(Untitled)

[volitionretaken]

Who: Cid Raines and-- anyone.
When: Now-ish.
Where: The Rift (Neutral).
What: Raines is finally moseying on out of the Chaos base to explore his surroundings.
Type: Starting with Log, but either are fine.
Notes/Warnings: None yet.

Comments

[lightning_fists]

Tifa was never really one for exploring. That, she always left up to others and chose to remain home with a warm meal and a smiling face when they would return. But necessities outweighed tendencies. And in order to survive a new world, one needed to know as well as understand the terrain. Besides, there was no home to anyone to return to, so nowhere for the barmaid to remain and wait, which was perfectly fine. Tifa had grown tired of waiting.

So it was with her crystal in hand that the young woman set forth, intending to seek out her friends when it became clear that the paths she had memorized from before were no longer applicable now. The worlds had shifted and the gateway to each of them were switched. Instead of the swirling green light of the artificial Lifestream, there was a vast field of blue as far as the eye could see. Instead of the Planet's Core, Tifa found herself standing in the middle of...

"The Rift? That can't be right..."

[volitionretaken]

The sudden arrival of a voice broke Cid of his pensive state. Although he was aware of the presence of at least several others, it was so quiet, so still in the Rift. He hadn't entirely expected someone else to be here. He pivoted on his heel, greeted by the sight of a young woman who appeared rather perplexed by her whereabouts. Was she new to this strange dimension as well? ...Either way, he wasn't the type of person to go on ignoring someone.

"Are you lost?" he asked, taking a few steps towards her.

Not that he'll be much help if you are. His lack of familiarity with this place would see to that.

[lightning_fists]

At first, Tifa believed it to be her own mistake. She was still fairly new to the idea of traveling to different areas with just a single step in the right direction. Back home, they had always used vehicles to move from one destination to another in their journeys, and spent long stretches of time on the road or in the sky getting there. So it would be understandable that the young woman had simply gotten her crystals wrong. After all, when trekking through Chaos Territory, there was no other thought in her mind than to find the exit get out of it as soon as possible. Especially if there were Mannequins roaming about as well

[volitionretaken]

Ever patient, Cid habitually rested a hand on his belt and simply watched, listened. It was hard not to get swallowed up by the surroundings here, and for the most part, he was still absorbing it all. A subtle smile drew his mouth back, accompanied by a sound of brief amusement.

"I understand. I only just arrived in this... "war", as well. Somewhat overwhelming, I find. ...I'm afraid, I won't be much use to you if you seek to find your way," he told her, sweeping his left arm out to the side as if to accentuate his point, "for I am but wandering myself."

He dropped his arm back to his side and shifted his weight.

"However, I must admit that for supposed battlefields, the surroundings are astoundingly beautiful."

And with that, Cid took another moment to look around him.

Have a ninja? :>

[summonerbanshee]

Portals, portals, portals.

Honestly, the ability to spontaneously teleport from one space to another was starting to lose it's charm about the fifth time around on Sheena's haphazard circuit around seemingly random areas. Not only was running into hostile... 'creatures' starting to tire her out, but she'd been pretty badly scuffed up after being ambushed by a mannequin with marginally more intelligence than the rest of the bunch.

Limping slightly, Fujibayashi exhaled through gritted teeth and paused to probe her leg wound gently with her fingertips.

At least this was one area she recognized. The others had made her feel increasingly more lost the further she went until deciding that turning back was the best course of action. That was all Sheena needed - getting lost in enemy territory with a potential asskicking in the pro--
A somewhat belated sweep of the area yielded up the fact she wasn't, in fact, alone. Another very good reason for her to back away silently as possible and draw her spell cards as a precaution.

Hell yes, I'm game. :]

[volitionretaken]

The stillness proved to be the most astounding thing of it all. Where Cid lived, there was hustle and bustle all the time. Rarely did one have privacy. Even when taking to the skies in the Lindblum, solitude didn't exist. It was necessary to be aware, of everyone and everything. Perhaps it was that built-in habit alone that suddenly made him aware of another presence. They were astoundingly quiet and he likely wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

Quietly, he turned to see who may have found their way out into the Rift and discovered a woman who was discreetly trying to backtrack. It was what she had in her hand that caught his attention in particular...

This was a battlefield, he reminded himself, and immediately became wary. However, unless she attacked, he had no reason to be hostile. Aside from turning around, he made no further movements so as to prevent her from misconstruing an advance as an easier way to take a shot at her

[zerosuitjill]

The Rift had quickly become Jill's preferred territory, neutral though it was. It was easiest for meeting with those on Cosmos, and excepting the case of the attack on Chris and herself days before, it was fairly easy to keep an eye and ear on her surroundings and watch for anyone approaching. While her injuries continued to ache, she was still in better condition than she'd been--even if she still looked like a battered mess--making her more confident, although no less watchful, as she arrived in the familiar area and made a beeline for the castle once her eyes caught no sign of the clones. She'd managed to make her her way here in a shorter time than she'd told Rebecca, giving her a little bit of a headstart

[volitionretaken]

It was, perhaps, against his better judgment that Cid allowed himself to be carried away by the peace and quiet. The air was clean and fresh, to him, and the colors kept him looking around forever. Only a voice brought him out of his slight trance, coaxing him to turn on his heel and face the stranger. At her inquiry, his brows furrowed and eyes smiled where his lips would not budge into a laugh.

"Is it that obvious?" he asked rhetorically, his tone good-natured. "Cid Raines."

Unless prompted, he didn't intend to disclose his faction. After all, he did make clear to himself that he would be choosing allies on his own accord, not because of faction.

[zerosuitjill]

The positive response prompted a small smile in turn. "Jill Valentine," she offered, equally genial. "And I saw your video feed the other day. That was a bit of a giveaway."

Moving closer--politely closer, to a conversational distance--Jill turned her attention to where he had been looking before she'd interrupted, her poise visibly relaxing further. "It's nicer here than in most areas," she told him. "Is this your first time out here?"

[volitionretaken]

"Ah. That would explain it."

Admittedly, the friendliness was a relief. The others had been well-mannered but distant; he could understand. This was a war zone. Not the place to be frolicking about and extending trust to whomever. He could, however, extend politeness.

"It is. I chose to finally depart from the so-called 'base' and begin familiarizing myself with the surrounding worlds. This one... is sort of difficult to leave, I find." A beat, he tilts his head some.

"I assume you've had time enough to get used to being... here."

And by here, he means this whole dimension in its entirety.

[prez_tentacle]

Solidus liked this place too, if only because it had fewer things trying to kill him than most of the other areas available... and because if necessary, the castle could be an emergency shelter if he ever needed to flee. Of course, he liked the Rift better when there weren't other people around.

"Standing at an edge with your back exposed," he said, coming up behind the man in the white cape. Solidus himself was wrapped in his black cloak, hiding most of his body and the armor underneath. "Have a death wish?"

[volitionretaken]

Perhaps.

That was the first response that came to mind, but he'd resolved not to throw in the towel this time, hadn't he? Cid turned, watching the other man. "I have faith in my instincts," he replied.

Although it certainly wasn't a lie, it was a poor justification. It was entirely foolish to stand in such a way and Cid was aware. He had no excuse, especially as a high-ranking officer in the military.

"I doubt you went out of your way just to tell me that."

So what is it that you want, stranger?

[prez_tentacle]

"A good thing to have, when it's justified." Solidus' instincts had led him into disaster enough times for him to be wary of them by now, not that he'd ever admit that to anyone, especially a stranger. "You're right. I saw you there and thought we should talk. You're Cid Raines, aren't you? I recognize your voice from the crystals."

[volitionretaken]

Almost surprised by the upfront announcement of his intentions, Cid blinked and nodded once. "That is correct. ...What can I do for you?" he prompted politely, but with a tone still stiff and cautious.

He was curious what this man could possibly want to talk about, let alone with a newcomer. As far as he could recall, Cid didn't recognize the other man's voice. He must have just been listening in...