open 🌠 you see the shadows

[starshower]

Who: Tifa Lockhart & you!
Which: Open log + interactive dream
Where: Around Reverein, Mount Nibel
What: Mount Nibel Incident dream, and a couple of dream board postings.
Warnings: N/A for now



✨ i. "the day mom died..." — interactive dream

[There's a winding, rocky path overlooking the town of Nibelheim below, but where it should be clear, the mountain the path leads up is shrouded in a fog that only grows thicker with each passing moment, with what the eyes can see morphing and twisting in and out of view, almost as if the entire landscape isn't sure what it should be. There's an unshakable sound of static in the air, and a rumbling underfoot that isn't too threatening, but it's noticeable enough that it makes itself known.

On one ledge of the path up the mountain are four children. Three boys, whose faces fade in and out of clarity, and a girl with long, dark-brown hair, all looking up at the mountain as they talk, but their words are cut out by the static.]

"Mt. Nibel is scary. Many people have—there."

"—one crosses that—alive."

[The girl turns to face them all, revealing a much younger Tifa, not a day older than nine-years.]

"How about—died? Did—pass through—?" [Tifa wanders past the boys watching her, up the path.] "I'm—"

[Two boys follow while one runs the other way, threatening to bump into any dreamwalkers as he rushes back in the direction of the town. If Tifa is followed, they'll reach a bridge that she crosses fearlessly and without a word, but like the rest of the mountain, it fades in and out of view as well. There, the two boys who remain rush off, leaving Tifa to venture up the rest of the mountain alone.

...

But they stop upon seeing someone new. Someone who might be able to help?]

"Please, you have to stop her! It's dangerous up there! We're going to go back down and get Mister Lockhart."

[And off they go together without another word.]


** ( ooc: Because Tifa doesn't remember this event in full, I fully encourage anyone to have your character influence the setting as much or as little as you'd like! )

✨ ii. freeloading reindeer

[Having done some work on the communal gardens already, Tifa's grown handy with a hammer and nails. Not that she wasn't already proficient enough, but there's a difference between fixer-uppers around a bar that she knew like the back of her hand and building wooden flowerbeds and fences, and the latter has allowed her to at least learn some proper techniques in woodworking. Hell, she's even started learning how to sand and polish, so something like this should be a piece of cake.]

There. I think that's the last of it.

[She'd been hauling wood around all morning, the large planks thrown over her shoulder before she sets them down out in the middle of the farm where there's plenty of room to build out. It's nothing but a pile of wood and a bag of tools, and whoever else has come all the way out here with her, and around them, the reindeer will be grazing and curiously watching from afar, still not sure if it's safe to approach.]

So, it was a new stable for them and a fence, right? Gotta say, biggest thing I've ever built was a flowerbed so this'll be new to me.

✨ iii. new year's noctaere

[It is a little terrifying going up against the Noctaere, especially when she knows little of what to expect upon entering the dreamscape, but Tifa was never one to sit back or sit still for very long. Not when there were threats that needed to be taken care of. She might not be the most experienced partner in the dreamscapes, with her skills in dreamotion magic leaving plenty to be desired, but she can pack a punch when needed, and it has come in helpful in a lot of cases.

That isn't to say she's completely useless at magic, but she'd prefer to let her fists and feet do the talking if it came down to it. Which it will.

And just before stumbling into the dreamscape, she looks over to whoever has volunteered for the job with her, and gives a firm nod.]

You ready?

** ( ooc: if you have a preference for the dreamscape, then please let me know in the subject line! Otherwise, I'll randomize which one we end up getting! )

✨ iv. wildcard

[None of these prompts work? You know the wildcard drill! Feel free to leave something else below, or contact me via PM or @ crystariums if you'd like to plot out something! Tifa can be frequently found at the communal gardens, at the edges of the forest training, and just in general wandering around Reverein, so she's easy to bump into. Also okay with any of the dream board postings!]

Comments

[starshower]

[There's nothing boring and tedious about getting people ready!

Tifa squints at him. What in the world could be so much more important than his birthday party that he needs to go and do that now? Oh, wait. Wasn't there supposed to be SOLDIERs coming in, too? But Eustace had nothing to do with it. That was Tifa, and god, she'd completely forgotten about it until now... so she'll let this one slide.]

Alright, but just make sure everyone knows that we're about to get started. Shinra's coming today too, and we wanna make sure that we've all had cake and you've opened presents by then. [She sighs, although there is an air of excitement at the mention of SOLDIER.] So busy...

[With one last smile, Tifa turns on her heel and walks back to her own home, and as soon as she shuts the door, an unusual wave of heat passes over the town as a truck rolls up to its entrance. Shinra's here, and they're earlier than planned...]

[flamekthunder]

[Shinra? He looks confused for a moment, unable to immediately register the group, but he just nods his head.]

Don't worry, I won't take long!

[He just needed to check on him, even though he wished he could bring him with him... But it's still better not, preferring to keep his special friendship a secret. Maybe he could tell Tifa one day, but—not right now.

And off he goes, running down the familiar and somewhat unfamiliar paths towards the forest. Along the way he sees the trucks rolling in through the entrance, and his pace slows. Again he feels a weird sense of unfamiliarity, unable to recognize what those trucks are. They look...strange, like nothing he's ever seen before. But the uniformed men inside, their military-like movements—that somehow feels familiar and he doesn't know why that is, either.

A great sense of unease fills him, as if something is telling him that something isn't right and he needs to figure it out... But he shakes it off and makes his way back into the forest.

Just a quick a check. A quick check and to warn his friend to not come close to town. Then he can he can run back...]

[starshower]

[It all happens in such a blur. One second, she's standing in the kitchen next to her mother, writing out "happy birthday" in icing and the next, she's outside at the town's gates, there to greet the soldiers that have only just arrived. Although she looks far from prepared, and rather than all of her focus being on the men in front of her—Sephiroth, the great war hero of all people—her eyes flit around, searching instead for any sign of Eustace.

She feels uneasy... There's still something very off about this that she can't put her finger on, but there's a sense of dread that pricks at the back of her neck and leaves her with a bad taste in her mouth.

Still, she stands straight and welcomes them in, still looking over her shoulder as she follows behind them to Shinra manor in the back of the town. Eustace, where are you?

... Why is she even worried about him in the first place? He's fine. He probably went home to get his parents and siblings to bring them over, but at least mom was there to take care of them until she got back from their tour.

Whenever he does return, he'll see Tifa standing between Sephiroth and another man, this one friendlier looking with spiky black hair, as their photo is taken just outside of the manor. And when she sees him, Tifa waves him over.]

Eustace! Come say hi!

[He might as well. To everyone else living on Gaia, these men were like celebrities!]

[flamekthunder]

Vitty! Vitty!!

[Once in the woods, Eustace cups his hands to his mouth and calls out the name, hoping they would appear. But Vitty always had a habit of hiding and not always appearing quickly, especially if he's out playing on his own. But Eustace continues to glance back where he had come from, that weird ominous feeling rising up the back of his neck. This somehow feels familiar...but different at the same time. As if he has some kind of premonition that something will happen but he doesn't know what. Thinking of Tifa, he wants to hurry and find Vitty and warn him to not come to town, to stay as far away as possible.

But why? Why does he feel this way?

And despite his desperate searching in the various known hiding places, he can't find Vitty.]

Vitty! Is he not here...? [Maybe it's for the best and belatedly he realizes that him calling might bring his friend closer, which is exactly what he doesn't want. With that in mind he shouts into the forest for Vitty to not come near town and to stay in the woods, hoping his voice is heard.

And then he rushes back to town. As he does, he has to suddenly blink and cover his right eye as a wave of heat washes over him—but when he opens his eye, nothing has changed. Whatever he felt just then seemed to be more of an hallucination...but it just makes that dark foreboding feeling sink further. Picking up the pace, he rushes towards his house only to find his family gone. He panics, wondering what happened when he hears the talk and laughter by the manor. He stares at the place, confused as he can't seem to place it, but he runs over there, anyway. In the crowds he catches a glimpse of his family, which relieves him a bit, but the trepidation remains as he finds Tifa.

Quickly he shoves his way through and is at her side, eying the two men warily.]

...Who are they?

[The friendly looking one he doesn't feel too bothered, but the other...he's not sure, but he seems off. Dangerous. Subconsciously his hand reaches out to take Tifa's, as if to try to pull her away closer to his side.]

[starshower]

[She slides back away from his hand, making a small noise of defiance and confusion at him.]

Hey? [She wrings her hand with a nervous laugh, looking between the two SOLDIERs.] This is Zack, and Sephiroth. You remember him, right? We talked about him... that one night at the—

[Her voice falls away for a moment, like she's forgotten the word. She was up there, looking at the stars, and they'd talked about... about... Sephiroth, and how...

Tifa looks to the boy, her brow knitting together as she tries to shake off the unease that's weighing down on her again. The same unease that she felt when she couldn't spot him among the crowds of people who gathered to greet their visitors. Something still isn't right, but it's as if whatever it is, it's doing all in its power to prevent her from figuring it out. Every time she questions it, it only worsens...

As she works through all of this, Zack introduces himself with a wave, and Sephiroth only stares silently down at Eustace through his cold, green, slitted eyes and an unreadable expression.]

Anyway. I was going to show them up Mount Nibel, to the mako reactor...

[She thought she'd have a little more time, but it's her job as the designated tour guide, and her dad said he'd make sure that she would make it back in time.]

I promise I won't be long. [She reaches out to take him by the shoulders.] I'll be back before you know it, okay? For now, just get everyone together and meet at my house.

[flamekthunder]

[He's just as confused, but more than that he just really doesn't trust the look in that Sephiroth's guy's eyes. Another thing bothers him—the idea of everyone together at her house. Everyone all in one place...

Uneasiness sweeps through him and he once again grabs her hand, his grip more firm this time.]

Then—what if I come with you?

[starshower]

[Tifa's lips press into a thin line. It's so hard to say no to him, especially when he grabs her hand like that, but she gives an even firmer shake of her head.]

No. We both know how dangerous it can be up there, but I'll be fine. I'm a pro, remember? Plus, wouldn't wanna worry your family on your birthday, right?

[She looks up at them, all standing around watching, but... why do all the people in the village look so blurry? Everyone but Sephiroth and Zack, and her father... Even Eustace, whose face fades in and out of focus when she blinks.

Strange... She must just be tired, but she presses a hand to rub at her eyes anyway as she stands up straight. Straighter than she's ever stood as she turns back to the other men with an enthused smile.]

Let's get this over with!

[flamekthunder]

No, wait—!

[But just as he tries to reach for her again, a force suddenly pulls him back. Voices he doesn't recognize laugh and tell him to take it easy and to let Tifa do her job. Some tease him, but the words don't really register as he can only watch Tifa and the men leave.

And then time seems to move strangely, as if he's going through water as he is kept back before he manages runs away and out of town into the woods. But it feels strange. The woods that should be covered in deep snow feel more bare, like it's a warmer season. And the trees feel unfamiliar to him, the path he's taking unknown. In the distance he hears echoes of laughter and barks, but it feels weird, like it doesn't belong.

As if he doesn't belong.

But as soon as he thinks that, a familiar white wolf cub appears and runs ahead of him.]

Vitty?

[It's as if the pup is leading him to where he needs to go, so he pushes the growing uneasiness aside as he tries to make his way towards Tifa.]

[starshower]

[The land will feel like it stretches on forever. Like the fields and trees he's found himself in the center of have grown in size, if only to keep him away from finding what's on the other side of them. No matter how fast he runs, or how far he walks, for a long time it will be as if he hasn't moved at all, like there is another powerful force that's dragging him away from the town to stop him from reaching it. Even the peaks of the mountains that cast their shadows over him are hardly visible when the trees seemingly grow taller and taller, until all that's left are the canopies above, and a suffocating wave of heat, like an invisible fire is creeping its way through.

Tifa, meanwhile, can't recall how or when she had reached the top of Mount Nibel, as if she'd been dragged up there by another force, similar to what Eustace had felt. There are holes in her memory—gaps where things should be. Where that soldier should be, or that monster, or how Tifa had defiantly stomped off after being denied entry into the reactor... Almost like there's a week that's gone missing... or it's all happened so fast that she can hardly recall that it did.

And what about Eustace's birthday?

She tries not to think too hard on it, and there isn't much time to, because...

...

One second, Eustace will be running through the forest, chasing after the small wolf, and the next, he'll find himself stepping back into Nibelheim, with flames roaring over it, across every building, every sign, and every flower, the town already consumed and destroyed from it.]

[flamekthunder]

[No matter how far he goes, he just can't seem to get there. Why does it feel as if something is trying to push him back...? And every so often he glances back to the town, as if expecting something to happen. This heat especially...it crawls up his skin, and, clawing at something in the back of his mind.

But then it hits him—a blinding flash that makes him cry out and the next thing he's stumbling back into town, set ablaze. He staggers back, unable to breathe as horror and intense grief overwhelms him. He doesn't understand, why—

Screaming for his family, he runs through the streets, the bodies almost making him retch, but he has to hold it in as he runs desperately to his home. But when he gets there it's gone.

Vanished with only black ash remaining.]

No...

[He stumbles back frozen, but then he sees the house next to his. The victims—]

...Tifa...

[It's a hoarse whisper, but as sickening as it is, the sight reminds me that there's someone else. Someone important he has to find.]

Tifa!

[Immediately he takes off to find the road back to the reactor, ignoring the pain of the smoke as he inhales it with every step.]

[starshower]

[His run to the reactor won't be easy. Wind bats at him as he makes the climb up Mount Nibel, and it rocks the bridge when he tries to cross it, with the smoke from below blocking his vision. He won't be able to see the reactor, but its whirring grows louder and louder, until it's all he'll be able to hear above the crackles and the screams and cries. If he looks ahead, he'll see its greenish-blue glow lighting the way through it all, as if serving as a beacon in the darkness.

But even then, the world stretches on. The bridge stretches on, but if he keeps running, he'll make it, only to be met by eruptions of fire from the ground where he steps, like the dream is still trying to slow him down. It's only meant to scare, so it won't burn, but it all looks as real as the very real fires down below that continue to eat through the town.

And when he arrives at the reactor, he'll find who he's looking for. It's dark, but hot, and the smell of mako so overpowering and suffocating that it will burn his insides the moment he breathes it in. There's another smell mingled in with it, too... The metallic scent of blood, and the thick smell coming from the trail of purple liquid dripping across the floor.

From the other end of the reactor, he'll hear Tifa's voice.]

Sephiroth... SOLDIERs... Mako... Shinra... I'm sick of this.

[Should he find her, he'll see her curled over a body, still and lifeless. Her father's. Her fist pounds against his chest, and it vibrates unnaturally loudly through the reactor.]

I'm sick of all of this!

[However, no matter how much he tries to run, his feet won't move. He'll be frozen on the spot, watching as Tifa slowly rises to her feet, still ignorant to his presence, to pick up the sword laying on the ground next to her...]

[flamekthunder]

[Everything he sees is unfamiliar, that feeling of dissonance growing the further he runs. But he can't think of that right now—he has to find Tifa. Has to make sure she's alive.

She can't die, not again—!

The thought hits him like a bolt of lightning, but he doesn't notice the incongruity of the words, only moving as hard and fast as he can. But why is it so slow? Why does it keep feeling as if he's being pushed back? And although the fires frighten him, he feels something push him forward instead.

Gasping he reaches the reactor, the structure so strange and foreign to him, but again he doesn't take any notice, only looking for that familiar figure. Just before he shouts her name, he spots her—but he can't move. He can't even open his mouth.

Tifa! Tifa, look at me!

It's a desperate internal cry before he stiffens, eyes widening when he sees her pick up the sword. What... What is she...

TIFA!!

Why can't he move? Why can't he do anything!??!]

[starshower]

[Tifa can feel it rising in her chest and turning over in her stomach—it's a rage she never thought she would be capable of, but it burns just as much as that sickening smell of mako. She isn't thinking straight anymore, she knows... She should run back to the village and save the people she still can—if there were any survivors left—and yet... she can think of nothing else than seeking vengeance for what he's done. For taking everything from her, and for what?

She turns to look over her shoulder then, as if Eustace's voice had somehow reached her even when he couldn't speak, her face red and streaked with tears. She smiles, and her shoulders shake with relief when she sees him.]

I'm sorry I couldn't protect anyone... That there was nothing I could do... but you need to go. This isn't right.

[Nothing about this is right. Sephiroth, Shinra, all of it... but there was more than just that. So many things had been off about today that Tifa could never quite put her finger on, but it wasn't until Eustace stood there before her, that she realized...

Her fingers tighten around the hilt of the sword, and the steel scrapes against the grates of the floor as she walks up the stairs towards the silver-haired man. Over his head, "JENOVA" is carved into the wall, and sirens start to blare as he tries to wrench the door open. Tifa's boots echo loud with each step up, and when she reaches the top, consumed by rage, she raises the sword above her head—

It's only then that Sephiroth acknowledges her, and the two of them wrestle as she tries to keep her hold on his blade.

The rest happens in the blink of an eye. Tifa loses her grip, and he takes the sword back. Eustace will finally feel his feet free themselves from whatever force had been holding there, but he'll be only seconds too late. The sword slices through the air, and then across her front. The force sends Tifa reeling back through the air, and when her body hits the stairs once, and then again, the sound of each impact and her bones shattering with each one is deafening.

When she hits the foot of the stairs, she lies lifeless, a pool of blood already soaking through her clothes from the sword's clean cut over her chest. She's still conscious, and still breathing, but barely... as she tries to hold onto her life by a thread.

It hurts... so much... The burning and the pain, the hot blood covering her face and chest and arms... She can hear the ringing in her ears, the sirens blaring even louder and trying to keep her aware, as her body tries to fight the way her mind is prepared to give up. If she gives into it now... if she lets go, then all of the lives lost would be for nothing. They would all be gone just to feed whatever twisted fantasy Sephiroth had fallen into, and then what?

She tries to blink her eyes open, and to call out for help, but her muscles refuse to move, and instead cling onto whatever small pieces of life she still has left in her.]

[flamekthunder]

[Everything feels as if it's happening in slow motion. No matter how hard he tries he can't break free and can only watch helplessly as Tifa looks at him, her gaze making his heart stop as he realizes what she's trying to do.

No... Don't... STOP!!

But it's of to no avail and he remains frozen as he watches her go up those steps and try to confront the silver haired man. The whole time he keeps trying to break free, to move, when he suddenly stumbles forward, tripping and landing on his hands. He's stunned for a moment before he quickly looks back in time to see the blade in the man's hands raised.]

No—!

[But in the same breath the blade falls, striking the young girl down and sending her falling down the stairs. For a moment he can't move, the shock too great. And when her body hits the floor with a sickening thud, lying prone and lifeless, memories of his past through Eustace's mind. Of the lifeless bodies in a burning village, the immense helplessness and pain soul crushing—and then the vision of Tifa, older, her body paling and turning blue.

With a voice filled with agony and desperation he screams her name and runs to her, the illusion "breaking" as he no longer appears as a young boy but an adult man, footsteps echoing loudly over the crackling flames and siren. He slides to a stop beside her, his usually calm, focused mind fraying in despair as his hands tremble over her, blood pooling beneath her.]

No, not again, this—

[His mind tries to process multiple things at once. He needs to stop the bleeding, needs to get her out of here, get her treated. As his hands quickly press down on the wound he can only think how this is a nightmare to—

Nightmare.

The word strikes him like a bolt of lightning and he stiffens, eyes widening as he first stares down at Tifa and then quickly looks up around him. The man is gone but everything is still burning around him, the smell so strong it's stifling. It feels so very real, but of course he wouldn't know any of this. Because all of this—]

...Your nightmare.

[It's a hoarse a whisper as he realizes that it's not just a nightmare, but a memory. A memory of her past. And somehow he was pulled into it, his own childhood memories merging with it. No wonder he felt things were off, the several incongruous moments more evident now.

With his mind starting to clear, the panic ebbs and he refocuses. He's never had to deal with something like this before but the first thing he needs to do is to stop the bleeding and get her out. Even if this is a dream, he doesn't know if the wound will harm her later or if its causing damage to her psyche, so he doesn't want to risk it.

Gritting his teeth, frost forms on his fingertips and over his palms before it spreads to her chest. He really will need to work on some kind of healing magic, but for now he can only hope this will help numb the pain and seal it. He then leans over her face, so young and delicate in his eyes. The sight of her in such pain tears at him, but he forces it back as he speaks more clearly.]

Tifa— Tifa can you hear me?

[Can he wake her up? Is it too soon?]

[starshower]

["Tifa—"

What is that? Familiarity, somewhere, deep down. She knows that voice... knows it well. He'd gone so far away, and when they met again, he was still the same, and yet... so different. And in spite of that coldness, there were still so many things about him that she did remember. How gently he would grab her hand, or how he would be so careful when pulling her from danger. A firm but guarding presence...

... Cloud? She wants to call out to him, but...

"Tifa can you hear me?"

His voice sounds different now, but not at all unfamiliar. His touch, cold as it may be, still carries a presence, similar, but unique in its own way. Firm and powerful, but so careful at the same time. She knows this one, too. She remembers it... Somewhere in the sea of memories, she remembers the way his hands shook when he held her, just like he is now, and when she had opened her eyes, it was his face that she saw...

... Eustace.

Tifa stirs, only just enough for her to finally open her eyes. Her breathing is short, ragged, as she struggles to do as much, and when she speaks, her voice is a low whisper that he can hear the life leaving her body, and the cold taking over.]

... You promised... You promised that you'd come when I was in trouble...

[Wait.

That's not right, either. Why did she say that? And why was Eustace the one she was looking up at... And why does he look so different? So much older... Nothing about this is right, but there isn't anything about it she finds wrong, either.

She asks all of these questions as she lets her eyes close again...]

[flamekthunder]

[There's a ripple of relief when her eyes flutter open, but it distorts to confusion when she mutters those words. Promise? ...What promise, he can't recall making some kind of promise.

Part of the dream, then? ...But who is she...

No, that's not important. When her voice fades and he sees her complexion paling his thoughts instantly flip back to the cave and the present.]

—Tifa. Tifa! Dammit, wake up—!

[He swears as the ice stops and his hand goes to her neck, feeling her pulse. It's so faint, just barely there. He hates how familiar this feels when it shouldn't be. His only point of solace is that this is a dream, a memory, and by some miracle she lives. He doesn't know how, but he can't waste time trying to figure it out. Maybe she'll be fine, maybe she won't, again he doesn't want to take any chance that what she suffers here in this dream will affect her upon waking. And with even this she's still not coming to, and he fears he has to play this out until the end.

His mind racing through all the possibilities, he rips off his cloak and covers her before carefully picking her up. As he does, the ground buckles beneath him, and he staggers to stay upright. Explosions can be heard behind him, ominous creaking and things shattering. Something nearby erupts into a searing wave of heat, and he gasps as he feels it burn his back as he covers the small form in his arm.

But he doesn't falter. Quickly he looks for where he came from, biting his lip as he focuses and creates a swirling wind of snow and ice around him. It's a poor construct, but it may be enough to help deflect some of the heat and fire that burns around them. After a staggering step he runs forward, but has to stop when a large piece of steel falls and blocks his path. Just as he looks around to find another way, a blur of white appears from the corner of his eye and he stiffens.

It can't be...

Despite his doubts, he hardens his resolve and follows after it, the white wolf cub leading him through the reactor that's breaking up around him.]

[starshower]

[Smoke begins to rise, as if the reactor itself is on fire just like the rest of the town below it. It's thick and black and the only guide will be the tail of the wolf in front of him as it guides him through, while Tifa lays limp and cold in his arms. In the smoke, he'll see figures. Figures of those he knows or may not. A warm smile from his mother and Tifa's, his siblings teasing him for sleeping in like he had earlier, her father setting the hat she's wearing onto her head... Common friends he'll recognize from their time in Reverein, and Camelot...

The clearest being a large white wolf with snowflakes glittering all around her...

But all of those images will fade as quick as they had appeared, drifting away into the hot air like they were never there. And the only thing he'll be left with is an image of a woman in pink, her brown hair braided back, and sweet as she may look, her expression is anything but. Should Eustace reach out to her or call her, she won't respond, besides uttering something under her breath as she stares straight at Eustace.

"And you... You're wrong."

And in a blink, her form will shift to Sephiroth, the ghosts moving along with him and giving him a glimpse into Tifa's memories, and it will be as if he's whispering straight into Eustace's ears.

"Those who look with clouded eyes see nothing but shadows."

If Eustace and the white wolf find their way to the doors, the second he steps over the threshold, it will put him back down into the middle of the burning town, at the doorstep of his empty, collapsing home. But it will look different this time... Unlike the other buildings in Nibelheim, this one will be somewhat familiar to him...

As if the nightmare is trying to fill in the empty spaces in Tifa's memories, it will be a fragmented version of his home, stealing from his memories and reshaping them with hers.]

[flamekthunder]

[He's so focused in just trying to get out of this hellspace that he doesn't pay much attention to the visions at first. But then he sees the ones that are more related to him, his family and friends. Their long lost smiles. He falters before he hardens himself and continues forward, doing his best to ignore it, until he sees the woman in front of him.

Another figment of her dream? It surely isn't his, and he's wary. Turns out he's right to be when she mutters those words. Again he's not sure if it's to him or part of the memory, and again he doesn't have time to think when the woman transforms to that silver haired man. Immediately he tightens his hold on Tifa, an overwhelming need to be protective swelling as he continues to run forward. He only barely listens to the words whispered to him, not wanting it to distract him but also wanting to note it in case it might be important.

Just get through it, he just needs to get through it. Get her past the worst of it while staying with her. Even if he shouldn't be seeing this, he refuses to let her go.

And when he crosses that threshold and finds himself back in town, he takes several deep breaths. He still can't rest, but he needs to take a moment to orient himself. Seeing his home...

He feels a stinging pain in his right eye, forcing him to squint and grimace, but he fights it off. It's then that he sees how his memories are converging with hers, how it's affecting the nightmare. And so a wild thought occurs to him: could he affect how this looks? He needs Tifa to wake up, at least become lucid in this dream, but if she's so lost in her memories, what if he forces such an abrupt change that could break her out?]

Tifa, wake up!

[A plan set in his mind, he shouts at her as he once again runs through the town to the forests. As he moves, snow falls in his wake as he conjures the image of the winter forests of his hometown, imagining the snow blanketing everything. He focuses, pushing back any reminders of his own village engulfed in flames.]

This is a dream, Tifa, a nightmare! We were never together when we were kids, we're not even from the same worlds!

[The harsh reminder makes him tighten his grip as he holds her closer, face nearing hers.]

Open your eyes, dammit! How many times do you have to make me see you like this!?

[starshower]

[Slowly but surely, the fires begin to die at the mercy of the snow. Strangely enough, it blankets the flames and puts them out rather than melting away. The parts of Nibelheim that still remained fade behind the new world that forces its way in, and the heat makes way for the cold. What was once a town crumbles around him until all that remains is a field of snow, with trees lining it in the distance, and the world falls silent.

The snow is stained with blood, the trail of it left behind in his wake, and all of the ash that blackened the air is replaced by the kiss of snowflakes on his skin.

Tifa can feel something squeezing around her, only making the pain in her chest that much more distinguishable, but that isn't the first thing she focuses on. It's the sound of his voice in her head... and how his hold feels so alike one that she had woken up to before, that gets her to stir at last, and every muscle in her body suddenly feels so tense...]

How many...?

[The words fall past her lips in barely a whisper, and her head slumps back against his shoulder, tears streaking her cheeks again.]

... It hurts, Eustace.

[flamekthunder]

[Even though he's grateful to finally hear her voice, his chest constricts upon hearing her words, the pain in her voice.

A pain he's far too familiar with.

With everything extinguished and blanketed by snow, he drops to his knees and cradles her to him, face pressed against the top of her head.]

...I know.

[It's a low whisper, filled with the exhaustion of not just the physical toll he's taken, but emotional as well. Over time the memories and pain had dulled, but it hadn't been too long ago that he had to face it all, and to actually relive it like this, even if altered, takes its toll. But this is not about him—it's about Tifa, and her pain, both physical and emotional. A pain so heart wrenching and familiar that he can empathize and wishes she had never had to go through. A pain he's not sure he can help her heal from but finds that he wants to.

...A pain he wishes he hadn't learned like this, against her will or knowledge.]

But you don't have to deal with it alone.

[A lesson that took his whole life to understand and one she might need reminding of.]

I'm right here, so... Wake up, Tifa. Please.

[Has his voice ever been so soft, so quiet...so pleading? The snow around them that had once been so tense now slows, the silence enveloping them. And yet, despite the freezing temperatures, the area around them warms, soft little lights twinkling in and out like stars as small little flower buds peek out from beneath the heavy, white blanket.]

[starshower]

[That's all she ever did... Deal with things alone. Ever since she was carried away from Nibelheim and taken to Midgar, that's all Tifa ever knew how to do. She would shoulder her problems and tackle them head on, and when the going got rough, she fought it alone. She shouldn't remember, not now, but she can vividly recall the days she would crawl into her tiny home and cry for hours, longing for a day when she would be strong enough to stand on her own, both physically and emotionally. A day when she would recover from those wounds that carved so deep into her skin...

And even when that day did come, she still harboured those things alone. It was a bad habit, she knew, but how does one be strong for others when they can't even appear strong for themselves?

Comforting as his warmth is, having Eustace see her like this is embarrassing. She never wanted him to see her as anything but strong, and here she is, collapsed into his arms, and...

That isn't right, either. He should never have seen her like this, or Nibelheim, or Sephiroth, so how is he...?

Wake up? But she is awake, isn't she? This is her reality, and it always has been. It's not something that Tifa could simply wake up from one day and have it all be gone. She still wears the scar on her chest that Sephiroth gave her that day, so what is there to wake... from...?

The desperation in his voice, and how he presses his forehead to hers... Tifa opens her eyes again, and he'll feel a shift in her weight. A shift in her form, although not so different, as she's no longer the broken teenage girl anymore, but the Tifa he knows, dressed in the same clothes she wore back then in Nibelheim. The blood still stains her top, but she's stopped bleeding, left only with a scar to show for all of it.

Head still resting on his shoulder, she knocks her fist against his chest. It's weak, and she still feels tired and sore, but...]

I'm awake...

[flamekthunder]

[His eyes blink open when he feels that weight shifting and when he sees her returning to her normal form, the relief is so overwhelming he can only stare at her, a whirlwind of emotions that he only barely manages to contain. Repeatedly he has to remind himself that this is just a dream, she's fine, she's safe. Yet everything he felt, everything he thought, it had been so real. And if this hadn't been a dream...]

...Not yet, you're still dreaming.

[Eventually he releases the breath he had been holding and he pulls back just enough so that he can look down at her.]

But you're at least more aware.

[starshower]

I'm...? Huh?

[Still dreaming?

She stares up at him through heavy lidded eyes, willing herself to open them enough that she can at least take a look around them. After several beats, she's able to sit up properly in his lap, anchoring a hand on his arm to keep herself steady when the white of the snow hits her, bright and blinding at first. She can feel the scar on her chest burning when she sees the pools of blood and the trail of it leading to where they sit, and how cold the snow feels against her skin...

Tifa can't remember how they got here or where they are, but this... isn't Nibelheim, or Reverein, or Camelot. Not even a place she knows on Gaia.

In all of this calm silence, she grips his arm tighter and leans into him, seeking out the warmth he gives off in the cold. She needs to make sure that at least one thing in this place is real...]

Where are we?

[flamekthunder]

[He lets her sit up and look around, but his arm remains fast around her waist, as if he won't let her go any further.]

...We're in your dream, but I somehow managed to change it to look like this.

[Eustace only now looks around, finding much of it familiar. Which makes sense given how he just immediately grabbed a place in his mind and focused on it without any thought. And to pick this particular place... This field of pure snow. It's peaceful. Quiet. It's like a lie that covered up what just transpired.

But there is a sharp reminder right in his arms, and his eyes drift down to her chest. She may have stopped bleeding, but the blood stain on her top makes him clench his teeth before a hand moves to hover over it, as if afraid if he touches it it might reopen. He doesn't need to see to know the damage it must have left behind, and another twisting feeling forms in his chest.]

...Do you feel anything?

[starshower]

...

[Tifa can feel it. She can feel the warm blood still clinging to her chest and her clothes, and the way that the scar on her chest burns. Her bones feel as if they'd been shattered all over again each time she gives it any ounce of attention, and the metal rods in her ribs make themselves known all over again. It's all a very painful reminder of what happened that day, and just when she thought she'd gotten over it and moved on, it came back to haunt her all over again.

It hurts so much still...

Her hand moves to clutch at her chest, but it lands over his instead and, undeterred, she only slides her fingers into his palm for comfort.]

No, I'm fine.

[It's an outright lie, and he'll know it any time she winces when she moves.

But it's silent again, and Tifa just gives herself a moment to sit there and take it all in. The snow may be a coverup, but she knows what happened. She knows that he'd seen it all—the reactor, the sword, how she'd fallen so easily... and while everything after that is a blur, she can still feel the heat of the flames on her skin... He'd seen the fires that had burned her home to the ground. No, he'd lived them.

Her body begins to give out again, and with a giant inhale, Tifa deflates and falls against him once more. Everything else be damned, she's relieved that she isn't alone.]

How do we make it stop? [How does she make the pain go away?] I wanna go home...