[ And Gaia's word and tone are short and terse with a memory that isn't entirely positive. While the emotion behind them is clearly not directed at Cloud, it also isn't a bone deep rage that one would expect from someone that's personally experienced the horrors Cloud and Tifa and others like them have. ]
Though mostly his boyfriend, Angeal.
[ She had never really talked much, if at all, with Genesis so he doesn't get mentioned. Gaia's eyes narrow further when Cloud attempts to explain. But it isn't stubbornness or irritation. She's listening. ]
I believe you if you think this isn't the one we met on Kamurkia. [ There's a slow blink. ] Did you tell him the truth? About his origins I mean. For what it's worth, I don't know and I don't recall anyone telling him back on that other world. At least not that Sephiroth's mentioned to me yet.
[ She certainly doesn't want to know things her friend isn't ready to tell her. Gaia shakes her head. The thing is, she's picking up on the nuances. Why Cloud seems to be tense when he's speaking to Sephiroth and doesn't quite know how to handle it. That's not just conflicting personalities. ]
If you're wanting to tell me anything about Sephiroth, even what he might have been or might be, you should do it with him here as well, you know. I get that it's hard for some reason. But you also can't keep dancing around it and expect the one I know to be happy about being treated like that. Not talking... I mean not explaining to him is what people seem to always do. They just tell him to do something.
[ Gaia frowns a little. ]
It's what the adult version of him, Angeal and Genesis did on Kamurkia because they had their own mess they were wrapped up in. Because of these memories of what happened between now and then. 'Giving him space', trying to 'wait and see'. 'Not being able to communicate with oneself.' 'We had so much to deal as well with because of our own trauma'. But... you're also the adults, too. That gets forgotten a lot.
[ The adults, thinking of or worrying about who Sephiroth is or could become forget he's still just a teenager right now. And Gaia understands that there's a lot of stuff there. She does. It's just that from her perspective, her friend gets the short end of the stick because of it.
That in her own frustration of being able to do only so much, being somewhat of an outsider to the whole ordeal of that world. Caught up in the moment, she forgets to comment about the mako poisoning. Well, at least Cloud seems to realize there was a reason it might have come up as a concern on the teen's end now, regardless of how everyone was at the time. ]
Wait, Angeal? As in Angeal Hewley, SOLDIER First Class? ...never did find out whatever happened to him.
[Cloud shakes his head - irrelevant right now.]
Yeah, I told him. When he first got here. He took it a hell of a lot better than his alternate self did, years later. More importantly, he's got you. His future won't be the one that played out in my world. I know it. If the older one hadn't shown up here, there'd be no point in telling him or you any of the rest - wouldn't be relevant. Just some alternate timeline he'll never have to see. But it's relevant now.
Whole reason I contacted you at all was because I tried to tell Sephiroth all this and he didn't wanna hear it. Decided to assume everything I say is some damn delusion because the adult he met on Kamurkia was supposedly this great guy with the perfect life.
[Cloud pauses for a moment. He was going to ask her what that other adult Sephiroth was like, given how dead set the kid is on making sure he gets that future, but...he turns what Gaia's already said over in his mind. Thinks about things the kid's said before.
His boyfriend. In the future he saw, he had someone who loved him. Who...wanted him.
Do you suppose Mother left me behind because she realized she'd bred a monster and not a Cetra? ... Is that why no-one's ever wanted me, except for the Professor?
No wonder he's so single-minded about chasing that future. If only Cloud's version of future Sephiroth hadn't managed somehow to follow him here...
He looks down at the table, shoulders slumping slightly.]
I'm the reason this other asshole is here. He came looking for me. I have to do something to stop him from hurting people. And unlike the kid, he's got the power of Jenova on his side, which means...he might be able to control Sephiroth. I've seen him do it before, to other SOLDIERs. Made them hurt people they cared about.
[Cloud hopes his meaning is clear to Gaia - that if the adult gets his grubby claws into the kid's head, it's Gaia herself who's in the most danger. And while he knows she can handle herself in battle, she's likely to hold back against her own friend - Cloud would, too.
And if Sephiroth hurts her, he'll hate himself for it afterward. Cloud can't let that happen. He can't let these kids go through all that. They deserve so much better.]
[ And the rest is hard to say. One of those tricky things that unless someone had told Gaia about their history on er... Gaia, she wasn't going to know.
She has no relation to that Planet.
...Anyway. She doesn't add conjecture about what's up with Angeal, Genesis or the adult Sephiroth and how they came to be a trio couple. She does frown and look puzzled however. ]
First, I know everyone was feeling the effects of the fog. But can you see that if you came across as panicked and talking about how an adult version was going to attack us all, Sephiroth might see that as a sign you haven't recovered? Setting aside any other tension that's between you because of all of this future stuff.
[ She can't have helped but noticed there's a bit of friction, whether or not either intend it to be there. ]
And I know this might not have been how you meant it. The way he explained it to me suggested that you didn't know if this newly arrived version was one from your memories or the one we met. Combined with that and maybe thinking you didn't think we were capable of protecting ourselves, whether or not we'd be able to against this older Sephiroth...
[ Things built up. And Gaia's expression suggests she doesn't know who said what or is making a mistake here. Maybe both are. Maybe only one is. ]
Look. I'm not going to say exactly what happened on Kamurkia. But he got a glimpse of a future version of himself that was happy and had family. One that didn't include him in the picture. Because they were preoccupied with their own hurts and thought giving space was the answer. So no. That adult Sephiroth wasn't perfect. It's just that he wasn't evil, either.
[ But then Gaia's taken aback, processing what else Cloud just said. ]
Wait, are you saying this Sephiroth... the adult one. He 'followed you here'? Not brought here by... whatever brings us here? Is that possible? Did you check with Aurora?
[ She definitely believes it could happen, but as to whether or not someone's actually claiming this versus it being true? That's something else entirely. ]
[He doesn't see why Sephiroth would just assume that his behavior during the fog was indicative of anything outside it, that is. He has no context for why the kid thinks he's ever had mako poisoning.]
Then the way he explained it to you was wrong. There's no question in my mind which Sephiroth this is. The difference ain't subtle. Didn't you hear what I said about controlling the kid? You seriously just gonna write that off as paranoia or something?
[This is so bizarre and frustrating. Why are they acting like he's just making shit up? Why would he ever do that? He's trying to help them, god dammit. There's a part of him that wants to just throw his hands up and say fuck it, if they don't want his help then they're not his responsibility and he doesn't have to care. That's how he should be handling it. Right?
But the larger part of him can't do that. He just...can't.
He shakes his head.]
Haven't yet, but I plan to. It's what he claims, and I got plenty of reason to believe he could pull it off if anybody could. Traveling between timelines and worlds is child's play to him. But if he's full of it, that means it might be possible to get Aurora to send him back.
[ That earlier bit, not being able to see, probably earned a frustrated look from Gaia too. It seemed simple enough to her. But there's more important things grabbing her attention now. And she certainly shakes her head emphatically.
No she definitely hadn't missed that, it's just... ]
Given what happened with Vincent it was obvious some people were having struggles with influences from the fog that lingered. But if he explained it that way to me and it was wrong, then it meant he was upset at something. Also, no! Look, you pushed a lot of things at me at once. First the travel, and that. I was getting to it.
[ Sort of. One at a time. Gaia looks flustered enough that it's likely true. ]
If this guy you remember is as manipulative as he sounds then you should definitely speak to the one person that can confirm his claim as well as what he can or can't do here. Believe me, even if he thinks he's the one responsible, you don't want that to eat at you. That you can't escape him because he has that power.
[ She huffs out an air of exasperation. ]
You can't help it if he was brought here by the powers here intentionally and they won't send him away. But at least that isn't the same thing.
[ Then another deep breath. ]
Now, explain the control thing. Please. That's something I don't even know if my friend knows. And if he does, he certainly hasn't cared to explain it to me. Though if you think we should all sit down together about this and make sure he's willing for me to know about that, we should do that right now because that part sounds important.
[Cloud's pretty sure that it wouldn't matter what he said to Sephiroth, the kid would find reasons to be upset about it. Even if all he said was the sky was blue.
He nods.]
He didn't wanna hear it from me earlier, but maybe if you ask him, he'll come. Far as I know, he has no idea. Doubt he'll believe me anyway, but might as well give it a shot.
[ Gaia probably won't feel sympathetic if Cloud retreats over a little thing like a teenager being a teenager. She's handling it just fine!
And probably not just because she is, in fact, also a teenager. ]
No, he did. I heard him ask you to tell him. Something about listing the people close to you the future Sephiroth hurt before coming here. [ This is firmly, perhaps even a bit tartly, offered even while she's activating the network link to fire off texts. This whole 'in her head/on a HUD' thing is a little weird still but she's adapted well. ]
What did you say after that? Because all I heard was a 'Fine' and he closed the link. I doubt it was an actual list or a lack of one.
[ Otherwise she would have expected a 'see, told you so' or some similar thing from her friend's end. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: -> action!
[ And Gaia's word and tone are short and terse with a memory that isn't entirely positive. While the emotion behind them is clearly not directed at Cloud, it also isn't a bone deep rage that one would expect from someone that's personally experienced the horrors Cloud and Tifa and others like them have. ]
Though mostly his boyfriend, Angeal.
[ She had never really talked much, if at all, with Genesis so he doesn't get mentioned. Gaia's eyes narrow further when Cloud attempts to explain. But it isn't stubbornness or irritation. She's listening. ]
I believe you if you think this isn't the one we met on Kamurkia. [ There's a slow blink. ] Did you tell him the truth? About his origins I mean. For what it's worth, I don't know and I don't recall anyone telling him back on that other world. At least not that Sephiroth's mentioned to me yet.
[ She certainly doesn't want to know things her friend isn't ready to tell her. Gaia shakes her head. The thing is, she's picking up on the nuances. Why Cloud seems to be tense when he's speaking to Sephiroth and doesn't quite know how to handle it. That's not just conflicting personalities. ]
If you're wanting to tell me anything about Sephiroth, even what he might have been or might be, you should do it with him here as well, you know. I get that it's hard for some reason. But you also can't keep dancing around it and expect the one I know to be happy about being treated like that. Not talking... I mean not explaining to him is what people seem to always do. They just tell him to do something.
[ Gaia frowns a little. ]
It's what the adult version of him, Angeal and Genesis did on Kamurkia because they had their own mess they were wrapped up in. Because of these memories of what happened between now and then. 'Giving him space', trying to 'wait and see'. 'Not being able to communicate with oneself.' 'We had so much to deal as well with because of our own trauma'. But... you're also the adults, too. That gets forgotten a lot.
[ The adults, thinking of or worrying about who Sephiroth is or could become forget he's still just a teenager right now. And Gaia understands that there's a lot of stuff there. She does. It's just that from her perspective, her friend gets the short end of the stick because of it.
That in her own frustration of being able to do only so much, being somewhat of an outsider to the whole ordeal of that world. Caught up in the moment, she forgets to comment about the mako poisoning. Well, at least Cloud seems to realize there was a reason it might have come up as a concern on the teen's end now, regardless of how everyone was at the time. ]
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[Cloud shakes his head - irrelevant right now.]
Yeah, I told him. When he first got here. He took it a hell of a lot better than his alternate self did, years later. More importantly, he's got you. His future won't be the one that played out in my world. I know it. If the older one hadn't shown up here, there'd be no point in telling him or you any of the rest - wouldn't be relevant. Just some alternate timeline he'll never have to see. But it's relevant now.
Whole reason I contacted you at all was because I tried to tell Sephiroth all this and he didn't wanna hear it. Decided to assume everything I say is some damn delusion because the adult he met on Kamurkia was supposedly this great guy with the perfect life.
[Cloud pauses for a moment. He was going to ask her what that other adult Sephiroth was like, given how dead set the kid is on making sure he gets that future, but...he turns what Gaia's already said over in his mind. Thinks about things the kid's said before.
His boyfriend. In the future he saw, he had someone who loved him. Who...wanted him.
Do you suppose Mother left me behind because she realized she'd bred a monster and not a Cetra? ... Is that why no-one's ever wanted me, except for the Professor?
No wonder he's so single-minded about chasing that future. If only Cloud's version of future Sephiroth hadn't managed somehow to follow him here...
He looks down at the table, shoulders slumping slightly.]
I'm the reason this other asshole is here. He came looking for me. I have to do something to stop him from hurting people. And unlike the kid, he's got the power of Jenova on his side, which means...he might be able to control Sephiroth. I've seen him do it before, to other SOLDIERs. Made them hurt people they cared about.
[Cloud hopes his meaning is clear to Gaia - that if the adult gets his grubby claws into the kid's head, it's Gaia herself who's in the most danger. And while he knows she can handle herself in battle, she's likely to hold back against her own friend - Cloud would, too.
And if Sephiroth hurts her, he'll hate himself for it afterward. Cloud can't let that happen. He can't let these kids go through all that. They deserve so much better.]
Re: -> action!
[ And the rest is hard to say. One of those tricky things that unless someone had told Gaia about their history on er... Gaia, she wasn't going to know.
She has no relation to that Planet.
...Anyway. She doesn't add conjecture about what's up with Angeal, Genesis or the adult Sephiroth and how they came to be a trio couple. She does frown and look puzzled however. ]
First, I know everyone was feeling the effects of the fog. But can you see that if you came across as panicked and talking about how an adult version was going to attack us all, Sephiroth might see that as a sign you haven't recovered? Setting aside any other tension that's between you because of all of this future stuff.
[ She can't have helped but noticed there's a bit of friction, whether or not either intend it to be there. ]
And I know this might not have been how you meant it. The way he explained it to me suggested that you didn't know if this newly arrived version was one from your memories or the one we met. Combined with that and maybe thinking you didn't think we were capable of protecting ourselves, whether or not we'd be able to against this older Sephiroth...
[ Things built up. And Gaia's expression suggests she doesn't know who said what or is making a mistake here. Maybe both are. Maybe only one is. ]
Look. I'm not going to say exactly what happened on Kamurkia. But he got a glimpse of a future version of himself that was happy and had family. One that didn't include him in the picture. Because they were preoccupied with their own hurts and thought giving space was the answer. So no. That adult Sephiroth wasn't perfect. It's just that he wasn't evil, either.
[ But then Gaia's taken aback, processing what else Cloud just said. ]
Wait, are you saying this Sephiroth... the adult one. He 'followed you here'? Not brought here by... whatever brings us here? Is that possible? Did you check with Aurora?
[ She definitely believes it could happen, but as to whether or not someone's actually claiming this versus it being true? That's something else entirely. ]
Re: -> action!
[He doesn't see why Sephiroth would just assume that his behavior during the fog was indicative of anything outside it, that is. He has no context for why the kid thinks he's ever had mako poisoning.]
Then the way he explained it to you was wrong. There's no question in my mind which Sephiroth this is. The difference ain't subtle. Didn't you hear what I said about controlling the kid? You seriously just gonna write that off as paranoia or something?
[This is so bizarre and frustrating. Why are they acting like he's just making shit up? Why would he ever do that? He's trying to help them, god dammit. There's a part of him that wants to just throw his hands up and say fuck it, if they don't want his help then they're not his responsibility and he doesn't have to care. That's how he should be handling it. Right?
But the larger part of him can't do that. He just...can't.
He shakes his head.]
Haven't yet, but I plan to. It's what he claims, and I got plenty of reason to believe he could pull it off if anybody could. Traveling between timelines and worlds is child's play to him. But if he's full of it, that means it might be possible to get Aurora to send him back.
[Please...please let that be possible.]
Re: -> action!
No she definitely hadn't missed that, it's just... ]
Given what happened with Vincent it was obvious some people were having struggles with influences from the fog that lingered. But if he explained it that way to me and it was wrong, then it meant he was upset at something. Also, no! Look, you pushed a lot of things at me at once. First the travel, and that. I was getting to it.
[ Sort of. One at a time. Gaia looks flustered enough that it's likely true. ]
If this guy you remember is as manipulative as he sounds then you should definitely speak to the one person that can confirm his claim as well as what he can or can't do here. Believe me, even if he thinks he's the one responsible, you don't want that to eat at you. That you can't escape him because he has that power.
[ She huffs out an air of exasperation. ]
You can't help it if he was brought here by the powers here intentionally and they won't send him away. But at least that isn't the same thing.
[ Then another deep breath. ]
Now, explain the control thing. Please. That's something I don't even know if my friend knows. And if he does, he certainly hasn't cared to explain it to me. Though if you think we should all sit down together about this and make sure he's willing for me to know about that, we should do that right now because that part sounds important.
Re: -> action!
He nods.]
He didn't wanna hear it from me earlier, but maybe if you ask him, he'll come. Far as I know, he has no idea. Doubt he'll believe me anyway, but might as well give it a shot.
Re: -> action!
And probably not just because she is, in fact, also a teenager. ]
No, he did. I heard him ask you to tell him. Something about listing the people close to you the future Sephiroth hurt before coming here. [ This is firmly, perhaps even a bit tartly, offered even while she's activating the network link to fire off texts. This whole 'in her head/on a HUD' thing is a little weird still but she's adapted well. ]
What did you say after that? Because all I heard was a 'Fine' and he closed the link. I doubt it was an actual list or a lack of one.
[ Otherwise she would have expected a 'see, told you so' or some similar thing from her friend's end. ]