Eight More and I'm Out the Door
This one got long and totally away from where I wanted it. But the title is in reference to Reeve's materia set up and what seems to take priority.
Title: Independent
Fandom: Final Fantasy 7
Characters: Reeve,
Prompt: 16, Purple
Word Count: 1,674
Rating: PG-13 for implied violence.
Author's Notes: Sadly I couldn’t come up with a good way to relate Reeve’s mad skillz in battle to the song ‘Purple People Eater’ for my dear rae. Instead I provide a reason why Cait Sith was UTTERLY useless in Advent Children. Not just lacking his Mog, but not even using magic. I believe in Reeve’s mad abilities as a mage, how else would a machine be able to seem to use magic in game? If anyone wants to discuss the amazing magical prowess of Reeve with me, feel free to say so. I love speaking about it. Oh, and for reference, this is the materia set up Reeve has for this story. Because, honestly, he doesn’t need a weapon with his mad magic skills.
Reeve’s Materia Set Up
Wizard Bracelet (Offense)
All = Master Magic
Master Command = Master Summon
HP Plus = MP Plus
Magic Plus = Speed Plus
Adaman Bangle (Defense)
Magic Counter = Bio
They’d lain aside for two years now. Very shortly after the defeat of Sephiroth, Reeve himself had helped to lay down the laws that forbid the use of materia in non-emergency situations. Using materia only took away from the strength of the planet and the Lifestream. So even the heroes had set aside their extensive amounts of the precious orbs. It had taken some convincing on the part of Yuffie of course, and everyone had been left a few orbs for the most dire situations. They knew how to abstain from usage though, so Reeve had seen no problem in it. And Cloud, who had never really used the stuff anyway, had been chosen to guard the majority of the orbs that had been birthed from materia they had mastered through the journey, mastering them slowly but surely.
So they’d lain aside for years, sealed away in the vault in Reeve’s office at the WRO when he worked, and in his personal safe at home when he wasn’t there. Yes, there had been temptation over the years to reach out into the power of the planet again. It was something that Reeve had learned to control over the years though. All of those with his kind of aptitude with materia had to learn control at one point or another in their lives anyway. But each day was more and more of a trial. It was growing harder and harder not to reach out and call forth the powers locked away in the faintly glowing orbs. This was the test, the curse that came with the magical abilities that Reeve had since he was a child, and while it wasn’t easy to handle, he had gotten by.
Until today.
Then again, Reeve couldn’t have thought of any better day for the breaking of his vow not to use magic.
Edge was in chaos. What had seemed to be a normal day, like any other in his life as director of the WRO, was turning out to be nothing like normal. He’d awoken near midnight with a rapid string of calls and messages from Yuffie, Tifa, and Rufus ShinRa himself. Calls that children had gone missing from Wutai. A call to say that Marlene and Denzel were both missing and that Cloud had gone after the people who took them. A call explaining, with the least amount of information possible, about the three men who called Cloud brother.
And let no one forget the show stopper before Reeve had even managed to get into his suit and get some food in him. That the silver haired men had shown up in Edge at the memorial. That they seemed to be preparing to tear the thing down.
Still, there was little that the leader of the WRO could do. He, unlike the others, was hardly useful in battle these days. Reeve lacked the ability to lift a sword, his body wasn’t a lethal weapon, and his aim with a gun was atrocious. It was with a heavy heart that Reeve sent Cait out that morning, with directions to find and assist the others in any way it could manage.
Without his magic, something he had given up for the sake of the planet years back, Reeve was useless to the others. The only thing he could do was stay out of their way as they did their best to save the world yet again.
His part in the battle taken care of with the dispatching of one of his robots, Reeve continued about the preparations of the morning. It was likely that by the time dinner rolled around there would be new damage estimates to draw up, to restore Edge before he could continue with the new constructions and the deconstruction of Midgar.
It was ritual alone that found Reeve transferring two bangles studded with the materia left to him, into secure pockets on the inside of his coat. It was ritual alone that caused the timid man to take them with him to work so they might be ritually locked up in his safe, just like any other day. And it was ritual alone that insisted he keep the faintly glowing gems close to him. There was at least a whisper of magic left flowing out from them, enough of a comfort for him to just remember what it was like to cast spells over whole continents in timing such that it would look like his little robot was performing instead of him.
So with rituals performed Reeve took up his brief case and headed out of his rarely used apartment.
Later he would come to blame the confusion of the streets for his feet wandering closer and closer to the square where the monument to Meteor and the lives lost to it stood. There was, of course, confusion, and a large flow of people towards the square, but it wasn’t that which pulled Reeve in that direction. Maybe it was the desire to actually see his allies in combat for himself just once. Maybe it was the need of the designer of the monument to make sure it was really still there. Or maybe it was the weight of metal and materia in his pockets.
Ultimately, Reeve only managed to make it halfway to the square when they came barreling down the streets. The creatures were horrible to look upon and dark as night, once you got past the bony, almost white… things that covered their heads. Further up the street he can just barely make out the square and the panic ensuing from more of these… things running around. The screaming from the square, making its way towards Reeve, sent a shudder down his spine.
Instincts that Reeve had been sure had gone extinct in himself years before quickly kicked in. Hands buried into secret pockets and first one, then the other, bangle of old was snapped into place at his wrists. And before the first creature actually manages to lay a claw within five feet of Reeve, the three closest, all pouncing for prey, fell victim to rapidly fired fire spells. Before the realization of what he had done set in, the executive had already cast aside his bag and picked off another few front runners with well aimed ice spells.
They’d lain aside for two years now, the faintly glowing orbs never managing to build up a layer of dust or lose even the littlest bit of their luster. There was a red and a yellow, two blues and two greens, four purples twinkling merrily in their metal settings as round after round of spells were shot off, barely leaving a dent in the stamina of the former executive. Attacks that would barely miss the mage won the one foolish enough to attempt to bring him harm the pain of bio spells. Those who dared to threaten or harm the people got a fate that was hardly so kind. Fatal blasts went off in rapid succession with protective barriers and restorative spells. And all the while the man made his way forward, towards the square where even more of the beasts seemed to take joy in their destructive madness.
By the time the executive managed to make the square though, a battle was already raging far above. Allies he’d never truly fought beside battled with a monstrous being that seemed no more than a mockery of the summons. Elsewhere Reeve even managed to catch a glimpse of vibrant red and cold silver, a sure sign of Turks doing their own part in this fight.
But with the eyes of the former heroes on the airborne summon, and those of the Turks upon silver haired men, none were left to deal with the chaos unleashed by the shadowy beasts. People were still falling victim to bites and slashes. So many people, so much pain, and so little that even those experienced in combat could do.
Reeve wasn’t trained in combat, and even the intense stamina of a mage such as himself was quickly wearing thin. There really was little left that he could do. So many targets, so many innocents, and so little time and strength left to him. Had he the sharp shooting of Vincent it might not be so hard, or the rapid shots of Barret’s gun arm. But all Reeve had left to him were the materia lain aside for two years. The magic he had given up for the sake of the planet, and taken up again for the same reasons.
One red, one yellow, two blue and two green, four purple orbs shone with a gentle glow as Reeve gathered and concentrated the last of his strength. Slowly the light died away from the red, the yellow, a blue, a green. Soon three of the purples followed in course, the powers of the orbs sacrificed for the sake of one last display of the power of the mage. And after the remaining purple, green, and blue, unleashed a spell of their combined power, controlled only by the strong will of one man who none had ever seen as strong, they too faded, all light dying away.
It was only the will of one strong, independent, and gifted man that kept the power of the spell in check. Only his strength that kept the ultima from losing its focus. Only years of experience with magic kept those innocents free from the blast, and protected the city around the shadowy things from harm.
But will could only get one so far. Strength could only hold out so long. Experience could only get you so far before you were in new territory.
Still, there was a faint smile on Reeve’s face as he fell forward, consumed by the greedy embrace of unconsciousness. And so tight was that lady’s grip, so strong her sway over a weary body, mind, and soul that the man didn’t even notice the fine cracks that formed in his beloved materia. His beloved, and now dead, materia.
Title: Independent
Fandom: Final Fantasy 7
Characters: Reeve,
Prompt: 16, Purple
Word Count: 1,674
Rating: PG-13 for implied violence.
Author's Notes: Sadly I couldn’t come up with a good way to relate Reeve’s mad skillz in battle to the song ‘Purple People Eater’ for my dear rae. Instead I provide a reason why Cait Sith was UTTERLY useless in Advent Children. Not just lacking his Mog, but not even using magic. I believe in Reeve’s mad abilities as a mage, how else would a machine be able to seem to use magic in game? If anyone wants to discuss the amazing magical prowess of Reeve with me, feel free to say so. I love speaking about it. Oh, and for reference, this is the materia set up Reeve has for this story. Because, honestly, he doesn’t need a weapon with his mad magic skills.
Reeve’s Materia Set Up
Wizard Bracelet (Offense)
All = Master Magic
Master Command = Master Summon
HP Plus = MP Plus
Magic Plus = Speed Plus
Adaman Bangle (Defense)
Magic Counter = Bio
They’d lain aside for two years now. Very shortly after the defeat of Sephiroth, Reeve himself had helped to lay down the laws that forbid the use of materia in non-emergency situations. Using materia only took away from the strength of the planet and the Lifestream. So even the heroes had set aside their extensive amounts of the precious orbs. It had taken some convincing on the part of Yuffie of course, and everyone had been left a few orbs for the most dire situations. They knew how to abstain from usage though, so Reeve had seen no problem in it. And Cloud, who had never really used the stuff anyway, had been chosen to guard the majority of the orbs that had been birthed from materia they had mastered through the journey, mastering them slowly but surely.
So they’d lain aside for years, sealed away in the vault in Reeve’s office at the WRO when he worked, and in his personal safe at home when he wasn’t there. Yes, there had been temptation over the years to reach out into the power of the planet again. It was something that Reeve had learned to control over the years though. All of those with his kind of aptitude with materia had to learn control at one point or another in their lives anyway. But each day was more and more of a trial. It was growing harder and harder not to reach out and call forth the powers locked away in the faintly glowing orbs. This was the test, the curse that came with the magical abilities that Reeve had since he was a child, and while it wasn’t easy to handle, he had gotten by.
Until today.
Then again, Reeve couldn’t have thought of any better day for the breaking of his vow not to use magic.
Edge was in chaos. What had seemed to be a normal day, like any other in his life as director of the WRO, was turning out to be nothing like normal. He’d awoken near midnight with a rapid string of calls and messages from Yuffie, Tifa, and Rufus ShinRa himself. Calls that children had gone missing from Wutai. A call to say that Marlene and Denzel were both missing and that Cloud had gone after the people who took them. A call explaining, with the least amount of information possible, about the three men who called Cloud brother.
And let no one forget the show stopper before Reeve had even managed to get into his suit and get some food in him. That the silver haired men had shown up in Edge at the memorial. That they seemed to be preparing to tear the thing down.
Still, there was little that the leader of the WRO could do. He, unlike the others, was hardly useful in battle these days. Reeve lacked the ability to lift a sword, his body wasn’t a lethal weapon, and his aim with a gun was atrocious. It was with a heavy heart that Reeve sent Cait out that morning, with directions to find and assist the others in any way it could manage.
Without his magic, something he had given up for the sake of the planet years back, Reeve was useless to the others. The only thing he could do was stay out of their way as they did their best to save the world yet again.
His part in the battle taken care of with the dispatching of one of his robots, Reeve continued about the preparations of the morning. It was likely that by the time dinner rolled around there would be new damage estimates to draw up, to restore Edge before he could continue with the new constructions and the deconstruction of Midgar.
It was ritual alone that found Reeve transferring two bangles studded with the materia left to him, into secure pockets on the inside of his coat. It was ritual alone that caused the timid man to take them with him to work so they might be ritually locked up in his safe, just like any other day. And it was ritual alone that insisted he keep the faintly glowing gems close to him. There was at least a whisper of magic left flowing out from them, enough of a comfort for him to just remember what it was like to cast spells over whole continents in timing such that it would look like his little robot was performing instead of him.
So with rituals performed Reeve took up his brief case and headed out of his rarely used apartment.
Later he would come to blame the confusion of the streets for his feet wandering closer and closer to the square where the monument to Meteor and the lives lost to it stood. There was, of course, confusion, and a large flow of people towards the square, but it wasn’t that which pulled Reeve in that direction. Maybe it was the desire to actually see his allies in combat for himself just once. Maybe it was the need of the designer of the monument to make sure it was really still there. Or maybe it was the weight of metal and materia in his pockets.
Ultimately, Reeve only managed to make it halfway to the square when they came barreling down the streets. The creatures were horrible to look upon and dark as night, once you got past the bony, almost white… things that covered their heads. Further up the street he can just barely make out the square and the panic ensuing from more of these… things running around. The screaming from the square, making its way towards Reeve, sent a shudder down his spine.
Instincts that Reeve had been sure had gone extinct in himself years before quickly kicked in. Hands buried into secret pockets and first one, then the other, bangle of old was snapped into place at his wrists. And before the first creature actually manages to lay a claw within five feet of Reeve, the three closest, all pouncing for prey, fell victim to rapidly fired fire spells. Before the realization of what he had done set in, the executive had already cast aside his bag and picked off another few front runners with well aimed ice spells.
They’d lain aside for two years now, the faintly glowing orbs never managing to build up a layer of dust or lose even the littlest bit of their luster. There was a red and a yellow, two blues and two greens, four purples twinkling merrily in their metal settings as round after round of spells were shot off, barely leaving a dent in the stamina of the former executive. Attacks that would barely miss the mage won the one foolish enough to attempt to bring him harm the pain of bio spells. Those who dared to threaten or harm the people got a fate that was hardly so kind. Fatal blasts went off in rapid succession with protective barriers and restorative spells. And all the while the man made his way forward, towards the square where even more of the beasts seemed to take joy in their destructive madness.
By the time the executive managed to make the square though, a battle was already raging far above. Allies he’d never truly fought beside battled with a monstrous being that seemed no more than a mockery of the summons. Elsewhere Reeve even managed to catch a glimpse of vibrant red and cold silver, a sure sign of Turks doing their own part in this fight.
But with the eyes of the former heroes on the airborne summon, and those of the Turks upon silver haired men, none were left to deal with the chaos unleashed by the shadowy beasts. People were still falling victim to bites and slashes. So many people, so much pain, and so little that even those experienced in combat could do.
Reeve wasn’t trained in combat, and even the intense stamina of a mage such as himself was quickly wearing thin. There really was little left that he could do. So many targets, so many innocents, and so little time and strength left to him. Had he the sharp shooting of Vincent it might not be so hard, or the rapid shots of Barret’s gun arm. But all Reeve had left to him were the materia lain aside for two years. The magic he had given up for the sake of the planet, and taken up again for the same reasons.
One red, one yellow, two blue and two green, four purple orbs shone with a gentle glow as Reeve gathered and concentrated the last of his strength. Slowly the light died away from the red, the yellow, a blue, a green. Soon three of the purples followed in course, the powers of the orbs sacrificed for the sake of one last display of the power of the mage. And after the remaining purple, green, and blue, unleashed a spell of their combined power, controlled only by the strong will of one man who none had ever seen as strong, they too faded, all light dying away.
It was only the will of one strong, independent, and gifted man that kept the power of the spell in check. Only his strength that kept the ultima from losing its focus. Only years of experience with magic kept those innocents free from the blast, and protected the city around the shadowy things from harm.
But will could only get one so far. Strength could only hold out so long. Experience could only get you so far before you were in new territory.
Still, there was a faint smile on Reeve’s face as he fell forward, consumed by the greedy embrace of unconsciousness. And so tight was that lady’s grip, so strong her sway over a weary body, mind, and soul that the man didn’t even notice the fine cracks that formed in his beloved materia. His beloved, and now dead, materia.