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 Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 6:24 pm
The silence hung between them, haunting. The words clung to Autumn's throat, poisoning her every thought. The actions she hadn't taken, the things she hadn't said. Who was it that she hadn't saved? Who was it that her stupid, stupid optimism was going to kill? It probably would've been better if she'd left. She failed Alexis, failed herself.
And yet, here she was. Desperately clinging on to some pathetic hope that her remaining here would make some sort of a difference. That she could change the course of the tithe, change... something or another.
What a pretty little lie it was.
Here, healing Alexis, she could not think of anything to say. No amount of apologies would pacify the bitterness in her heart, the bile burning her stomach. So she didn't speak. Instead, she focused on healing Alexis's hand, taking their pain into herself.
It seemed only fitting.
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 6:34 pm
Alexis' eyes were half-glazed, their face ash-grey, their arm hanging uselessly at their side - flakes of the undershirt coming away around their wrist in shreds, and with it motes of skin.
"'s fine," they mumbled, uselessly reaching out to gingerly pap Autumn's cheek (and half-missing; their eyes weren't exactly open, and the odds were high all they saw was smudges of brown with no real focus). "Don't need it. Deserved what I got." Anything further was too tiring, at least for right now; and even with the chill of their wrist, the rest of their outfit felt - sweltering. It was awful here, in all of this, and all of this was awful. "You -"
An awful, suffocating silence.
"You hurt?"
It looked a little less awful than it might have, their wound, but the skin was ice-cold and stiff and thick, and Alexis' injured hand didn't twitch not even a little.
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:26 pm
"Nobody deserves this s**t. All that- spare the rod, spoil the child is old hat for being a douche and beating your kids," Autumn snapped, crying threatening to happen once more. She was really ******** sick of crying, and twice as sick of being here. This whole place sucked, and Ezra sucked, and Melany sucked, and Alois ******** SUCKED. All of it was just the worst. Autumn forced herself to turn that negativity into healing, taking Alexis's pain into herself. The frostbite, the flaking skin- all of it, Autumn willed into her own body.
It was only temporary, but for the first time, Autumn wished it wasn't. Not for all the misery she'd caused.
"M-me?" She choked, looking up. The tears did fall, now, and Autumn barked a laugh. "********, no. I'm okay, Alexis. I'm okay. I'm just- I'm so sorry I failed you."
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 5:39 pm
"'s not the worst," Alexis protested as their wound healed; the skin remained discolored, broken, weak despite Autumn's best efforts. Ezra was more powerful than either of them, he was Council, he was Decider of the Tithe - the magic would help (and their hand would stay, mostly functioning, mostly fine), but they'd be scarred with a man's hand around their wrist for a very long time.
"Y'didn't - fail me," they hissed, hit with a fresh wave of pain so hard their eyes screwed shut. "I did it. Wanted to do it. Could have said sorry. Didn't." They were more conscious, now, trying to help as they could - pulling the flaking undershirt up, revealing their pale forearm, scattered with thin scars. "This better?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 2:11 pm
Autumn Smith 20/25, healing Alexis "...No, that's. That's not better at all," and her voice broke, depressed. Miserable. Another reminder of the people she couldn't protect, couldn't save. What use was she as a healer, when there was so much pain? So many people hurting, that she couldn't help? Swallowing thickly, Autumn focused on pulling out the pain. Willing away the hurt. Inhale, exhale.
"I don't... want to see you hurt, Alexis. I don't want to see anyone hurt, but... especially not you. You don't deserve this s**t."
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 4:55 pm
"Doesn't hurt," they whispered, reaching up to pat her face again. "I'd tell you if it hurt. It doesn't. 's gonna be fine, Smith. You gotta get back in there, right? I can brace this now." Their face was still pale, teeth gritted, and their wrist wouldn't move - their hand, unresponsive - but it'd come back later, like a foot that'd fallen asleep, or at least they hoped it would. "Get back to talkin' to people. I'll brace it up, it'll be fine."
"The tithe's gonna happen soon, right? I got a feelin' something's gonna go real bad."
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:26 pm
"But-" But what? But she was scared to leave Alexis, if something else went wrong? But she felt like a failure, not having known how unhappy they were? So many objections, and so few things to say. So few things to make things right. She willed part of the pain away further- into herself and out into the world- and then stood.
"I'll be back, Alexis. I promise. I'm not- I'm not leaving you again."
She turned and headed back into the hall.
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