[log] things fall apart [closed]

[devoutish]

Characters: Alfie Solomons, Emily Kaldwin, Royce Melborn, Tifa Lockhart
Location: building 92 and the surrounding area
Date: night of 213 to morning of 214
Summary: another one bites the dust bum tish
Warnings: character death

CATCH-ALL FOR TRAUMA

Comments

[devoutish]

She's just a little girl.

[He's distraught about both of them, of course, and they both deserve better. But Emily is so young.]

[bywolves]

I know. [ Royce says, quietly. ] That was the first time I'd seen her laugh in a while.

[devoutish]

Poor thing--

[His voice cracks; breaks.]

[bywolves]

[ No, don't. Don't, because Royce flinches, when he hears that break. No, he can't handle that. He swallows hard. ]

Neither of them deserved this. [ But he knows that's just how life works. ]

[devoutish]

[No. They didn't.

Alfie doesn't say anything out loud in response to that, and he doesn't move his hand from Royce's shoulder.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce doesn't pull away. He moves to settle closer, actually, which he surprises himself with. He sits shoulder to shoulder with Alfie, trying to steady his shaking breath. He sits there in silence for a long while, and then finally manages: ] You took the sketchbook out of Emily's pack.

[devoutish]

Yeah. I think she'll forgive us.

I'll give it back.

[If she comes back.]

[bywolves]

I'm taking things from their packs. [ To remember them by. Just in case. ] Nothing they'll need. I'll give them back.

[ Royce has never been a sentimental man - and normally he wouldn't tell Alfie, but he doesn't want to look like a looting shithead here. He cares. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie sags against Royce just a little, almost unconsciously.]

Yeah. Like what?

[bywolves]

I gave Tifa an owl, once. One of the stuffed animal types. [ He wants that back. ] Emily's bear.

[ She named it. Royce keeps steady when Alfie sags, not minding. The support isn't awful. ]

[devoutish]

Which one? Which bear?

[She has several stuffed animals, Alfie knows. They've spoiled her as much as they could.]

[bywolves]

The one I gave her. Lord Bearington. [ It was recent. He just - he just wants to keep them safe. ]

[devoutish]

All right. Yeah, you take that one. We'll leave the ones I gave her - the bear, and the cat. Darcy and Sokolov, she calls them.

[bywolves]

[ Royce makes a quiet noise of agreement, and that's about it. He doesn't know how else to respond, doesn't know what to do with his hands or his gaze. This is far, far out of his depth - emotion like the emotion he's feeling has always been hard for him to express. ]

[devoutish]

I'm staying here tonight.

[On the floor with the bodies, he means, holding their hands. It'll help nothing, it'll change nothing - but he honestly doesn't care.]

[bywolves]

I am too. [ He won't argue that. ] As much as I can.

[ Because he knows he's going to need a break. Holding onto cold, dead bodies sets off too much bad for him, and he knows he can't sit still the whole night. His breath sucks in a little sharp at the thought of not having them around - it sinks in a little further, digs it's claws in. If they don't come back, it'll be less warm.

Tifa curling up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Emily dragging blankets and crayons over to Royce, climbing into his lap. If they don't come back, that little bit of - not so awful, it's gone.

Royce actually bites his lip, eyes hot and stinging. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie murmurs something under his breath, almost mouthing it rather than saying it, too quiet to be anything close to understandable. They're going to have to walk away and leave them in the morning, and he realizes he's never actually had to do that before. Fiona's death, Royce's previous deaths, Tifa's previous death - all that had taken place away from him.]

[bywolves]

[ He'd had to do this with Alfie, before. It'd been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do, but he did it. He's not sure he can do it with the girls. At least with Tifa, the last time, he'd been with her til the end. ]

What did you say? [ Royce asks quietly, stroking Emily's hair off her forehead. ]

[devoutish]

A prayer; blessing for safety. I said one earlier, too.

[Before they died.]

When Fiona died, Emily asked me if I would pray for her. I said no; I didn't wanna say a prayer for the dead. For them, I said a prayer for the living.

[bywolves]

[ Royce nods a little. He doesn't think it'll do anything, but he's not going to be so ruthlessly awful. Maybe it's a little comforting to think about in a way he won't admit to himself. ]

If they don't come back-- [ Royce starts, and then stops. He doesn't know how to end that sentence. ]

[devoutish]

[Honestly, Alfie doesn't think it'll do anything either. But the familiarity of the words are a comfort to him, and he thinks knowing he said them would have been a comfort to Tifa and Emily, too.

He isn't actively crying. He doesn't realize that there are any tears at all, until one drops onto Royce's hand and rolls down onto Emily's face.]

[bywolves]

[ God, what does he even do - he couldn't even comfort Tifa, so long ago, when Cloud died. He never feels like he can do this well enough, especially when his heart aches like it does, but he'll try. Royce drags in an unsteady breath, and brings his hand up to rest on Alfie's arm. He squeezes Alfie's forearm once - solidarity, just, he's here? He's here.

He doesn't ever finish his sentence. He just closes his eyes and sticks close to Alfie, trying not to cry himself. ]

[devoutish]

[Yeah. He's here. They're both here. And in the months that they've been traveling together, Alfie hasn't ever been as grateful for Royce as he is right now. He lets go of Tifa for a moment to put his hand on top of Royce's, giving it a light squeeze back.]

[bywolves]

[ For as emotionally constipated as Royce can be, this is something he can allow himself to be comforted by. He doesn't pull away or move from Alfie's hand immediately, just keeps it there for a good minute before standing. He goes to drag his pack and Alfie's pack closer to where the girls are laid out, and settles next to Tifa with his blanket and pillow. He leans against the wall, resting one hand on her shoulder, and closes his eyes.

He won't be very talkative for the rest of the night. ]

[devoutish]

[Neither will Alfie. He won't even say anything when Royce brings his bag over, which is a mark of trust and familiarity in and of itself - most people, he'd be watching like a hawk right now, to make sure they aren't trying any funny business.

He sleeps sitting upright on the floor, between the girls, which his back will regret later even if his head won't. And in the morning, he'll drift in and out of sleep for a while before properly waking - partly because of his forever-lingering illness, and partly because there's really no need for him to rush. He'd barely unpacked last night, and hadn't bothered with any of his usual nighttime rituals like changing his clothes or checking on the skin of his extremities. When they need to go, he can be up and ready in just a few minutes.

But they don't need to go yet.]