queenofheartsrp | s vs. z | 010 [action/video]

s vs. z | 010 [action/video]

[Sephiroth has few fears. She had fewer before arriving in the Gardens. Back home, everything is so certain. She keeps the peace, protects the populace. She is a hero. Here, she saw the look of fear and hatred in Tifa's eyes. She is mindful of the strange blankness in Reeve's expression whenever she mentions SOLDIER. Reeve has told her certain things, and the things Reeve does not say speak almost as clearly.

I will disappear. My friends will disappear. How similar is her own world to the worlds of those others? That is a question she cannot answer. The fear in Tifa's eyes and the knowledge in Reeve's trouble her.

Yet she did not truly know Tifa, and Reeve does not fear her. She wonders: what if she someday finds herself face to face with someone she knows, who also fears her? That, perhaps, is why she stands facing a young woman with black hair and blue eyes that hold a faint glow not unlike the glow in her own eyes. The woman's sword is drawn, and the expression on her face is nearly the one Tifa wore. There is more loathing than fear in those shining eyes.]

I have no desire to fight you, Zack.

[Sephiroth's sword is not drawn, because she does not wish to hurt Zack. This is most likely one of the illusions, but there is a slim chance it could be a real Zack, from another world. She does not know Zack well, back home. There, he is a young man: Angeal's protégé. He is bright, excitable. Tifa had spoken of him here, had said he had died. Sephiroth had wondered if Tifa meant to suggest that that might have had something to do with her, but she cannot say for certain.]

Please, sheathe your sword.

[The young woman does not listen to her, strikes with a quickness only a SOLDIER could manage. She's older. She is a SOLDIER. Sephiroth does not react in time, because she does not want to engage in this fight. She feels a sting, and when she looks down, her neck and chest are bright with blood. She takes a step back. The wound is superficial. She could heal it in an instant, but she does not. Blood trickles down over the black leather of her clothing. She's never been wounded in battle before, but this isn't a battle, is it? Zack has leapt back as quickly as she attacked, as if fearing a counter-attack. She is breathing hard, eyes wide. At last she speaks, echoing words Tifa had said.]

You're supposed to be dead.

[It is not the thought that she might die that troubles her, but the thought that her death could be seen as preferable to the alternative.]

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[Executives aren't expected to keep in top physical shape, but Reeve makes excellent time on her mad dash to find Sephiroth-- and Zack. Even though Zack is a woman, that woman is most definitely Zack Fair. Oh, God. This place.
It all happened so fast, she barely had time to react, but the sight of the blood running down Sephiroth's coat sent her out of the apartment without a moment to spare. She had no idea what she might do when she arrived. Now that she has she still doesn't. She's a little out of breath.]

Wait! No, Zack-- you're wrong. I don't know why you think so but this isn't-- she isn't the one you're looking for. This is all wrong!

[She glances at Sephiroth. It's hard to take her eyes off of "Zack".] It's not real. There are apparitions all over the Garden. This isn't-- real.

[By the time Reeve arrives, Sephiroth has cured her wound, but the blood is still where it was, though it has dried on her skin. She has avoided all Zack's further attacks, without attacking in return. For once, she seems slightly winded, or it could be that something else has made her breathing uneven.] I know. I've seen the apparitions, but there was also a woman from SOLDIER who arrived. If there is a chance that this is Zack, I will not harm her, even if I am from a time in which she is my enemy. [Zack is her responsibility; what would Angeal say if she allowed Zack to be injured?]

[Zack shakes her head, crouching down following her last charge.]

[Reeve shakes her head, re-ties her bathrobe while never taking her eyes off of the two SOLDIERS. A Sephiroth and a Zack she never knew-- both terrifying and beautiful in motion. She tries to stay with them as best she can.]

No! Can't you see I'm not afraid? It's you who doesn't understand! There isn't anyone for you to save here-- Zack, please. Believe me, I'll come between you if I have to.

[She looks to Sephiroth.] You know I mean what I say-- [Sephiroth's earlier words finally reach her.] a woman from SOLDIER? No-- not right now. Please. Don't let this-- projection injure you. This isn't Zack. Even if this were a Zack who was your enemy, I don't think she'd simply go after you without preamble.

[Zack shakes her head, grimly.]

She might believe there was preamble, though there was none. [Reeve doesn't remember Tifa, who wouldn't listen to any of her reassurances, wouldn't take into account the fact that she was from another time, another world.] If she is from another time.

[She hasn't drawn Masamune yet. Zack attacks again, and the two SOLDIERs move faster than any human could, leaping from tree to tree, Zack striking and Sephiroth dodging. When they pause again, they are almost as before, Zack crouching, readying herself to strike again, and Sephiroth standing facing her, her hands empty.] I would never harm them. Not even if I were ordered to.

Zack, there's no need for this! Oh, why am I bothering.

[Superhuman. It's really the only word for what they are. Here she is, earthbound, threatening to interfere in the conflicts of the gods.]

Sephiroth, of course you wouldn't. I know that. It's just-- please believe me, this isn't real in any meaningful sense! It's only another attempt at punishment, courtesy of the Queen. Please, don't let this thing harm you.

She cannot harm me, Reeve. [She'd allowed the single wound, but no more. She wondered why she had allowed it. It had been interesting. It was interesting to interact with her, real or no. She fought like a SOLDIER. Even an illusory SOLDIER would be powerful. Is this one an illusion? It is likely so. Her uncertainty has faded throughout the fight. She should have been able to reason with Zack.] But I will test that theory. [There is no need to continue to alarm Reeve.]

[At this, Sephiroth frowns, drawing Masamune at last. She moves forward with greater speed than before, so quickly that Reeve likely cannot see her for a moment, then strikes at Zack. It is not a blow meant to kill or even injure the other woman, so Zack manages to bring her sword up and block. But this was Sephiroth's intent--her attack was meant for the sword itself. It breaks as Masamune hits it, the blade snapping, and then she strikes again at what remains of the weapon, the force sending the hilt flying from Zack's hand. Zack falls back. The point of Sephiroth's blade stills, quite close to Zack's throat.]

I'll never be a monster. I'm a SOLDIER.

[Zack opens her mouth as if she wants to say something more, then disappears. Sephiroth looks almost disappointed. Part of her had wished that Zack were real.]

No!

[It happens so quickly-- the blinding speed at which SOLDIERs move is disorienting, and a little frightening.
She isn't really sure of the reason for her calling out-- was it to deny what Zack said? Was it because she feared for them both, though she knew one wasn't real? In any case, now there is only one SOLDIER in the clearing. The expression on Sephiroth's face is barely readable. But she finds something there nonetheless.
Reeve approaches the other woman. Sephiroth's sword is still unsheathed. It's shape makes an unwavering black line against the air. She comes to stand by Sephiroth's side, looking up at her face.]

I don't know about you, but I'm not looking forward to repeating that experience. We should go.

[She turns to Reeve, calmly.] I would not have risked wounding her, if there had been even the slightest chance that she was real. [She sheathes Masamune.] Zack is my comrade.

[She feels an odd mixture of pleasure and dissatisfaction. At first, the apparition's words had bothered her, but once her instincts had taken over, she had cared far less, more concerned with the pleasure of facing a worthy opponent. The holographic opponents in her training ground are more safe, less exciting.

Part of her wants to stay, to see if more false SOLDIERs arrive. But there are others (no, one other) who might arrive instead, and she does not enjoy that thought.] I suspected she was likely not real. I could have dispatched her at once, but I did not wish to.

However, you are right. We should go.

I know-- I know you'd never hurt a comrade, Sephiroth. It must have been jarring for you, to see her that way. It was for me, I must say. Though in my world, Zack was a man, of course.

[Although she knows Sephiroth is aware of every detail of their surroundings, she looks about for a moment distractedly, retying her bathrobe again even though it doesn't need it. She's in her bare feet, her hair managing to maintain its usual ponytail in only the loosest sense.]

All right. I don't know about you, but I feel seriously in need of a cup of tea.

[Before Sephiroth has a chance to reply, a voice sounds from the trees behind, closer to where the Wild Places lie. At first, it doesn't say anything at all. It only laughs. At the sound, Sephiroth's whole body instantly stiffens. She does not turn around. The laughter lingers, then fades, before the voice resolves itself into speech as the woman accompanying it steps out from beneath the shadows of the trees. She has dark hair, tied back in a loose ponytail. She wears a white lab coat, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose as she walks closer.]

[She shakes her head, with another small laugh.]

Dammit.

[Oh, she knows that laugh. Annoying in a meeting, distinctive in a hallway-- positively unnerving here where it absolutely does not belong. Professor Hojo. She isn't all that clear on Sephiroth's relationship with the man, but she has the idea that there some-- issues there, to put it mildly. She takes a step back from the thing that isn't Shinra Corp's perpetual Employee of the Month. Beside her, Sephiroth seems frozen in place.]

Sephiroth-- you know this isn't real. Please, don't listen.

Yes, Reeve. I know.

[Sephiroth does not listen, precisely. But it is not her will, not even her underlying worries, that keep her still now. It is training. Her desire is to turn at once and strike, run the phantom through with her sword. Yet that goes against everything she has been taught, since she was born.]

[Hojo turns toward Reeve with a kind of affability that does not seem affable at all.]

[She says "Urban Development" as some might speak of an infestation of vermin. She shakes her head and laughs again.]

[The remark seems pointed, somehow.] [She gestures amusedly toward Sephiroth, still caught in a war between conditioning and will.]

[Before she can stop herself (after all it isn't real--is it) Reeve has taken a step back. Hojo. Not that they've ever had much contact, but she's aware in a general, peripheral way, of what the man thinks of her work. Still, this is different. Jarring. The personal insults she's heard before, and she doesn't mean to respond, but the rest--]

No. That isn't true. All the research, it belongs to Shinra--I've never had a say about any other than my intended applications. SOLDIER is-- she isn't erratic. She's a human being for God's sake!

[Hojo just laughs for a minute at this, as if she finds it the best joke in the world.]

[Sephiroth turns toward Hojo then, perhaps because she is recovering, or perhaps because Hojo has said her name. She regards the professor, her face void of emotion now, but her green eyes very bright. It is now impossible to tell what she might be thinking.]

[Hojo's laughter is louder than it should be out of doors. It's rattling. Reeve does her best not to show how much-- she takes a deep breath. But lets it escape as Sephiroth turns to face the scientist. What she's feeling now is closer to anger.]

Of course we aren't on the same level, of course she's superior-- she was made that way! But that doesn't mean she isn't a human being, dammit.

And yes, I know you aren't interested in my "moralizing", even though your work is dependent on mine to a degree. I wouldn't expect acknowledgment or respect from the actual Professor Hojo-- I certainly don't expect it from you. Whatever you are.

[At this, Sephiroth does stir, but not so Reeve can see at first. One instant she is gone, and then next she is upon Professor Hojo, sliding her sword through the professor's body. The woman's face distorts oddly--she seems to be about to laugh again, but before she can make any sound, she disappears.]

[Reeve realizes her hands are on her face, covering her mouth but not her eyes. So fast. Faster than she's ever seen Sephiroth move. Than she's ever seen anything move. And of course it wasn't real, it couldn't be real, could never be real, but--]

Oh, God.

[the way the black sword slid right through. Swift and inexorable as death itself.
She knows she's staring. She knows that in a moment she'll say something. She has no idea what that will be, what words will come. Her hands falls to her sides, but she doesn't approach Sephiroth.]

No. You were the monster here.

[Sephiroth explains, simply:] He would not have given you any credit for his work. Not even for your influence. [With that proof, she had been able to move as she wished. And that was what she had wished to do.]

I believe he may have been sent for you. [He would have said different things to her, she imagines, not that she would like anything he might have to say. Unlike Zack, she cannot refer to him as female. He is different.]

As I don't wish you to be distressed further, we should leave. [Though she glances back over her shoulder as if half-expecting to see another SOLDIER.]

[Reeve exhales, reaches back to straighten her ponytail-- tries to regain her shaken composure. She laughs, briefly and perhaps a little unsteadily.]

Yes. He probably was-- and we probably should.

[She looks up into Sephiroth's face, as if searching for something there.]
Though you won't stay away, will you? Once I'm safely put away.

I am not sure what I will do. Perhaps there is no point in chasing shadows. [She pauses.] But perhaps there is.

The fight was stimulating enough. Usually there is some so-called "lesson" in these events, but I am not sure what the Queen intends to teach us.

She wishes to pledge our devotion to each other. Does she think distressing us will accomplish this?

[Reeve smiles, a little wry.]
Possibly. Of course, not all of us require that sort of motivation.

But no, I don't think things will work out in the way she's planned-- human response to negative stimuli is variable. It can result in an urge for isolation just as often as it can an urge for companionship. But I'm sure you're aware of all this-- and I'm glad you enjoyed your fight, I suppose. [She chuckles, though she's plainly feeling drained.]
You might just be the only person to get at least a little something you actually wanted out of this ghastly experiment.

[She found it troubling, but it was illusory.] It was not ideal, but others may also gain something. As you said, human reactions are variable.

[They walk away from the border together, and Sephiroth is quiet for a short time before asking:] Zack is a man in my world, as well. Do you know him?

[Tired and rattled as she is, Reeve isn't entirely surprised by the question. Zack Fair.]
In a manner of speaking. I knew him in passing, yes. He was-- a very well respected SOLDIER.

[Normally, she might take a stab at dissembling, but at the moment she feels in need of a little firm reality. The truth as she knows it isn't really very shocking anyhow.]
He went Missing In Action around the same time the General did, actually. I've heard nothing sense. Are you close? In your universe?

[Sadness flickers in her eyes for a moment.] I see.

I don't know him well, though perhaps I will know him better, in time. He is Angeal's protégé.

I imagine Zack appeared because such a change, in him, would be most jarring. Angeal calls him "the Puppy", because he is very like one. [She pauses.] Tifa spoke of him, also.

[Dryly spoken.] Did she.

[Reeve's smile is a little tired.] Yes, I can see that-- and I imagine it must have been a much more drastic change for you than it was for me. I'm sorry-- if that's appropriate. I know it was meant to, but sometimes, this place... [Reeve sighs, squaring her shoulders.]

well, never mind. No point in complaining about something I can't change.

Are you sure you won't stay-- rather than go in search of more trouble?

[ Larry watches the encounter closely, curiously. She doesn't know Sephiroth's many issues, of course, but she can see that whatever is up with this chick, she has some serious issues with the longer-haired swordswoman.

But she can't just watch for very long, not when someone's being attacked. ]

Hey! Whoever the hell you are, back off!

[ She yells as loud as she can, hoping that they can hear her - and wondering if she can get to them quickly. ]

[The black-haired woman hears Larry's voice and responds at once, her voice and her anger unwavering.]

[Sephiroth hates to hear Zack's usually cheerful voice so altered--far beyond the mere shift from male to female.] This is a comrade of mine--I don't wish to harm her. [Is this Zack or not? It is very likely not, but the possibility yet exists.] It could be an illusion, but she might be confused. [Zack charges her again, but this time she eludes her without Zack landing a blow, and the two stand facing each other again, in different places, but the same stances.]

I don't know what Sephiroth's done outside of here, but I do know what she's done here, and...

[ Dammit. She flinches, wondering if she really should run over there, or if Sephiroth can take care of herself. Did she get that Materia stuff working properly? ]

Do you need my help? I mean, I know you don't want to hurt her but I'm sure I can do something.

[Speaking to Larry rouses Sephiroth out of her strange, thoughtful state. She can think clearly again.]

Yes, you have helped me, Larry. Thank you.

[Don't want to hurt her--that reminds her, there is something she can do without hurting her. Her Time Materia is fused to her armlet, and she does not need to do anything to access the spell she wishes to cast.]

[STOP]

[Stop is not a completely reliable spell, but this time, it works. Zack freezes. Sephiroth walks toward her. Her body is motionless, but her eyes react. She can still see.]

This is a temporary state. I'm not sure what to do once she is released from it.

[ Larry watches closely as Sephiroth uses her Materia, amazed at the power of this 'magic' stuff so many people here have. The other woman was simply stopped in place, obviously unharmed. ]

You could... I dunno, tie her up while she's like this?

[Sephiroth nods. It's a good idea.] I do have some of the soil with me. [She carries a little with her, in case she might need to make something. Simple, strong restraints are easy enough to envision and create. She removes Zack's sword from her hand, then lays her down on the ground and secures her wrists and ankles. Something feels strange about it--taking one of her comrades as a prisoner.]

I hate to do this, but if she is real and simply confused, it is probably necessary. [If not, studying one of the illusions could be interesting.]

I really hope that's all it is... there was that girl a while ago who had some issues with you too, though.

[ Not that she's really suspicious of Sephiroth - that girl and this could be from some kinda 'similar but alternate' deal. It's a scary thought that it might be a matter of time, though, that one of her friends is destined to become some kind of horrible person.

Best not to dwell. ]

Yes, Tifa. [She mentions her name without hostility.] The Sephiroth she knew was a man. There is another woman here, from a world like mine. In her world, Sephiroth is missing and presumed dead, but gave her no cause for alarm.

[She is glad that Larry cannot see Zack more closely, because her eyes, which still see, are terrified as she gazes up at Sephiroth. That is another reason she does not wish to harm her. To prove she is not someone who would.]

That is why I am not entirely sure if she is an illusion. She might be from an alternate world and confused about the difference. She is a young man in my world.

[ Face meet palm. ]

Just gets more and more confusing... and terrifying for a lot of people.

[ At least she can hopefully chalk this up to alternate world stuff. ]

[Jim is watching curiously, frowning slightly]

These things are kind of dicks.

[a pause] Need a hand over there?

[The voice speaking to her seems to rouse Sephiroth from her reflective state.]

It's unnerving to see her so changed. She is not like this. [She doesn't mean the gender at all, adopting the feminine pronoun at once because Zack is female here. Zack is also cheerful, little more than a child. Zack looks up to her. This is somehow harder to take than seeing Angeal or Genesis in such a state would be. This Zack is furious, in pain, and she can do nothing for her.]

[She should draw Masamune, but she does not.] I'm not sure what to do. There is a slim chance that she might be real. Others from my world have appeared here. She is my responsibility.

[Zack charges her again, but this time she evades, stepping to the side with a speed almost too quick to be seen. Both she and Zack move far more swiftly than any human should be able to.]

Believe me, I know what you mean.

{Jim squints at Zack before making the decision to just ignore her. She starts slightly when Sephiroth moves so fast, whistling under her breath]

You know there's an option between doing nothing and lethal force, right? Punch her in the face and see what happens.

[Fighting a SOLDIER is different than fighting an ordinary human, a fact that Sephiroth knows well.] SOLDIERs are enhanced. She will be difficult to incapacitate without injuring her seriously. [Genetically enhanced humans: that always works out well.]

Yet you make a good point.

[She is slowly stocking up on Materia. SOLDIERs tend to rely on their own strength, and she does not usually use Materia; making them is just for the purpose of experimenting, of having something to do--but they are useful now.]

[SLEEPEL]

[The spell inflicts Sleep on Zack, and she collapses at once. Sephiroth goes to her side. She is not quite sure what to do with Zack now. The spell's effect is temporary. Asleep, her face peaceful, Zack looks more like his--no, her--usual self. She speaks to Kirk.] Thank you. I was not thinking clearly. [As almost an afterthought, Sephiroth heals the shallow wound across the top of her chest.]

[Jim flat out stares as Sephiroth appears to cast some sort of spell, and the other chick collapses] Hey, no problem. I do what I can.

[She tilts her head curiously, wondering if it's insensitive to ask right now] What was it you did just now to knock her out like that?

[Sephiroth touches Zack's face. Her skin feels real. She checks the woman's breathing, her pulse. Both normal. She is still unable to determine whether she is an illusion. She wonders if she should attempt to restrain her, so she can reason with her.]

[She does not seem to mind the question or feel it inappropriate.] It is magic. [It is possible to make the argument that the power of Materia is a natural force, explainable by science, but she finds "magic" a term that makes conversation easier here.] I can manipulate the natural world in various ways.

I must decide what to do with her. The effect is temporary. [As a precaution, she picks up Zack's sword and throws it some distance away.]

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