[OPEN]

[daddyscythe]

Characters: OPEN
Location: Outskirts of Nevada
Rating: PG
Time: All day, Feb 27
Description: Shibusen offers a field trip to acclimate the guests to the Madness wavelength.


It's a perfectly pleasant day for the most part, if one is to look at the sky and maybe the horizon. For the attendees of the fieldtrip, however, things are naturally a lot more grim, if also lot more colorful. There are understandably no civilians in the area -- or any other signs of life apart from the group.

As promised, the location is extensively arranged to cordon off various areas of the place where Madness spikes have been identified. They are all properly labeled, both with text and visuals, and discreet agents kept an eye on all corners of the large field. The mirror by which the guest will come in is set in a corner, with some food provided next to it.

People are free to come and go, though the other end leads to the clinic instead of the Death Room. The rules are simple: venture into a level you think you can handle, and if you can't, someone will help.

In the afternoon, a light rain will come to add some variety to the endless desert. Make sure to take shelter in the open tents provided to protect you from the elements!

[ooc: Just put in open tags in the comments, [Character Name | Open/Close | Area/sort of madness targeted/whatever marker you want].

Plotting and information post was here.]

Comments

Nah, don't worry about it!

[topgun_textiles]

Ugh, this guy made his skin crawl. The pale-haired man didn't even seem to be looking at him, rather through him as if his mere existence didn't even matter in some grand scheme that may be running through his head. In that regard, Kanji wasn't sure if he preferred that over that creepy focused-yet-unfocused stare Tohru Adachi had back home.

"Makes sense, doesn't it? Askin' us to fight this war's a little unreasonable, yeah? Yet we do it anyway so we can fulfill that wish of Kid's n' go the hell home."

He stiffly rolled his shoulders. Shit, even the lighter waves out here were like little pinpricks in his brain, but he managed to push them away easily enough.

"But you know that, don'tcha? I saw you n' your Meister takin' out that Madness Emitter back in Europe. The way y'guys moved told me you've been at it a while."

Curiosity then got the best of him. "...So how long?"

Thanks <333

[pure_lineage]

If Shibusen had been anything like ShinRa, Sephiroth would have taken great joy out of destroying it entirely. The organisation had just been fortunate, however, that he had been distracted with tormenting his once-puppet and allowing that to take priority over all else.

Sephiroth didn't say anything though, and simply kept his thoughts to himself while he regarded the teenager. He had little interest in returning to that traitorous planet, and had every intention of remaining in this world should his partner remain also. No amount of madness wavelength in this world could change that decision within him.

His thoughts paused though when this child spoke of fighting against the emitter. Refocusing his attention onto the teen, there seemed to be a subtle shift in expression as he finally looked at the boy.

"You assume much," he silkily murmured after a long silence on Sephiroth's end. Considering whether or not to answer that curiosity, the mako within his eyes flared brightly. No one ever spoke about or was curious enough to ask about his partnership, and while it was obvious this one had seen him during that emitter mission, he wasn't quite certain what to make about this sudden revelation.

"We have known each other for quite some time," Sephiroth said before tilting his head subtly to one side to consider his next response. "Here, however, we have been fighting together for seven months."

[topgun_textiles]

Kanji nodded once, though all it did was confirm a conversation he'd had with Tifa quite some time ago. She hadn't gone into detail about what this man had done, but everything about that moment told him a fair deal of what he needed to know about the man that stood before him now.

But perhaps Sephiroth was right, and Kanji was assuming a fair deal. Yet, something about this man's seven-month partnership didn't make sense despite his lack of information on the matter. It was no wonder his own partner was feeling conflicted. Still, it was pretty damn impressive; he'd never heard of such a long-standing partnership. Kanji wouldn't be surprised if this guy here was the strongest Guest Weapon here.

That curiosity just continued to nag at him. He didn't expect a real answer for this, but he had to try. "Long time. How'd you guys pair up?"

[pure_lineage]

The questions this one was asking seemed to be a different type of curiosity than what he usually faced. Why did he appear so fascinated with his partnership with Cloud? Sephiroth couldn't quite answer that question. Perhaps it might have been an easier one to answer if he was aware of who this teen was partnered with.

"It was done to mutually benefit the other," Sephiroth said in return. He had forced Cloud's hand in order to gain strength in this world, and in return, the ex-General would leave the citizens of this world with their lives. That truce had felt like a lifetime ago now to him, and it was in a lot of ways for he was not the man he used to be around those he trusted.

Yet he couldn't quite let this go either, and after regarding this one with his sharp gaze, he asked, "Why such an interest?"

[topgun_textiles]

"I got curious. S'all it is." Guarded. He wondered if he should be, as there were few sources that would drive such a curiosity.

This man was beyond dangerous. If he let slip who he was partnered with, would Sephiroth be the type to ensure her silence should Kanji or anyone else learn too much about his dealings back on Gaia? The teen didn't wish to put that to the test.

"I don't hear about seven-month partnerships... or people who've been here that long, neither. The way I'm seein' it, BREW's got a habit of throwin' people back home when they start growin' roots here."

[pure_lineage]

The guarded reply left him suspicious to this one's intention. He doubted this fool would be idiotic enough to attempt destroying the partnership he had, but his mind itched to there being another reason behind this so called 'general curiosity'. Sephiroth didn't speak his thoughts, however, but instead kept them to himself while he continued to observe and see what potential threat this one had.

"I believe the partnership I have with my Meister is the only remaining one," Sephiroth said while carefully choosing his words. "Perhaps those returned are not worthy of the challenge."

[topgun_textiles]

He frowned. "I hear two different reasons; that BREW doesn't need 'em anymore, and that it's kinda unpredictable 'cause of that wish."

"Whatever the real reason is, they can't control when they go home or not. It ain't about worthiness, damn it!" Jeez, if he looked up 'ego' in the dictionary, would he see this guy's face? He may very well be the one of the strongest Weapons here, but some of those people who went back suddenly were some of Kanji's friends. He wouldn't let this asshole just spit on 'em.

[pure_lineage]

This one was easy to rile up. Sephiroth could easily sense that within this child's tone with each word he spoke. It would be all too easy to stoke that fire further to see just how brightly this one would blaze, but the ex-General could already assume. It would not be close to the fire that burnt within his Meister's eyes at that same intensity, he was certain.

"I never implied that it was their decision," Sephiroth said with a smirk pulling on his lips. If BREW found them useless for the war, then they were obvious more of an inconvenience than a benefit, and thus not worthy of fighting it. They were thoughts he kept to himself, however, regardless of how much he knew it would ignite that fire.

His expression shifted, for once turning far more serious, as Sephiroth said, "This is a war, not some day trip to flaunt whatever pathetic abilities you believe you have. Most here have never stepped onto a war-based battlefield or even experienced it from afar."

[topgun_textiles]

As much as Kanji didn't like the thought, Sephiroth was right. He could think of no less than a dozen individuals who had no place in any heavy combat setting right off the bat, but the Meister still shook his head.

"But BREW brings 'em here anyway, gives 'em the means to protect themselves n' others. There's gotta be some reason they were picked to come here, that it ain't just cherry-pickin' from here n' there for shits n' giggles. Y'don't think BREW brings 'em here because they bring somethin' to the fight?" An honest question. Kanji could definitely tell this man had seen his fair share of combat, had a military air about him... but being a military dog wasn't the end-all be-all of what is needed to win a war.

[pure_lineage]

His lips quirked back up at this fool's reply. Whether they had 'something to bring to the fight' or not matter nothing to the ex-General, from what he had seen, most seemed to care nothing about the battlefield. He had witnessed such a thing many times over, and it was still a trait that wasn't changing.

Tilting his head subtly to one side, Sephiroth huffed lightly in amusement. "And yet their hands remain idle while they do nothing but they are the first to voice their complaints," he said with that same smirk curving on his expression. It was always the same regardless of what world he was in. Those who did the fighting always did so alone, after all. Not that he minded. In fact, he much preferred it that way as it kept those useless bags of flesh away from the battlefield.