[Tifa doesn't sleep... ever, really, or at least not reliably, so that night of insomnia along with the emotional whiplash of whatever was going on with the network has left her physically exhausted and emotionally drained. Her braid is more disheveled than usual, and there are obvious dark circles under her eyes. She went back and listened to all of the messages she'd received last night, including Nathan's, and it's shocking how disjointed and surreal their conversation sounds now, without those hallucinations.
Logically, she knows Nathan is fine, just like Angel and Rhys are fine. Still, she's using video in the hopes that he'll mimic her and she can see for sure, just to crush that last bit of doubt. She's too tired to keep her guard up when talking to him, for once, and there's a vulnerability in her voice that she's usually far better at hiding.]
[So Tifa might get a bit of a scare because when Nathan fumbles for his tablet and turns on the video feed he's totally laying facefirst on the ground. In his defense, he honestly has no idea what she saw. At least not yet.
But then he groans and turns his body so he's looking at her. He's, of course, just as exhausted as everyone else.]
I feel like shit.
[It's a simple, elegant summary.]
Did you get any sleep after that gigantic fucking nightmare? Because I, honestly, don't know if I'm ever going to sleep again.
[He closes his eyes. So tired. So, so tired. Too tired to think about the things that she said to him the night before. He knows that she didn't really say them. He already re-checked the messages and all of them were gone. She only sounded terrified.]
[Her breath catches in her throat when she sees him laying like that, and for one terrifying moment she thinks that maybe he was the exception, that he really was in trouble...
And then he rolls over, and she exhales sharply. He's fine. He's fine. She feels like she's been repeating those words like a mantra in her head for everyone she knows since she realized what was going on. She rakes a hand through her hair as she waits for her heartbeat to slow.]
No, I didn't.
[Lots of new material for the nightmare reel, though!]
Should I just... call you back later?
[He should probably try to get some sleep, even if he's having a hard time of it.]
No, no, it's fine. I don't have anyone else to talk to about it and probably won't really try to. I'll just, you know, keep all that shit burned into my skull for the next five centuries.
[An awkward silence. Nathan puts an arm underneath his head.]
Hey. If I said anything...
[He's sorry? Well, no, that's stupid. It wasn't HIM, so he shouldn't apologize.]
Forget about it. I'm glad your face is back to normal.
[That didn't really come out quite right but you know what he means.]
I mean it's fine, I'm fine. Just some bullshit about how I'm a bother to everyone and my mother can't stand me but tell me something I don't know, am I right?
[He rolls so he's laying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, and lets out a sigh.]
[Did he see her saying those things? She can't imagine it would help either of them to ask, but it still bothers her. She has no idea what to say in response, partially because she's so drained and partially because... Well, she doesn't know him well enough to guess what he might want to hear.]
That can't be true, Nathan.
[It sounds lame, even to her. Oddly, she finds herself wishing they were downtown with him, so at least he wouldn't have to be alone. She reminds herself that he would probably say something terrible and drive her nuts within twenty minutes.
[For a second, Nathan considers really talking about it. But no, he can't. When he tries, he feels like his stomach is rejecting being inside of his body and he feels so tense and freaked out he can't get the words out. He can't talk about it. He can't. So instead, he does what he does best: change the subject.]
[It's a noncommittal noise. She's really not, but she's also not dodging the question or flat out lying, which is more than can be said for her responses to most people today. Everything he said in his conversation with her--his real conversation with her--is still stuck in her mind, and she's not sure how to navigate this now in light of it.
So she'll do what she does best: worry about everyone else but herself.]
I like to fancy myself a lone wolf, but between you and me, it turns into a shit deal after a few weeks. A guy like me goes a bit mental left to his own devices for this long.
[He groans.]
The last time I ran into anyone was...shit, when I met you face-to-face. You still hanging around that same bunch?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Day 92, Afternoon; @lockhart; video
Logically, she knows Nathan is fine, just like Angel and Rhys are fine. Still, she's using video in the hopes that he'll mimic her and she can see for sure, just to crush that last bit of doubt. She's too tired to keep her guard up when talking to him, for once, and there's a vulnerability in her voice that she's usually far better at hiding.]
Nathan? How are you doing?
video;
But then he groans and turns his body so he's looking at her. He's, of course, just as exhausted as everyone else.]
I feel like shit.
[It's a simple, elegant summary.]
Did you get any sleep after that gigantic fucking nightmare? Because I, honestly, don't know if I'm ever going to sleep again.
[He closes his eyes. So tired. So, so tired. Too tired to think about the things that she said to him the night before. He knows that she didn't really say them. He already re-checked the messages and all of them were gone. She only sounded terrified.]
no subject
And then he rolls over, and she exhales sharply. He's fine. He's fine. She feels like she's been repeating those words like a mantra in her head for everyone she knows since she realized what was going on. She rakes a hand through her hair as she waits for her heartbeat to slow.]
No, I didn't.
[Lots of new material for the nightmare reel, though!]
Should I just... call you back later?
[He should probably try to get some sleep, even if he's having a hard time of it.]
no subject
[An awkward silence. Nathan puts an arm underneath his head.]
Hey. If I said anything...
[He's sorry? Well, no, that's stupid. It wasn't HIM, so he shouldn't apologize.]
Forget about it. I'm glad your face is back to normal.
[That didn't really come out quite right but you know what he means.]
no subject
My face? What...
[She trails off. Honestly, she probably doesn't want to know.]
Never mind.
[Now it's her turn to pause awkwardly.]
Hey, if you need to talk about it, or... Anything else...
[This is her attempt to tell him he can talk to her, except she still feels a little strange doing it.]
no subject
I mean it's fine, I'm fine. Just some bullshit about how I'm a bother to everyone and my mother can't stand me but tell me something I don't know, am I right?
[He rolls so he's laying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, and lets out a sigh.]
It'll blow over. It always does.
no subject
That can't be true, Nathan.
[It sounds lame, even to her. Oddly, she finds herself wishing they were downtown with him, so at least he wouldn't have to be alone. She reminds herself that he would probably say something terrible and drive her nuts within twenty minutes.
Still.]
no subject
You're alright though, yeah?
no subject
[It's a noncommittal noise. She's really not, but she's also not dodging the question or flat out lying, which is more than can be said for her responses to most people today. Everything he said in his conversation with her--his real conversation with her--is still stuck in her mind, and she's not sure how to navigate this now in light of it.
So she'll do what she does best: worry about everyone else but herself.]
Are you still traveling alone?
no subject
[The subject change is taken in a heartbeat.]
I like to fancy myself a lone wolf, but between you and me, it turns into a shit deal after a few weeks. A guy like me goes a bit mental left to his own devices for this long.
[He groans.]
The last time I ran into anyone was...shit, when I met you face-to-face. You still hanging around that same bunch?
no subject
[She feels really bad for him.]