[Text] @zobrien

[flying_fish]

[Zed isn't in the best of moods since another person he cared for disappeared, so he's taken to drink. Not that the alcohol has ever helped him, but it has him thinking about home...and some not so pleasant business back there.]

There's an item back home that operates like the Chinese gu. Except instead of venomous creatures, you insert humans. It is said that once the ritual is complete, it will lead to the destruction of the world.

The humans inside are forced to kill each other and mix together until becoming one being. The skin disappears while the skeleton, muscles, and organs fuse together. They're neither dead nor alive because of the magic that binds them.

Let's say the item broke, and a part of the conglomerate was separated from the whole. The humans that make up this "specimen" are children. Do you destroy it to prevent the ritual from being completed?

Comments

[flying_fish]

[Zed's quiet at first as the question settles between them, and his hand remains limp in Ranpo's. Does he want to talk about the real reason he's upset? Not really. Talking about it feels like the grip on his heart will only tighten. Yet, he remembers his drunken anger towards Ranpo on the beach and how much running away from his problems hadn't helped before. Emotions are...annoying in that way. He doesn't want to have another argument with the man either.

So the fishman sighs to himself before hesitantly giving the detective's hand a squeeze back.]

The man who created Moby disappeared.

[sweetsleuth]

...I'm sorry. [He's holding that hand nice and tight, relieved that Zed isn't pushing him away.] I could tell how important he was to you by how you talked about him. He was one of the first people you met here, right?

[flying_fish]

Yes.

[His grip tightens on the bottle rather than Ranpo's hand. The people he cares for are slowly disappearing one by one, and while he told himself he's used to it, it still hurts all the same. Even more so for Avicebron because--]

...I may have been infatuated with him.

[Passionate, yes. Love? He's not sure. But it's taken the loss of the Servant to come one step closer to understanding his feelings towards him. Admitting them in front of Ranpo adds a layer of guilt too, and Zed has to look away.]

[sweetsleuth]

I could tell.

[He echoes himself, keeping his grip on Zed's hand strong. There isn't an ounce of jealousy in his heart for the man who Zed so clearly cared deeply for. The only pain that shows on his own face is one of sympathy. He knows all too well how painful it is to lose someone you love in this place.]

[He starts gently tugging him away from the for and towards the couch.]

Come on, let's sit down. Do you want to talk about him? It might make you feel better, but... if you'd rather not, I'm not going to stop you from getting drunk tonight.

tldr: sensei dokidokis

[flying_fish]

[Zed follows along obediently in silence as he takes a seat on the couch. His shoulders hunch, and there's a drooping quality to his antennae. It's a relief that Ranpo doesn't seem to mind, although the ache in his chest doesn't disappear. It probably won't for awhile.

So...why not talk about it?]

He reminded me of my master when I first met him, but he's much more kind. Caster seemed busy with making golems, yet he would always help me when I needed it. [A slight blush appears on his face when he recalls some of that "help", but that's not all there was was--]

He's a quiet, careful man who thoughtfully chose him words. [Zed's eyes narrow into slits as he closes them.] Maybe I was trying to find my master in him at first and was confused. Or maybe it was because we were both different from other people. But...his presence made me feel grounded. I was happy by his side. Even if it was just listening to him talk. I don't think...he really understood. He always insisted he wasn't good company, and I had to keep telling him otherwise.

[He chuckles but it's a soft, sad sound.]

Technically, I didn't know his real identity until several months ago. I suppose that's just how immortals are, so I couldn't hold it against him. Besides, his writings sustained me through dark times before I ever met him.

[The beer bottle is set on the coffee table, and Zed presses a hand over his heart. The tightness in his chest hurts the most there.]

His words gave me so much, both before and during my time here. I don't think he understood the gift he had given me, but I wanted to cherish him for it.

[sweetsleuth]

[It's fortunate that Ranpo is the one Zed is telling all of this to. He can read between the lines easily, picking up on things Zed doesn't think to explain, or perhaps doesn't want to. "Real identity" and "immortal" spawn no additional questions. Even without knowing exactly what he means, he gets it.]

[And really-- all that matters is that Zed is hurting. He hasn't let go of Zed's hand, and rests his other on Zed's shoulder.]

It sounds like he was really special. I'm sure he understood more than he could say.

[The way he describes him makes Ranpo think of Fukuzawa. The kind of man who leaves an impact on everyone they meet, but is seemingly unaware of it -- and even worse at expressing it. It's only natural to feel drawn to people like that.]

[flying_fish]

...It would be nice if that were true. [And a little embarrassing if Avicebron knew about these feelings and didn't say anything. But at least he would have known. It feels like Zed missed something now that he's finally purposely putting the pieces in place.]

People I care about have returned home, but his disappearance hurts more. [In different ways, too. The loss of not being able to see him again is overwhelming, but he also knows the Servant's fate. To die and be summoned again. He can't help but wonder how many times that has happened...]

If I were human, I think I would have difficulty breathing. [Zed grips his shirt tighter.] This sort of pain...I'm not used to it.

[sweetsleuth]

...it's easy to say it'll get better with time, but I know that's not much of a consolation right now.

[Unlike Zed, Ranpo's lost people whose disappearance left him devastated -- he was even one of the ones to comfort him after losing Yosano. And that makes him want to help Zed now all the more.]

But it's okay to not feel okay right now. You have me and your other friends to support you right now. So you can lean on us, until it feels easier to breathe again.

[--metaphorically speaking, since he can't breathe in the open air anyway shh]