songerein | closed 🌠 the day midgar stood still

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closed 🌠 the day midgar stood still

Who: Tifa Lockhart & close CR
Which: Closed interactive dream
Where: Atop the Sector Seven pillar
What: Tifa has a nightmare of the night of the Sector Seven plate drop.
Warnings: N/A for now.

[For whoever happens upon the dream, they'll immediately be greeted with the stench of fire and burning metal. Debris is falling, the grates beneath them are groaning, helicopters circle about, and the lights hanging from the underside of the colossal plate shine down on the city of Midgar below. The air is thick with smoke and flames, but even thicker with something else...

Dread. The fear for a thousand lives below... The fear of losing after fighting for so long...

If they look behind them, they'll see that world below—the winding, narrow streets of the Sector Seven, and the little lights within the run-down buildings that line them. Where they stand is on a portion of the pillar that helps to hold the city above the slums, the platform ablaze with flames and everything looking like it's almost ready to crumble apart. And all the way across the platform is a computer, its screen red and flashing with "WARNING", and a small, familiar figure darting towards it.

"Plate separation authorized. Awaiting confirmation."

To their right is a red-haired man crawling across the ground, his arm stretching to reach for the silver rod a few feet in front of him. On the left is another, taller man kneeling over himself, both of them looking worse for wear, injured, and clearly having just lost a hard-fought battle.

Tifa's hair flutters in the hot wind as she stands in front of the computer, out of breath as her fingers hover over the many buttons while the voice repeats itself over the speakers.

"Awaiting confirmation..."

She's at a complete loss. She can feel the panic gripping her chest and squeezing her heart. If she could just figure out how to stop it... how to turn it off... If she hits the wrong one, it could all end in disaster. But for some reason, besides her hands trembling, she's frozen. Haunted.

...

It's just like... that day... all of those days when she failed...

......

"Plate separation authorized. Awaiting confirmation."

The moment anyone dares to take a step in her direction, phantom-like creatures—Whispers—will create a barrier between her and this newcomer, swirling around and around to keep them in place. Fight against them, try to run... Weapons will phase right through them and they will beat you back, but anyone who tries to do anything but choose between the two men at either side will be stopped...

Even should they try to call out to Tifa, she's far too distracted by the computer to notice everything else going on around her.]

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[She only bites down on the inside of her lip.

They'll need to worry about where Aerith is later, although she has a hunch that they'll be keeping her at the Shinra headquarters... somewhere. Cloud might know but... where is he? And Barret? The train of thought is immediately ground to a halt when more debris falls only a foot away from where Susato is standing and it, along with Susato's question, kicks Tifa's fight or flight into high gear.

She isn't sure why she feels the urgent, overwhelming need to protect this girl when everything else in her mind tells her to run, but she wraps an arm around Susato's shoulders and guides her away from the console just in time as a large piece of burning steel falls and crushes it.

Tifa pauses to squint through the heat.

...

There's a wire at the other end of the platform that looks like it will lead down and away from the plate, and so she grips Susato's hand tight in hers.]

Trust me, okay?

[Even if Tifa still isn't sure if she can trust Susato, there's something that flickers underneath the flames that are reflecting bright in the reds of her eyes... Something that Susato might recognize from the night in the cave.]

...!!

[ Susato looks alarmed as she feels Tifa's sudden weight around her shoulders. She doesn't have a chance to fight it. It's hardly a warm embrace, but it might feel like it for a moment, even as the console is crushed in a deafening blow by the steel. Heat pulsates through the air as Susato also opens her eyes, nearly blinded by her own sweat, and she shakes, hearing Tifa's simple request.

Trust her. She always has.

She stares with wide eyes, meeting Tifa's determined gaze with her own. Then she squeezes her hand back, and suddenly she's not shaking so much. ]

...Alright. [ Her heart races. She's ready to follow her lead. ]

Edited (...icon) 2022-10-26 03:46 (UTC)

[She leads her across the platform, shielding the two of them from whatever falls in their way and weaving in and out of the flames. It feels like the run stretches on forever, and that they might not make it to the other side, and Tifa can feel pain searing in her leg again, but she keeps going. She keeps pushing herself through, running in her head all the possible answers for where the others are and why Cloud would suddenly just disappear like that...

Did the Whispers take him?

Tifa is forced to shake off the thought as she leaps over the gate of what appears to be a maintenance elevator, and she reaches her hands out to help Susato over.]

Just don't look down and hold onto me as tight as you can.

[ The platform feels like it never ends. She is reminded of the way she managed to walk to the flames to get to her that night, only this time, they aren't separated. Susato certainly won't allow herself to just be protected either, and she won't just hide behind Tifa. She tries in equal part to protect Tifa as they go, even slowing when down she can sense the pain getting to her.

Unfortunately, as well-meaning as that warning is, looking down is the first thing she does. Not for long, though. Her eyes flicker back up as she reaches her hands out to hers, and her nerves dancing as they connect.

She leaps into a clumsy hug, clinging as tightly as Tifa would expect while she steadies herself. ]

[Tifa clutches onto her in return with one arm while the other reaches up for the hook that's resting at the top of the wire. She pulls on it to test it—it's likely meant for pillar maintenance workers to secure themselves to while they're on the lift in case anything happens, but right now, it's their only way down.

The floor of the platform begins to fall in pieces, the debris from the pillar too heavy for it to withstand it anymore, and with a deep breath, Tifa kicks them both off the elevator. With her arm tighter around Susato, the two of them sail over the slums, and she can see how the buildings collapse under pieces of the plate, and above, she can see the upper floor of Midgar folding in on itself as it's blasted apart.

And as much as Tifa wants to close her eyes, she doesn't. She can't. Not with this girl wrapped around her shoulders and both of them holding on for dear life, and so she's forced to watch as everything she knew for the last few years is destroyed. And somewhere in all of the destruction is her apartment, her bar, her friends...

The flames are chasing after them now, and the groaning of the plate is so loud that she can't hear her heart thundering in her head anymore. It's so hot and smoky and Tifa can hardly breathe, and the flames almost kiss her skin and the soles of her shoes as they plummet closer to the ground. There's a gate up ahead, and if they can make it through to the other side, the rubble will at least block the worst of the flames—]

Hold on...!

[Tifa tries to force them to move quicker, and they only make it through by the skin of their teeth, and she swears that the ends of her hair have been singed in the process. She lets go of the hook and they fall several feet, but she grabs Susato in both arms to break the landing for both of them...]

[ Tifa is so much stronger and better than she is. Susato, by contrast, does close her eyes. She has no connection to this place, no sense of loss that Tifa feels, but she still can't bear to watch as homes and families are destroyed. She's shaking the entire time, but eventually a nagging guilt causes her look. She can't allow Tifa to shoulder this burden... Her eyes sting with tears, her vision a blur, but she can see the gate.

Doesn't know what it is. Doesn't know how it will help, but it's a goal, and one that he latches onto. She's too slow to fight Tifa for the landing. By now, her hair is equally a mess, if not undone completely. There's no time, yet Susato still struggles atop Tifa, crawling off her after the worst of it. Soot trails her face. They're both battered and completely bruised. ]

Tifa-- Tifa, I'm sorry.

[ Her voice cracks, and her throat is completely dry with smoke. ]

You don't... You don't have to do this anymore. You have to wake up.

...You have to remember.

[Susato's voice is like a loud bell in Tifa's head, ringing loud in the middle of the silence. It's almost eerie how still everything is now, with only the flames that continue to eat away at the remains of the city and the distant cries for help being the only thing around them that moves or makes any sound. She doesn't say anything at first, only looking over the girl to make sure that she's okay, before she tries to get to her feet and cough whatever air she can back into her lungs. She stumbles and leans against the wall that barely towers over them now and tries to get a good look around.

...

Before she's looking back at Susato.]

What are you talking about...?

[Her voice is low and hoarse, and she sounds like she's about to cry. And even still, she offers her a hand to help her up.]

This isn't a dream...

[Although, she wishes that it was.]

[ ...Susato stares at Tifa's hand for a moment, just catching her breath. In the end, she takes it, gripping it tightly, and she doesn't let go even once they're both on their feet. Even now, it's hard to tell whether her vision is starting to fog due to all the smoke, or whether consciousness is slowly creeping in. Everything looks coated in a layer of white or gray. ]

I know... I know it doesn't feel like it is. But it is your turn to trust me now.

You know me. [ Think. ]

[...

Tifa tries to place her, but... even as she tips her head and stares at the girl with a frown, she can't picture her in any of her memories. In Seventh Heaven, or Sector Seven. Not even anywhere else in Midgar. Or Nibelheim.

.....]

I'm... sorry. Were you a customer? [Her heart sinks, and she pulls away.] You really shouldn't have been caught up in all that...

[ Susato takes a deep breath. Somewhere in the distance, there is the sound of a structure giving way from all the flames engulfing it, but she shakes her head. In that moment, everything else in the chaos seems muted. ]

You manage a different bar now, remember?

You pulled me aside not long ago to ask me something. Something important... There was a starflower, right there next to us. [ She squeezes Tifa's hand again, and with the one that is free, she gestures to the side, roughly where the starflower would have been, right there atop the counter. ]

...You mixed me a drink.

[Visions of... something swirl in her head. A bar... Seventh Heaven? No, somewhere else...

Her tears are burning in her eyes from all the ash and smoke, and she's still reeling from everything, and yet, this girl's presence seems oddly calming with how she explains this series of events. She still can't quite place the memory, what it was she had asked this girl that was so important, but the moment she gestures aside, something interesting happens.

A single little flower blooms in the dirt, its petals glowing a bright blue among all the red of the flames that engulf the city. It shudders in the hot wind as it opens and spreads wide.

Tifa cants her head with both surprise and curiosity, and when she speaks, her voice is as distant as her stare as she looks down at it.]

Flowers don't grow in Midgar.

[Except for one place.]

[ Susato follows Tifa's gaze. Seeing that one lone starflower as a symbol of hope for a moment, a sign that she's getting through, she nearly cries. A tear threatens to roll down her cheek as she bends down, cupping her hands around the flower as if to protect it, before she gently tugs it free by its root.

She offers the flower to Tifa, holding it in a shaky hand.

What place does she mean? Susato doesn't know.

Because... ]

We didn't meet on Midgar.

[Tifa peers down at the flower, curious, before she takes it just as gingerly into her own hands. It shimmers, its pale blue glow a stark contrast to the fire all around them. It's truly something to behold, and... there's a strange familiarity to it, and how the petals bristle in the hot wind that keeps brushing through.]

We didn't...

[The words come almost instinctively, and it's those exact words that shatters the entire illusion that's been clouding her mind all this time. It's like a jolt one feels when falling within a dream and snapping awake, except this time, she remains locked inside the nightmare, fully aware now of what's going on.

Tears begin to fall, dropping over the silky petals of the starflower before she's looking up at Susato...

And without a word of warning, she throws her arms around the girl's shoulders in a much-needed embrace, and it's there that she lets herself cry more freely.]

It happened again...

[ Susato can still taste smoke as she gasps. Tifa's weight leans on her, but Susato quickly adjusts and pushes back slightly before she returns the embrace in full. She can feel the wetness of Tifa's tears; her entire body shaking. Out of the corner of her eye, Susato can still see the glow of the flower.

Herlock Sholmes' words feel so far away now. What did he say...? She's burdened by the passions of youth. By emotion.

Susato starts to cry, too. ]

Again...?

[Her hand moves to cradle the back of Susato's head when she hears and feels her crying, her other arm tightening around the embrace. She doesn't offer an answer right away, still reeling a bit from everything, but with a small sob and a sniffle, she nods.]

Everything...

[Everything happened again.

Tifa thinks she at least deserves an explanation, after she helped her out of this waking nightmare.]

So many people's lives ruined because of them... Because of Shinra. Twice, I've lost it all to them...

[ Susato can hear the sniffle in Tifa's voice and her own, and she's immediately trying everything to stop it. She is supposed to be the one helping Tifa through this, not the other way around. Perhaps they've realized it now, though knowing that it's a dream doesn't seem to change the fact that the chaos is still around them.

For now, at least. ]

Shinra... They, They did all this? But why? [ And twice? ]

To send a message.

[Of all the people she's had to tell this to besides Eustace, Susato somehow feels the hardest... Not out of mistrust, but perhaps it's because she wants to be seen a certain way in the younger girl's eyes, and telling her what happened might paint her in another light. There's some hesitation before Tifa's freeing Susato and taking a step back, putting a very careful distance between them.

She tries to remember what the others have said to her about feeling that way... about being afraid of what people would think of her here and how her past could possibly ruin these friendships, but she's learning to have a little more faith in the people she's formed those bonds with in not abandoning her when they do learn the truth.]

It was exactly what we were doing. Me, and the others. Bombing Shinra to make a bold statement and get them to stop what they were doing, but then they retaliated by dropping the plate and blaming us for it. In the end, innocent people got caught up in all of it. From both sides.

[She's trying to keep it as simple as possible, but if Susato needs more then... she could give it.]

[ Tifa would not be the first, nor the last to feel such a way with regards to Susato. She simply inspires that kind of instinct to protect, despite the fact that all she wants is to be able to protect others--as she feels like she was meant to do, at least on some level. There's a look of understanding, however; she certainly doesn't hold it against Tifa, in this case.

It's clearly not an easy topic, but now that it's been breached, it hopefully feels like the hardest part has passed. ]

Did people believe them? That you were responsible...

What were you trying to keep them from doing that inspired such violence in the first place?

They do...

[Which means that, in some way, Shinra had won. They accomplished what they wanted to, but had done so in a much more vicious way than they should have... but she knows that none of them care about that. Which is why there's a flicker of anger in Tifa's eyes as she goes on.

And she wishes that Barret were here to explain it to Susato instead. Or even Aerith...]

Our Planet... our home is dying because they keep siphoning its energy. Mako...

[She lifts her hands to show off the glowing, colourful glass materia on her wrists.]

It's what powers everything, including magic. But...

[Her own reasons for joining Avalanche aren't exactly virtuous, nor were they to "save the Planet." While Tifa does care, she isn't all in it for just that.]

... I was just angry and wanted to get back at them for what they did to me.

[ 'Mako.'

Before she can even ponder the term, Tifa's words seem to indicate something far more personal. She waits, just in case Tifa continues, but when she doesn't, Susato will take a guess. ]

You mentioned that you lost everything because of them.

[ Was Tifa dreaming of the first time? The second? ]

Mm.

[She only nods quietly in affirmation first, but there's a moment where she peers at Susato, as if trying to gauge her reaction, her expression, and what she might be feeling and thinking right now. But as Tifa continues, there's an anger that quivers ever so slightly in her voice. It's subtle, but it's there, edging her words.]

When I was fifteen, they burned my home village. All of it. I was badly injured by the man who did it, too... It was the whole reason I came here, to Midgar, in the first place. Or had to. It was the only place they could find someone good enough to take care of me.

[There's a pause, and she sighs, a hand pressing to the center of her chest where the scar still sits.]

I'm sorry. I didn't want you to see all this.

[ The edge in Tifa's voice pricks at her like a knife being lightly dragged against skin. Susato listens however, without interrupting, and meets her eyes when she can feel Tifa watching. ]

No, it's okay. I think I understand.

[ Better now than she would have before, but there is still a slight distaste in her mouth that she can't swallow. ]

Revenge is a beast that sleeps in even the most kindhearted people.

[Her lip twitches as she fights back the urge to sob, the words hitting her right where it means the most, but also right where it hurts the most. People often say that about Tifa, and she does believe with all her heart that everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from or even what they've done, should be treated with kindness... but there's always been that beast that has indeed slept within her own.

It's just a matter of what she chooses to do with it...]

It is.

[She concedes softly in agreement.]

I... didn't tell anyone because I didn't want you all to think differently of me. Less of me...

[And then leave her.]

[ Susato doesn't say anything, but continues to watch as Tifa holds back that sob. Susato has always had a sense for it--people's intentions, emotions. Perhaps that is how she took so well to dreamotion. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to help her now. If she says anything... voices her support... She may not be able to hold back the tears, either.

So instead she shakes her head and propels herself forward to pull Tifa into a hug.

...

......

She'll find her words. Just give her a moment. ]

[She is a bit surprised by the gesture, simply because it's unexpected and so sudden, so there's a gasp from her as Susato pulls her in, and a beat where she's so shocked that she remains frozen before she finally wraps her arms around her and squeezes gently in return.

By some miracle, Tifa manages to hold back the sob, although it's not without a fight. She doesn't want to cry—she's already been through this before, and then dreamt it again and again, as if there's something here that this world is trying to hammer into her. Maybe it's that she needs to move past this. Or maybe it's because she has people here who support her, people who wouldn't leave her regardless of what she did before coming to Reverein, and that she shouldn't be afraid of that anymore.

It's hard to break free from that, but Tifa thinks she's finally coming to understand that these sorts of bonds run much deeper than that.

It's also difficult to find the right words at a time like this, so for now, she'll also take that moment to simply be there with Susato and appreciate her presence and all of the things she loves about her before she finally whispers,]

... Thank you.

🎀

judicialassistant - 2022-12-03 23:50 (UTC) - Expand

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closed 🌠 the day midgar stood still

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