[Closed] Catch-all

[silentnarration]

WHO: Squall, and others
WHAT: Catch-all for miscellany + girlfriend is gone
WHERE: Dorms?
WHEN: February
WARNING: Experiencing loss?

[Top levels within.]

Comments

Seifer - Feb 8 - after Loki thread

[silentnarration]

[Will it kill Seifer to answer the damn phone? He's been calling. Again and again after the dreadful discovery. Even left him messages as he packs up and grabs a bike rental to head out to the forge.

Where are you?
Pick up
Dammit Seifer

He's not about to immediately do something stupid and reckless anymore but it's hard to think. Hard to breathe. He feels empty, angry, upset... He wants to do everything and nothing all at once. It's probably a miracle that he didn't crash into anyone heading out of the city. He doesn't even park or kill the engine of the bike properly when he arrives, just gets off and lets the bike fall on its side - the safety mechanism thankfully kicking in.]

SEIFER!

[He yells once he gets inside, slamming a hand against the metal door they repaired so many months ago. His voice cracking and his desperation obvious in his tone. Even knowing the forge is usually too loud for Seifer to hear him, he doesn't care. He strides forward and there's relief and anger both as he reaches out for him.

It shows on his face. Something is clearly very wrong.]

God dammit, answer your damn phone!

[firacrux]

[Times like these are when having a phone on hand would be ideal, wouldn't it? He hadn't even considered it when he left early for the forge. The thing was listened in on anyway, it wasn't safe.

Nothing was, and today was really about to drive that home.

Predictably he didn't hear the banging, not above the noise of likewise banging machines and his own hammer, giving pause when he thinks hears his name.

Weird.

He'd been about to get back to work when Squall made his appearance. Shouting at him about the stupid phone. Pulling off his goggles he looked about to say something nasty back but paused.

There was something wrong, the look on Squall's face said it all.]

What happened?

[silentnarration]

[He wouldn't have said anything right then. Squall was lucky Seifer turned into a forge-head.

He reached out to grab Seifer by the shirt near his shoulders, almost reminiscent of that time he saw himself kill Seifer. He looks lost and guilty all at once and he doesn't know what to do.]

Rinoa's gone.

[It hurts. He looks away after he says that, hands trembling, trying for some maddening reason not to cry.

He tried to protect her and he failed. Just like that.]

[firacrux]

[There's a moment where Seifer was about to shove Squall off of him, he doesn't get the grabbing thing the guy does and he very much dislikes it. But again he's too paralyzed by the words that come next.]

What?

[He snaps, far harsher than necessary while his mind reels to catch up to the implications of that. Rinoa's gone, again, Squall's the one left here alone this time... Squall, the Knight, without his Sorceress.

Surely she went... no. Oh no.

The irritation drained out of him immediately and for a moment he stood there, just watching Squall, brows furrowed while it all began to sink in. Squall's demeanor, how poorly he was holding himself together, and just the full weight of this. Oh Hyne. They'd all failed her.

Since he'd not bothered to move away instead of pushing Squall off of him Seifer just reached out to wordlessly wrap him in a bear hug instead. Somehow that seemed a better response than telling him off for crying.]

[silentnarration]

[Grabbing is for stressful situations, okay? And considering what he knows of people who disappear from the dorms. Or those who've been turned into robots... He failed her. It doesn't feel like there's a way to come back from this.

He opens his eyes wide from surprise when he's suddenly drawn into a hug. He expected... yelling, cursing, more disparaging remarks, 'I told you so's. He doesn't look up from where his head is turned against Seifer's shoulder. His own arms go around Seifer's back instead, clutching at his shirt as he breaks down into broken sobs. He shouts, wordless but sometimes it's her name that cracks through his voice.

He's never felt this shattered.]

[firacrux]

[This would make the third time for Seifer, losing Rinoa, but he wasn't going to harp on that. No, by now he's accustomed to loss, and to failure. But for Squall this must be new. Even growing up in a military academy he'd been fairly sheltered.

They both failed her, but Squall as her Knight would be feeling the bitter sting the greatest.

So, rather than give him accusations or grief he'll let him cry it out instead. Thankfully away from Garden Seifer has had some time to reflect and learn a few social graces. Nida's helped, as had Rinoa in the past.

He'd like to stop making the same mistakes of his past. Here presents an opportunity to try something different.]

We'll make it right.

[Is all he mutters. How he's not sure yet, but damn it they can't fail her again.]

[silentnarration]

[Squall couldn't get hurt if he never let anyone close. This was the exact thing he feared but there's no way back from it now.

It's ugly and embarrassing, this crying but he eventually runs out of steam, nodding vaguely to Seifer's words. They'll find a way. Didn't he say the same to Tidus? To Nida? Without knowing what it actually feels like.

He loosens his grip slowly, tries to pull back, stand on his own two feet again when the wave of dizziness hits and he staggers back against the other man. What is...]

Seifer...? I don't... feel...

[The rest of the words don't make it out as he slumps over, unconscious.]

[firacrux]

[It never works out the way you expect. Hell most of the time it doesn't even turn out how you want. Seifer knows these truths all too well.

He releases Squall, not turning to move away because... Well exactly what he expected happened, so at least he was ready to catch Squall before he goes and hits the floor.]

Yeah, I figured.

[He says to his unconscious rival. Good thing he brought a camping cot down. He'll just get Squall tucked in and drag it into the work area so je can keep an eye on him while he gets coffee ready. Guy's going to need it.]

[skyward_eyes]

[Listen, if nothing else, Nida knows how to properly not invade a private and intimate moment between people. And, you know, how to let himself grieve in silence away from other people because, well, there was enough need for it these days and he didn't want to be a pain in the eyes of either of his brothers. Which was why, after learning that Jason didn't remember him, Nida had come to the warehouse in a rush. Had left his bike around the back and come in as quietly as he could. Because he needed to be up high to clear his head, and the liked the security of the warehouse, the familiar heat, the tightness of the air high up.

Unlike Seifer, he'd noticed Squall coming in, had watched the man approach and had almost jumped down to interact with the others, but even from his height he'd read tightness in Squall's posture. Strange tightness. Not the usual. Emotions, he realized later. Something he should have recognized from the time Squall had seen his memories and been trying to hide it some. So he'd stayed high. This was their moment. And when he heard the words... Well, that was a new pain.

It wasn't until Squall passed out that Nida rose to his feet on the particular girder he'd been on, and on quick, quick feet he moved over it to a support and then started his way down. So it was Nida dropped with a bit of noise, not much but some so that Seifer wasn't completely shocked, behind his brother.]

Want me to make coffee? Or something else? Something to help?

[Let him work the nauseous energy out of his gut. Because last time the two of them lost Rinoa, well... they had known it was to their home and not to... not to what they've lost her to now.]

[firacrux]

[Seifer really needed to learn to look up in the warehouse, as Nida nearly startled the hell out of him. Shadow tendrils flared to life, angling threateningly in Nida's direction. A few beats and Seifer sighed.]

Hyne, you can't be creepin' up on me like that. Yeah, he'll need it. Get the sugar.

[That will keep Nida busy for a few while Seifer goes to drag the cot over. Multiple arms come in handy at times like this.]

If I gotta leave make sure his dumb ass doesn't go trying to walk for a while.

[Focusing on the effects of a broken bond is easier than thinking about what probably happened to Rinoa. He's not ready to address it.

Eos is ready to curl up with Squall though.]

[skyward_eyes]

I don't know, Seif. I think I keep proving that I not only can, but will sneak up on you like that.

[Be careful of your grammar choices, because Nida definitely will work with what he's given. And be amused by it too. But he isn't smiling when he says that. Isn't laughing, isn't playful. It's knee jerk, not actual teasing. He ignores the angry arms and reaches out to lay a gentle hand on Seifer's arm, just for a second, and then he's moving away to the coffee maker. He absolutely knows how the Commander takes it. Years of studying the man, after all.]

Today just doesn't want to stop being terrible. I'm definitely not loving that. Seifer, do me a favor and don't let the Head take you. I don't have much more to lose.

[Seifer and Squall. They're all he has left.]

[firacrux]

Ha ha, you're funny. Fuck you.

[He doesn't care if it's knee jerk or not. Doesn't care if Nida thinks he's being funny. Not in the mood for his bullshit.

It isn't about how Squall takes it, it's about how he's going to be feeling with a freshly broken bond. Who better among them to understand than the person who's lived it already?]

Ain't exactly plannin' on it.

[He mutters as he's working to get Squall situated on the cot. Should be fine there for now. There's still a lot of work to be done. Now, more than ever, they can't afford to slow down.]

[skyward_eyes]

[Yeah, Nida isn't in the mood for it either. Which is a good thing, because he might have asked if that was a strange sort of incest they should avoid. But, well, Nida was the one in the room that had never been connected with a Sorceress. His witch hadn't exactly had the same sort of magical bond forged with his boyfriends that Sorceresses maintained with their Knights. He didn't know. He couldn't know, and never would. On some level Nida understands that he can't even remotely understand what Squall is going through. That's why he bites his lip and goes to start preparing coffee.]

We'll... we'll find a way to fix this. So that we get our people back. So they remember us.

[After all, there had to be SOME memory issues, right? Because why else wouldn't the Head replace them with robots and then just have the robots work amid the other new arrivals? Why wouldn't the others be interacting with them, keeping up the pretty little fiction that everything was okay and the year cut off really was true? He sighs as he measures out the coffee.]

Does... it hurt? When the bond is broken? Is there something I can do for him? Run out for pain medication or see if I can find Cloud or Zack with one of their healing orb thingies? Or... If it's something that needs numbed, I could... talk to Tifa about a delivery here. From where she works.

[Alcohol. He means alcohol. He'd risk carrying it back here to make sure it was there for Squall if he needed it to deal with the immediate issues of the bond breaking. Provided nobody cared so much if Nida just, you know, lived up in the rafters for a while to stay away from it but also make sure Squall didn't abuse too much.]

Waking up 8|

[silentnarration]

[It's a couple of hours before Squall stirs with a frown, bringing a hand to his face. He grunts when attempting to sit up just causes another wave of nausea to hit. Then he stays lying down when he remembers why he's even here. At least he's run out of anger and tears for now.

Hyne, he hates this city so much.

Eos is still snuggled up against him and chuffs. He absently reaches over to pet him. They'll have to pick up Rinoa's cat from Loki's place too. Everything about this sucks. Maybe if he keeps his arm thrown over his eyes, he won't have to deal with any of this for another minute. Plus, it's nice he didn't wake up lying on some dirt ground for once.]

[firacrux]

[Right on time, or rather on better time than Seifer had been anticipating for the worst case scenario. Fortunately Squall hadn't been put down hard enough to be out for days, and Eos is a good nurse pup.

Yeah, he expected the reluctance at getting up, too.]

Rise and shine, Princess.

[He rumbled, having spotted Squall's stirring. Time to get up and make that coffee, extra sweet. He'll go get something for the nausea later.]

Try a few deep breaths, helps clear the head.

[skyward_eyes]

[Is Nida allowed to dibs the Peacat? Well, maybe Squall needs her more. As for Squall waiting, Nida moves away from the shelves he'd been sitting on top of because of his nerves. He jumped down and moved to the coffee maker. Sorry, Seifer, this is the only way he can be useful. Defaulting to obedient SeeD for just a moment, let him have this.]

You need anything other than coffee, Boss?

[silentnarration]

[Nida is totally allowed to have Peacat though if she's staying with them, it's the same difference probably.

He offers a somewhat disgruntled grunt in response to 'princess'. He doesn't have the energy to be properly annoyed. He does have the sense to follow directions though and starts to take in a few slow deep breaths.]

... I'm not answering that.

[Because what he needs isn't possible right now.

Thankfully, his stomach rumbles in response for him. He grunts in annoyance and tries to turn on his side, facing away from them. He really doesn't care about that right now either.]

[firacrux]

[Nida could probably use a companion animal. Seifer might borrow her for cuddles from time to time. Poor cat. Poor Squall. At least he managed an annoyed grunt, that's something.]

Extra sugar, double his normal.

[Trust him on this.]

We'll pick up some fruit later, I can chip up some ice when you're feeling up for it.

[The cold he's found helps. Something about it all makes you feel like you've got the damned flu, only no medicine really offers relief.]

[skyward_eyes]

[Double the normal? Nida stares at his brother for a long moment before nodding and doubling what he's already putting in there. Faith in Seifer is absolute.]

Fruit and ice? I... What?

[Cold and sugar. What a strange combination. And Nida's definitely intrigued.]

Boss, coffee is ready. You should have some. Seifer thinks it's important.

[silentnarration]

[Grunting is a great way to convey words right? Because he feels like being a baby about things. He doesn't want to be the soldier or commander or knight right this moment.

He keeps himself faced away even as Eos tries to climb over him to get to the 'correct side' for more cuddles, short legs scrabbling fruitlessly.]

Don't want it.

[That said, Squall already likes his coffee pretty sweet, so that cup of coffee is likely a travesty of sugar.]

[firacrux]

[Seifer just shoots Nida a look as if to say 'don't question me' before turning his attention back to Squall. Whom he looms over and reaches out to shake his knee aggressively.]

We been babysittin' your ass all afternoon, 'least you can do is drink the coffee Nida made for you.

[Which is undoubtedly a disaster. And would be horrible at any other time but for what's happening right now.]

[skyward_eyes]

[This coffee probably counts as a war crime. He moves to Squall with the travesty and holds it out.]

If it's horrible, blame Seif. I'm just the maid.

[silentnarration]

[Hey! Hey, no shaking! He swats at Seifer's hand but doing so makes him turn on his back again so he can glare... and look chastised enough to reluctantly push himself up on his elbow.

He sighs and reaches for the cup, mumbling a weak 'thanks' before taking a sip.

He frowns deeply. Somehow he can tell it's far too sweet and yet his taste buds seem to be numb enough that the sugar almost feels like a boost. He looks at the coffee, at Nida, and settling on Seifer. A look of horrified understanding passing over his expression before he slowly tries to sit up straighter to drink it. He may need a little help not spilling coffee or swaying too far off balance there but he'll be good and keep sipping the coffee once he's up.]

[firacrux]

[The coffee is totally a war crime. But come on, since when haven't they committed a few of those in their lives?

Seifer doesn't say anything, expression carefully schooled back into his usual neutral scowl. Don't mind him, he just knows things about things, sometimes. Instead of saying anything he just reaches out to briefly take the cup from Squall while he readjusts before handing it back again once he's settled.

He gets it, the unsteadiness. Better just not to comment.]

About damn time you woke up, I've still got work to do.

[Which, now that he's not needed for babysitting duty, he can get back to.]

[skyward_eyes]

[Really Seifer? Work? Now? Nida gives his brother a disbelieving look before sitting on the cot near Squall. While he's never been especially tactile with Squall before, he's still here, close enough to lean against if Squall gets off balance again. A strong back is definitely something he can be.]

You've been out for a while. Had us worried. Well, I should really only speak for myself I guess. I'm your hands and feet for as long as you need them, whatever you need outside of the warehouse I'll get. Brought my bike and everything.