escordvi | I ran away from the pain (November Catch-All)

Entry tags:

vincent valentine

I ran away from the pain (November Catch-All)

Who: Vincent Valentine and you!
Status: Open and Closed
Where: Where these threads happen!
What: a MANTA prompt, shopping on Nogard, and closed threads
Warnings: Will update as necessary

SHOPPING TRIP | Nogard, General, ota

[ Vincent has always meant it when it said he makes his money through bounties and quests, but being a ranged combatant with a thriple-barreled handgun, he goes through a lot of ammunition, both mundane and elemental, and so he's here shopping Nogard's markets for replenishment. There's a regular gunsmith he visits here, but that doesn't mean he can't be encountered anywhere on Nogard during his trip.

Considering the problem with the mutant turkeys going on, he may have to visit a few different shops to get everything he's looking for, too. In short, he's around for a while looking for what he needs.]

SUSPECT FOWL PLAY | Corsair Armada Quest, ota

[ When Vincent decided to take this posting, he already had a plan for all the meat: Tifa could use it, obviously. What's more, they're a nuisance that needs to be dealt with. He has plenty of ammunition for the occasion, some elemental in nature, and he's ready to take down some destructive fowl.

At least these aren't capable of petrification or anything strange. One report from his gun, though, proves he might have a need for someone who can provide some crowd control.]

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[While browsing the shops, he came across a very strange and particular satchel, one that reminded him of a very strange and particular girl. Now he only has to give it to her, and that's the rub, isn't it? He's not always sure where he can find her, but she's observed her atop one of the warehouses at the docks on Eltrut on more than one occasion and so he decides to check there first. If nothing else, it's a vantage point to search other places for her.

He could text her like a normal person, but neither of them are normal and that's just fine. It almost makes this better, really.

Now that she's here, though, he's suddenly realizing he should have practiced what he was going to say.]

[ When he gets there he'll see her sitting on edge with her legs dangling off looking out far away clearly lost in her own little world. Or more accurately just lost in her own cloudy head. It takes her a moment to actually notice that he's there and turn around with a slow smile. ]

Were you just going to stand there forever?

No.

[He's working on how to approach her, okay, but now she's broken the ice so he doesn't have to worry about it. He is still awkwardly carrying a package, though.]

You come up here a lot.

It reminds me of somewhere back home that I used to go to look. [ And she misses home enough to find familiar places, even if they make her sad in a strange way. She reaches over to an almost empty bottle of wine and holds it up. ]

Want some? There's not much left but... [ she'll let him have it. ]

[He hesitates for a moment before joining her, having a seat on the edge of the building with no fear in his eyes at the height. He spends a lot of time on top of buildings himself.]

Sure. [He doesn't say anything for a moment.] How have you been?

[ she hands it over for him to take the last few drinks from it if he wants. For a moment she just looks a tiny bit confused that he's

I carved a pumpkin with your friend Tifa. [ Which distinctly does not answer the question. ] How have you been?

[He takes a sip but not a deep one.]

That sounds...nice, but that's not what I was asking.

[ She shrugs and looks over at him with a small smile. ]

What were you asking then? [ Even though she's pretty sure she knows. ]

We... never talked. [Except about ribbons and him being more open.] ...about why you left Tifa's place...or what happened at the gala.

Oh. [ She keeps that smile up even though she turns to look out back at the water. ]

Did we need to talk?

[He looks over momentarily before looking out over the water with her.]

You...seemed upset, but then you didn't mention it, but I was worried.

[ She turns to look at him with a slightly surprised look and then smiles. ]

Oh, sweets, you don't have to worry about me. Sometimes I just...get sad.

You don't...have to be sad alone. [But he does understand. Something similar happens to him, though it's not sadness. He just...gets lost sometimes. In time. In memory.]

I...saw something at the market that made me think of you.

Oh, but I do. I don't want to make other people sad too. [ So she just goes away and gets lost on her own. But hey, at least her eye spark to life with a curious glint at that. ]

Did you? What?

[He might be at least slightly aware of how lame this sounds.]

You don't make me sad.

[But oh! Here's something that is much less awkward to focus on!]

A satchel. [And he takes out the package from under his cloak. It's wrapped in plain paper, there's no card, but hey...] I saw it and I thought of you. [Nope. Still awkward.]

I might someday. But I'll try not to. You seem to carry enough.

[ Oh her eyes light up bright, literally, as she takes it from him and then starts to open it up. ]

You didn't have to get me anything!

I'm stronger than I look.

[Meaning he can help carry whatever it is, but he's not sure he got the point across properly.

But boy does he like the way her eyes light up, because they do that when she's excited as much as anything else.]

I know. I...hope you like it.

Because you can become other things?

[ Of course she understands he means metaphorically. But she doesn't really want to burden anyone with her own things. Not just because she's afraid of what he might think if he knew everything about her.

She looks over the pouch, still smiling, and nods enthusiastically. ]

I love it! Thank you so much!

[That hadn't really discussed that in the past. He'd used his tranformations to his and his friend's benefit in the past, but they were always a double-edged sword and one he'd prefer not drawing if it could be avoided.

That isn't the only reason, though.]

That's part of it.

[The other what whatever Hojo had done to him in the first place, the other changes he'd done that he still remembers in half-hazy dreams.]

You don't have to say that.

You don't have to explain anymore if you don't want to.

[ She tilts her head with a frown. ]

Why would I just say it?

[And yet, he found he didn't mind the idea of explaining the monsters inside him, getting the impression that she'd understand if he were to tell her, that she wouldn't be afraid.

She'd quelled Chaos once, when they'd first arrived. Maybe that's why she isn't afraid, not that he would want to foist that responsibility on her. Chaos isn't hers to control, after all. It's his burden.

His punishment.

He's drifting again and he shakes his head, blinking to clear it.]

I can explain, if you want to know.

[But she's asked a question, hasn't she?]

...you don't have to be polite, I mean. [He pauses, suddenly awkward.] ...do you really like it? The shop owner said it makes an egg every day, and it'll hatch if you leave it in the pouch. I don't know if that's true.

[Given the rest of this place, though, it would make sense if it actually did.]

[ Just for a moment she studies him with a vaguely concerned expression. It's clearly not something he likes thinking about but also something that wears on him heavy. ]

Maybe you need to talk about it with someone.

[ Her brows furrowed but only for a second. The moment he mentions the egg her eyes went wide once again with even more excitement. ]

I can have chickens?! I had one back home! Kait tried to shoot it.

[He wonders, briefly, what that might solve, but maybe she'd understand more than most of them exactly what happened at Hojo's hands. Cloud understood, but he hadn't really gone into detail with any of the others.]

Maybe.

[And his eyes soften watching her smile He's glad to have been a part of it happening.]

I think so. Magic chickens. Why did she try to shoot it?

Only if you ever want to.

[ And if not, she'll respect that just as easily. There's plenty she doesn't want to talk about either.

Who thought she could get even more excited? ]

Magic chickens? [ Because now she definitely is. Magic chickens!!! ] Oh, I think she was trying to shoot me.

[He blinks at that, frowning.]

Why would your friend want to shoot you?

[ She laughs. The most inappropriate response ever. ] She gets mad when I teleport her places without her knowing. And sometimes she just gets mad at me in general.

[Arkady, why is this person your friend?]

Why would she want you dead?

[ Limited options after the whole end of the world. ]

Don't be silly, she knew it wouldn't kill me. I'd already died and come back once by then.

[Okay, but people shouldn't just want to kill other people. That usually means there's something wrong with that person.]

How is that better?

Because she wouldn't really try to kill me. Just maybe hurt.

[ it's fine!! ]

[he moves to take a seat beside her on the roof, cape billowing in the wind.]

Doesn't sound like a good friend.

[ she scoots closer and leans against him. ]

It's complicated.

[He stiffens at first at her touch. He doesn't usually let people that close, and when he does it's usually very specific children, not...whatever they've come to mean to one another.]

I get complicated.

[But he doesn't pull away.]

I know.

[ There's probably more she could say, offer up, but instead she just closes her eyes and lets herself rest there. It's nice in a way she hasn't experienced since coming here. ]

[ Hawks' wings are coming in, he's about half grown now, and looking a lot more like himself aside from the new scar on his cheek, and he comes in not with a feather but a blade, wavering a bit in the sky as he lands and takes Vincent's kill. Oops.

What kind of a Paladin would come hunt mutant turkeys?

The kind that goes through poultry like it's going out of style. ]

Oh hey, sorry, didn't see you there! [ Hawks offers a bit sheepishly. ]

[He shakes his head once, clearly not minding. It means he'll have to split the spoils, but it also means there'll be someone else around to carry them.]

There's more where that came from.

[And, as if on cue, a warbling gobble sounds from the underbrush to Hawks' right and fast as lightning, Vincent pivots, levels his gun, and fires. The aim is true, the armor-piercing Earth-aspected round fells the turkey right between its shining red eyes.]

Plenty for everyone.

Good news for me, I was getting hungry.

[ He's kidding, but also not, because he certainly does eat a lot. ]

I wonder how there got to be so many of them.

Don't know.

[And he sets about reloading.]

I wasn't hired to find out.

[ Hawks raises an eyebrow at that. ]

You're not the least bit curious about how this world works?

[He finishes seeing to his weapon and turns, cape swishing slightly in the breeze, to seek the mutant turkeys elswhere. Hawks is welcome to follow, and he doesn't have a problem with it. He just has a job to do.]

Didn't say that. [A rustle in the underbrush to their right catches his attention but he dismisses it after a pause. It's too small for their quarry.]

Just that figuring out isn't the job. [He looks over briefly.] Think they'd give a bonus?

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I ran away from the pain (November Catch-All)

Closed to Arkady | PRESENT?!

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Fowl Play

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