Just another day...[OPEN]

[fuhenteki]

Characters: Kambei Shimada & Whoever else [Open]
Content: Wondering if life as a sky pirate is truly worth the hassle, a lone samurai travel through the streets of Trewe in search for an answer.
Setting: Trewe, Vohemar [4423]
Time: Late afternoon [5 o'clock or so]
Warnings: PG-13

Comments

[seventh_hero]

Reserved though he was, there was something inexplicably theraputic for Cloud to be out and about, amongst thriving masses of people going about their chattering routines. He didn't know a single soul in Trewe, but he didn't need to. He didn't need to be a part of anything in particular, but the sounds of their conversations, the earnest warmth of their laughter over old stories, and the understated passion of their lives was all he needed to gain a sense of comfort, as if he had been isolated for years and this was the only cure. For most of the time he spent in town, he simply sat around on a rickety, wooden bench inside the bustling market and allowed himself to relax. The weather had been pleasant, thankfully, giving him a good opportunity to let the anxiety of their near brush with the law fade away from mind. Any other time, he made his way among the stalls and booths, glancing at the wares on sale, even sampling a bit of the local cuisine, much to his simple delight.

Later in the day, Cloud's shimmering eyes fell upon Kambei during his quiet repose. The two shared more in common than they knew, as Cloud was yet another number in the ranks of the Ivonian deserters, but they had never shared so much as a word so far. Cloud only knew him from Kambei's training session with his two eager pupils; he had watched it and shared a conversation with Anko at the time, and hoped that he might be able to speak with the masterful swordsman.

Now was his chance, but shyness stayed his hand. Cloud, having left his seat and moved towards Kambei, approached from the side but stopped about ten paces short and quickly looked away. Once or twice, a glimmer of courage suddenly appeared in his youthful features, but it washed away just as quickly. He took another few steps closer after some hesitation, then finally, he mustered up the best smile he could (albeit still very hushed) and raised his voice to a modest volume.

"Good afternoon, Kambei, sir..." he began, offering a respectful greeting. "Are you...well?"

[fuhenteki]

Cloud Strife, one of the new members of the crew who joined the 4423 before the crisis in Doma, is certainly a peculiar individual according to Kambei’s observation of him. The old samurai remembered Cloud from that day, seeing the swordsman gossip with Anko as he trained Daisukenojo with the help of his former pupil, Katsushiro. The only reason why this blond haired former solider stuck out to Kambei is because of the enormous blade that Cloud uses.

It was not the first time that the samurai saw such a gigantic sword but it was the first time he ever seen anyone wield such a weapon. Blades like Cloud’s sword are considered far too cumbersome to be brandish in the samurai’s traditional swordsmanship. It was because of that sword that Kambei actually took a bit of interested in Cloud even if the two haven’t even spoken. Kambei wondered what sort of warrior this young man was, what sort of lineage he is from and what sort of style he knows in order to wield such a blade.

Deciding to feed his curiosity, the old samurai greeted Cloud in the same manner as he greeted the others who stopped by for a chat or two earlier this today.

“Good afternoon, Cloud.” He replied with a faint nod.

[seventh_hero]

Indeed, Cloud was scarcely seen without his sizeable weapon. He wore it around to and from work, only removing it when he set himself to begin his hands-on repairs to the ship, and he wore it simply when going about the 4423 in general, only taking the weight of it off of his strong shoulders when sitting, as in the mess hall. Even now, it remained in its holster, running down the length of his spine and beyond like an edged extention of his body.

He approached Kambei more cordially then, once their greetings had been established. Contrasted against his somewhat timid behavior, someone with eyes like Kambei would be able to notice how precise and balanced his movements were, even in normal stride. His breathing was perfectly measured as well, almost like a metronome, set to a specific rhythm and never moving away from it.

Cloud's bright, practically glowing eyes never met Kambei's for more than a second or two, darting away after any prolonged contact. He smiled, though, and seemed very glad to be able to speak with Kambei. "It's a nice day to enjoy outside...probably even nicer now that we aren't behind bars..." he said, mustering up a bit of humor.

[fuhenteki]

There was something about the young warrior that definitely caught the samurai's intrigue. Kambei honestly doubted that this young man could be Vohemaro, simply because of how subservient Cloud seemed to be. The blond exudes a militaristic persona about him, his actions and movements far too similar to an actual soldier rather than of a average mercenary. He could tell all this just by watching Cloud, Kambei would be shocked if his observations were wrong for he felt very confident that he was correct.

Smiling faintly at Cloud's attempt of humor, the old samurai spoke.

"Anything that is caged for whether a day or for years, can appreciate the freedom that lies beyond its cage..." Kambei began. "But once freed, such appreciation dwindles as the memory of that former cage slowly fades." An old saying that is probably older than Kambei himself…

[seventh_hero]

"...mmm. That's true," Cloud replied succinctly, his smile warming up a little. The sun was nearing the edge of the horizon, just a sparce amount of red-dyed sky in between, and as its light and warmth brushed against him, Cloud leaned up against a nearby lamppost, his bared shoulder resting against it while his arms tucked between each other against his chest.

He didn't have much to add to Kambei's proverb, instead shifting the conversation away from the dreary subject of imprisonment. "I watched you not long ago teaching a pair of your students," he began, still sparing Kambei only fleeting glances. "You seemed highly skilled. Too skilled to be a simple pirate, I'd say...can I ask where you're from?"

[fuhenteki]

A look of surprised settled in his gaze as he listened to the blond. It seemed that Kambei might have accidentally given Cloud the impression that he is in fact a former soldier. He wondered idly if he should just tell a lie and claim that he is a mercenary instead of a former general but lying has never been Kambei's style. The old samurai could tell that if he did answer Cloud's inquiry with a white lie, that the other wouldn't fall for it. Deciding to state the truth, the samurai answered him.

"Ivona." Kambei replied with a steely gaze. "I served the military for many years before departing." Now that he answered the blond's question, the samurai wondered if he could ask a question of his own. That gigantic buster sword warrants attention from him.

"Your blade, where did you learn how to wield such a weapon?"

[seventh_hero]

If Kambei cared to notice, Cloud would only give a very faint, very odd reaction to the truth he offered: upon the statement of being an Ivonian soldier, Cloud's brow furrowed, but only momentarily, so quickly that it was barely even a shift in his expressions at all.

Briefly, at Kambei's regard, he glanced off to one side, seemingly looking over his own shoulder towards the up-turned hilt of his weapon. Cloud responded at first with what could only be described as a half-sigh, half-chuckle, only a tiny smile tipping the scale towards humor over disappointment. "I...honestly don't know."

He had never given it as much thought as it probably warranted. His ability to use such a large and weighty weapon so easily was flawless, but even though he had no memories of ever first picking the weapon up or ever practicing a single minute with it, it never bothered him much as to how it came about. It just felt too 'natural' to be worth questioning.

Still, a part of him wanted to know the reason; hence, the half-sigh. Looking up at Kambei, after having cast his gaze down at the ground for a moment or two, Cloud offered an uncertain smile and shrugged his slender, yet sturdy shoulders. "Unfortunately, I don't really remember a lot of my life up until a few years ago. Everything before that sort of feels like a dream, and I just woke up."

He shook his head a little, causing the long blades of his yellow hair to shift about, and smiled a little despite himself. "It probably sounds silly, a guy wandering around without knowing who he is..."