paradisa | o4 | Dictated

[It's been a few days since the expedition arrived back at the Castle, and Zack feels himself settling into what's become a routine of training and sparring, in between talking with other people. Someone still isn't sure he trusts the Castle, but somehow saying it aloud to Cloud the other day -- That's right. I'm dead. -- settled a few things that had been bouncing around his skull.

Settled a few things, and stirred up quite a few others. He opens the journal after a moment and just lets his thoughts flow.]

Fancy invitations, huh? I guess it's supposed to make a person feel special, or something like that. Part of me can't help but wonder if it's the Castle trying to show hospitality, after the group of us all went out on our own.

Then again, I guess it did that the minute we came back. Here, you can all have your strength back, or your magic back, or your whatever-else-you've-got back. Heh. [A beat.] Can't complain about a proper shower, though. I guess you really do have us figured out, don't you Castle?

[Okay, so it ended up to be more idle musing than anything else. Oh well. That's just how the materia forms sometimes. Zack really doesn't have much of anything else to say, just penning a few quick filters under the words that appeared as he spoke.]

[Angeal Hewley and Cloud Strife]

You guys are going, right?

[/Angeal Hewley and Cloud Strife]

[Reno of the Turks]

I know this is probably a late report and all, but Martel and Yuan? They're gonna be fine together.

[/Reno of the Turks]

[ooc: set on Wednesday afternoon, and open to action for anyone outside! Zack's laying on the lawn inside a fairy ring, cloud watching.]

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[Have a shadow fall over you, Zack, as Kallen's looking down at you curiously.]

You really think it's hospitality? [She sounds sort of disbelieving.]

[Well at some point in the day, Carolina has to come up for air or she'll just be sick. She's more than aware of the danger of being outside her room while even the slightest bit intoxicated (and especially sans armor), but she has to get away from people who might say her name. Right now she's already halfway to plastered, but she needs the air to try and clear her head enough to focus and be productive.

Her gait, though, is decidedly unsteady as she moves, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. God, she smells like booze, she looks like she's been drinking all morning, and she feels like shit. She already pretty much never wants to have another drink again.

Noticing Zack, she just, y'know, heads his way and plops herself down next to him like it's the most natural thing in the whole world.]

[Well hello random face of stranger above him! Zack grins; he's almost always up for talking with people.]

Mm-hm. It's determining if it's genuine or sarcastic that's the hard part.

[ooc: also feel free to notice Zack's sword as being identical to Cloud's, if you choose.]

[Well hello person flopping down next to him! Zack levers himself up on an elbow and woah, someone reeks of booze. Seeing who it is makes it more surprising; he hadn't pinned her as the binge drinking in the middle of the day type.

If there's one thing he has learned, it's to be cautious around an intoxicated chick. Even so, Carolina gets that lopsided smile and a simple greeting.] Hey.

[Carolina scrubs a hand over her face, trying to get some sense back in her head before she replies.] Hey.

[She might as well go ahead and apologize for anything that comes out of her mouth.] My team's on a loss. Any time someone says our codename, we have to take a shot.

[On the same token, she's not currently seeing any problems with telling him about what's going on, despite the fact that they're still relative strangers. She smoothes a hand over her hair before sitting up a little straighter and directing her gaze over at him.]

[That... actually gets a relieved chuckle. It's good to know you're not a souse, Carolina.] Hope you don't mind if I just stick to calling you Commander then. You look like you could use a break. [A pause.] Unless there's something else you'd prefer.

[Hey, sometimes a little drink is a good thing, loosens a person up in a good way. And Shiva knows all soldiers have some sort of tension that they carry around -- the 'burden of being a warrior', or something like that. Zack's just glad that it seems their friendly conversation can carry over outside the Dead Zone. He meets Carolina's gaze, eyes back to their normal glowing blue now that they're back into the Castle's influence.]

Yeah, I heard things went well for them during the trip. [If you know what I mean]

[Well, now that she was sure she wasn't crazy, she had left the trees alone to examine those perfectly round mushroom circles... Because they are not weird looking at all!

Hello, boy, ignore the white wolf sniffling and gobbling up said mushrooms.]

[That makes her grin in response as she moves to sit down next to him.]

And here I thought you might be one of those naive idealists who hasn't quite learned about the castle yet.

[Those glowing blue eyes snare her attention more thoroughly than she expects. After all, in the Dead Zone, they'd seemed, well, normal. Still striking, but normal. She stares for a few moments before nodding in response to his question.]

"Commander" works. [She leans back on her hands, directing her gaze out to the grounds.]

Are you here with people from home?

That's what we'll use then, until you tell me otherwise. [Because they can't be using a rank all the time, but Zack also has no desire to make his companion drunk. She'd looked exasperated enough when she sat down.]

A few, yeah. Sounds like you've a few too.

[Welcome, welcome into the mushroom circle! It's actually a very comfortable patch of lawn, he must say. And plenty of room to share.]

Nah, I learned the first two rules: nothing's what it seems, and the things that are, are probably just a ruse. [A pause.] The name's Zack.

Yeah. Not all sunshine and rainbows, but I think they needed the rough patch too. [And yeah. Yeah, he knows.]

Going, really?

[Come on Zack, what would a stuffy old man like him do at one of those things!]

[Okay, the first snuffle gets dismissed, but Zack's bound to notice eventually when something starts to eat his resting place! He sits up as the noises continue, cocking his head curiously as the wolf methodically goes from mushroom to mushroom.]

Hey, girl. Hungry?

Uh, yeah?

[Come on Angeal, you're about the same age as Zack, and he's not old.]

You could say that again. We aren't even back more than a week and there's a party.

...I'm considering going to it. [Martel doesn't always go to these things, but she's been looking at the invitation for a while now.] Are you going?

Something like that, yeah.

[Martel isn't there to see Zack's smile, but she can surely pick it up from the lift in his voice.] Yeah, I'm gonna go. Save me a dance?

I hadn't really thought about it, in all honestly.

[Clearly you need to make him go then, Zack.]

Of course you can have a dance. In all honesty, I'm only going, because, well... I expect something to happen. [Something bad, or perhaps life-threatening. So of course she must go.]

Well, you're going.

[ Mission accomplished.]

You and me both. Either at the dance, or something happening to people who ignored the invite.

I think quite a lot of people are going just for that reason.[pause.] Or just for the food.

Are you?

Maybe we're all just a bunch of paranoid people. Not that it's a bad thing in this place. [A chuckle.] And there's nothing wrong with a free meal.

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o4 | Dictated

action! also placeholder

Action!

holding all the places!

All the action!

\o/

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[Zack Fair]

action

and they have been held!

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woohoo!

[Reno]

Dictated | Zack Fair

action!

Angeal Hewley

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Zack Fair forever!

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Angeal Hewley forever, etc. etc.

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Zack Fair | dictated till the end of time

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