[no, she absolutely takes his hand, it's fine. she also makes a huffy noise when jason punches cloud. why are men like this.]
Quit giving each other bruises, you dinguses. [she grumbles, twining her fingers with jason's. she is paying attention to the answer to jason's question, though, glancing up at cloud.]
[ a blatant lie, but he doesn't punch jason back so. honestly. he stretches out and looks almost amused at the question, though in the bleakest sense of the word ]
They're draining the planet, not the sun. [ he doesn't know about that kind of pollution. it's fine. ] Midgar's the city of mako. Eight reactors, eight sectors, all on steel plates about three hundred meters above the ground. And under that? You've got the slums. Sun doesn't reach down there, so they installed artificial light in the plates to mimic it. People do their best to survive down there in the shittiest of circumstances.
[ there's a long pause ]
Well. Six reactors, now. Blew up two of 'em. And sector seven was... [ ... hmmmm yeah he's just going to trail off and look blankly at the water instead never mind midgar sucks ]
Oh. They're under the reactors. Those are some fucking big... [His brows furrow pensively. He's peering at Cloud around Lup.] You actually have people living under something like that?
That... can't be healthy. Reactors, like... nuclear sort of reactors, right? You're making power and shit. Jesus.
[CLOUD, DON'T JUST TRAIL OFF. He sort of lowers his eyes to glance at Lup, but doesn't know if she'll look back at him or not. Cloud's trauma.]
[ this seems important to note. even though jason is right. and honestly he'd expand on midgar but lup says that and he looks a little :T ]
I don't have a problem talking about it. [ lup trying to be nice and cloud immediately being offended. hilarious. i'm so sorry. ] It's just not exactly a great topic. Shinra dropped the sector 7 plate to try and get rid of us.
[What the SHIT. Isn't it bad enough to shove poor people under a fucking reactor, and now they're having the plate dropped on them?! Well, Jason's expression is both bewildered and angry.]
What. [THE BAT IN HIM IS GETTING SO RILED UP HERE. The countryside might not be zen enough to stop him for being angerous.] They were trying to get rid of your group, or everyone? I guess it doesn't matter when anyone being shit on can start an uprising.
Between the people living up top and the people on the bottom, sector 7 had about fifty thousand people living there. We got the heads up and managed to evacuate part of the slums, but we didn't get there in time to stop them from dropping the plate.
Then put the whole thing on Avalanche. Pretended they were working with the enemy country. Hoping to start up another war, maybe. [ ... ] Even including me, Barret's Avalanche had less than ten people in it total. That's the kind of shit Shinra's willing to pull to get what they want. Sacrifice fifty thousand people without even blinking an eye.
[ sorry he is a bummer on this beautiful day he's also very angry about this still and i'm resisting adding a memshare of the plate falling to this ]
[The small relief is the slums could be evacuated, but he knows that doesn't exactly change a whole lot in the long run. Some people probably still got hurt, worse, they died. It's still fucked up.]
Doesn't sound entirely different than Gotham sometimes. Maybe not on that scale. Well, usually. You think they're going to drop more...?
We're out of Midgar, and they got what they wanted. Most people ate up that propaganda like anything else Shinra puts out on the news. There's nothing to gain in them dropping more plates.
[ so at least he's not worried about that? yay. but lup says that and he looks at her with a frown ]
Don't. It's a lot more complicated and dangerous there than you think it is.
[ this is him being worried but it just sounds dismissive again <3 twice in one thread <3 ]
[yeah!! jason is the best, lup just hums happily at his agreement.]
I'm sure it is, but I beat a world eating monster and restored like a hundred places back to normal so your little, uh, mass corporation, will not stand a chance against me. And also Jason.
He grimaces at the jolt of the memory, unintentionally squeezing Lup's hand. IT TRULY DOESN'T ABATE THE ANGER ANY LESS. God dammit, Sephiroth. Why are you INSANE now!?]
I'm not either. I promise you I'm stronger than he is. And anyway - you can't kill something that's already dead. [a beat.] We want to protect you, too, Cloud. The things you care about.
[Can't remember if Jason one hundred percent knows about Lup, so hearing "something that's already dead" is like WOW HELLO? but moving on:
Much like Lup is probably going to be, he looks offended at being told what to do even if he, like, agrees he has shoved himself somehow directly into Cloud's business. And he would say the exact same thing to either of them for the same reason. Very funny.
I can protect myself, you know. [she says, with a huff.] Jason's right. If I said I was still in the umbrella, would you just take that and be like, oh, that's your business?
You don't get it. He doesn't want me dead. [ which i guess is more lore for everyone to share? ] It's everyone else around me that's-- that's always...
[ he looks away for a bit before he gets up to go walk closer to the lake and further away from them in some kind of fucked up symbolism ]
Just forget about it, alright? None of that will matter if we don't get out of here alive first.
[EXCUSE HIM. STILL IN THE WHAT? He glances with bewilderment at Lup. It looks like he wants to say something about this umbrella ordeal (it feels like he's out of the loop here), but Cloud is getting up.
His expression actually goes pensive for a moment. He shifts, but then doesn't try to run after Cloud. He already yanked the guy back once. They are truly spending this entire time arguing, aren't they?]
[ no go explain the umbrella thing to poor jason. cloud definitely thinks it would have been great if he had left earlier. but he at least seems to not be dissociating while looking at the lake? this is something. ]
... I do trust you.
[ it's said quietly but loud enough that jason can hear that too. he doesn't elaborate anymore because he's not entirely sure he even wants them to get it. not entirely sure he even gets it himself half the time. and because-- ]
[He returns the squeeze to his hand as Lup goes, and he really considers just giving Cloud space. Or, like, letting Lup handle it.
But he sighs to himself and rocks to his feet. When he gets to Cloud's other side, he offers Cloud a soft punch to the arm. To say he's there.]
Let's table it for now, yeah? We can revisit it later when all this bullshit is over, see if maybe you've changed your mind. [Compromise.] That's your home, you know.
And you're a part of that planet, and it's in trouble. We'll help you because it's important to you.
[And Cloud is important to them, but he's too embarrassed to say that much.]
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Quit giving each other bruises, you dinguses. [she grumbles, twining her fingers with jason's. she is paying attention to the answer to jason's question, though, glancing up at cloud.]
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[ a blatant lie, but he doesn't punch jason back so. honestly. he stretches out and looks almost amused at the question, though in the bleakest sense of the word ]
They're draining the planet, not the sun. [ he doesn't know about that kind of pollution. it's fine. ] Midgar's the city of mako. Eight reactors, eight sectors, all on steel plates about three hundred meters above the ground. And under that? You've got the slums. Sun doesn't reach down there, so they installed artificial light in the plates to mimic it. People do their best to survive down there in the shittiest of circumstances.
[ there's a long pause ]
Well. Six reactors, now. Blew up two of 'em. And sector seven was... [ ... hmmmm yeah he's just going to trail off and look blankly at the water instead never mind midgar sucks ]
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That... can't be healthy. Reactors, like... nuclear sort of reactors, right? You're making power and shit. Jesus.
[CLOUD, DON'T JUST TRAIL OFF. He sort of lowers his eyes to glance at Lup, but doesn't know if she'll look back at him or not. Cloud's trauma.]
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Yeah, no, that sounds like a bad idea. [...] You don't have to talk about it. By the way.
[and then, wryly:] Maybe we should pick a fuckin' word for topics we don't want to talk about.
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[ this seems important to note. even though jason is right. and honestly he'd expand on midgar but lup says that and he looks a little :T ]
I don't have a problem talking about it. [ lup trying to be nice and cloud immediately being offended. hilarious. i'm so sorry. ] It's just not exactly a great topic. Shinra dropped the sector 7 plate to try and get rid of us.
[ ha ha. a bummer. ]
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[What the SHIT. Isn't it bad enough to shove poor people under a fucking reactor, and now they're having the plate dropped on them?! Well, Jason's expression is both bewildered and angry.]
What. [THE BAT IN HIM IS GETTING SO RILED UP HERE. The countryside might not be zen enough to stop him for being angerous.] They were trying to get rid of your group, or everyone? I guess it doesn't matter when anyone being shit on can start an uprising.
[A pause.]
...Is that what I saw? After.
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she does look. very horrified at that, though.]
On - but - did it fall on people?
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[ he looks out at the lake again ]
Between the people living up top and the people on the bottom, sector 7 had about fifty thousand people living there. We got the heads up and managed to evacuate part of the slums, but we didn't get there in time to stop them from dropping the plate.
Then put the whole thing on Avalanche. Pretended they were working with the enemy country. Hoping to start up another war, maybe. [ ... ] Even including me, Barret's Avalanche had less than ten people in it total. That's the kind of shit Shinra's willing to pull to get what they want. Sacrifice fifty thousand people without even blinking an eye.
[ sorry he is a bummer on this beautiful day he's also very angry about this still and i'm resisting adding a memshare of the plate falling to this ]
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[The small relief is the slums could be evacuated, but he knows that doesn't exactly change a whole lot in the long run. Some people probably still got hurt, worse, they died. It's still fucked up.]
Doesn't sound entirely different than Gotham sometimes. Maybe not on that scale. Well, usually. You think they're going to drop more...?
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lup looks very upset about fifty thousand people dying.]
... I'll have to make a pitstop to your world after all this, I think. [she's going to fight rufus shinra herself 1v1 her fox only final destination]
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[ so at least he's not worried about that? yay. but lup says that and he looks at her with a frown ]
Don't. It's a lot more complicated and dangerous there than you think it is.
[ this is him being worried but it just sounds dismissive again <3 twice in one thread <3 ]
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No, I think she's right. [Because same hat. Time to fuddle in Cloud's personal home business.] Besides, you owe me a couple of shots with my gun.
[This is a joke, but the implication of him going to help out with this shitshow is not a joke.]
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I'm sure it is, but I beat a world eating monster and restored like a hundred places back to normal so your little, uh, mass corporation, will not stand a chance against me. And also Jason.
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[ a little snapped, and fuck it it's still sunday week 3 so they can have this little memory until 4:04 in case it wasn't obvious what he is worried about. ]
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He grimaces at the jolt of the memory, unintentionally squeezing Lup's hand. IT TRULY DOESN'T ABATE THE ANGER ANY LESS. God dammit, Sephiroth. Why are you INSANE now!?]
Dammit, I'm not--scared of that asshole.
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it's so fast. she shakes her head to clear it.]
I'm not either. I promise you I'm stronger than he is. And anyway - you can't kill something that's already dead. [a beat.] We want to protect you, too, Cloud. The things you care about.
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Then start by thinking about protecting yourselves. The planet, Sephiroth-- that's my business.
[ at least he admitted he cares about them. is this a win ]
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Much like Lup is probably going to be, he looks offended at being told what to do even if he, like, agrees he has shoved himself somehow directly into Cloud's business. And he would say the exact same thing to either of them for the same reason. Very funny.
Also, Cloud just admitted to caring.]
That's a two-way street, jackass.
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I can protect myself, you know. [she says, with a huff.] Jason's right. If I said I was still in the umbrella, would you just take that and be like, oh, that's your business?
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[ he looks away for a bit before he gets up to go walk closer to the lake and further away from them in some kind of fucked up symbolism ]
Just forget about it, alright? None of that will matter if we don't get out of here alive first.
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His expression actually goes pensive for a moment. He shifts, but then doesn't try to run after Cloud. He already yanked the guy back once. They are truly spending this entire time arguing, aren't they?]
Cloud...
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she stands up, squeezing jason's hand before she lets go, and follows after cloud to go stand next to him.]
... We'll make it. [a pause.] And it'll be okay. Trust us a little, and we'll trust you.
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... I do trust you.
[ it's said quietly but loud enough that jason can hear that too. he doesn't elaborate anymore because he's not entirely sure he even wants them to get it. not entirely sure he even gets it himself half the time. and because-- ]
... Just forget it. Been a long week.
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But he sighs to himself and rocks to his feet. When he gets to Cloud's other side, he offers Cloud a soft punch to the arm. To say he's there.]
Let's table it for now, yeah? We can revisit it later when all this bullshit is over, see if maybe you've changed your mind. [Compromise.] That's your home, you know.
And you're a part of that planet, and it's in trouble. We'll help you because it's important to you.
[And Cloud is important to them, but he's too embarrassed to say that much.]
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[she says, glancing out over the lake.] ... It's been a long week, for sure. But.
[she glances at jason, and then at cloud, and then:] You're not alone. None of us are. Don't pull away. Either of you. Okay? I need you both.
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