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

[blindfoldcode]

He listens to me sometimes. [She looks away. Her personal responsibility is intense here.]

I should've said something. This isn't the first time Lesedi... did this to us.

[Another shaky breath, another flare of her eyes and another grimace.] I can't use my power... I-I think it's broken or something.

[cleartranquil]

What do you mean this isn't the first time?

[And then, utterly distracted by Kido's power problem and sounding much more sure as she talks.]

If it hurts, stop. You can't walk on a broken ankle. You gotta give it time.

[Yuffie tilts her head down to get a better look at her]

Whatever they did, I don't think it worked how they wanted. Your eyes are still turning red and stuff.

[blindfoldcode]

I can't stop. [Her voice wavers. She's going to cry, she feels it and she lifts a hand to rub her palm against them.]

I don't know how. I never knew how I only knew how to turn it on they're going to do worse--what if they try again?! [Oh. There's the familiar panic and fear. Found it.]

[cleartranquil]

It's okay. We're not gonna let that happen.

[Yuffie sounds ridiculously sure. If only because she has to be. She is not going to let that horrible witch of a woman anywhere near any of them again if she can help it. She will do anything she can to stop that. No matter what.]

We'll get you glasses or something. We'll lie if we have to. We're gonna figure it out.

[Yuffie is watching her carefully even if she can't see, Yuffie still is watching her face as if she could.]

Just take a deep breath, okay? It's okay if you're scared but you gotta breathe, Kido.

[blindfoldcode]

They already know! That's why they tried! They were trying to take it away! [Her ace is gone and used up. And she hopes those ghosts know how to repay favors because she lost a lot helping them out.]

They know everything...

[cleartranquil]

They were trying. But they didn't know how.

[Yuffie's grasping for something, anything to help her.]

If they did, they wouldn't be red. And they'd have said so.

[Her voice breaks a little and Yuffie immediately yanks it back in check, unwilling to follow Kido into panic, no matter what.]

The second they knew a way to hurt us, they said so. They did it.

[Yuffie is trying everything she can think of, trying to sound more sure than she is, and as she talks her voice slides up in pitch.]

All they could do is try. Just like they couldn't get rid of the parts of us they tried to hide. They're still there.

We're still here. And we've got stuff-[She hedges, unwilling to be outwardly vicious towards their boss. She can't say it.] ...someone like her can't even imagine.

[blindfoldcode]

[She really, really wants to believe what Yuffie's saying. She does. But her heart feels like it's imploding and she shakes her head as the tears finally start.]

I just want to disappear.

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie watches her carefully, brows furrowing when Kido says that. As much as Yuffie's been trying to be good about her space, she can't help it. Yuffie reaches out and tries to take Kido's hand.

He is literally miles away from us.
Some place far away where no one's ever been... All alone......

She'll let her pull away if she wants, but Yuffie just wants to try to be some kind of comforting.]

Please don't. [She doesn't know what else to say, she sounds very small, and a little young.] I don't want you to disappear.

[blindfoldcode]

[She lifts her hand that Yuffie hasn't taken to clench in her hair above her temple. She shakes her head.]

It would be better if I did. Tiger's hurt and I couldn't... I couldn't do anything.

[cleartranquil]

[Since she didn't pull away Yuffie holds on to her hand with both of hers.]

None of us could. Kido, it wasn't just you. We all tried. And we couldn't do anything.

[It's been tearing everyone apart that she's seen, that everyone got hurt.

But remember, the light of hope can be found anywhere.

That no one was able to really fight back. Yuffie wants to tear that woman apart for this. For Tiger and Kido and Tooru and Terry and everyone she's seen. Everything that she's done. She wants take her down and tell her that she'll never win, even if the very thought of trying terrifies her.

Listen, if you give up hope... What will happen to him?]

But everyone's- We all made it back. We're all still here. And that means we can get better.

[blindfoldcode]

Surviving doesn't mean it will.

[Ayano told her that she wasn't a monster. Ayano played with her and her brothers. She took them in. She became their sister. After she'd been left alone and called a monster and became terrified of disappearing. And then, even after that, the feeling of dying, of being hit so hard her body crumpled under the impact.

How could things ever get better? They only get worse.]

She jumped.

[cleartranquil]

It has to.

[The world went and opened up under all of them. Tearing everything apart as it healed. She screamed. She knows she did, even though she couldn't hear over the rumble of the earth and the way the ship rattled. She hated that thing so much. But it was all that was saving them from the vastness of nothing.

But once Holy came, the Planet itself was willing to fight him. They all were. And then-..and then.

Yuffie is snapped out of the moment, of the Green and the end, to hear what Kido was saying.]

...Who? Who jumped.

[blindfoldcode]

My sister. We were probably too much.

[She sucks in another breath and her eyes burn and she shuts them as hard as she can because the pain ricochets through her body again.

Cold and soaked from the rain because the teacher told her and why her why not Kano why not Seto, why had it been her that had to hear the news?! She had to have heard wrong it's not possible not again it couldn't be happening and Ayano was in front of them and Kido could barely even see from the tears and the rain and her hair in her face and Kano's asking, it couldn't be real what Tsubomi heard but Ayano's not telling them it's wrong and her world is spinning.

"Why does this keep happening to us?"]

It keeps happening.

[cleartranquil]

That can't have been it. It can't.

[Yuffie stares at her for a moment, her eyes gone wide.

She can't imagine that would be why someone would...

She knows what it means to miss people. She's felt-...She's felt all of it. She was there when she was gone, and there were no answers, and no way to feel better about any of it. She remembers that. And now that she knows it's real, it hurts more than it ever did.

Yuffie knows Kido doesn't do well being touched, she's gathered that, but Yuffie can't help herself. She lets go of Kido's hand only to put her arms around her and try to hug her without hurting her.]

Even if bad stuff happens that doesn't mean that's the only thing.

[blindfoldcode]

[It's more that she can't even see what Yuffie is doing that causes her to tense. And then the tears start.

Terrible things happen wherever she goes. Everyone she cares about disappears on her. She shakes her head.]

What if Tiger dies too? Or Trucy or Pinkie or Genos? [It keeps happening around her and there's no haze here to bring people back.]

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie keeps ahold of her like she's scared Kido really will disappear if she lets go. She doesn't want that to happen. Not at all. She doesn't want anyone to go.]

That's not gonna happen. We're not gonna let it.

[Yuffie sounds positive even if she's terrified.]

We're gonna fine a way to fix what they did to Tiger. [She saw it. Not the whole thing, but she'd seen it. She'd screamed and cursed at them, at all of them, until they hit her to try and make her stop.] And he's gonna be okay, and none of us are gonna let them take anybody else. We all gotta fight together, and we're gonna be stronger than she ever imagined. Just you wait.

[blindfoldcode]

[Kido had seen it too. She'd kicked and she'd screamed and she'd threatened and she'd begged and eventually all she'd gotten for it was a few more bruises.]

We can't all fight. [Her voice sounds weak. Hopeless?] I can't help. I can't even see. And even if I could...

This was all my fault.

[cleartranquil]

We don't have to all fight....like punching and stuff. There are other ways to be strong for people.

[There's a little girl, wide eyed and hiding behind his leg. She's so small, really. And she's all at once nothing like she was expecting and everything like Yuffie expected. So this is the kid they were all willing to do practically anything for. Yuffie crouches down so she can see a little better.

'Marlene, right?'

Yuffie hugs Kido a little tighter. Everybody needs people sometimes, and she's not about to forget that now.]

It wasn't. We all chose to be there.

[blindfoldcode]

Tiger would've listened to me if I told him not to go. But now he's... [And there are the floodgates because Kido has lost everything and she's scared of losing Tiger, too.]

[cleartranquil]

Tiger made a choice. And you gotta respect that, too. Sometimes people do stuff and bad things happen, but it's not your fault! You didn't hurt him! You'd never. Which means it's not your fault!

[Yuffie sounds positive of what she's saying. And she surprises herself by believing every word that's coming out of her mouth.]

[blindfoldcode]

He didn't. We did. When we... did that thing... [Fused?]

We wouldn't leave, either. I could've... I could've done something.

[cleartranquil]

[Yuffie pauses.]

Okay, totally gonna admit that I don't know how that worked, but you guys made that choice together, at the time.

[She sounds quieter as she continues.]

We all did the best we could. I know we did.

[blindfoldcode]

It wasn't enough. [Sorry, Yuffie. She's a mess.]

[cleartranquil]

So what.

[Yuffie sounds intense, and Kido can probably feel her tensing up.]

There's nothing anybody can do about the past. All we can do is keep going.

If we stop, then they win for sure. The only way to even hope at all is by moving ahead.

[blindfoldcode]

Then what? What do we do about Lesedi? Who does she torture next?

[Definitely not Kido's first rodeo, even if the first one was much, much easier.]