shiva_dancing_backup

Snow; it was something Sephiroth could never truly find much love for. Then again, he couldn't find much love for anything really. For him, it was a step or two above the blazing heat, if only because you could always wear warmer things in the cold. You couldn't quite deal with the heat in a similar fashion unless you were comfortable throwing your clothes away and prancing about like a jaybird.

So naturally, he tolerated the cold as he stepped through Icicle Inn on the northern continent. How the few people who lived in the village could stand to be there, he didn't know. Why they so enjoyed snowboarding was another question he couldn't find the answer to no matter how much he thought.

The former SOLDIER rested in the inn, watching people of all sorts take their turns on the snowboard ramp outside. Since it was summer in many sections of the world, the number of tourists had gone up. Thankfully, none of them seemed to be from Midgar or Edge, so he didn't have to deal with any would-be heroes trying to kill him...yet.

[OOC: Wait, this is the Northern Continent, right? I assume because I dunno of any other snowboarding places in the FF worlds o-o]

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People of all sorts did, truly, include all sorts. Kuja despised the cold, but he was in need of a break from calibrating his machines down at the bottom of the crater. He could have gone home, or to anywhere else on Gaia, but Icicle Inn was closest and so here he was, dressed for the weather but still freezing as he made his way through the snow. Was that a board tucked under his arm?

It was indeed. He didn't seem to know how to use it, either. He dropped it on the ground; it landed with a small piff, and, being at the top of a hill, immediately began to glide away as its owner paused to check something on his mobile phone.

"What is it now?" he grumbled with no small amount of disdain while the little device beeped at him. The battery had run down again? Already? Really? He snorted and dropped it back into his pocket. He couldn't be bothered with it at the moment. It was on its own.

And then, seeing that his snowboard was halfway down the slope without him, he groaned.

"Get back here, you stupid thing," he muttered, and a second later it began running back uphill all on its own. It slid to a halt in front of the disgruntled mage and he placed a cautious foot against it, then lifted the other forward to stand on it properly.

The results were predictable. Off he went, and he hadn't gotten more than two feet before the board hit a snag somewhere and he went tumbling into the snow.

Snowboard: 1. Kuja: 0.

What an odd tableau.

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Squall rose an eyebrow as Kuja and the snow became fast friends. Nothing like faceplanting yourself in freezing cold fluff to learn how to snowboard. He couldn't help but give a slight chuckle, before heading over to the man. He stopped, half staring at Kuja. He looked familiar - like Squall should recognise him. Something niggled in the back of his mind, but he just couldn't think where he knew the man from.

He held out a gloved hand to help Kuja up. "New to snowboarding?" He asked, still trying to place the face. "Sorry... this is gonna sound crazy, but... Do I know you?"

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Recognizing Kuja may have been easier if he was dressed in his usual outfit (it was, after all, a hard one to forget), but he was clad head to toe in bandersnatch fur. Stunned by the impact of his landing, he remained on his back and blinked up at the sky. He'd been on that damned board just a second ago, so how had he wound up here?

A man's face popped into view above him, silhouetted against the painfully blue horizon. Come to that, he looked as strangely familar to Kuja as the Genome did to him. Some sort of public figure? He thought he'd seen that scar before, on the news or something. Well, one thing was certain: if Squall did recognize him, it wasn't going to be for humanitarian work. And if the man couldn't place him on his own, then far be it from Kuja to help him along. He may or may not have been temporarily insane when he'd decided to visit Icicle Inn, but he was here for a break, not to burn the whole village down because someone had finally identified him.

So he took that outstretched hand, his grip stronger than his rather frail appearance would suggest, and when he regained his feet he was ready with a disarming smile. It was crooked and guileless, unstudied, perhaps a bit sheepish. He even looked Squall over thoughtfully, despite the fact that he already knew he'd come up blank. "I shouldn't think so. I've an excellent memory for faces--especially the handsome ones. I'm sure I'd remember you." And then came the real kicker. He looked aghast suddenly, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth, and added: "Oh, dear. You've seen that video, haven't you? Well, this is awkward."

After hearing that, especially in conjunction with the compliment he'd just given Squall, most people wouldn't want to think about where they might have seen him before. They'd want to think about, oh, anything else, a fact that Kuja was well aware of and willing to use to his potential advantage.

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Pure impulse, plain and simple, had drove Sephiroth from the nice, cozy lodge out into the frigid air. Though he hardly felt the cold thanks to the adrenaline heating up his veins and the well-insulated clothing he brought along just for the occasion. Unlike many of the other tourists riding snowboards, the ex-SOLDIER instead opted to use a pair of skiis. It was more suited to him, he thought, than just a plain board with foot holders.

He had just returned to the top of the hill, intent on sailing down again and sending awe throughout the crowds below, when he could have sworn his eyes were deceiving him. A familiar figure clad almost completely in fur was also on the hill. He paused to think, and carefully studied the figure. He seemed to be having trouble with his snowboard, if his conversation with another man was to be true. Both of them were familiar, which struck Sephiroth as odd. Two people he could swear he knew were in the same place?

He kept his goggles fixed over his catlike eyes as he made his way over to the pair. Thankfully his hair was also tied back away from his face, so he looked no different than any other silver-haired young man that might exist in the wide, wide world. As he neared, it became glaringly obvious to him who one of the two was. He almost wanted to laugh at the sight of Kuja covered in fur and trying to look professional on a wooden plank.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said once close enough. He still kept himself carefully disguised, just in case the other man was one of the pesky heroes that he ran into every so often.

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Squall helped Kuja to his feet, still trying to place where he recognised him from. What video? An adult video? No, surely he would remember the face? He arched an eyebrow at Kuja. "Video? What video, exactly?"

As Sephiroth approached, Squall took a step back. The approaching male made him feel short. "Friend of yours?" Once more, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew these people, and it was annoying him that he couldn't place their faces or their voices.

It didn't help that Griever was stirring in his mind, making him more uneasy, either.

From:

Third day of snowboarding and he was still having fun! Sure, a few tumbles at first when he tried to show off, but Snow was getting the hang of it. After he had made his way back up to the top of the hill, he waited patiently when someone covered in heavy furs had hardly managed to move forward before getting a few mouthfuls of padded snow. Of course he couldn't help but try to hide his smirk behind his fist. But everyone had to start somewhere right.

He continued waiting patiently as he was helped to his feet, and apparently recognized by a couple of people. A celebrity? Hard to tell when everyone was wearing an abundant amount of clothing to keep warm.

Except for Snow anyway,the only new addition to his usual attire had been the blue goggles, having a natural affinity for the cold element he found the harsher weather in Icicle Inn didn't bother him. After waiting a bit longer Snow was getting fed up, he was ready to board!

"YOU GUYS GONNA STAND THERE OR ARE YOU GONNA SNOW BOARD!?!" he asked irritably after waiting ~~patiently~~ for his turn.

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Kuja motioned dismissively, his face half-turned away in seeming chagrin to hide his amusement. Most people would be flustered, but this man was obviously not most people. Perhaps he'd been too vague. "Oh, you know how it goes. One jilted ex and the next thing you know you're up on X-Net with half a million views."

And if that didn't make Squall want to stop thinking about why he looked familiar as quickly as possible, Kuja would be very impressed indeed.

With Sephiroth in his current attire, the Genome almost didn't recognize him. The voice was what tipped him off more than anything else. He could have laughed, himself; look at the two of them dressed like idiots and playing in the snow! "Fancy seeing me? I could say the same of you," he murmured, grinning when Squall asked if they were friends. "You could say that," he allowed. He doubted that Sephiroth would describe it as such, but what else was he going to say? We're on better terms than most of the other bad, evil people we work with?

Assuredly not.

"Although I hadn't expected to meet him here of all places." He trailed off as Snow shouted at them, looking briefly annoyed. What, other people wanted a turn on the slope? Ridiculous!

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Whether or not Kuja was dressed like an idiot was a matter of taste, but Sephiroth was dressed rather sleek for the slopes. It was rather funny; he figured Kuja would always be the most fashionable of them both in everything.

He laughed slightly as they were yelled at, but ultimately ignored Snow. His attention stayed on Kuja and their other companion.

"I came up here to get away from the stress I face every day, and I run into my brother. How funny life works, hm?" The former general just added the brothers bit just to see how well his ally could improvise. If all went well, they could both walk away from the situation with an inside joke, and Squall would be none the wiser.

From:

psychokefk.livejournal.com

Kefka skipped through the snow, his outfit being changed for a fur based version, but still in garishly mismatched color. He grinned as he spotted Sephiroth and Kuja along with two other males. "Why hello!" he said with a loud laugh as he grew close, "Sephie, Kujo, I haven't seen you in ages, aren't you the big guy" he said with a wink toward Snow as he turned to Squall, a look of realization. "Laguna? Is that you?"

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Well, it seemed the slopes were getting more popular by the minute! So much for a relaxed, lazy day. Squall was about to reply to the supposed brothers when Kefka's comment caught him off-guard. Did that man just call him Laguna?! No way. Not possible. They barely looked alike, right? Right?!

"No, sorry. I'm not Laguna Loire. I'm Squall Leonhart. His son."

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Snow blinked in confusion when Kefka addressed him. It was hard to forget the colorful figure from Luca. He really didn't expect a response to his complaint, but he was hoping it would move the line along. How was he to just chill and let his mangled love life be left in the wake of his snow boarding if he couldn't snowboard!?

After the clown, as that was Snow knew him as, had mentioned the guy with the car's dad. Snow repeatedly hit his face with his snowboard. This couldn't be happening to him. Of all the places for a big get together, it happens in front of him during his vacation.

Finally he stopped hitting himself and held the top of the snowboard with one hand and pushed his blue goggles onto his beanie with the other. Given his tall height, Snow had no trouble of people's heads being in his way. He caught a glimpse of a kid who rushed past them all and went down the hill on a sled.

He waited, impatiently tapping his fingers on the edge of his board.

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Kuja's face didn't so much as twitch when he heard the word brother, but inwardly he was laughing. And why not? A man who lied easily and believably, he was quite content to go along with the ruse. "Well, father always did take us here during the summer, so I guess we oughtn't be too surprised to run into each other," he observed, leaning down to collect his snowboard from where it had ended up sticking halfway out of a snowdrift. "How have things been back in Bevelle? The last time I talked to him he was so mad he could spit."

And then the man that he least wanted to see showed up. Kefka. Oh hell. What was he even doing here?

Fortunately, the jester appeared to be distracted by Squall. Kuja took the opportunity to add, sotto voce: "Perhaps we should catch up someplace else instead of holding up the line here, mm?"

By which he meant, of course, somewhere away from Kefka. Feigning consideration for the man behind them provided an excellent excuse to leave while Kefka was occupied with Squall's own family resemblances.

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"He was raving when I left. You wouldn't believe how long that man can scream without turning blue from lack of air." he chuckled. Naturally, he was delighted to see Kuja picked up on the little game with no effort at all.

Of course, that delight was smashed into a billion pieces to fall right down the mountain as a garish figure from the nightmares of children suddenly appeared. Sephiroth clenched his ski pole so hard it would have snapped the thing in two had it been made of weaker stuff than metal.

He just couldn't get away from the clown, could he?

"Agreed, brother. Let's be on our way..." He turned and pulled his scarf up around his mouth to protect it from the chill. No sooner had he finished the minute preparation, he kicked off from where he stood and sailed right on down the snowy slope.

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Kuja had thought simply to walk away, perhaps even to head inside where he couldn't see his breath fogging the air, and so when Sephiroth flew off downhill he was quite taken aback. He was still dusted with snow from his previous boarding attempt and was quite convinced that it would soak through his furs eventually.

On the other hand, it was faster than leaving on foot. As Kuja dropped the damned board he heard Kefka say something about a--band?

Oh, whatever. He wasn't that curious to know what the jester was blithering about now. The Genome snorted and gave the board a push to get it going. After what had happened before he didn't entirely trust his ability to balance on the stupid thing, but this time around he had good incentive to not go flying into a snowdrift. Down he went, the wind a thousand tiny, frigid icicles stabbing him in the face, and was gone.

Add this to his list of things he never thought he'd experience: snowboarding down a mountain with Sephiroth to escape the ramblings of an insane clown. At least he hadn't fallen this time.

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At the base of the mountain, Sephiroth skidded to a complete stop. The crowd waiting for the skiers and snowboarders at the bottom both cheered and shrieked as the tidal wave of snow he kicked up pelted them. The silver-haired man just rolled his eyes behind his goggles.

'I wonder how Kuja fared.' he thought. An amusing thought of Kuja doing faceplant after faceplant in the snow as he made his way down the mountain brought a slight smile to the man's face. If only he knew how to work a video camera, and if only he had one on his person. He could just imagine the chuckles on his end, and Kuja's indifferent snorting on the other.

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Kuja's surroundings ran together into a blur as he picked up speed, zig-zagging unsteadily down the mountain. For such a graceful man, he was quite ungainly out here on the slopes. It was a wonder he hadn't fallen again, but he had plenty of incentive not to; all dignity put aside, taking a spill now would hamper his escape. And so he didn't take one, the colors flashing past him as he went, white snow, blue sky, brown tree, brown tree, white snow again, another tree, was that a fucking moogle on the course?

The onlookers gasped as an explosion of fire sent the little animal flying fifty feet into the air, and Kuja, having opted to blast it out of his way rather than attempting to steer around it, zipped out from the smoke it had left behind. He was almost to the bottom, and Sephiroth was already there, he could see, and had the General found his dire lack of snowboarding prowess amusing? Doubtlessly. Were their roles reversed, he would have been amused.

Closer yet. Now, how did one stop this thing without crashing it? He had no idea, really.

It may have been simple coincidence, but the Genome, now moving so quickly that he was almost a blur himself, was on a collision course with Sephiroth.

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The crowd may have gasped, but Sephiroth just chuckled and looked away. He didn't like to be seen laughing, and if Kuja saw him laughing at him...well, he'd be quite the pissed peacock.

Of course he noticed his "brother" heading straight for him, as did the other people around him. Sephiroth, not surprisingly, looked unconcerned with it. He turned quickly and propelled himself off to the side, leaving Kuja to crash into the people if anything.

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pearl-sorceress.livejournal.com

Rinoa had spent the morning glaring at the laptop. She hated that thing so much. He always thought she was asleep, but the light from the screen invariably woke her up every time. So today she's sat, staring across the room at it, contemplating and trying to gauge how angry Squall would be if she just happened to 'accidentally' chuck it out the window, sending it plummeting to the ice and snow two stories down. Eventually though she'd decided it probably wasn't worth it, and after some too-late-in-the-day breakfast, she made her way out into the village to search for her missing companion.

When she finally caught up with him though, he was practically surrounded by people. Who knew the top of a hill was such a social hotspot? She was about to try and make her way through when she spotted someone else she recognized and suddenly she was very very embarrassed.

"Ohmygosh Snow!" She exclaimed, waving. "I'm so sorry I totally should have called your or something!" She hadn't even bothered to tell him that she was staying with Squall or where she'd gone after he brought her there. Not a good way to treat a person who saves your life. At all.

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psychokefk.livejournal.com

"Ah, his son, of course. Goonie doesn't have that scar, I'm Kefka Palazzo, a simple carnival clown on a bit, Snow already know who I am, as do the brothers here, they're in a band you know. Anyway I'm an old friend of your pops. " As Kefka spoke a young girl entered the scene as the clown moved out of the way to let Snow go by.

"Ah, and who must this lovely lady be?"

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Squall didn't handle crowds very well. Especially when everyone was seemingly talking at once, trying to make themselves heard. And it still wasn't helping him place the familiar faces, if anything it was making his memories fuzzier.

And then there was Rinoa ignoring him completely to greet the big guy - the big guy that reminded him somewhat of Seifer.

He turned his attention back to Kefka. "You know Laguna?" Well, it was hardly surprising, Laguna had a habit of making friends with everyone and anyone. He glanced at Rinoa and then back at Kefka. "That lovely lady is Rinoa Heartilly, my partner."

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Half of Snow wanted to ask if Kefka ever found his circus troupe, the other half wanted to just try and pretend his weirdness wasn't there, however he appreciated that the clown moved aside all the same. Finally someone who was aware of other people trying to do other things. Just as he was about to pull his goggles down and shred up the white hill again, he heard his name in a familiar voice. He turned to see Rinoa.

"Oh, hey again" he said with a wave. From last he heard, Rinoa was going through some tough times and let her be.

When he opened his mouth to tell her he was going to do at least one more day of snow boarding before packing up and leaving Icicle Inn he heard Rinoa's name, but not before seeing the scarred young man who had looked in their direction. A look that probably seared his eyebrows off. He blinkined a few times before making the connection that this had to be Rinoa's boyfriend.

Rinoa's jealous boyfriend. He decided to wait before giving a quick explanation that Snow was really just here for the slopes and chill time, nothing more.

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pearl-sorceress.livejournal.com

Partner? What were they, private detectives now? Rinoa gave Squall a bit of a questioning look, as she scooted a bit farther away from the decidedly discomforting clown-person. The rest of the crowd seemed to have dispersed, leaving just the three of them standing there. And while she felt weird standing on top of a ski slope chatting, it was as good a place as any she supposed.

"Squall, this is Snow! He saved my life back in Luca when we got separated during the festival attack." She said proudly. "And Snow, this is Squall. He's the one I was telling you about when we checked in". She told him, before mentally worrying that that might make Squall look a little bad. She'd been pretty upset with him before Quistis' phone call.

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Squall couldn't understand why Rinoa was giving him that look. What was wrong with calling her his partner? He couldn't help but frown a little, shifting awkwardly on the spot.

As she gushed about Snow, Squall turned his attention back to the larger man, giving a nod. "I suppose I should thank you then..."

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