[Voice, locked to residents] --EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--

[malnosso]

[At 2:15AM, the journals suddenly blare out an alarm, followed by this message.]

EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY. This is an emergency.

The following occupants of the Luceti enclosure must report to the teleporters in twenty minutes. You are required as reinforcements in Region 13. Bring all necessary armaments with you. You will be teleported directly into combat.

Anyone who fails to comply will be forcibly escorted to the teleporters by droids.

This is not a drill. I repeat: this is not a drill. You have twenty minutes.

[The message repeats twice more, the alarm continuing until the twenty minutes has elapsed. No questions will be answered.]

Comments

[silversnowfall]

[Nephry doesn't have a battle to prepare for. She watches the rest of them, helps where she can, gathers things from unused rooms that became storage spaces after enough time spent empty, but ultimately they are all going into battle (directly into combat) and there's nothing she can do to prevent it.

As their departure time nears, she catches sight of Ion, who is trembling so badly it's visible at a distance, and remembers his reaction to even talking about drafts. She puts down whatever is in her hands and goes to him, drawing him into a hug without saying anything.]

[distressedude]

[He actually startles a bit at first, having been so preoccupied with his own thoughts and worries that he had tuned out most of his surroundings -- probably not the best sign given where he's about to be sent to.]

[He won't make much effort to return the hug, afraid that he might lose what little composure he's still holding on to, but he does lean into it. Aside from Tear and perhaps Jade, Nephry was the only one in the house who knew why drafts terrified him so much.]

[silversnowfall]

[It's a whisper, born of fears of her own:]

Just breathe, Ion. You won't be by yourself.

[distressedude]

[Even though he knows that, hearing it definitely helps. He's still not going to be up for words right now unfortunately, but he does try and calm down his breathing as he nods.]

[silversnowfall]

Why don't you sit down until it's time to leave?

[She can feel him wanting to drop, and she holds tighter.]

I'll walk with all of you to the teleporters.

[distressedude]

[He nods again, though doesn't make any attempt to move. Standing like this with Nephry was comforting, at least. He does manage a reply at least, but the shakiness probably reveals why he's not saying much -- the last thing he wants to do is let the others worry about him more than they already will, with him out on the battlefield with them.]

...thank you, Nephry. [...] I'll... I'll go sit down for a moment.

[He'd ask for tea to calm his nerves, but there's probably not even time enough for the water to boil.]

[silversnowfall]

[Not trusting him on his own legs, Nephry leads him to the sofa, and sits beside him.]

I didn't know it was still this bad.

[distressedude]

[He feels a little calmer once he's sitting down, though he's still shaking. His face looks pale as well, but at least that's a normal state for him.]

...I still have nightmares about it sometimes. I suppose I just... never really got over it. [And he couldn't help but feel so pathetic about it. Even know, his shoulder is throbbing in phantom-pain again, as though it was remembering the last time along with him.]

[silversnowfall]

[Nephry has nightmares, too, nightmares where she can't breathe and she can see Saphir running toward her but there's no way he can make it.]

Why didn't you want to tell anyone?

[It's gentle, not admonishing, as she's aware that his reasons may be too private to share.]

[distressedude]

I... didn't like talking about it. Though I suppose now it's... a bit late to worry about that.

[How much time does he even have now? The others should be getting to leave by now.]

[silversnowfall]

[There aren't any words comforting enough, nothing to fix it. They go by choice or they are made to go by force.]

I'll be here when you come back. If you need to talk then, and feel like you can.

[distressedude]

I'll try to keep that in mind. [It might bring him some comfort. Someone would be waiting for him when he got back.]

[He just needed to focus on it like that. Not if. When.]

...thank you, Nephry.