Off the beaten path...

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

*With a rather embarrassing cry, Cloud found himself well off of his perch. Two days of constant vigilance wasted, all due to the simple overreaction to a bit of a light show. How was he supposed to react when the world flashed from a sandy wasteland to the hallway of a fancy castle? Perhaps the flail had been of an overreaction, and Cerberus certainly could have behaved a bit more, but still...

The guards had thrown something at him - an apple, probably - and the sixteen year old had found himself spinning towards his death, forgetting he could fly for the moment in favor of grabbing the yappy, shrunken demon dog so he wasn't punished for that. But suddenly, the six story drop seemed much shorter, the omph coming a full thirty seconds too soon - and Cloud found himself in that aforementioned castle.*

... Ow. *he lifted his metal hand to run through his hair, scratching the back of his head and glancing about for a moment, before casting a particularly nasty glare whichever head of the three headed dog that was chewing on his arm.* Hades is going to kill me, but you'd make a nice fur coat. >/

*He'd have to snag the Princess after. Time to figure out where he was now.*

Comments

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

Cloud?

[this one traveled with Sora, and Riku as well, so she met Cloud at the Olympus Coliseum.]

Are you alright- is that Cerberus?

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

Yes. *curt tone, not looking up, trying to pry the dog off of his arm because now all three heads are determined to cause pain* >/

I'm fine.. *glances over, pause, blinks - oh boy that's not who he thought it was. Cue social awkwardness - he's been in Hell all this time, hasn't shared a word with another living person that hasn't wanted to KILL him for years* ... Yes, it is...

... who are you?

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

Oh! Um. My name's Kairi.

[smiles brightly before frowning slightly.]

...do you want some help with him?

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

Kairi... *blinks, nods* I'm.. Cloud. But.. you seem to already know that...

*slight pause, manages to tug the animal off - eek, don't look at those bite marks, and sighs~~~*

... He'd bite harder if it was someone he didn't know...

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

I met the Cloud in my world.

[those bite marks look bad and she frowns more.]

I see his bite is still pretty dangerous, even at that size... Do you need a Cure?

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

Cloud in... your world?

*must have missed that memo, blinks curiously - all the while trying to find the muzzle he brought with him*

Unfortunately... Did you run into him before? *glances at his arm* I.. I guess.

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

Oh, right, new person. Um, this is the dressing room. It's a crossroads between worlds, or dimensions. It pulls people in and we get stuck here. There are doubles of people, too. Like there are a couple hundred Soras around.

[there's a faint, faint scowl on her face now.]

Sora, Riku, and I had to fight him- full sized him- at the Olympus Coliseum.

[the scowl is replaced with a smile and she pulls out a dagger, quietly casting a Cure on him. cue green light and healing!]

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

.. Stuck? *there's a certain hopeful note to his voice* As in, can't return? *goodbye missions, hello... well, whatever there was to life after that.*

... You had to fight him at the Coliseum? That's... odd, Hades doesn't usually let him out of the caverns... Much less fully sized..

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

As in can't return, yeah.

[slips the dagger back into its sheath and crosses her arms.]

Hades is a jerkwad. It was some kind of trap, he brought him out when the Cloud in my world didn't kill Sora.

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

I see. *sliiight smile, pleased*

*frown* That Sora is lucky to be alive, then. At least it wasn't the Hydra. though that was just a catastrophe in itself...

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

[no, the Hydra will be in the sequel. nods a bit.]

Yeah, Cloud was pretty hard to fight, and then Cerberus on top of that... I don't think Riku and Sora ever figured it out, but Hercules weakened Cerberus before we fought him.

[giggles a little.]

They were so proud of defeating him, though.

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

Confidence is what one needs.. to overcome the darkness. *has none, thus the contract~!*

Though I suppose that even a weakened Cerberus must be difficult for an off-worlder... *clamps the muzzle on, moves to stand while holding the pesky creature away from him so he's not clawed*

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

More than confidence is needed for that. You can be confident, but still fall to the Darkness.

[tilts her head, smiling.]

Well it's his job to be tough, isn't it?

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't know. I've only ever seen the weak willed make deals with it.

*blinks, glances at the dog*

... I suppose. But Hades has a habit of messing up his own creations. *points at the left head* If his brothers don't influence him, he's usually pretty tame.

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

I've seen people who were confident- too confident- fall to it. Arrogance, I guess. Believing they could master it instead.

[looks down at the dog as well, biting her lip.]

...he's kind of cute, actually.

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

Well, there are some of those people everywhere... They wind up messing up their deals and landing themselves in an early grave, most times.

*slight smile, pets the dog. Cerberus makes assorted happy noises and squirms.*

...He is. *pause, blink* Oh... um... Do you want to pet him? He's harmless as long as the muzzle is on.

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

[brightens.]

Can I?

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

Of course. *holds squirming mini-Cerb out a little, keeping an eye on those flailing paws* Just... watch the claws.

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

[grins and reaches out to gently pet one of the heads.]

Never thought Cerberus could be adorable.

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

*annd the tailwagging has begun*

He's cute... if you approach him with cakes. *slight smile*

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

Cakes? Really?

[looks up at Cloud, still petting Cerberus.]

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

He's got a weak spot for cakes. It's how some people get... wait, nevermind that.

*shifts his hold on the squirming animal, slight awkward smile*

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

I see.

[smiles and pulls her hand away.]

Do you want a tour of this place? Or at least the main places, since I don't think there's actually an end to it.

[cumuluswarfare.livejournal.com]

That would be... nice.

.. there's no end? *stare, shakes his head and tucks the dog under his metal arm*

[stillwiththem.livejournal.com]

No, there are people who've been here for ages who are still discovering rooms. C'mon, I'll show you the kitchen first.

[motions for him to follow, then starts towards the kitchen.]