dualislogs | ya gotta wanna be a battering ram

Entry tags:

ya gotta wanna be a battering ram

WHO: The entire dang city.
WHAT: Dualis Days, a week-long summer celebration.
WHERE: Central Square Park and the rest of the city.
WHEN: June 17-23.
WARNINGS: Terrorist violence, likely some blood and injuries. Please warn in individual threads!

June 17; Central Square Park.

Every year for as far back as anyone can remember, the start of summer is heralded by the week-long festival known as Dualis Days. This celebration officially kicks off at midday in the middle of Central Square Park with a commencement speech by the current mayor. This year marks Marcelina Dubanowski's third term as mayor of Dualis; she is an average-sized, middle-aged human-presenting woman with blonde hair styled in a short bob and a plastic, toothy smile that never seems to turn entirely off.

"Welcome, one and all!" she begins, with the practiced cadence of someone who is quite comfortable with public speaking. She invites all citizens, new and old, to spend the next week indulging in festivities in all districts of the city and getting to know their neighbors a little better. This is a joyous time of celebration, and the crowd responds with enthusiastic applause as the mayor finishes her speech and introduces this year's parade marshall, Peshtigo Tengfei.

Tengfei blows a whistle six times to signal the start of the parade - and this is where the celebration goes sideways.

A loud explosion tears through the air, and it's followed by panicked screams and the sharp screech of microphone feedback. A bomb has gone off at the platform where the mayor was standing, collapsing the wood and tearing it to splinters and dust. Chaos erupts in the gathered crowd, and as the people shift in all directions to get clear of any possible additional bombs, a loud siren cuts through the cacophony, calling attention to the sudden crackle of video feed present on all television screens throughout the city, including those set up in the park to broadcast the mayor's speech for those standing far from the stage. The picture is plain, a black background and bold white block letters filling the screen:

WAKE UP
WAKE UP
DON'T BELIEVE THE LIES

The final image is an anatomical graphic of a human heart, displayed for about three seconds, and then the feed goes black again.

Confused murmurs sweep through the crowd as citizens resume tending to the injured and evacuating the area until official first responders arrive.

June 17-23; aftermath around the city.

Dualis Days continues as scheduled, though Mayor Dubanowski is unable to enjoy the festival, as she is spending the week in the hospital recovering from her injuries. A team of Iterations guard her door - no visitors allowed - but the news media frequently report updates on her condition. Nothing to worry about, folks! Return to your celebrations, and don't mind the increased visible presence of the Hand as Iterations are stationed every few blocks throughout the city. It's only for your protection, after all.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Okay." There's no reason to argue so he'll just tag along, especially since the nurse at reception will just wave them off without payment. It's almost like being back at Garden.

"I don't get you, Nida. You didn't seem happy to see me but you keep helping."

“You’re not wrong. I’m not sure just what you represent for people I care about here,” Nida admits after several minutes of quiet thought, still keeping a slow pace to help get Squall where he needs to be. Which is for food.

“At the same time, there is this part of me, call if SeeD Nomura If you want, that demands certain behavior. It’s a fucking hard balance.”

Squall frowns, but again, unfocused. Fun.

"You said Seifer's your brother now. That's nice..." Does he actually sound kind of wistful? Can he blame it on the drug haze later? "But I get it. We're soldiers. We obey the chain of command." A pause. "I didn't change that in the future, did I?"

“Fuck. Time. Travel,” Nida curses under his breath. Because effectively that is what this is. At least for Squall. The worst part of back home, among all the other worst things, was stable fucking time loops. “And I hate being a soldier.”

Still, he speaks up as he actually answers, making sure it is clear that it is an answer. Or, at least, a counter question.

“Do you really want a glimpse at the future, Squall? Rumor had it that it was time travel that got you into the mess in the first place. Do you really want more of that?”

Squall's too distracted to hear those curses though he'd agree. Time travel is fucked.

A tighter frown. "The rumor's true." He ended and started the time loop. He tries not to think about it too hard though he may be tempted to study it in Esthar sometime. "And I don't." Just a tinge of upset creeping his way in there. "I really don't. But you're here. We have to live together. I can't hide from it forever."

It's really fucking tempting though.

"You really can," Nida insists. "Because I don't like to think about Garden, or talk about it. So you're perfectly safe if you don't bother asking ever again."

Seems like a fair arrangement, right? Right.

Squall falls silent for a long while. "For now maybe." Because he really doesn't want to know. The fact that there will still be a Ultimecia in the distant future is scary enough. And it's been a really long day. Just let him run from this unexpected situation for a while.

"But if you get upset because of me again, I'll have to know."

“And you’ll get nothing from me until you order it from me,” Nida answers simply. Which isn’t simple at all. “You really going to pull rank here, Commander, where it doesn’t exist?”

Because, frankly, Nida doesn’t know shy he would do if Squall did. It... would probably be bad. He just doesn’t know how.

What? Why does he have to pull rank? It's just a question. Ugh, it's so hard to focus.

"I'm not going to-" He cuts himself off, frowning again. "I'm supposed to be fine with you acting weird because of things I haven't done?"

Actually, now that he's said that out loud, that about sums up his life since graduation. He's going to look miffed now.

“You’re going to be fine with it because it isn’t your business. I seem to remember you weren’t prone to prying. Or has that changed because of one girl?”

Maybe that will get Squall to lay off things. Because Nida doesn’t want to talk about them being betrayed. About him being betrayed by the man he had thought he loved. It still hurt.

Mrgh.

"Whatever..." Fine. He'll drop it. He's tired. He's had one too many emotional conversations for a day. Instead of prying, he opts to move closer and lean against Nida more. One hand on his shoulder.

"Can we go back? I'm not hungry."

The touch brings Nida up short, and the admission softens his expression much like the injury had. Concern, Nida is built on concern. Just didn’t know it.

“Yeah, we can go back. I can go out and get you something to eat too. If you haven’t eaten today you’ll need it, for healing. Please?”

Listen, he’s trying to handle this, but things have been bad today. Looks like he has to trot out another apology.

“I... had to deal with traumatic reminders of a bombing today, leave my witch boyfriend alone and trust him to take care of himself even though he’s unarmed of anything but his magic that I’m still adjusting to. After that I was more or less abducted by the cops to be taken in and find out that the other man I see as my brother, who died months ago, was alive and here somehow. And I fought with him. I’m sorry I’m testy but in a way I’m in a very bad place and seeing you reminds me of some things that happened when I was last home and...”

He can’t even look at Squall. He looks aside instead.

“A lot of bad stuff happened to me. A lot of stuff I didn’t want to remember. And unfortunately you serve as a reminder. Not because of anything you did. You’re a good man, Squall. It was all because of what has happened to me.”

Squall listens and does his best to process. That's a lot to learn about Nida at once while his head's not fully in the game. But he understands. Shit happened. He nods and squeezes Nida's shoulder.

"I won't ask," he promises. He knows what it's like to want to keep all the trauma and pain to oneself. "I'm sorry I pushed." It's been a long day and he's been on edge the whole time too. After a beat, he adds. "Let's... find something on the way back. I'll eat and go to bed."

He doesn't want Nida making multiple trips because of Squall's own stubbornness. Also... "If your boyfriend's name is Billy, I saw him after things died down. He was tired but well enough to harass me to see a doctor."

There is a lot to unpack, and Nida knows it. But he does nod in agreement to the new plan. Probably smarter anyway. But what really gets him is Squall referencing Billy. That puts a warm, and absolutely fond, smile onto his face.

“That sounds like him. And he was probably adorable whine he was concerned. Hyne, I owe him an apology for disappearing tonight.”

He should be with his brothers. He should be with his lover. Instead it’s his boss. And not even the one he chose. But really, he has to remember one thing: Squall never asked for any of this. And never would. Squall wasn’t the enemy. He was just a reminder.

Who knows. Maybe Squall will get hungry when they do find food. That smile is a surprise and kind of nice to see. He doesn't remember Nida smiling much when they met on the bridge. Not that... Squall or the situation inspired much smiling.

"I think... he'll understand." Billy feels like the sort. Too nice.

“He’s just nice like that,” Nida agrees, and the fond smile only warms more. “You’re lucky he didn’t force you to the hospital himself. He’s a worried helper. He makes you want to be better than you are.”

Which is a lot when you’re a spy and sometimes killer for hire. Nida moves just enough to wrap an arm around Squall’s shoulder for support. Better not to let the younger SeeD stumble into traffic.

Another light frown. "I wasn't very nice to him." He was kind of grumpy at the time though. And it was still tame compared to the old Squall.

"Tell him I'm fine when you see him?"

Nida clearly bites back a sharp remark with some effort when Squall tells him that. Billy is... not okay to go after. But Squall being an idiot is expected. He'll let it go.

"I will. And you'll apologize."

Mrgh. Apologize for being a jerk? So many hours after the fact?

...

"Fine..." A simple word to ease tension isn't such a bad thing. Probably. He leans against Nida a little more, falling quiet again. He'll basically be compliant for getting food, eating, returning to the dorm, and passing right out. His appetite won't get any better but he'll manage a small meal. Better than nothing right?

Yes, it is something, and Nida appreciates it. He does manage to get food into Squall, which is something. Even eats for himself. Then he gets Squall back up to their room, gentle the whole way. The task from there is just getting Squall into bed. Guy even fusses for the purposes of getting Squall to lay down and get tucked in.

What? He can’t help but worry.

“Next time, medical care first.”

Getting tucked in is novel, actually. Nice and pleasant and tugs at something in the depths of a lost childhood memory.

He looks kind of wide-eyed and awed and touched as Nida finishes tucking him in. A stare he holds for a little too long in his unfocused state before he shuffles onto his side a little to look away.

"I always do. This was different," he mutters, eyes closing.

“Isn’t it always?”

Face it, Nida may not realize it, but he makes a great older brother or even an eventual father. He looks softly down at Squall and shakes his head. At least the guy is settled in. After a moment he the does head back to his own bed. Settles there, sitting up, to watch. All he can do tonight is watch.

Squall huffs in response. Nida's not wrong. Their life is just full of different and new and weird. Regardless of how the day started, at least he's sharing the room with someone he can trust.

It won't be long until he falls asleep. He'll even be good for the next couple of days, mostly staying indoors until he fully heals. After that, well, Squall will be up and about again.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

ya gotta wanna be a battering ram

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject