Room 504, Sunday Evening

[intraspective]

To say that Ino had been well pleased with her week was understating things more than a little, which meant that today (other than the brief period wherein 'today' had meant 'afternoon'' and she'd wound up talking to Squall), clearly, was a day meant for a) having chocolate and b) sprawling out on her bed in a tank top and shorts and playing with her new phone.

While her weetiny plush ninja rested beside her and, okay, she might've had her new Materia keeping her company on the bed as well. Shush. Don't judge her.

While she nibbled on chocolate and poked around the settings for her phone. The wallpaper, at least, was totally staying.

[Open door, open post!]

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[intraspective]

She snuggled right on into him, and tugged over the notepad she'd scribbled a few things down in.

"You know anything 'bout breaking a curse that was triggered by numbers being used?" Ino asked, sighing. "Hurley's got a bit of a predicament and I said I'd--see what I could find out."

[puppy_fair]

Zack bit his lip at that.

"Curses on my world can be broken with remedies," he pointed out, "but they're not really caused by numbers, either. We have equipment that can prevent curses, too, but I don't know how much good that would do him if he's already been."

He scuffed his toe against the floor, thoughtfully.

"I can try to get some of that stuff together anyhow. A black belt, or a gris-gris bag, or even just some simple slotted accessory with the right materia fitted in. It can't hurt, at least."

[intraspective]

She nodded slowly.

"I didn't think you'd know," she admitted, "'cause your world works different. But that might help, yeah."

[puppy_fair]

"Anything is worth a shot, right? And maybe somebody at the magic shop in town would know, too? I haven't been in there, but it's worth check out to be sure."

Or he could ask someone at the Magic Reserves, for that matter. There wasn't exactly a shortage of people on the island who would know about curses.

[intraspective]

"I'll ask around," she said, with a bit of a sigh. "See what I can get from people. Is it--bad--that I wish there was just somethin' good goin' on?"

[puppy_fair]

"I don't think there's anything the matter with wishing that good things were happening to your friends instead of bad ones," Zack pointed out, frowning thoughtfully. "In that meantime, I'll ask Kunsel if he has any leads on a gris-gris bag that I can get in a pinch."

[intraspective]

"Put that way it don't sound bad at all," she admitted, smiling a tiny bit. "It was just soundin' more selfish in my head."

Her special, special head.

[puppy_fair]

Zack smiled a tiny bit to go right along with her little smile, and then reached up to ruffle her hair.

"Your head is a silly place sometimes," he decided. And then he pulled her into a hug. "We'll find a way to help your friend, Ino. If there's any place out there to find the solutions to things, it's here, right?"

[intraspective]

"Not silly," she informed him but there was no heat behind it as Ino was just going to cling into that hug, oh my yes. "And, you know, I keep tellin' myself that..."

But so far, had it really been true? None of her problems were ones that Fandom had been able to fix.

[puppy_fair]

The thought had gone unfinished, but Zack figured he knew his Ino well enough to know where it had been headed.

"Well, if we can't fix this through Fandom, then we find another way," he decided, as if that was as simple as it ever had to be. "You said the curse was caused by numbers? So... we find out if those numbers have any significance. Or if whatever the effects of the curse are, they can be prevented, somehow. This isn't the end of the world, right?"

... Very apt way of putting that one, Zack.

[intraspective]

Ino cringed and wished she hadn't.

"No," she said, "it's not the end of the world."

[puppy_fair]

And when she cringed, he winced.

Right. Right.

"Nothing needs to be the end of the world," he added, deeply and firmly. "None of it is set in stone."

[intraspective]

"You believe that?" Ino asked, glancing up to try and catch his gaze.

[puppy_fair]

And he met her gaze today, head-on, and he nodded.

"I believe that."

He had to.

[intraspective]

She nodded, keeping her eyes on him.

"Okay." He wouldn't mind if she was just going to steal a kiss while they were doing all of that staring at each other, would he? "We should--do something. Somethin' constructive."

Soonish. Because Ino could feel things starting to fall down around her head again.

[puppy_fair]

Hey, Zack would never, ever mind Ino kisses. It was law. So there.

"We should," Zack mused, pursing his lips. "Maybe a trip to Midgar, this weekend? I'm sure there has to be someone there that can point me at a mission that I'll get something useful out of. And we can stock up on remedies while we're there."

He gave her a little grin.

"And you can test out that new materia of yours?"

[intraspective]

"By lettin' myself get hit?" she asked, poking him but smiling a bit more. "I can--yeah. I can do Midgar."

It wouldn't be the easiest thing, really, but she'd do it. Maybe working would help her.

[puppy_fair]

"Well, not letting yourself," Zack chuckled, poking her right back. "But, you know, if you do, you don't have to worry about it as much."

[intraspective]

"I know," she said, giggling just a little at the poke. "And I'm very glad of that, did you know?"

[puppy_fair]

"Well, that would make the both of us," Zack laughed. "All the same, I'd prefer if you didn't get hit at all."

He was a little protective, that way.

[intraspective]

"I try not to get hit," she said, closing her eyes. "That's goin' to have to be good enough, yeah."

[puppy_fair]

And at that, Zack gave her a little tug sideways, flopping over to lay down on the bed.

"I think that will totally do," he agreed.

[intraspective]

"Wanna leave Friday?" Ino asked, snuggling into their new position comfortably. "I think I'm on decoratin' duty, but I can drop that on the minions."

Otherwise known as Ino's underclassmen on the council.

[puppy_fair]

"I have nothing better to do on Friday," Zack noted, snuggling on back. This position was excellent for this sort of thing, wasn't it? Mmm, cozy. "It's as good a day as any to leave. And if we go early enough, we won't get caught up in all of the Portalocity insanity from people coming to the island, either."

After that thing back around Christmas, Zack was pretty bent on never getting caught during a busy time in the Portalocity terminal ever again.

[intraspective]

Never. Again.

"Definitely don't want to get caught," she agreed, toying with his shirt absently. "I think that's a good plan and we'll--head to Midgar and take it from there?"