Howling and Hollow (Cloud Catch-All)

[relativefugue]

WHO: Cloud Strife and YOU
WHAT: What does your heart desire? (A place for planned threads outside prompts!) Cloud is settling in.
WHERE: Around Town and the outskirts, depending!
WHEN: A week or more after arrival, ongoing.
WARNINGS: Probable mentions of mental health struggles and trauma.

SUMMARY: A catch-all for Mister Final Fantasy! Here he is, trying to...Leave. Inevitably, he will be settling in, whether he likes it or not. What are those weird bumps hidden in that chocobo fluff hair? He fell and hit his head, probably.

Comments

[orbicularis]

As far as company goes, most may consider Mithrun... underwhelming. Since his bursts of hyperfocus at work tend to be directed mostly at the work itself, his presence as a coworker is a rather understated one - with little room for the kind of chaos he accidentally pulled Cloud into at the banquet. He'll address him in passing, or as needed, with little need for direct intervention as they both go about their work.

Until today.

When Cloud comes in, Mithrun glances up from where he's dividing cookie dough (always so many cookies - Mithrun wonders if Angeal is intending to completely bury the local god in them) - and then that glance sticks.

He steps unceremoniously away from his work, washes his hands, and walks up to Cloud. "You shouldn't be up here."

[relativefugue]

Cloud takes a second to steady himself, and looks to Mithrun with a confused scowl. This is the first time his coworker has said much at all outside of small scraps of things- a request or direction here, a single-word statement there. But now, here he is, stepping away from work to tell him off. Or so he assumes.

"Did you forget I work here? Yes I should. It's my shift."

Exhausted as he is, Cloud Strife can still very well manage to be a sassy pain in the ass.

[orbicularis]

"Not in this state, you shouldn't." He crosses his arms, staring up at Cloud - though he barely tilts his head, despite the difference in height. "There's a hammock in the back. You need to lie down."

[relativefugue]

"The hell I do," Cloud snaps back, with a shake of the head. He sways again, however, this time practically toppling over. "Not in any kinda state except a little tired. I'm fine."

Except he really, really isn't. Much more of this and he will end up on the floor.

[orbicularis]

It may be a toss-up whether Cloud will get to finish that "I'm fine" before Mithrun's hand lands on his arm - and, in an instant, they're both in the break room. Not as spacious as the one Angeal had set up in the simulation, but it's better than nothing - especially right now.

The instant they teleport, Mithrun pushes Cloud toward the aforementioned hammock. "You do, you are, and you are not. None of us needs you collapsing mid-shift, least of all you."

[relativefugue]

Ah. This again. Cloud feels the way the world sort of freezes and falls away for an instant, and knows the pair of them are about to re-appear elsewhere. It is only after he's stumbling and falling into the hammock that he realizes they are back in the breakroom. He grunts, turning onto his back before struggling to sit up- which he manages for a few seconds before falling backwards to laying once again.

"I'll live. What's it to you anyway?"

[orbicularis]

Mithrun crosses his arms, apparently satisfied that Cloud is lying down - for now, at least.

"For one thing, I've gotten in enough trouble myself for working when I'm in no condition to. I'm not letting you get away with the same. For another, if something did go wrong, you'd be disrupting everyone's work and worrying Angeal."

[relativefugue]

"Well what's it to him anyway?" Cloud huffs, now scowling up at the ceiling. His eyes actually seem to dart about- as if he is watching for some unseen specter, wary, on edge. "He still gets what he's hired me for. Nothing to worry about. Disrupting work, I can get more."

He tries to sit up- the keyword being tries. He manages to, at least for the time being, swaying even sitting down like this. His Nibelheim drawl breaks through just a touch. "Ain't got anything that he should be worryin' about."

[orbicularis]

Now, Mithrun's good eye narrows. He leans forward, just slightly, arms still crossed. "You think that's all he'll care about? Whether you get your work done? If something happened to you, he'd worry even if you were a complete stranger."

Mithrun would know.

He straightens, the faintest bit. "As it is, you're his employee, and important to people important to him. There's plenty of reason there for him to worry."

[relativefugue]

It doesn't elude Cloud, how Mithrun straightens up- however he is just too exhausted to do much besides retort, his filter long dead from his mind starting to fray from an entire week's sleep deprivation.

"Yeah, cause he just wants to meddle. People important to him-" Sephiroth...??? Genesis....? "Can just worry themselves. Or all of them can just back off. I'm going to survive either way."

Plagued by trauma-fueled nightmares, though.

He nearly topples backwards again. "Just. Gotta go home. I'll be fine there."

Home. Alone. To sleep fitfully, and not at all.

[orbicularis]

"You have no idea what Angeal wants."

Mithrun steps forward, reaching out to shove Cloud backward himself - maybe with a little more force than necessary. "And, for you to have gone as long without proper sleep as you obviously have, you will clearly not be 'fine' at home. Are you staying with anyone?"

[relativefugue]

Cloud cannot help but be a little surprised at just how strong this wispy looking guy is- must've hit some kind of nerve concerning Angeal. Not that he cares.

"I'm staying with myself." As it always was before he somehow ended up with a travel party. How it always was going to end up, too. "'Nough time and I won't have a choice but to sleep. Just trying to get there."

That's how trauma nightmares work, right? If he has to skip work, fine, but he can handle it himself.

[orbicularis]

"'Won't have a choice?'" Mithrun raises an eyebrow, just faintly. "What does that mean?"

He may not have the details yet, but clearly something is up.

[relativefugue]

"Exactly what you think. Pretty sure if you're tired enough you just shut down. May as well get to that and deal with it later once I can sleep." Cloud says it as though it is matter-of-fact, shrugging his shoulders.

"And to do that, I need to go home."

[orbicularis]

"Yes, you do just shut down." Don't tell him what happens physically when you just simply do not sleep, Cloud. "Not what I was asking. Why aren't you sleeping to begin with?"

[relativefugue]

Cloud falls quiet for a moment, considering. He has little to lose, giving this away- but also isn't all too thrilled about showing more weakness on top of what is already there presently.

He huffs. There's no way Mithrun is going to let up.

"Bad dreams."

[orbicularis]

"Bad dreams," Mithrun repeats. He tilts his head, actually thinking it over. "Sleeping spells can help with those, but they're not something you can cast on yourself."

[relativefugue]

"Yeah. Can't remember being able to do that back home. Only can put other things to sleep. Materia is finicky like that." Not that materia seems to be required for magic in every world, but...it's similar at least. Cloud shakes his head, and immediately regrets it- the room starts to spin. "Ngh."

Sleep sounds so good right now, it practically aches to think on it. "You saying you wanna knock me out?"

There's more questions, of course. Waiting to be asked.

[orbicularis]

"Right - you're from that world." Wanna be less vague, Mithrun? No? He moves right on.

"No, I'm saying I can, and I intend to. The question is whether you want me to; the spell works better on a willing subject."

[relativefugue]

What? What does that mean? Have the others been talking to Mithrun about him? Something about that makes him bristle. There's more than enough people who already know more about Cloud Strife than Cloud himself does.

"What, you're going to knock me out back here and go about working. Then what? Not really thinkin' this is a bright idea."

How long will he last on one big sleep? Cloud is too exhausted to crunch those numbers either. Maybe another week? Two, if he's lucky.

[orbicularis]

"Why not?" He shrugs. "It's what the hammock is for - you aren't the only one here with trouble sleeping, and the rest of us don't need it right now. Nobody comes back here except employees. I'll tell the others you're resting, and they'll know not to bother you.

"But you're right. It isn't a permanent solution. That said, I doubt you'll like my suggestion for that any better."

[relativefugue]

Cloud does have to concede the first point to Mithrun- he could simply just rest here. But the thought of it, and a show of weakness to the people he's only just begun to become used to being around, naturally sees him displeased.

"Wow. Great lead-in. Just spit out the idea."

[orbicularis]

Alright, well.

"You shouldn't be living alone. I'm confident that Angeal and the others would be more than willing to take you in with us."

[relativefugue]

"No."

Cloud's expression gets a little intense with that. Like a startled, angry animal recoiling at being touched.

The thought of not being alone isn't unwelcome deep down, but Cloud's reflex to cover himself and keep playing lone wolf jumps way to the fore and smothers it.

"The hell are you thinking? Take me in? Like some stupid pet? I'm not looking for charity, and they sure as hell aren't-"

Getting that worked up simply has Cloud's exhaustion crash into him. He inhales a sharp breath, swaying in place as the words die in his mouth.

[orbicularis]

Not much surprise there. Mithrun frowns, reaching forward to set a hand on Cloud's shoulder and steady him.

"Then I'll just have to go to your house, every night, and put you to sleep, if you'd prefer it. It worked well enough when Angeal used to do that for me." He raises an eyebrow. "Before he took me in like some stupid pet."