Someone's a little salty at being brought out of retirement.

[meteorrains]

Whatever it is, I'm not interested.

[You mad at being brought out of retirement, bro?]

No. [You so are.] You stopped for a reason, right? It'd be best for both of us if you try and remember it.

[Come on, Cloud. We both know that's not going to happen. When have you ever been that lucky?]

Comments

[thegriever]

It's not like they listen.

[meteorrains]

Never has. Don't know why I thought she'd start now.

[velvet_iron]

Cloud -

[have a little smile]

It's not so bad, is it? You might get to see some friends again, stretch your legs a little.

Get new icons.

[meteorrains]

[You have no idea how bad it is, Tifa.]

Don't encourage her.

[Still, it's really nice to see her again. So she gets the Trademark Cloud "I'm Trying Really Hard Not To Show How Happy I Am But I'm So Damn Happy It's Leaking Out Anyway" smiles.]

I guess it wouldn't be so bad. Getting to see everyone again. It's been a long time.

[velvet_iron]

[She loves those smiles. Those are some of the best Cloud smiles. So he'll get one of her own, the one that starts in her eyes first and spreads like a quiet warm glow all the way through the rest of her on an inhale.]

If I encourage her, will you get to stay?

[Maybe that's a small toe bounce. Maybe. And maybe she's teasing. Maybe.]

There are still some of us around. And some of us waking up, just a little, with all the excitement that's in the air. It's hard not to seeing old places after all these years. Old friends.

[meteorrains]

[If it means he'll get to see those kinds of smiles more often, he might even learn to be happy about sticking around.

Maybe.]

I think I could arrange something. Better me than someone else.

[Excuses excuses, Cloud.]

[velvet_iron]

[Those kinds of smiles do tend to show up when he's sticking around.

And she can't even pretend there's a maybe to it.

And that really is a toe bounce this time, one that sends the tail of her hair swishing and bubbles up in her eyes.

Is she encouraging the mun? Or the man?]

Better you. [Nothing but happy agreement.] You can manage anything. [A very light forehead tap with one of her worn fingers.] Once you put your mind to it.

[meteorrains]

[And there it is. Agreement with a heavy dose of encouragement. Not exactly what he had been looking for, but considering the source, it's enough to make him reconsider.

Bright eyes flicker upwards, as if he could somehow see the place she had touched. There's a strange urge to do something in return, perhaps booping her on the nose or flicking her lightly on the forehead.]

Testing to make sure it's still there? [A lame attempt at teasing her in return. He can't let Tifa have all the fun.] If me staying around would make you happy then... I will.

[Congrats, Tifa. You managed to enable both.]

[velvet_iron]

[Her nose is just asking for a bopping. And do you hear that? That distant victory fanfare? Because she's all but stretching, Cloud, you can even see her shoulders move a little.

Ignore the happy/self-conscious pink on her cheeks at being his reason for staying. She's certainly going to.]

You should stay because it makes you happy, Cloud. [Pleased or not, she's not going to let him get away with that. Not entirely. No matter how special it makes her feel. Have a delighted little grin at his teasing.] Well, someone's got to make sure. Better me than someone else, right?

[meteorrains]

[Who was he to pass up such a perfectly presented opportunity? It was a quick movement, a sudden flash of a gloved hand, cool fingers moving along the defined line of cheek bone. He could almost feel the heat that radiated from her skin as self satisfaction rose into his own.

Who's that victory fanfare playing for now, Tifa?]

Better you. [Another smile, the sort that lights up his eyes and sends them dancing. There was a simple truth hidden behind the tease. No one else could ever handle him quite the way Tifa did.] I don't want to be alone, so I have to let people in. Can't do that if I don't stick around.

[velvet_iron]

[Just a second of wine dark eyes widening in surprise, caught off guard - and then the pink, and that glowing happiness washes back into her like a wave. And maybe, just maybe, there's a little rock forward after that touch before she straightens.

Sword twirling isn't that bad, really.

Especially when he smiles like that, when all the words they don't need to say slip out between them and rest there.]

See? [all the warm faith in him.] You put your mind to it. Sounds like someone's been listening to good advice. Not so messed up anymore, are you?

[meteorrains]

Guess Vincent's gotta be good for something. [Would you look at that? He managed to tease her and get a dig in at Vincent at the same time. Cloud Strife, Master of Sass reporting for duty.

That smile slips from his face a moment later, eyes lowering behind thick lashes as the memories start to come back. Of all the times he had been messed up. Of all the times he had messed up.

There were almost too many to count.]

Maybe I lost some weight. All of that dilly dally.

[velvet_iron]

[She catches that sass, mister and it really does tell her that everything's going to be all right.

For just a second before-]

hey- [She didn't mean it badly. No more than she'd meant it badly when she'd said it all that time ago on the Highwind. It's acceptance, and pride in him, a little gentle teasing to show it's not so bad, not judgement or rehashing. Her fingertips touch his cheek, gentle and she'll peer up to find his eyes.]

Everyone's messed up. That's why we all fit together so well. Messing up isn't what matters. Getting up and keeping going is what matters. And you always do. So we always do too. [That little smile that's part encouraging, part hopeful and-] But if your shoulders don't have to carry as much weight, that's a good thing too, right? That's what friends are for.

[meteorrains]

[Well now, it seems as though he's found a new use for all of that over whelming sass he doesn't get nearly enough opportunity to use. When in doubt, just sass people until they realize everything's going to be alright. It should work wonderfully on Cid.

But then she's touching him, gentle fingertips pressing against the warmth of his cheek, and whatever other thoughts may have been occupying his brain are gone.]

You're starting to sound like Marlene. [More likely, it was that Marlene was starting to sound like Tifa. Which was a scary prospect in itself. He could barely handle Tifa, he couldn't imagine what it would be like when they teamed up against him.]

[velvet_iron]

[Cid needs more sass in his life. Shera doesn't sass him nearly enough.

And Tifa will smile and there's something very proud in that smile.]

Well, Marlene's a very insightful little girl. [A tap to the end of his nose] You should probably listen to her when she says things like that.

[Who said they haven't already teamed up on him in the past and he's just not been aware of it?]

[meteorrains]

[Of course she'd be proud that she's turning Marlene into her mini-me, teaching her all the finer points of how to care for a chocobo. It was a pretty big job, it only made sens that she'd need to bring in reinforcements eventually.

It was only a matter of time until he was getting lectures from Denzel. He could almost hear them now.

There's something playful in the way his nose scrunches up, in the way his fingers lift to rub at the place she had touched.]

She's had a good teacher. [His eyes are dancing again, lips upturned in the momentarily lost smile.] You'll be a good mom someday.

[trademarks]

Don't be so grumpy, Spike!

[ let the enthusiasm pass to you, cloud. it's infectious. ]

Who knows, some good might come from this.

[meteorrains]

[Sorry, Zack. He's not into your weird enthusiasm by osmosis deal you've got going on. Especially when you bring that nickname into the equation.]

What good could possibly...

[... Right. Getting to see Zack again was a good thing, right?

Right.]

I'm not interested.

[only_half_a_god]

Verily, mortals of such a sort art trifle.

[Fou-Lu sighs, and shrugs just a little with a shake of his head.]

However, they recall we "muses" just the same. A term called "nostalgia" We think? Or, mayhap, more than that.

'Tis a mite uncanny, this frivolous activity.

[meteorrains]

[No. No he's pretty sure it's just his mun liking to cause him misery.

He could be wrong, but he doubts he is. Highly, highly doubts.]

She could have picked someone else. It doesn't always have to be me.

[only_half_a_god]

Mayhap only thou canst.... We art uncertain of the word. Void? Desire?

Even if 'tis only for amusement at thine agony, given thy canon.

[meteorrains]

Still could have left me out of it.

[Where's the fun in that?]

Does yours do the same thing?

[Please tell him it isn't just him.]

[only_half_a_god]

Aye, but, almost strangely, she has yet to properly torment Us.

Admittedly, for We as an Unchanging One, mayhap that be the reason.

After all, wouldst it not be amusing to bring Us, a god, to Our knees?

[There is no gloating, only calm fact.]

But nay, she torments others. Including another one of thou. One whom bathed in "lifestream" and never... fully recovered from it.

Mortal minds art truly strange.

[meteorrains]

Consider yourself lucky.

[It's been years since he's been properly tortured and he still has nightmares. He really doesn't want to see the same thing happen to anyone else.]

One who... [He really needed to stop falling into the lifestream.] Strange. Right. [That is so not the word he would have used.]

Guess it always is me.

[only_half_a_god]

[More like Fou-Lu couldn't think of the right word at the right time.]

Not.. always.

[There's a particularly pinched, even angry expression that flits across the god's face.]

...Only the more vulnerable, fragile. It also seems entirely according to whimsy.

Compared to that other self she has, this particular "muse" named Frisk has it much, much worse.

[It gives him chills, and that's saying something to a guy who had his love interest shot at him as literal cannon fodder.]