[Action]

[herobydefault]

[Cloud -despite not being in Luceti very long- is doing his rounds.

...or namely just wandering around to see if anything jogs his memory. He does swing by to visit Stella though, and see how she's doing. He also stops to get some coffee.

It's not until evening that he returns to his and Zack's -and now Aerith's?- apartment.]

Comments

[wingenvy]

[Sup, Cloud. There is an explosion waiting to happen in the form of your forgotten BFF. He's waiting by the door for you to return, leaning on the wall by the apartment, arms crossed over his chest. He looks Very Unhappy.]

[herobydefault]

[He startles Cloud a bit, right against the wall like that, and Cloud does a double-take when he enters the door.]

Zack, what're you doing there?

[wingenvy]

[Here's an expression that comes up once in a blue moon on this face, Mr. Strife.]

I was waiting for you. When were you going to tell me?

[herobydefault]

[Cloud's not too familiar with Zack's expressions, but indeed he hasn't seemed so much as irate since he got here so the hostility throws him a bit.

Still, he has a good idea what Zack's talking about, what with Aerith's recent appearance and what she probably told him already. He'll try and play dumb -his eyes dart away from Zack's face as he bends over to remove his boots- but God, he's such a bad liar.]

Tell you what?

[goldenfirefly]

[Stella answers the knock on her door quickly, as she's busy trying to get her hair up in its usual bun. The decoration that usually comes with it is gone, something that breaks her heart, but she'll just use some other ornament in its place until she finds it again, if ever.]

Cloud, hello! [She steps back, and since she's having company, Stella will just tie her hair back in a casual ponytail.] Come in!

[herobydefault]

Oh-

Uh, you don't have to go to the trouble. I was just coming to see how you were. [He enters, but hesitantly.]

[goldenfirefly]

It's no trouble at all. [Then she'll wait patiently for him to, silly Cloud.] I think I'm doing well enough. [She holds her arms out, as if presenting herself.] What do you think?

[herobydefault]

[Cloud stops like a deer caught in headlights, half bent over as he tugs off his boots so he doesn't track mud and slush on her floor.]

...that's...a nice dress?

[dakingofawesome]

[As Cloud is on his way home, some big jerk turtle is going to try and push his way ahead, so he can get into the apartment first. Which, of course, means knocking that tiny little door out of the way. If you've been wondering why this apartment has a habit of not having a front door, this colossal spiky turtle is to blame.]

[herobydefault]

[Cloud squawks when someone shoves him aside and he staggers.

...what the fuck that huge DRAGON THING just shoved him aside.]

Hey!

[dakingofawesome]

[After putting a Bowser-shaped hole where the door used to be, he turns back and glares at the tiny little guy.]

What? You got a problem, Spike-head?

[herobydefault]

[What the hell man he just-

...what even is it.]

Yeah I got a problem! Watch where you're going!

[knighted_lion]

[Well, he might just come across someone else doing his rounds, gunblade slung - as always - over his back.]

[herobydefault]

[It's like destiny.

Like fate.

From across the plaza, Cloud's gaze lifts. It settles on a young man, maybe a few years younger than himself, also walking about seemingly without purpose but doing what he can to make it look like he has Places To Be and Things To Do. Cloud knows the feeling. He wants to be important and busy as well.

He nods to the teenager.

He understands.]

[knighted_lion]

[Luckily enough, Squall happens to be looking up in time to catch Cloud's nod. There's a slight pause and then he nods back.

There's nothing else that needs to be said.]

Action

[idkmybffpika]

[Huh? Oh hey, it's that jerk who said he'd have to kill people.]

HEY YOU!

Action

[herobydefault]

[Hey whoa, that kid just shouted at him.]

Hey what? Who're you?

Re: Action

[idkmybffpika]

Don't act like you don't know who I am! You stupid spikey jerk!

Action

[herobydefault]

[WTF.

Cloud bristles and draws himself up to his full but tiny height, folding his arms over his chest and scowling.]

I don't know who you are, you little punk. How about you tell me before you start picking fights?