You Don't Belong Here [Vincent]

[Lightning Farron]

Valhalla once again. It was surprisingly quiet this time around though, something Lightning hadn’t been expecting. You’d think by now she and Caius would be at each other’s throats, crumbling buildings, tossed around summons…but so far since she’d been back…not a single peep had been made. Lightning took the liberty to scout the area, riding upon Odin’s back as she did so to cover the ground a bit quicker, she’d seen no sign of thread towards Etro or her throne, no sign of Caius, and as relaxing as it was to just sit back and not have to fight…it was concerning, like the calm before the storm.

It was an awful feeling, that twisting and turning in your stomach like you knew something bad was going to happen sooner or later, Lightning was just…she was searching for something. From Valhalla she could see the entire timeline, and as much of a shock as it was to her, she was tapping into some sort of power via Etro, letting her see what was going on in Oriens, in Gaia…wherever she had been before. With a saddened look crossing her features, she tapped the heal of her metal boot into Odin’s side to get him to start moving again. She just wanted to scout the area for a little while longer before turning to Etro’s throne up in a tall tower here in Valhalla. It was hard to stay focused, so it was probably good that Caius wasn’t here, otherwise Light could’ve ended up getting hurt really bad because she couldn’t focus. Shaking her head slightly, aqua eyes resting on the shoreline ahead, “Easy,” Light commented to her Eidolon before sliding off Odin’s back, landing in the sand of the shoreline, staring down where she had landed after falling through the historia crux, when she had first discovered Valhalla.

Shaking her head and folding her arms across her chest, Lightning looked up at the dull sky for a moment, frown appearing on her face as she was thinking back to most recently. Before returning to Valhalla, Light had been on Oriens, trying to help Kurasame deal with his recent branding, trying to fill him in on everything he needed to know, the new powers, the soon to come Eidolon fight which every L’Cie faced…it was painful to have to leave, but when the portal appeared, she knew she had a duty as Etro’s champion to return to Valhalla and oversee the peace of her throne, as much as it pained Lightning to leave civilization, leave the fact that she could see Serah and her friends, to leave those she cared for, she had to. Standing there with her arms still folded, Lightning had more of a scowl upon her lips rather than frown, the slight breeze blew her hair as she kept thinking how she wanted to go back, she wanted to be with her family, she wanted to be back on Oriens, not here in Valhalla fighting, and even now she wasn’t fighting, just suffering the pains of solitude.

Hearing a slight sound from a good distance away, Lightning whipped around, her eyes moving rapidly trying to spot the culprit of such sounds, she hoped it wasn’t Caius returning to Valhalla, returning to the seemingly never ending battle that they seemed to be fighting, but it wasn’t. She gazed up and saw as a portal slowly began to form. It was near Etro’s gate, where Noel had fallen from before, up so high off the ground, she moved fast and hopped on Odin’s back, starting at a full gallop towards the inner city just in case this was similar to when Noel had floated in and could’ve fallen to the ground, if Lightning needed to rescue someone again on the back of Bahamut…she wanted to have a good distance.

The portal continued to form, but so far, no figure had come out of it, at least not yet.

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Words:[/color] 762
Muse:[/color] Good!
Tagged:[/color] Vincent
Wearing:[/color] XIII-2 Armor
Listening To:[/color] Stuff
Notes:[/color] I don't even know what this is

[Vincent Valentine]

Vincent was alone, as he often was. Company, was not something he frequently sought. Even as a young child, Vincent had more or less shunned social contact with others. They had failed to understand him, and he them. Such interactions had been difficult for him, for a reason no one had been able to explain. His father, Grimoire, had finally declared it a 'natural disposition' and nothing to worry about. For Vincent was perfectly able to hold conversations, interact and react appropriately to all external stimuli. His lack of desire for communication, therefore, had to be a personal quirk. As far as Vincent could recall, his father wasn't one for intricate interactions either, preferring to delve into scientific explorations, the minutia of detail that came with experiments and calculate statistics until his brain was beginning to turn on a grey fettered sludge.

Vincent also found he worked best alone. It was not, that he could not work in groups or pairs, but that he preferred not to. As a Turk, his partner had in fact been the Turk Commander, Verdot, and so he was often sent on solo missions. he was best where stealth was required, even then and for Vincent that meant not being lumped with another suited blue. He found happy chatter inane, bubbliness endearing but annoying and he loathed being asked questions repeatedly about his life. It was a wonder Yuffie had managed to survive this long. Luckily, she was good at her job. Her skills were not to be scoffed at.

Vincent had been on his way to Kalm, a small town which lived up to its name. He liked it there. No one ever bothered him, and they all generally kept to themselves. Lingering suspicion from more dangerous times tinged the hearts of all those who dwelt there. But it was unlike Edge, in the sense it had some peace. There were no children running around, unable to look after themselves but no one willing to give them a chance in life. Edge itself, was almost entirely low income dwellings, built in haste after Meteor and the Sister Rays destroyed almost every building in the entirety of Midgar. Shinra had destroyed much that day, in the attempt to stop Sephiroth, in their attempts to interfere with Avalanche's plans. Who had been right, and who had been wrong was difficult to say. Vincent certainly couldn't comment.

But Vincent never made it to his preferred location. Suddenly, a portal swirled, black and inky, reaching out its slithering claws to snare at his blood cloak. Yanking him forward, helpless to resist the snaring black, Vincent found himself inside it, stuck unable to do anything about this venture but accept it. Vincent felt aprehension bubble at his navel. He felt his stomach clench in a light anxiety as he was vaguely reminded of Hojo's experiments. He knew that was ridiculous, for the man was no longer alive, but that curling in his gut remained. Some impressions lingered longer than others. Vincent still held those fragmented scrapes, jagging at his mental landscape, slicking their movements with the bloodied wounds they caused. IT was a weird adventure, and he was the unwilling participant to this experimental ride. He found himself morphing into Chaos, the demonic form as he did, protecting himself from whatever force this was, ready to attack the minions on the other side.

Vincent swept out of the portal, wings carrying him, strong, flapping in the still air. He he swooped up to get a good view of this broken world to see a pink haired mercenary gallop on the back of the most fantastic steed he had ever seen. He hoped she was the greeting party in the most pleasant kind, and not the one who had brought him here. Vincent didn't believe in coincidence. They were intended to meet by some design, whether or not it was hers remained to be seen.

Vincent regarded her cooly. He had the advantage of height on his side. She, on the other hand, was far lower than he. "Where is this place," Vincent said pumped aggression from Chaos's stimulus making him talk first than regard her in silence until she cracked. Unfortunately it was far more growled than his normal voice. This form, as superior to his own as it was, lacked vocal dexterity.

words: 733
tag: lightning
notes: <3 mine is worse than yours! ha!

[Lightning Farron]

Odin ran at a pretty quick pace, wanting to make it to the inner city before anyone or anything came flying out of the forming portal, Lightning’s eyes never left it, and if they did, it was only for half a second, if that. Moving and keeping her hands on Odin’s back to make sure she didn’t fly off, her face went void of emotion, but her eyes narrowed so she could see up in the sky where the portal was continuing to grow and form, obviously something was coming, and it wasn’t the type of portal that would drag her anywhere. As much as she tried to see what it was, nothing was coming to her vision. Gazing away, she looked forward and leaned forward on Odin to cause him to run even faster. Hearing the steady sound of hooves against the ground, Lightning finally gazed up again to see the portal completely formed, and from it a being unlike any she had ever seen before had appeared. At least she knew for sure it wasn’t Caius, or any monsters he would decide to send her way.

She’d been worried at first, having had to save Noel from quite a drop, she figured it was best to be safe than sorry, hence the quick pace she’d made when moving into the city, the dead and unhappy city of Valhalla. Her gaze never left the being, whatever and whoever he was, and as he spoke, that dark tone almost sending a shiver down the former soldier’s spine, Odin stopped and rose back on his back hooves, making a sharp whinny sound before coming back to the ground, leaving Lightning slightly curious, yet slightly concerned. The appearance and tone of the man didn’t assure her of anything, she wasn’t able to tell if this was good or bad, a mere coincidence or some other calling of Etro for her to deal with. Even if she could see everything from Valhalla’s shores, she just couldn’t see this one very clearly, and it put her on her guard, she could summon Odin’s weapon, or her own if needed, but she doubted anything would come to that…then again, anything was possible, especially when you were unsure of something. It was best to expect the unexpected.

Clearing her throat and gazing up at the being, Lightning remained perched upon Odin’s back, her hands gently resting on the back of Odin’s neck as she spoke, clearly and loudly so the man could hear her, and she showed no sign of any emotion on her face, just in case. “This is a place called Valhalla, a nonexistent place, simply floating at the end of time…” she commented calmly, not wanting to sound like a total crazy person, she simply left it at that. Not that she cared much for what people thought of her anyways. Valhalla was a timeless realm, sitting at the end of the historia crux, and if anyone managed to get here, there must’ve been a fluke or they’d gone through a great deal of trouble to get here, but for what purpose? That was what Lightning wanted to know, but judging by the man’s words, he didn’t plan on ending up here in this forgotten city. Shaking her head slightly and moving her gaze away from the newcomer, Lightning tapped her heal against Odin’s side, causing him to move forward a bit, leaping and moving quickly to trot up a slope that would get Lightning to the roof of the nearest building, close to the ones with the green figures on top of them, close to Etro’s shrine.

“What brought you here?” Etro? Luck? Or misfortune? Any of those would suffice as an answer, for now of course. If this was just sheer dumb luck…then what was to happen next? Not many portals came and went from Valhalla, but Lightning looked at her wrist to a small blue device she had swiped off PSICOM some time ago during her adventures traveling through portals, at least she could manipulate one on her own should one not decide to show itself. It was tough not to use that sort of power and just get herself back to Oriens, no, she had a duty to uphold here, first though, there was the newcomer that she as Etro’s guardian needed to deal with.

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Words:[/color] 828
Muse:[/color] Good!
Tagged:[/color] Vinny!
Wearing:[/color] XIII-2 Armor
Listening To:[/color] Skyrim OST
Notes:[/color] Hope this was okay :3

[Vincent Valentine]

Vincent was used to strange things happening. It appeared to him as though ever since meeting Cloud Strife strange occurrances tended to follow one around like a sad lost puppy wanting a home. As a Turk, his life had not been placid nor quiet, but full of treachery, betrayal, unity, loyalty and violence. He had been good at protecting others, whether with words or his gun. Sharp shooters with actual talent were rare. Everyone thought they could hold a gun and use it. Most never realised the subtle art he understood with clarity. Whether at point blank range or from over fifty feet away, Vincent could shoot a person right between the eyes without a flicker of doubt where his bullet would penetrate flesh. It was one of the many things he knew for certain.

he knew for certain, that right now, had he had his way he would be sleeping in a coffin in Neibelheim, dreaming away forever in the nightmare he deserved. Failure, his, had been the price Gaia had paid several times over. Failure, Lucrecia's, had driven not only her mad, but her son also. With genes like his, it was amazing Sephiroth had any semblance of sanity at all. From the scant reports from remnants of articles and publications from official fan clubs, not to mention word of mouth accounts, Sephiroth had always been seen as a God. Not many had met him, but those of whom Vincent believed let him to the understanding Sephiroth had been quiet, reserved and uncannily polite. Whether or not this was true remained to be seen. Vincent had never had the fortunate blessing of meeting Lucrecia's son before he was ravaged by insanity. He never stood a chance.

That is not to say Vincent does not hold him accountable for his actions: he does. Sephiroth chose to do exactly as he did, just as Vincent had done so many years ago. The silver haired SOLDIER's actions had almost brought done the world, not just Midgar into crumbling ruin. His legacy lived in the black fear of hearts, the mist in the Lifestream and the fear sparked recollections of those who had some understanding of what had happened. For those who knew, for those who had chosen to fight, Sephiroth conjured a kind of determination that was difficult to find anywhere else. Vincent had seen their hearts blossom, united tight and together in the battle against their true enemy. Shinra long forgotten as a nuisance that projected obstacles like a child consumed sweets, fell to the way side, even urging AVALANCHE to do what they could not. ShinRa had started this mess but it could not finish it. With the company crumbling and decaying from the inside, the internal festering finally eroding the structure enough for it to being to topple, they were flapping like headless chickens doomed for slaughter. Vincent had Yuffie had chosen that day to assist in the evacuation of Midgar, and in doing so Vincent had ensured Rufus Shinra's survival. He was probably the only one out of AVALANCHE not survived by the fact he still lived. Those beings most effective in their destruction are usually those most unwilling to die. Like cockroaches and other insects, they were extremely difficult to get rid of.

But the entity which lived within him, for Vincent knew Chaos in his own way was sentient, fought a war with him over his heart, his mind and his body. Whatever happened to his soul, Chaos didn't care for, that much was clear. How Vincent managed to win these constant battles, instinctual and feral he never knew. In his heart, somehow, strength mustered, a kind of barrier like force that prevented Chaos from gaining the ground he so desired. His heart, literally as a battle ground for the upper hand. Vincent wound fend Chaos off. His body was his own. No one was going to use it for their own ends. Never again.

So with the form of Chaos, a dark entity Vincent possessed little knowledge of save its desire for destruction, its anger, its immense power, immortality and ability to heal at a rapid rate, Vincent saved himself from a nasty fall. With the power of Chaos, he found he could win almost any battle, though had yet to test that theory to its fullest. he had no desire to harm the pink haired girl with the hard eyes and the monotone voice. Whatever she was, a guardian, a sentinal, a warden, she took her position seriously, but was not one to jump to conclusions. That was good. She probably would have made a natural Turk, if she had been so inclined. He doubted it. Turks tended to either have a love for violence, have something to prove, were on a rebellion kick or had no other choice. Vincent had seen more than one choose to serve the Turks rather than face Corel Prison. He couldn't blame them.

Vincent kept to himself, that despite it being outside time, it had to exist some place otherwise they couldn't be here. He was no scientist and often the world, the universe, spat things out no one could truly explain. Like no time? How did that work? And no one, not even Hojo could figure out the Calamity JENOVA. The Heaven's Dark Harbinger would have fitted in here, with the faded ruins of a past so long ago not even the bare rock and stone and forgotten the stories it once held. In the land where time stood still, one must have a lot of time to think. Loneliness and solitude seeped from the ground, clouded the air and lingered on that girl's skin. it suited him, actually. It was a giant coffin, and had far more breathing space than any he could have devised. Time to think. Time to reflect. Time to suffer.

"A black spot appeared upon my travels," Vincent replied, moving to the nearest land mass so he could set down. He would automatically shift back soon if she proved not to be dangerous. Using Chaos, or any of his forms, beside Crimson Mist did put a strain upon his being. Humans were not supposed to be so transformed or warped. "It sucked me in against my volition," Vincent added, a light gesture with his huge claw. "Does it do that often, and does the path always end here?" He asked. She seemed willing enough to supply the basics. She had probably done this before.

More than once.



MUSE: great!
WORDS: 1100
NOTES: hiiiii! <3 hey, could you PM me? And explain a couple of things? Like what is Etro, and is Lightning actually a Goddess and was Caius trying to kill her for one Yeul? xD if you have the answers, that is of course <3

[Lightning Farron]

Lightning had been portaled to a few different places, but she’d never heard of anyone coming here to Valhalla aside from Noel Kreiss. He’d been brought here by Etro, drawn through Etro’s gate and brought here for a reason. He’d wished for a miracle, this man…whoever he was, or whatever he was, he hadn’t wished for anything. Lightning hadn’t had a vision of him, she never saw him coming, which was odd. Normally she saw everything that was coming her way…guess this power granted by Etro was starting to falter slightly. Shaking her head, she remained perched upon Odin’s back as her eyes remained on the figure up above. She wasn’t sure what to say, what to ask, except for the most obvious of things, but whatever, so long as there was no thread, who was she to leap into action? No, these days, Lightning took a look at the big picture and then acted upon what was going on, though it wasn’t her favorite thing, she still held back from making any assumptions too soon.

Frowning slightly at his answer, a black spot had appeared, a random portal. Since when did they lead here? But then again, since when did they lead to the other places as well? Valhalla was just another place that those things could lead to, and not only did that fact make Lightning nervous, but…she wasn’t ready to have people falling in every other day, or something along those lines. She wasn’t unhappy, just getting mildly concerned for the safety of herself and Etro’s Shrine further into the city. Light was no expert on the portals, she was familiar with them yes, and with this device she’d swiped off of PSICOM she could create them to appear and what not, but still, she was not able to explain how or why they formed when they did. It was all a big mess between her world and the many other ones that existed out there, however many there were…they had to be experiencing the same types of problems just as she had.

Shaking her head, Lightning folded her arms across her chest after having moved and slid off Odin’s back. Turning back and nodding once to her Eidolon, the summon was dismissed and dematerialized into thin air, waiting to be called upon once more. Turning back towards the new comer as he had lowered himself down to the ground, Lightning kept her arms folded and would do her best to explain everything. “No, they don’t all lead here.” She spoke bluntly in her practical monotone voice before sighing and shifting her weight around a bit, trying to find a way to add on to her words. “Those portals are getting worse and worse. They lead to just about anywhere, leading you to a completely different world. They’re unstable and you never know where you’ll end up.” That was a disappointing tone she used for that. She enjoyed having been on Oriens, but having to come back was a bit of a pain, she was pretty sure she liked the Academy better than Valhalla, hell she liked Pulse better than Valhalla.

“With the portals, it’s all a game of chance. You could end up back home, or somewhere else next time one appears.” And that was her stopping point. Lightning remained silent for a few moments, turning away from the newcomer and gazing around the area, always on high alert and looking for any sort of threats. Of course here in Valhalla she had more summons than just Odin, but still, she couldn’t rely on them. She herself needed to be fully aware of everything that was going on here, otherwise it could turn to disaster if she’d get caught off guard by say, Caius Ballad? Or any other threads that lingered these areas, though not many. “This is Valhalla.” She spoke briefly, leaving it at that, and if the man had any more questions for her, well then she’d try to answer them, but this…this wasn’t exactly a question and answer conference, though Lightning wouldn’t be completely bothered with helping this stranger out, after all, she’d been a stranger to a new world once before and gotten the best help anyone could’ve asked for.

“Where are you from, stranger?”

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Words:[/color] 833
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Vincent!
Wearing:[/color] XIII-2 Armor
Listening To:[/color] Knight Of The Goddess: XIII-2
Notes:[/color] Hope this was alright.

[Vincent Valentine]

AVALANCHE had a penchant for trouble. They may strive to leave the world of chaos behind but inevitably, it found them again. No matter where they were in the world, some form of coincidental chance forced them to groan 'not this again' before they were back fighting for whatever freedom was being threatened. Mostly, Avalanche had fought for their right to live, even if their primary objective had originally been to destroy the Mako reactors, thus preventing Shinra Power Electric Company from sucking Gaia dry of its life source. Their theory had been a sound one. Had the population growth not slowed over the years? As Gaia grew sicker, it could not continue to produce stemmed life stream from the purest source - Gaia itself. Those barren lands had once been green, long ago.

And so trouble had found Vincent Valentine, not once, but twice in his underground coffin - though not actually six feet under and surrounded by dirt. First the Turks had come to him, unable to find what they had wanted, unable to escape Shinra's hounds. And then Cloud, curious and on a mission. Each time had been awoken the events that followed had been interesting in the very least. He had cared that Verdot escape, but at the time of joining Avalanche, Vincent hadn't cared about any of them in the slightest and thought he never would. Things change. Sometimes they change for the worse. But sometimes, just sometimes, they change for the better.

Vincent was concerned about his sudden and random arrival to this world. He had not wished to leave Gaia, and had not known it was possible by any means other than destroying the planet and using the screaming life stream as a kind of cocooned surfboard. Well, that was Sephiroth’s theory ad however insane he happened to be, he also tended to be correct in his assessment of things. If this woman knew about it, then it was not an isolated incident upon their planet. Vincent wasn’t sure whether or not that was a comfort at all. A universal pandemic of portal snatching victims from their homeworlds was not a good thing but how bad the situation could, would, be was anyone’s guess.

”These portals, were they protected before or did they not exist?” Vincent asked. He was grateful for the information she was providing, however scant it was. He essentially had wound up on her doorstep, poor victim of a portal snatch. Information was his forte and he was not about to allow any of it to go untouched. ”They can’t be controlled in any way and lead to all places?” Vincent wanted to know this. He was here, on Valhalla and while he found this place relaxing there would come a time when he had to return to Gaia. There were things he said he would do, for Reeve.

”Gaia,” he replied, in the scant hope she could possibly get him back to his business.

[Lightning Farron]

Lightning had been places before, people had shown upon Gran Pulse once upon a time as well, but this was definitely a first. Someone being thrown into Valhalla without their consent, without wishing for some sort of blessing from Etro…without being seen before, it was all too strange, and it made the pinkette wonder just what the hell was going on with the rifts between worlds these days. It made her shake her head in confusion, she could only provide so much information, of course, so for this newcomer, she’d do her best, even if her answers were short, and brief, it was the best she could do not being an expert on any of this. After having slid off Odin and let him disappear, she continued to gaze away from her newest visitor, rather thankful that no other evil beings were lurking the area at this time.

“I guess you could say they are…not protected. They are random and lead to just about anywhere, and you are a prime example, they take people without their consent. I’ve experienced them before.” Lightning gave as much information and explanations as possible, it would have to suffice for now, but her mind started to wander, how to get someone back home. She could try to call upon the powers of Etro do help, or…there was the PSICOM device she’d swiped a while back. They’d apparently discovered how to rip through the rifts and make portals, but Lightning wasn’t sure how accurate those things were these days, or in the other worlds, Etro was her best bet for now, at least to be safe. She didn’t want to go around throwing people into different worlds and get them more messed up then they already were, that would just be unfair and more than likely, she’d feel bad about it all. “They’re unstable, I know of someone who is trying to figure them out…but for now, they’re random. Uncontrollable, and sometimes, you just have to take a guess and a risk to see if you can get back home. If you’re lucky, fantastic, if not…keep searching.”

At the name of where he was from, Lightning blinked, her eyes widened a bit before she whipped around to face her newcomer. She knew that name, she’d been there before…she was racking her brain to remember the exact location, maybe to see if it was even the right place. She didn’t know what worlds sounded the same, there were far too many things to remember these days, names, faces, places, things…it was hard to remember everything, even when you could see practically everything from this unknown realm known as Valhalla. “Gaia.” She repeated almost quietly, moving a hand up towards her lips, a thoughtful look on her face as she then shifted her weight around, moving her arms across her chest, armor making sounds as she moved before her eyes went steady once more on Vincent – she didn’t know his name yet, but introductions would come soon, she believed – and as she gazed at him, she then spoke once more, finally remembering something, a name of a place. “Is there a place called ‘The Golden Saucer’ on this…Gaia of yours?” She asked completely serious, if so, then she knew the world he was speaking of. Not many fond memories were had there, that was for sure.

“My name is Lightning, I will do what I can to assist you.”

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Words:[/color] 675
Muse:[/color] Good!
Tagged:[/color] Vincent
Wearing:[/color] XIII-2 Armor
Listening To:[/color] Nothing
Notes:[/color] Nada!

[Vincent Valentine]

Travelling to other worlds was not a luxury usually available to the former Turk. He did not know whether or not he would have chosen to do so had the option been available. His lust for knowledge, for information and to have all the answers before the questions had even been conceived in the minds of others probably would have lead him to many diverse travels to other worlds. Such calculated but open curiosity would have taken him far and wide. Vincent, perhaps, would have spent a great many months in a single world, exploring all that he could and remembering everything with a fierce determination not to forget. His greatest asset was not his uncanny ability to turn into monsters or the fact he was the holder of Chaos but his mind and his ability to make accurate and swift deductions.

It was strange to go to another world, especially one so brokenly desolate. The only drop of life here was the pink haired warrior, who was brief and swift in her speech. He was grateful to her. He would not have liked it if he had met someone like Yuffie, who would have been unhelpful either because she genuinely hadn't a clue what was going on, or was being mischevious in her replies. Of course, a character like Yuffie might think themselves being friendly and endearing and would be most aggrieved to learn they were genuinely irritating the hell out of everyone around them. Yuffie...she wasn't so bad and was even better in small doses. She just needed to learn not to act like she was on a constant sugar high. Even a little hyperness was a bit much for Vincent who preferred a relaxed, if not tense atmosphere. Hyperness was for children, and last time he checked, Yuffie was a fully grown adult. Adults should behave with maturity and responsibility even if they had none - otherwise, how would hey ever get another to trust them with anything?

Vincent had only the woman's word to go on, but he could not detect a lie. however as a soldier, a warrior, kind of like himself, it would be easy for her to do so. however he was not sure what she would and could gain from such a deception. He would have to take what he could get. It was not as though he could corroborate with anyone the story she was weaving. There was no one else here save him and her. Although Vincent was naturally suspicious he was sure she was true in what she was saying. It was most likely in her best interest that he leave, even if he did find this place rather soothing. It reminded him of his life, his failures, and Lucrecia. A broken love. One, he was sure, that was never whole.

"I suppose the real question is whether or not, the portal moves or it doesn't and the world simply shifts around you," Vincent said. He was sure she didn't know. If much was in the dark about the portals then there was no knowing their true nature. Vincent for one would like to know if he was standing in the same spot on Gaia, and in a billion other worlds at the same time, but the walls were closed between them. The portals could be a breach in those walls, simply shifting one reality into another (sort of). Or whether they truly were more like corridors than gateways and one travelled along the dark rather than standing still.

"Is it possible to perish inside one?" Vincent asked. It seemed like an important question. Death could come in many shapes or forms but if these portals were potentialy fatal it would be good to know. Vanishing friends and resources was bad enough, but it was worse if they could die inside the thing which had captured them. And there was no way of knowing whether or not you would land somewhere peaceful or in the middle of a war. It was tricky, dealing with such things. Natural phenomena naturally disliked being understood. "So what's making them worse?" Vincent asked rhetorically. He wasn't expecting an answer. she probably didn't have all the answers, and if she did, why would she supply them all?

Vincent was aware her reaction was immediate and sudden which meant her hackles were probably rising. Saying yes could sway her to not help him at all, but then, she did not strike him as liking company. Especially not that of someone who hailed from a world she disliked. So Vincent nodded truthfully, finding honesty to be the best policy here. "It has it's moments," Vincent said. "Though whether those are good moments...well...it can go either way," he said. "Vincent," he said, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side.

words: 823
muse: good
tagged: light
notes: sorry for the wait! ... again...

[Lightning Farron]

It’d been easy to get used to people dropping in on Gran Pulse, but here? The only person she had seen drop in was Noel Kreiss, and that ship had long since sailed. Lightning hoped he’d found her sister, from the looks of things paradoxes were being fixed, and with Caius gone off to Etro only knows where, Lightning wasn’t as on edge as she should’ve been, but still, what was she supposed to do when a random person fell from the sky every now and then? She’d gotten help when she went through a portal, now it was time to return the favor, even if she didn’t have all the answers, she had at least some and those would have to suffice for now, if this man didn’t like it, well then tough.

Having been brief with her responses, throwing out any information she knew of when asked, Lightning had her arms folded across her chest, a serious look on her face like normal as she listened to no sound but her own voice, the occasional words of the newcomer, and after that…nothing. Valhalla really was a lonely little city out of the realms of time, it made Lightning wonder why she’d ever liked solitude, why she’d been better off alone, here…she had all the alone time she could ask for, yet she didn’t want it. She wanted to be around her sister Serah, around Hope, Fang and Vanille…even…maybe Snow! She’d sure enjoy going back to Oriens, but some things you could only wish for. Shaking her head slightly to knock herself from her distant daydreams, Lightning listened in once more for questions, tilting her head slightly and raising an eyebrow. She really didn’t have all the answers, she wasn’t the all knowing after all, but a theory could work for a response, couldn’t it? Or she could be rude and just not respond, Etro knows she’d done that plenty of times, either walking past people or dismissing them with a ‘tch’ sound.

“I’m not sure.” Light replied quietly before the next words were spoken. Was it possible to perish in one of these portals? Perhaps, anything was possible, Lightning knew that for damn sure. She never thought defying a focus was possible, yet as she clearly shouted to Orphan – ‘we live to make the impossible, possible’ – and that had worked out just fine. She didn’t think it’d be possible to be wiped out of time, to a world where she no longer existed, to be a warrior of a goddess who had saved herself and her friends during their time as l’cies, but look where she was now. Valhalla, a timeless forgotten city where no living beings roamed, aside from herself and Caius of course, a never ending battle. “I suppose it’s possible, I’ve never heard of any deaths through a portal though.” She said with a small shrug, feeling as if she were running dry on information, but hey, at least she had something instead of nothing, right? This guy could at least appreciate that.

Her own personal time on Gaia hadn’t been a pleasant one, but that wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own. She should’ve made sure Barthandules was dead, and stayed that way…she only had herself to blame, and dropped the topic of Gaia or the Golden Saucer right then and here with only a simply nod. “Well Vincent, I’m not sure how long it’ll take for a portal to appear on it’s own…you may be stuck for awhile.” She said before taking a gander at the shores of Valhalla only a little ways away, her eyes were constantly moving, her ears constantly listening, there could always be a threat looming in the area, and should the most likely threat appear…it would be battle after battle after battle, something Lightning didn’t want. “You’ll be home in no time, though. Of that I’m sure.”

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Words:[/color] 765
Muse:[/color] Good!
Tagged:[/color] Vinny!
Wearing:[/color] XIII-2 armor
Listening To:[/color] FFXIII OST
Notes:[/color] --

[Vincent Valentine]

The eerie back drop of etheral green had not changed. The light from the sky was the same strange dull pearly grey it had been since he had arrived. The achingly twisted wreck of the city which may have once been populated by people, or had always been deserted. The empty walk ways were clear from rubble, though occasionally a hunk of rock appeared to be ceremoniously dumped there. The chunk of stone lying isolated and alone on the path behind him. It was hard to imagine anyone but this pink haired girl had ever walked here. Somehow Vincent had a feeling she was this place's keeper and that people didn't just come here. There somehow was no here.

It was not just because he had been told by her in the straightest manner that this place was non-existent. There was no atmosphere here. There was no sense of life having ever been here. It was like it had come into being already dead. If this was the place where all things stemmed from then it made sense there was no life here. There wasn't supposed to be life here. It was intended to drift, spawning possibility, or perhaps intended to balance the over abundance of chaos that happened outside this realm (for lack of a better word because 'planet' just didn't seem appropriate). It was an empty gaping hole that wasn't supposed to be filled. So why was she here? The lonely guardian of an even lonelier crumbling metropolis forgotten at the end of the reality itself. Whatever interaction she had had to be bundled up in these infrequent and accidental encounters. perhaps she preferred it that way. Being alone was something Vincent liked. But not being able to help his friends when they needed him, well, he wouldn't tell them, that made him a little uncomfortable.

As they were talking Chaos bled from his body, retreating inside to the recesses of his mind. He was a faint buzz, sometimes an urge Vincent couldn't explain but ignored. Chaos couldn't talk to him, nor influence his actions but he was there, a pressure, sort of, that settled in the back of his head. His pale armoured face became his own soft, hidden, human one. His long strong, gangly limps that looked as though he could run a marathon in a second and could rip apart a building without any effort at all. Now he just looked like an ordinary man. That would probably put her at ease. No one liked facing what could only be described as a monster. He did feel a bit vulnerable because she was on a giant eight legged beast he didn't know the name of.

"People don't just come here do they?" Vincent asked. "If this place exists in another plane of existence that the living aren't supposed to cross over to, then how is it possible I'm here at all," Vincent wasn't sure if it was a question or not but it sure as hell needed saying. Lightning might say this place didn't exist but all things existed for one to witness it. Or perhaps nothing existed because once you've lived something it's already gone. History is captured through videos and pictures and words on a page but you can never see it again. The atoms had dispersed and gone. Or so one theory said. But if this place existed, and did not exist simultaneously then that theory had to be incorrect. Vincent didn't know a lot about the afterlife - no one did. All he knew for certain was most of the people on the planet, Gaia, returned to the River of Life when they died. Their mortal bodies perished but their souls - their mini life streams - continued, joining the main body from which all life stemmed. It was the Promised Land so beloved that Shinra had allowed experimentation upon innocent Cetras who were just trying to survive in a world that thought them a legend. It was hard to tell what history was correct. Each side always told a different story.

But if the atoms were fixed and perhaps one day there was a chance to go back into the past and correct a mistake (though what that would do to time and space Vincent had again no idea but was also sure it couldn't be a good thing) then he was entirely unsure about how he felt. Temptation was a disease, an insidious drug that turned like a splinter in the mind, festering and infecting all other thoughts until the subconcious overloaded with ideas you were trying so very insistently not to think about and so it was all you could think about. The conciousness bubbled over with one idea that ignited similar ideas and then an obsession was born all because a drop of temptation had wiggled and wormed its way into the heart sparking hope. Perhaps there coudl be a happy ending. Perhaps things could be right again. But right for who? For him? Vincent Valentine didn't deserve happiness. Whatever he had right now, he wasn't sure he deserve that either but life with a picket fence and the woman he adored was not what he deserved. Perhaps he could correct his failing and spare the world a major suffering and wound. But he could also, in his attempt to make it all better, just like before, only make everything worse. Gaia was handling itself right now. There was no answer he could think of that was the right answer. And there never would be. "Do the portals stay open for a certain length of time?"

Vincent didn't point out the obvious mistake in her words. How can she be sure he would be home in no time if she had no idea when a portal was going to appear? And if said portal did appear there was no way of knowing where it would take him. He found the sentence pointless but said nothing. She was being polite, perhaps comforting and so he would o the polite thing in return and not behave like a tired old man who hated pointless statements in critical situations. He needed her help not the other way around. "Thank you," Vincent replied.


words: 1070
Notes: <3 wow and here I thought I was only going to write 5-600 xD

[Lightning Farron]

Valhalla was not an easy thing to explain, the portals were just as difficult as that, if not more complex. Lightning had answers, but she didn’t have all of them. Of course she would’ve been just as curious, would’ve thrown out questions just as Vincent was had she been in his shoes. Shaking her head slightly and folding her arms, she did lift a hand slightly to tap her chin, thinking about everything, wanting to give the best answers she could instead of making up something completely ridiculous. “This realm, Valhalla, it is a realm where time does not flow, it wiped me out of my world, wrote me out of history…so in a way it does exist, yet it doesn’t. Not many people come here, you’re the second to drop in since I was brought here.” She answered with a small almost depressed sigh, remembering the day she’d been brought here, and no, not by her own free will.

That day the world of Cocoon had been saved due to Fang and Vanille turning into Ragnarok, in the end, they plunged themselves into Cocoon and it turned to crystal just as they did, leaving them in the crystal pillar. Lightning and the rest of the gang went brandless, she thought it was all over, that the battles were over…but as soon as she went to greet her sister, a dark entity, the chaos, had grabbed her and dragged her through the historia crux to the shores of Valhalla. Nothing had been the same since, she missed her sister dearly, she longed to see her, but she’d have to settle for what she could see from Valhalla. Never being able to speak to her, to hug her again…and apologize for the harsh words she spat at her sister before, it was a feeling that made her feel awful with each passing day, even though days never really passed here, time did not exist after all. Finding herself lost in a daze, her eyes were staring at the ground, her expression less than pleased, but she looked more sad than anything…

‘Serah…I’m so sorry.’

She thought to herself before her gaze flickered upwards at the sound of another question being thrown at her. Lightning appreciated the question’s timing, but the context was starting to get to where she was unable to answer them clearly. Tilting her head slightly, she mulled over her answer before shrugging her shoulders. “They can vary, it’s never specific with portals, nothing about them is consistent.” She spoke in that monotone of hers before turning sharply, listening for something…she felt a disturbance, like something was here that didn’t belong – aside from Vincent Valentine of course – and it made her a bit on edge. Aqua eyes scanned the location, she didn’t see any sign of Caius, nor of anything else, but people could easily hide here. Simply nodding at his thanks while her attention was in another direction, Lightning took a few steps away from the newcomer, still listening, it was then she gazed down the nearest pathway, it was then a sound did come to her ears and her lips pursed into a straight line, her moves were silent, and that’s when she made her way onto the pathway between buildings, a hand rose up as if to silence anything and everything else that wanted to make noise. In a quiet tone, she spoke over her shoulder. “Something’s here.”

Moving quietly, her armor not even making a sound, her gunblade materialized in her hand as she began to stalk the street. Out of the corner of her eye, a pink flash ran by her. Turning quickly and raising her traditional gunblade she fired three shots, nicking the pink figure that resembled herself while a scowl appeared on her lips. Manikins. They were flowing into Valhalla slowly these days, why? It was never discovered why or how they were escaping the rift that she and the rest of her Dissidia gang had supposedly taken care of. So this was great, there was a manikin running around now. “It’s coming your way, Vincent!” she called quickly.

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Words:[/color] 790
Muse:[/color] Great!
Tagged:[/color] Vinny
Wearing:[/color] XIII-2 Armor
Listening To:[/color] Nothing
Notes:[/color] Added some ACTION!

[Vincent Valentine]

There were a lot of oddities in life. He himself was an oddity. He was 70 years now but looked no day older than he had before he had locked himself away in a coffin. Cloud was an oddity, a man so strong he could defeat Sephiroth, smash Bahamut and generally slice large portions of concrete in half with ease. Vincent was used to things appearing strange, initially at least, before truth illuminated the situation. Valhalla... he understood what Lightning was saying. If she was wiped from the timelines...well he couldn't say he knew a lot about time travel and such but if she was gone from the timelines, would he remember this? This was a waste of time if he didn't.

As it turns out, he was more of an oddity than he thought. He was only the second person to arrive here, unnanounced, in Valhalla. Vincent wasn't sure how he felt about that. Obviously the other person left this place (well, the was assuming so). There was no way to thrive here. In this ethereal ruin of a city there were no people. If it ever had a population it was clear they were long gone, but the funny thing is, Vincent was sure there never was. How was it she survived here? She could no longer be as human as she used to be. With nothing to eat, nothing to drink she had to have a touch of otherworldliness to survive here. Vincent idly wondered if her ability to age had been suspended too.

Gaia was suddenly far away. It was strange to be here and not on the planet he called home. Vincent didn't feel sad, he didn't feel lost and lonely without it. He did feel strangely cut off from the energy that surrounded the world. Valhalla felt dead. There was nothing here. There was no resonance, no atmosphere no warmth here. It felt dead. It had to be terribly lonely here: waiting, watching, waiting. Time stood still here, dragging its feet, crawling along the broken scarp of the jagged knife. There was nothing to do. She had to have a strong mentality to survive - probably the reason she was chosen in the first place. There was no point in being able to defend or protect whatever it was she was guarding if the mindset was not there. As strong and as agile Cloud was, he would be crippled here. The boy went over things too much inside his head and that would haunt him. Alone with his thoughts and no distraction? It took a certain kind of character to face that kind of solitude. Vincent would find it easy here, it not slightly boring. Somehow he had become used to trouble.

Suddenly her attention was snatched. Whatever had taken her attention was clearly more important, pressing and more dangerous than he had caught her focus. Vincent listened intently. He peeled away the landscape with sharp eyes but whatever it was, had to be linked to her duties. She guarded this realm didn't she? She would hardly be a good guard if she couldn’t sense breaches in boundaries and such. Clearly she could. She found him rather quickly, didn’t she?

Ever prepared for trouble, Vincent had trusted Cerberus in his hand in a second. ”Hmm,” Vincent hummed. It was probably nothing he couldn’t handle. Vincent had been fighting for most of his life and was highly trained. Typical danger should come now Chaos had faded to the background. Vincent took a careful aim at the pink whizzing thing and fired.