escordvi | [ open ] Storms draw something out of us that calm seas don’t

Who: Cloud Strife & You
Status: Open
Where: Various
What: Catch all if needed; questboard things mainly
Warnings: TBA

🌩️ Seahorse Midwife

[ Thankfully after the first time being around the seahorses with Tifa, the creatures aren't as keen to knock Cloud over. They are, by far, less rambunctious. But maybe that's because Cloud has been coming as often as he can slip away to check up on them. Maybe to feed them, but don't tell anyone if you had managed to catch him in the act.

Either way, Cloud is here today like any other. Too bad that today is going to be much different than the others. Being requested to help the seahorses give birth.

Well he is standing there with a look about him like a vacant chocobo. Excuse him what? He is supposed to what?

Please save this dumbfounded ~~boy~~ man. ]

🌩️ Unconventional Couture

Not happening.

[ Meaning that Cloud is standing there, with his hands across his chest. Going undercover is one thing. Cloud will gladly go undercover to deal with illegal trade and whatever. The issue here it is starting to look like a situation that he had gotten himself into years ago. Aerith had been there to help him at the time and both she and Tifa had been witnesses to the results.

It had been downright embarrassing the first time. Now they want him to what again? Dress in gowns yet again? Cloud is about ready to walk out that door instead of deal with this. Again.

In a brothel. Again. ]

🌩️ Latte Love Story

[ Cloud's already got his hands full here. There's a man in the gondola. Shouting. Clearly drunk on something but Cloud isn't really paying attention to the full story here. Rather, the blonde stands with his finger pressed firmly between his eyes. It's as if he's trying to will away a potential headache - evaluating on whether or not this is really something he wants to deal with right now.

The problem is that the man is trying to stand. And he's not steady on his feet. So that means that the boat is rocking and there's the potential for the man to just up and fall out of it. ]

Cut it out. You're going to fall and then you'll really be sorry.

🌩️ Wildcard

[ My plotting comment can be found here! If you'd like to do something with Cloud then by all means go ahead and hit me up. I'm happy to write closed starters or just go with something you feel like throwing at me. Also would be happy to do the headless pumpkin if anyone is interested. Otherwise, Cloud will be avoiding ships as much as possible. So he can be found loitering around on any of the leviathans. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sal... Mon?

[ So he has no idea about this guy's predicament. To Cloud it just looks like he is bringing up the fish for no reason at all?

Not that he's not also going to take some shrimp in his own hand. They are here to help, after all. ]

[ He nods in agreement again. He knows, he's aware of that, but that doesn't mean he's not a little bratty at times when it's harmless. When he gets his hands free, he might explain.

Coming up to the edge where the seahorses are, he sets the bucket down and tosses a shrimp at them.

They scatter and he frowns a little bit. What did he do wrong? ]

[ Yeah that's... Not going to work. Cloud won't ask about the fishy word and instead looks at the bucket and then at the sea horses. ]

Throwing it at them won't help.

[ Cloud takes a handful of shrimp. He then reaches out his hand towards one of them. Instead of giving them the food, he is waiting for them to decide to take it from him. And one brave sea horse decides to venture forth, gobbling it up quite readily. ]

Just like that.

Tuna mayo. [ A thank you of sorts and he nods, leaning forward to do what Cloud did.

This is much more successful, the seahorses come to grab for it.

Toge smiles behind his collar. ]

You got it.

[ Cloud has one hand out, allowing the sea horse to eat. One hand on the side of its neck, just stroking. ]

Starting to get the feeling you don't say much.

Salmon. [ Cloud is correct in that determination. He reaches out to pet one of the seahorses. At least he's gentle.

It's not that he wouldn't, so much as that he can't. ]

[ Yeah that's all but confirmation. It's fine. ]

Careful. They could start to give birth at any point.

[ So start looking for the signs and be on guard! ]

[ Toge nods his agreement. He's careful, being gentle but hopefully this isn't going to be some whole gross process.

He'd be fine, but he wasn't sure he was excited to witness this miracle in action.

Too late though, his seahorse seems to be getting ready to pop out a baby and he's got a front row seat. ]

[ Oh he sees that too. Is that a head? Hooves? ]

C'mon. Help me get it back into the water a little.

[ Because that's probably where a SEA horse should end up. Not on the rough sand. ]

Salmon, salmon. [ Carefully, Toge cradles the seahorse with both of his hands and he scoops gently.

It gives him a disgruntled noise. ]

Ikura. [ Careful steps towards the water to gently guide it back under the surface. ]

I'll admit I have no idea what I'm doing. So just try to keep it calm and I'll do what I can here.

[ Meaning he'll deal with the tail and the lower half.

The sea horse isn't happy, but mostly because it is in discomfort. Though it does seem to ease a little when in the water. ]

[ He equally does not know what he's doing. He's perfectly fine with Cloud going after the hard part. The best he can do is support the seahorse and gently rub his stomach with a couple of fingers, he guesses? Does that help? He doesn't really know. ]

[ Hey look. Something is better than nothing at this point. It's not like Cloud knows any better what to do here.

Whatever the case, the sea horse is uh. Continuing its struggle. Soon there will be the sounds of splashing as the sea foal? sea colt? begins to make itself known. ]

[ Toge scrunches his nose a little bit under his collar. ]

Ikura. [ Kinda gross if you ask him, this whole childbirth thing. ]

[ Yeah they don't need additional words here to convey the disgust. Cloud can just feel it. ]

Yeah, it really is.

[ But if you thought they were done? That sea horse is starting to thrash around again. ]

[ Well that's unfortunate, or beautiful. He's leaning towards the former, but Toge keeps doing what he's doing, trying to soothe the seahorse.

But he's probably not going to be able to get this image out of his head later. ]

[ Nope. Definitely not going to be able to remove the image of a sea horse giving birth. Sorry about your teenage eyes there.

But at least we're going to spare the details here. Just say there's much thrashing. A lot of mess. Water and other things everywhere.

And two healthy little seabeasts. ]

[ He's been sprayed with curse blood and his own and this is somehow more gross. Ew.

Once the seahorse is done, Toge rinses his hands a bit away from the mess and waves a bit to the creature. Good job and all that. ]

[ Not like Cloud hasn't also been knee deep in some pretty gross stuff. But all of this? Yeah... Yeah this is something entirely different. At the same time, he can't help but smile at Toge. A small one. ]

Hey. You did a good job yourself.

Salmon!

[ Now that his hands are clean, albeit still damp, he holds one up though for a high five, that's how you celebrate a job well done, obviously! ]

Did you want to go and fetch some food for the parent? Probably needs the energy.

[ And Cloud can stay here and try to clean everything up ]

Salmon. [ Toge nods, sure, he can do that and he drops his hand and wanders off to find some fresh seahorse food. ]

[ Meanwhile Cloud is using the water to clean up both parent and newborn.

Once they have the food, then they might be able to take off. ]

[ open ] Storms draw something out of us that calm seas don’t

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