030 [Action for Olivine Pokemon Center/Text]

[soggypastry]

[She doesn't think anything of it, at first. There's another three day hole in her memory and she assumes that he's just out of the city or dealing with something. It's happened before and she knows he'll call sooner or later. But when the call doesn't come, even after noon has come and gone, Lightning begins to worry. She tries to call his gear, but there's no answer other than what she's feared the most ever since people started to disappear on her. That cold, robotic tone telling her that he is gone and she wasn't even there when he disappeared.

That well known sentence that leaves no question he won't be answering her again, and he may not even remember her and everything they are. Still, she doesn't cry. Not even when Strike and Lucky pad into her room, Leon's bag in Strike's paws before she gives it to Lightning and goes to Sen, curling into his embrace as Lucky whines, putting her head on Lightning's lap as the woman digs into Leon's bag and comes out with his coat and a letter that she reads once, twice, three times over before it finally sinks in. Now she cries, one broken sounding sob that shouldn't come from a woman who is normally so strong, but when her world has just been rocked upside down...she's not sure what else to do.

Not sure what else she can do but slowly get out of bed and sit with her arms around Lucky, quietly ignoring the world around them for a long time. Those that come into her room will find her like that, Leon's jacket draped around her shoulders and Lucky's head in her lap. She's not likely to move anytime soon, either.]


Leon's gone. He said to tell you he was sorry.

[Private text to: Ventus]
Can you come by for a minute? I need your help with something.

Comments

[soggypastry]

No one ever does, no matter how many times we've seen it happen before.

[Neither of them expected it; even through everyone else disappearing, Leon had been there. He'd weathered the storms, as it were, of siblings and friends leaving with no warning, and he'd always been stable. It's not that the thought hadn't crossed Lightning's mind before, because it had, but to have it happen...it was a shock for them both, in no uncertain terms.]

I'll be fine. My sister's here.

[Text masks guilt and pain easily, at least, but she's telling the truth. Besides, it's not like she's got the time to fall apart now.]

[islandshore]

Tell me about it. Sora's come and gone four times already, and I still never expect it when it happens.

[And while it's reassuring that her sister's there, he still feels kinda bad. Maybe because she got hurt so recently, and now this...]

[soggypastry]

With that idea, you'd think we'd be used to watching them vanish by now, but...I guess we'll never get used to it.

[Because if they aren't used to it after nearly two years of watching people they love vanish with no warning, they'll never get used to it.]

[islandshore]

I think the fact that it's so unpredictable makes it hard to get used to. How can you when you never know if it'll actually happen or not?

[Plus, it's something he'd rather not have to get used to, really.]

[soggypastry]

With enough time, and enough people vanishing on us. If it becomes normal, you can get used to anything.

[She'd honestly prefer to get used to it, especially since the unpredictability just makes it hurt more. The paranoia of waiting for it to happen doesn't help, either.]

[islandshore]

Yeah, but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

[Especially since he's in no hurry to leave, so it stinks when his friends vanish.]

[soggypastry]

I never said we did, Riku. I'm always going to hate this part of this world.

[It stinks worse than Snow's dirty socks, no doubt. But those could at least be washed clean. This? Not so much, and it doesn't make sense. Why bring them here only to send them back without warning?]