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Title: Dain af Niohoggr
Author: GW Katrina
Beta: Skeren
Fandom: FFVII: Mercverse
Claim:![[insanejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/ij-community.gif)
mercverse for story_arc
Themeset/Prompt: Thirty Set 01: 02-Lost
Wordcount: 2,050
Ratings: PG-13
Link to Archive Post: Here
Rubbing her eyes, Yuffie sat outside, taking the chance to enjoy the fresh air. She was starting to think that she was going to turn all moldy from all the time she was spending in the library. As she sat outside, letting the sun hit her, she watched the people around her. There was a general feel of worry in the air. It wasn’t something that was going to go away, not until everything was settled. Most people still didn’t know what was going on, Yuffie had discovered. They just knew that something was happening.
Had it only been a few weeks since that initial wave happened? When everyone with even a bit of magic in their blood had felt the seal of Jenova coming down?
Not that many people knew that was what it was. Even in her own Clans, Yuffie had not shared that much detail. Oh, quite a few of her people had figured it out, but had kept quiet over it. It wasn’t like the focus of the searching she had been doing was anything hidden, and time was not on their side. So it wasn’t like she had done much to keep it secret either.
Right now, though, she had to take a break. Taking a deep breath, she watched the people. Snacking on a hotdog that she had picked up from a good little stand on the corner, she was happy for the time it took to eat it. Loaded down with toppings, she looked nothing like the princess her father despaired after as she munched on it. Not that most people would have recognized her. She wasn’t wearing her normal gear, just in a regular set of jeans and a shirt advertising the 7th Heaven. For anyone looking at her, they would just assume she was some college kid hanging out.
Ninja were good at blending in, after all.
Watching people, Yuffie wondered why so many of them were oblivious to things around them. Didn’t they realize that things could get very messy, very quick?
Course, these were the people who lived in the outskirts anyway. Maybe it was just that things really couldn’t get worse, not in their eyes.
Godo was planning, though he hadn’t told Yuffie much of it. To be fair, he did have his hands full from dealing with the various Families. Even when they agreed to work together, there was a lot of infighting. That was just their way. Years and years of squabbling left their mark. Not to mention all the blood feuds that were as much a part of the issues as the desire for more territory. So many people had killed each other. This person was avenging that person, that person died and left all these people angry.
Still, that was what her father had to deal with. Hopefully, he’d be able to keep them all going the same path. She didn’t have to, and that was just as well. She’d have probably set everyone on fire before this.
Suddenly, her attention was caught as people around her began to go still, the multitude of voices stopping, one by one. Looking around, Yuffie blinked, her jaw dropping.
Along the ground, threads of light were moving along, wiggling and shifting, following some pattern that Yuffie couldn’t see. They were a variety of colors, weaving around each other. Here and there, she could almost see runes in the lines, each of the thin lights growing brighter as they began meet and interlace.
What was going on?
From the sounds of it, she wasn’t the only one who didn’t know. Though she looked back, the direction the lines were crawling from clear.
The center of the city.
What the hell?
Snagging her phone, Yuffie called the one person she -knew- would know what was going on.
Maybe Cloud would tell her what the hell was going on.
///
Some days, Tifa wondered if it was worth opening up the bar. Today was one of those days.
It wasn’t that business was slow. Just the opposite. She had to ask Aeris to help out as a waitress, and a few other girls. The people just kept coming, and it was beginning to drain down her stock. And she wasn’t getting it shipped in fast enough to keep up.
Not that she was the only one with that issue. It seemed that most of the slums were taking to drowning their sorrows in alcohol in record numbers. Not bad for business, but she wasn’t sure how good it was for the people doing it.
Right now, though, she might as well open up. The food was going as fast as the drink, so it was balancing out a bit.
Wiping down the bar, she looked around the floor.
This place was full of memories. Barret had helped her set up when she had first gotten here, not wanting to bother Cloud and Zack until she was set up fully in the town. They were her friends, and she knew that they would have done anything to help her, but it was a better feeling to do it the way she had done it. Barret and her had met on the way here, he had business with the King, and she was just ready to get away from Nibelheim. Her teacher had sent her with his blessings, though he had told her that he didn’t know if she would find what she was looking for in Midgar either. Tifa had nodded, and met up with her friend. Barret and her had hit it right off, especially when Marlene and Tifa had played tic tac toe for hours on the train.
She would have to call the man and see how he was doing. He hadn’t checked in since he called and let her know that people were starting to vanish from his neck of the woods and asked how things were going in Midgar. He had cussed up a storm when she had told him the same thing was happening there as well. Seemed he wasn’t too thrilled with the lack of action from Shinra. But there was nothing either of them could do.
“Tifa!”
Aeris’s voice, breathless and more than a little shocked, made Tifa look up. Her friend was paused in the doorway, halfway in, and just standing there. Her eyes were focused on the outside. Curious, and more than a little worried on what might be happening now, Tifa hopped right over the bar and joined her friend.
Looking outside, she made a soft, startled sound.
The 7th Heaven was crammed in the middle of town, but it faced towards the outer edges of the city. Vaguely aware that there were lines of something all over the ground, Tifa’s eyes were caught on what she saw above the roofs around her.
In the air, where she guessed the city proper ended, rose color.
It seemed to be creeping up, and Tifa was reminded of a circuit board. Tiny lines of metal, laying out a pathway, made large in the lines of the sky. As they rose up, they etched out runes, each growing, flexing, colors merging and becoming one solid glow, then continuing to travel up to the next one.
This was familiar, but Tifa didn’t know why.
“It’s so pretty....”
Aeris just grabbed her hand and squeezed, eyes bright.
“It’s protection.”
///
This was hope, Aeris realized.
She was raised in Midgar. She had grew up on these stories. Every schoolchild knew this story. That this could happen one day. It was more of a bedtime story that her adopted mother had told her than anything that might actually happen.
“He did it.” A murmur, and she tightened her fingers on Tifa’s hand. “The King did it.” In her blood, power sang, and she swayed slightly. This was something she had never felt before. The sheer wave of power that was laced through with something that was different. Something that drew her, and she shut her eyes, leaning against Tifa.
“Did what?”
The confusion in Tifa’s voice, even as she shifted her free arm to help support Aeris, made the woman smile. “Aeris, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just...breathtaking.” She opened her eyes, looking at the runes that were slowly crawling up the air, surrounding the city. “It’s the old protections. Old as the Angels war. The Cetra helped set them into place to keep the humans safe if Jenova ever broke free or the demons that followed her made an attempt on the human cities that existed then.” She shifted, looking at her friend. “Nobody ever thought that the King would activate them. But he did.” A brilliant smile. “He can keep the demons out. True demons won’t be able to get in when the protections are complete.”
Around them, she could hear others starting to murmur. She wasn’t the only one who remembered the stories.
For most of these people, this was the first real sign that something was wrong. These had not been activated since the last great war.
It was an odd mix of voices around her. Some were rising in fear, some in the wonder. Nobody knew for sure what to expect. Not even Tifa, who was still confused on what it was.
Aeris just shut her eyes, and let the music of the protection sing through her mind.
///
Watching from the window, Reno stood in Rufus’s rooms. Behind him, Rufus was sleeping on the bed, looking pale and thin.
That bitch better not think she could ever get that close to him again.
Oh, Reno knew that his boss’s current state was from him activating the protections. He also knew that the man would probably be like this for a few days as said protections finished building and settling around the city. So they would have to be extra vigilance to make sure that nobody got close enough to attack this king.
That, Reno would make sure of. Tseng was also hyper aware. He was currently standing next to the bed, eyes moving over everyone as they went around the room. Not that Reno blamed him. Rude was talking quietly with Veld right now, probably trying to keep the man from doing anything drastic. They needed every trained Turk they could get, and there was no time to train more. Not currently. They couldn’t afford to lose anyone.
Outside, Reno knew that people would be more confused than anything. Hopefully, Rufus would be back on his feet and able to give a speech to keep any of the more flammable idiots out there from taking a notion to cause issues. The last thing they needed was some moron starting a riot.
“How does it look?”
Almost a whisper, and Reno looked at the man. The blue of his eyes was the most vivid part of him right now, and Reno was hit by how much Rufus and Cloud resembled each other at this moment. Sometimes, one could really see the family resemblance between Strife and the Shinras.
“Lit up the sky, boss.” Reno said, moving to lean against the foot of the bed. “But if you don’t get up soon and let them know it was you, someone else might try stealing your thunder.”
A faint snort, and Rufus just smiled. “Then Tseng would shoot them for me.” The blue vanished as Rufus shut his eyes again. “It worked. That’s all I need to know now.” His lips curled in a smile. “The sheep will be able to thank me later.”
“Thanking sheep. I tell you, boss, you have some weird wishes.”
“No stranger than some of the things you’ve made me listen to.”
His voice trailed off as the man felt asleep, and Reno looked at Tseng. The man nodded, his own mouth set in a small smile. “He will be a force to deal with when he wakes up.”
“He will. And we’ll be there to keep him in line.”
Chuckling faintly, Tseng nodded. “Put your head out the door and tell Elena to call down for food. We’re not leaving until he’s back up.”
Nodding, Reno whistled as he headed for the door.
Everything would work out. That he was sure of.
Author: GW Katrina
Beta: Skeren
Fandom: FFVII: Mercverse
Claim:
mercverse for story_arcThemeset/Prompt: Thirty Set 01: 02-Lost
Wordcount: 2,050
Ratings: PG-13
Link to Archive Post: Here
Rubbing her eyes, Yuffie sat outside, taking the chance to enjoy the fresh air. She was starting to think that she was going to turn all moldy from all the time she was spending in the library. As she sat outside, letting the sun hit her, she watched the people around her. There was a general feel of worry in the air. It wasn’t something that was going to go away, not until everything was settled. Most people still didn’t know what was going on, Yuffie had discovered. They just knew that something was happening.
Had it only been a few weeks since that initial wave happened? When everyone with even a bit of magic in their blood had felt the seal of Jenova coming down?
Not that many people knew that was what it was. Even in her own Clans, Yuffie had not shared that much detail. Oh, quite a few of her people had figured it out, but had kept quiet over it. It wasn’t like the focus of the searching she had been doing was anything hidden, and time was not on their side. So it wasn’t like she had done much to keep it secret either.
Right now, though, she had to take a break. Taking a deep breath, she watched the people. Snacking on a hotdog that she had picked up from a good little stand on the corner, she was happy for the time it took to eat it. Loaded down with toppings, she looked nothing like the princess her father despaired after as she munched on it. Not that most people would have recognized her. She wasn’t wearing her normal gear, just in a regular set of jeans and a shirt advertising the 7th Heaven. For anyone looking at her, they would just assume she was some college kid hanging out.
Ninja were good at blending in, after all.
Watching people, Yuffie wondered why so many of them were oblivious to things around them. Didn’t they realize that things could get very messy, very quick?
Course, these were the people who lived in the outskirts anyway. Maybe it was just that things really couldn’t get worse, not in their eyes.
Godo was planning, though he hadn’t told Yuffie much of it. To be fair, he did have his hands full from dealing with the various Families. Even when they agreed to work together, there was a lot of infighting. That was just their way. Years and years of squabbling left their mark. Not to mention all the blood feuds that were as much a part of the issues as the desire for more territory. So many people had killed each other. This person was avenging that person, that person died and left all these people angry.
Still, that was what her father had to deal with. Hopefully, he’d be able to keep them all going the same path. She didn’t have to, and that was just as well. She’d have probably set everyone on fire before this.
Suddenly, her attention was caught as people around her began to go still, the multitude of voices stopping, one by one. Looking around, Yuffie blinked, her jaw dropping.
Along the ground, threads of light were moving along, wiggling and shifting, following some pattern that Yuffie couldn’t see. They were a variety of colors, weaving around each other. Here and there, she could almost see runes in the lines, each of the thin lights growing brighter as they began meet and interlace.
What was going on?
From the sounds of it, she wasn’t the only one who didn’t know. Though she looked back, the direction the lines were crawling from clear.
The center of the city.
What the hell?
Snagging her phone, Yuffie called the one person she -knew- would know what was going on.
Maybe Cloud would tell her what the hell was going on.
Some days, Tifa wondered if it was worth opening up the bar. Today was one of those days.
It wasn’t that business was slow. Just the opposite. She had to ask Aeris to help out as a waitress, and a few other girls. The people just kept coming, and it was beginning to drain down her stock. And she wasn’t getting it shipped in fast enough to keep up.
Not that she was the only one with that issue. It seemed that most of the slums were taking to drowning their sorrows in alcohol in record numbers. Not bad for business, but she wasn’t sure how good it was for the people doing it.
Right now, though, she might as well open up. The food was going as fast as the drink, so it was balancing out a bit.
Wiping down the bar, she looked around the floor.
This place was full of memories. Barret had helped her set up when she had first gotten here, not wanting to bother Cloud and Zack until she was set up fully in the town. They were her friends, and she knew that they would have done anything to help her, but it was a better feeling to do it the way she had done it. Barret and her had met on the way here, he had business with the King, and she was just ready to get away from Nibelheim. Her teacher had sent her with his blessings, though he had told her that he didn’t know if she would find what she was looking for in Midgar either. Tifa had nodded, and met up with her friend. Barret and her had hit it right off, especially when Marlene and Tifa had played tic tac toe for hours on the train.
She would have to call the man and see how he was doing. He hadn’t checked in since he called and let her know that people were starting to vanish from his neck of the woods and asked how things were going in Midgar. He had cussed up a storm when she had told him the same thing was happening there as well. Seemed he wasn’t too thrilled with the lack of action from Shinra. But there was nothing either of them could do.
“Tifa!”
Aeris’s voice, breathless and more than a little shocked, made Tifa look up. Her friend was paused in the doorway, halfway in, and just standing there. Her eyes were focused on the outside. Curious, and more than a little worried on what might be happening now, Tifa hopped right over the bar and joined her friend.
Looking outside, she made a soft, startled sound.
The 7th Heaven was crammed in the middle of town, but it faced towards the outer edges of the city. Vaguely aware that there were lines of something all over the ground, Tifa’s eyes were caught on what she saw above the roofs around her.
In the air, where she guessed the city proper ended, rose color.
It seemed to be creeping up, and Tifa was reminded of a circuit board. Tiny lines of metal, laying out a pathway, made large in the lines of the sky. As they rose up, they etched out runes, each growing, flexing, colors merging and becoming one solid glow, then continuing to travel up to the next one.
This was familiar, but Tifa didn’t know why.
“It’s so pretty....”
Aeris just grabbed her hand and squeezed, eyes bright.
“It’s protection.”
This was hope, Aeris realized.
She was raised in Midgar. She had grew up on these stories. Every schoolchild knew this story. That this could happen one day. It was more of a bedtime story that her adopted mother had told her than anything that might actually happen.
“He did it.” A murmur, and she tightened her fingers on Tifa’s hand. “The King did it.” In her blood, power sang, and she swayed slightly. This was something she had never felt before. The sheer wave of power that was laced through with something that was different. Something that drew her, and she shut her eyes, leaning against Tifa.
“Did what?”
The confusion in Tifa’s voice, even as she shifted her free arm to help support Aeris, made the woman smile. “Aeris, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just...breathtaking.” She opened her eyes, looking at the runes that were slowly crawling up the air, surrounding the city. “It’s the old protections. Old as the Angels war. The Cetra helped set them into place to keep the humans safe if Jenova ever broke free or the demons that followed her made an attempt on the human cities that existed then.” She shifted, looking at her friend. “Nobody ever thought that the King would activate them. But he did.” A brilliant smile. “He can keep the demons out. True demons won’t be able to get in when the protections are complete.”
Around them, she could hear others starting to murmur. She wasn’t the only one who remembered the stories.
For most of these people, this was the first real sign that something was wrong. These had not been activated since the last great war.
It was an odd mix of voices around her. Some were rising in fear, some in the wonder. Nobody knew for sure what to expect. Not even Tifa, who was still confused on what it was.
Aeris just shut her eyes, and let the music of the protection sing through her mind.
Watching from the window, Reno stood in Rufus’s rooms. Behind him, Rufus was sleeping on the bed, looking pale and thin.
That bitch better not think she could ever get that close to him again.
Oh, Reno knew that his boss’s current state was from him activating the protections. He also knew that the man would probably be like this for a few days as said protections finished building and settling around the city. So they would have to be extra vigilance to make sure that nobody got close enough to attack this king.
That, Reno would make sure of. Tseng was also hyper aware. He was currently standing next to the bed, eyes moving over everyone as they went around the room. Not that Reno blamed him. Rude was talking quietly with Veld right now, probably trying to keep the man from doing anything drastic. They needed every trained Turk they could get, and there was no time to train more. Not currently. They couldn’t afford to lose anyone.
Outside, Reno knew that people would be more confused than anything. Hopefully, Rufus would be back on his feet and able to give a speech to keep any of the more flammable idiots out there from taking a notion to cause issues. The last thing they needed was some moron starting a riot.
“How does it look?”
Almost a whisper, and Reno looked at the man. The blue of his eyes was the most vivid part of him right now, and Reno was hit by how much Rufus and Cloud resembled each other at this moment. Sometimes, one could really see the family resemblance between Strife and the Shinras.
“Lit up the sky, boss.” Reno said, moving to lean against the foot of the bed. “But if you don’t get up soon and let them know it was you, someone else might try stealing your thunder.”
A faint snort, and Rufus just smiled. “Then Tseng would shoot them for me.” The blue vanished as Rufus shut his eyes again. “It worked. That’s all I need to know now.” His lips curled in a smile. “The sheep will be able to thank me later.”
“Thanking sheep. I tell you, boss, you have some weird wishes.”
“No stranger than some of the things you’ve made me listen to.”
His voice trailed off as the man felt asleep, and Reno looked at Tseng. The man nodded, his own mouth set in a small smile. “He will be a force to deal with when he wakes up.”
“He will. And we’ll be there to keep him in line.”
Chuckling faintly, Tseng nodded. “Put your head out the door and tell Elena to call down for food. We’re not leaving until he’s back up.”
Nodding, Reno whistled as he headed for the door.
Everything would work out. That he was sure of.