caughtinanetwork | ;video | close to midnight

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;video | close to midnight

[The SFC comes on with a very noisy clatter. When the video evens out, Ioder can be seen looking down at it, huddled up with his knees to his chest. He looks pained, and there's a good reason for that - all the blood that's splattered the right side of his face, his shoulder and staining a good portion of his once-white shirt is to be blamed for that. The wound that's caused it currently has his hand clasped so tightly over it his knuckles are turning white, and he's clearly shaking.]

I... I need... some assistance... please... i-if anyone is awake... I'm at the coral...

[He pauses, breath hitching. He's trying to keep tears back, but he's not sure how much longer he can go without utterly breaking down. He doesn't bother turning the SFC off, instead just burying his face in his curled up arms as his shoulders tremble.]

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[Another shake of his head. They're almost there and he just wants nothing more to pass out and forget this ever happened.]

She... was the one who seemed to have a problem with the host club...

[Hopefully that would clear it up a little. They had gotten distracted by other things in their talk and he had never gotten around to mentioning just who it was he'd been talking to and what had transpired.]

I didn't... think anything of it, until tonight...

[Okay can he just die now? Please? This is worse than any time he's ever been kidnapped, even the time he almost drowned as a result of it.]

Is that why she attacked you?!

[That's ridiculous. Completely insane. All Ioder ever did was talk to people. He didn't lead anyone on. If he's to be believed - and Zelos thinks he is - he doesn't even think of sex on a regular basis. So then why? Shouldn't it have been him, as the president of the host club and who, let's face it, goes home with quite a few of his guests.

He's continued to walk Ioder to the coral as he thought and now that it's right in front of them, he helps the little emperor stick out his hand to touch it.]

I'm sorry. Look, we'll contact the defense force. They'll keep an eye out for her. She won't get away with it.

N-no, that's not--

[He stops as his hand is moved to the coral, a grunt of pain sounding before the healing finally begins. He lets the coral work, letting his arm fall back at his side heavily once his wound is mostly closed.

He's still breathing hard, though it's mostly out of fear. Asakura said she was going to leave him there and that was that, but he can't help the paranoid feeling that's crawling over his skin, leading him to believe (wrongfully) that it's not over yet.]

She... said it was an experiment... I don't think it had anything to do with the club...

... At least I hope it didn't...

[The thought alone terrifies him. Has he just made everyone in the club a potential target for her next "experiments"?]

An experiment?

[A deep frown colors Zelos' face. This is all wrong, something stinks.

He pops out his SFC and sends a quick message to Ky, knowing the guy will definitely hop right on it. If there's people hurt, he's one to count on to do the right thing. At the very least he can get it around the defense force.

Zelos trusts Ky with things like this. How could he not?]

I think you'd better tell me how all this started.

[Even with the coral keeping him from bleeding out, Ioder's head is still pounding and he can't fully ignore just how much is stomach is turning.

He manages to fight it back, though, swallowing hard before he starts to explain.]

I spoke with her when she first arrived... over the network. When my place of employment came up, she seemed... disgusted over it, but she wouldn't say why. She insisted that host clubs did something that was "illegal" but when I assured her that I trusted you weren't running a business like that, she said I should make certain that wasn't the case...

[A pause to catch his breath and close his eyes, still fighting back the urge to be ill.]

Hence... my question later on. I spoke to Yuri about it and... well, you know the rest of that...

I didn't think anything of it until tonight... she approached me as I was heading home, pulled out a knife and said she wanted to... test something. About the coral. I didn't fully understand it, I just... tried to run.

[He opens his eyes again, fixing Zelos with a wry but exhausted smile.]

As you can see, I didn't get very far.

[It fades, and with it he shudders, curling in on himself a bit.]

I don't know what she is, but she is clearly not normal. She lifted me over her shoulder as though I weighed nothing! She swore she wasn't going to kill me, but it's difficult to trust a promise from some one wielding a knife...

[A grunt is mostly what Ioder gets for the story as Zelos listens, taking time to examine Ioder's wound to make sure the coral and his own healing spell had done their job.]

We'll take care of it. Do you have people at home to stay with you or do you need somewhere safe? I've got a guest room again now that people are awake, if you need it.

[From the look on Ioder's face, leaving him alone would be a bad thing. He's got to try and put the kid's mind at ease at least a little.]

Don't worry too much about her, alright? I let a friend who's good at this kind of thing know and he'll make sure she's caught and brought to justice, okay? So don't worry your regal little head.

[He hopes the smile will at least give some comfort.]

[Leaving him alone would be a bad thing, yes, but he's not entirely sure going back to Estelle in his current state is a good idea either.

He curls up tighter, trying to bury his face in his arms. Now that it's all over he just can't help but shake how terrified he was, and still is.]

E... Estellise... should be home...

She's gonna freak out, but she's a great healer and she'll take care of you. Are you prepared for that?

[Zelos is well aware of what Estelle's terrified worry looks like - he has the occasional nightmare of seeing her through the SFC screen as he lay dying on the forest floor - so he won't blame Ioder at all if he doesn't want to go home yet.]

[There's a very long silence from Ioder, but the trembling in his shoulders shows what his face is hiding - he's crying. Any control or composure he usually keeps has gone. He's not even trying to fake it anymore]

N-no...

[The crying he can't really blame Ioder for but it does make him uncomfortable. As with most things that make him uncomfortable, though, Zelos attempts to completely ignore it other than a hand resting firmly on Ioder's shoulder.]

C'mon then. We'll either get you a hotel room at the casino or you can come to my place. Duke's there though, and Zelda. Dhaos too but I think he's asleep in one of those coma things.

[He doesn't answer. There's just a very faint nod to show that he's fine with whatever Zelos thinks is best. He doesn't even want to be awake anymore, even though he knows his dreams will be filled with nightmares.]

[...yeah there's no way Zelos can leave Ioder alone in some hotel. In fact, he's not even sure Ioder can make it that far right now in his mental state, let alone all the way to the place he shares with Zelda.

Sighing a bit, Zelos unceremoniously picks Ioder up, princess style, and takes to the air, setting an leisurely pace for home. He doesn't go too high, but the surprise at being flown, he hopes, will at least distract Ioder a little bit.]

It'll be quiet at home. I should have specified, but Duke's all comaed too, y'know? So no one'll but you but Zelda has some magical security of some kind so it's safe.

[It is a bit distracting. He certainly wasn't expecting that, and it gets him to stop crying at least. He sort watches the ground pass below them, distantly curious.

So Duke was in a coma too? That explains why he hasn't seen the other man around much lately. Odd to think about, in his current state, but a strange sort of comfort knowing that Duke is at least still around.

He finally gives a tired, distracted nod, trying to not doze off but finding it difficult to fight.]

[Zelos does nothing to prevent the pint-sized royal from slipping into sleep. All he does is get him home and try to be as quiet as possible in tucking him in in their recently vacated guestroom. Whispered conversations are shared about what happened with Zelda and the now awake Duke, but Zelos, in an uncharacteristic display of caring, keeps it hushed for now, not wanting to wake the blonde with raised voices. He has a feeling Ioder may find sleep more difficult for a time.]

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;video | close to midnight

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Sooo sorry for the delay, but gonna handwave through the end if that's ok