In the jungle, the mighty jungle [Closed]

[ofthefall]

Who: Cloud Strife and Leon
World | Location: Pride Lands | Oasis
Date | Content: After Sephiroth's Arrival | Cloud is at the Pride Lands to think over a few things, Leon follows.
Rating: G

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[ofthefall]

Cloud hadn't realized he had fallen asleep, sunbathing on the rock until he found himself drowsily opening his eyes. The nap couldn't have been long since the sun was still high in the sky. But he was a little too warm now, not used to all the fur and eventually dipped into the water. Once cool, Cloud pulled himself from the water and shook the water off of him. But then, he heard a noise and quickly pulled his sword into his mouth, brandishing it with a growl as he waited for whatever was in the bushes.

A lion eventually came through and Cloud's guard was still up until he saw the gunblade and the scar. Dropping his sword, Cloud sat down and tilted his head. "Leon?"

[ofthefall]

Cloud wasn't really looking for a fight anyway. He just hadn't known it was Leon coming toward him. Cloud scoffed lightly, trotting back to the rock and laying down on it with a sigh. "If I made it easy, it would defeat the purpose as to why I was alone to begin with."

His tail lazily moved as he looked at Leon again. "So, what's up?"

[ofthefall]

"And you haven't been avoiding me as well?" Cloud finally asked back, sighing. The whole thing was just awkward and he looked away. What could he really say? They had been compelled to sing the most random song ever, as a duet no less, and now he could barely look at Leon in the eye. Why? He didn't know.

[ofthefall]

"Did you really come all this way to just confirm that?" Cloud couldn't help but ask. He pushed himself up again and jumped off the rock, making his way over to the much bigger cat. His now feline eyes didn't look away from Leon this time. He wanted to know. Why had Leon come all this way only to walk away? It just didn't make any sense.

[ofthefall]

after a few moments of silence, Cloud finally admitted, "I haven't been avoiding you, not entirely, anyway."

He sighed heavily and sat down, looking down at his paws. He really hadn't. Over time, the awkwardness had, more or less, gone away. Though he just hadn't been sure what to say to Leon. But then Sephiroth happened.

"Some... version of Sephiroth is here," He said quietly. "I came here to think. I have been so used to hearing him taunt me, belittle me, try to get me to believe things that I didn't entirely disbelieve. And then this guy shows up and he is nothing like him."

[ofthefall]

Cloud huffed a sigh. "I don't know."

He honestly didn't. He began to pace as he thought about it. It was just... weird. Too weird. Sephiroth was here. A Sephiroth, anyway. And he wasn't crazy, he wasn't aligned to the Darkness. Nothing. Just a regular soldier who could actually form sentences without the word "Darkness" in them and it was just weird. Cloud honestly didn't know what to do with himself. It was nice to not have to fight the man but at the same time, it only made him feel so much more paranoid that the man was just going to turn on him like it was some sick joke.

"I just... I don't know."

[ofthefall]

"But do you know how strange it is to meet a guy who looks just like him? Who sounds just like him? And yet he isn't spewing lectures about Darkness and Hearts and is actually being logical?" Cloud said in exasperation. He finally sat back and rubbed his face with a paw, glad his nails didn't randomly come out like last time. "I told him not to talk to me and he hasn't. He's listening."

And it's making Cloud's paranoia skyrocket.

[ofthefall]

Cloud looked to Leon, searching those gray eyes for a different answer before sighing. Was it really so easy? It was difficult for Cloud to even think of the worlds Sephiroth and trust in one sentence. Finally, he nodded.

"Alright. I'll... try," He said, sighing softly.