songerein | open 🌠 you see the shadows

Entry tags:

open 🌠 you see the shadows

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!]

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[Fire magic, huh... Well, that's more than he's accomplished, at least. Two months and he still hasn't really figured out this dreamotion stuff.

She thinks she can snap off the tail though, huh? He gives her a look over. She doesn't look like much on the surface, but... Well, Law's traveled with enough strong women to know never to doubt one who says they can do something.]

Got it. I'll draw its attention, you move in when you think you have an opening.

[And then before Tifa can agree or object to his proposition, he's gone, springing forward at the scorpion. If there was one thing Law was good at, it was making things mad at him. He lands a powerful kick to the scorpion's head. When it tries to retaliate by slamming its massive claw into him, he deftly dodges it in the air, and then--]

Eagle Dive!

[--stomps on the scorpion's head with intense force, before hitting the ground afterwards and creating a spray of sand from the resulting impact. All eyes are on him now.]

[She sure does think so. What could possibly go wrong with a plan like that?

Of course, the only reason she suggested she do it is because she doesn't want it to be Law. Capable or not, Tifa isn't about to let him do the dirty work if she can do it herself. So she's thankful that he agrees to her proposal, and even more appreciative that he wastes no time in seeing it through, because they'd have no time to anyway. Not with it closing in on them like this, and the sun continuing to scorch and bear down on them.

The sand does wonders in masking her presence. It's almost as if the scorpion had forgotten that there were two of them, because she uses it to cover herself to come in from its side, where she leaps up onto its back. The sand gives little footing, so she very nearly misses by a hair, but when she feels her feet land on its hard shell of a body, she looks up.

Its tail swings back and forth, trying to strike Law from its spot on the ground while it scrambles back to its feet, and Tifa has to hold on for a moment, grabbing the base of its tail so that she isn't flung from it. That gets its attention, and it turns to look at her, its tail snapping downward instead where it bounces off its back and only just misses her feet.]

Whoa—! Gonna need one more distraction! Smaller one this time if you can!

[She's ready to pack that kick, but not with it looking at her like this!]

Another? [Oh come on, that first distraction was gold, how was he possibly going to top that?

He narrows his eyes and grits his teeth.]

Alright, here goes nothin'! Hey! You big galoot, look over here!

[...It wasn't much of a plan, but his shouting does get the scorpion's attention, at least. It tries to slam him with one of its claws, but he dodges, hopping on top of the claw.]

You'll have to do better than that if you're gonna catch me!

[It begins to thrash its claws about, trying to shake him off, but he's holding steadfastly onto it now.]

[That's good enough.

Tifa climbs back onto its back as it moves about, its claws thrashing and its tail snapping around, but at least its aggression isn't directed at her anymore. It snaps into the sand again and again, blotching it with black, and she has no more time to waste in watching this whole scene unfold.

Whirling around with as much momentum as she can muster, she lands a somersault kick on the tail, and with an ungodly cracking sound, the sharp end of it bends and snaps off from the rest. It screeches as a black smoke bleeds from the tip of it, and it swings its tail around in an attempt to knock them both off.

She jumps first, and grabs Law on the way down so that they can land in the sand. They have a moment to breathe and get back on their feet while the scorpion struggles...]

Okay, hardest part's over at least. Thanks.

[Yikes.

While it's true he didn't doubt she could do it, he was not prepared for her actually... doing it. The sound of that tail snapping clean off thanks to a well-placed kick was sickening, almost bone-chilling really. But he doesn't get long to contemplate it as Tifa grabs him, yanking him to the ground below without so much as a warning.]

Wh-whooooaaaaa!

[They land on the ground without a fuss, though, and Law straightens up, dusting himself off. The fight wasn't over yet, not until it stops breathing, but they had a moment to regroup at least.]

Remind me not to get on your bad side.

[And a moment for Law to complain.]

Well, we've got him on the ropes. You got a preference for how we wrap this one up?

[Tifa has to spit a mouthful of sand out before she climbs to her feet and tries to brush herself off, but sand clings to every inch of her clothes that she looks like she'd just been rolled in a floury batter. So while they did indeed have a very Badass Moment, she wishes she had come out of it looking like one. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of time to consider that, what with this much bigger fish to fry.

With a low chuckle, she digs her feet into the ground.]

Only preference is we wrap this up quick.

[And as she says that, the scorpion manages to find its own footing again, although as it swings its stinger-less tail about, it sprays more of that black ooze leaking from it that continues to burn holes into the sand. There's another loud slam as it hits the shell on its back again, and Tifa frowns.]

We'll need to get underneath it, no way we'll get it from above. How are you with sand?

[A snarl purses Law's lips as he takes a step backwards, trying to keep his distance from the ooze the scorpion is spraying. With the way it was burning through the sand like that, he wasn't keen on getting it on his clothes--or on himself for that matter.]

Uhh... Okay, I guess? Beats trying to fight in the snow, at least.

[He kicks at the sand with a foot.]

I'm guessing you've got an idea, right? I'm all ears.

Just gonna have to trust me.

[Because the scorpion begins to skitter towards them now, its skinny feet finding its footing at last, and Law will start to feel a rumbling beneath his own. The sand slowly begins to gather and pick up, and if he looks over to Tifa, he'll see her focusing on her magic, small bubbles of fire forming around her hands.

And then, without much else to serve as a warning, the sand will begin to move them in the direction of the scorpion, the two of them moving at it head on.]

Get ready...

[Please, please let this work.]

Alright. [Law doesn't know Tifa very well, but she's already proven she can hold her own in a fight and that she knows how to work together, so he's choosing to trust her.

He watches her movements, keeping one eye on the scorpion, just in case he needs to act and do something while Tifa's busy doing whatever she's doing. But thankfully, that moment doesn't seem to come, or at least Tifa isn't indicating that it is. Everything seems to be going the way she wants it to. He just wishes he knew whatever she was planning.

But she asked him to trust her, so trust her he will.]

I'm ready!

[He's got his guard up, he's ready to follow her lead at a moment's notice, even as they seem to be on a collision course with their foe.]

Keep those gloves up.

[His bracers, or whatever they are! Because—]

Down!

[The sand sinks under their feet and sends them sliding between the legs of the scorpion, granting them access to its underside before it can even stab its tail at them. Tifa doesn't have much in the way of cutting it open, but she does send a blast of fire up its unarmoured stomach, and it lifts it off the ground far enough that Law should be able to finish it off in whatever manner he sees fit.]

[Fire, huh. He would have questioned the wisdom of using fire in a place like this, but Tifa manages to once again surprise Law, with her fire shot scoring a critical hit on the scorpion. The fire lifts the scorpion into the air, and Law, having flashbacks to many battles alongside Shionne and her use of fire spells, knows exactly how to follow up.

He leaps into the air, and through some unconscious use of dreamotion that he hasn't realized, gathers up the residual flames of Tifa's fire blast into a condensed shot, almost like a bomb, and then--]

Burn Strike!

[He lands a powerful kick on the condensed shot, sending it flying at high speed at the exposed weak point of its stomach, the bomb exploding on impact and sending the scorpion flying away from them in a charred, crumpled heap.]

Nice work!

[It lands with a hardy thump in the sand several feet away, and as the sand waves lower and flatten to place them both back on solid ground, Tifa can see its legs twitching in the air before all movement finally stops. As for the two of them, they'll both be covered in sand that clings to their skin and clothes and hair that she makes a futile attempt to brush away. The sun that was once scorching feels less so now, and although it's still unbearably hot, Tifa feels like she can finally breathe properly.]

You too.

[She lifts a fist for a fist bump. Don't leave her hanging!]

Nice move at the end there. Surprised me a little in a "that was really cool" way.

Hell yeah!

[Law flashes a cheeky grin as he reciprocates that fist bump, knocking his fist against her, their gauntlets making a metallic klink sound together.]

Pretty sweet, right? That's a little bit of improvisation from back home. I'm just glad there wasn't any friendly fire there!

[It would have been very bad if he accidentally caught himself on fire with Tifa's spell there.]

[So he does some fighting like this back home, then. Not that she doubted that at all, given his skill, but seasoned fighters can improvise on the spot like that. He looks pretty young, though, but never judge a book by its cover.]

I'm always careful with magic. If anyone's gonna get hit by it, it would've been me. Wouldn't have been the first time it backfired, but...

[She dusts her hands off.]

Managed to get out of that with only a few scratches. I'd call that a win.

Yeah, I'd say so.

[He shifts around on the balls of his feet, coming to rest his hand on his hip as he takes a relaxed pose.]

Gotta say, I don't run into too many people with moves like yours. The way you went HRAAAAAAH and kicked that tail clean off was amazing.

[Law, the master of eloquence.]

[His eloquence provokes a peal of laughter out of her.]

Let's not forget the way you dove right in there with that Eagle Dive!

[She puts some emphasis on the name, her voice a low, enthusiastic shout and two punches of her fists. All the best and coolest fighters name their moves.]

I'd say let's check out if there's anything else in this dreamscape, but this has gotta be the plainest one I've seen so far. [Her hand lifts to shield her eyes from the sun as she tries to look past the waves of heat rising from the ground.] Nothing but sand.

Hey, all the best fighters name their moves! [As if vocalizing her thought there.] And that move right there deserves a really cool name. Like...

Sundering Fang! [He shouts that with all the bravado he would use in battle.] Or... Spineshatter Sweep! Something that really catches attention.

[Yeah, he knows what he's talking about. He was trained by the best, after all, and he's become better than the best, so he's the new best now.

He shifts around again, placing his weight on one side as he rubs at his neck.]

I dunno... I'm pretty over this place now. I left home to get away from places like this. Let's get outta here.

[He grins now, and pumps his fist in the air.]

And maybe you can show me how you did that move!

[Tifa lifts a finger.]

I call that one Somersault. Definitely not as creative as yours, though. Might need to rethink it, but I can show you.

[She's kind of jealous of his names! Sundering Fang has a really effective ring to it, and it reminds her a little of Red XIII.

Beginning to walk in any which direction, she realizes:]

So, where exactly do we get out of here? Not a single exit sign.

[Now for the worst part of the dreamscapes: getting out of them. If she could just pinch herself awake, she could, but does that actually work?]

Good question...

[Law glances around the area. There wasn't any convenient door, or gate, or elevator, or portal out of here. Just. Sand. So much freakin' sand...]

Maybe we just need to dream up a way out.

[But that's just ridiculous sounding, there's no way that'd work, haha. ...Unless?]

[Tifa doesn't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating. And it gets everywhere.

Anything ridiculous sounding is very, very plausible in a place like this, she's discovering, so when he suggests it, she arches an understanding brow at him.]

That could work. Let's not throw that out as a possibility. If we think hard enough about going back, maybe it'll just happen...?

[And they'll need to pray that neither of them get sucked through the sand to get there. She's got enough of it in her shoes as it is.]

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