Fatal Convulsions

[nethi_cite]

Characters: Dr. Cidolfus Demen Bunansa & OPEN (To the Seven Battlers)
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: A clash between Science & Might unlike the world has ever seen, will this be the end of the road of the ingenious Dr. Cid?
Location: The Governor's Estate(Courtyard), Wutai
Date: January, 1804
Warnings: Fantasy violence, PG-13

Comments

The Courtyard

[loveandstrife]

Finally, they'd arrived. After the antics of his daughter, Cloud was quite certain the SeeDs, particularly Squall, weren't exactly impressed. Not that he honestly cared about their opinion of him, but their opinion of Shelke mattered. She was his daughter, regardless of her chronological age or her determination to insist she was an adult.

Striding into the courtyard, Cloud drew the First Tsurugi, his mako eyes scanning the area. "Shelke. Stay alert." She was the only one he'd suggest that to. While she was indeed a trained fighter, the others would consider themselves more experienced, due to their lack of knowledge about him and his daughter.

Glancing to Squall, he squeezed the grip of his weapon. "We'll deal with payment when we know the outcome, okay?" His voice didn't hold the sternness it usually did. Regardless of whether Squall knew of the Void or not, Cloud still saw his friend when he looked at the scarred brunette... which made it hard when Squall was unaware of it. Just like the others.

[dewdrop_pebbles]

As soon as the airship landed, Mjrn headed over to join the crew. Thanks to Balthier and Fran's assistance, she had already arrived in Wutai. It had been difficult to wait, but Mjrn knew that a premature battle would accomplish nothing in terms of Nanaki's rescue...and she had promised Fran that she would be careful.

Just before entering the Courtyard, Mjrn paused and cast any buffering spells that came to mind; Protect, Shell, Haste and Regen. This she did for anyone who was willing, hoping that such efforts wouldn't be needed, but doubting it. After that, the young viera gripped her spear and simply followed Cloud's lead into the courtyard. She remained silent, listening for any noises that might escape the humes' ears.

[tempest_lion]

Right now, Squall was thinking more about the upcoming conflict than anything else. There was a kid with them. A kid who can turn invisible, but a kid nonetheless. He REALLY wasn't happy about her joining in the fight, but it was not up to them. They would all have to watch out for her in the fight that was sure to take place.

The Lionheart gripped in one hand, he nodded towards Cloud. "No problem."

He turned to Selphie and Irvine. "Ready?"

An Act of Kindness? [Dr. Cid & Rex XIII]

[nethi_cite]

Activating all twelve Rooks including the enormous rifle he planned to wield, the doctor glanced towards the specimen's cage once the guards started to wheel him out the room. While he previously had planned to hide the beast within another area inside of the manor, Cidolfus felt compelled to stray from this plan in favor of something else. "Captain?" He turned towards the senior officer who saluted him in turn.

"Yes, sir?" The officer asked. Taking a glance towards the cage again, a small smirk graced the old scientist's face. "Dump him within the jungle, will you? I have no need for him anymore." All the guards within the study turned to gaze at the doctor with puzzled stares.

"But sir, why so?" The captain whispered quietly towards the doctor. "Do you wish for us to kill it and bury the corpse?"

Dr. Cidolfus let out a bored sigh. "No, you imbecile! I mean for you to free it."

[flameguardian]

The guards weren't the only people staring at Dr. Cid. From his cage, Nanaki lifted his head slightly, ears twitching to catch even the captain's whispers. His irritation at being referred to as 'it' or 'speciman' or 'creature' had passed somewhere between the electric shocks and the emotional trauma of the epitaphs, but... the man was setting him free? "Why?"

He had realized that he had no skyphone after the epitaphs, when he had tried to contact someone, anyone, to come to grips with the fact that what had appeared to be Shelke and his own father had attacked him. He could certainly survive out in the jungle normally, but he had been weakened by tests and experiments. Nanaki had once again been injected with foreign substances, though this time it had not been Jenova cells; the scientist had instead tried to blend him with nethicite. Between the foreign presence in his body and the longer effects of the electric shocks, he wasn't at his best.

[nethi_cite]

Hearing the creature speak for the first time after many long days, Cidolfus glanced over towards Red XIII's cage again with an unreadable stare. While he was certain that the beast would only return here to the manor to seek revenge, the doctor felt strangely obligated to free this fiend. "It’s a test, of course. A test whether or not you value your freedom as much as you claim." What a lie that was, a lie that lacked the usual theatrics that Cid is known for.

In all due truth, the only reason why the doctor was freeing this magnificent beast was because of the words he exchanged with his son. It had nothing to do for atoning for his sins or even owning up to the ill praise Nanaki had to bestow upon him. It didn't even have anything to do with those young rogues seeking to claim his head.

The truth was that Cidolfus valued his son's opinion more than ever before. Cidolfus was finally acting like a father.

"What? Don't tell me you've grown fond of me, XIII."

[flameguardian]

The change in the man's manner of speaking didn't go unnoticed, though Nanaki was simply too tired to pay it much attention. He wasn't going to ask the man too many questions if he was truly to be released; the scientist could change his mind.

"'Fond' is not the word I would use." He would keep a close eye on the man after this, though, that much was certain. Nanaki didn't have many plans beyond that, though -- he didn't even know of the arrival of his rescuers. "It is your motives that interest me. What you were hoping to accomplish..."

At the same time, though, the thought is terrifying.

Meanwhile...

[tinymakoaddict]

After her absolutely useless attack on one of the rooks, it had become apparent to Shelke that she was not going to be of much use during this battle. This was actually a bit strange, because back home she'd had little issue with magical defenses, and yet here they appeared to be quite powerful

[flameguardian]

Out in the woods, Nanaki was confused. Cid had let him go? And wanted him to give his regards to Tifa? And then had given him two Potions?

With an irritated growl, Nanaki decided that nothing humans did made sense.

Drinking the two Potions after the guards dumped him in the forest, the red creature was faced with a decision. Following them back would lead him to Wutai, certainly, but it could also mean being captured again. However, Wutai was where he would be looked for, and Wutai was the closest location, as far as he could tell. He didn't particularly want to return to human civilization after all that had happened, but he owed it to his friends to at least let them know he was okay -- and besides, he still had to return the Water Mirror

[tinymakoaddict]

As Shelke moved through the woods, she was suddenly keenly aware of how much she missed her Deepground uniform. The clothing she was wearing was not restrictive, but it didn't exactly protect her from anything either, and she was rapidly developing a wide array of little scratches on her shins from the plants she was pushing her way through.

This was seeming less and less like a good idea, since she knew nothing about this forest...and she probably would have turned back if she hadn't heard that Kupo from nearby. A moogle?

She turned and made her way towards the noise, eventually stepping out into the clearing where Red was, her arrival marked by disturbances in the foliage..but not actually anything visible until she let herself fade slowly into view.

"Nanaki?"

[flameguardian]

Now in possession of a new phone, the moogle quickly moving on through the forest as Shelke appeared, Nanaki smiled. He hadn't been able to see her, of course, but he'd been able to hear her -- and to smell her. So that was what the smell had been.

"Shelke! I'm glad to see you... You look much better."

He hadn't been able to be there when she had been healed, and that hurt slightly. But at the same time... she was better, and she was here. But... had she come here alone?

Frowning, Nanaki took a step forward only to stop and shake his head. He felt strange, though the Potions had certainly helped, but he ignored it, thinking it was just because he had spent so long stuck in a cage and being subjected to tests.

"...How did you get here?"