007 || {Video / Action} || BACKDATED to the 3rd, late morning.

[contempsi]

[It's not cold at all - even in spite of the rain - but after a bit of shivering, disoriented wandering Hope will find himself stranded on the path, and even more confused than when he initially came around after being the unfortunate victim of routine experimentation.

He plops to his knees in the dirt before slipping in the haze and landing squarely on his butt, not caring at all for the muck that would inevitably stain his shorts.]

Ugh...

[With a groan, he first lifts a hand to wipe away the silvery bangs dripping in his eyes, then wraps both arms around himself with a shiver. The camera's view might catch a flash of chalk-white on the back of a wrist, stark even against his fair skin, if one were looking hard enough.

The journal's been recording all of this, but the boy doesn't seem to notice, drawing his knees up and resting his forehead against them.]


(ooc: Lightning and I think Gem are going to go find him, but anyone else is welcome to poke him through the journal too. :D)

Comments

[video] placeholderrrrrrr

[fourteen]

[ Well, it was nice to wake up and find the house back to normal this morning. Well, more like the middle of the night. She'd gone straight back to her room and collapsed on her real bed, which was no longer a coffin, thank goodness.

But when she'd awoken later in the morning -- much later than she usually woke up! -- it was not an encouraging sight she saw on the journals.

That voice... and that clothing. Is it...? ]

Hope?

[video]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

...yeah?

[Without even lifting his head, except to cough into the back of a wrist.]

Was it... always this wet out?

[video]

[fourteen]

... are you okay? What's going on...?

[ ... she starts getting her things. ] I dunno... it wasn't raining when I went to sleep last night.

[video]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

I... I don't know. [Hope tangles his arms around himself again.] I just... woke up and I was out here.

[video]

[fourteen]

... the Malnosso. [ It's not a question. ] Do you need help? Is anyone coming to get you?

[video]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

Oh... I guess those are the people who took me away. [He frowns in confusion. Considering the fuss he kicked up before, he's almost too mellow about this.]

I think Light's coming here. Um... how are you doing? [No, he doesn't seem to care how out of place that question is.]

action!

[survivethesiren]

[Gem always has enjoyed the rain. It's her favorite thing about this place. So as she's wandering, with her umbrella, raincoat, still in high shoes, she sees someone who appears injured.

It's her coding, her programming, to go help the harmed. And that is just what she does.

Moving forward, her systems humming, she looks down at the young boy, tilting her head]

Do you need assistance?

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

Nnh?

[He's not expecting the voice, yet there's no startled jerk of alarm. Hope lifts his head, blinking bleary sea-coloured eyes up at the unfamiliar woman. His clothes are definitely growing damp now, the bright colours of his favourite jacket darkening from the weight of the rain.]

Um... I guess so... [His voice is thick and slurred.]

[survivethesiren]

...all right.

[Gem bends down, her movements faintly robotic. But she is there to help those who are harmed. She offers a hand. If he takes it, he'll feel a jolt of energy, of warmth, of something that can help bolster him through this.]

[video!]

[thestormishere]

[ Coffee at her side or not, Lightning just really hasn't had much sleep lately and is totally dozing right at the kitchen table... when something from the journal lying open nearby causes her to snap up suddenly. Disoriented and without even fully understanding why, she snatches and pulls over the book, pauses as she frowns at it, then starts flipping through the pages... ]

-- Hope!

[ Who the boy on the 'screen' is hardly has time to register before she's shouting his name, just barely keeping from upending any furniture in her surprise. Both taken and returned a few days after Aerith-- good. Thank goodness he's back!

... Wherever he is, because Lightning has no idea at this point... and is already frustrated because of it. ]

[video!]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

...huh...? [For the first time since this little ordeal started, faint surprise actually registers on the boy's blank features for a few seconds. He rubs his eyes and glances about for wherever the sound of Lightning's voice came from, frowning in confusion when he doesn't actually see her standing anywhere near him.]

... Lightning? Where're you?

[video!]

[thestormishere]

[ Lightning frowns as she realizes just how disoriented he seems-- not a chocobo like Aerith, at least, but there's no telling what might have been done to him in the time he's been gone. Her gut is tied with nervousness as she grabs an umbrella and heads for the door, but she strives to keep that from showing in her voice as much as she can. ]

At the house. [ A slight pause, and then she ventures: ] Do you know where you are?

[video!]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

Um... [There's a bit of a sniffle as he glances about him, attempting to rise up on wobbling legs—the movement probably resembles that of a baby deer standing for the first time.]

O-out in the rain. [A foot slips over the muck, and the kid finds himself right on his butt again. Frowning, his eyes pass over and finally locate the journal nearby, a hand outstretched to try and drag it over.] ...I think I'm near the river.

[video!]

[thestormishere]

[ Lightning closes her eyes a moment- partially out of relief that he at least seems to know he's still in Luceti... but mostly due to the frustration in knowing that there's two possible rivers he could mean, and because it's raining it's practically impossible to guess at which one it might be from sun position or the like.

Also, yeah. It's raining. Umbrella or not, it's still miserable, and until she can find him... although there's not really anything she can do about it now, is there? ]

Okay. Just a minute. [ And excuse her a few moments as she disappears right as she hits the outdoors, aiming to enlist someone to help. She's back shortly afterward. ] Hope... you're not hurt or anything, are you?

[video!]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

N-no... just cold. [He sneezes, as if this is to emphasize his point.] Maybe I should start walking, and we'll meet somewhere. [Pushing pale hands into the dirt around him, Hope manages to rise to his feet this time. He stoops to pick up the discarded journal.]

It's kind of like the first time.

[action!]

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

[Shortly after Hope comes back home, Chocorith is going to come over to see him--she was worried about him, too.

...Looks like he's already out of it, though, lying down like that. The Malnosso must have put him through a lot. She clucks her tongue with a disapproving warble and goes to drag-drop a blanket over him, and then she plans to leave him alone (because waking up to a big BIRD in the house would probably be very disorienting!) before she takes a look at him. He looks so small and cute sleeping like that and it makes her feel both relieved he's back and a little bit protective and oh goodness, his hair's all mussed up from being out in the rain--

...

Aerith will realize in a moment that she should not be preening a boy's hair with her beak. In a moment.

Darn chocobo instincts.]

[action!]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

[It feels kind of soothing, like a hand ruffling his hair. Hope shifts around in his sleep, a tiny dreamlike smile on his lips. An arm reaches out to grab at...

...feathers?

With a sleepy noise, he lifts a fist to rub it over his eyes, slowly blinking them open.]

[action!]

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

[ She shifts at his hand's touch, stilling in hopes that he doesn't accidentally yank a feather out--it seems like a very haphazard grab and he's probably not totally awake yet. A last bunch of hair is let go of as she asks: ]

Hope? [ Despite earlier intentions, she leans in rather than moving away, so Hope is getting a face-to-face view of a chocobo.

A very confused one, when Aerith finally registers that she was treating Hope like a chicobo. What. ]

[action!]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

What...?

[He makes a childlike snuffling noise and sits up with a yawn, too sleepy to even bother covering his mouth. That's when Hope's eyes focus and he finally takes in the sight before him.

A big yellow bird. Staring him right in the face.

With a voice-cracking little yelp of surprise, he jumps back, eyes widening.]

Aah...!

[action!]

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

[Aerith stumbles back in response, raising her arms--sorry, wings--and waving the hands she doesn't have at him. ...It just looks like flailing chocobo.]

No, no, it's okay! Hope, please don't panic, it's just me!

[Voice]

[knightofratatosk]

[... that doesn't look good, and Emil can't just ignore someone who might need help, so he's going to call to the boy over the journals.]

Hey, are you okay?

[Video]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

Uh...

[Hope sniffles a little and reaches to wipe a few errant droplets from his nose. His voice sounds like someone who's just awoken from a very heavy sleep.]

Y-yeah, 'm okay. Thanks...

[And he'll... make no move whatsoever to get off the ground. Or even express any kind of shock that he's been broadcast.]

[Video]

[knightofratatosk]

Are you sure? You don't look very okay to me... I can come find you if you need some help. Do you know where you are?

[Video]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

[He shakes his head with a soft sigh.]

I don't remember anything except waking up out here. When did it start raining?

[Video]

[knightofratatosk]

Just a little while ago. You should get out of the rain so you don't end up getting sick from it...