[log] Hoping to get nice and toes-ty. Only getting the toes. [closed]

[deus_ex_phs]

Characters: Zack, Kunsel, and Tifa
Location: C11 for encountering Tifa, E9 (building 40) during the night
Date: Day 54
Summary: Zack and Kunsel find Tifa and promptly make a beeline back to the house where they managed to find wood to use in the fireplace a few nights back. (Sadly, there's no more wood to burn.)
Warnings: Clayton's severed toes. Also, middle-of-the-night morning wood.

[There's all sorts of options and opportunities here, from rescuing Tifa, to finding Clayton's toes, to trying to get warm at night with no fire in the house and only a moldy couch to sleep on. Don't forget the mumbled words that none of them can completely make out, but that keep following them around the old, run-down living room that's the only room they can sleep in in this house.

Make your own top level, or jump into someone else's!]

Comments

[powersouls]

1.
[The past few days have been... Not fun. Tifa is starting to think that she never really knew what cold was until she arrived here, and it's been preventing her from moving very quickly at all. The coat she has is doing some good, although the wind is so strong that it seems to seep into her bones, and she has to be very careful not to get the wool wet. That's a problem with her sheet, too. It's something to cover her legs, but the wind whips right through it and when it gets damp, everything seems about a million times worse.

It's pretty much impossible to sleep when you're freezing (who knew!) and that combined with trudging through the thick snow has left her exhausted. Kunsel and Zack had said they weren't far, right? She should be running into them soon. Hopefully. Before Sephiroth, ideally.

And then Tifa thinks she spots someone up ahead, not too far away. Visibility here is terrible, though, so she can't quite make out who it is, and she knows now that she should be cautious. But despite all that, she stops and finds her mood lifting as she stands up on her tiptoes and squints. It's a failed attempt to see a little farther and a little more clearly. Is that spiky hair? Maybe?]

2.
[So, night is falling and they've found a house to stay in! It's a dump, but at least they're out of the wind and safe from monsters, right? Tifa is shivering uncontrollably by this point, rubbing her arms roughly and bouncing on the balls of her feet in a desperate attempt to stay warm. She takes in the room slowly, trying not to let the moldy couch and the ruined floor depress her too much.

And then she sees the fireplace.]

Look!

[She's beaming, her eyes going wide as she bounds across the room in a few quick strides. A fire! Nothing has ever sounded so amazing to her in her life. She might actually be warm! Not just kind of not freezing, but warm! She crouches in front of the grate, peering inside.]

Do you think it wo--

[And then she cuts herself off with a squeak, trying to move backwards so quickly that she tips right over. Those aren't what she thinks they are. They can't possibly be.]

2

[deus_ex_phs]

[Tifa's squeak of alarm catches Kunsel's attention immediately, already keyed up as he is from keeping an eye out for any sign of monsters. He crosses the room quickly, abandoning his inspection of the couch.]

What is it? What's wrong?

[powersouls]

[Tifa takes a breath, simultaneously disgusted at the fact that there are toes in the fireplace and embarrassed at her reaction. They're all so on edge, of course Kunsel would immediately think it's something dangerous. She pulls herself to her feet and takes a step back, wrapping her arms around herself again.]

I think...

[She thinks she's starting to lose her mind, is what. Maybe all of this is just an awful fever dream, and when she wakes up she won't remember any of it. She shivers again, pointing at the fireplace.]

Are those... Toes?

[Tifa's voice sounds shaky and incredulous, even to herself. There's a limit to the amount of horrifying and reality altering things a person can experience in a few days, and she really just needs a few minutes of normalcy to gather herself. Doesn't look like that's going to happen, though.]

[deus_ex_phs]

[Toes?

Kunsel frowns, peering into the fireplace to see what she's talking about. Maybe he's misunderstanding, or-

...or maybe there are two severed human toes sticking out of the ashes in the corner of the fireplace. SOLDIER he may be, and veteran of a war, but that? Kunsel's stomach does something very unpleasant in his gut.

But he is a war veteran, so though he grimaces, he still crouches down and fishes out his knife. With the tip of the blade, he nudges the toes away from the ash.]

I think you're right. Zack and I didn't see these here before. We must've either missed them, or someone's been here since then.

[heroproceeding]

Missed what?

[ Sorry, guys. It's kinda hard not to butt in and get nosy when someone's shouting across the small length of the room. He initially hadn't been over there immediately when he'd seen Kunsel already at her side. But now with most of his search of that end of the room over, curiosity had gotten the better of him.

Especially when he sees Kunsel poking something with his knife like-

Oh. Oh, that's unpleasant. Wow, yeah, no wonder he'd heard Tifa... Similar to Kunsel, he doesn't jump like she did, but something inside his own body twists, even as he inquires. ] ...Are those what I think they are?

[powersouls]

[Tifa is very pointedly not looking at the fireplace. She still can't help but wonder what they're doing there, even as she moves to stand against the wall to get a bit more distance.]

Where do you think they came from?

[She regrets the question as soon as she's finished asking it. Probably not the most pleasant topic for speculation.]

[deus_ex_phs]

[Kunsel studies the toes in the dimming ambient light, then gingerly picks one up and turns it over. A grisly move, yes, but the toes might be able to tell them something they need to know.]

Well, I'm not an expert, but I'd say that looks like frostbite damage to me. Best case scenario is that someone had to amputate.

[Worst case?

Well.

Worst case probably involves someone losing their toes to torture, and that's not a scenario he wants to suggest out loud.]

[heroproceeding]

[ Kunsel doesn't have to say it for Zack to think it as Kuns picks up that toe. But... Zack's not about it make things more concerning than they already are at the moment. At least as far as that scenario goes.

Now, as far as the mention of frostbite and toes goes... He aims a look back at Tifa. More specifically at her own feet. ] Hey... How have those been faring in the snow? Your shoes soaked?

[ Because that's one hella easy way to make frostbite happen... ]

[powersouls]

["Best case scenario"? She doesn't want to know what Kunsel thinks the worst case is. Then Zack asks about her feet, and Tifa rocks back on her heels and shakes her head. She looks slightly horrified at the thought.]

No, they're fine.

[What an awful follow up question, Zack. But her boots are pretty heavy duty and water proof, and she's wearing thick socks. Small blessings.]

1 and I will get to two at some point.

[heroproceeding]

[ Trudging out in the snow and cold for as long as he has, well... It's definitely not something he'll ever enjoy in his life... probably ever now. But. It's at least something he's gained a better tolerance for. Of course, it probably helps, too, that he's a little bit better dressed for it than some people. Including the young lady they've been searching for since leaving Clayton and the others.

He's been trying to keep an even pace. Not rushing- because he knows that'll just wear them both down quicker in the end. But still, after finding out that Sephiroth of all people's there... the sooner they find her, the better. He doesn't want to think of what would happen otherwise... or if he ends up running into the other split of their group. Damn it... They need to get back to them yet. Soon, he cedes. Just one more quick detour. One more-

..Huh? His eyes narrow as he picks up a silhouette of something... or someone? It's so hard to tell immediately. And by instinct, he's gripping tight to his knife at first. But after a glance at Kunsel, he's making his approach and... the closer they get, the more distinct they start to become.... No, she becomes. She's taller. And judging by the way her hair's whipping in the wind, it's a lot longer than it was before. But that's definitely- at least he's pretty sure it's- He cups a hand to his mouth. ] Tifa! Hey!

[ He reaches up shortly afterward to wave to her in emphasis while he picks up his pace to an easy jog. ]

[powersouls]

[Tifa can't help but beam when she realizes it really is him, and she finds the energy to pick up the pace.]

Zack!

[He looks different. A lot different, actually, than the cocky, energetic teenager she remembers. She wonders how much of that happened in the past five years, and how much of it happened since he arrived here. She struck again by how long it's been, and by how odd it is that she's seeing him again, especially in a situation like this.

And that's Kunsel next to him, she figures, wearing his SOLDIER uniform and helmet, which... Throws her off a bit. But it's amazing to see friendly faces (or a visor), so she's still grinning when she stops in front of them.]

Long time no see.

[Then she turns to Kunsel, bouncing in place absently to try to stay warm.]

And it's nice to finally meet you.

[deus_ex_phs]

Nice to meet you, too.

[Kunsel's voice is as pleasant and friendly as his (only partially visible) face, but there's also an underlying current of relief at the fact that they managed to find her. With visibility as limited as it is, he'd worried that they might manage to pass each other by without noticing.]

Though I hope you don't mind if we say our hellos while we keep moving. [Because even with decent pants on, he's not keen on standing around in the snow. Eyeing the way she's bouncing with that sheet wrapped around herself, it's pretty obvious that she's got to be cold.]

Come on. There's a house with a fireplace back this way. Not sure if we'll find something to burn, but we can hope. How are you holding up?

[powersouls]

[A fireplace. That sounds heavenly.]

I'm okay.

[She's okay as long as she keeps herself from thinking about the vast majority of the things that have happened in the last two days, at least. But she's ready to keep moving, and waits for one of them to start leading the way.]

How have you two been? You haven't run into any problems, right?

[heroproceeding]

[ Long time, no see, she said. That was an understatement. On top of being taller than when he last saw her and her hair being longer, she apparently changed her style since then. But that was barely noticeable in contrast to when he finally saw her face more clearly. The young face of a naive, stubborn teenager had been cast away apparently. He could see that almost immediately and part of him hurt to see it. Because he knew it wasn't just because of time. In the end though, there was nothing he could do about that.

But what he can do? He's already on it, Tif! Especially when he sees her jumping around like that. At least she has a coat and she does hail from Nibelheim, too. But that still doesn't change how it's always so damn cold there and she's only got that flimsy sheet! He only pauses once in brief before he starts again, taking point as he adjusts one of his backpack straps. ]

Aside from freezing? Eh, been lucky so far. Not seen a monster in a few days now. Hopefully, our luck'll hold. [ He tries to keep his tone easygoing. Especially after their argument a few days back, he's just not in the mood for anymore headbanging conversation at the moment. Which might be what led to another careful smile followed by another poke for optimism. ] A shower and now a fire. Guess we're not doing too bad, huh, Kuns?

[ You know. Crazy former General who doesn't remember he's crazy or is pretending he doesn't remember aside... ]

[deus_ex_phs]

[Kunsel's not going to mention the fire they already enjoyed. No need to make Tifa too envious when she's been freezing the past few days. He's all for a boost in optimism, though, so. Pointedly not thinking about Sephiroth right now.]

Not bad at all. And if nothing else, three people huddled together for warmth is better than being by yourself.

[As he walks, he's not following the tracks in the snow that he and Zack left, choosing instead to angle his path northeast. He's a pretty good judge of distance and direction, so he's pretty certain he aim them straight back for that house, and cut off some of the time it'll take them to get there.]

[powersouls]

[Yes, avoiding the Sephiroth topic is good, at least until they find a place to sleep. Tifa follows along behind, picking her way through the path in the snow the two men are making. She's doing everything she can to keep her sheet as dry as possible, but it's a losing battle.]

Thanks for coming to get me.

[She really, really appreciates it, and the gratitude in her voice is plain.]

[heroproceeding]

[A]

[ There's seriously no way he's ever getting used to the cold. There's no doubt in his mind. This is a fact of life that he's accepted. That doesn't mean he doesn't hope for small miracles though. Just the little blessings to get them through a hard night. Especially after all they've been sweating bullets over, he would really love something like... you know. A bed or maybe even a couple big, comfy chairs to curl up on. And that chimney... That in-tact chimney had been promising of a fire.

But there's one problem as he stands there scrunching his nose with his hands on his hips. ] Would be great if we'd have some firewood right about now... [ He's at least trying not to get too down about this... But damn... ]

[B]

[ It's later on in the night that Zack awakens suddenly. His breathing's harsh for but a moment before he remembers where he is and does his best to calm himself down again. After all, worrying the other two will do them no favors. -And particularly, that he had been on watch. Great. How long had he been out?

...Apparently not long enough. He can still hear them. A shiver rolls down his spine and he rolls himself until he's got his back to Tifa again. In a way, perhaps waking up has been a blessing for him. Imagine her waking up to him like that. Harmless as he and Kunsel'd been to her, harmless as he always intends to be with her, well... They aren't exactly close friends. So, he'll shoulder the cold air that hits his front when he shifts out of the warmth collected as the towel and robe are jarred in the process.

With a shaky sigh, he closes his eyes a moment... only to open them again when it feels like those voices just get suddenly all the louder. Almost like they came with that rough dream. And no matter how much he tries to shut them out through sheer willpower alone, it's easier to tell yourself nothing's going to happen. Now, believing it while laying in complete darkness without enhancements? That's a completely different story. Especially after all he's been through back home. And especially after the discovery of ghosts and possessions on top of that there in Norfinbury.

Eventually, he just opts to pull his tablet out of his pocket and starts to flip through it idly. At least until he can feel a shift in the makeshift blankets around them. He freezes before speaking up in a soft, reluctant whisper: ] Hey... I didn't wake you, did I?

B

[deus_ex_phs]

No. I was already awake.

[Kunsel's voice is soft when he responds, but also oddly strained. He'd woken up to find...

...well. Things happen when there's a very attractive girl sleeping next to you. Awkward things that everyone would be happier if the girl in question never has the chance to notice. He'd tried to turn away and roll over.

But somehow during the night, Tifa's become pressed up against him, probably seeking warmth. He can't move now without the risk of jostling her and waking her up.]

Zack... Help?

[heroproceeding]

[ He notices that strain to Kunsel's voice and that's... definitely odd. And a bit concerning, but his friend would certainly be much louder about things if it had been an emergency. Still, the plea has him cautiously rolling back over to face the other two. This time, he's careful not to be brushed up against Tifa as he props himself up on an elbow. He holds his lit tablet screen up to the ceiling, so they can have some visibility without him waking up the poor young woman in the process.

It still takes him a second for him to pick out exactly what's happening, but the moment he realizes what's going on, he suddenly claps a hand over his mouth. There's laughter bubbling up in his throat already, but he at least has the courtesy to choke it down as well as he can. But Kunsel can likely hear the wheezing air of a repressed laughing fit at the sight of his predicament. ]

[deus_ex_phs]

[Kunsel can hear that laughter, Zack! He can see it, too, with the light that Zack's tablet casts. He is scowling so much, even as his cheeks flush.]

It's not funny, Zack! What if she wakes up?

[Okay, he still sounds more desperate than upset, but hopefully his hissed protest still gets the point across!]

[heroproceeding]

[ Kunsel, you are not helping your case here. Especially when you're blushing like that. Now, Zack's going from short huffs to almost outright crowing. But he keeps himself in tact somehow, swallowing his amusement enough to whisper back: ]

Oh, I'm sorry. It's not funny. It's hysterical.

[ At least he has the courtesy to keep his voice down. It doesn't stop him from further musing: ] You know, for how many times you complained about girl problems, I'd think you'd be happy when you had one right where you wanted 'em.

[ Is a shit eating grin happening here? Oh yeah. ]

[deus_ex_phs]

It doesn't count if she's doing it in her sleep and wouldn't do it if she was awake!

[Zack, you are NOT HELPING! Damn it, if he wasn't frozen where he is, trying not to wake Tifa, he would be strangling his friend right now!]

You know I'm not that kind of guy!

[heroproceeding]

[ But that's the thing. He is. So, good luck with that, buddy!

But Zack's not daft enough to not realize when he might be hitting too close to home. He sobers up slowly into something of a more knowing, apologetic smile. ]

I know you aren't, Kuns. [ And he knows that in the end, his friend likely doesn't want to be leaving Tifa a first night's impression quite like this. Gaia knows there's already enough confusion and distrust among them as it is.

So, he hums quietly in thought as he looks them over... okay, stifling another snicker in the process, but... Man, Kunsel really has gotten into a predicament here. ] Just, I dunno. Take it slow..? [ Lamest advice ever. ]

[deus_ex_phs]

[Take it slow. Right. Real helpful there. Kunsel shoots his friend an exasperated, but no less alarmed for it look, before turning helpless eyes on the girl curled up against him.

(And it really is a shame he can't take the time to appreciate just how nice this actually feels. Even if his body has already noticed and is responding accordingly.)

Taking a breath, he tries to nudge her back, careful, oh so careful. Maybe she'll just roll onto her back?]

[powersouls]

[Nice try, Kunsel, but no luck. That just wakes her up. She's exhausted, and warm for the first time in days, so it takes her a bit to come to fully and realize their... predicament. When she does, she immediately flushes, turning bright red. She tries to scoot away from Kunsel quickly, but she can only really move backwards, bumping right into Zack.

Great. And Kunsel is completely awake, too, so she can't just pretend this never happened. She is absolutely mortified.]

I'm sorry!

[She half whispers it, too focused on Kunsel to notice that Zack is even up and awake.]