melodiesoflife | On That Day, Five Years Ago - Black Water

On the bright side, Cloud hadn't thrown up when the ship went down. Of all the things that went wrong that day, at least the fortitude of his stomach remained intact.

He'd braced himself for impact and after that it was fuzzy. Dream and memory intermingled. When he and the other Heroes blacked out and later he wouldn't be able to recall which parts actually happened and which were just projected assumption. He even thought he saw Zack running around on the deck trying to help, as absurd as that mental image of a chocobo trying to help keep an airship in flight was.

The next thing he was aware of was the feeling of thick water lapping against the side of his head. That and a sense of cloying scruffiness around his face. Grunting, he pushed himself up to sitting, half in and half out of some water. The dry ground wasn't very much so, more mud. Looking around blearily he could make out shapes moving in the fog around him. Things slipped into focus bit by bit from there. This was a swamp of some sort, or a marsh, whatever. Same difference.

Next he noticed three bodies laying near him; Reno, Johnny and another he knew was a fellow Hero but didn't really know by name. Dylan or something? His mind more latched onto the fact that the way they were laying was that it was almost like Johnny and Reno were reaching for each other.

The last thing to shuffle into focus were the shapes moving in the distance. They were a bit far off, too far, hopefully, to see or smell or hear them...but there were Malboros sloshing through the marshwater and mud in every direction.

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"Hey—! Don't get so loud, you're going to hurt my ears."

Now seemed as good a time as any to go back to not making eye contact. Turning slightly to the side, he crossed his arms, watching Cloud and Johnny get a few steps further away before starting to walk again.

"How the hell would I know what to tell her? Er, I haven't gotten that far...but it's not like we know what's going to happen. And I've seen what happens when people...when people die when they least expect it. I wouldn't want to put her through that."

If he even mattered to her that much. No, no, he did. He had to believe that.

"Well I can't tell' er anything unless you figure out what it is," Reno pointed out. He paused, watching Johnny walk as they trailed behind.

"But... I guess once you knew what you wanted ta' say, I could tell her," he conceded. "If I had to. Which I doubt."

Of course he knew the stakes. He didn't want to dwell on it for too long, though. There was a fine line between preparedness and paranoia, and the latter would be too distracting. He needed to be sharp. They all had to focus.

As he was currently half-focused on the particular swing of Johnny's gait, it made him wonder if it was better or worse that they were together. He wouldn't have to worry about planning his last words or sending a message. But it did mean that whatever danger there might be here, Johnny would also be in it. Though he'd likely be in danger... anywhere, really... Reno shook his head. It didn't matter. They just had to be careful.

Is Reno checking out his boyfriend's ass? Dylas can't really tell.

"I don't want you to tell her anything, but I don't plan on dying a second time without leaving something behind. I owe her at least that much. ...No, I owe her a lot more than that, but it'd be a start."

What would he say, though? He picks up his pace a little. Words aren't really his strong suit. He'd rather be punching things. It might even be nice to punch Reno sometime, it might feel good.

"...you think with how many times I've died, it'd be easier. But it sure as hell ain't."

Johnny's butt? Staring? No... Maybe... No.

Either way, Reno gets the strange intuition that he should take half a step away from Dylas, like the other man might hit him for no reason.

"UGH, yes." He let his head fall back to emphasize his full agreement. "Sorry -- but fuck yes. Gods! I mean, I know this sounds weird, but you are the first person to actually say that, and it's so fucking true."

Reno might have been a little bit repressed about past deaths.

"It never gets fuckin' easier!" Repressed and exasperated. "Which one are you on?"

Death, clearly.

Dylas blinks in confusion at first—he hadn't expect Reno to get so excited about dying. After a second of looking like a deer caught in the headlights, the sound that follows is surely unexpected.

Dylas laughs.

"I died three times in Ryslig, but the third one stuck. Four, if you count the whole...body dying, becoming a wendigo thing."

He counted it himself.

"What about you? Are you talking about dying here or your pervert-land?"

"Both," Reno admitted. "I've only got three, so I guess you're ahead."

He counted off on his fingers. "Got drowned by a tentacle monster -- after other unpleasant things." Ew. "Ah, got drowned again because the sea god was pissed we killed said tentacle monster..."

He knew the risk of going out on the water with Poseidon out there, ready and waiting to kill any who dared trespass on his domain. But Kyo was out there somewhere -- maybe. He had to try.

"Then once here. Not drowned, at least."

Reno sighed.

"An' every time it sucks ass, yo. Ya think maybe you'll get used to it or somethin', but nope. Sucks every time."

"You still have plenty of time to catch up."

Considering death is permanent these days, he's not so sure that's a great idea, but if Reno wants to tie the score up he's more than welcome to.

"Burned to death. ...Impaled against a building. I've been through the whole...heart stopping thing twice now. And then there's when those gangsters finally killed me for good. Back then, I'd been a little grateful, but that's changed."

Though on the subject of burning...Dylas still looks uncomfortable when he remembers that particular day. He'd still been mostly-human back then, the changes hadn't even started yet. He sighs, tail swishing with more agitation than before.

"I've still got the scars. Back where I was, I'd never bother with a shirt. Wendigo can't feel cold, and it feels wrong against my fur, so I guess no one here's ever seen them."

"I think I'll pass."

Death was permanent now, again, as it should be. Even Reno shuddered slightly at the thought of burning alive. It was a slow death he hated... burning, drowning, even being strangled. If he had to choose, he'd prefer a swift gunshot, which would have probably been likely at home. Drowning, strangulation, they were shorter than burning, but it was the awareness of dying that was the worst part.

Knowing that it was the end... and feeling everything...

"Eh?" He looked up. "Gangsters? For good? Whaddaya mean -- you were totally dead, for the last time, and then Crystallis fucked it up?"

"Yeah. Crystalis is a real pain in the ass, huh? It took one look at my former diet and thought I'd make a great hero. What a bastard."

He knows that's not quite how being chosen works, but he's going to stick with it. It gets his feelings about the matter across just fine.

"But that's right. The gangsters...hell if I can remember what they were called now. Blood Boners? Something stupid like that. They figured out how to kill us monsters for real."

On That Day, Five Years Ago - Black Water - Misery Marsh near Esdham

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