Who: Zack Fair
i_love_squats, OPEN
When: Today or tomorrow.
Where: Zack and Angeal’s home.
Format: Paragraph or action, whichever you want. Feel free to hop in an already established thread or start a new one for new guests who want to arrive at a different time. Either or. :D
What: For anyone who wants to come and visit Zack and make sure he doesn’t escape
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Stretching is all. Getting awful cramps sitting in this bed.
[Which wasn't exactly untrue. His back was killing him from more than his injuries, and his neck cracked something awful when he turned it in certain angles. To illustrate his point, Zack raised his arms over his head, wincing as the gunfire pops sounded while his vertebrae slid back into their proper alignment. A tired smile crossed his lips, his eyes flickering from the tea to Angeal and lingering there. He didn't deserve this good treatment, just as he didn't deserve Angeal's worry.]
How's the outside world? Am I missing anything?
[Which was SOLDIER for "Is that asshole still out there? Has he done anything else?"]
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[ Angeal knew Zack well, but this little excuse didn't require any great feats of insight to spot. He shook his head and entered, making his way to the bed and setting the tray down onto the bedspread carefully. Then again (and judging by the sound of those cracks in Zack's spine) it did make sense for the kid to be having cramps from staying so long in bed-- especially someone as normally restless as Zack.
Understanding what his student was asking him, noticing the tired smile with a twitch of his brows, Angeal sat down next to him with a small sigh. ]
The outside world is pretty much the same, and no, you're not missing anything. [ Which was Angealish for "You're going to stay right where you are, mister, until I give the go-ahead." ] Want me to do something for those cramps?
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[Maybe tomorrow, though. Today just wasn't the day for it.
[There was a minor sulk at the Angeal-ese, complete with a nod and sway of his hair. The same. And he was grounded. His eyes flickered to the sword in the corner before he blinked and looked up at Angeal.]
Probably won't let me get up and do exercises, huh? [He smiled, before his shoulders rolled in a shrug, which created a new symphony of cracks.] Do you have a hot pack?
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His coming there had nothing to do with his inability to not be in sight of someone known for more than a few hours. He hated being so weak.]
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Come in!
[Even though he was going to try to meet him half way, at least. Unless Jason waited for him, but that would take a few minutes. Hurt men move slow, though he tried to play it off like his leg was asleep (if only!) rather than his soreness and pain.]
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You look like shit.
[not that Jason looked much better, but at least he could stand on his own two legs without looking like he was about to keel over.]
The usual course of action in that case is to stay still somewhere, but that doesn't sounds like your style.
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Can't say that you look like the posterchild for the Great Midgar Dream yourself.
[But he smiled, something he hoped would soften his words. He started to hobble back towards bed; if he stayed up too long, he'd have an angry mentor on his behind. And hadn't Angeal done enough look after him already? Zack didn't dare to tack on more stress to the poor guy than he already had.]
Nah, not really. And the four walls aren't mine, either. So, how are you?
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She knocked on his door at about the same moment that she reached for the doorknob, not really waiting for an answer before she bounced into the room. Well, he did say he wanted to see her!
"Zack-Zack! I came to visit you!"
Any somber tones that their Forge conversation may have had were all gone from her head, though she remembered everything he said with perfect clarity. She put on a great big smile and hopped up on the bed. She landed lightly and, though perhaps she did seem so, she was very careful not to land on him in case he was hurt worse than he said.
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"Are you doing okay, Zack-Zack?" Chipper as anything, she grinned up at him and looked him over for injuries. She had sharp eyes for wounds, but she didn't let on just how much she noticed.
"I brought lots of stuff for you!" Rummaging in her sleeve, she began to produce the things she had collected to cheer Zack-Zack up. She laid them out on the bed carefully, one at a time, as she named them.
"I brought you an apple and a bag of candy and some crayons." The apple was untouched, though the bag of candy appeared to have been gone through and some of its contents eaten. The crayons were clearly the same that she had been using for days. "Oh! And your drawing!"
This last she produced with some fanfare, drawing it out of her sleeve with a flourish of her little hand and a showman's smile.
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It had a way of weaseling in and complicating even the simplest of situations; case and point, a straightforward visit to drop off some soup.
On his way to Angeal's and Zack's place, Itachi'd had a lot of time to consider things, and he had finally come to a solid conclusion... had it not been for letting his guard down, Elena would not have been able to go chasing off after Yazoo on her own, and Zack would not have had to rescue her. They might even have been able to save the Native girl's life... maybe.
He felt wholly responsible for the mishap either way, and because of that, not visiting Zack while he was recovering was simply out of the question. That same sense of accountability was to blame for his deciding to stay longer, as well. Like a vicious beast, the guilt had hooked its claws into him, had forced him to resign himself to this awkward fate.
Paper bag in one arm, he knocked with his free hand on the door and pushed it open, dark eyes scanning the room for the allegedly incapacitated SOLDIER.
"Zack-san?"
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Besides, his SOLDIER clothes were going to need a really good tailor after that explosion.
Zack was attempting to do a squat (something that made his knees pop and his body hurt) when Itachi knocked and poked his head in. Tilting precariously to the side, a surprised Zack managed to catch himself and fall onto the bed, looking as though he was sitting on the edge the entire time. Good puppy wouldn't be straining himself, oh no. Not him. Never ( ... )
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"You're not fooling anyone," he began, not skipping a beat.
It was only after handing over the soup that he took the seat opposite Zack's bed, however, his back against the padding of the chair, dark eyes studying the ex-SOLDIER's bright blue. Angeal had said that Zack was transparent... and it was true. It was easy to see that the man across from him was troubled, not despite the cheerful front he put up, but because of it.
"I hope that you realize... you're being as reckless as Elena-san? Recuperation is not strictly physical. Your mind needs to rest, as well."
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“Thanks.” He smiled as he took the soup, refusing, absolutely refusing to show that he wasn’t thrilled to have it. Contrary to popular belief, Zack exhibited manners at time, especially when someone had gone out of their way to bring him a present. And he was happy for it, for the symbolism; it showed Itachi cared, made an effort. He wondered how many other people could say that in relation to the wayward ninja ( ... )
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Most people took the conventional route of knocking on the door, but he had been to Zack's place enough where doors no longer mattered to him. No, he instead went for a window, perching precariously on the ledge and simply forcing the window open before he stepped into the small apartment. He had enough sense to use materia to force attention off of him by magically opening the door.
"Sit," Cloud ordered as his feet settled on the floor, and he waved a hand so that a small blast of demi closed the door again. "I see the battle went as well as I thought it would. Maybe next time you can listen to me, Zackary." Yes, the full name meant he was in trouble.
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Zack’s mouth screwed tight, his shoulders sagging, and he thought about barking that he wasn’t a puppy and he didn’t take commands like sit well, but Cloud was using his full name. It sparked age old feelings of when his mother would have the daily scolding. Zackary, did you break this window? Zackary, did you fall in the river and then track mud all over my house? Zackary, did you play in the chocobo pen again?
“I had to do something,” he muttered, falling back onto the bed, sitting for a moment before lying down. His knees popped angrily. “He had a little girl and Elena.” And, as emphasis, “I had to do somethingBut that “something” had been “failure”, and it was unacceptable. He muttered a “tch,” turning his head away. ( ... )
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"I understand," he murmured softly before approaching where Zack was sitting. The Ultima Weapon hummed on his back, and he looked his friend up and down to assess the state of injuries. The fact that Zack reverted to laying down was evidence to how difficult things were. "Elena set herself up for that situation. It's not your fault about the little girl."
He stepped over to look down at Zack, raising an eyebrow. "People name others heroes, but the people themselves are too modest for the title... or too busy being one at the time. You did what you thought was right. You have limitations; Yazoo doesn't."
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