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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[ 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.

Huh. Definitely different. [He's already warming up to the idea of them, though.] Is there any catch to using them? Anything bad about them?

[Leaning back just a little, he takes the opportunity to size Zack up. Sure, he could just go outside and show off a little, but Zack looks pretty strong. Maybe they could take it up a notch.]

Maybe we could spar. You know how to fight?

Nah, not really. You'll get real tired, if you use a powerful spell too much, too fast - or if you're not used to casting - but all you need is an Ether or an Elixir, for that. Or a good night's sleep.

[ It's all pretty good. Aware that he's being studied, to some degree, Zack shoots a look right back at him - one that turns disbelieving at Lloyd's next question. ]

Do I know how to fight? Are you actually asking that to a guy who looks like this?

I get the same thing if I use my techniques too much. Eating and sleeping help, too, and it's way cheaper than using an elixir.

[If you can even find someone who will sell you one.]

I usually just stick to orange gels or pineapple gels if I don't have time for food. I don't think I've ever heard of an ether.

[Finishing up his casual assessment, he can't help but flash Zack a teasing grin.]

Hey, for all I know, you could just really like lifting weights! How do I know you're not all muscle and no skill?

Tch. Tell me about it...

[ He just finds most of his in boxes in the desert and caves and sometimes on deserted islands, like a normal person. As expensive as everything else is, he has no interest in knowing the price of an Elixir on anybody's planet.

Lloyd can consider his grin met and raised. ]

Muscle tone's nothing without the stamina to back it up. I'm all about calisthenics; none of this is just for show.

[Lloyd has yet to find anyone who would sell him one, but he assumes that such a person has to exist somewhere. Someone has to make them before they wind up in the most god-forsaken places in the world, right? Lloyd has no doubt that they must charge an arm and a leg for them, too, because even the cheapskate shopkeepers who buy things back at a fraction of what they're worth are willing to pay thousands of gald just for one, assuming Lloyd had been willing to sell.

He definitely catches that challenging glint in Zack's eyes, and hey, who is he to back down from a match? Especially one he proposed to begin with! With a glint in his own eyes, he starts to stand up.]

I've got plenty of callouses, too. You wanna get your weapon, and I'll go get mine? We can meet up again outside.

[ Well - that gets his grin to fade, self-consciousness creeping in in lieu of confidence. ]

Uh... Actually, I'll have to take a rain-check, if we're talking armed combat. I don't have anything on me.

[ His sword's kind of on loan (permanently), and he didn't get to bring any materia over, either. Maybe there's some in the shops, around here - but he hasn't exactly had shopping on his mind, in recent weeks past. ]

Oh.

[Oops. Yeah, a sword would kind of be an important thing for this. Lloyd's enthusiasm deflates, though he tries not to lose it completely.]

Well, maybe when you get a new sword, then? Or maybe you could borrow one. Just for the spar. [A pause, then he rubs the back of his neck and hesitantly offers-] I have two. I'm just... not used to using only one.

[That would probably really throw him off.]

Edited 2013-09-05 11:39 (UTC)

[ Zack shakes his head, a little discouraged, himself - but not enough to have completely given the idea up. ]

Nah, yours are probably a little lightweight for me, anyway. [ And he wouldn't want to throw off Lloyd's groove (where would the fun be in fighting with both of them handicapped?). ]

Okay. Let me see what I can find, and we can meet up again, later. Then we'll fight.

[Just about any sword would be lightweight compared to what Zack's used to wielding.

Lloyd hasn't seen it, though, so he can only guess at the difference between his swords and Zack's. Even so, it's a fair point. His swords are fairly light, as swords go, meant to be wielded with just one hand. Trying to adjust to that would probably be just as awkward for Zack as it would be for Lloyd to have just one. Considering that, he nods. He's still disappointed, but hey, at least, it could be worse.

He smiles.]

Deal. Hey, do you know how to call people on those computer things? You could leave me a message there.

Uh, yeah, sure. I'll figure it out.

[ Maybe.

Eventually. TECHNOLOGY IS NOT HIS FRIEND. But he can usually get by with it, and since he's already figured out the posting things bit, he can probably get the rest. Oooor he can just shout into the network at large, whatever. ]

001 ✗ video + action.

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