gravings | convenient post-raid o'clock (Reply)

From:

[ It's been nearly two months since the last time he saw her - two months filled with nothing but strife. Johnny's still recovering from the burns Ciel gave him, to say nothing of the sudden disappearance of the only person he actually trusted around here; the other Pleroma have been out whittling their lives to the bone, fighting for Vaeka, fighting for Abel and Himeka, and he's not even sure any of it was worth it, considering the needle hasn't moved at all from his perspective. Any moral victories feel hollow to him. Morality won't bring back Gyro. It won't heal his body. It certainly won't save anyone whose suffering he cares about, and that includes Gray.

It takes him a while to reach out, because he has no idea what the situation may be like for the Kenoma right now. They've been dealt quite a few blows in a row; he's sure their benevolent leader is displeased, and he doesn't know what they might have done to quell that displeasure. Brainwashing? Torture? Has someone been made an example of? It's obvious that none of these tactics are below the Regent now. Johnny can't even be sure Gray is alive - or, if she is, that she's the same girl he'd spoken to before. That's the reality they live in now.

Still, he decides to try. Pressing forward in spite of it all is one of his most stubborn habits. ]

... Gray? Are you still out there? It's Johnny...