oo3 ❄ stuck on repeat

[anonfantry]

[ Well, it's not exactly a novel dream - the perfectly formed scenery fits the desert island cliché to a T, though it's quite a bit more expansive than a rock with two palm trees sticking out of the middle. Above the rolling dunes that sweep down to the surf, a lush green forest rises to cover most of the visible, the tangle of trees thick enough to seem impenetrable (and half of them completely out of place, in a tropical climate). The only thing this leafy, viney (pine tree dotted) brush doesn't ensconce is the narrow mountain range rising from the center of the island. From those towering masses of land, slate grey and tipped with thin spires and a halo of fog (or perhaps smoke), volcanic activity seems the least of all potential dangers.

But all of that's merely an exciting backdrop to the true mundanity of this phantasm. Shored up at the very top of a wave of fine, yellow sand, sits a desk - plain and spare and rusting at the hinges, in no way special at all. And at it, nearly topped over in height by the towering stacks of (random, unsorted, some completely unlabeled) textbooks, sits Cloud.

Hunched intently over something - pages of notes, upon closer inspection - he pays no mind to the intermittent call of seabirds on the breeze, nor the way that lazy warm puff of air tugs at the messy spikes of his hair. He's scribbling furiously. Then considering. Then turning over the pencil in his hand and erasing with equal ferocity. Rinse, repeat, and more than once on the same line, with increasing frustration.

It's only when one of the precariously balanced texts atop his leaning tower spills over and slides down the sandy slope of the dune on the other side of the desk that he stops with a start, dropping his pencil and his notes at once. Skating around the edge of his desk, through the shifting ground, he all but dives after the book, snatching it back up and sinking to a stop in a small avalanche of sand. With an inaudible sigh of relief, Cloud digs his socked feet in (boots tucked safely into the hollow beneath his desk) and starts to haul himself back up the to the crest of the dune, and the loose pile of notes in desperate need of endless correction. ]

Comments

really, this post was asking for it. ;)

[waterfell]

[Ami, suddenly at the top of the dune, complete with wearing her glasses today, is entirely unimpressed. Even at this precarious peak, her footing is sure and confident. She folds her arms across her chest, and regards Cloud with outright suspicion as Cloud climbs back up. An eyebrow raises.]

Was that an excuse? You don't have time to be diving after books. Next time, I'll get whatever drops, so get serious.

[She jerks her head towards the desk. The glasses are given a nudge, and gleam oddly in the light as she makes her pronouncement of doom.]

We still have ten chapters to review today.

[She acts entirely as if this isn't too much, as if it's a normal workload. Actually, her piles of study material tend to be impressive themselves, especially if any exams happen to be looming on the horizon.]

Aerith feels the keywords are accurate...if with a different meaning here.

[gardeningaia]

[ How well does Cloud stand distraction? Because yes, Aerith will stop by his desk briefly, with a light smile: ]

Busy busy, aren't we? [ , picking up a few pages and helpfully shaking out the sand before returning them to their place. Well. Approximately, close enough to their place.

But then come on man the wind is calling. Not on a duty for the Cetra, either! No, this is just plain old fun in the sun and surf, and Aerith is soon running around in a two-piece she has faint memories of eyeing with Tifa in Costa Del Sol, excitedly tossing back commentary to Cloud every so often without really minding if he's listening (or wanting to listen). ]

Ahhh! What a nice wind! And the waves...they've got a rhythm to them.

...Hee hee hee, what a funny little crab.

... [ Occasionally she's not talking. Although then she's often humming. Until-- ]

Oooooh! Ow! I guess you can't make sand angels when it's this hot...

...Clooouuuud, what are you doing slaving away when it's so warm? Come on, let's have fun!

[tasercopter]

[What is even happening here? Reno sighs from farther down the shore, putting her hands on her hips, glaring at tiny Cloud and all his stupid notes and books. Then she shakes her head and lets out a soft, wry laugh, though at this distance, the sea breeze carries the sound away.

It's true that she's dressed for the beach in a black bikini (because she's not some kind of fool who works all the time), but whether in or out of uniform, she's still a Turk.

And that's why, in her thoroughly professional way, she decides to sneak up to the desk, using all the stealth at her disposal. As well as her EMR, she's also got cigarettes and a lighter with her, tucked into the band of her goggles for easy access. It's relatively hard to sneak up on someone on this kind of terrain, but fortunately, Cloud's not paying a lot of attention, and it's easy to be quiet while moving on sand. She doesn't make a sound until the snickt of the lighter sounds, and she touches the bright flame to the nearest stack of paper, smirking.]

blame the bad luck theme, cloud.

[drinkandforget]

[It's purely by chance that she's ended up here. There's a small boat out in the water, far down below; nothing but a ferry, really: shallow-bottomed, small, built to carry only a few passengers at once at the most. Inside, a girl wearing a simple, lightweight dress made for the summer heat (which seems to be increasing suddenly) stands tall, and poles her way nearer to the shore.

But when she comes too close, the boat bumps a rock, and water gathered at her feet splashes out and over the side - water from the River of Oblivion, the river of lost memories. It mixes with the rest of the water as she gives a surprised gasp.]

What are you doing?! That wasn't supposed to happen!

[She is not good at taking this calmly, it seems. There's nothing to do but climb out of the ferry and clamber onto the shore, which she does. After glancing up the long height of the hill and shading her eyes against the sun, she finds her destination. Slowly, she makes her way up towards Cloud, the only person she's spotted.

Unfortunately, the damage is done. As the water of oblivion mixes with the normal water, it becomes harder to remember - the little things, first.]

[nohometown]

[Sephiroth, the man famous for never taking a vacation (among other things), should be startled to find himself out on the beach. He is, for a moment, but the feeling quickly fades. It's not as if he's eager to return to work. He has hardly a moment's rest while awake, these days, with SOLDIER decimated and ShinRa changing, asking more of him, weighing more heavily on him all the time.

He's dressed in a black swimsuit, because of course, that couldn't be avoided, and his long hair is hanging loose, blowing in the breeze.

As idyllic as this setting is, it's abrupt and startling to see the desk sitting in the middle of nowhere, but Sephiroth's expression barely changes (as usual) as he takes it in. He blinks, that's all, before beginning to walk toward it, and Cloud. It's hard to mistake the infantryman's industry and determination for anything other than what they are, in spite of the incongruous setting.]

An odd place to do your work. [If he's amused by the unlikely scene, at least he doesn't show it.] Do you need any help with that?