Event: Consolidation Theory, Part Four and Five

[snowblindmods]

Characters: red-marked characters and their new friends
Location: ???
Date: Morning 354, Morning and Day 355
Summary: A quiet morning and a confusing morning, or maybe they're both, or maybe they're neither.
Warnings: gore, psychological horror, warn for specifics in the subject lines

Part Four OOC Post
Part Five OOC Post

Comments

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim sags with relief when he hears the voice. At least it's familiar, even if -

even if -

At least it's familiar. He moves as quickly as he can to Zack, even if it involves putting a little weight on the bad leg. ]

Here! I'm - [ Gasping for air, by now, but - ] I'm here. Just me.

[heroproceeding]

Jim.

[ Jim. Not dressed as the rest of them when they'd first got there. In his own clothing at least. But the way he hobbles is telling and Zack moves before he thinks better of it. Staggers back when he hits the barrier again and nearly ends up on his ass again. Barely holds his balance between the pain and he just has to spend a spell hunched over with a hand on the nearby wall. Catches it and then groans in regret because that was- that was definitely the wrong hand to catch himself.

But he still looks up shortly after, eyes on him. ] Take your- time, kid. No need to make things worse.

[ He says like the hypocrite he is. ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Zack hitting the barrier startles Jim badly enough that he nearly unbalances. It's been a long time since he felt this raw, since they'd worked through so many things. He stops - not because of Zack's instructions, though those help him focus as he sways on one leg. ]

Not sure how I could.

[ Well. At least his attitude is intact? ]

[heroproceeding]

[ Better than nothing. Better than feeling just as broken as he looks. That's what Zack.. kind of figures anyway in his hazy, pained state in some small way. The rest of him, of course, is too busy grimacing. ]

Falling, for one. [ He can think of a few other things, but he bites his tongue on them. Thinks better of it. ] I- wanna see that leg.

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim glares at him for the falling comment, but. Well, it's not actually wrong, even if Jim doesn't want to think about the fact that he's so helpless a little fall could ruin everything. ]

It's okay. You don't need to look at it.

[ It's really not okay, but what's Zack going to do? ]

[heroproceeding]

You're limping. I'm looking at it.

[ Even if there's little he can do about it, like hell he's not going to try anyway. He has to try and do something, right? At least that's how he feels. ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Even as Jim's hesitating - anything could happen, anything did happen last night - he has to admit that the insistence is kind of nice. It's one of those times where he feels like the problem is so much bigger and more painful than he is that he just wants someone else to deal with it.

That someone else can be Zack for a little while. ]

-Fine. How do you want to do this?

[ Just because it feels good doesn't mean Jim's going to make it easy. ]

[heroproceeding]

Just get over here and sit on your ass.

[ Simple enough, right? Or at least as simple as anything can be in a mess like this. A mess that's left them both in crippling pain they're both barely managing. But if he can maybe make things a little more bearable for Jim.. well, hell, he can try at least. ]

I'll help you down.

[ Doesn't matter what kind of shape he's in. He'll manage. ]

[rattlingthestars]

I hate this.

[ It's said in a sigh, almost too quiet to hear over the noise in the rest of the room. He's never felt this vulnerable, ever, and - it feels like everyone's looking, even if they aren't.

Still, Jim jerks himself closer, close enough for Zack to help. ]

Careful. Please.

[heroproceeding]

[ He's not the only one, Zack wants to say. But he keeps his mouth shut in the end. Won't do him any good. Won't do them any good for that matter.

But maybe what might is.. hell, he doesn't know, but he wants to try and help anyway. So, he waits until Jim gets close enough. And at that request, he nods in certainty. Keeps his messed up hand planted uncomfortably on the wall which hurts enough in it of itself. But it's even worse as he offers out his other hand to Jim to use for balance as he leads him to lean against the wall. ]

Just slide down it. I'll keep your balance for you.

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim silently braces his good arm on Zack's arm as he limps to the wall, teeth clenched so tightly that for a moment he can even feel the pain of them over the way the rest of his body is screaming. He slides down as carefully as he can, but he can't completely hold back a muffled cry when he hits bottom.

His leg is bandaged and braced, but it's also flopping uselessly in front of him. He doesn't even look at it, or Zack, just up at the ceiling. ]

Happy?

[heroproceeding]

Ecstatic.

[ The word's forced out as he catches himself on the wall momentarily with his good hand now that he's got it back. He's so damn sore- but Jim's worse. Jim's much worse off and that's what gets him to move. He'd heard that cry- winced at it.

Now, he carefully echoes Jim's movements, slipping down to sit next to him. It takes all his self-control not to wrap an arm immediately around his shoulders and coax him close. He'll... do that in a minute. Right then, he ignores the protests from his bruises to instead focus on leaning uncomfortably forward... and very gingerly feeling along that obviously broken leg. To make sure they didn't halfass the set. ]

Ifrit, Jim...

[rattlingthestars]

Don't -

[ Don't what? Touching it is obviously happening no matter how Jim feels about it (secretly, it's a relief, but it still hurts). ]

Don't make it a big deal, okay?

[ It just makes it worse. If Jim can pretend that this isn't happening, he can get through it. ]