[Voice / Action]

[wingenvy]

[This has been a hell of a month for departures and bad news, apparently. Zack hates to add to the misery, but it's gotta be done.]

...Aerith Gainsborough's gone home. She didn't leave anything, but... if you were friends, you know how she felt.

Good Spirits is self-serve tonight. Sorry, guys.

[And Zack will be at Good Spirits for most of the day after that, serving himself. Despite the melancholy of his announcement, his mood will be switching between quiet and downright celebratory all night long. Coping, who's coping?

He also has company: a strange-looking winged dog, standing guard quietly at his back the entire time he's there.]

Comments

[ voice ]

[herotypical]

Oh, hun...

[ there's a raw ache in her voice. aerith had pretty much been her first friend in luceti; the first time she'd left had been brutal.

this time is proving just as painful. ]

C-can I get you anything? Anything at all.

[ voice ]

[wingenvy]

...Nah, it's okay. [It's not, but.] I think I'm just lucky I got to see her here at all, so...

[ voice ]

[herotypical]

...She's a treasure, Zack.

[Action]

[havemilkbro]

[Guess who's over at Good Spirits?

He knows he's not very good at comforting people with words, but Kasuka can keep them company.]

Zack-san?

[Action]

[wingenvy]

[Zack's still in the early-evening, wow-this-sucks stages, so he swills a bit of his drink around and glances over as Kasuka approaches.]

Hey, man. You can take the night off, you know.

[Action]

[havemilkbro]

I know...but I'd like to stay around longer.

[Since it looks like you need it.]

[Action]

[crisisrain]

[Well, the old man has nothing better to do and he planned to get drink tonight anyway. He arrives around the middle of the evening, taking a seat on the customer side of the bar.]

I heard yer announcement over the journal. You gonna be all right?

[Action]

[wingenvy]

[Zack's not far off, working his way through a bottle of vodka. Damn SOLDIER metabolism- he should've been drunk two hours ago.]

Yeah, I'm okay. She'd probably chew me out if I wasn't, anyway.

[Action]

[crisisrain]

[Might as well help himself to a bottle of wine then.]

I take it the two of you were close then?

[voice]

[wise_maiden]

[... No wonder some of her personal effects at the shop seemed to no longer be there.]

... I see.

Thank you for letting us know.

[voice]

[wingenvy]

Yeah, sure. [SIGH.] Sorry it couldn't be good news.

[voice]

[wise_maiden]

Indeed. How are you holding up?

[Voice]

[goldenglasses]

She has? [There's a pause there. Vash always hates when people leave, but it always hurts a little more when it was someone he saw so often. The flower shop just won't be the same without her.] Thanks for letting us know.

[Damn it, Meryl wouldn't be too happy with him if he left Zack all alone with Good Spirits to handle. Best to avoid a smack down now in case she ever comes back.]

It doesn't have to be self-serve. I don't mind stepping in for a few days if you need it.

[Voice]

[wingenvy]

It's up to you, man. The bar's open to anybody to do anything tonight. I just can't handle the bartender gig right now.

[It usually comes hand in hand with listening to chatty drunks talk about their problems or offering up a bit of company to the quiet ones if they seem in need. Today is not a good day for that.]

[Voice]

[goldenglasses]

No, it's alright. I doubt anyone would mind you taking a day off. And I'm sure I could stand to actually work a few hours around here.

[Voice]

[knightofratatosk]

... I'm sorry to hear that.

[Voice]

[wingenvy]

It's okay. It happens, you know?

[Voice]

[knightofratatosk]

I know, but that doesn't mean you can't feel sad about it when it happens.

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

[Richard sees that announcement, and while he chooses not to say anything in response (he's not sure it would be right seeing as he barely knew Aerith), that evening he'll just take a seat beside Zack and slide a glass of something very blue over to him.

Consider it returning the favor for that home delivery, Zack.]

[Action]

[wingenvy]

[Zack's got his head resting on crossed around, leaning on the bar counter, but when Richard arrives with the glass, he lifts his head.]

...What's this?

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

Let's just say it's a little something that Nami introduced me to.

[That should be enough of a warning right there, man. Have you SEEN that woman drink?]

[voice]

[thestormishere]

Wh--

What...!

[ Uh oh... guess who's been out all day with her journal tucked away and unheard in her bag? Even if Zack had tried to get a hold of her already, her luck appears to be spinning bad, bad numbers over this sort of thing in particular lately- his public message is the first thing she flips open to, and...

This isn't going to be pretty. ]

[voice]

[wingenvy]

[Yeah, he'd tried to contact her first or find her, but he hadn't had any luck. He's pretty sure he'll pay for that later.]

...I'm sorry, Light.

[action] shhh this is not five days late

[bondsprofoundly]

[So some trenchcoated dude just lets himself into the bar, ignores all the patrons, circles around behind it and begins to rummage through all the bottles. He picks out all the whiskey bottles he can find and starts lining them up on the counter, which just so happens to be right in front of where Zack is sitting.

Don't mind him, just keep doing whatever you're doing, man.]

[action] you are so late brosis

[wingenvy]

[Zack does just that for a while, actually- watches him, broods, and looks vaguely bored. It doesn't even click that there's someone there at first.

Then- oh, uh. Stranger? Zack doesn't recognize him, anyway, though the guy seems right at home- in that he's helping himself. S'cool, Zack had invited people to do it anyway. Still, he can't just ignore someone so close.]

...Hey.