Day 55: Cafeteria

[mustbethesuit]

Comments

[zack_fair]

Zack was pretty sure that everyone felt like they were flying under the radar until it actually happened. It was the sort of thing where you never really expected it to happen to you, even if you were just as likely to be picked as anyone else. If anything, Zack figured he was more of a target. He had put a lot of his time into learning how to fight and even kill when it came down to it, so he'd be a pretty good candidate. Choosing a kid, though? That seemed wrong.

Not that he was asking to be taken, but he was definitely prepared for it. Or as prepared as he could be, at least.

Still, if the kid was telling the truth and he'd injured some people, then that was proof enough that he'd been seen as both strong and valuable by the institute. It was troubling, but Zack had probably only been a little older than him when he'd joined the military. He was the poster boy for flying through the ranks at a young age -- or he had been, anyway.

"If that's the case, then maybe try to track them down and apologize. They probably don't blame you for it -- I mean, everyone here knows about it. But still, it might mean something to them if you take the time to apologize face-to-face, right?" That was how Zack would have handled it personally.

[composers_proxy]

Apologize? Probably. Neku spent the next several moments intently scrubbing an invisible stain on the floor. It struck a chord with him and while he wanted to push the blame and say it wasn't his fault, he wasn't the one in control... it just didn't change the fact that he'd hurt them. Even if the sorry was only an I'm sorry you got hurt, there should probably be one. It just- it sucked and he was pissed and there was no one to take it out on except for the dirty floor beneath him.

"Yeah," he said after a few moments, with a slow nod of his head. There was a reason he kind of sucked at being the conversationalist. Usually this was where Shiki or Beat would pop in with a convenient change in subject.

[zack_fair]

Okay, that wasn't the best response he could have hoped for, but all Zack could do was cross his fingers that his words had actually gotten through somehow. Neku was now just staring at the floor and more or less trying to act like he didn't exist, which only made Zack feel worse. No one that young should have to go through something so emotionally damaging. He'd been through his share of terrible situations at a young age, as had Cloud, and while they'd come out okay, they definitely had a few scars. It seemed like Neku was going to have some too, and Zack didn't like having to see it.

"Anyway... let me know if you need anything, okay? I might not be able to offer much, but I'm always willing to lend a hand." Even to a relative stranger. The kid looked like he needed a few people to rely on, and Zack almost had this instinct for taking people under his wing. Neku might not accept his help, but he could at least extend it to him.