A "vampire" arrives

[chaosvessel]

Who: Vincent Valentine and YOU
What: Vincent's arrival and initial exploration of the city
Where: Dormitories + the Park primarily, could wander
When: September 7-10
Warnings: Possible discussions of death? Otherwise, nothing really



a. dormitories

[After all he'd seen, 'this can't be happening' wasn't something he was going to entertain with a ponder. He followed the directions given by the statues and the strange "Head". Normally, he would have explored this strange new place in which he's found himself, but with all the unknowns, he opted for compliance, at least until he's found this dormitory room which was to double as his base of operations while he figured out the real purpose behind his being brought here. While he wasn't a scientist, Vincent had spent enough time around them to know the collection and analysis of DNA was rarely a good thing, especially when performed under such questionable circumstances.

He nods to the concierge when he's provided his key and network device, frowning down at it briefly before slipping it into the pocket and taking a look around the place. It was so...mundane...He didn't make an effort to appear inconspicuous in his leathers and red cape, knowing his brass claw stood out all on its own, but he doesn't immediately proceed upstairs, instead opting to take up a position near a wall and watch those who came and went.]


b. central square park | ota

[After getting to know the dormitories, he sets out to get to know his surroundings. His Turk training never really left, and getting a lay of the land, and by extension, the city, was pivotal to understanding where he's been taken. As he moves through the lush setting, a growing sense of unease grasped him as he made notes mentally:

There were no woodland creatures. The sounds, or the lack thereof, were unsettling and his hand was never far from the grip of his handgun. Because of the silence, the statues had a looming effect and his crimson gaze shifted around warily. It...might not be a good idea to sneak up on the guy.]


c. central square park | closed to Thane

[Continued from here.

Vincent approved of the selection of the Central Square Park. It was, as its name implied, centrally located but also public. They may not have privacy, but they would have the security of the location. Old habits die hard, and being a bodyguard had been ingrained in him for a very young age. He waited for the Drell near a bench, though he himself was leaning against a nearby statue, arms crossed. He'd never seen another of Tannor's race in Dualis. He'd be difficult to miss.]

Comments

[wickedprayers]

[That is more or less his reasoning for picking the location he did. Thane still isn't entirely comfortable about the situation that led him here, having no familiar reference to gauge, well, anything. Therefore he doesn't know when or where he might be in trouble. The Central Square Park, while public, provided enough trees and structures for Thane to make a quick and stealth escape should the need arise.

Naturally, he had shown up fairly early to their meeting. He just remained out of sight. It's been a while since he was able to meet with someone outside of a hospital visitation room and even longer since he's met up with someone for a more leisurely conversation.

Luckily Vincent isn't hard to spot either, standing up against a statue as if on guard. He approaches with his hands folded at his back, looking as if he had just been taking a casual stroll and not sizing up the entirety of the park as much as he can. He nods his head in greeting with a friendly smile.]

Valentine. It is good to see you again.

[He gestures towards the bench nearby so they can sit. And also because he noticed that it was difficult to see said bench from the angle he approached until he got much closer, which happens to be where the most foot traffic is. The precautions he takes are almost as natural as drawing breath at this point. Ignoring the fact that that is sometimes difficult for him to do, of course.]

[chaosvessel]

[As certain as he'd been that finding a Drell among the people in the park would be simple, Tannor had still found him before Vincent had done the same. While it didn't put him on edge, few things did anymore, but he was certainly impressed at the skill. He inclines his head in greeting and approaches, following his invitation.

While he recalls the purpose of this meeting, he isn't sure how to start...or really even where.]

Nuara.

[wickedprayers]

[Even when Thane takes a seat is it calculated, positioned to get what he deems to be a decent vantage point in the area.

Usually "it's a long story" stories are long for a reason. Most of the time they're difficult to tell, or they conjure up a lot of emotions, positive or negative. Which is why he decides to let Vincent go at it his own pace, when he's ready.]

Talking without a timer is a lot more effective. I've heard of that practice among the humans but wasn't sure if it was real or not.

[chaosvessel]

[Vincent takes a seat beside Thane on the bench, and as the folds of his cloak settle around him, the large, triple-barreled weapon in its holster on his hip is plain to see. Even in the brief glimpse afforded by the moving cloth, the ornate filigree in silver is play to see against the gun-metal gray, woven paths of shining metal around the barrels that start with the stylized heads of dogs and weave into one another as they come together at the grip. A personalized weapon, and a much loved one by its appearance.

The discussion of the 'speed-friending' alone called up memories for the man, and he nods.]

Larger cities have them more often than smaller towns. People...find it difficult to meet new people, sometimes. It's a...way, I guess.

[He isn't sure how much of his story really needs to be told, either, to understand how he knew the flower girl from the slums of Midgar, and eventually, he opts merely to voice his indecision.]

When how I cam to know a girl from the slums is tied to a being from beyond the stars and the fate of the Planet, its hard to know how to start.

[wickedprayers]

[Of course, the weapon draws his eyes. Not just any weapon but one that almost looks to be ceremonial in nature, though he has no doubt that it's a working gun, otherwise Vincent wouldn't be carrying it around, he assumes. Or maybe he would. He's known some people to carry around weapons purely for the novelty, but Vincent doesn't seem the type.

Either way, he doesn't give voice to these thoughts. It does remind him, however, that he should look into getting a concealable weapon.]

That does sound like a difficult story to begin. [He sits forward a bit, forearms rested on his knees as his hands come together, as usual. "Beyond the stars" — it sounds so fanciful. Almost as if there weren't dark corners of space littered with piracy and slave traders.] What were you doing when you met her?

[Perhaps asking questions will make it easier on him.]

[chaosvessel]

[Questions were certainly easier for Vincent to answer than anything resembling a detailed story. Even before his prolonged slumber, he hadn't been very good at talking about himself. The years of isolation had only served to make it worse. That an, the longer the years drew out, the more apart from humanity he'd begun to feel, until eventually, he didn't feel a part of them at all.

After being awoken by Cloud and his friends, he'd slowly begun to open up, but it was still a forced thing, a constant mantra of being alive, of belonging, he had to remind himself of.

Prompts were welcome, though the one Thane provided made him smile.]

Sleeping. [It was an honest answer, and a direct one.] My story starts...nearly 30 years before that. I worked for a company responsible for developing a new form of energy production: Mako. We all knew of the Lifestream, the legends at least. We're all born of the planet, and when we die, we return to it. Most...including myself at the time, didn't realize that Lifestream and the Mako energy we all used to power our homes, our vehicles, were born of the same source.

[wickedprayers]

[It sounds a bit like dark energy, though instead of commenting on that he inclines his head towards Vincent to give him a slight questioning look (it's hard to tell sometimes).]

Sleeping. [He repeats the response, not necessarily in disbelief. He has a feeling there's a bit more to it than that, but he's sure he'll elaborate on that fact when he's ready.] What did you do for this company? A hired gun?

[chaosvessel]

Yes. [He inclined his head, his gaze becoming distant as his mind soared back over the decades.] Back then, ShinRa Inc. was a weapons manufacturer, and I...protected their researchers. I was assigned at the chief bodyguard for a Professor Gast and his associates...Professors Hojo and...Crescent. [His voice was gentle as he pronounced the last name, fond.]

The JENOVA Project. I wasn't...privy to the details. If I had been...I'd like to think things would have gone differently, but...I know better.

[wickedprayers]

[The beginning of this story sounds as old as time itself. Cautionary tales repeated from galaxy to galaxy like the universe's biggest echo. It always starts with a successful corporation with too many resources.]

"What if"s always seem ideal. [What if things went differently? Pointless to ruminate on, yet he understands the thought behind it. He also considers that the "what if"s could have always been worse.] When did you become aware of what went on behind the scenes of this JENOVA project then?

[He would also ask what it is, but he's still letting Vincent tell the story at his own pace.]

[chaosvessel]

When I learned they were injecting cells taken from the specimen, JENOVA, into Lucrecia's unborn child. [He looked forward, then, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say behind.] When I saw how ill she'd become, I confronted Hojo. I expected dismissal. Instead...he shot me, the...things he did to me I don't completely recall. He...changed me, and then he locked me in a coffin.

While I slept, I overheard some things. Her child survived. They named him Sephiroth. Then the mansion was quiet and my mind drifted. I...never blamed Hojo for what he did to me. My sin was...inaction. And this...half-life is my punishment.

[wickedprayers]

[Thane is quite surprised at how awful this story got in mere seconds, frankly. It sounds like the kind of atrocities Cerberus would get up to — every corner of the universe has them, he supposes.

He understands the guilt, and that desperate need to repent. He silently stares off across the park before allowing his gaze to catch Vincent. Whatever thoughts he has on what's being explained to him he's clearly keeping to himself for the moment.]

And when you awoke?

[chaosvessel]

I learned Sephiroth had learned the truth of his birth, had slaughtered hundreds of innocent people, and sought to destroy the world.

[He paused for a moment.]

So I joined those who meant to stop him.

[wickedprayers]

[So he sought atonement, he thinks. That is not to say he hadn't done it for the right reasons, of course. But just as Thane had been drawn to Shepard's cause as a good way to add some light to the darkness in the galaxy after being part of the problem for so long, perhaps it was the same for Vincent. Though he clearly had more of a personal stake.]

You did what was needed. [He nods lightly in understanding.] Was he stopped?

[chaosvessel]

[He nodded.] Yes. [And more than once, but it was...complicated.] Almost too late.

[wickedprayers]

That's usually how it goes.

[Or it seems so, at the very least.]

Am I correct to assume this girl you spoke of earlier was one of those to help you stop him?

[He hadn't forgotten she was the reason for this conversation, after all. Though there seems to be so much to this story.]

[chaosvessel]

[He nods.]

Yes. She tried to stop him, but was cut down.

[wickedprayers]

[Ah..]

I see. My sympathies. [He means that. He's seen many a comrade fall trying to prevent devastation. It's never easy.] What was she like, if you don't mind me asking?

[chaosvessel]

[At his question, that ghost of a smile grew slightly, into an actual grin, ever so faint, and his gaze becomes distant.]

She was...bright. She joked and teased when things were dark. She was...a light we all needed.

[wickedprayers]

It looks to me like she continues to be a light.

[You know, because he just grinned despite his general...demeanor. Didn't seem like the grinning type. Thane isn't one for smiling himself, but there were a few people who managed to bring a tug to his lips when he thought of them. Especially one not among the living anymore. He relates.]

[chaosvessel]

She does, yes. [He nods.] When...we die, our bodies and souls return to the Planet. She's with us always.

[wickedprayers]

A beautiful and comforting thought.

[Thane can always appreciate a light in the dark.]

My people believe when we die, we return to the ocean where our loved ones await. It is not quite the same as having them always watching, but it provides great comfort to know that no matter how difficult things get, those you care about are waiting for you at the end of it all.

[chaosvessel]

Then...we believe the same, but use a different term. [He looks over to Thane, then, and there's a kindness, something like kinship, in his eyes.] The Lifestream.

[wickedprayers]

[Thane looks up as if to consider that. He smiles, but it's the barest hint, a ghost of one, but it's there.]

Yes. I suppose we do. It looks as if there are more threads connecting our worlds than I previously thought.

[chaosvessel]

Mmm. [He accompanied his agreement with a nod.]

I wonder if that means something.

[wickedprayers]

I suppose it's up to us as individuals to figure that out.

[If there is a meaning behind the few connecting threads between all of these worlds, that is. People struggle to figure out the meaning behind existence in their own worlds, after all.]