paradisa | ⅳ┆dictated

Entry tags:

cloud strife

ⅳ┆dictated

[Cloud's in the gym, working out a bit, mainly doing squats and trying not to lose count of them--But by now, he has restarted from one about fifty times...

Something is been bothering him since yesterday and he's not getting over it, which is the weird part of everything. What if he didn't remember some guy? It would probably be easier if Reno hadn't told him he should be remembering him. Of course it was Reno's word against his own, but still bothered him a little. It was probably not his fault that he didn't remember someone that considered him a friend, but as far as he knew, he had found out what his loss was already. What if the castle had made him forget about that guy as well? In that place everything seemed possible but going home after all... Then again it could be Zack's loss, but there was no way to know that for sure, not for now at least.

Conveniently, the journal falls from some pocket he had been keeping it in (even though he didn't quite remembered putting it there...) Hmm, he should probably ask... Sits right there in the middle of the gym and opens the journal.]

[ Filtered away from Zack Fair ]

How many losses are people supposed to have?

[Hmm, why not?]

[ Zack Fair ]

[For a little bit, there is nothing but silence in this filter--what is he even supposed to tell him? He's not even sure it's the same guy he and Reno had been talking about, hopefully adding the surname to the filter would make that clear. Maybe he's jumping into conclusions too soon... That's what happens when you don't have much to do.]

Hey.

[That's a start.]

{{open in person or through journal}}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fifty-eight, huh?

[It's hard to be passive, hard to let Cloud take in what he wants to take in, all while resisting the urge to shake him or hug him or both. He holds that look evenly, too-blue eyes looking into too-blue eyes, and at the very least he knows that surely Cloud must recognize the signs of Mako exposure.

He'll finally look away when Cloud does, giving the gym a cursory once-over.] Not bad, for prison.

[He won't ask... not for the moment at least. Maybe it's part of things he should already know.]

One hundred fifty eight. I restart every hundred then do the math later.

[And now he remembered when he saw Starfire for the first time. He wasn't quite expecting this sexy orange woman at all when he met her in person, but somehow that didn't work for this fella here. He had given up on trying to imagine him because he probably would not be close to it at all--but his face and features fit to the blurry image he had already imagined.

There was no disappointment in there. In fact, he wasn't even too surprised about those blue eyes. He didn't remember having many friends from Nibelheim, so he couldn't be a childhood friend. Maybe they met during his time in ShinRa--but from Zack's reaction to his question about being part of the corporation, he could smell he wasn't too happy with them either--there was just so much stuff to ask for later...]

Oh, so I've got to trust your math skills now?

[That's... actually a tease, one accompanied by the hint of a smile. Zack stretches, grimaces, and tries again, a little more carefully this time -- ah, just gotta ease into it. Healing magic does wonders, but some things the body just needs to do on its own.

And he might be watching Cloud out of the corner of his eye a little too. Seeing how he moves, how he holds himself -- looking for the Cloud he knew, the Cloud he knows is still in there somewhere.]

Come here often? [Okay yeah you know what? There is no way that phrase can sound like anything other than a bad pick-up line.]

What, you don't? [And Cloud might be teasing back. But unlike Zack, he observes the other blatantly directly. He's probably trying to find anything familiar in him. There is the eyes, yeah, but that only reminds him of SOLDIER.]

Yeah, my room is in this floor so... [Ah, just tell him where his room is, what's next, inviting him to dinner?]

Maybe I will this time. We'll see if your number matches mine.

[Hey, Cloud can look all he wants, Zack hasn't stopped him. He rolls his shoulders a little, loosening stiff muscles, and eases into a squat. One, two, three... okay, that last one hurt, his side is still pulling funny. No need to go for speed, Fair, just proper technique right now. Healing will bring the rest in time.]

Huh. [A pause, tries to remember--] Hermione mentioned the rooms have nameplates, yeah.

[So yeah, he could've found you eventually just by going floor to floor.]

... Are you challenging me? [And he actually smirks at that. By the way, don't think he doesn't notice you seem to be weirdly rusty...

More like probably hurt.]

You talked to Hermione? [He likes that girl, intelligent and brave.]

Not today.

[Not even going to hide the fact that it's pulling funny. Nope, just... going to drop from squats into a lunge, something to try to stretch it out a little more. Damned Mako... help it heal faster!]

Yeah. [Zack likes her too, at least from their one conversation so far.] She seems nice.

Yeah, might be unfair. [See what he did there?]

She was the first person I (broke into their room) talked to when I arrived.

Yeah. For you. [bitch B|]

Huh. Me too. [Except, you know, over the journal.]

[Seriously? Approaches and crouches next to him and pokes that hurting side of Zack with a seriously serious expression, now that is being a bitch.]

She's nice... [Looks up at him, still serious and kind of judging him.]

[Hisses and flinches away, dropping a knee to the ground to compensate the movement. That's still sore ~~you little brat~~!]

Yeah, seems like. [Meets that gaze again before letting his eyes slide away. Why are you so Cloud, Cloud?]

[Stands and doesn't stop staring at him, just for a little moment before letting it go.]

You hungry? [Let's get you out of here, Zack, you're not fit enough yet to be doing that. The index has diagnosed.]

[Ignoring you, ignoring you, igno--] ...Heh.

[Another failure Fair, way to go.] Not gonna interrupt your workout, you know. Just a mission gone rough, I can work around it.

I'm done. [Does he even want to know?] And I'm getting a little hungry.

...If you say so.

[Yeah, don't think he doesn't see what you're doing, Cloud. But hey, Zack can accept the out with grace, rolling to his feet after another moment in the stretch.]

Lead the way, I guess.

[Good to know he's not blind to Cloudian. In fact, he hasn't realized how easy this guy gets most of his two word sentences... Gestures at him to follow with his head.]

I need a shower... [Delivers the bomb a few steps away from the gyms entrance. Translation: I might let you into my room and let you wait there while I take a shower...]

[Nope, not blind at all. A little rusty maybe -- hey, it'd been years in the tubes and you hadn't exactly been coherent out of them -- but no, he's not blind to it.]

...Hope that's not your way of asking for help with it. [Translation: you don't have to I can always go change myself and meet you.]

[Snorts... Hey man, you're not that bad...]

I just don't want you to get lost when trying to find the kitchen. [Because you seem so helpless!]

[Plenty more where that came from, Spike.]

I just have to follow your wet footprints. [A beat.] How long's it take you to shower?

[And that smirk unconsciously grows into a little smile. What are you even doing, Zack?]

About ten minutes.

[He's just being Zack. Kind of like a fungus: he grows on you.

Glances up the stairs, he's only two floors up and he knows there's a clean uniform waiting, thanks to the castle.] You've got eight until I start perusing nameplates to find yours. Deal?

[One hallucinogen fungus...]

Deal. [He'll probably have to do that... Either way, Cloud stars walking the aisle and towars his room. ]

[Yeah, well...]

'Kay.

[And...Zack goes back upstairs, to change. There's a moment of just staring at his uniform, but oh hell, puts it on anyway. It's comfortable and he actually does like it, simply out of familiarity with it and the way it moves when he moves. And Cloud... well, Zack's eyes give him away anyway, what more to add the clothes?

Nine-ish minutes later he's back on the fifth floor, perusing nameplates until he comes to five-twenty. Stores the number in memory -- it's what a soldier does, he reasons, and Cloud hadn't shown hints of not wanting Zack to know...

Knock, knock. And rakes a hand through his hair while he's waiting.]

[Cloud takes mental note of Zack going upstairs--yeah, he looked back to see where he'd go before getting to his room.

Showering himself and changing onto his usual attire--the SOLDIER uniform, modified by him a little--takes him a bit more than what he said it would. When he hears the knocking on the door, he's just finishing putting on fresh underwear...

Huh, he cannot open the door like that... In any other occasion he wouldn't have minded, but his situation with Zack wasn't exactly clear yet. It would be weird if he opened his door to some stranger when he was still semi naked.]

What's the password? [Shouts from inside the room for the other to hear as he hurries those socks on!]

[Funny how Zack feels more nervous doing this than getting ready for a date with... well, with someone. Yeah. A hand goes through black spikes again before dropping heavily to his side...

And oh, okay, he is in the right place and Cloud is still here. Scrambles mentally a bit -- is Cloud playing games or trying to buy time? -- before tossing out, well, just anything.]

Uh... [dot dot dot] ...Chocobo?

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