[ action post + phone call to Zack ]
[ Kunsel's feeling better. Given the state he was in before, though, pretty much anything is better in comparison. But he's clean, he's (arguably) fed, and he's called Angeal back to tell Angeal where to find him. (He's at Kira's cafe now, Angie.) So, he's better. The chocobo egg is clean now too, and he's got it swaddled in a towel Kira was kind
( Read more... )
[ Kunsel manages a quiet, breathless little laugh at the image, shaking his head a little at the mental image of Zack napping on a roof somewhere. He holds on to the peaceful image, managing to keep it for a few brief seconds before it's adulterated by the things Kunsel witnessed on the farm, and Kunsel flinches away from the thought. He keeps imagining horrible things he doesn't want to think about but envisions all the same. Terrible images of Chloe and Billy, of Bill trying to save them and Kunsel just not being there when they needed him. Of Sion, of their last mission, the deafening sound of the shotgun blast. And, for some reason, Zack. Hurt, alone, dying somewhere. It's just his imagination, because his attack that day. It's just his imagination, he knows. But that doesn't make it any less numbing, and less frightening. He can't seem to shake the feeling that even though they're all here now, he could lose them. In just the blink of an eye, he could lose them. Again. And there isn't anything he can do to save them. ]
...hey, Zack?
[ Kunsel's voice gets quieter, less certain. ]
We can... We can tell each other anything, right?
Reply
[He would've liked to keep going with that, even though discussing his puppy-related antics is anything but enjoyable, but when Kunsel's tone changes, that worry that he thought he wouldn't have to deal with at the start of the conversation suddenly surfaces. Certain phrases are only used when something unpleasant needs to be discussed, and "we can tell each other anything" is one of them.]
'Course we can. S'what best friends do.
What's wrong?
Reply
...I went. Couple days ago.
[ Kunsel's breath catches here as he tries to go on with the story, but it's hard to put what he saw into concrete thoughts, much less coherent words. It's still mostly a blur of events, punctuated by images of terrible, stark vividness. Like Chloe's eyes. Like the rust pattern on the shovel's blade, flecked with blood spatter. Like the walls of the barn, painted over in red. ]
...everyone's dead. Bill and the kids. The chocobo. Murdered. Slaughtered. I... It was just a stupid little farmstead out in nowhere. I never... Never thought--
Reply
[There's just silence on Zack's end for a while. He wasn't expecting good news, he knew that much, but he certainly wasn't expecting anything along the lines of . . .
Dammit. Only a month he'd been here and already, everything was going to Hell faster than his time back in SOLDIER. His own incident that resulted in the black feathers he was only now getting a little more accustomed to, Cloud's several run-ins with the murderous space alien, everything that Kunsel had to go through - what now? More innocent lives were taken away every moment of every day (he knew exactly who was responsible) and who knew what it was going to take for it to stop? What if they couldn't? Who was going to be hurt or killed next?
This was usually one of those situations that he'd looked up to the sky and asked Angeal what to do. But there was no one up there with guidance, Angeal had returned with him (and honestly had enough on his plate to deal with). Zack wanted to fix things, solve the problems and save everyone, be the hero. This time, however, it was back to being that same lost puppy who called out to the heavens, and waiting for an answer that never came.]
Kunsel . . .
[Zack just sighs, running a hand through his hair and leaning back against the guardrail. How could he fix this? What could he say that could possibly help his friend after what'd just happened?
He's torn between hunting down the monster responsible and making him pay for what he'd done, and curling up on the roof to just cry until there were no tears left. Chocobos always were his favourite. And he'd never even got to visit the farm.]
Reply
[ Kunsel pauses here, contemplating his own words. He's not really sure if he's lying to Zack or not. Then he lets out a soft puff of a sigh, shaking his head as he runs his fingers over the crack in his chocobo egg's shell. ]
...I'll be okay. I just keep thinking stupid thoughts. Like I should've been there. Like I... It wouldn't have helped even if I was, you know? But still, they... They treated me like family. They were like family. They were like family, and I...
I'll be okay.
I could use seeing you, though. Got something for you.
[ He knows he's downplaying the seriousness of what happened, but it's almost instinctive. He knows that Zack understands the depth of it without Kunsel putting it explicitly into words. For all Zack overlooked, situations like this were never among them. And so Kunsel knows the burdens Zack puts on himself, and does his best not to add to them. Because when all was said and done, Bill and his kids were still dead. The chocobo Kunsel had taken care of for the last five years were all still dead, save for Fairy and the egg he had cradled in his arms. Nothing could change that. No amount of outrage, no amount of vengeance. All they could do was pick up the piece and keep moving forward. ]
Reply
Where are you? I'll head over right now.
[That's about all he can manage. There are several things he could tell him, but everything doesn't quite make it past his lips. But he can promise that he'd be there. It's all he'd seemed to be doing lately, travelling back and forth between people who'd needed him to be there, and he was good at it. The hero business, not so much, but comforting a friend in need he could do.
Already he's pushing himself up to his feet, not bothering to dust off his pants before heading to the edge of the roof to figure out just how exactly he was getting down. This probably would've been a lot easier if the wing on his shoulder was actually useful.
But nevermind that, Kunsel needed him there, so if he had to jump off the roof to get to him, he would. It wouldn't be the highest point he'd leaped off of.]
Reply
[ Kunsel manages another soft laugh at that, but he finds a strange feeling of numbness has begun to settle into him. Even though he's laughing, he finds that he doesn't feel anything resembling the emotions the laughter makes him feel. At the same time, the anxiety in his chest feels deadened, not gone but no longer as overwhelming as before. It feels distanced from him, and he's almost glad it only not for how unsettled the numbness makes him. It makes him feel not like himself, and that bothers him.
But he doesn't worry about it too much for now. Zack's coming to see him, after all, which means he had to come up with something resembling coherent directions. ]
Let's see...
[ Kunsel manages to make directions with the help of a map from the desk and relays it all to Zack, repeating it a few times to make sure Zack doesn't forget or get them wrong and accidentally end up in Kalm. Then he sighs and moves over to the window, peering out to see if he might spot Zack's approach. ]
It's room 416. And--
Use the stairs, Zack. Okay? Remember that time you sprained your ankle?
Reply
I got'cha. Four-sixteen, climbin' the outside drainpipe is a no go.
[Of course, now the only thing to worry about were the looks other people would give him at the hotel. The long coat that Angeal had managed to find for him did a good job of covering most of the wing, anybody walking by from a distance wouldn't be able to tell, but that was while he'd hurried through the city late at night with few onlookers. Up close, there was obviously something underneath the material, and the tips of black feathers would occasionally peek out from the bottom. Considering all the chaos that Jenova and her Sephiroth had been creating in the city, someone walking around with such an ominous reminder of it wouldn't be well-received. What if someone started throwing rocks or something . . .
. . . now was not a time to be self-conscious. Kunsel was going through yet another crisis and needed Zack to be there. People giving him odd looks (and possibly rocks) was not going to keep him away. He would cover it as best he can, and that would be that.]
I'll be there as soon as I can. Just gotta tell Spike m'headin' out.
[Already he's managed to get on the ground, after a short climb and a slight leap - only stumbling once, and only because he was still growing accustomed to the extra weight, that's all. He'd get used to it eventually. At least he didn't fall on his face like last time.]
Reply
Leave a comment