TEST DRIVE MEME #3

[expiationmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME #3

Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and some horror elements. We ask that top-level comments are reserved for new characters and players looking to experience a taste of the world and overarching storyline. Characters already in the game, however, are free to use TDM prompts in their own catch-alls and logs. Feel free to submit any TDM / prompt-related questions to the corresponding comment below.

New players / characters looking to app are free to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Preexisting players / characters may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs (with the stated limitations).

You may find the below links helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.

info | world

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...

BRAVE NEW WORLD (ARRIVALS)

     

After receiving the paper with your sentence, the whole world quickly becomes dark and you find yourself falling through what seems to be an infinite void. You lose track of time after a while, but as soon as your focus seems to waver, your vision clears and you find yourself resting rather unceremoniously in a pile of seeds used for chicken feed.

Once you make your way out of the grain silo (and we of the moderator team wish you good luck in finding a fun way out of it), you may find that several other people have been dropped into the world just like you have. Some are disoriented, others are panicked, and others yet are simply angry about being brought somewhere against their will. Amidst the chaos of new arrivals to the world of Expiation, the newcomers will find that there are some people in the crowd who seem a little more familiar with what’s going on.

These people will tell you that you find yourself in a strange new world, and that it’s best to make your way to a nearby town called Aldrip to get settled down there. It’s a few hours by foot away from this area, but it’s the only place in the nearby area that can accommodate newcomers like you.

---

WE LIKE TO PARTY (WE LIKE, WE LIKE TO PARTY)

     

Recently, many Chosen have emerged victorious from a hard-fought battle, taking out a gargantuan creature that threatened to suck the energy from the whole area surrounding Aldrip if it had not been stopped. Such efforts do not go unrecognised, and in the aftermath, the locals all decided to band together to celebrate their saviours’ heroics. Nothing less than a village-wide party and parade would be fitting for such an occasion.

This is an undertaking that will likely take a significant amount of effort. While the locals wanted to make this into a surprise, many of them lack skills to put the thing together properly. Chosen who want to get involved in the preparation process can put their organisation and culinary skills to the test to create fixtures and food for the event. Better yet, your efforts over the past months have improved supply routes into Aldrip, meaning that the food shortage has passed, and you’ll have just about anything your heart desires for the occasion.

Alternatively, you can choose to enjoy the spoils of your efforts! Once the day of the party arrives, Aldrip will erupt into a full-scale celebration, and all Chosen are encouraged to party as hard as possible. Good food, good drinks and good times will be in no short supply for the occasion. Additionally, those who took to the front lines in the previous event will be revered as heroes and likely spoiled rotten.

THIS IS HOW YOU GET ANTS

PLEASE PARTY RESPONSIBLY

     

It’s no understatement to say that some of the Chosen like to party hard- and that’s quite alright! A few days ago, the people of Aldrip had already set aside a few rooms in the inn to act as an infirmary for those who had been injured during the battle with the Branded. It took little effort for them to expand this project into a full medical wing for those who would undoubtedly be acting irresponsibly during the festivities.

It’s up to you to decide what circumstances brought you here. Perhaps you were injured in the previous battle, and have been stuck in bed as you recover from your wounds. Maybe you had just a little too much to drink, and you decided to come by while you collect yourself. Regardless of what your reason for being there may be, the people of Aldrip have guaranteed that you will receive the best of care.

With that said, the place is terminally understaffed. Aldrip’s locals will certainly appreciate any assistance they can get- even if your character might not have the best training or bedside manner. Medicine can’t be that hard- what’s the worst that can happen?

---

MR. MAGNIFI'S MAGNIFICENT MIXTURES

     

Once word of the upcoming celebration spread, several individuals from outside town came in to offer their services or goods in Aldrip. One such individual came into town riding on a rickety cart with the words “Miraculous Magnifi’s Medicine! Guaranteed to heal what ails ye!” emblazoned in gold on its side. The thing smells a bit off, with a strong chemical scent coming from the back, but the moustachioed man who emerges from the back assures you that all of his “mixes are made with meticulous ministrations!”

Those who buy and consume the potion might find themselves feeling strange over the next few days as symptoms emerge. Some people wake up to find that their hair has taken on a rainbow of colours during the night, that rats cuddle up to them for no reason, or that their irises have been replaced with strange spiral shapes. Feel free to come up with inventive but harmless side effects for the miracle elixir- it’s meant for some good fun.

They’re strange symptoms for sure, and certainly not the advertised cure-all. However, Magnifi is already gone by the next dawn, meaning that no one can get a refund. Thankfully, the symptoms will go away after a few days, but the chaos that ensues in the meanwhile will certainly make for some fun stories.

IT'S NOT OVER

♪♫ LET IT GROW ♫♪ ► (FUTURE EVENT TIE-IN)

     

The party celebrating the dread beast’s defeat can be heard from miles outside of Aldrip, but the situation is not quite yet resolved. Much of the once-lush forest outside of Aldrip had its life force absorbed from it, leaving little more than profaned ground and an overwhelming scent of rot. Worse yet, there are reports that some of the beast’s severed golden tendrils have taken on a life of their own, creating snake-monsters that threaten the local wildlife.

However, the monsters are not the only new arrivals in Pessiria Forest. Those who go to investigate the area will find that fairy-like creatures have gathered in the profaned land and are trying their best to help bring the area back to its former glory. At first, they seem to keep their distance or ignore you entirely, but after determining that you mean well, they inform you that they can temporarily bless the Chosen with the power to make full-sized plants burst forth from the seeds they plant into the ground.

It’s still going to be hard work. Even with the power to bring plants to life, planting seeds in the miles of dead forest will likely take a very long time. Still, these strange fairies could use the help, and tough jobs can be better if you bring a little help from your own friends. (Or enemies. No one’s going to judge you for who you bring.)

---

WHAT'S THAT MYSTERIOUS LAUGHING SOUND?

     

The process of regrowing the devastated part of Pessiria forest is well underway, but the process does not go entirely smoothly. Partway through the process, locals start to report that they can hear a strange girl laughing in the forest in the middle of the night, but no one seems able to track down its source. Curious Chosen can patrol around the forest at night to try and figure out the mystery.

Those who are particularly sharp-eyed might see a faint spectre of a little girl wearing a straw hat dancing about, but she never seems to stay in sight for more than a few seconds. One blink is all it takes for her to vanish.

You probably won’t be able to catch this strange spectre, but it’s become something of a game among the villagers to go looking for her anyways. Some say that seeing her is a sign of good luck, and wave to her before she disappears. Others say that if you see her while holding hands, it will bless you with a lifetime of good love. Almost all of these assertions are probably nonsense- but what will you do about it?

Comments

vincent valentine | advent children complete

[galianbeast]

magnifent mixtures
[among the crowd one figure stands apart, crimson cape swirling about him like a living thing in the sparse breeze, watchful eyes narrowed on the garish promise scrawled on the cart. suspicious. a man claiming to be a healer and selling odd-smelling panacea for a song. such benevolence is so rare as to be unbelievable, and vincent finds himself wondering just what, exactly, this mr. magnifi's endgame is. money? fame? or something more sinister?

in the back of his mind he can hear yuffie chiding him so paranoid!. he turns to fade into the shadows of the trees. time will tell

and it does. in the morning he learns he was right to wonder. the news is unwelcome, a dry and ashen victory. once more he finds himself on the edge of a small knot of people, only this time instead of happily purchasing a promised cure-all, they're milling about in search of a cart that, he guesses, has long since left. reluctantly, vincent approaches another who stands apart from the rest. an outsider, like him]

Did you speak to him last night? [he asks, inclining his head toward the conspiciously missing cart]

let it grow
[cerberus roars and bucks in his hand. one shot, two, and a pair of golden serpents tumble from the trees. they writhe mindlessly in the dirt, softball sized chunks blown through them with pinpoint accuracy. vincent watches their death throes dispassionately. somewhere, deep in the recesses of what remains of his battered soul, he feels a kind of envy toward them. gradually they still, and when their twitching finally ceases he moves on, deeper into the greenery

something snaps behind him, a dry twig, the dried out bones of prey animals, it doesn't matter. a clumsy footfall that has him whirling, already sighting down the triple barrels of his gun]

Don't move.

laughter in the trees
[the villagers think she's a blessing. perhaps she is. perhaps not. vincent being vincent, he takes to patrolling the forest at night, sharp eyes hunting for a glimmer, ears straining to catch the whisper of a giggle on the wind. if the villagers won't protect themselves, he'll do it for them. what else is he meant to do in this strange world with it's strange rules, with the weight of his sins distilled down into a single sentence heavy in his pocket alongside a flip phone that will never ring again

he almost misses it, the ringing. misses the voices nestled in his voicemail more even though he'd never once returned their calls

he settles in a tree far from the homes of slumbering locals, cerberus held loosely in a hand draped over his knee, sparse moonlight glinting off his gauntlet and sabotons. not very stealthy, but he isn't trying for stealth. he's simply waiting, listening

and when that silence is interrupted, either by a passerby or the rumored girl herself, he drops from his perch like a ghost behind them]

You shouldn't be out this late. Go home, it isn't safe in these woods at night.

WALK WALK nighttime walk WALK WALK attacked by twees

[redlines]

<sub>[ For the first time in what feels like years Roche had started to feel overwhelmed in the inn after the fiasco with the big nasty vine beast. He was an extrovert if there ever was one but there was a limit to what he and his already-sensitive, uh, senses could bear after being beaten up by an oversized plant monster and hearing a party erupt on the floor below while trying to recover.

Especially when said party seemed to persist for days.

He'd sucked it up for the first one and a half, then took to a nearby farm to try and get away from it there. Surely horses would've been better company, but... No. He could still hear it even surrounded by animals which really only left one halfway decent option. Was it a good plan considering what had just happened within and the rumors of a strange, phantom child? Probably not, but it had to have been better than the constant hootin'-n-hollerin'.

It actually was too, at least for awhile. He'd left his borrowed horse hitched to a tree just outside the outskirts while he took his little stroll through the decayed wood with the moon high in the sky, and everything was finally starting to get back to normal in his head. No excessive noise, no overbearing scent of weak booze... Just Roche on his lonesome and the inky black sky full of stars that he'd never see in Midgar. He never thought he'd imagine enjoying the peace and quiet until now, but you know what? It's... pretty nice. He's content and relaxed.

Until something shifts in the air behind him and a voice yanks him from his thoughts. Pivoting on his heel Roche reaches for the sword on his back, eyes damn near glowing under the low light of the moon thanks to the mako in his veins. He hadn't even heard— It's just another person. Okay. Good. Slowly the hand poised to wrap around the hilt lowers, and with it Roche's posture relaxes. ]</sub>

I'd say sneaking up on an armed man isn't the safest thing to do in the woods either, stranger.

_{[ Where the hells did he come from? ]}

[galianbeast]

[where roche relaxes vincent tenses, muscle already wound tight coiling further. the glimmer of mako in this stranger's eyes isn't lost on him, his own, an unnatural amber-red, narrowing almost imperceptibly. SOLDIER. a member of shinra's elite infantry is the last person he expects to see here, in these woods, on this planet, of all places

he lets cerberus dangle at his side, finger pressing tight along its trigger. no move of a threat, not yet, but cautious. no need to pick a fight with both of them so, so far from the upheaval in the wake of midgar's ruin. vincent tilts his head, assessing him with a calculating drag of his eyes from feet to crown

wild hair. cocksure set to his jaw. just who were they letting into SOLDIER these days?]

You're with Shinra, [he says, slowly, not bothering to point out that he isn't exactly unarmed himself. it isn't like he's trying to hide it] SOLDIER. Are there more?

[redlines]

<sub>[ Maybe he ought to feel anxious under a stare like that — red eyes and all — but instead there's a small worm of curiosity wiggling to the surface. While he sees himself being looked over like a piece of meat, Roche in turn takes the opportunity to size up Mr. Tall-Dour-And-Strangely-Handsome while he can. The cloak? Very nice. The jury was still out on all the gold though.

Once he's had his fill Roche shrugs a shoulder and settles one hand at the hip, his brow arching with a tilt of his head. How many does this make that recognize him for what he is now? Stormcloud, Red... Three? Yeah. It doesn't surprise him given all of the Shinra propaganda, really. ]</sub>

Excluding yourself I'm technically not out with anyone at the moment. Unless you count the horse a quarter-mile to the west.

_{[ His chin tilts up towards the gun, brow arching. ]}

Am I going to wind up getting acquainted with that little doll in your hand if I'm honest?

[galianbeast]

[a barely-there lift of a dark eyebrow meets the mention of a horse. vincent clearly does not count it as another potential threat. if anything, it's one more thing to consider in the possibility of a fight; he's grateful that he gave vague directions to aid in finding the beast. were he to come out on top in such an exchange of violence, he wouldn't want to leave the poor thing tethered to a tree to suffer

his thoughts are drawn back to the here and now, his eyes following the jut of roche's chin to the hand cannon gleaming at his side. frowning faintly behind the shield of his cowl, vincent considers]

Depends, [he says, attention once again latched firmly on the SOLDIER before him] on what you have to say.

[redlines]

Heavens you are scary, aren't you?

<sub>[ It's mostly said to himself but he makes no real effort to conceal it. Rather he shifts his weight and folds his arms across his chest, fingers drumming a pointless rhythm against his bicep. This man was enough to rouse plenty of suspicion were either of them back home in Midgar, but at the same time he can't help but think of that strangely-dressed girl he'd encountered down in the slums too.

Strange dress, almost hostile... Could they be friends? Nah. Just because a couple people dress the same doesn't mean anything by it — the bulk of SOLDIER and Roche himself being a prime example of such. ]</sub>

...Alright, then.

_{[ Stormcloud, please don't beat him with that big sword of yours. Or do. Roche isn't going to mind either way. ]}

There's... one more here like me, but we don't exactly ride on the same road if you catch my meaning. Even so, they're a dear friend of mine and I'd very much appreciate it if he were left unharmed, Mister...?

daddy?

[electroburst]

[ After all the bullshit back in town (and, frankly, the bullshit back home he'd just gotten through dealing with, too), Reno's pretty much had it up to here with monsters, and with doing shit for other people. He isn't out in the woods hunting snakes for altruistic purposes, that's for damn sure. In fact, he isn't hunting the snakes at all. If they cross his path, sure, they gets the zaps put to 'em, but otherwise, leave the "kill x monsters, receive prize" fetch quests for the protagonists. What Reno's after are these so-called wish-granting fairies. Ordinarily he'd chalk the rumor of them up as utter horseshit, but by now he's come to find that most of what people say is out there actually happens to be true, and for another, he was able to find more than one credible enough witness who encountered one themselves, which is good enough for him.

Maybe the fairies can sense his ulterior motives (catch one and bring it back; or, if he can't do that, then get it to piss its fairy dust on him so he can make some decent fucking cash growing weed or something), though, because he hasn't found any yet.

When the gunshots ring out, Reno ignores them and presses on. There shouldn't be anyone this far in, so he isn't concerned about stealth as he crunches his way through the underbrush. This is incredibly stupid. What the fuck is he doing out here, hunting fairies. Why is it always some bull— ]

—shit.

[ That crack isn't a twig, but his ankle—not broken, but god damn does it twist funny as he catches his shoe against a root. He could just wark it off, but as he catches himself against the trunk of the offending tree he finds himself a hearty few feet off from quite a few barrels, all of them pointed his way and glinting like a strobing warning sign in the dappled forest light. Absolutely fan-tastic. Standing partly on one foot, he raises both arms in the universal gesture of don't shoot. ]

Whoa, hey. Easy. Just a guy, not a snake.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[galianbeast]

[the triple barrels trained on reno don't waver, but the eyes sighting down them widen with recognition, if only slightly. there's no mistaking the garish red-dyed hair or whip-thin frame of one of his friends' most uneasy allies. his arms up, a gesture of submission, putting his lack of obvious weapons on easy display, but vincent knows better. he knows what kind of training a turk goes through and how lightning quick this one in particular can be

a beat, then two as he considers, watching him closely. it's the way he gingerly places weight on his injured foot that finally convinces vincent to put the safety on his weapon and slide it back into its holster at his thigh]

Some would say there isn't a difference. [he says it like it's a simple fact, completely devoid of the barb of a veiled insult. another moment of consideration, and he adds equally as matter-of-factly,] ...You're hurt.

[electroburst]

[ As the gun comes down, so do Reno's surrendering arms. Which is great, because he needs the support on that tree trunk to set his foot down properly, just in case it's not as stable as he really hopes it is. The twinge that lances up his ankle as he rests his weight on it is perfectly ignorable (unadvisable, but he's got a hi-potion back home, whatever), but that doesn't mean it isn't inconvenient as fuck.

What's a little more pressing than that, though, is who that gun belongs to. Vincent's eyes widen and Reno's narrow, calculating the face in front of him before it registers. When it does, and he gets that sassy quip for his trouble, he laughs, just a little bit hollow. ]

I'll be fine. You musta just got here; no way I would've missed you before, even if you were hiding out. The rumor mill around here churns real fast.

[ Now that he's (mostly) not in danger of being shot anymore, how about a step? ...Correction, how about a clumsy limp in Vincent's general direction? No biggie. ]

Seen Cloud yet?

[galianbeast]

[mention of the locals' love of gossip earns reno a flat hum of acknowledgement. he'd noticed. already he's caught a whisper here and there about his arrival. the usual speculation; does the strange pale man in red drink blood, is he a spirit, does he lure unsuspecting victims to their demise under the cloak of darkness. nothing special. entirely ridiculous

saying cloud's name, though, that stirs him. vincent turns an intense stare on him, searching reno's face for any sign he's winding him up, telling a lie for the hell of it. vincent tenses as he draws closer, discomfort at the proximity writ large in the set of his shoulders. he neither moves away nor moves to help, simply watching]

No. [he doesn't debase himself by asking if he's really here. cloud either is, or he isn't. it doesn't change much either way] I've been occupied.

[electroburst]

[ Don't worry Vinny, he isn't coming for your weave. He doesn't even mean to pass by in the direction of Aldrip again just yet, either. Listen, he's twisted ankles deep into this fairy hunt and he's not about to let a vampire stop him. Or an injury. It's fine, he is now warking it off with as affected an "everything is totally normal" gait as possible.

god damn he is getting old. in rpg character years. ]

Yeah? I'm guessing that was you popping rounds off. See, that's how they getcha. Not five minutes here and you're doing their dirty work. Old habits, huh?

[ He says, as if he hasn't done, and been doing, the same. With regards to whether Cloud is really here, well—he doesn't specify. Mostly, he's not entirely sure their reunion's going to be a happy one, but that's not any of his business (lol). ]

Speaking of... was anything crazy going on before you got here?

Let It Grow - Do we even know what's happening in Remake? (I sure don't.)

[inemeraldfaith]

[For all of the ill feelings she's had on the forest, she doesn't feel happy about what's left over. It's a shell of its former glory. What once had trees sprouting up everywhere has seen the hand of... whatever it was the Chosen had been pit against. She doesn't get the same feeling of foreboding and unease. Whatever she feels now simply isn't the same.

Maybe there's something they can do to help. Isn't that what some of the others have been doing when they've paid visit? It could be that they're just visiting the naga people on the other side of what's left of the forest. It's not as though they've simply disappeared, after all. No matter what the local town is going through, fostering diplomatic relations remains a high priority.

She's still thinking on it when there's a crunch beneath her shoe and she's met with Vincent's very impressive gun. Furthermore, perhaps in the way that she's known other things she ought not to logically know, there's just a tiny, tiny spark of recognition. It's small, but she's careful to keep it to herself. It is better to avoid unnecessary questions.

Or so she thinks if she plays herself none the wiser.]

Oh, hello—

[Lifting a hand, Aerith motions to Cerberus.]

Do you always greet people like that?

not a clue. things. things are happening in remake

[galianbeast]

[it isn't often that something cracks the stoic mask, but seeing aerith, alive, standing in front of him does it. his eyes widen and he jerks his gun arm up, putting the sights in the canopy]

Only the ones that come up behind me.

[the pink silk wrapped tight around his bicep is a constant pressure, a reminder of preventable loss. one more sin among many, reflected back at him in the eyes of his friends whenever they come together. the pressure is still there, so how is it, then, that aerith is standing before him as if nothing ever happened

his eyes slide from her, flit from tree trunk to tree branch to shadow and back again]

I didn't expect to see you here, Aerith.

Things are happening...!

[inemeraldfaith]

[Ah. So people like her. One would think after Aerith's seeming penchant for sidling right up to people would coerce her to maybe dial that back a bit. Instead, she only ever seems to do it more. He says her name and there it is again, a reflection of what feels like recognition. As if it's something a part of her possibly knew long ago.

A different her, perhaps? Not unlike the fleeting little visions she's had, depicting images and scenes that she hasn't actually experienced yet. Knowing that each one of these holds its importance. Just like Vincent does. Her head tilts and she follows his gaze, as red as his garb, as the bandana in his dark hair, and for some moments, she is caught in the distance of the forest before her attention returns to him.

What does one say to that? To be known by someone that she isn't wholly certain she knows.]

Where did you expect to see me?

[Maybe that's a better place to start.]

[galianbeast]

[nowhere is the answer that leaps unbidden to his lips. Behind the cowl he bites it back, recalling what reno had told him days ago and not far from here: there's somethin you should know about the other people from where we come from, what they do and don't remember

it isn't like she would remember dying, anyway. better to be kind and keep what he knows of what her future holds to himself. it won't be difficult]

Not here, [he replies cryptically. still, this is aerith, and while they hadn't known each other long enough to truly call each other friends, he feels he owes her the courtesy of conversation

a flick of his cloak and he slips cerberus into the holster at his thigh] At your church, perhaps.

[inemeraldfaith]

[Her eyebrows raise and as her lips part, she's on the verge of asking him another question. Likely for clarification on what he means by 'not here.' He beats her to the proverbial punch, however, and her expression relaxes into something both soft and understanding.

A friend then. Not that her intuition has said anything to the contrary. Even in this world with things as they are, she finds Vincent to be a welcome presence. One more ally is one more friend to have in the back pocket.]

That's a good point. Actually, now that you mention it, I'm not sure if there are any churches like the one back home. They have things that seem like churches. You know, without holes in the ceiling.

[She grins from ear-to-ear, but it only lasts for a few moments as if she's remembering where they are. Her gaze moves back onto the forest.]

You only just arrived, didn't you... Did you show up here? In this forest?

let it grow

[sefirot]

[Is it clumsy footfall or a lack of caring who notices? He knows this one. This is one of Cloud's 'friends.' One of those there the second time he fell to the lifestream. Something that won't happen a second third fourth time.

While he's not sure what exactly is going on, he still manages to hold onto the air of arrogance that follows him everywhere. The kind that says: I know exactly what's going on and I'm exactly where I need to be.

Though the truth is, he doesn't. He has no idea about anything. And that's the part he finds extremely frustrating. He's just very good at hiding these things.

Eyes drop to the weapon, but only briefly. When his attention snaps back to Vincent directly, the look he gives practically dares him to take the shot. Go on. Fight him alone in the forest.]

So the planet deemed you a criminal. I wonder how many others the planet has tossed here.

[He saw the parchment. He's not including himself in the 'criminal' status.]

[galianbeast]

[his gun hand wavers. just for a moment, a hairline fracture in vincent's composure before he steels himself and levels cerberus's sights squarely in the center of sephiroth's chest. it isn't fear. he doesn't care if he dies—doesn't know if he even can, anymore

it's his face. so different, yet just similar enough to bring the guilt clawing up the back of vincent's throat]

Hmpf. [the planet didn't need to lives and dies on his tongue in the space of a breath. all his arrival here has done is confirm what he already knew; his sins run too bloody and deep to ever be washed away] It seems it's just you...and me.

[sefirot]

Is it.

[The response comes almost immediately and serves as both a statement and a question, spoken with all arrogance in the world, but for a fraction of a second his eyes give way to uncertainty that Vincent may actually be right. It doesn't last, because surely that can't be the case. The planet would never be able to contain him anywhere.

Cloud would never allow one of his friends to be taken away. And the puppet would never stray so far from his master.

There's no way it's only the two of them. Even if a sliver of uncertainty says it might be true. Sephiroth will claw his way out of whatever this place is. He's sure of it.]

This world is inhabited --

[That is strangely not a threat towards anyone here.]

Yet no lifestream binds any of them together.

[As far as he can tell, and that's good enough for him for it to be completely true beyond any reasonable doubt.]

Do you wonder why that is?

[galianbeast]

[that flicker of uncertainty goes unremarked upon, but vincent sees and makes a note of it even though he has no idea what it means beyond its strangeness. who would have thought a man who was so certain of his role in fate's tapestry that he had sought to kill an entire planet could feel such a thing]

No, [he replies, head tipping in a way that makes it clear he hasn't thought about it at all. why should he? lifestream or not, the people here live

perhaps this planet doesn't need one. or, perhaps, it has one that is so different from their own that it can't be detected. who knows? vincent isn't a planetologist] Make your point, Sephiroth.

[surely he has one. when has the man ever not had a speech biding its time upon his tongue?]

[sefirot]

A world with no lifestream has nothing to save it from a cataclysm.

[His arms stretch apart in a gesture, while his eyes trail towards the sky. Vincent can probably figure out what he means. If he held the black materia, nothing would stop meteor. No intervention from the lifestream to push it away.]

Perhaps I shall continue on the path my mother once took long ago. Take this world to create a shining new future free from the parasites currently desecrating it's soil.

My point is --

[His eyes suddenly drop back down towards Vincent.]

Nothing here can stop that from happening.

magnifent mixtures

[mercedis]

[ It seems that the man responsible for his abrupt changes does not appear to be anywhere in sight, come the next morning. He shouldn't be surprised: everything about him had screamed of bountiful lies and misgivings, and while he had known better than to buy anything--

There's a soft scowl on his face as he hangs back, waiting. Much of the townsfolk, gathered around where the cart used to be, chatter among themselves, woeful and worried about their transformations, he hears people calling them. It makes just as much sense as anything else, but like much of the medicine and other potions from back home, he's sure that the effects are only temporary. Even so, he's not quite so pleased to be met with his own: thankfully, it's nothing that anyone can see just by looking at him.

He's considering turning away, heading for a job despite it all, when a man stops him: he's tall, dressed in blacks and reds, and his face is nearly hidden from view, trapped under a mop of hair and a large, curved collar. He doesn't exactly spark the image of trustworthiness, either, but something in him makes him think it might be okay. With a short breath, he shrugs. ]

Yeah, I did. [ Warily, he eyes the stranger, then directs his gaze back to the small crowd in front of them. ] Sold one of those potions to a couple of kids. I got it from them before they could drink any of it, but...

[ Agitated, his arms fold in against his chest, shifting his weight from foot to foot. ] You have some of it, too? Is that why you look the way you do?

[galianbeast]

[there's a flicker of confusion, perhaps even hurt, behind vincent's eyes. it vanishes as quickly as it came, his attention shifting back to the empty space that once was occupied by the cart. something is wrong here, something more than the harmless transformations brought on by mr. magnifi's potions—could they be responsible for this, too? were they in fact more deleterious than the evidence suggests?]

....No, [he answers, with a single shake of his head. a strange question; cloud should know this, he thinks. if not the gory details then at least the broad strokes] Did you take any?

[it doesn't look as though he has. same spiky blond hair, same blue eyes shot through with mako green. no bright colors, no swirling irises to be seen, and yet something is definitely off. vincent can't quite put a finger on it, not just yet]

[mercedis]

[ Something about the way it's asked makes him feel like he's going to regret telling him the answer. With a soft breath, annoyed, he turns his head to glance again at the commotion in front of them. ]

...Yeah, I did. I figured I had to get rid of it somehow.

[ He figures that if he dumped it on the grass, or out into the wild somewhere, Aerith probably wouldn't be very happy with him. Not like she would know, but maybe he'd feel a little guilty about it. ]

It...Well. There are some things that I hope aren't permanent, is all.

[ Narrowing his eyes, slightly, he hopes the stranger will let him leave it at that. ]

[galianbeast]

[alas, vincent does not leave it at that. instead he cants his head, eerie red eyes searching cloud's face for answers that simply aren't there—between the two of them he might be the more emotive, but even so cloud has a way of walling himself off when he doesn't want to talk. only two of their party ever had any success breaking through. vincent isn't one of them

giving up the search, vincent chooses his words carefully. like he's picking his way up precarious scree and might fall at any moment]

... would one of those things be memory loss?