I'll tell you all how the story ends

[cleartranquil]

Who: Ghost Quest kids and all those who want to see them.
What: So as it turns out, going against the label might've been a bad move. Who knew, right? 
When: Feb 3rd and after 
Where: Pride HQ
Warnings: Talk of torture, aftermath of violence, aftermath of brainwashing, dudes there's some dark stuff.

For the past three days, the troublemakers and ghost helpers of Pride Records were kept locked away from their friends and their bands. 

As far as everyone else knew, they were just gone. And then they were back. 

They are all worse for wear, some far more than others and some much more mentally than physically, but they are all returned to their penthouses, finally, at the end of their ordeals. 

But, at least they're back. Somewhat in one piece. For the most part. 

Comments

[traumatizing]

[He looks up and immediately feels terrible, thoughts very much mirroring Yuffie's. What if she hates him now? What if that's why she's here? He wouldn't blame her.]

Hey.

[Great start. Neutral. Not at all stressed and full of guilt and exhausted. Now it's Yuffie's turn.]

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie stares at him for a very long moment. She's trying very hard to be tough right now. She can see he's as upset as she is, she knows that he probably doesn't need her blubbering on him or anything. Because of that, she sits there awkwardly, her face quirking like she's trying not to cry or anything again before finally she just rolls her eyes at herself and gives up on pretending not to be in terrible shape.

That's about the point where Yuffie just sort of launches and hugs him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and clinging on like she's terrified he's going to just up and disappear right from in front of her.]

[traumatizing]

[Oh-- jesus. Terry catches her instinctively, but he's frozen for a moment like he's never hugged a person before in his life and has no idea what to do. He needs this though, they both do, and he wraps his arms around her tightly and presses his face into the top of her head. He's not crying but god does he want to.]

I'm so sorry, Yuffie.

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie's got her face tucked in against his neck and for a moment there she was the tiniest bit worried that he was going to react badly and tell her to go away, he's got the right to. She should've gotten him out. She should've gotten them all out. She should've been able to. The version of her she sees in the dreams could do it.

She could've done it all.

It's enough to make her think that maybe, Baryl was wrong. Maybe that version of Yuffie, whoever she is, is somehow better.]

What're you sorry for dummy?

[Her voice sounds choked up, in spite of herself.]

[traumatizing]

I should've done something.

[He shakes his head, letting out a shaky breath. It's the part of him that's... Toxic? Monstrous somehow. There's a power there, he's certain of it.] Gotten you out or... Stopped everyone doing it in the first place or something.

[cleartranquil]

Like hell anyone could'a stopped me.

[Yuffie sounds like she wants to laugh about it, but it comes out horrible and a bitter. She didn't think. And now...And now people are hurt and Fetch is gone.]

We..We kinda won, right? That has'ta count for something, right?

[She's not sure if she's trying to convince him or herself that this has to have been worth it, somehow.]

[traumatizing]

Did we?

[He doesn't feel like they won anything.]

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie sits back enough to look at him. Her eyes are watery but she's trying to keep herself tough. It doesn't work very well, considering how bruised up her face is, and how unsteady she looks.]

Baryl and Octave. They got out. That has to mean something.

[traumatizing]

That's true.

[He frowns, but she's right. They did something. Suffered hellishly for it, but they saved someone and that's a good thing.]

I just wish we could've gotten some of the others out.

[cleartranquil]

[ Yuffie nods and then scrubs angrily at her eyes like she's very irritated that she can't keep it together.]

I haven't seen anybody else since they let us out. But Tooru 'n Tiger, and Kido-

[Yuffie's breath picks up because she's more terrified than she means to be, it's not really her fault, it's in her head that she's supposed to know it's her fault, and she did this, and they're hurt because of her, and she finally just trips over her words as she spits it all out.]

And-And- Fetch got fired. And it's-[She covers her mouth with both hands and tries to stop, tries to stop freaking out. This is stupid. This isn't her.]

[traumatizing]

[Terry wastes no time in pulling Yuffie back in again, holding her tight and shushing her gently.]

It's not your fault.

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie's breath is coming fast and panicked even if she doesn't mean it to be, and she just clings on.]

She said- She said it was.

[No questions who 'she' is. It's probably obvious. Yuffie's panic twists into rage, because that's the same place for her. Terror and anger are so wrapped up she doesn't know where one stops and another begins.]

I hate her. God, I hate her so much!

[traumatizing]

[He runs his fingers through her hair, doing what he can to be soothing.]

It's her fault, not yours.

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie's quiet for a very long moment, but her entire body is so tense she's practically shaking. This whole thing is horrifying to her. Who knows what being fired even means? People disappear, and she's heard rumors and theories but she's never heard from Alec or Wakana again. What if that means they're... What if that means Fetch is dead? What if that means she's dead because of Yuffie?

It's probably very obvious that Yuffie's crying, but she hopes it isn't. Just one more thing to be upset about. When she finally speaks again, her voice is quieter, and she's got her fingers twisted up in the front of his shirt.]

Sorry. I..Ugh. This is the worst.

[And then, after a moment more.]

You smell funny. You really should shower'r somthin'.

[ Yuffie, really?]

[traumatizing]

[He doesn't say anything about it, he just keeps petting her hair and rubbing her back while she cries it out. She's like him, she's got a lot of pride and she always wants to be strong, so he's not gonna draw attention to it, but he also doesn't want her to feel like she's alone here.]

[And then she tells him he smells and Terry huffs a long-suffering sigh into her hair.]

Thanks, Yuffie.

[cleartranquil]

Someone's got to be honest with ya.

[Yuffie, of course, says this not having moved an inch and still using his shoulder to hide in, but she turns her face so she's not just talking into his shirt and can actually be understood.]

....Have ya even left here yet? Gotten water? Food? Something?

[traumatizing]

[What do you take him for, a person who can be trusted to take care of himself?]

Maybe later.

[cleartranquil]

[ Now, Yuffie sounds very tired, and painfully sarcastic. Which is probably very irritating when someone is literally using you as a human chair.]

Oh yeah. I totally believe you, Mr. hiding in the dark and brooding away who totally ate about as much as I did for about three days which was totally nothing- because i'm not an idiot and things were probably poisoned- and that was totally gross smelling anyway so really its not like it was gonna give anybody an appetite ...Do'ya think they made it gross on purpose?

[Yuffie has officially lost where her thought train was going. Train got redirected. Ms. Kisaragi, ladies and gents.]

[traumatizing]

[And thank god for that.]

Probably. It's not like they were about to treat us like people or anything.

[cleartranquil]

Either way...

[A beat. Yuffie is going to try and backtrack a moment. She turns somewhat so she's just leaning on him as opposed to literally using Terry as a chair.]

Either way!

[FOUND IT.]

I'm ordering a pizza and you're helping me eat it or I'm hiding gross things in your air vents.

[traumatizing]

What kind of gross things?

[This is important.]

[cleartranquil]

....Do ya really want to know?

[With Yuffie it could be literally anything from frogs to rotten food to smoke bombs. You really never know.]

[traumatizing]

I need to weigh up my options.

[cleartranquil]

I can reach the air vent in the ceiling, it's missing the screw closest to the door, and Doctor G or Mei will totally let me in the penthouse.

And your door lock sucks ass.

[Yuffie says this all matter of factly.]

And it'll be really gross.

[traumatizing]

[UGH.] Fine, I'll eat the pizza.