Stealing from the Rich to give to the Poor.

--Strife · Puppies and Wolves In Your SOLDIER!

Stealing from the Rich to give to the Poor.

Vincent Valentine · AVALANCHE's Crimson Demon

Vincent decided he was traumatised. This was one world where he would never venture again and was itching to get shot of it. It was just...weird... and that was saying something coming from him. He was glad none of the others were here to see this because he'd never here the end of it unless it was one of the guys, then it wouldn't be so bad. NO dobut Yuffie would double over laughing hysterically and remind him at ever opportunity and he'd have to change his phone number again, but then, she'd only weasel it out of someone. Actually Cid would just had it over just to irritate him and see if he could he annoyed. Even Tifa would have to crack a smile at this. It most certainly wasn't amusing.

Vincent was a bear. Furry, small, extremely sharp strange coloured claws on one paw and ordinary not so sharp claws on the other. Of course Vincent didn't realise he was a bear just that he was furry - again - and not as agile as say, Galient Beast. Why oh why did he have to be subjected to this torture. He was a furry, thing, again. If it was possible to glare at whatever power there was out there laughing at him, he would have done so brilliantly.

He had his gun with him though but Vincent had no idea what to do with it. He stuck it securly in his clothes somewhere knowing that was going to be awkward when he left - which was going to be soon. Vincent observed their clothing deciding they had no style at all but wouldn't say that to them of course. That would have been rude. His cloth was red, matching that of his cloth with areas of black splashed around.

Like making him overly furry but being unable to do a thing about it this time.

Now he would just see what that commotion was a bout over there, the loud noise attracting his attention, then Vincent would be out of there so fast you would only see him whizz by.

--Strife · Puppies and Wolves In Your SOLDIER!

Cloud had had the unfortunate privilege of having reflective surfaces at hand when he had discovered himself so very furry. So yes he knew exactly what he was and enough knowledge of the girls to have a fairly educated guess of their reactions. But there would be plenty of squeezing over cuteness because he was a fluffy animal and that would provoke 'awww's from any human woman, regardless whether or not they knew he was an actual man. He did not, as a male understand the fuss at all and now had the means to feel sorry for whatever poor fluffy beast ended up in a woman's paws.

The blond still ended up watching the red fox and bear, which even he could see were male, rob the entire procession blind. The royal having been distracted by the fox while the bear went around draining the treasury and getting away with it by flirting with one of the rhinos... What the hell kind of world was this? One that was all too warped it seemed. It made him all too eager to get back out of here as soon as possible. There was nothing here but animals in shirts but no pants who robbed each other. At least places like Wonderland you were meant to expect them to be quirky. Worlds should have come with craziness metres as well as heartless infestation metres.

It might help people like him from going insane and the less insane warriors wandering around the better. They were needed to kill of the heartless more and more nowadays.
There was sound of someone approaching through the trees behind him and the fox turned, sword of considerable lesser size, at the ready, "Who's there?"

He had every right to be wary, or maybe that was the more flighty fox that had currently stolen his appearance speaking. But he found himself thinking that he might be more on the cautious side because he was not sure how exactly he was meant to fight like this... He had a sword but did his materia work? How do you move like this?

Vincent Valentine · AVALANCHE's Crimson Demon

Vincent didn't like being furry when he didn't have to be. He wondered what would happen should be try to transform into one of the monsters available. Would he simply change colour? Would his body become confused? It may very well go as normal but Vincent didn't want to test it. Things were weird enough without them going wrong.

Vincent had had some experience being fluffy, and unusual body shapes so he had some experience with handling himself. As a result he was more comfortable with fighting like this, but he didn't seem to hold quite the same agility he usually did.

Vincent decided from now on to stick to males as the females seemed as gushy as human ones and it was something he most certainly could live without. There was nothing adorable or fun about this. He just wanted to see what all the fuss was about before high tailing it out of there.

Vincent heard a voice to his left, familiar. Cautiously he crept forward wary, before noticing the mini sword. There was no mistaking that sword - it could only be one person. "Cloud?" Vincent asked hoping that it was and it wasn't and thanking his stars it wasn't either one of the girls or Cid.

--Strife · Puppies and Wolves In Your SOLDIER!

There was a lion now too, wearing a crown and a long robe suggesting Royalty coming out of the carriage and managing to be trampled by his own men who were in stampede. It was comedic in a way, or just very very sad. There was a snake there too who from this distance seemed that all his words seemed to be punctuated by dragging the s- sounds.

It was a bear that came through the trees, big fluffy and dressed in a mixture of red and black, and it still surprised him even though he rationalized that everyone on this world had to look like this whether they liked it or not. He would have opted out of looking like a gold fox if there had been options. The bear too seemed not quite so comfortable like this so maybe he... or she would have opted for human form too. It was not until he spoke that the swordsman distinguished two things- the bear was definitely male and the voice all too familiar.

"Vincent?" He was alive? It meant another survivor of their world and Cloud could not help but feel thankful for that and he knew Cid and the girls would be ecstatic at the news. Behind him a golden tail swished as he inwardly mused, dropping his sword as he did so.

"You're a... bear," stating the obvious but Vincent was the last he expected to see as something fluffy and cute, "What brings you here?"

Vincent Valentine · AVALANCHE's Crimson Demon

So Cloud was alive and well. Good. Vincent had been confident the others had been merely swept away by the tide rather than sucked to the crushing depths of the darkness. Darkness was easier to face whilst in the company of others - it was when one opposed it alone that troubles occured. Surely in time the others would gravitate towards each other and stay in touch, even if their paths split for a time.

Vincent noticed the lion seemingly royal and the slithering snake who may very well be his advisor - an odd choice Vincent thought - and decided this world was far stranger than even his own. Compared to this it was positively normal and it was uncomfortable to be here.

Vincent was still a little traumatised by the ordeal of discovering he was a bear, furry, annoyingly furry - why couldn't he have been a bird? But then, he supposed, he may have been eaten by a wolf or something. He was frowning a little in his discomfort.

Cloud was quite nice like this actually, all golden with neat short hairs. Never thought he'd see the day when Cloud was turned into a four legged animal...walking on two legs. It was surreal. Vincent was vaguely jealous since Cloud got to be all slinky like and good looking.

"Business," Vincent replied not which was technically true although he couldn't imagine what business he could possibly have here now that he thought about it. This place seemed a little too light to be troubled with darkness - which seemed to literally be darkness - or those strange entities that came with it. Perhaps Cloud knew and would be able to give him a straight answer?

Vincent just wanted the ground to swallow him up, unconciously trying to look as small as possible. "Been travelling long?" He asked. He supposed it was his way of asking whether his Chocobo resembling friend had met any of the others on his travels but caring wasn't something admitted, rather than showed in subtle ways, like being their when Aerith sends you back from the Life Stream. He had been a Turk after all and shy people don't tend to spout their feelings all over the place. Messy. Complicated. Attention drawing. Emotions were best kept to yourself unless it was anger since that could be a useful tool.

--Strife · Puppies and Wolves In Your SOLDIER!

Cloud’s own fall from Gaia, had happened much the same as many other's he had spoken to, a black portal of some kind sucking you in and no matter how much anyone could try and save you from its clutches it just seemed to continue doing so. The blond had been the last of the small group that he had headed out with to be still standing, the less experienced fighter’s hearts had been taken and Tifa taken, transported safely to another world, though they had not known that. After that he had woken in the Underworld of Olympus by Hades' wife Persephone on a walk. She had been a woman far more cunning that Hades had ever given her credit.

Behind them, the rather scrawny looking lion pulled himself out of the mud, getting to his feet broken mirror in one hand and adjusting the lopsided, and rather too large crown with the other. The snake advisor was ignored in this and as the taller and aster lion stalked off looking defeated the snake slithered behind with not even a semblance of keeping to the other’s pace.

The blond knew he must be slightly lucky to be what he was, though the idea of having to be a fluffy animal at all was not one he enjoyed. The only thing that seemed to be annoying him however was the tail which had a mind of its own, seemingly an outlet that he couldn’t control or emotions he did not want to show. He'd been so long trying not to show anything that this was... inconvenient. It swayed furiously when he was frustrated on finding he was a fox and did sway now almost lazily as he thought.

"Here?" the swordsman asked, "I doubt you will find much around this place." Its too looney.

The blond shrugged a little, "I don't have a choice, though I can't be gone from Radiant Garden longer than two weeks in a row or the girls would have my hide. Tifa has never liked my leaving before and she will not now." But I have more of a reason now to search, more of a reason to travel, to find what I am looking for. He paused for a moment a small half smile, "She, Yuffie, Cid and Aerith are there. Aerith is... alive again." A cause for hope.

Vincent Valentine · AVALANCHE's Crimson Demon

This world...Vincent was sure if he stayed here for an extended period of time he'd crack. It was bad enough transforming into Galient Beast etc upon occasion but this was ridiculous. It seemed more like a cooky kids TV show to him...Yuffie had been blabbering in his ear about some show - she was very difficult to ignore when she got so loud.

Birds, bears, a Royal lion, a thieving fox who was slinking about the place whom no one seemed to notice was stealing their riches from right under their noses. Of course, that lion was doing a good job of gaining all the attention. Vincent wathced as the lion disappeared the slithering snake trailing behind dejectedly.

Cloud was kind of endearing as a fox. Vincent was reluctant to think that thought but the way Cloud's tail was swishing almost involountarily was a little distracting and knew it must be fustrating the young man. At least, he no longer resembled a Chocobo although, his hair did give Cloud a unique look. As a matter of fact, Vincent missed his hair. It was too bare like this despite the troublesome fluffiness.

"Cloud. It's been a while. You changed your hair," Vincent stated.

It lightened his heart to know that the girls and Cid were fine. In fact, he allowed himself a smile, a small one. The information about Aerith surprised him, a pang of sorrow going through him about Lucrecia. He guessed the darkness, or whatever it really was - but many people had spoken of a strange creeping shrouding black - had not only taken from the living, but from those residing in the Life Stream as well.

"Radiant Garden?" Vincent asked. The name wasn't that familiar. The mutated ex-turk was sure he hadn't come across it, but perhaps only in passing and he wouldn't have thought much of it.

--Strife · Puppies and Wolves In Your SOLDIER!

Cracky TV show was more like it, like the ones Denzel and Marlene had used to watch in which the blond even walking past them had absolutely no idea what the people dressed in animal suits were going on about, or why they would be in animal suits in the first place. What was wrong with them looking like people? Young children should not be made to expect giants stuffed animals walking around anyway.

The commotion behind them seemed to be over at the very least, the lion and the snake vanishing out of their view through the branches of the trees both seemingly having their pride hammered in one way or another. The ‘fortune tellers’ while Cloud had not exactly seen their exit they had done so merrily with sounds of chinking gold and plenty of ‘Ooh-de-la-lay’s, enough for the Gaian not to have needed to see them to know they had made their getaway.

“Not by my choice I can assure you,” the blond said, not that his untamable hair was all too missed on his part. It had never been of too much pride to him after all, though it certainly set him apart from others with hair such a golden blond it had been compared to a neon sign before. Not as dramatic as a redhead, like Reno but got the job done none the less in attracting other people’s attentions. But he’d gotten- used to it, no matter how much chocobos liked to preen it like he was one of them.

A small smile was as much as you could veer hope to get out of Vincent, but showed a lot more than someone who let a smile go with such frivolity.

“Radiant Garden is the home of the lost really. Many people who have lost their world are starting anew there, because the Restoration Committee has been cleaning up the world and its now counted as ‘safe’ to live on. Its fairly well known.”

Vincent Valentine · AVALANCHE's Crimson Demon

The havoc appeared to be over for which Vincent was grateful. It had just been too odd, too strange to endure for extended periods of time. Standing here speaking with Cloud who had been fortunate enough to be transformed into a fox was disturbing and he hoped sincerely that it never ever happened again. He had made note never to step foot on this uncanny abnormal planet where the animals talked and seemed just a little too chipper.

Vincent would rather have been a fox. Foxes were sleek, cunning, handsome but bears...well they were clumsy, vicious, fluffy. Vincent forced his mind onto other things than their unusual appearances. Only it drifted back as to whether it reflected their personalities and that was the way the planet picked what animal you should become. Either way it wasn't right nor was it fair.

"Let's never speak of this," Vincent said more than expecting Cloud to agree. There was certainly no need to remind themselves - or each other - of this humiliating experience, although Valentine couldn't quite decide whether this was worse than the experiences Yuffie liked to subject him to. It was her idea of 'fun' he guessed but she was young and still innocent despite everything so he indulged her to a point, even if she didn't realise he was doing it.

Vincent frowned wishing he could hide behind his cloak, the bandanna and all that leather. He felt unduly naked and exposed like this, the feeble fabric flapping pathetically in the slight wind. "Restoration Committee? Radiant Garden?" He asked. Normally he wouldn't admit not knowing quite so easily but he was growing frustrated as the answers weren't so easy to find and Cloud was a realiable source.

--Strife · Puppies and Wolves In Your SOLDIER!

This was just one of those times Cloud could almost believe that he was really asleep and dreaming his entire life and really he was a sixteen year old who had been put into a coma because Zack had accidentally given him a head injury while training. The only thing that could possibly dispute this was the fact his mind could not have come up with such a wacky and completely bizaree world, or such an intricate life for him.

The blond while he might actually appear as a fox still would not exactly qualify as being cunning- cunning usually gave the idea of having an ulterior motive- Cloud rarely did even if it was often hard to tell what his motive was anyway. The blond was not an open person, hard to read because sometimes for him it was just easier. The less people you let close the less you ended up hurt, especially when he had Sephiroth, an enemy who would take great delight in wiping out the swordsman’s friends to torture him.

Cloud also was hardly thinking on whether he would rather be a fox or bear because all he could think of was the fact that he would rather be himself, a human male and not an animal at all.

The blond nodded, “Agreed. Yuffie would have a field day.” Mainly because, yes, this was just as humiliating for Cloud as it probably was for Vincent. And especially the fact the girls should never even find out about this world otherwise they might just drag them here because they wanted to visit it. Gaia, Cloud could only hope Sora never found this place.

“Radiant Garden is a haven for refugees, people whose world has fallen. But since Radiant Garden was first taken by the heartless it fell into disrepair, so the girls and Cid, lead by Leon started the Restoration Committee and they’ve been making it habitable.” He shrugged a little, tail curling around his legs a sign there was something he wasn't saying, “They are safe where they are.” Without me alerting Sephiroth to their presence.

Vincent Valentine · AVALANCHE's Crimson Demon

They had tried to restore Midgar but the radiation from the Mako cannons made that impossible. It was no surprise to discover the only living things able to survive there required Mako to survive, practically living and breathing the substance. Perhaps had the cannons not been present then the WRO would have been working steadfastly on healing Midgar, a vast metropolis, making it safe for it's citizens to return if they so wished. Vincent couldn't help but wonder if it was better this way, to be living in Edge and leave Midgar as un ugly haunting blot that in time would fade to become a distant memory rather than a gaping wounds infested with secrets. This way people got to mvoe on with their lives rather than allow the past to shadow them for years to come. Midgar's restoration could have been damaging rather than soothing.

He wasn't going to world hop for a while after this. More careful selection was clearly required because there was no need for him to go through this again. Fortunately there seemed to be no trouble so far but he was keeping his ears open: someone had to discover soon that there had been a fox slinking about the rich.

"I have been trying to gather information but no one seems willing to talk," Vincent said. Even in his morphing form he had picked up nothing. Poeple walked quickly, kept their heads down and skirted around the edges of undesirable places. Many had slunk into the black, creeping in the dark, or sticking to the light as much as possible. No one talked about what was happening, not really. Vincent didn't want vague little anecdotes, or warnings. Vincent wanted the truth because running around in a situation blind was never a good idea and got people killed.