[Video]

[whatwas]

[Ah, the monthly saga continues. The PCD switches on to reveal Horst, and a tray of food.]

Hello again, gentle viewers. I thought in light of this latest event, it was fitting to show you the proper care and feeding of a Johannes Cabal. The most important thing, especially when you lot are out wandering from dream to dream, is not to let him sleep too much.

Since he is always armed to the teeth with either magic or a very heavy gun, I suggest bringing him a peace offering. [He gestures at the food.]

Remember, never attempt this without supervision.

[He manages to balance the tray, carry the PCD, and go down to the basement lab without spilling a drop.]

Good morning, baby brother, and please do note it is not actually morning. Not that you would know since you haven't--

[The room is empty. All of Johannes's carefully gathered supplies, his clothes, his Gladstone bag, gone.

The tray of food is the first to clatter, and then the only sound just before the PCD is shut off is a disbelieving whimper.]



[Horst won't be answering anything on the PCD for a while. Feel free to find him offline but he, well, won't be anywhere near the church, he'll just be around the woods and on rooftops. Also if you happen to live at the church you would probably have heard noises from the basement. That was not in fact a pack of moose, just Horst. Destroyin' shit before he left. Like ya do.]

Comments

[Offline]

[madcuriosity.livejournal.com]

H-Horst? [She needed to find him. After that video she needed to find him. She knew he was hurting. After she heard so much crashing in the basement she needed to find him. When searching the church yielded no results she went out to find him. But Alice couldn't very well scale buildings and climb up to rooftops. So hugging her rabbit close she called out for Horst in hopes of finding him.]

HORST!

[Offline]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[As much as he wants to just be alone right now, he won't leave Alice alone out in the cold. Safezone or not, it's not safe enough for him to want her to be by herself on the streets.

He is invisible in the shadows, watching her for a moment while he tries to compose himself. His expression is uncharacteristically flat when he appears, but it's the best he can do.]

I'm here.

[Offline]

[madcuriosity.livejournal.com]

Horst! [As soon as she saw him she hugged him. She didn't know what else to do. This whole world made her feel wholly inadequate to do anything. She didn't have powers like Raven or the ability to relate to Horst on some level she just didn't understand because she was too young and just a little human girl. She didn't have an adult sense of humor or wit. But she wanted so much to comfort him. Because she knew he was hurting. She knew how deeply he had loved his brother. And she knew it hurt to have that taken away. She just hugged him and kept trying to pray and think of something to make it all better but she couldn't think of a thing.

Could she even say sorry? The word seemed so... small. It didn't fit what she wanted but she didn't know what better word there was. Was there any word at all?]

[Video] 1/2

[flameandpassion]

[Shit.]

[Voice] 2/2

[flameandpassion]

[Before she switches to voice abruptly.]

...

[But finds she has nothing to say.

Ordinarily, Rei handles disappearances with a rigid practicality. But this event -- the nature of this event -- has laid bare every secret and horrendous thought and experience any of them have ever gone through.

A disappearance on top of the emotional overload is something she does not want to deal with.

So Rei remains silent. But she keeps the feed open.]

[Voice]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[It takes him a long, long time to answer. For one thing, like Rei, he can't think of anything to say. For another, it's not like he and Rei have been hitting it off well lately, and he'd prefer to just keep this little breakdown to himself. He hasn't even sought out his friends, nor does he plan to.

But after a while he does speak, his tone very flat, almost mechanical.]

He's gone.

[Offline]

[dreams-are-mine.livejournal.com]

[Evening walks alone? Nothing wrong with those in Rhode's mind. After all, she was the biggest, scariest thing that went bump in the night, as far as she was concerned. And she hadn't really gotten to explore this place entirely yet.]

[So north of the river, poking around the abandoned gardens of the Last Homely House, with a candle to light her way, Rhode explored.]

[Offline]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[Horst had made his way there because it was quiet, out of the way, and abandoned. He heard Rhode coming a second before he smelled her, but he stayed hidden in the shadows for a while longer.

He knew that appearing without so much as a smile was telling, but trying for even a polite one exhausted him. So he simply stepped out into the solid world, and watched her approach.]

[Offline]

[dreams-are-mine.livejournal.com]

[He stopped when she spotted him, paused with one toe just touching the flagstones midstep, her head tilted to give him a long stare. After a moment she settled her foot down and rocked on her heels, clasping her hands behind her.]

I saw. [His post. That's all she needs to say about it.]

[Offline]

[snarkypotions]

<sub>[Horst is, when Snape feels like being somewhat less snarky and more truthful, a friend. Which is why the man is striding outside after seeing this and taking in a deep breath, eyes sliding shut as he firmly fixes the image of Horst in his mind before turning his wand on himself.

And banishing himself towards the stupid vampire in a billow of robes.]</sub>

[Offline]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[Horst hadn't heard Snape coming, and normally he would have been startled to suddenly see him. But now? He's sitting by the river, and he merely looks up at him.]

...I'll need to move tomorrow.

[Offline]

[snarkypotions]

_{[There's the sound of splashing as Snape wades his way out of the river, a scowl firmly in place. Of all the places for Horst to choose to sit, he picks the bloody river. But he makes no comment, merely turning his wand on himself again and drying off his robes and siphoning the water from his boots.]}

Any idea where?

[Offline]

[feel-nevermore.livejournal.com]

[Raven awakes abruptly from whatever dream she was in. The first thing that strikes her is that her heart is aching excruciatingly and the second is that she's crying. Tears are flowing down her cheeks uninterruptedly.]

Horst!

[He's not hurt physically. But he hurts, badly. And there's only one reason she can think of for him to hurt so much. Someone he loved is gone. And she has to find him.]

[She uses the bond to fly to him, looking through the recent entries on her PCD for the one she's been looking for. She watches it just moments before she actually finds him and lands behind him.]

Horst...

[Offline]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[He has climbed up onto an old cinder block wall, and has laid on his back just staring up at the stars ever since Alice went home. He could feel Raven approaching, but he doesn't move or speak.]

[Offline]

[feel-nevermore.livejournal.com]

[And she's standing on that wall too, looking down at him, mindful not to cast a shadow on him and hide the stars from his view. She knows how much he likes to watch them.

After a few moments, Raven goes down on her knees, her knees barely brushing against his head and she starts caressing his hair gently.]

[Offline]

[storyofapromise.livejournal.com]

Mina could hear the sounds of Horst's rampage and was quick to investigate, somehow she knew this involved Horst even before seeing the posting. He was the only one in the house capable of making such a racket, so she thought.

"Horst..." she called in a despairing tone.

[Offline]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

The lab--what little is left of it--is utterly demolished now. And, not surprisingly, Horst doesn't feel any better. He actually feels much worse: ashamed on top of this.

"Mina--I'm sorry." His voice is thick. "I just need a minute."

Re: [Offline]

[storyofapromise.livejournal.com]

Mina leans her back against a nearby wall and slides into a seated position, the thought that she again could not help those around her.

"It is fine, my love." She cooed gently. "But, could we please talk about this when you are done?"

[Offline]

[mirroredecho.livejournal.com]

[It hadn't even been a day since he had gotten most of his memories back, but in that time he had come to realize a lot of things. He hadn't been there when his friends had needed him since the accident. And now, it was very clear that Horst needed him.

Which meant, being the kind of friend he was, that he was going to go find him. So sooner or later, you're going to have a Cloud coming your way, Horst. Better be ready.]

[video]

[kill-joo-ded.livejournal.com]

...Didn't get the omelette chicken in time. Sorry.

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[al_truism]

... Horst.

[So softly.]

Do you want to stay with me for a while?

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[ahandsomedevil.livejournal.com]

[It's several hours before he comes home, and while he isn't destroying things, it may be because he just doesn't have it in him right now to do so. He doesn't quite look at Al.]

I don't know. [He doesn't know what he wants.]

[Video//Private//Unhackable]

[al_truism]

... we can go somewhere else, too. Anywhere.

offline

[golden_hawke]

-=Something's wrong and he knows it. Instead of trying to contact Horst, he actually seeks him out.=-

[Voice]

[seehowitends.livejournal.com]

[Spike is not good with touchy-feely shit. Aside from the normal blustering arse that is Spike, it brings back too many thoughts of what life was like as William.

But having someone you care about torn away from you? Well... he remembers too clearly what it was like when Dru left willingly. But if Buffy someone was taken away and he couldn't kill them for it...?

So he just opens the line and leaves it open. And if Horst wants to talk, he can. If he wants to get shit-faced, well, Spike has already scrounged up a couple bottles. He can probably share.]