[IC] Code Vein (Closed)

[FunnyGuy]

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Location: Great Room, Observatory
Interactions: Lys @Force and Fury, Desmond @Theyra, Poppy @dreamingflowers
Mentions:

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"Wait, what? What cake and I am not so sure about baking a cake"

“Don’t know unless you try.” Erik approached Desmond with a grin.

“Oh, that cake, who made that one? Poppy?"

Erik looked back down at the cake as if to ponder its existence. Debatable. He answered within.

“Apparently she did, yeah! Pops has the most unique cooking style amongst us in the Commune. Even motivated some of the most reluctant members to pick up preparing meals themselves.” It was the truth. Twisted, but the truth nevertheless. Poppy’s cooking tasted so bad, that people felt they’d better off making their own food even if they had never stood over a hot stove in their lives… or in memory.

“So you looking forward to anything tonight? I am going to just enjoy relaxing and eating some good food." When Desmond smiled, Erik smiled just as big, if not bigger. It was a contagious thing for him but also a motivator to keep things pushing. “...and I see that people have already started to eat.”

“Gotta feed the soul y’know. Most of us don’t need it, but I can say that most of us will never not enjoy a good meal.” Erik was about to continue telling Desmond what he was looking forward to when Poppy walked with a purpose toward the two of them. Please don’t be anything too bad. Poppy didn’t always bring bad news. It was more so always something serious. Never a witty joke or something neat she discovered…

“Amelia's condition has changed, she seems to be struggling with something.” Erik’s expression briefly became pensive as he listened in.

“I haven't figured out what's wrong with her yet. We need to find the cause before it gets worse.“ Erik glanced back at the others in the Great Room before returning his attention back to Poppy.

“Let’s go check her out then. Pops and Des, go on while I get the big brain.” Erik gave Poppy a confident nod before turning around into the room.

“Lyyys!” The unique pitch in Erik’s voice might have sent chills down Lys’ spine as she felt him firmly grip the push handles of her wheelchair. He leaned over as if he was going to speak quietly. “Emergency! Amelia needs you right now! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Whoosh!” Erik began to push Lys briskly out of the room. “Before you ask, Pops isn’t sure what’s going on with her. She’s struggling with something.”

Erik wouldn’t say it out loud but he was aware of the BOR parasite not always being compatible with its host. The such a case, the result was always the same. Even so, he would move with haste to the resting Amelia. She was just as much a member of the Commune as anyone else, and that meant Erik would try his damndest to help her in whatever way he could.

[Theyra]

Desmond Mores

Interactions: Poppy@dreamingflowers

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"Changed? Wait what do you mean struggling Poppy?" Desmond instantly looking and sounding concerned."You do not know what is wrong and it can get worse?" Ignoring what Erik was saying since he was too concerned to respond to him. What could it be, he thought to himself. She is a revenant, and she should be fine and just needs to wake up. Or at least that is what he was told and no one told him there could be problems. A lie or this is a new problem but, he did not care at the moment. Something is wrong with his sister and... and what can he do to help?

He is not a doctor and knows little about revenant's biology. What can he do to help? A feeling of uselessness started to grow in him. What can he really do to help Amelia with whatever she is dealing with? Poppy is the best at it and if she is clueless then... no. A defiant no echoed in his mind. No, I am not going to do nothing while my sister is in trouble. I will not standby and I will help in any way I can. Even if it is small, it is still helping.

"Poppy, I will do what I can to help my sister," sounding determined. "What so you want me to do?" He would do anything to make sure that his sister is safe. Even more so in her current state and will do all he can to help his sister. He is not going to lose the only family he has left if he has any say in it.

[Exit]

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

A K A I A

A K A I A

_{The Crow's Nest · Evening
___________________________________________________________________________________________}

_______________________"When the song changes...

The man brandished a knife and spun the blade in the palm of his hand.

"...You are being hunted._______________________

It was caught by the edge between two fingers and passed with the grip toward the girl.

"Now get up. Get me my food."
_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Akaia's eyes fluttered open.

It was late. Late enough that the day's light was beginning to fade. For exactly how long she'd been out she had no way of knowing but having met with another sunset after spending the last half of her yesterday running from one, was telling in and of itself. The short of it was that she had rested too long. There were things she needed to do. Not just for herself but as a senior member of the commune and even when considering the nature of her constant travel, she was not exempt from sharing the burden of their survival. She needed to get up.

Akaia shut her mouth and waited a few minutes for the chamber to be cleared of the pollen she'd released in her sleep. When it was done and she's been given a chime to let her know the air was clean, she found and flipped a latch along the edge of the capsule door and pushed against it. With a small hiss and a quiet 'pop', the seal was released and the door was propped up with ease allowing the girl to gingerly step out.

The first thing she noticed was the empty room. Cerise was nowhere to be seen, although there wouldn't have been much of a reason for her to be in the room at this time in the first place. Commune members were usually out and about during daylight hours working on projects here and there or spending time with each other. The same could be said for herself, had she been up, and Licorice who usually stuck by her side. However, having been in the room the entire time while she was asleep, she expected to at least see him, but the bird was also nowhere to be seen.

The second thing she noticed was the smell. The heavy stench of dirt and grime and mold that was rubbed into the fabric of her shirt and pants had stewed in the chamber with her while she slept, marinating herself in the stink of a world that had been left behind to rot. It stuck to her skin like glue and clung to every strand of hair. In another life, she wouldn't have cared and might have actually preferred it as a form of camouflage, but a certain commune member had put in the effort to teach her how to better care for her own hygiene. She was loath to disappoint or inconvenience her, especially since they shared a space. While a bath would have been preferred, given the loss of time and her slight confusion, that would have to wait until after she'd caught herself up with everyone else. For now, a change of clothes would have to do, and maybe something to tie up the mess that was her hair.

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

The Sidhe would exit not long after, donning a plain black shirt and gray sweatpants. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail mostly to spare the other members from her disheveled appearance and had been tamed as best she could. Color had also returned to her skin and with eyes bright despite the pale, and a warm smile, she set about finding where best to make up the time she'd missed.

There was some strange urge to check on Amelia that drew her toward the center of the Crow's Nest, along with a need to find Cerise and Licorice. There was also the fact that she was yet to properly introduce herself to the newest face of the team. Her odd stares and the recent excursion into the city hardly counted as such and so she was determined to set that right. But as she approached the memorial of the fallen, the sound of laughter and music caught her attention. She turned to the source, the Great Room, in time to chance Erik leading Lysandra into Desmond's room and was reminded about the still lingering urge.

Wondering if perhaps the girl had woken up, she moved to the room and stood near the doorway to see what all the fuss was about.

[Force and Fury]

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_{Location: The Crows' Nest // Date: February 24, 2057 // Time: 21:50 // Interactions: Erik}

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Lysandra'd had the perfect amount of wine and reached the sweet spot of being drunk but not too drunk. One of the vanishingly few benefits of using a wheelchair was that balance was... less of an issue. If she was tipsy - and she was - nobody else had quite cued in to the extent of it and, if her singing threatened to give it away, then Lys was just a bad singer.

She'd just finished belting out Wonderwall and was anticipating a duet with Vincent when she heard Erik's voice and felt herself being pushed from behind. She'd gone so far as to remove the handles from the back of her wheelchair specifically to prevent just such incidents, but he used the grab-bar instead. Lys was about to protest in no uncertain terms. She was tired of people just moving her around as if she wasn't a person with her own will and impulses, but then he told her about Amelia's issues. She grabbed her own wheels and whirled to face him. "Not a shopping cart, dude, and the mic is literally still in my lap," she growled, "but I'm coming, whatever good it'll do." It took Lysandra all of fifteen seconds to hurry back into the Great Room and toss the microphone gently onto the couch. She paused only to scratch at an itch on her elbow. Amelia was probably just waking up and it was going roughly as it sometimes did. The body's metabolic processes were being totally reworked, after all. But just in case it isn't, she thought to herself, wheeling after Erik, God, how I wish I was sober right now.

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[pantothenic]

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Dallas was settled into one of the couches near the TV, now free of blood and guts thanks to a quick trip to the showers. He was wearing an asparagus green shirt over a grapefruit colored pair of pants, oblivious to his own terrible fashion sense.

Dallas knocked back another whiskey sour. Everyone had their reasons for drinking, and in his case he just needed to stop thinking so much. Damn the Lost, the mistle, and his stalker. None of that matters right now. This was a party, and he intended to sleep soundly tonight. He twisted the lid off the jar of homemade sour mix and went about making himself another batch of cocktail. The syrup was made from fruits harvested in the garden and had a fresh flavor. Dallas wasn't particularly fond of sours or anything. He was just tired of splashing water into his whiskey and this was the only cocktail he knew how to make.

Despite the spirit's high alcohol content, Dallas was having a hard time getting hammered. He was a fairly big guy. The brawny housekeeper downed another whiskey sour and slammed his shot glass on the coffee table. Well, it was at least enough to help him endure Lysandra's terrible impression of Noel Gallagher. Dallas had no idea if she was naturally this tone deaf or if she had too much wine to drink. Erik came to save the day and hustled Lys out of the room, which meant the others would have to decide who was next on the mic. He wasn't in a hurry to volunteer. It's kind of embarrassing when all the songs you know are from the 70's.

Dallas was concerned for Amelia in a broad sense, but Poppy and Akaia seemed far more attached to Desmond's sister than Dallas was. The sleeping girl was already out his mind the moment Erik and Lysandra left the room. Another whiskey sour. The alcohol was starting to lose its flavor. Dallas got up and walked to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

[dreamingflowers]

Location: Desmond's room
Interactions: Desmond, Amelia

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For a couple of seconds Poppy's eyes mirrored the despair Desmond was feeling while she looked at this troubled face. They hardened back to their usual stern green when she addressed the string of concerned questions. She walked briskly towards Desmond's room.
"What I need you to do is try and stay calm. She is not dying"

Her years of experience, medical knowledge and gut feeling told her that wasn't the case. Although like anything that went untreated Amelia's mystery condition could lead her into a downward slope. They entered the room and Poppy immediately focused her attention back on Amelia. She checked her vitals again, there was no change.

Poppy readjusted the sheets and moved some hair away from the girls face.
"Amelia your brother is here to see you for a bit. I told him you were having a rough day today. Having him around might help you."
Amelia's breathing quickened slightly, possibly due to the presence of Desmond, or because she was struggling against something they had yet to identify.

She noticed Akaia standing near the door. The Sidhe was likely worried, as they all were. Poppy didn't want the room to be crowded with unnecessary people. She waited for Erik and Lysandra to enter. She then looked at Akaia without saying anything and closed the door to Desmond's room.

Poppy trusted Erik had explained to Lysandra what was going on. She glanced at Erik and Lysandra from Amelia's bedside.
"I suggest we run some blood tests."

[FunnyGuy]

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Location: Desmond & Amelia's Room, Observatory
Interactions: Cerise @medili, Lys @Force and Fury, Desmond @Theyra, Poppy @dreamingflowers
Mentions: Akaia @Exit]

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Even when Lys spoke discontentedly toward him, Erik continued wearing a cheeky grin. Allowing Poppy and Desmond to take the lead, Erik waited for Lys in the hall who was quick despite the appearance of her flushed face.

“To Amelia we go!” With that Erik briskly walked alongside Lys to Desmond and Amelia’s room. “I wonder what it is.” He commented lowly before the two entered the room. Naturally, he wanted to take in everything set in place within the living quarters so unfamiliar to him. The revenant had always been interested in how others set up their rooms but now was not the time. His eyes rested on Amelia who appeared to be mildly uncomfortable. He took a few steps forward as he tried to guess what was going on for himself. He was nowhere near as versed in taking care of people and addressing ailments as Lys and Poppy but he was the only revenant in the room right now. And on the topic of rooms.

He watched Poppy move from Amelia and silently shut the door in Akaia’s face. A brief furrow of his brow gave away how he felt about the medic’s actions… Again, now was not the time. Letting his expression soften, he faced Poppy who spoke of running blood tests.

“Blood test?” He echoed. “Listen, I’m not a doctor but maybe instead of taking blood from of a revenant, you should give her some instead.” Erik walked close to the head of Amelia’s bed and crouched down at her bedside. “Revenants don’t get sick. They frenzy.” He stated as if presenting an argument while keeping his eyes on the resting revenant. “So someone should go grab a blood bead or one of you two can make a generous donation.” Well received or not, a smile of amusement formed on his lips.

[Medili]

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It Will be Fine

The Crow's Nest, Great Room | Evening

Cerise heard it of course; Poppy mentioning that Amelia's condition changed, and then Erik and Lysandra going to check on it. It made her worry about the unconscious girl, made her want to go as well with Erik and Lysandra to check on Amelia. But she also knew that there's likely nothing that she can actually do to help; she didn't even know anything about how the BOR parasite really works. The limit of her medical knowledge, if it can even be called that, was only to some application of first aid treatments. So she remain seated where she was, looking on as Erik and Lysandra left the Great Room.

She took a deep breath in and out. "I'm sure it will be fine. Especially with Poppy and Lysandra taking care of it..." she mumbled to herself, as if trying to convince herself. She'll be fine. Hey, maybe she'll wake up soon. Desmond will be so relieved...

And so like Dallas, she stayed in the Great Room, nursing a glass of orange juice while just listening to the default music in lieu of no one taking to the mic. "....." Now that she thought about it, she wasn't even sure what she should sing. She was older; far older than her appearance would suggest, and that was mirrored in her musical preference. She didn't even remember why, but she loved to sing Classical songs most of all. Those aren't really karaoke materials... She suppressed a giggle. It was a bit silly. She was so excited at the prospect of a karaoke party when Lys mentioned it, but now that it happened, she was at a loss of what to actually sing. And this wasn't even the first time something like this happened.

So she decided that she'll stay put for a while. Just enjoying the moment of relative calm and her glass of juice.

[Exit]

A K A I A

A K A I A

_{The Crow's Nest · Evening
Mentions: @Force and Fury
___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Akaia stared at the closed door for a moment, considering emotions as they bubbled from a well in her gut. Worry, relief and then acknowledgement at her exclusion. She was no doctor. She was no Revenant. Most of all, she was no brother to Amelia. All things considered, there was little she could do in that room besides be another body and another body in their space served little purpose beyond being in the way. And so she remained outside, content with waiting for word or a clue on the girl's situation and doing little else besides staring.

However, as she stood there studying the door in the quiet she was left in, music from the Great Room found her again. A muted, playful melody tumbling from the doorway and telling of the more jovial atmosphere on the other side. It sounded like a promise. A promise of warmth and laughter following a week's worth of isolation and a day's worth of Lost that didn't take much convincing to sell. The thought that Cerise might be there as well was just icing on the cake and a smile that brightened her face.

Just as quickly as the door had been shut was it forgotten as Akaia turned instead toward the Great Room. She moved to join the others, but just as she was about to reach the door, a series of clucks distracted her and turned her around. From above, a familiar black crow appeared in the rafters with its head tilted slightly to the side and a pair of deep red eyes regarding her with a wild curiosity. Then, as if it'd found the answer to a question not asked, it suddenly opened its beak.

"[Change]."

"Change?" But before she was given an answer, Licorice leapt from his perch and dove into the hallway. "...Change?" She called out again, quickly following after him. "What change?" Around the corner and at the other end of the hall, the crow had landed on the ground and was already hopping its way into what had once been Ionna's room, clucking at her to follow. "Yes. Little bird gone. Girl is gone. Another friend... another friend change." But as she entered the room herself, she was met with a far less empty situation than she had imagined. Already replacing what little furnishings Ionna had requested for her room were a myriad of instruments and equipment that Akaia immediately recognized as belonging to Lysandra. All of it seemed rather complicated and quite fragile and after taking only a single step inside, she immediately stopped and gave the bird a sharp, high-pitched whistle. Licorice froze, hopped in a small circle and then jumped onto her shoulder.

"Lee-saw stuff." She said in a whisper as if speaking too loud would knock something over. "Fragile." Looking around, she began memorizing the various objects and their position in the room, filling out a map of the space in her mind's eye and finding what safe paths she could take between everything if she had to. Of course, it was always difficult for her to distinguish exactly what was what when it came to the importance of a 'thing' that belonged to Lysandra. There was just too much. Too many shapes. Too many colors. Too many pipes and boxes and buttons and names too complicated for her to remember. Instead, Akaia learned early on that it was simply easier to assume that touching anything and everything would break it. Better yet, not being in the room when Lysandra was also not in the room was much preferred.

She wasted no time turning to leave, but as she did, Licorice began bobbing his head in the opposite direction as if urging her to explore further. She would not.

"[No]." She clucked back.

"[Change]." It repeated.

"Yes change. Lee-saw room change."

"[Mistle]." To which Akaia perked up. She turned around again, this time scanning the room for the familiar flora she had dug up only the day before. Given how sparse the room was when compared to others lived in for more than just a day, it didn't take her long to pick through the surroundings and find a glow peeking out from behind some unmarked uninteresting piece of machine. Very carefully, but with a deft agility natural to her, Akaia wove herself around objects without touching them until she was standing in front of the plant. Now, much closer to the mistle and in an environment much safer than the last, she gave the thing a proper once over and almost immediately noticed what Licorice had before. She furrowed her brow.

"Are you... feeling better?" She asked the plant, staring at it through a lens of confusion. With a careful hand, she pressed a finger against the underside of one of the glowing leaves and traced its stem. It was brighter than it had been before, a very obvious sign of its improved health beyond the fact that it was also no longer drooping. There was also a bit of resistance to her touch as if somehow, in so short a time it had found its strength again. "Lee-saw fix you?"

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Minutes later, Akaia was back in front of Desmond's door, chewing her lips and rubbing her hands together with a look of confusion across her face. Licorice sat on her shoulder just as confused and neither of them were paying much attention to the music.

[Theyra]

Desmond Mores

Interactions: Anyone in Desmond's room

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"Frenzy?" Desmond looked confused and worried as he looked at his sister. He was at her side and was staring at her with a worried gaze. Then shifting his gaze to Erik."But how can she be frenzy if she has not woken up yet? Revenants do not need blood when they are still in this state.... right Poppy"? His worried gaze went to Poppy. Revenants can't get sick? Then what is wrong with her and can it be frenzy but no one... No one said that this might happen when he left the care of the provisional government. No one, only to just wait for her to wake up.

Desmond hates this, being unable to do anything but stay on the sidelines while something is wrong with his sister. But Poppy is here, and he can trust that she knows what she is doing. So with a brave face, he spoke once more. "We can do both, take blood out to test and give her some in return if that is fine with you, Poppy. I trust you here." Which is all he can do, trust that his companions know what they are doing and help Amelia overcome whatever is wrong with her.

All he knows is that he does not want to lose anymore family and if Amelia does frenzy, then... Well, he is not quite sure how he would handle that and he does not want to think about it. Not here and not now. So Desmond took a knee next to his sister's bed and held one of her hands. "Do not worry, Amelia, I am here. Your younger bro is here, and we will find out what is wrong with you. I promise and you will get to finally open those eyes of yours." His tone was hopefully but also with a hint concerned. Trying in some way to calm himself and his sister if he can. It is the few things he can do and now to wait to what the others think.

[Force and Fury]

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_{Location: The Crows' Nest // Date: February 24, 2057 // Time: 22:00 // Interactions: Poppy @dreamingflowers, Erik @FunnyGuy, Akaia @Exit}

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Ugh, what a vibe shift. It her like a bitch. Lys tried not to look drunk. She had to be 'supplementary nurse lady' now. That was a hat she wore a good deal. But hats mess up my hair, she mused, almost instantly berating herself for the out-of-place thought. She needed to get up and move a bit, to make herself useful so, when Poppy recommended running some tests and Erik recommended blood for the soon-to-be revenant, Lys agreed with the first and humoured the second. "I can grab what we need," she chirped, trying to be Erik for a moment: all positive and stuff.

Upon being met with no disagreement, Lys set hands to wheels, rolling up to the doorway. "Pops, bloodwork kit's in the usual spot, right?" She half-twisted as she went, feeling the wooziness from four whiskey shots, and was met with a quick, distracted nod. People always assumed that the 'skinny Asian girl' couldn't drink but... Dammit, maybe they're right, actually, she realized, the alcohol hitting her unusually hard. Of course she was worried for Amelia - everyone was - but she couldn't quite keep a stray thought from entering her mind: You sure know how to pick your moment, Sleeping Beauty.

The door opened with a creak and there was Birdbrain, standing there on the other side, literally almost pressed up against it. For a moment, Lys was afraid that the other woman had been leaning on the door and would fall forward onto her, but that proved not to be a concern as the sidhe hopped aside, snapping out of what appeared to be some deep thought. Both sidhe had been unusually bouncy and spry today, come to think of it. Akaia immediately half bounced on the balls of her feet to get Lysandra's attention. "L-Lee-saw! The mistle?" she said, pale eyes the color of an excitement she didn't quite understand and with finger pointed toward the hall leading back to what had once been Ionna's room. "You fixed it?"

Lys blinked and closed the door behind herself, throwing up a cloud of swirling dust that sparkled in the light of the old stained-glass windows. "Well... I wouldn't say 'fixed' one hundred percent, but I think she's gonna make it." The human twisted and looked up at Akaia, brushing some hair from her face. She was a mess, to be honest. Maybe it was just a matter of not having the recovery time of a twenty-year-old anymore. "Now I've just gotta figure out how it works without hurting it." Brow momentarily furrowed, she inched forward with a little push. "You wouldn't have any special plant person knowledge on that... now wouldja?" Lys arched an eyebrow and smiled conspiratorially.

It was Akaia's turn to blink, and she shook her head. "I-... Y-you want me to eat it?"

You learn something new every day, thought Lysandra. Maybe she was just drunk. "If that can teach you things, then yes... eventually. I'd uh... like you to eat a small part. The plant's recovering... really well, actually, but it's still a bit too weak right now. I wouldn't want to risk harming it just yet." People inside were waiting for her to procure the bloodwork equipment. She had no time to linger, chatting, even if the chat was a potentially fruitful one. "We'll talk later, Flower Power, and don't worry. We won't let anything happen to Amelia." With a big push of her wheels and a small apologetic glance, Lys raced off to the storage room.

In hindsight, it should've probably been someone else who went. Despite its size, the room was absolutely packed: even more so since Ionna and Vincent had arrived. Ajax had been forced to sacrifice his training room and Lys her laboratory. The child revenant had lasted all of two days, and Ajax had simply moved his things partially to his spartan room and partially outdoors. The shift had still made for a lot of clutter, though, and would continue to do so until the Commune's scientist was finished moving everything back and reclaiming what had been hers anyway at the start of last week.

From almost the moment that she'd noticed it would be a problem, Lys had been adamant about people not just leaving their shit on the floor. She could sense that they found her insistence and constant carping pushy and overbearing, but it was something they could not hope to understand: If she wanted to be able to literally just be mobile like the rest of them, she needed a cleared path about two and a half feet wide, and 'just step(ping) over things' wasn't an option. Lysandra wound her way through the shelves, stacked barrels, and mountains of haphazardly-strewn junk, hissing in frustration more than once as she got stuck or had to bend over to sweep something out of the way. By the time that she rolled out of the room with the kit and two blood beads occupying her lap, she had taken about seven minutes and was in a thoroughly bad mood, the alcohol in her system only intensifying her emotions.

Upon seeing Akaia, she took a long breath, in and out. Life's frustrations were what they were and she couldn't change them right now. These people still cared about her and she cared about them. Lys gathered herself, pushed out a polite but perfunctory greeting for the sidhe and opened the door. There was somebody inside who needed her help, who was - hopefully - soon to awaken to a new life. It was her - and Poppy's - responsibility to ensure that happened safely. The blood beads, she handed to Erik. "Listen, I know you wanna help, chief, but I think we should hold off on these until we run our tests. Can't try to cure before the diagnosis, hmm?"

The kit, with its sampling needles and tubes, swabs, and ties, was placed on the sleeping revenant's end table. Lys glanced at Poppy. "Sorry for the wait. Someone else should've gone." She glanced down for a moment and swept some hair from her face. Looking back up, she was all business. "We should begin."

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[DClassified]

_{Location | The Crow’s Nest
Time | February 24^th - Evening
Interaction | Dallas @Pantothenic}

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The Sword hadn’t exactly rested easy the night before. The idea of a renegade group of revenants was nothing new, as the Commune themselves could be considered such. Further, with the recent shortage of blood beads, groups relocating from one area to another to search wasn’t uncommon. One that could be hunting for one of their newer members presented problems because there was no current knowledge of their capabilities. With no knowledge of their capabilities, there’d be little means to counter them. Knowing what he knew made him somewhat anxious, decidingly remaining on watch throughout the night.

In that time, he did what he could to repair the little stuffed horse, putting it with the other little trinkets that he’d found that reminded him of her. He kept them in the drawer of the desk that held his journal on top, which also held the prior day’s events. In all, the mission was a success, as they completed their goal with no casualties. In terms of team synergy, it needed improvement. Their first battle was won with injuries that required rather early use of their blood pack supply, as well as the endangerment of the humans.

When the Provisional Government’s agents returned, Ajax wasn’t so happy to see them. To be fair, he never was, so their praise meant little to nothing to him. What struck him though, was their snaking way of convincing the others to give up Ionna. Disillusioned by their tactics and reasoning long ago, Ajax knew that these men were only going to give the child a week to adjust before looking for a way to exploit her. Cerberus wasn’t against taking child revenants into their ranks to be tools, and even fed them the idea of it being ‘a great honor’…However, there were worse fates.

Regarding the Ruined City situation, Ajax brought it up to Erik earlier this morning. As it seemed, his comrade had found more alarming evidence of his own. A pile of ash in the music store without Lost lingering in the area implied the notion of a revenant falling to another incorrupt one. All of this pointed to the fact that they needed to talk to Dallas about this group, given that there was some sort of connection. Erik had put Ajax up to the task of confronting him, and while he would have done it straight away, he needed rest by that point.

Thus, he slept through a good portion of the day while the others were awake. Upon waking though, came the realization that the lot of them were planning the celebration of sorts. Preparation that Dallas was helping out with…Ajax was stern, but he wasn’t without care to nuance. Moreover, allowing him to have that time would also likely loosen him up to giving information he might not have if he felt targeted. It would likely still feel intrusive that Ajax had ‘spied’ on him, but that could possibly be reconciled with time and communication.

As he exited his room and started down the hall though, he noted activity nearer to Desmond and Amelia’s room. Some development was going on with the young man’s perpetually comatose sister, as his superhuman hearing had informed him. As others seemed to be handling it, he felt no need to investigate as he’d likely only be in the way. Instead, he kept walking towards the Great Room. With the little celebration seemingly on a ‘break’, now seemed as good a time as any to pull Dallas aside.

Which seemed convenient, as when Ajax was entering, Dallas seemed to be heading towards the kitchen. Briefly studying the room, he took note of Vincent and Cerise; the latter of which he offered a small smile and nod in acknowledgement. Refocusing on the task at hand though, Aj spoke up.

”Dallas, a word…please.”

[FunnyGuy]

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Location: Desmond & Amelia's Room, Observatory
Interactions: Lys @Force and Fury, Desmond @Theyra, Poppy @dreamingflowers
Mentions:

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Erik should have predicted Desmond’s reaction to his baseless assumption and he almost wished he hadn’t said anything, at least not the way he had. The old revenant held back a sigh of displeasure and instead set his gaze on the siblings. Desmond… I don’t think he could take losing her again, but… There was slight brief wincing of his eyes. ...what if she isn’t there when she wakes? Erik didn’t believe Amelia would simply forget her own brother, but Erik knew too well how even a single experience can make up so much of a person.

“The Commune will figure this out for sure.” And Mr. Optimism was back. “Amelia has the two best docs and her brother. Couldn’t ask for a better team to nurse her back to health.” He smiled warmly to assure the concerned Desmond.

When Lys had returned, she had both the blood beads and testing kit supplies with her. When handed to him, Erik held a blood bead in each of his hands.

“Oh, you know I would never get in the way of greatness. We have two of the peachiest docs working side by side.” He grinned before holding up the blood bead in his right hand, admiring the bright red liquid within. “But just in case…” He deliberately trailed off.

[dreamingflowers]

Location: Desmond's room
Interactions:Desmond, Erik, Lysandra

---

Poppy rolled her eyes at Erik's well meant advice. He was knelt down at Amelia's bedside and she did have the decency to not let him see her disbelief. Usually Poppy wouldn't be bothered to explain her methods to anyone. In this case she saw the importance of it. She wanted to reassure Desmond. The red haired Sidhe lowered her hand to rest on Erik's shoulder.

"I have her on a very specific feeding schedule. She gets a blood transfusion every two days. It is enough to keep her from frenzying. I also fortified each dose to strengthen her more quickly."

She wasn’t planning on breaking up Amelia’s feeding schedule. At the same time she didn’t know what was going on yet, so it was best to have the blood beads on standby. The medic was faced with Desmond’s extreme worry about the well being of his sister and it made her uncomfortable. It was the response of someone who allowed himself to deeply care about someone. He was demonstrating the behavior she forced herself to unlearn years ago.

Desmond kneeled beside Amelia’s bedside and Poppy averted her eyes towards the door. She stepped away from the bed and began to clear out a workspace, effectively removing herself from the emotionally charged scene.

She focused on the tasks at hand and drowned out everything else around her. She took the testing equipment from Lysandra without a word. Her hands set up the equipment methodically and meticulously. Poppy prepared the blood collection tubes, arranging them in a neat row. While handling the last one she caught the last sentence of Erik’s incessant positivity.

“Oh, you know I would never get in the way of greatness. We have two of the peachiest docs working side by side.”

The tube shattered. Poppy winched feeling the glass dig into her palms. She immediately turned her hands away from the sterile surface she’d just created. The Sidhe walked towards the basin and let out a frustrated breath. Once her hands were washed and wrapped she turned to face the others in the room.

“We’ll do the blood tests first like Lysandra said. Erik, you should get back to the party. Desmond, you can stay here.”

Poppy proceeded to draw blood from the PIC line in Amelia’s left upper arm. She handed Lysandra the first tube without looking back, immediately locking on the next one. The sooner they got this done the better.

[pantothenic]

---

@DCLassified

Dallas you've really outdone yourself this time. Dallas stared at his plate like it was a birthday present. Fully loaded vegetarian nachos. Most of the ingredients came out of a can, but it was quite a delicious looking spread. Nacho cheese, jalapenos, black beans, and diced tomatoes. On the side was some refried beans topped with a generous pinch of salt.

Dallas grabbed the plate and a half finished bottle of Maker's Mark and began to head back to the karaoke corner. Vincent seemed to be quite happy to have the microphone all to himself since quite a few people had disappeared.

"Dallas, a word please." Holy shit, how does he keep doing that? Even if he was a bit more sober, Dallas wouldn't have heard Ajax creep up on him. He wondered if the ex-Cerberus operative did it intentionally or if his years of training just made him walk like a ninja on reflex.

"And hello to you too Ajax. If you need me I'm all ears. You want to talk here or should we go somewhere private?"

[FunnyGuy]

---

Location: Desmond & Amelia's Room, Observatory
Interactions: Lys @Force and Fury, Desmond @Theyra, Poppy @dreamingflowers
Mentions:

---

“I should…” Erik quickly replied to Poppy while standing straight up. He took a few steps away from Amelia’s bedside before about-facing. “...keep watch from right here.” Erik spoke with a smile but there was a challenging look in his eyes. The crossing of his arms at his chest only helped him plant himself in the spot he stood in.

Pops…

That woman probably tested his upbeat mood more than anyone he’d seen anyone join the Commune. It did not help that she was quite averse to how he carried himself as well, but Erik was stubborn in keeping things warm here. He wanted to say more or even confront her, but again, now was not the time. Amelia was the priority and he wasn’t just going to leave just because Poppy wanted to be a grouch.

[Theyra]

Desmond Mores

Interactions: Anyone in Desmond's room

---

Desmond simply stayed quiet while Poppy and Erik talked. Thinking about what either said while concerning looking at his older sister. It was a small relief that Poppy has been supplying Amelia with blood regularly. So Amelia does not risk going frenzy, but still, it leaves him concerned about what is wrong with her. He did appreciate Erik's attempts to calm him, and he does have a point. Amelia should be in good hands with Poppy. But, the worry was still firmly gripped his heart. He does not want to lose more people close to him, especially family.

Maybe he is just overreacting to what is happening to Amelia. Since it does not seem like she is going to frenzy, still something is wrong with her. And things could get worse, but that remains to be seen. Either way, Desmond stayed at Amelia's side and simply let Poppy and Lys do their thing.

He did not really mind Erik sticking around, unlike Poppy. Who seem to be in a bad mood, and while Desmond was tempted to speak about it. He did not want to sour Poppy's mood further just in case. Since when is a grouchy medic or doctor a good thing? So all he would say,"I just stay here with Amelia, Poppy, and let you two do your thing." Saying it with an empty smile as he tried to calm down a bit. Firmly but softly gripping Amelia's hand. They can get through this, they have do if he has any say in it.

[Exit]

A K A I A

A K A I A

_{The Crow's Nest · Evening
Collaboration with: @Daxam and @Medili
___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Vincent had just finished belting out a song about being ‘halfway there’ and ‘living on a prayer’. Halfway where? He didn’t know. Was he off-key? He couldn’t remember ever hearing the song, so on top of being dreadfully off-key, most of the song was also mumbled to the cadence of the melody. Did he care? Of course not, since he was having a blast.

Regardless of how one might perceive Vincent’s karaoke performance, Cerise was cheering him on, a big smile on her face. After all, the karaoke night would have turned into a quiet dessert-eating night if it wasn’t for Vincent. As far as Cerise was concerned, karaoke wasn’t really about being good at it anyways. “Hehe, keep it up Vincent.” she said cheerfully when Akaia suddenly called out to her.

“Share!”

The Sidhe had entered the room shortly after Ajax had his peek, finally giving in to the curiosity that was the sound of music. Inside, she found Vincent and Cerise there waiting, with one on the mic and the other listening… or being forced to. Of course with little else to do in the now, there wasn't much of a choice. Still, seeing two of the commune finding comfort where they could brought some small amount of joy to the her and whatever confusion or troubles were hanging over her like a cloud was quickly forgotten. There was comfort to be found here for Akaia as well and she was already pulling her into a hug.

“Oh, ‘Kaia! Great, you’re finally here.” As Akaia squeezed her from behind, Cerise accompanied her words with a return hug in kind, beaming at Akaia. Vincent overheard as well and turned to see the two holding each other. He grinned and held out the microphone as he said, “Be my guest. I just finished up, anyway!”

Akaia looked at him confused. She tried to line up what Vincent had said to something or anything that made sense but was failing miserably. It was Cerise, however, who laughed, quickly realizing that Vincent seemed to have misunderstood Akaia’s words as a request for the mic. She decided to play along with it. “How about it, ‘Kaia? You wanna try singing?”

Akaia turned to Cerise, still confused. “A-are you sure?” She asked.

“Of course! Go for it, ‘Kaia! I’m sure it’ll be fun. Right, Vincent?” Cerise nodded at Vincent as she said so.

“I had a blast and you heard how good my singing is,” He said with a laugh as he placed the microphone into Akaia’s hand. He then flopped down onto the couch next to Cerise, his hands laced behind his head as he added, “If I can have that much fun with my god-awful singing, then I’m sure you’ll have a great time, since I’m sure you can’t be any worse at it than me!”

A smile lit up Akaia's face and she nodded excitedly at Vincent. An opportunity had just presented itself and one that she'd been waiting specifically for for some time. "Okay!" She exclaimed as she swung around the chair. Licorice, sensing his perch was soon to forget his existence, hopped off of Akaia's shoulder and onto the couch to find somewhere safer to rest. He shuffled closer to the two and found a spot in a crook between two seat cushions on the other side of Cerise. He received a head pat for his troubles.

As Akaia began shuffling through the available songs looking for a specific one, she paused momentarily and turned to Cerise as well. "Close your eyes!"

“Close my eyes?" Cerise gave her a nod and a playful giggle. "Okay then. My, I wonder what song it is you’re going to pick~” She didn't have to wait long.

The song started quiet with light percussion and guitar and a few seconds later was joined by Akaia. "Shaaaaare-eeee.... Share-ee baby! Shaaaaare-eeee.... Share-ee baby! Shaaaaaaaaaaaaare-eee baaaaaby..." As she sang, she began hopping to the rhythm, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet and turning to face Cerise. In the Sidhe's pale eyes, there was some visible embarrassment. The acknowledgement that there was no comparison to her voice and the one she was trying to match, but perfect emulation was out of the question. For the past few years, the girl on the couch had been coaching Akaia to use her own voice, not just in speech but also in song. They'd spent many an evening together at the piano practicing, both for the joy Cerise found at the keys and also for the lessons learned by Akaia. Of those lessons, one was significantly more eye opening than the others: Singing and speaking were not the same. At least for her, one was significantly more difficult, but it was also yet another form of communication and she was ever looking for more ways to do just that. It was for this reason she took to it and another reason why she was so determined to practice. Long ago, Akaia had determined that she was going to use her own voice around Cerise and that meant now, in front of her best friend and another face she'd only just barely met. She knew despite practice that she was far from any degree of skilled and whatever was coming out of her mouth would be rather tone-deaf. However, it wouldn't be enough to drown out the joy that overwhelmed her from being able to be herself around Cerise. The smile across her lips that constantly threatened to turn into a giggle and the happiness in her eyes was enough to bury whatever embarrassment she felt.

She turned to the screen again when she began forgetting the lyrics, the force behind her song dropping when she had to read. The bounce in her step however never left. "Whyyy dooon't yoou come oooout, to my twist party... where the bright moon shines... we'll dance the night away, I'm gonna make you mi-Aah!" Akaia's arm flinched violently as if she were recoiling from pain and the mic fell out of her hand. Looking down at her palm, she noticed that despite the pain feeling very real, there were no cuts or lesions. All that remained was a persistent tingling under the skin and a cloud hanging over her she thought had left her that tasted of frustration and annoyance.

She turned to look at the door.

[DClassified]

_{Location | The Crow’s Nest
Time | February 24^th - Evening
Interaction | Dallas (CO-OP’d) @Pantothenic}

---

Ajax visibly winced a bit as the Akaia’s song began loud and proud. He knew it had been a while since he’d heard anyone other than Cerise sing, but the loud music and throat noises in the close proximity was mildly jarring. So long as they were having fun, he supposed. Returning his focus to Dallas, he took note of the fact that the man had gotten some liquor in his system. He assumed that he’d loosen up, but on initial interaction, the Sword didn’t quite know how loose. He wasn’t sure how he’d react moreso now than before, and with the others nearby, he’d rather not disturb them.

”Just follow me towards the medical area…we can talk there.” He coaxed, starting back out of the room. Dallas shrugged and abandoned his munchies on a nearby surface, following a few steps behind Ajax.

Once they were a little ways off from the noise, the Sword stopped in front of the garden nearby. There was a brief silence as he seemed to be looking for exactly how to start the inquiry. It could be interpreted that he had taken some care to appear non threatening as this was one of the rare occasions he wore a tank-top— nothing up his sleeve.

”In the Ruined City, we faced many dangers: Seen and unseen. We had originally thought that during our time there, the unseen was largely non-sentient or Lost. But that wasn’t the case. One of us was in a potentially dangerous situation when split up but neglected to tell the rest of us. What I want to know is why?”

Dallas crossed his arms and nodded along. He didn’t appear surprised that Ajax was suspicious of him.

”I thought I felt another pair of eyes on me out there. I figured that the creeper had brought an escort. I should have known it was you.” Dallas rubbed his chin pensively, seemingly unsure of how to answer Ajax’s question.

”Honestly, my first thought was to pack my things and disappear overnight. I didn’t want to get anyone here wrapped up in my problems. After we got home I realized that might be a dumb idea, so I was going to talk to you and Erik after this little celebration. I’ll tell you everything I know. If that doesn’t satisfy you then feel free to tie me up now. I won’t resist.”

”Not necessary. We’ve had a sample size during your time with us…Ultimately, in that time, you’ve given us little reason to mistrust you. You fought with and could have died beside us all the same. I wasn’t intending to ruin your night…but I didn’t want for the uncertainty to drag on much longer. I just want to know who that was, and who they work for.” Ajax replied calmly, pacing some between the cabinets with his arms behind him.

Dallas traced his finger along one of the metal trolleys that Poppy used to move tools around. “Shit man, I honestly don’t know. They’re affiliated with my past, one hundred percent. The problem is, that girl wouldn’t tell me a thing. All I know for certain is that she’s as much a victim as I am, or at least that’s what she wants me to believe. I think someone else is plotting against me. She gave me something. Take a look at this.” The burly man reached into his pants pocket and revealed the object he’d picked up in the alleyway. It was still wrapped in its cloth.

With the presentation of the object, he stopped pacing. He immediately caught onto the implication of the small object. ”A vestige…this makes things a lot more interesting…I’m willing to bet you were going to wait until tomorrow or after the little party to actually use it…?” The warrior thought aloud, thinking back to Lil Red, and how she despised her own past.

”It can wait until then. The team’s going through a lot…so, I understand the need for a night like this one; where you guys can unwind and reset. So, feel free to go back and relax. For now, we can keep this between the three of us, to tell the team later when we have more details.”

[dreamingflowers]

_{C H A P T E R T W O : MISTLE MISTERY}

THE CROW'S NEST

AMBIENCE

MISSION ROAD

---

^{February 25rd, 2057 | 07:13am}

Poppy had a bird's eye view of the road leading up to the Crow's nest, perched on top of the dome of the armory. It was early, most of the Commune aside from maybe Erik were still asleep. There was something troubling the Sidhe, other than her usual turmoil. One of their regular trading groups was supposed to have delivered supplies to a safehouse three days ago, but they never arrived. These farmers operated from an off route pit stop, miles upon miles into the wilderness, far from any town or city centers. They kept a supply of livestock on the surrounding land, trading in animal products.

A motorcycle was approaching from the distance, leaving a trail of dust behind them. They came to a stop right in front of the entrance of the Crow's nest. Poppy narrowed her eyes. She recognized the woman's face, she was the contact of the trading group. She jumped down from the roof. Poppy broke her free fall by spreading her wings just before hitting the ground, fluttering the remaining distance towards the other woman.

"I received your message to meet here." The woman held up the handwritten note Poppy had left in the communications box a day ago. They started to exchange notes after the traders and supplies disappeared. Three members along with a van full of meat and cheese vanished without a trace. The farming community kept records on every transaction, who what when and where. These three members were pillars of the community, they wouldn't just go awol.

"No one knows what happened to them Renée, I have a feeling it's not good."
Poppy's face was serious. Reneé mirrored the Sidhe with a solemn expression of her own.
"I know, that's why we turned to the Commune."

Poppy gestured for the woman to follow her towards the entrance. They entered the Crow's nest. She asked Reneé to wait in the hallway. Poppy searched for Ajax and Erik, explaining the situation in hushed whispers. There wasn't an official meeting in the strategy room. Instead Ajax and Erik were left to figure out a division within the Commune. For some reason Poppy didn't meddle or contribute to the discussion. She'd already decided to stay behind with Amelia.

In the next two hours Ajax and Erik went around the Commune to rally up volunteers to accompany Reneé. With the many unknowns of the assignment it was difficult to decide who should stay or go. Each member of the Commune possessed a unique set of skills. The seniors ultimately left the decision to the individual.