abraxaslogs | [closed quest] and when it's time for leavin'

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[closed quest] and when it's time for leavin'

WHO: Sephiroth and Steve Rogers
WHEN: Mid to late September
WHERE: Free Cities, Solvunn, and back again
WHAT: A supply run quest!
WARNINGS: Possibly blood and/or violence, will add as needed!

((ooc; link to quest info here))

[There are many truths about war, but Sephiroth has come to believe that one remains universal, no matter the infinite distances between worlds: armies live and die by how well they are stocked. And when that same army still needs to tend to an injured populace, as well as prep for stints of future conflict, they will have to be well-stocked to comfortably face the oncoming days.

It makes sense, then, why he had been deployed with a handful of other soldiers to act as an escort to a supply caravan, with the intent to visit Solvunn and carry back wagonfuls of what the settlements can spare them. The journey is not short, but setting out had gone smoothly enough as they followed the arid desert roads, Sephiroth riding atop his horse with the vague familiarity of someone who has done so before; taught the nuances of doing so in this world. (A far cry from a chocobo, after all, even if there were some similarities.)

He is not the only Summoned deployed on this task, though. The man accompanying them is not one he thinks he knows, at least until names are exchanged, and then memory sparks: the soldier who left his own army back on his planet. A Steve Rogers, who has the mien of the military all the same — not something so easily stamped out. And though Sephiroth is not keen on small talk (or talented at it), he does exchange niceties now and again as they travel. A passing status check, a comment on the road ahead. He'd like to believe there's solidarity even in those passing sentences between two Summoned.

Today, the road winds ahead to the mouth of a forest, the horizon thick with trees, a sight so alien after traveling this far across the desert. Sephiroth nudges his horse to quicken its pace, just slightly, to catch up with Steve ahead.]

We're nearly to the border. [—he remarks once he's astride the other man.]

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[ It's an interesting observation to make, and Steve suspects that Sephiroth wouldn't have so quickly jumped to that conclusion if he wasn't speaking from experience. He lets out a little scoff and shakes his head to himself before crouching down to pick up yet another oversized crate. ]

More like a propaganda tool. At least at first. They had me selling war bonds before I ever even made it to the front line.

[ Sephiroth mentioned something about how he'd been the strongest even among those who were enhanced, which means that he might have also been singled out, especially given his appearance. The long hair has already earned him some attention here, not to mention that odd glow to his eyes. Or maybe those things were normal where he came from, but Steve kind of doubts it.

He stands with a small grunt, his arms now full, and turns back toward the wagons — which are looking fuller and fuller. ]

[Sephiroth turns his reply over in his head as he bends down to stack a couple of crates onto each other.]

War bonds? That’s… interesting.

[What a concept. Shinra had more than enough resources to finance their own war efforts, and the very idea sounds alien to Sephiroth. Still, that’s not the most intriguing bit.]

Is that why you left? Because you felt like propaganda more than an actual soldier?

[He recalls their conversation over the network, after all. Sephiroth rises to his feet, arms full of oversized boxes. He follows Steve accordingly.]

[ Steve also remembers that conversation clearly — even with all the other messages that had found their way to him that day, scribbled on any conceivable surface. Sephiroth had contacted him a bit after the initial rush, anyway.

The answer to that question is a complicated one, even if Sephiroth's guess makes sense give the little information that he has.

Steve gives a small shake of his head as he walks, shifting to look at Sephiroth even with the unwieldy box in his arms. ] Not exactly. It's, well, a long story. [ And probably not one easily told when they're in the middle of this task. ] Maybe one better left for after we get back.

[ Steve doesn't mind telling it, especially to someone who will relate better than most. Not to the part where he'd sacrificed himself and then woken up seventy years later, maybe, but it's not like he's going to find many people who've been through something like that.

They're back at the wagon, so he gets to work loading it up with his current batch of supplies. ]

All right.

[He concedes with ease. Sephiroth can wait, and though curiosity needles at him, he won’t urge Steve further when they have work to get done. It would be hypocritical of him, anyway, a man who prefers to keep to himself nine times out of ten.

He loads up boxes, his movements automatic; the task is rote enough that he doesn’t have to give much thought to it, beyond making sure the cargo is stacked in an orderly way. He remains quiet as the larger, heavier ones are arranged, then looks over his shoulder as a few soldiers behind them come in to finish the work, their arms loaded up with smaller ones.

He steps aside, gives them room to work. Glances askance at Steve. The space between their conversation has been long enough that maybe it’s awkward, remarking on it again, but Sephiroth doesn’t consider that. As always, he’s been churning in his thoughts the whole time.]

That’s all Shinra was. Is. Propaganda, protecting their interests, and a number of things they never want the public to see.

[He crosses his arms. His tone is unaffected, but it’s hard to say such things without a hint of censure.]

I wonder if that's just the nature of those in power.

[ It isn't difficult for Steve to fall back in line with work like this. Every box of supplies equals a few more people who are going to have enough food, shelter, and medical attention to weather the aftermath of Thorne's attack. His thoughts keep slipping back to Libertas, but he'd left it in the hands of his fellow Avengers. They'll be doing all that they can, so he can focus on things here.

They're almost done loading up at this point, all of the heaviest lifting done. That means the rest of their caravan can now secure everything, close up the wagons, and ready the horses to make the return trip with these much more taxing loads.

It's not much surprise that Steve and Sephiroth therefore end up on the sidelines together. He shoots him a glance, unbothered by them picking up on a conversation they'd left hanging.

Shinra. It's the first time he's hearing the name, but he can guess at what the name represents just based on context. A number of things they never want the public to see. Steve remembers SHIELD's clearance levels upon clearance levels, the way he'd been made to think he was in the know when the opposite was true — when there'd been a snake in the grass the whole time.

At that final comment, Steve smiles wryly and folds his arms over his chest, toeing at the dirt with his boot. ] What's the quote? "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Of course, it's when my team and I decided to operate outside of the government's oversight that it was decided we were too big of a threat and they tried to bring us in line again. So that we had to follow their orders on which fights to pick.

[Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Sephiroth cannot remember a time when Shinra did not possess absolute power. He’s heard the stories of the President, of course, and how he worked his way up from humble means to the position he’s in now, lording over the city from his tall tower — and he wonders if things were any different then, in those fledgling days. If they were even true. He never cared enough to ask; he doesn’t ever care to return, now, and find out.

Still, it’s a curiosity. Just as it is hearing about Steve’s world, where certain parallels still exist with his own experiences. Control and greed amongst those in charge must be universal.]

Your team? Were you part of a special regiment?

[Or something like it. He watches as soldiers secure the cargo and begin to hitch the horses to the wagons, one by one.]

That's right.

[ The status of the Avengers has been in question for years now, but they'd still come together in the end. They'd still fought as a unit for the sake of the universe. Not just the team that Steve had joined per Nick Fury's insistence, either, but an entire army full of people connected to that core group in various ways, each special as a result of circumstances, but bound by one thing: the desire to save lives.

Much like with everything else they're talking about, it's hard to know where to start. Steve finds a wooden fence to lean himself against as they chat and wait for the wagons to be ready. ]

The organization we originally worked for, SHIELD, had the idea of gathering together a group of people with... abilities. Not all super-soldiers like me. We had a whole range of powers, skillsets. The idea was to deploy us when it was a threat that normal people couldn't have a hope of facing.

[ He pauses then, before adding: ] A few of them are also here.

[Different powers and skillsets. That is intriguing, revealed by the slightest uptick of Sephiroth’s brow. Even First Class SOLDIERs had the same skillset as each other, not differentiated by kind, but rather by degree. He wonders about the scope of abilities of those employed by SHIELD — just how varied were these individuals?]

Sam Wilson is from your world, isn’t he?

[The name comes to the forefront of his mind. Ciri had mentioned the man had shared the same world as Steve during their meeting on the Horizon, after briefly discussing their ongoing task.]

It sounds like you have several individuals from home you can rely on.

[It isn’t long before the horses are hitched up properly. A few of them paw with their hooves at the ground, flicking their tails impatiently. They seem just as ready to go as the rest of the regiment, and a few soldiers call out to confirm if everything and everyone is ready for their return journey.]

[ Steve nods as soon as Sam's name comes up. He'd mentioned it in his initial introduction to the rest of the Summoned as well, so he isn't surprised that Sephiroth remembers that detail. ]

I'm not sure if you saw him flying over Libertas, but he's got training in using a winged jetpack, originally for the purpose of para-rescue. Someone else from our world, Tony Stark, is the one who rebuilt the wings here. He's an engineering genius.

[ To answer that implied question: yes, he has a lot of people here. He can't say whether that's a good or bad thing, but he tends toward the former. They've already proven that as a team, they can accomplish great things. There's a chance that can continue here in Abraxas.

Before he can say more, chatter starts coming from the front of the wagons that they're ready to get the return trip started. Steve pushes off the wall and gestures for Sephiroth to follow. It doesn't take long for them to get back on the horse, literally in this case. Once Steve's settled into his saddle and they're riding alongside the now well-stocked wagons, he picks up where they left off, much like Sephiroth had. ]

What about you? Anyone else here from your home?

[A man trained in using a… winged jetpack? A genius engineer? He supposes that Steve’s world is also far more technologically advanced than Abraxas, maybe around the same level as his own.]

I’ve seen Tony Stark over the network in passing.

[~~Probably arguing with the MCU cast.~~ That acknowledgment is the last reply he has until they’re situated again on their horses, riding astride the bulk of the convoy. He watches the backs of the soldiers taking the lead ahead, occasionally scanning the horizon for any signs of trouble along the road. Again, it seems relatively peaceful as they continue.

Steve’s question temporarily dislodges him from his observations, and he turns his head to look at the man. Sephiroth cannot help himself; he frowns.]

There was. [If there were ever more, he never knew it. But he definitely remembers the man who was here, the flash of his eyes filled with rage, the glint of his sword aimed straight at him—] His name was Cloud Strife. He’s not in Abraxas any longer.

[He glances away, eyes back on the road, his expression schooled into something hard.]

He was an infantryman in the army… Or at least, as I last remember him. When I met him here, he was older. Angrier. There was something… wrong, I think, with his memory. [He supposes that's more information than what Steve was actually asking after, and he reels it in.] We never reached an understanding.

[Needless to say.]

[ Steve isn't expecting his question to cause Sephiroth any distress, but that does seem to be what happens all the same. When it came to suddenly stumbling upon familiar people from home here, it could run the whole gamut. Steve's been lucky enough to have friends here rather than enemies, but even then it's been complicated — to say the least.

When Sephiroth drops the name "Cloud Strife," Steve only gives a small shake of his head to indicate they never met, even as he works on maneuvering the reins in his hands to keep his horse moving at a calm, steady pace. Still, he's familiar with how people can be brought here from different places in time, and the kind of issues it can cause.

Though it doesn't sound like Sephiroth ever got to the bottom of things, or learned much about his future.

Steve glances over, only to see Sephiroth averting his gaze, so he focuses on the path in front of him. Back to the portal. ] That sounds... frustrating. Not getting any answers, even if he had reasons for not telling you. [ He could leave it at that, but there's something else about the story that bothers him too. ]

It doesn't help that we don't really know what happens to people when they disappear from here. Sure, some have gone home and then come back, but not everyone.

[ Who's to say they haven't been captured and held somewhere? There's no evidence toward that, but there's no evidence against it either. It's just one of the many things that bothers him about this place. ]

Edited 2022-10-30 00:37 (UTC)

[He never did get to the bottom of things, even if Cloud seemed certain of his future — at least in regards to how the mission at Nibelheim would play out. The man had been more than willing to throw accusations at him, couched in his white-hot rage, and Sephiroth could not gather more in regards to context, or motive, or anything that made sense. Strife would clam up; refuse to talk to him, barely even look at him.

But he doesn’t want to get into that. Doesn’t want to discuss the crimes he was supposedly guilty of, in a time that never came to pass. Instead, he nods, and finds a quiet appreciation in the fact that Steve doesn’t seem willing to push any further.]

I did go looking for him. [Which sounds strange, maybe, given the tension between them. But to have lost someone from Gaia (and someone from the future, no less) was like losing an invisible tether. Like becoming slightly more unmoored, a discomfort churning in his chest. Even thinking about it makes a ghost of that feeling rise up again.] I scoured the city, and what I could of the desert.

[His horse whinnies slightly, shaking out its mane. The wagons pick up the pace, wooden wheels turning a little faster as they make their way down a gentle slope.]

Either way, he’s gone. And no one else from my planet that I know of remains here.

[ It is interesting to hear that Sephiroth had tried to track down this Strife person in light of everything he's just said about him, but Steve also gets it. If he'd been the only other person in Abraxas from his home, and if he'd also had answers about what the future held, then it would be hard to just accept he was gone.

Steve imagines that Sephiroth had been thorough in his search, but he's also only one man. Cadens and the surrounding desert constitutes a lot of ground to cover. If the Summoned who disappeared really are being held captive somewhere, Steve doubts it'd be an easy-to-find place. As much as the thought unsettles him, he doesn't think there's any feasible way for them to uncover the truth about this.

As they start down the slight incline, Steve adjusts his hips on the horse and keeps a close eye on the wagons, but they seem to be moving forward without incident despite how much heavier they are now. It helps that these roads are well-kept, meaning the likelihood of a wheel getting caught in a ditch is low.

Steve lets out a breath and bobs his head into a slow nod. It must feel strange for Sephiroth, being the only one from his world. Lonely, even. Not that Steve knows him well enough to draw those sorts of conclusions about him. ] That must be a strange feeling, whether it's your preference or not. You can have a sort of shorthand or mutual understanding with someone who comes from the same place as you. [ Shared life experience, and the lack thereof. He knows a thing or two about it. ] Even if you're not friends.

[That’s exactly it, the sentiment that Sephiroth never had the capacity to form with his own words, spoken with such ease from Steve. A shorthand or mutual understanding. That vaguely grounding feeling—even if it existed in a man with whom he could not get along with—simply disappearing overnight.

A low exhale.]

You’re right. Still, at least there’s a sense of camaraderie found with the other Summoned. We all share in these same circumstances.

[The wagons continue to move at a steady pace. A few of the soldiers remain vigilant but have taken to chatting idly with each other, much like themselves.]

And soon, we may all share a war.

[No point in lingering his thoughts on those who might be lost to him, now. Eventually, the conversation falls into companionable silence, and the road stretches onward.

* * *

The return trip is no longer nor shorter than the initial journey to Solvunn’s territory, though even less eventful — given that there are no injured strangers hobbling up to them, asking for help. It’s with some relief when they eventually see the portal whorling open at the end of the last stretch of road, the convoy slowing and organizing again into a single file line so that everyone may pass through without too much issue.

Sephiroth is fine with being one of the last to cross into the portal, overseeing the wagons’ passage, as well as the soldiers that follow intermittently in between. He chances a glance over at Steve, who he assumes has taken up a similar role.]

Everything still accounted for?

[ This is essentially the home stretch, and while Steve may not be that used to traveling by portals when compared to certain Masters of the Mystic Arts, he's starting to adjust to it after enough time spent here in Abraxas.

Of course, usually it's just himself going through, not an entire caravan, so he is taking extra precaution to make sure that everyone passes through without any issues. Both he and Sephiroth fall into this role of taking up the rear without actually consulting each other about it. Maybe it's their training, or maybe they just have similar instincts.

At the question, he gives a quick nod. One by one they've all gone through, and there's just one wagon left. ] I just checked, everything's where it should be. [ They would have noticed if something had been lost on the trip, but better safe than sorry.

The wagon jerks forward and rolls its way through, disappearing through the portal. That leaves a few more soldiers, who follow suit, and then the two of them. Steve gestures Sephiroth forward. ] Go ahead.

[Sephiroth never had experience with portal travel until his time in Abraxas — and frankly, he isn’t sure he will ever get used to the jarring way it works, being in one place one moment, and another in the next. At least he doesn’t suffer from motion sickness (portal sickness?) like a certain someone he had just been discussing with Steve—

He pushes the thought from his mind. Now’s not the time to ruminate; he can indulge himself in that bad habit later.

With the last wagon rolling through the yawning portal, followed by the remaining few soldiers, Sephiroth gives Steve one final glance and nods.]

...Mission success.

[A safe assessment, at this point. He walks through, silver hair trailing behind him, and disappears to the other side.]

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[closed quest] and when it's time for leavin'

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