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From:

[After pairings, Corvo debates on not saying anything at all. But - he isn't going to be that sort of warden.

He doesn't want to be any sort of warden, but there's really no getting around that.]

You're Cloud.

[Good, solid start. Corvo clears his throat.]

I'm Corvo. Attano. Admiral wants me to see to you this month, but you're my first assignment since graduating so I'm not really sure how to go about this.

From:

nimbuster

Yup.

[He sure is Cloud.

It makes more sense a moment later when the guy introduces himself - Cloud's seen the name on the pairings list. Another month, another warden, once again. He was really starting to appreciate having Ulla in his corner, too.

At least Corvo's being upfront about this. That's a point in his favor. And between Allen and Corvo, and the bullshit Zack and Richter had to deal with, Cloud's starting to feel like maybe the inmates aren't the only ones who need help.]

Well...can't say I know enough about a warden's job to answer that. You're only my third. Kinda sucks that the Admiral doesn't bother explaining this shit. Could tell you what the last one said about it, though.

From:

ravenswrath

Kind of depends on who the last one was whether or not it's good advice.

From:

nimbuster

Ulla. Sometimes part eel? Dunno if you know her, but she did right by me.

From:

ravenswrath

I know of her.

What did she do for you?

From:

nimbuster

It's less what she did for me. More...her approach. How she thought about why we're here. She gave a shit, but didn't expect anything specific out of it. There when I needed her without...hovering.

[A pause, as Cloud thinks back to her answer to his question about temporary wardens.]

She said a temporary warden is mostly to watch out for us and make sure we're not killing each other. And they're good for testing the waters for permanent pairings.

From:

ravenswrath

We don't get to choose permanent pairings. But I can see the Admiral putting together people as a trial.

[He pauses a moment.]

Do you drink? This is easier over a drink.

From:

nimbuster

[Corvo's question gets a quiet snort.]

Didn't used to. Guess you could say I do now. Speakeasy, or Lounge?

From:

ravenswrath

Speakeasy's for inmates. Can't get in there.

That's how I found out I graduated.

From:

nimbuster

Seriously? Some leader this Admiral is...meet you outside the Lounge, then.

[Cloud turns his steps in that direction, arriving in not too long. If he gets there first, Corvo will find him waiting with arms folded, leaning against the nearby wall. If not, he'll just look for someone who looks like he's waiting.]

From:

ravenswrath

Corvo knows of Cloud. He's been on the ship long enough for that. So when he walks up, a gray rat on his shoulder, he nods in the direction of Cloud and swipes his mask across the door to let them both inside.

"Sit wherever you'd like."

From:

nimbuster

Cloud's still working on figuring out who's who on the Barge - he's not the most social guy, and having friends from home here has made it less important in his mind to make an effort to meet people or scroll the network much. Something else Tifa always told him he should work on.

Well, it'll have to get in line.

He gives Corvo's warden item a curious glance, but doesn't ask. He just nods and finds a seat that's near the windows and as far from other people as possible.

From:

ravenswrath

Corvo brings over a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, setting them both down on the table and filling them halfway.

"Good spot," he remarks lightly.

From:

nimbuster

So Corvo's the kind of guy who starts at the whiskey stage of things. Good to know. Cloud has no complaints, so he slides his glass closer to him and takes a sniff. Not bad, he thinks. He's no Tifa, but living at Seventh Heaven has given him some basic understanding of what makes for good booze, even if in life it would have taken a ridiculous amount of it to affect him at all.

Not so much now, though. For better or worse.

"Not the social type, either, I take it?"

From:

ravenswrath

It's a whiskey sort of day. He's in this to take the edge off, not to ease himself into the waters. But he does nod at the question.

"Never really knew how to be. Wasn't really my job."

From:

nimbuster

"Well, how's that for common ground?" It's deadpan, but light. "What was your job? Uh - if you don't mind my asking."

From:

ravenswrath

That gets a laugh, at least, and he sips at his drink.

"I was the - the Empress' bodyguard," he finally explains. "Then I was an assassin. Now I am the Spymaster."

From:

nimbuster

Cloud gives his own drink a sip. Huh - so Corvo's pretty much a Turk.

"Been a bodyguard myself. Aerith's, if you know her, and a few other shorter gigs. I was military, then a merc for a while, and now I run a delivery service."

Edited Date: 2024-09-20 07:58 pm (UTC)

From:

ravenswrath

"Aerith?"

He laughs a little, resting his fingertips against his glass. "She's part of the reason I graduated. Kicked my ass enough. Didn't know you two were from the same place."

From:

nimbuster

Cloud's brows lift and then his expression softens, eyes lowering with a slight smile. "Yeah. Known her a while now, been through a lot together. She's...something else. Special. Glad she was able to help you - she's kicked my ass plenty, too, so I know how you feel." That last part is wry, but the warmth lingers underneath.

From:

ravenswrath

Special. That is one way to describe her. The perfect way, actually. He still remembers her in that place, that nightmare, fighting off Weepers and rats with him and there's a surge of affection that he drowns with a drink.

"I say let her do it. Did me a lot of good. You surprised to see her here?"

From:

nimbuster

Cloud arches a brow. "Oh, I don't 'let' her do anything. She does what she wants and there's no stopping her." That fond smile hasn't gone anywhere, though.

The question gives him a moment's pause, which he fills by sipping his drink again and then looking down at it, smile now vanished. "Yeah. By the time I come from, she...she'd been dead for two years and change." His tone suggests that despite time's passage, he wasn't over it yet. Maybe isn't even now that she's here. "But for her, it was only a few minutes. Jarring as hell for both of us."

From:

ravenswrath

Dead.

He stares down at his glass, all cheer gone for the moment. "I didn't know that," he admits. "What - happened?"

From:

nimbuster

"...doesn't surprise me she didn't say anything. Always focused on the positive, for everyone's sake." Cloud doesn't look up, either, as a heavy weight seems to settle on his shoulders.

"It's her story to tell, if she wants to. But I'll say this: she risked everything for the planet's sake, and even after..." I let her die. "...she was gone, she still protected it, from the Lifestream. It and all of us. She's the strongest person I've ever known."

From:

ravenswrath

"Yeah," he says when he has nothing else to say. And he downs his drink, hating the thought of her being gone.

"Does she know what happens?" he wonders, as he hasn't actually asked her from when she is.