[ open options ] Follow Your Passion!

[quiet_storm]

WHO: Cloud Strife and others
WHERE: Recolle
WHEN: Mid-April
WHAT: Questionable life choices
WARNINGS: None, will update if necessary

I. You Can Take This Job...

Nobody expected to see Cloud, the good little worker bee, cleaning out his locker at the auto repair shop. It was especially strange because he did it with a sunny smile. Just last night he was working late as usual and talking about tackling the coming week's appointments. This morning he waltzed in, had a three-minute conversation with the boss, then tore his new punch card into half a dozen pieces as he walked out of the office. After scribbling his contact information on the back of each one, he took a final stroll through the shop and handed one to each employee on duty.

Keep in touch!


II. Kendo Lessons at Zantetsukan

[Eat. Sleep. Train. Why bother with anything else? Those meaningless details of daily life were just that: meaningless. Cloud was learning how to use a sword! Now that was a pursuit worthy of his full attention. Ignoring the aching of his muscles and the blisters on his hands, Cloud went through the movements of the beginning form yet again. Precision. Balance. Timing. The Japanese terminology that he rehearsed in his mind with every step was strange and incomprehensible, but he would make it stick by sheer repetition. The other students came and went with every new partner drill. When he bowed to his fellow student it wasn't the person's name that appeared in his mind. Cloud made a quick analysis of the other's reach, handedness, and fighting style before dropping into the correct stance. He didn't realize that class was over and everyone else was trying to leave until the other student started talking to him.]


III. Bar Crawl Time

[Who needs liquid courage when your heart's already on fire? Still, tequila was Cloud's drug-of-choice and he was feeling particularly impulsive tonight. Too bad that doing shots just made him even more impulsive. He had taken off his boots and climbed up onto a pool table, practicing his footwork among the colorful balls that were conveniently scattered over the green felt. Too bad that doing shots had ruined his balance and reflexes. The players barely had time to protest his arrival before Cloud slipped on the eleven ball, then crashed down onto the table, knocking several balls off the table in the process. Training is all about overcoming challenges, though. The only option is to get back up and try again!]


V. Miscellaneous

[PM or plurk @ almostclueless for more options!]

Comments

I

[activatingcombatmode]

[Didn't think you were going to waltz out of here without Zack saying something, would you Cloud?]

The hell are you doing?

[He follows Cloud, throwing the bit of paper over his shoulder.]

[quiet_storm]

Quitting.

[He slings his rucksack over his shoulder and heads for the door.]

[activatingcombatmode]

[Now Zack is grabbing that shoulder and stopping.]

You going to tell me why or just keep walking out of here dramatically? That's not like you, man.

[quiet_storm]

[Craning his head back to look Zack in the eyes is always tough, much more so from this close up.]

I don't want to waste any more of my life working in a dead-end job. It's about time for me to pursue my dreams instead.

[activatingcombatmode]

[Wow, Cloud. Nice way to stab Zack in the ego too. He likes being a mechanic? He didn't bust his balls in school while serving in the army at the same time for nothing.]

Yeah, and what's that.

[quiet_storm]

[And Cloud didn't spend a hundred thousand dollars studying fourteen hours a day to get a useless Master's in Mechanical Engineering for nothing, either, but that's what HE did with his life.]

I'm going to become a warrior. And a wizard. I'll learn how to use a sword, and ride a chocobo, and make real weapons. I'm going to fight monsters, find treasure, and go on adventures. Because Dungeons & Dragons is real, Zack. I'm not going to play the part of a random NPC. I'm going to live the life of an adventurer.

[activatingcombatmode]

[ ...

Did he just hear all of that right.]

You, what...? Is the app getting to you a little too much...?

[quiet_storm]

I've seen an airship, Zack. And an honest-to-God goddess, walking around the park on Fourteenth Street. I watched someone shoot a bolt of lighting out of her bare hand. There are magic forges in Respartum. This goes way beyond super-strenth and glowing eyes.

[And now Cloud's smile turns a little crazy.]

Out of nowhere, a paper dragon attacked me. I was ambushed by a battled a wild magical creature, Zack. I fought it. And I WON. Now that I know that feeling exists, how am I supposed to live without it? It took me three entire days to make this decision. I've thought it through.

[activatingcombatmode]

[This is bizarre. Even for some of the things he's seen.]

Yeah, I get that this happens in town. Hell, even I have skills I didn't expect to be real. I've seen some weird shit. But you don't see me dropping my entire life to pursue it.

III.

[angealwings]

[ Andrew's done with his shift at Sunrise, and maybe has slipped into the bar for one glass - he's done a lot less of that since Genesis got the app, but sometimes he still goes for it - a fluffy bunny on his shoulder, tucked in against his neck peacefully, when he heard the crash.

... ah.

Well, here goes the evening.

Andrew steps to the pool table, picking Cloud up easily by the waist and throwing him over the not-bunny-occupied shoulder with a smile at the players. ]

Sorry, fellas. I'm just gonna get this champion here home before he makes even more of a mess, all right?

[quiet_storm]

[What's Cloud doing upside-down with his face lying against a cloth-covered slab of muscle?]

But I can try again...

[angealwings]

Whatever you were trying, kid, that was not the right place or the right time for it.

What was it, anyway?

[ Andrew can walk and talk at the same time. He's special like that. ]

[quiet_storm]

[Cloud wouldn't have been able to pull it off right now. At least he's being very polite about shifting his weight to make it as easy as possible to carry him?]

I forgot what it's called.

[angealwings]

[ Andrew doesn't have much trouble carrying him, but the shift is appreciated all the same. ]

Fair enough. And how many drinks did you have tonight, do you remember?

[ Just checking, to know if there's a danger of alcohol poisoning, besides the obvious intoxication. ]

[quiet_storm]

Kind of a lot.

[Cloud couldn't exactly feel his own face right now, but he imagined that this person's back was warm. Who was it?]

But not super-a-lot.

[angealwings]

I see.

[ There was a bench, some ways out of the bar, and Andrew leaned down to settle Cloud on it, hands coming up to the blond's shoulders to support him in the sitting position. Surprise? ]

You gonna tell me where to drop you off, or should I be texting Zack to find out?

[quiet_storm]

[Cloud's head lolled forward, then back. Oh, yeah. He knew this guy. It was Genesis's boyfriend. Maybe Cloud was in more trouble than he thought.]

Zantetsukan.

[All he really needed was his bokken. This was enough of a break, right? Cloud's slurring and awful accent would make it difficult for him to be understood, though.]

II

[sanephiroth]

[The other students weren't the only ones noticing Cloud's intensity and concentration, Zephyr was too. As class ended and the students cleared out, he stepped over to Cloud's side, tapping him on the shoulder]

While your enthusiasm is commendable, Rome wasn't built in a day.

[Fire spirit or not, he still had a responsibility for his students.]

[quiet_storm]

[Cloud immediately broke his stance, returning to a respectful weapons-away position.]

But Zephyr-Sensei, isn't this how traditional Japanese warrior training is undertaken?

[sanephiroth]

Yes, but we're not traditional Japanese warriors. As much as we'd like to be.

Don't push yourself too hard, is what I'm saying. Breaks are as important as practice.

[quiet_storm]

What makes a much less disciplined approach superior to the traditional one, Sir?

[sanephiroth]

It's not superior. It's just how things are.

[He studied Cloud intently, curiously]

What are you hoping to achieve attending my class?

[quiet_storm]

[Cloud let the terminology, and the stances, and the movements fade from his conscious attention. What was he hoping to achieve?]

It quiets my mind.

[Did that make sense? Maybe not? But it was the closest thing to the truth.]

[sanephiroth]

[Why does he get the feeling there's a lot more to that answer?]

All right. But take a breather. You've been at this a while.

[quiet_storm]

[There is a lot more to the answer, but it's nothing that Cloud understands himself. And now he's been given a direct order instead of the very strong suggestions, which Cloud shouldn't have been arguing about anyway. He bows.]

Yes, Zephyr-Sensei.

[He stepped back and checked on the state of his bokken, grimacing a little when he realized that he'd put too much friction on his blisters.]

Do you want me to leave my bokken here until next class, Sir? After I clean it, obviously.