[open]

[unkindled_madness]

Who: Sephiroth unkindled_madness & you!
What: Sephiroth has been activated as a sleeper agent!
When: late April and into May
Where: Sunset Falls, Central City
Content Warnings: N/A for now.

[Some are bound to notice something off about Sephiroth. It's unusual for him to miss meetings or show up late for work--but not so unusual that it's never happened before. This world has its stressors, and maybe he's just going through something again.

During the same time period, Fantastic has been making news thwarting a small rogue's gallery of fresh new villains. But apart from "Shadow Flare" being pretty tall, it isn't the natural conclusion to think that Sephiroth might be behind the mask. One, he's always professed a confusion and even disdain for costumes and alter egos. Two, all of the fights are happening in or around Central, and Sephiroth only travels there when borrowing Loki's teleporter. Absolutely no reason to connect the two.]

((Specific prompts in the comments! Feel free to hit me up at yinza if you want to plot anything.))

Comments

[unkindled_madness]

[He can't really do anything but hold Loki's gaze, but.]

Really.

[dothelokimotion]

[ oh. in reply, he moves to press a kiss to sephiroth's cheek. ]

Thank you.

[unkindled_madness]

[He smiles faintly.]

You're welcome.

[dothelokimotion]

[ he smiles as well. ]

I think I've done enough for now.

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth tests the ropes a bit.]

Yes. I think knot-tying may be one of your many skills.

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki preens. ]

I do possess a multitude of skills.

[unkindled_madness]

You do. There's always something to discover about you.

[dothelokimotion]

[ his expression softens. ]

I'm glad.

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth takes a breath.]

I suppose we should get on with this, then.

[And... discover something about him.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ he sighs but nods quietly. gently, he presses his palm against sephiroth's forehead. and dives in. since he's not plucking at memories, he lets it pass him by without glancing. where is it hiding? loki will grind it to dust. ]

[unkindled_madness]

[There is definitely something foreign here, lying dormant beneath Sephiroth's conscious thoughts, the worries about what he is and his doppelganger memory of Jenova. But the groundwork was laid... a lot earlier than either of them suspect. There's a false memory planted some six months ago to disguise it, something utterly mundane that never actually happened.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ there. loki seizes upon it with a viciousness that even surprises him. he grabs hold of the memory, pressing on it bit by bit so that it will shatter without hurting sephiroth. for the first time in a long age, loki thinks, please, please let me do it right, let me do right by someone I love, don't make me fail this like I failed everything else. ]

[unkindled_madness]

[It's not painful, but it is... uncomfortable. The false memory doesn't hold up under Loki's pressure, but that doesn't mean it's easy to fill the gap. Sephiroth was simply unconscious for most of the time.

He tenses, some part of him remembering... an assault? How could someone have overpowered him? He shouldn't have been so weak.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ finally, as the control begins to crumble, loki manages to glean a name. the fixer. he slowly pulls back, exhausted but relieved. sephiroth is safe. he's fine. whatever damage took place in the mind has been mended. he sags a little before taking a moment to undo sephiroth's bonds with magic. ]

[unkindled_madness]

[It helps, too, that Loki undoes the rope so quickly. Sephiroth takes the opportunity to move, immediately, because he just... needs to. He needs to stand and walk across the room on his own power.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki sits down, leaning against the chair. he did it. his eyes sting for a moment, but he brushes it off quickly so it's not perceived. he glances at sephiroth. ]

Are you all right?

[unkindled_madness]

Yes.

[...okay, that may not be entirely accurate. He takes a slow breath and corrects himself:]

I will be.

[dothelokimotion]

[ fair enough. loki gets up, a little unsteady, but straightens himself. ]

I have a name. We can find the one who did this.

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth turns back to him.]

...are you all right?

[dothelokimotion]

[ he blinks before smiling faintly. ]

I'm fine. That kind of power takes a lot out of me, that's all.

[unkindled_madness]

It didn't... leave you with anything?

[He's not entirely sure what he's asking. Just... if his mind held something harmful.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ ah. loki moves closer to cradle sephiroth's face. ]

I told you before. There's nothing in you that could do that. Nothing I would turn away from.

You are not harmful by nature.

[unkindled_madness]

I...

I know that.

[He knows that Loki won't abandon him, at least. In the moment, he isn't convinced that he would never harm Loki.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ loki leans to press their foreheads together, prompting him gently. ]

And if there is, what can we do?

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth leans into him, still a little shaky but trying to ground himself.]

...we mend it.