A Brief Respite (Open RP)

[herlivinglegacy]

Smooth, slow motions.

Once, one of his colonels had commented on the oddity of Sephiroth, the General spearheading the war against the orient, doing something like Tai Chi every morning. Sure, he didn't believe in Da Chao and reserved his beliefs for science rather than Odin and his host of sons and daughters, but he believed in the calming nature

Comments

[malikhuliya]

The grass rustled slightly in the wind, the sound being sucked up by the quite of this late hour. Then he was there, watching, eyes half-lidded in their melancholy. 'What is the purpose of this?' He murmured apathetically.

[herlivinglegacy]

Eyes flicking to the man briefly as he turned, Sephiroth responded in a deep, smooth tone. "It is, primarily, a form of martial arts. Though this I do for...relaxation," he said, not pausing as he moved through the steps slowly.

[malikhuliya]

Ulquiorra watched Sephiroth drift easily through the forms of Tai Chi, watching as his musculature and height moved as elegantly as water through a stream into the different stances, all to experience relaxation. He sighed, showing emotion without realising it. 'How is this ... relaxation, achieved?'

[herlivinglegacy]

He frowned a little, trying to think of a way to put it. "Raging waters, screaming crows, fast frantic movement; none are particularly relaxing. But moving like this, feeling your energy roll about, in yourself, smooth, slow..." he trailed off as he turned, cat-like eyes fixing on Ulquiorra for a moment.

"It's calm. That makes it relaxing." Said like it should be obvious, not that he was intentionally trying to sound arrogant at the moment. "It's excessive, too."

[malikhuliya]

He caught Sephiroth's stare and held it. He did not move for a long while, just watched the fluid movements, thinking and rethinking what the white-haired man said until it sooner lost its meaning. ... feeling your energy roll about, in yourself, smooth, slow ...

Ulquiorra wanted that. To feel his strength anew, to have it rejuvenated. 'Show me,' he demanded in a monotone.

[herlivinglegacy]

Sephiroth paused, then stood straight. "We'll start from the beginning. There is twenty four forms, or positions, you must flow through. Don't rush just let yourself move, and feel your energy move with it. Copy me."

He moved slow, slower still than he had been, at least, waiting for the rather dreary man to move his arms up and leg to the side before continuing, guiding him. A brief thought crossed his mind, one that posed the question of whether he should be making nice with students here, but this...man didn't seem human, and...understood, perhaps.

[malikhuliya]

He had been watching for a time, so before he got started, he thought to take it to the level in which Sephiroth had done. He unclipped his zanpakuto from his belt, dropping it to the grass, and with it he slipped out of the top layers of his slim fitting kimono, allowing the top segment to fall to the grass and by effect, covering his sword. He moved closer to Sephiroth, shirtless like his acquaintance. Finding a stance next to Sephiroth he sooner fell into the same rhythm, taking heed not to rush the process, but to be as slow as an even breeze, to catch those rhythmic moments. He could feel his energy course through him in beats, the Tai Chi helping him to attain a firmer grasp of it. He was excited to feel it once more, but on the outside, his jaw was still in a dismal set, his eyes the deep teal of melancholy.

[herlivinglegacy]

Tai Chi was slow enough that he could return to his normal speed, albeit small pauses while he waited for Ulquiorra to mimic him. He tried to keep his movements smooth, despite these pauses.

After a while he sank into a pleasant kind of mindlessness once more, automatically pausing and continuing as needed, watching his unlikely companion from the corner of his eyes. "Are you human?" The words slipped from his mouth before he quite realised they'd done so, but even then he only blinked in surprise, otherwise remained pleasantly blank inside and out.

[malikhuliya]

He matched Sephiroth's movements if not a motion, or two, delayed. His gaze was straight ahead of him, and yet it did not disadvantage him to his mimicry. 'No. I am an Arrancar.' It did not matter to Ulquiorra the reason behind the question. He had not seen many people since his arrival at the school, and being a social butterfly was not apart of his daily routine. He had spent most of his time in the Hogwarts cellars. He did not expect everyone to know of him, of what he was, or of how dangerous he could be. With or without his zanpakuto. All avenues had to be covered, even during this pleasant distraction.

[herlivinglegacy]

"Ah," he said. Good enough. At least it meant Sephiroth wouldn't have to wonder whether to kill him now or later, if he ever did figure out just what Mother's wish was with this planet. Her cells inside him, though somewhat quiet, cut off from her main source, were quite erratic and jumpbled over which course of direction to take. Befriend the humans here, to gain their trust, or simply kill them all.

But Sephiroth thought that, in some small part of him, he didn't really want to kill these people. Only the humans, and that one from AVALANCHE. But not Zack. Even though he was human. That this man, was not human, and thus was not on his default 'hate' list, was a good thing. Mother and he could agree more readily over how to treat him then. "I am Cetra," he spoke, in reply, as if that explained everything. "Mother's Chosen One."

[malikhuliya]

'Cetra?' he murmured. 'I am Ulquiorra Schiffer, the Fourth Espada.' Even to one whom would not understand what an Arrancar, or an Espada was, the way in which he spoke those words, regardless of his measly apathetic tone, would denote that they were ranks and that he was, no doubt, a warrior. He continued to match Sephiroth's movements, gliding fluidly through the crisp night air. The moonlight causing his already pale skin to be absent of any colour, and shine like alabaster. His muscles shifted under his skin with each stretch or withdraw of his limb.

He too did not have a desire to cause this person bodily harm. He even found himself contemplating the fact that he found the subject interesting, and not a simple waste of oxygen and flesh. But he broke that down to the relaxation of his mind and limbs. Because such other feelings were not capable of him, for his aspect of death denied such emotion, such feeling, such humanity. He was Arrancar, nothing lower.

[herlivinglegacy]

Sephiroth could respect warriors. He might have been a General for a company run by bureaucrats and greedy suits, but he had pride. Honour.

"Cetra are an ancient race, from the stars," he murmured. "My mother was betrayed, long ago, and she chose me to avenge her." Terribly abridged, but good enough. "Sephiroth," he said simply, since he had no name and he'd long since dropped the moniker of 'General'. "What are Espada?"

[malikhuliya]

The Tai Chi had calmed him to the point where he was civilised enough not to slander Sephiroth, to call him for everything he would a human. Unlike his current company, he was not above the collective racism to all things that were under him. Everything was inconsequential. But the movements he continued to work through, slow and efficiently, seemed to slow his mind, calm it, and broaden its dismissive boundaries

[herlivinglegacy]

Sephiroth made an amused sound. "I was once a General," he said, though his tone had a slightly acidic lilt to it. "Of an army that commanded an entire planet. Ruled by one company." He snorted, clearly disliking that certain company.

He felt the calm lake of his mind state churn, turn vaguely rippled with his break in concentration, and he took a deep breath, willed himself back into that state of calm, of sanity. "Now I have no superiors."

[malikhuliya]

Ulquiorra brought in his arm, slowly, causing his muscles to flex and tighten under his skin. Sephiroth and he seemed to be one in the same. It was confusing to Ulquiorra, not because they were similar in rank, but because of something that stirred near the gaping hole in his chest. It was not cause for alarm just at the moment, but it was something he would need to keep his eye on.

His tranquility faltered and he found himself missing a beat to the Tai Chi stances, stumbling slightly to his left. This brought him closer to Sephiroth, but without acknowledging it, and calming himself once more, he fell back into the routine and soon all he heard in the cold, clear night was his breathing. He probably looked like a novice after that. What was that feeling! The awareness of his mistake that seemed to fog his mind. He worked to clear his thoughts. 'That must be satisfying,' he said begrudgingly, and would not be aware of this display of envy for some time to come.

[herlivinglegacy]

"It was well earned," he murmured. "Something I had to kill for." But he was trying not to think about that, for the moment, because it only made him miss Jenova all the same.

Out of respect for his companion, he didn't mention nor react to his stumble, not realising there had been an emotion behind it and instead considering it a lapse in concentration.