[Socialising is hard. Unless you happen to be socialising with Zack Fair. Then it seems to solve itself pretty well...
Frowning, Cloud doesn't know what to say, mostly because he doesn't see it himself; it'd be like blaming Zack for Nibelheim because he was SOLDIER, because he was there. In the end he just wordlessly frowns, then drops his own gaze to his chest as well.]
... you don't really have anything to apologise for either. [He takes a slow breath and shrugs. The only one who could was dead and Cloud wasn't sure he'd even want an apology.]
Apologies won't... bring my mom or Nibelheim back, anyway. [He'd add Tifa to that as well, but she'd survived, here and on their Planet, and that's something; the only thing he has, at the moment.
Then the way Riku phrased that brings Cloud up short, and he looks up not even sure what he's feeling aside from a slow, unsettled turn in his stomach. He hasn't asked or gone looking what had happened yet, but something clearly had, since Midgar was in ruins - apparently in both places, since Zack had mentioned Edge as well.]
... he survived?
[He's startled to hear his own voice, mostly because there's nothing but quiet, flat determination that's not quiet anger in it.]
no subject
Frowning, Cloud doesn't know what to say, mostly because he doesn't see it himself; it'd be like blaming Zack for Nibelheim because he was SOLDIER, because he was there. In the end he just wordlessly frowns, then drops his own gaze to his chest as well.]
... you don't really have anything to apologise for either. [He takes a slow breath and shrugs. The only one who could was dead and Cloud wasn't sure he'd even want an apology.]
Apologies won't... bring my mom or Nibelheim back, anyway. [He'd add Tifa to that as well, but she'd survived, here and on their Planet, and that's something; the only thing he has, at the moment.
Then the way Riku phrased that brings Cloud up short, and he looks up not even sure what he's feeling aside from a slow, unsettled turn in his stomach. He hasn't asked or gone looking what had happened yet, but something clearly had, since Midgar was in ruins - apparently in both places, since Zack had mentioned Edge as well.]
... he survived?
[He's startled to hear his own voice, mostly because there's nothing but quiet, flat determination that's not quiet anger in it.]