#kunselxsoldier

[soldier-lodbrok]

Kunsel for @kunselxsoldier !

[exiled-turk]

continued from (x)

he was still trying to get a read on this boy. the integral cog in the wheel of SOLDIER, and yet one that few could put a face to. in hindsight, his skills might have been more attuned to the turks than SOLDIER but too little, too late with that thought.

why was he pushing the matter of gast though? now that was a ghost from the past. another who had fallen through the cracks and fallen foul to hojo's hunger to get his own way.

glancing up as the man pushed the subject, veld squared him with a stare for a few uncomfortable moments before he spoke again, honesty winning out over games. there was nothing to be won or gained in twisting the truth here.

' myself and vincent were partners back then - we were attached to hojo and lucrecia. but neither of us killed gast. ' abandoning the pages he'd been leafing through, veld folded his arms and rested against the edge of the desk, ' your turn for the truth - what's got you dredging up ghosts? '

@kunselxsoldier

[loqis]

@kunselxsoldier | X

They had been fucking kidnapped.

Loqi could still not wrap his head around how that had been possible. They had walked out the training grounds for a celebratory diner at one of the bars. And instead of drinks they now had this shit.

They didn't even know where they were. Some cave system, though the entrances had been sealed off with containers and steel doors. It was organized.

Some had panicked a little, others assumed it was another trial by SOLDIER. They needed to keep calm. Loqi had walked the perimeter, though then suddenly a face he could barely recognize anymore had shown up.

Kunsel. Oh.

How he had looked up at that prick a few years ago. Before he had just... vanished. Killed in action.

Well. That had been a fucking lie apparently.

Loqi's eyes glared at the older one in the dim lighting of the cave.

He would've been angry at Kunsel anyway. But his words... it took Loqi a moment, before he realized what this alluded to. Kunsel was against Shinra.

"What?!", he threw back sharply, stepping forwards and in front of the group of other SOLDIER recruits, who seemed just as confused.

"You're a rebel now? Fucking AVALANCHE? Or the SRC? Fuck you, either way!", he cut at him sharply, throwing a hand up in a gesture as if Kunsel was nothing more than trash to be disposed off.

"You left... well. And? Did it pay off? They made a damn show of your supposed death... you have a little golden badge mounted on the training room of SOLDIER, did you know that? We saluted to it every day."

[holyguardian]

@kunselxsoldier | X

There was a certain type of comfort in hearing Kunsel's approaching footsteps. It wasn't like she had planned to pull him away from the comfort of the inn or the merriment of the group, but it also wasn't like she hadn't been hoping for the company.

Aerith's smile was bright when he reached her, full of warmth. Not quite the same as her more bubbly or playful smiles. It was the kind that reached her eyes and etched wrinkles into her skin, the kind that lingered.

He barely even got to sit down himself before she scooted closer. If he asked she might have teased that he were her personal heater, it had nothing to do with her mushy-feelings.

They had been through a lot together in their weeks of travel. Had it already been a month? More? It all seemed to blur, and yet here she was feeling just as boy-crazy as ever, and here Kunsel was somehow still as strong and steady by her side.

Aerith was pretty sure this was what love felt like. An 'I love you' didn't come easy from her. It felt like if she admitted it out loud then it too would be taken from her. So she said it in other ways.

That night it was hidden in her smile and the way she pressed a kiss to his clothed shoulder before her head rested there. His fingers intertwined with hers and she gave him a small squeeze.

There was a small silence after he spoke. For once she didn't race playfully into the conversation, or hold him at arms length by dancing around the subject. Instead she hummed a thoughtful tone.

"Didn't feel right." It was a simple admission. Something small, but to get that much out of her usually came after a great amount of trying to tug her mask down.

"For once everyone looks so carefree. I know it doesn't mean we don't have our troubles, but while it's this happy... I didn't want to bring the mood down." Aerith turned her head to look at him. "It's nothing serious. It's pretty silly, actually."

She exhaled a small sigh and she elaborated further. "An older woman said I was like a ghost from the past. She was rattled by seeing me, and the last thing she said was that she didn't want any trouble. I don't think she could have run any faster from me or that conversation, but I'm pretty sure she was talking about my birth mother. I have nothing to prove it, just a feeling... Maybe I finally connected to my natural Ancient wifi. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking."

[wingsdreamt]

@kunselxsoldier | continued from (x)

Zack clearly struggles to bite back a series of strongly-felt suggestions he might have for Kunsel while listening to his line of reasoning. If Kunsel can affiliate himself with the WRO then they can’t be all bad, the rational part of him reasons. The irrational part of him is more keen on convincing him that they can’t be all good, either.

There’s a bit there that doesn’t totally rub him the wrong way, though. WRO adjacent. He can work with that.

“Heh.” Rubbing his hand across the back of his neck, Zack has enough sense to look abashed. Not the first time they’ve had to meet halfway on their agree to disagrees. 

“Okay,” he exhales with emphasis. If it were anyone else, Zack would have already ditched this junkyard the moment he found his legs. “‘Kay…” 

The repetition helps with psyching himself up, or so he likes to believe. 

“Hey, c’mon, I’m in one piece, aren’t I? You’ve seen me in worse shape.” Zack directs a playful jab at Kunsel’s shoulder, then tips his head in the direction of the door with an eager tap-tap of his boot on the floor. “Fine, but can we please do the whole poking and scanning me not in the name of science later? I wanna hear more about this innkeeper friend of yours. Food that doesn’t come out of a liquid drip, real bed, a hot shower…” He trails off dreamily. 

[enokvirkow]

@kunselxsoldier | X

There was a reflex to put his hands up. But Enok resisted it. He could feel every muscle in his arms, every bone. All felt heavy. He had bruises and scratches all over – but else he was fine. He was alive. Others didn’t have that much luck. Many, even.

On his way through the rubble, he had seen mor suffering and grief than he could’ve had ever imagined. And there had been anger, too. Those who called out. Who blamed Shinra. Not some random terrorist group. No.

It was all too perfect.

“We?”, Enok questioned and narrowed his eyes, mustering Kunsel.

He had gotten to know the SOLDIER as a friendly guy. Open, kind, helpful. But… he still was a SOLDIER. He belonged to Shinra. And if he could still wear the uniform of this corporation, his alliances were pretty clear.

It made Enok clench his jaw, teeth grit.

 “What for? To drop the plate in Sector 5 next? What is Shinra up to? What are you up to?”

[proxnotxaxfool]

icon dump @kunselxsoldier

[housetummelt]

@kunselxsoldier | X

She had been handed a bunch of files on possible candidates for her research. And his had been one of them. He was young - and foolish. Like all those coming from SOLDIER. Ida almost felt bad seeing him sit there. He was just a boy. Between her own sons' ages. But those soft eyes were steeped with Mako. He wasn't for long. Ida remained standing, overlooking the maps and documents on the desk - and the sitting SOLDIER.

"I require a bodyguard for my research. It is a small mission, should not be too dangerous for those as trained as you are. The mission will take place close to where you hail from, that is why I picked you. You know the surroundings of Kalm, the Mythril mines and its varmins. They should pose no threat to you and I always like to trust those local to regions. Would you be available for such?"

[dxnzelstrife]

"Sorry, I missed that. Could you repeat what you just said?"

The kid didn't blame him given that ShinRa was noisy but Denzel needed to do the task that had been set out for him by his mother. "I gotta find...um...this place and person." Reaching into his pocket, the five-year-old pulled out a piece of paper to hold out to Kunsel which indicatied which department his father was working in. "Dad forgot his lunch so Mom wants me to bring it to him all by myself."

[holyguardian]

@kunselxsoldier 💕

[soldier-lodbrok]

@kunselxsoldier | X

Some scrapes, some bruises. That was all superficial. And shock clearly across the kid's face. Glenn mustered him as he sat in the grass. How old could that boy be? Looked about Aerith's age. Maybe a tiny bit older - or the uniform just made him look that way. It still clenched his gust when Glenn thought about how young the new SOLDIER recruits were.

"The SRC doesn't take prisoners.", Glenn's tone was calm as he crouched down in front of the kid, clearly identifying his own affiliations. He wouldn't lie to that boy's face. he didn't want to make him aggressive and lash out - or fearful and run away. Though the latter option still was the better one.

Laying a hand on the kid's shoulder, Glenn nodded towards the thick forests.

"Can you walk? Does anything hurt? We can treat your worst right here, but you will hav eto let us check you over. I have two friends with me. They won't harm you. None of us will. We didn't attack you. But whomever did will surely be here in a short while, checking for any survivors. And they will make sure there are none."

He paused, letting those words sink in. It was a kid, sure, but he had gotten military training, no doubts. And he was logical thinking enough to expect being taken prisoner. So Glenn hoped these words got through to him.

"I won't force you to do anything, kid. But I wanna help. If you come with us, we will get you some place safe and maybe we can even drop you off at a place you want to be. But you won't make it out alive, if we stay here."

[exiled-turk]

“You’ll have to forgive my endlessly misplaced optimism.”

' it's a trait of yours that i envy and despise in equal measures. '

[loqis]

i did the best i could with the information i had at the time.

He was a Nifen. Definitely. He hadn't admitted it yet, but it was noticable. The slight accent, the way he behaved, a few parts of his attire. Maybe he wouldn't even want to keep it a secret. But it fascinated Loqi nonetheless. he had started in the military, fast-tracked to become a mech pilot... but that had all ended before he had grown out of elementary school age. Their family had fled here and instead of a general or something, he now was a hunter. He didn't know any other life. But this one did. He had a life that Loqi maybe could've had.

And somehow it sparked Loqi's curiosity.

Shaking his head, he helped the guy get the bags from the truck. He was one of many refugees now.

"No one will hold your past against you here. If you join us and do well with our rules, you'll be a hunter. End of it. My dad always says there is a road back for all of us."

@kunselxsoldier

[holyguardian]

@kunselxsoldier | X

The question seemed to come out of no where, but it was as simple as Kunsel walking over to help her move a heavier box. It contained field rations that would have to be handed out among as many people as they could before it was time for the next move, with extras handed to those who would cross paths with others not-present. Sometimes it felt like an impossible task to keep rations evenly distributed — it's not like they could be in the same place at the same time with so many moving parts.

Of course he knew the right answer though, anything else would have set her off like a firecracker.

Aerith's lips split into a sharp grin as she glanced over to him. She almost said something smart, then he added something a bit softer. Words that sounded like the stuff of real romance to a teenager, a promise to each other. She shook his hand and said something smart anyway. "Deal — no take backs. Ten years from now if neither of us have settled down, we settle for each other."

She nudged him again, this time with her shoulder and a laugh. Sure, she could be in a mood all upset that they were about to part ways again, but it was better to leave things on a happier note. It wouldn't be goodbye, it was never goodbye, it was a see you later.

[wingsdreamt]

@kunselxsoldier continued from (x)

Blinking does nothing for the green tinge that everything in the room has taken on. The entirety of his mouth feels like it’s been coated in film and no amount of swallowing seems to rid him of the sensation. Well, life could be worse. Butt-ass naked, trembling like a knobbly-kneed chocobo chick, but he’s still conscious, still breathing and thinking and sitting here, dripping mako all over the cold laboratory floor. 

He’s seen how it could be worse.

“No way.” And even Zack has to grimace at the thin, rasping sound of his own voice. Creaky with disuse. “It’s not your fault.” 

Bright. Everything is too bright. He can see, practically feel the thrumming machinery, the various monitoring equipment on their rolling wheels, the rust-bitten cabinets, abandoned gurneys, several microscopes and a centrifuge scattered about on paper-strewn desks in startling detail. In reality, there’s hardly more than a couple stray bulbs in the recessed ceiling panel lights that are light and the lab is mostly dim save for the residual glow of mako as it evaporates out of the open vessel and off the floor. Zack squeezes his eyes shut and focuses on Kunsel’s presence instead.

“Kept your promise. You waited. I’m–” Zack coughs, and his eyes flutter open for just a second, glowing almost too brightly in such a dim setting, “Man. I’m the one who was supposed to make it back.”

Through just the sliver of a squint, Zack looks across at Kunsel, who appears just as unraveled as he feels. Reality hasn’t quite settled in yet. Tentative, with a shaking arm, Zack reaches out and clasps a hand against Kunsel’s bent elbow with a reassuring jostle.

It’s not real until it’s real. Feels damn real, at any rate.  

The questions are still there, unasked, unanswered. Where was he? How long has he been out? How the hell did Kunsel manage to find him? What happened to Cloud? To Aerith? Questions, questions. Lots of them, like rain striking ceaselessly against the panes of a closed window. 

He probably can’t stand just yet. Not that he needs or wants any more reasons to stick around in this horrible prison. Zack leans and grapples onto the nearest edge of a table next to him and tries to use it for leverage to pull himself up to his feet. 

“Hey…what…What time is it?”

Such a simple, little thing. Memory is no comparison. 

“Is the sun still out?”

[fairfallcn]

"You think you have to prove yourself to me. You don't."

random dialogue prompts. -- @kunselxsoldier.

『 ❝ I just... ❞ 』 he stopped himself before he barely even started, averting his gaze off to the side and biting down on his lower lip. Zack had always been a people pleaser, always trying to help where he could and prove himself to the people around him. prove that he could be just as strong as them. it was just the way he was. was it healthy? debatable. but it was the one constant thing he had going for him. but Kunsel was right. Zack didn't have to prove himself to him. Kunsel was his friend. he'd always been there for Zack when he needed him and Zack trusted him with his life, even if he didn't always say so aloud. he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, slowly turning his gaze back to Kunsel and offering a sheepish smile.

『 ❝ I know... you're right. you are... but I guess I just... ❞ 』 it was difficult to try and explain it. he was still trying to wrap his head around it himself. 『 ❝ I guess it's just old habit... I've always had to prove myself somehow... to show I can be a great SOLDIER... I guess I just haven't been able to drop that. ❞ 』 he shook his head, 『 ❝ I'm sorry... thank you... for always being there for me. ❞ 』