01 - Audio & Action - take your pick! Phone call or gun to the face...

[swooshycape]

[audio]

[ Vincent isn’t normally one to just try calling out of the blue, but he really wants some intel on this place - enough that he is willing to at least try, even if he is quite suspicious of, well... everything about this place. ]

Where is this? And to whom... am I speaking?

[ His voice is deep and quiet and mostly toneless - though there is a dark edge to it. He wants answers, and he expects to be given them. However, he has one last thing to add... ]

Yuffie, if this is your doing... [ ... well, if she’s listening, he’s pretty sure she can imagine the unspoken threat. ]


[action]

[ But even as he waits for any sort of response, Vincent doesn’t keep still. Instead, he carefully explores the mansion, moving quietly as he swoops down hallways, checking rooms and keeping to the shadows. You wouldn’t expect someone in a red cape to be particularly stealthy, but he manages it very well - unnaturally so.

However, stealthy or not, he is expecting a fight, so if he opens the door to a room someone is in, his gun is out and aimed right at them. ... really, he’s too used to a world where every space that isn’t a town or city is crawling with hostile wildlife. Don’t worry, though. He won’t shoot on sight. .... probably.

But you’d also better be careful if you meet him in a hallway - or more likely, he sneaks up behind you - as he is armed and dangerous and isn’t the friendliest looking person...

In either case, he won't waste time in asking questions. Unless he's already had the basics from someone else, in which case he'll probably lower the gun if he's sure you're not a threat. ... probably. ]

Comments

[neverbeamemory]

I'm not here on purpose if that's what you imply.

[That smirk creeps larger, of course. Why wouldn't it be possible for him to will himself here if he had wanted that? Sephiroth's never thought outside of the box of their own realm; His Planet.]

Bit of a shock, retreating and then getting what I wanted anyway. Even if we're not on Gaia.

[The temptation to flex his wrist and spring Masamune from nothing was strong but Sephiroth refrains. It would certainly demonstrate how he'd been given exactly what he had wanted, here.]

[swooshycape]

And what is it that you wanted?

[ That confirms, more or less, that Sephiroth was brought here the same as everyone else, but... that does little to ease Vincent's mind. ]

[neverbeamemory]

What do you think?

[He clenches both fists at his sides and then relaxes them again, as if to verify to himself that he was still really real - and that he has the full command of the powers that Mother had granted him.

Though, already he has been reminded of the dangers of having a corporeal form again. Hence probably why he hasn't already started the fight.]

As limiting as it is, I am whole again.

[swooshycape]

So I can see. ... and Jenova?

[ That's what makes the real difference to Vincent. ]

[neverbeamemory]

[His gaze darkens.]

What about Her?

[swooshycape]

Are you going to spread her here, too?

[ she's not your real mother, Sephiroth! You're adopted! ]

[neverbeamemory]

[He grins at that. It's interesting to think that Vincent still sees her as a separate entity; an influence perhaps over him. Of course, he would still chase after his destiny in her name but in the literal sense he couldn't be more wrong.]

That depends.

[swooshycape]

... depends?

[ On what?

He's really rather mixed on whether or not Jenova and Sephiroth are separate entities anymore - not after seeing the remnants and what happened with that last bit of Jenova Rufus had been hanging on to and not after looking into the Geostigma. But here? In this other world? He wonders. It's something to think about and watch carefully. ]

[neverbeamemory]

If there is anything here even worth my effort.

[He allows that grin to melt into a knowing smile. Sure, Wonderland looks picture perfect but Sephiroth doesn't know how this world works. It would be premature to abandon his ambitions for Gaia and it's not clear even if this place has the same characteristics. Logically all worlds have a Lifestream but he'd rather not be fumbling in the dark for the light switch until he knew where it was.]

[swooshycape]

Hn.

[ Vincent remains as he is for a few moments more, still debating whether or not Sephiroth merits a bullet to his face.

In the end, however, he slowly lowers his gun, though he doesn't holster it. If Sephiroth decided to pounce, Vincent is confident enough in his own dexterity to be able to get off at least one round. He's really not concerned about being injured - if it gets bad enough, he'll transform and wind up healing right up anyway - but they're in a very closed space in what is unknown territory for him. He would prefer not to get too many innocents in the crossfire.

Besides... a small part of him doesn't really want to fight Sephiroth, if it can be avoided. It doesn't seem right, somehow. Maybe because it's Cloud's fight more than anyone else's or maybe it's lingering sentimentality because of Lucrecia. Or maybe it's just that he's not sure it would really be productive at this point, anyway.

Really it's all of the above, but Vincent does not wish to acknowledge all his reasons for backing down just a little. Instead, he simply continues to gaze at Sephiroth flatly. ]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth doesn't move the whole time, he even opens both of his palms to Vincent to emphasize the fact that he's unarmed. Though he wouldn't need more than a split-second to launch an attack and he's fully aware that Vincent also knows this.

Green eyes follow the gun as it is lowered and then snap back up to the other mans face.]

Finally, logic prevails.

[swooshycape]

Logic? Hn.

[ He shakes his head and simply gazes at Sephiroth for a few moments longer before turning away, letting his cape swirl behind him, fluttering dramatically in his wake. He finally holsters his gun as he goes. ]

Don't flatter yourself.

[neverbeamemory]

[Hmph. Well that rubbed a little harder than Sephiroth had intended to take it. Having a gun pointed at you while you're not even doing anything to merit it is one thing, but did Vincent really want to go the whole hog and insult his intelligence as well? He's the superior being here.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow as Vincent headed back down the corridor away from him. He's not impressed but it doesn't show outwardly. Until he raises two fingers and in a sweeping motion fires his telekinetic power to trip Vincent's next step.

Perhaps a taste of floor would suffice as a warning.]

[swooshycape]

[ Simply existing merits having a gun pointed at Sephiroth, all things considered. But there is nothing about Sephiroth that Vincent considers particularly 'superior' - except, perhaps, his persistent survival instinct.

Not himself being particularly telekinetic nor being sensitive to such things, Vincent does not notice what Sephiroth is doing until he feels the jerk against his leg. And then down he goes -- but if there's one thing (besides how to use a gun) he remembers well from his training so many years ago, it's how to fall and pop right back up again. So, as he hits the floor, he catches himself and springs back up in short order - though there's something almost... floaty about the way he gets to his feet, and the way his cape moves isn't quite natural for a moment.

But rather than acknowledge the warning, Vincent simply makes a mental note of it, glancing back over his shoulder once before continuing on. Interesting... ]