visitors welcome [OPEN]

[identitycrisiscore]

Who ⬤ Cloud Strife and YOU!
What ⬤ Visiting hours with one of the worse-off heroes of the hour.
When ⬤ A couple days after the infiltration of the cursed Kaigo-no-Bou.
Where ⬤ One of the higher-end hospitals of Jigoku-cho, executive level.
Content Warnings ⬤ None yet, but will update as needed!


[ Cloud had been quite literally dug out of the rubble of the sublevel team's excursion into Kaigo-no-Bou, and, by order of Shuten's own Toraguma, been carried to one of the major hospitals in Jigoku-cho. And when the head of Shuten tells you that some rank-and-file from Sutoku gets to stay on the executive level for treatment, you're inclined to listen. ]

[ The next couple of days past that had been touch and go - Cloud's recovering happens, but slowly, and it's probably thanks to his enhanced constitution he recovers at all. The orders from the doctors are clear: He's not getting out of bed for the next few days, minimum, and rehabilitation will take the rest of the month to get him close to self-sufficiency again.

It's likely he'll get back to a normal level of functionality again, but he's going to have permanent complications that he'll likely never fully recover from. And he's going to have to avoid much of anything but light exercise for quite a while to come.

But, he's alive, and recovery looks good - if slow. ]

[ Through all this, Cloud listens to it all as if he's someone outside his own body. The shock of it all still rattling in his brain, and his hands too shaky to hold silverware for the first couple days, let alone holding a sword steady. But after a couple days, the treatment of the curse and the slow nurturing of his body back to something resembling stability has gone well enough to open the floodgates to those who are asking after the blonde-haired swordsman working for Sutoku. ]

[ Which is good, because as much as he's willing to follow doctor's orders, laying in bed quietly isn't something his patience takes to well. ]
 

Comments

[everblooms]

[ Here's a case of deja vu; from the moment he opens his eyes, he'll be treated to the worried expression of the local florist.

Aerith's fought tooth and nail to get in here as quickly as possible, down to trying to bribe someone. She has her ways, and he probably knows it. Regardless, it is imperative to her that she's here as often as possible. She knows it's silly. She knows it isn't her fault. Still, she wishes she could have done something to spare him this.

The IV drip drip drips softly, and there's little more to do than drift off in the surprisingly comforting chair in his hospital room. You know, if she's ever going to get severely injured, she hopes Toraguma might spare a quarter of this expense for her sake, too. ]

...Heya.

[ That's all she says for a moment, gaze roving over his face, then along his shoulder, to the bicep where she'd tied the ribbon. It'd been in shockingly good condition for someone who got buried under rubble— she knows. She's no fool. ]

How's it feel to be Mr. Big Shot Hero? [ Standing up, she smiles, half-hearted but not as tired. The curtains are drawn; the rain has let up.

It's a brand new day. ]

[identitycrisiscore]

[ He's lying on a hospital bed instead of a bed of flowers, and there's not a conspicuous body-sized hole in the roof to mark his landing. And he feels inarguably worse than he did falling from the Sector 5 upper plate. But the circumstances aren't dissimilar. It stirs something a little north of his gut an south of his collarbone in a warm way, to see her face. ]

Hey. [ It takes a minute to gather the strength to speak. That hello is just a little more breathy than it should be. But if anyone's used to putting up a strong front, it's Cloud. ]

...I didn't expect to get such a warm reception, that's for sure. [ Truth be told, everything past his charge directly towards the heart of darkness in the tower is either hazy or unreliable. He was conscious for a moment after, he thinks, and he remembers a lot of shouting. Which he's pretty sure was Toraguma. Beyond that? Vivid hallucinations and unreliable memories. ]

[ He's subconsciously moving a hand - a bit unsteadily, but with much more confidence than the past few days - to the ribbon. Someone loosened it a bit when he came in. One of the doctors, probably. But it's still there. ]

...Made it back. Like I said I would. [ Kind of. It's false bravado - he's in no shape to do anything but sit up. But he knows she must be worried. ]

[everblooms]

[ He gets a laugh in response, as her hands come together. She nervously grips the knuckles of one hand with the other, looking down. A smile comes after. It's hard not to smile, and with a nod, she raises her head again to look at him. He worried her to an early grave. ]

I knew you would. [ Rudely, she points to the ribbon. ]

And you kept it.

[kaientai]

[ ryouma is as grateful as anyone that the crisis is over and there's something to be said for a little faction pride; he's really very pleased that it was someone from the alliance that managed to pull off the big heroic play when reputation goes a long way in ryouma's book. he was already planning to meet at some point but now seems as good a time as any and he has a captive audience.

at least it's not too difficult to get in to see cloud — ryouma's status actually counts for something. it's only natural that as a lieutenant he should come and check on his fellow alliance member, especially with the daitengu recovering elsewhere themselves.

it was a rough cursed nightmare hellscape for ryouma, which is to say he still hasn't bounced back yet from looking like someone who was slowly dying to evil magic. nonetheless, he's fully back on the job now despite appearances, so here he is! ryouma has never really done this before — visiting people in proper hospitals, that is — but some nice lady in a shop somewhere set him up with a tasteful box of sweets to bring along.

he knocks on the door to announce himself before he actually goes in. ]

Hey there, how we feeling? Figured I'd come by and say hello in person!

[identitycrisiscore]

[ Cloud is awake, more or less - and as a result the knocking doesn't disturb him from some well-deserved - if unintentional - slumber. It takes him a minute to place the voice - the only time he met was during the network check-in. And in the haze, he can't quite recall if he got the lieutenant's name. Talking is hard, but he does speak up. ]

You're- the lieutenant who checked in with everyone on the network. [ He at least recalls the man's face. ]

I feel like dirt. [ Bluntly. ] But... well, I'm alive. And so's everyone else, it looks like.

[kaientai]

That's right! Sakamoto Ryouma, at your service~!

[ he's cheery for how things have been, but that's many years of practise at not mixing his professional life with his personal feelings as much as possible.

ryouma sets the box he's carrying down close by. it's an attractively packaged set of different kinds of mochi and dango, so at least it's likely to be easier on the stomach? at least he can share. ]

Alive is what's most important! I mostly came by because we haven't had a chance to meet properly, so I'm not just here because of where you've been.

I'm trying to at least get to know everyone working for the Alliance a little, but between everything I've been working on trying to sort out the Underground business and the past week, I haven't had as much free time as I'd like.

[notched]

[ Out of her Hunter's gear, Anna is really just any other person. She dresses in a slightly oversized, unisex style. The only feminine touch is where someone has braided back some of her voluminous, black hair away from her face. It's been a long time since she saw anyone in recovery. Early days, before mistakes began to mean a horrible death.

The modernity of the hospital is strange to her, uncomfortable, but she goes anyway. Peers around with curiosity as the nurse leads her up to his room. She peeks inside to make sure it's him before she enters where she lingers uncertainly at the end of the bed. ]

You made it after all.

[identitycrisiscore]

[ Cloud is, as Anna might suspect, in and out of consciousness throughout the day - in his condition, there's not a lot to do but try and sleep off the worst, so he's only just rousing from an impromptu nap when Anna makes her way into his room. ]

[ It takes him a brief moment to recognize her out of the Hunter's garb, but his eyes do light up in recognition, as she speaks. ]

It was a close thing. [ His voice is still weak, his throat a little dry. ] That coat of yours probably kept the worst of it off me. I owe you a lot.

[ He's not forgotten what Anna said - that coat wasn't originally hers. It was someone she knew. He doesn't know her whole situation, but the bits and pieces she's doled out, he can't imagine anything but a grim affair. ]

...Thanks. [ He's still not good with doling out thanks, but he's going to get a lot of practice while he's stuck in the hospital bed. ]

[notched]

[ Emotion crosses Anna's face, a spasmodic look of tenderness. It comes and goes like that, most often blank of responsiveness until suddenly something grips her, squeezes her tight. She does still have some of her humanity, even if it's clearly been... damaged.

She looks down at her boots, embarrassed. She scuffs a toe. ]

Hunters've been doing this a long time...

[ Perfecting the craft of using human grit to defy otherworldly interference. ]

Toraguma made sure he got back to me.

[ She knows it's morbid: to consider this horrible, foul piece of armor like a last embrace. But Old Yharnam burning to the ground... it was an ugly stain on her life. And she lost someone she cared about to the machinations of the Church. Her faith in the world had started to spoil. ]

[localweirdo]

[Now that the mission was over, Hu Tao knew what she had to do. Despite being injured herself, she had to rush over to the hospital as soon as she heard Cloud was well enough to start seeing visitors. When she entered into the room, she didn't mean to stare but given how many bandages there were, she had to wonder just how strong he really was.

Taking a step forward, she presented him a vase filled with paper flowers.]

I said I would plant you something. It's not exactly the best but you'll have to excuse how rushed it was. It's not easy trying to make it in a hurry!

[identitycrisiscore]

Uh-

[ Honestly, Cloud doesn't even know what to say for a minute. He wasn't expecting that many people to come visit him, let alone gifts. The fact that Hu Tao remembered he had said that when they first met on the apology tour- ]

[ You've stunned him into silence, so you have to give him a minute. He'll spend the energy to sit up and look at it. Wincing as he does - thankfully the bandages are mostly just to prevent anything from getting worse. ]

You... You didn't have to. [ It's soft, and not just because his voice is still weak as he recovers. Hu Tao's legitimately disarmed the merc. ]

T...Thanks. [ He leans forward to get a closer inspection of it, a small grunt of exertion escaping him. He can't trust his hands with something so fragile, though. Not yet, anyway. ]

Heard you kicked some butt up at the top of the tower, yourself.

[localweirdo]

[The moment she saw him trying to get up, she quickly rushed over to his side before pointing him back to the bed.]

It's not a problem but you need to rest! Honestly, you shouldn't even be trying to get back up!

[She said before giving a sigh. As she sat by the bed, she placed the vase on a nearby table before flashing a quick smile.]

But thank you! As much as I like to say I did some pretty amazing things, I can't say they're as cool as yours. You saved a lot of us.

[himbosupreme]

[Trying to be all somber and silent? Well too fucking bad! Cain, because of his service in the tower, could not be stopped, and when he heard a member of the other team had been greviously injured there was no way he was going to miss a visit.

So Cloud will have someone rather brightly and loudly burst in-with a few calls of 'be quiet!' echoing after him-holding a bottle of what looked like alcohol in one hand, and the other buried in the mane of a wolf.

The wolf, dubbed Aurora, who had also participated in the tower mission and now was padding silently over to Cloud's bed, putting its paws up on the bed to help see him better. Cloud was more than welcome to pet the soft fur....]

Hey! I'm sorry I haven't had time to say hi before, but I heard you were really awesome on the other exploration team. Hows everything going for you?

[Whether Cloud answered or not, he's coming all the way up to the bedside, and reaching out a hand.]

Uh, well, where doesn't hurt?

[identitycrisiscore]

[ Honestly, Cain makes enough of a racket that Cloud is already well and awake by the time the doors burst open. He's not really pissed off though - frankly, the quiet is driving him mad worse than someone loudly bursting into his room would be. ]

Wh- [ It takes him a minute to put two and two together - this must be one of the people on the other team. Not Hu Tao, obviously. Not Minato, either. Which means this is either 'William Bonney' or... ]

You're... Cain, then, right? [ It's a 50/50 shot. He does look at the small wolf - he can't help it. He will reach out to pet the floof. ]

...Well, I can't say I expected the red carpet treatment. [ Seriously, a hospital stay and care is last on what he'd expect to get back home. ] As far as where it doesn't hurt...

[ A sigh of agitation. ] Nowhere, really. Doctors said I'm lucky to be alive. I believe it.

[himbosupreme]

[Well that was partly his intention too! He'd never been to any medical facility this advanced, and while he's sure they did many good things, it felt very...sterile and cold.]

Yes that's me! Sorry. Do you mind if I just tap you real lightly? I'd rather not talk to an empty bed.

[Aurora meanwhile, was leaning into the pets, even assisting Cloud by shoving its nose under his fingers, tail starting to wag slowly behind him. Cain reached out a finger, at least if Cloud didn't protest to brush lightly on the man's leg, withdrawing when he could finally see him.]

There we go. I heard that you got injured on the other team, so it's only right for me to visit. I can only apologize for not being able to help you more-I wish there was more that I could have done to save you from this fate.

[He bowed, with a hand to his chest.]

[worldbent]

[Matoba had taken his own quiet handful of days for recovery after the city was finally relieved from the relentless curse that had permeated it for the last several weeks. Prolonged strain- physical and spiritual- took its toll, and he had slept for a good 24 hours straight after the feedback from Cloud's final attack knocked him out. At least the physical injuries weren't too lasting, this time; that, he was sick of recovering from.]

[But his priority, after resting enough to be able to finally make the journey through the city and ensuring that wards were no longer necessary, was to make good on that deal he has brokered, before the taskforce had set out.]

[It isn't difficult to find out when Cloud was in a decent enough state for a visit, and after some of the initial hubbub of visitation is over with, he manages to find a quiet time when there won't be any opportune eavesdroppers eager to meet Mr. Hero. He slips in after being shown to the room by a nurse, and takes a few steps in, noting whatever gifts and baubles have been left by well-wishers as he takes in the room.]

Well done.

[identitycrisiscore]

[ In truth, Cloud had been waiting for this. The paper flowers and sweets and other gifts that Cloud's been given sit on a table, waiting for his health to cooperate with him. But there was no getting around it when he realized that Matoba's charms (both of them, he would realize, in his first properly conscious moments post-treatment) had been destroyed by the ferocity of the darkness he dived headlong into. ]

Hey, Matoba.

[ His tone is casual, disaffected - usual Cloud, but a bit weaker, a bit more out of breath. Matoba will find the sword he loaned Cloud leaning up against a far wall as he observes the room - a little covered in clay dust and rubble, in need of a cleaning, but otherwise as in good a condition as when he loaned it to Cloud. ]

Thanks. Those charms of yours did the trick. Probably couldn't have done it without them.

[ He does not realize he knocked your ass out for 12 hours because he ran full tilt into the frenzy. Sorry bro. ]

[worldbent]

Ah, yes.... I did notice that.

[Not even holding back on that... How merciless...! But instead of elaborating on what exactly he means by that, Matoba crosses his arms into his kimono sleeves (blood-free, for what it's worth) and then draws one hand back out, flicking an ofuda across the room and warding the door.]

To keep the nosy ones out, [He explains, and launches into it immediately.] I'm sure you've been debriefed by now, but I'd like to hear your own initial thoughts, first.

[He can fill in the holes more easily, if he knows where Cloud's mind is at.]

Take your time. [Matoba finds a seat by the bed, and tugs it out to settle himself.] No need to rush it all out while you're recuperating.

[aceslow]

[ As it turns out, Kim knows several people who wound up sent to Kaigo-no-Bou, and had the novel experience of being worried about several people at once. It had been a great relief to hear that they had all made it back alive - not a guarantee by any means - but less of one to hear that Cloud had been injured so badly that he had wound up in the hospital for several days. Kim had debated whether or not he ought to visit for a while; he barely knows the man, their tumultuous meetings aside, and certainly hospital visits are usually restricted to close friends. But the more time that passed, the more it nagged at him, so he decided to relent on the basis that it was perfectly normal for someone to visit after a colleague was injured in the field. He would do the same for any RCM officer, after all, and their shared clan made it nothing if not appropriate.

Besides, he'd like to see for himself if Cloud's still in one piece. Even so, he waits until quite a few days pass, allowing his close friends to monopolize his time before he visits, signature orange jacket a beacon in the doorway, particularly freshly laundered as it is. He knocks on the doorframe before poking his head in, offering Cloud a little wave with the hand not currently holding onto several konbini bags. ]

If I had known that you were going to go off and get yourself hurt anyway, I wouldn't have bothered helping you with those Whispers, [ he says wryly, in lieu of a greeting, then holds up the bags with a little rustle. ]

I come bearing gifts. I don't know how the hospital food here compares to the stuff at home, but I assume it's about the same. How are you holding up?

[identitycrisiscore]

[ By the time Kim has come to see him, Cloud has regained a bit more strength - at least enough to sit up under his own power without wincing. There were still complications - his hands were still occasionally shakier than he'd like - but Kim's arrival is well-timed - Cloud's already sitting up, probably idly browsing the network from his phone, when Kim walks in. ]

Guess I'm just a magnet for trouble. [ It's a dry response back, but the intent behind the words is clear to a man like Kim - Cloud doesn't mind Kim came to see him, and appreciates the visit. ] Thanks, though - the food here's not exactly something I'd go out of my way for, if you catch my drift.

[ He's had more than a few days to make his peace with what he's been told, so he'll explain it dryly. ] Oh, you know, the usual. 'Lucky to be alive', 'recovery will be a long-term process', 'lifelong complications'. The sort of thing you'd expect.

[ As Kim's detective instinct will immediately note: it's sarcastic, but it's not a lie. ]

[aceslow]

No, I wouldn't imagine so. Nor would I imagine food is at the top of your list of priorities right now, but it may at least help pass the time.

[ Eating as a way to alleviate boredom is not Kim's preferred method, but he knows that it is for many people, and it's not as though there's much else to do. He walks over to Cloud's bedside table and sets the bag on top of it so that he can neatly stack the snacks on the free space there, as well as a couple of those little puzzle books they sell at the front of the 7/11, just in case.

The news of Cloud's recovery is certainly a sobering one, though he doesn't think it would benefit the man for him to have a dramatic reaction to it. No doubt he got enough of that from his closer friends, and from his comrades who had escaped the tower alongside him. Instead, he just thoughtfully considers the gaudy mascot on one of the little containers of instant noodles. ]

I wouldn't know what to expect, [ he says frankly, studying Cloud's face. ] I don't know what happened in there. Will you be able to walk again?

ok as promised...

[everblooms]

[ His discharge order is for the morning. She thinks this is way too early for someone to have to get up and do paperwork or anything of the sort, but an order's an order, so in the morning, she's there. There's a bag on the table in the back of the room, a clothing store. He was right when he spoke to Hizen on the network that someone was handling the clothes issue for him.

That said, the other issue is that Aerith has already nabbed his SOLDIER duds. ]

Hey, what happened to the sword?

[ Guess who was low-key kind of excited about trying to pack it? Maybe someone else took it, or it's been put away somewhere safer in the room. Either way, she wants to know. ]

[identitycrisiscore]

[ Cloud, meanwhile, is going to be at least a little glad to get out - even if he's not 100%, his Ex-SOLDIER constitution has pulled him together enough that he's at least able to walk under his own power, get around, and live his life outside of the hospital. ]

Far wall, linen closet. Matoba said with my promotion he was going to ask the Kappa to have me hold onto it long-term. [ And it'd be useful to get practice in while he was getting back on his feet. ]

[ He's reading slowly off a paper given to him by the hospital staff. ] Patient will report for an appointment once every two weeks, including a physical therapy session. The patient is allowed to do light activity on a daily basis, but limit extended physical exertion whenever possible - recommendation, once a week at maximum.

Great. Guess I'm going to have to work with this, for now.

[ It's at this point he's noting the distinct lack of his SOLDIER combat armor. ] ...Don't tell me you've already stolen my clothes.

backdated just a wee bit to late june!!

[killtime]

[ Andy is not, by her nature, a particularly social creature. She doesn't necessarily make a habit of social calls. And it's not as if she really knows him. They're certainly not friends. She wouldn't even know his name if not for the fact that they'd both ended up thrown into Kaigo no Bou to risk their fucking lives together by sheer coincidence. But maybe she feels like she owes the kid a visit — to pay her respects, like most everyone else already has. There's something about fighting side-by-side with someone that bonds you to them, even if you don't share much else in common, and the least she can do is see if he's still got all his limbs attached.

If not for that, she wouldn't be caught in a hospital. She's never really needed one for herself — former immortal, and all that shit — but here she is at the door to his room anyway, letting herself in unceremoniously. No flowers, no balloons, no fruit baskets. Just Andy.

She comes and helps herself to the chair at his bedside. Without preamble, dryly: ]

That was a stupid and reckless thing you did back at the tower, you know.

[identitycrisiscore]

[ Cloud's gotten a little bit used to visitations, now, but the way Andy visits - informal, no gift, chiding him on what a stupid move he made. Some people might be hurt by the gesture. Cloud was made of sterner stuff - or stupider stuff. Hard to say, exactly. He's sitting up quietly - with a little bit of pain - as Andy makes herself comfortable. ]

Yep. [ He lets that singular response hang in the air for a moment. Was it stupid? Yes. Was it reckless? Absolutely. Nothing Andy's saying is inaccurate. ]

Got the job done, though. Would've been worse if once of us hadn't done something stupid.

[ There's a beat. He follows it. ] Thanks for the cover. Would have been a lot stupider without the backup.