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 Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 7:01 pm
 x Where: Four Fronds Forest, Zeffer's Hive When: Some time after the events of the Chittentown Disaster
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 7:02 pm
Sundown saw Zeffer rising early, restless somehow as the sun dipped below the horizon to be slowly replaced by the twin moons. Aprife had left a day or two ago, to return to his hivesteam for a time. They had fallen into a sort of cycle that way, going back and forth between the Fronds and the city. It wasn't too difficult, with both trolls acknowledging that it was okay to want to be on their own still, from time to time, and Zeffer had turned his bored gaze toward the forest for possible entertainment. It had been a long time since he'd gone out on his own hunt, and after what Muerte had done for them, he knew he owed the greenblood a lot of favors. Was he really up for putting himself in that sort of peril again so soon, though? That he was even thinking that way caused a bitterness to swirl in his chest. He'd never have given a second thought to it before, but more than ever he felt obliged to think twice. The lightning that had cut him down had left him with something of a disadvantage, and with his vision impaired, it would pay to be more ******** it. He could at least go out and take a look, maybe even strife a bit, if he ran into a hunting party. Chewing on a stale slice of grubloaf, he made sluggish preparations for the journey, and became distracted as he considered whether or not to bind his horns, as he always had. He hemmed and hawed for a while, shifting through the junk on the lower level of his hive and stalling himself further. Perhaps it would be better to go and see if Muerte would want to accompany him.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 9:13 pm
To state that Byakko Mawiya was exhausted was a gross understatement. Her body was battered and beaten, and every inch of her entire being ached more than it ever had in all of her turbulent sweeps. Her wounds were crudely bandaged with gauze that was clearing curling with age (that she probably should have avoided for sanitary reasons), except the starkingly white fresh bandages wrapped around her face, covering the ridge of her nose and cheeks. She was fatigued to the point of breaking both mentally and physically after the events with the bunker and her encounter with the Queen, but some weakly flickering inner strength fuelled each of her staggered steps. Whether that vague flicker was hope, rage, survival instinct or something else altogether was anyone's guess, but nonetheless Byakko wrapped herself up tightly in her tattered robes, dressed and hid her wounds, and pressed her way down the mountain in the direction of Four Fronds.
---
Her first initial reaction after being tossed onto the unforgiving wilds of Busthind Mountain was to head for the summit, to her old childhood hive. It hadn't been a particularly long trip, but her movement was extremely laboured. As the mutant stumbled through the unforgiving cold snow, bleeding bright pink onto pure white, she had feared the sun would rise before she made it to the only place she could ever have described as 'home'. The sky had already begun to slightly brighten as Akko stumbled into the cave system her old hive was tucked away in, panting and thanking the gogs she had made it to the safety of the darkness in time. Supporting her weight against the damp tunnel walls, she shakily made her way to her and Trolldad's abandoned hive. She had been there relatively recently, during the deaging fiasco, to retrieve her old kanabo. Akko hadn't spent any time in the hive, merely darting in and out to get what was needed, refusing to spend any time or emotional energy dwindling in her old hive. This time was different, and Byakko was forced to retreat to somewhere she had hoped to let sit entombed in snow and dust, hidden, forever.
Given that the hive had been abandoned for quite some time, it was essentially empty of any necessities and a thick coat of dust covered every surface. There was no food save a few portions of dehydrated turkeybeast, and the two recuperacoons that were snuggled among the stone were completely dry, not a drop of sopor to be found. Byakko had managed to dig up some old bandages and expired sopor slime patches, but nothing else of much use. While her and Zhuque's personal belongs lay greatly untouched, left where they had been before his death, she had cleared out anything of use sweeps ago.
As she curled up on a pile of old blankets to rest, pressing the sopor slime patches to her bruised and stinging skin, Akko wondered with her last waking moments what her next course of action was. She couldn't stay here, at least not without stocking up on supplies. She didn't trust the members of the Initiative right now, not with her current state... not after what happened. She pushed back growing fears about the future of both herself and the rebellion- she needed to simply focus on surviving for now. Their closest base was outside of Four Fronds... as her mind wandered to the bright forests, she felt a pang of guilt stab through her protein sack. Zeffer briefly flashed through her mind. She swallowed down a sob. He lived there, right? Or, had when he was... alive. Akko stared up at the uneven ceiling, waiting for the patches to kick in to soothe what she could only imagine would be the most awful nightmares of her life. He could have been alive, Aprife too, she reasoned. Regina had let her go... why not the other rebels? But Byakko wasn't one to linger on 'maybes' and 'what ifs', and as her eyelids began to droop, she resolved to travel to the Fronds the next night. If Zeffer was alive, he'd likely be there... right? If not, surely her parted friend wouldn't mind her using his hive- hopefully his lusus didn't either. If worse came to worse, at least the base was there. While Akko tried to fight off thoughts of her likely dead friends, focusing instead on her shallow breathing in a vain attempt to meditate, they kept pushing their way into her thoughts as she drifted off into an uneasy sleep, shivering alone in a corner.
The next sunfall, Byakko stiffly awoke and immediately began preparing for her journey. Her rest had been hardly sufficient, as her creaky body informed her, and it was growing more and more clear that she couldn't last another day on the expired slime patches. She gingerly cleaned her injuries with snow and wrapped her wounds, saving the fresh bandages Zeffer had given her back at the bunker for the deep cut Regina's blade left running across her face. She hurried as much as her body would allow, bundling herself up in spare clothes before making her way down the treacherous mountainside. Despite her vast experience with Busthind, Akko struggled against the elements, barely managing to keep her grasp on consciousness as the wind lashed at her face with more aggression than usual.
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Only as she finally broke into the forests of Four Fronds that sprinkled the mountain's base did she allow herself a moment's rest, pressing her back to a large tree as she sunk down into the underbrush. Akko's head was spinning, yet she was unable to collect herself, body steadily reaching its limit. She ran her hand through her matted hair, other shaking as she reached for her canteen of melted snow-water. Zeffer's hive was close, she remembered something about it being alongside the lake. A few minutes rest wouldn't hurt- not that her body was ready to oblige her wishes at any rate.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 9:21 pm
In the end, Zeffer had opted not to wrap his horns, or wear any camouflage aside from his pants, and zipped up jacket. Leaving only with his batons and a pocket full of basic medical items, he headed out, stalking quietly across his lawnring. By the time he'd left his hive, the glow on the horizon had long since faded, and the inhabitants of the Fronds had emerged, business as usual. He slunk silently down the path he always used to reach the woods, very near the one he'd found his injured matesprit collapses upon, all those weeks ago. The images still haunted his mind, and he kept his vision glued on the forest as he picked up his pace, opting for a run instead of walking. Stretching his legs in such a way always made for a good distraction, allowing the slight burn of his working muscles to keep his mind from wandering. He never had found the trolls who had hurt Aprife, and the thought burned him. It had all happened too fast, and the yellowblood hadn't even had a chance to get a clear view of his attackers, and Zeffer would take it upon himself, now, to punish the ones who hunted lowbloods in the woods.
The night was still early. Though the schedule of the hunts was a mystery to the blueblood, it was easy to tell when a new one was starting, with their loud, obnoxious sirens. He hadn't heard any that evening yet, which meant that none had started, or that perhaps a previous one was dragging into the new night. He kept his wits about him all the same, and patted his lusus as they reached the edge of the woods. "Try to keep low. Don't want to let anyone know we're there first." He murmured, smirking as the massive snake's tounge flicked at the side of his head. It wasn't often Arcus insisted on coming into the forest with the blueblood, but Zeffer had realized that it would be nice to have backup, if something happened. With that, Zeffer plunged in past the treeline, boots crunching over twigs and ground cover. The edges of the woods were rarely the most perilous, and there was little reason to resort to sneaking yet. Arcus followed after him, leaving a bit of distances so he could move more easily.
Despite its nefarious usage by the highbloods, the forest had always been a sort of soothing place, when there were no screams floating up through the air. Zeffer sighed softly as a breeze blew through, finally coming to a halt as the foliage began to thicken. The moonlight filtered down, mottling the understory with shadows and patches of light that danced and swayed slowly as the wind disturbed the branches. The blueblood proceeded slowly then, trees and bushes too close together to warrant running, unless it was absolutely necessary. As much as he'd wanted to find some trouble that night, it wouldn't be so bad to savor the forest in such a serene state, even if it was only for a short time.
Minutes ticked by and turned into hours. By the time the moons were high in the sky, Zeffer had drifted in deeper than he could remember going for quite some time. Idley, he wondered back to the very first time he'd responded to the call of the Phoenix Initiative, and it brought a tiny smile to his face. He wondered if that place was around the woods somewhere, still, or if there were still any hooded adults tending to it. Inevitably, his thoughts took a downward turn, and his eyes became glassy. Had Legs been part of the rebels then, or had she joined later down the line? He could only remember sticking with Aprife and Rero then, having little interest in anyone else.
The snap of a twig pulled him from his reminiscing, and his mismatched eyes darted around madly. Just an animal...but suddenly, Arcus was letting out a soft hiss, head lifting to look at something to their far left. I smell blood. Someone is out there. Squinting, Zeffer hurried his feet, trying to make out the thing Arcus had spotted through the brush. Something white, with a bit of black...a troll! "Hello??" He called out, continuing to close the distance between himself and the figure. A lowblood had managed to escape the hunts, perhaps, or maybe it was just a corpse....he was going to find out either way. He was about to call again, when he had finally shoved through enough brush to see the other clearly enough, and what he saw made his blood pusher drop.
"Byakko!? AKKO???" His voice raised, and he no longer cared about catching anyone by surprise. He tore through the foliage, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. Maybe the lightning had ******** him up worse than he'd assumed? Was it some messed up mirage, born of his guilt? As he came to a halt a yard or two away, he was close to tears, panting raggedly. "Is it really you, Akko??"
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 9:41 pm
The forest was eerily still, it was still too early in the night for much activity this far out into the wilds. There was no sound other than the rustling through the treetops and the occasional chirpbeast. The calm breeze filtered through her hair, almost revitalizing in contrast to the harsh winds of Busthind, but it still did nothing to clear her swirling mind. She felt an unfamiliar queasiness begin to wash over her- maybe those expired sopor slime patches had been a bad idea after all. Byakko was well aware of the hunts that took place in the forest and that the tranquil atmosphere was likely short lived, so she was eager to continue on with her mission. However, her body refused to oblige her mind's wishes. She was a wounded mutantblood surrounded in an area populated by hunters and trappers, and although her her teal sash offered her some comfort, she knew in her condition she was completely vulnerable if someone decided to engage her. She silently cursed her own fragility. While her weapon lay tossed at her side uncharacteristically, Byakko wasn't confident she could do much else other than lift the hunk of metal, let defend herself. And so she remained panting on the forest floor, staring helplessly up through the swaying branches at what little of the starry sky she could make out. Akko let out a soft groan as she repositioned herself to take a swig of stale water, ignoring the sharp pain in her side and the warm wetness of soiled bandages. What she told herself would be just 'a few more minutes' of resting slowly trickled by as she began to doze off under the tree, too weak to muster the strength to get up. Just a little while longer...
Byakko snapped back to reality as she heard crunching footsteps quickly approaching. Her insides knotted, and her fingertips instinctively reached for the wrapped handle of her weapon. Please, not now, she internally begged, using her kanabo to prop herself up. Akko's knees threatened to give way under her weight even with its support, but she managed to force herself onto her feet, eyes narrowed in the direction of the footsteps. Her vision swam, white speckles dancing at the edges of her scope, and as Zeffer shoved through the foliage and sprinted towards her it wasn't until he called out that she actually recognized the blueblood.
"Z-ze-" She stuttered. She couldn't say his name aloud, just like for some reason she couldn't say Trolldad's. Her body involuntarily staggered, then locked up.
This wasn't happening- this wasn't real. It couldn't be. The chances were astronomical. Byakko swayed, staring blankly as the haunting image of Zeffer grew closer. His question was lost to her, as she simply gazed back, eyes cloudy with confusion. A vision, a hallucination, a mirage. Some sopor slime and guilt induced fever dream. He was some cruel punishment her thinkpan was playing on her, she was certain. She was loosing it, and her last moments would be those of her lamenting over her lost comrade for the umpteenth time. Except this time, his ghost stood teary eyed before her. Byakko went pale to an alarming degree, expression remaining dark and unreadable. It took a moment for her shaky vision to focus on his face- his scars. His eye. Even without his injuries, something about him seemed... different. She couldn't pin it, but she was too busy fixated on the fact she was likely having a mental breakdown of massive proportions to dwell on it much longer. "You're not real." Her voice cracked as she stated her denial, eyes widening the longer her eyes remained locked with his. He couldn't be. Even if she had fooled herself into thinking he might have been alive at one point, she had never truly believed it.
Zeffer was dead.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 9:49 pm
Zeffer didn't wait a moment longer to close the distance between them, disregarding her obviously delirious babbling. "<********, Akko, how even??" Zeffer swallowed hard, not caring as a few translucent blue tears streaked down his face. He didn't really expect her to answer by then, as he looked into her face, and her eyes. He'd believed the same thing for a good couple of seconds, that she'd only been a fleeting figment of his jacked up imagination...but now that he was up close, he could tell for sure that she was real, and that she'd been through the same amount of hell (or worse) that the other rebels had suffered through. "Akko, it's okay. It's me. You're alright now." He was babbling, just about, voice low, murmuring and trembling all at once. He gingerly set his hand on her shoulder, as if to prove her comment wrong, and then glanced back, looking for where his lusus was.
Arcus was hanging further back, watching through the foliage, confused but unwilling to interfere with the reunion that was apparently unfolding before his expressionless gaze. Had his son managed to fill another of his quadrants? It made his reptilian heart swell with pride for a moment, but his worry returned soon enough. The female troll didn't look as if she were in good shape at all.
Zeffer felt a flare of urgency as he moved to help his friend stay on her feet after watching her sway in place. He could see how weak she was, her dirty bandages, and worst of all, her paling complexion. She had lost a lot of blood. Instantly, his mind flashed to Muerte, the doctor who had helped them so much during the past weeks...but, it was a no go. While Zeffer trusted him well enough, the sensitive nature of Akko's blood color was too risky to reveal to someone she would see as a stranger. He would have to care for her on his own, and he prayed that her injuries hadn't been too extensive. "Akko, I'm going to take you back to my hive. My lusus will get us there quick." His voice was still cracking, but he tried to explain it to her simply, not wanting her to start panicking. She looked as if she might, and he was scared of a struggle, and of reopening any old wounds. They needed to move quickly.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:11 pm
Akko's eyelids fluttered as tears began to spill onto Zeffer's cheeks. Yup, definitely a guilt triggered hallucination. Her mind still struggled to grasp at the reality of him trembling before her, and she slowly traced his scars with her vision as she continued to deny his presence, offering no answers. The wind played at her braid as they stood staring at one another, dumbstruck, with only Zeffer's low words of comfort to break the silence. She felt her own eyes burn with tears, but she silently blinked them away, refusing to break to her runaway imagination. That was, until Zeffer placed his hand on her shoulder.
It was real. This was happening.
She winced at his touch. He wasn't just an apparition materialized by her battered thinkpan or expired patches. Hallucinations couldn't do that. This time Akko couldn't swallow back her sob, letting out a soft cry as the truth pierced through the foggy mess swirling in her thinkpan. The clammy grasp on her weapon slackened, the iron club rattling to the floor with a soft thud and a cloud of dirt as Byakko collapsed her weight onto the blueblood in a tight embrace. She began to cry into his chest, her own pink tinted tears streaming down her face before she buried them into Zeffer's coat. He was alive. The others could be, too. Her shoulders shook as she dug her claws into the fabric of his jacket, relying on him to support her; just like he always had despite being the frustrating a*****e he could be. What had she done, precisely, to earn his unyielding loyalty? She had a thousand and one questions for him, but there was time for that later.
Pulling away as he addressed her again, Akko nodded weakly in response. Yes, his hive would be safe enough for now. She narrowed her vision on Arcus- she remembered the lusus from their first meeting on Busthind. "Thank you." Her voice was as equally shaky as her body, and for the briefest of moments a flicker of what someone who knew her might call her first smile in sweeps graced her face.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:40 pm
Her moment of silence and the broken, distant look in her eyes had frightened the blueblood, for a moment. He could tell that she was hurting, still trying to process what was happening, and when she finally seemed to react to his touch, he was overwhelmed with relief. Zeffer wrapped his arms around her as she abandoned her weapon, and sought immediately to gather her up and hold her close, being mindful of the state of her battered body. He was ready to lift her, to whisk her off to safety on the back of his lusus, but his alarm was forgotten for a split second as she began to break down. At the sound of her quiet sob, it was as if the gravity of the situation hit him anew, and he bit his tongue to keep himself from making sound, his body quivering as he squeezed her reassuringly. Fresh blue tears dripped down against her hair and face, and he marveled at the situation, at how lucky they were. Somehow, some way, she was alive. He peered down at her quietly as she pressed away again, trying to blink away his tears, sure she had never seen him in such a state.
"It's nothing." He swallowed hard, and tried not to smile, feeling a swirl of emotions blossom in his chest. He wanted to weep, to scream, to leap about, all becauseshe was ******** alive, that stupid crazy b***h. Continuing to hold her close and provide support, he nodded to Arcus, who quickly slithered over through the underbrush. His head dipped down to take her weapon in his mouth, and he glanced back, going still as he waited for them to climb onto his back. Byakko's pointed look didn't go unnoticed, and the blueblood grinned faintly himself. "He's safe. I promise."
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:52 pm
While their trembling embrace was brief, for the first time in what seemed like eternity, Byakko felt... safe? Even if the feeling was as fleeting as their moment of shared joy, it had been the first time the mutant had felt genuinely secure in... well, since Trolldad had boarded the ship that launched him to his death. Her tears were that of relief, of anger over what had happened, of joy to see Zeff alive and breathing. Everything was going to be okay. Or at least, momentarily she allowed herself to think so. The stinging of her wounds seemed dulled as he curled around her protectively, and she pressed herself deeper into the warmth of his body as if it would somehow mend everything.
But it wouldn't, and so she allowed him to help steady her as she struggled onto his awaiting lusus' back. Akko took the opportunity to wipe away the pink and blue tears beading her face and hair, quietly sniffling, still recoiling from their reunion. Her mind fell blank as she finally allowed her guard to drop and the fatigue to take her, as she finally gave up control and trusted in the one person that knew her secret save the older members of the Initiative. As Zeffer slipped onto his charge's back behind her, she noted that Arcus had retrieved her weapon, and gave the giant snake an awkward pat of gratitude. She grasped at something to cling to as Arcus' scaled back offered little in terms of stable seating, finding Zeffer reaching around to support her. She craned her neck to glance back up at him, signaling she was ready to depart when he was.
Arcus tore off at a cautious, yet respectable speed, in the direction of the lake. Akko felt it increasingly strenuous to keep hold of her state of consciousness, head bobbing as she fluttering in and out of her blurred surroundings, eyelids growing heavier with each passing minute. She wanted to say something to Zeffer, to break the silence, but she didn't know what to possibly say, even if she did have enough stamina to hold an intelligible conversation. So she remained silent, merely giving Zeffer's arms an unsteady squeeze as the pink foliage broke into a clearing. The star-speckled lake broke into view, tepid waters chopping at the reflected night sky.
They were almost to safety.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 11:12 pm
Zeffer tightened the hug momentarily in a gesture of reassurance, letting go of a shaky breath, and a few more tears. Oh, the questions that began to swirl into his mind...but they would have to wait. Even after Akko had pulled away, he hovered close, as his sense of urgency returned. Her injuries were obvious, and it wouldn't do to get back to his hive only for her to succumb to them. He couldn't allow it. Carefully, he helped her onto Arcus' back, allowing her to lean for support, as needed. A snake certainly wasn't the easiest thing to ride, but he had certainly learned to master it after sweeps of being with his lusus. Arcus didn't even need to be told where to go; he knew his way through the woods, and though he did not respond to her pat, he made a swift beeline through the trees. At the very least, it was a nice smooth ride, not likely to agitate her injuries further, or cause unneeded stress. As Akko moved to grip his arms, Zeffer smiled very faintly.
They wouldn't need to worry about the silence for long, because the hours Zeffer had spent wandering on foot were minutes for the swift-moving snake lusus. In llittle more than a half hour, they were exiting the woods, and the blueblood stiffened slightly. He didn't want to appear conspicuous to the general population of the Fronds, which always tended to mill about on such nights, highbloods just going about their business as usual. Arcus seemed to realize this, and picked a route off the usual walkways, keeping his head low and his wings up, approaching Zeffer's hive from the back. There was no time to go around to the front, or to admire his small collection of windsocks, as he lifted Akko off of Arcus' back and carried her inside.
He used an elbow to get the lights flickering on, and made his way quickly down the dim hallway, past several rooms, before they were in the central part of his hive. It was as messy as it had always been, but it didn't matter. He set her on the nearest overstuffed couch, knowing what needed to be done first. "Let me get a first aid kit. I'll be right back." He spun around and headed back the way he came, hoping she wouldn't protest much. Her bandages looked old, and even though she was probably tired and hungry, it wouldn't do for her wounds to become infected and weaken her even more.
Piles of junk lay everywhere, goggles, umbrellas, and faygo bottles. If one cared to look, it was easy to see that the largest lower section was actually two stories, with a stairway leading up to an open upper level. Arcus slithered in and lingered in silence, turning his head toward the direction Zeffer had gone, and was banging around in.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2015 11:52 pm
On Arcus' back the journey may have only been a fraction of what it would have taken the pair on foot, but nonetheless it still felt like forever. The seconds dragged by, and even with her consciousness flickering in and out it seemed to last on into eternity. Words and questions she didn't have the capability to ask swirled in her thinkpan, feelings she couldn't quite identify mashed alongside them in a slurried frenzy that only intensified her confusion. Her one solace was the warmth of Zeffer's body pressing against her back- and even that just served to confused her more. The giant snake travelled swiftly, and while the ride was smooth she found each ripple of the lusus' movements sending shattered jolts of pain through out her battered body. With the stabbing sensations came momentary breaks of clarity, just enough to fuel the churning curiosities that she was forced to save for later.
As they slowed near Zeffer's hive, a stuttered sigh of relief slipped from between her lips. Safety. She would have protested as he lifted her off Arcus' back, ******** princess carried her, if the mutant could scrounge up any spare energy. Instead, she dizzily stared up at him with slitted, glazed eyes, continuously grateful for his help but simultaneously cursing her own fragility. This was just embarrassing. There was an indistinct burning sensation in her cheeks.
Akko choked out a pained grunt as Zeffer placed her on a couch, despite his best efforts to handle her crippled body with care. He mumbled something about first aid. She nodded in response, instantly feeling regret as her surroundings began to twirl. Ugh... Byakko tried to steady herself, pressing a damp palm to her forehead in a vain attempt to stop the vertigo. It did nothing to help. A sickly cold sensation tingled throughout her, the edges of her vision began to grow dull. The mutant ran trembling fingers through her greasy hair, hand limply dropping afterwards to rest on the cushions as she gave up fighting the internal spinning. At least she was safe now. Byakko's eyelids began to flutter as she struggled harder against the weight dragging them down, wondering if she would still be awake by the time Zeffer returned.
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:07 am
Any embarrassment on Akko's part went undetected by the blueblood, perhaps a fortunate thing for the injured rebel leader. At that point, he could only see handling her that way as a necessity; she was badly injured, and too exhausted to even stand, let alone walk. He would have time to gloat and laugh later, but for the moment, he was only interested in staving off death. Zeffer had done his absolute best to be gentle as he carried her inside, but it was hard to watch his movements when he was in such a hurry. As he darted back to one of his utility rooms, he couldn't do anything but swallow the guilt over the noise Akko had made as he settled her onto the couch. The sooner she got cleaned up the better, and he would have to get the recuperacoon in the guest quarters set up as well. After locating the right storage cabinet, he practically tore the insides apart to get at what he needed, before hauling a** back into the main room.
The supplies were dumped on the floor next to him as he kneeled to get a better look at her. He wasn't too surprised to see that her eyes had closed, but the rise and fall of her chest let him know that she hadn't stopped breathing, at least. "Akko. You awake?" He murmured, not really expecting much of a response as he flipped open a kit to dig out antiseptic and fresh bandages with shaking hands. As accustomed as he was to patching up his own hurts, Zeffer still felt inept at doing so for others. Once again he found his mind drifting to Muerte, wishing that the greenblood had been an option as he reached up to touch his friend's shoulder again. "Akko, this is gonna sting, but we have to get these changed. Just try to sit still..." He didn't want to dive into it without telling her anything, even if it looked like she wasn't able to hear. With that, he picked a spot and started to unwrap the old bandages, holding onto the hope that Akko's wounds hadn't had the time to become properly infected. The gauze on her face went untouched...he'd save that for last.
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:25 am
Zeffer's words were almost lost to her. They reached her as low murmured tones, but Byakko could only assume he was trying to reassure her in his own way. She felt him start to unwrap the first of many bandaged wounds, and a soft involuntary hiss whistled through cracked lips. Or maybe he was warning her. With each miniscule tug at the gauze came an intense burning pain that seemed to rip Akko right down to the bone- the soiled bandages clung a little too eagerly to her wounds, deeply absorbed into half-caked mutant blood. Luckily, Byakko hadn't any strength to writhe under the slow torture. Her arm slightly jerked as Zeffer gingerly worked at peeling away the bandages, for the most part unresponsive to his touch save occasional grunts and her laboured breathing. She wanted to open her eyes, tried to, but her heavy lids only twitched in response as she finally lost the battle against her own fatigue and slipped into total nothingness. --- Byakko wrenched her eyelids open with a choked gasp. She sloshed through sopor, letting out a shuddered groan as a claw broke the surface of the slime to rub at her pulsing temple. It took Akko a few minutes to collect her bearings, but as her doubled surroundings refocused, she realized she was tucked away inside an unfamiliar recuperacoon. The mutant allowed herself to sink back into the slime with another shudder, becoming increasingly aware of her injuries as the pain returned along with her consciousness. Cerulean decorations and the cluttered mess reminded her of where she was. Zeffer's hive- he had saved her. Akko bit her lower lip. Her vision flitted around what part of the room she could make out from the coon; she seemed to be alone. Shakily grabbing onto the opening of the recuperacoon, Byakko hoisted herself up, trying and failing to swallow back the yelp that tore from her throat as her body jolted with pain in riposte. She was still successful, and managed to drag herself out, trembling and drenched in green goo. Once her bare feet met the cool floor below, Byakko's knees betrayed her and gave way, buckling as the girl collapsed. Conscious, yes. Able to move around freely, not so much.
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 2:30 am
Zeffer could tell Akko was fading into unconsciousness, but as long as she was breathing, he figured that it would be fine to let her. She was exhausted, and hurting, and there was really no need for her to stay awake if she couldn't manage it. At her first agitated hiss, Zeffer bit his lip, and resolved to use water to loosen up the dried bandages, not wanting to cause any further blood loss or pain. He did his best to work carefully, before realizing that there was a much better way to go about it. She really was a mess over all - dirt and blood everywhere, caked on her skin and clothes, even in her hair. He leaned in to put a hand on her forehead, before brushing it up through her bangs, attempting to get her attention. "Akko." His voice was low, but firm. No answer. Glancing around, he knew he'd have to make a decision. It was weird but...it'd be best for her, right? Some of her injuries looked absolutely groty, and with a determined huff, he carefully gathered her up again, and headed for the stairs.
-----
He'd heard her gasping just a bit too late. Zeffer had stayed up nearly all night and day after cleaning her up and making a place for her to sleep. He had cleared out his guest quarters and prepped the spare recuperacoon, before setting up a beanbag chair in the corner to wait it out. He hadn't wanted to risk her waking alone and flipping her s**t, and so there he had remained, barely distracted by some handheld videogame and a stack of old weather reports to pass the time. Mostly, his eyes had stayed glued on the recuperacoon, waiting uneasily for her to regain lucidity. It was anyone's guess when she would come to, and he'd stayed there in the same room for almost the entire time. Unfortunately, it was just their luck that he'd gone down for food when she finally woke. He heard her from the stairwell, and his heavy footsteps thudded up from the lower levels following her yelp.
"Akko, akko, wait wait wait!! ---" Zeffer bantered as he rushed in, dropping to her side just as she'd crumpled to the floor. Panic gripped him for a moment, and he lifted her gently, waiting for her to support herself on his arm and leaning her back up against the recuperacoon. "Take it easy, Akko! You coulda just called." He laughed weakly, and hoped that she at least remembered arriving at his hive. It was going to be hard to explain the baggy, lightning-print pajamas she was wearing, if she didn't.
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 10:46 am
Bitterly muttering curses, Byakko emptily stared at the respiteblock floor.
Useless.
Her mind buzzed with faint lightheadness, but aside from her failing limbs she was otherwise cogent. She had just started to glance around, trying to find a way to pull herself back up her feet, when Zeffer burst in and rushed to to her side. Akko opened her mouth to respond, but only managed a pained grunt as he wrapped around her. Something unidentifiable to the mutant knotted tightly inside her. Byakko winced as Zeff carefully tugged her up, accepting his assistance with a sideways glance.
She wanted to protest, hated that she needed his help like this- but it was futile. She was pathetically inept in almost every sense of the word in her current state, and if there was anyone she could trust right now, it was him. Zeffer had been through everything with her since the very beginning, even if he didn't fully realize it yet, and the blueblood was the only one outside of the immediate members of the Initiative who knew about her mutation. Was more than willing to accept her, if his gestures now and back at the bunker had signalled anything. She was overwhelmingly grateful and there was almost nothing left to hide from him any more, save her position, so why did accepting his help humiliate her so deeply? Her whole body twinged with a burning pain as she moved, but the stinging at her cheeks felt foreign and bothered her much, much more.
Byakko braced her aching body against the side of the recuperacoon, shakily slipping away from Zeffer's warmth as soon as he would allow. While she steadied herself, the shorter troll squinted up at the scarred face of her friend as she studied his face with renewed awe.
"What... happened?" Were the first words she managed to pry from her dry throat. What specifically she was questioning about was Zeffer's guess. As she lifted a hand to rub once again at her pulsating temple, she caught glimpse of the loose patterned sleeves hanging from her arms. She froze, craning her neck down to gawk at the baggy pyjamas that was most certainly not hers.
"W-what the actual ********?!" The next look she gave him was seething.
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