((OOC: I don't actually know yet what happens to Steve after his Burning More Furniture adventure today, ahahaha, so hopefully he's still alive and everything. LET'S SAY HE'S FINE. For certain values of "fine".))
[Steve is curled up on the big bed, sort of dozing, when the soft 'ping' of an incoming message startles him awake. He pokes at his tablet and... Tifa. He'd kinda started to think he wasn't going to hear from her. He listens to her message, his heart aching a little. 'Fine,' yeah, he knows all about being 'fine'.
He hesitates, then switches to video and calls back.]
Hey there. [Small smile. He's still quite hoarse, if anything looking and sounding worse than ever.] That's what I've heard, yeah. People are at death's door, they're reported dead, and then they wake up again, sometimes— [Cough cough.] —sometimes days later. Resuscitated by that MN stuff, maybe. So... Kain's right. It's too early to give up on him.
[He hopes this is reassuring. He's sure the waiting, the not knowing for sure one way or the other, has got to be a worse torture in some ways.]
[ooc: Haha WELL if something horrible happens we can pretend she responded earlier!]
[He does look awful, and he probably feels worse, but he's still trying to comfort her. She feels a rush of gratitude, and fights for a moment to keep from getting too emotional. Tifa switches to video, too, out of politeness, even though she's exhausted and looks like a mess.]
Right. We'll find him. He's tough.
[Or so she tells herself. She has to try to convince herself that everything will be fine. She just lost Aerith, and if she lost Cloud, too... She doesn't think she could take it. She swallows hard, trying to push those concerns out of her head, and then forces a shaky smile.]
Are you okay?
[She saw his network post the other day, but with everything that had happened, she hadn't gotten a chance to check up on him. It's genuine concern, but it's also easier to worry about him than to think about her own feelings at the moment.]
[Generally, this is where Tifa would worry a little bit more, maybe ask him if he's feeling any better at all, but she's maxed out on worry at the moment.]
Just be careful, okay?
[And then there's a long pause, during which she bites her lip and her eyes flick away from the tablet briefly.]
Hey, Steve? Do you know... When people come back, do you know how long it takes?
[Her voice is very, very quiet now. As much as searching for Cloud is a plan, it still feels like waiting, and Tifa is absolutely awful at waiting. Steve may have gotten here when she did, but he seems far better at gathering information than she is.]
Edited 2015-11-20 18:39 (UTC)
awkward mood change because whoops he lost rydia in the snow and now she's handcuffed to a toilet
[Steve's lips thin. He wants to smile reassuringly, but it's probably more of a wince. He's not exactly expecting to get a lot of rest in the next couple of days.]
I'll, uh. I'll do my best.
Ahh... [Cough cough COUGH cough cough.] From what I heard, I think it kinda varies? A few days, usually, but I think sometimes longer?
[He's making the wince face again. He wishes he could give her something more definite. The only think worse than waiting is not knowing how long to wait.]
[She nods. That's what she figured. Of course, there's no way he was going to give her a definite timeframe, but at least she has an idea now.
But if he doesn't come back in a couple of days, what then?
Tifa swallows hard as she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. It's a nervous gesture, one she's found herself doing a lot lately. She manages to force a smile for him, though.]
Thank you for checking up on me. It's... It really means a lot.
[It's clear from Tifa's expression that she's thinking the same thing about Cloud, and her smile is gone instantly. She sees him wince, though, and can't help but worry.]
[Steve sees Tifa's face fall, and shit hell damn what a stupid thing to say! ...And then of course she asks about him. Steve's trying to figure out what to do, what to say, when a wave of dizziness and nausea hits him. He fumbles the tablet slightly and has to rest his head on his hand for a little bit, breathing carefully. When the feeling passes, he doesn't bother lifting his head.]
Don't want you to worry 'bout me on top of everything, Tifa. ...But if I'm completely honest, I'm not having a swell day today.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[Steve is curled up on the big bed, sort of dozing, when the soft 'ping' of an incoming message startles him awake. He pokes at his tablet and... Tifa. He'd kinda started to think he wasn't going to hear from her. He listens to her message, his heart aching a little. 'Fine,' yeah, he knows all about being 'fine'.
He hesitates, then switches to video and calls back.]
Hey there. [Small smile. He's still quite hoarse, if anything looking and sounding worse than ever.] That's what I've heard, yeah. People are at death's door, they're reported dead, and then they wake up again, sometimes— [Cough cough.] —sometimes days later. Resuscitated by that MN stuff, maybe. So... Kain's right. It's too early to give up on him.
[He hopes this is reassuring. He's sure the waiting, the not knowing for sure one way or the other, has got to be a worse torture in some ways.]
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[He does look awful, and he probably feels worse, but he's still trying to comfort her. She feels a rush of gratitude, and fights for a moment to keep from getting too emotional. Tifa switches to video, too, out of politeness, even though she's exhausted and looks like a mess.]
Right. We'll find him. He's tough.
[Or so she tells herself. She has to try to convince herself that everything will be fine. She just lost Aerith, and if she lost Cloud, too... She doesn't think she could take it. She swallows hard, trying to push those concerns out of her head, and then forces a shaky smile.]
Are you okay?
[She saw his network post the other day, but with everything that had happened, she hadn't gotten a chance to check up on him. It's genuine concern, but it's also easier to worry about him than to think about her own feelings at the moment.]
permavideo
Steve simply nods in agreement. He's not sure what else he can say at the moment that won't sound like false hope.
When she asks about him, Steve shrugs, offering a wry smile.]
Ahhhhhhh, I'll be all right. I've had worse.
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Just be careful, okay?
[And then there's a long pause, during which she bites her lip and her eyes flick away from the tablet briefly.]
Hey, Steve? Do you know... When people come back, do you know how long it takes?
[Her voice is very, very quiet now. As much as searching for Cloud is a plan, it still feels like waiting, and Tifa is absolutely awful at waiting. Steve may have gotten here when she did, but he seems far better at gathering information than she is.]
awkward mood change because whoops he lost rydia in the snow and now she's handcuffed to a toilet
I'll, uh. I'll do my best.
Ahh... [Cough cough COUGH cough cough.] From what I heard, I think it kinda varies? A few days, usually, but I think sometimes longer?
[He's making the wince face again. He wishes he could give her something more definite. The only think worse than waiting is not knowing how long to wait.]
oh nooo now they're both sad forever
But if he doesn't come back in a couple of days, what then?
Tifa swallows hard as she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. It's a nervous gesture, one she's found herself doing a lot lately. She manages to force a smile for him, though.]
Thank you for checking up on me. It's... It really means a lot.
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You're welcome. I dunno, I just figure... we all gotta look out for each other, right?
[He winces a little again. He did a pretty shit job of looking out for Rydia.]
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Right. Hey... Are you sure you're okay, Steve?
[Maybe he should be lying down.]
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Don't want you to worry 'bout me on top of everything, Tifa. ...But if I'm completely honest, I'm not having a swell day today.
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[It's kind of impossible not to worry about him when he looks like that. And wow, that sounds like a complete understatement.]
Do you know Clayton? He's a doctor. Maybe he can help.