melodiesoflife | Taking responsibility [Semi-Open]

Characters: Vincent, Sephiroth, others [Mostly Open; Refer to the top-level Prompts]
Where: Hospital, Aquares Ixen
When: 9th-14th September
Summary: Some aftermath of the fallout from Sephiroth grieving over Terra being in Crystal Stasis. Vincent helped disable Seph, and is now keeping an eye on him. Some people might want to have words with him about how he did so. In between guarding a Weapon for a few shifts...
Warning: Language maybe? Potential angst?

Sept 11th-13th at various times.
Vincent is one of those who is guarding the Ultima WEAPON'S wreckage. These are the only times he won't be found at the Hospital, keeping a guard over Sephiroth. If you want to interact with him, see here.

Sept. 9th-12th

Vincent will stay out of the way of the healers, but otherwise stay in the hospital and keep an eye on Sephiroth as he sleeps off both the post-Job exhaustion and the sleep status. Making sure the silver-haired SOLDIER is healing well, and not being bothered unduly. Occasionally Vincent will head to the Crystal Stasis wing, visiting those among his friends who are there. Ophelia can also be found bringing him a bag with a change of clothes, and a book or two.

He's unlikely to talk in the same room Sephiroth is resting in, but feel free to come check on the SOLDIER, or yell at Vincent, or check on Vincent.

Sept 13th--Closed to Sephiroth
Vincent has spent the past few days keeping watch over and not quite playing guard for Sephiroth, mostly so that when the other does wake--he can apologize. Also to keep others from overwhelming the silver-haired soldier right away. Sadly, Vincent understands heartbreak; he also knows Seph well enough to have some idea of how, hopefully, to help the other start healing.

September 13th, OPEN

Since part of Vincent's assumed role has been gatekeeper for a very private and recovering SOLDIER, he'll be keeping an eye out to ensure the other doesn't get tired, when others DO come to visit him. This is the prompt to use for visiting Sephiroth--and if you want to do so privately, Vincent can wait outside the door.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"And you will come through this one as well, Sephiroth." Faith in the soft tones. "You have strength, even if it's only temporary strength gained by leaning on those who care about you, until your own is shorn up again."

Letting that hang in the air for a bit between them, hopefully a more comfortable silence than they'd had previously. "It's a hard lesson to learn. I'm stumbling through it myself still." Vincent let out a sigh with the weight of all his years behind it belied by his young looks. "...others can be there with you though, without crowding or having one lose oneself. It makes burdens lighter and more bearable."

Initially, Sephiroth's expression dropped into more of a frown again at Vincent mentioning the temporary strength of others that he was leaning on. He disliked feeling dependent, on anyone, even if the support were there regardless of if he wanted it to be or not. He should be strong enough to stand on his own two feet, else what was the point in existing at all.

In the silence that followed a single tear broke the bottom barrier of one of his eyelids, but invisibly ran down the edge of his face, being hidden by one of his bangs. It was a lesson, indeed, one that Sephiroth wasn't sure he wanted to pay attention to still. He wanted his pain to end up dulled and shoved away somewhere inside of him to be forgotten, not constantly behind the eyes of those that would call themselves friends.

"For a time, perhaps." Again, with the eye-closing in an attempt not to let his emotions boil over. He didn't used to be anywhere near this sensitive and somehow he needed to find his way back to that.

"I'm not sure if I can take the turn around again."

Vincent was sure to give Sephiroth full attention, listening and letting him take his own pace. Including pausing to let himself turn over Sephiroth's last statement. "I believe you can." Softly, measured and clear that Vincent was thinking at least a little out-loud. "But only if you recognize that you're not alone. You're allowed, encouraged, to make connections."

"One of the advantages, to having friends... Even if one is usually more of a loner, having a few friends still helps. It allows one to be stronger, to weather hardships. If one only faces things alone--they keep piling on, until one breaks." Letting crimson-eyes slide over, studying the soldier's profile. "I would rather you didn't break. Not because of fear of what you'd become, because you--yourself, as you are--are worth knowing and being a companion to."

As Vincent spoke further, Sephiroth gingerly opened his eyes again and regarded the other man with a kind-of half-lidded gaze while he were still making the attempt to put his thoughts into some sort of order that he might be able to move on from. Again he twitched those fingers of his damaged arm, where they were bound to his chest still, as if to make sure they weren't just going to stop working. It wasn't only the obvious shoulder injury which was healing after all, he'd laid fists into hard crystal several times as well.

"I don't know if I'm even-" He chewed on the corner of his mouth discreetly, the gesture almost making him seem to pout a little as he thought about that particular word - breaking. Vincent didn't have to spell it out, given the future he already knew about, but it did bring about the consideration as to the underlying causes that might have contributed...might still contribute, in the future as it's yet to have happened here.

"-everyone is alone, in the end."

"That is true. I won't tell you it isn't. But it's also true that we all seek out company, seek out each other, to stem the loneliness and make the hardships of life seem less of a burden." Then Vincent fell silent, letting Sephiroth speak or not.

None of this was an easy conversation, and he was well aware of the fact.

"I've been keeping watch and playing guard, so that others won't disturb you." After several heartbeats. "My responsibility, since I am the one who put you here." He'd do it again, but he did regret it had come to that point. "I can keep watch still, until you're ready to face others."

Initially Sephiroth met Vincent's eye contact again, in fact he pretty much snapped his gaze back up there but the instant reaction; to deny that it were the case with him, fizzled out as the statement was digested. Words fell short of being said as Sephiroth thought back, not only to how his friendship with Terra had first formed, but even further.

How although he first told himself he wouldn't associate with Genesis and Angeal more than he needed to in the parameters of his job, he'd ended up closer to them than anyone in his life previously...had that simply been for the fact that they had been there? Capable companionship? It made sense, Vincent's words of wisdom, but it didn't take long before thoughts sharpened the edges of the betrayal he still often spent too much time thinking about. He'd keep it to himself, here, but yet still he'd not managed to have a friendship that hadn't in some way turned around and hurt him, making him weaker as a result.

"It's human nature all over. Starving for companionship, yet only so far as it serves ones own agendas." There, the crux of Sephiroth's problem with friendship laid bare and with as much unimpressed monotone as it deserved. He'd seen it over and over and more fool him to think it could have been different with Terra. Still, he'd never felt that intensely before about any one single person.

He almost wanted to ask Vincent who exactly had been looking to disturb him, he imagined a significant handful who had been there would probably want words of the stern-sort. Sephiroth was also not naive enough to think that those words would come his way later if they didn't soon.

"I shouldn't need the supervision. This is all my fault, anyway."

That last statement provoked an eyebrow raise. Something seen rarely given Vincent's usual neutral expressions and stoicism. "Aside from the obvious, in that you were expressing your grief and anger, how is this your fault?"

Ironic that, considering Vincent often blamed himself for things that weren't in his control. Or took on guilt for things he had done that was all out of proportion. No doubt Sephiroth would be noting the same thing, but Vincent would not let him comment as an attempt at deflection. IF it came.

"Grief can be a private thing, and in the aftermath it seemed that you would welcome some privacy. Time to collect yourself, to regain some equilibrium, before dealing with anyone else."

Whether Sephiroth should or should not need it, Vincent was there anyways.

"I got carried away."

It was about as simple as Sephiroth could put it, but the weight behind the remark was immense. For just once in his entire life he'd allowed much more of someone else inside the iron-willed walls he kept around himself than ever before. The happiness that he'd felt in Terra's company, the relative-mundane that seemed the brightest thing in the world. His work had been pushed into the background, still there but not so nearly as prominent. The larger problems within Crystallis that he was supposed to be putting his attention towards...

"I let it all carry me away. I knew -know- that stasis is always that grim possibility, but somewhere as I was caught in all of this, it got forgotten."

Green eyes were downcast once more, a few more beats of quiet contemplation before Sephiroth nodded shortly and then looked back again at Vincent. His guardian now, at least for the moment even if he wasn't keen so much on the idea. It would be for the best, at least for the next day or so.

"I suppose that makes sense, too."

Taking responsibility [Semi-Open]

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