caughtinanetwork | [action/video] - Returning

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[action/video] - Returning - 010

Lunaday, Ifrit-Decan 13, ND 2018

[There were only three things that Guy really could remember from the last few moments of his life.

Pain. Rage. Fear.

All of them, all in a sudden burst; controlling his actions, forcing his body to act on what his mind had pressed back for years and years. It was the horrifying feeling of having no control and yet being completely aware of your actions, raising his sword above his head to give a blow he thought he'd never have to see with his own eyes. The curse slot was in control, and there was absolutely nothing he could do but watch.

There was a shaking of the ground, a shout. The twang of an arrow, the ruffle of leaves... and then the world went white. He wasn't in Auldrant anymore; not surrounded by a forest of thick trees and mockingly clear skies, but instead blue-stoned buildings, humid air, the bustle of people, the roar of water... the eerily familiar glow of a massive coral out of the corner of his eye. His clothes were also sopping wet.

Too bad that sense of de-ja-vu wasn't quite what was on his mind.

The moment Guy feels his feet against the cobblestone, sword still raised above his head, there is a mental snap; a severing of control and emotions so sudden and harsh, his entire body tenses, limbs locking and vision goes black. He falters, stumbling forward a step. The katana slips from his hand, clanging to the ground as the blonde crumples beside it.

What a disaster. What a nightmare. But at least he was separated from that monster. At least for now. Thank the Score... darkness would do him some good. Here's hoping someone familiar doesn't leave him out on the pavement.

...]

[It isn't until early afternoon that the network is finally accessed. Guy himself doesn't seem to be having any trouble figuring out the SFC - it's coming back to him like he'd only been here yesterday. In fact, he's back in a very familiar apartment, sitting heavily on a couch he remembers sharing for far too long, the balcony of the second floor of a Yutopil apartment just visible in the background.

He looks very tired. But hey, no need to let that stop a smile.]

Hey there, Vatheon. Seems I had a vanishing act for a little while there, hah. Sorry.

I hope you guys haven't had too much trouble lately.

[He pauses, lips pressing together in thought, before bluntly speaking again--]

And hey... whoever went and "borrowed" my energy gauge? I'd really like it back sometime. Please.

[[ooc: ACTION IS FOR LIMITED CR ONLY PLEASE - it has been plotted in advance. :Db Feel free to respond to the video otherwise.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've been studying since I arrived in this city to assist the doctor here in the clinic if there's ever a crisis. I wouldn't say I know everything, but I can at least make sure nothing is severely wrong.

[The voice is different as well, deeper and more husky. Sheik moves to gather everything needed for a checkup.]

Guy is afraid of women, yes? I wouldn't want to startle him if we wakes while I'm taking a look.

[Stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and other general restoratives in hand, Sheik kneels by the bed and starts taking a better look at Guy.]

[Luke's still got his hand up, and a part of him wants to get this strange person away from his possibly hurt best friend... But he slowly starts to relax as he realizes something.]

Are you... still Zelda?

[Once, this transformation would have meant that Sheik wasn't Zelda. That isn't the case anymore, and it hasn't been for a long time now. He nods.]

That's right. It's only a physical transformation.

Wow...

[There are so many questions in his head: How do you do it? Doesn't it feel weird? Can someone else do it? Why? But he just pushes them away and gives him one last lingering look before he pays attention to Guy instead. It'd probably be rude to bombard him with questions, and right now they're focusing on Guy.]

[For all extents and purposes, Guy seems perfectly healthy. A strong pulse. Steady breathing. He's very pale - a loss of color most noticeable in his face, more a sign of sudden stress or fear rather than the ashen tone of blood loss - but all of his vitals are perfectly stable.

It's while Shiek has the stethoscope against his chest that Guy finally stirs.

I hate you.

IhateyouIhateyouIhatewhatyou'vedoneIhatewhatI'velostIhatethatIhadtosufferwhileyousitincomfortIhatethattherewasnogoodreasonforitIhateyouIhateallofyouIhatethatyouabandonedusIhatethatnoonebotheredtogrieveIhatethatyouhavenoideaIhatethatyoubothertocallmefriendIhateyouIHATEYOU

I--

His heartbeat suddenly pounds, breath quickening, before his eyes snap open. Guy jostles himself up with a start, eyes wide, panting for breath, as if he'd awoken from a bad dream. His mind is still in such a violent buzz that takes him a moment to bother looking up at where he is, who exactly is around him--

--and the first person he sets his eyes on is the one with the tell-tale red hair.

...Oh no.

He tries to fight the pit sinking into his stomach, leaning back on his elbows as he catches his breath. And as much as he tries to compensate... it's noticeable that he's favoring his right arm.]

...Luke? [A dry swallow - damn, try that again--] Luke, what happened--? Where...

[The increase in heartbeat is alarming. What sort of terrible nightmare was he seeing? Sheik just barely backs up before Guy sits suddenly, looking to Luke.

He wants to know where he is. For some reason, the idea that Guy might have forgotten his time in Vatheon never occurred to Sheik. He simply didn't want it to be so, and his mind rejected the idea before it ever became a conscious thought. He reaches to remove the blood pressure cuff from Guy's wrist, speaking stiffly.]

You were unconscious, so we brought you here to recover. You don't seem to be injured in a physical manner...

[A glance to Guy's arm. That seems tender, doesn't it? But not in any way that's easily discernible.]

For the most part, you were suffering from signs of mental stress. I think perhaps it would be best if I left you two for a little while so that you can get your bearings.

... Guy!

[It's about all he gets out before Sheik takes over to explain. Luke himself rests a hand on Guy's left shoulder while he looks at Sheik, listening and nodding once he finishes. He isn't sure what was wrong with Guy, but the way he was favoring that arm... It's familiar. Luke can't quite remember where it was from, but...]

All right. I'll explain everything else to him. Oh, and... thanks, Zelda.

[Once Sheik is out of the room, Luke turns to Guy once more and squeezes his shoulder.]

Guy? Are you okay?

[The blonde nearly jumps at Sheik's voice... but he recognizes it. Even though he had no idea who this person was before he woke up, he... he remembered him.

...Her.

It was Zelda. Which meant--

He doesn't give a verbal acknowledgement to Sheik's words; he merely nods, letting his gaze weakly drift to the side, letting his mind continue to whirl. If Sheik was here, then... could he be back in Vatheon?

The gentle press against his shoulder snaps him back out of the noise of his thoughts. He blinks, shaking his head a little, grimacing as he shifts his weight to his more tender arm.]

Ah.. yeah. Yeah, I'll-- I'll be alright... [His voice is weak and heavily distracted. It takes him another moment before he even tries for that signature smile.] Sorry - didn't mean to worry you.

It's okay. [Luke sits down in a chair nearby, scooting it closer to the edge of the bed and leaning forward slightly, just to be physically closer as well. Call it a sense of security.] ... Is everything really okay?

[Just before Guy passed out, Luke could see the look in his eyes. Blank as they were, they were also filled with utter hatred, and it scared Luke.

... Scared him and made him think it was familiar.]

[He lets out a short laugh. Dry, not at all humored... a little uncomfortable, even.]

Hahah... hey, I said I'd be alright, didn't I?

[He hesitates for a moment, before lifting himself up to a sitting position, resting his arms against his knees. He still looks lost, and for good reason. This... was something that the Luke he last saw should probably know.

But if the Luke right now wasn't aware...

...]

Something just happened at home, that's all.

Well, what happened?

[Luke leans to the side to try looking at Guy's face. Sure, maybe knowing the future wasn't that great, but if it's bothering Guy this much...]

[Guy stays quiet for a very long time.

He can only look at Luke's eyes for a second before letting his gaze drift back down, fingers tightening their grip against his forearms. He wanted to say nothing had happened - he has to fight to keep the words from tumbling off his lips.

He had a feeling Luke wouldn't accept that very easily. So.... slow and easy it was, then.]

...There was a fight. A small one. With a couple of the God-Generals.

I'm guessing Sync was nearby.

It... wasn't ending well.

[Luke might know what that meant. Might. He didn't want to have to explain that whole mess again right now...]

Edited (shut up word variety 8() 2012-08-28 19:28 (UTC)

[At first, Luke doesn't really understand. He hadn't seen Sync lately, and talk of what he'd done to Guy was a while ago, for him. And even then, it was pushed aside, as they had to focus on something else.

But then his eyes widen as he remembers, mostly because of the thought of Guy's arm, still tender and hurting.]

Wait... the curse slot? [Not that he knew what it did. All he knew was that it was dangerous, and they were going to get it removed when they could.]

[He exhales slowly, the grip against his right arm tightening even more, not caring at the water that dripped from the fabric of his shirt in the process.]

Yeah.

It kind of caught everyone by surprise.

[Understatement of the year. Congratulations, Mr. Cecil.]

[Luke hesitates for a moment, unsure if Guy needs it right now... but he slowly reaches out to rest a hand on his other shoulder again. It's carefully controlled, yes, but Luke can tell that this is really bothering Guy.]

Did it... hurt, or something? [Guy didn't seem hurt when he arrived here, but...]

[He smiles just a little at the touch, although it seems very, very forced.]

Yeah. A little. [More than a little.]

But that's...

[That's not what he was worried about.

His voice cuts off, letting his eyes close and taking in another deep breath.

He didn't want to talk about this, he really did not want to talk about this...]

...that's not a problem right now. I'm feeling fine.

[He looks exhausted. He technically feels horrendous. But the pain isn't a problem.

Another short pause. There's a gentle shift in Guy's expression - the slip of a mask, even as the tension in his shoulders starts to relax.]

Mmm. Luke... do you remember what Ion said a while ago? About what a curse slot does to someone?

Edited 2012-08-29 01:49 (UTC)

[Luke pulls his hand back then, both to think and to give his arm a rest. He had gotten done carrying dead weight that's even heavier than he is to the clinic, after all. The memory was far back, but he tries to recall just what was said about it.]

Yeah, sort of. It's a Daathic fonic arte, and... something about using the person's memories to control them? I don't know, it sounded dangerous.

Yeah. It cripples rational thought - basically, just gets the person to stop thinking as clearly as they should - and uses their memories freely against them.

[Another pause. He swallows, his voice growing quieter.]

Do you remember what happened the first time? While we were at the consulate's office?

[Following Guy's cue, Luke himself lets his voice grow quieter as well. Yeah... he remembers. It'd been startling, to say the least.]

... I tried to see if you needed help, and you hit me. [Hard enough to knock him down, even.]

[Surprisingly, he smiles, although it's small and a bit rueful. A little apologetic... or at least, it's trying to be.]

Right. It was new enough that I could still fight around it. But it didn't stop me from doing... something.

[He lets out another breath. Shaky - a gentle dip in his composure.]

Before I showed up here, the curse slot was... well, it had been there for a while. Enough that it was incredibly difficult to fight off. Almost impossible. And...

...

I didn't just hit you this time.

[There's a long pause as Luke unconsciously moves his hand to grip his shirt, just in front of his chest. Didn't just hit him... But that means... What did he do? Attack him? Fight him?

...

Kill him?

Despite Luke thinking that his life isn't worth anything, he's too scared to die. What a coward, huh? ... At least, not for such a meaningless cause like someone being mind controlled. Especially by the hand of his best friend.

He swallows, keeping his eyes glued to Guy's face.]

... What?

[Nope.

Nope nope nope this was going exactly where he didn't want it to go. He's dug himself a little too far in already, and there's no way to just slide out of it. What is he supposed to say?

"I tried to attack you."

"I tried to kill you."

"I wanted to kill you."

"It might come as a surprise, but I have memories that would scare you. Hey, you might even hate me."

"You probably should hate me, you know."

...

There wasn't a way out of this. Not without playing with his words.]

It was a little violent, yeah. I pulled my sword on you.

But you weren't hurt.

[The words leave a bitter taste. It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't entirely the truth. He doesn't know. He doesn't know and that's part of what bothers him so badly right now. But catching the look in Luke's eye, seeing how his hand is clenched into the fabric of his shirt... he knows he's already scaring his best friend enough as it is.

He doesn't like it. But dancing around the truth is much, much easier right now.

This Luke... doesn't need to know.]

[The grip on Luke's shirt lessens, and he lowers his hand to his lap again.

That's mostly the only thing he was afraid of. Even though Luke doesn't think much of his life... he doesn't want to die. Not now. Not when he still has a city to save, people to save, and a means to use his life for good.

So he's calmer. But of course, this is still leaving a bad taste in his mouth.]

... So why me?

[Why him?

If Guy told the truth, that would be it. That momentary calm that he sees passing over Luke? It would be gone. He would have no excuses, no way to back out of it and keep Luke together.

He doesn't need to know.

He doesn't need to know.

...]

I'm not sure.

Ion might have known more, but we never really talked about it.

[It's a half-truth. He technically doesn't know why it's pulling at that one memory out of any others, other than that it's a prominent one. But he does know why Luke is the target of his anger.

He just chooses to tuck it away once more. Let it rest behind a lie and hope it doesn't have to come up again.

He doesn't like it. But right now, he needs Luke to feel safe and comfortable. This isn't home, and if this is the Luke he remembers from his last stay... he'll need all the help he can get with as little distraction as possible.]

Regardless of why, though, it's important that you know about it, alright? I don't expect Sync to be around, but... I'll try to see if I can get it removed somehow.

[...

There's something more to this. Luke knows it.

But he decides not to push it. If this is as dangerous as Guy's implying, then maybe it'll come up later. When Guy wants to say it, when Luke is ready for it.

He trusts Guy. And he wants Guy to trust him, too.

So, after a pause, Luke shuts his eyes and nods.]

... Right. But if Sync isn't here, then it's okay, right? We don't have to worry about it suddenly taking control again?

[action/video] - Returning - 010

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[Action] I'm fine with ending it like in the next couple tags. o/