aterat | just a day in the life.

Who; Cloud Strife (

mostlycloudy) and you!
What; Making his way downtown; some memory threads/catch-all
Where; Multiple Locations
When; Throughout January
Warnings; Only what may come up in memory threads; will update accordingly

Cloud's occupation took him many places in and outside the city, and he wasn't about to let the snow impede his progress. What was his occupation? Nothing in particular, and yet everything. He did odd-jobs for people around the city: clearing out direrats, eliminating giant roach infestations in the Docks, whatever someone might be willing to pay him for, really. Today he'd been lucky enough to have been near a merchant's stall when he'd overheard the man grumbling about needing some textiles delivered to the noble district. He knew there was a delivery service around town, but Tommy had enough clientele to share and Cloud could use the coin.

Later, his delivery made, he's making his way back south towards the markets when a glitter catches his attention from a small drift of snow and he stoops to retrieve it. He'd been paying enough attention to the network to know what it might mean, but curiosity won out in the end. A sharp intake of breath sounded as his fingers touched the crystal in the snow and images flooded his mind.

(OOC: If you'd like Cloud to have found one of your character's crystals, just let me know! You can PM this journal or hit me up on discord (vikael#0221) or plurk (

vikael. If you'd like to simply run into him for general threads, feel free to start a prompt below!

Some prompts are closed for planned shenanigans! Also, if you'd like to have anyone find one of his memories, they're right here!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well met, Cloud. The merchant distract was where Rhy spent much of his time, so of course he was there when Cloud received the deal from man grumbling about textiles. Rhy himself was less than pleased by the deal because he had been trying to get those same fabrics, but he'd been beaten out, so he let it go.

But recognizing the blond... HE smiled at Cloud.

"Well, if it isn't Aerith's beekeeper friend!"

He looked toward the man for a moment, torn. On the one hand, he didn't want to deal with whatever this guy was talking about, but on the other, he wanted to know how this guy knew about him in the first place. He frowned at the comment, crossing his arm.

"Beekeeper?"

Yes, of course beekeeper. Rhy smiles happily at him.

"You are Cloud, right? Miss Aerith told my husband you worked with honeybees."

Clearly something was misunderstood.

"That I worked with-"

Wait.

"Well, I don't." He sighed, shaking his head. "I helped someone take down a guy he hated. He ran a place called the Honeybee Inn."

"Oh, so you only helped the bees," Rhy said, smiling at him. He understood better now.

"I helped a friend." He did not understand better. "...Helping Andrea was just...convenient."

Edited 2022-02-05 05:07 (UTC)

"Ah, so HE is the keeper of bees and you just assisted him!" Rhy said with a smile. "Were you paid in part in honey?"

"No." It had a note of finality to it. "Did you need something?" This man was a friend of Aerith's, or at least he knew someone who was, so he could be civil.

At least for now.

What a shame. Rhy liked honey. In fact, he was pouting a little at the lack of conversation.

"Well, I can see some of why she had trouble getting a high five."

"Whatever." Cloud wasn't a conversationalist. If Rhy wanted one, he'd have to do most of the talking.

As it was, he had somewhere he needed to be. The merchant hadn't given him a deadline, but that didn't mean he didn't want to get going. "If you need my help with something, let me know. Otherwise, It was...nice to meet you." Or...something.

Oh, he knew well how to talk in place of those who might not want to talk. He had a brother after all.

"You could smile more. For Aerith."

He breathed a sigh, crossing his arms.

"What is this about? How do you know Aerith?"

"It was an observation. I saw a set of memories, and it strikes me that when a lady likes you that much, it helps to smile."

Provided he's interested in being interested in that person.

Rhy's explanation put him on guard and he narrowed his eyes at the other man for a moment.

"What memories?"

"She was trying to do a high five with you," Rhy answered. "You seemed to not understand."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, trying to remember what the other man was talking about. Their lives had been so eventful recently it was hard to pinpoint.

Oh, wait. The underground...

"So what? How's that your business?" Or your problem?

Rhy sighed, shaking his head.

"Perhaps I am someone interested in matters of hte heart."

"That doesn't explain why it's any of your business."

Or maybe he was just self-conscious.

"Because I care for the young lady, as one might for a friend," Rhy answered with a shrug.

A different brand of protectiveness filled his voice then. "Aerith can take care of herself."

"Yes, she can. She is clearly capable. But that is not what I mean."

He crossed his arms.

"Then what do you mean?"

"I mean that I care that she has something that will protect her heart."

And this man might well be that.

Did Cloud think that was him? It was hard to say. He'd never really thought about being anyone's boyfriend or anything like that. He didn't even know how to tell if someone was going for a high five, as Rhy so eloquently pointed out.

He crossed his arms, frowning.

"Trust me, she can take care of that, too."

"Perhaps," Rhy said with a shrug. "But sometimes, well, sometimes a person need more help with that."

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