(no subject)

[notayoungkitten]

Characters: AU3 Revolver Ocelot, Neal Cassidy, and YOU
Setting: Around the tower
Format: Starting action
Summary: Event catch-all
Warnings: trauma, possible character death


Revolver Ocelot

[The whispers in her ear didn't stop. It was maddening. Horrible. Liquid's voice was the loudest one. Demanding to tell him why she had let him die. It was her fault that the world was in ruin. Had she not ruined his plans, had she not set him up to fall, he would have succeeded.

The shadow child using his voice stood in her way, staring her down. Ocelot couldn't speak. There was nothing to say.

In the months since she had arrived, she had come to deeply, deeply regret the murder of her own son. But there was nothing she could do. Nothing. But there were other voices, too. Solidus too spoke to her. You called me son, he said, angrily. Accusingly. And yet you left me behind! You said that we would destroy the Patriots! You liar! You'll never know what happened! What should have happened!

In the silence, the old woman collapsed to her knees, hugging herself, fighting to hold back tears she didn't know she could still shed.]



Neal Cassidy

[Emma was following him everywhere. It was fate's way of telling him just how badly he had screwed up. Telling him how she had been abandoned by him once again. That he was a coward. How she could see the family resemblance. He deserved every bit of it. Emma has a right to be angry.

He never wanted to leave her again. But here? Now? He hadn't had a choice. If she could somehow be here too, if Henry could be here... he would have been happier. Worst of all, though, was the shadow on his opposite side.

Henry.

The small boy that he barely knew, wondering aloud in a small, sad voice, if he ever should have looked for his father to begin with.]

Comments

Revolver Ocelot 16th August

[neverbeamemory]

[He will not cry.

But damn, his eyes burn with it. With the anger, frustration and outright lack of control Sephiroth has in getting the two dozen or so shadows he has stop shouting at him. Some might have called it harsh truths - Sephiroth doesn't think so. They are only shouting like they are because he didn't bite at them earlier in the week. However the fading nature of Sephiroth's violet collar betrays the toll they are taking.

He pauses in the Hallway to rub at his temples, the first tingles of a headache coming on. Then as if only just waking up to Ocelot's presence, cool green eyes rest on her knelt, hunched over form not too far away. Though there is only one visible shadowy form near to her, and compared to his veritable, angry horde - Sephiroth is more than a little disappointed in the older woman's willpower.]

"Get up." [He breathes down at her as he drew nearer.]

[notayoungkitten]

[It's too much. Some distance away, even ADAM watches her, yelling at her for vanishing, for allowing the world to fall into ruin. She has failed everyone. What does it matter?

She looks up at Sephiroth's words, though. Bleakly. Unable to show strength in her eyes.

Still, she stands. Despite everything, her face becomes rather severe.]

I'm fine. There's no reason to worry.

[neverbeamemory]

[Is that what she thought it was. Worry? Hardly. Sephiroth is just disgusted by someone that he might, at a stretch, call ally being made victim to their own despair by these shadows.

She could at least be venting the anger back at them like he had been doing. Even the severe face doesn't hide battered eyes.]

You shouldn't believe in what they say.

[notayoungkitten]

["Don't worry", in hindsight, was more a comment directed at herself. Did she care, truly, about what her allies thought about her? It didn't matter. She stared at him with a distant look, her face hardening. She wouldn't let herself be defeated.]

You as well.

[They can't afford to let themselves be defeated.]

[neverbeamemory]

I don't.

[No. Not even the harsher comments. About his Legacy. About Mother. Just whispers, well more like taunted shouts, left over from a dead world that he needs to let go of and move on from. Sephiroth resolved to do this months ago.

So why was it every so often he could feel vivid anger filling up behind his eyes? Why was he not sleeping again and staying out all night? They laughed when Sephiroth thought about such things so he was trying his best not to. However fatigue of his own doesn't make it easy - the lightening of his collar is probably a trick to make him think it's worse than it is.]

They can't hurt you, not really.

Neal Cassidy 15th August

[neverbeamemory]

[Neal doesn't get very much more than a cursory glance as Sephiroth sweeps past him. A lingering gaze at the two shadows accompanying him - and here was he ignoring a small classroom-sized group of them as their whispers continued to fall on deaf ears.

Well certainly the weak were being sorted from the strong by these shadows.]

[wegotlucky]

[Neal looks up at the stranger passing him. The shadows are taking their toll on him, but the color of his collar hasn't yet started to fade except for a faint lack of orange luster.

He looks up in time to see the large group of shadows following the other man. He doesn't envy him for a second.]

Looks like you've got the lion's share.

[neverbeamemory]

They must like me.

[Sephiroth smirks at that thought but it's quickly lost as the whispers all around him certainly try their hardest to crush his amusement quickly.

He stops and turns to Neal. Taking in details, this guy doesn't really seem to be doing all that bad at all so far.]

Those two must be close to you.

[wegotlucky]

Apparently.

[He looks at all of the shadows, wondering vaguely if he's going crazy, or if this guy is also hearing the voices of those close to him. He chooses not to ask, though.

At the statement, he shifts uncomfortably.]

You could say that.

[neverbeamemory]

[Neal would be right, though Sephiroth is doing an excellent job of selectively not-hearing. It's easy enough at this point in the week - he's dealt with almost everything they have to say with him at least once in his own mind and thought himself around their accusations.

Sharp as ever, Sephiroth notices Neal's slight shift in movement.]

As close as ghosts can be to those that they might torment.

[Ghosts. Yes, that's it. That's all they are after all, they're just ghosts trying to break him. It wasn't going to work, despite the slight lighter violet of Sephiroth's own collar.]

16th August Ocelot

[culbutiri]

[Nesir rushed to her side as she saw her fall] Ocelot? [Someone else you pretend to care for, girl? Nesir frowned when she saw the tear glittering eyes] Your face do be almost leaking

[Or are you going soft on us? Your betrayal deeper than we even thought?]

[notayoungkitten]

[She wipes the tears from her eyes. A keen eye will notice how pointless it is. The damage is already done. Her collar has already dimmed.]

It's nothing. I.. I'll be fine.

I've dealt with worse.

[It's a poor lie, but it strengthens her resolve for the moment at least.]

[culbutiri]

We have all been dealing with worse, it do no be meaning these things do no be being stupid. [She shooed the shadows away, noticing her faded collar, Nesir's was faded too, a very pale yellow]

[notayoungkitten]

Of course.

[It's no good. there are still tears in her eyes. What a useless mother you are. Leaving me to die. It's your fault!]

We must... we must persevere. This must be another trick. Another mean's to break us.

[She can't admit that it's working.]

[culbutiri]

Of course it do be, everything do be being to break us. [That's because you deserve to be broken girl] Come on do no be listening to them.

Revolver Ocelot

[tempus_scorpius]

[Rolo comes across her while wandering round the tower aimlessly and numbly as he's prone to doing now after the events that have happened here in the past 2 months. He watches her a moment. This person seems familiar. What was her name again?]

... Ocelot?

Re: Revolver Ocelot

[notayoungkitten]

[Liquid is still hissing in her ear about how badly she has failed, but she tries to brush it off at the voice, looking up to see Rolo. She doesn't smile, but she blinks slowly.]

Rolo.

It's been a while.

[tempus_scorpius]

... it has...

... are you hearing things too?

[notayoungkitten]

[She nods, a little sadly.]

I am.

[tempus_scorpius]

Who are you hearing? Your family?

who do you think

[trulybecomedust]

[There were always ghosts that followed him. They may not have been visible or actually ghosts, but they haunted Gold and he had ignored him. But these shadows of who had gone up with the worlds, they were ones he couldn't ignore.

There was Neal--no, Bae--following him around with angry shouts of You abandoned me again, papa, and sentenced me to this fate! You're nothing more than a coward, running away from everything!

Belle, his kind and sweet Belle who was brave and stood up to monsters, was upset, accusing. You are nothing more than a cowardly beast. Now you will truly be alone.

Surprising of all was Cora. The miller's daughter, a woman who he loved that tore out her own heart. She didn't shout angrily at him, but instead spoke with a smug superiority that he knew all too well. Look at what love has done to you, Rumple. It's made you weak, had you sacrifice you magic and for what, the son that will never truly love you because what you are disgusts him? He is so unlike Regina, who will continue to love me no matter what I do. My daughter, the one that will never be yours.

He does his best to keep the voices from getting to him, from driving him into despair, but there are cracks in his armour and they know just how to get to him. But something does pull him from the brink: the sight of Neal, who he has been dealing with in the tower, who he had comforted and tried to fix their relationship with. It's seeing him that gives him strength and makes him walk over to him.]

Hello, Bae.

[wegotlucky]

[Lost in the stupor that was the roar of the anger that was coming from Emma, it was a long moment before he turned, staring at the mass of shadows that were following his father.

You're a coward, just like him! You abandoned me, Neal! You left me to die!]

Papa?

[trulybecomedust]

[He does notice that Neal has some shadows trailing behind him as well and keeps his expression controlled, trying to hide any worry from his son. It wouldn't do to have him know about just who exactly is following him.]

So you have them as well. How are you holding up?

[wegotlucky]

[His collar has faded enough to be immediately noticeable. But to look stronger than he feels, he looks up, somewhere past where his father is standing.

You're the dad I was always looking for? But you abandoned me again! Why did you leave me and mom?]

I'm fine.

[trulybecomedust]

[There was a hint of disapproval in his expression as he looks at Neal. Of course he wouldn't be fooled so easily about this sort of thing.]

I'd prefer it if you told me the truth.

[Why should he? It's not like you were a father before.

...Gold really wished they would shut up and let him speak to Neal in peace.]