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 Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2024 5:32 pm
It was purely by luck that they’d been together, sitting down to watch a movie, when Michael felt the strange sensation of a message being sent to him. Unable to shake the feeling of dread, he broke his own rule and powered up inside the house. With Lucien blocking his aura, of course.
He sent back instructions to keep as much pressure on the wound as possible, to staunch the flow of blood, and that they would be there shortly. He didn’t have to be told a hospital was out of the question, and he had enough medical supplies at Sessrumnir to take care of most injuries.
Hopefully, the spring and Ephesus’ magic would take care of the rest.
They arrived only a few minutes later, out of breath and with Lucien clinging to Sessrumnir’s armored shoulder to keep their auras dampened.
He didn’t waste time asking questions, although he did share a glance with Alastor, and nodded to Ganymede in thanks for taking up the task of keeping the wound as stable as possible.
“Hang on, we’ll get you to the springs,” he told Reims, although he wasn’t sure if he was even conscious at the moment.Ephesus had been warned that it would probably be a gruesome sight, but part of him really hadn’t expected what they’d raced to.
He gasped, hand over his mouth as tears quickly filled his eyes, although he was careful not to trip over himself as Alastor gently set him down.
Reims was incredibly pale. What was surely supposed to be dark gray or black fabric had stained even darker, and what looked like the handle of Yvoire’s parasol sticking out of him. There was blood on his lips, and what was likely a pool beneath him, soaked up mostly by the clothes Ephesus had never seen him wear before. The aura was impossible not to notice.
Reims was a Knight. And he was likely at death’s door.
Ephesus didn’t question whether he was still alive or not. He had to be. He refused to think otherwise. His scepter was already in his other hand. He knew they couldn’t stay there long. They had to get to Sessrumnir. He would use his magic as soon as they got somewhere safe.
He reached out for Yvoire, wrapping an arm around him, but also staying close to Amarynthos and Alastor as Sessrumnir picked up Reims, who whimpered in pain and distress. Who could blame him?
“He’ll be okay,” he whispered to Yvoire, noting how distraught he looked, and gave him a gentle squeeze. He didn’t want to hurt him in case he’d been injured as well.Lucien stayed close, his tail swishing in agitation as he jumped down from Sessrumnir’s shoulder and up onto Alastor’s instead.
The plague that was the Negaverse was going too far. Attacking young Knights and Senshi was inexcusable. If Ganymede and Lucasta hadn’t been there, he feared what might have happened to the two knights.
He still feared what might become of the new Knight. Again there were voices, but faint. He felt like he was drifting in and out of consciousness. If he’d been more awake, he would have been frustrated by how pathetic he was being.
Reims knew Yvoire was there, somewhere. And Ganymede, too. He didn’t have a close relationship with Ganymede like he knew Yvoire did, but if Yvoire trusted her, then he would as well.
Even though he groaned in pain as he was lifted, he almost immediately felt what he knew was the warmth of the springs of Sessrumnir. He’d been there not too long ago, hoping to help Cassidy with the injuries he’d gotten in his car accident.
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2024 5:34 pm
As soon as Ephesus was on the ground, Amarynthos had taken his hand and held it tightly. It was difficult to control his strength; his stomach churned when he saw Reims’ condition. He didn’t want Reims to see him upset–was he even conscious?–and he couldn’t let Ephesus see.
Ephesus was strong, he could steel himself in times of dire need. Like he was probably doing now. Amarynthos didn’t want to make it any harder on him.
“He’ll be okay,” he repeated, for Ephesus and Yvoire and himself. He couldn’t talk over the noise of pain that came from Reims but he wished he could have done something to block it out. “Are you okay, Yvoire?” He looked him over for any injuries but it was hard to focus on much.
Alastor had little to say in the way of conversation, but as soon as they arrived on Sessrumnir he was already moving away from the group. “I’m getting the first aid kit,” he said, even if he supposed Michael already knew where he was headed. He walked with long, fast strides, and stayed upright so Lucien wouldn’t have to worry about balancing.
They had an array of supplies that far exceeded a ‘first aid kit’ but it was here for emergencies and they’d already had their fair share up here. He knew exactly where everything was here, but it wouldn’t have been of much use if they had to go digging around during an emergency, so he was heading back with his arms full of supplies immediately.
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2024 8:15 pm
By the time the others arrived, Yvoire had gone a bit numb. Ganymede had tried to talk to him while she’d put pressure on Reims’ wound—to calm him down, to comfort him, but it hadn’t helped. Yvoire felt sick, and guilty, and horribly afraid, before it all became too much and he felt nothing at all.
He stared at Reims, eyes locked first on the blood, then the piece of his own parasol sticking out of Reims’ gut. He listened for every shallow breath and whimper of pain. He held Reims’ hand tightly, dreading the moment Reims went completely limp.
It seemed to take hours for the others to arrive, even though it was probably closer to minutes. Yvoire stood on wobbly legs and glanced at Ephesus. He swallowed heavily and shook his head because he didn’t know that he could believe Ephesus’ reassurances. Not when Reims looked like that. Not when Reims was barely hanging on.
Yvoire let himself be held. He let himself be squeezed. He let himself be whisked away to another world. The tears hadn’t dried; they stung his eyes and stained his face, made his pale skin blotchy, but his crying had grown quiet, like he’d lost the energy for it so he let the tears fall unimpeded.
“There was… a Captain,” he explained, prompted by Amarynthos’ question, because he wasn’t okay and didn’t know what else to say. “She was going to take my—but then Reims was there. We were going to talk. I didn’t get to tell him…” Yvoire’s chest rose and fell rapidly. “I didn’t—We tried to fight but… she was so fast. She—I ran out of magic, and…”
“You did the best you could under the circumstances,” Lucasta said, as kindly as she could (which, in her opinion, was plenty kind; preferring honesty didn’t mean she was incapable of decency).
Once on Sessrumnir, she didn’t have to worry about dampening any auras, so she let her focus break and wound her way through three pairs of legs, brushing against Yvoire, Ephesus, and Amarynthos in turn. She wasn’t much use for the injured, but she could offer her own brand of no nonsense comfort to those who needed it.
“Reims is where he needs to be now. The springs will help. So will Ephesus’ magic,” she assured them. “You both kept the Captain occupied long enough to save each other. Next time, you’ll be better prepared.”
Ganymede had ripped off part of the trailing fabric of her outfit to press around Reims’ wound. Her hands were stained with blood by the time they arrived on Sessrumnir. At this point in her tumultuous life as a Senshi, she wasn’t really fazed by it. She’d seen too much. If it turned her stomach, it was only because Reims was so young.
She’d been that young once, stumbling around a battlefield without any idea what she was doing.
Privately, Ganymede had no idea how Reims was still alive given the blood loss. Then again, magic allowed for certain superhuman feats. And he seemed like a stubborn enough boy to hang on as long as he had to simply to prove a point.
“I know it hurts,” she told Reims—softly, because he was just a boy in need of comfort, too, “but pain is good right now. Hold onto it as long as you can. Pain means you’re alive.”
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2024 8:17 pm
Sessrumnir’s springs were beautiful. A huge pool of pristine water in an immense cavern. All along the outer edge of the largest pool and up the cavern walls were smaller pools that had formed naturally over the tens of thousands of years that the cavern itself had existed.
Gentle waterfalls poured streams of water from one pool to the next. All of the surfaces around them sparkled with glowing crystals that illuminated the area so it was bright enough to see but not enough to strain the eyes.
Beyond the largest pool were sectioned off rooms of mostly natural stone. Some had been clearly converted into closed off sections to allow for more privacy, although the openings for the water to flow through were untouched.
While Alastor moved quickly away from them to get supplies, Sessrumnir led the way to one of the sectioned off pools that he was most familiar with using. It was where they had treated Atticus when he’d been injured, and while Sessrumnir was still horrified that they had to treat him at all, he was grateful for Soleiyu’s efforts in helping them get equipment set up so they were prepared for things like, well… the situation with Reims now.
But the equipment was too important to just leave out for moisture to mess with, so he and Alastor had previously stored everything away. Close by, but safe.
“In here,” he directed the others, taking Reims through a doorway and into the room with a shallow pool. There was also a cot set up already, and a table for supplies and a few chairs.
While none of this was ideal, Sessrumnir did have experience as a paramedic. Those situations in which he’d learned hadn’t been ideal either. No battlefield was ideal, no matter the war. And after everything they’d experienced, Sessrumnir made sure they had as much available as possible. If he had to, he would at least triage Reims’ injury before taking him to a hospital, and make it less likely to be traced back to the fight that took place.
Ephesus was trying not to cry. He had to be able to focus on what he was doing. He could cry later. Even as tears filled his eyes and a few leaked out, he still held his breath and did whatever he could to hold himself together.
The tight grip of Amarynthos’ hand was grounding, at least. He squeezed it in return, trying not to look directly at any of the blood or the injury itself. The less he saw, the more likely he wouldn’t completely melt down. He knew Yvoire was obviously upset, but he was being incredibly strong. Even if it was just to disassociate.
The thought of a Captain trying to take Yvoire’s starseed was alarming, and he was immensely grateful that Yvoire and Reims were able to keep each other safe in that regard. Reims had been badly hurt in the process, but they were going to make sure he got better. They had to.
Ephesus didn’t waste any time. As soon as Sessrumnir led them to the same room they’d treated him what felt like a lifetime ago, he was at Reims’ side. He’d reluctantly let go of Amarynthos’ hand so he could focus his magic on stabilizing the injury, even if it couldn’t be fully healed with a stick in the way. But Sessrumnir hadn’t removed it yet, so he certainly wasn’t going to touch it.
He didn’t say anything, afraid that if he did, he would just start sobbing. So he kept his mouth shut and tried not to look too closely at anything.
Once he and Alastor rejoined the others in the room, he hopped off Alastor’s shoulder and onto the table where the supplies were being laid out. Tubes and bags of fluid and needles and various other equipment that he would have to learn. Some of it seemed fairly common sense, and he watched as Sessrumnir quickly touched what looked like a test strip to Reims’ blood and worked on sterilizing the equipment he had as quickly as possible.
Watching what Alastor was doing made it clear what they planned.
“You’re going to give the boy your blood,” he observed, intrigued. He’d learned that Alastor had done the same for Atticus before. And before that…
His memory wasn’t there, but instead of feeling dread, it felt as though the act itself was familiar enough to be a comfort. Then again, Alastor could do no wrong in his eyes.
It seemed as though they were going to set it up so they could start replacing the missing blood in preparation of removing the parasol handle.
Reims was pretty sure he was going to throw up from the pain and being jostled around so much. He tried his best not to whimper and whine, but it was as though he had no ability to do anything.
He could hear, though. Sort of. Like from underwater. He heard a soft voice near him, one that had been trying to reassure him before. He wanted to make a face at her when she said pain was good.
“-ullshit...” he muttered weakly, and tried his damndest not to cough, because it felt like he was being stabbed again every time he moved too much. He wanted to say more. To tell them that he was fine. It was probably a good thing that he couldn’t say much because even he wasn’t sure he could believe that. But he also hated the thought of anyone worrying about him.
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Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2024 8:19 pm
Though Amarynthos didn’t get to spend much time with Lucasta or Ganymede on the battlefield, he had no doubt that them being here was a very good thing. Yvoire and Reims were alive, at least. Worse for wear, sure, but alive meant they could heal.
Seeing Ganymede covered in blood brought him no comfort, because for as much as he could see, he wondered how much he couldn’t.
Yvoire looked dazed. Amarynthos wouldn’t blame him if he was in shock. He wished he could have said something to give him immediate comfort but there was no quick fix. And how could anyone relax when Reims was–
What, dying?
No, that was impossible. Ganymede was here. She was a princess. Not a god by any means, but she had access to such power that it seemed like her presence alone should grant them some celestial boon. And Lucasta and Lucien were here–clever and creative and capable of solving any problem.
And Ephesus had healing magic, and even if Sessrumnir’s springs couldn’t heal, Michael had skill enough to bring anyone back from the brink, right? He’d saved Ephesus, and he’d saved Amarynthos, and–
Well, Reims couldn’t die. That just wasn’t possible. He was too young, and too stubborn, and–
He was just so pale.
He felt Lucasta at their ankles. He wondered if she had blood on her too but he didn’t want to see.
There wasn’t much that Amarynthos could do but offer support, so he did his best. He rubbed Ephesus’ back and nodded along when Yvoire answered. “I’m glad you two were together.” If they’d been alone–
Amarynthos rubbed Yvoire’s back, too. He felt bad about making him talk, he didn’t want him to have to sift through difficult memories. He couldn’t help Riker right now, he’d only be in the way. He was on edge, ready and waiting for any instruction if needed, but he didn’t speak too loudly and he made sure to keep an eye on where everyone else was to be able to give them the space they needed.
Alastor half-tilted his head to acknowledge what Lucien had said, but he was focused on getting things ready. He and Sessrumnir worked well together, and he supposed they would have even if they hadn’t done this before, or made detailed plans to improve to process if it ever happened again.
Preparation well spent.
He moved like the process was effortless. He wasn’t afraid of blood and he didn’t seem stressed. He was taking this seriously but it benefitted no one to wear a grim expression.
Reims looked corpselike. Yvoire, a wraith. Ephesus was barely holding himself together. He had no doubt the stress Ganymede had been under to keep him alive, or Sessrumnir now that it was his task to take over.
He would do what he could, and if blood was the price to pay–easy. He had good blood. Strong. He made plenty, he could give plenty.
Reims had lost too much already, it was a surprise he could even still speak at all.
“You’re doing good,” Alastor said, and though he spoke to no one, he spoke to all of them. He was calm, and even the necklace around Sessrumnir’s neck wouldn’t have said anything otherwise.
Alastor had entirely removed one sleeve; he tore it at the shoulder and discarded it on the ground without much thought. He cleaned his arm, prepped it. It was easy to find a vein.
He was prepared as much as he could be, so his eyes were on Sessrumnir as he waited for instruction.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:36 pm
“Swear at me as much as you want,” Ganymede told Reims. “I’ve heard worse.”
Her hands resumed their firm pressure as soon as Sessrumnir had him down on the cot, pressing against the cloth around his wound. She was not a medic, nor was she at all confident in any of their abilities to keep Reims alive, but she didn’t let her doubts show on her face. Sessrumnir had training, but Ganymede didn’t know if that put him on par with a surgeon. Magic might be able to bridge the gap, but Ephesus only had so much of it. They knew other healers, but not enough time to get them here yet. First, they had to get Reims stable.
“What’s the game plan?” she asked, wanting them all on the same page. “Blood and healing? Have Yvoire power down instead of pulling the stick out manually, then more healing and…”
And? Hope for the best? She couldn’t say that around the kids. She’d seen a lot of s**t when she was their age and she knew they could bear as much if they had to, they were strong and resilient, but she’d rather they didn’t have to.
This was bad enough. Let this be as bad as it got for them.
Lucasta would never admit it, nor did she give any indication that she believed it to be the case, verbally, facially, or otherwise, but she was a useless ball of fluff under the circumstances. Maybe if she put her mind to it she could come up with something to help, but it would take time they didn’t have. Reims was grievously injured and had already lost a lot of blood. They didn’t have much time to waste.
So Lucasta kept close to the boys because guiding and directing was her life’s purpose, even if comfort came a bit awkwardly. (Only because they were soft and she was not, Lucasta told herself.)
If she was worried, she didn’t show it. Intrigued by the process of swapping blood? She didn’t show that either. She sat next to Yvoire in her cat form to take up less space, amber eyes watching intently.
Yvoire barely felt Amarynthos’ hand against his back. He barely felt the soft brush of Lucasta’s tail against his shin. While the others surrounded Reims, Yvoire hung back. He wanted to hold Reims’ hand. He wanted to brush Reims’ hair out of his face. He wanted to tell him so many things—and nothing at all, because he couldn’t find the words for most of it. All he really wanted was a chance. He couldn’t stomach the thought that he might not get the chance to ever forgive him.
Ephesus was at Reims’ side. Ganymede, too. Sessrumnir and Alastor seemed to know what they were doing. Yvoire had no idea what a high school teacher hoped to accomplish in this situation, but Alastor was an alien. Maybe he knew alien things that could help.
That Reims could still talk, even if only a little… that was a good sign, wasn’t it? And if they could give him blood…
“I can—” Yvoire struggled to speak through his erratic breathing. “If you need more, I can—I can give mine, I’m—”
It was his weapon stuck in Reims. It was his life Reims had saved. He’d offer whatever he had to in order to make things right.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:37 pm
As Alastor was getting ready, Sessrumnir was getting Reims ready as well. He didn’t want to hurt him by yanking on the fabric like Alastor did with his own, so he used some fabric scissors he kept with the first aid supplies to cut through the layers of fabric to get to the Knight’s arm.
“Keep pressure for now,” he nodded to Ganymede. “Yvoire powering down is a good idea,” Sessrumnir agreed, sparing a glance at the teenager, his heart breaking, seeing the boys in various stages of distress and grief. They were all too young for this.
“Causing as little trauma as possible… I’ve just finished testing him. He’s O negative,” Sessrumnir explained to Yvoire as he glanced at the test kit with Reims’ blood sample on it. He’d commissioned it from Soleiyu to help with the process of making things like this as quick and efficient as possible.
“We’ll take a sample from you later to see if you’re O negative, too. Don’t worry, we already know Alastor is,” he promised. And really, the only reason he’d bothered to test Reims’ blood was in case they did need more.
“Once we’re ready, we’ll need you to power down, okay? We’ll get the blood transfer started to try and keep his blood pressure from dropping,” Sessrumnir continued as he found the vein he was looking for and finished getting Reims’ arm prepared to receive blood. He made sure to put a quick wrap around it to keep Ephesus from having to look at it.
Next were battery powered monitors he had. Reims had to get more of his clothes cut apart, but with the little nodes pressed against his chest and abdomen, they could at least keep track of his heart rate. Which was unsurprisingly very fast.
He nodded to Alastor to let him know he was ready for him. They had the tubes hooked up so it was just a matter of letting the blood get transferred over.
It was incredibly difficult for Ephesus not to burst into tears. He was trembling as he held the scepter. He wanted to focus his magic on keeping Reims stable, but he also didn’t want to use all of it before it could really be of use.
But what if he didn’t use enough and Reims died? What if he used too much now and they needed more but he wouldn’t have any to give?
He felt Amarythos’ hand on his back, and Lucasta at his ankles. He could hear the distress in Yvoire’s voice. Ephesus swallowed back the emotion that was bubbling up, but he couldn’t stop the tears from falling, even if it was just silently for now. The more distressed Yvoire seemed, the more difficult it was for Ephesus to keep himself calm.
And there was so much blood. He was grateful for how stubborn Reims was, at least. It gave him hope.
There was not much Lucien could do in his current form other than carefully observe. There was not enough room to change, anyway. For the most part, he helped move items that might be of importance closer to Alastor and Sessrumnir as they worked.
The scissors were moved out of the way once it seemed as though they would no longer be needed. He made sure the cords were untangled and the medical supplies were organized.
It wasn’t much, but hopefully it would make things as easy as possible.
He was struggling to catch his breath. He felt cold and everything burned. He couldn’t react to being moved, or poked or prodded. He hissed at the feel of pressure around the wound once more, his eyelids fluttering as darkness filled his vision.
This was not the way he wanted to die.
The thought itself was alarming. Was he giving up? No… he didn’t want to give up. There was so much he still wanted to do, to figure out. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to Yvoire. He hadn’t fully made things up to Cassidy. What would Evan think? Would he be upset? No, that was a stupid question. Of course he’d be upset. What about Dawn? What about Julian? There were too many people that mattered to him.
But he also felt the energy leaving his body. He could feel his heart racing, trying to keep up with the loss of blood.
He wanted to tell them he was sorry. For wasting their time and energy on him when he couldn’t even figure out a way to get better. To thank them for putting up with him as long as they had. He’d become a Knight, only to squander it. Maybe he wasn’t worthy of the power after all. Oh, but he thought he’d been so cool with his little sword trick -- ah, he supposed he could never find out Yvoire’s reaction to it if he couldn’t pull himself together.
Ganymede wanted him to swear at her. He wanted to swear. Tears were in his eyes and they fell down his face as he tried to stay awake. He couldn’t see anymore, couldn’t really hear. Just the beeping of the little machine that had been hooked up to him.
He didn’t hear the sound it made when his heart stopped. He couldn’t see the expressions of those around him as the power of Knight faded and he was no longer Reims, but Riker on the cot.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:40 pm
No, no, no, no, it wasn’t supposed to happen like that. Reims was already here, so many people had already done so much to get him here, he’d already held on for so long–
The noise was grating, not just because of the sound itself but because of what it meant.
Ephesus and Yvoire seemed like they were barely holding it together, and Amarynthos might have been able to keep his face stiff but it didn’t mean his heart wasn’t pounding in his chest. He could feel it in every inch of his body. How could his heart work so hard when Reims’ had stopped?
Riker wasn’t supposed to be laying there in front of them, and even Alastor’s head had snapped over. The noise was foreign to him but he knew it was bad. It didn’t stop him from initiating the transfusion, though he positioned himself to be as out of the way as possible while still shielding the boys from the sight of his blood moving from his veins into Riker’s.
Alastor barked no orders because there were none to give. He knew his role in this and trusted that whatever Sessrumnir could do was more effective than what he could manage. He watched his face, trying to predict what he could offer to best support him.
Amarynthos was just as trusting but he was not so patient. Maybe he was panicking, just a little. Or maybe he was just desperate to make sure he wouldn’t regret doing nothing.
“Yvie, power down. Effie, when he does you have to use your magic. And then you two have to go get blankets. Lots of blankets, you know where they are.” Did they need blankets? No, he didn't think so.. But Riker’s heart wasn’t working and he knew what came next.
Sessrumnir had trained him for that so he knew what to do, and though he didn’t want to move from by the other boys, he forced himself to do it. Alastor had to keep the transfusion going. Ganymede was trying to stop the bleeding. Sessrumnir had to do the technical stuff, the things he didn’t want to think about.
Amarynthos could do CPR. And it was going to suck but he could do it. His brows were furrowed and he was grimacing, because he knew it wasn’t pretty and he knew it wasn’t going to be easy and he was afraid of doing more harm than good.
But Sessrumnir had trained him, and he’d trained him well. He couldn’t let self-doubt or worry contribute to Riker’s condition worsening, so he made his way to where he needed to be–gave Sessrumnir a split second to stop him, and when he had only encouragement, he sucked in deep breath, placed his hands on Riker’s chest, and started doing compressions.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:41 pm
No!
Yvoire stood frozen. He powered down, maybe from shock, maybe on instinct, maybe because he still had a shred of awareness left, enough to listen when Amarynthos told him what to do. The rest of it got lost in the noise and commotion, the mad rush to save Reims—who was Riker now, pale and motionless on the cot.
Énna shut his eyes because he couldn’t bear to watch. He put his hands over his ears because he didn’t want to hear the rising voices and screaming machines and strong, steady compressions…
He shook his head. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. They were supposed to be at the park. They were supposed to be talking. He was supposed to be angry, and Reims was supposed to be apologetic, and then they were supposed to come to some sort of an understanding, only Énna didn’t even know what that was supposed to be, because he hadn’t thought that far ahead yet, hadn’t been able to imagine it when he didn’t know what Reims was going to say or do, or how he’d end up feeling when he saw him as Reims again now that he knew he was Riker, too.
Énna trembled. He thought his heart might stop, too, because it hurt so much it couldn’t possibly keep beating. His lungs already wouldn’t work right; he kept dragging air down his throat in great heavy gasps, but it never seemed to be enough.
“Michael!” Ganymede shouted—reflexive but ultimately useless. He was right there. Obviously he knew what was happening, too. Ganymede looked to him, trying to suppress the sudden rush of panic, but her eyes went wide and the color drained from her face.
Amarynthos got there first. Ganymede kept pressure against Riker’s wound, adjusting the position of her hands to do so more effectively once Yvoire’s weapon disappeared.
“Jesus ********,” she swore.
Her thoughts spiraled. She had no idea how any of this worked or if they were even doing any of it right. She trusted Sessrumnir—and Alastor, who at least knew his part whether or not he knew the rest of it—but Ganymede was far out of her depth. She was no doctor, no nurse. She was just some idiot who happened to be born with a particular starseed, trying desperately to keep her head above water without letting anyone else know she still had no idea what the ******** she was doing half the time.
“Don’t watch,” Ganymede said, to Énna and Ephesus more than any other. “Effie, turn around and close your eyes, honey. You don’t need to look to use your magic. Lucasta, get Énna out of here!”
None of her magic would be of any use, but she pushed her energy forward, let it bleed down her arms and out through her glowing palms into Riker’s prone form. It wasn’t going to restart his heart, but maybe it would help ease things along.
She looked at Sessrumnir again. “Do you have the things? The paddles? Whatever they’re called. If you don't, I have something to revive him but I’d planned on saving it to restore Effie’s magic so he can close this wound. It’s one or the other, it can’t do both.”
Lucasta assumed her humanoid form after all, the better to guide Énna away. She directed him backward, grim faced as the rest rushed to save the other boy. Ènna stood there almost paralyzed, except that he was shaking. Tears poured down his cheeks. He sniffled and gasped and choked. Lucasta forcefully turned him around and marched him out and away, her hands as soothing as she could make them—which, given the situation, probably wasn’t soothing at all.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:44 pm
Ephesus froze and was no longer able to hold the tears back. They filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks as he clutched his scepter desperately, as if that would somehow make things better. He knew it wouldn’t.
He could feel the auras around him slipping away. Yvoire more purposeful than--
No… they were still going to make things right. They still had a chance--
Amarynthos had already jumped into action, although Ephesus couldn’t say he ever wanted to hear what actual chest compressions sounded like. It sounded painful. Desperate. He hated that the burden was on Amarynthos, but was grateful that they weren’t giving up.
With the broken parasol handle gone, Ephesus did as he was told. Amarynthos told him to use his magic, and Ganymede told him to close his eyes. He did both, holding his scepter closer to Reims-- closer to Riker as Ganymede kept her hands over the wound. His hands were shaking, and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to stand for much longer if his legs kept trembling as they were.
There wasn’t much that Lucien could do that wasn’t just him getting in the way. He hopped down from the desk to the cot, elegantly weaving around the wires and Knight laying there so he could butt his head against Ephesus’ hip.
“Keep your eyes closed. You’re doing a good job,” he promised, trying to keep his tail from swishing too aggressively as he looked over his shoulder at what the others were doing.
The situation was grim, and he hoped that they were able to stabilize the boy enough that they could use whatever Ganymede had that could restore Ephesus’ magic. If they had to use it to revive him, there may not be enough healing left to stabilize the bleeding.
Sessrumnir wished he hadn’t anticipated things to turn out like this. He’d been hoping that they could stabilize Reims once they had the transfusion set up. Now…? They still had a chance to save him, but statistically…
He spared a glance up at Ganymede, having heard her distress. Amarynthos got a nod of approval to attempt CPR while he knelt down to open up the large box of supplies Devyn had brought in with him.
Inside was an AED -- an automated external defibrillator. He’d only opened it once before to make sure it would work, or at least turn on, but he’d hoped they would never need it.
The much smaller, Mauvian modified heart monitor was turned off, electrodes removed from Riker’s chest, and placed on the desk. He’d only really needed it to keep an eye on blood pressure and heart rate as they did the transfusion, but until they got his heart started again, it was better out of the way.
“This thing is going to start talking us through the steps of how to use it,” Sessrumnir explained as he took a couple moments to find out where Lucien had moved the fabric scissors, and then began working on cutting away Riker’s shirt while the AED booted up.
As expected, it told them to attach the pads that would be used to deliver an electric shock on Riker’s chest and side, as marked on the diagram on the back of the pads. Getting blood on it wasn’t anything they could control, so Sessrumnir didn’t bother trying to avoid it.
“Okay step back and let it analyze--” he directed both Amarynthos and Ganymede, listening to the machine as it determined if a shock was necessary. Unsurprisingly, it was, and the machine also told everyone to stand clear.
Just as Sessrumnir was about to explain to Amarynthos that he would need to continue CPR, or switch with him, for two minutes as they waited for the machine to reassess, a pulse was detected.
And Sessrumnir let out a breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Okay… he could work with that.
“Can you use that thing you have now, Ganymede? Let’s see if Effie can close up more of that wound.” Because they certainly couldn’t perform any surgery there to fix internal problems.
The pads were kept on Riker’s chest, just in case, but as Amarynthos made his way back to Ephesus, Sessrumnir clapped his hand on Amarynthos’ shoulder and nodded proudly to him. He hated that any of them had to do it, but at least they seemed to be getting somewhere.
Now it was a matter of getting the wound healed and the blood transfer monitored.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:46 pm
Amarynthos didn’t know what else to do except keep at the compressions for as long as it took Sessrumnir to set up the next thing. He hadn’t wanted to move away until the very last second, but when Sessrumnir told him to step back, he did. It just felt wrong to wait. He wanted to be doing something.
He fell back and stood by Ephesus. There was blood on his hands. He didn’t care, he doubted Ephesus would. He put his hand on his back to reassure him.
His hand was shaking but he rubbed Ephesus back and almost couldn’t even tell.
Amarynthos was breathing, he knew because he hadn’t passed out, but it felt like the air didn’t really fill his lungs. He felt dizzy but also like he was hovering just above his body, like it was someone else’s problem, but–
He wasn’t sure if Sessrumnir’s hand on his shoulder was meant to be pride or consolation. He didn’t know if he should feel like he’d done a good job or if he failed.
He didn’t know if he was supposed to be preparing to lose Riker.
He wasn’t willing to give up. He had to have faith in Ephesus, in Riker, in anything Ganymede and Sessrumnir could do.
Alastor wore a serious expression, but worry had yet to mar his features. His brows knit, more as if in focus than concern, but he watched Sessrumnir closely. He didn’t always need the earring to know what he was thinking.
The boys were worried. Obviously. He wished he could have comforted Ephesus but they were this far in and he couldn’t move. Riker getting blood was a necessity, and comfort was only a luxury.
For now. There would be time to check on them, soon.
When Riker was stabilized.
He’d made it this far. Just a little more.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:46 pm
Ganymede hated every moment of this. It didn’t matter that she’d been the boys’ age when she became a Senshi; it didn’t matter that she’d seen worse, that she’d been through worse, that they would probably see and be through worse as the war continued. She didn’t want this for any of them—not the boy who was Reims, not Énna, not Ephesus or Amarynthos. They were just kids. They should be at home playing video games or scrolling through TikTok or whatever boys their age did when they weren’t in school. They shouldn’t be fighting enemy soldiers or watching their friends die.
For a moment she wondered if this had been the best option. Maybe she should’ve messaged someone else and saved at least Ephesus and Amarynthos the trauma. Then again, she didn’t exactly know anyone else who could offer this level of treatment. Magic was all well and good for wounds, but she didn’t know anyone who could reliably restart a heart.
Ganymede continued to hold pressure against the wound as Ephesus’ magic got to work. The bleeding slowed noticeably. Gently, Ganymede felt around through the torn cloth she’d been using as a compress. The wound felt smaller, too.
“Just like that, Effie, you’re doing great.” From subspace, Ganymede summoned a small bead with a pearlescent sheen. She let Sessrumnir and Alastor see it before tossing it at Ephesus’ feet, watching the cloud of white smoke rise around him. “You should feel your magic coming back. Go ahead and use it up again. It should take care of the worst of this. The springs can handle the rest.”Quote: Pearlescent Bead - A seemingly normal looking pearl that is always cool to the touch. It can be found discarded on Homeworlds, Wonders, Mirrorspace, and the Dark Kingdom. To use this item, a character must throw it hard at the ground. The pearl will not break, but upon impact will explode into a painless, odorless, pearly white smoke at the character's feet. This smoke has the ability to restore all energy immediately. It can fully restore all senshi magic, all knight magic, of all Negaverse abilities, except for fourth stage magic. It can be used to revive all drained energy and is even strong enough to revive someone from death through magical defibrillation. While it won’t heal injuries, it will give someone enough energy to stay alive for a bit longer. The effects will only work on the one person the smoke surrounds and touches. The smoke cannot be blown away from the person it surrounds. After the smoke clears, the bead can be kept as a memento.
“Shhh, it’s alright,” she said, slowly removing her hands. “They’re doing everything they can.”
She didn’t say that it might not be enough. She didn’t say that the boy might still succumb to his injuries, that they should all prepare themselves for the possibility that even their best efforts might still result in failure. Brutal honesty was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it down. Maybe she’d learned from making Ephesus cry. Now wasn’t the time for it. Énna, Ephesus, and Amarynthos weren’t the right audience.Énna shook his head. He pressed his hands harder against his ears. He kept his back turned and his eyes squeezed shut. Even with them closed, all he could see was Riker’s blood spilling everywhere, his pale, ashen face and the light leaving his eyes. Énna wanted to go back in time and take a different path to the park, or not meet with Reims at all if that meant none of this would’ve happened.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:47 pm
The tears still fell freely, even if he could hear that they managed to get Riker’s heart beating again. He did his best to sniffle and sob as quietly as possible. He was doing his best to focus all of his magic on healing Riker, especially after Ganymede used some mysterious item to help his energy regenerate.
He could feel the smoke rise around him, and he could feel his magic get strong once more, but he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see his friend’s body, helpless and covered in cords and tubes and patches that were keeping him alive.
But he trusted Ganymede, and he would do as she said. He could hear her encouragement, but he was too distraught to really appreciate it.
Ephesus felt Amarynthos at his back, and he immediately turned into him, burying his face against his boyfriend’s shoulder. He held his scepter out to continue channeling magic into Riker, but his hands and arms were trembling and he could barely keep them up.
“Help me? Please?” he choked out a whisper between sobs, although hopefully not too muffled against Amarynthos’ clothing. He felt like a failure for not being able to keep his hands steady, especially for something so important, but Amarynthos had never judged him before. He just wanted to be able to keep his hands up to use his magic.
There was only a moment in which Sessrumnir took a step back from the cot so he could bump his elbow against Alastor. He just needed a moment of physical contact to ground himself.
He was doing his best to stay calm. He had to. He didn’t know the boy very well, but he knew that Amarynthos and Ephesus were friends with him. And clearly he knew Énna as well.
“Let me see,” he said gently to Ganymede as he stepped closer to the cot again, leaning over to see the wound that Ganymede had been keeping pressure on. Michael already had a handful of clean cloth and a bottle labeled as containing saline solution, which he was using to soak the cloth.
“Thank you, Ganymede,” he nodded to her, trying to keep his expression from looking too grim, especially when he could assume that at least Amarynthos and Alastor were watching him. “We’ll need to figure out a plan for after all this. If we have to leave him here, Alastor will at least be able to come back on his own,” Sessrumnir explained, even though he didn’t want to leave that burden on Alastor. They didn’t have infinite supplies there, though. Enough to last them a while, but this many people would surely be noticeable that they were missing.
Lucien was quiet as he observed everything going on around him. The way the machine seemed to be satisfied with how the boy’s heart was doing. The way Ephesus and Énna cried, while being comforted. The expression on Alastor and Sessrumnir and Ganymede’s faces.
They weren’t out of the woods yet, but if they could get the boy into the springs, then surely he would continue to heal.
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Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2024 5:49 pm
As soon as Ephesus turned to Amarynthos, he wrapped his arms around him. Effie didn’t have to ask, Amarynthos’s hands would have found his way to Ephesus’ in a short matter of time. Amarynthos kept one arm wrapped around him and with his other, he curled his hand over Ephesus’ and helped hold up the scepter.
He didn’t want to look at Riker but he didn’t want to look away, either. On one hand, he wanted to give him whatever privacy he could, and he didn’t like seeing him covered in blood and on death’s doorstep. On the other hand, Riker was still fighting, and he wondered if he could feel them rooting for him.
There were quiet whispers already throughout the room–soft affirmations, and the exchange of words as they treated him.
Amarynthos was sure he could have summoned some words of his own but he found he had no voice. He was glad Lucasta was with Énna, away from all of this, but he still wanted to see him. He was in good hands with her, but Amarynthos had seen how shaken up he’d been even before Riker crashed.
He hoped Ganymede was right. He hoped Ephesus’ magic was enough to give Riker the fighting chance he needed, and he hoped the springs could do the rest.
Amarynthos couldn’t clearly see Sessrumnir’s face to get a better idea of what their chances were, Alastor was in the way.
Intentionally, obviously. But they’d had to see enough already.
Sessrumnir was only semi-effective in hiding how troubled he was. Alastor wished he could have given him more than just an elbow brush for comfort. Sessrumnir was carrying so much stress. Hiding it, well, but Alastor was looking for him.
He nodded to Ganymede, because she’d done a praiseworthy job. Reims undoubtedly was only alive now because of the role she’d played.
“There’s no rush to figure out a plan,” Alastor said softly, worried only that Sessrumnir was too quick to spread himself so thin. Of course MIchael would want to have everything taken care of. Maybe it was his way of convincing himself Riker was going to pull through. Maybe it was just a distraction from this moment.
He was probably running off of adrenaline and muscle memory, and though Alastor had complete faith in him, he didn’t want Michael to wind up taking too much onto his plate. If anything happened to Riker, he wouldn’t forgive himself. So Alastor reassured, “We’ll be here for a while, we can wait until he’s resting in the springs to figure out our next step.”
They’d probably all need a little time to decompress if they were going to think clearly, anyway.
Riker just needed to hold on long enough to let the magic work.
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