Nightshift 36: M31-40

[captain-hunam.livejournal.com]

[M39]

Dinner finished, Zelnick grabbed his flashlight and settled down with his journal and a pen, fully intending to catch up on taking down notes-- and finding himself too distracted to do more than scribble out vague doodles in the margins, occasionally jotting down a word or two before becoming distracted again.

Well, supposedly, allies would come by and distract him. And until then, it wouldn't hurt to try and sketch out Talana's smile from memory, the way her eyes should flash, the curl of her hair...

Comments

[nobleman]

So that was what it was about, huh? Guy figured that there was some truth to Claude's words, but he wasn't one to reflect on his own strength of will or anything like that. When his friends had found out some of his darker secrets, it hadn't always been easy for them to accept, and he wasn't sure if any of them had specifically commented on how "strong" he was.

It was all a matter of perspective. When Guy thought about the things Luke had been through in his (much shorter) life, he figured that he was pretty lucky in comparison. And Jade had all sorts of skeletons in his closet - the swordsman was pretty sure he didn't know the half of it.

He got the feeling that Claude had his share of problems, too. He didn't plan to drill his friend on them or demand to be told, especially since he hadn't gotten into the details about how his phobia had surfaced, but he just had that sense that Claude wasn't giving himself enough credit.

"Believe me, it wasn't always easy," he explained. "I've had a lot of time to deal with my problems and put them behind me." He had been angry for a long, long time - he would be the first to admit that. He was still guilty for wanting to murder someone he now considering his closest friend with his bare hands, but he and Luke had learned to accept each other despite their faults.

Guy frowned when Claude started to say something and then decided against it. He was curious, but he had already taken up enough of his friend's time. "Yeah, me too," he responded. "And... good luck tonight." He would be crossing his fingers that Ashton was safe and sound.

[full-score.livejournal.com]

Claude believed him when he said it hadn't been easy. Few things in life were. It'd probably taken him years to comes to terms with that kind of stuff. Maybe that was part of what made Guy seem a little older (actually, that might have been because he really was, but he wasn't going to bother asking his age).

"Some people go their whole lives without learning to do that, though," Claude said. "Or they just pretend they've let go when they really haven't." Everyone had their own demons to face, didn't they? "You're right, though -- I guess it's something that comes with time and a lot of soul-searching." He paused, shoving a hand into his pocket. "I know I've got things I still regret..."

But closure was always a good thing, too. Killing Indalecio had given him some of that, at least, but there would always be the knowledge that he'd never get the chance to make things right between himself and his father. Even though Claude had tried to take advantage of their "visit" from last week, deep down, he knew it was wrong and unhealthy (and maybe a bit dangerous) to consider the fake life Landel had given him a second opportunity.

It wasn't like his father was going to come visit him again anytime soon, anyway. Not if he was anything like how he'd been back home. That was just one of those things he'd come to accept.

Claude's thoughts had wandered from the original topic, though, and he'd briefly fallen silent without realizing it. He focused on Guy again, giving a small smile. "Thanks. Hopefully I won't need any luck, though."

He turned a little, as if he were about to head off. Suddenly he stopped, however, and looked towards his friend again. "But, seriously. Take care of yourself, okay? We should touch base again tomorrow if we can. Maybe with the bulletin or something."

[nobleman]

Sometimes Guy worried that he was just pretending he had let all of it go. He had to keep reminding both himself and other people that he was at peace now, and he wasn't sure how convincing it was. Apparently Claude believed it, though, and that was good. Guy had been told before that he seemed well-adjusted, and he was certainly more mature than Luke and Tear, but that didn't mean he was perfect by any means.

Guy nodded when Claude admitted to having his own issues. That was typical of everyone, even if some people certainly had lived harder lives than others. Trying to rank who was the most miserable seemed pretty silly, though. Everyone dealt with their problems differently.

Considering some of the heavy topics they had touched at, Guy could agree that they should probably check up on each other come tomorrow. "Sounds good," he responded. "I'll keep an eye on the bulletin tomorrow, though apologies in advance for the bad handwriting," he said lightly, indicating his arm even though the reason for his comment was already obvious.

Then again, if this healing thing turned out well, maybe he wouldn't need to worry about that. One could always hope. Guy used his left hand to wave a final goodbye to his friend and then headed through the open door into the clinic.

[To here.]