imjustaman | Iyashikei Inbox

From:

The council had provided an apartment to stay in, but not much else besides that, which meant if Cloud wanted to be able to keep afloat in this world, he was going to need a job. Maybe it was because he was in SOLDIER, maybe it was because he had done so much mercenary work in Midgar, but he couldn't settle on just one job. He sold himself out on the Starlink as a man for hire for anything, and it didn't take long for the requests to come flooding in. Part time help, just need someone strong for a day; he had to turn down the delivery jobs unfortunately, but getting himself a vehicle very quickly went to the top of his priority list.

That particular day found him helping out at a bookshop; the owner had just received in a large shipment, and he couldn't carry and shelve all the new books himself. It led to Cloud going back and forth from where the boxes were stacked outside to inside, unloading and carrying stacks and stacks of reading material until his arms burned from the weight. It was a good kind of exercise, and the patrons coming in were nice enough about the restock effort, so he didn't mind.

Something about the bell into the store ringing this latest time had him looking up from the stack he was carrying to one of the shelves, like some tiny voice in the back of his head was whispering for him to pay attention. He caught one glimmer of silver, before he abruptly about faced, staring at the bookshelf in front of him like it would suddenly turn into a door for him to escape out of. He still hadn't even processed his emotions over everything that happened the last week, and here he was, steamrolling into his life right away. Gaia help him.

From:

imjustaman

Sephiroth was enjoying shopping and exploring on this nice, overcast autumn day. Being a book fan, of course he was going to see what was available to read in this world.

The blond spikes were unmistakable. “Cloud?”

He hoped.

From:

cloudsenior

Cloud hunched his shoulders at being immediately called out, a pink tint coming to his face. He took a breath, counted off to ten in his head, before shuffling around to face Sephiroth.

"...hey," he greeted him lamely, wishing he could get away with hiding behind the books he was carrying.

From:

imjustaman

Sephiroth smiled at him. “You’re working here?” It was hard to picture Cloud being that interested in books.

From:

cloudsenior

"Just for today," he replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly, the book stack bobbing up slightly from the movement. "The owner got a huge restock shipment and needed extra help."

From:

imjustaman

“Ah, I see.” That made more sense. “Well, don’t let me keep you.”

He looked at the books Cloud was holding, however, to see if anything sounded good.

From:

cloudsenior

Cloud didn't even really pay attention to what he was carrying, which was why he was carrying titles like The Art of Kindness, Gals or Pals: Navigating Relationships, and The Introvert's Guide to Asking Out That Special Someone.

"Right, thanks," Cloud said quickly, hurrying off to get the books where they needed to go. If Sephiroth looked closely, he might be able to catch a red blot on the tips of Cloud's ears.