onepassingnight | In the woods with no one around...

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In the woods with no one around...

[The forest is dense enough to inhibit light, leaving a dappled pattern of shadow on the ground as the thin sun filters through the leaves. There are no obvious landmarks, but Mercury walks purposefully, as if she knows the way.

For all her bravado, the distant sound of a waterfall grows no closer; and when she comes to a small pile of rocks, she stops short.

She was here just a moment ago.

Cautiously now, Mercury keeps a wary eye on her surroundings and stays alert to every noise and rustle. To be sure of herself, she slips off one glove and lays it beside the rocks.

Straightening, the senshi moves forward again. But although she seems to make progress, ultimately she finds herself back at the pile yet again - and the glove remains exactly where she left it. She is lost.

Or trapped.]

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Are you a fool? You'd be lost.

[She turns back towards the shadows.]

And these are just creatures defying me!

[Somehow that spark has come back, or maybe she's just not willing to watch Cloud be hurt for her sake ~~and have a debt to him~~. The sword vanishes, and an ethereal harp shimmers into her hands. She plays a watery glissando.]

Dark Rhapsody! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeU6r4DWwJw)

[Water shoots from the instrument, charged with her power and its own, streaming out in all directions to seek out and chase the shadows, disrupting the energy creating them.]

[Cloud had no intention of staying behind but he does make a quick grab for the thread when she hits up her harp. It's not the shadows he's worried about. If they come, they come and he'll deal with them when they do. It's the thread and that single spool of it that's important. Hence the 'don't let go' sentence. Because he's beginning to suspect that while the thread can't necessarily be taken from them - or the shadows would have tried it already - it can be lost if they get careless or distracted.

He's getting out of here. And he's taking Ami with him. That's what he's focused on. And he's been head fucked enough in the past to recognize when something's trying it again.]

I'm not staying behind. I'm letting you lead while I make sure you're safe to do it. It's the thread that matters, not the monsters.

Monsters in this forest still have the ability to kill.

[Cloud may be here, the thread may be here, but she's still having trouble breaking outside what's in front of her and what she assumes is the next step.

She asked him once, she asked Kunzite: If he knew about her betrayal and that she was supposed to die here for it, why was he leaving her alive and even keeping her at his side? The answer hadn't been reassuring, but it had been honest.

And he'd promised- she looks at the thread again, grasping at it, grasping at straws- he'd promised that if she was truly in danger here, he'd come to help her. As long as she stayed loyal ~~and obedient~~.

It couldn't be...]

Cloud, do you know something about this thread?

[If it's something Cloud knows, she can put away that foolish notion immediately.]

[it's not that the question is strange but rather that the way she asks it that makes him look at her a bit closer, still holding the spool in his hand. There's something about this place that - he can't tell if it's closer to who she hides inside or if it's warping who she hides inside. His brows come down but he shakes his head.]

I know it obviously leads somewhere. Nothing other than that.

[The thought is inescapable, even as she tries to close her mind to it: She is lucky, right now. If she chooses to believe so, someone sent this thread, someone who even now hasn't abandoned her. And Cloud right in front of her, finding it, handing it to her, is not a matter of belief.

He's here.

Suddenly, she feels more courageous.]

Then I'll make sure not to let it go.

[he's not the most astute when it comes to people but he thinks even he picks up on the subtle shift in her. He doesn't know why but he nods and hands the spool of thread back to her. In her hands it glints with it's own brief sheen of light and the invisible thread leads off from it still. He hefs his sword casually over his shoulder, looking relaxed and ready for whatever is ahead. There might even, maybe, be just the hint of challenge in his blue eyes as he says:]

Lead the way.

[It's how her world works, something she's all but forgotten: She can be her strongest with someone to support her.

She's ready for the challenge. Clear now, decisive now, she heads straight forward again, winding the thread as she goes. She is the Mercury that Kunzite would expect: strong and tall.

And this is no longer 'the forest'. This is her dream. The sunlight seems brighter somehow, enough to chase shadows away. The way ahead seems open and clear.]

[there's a marked difference this time as they start forward and Cloud finds it interesting even if he doesn't let himself wonder too hard about the change. Ami's much more sure of herself now and so he switches his concentration to keeping an eye on their surroundings, only a pace or two behind her. Wherever they're going now, he feels better about it. Ami's footsteps are sure. Everything else that comes at him, he knows how to handle.]

[Then she hears it, and smiles. She certainly controls this place now, whatever force of Fate she's usurped it from in the dream world: The sound of the waterfall is unmistakable. She turns back to Cloud.]

Hurry! The way out must be by the water. We'll have to climb.

[But now, she has no fear of earthquakes or youma.]

[he makes a quiet sound in his throat of acknowledgement. It's apparent she now knows where they're going and Cloud trusts that. It's also apparently whatever was holding her back before is gone. She's not intent on staying behind now. Maybe he'll ask once they're somewhere safe - or maybe he won't. But there's a slight smirk on his lips as he shrugs.]

I think I can keep up.

[The forest thins to reveal the waterfall (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhWokGmcIv0) just as she promised. But also just as she said, the way looks difficult to climb. He can ask his questions, and she'll explain it all, once they're out.]

Can you make your way up here? [She's fairly sure she can. She doesn't know what Cloud can do; he's proven quite surprising at times.]

[he looks at the face of the cliff leading upward, assessing it. Not bad. His answer is an old move that harkens back to a time when his life was less concerned with guilt and his failures and more with being an unstoppable force. The sword twirls easily behind his back and then slips in the holster at his back, a casual, cocky move. He does glance at her sideways though and, assuming since she's the one holding it that that's the way the thread leads, ask:]

How are you going to hold the thread and climb at the same time?

[There should be a way...]

I won't. [And this is when still enjoying sewing becomes a practical advantage. She takes a pin from seemingly nowhere - must be wherever she keeps her other items, or a quirk of the dream - and pins the thread to her, near her waist.]

It'll trail behind as we go, but I'll be careful of that.

[he watches her secure it and then nods. As long as she's got it, he feels safe that she can't get lost or taken away. He's climbed a frozen mountain with nothing but his bare hands. He can handle this. Which means he'll keep his place behind her - just in case. Those boots don't look the friendliest when it comes to rock climbing.]

You first.

[Hey, she does everything in the boots! Including those flashy jumps and acrobatic maneuvers. She can handle climbing.

This time, she doesn't complain about going first; whether because of her new confidence or because it's Cloud. She simply steps up to the very base of the climb, and cranes her next to look up towards the top.

Then she focuses on what's in front of her. Her hands feel for a grip, and once she's sure she has it, she starts to climb.]

(ooc: and green (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JLqLN5ydLk) :|)

Edited 2011-09-02 03:38 (UTC)

[hey, Cloud's a sensible shoe-wear kind of guy. But he's not going to question what a girl can manage to do in heels. Instead he waits until she gets high enough for him to start up as well. Frankly, it's not often that he lets the fact he's a lot stronger than he should be show but at times like this it comes in handy. Toe and finger holds are easier to find when you can simply make what's there deeper by quietly digging in. Maybe he should have gone first and let Ami use the ones he makes - but then he wouldn't be able to catch her if she falls. He IS however careful not to look directly up as they go. He's already been well taught by another teammate in a short skirt.]

[Cloud's training is lucky for him; the girl who slapped a man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPX2lQRN4v8) close to her for trying to touch her would not take well to having her skirt peeked at.

Progress is slow, but she makes it to the top without obstacle. Once there, she waits for Cloud to finish the last part of the climb. The air in front of her seems to shimmer, a faint and barely-visible portal already seems to be here. She stays focused on it.]

[no. No, Cloud's got LOTS of experience with girls in short skirts and he's very good at behaving himself. It's a show of respect - and he also knows he'd get his teeth kicked in. He may be male, but he's not suicidal.

Once Ami's safely at the top though, he can concentrate on just himself. He has no idea what's at the top, whether it's another trap or something else entirely but being on the cliff face and unable to be a help isn't how he wants to spend his time. So he doesn't bother hold back and try to pretend he's 'normal' once it's just sheer cliff face in front of himself. Tightening his fingers on a sturdy outcrop, he lets his feet and free arm go. A quick heft with his anchored arm and he gets the soles of his boots almost directly under him, so that he's all but crouched vertically on the stone face. Then it's just a matter of pushing off hard and arching.

Gravity takes a kick to the nuts.

Cloud lands in an easy crouch at the top of the cliff and straightens smoothly, eyes narrowed slightly. He's not sure what the shimmer in the air means but Ami doesn't look alarmed. There's single chin dip of a nod to show he's ready to go.]

Now what?

[That seems to take her aback, just for a second, when she hadn't even batted an eye at his physical abilities.]

You don't see it?

[It's there, thin and hard to see but so present to the girl straining to look for it. Mercury nods towards the portal to draw attention to the right point.]

That leads back to the human world. [Which is another thing Cloud can ask about once they're there.] I'll go first. I can re-open it if anything happens.

[Without further delay, she steps forward, and if she's nervous about where she may end up after all, she doesn't show it as her head stays high.]

[he doesn't see what she's gesturing toward. He can tell there's something strange about the air in front of them but there's nothing specific for him. His eyebrows do go up a little at the 'human world' term but he's not going to ask. When she starts forward though, he takes one long stride and falls in next to her. Of course he's not going to simply trust this place or shimmery air. He'll put a hand on her shoulder. He's not letting them get separated.]

We'll go together.

[She stiffens, as she almost always does at touch; but with a conscious effort, she relaxes her shoulder again, and nods.

When she steps through the portal, their hands stay joined, though she seems to be pulling on Cloud's arm suddenly.]

[he's familiar with that reaction to foreign touch himself so he doesn't let it phase him. He also doesn't let go of her either though, taking her hand and wrapping his fingers firmly. At her nod, he gives his own in return and steps through.

Things blur. But he feels the tug on his arm and he tightens his grip, other hand sliding back to curve around the hilt of his sword.]

[They're in a spacious, clean, white building. Mercury seems to recognize it; at least, she relaxes a little once they're inside and the warped space closes behind them both.]

We're here. [She turns her head to the side, speaking to Cloud over her shoulder.] You weren't injured? It normally takes a person with a good amount of power to travel between these dimensions so easily.

[whether it's because it's Ami's dream that goes easy on him or Cloud just is that used to strange power coursing through him, but he shakes his head. A little vertigo - but no where near as bad as his motion sickness can be. He lets go of her hand but he stays close as he looks around the building.

It's new to him.

Looking down at her hip, curious to whether it's still there or if it disappears when it finishes its use, he asks:]

Do you still have the string?

No. It vanished once it wasn't needed anymore. [But somehow she doesn't quite meet his eyes when she says this; in fact, she looks away.

It's no lie; he can see that for himself easily enough. But she, at least, is not surprised the help only lasts this long.]

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and i'm out for the doctor soon but will be back in a few/several hours once i go

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i love how pretty some of the pgsm DK territory is. XD

very pretty, and I liked the blue filter they shot it with

when it gets green it gets depressing /links in comment

lol - green in Cloud's world usually means a psychotic episode

let's have no green for cloud... XD

very, very sound plan ;)

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