towerofanimus | Taking the long road home

Taking the long road home

Characters: Anyone. Everyone.
Setting: The few days after the event, throughout the Tower as you will.
Format: Mingle! Assign your own dates/locations/etc, tag yourself, do as you do.
Summary: Jason's dead. So are a lot of other people. Fallout and picking up the pieces.
Warnings: Discussion of death and cannibalism inevitable.

[Catch-all for events following the Event. Discuss Jason's death and its consequences, come back from the dead, party?, quiver in fear?, take a long, hot bath. Whatever it is you do, do it here.]

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The extra weight from Capell on one side of Sephiroth pulled unfamiliarly at his balance. A tendon twitched in his recently recovered neck but his strength persevered and rather smoothly he helped him into the elevator. It was more the circumstances that led to Sephiroth offering his assistance to another which had dumbstruck him into a thoughtful silence.

This young man was human, and so did this mean that his sternly-kept together sense of identity was starting to crack irreparably? What were the consequences on his legacy, or what little remained of it? Sephiroth reminded himself repeatedly that this was repaying a debt, and nothing more. He could ponder the drive behind his own actions in the very many other hours that he kept for himself alone, once Capell had either died or lived.

He didn't so much let the younger man slump to the floor very heavily, and was even careful in lowering him in such a way that would have less consequence on his concerning wound. He had best be very careful from now on, if needing a new Vessel now came with more unforeseen consequences.

"Don't mention it." Was uttered as Sephiroth stepped back, and there was something about his tone that indicated that he did mean it literally. He firmly pressed the button for the 1st Floor and then leant somewhat against the back panel of the lift, folding his arms up as their descent started.

"I won't." Capell mostly understood the meaning behind the words, perhaps Sephiroth believed that helping him was a sign of weakness, though to Capell helping others was always a sign of strength.

He lay slumped on the floor watching Sephiroth. "So... have you been in this place... long?"

Sephiroth didn't so much think of helping others as a weakness, so much as an activity so usually beneath him. Not to mention how others could quickly turn his could-be concern into a weapon against him - it certainly would be a weakness this way. One of the many reasons why Sephiroth kept himself to himself so much.

He tried not to keep too much attention on Capell's wound, drawing attention to it would only lessen the boy's chance of survival at this point, so instead allowed himself to be easily drawn into the question.

"Too long, point of fact."

Likewise Capell was trying to ignore the pain and keep the pressure on his side without concentrating too much on how much it was bleeding.

"Yeah... I've been here a few months... far too long..."

"Keep the pressure on."

The thought, not meant as advise by it's rather flat tone, was expressed regardless as Sephiroth insisted on keeping eye contact with Capell. He's gotten this far...

"Things will change soon. Now that Jason is gone."

Capell nodded, pressing his hand closer to his side as he frowned. "Change?" He blinked, "How so?"

"Jason ran a lot of the maintenance of our beings here. The collars, the revival."

He inclined his head only slightly towards Capell's bleeding side.

"It doesn't look like Ruana is as good at it as he was."

Capell frowned, "So this never used to happen?" Probably explained why he had never seen people bleeding all over the place before. It was worrying though, if Ruana was not as good and now in charge of bringing them back once they died.

"Looks like things could get rough then."

Sephiroth simply shook his head, no. He had never seen this happen before, and it didn't bode well with regard to self-preservation at all. More deaths, more of that numbness that had driven Sephiroth to be more careful in recent months.

"It does seem that way." He neglected to inform Capell that also this was the admin that slept for the cycles which she was not in charge - and if his information was correct actually needed said sleep for her sanity. Ruana, therefore, on less sleep could be a dangerous thing.

"Well then all the more reason... to be careful..." He closed his eyes, trying to preserve energy. Hopefully they were almost there, these elevators were much slower than the ones he had known back home.

"Capell."

Sephiroth called from across the elevator at intervals as their descent continued, whenever he saw the telltale signs of his consciousness begin to drift off too far again. It made sense to conserve energy, but unconsciousness while bleeding out could take a dangerous turn.

Eventually as the elevator reached the bottom of the residential floors and opened onto the First Floor, Sephiroth came to shake at Capell's shoulder once more. He reached out and placed his hand firmly over Capell's and added pressure to the injury himself. From his crouched position next to the younger boy, he watched carefully, picking out those signs that it might already be too late.

At least Sephiroth wouldn't be squeamish about finishing him off, if he couldn't make it further.

Capell jolted awake whenever Sephiroth called his name to the point that he began to get irritated, even though he knew the man was trying to help and falling asleep would probably mean death again.

Death and going through this again whenever he was brought back. Capell leaned on Sephiroth, trembling.

"Are we..."

"...we're on the 1st Floor." Sephiroth replied after a long pause in which he simply let Capell lean against him, still crouched in the corner, on the floor of the elevator.

The trembling from the copious blood loss couldn't be a good sign. But the longer Capell hung on, the more Sephiroth felt inclined to at least try to get the boy to the Infirmary - he had willpower enough to have lasted this long, and this earned respect.

"One more floor to go. Come on." He leant in towards Capell to help get him back on his feet and at the same time with the arm that went under and around his body Sephiroth would offer the additional pressure that Capell was losing in his shaky state.

Sephiroth would have to crouch to offer Capell the support needed and it was a little awkward on account of his shoulder armor, but even if Capell could not hold much of his own weight anymore Sephiroth was there to shuffle-drag him towards the stairwell.

He hoped it wouldn't come to that, if Capell lost consciousness now, Sephiroth knew he could have only minutes.

One more floor, Capell nodded. He could do that. One more floor wasn't too bad even if it involved walking and he wasn't sure his legs were up to that. But he clung onto Sepiroth and let him drag him towards the stairs.

The stairs proved harder but he tried to crawl, one step at a time, gritting his teeth against the pain.

He wouldn't let Capell know in any way but Sephiroth was having to take more and more of his weight as they continued towards and then up the stairwell.

By the time they got to the final landing, Capell was cupped more against Sephiroth's side than he had been for the entire journey. Despite Capell's insistence to at first attempt to crawl up the stairs, Sephiroth had quickly took it upon himself to correct that. At least this way Sephiroth could press his forearm strongly around Capell's side.

His grip was tight and probably hurt Capell a little with the strength that just as easily could have crushed him, but at least it was keeping the continued blood loss to a minimum.

"Almost-" He grunted between them as they made the first steps into the Infirmary.

Capell was levered onto the nearest gurney Sephiroth could make, then he stepped back to let the worker units do their job. He didn't leave immediately, despite how his instincts urged him to.

Capell was barely aware of anything by this point but he could tell that Sephiroth was supporting him and soon they were in the infirmary, the workers all around him. He looked across at Sephiroth and gave him a small smile, "Thank you..." His words were not much louder than a whisper. He was grateful though.

It might have looked like Sephiroth nodded an acknowledgment at Capell before he left, but it could have easily been Capell seeing things at that point.

That was, at least, a score settled.

Capell nodded back as he watched the man leave, before finally falling asleep, letting the worker units fix him.

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Taking the long road home

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