soggypastry | 030 [Action for Olivine Pokemon Center/Text]

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030 [Action for Olivine Pokemon Center/Text]

[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.

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[You bet she's coming to see her. In fact, Minnie practically sprints there, opening the doors with a bit too much force.]

[The pair of Lucarios in the corner are the first to react, ears flicking and heads rising to see Minnie come running into the room, but Lightning has a slower reaction. She knows Minnie is there; she can hear and see the other woman just fine, it just takes her a little time to raise her head from where she'd been staring at the floor, fingers weaving patterns in Lucky's fur. She hasn't cried, her eyes are clear and she isn't trying to hide, but she doesn't...she just doesn't know what to say. Not about this.]

Lightning!

[She keeps running until she gets to her dear friend, and then she throws her arms around her, holding her tight. It's... really all she can do. After all the friends Minnie has lost, she still hasn't found the way to take the sting out of losing them.]

[They both know the sting never goes away, and it's only seconds until Lucky whines in response to the palpable sadness in the air around her, ears flat against her skull as Lightning slowly responds to the hug and returns it. She doesn't break down; even as her family disappeared around her she didn't cry, and even though this hurts more than even her sisters vanishing, she doesn't cry. Instead, she hides her face in Minnie's shoulder, reminding herself to breathe. She has to get past this. She doesn't have the time to break and hide for days. He wouldn't want that for her.

She's not going to let him down now, but she needs a little time to come to terms with her first love disappearing. That's all, really. Just time.]

[This is one of the days he wishes he knew how to text others. He'd rather not show how upset that sentence has left him, but he cannot say nothing to Lightning either.]

...I'm sorry. You should have had more time together.

[Lightning herself would have replied in Video, but she doesn't trust herself to not break if she actually puts vocal words to her replies. She doesn't trust herself to hold it together if she actually speaks right now, and so she doesn't. One of these days, someone's going to teach Cecil how to text.]

This place never gives us what we should have, Cecil. You know that. Nine months is more than either of us could have hoped for.

[If there's one thing he was never expecting to hear, it's that Leon had left. Then again, it explains why he's suddenly in the possession of a maxed out Steelix.

All the same, it's... conflicting. He and Leon weren't always on the best of terms, but it's not like he was a bad guy by any means...]

Wow, I... can't say I expected that.

[And to think he and Ven left Johto under the assumption that Leon would be there for her. It's a good thing Riku's responding in text; it's easier to mask that sliver of guilt.]

You gonna be okay?

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.]

Edited 2012-05-29 13:57 (UTC)

In any other world, nine months would be nothing more than a good start.

[There's a touch of anger there, somewhere beneath the sadness. Sometimes he hates this world, for forcing them to accept what should never be accepted.]

_{[There's hesitation on Cooper's end when he sees the text. He'd considered Leon a friend and the message is saddening, but in his usual fashion he doesn't react immediately other than a slow breath and a moment of stillness.]

[The hesitation, on his part, comes from knowing that Lightning must be much worse off than he is by this turn of events. And he doesn't know Lightning all that well, but he respects her and knows Leon cared deeply for her.]

[So the call comes later. He's never been too good at comfort, and she probably chose text for a reason, but damn it, he dislikes texting.]}

I'm sorry. How are you feeling?

I'm so sorry.

[It's all she can think of to say, and even those words feel hollow. She's also gone through the pain of losing her love, and nothing anyone had said or done had resolved it. All she can do now is tenderly stroke Lightning's hair, just a little reminder she'll be here as long as her friend needs her.]

Want some company?

Not like you actually have a choice.

[Harry's beginning to get that this weekend wasn't just a three-day blackout; he's a little surprised that this is the only network post like this so far.]

Sorry for your loss.

Then why did you even ask if you knew the answer?

You can come by, if you want.

We knew this could happen. Nine months was longer than either of us could have hoped for.

[She just wishes it was longer. As much as she loves this place for what it's done, bringing people who never would have met together like this, she really hates it other times. The only consolation is that he's with his family again, and hopefully safe.

Well. That and Minnie's presence, for the moment; Lightning knows she's not alone, and will slowly return the hug, just breathing. She'll get through this. She has to. But it still hurts.]

[By the time Coop actually calls, Lightning's had company and people in and out of her room, telling her how sorry they are and that they're here for her. But she's also had time to think, and she...really has no idea how to feel, other than sad and partly numb. She just knows she's not the only one to have lost Leon today.]

I'll let you know when I figure that out.

[It wouldn't be the first time someone's disappeared right after a black-out, no, but the timing of the disappearances is just so random it only looks bad.]

You say that to everyone who has someone disappear on them?

Figured I could at least pretend to have some manners instead of just barging in.

[ On the other hand, barging in is exactly what she's doing not long after she sends that text. If this were Vanille, she'd have a better idea of how to comfort her. Instead, her normal methods probably won't work here. ]

If I try and hug ya, will I end up nursin' a bruise?

[Well, the thought was appreciated, but it's not like it mattered this time. No, this time Lightning will look up at her friend as she comes barging into the room, then back down at the floor. That was...faster than she expected.]

Not this time.

...Will you be alright?

[At the very least, he knows the pain of loss very well, and she's one of the leaders of PGC, so yeah.]

[He'll be a-coming, he's just all the way in Vermillion...]

Light, what's wrong?

Good.

[ And that's the only warning before she's hugging Lightning. For right now Fang doesn't say anything, because what is there to say? "I'm sorry" does nothing. ]

[Normally there would be some kind of stiffened reaction; Lightning has softened up but sudden hugs still catch her off-guard even from friends, but today....today is not a good day. Today is a bad day and Fang is getting that hug returned. She should be used to this, people disappearing on her, but the sting just never goes away and she still doesn't know what to do.

Out of her element? Indeed.]

[That's...quite a walk. He can stay put, should he wish to; she can manhandle some crutches from the nurses to get this done, really!]

I need to get a letter down to the water, but the nurses are trying to keep me in here and they're being stubborn about it.

[Trying is the operative word, though. She'll bust through 'em soon enough.]

Not much else I can be. There's too much to do for me to curl up and cry now.

[No matter how much she wants to do that, she doesn't have that luxury. She's got the PGC to lead and so she needs to keep it together. Somehow. Besides, he wouldn't want her to waste her time crying.]

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