o6 | Dictated

[bustered]

[Angeal Hewley]

Cloud's gone.

[/Angeal Hewley]

[About an hour after that filtered message, Zack addresses the journal without a filter this time. His voice is that mix of neutral and tired that marks familiarity of having to bring the 'not coming back' message to people waiting for their friends and loved ones to come home. Such can be life in SOLDIER.]

For those who knew him, Cloud Strife has gone home.

Comments

[bustered]

Yeah, I'm okay. [Spoiler: he's not.] Thinking about going with you when you head back out now, though. I could use the distraction.

[save_the_souls]

[he can guess..]

I see...

Well, then you'd be welcomed along. It seems a lot of us could use the distraction.

[bustered]

[This is what he likes about you, Allen: you won't mention it.]

An extra sword never hurts, right? [A pause.] You work in the clinic, right?

[save_the_souls]

[Nope, not at all. We all got baggage man]

Mm, we could always use more!

And the clinic? Yes, I do.

[bustered]

[Baggage needs to go jump off a cliff.]

Good, here's a question. I was on the last one, and I never got sick when everyone else did. Do you think I'll be a danger to the expedition this time?

[save_the_souls]

Hmmm.

It's possible like a few of us, you simply had a natural immunity to the illness. You were at the castle at the time of the outbreak, right?

[bustered]

I was the big block of ice in the lobby. [orz]

[save_the_souls]

A giant block of...

[Only in Paradisa is this a reasonable excuse; he sighs]

Come down the clinic when you can, I'll run you through the cures and hopefully that will act as a vaccination for the virus if your time in ice made it simply go dormant for longer.

Until then, please don't touch anyone on the forehead?

[bustered]

Yup.

[Thank you Allen for not asking. Again.]

Yeah, I can come down later today if you're around. Just in case.

I won't.

[save_the_souls]

All right, I'll be in this afternoon!

Thank you, Zack.

[bustered]

No, thank you. I'd hate the thought of putting others in danger, especially if it's preventable.

[save_the_souls]

Well then don't worry about a thing, we'll make sure everything is perfectly safe.

[bustered]

...Don't jinx it. Knowing this place...

[save_the_souls]

[a small amused sound]

I've been here six years, Zack. I know what things not to say to cause jinx.

[bustered]

Maybe I'm just paranoid then. But it's saved my skin more than once.

[save_the_souls]

I'm sure. There's nothing with erring on the side of caution.

[bustered]

Yeah. But I'll mix it with some trust in your experience too.

[save_the_souls]

Mm, sounds like a good combination to me.

[bustered]

Thanks. I'll drop by the clinic later.

[save_the_souls]

Great. I'll be there.