[log] In which two idiots pick a fight with their shadows that are each other [closed]

[heroproceeding]

Characters: Lancer (croi) and Zack (heroproceeding)
Location: Building 35 in Square E06
Date: Backdated to Day 26, Night because there's nothing like a belated hallucination party!!
Summary: Thundersnow blah blah blah hallucinations suck blah blah blah good chances a fight's gonna break out blah blah blah their lives suck.
Warnings: Fighting, cursing, being jackasses to each other without meaning to be and all that other nonsense. FUN TIMES. FUN. ...TIMES.... sob

At first, he'd been okay. Really. Bored, certainly. But he had also been tired from all the traveling. Well... All the traveling and the strain of unease from seeing all those bodies in the morgue. That hadn't been a pleasant investigation, that. He hadn't been there long, but he had certainly been there long enough, matching up names to bodies. No one he had known personally. But plenty of evidence that if they weren't careful, they would all end up stone cold in that morgue. Though why the administrator allowed some to live while others to die, he hadn't an idea.

All he could perhaps attribute to it was that they either hadn't made it to them in time... or it had been allowed. Another sacrifice for the cause... At least that had been his primary concern at first. But it hadn't lasted. Not when he'd gotten in contact with one of the last people he had expected to ever hear from again. Someone he had immediately agreed to locate as soon as he could and he was thankful Lancer was more than willing to go with him. If it hadn't been for the weather...

But no matter how long they waited for things to die down, the wind only continued to howl, the odd thunder forever booming. The house protested with creaks and sighs that more than half the time made it sound like it would give at any moment. But even by evening, it still held its ground to the progressively nastier weather. By then, had they looked, they would have seen that the snow had gotten to the point where it was covering the view from the windows.

But... by then, Zack hadn't been looking anymore. By then, he'd quit his squatting routine, stopped with the push-ups and planks and every other move he could think of to keep himself active to stay warm and unfocused on the fact that he felt so trapped. Now, he was in the living room leaning tightly in a corner in good view of all entrances but yet not eyeing them at all as he dug his fingers into the fabric of the coat he always wore, tighter and tighter...

Comments

[croi]

He'd left his shit in the other room - normally at this point he'd be pestering someone with stupid comments over the network to kill time. And yet he just didn't feel like it. It was the sort of night in which he could go outside...desperately, but the weather. The snow was everywhere and the thunder grumbled. (It muttered in a way which was almost familiar, like back when he was a kid.)

He sat, crouched, loose on the balls of his feet before rolling up to his toes and-

"Hey." Louder than he had anticipated. "You hear that?"

It was like whispering, almost.

[heroproceeding]

Zack had been in the middle of a staring contest with nothing when he'd thought he'd heard something- no, someone. Blinking, his eyes fell on Lancer on the other side of the room. What had he said? Something about...? Something... He strained to listen, but after a moment, he started to shake his head.

Stopped abruptly- wait.

There was some kind of... humming? He continued to listen only to jolt at the sudden boom of thunder. But the humming didn't cease, slowly gradually growing in volume. Enough to make him push off from the wall with feet planted firm and ready for... something. He wasn't sure what. Sharp almost-glowing eyes glimpsed around the room, but nothing was out of place... or was that really true? It definitely felt like something was... off. Like it was getting darker... "...I don't like this."

[croi]

He didn't move. He stilled to Zack's sudden movement, like he was a beast which sensed something; if he had a tail it would've stopped moving, ears would flick back, mouth widen into something closer to a feral grin filled with fangs. As he was a man, the closest he managed was a slightly anticipatory grimace which hid the fact that he really didn't like this. Humming? More like whispering. And a familiar tug on his body.

He found himself flexing his fingers to make sure they were all still there. "They found us."

[heroproceeding]

As soon as those words left Lancer's lips, multiple clicks of trained and cocked rifles suddenly drummed in his ears and Zack jolted in the direction he'd thought he'd heard them with a back step, but- no. No, there was nothing. Nothing at all. He had to have been hearing things... Had to have been... But that humming didn't dare to stop. And the thunder that rattled the house now... Was that really thunder? It sounded more like the pounding of at least a dozen or so boots on rough terrain. The logical side of him should have been screaming thunder. That was just thunder.

But his pulsing heart screamed move and he did so. "The kitchen!" While whispered, his voice still carried a sharpness. An order as he started for it. The kitchen was smaller and could bottleneck them- could force close quarters and that was exactly what they needed.

[croi]

"No," he said - preoccupied, almost. It was time. He had a good run. It was almost enough to make him laugh if he wasn't half-expecting his tongue to dissolve in a puff of prana and the rest of him following after. Instead, he just snorted, flexing both of his hands (was everything still there?) and feeling the ground with his feet. What was left of them. "You get in there, barricade the door, don't open it no matter what you hear."

And he was prepared to shove Zack inside and close the door, shove furniture if it would get him to stay put.

[heroproceeding]

"What the hell are you talking about? We need to move!" The words he whispered with a hiss as he glared Lancer's way. Not just him. Both of them. Don't give him that 'I'll say behind and die while you go on' bullshit. That didn't fly with him and it showed as much when reached to grab for Lancer's arm instead. He wasn't going to take 'No' for an answer. It was both of them or neither. Never mind the way his vision seemed to swim a moment while the clatter of steps grew louder, the hum reaching higher and higher in scale...

If this was a TV show this would be the point in which a thousand bad fanfics were birthed.

[croi]

"It's not safe," Lancer said, and then at the arm grab (and he still had an arm: surprising) twisted to-...he'd punch, but then if the moment came Zack would need all of his wits to run (and the logical part of him asked to where, but there was no point in logic because he was there, out there) or fight he couldn't do it if he had a broken nose, a headache, or was just knocked out entirely.

"I'm not safe," he repeated, louder. "He's here! Get in there before he comes for you, idiot." And then was the most awkward of one armed shoves as Lancer tried very hard to pull his arm away.

AH-HAHAHAHA OH MY GOD, IT WOULD BE. ALL THE SENSUAL LANCER/ZACK. Zancer? Lanck?

[heroproceeding]

Zack was experiencing some kind of resistance, so the shove was only met with a tighter grip. It didn't stop the way he stumbled back uncharacteristically. His SOLDIER strength expectantly made him easier to push around and Lancer was a seasoned fighter like he, himself. But Zack was also stubborn.

"What are you talking about, he? Lancer, you don't know any of them!" He knew Lancer wasn't one of them, wasn't part of the army following him- right? Yes, that was right! They'd been through too much that he would just turn around and betray him now, lured that monster away in the school. He wouldn't! ...Right? Why was he saying he wasn't safe all of a sudden? He'd once threatened that he might have to kill him if Zack found out too much, but...

Damn it, they didn't have time for this! "Let's go!" And there was Zack, yanking him instead. Trying desperately to get the stubborn fool into the kitchen while the footsteps seemed like they were just outside the door at the far wall...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJFpFOWfv4Q

[croi]

He made an angry noise at the yank, though his eyes widened at the fact that he stumbled - both for the fact that he stumbled as well as the fact that he had legs to stumble upon still (didn't his right foot vanish? isn't it gone? it felt gone.) - forward. Almost fell forward because of the lack of feeling to catch what was left of him, like he was a bunch of atoms that threatened to scatter in a puff if something too hard hit him.

"They?" Who the hell was they. "I don't know everyone who's here, but I can feel my Master's here, and if he-" Zack was right. They didn't have time for this. A shake of his head and he inclined his head towards the kitchen. "Let's go." He sta- slumped towards it. Odds were pretty good he wouldn't last long enough to do a thing anyway, the way he was scattering apart. Weak. He was weak. And the bastards couldn't even give him back his spear at the very least. (Then again, given how things ended the second time that was probably for the best.)

AH-HAHAHAHAHA WHHHHY

[heroproceeding]

The admission to being pulled along was all the invitation Zack needed to follow through with what he'd meant to do in the first place just seconds ago. He didn't let go of Lancer, dragging the other man along in case he decided to do something stupid like tear off at the last moment and slam the door behind him or whatever --Master? What in all of Gaia was-- but he hadn't exactly planned for the slumping.

His eyes darted back at Lancer while he backstepped, arm automatically sweeping to curl around the other man almost instinctively to support him. "Hey, come on!" What was wrong with him? Zack had to wonder as he tried to get him to do likewise around his own shoulder. It wasn't the first time he'd had to help someone out like this through enemy terri--

The rat-ta-tat of gunfire made him dive for the floor all of a sudden and good chances Lancer was going to join him unless he somehow managed to pull away in the process of.

Seemed legit.

[croi]

He didn't, but Zack did get a fist for his trouble.

...it wasn't a deliberate hit. If one were to describe the action, it was less 'and that was when Lancer punched him in a smooth deliberate action' and more akin to 'and that was when Lancer's limbs flailed and a hand happened to reflexively flail in Zack's direction and as they were heading downward in the first place it basically hit him.' Sorry. Not sorry.

If this was a different point - a different time, a different place with a different situation - this would be the point in which he'd apologize. It wasn't. It was actually confusing, what with the whisper, the tug, the fact Lancer could just feel him out there, he half-expected the radio to crackle to life and he was offered an opportunity to linger. Still. Dirty survival tricks kept him intact. (Because clearly there was no other reason why he needed prana but was still there.) Kind of.

Well, I cannot deny. I suppose.

[heroproceeding]

In a different time, in a different place with a different situation, Zack would have known that hadn't been deliberate. That they had clearly been on the way to the ground and Lancer had clearly been off balance and messed up in the first place. But already, Zack's vision had been a hazy mess. The landing all but jostled the rest of it into a blur of adrenaline, of fight or flight and that fist did neither of them any favors.

No, that fist got a pronounced yell out of him in turn as he suddenly twisted his body in the direction of where it had come from with a sudden backwards elbowing to boot. Because no, no way in hell was he just gonna take things laying down! Didn't matter if there were five troops or five dozen that had finally tracked him down. He was going to get out of that mess. He was going to make it out alive.

[croi]

And he heard, in a deep voice with a slight rolling laugh, "Kill him, Lancer." He was ordered. He obeyed.

He took the backwards elbowing with a grunt and lunged, his hands grasping for a spear which just wasn't there. (Where was Gae Bolg? Everything else returned.) So instead he tried to break some ribs. His fists would do. There was a chair over there, one which he probably would try for but he probably wouldn't succeed at reaching.

Aftermath // Let's Talk Out This Bullshit Day 28 work?

[heroproceeding]

The next few days had been long ones. The night before? Spent just trying to avoid antsy feelings knowing he still likely had so far to go. Talking with people and goofing off with them had helped him to a point. ...His conversation with Al, perhaps not so much, but the rest, well. It had worked a bit to lift his spirits somewhat. ...But it still hadn't addressed something on his mind. Something that had been in the back of it since the night it had happened.

Really, avoidance wasn't usually his thing. But then how did you approach something when you were still wrapping your head around what exactly happened in the first place? The memories had started out as a fragmented blur, only slowly drawing into something more coherent as the days wore on. Still not... entirely making sense, but. Words here and there he was pretty sure weren't what Sephiroth would have said.

Which meant they had been words that Lancer had said. Way to make life even more confusing, man. But. Hm.. So, that night, he didn't turn to his tablet for a breather. ...Well, maybe to just check in on Cloud and Kunsel- who he'd found out had found each other, thank Gaia. But otherwise? That night, he sat there after he ended his call and just started turning it over in his hand, debating... Every so often sneaking a glimpse at his traveling companion.

[croi]

There really hadn't been a good way to address the issue, anyway. He'd been grumpy the first day given the vomit, awkward mid-day, and nearly said something - twice, nearly decided to say something - but then pulled back at the last minute because there really wasn't any good way of naturally bringing it up. Besides, both of them had been distracted. Zack by his friends, and Lancer by...other things. And he wasn't sure how much Zack remembered.

But, as time wound on (well, all two of them) it became apparent that Zack had picked up a few things (and vice versa, although personal problems were called just that for a reason - they were personal) and...

And they arrived at this moment, when...well fuck.

"Hey." Said midway through messing with his tablet, as though he wasn't poised on the brink of busting out the 2x4 of awkward information and hitting Zack over the head with it. "How much do you remember?" Because in a few days he'd be taking care of his own personal business and they were starting to run out of time.

[heroproceeding]

Really, he couldn't blame Lancer for being a grump afterwards. You know, considering the vomit slip'n slide. Anyone would be cranky after that. ...And the freaking headaches that followed, too. Zack wouldn't have been surprised had they both ended up nursing goose eggs. Thankfully not.

But now that they weren't dealing with all that, no... He wasn't really surprised when Lancer addressed him. He'd kinda been making eyes his way for a bit now. And Lancer was pretty damned observant. It was what made him such a good ally. It was also what made that fight all the more ass-kicking. Zack... paused for a moment still, despite himself. Despite knowing this was something that should be addressed right then rather than later. Who knew when he would get time between the both of them once he found Kunsel and Cloud? ...Exactly. Better off now. Get it over with.

So, he shook his head and ended up... leaning forward with a hand running through his black mane for hair. "This and that." Well, wasn't that vague as hell? Try again, Fair. "Something about a... master, for one." His gaze hardened as he stared down at the wood grain of the floor.

[croi]

And he made an awkward coughing noise like he was suddenly choking back something vile at the word 'master.' Well fuck. But no. He could recover. He could handle this even if it was clear that if he'd been drinking something at that moment it would've gotten awkwardly spluttered across the floor and he'd be wiping it from his mouth.

Still. He could play it cool. He could handle this.

"Yeah, I remember thinking that I heard him talking to me. He was a real piece of work." Past tense which became a begrudging present. "Still might be."

He could feign messing with his tablet more - talking to someone random, sending pictures of tic tac toe or perhaps just texting people - but...no, with a sigh, that got set aside. Zack had, at least for the time being, his undivided attention in both actuality as well as pretense. "I don't mind talking, but how much do you want to know? I should warn you...it'll be hard to believe."

[heroproceeding]

Even if Lancer kept up that act, well. They'd been traveling together for a while now. Habits made themselves present and Zack wasn't dumb. Although whether or not Lancer was willing to share the information, that always remained a variable, too. But... apparently, in this case, he was. Though... he admittedly wasn't making a lot of sense so far.

But that was probably why he left that disclaimer up in the air. Zack finally looked up from that interesting knot in the floor. Back to the fellow warrior and just... grinned a bit. Faintly. "And that you might have to kill me later?" Morbid joke might be morbid. But... It brought him back. Back to that day when they'd been stupid enough to raid that school. Hard to believe how far they'd come from there. Then, he had still been working on trusting him. But now... "Try me." Something more genuine sank into his smile despite the ugliness of that night.

[croi]

Well fuck. This was actually incredibly awkward. He ran his fingers through his bangs, awkward, and- and that was actually the worst part. If it was an angsty secret, it would be one thing. The kind of secret which was steeped in sorrow and pain. That sort of secret people could dance around and understand why.

But in this case, it was more of an awkward secret. It was a situation that had happened and he was more than willing to accept (certain pieces of work who called themselves his Master aside, as well as Gilgamesh, and some of the other guys in general, but it was far from the worst hand he could've been dealt) but was really hard to believe. Especially since he had a lack of proof, and his hand twitched as if to summon Gae Bolg...but nothing.

Well.

"I'm actually the spirit of a dead hero who was summoned to fight in a war for the Holy Grail-...you probably haven't heard of it. It's...basically a wish granting thing that can do anything."

There.

And he clearly wasn't expecting to be believed, at least not right away. It was almost sheepish, said almost apologetically: he's sorry he didn't have something more plausible to say to the average person. This bullshit is all that he has to offer.

Sorry.

[heroproceeding]

Insert longest and potentially most awkward pause here ever between them.

"So, you're a.... summon. Basically." ...What. The hell.

Seriously. Summons don't talk. Not back on Gaia. But... then this wasn't Gaia. And where Lancer came from certainly wasn't either. He could have some stretch of the imagination here. Especially considering... Ha... Haha... One-winged people. One-winged people. Zack exhaled suddenly through his nose- loudly. Seriously, what in the fuck. People always landing these stories on him. And well- yeah, the guy had zero proof. But...

There was a sudden break of laughter. Soft and almost- no, definitely kinda hysterical sounding. The fit ended shortly enough as it had begun before he-

"You know, I probably shouldn't believe you. But... I feel like I've seen so many crazy things happen in my life, what's not to believe at this point?"

And he had mentioned something about that war before...

[croi]

A summon? Of all the things he was expecting, he wasn't expecting that. And actually, it was nice not having Zack shoot him down five seconds into it. He'd been expecting some kind of argument, maybe, or at least utter disbelief opposed to that moment of understanding, or so he thought, and then the hysterical laughter (which he'd be offended by but definitely could understand), and then the admission that it sounded crazy.

"Yeah, true. We're stuck in some screwed up town surrounded by intangible monsters and people from all over. It's not the strangest thing here by far."

But...did he- yes, he wanted to know. "But...hold on, back up for a second. A summon? Never heard of those." Or he might've, actually, thinking about it, but he wasn't expecting the entire why yes, I have encountered something like you in my past. Maybe.

[heroproceeding]

It might have a lot to do with, yep. ...The sheer insanity of being summoned to this town to begin with, too. Although the being dead bit.. Still very questionable. But then what did Zack know of the summons back home? ...He probably should have been better about his studies. Something to footnote and ask Kunsel about later...

...Or attempt to explain them right then and there. Well then. That definitely got him ruffling his own hair roughly. "Well, okay, they're aren't really the same. Not exactly. But it was the first thing I thought of. Back on Gaia, there were these really strong beasts that would come if you called them. But in order to do that..." For the first time, Zack held up his right arm with the bracer he always wore. Dull green marbles adorned it as usual. "You needed one of these- materia.
-The one it connected to anyway. You can't just use any one of them."

[croi]

"Yeah, it's like that." Instant reply, accompanied by a slight nod. He was satisfied, though in an incredibly bemused sort of way.

He had expectations. He expected he'd have to spend several minutes trying to convince Zack about what he was, followed by several minutes in which he explained what that entailed, probably followed by several minutes in which he did damage control. And the reality was that apparently their worlds had a great deal more in common than he had ever expected.

Who knew? This was surprisingly anticlimactic. (And he was leaning forward as he warmed to the explanation without realizing it.)

"Normally you can't summon guys like me. The best you can hope for are...things. You know? Monsters. Spirits." There was a dismissive wave in regards to the monsters and spirits and things of that ilk. "Not much power and they can't even hold a conversation. But, I was part of a special ritual which summoned seven of us. I believe I mentioned Caster to you. She's another one."

[heroproceeding]

Years before... Before anything really crazy had gone on, yeah. Ye-Yeah, Zack likely would have never believed him for a split second. And there were still details such as being a long since dead hero that... he didn't entirely buy, but. But he was listening. Maybe that was... exactly what summons were in the end back in his world. They had to come from somewhere.

Zack found himself dropping his hand with knit brows. "So, there's this powerful ritual, all seven of you come to fight, and then what? Last one standing gets dibs on the wish then? Or... your master, I guess." Was there a sting to that name? Just a bit. Lancer didn't sound thrilled about him. Meaning... whoever his master was, he...

"...Not a friendly guy, is he. But that still doesn't answer one thing." Zack glimpsed Lancer's way with curiosity written on his face plain as day. "What's stopping you from disobeying him? I mean if you don't like what he's doing..." ...There had to be a catch.

[croi]

"Oh, the bastard took my command seals and used one on me." Stating the obvious. There's always a way to keep spirits from misbehaving. Said in the same way one would note that it was snowing outside or the water was wet.

He shrugged, then, he sighed, as if they were talking about scheduling shifts at the local diner and he got screwed into a double shift. "He forced me to accept him as my Master. I didn't really have a choice." And there was the generic vague hand gesture that came with describing past annoying things and getting dicked over by work.