Chapter 008 - [Voice]/[Action]

[consultmybooks]

[It's the afternoon of the seventh when Giles finally finds his voice again, enough to address the village at large. He still doesn't sound in any fit state when he finally sends the message out over the journal - there are several seconds of silence preceding it.]

For those of you who...weren't already informed...

[A pause, as Giles mentally prepares himself to take this leap, this final step. His voice is quiet, but steady, when he finally gets the words out.]

...Helios Sprensonne was killed in the fighting.

It...we lost him in the middle of the night on the fifth. S-So he, he should be back sometime on the twelfth, or the thirteenth. I, I would appreciate it if...those of you who know him would keep an eye out for his return. Frederic and I will do our best, of course, but...it's a big village, and...we've never done this before.

A-And if you don't know him, he...he has blond hair, and green eyes. About...mid thirties in age. He's a bit shorter than me, and he has a bit of an accent. Not sure how many of you know what "Romanian" is...just, just please help him if you see him. He's a bit of an absentminded fool, really...might need some help getting home.

...thank you.

[Locked to House 7 Residents + Jack Sparrow - 20% unhackable 75% unhackable, courtesy of Buffy's efforts]
First and foremost? Someone improve this filter, please.
Besides that...his magic doesn't last if he dies. We might need to make other arrangements.
[/Locked]

[Locked to Frederic Francois Chopin - 20% unhackable, 100% unhacakble, courtesy of Frederic's efforts]
...whatever you want to do about this...about me...all I ask is that you decide it before he gets back.
Even if it's just so I can be moved out.
[/Locked]

[Floor five, room twenty two...home...is not an option right now, for reasons he understands even if those reasons only make everything harder. Even so, he'll really only venture into the village proper, armed only with his umbrella and a string bag, to pick up some food from Seventh Heaven for lunch and dinner. He still doesn't trust himself to work a stove or any sort of electrical appliance beyond a light switch or a shower, and without Frederic...

...without Frederic...

...Helios was taken from him, brutally ripped away by the teeth and fangs of monsters. But Frederic just...doesn't want him near, right now, and that hurts almost as much and maybe even more. Because Giles understands perfectly well, now that he's come down off the power and the bloodlust and the rage. He understands why the composer is leery of being around him. He knows that, when all is said and done, Frederic is the only one who can give him any kind of absolution for what he did that night and that his friend has no reason to give it.

He understands, but it makes getting through the day...the thought of getting through the week...almost impossible to bear.

Anyone who wants to find Giles will likely either encounter him on the way to or in Seventh Heaven. Otherwise, they'll find him at home or just generally in the vicinity of CH7 - most likely on the front steps and fidgeting anxiously with a lump of artist's clay the size of his fists. It took a few tries, but he managed to find an apartment that was unoccupied, on one of the higher floors. He can't bring himself to move any further. The area around this particular community building is an area he's familiar with even while blind, and on top of everything else he can't trust himself to

He'll take care to be high enough on the steps that he can take shelter under the building's canopy from the rain - dry clothes after coming home were the best feeling in the world and the greatest comfort after the long nightmare that was this draft, and he's not eager to experience rain again. Not even if that rain is just a light seasonal shower, nothing on the ferocious monsoon that marked their last day and night in the rain forest.

He seems shell shocked, shaken, exhausted, and overall like a man who has lost his best friend and waded through blood this past week and is trying to deal with it. There are bad moments, all day - moments where the wet, squelching sounds of bodies exploding ring in his ears. Moments where he feels as though he's choking on someone else's blood. Moments where he hears the howls of the Shift Hunters in the wind, and the light rainfall of the day becomes the sharp sting of the monsoon. Moment's where he fears he might not be able to lock up the part of him that smiled as his victims...and they were victims...died bloody, where he fears that this is who the people he loves will know him to be from now on.

Moments where he's glad to be alone so he can just break down and cry for the loss of his best friend, of the man he refuses to stop thinking of as his own beloved brother.

And there are some moments...the worst, strangest moments of all...where he's just glad that he wasn't one of the unfortunate few to die in that jungle. He's lived through death once. He can only hope, has only hoped, that even Luceti isn't cruel enough to make him live through it again until the end.

Thanks to the last of Helios' magic, he's unhurt at least.

His eyes, at least, have lost their black color.]


((ooc: If anyone notices - I am very sorry for the repost, I don't usually do that sort of thing. However, my entry wasn't showing up on my friend's list - seeing as how I have myself friended, I thought that was odd. I had been futzing around with the time settings, and I thought that might have knocked my journal entry down to a lower "time" past more entries than it had actually should have been when I posted. I'm reposting to see whether or not that is the reason why my entry wasn't showing up.

And, hey, turns out that it was! Teach me to mess around with technology I don't understand *derp*.

The moral of the story is that Lazarus doesn't fix everything. Every time I've tried to recover this entry with Lazarus, it's reset my changes to the time that knocked my entry off my friend's list listing in the first place. Soooo...sorry for the comm spam, guys!))

Comments

voice

[erythrophilia.livejournal.com]

[Grell mutters this, not really intending it to go through - nor does she entirely notice. The one thing she does notice is that filter and the message contained within.]

--Unsettling how no one ever stays dead here.

I am sorry for your loss, Mr. Giles. A terrible thing to have someone stripped from you.

Re: voice

[consultmybooks]

[Giles' stomach lurches slightly at the sound of Grell's voice. That's what comes from having to help stop Buffy from panicking over this very same individual.

But he remembers Kennedy's words..."she only has Jack's word"...and he's too tired to care for more right now.]

Thank you, Grell. I do appreciate the sympathy.

[A thoughtful, pensive pause, before he asks:]

...unsettling?

((ooc: So can I assume that Grell hacked the message?))

[ filtered ]

[herotypical]

[ ...buffy bumps that filter up to about 75%. not perfect, but better.

there are too many things to think about. strategy and barriers and guards and all of the important things involved with that.

but there are other issues to talk about, first: ] Giles, I'm...I'm sorry. [ that it happened. that it wasn't stopped. that you feel like this. ]

Re: [ filtered ]

[consultmybooks]

[Better. Better than he's managed for weeks. He doesn't ask, though - he knows that she'll have bumped the filter up as best she could, and her efforts are certainly better than his right now.

But there are other things to discuss. Other things to care about. Giles just sounds...impossibly tired and impossibly lost.

He hasn't felt this way since Buffy died.]

So am I.

...it was Shift Hunters. Well over a dozen. They've always been...drawn to him. Damned if I know why.

[Voice | Filtered 100%]

[semper_cogitans]

(OOC: Mun is not sure if Robert would know already by this point... depending on when Don talks to him ICly. But he'll still react horribly, because he's Robert.)

[No.

No. No, no, no, no. Robert almost refused to accept the possibility of Helios' death, at first. He doesn't want to think of it as a possibility. After all, he didn't see it happen, and it's so much easier to dismiss something when he has no evidence. But he knows that Giles wouldn't lie about this.

Somewhere, a cruel dark voice in the back of his mind spits "you lied to me, Giles. You said you'd keep him safe." And another growls "this is why you don't get close to people; you always lose them."

The most sickening voice, one Robert barely allows himself to acknowledge the existence of, tells Robert that he should hurt something. Wants, briefly, to wring the life out of whatever abomination that dared to do this to Helios. His best friend, the man besides his own partner that he trusts most, the person who has been a nigh-omnipresent figure in Robert's Luceti life, who stopped him from going insane...

But he can't let himself feel that brief flicker of pure rage - he can't. He can't. Violence is wrong, wrong, wrong... never.

He doesn't speak at first, though by sheer force of habit he filters it, almost mechanically. But eventually Giles might hear soft, wet sobbing before Robert manages to choke out a few words.]

I...

I-I... w-will... [- and his voice breaks -] ... w-watch for h-him...

H-Helios... why...?

Re: [Voice | Filtered 100%]

[consultmybooks]

[...Robert.

The one person besides Frederic that Giles has been dreading having to speak to. He presses a hand to his mouth when he hears those sobs - he knows who those sobs belong to - and has to take a few deep breaths until he can trust himself not to break down again.

...he's only partially successful. Giles' voice is soft and shaking when he finally replies, the broken promise replaying itself in his head.]

...I'm so sorry, Robert.

[ written | same filter]

[all7seas]

I am sorry for your loss, Former Watcher. What do you propose for keeping safe our Jilly?


--Sparrow

[Jack still does not know about Archie.]

Re: [ written | same filter]

[consultmybooks]

[Okay...journal is ringing, but no voice is coming over.

A little helplessly, sounding a bit puzzled, Giles tries to return the call by voice.]

...did you actually want something, whoever you are, or are you just listening?

[voice | filter]

[tehoniongirl.livejournal.com]

Giles...

I'm so sorry.

[she saw the filter to House 7, of course. She knows what that means. But, in her mind, his grief takes priority.]

Re: [voice | filter]

[consultmybooks]

Thank you, Jilly.

...I don't know if I ever asked, but...you do remember what he looks like, don't you?

[Voice]

[lezareno_prez]

[Helios... true, it's been some time since he and Regal last spoke, but that doesn't make hearing about his death any easier, nor does the fact that he will return in a week. There's always a sense of pervasive sorrow when someone well-loved dies.]

... I see. Thank you for letting the rest of us know... I truly appreciate it.

Re: [Voice]

[consultmybooks]

[Giles starts when he hears Regal's voice, briefly uncertain as to how he should reply.

There's something...oddly comforting and very strange, hearing people he doesn't know replying to the announcement. So once Giles is certain that he can reply again, he does so:]

You're welcome. S-Someone had to.

...y-you knew...s-sorry, know him, then?

[Voice]

[fonon-professor.livejournal.com]

Helios... I see. ...I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for informing everyone.

Re: [Voice]

[consultmybooks]

Someone had to.

...and I've had more practice than Frederic.

[voice]

[simplestgift]

My condolences. He's a kind man. I'll keep a weather eye out for his return.

Re: [voice]

[consultmybooks]

Impossibly kind. I would greatly appreciate it, Kennedy.

[ voice | filter ]

[hippocraticly.livejournal.com]

[ like Buffy and Jilly, McCoy doesn't focus on the spells at the moment. losing people in the draft... he can understand how the other man must be feeling right now. ]

I'm sorry, Giles.

Re: [ voice | filter ]

[consultmybooks]

[As much as Giles knows the protections around the house need to be addressed...try as he might, it's not something he can keep his focus on right now. Addressing it now is equal parts distraction and desperate desire not to see anyone else hurt.]

Th-Thank you, McCoy. I...appreciate the condolences.

Can you keep an eye out for him, at least?

[Voice]

[ufo-fanboy.livejournal.com]

[Even though Mulder isn't used to the whole "they come back" routine... he believes it. Wholeheartedly.]

I'll keep an eye out.

Re: [Voice]

[consultmybooks]

...thank you, Mulder.

...you would have...you would like him, I think. He's your sort of person. Likes figuring things out.

[ voice | filtered 100% ]

[refinedmaestro.livejournal.com]

[He's bumping up that filter percentage for you Giles, just because he feels it's needed.]

We already had one battle, do you truly want another?

Re: [ voice | filtered 100% ]

[consultmybooks]

[Giles can't help it - he flinches when Frederic finally replies to his message. For a moment, he can't even muster his thoughts enough to speak, doesn't know what to feel beyond a gut wrenching shame mixed with gratitude that at least he's speaking over the journals.]

What I want...

[He can't quite hold back a choked sob at that.]

...Frederic, all I want is to know if there's any way I can make amends for what I've done. And all I want is it settled so Helios doesn't have to be caught in the middle of this, whatever the hell this is.

Can you give me that, at least?

[Voice]

[de_bel_survivor]

Mr. Helios...?

I'm sorry for your loss.

Re: [Voice]

[consultmybooks]

[More new people. It's strange, hearing people he's never met give sympathy...but, when all is said and done, it's comforting.]

Thank you.

...you're a friend of his, then?

[Action]

[blessedbyfarore]

[Link had heard the message before - earlier, when he had been out at the stables. And, perhaps, he had been keeping a careful eye on community house seven, waiting for his return.]

[Now he approaches, making sure to scuff his feet so as not to surprise Giles, sitting down cautiously next to him. He doesn't ask if he's okay - it's a stupid question, and he knows the answer already - so instead, he softly enquires,] Giles? [and rests a hand on his shoulder.]

Re: [Action]

[consultmybooks]

[Footsteps - by the time he can even guess they're Link's, the boy is settling down beside him. But Link's shadow is still familiar enough, and so the sound of Link's voice isn't a very great surprise, even if his presence is...strange and almost twisted, in the light of all that's happened over the last several days.

So he flinches slightly when Link touches him, and it's a second or two before he can look back at the boy.]

Link...

[He'll briefly, gently, squeeze Link's hand with his own. Because, as odd and wrong as he feels in Link's presence, a part of him...the part that accepts that he's weak, exhausted, empty, alone, and miserable...dearly appreciates the company, and the concern.]

Hello.

[ voice ]

[hakoiri.livejournal.com]

[It's never easy to hear news of death. What's worse is knowing that Giles knew -- knows -- Helios. That they're friends. Softly and quietly, he offers his condolences.]

. . . Giles . . . I am deeply sorry for your loss.

Re: [ voice ]

[consultmybooks]

...Alf.

[Giles takes a deep, shuddering breath - a very great effort for two words.]

Th-Thank you.

Y-You'll look out for his return, won't you?

[voice]

[poorneedyand.livejournal.com]

I'll keep an eye out.

[There's a very long pause.]

You know where to ask if you need anything else.

Re: [voice]

[consultmybooks]

Thank you, Kay.

[...]

...I know where to ask. I remember.

[Voice]

[anodracthedark.livejournal.com]

[Helios.]

[The name itself is unfamiliar to her, as is the physical description. But upon hearing Giles' description of his voice, and his demeanor, she recalls someone with similar traits helping her upon her arrival in Luceti...]

[The memory brings up a small, but still painful, knot in the pit of her stomach.]

I... I am sorry for your loss. Though I have only spoken to him once... I imagine he was -- is, rather -- someone very dear to you.

[There's a bit of silence. Then, with as much of a friendly tone as she can muster at the time, she adds:]

If you need someone to speak to, no matter the reason... I am more than happy to provide support.

Re: [Voice]

[consultmybooks]

...he is. [He appreciates the correction, from past tense to present. It's a distinction he keeps having to remind himself to make.] One of...one of my dearest friends. One of the first people I ever met here in Luceti, actually.

[A pause. A tired sigh as Giles rubs at his eyes.]

Th-Thank you. Very kind of you to offer, a-and the sympathy is appreciated.

M-My name is Giles, by the way.

...it's nice to meet you.

[voice]

[magicwarding.livejournal.com]

[Hearing this post is another first for Roji. He did hear that people are killed and return in this world, but he still wasn't prepared for it to happen to one of the kind acquaintances he made during the first few weeks of his arrival. The thought of friends going out to war scared him. The thought of people dying scared him. And people have died. He's still having a hard time getting over the shock. But he knows what he has to do.

He takes in Helios's description, since he actually hasn't gotten a chance to meet him in person yet. Then, with a shaky breath, he responds.]

I-I'll keep watch for Mister Helios. [He pauses, considering that this person must be someone close to Helios.] I'm...I'm really sorry.

Re: [voice]

[consultmybooks]

I...would greatly appreciate it. On top of everything else, I still can't see very well. S-So I'll be reliant mostly on the journal.

...so am I. But, um, h-he'll be back. Better than the alternative.

[ audio ]

[likevegeta.livejournal.com]

Mr. Giles...

Re: [ audio ]

[consultmybooks]

Andrew...

...hello.

[Higher brain functions are...largely occupied right now.]

Manage all right while we were gone?