[Video]

[herobydefault]

[This video starts up in a tree; there are a couple branches in the way and some ridiculously pale person with blond J-pop hair pacing around in a circle. He does this for a moment before squinting up at the camera.]

...what are you?

[He disappears from view, then the camera shakes violently following a dull THUD.]

Ow. That hurt.

[There's another thud and the camera shakes again before the journal topples out of the tree and onto the ground. It doesn't stay there for long; it's lifted and shaken out, and Cloud's face is captured for a moment until the camera settles on his chin instead.]

...when did I buy this thing? [And the book snaps shut.]

Comments

[video]

[herotypical]

[Oh, huh. A familiar voice. But the voices are pretty much always familiar, she's been here so long. But then she listens a little more closely and actually bothers to look at the journal and--holy hell in a handbasket, Cloud.]

If you really did buy it then someone totally swindled you. Rip-off city.

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[FFFFF

It takes Cloud a second to figure out that the voice isn't coming from someone nearby or his phone -which he does not have, that's right- and check the book.]

...are you talking to me?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

[And when he does check the book he is greeted with a smiling Buffy Summers. Not that he knows that. Not yet. So for now there's just a perkyesque young woman getting her smile on.]

I hope so. I find it's generally better than talking at you. [Which is much more the status quo.]

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[Okay so this book is actually a phone. Cloud can deal with that; he's seen stranger.]

Who're you?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

[Oh. Her smile somersaults upside down. Concern over this outcome had crossed her mind--how could it not? After Tifa, Kirk, Raven, Spike, Willow. All of them forgetting having ever been here. Some of them forgetting having ever met her. But...at least this penny dropped a bit earlier than with others. She doesn't have to go through the same horrible I know you but you don't know me conversation. Maybe, if she plays her cards right, she can get out of this unscathed.]

Buffy. I'm Buffy Summers.

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[Why's she scowling at him? He's the one who's been relocated and stripped of all his valuables.]

Right, uh...Cloud. Me, I mean, I'm Cloud.

If I accidentally called you on this thing, I didn't mean to. I just picked it up. How does this work, anyway?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

You don't really have to call specific people on it. It just sorta...broadcasts. More megaphone than cellphone.

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

Oh.

...so, what, is this a closed network then? Everybody on this thing is in the same area?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

That's an aptish way of looking at it, actually. With all the networky talk which I'd never really gotten a handle on. But everyone in the village has a journal and we can all use them to get our gossip and announcement on.

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

Village? Which one? [There's lots of woods, so venturing a guess-] Is this Gongaga?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

Isn't that the place with all the turtles? [A beat, then:] This place's Luceti and it's--uhm--it's not ringing any bells?

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

Frogs, actually. [Whoosh, right over his head.]

No...where's it in relation to Midgar?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

That's some pretty thick-skinned frogs, then. [She has to think about how to answer the question, though. S-sigh.] That's some place from your home? Then--uhm, Cloud, you can probably count on being no where near it. Not even a plane could take you there.

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[Cloud's not sure what to say to that except to point out the obvious.]

...that's uh...that's far.

Why? Exactly?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

That's kinda the million dollar question--or it would be if a million dollars meant anything in this place. The current story has us as dimensional nexus lab rats for an Organization using experiments on us to maybe find out how to get out of this place. Plus a heaping helping of additional confusing factors. I...I might not be the best one to lay the wordage on you.

[The sound of flipping pages before Buffy passes off the guide which I assume you don't actually need to have linked to you unless that is a horrible assumption lol.]

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[What the heck is a dollar anyway.]

Dimensional...nexus. [What.]

What's this thing? Guide? Is this supposed to be some kind of brochure?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

Only if you think it's even anywhere close to normal for Hell to have a brochure. [...] Not that this is Hell--I mean, I didn't mean to say that you're dead. You're not dead, despite the dinky wings. [Then with mounting horror and a snowballing social kamikaze mission, Buffy remembers the issue that had surrounded Zack. What Shiki deals with daily. What she has felt, before.] Unless...you haven't died, right? It's not like you totally just bought the farm right before showing up here? [That is a very visible wince.]

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[You're going to get a lapse before Cloud responds again because thankfully someone else just pointed out the wings. You were lucky Buffy. You weren't the one to blindside him with that info.]

No, I didn't. I-

I'm pretty sure I didn't. I was definitely alive the last time I checked.

[Voice]

[herotypical]

[More quietly:] It can go both ways. Alive, dead. Somewhere in between. This place is complicated. People are here from all kinds of somewheres. They come and...and they go.

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[You probably shouldn't have used that mysterious voice Buffy, because Cloud totally bought it hook, line and sinker.] ...so I'm dead.

You're saying I just died. [THIS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THE LIFESTREAM]

[Voice]

[herotypical]

No. [P-p-p-panic!] I'm saying...God, I don't even know what I'm saying. I've met some people who died where they're from but now there here but if you don't remember dieing then...then I'd say with bushels of confidence that it's very much non-applicable to you.

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[WHAT IF SOMEONE KNIFED HIM IN HIS SLEEP

Okay so that's very unlikely.]

Look- Don't do that, would you? If people who've died come here, then isn't this the Lifestream?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

People who've died and come here are getting cheated out of an afterlife. So, no--this isn't the Lifestream. [She remembers Aerith describing the concept to her.]

[Voice]

[herobydefault.livejournal.com]

[Of course, it doesn't occur to Cloud that someone wouldn't know about the Lifestream, so.]

I don't understand. This...how do they get people here? With a rocket?

[Voice]

[herotypical]

My personal guess? Magic. Or at least something magicesque.