Who: Cloud Strife and you- hopefully! When: February Where: Aefenglom, mostly. What: dietary revelations, full moon stuff. Warnings: (v gentle) body horror at the full moon thread. No warnings for anything else!
[That's... a way of putting it. Sephiroth's more elegant with his wording than what he could possibly be- and the catch-all phrase of 'loss of self-control' hits it on the head far better than his attempt, but it's not vulgar. Madness. Something that with him in particular, Cloud well knew the result of.
It can't happen again. In a sense, part of him wants to let it happen. He feels horrible for it- of course he does- the man in front of him hadn't done anything to anyone- off the clock, anyway- but... he has to admit that if something happened to him here, it'd... work out a few things. Probably make things easier on the version of his world that Sephiroth came from. Maybe some version of Tifa, somewhere, wouldn't suffer so. Maybe some Nibelheim would live to see another (shitty) day. Maybe his mother, the townspeople...
No. ...He can't. He couldn't. 'right' and 'wrong' are concepts that've always been grey for him. All except the most extreme cases, of course. And this... it's pretty extreme.
He can't.
His eyes drift away, again, and something seems to be on his mind. It almost comes out of his mouth as his gaze returns- the unnatural, synthetic harshness of his eyes glint further as if he's about to just say it- but something stops him. So he shifts slightly, shaking his head.]
[Hesitation flickers across Cloud, and Sephiroth has no reason to think it’s due to anything other than uncertainty centered around the topic as a whole. His own reply is perhaps too plain, too coolly unaffected, to be very comforting.]
A small effort.
[Eyes back down to the vegetables, he decides to humor the whole reason why he’s here — a hand takes a carrot, turning it over like he has any idea what constitutes a “good” one.]
I understand the necessity. But this is a world full of strangers, and a connection with someone I don’t know is— [Goes against the grain of his everything, the impossible nature of forging connections on a whim.] —a difficult sell.
However, I know my mind well enough to judge when this will be a growing concern.
[To Cloud, who has seen first-hand just how thoroughly Sephiroth’s mind warped and cracked under one terrible revelation, this is probably a dubious statement at best, regardless of his confidence.]
Better to get it done sooner, rather than later. From what I've been told, it's not like you can ever go back to normal. The changes're pretty permanent. Random, too. You might wake up tomorrow with anything.
[Honestly, he's not looking for comfort. An answer is more like it- but the more and more he thinks on it, the more he tries to find a reason beyond his own comfort levels that he shouldn't ask- the more he comes up short. There's only one thing to be done. He has to ask.
So, mid-carrot examination (what made a good one, anyway? Not rotten? Sure, but beyond that, he doesn't know. If there's some level of orange to strive for, he's clueless.)
Anyway...]
Look. We both need to hold off whatever's happening to us, as best we can. So, we may as well get bonded. It's not ideal- we're both monsters, so we're not gonna be able to hold it back for that long. But like you said, may as well be someone you [Sort of.] know- for the time being.
[The carrot (not rotten, not bruised, seemingly carrot-shaped enough?) is temporarily forgotten when Cloud tosses that suggestion his way. Sephiroth glances at him, cat-like eyes assessing but otherwise difficult to read.]
Practical.
[It is practical, which is how Sephiroth also deigns to approach this inherent Bond problem — if he waited for something like sentimentality instead, he would never find someone suitable.
Even so, it is quite the ask, one that he never expected from another; especially someone who knows of his reputation, who he is back home. Intimidation or adulation usually set him apart from others at a healthy distance, and that Cloud (who had initially reacted to his presence with such heated agitation) requests a connection that would close that space is... unexpected.
And so, practicality wars with cultivated introversion, finally drawing out a reply in the conflict.]
But you’re aware of what that means? Emotions, bound together, shared? [A little wry-] You know who you’re asking, don’t you?
[As if he has some great, terrible state beneath his cold, professional exterior. He doesn’t (sort of), no more than any man keeps the less flattering parts under lock and key, but Sephiroth refers instead to his status, and how odd it is for someone to request this of him.
[His response is flat, and comes with a faint incline of his head to the side. Sephiroth's right- it was practicality.]
I want to get back to our world- as close to normal as I can. Getting sentimental about bonds means that's not gonna happen.
[And.]
I'd rather deal with emotions that aren't mine than deal with changing into something that's not me.
[He can say that with conviction, at least. Especially after the Northern Crater. What this place is doing to him isn't anywhere near as frightening as that, but still- if they go back, he can't put whatever the hell this is on Tifa, Barret, and the others. Not when he's already gave them such trouble.]
And as for you-
[His gaze moves, again, to the side. Again... his voice is firm. He means every word.]
[Going back as something he isn’t. With feathers already sprouting stubbornly across his body, the part of him that operates in staunch reality is tempted to say they’re too late.
But Sephiroth knows that’s ignoring the crux of the issue, of what Cloud is really trying to say — returning to their planet with their minds affected too much by unwarranted change, by madness, is unacceptable for any number of reasons. A danger to those around them, more so than Sephiroth has the ironic privilege of knowing; they may as well return as complete strangers.]
...Your concern is misplaced. It should be the other way around.
[Cloud is not the young cadet that he knew any longer, but he cannot quite displace the feeling of a commanding officer’s responsibility over a subordinate, confessions of siding with AVALANCHE notwithstanding.
And so the offer is as strange as the concern coupled with it, and Sephiroth does not reply, only picking out a few similar carrots with careful purpose, handing them to the vendor to mark them as his purchase.
Only after money’s exchanged does he speak again.]
But your point’s been made, and I can’t reasonably argue against it. If you’re sure, then I’ll agree to it.
I'm sure. We're both going to have to find witches, eventually, but if this keeps us going until then, it's a good call.
[...Concern? Oh. Of course Sephiroth's pride was a barrier. In a sense, he's surprised he's even indulged him by responding in agreement. But... circumstances call for it. He's tempted to respond with a question- of whether or not this was the first time Sephiroth found himself subject to circumstances which affected other people- found himself weakened, in need of assistance- but he can't. Of course he can't. That's... too far.
And he knows the answer, anyway.
As Sephiroth surmises, as concisely as he does- with a level of cohesion that the Lifestream stripped away from whatever remained of him- they don't have a choice in the matter- he's silent. Silent as he watches the transaction, eyes cold as he returns the cashier's glance after it's completed. And as they're leaving-]
May as well get it done now.
[Before he gets perishables, and all. He's never seen a bonding ceremony before. Might take hours. ...He doubts it, though. If the magic took according to physical similarities between partners, then it...
[Pride will always be a sticking point. Even logic and rationale sometimes snags on its edges, though Sephiroth does try to remain cognizant of the reality of the situation. Even here — or perhaps, especially here.
And so, after the transaction is complete, and he has a small bag of woven muslin fabric in-hand, loosely filled with carrots and a stray shopping list (again, how very mundane, how very strange), he turns to Cloud with the slight arch of a pale brow.]
I’ve only heard of the bonding ceremony; I’ve never attended one.
[Time to walk. He brushes past Cloud, though not unkindly, with the expectation that he follow.
Dryly, joking(?)—]
I hope you know how to improvise if we’re expected to exchange pledges of fealty.
[Was that a joke? He's surprised- a look of incredulous surprise crossing his face, slowing his steps enough to come to a stop for about half a second.
He... obviously... hadn't seen anything resembling this side of Sephiroth before. While he had shown it to Zack on occasion, of course, the other man hadn't told him about it. (Why should he?) In Nibelheim, too- circumstances, being on the clock, in particular, as well as unfamiliarity meant Sephiroth remained on task. Been brisk, even when kind enough to allow him to slack off for a short time in order to see friends and family.
But. He tries not to linger- instead forcing himself to keep up.]
I don't know about that.
[What could be said? He preferred things plain. Always had. Always would.]
If we have to say words, how about the truth? 'Both of us're going to be a problem if we lose our minds. So we're doing this stupid ritual to not have that happen. So here's hoping.'
[How gracelessly blunt. Sephiroth imagines the look on the face of whoever would be overseeing or conducting the ceremony upon being told as much, and Cloud actually wins an amused scoff from him.]
‘So here’s hoping.’ Right.
[Then again, he’s more likely to agree to the harsh truth than play the game of pomp and circumstance. He had never been fond of superfluousness, of unneeded ceremony.
They wind their way out of the market, and Sephiroth adjusts his step so that Cloud can walk astride him.]
I assume as long as we’re both in some kind of agreement, it should be enough. The same as a contract. [And because going into a contract blind isn’t wise for either party—] So if there’s anything you’d like to clarify about the state of your emotions — to spare us both of surprises — now’s the time.
[A shrug is added to that, and to him- it's enough. So what? If the coven didn't like it, what'd they do? Refuse to allow the bond to be made, and then deal with them both later in whatever forms they took? He... doubted that. His brashness... is certainly new. And in many respects, he's a far cry away from what he was in Nibelheim. He's not entirely different, but this? It's a sharp enough contrast to perhaps seem odd in comparison.
Or maybe not. Then, now, he's himself. It's different, but it's close enough to be a progression. Distantly related. It's not what he thought he was from Midgar to the Northern Crater. Not what was so unnatural, made so many people think something was unusual, odd.
The next statement makes him pause, though.]
How do you mean? I'm-
[Hardly a paragon of excellent mental health, that's for sure. His eyes move away as he starts to walk beside him, arms moving to cross themselves at his torso.]
Fine.
[Bullshit.]
Some things're pissing me off. Like not being with people I care about. [After what happened at the crater, it's hardly as if he knew whether or not he would again, even without this world considered.] But it's nothing weird, if that's what you're asking.
[Why suspiciously, Cloud? Sephiroth is very emotionally stable, not a single fault line running across the foundations of his mental state. He is of exceptionally sound mind.
(Narrator voice: He is not.)
But he believes himself to be, or at least knows that the deepest parts of himself have been buried under so many layers of detachment and professionalism that his pride, again, tells him that even a bond cannot so easily unearth them. That he possesses more self-control than to let them buoy to the surface, easily read and easily felt. A large part of that is the truth.
And so, glancing at the other, taking in Cloud’s body language suddenly closing in on himself, Sephiroth believes that he’s telling the truth when he says—]
Nothing extreme. Restlessness, on occasion. But I’m sure you can relate to that.
[He hasn’t asked to offend, only assess and know where they will both stand, what to expect. He wonders if he’s strummed his fingers against a nerve, accidentally, given Cloud’s response.
“Fine”, he says. Sephiroth uses that word as a deflection, too — he knows it when he sees it.]
Being upset about missing home isn’t something I’m worried about. I can deal with the bleed-over from that. But I think many Mirrorbound here are putting up a brave face while simultaneously having a difficult time adjusting.
[And if you fall into that category, too, Cloud, he’s just trying to get a sense of it.]
[Maybe they're a good match, in the respect that they're both Not Fine and not exactly upfront with that fact.
For Sephiroth, it's a lack of awareness rather than dishonesty. It's not like the (mis)information acquired in Nibelheim suddenly caused a problem, or anything like that. Because that's not the way things work. There had to be something else, perhaps like Cloud himself- something that'd always been there, before the Shinra. The misinformation was a catalyst, yeah. But not the cause.
Wait. For Sephiroth, there never was before Shinra. It's a fact that was known, of course it was known- the amount he knows, mostly because of Vincent- but he'd never thought about it before. Not properly. Sure as hell while not putting thought into what it was like for him, anyway.
...He pushes it from his mind. But it does make him move his gaze back. And it makes him respond less standoffishly, makes his gaze linger.]
...Yeah. Me too. So I guess restlessness won't be noticed on my end. Same for you and mine. It'll be just like normal, I guess. For both of us.
[He exhales. Maybe that's an understatement.
He... does have stuff that should be a cause for concern. Even beyond what Sephiroth shouldn't know about. Likewise, beyond what he doesn't want to tell Sephiroth, anyone, actually- about. But nothing had reared since Mideel. So it's fine, right?
...Hopefully.
He turns a corner. It's not like he can sniff out the Coven- so his eyes move away again- looking for any form of signage. Fortunately, the way's well marked.]
Wonder if they're throwing 'emselves into stuff, to try and stop feeling things. I doubt anyone wanted to wind up here. And, I guess it's easy to think that doing things, helping the Coven means they're working toward getting back.
[A slight pause. It's not exactly what they're discussing, but he can't help but let his thoughts spill over.]
Someone's got to have put us here. Did you notice stuff on your mirror? Mine... had things on it that wouldn't have just appeared. I want to work out who.
[It’s Fine, they’ll both be fine, because the best way to deal with emotional misalignment is to not confront it outright or externally at all, right?
Still, Sephiroth wouldn’t have professed any differently even if there was a single soul in this entire universe who knew him deeply enough to call him out on it. Which there are none, and never were; far too much distance between himself and the rest of the normal world to forge that kind of connection, echoing what the bond itself is trying achieve. So the point is moot. He is certain of his stability, and takes Cloud at his word — and thus the conversation moves on, unquestioned.]
Yes. My mirror looked similar.
[Adorned with too-specific imagery to have been random. It had been one of the very first things he noticed, though he had been far too new at the time to look at it with any kind of empirical scrutiny.]
‘Who’ is a question on the backburner for now. We have no way of answering it, but figuring out the why might lend to a clue.
[A long stretch down a busy sidewalk, signage long behind them. He’s certain there will be another signpost soon enough.]
I spoke to a few others about this. [Because of course he did. Sephiroth is allergic, probably, to remaining idle and simply accepting his lot in this new world.] Some believe we are here to assist this world. Others think that the Mirrorbound are skewed towards being fighters, so we must be here to overcome an eventual threat. The rest think our appearances are completely random, but that I’m not certain of.
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no subject
It can't happen again.
In a sense, part of him wants to let it happen. He feels horrible for it- of course he does- the man in front of him hadn't done anything to anyone- off the clock, anyway- but... he has to admit that if something happened to him here, it'd... work out a few things. Probably make things easier on the version of his world that Sephiroth came from. Maybe some version of Tifa, somewhere, wouldn't suffer so. Maybe some Nibelheim would live to see another (shitty) day. Maybe his mother, the townspeople...
No.
...He can't. He couldn't. 'right' and 'wrong' are concepts that've always been grey for him. All except the most extreme cases, of course. And this... it's pretty extreme.
He can't.
His eyes drift away, again, and something seems to be on his mind. It almost comes out of his mouth as his gaze returns- the unnatural, synthetic harshness of his eyes glint further as if he's about to just say it- but something stops him. So he shifts slightly, shaking his head.]
Not really. Have you?
no subject
A small effort.
[Eyes back down to the vegetables, he decides to humor the whole reason why he’s here — a hand takes a carrot, turning it over like he has any idea what constitutes a “good” one.]
I understand the necessity. But this is a world full of strangers, and a connection with someone I don’t know is— [Goes against the grain of his everything, the impossible nature of forging connections on a whim.] —a difficult sell.
However, I know my mind well enough to judge when this will be a growing concern.
[To Cloud, who has seen first-hand just how thoroughly Sephiroth’s mind warped and cracked under one terrible revelation, this is probably a dubious statement at best, regardless of his confidence.]
no subject
[Honestly, he's not looking for comfort. An answer is more like it- but the more and more he thinks on it, the more he tries to find a reason beyond his own comfort levels that he shouldn't ask- the more he comes up short. There's only one thing to be done. He has to ask.
So, mid-carrot examination (what made a good one, anyway? Not rotten? Sure, but beyond that, he doesn't know. If there's some level of orange to strive for, he's clueless.)
Anyway...]
Look. We both need to hold off whatever's happening to us, as best we can. So, we may as well get bonded. It's not ideal- we're both monsters, so we're not gonna be able to hold it back for that long. But like you said, may as well be someone you [Sort of.] know- for the time being.
no subject
Practical.
[It is practical, which is how Sephiroth also deigns to approach this inherent Bond problem — if he waited for something like sentimentality instead, he would never find someone suitable.
Even so, it is quite the ask, one that he never expected from another; especially someone who knows of his reputation, who he is back home. Intimidation or adulation usually set him apart from others at a healthy distance, and that Cloud (who had initially reacted to his presence with such heated agitation) requests a connection that would close that space is... unexpected.
And so, practicality wars with cultivated introversion, finally drawing out a reply in the conflict.]
But you’re aware of what that means? Emotions, bound together, shared? [A little wry-] You know who you’re asking, don’t you?
[As if he has some great, terrible state beneath his cold, professional exterior. He doesn’t (sort of), no more than any man keeps the less flattering parts under lock and key, but Sephiroth refers instead to his status, and how odd it is for someone to request this of him.
Even so, and tellingly, he hasn’t said no.]
no subject
[His response is flat, and comes with a faint incline of his head to the side. Sephiroth's right- it was practicality.]
I want to get back to our world- as close to normal as I can. Getting sentimental about bonds means that's not gonna happen.
[And.]
I'd rather deal with emotions that aren't mine than deal with changing into something that's not me.
[He can say that with conviction, at least. Especially after the Northern Crater. What this place is doing to him isn't anywhere near as frightening as that, but still- if they go back, he can't put whatever the hell this is on Tifa, Barret, and the others. Not when he's already gave them such trouble.]
And as for you-
[His gaze moves, again, to the side. Again... his voice is firm. He means every word.]
-I don't want you to go back like that, either.
no subject
But Sephiroth knows that’s ignoring the crux of the issue, of what Cloud is really trying to say — returning to their planet with their minds affected too much by unwarranted change, by madness, is unacceptable for any number of reasons. A danger to those around them, more so than Sephiroth has the ironic privilege of knowing; they may as well return as complete strangers.]
...Your concern is misplaced. It should be the other way around.
[Cloud is not the young cadet that he knew any longer, but he cannot quite displace the feeling of a commanding officer’s responsibility over a subordinate, confessions of siding with AVALANCHE notwithstanding.
And so the offer is as strange as the concern coupled with it, and Sephiroth does not reply, only picking out a few similar carrots with careful purpose, handing them to the vendor to mark them as his purchase.
Only after money’s exchanged does he speak again.]
But your point’s been made, and I can’t reasonably argue against it. If you’re sure, then I’ll agree to it.
no subject
[...Concern? Oh. Of course Sephiroth's pride was a barrier. In a sense, he's surprised he's even indulged him by responding in agreement. But... circumstances call for it. He's tempted to respond with a question- of whether or not this was the first time Sephiroth found himself subject to circumstances which affected other people- found himself weakened, in need of assistance- but he can't. Of course he can't. That's... too far.
And he knows the answer, anyway.
As Sephiroth surmises, as concisely as he does- with a level of cohesion that the Lifestream stripped away from whatever remained of him- they don't have a choice in the matter- he's silent. Silent as he watches the transaction, eyes cold as he returns the cashier's glance after it's completed. And as they're leaving-]
May as well get it done now.
[Before he gets perishables, and all. He's never seen a bonding ceremony before. Might take hours. ...He doubts it, though. If the magic took according to physical similarities between partners, then it...
...Yeah. Not long at all.]
no subject
And so, after the transaction is complete, and he has a small bag of woven muslin fabric in-hand, loosely filled with carrots and a stray shopping list (again, how very mundane, how very strange), he turns to Cloud with the slight arch of a pale brow.]
I’ve only heard of the bonding ceremony; I’ve never attended one.
[Time to walk. He brushes past Cloud, though not unkindly, with the expectation that he follow.
Dryly, joking(?)—]
I hope you know how to improvise if we’re expected to exchange pledges of fealty.
no subject
He... obviously... hadn't seen anything resembling this side of Sephiroth before. While he had shown it to Zack on occasion, of course, the other man hadn't told him about it. (Why should he?) In Nibelheim, too- circumstances, being on the clock, in particular, as well as unfamiliarity meant Sephiroth remained on task. Been brisk, even when kind enough to allow him to slack off for a short time in order to see friends and family.
But. He tries not to linger- instead forcing himself to keep up.]
I don't know about that.
[What could be said? He preferred things plain. Always had. Always would.]
If we have to say words, how about the truth? 'Both of us're going to be a problem if we lose our minds. So we're doing this stupid ritual to not have that happen. So here's hoping.'
...Sounds better than making up something weird.
no subject
‘So here’s hoping.’ Right.
[Then again, he’s more likely to agree to the harsh truth than play the game of pomp and circumstance. He had never been fond of superfluousness, of unneeded ceremony.
They wind their way out of the market, and Sephiroth adjusts his step so that Cloud can walk astride him.]
I assume as long as we’re both in some kind of agreement, it should be enough. The same as a contract. [And because going into a contract blind isn’t wise for either party—] So if there’s anything you’d like to clarify about the state of your emotions — to spare us both of surprises — now’s the time.
no subject
[A shrug is added to that, and to him- it's enough. So what? If the coven didn't like it, what'd they do? Refuse to allow the bond to be made, and then deal with them both later in whatever forms they took? He... doubted that. His brashness... is certainly new. And in many respects, he's a far cry away from what he was in Nibelheim. He's not entirely different, but this? It's a sharp enough contrast to perhaps seem odd in comparison.
Or maybe not. Then, now, he's himself. It's different, but it's close enough to be a progression. Distantly related. It's not what he thought he was from Midgar to the Northern Crater. Not what was so unnatural, made so many people think something was unusual, odd.
The next statement makes him pause, though.]
How do you mean? I'm-
[Hardly a paragon of excellent mental health, that's for sure. His eyes move away as he starts to walk beside him, arms moving to cross themselves at his torso.]
Fine.
[Bullshit.]
Some things're pissing me off. Like not being with people I care about. [After what happened at the crater, it's hardly as if he knew whether or not he would again, even without this world considered.] But it's nothing weird, if that's what you're asking.
[And almost suspiciously...]
What about you?
no subject
(Narrator voice: He is not.)
But he believes himself to be, or at least knows that the deepest parts of himself have been buried under so many layers of detachment and professionalism that his pride, again, tells him that even a bond cannot so easily unearth them. That he possesses more self-control than to let them buoy to the surface, easily read and easily felt. A large part of that is the truth.
And so, glancing at the other, taking in Cloud’s body language suddenly closing in on himself, Sephiroth believes that he’s telling the truth when he says—]
Nothing extreme. Restlessness, on occasion. But I’m sure you can relate to that.
[He hasn’t asked to offend, only assess and know where they will both stand, what to expect. He wonders if he’s strummed his fingers against a nerve, accidentally, given Cloud’s response.
“Fine”, he says. Sephiroth uses that word as a deflection, too — he knows it when he sees it.]
Being upset about missing home isn’t something I’m worried about. I can deal with the bleed-over from that. But I think many Mirrorbound here are putting up a brave face while simultaneously having a difficult time adjusting.
[And if you fall into that category, too, Cloud, he’s just trying to get a sense of it.]
no subject
For Sephiroth, it's a lack of awareness rather than dishonesty. It's not like the (mis)information acquired in Nibelheim suddenly caused a problem, or anything like that. Because that's not the way things work. There had to be something else, perhaps like Cloud himself- something that'd always been there, before the Shinra. The misinformation was a catalyst, yeah. But not the cause.
Wait. For Sephiroth, there never was before Shinra. It's a fact that was known, of course it was known- the amount he knows, mostly because of Vincent- but he'd never thought about it before. Not properly. Sure as hell while not putting thought into what it was like for him, anyway.
...He pushes it from his mind. But it does make him move his gaze back. And it makes him respond less standoffishly, makes his gaze linger.]
...Yeah. Me too. So I guess restlessness won't be noticed on my end. Same for you and mine. It'll be just like normal, I guess. For both of us.
[He exhales. Maybe that's an understatement.
He... does have stuff that should be a cause for concern. Even beyond what Sephiroth shouldn't know about. Likewise, beyond what he doesn't want to tell Sephiroth, anyone, actually- about. But nothing had reared since Mideel. So it's fine, right?
...Hopefully.
He turns a corner. It's not like he can sniff out the Coven- so his eyes move away again- looking for any form of signage. Fortunately, the way's well marked.]
Wonder if they're throwing 'emselves into stuff, to try and stop feeling things. I doubt anyone wanted to wind up here. And, I guess it's easy to think that doing things, helping the Coven means they're working toward getting back.
[A slight pause. It's not exactly what they're discussing, but he can't help but let his thoughts spill over.]
Someone's got to have put us here. Did you notice stuff on your mirror? Mine... had things on it that wouldn't have just appeared. I want to work out who.
no subject
Still, Sephiroth wouldn’t have professed any differently even if there was a single soul in this entire universe who knew him deeply enough to call him out on it. Which there are none, and never were; far too much distance between himself and the rest of the normal world to forge that kind of connection, echoing what the bond itself is trying achieve. So the point is moot. He is certain of his stability, and takes Cloud at his word — and thus the conversation moves on, unquestioned.]
Yes. My mirror looked similar.
[Adorned with too-specific imagery to have been random. It had been one of the very first things he noticed, though he had been far too new at the time to look at it with any kind of empirical scrutiny.]
‘Who’ is a question on the backburner for now. We have no way of answering it, but figuring out the why might lend to a clue.
[A long stretch down a busy sidewalk, signage long behind them. He’s certain there will be another signpost soon enough.]
I spoke to a few others about this. [Because of course he did. Sephiroth is allergic, probably, to remaining idle and simply accepting his lot in this new world.] Some believe we are here to assist this world. Others think that the Mirrorbound are skewed towards being fighters, so we must be here to overcome an eventual threat. The rest think our appearances are completely random, but that I’m not certain of.