touchscreens | 001 ✗ video + action.

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001 ✗ video + action.

Oh, hey - I bet it's working, this time!

[ To the technologically impaired, these terminals are a little daunting - who knew you had to take your gloves off to work a touchscreen? Not to mention the thought of hooking up to some nebulous and well-populated network. He may or may not have spent the last ten to fifteen minutes talking to nobody, slowly realizing he was talking to nobody, and then trying again to figure out how to get to the Help tab.

Anyway, it's definitely broadcasting, now. Maybe. Probably. He's not trying again if it isn't. (He might.) ]

Am I really talking to all the other, uh, visitors out there? I guess that's pretty handy. Though... It feels like I've been doing a lot of talking, lately, and not a whole lot of actually getting to know the people I'm stuck with. [ Which more or less translates out of polite doublespeak to: he's tired himself out trying to figure this place out one way, how about FAQ round #2? ] So I thought, why not just ask? A little old-fashioned, I admit, but... I've got nothing to lose.

[ He shrugs, smiling thinly. ] So tell me about yourselves, okay? Or your 'worlds,' or whatever. And just 'cause it's no fair if I don't start, I'm Zack. I used to wanna travel, when I was a little younger. [ A pause, and a little more genuine humor leaks into that smile. ] I guess I sure got my wish, huh?

[ There's only so much aimlessly (but alertly) wandering around a foreign city a guy can do, so Zack's taking a break from that to ...aimlessly wander around the common floor of building #1 (having significantly more luck with the video games than with the terminals) and along the walkways between buildings (for the view, naturally).

He's not in great shape - it's actually a lot harder to remember to maintain contact with total strangers than he would've expected it to be - but he isn't exactly falling on his face, either (not that he'll be turning down any free hugs, regardless). And, of course, anybody who crosses his path - and doesn't make themselves too busy for him to accost, post haste - will most likely be finding themselves in a conversation. However one-sided. (He's not picky.) ]

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The worst plant, huh? I dunno...

[ This is a tough one. While plants definitely rank high on the annoyance scale, they're not usually the top of the list in power (and a little Fire usually takes care of the worst of them). His worst experience with a plant monster is easier to pinpoint, by a lot. ]

I guess the Flower Prongs have always sort of had it in for me. They grow around my hometown, where everything's pretty green and leafy, and they're hard to spot 'cause they're so small. Or - 'cause they start small.

If you get into a fight with one, you've gotta knock it out fast, or it'll just keep on getting meaner.

[ Kind of like that pie. Although - what's that? A floating platform carrying a magic golden butane torch has just descended from the pixelated sky. Better grab it quick and power up. ]

[They start small. That sounds particularly ominous, especially in this context.]

How big do they get?

[Whoa, wait, what's that on the screen? ...okay, it's kind of hard to tell exactly what it is, with the way the picture on the screen is kind of grainy, but there's no mistaking the flame that's dancing on the end of it. Lloyd's face lights up and he instantly mashes the button to jump.]

Aw yeah! Ha ha, Zack, look! We can burn the pie to a crisp!

[His next attack shoots flames instead of icing.]!

Hah! Take that! Burn to oblivion, evil pie!

Bigger than me. [ Which should be ominous, given Zack's not exactly a little guy. ] They get some pretty nasty claws and teeth, too. If you got stuck tangling with one long enough to see it grow to that size, though, you'd have worse things to worry about - like falling asleep.

[ And then getting plant eaten. Which he assumes is terrible, but can't pass any real judgement on seeing as how it's never happened to him (except maybe in virtual reality - speaking of which). ]

Hey, all right! I didn't know there were flamethrowers in this.

[ Though apparently neither did the pie, because it is now nothing but crunchy black pixel debris. And there's the door to the next level. ]

So, how does it feel to have beaten your first boss fight? Any words of wisdom from our triumphant, returning hero?

[Lloyd gives Zack an incredulous look.]

How could anyone fall asleep while fighting a giant plant?!

[Just as Zack directs his attention back to the video game, victory fanfare starts to play. Lloyd considers the question, considers the pixel dust on the screen, and... Okay, so it was just a fake monster, just part of a game he was playing, but Lloyd still feels something like the same pleased rush when he kills a monster in real life. A huge grin spreads across his face. Victory against an evil dessert? He knows exactly what to say.]

That was a piece of cake!

That's one of its attacks. Works just like the knock-out gas some of the infantry use, or a really good Sleepel.

[ Status Effects are the bane of his existence.

Bad puns, however, are not. It takes Zack a couple of seconds, but when he does get it, he throws his head back and laughs. Not exactly boisterous, but bright and genuine. ]

Good choice! I couldn't have put it better, myself.

[Lloyd doesn't know what Sleepel is, but he can guess from the context.]

There's really monsters out there that can make you fall asleep?

[That's a startling (and alarming!) thought.]

What would keep them from killing you while you're asleep?

[But, aw yeah, someone who can appreciate his sometimes dorky humor! Hearing Zack laugh makes that grin spread even further, but more than that, he wants to see if he can provoke it again. If Zack laughed at the first pun, surely he'll laugh again at a second!]

What about saying it was easy as pie?

Whoever's got your back.

[ AND PRETTY MUCH NOTHING ELSE yeah it's kind of legitimately horrifying. ]

Though some pretty powerful armor might do the trick. I've heard there's a way to equip materia that'd help with that, too.

[ And wow, that's pretty shameless, Lloyd. Zack's laugh is more of a half-stifled snort, this time. ]

A little on the nose, don't you think?

I guess you better make sure you're always traveling with someone, then.

[And then you'd better hope that you didn't both get knocked out at once. Lloyd shudders before letting himself perk back up.]

What's materia?

[Some kind of accessory to help someone keep awake?

A half-stifled snort is good enough in this case. Lloyd laughs right back in turn.]

Hey, come on, we just fought a pie! That joke had to be made! When does anyone get a chance like that?

Or just get real used to running away.

[ Hold those shoulder buttons til it hurts. Zack's a little surprised he doesn't know what materia is, though - that's like asking "What's oxygen?" Shouldn't they have it on every world? ]

Concentrated mako. But I've got a feeling you don't mean the scientific definition. You equip it to cast spells?

[ Or to do dumb stuff like lure chocobos or breathe underwater, but the first rule of Independent Materia is we don't talk about Independent Materia. Also, it's pink, so there's that.

He's shaking his head when he laughs again. ]

Probably never again. But that's why you can't overdo it. Just one cool line to go out on, that's all you need.

[Lloyd makes a face at the idea of running away that much, but he has to admit, Zack has a point. Better to live even if you have to run away than to get eaten by a monster that knocked you out.

The first definition of materia still doesn't ring any bells, but once Zack describes what it does, Lloyd straightens with recognition. Something you can equip to cast spells? That almost sounds like...]

Does it look like a gem, or a stone? Kind of small and round?

[With a shameless grin, he hands the controller back.]

That's why I was going to let you have that line. So you could say something cool, too!

Edited 2013-08-19 23:07 (UTC)

[ It's pretty unfortunate, but being alive is a little more important than looking cool. Just a little.

Zack nods enthusiastically when Lloyd catches on, clearly relieved of the sinking suspicion that he might have to explain the whole thing before it'd even fully formed in his mind. ]

Yeah! That's right. Don't tell me they call it something else, where you're from?

[ Still, he sounds relieved.

And a little surprised, again, as he accepts the controller for the official commencement of level two. ] My bad. I didn't know this was a team effort.

[But the real question is, which one's more important: looking cool, or a sword? :3

Lloyd hesitates before answering. Dirk, his adoptive father, used to drive it home that this wasn't something he should just talk about. On the other hand, Lloyd's gotten used to people knowing about things like this, to the point that he hasn't bothered hiding the Exsphere on his hand in quite a while now. Besides, Zack already seems to know about Exspheres, too, and he seems like a really nice guy. Would there really be a problem with showing it to him?

Coming to a conclusion based more on a gut feeling than anything else, Lloyd holds up his left hand for Zack to see. Without his glove on, the small, rounded gem set into the metal plate that's apparently attached directly to his skin should stand out, plain and clear to see.]

Yeah. We call them Exspheres in my world.

[Similar to a piece of materia? Maybe. But it isn't the exact same thing. Even beyond the differences in how they're made, Exspheres really only amplify mana, making someone capable of more than they were before by boosting their natural talents. They can't just grant someone entirely new spells and skills. Whether or not Zack can pick up on those differences, though...?

A little less serious, Lloyd nudges Zack with his elbow.]

Of course it is. We're an evil pie fighting team!

[ It's a trick question!! You can't look cool without a sword. ]

Woah. I've never seen anybody with a- What is that? Is it really a part of your hand?

[ That's kind of horrifying, in its own way. But no more than the idea of ShinRa getting the bright idea to augment SOLDIERs similarly and boy is he glad he'll never be a part of that hypothetical advancement.

And only at a glance, no, he can't tell the difference between a real piece of materia and a marble. He'd have to look a lot closer, and - no offense, Lloyd - he's not super interested in getting a very close look at that piece of work.

Not that it sours his opinion of Lloyd any; he's still more than willing to be part of an evil pie fighting team. ]

All right. We'll be dessert busters together.

[With the possible exception of flamethrowers? C'mon, flamethrowers are awesome.]

It's an Exsphere. [Lloyd shakes his head in answer to Zack's question, though inwardly he's a little confused. Wouldn't Zack already be familiar with a sight like this?] The Key Crest is attached to my skin, but I could take it off if I really had to. The Exsphere isn't bonded with me, either. I've always had it mounted on the Crest so that wouldn't happen.

[A real and valid concern. Exspheres without Key Crests are not a good thing, and nearly impossible to safely remove.]

But... isn't this how you wear your... your materia?

[The last remark earns a smile.]

All right, it's your turn to show me your skills.

[ Obviously flamethrowers are the exception to the rule. To every rule. Except the rule of awesome. ]

No way. [ And he's shaking his own head; there's no hint of recognition in his expression as he eyes that "Key Crest" again. ] Materia's equipped to your armor or your weapon - not to you.

[ Barring certain, extreme cases, that is. But he doesn't think anything good ever comes of that. ]

I guess yours isn't really that different... But we do it pretty differently, where I'm from.

Your armor or your weapon? [Lloyd's about to ask what good that would do, but when he thinks about it, he has seen a weapon with an Exsphere attached. The memory makes him sit back, rethinking the differences that might not be different after all.]

Not everyone with an Exsphere attaches it to themselves in my world, either, but I think it's more effective if you do. I guess your way would be a lot safer, though. You wouldn't have to worry about what would happen if you didn't have a Key Crest attached. No one would turn into a monster because their mana went out of control.

A monster? [ Zack, on the other hand, is sitting forward. Now there's a terrifying thought; pure mako might cause mutations, in nature, but it's not the root of SOLDIER's problems - or anyone else's, that he's aware of. And casting spells? Never. ]

Are you serious?

[The question surprises Lloyd.]

Of course I'm serious. You mean that's never happened in your world? No one's had any problems because of their Ex- their materia?

[They are talking about the same thing, right?]

Well, not... Normal people.

[ Like Genesis, for instance - he was not remotely normal, and neither were any of the totally suicidal shenanigans he pulled, in Banora. ]

And not just from using it. You can find materia anywhere - even kids play with it. If people were turning into monsters just from that... [ ShinRa would have a helluva lot more to cover up, and he's not sure even they could make that kind of problem go away. ]

I didn't mean just touching it. [As far as he knows, nothing bad's ever happened from just that.] It's only bad if you mount it on your body without a Key Crest. I don't think that's easy to do by accident. Unless maybe if you swallow it.

[Man, that's a disturbing thought.

Something about what Zack said, though...]

What do you mean, not normal people?

I meant more like casting with it. [ It's not like materia requires a lot of skill to use - just energy, if all you want to use is a basic spell. Now, aiming that spell in the right direction and not letting it backfire and all that, those are probably where skill comes in.

Swallowing materia is also not something he'd like to think on long.

Nor is that question, really, from the look on his face. ]

People who... Misuse that kind of stuff. It's not important.

You don't have to equip your materia to use it? [Lloyd frowns, then rubs the back of his neck as he tries to piece that together with what Exspheres can do.] Maybe we're not talking about the same thing after all. Even if you put an Exsphere on a weapon, it still has to be attacked to something. You can't just... use it.

[People who misuse things... Lloyd nods his head soberly.]

I think I get what you mean.

[Enough that he'll let it drop. Zack doesn't look like he wants to talk about it.]

Well, not if you don't want to. [ He's had enough Summons nonchalantly tossed his way to know that much. ] I guess that is a pretty big difference, though. You can use materia just by holding it in your hand.

Why's an Exsphere have to be attached, though? Isn't the magic inside of it, too? Or the, uh, knowledge? [ Because it's science, not magic-magic, and if you call it that without knowing what it means, someone will make you look like a dumbass for sure. At least if your name is Zack. ]

Not exactly. Exspheres... It's more like they boost your own abilities, letting you do stuff you could do anyway, except you don't have enough mana by yourself. Like... most people can jump only a couple of feet, but my Exsphere lets me jump a lot higher. Maybe six or seven feet. Or because I have enough mana, I have enough that I can push it out and use it in my attacks. I could show you if you wanted to go outside.

[His techniques aren't really something he should casually throw around inside of a public building.]

But my Exsphere has to be attached to me because it needs to be directly connected to the mana in my body. If it's not, it won't work for me.

[Then, because he's curious-]

How does materia work?

Materia gives you abilities you wouldn't have, otherwise. There's your basic magic, special, independent kinds, and then others that help you boost your skills. Like running faster, or scoping out your target.

[ Which is sort of similar, but not really the same. Zack shrugs. ]

Materia needs a lot of energy, too, but all you need to know to use it is how to tap into the knowledge inside. Like I said, even kids can do it.

Unfortunately, I don't really have any on me. But I wouldn't mind seeing what your Exspheres can do, either way.

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