intraspective | The Boiler Room, Monday Early Morning (Reply)

Ino	Being hit in the head by a brick and then spending the weekend as ancient evil in a tube meant that waking up was a painful thing. Unfortunately for her awareness didn't come slowly. One moment she was—not her—and then next she was crumpled on the floor of the boiler room and stirring. Ino pushed herself up with one arm, head aching viciously. That whimper of pain? Not her idea of fun. Head injuries took temporary precedence over having been pure evil on a level that made her nauseous.
Zack	Hey... There was a whimper over there. It sounded kind of... Ino-like. Zack echoed it with one of his own. He'd had the worst nightmare last night, with teeth and blood and laughing, and some horrifying thing that he kept calling 'Mother,' and... And he was sleeping on a cold, hard floor. This realization meant that he absolutely had to whimper again, and then maybe curl up in an even tighter ball on the floor that he'd been in before. Not again... "Ino...?"
Ino	Probing fingers said that her skull wasn't broken, that she wasn't bleeding--her hair didn't seem to be tacky with blood--and even though touching her temple gently made the world spin into stars and wavering blackness, when she forced herself to just keep breathing and moved her hands away from the injury she was... okay. Mobile, on the other hand, Ino was slightly more dubious about. The floor looked slightly uneven and she was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be. The floor was cold, the room was warm. The boiler was on. Zack was curled into a ball on the floor. That... wasn't right. To fix that, she was going to have to get up. Ino stared at her feet for a minute, willing herself to move, before slowly getting to her feet. She wavered, grit her teeth, and managed the few steps over to him before letting herself sit back down, one hand tentatively reaching out to brush his hair. "I'm here." Which was horrifying on several levels. And--yet, she was glad that she was the only one (a glance around the room said, yes, she was the only other one here) to see him like this.
Zack	"Okay." Deep breath. It was good to be breathing again. And there wasn't any lingering thirst. There was, however, a pang in his chest while he fought back memories of a stake being driven deep into his heart. "Okay." He was sitting up, now. That seemed like the sort of progress that he could be very proud of, right this moment. "You weren't here all along, were you?"
Ino	She had pulled her hand back, wrapped her arms around her waist--she was cold despite the room being comfortable--and wondered if she ought to lie. Would a lie help him? Ino could remember what he'd done. She'd watched. "I was," she said, very gently. Lying to him now was too disrespectful. She'd watched. He'd done. She'd seen.
Zack	Small nod, now. Eyes on the floor. There was blood on the floor. He'd have to clean that up. "So... Jen was..." He clapped a hand over his mouth. The pang in his heart had now shifted entirely to a lurch in his stomach. Oh, Gods. Jen. That was her blood. He'd tasted it. He'd laughed at her. Like a monster.
Ino	Her headache was getting worse. Ino was fairly sure that was because she was forcing herself to think when she should be drinking a potion or going to the clinic or something. Chakra healing was useful. Chakra healing wasn't to be used on your own brain. That was a good way for things to go desperately wrong. Ino's fingers reached out to hook in his belts. Small comfort. She didn't dare hug him. Any hug would send her head reeling. "Yes," she said steadily. "But she got away. She's alive and safe." Small things but all she had to offer. Sugar-coating had never been her strong suit. Ino could only hope this would be some sort of help to Zack. She was still touching him. He wasn't a monster to her. Ever.
Zack	Zack's hand reached down to brush against hers. There had been blood on his fingers last night, too. It was gone, now. He was breathing. His hands were warm. He could feel his heart in his chest. It was so easy to tell that you had a heartbeat, after spending a weekend without. He couldn't hug her. He didn't trust himself that far, yet. "Are you okay?" That was easier, somehow, than focusing on how thoroughly he wasn't.
Ino	His hand was warm, her eyes settled on their hands. "I'll be fine," she said, hiding a wince. Not willing to have her own favourite tactic used against her. People liked to talk about themselves. Ask about them and they'd skate past your issues. "I was just..." Evil. Jenova. She understood better, now, what evil was. Ino's shoulders shifted slightly. Not quite a shrug. Her fingers carefully wrapped around his. See? She was here. He was here. Neither of them were hurting the other.
Zack	He nodded a little. Lots of nodding. Not a lot of looking up, at all. "But it's over, now." What had been happening was over. The dealing with it, that part was just beginning. "I... enjoyed it all, I think. Too much."
Ino	"You're not a monster, Zack." If she said it enough, would he believe it? Steel in her voice, under the weariness. Under the nausea she felt over the whole thing. Ino would have rathered play Zack's role from the weekend. Pleasure in someone else's pain. She wasn't as fond of it as some people but she did understand it. Mentally, she was better equipped for it. "The one who did all of that was a you broken and shattered. You are not like that." Her head hurt. Her eyes stung. She was angry and there was no one to be angry at.
Zack	Right. A broken him. Somebody else entirely. Zack wasn't that damaged. He wasn't alone. He wasn't a monster. It was just a near thing. "I'm tired," he reported, sighing and drawing his knees to his chest. This was about the time that a small rodent in a hamster ball rolled up to him and bounced off his ankle. Which very nearly earned a crack of a smile. "I'd wondered where you went..."
Ino	Ino would have been giving Mr. Winkles a very impressive glare had her head not been pounding. As it was, the gerbil got a mild look that was dangerous because of how mild it was. "I know," she said, sighing. "I'm tired too." She ached. It was easier to focus on the physical than the fact that Jenova had been... Had been. What had happened to her? Ino didn't care right now. She would later, once Zack was gone. He came first. "Come on," Ino said, forcing herself to stand. Still not letting go of his hand. She needed it for balance. Ino pretended the ground was level. If she pretended hard enough then it would be. Right? "We can't hide down here forever." We meaning him. Her skin crawled, her stomach hated her, and her memories--crystal clear--were not her friend. She still had no intentions of staying in this room where things had gone so badly wrong. It wasn't good for him. Or her. But that was a distant consideration. She wasn't the one traumatized by the blood on the floor.

Plotty Links!

0. Mr. Winkles has gone missing! Ino helps Zack look for him and gets hit in the head with a brick.
1. Jenova sends out a call.
2. Zack gets the call while talking to Alice. They find Jenova.
3. Zack gives Jen a 'distress' call.
4. Jen comes running and winds up way over her head as Alice and Zack take her captive.
5. When Alice and Jenova start bickering, Jen distracts Zack, makes a break for it, and gets away.
6. Jenova and Alice fight—and Zack takes Jenova's side. Alice leaves.
7. Jen reacts to the events of her weekend.
8. This post! Ino and Zack wake up in the boiler room.

[Establishy! Preplayed with the stupendous