High Places
Title: High places
Fandom: FF7
Words: 633
Note: Preseries, just Cloud thoughts
He spread out his arms, balance carefully poised on the high perch as he peered downwards from the beam he'd climbed up to. It was dangerous to come up here, possibly deadly if he fell, but he had never had any fear of heights. In fact, he could honestly say he had never really been afraid of anything that didn't come from human hands.
That was another story entirely, and not one that he was going to think about too hard while he was up here. Up here was its own kind of freedom, and he had no intention of spoiling it.
Padding further out along the narrow strip of metal, he subconsciously counted in time to the steps of the troops down below, the group of them headed in for the night after what looked like extra drills. If he remembered correctly, that group had gotten caught up in a prank war recently. His own group had been excluded only because they were so new.
That hadn't meant that they hadn't been uninvolved, they just hadn't been included in the 'war' part of it. They'd certainly been casualties a few times.
Thus they could honestly say they didn't know anything about the plans for it. And they claimed no responsibility as a group for any reprimands that came about due to personal revenge. Shaking his head, he moved to the end of the beam and leaned over, bracing both hands on it before straddling it in a practiced movement.
The metal was just thick enough that the action wasn't highly painful, as he'd learned a few weeks ago when he'd found this place on accident. The street signs and buildings were staggered in just the right way that anyone looking up from below wouldn't be able to see him through the glare of the lights, but he could watch others without fear of notice.
It was a perfect perch for someone who didn't like to get attention with their climbing exploits. Gods knew he hadn't been sure how to handle the praise when he'd cleared the bet on the 'un-climbable' tower just after he'd gotten here. He'd still been high on the success of managing to get into the army in the first place and he hadn't really been thinking. So, having heard the bets, not to mention watched someone fumble around it in entirely the wrong way, he'd decided to show them how it was supposed to be done.
He wasn't exactly sure which one was worse, being called a monkey, or being called a chocobo. Ultimately he just pretended he didn't hear either one, and he kept to himself as much as possible in the wake of his unplanned fame. By now the others had gotten the hint he wasn't exactly social, and while he sometimes regretted not being on the 'in' track, it was sort of reassuring to know they wouldn't bother him.
They certainly didn't let anyone else bother him either, and that was a good trade.
Staring downwards into the dark as guards changed and soldiers finished returning to their rooms, his eyes followed a few who had been on leave leaning drunkenly into each other. Their laughter was loud enough that he could hear it even this high up, and he had to repress a sigh.
Being alone had its perks, sure, but there was an ultimate, inescapable, downside.
Being alone.
Shaking his head, he leaned to the side and reasserted his grip with one hand, using momentum to swing and catch another exposed bar under him so he could brace his feet for the climb down instead of falling several stories.
Tonight didn't seem to be a good night for enjoying the scenery. Better to just go to bed, and he could try again later.
Fandom: FF7
Words: 633
Note: Preseries, just Cloud thoughts
He spread out his arms, balance carefully poised on the high perch as he peered downwards from the beam he'd climbed up to. It was dangerous to come up here, possibly deadly if he fell, but he had never had any fear of heights. In fact, he could honestly say he had never really been afraid of anything that didn't come from human hands.
That was another story entirely, and not one that he was going to think about too hard while he was up here. Up here was its own kind of freedom, and he had no intention of spoiling it.
Padding further out along the narrow strip of metal, he subconsciously counted in time to the steps of the troops down below, the group of them headed in for the night after what looked like extra drills. If he remembered correctly, that group had gotten caught up in a prank war recently. His own group had been excluded only because they were so new.
That hadn't meant that they hadn't been uninvolved, they just hadn't been included in the 'war' part of it. They'd certainly been casualties a few times.
Thus they could honestly say they didn't know anything about the plans for it. And they claimed no responsibility as a group for any reprimands that came about due to personal revenge. Shaking his head, he moved to the end of the beam and leaned over, bracing both hands on it before straddling it in a practiced movement.
The metal was just thick enough that the action wasn't highly painful, as he'd learned a few weeks ago when he'd found this place on accident. The street signs and buildings were staggered in just the right way that anyone looking up from below wouldn't be able to see him through the glare of the lights, but he could watch others without fear of notice.
It was a perfect perch for someone who didn't like to get attention with their climbing exploits. Gods knew he hadn't been sure how to handle the praise when he'd cleared the bet on the 'un-climbable' tower just after he'd gotten here. He'd still been high on the success of managing to get into the army in the first place and he hadn't really been thinking. So, having heard the bets, not to mention watched someone fumble around it in entirely the wrong way, he'd decided to show them how it was supposed to be done.
He wasn't exactly sure which one was worse, being called a monkey, or being called a chocobo. Ultimately he just pretended he didn't hear either one, and he kept to himself as much as possible in the wake of his unplanned fame. By now the others had gotten the hint he wasn't exactly social, and while he sometimes regretted not being on the 'in' track, it was sort of reassuring to know they wouldn't bother him.
They certainly didn't let anyone else bother him either, and that was a good trade.
Staring downwards into the dark as guards changed and soldiers finished returning to their rooms, his eyes followed a few who had been on leave leaning drunkenly into each other. Their laughter was loud enough that he could hear it even this high up, and he had to repress a sigh.
Being alone had its perks, sure, but there was an ultimate, inescapable, downside.
Being alone.
Shaking his head, he leaned to the side and reasserted his grip with one hand, using momentum to swing and catch another exposed bar under him so he could brace his feet for the climb down instead of falling several stories.
Tonight didn't seem to be a good night for enjoying the scenery. Better to just go to bed, and he could try again later.