herobydefault | [Voice]

Entry tags:

mama cloud,
psa

[Voice]

Okay, last time I really didn't explain myself well. This is for any kids that feel they want someone around to help out; like fixing things, cooking, for any reason. This isn't any kind of...I don't know, like collection thing. Child services. What it would be is anybody who doesn't mind moving into the apartments on the far east of the village, you guys would all take rooms over there. So you can still live with whoever you want. And then there would be some adults moving into apartments in the same building, so you'd have somebody close who's there to do stuff like get groceries and help you with anything you need. Again, if you don't want to do this, you're definitely in no way obligated to, nobody's coming after you, etc. Just for those who want to.

Raine...not the Raine I know. Other Raine. Married Raine. ...and her daughter. Wow, I didn't get anybody's names, I suck. Leonardo, No-ah Joo, Oswald and anybody else would wouldn't mind moving to the apartments near the shopping center and would like to help look after anyone who feels they need it, I'd like to talk with each of you. Off the journals, if that's fine; I'll come to you.

If there's any suggestions you want to make or anything, by all means. Definitely my first time doing something like this, so I've got no idea whether or not this is how you go about it.

...oh yeah; anybody who can help with the playground needs to contact Molly. She's running the show.

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[Her smile turns tender at that before she realizes- No, that's not the way you should feel. Stella ducks her head and brushes her own hair back, even though it probably didn't need it after he did that for her.]

A... A little cold, huh...?

[It takes Cloud a moment to find his voice. He knows what's going on.

He's in love with Stella.

But- had he always felt that way? It sure seemed like it; since the second he saw her even, things might've always been this way. But the small, logical part of his brain is telling him that no, something's off.

Cloud doesn't look at her, and keeps his hands on Sophie to keep them away from her mother.] I...yeah. A...a little.

[That one spot by Cloud's foot is suddenly really interesting. She's acting so giddy, and Stella isn't stupid when it comes to love. No, she knows this feeling well. And she feels as if it's been that way ever since she met him. But if that was the case... Why was she still in a loving relationship with Senel?

... Or was it really all that loving? Although a large part of her is saying that no, it wasn't, the other half tells her that yes, she's never been happier with anyone else.]

It... is a little cold, I suppose.

Maybe we should go somewhere else then. [His mouth is working on automatic, borrowing only a small portion of his thinking power as the other is devoted to shuffling through his memories to find a time when he wasn't in love with Stella.

He loved Aerith, Zack. Tifa, to a degree. Maybe even a little bit of Nina.

When had he fallen in love with Stella?]

O-Oh... Right. Of... course. Where do you want to go? [She loves Senel. She always has for seven years. And she's loved only him. So... Why Cloud? Why now? Her two year anniversary with Senel was only weeks away. Why now? Why did she have to realize this now?]

Maybe back to my house. It's close by enough, so... [He hugs Sophie gently, though hopefully it looked more like he was trying to warm her up.

This is so bad.]

[Yes. That sounds like a great idea right now. She can't go home - Senel might be there - How can she face him like this?]

All right. Then...

[She takes a step forward to hurry out of the apartments, but in doing so, she ended up way too close to Cloud. She freezes - Sophie's right there and looking around. Stella should focus on that, not the fact that Cloud is just inches away.]

[Cloud's about to turn toward the stairs but at the same time, so does Stella, and she's quite suddenly up in his space.

Very, very much in his space. So close he can feel the body heat coming off of her skin and he tries not to think about how much nicer it would be if they were chest to chest instlskfjslk

NO.

Cloud swallows before reluctantly taking a step back.] ...after you.

[Stella takes a step back at the same time, and it takes all she can to not cover her face or pull her hair or- something other than fist her hands at her sides.]

Ah... thank you. [WALKING DOWN THE STAIRS NOW ~~LIKE SPEED OF LIGHT~~]

[Following and pointedly not watching her backside. No.]

[Thankfully she has on a dress so that he can't look a little lower. She's trying to get out though - quickly, enough so that she's not paying attention to her steps. Before Stella knows it, her foot catches on the front of her dress, sending her falling forward towards the stairs. Oh no this'll hurt and Senel isn't here - she flings her hands out in a useless attempt to catch herself while she squeezes her eyes shut.]

[Now, Cloud was never in SOLDIER. Even so, with Hojo's experiments and lots of practice, he'd managed to hone his reflexes into incredible, impressive things. His reaction time was almost immediate, and he could sometimes even dodge a bullet if he was lucky enough. Surely he could catch a falling woman only a couple steps down.

But he has an armful of very, very fragile baby.

So despite the fact that pounding down a couple steps is practically nothing and that Sophie's weight in his arm is practically nothing, Cloud can still do little more than snag the back of Stella's dress to keep her from busting her face open and hope it would be enough.]

[Something stopped her fall, although Stella's frantic mind doesn't quite connect what it is. In reality, it only slowed it down, because once the dress was pulled tight...

SHRIIIIIIP.

That would be the sound of Stella's dress ripping before she lands on the stairs with a light whumpf!]

Ow...

[That didn't hurt as much as it would have if she hit that full speed, and she isn't falling down them, so she's safe! She just has to sit up and rub her cheek since she turned her head to avoid a broken nose.

At first, she doesn't even notice that Cloud is pretty much holding the back of her dress.]

[Neither does Cloud.

Because he can see the back of a white lacy bra.]

[Although it hurts enough for tears to prick at her eyes, the only thought she has is what to tell Senel. He'd immediately want to know where the bruise on her cheek came from... She could try healing it a little, at least.

...

Why is her back so cold?

Oh.]

Edited 2010-02-28 10:34 (UTC)

[She's crying.

So is Sophie, for that matter. Cloud rushes down the stairs and kneels next to her worriedly, and Sophie sobs and reaches for her mother against his grip.] Stella- Stella! Are you all right, are you hurt? Did you break anything?

[The first thing she does is reach for Sophie. No matter what happens, Sophie will always, always be top priority. Stella holds Sophie against her and soothes her hair and shushes her in a soothing voice, even if her cheek feels like it's on fire right now.

Second, she stares with wide eyes at the back of her dress. That was a perfectly good dress and now it's ruined.

Third, she realizes just how much of her back was exposed. With her arms full of a crying child, though, there isn't much she can do about that except hunch her shoulders a bit in embarrassment.

Fourth, she hears Cloud talking to her.]

... What? Oh, I... yes- No, nothing's broken- I'm fine.

[Cloud sees that bruise on her cheek. He's going to reach up and gently touch it with his fingertips, frowning. Then, noticing the tatters of her dress around her shoulders and sides, he ducks his head and pulls his shirt over his head.]

[HELLO MANCHEST.]

Ah... Cloud?

[WHAT THIS IS WHAT A MAN DOES FOR A LADY OKAY] Here. You can't walk around like that, we're right next to the shopping plaza.

But you'll be... You won't have a shirt!

[Nevertheless, she takes the shirt. A little too quickly since this is really embarrassing, so it seems more like she's plain grabbing it out of his hands. Now, to show off the art of getting a shirt on with a baby in one arm. Thankfully, the shirt covers her look of pain when the fabric presses against her bruised cheek.]

[That baby is portable and can wait a second while Mama gets dressed. Cloud takes her before handing her back before she can even fuss.] Yeah, and I'm a guy. It's fine.

[Once it's on and Sophie's in her arms again, Stella looks down at the stairs. No, she is not going to look at Cloud's chest, she is not- Oh dammit, she is. How come she never realized just how toned he was? NO. NO STELLA EYES DOWN AT THE STAIRS AGAIN. FOCUS ON THE PAIN IF IT HELPS.]

If you insist...

[Just picture him in a dress Stella, that'll quell the urge to look.]

...can you walk? You didn't twist an ankle or anything did you?

I'm fine, I'm fine. [Even if she wasn't, she's reassure that she was. But she stands, Sophie in both arms and slowly calming down as she puts pressure on both feet, testing them out for injuries.] See? Fine.

[She's still looking at anything except him, though. Let's try the wall beside him- no she can still see his skin. Let's imagine that it's Walter in front of her instead of Cloud. Theeeere we go.]

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