[Well, no. A lie's on the document, mainly because something more important happened. But he doesn't know this person is Teshima. ....So, this person gets the lie.]
[Oh good, he wasn't sure what he'd do if bombs actually were involved. Also not so good because that was the fastest way to meet he could think of without being direct.
Oh well, direct it is.]
Okay, I'll be honest. I need to know who the guy behind the name is just to help calm a friend down. I promise I won't share your actual identity, since you seem like the really cautious type.
[It's tempting, so tempting, to just say no and leave it as that. But that's counterproductive, it only means that this asshole (in his mind.) and the other asshole are just going to come back.
...There's a long pause. And then:]
I know who you're talking about. This person contacted me on the main network when I asked for information, telling me this username was similar to someone else's.
[This person strikes him as an annoyance, but Cloud's more than familiar with paranoia, and seeing things that aren't there than what he's willing to disclose. Maybe... that's why he's entertaining this.]
I don't trust doubleneon. Or this place, or this system. So I'm not about to come out with who I am on it. But I can meet you both somewhere. As long as you leave me the hell alone after.
But. The name revelation's a surprise. So much so, in fact, that it's a long time before he responds. It probably is Teshima. But if it's someone else, throwing out a name they know he knows...
Better be safe.]
Central square, 11pm tomorrow night. I'm free then.
But at that day, at that allotted time, he's there. He sticks to the shadows, at first. He'd already plotted several escape routes, just in case this person wasn't who they said they were, and happened to be a do-gooder lynch mob, or worse, what passed for authority in a simulation like this.
It's only after a good five minutes of observing Teshima (and his bike) he appears on the same corner the other is currently stationed at, his eyes cold.]
[A faint sigh leaves him, and he loosens his hand from the handle of the hardedge on his back. His arm untwists itself from where it'd rested over his shoulder, and he soon reaches inside of his pocket. His device is pulled out, and he takes a few steps forward, offering it.]
See for yourself.
[Should Teshima do so, he should see... well, everything. Posting history strictly being that thread. It's not like he's done much of it otherwise. And:]
Keep it. The people brought here want to sit around, and wait for whatever happens to 'em. So I updated that shared document with what they wanted. So it's done.
[As simple as that, right...? Well, to him. Yeah.]
Why? I wanted to test the forcefield. Some guy [...Plane.] gave me the info I needed. I tested it. Didn't work. I updated what I was told to update. That's it. The way some of 'em were acting, it was like I wanted to blow up the city.
[Civilians. It shouldn't surprise him that extremes were jumped to. But Teshima taking it upon himself to find out the identity of the poster? A quizzical expression follows that. And yeah, he's curious.]
...And no. No secret identity. I don't get why people aren't more careful. Those things we're holding? Whoever's running the doubleneon account's probably listening in.
Well, I don't know about the rest, but explosions normally raise alarm bells for people who don't live lives that involve it. Sometimes never will.
[Teshima, for example, but now he has to change that because this place probably will let him deal with an explosion or two eventually.]
I also know in my case-- if this place was made by them, and they know so much about it, I don't think we have any privacy in the first place. Using the network, even encrypted, might not really deter them.
[That's not the point, Cloud, but... screw it. He folds his arms around himself and seems content to be right about a wholly unrelated point... because Teshima has the right of this one.
But. His gaze moves back to him when he moves on.]
That's right. So, you can keep my device. Do what you want with it- I was gonna trash it anyway.
[Saved... him? By not being some other guy? He doesn't get that. He really doesn't. But he shakes his head.]
I don't want that thing. You're probably right- about not having any privacy anyway. But either way, I don't want it. [A faint shrug.] So keep it. Use my account to show this person that it isn't who they're scared of. Then trash it, or do whatever you want with it.
[His eyes roll at that, and his body language seems to close that much more. An exhale escapes his lips, and he's giving the impression of being jaded. Nonplussed, even outright dismissive- but if Teshima's perceptive, he might sense a flicker of sudden, jarring fear characterised with his dimly glowing eyes widening just so, brightening as they do, as well as the dig of his fingers into his arms. He'd really have to be quick. Or very perceptive for that- but if he had noticed, to say something didn't seem to be right would be an understatement.
For the smallest second, Cloud might have looked vulnerable. But he's quick to adjust. He forces a shrug. He loosens his fingers from where they'd dug into the skin of his forearms.]
No telling if all of that stuff's bullshit anyway. I don't need 'em.
[Even if he doesn't know the fear, the fact that his body language changes is enough to catch his attention. Someone closing themselves off like that is usually a sign of uncertainty, especially if they're trying to appear unbothered.
[...Okay, maybe that came out a little more aggressively than what he would have wanted. A dart of his eyes to Teshima follows, in vague apology, before he steps forward, unhooking his hands from around his arms.
A breath, deeper than what he'd wanted to display, follows. And he extends one hand, willing it, with everything in him, not to tremble. ....That's something at least. It's solid as a rock. The accompanying words aren't, however.]
You're right. I didn't think of that.
[His words seem clumsily put together. Unnnatural. And the truth lies in his eyes- they almost look as if he's asking rather than demanding.]
[At least he doesn't fight it, just hands it back to him, but he can't help the concern on his face. It's just a phone, after all, but he seems shaken enough that he's definitely missing something in the picture. He can't help but worry.]
Here, and you sure? You... I mean, if you need to talk about it...?
[He wants to say he's here, but maybe that isn't what Cloud wants? He keeps it open, see what he would say for now.]
[Phone in hand, he feels a lot better. He takes a breath and begins to shift back into his normal self, eyes hardening as soon as he feels the weight of it, what was on it, again in his pocket.]
Nope.
[Maybe some clarification's needed. ...He doesn't want him to worry about him, after all. So yeah. He can lie.]
It's the voicemail I got when I first got here. [A breath. And he wills himself to relax, or at least try to. To pretend it was something he wanted.] I didn't wanna lose it. That's all.
[Not that much of a lie. Technically, it's true.]
You feel the same, right? You must've got one from someone important to you.
[Family. That's a good one. ....And given what'd happened to his only family, not exactly something he can lie about. Even if he wanted to. He falters, swallowing, audibly, before his eyes shift away.]
...No. More like someone I know, where I came from.
[To him, it feels like the silence after that is palpable, incriminating. His eyes move to him again. He has to fill the void with something, anything.
...The thing that comes most naturally is aggression. Sorry, Teshima.]
We done? You got confirmation Fen isn't who you thought he was. You got that, and last thing I want's some kind of third-degree about other stuff. You get it? I don't owe you any damn answers, so back the hell off.
[He feels bad about it. Of course he feels bad about it- throughout all of Midgar, meeting Aerith, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge... and seeing how they reacted when he went off- remembering the expression in Tifa's eyes when she said he scared her, makes him feel bad. Really bad- and it's shown only in his own eyes.
He glances backward, to Teshima's face, his gaze unsure. But he can't back down. He's already done it; so he forces himself to take a few steps forward, shifting focus to what lies ahead.]
Tell your friend they've got nothing to worry about. Alright?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Details are on the shared document.
[Well, no. A lie's on the document, mainly because something more important happened. But he doesn't know this person is Teshima. ....So, this person gets the lie.]
Anything else?
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Oh well, direct it is.]
Okay, I'll be honest. I need to know who the guy behind the name is just to help calm a friend down. I promise I won't share your actual identity, since you seem like the really cautious type.
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...There's a long pause.
And then:]
I know who you're talking about. This person contacted me on the main network when I asked for information, telling me this username was similar to someone else's.
[This person strikes him as an annoyance, but Cloud's more than familiar with paranoia, and seeing things that aren't there than what he's willing to disclose. Maybe... that's why he's entertaining this.]
I don't trust doubleneon. Or this place, or this system. So I'm not about to come out with who I am on it. But I can meet you both somewhere. As long as you leave me the hell alone after.
Best I can do.
no subject
Would you be more comfortable if I told you my name? I don't really have anything to hide. It's Teshima Junta.
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But. The name revelation's a surprise. So much so, in fact, that it's a long time before he responds. It probably is Teshima. But if it's someone else, throwing out a name they know he knows...
Better be safe.]
Central square, 11pm tomorrow night.
I'm free then.
no subject
Also, oddly fast. Honesty really is the best policy.]
A bit past my curfew, but sure. I'll see you then.
[Also like, this isn't sketchy or anything. He'll bring his bike with him just in case he needs a hasty getaway, but he will be there at that time.]
no subject
But at that day, at that allotted time, he's there.
He sticks to the shadows, at first. He'd already plotted several escape routes, just in case this person wasn't who they said they were, and happened to be a do-gooder lynch mob, or worse, what passed for authority in a simulation like this.
It's only after a good five minutes of observing Teshima (and his bike) he appears on the same corner the other is currently stationed at, his eyes cold.]
Kind of expected you to bring a weapon.
[A curious glance to the bike.]
no subject
... Wait, you're Fen?
[Well, he was weird, but maybe not evil.]
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[A faint sigh leaves him, and he loosens his hand from the handle of the hardedge on his back. His arm untwists itself from where it'd rested over his shoulder, and he soon reaches inside of his pocket. His device is pulled out, and he takes a few steps forward, offering it.]
See for yourself.
[Should Teshima do so, he should see... well, everything. Posting history strictly being that thread. It's not like he's done much of it otherwise. And:]
Keep it. The people brought here want to sit around, and wait for whatever happens to 'em. So I updated that shared document with what they wanted. So it's done.
[As simple as that, right...?
Well, to him. Yeah.]
no subject
All right, got it. Well, glad to know I actually know you.
... You don't happen to have like a secret identity, right? You're really big on this incognito thing.
no subject
[Civilians. It shouldn't surprise him that extremes were jumped to. But Teshima taking it upon himself to find out the identity of the poster? A quizzical expression follows that. And yeah, he's curious.]
...And no. No secret identity. I don't get why people aren't more careful. Those things we're holding? Whoever's running the doubleneon account's probably listening in.
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[Teshima, for example, but now he has to change that because this place probably will let him deal with an explosion or two eventually.]
I also know in my case-- if this place was made by them, and they know so much about it, I don't think we have any privacy in the first place. Using the network, even encrypted, might not really deter them.
no subject
[That's not the point, Cloud, but... screw it. He folds his arms around himself and seems content to be right about a wholly unrelated point... because Teshima has the right of this one.
But. His gaze moves back to him when he moves on.]
That's right. So, you can keep my device. Do what you want with it- I was gonna trash it anyway.
no subject
[He shrugs, as though he's not involved, as though he didn't come here knowing it could be dangerous.]
Seeing it's you, I don't think they need to worry. You saved me there.
no subject
[Saved... him? By not being some other guy? He doesn't get that. He really doesn't. But he shakes his head.]
I don't want that thing. You're probably right- about not having any privacy anyway. But either way, I don't want it. [A faint shrug.] So keep it. Use my account to show this person that it isn't who they're scared of. Then trash it, or do whatever you want with it.
[He doesn't need it. Not really.]
no subject
[It's not like he has anything to lose, taking it. Still, it might be useful, so it seems a waste to just throw it away.]
What if they send you something important?
[They being doubleneon, implied as it is.]
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[His eyes roll at that, and his body language seems to close that much more. An exhale escapes his lips, and he's giving the impression of being jaded. Nonplussed, even outright dismissive- but if Teshima's perceptive, he might sense a flicker of sudden, jarring fear characterised with his dimly glowing eyes widening just so, brightening as they do, as well as the dig of his fingers into his arms. He'd really have to be quick. Or very perceptive for that- but if he had noticed, to say something didn't seem to be right would be an understatement.
For the smallest second, Cloud might have looked vulnerable. But he's quick to adjust. He forces a shrug. He loosens his fingers from where they'd dug into the skin of his forearms.]
No telling if all of that stuff's bullshit anyway. I don't need 'em.
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He tilts his head a bit, curious, and speaks up.]
Are you okay?
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[...Okay, maybe that came out a little more aggressively than what he would have wanted. A dart of his eyes to Teshima follows, in vague apology, before he steps forward, unhooking his hands from around his arms.
A breath, deeper than what he'd wanted to display, follows. And he extends one hand, willing it, with everything in him, not to tremble. ....That's something at least. It's solid as a rock. The accompanying words aren't, however.]
You're right. I didn't think of that.
[His words seem clumsily put together. Unnnatural. And the truth lies in his eyes- they almost look as if he's asking rather than demanding.]
Give me it back.
no subject
Here, and you sure? You... I mean, if you need to talk about it...?
[He wants to say he's here, but maybe that isn't what Cloud wants? He keeps it open, see what he would say for now.]
no subject
Nope.
[Maybe some clarification's needed. ...He doesn't want him to worry about him, after all. So yeah. He can lie.]
It's the voicemail I got when I first got here. [A breath. And he wills himself to relax, or at least try to. To pretend it was something he wanted.] I didn't wanna lose it. That's all.
[Not that much of a lie. Technically, it's true.]
You feel the same, right? You must've got one from someone important to you.
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[He asks in response, not agreeing nor denying the question as he thinks of it as a rhetorical one. Those who arrived earlier all had it, after all.
He seems dubious, the reaction not matching his earlier words, not supporting the later ones. Something is up with this guy.]
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...No. More like someone I know, where I came from.
[To him, it feels like the silence after that is palpable, incriminating.
His eyes move to him again. He has to fill the void with something, anything.
...The thing that comes most naturally is aggression. Sorry, Teshima.]
We done? You got confirmation Fen isn't who you thought he was. You got that, and last thing I want's some kind of third-degree about other stuff. You get it? I don't owe you any damn answers, so back the hell off.
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[He raises his hands in surrender, definitely backing off in surprise, not expecting the pushback to be that intense.
Whatever it is on that phone, it's definitely a lot more important than he's letting on, enough that it might turn badly if he pushes too hard.]
Sorry, don't get mad. I didn't mean to push so hard.
[He lowers his hands though, dropping them to his sides.]
We're good. Thanks for meeting with me, Strife-san.
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He glances backward, to Teshima's face, his gaze unsure.
But he can't back down. He's already done it; so he forces himself to take a few steps forward, shifting focus to what lies ahead.]
Tell your friend they've got nothing to worry about. Alright?
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