[log] THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND [closed]

[armoured]

Characters: Alphonse, Zach, and Church
Location Building 242 (day 153/154) and 241 (day 155)
Date: Day 153 (evening) and all of day 154, and morning of 155
Summary: Al meets up with Church and the two run into Zach
Warnings: Possible talk of death

[He got away again.

Al feels that failure as a wound that cuts far more deeply than any injury he's sustained. This is the third time that he's had the Joker in his grasp and lost him, the third time he's been injured and left behind. He gave chase at first, but he has no idea which direction the Joker even went, so he ends up just trudging through the snow trying not to let his injuries get the best of him.

He's almost glad when the police station seems empty at first glance. He doesn't want to meet up with anyone and see their concern when they see what happened, or hear their disappointment when they learn what happened. He's just so tired of failing everyone around him.

It's not the end. He'll pick himself up and force himself to keep moving, to find that core of determination the next day. But just for tonight he'll sit and wallow alone.]

Comments

[blueteamproblems]

[Unfortunately for Al, he's not the only one coming to the police station tonight.

Church has spent the day wandering around aimlessly, as usual. And, as usual, everything sucks and he hates his life. Nothing new there.

What is new, though, is encountering someone in a building he enters. Especially when said someone is wearing huge armour.]

Holy shit.

[majorlazer]

[After his panicked message to Steph and Kesara, Zach resumed his long, torturous attempt at 1) not throw up, 2) see something, and 3) determine where he is. The third is probably the most important, since it's the only one he can really do something about, but the second takes him a lot more time, as he sits and blinks hard and opens his eyes as wide as possible, hoping for a glimpse, a glimmer, a shimmer, anything.

And there's nothing.

So, after a long, long time, he picks himself up off the floor - the fact that he doesn't have his backpack is worrying - it means he doesn't have any food, or blankets, or his weapon - but it's not the worst thing about his situation. Steph probably kept it with her, for all the food they were carrying.

Damn it.

Nobody said anything as he recorded his message earlier, so Zach guesses there is nobody else in what he assumes is a morgue, or the chapel again, with him. Time to try and find the door. He pads along carefully, his hands in front of him, and stops when he finds a wall, drags his fingers along. He can feel - metal, door handles - which tells him this is not the chapel. It feels like those compartments in morgues, when he runs his hands along one of the doors.

He continues, moves along and along until he finds a doorway. Not a door, though, a doorway, open, and - stairs. He goes up, not wasting a moment, and when he reaches the top:]

Hello? Anybody?

[armoured]

[He whirls around as soon as someone else comes in. Only the glow of his eyes is visible, as the rest of his helmet is wrapped in a thick scarf.]

Um-- hi?

[He really didn't want to see anyone right now, but he's not about to throw a veritable stranger out into the snow.]

[armoured]

[Al has spent the night with Church, and it really wasn't a pleasant one. He had to talk to Steph as well and hear her grief, the raw and broken quality of her voice something that will stay with him for a long time. It's not fair, that this place should be so hard for so many, that they should have to suffer over and over.

The last thing he expects is to hear Zach's voice.

For a moment he thinks he's imagining it because Zach is on his mind, but then the second call of 'anybody' echoes through to him and he's on his feet at once. Loud metal clashing sounds reverberating through the house as he runs towards the sound of Zach's voice.]

Zach? Zach, can you hear me?! It's Al!

[majorlazer]

[There's someone. There's someone, Zach can hear noises and a voice and holy shit, someone's here and maybe Zach's not going to die all over again because he can't see and he was about to venture out on his own and hope for the best, keeping in touch with Steph and Kes and letting them try to help him.

But he's not alone. Relief floods through him and it makes his knees weak, dropping to the floor at the top of the stairs, a hand on the wall, the other over his face. Al's here. Al is here. Zach lets out a choked out sob before trying his best to compose himself.]

Al? Al, I'm here - I don't know, I can't - I can't see. [His voice is weaker than he'd like.]

[armoured]

[It doesn't take Al long to locate Zach and he carefully takes him by the elbow to make sure he doesn't fall back down the stairs or anything as crazy as that.]

--it's okay, you're alright, I've got you.

[Can't see isn't fun, but he knows enough by now from everyone who has been through these things that it's likely not permanent.]

[majorlazer]

[Feeling Al's metal arm under his hand is surprisingly reassuring. Zach clings a little, swallowing hard.]

Where are we?

[He sways a little, trying to regulate his breathing.]

Thank you, just - thank you. I thought I was alone. I thought I was - I don't have any food, Steph kept my backpack, we'd just gone through the cafeteria at the school and we needed to get the food to the tunnels and - [He stops, jaw clenching as the memory of the ceiling falling down on him crashes upon him.]

[armoured]

[At least Zach doesn't flinch from his touch, so he assumes Steph has at least warned Zach that Al always wears a suit of armour. He's sure she won't have told him more than that, he trusts her with his secrets.]

I know, she told me.

[His voice is deliberately calming and gentle.]

Come on, hold onto me and I'll take you to sit down, we can talk then.

[majorlazer]

[He remembers from their conversation, the whole metal body thing, since Al showed himself on camera then. He remembers Steph telling him about it. He remembers thinking it's cool.

Zach follows Al along, no idea where they are, no idea what it looks like, what he looks like. He's still struggling to breathe.]

I just need to know where we are, so I can - get going. I need to get my stuff back. I need to get - [my girl, he thinks, closing his eyes to it, not that it matters anyway.] - Steph back.

[blueteamproblems]

[It might be rude to stare, but Church has never been particularly concerned with politeness.]

What the hell, dude? You got to keep your armour?

[It might be weird, archaic armour, basically a joke compared to what he's used to, but it's still something. And right now, Church looks more the joke with the mismatched bits of winter clothes and a blanket cape over his bodysuit.

Then, belatedly, he realises he recognises that surprisingly high-pitched voice.]

Wait, you're- you're that kid with the guide, right? Lelric or whatever?

[armoured]

Don't be an idiot.

[He isn't going to coddle Zach just because he's temporarily blind, being an idiot is still being an idiot.]

Do you think Steph wants you to go running off when you can't see or anything? She'd want you to take care of yourself.

[armoured]

[He was about to make a disarming and totally nonchalant comment about his armour, when that hated name is thrown about again.]

Actually, it's Alphonse. Alphonse Elric, but you can call me Al; and you're right, I'm the person maintaining the guide.

[Stupid Lelric.]

I'm sorry, but I don't recognise you?

[majorlazer]

And what, sitting around doing nothing is taking care of myself?

[Zach's not really in the mood to be condescended to - even if it's with the best reasons in the world.]

I've got no food and no gear. She's planning on meeting me, but I'm not staying here - wherever here is with my thumbs up my ass. That's not going to help, is it?

[He doesn't mean to snap at Al. He just honestly doesn't know what taking care of himself means, for Al.]

[blueteamproblems]

Close enough.

[Hey, don't judge him for only remembering your dumb username; this is the first time he's talked with anyone in person since coming to Norfinbury! Things have been tough!]

I, uh. I'm Church. Username fuckyou on the network?

[armoured]

Did I say you had to sit here doing nothing? I said running off like this was stupid, and it is, all you'll end up doing is getting yourself hurt again. You said it yourself, you don't have any supplies of food or anything, you don't know where you are, and you can't see.

[Strong metal hands press on Zach's shoulders in an attempt to make him sit down.]

Taking care of yourself would be asking Steph where she is, and then letting me guide you there so you can share my food. Don't be so quick to run off alone. Idiot.

[armoured]

Oh.

[What else does he even say to that?]

Uh-- nice to meet you, I guess? Sorry, I wasn't exactly expecting to run into anyone else here.

[blueteamproblems]

Yeah, me neither. But it's too late to head out now, so. Guess we're stuck with each other's company for the night.

[He shrugs awkwardly. He doesn't really mind the company, but it feels weird to be actually face to face with someone.

Well, face to helmet. Which is pretty much the same thing where he's from anyway.]

[majorlazer]

I don't want to run off, I just need to - do something. [His voice is plaintive, pained. The feeling of being out of control is making his head spin and his hands shake. He just - wants some control. Needs some control. Having a plan would help that.]

You know where we are. Where are we? [Seriously, he's asked that like, three times. He sits down, to appease Al. Whatever.

He ignores most of what Al's saying. He might be right, and he might want to help, but Zach is scrambling, right now, to keep his sanity. He can hear Al, and feel him and his touch, but being unable to see is...it's fucking him up. It's really fucking him up.]

I know where Steph is. She's near the school, still, been trying to catch up with Kesara.

[blueteamproblems]

[Church doesn't recognise the voice at first - the tone's too different to what he's used to hearing from Zach. Not that he'd have much time to react anyway, with the way Al runs off like a big clanging bolt of lightning.

He does recognise Zach when Al brings him down the stairs, though. What are the odds that he'd meet not one, but two people here, and that one of them would be someone he's actually talked with more than once?]

Holy crap, man, you look like shit. What happened to you?

[majorlazer]

[Zach, now sitting and casting unseeing glances around, didn't realize that someone else was here. So not only does he end up not alone, but he's not alone twice?

At least the voice is familiar - the word sponge springs to Zach's mind right away. Honestly, of all people, Zach expected Church probably...the least. The guy might have been around the network, but otherwise, he's been a bit of a ghost - which is, actually, an accurate description of like, half the people in town. He still has to meet Rhys in person, after all.

The words snap in Zach's ears, making him turn his head towards the voice.]

What d'you think? I fucking died. I'm fucking blind. [He doesn't even sound angry. Just. Tired.]

[blueteamproblems]

Oh.

[Well, that's kind of awkward. What do you even say?]

That's rough, buddy.

[nailed it]

[armoured]

I didn't mean it like that, sorry.

[His shoulders slump, voice guilty. Just because he's tired, hurt, and sad, doesn't mean he has to take it out on someone else.]

It's always good to have company, Granny always says that food tastes better with other people to share it with.

[armoured]

We're down in the new area to the south, past the aquarium, in a police station.

[He's not about to let Zach go wandering off alone, and if he tries to then Al will pin him down and sit on him.]

You can't do anything right now anyway, nobody can travel at the moment. The whole place is surrounded by fog, we're stuck inside.

[blueteamproblems]

I dunno about that. In my experience sharing food with other people just means you've got less food.

[Which doesn't mean he won't share his food. Just that he'll be a grumpy asshole about it.]

But yeah, it's not too bad. Beats talking to myself.

[majorlazer]

[Zach makes a finger gun in the vague direction of Church, pretty sure he must be off by quite a way.]

Want more? I have no food, no extra warm shit, no weapon, and I found a pair of real swanky sunglasses the other day which would be super cool right now like I could be Stevie Wonder-ing all up in this joint but all my shit's in my backpack. Which I don't have.

[Not that he's mad that Steph took it, because he gets it, it made sense, he kinda sorta asked for her to do that. It's not her fault. It's just fucking unfortunate.

And yes, he's totally throwing himself a pity party. Bring on the sad trombone.]

Found any sponges recently? [Time to change the topic, maybe.]