Fallenreaper

Samhain Intrigues

@Belle: See, rp is like a story. Have you ever read a book where the hero's journey was a smooth, uneventful one? Sometimes you need to place trust in your GM's ability to create tension and challenges for your character, even if they could be killed off. I highly doubt Runic would've killed your girl off so early in the story because it would've denied her some development and been completely boring. So in the end, you were worrying about nothing in my opinion. Something I'm very guilty of myself as my boyfriend tells me.

@LadyRunic: I appreciate you having me as apart of this rp. I'm sorry it didn't work, but at least you can learn and move on. I'm pretty sure the next boot up will be better than before.

Mass Effect Andromeda: Frontier

Serena and Ryria
Time: Day 1 for shore leave
Location: Medbay on Nexus

Serena walked up to the medbay doors, whistling cheerfully to herself. They had some free few hours to spend, late a night of course, and Ryria was back in the medbay. The asari had been seemingly doing her best to pretend that the Apex team was only a temporary distraction from the Medbay and hadn’t really interacted with the rest of the team much. Least of all Serena and the rest of those who had been on Fireteam 2. Serena herself didn’t know what happened in the lab with the research assistants, but from Dex’s short replies and general look, she guessed Ryria’s icy professionalism had come to forefront again. Ryria seemed to naturally be cold and icy, even when they were supposed to be taking a few short minutes to relax in the barracks.

Well, only way to change that is by starting to slowly melt the ice. In literally the only place she is when she’s not with us.

She walked through the doors and quickly found Ryria, walking up to the asari with a friendly smile. ”Hey Ryria! I’ve come to help with your duties on the medbay. You’re here an awful lot, and I figured two pairs of hands have got to better than one, right? So, where do you want me to start?”

Ryria’s eyes flickered across the dim screen. She was filing the office documents of those recently revived into the proper folders, double checking each placement. She heard the door open, but she paid it little mind until she heard Mathews’ voice speak to her. Wordless, her figure pushed away from her computer to fully stand.

Her figure turned to face the human machinist with a icy glance, sizing her up, before finally correcting Mathews, “T’Vessi, we’re only associates and on the same team during missions.”

Not giving much pause between her prior and next words, she continued.

“Do you have any medical background that quality you for assisting in the medbay? As far as I’ve seen, your specialization lies in machines and drones. Not individuals’ anatomy.”

She ignored Ryria’s correction. Yeah, like I’m going to pay any attention to that detail. “I’ve got basic medical training from the Alliance, plus what I picked up on ten or so years of merc work, the ability to follow orders you give without question and steady hands, general machine knowledge to fix, repair, and tune up any of this,” she gestured towards all of the machinery around them, “that might break, experience with VI's and Drones and whatever programs you might be using to see inside someone and get a general idea of damage, and if literally all else fails I can hand you tools and do the menial work you won't want to waste time on.” She gave a small shrug. “I want to get to know you better and this seems like the best place to do it.”

“Not many would find a medbay as the best place to get to know others. Beyond APEX, there’s little reason for us to get to know each other. We already function fine in the field, outside of it doesn’t increase or decrease that performance.” Ryria stated firm and indifferently, using logic to chase Serena off.

”And yet you spend most of your time here, so unless you have another suggestion I’m just going to have to make do aren’t I?” She snorted lightly at Ryria’s attempt to get rid of her. It was funny in a cold way. “Unfortunately for you, my motivation isn’t functioning fine in the field or our performance, so that’s not gonna get rid of me. Nice try though, I appreciate the effort.”

“Fine, you can stay on two conditions,” Ryria began as she raised her forefinger, “First, you don’t bring your drones in here. It’s hard to tell when a patient will arrive with an emergency and no one needs to waste precious time walking around your drones.”

She held up a second finger and final finger, “You keep your lips shut. I’ve work to do and unlike you, I have no luxury for chit-chat. When I’m not in APEX, I need to assist the other medical staff here. Do we have an understanding?”

Serena raised an eyebrow at Ryria. “Fair enough on the first point, though it should be noted that the drones float. So they could super easily be near the ceiling and out of the way, but hey, your medbay your rules.” She grinned at the Asari, shaking her head. “No can do on the second part. I came here to get to know you, so either you set aside time after you get off of here to have a friendly chat with me, or you put up with my questions and chatter when you’re not in another conversation or busy with a patient.” She glanced at the computer screen Ryria had been working on. “Which, no offense, seems most of the time around here. Don’t worry, we’ll have a grand old time together.”

Ryria appeared about to open her mouth, but stopped herself. Her head lowered to pinch her nose bridge between her fingers. The pain helping to distract her from trying to waste more time or energy, finding the conversation leading nowhere.

“If I muster up an hour after work, will that be enough? Only an hour. Push for more, I’ll have your lips stitched up before you realize it.”

”An hour every day and we have a deal. I’ll be silent as the lambs during medbay work time and you’ll answer my questions and put a good effort into making a conversation for that hour.” Serena smiled, somewhat smugly, and stuck out a hand. ”Deal?

“Fine,” Ryria replied then pointed to the stacks of boxes, “Move those over there, remove the contents, and compare the label of each one. Finally sort them into the proper cabinets. Let’s see how you handle manual labor before allowing you to help with the patients.”

With those orders, Ryria moved back to her computer to categorize the data properly.

Serena chuckled lightly as the asari abruptly walked off, leaving her outstretched hand in the air. She looked over at the turian nurse snickering over in the corner, trying and failing to look like she was studying something on her omni-tool. Serena shrugged goodnaturedly. “I’m sure we’ll get to the major milestones of ‘simple touching like handshakes and accidental bumps are okay’ in short ordered. I’ve got nothing but time anyway, eh?”

The Turian laughed harder, trying to stifle her amusement at Serena's assumptions. After a few moments, her laughter died and she straightened herself.

"No, you won't. I suggest you just forget it for the time being and just focus on breaking past her icy defenses," The Turian commented.

”Ah, but the best way to get past such a defense is to keep on pushing. I can be pretty persistent you know. Besides, having shot at and been shot at by enemies helps melt things, I find. We’ll see though, hmm?”

“Ryria’s always been against anyone touching her unless she does it first. Not really sure why, but I never considered prying. So good luck with that. Name’s Surerax Leneiros by the way, welcome to the medbay,” Surerax said as she extended her hand, shaking Serena’s then passed her the first box.

“Best we get to work quickly before Ryria gets upset and tries to do it herself. She likes to pile things on her to do list when she feels nothing’s getting done or needs to be done faster…”

”I’ll keep my hugs of greeting and joy for someone else then.” Serena said dryly, before smiling and, stretching as she headed over to the indicated boxes, whistling a cheerful tune.

Two days later

Serena sat down on the steps of the medbay looking expectantly up at the asari. “Alright Ryria, lets keep the theme of simple things for questions going; Favorite color and planet from the Milky Way? I know from your dossier that you went to quite a few in your time.”

Ryria exited out of the medbay, right at her usual time, then noticed Serena. She sighed mentally before she took a seat near enough that she could socialize, “Ice blue and any cold planet, my homeworld being the top one.”

“Hmm. I was certain you’d have chosen a color other than the one most people assume asari like.” Serena said, her eye changing to an icy blue as she spoke. “And that means you should just love Voeld, if we ever get shipped to it.”

“You asked a question, I gave an honest answer. Assuming tends to lead people to make an ass of themselves when the real answer is revealed,” Ryria pointed out, noticing the shift in eye color but not drawing attention to it. It was likely her biotics at play in some fashion.

She continued, targeting the woman’s mention of Voeld, “I doubt it’s too much colder than Trategos. The planet was a frozen wasteland that would devour you with its frostbitten teeth if you were stupid. So we will see.”

It was just an observation. You seem to go against most asari stereotypes, so I figured that one was something you’d go against too” She chuckled lightly, eye changing to a warm red. ”We’ll see about that Ryria. From the Pathfinder’s and Angaran’s reports, Voeld’s frozen wasteland isn’t natural and is all out of whack and extreme. Even your natural coolness might find it a bit too much. We may even have to pack extra heating.” Serena shrugged lightly. But hey, snowball fights! Everyone likes snowball fights.” She glanced curiously at Ryria. ”Do asari have snowball fights?”

“If you want to freeze to death, yes. Most of my time was in doors and keeping to myself,” Ryria’s tone became slightly different. More distant and hollow at recalling her home life, her eyes turned away from Serena to look at bodies moving to their daily tasks.

Serena, noticing Ryria with the all too familiar look of someone remembering a past they’d rather not, attempted to steer the conversation away. ”Well, since I don’t want to freeze to death I think we’ll just have to find something else to occupy ourselves then, won’t we? What do you do aside from hit Kett with remarkably lethal accuracy and help people in the medbay? Like hobbies or little entertaining things you do. I personally love and know how to dance, like to garden though I kill most plants I try to make live and…” She leaned in conspiratorially, though not close enough to make Ryria uncomfortable, “I’m sure I’ve hid it well, but I’m a massive nerd. Play video games and what not whenever I get the chance. I brought a few thousand downloaded over on my omni-tool.” She winked at Ryria. “Our secret.”

Leaning back, she continued. “So, what do you like to do for hobbies or simple enjoyment?”

“It’s hard to have hobbies when you don’t have much free time. On duty I sketched out animals and plants, collecting information and pieces of them. Especially when it’s somewhere new,” Pausing, Ryria recalled something then brought up her omnitool quickly. She typed in a reminder for a new book designed for wildlife expedition and scrapbooking before pulling her arm down.

“I also read exploration and fiction novels because it’s healthier to read about someone else running into danger, rather than yourself.”

”Makes sense.” Serena nodded, before pointing something out. ”You don’t appear to have followed that philosophy very keenly. I mean, there’s few things that are more dangerous than running headfirst into the unknown on the hope that one new galaxy no one has ever set foot in is better than the old.”

”Why did you come to Andromeda?”

“A mixture of fresh start and promise of new ventures. It’s just who I am now and I enjoy it, even when it’s an unhealthy lifestyle. The thrill of seeing thing for the first time,” Ryria let a small flicker of a smile cross over the corner of her mouth as she spoke, “It’s hard to describe unless you’ve actually done it. That adrenaline rush never really leaves you. I just didn’t think I would be doing it while trying to fight a war…”

Her enthusiasm died at reference to the Kett.

”Hey, don’t let that get you down. We all knew violence was a heavy chance and price to pay for coming here. It’s been rough, but don’t let that drown out the good things that are happening. We’ve made Eos inhabitable, we get to wake up to gorgeous desert sunrises and go to sleep to sparkling alien stars.”

“As I said, my primary task was patching up individuals on the Nexus or helping to establish a new homestead. Not playing medic to soldiers. If I had managed to save the original medic, I wouldn’t be apart of APEX,” Ryria pointed out.

”None of us wanted to be apart of APEX, Ryria. I dreamed of starting a mech shop and helping colonists with labor through that. Dex wanted to set up a theatre group, maybe deal some light Private Investigating. Haze wanted to explore the new stars for the Initiative, maybe as a Pathfinder scout. Sabinius and Tanya, his wife and my friend, wanted to live quietly together. Clyff just wanted to raise his daughter. You’re not the only one who regrets being here. I am sorry that you were drafted into this out of necessity, but I’m not sorry that you’re here.”

“Still, in the end it’s my own fault I’m here. So I’ll pay my time and tolerate it until things change,” Ryria said before Serena interjected herself.

”Before we go to far down that rabbit hole, Ryria, I’ve read your dossier. I’ve known you for only three days, but I can assure you, if you couldn’t save the original medic, no one can. You were selected because you’re the best. You were a second choice only because, as you’ve repeatedly pointed out, you didn’t want this. You did everything anyone could have done Ryria, and no one could have done better. Don’t dwell on the past, yeah? It never helps, believe me. I’ve tried that too.”

“I’ve been living with the past for a long time. It’s written on my face and crest in the form of permanent disfigurement. Every time I look in the mirror, it’s there. Not dwelling is very hard when you see it every day,” Ryria’s tone became ice cold and resistant to Serena’s words, her eyes locked on the human.

“As for the medic, until the medical records state otherwise… I was the acting physician and the one responsible for her life. No amount of empathy can erase that fact.”

”Mm. Have you read any of our dossiers? No, I don’t think you would have had time for that.” Serena spoke calmly, unfazed by the sudden change to ice. “ In my time with the Alliance, I worked in their Spec Ops division. Unbeknownst to me, my commander had sold out to various organizations, including the Batarian Hegemony, and was using me and my partners as mules for his information deals. Expendable mules. I lost eight partners over those years. Eight men and women who I was responsible for keeping alive.

Spencer, Omar, Hannah, An, Soban, Silus, Barat. They all died, and I lived. Spencer got hit with a sniper to the head while I was hacking. Hannah got dragged back by a Batarian harpoon when I went to save a civilian. Omar threw me out of the way and caught the rocket meant for me. An died in my arms, blood filling his lungs after his armor got punctured by shrapnel from an exploding tank. Soban died holding a door so I could grab the intel we were supposedly after. Silus got stabbed through the chest while saving me from a Talon merc. Barat shielded me with his body as a dozen grenades went off in the room around us.” She looked over and matched Ryria’s gaze unflinchingly.

”Not a day goes by that I don’t look in the mirror and remember each and every one of their deaths. Not a day goes by where I’m not reminded that if had just been a little faster, a little tougher, a little stronger, they would still be alive. Believe me Ryria, I am well aware of what it's like to be reminded of your past and your failures day after day. And I know what it's like to analyze the situation over and over again, thinking about what you could have done and what you should have done. I’m not telling you ‘don’t dwell on the past’ as if you hadn’t tried, or that you simply could just do that. I’m telling you because fighting to do that is the only thing that gets you to the end of the road. Because the other option is much, much worse.”

Serena sighed, leaning back. ”You may think I’m just an idiot human talking out of my ass, that in your centuries of experience I’ll just be another annoying blip along the way. And you may be right. But while I’m here as that annoying blip, I do genuinely care for you and want to be your friend. So at least trust that my advice, if wrong in your eyes, is well intentioned.”

“Personally, I think you’re wasting your time. You and I are strangers, it makes little sense for you to actually put this much effort into getting to know me,” Ryria commented, correcting her.

Serena snorted. ”Would it shock you to find out you’re not the first person to tell me that?”

“No, it does not.”

She was quiet for a moment, before shaking herself lightly. ”Well, now that we’ve gone that depressing rabbit hole anyways, lets try something more light hearted. Any conversation suggestions?”

“You’re the one that wanted to do these conversational sessions. I believe it’s your responsibility to have the topics on hand for the occasion.”

”And I believe you agreed to help put effort into making an actual conversation. You should have back up conversational starters in case mine run dry.” Serena smiled at Ryria, before remembering something. ”Ryria, you’ve spent over 18 hours at this place haven’t you?”

“If I didn’t make an effort, my sentences would be shorter,” Ryria said with light sarcasm in her tone, her expression tightening at the new subject, “Yes. I was woken up when we encountered the Kett, my pod was damaged during the collision and I was quickly revived to treat the wounded.”

”Nonono, I meant during our shore leave. Right now. In these three days we have. You’ve spent most of it here, correct?”

“Between here and my temporary quarters, yes.”

”That’s what I thought.” Ryria was certainly a workaholic, even if she wasn’t obsessed with it as others were. Serena stood up and stretched. ”Come on then. Lets walk around the Nexus, see if we can’t find a quiet spot to do something other than work. Maybe play a board or word game, eh?” She looked at Ryria expectantly, eye changing back to its normal pink color.

“Very well, through honestly the Nexus is no different than any other ship I’ve been on,” Ryria commented then rose up onto her feet. She eyed Serena up suspiciously before gesturing the human to lead the way.

”Where’s the trust Ryri? I’m not gonna take you to a strip club. The strip club, I suppose.” Serena laughed, hiding her inner victory at actually getting the closed off Asari to agree.
Ryria frowned hard at the crude butchering of her name.

”And you’re right, the nexus is basically every other space station but without the pretty amenities. But as there’s no neat animals to sketch and record, unless you want to draw the nexus inhabitants, we’ll have to make do with a walk and a quiet place.”

She lead the way through the nexus, stepping lightly and cheerfully, idly commenting on the things they saw. Eventually they found a relatively empty spot, overlooking the stars and scourge. ”Here will do.” Serena sat down, then looked at Ryria all-too-casually.

”So. Ryri. Would you happen to know how to play Chess?”

“Too busy surviving and there was little down time, so I never learned,” Ryria said honestly, her figure leaned against the railing.

Her eyes looked up into the pitch blackness they grinded through bring a slight awe to her heart. It never reached her expression. She twisted about, resting her side on it, then asked.

“Why did you ask?”

”I could teach you, if you’d like. It seems like it’d be a game you’d like. And I’ve been looking for a good opponent. ” Serena offered, trying and failing to not appear too eager. ”Though I gotta confess that I’m surprised you even know what it is, most non-earth natives don’t.”

Ryria pulled back slightly, wary of the offer. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Serena for a moment to determine something. She gradually relaxed then slipped her arms under her chest, once more leaning against the railing.

“I’ve had to treat a few humans. One in particular was dying from a parasite that we caught late. The damage had already been done. Most her life was spent in and of the clinic, often being observed until the end of her life,” Ryria tilted her head up slightly, staring into the starry skies.

“During my visits between Texon’s assignments, she taught me a bit about Earth’s culture whenever she had the energy. She often used a metaphor she called ‘managing spoons’, Ryria’s tone became softer as she spoke, “Each day, she had a starting amount of ‘spoons’ to spend. Every task required a spoon and she had to decide, each day, where each spoon should go.”

She let the quiet settle in her moment of weakness before she finished up, “I was grateful she gave me one during every visit. Even when she could’ve used it for something more essential.”

”That’s really sweet Ryri.” Serena said earnestly. She knew the asari had a softer side, hiding behind all the glacier. Del rounded the corner, carrying one of Serena’s chess boards in his omni-lashes. Serena exclaimed in mock surprise at the sight, ”Oh, how convenient! This drone that is completely unrelated to me is bringing a chessboard for us! Would you like to play with this surprise gift Ryri? This is why we came to this place after all.”

“Convenience my ass, you planned this. Ryria said with a slight low key accusation in her voice.

Serena swooned in mock surprise, hand going to her heart as she leaned back. ”Me? Plan something as well executed and impeccably charming as this? Preposterous! Truly madame, you wound me. I would never try something so smoothly irresistible as this on someone as stoic as yourself. But, since the board is already here…” She held her hands up in a helpless manner as Del put the board in front of them. She turned it on by flicking a switch on the side, holographic pieces rising in their places. ”Where’s the harm in a game?”

“This wasn’t part of our agreement and you know it,” Ryria pointed out, through the ice in her tone had faded slightly.

Her body leaned away from Mathews as she crossed her arms over her chest, a defensive posture to the offer of a game. Despite the charade, Ryria didn’t believe it. Especially since it was poorly done to the point it was obviously a lie.

Serena held up a finger at Ryria’s protest, chuckling. She had a trick up her sleeve, just for this occasion. ”What about a new agreement, hmm?” She pulled out a small chocolate candy bar, waving it enticingly at Ryria. ”You play a game of chess with me, and I’ll give you this synthetic chocolate sweet bar. Everyone wins.” She silently thanked Surerax for tipping her off to Ryria’s weakness for sweets. ”Come onnn,” Serena coaxed, holding the candy bar just out of the asari’s reach, ”you finish the game and I give you the sweetness of the candy.”

Ryria glared then closed her eyes. A long, drawn out sigh escaped her lips before she replied, “Fine, but only one game. No more, do you understand?”

”Aha! I knew you had a sweet tooth.” Serena exclaimed smugly, setting up the pieces. ”I’ll give you a brief rundown of the rules and you can ask questions as we go. Don’t worry, I’m sure you pick it up quick. ”

Samhain Intrigues

Noah Griffin

---

---

Noah’s attention snapped to the forefront of his thoughts. His eyes noting the outdated room and heard the elegant music dancing along the air. It added a sense of warmth to the icy situation. Cautiously he stepped to the side when his eyes noted two servants heading his direction. Their expressions appeared locked in conversation until they broke past the doorway, then a shroud of professionalism replaced each one. It was strange. The demonstration caused Noah to edge deeper to the room, unsure what to do or where to report for whatever hell awaited him. Noah knew he looked like a dumb lug just standing around with his arms at his side, but it was better than doing something wrong.

~Chrono Asylum: Devil's Plague

Xx---------------------------xX
Experimental Team
Xx---------------------------xX

Time: A month after the Incident at Ouroboros
Location: Innocence, the floating Airship Academy for ARMO’s Chosen- Classroom

Samad snorted at Angel’s statement about Cade. His hand cupped his mouth to stifle it, but it was audible nevertheless. Naturally Cade was too distracted to care. When he heard Angel’s words, his skin became pale and shock flooded his expression. He couldn’t believe that Angel had placed him on such a high pedestal only to come crashing down because of the subject matter.

“I’m happy you place me on a high pedestal, but I think your facts are mixed up. I’m better at patching up the wounded than seduction,” Cade corrected then turned to Olivia.

“Uh, you want to take the lead?”

Samad shook his head then leaned farther into the wall he was against. Cade, oddly, could sense pleasure from the situation emitting from his Iranian’s smug posture. This caused the doctor to frown more as he looked confusingly back. His partner didn’t seem to notice or more likely, cared. Cade continued to stare at Samad who ignored it.

Samhain Intrigues

@Belle @Fallenreaper

I'll be amping things up for you guys in a bit. I just saw that you were heading to the same location so I let things be this past post.

@LadyRunic

Kay. I just thought I say something in the OC so if I'm taking a really long time, it's because I'm stuck. >,<

Samhain Intrigues

@Fallenreaper Yep. There’s not really much for her to do until they are told where to go

@Belle

I'm trying to figure out why Noah would interact with her right now and failing. Mostly because the earlier drama passed pretty fast, so he's got no reason to defend her. She appears pretty focus on her music so he's going to be even more discouraged from bothering her over anything. In addition to that, he missed the earlier conversation with the other woman and literally lost the opportunity to hint that some people would choose the deal if it protected the ones they love. (keeping in mind, Noah's backstory and the reason for being here was to take his brother's place)

So... yeah, I think my next post will be pretty short.

Samhain Intrigues

@Belle: I take it that your character will still be playing the piano while Noah enters?

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Lyn, and Alaira Shimmerstone

---

Lyn ducked and wove through the crowds. Her bloodied arm cradled to her torso protectively. They were nothing but superficial cuts, but they still hurt nevertheless. Just like her heart right now. The thing rapidly thumped in her chest, pounding against her lungs and chest. She continued to put as much distance between her and her anxiety’s source, Henri’s threat. Silently she prayed it would make all her pain go away. Deep down, her logic reminded her otherwise. Hot tears began to collect at her vision’s corner before she ducked around an alley’s corner leading to an isolated and abandoned courtyard.

There was a small, elegant fountain in its center surrounded by wildly grown flowers. Ivy trailed the stone walls along their gaps to the sun above. All of it appeared untouched by mankind on purpose to add a little wild beauty to the city. A fact lost on Lyn as she slammed her back against the wall, her face streamed with tears across the cheeks. She didn’t even care she was bleeding. Slowly her figure lowered into the ground where she wept freely for several moments. Gradually the sobs softened when the peak of her emotions faded, leaving her calm but feeling empty.

Something better than before, she supposed.

Lyn casually laid her head side against the time-worn stone, letting the chill seep into her and give her a cold comfort. At this point, she blamed herself for failing to pay better attention or step in between her father and Henri. If she had, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so terrible. Gently she pulled her arm away from her body to examine it. Several vines worked their way along her skin, from fingertip to the middle of her forearm, leaving shallow scratches along the surface. While they weren’t dangerous, they bled pretty well. Realizing this, Lyn’s eyes glanced downward at her tunic finding a few lines of red staining.

Frustration threatened to replace the numbness as she began to reach forward then pull the vines off her limb. They refused to yield to her desires. They held fast and merely turned the small budding flowers upon each one into a dark black. She paused, sighing at her lacking strength.

“I’m so stupid…” Lyn whispered out loud.
------

Alaira watched her run through the streets, the poor girl definitely seemed upset... She was fast of course, but Alaira was faster, and the buildings gave her quite the view. Keeping up with her wasn't especially hard. She watched her duck into an old courtyard... it wasn't likely anyone on the ground would have been able to chase her this far, but nobody had pursued as far as she could tell anyway. She watched her for a while, just sitting against the wall. She seemed... hurt, and anger flared in her for the shortest moment before she saw the vines. The energy she hadn't even realized had been collecting on her arm dissipated with a sigh. Oh... she'd done it to herself... still.

She jumped down, aeromancy slowing her fall as she gently touched down. She approached and simply sat beside her without a word, gently patting her shoulder. "It's alright." She said, nearly a whisper as she looked at her wounds. She sighed in relief, they weren't so bad. "Here, I got it." She said, drawing her small utility knife and cutting at the vines. She was very, very careful, she hadn't even cut poor Lyn once. Once the vines were dealt with, she reached into a purse of hers for a roll of gauze. She used to carry it in case the coverings on her scars came loose, but now... well, it was a force of habit. It looked like it had paid off too. Carefully, she wrapped her small injuries up... she had nothing to clean them with, unfortunately, but she only needed to stop the bleeding. "There. Mar can fix those later no problem." She said, looking to her.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" She asked. Her tone was... well, calm. She wasn't screaming at her to tell her 'who did this to her' or anything like that. Though Alaira was always rather gentle with her.
------

Lyn jerked, startled by Alaira’s abrupt arrival and her lacking awareness. Her head whipped about to give a loud warning hiss when it caught in her throat. The fear fell away from her intense expression as she sighed. She appeared to be slightly disappointed in herself at her reaction. She didn’t fight when Alaira began to wrap up her wounds.

“Myself, isn’t it obvious?” Lyn explained, her head twisted about to face Alaira. Though it was with only a half-hearted desire to do so.

When Alaira finished, she pulled her arm back to see the white gauze wrapped around it. She flexed her hand, then her arm to ensure nothing aside skin was wounded. After studying the wrappings, she set her arm down and pulled it into her lap. She didn’t appear ready to say anything else on the topic right now.

------

Alaira's expression remained thoughtful. Lyn's non-answer wasn't particularly reassuring; it was obvious what had happened to her, it was the why she was concerned with. Nonetheless, she couldn't exactly make her tell her. She smiled softly, crossing her arms as she watched her look at herself. "I've dressed a lot of wounds in my time, those are nothing to be worried about." She said, looking over her hand as little sparks arced between her fingertips.

"I used to burn myself a lot, you know. It's nothing to be ashamed of." it was highly unlikely that that was what Lyn was worried about, but there wasn't much Alaira could do to press the issue without making it worse. "You know I'm here to help you, you can tell me anything." She told her. She was more careful than usual with her words, that statement held no demands of any kind if she still didn't feel like talking about it.
------

“Well, I use to put thorns in my parents’ bed,” Lyn commented, then she looked at Alaira.

The expression said it all. No, she couldn’t or didn’t trust Alaira enough not to go do something rash. She sighed then pressed her back deeper into the ancient stonework. A calmness swept over her but she was flaring confusion and anxiety.

“I think things have escalated enough for today. Henri wants dad to stay away from him, which I have to tell him. Maybe if I had gotten involved sooner then it wouldn’t be this way,” Lyn concluded.
------

Alaira chuckled softly, tousling her hair some at the revelation. "That's not quite the same." she said, leaning back against the fountain. She listened to her finally give her an idea of what might have gone on. From what she could tell, Henri probably said something stupid, Lyn got upset and lost control of her magic, now here they were. The boy definitely hadn't done anything to warrant retribution, far as she could tell. "Some people... just don't like each other." She said finally, looking off to the blue sky, only a cloud or two drifting along. "Sometimes they'll butt heads, but don't ever think it's your fault, alright?" She gave her a little boop on the nose, a little tingly bit of energy harmlessly arcing and making her hair stand up a little... She used to do that a lot when she was a kid.
------

Lyn didn’t react when Alaira booped her on the nose. Her expression was unchanged for the moment before it cracked into a weak, budding smile. The features softened in gratitude.

“I know, but it’s starting to feel like everyone I love is butting heads with him. He’s not really that bad of a guy. Yes, he comes off as reckless, overconfident, and even defensive when you lecture him. Considering he didn’t grow up with parents like me, I would hesitate to make friends too. I just…”

Lyn sighed, her smile drained from her then leaned her head against Alaira’s shoulder. Her eyes stared off into space.

“The way he spoke, it sounded like he threatened my dad. I didn’t realize he was pushed that far. Then again, thinking back on the conversation… I can see how he could feel threatened. Dad’s humor isn’t exactly lacking when it comes to being morbid,” she let a bitter sigh, but continued, “However, my dad isn’t like that. I know he doesn’t like Henri, but he isn’t the type to kill anyone. Henri’s replies also didn’t help anything.”

She groaned in her head as her legs curled up in front of her, her head shifted from Alaira’s shoulder to press against her knees.

“I hate this.”
------
Alaira didn't really agree too much. She thought he was awfully full of himself, with a condescending insistence that he knew better than everyone around him. She'd only tried saying something because she thought his reckless, childish insistence on getting his own way could lead to disaster. But she'd keep that to herself, especially now. She put her hand on her shoulder, sighing. "He just... I just want him to know he's not alone anymore. Things he could afford to do before he just... can't anymore." She said, thinking on it. "I used to pick fights with everyone." She said, running her hand through her hair.

That was certainly not news to most people, and while Lyn had heard other people talk, she'd never really... seen Alaira's violent side much. She'd never seen her just attack someone. "Back then, it didn't matter. Either I didn't care what happened to me, or I could fight my way out. But now... things I do matter. If I just lash out at everything it won't just hurt me, they'll hurt you, and Athalus, even people like Leith or Ssarak. And they'll keep hurting us for a long, long time. And I have suffered for it." She said, sighing.

"I had to learn that lesson the hard way. I'm not that good with... words, but I just don't want someone else to go through what I did when it can all be avoided. You... you know?" She said... she thought he was a jerk, she wanted to punch him at least a few times... but she knew what horrors could be wrought with just a misstep in this world, and she didn't think Henri, for all his faults, deserved anything close to what she got.

She looked over when she put her face in her knees, gently patting her back. "I... Nobody's going to hurt Henri, okay? If anyone tries, I'll stop them. And I won't hurt them either. Okay?" She promised.
-----

“To be honest, I don’t think you put your best foot forward in letting him know that. Most of his reaction was self-taught and habit before he arrived at the college. The bad part, he encountered my god-father during his first visit and he was his charming, overprotective self,” She took a breath before continuing, “I just wish it didn’t get this way because I don’t want to tell my dad what Henri said or stay away from Henri. Usually, he’s more friendly then this and he reminds me of a younger version of my dad, not including the morbid humor.”

She hadn’t considered the fact he might stay away from her, though it lingered at the back of her heart.
------

Alaira winced. Tyrael was... uh... "That's, uh. Oof." She said, looking off to the side and rubbing her neck some. "Tough break." She said with a shrug, taking a coin from her pocket. Well, it wasn't a real coin, it was just a bit of iron in the shape of one. She flipped it, using her magics to make it hover in place in the air, spinning for a moment. "Heads or tails, you reckon? she said with a smile. She used to play this game with Lyn when she was younger. With her magic, she could make it land on whatever side she wanted anyway, and the girl was so mad when Mar told her. Of course, Alaira knew she knew and all. She didn't really know what to say... or rather, there was nothing to be added with just repeating something. She just wanted to cheer her up, if only a little.
------

Lyn lifted her head from her knees, her head turned to Alaira. She wasn't smiling, though her mood had lightened up with the burden lifted and secrets eating her up exposed. It didn't solve anything though, she knew.

“I love my godfather, but sometimes… he goes a little overboard. Like he believes the world is out to kill me whenever he 'screens' everyone,” Lyn said as she pointed to the tails symbol. She knew that one would be what it hit upon since Alaira could control it.

“Tails. You know I’m too old for this game, right?”

She propped her hand on her knee while she rested her chin on it.
------

"Hrm, I don't know..." she said, pointing off towards... something. The coin dropped, landing perfectly balanced on its side, right on her fingertip. She chuckled a bit. "Now, what do we call that?... Cheating, probably." She said, pocketing the object.

She sighed quietly, looking off to the sky again. "Well, a lot of it is, ain't it?" She said, in regards to her statement about Tyrael. "That's why I'm around. 'Course, I don't threaten everyone that so much as looks at you with actual death." She said with a little laugh, stretching her arms. "Still... we should probably go 'fore someone shouts at us for trespassin'. You wanna head back and see if everything's okay, or do you want to see some of the festival first?"
------

Lyn thought a moment over what she wanted to do. On one hand, she didn’t want to return and find everyone bickering or shouting. It didn’t help the thought of interacting with Henri right now just confused her. The other was she wanted to spend time with everyone, from her friends to her parents. It was a tug of war between the two options causing her arms to clench her middle tightly.

She curled upright, then stepped onto her feet.

“Honestly, I’m worried about them. I’m pretty sure someone lost their temper over my little incident and pinned it on Henri, putting him into an even more sour mood. Or worse, provoked him into a fight with them,” her mouth curled up into a frown at the thought, “I’ll be surprised if he wants to interact with me after this event…”

She scratched her head back before making an official answer, “I want to spend time with everyone, but I’m scared of what I’ll come back to. Know what I mean?”
------

Alaira stroked her chin... Yes, wanting the truth, but also fearing it was something she was familiar with. She considered their options for a moment... It took a little longer than it might for someone else. She'd been going with her gut for so long that stopping to think was something she was simply not used to. But it had been working out lately, nonetheless. "I understand. I think, personally, that we should head back first, if only so that everyone knows you're okay. You know how your father'll be when he hears that nobody knows where you went." She said, stretching.

"Once we're there, and everyone's all on the same page, you can decide what you want to do next." She said, holding her hand out. "...Remember? You don't have to be scared of anything, as long as I'm here."
------

"I guess. No point in putting it off as I will never address it if I don't face it," Lyn said grudgingly as she gestured for Alaira to lead the way back to the group.

Essence of the World: Flesh Reborn [Adv. Roleplay]

Mistakes were Made

Location: Holly’s Apartment--> JP's Apartment
Time: 3 AM

---

Holly and JP

"Mon dieu..."

The young man and the...other thing grappled with an intensity he'd never seen before. But the safety of his neighbor concerned him more than the things he was or was not seeing. As soon as he saw the scuffle move out of the way, he ran to Holly's side, his keen eye quickly glossing over the injuries she had and how best to treat them. The deep bite wound to the shoulder had him the most worried, so he did the most logical thing he could do: he pulled off his shirt, displaying his rather pasty white and totally unfit chest, balled it up between his hands and jammed it against her shoulder to stop the bleeding. As the fighting between the two...whatevers continued, JP continued with the logical things he could do: he dropped his pajama pants and used the long legs as a makeshift tourniquet, tying them very tightly around the balled up shirt against her shoulder. Now dressed only in a pair of plain grey boxer shorts, he hooked his arms underneath her and pulled her bodily out of harm's way, down the hallway of her apartment and out, before he dragged her sorry butt into his where it was safe.

Once there, he laid her out in his living room and promptly left for his bedroom, returning in a fresh set of clothes (a rather plain looking t-shirt and pants) to assess the damage. Other than the bite wound, he'd heard her yelp before crashing into something, presumably her upended sofa, and that's what he assumed was the cause of a rather big bruise on the back of her neck. JP shook his head and gently ran his hands very, very gently against the back of her neck, pushing in a little with his fingertips to assess her spine, which thankfully had no damage. His hands then patted her body in a summary fashion, checking down her shoulders, arms, torso, hips, and legs for more damage, of which there was none. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the shirt soaked with blood tied to her shoulder concerned him even more. With no first aid kit in his home, all JP could do was apply pressure with one hand while fumbling for his cell phone with the other.

Holly felt the feeling slip from her skin when she hit the floor, her legs crumbled underneath her and left her like a limp ragdoll. She began to grow cold and numb to the loss of blood. It began to slowly leak out of the torn muscles from her trapezoid while she shivered, instinctively feeling the life evade from her body. The wendigo released her from its grip when Matthew began to fight it. The only thing keeping her upright vanished causing her to slump across the floor.

Adrenaline still raced through her veins but fell victim to the shock pouring into its place. She barely acknowledged JP’s arms wrap around her and carry her toward his apartment. Already most the color of her skin began to drain from her.

She tried to speak, her figure jerked when JP touched her and hand snapped out to grip his wrist. The grip was pitifully weak while she sputtered.

“W-what happened?” She coughed.
“Shh, it’s okay mon ami. Do not move, whatever that was that attacked you in your apartment is gone. I think. Stay still, do not move, you’re bleeding. Merde, where is that ambulance…”

JP dialed the emergency number and waited on the line, his other hand pressed firmly against her shoulder. He could only stare at her paling physique in mute panic as he tried his very best not to let her die in his apartment. If Holly could read his face, she’d only tell he was panicked by him biting his lower lip.

“911, what’s your emergency?” came a feminine voice over the phone. Sounds of shuffling individuals were heard in the background while she waited for JP’s answer.

Holly, grudgingly, forced herself to relax. Her mind trying to piece together the events in the apartment through the haze. Slowly her arm fell back to her side while she rotated her eyes around, noticing she wasn’t in her own apartment.

“JP, where are we? This isn’t my apartment...is it?” She asked weakly, trying to find something to focus on.

“No, it’s mine. You were attacked in yours, I had to drag you away. That...what was that thing?!”

JP was interrupted by the 911 operator and he spoke rapidly in French, then stopped himself as he remembered that the operators in the city all spoke English first.

“I- I have an officer down here, nasty bite wound from a wild animal lose in the apartments, she’s bleeding badly, I need an ambulance here right now.”

“Ambulance and animal control are on their way. Can you quickly describe the animal, sir? Any notable coloring?”

“I...uh...it was really pale, hairless? I didn’t see much of it because a young man from outside rushed in and fought it off. They’re still fighting, from what I can hear. Please hurry, my friend is bleeding out.”

JP kept the pressure on Holly’s bleeding shoulder, getting more panicked as the call took longer than he’d expected.

There was silence on the phone. It stayed there for an uncomfortable length of time, the woman seeming to debate on her answer and finally broke it.

“Sir, help is on the way but I have to keep you on the line. Do you or your friend know any of the individuals involved? Can you describe the other one involved?”

“Unsure, a young man, maybe early twenties? Short, black hair, lanky frame. And no, we don’t know any of the individuals involved. Please tell your driver to hurry.”

“The ambulance is on its way and is hurrying, I assure you,” the woman said, though her tone indicated she withheld something in her wording, “Is your friend responding at all? Is she conscious?”

“Yes, but barely. She’s going to lose consciousness at any moment.”

“I’ve informed the ambulance. Have you applied pressure to the wound?”

“I still am.”

“Any other symptoms associated with the wound?”

“She’s in the initial stages of shock; barely conscious, very pale, very weak. Confusion.”

Holly’s eyes shifted from one side to the other. Her pulse weakening as her vision blurred around the edges, her awareness trying to grasp what was happening.

“JP… I think I lost… too much… blood,” her head slumped back onto the sofa as she became unresponsive.

“Wait wait wait, Holly! Mon dieu...”

JP dropped his phone and attended to his friend, the panic growing to a maximum in his system. He pushed both hands to the wound on her shoulder and desperately tried to shake her awake, feeling his emotions overriding the cold exterior he’d worked so hard to build up.

“No no no Holly, wake up! Stay with me!”

As he squeezed his eyes shut, he silently prayed to whatever gods that existed to stop his friend from dying, hands clenched firmly on Holly’s shoulder.

“Please don’t- please don’t die, Holly-...”

In his panic and worry, JP never did notice the influx of energy that filled his body, making a tingly, pins-and-needles sensation travel through his entire body. From his hands, this energy poured forth and into Holly’s body. Within seconds, her wounds would knit themselves together. The bleeding would stop and the bite wounds would disappear into small, inconspicuous scars.

Holly felt warmth in the darkness. It started at her neck then spread, using her veins to guide it along her body. Stronger and further it traveled until even the tips of her digits glowed with the warmth, the blood hummed in her core where heat began to burn. Her skin pulled together then melted into scars leaving little evidence of what had happened. The woman’s heartbeat with the renewed desire to live while causing her pulse to echo it to the touch. Holly’s breath rose then fell in a normal pattern, signs she slumbered into a peaceful sleep.

All that remained was her blood-soaked shirt collar that revealed the dire state she had nearly fallen into. A feminine voice continued to speak, “Sir? Sir, please answer. The ambulance is almost there. I’m tracing the call to find you…”

Unknown to operator, JP had passed out afterwards. His figure slumped over Holly's sleeping one in a half upright posture.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Lyn, Shimmerstone

---

Lyn had missed most the conversation with Henri and Althalus. She was driven to try to separate the pair before things escalated into a physical confrontation, especially here. As friendly as Eania appeared, her father wasn’t wrong that one wrong step could cause the College to cut all ties and leave them all to fend for themselves. She had hoped some time apart might help lower the tense situation. As her steps slowed, she recalled her mood flowers stashed in her pouch. Promptly she reached a hand into it then began to rummage around to show Henri and Helena. Her fingers had just grasped them when his serious expression caught her attention.

She rarely had seen him looking so... different.

Lyn frowned. She wondered if he was upset, now feeling the need to apologize. Her father could be difficult to handle, something she knew from birth, causing the young hybrid to decide upon talking with him later over this. Before she could apologize for his behavior, Henri’s words stopped her thoughts cold in their tracks. Her stomach bottomed out in her middle where it coiled in on itself. Breath seemed to flee from her very core seeing a rare venom seeping into the charming face.

For an endless moment, conflict wiggled itself into her chest. The threat knocked the wind out of her in one swift punch as it
caught her off guard. She knew he was likely upset, but she didn’t think he would threaten her family or ask her to deliver it. It wasn’t a secret among the college she was Marya’s and Athalus’ daughter. The impact of request seeped through Lyn causing her to step on reflex. Quickly, his dark expression vanished like smoke in the air.

Like nothing ever happened. Part of her feverishly wished she didn’t see it. She didn’t want to think that Henri and her father would kill each other one day, each laying in a pool of his own blood. Especially since she couldn’t just tell her own flesh and blood to stay away from her.

Lyn didn’t move as Henri addressed Helena, his suggestive wink missed by her numb mind. It was likely easily confused with fluster, but it was far from it in reality. Her mind was silently screaming.

Arcanite bursted through her fingers into the seeds. The vines, without control or focus, blossomed quickly along her arm. Their stems crisscrossed across her skin as they dug into the skin. All the thorns buried past the soft scales into the veins beneath causing superficial cuts. Lyn’s mind barely registered what she had done or Helena’s words until the liquid stained the pale rosy surface.

She hissed, then ripped her arm from her pouch to examine it. Her eyes widened in shock for the moment before she quickly excused herself.

“It’s alright, I’ll just… I need to take care of this. I’ll catch up with you two in the marketplace later. In a few hours?” Without letting either of them answer, Lyn then slowly pushed into the crowd. When she gotten far enough, she bolted off.