expiationlogs | so come out of your cave walking on your hands (closed)

so come out of your cave walking on your hands (closed)

Who: Reno & Sephiroth
Where: Lorentia Caves
What: Reno fucks around finds out
Warnings: Probably nothing serious but god only knows tbh

[ Reno has exactly two pieces of relevant information to work with after the party at the tavern. He also has a bunch of smaller, less cohesive pieces too, none of which add up to anything that makes him feel completely and totally comfortable with this excursion, exactly. But that could be because of a lot of things, not just the intel. He's also partnerless, bossless, orderless, rudderless, and woefully under-equipped. No fun, fancy Turk toys here, no materia stash, no backup curatives. No chopper, that one sucks. Guess he could've asked the SOLDIER or the not-SOLDIER to come with him, but he's not a fucking baby. A lone Turk is still plenty capable, especially when that Turk is Reno.

Anyway, back to the intel: he knows there's a weird guy living in the caves. The caves are easy enough to find on a map, and he's handy enough of a hiker that getting there isn't difficult.

The other thing he knows, pressingly, is that Sephiroth is here. He got that straight from Cloud's mouth, something he took as gospel and without question. That's not something you just say, especially not when you're the dude's, like, mortal enemy or whatever. Reno doesn't need proof to believe that. Sephiroth's here, full stop.

It's the not-that-helpful tidbits that help him to line up those two pieces of information and decide that "guy in cave" and "Sephiroth" are likely the same thing. (The "weird" qualifier helps, honestly.) And it tracks, anyway, doesn't it? Sephiroth and caves go together like this (imagine crossed fingers). What would be really wild if there was also a prominent piece of Jenova also in that cave, but haha, don't be ridiculous. That wouldn't happen twice.

When you're setting out to investigate like this, it's important to have a goal, and Reno has exactly one: confirm that Sephiroth is the guy in the cave. That's literally it. No need to engage, certainly not if it's going to result in a fight. As for what he does past that, like, say, in a confrontation? Fuck it, we'll do it live.

Reno's just gotten finished marking his trail back, the entrance to the caves visible a few meters away, when an odd sound catches his attention. It's a pity he doesn't think to associate "odd sound" with "a fucking dragon" until it's a little too late to do something about it. ]

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[The dragon in question lands in front of the mouth of the cave and locks its kaleidoscopic eyes on Reno. For a moment it appears to hesitate, fighting an internal battle, then it lunges forward, grabs him in its talons, and drags him backward.

Once out in the open again the beast spreads its wings and takes to the sky, Reno tightly clenched in its grip as it soars over the peaks of the mountains. They fly together for several minutes and other, older dragons sometimes fly by and give Reno a questioning sniff.

Then the dragon with the mad eyes stoops into a dive, hurtling towards a dip between two mountains that opens into a steep, narrow pit. Nesting dragons around the mouth of the pit cave hiss territorial warnings but never attack as the beast continues its descent, down into the pit cave, wings folded back. They half fly and half fall for miles before the mad-eyed dragon tosses Reno to the clammy floor of a dark cavern and collapses in exhaustion.

A pair of glowing, mako green eyes look down from near the ceiling, and a deep, baritone voice speaks.]

Are you looking for something, Turk?

[ So you know what's funny about all this? He was told. He was told there was at least a dragon. Somehow he neglected to remember that part, mostly because he didn't think dragons were anything to worry about. He was prepared for Sephiroth, whose titles and monikers almost don't even do him justice, but he'd completely forgotten about the dragon.

Sorry, dragons, plural.

To say that Reno shrieks is kind of an understatement. He makes some kind of an unholy noise, reaching for his mag-rod and failing to grab it by virtue of his arms flying out for purchase as he's dragged clear off the ground. In the end, frankly he's glad he hadn't unclipped it from his belt. There's no way he wouldn't have lost it at some point mid-flight.

While he does start off flailing, he quickly rethinks that strategy. It's a lot smarter to hold as still as possible and hope he doesn't get dropped or snapped up by one of the other, passing dragons, so that's what he tries to do—limbs pulled in as much as he can get them, wild-eyed and unable to resist the odd oh, fuck every now and again, but otherwise silent.

On the upside, it's a hell of a view.

On the other hand, he's filled with nothing but ominous dread when the exhilarating heights give way to a subterranean plunge, and somehow, he just kind of has a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that this isn't just strictly a dragon-problem.

He's barely on his feet, grimacing and backing away from that heap of dragon, when Sephiroth speaks. It should scare the shit out of him, probably, but his intuition helped prepare him for that. Still, catch him grimacing a little as he turns and looks for the source, which isn't hard, given the glowy night-lights that are SOLDIER eyes in the dark. ]

Yeah, and it looks like I found it. You roll out that welcome wagon just for me?

A Turk always gets his man, isn't that right?

[Sephiroth slowly descends from where he is levitating by the ceiling and looks Reno over in the dark.]

You knew I was here. There is no other reason you would be in a cave. So, I brought you to me...

[He lifts a hand over his head and makes a delicate gesture. Behind Reno the dragon rises up, screeches, then snakes its head forward. Fire gushes from its throat, lighting up the cavern and igniting a row of torches.

The cavern is full of rock columns and, like much of the Lorentia caves, glittering chunks of crystal.]

There. That is better, I hope?

Now, what was it you were hoping to do when you found me?

Don't I feel special.

[ They're not acquainted, but Reno is Reno no matter whose presence he's in, and by extension he expects everyone to just know automatically that sarcasm is part and parcel for talking to him. That is to say, no offense. All things considered, he kind of does feel special, at least the way he assumes a worm feels special when a bird yanks it out of the dirt and eats it.

But hey, he ain't ate yet. There's still hope for this worm.

His eyes squint a little as the cavern fills with light, and then his gaze trains, focused, on Sephiroth, opting to avoid the distractions of the pet dragon and the stunning scenery. Peripheral observations pale in comparison to the man, the myth, the legend himself: the guy who should be dead, like, three or four times over by now or something like that. He can see why people used to gab so much about him—he sure does cut an impressive, intimidating figure. Reno, a good foot shorter, rolls with this as casually as possible, brushing his suit off and cocking his hip to one side. ]

If I'm being honest, I wasn't exactly planning to find you. I was thinking more along the lines of trace evidence amounting to a "yep, he's in there alright," and that would've been good enough for me, so, uh... guess since I'm here, how 'bout a little chat? I mean, since you took the time to invite me in and all, I'm guessing you must've felt up to talking. Gotta be lonely down here with just the oversized lizard for company.

[Sephiroth walks forward with a dancer-like sway in his hips and stops a few paces away from Reno.]

We are talking...

I want to know what you will do with your information. Will you keep me under surveillance? Who would you report my movements to when your masters are not here?

[He's rarely worked directly with the Turks but he's been deployed to the same areas enough times to know how they operate.]

Or were you simply intending to satisfy your own curiosity?

[ Great, now he has to crane his neck to look up. He clicks his tongue as if to say you know what I meant, the corner of his mouth quirked up. If he does say so himself, he's handling this remarkably well. ]

Little bit of both, yeah. I'm a curious guy, but it'd also be pretty stupid not to keep an eye on a known problem child. If someone shows up here that I think I should tell, I'll tell 'em. But I'm not interested in stalking you all day when I've got other shit on my plate. What you're up to really isn't any of my business unless you make it my business.

[ The subtle implication is, please don't make it my business. ]

Seein' as my "masters" ain't here, I prefer to think of this little field trip as a sort of vacation. And I don't work on my days off, so you don't gotta worry about me.

[Sephiroth chuckles; a deep, throaty sound that rolls from his chest without ever parting his lips.

He prowls forward again, this time tightly circling around Reno's back and coming to a stop against his shoulder.]

Hm!

"A known problem child", am I? Then you know what it is that I do. What I have done.

[Summoned Meteor, it's the only thing Reno could be referring to. Did the other man watch it come? Did it kill him? He wouldn't be the first dead man to show up here...

Did Meteor ignite the atmosphere in beautiful wreaths of flame? Sephiroth wishes he could have seen it.]

If I were to act, you would be unable to stop me.

Who doesn't? To be fair though, you've pretty much never not been a problem child in your own special little way.

[ Reno glances back to Sephiroth at his shoulder, turning his head only as minutely as he needs to in order to keep him in his sight. Threatening? Yeah, kinda. Also kinda weirdly hot. ]

You're right, I wouldn't. Not my job to, though.

[ He knows whose it is, and as much as he'd love to stick to the "I don't work on my days off," he'd have to back him up, wouldn't he? ...Maybe. Maybe if he asked nicely. Otherwise, like, what's this planet to him, anyway? Go ahead and blow it up, man. ]

You thinking about it? About "acting"?

I am.

[He breaks his feline stare with a slow, deliberate blink and steps away from Reno, his back to the other man.]

This planet is full of countless secrets. It managed to pull me to it against my will...

...However...

[He lifts his face to peer up at the rocky ceiling of the cave. Outside there are mountains, cities, oceans, and an open sky, all waiting for his grasp. He will seize everything, absorb the power of whatever called him here, and soar away into the stars...]

This is not my Promised Land. I must go home.

[And if he has to shatter this world to do it, he will.]

[ Standing back to back, Sephiroth can't see how Reno immediately rolls his eyes, but he can at least hear the sigh, and then a moment later, the derisive laugh. ]

Not this shit again. "Promised Land"? There's no such thing, man. You gotta let it go—it just ain't there, and I doubt it's here, either. At this point, I'm pretty sure the whole thing's made up. Don't tell anyone I said that, though!

[ He adds that last part in as a joke, or maybe more for irony's sake; go ahead and tell whoever you want that he doesn't believe in the tenants Shinra's whole creed was founded around. For one thing, he doesn't get paid to believe in anything, and for another, it's all a façade for all their industrializing, mad-scientist bullshit anyway. ]

And before you get all pissy with me, I'm not makin' fun of you. Just telling you like it is.

[Sephiroth slowly turns his gaze back to Reno, eyeing him the way someone would eye a small creature that scurries under doors.]

...You misunderstand me.

The world promised to me is waiting to be born. I will create it through my divine radiance.

Of course it isn't there, not yet...

"Divine"? You're a guy. Human.

[ Turning his shoulder, Reno eyes Sephiroth right back. It's hard to have a face like his and not have people assume he's mocking them (which is fine, seeing as he usually is), but in this case, he's completely serious. ]

A fucked up guy, but still a guy. Whatever amount of off the deep-end you went, that's always been the case.

[He blows out a breath, something between a grunt and a laugh.]

You think me human? Even before my physical demise, I was different, I always have been.

[The very idea that he is human feels insulting. When he was small and unaware he wondered if he was human but the rest of the species turned their back on him. Now he knows why.

Humans had created him to lead them to their Promised Land. When he failed to do that they used him as a living weapon to point at their enemies. His entire life had been crafted for human consumption.

Now? Now things are different... He commands the Reunion, his mind is full of ancient wisdom from the Lifestream. He is a perfect being. Where humans once tried to consume him he will consume them. He will burn them in the fires of his hatred until there is nothing left and their souls will fuse into him, become one with him...]

I command my mother's power, I have traveled the Lifestream and learned the wisdom of the Ancients and all who came after. I alone am capable and worthy of shaping the future.

[Sephiroth's voice never rises, but his gazes focuses into a sharp glare.]

I am not human. You are to me what insects are to you.

[ Reno's mouth opens, then closes. Ordinarily a motormouth and ill-mannered enough to interrupt whoever he wants when he has something to say, he checks himself and lets Sephiroth talk. It occurs to him that he should probably mind how he reacts, but that might be taking it a step too far, even for him (heaven forbid he ever be accused of showing anyone anything resembling proper respect), and honestly, as Sephiroth continues, he just can't help but twist the corner of his mouth into a wry smile, shaking his head as if to say, This is sad. Poor you. ]

I don't "think" anything. I'm a Turk; my business is knowing, and if I dunno, I find out. I know exactly who and what you are. Or were, I guess.

[ Maybe "were" is more apt. There's a "don't know, need to find out" for you. He doesn't have the fundamental understanding of just what exactly makes Sephiroth capable of doing what he does, or what sort of changes (to put it mildly) he could've gone through after he got flicked into the Nibelheim reactor. At the very least, he knows enough to be comfortable in his assertions, so there's that, at least. Listening to him talk as if he wasn't ever human, though—that's pretty jacked up. Of all Shinra's mistakes, SOLDIER was probably the biggest one. Or one of them, anyway.

His hands go to his pocket, then he thinks twice. Not about reaching for a smoke in Sephiroth's special sparkle cave, but about making any sudden moves. ]

So that's the villain origin story, huh? SEPC made a monster they couldn't control and now you're pissed. If I had a gil for every time that happened, I'd be fucking rich. Yo, you mind if I smoke? Your dragon gave me a headache.

[Sephiroth's lips quirk slightly.]

That's right... I am Shinra's greatest monster and soon I will be their end. I will end everything then, through me, it will all begin again.

[And his Promised Land will be beautiful without the stain of humanity upon it. In his world, Shinra would never be able to happen...

When he notices Reno's movements the slight smirk twists into a frown and he thinks about the other man's question. He knows his answer, but the question itself is absurd]

...Smoking is a wretched habit.

Edited 2023-05-15 20:08 (UTC)

I know. But hey, it'll kill me faster, right? Save you some trouble.

[ He'll take that as tacit acceptance. At the very least, he has the decency to take a big step back as he reaches for the woefully depleted back in his pocket, but all that formality ends up being for nothing when, after a couple seconds of patting himself down, he turns up lighter-less. Must've fallen out during the wacky ride down here.

It's at this moment, dear reader, that he also wishes to kill everybody in existence. Reno's eyes close for a long second, then he plucks the unlit cigarette from his lips and crams it back in the box with a long-suffering sigh. He could just light it on one of the torches or get the dragon to blow on it or something but it's the principle of the thing, god dammit. ]

...Changed my mind.

[ (softly:) Don't. ]

Anyway, I can confidently say that even the apocalypse isn't enough to fix that sad rock of a Planet we came from, so you might wanna spend your time coming up with a backup plan. Maybe one that doesn't involve doom and destruction? Just a thought.

An apocalypse is the only thing that can fix the Planet.

[Sephiroth says with certainty.]

Our world is dying. The Lifestream can no longer carry its burden. With me as the tutelary deity, however, that will change. I can save what is left, take the Lifestream's burden unto myself and shape the world into something stronger...

[As he speaks he clutches his fists and his eyes become distant and dreamy. A world of his own that he can use as a vessel to travel the stars and find the place that will become his Promised Land....

Could his Planet ask for a more beautiful destiny...?

Then, he remembers where he is and who he is talking to. A deep laugh rumbles out of his chest.]

Nh-Ahaha...

[It grows so he lets more it out, laughing for a few seconds until it finally subsides and he rubs at his brow.]

Why am I bothering to explain this?

You, of all people, would never understand.

[ Briefly setting aside (most of) his aggravation for a second, Reno has to take note that it's fucking fascinating hearing this all straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. If asked, he probably wouldn't choose the word fascinating himself (he'd probably opt more for "surreal"), but luckily, nobody's asking. He doesn't hold any ridiculous notions about using this information for anything, like he's going to save the Planet by having insight into how Sephiroth's mind works? Puh-lease.

It's just interesting, that's all. And kind of fucked up, and overall kind of sad. In spite of himself, the corner of his mouth twists into a smirk as Sephiroth starts to laugh, and now that he's got nothing to do with his hands, he jams them harmlessly in his jacket pockets. Can't help it. He's the kind of guy that thinks other people laughing is funny, although he doesn't get all the way to the point of laughing with him. ]

"Of all people"? What, 'cause I'm such a goody-good guy? Or because I'm just another Shinra ignoramus? I mean, you're right: what would I know, anyways.

[ Tell him about the future? What, and get him all riled up? ...Even more? Nah. ]

You obviously wanted someone to hear it, and I'm a great listener. So go ahead, now you've got me invested! What's this "stronger Planet" look like?

[Did he want someone to hear it? Maybe he did... Back home he'd prattle at Cloud through his projections when bored, explain his motives... It was a useful way to manipulate Cloud into grabbing the Black Materia for him. Oh, the things heroes do when they think they're stopping someone...

After that, he'd lapsed into a quiet meditation waiting for Meteor. But here...? He finds himself muttering aloud to the dragon and to his mother, neither of whom are good conversationalists. Maybe he just misses the sound of his own voice speaking from his own throat after not hearing it for so long.]

Hm!

Words cannot describe it.

It would be better to show you.

[ No thanks. I've already seen it.

Two years into the future and everybody else somehow still seems to have something to show him. Reno considers it, trying to decide exactly what being "shown" anything would translate into in this context. There are about a million different directions to go here, a large number of them veering into territory he typically can't be assed to think about—things like is there a Lifestream here, too and how do our actions here affect reality back home and all that other kind of philosophical crap. That's more Tseng's jurisdiction, not his. He'll stick to babysitting duty. ]

Okay, I'll bite. How? For the record, that's a question you answer with words. No sudden moves, hands where I can see 'em.

[He gently shakes his head, a graceful movement that sends his hair swinging around him.]

Did I not say that words cannot describe it?

You will have to witness it.

Watch me and you will see the world reborn.

[Although, Sephiroth thinks to himself, Reno will have to witness it as every other soul will: as a part of Sephiroth's divine form.]

Yeah, well, considering the subject at hand, "show" could mean a lot of things here. You wanna draw me a diagram, go for it. Otherwise I'm pretty sure I already have a good idea of what to expect and it ain't exactly a good time.

[ That's as good as saying he knows what happens, but plausible deniability is still his best friend. It wouldn't make much of a difference either way if he blabbed, probably, but this whole encounter has him thinking he's dealing with a level of crazy even his little minion-lookalike-things couldn't quite match. I mean, he's already had to hear the word Mother once as it is. ]

But y'know, this is all hinging on the fact that you're gonna get back there anytime soon. Say you aren't—say you can't. What's the plan? Same shit, different planet?

This world will not contain me.

[Sephiroth steps toward Reno again, a serpentine grin etched across his features.]

The power binding us here may be strong but the world itself is a fragile thing. Strike with enough force and it will collapse.

Yeah, I know all about that.

[ Haha just some good ol' plate humor on this fine day. As Sephiroth advances, Reno remains in place and doesn't seem particularly wary about it. Make no mistake, he's always ready to bolt like a gazelle at warp speed at a moment's notice, but there's something kind of extra special about getting to say he's experienced Sephiroth sauntering toward him looking like a hot stack of crazy and unhinged in person. How many people still technically living get to have that testimonial? ]

You're not gonna hear any opposition from me on that one. This place sucks. If it comes to that, save a seat on your dragon for me, 'kay? Me and a couple friends. Best getaway vehicle we've got unless they're hiding a rocket around here or somethin'.

Rest assured that you will not need the dragon.

[He opens his arms, as if ready to embrace Reno but doesn't come any closer.]

I shall be there to pick up what remains. When the world dies, you and everyone else will escape into the firmament within my seraphic body.

Isn't it wonderful to have such a destiny?

[This last question is asked as the grin turns predatory.

He doubts Reno will agree. Concepts like gigacide seem to upset humans... He knows this but he doesn't care. Humans are awful creatures and the universe will be better off once he's assimilated them all.]

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so come out of your cave walking on your hands (closed)

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