video

[moseyin]

Who: Cloud Strife et al
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Selvin-9
When: Early January


[Video comes on, but instead of showing somebody’s face it’s pointed at a sign for a specifically popular snowboarding and skiing lodge on Selvin-9.] If anybody’s heading over here to snowboard or something, I put up some obstacles on the south slope, off the path, for more of a challenge. Here-

[The shot moves over to the snow, where a person-sized sloppy approximation of a chubby snow moogle sits.] These guys. And some giant icicles, thanks for the materia Aerith. Anyway if you’re up for it and you wanna get timed or something, I got prizes. Nothing cool but like hot chocolate tins and junk like that.

[Okay now Cloud’s walking so there is an unflattering angle of his face occasionally as he trucks through the snow to get his own snowboard.] -oh right, I wanted a general opinion on something. What’s, uh, what’s the best birthday gift you ever got? [Specifically a question for girls but he’s afraid he’ll be REALLY obvious if he says that.]

Comments

[wingenvy]

Handy, right?

[he ain't even bothered. he is very mature (don't laugh) and fully expects to fall on his ass a few times.

....but on the off-chance that he's some kind of snowboarding prodigy, at least he can show up Cloud while looking gloriously tacky. it's win-win.]

The real goal is to avoid getting covered in candy fluff and tracking it all over the ship when I get back. This shit's weird.

[moseyin]

[You have a chance Zack, Cloud talks a lot of shit for a guy who snowboarded once and then logged like fifty hours on a sim at Gold Saucer instead of the real thing]

Yeah, I guess. [Cloud stomps his boots into the fluff a couple times.] Feels snow-ish...gets your hands all sticky if you don't wash 'em off though. Maybe you'll get lucky and end up having to burn that jacket.

[wingenvy]

[A veeeery slim chance. they didn't give him this sort of minigame training back home.]

Lucky? Cloud, I am gonna cherish the heck out of this jacket. I might just wear it every day. It's very comfy.

[and it's about as loud as he is, which is a brilliant perk.]

[moseyin]

You look like a cough drop fell into a pair of jeans. [grabs up his stuff] C'mon, let's go rent you a board.

[wingenvy]

[should he be offended? because he's not, he's laughing. hands clasped together behind his head, he follows Cloud's lead, glancing back at the fluffy moogle statue set-up.]

You went all out with this stuff, man... I had no idea you were so good with your hands.

[moseyin]

Those lines have a completely different effect with you dressed like that, [Cloud points out dryly, leaning his own board against the rack outside the rental shop and standing in the tray provided at the entrance to get the gunk off their boots]

[wingenvy]

Says the guy who gave the assist on decking my wardrobe out with neon a few planets ago.

[which he still has, of course. there may or may not be a silly pink tank under this jacket.]

[moseyin]

That's not my fault! [Stops] That's- not entirely my fault. [busies self with examining a rack of snowboards]

[wingenvy]

Hey man, I'm not griping. I'm just sayin', don't judge.

[Zack follows to peer over his shoulder, head tilted; he knows jack about snowboards so he's just following Cloud's lead, here.]

[moseyin]

[cloud knows 3 whole things about snowboards] ...your feet are so big...we gotta find one that'll fit your boots.

this was gonna be a gag tag

[wingenvy]

Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet. They've got huge brains.

[Zack starts browsing on the next aisle over, pretty much beelining for the tackiest, brightest snowboard he can find.]

[moseyin]

[SNORT] Not sure that's how that saying goes. [comes over to examine those eyesores for rent. Figures.......wait that yellow and purple one looks sick as hell] What about this one?

[wingenvy]

[SHUT UP CLOUD IT'S HOW IT GOES NOW

Zack wanders over to where Cloud is standing, gives the board a once-over lasting all of a second, and picks it up immediately.]

This one. Look at this, it's as ugly as a sick behemoth. I want it.

[It'll go great with the jacket.]

[moseyin]

Oh yeah, [Cloud hums, giving the board a pat in Zack's hands like they just picked out a dog together.] This is perfect. I'll spot your rental fee, let's go.

[wingenvy]

Aww, I knew you loved me.

[He hikes the board up and carries it to the counter, letting Cloud pay as promised, because who doesn't love being treated? After that it's back out into the snow fluff and... staring blankly at the hill before him, immediately at a loss.]

...I think you're gonna have to help me put it on, first.

[LIKE... IT'S PROBABLY NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, BUT...]

[moseyin]

Oh yeah, no problem. [Pulls Zack over by the arm, more and more energetic as they get closer to actually snowboarding; it's kind of cool too, the opportunity to teach Zack something that doesn't have to do with Sephiroth or some other hardship.

Zack steps up to the board on the 'snow' and Cloud crouches down, puts Zack's hand on his shoulder and grabs for first one boot, then the other to adjust the bindings around his feet.] Don't feel bad, this twelve-year-old had to show me how to put this on the first time I did it.

[wingenvy]

[Zack leans first one way and then the other, watching Cloud lock his legs in place, and he can already feel his balance abandoning him. He's pretty sure that if not for his hand on Cloud's shoulder he'd be tipping sideways.]

My ass is gonna hit the dirt about twelve times by the time we reach the base, I can tell. How do you move with this thing on?

[moseyin]

You lean. [Straightens up, reaching out to hold onto Zack's shoulder and demonstrating.] Like this. If you gotta make adjustments you can hop, but that's a lot harder.

You're a lot heavier than me so you should probably even have an easier time with it. Here, lemme get you over to the slope.

[wingenvy]

[Huh, Cloud's... surprisingly touchy today. Zack takes note of it but knows better than to comment. It's actually really nice to see him looking so happy about something as trivial as snowboarding lessons, and he doesn't want to ruin that by calling attention to it.

He leans as Cloud does, following his movements and trying to compensate for his extra weight, and penguin-waddles over to the edge of the hill, slowly getting a feel for it.]

Huh... okay, that's not so bad.

[moseyin]

[Tries not to outright snicker at Zack waddling over to the cusp of the hill like that, and mostly succeeds. Probably is grinning a little too much to not be suspicious as he follows though, watching as Zack fidgets on the board.]

Yeah, it's no problem. But y'know what they say: best teacher is experience. [CLAPS ZACK ON BACK, down u go buddy

It's not a particularly steep hill so even in the (likely) event that Zack wipes out, he won't get hurt. Cloud's already tromping down the hill after him, just in case he gets stuck though]

[wingenvy]

What? Haurk--!!

[That's pretty much all he can get out before he's suddenly careening down the hill, arms out and wobbling to keep balanced. It's probably not something Cloud's seen before; Zack isn't what one would call graceful, but his movement, especially when it comes to athletics, has always been deliberate- just about every step, every gesture, every move is done with a certain degree of confidence.

This here, right now? Is the polar opposite. And he tries, god does he try. He veers left, right, desperate and flailing. He actually makes it around a couple of the Mogmen before he loses control and barrels right through the center of one, completely decimating it. There's fluff everywhere. And with that, balance completely abandoning him, Zack goes tumbling head over heels to land face down in the white.

First attempt: FAIL.]

[moseyin]

[LMLAVUAD THAT WAS FUCKIN ARTISTIC, MAN

At that fluff explosion Cloud lets out a bark of laughter and breaks into a run instead, almost falling a couple times himself as he reaches Zack's side and digs him out of the snow, barely able to contain his laughter.] Wow! Oh wow, deja vu. Yeah, that's how you learn! [cloud did that roughly 2 million times himself]

[wingenvy]

[UUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH so on one hand, Cloud is laughing. But on the other hand- Cloud is laughing. At him. Because he just ate dirt all the way down the hill.

....

Okay, but seriously, it is really nice to see him laughing... and it probably did look hilarious. So with an only-slightly-suffering sigh, Zack leans backwards in the fluff, knees tucked, and does a little flip-jump to get back onto his feet, his own small way of trying to save face. It doesn't undo his moment of extreme uncool, but he's mollified by the fact that he didn't fall back on his ass trying that one, too.]

Talk about hitting the ground running... [literally. good thing they're durable.]

[moseyin]

Do that about twenty more times, and you might actually beat my record. [Cloud's still smiling as he sinks to a knee to help unclasp Zack's boots so they can walk back up the hill.

It's hard to imagine Zack being insecure about anything, or being embarrassed or wanting to be impressive. There's such a powerful, confident image of him in Cloud's mind that trying to see him as he is now is...almost jarring. Then again, Cloud's nothing if not an expert at reimagining his own memories.] You'll get the hang of it after a few times. Let's go find something less steep, I'll get my board...we'll do it together.

[wingenvy]

[Zack snorts and shuffles after him, snowboard tucked over his shoulder, but between his usual nonchalance and Cloud's obvious good mood, he's pretty quick to share that smile. He's probably gonna fall a few dozen more times before he makes it to the bottom, but who cares? This is actually starting to get fun.]

Hell no! I mean, yes to going together, but let's keep it going here. I like the challenge.