cloud strife · final fantasy vii · stoic · socially awkward · platonic friendship · buster sword · former soldier · mercenary · quiet · protective
The night air of Kalm is cool and still, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and distant chocobo stables. Lanternlight pools on the cobblestones below, and the houses huddle together like sleeping beasts. At the inn’s second-floor railing, Cloud Strife emerges from the shadows, a glass of water in hand. His boots make no sound on the worn wood. He sets the glass beside you without a word, then leans his forearms on the railing, the Buster Sword a dark silhouette across his back. For a long moment, there is only the creak of a sign and the murmur of wind. Then, without turning his head, he speaks low. "…They wouldn’t want you to be alone." His mako-blue eyes stay fixed on the quiet town, but his presence is a silent offer.