jigokulogs | July 2022 IC Mingle

July 2022 IC Mingle

1. ITADAKIMASU!

After the harrowing incidents involving the curse last month, unity is the theme for welcoming the new influx of Lost Souls. The factions are still busy with cleanup efforts and making sure their personnel are in fighting shape. What’s more, most of the usual spots that would play host to the factions’ parties are either closed until they’re repaired, or in no state to be hosting parties that big.

Thus, an agreement has been reached. All of the factions will hold their mingles together and host a food truck/yatai festival in the blocks surrounding Theater Square, in the Sutoku Alliance’s territory. This gets money into the hands of the local vendors, and allows the community to spend time together in relative peace. It’s still Jigokucho, there are punks prowling to start fights and steal wallets, like they always are, but it’s a breath of fresh air after everything that’s been happening lately. Just keep your wits about you and enjoy the food. Takoyaki is one of the most popular items and competition between the carts motivates chefs to make them flair and style!

Kushiten, yakitori, dango, croquettes, senbei, onigiri, yakisoba, taiyaki, you name it, it’s probably represented here in some form. There are even any number of your favorite treats from home, even if your home isn’t Earth. It might take a little poking around to find them, but isn’t that part of the delight of exploring a city’s food?

The falling Stardust has made its way into the food as well. You may notice that some vendors are grinding up the glowing stellar fragments and putting them into the food itself as a spice. Are… you supposed to eat that?! Oh well! When it’s time to party, you can’t go wrong with a little Stardust.

2. MUSIC GOT ME FEELIN SO FREE

In the center of Theater Square, surrounded on all sides by the many colorful food stalls, they’ve set up a stage for local artists to perform on. There are a great variety of acts who come and go to play a few songs. The music reaches all throughout the square and may be little more than background noise, until just the right tune catches your ear.

Jenny⁣ – This all-girls story of hidden love should be hitting all the ladies in the crowd a certain kind of way. Have you been admiring a friend or coworker and just never taken the plunge? Now’s the time for that kiss, the music is playing.
KONNANじゃないっ⁣⁣ – This sweet idol bop about striding bravely towards your best future fills you with inspiration and hope for the future. You may feel compelled to bring your hopes and dreams into every conversation. The future is bright!
Running Up That Hill⁣⁣ – As the singer performs some kind of interpretive dance, she sings about her frustrations with never truly being able to see from another person’s perspective. What would you do to show your true self? Maybe it’s time to iron out that ongoing misunderstanding you’ve been circling.
Love Warriors⁣⁣ – A simple act with a guitarist and singer, she sings a mellow piece about the true value of love. What a beautiful message. Your heart might begin to overflow with feelings of care and affection. Will you finally spill those all-important three words? I-love-you.
One More Time⁣⁣ – The last act of the evening is lively, colored lights flashing out across the square. They begin to play an impossibly catchy beat that no one can resist dancing too. Dance like no one is watching and enjoy the sweet catharsis of a good dance session. You’ll feel better for it tomorrow.

(Players are more than welcome to use their own song and effect. 💖)

3. BIRD BOMBS

At some point during the festivities, the Daitengu takes the stage. They’re in exceptionally high spirits. They give a shout-out to Toraguma and Tenkohime for helping to make this happen. As usual, The Enma is not present. However, the Daitengu forgoes any snide remarks, although they do seem a bit let down. Hope springs eternal, one supposes.

Next they would like to announce that they have even more reasons to celebrate: a truce has been declared between the Shuten and Tamamo clans. The war for the Underground is over (for now) and new construction has started on a new casino and adult entertainment complex in the once-contested territory. They hope that this will lead to an ongoing era of financial cooperation between the three factions.

They thank Sakamoto Ryouma for making all of this happen and give him a shoutout in the crowd. Word has spread all over the Alliance about their deeds, and what they managed to pull off; a blessing and a curse. It becomes obvious that not every tribe within the Sutoku Alliance was okay with putting the Alliance itself up as collateral to make this happen. The Kasasagi Tengu Tribe, in particular, has decided to let their protest be known by storming the party in a flood of aggressive magpies. They vulture the food, they pick at jewelry, they’re an absolute menace.

Good luck shooing them away. The vibes are counting on you to deal with these feathered buzzkills.

Welcome to the IC mingle!

If you have any questions about the mingle content, please ask them here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
For Rewards, given both the Stardust and Turf War prompts are involved in all three, threads in the Mingle log count for TWO (2) points!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ please don't reply here! i'm using this comment to organize all my closed starters. if you'd like one, please reach out to me through one of the aforementioned avenues! ]

[ The night's dragged on long and longer for the time being, with the festivities moving away from food trucks to live acts. The covers Aerith can hear, faintly, over the buzz of conversation and food being cooked, are calling out to her, but the person she wants to spend some time with before skedaddling to do her own thing, again, isn't around the stage. She left him with a basket of flowers and instructions to price them how he wanted, and they could split the earnings later. Her own basket is empty now, and she's already eaten, so it seems like prime time for a...

✨ date ✨? Maybe. Cloud's frame is distinctive, chocobo hair and all. Picking him out of a crowd is no problem. ]

Officer Strife! Fancy meeting you here.

[ Popping in behind him, Aerith stands with her hands behind her back, swinging from side to side with a smile. ]

How about I borrow you for a bit?

Don't call me-

[ That's all the words that get out of his mouth before he turns to see Aerith. He'd seen her earlier in the evening, sure. But now that things are winding toward later in the evening, well. It's still enough to stop him. His basket isn't completely empty - but, well, it's more than half. Not bad for his first day on the job, at least. The floral shirts are really doing wonders for him at this party, if nothing else. ]

Oh. Uh. ...Sure.

[ He can guess what this is about. But here? Now? Well, Aerith was never one to wait, was she? ]

Lead the way. [ He gestures a bit with the hand not holding the basket, recovering quickly. ]

[ She motions to snatch the basket away from him, and then leaves both near a food cart of a youkai— half-snake, half-woman, and gorgeous. Her scales glimmer under the warm, orange lighting of sodium lights and lanterns. Gently, and without missing a beat, she picks up the baskets with her tail, and keeps up conversation with a customer all while preparing yakisoba for another order. Perhaps it's someone who owes her a favor, or someone who she knows well enough to trust, but the baskets and their goods are accounted for. Humming, Aerith turns back to Cloud, and beams. ]

I don't even think Officer is what they call the ranks in Sutoku, is it? I think Lieutenant is mine. Or... something like it. Senior, at least!

[ Strange, isn't it, that they've both settled in enough to have titles? ]

So, was it hard selling them as a ranked officer in Sutoku? [ ... in a floral print button up, at that? She's really done a number on this guy. ]

[ Aerith always has a backup plan. He's not even surprised when she's gotten someone else to help out, to relieve them of both their baskets. He shakes his head. He can only shrug his shoulders helplessly, caught up in Aerith's pace, as usual. ]

Couldn't say. Probably, though. Titles aren't exactly my thing.

As to selling the flowers, well - it's not like side gigs aren't unwelcome in Sutoku. I think half the ranked members are still working at one of the convenience stores. [ He knows Kim still is, at minimum. ]

But I've not exactly got a people personality, in case you hadn't noticed.

Oh, you think I'm going to disagree, huh?

[ No shame, this one. Aerith knows, of course, and Cloud's aware she knows. They can banter about it. So, yeah, she's noticed, and as they wander past food stall after food stall, lantern after lantern, rambunctious crowd after rambunctious crowd, she hears the music getting louder. Really, this feels like Wall Market. There's even a brawl happening in an alley way, she thinks. ]

You mean Kim, right? I've been meaning to mention him to you, actually. He's safe.

[ Like AVALANCHE safe, she thinks she should add. Cloud probably already knows, in truth. ]

For a while, I wasn't sure what it was about Sutoku, but now I think I do. You guys are the information gatherers, detectives and all that. It's what the Daitengu likes in their flock.

I'd be surprised if you did. [ They both know it, and Cloud's certainly not going to defend his attitude. As the music starts to fall over them, louder, he's getting the same impression - this feels like Wall Market. The stalls, the music, the cutting loose everyone is doing at once... It's the right energy. ]

Yeah, Kitsuragi. Helped me out a bit, when I was first getting my bearings - and during last month, too. [ He owes a fair bit to Kim he hasn't gotten a chance to repay, yet. ] ...Glad to know he's safe. [ It means he can... say more, about AVALANCHE. About Sephiroth, even, maybe. He's already seen the Whispers, but maybe Cloud can have a more full conversation about what they mean. ]

...Detectives, huh? I don't know if I fit that profile, either. [ He's going to give a small little scoff. Playful, really. ] But I guess you aren't wrong, at a glance. [ Tama, Kim. Matoba, Ryouma. Definitely a lot of people who liked to gather information, in Sutoku. ]

I'd almost say that should mean you are here instead of me. But maybe you make too much mischief. That's why Tenkohime grabbed your contract.

[ At that, she raises her head to share a significant look with him. In truth, she knows why she's in Tamamo, now. It had taken months, but it clicked, eventually, and while they're on the topic of Kim: He'd been part of her revelation, she thinks. Freedom is something she could have had all these years, in an ideal world. No one in Hell cares about her being a Cetra. What matters is what Aerith brings to the table. ]

Oh, really? So you just took your phone into Kaigo no Bou to see how the cell service was, huh?

[ At the mention of Kaigou no Bou, several heads raise. A few faces even wear recognition as they realize it's Gainsborough and Strife— they know each other? And fraternize well enough to banter like that? Someone turns to a youkai beside them and asks, "Are they...?" The response is a huff and then a laugh. No way. Couldn't be. Although, there's the rumors about Toraguma and Tenkohime, but then...

Aerith ignores it. ]

That's right. How have you been feeling? It must have been good to really stretch your legs and talk to people.

[ Yeah, yeah, Aerith "Ulterior Motive" Gainsborough. ]

Edited (h/o there lol) 2022-07-11 07:17 (UTC)

Can't say it was my idea. Just figured I'd help out. [ That's... technically true, but he would have probably snooped even if Minato hadn't suggested a designated Camera Person in both squads, regardless. ]

[ Cloud doesn't pay the whispers any mind - although he does sort of shoot a glance he quickly covers up, when he hears some of the whispers reach his ears. ]

Better. Being a SOLDIER means you can recover a little quicker - the road's still a bit long, but I should be up for more than just a walk.

[ They are getting closer to the music, after all. ]

Why, did you have something in mind? [ It's a trick question. Of course she does. Oh, the rumor mill was going to eat this up, weren't they...? ]

Edited 2022-07-11 07:35 (UTC)

[ Laughter bubbles out of her in giggles, and she turns her head to look straight forward. Throngs of people sway and move as they navigate the obstacle course of a festival, and Aerith walks with renewed purpose, sensible shoes clicking with every step. ]

Do I look like someone with something in mind?

[ Most definitely not.

The elevated stag is lit up from their point of view, a mess of purples and pinks and a dazzling blue-white stage light that follows the performer with ease. Absurdly sized speakers are stacked up and up, lining either side of the display set up for the night's acts like pillars of technology. From them boosts a song with long notes and a sweeping melody, uptempo despite that. Aerith stands on the tips of her toes to try and see over the heads of Hell's civilians— an effort almost wasted. The spotlight swoops across the stage, and she follows it as the crowd roars with anticipation.

She'd seen it at Honeybee Inn, but there really is nothing like a live pop concert.

It's dazzling: from the light show, to the performance, to even the performer. A sense of urgency and wonder twists in Aerith's gut, suddenly and with all the ceremony of a rug being pulled out from beneath her. She's fascinated, and her body is warming up— a need to dance, maybe? It's something. Something is flip flopping inside of her like—

One palm blankets the other as she makes a fist, then holds tight to her chest. ]

Cloud?

Yeah?

[ He can feel it too. The way the drumbeats aren't being heard so much as felt. The way the crowd works itself up to the beat. The way the crowd moves and adjusts as people find their places in this moment - some of them separating themselves from the throng, other groups getting closer in their fevor. ]

[ Maybe for a moment - who planned what isn't really what matters. He can feel a certain coiled tension somewhere south of his chest - he's felt it before. He knows what it means. The stage lights sweep over the performance and the crowd. ]

Something the matter...?

[ It would be hard to pinpoint exactly when it had struck her, fully. There's always a playfulness between the two of them and Aerith indulges in it earnestly, though never completely, and when her gaze roves over to look up at him with curiosity and a twinkling of something more in it, she still can't quite say when it all started. It'd be easy to say it was the night the rain started, but there was always some kind of magnetic pull between the two of them. (She knows what it is, but doesn't say. She loses the thought to the music, it's drowned out by the chorus: I wanna ruin our friendship.)

So the story goes like this: The lights flash over them like a spotlight and she feels like she's getting wrapped up in the atmosphere of a festival, tight and snug. It's brand new to her, the experience wholly unique, and there's Cloud at her side like the lighthouse in the fog. For all the newness, for all the excitement of the world around them, he's there, a constant, ebbing presence in her mind, never quite receding. A comfort, despite it all. The pinks and purples of the lightshow bleed shades of blue across his face, like his eyes and yet unlike his eyes— mako pollution doing all the work and none of the gratitude. The crowd is an after-thought as she has a moment of wonder: Out of everything in the known universe, they've ended up together, right here and now.

She breathes. Takes in the scent of fried food and sweat and alcohol, a sweet and sticky sort of smell that is already churning nostalgic in her mind. Aerith purses her lips, takes in another breath, and then turns away to hide the the way her body is going flush and hot under his stare. ]

Let's go. Shouldn't keep the dance floor waiting!

[ She needs to work this out like this, she thinks, and leads him through the crowd whether he wants to or not. By the time she turns back to him, they're on a cleared out section of the festival path, where a hardened floor has been rolled out for ease of the patrons. Overheard, lights strobe and roll all around— it's a disco, with the stereo blasting. She holds out her hands under the disco ball, smiling like nothing's eating her alive. ]

Oh, Cloud, it's amazing!

[ The stare holds for just a moment longer than he expects - the way she holds him in her minds eye, turning him over and over - it makes his stomach tie in knots in a way that isn't altogether unpleasant. A big crowd like this, where they're just part of it - notable, maybe, but not needing to look over their shoulder, not needing to worry, they're just here enjoying things like everyone else. It's... a new sensation for Cloud. Not one he's gotten to experience very often. And Aerith being there - makes it all the more intense. Maybe he'd stand off to the side if it was just him. Not sure whether her could truly mingle and belong- ]

H-hey!

[ But Aerith never gives him that opportunity to stay still. To let his thoughts catch up to him. Always pushing or pulling him along - figuratively and literally, as he half-stumbles in her grip. When she stops, her hands outstretched - he gets the time to take in the crowds, the lights, the music. There's a familiarity to Wall Market, here - but it's something wholly it's own, in a way that doesn't necessarily make it feel as dangerous, makes it feel more welcoming, alive, disarming. ]

It's really... something else.

[ Cloud isn't one to really make positive commentary on things, even when he's blown away - which he is. It's an indescribable sensation that he doesn't have the words for - but Aerith can discern his own amazement well enough - his hands are half-raised as he approaches her - as if to catch those held out hands in his own. But there's that small hesitance - like he's standing over the edge of the water and knows the next step he takes, he'll be swimming in the deep end. ]

Edited 2022-07-13 21:45 (UTC)

[ In the distance, behind them and to the right and the left and all around is the deafening sound of an explosion, something that shakes the crowd but pushes them forward. It's a lightshow and pyrotechnics and it all turns into something that's a little scary in the fun kind of way. Aerith looks around in astonishment as the lights keep rotating, anemone colored and then strawberry tinted, rolling and pulsing. All the while, the speakers are pumping, filtering the music onto the dancefloor. It is loud, loud enough that she barely hears her own thoughts tumbling around in her head. The vibration of the bass is touching her bones. She feels her blood run hot, and she laughs as she looks around, sees the people dancing and laughing and falling into each other's arms like it's natural, like they're perfect for being held in.

When she looks back, the lights are rolling against Cloud's back and they hit him so a halo illuminates the outline of him, so that he looks like he's part of the show, maybe that he is the show, and he has his hand out to her still, waiting. Waiting for some kind of lead. For a moment, it seems like the whole ordeal slows in her view. There's people all around them, jumping to the beat, feeling the rhythm and the passion and they seem to hold mid-air as she locks eyes with Cloud. The atmosphere, the body heat and the night air all stick to her skin— honey-thick. She's blanketed in some kind of infectious warmth.

It feels like it takes years for her to reach out. She takes his hand in her's, feels his touch, and burns. There's nothing in the known universe that could put her out now, and the party resumes normal speed. ]

Feeling shy? [ She shakes her head, the pink bow at the back of her head bobbing. She wonders if this is the life her mother ever expected her to live, but she can't say that her heart doesn't feel like it's full enough to burst. ] I've never done this before! After you!

[ She'd never be able to keep up. She'll always fall into the crowd, lost, but maybe he can keep her head above water. ]

Edited 2022-07-14 05:42 (UTC)

[ They make contact, and it's like an electric current rolls through Cloud's body. She places her hand in his, and she wants him to lead. It's not like he can't. They both know the beat of this song - driving, heavy, worming its way into him and making him feel too warm to be out here in this summer heat - but it's the fact that Aerith is letting herself get swept up into someone else's pace. His. ]

[ The lights wash over them, and he gives her a small look. ]

If you're sure.

[ A formality - if she didn't want to, she never had to take his hands in the first place. But she does. And she wants him to lead. There's the moment where he takes a breath. ]

[ And then they're off. He gives her a small push into her palm - a quiet signal as he rocks them back and forth in time to the tempo of the song - he pulls away from her, then pulls her into him. pulling them along, his steps quick - but never so quick that Aerith can't immediately follow up. His hips sway, rocking them both along the beat as they cut through the dance floor. His hand in hers, his hand on her waist, steering them through the uptempo beat. ]

[ The anticipation had been one thing, but now that they were in the thick of it - the heavy air, the pounding bass, the throngs of people. It felt so easy to just. Lose control. Let the facade fall for a moment. He'd walked off the ledge and into freefall. She was holding onto him as if she might never be able to grab hold of him again if she did - lost in the tides of chaos and the noise of the night. ]

[ It was a rush. A rush he had no idea how to control, except to keep the beat between them moving. ]

[ It is impossible to explain the way she feels on the dancefloor, the way that their body heat meets and joins together. She feels something from the way his hand is on her waist, guiding her gently, to the way his hand is in her's. From his palm is a hot sensation, their bodies somehow fitting together perfectly in the moment. Something snaps, only to tug them both closer. She could never explain it, only feel it.

So it goes like that for a moment, their bodies close but never quite close enough. The way he slides against her, heat first but skin last, is enough to catch in her mind in the same way that fabric catches on a door handle. The floor is just the two of them for a moment, just them and the twists of Cloud's hips and way the sight makes chills rush up her spin like hot water. Just them and the way she has to fight to keep up with him against her own clumsiness, laughing as she narrowly misses stepping on his feet in her heels. They click-click-click on the dancefloor each time they connect, and she follows well enough to roll-slide-meet with him.

As the rhythm works it way through her body in rolling waves of thunderous boosted bass notes, she inches closer to Cloud, until they're chest to chest and the crowd is closing in around them. The song hits a crescendo and everyone is jumping again, and her body is brushing up against his, just barely teasing the closeness she wants. It only occurs to her then— does Cloud feel it, too? With her head tilted up, she looks up. Her nose and the corners of her eyes are crinkled in a laugh, joyous and unbridled. Her gaze is searching, picking at his expression with curiosity and anxiety and need and wonder, and yet still she doesn't pull away. ]

Okay, Mr. King of the Dancefloor. I see how it is.

[ The lights are pulsing, vibrating with the crowd and the beat, so that they're rotating between a brighter room and a darker room, and each time, he's lit up. Shadows cut along his face in sharp angles, all of the familiar but somehow new. Aerith knows him, and yet she's entranced, somehow caught off guard.

Her arm raises to drape over his shoulder; she could pull him closer even still, could lose herself to the swirl of green-blue that is his gaze. ]

[ She looks into his eyes, and he looks into hers. He feels the flush rise to his cheeks, unbidden - the manic energy around them - and inside them - feeding into his movements. He never lets Aerith stumble for too long - and they pull close as the song crescendos, their bodies pressed up against one another, and his breath hitches, just for the fraction of a second. His eyes are bright, a bit softer in their joy - for all his action, Cloud is a man whose more positive emotions don't run as hot. But there's a simmering intensity to it all the same - a quiet need unexpressed, but still rising to color the small hint of a smirk on his lips. ]

You were the one who wanted me to take the lead. If you wanted me to go slower-

[ Her arm drapes over his shoulder, and his arm around her waist pulls her in close - the song is still fast-paced, but Cloud's moves are at half-tempo the song, suddenly slower, the friction of the slower pace of the dance - and their bodies pressing each other for longer, sizzling against each other in the summerlike evening, an intentional clash against the song's driving beat. ]

All you had to do was ask.

[ It's a tease. It's a rush. It's the needy attention of an energy they've both refused to let cool for months - and it's boiling over, slowly but surely. ]

[ What started out as simple fun turns into something else entirely. The summer sky the twinkles behind the stage, a lightshow all it's own. Artificial stars, perhaps, a blanket of night taken out for a special evening— she couldn't tell the difference after a lifetime in a steel cage. Cloud seems to smile at her, corners of his mouth curling upwards in a ghostly manner, and her heart catches itself on a beat. It's both guilt and excitement at once, a nasty cocktail that bubbles up inside her in equal parts and she gets drunk off it. Aerith looks away, biting her lip, but stays where she is. ]

I've... actually... never done anything like this before. [ Each word is measured out, considered carefully, like she's admitting a secret. ] It's fun. Show me some more?

[ It's for emphasis, mostly, but she rolls her hips side to side, still pressed against him. If he notices, that's on him. ]

[ It was dangerous. The way his heart suddenly started to race with the beat - the way he could feel the heat of his skin under his chin - his pulse rising. The way their hips roll into each other - too close, too long, too hot - searingly hot, like he should pull away. But neither of them were unwilling to give themselves any slack - his grip on her waist only tightening, by reflex, as they dance, and her arm over his shoulder clearly not letting him pull too far away in turn. ]

Suppose you wouldn't have any opportunities to do this kind of thing.

[ He can't claim it's just instinct and reflex now - he presses himself, intentionally, against her as she rolls against him, the two closest at the hips. One hand squeezing on her waist while the other holds her hand. The world feels less real, his vision seems to darken at the edges - illuminated only by the flash of lights. ]

Just let yourself relax. [ A gentle, sort of teasing chide. ] If you don't think too hard about it, your body will pick up the slack.

Edited 2022-07-15 04:22 (UTC)

[ Each bead of sweat collecting on her body feels ten degrees too cold, makes her shiver as it rolls down and then he has the audacity to buck against her like they could be puzzle pieces fitting together with enough force. It drags a noise out of her like a squeak but a little too long in the note, a breathy sigh.

She holds him tight against her, and everything is tight. Constrained, swallowing her right up. She lets it happen for the moment, because something inside of her snaps with that roll of his hips. ]

Yeah? And what about your body? [ She's teasing him. The blood is rushing to her head, making her feel light headed and they're nearly touching noses so she could whisper if she wanted and he'd still hear her over the rolling, booming volume of the music. They're surrounded on all sides, visible to everyone out there and she's sure at least a few people will gossip, but she thinks to herself who cares? It matters so little. ]

What should it be doing?

[ She's starting to get what she feels curling inside of her, hot and needy. ]

[ He feels the bottom of his stomach fall out as she says that to him, nose to nose. She might be worried about gossips, but to Cloud, they practically don't exist. Everything in the world is Aerith's eyes looking into his, pleading in the same way her voice and body does- gently. Her hips roll against his, as he matches her tempo, forcing them to stay in contact as they exchange these dangerous words. Her hands pulling against him, like even if she wanted to pull away, something in her body refused to entertain the notion. ]

That depends—

[ His voice a little breathier, showing a bit more exertion. It's low, and throaty, and poised right against Aerith's ear. There's a shiver down his spine that keeps him moving. His hand on her hips adjusts, to find better ourchase - maybe shifting in a way that was far too dangerous for either of their own good. But they're in freefall, and the way she posed that question meant he wasn't the only one who had that aching need driving them along, pulsing in time to the song-beat. ]

What do you think it should be doing?

Edited 2022-07-15 07:01 (UTC)

[ Her breathing hitches. Aerith tries to hide it, to purse her lips and bite them, but she catches herself too late. There's a tease of relief with each rumble and dance move, and she can hardly believe that he's putting it all on her. Despite herself, Aerith giggles a little. ]

Hard to get, huh? [ Boys. Yet still, she meets him. She removes her hand from his grip, just to leave it hanging over his other shoulder. Like this, he is completely trapped, wrapped up in her, and she knows it. Aerith smiles, a little deviously, more she responds. ]

Big words for a guy who got out of the hospital just a few weeks ago. [ It's okay, she thinks. She can steal one thing from him, and maybe it'll be enough. Maybe it'll sate her, and him, because she knows it's mutual now. Though energized, she languidly moves to stand on the tips of her toes, and closes the gap. She seals the deal with a kiss, open mouthed and heavy, like she's going to answer him. She breathes in Cloud, tasting him and the experience: Maybe it's her imagination, but it tastes like sugar and street food and berries all at once. The world is alive with a good mood, and overhead comes the pop, pop, pop of the party streamers. Confetti rains down on them and all around them and on the crowd surrounding them.

The song is rolling into it's end, but she feels like something is just beginning. ]

[ As soon as their lips meet, it's like those same fireworks are going off in the back of Cloud's skull. He's sharing Aerith's breath - his tongue reflexively seeking out hers. A whine catches in his throat - one Aerith can feel as well as hear. A tremble of anticipation. ]

[ With their hands separated, and the song winding down, the pretense of the dance has completely been lost. His free hand joins the other, wrapping around her waist and pulling her tight against him, the fire in his body all the more evident as it presses into Aerith from in front. If she's going to trap him: he's going to trap her, seems to be the response. His eyes flutter open and shut as the pleasure ebbs and flows - it feels so much stronger, like a dam has been broken. Everything feels so much more vibrant and it's already making it hard to think about anything but the moment in front of him. When his eyes do open - staring into Aerith's, clear and serene and so full of life, it only makes him feel hotter, his hands squeezing of their own accord - unbidden by any sort of active thought. ]

[ It's not enough. It's not nearly enough. ]

[ Aerith unravels like this: Slowly and thread by thread, like a sweater coming undone, then all at once, like a tree falling. The result is so thunderous that she feels it through her body like lightning zapping across her in nerves she never felt before. (Or she had, and just forgotten about them— purposefully.) There's a grave sense of urgency and desperation in her like the idea that this is the moment she will never get back so she has to hold it tight and never let go. It is true there is no going back from this point on: "It's Complicated" may stick or it may not stick, she doesn't know, but a part of her is no rush to lose the pleasantries of walking that line. Jumping to the edge is somehow scarier to her. The definitive possibility of changing and moving on guts her as much as it thrills her.

Shakily, she leans into his kiss. It feels like the warm spot of Spring just before it transitions into Summer, when the flowers are all growing so tall and free and beautifully that she can sink into the grass and the loamy dirt and feel the birdsong from far away. She meets his tongue with her own, taking a long moment to enjoy the sensation down to her core. She is so utterly wrapped up in Cloud and there is both no going back as much as there is no going forward. Somehow, this feels like the wall she was destined to hit here. How do you move on from this? They entwine in a different kind of dance, holding one another with desperation. She thinks back to the image of him sleeping in a hospital bed and pulls him closer. She remembers the ribbon on his bicep, and stay there for a moment longer like she'll be safer there.

All around them the confetti settles to the ground, and flashes of lights go off. A distant sensation, they all are, when you're in the throes of something beautiful and terrifying. She stays there.

When, at last, the pulls away for breath, feels the way her lips are so wet, and his hot breath on them... Aerith leans back, standing back on her own two feet as she would naturally. She breathes in, tries to center herself, and fails. This time, there is no first floor lobby to waltz into like nothing transpired. This time, it's them, the party, and the whole world, and every light in the universe feels like it's shown on them and their dance. The city isn't too big for Cloud and Aerith, and it doesn't hide them away this time. This time, they glow. ]

Um. [ Well.

She licks her lips, takes in the memory of their kiss. ]

My place or your's?

[ Might as well. ]

[ When she pulls him closer, the elctricity seems to run up Cloud's body, the way her own desperation breaks free fueling the fire. And when she pulls away, he's loathe to leave her - his hands trailing across her hips, fingertips like a ghost. He looks into her eyes, feels the phantom sensation of her lips on his, of their bodies so close they could each tell where fabric ended and flesh began. He tries to recenter himself - a move do the failure. He's never been half as composed as Aerith. ]

[ As they pull away, the spell holding Cloud's attention entirely on Aerith has snapped - for the moment. The lingering hunger remains, his eyes looking back at her as he once again regains his surroundings, as if he had been looking at them for the first time - his hand finds his breast, and the nonstromp thrumming that has yet to settle. ]

I- uh- [ He processes quickly what that's supposed to mean, but taken out of their own little private world and put back in this one, he stumbles. Only briefly. ] Probably yours, I- the walls- they-

[ They'll hear us, is the thought Cloud unsuccessfully attempts to convey. Realizing now that there is no privacy between them, a kiss shared in the kight of the festival. There's no way people won't talk, of course - but Cloud's more sudden awareness means he'd rather be cautious with those next steps, seemingly dancing on the edge of a collapsing cliffside. ]

Edited 2022-07-16 05:20 (UTC)

CLOSED STARTERS

CLOUD.

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