Who Was That Masked Man? Video/Action

[icangothedistancetoo]

The sound of running chocobo feet pounds on the pavement. As the video adjusts to the Edge night, a black chocobo with a rider dressed in black is visible tearing down the street.

“There they go!” exclaims the younger version of Zack Fair, the one who knows the blue-winged Sephiroth. “This black rider guy suddenly popped up around the time autumn started and he hasn’t left! He always shows up when somebody’s in trouble, helps them, and runs off before anybody can get his name!”

He’s giving chase, the video jerking as he runs. As they go around the corner, Zack follows, and then grinds to a halt. “And now they’re gone! What the heck? That happens every time! Are they ghosts or something?!”

And he’s standing in front of something rather odd, at least for the middle of November. A well-lit and clearly open Spirit Halloween store is clearly visible behind him.

He turns to look at it. “What the heck’s up with this too? I mean, don’t these guys close up shop right after Halloween?” He’s from an alternate Earth; he knows Spirit Halloween. But what’s it doing on Gaia? “I went in and asked them about it, and they said they’re a year-round branch? Super cool and all, but ... what?” He scratches his head. “Is it real? Is it left over from somebody’s dream during all that craziness we just had and they dreamed it into existence? Did the black rider guy go in there?”

He grins at the screen. “I’m checking out both mysteries! Who’s in?”

Comments

[icangothedistancetoo]

"Yeah, I don't think they are, unless the dream stuff started before all the portals blew open."

Zack grins when he sees Harry. "Hey! I'm Zack Fair. Good to meet ya! I haven't seen the black rider show up anymore, so he must've gone in Spirit. I dunno how the chocobo would fit in there, though."

[phoenixwiz]

“I haven’t seen the black rider anywhere either while I was on my way here,” Harry notes, “Though the image of a chocobo trying to get inside a store, let alone one that didn’t say that they allow animals inside, is an odd possibility. But who knows, it may have gotten inside through an open back door. Either way, we might need to go in and check inside.”

[icangothedistancetoo]

"Yeah! I was waiting for ya. Let's go in and check it out!"

Zack heads for the electronic doors, which open. An animatronic of a grim reaper reaches out at him. "I see you."

Zack pauses, listening to the whole spiel. "Cool," he says. "Wonder if a chocobo would get scared of that thing." He doesn't know much about them.

[phoenixwiz]

“It could be very likely,” Harry tells Zack as he ponders about the possibility of the chocobo being scared of the grim reaper animatronic, “Maybe the fact that it is carrying a scythe or that it looks really creepy despite being not alive must have scared the bird off, causing it to hide somewhere hidden among the store aisles and merchandise. So where do you think we should start looking at first, Zack?”

[icangothedistancetoo]

"Doesn't seem like a big bird could hide too well in here," Zack says. "But yeah! Let's look everywhere! We can start ... here!" He heads over to the nearest long aisles to the left, where costumes of popular pop culture characters are. "And we can look to see if there's any costumes matching what the rider wore too! Maybe he changed clothes to sneak out unnoticed!"

[phoenixwiz]

“Now that’s a great starting point for us to examine. Maybe our mystery rider may have changed costumes upon arriving here and is trying to throw us off by disguising themselves as something else,” Harry chimes in, even though he has no idea of many of the characters the costumes are based on.

[icangothedistancetoo]

Zack recognizes a lot of them, but doesn’t see anything that resembles what the rider wore.

“Huh…. Maybe if there’s something like a Zorro costume?”

He keeps looking.

In the accessories area, there are some giant black feathers on the floor, bigger than anything on the costume wings available.

[phoenixwiz]

“Hm, that is very likely… Oh hey, look at this: there are some empty spaces in the racks where costumes should have been in. Perhaps our rider ‘friend’ must have taken some of them in order to find the perfect disguise.”

While he is examining the racks and passing by the accessories section, Harry could see the large black feathers on the floor. Picking up one, he wonders on the possibility of the black rider having large wings as he calls in Zack to check on the big feathers with him.

“Whoa. This is strange these: feathers are looking rather big when compared to the costume wings in the store. Do you think that they may have some connection to the black rider?”

[icangothedistancetoo]

"Yeah! That might be exactly it!"

He stares at the feathers. "Wow! These look even bigger than the chocobo feathers I've seen! Maybe they're big like this on the wings or tail, but ..." He turns one around and around. "They really look like Seph's feathers, only black instead of blue."

[phoenixwiz]

“Do chocobos come in black as well? I honestly thought that they mostly come in yellow feathers,” Harry ask him, wondering about the diversity of chocobo feathers before going back to the feathers.

“Hm, they sure have some resemblance to Sephiroth's wing feathers, but I don’t know if he or the other him would like riding around town on a chocobo at their own choice. Neither of them seem to be the type who won’t mind riding on one, at least to my knowledge.”

[icangothedistancetoo]

"Yeah! The black rider always rides a black one," Zack says. "I think the black ones are really rare, though."

He ponders. "That's weird, yeah. I don't get why all the secrecy either! It couldn't be my Seph, anyway, since these are black and not blue. My Seph flies or teleports everywhere unless I wanna take a car ride somewhere. So if it's a Seph, it has to be the one who lives in this world."

[phoenixwiz]

“You’re definitely correct about the Sephiroth you know not being a possible match due to the colour of his wings. His feathers are blue in colour rather than the black ones here. So that clears his name without a shadow of doubt,” Harry agrees as he continues to investigate the feathers, “The Sephiroth of this world does have black wings and feathers but I highly doubt that it could be him either. We might need to check this area more for clues so we can have a better idea of why the black rider is hiding in here.”

[icangothedistancetoo]

"One black wing anyway," Zack says. "The rest are white. But I don't get why it'd be him."

He looks around with a frown. "Maybe he's already changed and skipped out. I mean, I can't think of any reason for him to stick around when this is the perfect place to get a new disguise and leave. Maybe he kept his black rider stuff with him but just is wearing something else. Let's go ask the clerk if somebody in black came in!" He heads for the desk.

[phoenixwiz]

“That would work. Maybe the clerk might have some idea of where they could be at right now. Or they have some clues involving the black rider that we can utilize,” Harry agrees as he joins Zack to the store desk in the hopes of finding the black rider’s new whereabouts.

[icangothedistancetoo]

The clerk smiles as they approach. "Hi, can I help you?"

She's holding two large feathers on the counter.

[phoenixwiz]

“Hello, we’re trying to find a mysterious black clad figure leaving these feathers in the store,” Harry tells the clerk, “Maybe you can tell where did they went to after they passed by here?”

[icangothedistancetoo]

"Oh, he was very charming and sweet," she smiled. "He came in, bought a costume and make-up remover, and went out the back way."

"What'd he look like?" Zack asked.

"Long silver hair and green eyes. Tall." The clerk looked smitten.

Zack was bewildered. "That does sound like Seph!"

[phoenixwiz]

“So wait a minute. This’ world Sephiroth’s trying out Halloween costumes this late?!?” Harry looks more dumbfounded than he wants to let on as he continues to speak to Zack, “I thought that Halloween has already passed us by. Is he trying out new hobbies lately?”

[icangothedistancetoo]

"I don't know him that well, but he's pretty serious," Zack says. "I didn't think he celebrated Halloween at all! Let's go out to his house and see if he's there!" He waves to the clerk. "Thanks!"

She nods, holding the feathers like treasured souvenirs.

Zack hurries outside and heads in the direction of this world's Sephiroth's house just outside of Edge.