Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
Welcome one and all to our beautiful new skin! This marks the visual era of Adventu 4.0, our 4th and by far best design we've had. 3.0 suited our needs for a very long time, but as things are evolving around the site (and all for the better thanks to all of you), it was time for a new, sleek change. The Resource Site celebrity Pharaoh Leep was the amazing mastermind behind this with minor collaborations from your resident moogle. It's one-of-a-kind and suited specifically for Adventu. Click the image for a super easy new skin guide for a visual tour!
Final Fantasy Adventu is a roleplaying forum inspired by the Final Fantasy series. Images on the site are edited by KUPO of FF:A with all source material belonging to their respective artists (i.e. Square Enix, Pixiv Fantasia, etc). The board lyrics are from the Final Fantasy song "Otherworld" composed by Nobuo Uematsu and arranged by The Black Mages II.
The current skin was made by Pharaoh Leap of Pixel Perfect. Outside of that, individual posts and characters belong to their creators, and we claim no ownership to what which is not ours. Thank you for stopping by.
The waves listed to and fro, pulling back and forth. He drifted, lost at sea, bobbing above and below the water. The calm and ever present embrace of giving in. The air left his lungs as he sank, giving way to the rush of the waves. Peaceful. Tranquil. It was addictive, the act of letting go.
...No. No,breathe.
Rufus gasped, pulling in a desperate, hungry gulp of fresh air. Gone was the serene blueness of the sea in his mind, replaced instead by muted beiges and browns. He pulled in one breath after another, dazed, cementing in place his senses as he took in the overwhelming amount of new sensations he hadn’t been experiencing seconds ago. The rocking of the waves was still present but much rougher, jerking him back and forth where he lay on a hard, wooden surface. Tranquility was replaced by a natural fear of the unknown.
Blue eyes fluttered as he focused on grounding himself. Before him he saw nothing but the high sides of wood, and as he moved his head, he realized he was surrounded by it, a couple of feet in each direction. There was the stamp of chocobo’s feet, familiar even to him with his limited experience with the giant birds. The sky above was blue, dotted with green leaves from passing trees, an aimless cloud in the distance.
Then, there were the voices.
Two voices he didn’t recognize, both male. “How much longer, y’think? My ass is killin’ me, we’ve been ridin’ since last night.” “Shut up. I’ve been here just as long as you.”
Rufus moved his arms, intending to brace himself so that he could sit up, but found them bound behind his back. He tugged once, twice, before allowing his fingers to trace down toward the problem. Rope. He moved his legs, finding a similar problem. So, he’d been kidnapped, then. It made sense, he had no shortage of enemies since birth, but the accents of the two riding the chocobos and pulling the cart he was stuck in were rather … Well, country-bumpkin-esque. How did such a pair manage to sneak past the Turks and capture him?
Where had he been that would have granted such easy access? “Think they’ll be at this location?” “‘Course, that’s what the sign means, remember? Triangle with the dash in it, shack out here west of Provo. The slavers want their goods, they ain’t gonna make it too hard for us to find.”
Provo? Rufus frowned, glaring forward at his captors as he craned his neck in an attempt to try and recognize something about them -- their clothing, their accents, anything. Provo wasn’t a place, though, unless it was code for something. He writhed, trying to get to a better position to see over the high sides of the cart that he was trapped inside of, hair pressing wildly to his forehead as he moved. However, as one well laced black boot kicked against the backside of the wooden cart, he gained unwanted attention. “Hey look, our little scamp is up.”
One of the men had his head turned, looking right at Rufus. The blonde president held back the immediate sneer that instinctually wished to rise to the surface, and instead held a gaze of neutrality. He blinked slowly -- the man’s type of outfit was odd. A tunic of sorts, cotton pants. Wild, dark hair with a matching beard. His state of dress seemed archaic. Maybe they were far from real civilization? There were tiny, insignificant establishments dotting the map that Shinra hardly bothered with. Neither man looked or sounded Wutain, at least.
“Why am I here?” Rufus huffed, completely frank as he tried to kick himself up in a sitting position. He slipped against the wood, though, falling back on his side as his shoulder dug uncomfortably into the hard surface. “Sellin’ ya. Found your ass passed out in the brush, ain’t got no ID or nothin’ aside from these fancy guns. You got a pretty face, someone is gonna want you for somethin’.” “Don’t bother screamin’ for help, neither. No one uses these roads no more. No one out here ‘cept us and the birds. Talk too much and we’ll gag ya too, but all we got is some dirty clothes we been wearin’.”
Well. That certainly forced that decision.
Any ordinary man in such a position likely would have panicked, sensing no way out. However, Rufus Shinra had been well trained in how to handle kidnappings, considering the high likelihood of it happening. Though the men insisted that there was no one nearby, he knew it could just be a bluff. If nothing else, out in the wild, there would at least be a potential for monsters. Two ways out, until they arrived at this slaver’s destination. Which begged a second question.
Did they not realize who he was? Why would they bother selling the President of Shinra into slavery, when they could have much, much more? He was recognizable all over the world. Did he happen into the hands of the two most moronic men on the planet? They supposedly found him unconscious on the ground … why was he there? Had he been drugged?
Well, there was certainly no time to continue drafting questions he had no answers to. It was time to act, in any way he possibly could.
Rufus pulled his elbows upward as high as he could behind his back, finding the clasp for one of the many straps around his pants. It came off easily enough, the fabric strong in his hand. Next, he felt along the bottom of the cart as best he could, finding a loose nail along the inner side. Jamming the back of his hand into it, Rufus felt the immediate hot sear of pain against his skin. He dug deeper, needing more than a harmless knick, while keeping his blue eyes trained on his captors. They were talking quietly amongst themselves, something about what they would do with the money. Sure he was bleeding enough now, Rufus wrapped the strap around his wound best he could, letting the fresh blood seep into it.
Allowing a few minutes to pass, he tossed the edge of the strap up against the side of the cart. It was long enough to still keep the other part along the inside, where he could feel the bottom of the metal clasp. If nothing else, the scent of fresh blood would hopefully attract some predator, and he could create an escape during the chaos.
As he shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, Rufus felt something cool brush against his fingers. Round, detailed. Oh, the fools hadn’t managed to secure anything from his inner pockets.
If he couldn’t shout, perhaps he could at least make a trail. A sign that he’d been there.
Rufus took the coin between his fingers, positioning against his middle before flicking it out of the cart and onto the road. Only a few had managed to roll free that he could easily find, so it would be best to use them sparingly. On the off-chance that the men had been lying and there were others on the same road, perhaps they’d find the bloodied strap and occasional coin odd. If he heard their voices, Rufus could reach out for help.
What a messy predicament. Annoying and … confusing. The blonde let his head fall back against the bottom of the cart, cursing mentally each time the idiots pulling it hit a bump. He felt oddly exhausted, harassed, and most jarring of all; lost. Confused. How did he end up in the back of a cart, bound for a slave trading facility? Who even had such a thing?
Questions he would need to find the answers to later. For now, Rufus had to wait.
You gotta conquer the monster in your head and then you'll fly Fly, phoenix, fly It's time for a new empire Go bury your demons then tear down the ceiling Phoenix, fly
I have a feeling that this will lead to some famous Celes bitching
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
The sky was a slate gray that morning by the Devil’s Ridge. It had always been dour along these long-forsaken paths, but today felt particularly dreadful. The grass was wilted. The trees hung limply. The air tasted sour, and as Celes kept the reigns of her chocobo steady, she had to keep from wrinkling her nose.
The Devil’s Ridge was certainly the right name for it. Though maybe she’d have come up with something a little more explicit.
”It’s just a patrol,” she muttered to herself. ”You’ll fight some monsters, check the road, and then…” She hesitated.
”Find another job.” Celes sighed. If she’d wanted to go home, she would have been there already.
But she didn't. Because she hadn’t imagined what she’d seen in him that night at the masquerade ball. She’d seen Caius in a straightened jacket with his hair slicked back. She’d seen his eyes burning, felt his hand on hers, heard his voice. ’You’re happy. That’s all I care about.’
Oh she just couldn’t take it anymore!
”Hold!” Celes pulled on the chocobo’s reigns, rearing it back until it came to a stop with a sharp Wark! She dismounted heavily, pacing out three steps before she stopped, turned back around, and then stopped again with a muffled growl of frustration.
”Why does he have to be so difficult?” Celes threw her hair over her shoulder and marched straight towards a craggy underpass. ”Does anything want to fight?," she yelled. "Because I haven’t got all day!” Her cry echoed against rough-hewn walls mixed with shadows. It wasn’t a cave exactly -- more of a long tunnel with light on the other side. Gray light. Dismal light.
Celes pressed her palm against her forehead and laughed. What was she doing?
”This isn’t like me,” she said to herself. ”Getting all worked up just because…” Because she’d trusted him. Because he’d turned out like any other man. What was she supposed to do? This wasn’t like with Locke. Sure, she’d felt that strange connection between them both, but with Locke it had been exciting. With Caius it was just…
Intrusive. Unwanted. Wrong. She was only out here because she couldn’t take it there. She was only here because-
Something glinted in a sudden shift of sunlight. A coin? Celes frowned and knelt beside it, examining it between her forefinger and thumb. It was definitely gil though no kind she’d ever seen. It was a strange mint, lightly dusted with clay, and most importantly…
”Blood?!”
Celes recoiled. This was the real reason she’d come. Not for any personal drama or silly lover’s quarrels. She was on a mission -- a mission against the worst kind of men she could imagine. Bandits. Slavers.
The Original Sin.
Celes hurried back to her chocobo and seized the reigns. The coin hadn’t been there long. Whoever had dropped it was close.
She brought the bird to a run, sprinting across the wasteland with reckless abandon. Now and then, she saw eyes following her. She saw wolves startled along the ridges and goblins lurking in the underbrush, but she didn’t have time for them and nothing dared to block her path. These were old roads cracked and creeping with crabgrass. Her chocobo made easy work of the rough terrain, but the tracks pressed into the dirt before them were hampered by a set of heavy wheels. A cart would make slow progress here. She had time.
Oh god, let her get there in time!
She heard it before she saw it -- the uneven clink of wood on hard ground. There were voices too, talking about something she couldn’t hear. As she closed the distance, she saw a boxy figure fast approaching. A wagon. In front were two men steering a cart chocobo, and in the back…
Was that a man?
Celes grit her teeth and clicked her heel, leaning into her chocobo as it picked up speed. How dare they! Taking prisoners! Tying them up! Sending them to-!
She sat up and kneaded her hands together. ”Blizzaga!” Her magic cracked in front of the wagon, and ice erupted like a glacial wall across the path. The chocobo screeched, rearing back as the men cursed, looking around wildly and asking, 'What in the hell was that?'
Her eyes burned into them with cold fire. It was enough to make them jump back, dodging out of their seats as though on instinct. ”Who’s that crazy bit-?”
Celes threw herself from her saddle, pulling her sword in the same motion. She struck one man with the blunt side of it, sending him sprawling into the dirt. The other pulled a dagger, holding it out in front of him with wild eyes.
”We ain’t done nothing wrong! You’re just holding us up! You’re a bandit! Yeah, you! You’re-!”
Celes punched him straight in the nose. She heard a sickening crunch beneath her knuckles as he cried out in pain. She grabbed him by the shoulder and half-spun him onto the ground. He fell heavily, cradling his face and cursing.
”We didn’t do nothing! It’s not what it looks like! You stupid whore!”
Celes pressed her blade beneath his chin, locking the other man in a fierce look. ”Leave,” she said. When they didn’t move, she raised her voice. ”Get out of here!”
That did it. They let out a squeak of fear and scurried away, half running and half crawling until they were nearly out of sight. Celes sighed. Should she have shown them that kind of mercy? She didn’t know, but she wasn’t one to kill a man while he was down.
She sheathed her sword. ”Are you alright?” A light wind rustled at her hair and cape. She felt goosebumps burst from the skin exposed from her leotard and armor. This road had once led to mines outside of Sonora. It wasn’t exactly the most balmy of places.
”I’m glad I caught up,” she said as she started towards the cart. Inside was a man dressed in white. He had a strange outfit littered with buckles and belts and so many layers that she could hardly make sense of it all. Still, that was hardly worth her attention. He wasn’t a sentient rat knight after all.
”Here, let me help you.” She climbed into the cart and knelt beside him, reaching for his bound ankles. ”Men like that...I can’t stand them. Maybe I should have killed them after all.” She smiled wryly. ”Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
Over the constant melody of creaking wood and heavy, clawed steps, Rufus could have sworn he heard movement in the underbrush. He was no foot soldier, no trained assassin familiar with the terrain or growls of monsters, but there was something about it; a feeling. A creeping up his spine, a pitiful, natural, instinctual human fear that could not be fought off. Bound as he was, he was a sacrifice to whatever creature would have him, human or beast. A few well timed breaths and the constant burn of wood against his cheek were good distractions from the fleeting feeling, but with each crunch of twigs or breeze through the leaves … He couldn’t help but wonder.
Yet, it wasn’t the growl of a monster or the angry cry of a beast that finally shattered the orchestra of bumping, wooden wheels, groaning wood, and unpleasant, muted chatter. The blonde furrowed his brows, wondering if he was hearing things, his ear pressed into the wooden cart. A steady, quick thumping noise. Before he could identify the noise, a woman’ voice rang out over the forgotten path.
Magic. Ice magic. A word he recognized.
Chocobos cried out as ice magic appeared near them -- whether it hit them or not, Rufus couldn’t be sure -- and they dug their clawed feet hard into the rough dirt. The President cursed as he was tossed forward up against the top of the cart, smashing into the wood and barely stopping his head from getting knocked too hard. The men who captured him cried out in surprise, looking around wildly for their attacker.
A scuffle ensued. Rufus listened to the men belittle the woman who had apparently come to either kill them, or rescue him. Perhaps both. Boots hit the dirt, the sound of blades pulled from sheathes cut through the disturbed air. Rufus grunted as one of the men went down, attempting to pull himself up enough to see who had come to his apparent rescue. It wasn’t a voice he recognized, the blonde realized as the woman shouted at the men to leave. Rufus fell back against the wooden cart’s bottom, unable to get his knees under his torso. The hurried footsteps left the dirt path and the crunch of grass and twigs gave away their journey as they fled. He couldn’t believe it. She was letting them live?
"Are you alright?”
He had clearly been better. Rufus controlled himself not to roll his eyes, and to remember which role to play here; he appeared the victim. No, he was the victim, despite how much he thought he could get out of the situation on his own -- as distasteful as that was to admit. “I think we both realize I’ve been better,” he muttered with very real disdain, uselessly tugging his arms, still stuck awkwardly behind his back.
The woman climbed into the cart, the relief in her voice honest and pure as she admitted to being happy she caught up to them. Finally able to get a decent look at the woman who saved him, Rufus found himself … somewhat befuddled. Her outfit wasn’t like any he’d really seen before, but it wasn’t as if he mingled with others outside of Shinra’s circle much. The fabric she was wearing seemed to be a good quality, but the cape was out of place - outdated and old fashioned, and she seemed to be showing more skin than would be appropriate considering the weather. Her long, blonde hair was bound back in a clip, still shifted by the wind, and in her hand was an impressive blade.
There was no glow to her eyes, so she was no unheard of Soldier. Who, or what, was she? Why didn’t she gasp with shock, when she saw who was lying in the back of the cart?
"Here, let me help you.”
The woman knelt next to him, hands making quick work of the rope that bound his ankles together. Finally, the too-tight confinement was ended, and Rufus was able to sit up properly. He scowled, feeling the sting of the cool air against his cheek -- redded and rubbed raw by the wood floor of the cart while he’d been unconscious.
"Men like that...I can’t stand them. Maybe I should have killed them after all,” the woman smiled, her eyes seeming too sincere for such a wicked, necessary act, ”Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now.”
Rufus frowned, his eyes sharp and contemplative as he spoke, “You should have killed them. You can scare wolves away from their prey, but you cannot change their nature. They’ll be back to their predatory ways as the shock wears off.”
The ropes fell from his wrists and the blonde was quick to roll his shoulders, an audible crack as the limbs righted themselves in a more correct position. He felt like he’d been stretching for too long, falling asleep in a ridiculous way. Rufus rolled his wrists as well, feeling that nothing had been broken or further harmed when he’d been captured. It was best he’d been unconscious, it seems. His body had stayed relaxed, and while he was sore, nothing more had come of his capture.
Free of his bonds, Rufus Shinra climbed free of the wooden prison he’d been rolling around in for god-knew-how-long. He patted down his white coat, careful to avoid the slightly oozing wound on his hand from where he’d bloodied the coin and strap. He ran his blood-free fingers through his hair, fixing his appearance best he could despite what the sharp wind had to say about it. He glanced again at the woman, blue eyes studying her before turning away and approaching the chocobos pulling the cart.
They were still somewhat frazzled by the ice that had entrapped them, but otherwise seemed to be in good health. Not that Rufus cared about the well-being of the creatures, mind, but because he needed them not to run off in a panic. There, slung across the worn, back saddle of one, were his belongings.
He pulled down the modified shotgun first, looking it over before hooking it to a strap inside of his coat. He did the same with the second, smaller gun, simply making sure it was still loaded, the safety set before stashing it away. He grabbed the handful of ammo and coins they’d removed from his person as well, giving the chocobo an awkward pat to keep it from pecking at him. It reeked of moldy hay.
“Where are we?” Rufus asked the woman-turned-savior bluntly as he stepped back from the bird, stashing away his belongings, “Those morons talked nothing but nonsense.”
You gotta conquer the monster in your head and then you'll fly Fly, phoenix, fly It's time for a new empire Go bury your demons then tear down the ceiling Phoenix, fly
Post by Celes Chere on May 12, 2020 8:57:48 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@lala5
Celes is trying her best
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
The man’s eyes were cold. Far from relief, they seemed to carry nothing but scorn. Celes felt a tinge of regret as she finished untying him. Of course she’d help anyone who needed it, but why did she feel something...hesitant? It was like an instinct at her basest level. An innocent man was annoyed at his own kidnapping.
”You should have killed him,” the man said. It was a criticism -- not a suggestion. ”You can scare wolves away from their prey, but you cannot change their nature. They’ll be back to their predatory ways as the shock wears off.”
Celes felt herself bristling. Who was he to tell her how to stage his rescue? But that was too much, wasn’t it? He was in shock. He could react however he wanted to.
”It didn’t feel right,” she said. ”Maybe they’ll try again, but I can’t kill a man on his back.” If she did, how would she be any better than they were? She’d spilled too much needless blood in her life already. She refused to spill any more.
The man sat up, wincing as the full toll of his bondage took him. Celes could have winced in empathy. She knew the stiff pain that came from being strung up for too long. His wrists were peeling and sore. Celes reached towards them.
”I can heal that,” she said. ”And your hand…” It was gashed open and bleeding. If it had reached the tendons then it could have crippled it forever. If it wasn’t healed quickly that was. ”If you don’t mind…”
But he was already out of the cart and starting towards the front. Once again, Celes felt a prickle of indignation. Fine then. If he wanted to ignore her.
”You know, most people would say thank you.” She climbed out of the cart and stopped beside him, arms crossed. ”We’re outside of Provo,” she said. ”These roads aren’t used anymore. I’d heard they’d been overtaken by bandits. Not that I could have imagined they’d try something like this.” She glanced to him. ”They must have a hideout somewhere around here. But it can wait. I’ll take you back to the city.”
She ran a hand down the cart chocobo’s feathers before getting to work unfastening it. It didn’t have a saddle, but she thought she could make do. Assuming it didn’t dart off the second it was free that was.
”I’m Celes by the way,” she said. ”Are those guns? It looks like you can handle yourself.”
I think, maybe, Rufus's boots are feeling a little more comfortable
“You know, most people would say thank you.”
Ah, but he wasn’t most people. Rufus resisted the urge to tell her off, to roll his eyes, anything to show his displeasure in the moment. However, he was at the mercy of the unknown. He needed information, about where he was, about who she was, about … Anything. The President could count on one hand the amount of times he’d been without information about his surroundings; it was purposefully few. He took extreme measures to know everything, from the dimensions of every room he stayed in to the very movements of the predictable people around him.
He’d only been awake a short time, and he knew nothing. For Rufus, that was a deeply unsettling feeling that churned his stomach and set fire to his overactive mind.
There was the name of that place again, Provo. If this young woman was the second person to reference it, it stood to reason that it was real enough. Bandits felt like an outdated term for thugs, but again, Rufus didn’t spend much time among the people as it were. He rubbed at his wrists again, turning the information over in his mind. Waking up in the middle of nowhere, captured by bandits who wanted to sell him into slavery, rescued by a woman that dressed strangely, and both parties talking about a location he’d never heard of.
And the biggest mystery of all -- None of them had recognized him.
Rufus gave a thoughtful hum as the woman unfastened the chocobo from the cart. It seemed tame enough, ruffling its feathers back into place much as a dog that had just had its collar removed. It turned to stare at the woman with its beady eyes, glancing over at Rufus for only a moment before stepping away from the cart to stretch its long legs. For an animal used for such a cruel act, it was surprisingly innocent. Darkstar at least appeared as frightening as she could be, when asked.
The young woman introduced herself as Celes, filling the awkward silence after with a comment about his guns. He gave her a small nod, watching her carefully, “I certainly can, when given the chance. Those two apparently found me unconscious in the woods. I have no idea how I got there. You’ll forgive my lack of tact, considering the situation.”
He needed to tread carefully. Wherever he was, there was an apparent lack of knowledge or feeling about Shinra. As much as he wanted to simply climb on that disaster bird and attempt to make his way back to civilization, there were several other things to consider. How had he gotten here? Had anyone else been picked up in a similar fashion? His Turks? Darkstar?
“I’m Rufus,” Shinra muttered, leaving his last name out intentionally as he glanced around the area, “Forget taking me to the city for now. You said you were looking for the bandits hideout, right?”
He took a few steps toward Celes and the chocobo, his brows furrowed as reeled in his natural instinct to give orders and ask questions later. He couldn’t demand things, not yet. For now, he owed her, and if there was anything Rufus Shinra hated more in life, it was owing anything to anyone. He’d owed the Turks once before, but paid it back by saving their organization from the brink of destruction. Perhaps he could pay this debt back, while gaining more in the interim.
Rufus moved his hair from his face, his tone even as he thought back to the lessons Tseng had given him; to blend in, to be anyone but Rufus Shinra, when need be, “There should have been, at least, one other person with me. There may be a chance they were captured separately, and taken to this … slave auction.”
The words dripped with disgust. Even he had standards. Whoever, or whatever, these people were, they were a true scum of the earth. Surely, Celes could agree to that much.
You gotta conquer the monster in your head and then you'll fly Fly, phoenix, fly It's time for a new empire Go bury your demons then tear down the ceiling Phoenix, fly
Post by Celes Chere on May 19, 2020 8:20:15 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@lala5
I don't doubt that Rufus will find her stupid
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
The silence between them made her itch. There wasn’t any warmth in this man -- nothing to express at all. Celes wasn’t exactly the friendliest woman herself, but something about this man made her uneasy. It felt like every word was calculated. She couldn’t read anything beneath them.
”Those two apparently found me unconscious in the woods. I have no idea how I got there.”
”Oh.” Celes paused. Did that mean what she thought it meant? She wondered if now was the right time to ask. ’You wouldn’t happen to be from somewhere else, would you?’ He was dressed strangely enough for it. ”It’s okay. I’d be in shock too.”
And so she had been, and she’d woken up alone. Dealing with both the confusion and a kidnapping wasn’t something she liked to consider.
”I’m Rufus,” he said. He seemed almost self-conscious. It was the first emotion he’d shown since she’d untied him. ”Forget taking me to the city for now. You said you were looking for the bandits’ hideout?”
Celes blinked. ”Well, that’s why I’m here, but…” She trailed off. He wanted to go after them -- that was obvious. Whether it was for revenge or the greater good, did it really matter? If he could handle himself as well as he claimed then maybe they could work together. Still it left her uneasy.
”You’ve been through a lot,” she said. ”I think I should take you back. These people are dangerous.” Dangerous enough to nearly kill her on one occasion. They weren’t much to handle on their own, but if they worked in a pack or if one of their lieutenants were nearby…
Rufus pushed his hair back, and with it, any pesky emotions that might have slipped through. ”There should have been at least one other person with me,” he said, and suddenly Celes understood.
”Oh,” she said and then paused to think. It wasn’t vengeance then but concern. How could she possibly refuse him that? ”If they’re there, we’ll find them.” She looked at him with what she hoped was encouragement. She wasn’t exactly good at comforting people.
Celes sighed. ”I’ve seen men like that before,” she said. Her own ruined world had been crawling with bandits, thieves, and even slavers using the lawlessness as a pass to take whatever they wanted -- damn the people. ”They won’t hurt your friend unless he acts up. Even then, I doubt they’d kill him. They wouldn’t want to damage their cargo after all.” The words came like bitter poison. If it hadn’t been for her own convictions, she’d have killed a man like that in a heartbeat. No, she had to be the better person.
A better person than she’d ever been in her life.
”If they were taking a cart, their hideout can’t be far off the path. That’ll make it easy to find, but it’ll also make it easy for them to find us.” Celes put a hand on the cart chocobo’s side. ”I expect they’ll have lookouts posted which means we’ll be ambushed. There are plenty of vantage points over the ridge.” She looked up at the rocky overhangs. If she’d been in charge of tactics, that’s where she would have posted her troops. Anyone stupid enough to follow the path would be wide open to ranged fire.
”They’ll be prepared to meet us. After I…”Let them go. Not the smartest move, was it? Then again, she hadn’t expected to push on when she had a weakened, bleeding hostage in tow.
She shook her head. ”If you want to go back, you can. But before that…” She locked her hands together, head bowed as she muttered to the magic within her. Once she’d finished, it burst from her in a soft wind that overtook Rufus in light. She smiled at him sheepishly. ”A cure spell,” she said before pushing herself onto the cart chocobo’s back. It was clumsy work without a saddle, but she was strong enough to lift herself higher than this. The poor chocobo gave a startled squawk, pawing at the ground as she settled awkwardly into place.
I promise these'll get less novel-esque as I get used to him x__x
”Oh,” all resistance from the blonde fell away at the simple explanation that he was searching for another person. It was all too easy to hear the shift in her tone, from one of cautious, but sure authority, to one of concern as priorities switched, and Celes inevitably bent to her desire to help, ”If they’re there, we’ll find them.”
Rufus gave her a curt nod, but not much else in the way of emotion. As far as he could tell, it would be easy enough to manipulate the situation into his favor if and when need be. Celes had honest eyes and a trusting heart underneath her strong exterior -- a weakness she could do without, but one he could tug on when need be. Not that this was a pointless venture, quite the opposite. One of the Turks should have been by his side, wherever he was, and the lack of the presence meant they were either dead or captured.
And the Turks wouldn’t die. Not if Rufus was still there and in need of them.
The blonde unconsciously rubbed his wrists as Celes explained the nature of the bandits to him. It was all common knowledge, but Rufus did his best to seem interested in the development, watching her with curious, but cold blue eyes. Having both been a precious hostage and taken hostages in his life, he knew the trade possibly better than she did. Slave trading may not have been on the table back in Junon and Midgar, but there were such similar things without the pesky title.
”If they were taking a cart, their hideout can’t be far off the path. That’ll make it easy to find, but it’ll also make it easy for them to find us,” Celes explained with the expert advice of a soldier, a determination on her face that hid away her soft-hearted weaknesses. Rufus bit his tongue, following her line of sight to the nearby ridge. It was hard to resist the easy bait to bite and admonish her for foolishly letting the men get away, but there would be plenty of time for criticisms later, he suspected. For now, he needed the woman to work with him.
"They’ll be prepared to meet us. After I…”
Rufus raised a knowing eyebrow, dropping his arms back down to his sides, “Yes, I suspect so.”
How hard it was not to show his immediate frustrations. Yet, in this situation, he held the lesser physical power and lacked the knowledge of the area. The unknown was something Rufus Shinra pointedly disliked. He thoroughly researched every area and individual he possibly could when traveling abroad with the Turks. To always hold the advantage, and to never have to be the one to ask for help.
At the moment, he had nothing but two guns, aching wrists, and a potential, feathery ride. No power from his name, no Turks, no idea where Midgar was. How was it possible?
”If you want to go back, you can. But before that…,” Rufus shifted his attention back to the woman who’d rescued him, who had clasped her hands together and seemed to be lost in thought, muttering something to herself. Shinra took the opportune moment to give her a pointed, confused stare, ready to open his mouth and ask just what strange thing she thought she was doing before something odd happened. The wind picked up, and he began to softly glow. There was a hesitant moment of panic, but as Rufus moved his arm to open his coat, he noticed the warmth. His gaze traveled down, seeing the rough, aching red lines around his wrist and the throbbing, slice in his palm completely gone.
Celes smiled shyly at him. A cure spell?
“How … ?”
As the blonde settled herself onto the cart chocobo, Rufus took the time to give her a once over. He didn’t see any materia on her person or attached to her weapon, but perhaps she kept it hidden away. No, surely he would have seen it glow. Never before had he seen a spell work like that. The amount of questions without answers grew ever bigger, and he took the moment Celes needed to settle onto the chocobo’s bare back to pinch the bridge of his nose in an attempt to wake him up from whatever this was.
No such luck.
Rufus eyed the other, patient chocobo warily. He hadn’t done much chocobo riding -- he was the President for Gaia’s sake. How many years had it been since he’d even interacted with one? Well, they couldn’t compare to loyal dogs, but the giant birds were, at least, tamed animals that proudly served their purposes. Rufus kept himself standing tall and moved without hesitation, eyes following the leather reigns and worn saddle on the back of the golden bird. He reached up, giving the chocobo an awkward pat on its beak -- which it seemed confused by, but didn’t snip at him at the very least.
One boot in the stirrup, Rufus grabbed the horn of the saddle and lifted himself onto the chocobo’s back. The bird pawed uncertainly at the ground, turning to give the President a look with its left eye. Huffing, Rufus reached forward as he settled into the saddle, petting the bird’s neck. Satisfied, the chocobo chirped quietly and walked over to its true master, ruffling its feathers as the blonde on its back took its reins in hand. His coat was scrunched oddly against the saddle, but his weapons were in easy enough reach.
“You lead,” Rufus gestured forward to the woman on the other bird, his voice direct, “I’m obviously unfamiliar with the terrain.”
On top of many other things.
A moment passed before curiosity got the better of him, an itch to solve at least one unknown variable, “How did you heal my wrists? I didn’t see you use any materia.”
You gotta conquer the monster in your head and then you'll fly, fly, phoenix, fly It's time for a new empire Go bury your demons then tear down the ceiling Phoenix, fly
Post by Celes Chere on May 31, 2020 9:39:51 GMT -6
[attr="class","oneword1"]
[attr="class","fromyou1"]@lala5
She's really too nice for this
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
Rufus stared at her as though he’d never seen anything quite like it before. ”How…?” Celes blinked. How had she cast magic? Was he really questioning it? After all this time…?
She’d nearly forgotten that it was something to gawk at. Since she’d gotten here, no one else had so much as batted an eye. It was almost comforting, really, to know that not everywhere was so different from her home.
”Do you need help?” She watched the mind lift himself clumsily onto the chocobo’s back. He didn’t seem like the type to ride in rough conditions, it seemed, though he managed fine. She was suddenly glad she’d given him the saddle. Celes could manage on her own no matter how uncomfortable it made the ride.
He directed her to lead, and she nodded. ”Keep an eye out,” she said. ”My magic takes time to cast so you’ll have to cover me at long range. Once we close in, I can handle myself.” She touched at the hilt of her sword. He’d seen her use it -- if only for intimidation’s sake. It felt a little strange to act as the front line after all of her time with Caius. She didn’t particularly mind the change.
Finally, he asked about her spells. She didn’t know what materia was, but she could guess. Something like magicite, she thought. Though it certainly wasn’t so unfamiliar to him.
”I’m a special case,” she said. She smirked bitterly. ”I was raised as a general in my home country. They injected magic into my blood when I was very young. It was cruel, but I might as well use what they gave me.” For good, if she could manage. She’d hurt too many innocent people on the empire’s orders.
She touched at the chocobo’s side with her heel and it trotted forward on her command. In truth, she wasn’t exactly comfortable directing the thing without any reigns. She wasn’t exactly good with animals, and she wasn’t about to start now. Still, she had enough training to guess how to steer it on course. She hoped.
”Let me know if you need to slow down. It might be a long ride.”
And from the way her legs were already sore, she didn’t think she’d mind a break either.
The woman ordered him to keep an eye out, and though her explanation made perfect sense to him, it immediately brought Rufus some ire. He was not well equipped to taking orders, having typically been on the ordering side most of his life. But, now wasn’t the time to put up a fight over something ridiculous. He bit his tongue, blue eyes focusing on the road ahead, rather than boring a hole into the back of Celes’ head.
Here, he wasn’t in control. That constant reminder coldly seized his gut and threatened to steal his breath. Rufus Shinra had valued control nearly his entire life -- not because he wanted to wield it but because it was comforting. Without his hands on the reigns of the entire situation at hand, he was … irritable. Celes, though she had a tender and easily manipulated heart, gave a strong lead. Was she military? Could it be any more clear that he was no soldier?
As disagreeable as it was, though, he still readied his firearm; ready to take something in his sights and end it in a manner of seconds.
Or, well, as much as the bumpy ride of a chocobo’s back would allow.
”I’m a special case,” Celes began answering his question about her magic easily, but bitterly, as if she’d explained it more than a time or two. So, she was a general … His guess hadn’t been far off. The magic they injected into her blood seemed ambiguous, though. Soldiers were injected with mako, the non concentrated source of magic as he knew it, but that didn’t allow them to cast magic without materia. A child, created to be a general for the military. It was interesting, how much she seemed to be a counterpart to Sephiroth as far as purposes went, yet she seemed completely normal.
Rufus frowned, silently contemplative. His finger traced over the hammer of his shotgun, lost in thought about his predicament. The only two forces on the planet that had real militaries capable of anything substantial were Shinra and Wutai. He’d never heard of Wutai doing anything to make their warriors suddenly magical. They didn’t have the capabilities to do any scientific experiments like that.
Shaking his head, the President turned his attention back to the surrounding area. They could be in anyone’s sights, at any moment. He needed to stay alert.
”Let me know if you need to slow down. It might be a long ride.”
“Don’t anticipate many breaks,” Rufus held his head high, despite the way his body was already protesting the awkward and harsh movements of the saddle, “My men can handle themselves, but I don’t intend to keep them waiting.”
As silence settled between them, the blonde couldn’t help but begin piecing together his own theory -- as far fetched and ridiculous as it was. It would certainly sit upon a pedestal of strange activity, but then again, that’s all his life had been for several months. Dead men coming back to life, Weapons terrorizing the planet, a meteor signaling impen--
Wait.
Rufus jerked his head up to the sky. Though the foliage of trees was a little difficult to see through, it was still clear enough for him to be able to recognize that this was not his sky. Even standing further from Midgar, one could see how the sky was tinted in reds and pinks at all hours of the day, as the meteor approached. Here, there was nothing but blue. The few clouds in the sky didn’t reflect the color of a fiery rage heading to destroy humanity. Celes hadn’t mentioned anything about mankind’s impending doom. No one would bother capturing and selling people if …
“Celes,” his voice was rough, near the opposite of the calm, collected man he’d been thus far, “Where are we, exactly?”
No one knowing who he was. Celes performing magic without materia. The lack of the meteor in the sky. It had to be some sort of vision or nightmare, right?
“This isn’t Gaia," Rufus breathed, his facade slowly settling back in as he came to terms with this certain truth, "You don’t know what Shinra is, or where Midgar is. Do you?”
You gotta conquer the monster in your head and then you'll fly, fly, phoenix, fly It's time for a new empire Go bury your demons then tear down the ceiling Phoenix, fly
Use your own eyes, and see for yourself which side I'm on.
”Celes?” That cool facade cracked in an instant, and Celes slowed, alarmed. He sounded vulnerable. Fearful. She hadn’t liked him with his measured words and cool eyes, but the lack of it unsettled her even more. ”Where are we, exactly?”
And Celes’ stomach dropped. There it was. The exact question she’d been dreading.
How was she supposed to explain to someone like this?
Celes sighed and pulled her chocobo to a stop. For a moment, she just listened. ’You don’t know what Shinra is or where Midgar is. Do you?’ She’d once felt the same. They all had, and it wasn’t a feeling someone got over quickly. How had anyone never heard of the Empire? How could Celes say her full name here, knowing everything she’d done? How had they never heard of Kefka?
It sounded like this Midgar was exactly the same. She turned her chocobo around, trotting past him and then circling up until they were side by side. Celes kept them moving forward. She hoped that Rufus would keep pace.
“I’m not very good at this talk.” She looked at him sheepishly. What was it about her and words that didn’t get along? She wished Caius was here. ”This is going to sound crazy, but…”
More than crazy, actually. She expected that a man like him would dismiss her in the harshest possible way. Still, there was no way to go but forward.
”This isn’t where you came from,” she said. ”It isn’t where I came from either. It’s like a whole new world. No one’s ever heard of anything you knew. Nothing important.”
Like the Empire. Their conquest. The end of the world. She still wondered if she’d lost her mind in the stress of it all. She guessed it didn’t matter much now.
”I don’t know Midgar,” she said. ”And I don’t know Shinra. I’m sorry.”
The whole thing was depressing if she told the truth. It wasn’t that she wanted to go back -- they couldn’t get her back if they dragged her there -- but there was something about saying it aloud that was just…
Wrong.
”A lot of us are…special in some way. I’ve heard all kinds of stories. Crazy ones, but who am I to judge? Mine might be the craziest of them all.” She smirked bitterly. A magical clown general becoming a god and ending the world. She hadn’t heard much worse than that.
”I don’t know why it happens,” she said, looking at him. ”But you might still find someone you know. We’re not always pulled alone.” Well, she had been, but she’d been told to stay positive when handling a situation like this. It wasn’t something that came naturally.
”Did something happen? Something...terrible? That seems to be the theme around here.” She smiled weakly. ”My world was razed by a mad god.”
