We're All Mad Here { GENESIS }

[Deleted]

Cloud hated this world.

He wasn't sure what ticked him off the most. It could be the cat with the Cheshire grin that insisted on spewing out confusing clues. Said cat claimed to know what he sought, rambling on and on in circles. Cloud got so frustrated that he merely walked away. He doubted some cat knew what he wanted.

It might have been the bright colors and the way everything didn't make any sense. A white rabbit that was eternally late. A Queen that was persistent in cutting off heads. Even the Heartless here were colorful and bright, demented and cruel at the same time. Cloud was puzzled and mad at everything he saw. Sephiroth wouldn't come here, Cloud thought, because if he did everything would be in flames. Cloud was almost selfish enough to wish he had.

Cloud was now traversing the woods where the signs pointed to no where and tea parties were happily held. Cloud passed the Mad Hatter and his unbirthday parties, pass the white rabbit that was trying in vain to be on time, until he was far enough in the woods that there was peace and quiet. Until he stumbled upon the caterpillar sitting quietly on his large pillow, sipping on his hookah.

"Whooo are you?" The caterpillar demanded.

Cloud stared at him blankly for a moment. He pinched his nose and shook his head slowly, forcing his eyes closed for a moment. This place was giving him a headache.

"Does it never stop?" He wondered aloud as he ignored the caterpillar altogether and pressed onward.

Yet, it was a good question to ask in Wonderland: did the madness ever stop?

OOC: my muse has evaporated. DDD: But I think we can revive it! XD

[genesis]

Strife wasn't the only one experiencing strange things happening within this world. Everything about this place was just crazy. The buildings, the trees, what few people lurked about the place... even the landscape itself appeared in ways physically impossible. Was there no such thing as gravity n this world? A room appeared to have chairs and tables on the ceiling with lights upon the floor, only for one to realize that the room was in fact upside down. Playing cards the size of humans were walking about, carrying spears resembling the suit upon the face of the card they were made from. Brightly feathered flamingos in hot pursuit; those in turn being chased by equally colourful hedgehogs. This wasn't a dream, but part of a certain Crimson SOLDIER wished this was, for he desperately wanted to wake up and return to reality. It was such a pity that this world was indeed reality, despite how insane and ridiculous things were.

Genesis hated this world.

It was getting to the point where the SOLDIER 1st Class was quickly getting a headache and the urge to draw his Rapier and go to town on this place was growing harder and harder to control with each passing second... with each passing bird that had a hammer for a head.
I don't know what world this is, but whoever lives here must clearly be insane... How much of a threat could these... things cause if they were able to head to other worlds?
The auburn-haired man pondered to himself as his bright blue eyes glanced about his surrounding as he continued to walk forth, ignoring anything and everything that approached and tried to talk to him or celebrate something or anything at all really. That felt like the smartest plan of action to take and he'd continue doing so until he either found a portal off this world or stumbled into something that was actually worth stopping for and examining.

But what could that be? Ever since the most recent Tournament, the trail of Masked Man had gone cold. It was as if he had vanished from the universe altogether. No doubt he was binding his time and waiting for the best chance to return and cause more trouble with that 'corruption' he had going on. That was what Cloud called it, right? It had been a while since both the SOLDIER's paths had crossed one another, and who knew what the chocobo-head had gotten up to in that time? Had the Masked Man found him and manipulated him into serving him again? Had he returned to Gaia to be with Tifa? Had he gone off in search of Sephiroth to 'finish what he had to do', or some such? it was starting to get frustrating, the way Strife would sudden get up and vanish, leaving no clues as to where he was heading, what he was doing... It made the auburn-haired man wonder how on Gaia Tifa could stand living... LOVING

[/b] someone like that.

Okay, so he defeated Sephiroth a few times and saved the planet, sure... but Genesis wondered if he only done so because he was pressured into doing it over willing wanting to save the lives of every single being on Gaia. The blonde-haired man was just as insane as this world was, but the trouble was, nearly everyone depended on him. The sooner he could get his head sorted out, the better and so long as Sephiroth continued to live, the chances of that happening were slim to none.
"Tch... Fool. Strife, where have you gone?"
The SOLDIER 1st Class spoke aloud to himself as he continued to walk onwards through the bizarre world of Wonderland. Perhaps it would be beneficial to find someone who could manipulate the Darkness into those portals connecting the worlds. It would be a lot easier to search for Cloud that way instead of waiting for said portals to open up on their own accord.

Such thoughts were erased from his mind as a strange presence, something so out of place in this already out of place world, started to tickle his senses. There was an aura escaping a heart that stood out in this world like sore thumb, something that felt too... 'normal' to be in this world. Whatever or whoever it was, was unknown, the owner of said aura being too far away to get an accurate reading. That or it belonged to someone the Crimson SOLDIER had never met before. Still, this was a nice distraction. It wouldn't hurt to head in the auras direction and see what was going on. So without a second thought, Genesis changed direction and pressed onwards, walking ahead down the forest path.
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((OOC: A little rubbish post myself ^^;; This'll get better though~! =DDD))

[Deleted]

The madness of this world bothered Cloud. He was homesick for Gaia--he missed it's rich landscape and how everything, somehow, made sense. He missed Midgar and it's demure beauty, lazy and dark and broken still. Cloud hoped when he got home, whenever that would be, that it would be whole again. A new home for everyone to inhabit with no plates blocking out the sun.

Cloud trekked onward with no aim or direction. Coming here had been a tragic mistake. Sephiroth wouldn't come to a place like this and he was sure he wouldn't find a way to rid himself of darkness from all of the madness heaped before him. Everything from the confusing landscape to the humid heat bothered the ex-SOLDIER, leaving him in a fowl and paranoid mood.

Perhaps that was why, when he heard the crinkle of leaves of being crushed on the ground, he immediately tensed. He could feel every fiber of his being ready for battle. Was it his the end of his patience? Was Cloud letting his paranoid mind consume him? Either way, the once so-called SOLDIER reached a gloved hand behind his back... where the pommel of his sword lay waiting.

It was faster than lightning, a split second and a blink of the eyes later, Cloud was standing with his sword raised before him with a dangerous look in his own blue eyes. The sword lay waiting for it's victim to step another inch closer and walk into it's gleaming blade. Cloud looked at the man seemingly following his path. He didn't look crazy. He didn't look particularly dangerous.

He looked familiar.

Yet, Cloud couldn't recall where he'd seen him before. Like a lullaby half remembered, he could only note a few words from the song, but not all the lyrics. And Cloud wanted to know why his mind knew something he didn't.

"You're not from around here," Cloud said bluntly. It was not a question. It was a simple statement, cut and dry.

Cloud did not remember Genesis at all.