セフィロス

Sephiroth. Commando and Ravager of Taejin's Army [Closed RP] [This closed roleplaying blog is set in an AU, and thus does not reflect the canon Sephiroth portrayed in Final Fantasy VII.] Mun's timezone: UTC +08:00

[tifataejin-blog]

Taejin Mission 47: On the Homefront

[tifataejin-blog]

As Tifa made her way through the isles, she’d found herself a basket to store her canned foods. Truth be told, she was wondering if there would be an easier way to carry everything, what with the basket getting heavy. The weight wasn’t a big deal, but it was something to concern herself over if they were to get more items. Which, naturally they would. 

Perhaps it would be a good idea to ask someone about buying things in bulk? Really, why hadn’t she thought of that earlier? They usually had to buy things in bulk when there was a special event going on in the bar she used to work at. Honestly, she wanted to smack herself for not thinking about that. Just then she looked up and noticed her mission partner and an employee talking. He looked over in her direction and seemed to be asking for her help.

"Heya!" She smiled at the two as she walked closer. The shop assistant then nervously repeated her suggestion to Tifa. 

"As I had just suggested to your husband, I can help you with purchasing your items in bulk. It would be easier that way."

Tifa blinked at the girl for a moment, watching her nervously look between Sephiroth and herself. It wasn’t much longer before Tifa’s own blush rivaled that of the girl helping them. Embarrassed, Tifa tucked one of the strands of hair that had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear. 

"A-actually, w-we’re not married. We’re a part of the army and are here on a mission… But um…that sounds like a good plan. Buying things in bulk would be a better idea, yeah."

The young girl stuttered out an apology, “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to presume..!” Tifa nervously laughed and shook her head, not daring to look at the girl or Sephiroth. 

"It’s not a problem! But um…if you could help us…?"

[sephiroth-taejin]

His partner seemed to have caught his silent plea for assistance, and had effectively explained the situation to the shop assistant, as well as ironed out the misunderstanding that had occurred, for better or for worse; the girl’s eyes seemed to have visibly sparkled when Lockhart told her that they were not married. He did not understand why even Lockhart was blushing though. Isn’t marriage just a special status for couples to live together? And even without being married, they can live together, can’t they? He had never experienced the apparent bliss and satisfaction that came together with the status of being married and having a family, thus it was not hard to understand why he frowned slightly at the reddened faces and uneven speech, but all the same, he maintained his calm neutrality throughout the conversation.

The girl was more than glad to guide them to the warehouse and assist them in the purchase of the items in bulk, walking closely to himself throughout the journey. He was uncomfortable at the invasion of his private space, but he soon realised that he could exploit, for lack of a better word, this attraction to himself, for a smooth and uneventful purchase of items, and hence, with much reluctance, he allowed it, even giving her a small polite smile with just a little bit of gratitude, which delighted her very much, apparently. Nevertheless, he was not here to play host, nor he was here to flirt. His eyes were always fixed upon their destination, for there was no option of failing.

After reaching the warehouse, they immediately got to work, with Lockhart walking around with the girl selecting the goods as he chose to keep stock, filling in the numbers on a purchase list. They cleared out the remaining stock of the non-perishable foods, bottled water, as well as practical items such as can openers, fire starters, lighters, tents even. They managed to complete the task in under an hour, and at the end, the girl asked, addressing him, “How would you be paying for the items?”

He stopped his cursory check over the goods and hesitated for a while before replying, “May we see the store owner? We would like to discuss the method of payment with him.” The girl was disappointed to hear the tone of dismissal, but he was too much in a hurry to care. If anything, this was a sensitive diplomatic issue and…

“What? You are saying that you cannot pay me now?” The store owner’s deep voice boomed throughout the warehouse, demanding. “After clearing out the entire warehouse?”

He sighed inwardly, wishing the burly man could see reason. “We are from the army,” he explained again, his tone neutrally calm, “and these goods are for the relief efforts at Agardon. The army would reimburse you for the goods and the trouble that we have caused during this while.”

“And how do I know I can trust you?” The store owner interjected impatiently.

[noctis-taejin-deactivated201401]

Tales of the Origins || Noctis and Sephiroth

[noctis-taejin-deactivated201401]

The prince was hit with a major wave of nostalgia as he read every word carefully. He was reminded of the training he received from the prime minister, he was reminded of his penchant of running away from his boring studies and found himself in his father’s study, immersing himself in his father’s reading chair for hours.

Although his moment of nostalgia didn’t last long because his ears caught the deep voice of someone else.

Noctis turned at the stranger intruding his reading time, azure eyes were glazed with ice. Certainly he did not need help with pronunciations of words. For the first time ever, Noctis felt he wanted to throw the book he was currently holding right in the face of a stranger, but restrained himself from doing so. Partly this was his fault reading out loud; that was quite a hard habit to get rid of…And tends to lead other to misunderstanding.

"I do not need help, thank you kind sir. I wasn’t practicing reading."

He was not used on apologizing. No matter what he did…oh spoiled prince.

[sephiroth-taejin]

As the stranger replied with cold eyes and a tone that dripped heavily with contempt, Sephiroth was mildly confused, before he established that he must have done something wrong again; perhaps he had broken the man’s train of thought, and had offended the other? The man had spoken haughtily, and Sephiroth could recognise a royal aura when the man had spoken. Was he a…?

An awkward silence settled after the stranger had dropped his reply, and Sephiroth wished for nothing but to leave this scene and that man to his own devices. Yet, even if he left, where would he go? No one needed him now; they did not need an injured hero who could not even do the simplest of tasks, such as communication, properly. Shame and loneliness crept around his heart as he realised that, wrapping around it in a vice grip.

He was lonely. He did not want to feel lonely. He was useless. He did not want to feel useless.

Fixing his pained, yet carefully veiled eyes onto the stranger’s once more, he apologised, genuinely, “I am sorry for misunderstanding. I had thought that if you needed assistance, I would suggest against reading aloud in the library.” He paused, then closed the encyclopaedia with a soft thud, continuing, “I am Sephiroth, one of the commanders of Taejin’s Army; pleased to meet your acquaintance.” He wondered if he did this for his own benefit; he had never been one to make self-introductions. Having company is better than having none. He carried on, his mind in a muddled mess of emotions, “May I know what you are reading?”

[o-n-e-winged-soldier-blog]

ん？

[fuminsho11-deactivated20231217]

Bisuko: http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=4401139

[titansbender-deactivated2015121]

[fuckyeahffboys]

Sephiroth (FFVII).

[ingustaejin]

Meteor Forecast | Ingus and Sephiroth

[ingustaejin]

"As are you."

Ingus nodded his head in response and began walking towards the boundaries of the training field. He made sure to keep the cloaked man in his peripheral vision, as he hardly made any sound at all while moving. "So, would you grace me with your story?" He inquired, tilting his head to the side as to get a good view of the man. Ingus was interested in the mans past, and would perhaps find enjoyment in sharing details of his own.

[sephiroth-taejin]

Sephiroth followed behind the boy quietly, almost meekly, out of the training grounds. Compared to his own inaudible footsteps, the tapping of Lumine’s boots on the ground as they walked was slightly jarring, but not overly unpleasant. After all, it was mildly amusing to notice how Lumine always tries to keep him within his vision. Did he truly appear as someone who would float off and disappear if not watched over? His prideful mental image of himself scoffed; a clear rejection of that statement.

But then again, he reflected as Lumine’s eyes met his once more, perhaps.

The spar he had with Lumine was short, but it exposed Lumine’s character. His sword strikes revealed much of his nature; they told Sephiroth that Lumine was an honest, straightforward boy, albeit a smart one; that he still had dreams of honour and glory, and he believed in the good of people.

Lumine was young. Too young.

Would he shatter the boy’s dreams right now? Reveal the ugliest side of human nature that gave Sephiroth his reason to exist? Nip the problem in the bud, like what they said. Spare him of the pain that would follow after that realisation.

He hesitated but soon replied, lied, smoothly, “There is nothing to say. I am merely as ordinary as the next passer-by…if you would pardon the hair colour, of course.”

Not yet. It was almost desperate, the desire that he had, to keep alive such dreams of honour and glory and hope, though it was not his, it could never be his. There is no harm in dreaming. One day, he thought with a resigned sigh, he might succeed in where I have failed.

[noctis-taejin-deactivated201401]

Tales of the Origins || Noctis and Sephiroth

"I think…Not this. Ah, here."

The prince mumbled to himself as he travelled through the books he had brought with him. At a first glance, of course no one would ever imagine that he has a hobby of reading books, but again, you can’t tell a person from the insides when you’ve only looked through the exterior.

Ever since from a young child, Noctis had a penchant of reading out loud, to pronounce hard words as for a five years old boy and as his training to deliver speeches. A penchant he has not grown over the years, and a penchant he yet to rid of.

Of course without realizing it, his lips parted and he started to speak. He started to read.

[sephiroth-taejin]

A gloved finger slid over the spines of the books on the aged shelf and stopped on one, before he frowned at it, pursing his lips, and continued walking. It was a warm day, and Sephiroth did not appreciate the slumbering heat that made him lazy and drowsy. He was restless, yet he was not allowed to train, or “participate in strenuous activities”, due to his injury and severe poisoning from the mission with Lockhart. Once again, he cursed himself for getting hurt and cemented his mental promise to never get injured again, no matter how impossible it sounded. That embarrassing and…humiliating experience was enough to last him for a long time.

He had intended to search for Cecil and perhaps, wander about the woodlands and forests, but after failing to locate the Lunarian, his feet brought him to the library, where he once had a game of chess with Queen.

He paid no extra heed to the disappearance of Cecil, however odd it might be. Cecil had not once showed up after they had gone for lunch together, even after Sephiroth had to be hauled back to the Headquarters by Lockhart, despite his protests; delivered with as much strength as he could muster then; after the mission. The Army hired soldiers to work and protect others, not to lark about and waste time. Though, he snorted disdainfully, I always seem to be the odd one out. Though he could work, he could not protect. And was he not here, in the library, running away from the sun, wasting time walking up and down the various aisles, looking for nothing in particular? He sighed, and continued his walk down a different aisle.

It was true that he was a little disappointed that Cecil had not appeared to visit him, at least. While he was still in SOLDIER, on the rare times that he was ill, or injured, and as corny as it might sound, he had friends to take care of him. Usually, it would be the raven-haired one that fussed over him like a mother hen, much to his chagrin, but during the times when the raven-haired one was indisposed, the red-head would begrudgingly watch over him, and occasionally, read excerpts of LOVELESS, in his smooth, soothing voice, although Sephiroth had already known the play and the poems by heart. It was comforting to know that he had friends who were willing to shield and protect him when he was subpar.

He had no doubts that his friendship with Cecil was mutual, and he was sure the other did not appear because of reasons unknown. Then, the last question would be to explain why there was this tick in the back of his mind that constantly urged him to find Cecil.

He wondered if this encyclopaedia about the flora of Gran Pulse would have the answer.

Suddenly, his ears picked up a voice that originated from around the corner, and he followed it, curious. They were in the library after all, and even though there was scarcely anyone here, he was sure the librarian would have a lot of objections towards reading out loud in a quiet environment.

A raven-haired stranger with pale skin sat at a chair, reading out loud from a book. It was amusing to see a grown person read and pronounce every word clearly. It reminded him of the children he had seen in preschools whilst he travelled towards the Oerba, reading out the words obediently as the teacher conducted the lesson. Hiding his amused grin, he picked up the encyclopaedia and walked over to the chair opposite the stranger’s, settling down in the chair with the bulky book opened to a random page; Dandelions, it read; and watched the other curiously.

After noticing a deliberate change of pace whenever the other read a long-syllabled word, he asked, tentatively, “Do you need help with the pronunciation of words?” He had figured that the stranger must be learning how to pronounce words correctly, and though he had not taught lessons about language before, he could try to pass the time using this way. And besides, tutoring is not a strenuous activity, or so he hoped. 

[sephiroth-taejin]

R for Reflection_Special Message: Cecil Harvey

He cradled the plush toy near his chest and managed a faint, faint smile.

Fittingly, the sun had set and now, comforting darkness enveloped the room, with the only thing permeating the cloak of shadows being his glowing, emerald eyes. Pupils dilated reflexively, though there was nothing he wanted to see. The images were in his mind, and only in his mind.

A random accident concerning an éclair led Sephiroth to meet the albino man in the town near the headquarters. Sephiroth could still see it, the fascinating expressions that Cecil had when he was trying to be not afraid of Sephiroth’s intimidating presence and properly apologise for his mistake, though it was not entirely his fault for making Sephiroth drop the pastry. It reminded him of the chocobo he had bred back in SOLDIER, and had henceforth mentally equated Cecil to an albino chocobo.

His hand tightened around the plush toy, but he forced it to relax once more.

Sephiroth had agreed to accompany Cecil for lunch after those tense, awkward apologies, seeing as both of them had not had their midday meal. Cecil had chosen an exotic-looking restaurant, and he had gone along with his suggestion, displaying the spot of affection he had for the younger man unwittingly before they left for the restaurant.

The restaurant was foreign to the both of them, and upon setting foot into the restaurant, they realised that they had no idea what they were supposed to expect. They accepted the suggestions given by waitress, and promptly understood the meaning of ‘biting off more than you can chew’. It was not as much as about the size of the portion, it was about the food itself; the only thing that seemed edible to Sephiroth was the flatbread and the rice served. The stew that accompanied the staple foods was too spicy for his liking; chillies and spices swam amongst vegetables and some meat in the curry, and he could barely stop himself from wincing whilst he ate, before he decided to just fish the ingredients out from the curry and leave the gravy alone. However, Cecil was a good companion, after he got over feeling guilty for suggesting this restaurant. He told Sephiroth that, no, he was not a scholar, but instead, a field medic and a sentinel, then shared stories and information about his hometown, Lunaria, and about the people that he had left behind. Sephiroth, in return, gave reluctant bits about his past with SOLDIER and ShinRa, opting not to tell Cecil anything related to his less-than-comfortable childhood, though Cecil was certainly intrigued by the absence of Sephiroth’s last name.

Sephiroth had insisted on paying for the meal, against Cecil’s protests, because it was rare to have someone who could understand him, and despite of what they know, remain friends with him. Cecil got his small revenge afterwards; he had seen Sephiroth looking intently at a plush chocobo, and had slipped off, while Sephiroth was paying for the meal, to buy one for him.

It was all very good fun, but he should have known that it would not last. Nothing ever did.

After that, Cecil was gone.

It was as if he disappeared off from the face of Gran Pulse, and no matter how much Sephiroth tried, Cecil just was no longer around. No goodbyes, no explanations. All he had left was the plush toy, faithfully sitting atop his bedside table every day. That was the damning object that led him to hold on to hope, that maybe, Cecil would remember the plush toy and come back, one day. Maybe, just maybe, he would remember Sephiroth and come back, alive and whole in one piece, tugging at his sleeve to get his attention. He would make sure to smile more, so that he would not be so intimidating anymore. He knew, he knows, it was his fault that Cecil went away. It was always, always, his fault.

As long as there was that one percent of hope, of some chance, Sephiroth would wait, because he had to apologise for whatever that he did, or did not do. He had to.

And thus he did, against his nature. There is no use in fighting for a lost cause. That was what he would have said, before.

Of course, he knew about Project Stasis from his still-existing comrades afterwards and understood that the Cecil he knew would not be coming back. Still, he waited, because Cecil was not dead, Cecil was not somewhere out of reach, Cecil was alive somewhere and even if he had forgotten when he woke, Sephiroth would make him remember.

But would he remember? More importantly, could Sephiroth even bear to see Cecil again? Could he be as cruel as to unload all his emotional baggage onto…someone whom he did not know any more?

And yet…yes, he could. Yes, he would. He would, would he not?

And then again, who was Cecil anymore? Would he still be seeing the same kind and gentle chocobo who wore jewellery? Not likely.

The announcements today morning told him of the awakening of two volunteers from the Project, and one of them was Cecil.

Somehow, he was relieved that his wait was over. However, this also signified that he could no longer hold on to his memories of the Cecil he knew. He did not know Cecil. Not anymore. Not from this point onwards.

He smiled, because it was better than letting himself fully understand the consequences of Cecil’s awakening. Because it was better than crying. Because, why would he use a negative, forlorn expression to remember his interactions with Cecil? They were good memories, and they deserved a smile; Cecil Harvey deserved a smile from him, even if he was saying goodbye to all of them.

It did hurt. It hurt to admit that he had failed, that he had to bid farewell. It hurt to acknowledge the fact that his albino chocobo was gone forever and he would not be coming back anymore. He still did not understand why Cecil left, and it confused him and left him bitter. But not today. Today, he was going to be gracious and unselfish and finally, let Cecil go.

If there was a God somewhere, he thought as his eyes bored a hole into the windows, if there was a being more powerful than I am somewhere out there, he let out a shuddering breath, I…I want to go back to the days when I could still see him. I don’t want to forget anything.

From this point on, he did not know Cecil. Not anymore.

This post is to end the thread: "Ruefully Quiet Companions" with the previous Lunarian-Cecil Harvey of Taejin's Army. Henceforth, this Cecil will be referred to as an albino chocobo, and the current Cecil is not related to Sephiroth, or the previous Cecil, in any way.   

[sephiroth-taejin]

Chequered Colloquy | Sephiroth & Queen

[queentaejin]

Sniffling, she took the book under her arm, hoping to return it to its proper place on the shelves. However, she was stopped by a voice as she began to make her way to the main corridor of the library. Turning to the source of the voice, she was met with the cool gaze of a man with a long coat and pale skin and hair. There was an air of mystery about him, something that piqued Queen’s curiosity.

"Yes I am fine, thank you for asking," she responded quickly, eyes scanning him. Strange, she thought she had been the only one here. Seldom people visited the library at this hour, and now she feared he had been sleeping until she interrupted.

"Librarian?" Queen repeated, taken aback. “N-No, I am nothing of the sort. My only purpose in coming here was to return a book I had borrowed some time ago, I apologise if my presence came as a disruption to you in any way."

Still embarrassed by the assumption, she reached one hand up to adjust her glasses before clearing her throat. When she had composed herself again, she straightened her posture, turning her full attention to the man.

[sephiroth-taejin]

“I am glad to know that.” He replied, courteous, albeit raising an eyebrow at the unnatural quickness of her reply. She appeared flustered by his sudden question, and was embarrassed to have been mistaken as a librarian. So, she was simply a normal patron then. It left him wondering about the whereabouts of the librarian, so that he could check out these books before he left. It would not do for him to break the regulations of the army and taint his reputation here; however much it was; further, not that he cared particularly about that, of course.

Still, he packed his materials and smiled slightly at her apology, amused, “That should have been my line. I apologise for my mistake, miss…?” He paused, realising that he did not yet know her name. Nonetheless, he continued, “Your presence was not a disturbance; I was merely browsing before you appeared.” Eyeing the book that she was holding, he asked, “Is that the book you were returning?” Spotting the cover, he was immediately intrigued. Chess? It has been long since I have played against someone. Gesturing towards the book, he asked further, “Do you play?”

Chess had been a mandatory subject for him during his childhood, and it had been one of the few respites he had during this chapter of his life. After mastering the basics, the coach worked on his mind; how to intimidate your opponent, how to remain calm under all circumstances, how to achieve a clear-cut victory with as little hassle as possible. There was no right or wrong answers to be given, only a constant challenge to his decision at any moment. It had been long, and he had missed it; the thrill of facing a worthy challenge. Everything had seemed so dead and dull and he was numb, apathetic to the world around him after SOLDIER’s betrayal of his trust, which was most probably the cause for what had happened during the mission.

He needed a distraction from the storm that was rampaging through his mind. What was done was done. There is no choice but to move on.

As he removed the books from the table, black and white squares painted on the table’s surface unearthed themselves. Such coincidence. “Would you entertain me?” He invited, a small, polite smile gracing his lips.

[tifataejin-blog]

Taejin Mission 47: On the Homefront

[tifataejin-blog]

He was a serious fellow, that was for sure and his way of speaking was so…formal .It almost made Tifa a bit self-conscious. Not that Tifa wasn’t proud of her Nibel schooling, but she was still just a mountain girl who lived in a small village that literally had about 5 students per grade level. There were even times when some of the kids would have to wait to start school when there were more classmates around. They were mostly home schooled, anyways. Going to the school was just a formality and also worked as a sort of daycare. Most kids started working or helping out the family once they were 15 years old. 

Well, so what? She wasn’t as well spoken as half the people here, anyways. Tifa shrugged, she had to pick up her pace a couple of times to keep up with the long strides of her mission partner. Not that it really bothered her. The martial artist stretched her hands up as they reached the supply store.

Grinning, Tifa entered the shop and started selecting canned goods. “Can you get the water and other foods? I’ll get some blankets.” She picked up a couple of can openers, too. Just in case.

[sephiroth-taejin]

He was deep in thought as he walked. It was inevitable; cheerful demeanours always fascinated him. How could anyone bear to smile after seeing, causing, so much death? Moreover, more death would follow after this. He remembered that whenever he was tasked to head a large-scale mission, despite his best efforts, there would always be casualties. Always. Damn it, he was supposed to be a hero! Heroes were supposed to save everyone. He gritted his teeth slightly in frustration, willing his mind to steer away from this direction of thoughts.

He would protect her, his partner, from harm. He would protect all of them, as he was taught to. This was a relatively easy assignment, and there would be no casualties. He would not fail this time.

Noticing that the girl had slightly fallen behind for he had begun to walk in his usual long strides, he slowed down a little, allowing her to catch up. Failure of a hero that he may be, he would at least behave gentlemanly.

They entered the supply store, and the girl immediately went towards the canned food section, leaving him to get more food and water. The store was surprisingly lacking in customers, with only a few ladies; housewives, he mused; doing their grocery shopping. He browsed around; feeling a bit lost within the store for he had never been here before, and managed to find another section of perishable foods. Grabbing a basket from the stands beside the shelves, he started filling it with packets of instant noodles, not caring for the flavours or varieties.

He must look rather odd; a military man with a long katana strapped to his side shopping for instant noodles would definitely be a cause for an uproar in the store. Not to mention his overly-striking hair. Stifling a sigh, he avoided meeting any glances and stares thrown his way and went on to get another basket for the canned mushrooms.

It was not long before a shop assistant moved closer to him, apparently arranging the cans on the shelves, and asked, timidly, “Can I help you with your purchases?” A rosy blush spread across her cheeks as she rambled on, “You and your wife seem to be buying things in bulk and I thought that maybe it’d be better if you just buy the stuff you need in boxes and cartons? It’ll be more convenient if you two are planning for a big party, or whatever other event that you need so much food for.”

What? My wife?

He paused in his task and stared at the shop assistant as she fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze, her blush growing redder. He was about to speak, to explain, when he heard the familiar footsteps of his partner rounding the corner and entering this section. He stepped back a little, still holding on to the baskets, and turned to look at her, mentally wishing for her to explain the situation to the shop assistant. Social communication was never his strongest suit, and he has had embarrassing and awkward experiences as reasons why it was best that he did not speak at all.

So much for being a hero,he scoffed in his thoughts self-deprecatingly.

[cloudtaejin]

Touring Past and Present | Sephiroth and Cloud

[cloudtaejin]

Cloud was a bit surprised that HQ hasn’t told Sephiroth about the other options for soldiers and living accommodations, something very important to a soldier. He looked past Sephiroth at the HQ building and shook his head in disappointment. The blonde then looked back at Sephiroth and gave a smile to try and get him to feel kind of comfortable. 

“Sure, we can go around headquarters seeing how we’re already right by it. There’s not much to learn about besides the actual work that all us tend to on a daily basis, but I’ll be glad to show you around.”

The captain ravager then brought his arm up and waved it forward telling Sephiroth to follow and began walking towards the main entrance. While looking around for where to start explaining things, Cloud wondered what Sephiroth would have chosen if he was informed that soldiers could live outside of the main building.

“Ok, so whenever you get any message about a mission and you being selected for that mission, you’ll have to report here and meet up with the person who sent you the message. It won’t always be the commander himself to send you the messages so you have to keep in mind that there are others who will ask for your assistance like some of the scientists that work here.” 

Cloud looked over to where some scientists were discussing something and then looked back at Sephiroth. He continued walking until they were a safe enough distance away from any of the soldiers and scientists. The ravager then looked at Sephiroth with a serious look and began talking very low.

“Although these scientists are important and help the soldiers, I don’t really like them much. There are some things that bother me about them so… well… I don’t know I just don’t like the way their department operates” 

He admitted showing how bothered he is by them. Cloud then looked back up and continued to walk around. He decided to show Sephiroth a large map that was placed on a screen in the middle of the building. It displayed the many other buildings around the ground and if one was to click the building, a small description would show up of what to expect inside each building.

Cloud stopped and turned around to face Sephiroth again with his reassuring face. 

“Y’know… If you ever do have plans on trying to move out of this place feel free to let me know. I live away from here, but you can visit me or leave me a message and I can try to fix some things and make some arrangements. If you do feel uncomfortable living here then my house is open too until we find some kind of housing for you.” He told the other with a small chuckle and smile showing his teeth. 

“So anywhere else you want to go? Anything you might want to know?” Cloud asked being very interested in being helpful to Sephiroth.

[sephiroth-taejin]

As Sephiroth observed Strife’s expression, he felt rather bewildered. Why did Strife have that look of disappointment towards the headquarters upon knowing that Sephiroth was ignorant of the alternative housing for soldiers? Why were soldiers allowed to live in a separate place other than within the headquarters in the first place? He had expected soldiers of this army to be constantly held on call for any emergencies or sudden monster attacks that would definitely happen. Sure, this kind of emergencies was what the comm device was meant for, but was it not more convenient to be near ground zero at all times? Besides, the headquarters had almost all the facilities he needed. Such was his thoughts as he gave a nod in gratitude and followed Strife at a comfortable pace back into the maze that was the headquarters.

They had walked around for a bit whilst the thought of alternative housing and accommodations gnawed at his mind. As Strife explained to him what he was supposed to do when he received a mission, they walked past a group of scientists in the heat of discussion. Immediately his eyes saw red, and it was to the best of his ability that he refrained himself from turning on his heel to walk in the opposite direction of them. Too many incidences and experiments that were conducted for his own good happened when he was still in SOLDIER, and he had learnt to avoid this group of people whenever he could, and to never let them get closer to him than the length of his outstretched arm holding Masamune. He was able to tolerate them, and went for his annual check-ups as faithfully as he could, but he certainly was not going familiarise himself with that species of humans any more than it was necessary.

In his slight panic, one that was hopefully kept hidden, he caught the brief look that Strife gave him. Strife seemed to be aware of his fear, aversion; he did not know anymore; towards scientists, or anyone wearing long white coats in general, and led him to someplace secluded and void of any scientists or soldiers, before admitting his own distaste of scientists to Sephiroth. As he spoke, Sephiroth could not help but catch a few clues. Scientists are important here. They have a department. And even Strife is slightly disturbed by their ethics at work. He remained silent after Strife spoke, not trusting his own wits at the moment as he tried desperately to deafen the phantom screams that were only in his mind.

Strife continued walking, and he led Sephiroth to this large map in the middle of the building that displayed information about all other buildings. It was useful, and Sephiroth made a mental note about this place. He would return to it later in the day to commit this map to memory. He needed a distraction, before his mask falls and ¾

Strife then faced him with a reassuring smile and told him that he would help with the arrangements if Sephiroth ever wanted to live outside headquarters, and that he was welcome at his house until his own was settled. I would do anything to avoid scientists forever. However, living outside headquarters was only running from the problem; his problem of having a fear of scientists and doctors. If he allowed himself to run from the problem, he might never have the will to face it again. Thus, he replied, with a polite smile in response to Strife’s sunny one, “Thank you for your offer, but I would prefer to be here.” A pause, then, “Can you show me where the training grounds and simulation rooms are?”

[finalfantsy-gallery]

[sephiroth-taejin]

((23.05.2013))

((School is hard. D: But after the next week I'll finally have my well-deserved holidays, so I'll have time to catch up with my replies/starters! Sorry for making my rp partners wait so long >.<))

[credensjustiitiam]

Epoch [Ashe + Sephiroth]

[credensjustiitiam]

As Sephiroth briefly tightened the grip on his blade, Ashe forced herself not to stiffen. Reflex dictated that she be ready to fend off any attack she could, but this one seemed wary. If she showed any sort of outward hostility, things could go poorly. And so Ashe stood there, watching him intently until he relaxed his hold. Inwardly, the young woman sighed in relief. Good. It could have been exceptionally bad to get into a fight here, considering the logistics of the barracks (not to mention the fact that they were part of the same military). Lifting a hand, she gently laid it upon her bow in order to straighten it. When Sephiroth invited her inside, though, the young woman bowed deeply. “My thanks.” For all intents and purposes, she did seem to be some sort of royalty despite the odd lack of knowledge here or there. However, something lay just beneath the polished surface that she displayed. Something feral, determined, and dangerous. A hidden side, locked away from the sight of her allies (or, rather, those who weren’t perceptive enough to catch it). And while Sephiroth’s eyes looked like those of cat, there was the tiniest hint of all the fury of a storm in Ashe’s own.

It was, to no surprise, clean. So this was the type of person he was. It seemed, for the most part, rather sterile. And yet, in his lack of decoration Ashe was able to get a feel for his personality. Decoration wasn’t banned in the barracks, after all. Even she had a few different maps plastered to her wall and a good number of books scattered about her room. Something struck her as out of place, though. Striding to his bedside table, she peered at the bright yellow plush toy. It was too clean to be a childhood memento. “I haven’t really seen a chocobo since I left my tribe. Are you fond of them?” Ashe turned from the toy to gaze at him in interest once again. There were no other questions that left her lips, though. Something about him kept her from asking anything that seemed to pry too deep. Perhaps it was the cordiality he was treating her with. Perhaps it was the fact that his eyes betrayed something very different than the person he seemed to be. Or, perhaps, Ashe was just crazy and imagining all of this. It was possible, after all. But the man who had played that music and the man who stood in front of her now couldn’t have possibly been the same person.

Turning from him after another scan of his person, Ashe’s grey eyes dropped to the strange item on the bed. Furrowing her brow, she stepped closer to it and leaned in to gaze at it with interest. Was this the thing? It was, in a word, beautiful. The polished wood, the delicate strings. Elegant. “I’ve never seen anything like this…” Her own people used mostly drums and flutes for music while Ashe herself preferred singing and imitating bird calls. Reaching out, she gently plucked one of the strings and then withdrew her hand, listening to the sound. “I probably seem strange to you because I don’t recognize it. I’m from a nomadic people so I sometimes have little to no knowledge of mundane things.” As she spoke, she straightened back to her full height. “I must seem rather backwards to you, especially if you’re so well-trained in this instrument. It doesn’t look like it would be very cheap.” There it was again, that analysis. After a moment, she spun on her heel to lock eyes with Sephiroth. “Although I probably have quite a bit of knowledge that you don’t. Different people, different experiences. Wouldn’t you agree?” There was something challenging about her tone, as if daring him to think her stupid.

[sephiroth-taejin]

And thus, the judging begins.This was the tired sigh that echoed in his mind. He had grown weary of his forced charade of perfection, because he knew he was far from perfection, despite what others might believe. Being perfect meant that the perfect, unfeeling killing machine that SOLDIER wanted. He still felt too much and too deeply; and perhaps, he would not tolerate any more, or less; but he could hide them well to appear unaffected. And that that was root cause to his weariness, was it not? He did not want to hide them, at least for now; they hurt too much because he had remembered about them; but he could not trust anyone to see him vulnerable. Thus, he struggled to detach himself from the wave of emotions, of loneliness, and was able to curb the sudden urge to crumple to the floor and return the lady a nod, acknowledging her thanks.

Detachment. No matter how many experiences he had with the Army, some part of him staunchly refused to truly belong to the organisation. Perhaps it was his largely-unaware rebellious nature shining through his rigid discipline, but he had never once seen this room as a place that belonged to him alone. This was evident in the untouched state of the room, for it had retained the original look when he had stepped into it for the first time and somehow, claimed it as his own. In his mind, he had always felt a certain disconnection with the Army. It was as if he belonged like a native, yet like a passing visitor at the same time. He treated his room with the same distant politeness as how he would treat a room rented at the Inn; he did sort his clothes and other personal belongings in the wardrobes and drawers, but staunchly refused to leave any mark that made the room special to him. Perhaps, it was his way of clinging to the past, refusing to let go. His room, the one that really belonged to him; his home, was still in SOLDIER, the place where he first dug in his roots and the nightmares had rooted themselves to that place. Mayhap, it was his way of protecting himself; if it was not home, there would not be nightmares.

Placing Masamune back to its place in the room, he stood a little to the side and watched her inspect his room with curiosity. It was fortunate that he cultivated, or rather, was forced to cultivate, this habit of keeping his room in a clean and neat condition, although he had been performing this habit with too much…obsession, lately. It was true that he had just recovered from severe poisoning from the last mission and thus had not been assigned one since then, causing his current state of inactivity, but to fill in the time by cleaning…

Dropping the line of thought with slight disgust and a stern mental note to find better ways to spend his time, he caught the lady’s question about the chocobo on his bedside table and her thoughtful gaze at him that followed. Slowly, carefully, he replied, “It was a present, from someone important to me.” It was too hasty to consider Cecil as someone important to him, but Sephiroth knew better than to lie to her, or rather, himself, and deny the friendship that he had somewhat managed to forge with the albino chocobo. Speaking of which, I need to give him a gift in return for this toy. On his birthday, perhaps?

Whilst he digressed, the lady had moved to inspect the violin he had left on his bed. A faint smile crept onto his face as he saw the almost child-like wonder and interest the lady had for the instrument. To be able to witness wonder was a fascinating thing; he had little to be fascinated about nowadays, even though he was constantly gaining new knowledge about different things every day. The lady then tried to regain her dignity as a royal, perhaps; a royal family in a nomadic tribe, he mused; with her little speech of having a different set of knowledge from his. Amused, he nodded a little to acknowledge the logic the speech had, and explained, “This instrument, the violin, is a common item from where I came from, though you were right; this violin is far superior to the ones owned by street buskers and most musicians. I had assumed…” He trailed off into silence, a little ashamed at his own ignorance, before speaking again, “I would like to know more about your tribe then, if you do not mind?” After a slight pause, he spoke, hesitantly, belatedly, “I am glad to know that you had enjoyed what I played on the violin before. Others would have berated me for disturbing their well-deserved rest.”

[sephiroth-taejin]

Chequered Colloquy | Sephiroth & Queen

[queentaejin]

Her rounds in the clinic had almost finished, and Queen welcomed the end of the day when she could finally afford to relax, even if only for a short while. However before she could return to her quarters, she needed to pay a small visit to the library. Pulling an encyclopaedia from below her desk, her fingers ran along the faded letters on the spine, feeling the rough texture beneath her fingertips.

It was an aged book, one that showed many years of use. A reference on medicine and healing, now that she had studied what she could from it, it was time to return it to its place on the shelves. After bidding farewell to the other medics, she made her way for the library, the large book under her arm. One could hardly call it a book, as it was more like a dictionary of sorts.

Pushing open the doors, Queen was thankful the library remained open even this late. Between missions and the clinic, she scarcely had time to visit except at the end of the day. Quickly finding the space on the shelves, she pushed the book back into place, her eyes drifting to some of the other titles in the near vicinity.

One such book caught her eye, and she proceeded to pull it from its place. It was lighter than the other book she had been carrying, and even more strange was that it wasn’t a book on herbs or healing like the others in this section. A book out of place, it was; taking a closer look at the cover, it was another one worn by time, dust speckling the title. Blowing the dust away, the sensation tickled her nose, and she couldn’t help but let out a small sneeze.

[sephiroth-taejin]

Someone’s sneeze caused his head to look up, distracted from the temporary focus he had managed to obtain as he browsed leisurely through the book. When he had entered the library, it was quiet; quieter than normal, and he did not see anyone since his arrival, thus he assumed that he was alone.

As his head turned towards the origin of the noise, he saw a bespectacled woman in an uniform-like attire, browsing the books on one of the shelves near where he was seated. She was not there when he came; perhaps she was the librarian? The hour was late, and she must be here to chase him out so that she could close the library for the day.

He stood then, setting aside the book he was reading and stacking the remaining books he left on the table into a neat pile, and called out, inquiring, “Are you alright?” Then, “Would you perhaps be the librarian?” 

[tifataejin-blog]

Taejin Mission 47: On the Homefront

Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Tifa glanced at her partner this time around. It wasn’t often she put her hair in a ponytail. It was a simple mission, make sure everything that’s needed gets loaded onto the ships and then keep home base safe. She just knew that this mission was going to end up with her running around so she adjusted her long socks and gloves. When the debriefing was over, Tifa made her way to her new partner.

“Hello! I look forward to working with you!” She smiled and held out her hand. The man, Sephiroth, was incredibly tall, much taller than her that was for sure. Something about him intimidated the young martial artist. Perhaps it was because of his height… Although, he also gave off such a cool and collected impression. He looked strong, that was for sure. Although she felt a bit nervous, Tifa’s smile didn’t waver and she was honest when she said she was looking forward to the mission with him. She was actually rather excited to see a fellow Commando in action. Tifa always felt she learned a lot from watching others. She’d certainly learned quite a bit from watching and working with Squall.

[sephiroth-taejin]

The briefing began too early in the morning, but Sephiroth was used to that. He had forsaken sleep, opting for an all-night training until morning. There was no use in sleeping away the few hours that he had to pass till his briefing after all. He worked on his magic attacks, then gave the simulated monsters a few swings of his katana. He only allowed himself a short rest before heading to the briefing room.

It was a very short briefing, and the objectives were simple. Send the airships on their way, and protect the village while the soldiers were gone. And then there was his partner, this girl. She would certainly be useful when the supply store owner needed an information update; in fact anyone would be more useful in that area than himself; but Sephiroth noticed that she did not bring any weapons along. Hand-to-hand combat? Interesting. There was the drummed-in notion of being a gentleman and giving concern over the girl, but she looked strong enough to protect herself, and Sephiroth had expected her to be able to hold her ground.

A gloved hand grasped the girl’s outstretched one in a firm handshake. “Likewise,” he nodded slightly and replied. “Shall we go?” He asked, in a crisp tone as he began walking in the direction of the supply store.