...) "Haste!" And even where there was no materia, her hands shimmer, a a red glow takes form around her body.
Sephiroth meets the barrage of elements with a sublime elegance. Fire, ice, and lightning erupt around him, yet the one whom fate and the Planet has chosen is unmarred. Flame alights in his eyes, surrounding him, that fateful night... Ice particles fall as dust from his long bangs and slip from his pauldrons, and lightning lances through him, all for naught.
All of the SOLDIERs attacking Sephiroth-- if they are not pale of fear, they
are surely as such now. The ones unharmed suddenly are scurring back with
fear. Punishment by higher rank, or die by the hand of god-- which of either would they prefer?
Cloud, gauging the distance, leaves the SOLDIER's to fend against Sephiroth and turns towards Kurasu, slowly bringing his sword up into a vertical combat position. His eyes are alight with blue flame, as though bringing a fire of justice to Shinra.
Kurasu narrows her own glowing dark eyes at Cloud, then slowly shakes her head. Don't make me do this, the look seems to say, before the corner of her mouth turns up into a smirk. Smoothly, fluidly, she steps away from the wall, circling slightly about and towards Cloud. A little faster than before, maybe, as the pale red glow surrounds her body. "Cloud.. Sephiroth...whoever you are. You don't need to be here."
The three SOLDIERs still near Cloud, quickly step back, as they each notice the spell is not working-- and, belief of their friends needing help against the one of the Omega, of the Alpha.... the one who is, who was, and who is to become. They each turn towards Sephiroth slowly, facing towards him with their deepened eyes, and the other entire group joining them as well. The three each immediatly cast more multiple elemental spells--they don't get it.
Rude, stepping behind Kurasu, watches Cloud and Sephiroth ever so carefully
with a measured gaze..
Cloud, bringing his sword up and about, faces Kurasu.. his feet sliding with
all too practiced ease into a combat-ready position. However, even as his eyes meet her own, gauging his opponent, a fractional widening of their depths indicates something new in his gaze.. something unexpected. Recognition once again, as the tip of his sword begins to waver.
The waver doesn't go unnoticed. Kurasu raises her blade into a salute, face
serious as she looks at Cloud. Her eyes flicker towards the door, then back at him. The message, hopefully, is clear enough: for him to get out of here.
Another glance is cast towards Sephiroth, attention from Cloud for just long
enough to see how the other SOLDIER fare against the formadible seraph.
The triad of fire, lightning and ice again tears through him, unnatural. At its end, Sephiroth touches his chin lightly with gloved fingers, as if made aware of some quiet, incontravertable fact. He raises his head and regards each of the Soldiers without so much as a word. There is a pause, brief within the space of a heartbeat, yet it could last forever, this moment in time. Sephiroth closes his hand around Masamune's hilt and moves with such unnatural grace, displaced against the chaos of time. The crescent blade arcs out toward the nearest Soldier, its intent, decapitation.
Cloud, advancing a step forward, moves his sword into more of a guard position, his sword outward... abruptly, his feet shifting, he makes a lunge for Kurasu. Strangely enough, his movements seem disjointed, as though he's fighting against himself as strongly as any great opponent.. The blue of his eyes reflecting in soft amber hues off of the blade of his sword.
Kurasu easily leaps out of the way of the man. There are advantages to being
hasted, when your opponent is slow. Her arm swings out and down, the sword
turning slightly so instead of the edge, the flat is turned. *sweep* *CRACK*
The flat of the sword strikes across the unresisting Cloud's temple, and hard. A step later carries her slightly past, straddling the falling form as she looks down at him, eyes blazing. Touche!
Cloud, strangely enough, makes no move beforehand to dodge or attack Kurasu,
one way or another, simply moving himself in within striking distance of her..
Several of the SOLDIERs takea few steps back as Sephiroth advances on them,
some actually holding their ground and opening fire at the figure. The others hold their positions around Kurasu and Cloud's duel...
Kurasu stays in her position, tigress guarding her prey. Her eyes glow
brightly, her sword slowly drawn in along her body, into a ready position as
she glances at Sephiroth, then the SOLDIER. . o O (Need to get them some
cover...or something.)
Several cries fill the air as Sephiroth cleanly...well, sorta cleanly, cuts the SOLDIER's head right off! It hits the ground wetly, which sends several others running for their lives, yelling about unsafe working conditions and such...
One stubborn...possibly stupid too, SOLDIER stands his ground, "Hey, come back here! There's only one of him and all of us! For Shinra! Onward to guhlhhhk-*" He loses his head too to Sephiroth's blade. So much for HIS promotion...
The remaining SOLDIER take up defensive positions where they can, forming a
sort of half-circle around Sephiroth in order to surround him and open
fire...AWAY from everything else, of course!
Blood erupts from the necks of those fallen Soldiers, as pressure suddenly
gives way for lack of a head. The blood gaisers end abruptly, painting the
floor deep read, some of it sprays onto Sephiroth, droplets of blood marring
his darkly pristine features and dripping along his bangs. His head turns
slowly in Kurasu and Cloud's direction, a slight smile is borne upon his lips. The blood droplets are stark against his pale skin, "It won't be long..." he nods once to Kurasu, "...The deliverance is happening as we speak..." His quiet voice carries, though 'we' is left to be discerned. Carried over by that same bright flash of heartfelt soul, his voice becomes a part of it, ....Mother...
Cries of "It ain't human!" and "My shots aren't working!" can be heard from
spots around the room. Then there's two SOLDIER behind a pillar, "Do you think this uniform makes me look fat?" "No, you look fine! Too bad about Dan, he was such a hotie. Well, should we fire some more at that thing?" "Yes, let's..."
Kurasu takes a single step from where she is, stepping over the prone and
unconcious form of Cloud. Quickly she looks over towards Rude and jerks her
head in a nod towards Cloud. "Secure him." Her attention then turns fully
towards Sephiroth, eyes fastening to his. Her glance shifts, watching a droplet run down his hair to splash lightly on the ground, then return to those glowing jade depths that are Sephiroth's eyes. "Leave." Just a single word. "If this...deliverance, is about to happen, we'll worry about it when it happens." Her eyes narrow slowly, warningly, her hand raising slightly. Strangely enough, at another glance, so many of the wounds seem to be closed off. As though she's already healed...yet not a spell was cast.
Rude nods quietly.. more in simple agreement than anything else. He *is* a
Turk after all, she's expendable. ^_- as such, he begins pulling Cloud's form back a few yards to a more secured location.
Four other SOLDIER go with Rude, just to make sure nothing funny happens. They remember what happened the last time there was a fight here...
The two SOLDIERs behind the pillar peek out, "Oooh, Bubbie! They've captured
that guy with the spiky hair!" "Oh my gracious! Move, Mukki, let me see!"
"Ooooh, be still by fluttering heart..." *_*
The pair look at each other, then GRIN, "Guard duty!" *_* *_*
A SOLDIER run over to the two fawning...uh, alternatively lifestyled men and
yells, "Hey, you idiots! Stop staring like a $@!#%$ deer crossing the road and start shooting at that thing!" The two look at each other, then to the guy, "But...sir..." "We're out of bullets." "Oh fer $!@#$!@# SAKES! Here, take these clips and FIRE!"
For a moment all existance is the harsh brightness of that light. The bullets fire into its center, their sound and substance almost swallowed into it. As sudden as his arrival, Sephiroth is gone.
Kurasu jerks her head away, shading her eyes with a wince of pain. A few
blinks, trying to clear the stars from her eyes, as she turns back. "Where'd he go?" she shouts to the room, peering around, half-blind still.
Kurasu shakes her head quickly, then raises her head. "Get the medics in here, now!" she shouts to the still-standing SOLDIERs. To the ones behind the pillar, she shoots a quick glare, then barks out, "You! Over here! I need all the hands I can get!"
Kurasu. o O (....the report for this is _not_ going to be pretty...)
Several SOLDIERs run off after quick salutes, those remaining go to help check who's wounded and who's not getting their Christmas bonus. Mukki and Bubbie hurry over and salute, "Yes, ma'am!"
Bubbie blurts out, "We were just wondering if we can have guard duty in the
holding area..?" Mukki nods, "For a month or two!" *_*
Kurasu glances at Bubbie, then at Mukki. Her head shakes. "I don't think so." She nods at the hurt men. "Check them. I'll be the one getting Cloud out of here, if you don't mind." *sigh* She steps around, dropping to slip her arm under him and swing him over her shoulders in a fireman's carry. "See who's still alive."
The stair doors open, and about ten medics, with various packs and even some
materia, run in, escorted by the SOLDIER that came to get them. Mukki and
Bubbie snap their fingers, then Mukki gets elbowed, "Hey, we can frisk them to see if they're still alive." Mukki nods and the two run off...
Kurasu sighs at the pair with a shake of her head, standing and carefully
balancing CLoud's weight. *oof* Well, at least it's possible. She raises her
hand, passing it over Cloud's legs and back. "Float." she mumbles, a glow
encompassing him. Suddenly, she's standing easier. . o O (I have to thank
Celes.)
Rachel FINALLY manages to get the doors open, if only by forcing them partway and slipping through, "What's going on this...time?" o.o She blinks and looks around, dressed for work of course
Kurasu looks back at Rachel. Oh great. _Just_ what she needs for this. "Trust me. You don't want to know." She sighs and shakes her head. And yes, it looks at least a _leetle_ incriminating that she has Cloud slung over her shoulders. "Sephiroth. He did something to Cloud-san."
More than one SOLDIER gives Kurasu a strange look for the reference to Cloud as 'Cloud-san'. At a sidelong glance to them, though, and a nod to those that are hurt, they start back about their work again, picking up the pieces...both literally and figuratively.
Rachel shakes her head to clear it, looking over at Kurasu, "What?! Hey, and
what're you doing with him, Kurasu? He can't have..." she shuts up quickly,
almost slipping a little...
Rachel . o O ( How did he heal so quickly? Last I saw him, he was still out
cold... )
Kurasu keeps her gaze as serious as possible on Rachel, then turns for the
elevator. "If you want to talk, we can do it once I've got him under guard. And besides, he's heavy."
Rachel frowns at hearing 'under guard', but only Kurasu can see it before she regains a neutral expression, "I see. Mind if I go with you?"
Rachel . o O ( Probably no heavier than Terra was... )
Kurasu shrugs. "Of course not, Rachel-san." She turns for the elevator, giving a few last orders to the SOLDIER. Particularly the one that says 'keep an eye on the door, and call if I'm needed'.
Rachel looks around, still bothered by everything going on. Doctors, bodies,
two rather flightly men trying to rub down another SOLDIER...
Rachel enters the elevator.
Rachel has left.
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