IC Inbox II

[rattlingthestars]

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'S Jim. Leave a message.

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[heroproceeding]

What's happening to us? Talk to me.

[ Kunsel and Zell seemed fine. Sick from that other skyscraper, but they'd been progressively doing better after they left there. But somehow, Zack's pretty sure that's not what Jim's talking about. And it makes something in him already start to sink with dread. ]

[rattlingthestars]

After we left the skyscraper, when Zell and me were messing around. He didn't feel better. And the more he was around me, the more he touched me, the worse it got.

[heroproceeding]

[ When he touched him... he got worse? But what got worse? What's he talking about? ]

What do you mean by worse? Just spit it out, kid!

[rattlingthestars]

Sicker! His nose bled and he felt sick! Just from touching me! Like I was one of them.

[heroproceeding]

[ Like he was- ]

Shi- [ He cuts off his audio before he lets all his cursing go across the feed. And he might be still cursing for a solid minute. It would have made Cid proud. And worse, us implies it's not just him. It's both of them. It's going to be twice as hard to contain and now Jim's gone
and- ]

Jim, you stay by yourself and you turn and you might end up hurting someone! I know you're afraid of hurting us, but Zell and Kuns aren't just gonna let us do whatever! But they can't do anything about it if you split off.

[rattlingthestars]

They can't do anything anyway, don't you get it?

That's why I left! Knocking me out isn't going to work.

[heroproceeding]

And how do you know that for a fact? And worst case scenario, they can at least keep you holed up in a room! That'd be better than you running off!

[ No way to stop things from happening. No way to help him stop from killing anyone. Zell and Kunsel would fight through the symptoms if it meant keeping them both on a tight leash, right? ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ No response from Jim.

Sorry, Zack, he just doesn't want to hear it right now. ]

[heroproceeding]

[ Zack continues sending a few messages throughout the rest of the day, hoping to hear something back from Jim at some point. Hoping he'll be okay. Hoping he's not doing something he'll end up regretting. In the end, he gets it. He knows he wouldn't wanna hurt them. He knows part of him's thought of ducking out and running, too. But they're supposed to be a team- supposed to trust each other to have their backs, right?

At some point the following day, the messages finally cease, the last one seemingly half written. ]

stil withkuns n ear the south skyscperr hang in

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim answers, occasionally, but he's busy moving fast and finding a hiding spot. He's looking at them, though, and that last one - ]

Zack?

[heroproceeding]

[ An hour passes. Then, an hour more. Another.

But there's still no answer.

Not for the next couple of days. ]