seventeenth breath ✧ action, voice later

[musubi]

[A heavily drugged figure is stumbling out of the woods near the grocery store. He doesn't get far before slumping against the side of the building and sliding down into a sprawl. Everything is spinning, even after he's stationary.

He closes his eyes, rubbing at them with one hand.] Son of a bitch...

---

[Once Isamu has returned to his apartment, the following message will be left over the journal.]

S'okay, guys. I live.


[ooc: So yes. I'm back from hiatus! ...I also have some issues with breaking continuity, so once one person has found him, everyone else should only respond via the journal. Naoki, however, has rights to join the action thread at any time if he doesn't find him first. Sorry for being kinda lame like that.]

Comments

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

Heh... Put Naoki to work, huh.

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

I doubt he'd complain about doing so.

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

He fails at complaining period.

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

[Another laugh.]

I suppose I can't argue with that either. If he does complain, he'll apologize about doing so within a few moments.

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It's so... ah... you're talking a little too loud...

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

[Whoops. He'll lower his voice to a quieter tone, then.]

Forgive me; is this better?

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

A little...

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

Would you like me to get anything for you at the store? I'd rather Naoki didn't leave you alone until the drugs have worn off completely and you can tell whether or not the Malnosso did anything else to you.

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

I think I'm fine... I'll tell you if I need anything later...

[He closes his eyes, rubbing at them again.]

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

All right. Get some rest in the meantime, and try not to let Naoki worry too much.

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

Isn't that kind of a tall order?

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

I'd say you would know that better than I.

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

I dunno... You've gotten pretty close to him too.

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

But you've known him for years, haven't you? I couldn't possibly get as close to him as you are in just a few months.

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

Sleeping with him has to count for something.

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

[... that was not quite the response Richard was expecting, though he really isn't all that surprised that Isamu knows by now.]

It doesn't replace years of friendship.

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

You mean the ones I tried to throw out the window in the Vortex world?

[Voice]

[ledbythewind]

[He's quiet for a moment before he speaks again. He understands, oh, how he understands now.]

... but you regret it now, don't you?

[Voice]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

Maybe...

[Voice // Filter]

[ledbythewind]

[There's another moment of silence while he draws up a filter.]

I too would have destroyed my own world and all of the people in it were it not for the intervention of my friend.

[Voice // Filter]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

...

Is that right?

[Voice // Filter]

[ledbythewind]

Yes, it is. I thought it would be better if everyone just disappeared, that I would be able to eliminate all conflict from the world that way, but I was wrong.

[Voice // Filter]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

Heh... I wanted a world where... everyone would govern themselves, with no interference from anyone else.

...I wouldn't have even been able to survive in that world.

[Voice // Filter]

[ledbythewind]

Neither one of us would have been able to survive in the worlds we wanted to create. Ironic, isn't it? What we wanted turned out to be the opposite of what we really needed.

[Voice // Filter]

[causeblocked.livejournal.com]

Nn... yeah.

[He buries his head in his arms, hating to think about this. It also helps to block everything out.]