risingtsun | (no subject)

[Jarring was the nice way of putting it. He'd been stuck in that city for a long time, but just as he'd done with the boat, when he vanished from there, he thought he'd end up back home and everything would be normal. He'd be back on the journey for exspheres with Lloyd and wouldn't remember a thing.

He should have realized it was different when he woke up and could still remember the faces of the people he'd met in Zelien. In a way, he did. He almost thought he was still there, with the darkness of the room he was in, but as he sat up slowly, he realized-- this was his room, in his mansion.

Completely untouched and dusty. Had the maids left it?

Needless to say, after a tearful reunion with his sister and some of the house maids, Zelos became aware of the actual situation. Rumored dead for 6 months. The Pope was given full control of the Church. Lloyd had been out of contact with anyone, so he must be up to something, but what was he off doing, if there were still exspheres out there...?

The first step was the Church. While word spread as he roamed the streets, Zelos spent a good hour in the Church arguing that he wasn't an impostor, that he demanded his position back. In the end, he's left storming out of it angrily, arms crossing over his chest as his feet slow to a stop.

Damn it... damn it, this was a mess! How did this happen? To think he'd end up begging for his title back... Bitterly, he laughs, raising a hand to rub his face with as a slow sigh escapes.

Welcome back, he thinks. Now you've got a whole other mess to deal with.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ walking into Meltokio hurt. this was the first time in a while that Lloyd had stepped into the majestic city, and seeing the familiar surroundings left a heavy feeling in his chest.

six months. it had been six months since Zelos disappeared without a trace, right from his bedroll. it was jarring to see most of his stuff there, but finding some choice items and his sword missing. even while they were out on their journey, it didn't take long for word of his disappearance -- which snowballed into the rumor of his assumed death -- to spread. there was even a particularly nasty rumor pinning the blame of his death onto Lloyd, as he was the one who Zelos had been with, but that one was dropped soon enough. turns out a duke, CEO, and hero of the combined worlds still had some influence in the Tethe'allan court even with jailtime.

despite all the stones thrown at him, though, Lloyd continued to look. he had just about completely dropped the exsphere quest, all for the sake of finding his friend. he refused to believe he was dead, even if all the evidence said otherwise. he knew that Zelos was alive somewhere, he had to be, and he was sure that he was the only one who believed so. before cutting off contact, the professor told him that grief was theorized to be divided into five stages, with the first being denial.

it was through sheer stubbornness that Lloyd stayed in that first stage for six months.

a part of him wanted to avoid Meltokio entirely, partly because people still believed that Lloyd was the cause of his death, and partly because it all reminded him too much of Zelos. the issue of low supplies still needed to be addressed, though, and Meltokio was the closest city at the time. so he sucked it up, decided to let things come what may, and entered the city gates. it was pure chance, really. there was an open market that day that was especially crowded and he'd been perusing a stall's wares when he heard it:

The Chosen is alive. The Chosen's returned.

he didn't hesitate. he didn't even stop to question where exactly they'd seen him. there would be two places that Zelos could have been spotted at anyway, both of them at the same level. he didn't even stop to consider that it could have been a false rumor. after breaking out of his shocked stupor, he abandoned the stall he was in, pushing through the crowds and running up the stairs to the highest district, taking two or three steps at a time, grinding to a halt when he saw a flash of red and pink.

it's him. he's really here. he's not dead-- he's alive and standing just a few yards away from him. Lloyd wanted nothing more than to run up to him, to hug him, to give him a noogie or something of the sort for worrying everyone, to... to do something. but he was rooted to the spot; he felt heavy and his feet felt like lead. he couldn't move, all he could do was stare at him with a heavy feeling in his chest. his mouth opened and closed several times, nothing coming out of it until he was finally able to croak out a single word that even he could barely hear: ]

Zelos...?

[Even with his mind flooded with darker thoughts, Lloyd's voice is something he can't miss. Not anymore. It reaches him quietly, and he lowers his hands to turn and stare where it came from, his expression for once giving away his shock.

He'd been wondering this whole time, honestly, how he would contact Lloyd. How he would apologize for leaving him in the middle of their journey, how he would begin to explain what really happened. He'd believe him... He always did. But there was always that nagging twist in his gut that told him maybe he wouldn't.

But now he wouldn't be able to plan any cool greetings or worked out lines. He was just here, stunned and looking stupid, his heart just about beating out of his chest in a combination of feelings.]

Lloyd--

[No, that's lame. He can't get worked up now, and so he forces the emotion out of his face. It still lingers in his body language as he takes a hesitant step forward, a hand rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly.]

...Hey, bud. I just heard the news. [He knows it's a bad joke, but what else is he supposed to do? Break down?] Sorry about that.